good morning. from bad to worse. after target reveals that an additional 70 million customers may have had their most sensitive personal information stolen. high-end retailer neiman marcus admitting its shoppers may be in trouble as well. what does it mean for you? state of emergency. hundreds of thods of residents in west virginia still unable to use their tap water this morning after a toxic chemical makes its way into their water supply system. we're live on the scene. in the crosshairs. a texas hunting group getting death threats for holding an auction tonight that will let the highest bidder shoot and kill an endangered rhino, but the organization claims it's actually for a good cause. and we have lift-off! an exclusive look at the test flight of virgin galactic's

spaceship and why the dream of civilian space flight is a big step closer, today, saturday, january 11th, 2014. good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday. i'm lester holt. >> nice to have you back this morning. >> thank you! >> i'm erica hill alongside jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. just when you thought the news couldn't get worse, on friday, we get more information, target revealing now that tens of millions of additional customers may have had everything from their names and phone numbers, even their e-mail or mailing addresses stolen. and then, last night we learned that high-end retailer neiman marcus says hackers have targeted them as well. >> kristen dahlgren is following it all for us. kristen, what can you tell us?

>> good morning, guys. not the news so many people want to hear after people were shopping in both stores. neiman marcus is the latest retailer to say that some customers' credit cards were compromised in a security breach. we're waiting to hear how many. so far, it's confirmed it was told by a credit card processor of activity and is waiting to notify customers. it says they have enhanced security measures. this comes amid target's revelation that the number of customers affected by its data breach is much larger than originally reported. target now says an additional 70 million customers may have had information stolen. that information may include phone numbers, e-mails, names, addresses. that, of course, raises fears of complete identity theft. add that to the 40 million already reported, and as many as 110 million people may be affected. target is offering free credit monitoring. experts say if you fear you're one of those affected, take it and watch your accounts very closely.

lester. >> kristen dahlgren, thanks. jean chatzky is "today's" financial editor. >> good to be with you. >> if you get the address and phone number, what can you do with it? can you steal an identity? >> yeah, that's the real risk. you can build a profile of that person and then use that information to apply for credit in their name, a mortgage in their name, a job in their name. that's where things get really off the rails, and that's why it's so important, as kristen said, to take advantage of credit monitoring, to check your own credit report on a regular basis. >> and will the bank necessarily notify you when it sees suspicious activity? what warning signs would you be looking for? >> if the bank sees you making purchases that are not like yourself, it usually will give you some sort of a fraud tip-off, or at least a phone call, but you want to be monitoring your own credit report for anything that doesn't look like it belongs to you.

also, if you don't receive bills that you should receive on a regular basis or the mail seems to be off schedule, that could be a signal that somebody is rerouting your mail. and finally, you have to be very, very careful about phishing. this is when somebody sends you an e-mail that looks like it's from a reputable source, like target, like your bank, and starts asking you for personal information. don't click on links, don't reply with personal information. and if you're at all concerned that this really isn't your bank, you pick up the phone and you call that bank and you initiate the communication. >> right. >> because if you are initiating the communication, it's coming from you and you know at least who you're talking to. >> and this is not the first time. of course, now we have target, now neiman marcus. i'm starting to wonder if cash is king. >> it may very well be. you can go ahead and change your p.i.n.s, change your passwords.

if you're concerned about your credit or debit card, you can get those things reissued. but what all of this is saying is that we need to be vigilant. and when it comes to those pieces of plastic, you should always remember, you are not liable for people who are making purchases in your name, but you really should take the time to alert your bank, alert your credit card company as soon as possible after you suspect that something like this happens. and credit is actually better than debit in this instance, because it's less of a hassle. if somebody removes some funds from your checking account using a debit card that they've gotten their hands on, you'll get the money back, but it could take you two weeks. >> all right, jean chatzky, good information. thanks very much. appreciate it. >> sure. >> erica? a state of emergency remains in effect this morning for some 300,000 people in west virginia who have been told not to use their water for anything but flushing their toilets. it all stems from a chemical

spill near the capital city of charleston, where luke russert is this morning. luke, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, erica. 15% of the state's population this morning still does not have access to safe, accessible tap water, and that's something that is very problematic for a whole lot of people for many, many reasons. number one, here in the capital city of charleston, businesses have been forced to shut down, a lot of folks can't go in to work, and a lot of folks aren't even allowed to be able to grab the amount of water that they need from their own personal residences. on top of that, water distribution sites have been set up around the state in order to try and curtail some of the problems that have arised from this spill, and that will continue throughout the day. local officials hope to test the water to see if it becomes more diluted, the chemical that was introduced to it yesterday, but there is no clear indication as to whether or not that will be the case. and we're still waiting to see when exactly the water will be safe and accessible to the public again.

freedom industries, the company that's responsible for this, they've had a few statements over the last few hours. a lot of folks here on the ground do not feel they have been apologetic enough. the state government has ordered them to move the remaining tanks with their chemicals back to a safe and secure area further away from the river. now, guys, a big problem with this has been illness. this chemical that's been introduced to the water has caused some vomiting, nausea with some folks. over 670 people called the west virginia center for disease control yesterday. that number is expected to probably continue today as more people report what they were exactly exposed to. the situation does not look like it's going to change at all, but a lot of folks here, especially the ones i've talked to, guys, life continues at a standstill until they have access to that clean, accessible tap water. erica? >> tough go there. luke russert, thank you. now to the latest on the george washington bridge traffic scandal that has put new jersey's governor, chris christie, a potential

presidential hopeful, in the political crosshairs. on friday, more than 2,000 pages of e-mails about it were released. our national investigative correspondent michael isikoff has been poring through them all. michael, good morning. >> reporter: lester, good morning. these e-mails, which are ripe with details about the hardships created by those traffic jams, could raise a lot more questions for governor chris christie, and there are hints today that one of christie's former top appointees may be ready to talk if he gets immunity from prosecution. the newly disclosed e-mails show officials in charge of the george washington bridge were blindsided last september, as traffic backed up for hours, the result of lane closures ordered by governor chris christie's top appointees. "i am appalled," writes patrick foy, the executive director of the port authority, calling the sclourz "hasty and abusive." "i pray that no life has been lost or a trip to the hospital delayed." this after the mayor of ft. lee

