which means, birmingham, alabama, i know you're watching because i've seen it in the ratings. birmingham, if you are short a grand marshall for your next parade, his name is really hard to spell, but it doesn't matter. you got one. he's the brain surgeon at trinity. good friday morning. right now on "first look" a super weekend. the most watched sporting event in america is just two days away. but arrests for prostitution and drugs are in the news this morning. school lunch outrage. elementary students had their lunches pulled out from under them and tossed out by school officials as parents are furious. murder trial. the court reinstates amanda knox's guilty verdict. will she be extradited back to italy for a 28 year sentence? a tow truck driver narrowly misses certain injury or worse and a police officer gets a little too aggressive with this florida woman. happy friday. thanks for joining us.

i'm betty nguyen. we're begin with a major prostitution and cocaine crack down ahead of the super bowl. they were selling party packs of drugs and sex in new york city. they were accused of advertising on public access cable tv and taking credit cards and using texts to market their services. police have been watching the ring for 11 months but they decided to act now just in case anything was brewing for the super bowl. >> we have identified in the last year more than $3 million in credit card charges related to this enterprise and keep in mind that most johns pay cash. so that's a staggering number. >> 18 people are charged and more than half have already been arrested. and now that super bowl weekend is here, the crowds and the excitement, they are building as the performers and the players prepare for kick off. nbc's sarah dollof is live in times square that's actually been transformed into super bowl

boulevard. sarah, what's it like out there this morning? >> reporter: well, betty, we're going to describe it as the calm before the storm because the fans, they are definitely in town right now. once everything gets started it's the place to be in new york city with the chance to kick a field goal, go see the vince lombardi trophy and generally get excited about the game. the game, of course, in new jersey. the first open air cold weather stadium in nfl history and both teams are gearing up for that as well. we've learned a little bit more about halftime yesterday. bruno mars performing during halftime with the red hot chili peppers. a soprano accompanied by the new jersey symphony opening with the national anthem. so a moment of reverence there giving way to revel ri. 109 million people are going to watch the games and the commercial ast.

$4 million for a 30 second spot. back to you. >> i have to admit. those are my favorite part of the game, the commercials. there's always one major risk when it comes to football, concussions. and our new nbc news wall street journal poll finds the hazard driving american opinion days ahead of the super bowl, 40% say they would steer their child away from football and toward a different sport because of concussion concerns. 57% say they would have no problem if their child played the game. it also comes amid a major lawsuit over whether the nfl did enough to prevent former players concussions. a judge denied the $765 million settlement approval arguing it might not be enough to cover all the claims. so here is a story that will get you talking for sure, especially if you're about to send a child off to school. in the salt lake city school district officials are refusing to serve lunch to students that don't have enough money in their account. in fact, one 5th grader says an

administrator threw away her food in front of the entire lunchroom. >> she took me and i come back up and i'm like what's going on and she was like you don't have any money in your account. you can't get that. >> the district says it's reviewing the way parents are notified of negative balances and says they're hoping to implement a grace period. overseas to the bombshell verdict for amanda knox. there's new questions on whether the former exchange students will be forced to return to italy. late thursday an italian court once again found knox and her former boyfriend guilty of murder in the 2007 killing of her then roommate. it's just the latest twist in a case that captured international attention. in 2011 a court overturned the original conviction but ordered a new trial last year. now knox can appeal and only then will extradition be on the table if that appeal fails. in a statement she said in part,

quote, i am frightened and saddened by this unjust verdict. having been found innocent before, i expected better from the italian justice system. and coming up this morning on "today," an exclusive interview with knox's former boyfriend, raffaelle sollecito. the hazardous winter driving conditions across the country which lead to dramatic accidents and close calls caught on video. in mobile, alabama, a flatbed truck driver was removing a damaged vehicle when he was just missed by a skidding suv. now as you can see he got out of the way and was not hurt but boy that was a close call. a traffic camera in minnesota caught dozens of cars and trucks sliding on ice and crashing into each other. right there you see another one. luckily there were no serious injuries. we want to move west where there is deepening drought crisis in california. it's been so dry for so long california's governor is calling on the state to conserve water. a severe water shortage in some

