are you sick of the smoke?

you are not look. whether you'll need to rethink your weekend plans. why the new announcement about the covid vaccine could be a game changer in the fight against covid-19. he made it out just hours before the fall of afghanistan. he left so much behind. >> it is not an easy thing. my family is in afghanistan and i worry about my family. >> his new home in the bay area. an afghani man shares his harrowing story with us. >> when will the smoke move out? you can see the haze hovering over the bay area. our spare the air alert extended to tomorrow. there's so much smoke, you can see it from space. let's get right to the chief meteorologist who is keeping a close eye on things. >> ath we roll through tomorrow,

we're beginning to make some head way and certainly some marked differences by sunday's forecast. the weekend is looking better. here's a closer look from space. you can see how it is all across northern california. the air quality right now interestingly enough is the worst it's been all day long for parts of the bay area. the temperatures cool off. that cold dense air is helping to push a lot of the harmful pollutants right down to the surface. the north bay is unhealthy. the coast is unhealthy for sensitive groups, the bay unhealthy for sensitive groups. some of the very worst air quality we rank it city by city is in clear lake. number two, san rafael, number three, novato, number 4 at petaluma. as we head into tomorrow morning, it is a little better. you can see the blue color. more of a hazy condition. some of the worst smoke will push toward the east.

we're tracking this system that will help us even more by sunday's forecast. we'll talk about our chances of seeing the sun this weekend coming up in about 18 minutes. the main route between sacramento and lake tahoe essentially shut down as crews continue to battle the caldor fire. not something we're used to seeing on a friday night. no cars on 50. this is twin bridges. caltrans has closed it between sly park road and meyers. so far the caldor fire has burned more than 75,000 acres with no containment. we invite to you stay for the latest on the fire and the smoke. you can check the air on our website. click on the check the air trending bar. you can put in your address and it will find it for you. we're also following breaking news in orange county. john wayne airport reopening terminals after a man was spotted on the tarmac. he stole an airport vehicle,

forcing the airport to lock down and passengers to evacuate the terminal. planes were able to land but not take off. this is new video just into the newsroom of police detaining the man believed to be responsible for this ordeal. officers found him hiding in the ceiling in one of the terminals. new at 11:00, a blow to the ride sharing business model. a judge has struck down california's ballot measure excepting uber and other companies from requiring drivers be classified as employees for been zpits other protections. the judge ruled prop 22 which allowed them to be classified as independent contractors is unconstitutional. that ruling sets up a fight that could likely end up in california's supreme court. all right. it could be a game changer in the fight to get more people vaccinated. the "new york times" is reporting that pfizer will get full fda approval for the covid-19 vaccine as early as next week. full authorization comes at a

crucial moment as the delta variant surges. cheryl hurd has the story. >> reporter: solano county has one of the lowest vacation rates in the bay area. this doctor is the director of inclusion at toro university in vallejo says the penning fda approval of the pfizer vaccine is huge for the county because many people still don't think the shots are safe. >> one of the points to bring up is an underlying fear that the vaccine isn't safe because it is not yet approved. it is only an emergency authorization. it is not approved like everything else. with this being approved, it help reduce that or take that away. >> medical experts have been waiting for the pending fda approval. the infectious disease expert says not only will it push people to get the shots who have been on the fence about it. it may mean companies will start changing its policies.

>> now after receiving full approval, vaccine mandates become more possible so more businesses, enterprises, will be able to require to receive services, to work in certain companies. >> 85 million americans have yet to get a shot. a reason kaiser family foundation poll shows about 30% of those still unvaccinated say they would more likely get vaccinated if it had an fda approval. covid is on the minds of people. some waiting to get tested in san jose. others wanting to get their first shot at a clinic in south san francisco. tonight we spoke with one couple in benicia who was excited about the pending approval. >> i'm glad finally at least one of them is now getting the fda stamp of approval so maybe more people will take it. >> reporter: cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news.

