good morning. did he know? new allegations that new jersey governor chris christie was aware of the george washington bridge lane closures when they happened. a former aide turning on his old friend, the governor, but christie's office says it's not the truth. this morning, the latest on the bridge battle. his side of the story. amanda knox's italian ex-boyfriend speaks out less than 24 hours after an appeals court convicted them of murder again. >> yeah, i made the decision to face the situation, and i will go on until the end. and countdown to the super

bowl. with just over 24 hours to go, a look at everything from the incredible security effort here in new york to some ads that are literally out of this world, today, saturday, february 1st, 2014. good morning. welcome to "today" on a saturday morning. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm erica hill alongside jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. big weekend here, huh? >> big weekend. it's a new month, february 1st. >> yeah. >> we've got the super bowl. >> groundhog day. >> groundhog day is tomorrow? >> tomorrow, yeah. >> got the olympics starting in a few days. >> keeping us busy. >> are you guys going to the super bowl? you're not going. are you going? >> no, i'll be watching. you'll be there, right? >> i'll be there, yeah. >> i'd rather watch it at home with the food and the commercials -- >> is that because i said i'm going? >> don't take it personally.

>> that means she had no shot at tickets. anyway, we'll talk more about that coming up. well, speaking of football, actually, could his future be in trouble? more and more parents now say they don't want their kids to play the game at any age. that news, of course, comes as super bowl great joe namath is speaking out about injuries he suffered while playing that he says have had lingering effects on his life. also ahead, two firefighters in washington, d.c., now on administrative leave after claims that they refused to help a man who suffered a massive heart attack near by their station. we'll talk to the man's daughter about exactly what happened. also this morning, we're kicking off a series for this weekend called "main street makeover." we're highlighting a couple of small businesses that are having a tough time staying afloat. and to help them, hopefully, get back on their feet, we're bringing in some expert help. but we begin this morning with a top story, and it's that claim from governor christie's former aide that the governor did know about the plan to shut

down the george washington bridge when it happened. kelly o'donnell has been covering this story from the beginning. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. this was already going to be a very big weekend for chris christie, as his state hosts the super bowl game and all the festivities, but now new, potentially damaging questions bring the controversy back front and center over what christie knew about the bridge traffic scandal. amid controversy, governor chris christie hit the party scene friday night and posted this photo of himself off stage at a birthday bash for radio host howard stern. but this former associate of the governor is dangling new allegations. former port authority official david wildstein. >> no cars are really coming our way. >> reporter: who carried out the bridge traffic lane closures last fall and took the fifth before new jersey lawmakers in january. >> i assert my right to remain silent. >> reporter: now makes this claim in a letter written by his attorney. "evidence exists as well tying mr. christie to having knowledge

of the lane closures during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the governor stated publicly." but the lawyer does not describe the evidence and does not say that wildstein even possesses it. governor christie still maintains this position -- >> i had no knowledge of this, of the planning, the execution or anything about it, and that i first found out about it after it was over. >> reporter: christie's office released a statement, saying in part, "mr. wildstein's lawyer confirms what the governor has said all along, he had absolutely no prior knowledge of the lane closures before they happened." the wildstein letter also goes at christie's personal credibility. "mr. wildstein contests the accuracy of various statements that the governor made about him and he can prove the inaccuracy of some." the main focus of the three-page letter argues that wildstein's former employer, the port authority, should pay all his legal fees. >> david wildstein is making a bid for an immunity deal. he's saying, i've got a story to

tell, a story that can implicate governor christie, if you give me immunity from prosecution. >> reporter: christie's office also said in that statement that the government denies wildstein's other assertions and releases a list of quotes from the governor claiming he's been consistent about what he knew and when he knew it. one other figure in this bridge scandal, bill stepien, who ran both of christie's gubernatorial campaigns, has told us through his lawyer that he intends to take the fifth and will not answer questions. lester? >> kelly o'donnell this morning. kelly, thanks. security is extra tight for two major sporting events, the super bowl here in the new york city area tomorrow, of course, and the winter olympics in russia, which are now less than a week away. richard engel is outside of sochi. we'll speak with him in just a moment, but we begin with katy tur, who is live at super bowl boulevard, not too far from here, in the heart of times square. katy, good morning. it's strangely quiet behind you right now. >> reporter: i'm right above super bowl boulevard, erica, and yes, it is very quiet.

