sharing with russia sophisticated electronic equipment capable of detecting remote-controlled bombs. meanwhile, the white house says president obama and russian president vladimir putin talked about olympic security during a phone conversation yesterday. also today, the international olympic committee is dismissing it has a host of e-mails making terror threats reportedly received by a number of olympic allegations. all this as russian officials look for at least five terror suspects, including three so-called black widow suicide bombers. nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel has the latest from sochi. >> reporter: first off, tamron, about these letters, we learned that the germans and hungarians, have received threatening e-mails in english, and were somewhat vague telling people to avoid sochi. that the athletes shouldn't come here because it is dangerous, and they are not causing a great

amount of panic here. in fact, the international olympic committee issued a statement saying these are not credible, that they are not a serious threat. that does not, however, mean that security isn't a concern. in fact, security has become one of the major concerns as the olympics get closer. u.s. officials say the terror threat in sochi is the highest of any olympics, yet russia isn't cooperating much with the u.s. about it. vladimir putin, president and former kgb chief, has said russia can handle it. >> certainly, vladimir putin's past history, the long cold history between the united states and russia make any likelihood of requests either before the games or catastrophically after an event far, far less likely in this case. >> reporter: but the u.s. is taking some precautions on its own. a small number of fbi and state department security officials will be on hand, mostly to protect the american delegation. and two u.s. warships will be positioned in the black sea in

case americans need to be evacuated. but experts doubt russia would ever ask them to intervene. >> there's too much bad blood, there's too much mistrust between the security services for them to just simply link arms and say we're going to work on this together. >> reporter: but that may be changing. russia's top general ask joint chiefs martin dempsey for sophisticated electronic sensors from the u.s. to detect remote-controlled bombs in sochi. if they are sent, u.s. military personnel would have to go along with them. the terror threat in russia comes mainly from the caucuses. from suicide bombers, including women known as black widows. russia is on the hunt for at least five suspected bombers, two men and three black widows. yet most u.s. team members, like snowboarder kelley clark, say they are not worried. >> i'm not worried about the safety issues in russia at this point, and we're so focused on our competition and on our sport. >> reporter: and tamron, i must say, we are now inside the

security perimeter, inside this so-called ring of steel. and here security is very tight. it took hours to get inside. all of our bags were checked. you need an identification badge, identifying who you are, which organization you have to wear 24 hours, the entire area is surrounded by fences. there are artillery pieces in the mountains surrounding sochi. this area all around the venues is actually quite well locked down. tamron? >> thank you. and a bitter cold, arctic blast is settling in over a large portion of the country today. forecasters say dangerous subzero freezing temperatures are now here to stay. a combination of cold and wind bringing temps 20 degrees below average in some places. and not just in the midwest and the northeast. in fact, the deep south is feeling the chill as well. this as most of the east coast continues to dig out of that monster snowstorm that dumped more than a foot of snow in many areas overnight and into this morning. air travel around the country

still greatly affected by this. airports reporting 1,600 cancellations for today and hundreds more delayed. that's on top of yesterday's 3,000-plus canceled flights. nbc's ron mott is live on new york's long island that saw the heaviest snow. very few people at least driving behind you, perhaps they were able to stay at home despite the fact that schools in new york city were not canceled. >> reporter: yeah, hey there, tamron. they made the right call in new york city. a lot of the districts out here had a delayed start. it was a good call because they thought they would be able to get on top of the snow overnight. we've got blacktop here. the morning commute and evening commute tonight, a breeze compared to what we saw in the evening commute yesterday. in manhattan as you know, there was just gridlock after about 3:00 in the afternoon. there were some horror stories, people said it took them upwards of four hours to get home. normally these are trips to take an hour at best. so a lot of folks were grumbling about that. because they heeded the suggestions to get out early if

they could, but of course everybody came out together and the snow started falling a little heavier sooner than expected. and then the plows got stuck in the traffic and it just compounded. so by 9:00, by the time most people got home, they were not in the best of moods. and today, folks who are grumbling are the young ones because they were crossing their fingers hoping for a snow day. that didn't happen for a lot of folks. around here in terms of snow totals, we are expecting to get pummeled out here on long island. 15 inches is what they were fearing here. i peeled back the curtains when i got up this morning looking to see what we were going to have out here and pleasantly surprised, we topped out at 10 inches in most places near long island. staten island got bragging rights in the tri-state of new york, about 15.8 inches in one spot there. as you mentioned, it's going to be cold through the weekend. bone-chilling cold, dangerously cold. so our thoughts are with the folks who have to work in these conditions over the next couple of days, tamron. >> it will be rough the next few days. thank you very much for the live report. i want to take you now to

