. >> reporter: george is the assistant fbi director in new york. he says the biggest challenge is coordinating with the many agencies. but of all the locations, new york and new jersey have a system in place. >> we never let our guard down, but obviously you're going have a lot more people in the city. the stakes are higher. we rev it up, no doubt about it. but we worry about terrorism every day. >> reporter: among the things at their disposal, pocket-sized radiation detectors. >> if something happens, this goes off and the law enforcement knows about it. >> reporter: so you will have dozens if not hundreds of those? >> there are thousands throughout the city. >> reporter: alongside all that modern tech, some tried and true methods. a multiday extravaganza and a region home to 18 million people, here sometimes the best asset is the number of eyes. at the nypd's headquarters, realtime surveillance with intelligence can detect unusual behavior and spot suspicious packages, all to make sure everything from kickoff to the trophy presentation goes off w

has a plan to evacuate american athletes in case and fbi agents are on ground in see chee. they said the country is preparing for the worst. >> it's the whole world here at the games, the u.s. is involved and making sure our team and other athletes are secure. it's something that belongs to the world, and they have been working on this for seven years. >> she's a former rowing olympian and served for nearly 30 years. she believes the athletes will be safe. >>> lindsey vaughn is indeed going to the olympics but not participating, not performing as a correspondent for the tv show. vaughn is preventing herself from competing but she will be reporting for "the today show." she'll be on "the today show" tomorrow morning, the first time since withdrawing. we'll discuss her role and during the olympics, you'll be able to ask lindsey vaughn questions in realtime if you go to facebook.com/olympics. >>> all you need to know is on our sochi page and you can get updates in your inbox by signing up to the newsletter. >>> the temperature is 50 degrees. >> mild. >> the weather from our re

i think he's professional, a former fbi agent. i take what he says very seriously. i've not seen any evidence to suggest what he said. >> the future of spying in america is going to be something that congress is going to take up. how much authority should these intelligence agencies have? do you think these programs that allow the government to collect bulk metadata, should they be here to stay? >> we have to change these programs. the president challenged us to do it. i have spoken on the floor of the senate for years about this program but only in the most circumspect way. i couldn't be specific or tell the details we now know. but the fact is we have to change them. if we have a suspicion of a person in area code 312 in chicago connected with terrorism, we don't need to collect all the phone records of every person living in the 312 area code. that's just unacceptable. the government shouldn't hold that information. the president has challenged congress and the attorney general to come up with an alternative to keep us safe but to not create an opportunity for th

i can also tell you that nbc is speaking to sources who are familiar with the fbi investigation, say that there's just no indication that snowden had any help. having said that, there is an ongoing investigation with the cia and the fbi, so the broader community, the u.s. government cannot rule out anything until those investigations are completed. and of course, all of this comes at a time of tense relations between the u.s. and russia, because they've had major disagreements over issues like syria, gay rights, and of course, edward snowden. erica, back to you. >> kristen welker this morning in washington. kristen, thanks. >>> time now for a look at the rest of the morning's top stories. jenna is here with that. hey, jenna. >> hey, guys. good morning. good morning, everyone. >>> the family of a woman who is brain-dead and pregnant is now waiting for hospital officials in texas to decide what to do next. a judge on friday ordered the hospital remove marlise munoz from life support by 5:00 p.m. monday. munoz was declared brain-dead nearly two months ago. her family has been fighting t

nbc news has learned the fbi is in new jersey questioning witnesses. it is part of the investigation into whether governor chris christie's aides threatened to cut off hurricane sandy funding to the city of hoboken. federal agents have been speaking with mayor dawn zimmer's chief of staff and communications director. they're said to have knowledge regarding an alleged conversation with new jersey's lieutenant governor in which sandy funds were linked to a development project. >>> president obama is serious about preventing sexual assault on college campuses. he's created a special task force aimed at changing the latest statistics. the white house releasing a report showing one in five women are sexually assaulted while in college. but only 12% of them report those attacks. >>> former dallas cowboys defensive lineman josh brent was found guilty of intoxicated manslaughter. he was accused of killing friend and teammate jerry brown in a car crash in 2012. he faces up to 20 years in prison. >>> orange and red lava lighting up the overlook crater in hawaii

officials have gotten closer to the fbi and their security services. that being said it is nothing like the cooperation we had in previous olympics, like london and vancouver. and that is making the u.s. officials a little bit more nervous. >> we'll talk later on that, michael lighter, thank you. >>> and the russians are keeping a close eye on neighboring ukraine, where anti-government protests exploded again today with a violent crack down by the government on the former soviet republic. at least two people were killed today. parts of the capital city of kiev were turned into a war zone. we get our report from nbc's ayman mohyeldin. >> reporter: today, the streets of kiev became a battlefield. riot police, shield and batons in hands, moving in to break up an anti-government protest camp. after days of violent clashes, the fighting turned deadly. the first fatalities since these troubles began months ago. police were seen beating protesters, firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd. in the chaos, an orthodox priest stands between the two sides

