tonight, richard engel is there. >>> crackdown, another crisis on russia's door, as a big uprising takes a violent turn. >>> and sudden impact, how safe are the cars all over the american road? tonight, the answer for some makes is unsettling. >>> and flying high, after years of fighting to compete, the american women finally get their chance to shine. nightly news begins now. >>> good evening, all those warnings about security and fears of a terrorist attack appear to be taking something of a toll tonight, with 16 days to go now until the opening ceremony of the winter olympics games in sochi, russia, while the modern olympics are a mosty television event and few get to attend the games in person, those who will attend, ranging from athletes to families and media and spectators are watching it closy as each day russia continues to promise a heavily defended fortress around these games. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has more from sochi. >> reporter: good evening, brian, we are now inside that fortress, inside the ring of steel around sochi. today, the u.s. olympic team co

>> richard engel in sochi in russia for us tonight. richard, thanks. >>> a sobering headline came out of the vatican today. we learned that pope benedict defrocked nearly 400 priests in just over a two-year period for molesting children back in 2011-2012. it's according to a document obtained by the associated press. it shows a dramatic increase since 170 priests were removed in the years '08 and '09. it is the first time the vatican has revealed details on a specific number of priests removed. >>> if you're looking for a measure of just how much american attitudes on smoking have changed, consider this. this broadcast started out not only sponsored by a brand of cigarettes but named after one. it was the camel news caravan. in the modern era it was renamed ""nbc nightly news"." also in the modern era, we learned a lot about cigarettes and smoking. just today the u.s. surgeon general came out with a new report showing smoking impacts every major organ in the body and has already killed 20 million americans over the past 50 years. this

>> richard engel starting us off in moscow tonight. richard, thanks. >>> in this country, the attention has now intensified surrounding a political scandal involving the administration of governor chris christie in new jersey. the latest development involves hoboken, new jersey. perhaps best known as the birthplace of frank sinatra. the mayor of hoboken is alleging she was given an ultimatum by the lieutenant governor to support a development project or lose out on hurricane sandy recovery funding. a charge the lieutenant governor today angrily denied. nbc's kelly o'donnell is in trenton for us again tonight. >> reporter: today in union beach, new jersey's lieutenant governor, kim guadagno, joined volunteers at a hurricane sandy rebuilding event. and she hammered at a new political crisis. >> the suggestion that anyone would hold back sandy relief funds for any reason is wholly and completely false. >> reporter: that allegation comes from hoboken mayor, democrat dawn zimmer, who this weekend went on television and met with the u.s. att

richard engel with rare access inside the place that is called one of the most dangerous places on our planet, the center of all of those threats to the olympic gas. >>> romney revealed. a fascinating look behind the scenes like we've never seen him before. all the private highs and lows, including the moment they learned it was all over. >>> and trading places. tonight at home with my own in-laws. how they decided thanks to a local program and with the help of volunteers that the best retirement home is their own. "nightly news" begins now. >>> good evening. it happened once before this season, but it's still rare to be able to report that during the day today it was below freezing somewhere in each of our 50 states, and yes, that includes hawaii. it's further proof that the winter of 2014 is proving unusually cold. and again tonight the story is how far south it's spreading, like snow in louisiana, single digits in north carolina. there are states of emergency in the south tonight as a lot of places are preparing for prolonged cold. janet shamlian starts us off tonight from houston.

so we begin here tonight with our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, in moscow. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. russia has described its security perimeter around sochi as a ring of steel. well, it may not be as impenetrable as they hoped. at the sochi airport today, travelers were closely watched, as russian security forces search for as many as four women, suspected suicide bombers who may be planning an attack on the olympics. one of them, who may have already made it into sochi, is 22-year-old ruzana ibragimova. police distributed wanted posters. ruzana is a so-called black widow. she reportedly got that scar on her cheek from a raid by russian forces last year. her husband was killed. all this follows a threat from the grave yesterday. two men in a video claiming they're preparing to carry out last month's suicide attack in volograd, and warning of attacks on the olympics to come. they, like ruzana, come from dagestan, the heart of russia's islamic insurgency. we recently visited dagestan, a poor muslim republic, where many hate vlad