not afghanistan where u.s. troops have resumed evacuating people after an eight-hour pause today. the u.s. was taking evacuees reached capacity. in an update today, the president promised to get all americans who want to come home out of afghanistan. mr. biden said so far some 13,000 people have been flown out. today's address comes as the president faces mounting criticism for the chaotic operation. >> i made the decision. the buck stops with me. plenty of time on criticize and second-guess when this operation is over but now, now i'm focused on getting this job done. >> reporter: president biden promised to help evacuate allies. tonight we're getting a first hand account of the final days before the collapse of the afghan government. from an afghan interpreter. he just managed to make it out

of the country just as the taliban took over. raj mathai has the story of survival as he begins the new life in the bay area. >> reporter: for years, same irworked in an air zone working as an interpreter in afghanistan. tonight he can only watch and worry in his new home in martinez. >> i am very lucky. nobody was even imagined that, this thing will happen in the future. >> reporter: he worked with the u.s. armed forces for three years and was given passage out of country just hours before the afghan government collapsed. >> i was worried for my life. >> reporter: now he hears the growing reports that the taliban going from door to door looking to execute people like him. people who helped the united states. his focus now is finding the rest of his family and getting them out, too. >> they just told me to take

care of myself and my wife. it's not an easy thing. my family is still in afghanistan and i'm worried about my family. >> reporter: his new home is sparse but safe. when the rest of his family is safe, he wants to join the u.s. military. >> i was like u.s. army for three years. i follow all the rules. i love those rules. of course i would like the on join the army. >> reporter: i'm raj mathai. kamala harris is on the way to southeast asia. she'll be spending a week in singapore and vietnam building on the message that america is back. the white house says harris will emphasize the need for strategic partnerships between the and u.s. asian countries. before boarding her plane, the vice president said evacuations in afghanistan will be a high priority this trip as well.

now, the vp is giving governor newsom her high profile approval. coming back for an anti-recall rally. friends and political allies dating back to when she was san francisco d.a. and he was mayor. we have put together a voting guide that has all the answers to your questions. things like what if you didn't get your ballot? what if you want to vote in person? how do you find your polling place? simple. proof of vaccination on the menu for indoor dining and drinking in san francisco tonight as the city's new mandate went into effect. day one had restaurant operators opening up about the challenges of enforcing that new rule. nbc bay area's jean elle with the story. >> reporter: the first night proof of vaccination is required

to dine inside. some say some reservations were canceled. they say there was some confusion at the front door and others say it seems like many people stayed home. >> a busy kitchen at china live in san francisco and lots of people eating inside who had to provide proof of vaccination to take a seat. >> we sent an email out. we sent a text out. we've called them. the last thing we want to do is have people confront us and get mad. >> reporter: george chen said letting people know kept things moving smoothly tonight. emmost customers approved of the new rule. >> only one table said see you. but otherwise, everybody is thankful and very happy. >> reporter: over in north beach, the manager said the new mandate is creating some uncomfortable encounters. >> you know like why you ask me that question. not everybody likes that question. >> something he said, it seemed

unusually quiet for a friday night and wondered if the mandate is to blame. the manager, tony's pizza, wondering where the usual line out the door was for indoor seating. she said the new rule is a surprise to some tourists but diners are complying or sitting outside. >> some people are very unprepared so far we haven't had a problem. >> reporter: her concern is a longer checkin process. >> for those standing and waiting, it will cause a little delay. we'll try to accommodate everybody as quickly as we can. >> reporter: visitors we talked to say they don't mind the new rules. >> so we don't have to worry about sitting around, even a lot of people. >> reporter: jean elle. chase center also requiring proof of vaccination. those 12 and older must show the proof. the only exceptions are those with a medical or religious exemption. the next chase center act is

september 15th and yes, just so you know, the rule applies to all warriors games as well. we're back in 60 seconds with the mystery in the forest. a bay area family found dead on a camping trip. the reason investigators are testing the nearby waterways to figure out the cause of death. and he went to a bar because of a covid outbreak. one south bay mayor continues to do business as usual. the response to critics who say he is not taking the pandemic seriously. and in case you missed it, some of the worst air quality now over clear lake, san

a deepening mystery tonight in the sierra national forest where a san francisco family of three and their dog has been found dead. john, his wife ellen, and their 1-year-old daughter split their time between san francisco and mariposa counties. both were avid hikers. their bodies and the body of their baby found a remote trail. no evidence of trauma, no suicide note. so now investigators are hook at the possibility that they were killed by some kind of toxic algae bloom. a controversy in milpitas. the mayor and city councilmember are under fire for attending a council meeting and other recent events without telling anyone they had been in close contact

