thanksgiving. >> it's like a thanksgiving present. >> you brought the pie. >> we are all better off without my cooking, believe me. >> well, today, of course, is the big parade. we along with millions of americans are waiting to see if the real stars in the annual macy's day thanksgiving parade will take part. the giant balloons that soar above the parade route. here's the deal, gusty winds here in new york this morning are threatening to perhaps ground the likes of snoopy, sponge bob and spidey. jason carroll is live along the parade route. good morning. when i came in this morning, it wasn't too windy. how are conditions out there? >> reporter: it's feeling pretty good, we've had mild gusts, but nothing major to speak of. if you take a look behind me, you have snoopy, the macy's stars, the sandbags are holding them down for now. in terms of what's happening with the parade and whether or not they are going to fly or

not, we won't know until the parade gets underway at 9:00 a.m. 16 giant balloons are filled and ready for liftoff. thousands showing up wednesday night to get a look at the helium-filled stars of the 87th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade hoping they soar high above new york city later this morning. >> it's the first time we've seen them blowing up, and that's like the best part to see the beginning. and then tomorrow we'll see the end result. >> reporter: whether it will be safe enough for snoopy and woodstock to take flight will depend on the wind and this man's decision. new york city police incident commander james hall. he will make the final call. how is it looking so far for tomorrow? >> it looks good, it looks very good. and there are, you know, gust numbers and wind numbers that we have locked into our head that allows us to fly or not to fly. >> reporter: that's a lot of pressure, is it not, to be riding on your shoulders to make the decision, fly or not fly? >> i'm used to it.

>> reporter: parade director amy cole will be waiting for the incident commander's call for the balloons to get the go-ahead. >> i'm depending on him to make the decision. i've been through so many parades with inclement weather on wednesday and thursday, and it's been magnificent and i have a feeling it will be just like that again. >> reporter: safety is key. sustained winds could exceed 23 miles per hour or gusts at 34 miles per hour, then the balloons may have to be grounded. that will be the first time since 1971, but again, officials are optimistic and so are the fans. >> well, seeing the balloons liable will be incredible. i'm hoping they will be up in the air. >> i'm disappointed by the fact that they might not have the balloons up in the air tomorrow. >> me too. >> reporter: well, she shouldn't be too disappointed, at least not yet. tom the turkey is in position.

he did not end up on someone's dinner table this year. he's in position, and it's our hope the other balloons, once again, they are ready to go. and what we're hearing, at least so far, it is a go. so we're just going to have to keep waiting and keep checking in each hour to see if anything changes. but for now, makayla, it's a go. >> all right, i like that. word from the street so far, it's a go. thank you so much for that, jason carroll. we'll go to meteorologist jennifer grey for a look at what to expect becaus this is a concern, 23 miles an hour, sustained winds is when they ground them, right? >> with gusts up to 34. right now the forecast is gusts up to 30. hopefully it will stay under that criteria. winds are about 18 miles an hour. we are just under what is called for for them not to call off the balloons. 32 degrees is the forecasted high, so it's going to be very cold. with the windchill, it's going to feel like the 20s. and guys, whoever is holding

those balloons, they are going to have to hold on really tight if they fly because it will be breezy. >> that's a whole bunch of people for the balloons, strong, sturdy people. >> thank you for gravity. good have you with us, jennifer. rain and snow still linger from the wintry storm that complicated travel for millions and millions of americans. we don't have the radar here, but take my word for it. it has made a mess of the roads, especially with lake-effect snow in michigan. there were a lot of delays, some cancellations, but most people were able to make it home for the holiday. our margaret connolly is joining us from new york city this morning with more. good morning, margaret. >> reporter: good morning, join. it could have been a lot worse. over 40 million americans are traveling for the holiday. i was at laguardia yesterday. they were prepared for rain and crowds, but overall things went better than expected. you can call it the collective sigh of relief heard up and down

the east coast as millions of americans raced through crowds, rain and snow to get to their loved ones in time for the holidays. there were some inconveniences, but no major delays across the country. airports like laguardia, new york city pulled out all the stops to help keep travelers' spirits high and relieve stress. >> i just missed my connection to albany and i'm hyper ventilating. >> reporter: some people who traveled by train were held up by the winter storm. >> weather caused delays and cancellations at airports along the east coast. >> reporter: while others were more lucky. >> here at atlanta's hartsfield/jackson airport, the busiest airport in the world, the holiday commute has been going well. >> reporter: for those who made the journey by car, there was heavy snow in states like michigan and ohio. and train travelers on the east coast were momentarily stalled right at rush hour. >> a disabled train in a tunnel

had every train running late. >> reporter: yes, the busiest travel day of the year drew to a close and many families may have been delayed, but they were reunited. >> we expected to be delayed, so we weren't too disappointed. we have made it here on time. we're ready to go home and eat. >> reporter: so we made it through wednesday. people have a few days now to enjoy the holiday, makayla, before we have to do it all over again on sunday. >> let's not think about that yet. let's enjoy the fact that we may or may not be at our destinations, right? and then don't worry about sunday. >> start stressing about it now. >> margaret, thank you so much. stay bundled up out there, it is chilly. it's true, sunday will be a bit of a bear. pamela brown is also here with us on this thanksgiving day with a look at the other stories. >> wonderful to be here on this thanksgiving. and making news today, another accusation against the nsa about spying on world leaders. cvc news say canada allows the nsa to spy on ontario back in

2010 signing documents by edward snowden. they say the operation was closely operated with canada. and another military contractor is in trouble. the navy suspending a shipping services company called inch kate for what it calls questionable business integrity. it bans all federal agencies from entering into new contracts with inch kate. they are investigating a number of officers in an overbilling scheme by another maritime services contractor. bye-bye to the italian prime minister who is serving a year of community service and has been banned from holding public office for two years for tax fraud. he could be vulnerable to charges and other fraud corruption and sex cases. illinois has now held its first same sex marriage six

months before the law goes into effect. a chicago woman with terminal cancer was granted an emergency marriage license to wed her partner on wednesday. 64-year-old vernita gray and 65-year-old patricia york have sued to get the license in advance arguing the law discriminating them from preventing the couple to marry before gray's death. well, if there's no pecan pie at your thanksgiving dinner today, blame it on china, pigs and the rain. okay? record rainfall hurt production in the south. industry experts say it could drop by as much as 35%. those heavy rains made harvesting difficult as well, and the pigs went wild on the nuts that fell from the trees. this is a true story. i'm getting weird looks over here. and this is -- don't blame it on me. >> monster pigs are keeping the pecan pie from our table.

>> this is in china. the pigs have a love affair with pecans and it continues to grow. a third of the pecans are exported there. >> i feel strongly that pumpkin pie belongs at thanksgiving so i'm okay with this story. >> so you let loose the monster pigs to eat the falling pecans that created this problem. >> you're a pecan guy, aren't you? i didn't know there was a crisis, let alone started by monster pigs. >> we are here to bring that information to you. >> that's what we do. weather is the issue we're watching closely. meteorologist jennifer gray is here with our forecast. are we thinking this storm was worse than its bite or are we seeing residual effects from it? >> maybe we expected it to be worse, but we definitely saw the rain. we had up to five inches of rain in some areas. we had up to a foot of snow in other areas. but it is cold. this front has moved out. the system has pushed off to the northeast, and we are left with really cold temperatures, below

freezing across most of the northeast. then you factor in the winds, new york city right now, 8-mile-per-hour winds with gusts near 23. seeing 16-mile-per-hour winds in philly with gusts up to 22. when you combine the temperatures and the wind, you get the windchill. right now, windchill of 23 degrees. in new york city, that's what it feels like outside, feels like 20 waking up in boston on this thanksgiving morning. d.c., you're feeling like 21. so it is going to be cold. not only the northeast, but the south experiencing very cold temperatures. freeze watches and warnings across all of the gulf coast. the i-10 corridor from lake charles all the way to jacksonville experiencing very, very chilly temperatures. and current temperatures in the south, 26 in shreveport. 26 in mobile. 30 degrees in jacksonville. guys, when the south, the i-10 corridor has freeze warnings, you know the rest of the country is cold. >> big problems.

thank you so much. next up on "new day," marking thanksgiving far, far from home. thousands of our u.s. troops are marking the holiday in afghanistan. there's no sign that a security deal controversy could keep them there longer is closer to be resolved. and are you ready for some shopping? this is happening, folks, some stores are actually open now. but are they turning this family holiday into just another shopping day? seems so. no matter how busy your morning you can always do something better for yourself. and better is so easy with benefiber. fiber that's taste-free, grit-free and dissolves completely. so you can feel free to add it to anything. and feel better about doing it. better it with benefiber.

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will spend the day in afghanistan, and many americans will be thinking of their family and friends to the and perhaps wondering if a security deal with the afghan government will ever get deal. here's cnn's barbara starr. >> reporter: it's the 12th thanksgiving in afghanistan for u.s. troops. >> this is the first time with the 151st company and i'm stationed in northern afghanistan, i'm brian shenk. i would like to give a shout-out to my three children and my wife. >> reporter: once more thinking at home. >> i'm specialist caleb charron. i want to wish my family in missouri happy holidays. >> reporter: this holiday season commanders were looking forward to a new agreement with afghan president hamid karzai that would have kept just a few thousand u.s. troops in afghanistan after 2014. but after a meeting with national security adviser susan rice, karzai is now refusing to sign the very deal he helped

negotiate. in an afghan news channel interview, rice made clear u.s. patience may be at a breaking point. >> if the agreement isn't signed properly, what i said to the president is we would have no choice, we would be compelled by necessity, not by preference, to have to begin to plan for the prospect that we will not be able to keep our troops here. >> reporter: after 12 years of war with afghan corruption still rampant, billions of dollars in u.s. aid, more than 2,000 troops killed and more than 19,000 wounded, why shouldn't all the american troops just come home? >> americans are very right to be frustrated with karzai, but frustration is not national security policy. frustration is not foreign policy. >> reporter: some of the administration believe without a u.s. presence, al qaeda will return, iran's influence may grow, and afghanistan will

become a radical haven. >> if things fall apart in afghanistan, then much of what we've gained can unravel. we may find ourselves having to go back in again. >> reporter: for now, however, u.s. troops are thinking about coming home. >> hi, i'm sergeant tyler backton. this is my father. >> chief sergeant richard baxter. >> we just wanted to wish our family in missouri a happy holiday. >> reporter: barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> we can't say it enough, our thanks to men and women serving overseas and back in the u.s. as well. happy thanksgiving to you and your families. back here in the u.s., it does seem that the new holiday tradition is, in fact, shopping. more retailers are opening their doors this year, that's right, more of them are, and they say they are slashing prices a day in advance of black friday. not everyone, folks, is happy about this. cnn's nick havalencia is at a

store in georgia. nick, wow, it's open, people are shopping. it's 6:17! >> reporter: it is open. happy thanksgiving, john and makayla. it's below freezing out there. below 30 degrees. feels more like 18 factoring in the wind, but that was not enough to keep 30 people from lining up outside a kmart this morning. why are they doing it? quite simply it's for the deals. black friday has warped into black thursday. kmart, one of a handful of retailers, opened for business on thanksgiving. are you guys ready for it? >> i think so. we are excited about it. >> reporter: for those who think it's something new, kmart has been doing this for over 20 years. more retailers have followed suit, and that's no coincidence. according to the national retail federation. >> shoppers still want to shop on black friday to get the amazing deals. so we don't expect black friday to ever lose its luster, but there's a new player in town, and thanksgiving is certainly giving black friday a run for its money. >> reporter: of the nearly 140

