good thursday morning. coming up on "early today," olympic threat. heightened terror concerns are causing many to rethink the fast approaching winter games. execution in texas. a mexican national is put to death for killing a houston cop amid protests from the mexican government. fire and ice. as much of the country bundles up, the west coast trying to figure out how to address a potentially catastrophic drought. busted. breaking this morning, this hour, justin bieber arrested for drag racing and dui. details just ahead. one of the youngest and minted u.s. billionaires. bill cosby prepares to return to primetime television. and diesel erupting thousands of feet into the air.

it is thursday, january 23rd. "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm richard lui. we start with a controversial execution, despite pleas for a stay from mexico's government, and the u.s. state department, texas has put a mexican national to death. 46-year-old edgar tamayo was given a lethal injection for killing a houston police officer in 1994. just an hour before his death, the supreme court rejected an appeal to stay that execution. attorneys argued tamayo was mentally impaired, which would have made him ineligible to be executed. and that he was not informed under law he could get help from the mexican consulate. officials say he mumbled no and shook his head when asked if he had a final statement. his attorneys say the execution, quote, violates the united states treaty commitments, threatens the nation's foreign policy interests, and undermines the safety of all americans

abroad. but a spokesperson for texas governor rick perry responded by saying if you commit a despicable crime like this in texas, you're subject to our state laws, including a fair trial by jury and the ultimate penalty. the threats are growing ahead of the olympic games in sochi, russia. at least five european olympic committees along with the united states received disturbing e-mails on wednesday while they contained a threat written in russian, officials say it does not pose any danger. but the fear among americans is very real. there is a new quinnipiac poll finding half fear a terror attack. 12% think it is very likely. 38% think it is somewhat likely. nbc's chief correspondent richard engel reports. >> reporter: in public, russian officials have expressed nothing but confidence. but they may be more concerned than they let on. otherwise, why the discussions at high level u.s./russia meetings about lending moscow

high tech american equipment to thwart remotely detonated bombs. but it is too late for that. u.s. military officials tell nbc news, they don't have enough time to install the anti-bomb technology before the games. the olympic venues are spread out over two main sections. there is the coastal cluster on the black sea, built around a tight circle are the stadiums for the opening ceremony, ice skating and hockey. nearby is the athletes village. the area is connected to a train station and airport. 30 miles away up a winding road is the mountain cluster, where the skiing and sledding events are spread out over slopes and valleys. all the talk about security threats has some american athletes and their families concerned. freestyle skier carrie herman's mother diana is still coming. but she's almost canceled twice. >> i don't get a lot of confidence from the u.s. government. they seem like they question whether the russians have a handle on this or not. >> reporter: family members of other athletes say they are canceling in part because of

security. richard engel, nbc news, sochi. later today, nsa leaker edward snowden will speak out in a live q & a on his website, one week after president obama's speech on nsa reforms. this is a new cbs poll that finds most americans think snowden should stand trial in the u.s. for his actions. 23% think he should be granted amnesty. that brings us to nbc's tracie potts live in washington. good morning to you. the poll, that poll question brings into question, if you will, would he ever come back to the united states? >> reporter: well, russia has said he can stay there indefinitely. certainly the u.s. government wants him to come back and face charges but snowden has given no indication whatsoever that he wants to come back. and deal with all of this. we may hear more about that today when he speaks out about those secret surveillance programs he made public. this is the website where former nsa contractor edward snowden will answer questions live this afternoon about the government secrets he leaked to the world.

>> it is our firm position that he ought to return to the united states, and face the charges against him. >> reporter: the spying program snowden exposed are now under heavy scrutiny. in a report due out today, a government task force is expected to recommend that the national security agency stop collecting americans' phone records. in a split decision, 3-2, the privacy and civil liberties oversight board will also say the government should purge its database. in a speech last week, president obama laid out reforms, but stopped short of getting rid of those programs. >> we cannot unilaterally disarm our intelligence agencies. the review group turned up no indication that this database has been intentionally abused. >> reporter: verizon reports it received more than a thousand requests from the government for customers' information. that was just last year. and now the top attorney for microsoft is also saying they

think their foreign clients' records should be kept in storage outside the u.s. >> tracie potts in washington, thank you so much. breaking overnight now, justin bieber has been arrested in miami beach early this morning. just a week after his los angeles mansion was raided by police. police saying the 19-year-old pop star was taken into custody for drag racing and driving under the influence. details of the incident are still coming in to nbc news. we'll keep you updated right here. just released video shows the dramatic rescue of a new mexico woman from a burning car early sunday morning. the car bursting into flames after crashing into a pole. the driver was unconscious, but quick action by three albuquerque police officers is credited with saving her life. an officer's lapel camera showing them struggling to rescue the woman. >> got her? >> no. >> she stuck? >> yeah. >> hang on. hang on. her arm is caught. she's stuck on the seat.

