enough is enough. the storm that's already taken a and guess what, another blast of snow is on the way. thrills and spills, american figure skater jeremy abbott recovers bravely from a nasty fall while his teammate jason brown turns in an electric performance. >> this is the way to introduce yourself to the world at the olympics. >> couldn't have skated that much better -- >> and he finds himself right in the middle of tonight's medal hunt. flying high, an emotional medal ceremony for the three americans who swept ski slopestyle.

all of them are with us live as bronze medalist nick goepper has special valentine's day message. and pushing our luck eight years after first-time luge, al and i give it another shot. spandex and all. one run to remember and another we'd like to forget "today," friday, february 14th, 2014. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today" at the olympic winter games with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from olympic park in sochi, russia. >> and good morning, welcome to "today" on a friday morning, i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone, i'm savannah guthrie alongside natalie morales and al roker. the event we've been waiting for is here. your luge.

is it just me, in eight years, has the spandex gotten a little snugger? >> that's not nice. you waited eight years for that line? >> let's just say we had an interesting morning. >> that's putting it mildly. >> bit of an understatement. we'll fill you in on that in a little while. once again, the weather back home is our top story. what a mess. this brutal winter weather as round two of the latest storm slams the northeast. almost 424,000 people are now without power this morning. >> and the airlines, boy, they had work to do, roughly 14,000 flights have been canceled this week due to the weather alone. add to that the totals from winters 14 other storms, you get the highest number of cancellations in more than 25 years. some 75,000 since december 1st. >> we'll get al's take on all this in a moment. but we want to begin with dylan dreyer who is in king of prussia 20 miles north of philadelphia. dylan, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. i mean, enough with the snow already. last night we had another 2

inches of snowfall here in this area. and what makes it more dangerous is the fact that as temperatures drop, all of this snow and slush from yesterday is freezing over. now as power crews are trying to keep up, the fear is this storm is responsible for deaths across seven states. now it could become more deadly. >> reporter: far from the dog days of summer -- >> thick and heavy. >> reporter: so heavy, it can tear down trees. >> this one does make me nervous. >> reporter: this storm that stretched from texas to new england left most of the east on ice. down wires made driving dangerous. >> a corvette in the snow? >> yeah, i don't know what made them come out. >> reporter: in north carolina, they cleared away a band of cars. in virginia, one highway worker was killed, crushed by another

truck while a snowplow struck and killed a 36-year-old woman in brooklyn. another government shutdown in washington with only these workers left at the capitol. snowfall measured in feet. >> a little under a foot of snow. >> reporter: but for the economy, billions, a $15 billion hit by one estimate for businesses this winter. but not mike soloman's plow business near philadelphia. >> i can't wait to get the money and go to mexico. >> reporter: while chris in new jersey struggled even to get his suv out of more than a foot of snow to get to work. with a valentine's day delivery deadline that can't wait. >> i have a delivery. >> flowers on today? >> happy valentine's day from -- >> thank you. >> back near philly, the region's largest mall was left seeing white, not green. >> you're liking this winter? >> definitely. >> yeah. >> reporter: the steward family just got power back from the

last storm. >> i don't think we've had a full week probably for the last two months. >> reporter: no power, but lots of energy. >> one, two, three -- >> reporter: now philadelphia area schools are closed again today, and the school year has already been extended for those kids until at least the middle of june. now, there's no relief yet. we have more snow to talk about later on tonight and tomorrow. but the good news is, by time we get to the end of next week, temperatures will start to warm up. guys, that being said, a warm-up around here is still going to be about ten degrees colder than it is over there in sochi. >> dylan, all right. well, hang in there. she's outside of philadelphia this morning. thank you. >> i think my kids are going to go to school until about august. >> that is the other side of this, too. and unfortunately, we do have another storm coming in. let's look at the snowfall totals we've picked up out of this system so far. roanoke picking up 21 inches,

charlottesville, 13 inches. as you make your way up to reistertown, 22 inches, philadelphia over 10 inches, new york city, 11 1/2, boston still getting some snow at 3.2 inches. they'll pick up another couple of inches as this system winds up and out. as you can see, snow through upstate new england. the next system starts as a clipper in the midwest, wintry conditions from the iowa to the ohio valley to the south, there will be heavy showers and thunderstorms. then it transitions its energy into a nor'easter. rain along the mid-atlantic coast. but then during the day saturday, as it makes its way up, look at snow from new york on into new england, gusty winds up to 50 miles per hour. heavy snow in new england. temperatures, snowfall amounts generally about 2 to 3 inches in the ohio valley. but as you get up into new england, we're looking at snowfall amounts that could be over almost 2 feet in northern maine. so we're going to be really watching this system closely because any deviation of the

track could increase the snowfall along the eastern seaboard. >> and you've had strong opinions about the closing or lack thereof of schools. we'll talk more about that in a little while. >> yes, we will. in the meantime, another big day for team usa in sochi. the finale of men's figure skating is tonight while bode miller and ted ligety hit the slopes. natalie is here with that. >> that's right. the story going into today's super combined, again the weather here, the nice weather. they actually moved up the start time, the downhill portion to avoid the afternoon sun. however, miller and ligety went later, and they said it did affect their performance. >> a tough morning on the slopes for american skiers bode miller and ted ligety as both failed to make the podium in the super combined. america's slopestyle skiers still basking in the glow of their medal sweep. joss christensen stunned the field taking gold. >> will he go for it? yes! and he nails it!

>> gus kenworthy claims silver, and nick goepper landed bronze. the third medal sweep for team usa in the history of the winter games. the stage is set for a dramatic finish in the women's skeleton this morning with american noelle pikus-pace and katie uhlaender vying for gold. pikus-pace retired after placing second in vancouver. she's back cheered on by her family and second place going into the finals. on the ice, the men's free skate is today without yevgeny plyushchenko. he stumbled in the short program on thursday, reinjuring his back. he withdrew. the 31-year-old who has four medals in four olympics later announced his retirement. american jeremy abbott fell hard in his performance. but with the crowd cheering him

on, he got back up and finished his routine earning a standing ovation. >> the second i stood up and the crowd started screaming, i had to finish. >> he's out of medal contention today, but teammate jason brown has a shot. he finished a personal best and finished sixth. >> he couldn't have skated that much better than he did. >> reporter: the most dominant force in the sochi games may be the warm weather. temperatures climbing into the 60s by the coast, the heat melting snow in the mountains. what about no sleeves? cross-country skier sadie bjornsen ditching her traditional competition suit, opting instead for a tank top. >> that's a good look at the winter olympics. meantime, on a more serious note, we do have more on the worker struck by that bobsled during thursday's training. olympic officials saying a warning signal was sounded. and we don't know yet why the man actually stayed on the track, but he did break both of his legs, recovering from surgery, sounds like he's going to be okay. >> could have been a lot worse. let's take a look at the

medal count right now. norway remains in the lead with 13 medals overall followed by the netherlands, the u.s. and the home country russia. and by the way, you can see the men's free skate finale, skeleton racing and the men's supercombined tonight in prime time on nbc. natalie's got the rest of the morning's top stories. >> that's right. and growing tensions in afghanistan this morning after the afghan government released 65 accused militants despite strong objections from the united states. afghan officials cite lack of evidence. but the u.s. embassy in kabul calls the move deeply regrettable and said the insurgents are considered dangerous and could return to carrying out attacks on u.s. soldiers. afghanistan's president hamid karzai said the u.s. must, quote, stop harassing his country's judges. and, quote, the release of the accused militants is of no concern to the u.s. former olympian oscar pistorias says he's consumed

with grief on the anniversary of the day he fatally shot his girlfriend. the story has said the loss of reeva and the complete trauma of that day, i'll carry with me for the rest of my life. he's accused of killing reeva steenkamp on valentine's day. and told police he mistook her for an intruder. the trial is scheduled to begin on march 3rd. gay couples have scored a legal victory in virginia where a federal judge has ruled the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. but there won't be a dash to the courthouse for marriage licenses just yet. the judge stayed her orders until it can be appealed. the repercussions across the south could be wide. several states in the region have laws banning gay marriage. a warning going out to commuters in the san francisco bay area today that they may have been exposed to measles. this after an unvaccinated college student attended classes and rode the area's b.a.r.t. transit system.

public health officials say anyone riding from february 4th to february 7th during the morning or evening commute could have been exposed to the highly contagious virus. most people in the u.s. are immune to measles. the worry is, though, for unvaccinated people. and more proof this morning that being a tv reporter can sometimes be a dangerous job. mike conine was doing a live report on thursday on a snow sculpture contest in washington, d.c. when he started taking on enemy fire there. snowballs coming in hot from all sides. probably didn't help matters, though, yeah, he got one good there. he yells, is that all you got to the snowball flingers? most of the children, then, carried on with the fight. got hammered pretty good there. good shot. >> all fun and games until somebody loses an eye. what my mom always says. >> exactly. >> natalie, thank you very much. mr. roker. >> all right. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds.

7:13 now. happy friday. happy valentine's day to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. temperatures are starting out mild, intact we're right at average for this time of year when it comes to your high temperature in san francisco, so you're going to climb to about 60 degrees in the city. temperatures are going to be on the warm side. look at 68 degrees on the way to the east bay. comfortable conditions with plenty of clouds to start the day. clouds clearing south of the golden gate bridge by 10:00 a.m. mostly cloudy in the north bay and san francisco all day long. our latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. one of team usa's shining moments of these games so far

came on thursday when americans swept the men's ski slopestyle event. joss christensen, gus kenworthy and nick goepper. finished up with, two, three. congratulations. >> thank you. >> the united states has only swept an event two other times. happened in 2002 in the halfpipe, happened back in the 1950s in figure skating. no, i wasn't there. how does it feel? >> it's unbelievable. i mean, just our sport being in the olympics is huge. and that us three americans were able to sweep the podium was so awesome. unbelievable. >> does it feel better when you look to either side and you see nothing but american flags? >> feels absolutely incredible to be part of this historic moment and share it with my two incredible friends next to me. couldn't have been a better turnout. >> joss, ironically, you almost didn't make this team. you were a discretionary spot. a coach's pick.

your first run was awesome and you had a rare luxury last night. you got to stand at the top of the course before your second run knowing you'd already won the gold medal. you could have snowplowed down the thing and still won. >> yeah. >> how did it feel? >> so i've never had the opportunity to have a victory lap before. and there was no one really up at the top, just my coach and i. he was waiting to hear the scores and told me i had the win and i just -- everything just lifted. and i felt so happy and i wanted to do another run because we'd been working so hard this season and skiing so much. why not? >> gus, you talked to joss before and said if you land all your tricks, you're going to be hard to beat. what was your mindset going into your second run? >> i wanted to land my run. it was kind of just a relief to get to the olympics, our qualifying process was really tough. and so just be here -- we were all nervous and anxious. and i wanted to land my run. and i was fighting for second. >> you talk about nervous. nick, you're 19 years old and you showed incredible poise out there. where does the poise come from? >> you know, i think it comes

from my mom and dad. they raised me right. i'm a midwest boy. yeah, it humbled me and experience doing all these big contests. >> have you guys got your arms around the fact that you were once somewhat obscure athletes and now with this sweep, you're one of the biggest stories of the olympics? have you understood that life might change a little bit? >> starting to set in slowly. it's been pretty hectic since the contest. >> yeah, a whirlwind for the last 48 hours. and i think it's going to continue to be like that. >> you want to see how your life is going to change? can i show you something? >> go for it. >> got a little bag here. and look what kellogg's rushed out this morning. look who's on the cover of the cornflakes box. three americans who swept the slopestyle.

how does that feel? >> that feel it's feels incredible. >> pretty insane. >> i hope you guys like cornflakes. joss, i want to end with you. you lost your dad in august and tweeted something after the medal ceremony. said, wow, still in shock right now, today has been the craziest day ever. definitely one i'll never forget for you, dad. >> yeah. it's been such a dream for my whole family. they've supported me the whole way. they grew up loving skiing, the ones that got me into it. and, when we heard that we got into the olympics, when you make it, i'm getting a ticket to russia. he had so much confidence in me. i just wanted to hopefully make it here and make him proud and i can't believe it happened. >> he must be incredibly proud. we're all proud of you. and we're going to in a little while show that medal ceremony because it's one of the great moments of these games so far. we'll get to that in a second. but first, guys, it's a sweep. congratulations. >> thank you. >> thank you.

>> savannah? >> all right, matt. thank you so much. and we'll take a turn and see what willie has cooking in the orange room. and i think it might be al roker, actually. r-related. a group of us out to dinner last night. al's over there punching away on his phone with a serious look on his face. we assumed he was talking with his wife, maybe getting in touch with the kids. in fact, he was going back and forth with the mayor of new york city about whether or not he should've closed the schools. he did not close the schools. among the tweets al sent out, mr. mayor, the snow policy is ridiculous, tell people to stay off the roads and stay home but send your kids, teacher staff in. in a press conference, the mayor was asked in realtime about al roker's tweet. >> i respect al roker a lot, watched him on tv for many, many years. it's a different thing to run a city than to give the weather on tv. so i am comfortable with our decisionmaking. and we just got off the phone with the national weather service. and again, i respect all the

meteorologists out there. but the one i respect the most is called national weather service. >> so at that very same dinner, al gets word of that. i know, right? al tweets out, mr. mayor, i could never run new york city, but i know when it's time to keep kids home from school. al, i was with you. i was watching you do it. you were making a serious point about the national weather service. in fact, that he had, in fact, been warned, the chancellor had been warned. anything else you want to say? >> well, look, i understand one of the reasons they keep the schools open is because kids -- a lot of kids count on the meals they get at school. i understand that. but other cities have those issues, too. and they close schools. it's about safety. safety first, the children, that's what we talk about. parents who can't afford to stay home. i get that, too. but, again, what's more difficult? to know your kids are going to stay home? or all of a sudden figure out how to get them home when school lets out early. i will say, the one tweet i do regret in the heat -- i'm very passionate about the weather. i made a prediction there would

be only one term of his administration. i apologize for that. that was -- that was a little below the line. but everything else, i still stand by. including the fact that the national weather service did forecast that on wednesday. >> by the way, ioc just added tweeting to the 2018 winter games. >> yes. again, i apologize for the low-blow one. all right. coming up, we've been preparing all week long. actually, for eight long years. and this morning, the time has come for us to return to the double luge. >> we cannot wait. and then high drama at the iceberg. the russian favorite pulls out while the career best score has american jason brown in medal contention tonight. we'll talk about that with our premier figure skating expert scott hamilton. but first, the emotional medal ceremony from the u.s. sweep in ski slopestyle. take a look.