million people expected to shop this holiday weekend, nearly a quarter will hit the stores thanksgiving day. >> i'm out here to get some great deals, man. >> reporter: outside of best buy in florida, tents were in place more than a week in advance of the sales. just how serious are they? this man brought a generator to run his many electronics. >> they do it every year and every year i say the exact same thing, it's just crazy. >> reporter: crazy is one word for it. angry is another. on change.org more than 100,000 people petitioned target to stay closed for the holiday writing, quote, family should be more important than corporate greed or materialism. and because it's the right thing to do. back in kmart in mapleton, georgia, store manager bill vansor says working on thanks giving is no bother. for him, it's about meeting the customer demand. >> one thing you have to understand this year is we have one less week for shopping between thanksgiving and christmas than we did last year. >> reporter: and the mad dash

here in mapleton, georgia, was towards the electronic section. kmart as i mentioned in that piece has been doing this for 20 years, but this year, john and makayla, it's going to be different. before they would shut down for a couple years. this year they are going to blow through. it's about meeting customer demand, they say. a lot of people here are pretty happy the stores are open on a thursday. happy thanksgiving, guys. >> i'm surprised they are shopping on thanksgiving but can't believe they are there at 6:20. that, to me, is astounding. >> caller: i was out here at 11:00 p.m. last night, john. so cold, spent overnight hours, incredible. >> i applaud the level of commitment. we should all be so committed to something in life. i guess i want to know what people out there think about this. do you think it's a good idea to have the stores open on thanks giving? let us know what you think. tweet us with the #newday. >> i feel like there's going to be people to tweet you from in line. >> go for it. great. >> i think they will. >> i hope they have cnn playing

inside kmart to see my dismay they are there at 6:20 and tweet us back. >> we are here. this is dedication. next up, the obama care rollout hitting a small bump. small businesses being told they have to wait before they can sign up for coverage. the deadline for a fix is only two days away. can the administration turn things around? we have our political gut check next. and will they fly? we are live on the macy's parade route with the very latest minute by minute coverage of whether those giant balloons will take to the sky. we will talk to the parade director in just a moment. i'm sergeant jack story. i would like to say happy thanksgiving to my wife and my family. love you guys. as a business owner, i'm constantly putting out fires.

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welcome back. time now for the political gut check. yes, another delay for obama care. the administration announcing that small businesses will not be able to enroll online for another year. and with the self-imposed deadline with the website saying it's two days away, will they be able to get back on track? ron brandstein is here with us. first of all, happy thanksgiving to you, thank you for joining us. good morning to you. >> happy thanksgiving. >> let's talk about this delay announced. the administration announcing small business has to wait for another year to enroll. how significant is this? and is it indicative of the problems they are having with this rollout? >> substantively, it is not the biggest problem they have

placed. politically, it's another dent in a time when they can least afford it. this applies to small businesses not subject to the already-delayed mandate of their employer to provide coverage. these businesses have to continue doing what they have already or always done, which is to rely on brokers for another year. this is something they were adding to the mix and now they are not going to add it. in that sense, it is not as big of a problem as others they have faced, but politically this comes as they developed momentum on their fronts, particularly the blue states like california, new york and kentucky showing progress in signing people at a faster pace. and some indications that they are on track to improve the websites significantly. it's a reminder there are a lot of things that can go wrong, and a bunch of them probably are between now and any point in the future. >> they came out to say they have added software and hardware, but let's talk about that deadline looming, ron. we are less than a month away

until the deadline to sign up to be insured for january 1st, that deadline is december 23rd. what are you thinking the chances are they are either going to delay this, well, let's talk about delay, what do you think the chances are? >> they really don't want too have to do that, but they are in a squeeze here. they are saying that the indications yesterday from the administration are that the website as of december 1st will be able to handle 50,000 users at a time, which was their original goal. the problem is they could face, with the deadline coming up, they could face demand that exceeds that. so even just three weeks before the deadline to sign up, they are discouraging their allies that are out there that want to kind of promote sign up from really pushing people to the website. >> it is counter intuitive, right? >> exactly. it's not where you want to be. >> interesting. we did a cnn/orc poll that shows americans are actually surpri

surprisingly being patient. 53% are saying that they believe it's too soon to tell if the new health care law is a success or not. what do you make of that? and does it surprise you? >> no, we've actually done polling in our congressional polling with the national journal that's been similar. i think there are a lot of doubts about the health care law, but we have not seen a majority willing to repeal. the reality is the president is in a political race here. the issue is whether he can stabilize this program enough by the time he leaves office that it will be very difficult to repeal, even if a republican is elected. it is much more vulnerable than a year ago at this time. but the odds are still pretty high as long as he's president he's going to be able to keep it in force. and the question is whether he can get enough people signed up to build a constituency for this program, because you have half the country resisting it to begin with, and now more doubt is growing as the rollout has stumbled. >> when you talk about that, if he can make it stable enough to withstand the test of time, it's

interesting, i think about that. what do you think the democrats have to do in order to turn that narrative around for them? >> right. first, understand we have never seen anything like this with the entitlement program with the degree of resis tense after the fact. look at social security, medicare and medicaid, even medicaid which took years to get states in, we have not seen anything like this with the lawsuits and the 0 40-plus votes in congress to overturn. and every red state is not participating by expanding medicaid or extending their own exchange. thatry dealing with a lot of more states than they expected. look, i think the answer to their problems, if there is an answer, is signing people up. that's ultimately what they have to do is create a constituency for this, not only in the individuals who are in the plan, but this the doctors, the hospitals, the drug companies, others that will be benefiting from it. they need the economic constituency for this. one of the big problems of this troubled rollout is that it really eliminates the pressure on red states to come in.

one of the things they were hoping is that places like california, new york and others signed up a lot of people that maybe texas, florida and georgia have a large number of uninsured may feel like they have to join. i think that's not happening right now. and the reality is we'll probably go through his presidency with at best a house divided, essentially half the country tying to do this and half fighting it. >> ron brownstein, thank you for joining us and now get back to the kitchen to finish the turkey. happy thanksgiving to you. >> political gut check before we stuff ourselves full of turkey. 3.5 million people are expected to line the route of the 87th macy's thanksgiving parade that starts in less than two hours here in new york city. millions more will be watching at home on television. and right now everyone is hoping for calm winds so the giant balloon floats can take flight. our jason carroll is on the parade route. he is talking to someone who has

all tell key answers for us. good morning, jason. >> reporter: well, good morning. i know she's got a lot of answers for us, and maybe she has an answer to the big question, amy cole, parade director, amy, obviously a lot of people are wanting to know if some of these balloons, specifically the big balloons, are going to be able to fly. how is it looking so far? >> it's looking great. we are optimistic and planning for the balloons to fly. and we are not going to make that decision for another hour and a half or so, but we are working with nypd and ultimately they will give us the thumbs-up or thumbs-down. >> reporter: and you have a contingency plan in place, john, you know this, sometimes you can fly them at full length and sometimes you can bring them low tore the ground. >> sure. each one has ropes that can extend up to 60 feet. depending on the weather, if it is a sunny day with no winds, they would be flying at full height. and if it's a little wind and cold, we bring them lower and we just bring them closer to the ground. we have full contingency plans

for all of it. >> reporter: when you think of these balloons, they are iconic. i know you have the bands and the clowns in the parade, but when you think of the balloons, that's what a lot of people think of when they think of the macy's day parade. is there a lot of pressure to get the balloons up and going? >> no. everyone loves the balloons, you do, i do, people toured them last night, but this parade has so many parts. we have 11 marching bands that come across the country. this could be the very first time for them to be in new york and are touring for the weekend. they are having a good time. we have 1600 cheerleaders, 30 floats with talent on each one of them. 900 clowns to interact with the 3.5 million people that are going to come see this parade live today. so then we've got other inflatables, quite frankly. they are up in the air. the smaller balloons, but we have things called tri-balloons, balloons inflated on the back of bicycles. and we have balloonicles that have a motorized golf cart

inside. there's a lot going on in this parade. >> reporter: a lot going on, but hopefully for now the balloons are a go. >> we will know soon, absolutely. as soon as i know, you'll know. >> reporter: thank you very much. amy kule, thank you, happy thanksgiving. once again, they are taking it hour by hour, minute by minute. we have experienced small gusts out here, nothing major, so hopefully tom the turkey behind me here, snoopy and sonic the hedgehog will be heading up and heading out pretty soon. >> jason carroll, thank you so much. pressing for answers on the key questions, really bringing to light the balloonicle issue we have been talking about. >> and what was the other thing, the tri something. i'm very excited. i know you are a jaded journalist and have seen this a thousand times. i have never seen it. on the west coast, we have the rose parade, so it's a very different thing on january 1st. so for me to experience the thanksgiving day parade, i'm like a kid in a candy store. >> no one is scared by roses, all right? the balloons are a little, you

know, there's a big difference. >> this is a fear-based criticism. >> i don't want to say too much. >> hmm. >> no one is afraid of flowers. now let's get up-to-date on the other top stories today. pamela is with us. >> good morning to you. making news today, disturbing new details from arizona where three young sisters say they were held captive inside a tucson home for two years. the malnourished girls told detectives their every move was watched and they were blasted with music and white noise day and night. the girl's own mother and step-father are charged with child abuse and kidnapping. the stepfather is charged with child sexual abuse. and in eaglewood, california, a man who fired on police officers and held them hostage for several hours is now in custody. this started when the suspect took his girlfriend and her 14-year-old daughter hostage. when police got to the house, he opened fire hitting one officer. the suspect finally came out with his hands up about nine

hours after the standoff began. the two hostages are okay, we are told. and no word yet about a possible motive in the case. electronic cigarettes could be next on new york city's smoking hit list. the proposed city council would ban the e-cigs from public places. more and more people are lighting up electronically which poses a health threat and could encourage a new generation to smoke. chicago is considering a similar move. and an up-close view of the power of a tornado. take a look at this, motion sensor security cameras inside an indiana middle school were triggered when an ef-2 twister ripped through the school last sunday. the video shows the gymnasium flooded with outside light as pieces of its outer walls are torn away. unbelievable to see this. and in a hallway right here, the lights flicker before a load of ceiling tiles and drywall crash through the ceiling leaving the

overheadlight dangling. >> we see the residual effects from the twisters, all that damage, but it is interesting to see an inside view of it. thank you so much for that. we'll take a short break here, but up next on "new day," many people are heading to the stores today in search of a bargain. a lot of businesses are saying, no way. they are keeping their doors closed. and they are getting cheers for doing so. that story is still ahead. and a smelly situation in california. >> why does it have to be california? >> it's california leaving eyes watering and throats sore. the problem? hot sauce. and now a judge is taking action. ♪ [ car beeps ] ♪

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going around the world, to syria, mohammad jonjun has that.

