extremes to get a bargain on black friday, the day after thanksgiving. jo is already first in line outside a best buy store, and to keep warm he's wearing a tiger "360." thank you for watching. have a happy thanksgiving. a time honored tradition. macy's thanksgiving day parade. the famed balloons will rise for more than 50 million people expected to watch. we're live along the parade route. >> wow. thanksgiving overseas. we'll take you to the front lines where u.s. troops are celebrating this holiday. turkey troubles you say? you are not alone. a butterball expert is on stand by ready to save you from a kitchen disaster on this "american morning." good morning. happy thanksgiving. this is the day you've been

waiting for. carol costello, thursday, november 24th. ali and christina have the day off. so glad you're with us. >> i have all of the fattening stuff laid out for me already here. it's already here. they ordered in thanksgiving dinner for us at 3:00 a.m. the turkey is crusty now. still edible. >> the stuffing is quite good actually. >> first up this morning, one thing we're very thankful for, our brave men and women in the military serving here and overseas. we have about 20,000 troops in iraq right now but the forces are flooding out as a december deadline for withdrawal approaches. thousan thousands sent to kuwait waiting to be reassigned or sent back home. happy thanksgiving, martin. >> reporter: good morning, carol. happy thanksgiving to you. it is a happy thanksgiving

especially for those soldiers gathered here at camp virginia. let me tell you why. we're located about 20 kilometers south of the border with iraq. this is the primary staging area for troops coming out of iraq and those taking the big bird heading home and many will do that pretty soon. this is sort of the winding down of the dinner. it started about 3 1/2 hours ago. they've had plenty of heaping helpings of turkey. that's why it's looking quiet right now. a couple lieutenants are here with me. i want to sit down and join. say hello to brian and also to patrick. they have both just come out of iraq. first of all, let me ask you how was the meal? >> the meal is pretty good. good turkey. good roast beef. mashed potatoes. corn. can't complain. >> you're headed home? >> hopefully soon. i couldn't be happier. glad to be going home. a lot of stuff to do when we get back there. >> reporter: let me bring in patrick watson in this

conversation. this mission went shorter than you expected? >> we definitely thought we would be here for a year. we ended up wrapping up things a little early. now it's time to go home. >> reporter: we should point out that patrick may not make it quite by christmas. what do you think? >> hopefully by the end of the month. i should get there by christmas eve. >> reporter: i would think in both cases your families have to be thrilled that the mission was cut short. >> absolutely. they weren't expecting it like we did to come home early so it's a great bonus for us. >> mom and dad. i bet they can't wait. >> reporter: normally holidays spent away from home for soldiers, it can be on the depressing side. everybody here, carol, knows at least for the most part they'll be home in time for that other big holiday, which as we know is right around the corner. a lot of smiling faces along with plenty of full plates. >> i know that big beautiful smile when the lieutenant said

mom and dad are waiting for me. thank you. thank you, martin savidge. we appreciate it. >> let's get you a first look at the holiday forecast. bonnie schneider is in the extreme weather center for us. good morning, bonnie. not as busy of a travel day today as yesterday but still a lot of people i'm finding more and more are traveling on thanksgiving day. what's it looking like out there? >> it's looking good. we're getting off to a foggy start in the southeast. that's where we're looking at some low clouds hanging overhead. if you are driving this morning in kentucky, give yourself a little extra time because you may have poor visibility out there. a lot of fog and low clouds over parts of tennessee and into arkansas. the big picture shows sunny and milder conditions across the south. temperatures will be very comfortable. we do run the risk of showers up into northern new england. cooler temperatures through the mid-atlantic. very pleasant. and as you can see out west, we're monitoring two weather systems that may bring rain to southern california and the pacific northwest. i think the name of the game is going to be mild. for those looking for catch a

flight today, we do have some delays we're anticipating with low clouds for the morning hours in new york and boston. afternoon flights look okay. chicago, minneapolis, look for fog and wind. detroit and cleveland, also facing some low clouds and wind. i mentioned the fog that's happening right now across parts of the south. in dallas and memphis, you're also looking at that overcast condition. major delays are expected out west due to that storm system. seattle and san francisco, a combination of rain and wind. for the good news, temperatures are looking very mild for today for this thanksgiving. you can see climbing all of the way to 68 degrees in atlanta. 54 in new york. incidentally the weather looks much better for the parade today than we originally thought. the winds will be breezy but not at all as strong as originally thought. good news there. mild temperatures in florida. as you plan ahead for your early start to black friday for shopping, again, great weather for friday. that's always good for those of you looking for a good deal. back to you. >> that's good. the balloons may go up after all.

