on our broadcast here tonight, drought emergency. a desperate situation with no end in sight. it's now getting scary and hitting a lot of family businesses hard. the president in california tonight, is promising help. also, fast and furious. controversy on the speed skating track here in sochi after a shut-out thus far for the american team. could their new uniforms possibly be to blame? and aiming for history tonight. tom brokaw with the most decorated skier of all time, bode miller, who may also be the most changed man at these games. and defying gravity. our conversation with sandra bullock, again an oscar nominee, this time for a herculean feat of movie making.

and tonight the first ever look from the studio at how they did it. "nightly news" begins now. and good evening to our viewers in the west, and that happens to be where we're beginning this broadcast tonight. the president today visited fresno and the issue, the crisis that brought him there is of top importance up and down the state of california and elsewhere. and that's the drought. it's one of the driest years in recorded history. no relief in sight. while the president today announced $160 million in aid money, while farmers in the central valley are thankful for the economic assistance, they also said it will do nothing to solve the state's long-term water problems. we begin if there tonight with nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: sunrise in the san joaquin valley. in a region that grows a third

of the nation's fruits and vegetables, another winter day without rain. at the local diner in firebaugh, these are difficult times. >> with no water, we can't farm. >> we are fogg in this. >> reporter: lavon allen could lose her restaurant. allen has owned the diner for three years. her husband's family has been in farming for three generations. >> it's a complete loss. not just for us, but for our employees and for the community. >> reporter: joel allen's 20-man crew is out of work. next year he may be out of farming. >> it's to the point where we're scratching our head. what are we going to do next. >> reporter: firebaugh is one of several communities here in the central valley that feeds the nation. but the drought has turned this region into a virtual dust bowl. without water, the harvest in this field is ruined. at the local grocery store, fruit prices are up. sales are down.

the market had to lay off three employees and many more in this town of nearly 8,000 are leaving. firebaugh is in serious trouble. >> without a doubt. it's a severe crisis. >> reporter: city manager ken mcdonald says the situation in firebaugh is so bad, the food bank is feeding farmers. >> we could have the drought end today, and the city might not be feeling the positive effects of the drought ending for a year or two after that. >> a lot of people don't realize the amount of money that is going to be lost, the amount of jobs that are going to be lost. we can't recapture that. >> reporter: the drought is putting businesses and families here under water. tonight the allens and their neighbors wait for rain as the sunsets on another dry day. miguel almaguer, nbc news, firebaugh, california. and now to the east and the opposite problem during this angry winter of 2014. the communities that are dealing with snow and ice removal in record amounts.

the storms we have witnessed will likely stand in the record books among top ten all time. today's disaster was an enormous pileup on the pennsylvania turnpike. power remains out for tens of thousands of people. extraordinarily large area of the lower 48 is still snow-covered, and it's cold, and heating has become a major expense. it was a striking story when it first broke, and some, especially nfl fans still can't get their heads around it. the miami dolphins offensive lineman jonathan martin alleged relentless bullying at the hands of a teammate. while the official investigation is out, and it turns out there were others involved, and the findings are hard to fathom. we get our report tonight from our national correspondent kate snow. >> let's go back to the phone lines. >> reporter: in miami fans were shocked by the details of the reported abuse.

>> is salacious as it gets. >> reporter: investigators hired by the nfl conclude jonathan martin was taunted on a persistent basis which sexually explicit remarks about his mother and sister. and the report says that is why he left the dolphins abruptly last fall. richie incognito threatened to rape martin's sister and used language too graphic to broadcast, the report says. he encouraged two other players, john jerry and pouncey to harass not just martin, but another unnamed player and an assistant trainer. there was homophobic name-calling and improper physical touching. today martin's agent told nbc news he felt vindicated. last month he sat down with nbc's tony dungy. >> i felt trapped like i didn't have a way to make it right. it came down to the point where i felt it was best to remove myself from the situation. >> reporter: incognito's attorney disputed the findings,

saying jonathan martin was never bullied by richie incognito or any of the dolphins' offensive line. incognito has admitted to using racial slurs, but has repeatedly said he and martin were friends. >> no matter how bad and how vulgar it sounds, that's how we commute. that's how our friendship was. >> reporter: the report says their relationship was complex, with a lot of inappropriate locker room banter on both sides. it concludes incognito didn't intend to drive martin from the team or cause him lasting emotional injury, but also that martin was scared to tell higher-ups how offended he was, something many are hoping will change now. >> maybe we'll have a better sense of when it is crossing the line, when people can feel free to say hey, what started out as jovial is not anymore. and i'm a little uncomfortable with this. >> reporter: the nfl and the dolphins said they're reviewing the report after a suspension, richie incognito was reinstated to the team just last week. his contract is up next month.

brian? >> kate snow in our new york studios tonight. kate, thanks. strong words from secretary of state john kerry today on the subject of syria. he called the humanitarian crisis in that country grotesque and getting dramatically worse. kerry said president obama's reviewing his options on syria where despite so-called peace talks that started last month, an estimated 5,000 people have died in just these past three weeks. it's the deadliest stretch of the entire three-year war which the u.n. now says has claimed more than 136,000 lives and of course displaced millions of people. here in sochi on the black sea, where the world has gathered for these winter games in a balmy climate, the news today had to do with the ice. and this question, are those futuristic one-piece team usa speed skating uniforms possibly slowing down the skaters who have been shut out of medal contention thus far? nbc's anne thompson has our report.