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[ cheers and applause ] >> we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. every day i spend three hours on weights. four hours on the slopes. and two hours doing this stuff. which leaves me approximately two minutes to get my banking done. so i use the citi mobile app to quickly check my accounts and pay my bills. which leaves me about five seconds to kick back. that was nice. bank from almost anywhere with the citi mobile app. citi, with you every step of the way.

well, we started off our luge attempt. it almost turned out to be the best day for dylan dreyer and willie geist. 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 that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. so now, i can do more of the things i enjoy. 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, or tired feeling. 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. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica.

with less pain, i'm feeling better with lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. a very good friday morning to you. 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. a san jose firefighter is facing drug and sex crime charge this is morning after being arrested at the fire station where he works. investigators say mario cuestas met kids on the internet. he had been a firefighter since 1994. it's unclear how many children were involved and how long the alleged crimes went on. this morning a health warning is in effect after a uc-berkeley student was diagnosed with the measles. the student was not immunized and likely exposed during a trip abroad. in the last week the student attended classes at cal and has traveled numerous times on

b.a.r.t. measles are highly contagious. you don't need to touch someone to get it. you can get it through the air. even after they left the room. symptoms you should be concerned about include high fever, runny nose, coughing, watery red eyes and the classic symptom of a rash on the neck and face. here's to your health. here's to the weather on this valentine's day. >> we're looking pretty good. unfortunately we have low clouds kind of a dreary overcast start. we'll see the sunshine in the south bay by about 10:00 a.m. 55 degrees now. at 55 along the pens pejs. east bay 56. cool in the north bay. we might get isolated shower activity and mostly in sonoma county. storm system to the north. it's going to be mild across the bay area. and we have a full moon on the way for your night. showers move in saturday night, mostly clearing out before we hit sunday morning. let's check the drive. >> we're looking here. the low clouds around the bay,

here's fremont where we have a slow drive, developing because of the volume down through the area. also a little bit of an issue for visibility south of the dumbarton bridge, patches through the nimitz. the low clouds around san jose awell. the slow down at 680 and 101 because of the volume of traffic. slow up to 880 into the 50s. it's friday. we're looking at dublin, low clouds out of the alta mont pass and recovery after an early morning crash. that's the only problem heading toward livermore. slow through lafayette as well.

whoo! >> that was then, torino 2006, and this is now. coming up, matt and al don their old spandex one more time. yes, they do! >> and yet it was. >> and yet it was. >> on their old friend mr. luge. >> just a little hairy moment there. >> only two things have impacted the way we look in spandex. >> what's that? >> mother nature and father time. >> yeah. and the weather. coming up, another event that's getting a lot of excitement. tonight's finale of men's figure

skating. we'll talk more about that. >> yes, american jason brown. used the career best to land possibly in medal contention. scat skater extraordinare scott hamilton will join us to look ahead to tonight's competition. the northeast being hit by a second wave of that brutal winter storm. more than a foot of snow has fallen in some cities. the south, hundreds of thousands of people remain without power today. >> because of that storm, more than 1,000 flights have been canceled today. that brings the storm total to more than 14,000 canceled flights for the week. >> and a major volcanic eruption has forced mass vevacuations in indonesia. also shut down a couple of airports. towns up to nine miles from the crater are covered in ash and debris. and meantime, al, you have more on that other story the storm back home. >> that's right. it's kind of crazy. as we were talking about the airline delays, today we've got

more cancellations. but so far, for 2 1/2 months, a record-setting amount of delays. 75,000 delays in the last 2 1/2 months. today's total delays 2,295. cancellations, over 1,382. look at the system making its way up the coast, it's moving away. snow still on boston, you see the charles river there. we are looking at the snow coming to an end, it's going to be windy. but then this next system makes its way up the coast, starts off in the ohio valley. it's going to transform into a nor'easter, bring rain into the mid-atlantic early saturday morning as it makes its way, more snow, mostly to the west of new york. but if that track is a little bit closer, we may be seeing more snow. a strong low pressure system offshore. winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour. snowfall amounts fairly light until you get to new england when we expect to see more heavy snow getting up to 2 feet of snow in parts of northern new england. that's what's going on around

well, it's going to be warmer in sochi than it will be in san francisco. good morning to you. 57 degrees, that's it, it's going to be a touch warmer in the north bay as we head throughout the day today. not by much. 64 is the forecasted high. you'll only climb by 3 degrees up to 60 degrees. what i can tell you is count on a sunny finish in the south bay. sun breaking through by about 10:00 a.m. we've got the storm system in from the north. that's going to increase your clouds throughout the day. showers hold off until saturday night. then they clear out by sunday morning. coming. some warmer air finally. can't wait to hear about that. savannah? >> that is great news, al. thank you. and now to major drama here in sochi. men's figure skating wraps up with a free skate tonight after the competition began on thursday with a moment few saw coming. as russian skater yevgeny

plyushchenko warmed up for his short program, the four-time medalist stumbled. and then it was over. plyushchenko graciously bid adieu and withdrew from the competition. with a back injury. shortly after, the only modern era figure skater to win four medals in four olympics announced his retirement. meantime, american jeremy abbott struggled with his own demons. slamming into the wall just seconds into his skate. >> he's hurt. >> he valiantly finished what he started and is in 15th place. his teammate jason brown high-kicked it to an early lead on the way to a sixth place standing. >> triple-toe loop. and then there was japan's skater topping the board with the world record-breaking mark of 101.45. but closing in is canada and spain. what can we expect tonight in

the ice skating palace? scott hamilton is our figure skating analyst. scott hamilton, good morning, good to see you. >> good morning. >> well, you did tell me yesterday off camera, there was a chance of plyushchenko dropping out. i didn't believe you. and that'll teach me. it felt like a shocker in the moment. >> a bit. because he did so well in the team performance. he thought he could compete with the best men in the world. and i was a little fearful. and at the end of his long program in the team competition, he kind of pulled up a little bit on a couple of his jumps. i thought that might have laid some ground work. but when he pulled out last night. you know, my heart was heavy. you get the most decorated male figure skater in the history of the sport kind of being helped off the ice. you want him to move off the ice on shoulders, held high not being held up because of an injury. it was a sad moment for me. >> do you hear anything about him waiting so long to withdraw so russia couldn't put another man in? or do people understand? >> i was waiting for it. who's going to go this way or that way, there's always going

to be people on both sides. but people respect him and respect what he's done here. and i think they're going to say if he's injured, we're going to take his word for it. he's got a great track record. we're going to take him at his word. >> of the skaters who did compete, jason brown, wow, he kind of came out of nowhere. >> well, he's come out of somewhere. it's just -- he is so incredible at connecting with the crowd. and, you know, what a lot of skaters forget is the judges are members of the audience. if you can get the crowd behind you, they're going to sway the judges. he is so popular. he's so compelling. everything about him is just -- you know, he's a great kid. and you want to root for him. so the fact he's in contention for a medal is just -- if you would have told me that six months ago, no way. and there he is. >> yeah. he's right there. jeremy abbott struggled again. he had a terrible fall, but valiantly got up and finished his skate. do you think it's nerves affecting him at this point? >> i don't know.

that was a hard fall. and hard falls like that are unusual. in that case, they're hard to kind of train for, recover from. and when he got up and started to skate again, the crowd started to sense he was going to go for it, they pushed him through the rest of the performance, almost like a wake-up call. i feel bad for jeremy, he's a great talent and i love his skating. but he's got to be able to throw the jumps down again. >> amg are alleghany and quickly, han and chan and javier fernandez taking one, two and three. >> honestly, i like them all. but chan's a three-time world champion. he can be phenomenal or he can spontaneously combust a little bit. if he skates lights out, chan's next in the order and that's like -- you know, that's going to be rough. >> scott hamilton, thanks again.

>> thank you. >> and you can see men's free skate tonight starting at 8:00/7:00 central time. coming up, evgeny plyushchenko will join us with his stunning decision on pulling out of the competition and retire. and matt and al's epic return to the luge right after this. [bell rings]

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and we're back now at 7:42. pretty view of olympic park here in sochi. all week long, we have been counting down to our return to the luge. well, this morning, the clock runs out as al and i spent the morning at the sliding center up in rosa khutor. morning at the sliding center up in rosa khutor. >> it was the best of times. it was the worst of times. >> that's not the handle. >> it's been eight years since we scandalized america from the torino olympics. >> passion lives here. >> and that's about eight years too long. welcome back to the double luge. >> so my frozen friend. >> but this time with a twist. i would be riding on top. >> how many curves do you want to hit? >> less than last time. >> somehow the u.s. luge doubles team of matt mortenson were

willing to take us on. clearly our reputation hadn't preceded us. >> okay. explain again. last time, i was the heavier one, i was on top. why? >> well, usually, the bigger person goes on top because it's actually more aerodynamic. >> yeah. okay. that was 100 pounds ago. now he's thinner and i want to know is it possible i could go on top this time? >> yeah, sure. >> can we make the decision right now i'm on top? >> absolutely. >> you're going to get to have the perspective i had last time. which was basically smothered. and the guy on the top who is supposed to be steering with his feet has almost no connection to the sled. >> that's why you must be one with your partner. >> you feel me, i feel you. feel the sled transfer my feeling of the sled and you feel me. >> now i understand exactly why last time. al, from this angle, you look like a comfy sofa.

>> that's your seat. >> this is my whole seat? >> go on, come to papa. lower that there. >> yep. >> bring that thing down. oh. >> there you go. >> oh, hey. yeah. >> looking good, guys. looking good. >> is this particularly cold today? . >> i think you can only get better from last time. might be impossible to get worse. >> oh, boom. >> that's nice. that's good. positive thinking. >> we are ready, baby. yeah. >> you're not going to be cold because i'm going to keep you nice and warm lying on top of you. >> that warms my heart. >> we're ready for you. >> it's going to be interesting. >> hey, not there.

>> i found the handle. i got the handle. >> it feels very comfortable. >> hold on tight, don't let go. the louder you scream, the faster it's going to go. >> we'll see you on the other side. >> any last words? . . pv >> roker! >> here we go. . whoa! whoa! >> we haven't hit anything yet. >> here we go! whoa! whoo! >> i think that went well. >> i think so. we're still alive. >> roker, give me a big fat hug. >> oh, my gosh. >> that was cool. >> you are the man. >> return to the luge complete. >> yeah! [ cheers and applause ]

>> nicely done. >> and they had every angle on that, didn't they? >> yeah, they did. >> sorry, kids. we need a warning before something. >> the fact is, we went through and we still had some time left. and so they asked us if we wanted to go again and so we decided to. >> next time, you say no when they ask that question. we then went for a second run and we found out very, very quickly how dangerous sliding sports can be. and we're going to show you that tape. and this is not funny. this is the other side of the coin. and we'll show you that in our next half hour. >> real scary situation. >> yeah. >> we'll learn more about that in a little bit. and we also want to know what you think of our guys' display on the luge. you can use #sochitoday. give them your reviews. >> we're impressed. >> we're impressed. >> the spandex was good. >> we have it. in fact, the smithsonian called. >> better uniforms for sure.

