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apparently as political retribution against the Democratic mayor of the town for not supporting Christie's re-election campaign.
• Friday, the lawyer for a former Christie loyalist said in a letter that "evidence exists" that Christie knew about the closures as they were happening, although he did not accuse the Republican governor and possible 2016 presidential candidate of knowing about it beforehand. In a statement, Christie's office denied the allegation made on behalf of former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive David Wildstein.
• But even without detailing any evidence, the claim gave Christie's critics something new to seize on as they bashed the governor as he appeared at events leading up to Sunday's Super Bowl in his state.
• "I know it's Super Bowl weekend and Chris Christie doesn't want to talk about anything but the game, but it looks like he's going to need to change his plans," Democratic National Committee spokesman Michael Czin said in a statement.
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• KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- The clock over Kiev's protest encampment showed 4:40 a.m. and minus-19 C (minus-2 F). Despite the brutal conditions, Alexander Kravchuk laughed lightly about how he'd ended up standing guard at a first-aid point thrown together with tents and rough planks.
• "I came here for a couple of days, and now it's two months," he said, his chin tucked into his thick coat's collar on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square, the focal point and symbol of Ukraine's opposition protests.
• The 20-something Kravchuk was one of hundreds of true believers manning the tent camp in the dead of night, both committed to keeping the anti-government protest going until their demands are met and gripped by a larger sense of belonging they can't quite articulate.
• "It's like a drug," said Lolita Avetsiyan, who travels an hour from her home on Kiev's fringes every night to help out at a field kitchen.
• Their firmness in the face of discomfort and constant worry of a violent police sweep have kept the protests going longer than many expected. Despite authorities' nominal concessions over the past week, the core protesters are unmoved.
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