hang on. >> and then they finally pulled 23-year-old kelly to safety. she's hospitalized in stable condition. the three hero officers were largely unheard, except for one who had some minor burns. a volunteer evacuation order is in effect for about 50 homes near a burning plant in mississippi. a fuel tank exploded causing a fire at a north mississippi biodiesel facility that uses chicken fat to produce the diesel fuel that burned and destroyed the plant. the cause is under investigation. the evacuation was started because of shifting winds carrying heavy smoke. the fire is so hot, officials plan to let it burn out. just how severe is the drought problem on the west coast? well, we have got some images here taken from space showing the stunning effect on california. on the left for you, how much snow california had one year ago. on the right, you can guess it, how much snow is on the ground right now. while visiting a dusty field in southern california, house speaker john boehner saying

he'll support emergency drought relief for farmers there. yeah, bakersfield, an important part there, bill karins, nbc meteorologist, those pictures showing us what you've been telling us. >> bakersfield, there is a blowing dust advisory today. windy and so dry there is going to be dust blowing around. in the next 8 to 14 days, there is nothing. burbank, like 08 degr80 degrees days in a row. we'll continue the stats and numbers, keep compiling and get a new drought lookout in an hour and a half, two hours here on the west coast. wouldn't doubt it if we see a lot more of california going up one category in the drought, you know, to make it even worse. we haven't seen any rain this week and it has been warm. so it has to. yesterday, 77 in l.a. now, just the discussion from the national weather service in los angeles, they say next week, monday, tuesday, wednesday, even warmer. a possibility of some areas hitting 90 degrees next week. like no end in sight. of course, with the windy

conditions today, the fire danger will be higher. current conditions, nothing too bad out there. nothing really to brag about or nothing to complain about. just a lack of rain and the temperatures are continuing to be very warm. look at this map, just nothing out there. highs today 69 in l.a., slightly cooler. only gets warmer from here. that's your nat >> no end. now we're starting to talk this drought and it is going to last to the beginning of february at least. >> and we haven't heard the words of all time necessarily by facts yet. >> the drought of '77 was the one for the record books. that's the one, the benchmark. and if this continues, we're going to be talking about comparisons. >> bill karins, thank you for

all of that. a cowboy faces 20 years in prison. no cash. no credit cards accepted yet. activity abounds at the lava lake at hawaii's overlook crater. details on that too. iabetic ner, of course i had no idea what it was. i felt like my feet were going to sleep. it progressed from there to burning... to like 1,000 bees that were just stinging my feet. [ female announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you.

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welcome back. nbc news has learned the fbi is in new jersey questioning witnesses. it is part of the investigation into whether governor chris christie's aides threatened to cut off hurricane sandy funding to the city of hoboken. federal agents have been speaking with mayor dawn zimmer's chief of staff and communications director. they're said to have knowledge regarding an alleged conversation with new jersey's lieutenant governor in which sandy funds were linked to a development project. president obama is serious about preventing sexual assault on college campuses. he's created a special task force aimed at changing the latest statistics. the white house releasing a report showing one in five women are sexually assaulted while in

college. but only 12% of them report those attacks. former dallas cowboys defensive lineman josh brent was found guilty of intoxicated manslaughter. he was accused of killing friend and teammate jerry brown in a car crash in 2012. he faces up to 20 years in prison. orange and red lava lighting up the overlook crater in hawaii's kilauea, beautiful. kill yauea is the most active o the five volcanos that make up the island. sheryl sandberg one of the world's youngest billionaires, all thanks to her generous facebook stock and her best-selling book "lean in." treasury secretary jack lew urging congress to raise the debt limit. he said otherwise the u.s. could default on debt by late february. according to forbes, the new york knicks topped the list of most valuable nba franchises followed by the los angeles lakers, chicago bulls, boston celtics, brooklyn nets. sears closing its flagship

store in chicago in april because of huge operating losses. 160 people will lose their jobs. marijuana is a huge cash crop because american express, mastercard and visa officially forbid the use of their credit cards to purchase pot in states where it is legal. only cash. and just in time for the super bowl, 10,000 boxes of pizza were packed up and ready for shipment to u.s. military personnel deployed overseas. all part of the nonprofit pizza for patriots program. along with the help of dhl express, the chicago style deep dish pizzas will arrive in time for kickoff. to all of those abroad, enjoy the game and thank you for your service and enjoy the pizza. new this morning, china's pcmaker len novo agreeing to buy part of ibm's server business. they purchased the lap pop business back in 2005. sports just ahead, including the yankees new secret weapon. plus, nascar's danica patrick gets pumped up for her new super bowl ad.

