it's 3:00 eastern, midnight in russia. this is a live look at the scene in sochi. the opening ceremonies will air tomorrow night. but for the first time in 30 years, events are taking place before the official kickoff to the games. some of these events totally new. slopestyle snowboarding and team ice skating made their debut today. we've already got some results to report. yes, these are reports. here they come. and we'll be done in about 40 seconds. we start with some good news for team usa. the ladies crushed it in their first slopestyle event. jamie anderson and carly shore both automatically qualified for the finals on saturday and will go for the gold. the american men fell short on the tough course, failing to automatically advance to saturday's finals. team usa is competing without star shaun white who pulled out of the event yesterday to focus on the half pipe. his three teammates can still make it to the finals by finishing in the top four in saturday's semis. this year i get even more of my favorite winter sport, ice skating. the brand-new team competition is already under way.

the men and the pairs perform their short programs. more on how that event works in a moment. finally, round one of the women's mobiles qualifiers was held today with american hannah herny atop the board followed by sisters. all of this before the torch is even lit. kev kevin tibbles is live at olympic park. and here we have the executive editor for "sports illustrated." its olympic preview issue is on newsstands now. we'll start with you because you have waited up so late to be with us, kevin. just a week ago, it seemed the atmosphere in sochi was sort of dead, more like a laboratory zone than an actual home base for the olympics. how much has that vibe changed now that there are athletes arriving? does it finally feel like it's the olympics? >> first off, it's not really that late. i'm not up past my bedtime that much tonight. but i've got to tell you, i

really think there is some momentum building. sure there's been controversy, everything from hotel rooms with toilets that don't flush and heaters that don't work, and there's a lot of talk about stray animals. yes, those things are all here. there are growing painstaking place here. but there is some momentum building. i think a lot of the volunteers that i see here strike me as being very similar to the volunteers that i've seen at other olympics. these are russian kids, russian adults as well. everyone wants to pull this thing off. i think this is a nation that wants to show that it can do it too in the world stage. i think they want to take a part of their past and put it in their past. i'm not so sure the western media is going to allow them to do that. but i think that that's what they're trying to do. i think behind me in this stadium tomorrow night, i think that they're going to show that this is a country of culture, of dance, of music, all the things

that, you know, i think a lot of us in the west really have put on the back burner for a number of years. and let's just hope that vladimir putin is happy with it all. >> that's the most important thing. >> john, let's go to the actual sports, though. figure skating is one of my favorites. team figure skating happening for the first time this year. they will have the chance to get a second medal if they do well. what is this? >> this is the beauty of the winter olympics. summer olympics, it's usain bolt, it's michael phelps, it's lebron james, serena williams. we know these athletes, we know these sports. part of the charm of the winter olympics, totally different vibe. the sport itself is part of the appeal. we're learning these new sports and it's half pipe and it's luge and part of the appeal is discovering not just these athletes, but these sports. >> part of what you're alluding to is the x-games-ization. the x games is something that espn did to move millennials.

now it's fully integrated into what the olympics are all about. shaun white is one of the biggest stars. what do you think about this x-games-ization of the olympics? >> i've got no issue. it's new sports. what they're doing is sports. >> cowabunga. >> i think this shows a real flexibility with the olympics, which isn't often accused of that. it's good that they've sort of built this in and they're adapting. look at the winter olympics. tell me that half pipe is any more unconventional than skeleton. i'm all for it. >> kevin, what should we expect -- >> reporter: i think you're absolutely right. it brings in the younger crowd. these are the kids that are doing these things. i think that it is -- you're talking about snowboarding and the half pipe. look how that has exploded around the world. >> absolutely. >> reporter: and it all came from the x games, but it's certainly here and it's on a world stage. >> yeah, sport evolves and great

for the olympics to recognize that. kevin, what should we expect from the opening ceremonies tomorrow night? in vancouver, it was this sort of beautiful, most earthy feel. china was this incredible spectacle. london was sort of like this crazy rock concert. what do you think we're going to see in sochi? >> i really think it's going to be a big bang theory is going to take place in there. i think they're just going to throw everything, and i think that they hope a lot of it is going to stick. i think it's going to be colorful. i think it's beginning to be loud. i think we're going to see a lot of traditional costume. and i think we're going to see, i hope we're only going to see a little bit of the russian rock music that i've been listening to. [ laughter ] >> uh-oh. >> reporter: but i think -- i'm sure it's all going to be thrown in. i think it's all going to be thrown into the blender. and i think it's going to be all spun around. i think it's going to blow us away. why wouldn't it? this country can do it. >> hopefully putin without the shirt on a horse maybe.