who refused to support christie in re-election, reported delays for a child found in a cardiac arrest. but when the mayor called for relief, citing an urgent threat to public safety, christie appointee david wildstein's response to that message? "radio silence." wildstein, the port authority's now-fired deputy director, invoked his fifth amendment rights when called to testify. >> on the advice of my counsel, i respectfully assert my right to remain silent. >> reporter: but his lawyer says if wildstein gets immunity, he'll tell what he knows. >> you find yourselves in a far different position with respect to information he could provide. >> we just want answers to our questions. >> understood. >> i had no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or its execution, and i am stunned by the abject stupidity. >> reporter: christie has fired his deputy chief of staff over the bridge fiasco, but the chair

of the panel investigating bridgegate is vowing more hearings to get to the bottom of who ordered the lane closures and why. >> this can't ever happen again. we can't have people using public resources for political vendettas. >> reporter: now, one of those e-mails shows that wildstein actually showed up to watch those traffic jams in person. one other point, on tuesday, the legislature, new legislature convenes here on tuesday and will renew subpoena power more former and current christie aides will be called to testify. it's a pretty good sign this story isn't going away any time soon. erica? >> just the beginning. michael isikoff, thank you. steve kornacki is host of msnbc's "up." he began his journalism career in new jersey politics. steve adubato is author of "you are the brand." nice to have both of you here. >> good morning. >> as we look at this, the governor emphatic that he didn't know much of this, and what we've seen so far in the e-mails, that does hold up. but as we look at the aides who put this through and apparently

thought it was okay, what does it tell us, steve, about the culture in the governor's office and how that could ultimately impact 2016? >> right. i mean, first of all, there's going to be a lot more information that's out before this is over. i think there's going to be a lot more e-mails from a lot more people, so there's a lot of potential there for this to be linked, maybe not to christie, but to a lot of other people. in terms of the culture of the office, what it tells us is, what you find out when you call around and talk to republicans and democrats in new jersey. you talk to republicans in particular, because you'd expect them to be loyal to chris christie, and i talked to one this week and said why aren't you rallying around the governor? you'd expect to see a lot of republicans coming out and supporting him right away, and he told me, he says because we're confused. on the one hand, we're very surprised that a guy this politically smart, this politically capable would find himself somehow in a mess like this, it's baffling to us. he says, on the other hand, the m.o. of this governor's office, unlike any office in recent memory, is to be very aggressive and hands on into asserting itself into political and petty political fights where people

from the governor's office or the governor himself will contact very local officials and will really, you know, sort of assert themselves at that level. so, on the other hand, the guy said we're not surprised at all by this. >> well, here's the way i see it. obviously, this is the worst political scandal the governor has faced, but look, unlike a lot of political figures, he took it on, held that press conference for nearly two hours, answered a lot of questions. there are a lot of questions that remain. however, other decisions have to be made, steve. other people are going to be let go. more information as it comes out. but the governor's only chance, from my point of view, is for him to continue to act, act decisively, make decisions where information comes out, where people did horrific things and horrific things were done, people clearly suffered. and it no longer should be really about the governor so much as his political future, it should be about how could something this terrible happen and how could we make sure it doesn't happen again? >> but how does that not come back to your point, that it shouldn't be about the governor, if you're saying it should be about how does this happen, if

the buck stops with the governor? >> clearly, it's about both, but at the same time, the governor, from my point of view, his own political, let's say, opportunity is to say, look, stuff happens, and it happened on my watch and i'm responsible, but here's what i'm going to continue to do. and no matter how high those names go, steve, no matter how close those names are to him, no matter how personally connected they are to him, those people have to go, no matter how embarrassing that is to him. that is his chance. >> you covered new jersey politics for a long time. it's a different breed than some other states. is this politics as usual in new jersey? >> to say the least. >> that's the thing. look, payback politics is sort of part of the tradition of new jersey politics. and you talk about politics being an art, and in terms of deciding, you know, is this right, is this wrong, sometimes that line is fine, sometimes it's very definite. sometimes it's very clear. if you don't know exactly where the line is -- >> this one's different, steve. >> -- you do know when you're over the line. >> this is over the line. >> and this is a situation that's over the line. >> and with michael isikoff,

more to come later this week. this is clearly not the last time we'll be talking about it. nice to have you both here. a reminder to watch "up" with steve kornacki on msnbc. jenna is standing by with the other top stories. good morning again. >> hey, jenna, good morning. the wreckage of a small plane that vanished a month ago has been found in the mountains of idaho, but authorities don't believe anybody survived. the pilot, a silicon valley executive and four others were on the plane when it went down. the pilot's brother was among the group who found the wreckage on friday. it may take time now to get to the site because of a new storm approaching the idaho area. a growing drug scandal in the air force now involves officers in charge of nuclear weapons. the investigation has spread to ten officers at six different bases in the u.s. and britain. all are expected of possession of synthetic marijuana and ecstasy. two of the officers were stationed at maelstrom air force base in montana and were launch officers responsible for nuclear armed missiles.

an official warning now to americans planning to go to the olympics in sochi, russia. with the games just four weeks away, the u.s. state department says u.s. citizens should be careful for their personal security. suspected terrorists have called for attacks on the games and there have been three suicide bombings in russia since october. bp has been ordered to pay $9.2 billion to settle claims from the gulf oil spill. the deepwater horizon controlled by dp exploded in 2010, killing 11 people and spilling nearly 5 million gallons of oil into the gulf of mexico. bp was fighting this settlement, arguing that it did not prevent people from making fraudulent claims against the company, but a federal court on friday ruled that they would have to pay anyway. and finally, sometimes when it rains, it pours, and sometimes when it pours, depending on how much and then how fast and then, of course, the trajectory of the water, you could truck surf. i'm sorry, sounded like i said

truck surf. i did. check this out. a very flooded part of southern england, truck surfing happened. these guys hooked up a rope to a 4-wheel-drive vehicle, hopped on their board and made the most of a rainy day, which in england could very well be every day. >> before we know it, it could be a new olympic sport. >> it very, very well could be. >> and we're checking the tape, you said it right. >> i just wanted to make sure that all came out. >> okay. dylan dreyer's here with a check of the forecast. dylan, good morning. >> i'm always the one say don' driv drive. >> we have torrential downpours. this is rain that will come down very hard and very fast. it will produce wind gusts as well. especially as this storm system moves to the east. ironically, we have our flood watches in the northeast. mostly because of the melting snow and those ijams in some of the rivers we are seeing.

