"ne --ocaptions 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 getting under way

and the first helium balloon making its debut, snoopy and woodstock, and i have to tell you, there have been so many people out here, we were out here since 6:00 a.m. this morning. something like that, and it was touch and go, a lot of people were wondering are these balloons going to fly, are they not going to fly? the decision made the last hour the 16 giant helium balloons will fly, certainly good news to the brindell family from long island. >> the balloons are up? >> reporter: they're up! >> they're up! >> reporter: they're about to go. >> okay, that's terrific. we've been here since 5:00 in the morning waiting. >> reporter: 5:00 in the morning, i said 6:00, even earlier. you guys are excited to hear the balloons are going to be flying. >> yes i'm so excited and to see the celebrities and everyone, going to be so close. >> actually i think carol some of the young girls are more excited to see the celebrities and the balloons. i know that you said you've been waiting a long time. >> 19 years it's been my dream to come and we're finally going

to see the balloons. >> reporter: when you come down here, yes, there are bands, yes, there are the clowns, i'm not going to cut you off. i know you wanted to get your shout out in. it's not just about the bands, it's not just about the clowns. they come down for the balloons as well and you wanted to talk about your performers. >> austin mahon, the best person alive and performing and it's going to be outstanding. >> reporter: not filled with helium but important to the young girls. >> very. >> reporter: go austin! >> thank you. the parade is getting under way. tom the turkey will be heading things off. snoopy out here, one of the newest balloons how to train your dragon, touch and go for a little bit, but it looks like tradition is going to weigh out here, the balloons are going to fly. carol? >> that's terrific news. the young lady who told you she'd been waiting 19 years, doesn't look much older than 19. >> reporter: i know, right?

>> it's amazing. jason carroll we'll get back to you, thanks so much. in much of the country, temperatures are below freezing this holiday morning including right there in new york city, here in atlanta, it is the coldest thanksgiving morning in more than a century. so let's take a look at the holiday forecast so we can share in the misery together, cnn's jennifer gray is in new york. good morning. >> good morning to you. even the deep south experiencing very, very cold temperatures this morning, it's been breezy in new york and all across the northeast but luckily those winds are starting to die down. right now, 7-mile-per-hour winds with gusts of about 26, so looks like those balloons are going to be flying high, it's going to be perfect out there, seeing winds of about 25 miles per hour in boston, with gusts up to 39, so a windy start for you, current temperatures outside, 30 degrees in new york, 32 in boston, 32 in philly, and seeing temperatures around 19 degrees in vicksburg.

if that's not cold enough, factor in the winds and the windchills are down in the 20s. new york city feels like 23 degrees for all of the folks along the parade route and windchill factors will not get out of the 20s throughout the entire day so it is going to stay awfully cold throughout much of the northeast, including the south, little rock, 33 degrees, by the time you wake up tomorrow morning, as all of you head out to do some black friday shopping, if you are in the north, 18 degrees, international falls for you black friday shoppers. chicago, 28 degrees to start your morning on friday. looks like things will stabilize a little bit more, carol, as we head into the end of the weekend. >> thank you, jennifer. black friday shoppers, black thursday shopper, jennifer. yes, some die-hard shoppers out already this morning, foregoing thanksgiving festivities to camp out in front of stores like best buy and toys "r" us hoping to snag some of the crazy

doorbuster deals, adding to the appeal of a good discount, free iphones when you sign up for a new contract at best buy, $20 gift certificate with a k-cup and $50 gift card when you purchase a 50 inch samsung tv at target. is it really worth it? it depends. >> supposed to be home with your families not shopping. >> it's tradition for six years. >> you say you're focused on your family and your family all comes to shop, then that's fine. >> that's right, it's a joyous family gathering. kyung lah is tracking the magic in burbank. i can't believe they're shopping thanksgiving morning. >> reporter: carol, it is 6:05 in los angeles now and people are out here shopping. look at this line, about i counted about 50 people outside, people are lining up here and

what are they lining up, cds, tvs, $179, all of this is part of the frenzy of black friday. the shoving. the screaming. [ bleep ]. >> reporter: the swearing. >> push and we'll stab one of you [ bleep ]! >> reporter: let the fists fly. retailers call it the super bowl of shopping or black friday but scenes like these that flood the internet give it a black eye. this ugly clash at a los angeles walmart two years ago was captured by juan castro. >> all the people just went in there and started destroying the boxes. >> reporter: all this for markdown xbox games. >> people were fighting trying to get the deals and that's when some lady brought out pepper spray and started going at it. >> my eyes are burning! my eyes! >> reporter: was that moment a turning point for walmart?

>> certainly. i think we could do a better job at managing crowds and helping customers get into the store, find the item they're looking for and get out. so i think we learned a lot. >> reporter: walmart says this time, it's a calmer black friday, orderly lines through the store, shopper also get wristbands and rain check tickets to ship items that run out, but what won't change are the surprise deals through the store. >> 40 seconds and all the people will go crazy. >> reporter: so predictable and wild his dad brought his kids to walmart to witness the mayhem firsthand. there's something about black friday. >> reporter: these residents don't care about mayhem. they thrive on it every year, using shopping apps and meticulous planning to save on toys for their young kids. >> eight hours of shopping? yes, eight hours or so. >> reporter: seriously, all night. >> it was worth it. >> um-hum. >> reporter: one spent $960,

half of her budget saving $1,000 on gifts, enough to make her want to dance. >> so yeah, the jig had to happen and i would do it again if i got a deal like that. >> reporter: not a laughing matter to victoria caruso, seen enough video of the fighting. >> me and you, any time you want [ bleep ]. >> reporter: doesn't want any of it even if it's literally a pillow fight. >> i think they're crazy. to them it's a sport. lacrosse is a sport. black friday is not a sport. >> she shops all online. she gives up some of the deals but savors her serenity. >> saving isn't worth the bail money. >> reporter: juan castro can't resist a short outing. >> i should get a vest, maybe some football gear would do me good. >> reporter: that may be good advice because for shoppers like these, it's game on.

and kickoff has begun when it comes to the sport of black friday, you see people lined up there, people are winding around here through the aisles, a lot of people are here. i'm surprised and again, it's only about 6:10 on thanksgiving morning here in los angeles and i'm actually going to ask armando a quick question, how much sleep did you give up? >> a few hours of sleep but it was worth it. >> reporter: worth it and what did you buy? >> a television, 32 inch. >> reporter: and how much did you pay? >> 179. >> reporter: are you still eating turkey today? >> yes, i am. >> reporter: thanks, armando. people are apparently going to eat turkey but working off the pounds before they put them on. >> i'm not paying attention because i'm writing down my life's lesson you that just taught me this morning, savings aren't worth the bail money, words to live by. >> reporter: she's a wise woman.