>> reporter: it's a chilling amateur video that showcases just how a custom syrian children have become to the horrors of war. in this clip you see several girls and a boy talking about the ghastly violence they have witnessed. suddenly, a huge explosion goes off nearby. the kids run and duck for cover. thankfully, that they are okay. later in the clip, you see one of the boys smiling unphased as he describes how to best protect himself all on his own. back to you, makayla. >> a tremendous young child. thank you. now to moscow where a giant piece of luggage is raising eyebrows and anger. phil black has detailed. >> reporter: this is russia's most famous and sacred public specs, red square, right next to the kremlin and the tomb of lenon. and this is a giant replica of a

louis vuitton suitcase. this makes many people angry, many believe this has gone too far. from the president's office down says it should be sent packing, so it's now being dismantled. back to you. >> i want just a corner of it. >> people are serious about their handbags, and by people i mean, my wife and others. here at home, a backlash against a mad dash for holiday savings while many americans trade turkey and stuffing for long lines and holiday sales. others are revolting saying thanksgiving should not become back thursday. this is not just coming from employees who have to work. some business owners say we don't want to be there either. here's cnn's george howell. >> reporter: there's more to thanksgiving now than just turkey. walmart, kmart and target all open for early bird shoppers this holiday, just like last year. joining them this year, jcpenney, kohl's and macy's.

but more than 370,000 people petitioned target to save thanksgiving for its employees and their families and customers. and kmart was blasted on its facebook page for its decision to stay open 41 hours straight starting at 6:00 a.m. thursday. >> we know last year 35 million shoppers were out in stores and shopping online on thanksgiving day. and we're fully expecting to see just as many people this year. >> reporter: but for those, steadfast employees who have to work their thanksgiving day, shoppers on chicago's busy michigan avenue have some sympathy. >> sometimes we got to work when we don't want to work. it's just the reality of it. so on the same note, i do feel like people need to be with their families, so it's more of a choice than, you know, to each his own. >> reporter: in fact, several stores are choosing to give their workers are the day off. closed on thursday from

nordstrum, rdi, costco and others. >> it's important for our employees to have a day off with their friends and family and recharge before the black friday. >> reporter: do you feel like your store is missing out by closing? >> not at all. i think that there's plenty of other days to shop. plus, we're open 24/7 on our website. >> reporter: it's a move that shoppers don't seem to mind. >> on thursday i think, i think i would close just because i personally want to go on friday and want to keep people home with their families. >> reporter: but for some they are missing out. >> get a life. >> reporter: george howell, cnn, chicago. >> look at those crowds. >> we were live at a store that's already open in atlanta. very, very busy. next up for us on "new day," it's the odor that had some

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i want you all to smell something right now. can you smell this? >> smell-a-vision. >> that, folks, is the smell some people in california have been complaining about. it's the strong stench of hot peppers going into bottles of this, is sriracha at a plant in los angeles. the aroma wafting from the factory so strong it left their throats raw and their eyes stinging. but now a judge has ordered the plant partially shut down saying the odor is a public nuisance. so our senior smell correspondence, michelle, is here, what's going on here? why did the city say shut this down. >> first of all, happy thanksgiving, everyone. i'm ready to eat. i'm an unbiased reporter but i love my hot sauce. so i'm miffed about this one. the residents of irwindale, california, were complaining. i get it as they say the smell coming from the plant was giving them heartburn, making their

eyes run, sometimes giving them nosebleeds. they thought it was because of the hot stench that was coming from there. if you smell hot sauce, this is sriracha right here. pam is like, i don't like hot sauce. i don't think it is hot enough unless my nose is running. it does make it happen. the judge agreed with the residents and said, the odor is coming from here, it is foul and potentially harmful. they need to shut down the plant and do something about it until they reopen. >> shutting it down is one thing, but this is -- i imagine it's a fairly successful business because this is a multimillion business. the demand is there, do they need to work on ventilation or -- >> that's a good question. they are trying to figure it out right now. they were saying, if it doesn't smell, we can't sell. that's what the people were saying. but the thing is here, the good news about this is they had

finished their batch for this year of hot sauce. so they are doing okay. but they still need to kind of operate year-round. so our prices don't go up. because that could happen if they can't produce the hot sauce, then the sriracha prices will go up. >> so do people like you need to start hording. >> not yet. >> what an exciting story. >> you don't have to worry about me. >> that's a good yes, though. people may want to stock up a little bit. if they can't produce, especially if you love sriracha and they can't produce it, then the price definitely may go up. go to your grocery store now to buy some. >> we get upset when things aren't made in america. this is a company producing their stuff in america. so they've got to figure out a solution for this. ly say, on the other side, have you been in the kitchen when somebody is cooking chilies or toasting them? it actually -- it can burn your

nose. >> i've been in there when the cooks have had to wear three rubber gloves so it doesn't get in their cuticles because it would burn so much. >> we have to tell you that judge o'brien did also say there was no credible evidence that the smells led to these health problems, but he thought it could be likely. so that's why he did the ruling that he did. and yes, go ahead. come on, i want to see john berman -- >> he did it. >> i gotcha, john. >> that's pretty hot. i can do it. >> it's so good. >> happy thanksgiving. happy thanksgiving. let's go to our must see moment. i want to show you guys that i know already freaked out

nischelle. this is a flock of geese getting ready to take flight. it happens at the exact same time. look at this, it appears to be thousands of birds. >> i love the reaction, oh my god, oh, my god! >> i would start crying if that happened to me. >> would you? >> i would cry. >> oh! >> there they are. there they are! >> ah! >> i would not want to be barefoot in that field. it is a time for giving thanks, and for a lot of people it's a time for shopping. some stores are open for business already this morning. people are already there. we will take you live to one of these stores right after the break. >> don't try to steal my

sriracha. and will the fixes happen in time for obama care's website?

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anyone going to the macy's thanksgiving day parade? [ applause ] >> lookout for the obama care balloon. it's the one that never gets off the ground. >> strong winds might force them to cut some of the balloons from the lineup. yeah, which is probably just as well, because some of these were really inappropriate. i mean, here's one celebrating weed being legal in colorado. see this one?

that's not -- but no, look at the balloon right behind it. >> oh! >> that's why jimmy fallon is not in charge of the balloon selection. here's something i bet you didn't think you would ever see. cleveland cavaliers' fans cheering on lebron james begging him to come home. andy is joining us with the bleacher report. hey, andy. the cavs' fans were so mad they were burning lebron jerseys in the streets, but now many of them have come full circle and last night they were handing out come back lebron t-shirts before the game. a group of fans started a come back lebron campaign going as far as to put up billboards around cleveland. lebron served up a victory last night in his old stomping grounds. the heat beat the cavs, 95-84. he's also going to be serving turkey today. the entire heat team stayed in town to celebrate thanksgiving

and will be serving at akron state later today. the wolf rooens will host the third-ranked ohio state buckeyes tomorrow afternoon. and if the wolferines shut out the buckeyes, a michigan dealership will give out free cars. ohio state has to score 31 points and hasn't been shut out by michigan in 20 years. safe to say, that's not going to happen. it's thanksgiving, so turkey, football and napping. here's what's on tap today in the nfl. the lions host the packers at 12:30 eastern, followed by the cowboys and the raiders at 4:30, then the ravens host the steelers in the night cap at 8:30. i'm most excited about the lions/packers lineup. because the defensive lineman has not had very good days on thanks giving in the past. two years ago he was kicked out for stomping on the packers' lineman and last year he kicked another in the groin.

>> we'll see what he does on this thanksgiving day. >> i'm curious when you're going to fit in your nap. you have to eat and watch the games. you can't miss the games. >> you have to nap and wake up to catch the fourth quarter and nap again. >> you've got this figured out. >> halftime is a big napping point. trust me, there are ways to do that. >> happy thanksgiving to you, darling. we are at the top of the hour, which means it is time for top news. i've been to so many of the parades with inclement weather on wednesday and thursday, but i have a feeling it will be just like that again. >> will they risk it? high winds in new york city today may ground the balloons in the macy's thanksgiving day parade. officials assessing the situation at this hour. we are live with the latest. shocking allegations against the celebrity chef who says she's a cocaine and marijuana addict. more allegations emerge as her

husband takes the stand at a fraud trial involving the couple. and the college player who hit this amazing half-court shot to win $20,000. so why isn't he allowed to keep it? he joins us live this morning. your "new day" continues right now. one of the three isn't bad. welcome to "new day," it is thursday, november 27th. 7:00 a.m. in the east. we wish you all a very, very happy thanksgiving. kate and chris have the day off, but my other family is here, john berman and pamela brannan are joining us for the thanksgiving day. >> i'm very thankful to be here. we are watching the weather with the annual 87th macy's day thanksgiving parade will step off in about an hour.

we'll wait to see if the balloons will get to fly or have to sit this one out. it all depends on how strong the wind is. jason carroll is live along the parade route with a front row seat to all the action. lucky fella. >> reporter: yeah, it's cold out here, but it's looking good. and that's the good news. behind me there, you have the snoopy woodstock balloon. you also have the balloon handlers warming up. all the parade goers are starting to line up for what the organizers say is so far the balloons are a go. 16 giant balloons are filled and ready for liftoff. thousands showing up wednesday night to get a look at the helium-filled stars of the 87th and yule macy's thanksgiving day parade, hoping they soar high above new york city later this morning. >> it's the first time we've seen them blowing up. and that's like the best part to see the beginning and then tomorrow we'll see the end result. >> reporter: whether it will be

safe enough for snoopy and woodstock to take flight will depend on the wind and this man's decision. he's new york city police incident commander james hall. he will make the final call. how is it looking so far for tomorrow? >> it looks good. it looks very good. and there are, you know, gust numbers and wind numbers that we have locked into our head that allows us to fly or not to fly. >> reporter: that's a lot of pressure, is it not, to be riding on your shoulders to make the decision, fly or not fly? >> i'm used to it. >> reporter: parade director amy kule will be waiting for that decision. >> i've been through the parades with inclement weather on a wednesday and thursday and it has been magnificent before, and i have a feeling it will be just like that again. >> reporter: safety is key. if sustained winds exceed 23 miles per hour or gusts at 34 miles per hour, the balloons may have to be grounded. that would be the first time since 1971, but again, officials

are optimistic. and so are the fans. >> well, seeing the balloons live will be incredible. i'm hoping that the winds hold up and that we'll be able to see them go through the parade and be up in the air. >> i'm disappointed by the fact that they are not, they might not happen, might not have the balloons up in the air tomorrow. >> me too. >> minute by minute. and it does appear as if the wind will not be strong enough to keep the balloons down. it seems now they will be flying. >> the threshold is 23 miles per hour. and they can't fly over 34-mile-per-hour gusts. we are below 30 right now, so we're going to watch it. >> all right. besides the turkey and football, there's also a new thanksgiving tradition. we're talking about holiday shopping. stores across the country throwing open their doors this morning, millions are expected to hit the aisles. but some say turning

thanksgiving into sort of a black thursday is just plain wrong. nick valencia is in mapleton, georgia, at a kmart store that is already open. >> reporter: black friday has warped into black thursday. kmart, one of the handful of retailers open for business on thanksgiving. >> are you guys ready for it? >> i think so. we are excited about it. >> reporter: for those who think it's something new, kmart has been doing this for over 20 years. more retailers have followed suit, and that's no kouns depth. according to the national retail federation. >> shoppers still want to shop on black friday to get those amazing deals. so we don't expect black friday to ever lose its luster. but there is a new player in town. and thanksgiving is certainly giving black friday a run for its money. >> reporter: of the nearly 140 million people expected to shop this holiday weekend, nearly a quarter will hit the stores thanksgiving day. >> i'm out here to get some

great deals, man. >> reporter: outside at best buy in florida, tents were in place more than a week in advance of the sales. just how serious are they? this man brought a generator to run his in electronics. >> i know they do it every year and every year i say the exact same thing, it's just crazy. >> reporter: crazy is one word for it, angry is another. on change.org more than 100,000 people petitioned for target to stay closed writing, quote, family should be more important than corporate greed or materialism. and because it's the right thing to do. back at kmart in mapleton, georgia, store manager bill vansor says working on thanksgiving is no bother. for him it's about meeting the customer demand. >> this year we have one less week for shopping between thanksgiving and christmas than we did last year. >> reporter: and the big demand here at this kmart is for electronics. we have been seeing people slowly trickling in and out.

