. good thursday morning. coming up on "early today." no easy pass. potential presidential candidate new jersey's outspoken governor is caught up in a scandal involving political retricontributiretribution. >> two injuries one died and one missing. >> the sun is preventing fresh supplies from getting to the international space station. >> plus a crash of an air ambulance caught on tape. >> the people's choice awards big for bullock and meryl streep goes off on walt disney. it's thursday, january 9th.

"early today" starts right now. thanks for joining us everyone. i'm bet any nyguen. a traffic jam and political rivalry involving chris christie. one of his top aids may have engineered a traffic jam. it's creating a political fire storm and not just because governor christie is a top contender for the gop nomination in 2016. stephanie gosk reports. >> reporter: even by new york city standards the traffic that clogged the entrance to the george washington bridge last september was maddening. for four days two traffic lanes in new jersey were shutdown bringing that city to a stand still. among those caught in the jam for hours, police officers searching for a missing 4-year-old girl. e-mails and text messages released by new jersey officials suggest the traffic nightmare

was deliberately strtriggered b one of the top aids to new jersey governor chris christie. >> the documents that have been published are both shocking and outrageous. they show government at its worst. among other things, they call into serious question the honesty of this governor and his staff. >> reporter: in a strongly worded denial governor christie says what i have seen today for the first time is unacceptable. not only was i misled by a member of my staff but this completely enappropriate and up sanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. two weeks before the monster traffic jam, the deputy chief of staff e-mailed the local transportation official. time for some traffic problems in fort lee. a christie appointee and high school friend replied got it. after two days of disrumption ad

chaos, one person sent this text, is it wrong i'm smiling. they accuse the aids of punishing fort lee's mayor for refusing to endorse christie in his campaign. >> who deserves the apology? my families that were hours late for the opening day of school. they deserve an apology. >> reporter: before governor christie denied his office had anything to do with the shutdown and sarcastically denied being involved. >> i was the guy out there. i was in overalls and the hat. but i was the guy working the cones. >> reporter: he is considered a gop front runner for 2016. a no nonsense politician with bipartisan appeal. >> if this scandal continues it could be a drag in terms of whether or not he'll be successful in that effort. >> that was stephanie gosk reporting. north america sees it's first ever bird flu death.

a canadian died after traveling home from beijing in december. the virus rarely passes person to person and health officials called this an isolated case but they are tracking down everyone that came in contact with the traveler. the virus has been worrying health experts for more than a decade. the world health organization confirms 648 human cases of the h5n1 bird flu this season. 384 have been fatal. they're working on a vaccine. now to a desperate searchant of virginia. one sailor is missing and two are dead after a navy helicopter crashed in the atlantic ocean. two sailors did survive. one in serious condition. the sea dragon was on a routine training mission when it made an emergency water landing wednesday. the 99 foot craft is capable of speeds of 170 miles per hour. the cause of the crash is under investigation but one official

says he has no concern about the helicopter's safety. federal authorities say they busted up a sex trafficking ring freeing sex slaves from a san diego street gang. 24 people have been charged in connection with the alleged prostitution operation that spanned 23 states and 46 cities. prosecutors are calling it modern day slavery. they say bms members branded women with tattoos and even bar codes after luring them over the internet with promises of a lifestyle. >> good news and bad news for the international space station. the first solar flare of the year forced them to scratch a rocket launch for the last time. the supply vessel was kept on the ground. but there's hope it can happen today. at a cost of $3 billion a year, the white house agreed to keep the lights on in the space

station until 2024. this extends the life of the vessel by four years and allows future time to play space exploration. well, the polar vortex is heading back north to canada and it's time to assess the damage. the big chill is projected to cost the u.s. economy up to $5 billion thanks in part to the 11,000 canceled flights this week. it wasn't just the airlines that had trouble, though. new york's hudson river was so frozen, check this out, a ferry had to be carved out of the ice. some good did come out of this polar vortex. scientists say the sub zero temperatures will kill insects killing off different plant species. i guess we'll take that. bill is here with a milder forecast. >> kill the mosquitos. i don't want any of them to survive. do you know what's crazy? it didn't even rank in the top 25 all time for our country.

it was bad but not even close to as bad as what we used to deal with in this country on a regular basis. interesting fact for you. we look at the temperatures, we have a little warmer in many areas, especially on the eastern seaboard. one chunk of cold air from minneapolis to wisconsin to chicago. green bay at minus 28 but it's short lived. warmer air coming your way during the day today. the worst of it will be right now through the morning. even minnesota will warm up significantly this afternoon. across the map, we have a couple of storms moving across the pacific northwest. one piece of energy is heading to the lower central plains. springfield to tulsa to oklahoma city, there's freezing rain and snow mixed in too. there could be slick roads. st. louis got light snow and 20 degrees now. we're above freezing from memphis to little rock. today's forecast a little bit of slippery weather around the tennessee valley. otherwise, looking good. now here's a look at the weather outside your window.