the east room of the white house where we are listening to vice president joe biden, obviously alongside the president. the president is going to announce a task force to look at the epidemic of sexual assault, especially in cases involving students on university campuses. let's listen in. >> you've strengthened the office at the department of justice, and i especially want to thank the president for appointing the first ever adviser on violence against women working directly with me in the white house inside this building. he knows, though, what i know. freedom from sexual assault is a basic human right. no man has a right to raise a hand to a woman for any reason, any reason other than self-defense. he knows that a nation's decency is a large part measured by how it responds to violence against women. he knows that our daughters, our

sisters, our wives, our mothers, our grandmothers have every single right to expect to be free from violence and session sexual abuse. no matter what she's wearing, no matter whether she's in a bar, in a dormitory n the backseat of a car, drunk or sober. no man has a right to go beyond the word "no." and if she can't consent, it also means no. that, too, makes it a crime. the president also knows that we have to stop blaming victims for these crimes. no one ever asked the person who got robbed at gunpoint in the street, why were you there? what were you doing? what were you wearing? what did you say? did you offend someone? we encourage, we encourage people to come forward. we don't have to explain why someone took our money. my father used to say that the

greatest abuse of all was the abuse of power. and the cardinal sin among the abusive power avenues that can be taken is for man to raise his hand to a woman. that's the cardinal sin. there's no specification, in addition, for us not to be intervening. men have to step up to the bar here. men have to take more responsibility. men have to intervene. the measure of manhood is willingness to speak up and speak out and begin to change the culture. and so, ladies and gentlemen, i would like to now introduce you to the man who more than anyone i know, anyone i know, is wanting to change the environment for his daughters, my granddaughters, women and girls all across the united states of america, like i said, it's stamped in his dna, it's in his bloodstream and we are lucky to have him leading us now. ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states,

barack obama. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you, everybody. thanks. thank you. please have a seat. hello, everybody. welcome to the white house. to all of you in my administration, the partners with the white house counsel on women and girls led by valerie and tina chen, i want to thank all of you for being here today and for the work that you're doing every single day to advance the cause of manners to all of us. that's preventing the outrage, the crime, the sexual violence in america. i especially want to thank the members of my cabinet who are here today. we've got secretaries chuck hagel, cat lean sebelius, and arne duncan as well as attorney general holder. and their presence today in the presence of so many leaders from across my administration is a testament to how important we consider this issue. and how committed we are across

the entire federal government to meeting this challenge. and that, of course, includes our outstanding vice president. few people have brought more passion to this fight over the decades than joe biden. back when a lot of people believed the domestic abuse was a private family matter, and women in danger often had nobody to turn to, joe was out there saying this is unacceptable, this has to change. and thanks to joe and so many others, this nation enshrined its commitment in the violence against women's act. police officers and prosecutors got special training on domestic violence. more shelters opened across the country. a national hotline was created. and, as joe mentioned, a culture shift began to occur. americans came to see how serious this problem was and how we all needled to do more to address it. and that's resulted in more hope and more safety in a new chance at life for countless women.

so joe was on the front lines on this. and you can tell his passion is unabated. and so we are very grateful for everything you have done on this work. thank you, joe. appreciate it. having that conviction and passion brings us all here today. because this is not an abstract problem that goes on in other families or other communities. even now it's not always talked about enough. it can still go on in the shadows, but it affects every one of us. about all of us, our moms, our wives, our sisters, our daughters, our sons, sexual assault is a front on our basic humanity. and for survivors the pain can take years and decades to heal. sometimes it lasts a lifetime. and wherever it occurs, whether it's in our neighborhoods or on our college campuses, our

military bases or our tribal lands, it has to matter to all of us. because when a young girl or a young boy starts to question their self worth after being assaulted, and maybe starts withdrawing, we're all deprived of their full potential. when a young woman drops out of school after being attacked, it's not just a loss for her, that's a loss for our country. we've all got a stake in that young woman's success. when a mother struggles to hold down a job after a traumatic assault, or is assaulted in order to keep a job, that matters to all of us. because strong families are a foundation of a strong country. and if that woman doesn't feel like she has recourse when she's subject to abuse, and we're not there supporting her, shame on