>> that produces a backup t. water noose where to go. we are seeing rain in the northeast. mostly through the day today. by midnight, it starts to exit. we will start to see improvem t improvements by tomorrow. we could see and we'll see around the bay area to start the weekend will be clouds coming in right now but by 9:00 starting to see light rain in the north bay and as we pass lunchtime there goes the light rain. a few more showers in the north bay into tonight and after that skies clear. second half of the weekend does look dry. we'll see highs today close to 60 in san jose and upper 50s elsewhere. best bet for rain today will be north of the golden gate, in order bay highs today only in the upper 50s. >> and that is your latest fo >> and that is your latest forecast. >> thanks. presidents since dwight

eisenhower have been flying across marine one. we have a rare look of what it's like to travel aboard marine one. >> reporter: this is unique access we were given t. u.s. is the only place on the planet. you can't chopper across the ocean. it would take like 25 hours of flying across the country. so how do they do it? we went on the road with marine one. coming in for a landing at this southern california air field, an air force c-17, carrying the first of two marine one helicopters here for president obama's upcoming trip. within minutes of touchdown, it is carefully unloaded even with its rotor blades we moved before

the cross country flight, it's a tight fit. as the sun sets the crew chief buries the helicopter to this secured along ar where the reconstruction begins. >> it's challenging. all the training and stuff we do makes it easy. >> reporter: putting marine one back to together is painstaking and precise. it will take up to 20 marines up to four hours to have this helicopter ready to fly again. one by one the helicopter's blades are re-attached under staff sergeant diaz's watch. this will be his final out of town presidential assignment. >> it's kind of bittersweet. i enjoy it. it's a lot of work. >> mechanics swarm the hock. a final polish before putting (one to bed ahead of tomorrow's dry run. early the federal government mornlg morning, this marine pilot briefs his crew and those

assigned to support helicopters flown in from a monita marine base. >> we will rehearse what we will execute on pond. >> reporter: time is precious, the president lantz in 48 hours t. formation will include two white tops helicopters, one to fly the president t. other available if any unexpected issues arrive. right now we are 1,000 feet on board the helicopter for the president's trip this is a dress rehearsal for when he arrives. from this van tanl point the view along california's coast is spectacular. first stop lax, where president obama will aliverrive on air fo one. both helicopters taxiing to their exact positions. >> we got to get it right. it's something we are not willing to sacrifice doing it right. >> reporter: we quickly reboarded and took off for the next stop. the landing zone a middle school ball field. the next flag takes marine one over l.a.'s scenic skyline with

the hollywood sign in the distance. guiding the helicopters in at each location, white house liason officers pilot themselves serving as air traffic controllers owner oak. it leaves neighbors stunned. by day's end, three stops, three flawless landings. finally, the president is on his way the captain called game day. >> it's just a job. unfortunately, it's the best of the jobs of the day anywhere else in the world. but we take it on. we take it on as a team then we get it done. >> reporter: another presidential mission done without a hitch. the one good question, why not leave a pair of marine one helicopters on the west coast in the squadron says there simply aren't enough of them to do that. leaving them there would mean leaving marine there is as well. simply not an option. >> i was thinking of the will smith line, what was the movie, "independence day," i got to get

me one of these. peter alexander, thank you very much. up next, we'll tell you how social media sites got in the list of no nos for sochi. first this is "today" on nbc. ♪

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tweeting, facebooking, snapchating. you may do all these things or know exactly what they are, but all you have to know is for olympic officials in australia, these forms of social networking in the same category as partying when it comes to athletes, and jenna is in the orange room to explain. >> hey, guys. if that is the case, then i basically partied my tail off last night and one more time this morning when i checked my twitter feed. to tweet or not to tweet, that's the question some people probably ask themselves before they post something on twitter, but for australian olympic athletes, there is no question, they are banned from using social media while training and preparing for olympic competition this year. that means, what does that mean? instagram photos snapped from

the podium, nope, tweets from the australian cam, nope, none of it. the reason for the ban, you ask? during the 2012 summer games in london, the australian team did not do as well as they had hoped, especially swimmer emily stevum, who was expected to win the gold in the 100-meter backstroke. she walked away with the silver, not bad, but she tearfully blamed her obsession with twitter for her loss. she tweeted 47 times during the london games, and now the australian winter athletes are paying the price. olympic officials in australia want to make sure this does not happen again. what do you guys think? what if they -- >> it's not like she was tweeting under water, was she? stroke, tweet, stroke, tweet. >> not under water. >> that would totally slow you down. that's why you get silver. >> but i'm just hoping that ban does not sort of trickle down to us, like tweetering and anchoring. i could see that happening because we are constantly engrossed in our tweets. >> there is a lot of tweeting going on here. >> but that is part of our job these days. that's the hard thing. you'll be tweeting in sochi, won't you? >> yeah --

>> about how much you miss us? >> yeah, actually -- >> that's okay. >> i tweet a lot, then i go under ground. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] eeny, meeny, miny, go. ♪ ♪ more adventures await in the new seven-passenger lexus gx. lease the 2014 gx 460 for $499 a month for 27 months. see your lexus dealer. good morning to you looking live at the bay bridge toll plaza before the sun is up this morning. it is good to be back with you. a lot of creative scheduling over the holidays so folks could have time off, but nice to see

you. niles nice to see you, rob. >> we've got a weather system that will bring us a chance of seeing rain as we go through the late morning hours for the north bay and eventually still south to the rest of the bay area heading into the afternoon. right now rain on the north coast but as we zoom into the bay area right now things are dry but we've got clouds coming in and that will keep our temperatures up in the 40s this hour. futurecast, 9:30 starting to see light rain in the north bay and 1:30 starting to see the showers push away from the south bay and lingering showers in the north bay and tomorrow looks to be drier. a chance of showers close to 60 in san jose for this afternoon. in the north bay, highs today in the 50s. we begin this morning with deadly house fires on both sides of the bay. one in palo alto where two people were found dead. and another in walnut creek where a person was trapped in the flames and later died. firefighters are still at the scene of that blaze that roared through a home at 190 hilltop

