good friday morning. coming up on "early today," the apology. did potential gop 2016 candidate chris christie set the record straight on bridge gate? >> i am humiliated by the fact that i didn't know that and i was deceived. that's an awful way to feel. >> or will more details surface calling the governor's credibility into question? water emergency. the water supply in west virginia has been contaminated, and the governor issues a state of emergency. on the way, much needed supplies are finally headed to the international space station. plus a rare castro sighting. college hoops at its best and one heck of a weekend ahead filled with nfl playoffs, the golden globes and so much more. it's friday, january 10th, "early today" starts right now.

good morning to you. i'm richard lui. embarrassed and humiliated. new jersey governor chris christie fires his aide and apologieses for the scandal, but could still face future trouble. today, thousands more internal documents are scheduled for release, with the presidential hopeful's future on the line. he insists he had no knowledge or involvement in the traffic backup on the george washington bridge. the world's busiest connecting new jersey with new york. now, christie, along with the state of new jersey, is already facing civil federal lawsuits over the jams, even after an uncommonly long 108-minute press conference, some questions remain unanswered. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington for us. good morning. and the question might be what might those new documents tell us?

>> reporter: well, they will certainly tell us if anyone else may have been involved, and whether this was actually as the attorney who filed that lawsuit put it this morning, in a statement, a nefarious plan. he says one of the people trapped on the bridge suffered a panic attack because she felt like a trapped rat, stuck there for an hour. and the governor says he had nothing to do with that. >> if i had ever had an inkli inkling -- >> reporter: new jersey governor chris christie repeatedly denied he had any knowledge of plans to create a massive traffic jam to punish the mayor of ft. lee for not supporting him. >> let me tell you, everybody, i was blind sided, but i am humiliated by the fact that i did not know this, and that i was deceived. >> reporter: e-mails suggest a top aide was involved. the governor cut all ties with his former campaign manager, and fired the aide bridget anne kelly. >> it is just not believable that she's the hoonly one responsible to this administration. >> reporter: christie apologized to the mayor.

the mayor accepted but insists there's more. >> we're content at the moment and the investigation will tell us the balance of what needs to be told. >> reporter: christie is widely regarded as the top republican hopeful for the 2016 presidential race. how might this affect his political future? >> the shine is off. he was exposed today as just another politician. >> reporter: so now we follow those investigations, the state transportation committee in new jersey releasing all the documents in just a few hours, midmorning, they say. also the top federal prosecutor in new jersey who says he's going to take a look at this and see if any federal laws were broken. >> those documents coming out, we'll be looking at that right here on nbc news. thank you so much, tracie potts. a chemical spill and state of emergency cuts water and the water supply up to 300,000 people. nine west virginia counties are being told to not drink, cook or wash clothes using tap water. one company confirms its supply is contaminated. the chemicals used in the cold

washing process, it leaked from a tank and overran a containment area on thursday. west virginia's governor says the priorities are hospitals, nursing homes and schools. education officials say some schools in five of the counties impacted will be closed today. he's not been seen in public for at least nine months, former cuban president fidel castro made a surprise public appearance on wednesday. here he is, at the opening of a thhavana cultural center. castro briefly spoke with the center's sponsor. one of his favorite artists. he admired paintings, walking with the help of aides and a cane. castro who was gravely ill seven years ago, is now lucid and aware. two nuclear launch officers off the job, suspended for possession of illegal drugs.

their responsibility was launching nuclear arms, intercontinental ballistic missiles. their security clearances are suspended. news of the narcotics probe came as defense secretary chuck hagel was visiting another base in wyoming. he was helping to boost sagging morale by giving a speech on the importance of the u.s. nuclear weapons mission. there has been much -- so much demand, shall we say, high d demand for marijuana in colorado. reports of short supply are surfacing in the state. ten days since it was legalized for sale there. an estimated 100,000 people already braved the cold there to buy it. signs reading out of the recreational cannabis have been seen. the 36 locations that legally sell marijuana have made an estimated $5 million in sales. there is talk of more states loosening their restrictions, and it has marijuana linked stocks on the rise.