us. when a member of our military is assaulted by the very people he or she trusted and serves with, or when they leave the military voluntarily or involuntarily because they were rapped, it's a profound justice that no one who volunteers to defend america should ever have to endure. so sexual violence is more than just a crime against individuals, it threat ups our families, it threatens our communities, ultimately it threatens the entire country. it tears apart the fabric of our communities. and that's why we are here today, because we have the power to do something about it. as a government, as a nation, we have the capacity to stop sexual assault, support those who have survived it, and bring

perpetrators to justice. that's why last year i was proud to sign the reauthorization of the women's right act, which supported the states, including the fund police officers, nurses and to speed up the processing of untested rape kits to reduce that backlog, solve unsolved cases, get justice for victims. we push for the violence against women act for protection against immigrants, for lesbian, gay, and transgender americans, for native americans, because no matter who you are, where you live, everybody in this country deserves security, justice and dignity. and we have to keep reaching out to people who are still suffering in the shadows. as commander in chief, i made its clear to our military leadership that we need to deal

aggressive we the problem of sexual assault in our armed fors. it has been going on too long. and we have an obligation to protect the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect us. and secretary hagel and secretary and chairman dempsey have already taken steps to reduce violence and support those who have been harmed, but i made it clear, i expect significantprogress in the year ahead. these crimes have no place in the greatest military on earth. i've directed agencies across the federal government to do more to help members of their workforce who have been assaulted. because employers have a role to play, too. i want my administration to lead by example. that's why we're releasing a new report today. that outlines all our efforts and where we intend to do more. and i met earlier today with secretary sebelius, duncan,

attorney general holder and as well as vice president biden and my senior staff to discuss how to implement going forward. because i want to make sure we are going to spare another american the trauma of sexual assault. today we're taking another important step with a focus on our college campuses. it is estimated that one in five women on college campuses had been sexually assaulted during their time there. one in five. these young women worked so hard just to get into college. often their parents are doing everything they can to help them pay for it, so when they finally make it there, only to be assaulted, that is not just a nightmare for them and their families, it's in a front to everything they have worked so hard to achieve. it's totally unacceptable. three years ago we sent every school district, college and university that receives federal funding new instructions clarifying their legal obligations to prevent and

respond to sexual assault. and we have seen progress. including an inspiring wave of student-led activism and a growing number of students who found the courage to come forward and report attacks. that's exactly what we want them to do. and we owe all these brave young people an extraordinary debt of gratitude. but we cannot stop there. there's obviously more that we have to do to keep our students safe. and that's why here today i will sign a presidential memorandum creating the white house task force to protect students from sexual assault. and we're going to work with colleges and universities and educational institutions of all kinds across america to help them come up with better ways to prevent and respond to sexual assault on their campuses. and then we'll help them put those ideas into practice. because our schools need to be places where our young people feel secure and confident as they prepare to go as far as

their god-given talents can carry them. none of this is going to be easy. some of you have worked on these issues for years. you know how long it took for our country to get to where we are now. and it didn't just take new laws, it took a fundamental change in our culture. a shift in our attitudes about how we think about sexual violence and how much we value the lives and dignity of our wives and sisters and daughters and sons. over time we've become a better, stronger nation for it. but now it's up to each of us, every single one of us, to keep up that momentum. we've got to keep teaching young men, in particular, to show women the respect they deserve. and to recognize sexual violence and be outraged by it. and to do their part to stop it from happening in the first place. during our discussion earlier today, we talked about i want

every young man in america to feel some strong peer pressure, in terms of how they are supposed to behave and treat women. that starts before they get to college. so those of us who are fathers have an obligation to transmit that information. but we can do more to make sure that every young man out there, whether they are in junior high or high school or college or beyond, understand what's expected of them. and what it means to be a man. and to intervene if they see somebody else acting inappropriately. we're going to need to encourage young people, men and women, to realize that sexual assault is simply unacceptable, and they have to summon the bravely to