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good morning. 7:56. i'm scott mcgrew. prosecutors could file formal charges today against a benicia elementary school teacher accused of serving pot laced food at a pot luck. theresa badger set to be arraigned on three counts of poisoning. badger is a first grade teacher at matthew turner elementary school. she was one of 20 guests, most of them teachers, who attended a dinner party in november. after the party several guests reported feeling sick or possibly high, two teachers were taken to the hospital. a 15-year-old also got sick from eating leftovers at the party. >> let's get a valentine's day forecast. good morning. >> good morning to you, scott. good morning to you at home. got a lot of fog out there this morning. temperatures are mild to start. we'll see a mild finish. ramping up the numbers in the upper 60s in the east bay here in san jose and 65 degrees on the way to the peninsula.

so we're looking good. it's going to be mild and cloudy. then we get showers as we head through saturday night into early sunday morning. they should be clearing out before we hit sunday afternoon. today looks good, 67 in the south bay. headed to the city, 59 degrees. bring that jacket and that love over to you mike. >> always got the love for the bay area. looking here toward oakland where we have, we don't love this, a slow down which is typical even on a friday. there is haze, low clouds through the area. look at the map we're talking about more heading to the bay bridge. a slow roller there. slow for 880, slow across the westbound direction around treasure island we're getting that, cleared by the bridge crew should make quick work of it. but we have fog and mist there where the orange over union city into fremont. we have slowing there. northbound 101, unusually heavy from basically sunnyvale into mountain view for the stretch past 237. no incidents, slowing there, may have been mist. back to you. >> mike, thank you. we'll have more local news for

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♪ it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, high hopes on the slopes and the ice. two of team usa's most successful skiers go for gold while newcomer jason brown find himself right in the middle of medal contention. plus -- worry about love later. why a new dating app is telling athletes to focus on the games and not on finding a date. and take two -- al and i had such a good run on the luge, we decided to go for a second round of glory but wish we hadn't, friday, february 14, 2014. >> happy valentine's day to my beautiful wife pam. >> wishing my granny in

commerce, georgia, a happy valentine's day. >> hi, mom, happy valentine's day. loving it here in sochi. >> great for the hockey match. >> yeah. go usa. >> make us proud, fellows. >> awesome! >> thank you to all of my friends and family back in park city. >> usa! usa! >> and welcome back to "today" on a friday morning, 14th day of february, 2014. that makes it valentine's day. and the folks in new york with a happy valentine get a foot of snow over the last day or so. but we wish everyone a happy valentine's day from sochi, russia. i'm matt lauer with savannah guthrie, al roker and natalie morales, willie geist is here as well. >> happy valentine's day. >> to you as well. >> to you. >> now that we've gotten up close and personal again. >> one to remember. up to date on what's happening

in the olympics in sochi. kier simmons, ted ligety and bode miller in action. what's going on? >> reporter: good morning. more controversy up here. another day of warm weather, perhaps changing the conditions on the super combine down hill making it harder for team usa. the men's super combined, americans bode miller and ted ligety, both missed the podium after going into the slalom event in 12th and 18th place. today the final run in women's skeleton, the american noel kate coming out of retirement to compete. all eyes on her as she fights for a spot on the podium cheered on by her family. massive victory in men's slopestyle for team usa, sweeping the podium in the inaugural event, joss christiansen, gus kenworthy, nick goepper taking gold, silver, bronze, respectively.

the winners stopped by the "today" show, energy high after stellar performances. >> feels absolutely incredible to be part of this historic moment to share it with two great friends right next to me. couldn't have been a better turnout. >> reporter: in women's speedskating, americans heather richardson and britney bowe missed the finish, coming in seventh and eighth. in the back of team usa's new speed suits covered up with a patch, amid concerns that the design is slowing skaters down. russian skating legend evgeny plyushcenko appeared in pain during his warm-up, then drama. indicate skating over to the judges telling them he couldn't compete in the men's short program. telling them that he could not compete in the short program, and then ending his career. >> yevgeny plyushchenko has withdrawn for medical reasons. >> reporter: and a scary fall as jeremy abbott of the usa fell in

his routine, and then he got up and finished. today, they will compete in the free skate and a new champion will be crowned. now, hold up, and wait a minute and cue the music, because this weekend the battle of the titans and the biggest grudge match since rocky versus super power and one of a country that used to be a super power, but forget it all, it is russia versus the usa in the ice hockey, and i know that you are as excited as i am, even though it is not the finals, savannah. >> we are very excited. we are going. >> very excited. >> thank you, kooer. and by the way, it is going to happen 40 yards from us right over here. and kier simmon, thank you very much. and natalie with stories at home. in the northeast, they are dealing with round two of the nasty storm that rolled from texas to new england and dylan

dreyer is with us from king of prussia, pennsylvania. dill dillon, hello. >> well, it is like the storm that never ended as it lasted from a week to texas to new england as you mentioned. it is responsible for at least 18 deaths and still at this time nearly half a million people are still without power. in north carolina, it was easier just to abandon your carton side of the road. in pennsylvania, people were just walking through the road, as the plows really tried to keep up with that intense heavy sn snow. we saw the cars on the side of the road and having to get out and also up in massachusetts and in new york city last night, we ended up with reports of thundersnow and thunder freezing rain which is intense snow. the sun is back out right now for this valentine's day but a little extra treat tonight as more snow is moving in and lasts through saturday in the northeast, natalie. >> not what we wanted to hear. thank you, dillon in king of prussia, pennsylvania. >> this week, a couple killed by

a homemade bomb. that couple's son-in-law, richard parker, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. he is charged with planting an explosive device that killed the coup couple. he is being held on $1 million bond. more than 100,000 people have been evacuated after a major eruption of the vol kcanof indonesia. people were evacuated and clouds of dust forced the airports to shutdown stranding pas ssengers prince williams and harry put their backs into the flood relief area and helped soldiers to load much needed sandbags there to help people who have experienced record-breaking flood levels. and one of the reporters joked, why don't you put down the

notebook and give us a hand. and now we send it back over to al. mr. rocher? >> yes. you folks came from pittsburgh and hoping to get the winter weath weather, but. >> well, we escaped it. >> yes, let's check the winter weather and this snow has been crazy. for example, philadelphia, look at the seasonal snowfall that should be about 22 inches and now 54 inches. and new york city, the ninth snowiest season ever, and we are not done. we are looking normally at 25 inches, but 51 and they have added a couple so we are at 54 inches of snow for new york city. the rest of the country, we are going to see good news with this trough in the east that is going to start break down, and teens and 20s and 30s and 40s and 50s saturday. we will get rid of the cold air because the jet stream is going to flatten out, and become more zonal and look at what happens tuesday and wednesday and thursday. the temperatures will warm up to the 80s in the southeast and 40s

and 50s in the northeast finally happy valentine's day. the time is 8:08. i'm christina loren. temperatures in the mid to upper 50s. we'll clear up around 10:00 a.m. in the south bay, and 61 degrees as a result. 67 for the east bay today with showers on the way. they start to move in around 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. >> all right. ladies a all right. well, ladies and gentlemen, it is our olympic al's russian class. >> oh, boy. >> and today's students are the medal winning skiers, kyle and

nick and john. we understand, nick is looking for love. >> yes. >> and one more time? >>. [ speaking foreign language ] >> what does that mean? >> looking for love. >> does it mean, i love you or call me -- i don't know. >> i am looking for love. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> what was the hashtag that nick was giving out? >> #i want to date nick. hit me up on the social media, ladies. >> wow! this is what every girl speaks in the international languages. >> #savannahguthrie. >> and we appreciate it. coming up next on trending the new dating app that nick has not gotten into yet, but this is hot with olympic athletes, but is it taking away too much of the focus? >> oh, no. and then the u.s. figure skater who turned in the best p

performance of his career in the most important skate of his life. and matt and al, second run on the luge track, and this one turns out differently than the first one. bumps, bruises and all after this. ♪ [ female announcer ] any moment can be made better with the latest amazing creation from mccafe: the new chocolate covered strawberry frappé. with real chocolate bits in every sip, it tastes like you're biting into a luscious chocolate covered strawberry. ♪ let someone at mcdonald's make your day, with a chocolate covered strawberry frappé. ♪ enjoy. [ female announcer ] another way to love mccafé. ♪

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♪ [ male announcer ] there simply aren't enough hours in the day. yet somehow, they still find time to dream. [ timer beeping ] ♪ now it's our time to show our support. ♪ ♪ all right. we're back here we are back here in sochi with what is trending today, and we are going to take a look at the athlete's village here in sochi where the athletes hang out in between events. a lot of people are wondering how they spend their time there. well, apparently, they are spending their time on social media, thanks to a few athletes, they are telling us that they are using something called tin

tinder. >> this is a dating website, and so everyone that they see on tinder is another athlete, and that is not all. the athletes are finding a great way to spread the love on twitter, right, willie? >> yes, in is coming to us from jimmy fallon whose "tonight show" starts monday and he is doing something called olympic #line. and this is one he tweeted in, hey, girl, are you a skiing event? because i could travel cross country for you. >> oh. i like that one. >> and i want to enlist some of the buddies here to read some of these. these are the podium sweepers here. josh, look into the camera and deliver that line. >> and so j.w. kidd from minne says, i'm no curler, but i can sweep you off of your feet. >> and gus? >> well, this genius tweeted,

did you just fall from heaven, or did your hotel cave in? hotel problems. nick. >> and this one, do you know what my country's ski jacket is made of? boyfriend material. >> and what is that #again? we want to get you that nick. >> #i want to date nick. >> that is all you are getting. >> all right. that is so cute. >> all right. adorable. >> and speaking of the valentines, and happy valentine's day to you, and the "sports illustrated" latest swimsuit edition, and the magazine is celebrating a huge milestone, the 50th anniversary, and take a look at the cover. racy cover this year, and we are leaving something to the imagination, and we have first ti timers on the cover. >> that is right. is that the behinds we are not showing?

>> well, it is a heart bikini. >> well, the faux cover is at today.com today.com, and they got with behind on the work, but we will have interviews with the models monday on "today." >> and you are make it sound terrible, an interview situat n situation. >> yes, i did interview some of the models, natalie. thank you. >> and you know, meredith vieira is with us here in sochi doing some spots and co-hosting the ceremonies and the reason she is not with us is because she is about to go to bed. meredith is on the phone. with what is that about? >> well, matt, i woke up and i was feeling fine but now my eyes are killing me. i watched you attempt the luge and i think that i'm going blind and i'm worried because i have to host prime time tonight. i'm filling in tonight which is exciting. >> you will do it tonight and maybe tomorrow night.

bob costas' eyes have been kind of bothering him, as you know. >> yes, he has a message that he is feeling better and on the mend and he appreciates everybody's support, and he hopes he is going to be back soon, otherwise he will have to call kathie lee and hoda to fill in. >> well, you think of the olympic olympics and you think of the athletes and then bob costas. >> yeah, no. you will do a great job, and how long are you going to sleep before you have to head over there? >> well, i'm in the bar now, so i will probably pass out, and then carry me over. that is what i heard worked for you. so if it worked for you, it will work for me. >> you will be great, meredith. >> and meredith vieira hosting the prime time tonight at the olympics. that is what is trending today. . open a coke and enjoy the games. and now to "today's" olympic moment. a rising s >> andta now, to today's olympi

moment, a rising star in men's figure skating with undeniable charisma on the ice. >> with the artist iconic love symbol on the back, 19-year-old jason brown brought his personal style and exuberance to the men's short program thursday. >> jumping. >> so easy! >> and spinning -- >> the flying camel spin. >> and kicking and capping the performance with a huge smile. >> so smooth. >> so strong. >> so cool. >> reporter: and the first time olympian is a viral sensation, and racking up almost 4 million views on youtube. his river dance rendition last month brought the audience to their feet and earned h him a spot in sochi. while he has not mastered the quadruple jump, he is banking on the crowd-pleasing choreography

to give him a shot at the podium. with less than a point separating him within the thi third-place finisher, he is within striking distance in the free skate start. >> this is the way to introduce yourself to the olympics. >> he is a charmer. >> we wish him well. that is the olympic moment. now, we want to go back to the return of the luge, and the run we haven't shown you. we had one good one in the bag, and we decided to push our luck a little bit, and to be perfe perfectly honest, we shouldn't have. take a look. >> let's do it. one more. let's go. >> reporter: yeah, famous last words. >> i have always loved you. >> relax. >> oh! >> here we go. oh, oh, oh! whoa, whoa, whoa! oh, ow! whoa! oh, wow!

whoa! oh! oh, that was spectacular! could you have -- oh, no, going backwards! going backwards. oh, let's do it again. >> reporter: if that looked scary, imagine it from our view. >> i have always loved you. >> relax. >> whoa! >> here we go. >> reporter: the run fell off from the start like we were going down the track at a different angle than we should have been and pretty soon, we were out of control kid skidding all over and slamming against the walls. >> ow! >> and after coming to a stop, we stopped backwards blindly. team usa matt mortenson sprang to action quickly springing over the walls to come to our rescue.

>> oh, oh, oh! >> reporter: keeping us from the same dangerous run in reverse. >> that did not sound like it felt good. oops. sorry, guys! those big white lines right there, those are your guys lines. >> in is where we went kareens down and back up. >> they need to fix that. they are going need to fix that before the race. >> that is not good. >> reporter: needless to say, we are on the lookout for a less intense sport for the next time around. and we owe a big thank you to the luge team of preston gripple and -- good to see you. good to see you. here, hop over there. >> and how dangerous was that? that looked scary? >> well sh, there was a moment t i with was worried about the safety, yes. >> and the first run was pretty

good. >> yes. >> and preston, when you pushed us off of the second run, how quickly did you realize we were in bad shape? >> it was almost immediately. i saw that you hit the curb immediately and i was worried. i was hoping that you would make it out all right, but as soon as i heard the hitting, i knew that something was wrong. i am glad you got through okay. >> bumps and bruises for you guys tomorrow. >> and i would say that jen long, our producer, was so frightened that she thought that she had killed us. >> were you guys scared? >> well, you know, it was terrifying for a little while and i don't know how fast we were going, because it felt like 300 miles per hour, and it felt like it lasted a week. you were at the finish line, matt, and you said that you could hear it, and what did it sound like? >> well, yeah, so when you hit the walls, it sounded like a car crash. you hit so hard at a high velocity, and you hit so high up the curb, and i was really

worried that it was going to tip over which would have been painful, so i started to take off, because immediately i knew that once there is one hit, there is going to be more hits and you couldn't slow down. >> were you worried what you might find around the curb? >> i knew you were going to start going backwards and i wanted to get there quickly. >> and you literally dove over the wall and grabbed it to get us back on the track. >> yes, absolutely. i was worried. >> good reflexes. thank you. >> and we are going to turn in our spandex now forever. >> it is a little tattered. >> and we will try something more tamer. and you guys were so generous with your time and expertise, and we appreciate it. and what is the one thing that people should take away from th this? sliding is a dangerous sport, isn't it? >> it can be. it can be dangerous, but every sport comes with its own inherent risk. the guys out here are professionals and they know how the do it well. >> yes, and it is a lilt bit

more difficult than it looks. as you are watching the olympic, it is the most elite athletes in the world. there is quite a bit going on, on that sled going down, and you got to experience all of it. >> yes, we did. >> and just to remind people, how fast are you going if you hit the wall? >> mid- to high 80s. >> and we were going, what, the 30s? >> faster than we thought you were going to get going. >> hey, proud of you guys. a lot of courage to do that. and coming up, skating legend yevgeny plyushchenko retiring from the sport he loves. and more olympic news after this message.

this morning, you are one of the biggest stories at the a very good friday morning to you, 8:26, i'm laura garcia-cannon. san jose firefighters facing drug and sex crime charges this morning after being arrested at the fire station where he worked. mario allegedly sold methamphetamine and sexually abused kids. he has been a firefighter in san jose since 1994. it's unclear how many children were involved and how long the alleged crimes went on. time to check the commute. >> it looks like there was a fire, smokey. it is really mist and clouds. northbound past the coliseum we have slowing through the area. no incidents, but a lot of folks hitting the roadways right about

now. also for 5:80, we have fog that will register on our index. over here west of 80, across treasure island, we have a little slowing as well. the earlier stall has cleared from the lanes. smooth into san francisco on that side of the bay. looking at the orange over the mountains as well. 880 going to be a slower drive. it is friday, heading into fremo fremont, but the earlier issues cleared you have. >> another local news update in half an hour.

