hello everybody. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm david shuster in new york. here are the stories we are following this hour. >> holiday count down - the storm, the stress and the push from stores to get you shopping early and often. are you ready for thanksgiving. >> an assassin - a baby-faced cartel killer returned to the united states a freeman. >> the stadium collapse in sao paulo, and questions about brazil's race to be ready for the moment watched sporting est. >> george bailey returns as hollywood considers making a sequel of the jimmy stewart

classic. . it is the eve of thanksgiving. as you can see the empire state building is ablow with the colours of the holiday. a few miles north an equally stunning sight - yes, that's a giant snoopy ready for the macy's parade. it's up in the air. balloons are ready to fly. strong winds could ground them. we'll get an update ahead. >> heading home for the holiday. it's one of the busiest travel days of the year. millions driving and flying and coping. some cancelled flights. paul beban is at the laguardia airport. what is the situation right now

where you are? . >> well, i don't know if you can see over my left shoulder. they are the american arrival and departure boards. there's almost no yellow and red, meaning a couple of delays, no cancellations. most of the flights leaving and arriving on time. in fact, the terminal here down the way is now closed. all the flights coming into that terminal are in. all the ones going out are out. a couple of folks camped out. maybe a few delays. the big travel mess has failed to materialize. >> for some travellers at the busiest airports, a test of the patience. stormy weather spelt cancellations and delays, like at new york's laguardia airport. on the busiest day of the years passengers had been bracing for much worse. >> no problems, it's been good. >> i talked to my dad.

he thought the flight was cancelled. it wasn't. it's fine. >> planes into philadelphia had the longest delays of two hours after parts of the city got up to 3 inches of rain. this spelt troubles on the roads with accidents and flooding forcing closures. >> in michigan drivers heading home had snow to contend with leading to visibility and slick conditions. snow in the south-east where roads were slippery in the north and south carolina. in tennessee a wintry mix of snow and rain kept the deicing people at knoxville airport busy. people on the train were happy to avoid the weather. >> i heard the weather is questionable. i could be on a bus. this is better than being on a bus. >> some of the rail delays had as much to do with the thanksgiving crowds as the

weather. >> now, it was largely smooth sailing across the country. there were delays - more than 5,000, leading to a ripple effect, most emanating in the north-east corridor - boston, phillie and the new york area. that will affect flights elsewhere in the nation. mostly a good night and travel day ahead for the holiday weekend. >> paul beban live at laguardia airport. >> kevin corriveau is here now. how is the weather looking for thanksgiving ? >> things are looking better than they were. this is a satellite and radar image from 12 hours to now. we are much clearer through parts of the new york and boston and the rain ended in portland maine. we are dealing with snow on i-87. if you are travelling to the north, it could be a problem.

we'll see better conditions. the problem now is what is coming behind it is colder air. now the temperatures in new york are 37 degrees. we have a lot of winds that are coming in. this is what everyone is concerned about when we talk about the parade. they sustained at 26 miles per hour. it's too much for the balloons to be in the parade. we think the winds will come down. i think we'll be safe. with the wind shield now, it feels like 27. pittsburg feels like seven. stay warm. we'll give you the rest of your forecast on the weekend when we come back. >> now to a different forecast - that of the holiday shopping. call it grey thursday, or black friday, stores are banking that americans go on a big spending spree. what is at stake for the economy? >> joining us from philadelphia talking about gray thursday and black friday is financial journalist nicole lapin.

first of all, how important are the next two days, as far as retailers are concerned? >> this is a big shot in the arm, something the economy really needs right now. last year 250 million americans hit the stores spending $423 each, which pumped in there 60 billion into the u.s. economy. this year a lot of insiders are hoping to be very similar in terms of sales. i will say that something ominous going into black friday was consumer confidence dipping a little bit. we are hoping all the mess in washington with the debt chaos will not stop shoppers from shopping. >> we have heard from retailers that because of consumer confidence they are afraid people will stay home. they'll offer more sales - is it hype or are there real deals to