>> reporter: you never know. i want to see them dancing. >> that will be cool. >> i think to her point, you can't rule anything out, that's why you have to watch the opening ceremony. you mentioned horses. one of the great sports back in the day was ski joring. this was a horse holding you as you see. back in 1928, that was a demonstration sport. so when we think about what's untraditional, there have been a lot of different types of sports. on the x games front, though, and the folks tla y s that we dw as well, who should we look out for that is less prominent but could break out? >> i'll give you five names real quick. athletes to watch at the sochi games. micayla schiffren. she learned unconventionally, only 18 years old from colorado.

she may well win a medal. donny davis. speed skater from the midwest. a bit of a polarizing personality. but he has a real chance of medaling. bode miller, now 36 years old. >> wow. >> his last run. he's obviously at a different point in his life than he was when we last saw him. but it will be interesting to see. obviously a script waiting to be written. my favorite, women's ice hockey. we're hoping the u.s. will play canada for the gold medal game. these two teams hate each other. they have been trash talking, twitter battles, they had a big brawl last time they played. watch for that. watch for them. and the fifth is just a total wild card. this is the beauty of the olympics. there is always a story line. it's jamaican bobsled. it's the biathlete with the broken rib who medals, which actually happened in vancouver. toilet fishing. there's always something that is totally off the board. we may not have even heard of

their spot. >> did you just say toilet fishing? >> i'm getting to that next block. >> that is a great place to end. thank you. we will see you both soon. up next, details on that tooth paste terror warning just today. this year, the games are as much about politics as they are about sports. "the cycle" rolls on for thursday, february 6th. bloating? one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three types of good bacteria. i should probably take this. live the regular life. phillips'. [ phone dings ] [ nephew ] hi, heath. i can't wait to see you win gold!

bye. [ male announcer ] there when you need it. at&t. the nation's most reliable 4g lte network.

have the courage to address your disagreements in a

peaceful, direct political dialogue and not on the backs of the athletes. >> that is thomas bach, president of the international olympic committee and he is telling politicians to keep politics out of the game. but sochi, like other host n nations before it is proving to be a political mine field. holding team usa's yogurt supply in customs to the more serious security warnings, to warnings about airlines and having possible explosives in tooth paste. sochi is as much a political competition as it is an athletic one. nbc's richard eng gel el explai. >> reporter: they still want to disrupt these games. there is that ongoing controversy with accusations that russia bullies and intimidates the gay community. but today, russian officials were trying to distance

themselves from both of these concerns, saying that in their opinion, there is no security threat and that anyone coming to these games is entitled to his or her own personal life. >> thanks to richard engel for that report. now we're joined by josh barro. welcome. i want to pick up on that point. for putin, the games are a chance for him to reassert his international status. russia's a world power. but there's also plenty of, i think warranted scrutiny on his record at home. for example, human rights watch which says the kremlin treats foreign funded independent groups, lgbt people and migrants as though they were enemies of russia. russian authorities should acknowledge their contributions to society." so josh, how does putin walk this line and get what he wants out of this while a lot of the rest of the world wants to use this moment understandably as a chance to improve human rights in russia? >> i think he's going to try to

talk about that as little as possible. i think that's why you get this line not just from the ioc, but also from the russians that this is supposed to be about sports and about the olympics and don't worry about these things. and there's a long tradition of these things. the soviets hosted the olympics in 1980. so it's not a new problem to figure out the problem of how do we deal with handing out olympics sometimes to countries whose activities we think are unsavory. for a long time, the world has found one way or another to deal with having the olympics in countries that were up to bad things. >> let's talk about the gay rights situation. just today, the u.n. chief called for an end to discrimination against gays. he didn't speak specifically about the situation in russia, but the timing of his message and the message itself, pretty darn clear. he said, "we must all raise our voices against attacks on lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender or intersex people." they're also saying no protesting is allowed during the