>> she is very wise. kyung lah, it was a lot of fun, thanks so much. the idea of being without family for the holiday is certainly not something everyone supports, last night dozens turned out in chicago to protest whole foods' decision to stay open on thanksgiving. >> we stock the food, we ring up the food n many cases we prepare the food and we also deserve to participate in the holiday. >> protesting employees are being backed by a local union group. whole foods says thanksgiving hours are voluntary and those who work will be paid time and a half. an indiana pizza hut manager fired by franchise owners for refusing to open thanksgiving day has been offered his job back. tony rohr says when he refused the thanksgiving hours he was asked to write a letter of resignation. he says thanksgiving is important. >> thanksgiving and christmas are the only two days that they're closed in the whole year and there are only two days

those people are guaranteed to have off to spend with their families. >> he just wanted to give his employees thanksgiving day off. the franchise owners fired him. but now as i said they offered him his job back. pizza hut's corporate office says it was an error in judgment. no word whether rohr has accepted the offer to stay on. today's thanksgiving football feast kicks off with the lions hosting the green bay packers. as lions' head coach jim schwartz says i guess we don't have to worry about setting an extra place for josh sitton. >> they're a bunch of dirtbags or scumbags, that's how they play and how they're coached, that starts withier coach, with the head coach, schwartz, he's [ bleep ], i wouldn't want to play for him. >> seriously? scumbags and dirtbags?

come on. i know the lions have a few problems with dirty play, i know, but scumbags and dirtbags? >> we're spicing up the rivalry, right, carol? can we really argue suh has had some controversial plays. two years ago stopped on a packers' offensive lineman and kicked matt schaub in the groin. >> that was an accident. >>y i suppose, he's a fierce competitor, some call him dirt y. >> i would be the first to admit suh has his problems. nick fairley for this year. >> they have a host of characters, it's interesting to see what happens today. >> the green bay packers and detroit lions hate each other anyway. >> aaron rodgers coming back from the broken collarbone, but looking at the defensive line with suh and fairley, i'm going

to sit this one out and wait for next week. >> smart move. dallas is another much anticipated game, tony romo, you love him or absolutely hate him. >> right and i covered tony romo for a couple of years in dallas, he gets so much unfair criticism, it's unbelievable, without tony romo, the cowboys wouldn't be in some of the games, everyone gives him, get on him for throwing the fourth quarter interceptions. if i asked you who was the all-time highest rated quarterback in the fourth quarter ever in the nfl? >> now i got to guess tony romo. >> got to guess and that's correct, out of every quarterback to ever play the game he's the highest rated quarterback in the fourth quarter. most people don't think about that, they think about the terrible interceptions he throws. he does throw those but he should get more credit than he's due. >> we'll see if he wins today. >> he should. >> thanks, andy. still to come, despite

giving thanks, despite tragedy that's the task for residents of an illinois town devastated by recent tornadoes. we'll take you there next. and what are you thankful for today? give me an answer, facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me @carolcnn. so, with chevy's black friday sale,

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you really love, what would you do?" ♪ [ woman ] i'd be a writer. [ man ] i'd be a baker. [ woman ] i wanna be a pie maker. [ man ] i wanna be a pilot. [ woman ] i'd be an architect. what if i told you someone could pay you and what if that person were you? ♪ when you think about it, isn't that what retirement should be, paying ourselves to do what we love? ♪ checking our top stories at 17 minutes past the hour. new report says canada gave the united states permission to spy

during the 2010 g-8 and g-20 summits in ontario. cbc news made the report based on documents received from edward snowden. they show the usa set up shop in the u.s. embassy for the operation. pope francis will make his first ever trip to israel next year, a source tells cnn the visit will take place from may 25th until the 26th. earlier the pope said it was his lifelong dream to advise i the ho visit the holy land. a southern california man is under arrest for holding two women hostage and shooting two police officers. man opened fire when a s.w.a.t. team arrived on the scene, fortunately both hostages are okay and one of the police officers is still in the hospital this morning. ♪ it's been one week since you looked at me ♪ ♪ tucked your head to the side

and said get together, come back to see me ♪ bake naked ladies has canceled a concert at sea world before seeing cnn's "black fish." after the concert was announced fans started an online petition asking bare naked lied ease to back out of the show. in a facebook post the band members said they did not feel comfortable performing at the venue. new video out this morning shows the power of those deadly tornadoes that ripped across the midwest earlier this month, this is security camera footage from inside an indiana middle school, motion sensors were triggered when the storm ripped apart that gym. the town of washington, illinois, got the brunt of that storm which leveled as many as 500 homes in the small community near peoria. at least six people across the state were killed, officials estimate another 200 were injured but on this thanksgiving, survivors of the storm are joining with family and friends to give thanks. cnn ted rowlands is there.

good morning, ted. >> reporter: good morning, carol. you think about thanksgiving and for many of us it is being at home, being around family and friends, watching football or the parade or cnn, but it's about home, your home or your grandma's home or someone in your family's home and so many people here have no home and it is really heartbreaking what they're going through. yesterday there was a wonderful event here in washington about 600 people took part in it, they came together, people in the community, who are displaced and got together for a lunch, pre-thanksgiving meal, governor was here and it was amazing the people there, while they have lost everything they surely have not lost their spirit. >> all of a sudden everything is taken away and you don't know what direction to move in. having the ability to get together with the community is powerful. >> just so thankful so be alive and all of the people so

wonderful like this, people that have come to help, brought food. >> thanksgiving lunch is really about reminding people about what they should be thankful for, which is life, health, one another, the physical assets, while it's been devastating to lose them, we can rebuild those. >> reporter: there are a number of events taking place today as well in washington for people who don't have any place to go, there are several churches that are providing meals and a place to spend thanksgiving with friends and family and when you're enjoying your thanksgiving, think about these people and just be thankful for what you have, because they're going through a lot here and this is going to be the case for the next year or so as they decide whether to rebuild or relocate. >> it really makes you think about how much you have to be thankful for. we're asking you the question, what do you feel thankful for this holiday season? this from kristen via tweet, "i'm thankful for my life, cancer free three years, loving

husband, two wonderful dogs we adopted one yesterday, and from eden, i'm thankful to wake up to cnn every morning. hmm, i don't think you're telling me a complete truth but i appreciated that. just ahead, nervous about getting your thanksgiving dinner just right? don't fret. we've got nicole johnson from the butterball turkey hotline to help you get through it. >> this is captain morris stationed in bagram air field afghanistan. i wish my mom, grandmother an family and friends a happy thanksgiving. i love you and i miss you. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. before using her new bank of america credit card, which rewards her for responsibly managing

her card balance. before receiving $25 toward her balance each quarter for making more than her minimum payment on time each month. tracey got the bankamericard better balance rewards credit card, which fits nicely with everything else in life she has to balance. that's the benefit of responsibility. apply online or visit a bank of america near you.