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. but experts doubt russia would ever ask them to intervene. >> there's too much bad blood, too much mistrust between the security services for them to link arms and say we're going to work on this together. >> reporter: but that may be changing. russia's top general asked martin dempsey was asked for sophisticated sensors from the u.s. if they are sent, u.s. military personnel would have to go along with them. the terror threat in russia comes mainly from the caucuses, from 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. yet, most u.s. team members like snowboarder kelly clark says they're not worried. >> i'm not worried about any safety issues in russia at this point. and, you know, we're so focused on our competition and on our sport. >> they did d

fbi agents out here, as well. take a look right now at some pictures we took a short time ago from the back of this apartment complex where the fatal shot was fired. we're told at 2:00 this afternoon a number of bart officers

nolton says he's hired 24-hour security, and the fbi confirms it's investigating the threats. >> i don't think i should be hated because i lead my life a certain way. >> reporter: he told piers morgan on cnn he fears for his family's safety. >> i had no idea that it would be this visceral. i had no idea that they would be attacking my 2-year-old daughter and my 7-year-old daughter and my beautiful, young wife, and they would want to kill us all and burn us. >> reporter: the hunting permit was sanctioned by the country of namibia and auctioned off by the dallas safari club, which says the money raised will go to save the black rhinos, whose numbers are dwindling due to poachers. nolton will get to shoot an aging, nonbreeding black rhino, but with fewer than 1,000 black rhinos in the world, opponents say there is no valid reason to kill one. >> the first rule of saving rare species is to save the individuals. >> "please don't rush to judgment," he wrote in part on his facebook page, "i deeply care about all of the inhabitants of this planet." for "today," charles hadlock, nbc news, dallas.

as did the fbi which is now assisting the investigation. an avid hiker and camper, bird is the town's boy scout leader, he ran the new york city marathon in 2013 and had a successful liver transplant almost a decade ago. his loved ones simply cannot figure out why he would vanish without a trace. >> we have no idea, honestly, he went for a walk and he didn't come back. >> and because of that liver transplant, bird is on medication he needs to take twice a day. there is concern that he could be disoriented from not having it. >> oh. really worrisome. >> wow. >> katie, thank you very much. >> let's take a turn and get a check of the weather from al. >> the other side of these clippers coming in besides the snow, guys, going to be the cold air, we're not talking polar vortex, but we are talking much colder air coming throughout a good portion of the midwest that will eventually by next week even slide into the south and the east. here's what we've got for today, minneapolis, only nine, chicago, 11 degrees below normal at 21. lexington, kentuck

every week, he exposes a new member of what he calls the blacklist to an fbi task force. >> talking about the ones you can't find because you don't know they exist. >> james, why did you want to get involved with this show? >> well, i was sort of reading what was out there and not finding anything that i was interested in. and all of a sudden this landed. i'm always looking for something that really is going to sustain in terms of unanswered questions. a show that can evolve and develop with time. >> and this is a show that, boy, you talk about not having questions answered. >> yeah. >> week after week. >> it really can go in any direction. >> the biggest question, why red will only work with one person. rookie fbi agent elizabeth keene. >> i speak only with elizabeth keene. >> do you know what the relationship is? >> yes. particulars and specifics of that relationship i don't know. but ultimately, that's a great deal of what the show is about. i think you just have to sort of allow an audience a glimpse behind the curtain and shut it in their face. >> nothing special about me. >> oh, i t

some so enraged, they've sent death threats to club members, prompting the fbi to get involved. >> i've had threats all my life, my family's life, our members. >> reporter: the black rhino is critically endangered with fewer than 5,000 left in the wild. its horn is one of the world's most valuable items on the black market. organizers say the auction is for a good cause. >> it's the best way to raise money to help save the black rhino. >> reporter: tonight's highest bidder will be allowed to hunt and kill an older, nonbreeding male in namibia, with all of the auction money going to the african country for conservation efforts. the permit is one of five offered by namibia each year, but it's the first ever for sale in the u.s. while the u.s. fish and wildlife service has okayed the auction, there is widespread outrage online. a petition on the web has nearly 60,000 signatures. there is a facebook page dedicated to stopping the auction. and late-night comic stephen colbert has fired a verbal shot. >> like the old saying, if you love something, set it free. then, when it has a bit of a hea

