on our broadcast tonight -- winter's fury. the slow-moving mega storm slamming the northeast tonight. it's big and relentless. democrats disarray from the white house to the new york state house to congress, some big names are in the news tonight. the news isn't good for them. the originals. before this year's team usa, before the 1980 "miracle on ice," there were these guys. and guts and glory. the moments that defined these olympic games and the tenacious athletes that made them happen. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening, and back east tonight, everybody is saying the same thing, this is the kind of winter it seems like we used to have. the kind of winter we now rarely see. tonight in the northeast, it's in the grips of a huge swirling, relentless storm. some incredible amounts of snowfall, traffic nightmares and life has been disrupted dangerously so for a lot of people. by one estimate, there are 1 million americans without power over a several-state area. over a thousand flights canceled. in the thick of it, hundreds of people were stranded on one stretch of new york highway overnight. central park in new york, an all-time february record getting just under 21 inches of snow. we all have it covered tonight beginning with nbc's rehema

ellis. >> reporter: good evening, brian this latest nor'easter which had near hurricane force winds resulted in record snowfalls here in new york's central park. it's 20.9 inches. i've been here for a lot of it. it's very pretty, but tonight is causing a lot of trouble for a lot of people. it's the fourth major snowstorm in a month. one more storm the region didn't need. across the new york area, starting early in the morning, people struggled to keep up with the falling snow. in the northern regions, heavy snowfall took out power lines across the northeast, leaving more than a million without electricity. >> we lost power 9:00 last night. no heat, no electricity. we managed to sleep through the night. this morning woke up and there's still no power. >> reporter: travel was treacherous. a 20-mile stretch of i-84 was at a standstill for hours, stranding hundreds of motorists in their cars, some since last night. >> we haven't moved and inch.

it's a little over 15 hours now. >> on a day like this you never know what to expect. you have to be open for anything. >> reporter: the major airlines were in business, but more than 1,000 flights were canceled at new york and new jersey's three major airports. in hampton, new hampshire, firefighters continued at a scene of a blaze that broke out after midnight. the fire destroyed an entire block. no one was injured. all this weather comes at a huge cost for cash-strapped towns, even cities with snowfall removal budgets in the millions. >> we anticipated already spending about $11.5 million. now with this storm, we'll easily go over $15 million. >> reporter: despite the pile-up of winter woes, some still made the best of it. back here in new york, more than a million new york city school kids got a head start on the weekend. >> it's been snowing for like two weeks long. >> reporter: for the fourth time

in six years new york city public schools were closed. while the storm is winding down, people flying in and out of this region tomorrow are advised to check ahead with their airlines. there could still be many delays. brian? >> all right, rehema ellis in central park, thanks. weather channel meteorologist mike seidel is in upstate new york, binghamton, to be exact. mike, what unusual construction of this storm. some heavy intensities, and depending on where folks are watching tonight, they want to know, when is it going to stop? >> reporter: this storm is kind of stuck. it tried to go east, it couldn't. yesterday went west towards new york city. take a look at the giant swirl trying to move north. it's blocked in by high pressure up around greenland. what it's going to do is slowly meander into new england. as it does so, it's going to weaken. it's not as feisty as it was. those 60 mile-an-hour wind gusts have been replaced by 30 mile-an-hour wind gusts. as you see on the radar

satellite composite are swirling bands, snow squalls. for most of us, we are looking at another inch, maybe two, maybe three inches of snow, but without the heavy consistency of the snow, without the strong winds, additional power outages are unlikely, except for the trees that give way to the weight of the heavy snow. over the weekend, a slow improvement. however, we've got another one in the pipeline. the storm that's going to impact southern california in the burn areas is going to take a jog with the el nino jet stream across the southern states. we can have more snow down south tuesday, but wednesday and thursday could make its way up the coast. >> refuse to discuss it until we absolutely have to. mike seidel in binghamton, new york. thanks, as always. tonight we are reporting on another storm in new york, as well. this one is political. two big democrats in big trouble. the governor amid reports of inappropriate behavior and one of the most powerful members of congress. our report tonight from nbc's

mike taibbi. >> i'm running for governor this year. >> reporter: less than a week after announcing he was in it to win it, new york's accidental governor decided he what not try to become his state's elected governor after all. >> today i am announcing i am ending my campaign for governor of the state of new york. >> reporter: legally blind, david paterson got the job two years ago when a sex scandal drove eliot spitzer from office. >> it's time to get back to the business of the state. >> reporter: a day after his inauguration he admitted to his own infidelities. >> i betrayed a commitment to my wife several years ago. >> reporter: it was downhill from there, mini scandal after mini scandal, couple fating to today's announcement. published charges of the governor and his state police staff intervened directly in the case involving david johnson, an alleged assault by johnson of a former girlfriend. johnson's ex-girlfriend told the judge in the case the state police put constant pressure on her.