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many of you are wide awake this morning making sure the stuffing and the cranberry sauce and the turkey are seasoned just right. be careful or you'll end up like joey from "friends." >> hello? >> hello? >> phoebe? >> joey? what's going on? oh! oh my god! >> i know. it's stuck! >> but you're probably much more concerned about what else you're eating this thanksgiving day, the average american will eat more than 4,500 calories today, equal to seven burger king whoppers, four medium cookie dough blizzards from dairy queen

or ten beef and cheddar sandwiches from arby's. that's a lot. if you're going to eat that, it should taste good. nicole johnson is here to make sure you season and cook that turkey in exactly the right way. welcome nicole. >> good morning, happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving to you, too. so let's just start with the biggest mistake people make on thanksgiving because i know that people are about right now ready to stick that turkey in the oven. what should they check on? >> we're busy here today, receiving phone calls, people may have forgot on it start thawing the turkey. they can offer the cold water advanced method, takes about a half hour, give us a call, 1-800-butterball. >> we're getting a lot of background noise from you. are you talking directly into your microphone? i'm just making sure we have all our is dotted and ts crossed.

>> yes, i'll speak up a little bit louder. >> that's better. millions of americans aren't cooking their own turkey this year, they're preordering already made turkeys from places like whole foods, so what's the best way to heat up the bird for your guests without it becoming dry as dust? >> sure, you you want to keep in mind you can go ahead and brush the skin lightly with vegetable oil and when it comes to reheating a turkey that's already cooked, keeping in mind it is already cooked so you just want to cook it, reheat it to about 140 degrees or until it's hot and again you can call us and we can walk you through that and many other ways to cook the turkey. >> we're having so much trouble hearing you, nicole. i feel like i failed my viewer this is thanksgiving. luckily we have the hotline on the screen so if you're having a problem with your turkey, 1-800-288-8372.

nicole, thanks. sorry for the technical glitches. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. another delay for obama care, causing republican lawmakers to pounce, a live report from the white house, after break. yep. got all the cozies. [ grandma ] with new fedex one rate, i could fill a box and ship it for one flat rate. so i knit until it was full. you'd be crazy not to. is that nana? [ male announcer ] fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex.

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♪ good morning to you and

happy thanksgiving. i'm carol costello. thanks for spending part of your holiday with me. i appreciate it. i want to take you to new york where one of the most famous thanksgiving traditions is ongoing, the 87th annual macy's day parade just kicked off, 16 giant balloons, including favorites like snoopy and spongebob making the 2 1/2 mile trek today. jason carroll is there, we'll take you there live in a second. in other news if you live in washington, d.c., and recently had your insurance canceled after the launch of obama care, you likely will not be able to keep it. the city's health regulators will not allow insurers to extend those plans despite an administration proposal to permit states to continue the plans through next year. two days until the deadline to get the obama care website working for a majority of users we learn that officials are giving a sneak peek at the fixes to top members of the tech community. one of the experts in attendance

says he's confident the site will meet that november 30th goal. all of this comes as the white house announces another significant concession for the health care law. cnn's jill dougherty is at the white house with that. good morning. >> reporter: hey, carol. the deadline this self-imposed deadline the administration set for saturday is designed to improve the website but even the administration admits they're going to make it, they're going to try to make it work for the vast majority of users. here is one exception. 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 it will 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. tlef a team of technical experts trying to get it to the point that they wanted for this weekend, but carol, in a way, it's almost like trying to fix your car when it's racing down the highway at 90 miles an hour. they weren't able, they didn't plan at all to shut it down, which might have been even a better idea, they're trying to repair it as they go along. you'll see some of these glitches and improvements and glitches in improvements as you go. >> all right, well, november 30th will be interesting. jill dougherty, many thanks to you. checking other top stories, iran is inviting nuclear inspectors to visit one of its most controversial reactors next month on the historic six-month nuclear deal reached this past weekend. some feel a reactor could create plu phone yum for a bomb.

parts of a world cup stadium under construction in brazil will be closed while authorities investigate a deadly crane accident, two worker, were killed when a crane hoisting metal collapsed. brazil is in a rush to finish several stadiums before the world cup starts in june, a judge already halted work on another stadium due to safety concerns. if you want a pecan pie for your thanksgiving dessert today it will cost you, a shortage of pecans is driving up prices more than 30%. the reason, a record rainfall hurt crops and wild pigs ate a lot of the nuts that fell from the trees. also, china has a growing appetite for pecans, about a third of u.s. pecans are exported to china. today may be thanksgiving but some people are relabeling the holiday brown thursday as another push for big holiday sales. some stores are facing a backlash from workers and shoppers who say the commercialization of an american holiday has gone too far. george haul has more for you.

>> reporter: there's nor to thanksgiving than turkey. walmart, kmart and target open for early bird shopper this is holiday just like last year, joining them this year, jcpenney, kohl's and macy's, but not everyone's buying in to this new holiday tradition. 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 have to work when we don't want to work, it's the reality of it.

in the same note i feel like people need to be with their family so it's more of a choice than, you know, it's just to each his own. >> reporter: several stores are choosing to give their workerness the day off, closed on thursday from nordstrom to rai, costco and sir la table. >> employees who worked hard they have a day off before we go into the black friday weekend. >> reporter: sir la table's ceo spoke to me. do you feel your store is missing out by closing? >> not at all. there's plenty of other days to shop plus we're opening 24/7 on our website on sir la table. >> reporter: shoppers don't seem to mind. >> i'd close because i would personally want to be home with my family and wouldn't want to keep people away from their own families. >> reporter: for those who feel they'll be missing out, carla puts it bluntly. >> get a life.

>> reporter: george howell, cnn, chicago. still to come in "the newsroom" hollywood's plan to keep you in the theaters this season. >> it's completely frozen. >> cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold. >> a real howler in july, huh? >> we'll look at the long awaited release of disney's and a few other award worthy films right now. ♪ the voices to the heavens, clap your hands and give thanks ♪

♪ ♪ no two people have the same financial goals. pnc works with you to understand yours and help plan for your retirement. visit a branch or call now for your personal retirement review.

