used it since the game started right on the crest there in the vice president of the sochi olympic organizing committee still has much work to do because the paralympics are not far away thanks so much for joining us some of course the winter games have been full of unexpected victories and surprising disappointments and you have a chance to tell us what were the most memorable for you go to our facebook page to . your ideas and remember fails and tough luck moments are also a part of a live pick a story you can also share your opinion on twitter with the hash tag mind so to moments the best will be read out during our special coverage of the closing ceremony later tonight. the g twenty four team promise is the ultimate in exhilarating really just another . story you see no way to make seven zero in the first of all of these teams for sochi twenty four take. on. we'll continue now with all their news it's been the most turbulent week ukraine has seen in this modern history in less than seven days the capital of this eastern european country has gone through fire smoke and deadly clashes and scenes rese

olympic authorities on the defensive. this week, the sochi 2014 organizing committee announced, all stray dogs that are found on the olympicl veterinary contractor. all healthy animals are released following their health check. as recently as last year, the sochi city government hired a private company to dispose of street animals, but this week, a city official told cnn he was now urging volunteers to take street dogs to a new government supported canine shelter. the volunteers here say shelters don't provide a long-term solution. they want a government-financed sterilization program, and better laws to protect animals in russia. >> in russia, you can abuse any animal and it's not a crime. you can buy or adopt an animal, and then release it on the street. it's not a crime. >> reporter: perhaps the growing uproar over sochi's olympic dogs may prompt moscow to take a long, hard look at protecting man's best friend. ivan watson, cnn, sochi, russian. >> certainly hope they're protected. so sad. >> a heart-breaker, isn't it? >> yeah. >>> the private notes of pope john paul ii wanted to be burned. well, he wanted them to be bur

>> certainly the international olympic committee is standing by sochi, standing by russia and the russian olympic organizingsaying yeah, things are good. yes, there has been a lot of attention in the last 24 hours because of the journalists coming in and learning that the rooms are not ready or furnished or water is not running. the ioc insists this is just 3% of the tens of thousands of hotel rooms currently in sochi. the fact is, wolf, that everything behind me, this entire olympic park, all of the dormitories and buildings and stadiums, none of this existed seven years ago when russia won the right to host the olympic games. it's all built in this mad rush of construction that has this enormous price tag of about $50 billion. the most expensive olympics yet. it's very clear that the russians still have not work the kinks out of some of this infrastructure at the very least. we have seen some of it working quite well. they insist the venues are working well. we will have to see the test. what happens when the tens of thousands of tourists come and the families of athletes. if their water is running and ho

sochi's olympic park. russia's organizing committee insists everything will be completed in time. >> we're dealing with it.. so we apologize again for any inconvenience. thank you. >> reporter: mother nature may be harder to deal with. after several days of cold weather there's a warm front on the way. but as sochi snow specialist says he has enough snow machines to compensate for warm weather. >> first of all, don't worry about the snow. snow will be guaranteed. >> reporter: some of the olympic athletes are impressed. >> this is my first olympics so for me this is absolutely incredible, went above and beyond my expectations of what an olympic village would be. >> reporter: as for the lingering question of security there's a reason why they call it ring of steel. tens of thousands of russian security forces have been deployed to protect these olympic games. and, carol, you know, it's not just a bunch of complaining, whining reporters whose rooms aren't quite up to speed, even the residents of this black sea resort city none of them know how to get around. all the highways, all the trains, all the infrastru

olympic torch last night caused a stir. back in september, she tweeted a photo of president obama that some considered racially offensive. it was removed. answering critics, the head of the sochi organizing committee said rodina's selection had nothing to do with politics. olympic champion, one of the most respected in the world olympic athletes. >> reporter: the t >> reporter: the torch-lighting ceremony brought cheers at this outdoor olympic viewing party, among them 19-year-old american morgan gandi. >> far better than i expected it to be. it's so much fun. the people here are awesome. they're friendly. everyone wants to talk to you. so that's just really cool. >> reporter: jim, not everybody is happy with the olympics or the perceived crackdown on dissent. while many people were watching the opening ceremonies, there were coordinated protests against russia's antigay laws. in moscow, police arrested many pro gay rights demonstrators who sang the national anthem and unfolded a rainbow flag. >> axelrod: alphonso van marsh on day one at sochi, thank you. in a speech to a gay rights group this evening, attorney general eric holder will announce the justice department is expanding its recognition o