be found? >> it's true that retailers have to compete to get shoppers in their stores. it could be marketing hoopla as well. this year the average is 35% of a discount, compared to 25% of last year. think about it. you are expecting profits to shring. if discounts get juicier, but not so much. they have stayed very even-keeled from last year. so a lot of consumers are wondering - there's something a little fishy going on. what's the original retail price to begin with. >> it's a question that consumers ought to do homework on, otherwise they may be mislead in the next two days. >> that's right. there's a couple of big black friday myths. first, the conception that prices gradually decrease in the dates leading up to black

friday. not necessarily the case. you want to look for an interas. it makes it look more enticing. you want to remember that you don't have to camp out in front of the stores the night before unless you are into that thing. most deals are online. check twitter and facebook. sometimes they are exclusive there as well. remember, black friday deals are good, but not always great, especially depending on the category. toys are cheapest before christmas. coats, for another example, are cheapest right april christmas. >> hd tvs, i know you are excited about that - they are cheapest in joint enterprise and february. >> is that the case for all electronics, people looking for an iphone or what not. should they wait until january. >> that is something you should keep in mind as you hit the stores tomorrow. in some cases there is, you

know, a push to get out there early, on the day of thanksgiving. retaile retailers like target, macy's, jc penny, coles are opening their stores. kmart is being aggressive, opening at 6 o'clock in the morning. they'll stay open for 41 hours straight. retailers, some, are saying, "stop with the shopping spree, let's keep thanksgiving sacred", and they are not buying into a grey thursday. 50% of consumers are expected to get out for black friday. 11% say they plan to go shopping tomorrow. >> our financial journalist nicole lapin. thank you for being on the program. >> it's a white house holiday ritual beginning with abraham lincoln at the behest of son tad. the turkey pardoning in front of

his two daughters. president obama spared two birds, caramel and popcorn. they were part of an online contest to determine which should not be eaten. caramel took the top spot. the president pardoned the other. this is hanukah, a jewish holiday known as "festival of lights." it's the first time since 1888 that hanukah and thanksgiving came at the same time. it will not happen again for 70,000 years. in washington d.c. the 8-day holiday began with the lighting of the national menorah on the south lawn of the white house. >> the affordable care act is taking a hit. the white house announced the online platform for small business registration will not be ready as planned. small groups of employees will have to sign up but will have to go through insurance agents, not

the web. mike viqueira has the story. >> it's not quite the catastrophe as the last two months, but it's still making people angry on the result of a debarkal and disaster. if you want a delay, you are no way dispelled or required to offer employee sponsored health insurance. the website is designed to do that. there are tax credits involved if a small business owner wants to move forward and so far the insurance. what has happened now. they are so focused on trying to fix healthcare.gov for the individual marketplace for the individual who do not get employee-sponsored health care that they are unable to turn their attention to the other website. it will be delayed by a year. there's good news, which is why there's not a catastrophe, they

can go to insurers or agents to work through them. >> in other words they can enrol employees now, just not through an online process. is that because, again, online is related to some of the same problems that healthcare.gov had for the last literally two months. >> so many people are working around the clock, breaking rocks as jay carney said, trying to get it back in order. on the largest question of healthcare.gov, they have a deadline coming up. they promised for the vast majority - "vast majority" is the quote they used - would have a good experience if they enrolled online. that's defined as 80% of folks that want to enrol will have success in doing so. it's a figure touted in conference calls. 50,000 people they can handle

simultaneously by saturday. >> mike, thank you as always. happy thanksgiving. >> there two new spying toughly accusations. radical muslims are supposed to have been spied on. the "the huffington post" reported on a document leaked by edward snowden. in this case exploiting the online sexual behaviour of people the agency believes are radicalizing others. on tuesday they told the "the huffington post": also tonight - the c.b.c., a canadian broadcaster says it has

documents from edward snowden saying the n.s.a. was allowed to spy on world leaders meeting in canada during two global summits three years ago. the agency used the u.s. embassy in ottawa as a command post. a spokesman for cann aidia's prime minister said he would not comment on matters related to national security. >> tonight a gun control maker is calling it quits. a state senator is resigning instead of facing a recall over her position on guns. she's the third state senator supporting gun control to step down instead of facing a recall. cliff schecter, the founder of liberatis is joining us. he was a consultant for the group mayors against illegal guns. enkoujment from the senator.