>> i was originally but i'm not now because i know they're going to have security, fbi, state department security, different security. you got to go for it anyway. you can't keep those types of things coming into your head. you have to go for it and go. >> but as an athlete, are you worried to secure these games they're going to have to make it look more like a military exercise than a spectacular athletic event? >> i think when it all gets down to it, it's first and foremost about the athletes. i was thinking about this this morning. i was trying to go way back when i was one of those athletes and how many years of discipline and how hard they work every day. this could be their one moment in time. first represent our country and go for a medal. it an amazing moment for most of these athletes. that's really what the olympics are about. yes, we're going to get into the others, the essences of the olympic and paralympics. >> let's talk about the other. as one of three openly gay americans, a lot being made about i anti-propaganda laws and a lot of people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and

the fbi says he was caught on camera pouring several buckets of gas line. he told federal agents he did it because he heard voices speaking to him in chinese and believed the embassy had to be involved. he turned himself in last friday. he will be arraigned next week. >>> a glimmer of hope for americans without a job. they took a step to extend unemployment benefits. janelle wang joins us with more. >> it's a procedure vote and barely made it through. it passed by 60 votes this morning, the bare minimum number to advance and avoid a filibuster. it would retroactively renew benefits that expire after the new year. they expired after the congress agreed to fund for two more years. president obama held a news conference today with a group of unemployed urging lawmakers to pass the three-month extension. >> the long-term unemployed are not lazy. they are not lacking in mo motivation, they are coping with the aftermath of the worst in again ral generations. >> things have only gotten worse over the course of this administration. >> the extension would cost $6.5

. >> reporter: the stolen documents forced fbi director j. edgar hoover to end the abuses, and led nbc's carl stern to expose even more fbi secrets. >> forged blackmail letters and threats of violence were used to try to stop anti-war marches. >> reporter: the time when the burglars could be prosecuted has long passed. but why come forward now? >> it would seem like if you said no, that you were somehow ashamed of it, which i'm definitely not. i'm proud of it. >> pete williams, nbc news, washington. >>> still ahead for us tonight, the story from health news about binge drinking. there's an eye opening new look at just how many americans are keeping a major secret. >>> and later, u.s. hopes go downhill with the crushing news that arrived today about lindsey vonn. that arrived today about lynsay vohn. to a goal of under 100. way to go, crestor! yeah! getting to goal is a big deal, especially if you have high cholesterol plus any of these risk factors. because you could be at increased risk for plaque buildup in your arteries over time. so, when

the fbi says he was caught on camera pouring several bucks of the gasoline on the building's entrance in san francisco on new year's day. he told federal agents he did it because he heard voices speaking to him in chinese and believed the embassy had to be involved. he turned himself in last friday. fang will be formally arraigned next week. >>> the two dodger fans accused of brutally beating bay area paramedic two years ago appeared in an l.a. courtroom today. marvin norwood sat down first, followed by louie sanchez. both men are from san bernadino county. they have pleaded not guilty to charges of felony assault and mayhem in that near-fatal beating of giants fan, brian stowe, who was attacked at dodger stadium in the parking lot in 2011. stowe suffered brain damage and permanently disabled. today's hearing was expected to disclose new details in its case, but the judge postponed the case until next month. >>> still ahead a bank robbery foiled. how poor penmanship ultimately landed this suspect behind bars. >>> also -- >> i sometimes feel that god just put me here really to take car

the unsolved theft of government documents from an fbi office just outside of philadelphia. more than 40 years later, the burglars are coming forward for the first time in a new book and documentary, and they're speaking out to nbc news. here's our national investigative correspondent michael isikoff. ♪ >> reporter: a mystery for 43 years. the night of the nation was gripped by the fight of the century, ali-frazier at madison square garden. burglars broke into this fbi office outside philadelphia in march 1971 and stole 1,000 secret documents. the culprits, never found. >> somebody had to do it. >> now a surprise confession. >> we just took all the files. we didn't sort anything. >> in an exclusive nbc news interview, the burglars anti-vietnam war activists admit they committed the crime to expose what they believed were illegal activities by the fbi. >> massive illegal surveillance and intimidation. >> bonnie raines cased the office posing as a college student, leaving no fingerprints. >> i never took my gloves off. >> her husband john raines, a retired religion professor