stand up and say so, especially when the social pressure to keep quiet or go alone can be very intense. we've got to keep working with our teachers and police officers and health professionals and community leaders to search for new ways to prevent these crimes. my hope and intention is that every college president who has not personally been thinking about this is going to hear about this report and is going to go out and figure out who is in charge on their campus of responding properly. and what are the best practices? are we doing everything we should be doing? and if you're not doing that right now, i want the students at the school to ask the president what he's doing or she's doing. and perhaps most important, we need to keep saying to anyone out there who's ever been assaulted, you are not alone. you will never be alone. we have your back. i've got your back. and i promise i'm going to keep

fighting for you and your families. and i'm going to keep pushing for others to step up across my administration and in congress and in state capitols and in college campuses and on our military bases and all across our country. this is a priority for me, not only as president and commander in chief, but as a husband and a father of two extraordinary girls. i've often said in my travels around the world, you can judge a nation and how successful it will be based on how it treats its women and its girls. those nations that are successful, they are successful in part because women and girls are valued. and i'm determined by that measure that the united states of america will be the global leader. i'm grateful to each of you to make sure that happens. i'm grateful for joe biden for having led the charge both in congress and in my administration on many of these issues.

and now i'd ask that those of you who will be joining me, please come up so i can sign this memorandum. [ applause ] >> president obama joined by members of his cabinet you see there. he's signing this memorandum, creating a task force to take a serious examination and hopefully result in changes in the way universities and colleges investigate and handle rapes and sexual assaults on campus. the white house released this report out indicating that nearly 22 million american women, 1.6 million men, have been raped in their lifetimes and many of these assaults happen on college campuses. let's listen in.

so the president has formed this task force, which administration officials say they will haved 0 days to come up with recommendations for colleges to prevent and respond to sexual assault and increase public awareness of each school's track record and enhanced coordination among federal agencies as well as hold schools accountable. let me bring in nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker, nbc news senior political editor mark murray and nbc's national reporter, erin kermone. we'll talk about the timing of this report, obviously, it spurred the remarks and the formation of this task force, but the timing with so many issues going on, and not to say this is certainly not an important one, how did it get the president's attention in the urgent movement today? >> well, tamron, certainly it

comes before his state of the union address, before he highlights his priorities for the second, his second term agenda. also comes as we mark roe v. wade and that anniversary. this is something that this administration has been focused on for quite some time. you heard him talk about the rates of sexual assault in the military. this is certainly something that the administration has been focused on as well. the rates of sexual assault on college campuses, you heard the numbers that the report found staggering numbers, one out of five women on college campuses are sexually assaulted. and only 12% of college students are reporting cases of sexual assault. so i think what president obama was talking about today is that social norms have to change. that victims have to feel more comfortable coming forward and that the environment has to be more conducive to coming forward

and talking about the report of sexual assault. and talking about training police officers, improving the legal systems, response to cases to sexual assault. the fact that 22 million report being victims of sexual assault throughout their lifetime, so all of that factoring into the timing and certainly the fact that this report has come out. tamron? >> we heard the president say that you can judge a nation on how it treats its women and its girls. and part of this report urges colleges to improve security and calls for higher arrest, prosecution and conviction rates for sexual assault crimes. we have seen so many, not just in colleges, high-profile cases, sex assault cases and even in high schools where victims have been turned into punching bags on social media and in many

arenas where these victims who have already gone through these horrific crimes are then dragged even further down by what society sees, in some cases, are the people they want to protect specifically when it involves some of the athletes. >> right, tamron. we just heard from the president and it was really remarkable because it was attuned to the kinds of conversation that you mentioned that have happened in the last year around, i'm sorry n the last several years around sexual assault. even in 2012 the president sat down with jay leno and had to say the phrase, rap is re is ra. since then a lot has been done by activists over the years to change the paradigms around sexual assault to avoid victim blaming, to look at the fact that men have to be accountable to talk about bi-standard intervention, to talk about the fact that men are also victims of sexual violence, to talk about the fact that women of color are disproportionately targeted by predators and