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this morning on "today," the rise of a new drug made from common household products. an investigative look at the dangerous new way young people are getting high. taking you to sports now. he becomes the fifth highest paid pitcher in major league baseball. and he comes all the way from

japan, my friends. masahi masahiro tanaka signed with the yankees. he had a 1.27 e.r.a. last year. the celtics think two in the paint, celtics 113-111. the pacers can lose. winners of five straight. the top team in the central division get scorched by the suns. phoenix ahead by 13 at the half. former pacers gerald green led all stars with 18. phoenix wins 124-100. college hoops. number nine ranked wisconsin badgers lose their third straight. unranked minnesota's austin hollins delivers this one-armed dunk right there. minnesota 81-68. number 21 michigan, looking good versus number ten iowa, leading at the half. final minutes, iowa's aaron

white keeps it close with a dunk there. the wolverines answer with this three. michigan goes on to win 75-67. blue looking good. vince young, the former titans quarterback, filed for bankruptcy. eight years ago his contract guaranteed $26 million. the houston chronicle says $2.5 million loan balance started or made his troubles worse. he becomes part of the 78% of former nfl players that go bankrupt within two years of retirement, according to "sports illustrated". metlife stadium getting snow practice ahead of the super bowl. part of that, cold weather door prizes. why not? fans will get lip balm, tissues, hand warmers, a seat cushion, earmuffs, gloves and a wool hat. they might need it. we'll see. no stripteases or makeout sessions for go daddy super bowl ads this year. instead, danica patrick in a muscle body suit. in this ad, the nascar driver and body builder see a tanning salon on a website hosted by go daddy. they run like the digg dickens t

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too. and on the big island, maybe about 10 to 20. so not exactly good for anyone near the coast. even high enough to do some property damage. no bad weather like yesterday. that front went through and cleared out for a nice day. no problems traveling anywhere in the west. maybe a little bit of patchy fog in areas of the northwest. but even seattle getting into the warmth today at 50 degrees. not bad. >> kids in a candy shop in hawaii, giving them all those waves. >> yeah, but this is a little too big, it looks like. >> for some. bill karins, thank you. we had the return of michael j. fox last fall and now we'll soon have the one and only bill cosby to nbc, reteaming with the cosby show star in a new comedy. bill will play a patriarch in a multigenerational family. the original producer of the cosby show is also on board, so hopes will be high for this one. mgm's mascot leo the lion celebrating the studio's anniversary on wednesday with a paw print at the chinese hollywood theater. >> he knew what he was doing. >> well trained. >> sly stallone also there, not

90. most likely to keep the lion from getting too rowdy. love will apparently not keep them together. the captain and tennille sadly ending their marriage after nearly 40 years. their hit love will keep us together won the grammy for record of the year in 1976. and what would breaking bad look like if it was a sitcom? take a look. ♪ you take the good you take the bad ♪ ♪ there you have the facts of life the facts of life ♪ >> i predict there will be a movie. >> a movie? >> too much buzz still after the show. >> not the sitcom. >> not the sitcom. i'm richard lui. this is "early today" with bill karins. we hope it is the first stop of the day here on nbc. i need proof of insurance. that's my geico digital insurance id card - gots all my pertinents on it and such. works for me. turn to the camera.

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leading the news on nbc news.com, new york town mourns brave 8-year-old who died saving six people from trailer fire. tyler doohan is being hailed a hero after waking up his family members, but tragically dying while trying to rescue his disabled grandfather. from yahoo! sports, plumber knocks on muhammad ali's door and gets to wish the greatest a happy birthday in person. tony kelly heard the 72 ali lived across the street. he knocks on the door. ali's wife answers and he was invited in. happy birthday. that's something to remember the rest of his life. some stories you might have missed. dramatic new video of protests in ukraine's capital.

protesters are angry over the president's decision to turn away from the european union and toward russia. two protesters were killed wednesday and more violence is feared. switching gears to a fascinating new facebook study. princeton university saying it is like an infectious disease. and will lose 80% of its peak user base between next year and 2017. the researchers say ideas like diseases spread infectiously before eventually dying out. bill karins, agree? >> i do, yeah. sorry. sorry, facebook. >> fad of the decade. may be winter in the u.s., but midsummer in antarctica. still very cold there. that didn't stop one surfer who put on his dry suit and jumped into the waters. he's the first ever shredder to tackle the white continent on surfboard. based on what bill karins is showing us in hawaii, i probably would rather be in hawaii than antarctica. >> but that's pretty cool. >> you can say you surfed on every continent. >> who knew they had surfboards

in antarctica. >> didn't know. see you down there. a look ahead and a look back. the suspect in purdue university shooting will be in court today. cody cousins turned himself in following the deadly shooting of another student on the indiana campus. on this day in 1973, president richard nixon announcing the peace accord in vietnam as covered by nbc news. >> i have asked for this radio and television time tonight for the purpose of announcing that we today have concluded an agreement to end the war and bring peace with honor in vietnam. happy birthday to tiffani-amber thiessen of "saved by the bell," 40, mariska hargitay turns 50. and macgyver star richard dean anderson 64 years ole. i'm richard lui with bill karins. thanks for spending time with us on "early today." have a good day ahead.

was it a tragic accident? an 11-year-old boy found shot to death in his east bay home. the latest from investigators this morning in a live report. >> plus, a community's tribute to a b.a.r.t. officer killed in the line of duty. what we're learning about the fellow officer who shot him. >> a live look outside this morning, thursday morning, beautiful look at the bay bridge. january 23rd, this is "today in the bay." >> good morning to you. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. lots to get to. we welcome rob in for christina. >> 30s and 4