Good evening on what is the eve of the Opening Ceremony for these Winter Olympics. In fact, some of the competition is already under way here, and here in sochi, it is readily apparent that russia is already the new record holder for the most responsive Olympic Games at somewhere north of 50 billion, and also the most heavily defended. And for those americans lucky enough to have tickets to events here, those who have decided to brave it and make the trip, and now there is Something Else to worry about. The tsa is now banning certain items on flights on u. S. Air carriers that are en route here. And like so many post9 11 scarce, this is based on apparently vague information, but it is another scare that these games did not need. It is where we begin tonight with our chief Foreign Correspondent richard engel, here with us in sochi. Good evening. Reporter good evening, brian. This is another bold news from the u. S. , and look at the timing, issuing the restrictions apply before travelers even arrive in russia. Today the tsa imposed a ban on most aerosols, gels and liquids of almost size on flights from u. S. To the russia. Prescription medications will be allowed. This as nbc learns new details about a warning from Homeland Security about terrorist chatter to use toothpaste tubes to smug al bomb on an airplane. Just talk, not an official plot, intelligence officials say. The intelligence came from a european source and was passed on. President obama today told nbcs bob costas that the u. S. And russia are cooperating closely. I think the russians have an enormous stake, obviously, in preventing any kind of terrorist act or violence at these venues, and they have put a lot of resources into it. Were in constant communications with them. Both at the Law Enforcement level, at the military level, at the intelligence levels. Reporter a message of support from the president. But russia has had a tough time rolling out these olympics. With terrorist threats, reports of corruption, construction delays, and the odd hue of some hotel tap water going viral on the internet. It has been an embarrassment for president putin who has staked his reputation as a politician and sports aficionado on sochis success, and russia is not taking the criticism well, claiming its olympic image is being deliberately attacked by journalists. And the deputy Prime Minister said today, according to the wall street journal, he can prove it. We have Surveillance Video from the hotels that shows people turn on the shower, direct the nozzle at the wall and leave the room for the whole day. The government later said that hotel rooms are not under surveillance. But it is not only reporters saying sochi is not the dream city russia claims. Several security guards have complained to us about Living Conditions and not being paid. And the ones we have spoken to are protecting the athlete village. Security guard nikolai took us to the trailer park where he is living near the olympic venues. Six men to a room, nicolai said he has only been paid a fraction of his salary. When he started to ask questions, he claims he was fired. Other guards who did not want to talk on camera had similar complaints and said they would like to quit. Nicolais employer, angel security, didnt respond to an email from nbc news. Disgruntled guards not the best sign on the eve of the Opening Ceremony with 40 World Leaders expected to attend. Russia continues to insist it has the threat of terrorism under control and that it treats all of its workers involved in the olympics well. Richard engel starting off our reporting tonight. Richard, thanks. And our own Pete Williams who covers Homeland Security for us has been looking into these new tsa travel restrictions. He is in our Washington News room with that story tonight. Pete, good evening. Reporter brian, good evening. This temporary ban on gels, liquids and powders has not been based on any new threat or new intelligence, its the followon to yesterdays warning about the toothpaste and the gels smuggled on to planes applies only to a small number of flights from the u. S. To russia. There is one delta flight to new york, a few others from new york and los angeles, and a charter from washington, d. C. But it does not apply to any flights inside the u. S. Or to the u. S. From other countries, and that is because it is based on intelligence that dealt only with flights into russia. So most people here will not even notice this new rule. The restriction on what could be carried on board the flights from the u. S. To russia will last for 30 days. And then next month after the olympics are over, the tsa will consider whether to extend or discontinue it, brian. All right. Pete williams in our d. C. Newsroom with the latest that is known on this story tonight. And back here in sochi, despite all the security concerns, the games, as we mentioned, actually got under way here today. Qualification rounds in the bright sunshine as the world started to focus on these Olympic Games. Anne thompson is up at the nearby Alpine Center above us in the mountains over sochi. Anne, good evening. Reporter good evening, brian. It was a day of firsts. The first competitions in the mountains. The first olympic snowboard slope style runs, and the first time americans have competed at an olympics in russia. The 22nd Winter Olympics took off at the extreme park where the equally extreme fans watched the snowboard slope style qualifications for men and women. One of the competitors, 19yearold karly shorr from milford, michigan, seeing her mom, mo, for the First Time Since making the olympic team. Go get it go get it i love you. I love you more. Reporter her challenge . The controversial course altered earlier in the week after some athletes complained it was dangerous. A series of rails and jumps to take her moms breath away. When she flies over those jumps, what happens to your heart . Im good now. It took me a while but im okay. Reporter in the sparks of the enthusiastic crowd, amber kipke, an olympic volunteer is a long way from her home in boaz, wisconsin. Just with the people arriving it is amazing. Reporter the womens downhill course proved to be amazing. The final jump including the american Laurenne Ross so high, officials stopped the practice to make changes. It was incredibly dangerous but probably a good decision to shave it down a little bit. Reporter as for karly shorr, her face held the story, a good first run until a fall on the last jump. The second run . Success. And one more note from the mountain. Fivetime olympic medal bode miller posted the famous training run in the mens downhill today. The medal race takes place sunday. Brian . It duds feel like it is ready to start. Anne thompson, part of our Coverage Team in sochi, above sochi tonight. Back in the u. S. Tonight, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses are still in the dark, and the cold for another night without power after another brutal winter storm. And there is word that for some of them there may be several more days and nights of this. Nbcs rehema ellis is in berwyn for us tonight. Good evening. Reporter good evening, brian. Take a look at this tree, now horizontal and scraping up against the house behind me. This is what a powerful storm can do in a community. Trees and electrical lines snapped under the heavy snow leaving hundreds of thousands to wonder when will the lights come back on . Much of pennsylvania woke up this morning to buzzing sounds of repair. Roads were blocked by fallen trees and downed power lines cutting off electricity for more than 800,000 customers at the height of the storm. Donna graham and her two daughters woke up to a very cold house. Did you think, i need to buy a generator . Well, we say that every time the power goes out and we never get one. But now were going to get one, right . Reporter jackie and frank pedigree in maple glen spent the night close to the fireplace in their den. She slept on the couch, he slept on the recliner. This is your central heating right now . Yes. Reporter like the pedigrees, there are still more than 400,000 without power with parts of the state declaring a disaster emergency. It will actually be a third more people than were here during hurricane sandy. Reporter some 3500 workers have come from as far away as arkansas to help repair the lines. But first, they have to remove the downed trees. This really goes on record as the second worst storm in our Company History and the worst winter storm that weve experienced. Reporter across much of the northeast, the winter continues its icy grip. It does look like winter is hanging in there. Temperatures remain colder than average for a huge portion of the country. And next week, there could be another storm. And no matter how big or small it is, it is likely to be a pain for millions of people. Reporter back in pennsylvania, the pedigrees, who have lived here for more than 40 years, are keeping a bright outlook, despite what may be cold, dark nights ahead. Our age, what else can you do . Reporter you weather the storm . You weather the storm, yes. Reporter the Pennsylvania Power Company says it hopes to have Service Restored to many customers by tomorrow night. But because of the extent of the damage here it may say that the repairs could go on through the weekend. Brian . And we will be thinking about those folks tonight, rehema ellis in berwyn, pa this evening. There was officially less than an inch of snow in parts of texas today but in dallas metro, it did a lot of damage. Despite travel warnings, there were hundreds of minor accidents, dozens of injuries, including scenes like this. Some schools were closed and the temperature never got above freezing. And in western oregon today, over 20 vehicles were involved in a big pileup on interstate five after snow moved into that region. Very quickly, there were big delays and some minor injuries were reported. There are twin environmental disasters to update you on in the u. S. Tonight. First, the ongoing trouble in West Virginia following the chemical spill. In charleston, several schools have closed and there are new concerns about water quality. Children have reported a Burning Sensation in their eyes and nasal passages. The chemical smell is still present in the water but the government maintains the water does not pose a health risk. Another environmental tragedy in North Carolina after 80,000 tons of coal ash leaked into a pond, then into the dan river. It happened at a duke energy plant. Coal ash can be toxic. This has already turned the water gray and brown in places, and down river in danville, virginia, theyre taking precautions. The company says tests show the water is safe. Still ahead for us tonight, the health news is for women. The new recommendations just released to cut the risk of stroke. And later, coming up tonight, the end of an era in latenight television. As we said, the health news tonight concerns women whose studies have shown are at a much higher risk than men of suffering a stroke as they get older. Today for the first time, researchers are out with a list of risk factors that all women need to Pay Attention to regardless of age. We get our report on this tonight from nbcs tom costello. [ siren ] reporter it happens every 40 seconds. Someone in the u. S. Suffers a stroke. Among the greatest risk factors, especially for women, high Blood Pressure. For women who unfortunately may have high Blood Pressure during pregnancy, it is very important to be measuring Blood Pressure after pregnancy even well after childbearing. Reporter a stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery to the brain or the artery ruptures. 137,000 people die each year. Perhaps surprisingly, 60 of them are women. I ignored my symptoms for six days. You just cant do that. Im so lucky to be here. Okay, dude. Reporter karen rostenos was only 50 when she suffered a brain stem stroke. Had she know what to watch for she would have recognized she was a prime candidate. She was overweight with very high Blood Pressure, terrible migraines with blurred vision. And during pregnancy, the dangerous condition known as preeclampsia. Then she had the symptoms of a stroke. Slurring words, having difficulty walking, having difficulty writing, all related to the one side of my body. Reporter with stroke now the third leading cause of death for women, researchers have put together a list of risk factors specifically for women. And preeclampsia remains a risk factor for 30 years after pregnancy. Other risk factors for women, guest stational diabetes, irregular heart rhythm, the use of Birth Control pills and postmenopausal hormone therapy. It is really important to see your doctor regularly to screen for stroke risk factors such as high Blood Pressure, stroke, diabetes. Reporter having survived, karen is now working to lose weight and keep her bp under control. I was on the verge of a massive major stroke. Reporter lucky to be alive. Tom costello, nbc