it was about 22 degrees when we got here this morning, but factoring in the windchill, felt more like 17 degrees. that was not enough to stop 30 people from showing up and quite simply they are doing it for the deals. makayla, john, back to you. >> nick valencia in mapleton, georgia. people were lined up at that store and it's been full for the morning. >> we asked you what you think about the stores being open so early on thanksgiving. andrew says, i think if the workers are letting to work, then let capitalism reign. >> there are a lot of people who choose to work on thanksgiving. some people get overtime. and this economy, you have a job or if you can get work, that's what it takes. and we are watching the headlines with patch louisiana today. >> good morning, everyone. canada apparently granted the united states permission to spy on world leaders at the g8 and

g20 summits in 2010. they report the nsa spied on the gatherings in ontario, though no particular target was identified. the documents shared by edward snowden say the spying was closely coordinated with canada. and hundreds of families are out of their homes this thanksgiving morning because of a leak of flammable liquid from a derailed rail car. more than 425 homes were evacuated in willard, ohio, just about 65 miles southwest of cleveland. about 13,000 gallons of a liquid used to make plastics were spilled on tuesday. no injuries were reported. officials will be back on the scene today to see if some people can return home. hopefully they will be able to. and an amish girl and her parents have abandoned their ohio home so the 10-year-old won't be forced to resume chemotherapy. sarah hershberger has leukemia and doctors say she could die

within a year without treatment, but the family decided to stop treatment saying it was making their daughter sick. a state court appointed a guardian to take over medical decisions in the event that girl is found. a new incentive this morning for oklahoma shoppers to brave the black friday frenzy. for the first time in 70 years, they can truly get a bargain. lawmakers repealed a law that forbid retailers from selling items for less than they paid. until now stores had to mark up items by at least 6%. walmart is reportedly taking advantage of the change. selling a 32-inch television for $98. last year it was $148. pretty good deal there. and behold the world's largest gingerbread house. amazing, look at this. this is more like a village. >> a town. >> kind of making me hungry looking at this. the 1.5 ton creation includes 400 pounds of candy 50r, 500 po

of dough and 22 pounds of icing. it took the new york chef ten months to create this gingerbread masterpiece on display at the new york hall of science. >> if he's been working on this ten months, maybe the stuff he started ten months ago shouldn't be eaten right now. >> i can never get my icing to stick. that's my issue. >> i'm sorry that happens to you. >> john can help you with that. >> you have your issue with balloons and i have my issue with icing. we are watching the weather for the macy's thanksgiving day parade. jennifer grey is here as we talk wind speed in manhattan. >> that's the big question this morning. will the balloons fly? looks like right now the forecast is just under that criteria, which is good news. right now new york city sustained winds of only 7 miles per hour. we are seeing gusts up to 18. not so bad. look at boston this morning, though, 21-mile-per-hour sustained winds with gusts almost 40. so a windy start for you.

here's an hour-by-hour breakdown of how the winds should be. these are wind gusts at about 9:00 this morning when the parade starts. we should see wind gusts in new york city about 30 miles per hour. the threshhold is 34. so we're just under that. so if this can hold true, then the balloons will be good to go. and look how dramatic the winds drop off as we get into the evening hours. only 10-mile-per-hour winds by 6:00. so we go from 30-mile-per-hour gusts to 10-mile-per-hour gusts in just a couple of hours. it will be improving quickly throughout the day. here's the parade forecast. man, it's going to be cold. 30 degrees at the start of the parade. we'll see 18-mile-per-hour winds with gusts up to 30. and we are going to stay cold in the northeast. we had about a foot of snow in pennsylvania yesterday. ohio, five inches. and in new york city, almost -- or upstate new york, rather, five inches of snow. still seeing lake-effect snow near the lakes. and an additional possible half

a foot of snow is possible in some locations for today. so it is going to be a cold day in the northeast. of course, it looks like the winds are going to cooperate. we'll keep our fingers crossed so we can all see the balloons. >> thank you so much, jennifer. glad to have you here with us today. next on "new day," the deadline to fix the obama care website is two days away, but we'll tell you why the team making the fixes does not have much to be thankful for today. we told you about the countdown being on, will the shooting star survive a close encounter with the sun today? will it loop around, slingshot around the sun? we'll have a spectacular show in the skies and tell you what nasa scientists are saying next. hi, my name is agent makita jones stationed in south carolina with squadron 273. i would like to wish my mom, dad and little brother in alabama a happy thanksgiving.

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welcome back to "new day." comet ison is alive! it was not cooked by the sun and is getting dramatically brighter. hopes are high that it will survive its close encounter with the sun today. and it will put on a breathtaking appearance in the skies. and scientists think it could be visible to the naked eye. this is a big deal because it comes from the very edge of space. it is coming -- it took 5 1/2 million years to get here. >> it has worked hard to get here. >> ison is alive! >> i can't wait to see it. 15 minutes after the hour. more stumbles for the obama care

rollout with the white house scrambling to fix the healthcare.gov website. small businesses are giving the red light and have to wait to sign up for coverage. jill daugherty is in washington with the latest. good morning, jill. >> reporter: hey, john. the administration set its own deadline of saturday to make improvements in this website. and they've got a team of experts working around the clock to make that happen, but there's still some problems. with just two days to go before a self-imposed deadline to get the obama care website working right, another delay. the obama administration now says that healthcare.gov won't be able to enroll small businesses for another year. after promising this, too, would be ready. >> will the shop website for small businesses that was delayed be fully functional during november? >> yes, we will institute the shop component at the end of november. >> reporter: republicans quick

to pounce on the administration for announcing another delay just before the thanksgiving holiday. house majority leader eric cantor charging once again president obama has union in irks /* unilaterally delayed another major portion of obama care hoping no one will notice. they will use direct enrollment with an insurer, agent or broker. but during a conference call with reporters, the administration was downplaying overall expectations. >> to be clear, november 30th does not represent a re-launch of healthcare.gov. it is not a magical date. >> reporter: the spokeswoman admits there will be times after november 30th when the website does not function properly. programmers still have a lot of work to do. the goal? make sure it can handle 50,000 users at one time. yet there might be times when

demand exceeds that. and consumers will be directed to a virtual waiting line. and hhs also says it is changing its web-hosting provider from a subsidiary of verizon to hewlett-packard because there have been some glitches. >> jill daugherty, a big couple of days coming up at the white house. next up on "new day," dessert or doorbusters. forget black friday, some of the retailers are breaking out big deals before you digested your turkey. some are open right now. the question is, should you go shopping? and i have never seen this at a basketball game. jason kidd in hot water over a cold drink. did he spill it on purpose to get an extra time-out? sure seems like it, but you be the judge. coming up. it's hard to see opportunity in today's challenging environment. unless you have the right perspective.

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you need to cooperate with us. hopefully the wind will stay calm and we'll fly the big balloons. welcome back to "new day." it is thursday, november 28th. we wish you all a happy thanksgiving. we hope you're with all the great people you love and have a big spread ready for dinner later today. look who dropped by? >> it's me! >> guess who else is here? it's pamela brown. thank you for joining us today. >> happy thanksgiving, everyone. >> we're saying wind, wind, go away. the big beloved balloons, will they will floating down the macy's day thanksgiving parade two hours from now, or will the

weather cause havoc for this tradition? we'll bring you up-to-date. plus, the guy who made the half-court shot during a contest nailed it and scored $20,000. honestly, that's an amazing shot right there. it happened in oklahoma city. the thing is, now he might not get to keep the cash because he's a basketball player. he plays college basketball and his league says he can't keep it. we'll be talking to him about all this, easy come, easy go, $20,000. that's coming up in the next hour. >> nothing easy about that. we're watching a whole lot of other stories. pamela is here with our headlines this morning. >> good to be here on this thanksgiving. making news today, shocking new details coming from three young sisters in tucson who say they were held captive for two years. they say they were malnourished, no showers for months, loud music and white noise 24/7. and their doors were locked and they were looked up to alarms.

hair mother and stepfather charged with child abuse and kidnapping. he's also charged with sexual abuse of a child under 15. more charges are expected. and a growing backlash this morning from afghan leaders over president hard immediate karzai's refusal to sign the agreement with the u.s. before year's end. that will allow up to 15,000 u.s. and nato troops to remain in afghanistan after the formal end of combat operations next year. but karzai says he wants washington to agree to a series of es colating demands and says he won't sign it until after afghan elections next april. a bizarre incident here in ocean city, maryland. a man on fire runs into the offices of a local church sparking a larger fire that left him and a church reverend dead. a third person was bat badly injured at the church. it's still unclear how this man came to be on fire in the first place and whether it was deliberate. now he was said to be screaming

for help when he entered that church. the canadian rock band bare naked ladies has canceled their performance at sea world after watching a film last month that tells the story of a sea world trainer who was killed in 2010 by an orca. the band posting on the facebook page, this is a complicated issue and we don't claim to understand all of it, but we don't feel comfortable proceeding with the gig at this time. and in afghanistan a taste of home for u.s. troops. more than 50,000 fighting men and women are spending the thanksgiving holiday there. it's the military's 12th thanksgiving in afghanistan. it isn't easy giving them a proper holiday meal, but they pulled it off with more than 70,000 pounds of turkey. the defense department says it's more than worth it, of course, to support the min and women sacrificing so much for all of us. >> it's the least we can do. and we send our appreciation to not only the men and women

fighting overseas but also their families here at home keeping the home fires burning and sending their love as well. thank you so much for that, pamela. we have been talking about the fact that the new tradition on thanksgiving seems to be shopping. it seems to be the new thanksgiving past time. we're seeing all sorts of folks out at the stores already this morning. here's a question, should you join them this thanksgiving? is black friday really worth it? here's a consumer spending analyst for hp retail advisory. we'll put the questions to her. happy thanksgiving, darling. >> happy thanksgiving to everyone. >> we'll start with this and start right off the bat. it seems like we have heard stories of the fact that some of these stores opening earlier or on thanksgiving are getting a little bit of heat for doing so. why are they doing it? >> to put it in perspective, retailers make 20% of their revenues during this time the entire year. so we're talking about -- that's a lot of money coming into those stores. the intuit online survey, for

amazon, the consumers spend $87 million. and for walmart, they spent $78 million. so you can tell it's a lot of money coming in. the sooner they get the promotions in and get people in, the sooner they start making that revenue. if a market share play, it's very competitive right now. >> i wonder because some of the stores are losing a week this year, basically, because thanksgiving is closer to christmas with more stores hopping onboard opening earlier. >> we have four weeks, less than now, to christmas. so right now all the stores want to make sure -- it's one -- you'll think it's very much just a couple dollars between customers shopping, but the dollars really start to add up when you have a lot of people coming in. >> a lot of people are doing this. a lot of shoppers are doing this because they think they are getting a lot of great deals. there's been questions over whether the deals are, in fact, real. >> right. so, again, not to get too wanty

here, but retailers, when they purchase products, they mark it up to 70%. so what you're seeing when you go and shop is almost the mark up of 70% before the sale. so the markdowns, they still have to, they are still making money. so what you really need to do is be on the lookout for markdowns of 30% or more. >> that's the magic number. >> 30%. so if you're seeing anything more than 30%, the store is still making a profit but you're getting a part of that deal. >> here's the question i know you face and we all face, we are all interested in saving a buck and getting a deal and getting that new flat-screen or whatever, is it worth leaving our families? >> listen, thanksgiving is about spending time with your family, eating the turkey, getting some gravy on there. do you really want to get punched over an ipad? not necessarily. but with that said, you know, these deals, the stores have to maintain momentum throughout the weekend. as they said, it's a huge profit for us for them. so these deals are probably going to get better as we get

through the holiday. >> any specific one toss point us to? >> right. if you are going to old navy, everything in the store is 50% off right below the magic number. also, kmart is offering barbies for $5. >> that was my outside voice. so sorry. >> and televisions, tvs at target, 50 inches are going to be $229. and walmart, this is the golden ticket here, if you want to get a 70-inch television for watching the super bowl or the oscars, whatever you're in to -- >> now you're making me go to target today. >> that's $998. >> what about shopping online? can we get the deals online? >> it's a little different online. again, as i said, they need to create the mo mmentuomentum. they will get better down the line. >> these deals are make a difference on how sweet your christmas could be. so some of the folks, this is when they are getting the holiday deals and getting the

holiday shopping done. if you can get a big screen for not much, it will make a difference. >> your heart is set. this is what i'm telling everyone. if your heart is set on that big screen tv, you may want to go out and get it. if that's 70 inches, you want it, go and make time out to go and get that. but if you're willing to take a break and get something a little smaller or a different brand, the deal is probably going to get better. >> by the way, this is not early for a lot of people. hanukkah started last night. happy hanukkah, by the way. >> wonder to feel have you here. please go and put on some comfy clothes and dig into that turkey. >> we are going to go volunteering. >> i love that. that is smart. >> i will put on the comfy clothes after that. >> thank you. see you again soon. up next, a celebrity chef called a drug addict by her ex-husband. the surprising development at this trial of their former personal assistants. this guy wins 20 grand. a half-court shot at an nba

game. why might he not get to keep that cash? we'll try to sort it out. i don't want to shoot it out with him. he can hit the shot, i couldn't even try. >> the question is, is he a rigger? >> we'll discuss. i'm lieutenant mike mcgregor here in kandahar, afghanistan. i just want to send a shout-out to my two sons, caleb and spencer. i love you, buddies. happy thanksgiving. i miss you. so you're telling me your mom has a mom cave? hi boys! i've made you campbell's chunky new england clam chowder. wow! this is incredible!