♪ >> oh! ♪ >> "the tonight show" starring jimmy fallon premieres monday on nbc. ♪ ♪ you have been shaking, baby, tell me what you are doing ♪ ♪ later on later on later on 8:30 this friday morning, february 14th, 2014, otherwise known as valentine's day. we are getting a lovely serenade from the swonn brothers, and we will get a serenade from them in a little while.

>> and coming up we will tell you how they celebrate valentine's day here in russia. >> thank you, guys. and now the music stops. and gold medalist lindsey vonn is keeping an eye on the skiing competition, and we will check in with her as well. >> and how about a check of the weather, mr. rocher. >> okay. today, with we are looking for the winter storm getting itself together out west from yak ma out to eureka and snow in the mountains, and it is going to be a real mess. look at what we are expecting here, upwards to all of the moisture streaming in off of the pacific and bringing in heavy wane to the pacific northwest and mountain snows to the cascades. some of the kas kid cascade s ag at up to a foot and half of snow, and rainfall of up to five inches of rain from eureka to central and western oregon. that is what is goi good morning, 8:31 the time right now.

looking at the dpolden gate bridge, clouds hapging out this morning. not only there, but across the rest of every single micro climate this morning. temperatures are cool, but not overly cold. later this afternoon it will be another nice day. temperatures in the mid to upper 60s. have a good friday. and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al. thank you. as you know it is valentine's day and that means that a lot of people here in sochi are focused on winning hearts and medals, and we sent kier simmons to go find those folks. >> well, happy valentine's day, and this is an occasion that is loved by those in love and not so much by those single. but it is an occasion that is shared by people around the world. >> reporter: from the mountains to the black sea, romance is in the air.

bitter rivals the other day will be holding hands in the park and a day to spend together, but there are couples who can't be together, an ocean apart. some in sochi, a nd the others are back in say is, new york city, waiting to say "happy valentine's day" from studio 1a, rockefeller plaza. guys? >> wait. >> do they look familiar? >> i can't see anything. >> it is your husband. surprise. >> you three are the worst. >> oh! ah. >> i didn't even recognize you guys. >> hi. >> oh. >> i don't know how we got here. >> and anybody want to do the introductions. >> okay. >> well, that is harry in the red tie, and he looks so cute. it makes me want to cry. >> in the middle is my husband

joe. >> okay. >> and then my fiancee mike. >> and i always end up on the "today" show with flowers in my hands, matt. >> and go ahead, henry. >> somehow i always end up with flowers in my hand on "today" show, so you got me twice. happy valentine's day, jenna. i wanted nila to be here, but she is checking out fashion week. get home safely. >> she is a diva. that is so cute. >> she is crying. we lost her. >> ah. >> all right. >> joe. >> pan the camera. >> joe? >> hi, honey. happy valentine's day, and we miss you and love you and we can't wait for you to get home. >> oh. i love you guys, too. miss you. oh. >> and last but not least -- >> the bachelor party, the

bachelor. >> i miss you very much, and i have taken the opportunity while you were away to rearrange the closet. i hope that is okay. the second drawer. and i have been watering the cactus everyday. >> oh, good job. miss you and love you. happy valentine's day. >> and mike, what was the cover story, mike? >> well, this morning, i'm liter literally on the way to the airport. >> he is going to a bachelor par party? >> yes. have fun, mike. >> it may be my favorite moment of the olympics so far, you three not recognizing your -- >> i am shocked. >> yes. >> and look behind you. >> oh. >> very nice! >> oh, that is so nice substituting for our husbands. >> i thought those were our wives. >> i know it is not mine. >> and that is not going over well at home. >> and savannah, these are for

you. >> thank you. >> and thank you very much, guys. thank you sh, fellows. >> thank you. as you were. >> and well done, guys. >> happy valentine's day. >> and by the way, can we -- >> from russia with love. >> and annette, happy valentine's day to you at home. >> and deborah, i love you and kiss the kids for me. >> and lucy i love you, and chris and mom and grandma and i don't want to leave anybody out. happy valentine's day to everybody. >> and happy valentine's day to everybody. and coming up, lindsey vonn on the skiing competition and the skiers to watch over the weekend. >> and the swonn brothers perform live, but first this on nbc. [ male announcer ] start engine. accelerate. shift. shift. ♪ and shift again. through all eight speeds of a transmission

connected to more standard horsepower than its german competitors. and that is the moment that driving the lexus gs will shift your perception. ♪ this is the pursuit of perfection. okay. let's i think i forgot to it's race dapay a bill. what's up ted? yep, paid that one. what about your mortgage? yep, paid that too. alright we're good then. man i feel like i'm forgetting something.

eh, it's probably nothing. you worry too much ted. alright, hammer down! bank from almost anywhere with the citi mobile app. citi, with you every step of the way. all right. we're back now on a friday morning from sochi, russia. skiing is a very big draw here.

the men's super combined wrapped up this morning. the super g is this weekend and there's a lot to look forward to. today olympic correspondent lindsey vonn, good morning, happy valentine's day. >> hey, matt. what's up. happy valentine's day to you, too. >> thank you very much. let's talk about some results we got a little while ago in the super combined. we have bode miller coming in sixth, ted ligety coming in 12th. what's your reaction to those results? >> to be honest, i expected more from our team. but the conditions were tough. it was warm weather. i think it was more difficult for the later starters. you know, ted's main event is definitely going to be, so he'll have a chance to win a gold medal. bode, i think he was the champion, he won the combined in vancouver. but, you know, he still has a lot more chances, as well. he can easily win in the comb e

combined as well. it's disappointing for sure, but they have a lot more chances. >> let's move over to the women. and next week we're going to get our first look at mykala. she's been compared to you for a long time. she was on the cover of sports illustrated saying is she the next lindsey vonn? how much pressure is she having to deal with right now? >> well, i mean, she's really young, had a lot of success early. i think she has one thing going for in that she's really young. a lot of times you don't really realize the pressure that you have. so i think she's going to do really well. she's obviously won many world cups already and won the world championships last year. so she has a very bright future. from vail, colorado, just like me. i think she's going to handle the pressure very well. >> as you mentioned, though, there's a lot more chances for

all of these skiers. much more competition coming up. lindsey, always good to see you. thanks very much for joining us again this morning. >> oh, hey, matt, i also have a really cool hat for you. it's pretty cool. and what you do is push it in on the back so it doesn't stick up, you know, like yours did. >> i'm learning. i promise you, i'm taking lessons and i'll have one for you monday, i promise you. >> okay. sounds good. get it done. >> have a good weekend. you got it, lindsey. coming up next, yevgeny plyushchenko joins us live to talk about his stunning decision to withdraw from this games and retire. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

well, welcome back to sochi. thursday was a tough one on the ice for yevgeny plyushchenko. he suddenly skated over to the

judges and announced he was withdrawing from the event. and a short time later, he retired from the sport. he is a legend. and he's with us now. yevgeny, good morning. >> hi, good morning, everyone. hello, america. >> what a whirlwind week for you. you started in the team competition, have this beautiful skate. and now by the end of the week, you're suffering from these injuries, withdrawing and retiring. what happened between then and now? >> yeah. well, first of all, i would like to say i did good job in my career. i skated many years, and here in sochi in team event, i won gold medal. so that's -- for me really important. so right now i have two gold medals and two silver medals. of course, i would like to skate more, but i can't right now. i am injured little bit. and i try and do it all, event. and before the competition, we have six minutes warm-up.

i did step out and i feel some problem with my back, something click. because, you know, i have a plastic disk in my back. >> so right up until that moment, you were planning to skate. >> yeah, if i feel i'm able to skate, of course i would like to skate. short program and long program. because in the event -- in the team event, i skate, i did two quadruples, i skate very good, you know. also, i -- who is great skater. and for me it was really important. >> here you are on your home ice in russia, to have to go in and withdraw and retire, it must have broken your heart. >> well, it's hard. but you know, it's life. it's life.

and of course i would like to skate in front of my audience, in front of my fans. i have this army of my fans. but it happened, you know. it happened. i tried my best. tried to skate and i tried to change a little bit of figure skating. i'm 31 years old. and if you remember, before this figure skating, the men skater, they stopped skating and they skate in exhibition. so i would like to change figure skating. and, of course, i would like to say a lot of thanks to michelle kwan. she supported me all the time. and i told her thank you very much and evan lysacek for supporting me. >> a great competitor. it's an honor to have you here. congratulations on all you've accomplished and done for the

sport. >> thank you very much. and coming up next, we are going to have a live performance on our sochi plaza from the swan brothers. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

all right. welcome back to sochi, everyone. we decided to bring a little music from back home right here to russia. >> yeah, the swan brothers were finalists in season four "the

voice." now out with the debut single "later on." take it away. >> thank you. ♪ ♪ ♪ hey baby won't you tell me what you got going on a little later on tonight ♪ ♪ how about you and me get together have a couple drinks don't you think that sounds all right ♪ ♪ a good time ♪ we can't get no closer ain't no room in the middle

girl what you doing a little later ♪ ♪ let's go start a fire how about you and i get this thing shaking baby telling what you're doing later on later on ♪ ♪ later on later on later on later on ♪ ♪ hair shining like a movie star and you know you look so good i can't stop staring ♪ ♪ i can tell that you're feeling it too what you wanna do with that smile you're wearing ♪ ♪ what you say we get lost let's go spend a couple hours getting to know each other ♪ ♪ out there in the moonlight when we get alone ♪

♪ we can't get no closer ain't no room in the middle girl what you doing a little later ♪ ♪ let's go start a fire how bout you and i get this thing moving shaking grooving baby tell you what you're doing later on ♪ ♪ later on later on ♪ ♪ oh yeah come on ♪ ♪ you start sliding over we can't get no closer ain't no room in the middle ♪ ♪ girl what you doing a little

later ♪ ♪ let's go start a fire how bout you and i get this thing moving shaking grooving ♪ ♪ baby tell me what you're doing later on later on ♪ ♪ later on later on ♪ ♪ that feeling getting strong drink it up and feel it ♪ ♪ this is what we're waiting on later on later on ♪ ♪ yeah >> yeah. >> thank you swan brothers. a reminder, we've got all the olympic action tonight on nbc prime time. meredith vieira filling in for

bob costas this morning. >> let's take a look back at some of the experiences we've had in our first week here in sochi. ♪ we're up all night to the sun up all night to get some ♪ >> and good morning, everyone, welcome to "today" at the olympic games. ♪ she's up all night for the fun i'm up all night to get lucky ♪ >> go usa! >> thank you so much. >> america's sage kotsenburg becomes the first to strike gold at sochi. america, team usa! first time in luge history! >> shaun is not stopping, though. >> my goodness. >> farrington is nonstop right

now. >> mancuso to the line and gets the bronze. just the third time in u.s. winter olympic history, americans have swept the podium! >> this could be it for jamie anderson, we may see a gold medal. >> this is gargantuan. >> thank you very much. >> we're going to be in the history books. >> i was stoked to be on the first ever slopestyle competition. >> no american man or woman has ever gotten a medal in luge singles until you. >> yes. pretty surreal. i was like, holy cow, this is going to happen. >> is there a chance you could come back? >> i think so. need everybody now more than ever. yeah. >> i think it's fair to say you don't have a poker face. >> no. ♪ >> i don't know if you've come up with a secret handshake yet. >> we may have to think of one.

♪ >> oh, yeah, natalie. >> can you hear what's happening? we're live at the bellagio in vegas right now. >> yeah! >> matt was a little chatty on the ride home. >> you know what that means? >> we've kind of done about everything in the lead-up to these games. we're missing some kind of a swagger. some kind of bold statement. >> norwegian curlers. >> our outfits couldn't get any worse. >> people's eyes will bleed. >> by the way, that will not be our camera guy's first beer today. >> coming out of the bullpen again tonight, matt. >> i had to go in early, not to practice my lines, but to lysol your whole dressing room. >> one, two, three four. >> matt and i learned to relax like olympians, russian

bathhouse style. >> feels like there's more than two things going on right now. that tingles. >> oh! nobody told me about that. >> let's take a turn to our return to the luge. >> we vowed we'd never do this again. >> that was then. this is now. ♪ . good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. the beverage industry up for a fight after a lawmaker proposed changes to sugary drinks like so day. that introduced legislation that a label should be added to the products that say it could cause

obesity and today decay. we're waking up to lots of low clouds once again. this is a sign of the showers that will arrive through the evening hours tomorrow. we'll see lots of cloud cover, a few peeks of sunshine tomorrow. that will warm our east bay and south bay valleys. have yourself a good valentine's day.

from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today's take." with al roker, natalie morales, and willie geist. live from the olympic winter games in sochi, russia. >> and wcome to "today" on a friday morning. it is february 14th, 2014, valentine's day, i'm willie geist along with al roker and natalie morales. we are in olympic park once again here in sochi, russia, and you are radiant. >> that's right. i'm actually going to help give you a little fill light. >> shadow. >> that is a hot jacket you got on the air. >> very nice. >> that thing is working. that is working hard for you.