olympics. how do you see this playing out over the coming days? >> the mayor of sochi were saying there are no gays in sochi anyway, so it doesn't matter. i think you will see western countries and people from western countries using this as an opportunity to protest the law and i think that's great, but i think part of the argument for this law within russia is that it's trying to keep out decadent western forces. they understand that western governments don't like the anti-gay approach, but i think that they don't view that as a meaningful critique. i think the russians see this as a russian exceptionalism thing, where they're better than the west in the regard that they are resisting homosexuality. >> the formerly incarcerated punk rock dissidents pussy riot were on colbert the other night. take a listen. >> you said that you were only released as a public relations stunt for the sochi olympic games. do you believe that's true?

[ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: we'd much rather work on freeing the people who are still in jail who got arrested on the 6th of may for standing up for freedom and there are 12 people in jail right now with terms ranging from five to six years. and while this is happening, no p.r. stunt can fix russia's image. >> what do you think about this idea of putin freeing them right before the games as a sort of p.r. stunt, and is he perhaps letting them go to america and say whatever they want on american television a way of him sort of showing how powerful he is, and that they can't really hurt him, and somehow this actually makes him look better? >> i think that's plausible. i'd also note that russia -- it's not north korea in terms. the media environment. it's a repressive place, but it's unevenly repressive. television is basically state controlled, but you have a substantially freer print media.

so it's not as though putin is taking every opportunity he has to crush people who are speaking against him. so i think that this is an opportunity to show the west a certain amount of openness. but also again, as with the gay rights stuff, i think he's not that concerned about the idea that people in the west might talk about how the russian government is doing various bad things because what he's doing is more popular within russia than outside it. >> well, josh, there is an unpopular idea that i want to get your thoughts on. a lot of attention has been drawn to the fact that russia spent over $50 billion on this olympics, more than every other winter olympics combined. an insane amount of money to build up this town. and then after the olympics go, some parts of it will basically be abandoned and four years later, a new sochi will be created. where is the next one, do we know? >> rio. >> and then south korea. >> right. so is it wasteful to be building these cities all over the world?

why not create one permanent olympic site that, you know, everybody goes to every four years rather than having this moving around the world thing? >> well, certainly the sochi olympics seem pretty wasteful to me. to put it in comparison, $50 billion is 2.5% of russian gdp. this would be like if the united states decided to sink $400 billion into an olympics games. it's almost at the southern most point in russia. it's a subtropical place and you have to go up thousands of feet in elevation to the mountains to get to the skiing events. so there was this huge expense to build a road and rail link. so this looks wasteful. there's also a lot of organized crime in russia, so a lot of that expense is basically stuff that's getting skimmed off the top by mob bosses. i think overall, the olympics -- a lot of cities and countries have lost a lot of money in the olympics over the years. it was a huge disaster for montreal in the 1970s. but i think it can also be a valuable source of national pride and the olympics are lot of fun and part of the reason

they're a lot of fun is that they move around the world every four years. i think the key thing to do is keep moving them around and finding ways to do it more economically. there are some cities that just have the resources in place where they can host the olympics without having to build nearly as much infrastructure. that's part of how los angeles got the olympic games in 1984. when lake placid hosted them in 1980, there were a lot of facilities left over from the previous time they hosted the olympics. so there are places that can do this without having to spend $50 billion on it. i wouldn't to just want to move it to somewhere in the middle of the desert. >> yeah. there was something else i saw online that i found a bit troubling that i wanted to get you to weigh in on. here are some rules for use of the toilets in sochi. the two on the bottom -- i mean, i don't even know what's going on in that last one. toilet fishing? is that something people do? what do you think of this? >> it seems like pretty good advice to me.

i think you probably shouldn't fish out of the toilets in sew chi -- sochi. of all the advice, that seems pretty correct. >> i hope you can join us next week when we talk more olympics. abby is doing a special series, bobsledding versus curling. >> which are you coming down on? >> i haven't decided yet. >> that's a great tease. >> josh, things are falling apart here. come back again soon. >> okay. up next, after two decades, america does say farewell to jay leno tonight. it reminds us of some other memorable tv goodbyes and we'll spin on that next. sound of spray paint ] ♪ we asked people a question, how much money do you think you'll need when you retire? $500,000. maybe half-million. say a million dollars. [ dan ] then we gave each person a ribbon to show how many years that amount might last.