sativa almost tripled in one week. nasa titled this picture, the hand of god. a powerful telescope captured what looks like an outreached hand with fiery fingertips. but in reality, it is a nebula that 17,000 light-years away. the dead star is actually a collection of dust and gases, following the star's explosion. but it has some wondering when you look at it, if it is just an image of a galactic death or divine gesture. nbc meteorologist bill karins. >> pretty cool regardless. >> i love looking at those things. >> i wonder if -- if i looked at it, i wonder what i would think it was. pretty cool. >> dead star on top of that. >> san francisco, talking about that. got a little drizzle yesterday. ended their driest -- like .2 or a tenth of an inch. pathetic. but ended their second driest stretch ever during the wet season. crazy stuff.

the pacific northwest, talked yesterday about the big storm coming in. we have rainy conditions that will develop, especially later today. and then we'll watch the warm front go through and then the cold front. we already have showers, especially at the high elevations. we still have some snow, not too high yet. but the warmer air will move in this evening. as far as the rain goes, a lot of this is late today into all night tonight and ahead of the cold front tomorrow. significant rain possible even, some areas could get 2 to 3 inches, mountains, maybe more than that. as far as the snow goes, again, really highest elevations, especially in the northern cascades and northern rockies. we see too much warm air coming in there, especially oregon to build up the snow pack where we need it there from portland southward. as far as the future cast goes, we follow it, you can see the bright red there tonight and then tomorrow, even after that front goes through, we still have showers in the afternoon hours. and watch out for the winds too. high wind warnings in many

>> just south of the storm, we're getting all the, a, right across washington and oregon, california. >> finally. >> not really for you, though. >> just a little. that .2 you're telling us about, that's important. bill karins, thank you. are perspective employers allowed to demand your facebook user name and password? plus america's solar panel obsession is making utility companies very uncomfortable. you're watching "early today." [ male announcer ] walgreens understands being at the corner of "looking for a good deal" and "sheesh, i should've looked some more." ♪ that's why walgreens makes it easy to save even more on your medicare part d prescriptions. ♪

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u.s. officials. karzai claims there is not enough evidence to hold the prisoners. the united states says they have been involved in the killing of u.s. and coalition troops. new criticism launched at the obama administration as iraq tries to retake fallujah and ramadi from al qaeda forces. senator john mccain had harsh words regarding the white house's strategy in iraq. he talked about american lives lost there. >> what do we tell the young people and their families? what do we tell them? i'll tell you what we have to tell them. we have to tell them that their sacrifice was squandered by an administration that wanted out. >> fbi director james comey is not a fan of the hero whistle-blower title that people have been giving to nsa leaker edward snowden. he does not consider snowden a whistle-blower at all, saying the nsa has been operating the way it was intended to. instead comey simply considers

snowden a fugitive charged with espionage for leaking government secret. christmas came a little late for the crew aboard the international space station but it did arrive. on thursday, a rocket launched into space carrying supplies, ants for an on board experiment, and some delayed christmas presents too. time to get to business. according to variety, sales of the everly brother's music spiked 455% since the death of phil everly last week. and mcdonald's finds itself facing a lawsuit over the temperature of its coffee. a los angeles woman is suing the fast food chain saying she was injured. solar power explosion. nbc news.com reporting a new rooftop solar system was installed every four minutes in 2013. that's good, right? well, not according to power companies that are pushing back over being forced to credit solar users at retail prices for electricity. in florida, a jobs fair

attracted some 5,000 people in west palm beach. 1500 jobs are available at a new mall that will open next month. look at that line. speaking of jobs, a new report in usa today says employers asking for your facebook user name and password will be limited in 12 states. oregon is the latest state to ban employers for asking for personal information. sports just ahead including hoops highlights and a houston rockets scare. the most feared players in the nfl. we'll tell you who they are coming up. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that parker. well, did you know auctioneers make bad grocery store clerks? that'll be $23.50. now .75, 23.75, hold 'em. hey now do i hear 23.75? 24! hey 24 dollar, 24 and a quarter, quarter, now half, 24 and a half and .75! 25! now a quarter, hey 26 and a quarter, do you wanna pay now, you wanna do it, 25 and a quarter - sold to the man in the khaki jacket! geico. fifteen minutes could save you... well, you know.