>> deflecting heat here. but not feeling a lot of heat back home. >> no, unfortunately. >> a lot of weather issues. >> 49 of 50 states has snow on the ground at this point. and this latest storm really caused major problems. i mean, new york city picking up officially 12 1/2 inches of snow. some places to the south, picking up 18 inches of snow. it was a real monster. and, in fact, this 2 1/2-month period that we've had there have been 75,000 flight cancellations. the most in 25 years. >> and 21 deaths caused within the last few days. nearly 424,000 without power across 12 states. as al said, flight cancellations up over 1,000. 1,164. >> just for today. >> yeah. just for today. a photo of a man skiing outside the united states capitol building in washington, d.c. just to give you an idea of how deep that powder was in the nation's capital. and we've got a shot of this man struggling a little bit in the snowstorm in new york city.

>> why bother with the umbrella? >> at that point. what are you doing? >> give it up. umbrella's not going to help. >> speaking of new york city, al roker. >> making a lot of waves, mr. roker, in the mayor's office. >> bill de blasio and the chancellor there made the decision not to close the schools yesterday. but then sent the students home early during the day. al kind of was tweeting his thoughts on that over the course of the day. >> look, i think that a number of people were concerned for the safety of kids. >> yeah. >> and -- look, my main concern is for the safety. some people, the mayor has raised the fact that -- and school's chancellor had a lot of kids depend on the meals they get at school. >> right. >> we talked about that yesterday. a great point. >> which is true. but there are families that struggle with that in other cities around the northeast. and those school systems close down. and even the fact that there are

parents who, you know, it's tough for them to take a day off to take care of their kids from school. i understand, i get that. but what is more difficult? to know your kids are off from school and try to make plans? or get your kids to school, get to work and find out you've got to somehow get them back because they've been let out early? so that was my main point. >> points you made on twitter. >> another thing to think about for people who don't live in new york city is we don't go into the garage and drive the kids to school. you're taking kids outside, dragging them through the streets. it's a complicated process in many cases. >> the other four boroughs that may not have subways or access to the subways. >> wherever you live, it's a dangerous situation going in weather like that. and the national weather service warned and you had given plenty of warning about how fast it was going to come. >> here's a sample. one of al's tweets to the mayor, snow policy ridiculous, tell people to stay off the roads, stay home, but then send your kids, teachers and staff in?

well, al was tweeting, reporters in the mayor's press conference were reading twitter and actually asked in realtime questions of the mayor about al roker. >> i respect al roker a lot. watched him on tv for many, many years. it's a different thing to run a city than to give the weather on tv. so i am comfortable with our decisionmaking. and we just got off the phone with the national weather service. and, again, i respect all the meteorologists out there. but the one i respect the most is called the national weather service. >> you knew going down a bad road when he starts, i respect al roker. >> oh, yeah. >> but -- >> and i tweeted back, mr. mayor, i would never -- i could never run new york city, but i know when it's time to keep kids home from school. and i don't regret -- there's one i said my forecast is one term for mayor de blasio. i regret that. i was very passionate -- i'm

very passionate about the weather, i got carried away. i apologized for that one. >> heated debate. >> but the fact of the matter is, i tweeted this out, a picture of the national weather service forecast, wednesday at 4:15 when the city was under a winter storm warning, and the total forecast was for 4 to 12 inches of snow by saturday -- by thursday afternoon. which is exactly what we got. >> and there was a little bit of a contradiction. because in the governor's office were telling people not to go to work, stay in their homes and then the policy was different from the mayor of new york city. >> look. like i said, i get it. the school's chancellor, again, said, oh, well if macy's is open, the schools can be open. well, macy's is also open on thanksgiving, evenings and holidays. i don't know we want to follow macy's schedule for our schools. >> plus, you're talking children. >> yeah. maybe in a parallel universe, it was a beautiful day. >> probably don't have windows. >> no, got to get windows for

the board of education. but, again, i apologize for that one tweet. >> and a lot of people online having fun with this. i was sitting with you, and you were not delighting in this. >> no. >> you were defending the national weather service and took exception to that point. >> but we move on. >> we move on. >> that's it. we're done. >> in one area, though, valentine's day was almost canceled. well, sort of was canceled. >> that's right. >> because of the weather issues. >> can we do that? >> well, postponed because of what they were doing in a county in georgia. the sheriff's office decided to cancel valentine's day. they said the office actually posted a message on facebook and said declare the swath of north georgia a no valentine's day zone. and the message was this. men who live in a designated no valentine's day zone are exempt from having to run out and buy lottery scratchers and hershey bars due to ice, snow, freezing rain. guys were off the hook in that one county in georgia. >> wow. >> wow.

>> i'm sure there were a lot of guys who had actually put thought into it and gotten a valentine's day present earlier. >> hopefully it wasn't a scratch-off. >> which scratch-off did you get debra? >> the three stooges one. all right. let's get to the olympics. u.s. skiers bode miller, ted ligety, had high hopes for them. >> did not happen. >> did not place in the men's super combined event combines. we thought there'd be a medal out of at least one of those guys. >> issues factoring there. they did move up the start time for the downhill portion and apparently the guys said that may have affected their runs. because the guys who started earlier had faster times and the guys who were later in the later pack. >> and what about plyushchenko? >> yeah. >> pulling out of competition and retiring, giving medical reasons, saying he actually fell during the warm-up. >> yeah. he's had a bad back for a long

time and couldn't go. you were over there. >> when he pulled out, there were almost audible gasps throughout the stands. people were really sad to see him leave in such a way. >> and what about -- >> and then jeremy abbott, you saw him fall during the team skate. and he had a horrible fall last night. and i've got to tell you, everybody, i think, cheered him on, cheered him back up and got him up and moving again, finished his performance. almost a standing ovation in the stands there. because people really felt for him. but jason brown is apparently looking good. he could possibly be in medal contention here tonight. >> yeah. he's in sixth place, hanging around, could sneak in and get a medal. to give you an idea how big of a deal plyushchenko is. when he went down, withdrew, i was watching on tv, about half the arena cleared out. >> cleared out. >> right. one more clip we want to show you.

the utah a capella group in the valentine's day spirit performing sneak attack performances at byu on the campus there with the help of of a filmmaker. ♪ ♪ is for the only one i see ♪ "v" is very, very extraordinary ♪ ♪ "e" is even more than anyone that you adore ♪ ♪ and love is all that i can give to you ♪ ♪ love is more than just a game for two ♪ ♪ two in love can make it take my heart and please don't break it ♪ ♪ love was made for me and you ♪ >> thank you so much. you guys scared me. >> nicely done. >> i think they're popular guys on campus. that's my guess. getting lots of dates.

>> first it's horror, and then -- >> as leila would say, what creepers. >> you're being serenaded. >> all right, mr. roker, we've got another storm on the way. >> unfortunately,'s show you what we've got. we are talking about the snow that fell. up to 21 inches in some spots, falling as you go up the coast. you can see how much snow we w saw. and it's, unfortunately, going to get added to as we move along. the good news is this one storm is off and away. that's good news. just about out. but the next storm comes, wintery conditions from iowa to ohio valley, heavy thunderstorms down to the south. but then it transfers the energy to the north. this nor'easter which will bring rain to the mid-atlantic, snow into the northeast, early saturday into saturday night. and you can look at that low pressure strengthening, winds gusting 50 miles per hour. the snow is going to be heaviest in new england. 2 to 4 inches generally through the ohio valley. but as you make your way into the northeast, some areas

picking up up to 21 inches of snow in northern maine. that good morning. 9:11 is the time right now. lots of cloud cover across the bay. that goes for the coast, the peninsula, and the south bays. temperatures are cool, and what we will find later this afternoon is that we'll clear out and that will be enough to push our temperatures closer to 70 degrees. that will be the case everywhere across the bay area today with the exception of san francisco and the north bay. temperatures will be cooler, closer to 60 degrees there. and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al. thanks a lot. coming up next, they shredded their way to an american sweep. the slopeskiers who walked away with the gold, silver and bronze. >> all right. >> looking good, boys. wow. wow. wow. [ girl ] what if i race so fast, the world stopped for a minute?

[ girl #2 ] what if i had a sled and all my friends got in it? [ boy ] what if i took a shot and scored the winning goal? [ boy #2 ] what if i cut through the winter air and didn't feel the cold? [ boy #3 ] what if i could fly and soared like i had wings? [ girl #3 ] what if i stood up on the winner's stand and heard my country sing? [ female announcer ] nourish every dream with the fresh roasted peanut taste of jif, proud sponsor of team usa and dreamers everywhere. ♪ with the fresh roasted peanut taste of jif, [ girl ] roses are red. violets are blue. splenda® is sweet. and so are you. [ female announcer ] just about anywhere you use sugar, you can use splenda® no calorie sweetener. ♪ splenda® lets you experience the joy of sugar without all the calories. it's a very good reason to enjoy something sweet with the ones you love. think sugar, say splenda™

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welcome back to olympic park in sochi. up in the mountains yesterday, team usa pulled off a rare trick sweeping gold, silver and bronze in a single event for only the third time in american winter olympic history. >> the americans dominated the men's slopestyle skiing event thursday making its debut here in sochi. and it was all red, white and blue on the podium. >> what an amazing shot that is. and our newly minted olympians stuck around with us all morning

long. 22-year-old joss christiansen of utah bringing home the gold, gus kenworthy of colorado takes home silver and 19-year-old nick goepper of indiana comes away with the bronze. congratulations, guys. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> first of all, this was the debut of the sport here at the olympics and you guys do it in style and wearing these medals around your neck. what are you feeling? what emotions over the last 48, 24, 48 hours? >> happy. >> happiness? >> it's been pretty hectic, but it's been great. i don't think any of us have stopped smiling since the end of the contest. even yesterday it was an amazing day. the weather was so good for us. we couldn't have asked for anything better than that. we're able to put on a good show. hope everyone enjoyed it. >> talk about what it means to do it with the group. it's cool enough that one of your buddies wins a medal at the olympics, but here you are sitting next to two of your friends. all three of you wearing medals. >> yeah. this has been an incredible -- an incredible opportunity for all of us to come out and

showcase our sport. and our sport and individual sports, get to do it as a team that's unique for us walking around the village wearing team usa stuff. i think we're all really proud of. and then to compete the sport in the way we did and sweep the podium for the u.s. and look to your side and see two of my best friends. and it's been really incredible. it's really emotional and it's been awesome. >> nick, you really embraced this sport. you grew up in what a lot of people consider a skiing mecca. this is no surprise for you. >> yeah. exactly. the skiing center of the world is southeastern indiana where i -- >> exactly. >> i like to call home. it's crazy. >> no, in fact, you grew up building your own rails, i read, in your backyard and putting soap on it so you could get out there in the back? >> i skied for three months out of the year in indiana, trying to keep myself busy the other nine months, skied on astro turf and pvc pipe. >> it's a good message for kids,

find a way. >> if you want something bad enough and having fun doing it, you can accomplish it. get creative and find a way. >> joss, coming into this, i don't think a lot of people were using your name to talk about medals, but especially for the gold medal, you were sort of one of the last guys to make the team, they were calling you an underdog. did you view yourself as an underdog? >> a little bit. i mean, i've been able to keep up with the guys, but it's been hard for me to get on top. >> what was different? >> i didn't really see this happening, but was able to just have the day of my life yesterday. and squeezed in last spot on the team and sparked the fire under me. and showed -- just wanted to prove myself. >> and you lost your dad recently, 67. what were you thinking while you were doing that? were you thinking about him? >> i was definitely think about him the night before and the morning of, but while skiing, i just try and focus on what i want to do and just try and have

fun. make the family proud. >> we've got to ask you, gus, about this puppy thing. because you sent out -- you posted on instagram. and every woman in our office went nuts. and i think they were ready to propose to you, in fact. tell me about what you're doing with some of the stray dogs around here. >> yeah. kind of came across a family of strays while i was here. and i've been a dog lover my whole life. and my dog passed away a year and a half ago, our family dog, and just kind of showed up here and there's this adorable family of strays and no one's doing anything for them, looking after them. and here at the moment, there's a lot of dogs being exterminated. they're trying to keep them out of the public eye, don't want everyone to know, but there are these stray dogs here, not really shelters set up. so i felt like it was kind of my duty to do what i could. so, i don't know. >> you're trying to take them home and trying to get them vaccinated and taken care of. >> yeah, going through the

process. this whole medal and everything's been incredible, but it's been sort of like a setback for that because i haven't seen them in a few days. hopefully when we get back to the village tomorrow, finish making the arrangements and since i've posted that, it's been insane how much outreach i've gotten from people and people want to help. i think that is a lot of people trying to help me accomplish getting them back to the states. and i think it'll happen for sure. >> we hope you go home with more than a medal. and congratulations to all of you guys. you make us all proud. a shining moment for the u.s. coming up next, we'll get you caught up on the news you need to start your weekend. then, the hollywood celebrity going for gold. brian williams goes one-on-one with oscar winner sandra bullock up for an academy award for "gravity." ♪ [ male announcer ] the forecast says it's too cold. ♪ the mountain says it's too steep. ♪

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cancellations in more than 25 years, u.s. airlines has canceled more than 75,000 domestic flights since december 1st, including 14,000 just this week alone. but mother nature isn't entirely to blame. cost-cutting measures as well as new government regulations made airlines more likely to scrap flights. a warning for commuters and students in california's bay area, health officials say you may have been exposed to measles. word comes after a university of california berkeley student with measles attended class and used bay area rapid transit from february 4th through the 7th. a new study says children who live near fast food restaurants are more likely to be obese. researchers study more than 1 million kids and how closely they live to pizza and burger joints and said the effect was strongest in older children who had more control over their food choices. the number of foreclosed homes in january dropped to the lowest level in more than six years. the listing firm realty track says banks took back about

30,000 homes last month, that's a 4% dip from december and a 40% drop from the same time last year. well, we have all heard about the water skiing squirrel, but a pig? turning heads off the hawaiian coast there. turns out, these two go everywhere together, even sleep in the same bed. getting so popular in the island that costco gave him a surf board and a bike shop gave them a go pro camera. i hope that pig likes the water. coming up on this v valentine's day, a couple gets a dream wedding. we'll have the story after your local news. tonight in prime time, alpine skiing continues with the men's super combined, 2006 olympic gold medalist ted ligety and bode miller chase a third straight united states gold medal in this event while norway

headlines a strong international field. for more top moments go to nbcolympics.com/nbcmoments. [ laughter ] you ready for some bread? yep. ♪ i want two. okay, two for you. ♪ ♪

♪ ew! ew! [ female announcer ] come together this valentine's day a very good morning to you. i'm laura garcia-cannon. firefighter facing drug and sex crime charges this morning after getting arrested at the station where he worked. he allegedly sold methamphetamine and sexually abused kids he met on the internet. it's unclear how many children were involved and how longle alleged kids went on. this morning, a health warning after a us berkeley student went to class with measels.

they are highly contagious, you don't even need to touch someone to get it and it can linger in the air for hours after they left the room. high fever, runny nose, coughing, red eyes are classic symptoms.

welcome back 9:28 right now. imi impressive totals this morning. oak lamb and san jose got just enough to get the ground wet. low clouds and drizzle and that will be the case for san francisco and the north bay through most of the day. we will imagine to get sunshine in here as we head towards the east bay and the south bay. pretty nice day coming our way here, otherwise we'll be closer to 60. let's check that drive, here's mike. >> we have a slow drive and an impressive amount of traffic.

we don't often see this amount of slowing. the map shows it starting back toward 66 and it starts to ease. no crashes or construct work, but it's slowing down through that area. down into the south bay, we have a smooth traffic. i circled 680 just over the 101 and we see the cars moving slower and you can't really make it out. >> another local news update coming up in half an hour. happy valentines day.