this is about the only time you're going to see times square relatively empty. in a few hours, it's going to be completely packed in here. super bowl weekend is officially here, and security, of course, is top of mind. there are two states, more than 100 law enforcement agencies, and of course, millions of visitors. the security for this entire week has been a massive undertaking. there's 2 1/2 miles of fencing around the stadium in new jersey. there are security cameras trained on every movement, patrols on the ground, in the air and in the water, and that is just the stadium. over here in new york, the fbi and nypd, among other agencies, have mobile command units across the city. over here on super bowl boulevard, especially. inside there, there is realtime surveillance where they say they can spot unusual activity or suspicious packages as they happen. back out here live, we want to show you something that's kind of cool. they have these things called pocket radiation detectors. there are thousands of these spread across the tri-state area right now, from the fbi to nypd to local law enforcement agencies. if there is radiation anywhere,

dirty bomb or something, these will go off and they'll be able to detect them, thousands of them. they have them normally out here because there is a high threat as it is, but of course, this is at their disposal now for the super bowl, which everyone is pretty happy about. guys? >> good to have those, obviously, and people are appreciative of the security measures. for people attending the game, what is that process going to be like at the stadium for them? >> reporter: it's going to be like airport security, which we all know is just so much fun. you're going to be going through metal detectors, getting pat-downs. you can't bring in backpacks or purses. you can't bring in pretty much anything, no banners. all you can bring are clear plastic bags. also, erica, no tailgating. of course, there are a lot of people that are pretty upset about that. you can't even walk into the stadium. you have to either drive or take a shuttle. no drop-offs, either. erica? >> katy tur, thanks. >> said it so casually, radiation detectors. what kind of world are we living in? >> everywhere. >> all time. >> i know, but it's just -- i don't know. >> it's crazy. >> that's where we are.

let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories. jenna is here with that. >> good morning, everyone. an epic drought in northern california has 25 million people bracing for the worst this morning, major water cutbacks. officials say they will not be sending water from the state's reservoir system to local agencies come spring. this is a big deal, this after residents were told to reduce water usage by at least 20%. so, the pressure's on for president obama to decide whether to go ahead with the proposed keystone oil pipeline project. the state department released a report on friday saying the pipeline would have minimal impact on the environment. that clears a major hurdle towards its approval. it would carry 830,000 barrels of oil a day from canada to the u.s. gulf coast. the teen from texas who nearly died in a sky diving accident in oklahoma is back in her home state this morning. 16-year-old makenzie wethington will be spending the next few weeks in a dallas rehab facility

recovering from a broken vertebr vertebrae, shattered pelvis and lacerated liver after falling 3,500 feet saturday when her parachute didn't open. traffic is flowing again in georgia and residents are picking up their towed cars following a snowstorm that left some drivers stranded for 20 hours. on friday, atlanta mayor reid said he ordered a comprehensive review of what went wrong and is working on a protocol for future storms. he also responded to criticism that he seems unapologetic. >> i want to make it clear to every single person who was impacted by this storm that i care deeply about you and i care deeply about what happened to you. and finally this morning, something we care very deeply about here, babies. any time someone has a baby, it's a big deal. when you have six babies, it's a really big deal. when you have six babies and you're a shark ray, it's a story, actually.

remember sweet pea? she was pregnant. the aquarium in kentucky says she could have up to six pups? hello, she had six pups. three male, three female, all weighing about 2 pounds and measuring between a foot and 2 feet long. aquarium officials are thrilled. they say sweet pea is the first known shark ray to breed in a controlled environment. but interestingly enough, that was news to sweet pea. she had no idea. >> had no idea. >> no. oh, and she took some shutterfly pics. all the little pups look just like sweet pea. >> all dimples like sweet pea. >> i wonder when she'll get a twitter account. holla. >> hey, maybe. >> before weather, we mentioned richard engel will have a report on the security at the olympics. we had a little problem with his live shot, but we will see him in the next hour with more on that coming up. >> looking forward to that. and we are looking forward to a check of the forecast as well. dylan is standing by with that for us. it's nice and warm in new york today. it was very balmy this morning. we're already above freezing. it's going to get into the 40s up and down the east coast, even close to 50 in the mid-atlantic,

but we've got a lot of snow back through chicago. january ended as one of the top good morning, everybody. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. outside of our window this morning look at this absolutely gorgeous sunrise and generally a fair sky overhead and there's the early morning rays of sunshine now a lot of early