engel: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in strong support of h.r. 3527, the poison center network act, and i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognize for as much time as he wishes to use. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. before i begin, i would like unanimous consent to put into the record the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone's, floor sfamente on this bill -- floor statement on this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's statement will be covered by general leave. the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. this important legislation, which passed the energy and commerce committee by unanimous consent in december, re-authorizes the national toll free phone number, media campaign and grant program, which have helped make poison centers an incredibly successful program. first passed in 2000, national poison center legislation was championed by our current energy and commerce committee chairman, mr. upton, and our fo

richard engel has more now from sochi. >>> in the run up to the games, russia has been getting a lot of bad press with media reports and u.s. officials focusing on the possible threat of terrorist attacks. today risch sha said what threat? first it identified the two bombers it said that were responsible for carrying out twin suicide attacks over the new year, and said forces arrested two suspected polices. a senior russian official says he has no intelligence of any suicide bomber on the loose, and according to russia's assessment there is no credible terrorist threat to the games at all. so we're seeing two very different messages. and russia today stressed that it has absolutely everything under control. richard engel, nbc news, sochi. >>> an nbc follow up now, a 14-year-old oakland boy could be charged as an adult in the death of his own sister. he shot his 17-year-old sister, justice, last week. the boy ear attorney says he is remorseful and the family had been working for days to get the teenager to surrender. police did not release a specific motive for the shooting. >>> also

filming incoming is much more difficult. >> before too long, engel and his crew find themselves in anremely difficult situation. the soldiers from restrepo decide to mount an operation designed to draw out the taliban. >> the troops broke up into two units. one unit from restrepo climbed down in the middle of the night through the hills and took up a post in a safehouse in the middle of this village. the other unit openly, overtly walked, drove, and moved into the village on the other side and set up position in a farmhouse. >> it's a trap to catch the taliban. and things are going just as planned, until a tragic mistake changes everything. >> so i was filming and suddenly there's this very loud explosion. >> a u.s.-fired mortar lands directly on the safehouse where part of the unit waits in ambush. >> it was a really, really awful moment, because what it meant was that the operation that we had thought we were going to do, suddenly turned into this very dire situation. >> i remember as soon as we heard that bang, we knew something was wrong. then we heard the most disturbing thing. w

richard engel, nbc news, sochi. >>> tomorrow night, join janelle wang for an inside look at the gameswith our road to sochi special. we'll profile the northern california athletes heading to russia. the half hour special begins at 9:30. >>> all right. anthony slaughter here again to talk about the forecast. any chance of some rain coming in? and making things a little bit better for all of us? >> yes, we do have a chance of rain in the forecast. always scrolling at the bottom of your screen, you notice by thursday and friday, that's when that chance of rain will start to approach. let's talk about the warmest temperatures for today. we saw temperatures in the upper 70s, low 70s in some places. warmest mill valley at 79. gilroy at 76. mountainview 75 degrees. south san jose 73, along with oakland. across the bay area, our trees are in bloom. believe it or not. this picture i snapped on my lunch break in san jose. you can see the dogwoods already starting to bloom. a sure sign we may already starting to enter into some of our early spring months. of course, it's just about a month away

all right, richard engel in the chechen republic for us this morning.>> well, first, do not harm. the white house just went an entire week without a health care media crisis, believe it or not. does that mean the system is on the mend? that's coming up next. >>> plus -- >> and the golden globe goes to -- jennifer lawrence, "american hustle." >> amy adams, "american hustle." >> "american hustle." >> ahh, "american hustle." based on a real fbi sting operation to expose politicians on the take. we'll give you a history lesson about it later in the show. go-gurt? yep...doh. [ boy ] slurpably fun and a good source of calcium. dads who get it, get go-gurt. did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by 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