♪ i was trying to like pull it a little further. you know, i was trying to stretch it a little bit more. [ woman ] got me to 70 years old. i'm going to have to rethink this thing. [ man ] i looked around at everybody else and i was like, "are you kidding me?" [ dan ] it's just human nature to focus on the here and now. so it's hard to imagine how much we'll need for a retirement that could last 30 years or more. so maybe we need to approach things differently, if we want to be ready for a longer retirement. ♪ ♪ worst morning ever. [ angelic music plays ] ♪ toaster strudel! best morning ever! [ hans ] warm, flaky, gooey. toaster strudel!

the day building a play set begins with a surprise twinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪

in the news cycle, actual news from speaker boehner promising to raise the debt ceiling, preventing another showdown before the deadline later this month. in fact, he went so far as to

say, get this, republicans could consider an increase without any add-ones. i can't believe it. president obama this afternoon declared parts of pennsylvania disaster areas. that will allow fema and oher federal agencies to move into regions devastated by the ice storm. close to half a million people remain without power. one official compared damage to the aftermath of a hurricane. what could possibly go wrong with this? discovery's latest thrill-seeking reality show will feature a daredevil jumping off of mount everest on live tv. >> okay. >> the special airing in may will feature the man who made a name for himself by climbing everest in a record nine and a half hours. the climb usually takes four days. >> i love people who don't want to just climb the tallest mountain, they also have to do it the fastest. scientists in australia are working to identify a new species of jellyfish that washed ashore. this thing is huge. it's actually nearly five feet around.

one marine biologist who studied jellyfish for more than 20 years said the sight of this one took her breath away. >> that's an amazing photograph. >> i love that. >> the news and the spin cycles are colliding for a big night in television history. eight short hours from now, jay leno will broadcast his final tonight show on nbc. it's a finale 22 years in the making. leno goes out the same way he came in, number one in late night. some of his biggest fans are hollywood's biggest stars and they're finding that saying goodbye is no laughing matter. >> you've always been so kind. and that's saying a lot in this business, because we like to be mean. there's not been one time that you haven't treated me like i had something to offer, even when the film was horrible and you knew it, you never let me see it. when i made crazy life decisions, you never questioned. you were always so welcoming and every single person on your crew was that way consistently. and i just felt special even when i felt very insecure. and everyone i think in this

room and this country has felt that every day that you've been in your home. i'm so grateful that i got to be a part of this. >> you are special. >> that's so sweet. so genuine. but i think a lot of people feel that way. 22 years he's been on the air. it's really hard to see a show that you love -- >> lovely guy, lovely career. >> but jimmy fallon is going to be awesome. i think this is a time to think back on the wonderful moments of jay leno's career and i think this is going to be about some of our favorite shows' final episodes. one of my favorite shows was "full house." something we can all remember, at least, and relate on. let's just show the final clip of that episode. >> i mean, you were here, sweetheart, but it was like part of you was missing. like part of us was missing. but we stuck it out and we got through it. >> just like we always do. >> just like we always will.

>> aw, guys. >> danny tanner's character is kind of creepy. >> when they cue the music, they're always -- >> i love "full house," but just looking back, danny tanner's character. >> it's so cheesy, but i loved it. whenever they sit on d.j.'s bed, the music would come in and they would have that teachable moment. stephanie learned a great dance to motown philly, probably my favorite episode. >> good times. >> ho doesn't love a teachable moment? >> what was your favorite "full house" episode? >> i mean, i respect you. you know that. and we're friends. >> uh-oh. >> i don't know how you put "full house" anywhere on the list. not on the list, let alone top five. let alone your favorite. >> "full house" is amazing. >> lovely show. positive messages. not artistically inspired is

where i come down on it. >> it spoke to me and i spoke to abby in our youth and that means something, okay? you can't take that away from us. >> i was 10. >> tell us what your favorite was. >> i'm not chris christie, i'm not going to hold your high school or your youth against you. i think for me, "cheers" was just such a great show growing up. to me, it was a lot like a play where everything happens almost exclusively in the bar, so you really see people only in that context, and yet you see how they present themselves. they start out just being friends, just being in a bar, just talking. by the end of that show, you feel like you know all of them. let's take a listen. >> i knew you'd come back. >> you did? >> you can never be unfaithful to your one true love. you always come back to her. >> who is that? >> think about it, sam.