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welcome back, everybody. happy thanksgiving to all of you. there is a bit controversy brewing with the brooklyn nets. near the end of last night's

game against the lakers, head coach jason kidd collided with one of his players, deshawn taylor. he dropped his soda. was this an innocent accident? maybe not. watch this video slowly. kidd appears to be saying, hit me. the game will stop while the ball boys cleaned up the mess. the lakers were shooting free throws. after the game kidd said she didn't do it on purpose and the cup slipped out of his hand. the nets still lost to the lakers, by the way. >> justice, perhaps? >> i'm of two minds on this. first of all, it's devious. he really appears to be saying hit me. this appears to be an effort to put a pause on the game to delay things. that would be cheating, folks. however, jason kidd has done, by most accounts, such a poor job coaching the nets so far this season. this would be the first sort of aggressive coaching move that he's done all season. >> yet they lost. >> they lost. but he keeps coming up with

creative ideas like this, maybe the nets can -- i was talking to andy about this earlier, and he thinks there basketball a repercussion. the nba cannot allow this. >> suddenly he'll be eating a banana and it will be on the floor. >> tomorrow it's a hot dog. >> i was watching it from one angle, it looks like a total accident. but then the other angle catches him saying hit me. let's move on to thanksgiving-type stuff for kids. the stuff dreams are made of, a chance to see all our favorite characters. notice i say "i," i'm a kid here. these are floating in the macy's day thanksgiving parade. look at snoopy and the smurfs. no word on whether the iconic balloons will fly due to the wind. jason carroll has his finger to the air and is testing out if they will fly or not. oh, the music is starting.

>> reporter: yeah, the music is coming from the james madison university band right behind my photographer there. they just started to practice for the parade. so far things are looking good for the balloons. we'll have to see. we won't know until the parade is underway. in the meantime, i have a few young ladies here from west virginia. this was on their bucket list, makayla, that's why you guys wanted to come by here today? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: who came one the idea? >> well, we just -- >> it was a joint decision. >> reporter: and the hats, whose idea was the hat? >> it was her idea. >> reporter: i'm feeling the hats. they are looking good. >> i knew we had to have them since we were coming. >> reporter: was there any concern about the balloons flying? it's still sort of up in the air. how are you feeling about that? >> i'm glad they are going to fly. >> reporter: we hope they are going to fly. and they are not just coming from west virginia, they are also coming in from arizona as well? >> yes, we are from phoenix,

arizona. >> reporter: arizona and also chicago. >> we are here from chicago. loving the warm weather. >> reporter: would you say the balloons are going to fly, yes or no? >> yes, totally, they are going to fly. >> reporter: a lot of excitement out here about the balloons. everyone feeling the balloons are going to fly. the bands are already starting to play. fingers are still crossed. once again, the decision won't be made until the parade starts in just an hour and a half from now. makayla? >> oh, you found friends, the music is playing, no wind so far, this is the perfect recipe for thanksgiving. thank you, jason. >> he's in the middle of it. journalism almost requires jason carroll tries on one of those hats. we'll check in to make sure he did his duty. meanwhile, jennifer gray is in today keeping an eye on all of this for us today. what does it look like? >> a lot of pressure because it is cold and breezy out there. we are seeing temperatures at 31 degrees in new york city this morning. 31 in philly. 29 in d.c. waking up.

so very cold all across the northeast. right now winds in the city, 7 miles per hour. so that is way below that c criter criteria. gusts near 18 and they should die down throughout the day. so far so good. the balloons will fly, but it is going to be game-time decision, of course. when you factor in the winds, you get the windchill. 24 in new york city right now. so very cold. windchill factors will not get out of the 20s throughout the entire day. so folks along the parade route will need to bundle up. feels like 20 in boston right now. and, of course, all along the northeast, it feels very, very cold. not only the northeast, but the deep south. we're seeing freeze watches and warnings along the i-10 corridor anywhere from san antonio through south louisiana, lake charles, new orleans, even over to jacksonville, a cold start with temperatures in the 20s.

26 in mobile. in the florida panhandle, temperatures in the 20s to lower 30s. 30 degrees in jacksonville this morning. 22 in atlanta. and temperatures are staying right around 22 degrees in memphis. but that storm system has pushed well offshore. we are going to see very, very dry air starting to sink in. so it is going to be a fantastic thanksgiving for a large portion of the country. and it will just be cold. >> my people in los angeles are telling me it's going to be 75 today. i'm not talking to them. >> they weren't saying that to be nice, either. >> it's only going to get worse for me. one of the world's most famous chefs nigella lawson is facing drug allegations from her ex-husband at the trial of two former personal assistants. max foster is following developments from london. >> reporter: nigella lawson's former personal assistants accuse her of lying to her husband about her drug use and about what they were spending on

the company cars. today charles sachi will explain what he knew and when. the bitter battle between celebrity chef nigella lawson and her multimillion husband charles sachi are taking a shocking term with new accusations of illegal drug use. in an e-mail read out in court, sachi accuses lawson of using cocaine and marijuana on a daily basis. allowing two former personal assistants to walk away with more than $1 million every four years. >> you really don't know what the truth is, but what it does do is pretty much damage nigella lawson's reputation. whether or not it's true or not, we don't know, but now we have this story of alleged drug use from nigella. and this could affect jobs she has coming to her right now. >> reporter: the former assistants, sisters francesca and elizabeth, are facing charges committing fraud using a company credit card. they deny the charges. but sachi claims lawson's drug

habit allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked. a spokesman for lawson declined to comment. but the celebrity chef did tweet out a recipe and thanked her supporters using the #teamnigella. the couple divorced earlier this year after photos from this restaurant of sachi grabbing lawson's throw during the argument made front page headlines. saatchi accepted a police caution for assault. according to defense attorneys for the sisters, that's when lawson learned of the alleged abuse. >> we have three parties at each other's throats and don't know the fruit. if nigella would take a drug test tomorrow and test positive for drugs, we don't know if she authorized the money to be spent. >> reporter: the defense claim that is saatchi and lawson attempted a manipulation of the court and the case should be

thrown out. the judge has ruled that the case against the personal assistants will continue. nigella lawson says she's not making any comments about the case while it's ongoing, so we still haven't had her point of view. back to you guys. >> max, thank you for that. next up on "new day," it was a half court shot worth $20,000. however, cameron rodriguez may not get to keep it. why? he plays college basketball and apparently the reduce will not allow it. we'll talk to him live, next. hello, i'm captain maria quinn at kandahar airfield in afghanistan. happy thanks giving to my we'll husband, my husband who is currently deployed, and also to my family, jim, denise, jay, christopher and lauren, thank you for this. and finally to my family in philadelphia, john, patty, steve and mary kate, merry christmas. i love everybody and cannot wait to see you at christmas. ♪

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welcome back to "new day," everyone. so maybe you have dreamed of getting pulled from your seat at an nba game hitting the tough half-court shot, winning all that cash, the cheers from the fans, well, cameron rodriguez actually did. look at this. nothing but net. this is at an oklahoma city thunder game just over a week ago. he was supposed to have won $20,000 with that shot, but cameron may now not get to keep the $20,000. why? because he plays college

basketball for southwestern university. and the national association of intercollegiate athletics says whipping money in the sport that you play is not allowed. so now there's an issue about whether he gets to keep all this $20,000. cameron rodriguez joining us now via skype from wichita, he's thrilled to be up with us this thanksgiving morning. cameron, first of all, happy thanksgiving to you. >> yeah, you too, thank you. >> i want to talk about the controversy in just a second, but before we get to that, there was an amazing shot here that needs to be discussed. just walk us through this amazing half-court shot that you made. >> um, it was pretty surreal, to say the least. at first, i don't really practice half-court shots all that often, if at all, so for it to go in was as surprising to me as it was to everyone else. >> now, we should note here, you were not picked from the crowd to take this shot because you're a college basketball player, you were picked randomly. so when did you think after you

made this that this might be an issue with your league? >> as soon as it kind of started hitting home with the $20,000. i started kind of thinking about the implications that might come up, and stuff like that with my eligibility, and especially when i started talking to my coach and within the organization and stuff like that. that's when it started kind of getting more and more real. >> well, i've got to say, i think it is pretty solid your university is actually supporting you in this. i understand that you and the university are applying for a waiver, correct? >> yes, yes, we are. >> and that if the -- if it's approved, the money would be put into a scholarship fund for you, correct? >> yes. we are currently appealing it with the nia to not just accept the money outright, but instead for it to be donated straight to my college, toward my tuition instead. >> wow. and we spoke to the executive director of the naia eligibility

center, and he actually said a regional committee is looking over this examining your university's request. so what do you so what do you think, do you feel you'll get this money? >> i'm hoping for the best but at the same time i'm kind of planning for both because i don't want to get my hopes too high and then plan for it to be accepted and then kind of be back behind again. i can easily say that 20,000 would help me a lot as a college student with a ton of student loans but at the same time -- >> to your credit -- >> i think we'll be, i think i'll be fine. >> you went right to the league. you told them. hey look, i won this money. you were on the up and up the whole time here. do you think that will help you with the league? >> of course i would like to think so, but of course there was also, i'm sure there's other situations people did the same

thing and it didn't work out in their favor. i'm sure it could go either way. >> can we go back to that shot a minute? i'm a former player myself, many, many moons ago. >> that's why we're doing this segment. >> no, but i'm imagining what the chatter is like on your team. has this changed your standing with your fellow teammates? >> oh, man, it changed a little bit that first week. i had to shoot a half court shot here and there to end practice or something like that and we had a couple competitions but other than that, no. we're all pretty close, pretty close family, so it was just nice having them celebrate. >> regardless whether or not you get the money, we hope you that do but what an incredible experience you had and something you'll never forget. >> i want to know what that feels like. that is so incredible, that must have felt fantastic when you saw nothing but net. >> love to see the excitement in that video. >> cameron rodriguez, congratulations for hitting the

shot. we really hope it works out for you. maybe the league will cut you a break. >> thank you, i appreciate it. >> is there anybody awake in your home right now? that's what i'm curious about? feels like he's in the basement quiet as can be on skype. >> i'm just on campus in my dorm room. >> no one is awake on campus, i know the answer to that. >> we hope you have a great day. >> probably the only one on campus. >> have a great day. >> you, too. >> thank you. we have a special surprise for three young brothers at the magic kingdom, meeting with mickey mouse, taking part in a card game when their dad showed up. lieutenant colonel jason lidell was just back from deployment in afghanistan. >> tap and say, alakazam! now, is this your card? >> yes, it is.