>> reporter: tonight the u.s. wants to dump the speed skating suits once touted as revolutionary. six long track events, zero olympic medals in the mach 39, the high-tech suit made by under armour with lockheed martin, the maker of fighter jets and rockets. now the americans are asking if they can switch back to their old under armour suits. >> there will be no three-peat. >> reporter: this week after shani davis, the world's best finished a shocking eighth in the 1000 meters, heather richardson and the women altered the new suits for last night's race. >> a patch to cover up the vent that was originally on the suits when the team arrived here at sochi. >> reporter: that vent is supposed to reduce body heat. but it's suspected of creating drag and slowing the racers down. >> heather richards is going to have to keep the tempo up a little bit. >> reporter: at the usa house it was all smiles as russian president vladimir putin paid a surprise visit, sipping wine,

talking sports, not politics. while on this valentine's day, america swooned over the victorious men's slopestyle ski team. gold medal winner joss christensen whose father died six months ago. >> he knew i was having fun. i can't thank him more. >> reporter: gust gust, working to rescue stray puppies. >> i think i have gotten way more attention for that than winning the medal or anything i've done before. >> reporter: and nick again were the bronze from the skiing 34ek ca of lawrenceburg, indiana. >> not only to be remembered as slopestyle free skiers, but that significant moment in olympic history. >> reporter: and late word tonight from u.s. speed skating that the u.s. team will be going back to those uniforms, those racing suits that they wore during world cup competition. they got permission to do so, and they will be wearing them in the next six races, beginning tomorrow with the 1500 meters

where we will see shani davis compete. brian? >> anne thompson at the mountaintop venues above us here in sochi tonight. anne, thanks. with bob costas still recovering from the most talked about eye infection in television history, tonight another friend of ours gets to make history. meredith vieira becomes the first woman to solo olympics prime time coverage, and she has a preview for us tonight. >> hey, brian. i am so excited to be a part of prime time. we're going to have figure skating from the iceberg palace. the men's free skate with medals on the line. also, american skiers bode miller and ted ligety in the men's super combined. and noelle pikus-pace in the final two runs of women's skeleton. a great evening all the way around. back to you, brian. >> meredith vieira, thanks. and we'll be watching tonight. still ahead for us this evening, tom brokaw with the aforementioned bode miller. the outspoken american champ who has been at the center of controversy over the years tonight.

you will see a changed man. and later, cleaning up while on alert. tens of thousands evacuating at the same time as an angry volcano lets loose.

. back at these olympic winter games. bode miller at 36 years of age is both the oldest alpine skier on the u.s. team and the most heavily decorated with five career medals. and if he wins a medal at these games, he'll set an age record as well. tom brokaw has spent a lot of time with bode miller at the last several olympics and sat down with him before making the trip to russia. >> that was absolutely an

outrageous run, you know, his best run of the season. >> the bode style, your personality and your skiing technique. out of the gate and let it rip all the way to the bottom. you've been a little critical of some of the other competitors who manage their races more, just hoping that they can stay in the hunt. still feel the same way about that? >> i have no criticism about it in terms of personal goals or, you know, some of the best champions in the world have had that kind of tactical approach. skiing used to be a very inspirational sport. it looked dangerous and had a sex appeal that was based on that risk, and it's still an impressive sport. but there is definitely fewer people now who have that kind of top level intensity that you can really recognize. >> since winning his first olympic medals in 2002 with a take no prisoner swagger on the slopes, miller has addressed his sport and his place in it with a candor that can sometimes seem contentious. fair or not, that attitude added to his bad boy reputation. it also left many in the media eager to pounce when he failed

to win a medal at the 2006 torino games. >> oh, went right through that panel. he is off the course and out of this race. >> it's just when you're held accountable for your actions and you're exposed, you're very raw there is no way to hide. >> he has missed a gate. bode miller is 0 for 5. he will not have a medal at all. >> and that's where i completely failed. >> so now you get to vancouver and you blow the lights out. so what was the difference? was it more mental than physical, or was it a combination of the two? >> it was definitely more mental. >> i'll tell you what, he has come back in a big way. >> now at his fifth and what he says will be his final olympics, miller still is chasing his perfect race. >> in sochi, i feel like i have a different set of skill sets now. and my life outside of the sport is completely different. my wife and my kids and i just have a really great support system around me. i feel much more centered and balanced.