>> and although i was goofing with you about being corny, i guess what i really loved in the last show of "cheers" is that is a show that's really about friendship, real friendship, deep friendship. i always love that. >> totally true. well, i love "full house." i also love "saved by the bell." but more recently, one of the only recent series that i've actually watched from beginning to end was "the sopranos," and their final episode, very controversial. it just ends. you don't really know whether toe tny was killed. seems like he was going to be but then they don't show it. a lot of people hated that ambiguity. i actually really liked it. after spending all that time with him, you could kind of make your own ending with what you wanted to happen. let's take a look. ♪ don't stop believin' hold on to that feelin' ♪ ♪ street lights

people ♪ ♪ don't stop >> that's it. >> yeah, you know -- >> i've been to that diner, too. >> i lived to "the sopranos." i don't look at that moment as ambiguous at all. we're looking at it from tony's pov. he's killed. that would be the last thing that you would see. if a bullet went through your brain, no more. >> who knows what was actually intended. david chase is certainly never going to say. i see it as sort of being left in the hands of the viewer, who had spent their life with this family for eight years. especially after james gandolfini actually passing, i kind of like the idea of him living on in "the sopranos." >> so, these are some fabulous choices, especially you. "the sopranos" is up there. the greatest finale -- >> okay, you're not okay when

people judge you. >> oh! burn. he's going to need obamacare to recover from that burn. shut it down. greatest series finale, show finale of any, it requires a little setup. but it is "newhart." my mom is like oh wow, i'm so glad you picked that, because it was her favorite show. i remember sitting in the kitchen and watching this show with her. there was a show called "the bob newhart show." he was a psychologist in chicago. he's married to a teacher. that ends in '78. '82 he starts doing ""newhart." they do this mad cap 28-minute episode and then he gets hit by a golf ball, i'm getting chills just remembering this. he wakes up in bed, and the whole thing, the whole eight-year show was a dream from

the previous show. show that. >> you won't believe the dream i just had. don't you want to hear about it? [ cheers and applause ] >> all right, bob. what is it? >> well, i was an inn keeper in this crazy little town in vermont. >> i'm happy for you. good night. >> to wrap up one show referencing the previous show, it was brilliant. >> i remember that now. my parents used to watch that. >> and i was like mom, what happened? why are you freaking out about this? it's like well, you have to understand, there was a whole other show.

when suzanne turns, it's like wow. >> guess you had to be there. >> clearly, we're also talking about shows we love. we'll be talking about jay leno for a very, very long time. i learned something today. thank you for introducing me to a new show. we asked our facebook friends what series finale they remember most. steven said "m-a-s-h" with "cheers" being a close second. overwhelmingly our facebook friends agreed with steven and ari as well. let us know. still ahead, an idea that sounds like it's straight out of "the jetsons." a super computer that could change the world.

(knochello? hey, i notice your car is not in the driveway. yeah. it's in the shop. it's going to cost me an arm and a leg. that's hilarious. sorry. you shoulda taken it to midas. get some of that midas touch. they tell you what stuff needs fixing, and what stuff can wait. next time i'm going to midas. high-five! arg! i did not see that coming. trust the midas touch. for brakes, tires, oil, everything. (whistling) ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing good around ♪ ♪ turn around, barry ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ [ female announcer ] fiber one. we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement, standard with our auto policies. so call liberty mutual at... today.

and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about trying or adding a biologic. this is humira, adalimumab. this is humira working to help relieve my pain. this is humira helping me through the twists and turns. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for over ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. for many adults, humira is proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems,

serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira , your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your doctor if humira can work for you. this is humira at work.

