tarmac at usfo. and late breaking details about an east bay hotel that played a role in today's incident at fso. idol madness. thousands gather for a try at stardom. good evening, it is thursday august 19th. i'm gasia mikaelian this is bay area news at 7:00. a majorince death penalty gets a san francisco airport, the fbi says the threat was a hoax but for several hours more that 160 people were stuck on board a jetliner after a threatening phone call targeted a spectacular american airline's flight. we have live team coverage for you with the latest information and going to start with jana katsuana. >> reporter: we were here when

the passengers were brought back to terminal 3. american airlines terminal. right now the police are telling us that they believe all of the passengers have been released from custody. the 767 sat for four hours surrounded by police officers and federal agents. the flight 24 was diverted shortly after it left the gate at sfo and redirected to a remote part of the tarmac. >> there was a verbal threat and it involved a threat of a hijacking. ktvu learned it was phoned in from a hotel. the hotel clerk contacted the police and they then alerted the san francisco police bureau. american airlines says there were 163 passengers and 11 crew members on flight 24 heading to new york's jfk airport and then to barcelona. >> when the pilot announced that air traffic control said we have to turn around and we have not been informed why. >> reporter: a passenger took

this video on board the plane. many said the atmosphere was calm but quiet. no one knew what was going on. everyone was waiting for something to be said. >> passengers said the police removed two people from the back of the plane. >> somebody came through the back of the plane and i saw a couple people standing up and they took them away. i think they were a couple. >> took off two people a young guy, young girl. we seen them they were right in front of us checking in. >> reporter: the police finally allowed the passengers to leave. six at a time. one passenger took these photos from the tarmac showing the police and other security. passengers were then searched. >> they then had a series of police officers that did a wand search and asked questions, too, went through your carry on bag. >> reporter: passengers were loaded on to buses which brought them back to the american airlines terminal for additional security checks. >> i am very happy to be in the

terminal right now so ... but i am feeling good. i want to make it back to new york. >> reporter: just this hour i spoke with san francisco police. they confirmed there have been no arrests and again the fbi believes that this was not a credible threat. tonight all of the passengers have been rebooked on other flights. reporting live from sfo, back to you. >>and we are learning more about the initial phone call that triggered the security alert. as you heard the threat came into the front desk of a hotel in alameda. amber lee figured out which hotel and she is on bay farm island to tell us what she found out, amber? >> reporter: gasia we are in the suites here on harbor bay parkway where the clerk said he received the phone threat at 9:00 this morning. the hotel general manager told us the call lasted less than a minute. the caller was a man with a foreign accent and the first part of the call was

incoherent. >> the first 15 seconds were all mumble. gibberish could not understand or pick anything up. after that what he could gather from the 45 second k-frgd he said a lot of it was hard to -- conversation he said a lot of it was hard to gather but what he got is i am going to hijack flight 24 from american airlines. >> the front desk immediately called 911 and checked on the internet to learn about the flight. the clerk asked the man if he knew he was calling a hotel and the caller said he did but would not say why he wanted to hijack flight 24. reporting live here in alameda, amber lee, back to you. >> for continuing coverage of the security scare including more passenger reaction go to ktvu.com and click the bay area news tab. a newport security breech

in texas landed a man in jail tonight after the police chase ended this off an airplane runway. the chase began after this gray pick up truck there was carjacked in dallas. the hour-long chase went through city streets until the driver crashed through a dispense on to a main runway at dallas love field. the police captured him. the runway was closed and the airport halted flights during this incident. here at home san francisco police responded to the world famous thrill after a crank call to 911. officers swarmed the restaurant on california street. they received a call that a man was on the roof shooting at people below. the police say it even sounded like there were skwrupb shots in the background -- gunshots in the background during the 911 call. >> walking down california officers pointing at several buildings. they pointed at me and said you need to get out of here. i booked it down the street. >> the police quickly determined the call was a hoax. they say the phone number where the call originated is the same

one used to make a similar crank call at the fair month hotel last month. the investigation is ongoing tonight. there is a new twist tonight in the san francisco drug lab scandal involves the former lab technician at the very center of this case. debra madden is accused of stealing cocaine evidence from the lab that jeopardized hundreds of arrests. now a source close to the investigation is telling us that the attorney general jerry brown office decided not to file charges. the source says the office is unwilling to invest the time and the money necessary to prosecute madden. the ag office is not commenting but the san francisco police chief set to hold a press conference tomorrow. two big silicone valley forces join forces. they are buying antivirus office software. the deal is a cash transaction with 7.7 billion. and intel plans to sell software a long side the pc and other devices.