>> that would be great. >> yesterday you didn't know because it was supposed to be windy in new york city. >> fingers crossed. we have a couple hours. >> bonnie has given us hope. jason carroll is along the route. we'll talk to him later. >> all quiet on the terror front this holiday season. there are no credible terror threats facing the united states right now. this is the first holiday season since the death of osama bin laden and officials say in the past terror organizations have plotted attacks during the holidays because of large crowds and the opportunity for mass killings. occupy wall street organizers are planning a thanksgiving feast for thousands of protesters at new york's park. calm in cairo's tahrir square after a week of violent and deadly crashes with

protesters demanding the military ruler step down. egypt's supreme ruling council is apologizing for the loss of life. three american college students arrested for taking part in the demonstrations will be held for several more days. new this morning, a deadly plane crash east of phoenix to tell you about. six people were killed last night. three of them children. their small plane slammed into arizona's superstition mountains. rescue crews reached the wreckage. the plane appears to have disintegrated. a string of attacks by a so-called amish hair cutting mob in ohio. seven members of break away group were arrested for allegedly shaving the beards and cutting the hair off other amish men. officials say the leader says he was mistreated in the community and wanted to send a message to the other amish. the bible insists women grow long hair and men grow beards and stop shaving once they marry. believe it or not, this is not holiday traffic.

more than 100 cars literally stuck on the pennsylvania turnpike covered in sticky black tar. a tanker truck dropped the stuff over a nearly 40-mile stretch. >> i thought we were going over rocks in the road. then i saw these cars pulled off to the side and it ended up being tar on everybody's tires. >> workers covered the goo with sand to make it dry faster. >> insane. that would ruin your day. >> it might. >> it's all about food, family and football. today a very special thanksgiving day matchup. san francisco 49ers will battle it out on the gridiron with his older brother, the baltimore ravens coach. first time the two brothers face off as head coaches. both teams are good. should be a good game. >> that's amazing. >> as will detroit lions versus green bay packers. that comes on first.

>> i'm not the football expert. this is the first time in history two coaches who are brothers but there are the manning brothers who are both quarterbacks, right? >> they have nothing to do with today. you can watch the lions today and tell me everything that happens because i'll be testing you. >> fine. they could end up next to mashed potatoes and stuffing but two turkeys caught the luckiest break ever. time honored tradition president obama pardoned the two birds named liberty and peace at the tradition at the white house. that's liberty. turkey humor there. peace was camera shy. daughters sasha and malia at his side, the president issued the executive order at the white house yesterday. >> from our family to yours, i want to wish everybody a wonderful and happy and healthy thanksgiving. and now since liberty and peace have been so patient, it is my privilege to grant them the official pardon.

i'm going to -- i've got to give them a little symbol. all right. what do you think. are we ready? all right. here we go. all right. are you all right there, liberty? okay. i like doing this. you are hereby pardoned. >> blessing the turkey as well. the president joked that liberty and peace had undergone media training which included learning how to gobble without really saying anything. >> at least one of those turkeys was well behaved, don't you think? >> 45 pounds or something like that. it's crazy. >> lucky liberty and peace. they are free this morning. >> if you just realized the turkey is too big for the oven and don't know what a turkey tent is? we have a highly trained butterball talk line experts in

the house to save you from thanksgiving drama you may be having. >> if you are doing holiday shopping this weekend, get ready to be monitored at the mall. it has something to do with your cell phone. you're watching "american morning." it's 11 minutes after the hour. ♪ there's a place i dream about ♪ ♪ where the sun never goes out ♪ ♪ and the sky is deep and blue ♪ ♪ won't you take me american flight 280 to miami is now ready for boarding. ♪ there with you fly without putting your life on pause. be yourself. nonstop. american airlines.