♪ welcome back to "today" on this friday morning. it's february 14th, 2014. it is valentine's day. this is your first reminder. let's get moving. we're here in olympic park, sun setting once again in sochi. we thought on the occasion of valentine's day, we'd run through spodify's list of most streamed love songs on valentine's day. >> number three, "just the way you are" by bruno mars. >> number two -- >> "make you feel my love" by adele. so beautiful. >> and your number one love song is --

>> classic. ♪ and i -- will always love you ♪ >> whitney houston. >> that's number one forever. >> the best of all time. and nobody can hit that note. no one. >> amazing. all right. how about another check of the weather, al? >> that didn't make it. not even close. nowhere on spodify. >> all right. let's show you what's going on on your weather. who's warmer? sochi, it's 63 degrees, or in another olympic city, salt lake city? let's see. salt lake city, it's 55. all right. how about our next olympic city lake placid? 26 degrees. >> oh, my. >> and our final olympic city, atlanta, 54 degrees. so sochi wins.

gold, silver and bronze. >> podium sweep. and that's your latest weather. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. > >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right. >> natalie -- it's a nice story but it's kind of sad. >> that's the one coming up. but in just a couple of weeks, the race for gold will not be here in sochi, but in hollywood, of course, talking about leading the pack here in the oscar nominations. this year is the space thriller

"gravity." >> up for ten awards including a best actress nod for sandra bullock who sat down recently with brian williams to share her experience and show him never-before-seen footage. >> reporter: it was all so realistic, all those scenes on the international space station that when we got to interview the actual astronauts of the iss, we couldn't wait to ask about the movie. >> what's it like working with sandra bullock? >> we have yet to see sandra bullock up here, but we continue to look for her. >> we found her in an appropriate setting, beneath one of the actual former space shuttles now inside the carrier "intrepid" museum in new york harbor where the oscar winner, now 49 and a veteran of 40 films said for her, the film "gravity" had its own gravitational pull into something altogether different. >> that experience for me was one of the most profound and exciting experiences i've ever had as an actor, as a woman. the age i was. i said, look at what i get to

do. >> reporter: sandra bullock plays dr. ryan stone, a biomedical engineer on her first mission designed to repair the hubbell space telescope. george clooney plays the classic astronaut who scoffs at danger. >> you never realize how devastatingly good looking i am. >> it took four years to shoot and complete. they invented new technology to use along the way, the footage seen here for the first time. >> they made a carbon fiber plate out of my torso and attached the wire rigging to it so you couldn't see it, but it held your entire body and then the puppeteer was flying you. >> it's a more accurate depiction of space, a place with no gravity, no air and no sound. >> what an incredible, almost criminal use of silence. it's really used as a weapon. >> it is a weapon. because it forces you to be all alone with what exists in your

head. >> then, there was the urgent issue of what to do about clooney. filming with her friend of 20 plus years meant declaring a truce with the best known practical joke artist in all of hollywood. >> i was very vulnerable. and i asked him and if he would please not harm me or my family in any way. and he concurred this was probably not the best film to pull out all the stops. and i appreciate that. >> this movie marks a return to the top for the woman who last clutched an oscar in 2010 following "the blind side" and all that has come in between. >> how much does the movie gravity get credit for the fact that you're back at great now? >> the movie gets all the credit for being in a really wonderful work space. career wise, i owe everything to that gift. life-wise, because i have the most beautiful son. >> she is so cool.

isn't she? >> i love her. and what she did in that film is extraordinary. >> it takes filmmaking to a different angle. >> it does and acting, as well. her ability to act alone like that, it's amazing. coming up next here, a couple who lived a nightmare at the boston marathon now looking ahead to a dream wedding. we'll tell you their story right after this. trying to stay fit but miss real pleasure? the pleasure you crave just got real. light & fit greek nonfat yogurt. irresistible flavors, like strawberry cheesecake, with a thick creamy texture. never have 80 calories tasted so satisfying. light & fit greek. taste satisfaction without sacrifice. ♪ dannon [ ding! ] losing your chex mix too easily? time to deploy the boring-potato chip decoy bag.

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welcome back. another beautiful sunset here in sochi. we want to share with you the story of one couple who has an awful lot to celebrate this valentine's day. >> the website has thrown pete and rebecca a dream wedding and they deserve it. >> the two had been together only seven months when they decided to cheer on pete's mom at the boston marathon last year. >> i'm really excited to be upright. i've become a pro at this. >> rebecca gregory and her son noah have a lot to be grateful for this year. >> every day is a blessing. you don't realize truly until something like this happens. and it's sad you don't. but you're more aware that your days are so numbered. >> all three survived the boston marathon bombing. >> my son noah and i were there with pete and his family. >> i don't think i've ever been

to one of my mom's races before the marathon. she'd been running for as long as i can remember. >> it was freezing cold and i was just trying to keep up with noah because he's 6 years old. >> we stopped at the 17-mile marker to watch her pass us there. and after that, got on the subway and went downtown. and we're maneuvering through the crowd to get to the finish line. somewhere between 10 and 15 feet away from the first bomb when it went on. we were instantly on the ground. >> rebecca's first instinct was to find her son noah. >> at that point, i thought i was going to die, and i could hear him out of everything, mommy, mommy, mommy. and i was looking around and i could not tell where it was coming from because our eardrums, you know, were blown out, as well. and at that point, i felt so helpless. to be a mom and not be able to take care of your own son and get him to safety is the scariest thing in the world.

and i laid down and i said a prayer. i said, lord, if this is my time, take me, but let me know that noah is okay. and right around that time, pete's aunt came over, which was luckily not injured, picked noah up and placed him beside me. and so it was my way of knowing he was being taken care of. >> noah was taken care of while rebecca spent 56 days in the hospital undergoing 16 surgeries so far to her legs, feet and hands. pete was at a hospital in new york healing his own injuries, all the while staying in touch with phone calls and facetime. >> september, i had an eardrum reconstructive surgery on my left ear. i wasn't allowed to fly. rebecca and i were talking one night, and she said, you know, i really just need you here. that night after i got off the phone, i packed up all my stuff in my car. >> pete drove from rochester to houston where he surprised rebecca with a visit and proposal. >> i was so nervous. i just pulled the ring out and

got down on one knee. >> wedding website the knot heard about their engagement. >> they've gone through so much over the last year, they are the perfect couple for the knot dream wedding. >> we don't feel like we're any more deserving than anyone else. we felt so humbled by it and exciting to not have to plan because i'm extremely indecisive anyway. >> there are like seven big elements that everyone is going to get to vote on. and that includes biggies like her wedding dress and the wedding cake. >> but rebecca doesn't mind. >> the most important thing to me is the person i get to wheel, hop, roll, i don't know down the aisle to. i'm just really excited about it. >> and occasion, family, friends and viewers at home can all be excited about. >> well, she does still have a long road in her recovery ahead. meanwhile, if you want to help plan their wedding, go to our website today.com. and you can weigh in there. by the way, they're not only

planning a wedding, also training for the boston marathon. pete is going to be running. rebecca says she wants to be part of it even in a wheelchair. >> good looking couple. >> cheering for them. >> boston strong, baby. well, coming up next, the stories behind some of the most memorable images of the week right after these messages. [ male announcer ] this is jim. a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto. like warfarin, xarelto is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem that doesn't require routine blood monitoring.

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♪ choc choc ♪ choc [ female announcer ] new chocolate toast crunch. with fewer layers of skin than your face, lips need extra attention. introducing new chapstick hydration lock. it has a unique formula that locks in moisture a full eight hours. chapstick. put your lips first. ♪ as the first full week of olympic winter games in sochi come to a close, we want to take a look at the greatest moments. >> and it's often the still photographs that capture the thrill of victory. >> good to see you. >> great to be here.

thanks. >> wednesday, germany's eric frenzel winning in the nordic combined. and he couldn't seem to contain his excitement up there on the medal stand. >> well, he's had one heck of a year and sort of dominated the sport this year. and he was quite excited. nailed it. >> you strike a pose, that's the pose right there, right? >> yes. and he jumped and skied to a big victory. >> i like the reaction to the other two. what is going on up there? you win the gold, you do whatever you want. we've been talking an awful lot about the weather here in sochi. yesterday, we saw a lot of people training and competing in short sleeves. one of the american cross-country skiers personified that. look at that. >> yes. she was in the tank top. that was in the 10 kilometer race. and she finished 32nd. but it was balmy up there, around 60, the snow was compared

to fur, skiing on fur. >> not the best conditions. all right. a lot of incredible images, as well from the ice skating. and let's take a look at the russian skating pair. tatiana and maxim. i love this one. the expression on their faces. they knew at that point they'd won the gold, right? >> yeah, they did. what you don't see is a little bit before that he slid across the ice on his knees like a hockey player, slid across the ring. >> that's passion right there. >> yeah. >> we got it moment. >> very cool. great shots. johnny, thanks so much. appreciate it. coming up next, skier emily cook gives it all she's got for team usa and her childhood friend with her at every turn. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪

another gorgeous shot here from olympic park. gorgeous. well, for any athlete, just getting to the olympics is an amazing feat. to compete for your country three times is rare and special. >> yes, it is. natalie met one athlete here at the top of her sport for more than eight years, but is competing in sochi for much more than a medal. >> emily cook is no stranger to the olympic games, competed in torino and vancouver. and tonight she'll be jumping for gold in what may be her final olympic event. >> with this jump -- >> going to make that olympic team today as she hits her landing. >> emily cook solidified her spot as an aerialist for team usa. >> crowd going nuts here. >> tonight this high-flying daredevil is set to jump at her third olympic games. >> how do you think you are different as an athlete now versus your first olympics? >> i've had a lot of things come

at me in the past. injuries, weather, all these things that you potentially can run into at an olympic games. and i really think having the experience of having dealt with that is something that's going to help. >> for more than 20 years, emily has been soaring towards this moment. but the road to sochi hasn't been easy. emily faces these games without her friend and teammate jared speedy peterson. the 2010 silver olympic medalist who lost his battle with depression and took his life in 2011. >> so many of my memories from the last 20 years have been with him. >> friends since childhood, their bond was forever strengthened when speedy took emily's spot at the 2002 salt lake games. emily sidelined after an injury during training that left her with two broken feet. >> this will be your first olympics, really, not competing with him there on the team. how painful will that be for you? >> it'll be hard. i jump with his belt. the one that he actually jumped

with. his mom gave that to me. and i always have his picture with me. he'll be with me. >> also with her, her dad, don cook who photographs emily's life in the sky. after disappointing performances in both torino and vancouver, emily debated another olympics. >> when i left vancouver, i did think that was going to be my last olympics. part of me thought there's so much more to life. but the other part of me knew that i hadn't finished what i had started, you know. i know that i'm better than 11th place at the olympic games. >> today, emily's not letting the past affect her future. since arriving in russia, emily's been sharing her time with her followers, letting the excitement sink in. >> i know i'll be able to walk away regardless of what happens feeling satisfied. >> a true olympian ready for whatever comes her way. >> all right. >> and so emily cook tonight. come on, we're all rooting for you.

coming up this weekend on "today," we're on duty here. you and i joining lester holt. we'll have your highlights. plus, the moms of team usa ice dancers meryl davis and charlie white. >> and lester's raising a glass to russia, taking a tasting tour of the favorite drink around here, vodka. we hope to see lester tomorrow. but there's really no guarantee. and we're, of course, going to have the latest on all the weather that's hitting, one more storm is coming. but the good news is, there is a warming trend coming for a good portion of the country. >> and only 36 more days of winter. >> coming up next as you can see there kathie lee and

zlnks good morning, everyone. prosecutors could file former charges today against a teacher that served food with pot at a

pot luck. she is a first grade teacher at matthew turner elementary school. they attended a dinner party last november. after the party, several guests reported feeling sick or possibly high. two teachers were taken to the hospital. a 15-year-old also got sick after eating leftovers from the party. the visibility is clearing out very nicely. we'll check that drive with mike in just a moment. you will find clouds and fog, but sunshine will be limited in most places. temperatures near 70, cooler for san francisco near 60 there. here is mike inouye. >> as you said there is low clouds in the bay. fog not so much of an issue right now, but we're still watching fremont with low clouds

around the deck. friday not so much. we're looking to the south bay where the northbound 101 here moved in very nicely and we had slowing to north 280 coming off of 680 that had a crash there. the final look at oakland. that's the last part where it is coming down below the 50 miles per hour mark. the bay bridge toll plaza is okay, back to you. >> don't forget we have news at 11:00 and olympic coverage at 3:00 this afternoon and prime time at 8:00. local news in another half an hour.

