knowledge and expertise to create a museum of food and drink. here in new york is his ability to constantly challenge the norm with new food experiences while creating an environment in a kitchen. that's dave arnold on "the next list." i'm dr. sanjay gupta. hope to see you back here next sunday. held lorks everyone. you're in the cnn newsroom. i'm fredricka whitfield. the nation's retailers are on pins and needles as black friday figures roll in. a just-released sales report should calm a few nerves that shows for the first time ever on-line sales exceeded $1 billion. tomscore inc said amazon.com was the most popular on-line site followed by walmart, best buy and target. on-line sales throughout the

season will top $43 billion, all of this before cyber monday even arrives. more numbers expected today. and now to the looming fiscal cliff. u.s. congress and the white house have just 37 days left to reach a budget deal and stop more than $500 billion in automatic spending cuts and tax hikes from taking effect. a potentially big sticking point in those talks, that no new tax pledge of that more than 250 republican lawmakers have signed. athena jones us from the white house. two more republicans who signed the pledge said they would be open to tax hikes if they get other concessions. >> reporter: that's right, fredricka, and this is a bit interesting to see. they're talking about this pledge from the grover norquist group. he's the anti-tax crusader. his group has gotten the majority of republicans in congress to sign this pledge to oppose any effort to raise taxes

in any way. so first we heard from a senator out of georgia, a republican, who said for his country he would break this pledge because if you stick to that pledge you won't be able to reach an agreement to bring down the debt. today we heard from south carolina republican senator lindsey graham and also from new york congressman peter king responding to this idea and jumping on the bandwagon with chandliss. let's listen to that. >> when you're $16 trillion in debt, the only pledge we should be making to each other is avoid becoming broke and republicans should put revenue on the table. i want to buy down debt and create rates to cut jobs, but i will raise taxes for the good of the country only if the government will do entitlement reform. >> a pledge we signed 20 years ago, 18 years ago is for that congress. if i were in congress in 1941, i would have signed the

declaration of war against japan. i'm not going to attack japan today. the world has changed. >> reporter: and so it's interesting to see now two more republicans decide maybe it's not such a good idea to stick to this pledge. we'll have to see if more people decide to follow suit on that side of the aisle, fredricka. >> so athena, the lawmakers at all optimistic that they'll be able to reach a deal in the next few weeks? >> reporter: i don't know about the next few weeks, fredricka. we heard a lot of positive talk today and in that friday meeting lawmakers had with the president here right before thanksgiving. they came out after that saying they had the quarter numbers, they were prepared, they know what they need to do to make a deal. but we've seen how this congress acts, and we know oftentimes it takes before the very last minute before they can agree on something. i'm not really a betting woman, but if i were, i would bet it's going to take a while. fred? >> athena jones, thanks so much from the white house.

>> reporter: thanks. now that the turkey and pumpkin pie has settled in your stomach, it's time to pack and head back to the airport. at least, that's the story for 2.4 million of you. today is the busiest day for thanksgiving air travel. and tomorrow will be quite hectic as well. that's according to the trade group airlines for america. so how are the airports looking this thanksgiving sunday? cnn's susan candiotti joining me now from new york's la guardia airport. susan, i understand you met a few passengers today, and how are they feeling about flying today? >> reporter: i tell you, it's been remarkably smooth. we've been here since this morning and throughout the day at la guardia airport. we have seen virtually no lines at the check-in counter, and as you can see behind my shoulder, the security, very little backup there. you sail up, very few people in line and you go right on through despite the fact this is billed as the biggest travel day of the

year. maybe in part it's due to the very good weather we have worldwide. joining me now we've got joe and rhonda stevens and you're heading back to houston. >> no, dallas. >> sorry about that. what did you expect when you got to the airport today? >> we thought we would be delayed. we got here at 2:00. our flight is at 3:30 and we could hop on right now. >> reporter: were you surprised to see this? >> yes. >> in fact, you were telling me you left on tuesday to get -- >> to get ahead of the traffic, and we didn't have any traffic on tuesday and it's been fairly unevent ful. >> reporter: terrific. we hope the rest of the trip works out the same way. thank you very much, indeed. of course, i'm reminding everyone to try to get to the airport at least an hour and a half ahead of time just in case there are lines. you can always change, fredricka, as everybody tries to squeeze what time they have left on this holiday weekend. >> what about the airlines? any potential headaches out