>> i call it a principled move. you have two state senators go down in recall elections. you had the elections that are off year, they are off cycle. the nra pumps money to have the elections. few people somehow up, those that like to fondle their guns. for the senator to do that, knowing a democrat will come in and maintain the balance of having a one-vote majority means that the important gun-safety measures that were past will remain. >> what do you make of nra dark ticks, paying $5 for a ticket. are you surprised by the nra going this way. >> there's into account the nra can surprise me with. i'd say it shows how desperate they are. frankly, they are picking up a couple of conservative

districts. they are getting people kicked out of office. they are paying to get the signatures. in the end they are the death throes. we may not be there yet. the core constituency are older, white, rural males. it's a shrinking democratic. younger more mixed ethnic groups, single women, are very much not in favour - are in favour of background checks, assault weapons ban and you saw that in virginia where you tau terry macauliff saying, "i support background checks, limiting magazines to 10 bullets", because the important thing is not to have four aurora. i'm not scared of the gun lobby. we have swept those races. the nra is trying to fight back. >> at the federal level, in the senate and the house they are

unable to pass gun control legislation. do you attribute to to nra, that members of congress are afraid? >> i don't think so. i think the background checks, which is what they were going for, 90% of the population support it. the key thing is that they are used to there being an issue. politicians are lagging indicators. they don't step up and have courage. they wait to see what the polls tell them. 90% support this. they are starting to get evidence in places like virginia. in 2012, the nra spent $18 million against barack obama and lost. they lost seven of the eight races. we'll see a lot of people standing up for them. legislators are scared of them and think they have power that they don't really have. it will take a little while to

get there. >> cliff schecter with pr group liberatis. always great to have you on. >> thank you for having me on. >> coming up - joe biden's big trip. there's high stakes for his visit to china >> tragedy at a world cup stadium prompts new questions in brazil.

an in the

look, for joe biden to ask the chinese tough questions when he travels to beijing. china has been ratcheting up tensions with japan over a territorial dispute. both claimed islands in the east china sea as their own. china declared an expanded air defense zone over the region. the united states appeared to challenge the chinese by flying

two b 52 bombers through the air defense zone. the vice president will make it clear that washington has concerns about china's behaviour. the trip begins sunday. >> there are questions over brazil's readiness to host the world cup after two construction workers were killed in sao paulo, where the opening match of the tournament will be shelled. ross shimabuku reports. >> workers in brazil are under pressure to get the world cup stadiaurks finished on deadline. this is one of a number of actions. from the air it's easier to understand what happened. a crane, involved in lifting part of the roof, collapsed, crushing in the roof of the stand. >> we were leaving for lunch. i heard a loud noise and looked back. i saw the arm of the crane

holding everything. my coworkers working closer to the incident said the ground shook. >> it was moving slowly. it made a harsh movement. it hit the corner of the stadium, pushing the arm of the crane down. >> the stadium in sao paulo was due to be completed by december 31st. the organizers admitted they were struggling to have 12 venues ready to go. the world cup organizers fifa said in a statement:. there has been protests across brazil at the money put into hosting the world cup. millions have taken to the streets to express anger.

there has been concerns about working conditions not just in brazil but at the site of the 2022 world cup in qatar. buildings say the stadium will be closed for three days in tribute to the dead. prosecutors may shut down operations for 30 days to allow a full investigation. the accident is a setback for the organizers and fifa. at the moment no one is talking about moving the opening game away from here. italy's senate expelled 3-time prime minister silvio berlusconi from parliament today following a tax fraud conviction. it bans the 77-year-old from holding or running for office for six years. it was called a day of mourning for democracy. he pledged to remain in politics. >> in latvia there has been a turn of events the the prime minister has resigned, taking

political responsibility for the tragedy. earlier this week his economics minister partly blamed the collapse on a lack of government oversight. 54 were killed, another 40 injured. >> a college kid gets a taste of the real world, learning that life is not fair. jessica taff has the story. >> it's a buzz kill for a college kid. we have a lucky half court shop in the a game. it could cost cameron rodriguez more than $20,000. this is rodriguez's lucky shot. the problem is not that he didn't do it, but he's a college basketball players from an nais school. he was told to forfeit the cash

or college elegibility. slugger ryan braun spoke publicly and apologised for lying about his use of performance enhancing drugs. he said he's trying to make amend with the collector he accused of tampering with his positive sample. >> jamesin winston may be headed to new york before ruling on his rape case. wegs , state attorney -- willie meggs, the state attorney said they need two more weeks. fsu will have their quarterback for the a.c.c. championship game in charlotte. that is a look at the headlines. >> i can't believe they made the guy give money back. they are working on it. >> the injustice of it. >> you bet.