computers have come a long way, but now there's a new super computer based on quantum mechanics that could potentially spark a global arms race. it has the potential to solve the most complex problems, easily break encryption protections and do tons of create stuff that we probably can't even fathom. also in a recently leaked edward snowden nsa document code named penetrating hard targets. this new super computer has huge investments, from goldman sachs, the cia and nasa. oh yeah, the computer runs in an environment that is colder than the coldest known place in the universe. it is also the subject of the new "time" magazine cover story to be released this week. we have time's business editor to tell us what this is, why it's so controversial. matt, thank you so much for joining us. just before we get started, i did want to note for our viewing audience that you agree with me about tony soprano.

two versus one, we obviously win. moving forward to super computers. >> wow. >> how is it different than a normal computer? what does it do that is different than a normal computer? >> so, classical computers, as quantum snobs call them, operate on classical physics. quantum physics is complicated, full of crazy jargon and way out there theories. but by doing so, it promises to unlock huge amount of computing power that we have never had before basically. >> i read your cover story and i understood a very small amount of it. >> as the editor, i'm gratified. >> one thing i took -- and i want you to explain it better for me. this is not about oh, your new iphone is faster than your old iphone. you're talking about a total shift in the kind of problems that can be solved.

the article gives the example that the old model is like if you were measuring a mountain and you had one person walking around. this model with the quantum non-binary approach is like storming the mountain with way more people. what does that mean in computer speak and what potential benefits are there to society? >> well, so computers have gotten really good at doing a lot of things fast. what these computers do is a lot of things at once. and the computer made by the company that we profiled in the story, it theoretically could do more things simultaneously there are at toms in the universe. >> say that again. >> it could do more things simultaneously than there are atoms in the entire universe. >> insane. >> it's a number so big that if we wanted to print it, we couldn't. this has a lot of applications in medicine, in cryptography. lo lockhead martin is using these

to test their fighter jets to make sure they don't reboot in midair. it's really broad, everything from health to elections. >> think about what happens when several private companies have these and use them. google and lockheed martin already have them. i'm sure goldman sachs could pick up three at lunchtime. because they cost $10 million? >> that's right. >> so goldman and these sort of companies could pick them up and without blinking, jp morgan could buy ten without blinking. not necessarily all bad, but what happens when the private companies start getting hold of them? >> we're just at the very edge of this whole revolution, and the thing is we don't actually know thousand use them very well yet. it's not like pcs where everyone knows how to program for the computer. none of that's really been developed. so right now, there's a lot of back and forth on whether or not these things will actually be useful, which is why we thought it was so interesting and worthy of a cover story. >> yeah, and one of the concerns that people have is, as we were mentioning, that theoretically this sort of quantum super

computer could break every known form of encryption in the world. >> that's right. the documents that snowden leaked suggested that the nsa was interested in a slightly different kind of quantum computer that could break codes on a massive scale. >> it's funny when you talk about it breaking, because i think about go to the genius bar and be like, my computer is not working properly. and there really woruldn't be ay genius there that would say we can fix that. >> did you reboot? >> part of the problem for approximating human intelligence is the binary nature of computers. is part of what could happen with quantum computers a closer approximation of human intelligence? >> yeah, it's exactly one of the most promising applications for these machines is machine learning, artificial intelligence. so google has one. it's using it to help glass --

augmented glasses learn the difference between a wink and a blink, which sounds really simple, but actually for a computer to understand the difference between those two is pretty difficult. >> so are we heading to a future like her where the computer will be able to speak to us in a human sort of way? >> it's possible. >> i had scarlett johansson read your whole article to me out loud. >> all right, i think we should leave it there. >> yeah. >> i think this stuff is super cool. thank you so much. >> definitely. up next, the real life guy version of carrie bradshaw tackles love's biggest questions. is cheating ever okay? do soulmates exist? can true love conquer all? you'll want to hear these answers. >> welcome to the age of uninnocence. no one has breakfast at tiffany's and no one has a paris to remember. instead, we have breakfast at 7:00 a.m. and affairs we try to forget as quickly as possible.