with someone with covid. a report from milpitas where some are calling for change. >> here in the city of milpitas -- >> reporter: in a mask and hat, he seemed upbeat at the city council meeting tuesday. his presence is being harshly criticized after it was revealed an online post and conversations first reported by the mercury news that he and council member had been at a local bar now rampant with covid cases. it turns out the mayor knew before the council meeting that he had been in close contact with a covid positive person but did not tell anyone. >> the moment that we found out about it, you know, we knew that a lot of stuff had to be taken to ensure that this isn't going to happen again. >> the mayor and councilmember here at the bar august 12th for a public event. a facebook post from the bar reported 15 covid cases since

then, among staff and patrons including according to the post, some who mingled directly with the two city officials at their event. today owners say they are in quarantine and the bar will remain closed longer than the post date of august 20th. we also reached out to the mayor. he told us he is uncomfortable talking about private health matters, but did give us a statement emphasizing he tested negative before and after the council meeting, adding, if anyone cares, i'm also vaccinated. councilman phan is not reassured. >> in regard to protocol, in regard to revisiting what we could have done about it, i think the safest precaution we can take is to not have these in-person meetings at all. >> reporter: nbc bay area news. our red hot housing market may be cooling off a bit. new number from california's association of realtors shows the bay area's medium home price

dropped last month. it is now $1.3 million. it is down more than 3% since june. still up 24% from last summer. also trending down, the numbers of home sales which dipped slightly from july of last year. let's take you outside and give you a live look at walnut creek. smoky skies. they are expected to last into the weekend. people looking for protection. their families, their pets. we did find that air purifiers are still on shelves at hardware stores but sales are picking up. we faced the same issue this time last year. air filter installers say they again expect to see a big rush in demand. >> i see the demand peaking quite a bit for sure. >> does that mean for you but also in hardware stores? >> yes. hardware stores, target, all. those stores that sell air purification systems and us contractors. definitely. we're going to be busy. >> we also checked with local

animal shelters and they say they're preparing to treat pets impacted but air quality so far is not that bad for the animals. >> okay. you saw the game on nbc bay area. did you see this? fireworks. we can still see them in spite of the smoke. the show lit up the sky over the coliseum. >> we can see a little of it. you say we are going to get some relief this weekend. >> thank goodness. it has been so bad. especially over the east bay, north bay, south bay. things are expected to improve. and i have been tracking this system since monday everything continues to stay right on track with it. just off to the north. and as that system pulls away on saturday, it will help take some of the smoke with it. the second thing will work for us is some fog at the coastline.

two different things really helping to kick this smoke out of here. so let's bring it into tomorrow morning. we've shown this ma'am a lot. it is our smoke forecast ma'am. a ton of colors. there's key up there. the most important thing is we'll be in that blue color, hazy, starting at the coast and through bay. the most harmful smoke, the red and the orange beginning to push off the east tomorrow morning. then look at this. more of that blue color. that's what we want to see. even though it won't be totally cool tomorrow, we're getting rid of that air. then sunday, we get all of that haze trying to push on out and that will be our best chance to get some better air quality and also some sunshine back toward the bay as we head into sunday. so the other thing we're tracking is that fog. so as we wake up tomorrow morning, it is pretty thick at the coastline some of the areas of drizzle. low clouds mixing with that smoke from the north bay and for

the east bay. so a little bit of a gross morning with that smoke mixing in across the inland valleys. once again, we expect some improvement as we head through the afternoon. as we start off, it will be cool around 7:00, 8:00. definitely need a jacket. we're continuing with that trend, san francisco and the north bay. the system to the north with the smoke will also cool off our temperatures. we're only at 70 in santa rosa, 82 in livermore. 60s from oakland to san francisco. you can see temperatures will be in the low 70s thursday and friday. also for a little warm-up here, by thursday and friday, with 90s returning. better tomorrow. >> if i'm planning a hike,

sunday is the day. >> yes. a warning from the cdc for cruises. people in high risk groups should not go on cruises regardless of your vaccination status. it comes following several outbreaks that hav some good news.