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holiday season is here and hollywood had lots of new films to keep you coming back into the theaters. >> talk about a problem, i sell ice for a living. >> that's a rough business to be in right now. that is really -- that's unfortunate. >> disney's animated musical "frozen" follows thee adventure of a young woman searching for her long lost sister with a mountain man and his comical reindeer. and also "philomena" sets out to find a son she gave up for adoption 50 years ago. she teams one a journalist to track down her long lost son. based on the autobiography of nelson mandela, "mandela: walk to freedom" follows his rise to international icon. early reviews are mixed but

everyone seems to agree indriss elva shines in the lead role. >> when does your journey end? you seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule. >> i love "the hobbit." "the hobbit: desolation of smog" in this film, 13 dwarves on a quest to save their land from the dangerous dragon named smog. plenty of action will keep you glued to your seat. it is a time honored tradition at cnn, the heroes awards chosen by you, highlights those improving their communities one day at a time. nischelle turner takes a look at this year's event. >> reporter: it's that time of year again when giving back to others is in the air. hosted by cnn's anderson cooper, this year's annual heroes event is packed with emotion. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: and unforgettable

moments. a night when hollywood's brightest stars come together. >> it shines a lot on people that don't do it for the light. >> this is the people that get excited about that makes your jaw drop. >> reporter: to shine the spotlight on ten remarkable people who are changing the world. >> this is like the academy awards for good people. >> reporter: like a great grandmother who used her life savings to turn a bus into a classroom. >> get on the bus, everybody. cnn hero, estelle lapaipron. >> reporter: and the woman who started a drill team to keep kids off the streets. turning the tables on a traditional awards show. >> i'm not the only hero in this room. and none of us as heroes standalone. >> reporter: cnn heroes puts these everyday people center stage. ♪ i want to see you be brave >> reporter: it's a star-studded event with a few surprises.

♪ >> reporter: and an heroic ending that you don't want to miss. >> 2013 cnn hero of the year -- >> reporter: a night to gather together to celebrate the human spirit. >> you were a little confused, the event is on tape but it will air so you can see it all and it's fantastic. cnn heroes an all star tribute airs sunday night, 8:00 p.m. eastern, right here on cnn. what are you thankful for? we want to know this morning, facebook.com slash carolcnn or tweet me @carolcnn.

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checking our top stories at 50 minutes past the hour --

indiana police chief is taken down by a taser. but don't worry, it's for a good cause. chief danny baker suffered the pain as part of a fund-raiser to pay for a new police cruiser. right now there's only one squad car in the town that actually runs. it is such a weird thing to do, but it worked. baker made a joke before being tased. >> i'm not responsible for anything that comes out of my mouth or any orifice of my body. >> so weird. one donor gave the police department $25,000. see, i told you it was successful. thanksgivukkah, the convergence of thanksgiving and first day of hanukkah. hasn't happened in 2,500 years. the first candle was lit last night on the national hanukkah

menorah at the white house. with more on thanksgivukkah. >> only in america, the land of brangelina, the spork, that thing where peanut butter and jelly are in the same jar, we now have a combined holiday. >> now introducing the menurkey. >> that's right, menorah in the shape of a turkey for two holidays that are appearing for one night only. >> according to some it's once in a millennium. >> new word. thanksgivukkah. >> what do you do on thanksgivukkah? you build a new tradition. a canorah. hundreds of canned goods will go to local food banks. >> the two holidays are similar in the concept of giving thanks to god.

>> reporter: that's triple thanks for carol friedman. her family is also celebrating a birthday, which, all together now -- >> thanksbirthukkah. >> thanksbirthukkah. yeah. here's what's all new with the next hour of "newsroom." nothing says thanksgiving like a huge family dinner with people who drive you crazy! there's no way you can avoid those awkward and inappropriate questions from your mom or that aunt you rarely see. but we can help you respond without throwing a turkey leg at them. plus, before the football and all that food, you may want to go outside and look up. a comet may be streaking across the sky. and i want to hear what you're thankful for today. let me know at facebook.com/carolcnn. or tweet me @carolcnn. your responses in the next hour

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you know, from northeast ohio, something i never understood about my people, they hate someone and then they love them again. we're talking about lebron james. cleveland fans hated brlebron f leaving and cheered him when he came back to play. >> it looks like they've come full circle last night, carol, some fans handing out "come back lebron" t-shirts. some fans have started a come back lebron campaign, putting up billboards around cleveland. lebron showed them once again we they would love to have him back, carved up the cavs. the heat got the win. lebron is hosting the entire

heat team at his akron estate for thanksgiving dinner. should be nice. what do you do, carol, when you're a coach in the nba, it's late in the game and you're out of time-outs? if you're jason kidd, you hold your soda in your hand and have one of your players bump into you. check it out. it appears kidd says hit knee to tayshon taylor. draw up one last play. brilliant, right? >> good thinking. nats end up losing the game. ryan braun finally spoke out about taking performance-enhancing drugs. >> obviously the whole thing is a huge mistake. i wish i hadn't done it. i wish i could go back and do a lot of things different. i don't think i could specifically pinpoint one thing

and i regret more than anything else, i regret all of it. i wish i could go back and change it. like i said, i can't do that. trending on bleacher report.com, rivalry weekend in college football, wolverines will host ohio state buckeyes tomorrow afternoon. a michigan car dealership is giving away free cars. >> good luck with that. >> that's right. >> now until the game you'll get it for free if michigan wins in a shutout. >> they're going to keep ohio state from scoring. >> exactly. the lowest they've score this had year is 31 in a game. michigan hasn't shut them out in 20 years. you're better off buying a lottery ticket than going for the free car. right? >> yeah. thanksgiving, turkey, football and plenty of napping. here is what's on tap for the nfl day, packers host the lions at 12:30, raiders at cowboys and

followed by steelers and baltimore. >> i'll probably be passed out by then on joy that the lions run. >> you're hoping. they have the longest-ever winning streak on thanksgiving. >> stop it! >> i hope they win for you. >> thank you. the next hour of "newsroom" start nos now. it's time to shop. everybody wants a piece of your holiday budget. to me, it's inconsiderate to families who want to spend their time together on this special day. >> to shop or not to shop? or should we avoid the stores all together? or is this the new way we live? we'll debate the war on thanksgiving. if you don't want to work on thanksgiving, it could cost you your job this restaurant manager is sitting at home this holiday.

now his boss is feeling guilty and calling him back. the second hour of "newsroom" starts now. good morning. i'm carol costello. happy thanksgiving, everyone. thanks for spending part of your holiday with me. grab your wallets and watch your elbows. it's time to shop. doors at kmarts across the country have flown open and the deals are pouring in. they opened at 6:00 am eastern all for a chance to save a few bucks as we head into the holiday season. >> why are you doing this to yourself? >> a couple hundred dollars will help you out. >> what did you buy? >> television, 32-inch. >> how much did you pay for this? >> $179. >> bargain. 33 million shoppers are expected to ring up sales today. out among them, our own nick valencia, joining us from kmart.

good morning. >> reporter: good morning. happy thanksgiving, carol. we got out here pretty early this morning. it was 22 degrees. it felt more like 17. that was not enough to stop 30 people from lining up. i spoke to the guy who was the first in line who got here at 11:00 pm last night. i asked him why he was doing it. he said, quite simply, it's the deals. black friday has morphed into black thursday. >> we're 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 shopping federation. >> shoppers still want to get those amazing deals. we don't expect black friday to ever lose its luster. there is a new player in town. thanksgiving is certainly giving black friday a run for its money.