crescent not far from the open space there. contra costa fire said one person died after that person was trapped upstairs inside the home. the home quickly filled with flames and heavy smoke while firefighters worked to put it out. smoke could be seen from interstate 680, firefighters have not released the identity of the victims or the reason for the fire. fire investigators will be at the scene of a deadly fire in palo alto this morning. there two people are confirmed dead following the house fire on embarcadero road near highway 101. the fire started around 7:17 last night and when crews arrived they saw flames and smoke shooting into the air. officials believe the fire started in the kitchen. the cause of that fire is under investigation. no survivors on board. that's the word from authorities in idaho who found the plane piloted by san jose software executive dale smith and four of his family members disappeared on december 1st as they flew

from oregon to montana. smith reported engine trouble before losing contact. the search had to be called off in mid-december because of bad weather. his brother-in-law kept searching and found the wreckage 150 miles from boise, he was flying with his son daniel and his wife and his daughter amber and her fiance. coming up this morning on "today in the bay" it's 49ers fever and why this man is called the secret weapon. we'll see you back here in 30 minutes.

♪ we are back on this saturday morning, january 11th, 2014. the crowd's getting a little soggy out there, but thankfully, they don't mind too much, we hope, because it's not that cold. they picked a good day to come. what a difference a week can make when it comes to the weather. >> could be shoveling that rain, yes. >> they could be shoveling. i'm erica hill alongside lester holt, jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. and still to come in this half hour, it is hollywood's biggest party, the "golden globes," which, lucky you, you get to watch right here on nbc tomorrow night. and one of the favorites, "breaking bad's" bryan cranston, who's nominated for best actor in a tv drama, you will hear from him in just a bit, as he talks about his chances and looks back at one of his old jobs, which he sees as a little

embarrassing. >> hopefully not as embarrassing as the character he played. >> well. then, a birthday bash and a reporter gets bashed. coming up in "hollywood headlines," jay z and beyonce celebrate their daughter, blue ivy's second birthday, and the executive producer of a hit hbo show "girls" fights back after being questioned about the show's nude scenes. >> do they get naked on that show? >> apparently -- >> i had never heard that. >> that's what i -- i have never watched it, so i can only imagine. i guess they do. >> a little blush, lester? caught a little off guard. >> i did not blush. >> say the word naked again. let's talk about astronauts. >> we can do that. >> let's do that. later this morning, we'll tell you about the more than 600 would-be astronauts. these are all people who have signed up to be shot into space, basically. they're one step closer to their dream this morning. virgin galactic's latest test flight on friday was a success. so, now it is only a matter of time before we see the world's first commercial space flight. we had exclusive access to the

flight and we're going to show it to you, but we do want to begin this morning first with a story out of texas that is really creating a stir across the country. a dallas hunting club will auction off a permit tonight that will allow the winner to shoot an endangered black rhino. but as janet shamlian tells us, the club argues, the whole purpose of this is to try to save the species. >> reporter: the head of an african elephant, a brown bear and other wild animals. the exhibit at the dallas safari club's annual convention are to some unsettling enough, but it's what's on the auction block tonight that has shocked and angered many, a permit to kill an endangered black rhino. some so enraged, they've sent death threats to club members, prompting the fbi to get involved. >> i've had threats all my life, my family's life, our members. >> reporter: the black rhino is critically endangered with fewer than 5,000 left in the wild. its horn is one of the world's most valuable items on the black market. organizers say the auction is

for a good cause. >> it's the best way to raise money to help save the black rhino. >> reporter: tonight's highest bidder will be allowed to hunt and kill an older, nonbreeding male in namibia, with all of the auction money going to the african country for conservation efforts. the permit is one of five offered by namibia each year, but it's the first ever for sale in the u.s. while the u.s. fish and wildlife service has okayed the auction, there is widespread outrage online. a petition on the web has nearly 60,000 signatures. there is a facebook page dedicated to stopping the auction. and late-night comic stephen colbert has fired a verbal shot. >> like the old saying, if you love something, set it free. then, when it has a bit of a head start, open fire. >> reporter: opponents say it's the wrong way to save the species. >> it's sending a message that this animal's worth more rare and dead than alive with healthy population. >> reporter: amid threats and a planned protest, security is tight around the convention. that hasn't stopped the crowds

expected to top 40,000. and when the auction hammer falls tonight, it could top $250,000. for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news, houston. >> you mentioned all those people outside getting rained on? >> yes. >> i think dylan has joined them. dylan? do you expect anything less than me being out in the rain? but we were talking about this inside, today is my double nickel birthday. are you 10 today? >> yes, i am. >> what does double nickel mean? >> 55. a nickel is 5 cents. >> oh, we were all just doing the math. happy 55th birthday. okay, so, it all makes sense now. we figured that out. we are going to see a lot of rain in the east coast today, but also in the northwest. we have a big storm system producing heavy rain, gusty winds from seattle right back into northwestern parts of oregon. this is also producing a lot of snow in the highest elevations, but it is going to be messy for a couple of days in the northwest. also, extremely windy. all those brown boxes, those are your high wind warnings, your

high wind watches in effect for pretty high wind gusts, too, and then the winter storm warnings naturally in the highest elevation. in the southeast, we are going to see some very strong storms today. we could see some damaging wind gusts, an isolated tornado is not out of the question, but most of the east coast will just see rain, but it is pretty mild. just chatting with everybody out here, we've had worse, right? last week was a little worse with the cold morning temperatures rite now in the 40s outside. not too bad. you saw the big storm system affecting the pacific northwest and the outer fringe will drop into the bay area and the north coast and clouds spilling our way will bring us a chance for showers late morning in the north bay and early afternoon for the central bay area and south bay and clearing skies heading into tonight. temperatures will be a little cooler with the cloud cover. highs around san jose close to 60 degrees and upper 50s around the north bay. a bit warmer early next week. and let's head way out to the southwest for "today's top

spot," coming from yuma, arizona, and kyma news 11. it's the ninth annual wood-carving expo. local wood carvers will show off their skills. demonstrations range from chip and bark carving to knife sharpening and wood burning. vendors will also be on hand to introduce newcomers to the craft. so, if you're looking for something new to do, that's certainly an opportunity for you out in yuma, arizona. erica? >> looks like a great time. dylan, thanks. just ahead, it is his last chance to win a golden globe for his starring role in the acclaimed series "breaking bad." our interview with actor bryan cranston and maybe a practical joke, right after this. [ elizabeth ] i like to drink orange juice or have lemon in my water... eat tomato sauce on my spaghetti. the acidic levels in some foods can cause acid erosion. the enamel starts to wear down. and you can't grow your enamel back. i was quite surprised, as only few as four exposures a day what that can do to you. it's quite a lesson learned.