disproporti disproportionately not listened to by the judicial system. so the fact that president obama had a call to men to help stop the violence as opposed to focusing on women's behavior shows an attunement to that conversation. and secondarily, the fact that he talked about sexual violence, freedom of sexual violence as an equality issue, a question of women's full participation in society, i think it fits the overall conversation about equality and also looks at the fact that sexual violence holds people back from reaching their pull potential. >> absolutely. the scars, the depression and chronic pain and other issues that this report points out are part of the mental health problems that persist after a person has survived rape or sexual assault. mark, we'll talk about how this does pivot to the president's state of the union address. and really his priorities list and the things that are important to him that he wants to outline as many now debate whether or not any of his agenda

will see the light of day as the clock ticks on his term, his last term. >> well, tamron, you make the point about the bully pulpit. and there is a sense from a lot of political scientists that the bully pulpit is overrated when it comes to whether the president can bend the wheel of congress to be able to get his way, but today was kind of an illustration how you can use the bully pulpit to shine light on an issue that you think isn't getting a lot of coverage. and those who cover politics day in and day out, we are covering chris christie in new jersey. yesterday it was bob mcdonald in virginia. and this is an example of the president saying, look, let's talk about sexual violence as it relates to women. this is an issue not getting enough attention and give it some attention today. and, of course, when he gives his state of the union address on the 28th of january, he may touch on this. it may be a paragraph or two. the state of the unions are laundry lists, but today is an example to focus on this. i might be focusing on a lot of other things in the state of the

union, but today i want to talk about this. >> let me single this out, present the numbers and hopefully people will digest truly what's happening and more importantly, kristen, perhaps we will see this task force come up in 90 days with the recommendations and see them implemented to some degree and maybe even improving over time with the universities and as the president of the united states mentioned, presidents who lead these universities, both the men and women lead these universities. >> i think that's right. and there was an emphasis on the fact that there needs to be a partnership with the presidents and leaders of these universities. and there needs to be a real response to the recommendations that the task force comes up with. again, they have 90 days. so we'll have to see what type of teeth actually come along with the recommendations, but certainly these suggestions is that there will be some kind of accountability if presidents of universities don't follow through with the recommendations. >> thank you all for joining us. we greatly appreciate it. we'll have much more on this

report and its impact as the president said when you judge a nation on how it treats its women and its girls. thank you so much. greatly appreciate it. still ahead, the first day of syrian peace talks off to a rough start with secretary of state john kerry already getting to a heated exchange with syria's foreign minister over his future. and you can join our conversation on twitter. find us @tam rronhall. open to i. open to ambition. open to bold ideas. that's why new york has a new plan -- dozens of tax free zones all across the state. move here, expand here, or start a new business here and pay no taxes for ten years... we're new york. if there's something that creates more jobs, and grows more businesses... we're open to it. start a tax-free business at startup-ny.com. did you run into traffic?

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who has led the brutal response to his own people could regain the legit macy to govern. >> no one, mr. kerry, in the world has the right to -- to give legitimacy from a government, a president, a constitution or a law or anything in syria but syrians. >> the syrian foreign minister also clashed with u.n. secretary ban ki moon when the secretary general interrupted him after speaking 20 minutes. >> can't you just give me one or two minutes. >> i must finish my speech. >> but then i have to give -- no, no, no, i must give to opposition groups. >> you said you live in new york, live in syria. i have the right to give the syrian version. >> nbc news foreign

correspondent amen is joining me in studio. we are talking about the last exchange with ban ki moon and the syrian foreign minister here. this obviously surrounding what will happen to bashar al assad. many obviously want him completely removed from power. he wants to continue to stay. >> absolutely. this goes to show you how wide the gap is, that even the premise of these talks which are a continuation of gentlemeva 1 stipulated in effect that they cannot agree on this. this is a pointless endeavor. >> that's the fear, that this will go nowhere, ayman. >> exactly. it won't stop the fighting on the ground. too many parties involved, nobody in is in control of the violence to stop both sides. >> that's been the concern with 130,000 people believed to have been killed in this conflict over the three years. that no progress has been made in ending any of the ongoing fighting. it may not be in the headlines

as people focus on these talks, but as the talks happen, the killing continues. >> and this is the first time in nearly three years they are even sitting face to face in the same room. so it gives you a sense that it's taken this long just to get them to sit down and speak to one another, let alone try to come up with some kind of agreement. these talks are supposed to schedule and continue on friday. their talks are going to be non-direct, meaning the signs of speaking through mediators, but even the premise is so far apart. and that's why this is becoming a humanitarian disaster by every sense of the word. >> you have 40 nations involved in the talks, who are the key players at this point, if this is to move forward? >> it's the united states, russia, iran, on a regional level, sue dee arabia, qatar helping the opposition. but to rein in both sides, you need russia and iran to put a lot of pressure on the syrian government. and on the regional level, get saudi arabia and others to stop sending the weapons and resources to the opposition leading to the violence. and no indication that's going to be happening any time soon.