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this sunday on "meet the press" the fallout from the controversy swirling around new jersey governor chris christie. should it have been handled differently and what impact will a political scandal have on its 2016 plans? time for sports. in college hoops, we start. arizona still unbeaten, 16 straight. number one ranked arizona and ucla in full beast mode. alley-oop but not just any alley-oop. that is a reverse dunk. ucla keeps it tight. arizona wins it 79-75. long time rivals number 24 memphis at number 12 louisville. a close game here. and then this. a louisville dunk does not count. watch carefully. it doesn't go all the way through the basket. memphis with balanced scoring wins 73-67.

11 lead changes and ten ties. so tight on the game here, michigan ends the tied first half and nebraska with a buzzer beater. look at that shot. and michigan gets the winning shot with just 21 seconds left in the game. michigan squeaking that win out, 71-70. the knicks on a three-game winning streak versus the heat. carmelo anthony, epic play, scoring 29. the knicks not looking like last month's losers, winning it 102-92. tonight the two teams wear jerseys with nicknames on it. some of my favorites, ray allen, jesus shuttlesworth from spike lee's "he's got game," lebron james as king james. and for the nets, kevin garnett, the big ticket. so ndamukong suh, detroit's defensive tackle voted the most feared nfl player in a survey of

over 320 players. suh called a dirty player by many has over $216,000 in fines in his four-year career. just four years in. detroit's calvin johnson came in second because he just catches everything. scared because of that. this weekend, the nfl playoffs, second round saturday, the saints at the seahawks. colts and patriots. sunday, san francisco 49ers go to carolina. and the late game, san diego, chargers go to denver. houston rockets mascot called clutch the bear. and a jokester too. when the team goes practice, he stands still. he doesn't move. when they leave, he lungs at them, scares the players. that one even swinging at him. that's funny. this norwegian olympian can ski jump 750 feet in the air. this is what it looks like practicing for sochi. watch his head. we're not sure how the camera is

positioned, but it looks like it is synced to his head. but the mount perhaps was airbrushed out of the video. cool stuff. because it is not summer but i very much like summer, wakeboarding for you. some brits using severe flooding to street wakeboard, pulled by a, see that thing, a pickup truck. nice touch. just ahead if you're a fan of hbo's "game of thrones ," we have good news for you. a huge weekend ahead for hot new movies. we have the roundup for you next. low prices, i can cross even more places off my travel wish list. this year alone i hit new york... and texas! see, hotwire checks the competition's rates every day...

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everything from great deals on vitamins, supplements and fitness monitors to helpful online tools. at the corner of happy and healthy. welcome back. make the argument the worst weather coming up today and saturday will be found in the pacific northwest. high winds, large waves. we got snow at the high elevations and a lot of rain to come with and deal with. so that's going to start, especially this evening in areas from seattle to portland. northward, continuing through the overnight and tomorrow morning, the cold front comes through and kicks through the winds too. don't get excited about this too much. that's about a 30% of showers for you on saturday. the tail end of that front. very windy even in areas of the sierra mountains, not much in the way of rainfall or snow. l.a. stays pretty warm over the weekend. 71. san diego looks nice too. and if anything on sunday, even warming up further, showers in the northwest with a new weak storm. so pacific northwest, all the action not in the south.