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the 71st annual "golden globes" air tomorrow night on nbc, and there's no doubt many people are rooting for "breaking bad" to win big. the tale about a meth dealer ended its last season. and bryan cranston is up for best actor in a tv drama series. "access hollywood's" billy bush caught up with cranston. >> this is it, right, best year in your career? >> i was very lucky to get a really strong role on "argo," which won the oscar. i won the s.a.g. award for "breaking bad," and we won the emmy for "breaking bad." it was, yeah, it has been remarkable.

>> reporter: remarkable indeed. >> chemistry is the study of matter. >> reporter: "breaking bad" about a terminally ill high school chemistry teacher turned meth cook has now ended its six-season run. bryan cranston's portrayal of walter white and his alter ego heisenberg is one for the ages, one of the darkest and most memorable characters ever. >> say my name. >> the german of the idea for "breaking bad" is that this man is going to go on a journey and become worse and worse as a human being. will the audience completely shut off or will they go on this horrible journey with him? and they did. >> reporter: the final episode had a record-shattering 10.3 million viewers, an amazing end for a cable series that in the beginning struggled to find an audience. the critics were on board from the start, though. so, after all the accolades, it's amazing bryan cranston has never won a golden globe.

you have won three emmys in a r r row. the hollywood foreign press and the golden globes has shut you out! what do we make of this? >> i'm invited to the party. i like that. if i win, yeah, that be great, it'd be really terrific. >> do you want to win? >> yeah. i used to say, no, no, no. i was nominated several times on "malcolm in the middle." i didn't win any. so, after a few times, it's like, okay, now i want to win! i don't want to just go to the party, i want to be able to dance. >> reporter: and if bryan cranston can finally dance at the "globes" sunday night, it will have been a long time coming. at 57, he's just about done it all, including something about 30 years ago. i found this. you're a man, you're building a career. you sold this beautifully. >> now you can relieve flaming hemorrhoidal tissue with preparation h. just to keep you grounded,

bryan. >> i was 26, 27, i guess, when i did that? and i thought, at least i'm the expert. i'm not the one with hemorrhoids. because i draw the line there. >> that is a quote. >> good point, at least i'm the expert. >> that was a quote, all right. a reminder, nbc will have complete coverage tomorrow of the "golden globes," starting with a red carpet arrival special at 7:00 eastern/4:00 pacific, then we'll hand it over to tina fey and amy polar for the awards ceremony. they do such a good job. and of course, "today" will have a wrap-up on monday morning, so, big weekend leading up to that. >> looking forward to all of that. up next here on "today," fireworks at a gathering of tv critics when one reporter asked lina dunham just why her character's naked all the time. it's right after this. i was living with pain -- all over. the intense ache made it hard to do the things that i wanted. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of over-active nerves

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birthday party, a big spat over a naked woman, pretty much your average week in entertainment, right? or your average week in lester holt's life. or not! >> "today" contributor lola oeg knackie is here with today's "celebrity news. >> lester, i didn't know you partied that hard! good to know. >> i didn't either, but you never know what's going to pop up in the prompter. >> international man of mystery. first off, let's start with the drama, because we love a little drama. the headline critics association, this happens every year, people present their shows to the tv reporters, essentially, and someone asked lena dunham of "girls" why she was naked all the time. >> yeah, why are you in particular naked all the time, to which she responded, "nudity is realistic. if you're not into me, that's your problem and you're going to have to work that out with professionals." >> wow. >> apatow was also on the panel and called the journalist a misogynist, a sexist, and jenny connor, also on the panel, said she was so undone, she couldn't

concentrate for the rest of the panel. so, this journalist really struck a nerve. but here's the thing, lena dunham has been naked since season one. we're entering season three. she's going to be naked again. get over it. >> here's the thing, haven't we addressed this all before? >> yes, we have! my problem with the question is not that it's not legitimate, it's just that it was legitimate in season one. we're in season three right now. get over it. >> all right, let's move on to jay z and beyonce, their daughter blue ivy turned 3 this week. low-key, right? >> low-key, just a few lemurs, kangaroos and penguins. they rented out a wildlife park in miami. >> sure, why not? >> isn't that what you did for your kids when they turned 3 some. >> i had a carvil ice cream cake, okay? >> fudgy the whale. >> fudgy the whale. not a real whale, fudgy the whale. she gets the real animals. she likes animals, so rent out a wildlife park. the vip ticket is $340 per

person, so imagine. >> chuck e. cheese was booked. >> what are you going to do? >> for them, it's probably a nice way to have a more low-key affair, in all honesty. when you're blue ivy, you have a lot of people that want in on the party. >> and they're music royalty and made $95 million last year. >> and they can afford it. >> there you go. >> speaking of music, "glee" star lea michele, this is the first we're seeing from her since the death of her boyfriend and co-star in "glee," cory monteith. she released her first music video and the song really seems to mirror what she's probably been going through. >> it feels like a diary entry. it's so personal. the lyrics are about her wanting to come into the light, trying to find the light at the end of the tunnel, not wanting to hide out in her home anyway and mourn. it's really about her wanting to soar like a cannonball. not to be confused with "miley cyrus's" song "wrecking ball." that's a whole different song and video. lea keeps her clothes on, but again, it's about trying to overcome a deep, deep tragedy,

and it's a catchy tune. >> nice to see you as always, thank you. >> happy new year. >> to you as well. >> happy new year. just ahead, meet the college freshman leading a double life. pop star on one side of the globe, psych major on the other. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on "today," first target, now neiman marcus targeted by hackers seeking your most personal information. as the numbers grow bigger, how can you protect yourself? plus, the launch of a new space era with an exclusive look at virgin galactic's rocket-powered test flig [woman]ask me... [announcer]...if you think the best bed for one of you might be a compromise for the other one... [woman]ask me about our tempur-pedic. [announcer] they're sleeping on the newest tempur-pedic bed... the new tempur choice... [man]two people.two remotes. [announcer] firmness settings for the head,legs,and back... and with tempur on top,that famous tempur-pedic comfort comes any way you like it! [woman]ask me about the lumbar button.