>> to a holiday tradition spanning 87 years. the macy's parade on thanksgiving. high winds may ground the balloons, which are always part of the attraction. for now they are ready to go, and so is john terrett - who is reporting on the parade. >> the weather at the balloon inflating party is better than it was. it was driving heavy rain, the worst of the storm that pounded the midwest. it passed over the top of us. just as the forecasters forecast, it ended at around about 7 o'clock and almost immediately the temperatures plummeted. now we are left with beautiful huge balloons - 16 of the big ones. this is snoopy and woodstock. sponk bob square pants is further down. will they fly in the parade. we don't know.

mayor michael bloomberg was here, suggesting things were optimistic. the head of the parade department is optimistic. the issue is the wind - not the rain or snow. if the wind is sustained at more than 23 miles per hour, or gusting at greater than 34 miles per hour, the law in new york prevents the balloons flying. there are several point along the route checking. they can raise or lower the balloons. whatever needs to be done, can be done. we'll have to wait and see. macy's and the police will make a decision on whether the balloons fly, just before the start of the parade at 9am eastern. it's a question of whether the balloons will be there. >> coming up, tinkering with a hollywood classic.

hollywood's plan to rework "it's a wonderful life." the thanksgiving forecast. we'll update you on the weather.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america on this wednesday, november the 27th, 2013. i'm david shuster in new york. here is a look at some of the top stories. extreme weather threatens to make a mess of holiday travel. this week's storm led to thousands of flights. the weather and troubles have not been as bad as forecasters feared. here in new york there are hopes conditions improve enough to the balloons at the macy's parade will fly high. vice president joe biden will head to asia after rising tensions with china, after two b 52 bombers flew over the airspace of these islands. they'll raise concerns about the tough stance with japan over who owns the islands.

the n.s.a. suspected of spying by monitoring important sites. the agency was seeking to use damage to damage the people's credibility. another report from c.b.c. says world leaders were spied on while they were meeting in ontario in 2010. . a confessed killer more a mexican drug cartel has been released. edgar jimenez lugo served three years in mexico, the maximum sentence for a juvenile. he has returned to the united states to live in texas with his family. the teen says he was forced to work with a drug cartel when he

was an 11-year-old. we'll bring in robert valencia, a research at council on hemispheric affairs. a lot of people may be confused and frightened that there is a self-admitted drug cartel killer in the united states. how did this happen? >> there's nothing to fear. he is in a prevention program or what they call a rehab program. he paid his dues in mexico. three years is the maximum fine or time that a teenager would serve under mexican justice. >> again, he's a juvenile, that's the reason mexico said only a few years. he admitted to killing three people. >> the background is that he was being forced, apparently, under drugs. he was kidnapped when he moved

to the united states. his family decided to send him to mexico. there's a lot of connotations, psychological of teenagers recruited by criminals. it's not the first time you see these stories. we see these shenanigans in cartels in columbia when they force and train them not just in the military way, but psychologically >> is this a trend we see the use of - younger people by cartels to carry out some of their killings or passing on drugs or whatever it is. >> it has always been the case, not just transporting drugs, but they are being part of the rank and file of the cartel, meaning that they are in cross fires with the authorities. one thing that causes this is unemployment and the lack of opportunities that many youngsters have in mexico.

7.2 million unemployed youth are currently in mexico. >> there's a lot of unemployed youth in the united states, which may be why people in texas may be concerned that this particular young man, working for the cartel - will he get a job flipping hamburgers and be satisfied. >> there's no doubt they have operations in the united states. soldiers, who came from combat zones in iraq had trouble looking for jobs as civilians. there's the problem of the unemployment in the united states, and the issue of drug operations in the united states. there's no question about that. >> is there a question that younger people may be tempted by mexican drug cartels operating in the united states, replicating by providing money and luxury items to young people to get them involved?

