Lane Change: Documents released by the New Jersey legislature reveal a concerted effort by state officials to cover up a plot to snarl traffic entering the George Washington Bridge last September.

  In an act of political revenge on the Democratic mayor of Ft. Lee, at least one senior aide to Gov. Chris Christie and one of his appointees to the Port Authority appear to have arranged for the closure of local traffic lanes entering the bridge, resulting in four days of jams.

  The 2,000 pages of documents reveal internal confusion as officials at all levels tried to find an explanation for the closures later attributed to a traffic study. One Port Authority manager asked in an email, “What is driving this?” The executive director of the Port Authority, appointed by NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, eventually wrote, “I will get to the bottom of this abusive decision which violates everything this agency stands for.”

  Christie gave a two-hour press conference Thursday denying involvement, and so far there’s nothing to prove otherwise. Political analysts are debating how much Christie’s political future is damaged by the scandal, but if he’s ever directly connected to the plot, he’s done.

Travel Alert: The State Department has issued a travel alert for Americans going to Russia for the Sochi Olympics. The alert says visitors should “remain attentive regarding their personal security at all times.” The notice cites recent suicide bombings in Volgograd and a long history of internal conflict and terrorism in Southern Russia. The advisory goes on to say Americans might consider medical evacuation insurance because Russian medicine is not up to Western standards.

World: Fire has destroyed much of the ancient city of Dukezong in Tibet, which is popular with tourists for of its 1,000-year old narrow streets and buildings.

Nation: The Justice Department says it will recognize 1,300 same-sex marriages performed in Utah before such marriages were stopped by the Supreme Court. Utah said it won’t recognize those marriages until all appeals are exhausted. But the federal government will extend to those couples all federal benefits and responsibilities, including filing joint taxes, getting social security for spouses, and legal immigration status.

The Obit Page: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has died at 85. He spent eight years in a coma following a stroke. Sharon was a tough general and as leader of the country the architect of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory, a move that will resonate nearly forever in the Middle East.

>Franklin McCain, one of three young black men who sat down at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in 1960 and helped spark a movement, has died at age 73. Within weeks there were sit-ins in more than 50 cities in nine states. He told a reporter in 2010, “The best feeling of my life was sitting on that dumb stool.”

>Larry Speakes, the spokesman for President Ronald Reagan, died at home in Cleveland, Miss. at age 74. Amid many difficulties of handling the press, Speakes had to manage ABC’s Sam Donaldson who used to shout, “Hold on, Mr. President!” as Reagan walked away from reporters. Speakes took the podium after James Brady was shot in the head during the attempted assassination of Reagan. Brady never worked again, but in deference, Speakes never officially took the title “Press Secretary”.

Smoke: Today is the 50^th anniversary of the Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health. Cigarettes have been debated, taxed, litigated and restricted ever since.

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