>> today a little bit of that piece of energy kicking down through salt lake city utah. you'll see know developing by 9:00 a.m. the forecast called for 2 to 4 inches. the mountains could pick up 10 to 20 outside salt lake. and a big rainstorm heading across the country starting tomorrow through the weekend. >> great after all of this cold weather, bring on the rain, why not? >> clean it up. get rid of the salt and stuff. >> yeah. priority number one, national security is front and center at the white house. plus a dramatic crash landing caught on tape. this is early today.

welcome back, everybody. jahi mcmath, the girl declared brain dead by the judge and doctors is, quote, improving according to the family attorney christopher dolan. he wrote she had procedures and

they're on mystic about her health improving. >> in response to outrage over nsa spying revelations president obama met with top chiefs on wednesday. the meeting served as a way for the nsa, cia and fbi to voice their concerns. police in omaha have placed a toddler in protective custody after a video surfaced showing racial slurs directed at him by off camera adults and the boy repeats the words and raises the middle finger. a small plane crash on to a racetrack in iceland. two out of the three people died in the crash. one did survive which police are still investigating what caused this. and three years after being shot in the head at a campaign event in tucson, gabby giffords celebrated life by going sky diving over arizona. according to husband mark kelly, giffords landed beautifully.

and savannah guthrie joined giffords in the plane for an exclusive interview coming up on the "today" show this morning. time to get down to business, macy's is planning to slash 2500 jobs, close five stores and add 8 macy's and bloomingdales stores. it will save them about $8 million a year. >> wwe will launch it's own streaming service for under $10 a month and that includes their pay-per-view events. >> for $20 you can own this calendar made of 22 pounds of pure goal. it's complete with imagines of mickey and minnie. t mobile is willing to pay you for your mobile phone business. they promise to cover termination fees and customers can receive up to $650 in credit after trading in their phones.

fast food restaurants, they are offering big deals right now. check it out, piz say hut is giving 50% off for any pizza ordered online. burger king giving free coffee with the purchase of a breakfast sandwich and ihop's all you can eat promotion is back. all your sports headlines coming up including this year's baseball hall of famers. >> plus miami heat players trade in basketballs for microphones. advice? don't quit your day jobs guys.

this morning on the "today" show, as new jersey chris christie does damage control over the growing bridge scandal, what does it mean for a presidential run in 2016? let's get the latest in sports from my friend richard. are you feeling better today? >> good thursday. >> good to see you. you were under the weather. >> just a little bit but i'm back. it took a few days after winning the national championship, the alleged rape investigation of florida state's quarterback is back on again. the woman accusing winston said winston, the tallahassee police department and possibly florida state university will face a lawsuit. the attorney decide not to charge winston last month. two years of college play and out. johnny manziel will go to the nfl draft on may 8th through the

10th. he's projected to be in the first five to be chosen. how many millions will he make? >> that's a big question. >> louisville has a big coach, kind of. bob bobby petreno back in 2014. new inductees to talk about. greg maddox. and madden who played for the braves and white house. just some of the big names going in. >> yeah. >> many from the steroids era, the area we grew up watching. barry bonds, roger clemens, sammy sosa and mark mcguire. >> those are familiar names. in college hoops, unranked georgia upsets mizzou in overtime. charles mann nailing a crucial

2-point shot. georgia wins 70-64. >> the badgers 16-0. they keep their school best record. we'll see how they do going into march. >> and the golden state warriors nine game winning streak was stopped. i cried. kevin garnet interrupted the pass. the nets win that one 102-98. >> this too shall by. >> j.r. smith was fined $50,000 by the nba for for untying the shoe of an appoint. >> that's a big sign for untying a shoe. >> well, he did it not once but twice. he was warned after the first instance against dallas but did it again when the team played detroit. what's with the shoe laces? >> i don't get it. i don't know. >> silly but he's paying for it. the miami heat are getting pumpedorirecond annual

charity singing event. it's going to be great. it's on january 27th. listen. [ music playing ] ♪ i'm sorry miss jackson, i am for real ♪ ♪ and it's all because of you >> what's with the wigs? >> i don't know which was worse? they were all terrible. >> the wigs or the singing? both. colin kaepernick there after a press conference, teammate dunks right over him and into a trash bin. a little joke. the niners play sunday and into the second round of the playoffs. who are you pick something the 49ers. >> dallas is out of it. what can i do? a huge night for the people's choice awards and a first for britney spears, next. you're watching early today.

welcome back on this thursday morning. we're about to go on one of those roller coaster rides. these temperature swings are pretty incredible this winter. after this arctic outbreak we'll be warmer and wetter in many areas. today we'll watch areas of texas for rain dropping and a stray thunderstorm or two. as we go into tomorrow, friday looks wet here. arkansas into louisiana and areas of illinois. even michigan can get the rain.