>> there's a sense of empowerment for youth. the aspect of money, of course. in mexico a teenage are can be paid up to $1800 to kill a police officer, for example. back in the 1990s in columbia - we have seen this replication of activities by criminal groups, where pablo escavar paid $5,000 to kill a police officer. there's always that component of money and power and luxury. always that - the aspect of unemployment among youth that will entice them. they can't find a decent job. >> let's hope in 17-year-old has been rehabilitate now he's back with his american family in texas. >> thank you robert valencia, from the council on hemispheric affairs, for coming in.

>> in egypt there's a clamp down on antigovernment protests. under tough laws two dozen women were slapped with heavy prison sentences. terms ranged from 2-11 years. some are as young as 15 years old. they called for the reinstatementment of mohamed morsi. the start of the holiday season with grocery shopping. it's worth pausing, thinking about where the food comes from. in this case seafood. despite global efforts - 85% of the world's fisheries are harvested at capacity or in decline. two-thirds of fish population are in bad shape. they are unhealthy. and the population of large fish, sword fish and codd, has fallen by 90%. scientists warn that we are removing fish from the ocean faster than they can reproduce.

what can you do. melissa chan has the details. >> the start of the dungeness crab season in san francisco. it technically runs through next summer. most of the haul sells in the first month. popular demand outpacing supply. >> eating sustainably and locally is at the heart of bay area culture. >> when it comes to seafood consumers have trouble knowing where the fish comes from. there are ways to do that. in an effort to maintain crab population, a law limits the numbers of catch a fishing boat may get, to give the fishing industry a chance to restock. >> restaurant owner kenny bevlov worries about assumptions that fishing is a limitless resource. he's helped to sustain a farmed trout fed on algae. as odd as vegetarian trout

sounds, he's producing 200,000 pound a year and hopes to convince more farms to try it. >> the oceans are in trouble. there's no questions. there's huge corporations stockpiling tuna in glass freezers and putting it away until the day there is no tuna. >> martin takes another approach to the business, running and connecting fishermen. >> lower fish or species tend to be lower in contaminants. sardines, anchovies, oysters, clams, muscles. >> an ocean so vast. billions depleted fish stock. deadzones have been left behind. >> i put two kids on the planet. i have to leave it better than i found it.

the oceans are our life. they are our water, oxygen and food. without them we are not here. >> the good news for shellfish lovers is crabs and lobsters are in good shape. the new law to limit traps will curb. despite troubled waters, we can act now to save the seas. >> next up - small wonder a 4-inch satellite making a huge impact in space. former major league baseball ryan braun addressing the media for the first time after a suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. jessica taff has that and more in spompt -- sport.

>> there is a revolution taking place in space. it has to do with innovations in satellite technology. it's compact machinery letting

those of us on earth witness nasa images likes these. getting that technology into orbit is not easy. and now how a small idea is changing the way we see our solar system (count down) >> putting an object into orbit is a spectacular ability and expensive. launching a satellite on the space shuttle cost hundreds of millions. last week more than two dozen satellites went to the space for $100,000 a piece. this cube is the reason why. it's a cubesat. a 4-inch satellite that can photograph the earth, analyse the atmosphere and carry experiments. it's revolutionizing the cost of a trip to space. >> it's easier to put to space,

you can put electronics in it. david gerson is a senior at stamford, where the kub sat was inveeted. his group, student space initiative is taking advantage. >> you look at $10,000-$15,000. normal birds cost between 10 to 100. just the object. >> just the object. >> the primary payload pays for the launch. the cubesats are like hitch hikers kicking in a little gas money. last minute a minotaur launched in virginia, carrying 28 cubesats, a first major launch of a diy space movement. andrew kalman a professor runs pumpkin, a cubesat system. he creates do it yourself kits.