>> reporter: of the nearly 140 million people expected to shop this 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, mothre than 100,0 people petitioned target to stay closed for the holiday, writing, quote, families should be more important than corporate greed or materialism and because it's the right thing to do. back in kmart, store manager says working on thanksgiving is no bother. for him, it's about meeting the customer demand. >> one thing to understand this year, we have one less week for shopping in thanksgiving and christmas than we did last year.

>> reporter: kmart could be getting credit for starting this black thursday craze. they've been doing this for over 20 years. this year, they're going to be doing it a little differently. they're not closing at all, open for 41 hours, carol. if you're bored after your ship, join me in mapleton and check out the deals here. >> no, no. i vow never, never to shop on thanksgiving. i can't imagine doing that. first of all, i'm going to go home and watch football. i'm going to eat a lot. i'm not going to feel like moving. i just don't understand it. >> reporter: that 70-inch tv, come out here. they have a lot of tv sales. that's what everyone here is showing up for. >> maybe i should. >> reporter: get in line like the rest of them. >> nick valencia, happy thanksgiving. thanks so much. >> reporter: you, too, carol. >> thanks. the idea of being without family for the holiday sincere something not something everyone supports. dozens poured out in chicago to

support -- >> we prepare the food in many cases and we also -- >> protesting employees are being backed by a local union group. thanksgiving hours are voluntary, whole foods says, and those who do work are paid time and a half. pizza hut manager in indiana who says he was fired by franchise owners for refusing to open on thanksgiving day has been offered his job back. he was asked to write a letter of resignation. rohr says thanksgiving is important. come on. >> thanksgiving and christmas are the only two days that they're closed in the whole year. there are only two days that those people are guaranteed to have off to spend with their families. >> pizza hut's corporate office now says it was an error in judgment to fire that guy. no word on whether rohr has accepted the offer to stay on. temperatures are below

freezing this holiday morning. here in atlanta, it is the coldest thanksgiving morning in more than 100 years. cnn's jennifer gray joins us. at least we're not alone in our misery. >> reporter: i know. most of the country very, very cold. even the florida panhandle in the 30s this morning. and the northeast, of course, no different. new york city right now at 31 degrees. we are at 33 in providence. boston at 34. d.c. at 34 as well. winds are starting to relax just a little bit. 9-mile-per-hour winds in new york with gusts up to 26. in philly, 17-mile-per-hour winds with gusts at 28 and, finally coming down in boston, we saw 40-mile-per-hour gusts early this morning. now that is starting to taper off as well. but when you factor in the windchill, it is cold, cold in the northeast. feeling like the low 20s. it feels like 23 degrees in new york and feeling like 13 in pittsburgh. 25 in d.c.

and it's going to stay pretty chilly all across the nation, throughout the rest of the day into tonight. if you are heading out shopping, maybe you're already shopping or heading out first thing in the morning. look at that up north. international falls, 18 degrees by tomorrow morning. 28 in chicago. and here is what it looks like for saturday. the nation is going to start to get a little closer to normal as we get through the weekend. we'll still see cool temperatures, though, in the 50s across the south and possibly 65 in new orleans on sunday and we'll see temperatures at 52 in albuquerque. took a peek out the window at the parade a couple of moments ago and a lot of happy campers that those balloons are flying. >> oh, you're so right. we're going to take a look right now. they're flying a few feet lower than normal because of the wind because bu at least they're flying, as jennifer gray said, it's really cold outside.

that doesn't bother jason carroll. he does this every year, and i know you enjoy it. >> reporter: yeah. you're absolutely right, carol. we have to keep this in perspective. they are flying. little lower than normal. take, for example, spiderman, making his way down along central park here. spiderman is flying much lower, i would say, than normal. compared to what i've seen in years past. but at least he is out here flying. he is one of 16 giant helium balloons that made it into the thanksgiving day parade this year. there was some talk about whether or not these balloons would make it. the weather has actually turned out to be just perfect. the crowds are enormous. people coming in here from long island. i was going to say connecticut. you thought i was going to, but i said long island. we love alabama. alabama here as well. mexico back here. hello, mexico. and also here, tulsa, oklahoma. this family here. you actually had people who were in the parade. >> yes, my husband is one of the directors for union band.

>> what did you think of the parade so far? there was talk about whether or not the balloons would make it. >> they're terrific. >> looking good. any favorites so far? >> everything. everything. >> that was the right answer. how about you kids, anything you like that you've seen so far? >> spongebob. >> reporter: live television. it's a scary thing, my man. it is a scary thing. we all do the best we can. thank you very, very much. have a happy, happy thanksgiving. once again, carol, the parade is about halfway through. still a bit more to go. still a lot of balloons to see. everyone out here having a great time. >> quit scaring children, jason carroll! that was really cute. i think that woman's brain was frozen. she couldn't think because it's so cold outside. >> reporter: i know. i know. i put her on the spot. i feel bad, sort of. >> no, no, they look like they're having a bunch of fun. we'll get back to you. >> reporter: yeah.

you heard about the war on christmas. hear why some are saying there's actually a war on thanksgiving. we'll talk about that, next. [ male announcer ] this is george. the day building a play set begins with a surprise twinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief.

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checking our top stories at 13 minutes past the hour. [ gunfire ] >> scary, right? nine-hour standoff now over. gunman took his girlfriend and

daughter hostage. he fired at police when they arrived on the scene. one officer was hit and another injured during a fall. no word on a motive. bare naked ladies has canceled an upcoming concert at sea world after watching the cnn documentary "black fish." it tells the story of a sea world trainer who was killed at sea world by an orca. band members said they didn't feel comfortable performing at the venue, so they canceled. people in oklahoma can enjoy plaque friday in their own state for the first time in years. forebading retailers for se

selling -- thanksgiving holiday with friends and family and, of course, lots and lots of food. employees at walmart and target and other big-name stores, today is very much a day on, not off, as retailers cash in. it's all part of what my next guest calls the war on thanksgiving and in a column for the daily beast he writes in part, it's a stake through the heart of the holiday. just to be clear, if you shop at a retail chain on thanksgiving day, you're contributing to people not being with their families. think of that as you reach for that greatly reduced holiday sweater at kmart, end quote. dino vidala is a contributor for "the daily beast" and a political comedian. he joins me now from new york. good morning. >> good morning. happy thanksgiving. i'm sorry you're working. >> me, too. but, okay, let's get right into it. i'm going to be a little cantankerous. come on, a war on thanksgiving? is that really what it is? >> look, all we hear day in and day out in the holiday sincere the war on christmas.