>> come here. don't cry, buddy. hi. how are you? i missed you, man. >> okay, not a dry eye the oldest one trying to be so proud and so brave. jacob, joshua and jackson, there might have been some tears of joy, there might have just been plain old tears but you can imagine that's a moment they'll never forget, way to go mickey. >> that is the best hug you can ever get. >> thankful for family. >> i get teary eyed just watching that. next up on "new day," it wasn't a nightmare but it wasn't easy, millions actually got to fly and drive before the holiday, but some problems do persist. we will tell you where they are. some amazing video out of new jersey, a police officer pulling a guy from a burning car, that heroic officer, he is here on "new day," he made one family have a very special

thanksgiving. hi, i'm staff sergeant cybil ray. >> staff arming andre hall here in afghanistan. >> i want to say -- >> happy holidays! >> to julie. >> henry, julie and sully. we love you. ♪ it's the night before christmas, ♪ ♪ our plan is in place. ♪ we've rigged up a trap to catch sight of his face. ♪ ♪ if only we could, just stay awake... ♪ ♪

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thanksgiving morning. high winds may ground the macy's parade balloons. the rest are very real. black thursday, more stores open this holiday than ever before. the deals are there, but will you be? what you need to know if you plan to eat and run to the store. and risking it all to save a stranger, the hero cop in this amazing video saving a man from a burning car, joins us live this morning. >> your "new day" continues right now. >> announcer: this is "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan and michaela pereira. >> this is "new day" on thanksgiving day, good morning and welcome back to "new day." it is the 28th of november, 8:00 a.m. in the east, a happy thanksgiving to all of you and yours. chris and kate have the day off. we're joined by john berman and pamela brown. thank you for being here. we begin with breaking news. >> breaking news. >> it's good breaking news, they're all blown up and ready to go, it looks like those giant character balloons that make the

macy's thanksgiving parade of a one-of-a-kind spectacle will indeed fly. macy's just sent out the tweet that they will be airborne! >> they will fly! >> jason, we're hearing differing reports, however, what have you heard? >> reporter: well look, it's a parade so sometimes you hear one thing, sometimes you hear another, i know that you're talking about that tweet that went out but down here on the ground they're still going to wait until they make that official decision, so i know you've got the tweet. i know we're hearing what we're hearing here but overall what i can tell you is that throughout this entire, throughout their past four or five hours they've been saying it's looking like a go. we've not been seeing a lot of wind gusts out here so i would probably venture to say that it is a go. i would call it a soft go, if we could call it anything at all, but things are looking good. that's the way that we can really look at the way things are happening right now here on the ground. >> that's the key is they have to make sure they're on the

ground, the wind conditions are just right. remind folks what the wind levels have to remain under. >> reporter: two numbers, 23 sustained-mile-per-hour winds, 34-mile-per-hour gusts. if it reaches either one of the levels that's the point where you have to ground the balloons but from being out here so far, it's been pretty mild, they've got wind gauges along the parade route, those have been checking in okay, a wind sock there at the top of the parade route, you see tom the turkey way down there. the wind sock is basically deflated all morning long. all the signs seem to indicate that the balloons are going to be a go. that's what we've been hearing all morning long. oh, we've got applause. how are you doing? look at this. the people are always good to hear that. we're going to get the final word, the absolute final word in just a few moments but a tweet went out basically saying that

the balloons are a go. so it's looking good. [ cheers and applause ] that's certainly good news to the people here. >> he's providing a service. >> reporter: and the people braving the cold weather. >> he's providing a service to the viewers at home and airports around the globe but also right there on the streets of manhatt manhattan. i love it. power to the people. >> reporter: absolutely. >> the thing they're concerned about there is if the winds are too strong, they can't control them, one will break free and someone will get hurt. they'll take the precautions. >> jason carroll delivering the news person to person if he has to. >> one at a time. >> he'll speak to every one of you to tell you the news if he has to. that was wonderful to see. the rain and snow have mostly passed but the wind and ice will stick around for the whole da holiday. the storm left a mess, a tough day to get around but despite the travel troubles, millions of americans got the break they needed, they are waking up with friends and family this

thanksgiving. our margaret conley here in new york city with more. good morning. >> reporter: john, it did take some people a lot longer to get home than they had hoped for. i was at laguardia airport yesterday dealing with crowds and rain but overall things went better than expected. you could call it the collective sigh of relief, heard up and down the east coast, as millions of americans race through crowds, rain and snow to get to their loved ones in time for the holidays, there were some inconveniences, but no major delays across the country. ♪ walkin' in winter wonderland >> reporter: airports like laguardia, new york city, pulled out the stops to keep traveler's spirits high and relieve stress. >> i just missed my connection to albany, and i'm hyperventilating. >> reporter: some people who traveled by plane were held up by the winter storm. >> weather caused delays and cancellations at airports along the east coast.

>> reporter: while others were more lucky. >> reporter: here at atlanta's hartsfield international airport the buzz ye airport in the world the holiday commute has been going well. >> reporter: for those who made the journey by car there was heavy snow in states like michigan and ohio and train travelers on the east coast were momentarily stalled right at rush hour. >> a disabled train in a tunnel had every train running late. >> leave as orderly as you can. >> reporter: busiest travel day of the year drew to a close many families may have been delayed but they were reunited. >> we expected to be delayed so we weren't too disappointed. we made it here on time, ready to go home and eat. >> reporter: you see that at the beginning of the piece, laguardia airport were so prepared they had christmas carolers out the day before thanksgiving. michaela, we made it through. >> so far so good. of course sunday is the big, big travel day when folks are heading home, hopefully that will go smoothly as well. margaret, thank you so much and happy thanksgiving to you,

darling. >> reporter: you, too. time for other headlines, let's turn to pamela for those. >> good morning to you all at home. another accusation against the nsa about spying on world leaders. canada allowed the nsa to spy on the g-8 and g-20 summits in ontario back in 2010 citing documents shared by nsa leaker edward snowden. they don't mention exact targets for the spying but say the operation was closely coordinated with canada. and pope francis will be making a trip to israel, a source tells cnn the pope will be making his first trip to the jewish state in may. the source says he'll be there the 25th and 26th though the vatican has yet to confirm. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is headed to the v vatican next week for meetings with the pope. a murder investigation stems from a drone strike that killed several people. cia director john brennan was singled out and the other could be a high-ranking agent based in

pakistan whose identity was supposed to be secret. u.s. authorities have not confirmed the accuracy of her claims. you may want to look at this, incredible pictures the moment a powerful tornado strikes, tearing apart an indiana school. watch this, an ef2 twister struck last sunday, motion sensitive security cameras were activated. you see the gymnasium suddenly flooded with outside light as pieces of its outer walls are torn away and in a hallway the lights flicker before a load of ceiling tiles and dry wall crash through the ceiling leaving an overheadlight dangling there. unbelievable to see that proper spec perspective. an a river in north dakota a floating ice disc 55 feet around that's spinning in the river. >> it's perfecting circular. >> this is the x files here.

>> like a record on a turntable. it was first spotted by a retired engineer who captured it on camera. it's apparently a natural phenomenon. >> sure it is. >> most say not the work of aliens or something else you might want to come up with. forecasters say similar discs have been discovered in canada, britain. >> sure, blame the swedes and the canadians. >> the conspiracy theorists are having a heyday. >> it's so perfectly round. >> it really is. >> the x files guys, sculley and mulder. >> we just dated ourselves. what is the weather going to be for the rest of this thanksgiving weekend? jennifer gray is in for indra petersons. >> most of the country enjoying amazing weather especially if you're in the south, mostly sunny, a cold start to the day but by this afternoon, your temperatures should rebound pretty seasonable in that part of the country. we're going to stay warm in the

west and cold for the northeast. of course, wind has been the big question, looks like they're cooperating this morning. new york city wins, about 9 miles per hour, seeing occasional gusts of around 25, well below that criteria of when the balloons will or will not fly, so we are good to go as of right now and throughout the day those winds are going to steadily diminish, and so by about 10:00 this morning, wind gusts should peak out around 30 miles per hour for new york city, and then look at this, by the end of the day, 6:00 this afternoon, only 10-mile-per-hour gusts so those winds will be dying down quickly as we go through the afternoon. here's your parade forecast, temperatures are going to be cold, with windchills in the 20s with wind gusts in right around 29 miles, wind gusts of 29 miles per hour, sustained winds of about 18 miles per hour. still seeing a little bit of lake-effect snow in the north, places like syracuse could pick up an additional four to six

inches of snow and places like erie could pick up an additional three to five inches, so we are seeing a little bit more snow in the north, and as we go through the overnight hours, temperatures are going to be cold once again, seeing temperatures dip down right around that freezing mark in places like the deep south, so for those shoppers who are going to head out and brave the elements, maybe getting some early deals, no thank you. i'll wait for sunday and monday. >> you know the hot shots, snap them and keep your hands warm and maybe your feet, your heiny, sitting on the ground? next up on "new day" a thanksgiving day gut check that has nothing to do with your stomach. the white house would be thankful if the website made its rapidly approaching deadline but the latest snag makes you wonder if it will happen. why do we call it black friday anymore? the frenzy starting today before the gravy hits the mashed

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welcome back to "new day." there are new questions about the obama care rollout as tech teams race to find a work around for its troubled website. cnn's jill dougherty is at the white house with the latest for us. jill? >> hey, mikial. fixing this website is like trying to fix your car when it's barreling down the road at 90 miles an hour. they didn't shut it down and they're doing it even as this website is up. so there's a team of experts that are working round the clock to try to make it happen, try to

make it ready by their deadline, but there is still some problems. with just two days to go before a self-imposed deadline to get the obama care website working right, another delay, the obama administration now says that healthcare.gov won't be able to enroll small businesses for another year, after promising this, too, would be ready. >> will the shop website for small businesses that was delayed be fully functional during november? >> yes, we will institute the shop component at the end of november. >> reporter: republicans quick to pounce on the administration for announces another delay just before the thanksgiving holiday. house majority leader eric cantor charging, once again, president obama has unilaterally delayed another major portion of obama care and once again he's tried to bury bad news around a holiday, hoping nobody will notice.