>> and that was my question, no indication this will happen any time soon. so in the next few days, what are we likely to see, if anything? >> well, from an optimistic point of view, what you can hope for is perhaps a cessation of violence in some area that is can allow humanitarian supplies to get in. a lot of international organizations are asking to stop the violence to allow for humanitarian efforts to get into some of the much-needed areas, whether it is some of these cities under siege for now a year. no food, no medical supplies, it's the dead of winter. so they are asking the sides to stop fighting to allow for the humanitarian corridors while trying to hammer out some framework. but it doesn't seem likely. >> we know this got off to a rough start of iran being dis-invited after being invited. as i understand, secretary kerry today left the door open for iran to participate. >> yeah, they weren't invited to this summit, they are -- secretary of state john kerry said iran has an important role to play. they are a major backer of the syrian government, politically,

financially, they allegedly sent some of their top military commanders to help with the strategic maneuvering on the ground. so they can help in putting pressure on the syrian government to change the dynamics of this conflict. >> ayman, thank you for joining us, greatly appreciate it. still ahead, the naacp is calling the decision not to indict a police officer despicable after the officer fired his weapon a dozen times killing a former college athlete who was unarmed and in need of help after a car crash. plus, lawyers trying to clear the name of one of the youngest people ever to be executed in this country back in court today. why prosecutors say george stinney shouldn't get a new trial. try zyrtec-d®. powerful relief of nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms -- all in one pill. zyrtec-d®. at the pharmacy counter.

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ruled the prosecution can have more time to review legal matters discussed in court. earlier today lawyers representing stinney's case called their final witness to the stand this morning. a forensic psychologist who testified that stinney's confession was coerced and not reliable. stinney supporters have long said he was forced to confess. and yesterday stipstinney's sisters testified they were with him when he was accused of killing two people. stinney is considered the youngest person to be executed in the united states in the past century. his trial lasted one day. nbc's mark potter is joining me now live from south carolina. so this is obviously a to-be-continued issue here, mark. >> reporter: absolutely. the judge carmen mullen decided to give some extra time to the prosecutor and the defense afterward to file legal briefs in the case, to look into a few things, and then she would rule at a later time.

so that's what caused the delay. and some time down the road, we expect that she will not hold another hearing but will just issue a written ruling to be issued in this case whether george stinney's american conviction is actually overturned. in court today as you said, the defense put on a psychiatrist who looked into the stinney case and who said that after her study, in her opinion, that his confession, or at least the confession that police say he gave at that time, was a, quote, coerced compliant false confession. it is not reliable, she said. the prosecutors then put on the niece of one of the two girls killed in 1944, which george stinney was accused of killing, and you mentioned her, betty june bennaker, and she was opposed to overturning the verdict saying, quote, i believe he confessed, he was tried and found guilty by the laws of

1944. now, the family of george stinn,y jr. argues it is high time to write what they are calling a travesty of justice, particularly the trial itself, the trial procedures leading to his execution. but the prosecutor says it is just not right to use the laws of today, which are much, much different to judge a case that occurred back in 1944. so that's the issue to be decided by the judge, probably some time next month. tamron? >> mark, thank you very much. and still ahead, the first high-profile republican to publicly call on governor chris christie to step down as chairman of the republican governors association. this is just one of the things we thought you should know. good job!