>> a satellite like this needs a couple of things - a brain, and the ability to harness the sun's power, converting photoelectric power from the sun's energy. >> cubesat is no longer military exercises, they are building companies around them, fuelled by the venture capital and expensive cope from the san francisco start-up scene. >> here at the lab we make earth-imaging satellites. our vision is to launch fleets of them to cover the whole earth on a frequent basis. >> will marshall and his cofounders at a san francisco start up believe a flock the cubesat can do a lot. >> we sent a lot to the east coast.

this is the largest satellites launched. there's various, from monitoring deforestation to ice caps melting. >> it's possible that satellite imaging is not valuable enough to support a company. as music files replaced cds and pcs replaced main frames, this may revolutionize space. >> to better under it, i asked jacob ward if the small satellites could replace the traditional larger ones. >> the thing to keep in mind here is that, you know, the limits of physics make it impossible to replace a hubble or a kepler. i'm holding a cubesat in my hand. this is the size. event the most expensive well-built camera can only be so good in this format. with enough of these up there -

10, 100, 1,000 - you end up with a networked platform where you put images together, powering each other. >> for someone that wants to monitor something on earth using a cubesat. is there restrictions to getting them launched? >> what is amazing about the kids launching these - they are kids, university students - there's massive restrictions. they are having to deal with military restrictions, there's itar stuff, agreements where you have to keep it from falling into foreign hands. i talked to a kit who talked about going to a launch side. they arrived with a flat bed truck. he showed up in a honda civic. there's a culture clash going on. >> speaking of culture clash or together, that is thanksgiving

tomorrow. when many are sitting for their turkey dinner, the space community could be in for a show. >> the ison comet is coming. it's one we have been excited about. basically a comet heats up when it gets close to the sun. it's gone past earth. at 1:30 eastern. it could heat up to a place where it's incredibly bright. it will be difficult for you and i, a normal person to see it. professional observatories are predicting incredibly fright, beautiful sort of light coming off of this. it could turn out to be the comet of the century. >> thank you for joining us. we appreciate it. >> heap thanksgiving. >> you too.

lebron james travels back to cleveland to take on the cows. jessica taff is here. >> he's gone but not forgotten. there's something cleveland cavalier fans won't let go, the day lebron james took his talent to south beach. the decision stipinging. he knows the floor well, and uses all of it. lebron james getting it down on bothened. he had 28 points, eight rebound, eight assists. miami goes on to win their eighth straight with a 94-84 win. >> meanwhile first time since serving a 65-game suspension, ryan braun spoke about his use

of drugs. that include breaking bread with a man that he accused of mishandling his urine sample. he apologised - sort of. >> i'm remorseful for what happened. i wish i can go back and change things. i can't do that. all i can do is move on, do everything in my power to earn back trust and respect and support. i don't anticipate everybody's support, but i intend to do everything in my power to do that. i won't stop trying. >> who do you have to say to the little leaguers that worship the ground that you walk on. >> i've been appreciative of support. i made a huge mistake that has been difficult to deal with, and will continue to be difficult to deal with. all i can say is in making mistakes, as i stated previously. we deal with adversity and

challenges in life. the only challenge you have an opportunity to view as an obstacle or opportunity to grow or learn from and avoid making a mistake. >> mark sanchez ended his radio violence, he talked about his future with the team following his season-ending shoulder surgery. he spects to be the jets' starting quarterback. a declaration that would have sounded crazy with the pushing him out the door for geena smith. the rockie experience hasn't produced results. the jets backup is journey man david garrard, who came out of retirement and hasn't plate in an nfl game since 2010. mark sanchez may not look so bad, especially if rehab produces a bionic awn. >> it's awesome.

it's been eight weeks out of surgery. things are going well. progressing the way they wanted. we haven't had a hiccup. i'll be back better than ever. i talked to other players who have had similar surgery, tougher, more complicated. they feel better than ever. that's the plan. i'm under the best care. rehab guys, dr andrew's - they'll go back hotel. jo donohue and everyone at prosports. i'm lucky to have that. they've been pushing me, it's been fun. >> the interstate rivalry between auburn and alabama is a century old. both teams scared off ranking in the top five. after last week's wild week, the rivalry carried more weight than

before. michael eaves has the story. >> from the start of the college football season alabama has been the cell dela cell, chasing a fourth title in five years. fast-forward and the crimson tides are 11-0 with fourth ranked auburn on the regular schedule. the iron bowl never determined the scc winner, but that is what is at stake. >> it's a big game because it's iron ball. when you add the fact that the championship is where the winner goes, it makes it better. >> i don't think it's a big game. it's another saturday. that's what the team needs to realise. they are trying to take what you work for. if you lose the game, the goal of reaching the championships may be over. >> this is the issue bowl. that makes this is very emotional game. we emphasise that you have to