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and here's one of the big benefits of being up before the sun is up, getting to see the last of the bay bridge light installations, very pretty picture in the distance, that means it's clear if we can see

it. rob's got a look at the weekend forecast. >> it's been a while since we've been able to talk about a pacific storm system that will reach the bay area and bring a chance of light rain in the bay area. by 10:00 the light rain moves through the bay area and by 2:00 what's left of this weakening system pushing out of san jose and then a few lingering showers possible as we get into the night for the north bay and this time tomorrow the skies clear. close to sky in san jose today. best chance for measurable rain a tenth of an inch or less north of san francisco, north bay temperatures in the upper 50s and if you are heading to the sierra a chance of snow today near 6,000 feet. we begin this morning with deadly house fires on both sides of the bay one in palo alto where two people were found dead the other in walnut creek where a person was trapped in the flames and rescued and then later died. firefighters are still at the scene of the blaze that roared through the home at 190 hilltop

crescent not far from the regional open space preserve. one person died after being trapped upstairs inside the home. that house quickly filled with flames and heavy smoke while firefighters worked to put it out. the smoke could be seen as far away as interstate 680. firefighters have not released the identity of the victim or the reason for the fire. fire investigators will also be at the scene of the deadly fire in palo alto this morning, two people confirmed dead after that house fire on embarcadero road near 101. the fire started at 7:15 last night and crews could see flames and smoke shooting into the air when they arrived. officials believe the fire started in the kitchen. the calls of the fire, though, is still under investigation. no survivors on board. that's the word from authorities in idaho who found the plane piloted by a san jose software executive. dale smith and four of his family members disappeared on december 1st as they flew from oregon to montana. smith reported engine trouble

before losing contact. the search had to be called off in mid-december because of bad weather but his brother-in-law kept searching and found the wreckage yesterday some 150 miles from boise. smith was flying his son daniel, his son's wife, his daughter amber and her fiance jonathan norton. coming up, we've got 49er fever and why this man may hold the key to the victory this weekend and why the team calls him their secret weapon that and all the day's news coming up at 7:00.

good morning. it's saturday, january 11th, 2014. here's a look at today's top stories. from bad to worse, first target reveals an additional 70 million customers may have had their most sensitive personal information stolen, then high-end retailer neiman marcus says its customers' credit card information may be at risk as well. state of emergency. hundreds of thousands of residents in west virginia are without water this morning for the third day in a row after a toxic chemical makes its way into their water supply system. new this morning, former israeli prime minister ariel sharon has died. sharon had been in a coma since 2006 after suffering a stroke. the 85-year-old spent the last eight years on life support. and we have lift-off. we have an exclusive look at

virgin galactic's successful test flight, bringing us one step closer to civilian space travel. good morning, everyone. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm erica hill alongside jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. we want to get you right to our top story this morning. it is the breaches at big-name retailer. shoppers from both target and neiman marcus being alerted. kristen dahlgren is following it all for us. kristen, good morning. >> good morning, guys. think back to last month when those stores were swarming with holiday shoppers. all of those people may be at risk. let's start with neiman marcus, who just announced customers' credit cards may have been compromised in a security breach. the company still won't say just how many. so far, it has only said it was informed by a credit card processor in mid-december of potentially unauthorized activity and that it's working with the u.s. secret service to notify customers. the company tweeted, "the security of our customers' information is always a priority and we sincerely regret any inconvenience." now, this comes on the heels of target's revelation that the number of customers affected by

its data breach is much larger than originally reported. target now says an additional 70 million customers may have had information stolen, and that information may now include phone numbers, e-mails and names, raising fears of complete identity theft. add that to the 40 million already reported and as many as 110 million people may be affected. target is offering free credit monitoring to all customers and probably, guys, a good idea to take it. >> definitely can't hurt, that's for sure. kristen, thanks. some 300,000 people in west virginia are still without tap water this morning for the third day in a row. residents in and around the capital of charleston are being told not to drink, bathe in or wash dishes or clothes in their water following a chemical spill. luke russert is in charleston with the very latest. luke, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, lester. this morning, folks here, 15% of the state's population, will wake up without access to clean, safe tap water.

it's caused numerous hardships for businesses and families and turned the capital here, charleston, into a virtual ghost town. this morning, a state of emergency remains in effect as more than 300,000 residents are being told not to use their tap water for any reason. with hundreds complaining of nausea, vomiting, headaches and skin rashes. >> do not use tap water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, washing or bathing. >> reporter: for a third day now, residents like jane are getting hydrated at checkpoints in surrounding areas. >> i've got like one bottle of water left, so i have to come here like every day. >> i understand boiling water, not being able to drink it, but not even put it on your body, it's outrageous. >> reporter: all this due to a chemical spill at freedom industries that contaminated water flowing downstream to the west virginia american water treatment facility, which supplies water to nine counties. >> this is a chemical process of

cleaning coal, an acute hazard, something that's an irritant. so it will cause symptoms right away, not something that you would want to breathe or have in your drinking water. >> reporter: freedom industries has been ordered to cease operations, and with no word on how long the water ban will last, ugani taylor has packed up, off to stay with family. >> the unknown is always unsettling. >> i think the long-term effects, things that may occur years from now are not well understood, so i would say people need to be alert. >> reporter: now, lester, it's unclear when people will have access to safe water. officials are testing the river behind me as the day goes on to see if that chemical that leaked in will dilute enough to where the water would be safe again to drink. but lester, make no mistake about it, this is the beginning of the beginning. because of all the lost money and the economic impact this has had on local restaurants and businesses, lawsuits have already been filed against this company because people have not had the ability to work. so, expect to hear about this story in some capacity for a