from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. okay, everybody. hello, it is try day friday. it is actually a dry day. >> yes. >> february 14th. happy valentine's day to everybody. hope you have somebody to love today. >> exactly. >> somebody to love you. >> exactly. and if you don't, because there are a lot of people who either lost someone or single, you can find someone who needs you, you know who needs you, who needs some love. go find them. we have not had a crowd like this because there is always been so much snow and now --

>> 40 today. >> a great crowd. just so you know if you're in the country and had snow in your backyard, 49 of the 50 states now have snow somewhere on the ground. >> only one is hawaii? >> florida. >> hawaii got snow? wow. >> florida is the only place. >> they had an awesome winter there. that's where we should have been all winter long. >> well, a lot of people lost power. so -- but here's what was fun. i walked my dog at 4:00 a.m. that's what i do. and, you know what, somebody likes the snow. his name is blake. >> one of the two of you. >> my dog. look. okay, watch. wait. >> watch him go on a hydrant. >> no, watch. he is like -- go, go, go. >> he's part rabbit. >> by the way, loves, could stay out in it, has so much fun in it. look. watch it again and again. oh, is that a different one? i have three videos. >> hoda, you are in love.

you are in love. >> it is valentine's day. for some it is a happy day. for some it can put you in a funk. >> i think there are expectations that can be kind of cruel. if you don't have a significant love in your life, it is a lonely day, it just reminds you of what you already know, that you're lonely and would like to find someone, right? >> kind of. >> yeah. >> everybody -- when i didn't have somebody on valentine's day, which was a lot, you know, you see other couples. >> and people getting flowers. >> go to a club, and there will be other people there that are looking for love too. don't you think? this is one day it might work out. >> i think people think it is a very romantic night. we have good news for you if you are sitting here thinking, wait, it is not so romantic for me. priceline.com did a survey and they found 64% of americans are more likely to watch tv tonight than to get intimate.

so there you have it. don't feel bad. nobody is getting any. i mean is doing -- not many people. >> i keep trying to remind hoda woman that love doesn't necessarily equal sex and vice versa. there are two different things. i picked up this bracelet this morning without knowing what was on it. just gold. it is first corinthians 13. so if you want to know the real definition of love, go to first corinthians 13. google that. see what the definition of love really is and you'll realize that it's different than you think. >> speaking of love, blake shelton has a new music video out. we're getting a sneak peek today on valentine's day. >> good, good. >> the song is called "doing what she likes". >> off his grammy nominated album based on a true story. >> let's watch. ♪ radio on and turn off the lights ♪ ♪ keep doing what she likes ♪ ♪ she likes blue jeans

little kiss ♪ ♪ a whisper in her ear ♪ ♪ oh, my i like doing what she likes ♪ ♪ run my fingers now her long hair ♪ ♪ lighting candles upstairs ♪ ♪ letting them burn and holding her all night ♪ ♪ i like doing what she likes ♪ >> oh, it is going to be big. >> uh-huh. >> i like doing what she likes. go it our website and we'll direct you to blake shelton's website and you can watch the whole music video. >> what is that like for you, knowing he's doing -- >> what she likes? >> mm-hmm. miranda. what's it like? >> i don't know what it's like. sad. any who. all right, let's talk vodka shots. >> okay. >> so we told you -- >> i'm doing this today. >> kathie lee's not doing it. >> no. >> one shot for every medal we have won. we have won four gold, two silver and six bronze.

so we have -- >> 12. >> okay. so of the 12, 4 of them are real vodka and the rest are water. >> you got vodka yesterday. >> yes. >> i could see what was frozen, what was chilled. and they said they were different colors. >> now nothing is chilled and nothing is frozen. so now it is a true game of chance. so ready, set -- i'm scared and go. >> no, can't smell it. >> water. >> no. >> yesterday was bad. >> i'll choose this one. i'll see. >> you can't just -- >> vodka. >> major drama on the ice if you watched the olympics. yevgeny plushenko of russia -- >> god bless you. >> withdrew from the figure skating competition. he hurt himself during warmup. he tweaked his back. his name was called to do his skating and he announced he was

pulling out. he's gone through lots and lots of surge. >> i juthink it is just miraculs he's even still there. he's retiring. go enjoy, go find something that doesn't require triple lutzes and spins, just take a walk in a garden. he's earned it. >> he has earned it. there was a guy that did not win a medal but got a lot of attention last night. jeremy abbott took this terrible fall during the program. he was lying in the fetal position for a couple of seconds. he struggled to get up. it looked like he was going to exit the ice and then something happened. the crowd started cheering. so, you know what he did? he kept skating. he spun and nailed it. >> wow. >> when it was over, he got a standing ovation. >> of course he did. that is just --

>> isn't that fantastic? >> he didn't place, but he finished. >> you know what, he won. he won what mattered. won't everyone's respect and -- it was really beautiful. >> amazing. >> another guy who is kind of funny, his name is 19-year-old jason brown. he likes prince apparently. he dances to prince. he has the prince symbol on the back of his -- >> and the ponytail. so they start calling him -- he's got his pony power, but he goes straight up. that was beautiful. good for him. >> we have to show you this last bit. >> hoda likes -- >> no, i don't like this. it was the 500 meter speedskating and one woman, a british woman favored to win. so up she goes and she's out in front and then she wipes out. and when she wipes out, she takes down a few other people and suddenly the girl who was in fourth is now the gold medal winner. this girl from china was, like, what? i wasn't supposed to be here.

but because everyone had fallen down, she won the gold. and then the other two won silver and bronze and the won who did the wipeout, the british girl, got disqualified because she wiped out. i'm not laughing. they're incredible athletes. i'm just saying it is weird if you're the one in fourth and you win because everyone fell down. >> you are laughing. something to make you cry, look at this "sports illustrated" cover, that will make you cry. it is the 50th anniversary edition, has been revealed. here are the three cover girls. nina, lilly and christie. >> they don't have tops on, apparently. it is hard to tell if they have bottoms on. >> they do. i've seen the real picture. not a smidgen of cellulite. >> why do they call it the bathing suit edition if nobody is wearing a bathing suit. >> kate upton last year was just -- >> right, almost nothing. >> i liked it better in 1994 with kathy ireland, elle mcpherson and rachel hunter.

and two of the ladies were pregnant when that photo was taken and a woman is never more beautiful than when she's pregnant. >> that's a great photo. time for our johnson baby of the week, we celebrate new moms and adorable new additions to their family. >> first baby is mason robert lee. when their son is happy, he gets this funny little smirk on his face. which is really gas. but they don't think so. >> now to a baby born in highland park, illinois. alexander matthew castillo born on december 26th weighing 7 pounds, 14 ounces. his mom advises enjoy every moment because they grow up so fast. >> our final johnson's baby of the week is gabrielle ann browne, born in austin, texas, january 3rd. her dad is a major with the u.s. marine corps. we thank him for his service. this little guy -- the father arrived home just in time to see his little girl arrive. thank god. okay. only five days later, he had to return to active duty overseas,

hoping to come back and see how much she's grown in april. that's great. congratulations to all of our babies. >> if you want to submit your baby to be a johnson's baby of the week, all the details are on klgandhoda.com. >> now, do we want to give a little love to andy cohen? >> oh, yes. >> from last -- >> we don't have time. thank you, andy cohen. >> a gracious host. >> he was. >> thank you for all your tweets. very sweet about it. thank you. we want a quick shoutout, whether dating or married, you probably wonder how compatible you and your partner are. >> if you want to know, don't you think you innately know? go to klgandhoda.com, pick our couples compatibility test and on monday we're going it talk about the results and tell you what you might need to work on. somebody thinks they're totally in love and happy and they discover they're wrong for each other. >> wrong. that's terrifying. >> find out on monday. >> classic love songs. >> if you don't believe in love at first sight, you will after this. >> a couple reunites after 30 years apart. >> their story after these messages. [ man ] i think this is a good time to tell you:

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yeah, straight talk has nationwide 4g lte coverage on one of america's largest and most dependable networks. hmmm. and you save up to $950 a year? yep. nice...but i bet you have to get one of those old generic brick phones. paperweight. nope...it's compatible with all the latest smartphones. hashtag... lots-o-options. hashtag... awesome. hashtag - hashtag....what? get a $100 walmart gift card when you purchase the samsung galaxy s3 on straight talk. and pay only $45 a month for unlimited talk, text and data with no contract. walmart. all right if this story does not get you in a romantic mood for valentine's day, i don't think anything will. >> it is about two young lovers who have you believing in the power of love. kyle michael miller is here with that story. hello. >> you have heard that love is patient and love is kind. and it never gives up or loses faith. the couple you're about to meet knows this first hand. after nearly three decades

apart, a simple facebook message led them to their destiny. the year was 1980, marty was in the military and kates with a single mother. when you first met marty, was it love at first sight? >> absolutely. he was always so caring and good to me. >> they spent every moment they could together. >> i loved him every day, more and more and more. but i didn't tell him. >> nine months into the relationship, marty received orders to serve overseas. how hard was it for you? >> it was gut wrenching. the way we said good-bye, it was laying on the floor, on the carpet, at my house, because i didn't think i would ever see him again. >> before he left, they broke up, but never forgot about each other. they both married and divorced and had their share of ups and downs. in 1999, kate developed an inner ear disorder that left her bedridden for 18 months. >> it was hard.

it was very hard. >> when she recovered -- >> we're having a good time. >> -- she decided to reinvent her career. in 2002, she opened kay's designer consignment shop. >> if you're not happy when you get there, you're to be happy when you leave. >> she started connecting with old friends. >> something hit me it was like, i wonder what ever happened to him. i put his name in and it was the first one that came up. >> that him was marty, the boy she fell in love with almost 30 years ago. so she mustered up enough nerve to send him a message. >> like a gate opened up, and the feelings and i didn't even know how to answer it at first. >> they sent messages back and forth. the next month, kay visited marty in salt lake city. two days later they drove to kay's home in florida. now, they're married. >> wish everyone could be this happy. especially at this point in your life. >> yes, we are. >> marty helps kay run the consignment shop. >> here is your tag.

i have your clothes right here. >> i believe that fate, destiny, god, he put us together. because he knew that both of us needed each other. >> oh. >> how lovely is that? wow. and kay and marty are here with us today on valentine's day. it just seems right. >> must be pretty incredible. when you got off the plane, you hadn't seen him in all those years. you get off the plane and lay eyes on marty, what did you feel for him? >> the same feelings i had when i saw him first time ever. >> really? >> right away. >> marty? what was it like for you seeing kay? >> everything was right in the world. it was just beautiful. we had talked for, you know, three months prior, but it was just like yesterday. >> were you sharing your secrets, your past, everything during those three months? >> just came out, everything flew. we just put it all out there and what happened to us and the good things and the bad things and it

just has been great. >> what was the thing you said -- one of you went to a window and -- >> yeah. >> that was mine. that was -- my life was in transition, i didn't know which direction i was really going to go in and i would look out and i had three stars that i always look at and i would always say, all right, guys, what you got planned for me? what is my next step? where should i go? and a number of days later, i got an e-mail, and it changed my life. >> a lot of people don't think this kind of love is possible. people watching, a lot of divorced people out there and probably wondering if they'll find their soul mate. do you think what you have is a unique thing or do you think people need to reach out like you did on facebook and see what's out there? >> i think people should go for it. life is short. >> yours turned out well. >> yes, it did. life is too short. >> from not reaching out first time, that was a magic moment for us, not making that step then. i mean, 20 years later. >> did you think about each other during those years that

you were apart? i wouldn't say constantly, but always wondered, how she's doing, how is her life, how is her son doing? >> you knew both of you had married? you were aware that both of you had -- >> i didn't know anything. >> no, nothing. >> well, i think carl might have something for you because he likes to give presents away. what do you got? >> we were not going to have you come to new york without teaming up with some of our friends at sirio restaurant in new york city. they want to treat you to a romantic valentine's day dinner tonight. >> thank you. >> have a wonderful time. >> have a great time. congratulations. >> you bring us great stories. thank you. >> how do parents feel when they're watching their kids compete? >> jenna bush hager got an exciting look at the americans' sweep in skiing slope style

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it was an electric day in the park on thursday. >> americans made it look very easy. but if you found yourself watching with a lot of anxiety, imagine what their parents must have felt like. our own jenna bush hager was at the competition with a unique perspective. i love these boys. >> mm-hmm. >> the 19-year-old two-time x-games champ. >> the world may now know nick goepper as an olympic bronze medalist. but linda knows him as her son. >> come on, goepper. >> they raised nick in the small town of lawrenceburg, indiana. not exactly baylor, vermont. on a nerve wracking day of flips and spins, they were kind enough to let us join them. >> i'm trying to stay as busy as possible, talk to as many people as possible and i don't get nervous. it is a great day.

it couldn't be more perfect. what nick would call a blue bird day. >> as nick took to the course, a setback. >> comes up a little bit short. >> that's all right. we're all good. >> between runs, it is all about trying to stay calm. >> awesome. >> ready. >> finally, nick's second run, and a do or die chance at the medal round. >> go, nick. >> that is really difficult thing to do. >> yeah. >> now over the right shoulder, goepper with one big trick, and it's done! >> a huge sigh of relief. he's made it to the finals. and eventually grabbing the bronze medal. >> how proud does this make you as parents? >> we are extremely proud. proud of our son. the fact that he put in the time, effort and energy to get here, that shows character and i think we have done a pretty decent job. >> i couldn't have asked for better parents. so thankful they're here and able to watch me, you know,

achieve my dream here at the olympics. >> right at the top, looking very, very good. >> on this day on the slopes, a bittersweet win for the eventual gold medalist joss christensen. >> what was going through your mind up there? >> skiing for my father who passed away. he would watch it on tv when i was in europe. i hope i made him proud. >> do you think he was watching in. >> definitely. >> love you, mom. >> for joss' mom, being there for her son was everything. >> are you proud of him today? >> i am proud of him. i was proud of him when he got named to the team. >> what about your husband? would he have been proud? >> oh, yeah. that's what joss told him in the hospital before he left, dad, i'm doing this for you. i want you to be proud of me. >> joss' mom made the trip last minute with the help of friends. she didn't have a visa until a couple of weeks ago and had to share a friend's hotel room. >> didn't even have a cell phone out there. so jenna let her use her phone

to cause joss' brother back home in utah. >> that was the most beautiful story. >> they should have a parent cam, by the way. that is such a great perspective. coming up next, matthew hussey finds out how men really feel about valentine's day. >> and ruben studdard. >> we like rubben. >> after your local news. >> sto [ female announcer ] every box of general mills big g cereals

can help your kids' school get extra stuff. they're the only cereals with box tops for education. you can raise money for your kids' school. look for this logo. only on big g cereals. you can make a difference. every cereal box counts. good morning, everyone. 10:26, i'm scott mcgrew. a san jose firefighter is facing drug and sex crime charges this morning after he was arrested at a fire station where he worked.

he allegedly sold meth and met and abused children. he has been a firefighter since 1994. it's unclear how many children were involved or how many crimes went on. a health warning after a us berkeley student has been diagnosed with measles. the student was not immunized and was likely exposed during a trip abroad. they have attended classes at cal and traveled on b.a.r.t.