our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, is in moscow with more on this latest threat. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. officials insist that the olympics will be safe. that may be so. this latest threat does, at least, appear credible. the latest terror threat to the olympics comes from two suicide bombers who are already dead. this video is the last testimony of the calm, young men. they documented what they were about to do, step by step, how they built vests with explosives, strap them on, wires running down their arms, the trigger in easy reach. and some time later -- those men, according to the video, killed dozens of civilians at a train station in volgograd and on a bus over the new year. the video seems genuine. it was posted on a website known to be used by islamic militants. the bombers said volgograd was just the first wave. the next will be at the olympics. security in sochi is already tighter than at most airports. president putin has promised to mobilize the army, police and intelligence service if necessary. it would be difficult

our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is there again for us tonight. >> reporter: it was too dangerous to run the torch through the streets of dagestan, so organizers gathered a few thousand spectators into a soccer stadium in the rain to watch the flame circle the field, police guarding every entrance. not the most triumphant olympic moment, but it reveals the deep instability in dagestan, a war zone on sochi's doorstep. nbc news has learned new details about a russian special forces operation here just nine days ago. inside this house under attack, alleged militant zaira alieva, one of the so-called black widows, a would-be suicide bomber police say was plotting to attack the olympics. the video, shot and distributed by police to showcase their efforts to keep sochi safe. we visited the house. it's about to collapse. across the street, a neighbor showed us where russian troops took up positions. in her attic. and over here is where they were shooting? you can see all the bullet casings here on the floor where russian special forces were firing at the house across the street

nbc's richard engel is in russia with more on this. >> reporter: the olympic torch today passed through the city of volgolgrad. but terror groups are eyeing these olympics, too. a new threat has emerged from the very same suicide bombers. those men, the video claimed, killed dozens of civilians at a train station and on a bus. the bombers said it was just the first wave. the next attacks will bring "a surprise to the olympics." security in sochi is already tighter than at most airports. president vladimir putin has said security is a national priority and that every resource will be used. but why attack the olympics? mostly revenge. russia is fighting a low-level war in the caucuses. a muslim majority territory less than a thousand miles from sochi. the republic of dagestan is especially violent and that's where the suicide bombers in the latest video say they're from. the winter olympics aren't really the target. russia is. the games, analysts say, are just an opportunity to grab attention, and to try to harm vladimir putin. security is only one emerging point of tension between the u.

our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is live for us in moscow tonight. richard, what brought this about today? >> reporter: good evening, brian. we understand that there is no specific threat, but security is the overwhelming concern that russia has in the lead-up to these games. and russia is imposing some very severe security restrictions, already banning all liquids on flights, not just large amounts of liquids but any liquids of any kind. also about 40,000 police and soldiers are imposing a so-called ring of steel around the venues at sochi. the fsb, which is the new kgb is responsible for security overall. the main concern, obviously, is terrorists, specifically someone coming from the north caucuses. and over the new year there were two bombings that put this country on alert. the u.s. officials tell us they're not overwhelmingly concerned about the olympic venues themselves, but concerned something could happen at a train station or a transport hub, a softer target that could be attacked during the games. >> richard engel in moscow, as we said the

nbc's richard engel has more from sochi. >> reporter: u.s. officials say the terror threat in sochi is the highest of any olympics, yet russia isn't cooperating much with the u.s. about it. vladimir putin, president and former kgb chief, has said russia can handle it. >> certainly vladimir putin's past history, the long cold war history between the united states and russia, make any likelihood of a request either before the games or catastrophically after an event, far less likely in had this case. >> reporter: but the u.s. is taking some precautions on its o own. a small number of fbi and state department security officials will be on hand. mostly to protect the american delegation. and two u.s. warships will be positioned in the black sea in case americans need to be evacuated. the terror threat in russia comes mainly from the suicide bombers including women known as black widows. russia is on the hunt for at least five suspected bombers, two men and three black widows. and today several olympic delegations including germany and hungary sai

>> ominous situation tonight in moscow, richard engel with that.hanks. >>> as we mentioned, the safety of american athletes and other visitors at the sochi games is a matter of growing concern to the u.s. government. for more on the security question and what role the u.s. might play in all of it, nbc's andrea mitchell in our d.c. newsroom. andrea, good evening. >> good evening. tonight that call between president obama and vladimir putin shows how high the concern is about the safety of the sochi games. as sochi is locked down, u.s. officials say the terror threat is higher than for any previous olympics, even worse than beijing, where there was little security cooperation with the u.s. first, because of the recurring terror attacks in russia. >> the threat level in sochi is so much higher than china, it's really difficult to compare the two. >> reporter: and as seen after the boston marathon bombing, a history of mutual suspicion between russian security and u.s. security officials. would vladimir putin, a former cold war spy member even ask the