morning color. shutter bugs go out and grab a picture. temperatures upper 20s to aprou7aprround 30 degrees. highs >> and that is your latest forecast. lester? >> all right, dylan, thanks very much. the cruise industry is trying to make a strong comeback this weekend after hundreds of people got sick aboard two different ships this week. kerry sanders has more on the latest incident and why some people won't let this stop them from taking to the high seas. >> reporter: it's happened again, passengers sick on a cruise ship. >> we were confined to the room for three days. we didn't get to enjoy any of the meals, any of the shows. >> reporter: while the centers for disease control reports more than 170 passengers and crew fell ill on the "caribbean princess," the cruise line says it returned to port in houston a day early "because we were informed that dense fog was expected to close the port for

much of the weekend. the ship did not return early because of the increased incidence of norovirus on board." but passengers complained their symptoms on this cruise sound remarkably similar to what close to 700 passengers and crew experienced on their royal caribbean "explorer of the seas" cruise earlier this week. the cdc now confirms that the illness on the royal caribbean cruise was a case of a fast-spreading norovirus. epidemiologists say the number one source of transmission of the norovirus on cruise ships is people touching each other, usually shaking hands. their advice? it may seem odd, but the best thing to do when you meet somebody, bump elbows. >> on cruises, you have significantly more people than normally you and i come in to contact with on a daily basis, and you're exposedo them for a long period of time. >> reporter: in new jersey, that other ship, the "explorer of the seas," was sanitized when it came back to port, easing the

next passengers' fears. >> i know it's going to be clean and they're going to have people on board making sure everything's good. >> reporter: and despite the rough waters, business is booming, with nearly 21 million people taking a cruise last year alone. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news, ft. lauderdale. as millions of people get ready to watch the super bowl, one former winning quarterback is speaking out about the effect that game has had onisbody. joe namath claims he has health problems from concussions suffered while playing the game. his revelation comes as a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll finds a large number of parents would steer their kids away from playing football. we have more on that story now from kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: long-retired super bowl mvp joe namath is adding his voice to those warning about the dangers of football. >> there were areas in my brain that the cells had ceased, quieted down tremendously, and we were concerned a bit, and so,

i have had some treatment and i feel great. >> reporter: namath follows former packers quarterback brett favre, who spoke to matt lawyer on "today" late last year. >> to me, the wake-up call was, dee yawn and i were talking recently and she was talking about our youngest playing soccer. i don't remember him playing soccer. >> reporter: even president obama weighed in, saying if he had a son "i would not let my son play pro football." now, a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll finds many agree. 40% of americans say they'd encourage their children to play a sport other than football because of concerns about concussions. when broken down further, the number is closer to 50% among wealthier americans and near 60% among the most highly educated. >> any time you play a sport, there's a risk of getting hurt. >> reporter: young players are learning the dangers firsthand. >> all the pads we're wearing, it's very safe. >> reporter: there are efforts to make the game safer --

redesigned, thicker helmets and taking a closer look at the players themselves. >> we require them to be matched by age and weight. they don't generate nearly as much force. >> reporter: but this weekend, when tens of millions will be watching football, it seems many are beginning to see the game differently. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. today is the first day of black history month, an annual celebration of the many contributions african-americans have made to this country. >> and many of the leading figures in the black community graduated from washington, d.c.'s dunbar high school. over the past few decades, though, the school's sterling reputation has taken a hit, and now the current principal is determined to bring it back to what it once was. >> friends, i want to talk to you about the opening school at dunbar high school. >> reporter: for generations, washington, d.c.'s paul laurence dunbar high school was a magnet for america's black elite. >> so much was expected of you because you attended dunbar.