>> i got to disagree with you. i got to celebrate if i'm in northern california. even the -- >> celebrating 30s? 30% chance? breaking out the party hat? >> i got the raining party hat on too. >> party pants too. big weekend ahead in entertainment, all kicks off with bradley cooper willing to go to great lengths for a character, even sit with 100 curlers in his hair. >> you volunteered for the hair? >> i take it from the question not a good choice? >> no it works for you. i don't know if it would work for everyone. >> thank you. watch the full interview and more from golden globe hopefuls tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on nbc. hbo's series "game of thrones" will be back for the fourth season on april 6th. fans can catch a sneak peek on sunday night. amanda bynes is going from entering the courtroom to the classroom. the former child star signed up for classes at the fashion institute of design and merchandising in orange county, california. >> turning it around. >> she's trying. nicole kidman taking it all

off for jimmy choo's ad campaign. she said she loved, quote, minimal styling. >> taking care of herself. >> today say big weekend for the box office and major films coming to theaters including "the legend of hercules," "her" and others. joseph gordon-levitt showed off his accent talents on "ellen." >> they have leprechauns over there, yeah. >> good. >> this one's hard. they -- >> boston. >> no. not boston. >> not bad. >> i'm richard lui. this is "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day right here on nbc. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ natural energy from tea packed with real juice from delicious fruits and veggies. it's what you need for that extra boost! oh and did we mention it's only 50 calories? need a lift? could've had a v8. in the juice aisle.

leading the news in the huffington post, florida and the controversial warning shot bill. the bill would amend the state's controversial stand your ground law by granting immunity to florians who fire guns or fire warning shots in self-defense. l.a. times, lung cancer rates down with a narrowing gender gap. the centers for disease control and prevention credit a nearly 3% yearly decline in men and 1% decline in women to tobacco control efforts there. some stories we're watching for you, pakistani student is hailed as a hero after he sacrificed his life to stop a suicide bomber wearing 13 pounds of explosives at his high school. 17-year-old sitazaz hasan was

killed instantly. school officials say he saved the lives of 1500 other students. the centers for disease control and prevention say 38 million americans drink too much alcohol and only one in six talk to their doctors about their drinking habits. what is considered too much? the cdc says on average 15 or more drinks per week for men is too much and eight or more for women is too much. and it is a millionaire's club like none other. for first time ever, a majority of the members of congress have a net worth of more than $1 million, that's 268, my friend, out of 534 members today, according to a new study by the nonpartisan center for responsive politics. >> thinking about getting into politics, right? >> a couple of benjamins. >> don't do it. the toronto zoo has something that might melt your heart after this week's deep freeze. new video showing a polar bear cub taking his first steps. he struggles at it. born in november this little guy

weighs 9.7 pounds. this baby bear is a fighter. he's the only one in his litter to survive the critical first three months of life. go get them, kid. the zoo says he's happy, playful and full of life. >> what would you rather be, a millionaire in congress or a zookeeper taking care of this guy? >> in toronto taking care of that guy, until he becomes an adult, like 1,200 pounds. >> then just hugs. a look ahead and a look back. the latest employment report this morning at 8:30 eastern. the labor department reports on the december jobs numbers. expectations are for about 196,000 new jobs created with the unemployment rate staying at 7%. on this day in 1964, the first release of a beatles album in the u.s., introducing with top ten hits like twist and shout and do you want to know a secret sold 1.3 million copies before the end of that year. i'm richard lui with bill karins. thanks for watching "early today" on this friday. you have a great weekend ahead.

flu season is really just beginning and the virus has killed nine people in the bay area alone. it's the age of one of the victims that has health officials so alarmed this morning. >> plus, it could take days to make sure this massive warehouse fire is out in san jose. officials are warning some people near the scene to stay out of their own back yards. >> a principal resigns after allegations ever sexual misconduct 2,000 miles away. >> a look outside and it's a very nice day and you won't believe this forecast, folks. warm and then getting warmer. it's friday, january 10th. this is "today in the bay."