>> richard engel, thank you so much.g for terror concerns and security concerns at the games in sochi, and we will keep pace with you, richard. thank you so much. >>> we're back now with the roundtable. congressman edwards, i want to start with you. how much concern do you have about iraq? >> i have a lot of concern, but i don't think the united states really has a place there. it's unfortunate what happened because so many americans lost their lives in fallujah, and to see this happening is really disturbing, but it's not the united states' fight. >> you were there in the political wars, behind the actual war in iraq. not only the gains that richard engel says is being lost, but does the united states have responsibility for what's happening in iraq, particularly if it's a growing problem in the region? >> when the united states left iraq, it had the chance for a decent self-government, for iraqi leaders to bind the wound to the country. what you see playing out, as richard pointed out, is a sunni-shiite civil war acros

richard engel, nbc news, sochi. >>> in san francisco hundred of people gathered to pay tribute to dr. martin luther king jr. at glide memorial church today. two special services this morning included poetry and music, along with words from reverend cecil williams who marched with king from selma to montgomery. he's led the northern california efforts to honor the slain civil rights leader and supporters say they appreciate his efforts. >> it means a leader who fought for civil rights. and because of him latinos have civil rights in this country. >> tomorrow is the official holiday and people are urged to better help their community. there are several community event planned all around the bay area. caltrain will run its annual freedom train in honor of dr. king. it leaves san jose at 10:00 a.m. and runs non-stop to san francisco. organizers have warned low turnout is threatening to end the annual tradition. participation has declined over the past decade and the freedom train in the bay area is still the only one in operation. tickets cost $15 with a discount for seniors, and you can

nbc'sry charred engel reports. >> reporter: we are now in sochi with just about one month to go before this city will host the winter olympics and security concerns will vrd started to overshadow these games. there have been two recent terrorist attacks not here in sochi but a few hundred miles away. the biggest concern is that militants from the north caucuses will try and carry out attacks perhaps not right in this area because this area already is very secure and will be even more secure in the lead-up to the games officials assure us but perhaps somewhere else in this very broad country. another concern is the criticism that is taking place in russia, particularly that these games have been so expensive. already $50 billion for all of the infrastructure required for these games. the city was not considered a winter resort in the past. people came here, in fact, to spend their summer but vladimir putin who is in that stadium, that hockey stadium just the other day, showing that this country is ready, that the games will be safe, decided he wanted to have it in sochi and that's why a

richard engel, nbc news, sochi. >>> later today, nsa leaker edward snowden will speak out in a live q & a on his website, one week after president obama's speech on nsa reforms. this is a new cbs poll that finds most americans think snowden should stand trial in the u.s. for his actions. 23% think he should be granted amnesty. that brings us to nbc's tracie potts live in washington. good morning to you. the poll, that poll question brings into question, if you will, would he ever come back to the united states? >> reporter: well, russia has said he can stay there indefinitely. certainly the u.s. government wants him to come back and face charges but snowden has given no indication whatsoever that he wants to come back. and deal with all of this. we may hear more about that today when he speaks out about those secret surveillance programs he made public. this is the website where former nsa contractor edward snowden will answer questions live this afternoon about the government secrets he leaked to the world. >> it is our firm position that he ought to return to the united states, and

richard engel joins me from moscow coming up next. also ahead, appeal for help.equest today from north korea and detained american kenneth bae. stay with us on msnbc. >>> it's time for the "your business" entrepreneur of the week. jim sharndly and his daughter grow fruits and vegetables, but getting national name brand recognition was tough. they broke through when they put everything under the shanley farms brand, getting their produce into whole foods. for more, watch "your business" sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. >>> brought to you by american express open. visit openforum.com for ideas to help you grow your business. th's my philosophy is real simple american express open forum is an on-line community, that helps our members connect and share ideas to make smart business decisions. if you mess up, fess up. be your partners best partner. we built it for our members, but it's open for everyone. there's not one way to do something. no details too small. american express open forum. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. i took medicine but