focus on the right stuff so you can play your best football. >> the two teems combined to win the last four champ ynships. a win over auburn, and a win in the championship game will ensure alabama's shot at another title. they are not looking just to play spoiler. a win for the tigers could put them in the mix as well. >> our team is working hard to create an opportunity. the focus needs to be on playing your best football, going back to playing with the best, preparing the fundamentals. doing your job the best you can against a very, very, very good team. >> they have been doing good thus far. it will be a battle. >> regardless of your record. that's a winning season. >> with an scc championship birth, there's no downplay in the 78th edition of the iron

bowl. >> michael eaves is there for the game. we'll have full coverage on al jazeera. >> i tried to convince him to go to the michigan game. but know. >> still ahead. "it's a wonderful life." the sequel. nobody expected and few seem to want.

>> there are holiday movies, and then there's "it's a wonderful life." the frank capra classic starring jimmy stewart warms each and every years as critics note it's perfect. why would hollywood want to consider a sequel. two studios are planning to produce a follow-up film. joins us to discuss this is cultureman bill wyman. what are the studios thinking? >> it's not clear that it's hollywood. it's a couple of independent producers. they say they have a good script that puts a twist on the story and want to make a sequel. whether they want to do it seeing that paramount claims it

holds copyright is not clear. >> what do you think a sequel to "it's a wonderful life" would be about? >> it could be interesting. "it's a wonderful life" is based in a misty-eyed rose-coloured americana. what would happen to the up to of bedford falls if jimmy stewart hadn't lived. it turns into a utopia called pot isville that turned it into strip joints and gambling. the switch is that we are living in pottersville and what in the guy that did that hadn't lived and so the distopia is a wonderful thing. given the financial crisis we are in, we have been living in pottersville. it may be a respite to see what would happen if the potters didn't take over. >> what are some of the big

movies, blockbusters that you are looking forward to. >> there'll be a couple coming up. kids will look forward to the "the hobbit" movies. three lord of the irans. we had the second "the hobbit," the dessolation of smog. if you remember the first "the hobbit" ended with a dragon and a lair of coins. he'll come out and eat hob its. >> and "saving mr banks. >> that is a disney film, a story how disney persuaded the writer of the mary poppins to do a movie. he didn't want it to happen. but it will be a good family film. "american hustle" is about a scandal in the 1990s, directed

by david o-russell, who nearly won the best picture for "silver linings play book." bill wyman, thank you for joining us tonight. we appreciate it. >> thank you, sir. >> you're welcome. . earlier i told you about the snow storm and the rain ending across the north-east. what we'll deal with tomorrow is the extremely cold temperatures. take a look at the forecast map. new york 29, atlanta 23. over here towards houston, 28. now, the big problem is down here towards the south-east. look at the temperatures. orlando 45. this is also causing problems in terms of freezing. we have freeze warnings. texas, louisiana. we have freeze warnings for the other states, all the the way down close to mexico. major

problem there. let's look at the temperatures we expect to see. birmingham down to 20 degrees. it will rebound. we'll see the temperatures come up. it will take a while for the south-east. over to the west things are looking fairly nice. for the rest of the weekend this is what we have, no rain in the forecast. temperatures coming up. sunday, big travel day, cloudy at 43. chicago nice as well. we'll see partly cloudy at 38. over here towards los angeles, nice conditions. one of the biggest problems across the states on sunday is the north-west. to seattle there's another weather system coming into play that will bring rain into the area. we'll see snow. that's a look at the national weather. have a great evening, and happy thanksgiving.

welcome to al jazeera america. i'm david shuster in new york. here are the top stories for this thanksgiving day:storming weather on the busiest day of the year. early travellers facing hun flight cancellations and delays. they were not as bad as feared. late night drivers are facing slick conditions on the roads. >> windy weather could ground some of the stars of new york's macy's parade thanksgiving day parade. the balloons have been inplated. we have to wait until the morning as to whether they'll be allowed to fly. >> this is the first night of hanukah, it began with the