people complain about it, write books on it to make money. this war, frankly, the war on thanksgiving has a casualty, american families. on thanksgiving day, approximately 1 million people have to leave their homes to go to or report to work at retail chains. this is not something that's been going on for generations. walmart opening earlier at 6:00 pm, stores opening all day, kmart, target opening all day, gap opening for people who desperately need those khaki pants. it's inconsiderate to families who want to spend their time together on this special day. vice president at costco, a store that will be closed thanksgiving really said it best. he said our employees work especially hard during the holiday season and we simply believe they deserve the opportunity to spend thanksgiving with their families and that's what my point is. >> i think that's very nice of costco and those other stores. but let's be clear about this. last year, walmart reported its

best-ever black friday, selling 5,000 items every single second. and they're going to do well on thanksgiving day. so, don't fool yourself. they're going to make lots and lots of money. so, why wouldn't they open a day earlier, especially in these depressed economic times? >> why wouldn't they open all day thanksgiving 24/7? at some point you have to balance profits with sensitivity. there are 27 other shopping days between now and christmas. there's black friday, the whole day. >> but this isn't a religious holiday. >> right. and i think it's actually more important. i think thanksgiving is the quintessential american holiday. it's not about faith or ethnicity or political perfect situation. it brings us all together. honoring and recognizing a day to give thanks. i don't think our current congress could even agree on that, frankly. it's been a day that we come together, give thanks, spend time with your family, which can be painful.

>> you can spend time together in the store, shopping. >> you can shop online, carol. people are like, i've got to shop. today's my day to shop. sit around the computer. post things on facebook. you can shop all day. the stores should have a little bit of concern. and i think compassion, frankly, for their workers. it's not just me saying this. if people googled thanks giving day workers upset, you'll find pages and pages, red states, blue states, target employees have a petition, over 100,000 people signed. they don't want to work. >> here is the thing, dean. employees don't want to work. they're upset. shoppers aren't upset. by and large, thousands and thousands of people will head out on thanksgiving morning or thanksgiving late afternoon and they'll go to the store and it's like the people have spoken. there's no going back now. >> i think there is. this year is the first year we have this numerous new chains opening up. and it's all about business. carol, you're right. it's all about making money. i get that. you can still make the money if you're a big chain and ceo who

is not going to be at the store with your workers, but probably with your family on thanksgiving. why not let your workers have that same sort of family structure at a time when you can all unite, sit there, talk about loved one whose have passed, like i do about my father. it's an important day to many, many families. you can still make money. why does it have to be four, five hours in the middle of thanksgiving? start it at midnight on black friday, as they did in the past. you're taking away workers from their families. if you have it where people volunteer and want to work, that's one thing. employees are complaining of being essentially forced to work for fear of losing their jobs, being docked a day of pay or potentially hurting their career advancement. >> dean obeidallah, thanks for the debate this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you, carol. >> spirited one. here's to you, dean. boston's mayor elect hits rock bottom and gets a second

chance. drinking a lot. drinking almost every night of the week, but going to work. functioning. functioning alcoholic. >> martin walsh's journey from detox to head of one of america's largest cities. hi. i'm stationed at marine corps air station in south carolina with marine wing squadron 273. i would like to wish my mom, dad and little brother in alabama a happy thanksgiving. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities.

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talks addiction, it's usually on the way out of office. not so for boston mayor-elect martin walsh. he's on his way in. he sat down with poppy har klow and talked about addiction and redemption. >> reporter: martin walsh wasn't shaping up to be mayor of boston. you drove drunk? >> yep. >> reporter: blacked out? >> yep. >> reporter: got kicked out of a bruins game? >> couple of times. i didn't have a shut-off valve. when the party was over, i didn't want to go home. >> reporter: he dropped out of college to go into construction. >> drinking a lot. almost every night of the week but going to work. i was functioning. functioning alcoholic. >> reporter: he says at 22, he was arrested after a night of drinking, for what he calls being a punk. he hit bottom in 1995. >> three-day bender that wasn't good and then the following monday that i went to work, my boss suggested i make a phone call that i didn't want to make.

and they recommended i go inpatient to detox. i had no intention of doing that. >> reporter: you were making the call to make him happy? >> make him happy. >> reporter: now 18 years sober, he was a state representative for years and went back to night school to get his college degree at age 42. it was a narrow victory for walsh with significant ties to labor, critics question whether he can fairly negotiate with unions. so did votes from the recovery community tip the balance in his favor? >> i think it helped. part of getting elected is your story. people say he's promoting stuff. i don't. >> there was a rally before the election and, wow, most of these people were in recovery. >> reporter: recovering addict james taylor vividly remembers the day he met walsh nine years ago. >> it was a sunday and it was 13 degrees below zero. he said get your bags.

you're going with me. >> reporter: where did he take you? >> to the hello house. >> reporter: the halfway house? >> yes. >> reporter: what did he do for you? >> he saved my life. i believe god put him there that day to help me specifically. >> reporter: that's when you started getting sober? >> exactly. >> reporter: another supporter is now 13 years clean, after beating her addiction to crack cocaine. >> i think that him being in recovery will broaden the horizon of people who he understands. will it make him a better mayor or a better person? i couldn't say that. but in order for you to understand where i'm at and where i've been, you have to have gone through what i've gone through. >> reporter: do addicts still call you for help? >> i got a call yesterday, trying to help somebody get into a halfway house. >> reporter: he says he'll keep taking those calls as mayor and keep going to aa meetings. he has had his second chance. >> if you told me in detox that

i was going to be sitting down 18 1/2 years later, having an interview on cnn as the mayor-elect of boston, i don't know what i would say. i would probably say, yeah, okay. >> reporter: now he has to prove himself to the people of boston. >> anything is possible if you get sober. >> reporter: poppy harlow, cnn, boston. >> what an amazing story. thanks to poppy harlow for that. still to come in the "newsroom." empty carts? not for long. cnn cart cam in kmart from burbank, california. kyung lah after a break. what you wear to bed is your business.