richard engel has the latest from sochi.rter: vladimir putin is not known for tact. he's unapologetic about it. he came here to sochi to try, it seems at least, to do away with the controversy regarding russia's stance about gay rights and how open gay visitors will be able to be and gay athletes when they come to, if they come to participate in the sochi olympics. he came forward with what, i think he thought were conciliatory comments. they showed there are limitations to what russia seems willing to accept. they are still digging in sochi with just three weeks to go until the olympics. as vladimir putin moved to diffuse controversy and promo promoting homoaxiality. >> we are not banning anything. we have no punishment for such relations. everyone should feel at ease, he added, but please leave the children in peace. in sensitive comment, but these are putin's games and his city. sochi isn't the most natural place to host the pinter olympics. there was no infrastructure here, it isn't very cold, more palm trees than snow.

richard engel, nbc news, moscow. >>> and it is back. a deep freeze setting its sights on the midwest and the northeast. snow, ice and more bone chilling temperatures on the way. and what that means, well, travel woes for the entire country. at least 1800 flights already canceled today, according to flight aware.com. the frigid air brings another threat. fuel shortages as people try to keep warm. more than a dozen states have emergency declarations in place, because of a shortage of propane gas. nbc's tracie potts is in washington. as it gets so cold, folks got to keep warm and the question is how they're handling this. >> reporter: well, people who are seeing their bills double since last year, some of them tell us they're closing the doors upstairs to try to force the heat downstairs and not heat the entire house. the federal government declared a home heating fuel emergency, which covers 23 states, plus d.c. what that does is relax the rules for drivers of propane trucks so they can get that propane where it needs to be. the problem i

we'll have the latest from richard engel in moscow. >> russian security forces are searching for one woman in particular who's gone missing whom they worry could be involved in an attack on the games. >> no nukes and what officials are calling a major breakthrough, iran today lived up to its pledge halting the enrichment of high grade uran m uranium. we'll have a live report where the moves had an immediate impact with sanction relief. >>> the dream lives on. on this dr. dr. martin luther king day, 50 years after his i have a dream speech, i'll talk to congressman john lewis and alma powell on the new fight on voting rights and education. >> our opponents know, they know the single most dangerous thing to give us is the right to vote. they know what that is. >> good day, i'm andrea mitchell in washington. 17 days before the opening ceremonies, sochi is already in a security lockdown. u.s. and russian sources are telling nbc news that russian security forces may be searching for as many as four women reportedly set to carry out terror attacks on sochi olympic games next month. one of

richard engel is going to be joining us live in just a moment. please stay with us. >>> the national republican party does not usually make a big splash with their annual winter meeting. last year's meeting they drafted several obscure resolutions like this one calling out the obama white house for, "veiled socialist slanting tactics." very serious sounding stuff if you believe that sort of thing. but nobody found it newsworthy that the republican party officially declared that it believed this and it didn't get much coverage. this year's republican winter meeting is happening in washington, d.c. where they have not met for a few years, and this is interesting. turns out that the rnc winter meeting opens this year in d.c. on the same day as the big national antiabortion march. which they hold in d.c. every year around the anniversary of roe v. wade. so what do you do if you're reince priebus? what does an antiabortion republican party chairman do when he has nevertheless been calling the whole republican war on women thing a myth? a myth? right?

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nbc's richard engel live in moscow, thank you very much. >>> a big blow to the nfl. judge ruled a landmark settlement doesn't go far enough to reward injured players and families. we'll talk live with former pro athletes coming up. >>> plus, out of work and now out of luck. the new federal budget doesn't extend unemployment insurance. what's next for millions of americans trying to find a job? n corn chowder. i mean, look at it. so indulgent. did i tell you i am on the... [ both ] chicken pot pie diet! me too! [ male announcer ] so indulgent, you'll never believe they're light. 100-calorie progresso light soups. which 4g lte map has the most coverage? this isn't real difficult... pretty obvious to me. i'm going to have to say verizon. verizon. that's right! the choice is obvious. verizon's superfast 4g lte network is over three times larger than any other 4g lte network. act now to get $100 or more off any smartphone when you trade in any smartphone on america's largest, most reliable 4g lte network. that's powerful. verizon. now get a free lg g2, with a 13-megapixel

nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is live in moscow.hard, let's start here with this group, the men in the video say they've got a quote, surprise, planned for those games. what more can you tell us about this? >> reporter: this video was made sometime ago, it's unclear exactly when. these men are now dead because they carried out a suicide attack. this video was their last testimonial, their martyrdom video in which they describe their motivations for the attack and why they are doing it. they are from a militant group that operates in the north caulk as. they want to carry out violence against the russian security forces and say there will be more attacks to come specifically targeting the games. >> nbc news also learned russian security officials are furiously searching for another terror suspect, the woman who reportedly has this 4 inch star on the left cheek. what more can you tell us about her, about that part of the investigation? >> reporter: that woman, who also known as ro san that, 23 years old from dagestan. her husband also

richard engel is going to be joining us live in just a moment. please stay with us. hi, i'm terry and i have diabetic nerve pain. it's hard to describe, because you have a numbness, but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point i knew i had to do something. once i started taking the lyrica the pain started subsiding. [ male announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know h

chief foreign correspondent richard engel joins live from moscow with the latest.ously, this is -- they seem to be almost on the four -- the ten most wanted list of russia, as an equivalency of that. let's ask the basic question here. are our athletes secure in sochi? >> reporter: well, it's very difficult for me to answer that. i can say that there is certainly a lot of concern by u.s. officials and now clearly by russian officials. these names, these wanted posters that have been put up are not just people who are like the fbi's ten most wanted, fugitives at large. these are people who are specifically missing right now and whom russian officials believe are actively looking for targets. they are on the loose, possible suicide bombers potentially looking to carry out some sort of olympics related attack. as you mentioned, there are six people like this. four of them so-called black widows. these would be women who lost their husbands or husbands killed by -- usually by russian security forces and have decided themselves to join the cause and become martyrs for th

>> nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel, live for us tonight in sochi, russia.reciate you staying up to do this for us. it's good to see you, my friend. >> reporter: my pleasure. >> thanks a lot. >>> all right. lots to come tonight including how rock ribbed tea party principles were defeated by a pizza. that's still ahead on debunktion junction. stay with us. >>> this is a fight that belongs to the iraq cankies. that's exactly what the president and world decided some time again and we left iraq. so we are not obviously contemplating returning. we're not contemplating putting boots on the ground. this is their fight. we're going to help them in their fight. even at a distance of 10 miles... the length of 146 football fields... they can see the light of a single candle. your eyes are amazing. look after them with centrum silver. multivitamins with lutein and vitamins a, c, and e to support healthy eyes and packed with key nutrients to support your heart and brain, too. centrum silver. for the most amazing parts of you. where does the united states get most of its

nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel joins us live from sochi. i'm sure you've heard that you've got athletes now hiring private security firms. does that add to the confusion, or does that add to the sense of really what's needed at this point for some of these athletes to feel comfortable? >> well, i think it shows the level of concern that these teams had. the snowboarding and ski team have used security consultants for years, actually, to provide advice, potentially medevac, because what they do is inherently dangerous and they could be seriously injured. but this time, they will be providing actual tactical intelligence where they need to go, kinds of things that they can do to provide -- to keep themselves safe. and i think that is a different kind of advice than they would be giving to attend the x games or other kinds of sporting events. >> obviously, richard, we know that the security issue is hovering over the head of vladimir putin. i guess a lot of people are wondering how he is reassuring the world that the place he selected will be

richard engel is live in sochi.s calling these suspects members of a known terrorist group. what more can you tell us about them? >> >>. >> reporter: according to russian officials they were accomplices from dagestan. they tried to help them. there was one suicide bombing inside the train station, another on a bus and about three dozen people were killed in these attacks. we're hearing today more from russian officials about security. i think it has to do with a run up to the sochi games. russia has been getting a beating in the press from u.s. officials about security. we're seeing russia trying to change the message giving more information out. this intelligence assessment. today there was a press conference by senior russian officials in sochi. according to russian intelligence there are no specific terror threats to the games, no suicide bombers on the loose and then they also talked about these arrestness volgograd. >> richard engel on the ground in sochi. as always, thank you. >>> back here, activists are ramp

nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in sochi. richard?> reporter: there is clearly a security concern about sochi. it has already reached the highest levels of the u.s. and the russian and american governments. there's been this conversation between president obama and vladimir putin in which security was discussed. the most senior military leaders between the two countries are talking, potentially even discussing sharing equipment. but while all of these conversations are happening here in sochi, security is very tight. we are now inside the bubble. we are inside this ring of steel. and just to get here, it took hours. we had to go through layer after layer of security checks. like would be at a very strict airport. every bag opened, all of the contents searched. we went through metal detectors, bomb dogs. when you walk around, you see foot patrols of policemen. you have to wear large badges identifying who you are, what organization you're with, the entire area surrounded by fences. there are all sorts of other means of electronic surve

i'm joined by richard engel in moscow. richard, what is the latest on how many people are suspected and where they might be? >> reporter: all day we've been reporting that they were four women and two men and if you go around the police stations in russia, you will see wanted posters for four so-called black widows and two men. one of the women is apparently dead, she was killed several days ago in a operation by russian special forces. her name -- i don't know how this confusion happened and why the russian forces put up her wanted poster, even though she may have been killed in a russian operation several days ago. but that would mean there are still five other possible suicide bombers suspected suicide bombers, three men, two women on the loose being looked for by russian forces. >> richard, what is the level of cooperation between russian officials and fsb and their security teams and u.s. counterintelligence and u.s. security and the pentagon? in the past we've had ups and downs with russia, most recently the tragedy

ru ru >> richard engel is in sochi. big satellite delay but you have been reporting on the challenge of getting in and out of ring of steel and to the venues themselves. >> reporter: we were just walking around today and almost everywhere you go you have to show your i.d. to get through check points, not just a matter of buying tickets either. they have to preregister so not only the athletes and media will be registered but even if you want to just attend a hockey game you have to preregister and get a special spectator's pass which you present with your ticket. so you go online and it can take several days, russian officials say they are trying to speed up the process to preregister too attend the events. yes, this is a very strict procedure to take part in the olympics. >> and what's the latest on the wanted posters for the so-called black widows and the terror suspects that may or may not have penetrated the sochi ring of steel? >> unfortunately no updates. the posters are still up. they are on some bus depots and s

richard engel, nbc news, sochi. >>> nbc news learned president obama spoke to russian president vladimir putin about security. and the white house is advising americans that plan to go to sochi to contact the state department and stay on top of the latest security warning. >>> the olympic games begin february 6th. we invite you to join us from start to finish right here on nbc4. >>> right now at 5, conditions showing live pictures now. this the threat may of stopped but new threats to our roads. >>> and manhunt under way. >>> and the case against the virginia governor, did he give favors for a ferrari ride? >>> and the winter storm will come for days to come. >>> already schools in some areas shut down in virginia will be closed again. as we get more information, we will bring them to you first and live. the big story this is stark difference between the side streets and main roads. since early this morning roads and neighborhoods have been dangerous while interstates are mostly clear and all that could change. >> our storm team is back out on the roads this hour and monitoring the roads

richard engel explains. >> reporter: the olympic torch has closed in on sochi.but terror groups are eyeing the olympics, too. and a new threat has emerged from the very same suicide bombers, and the men, those video claimed killed dozens of civilians at a train station and on a bus. the bombers said that it was just the first wave and the next attacks will bring a surprise to the olympics. security in sochi is already tighter than at most airports. president vladimire putin has said that security is a national priority, and every resource will be used, but why attack the olympics? mostly revenge. russia is fighting a low-level war in the caucuses about a mile from sochi, and the republic of dagestan is especially violent, and that is where the suicide bombers in the latest video say they are from. and the winter olympics are not the target, but russia is. and the games, the analysts say, are just an opportunity to grab attention and to try to harm vladimire putin. >> reporter: kurt is -- security is one point of contention here between the united states and russ