>> reporter: founded in 1870 as the nation's first public high school for african-americans, it drew students from across the country. among its distinguished alumni, dr. charles drew, who helped create the modern blood bank, and jazz great billy taylor. >> i'm looking right in front of me. there's a civil rights attorney, there is a chief judge, there is a congressman, there is an artist. >> right. >> that's a lot to live up to. >> reporter: principal steven jackson hopes every one of his more than 600 students will live up to the legacy of these alumni and help restore dunbar's reputation as an academic powerhouse. >> things really changed at dunbar with desegregation. >> absolutely. >> was that good or bad for dunbar? >> unfortunately, it was not good for dunbar. dunbar became a neighborhood school. when it became a neighborhood school, they were not able to select students from different areas of the city. >> reporter: in 1950, 80% of

dunbar graduates went on to college. yet, by 2012, just 29% of its students were considered proficient in reading. in the years to come, the school became a tough place to learn, described by students as dark and depressing. still, the dunbar name meant something. senior class president milante patterson says dunbar put him on the right track. >> you've changed a lot since you started dunbar. you started with a 2.0. >> yes. >> you've got what now, a steady 4.0? >> yes. >> reporter: he's also inspired by the school's alumni with dreams of the nfl and an architecteer degree. >> i have to get out and make a positive effect and build on the dunbar legacy. >> reporter: last fall, dunbar opened the doors on its new $122 million facility, a space filled with lights and hope for students past and present. >> it just does my heart so much

good to see such a beautiful pe need a brand new attitude to come into the building. >> reporter: while a new facility can't immediately turn this school around, its message, says dunbar alum and pulitzer prize-winning columnist colber king -- >> investing in the school to tell students about how they are valued. >> reporter: this new dunbar also reminds students of what they can be, with plenty of alumni plaques left blank for students like milante patterson. milante has offers from three schools right now and also has an incredible supporting him along with that dunbar community. the alumni are a really important, huge presence at the school. they spend a lot of time there with the students. that has had an impact, and like milante, many of the other students there are determined to get their name on one of the blank achievement plaques around

the school. the man who came up with the idea for black history month, carter g. woodson, noted historian and teacher, also a dunbar graduate. >> incredible legacy. >> yeah. still ahead, facebook is turning 10. coming up, how the social media giant has changed the way we look at our friends. first, this is "today" on nbc.

facebook is turning 10, and in some ways, it's hard to believe that facebook is only 10 years old. >> started off, of course, as a small idea in a college dorm room that soon exploded in more ways, keeping a billion people in touch. joelle garguilo takes a look. >> reporter: in 2004, "friends" came to an end -- >> this is even harder than i thought it would be. >> reporter: the red sox won the world series for the first time in 86 years. and a little social network then called the facebook was born. it was the brainchild of 19-year-old harvard sophomore mark zuckerberg, a way to check

out who was who and who was hot on campus. he talked about it exclusively with savannah guthrie in an interview airing tuesday on "today." >> i was just really excited that we were doing it at one school. and at the time, i thought, someone needs to build a service like this for the world. i always thought that was this incredibly important thing to have happen, but i just never thought that we would be the ones to help do it. >> reporter: well, ten years later, 1.2 billion people, yes, billion, use facebook. that's about a sixth of the world's population. it's hard to imagine a time when facebook didn't exist, when it was just a game kids played and friends were people you talked on the phone, met up with on weekends. >> this is really good. >> clean and simple. >> reporter: chronicles on film, engrained in our everyday lives. sure, facebook has made breaking up harder and cyber snooping easier, but it's also saved lives. within the first hour of posting this photo, three friends telling me go to the hospital,

it could be kawasaki disease. >> reporter: changed lives. >> i was on facebook one day and came across a new t-shirt design coming out. $7 from the sale of each t-shirt goes to charity, a different cause each week. >> reporter: and reunited families. as facebook hits the decade mark, its users are well past that in years, a challenge the social network is facing with competition like twitter and snapchat. >> before facebook, there really wasn't a place where you had a global directory, where each person could say this is my digital footprint on the world. >> reporter: facebook now worth $150 billion. now, that's what friends are for. for "today," joelle garguilo, nbc news, new york. >> worked out for mark. >> yeah, $3 billion additional out of that. >> not too shabby. we asked you to weigh in, finish the sentence -- i use facebook for. we loved your responses. we have a few of them to share with you now. >> this one says "stalk exes and research co-workers. let's be honest here."

>> i appreciate the honesty on that one. who doesn't use it for that? we also hear from barbara, who said she uses it to "keep contact with special people you have met along the journey of life no matter where your journey takes you, sharing laughs and thoughts on just about everything." >> then quickly, another one -- "answer questions by the "today" show in hopes of having my response read on the air." >> there you go, denise. >> worked for you. >> you can see savannah's full interview with mark zuckerberg tuesday on "today." coming up -- >> more on super bowl commercials, i think.