communities is looming. nbc's miguel almaguer reports. >> reporter: this is what the sierra looked like a year ago. but this winter, what a difference. the state now in extreme drought. fourth generation farmer andy demanagonie feels the pain. >> actually all brown and dried up. >> without rain he'll use this year's wheat harvest. he sold livestock just to keep the farm and he says what's happening here will affect americans across the country. >> i can't grow any crop. that doesn't go to market. that creates a shortage and what happens with a shortage? prices go up. >> after declaring a state of emergency, governor jerry brown asked all californians to reduce their water use by 20%. >> long-term, we don't know what it means because we don't know how long it will last. but we're going to take every step we need to do. >> this is the first time exceptional drought has ever been declared in california.

for communities in ten counties water could run out in 60 days. now major cities are also feeling the pressure. most get their water from reservoirs. these before and after pictures show where water levels should be and where they are today. lakes, watersheds, are in serious trouble. >> nbc's miguel almaguer there reporting. want to get the latest in sports from my buddy, richard lui. a big game. >> we won't talk anything but the super bowl. good friday to you, my friends. time is short for super bowl preparation. with just two days to go, thursday the ground was so frozen, betty, the broncos practice was moved indoors for the first time. denver's coach wanted to protect the player's legs from the hard ground there while seattle stayed indoors for another day. it was themed turnover thursday

practice where the defense tries to strip the ball as they go through their scrimmages there. as they have done all but one time this season, the defense won the practice with an interception yesterday. so the so-called experts, you know those vegas experts have the seahawks as two point underdogs. let's go to the real experts, my friend. >> who's that? >> eli the april picking -- ape picking seattle. eli has picked the winner six years straight. do not mock him. >> i'm not. >> tag the beer also picking seattle. florida, buff the manatee is going with denver. he swam into the broncos logo. kiano the rhino selected a ball with a denver logo. all of this very scientific, my

friend. >> sunday, 6:00 p.m. eastern will tell you who got it right. hey, the site funny or die had fun with football broadcaster joe buck. he's not a fan favorite in new york. >> you know, some people think i have a bias against this city. not true. i have to say, i love it and it loves me. >> [ bleep ], joe buck, you like the yankees, you like the giants, we hate you. boo. >> the site-are you [ bleep ] kidding me? a whole pizza! >> and thin crust. got some behind the scenes video for you of a football themed photo shoot. kate upton making the call, taking the snap from the jets' center. i don't know, betty, who will the fans like more here, geno smith or the super model? >> i think we know who you like here. as we keep rolling the video.

thank you, rich around. let's head to bill carriages for the super bowl saturday forecast. that's what everyone wants to know, bill. >> this didn't turn out to be anything. it's anti-climatic. the outdoor super bowl in new york city. >> that's good news, right? >> it's good for the event. i know people wanted to see snow and a bad weather game. we won't get it. forecast calls for 42 at kickoff. wind chill won't be a factor. the game should be dry. the wind chill this morning in the northern plains, it's bad. the cold air, one of the only cold spots in the country continues to be minnesota, iowa, wisconsin and north dakota. we have snow this morning. careful in the denver area driving out on 70. kansas city, even chicago could have half an inch on the ground by the time the evening commute rolls around. it could be slippery. chicago gets the heavy snow as we go into saturday. the big story on the east coast, betty, is the warmup.

areas on the eastern seaboard should be in the 40s. >> that's a heat wave. >> feel hot. >> break out the shorts. >> it will all melt. thank you, bill. straight ahead, the incredible rescue of this baby girl buried in the rubble of a bonled out building. [ female announcer ] who are we? we are the thinkers. the job jugglers. the up all-nighters. and the ones who turn ideas into action. we've made our passions our life's work. we strive for the moments where we can say, "i did it!"