self-protection and closing the deal are paramount. cupid has flown the co-op. how the hell did we get into this mess? new hope. still, it's harder than it should be to raise a family... save for retirement. so president obama is urging congress to give america... a raise. his plan raises the minimum wage to ten ten an hour. and requires equal pay for women to boost family incomes. because an empty pan is a blank canvas. [ woman #2 ] to share a moment. [ woman #3 ] to travel the world without leaving home. [ male announcer ] whatever the reason. whatever the dish. make it delicious with swanson. [ male announcer ] whatever the reason. whatever the dish. [ mala body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms.

but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions, or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers.

don't take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history. and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion.

the day building a play set begins with a surprise twinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪ what is love? >> love has something to do with hugs and kisses and a warm feeling inside. >> yeah. boy, love sounds great. >> love is great, grover. it's warm and sweet and it makes

life worth living. unless she leaves you and breaks your heart into tiny pieces, making you want to die rather than live another second. it's heartbreak! >> are you okay? >> i am. that was a long time ago. our next guest has been exploring the meaning of love for at least a decade. he's the editor of the stellar modern love column, my wife's favorite column in the whole paper and he's compiled what he's learned into "love illuminated." several books about relationships, including the bastard on the couch. welcome dan jones. thank you for being here. look, the column last sunday talking about how couples that have been together for a long time keep the flame going. my wife said you've got to read this! so give the people some ideas on how a couple that's been together for a long time can keep it going. >> yeah, well, people have various ways of working with that. and i broke them up into

restorers, who work to -- whether they have ten kisses a day or -- >> ten kisses a day? >> or date nights. >> that's kind of low. >> what's funny about it and ironic about it, marriage gets boring from routines. and yet the main recommended way to bring back the spark are more routines. >> my husband cannot dance. >> jeff, under the bus. continue, sir. >> and another way, it doesn't really bring back the spark to the marriage, but another way people deal with boredom in marriage is sneaking and trying to get that passion met elsewhere, not necessarily by cheating but through electronic devices and by having online affairs that become rich emotional experiences that sustain them. allows them to continue in their marriage and be with their kids and the whole thing. >> let me ask you, dan.

when you mentioned those different ways that people keep the intensity and the restore model that you write about, a part of that is a shift from a natural state in an earlier relationship where you go out a lot. it's not called date night. but it's a night wherein dates occur, being together a long time, and as you report and write about, people trying to find routines that help make their intensity and emotional connection more likely. do you think that only works for people who are basically type a, who can get over the regiment of that? or does that potentially work for anyone who initially might think that seems a little overdone? >> i think the person who's type a and the couple that's type a is more apt to choose that method, where they want -- they don't want to break up. they don't want the passion to wane. and their first impulse is to sit down and say all right, what are we going to do to bring this back. where do we want to be. and they consult experts and they read books and they educate

themselves to how they can do it better. >> i think the problem there is that soon to be married ari does not understand you have to work at it to make a marriage keep going. >> he will know that very, very soon. interesting, we didn't go out with strangers, people they don't know from adam. in fact, one-third of new marriages, according to a poll last year, met each other online. and the research shows that people that do meet online are actually slightly happier and are more likely to stay together. help us understand that. >> that's an interesting fact. we used to go out with people we knew and now -- some people go out with only, only strangers. it's made us more wary. it's also made us grasp onto coincidences and things that seem like fate so that there's this, you know, person out there and there are so many people out there to choose from, and, you know, we seize on some

coincidence and we're like, maybe that's why i'm supposed to be with that person. it makes that much more likely. >> and i think in modern america we have this sort of romcom based princess, fairy tale ending notion of what love and marriage is. are we poorly served by having an overly idealized image of that? >> yeah. we idealize marriage and life-long passion and we think in terms of soulmates. you know, this is a soulmate is someone who gets me on a very deep level. but you're not going to meet someone who gets you on a deep level right away. a soulmate is something that has to be earned. in 10, 20 years if you feel like you're with your soulmate, you can get newthrough a lot of difficult times by feeling this is the person i'm meant to be with. >> i love when you talk about if you personify love and embody love in human form you'll be like e.t. a little bit? quickly, how is that? >> so, you know, i am guilty of