news, washington. And when we come back, it will happen later tonight on this very same television channel. One era will end and another one will begin. These are the hands of a surgeon. A pediatrician. These are pioneering advances in heart surgery. And these are developing groundbreaking treatments for cancer. Theyre the hands of the nations top doctors. Kaiser permanente doctors. And though they are all different, they Work Together on a Single Mission saving lives. Discover how we are advancing medicine at kp. Org join us, and thrive. He has had one of the great runs in all of show business, and tonight a very important member of our family says goodbye to the tonight show audience for the very last time. Jay leno is signing off after 22 years. He took the baton from johnny carson. He now hands that very same baton to jimmy fallon. And when the curtain comes down tonight on that famous soundstage on the legendary nbc lot in beautiful downtown burbank, california, that will be it. The show moves back east to new york for the First Time Since 1972. And so we and millions of others will be watching tonight from sochi to sausalito as jay leno takes a bow after a job well done. Word from the Baseball Hall of fame that the great rob kiner has died. Spending most of his career with the pirates. Played for a decade. He was a power hitter throughout. And retired number six on the alltime home run list with. 369. And if you grew up in new york you no doubt remember them in the booth. For the new york Expansion Team they called the new york mets, featuring kiners corner, that has since been renamed in his honor. Ralph kiner was 92 years old. Finally, what if the u. S. Olympic teams official yogurt never made it over here to be enjoyed by all those olympians . The yogurt is chobani, made in the usa, and there is a pallet containing 5,000 containers in refrigeration in newark airport, and its supposed to be here. The russians say they dont have the right type of customs certificate and dont have proof it meets their sanitary standards. The white house and at least one u. S. Senator have intervened, pleading with the russians to not to be yogurt intolerant, and to clear the way for this shipment to get here. When we come back, some of those who could be a contender when the games really start to get under way. There is the music. And finally tonight, despite all those other issues, there actually is great anticipation here in sochi. Especially for members of team usa who are here and in place. 230 americans taking part in the games. That is the largest ever winter games delegation. Chris jansing is here with us tonight with a look at some of the americans we should be keeping an eye on. Were going to hold you to each one of these. Reporter all right, we shall see. But in the meantime, you know one of the great thrills of every olympics is that something will happen that will absolutely shock us. Something will surprise and amaze you. Olympics, after all, are where champions are made. And here are just some of the americans to watch. There is a pervasive intensity at the olympics of a once every four years chance to take the lifetime of training and impress the world. There is something about the olympics that its either going to make you quail in fear or its going to make you live up to yourself. Cant contain herself. Reporter and that is the challenge for the golden girl of figure skating with a name to match. Grace gold. The olympics are not just another competition, it is an ultimate dream. Reporter hot off her First National championship at 18. She doesnt have a Great International reputation yet, but she has more selfbelief maybe than any teen around here. Teen sensation Mikaela Shiffrin is just 18 too. One of the youngest champions in Alpine Skiing ever. She is the bomb in Alpine Skiing. Bode miller is a bad boy veteran. He could either blow himself up or win the whole thing. Reporter want an epic rivalry . Look no further than womens hockey. I think were ready to go, were more motivated than ever. Reporter and this team really does not like the canadians, at least on the ice. Are we going to see a brawl . We could see a brawl. Im telling you, this is a very contentious rivalry. Its real. Reporter and two american men racing for the record books. Speed skater shani davis could be the First American male to win three straight games in a row. It would be really cool, obviously, but try not to think about it too much. Reporter that threepeat driving snowboarder shaun white too. He added another 180 degrees of rotation. Reporter that is insane. It is totally insane. Reporter the height of a jump, the speed of a shot, the sureness of a landing, never does it mean more than once every four years. For the rest of their lives they wont live in the moments that they live in, when theyre here in sochi. This is my seventh olympics. I dont think ive ever interviewed an olympian who hasnt dreamed of standing on top of that medium and hearing the star spangled banner snowe. Brian, it still feels like anything is possible. They always sneak us on us, and it is happening again. Chris jansing reporting. Of that is our broadcast on a thursday night. Im Brian Williams reporting from the Olympic Games in sochi, prime time coverage begins right here tonight at 8 7 central. We, of course, hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. Good night. Nbc bay area news starts now. Right now at 6 00, when it rains it pours, thankfully. This is what some parts of the south bay looked like today, but this is nothing compared to what were going to see over the next 48 hours. Good evening everyone, im jessica aguirre. One day, four to go. This is the first of five Straight Days of rain. This is a short break. The heavy stuff is still to come. Our meteorologists are tracking the conditions and forecasts. We have a team outside as well across the bay area looking at the flooding and commute concerns. But we get with jeff ranieri. The front that brought us Flooding Issues has now moved on. Rainfall totals impressive. Mill valley at 1. 21. Now that 1. 03 in san jose. We tallied up the numbers. It hasnt been that wet in a 24 hour period since december 23. With another storm system to hit us we will have flooding concerns up there. The highest in the north bay, marin, napa and sonoma counties. But the flood risk will remain elevated for the east bay and also the south bay. Were joined by rob mayeda. And youre along the Guadalupe River where things got