sochi today for the winter olympics. not everyone might have a place to stay. according to the sochi organizing committeeof the nine hotels near the olympic park are still under construction. a spokesperson says anyone who can't check in, they will be transferred to another hotel. everything will be finished before the olympic games begin. the main olympic park is already completed. >>> 7:16. administrators at san francisco general hospital say the new security measures put in place after a recent tragedy did pay off last week. patient valerie gates was in urgent need of medication when she left the hospital grounds thursday afternoon. the 34-year-old woman was found the next morning in the mission district and brought back to the hospital for the necessary treatment. hospital administrators say they were able to find her with the help of a new patient tracking system. that tracking system came about as the result of the death of hospital patient lynn spaulding last fall. authorities found the body of her in a little used hospital stairwell two weeks after she disappeared. there's also new information ab

arrive in sochi there is reassurance from the head of the international olympic committee that the resorts more than ready for the games to begin artie's fall scots is there for us. well organizers have been saying for some time now that sochi is ready to welcome the sporting world it of course all gets underway on friday evening at eight fourteen pm local time the contents of that two and a half hour spectacle are a closely guarded secret over the last twenty four hours or so i think spectators and journalists that continue to arrive in and around sochi the reports are emerging the number of hotels a colony in complete hotels they're going to house spectators and journalists but the president of the international olympic committee thomas. says he's confident that everything will be completed in time on the games will run smoothly at the olympic stage is ready for the base. of the world. we can see this in the sports facilities. there we can see in the olympic. which are all of. very high quality about eighty percent of the fleets can literally walk from their beds in the real each to their competition when you. something i have never seen before at the olympic games. also went

sochi but despite that despite that there have been some reports of melting snow and some empty seats as well but the international olympic committee has moved today to praise both the venues on the organizationof the games with one i.o.c. official saying that some critics are simply looking for reasons to criticize the sochi twenty fourteen winter olympics has been speaking to athletes all along and we gauge how some of them feel as we approach the hard way stage of these games. mean was perfect i love this slushy snow when it's stopped outside so i'm nothing to complain about i think you know your job so i'm happy to ski instead she says snow in the sun but they never just server away the buses expand also so you'll see them on sign up on the mountain balance with a pretty good accommodation it's no place on the new zealand team so it's. one of the buildings but not so comfortable with buses up around the walls in new zealand so it makes us feel like. seems like there's lots to look forward to in your all they're having a good time we'll be talking to you throughout the night of course thank you there's actually one more gassed i would like to talk to you about because. it's new less than b

organization in brazil sent postcards to vladimir putin. the international committee says it is taking doping at the sochi olympics very seriously.hey will have the strictest anti-doping enforcement in history. new tests detect drug abuse going back months rather than just days and a record number of athletes will be examined. >> you heard about the ioc's fight for clean competition here in sochi which will see the most stringent anti-doping program in this history of the olympic winter games. of the 2,453 tests, 1269 will be implemented pre-competition, a 57% increase on vancouver and 1,184 will be post competition. 1944 will be urine tests, 509 blood tests. >> samples will be kept at least a decade so they can be tested if new methods are invented. >>> members of the american olympic team can't wait to get going. athletes have been going through their warm-ups and say the mountain, looks pretty, is ready to go and so are the ice skating rinks. >> feeling good. really good about this. loving the atmosphere and energy. >> it's awesome. there's a lot of snow. we rode powder this morning. it was amazing. >> i would put the mountain

sochi olympics is there such thing as too much security. i speak from some experience having spent seven years on and on organizing committee . it's very difficult to win any argument with the security people of the country because the security people will say well it might happen and you cannot prove that . security is paramount as far as the country is concerned and is very important as far as the sea is concerned what i hope will happen a confident absolutely confident that the sochi games will be secure what i hope will happen is that once it becomes clear they are safe the committee will be able to control the amount of security and to control the attitudes of the. people who are doing the security to create a very happy l.b.o. of the games that's a very narrow balance and difficult balance to get right but it can be done why do you think some world leaders are refusing to come to such a sad and political reasons while they have no problems for example going to beijing. i've always believed. the games are a hugely. in world sport i think. always been the policy of the host organizing committee and those countries . to we

this happen they were invent whoever they were part of our organizing committee they had people in our team we went to sochi following the olympic games and we shared this and saw the advantage of understanding that this can happen. so the snow's covered the torch has been lit. up and examined it was behind us just remind you again if you're just joining us welcome to the live in this the olympic park there behind us is the coastal cluster of mobility the flame in the distance there. but i did this and this is some facts and figures here i've been doing a bit of research you could fit seven of moscow's red squares into this whole area that's been developed from scratch with nothing here before really well but really it doesn't surprise me that organizers built such spaces media center is there another one in the mountain cluster we just spoke to andrew from and up to fifteen thousand people are working for different media companies from all over the globe and they've arrived here to cover the. you would talk about the competition the competition is tough amongst the journalists as well indeed the stakes are really high as well t