. >>> leading the news on msnbc.com fbi drops law enforcement from their mission statement. they said the primary function was law enforcement and now it says its primary function is national security. it's unclear why the change is made. >>> and in the u.k.'s guardian, french workers and goodyear tire plant take bosses captive. two executives are being held at the soon to be closed plant in northern france. the captors say they want an enormous amount of money. we'll keep you posted on that. >>> here's stories you might have missed. a federal judge strikes down chicago's ban on gun sales. the judge's ruling with the city's ordinances aimed at reducing gun violence are unconstitutional. he issued a temporary stay while the city decides whether to appeal. >>> the u.s. marks its fourth straight year in slowing health care costs under president obama's first term. the nation's health care tab grew at a pace of 3.7% last year. that's according to the centers for medicare and medicaid services. the bipartisan group says health care spending reached $2.8 trillion in 2012. that ave

the fbi says it's a man who turned himself into police on friday. while the agency would not talk about a motive, fang said he was hearing voices in chinese. >> there are no indications at this time to suggest it was motivated by terrorism, politics or civil rights issues. right now we are looking at it and have looked at it as a criminal matter, an isolated indicate. >> the police are on guard outside the chinese consulate despite the arrest. >>> the san jose state student accused of a hate crime pleaded not guilty today. logan beesler faces misdemeanor hate crime and battery charges. he and three other white roommates taunted their black roommate even clamping a bike lock around his neck. his lawyer says that it was a prank and beesler is waiting to hear if he will be expelled from campus. >>> operations were suspended in new york and boston earlier today. that stranded passengers across the country including here in the bay area. we spoke with frustrated passengers who said the airline's decision left them feeling blue. >> jetblue insists that th

. >> reporter: with a suspect new in custody, that's how the fbi is describing last week's arson fire at the chinese consulate in san francisco. five days after the attack, the fbi has identified the man seen in this surveillance video as 39-year-old yan phnang. he turned himself into police on friday. >> my understanding is that he called the daily city police department advised them of what had occurred, and they of course, responded very quickly. >> reporter: while the fbi wouldn't talk about a possible motive, according to court documents phang said he targeted the chinese consulate because he had been hearing voices in chinese. the documents say phang placed three containers filled with gasoline near the consulate entrance last wednesday night, then ignited them with a lighter. >> there are no indications at that time to suggest it was motivated by terrorism, politics or civil rights issues. >> reporter: a spokesperson for the chinese consulate reacted to the arrest by issuing a statement saying in part, quote, we urge the u.s. side to learn lessons from this incident, take effec

tonight the fbi says it doesn't appear the suspect was fueled by politics or terrorism. jody hernandez is live with what court documents say may have been behind that attack, jodi? according to the court documents, the suspect admits he did it. according to the documents, he said it was voices that led him to the steps of the chinese consulate here in san francisco where the torching took place. >> right now it is -- we're looking at it and have looked at this purely as a criminal matter, an isolated incident. >> reporter: with a suspect new in custody, that's how the fbi is describing last week's arson fire at the chinese consulate in san francisco. five days after the attack, the fbi has identified the man seen in this surveillance video as 39-year-old yan phnang. he turned himself into police on friday. >> my understanding is that he called the daily city police department advised them of what had occurred, and they of course, responded very quickly. >> reporter: while the fbi wouldn't talk about a possible motive, according to court documents phang said h

again, the fbi will give an update on this case about 11:45. we will bring you the latest on our nbcbayarea.com website. >>> san francisco police are investigating the city's first homicide of the new year. paramedics found his body in the lobby, that is where they pronounced him dead. no word on what led up to this killing. investigators have at least one witness who sat in the back of the squad car and took a look at several possible suspects who were presented to them in front of the headlights. police would not say why they also displayed a niners jersey. no arrests as of yet. police have not identified the dead man. they would only tell us that he is a resident of san francisco. >>> happening today, two suspected gang members charged in the murder of an 8-year-old girl from east oakland will be in court today. darnell williams of oakland went to the apartment where alicia carradine was having a slumber party. he opened fire, killing the 8-year-old, injuring three others including a 7-year-old, a 4-year-old, and a 63-year-old. investigators