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. now for your first look at business we turn to cnbc's morgan brennan. good morning. >> more hacker e-mail. it affected an undisclosed number of accounts. it's prompting users to reset passwords. yahoo! said it was likely stolen from a third party database. meanwhile, microsoft could name a new ceo. nadella runs the cloud business. bill gates may step down as chairman. back to you. >> interesting news. thank you, morgan. some stories making news this morning that we want to

tell you about. the justice department will seek the death penalty if tsarnaev is found guilty of the attacks of the boston marathon. eric holder said the nature of the conduct at issue and the resultant harm compels this decision. incredible video shows life found in the aftermath of an alleged air strike in syria. a 14 month old girl was frantically dugout of rubble and dust to the joy of those around her. new video shows a florida woman arrested for drug charges and being literally dragged off to jail after, quote, deliberately going limp. the woman who has been arrested over 40 times believes the officer should have been given more than just a written reprimand. >> check out this hilarious police sketch. this is real released by a texas sheriff's department. not very helpful, right? wrong. the suspect in the armed robbery was found and arrested.

. governor christie's biggest supporter may be losing his mojo. who and why up next. is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection. and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! ♪ we are one, under the sun ♪ under the sun... [ female announcer ] fiber and protein. together as one. introducing new fiber one protein cereal. and this park is the inside of your body. see, the special psyllium fiber in metamucil actually gels to trap some carbs to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. metamucil. 3 amazing benefits

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3 amazing benefits ♪ make every day, her day with a full menu of appetizers and entrées crafted with care and designed to delight. fancy feast. love served daily. time now for your final dish of scrambled politics. hours after he left cap top hill, sandra fluke said she is strongly considering a run for the california seat held by

represent waxman's seat. rudy giuliani is changing his tone on governor chris christie's involvement in bridgegate. the former new york city mayor called the investigation a partisan witch hunt. he said he was telling the truth about shutting down lanes onto the george washington bridge. well, listen to what he's saying now. >> it's 50-50. it leaves you with no possible way of knowing did she discuss it with him or didn't she discuss it with him? the reality is even if you are a hands-on mayor or governor or chief executive, at best you must know about 10 or 20% of what's going on. otherwise, you'd never get through the day. marijuana is legal in colorado but not heroin, and senator mark udall's son found that out the hard way. 26-year-old jed udall has been

arrested on drug and trespass charges. police responded to a man breaking into cars. in a statement senator udall said he was stressed about the news and promised to stand with his son during treatment. new this morning on msnbc.com mayor de blasio is keeping a promise to reform the stop and frisk. the city has dropped an appeal on the controversial policy. and coming up this sunday on "meet the press," a look at the battles ahead. the president laid out his agenda to congress but will anything really get done? david gregory sits down with white house chief of staff denis mcdonough. it's friday and that means politico's seven surelli is here for our first look at scrambled politics. >> happy friday, betty. thanks for having me. >> the state department is set to release an environmental

report on the keystone pipeline. back in june president obama promised that it would be acceptable if it doesn't add to the pollution problem, but if it does, does this put him in a tough position? >> it absolutely will put him in a tough position, and if you think earlier this week during the president's state of the union address when he declared that climate change is a fact, but he made really no mention of the keystone pipeline driktly. that being said, as you mentioned today, this much anticipated report from the state department is coming. secretary of state john kerry has said that there is no really timetable for the plans moving forward. it will be interesting to see what that report reveals. >> indeed. and this is a huge project spanning from canada to texas. there has to be a lot of jobs riding on this. >> a lot of jobs riding on this, but also a lot of polite calling discussion, if you will, to say the least, particularly between

the environmental activists and the president's own party and as you say that perhaps this wouldn't be the most eco friendly, and then you've got to remember that a lot of folks in the business community really do want this because, again, of the job. i want to switch to the super bowl. we've got to talk about it because it's coming up. in an election year historically do you have any idea who has an advantage, the afc or the nfc? >> i'm not sure how the numbers break down, but i will say that i will be rooting for richard sherman this weekend. >> really? >> you know, i am. he got in a little twitter banter yet with peyton and i like seattle. i think that it could be really interesting to see how the country reaktcts to richard sherman. i'm rooting for that. what about you? >> i kind of think seattle is going to do it, i do. i'm going to say seattle by 7. i have no idea if that will happen or not. >> wow. we'll talk last week. >> i sounded pretty confident when i said it, right? that's all that matters.