>> but in a year when miller experienced the joys of a growing family, there was also deep loss. ten months ago, his brother, a snowboarder with his own hopes of competing in sochi died from a seizure. >> he was a really powerful member of our family too, just connected everybody a bit. so it's just a huge loss for us. if anything, maybe gives me a little extra motivation, a little bit of emotional strength to go through the stuff i have to go through. >> tom brokaw with bode miller. again, he competes tonight as part of prime time coverage and has three more chances for a medal here at the sochi games. we are back in just a moment with two of the most famous olympians of the modern era recreating a beloved performance.

good night, ma'am marks. >> good night, ben. >> good night, everyone. >> good night, mama, good night, everybody. >> good night, john boy, good

night, jim bob. good night, jim bob! >> and so it went. the veteran actor ralph waite has died. his agent talked him into doing a tv pilot to pick up couple of bucks in 1972, and that became "the waltons." and it ran for nine years with waite as the patriarch. in addition to his film roles, waite was an ordained minister. ralph waite was 85 years old. incredible pictures from indonesia tonight. more than 100,000 people are evacuating out of the way of an exploding volcano on the island of java. ash and debris blasted over 12 miles into the air today. at least three people have died. seven airports have been shut down. indonesia's disaster agency says the eruption could be heard up to 200 miles away. olympic fans of a romantic sort may remember the emotional high point of the sarajevo games in '84 when the british figure skating duo torvill and dean

skated to ravel's bolero and won a gold medal. 30 years have passed along with a lot of history. 100,000 people lost in the war there. and last night in sarajevo, torvill and dean skated as a pair again to the same song on the very same rink. we are told there was not a dry eye in the house. the folks who make mres, the incredibly filling, incredibly long-lasting u.s. military prepackaged meals ready to eat have come up with a pizza version. after years of trying. it apparently can last uneaten for three years, just like the type found in many college dorm rooms. when we come back, the answer to the question millions of moviegoers are asking, how did they do that. our conversation with sandra bullock when we return.

finally tonight, while this has nothing to do with the olympics, consider this, though, an early reminder that the weekend after the olympic closing ceremony, our attention will then be swung to los angeles and the academy awards. for space geeks everywhere, one nominated film is a particular favorite.

that's because "gravity" took movie audiences to space. and before we left new york, we talked to best actress nominee sandra bullock about her dual roles in life and on film. 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 in the intrepid music 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 one one of the most profound and exciting experiences i've ever had, an an actor, a woman,

someone the age i was. i go look at what i get to do. >> sandra bullock plays dr. rhinestone, a biomedical engineer on her first mission designed to repair the space hubbell telescope. george clooney plays the classic astronaut with devil may care swagger who scoffs at danger. >> i know you never realized how devastatingly good-looking i am. >> it took four years to shoot and complete. >> action! >> they invented new technology to use along the way. the footage seen here for the first time. as she glides through weightless space, you have to remind yourself it was filmed down here. >> they made a carbon fiber plate out of my torso. they 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 was amazing. >> and in the end, 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. >> for the oscar-winning actress, making this film meant days of solitary confinement in a light box linked to the director only by earpiece, which also supplied music which she found critical. >> i couldn't get some place, i said play me q-2 or 4 and keep running through them until i feel cue that feels like the scene. >> how did they lift you up when they needed it? was melissa mccarthy allowed visitations? >> if she only had been. at the end of the day, you get to run outside with your child that is a saving grace when you're playing someone who doesn't have that luxury anymore. >> this movie marks a return to the top for the woman who last clutched an oscar in 2010 following "the blindside" and all that has come in between.

>> you had this great life. you had a brief period. 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. careerwise, i owe everything to that gift. life wise, it's because have i the most beautiful son. >> you do. having just met him, you do. >> i know. >> while space aficionados were quick to point out that in real weightlessness her layer would have stood on end and other accuracy complaints, it's at least the most accurate space depiction to date, and "gravity" has ten oscar nominations. that is our broadcast for this friday night and for this week. thank you for being here with us. happy valentine's day from russia with love. i'm brian williams reporting from the olympic games in sochi. a reminder. again, prime time coverage with

meredith begins at 8:00 tonight, seven central. and then full coverage of the overnight competition when america wakes up tomorrow morning on "today." we hope to see you right back here tomorrow night. have a good weekend. good night. california is our biggest economy. california is our biggest agricultural producer. so what happens here matters to every working american. >> right now at 6:00, president obama in california tonight taking a closer look at our drought conditions and the impact on farmers, families and our food. tonight he's promising action to help the millions of people in desperate need of water. i want to show you a live look at the fresno airport right now. we're waiting for the president to get on air force one.

he'll be heading to palm springs where he'll be heading the weekend and then he'll stay in california through the weekend. good evening i'm jessica aguirre. >> i'm raj mathai. unbuttoned collar and rolled you have sleeves, president obama is helping fight the drought. he got an ear full in a town hall meeting over california's water allocations. >> not everybody agreed on anything. [ laughter ] >> accept, people did agree we can't keep doing business as usual. that's what people did understand. there has to be a sense of urgency about this. >> an interesting backdrop. out there on a farm, the president toured that farm where he unveiled federal propels. here are bold points, including moren