small businesses shopping for health care will be able to use direct enrollment with an insurer, agent or broker, but during a conference call with reporters, the administration was downplaying overall expectations. >> to be clear, november 30th does not represent a relaunch of healthcare.gov. it is not a magical date. >> reporter: the spokeswoman admits there will be times after november 30th when the website does not function properly. programmers still have a lot of work to do. the goal? make sure it can handle 50,000 users at one time, yet there might be times when demand exceeds that and consumers will be directed to a virtual waiting line. in a technical change, hhs is switching their web hosting provider from a subsidiary of verizon over to hewlett-packard because of, again, technical problems. michaela? >> it's actually, john, jill,

thank you so much. stay warm. joining us is cnn political commentator marc lamont hill and from washington, d.c., "new york times" op-ed columnist ross dowth. happy thanksgiving to you both. >> happy thanksgiving. >> marc, do you think it's a happy thanksgiving at the white house with two days to go before the self-imposed deadline? >> if it is, it has nothing to do with obama care. small businesses having to wait is bad for public relations and bad because it compounds the narrative obama care broken, government projects don't work. in the long-term it will be fine. republicans are pouncing as they should, this is something that should be working and isn't. >> ross, where is the line between public relations and reality here? >> well, i mean, we're sort of entering it over the next month to month and a half and i think marc is right that the small

business was almost certain to be delayed once it became clear over the last few weeks that december 1st wasn't any kind of magical date. that's a case where you aren't dealing with people buying on the individual market who are supposed to be getting subsidies. you have a market that can function sort of normally by just going to brokers so they can sort of sweep that off the deck and just focus on what is the real potential crisis, which is if you can't get enough people on the website over the next month or so, you have a large population not only of the previously uninsured, the people that the website is supposed to be helping to begin with, but also all of these people whose plans have been canceled on the theory that they could go on the exchange and buy new plans there, so that's where the potential crisis, the sort of immediate crisis lies. the longer term crisis is about the composition of the pool of people who sign up and there we won't have answers for months to come. >> that will take some time. ross if you watch tv including cnn you see obama care referred

to as a debacle, the messy, rough rollout, the glitches, the this, the thats. if you ask americans, 53% a majority say it's too early to judge the success of this. are you surprised, ross, in how patient people seem to be? >> no. i think look, this has always been the issue for republicans and conservatives, myself included, who are critical of the law, that there is a real underlying problem here, america has a large number of uninsured people who are essentially unfairly discriminated against because they don't get the kind of tax breaks on insurance that people who get it through their employers get. you have people with preexisting conditions and so on so no, i don't think it's surprising that the american people do want, they still want some form of health care reform so the challenge for republicans amid this beddebacle is to figure ou way to propose constructive improvements and replacements. >> i want to meet the 8% who

think this is a success already. who are the 8% of americans who say this is awesome as it is right now. the 53% who say this is too early to tell i think they're right. it is a problematic idea to say a month into a rollout, six weeks into a rollout something's not working and cannot work. the bulk of americans are split almost 41% to 40% of americans think this is a good project and many of the people, another 14% say it's not liberal enough so most americans are not railing against obama care the way the public narrative is suggesting from republicans. >> the potential downside for the administration is that if this continues not to go well the number of people directly affected by it is only going to go up because right now it's disruptive for people who bought insurance on the individual market, increasingly over the next year or two it will be disruptive for people in the employer market as well because the obama care regulations apply there, there's a tax on high value insurance plans that kicks in and so on. so they do in fact need to get

the system working and get it a little bit more popular, because otherwise you're just going to have a sort of rolling series of obama care losers in the headlines. >> this november 30th date, talking about sunday here where the white house said they want the website 80% functional it's a big deal. the white house needs this to be up and working yet telling supporters, allied groups, don't go out and tell your people to use the site just now. we don't want it overloaded, a weird message. >> the website has the capacity for about 50,000 people at one time. anyone over that 50,000 k number will be put into a virtual waiting line. they don't want 500,000 people going to the site, site crashes and looks awful all over again. they'd like 50,000 people at a time go. people can go in two months, three months and if that happens you'll see a much more functional website. >> but a lot of people do, this is the issue again, a lot of people have to go in the next month because you have large

numbers of people who already had insurance on the individual market who need a place to buy it and that's why the deadline matters and the underlying question we just can't answer is what's happening on the back end of the website. we can have a sense of how many people can access it and enroll at the front end at one time, but the administration has been very i think cagey is the word that people have used about how things are going actually then transmitting that information to insurers and making sure that people are enrolled in the plans they think they're enrolled in. again, there are a lot of potential looming mini debacles ahead still. >> let me put this to you quickly for an answer, six weeks from now will we still be using the word debackle? >> absolutely not. we'll be saying rousing success. >> you're not being serious. >> no, i'm not being serious. we will be saying this is much improved, it's accessible and a work in progress, that's a lot better than what we're saying now. >> ross? >> i think work in progress is

the best case scenario and continued debacle is the worst. i think it is likely that six weeks from now nobody will be talking about obama care as a political plus. i think it's likely this is going to be a problem for the administration and for democrats all the way through 2014, even if things seem to be improving on the margins. >> ross douthat, marc, great to see you. happy thanksgiving to you and yours. next up on "new day," holiday sales already on at some stores opening the doors thanksgiving. is it too early and could it cost you more? we'll have some answers. being thanksgiving we have really good, good stuff today. it is a cop putting his life on the line to save a driver, pulling him from a burning car, that hero will be here in just a few minutes. no, i'm good. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win.

nicorette mini delivers fast craving relief in just 3 minutes. double your chances of quitting with nicorette mini. how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much is the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪

♪ celebrate good times, come on ♪ nothing like a little kool and the gang to get our day started. welcome back. we wish all of you a happy and safe thanksgiving. chris and kate have the day off. john berman, pamela brown and i are here. we talked about this on "new day" earlier, a dash cam catches a hero in action, this police officer risking his own life to save this man from a burning truck. new jersey police officer scott cressinger sprints to the truck, drags the driver to safety, goes back to check for other passengers. that hero will join us to tell us what was exactly going through his mind in that

instant. >> plus if you have a kitchen crisis, the butterball hotline could be your salvation. we'll hear from the first man to become part of the famous turkey talk line. he has some tips to get you through this very difficult day. first let's get to pamela right now for the five things you need to know for your "new day." >> good morning, everyone. that's right time for the five things to know for your "new day." first up, they will fly. the news we've been waiting for, the wloballoons are a go at the macy's thanksgiving day parade, they will sail lower than normal because of the winds. the remnants of the preholiday storm that slammed much of the country are moving out over the atlantic. icy roads were left behind in some areas. most managed to travel in time for thanksgiving. three young sisters detailing more of what they went through in a tucson home saying they were locked in their rooms, blasted with music 24 hours a

day. their mother and stepfather are charged with child abuse and kidnapping. number four, a hostage standoff near l.a. is now over with the suspected gunman in custody. police officer was shot during the nine-hour drama but saved by his bullet proof vest. the hostages were a woman and her teenaged daughter and they are said to be okay. and at number five, loui luis vuitton told to get the trunk out of red square. michaela? >> thanks very much, appreciate it. can you not wait for black friday? a growing number of big name retailers are opening this morning, some already open. people are already out in stores, but is joining them in line or at the stores a good move for your wallet? marshall cohen is chief industry

analyst for npd group, the company analyzes trends in retail sales. thank for joining us. >> pleasure. >> this is a trend to look at, i was thinking about the fact that thanksgiving used to be the one holiday that wasn't commercialized that's changing now. and is it something that we should support? >> well, supporting that is a personal choice but really what's happened is recognize this is almost something that's been waiting to happen. retailers have commercialized almost all of the non-religious hot days, veterans day, memorial day, we're seeing marketing with automobile makers, print advertising, all kinds of people going out and using black friday as a marketing tool. now let's put it into perspective. it's really about the brick and mortar retailers who, the stores who have said we can't let the online retailers have thanksgiving all to themselves. so they've had to find ways to kind of cross over the line and

get into thanksgiving day shopping. >> are there actual deals to be had, though? a lot of talk the last few days that the sales maybe aren't everything people say they are. >> we're kind of caught in a crux because we're spoiled a little bit, during the recession and shortly after the recession we had unbelievable deals, 75 off. those deals are gone for a while hopefully, gone for a long while but it's really about recognizing a really good deal is an item that's a doorbuster item so take advantage of the doorbuster deals, those are items that stores almost know that the prices are too good to resist and they build it in well ahead of time. >> how do you know when a product is a doorbuster deal advertised such. when you see a toaster for $4.99 grab it, why? because that's the item they recognize. they're not looking to make money. they're looking for it as a lure to get you in. they bank on the fact that you buy one or two doorwusser items

and you buy six or seven of all the other items so it's really about recognizing that what they're trying to do is generate extra business. keep in mind, 25% of what's bought during black friday weekend is bought for themselves. people are buying self-gifts, things they want for themselves. i don't know how many of you know buy big screen tvs and give them away as a gift. >> hard to fit in a stocking. >> you say you've got the secret to holiday shopping. what exactly is your secret? >> here is the secret. the secret is go in, if you see a item and like it, buy it, if it's on sale, definitely buy it. why? now is the time when you're going to get the pick of the litter. you'll be able to buy your size, color, model or the style you that want. if you wait another two weeks, the styles start to get beat up, they start to get worn out, they start to lose the ability to be able to get the right stock so you're getting remnants. the key here is save your receipt. stores particularly now are saying we'll give you up to 30

days and we'll credit you. just bring the receipt in and they'll credit you the difference, they may give you a gift card or a store card but they're going to give you the difference for the price so if you find something for less money later you've now had the perfect size and perfect color. >> act now. >> is there any proof opening on thursday these companies, these stores are making more money? >> well it's really not about making more money. it's about protecting their space. the stores can't afford to let someone else get their business, just like they couldn't let online do it. they don't want the competition to do it. not everyone is open on thanksgiving but look for next year to have more stores that will open. >> do you think we're going to see those lines, do you think the numbers we see from today will be significant? >> that's a great question. the answer is we will soon find out. however what you're really doing is how many more relatives do you have or how many more people do you have on your shopping list because there are more hours to shop or more days to shop? you don't. the key is all we're doing is seeing people spread out their shopping behavior, strategically

deciding where to go, what day, what hour, what time to get what doorbuster item an the other key factor, this will bring in people who don't like to get up at 3:00 to get online to be up at 6:00. >> who doesn't like to get up at 3:00 in the morning? >> perfect time of the day to shop. >> costco is famously saying we're not opening thanksgiving day. what do they lose? do they suffer? >> that's a very good question. people are not understanding how the model works. costco doesn't make the money on the items they sell. they make money on the memberships they sell so when you think about it, black friday isn't a critical day for them, and they've already done a lot of business well ahead. the people go to costco and warehouse clubs and shop much earlier, it's one of the few retail outlets that sell product well ahead of the season that the people buy it in. >> that is interesting. marshall cohen we appreciate you and your insight. he's just told me to go shop

so -- >> i think that's what he said, get out, go do it now. >> comfortable shoes, go shop, save your receipt and take advantage of the sales. >> done. we got the info. thanks so much, marshall. >> thank you. next up on "new day," this isn't the good stuff, it is superhero stuff. we'll introduce you to the new jersey police officer who ran into a burning truck to save the driver. it's amazing, folks. plus season, baste, dial? operators are standing by at the butterball turkey talkline to help you prepare the perfect bird. we'll check in with one of them who has a special distinction. delta company one, i just want to say to all the people at home happy thanksgiving. ♪ can't believe the mets traded daryl strawberry ♪ the unique patch with time release smartcontrol technology that helps prevent the urge to smoke all day long. help prevent your cravings with nicoderm cq.

♪ [ male announcer ] the parking lot helps by letting us know who's coming. the carts keep everyone on the right track. the power tools introduce themselves. all the bits and bulbs keep themselves stocked. and the doors even handle the checkout so we can work on that thing that's stuck in the thing. [ female announcer ] today, cisco is connecting the internet of everything. so everyone goes home happy.