to myself and roll up in a little ball and do my event and get out of there. >> reporter: richard engelc news, sochi. >> and the games are two weeks away and you can get ready with the nbc washington app and download it with the latest news from sochi, an follow your favorite athletes and teams after the games begin. search nbc washington in the app store or google play. >>> right now at 5:00, snow flurries and dangerous bitter cold. weather advisories are going up right now. >> and more than a million shoppers at risk after hackers steal credit card data from neiman-marc neiman-marcus. >>> and growing legal problems for teen pop star jus ttin bieb. could he be deported back to canada? >> first at 5:00, the snowshowers are bringing in another cold night. >> and right now a windchill advisory is in effect. >> and doug ckammerer is here with the updated forecast. >> well, we have seen the snowshowers today, but the big story is the koecold. we have been stuck nit, and looks like we will be right there with it. looking outside, we will show you the few snowshowers that are left, and came t

richard engel mass more now. >> wanted posters are being distributed for three more black widows, suspected suicide bombers on the loose. young muslim women. they join one who may have already slipped into the olympic host city of sochi. 22 years old, rosana was made a black widow last year when russian forces killed her husband. also a suspected militant. that car on her cheek reportedly came from the russian troops. why use women? why black widows? it's a signature tactic of militants where russia is in the midst of a fit for tat war with russian troops cracking down and militants fighting back with terrorism. they were used to take more than 800 hostages in 2002. more than 200 were killed when they stormed in. now 40,000 troops have been put in place to guard the area. >> the problem is that when you need to stop one loan wolf, you need to think about government negligence and preventive issues, but not about the number of troops on the ground. >> trsts may be targeting the olympic torch replay which means they may be attacked before they begin. >> the intelligence is quite specific. the

joining me is richard engel. deja vu all over again and enormous tragedy to see iraq engulfed in sectarian war fair in the very place where the surge helped regain those cities and where we lost so many american lives as you witnessed yourself. >> well, it must be incredible depressing for american troops who served there and commanders and the civilian contractors who contracted to this effort to see once again al qaeda in the center of fallujah in the center of ramadi. right now the iraqi government, particularly prime minister al maliki has an enormous problem. it's not clear how he's going to solve this problem. so far he has chosen to escalate, sending tanks and artillery to ramadi, the city remained surrounded. al qaeda militants are in the center of fallujah. but today the iraqi defense ministry said it's not going to enter fallujah or invade the city yet because it's worried about creating civilian casualties. the city is surrounded and being attacked by air strikes and by the occasional artillery bombard

richard engel joins us on the phone now. he's been following the story very closely. richard, first of all, in the simplest of terms, how did this happen? how did iraq lose fallujah? >> there is not the simplest of terms explanation, but i think after u.s. troops left, the civil war that the united states ma managed to stop for a little while has came back and the reason it came back is because of syria. the fight in syria spilled over into iraq. it reignited the old embers of the civil war which were still there and have now caught into a wildfire because american troops are no longer there and are not going back there to help calm the situation down. >> senators graham and mccain has said what is happening there is as tragic as it is predictable. they blame the obama administration troop pullout. how much is america to blame for what is happening there right now? >> that's a tough question. because if american troops had stayed there in large numbers, then, sure, this would not have happened or the u.s. would be in the middle of it trying to prevent it from happenin

let's start with where richard engel left off. could be an attack in the next three days.incredible precision. how do we know? >> in the last couple of days there have been pieces of intelligence that surfaced. the video from volggraad and other intelligence. presumably that causes them to believe one of the individuals may already be in the sochi area: whether or not this is going to take place, the key is that the level of confusion, the russians don't know what's going on. that's worrisome. >> i was in the london games. the amount of security even as a journalist, we were on a secured bus entering the olympic area where the games would take place. every day the bus itself was searched. this was in london where, of course, there is a terror threat but there is an sbrord fair threat in sochi. >> there is a myriad number of actors here involved. we talk about doku omarov. the people who carried out the bombing the other day who threatened the olympics directly don't appear to be directly connected to him. they are incorrectly connected. they are not operating under his spe