the board of directors at both companies signed off on the deal. it still needs approval from mcafee shareholders. disappointing news about unemployment. the numbers rose unexpectedly and hit the highest level in nine months. the claims rose by 12,000 last week to 500,000. higher than the previous week. economists were predicting a drop. it renewed concerns about the viability of the economic recovery. that news jolted wall street as stuff went south after the open and stayed in the red. they shed 144 points. the nasdaq took a bigger hit percentage wise falling to 36 points. president barack obama stepping up pressure on the u.s. senate to pass a jobs bill for small businesses. he says republicans are stalling the bill not because they are against it but because of party politics. >> let me just make it simple. there will be plenty of time

between now and november to play politics. but the small business occupiers i met with this week, the ones that i met with across the country this year, they don't have time for political games. >> the legislation will provide billions in dollars for loans for small businesses and tax breaks, republicans are upset that the democrats shut them out. they say it is more government spending. mr. barack obama says it will not cost taxpayers anything. bay area home sales last month sank to the lowest level in 15 years. analysts say the potential buyers may have been slacking off due to tax credits expiring. lack of confid eps contributed -- confidence contributed to the slump. bay area home sales went down 19% from june to july. the medium home price dipped 10% to 402,toy. foreclosure made up to 26% total sales last month. investigators are trying to figure out who started a fire

at vac vacca vacavil high school. the fire was contained and caused minor damage. books and computers were burned. they think someone broke the window and set the fire. the police tell us they are reviewing video to find the culprit. now to the south bay, threatening graffiti led to more security at an elementary school. it was discovered back on august 4th but it included a bomb threat for tomorrow. school officials say they are taking steps to keep students safe. they are asking parents, teachers and students to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. those flying the friendly skies are running into a not so friendly smell at the airport. a sewer-like smell has been going through the newly remodeled terminal a. the city officials opened doors, brought in fans and even pumped smoke to the pluming to find leaks. the smell seems to be

concentrated in an office area of the building. >> this has been frustrating to us. we are sympathizing to the airline authorities and the office space because it is unpleasant. and we have not figured out the source yet. >> the airport plans to run another smoke test next week and vows to fix the problem. airplane officials threatened to withhold payments until the smell goes away. traffic accident caused big headaches for drivers on interstate 580 in oakland today it. happened before noon. two vehicles were involved and a truck rolled over and a car went down an embankment. the officers tell us one of the drivers may of tried to make a lane change. and tell us that no one was seriously hurt. coming up at 7:00, breaking news about what is being called the largest drug bust in santa clara county history. [singing] >> thousands in san francisco it is a shot at stardom.

today's frenzy of auditions for "american idol" and a frightening turn for spectators at a bullfight in spain. most of the bay area warmed up nicely today. outside right now we have fog and low clouds. right around the bay this is a clear shot in oakland. we are expecting the clouds to be on the increase. it will impact the forecast for tomorrow. i will have that coming up in just a bit

. frightening moments when a bull jumped into the grandstands. it happened in spain. 40 people were injured as they scrambled to get away. the most seriously injured is a child in intensive care after the bull reportedly fell on him. the handlers got him under control. the bull was later killed.

the bureau of land management is suspended future event permits for the promoter of the last week's deadly truck race in the mojave dessert. the suspension will remain in effect while the investigation continues. eight people were killed and 12 others injured when a truck flipped over into a crowd standing next to the racecourse. the bureau says it is review safety procedures for all off- road races on federal land. the state capitol was abuzz today with legislative activity. little if any of it passed a state budget. that budget is now more than seven weeks overdue and $19 billion gab lingers. what are lawmakers doing instead instead? the california assembly voted on a long list on a deadline. and holding a press conference to crack down on salaries like those in the southern california of bell. but a stage budget is 50 days

overtoo. >> just mind boggling and ridiculous. >> reporter: they were touring the capitol today and questioning if lawmakers have their priorities straight. >> no not if they are dealing with a municipality rather than a state government. >> reporter: assembly speaker, perez, defended the crack down on overpaid city officials and dismissed suggestions lawmakers should focus on the budget instead. >> i don't think we should hold out creating the reforms that are important just because we have not resolved all of the elements of the budget yet. >> we think it what happened in bell is obsurd, outrage and should be fixed but a drop in the bucket. schwarzenegger speaker says lawmakers should focus reforming state pensions as part of a budget deal. >> if they would spend as much time on that as they are grandstanding on bell we would save hundreds of billions of dollars in the state. >> reporter: but perez says unlike the bell bills the bipartisan support for a budget

is not there. >> so, the urgency is there on my part, i am hopeful it is there on the governor's part. >> there have not been a big five budget meeting since mid- june. without a budget the state officials say furloughs will continue for state workers and iows are coming. in sacramento, ktvu channel 2 news. three men are in custody following santa clara county largest drug bust. it happened early this morning when a swarm of law enforcement agents raided a home in gillroy. that discovered 300 pounds of methamphetamine and three kilos of cocaine. the state department of justice says it may be connecked to a phebgs cab drug cartel and the three men arrested are mexican nationals. three agents participated in the raid. federal officials issued a stroller roll today because

they say a faulty spring latch in spectacular models can cause them to collapse. the project safety commission says so far two children have been hurt by the tangle double stroller. the recall applies to those made in 2007 and 2008. federal official say whoever has one of the strollers should stop using it and contact the company for a repair kit. the nurses are accusing san francisco's largest hospital of discrimination. the california nurse's association say california pacific medical center stopped hiring filipino nurses two years ago. the number of nursees falled from 66% to 10%. the group filed a complaint with the san francisco human rights commission and the nurse's association has filed a grievance with the hospital. they responded late today it said the nurse's union is trying to cover up the failure to reach a contract agreement. hospital issued a statement saying we pride ourselves on

