There is no dampening spirits of New Orleans fans. They are gearing up for their first-ever Super Bowl Sunday.

Everyone is in a festive mood, even in some of the neighborhoods that were so depressed after Hurricane Katrina. Our John Zarrella brings us the sights and sounds from The Big Easy.

Read more: Saints inspire revived New Orleans

A huge point of focus for security and intelligence officials here in the U.S. during the Olympic Games will be at the border.

That means more planes in the air, more boats in the waters and plenty of extra eyes on border crossings. Our Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve breaks down the security plan in this AM original report.

The opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics is just around the corner. Vancouver says it's ready.

But of all the records that will be set at the games, perhaps none are more impressive than the plan for security. Our Jeanne Meserve has the report.

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://am.blogs.cnn.com/files/2010/01/mcgwire.jpg caption="Mark McGwire hit 583 home runs in his career, including a then-record 70 in 1998."]

By SI.com Staff

Mark McGwire has admitted taking steroids in 1998 when he broke Roger Maris' home run record.

"I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize," McGwire said in his statement. "I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 off season and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again. I used them on occasion throughout the nineties, including during the 1998 season. I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.

"I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids. I had good years when I didn't take any and I had bad years when I didn't take any. I had good years when I took steroids and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn't have done it and for that I'm truly sorry. Baseball is really different now - it's been cleaned up. The Commissioner and the Players Association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I'm glad they did."

McGwire is entering his first season as the hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, and his return to baseball prompted his admission. "It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected," McGwire said. That echoes the phrase he used repeatedly during a Congressional inquiry into steroids in baseball in 2005, when he stonewalled questions about whether he had ever used steroids by saying, "I'm not here to talk about the past. Read more

The NBA commissioner is coming down hard on Wizards star Gilbert Arenas. The league suspended him indefinitely without pay for bringing guns into the locker room.

It willl cost Arenas $147,000 for each game he misses. He's also under investigation and could face charges.

Is that enough to get the players' attention? We discussed the matter on Thursday's American Morning with "In Session" host and sports attorney Ryan Smith.