by the time we get to saturday, all heavy rain shifts to the eastern seaboard. look at the temperatures into southern new england and they could see strong thunderstorms into the mid-atlantic and southeast coastline. there's a slight risk issued for saturday afternoon. we'll have to watch that. it's amazing. we go from arctic outbreaks to potential thunderstorms with damage. >> no one is complaining considering what we have been through. >> the people's choice awards kicked off the 2014 season of hollywood's best. >> now, would this interest you? it's actually an invitation to host the people's choice awards. >> oh my gosh, yes. >> open bar. it doesn't matter. i'll bring my open. >> britney spears won her first people's choice award in her 15 year career. sandra bullock lead the evening with four awards while justin timberlake was the second biggest winner with three trophies and the roots drummer keeps his grammys in an interesting place. on the top of his toilet. he broke his first award so he

put it in the bathroom and put a second and third award there to give it company. i guess it makes sense. >> miley cyrus is now a cover girl. she's the new face of mark jacobs for spring and summer 2014. did you hear this? at the national border review awards meryl streep presented emma thompson for the best actress award and speaking about the legendary walt disney street said he was supposedly a hideous antisemite and he was certainly a gender bigot. i could imagine him having to cultivate p.l.travers favor for the 20 years that it took for the rights to her work. it must have killed him to encounter a woman. i'm betty nguyen. this is early today.

right now the district's police chief is trying to set the record straight after scandals involving two of her officers. overnight developments as the navy searches for a missing sailor this morning after a deadly helicopter crash off the virginia coast. good morning, everyone, i'm aaron gilchrest. >> i'm eun yang. welcome to "news4 today" for this thursday, january 9th, 2014. let's take a live look outside at 4:26. 32 degrees outside. still a cold start, but feeling a little better than it has the last few days. >> i will take 32 degrees. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein is here with the forecast. >> it feels like spring after the last couple of harsh

mornings. high clouds drifting over the region now. we'll have breaks in the cloud cover over the next couple of hours. so a little sun should break out around sunrise. right now it is cold. below freezing most locations. near the bay, near 30 degrees. eastern shore in the upper 20s. in prince george's county, in the upper 20s. mid to upper 20s fairfax county. the rest of northern virginia. right now, shenandoah valley into the mountains. those are the cold spots. down to the low 20s to upper teens in western maryland. hagerstown down to 20 degrees. we'll stay below freezing for another couple of hours. warmer weather on the way. danella, good morning. any traffic trouble? so far in our area, quiet. what we're dealing with is a couple work zones that are clearing. we'll start with the good news. i-95 in virginia, had a work zone at lorton, also dale city. both are clear. travel lanes are open. to 395, two work zones remain. first we'll start southbound seminary road. as you travel southbound, just the left lane is blocked.

you see light volume continuing southbound getting closer to edsall. you see the right shoulder lane. work zone in the final stages here. should be clearing soon. northbound absolutely clear. i'm back at 4:31. >> see you then. thank you. 4:28. today d.c. police chief lanier will try to set the record straight about two recent scandals in her department. she's holding a meeting in southeast washington. this comes a month after prosecutors charged officer lynwood barnhill with pumping teenage girls. a week earlier police arrested officer mark washington on child pornography charges. he killed himself several days later. barnhill and washington worked in the police department's seventh district where the chief will hold the meeting. julie carey will be in alexandria today. a judge will decide if a cabbie charged with shooting a police officer is competent to stand trial. the police officer shot officer peter laboy last february. prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed last july that

bashir was not competent at this point. doctors at a state hospital have been treating him. this morning, dee.c. police need help in tracking down two suspected robbers. police are trying to identify a man and woman connected to a robbery that happened monday on e street northeast near 11th street. this is surveillance video of them inside a store. take a look. d.c. police is offering a $10,000 reward. if you recognize them, call police. this morning, no rest for search crews looking for a fifth sailor involved in a helicopter crash off the coast of virginia. the navy chopper went down near virginia beach during a training mission yesterday morning. another helicopter from nearby norfolk went to rescue the crew. they found, but two -- they found four, but two died at the hospital the navy has yet to release their names. a fifth is still in the cold waters of the atlantic. last night the coast guard said it will not give up on the search. >> we're actively searching right now. so we're trying to rescue someone in the water. we're actively searching.

>> the two sailors survived, one is still in serious condition. the other has been upgraded to fair condition. the navy is investigating what caused this crash. today, a plan to transform a d.c. landmark into a luxury hotel could come one step closer to reality. the national capital planning commission will review the final site and building plans for a trump international hotel at the old post office building. donald trump signed a 60-year lease with the government back in august to redevelop the building and pavillion annex. trump says he will spend $200 million to turn the building into 270 hotel rooms, restaurants, retail, and museum space. coming up on 4:31 on this thursday morning. good morning. if you're just joining us, want to get you up to speed on the forecast. >> a warmup if you want to call it that. meteorologist tom kierein with change in the forecast. tom? yeah. any temperature above freezing is a warmup. certainly compared to the last