long time. lester? >> very worrisome situation down there. luke russert, thanks very much. want to get a check now of some of the morning's other top stories. jenna wolfe is here with those. hello, again. >> good morning. good morning, everyone. former israeli prime minister ariel sharon has died. the 85-year-old was in a coma for the last eight years after suffering a stroke. sharon fought for israeli independence, eventually becoming a general in the israeli defense forces. he played major roles at the top of the israeli government and was known for his hawkish position toward the palestinians. but after sharon became prime minister in 2001, he pushed for the withdrawal of israeli settlements in the west bank and in gaza. an official warning now to americans planning to go to the olympics in sochi, russia. with the games just four weeks away, the u.s. state department says american citizens in the region should be mindful of the personal security. suspected terrorists have called for attacks on the games, and there have been three suicide bombings in russia since october. u.s. troops are on the ground in mogadishu for the first time since the deadly

black hawk down incident in 1993. we are now learning the military sent a small team of advisers to help the somalis fight al qaeda and al shabaab militants. 18 americans were killed when their black hawk helicopters were shot down two decades ago. the flu season is officially upon us, and widespread in 35 states and making things more difficult, there is a shortage of children's tamiflu. younger patients are among those at higher risk from flu complications. symptoms include fever or chills, a cough, runny nose, body aches and general fatigue. doctors say, though, it is not too late to get a flu shot. and finally, we're always bragging about our kids here on the set, sharing pictures, scrolling, scrolling, trying to outdo each other. well, nasa whipped out its phone and shared this little baby and crushed all of us. this is their baby. it's the remains of an exploded star 17,000 light years away, so it's pretty close. it looks like an x-ray of a hand and astronomers are calling it

the hand of god. >> i see a face. see the eyes? >> i saw -- oh, i can see the hand a little bit. >> i don't know. >> see a face? >> dylan sees a map of florida. >> i did. i just meant because meteorologically speaking -- >> is there a cold front coming through? what else do you see in there? >> oh, is the story over? >> no, we're still going. >> just a few sentences left, but at this point, let's just end it with a joke, so we'll go with that. >> all right, dylan, but there is a cold front coming through, so speaking of, we are going to have that cool things down, but let's talk about today first. we've got a really nice air mass all over the entire country. in fact, the winds are going from west to east. that's a very good direction, instead of north to south. this keeps things a little milder than what we saw most of last week. so, let's look at some of our temperatures today. we should get up to 36 in chicago. it hasn't been above freezing in chicago since december 29th, so this is welcome relief. finally doing a little melting out there. minneapolis not too bad at 29 degrees.

now we head east. 62 in philadelphia today, 62 in washington, d.c., even in new york city, despite the rain, it will be 56 degrees. and down across the southeast, much, much warmer. we are finally thawing out in norfolk, 70 degrees, 71 in charleston and 71 today in tallahassee. so, finally getting into some nice, mild air out ahead of this cold front, but we could also see some stronger storms today producing possibly damaging wind gusts down across the southeast, that area in red across the we're seeing increasing clouds and no rain yet it is on the north coast and it will push through the bay area heading through the middle part of the morning heading at the north bay and heading into the south bay after lunchtime. only upper 50s in san francisco and into the north bay areas north of the golden gate will see the best bet of seeing accumulating rainfall probably less than a tenth of an inch of rain and highs in the upper 50s. and the travel weather forecast does include a little bit of snow here 6,000 feet.

and that's your latest forecast. >> all right, dylan, thanks so much. details are trickling out this morning about the george washington bridge traffic scandal that has threatened to derail new jersey governor chris christie's presidential hopes. after sifting through some 2,000 pages of e-mails, nbc news has learned that christie's appointee personally showed up to watch the lane closures on the bridge. kelly o'donnell is in trenton, new jersey, this morning with what this all may mean for chris christie. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. good to see you, lester. as state lawmakers here investigate, as journalists continue to pore through documents and the public makes its own judgments about what happened, governor christie is preparing for a second term and what is supposed to be a celebration for his upcoming inaugural. and all of this is overshadowing his political standing and his political future is uncertain. the governor's image problem in bold face across trenton's front page. and on the upcoming cover of "the new yorker" magazine. >> christie created this

atmosphere where people, i guess, feel okay or think, hey, this is how we do things in the christie administration. you don't mess with us. >> reporter: christie has no public appearances scheduled this weekend and made none friday. >> i have absolutely nothing to hide. >> reporter: letting reaction to his thursday marathon news conference and his repeated apologies play out. >> this is a bad time for governor christie, but he's going to have an opportunity to show his meddle, to show what he's made of. >> reporter: this bridge traffic scandal put much of the 2016 speculation on pause. >> i am absolutely nowhere near beginning that consideration process. i haven't even been sworn in for my second term yet. >> reporter: christie's political foes see an opening and want more investigations. >> i think the people of new jersey deserve more answers. there are an awful lot of questions that remain unresolved. >> reporter: some information may come from examining those 2,000 pages released by a state

assembly committee friday, e-mails about the ordered traffic jam. christie denied any knowledge of his appointees' actions. and while four top aides are already gone, christie's leadership may be damaged, too. >> he's going to pay a high price for it, at least in the short term. >> reporter: and one of the things that will need to be dealt with is really trying to get to the why, and maybe the documents can shed some light on that. christie focused so much on talking to reporters about his frustration, his anger, his humiliation, he said, about top aides lying to him. he claims he has no knowledge of what actually went on. it's still unclear, lester, why anyone as close to christie as these officials were would use something like a traffic jam to impact constituents intended to benefit the governor politically. that's one of those nagging questions that remains unclear right now. lester? >> all right, kelly o'donnell in trenton for us this morning. thank you. blasting tourists into space may soon no longer be the stuff