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suggested lesser charges for officer randolph car i can who shot former a&m football player jonathan ferrell after he got into a car accident. the autopsy showed he was lying on his knees or lying on the ground when the officer fired his weapon ten times. the widow of a man gunned down in a florida movie theater broke her silence in a news conference today. last week a retired police captain shot nicole oulsen's husband. she said her life is shattered. >> it is just unimaginable. me and my husband didn't get a date night very often, much less a whole day to spend together, so i was just so excited and looking forward to spending a day with the love of my life. and we're now learning convicted ponzi schemer bernie

madoff is recovering from a heart attack. madoff says he's back in prison after being hospitalized last month. the 75-year-old has stage 4 kidney disease but is not receiving dialysis. madoff served less than five years of the 150-year sentence for running the largest investment fraud scheme in u.s. history. still ahead, more bizarre behavior from robford who said he drank a little with friends. and be sure to like "the news nation" on facebook at facebook.com/newsnation. ♪ ♪ stacy's mom has got it goin' on ♪ ♪ stacy's mom has got it goin' on ♪ ♪ stacy's mom has got it goin' on ♪ [ male announcer ] the beautifully practical and practically beautiful cadillac srx. lease this 2014 cadillac srx for around $319 a month

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join the "news nation" at our facebook page. and there's a lot going on today. here's some things we just thought you should know. gubernatorial candidate ken

cuchinelli said governor chris christie should step down from the governors association, he said, quote, from the they are specktive of setting aside this as an issue in other races, it makes sense for him to step aside in that role. he does not serve the goals of that organization by staying as chairman. in a statement to the associated press, christie called the comments disappointing. toronto mayor rob ford is admitting he's fallen off the wagon after this video surfaced showing him rambling incoherently in what appears to be a jamaican accent at a fast food restaurant. >> do you think that video was offensive to people? >> no. i was just with some friends and what i do in my personal life and with my personal friends, that's up to me. this really has nothing to do with, it has nothing to do with you guys. it's my own time, with my own friend. >> mayor ford previously said he got sober after admitting last november to smoking crack cocai

cocaine. those are the things we thought you should know. now to a rare inside look at what it is like to run for president. a new documentary called mitt premiers on netflix following mitt romney's failed bid in the last two presidential contests. peter alexander has the story. >> reporter: it's a rare and intimate look at the man who could have been president. the new documentary "mitt" capturing a candidate most people never saw, private moments with his family -- >> a year ago we told you we love you no matter how this turned out, now we are not so sure. >> reporter: and candid comments before the scenes. >> this is what looks to anyone who loses the nomination in their party. they become a loser for life. >> reporter: no scene is more striking than this. election night inside romney's boston hotel room as he learns the presidency is slipping away. what do you think you say in a

concession speech? filmmaker greg white ly was granted extraordinary access to if family over six years and two presidential campaigns. >> one of the big questions is why could this 90-minute documentary by a filmmaker convey a personal warm, side of mitt romney that his team of paid strategists could not? >> reporter: even after romney's biggest triumph with the first presidential debate, he chalks it up to an overconfident president. >> sitting presidents have a hard time in the debates, george herbert did, george w. did, because they feel who is this whipper snapper that thinks they know the president of the united states? >> reporter: tag says the film is very real providing an undented look into the hard-fought campaign. peter alexander, washington. >> that does it for this edition

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the news is good that, yes, it appears as though these plows are getting ahead of the weather. the bad news is the weather is still weathering. record snowfall totals up and down the east coast. look at these windchills. 28 below. it will feel like in chicago. i've been standing here at reagan airport doing aviation stories for nine years. i don't think it's ever been this cold. >> another six inches of snow could be coming out of this storm when all is said and done. >> this storm dumped anywhere from 5 to 8 inches of snow on top of southeastern connecticut. >> a punishing combination of fierce winds and heavy snow, like a wind tunnel swirling its way through cape cod. >> just waiting for the storm to blow itself out. >> we still have the back edge of the weather system to contend with on the cape for the next couple of hours. >> by the afternoon rush, it's accumulating throughout the area.

and that continues hour after hour. >> these bridges, they freeze faster than the main roadways. >> everybody is going home for the day trying to get people off the roads. >> i know we said earlier an inch and hour, we are definitely getting that. >> we get over here with the wind, it has piled up the snow and it gets up to your waist. look at this drift here. right here, waist deep. good afternoon. i'm ari melber. here's what's sickling now. the big winter storm has left, but it left behind the coldest air of the season. think polar vortex 2.0, remember that? we do because it was less than two weeks ago from the nation's capitol to here in the north. we are digging out from, in some cases, a foot and a half of snow. our coverage begins in washington, d.c. where snowfall totals was 7 inches with the weather channel's kate parker. >> reporter: thank you, ari. yes, very cold here in the nation's capital. the stun is shining, but it is dereceiving