diverse hiring policies and long standing commitment to promoting equal opportunity employment. the bay area gained 1300 new u.s. citizens today. immigrants from 103 countries took the oath of a leg epbs in oakland. it included reading the prizewinning essay by an 11- year-old whos parents were among the new americans. the couple moved here from israel 12 years ago. another ceremony is scheduled for next month for another 1300 people. thousands of inspiring pop stars descended before dawn today on at&t park. the "american idol" was to separate contenders and pretenders. today may of launched future super star careers. [singing] >> reporter: some have it. [singing] others might want to stick to their day jobs but all share a dream. >> i am nervous but it is good it. helps you focus.

[singing] >> they started lining up at midnight having tea and sleeping bags. >> you never know what they are looking for. that soak. it is show go t is fun. >> reporter: this is a make it or break it moment for 8,000 people that went into the stadium at 8:00 this morning. all vying for a spot on the 10th season of "american idol" many had a gimmick. >> reporter: host ryan seacrest showed up. what is the deal with the obvious rejects? >> i feel bad sometimes that their parents have lied to them how good they are. >> reporter: producers remained numb on who will sit on the judging season. three are out. randy jackson and steven tyler from aerosmith, in. sources say talks with jennifer lopez fell apart. >> i understand that sylvester stalone wants to make a movie

with them. a fraction will make it on to the next round and getting cut, stings. >> honestly i thought i had a good shot. i was going to go. at least a little farther. [crying] >> reporter: producers reduced the age requirement this year. now 15-year-olds are able to audition for the show. winners here today if they make it through one more round they will receive a golden ticket and advance to hollywood. ktvu channel 2 news. seven time cy young award pitcher roger clemens faces perjury charmes for lying to congress about performance eni hansing drugs. the federal jury held down the ruling today. he denied, under oath, using performance enhancing drugs. the statements rank counterthe testimony from his trainer testified under oath that he injected clemens more than a dozen times during three years. a court date has not been set. coming up, why some of the

world's racing legends are making the pit stop tonight in san francisco's union square. another day of mild bay area summer weather. is there a change on the horizon? meteorologist mark tamaya will have the forecast. bay area news at 7:00 is on the air and on-line. there is no tv around just watch us on the web. we are streaming live for you at ktvu.com [ man i was deciding what to do with my citi thankyou points when it happened... [ glass breaks ...again. ♪ [ child run! [ man first it was the mailbox. then my squirrel. and now, this. so i used my points to make a donation to get the park down the street built. when it finally opened, i also used my points for... car repair. [ male announcer use your citi thankyou points for almost anything, even local charities. what's your story? citi can help you write it.

. racing legend andretti and danica patrick made a pit stop today in san francisco. they are at union square to promote this sunday's grand prix at infinnion raceway. during the weekend around san francisco and the napa valley wine country. the drivers are scheduled to practice at intpepbion tomorrow and qualify on saturday and race on sunday. race fans are used to sweating it out out there but this year it will be different. >> don't worry about major heat, gasia you might be shivering. we do have a weather system developing up to our north. that will sink up with the fog. the net result we are cooling things off over the next couple of days. the maps, i will show you this. the fog redeveloping rapidly near san francisco and already heading into the bay.

and the fog bank out in the pacific. quite a bit of moisture we work with. we are expecting fog tonight and tomorrow morning. a look outside right now looking towards san francisco there you can see 57 degrees and above the fog bank a layer of warm air above this. compressing the fog. and in the interior, the fog cooling off, we cooled off coast side. here is the highs the bay area. weather story is this, we just showed it toy. the fog increases overnight and it will be cooler. the forecast shows a cooling tend for next week. the temperatures for tomorrow, lower 60s from the beaches and then heading inland. no more 90s. the warmest locations in the low to middle 80s for tomorrow afternoon. this area of high pressure is for the warm up today. you can see what happened as we head into friday and the weekend of the weather system moves in from the north and temperatures cooling off into

friday. once again into saturday. by saturday, warmest locations only in the upper 70s to right around 80 degrees. with a little bump in the numbers that is expected for sunday and we are going to talk about the warming trend that kicks in monday for next week. tomorrow morning, bundle, fog and drizzle, we could have partly cloudy skies inland. clearing skies to near the coast but partly sunny skies around the bay. keeping it cool for the beaches. forecast highs for tomorrow afternoon, santa rose a79, antioch, 85 degrees, hayward, 69 and, san jose tops out at 76. a look ahead, the forecast, temperatures cooling off on the saturday. clearing skies on sunday. see what happens. temperatures warming back up on monday and tuesday next week. >> mark, thank you. the oxtpard english edition officially add words today. the word in question is the

vuvuzela. the plastic trumpet has a place in oxford. the new words reflection staycation and social media of defriend and tweetup. frenemy. thank you [ male announcer when meg whitman arrived at ebay,

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