olympic organizers have a problem with housing for the press. many arrive and found they had noplace to stay according to the sochi organizing committee. only six of the nine hotels rated for media in the mountains outside sochi are fully operational. thousands of journalists are expected to arrive ahead of friday's opening ceremony, wondering where do i go? >> now to the incredible human catastrophe that is syria. that ended with nothing to show for it. even a plan for giving aid to those who were suffering. this comes amid accusations that syria is stalling over chemical weapons. talking to the contributor to the un and the american enterprise institute joins us. good morning. >> they say only about 4% have been handed over. is this going according to planned? >> it's going to the assad regime's plan. it was predicted right here with you on your show. the syrians use the chemical weapons's agreement to buy time and gain legitimacy. the slow motion process of removing the weapons they declared and i underlined the phrases, we don't know what they had. it's part of the script that takes maximum advantage politically and militarily for

as visitors begin arriving in sochi for the winter olympics, construction crews are scrambling to complete places for them to stay. accord together the organizing committee a spokesman says anyone who can't check in will be transferred to another hotel. he says everything will be finished before the games start in five days. >>> a decision on the fate of prime real estate in san francisco. the trust shot down all three projects vying for 8 coveted acres along christy field. even george lucas was told no thanks. >> reporter: one of the most iconic views in the united states. even the king of star wars was unable to win this battle. >> after careful consideration and much deliberation, the trust board of directors has unanimously decided this morning not to pursue any of the proposals at this time for the site. >> this is the most spectacular site in the country, and we believe there should be the most spectacular program in the country. >> reporter: one envisioned a sustainable institute looking at actions we can take from recycling to eco-friendly food gathering to serve and enhance the common good of the planet. also a conservancy to educate visitors on

sochi, there are many complaints about unfinished hotel rooms, undrinkable water, and unreliable electricity. talking more about olympics and other items of interest with former republican nominee, ceo of the 2002 salt lake city organizing committee, mitt romney, thanks for being with us. >> happy to be with you. >> i want to talk about the serious threats in sochi. yesterday, we hurt two more threats against austrian olympic athletes there, threats they would be kidnapped. a lot of what has happened in many other countries having gotten similar threats has been downplayed, what is your take? >> you have to take any threat on a national stage like the olympics very seriously. the threats to athletes as well as the warning today about the department of homeland security to watch out for toothpaste tubes, these are a real concern. grave concern. and have to be considered thoroughly. i do believe the games will be safe, particularly in the hardened areas where there are very substantial security personnel, but without question, this olympics is under a level of threat we haven't seen for some time. >> we know that the u.s. has offered assistance to russia should it need it. there are questions about positioning assets should they be

. >>> the olympics in sochi are only a few days old, but the organizers of the next winter games in south korea are already busy promoting their event. 150 members of the organizing committee have headed to sochi. they've set up a building to showcase their games and held an event there over the weekend to introduce their culture to visitors. south koreans are looking for ideas that might help them as they prepare to host the games. nhk world's anna jong has more. >> reporter: people around the world are following the winter games in sochi. but skiers at this resort are paying particular close attention. >> translator: i'm so excited to have the olympic games come here. we have waited for this opportunity for a long time. i hope our country can become a lot stronger in winter sports. >> reporter: it's one of the leading winter resorts known by many for its ski slopes that appeared in the popular tv series winter sonata. the rural town has a population of a little over 40,000. and it's about a three-hour drive from seoul. >> pyeongchang. >> reporter: they won the right to host the olympics in their third try. almost 90% of people living in south korea supported the bid. >>

olympic organizers they have to get their act together and solve the housing issues. several media outlets arriving last week and they found no place to stay according to the sochi organizing committee only six of the nine hotels for media personnel are fully operational. thousands of journalists arrive tomorrow before friday's opening ceremonies >>> president obama outlined his legislative agenda for 2014 in his state of the union address, the focus jobs, education, the environment. the president says he's working with congress, or at least hoping to, but is also willing to go it aol lone if he has to. well, critics are speaking out about that, claiming a move like that could exceed his constitutional powers. steve centani live in washington. >> reporter: critics blasting the president for vowing to make that end run around congress and making that executive action on his own. lawmakers came up with an immigration plan but some are saying this is not the time for immigration reform because president obama can't be trusted to enforce the law. >> look what he's done with obamacare. he has selectively enforced that law and some have raised sturblg -- constitutional questions whether h

olympic facilities are ready, the athletes have begun to arrive, the security, the russians say, is in place. and dimitri chernyshenko, the czar of these games, is head of sochi's organizing committee just wants the games to begin. >> sochi likely is the most secure and safe place in the world. >> reporter: safe, maybe, but these demonstrators in paris today are just the latest to say sochi is not free if you're gay or lesbian. russia's antigay propaganda laws are an issue that won't go away, no matter how much the game's organizers would like it to. >> you know, it's just rumors and the people trying to use the games as the most covered and attractive event in the world. and using this to promote some interest. >> reporter: the gay and human rights activists have long made their objections known to what they see as russiaay antigay laws. now they're trying to hit the russians in the pocketbook. they have written an open letter to the game's big international sponsors. they're trying to put pressure on companies like coca-cola, mcdonald's, and others, who pay millions to associate themselves with an olympic movement they say is tainted. and many athletes, including u.s. skier ted l