♪ anything you want, this is your thanksgiving song ♪ it may very well be the only one. welcome back to "new day," we're watching all sorts of things particularly the weather. jennifer gray is in for indra petersons with your thanksgiving forecast. >> it is cold across a large portion of the country, but at least we are staying dry. there is a lot of sunshine out there and the parade looks like a go as far as those balloons go. we have sustained winds of about 18 miles per hour, with gusts up to 29. that's the forecast and that is definitely underneath the criteria for letting those balloons fly. i think we're good to go. it's going to be cold, temperatures 31 degrees and feeling even colder. right now, temperatures in new york city, 30 degrees, 31 in philly, temperatures in d.c. around 30 degrees, and 32 in boston. winds at new york around 9 miles per hour with gusts up to 25, and we're seeing winds about 10 to 15 miles per hour across the northeast, with gusts anywhere

from 25 to 30 miles per hour. when you fablctor in the temperature plus the winds you get the windchill, it is cold, 22 degrees is what it feels like in the city right now, feeling like 22 in washington. pittsburgh you feel like 9 degrees right now, and even the deep south, feeling the chill, anywhere from san antonio all the way across the i-10 corridor to jacksonville, freeze watches and warnings in effect and the temperatures, 27 degrees in mobile, freezing in jacksonville, temperatures around 23 in memphis, and so it is going to stay chilly throughout the weekend but very dry air in place, and we are going to see a lot of sunshine because of that for your thanksgiving and we're going to stay cold through the weekend, d guys. temperatures will warm up a little bit sunday. >> i'll bring lots of sweater, going home to kentucky today. >> it will be chilly there. thanksgiving is about good food, good people and of course

the good stuff. and today the cop who risked his own life to rescue a man from a burning truck. take a look at this dash cam video, the officer runs to the vehicle, drags the driver to safety as we see and then without a thought for himself, runs back toward the flames to look for other victims and he is here with us, the hero himself in the flesh, unbelievable. before the interview he said i'd rather go do that again than this. we are happy to have you here to talk about this. the video is incredible. what were you thinking or did you even have time to think when you saw that burning vehicle? >> a million things were going through my head, i wasn't sure if anyone was in the vehicle, someone was, i just wanted to get him out. >> any fear, any hesitation at all? >> definitely in the back of my mind i wanted to get away from the truck as soon as i could. >> you didn't know if anyone was

in there or not? >> when i first arrived i wasn't 100% sure. >> refresh our memories on this, because there are folks that may be seeing the video for the first time. this was a car accident? what happened that set this truck on fire? >> we're not 100% sure. the vehicle was stopped in the lane of travel and we had a call, a 911 call there was a vehicle on fire. >> walk me through what's going on? as you watch this video are you getting heart palpitations? >> i've seen it so many times i don't know what to think. >> you're running, too, what are you thinking, opening that door, looking in there. >> not knowing if the car is going to blow up. you don't know what is going to happen. >> i didn't know what to expect. i couldn't see anything. i reached my hand in, felt him. >> is he hard to move? >> to be honest, i don't remember. >> the strength of a thousand men. >> was he trapped in the vehicle? what was the scenario with that? >> he was unconscious. >> do we know anything about that driver now and how he's doing? >> i hear he's in critical but

stable condition. >> have you heard from his family at all? >> i have not. >> i'm sure they're very grateful. do you train for this kind of thing in. >> not exactly something like this. nothing like this. >> what kind of reaction have you been getting from people like us who have watched this video? >> it's crazy. >> and your colleagues i'm sure. >> they're very proud. it was a team effort on our squad and what you don't see is the other officers there after the fact and helped pull him further from the scene. >> that's one of the things that makes you our good stuff. you told our affiliate you didn't do anything that you think your fellow officers would have hesitated to do, that you all would have jumped in. >> absolutely. i think any police officer would have done the same thing. >> do you consider yourself a hero? >> not at all. >> no? >> when it was all over, when was it over? how many minutes did it take you to start breathing again? >> it was quickly. the other sergeant on scene gave us orders so it was quick, it was done and over >> were you hurt at all?

there was a fair amount of smoke and toxic smoke, too? >> i wasn't hurt at all. >> what i find so fascinating, not only did you run up, you dragged him out of the vehicle but you went back. >> i just wanted to make sure no one else was in the truck. >> were you going off of instinct at this point? >> adrenalin probably. >> i didn't want to find out after the fact that someone else was in there. >> i feel very safe right now being here with you. >> if we combust all of a sudden? >> if anything goes wrong he'll take care of it. >> how long have you been on the force? >> since 2006. >> every call you get every one is different. >> every one is different. >> you don't know what kind of scene you're goinging to arrive upon. >> that's correct. >> and that's where your training kicks in. >> yes. >> do you hope to meet him one day? >> i do, i hope everything turns out okay for him. >> a true public servant. >> cape may, proud, proud, proud right now. >> thank you so much for being here. >> i bet you made a family, i know that the patient is critical, but he's alive.

>> yes. >> and i know you've made them very thankful for this thanksgiving day. >> i hope so. thank you very much. >> that's some good stuff there, people. next up on "new day," why google it when you can butterball it? we've got tips from the expert, the first man to work for the butterball hotline, for cooking the perfect bird. we'll have that when we come back. are you a deep flyer? i started part-time, now i'm a manager.n. my employer matches my charitable giving. really. i get bonuses even working part-time. where i work, over 400 people are promoted every day. healthcare starting under $40 a month. i got education benefits. i work at walmart. i'm a pharmacist. sales associate.

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♪ thanksgiving welcome back to "new day." you have the table set, the family is on their way over. there's just one little thing left to handle, how to prepare and cook that turkey.

this year we'll give you a little help from a man staking out brand new territory at the butterball turkey company, r.j., the first male turkey talk line spokesman, omg, that is an omg, you think? >> it is an omg. >> we connected in los angeles, nice to see you go en. you are the founder of a website called cook like a dad. >> yes. >> you're comfortable in the kitchen. this is an exciting opportunity for you. >> believe it or not a lot of dads are involved in the kitchen and cooking process. this is an american thanksgiving tradition, what better way to say butter gen ball and thanksgiving. >> you're the first male. >> yes. >> do you talk to some of the ladies that gave you some tips on how to handle this? >> i went to butterball university out in chicago. >> do you have a fight song? >> no, but if i don't get the answers right believe me there is a fight song. >> trouble to be paid. >> yes.

>> my dad does the honors, my mom and dad do it together. my dad is one the cooks in the house. do men approaching the cooking of the bird differently than we do? >> i think we pretty much are all the same. we have our own strategy we like to make in terms of my family and how we cook it's kind of like a game plan. >> yes. >> we have a team, my daughter's involved with the side dishes, my son is my right handyman, backup quarterback and we all get involved in the cooking process for thanksgiving. >> seems there's an app for everything. i understand there is an app for cooking the turkey? >> there is a turkey app. you go on itunes you can find a butterball app. >> i'm going to talk to you at home the viewers that are trying to do this bird, maybe for the first time it's intimidating. i'm terrified of cooking a bird. what are some of the tips you can give folks trying this out for the first time? >> people get intimidated by the size of the turkey. it's really an easy process. >> really? >> every butterball comes complete with directions. i like to use the plain and simple open roasting method. >> really? >> very simple, just follow the

directions, they're all spelled out on the butterball label. >> now it's gotten deep, you can brine, you can deep fry, you can smoke. what do you think of some of those new methods? they're not new, they've been around a long time, what do you think? >> across both coast everyone has a preference, smoking it, deep frying. i prefer open roasting it's simpler and comes out with a consistent moist butterball turkey. i enjoy open roasted. . >> a couple controversies, turkey controversies if you will, breast up, breast down. i heard if you put the breast down it allows some of the flavor to go into the breast. is that true? >> that is true but i prefer the breast up and two-thirds through the recipe i use tenting. tenting is just usininging alum foil over the breast. >> this is a non-troversy,

stuffing inside or outside. i believe stuffing inside because it's called stuffing. inside or outside? >> i like it inside. >> there are some people concerned that you're not cooking it long enough. you have to be careful even with the temperature of the bird, you want to use a meat thermometers? >> i use two, one inside and deepest part of the turkey which is the thigh. 165 for the stuffing, have the meat thermometer in the stuffing or turkey and directly on the thigh at 180, so 180 for thigh, 165 for stuffing. >> here is another topic, my sister swears by injecting the bird and putting all sorts of flavorings under the skin. what other tips do you have for people that might want to add extra flavor to their turkey? >> i like to pack some butter in between the skin. >> butter never hurts. >> absolutely, a little more butter doesn't hurt but the butterball turkey comes seasoned. >> it does? oh. >> if you're not full of supplies, spray a little cooking oil on it, put it in the roaster

and you're done. >> dad, let's be honest, you have to settle some of the battles, what can we do to alleviate some of the stress, the family is gathered, there's pressure to get the meal on the table, help make this a little less stressful for us. >> enjoy the process. there's no such thing as a perfect turkey, it's a family tradition, enjoy. >> i love that. r.j. jaramillo first male turkey line phone, i guess you're emergency call, the guy that's called when people are feeling like things are not going well? >> the butterball turkey talk line, 1-800-butterball. >> good to see you and happy thanksgiving. >> same to you. what are you thankful for, a reflection, this thanksgiving morning. ♪

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♪ thank you india i'm lieutenant commander rich lawrence with the nato role three mmu at kandahar air field. shout out to my family, christina and william, like to say happy thanksgiving and i love you guys and i'll see you soon. >> this is first class james graves, camped in doha, qatar. i wish my wife and family back in fayetteville, north carolina a happy thanksgiving. i wish i could be there with you but i wish you a happy thanksgiving, i love you and at the same time i wish you a very

happy anniversary, baby. i love you. >> many families apart this thanksgiving holiday and our thanks to the military families out there having to do this from a distance. we send you our love. today of course is the day to share what you're thankful for. it's every day but today particularly. we asked and boy did you answer. kate boealdwin found out from t funny to the heartwarming to the inspiring, the responses came flooding in. >> what are you thankful for heading into this holiday season? me, coffee, alarm clocks and family. the challenge was simple, show us what you're thankful for. your responses so special that in the spirit of thanksgiving we wanted to share and hopefully inspire. >> i'm thankful for my students here at lee academy's sps espec our seniors doing whatever it

takes to get into college. class of 2014! >> reporter: you are thankful to are family. >> this thanksgiving and every day i just wanted to say how grateful i am to have a great twin, jen, as my partner in crime, basically she is the rock of the family. >> i love you with all my heart. >> i love you, too. happy thanksgiving. >> reporter: who could resist giving thanks for these little faces? >> my name is laura, here with my kids, connor and lucy. this is connor, he's 4 months old, drinking a bottle, and this is my daughter, lucy, she's 4 years old. you can say hi, lucy? >> hi. >> can you wave? they bring me so much joy and so much love every single day and they add so much meaning to my life, more than i ever thought was imaginable. >> reporter: mary margaret is grateful 21-month-old tory got a second chance at life. >> this past july at the age of 17 months, tory underwent not one but two liver transplants.

going into this adventure i would have never thought that a 1-year-old would be able to teach me anything, but it's turned out to be one of the most invaluable experiences of my life. >> reporter: you even sent photos of your furry friends, always by your side. >> good morning, "new day." my name's justine, and this is my 11-month-old puppy, theodore. i'm grateful to have him in my life because he puts a smile on my face every day. >> reporter: from coast to coast, you are thankful for grandkids, role models and thankful for loved ones, like this couple celebrating 65 years of lasting love, and there's blake and melissa, thankful for each other and the many years together to come. >> she has been my rock, my one and only for almost two years, she's been my best friend for almost four, and there isn't a day that goes by that i'm not incredibly thankful for her. >> thank you for sharing all of

your gratitude. it's so wonderful to see our "new day" family be such a part of sharing this special day. i'm thankful for the two of you sitting in with me today and making my first thanksgiving at cnn a very special one. >> thank you, so nice to be here with you. what a lovely day. don lemon tweeted something earlier, we're thankful for don also, he said go out and do something good for someone today, i thought that was sweet. >> it's a great way to show gratitude, family, friends, food, we're so glad you could join us on this thanksgiving. our first "new day" thanksgiving together, it is time for newsroom with carol costello. we hope there's some turkey in your future. >> i am making my executive producer, brian bell, who is in the control room right now, hi, brian, he's going to be cooking me thanksgiving dinner. >> wow. >> that say powerful anchor, way to go, carol. >> we'll have a talk with him after this. >> exactly. happy thanksgiving. >> you too, darling.

"newsroom" starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good morning and happy, happy thanksgiving. i'm carol costello, thank you so much for being with me. let's start in new york city, shall we, with a holiday tradition, the 87th macy's thanksgiving day parade just getting under way, despite fears of strong winds macy's confirmed last hour all 16 giant helium balloons will be allowed to fly. we'll see several new balloons up in the air today including a holiday themed stro ed spongebo squarepants. 3.5 million people will be watching in new york and 50 million more will be watching on television. cnn's jason carol has a front row seat, he's along the parade route, happy thanksgiving. >> reporter: yes, and happy thanksgiving to you and take a look behind me the start of the parade just