there? >> reporter: you know, when things run smoothly it's good for business. so despite higher fuel costs, remember, if there are backups, that could be a problem. if they have to change planes, this kind of thing, or weather delays, that would mean it would be more expensive for the airlines, so they're very happy things are running smoothly today. >> excellent. let's hope it stays that way. susan candiotti, thank you so much. residents of gaza are celebrating the end of the conflict with israel. heading into a new week, does either side have an upper hand? someone who advised six u.s. secretaries of state gives us his view. the hours counting down to cyber monday. will you head to the mall or the computer to do your holiday shopping? we'll discuss the pros and cons. on gasoline. y i am probably going to the gas station about once a month. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt.

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welcome back. talks are set to resume tomorrow in cairo between israeli and see egyptians to hammer out the details of the cease-fire with hamas. israeli troops have retreated from the border and hamas leaders say a delegation from gaza has arrived in cairo. on the table? opening border crossings and easing israel's economic blockade in gaza. crowds in gaza celebrated at the end of the eight-day deadly conflict. so ken, the palestinian israeli cease-fire hold, a man

who advised six secretaries of state on the middle east is assessing it from many angles, he's a long-time author and diplomatic policymaker. i asked him who has the upper hand in this conflict. >> there are two clear winners. hamas for sure. look at it very simply. it was ham par mrkhamas oi rock have once again put the palestinians on stage. number two, you've witnessed two weeks of officials literally showering hamas with recognition and money. the foreign minister of egypt, the foreign minister of turkey, the president of turkey wants to come. finally, hamas again driving their own narratives have withstood the military power of the middle east's most preeminent military force, israel. so hamas on this one stands to

win. if you add to that the possibility that the israelis may well begin to open up and ease some of the economic restrictions, hamas' legitimacy for the 1.5 million palestinians who currently live in gaza without much hope for an economic future, that's going to deepen. the israelis, i think, though, have won. he has deepened his relationship with president obama. he's demonstrated he can have the israelis on his side. and they tested iron dome which frankly works very well. >> what did this do to better set the stage or better secure two states, a palestinian state and an israeli one? >> here, i think you really have a paradox and it's a cruel

paradox. the leader in this is bosch. >> in what way? >> the palestinian looks like hamas. there are two leaders, two mini states, one in hamas and one in gaza. it is hamas' stock that is rising. habasch rises in this. hamas rises as a palestinian of nationalism. >> you write that, quote, abbas may be the best palestinian partner israel has ever had. >> absolutely. there is no question, but that's the cruel paradox of all of this. he may be the best, and he's clearly a centrist, moderate man who probably would like to negotiate through state solution. but if he can't deliver, pr

fredricka, if he can't preside over a palestinian movement, if he can't address the fiscal crisis that the pa now con fronts, well, houston, we have a problem here. and that, i think, is the real dilemma. and arma damon said one more interesting thing. there is no in-state here. this is not about an israeli palestinian piece here now. this is about a long truce and we'll have to see as the months go on where the chips fall on this one. >> thanks very much. that was a pleasure. here at home in the states, the hours are ticking down to cyber monday. how do you decide? shop at home or go to the mall? and designer hotels have more than just outfits.