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huhh... i guess this party's over. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. happy thanksgiving. thank you so much for all your messages on facebook and twitter. i am humbled and it makes it easier to work today. let's check our top stories, shall we, at 31 minutes past? u.s. says canada xwav a permission to spy during the g-8 and g-20 summits in ontario. they made the report based on documents leaked by edward snowden and that they set up shop in the embassy for the

week-long operation. obama care for small businesses will be delayed until november next year. small business owners will be able to enroll through a broker. the obama administration has vouched to have the website up and running for some users. motion sensors were triggered when the storm ripped apart that gym. if you want a pecan pie for thanksgiving day, it's going to cost you. shortage is driving up the price by 30%. the the reason? flooding rains and also china has a growing appetite for pecans. about a third of the pecans are exported to china. that pie will have to wait for

one group. die-hard shoppers are camping out in front of stores like best buy and toys r us, hoping to snag some of the door-busting deals. $25 gift card if you buy k-cup brewer at office max and $100 gift card if you buy an ipod air at target. is sitting out turkey day worth it? depends. >> supposed to be home with your families not shopping. >> maybe for the experience. it's been tradition for six years. >> you're focused on your family and if your family all comes to shop, then that's fine. >> all right. let's go back to our cart cam in burbank inside the kmart store. kyung lah will shortly appear as the cart cam makes its way to her. happy thanksgiving. >> reporter: happy thanksgiving.

remember when thanksgiving was all about just being bored at your aunt's house? no longer. it has begun. the black friday frenzy extending into your turkey time. the shopping, the screaming [ bleep ]. >> reporter: the swearing. >> i will stab one of you mother [ bleep ]. >> reporter: let the fists fly. retailers call it the super bowl of shopping or black friday with scenes like these that flood the internet give the bargain battle a black eye. in this los angeles walmart two years ago was captured by one customer. >> all the people went in there, started destroying the boks. >> reporter: all this for marked down x-box games. >> people were fighting, trying to get those deals. and one lady with pepper spray just started going at it. >> reporter: was that moment a turning point for walmart?

>> certainly. i think we can do a better job at managing crowds and helping customers get in the store, find the item they're looking for and get out. we learned a lot. >> reporter: walmart said this time it's a calmer black friday. orderly lines through the store. shoppers will get wrist bands and rain check tickets to ship item that is will run out. what won't change are the surprise deals through the store. >> 40 seconds and all the people will go crazy. >> reporter: predictably wild that this dad brought his kids to walmart to witness the mayhem firsthan firsthand. >> that's something about black friday, your integrity. >> reporter: these don't care about the mayhem. they thrive on it all year. >> what, eight hours of shopping? >> online, yeah. eight hours or so. >> reporter: seriously, all night. >> it was worth it. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: saving $1,000 on

gift, enough to make her want to dance. >> yeah, the jig had to happen and i would do it again. >> reporter: not a laughing matter to victoria caruso who has seen enough of the fighting and doesn't want any of it, even if it's literally a pillow fight. >> i think they're crazy. to them, it's a sport. lacrosse is a sport. black friday is not a sport. >> reporter: she shops all online. sure, she gives up on some of the deals but savors her serenity. >> the savings aren't worth the bail money. >> reporter: juan castro avoids a retailer on black friday but still can't resist a short outing. >> maybe some football gear would do me good. >> reporter: that may be good advice, because for shoppers like these, it's game on.

and a little context here. it is just 7:30 in the morning in los angeles, carol. the store has been opened for 90 minutes. >> are there big crowds? i don't see very many people behind you. of course, you're probably standing in a convenient spot for television. >> reporter: i would say it's a moderate crowd. there were 50 people lined up when the doors opened. you know, 6:00 am on than thanksgiving, it's not bad. >> no, that's not bad at all. i would rather just be sitting up in my bed, drinking a hot cup of coffee and have someone rubbing my feet but -- >> reporter: that's two of us. >> exactly. kyung lah, happy thanksgiving. turkey, football and a comet. you may want to add a sky show to your thanksgiving activities, shooting toward the sun. what are you thankful for this thanksgiving? we want to know.

facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me @carolcnn. ♪ [ male announcer ] this december, experience the gift of exacting precision and some of the best offers of the year [ ding! ] at the lexus december to remember sales event. this is the pursuit of perfection.

okay. there's something amazing that's going to happen today, besides that turkey you have in the oven. it's a comet named ison. supposedly, we will be able to see it at some point maybe today, maybe next week. david dundee is here to tell us, an astronomy program manager at the museum in cartersville, georgia. thanks for being here. >> my pleasure. >> first, tell us about this comet, what it is, and might we see it today? >> we won't. spacecraft might be able to view it. it's very close to the sun. earthbound viewers, you won't be able to see anything until probably wednesday. what makes today particularly important comet ison may or may

not be the record breaker of comets passing the sun. comet in 1992 passed within 3 million miles of the sun. that was a really big deal. well, today comet ison passes about 600,000 miles from the surface of the sun. so they -- not only is the only thing roasting today is your turkey. the comet may be roasting today, too. >> for those of us that don't know, what is a comet? >> it's basically a frozen chunk of gas, water, sand, a few rocks. it's basically a very snowy dirt ball going around the sun. and it only acquires a tail when it gets close enough to the sun for the volatiles in the comet, the gases begin to sublimate, turn from solid into a gas. >> that's what you have in our demonstration, right? >> yes, let's do that.

put your goggles on for safety today. i brought my best approximation of a comet this morning. so i have a hunk of dry ice. and i'm going to actually put it in this beaker, which i'm going to fill with water. now the dry ice is about 100 degrees below zero. the water is at room temperature. what would you predict would happen to the water? >> it will turn like a dry, icy dirt ball. should i fill it full? >> halfway. >> halfway, okay. >> so i have my hunk of dry ice. again, it's about 100 degrees below zero, room temperature. most folks would predict that the water would just freeze because you have something this cold. let's see. >> and, behold, comet ison. >> what's happening here, you're seeing sublimation taking place. the dry ice is turning directly from a solid to a gas, carbon dioxide flowing across the table as you see on movie sets and

cheap science fiction shows. basically the bubbling you are seeing is not boiling, it's sublimating the comet is now, too, losing 2 to 3 million tons of material a second today as it goes around the sun. it's hurdling around the sun 18,000 miles an hour. it's hot enough to melt steel. will it survive? >> we'll see! we'll keep our eyes to the sky. thank you very much, david dundee, for coming in, especially on thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving. >> we'll be right back. ♪ through 12 blizzards blowing ♪ 8 front yards blinding ♪ 6 snowballs flying ♪ 5 packages addressed by toddlers ♪ ♪ that's a q ♪ 4 lightning bolts ♪ 3 creepy gnomes ♪ 2 angry geese ♪ and a giant blow-up snowman ♪ that kind of freaks me out [ beep ] [ female announcer ] no one delivers the holidays like the u.s. postal service.