>> state troopers kept calling me and harassing me to drop the charges. i wouldn't. >> reporter: the day after paterson himself called her she failed to show up in court and the case was dismissed. he said he never once abused his office. >> there are 308 days left in my term. i will serve every one of them fighting for the people of the state of new york. >> reporter: in the meantime, veteran new york congressman charles rangle says he has no plans to quit as head of the powerful house weighs and means committee despite being admonished by a house ethnics panel for wrongly accepting corporate-sponsored trips to the caribbean. he blamed procedural mistakes made by assistants. >> members of congress should not be held responsible for what could be the wrong doing or mistakes or errors of staff. >> reporter: rangle faces further inquiries. paterson says the criminal probe of his activities is continuing. two new york politicians on the receiving end of politics as

contact sport. mike taibbi, nbc news, new york. >> we learned today a high-profile member of president obama's staff is leaving her job. white house social secretary desiree rogers came under fire after that party-crashing couple walked into the president's first-ever state dinner. white house correspondent savannah guthrie with more on this. >> reporter: in a statement the president and first lady said desiree rogers had done a terrific job. he was part of a band of high-profile chicagoans who came with the obamas to the white house and is the first one to leave. 14 months after making a glamorous entrance in washington, white house social secretary desiree rogers is exiting. >> desiree came to the president and first lady to give them her decision in wanting to go back. >> reporter: a long-time personal friend of the obamas from chicago, rogers was an accomplished businesswoman and harvard mba when tapped to run the white house social office.

famously telling the "wall street journal," we have the best brand on earth, the obama brand. our possibilities are endless. >> these jobs are very demanding and they're very tiring. i think no one could put a time limit on when's enough time for anyone to serve at the white house. >> reporter: organizing more than 300 events, including an awards ceremony just yesterday at the white house, rogers kept a high profile, posing for "vogue" soon after arriving. attending new york fashion week. the lavish indian state dinner she organized was poised to be her greatest success story until -- >> mr. and mrs. salahie. >> reporter: the uninvited guests accidentally admitted by the secret service exposed gaps in the social office procedure. the secret service testifying none of the staff were at the check points that night. >> if somebody from the social secretary's office was standing where they always stood in the past, the salahis would not have

gotten in. >> reporter: some society pages called for her resignation, noting she attended the dinner as a guest. >> she had come to washington with her sleeves rolled up, but not anticipating the rough treatment top level figures in the white house get. >> reporter: we are told the leading contender to replace rogers is juliana smooch, the former finance director and is chief of staff to the u.s. trade representative. >> savannah guthrie from the white house briefing room tonight. thanks. in the capital of afghanistan, a coordinated attack by suicide bombers has killed at least 17 people. the first car bomb blast levelled a residential hotel favored by a lot of foreign visitors, then sparked gun battles that raged for two hours on the city streets. this is the second major attack in central kabul in the last five weeks. on wall street in new york today, the dow managed to squeak out a gain of just over four

points toned the week and the month, the blue chips finished with a 2.6% gain in february. back here in vancouver, if you were watching nbc this afternoon, you know the u.s. men's hockey team is on its way to the gold medal round game. they crushed finland 6-1, pummeling finland's goalie in the opening minutes of the game. all six u.s. goals came in the first period. you don't see that very often. we find out tonight if the gold medal game is going to be the u.s. versus canada. when "nightly news" continue once a friday night, remember that 1980 hockey game, do you believe in miracles? well, 20 years before that, the original miracle on ice. some say all but forgotten. and later, the competitors here in vancouver.[ woman with m. i make my efforts count... so i switched to the freestyle promise® program... a unique program that gives me... the support i need, free. free access to a certified diabetes educator...

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men's hockey team goes for the gold medal here on sunday. they are in the footsteps of the great 1980 team that defeated the ussr, the so-called miracle on ice team, but they were really the second miracle on ice team. it's been 50 years this year since the first miracle. you'd never know it here at these games because it's all but been forgotten until now. >> a resounding triumph, amazing comeback. >> the announcer that day didn't say anything like, "do you believe in miracles?" but those watching the game realized they had seen something close to it. the 1960 u.s. men's olympic team, a squad thrown together by today's standards had beaten canada, soviets, then stunned the sports world by going on to beat czechslovakia. it's been 50 years, half a century later.

here in vancouver there is no remembrance, no commemoration, just one man, the only member of that 1960 team who make the trip here. it's the 50-year anniversary, after all. is it okay with members of the team that it's a low-key event? you've always been a low-key bunch of guys. >> i don't think they're happy about it. >> john mavich is in his 70s now. he walks around vancouver unrecognized. then as he points out the team never did get that much attention. they never demanded it. their victory the at the height of the cold war was emblattic of the end of an entirely different year for olympics and sport of hockey. >> we won a medal, took off. some drove off. i was home that afternoon in green bay, wisconsin. >> reporter: john was one of 11 children, the son of an iron miner in northern minnesota's iron range. his dad never did see him play hockey. he never had the time.