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it's a modern shopping conundrum. bundle up, fight for parking in

the mall, stand at the cash register, lug your bags back to the car. or just stay in your pjs and shop on line. with cyber monday just hours away, it's time to decide. dan simon looks at the pro and see cons and what it means for merchants. >> reporter: on line versus brick and mortar. the value for your dollars, perhaps, has never been so intense. for years amazon had advantages in key states like california. low sales tax. local book stores already on pressure for the rabid rise of ebooks feel particularly squeezed. michael tucker owns a chain of book stores in san francisco. >> if you can save 10%, why wouldn't you? >> reporter: but amazon's tax advantage recently disappeared in california, adding 7 to nearly 10% to the cost of each order. it also began taxing this year in other states like pennsylvania and texas. on-line retailers collect tax only for states where they have a physical presence.

now here in california, amazon is building two giant warehouses, including this one near los angeles. it's a million square feet, and for the old-fashioned retailers, it's another reason to worry. why? because amazon's goal is to get items to customers faster and to be able to offer same-day delivery. that's right. you can avoid stores if you want and have a package delivered to your house in a matter of hours. a win for consumers but tough for local retailers. >> if amazon creates distribution centers and facilities on their turf locally, that takes away the one advantage that we see retailers have left to compete against amazon. so it is a big deal. >> reporter: internet analyst colin sebastian says that means retailers need to up their game. >> retailers need to take a lesson from amazon. they need to focus on the consumer experience. they need to become more sophisticated both off line and

on line. >> reporter: those who want a lesson on how to thrive could learn from books, inc in san francisco. amidst a tidal wave of change in the industry, michael tucker's book sales are thriving. >> everybody can get a book. but the staff we have and the readers we have that are working with the public, that's the difference. we have tremendous staff that are engaged with those communities. >> reporter: a basic reminder to all retailers, internet and otherwise, that good customer service could be the decisive factor in winning over business. >> thank you. >> reporter: dan simon, cnn, san francisco. >> here's a question for you. are prices better on black friday or cyber monday? i made a purchase. thrilled about my black friday discount. well, this morning i received an e-mail advertisement from the same store about the same product, and guess what? the price will be $10 higher tomorrow. i suppose the incentive is

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you've seen them on the red carpet, fashions by oscar dde de la renta, christian lacroix. now you can stay in rooms fashioned by those designers. we talked about couture vacations. >> three famous designers have gotten their hands on hotels around the world. let's begin with sara game in italy. >> in florence. the thing is, people love their designers and what better way to really embrace that designer by staying in a hotel they have put together with all their famous touches. so they are actually based in florence so why not have the hotel, the engarno, right on the

banks of the river. you can see the arno, you can even see the incredible delmo. just gorgeous right from your room. sara game is known for their attention to detail and a lot of craftsmanship and this hotel really reflects that. >> on to paris and christian lacroix known for famous designs. what will we find them. >> lacroix is known for couture, vivid colors like the magenta i'm wearing. this hotel dates back to the 17th century. instead of krcroissants, you'll find a blow-up in the room of wallpaper. there are some elements very

contemporary, some very modern, but there is just a whimsical and fun. if you're going to paris and want to stay somewhere that doesn't feel cookie cutter, this is a good choice. in the november issue of travel magazine, we feature this area as kind of a buzzy place to go for shopping, eating and exploring. >> it's hard to be in paris and not be inspired to shop, anyway, and then you're surrounded by christian lacroix. how can you go wrong? >> i'm concerned about the credit card bill, but it's worth it. >> and then the dominican republic, and that would be a famous stomping ground of an oscar de la renta print? >> he has gone back and put his signature on a gorgeous hotel called ortega bay. this has 14 different villas.

obviously he's popular for many red carpet gowns. it's very low key at the hotel, beautiful area rooms and obviously the star of the show will be the beautiful white sand and those gorgeous azure waters. you'll have your own cart you'll toodle around the property and there is a spa where you can get a massage. everybody needs a little bit of pampering once in a while and why not have oscar de la renta style around that. >> thanks so much. >> thank you for having me. >> i'm ready to book my travel. president obama tackling his christmas to-do list. that's just one of the stories trending right now.

all right, here's what's trending on line. a fire rips through a clothing factory in bangladesh with 2,000 people inside last night. at least 117 people were killed, 200 injured. the president of the united states did some christmas shopping and participated in small business saturday. at the same time he was spotted making some purchases with his daughters yesterday at one more page books in arlington, virginia.