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>> that's so weird. that was hollywood's take on a disastrous holiday meal. look what happens when you face some real-live tension at the table. jennifer west hoeven is here with great advice. >> because there's always somebody, right? it's that one relative. and it comes out of the blue and everything stops and everybody looks. so, we want to talk about what do you do when you get the super awkward money questions you think are totally offensive, but you don't want to act like that at the dinner table? >> i can't wait. >> look at that rock. how much did you pay for that? >> so what would you say if you weren't tongue tied? it's normal to be tongue tied. but if you weren't, if you were just breezy, maybe you could try something like this. >> uh, no, thanks. i'm not totally comfortable with that one. >> so a lot of people think just asking about money is bad manners. i really disagree with this,

because really it's asking about money that helps you learn all the different ways or possibilities that you could be managing your money. so there's a lot to learn out there. so the thing is, ask about money, but do it sensitively. she could try it like this. >> you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but i was just admiring your ring and i was just wondering about how much you paid for it. i'm actually getting married soon and i'm just curious how much something like this cost. >> i hear you're going to bora w bora for your honeymoon. how can someone like you afford that? >> i'm sorry. how is that any of your business is this. >> i'm just curious. >> everybody has that guy or that aunt, that person at the table. we can't change that. but you can change your response. don't get so mad. >> uncle abe, you really know how to lighten the mood. >> you know, families break up over these things. next thing you know, there's no

thanksgiving like this ever again. i think you have to be able to manage these questions and i don't care if you have to sit in front of a mirror and say, i just don't feel comfortable answering that, ten times. try it. >> that would be hard for me, so hard for me. so we have dr. jeff gardiere, a psychologist, to help us -- you know, give us more advice on this problem. i wanted to ask jennifer one of the money questions that most people feel uncomfortable, especially people who just got married, are you saving up enough money to have that kid? and you're not even pregnant. >> you know people are asking questions like that. all you have to say is, can anyone save enough money for a kid? >> good advice, huh? she's a pretty smart gal. >> what i would do is, first of all, not be defensive. turn it back to the other

person. you can ask what we ask in therapy all the time. that's a really interesting question. i wonder why you're asking that. how did you handle that situation as far as money and children? and that's how you start learning from the other person as to how to manage your money. keep it positive. >> are there any topics that should be totally off the table this thanksgiving day? >> i think anything that would make any particular person uncomfortable. and the way you find out about that is maybe throw in a little tidbit, hey, does anybody want to discuss this particular topic or do we want to talk about politics? >> obama care. >> obama care, exactly. and if you see someone is very uncomfortable, they get defensive, then you could try to skip over to the next topic. look, thanksgiving, hanukkah, these should be times where people are enjoying one another and not having to deal with confrontation or getting so

embarrassed or anxious that they're choking up on their food. that's what you don't want. >> but sometimes, even if you have a conversation, let's say, with the host or hostess. i don't really think we should talk about politics and put the cabosh on that. it seems to come up anyway, jeff. >> it really does. and so i think the way that you can best handle that is, yes, not to be defensive, but also trying to learn from the other person. whatever points you make, always say to them, follow it up with, i would like to hear what you have to say about it and then it turns into a healthy conversation. and that's what's most important. >> turn the tables. >> yeah, turn the tables. >> absolutely. >> thanks to you both. jeff gardere, jennifer west hoev

en, thank you very much. >> what are you thankful for this day? face book.com/carolcnn or tweet me @carolcnn. i'm lieutenant colonel mike mcgregor here in kandahar, afghanistan. want to send a shout out to my two sons. happy thanksgiving. love you. miss you. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air. at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. thnot at the rings.looking. i can feel them looking at my thick, flaky red skin. do i tell them it's psoriasis? do i speak up and say it's not contagious? or do i just say... have a nice day!" when your psoriasis has gone from uncomfortable to unacceptable, visit psoriasis.com to connect with a psoriasis patient advocate from abbvie

for free one-to one education and support. sign up at psoriasis.com, and talk to your dermatologist. ...are the hands that do good things for the whole community: the environment, seniors, kids, and animals. that's why we created the share the love event. by the end of this year, the total donated by subaru could reach 35 million dollars. you get a great deal on a new subaru. we'll donate 250 dollars to a choice of charities that benefit your community. it feels good to be a helping hand.

>> a woman in the final stages of lymphoma. her story is one of three told in a cnn special "to heaven and back." randi kaye spoke to these true survivors. >> reporter: how was he reacting to the fact that you were in this coma and he thought he was

losing you? >> he was very distraught. he was there by my bedside. he was holding my hand and i could feel he was willing me to come back. >> reporter: and you had a choice to make. >> i had a choice as to whether to come back or not. at first, i absolutely did not want to come back, because why would i want to come back into this sick and dying body? but then it was as though in the next moment i understood why i had the cancer. all the years of beating myself up, feeling flawed had turned my own energy against me and manifest it as cancer. >> reporter: fear, in a way, poisoned your body? >> yes, it did. and i understood that now that i knew this, my body would heal.

>> reporter: you had this huge revelation and sony and your father both affirmed what needed to be done. >> reporter: both of them said to me, go back and live your life fearlessly. and it was around that time that i started to come back. >> reporter: so how long were you in the coma? >> about 30 hours. i was in the intensive care unit. but within four days, they were able to take off the oxygen. food tube and the tumor shrunk - by 70%. >> reporter: and the doctors, they kept testing you, right? >> yeah. >> reporter: they kept looking for -- >> cancer. >> reporter: -- cancer. they kept treating you. >> they said there's no way cancer disappears like that. >> what happens in the moments between death and life? hear three personal stories to heaven and back. anderson cooper special report

7:00 pm eastern right here on cnn. i've been asking you what you're thankful for today. that would be my husband. he nearly died last year. thankfully, i get to enjoy his silly puns, his brilliant mind and bountiful football knowledge for many, many years to come. i asked you what you're thankful for. stephen writes on facebook, i am cancer free, alive, my family, my friends, my faith. amen. frank said after ten heart an gichlt oplasties and heart attack, i live on by the grace of god. back in the gym, pumping iron and tearing up the treadmill. william writes, happy thanksgiving to all. please remember the people who can't be with us today. you know, the walmart workers. i'm thankful of reuniting with my family after 20 years. i love them, no matter what. tricia writes i'm thankful for common sense, which most people seem to lose this time of year, waiting in the cold hours for that one special item on black

friday. i would like to thank everyone to writing me, tweeting me and facebooking me. i hope you and your family have a fabulous thanksgiving. happy thanksgiving. i'm carol costello. "legal view" with ashleigh banfield starts right now. hello, everyone. i'm ashleigh banfield. it is november 28th. happy thanksgiving to you and your family and welcome to the program today. if you just so happen to be in your pjs still or knee deep in sweet potatoes or stuffing, you're late. you're late to the sales, that is. this is becoming a new thanksgiving day tradition, heading out to the big box stores to take advantage of black friday sales a whole day early. some are calling this bhak thursday and, let me tell you, not everybody is happy about it. but with thi