the fbi is investigating. and everyone is okay after a delta jet skidded off the runway at jfk airport early sunday. flight 4100 had just landed from toronto, when it slipped off the tarmac and into a snowbank. it prompted the airport to close, but has since reopened. >>> now to breaking news that is sure to top the political headlines. liz cheney, the eldest daughter of former vice president dick cheney, is dropping her bid to represent wyoming in the senate. in a statement released just hours ago, she says family health concerns were behind her abrupt decision. but her campaign challenging a fellow republican never really got much traction and put a deep divide in the gop. she suffered a series of initial setbacks including labels as a carpetbagger after having just become a resident of the state in 2012. her exit clears the way for incumbent senator mike enzi to win a fourth term. wyoming has not elected a democrat to the senate since 1970. >>> the baseball world is mourning the death of a legendary player

they say the fbi used enhanced surveillance that would constitute unreasonable search. authorities arrested the teen outside a chicago bar where he was trying to set off a bomb he did not know was fake. >> this morning a libyan security official says military troops are detaining two american students in benghazi. we're told that the two are basketball players at benghazi university. it's not clear why they are held and the u.s. embassy has not commented. last month four u.s. military personnel were briefly taken into custody at a check point in northwestern libya and later released. >> new details investigators searching the scene of a deadly bombing in a hezbollah stronghold in southern beirut. yesterday's blast killed five and injured dozens more. the lebanese army says 44 pounds of explosives were placed in an suv during rush hour. the blast damaged nearby buildings. lebanon's capital has been hit by a number of bombings amid heighten sectarian tensions over the civil war in syria. this protest in cambodia turned deadly when police opened fire on several hundred str

he said, i'm wanted by the fbi. >> reporter: if convicted, price could get 30 years in prison while investors struggle to rebuild. mark potter, nbc news, miami. >>> and we're back in a moment with a new case of hacking out there involving the personal data of millions. >>> as we mentioned, there's been another big hacking. if you are a snapchat or skype user, your information may have been compromised. hackers got into and posted a database of 4.6 million snapchat users and their phone numbers. the attack on skype was separate and unrelated. >>> the federal government still considers it an illegal drug, but colorado does not. this was day two of retail recreational marijuana sales in colorado. it's as easy as going to the store. and sales are brisk with customers remaining mostly mellow. in-state residents 21 and older can buy an ounce at a time. visitors, up to a quarter ounce. you can't smoke it in public. it's a felony to have over eight ounces, and you can't bring it to the airport. nonetheless, it's now available in stores. and as one customer told the "l.a. times," quote, this is the am

. >> the fbi says they always thought price was alive. >> in this episode of american greed, the fugitives. >> the case gained national attention last file when with was featured on an episode of "american greed." now he's once again making headlines. while his appearance has changed his victim's anger remains. >> justice prevails. >> i thought this was pretty interesting. he was carrying several i.d.s with different photos. apparently price said, sit down, i'm going to make you famous. he finally identified himself as the missing banker. we contacted his wife for comments, she had none. >> he's in a little bit of trouble. >> i'm going to make you famous. healthy ego there. >> mr. roker -- sorry. >> up next, why was it the right time, an exclusive interview with olympic legend brian boitano. this is his first interview since he announced he's gay. >> on trending with you can't beat a good selfie. first, these messages. [ male announcer ] mcdonald's dollar menu & more is all about getting more. it's all your favorites and a whole lot more, like a 20-piece chicken mcnuggets -- just 5 bucks.

arson investigators are due back out this morning around 8:30 but i learned that the fbi is the lead agency on this. and they have got a lot to look at. these are the front doors of the chinese consulate here t damage extends all the way up to the top of the building. and over here you can see that actually this is one of the front doors t metal front door laying here burned up. a spokesperson for the chinese consulate says that someone actuallyht poured gas on the building. i wanted to show you pictures of what it looked like, a fire ball in the front of the building. these courtesy of cctv chinese central television about 9:25 last night the front doors here at laguna and geary, it was quite a fire. a person got out of a minivan and poured two buckets of gasoline on the front of the building and lit it on fire. people were inside at the time. no one was hurt. we're told that the state department is now investigating as well and that spokesperson called this arson attack a violent crime and urged more protection for the people who work here and for the building. this isn't the firs