olympics in sochi are only a few days old. but the organizers of the next winter games in killing chair and south korea are already busy promoting their river one hundred fifty members of the organizing committee have headed to sochi they've set up a building to showcase their games and a lot of them there over the weekend to introduce their cold trip to visitors. south koreans are looking for ideas that might help them as they prepare to host the games this year olds on a jaunt has more. from the world are following the winter games in sochi this here said its research team coach on that paying particularly close attention. i'm so excited to have the olympic games come here. we waited for this opportunity for a long time i hope our country can become a lot stronger in winter sports. how is one of the rules just needing bring tourists to its known by many for its ski slopes that appeared in the popular tv series. sonata. the royal college has a population of a little over forty thousand annie's about a three hour drive from saul the people who want to host the olympics can get very much. almost ninety percent of people living in south korea. so wouldn't that be. d i hope for a second conversio

sochi. jack? >> it is one of those things that happens at every olympic games, and it happens in athlete's village and it did for team usa today. every national organization committee has a one-hour well coming ceremony, and they walk in, in a procession, and the song is played and the iconic to the host city, and so they were greeted by a drum corps here, and a russian choir sang here, and the national anthem was raised and then the flag is raised, and once that happens, then you are officially welcomed and they had a tv star greet them. then the athletes were out in competition, and training, so there was not that many athletes there, but it is one of the things that happens, and the team is welcomed, and then here we go, the competition has begun here in sochi, and the opening ceremonies on friday night, and we are ready to be roll iing he live at sochi. i'm jack doles, nbc news. >>> thank you, jack. to keep up with the games, download lao the nbc washington news app and turn on the breaking news alerts, and we will send you the latest from the games, and that is the nbc washington news app. >>> well, we no it is cold there. and the question is, day-to-day, is i

olympic committee has arrived to sochi to check on the preparations. at the press conference saying that the big events are always a target for terrorists but added that he's confident that the russian organizers are delivering safe and successful games. >> we have to address this because anything else or the alternatives would be to surrender to terrorists and this is i think the last thing we all want to do. every organizer has to make sure that the games are as safe as secure as possible. lolo jones is hitting back on the critics. there are suggestions she was only picked because of the fame and the popularity. >> from the first week they accepted me, embraced me, they lifted me up and i think it was what i needed to not only be a bobsled athlete and returning to the track with my head held high and be proud of the things that i have achieved in the sport. i'm grateful for them. >> thorpe has entered rehab. he was found on a city city on monday morning by the police. the manager says he was affected by antidepressants and painkillers for an injury. he admitted suffering from depression. >> that is all for the sports now, jane. >> thank you. we are going to have more on that breaking news of

sochi as this is the warmest olympic city there is potential for disaster. so far that hasn't happened. they stock piled snow for months in case that did happen. >> the organizing committeeinternational federation is working very hard. there's still a storage of snow and so far it is going up. >> reporter: early on there was much focus on the rooms that weren't ready for journalists and occurence for securities and empty seats. president vladimir putin accused the west of negative hype before the game. >> translator: this theory and practice was aimed at the development of the soviet union. we see this appear here and there. this unfortunately has applied to the olympic project. >> reporter: ooh people here are hoping that all sorts of good things will come to russia in the twak of the olympics and already peek are talking about positive aspects of the legacy. an improved quality of life, increased interest in sports and even people are having more baby ps. the birthrate in sochi has gone up 40% in the last several years. a lot of new infrastructure has been built though thousands have been displaced by the construction. this man is concerned that local farmers who have

the head of the organizer committee in sochi was questioned about the choice. he scoffed it off. he said the olympicsg in the stands last night watching the opening ceremony were a few openly gay athletes that the americans brought along with them. i had a chance to catch up with brian boitano. i asked him if he felt like he had to make a statement while he was sitting there. >> i feel like our delegation is the statement. i mean, everybody in russia knows i work here. everybody in america knows why we were named to the delegation. sometimes the things you don't say are more powerful than the things you do say. i think that everybody knows by seeing us what we stand for and equality as a word. >> reporter: now, of course, boitano knows rodnina from figure skating circles. he said he was surprised to learn of the racist tweet. he just learned about it from me and our conversation. he said it was not a topic of conversation among the u.s. delegation last night. i'm sure by this morning, it is. >> all right. let's talk about the other photo snapped by bobsledder johnny quinn. it has gone viral. we can s