unlike today, john and his teammates were amateurs. men like goalie jack mccarten and bob and bill cleary were harvard men. >> no one gave us much of a chance. >> that changed when they beat the canadians. >> you could see press were coming to us and starting to talk us to. we were saying, oh, you know who we are now. >> then the powerhouse soviet team. they went on to win the gold medal against the czechs 9-4. it really was the miracle on ice until the game two decades later that we all remember, 1980, u.s. versus ussr. the cinderella story, the game that gets all the attention as the 1960 gold medicine ideal team fades from memory. >> team of underdogs. >> i remember watching it on television in the afternoon. >> and speaking of, "do you believe in miracles," al

michaels was a teenager back in 1960 watching in black and white. 20 years later, his colorful call of the 1980 game became a broadcast classic, but always that 1960 gold medal game stayed with him. >> i guess it was the first miracle as it were, but it was something that made headlines the next day, but quickly got forgotten. >> the 1960 team had a few reunions over the years, though three of the original team members died since they last all got together in 1990. bill cleary went on to coach harvard. goalie jack mccarten went on to play in the nhl, which was a tiny outfit then with just six teams. nothing topped that 1960 game. >> that dwarfed anything else i ever accomplished. >> as for john, he had a young family to support. after the game he was greeted by

a celebration at the airport. he posed for a picture with his boy. tossed the gold medal in the glove compartment of his car and drove home back to his old life. >> maybe what we accomplished made all this possible. i think it created a lot of interest for the youth, and maybe they said, boy, i would like to be one of those guys. >> hear, hear. i asked john who is too young to be a member of the greatest generation, how he would describe the men on his team and in his age group. without hesation he answered, "the fortunate generation." when we come back tonight from vancouver, why an american household staple is the subject of a warning. you're laughing. be kind to your eyes... with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably... and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional

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trash cans, smashing windows. there is some limited amateur video of the scene. at least two people were arrested during confrontations with police who arrived to control the crowd. seaworld plans to resume its killer whale shows tomorrow three days after an orlando trainer was killed when that whale dragged her under water. the park's president said trainers will not get into the water with the whales until officials finish reviewing the incident and all procedures for interacting with these animals. we mentioned this before the break. there is a recall for certain batches of girl scout cookies. this action follows some complaints that some of the lemon chalet cream cookies had a bad taste and odor to some customers. manufacturer insists the cookies are safe to eat, but the oils, they say, contain something that may be causing the problem here. when we come back tonight, the moments from these olympic games. to invest in what? imported ice? yeah! i mean, people love imported water.

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team usa, and for the power of the human spirit. we asked a veteran canadian, our own kevin tibbles to take a look back tonight. >> there it is. >> reporter: moguls magician, the first canadian ever to win gold on canadian soil. inspired by his brother frederick who has serebral palsy, he soared to victory with frederick cheering him all the way. petra midich led the games in grit. she crashed during a training run falling 10 feet on the rocks below. >> i thought this is it, it's over. >> reporter: with excrutiating pain she competed in the cross country sprint. she later discovered she suffered five broken ribs and a collapsed lung. u.s. cross country skier chris freeman also refused to give up.

a diabetic, he suffered a blood sugar crash in the midst of his 30 kilometer race and collapsed. a german coach rushed over with an energy drink. freeman would get back on the course determined to compete the race. he finished last, but finished. a different spirit led canada's golden girls in hot water. the women's hockey team beat team usa and was criticized for this post game celebration, drinking and smoking cigars. they later apologized. this was perfection. korea's yu-na kim was flawless. perhaps the moment of the games was joanie rochette who overcame enormous grief just to compete. her mother died sunday morning here in vancouver. >> she was my biggest fan, my best friend and i'm sure she was with me tonight. >> reporter: rochette put on the performance of her life and in front of an emotional crowd, she

wont bronze medal. kevin tibbles, nbc news, vancouver. nbc olympic primetime coverage starts tonight at 8:00 p.m., 7:00 central. we want to tell you about a series of reports we'll bring you next week, about how you can achieve your personal best, fitness, health, better life all around. that is next week here on our broadcast. and finally, we would be remiss during this last week day broadcast from here if we didn't thank our hosts, canada and canadians welcomed the world and have done a remarkable job. it is a great place and perhaps the best way to say good-bye is with a wave. thanks to our host country and our neighbors to the north. that is our broadcast for this friday night and for this week. thank you for being with us for all of it. i'm brian williams reporting tonight from vancouver. lester holt will be with you tomorrow night. hope to see you back in new york on monday. good night.

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