a dog that was snaxd outside a los gatos grocery store has been reunited with its owner. a miniature australian shepherd. look how cute he was. he was tied up when he was taken two weeks ago. thanks to social media, investigatorsed tracked down bowie and the woman who stole him. she was arrested and chloe is back home. southwest airlines has a message for its staff. we're sorry. the airline apologizing after employees complained about a grueling schedule over the summer. more flight were added bag to the schedule in an effort to capitalize on demand despite reduced staff. they said they are evaluating their fourth quarter schedule. good news, an express lane on 680 but of course you have to pay the toll. it stretches 11 miles. and then it connects to the existing express lane that runs another 11 mile to san ramon. 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.

you will need a flex device which shows you how many people are in the car. a giant shoutout today literally from a giant. kevin gausman tweeted this photo with his mom saying huge shout out to my mom. today is her last day at work for over 40 years. she's been a nurse in denver helping to care for people when they need it most. cheers to you, mama. #proud son. so isn't that sweet? and now she can travel to more game to

welcome back. i'm anthony flores in oakland. game one of the three-game bay bridge series. both teams making a push for the title. as they round third and head for home. with two outs in the top of the second, wilmer flores rips to center. starling marte makes the nice catch to end the threat and the inning. the a's get on the board in the fourth with two on. josh harrison has the single to center giving the a's the 2-0 lead. with one swing of the bat, mike cuts the lead in the fifth. a solo home run. his 19th of the season making it

a two-run ball game. the a's add some assurance in the second. a run scores, the a's take game one of the bay bridge series 4-1. >> they're obviously in a better position than we are but it takes on a different feel whenever we play them. then we get 40,000 here. our place is pretty loud when it is a full house. a really fun game. >> it is all that matters. i did think they were driving more ball in the air. but wasn't enough. >> with the loss, the giants lead over the dodgers in the nl west, drops to a game and a half. the a's remain two and a half back. game two of the bay bridge series saturday afternoon at the coliseum. in oakland, anthony flores, nbc bay area. >> thank you. we are your official giants station. they are back on nbc bay area next friday. the giants in atlanta taking on the braves. our coverage begins at

finally, a san francisco family is in the spotlight getting ready for america's got talent.

>> they call themselves the curtis family c-notes. they were a big hit with the judges. they are long time faculty members of the community central. they teach voice, piano and choir. the kids have clearly been paying attention. they're like the partridge family 2.0. >> they have a lot going on here. we had our own jody fernandez and her kids and the chap kids that made it on agt. they're phenomenal. >> we are surrounded by talent. >> we are, we are. >> sunday is a nice day to get outside. >> we are still looking at haze across the country. the most unhealthy air right here. for tomorrow, we are going to see some of the unhealthy air kickoff. the blue color is the haze will have lingering again on your

saturday forecast. then by sunday, yes, it starts to move out. we'll get some sun in here. so for the weekend, the temperatures in the low 80s. it will be nice. >> that's good. that will do it for us. tonight, president biden's pledge to americans trapped in afghanistan -- we will get you home the president vowing to mobilize every resource to evacuate americans as flights resume from kabul after an hours long pause. the president saying there is no indication americans are being blocked from the airport, but a trapped u.s. citizen saying that's not true. new images of chaos outside the taliban in the streets. and heartbreaking video, a baby handed over the wall to a u.s. marine, and where that child is tonight. also, the secret state department cable warning of the country's collapse back in july the president asked about that today we'll show you how he responded.

breaking news on pfizer's covid vaccine. how soon "the new york times" reports the fda could give full approval and the new cdc warning for cruises. hurricane warnings up in the northeast as henri takes aim. new england bracing for its first hurricane landfall in 30 years the new track tonight. our nbc news investigation into hundreds of heatwave deaths this summer, and the first to make air conditioning not a luxury but a right the newly named host of "jeopardy!" stepping down amid controversy. and the graduate defying the odds and inspiring america. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt >> good evening, everyone the military airlift to evacuate americans, allies, and afghans who worked for the u.s. appears tonight to be morphing into a broader refugee relief operation, one captured in some more gut-wrenching images of chaos and heartbreak outside the kabul airport.