this and other people who sort of study this subject. we try to pull apart into pieces and figure out is it smell, you know, what is it that brings people together? we try to find some scientific explanation for love. it just reminded me of the scene in e.t. where there's this magical creature and he's on this operating table with electrodes taped to him and he almost dies. is this what we're going to do to love through science? trying to kill it by trying to figure it out? we should leave little bit of magic alone i think. >> but love is irrational. >> it is totally irrational. you mentioned soul malts. such an interesting question. do you actually believe soulmates? >> i believe that you can earn someone's trust and get to know them deeply enough where, yes, you feel like people think what a soulmate is. when you have arguments and difficult times, it can get you through that. but most people think that, you

know, a soulmate is something they can find right away. >> not there on day one. >> got to work at it. congratulations on the book. looks very interesting. up next -- abby channeling bob marley, one love? no, just hy the house to grab a few things. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪ with limited availability in select markets. ♪ witsee what's new atility in projectluna.com

you've got to try this sweet & sour chicken helper. i didn't know they made chicken. crunchy taco or four cheese lasagna? can i get another one of those actually? [ superfan ] hey, america, we're here to help. ♪

i often read about the republican party that used to be because it reminds me of a party i long for. we were business oriented, committed to a strong national defense and small government. socially moderate, we fought for liberty and e equality for all americans. we were inclusive and had broad base appeal. yes, the reagan democrats, libertarians and even wall

street internationalists could exist side by side with one goal -- beating the democrats. what it mean s to be a republican today ignores much of that. over the past decade the gop has morphed into a group of tea party conservatives who are overly suspicious of government, allied against abortion and motivated by faith. it might be hard to imagine this today, but the word abortion didn't even exist in the republican party platform until 1976 when the party recognized there was a deep divide between those who supported abortion on demand and those who fought to protect life. yes, there also was a time not even that long ago when being a pro-choice republican was considered okay. remember president gerald ford and george h.w. bush when he was picked up by ronald reagan for the vp spot in 1980? while party platforms are often just words, one word didn't often appear in the good old days and that was conservative. we wanted to be known as the moderate or even progressive party. words like faith and heritage rarely appeared until the 1980s. the party that i'm talking about

stood for things. today it's hard to know what we stand for. instead, we are defined by what we are against. i'll tell you right now, if we do not change for 2016 it is going to be a bloodbath. duking it out to see who can impress the far right. one day marco rubio will surge ahead, the next day rand paul and in the end maybe mike huckabee who is, by the way, now leading in the polls. i have no doubt there are some herman cane and donald trump wannabes out there as well. i can't help but wonder where is the diversity of ideas? where is the diversity of candidates? beyond that, are we the republican party or are we a tea party? which is it? we are being bullied into conformity. there really isn't much of a debate within the party over ideas. it's all about a potential primary challenge from the far right to keep various members of the party in line. why are we letting this happen? why are we stand being i to watch our party be co-opted by the minority? unfortunately, we are running out of time. demographics are shifting and we are squandering the opportunity to appeal to many of the

emerging constituencies that will define the electorate for decades. we are pissing off millennial, alienating minorities and losing our appeal in the working class. the tent is getting smaller, not bigger. for those who disagree with the current direction of the party, we need to push for a diversity of ideas and there is no better time than now on the day that would have been ronald reagan's 103rd birthday. if we don't prove relevance and shift the election outcomes, then no politician will feel comfortable citing against the controlling minority. watch out in the spirit of another man who has a birthday today. i'm going to quote bob marley, who said we have to get up, stand up, stand up for your rights and don't give up the fight. that does it for "the cycle." alex wagner, all yours. thanks, abby. time for traffic problems in texas. chris christie is on the move. it's thursday, february 6th, and this is "now."

>> lone star state. >> chris christie is in texas today. >> they'll be welcoming him with open arms and wall ets. >> texas is one of the big atms for politics. >> can he leave his bridgegate problems behind? >> never tell the truth when a good lie will do. >> traffic moving at about 10 to 15 miles per hour downtown dallas. that is where we are seeing the worst conditions. >> what hurts chris christie may help someone else. >> a big beneficiary of chris christie's trouble. >> scott walker at a fund raiser in dallas tuesday. >> i think jeb is much more likely to run than people thought. >> if the republican candidate is standing next to chris christie, his troubles become your troubles. >> putting this distance between themselves and chris christie, smart move. >> republican candidates and elected officials won't