of science fiction. virgin galactic's spaceship 2 successfully launched its third test flight on friday, which means more than 650 people who signed up could soon be headed to the stars. tom costello was there for the lift-off in the mojave desert. tom? >> reporter: erica, good morning. the folks at virgin galactic are a short ways away from sending people up to space in this spaceship. in the demand for space tourism, they're building five more of the space crafts. sunrise in the mojave desert has virgin galactic's spaceship 2 attached to its mother ship soared into the sky for a critical test flight. 15 minutes later, at 46,000 feet -- >> three, two, one. >> reporter: -- spaceship 2 dropped from white night 2, then fired the rocket that pushed it to its highest altitude yet, 71,000 feet. by the end of the year, paying

customers will take the same ride even higher, 325,000 feet and into space. former nasa shuttle flight director mike moses is now in charge of virgin galactic's mission control. >> i'll give you the command, it's okay to get out of your seats. you unbuckle your seat belt and you just float up and out -- >> reporter: for four minutes. >> about four minutes, yep. >> reporter: four minutes of weightlessness, the blackness of space and the curvature of the earth. it isn't cheap. each round-trip ticket costing $250,000. but already, 675 passengers have paid a deposit, including ashton kutcher, leonardo dicaprio, justin bieber, katy perry and stephen hawking. the hope of virgin's richard branson, that in a few years, his daily tourist flights into space will bring the price tag down to roughly the cost of an expensive suv. >> after today's successful flight, it means we're getting closer and closer to going to space this summer, and i think we'll be giving our astronauts in waiting the ride of a

lifetime. >> reporter: this was the critical test of the ship that will make it all happen, including the fold-up wings that will help slow the spaceship on re-entry. >> there's nothing else like this that you can pay the money for and get the sort of ride. >> reporter: customers who go along for the ride will first have to go through three days of training and precipitation. nbc is teaming up with virgin galactic to document this entire experience as they go higher and higher, and ultimately, into space. we'll be along for the ride. erica, back to you. >> quite a ride it will be. all right, tom costello, thanks. >> they're apparently going to waive the check bag fee, i'm told. >> how nice. >> virgin galactic has working on building the space travel industry for over a decade. and jenna, i remember a few years ago, you did a story, the simulation training exercise for the flights. >> went down with richard branson and his son. we had a good time! i mean, he was really wide-eyed and excited about this, and i had an amazing hairstyle. [ laughter ] we went into the centrifuge,

which went, i think it was like 6 gs. and he was talking about this with such, such just excitement. yeah, i mean -- >> what was your quote there? ahhh! >> what are you feeling? you have 6 gs, you said? >> yeah, lester went up with the fighter jets. >> fighter jets. >> yeah. it's just, there was a lot of excitement surrounding this project, and the way he talked about it, i thought this was years and years and years into the future. and now, here we are. he's ready to go up. just shell out $250,000 and you could be one of the next to go up there. >> having gone through that and the training, would you be able to actually do it for real? >> it's an interesting question. i consider myself a daredevil and this scares me a little bit. >> yeah? >> so, i'd have to think about it. you guys wouldn't, right? >> i'd like to see them get a few hundred flights under their belts. >> lester does not want to be the tester. not in the first few flights. maybe after that. >> but i'll be rooting them on. >> there you go. still to come, here in the u.s. he's a psychology student living in a typical dorm room in

school. in korea, though, kids have posters of them hanging in their dorm room. we'll introduce you to the anything but traditional college ♪ [ female announcer ] now your most dazzling accessory can be your smile. with colgate optic white dual action toothpaste. its dual action formula shines and whitens over two shades more than a leading whitening toothpaste. ♪ so with colgate optic white dual action the only accessory you need to shine is your smile. colgate optic white dual action. whiter teeth in one week. try optic white mouthwash. to whiten more, use the whole line from colgate optic white. [ male announcer ] can't believe you can pronounce everything in it? believe. new deliciously simple from i can't believe it's not butter! with 100% taste and zero artificial preservatives. it's time to...believe.

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recognize him. he says no one at new york's columbia university does. but the psych major by day is away from campus life a.j. . the rap and k-pop star with a south korean boy band ukiss. his five albums have found 250,000 buyers and a growing fan base, primarily on the northeast. this serious university student is also an ambitious entertainer hungry for stardom. >> after this performance, some people might recognize me, i hope. >> reporter: he crowed on his twitter page about a newspaper profile, and in an earlier post, when classes had started, wrote "sooner or later, i will again pursue my dream, no matter what." in fact, his first american mini tour is now under way, and the psych major is, well, psyched. >> i feel like i'm dreaming right now. >> reporter: there's a bit of a "hannah montana" story line here. the unassuming student with a pop star alter ego, but a.j.'s

korean american real-life story was hardly seamless. he dropped out of junior high, stumbled for years trying for a music career, and once he did get there, hired a tutor to help him finish high school and earn his way belatedly to columbia, a freshman at age 22. >> dream come true! >> reporter: right now, he lives in two worlds, and if that boy band thing doesn't turn into a solid career, he's not exactly south korea's justin bieber, yet, maybe an ivy league psych degree will help him deal with it. for "today," mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. >> good for him! we'll be right back, but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ wind howling ]

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right pair of shoes. we'll help you find the perfect sneakers and set your goals. >> looking forward to that. plus, all week long we have been talking about our "shine the light" project on the "today" show to raise awareness about some very important causes that are near and dear to many of our hearts. tomorrow, it is our turn to tell you about ours. all four of us are working together to a [ female announcer ] it figures. on your busiest day, you see the gray. try root touch up by nice 'n easy. just brush our permanent color matching creme

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good morning to you, i'm kris sanchez, coming up today, fire investigators say an arsonist may be at work, what they say about a rash of suspicious house and apartment fires and what they are offering for information. wreckage found but without survivors. the wife of a pilot and south bay software engineer talks exclusively with nbc bay area about what led crews to the wreckage. the bay area's deadly flu season. doctors say why people between 20 and 40 are more vulnerable. [ female announcer ] shop at safeway now through january 14th

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from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." good saturday morning. looking live at a very pretty sunrise over the south bay this morning. that low ceiling of clouds what does it mean? are we going to get rain? let's find out. thanks for joining us, i'm kris sanchez along with meteorologist rob mayeda, and we're hoping, rob, since we got heavy,is