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back, 10:29 right now. across the bay area lots of fog and drizzle in most of the re john. a little sunshine trying to peek out here and there. by noon it will boost our temperatured close to 70 degrees today in places like san jose. elsewhere it will be nice today. let's check the drive with mike. >> the clouds are not hanging out, but this is the maze. reports of a fender bender and a car. bottom of the screen though, it is pretty warped. looking toward oakland, a nice smooth flow, and in dublin, it is fine for 580 westbound. if you get congestion it will

start early afternoon. >> more news at 11:00. we're back with the other view on this valentine's day friday, which also happens to be our facebook fan's 135th birthday. >> we called in matthew hussey. >> before he answers your probing questions, matthew had a couple of new york hit spots, olive and the park to find out what men really think about valentine's day. >> let's take a look. >> do you have any expectations of valentine's day? >> i think i just am looking forward to the appreciation that comes with put ing in some thought to a nice date. >> not a valentine's day guy. >> from my perspective, it is

what i'm giving and not getting. >> there is lots of expectations. >> valentine's day, feeling the pressure? >> no. >> have the roses, the chocolate, and the jewelry. >> he's already put the pressure on yourself then. >> yeah, i did. and all the other guys. >> go out on the 13th or the 15th, we're not going out on the 14th. >> i think it should be a great time, celebrate a relationship that you have or your marriage. >> just an excuse to go out, blah, blah, blah. every day is valentine's day to some degree. >> if you're married and happy, you have to look at it wholistically. >> you'll do something nice the rest of the -- >> yeah, we can -- yeah, i'll make her happy. >> why do you need a day to set aside to tell your wife or your girlfriend that you care for them? >> well, well, well. >> a little surprised, by the way, hello and happy valentine's day. >> i thought more guys would

think it was a big drag. >> a lot of guys i think do think it is a big drag, but a lot of them were being very pc, i think. >> you can tell their real personalities, though, couldn't you, in a minute? >> i'm not a -- you can tell he's the guy who will be a tough time on valentine's day. >> what do you do for your friend on valentine's day? >> she is adorable, by the way. >> what do you do for her? >> for me, it is all about an experience. christmas you can make about presents. i think valentine's you make about an experience. let's go do something, let's experience something together we wouldn't normally. >> let's see -- >> can't because she's in l.a. and you're here. >> or something like that. >> all right, so-so much f, so that. >> i hate being told what to do. if someone says i have to do it on a specific day, what about the day after? >> you're that guy. >> so ruth has a question. she says for the past three years i have been dumped on valentine's day. this time i'm single. so how do i make this

valentine's day a good one? how does she turn the beat around? don't look at me. >> how does she do it? >> this is someone who has to enjoy their love life again. i have three i wways of doing t. number one, stop idealizing other people's relationships. just because somebody is in a relationship doesn't make them happier than you are. >> that's true. >> i like that one. check. >> check. >> secondly, make sure that when you -- when you -- what was number two? >> you lost it. >> i knew you lost it when you started it. >> i lost it on number one. i was -- all right, here's the second thing. make sure that when you go out with your guy -- i lost it. >> let's move on. >> she says my husband likes to give me red roses for valentine's day, because it is the flower of love. they're not my favorite? should i just be quiet or should

i say something about what i like? >> imagine what someone's sex life must be like if they can't even say what flower is their favorite. that's how i feel. tell me i'm wrong. >> you're wrong, i think. >> really? because a woman who can't say this is my favorite flower is going to say what i enjoy in the bedroom. >> i'm with matthew on this one. >> oh, yeah. >> 26 years of not saying what you like. this is madness. >> a lot of roses she didn't like. >> here is one thing women should understand about men. men want to please you. they don't want a guessing game. give them a road map. show them how to do it. don't give it to him on a plate so he feels patronized but saying i would love to do this some day, this is my favorite flower, i'm so into these. whenever i see them, i light up. >> pink is my favorite color. >> you're basically saying on these occasions, here is what i want you to do each time.

>> okay. >> give him a road map. >> what is the second thing? >> i want to get -- >> that's it. >> if you have a question for matthew, head to klgandhoda.com and hit the connect button. >> meet some people that have a real animal attraction. >> ruben is going to sing for us. >> live after this. [ male announcer ] let the rich robust flavor and irresistible aroma of nescafe clasico stir what's inside of you. ♪ [ engine revving ] [ tires screech ] ♪ [ male announcer ] that was bold. real bold. ♪

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♪ because sleep is a beautiful thing™. ♪ zzzquil. the non-habit forming sleep aid from the makers of nyquil®. if you plan on jetting off for a romantic weekend, go out for a cozy dinner, you don't want to ruin the mood with bad manners. >> if you're staying local or taking to the skies, there are rules of behavior you need to know. here to help us out is expert diane gallen. >> we're going to do a test. if you know the answer, throw it. true and false. here we go. if a woman invites a guy out on a date for valentine's tonight

or any other night, it is her responsibility -- you don't know what i'm going to say -- to pay. true or false. >> false. >> etiquette. >> it is true. etiquette is -- >> you invite. >> it is. >> he will not let you. >> he's not going to let you. he's going to say, please let me. you should at least offer. if you invite, you pay and you tip, okay? >> attempt to pay. >> number two, girls. if you receive something that you feel -- this say gift, a valentine's day gift -- that is too personal, or something that is too expensive, don't tell him. it will hurt their feelings. kathie lee? >> you have to be honest. >> no, you don't. no, no, no, you don't. >> it is best to say nothing. >> thank you. >> no, no, no. say nothing. it says to say something.

just say, listen, it is our first date, this racy lingerie makes me feel uncomfortable and don't go out with him again. it is an indicator of their gift giving. you have to say something. if it is a big expensive piece of jewelry -- number three, if you're traveling with your date on valentine's day or any day and you have to -- follow me here -- you have to get up and cross over multiple seats, when you cross over those passengers' seats, do you look away or do you look at the person you're crossing over? i didn't give you a true or false question. my fault. >> you look at them, clearly. you don't look away from them. >> you look -- okay, you look at them and say, so sorry, excuse me. >> i'm so sorry. >> that's what i said. why are you getting credit? >> i didn't give you true or false. my bad. >> i got that point. >> if your airplane neighbor is sleeping when the drink cart comes around, true or false, if

your airplane neighbor is sleeping, when the tridrink car comes around it a polite gesture to gently nudge them and wake them up. >> that's false. do not bug the person next to you. >> ding, ding, yes. >> would you -- >> i would have woken you up. you would want your wine. >> you know each other. this is a stranger. >> all right, i'll give you that one. >> number five, true or false. if you accept a valentine's date invitation, it is a given there is a romantic interest. >> i think that's a yes. >> me too. >> it is the truth. >> it is the truth. >> otherwise they wait until the next year. >> at restaurant, it is the chivalrous gesture for the man to order for the woman. >> no, false. >> that's false. >> we know what we want. >> stop ordering our food. >> okay. last, a man -- >> double or nothing. >> this is double or nothing. >> i'm winning. >> so, okay, true or false. >> okay, i'm ready. >> when you're entrering a cab n

your date or anytime, if there is a man or a woman, the man always -- let me do my true and false -- the man always enters first in the cab. >> false. gets her inside it and then he -- >> hoda? >> true. >> because you don't want to scoot with your skirt on. >> yes. >> he's already in. >> he lets you in and goes around the other side. >> i think she's right. i actually think she's right. >> he jumps in first and scoots over so you don't have to have your bottom up in the air and then you can exit -- >> we got to rock 'n' roll. >> that i disagree with. >> all right. we got to go. birds do it, bees do it but do all animals fall in love? >> look what you got, hodi. >> thank you. >> we have some creatures wild about each other right after this. latte or au lait? cozy or cool "meow" or "woof"? exactly the way you want it ... until boom!

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it is time for today's call of the wild. we're talking couples in courtship for valentine's after all. >> julie scardina is here to show us how love in the wild can be simple or complicated. >> you've got a macau. >> this is the simple one. >> what is that little thing? >> they're monogamous. these guys mate for life and can

live for 60 to 80 years. >> what? >> a really true case of love that is stuck in -- talking about stuck. so these -- >> oh. i don't know. >> he has your hair. >> great. we're going to take him off. maybe he can stay up there for a little while. >> what are these two guys? >> these are echidnas. they have an odd mating system. what happens is when the female is ready to mate, they will have a train of males following them, right? >> yeah. >> of course they do. >> -- six weeks and then they'll dig a hole around her and finally she'll come to choose one or -- >> do they get mad? do they fight over her? >> they do, actually. she'll mate with one of them. and the worms are not for you, though. >> okay. >> we're going to keep an eye on these echidnas as well. >> something is happening here.

>> these are xhechameleons. >> i think they're already doing something over here. >> i want you to feed them. hold your hand out, let them see your meal worms there. what is fun about chameleons is, as we all know, we think they change color regarding their environment -- >> but they don't? >> after a successful mating, watch this, little bit further away. >> can't see it. looks like he's coming after it. >> don't make me hold worms if you're not going to eat them. >> after a successful mating, the female will actually turn a darker green and have blue and yellow spots. >> look, what's happening? >> oh, that scared me. >> that was wild. >> that wasn't slow motion. >> let's bring on the porcupines while they're munching. >> we're going to let the porcupines down here. many people may not realize that porcupines are monogamous and live in family groups as well.

porcupines are very strong family group and wonderful obviously and necessary out in the wild. we have endangered species with the macaws, an egg-laying mammal. and our wonderful chameleons and porcupines. >> julie, i love you. >> ruben studdard is going to sing for us. >> a love song. >> please. >> but first this is "today" -- >> his tongue was wild. it was slow. it came out slow. it was weird.

the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> it is hard to believe that it has been nearly 11 years since ruben studdard won america's hearts and won season two of "american idol." >> he's back and looking sexier than ever, after losing 120 pounds on "the biggest loser."

ruben is out with a new album called "unconditional love" and he's here to serenade us for valentine's day. >> what a treat. >> you look awesome. >> thank you so much. >> was that difficult, taking all that weight off? >> it was very difficult. but it was well worth it. i'm so glad i had that experience on "the biggest loser." and my trainer is amazing. there he is trying to get me going, always trying to get me going. even now. >> he's a doll. >> we can't believe this is your first romantic ballad album. >> it is. i'm thankful to work with david foster, executive producer of the album, along with so many other different producers he brought on board to work with me. >> what are you singing? >> "love, look what you've done to me". >> okay. ruben! ♪ hope never-ending

this song ♪ ♪ this could take us all night long ♪ ♪ i look up at the moon and i felt blue ♪ ♪ then i looked again and i saw you ♪ ♪ love, look what you've done to me ♪ ♪ never thought i'd fall again ♪ ♪ so easily ♪ oh, love you wouldn't lie to me ♪ ♪ leaving me to feel this way ♪ ♪ this way

this way ♪ ♪ listen, girl after all is said and done ♪ ♪ after all you're still the one ♪ ♪ girl take me and baby, take me when we don't care anymore ♪ ♪ oh love look what you've done to me ♪ ♪ never thought i'd fall again so easily ♪ ♪ oh, love

you wouldn't lie to me ♪ ♪ leaving me to feel this way ♪ ♪ this way this way ♪ ♪ do you feel me baby look what you've done to me ♪ ♪ oh, love look what you've done to me ♪ ♪ i never, ever thought never thought i'd fall for you again so easily ♪ ♪ but i did you wouldn't lie to me ♪ ♪ leaving me to feel this way ♪ ♪ this way

oh, oh my love ♪ ♪ look what you've done to me ♪ ♪ oh, love >> beautiful! >> we love you, ruben. >> have a great weekend,

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nbc bay area news starts now. good morning, thank you for joining us at 11:00 a.m., i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm scott mcgrew. we start with an arrest of a firefighter facing sexual abuse and drug charges this morning. christie smith has the details. >> reporter: we just heard from san jose fire and it's a tough day for them and the entire community. a veteran firefighter accused of drug and sex offenses with minors. he is a man they trusted and liked. he was a community outreach