>> i believe you. >> thank you, kevin, you have a great weekend. >> you, too. enjoy the game. >> thanks. just a he had had, bill karins and richard lui are back and then advice for justin bieber from someone who's used to being at the center of controversy. l nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite is a vitamin made just for your eyes from the eye care experts as bausch + lomb. ocuvite has a unique formula that's just not found in any leading multivitamin. your eyes are unique, so help protect your eye health with ocuvite. ♪ whoa, who-o-o-a ♪ one, two, three, four! ♪ ohh, oh-oh-oh-oh ♪ ohh, oh-oh-oh-ohhh ♪ go, let's go ♪ hit me like a supernova ♪ let it flow ♪ over like an ocean

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i know you're friends with justin. any advice you would give him? >> i would just say, you know what, you've got a lot of money. pay people to make sure you don't get in trouble. >> yes. >> and party at your house. >> yeah. yeah. >> buy a home and add a club to it. >> all right. we're going to go to our first buzz. we have bill and richard.

when you have miley cyrus giving justin bieber advice, i don't know what to say to the nation at that point. >> that's what we do, pay people to get in trouble. >> speaking of getting in trouble. i want to start with this story. it's pretty outrageous. we talked about it earlier in the show. in salt lake city, they were basically denying kids their lunches. not only did they deny them the lunches, but they took them and threw them in the trash because they didn't have enough money in their account that day. they were giving these young kids a thing of fruit and some milk instead. i know a lot of parents are really upset about that. look, don't punish the kids if the parents didn't pay the account, right? >> it makes no sense. i mean, plus, to do it in front of all of their friends friends and everything. >> it's humiliating. >> the way they went about it. someone could have chipped in 20 bucks for one day until they got ahold of the parent. >> give them a grace period. come on. let them have some lunch. it's super bowl friday, right? we're going to name it that. richard, you have a serious

story for us. >> the top story we led with this hour, that is of course the issue of human trafficking. great to see that bust that happened. they worked so hard at it. nbc news investigation has a new piece out this morning and they are talking about, you know, does the number increase during these bins big events? in some cases they do not. in some cases they do. but we have to look at the increase in population during the super bowl. it goes up by 400,000. that's how many people come here. >> really? >> are more sex slaves brought into this area? they give out bars of soap. there's a toll-free number for people to call, 888-373-7888. that is the national human trafficking hotline should you see something suspect. we are going to lighten things up. bill, it's friday, right? >> you can bet on anything at the super bowl. let me ask you how you would bet on these. bruno mars doing the halftime show. will he wear a hat, yes or no? you can bet on that. what do you guys think? >> i think he's going to wear a hat. >> he always wears a hat.

>> then the question is what kiechbtd of hat he will do, fedora, fur hat or no hat at all? a lot of people don't think that. >> he can't do the pharrell hat. >> will they say marijuana or not. >> will the power go out? >> all right. stay tuned because w"way too early" starts right now. how is georgia so ill prepared? >> governor, we have been confronted with an unexpected storm. there's not anybody in this room that could have predicted the degree and the magnitude of the problem that developed. >> sure, no, i guess that's probably the case. unless anyone in that room had been watching what i guess you call the weather. >> the weather channel's mike seidel has the very latest. >> reporter: we have winter storm watches and warnings into atlanta. there will be snow, sleet, freezing rain. >> two inches of snow will literally shut down the city. >> not only were they warned but the call was coming from inside

the house. >> the weather channel is located inside atlanta. >> the weather channel is located in atlanta. it's right there! also, located in atlanta -- also located in atlanta, the society for prevention of highway stuckage and the national department of seeing [ bleep ] coming. how could two inches of snow paralyze atlanta? the governor's frank new admission about the snow response. speaking of digging, get ready to dig deeper if you enjoy amazon prime but just by how much. and super bowl trash talk. seahawks versus broncos. peyton manning is saying what the duck after richard sherman lets the insults fly. this is "way too early." wcb is right. hi, everybody. i'm thomas roberts. it's friday, january the 31st. welcome to "way too early."