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2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. that's 1% back on... [ toy robot sounds ] 2% on pumpkin pie. and apple. 3% back on 4 trips to the airport. it's as easy as 1... -2... -3... [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. [ toy robot sounds ] welcome back, everybody. happy thanksgiving. you know, it's time to get real about your thanksgiving meal when butterball's turkey talk line began 31 years ago it was a crack pot team of six home ec experts who answered about 11,000 calls. >> just that you called it home ec experts, i haven't heard that term in a long time.

now butterball has a fleet of 50 people answering calls, e-mails and tweets on thanksgiving. this is carol miller. thank you for coming in. is it 1,000 people per hour, per two hours on thanksgiving day? is it more? >> when you're taking the calls, it seems like it. we have a staff of 50. we'll probably take 10,000 to 12,000 calls. some of short and some of them are very long. >> 10,000, 12,000 over a couple of days? >> today. >> just today? >> today. my gosh. >> we're not the only ones clueless when it comes to cooking. >> let's just say cooking is not our forte. let's get to it. if you are waking up this morning and your turkey is still in the freezer, is it too late to start? >> it is not too late. >> start now. >> butterball has been making it better for these years to get the turkey to the table for people.

if it's a little frozen this morning, there's some ice crystal in it, you can run it under cool water. that will loosen them up. if you can do knock, knock jokes on it, if possible and you're eating later today, you can debt it in a bath of cold water, turn it up side down and put it in there. >> how long does it sit in the water? >> 30 minutes in the cold water for every pound of turkey. >> that's why the pie comes in. >> it does. if you have a 20-pound turkey, it's about ten hours. >> we actually have a viewer question about thawing from mary lou on facebook. how will i know if the turkey is thawed and when do i start cooking it once it is thawed. >> if there are no ice crystals in it, it's thawed. at that point you're ready to pat it dry and get it ready for

the oven. people who thaw it in the refrigerator, sometimes they are concerned they let it thaw too long. you have four days after it's completely thawed so relax. it's fine. >> does it matter if it's a little frozen? >> you can. it will just take a little longer. if it's very frozen, it can be an hour or two. >> that makes me feel better about life. >> stuffing is my favorite part of the thanksgiving meal. already had some this morning. when you're talking about stuffing the turkey, is it better to put it inside the turkey or put it around? my mom does both. >> it seems to be a family tradition. guidelines for stuffing is that you want to put it in right before you put it in the turkey. you don't want to make it the night before and put it in there. do it right before you put it in the oven. you also want to make sure that you do have a meat thermometer because you don't want to take

the turkey out of the oven until the temperature is 165 in the middle of the stuffing. >> where do you stick the thermometer? >> that's a good question. the method that we use is shallow open pan on a rack like this turkey here. if you have an oven safe thermometer, that confuses people. oven safe one has a big dial like that. if you have a small dial, don't t put it in the turkey when you put it in the oven because it will melt. >> good to know. >> you won't have a thermometer. this is the thigh. that's the last thing that cooks on the turkey. there's a ledge there. if you pop it if in there, you'll hit the bone. that's the thigh bone. aim it this way. you are aiming for that big muscle. when you put it in this way you can monitor it. when you use instant read, the

one you don't put in the oven, slide it out and take the temperature. >> it makes it dummy proof almost. almost. if something can go wrong why the kitchen, it will go wrong with me. >> i forgot to take the neck and stuff out. >> that's one of the calls that we get today. i counted them one day after thanksgiving. we got 200 calls. i ruined my turkey. i put the bag -- we're carving. is it okay? relax. >> i thought it would poison the turkey. >> it doesn't harm the turkey. it only embarrasses the cook. carve and feast. it's okay. >> you get so many calls. 10,000 to 12,000 today alone. people freaking out. what are some of the most common questions that you get? >> thawing. how to roast. today if you want a little help, you can go to butterball.com where there are videos.

you can watch us go through the whole process. that's a good thing if you're visual. really knowing when the turkey is done, using meat thermometer. protecting the breast of the turkey. turkey comes from mother nature with white meat and dark meat. the dark meat needs to be higher temperatures. if you put foil on it, the heat is reflected. it stops cooking just a little bit and thigh keeps cooking. use the foil half to two-thirds so it's brown. >> we're going to be asking you all morning about your tips and so do you have any good -- one good tip right now that you can share with us as you are waking up and fixing your turkey. >> make sure that you have your meat thermometer. if you don't, call a friend. call a guest. run down to the local mini mart

and get one. it's really important. >> i hope william sonoma is open today. maybe i can get one. >> i don't think it will be. you'll be back in the next hour. we're very excited. thank you so much. butterball turkey lady carol miller. if you have questions, you can tweet. tweet to us. if you have questions, just send them along to us and we'll try to get them answered later on this morning. >> we'll be back after this. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates.

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24 minutes past the hour.

welcome back. minding your business this morning, investors are nursing a holiday hangover. the dow dropping 236 points yesterday. the sell-off triggered by a report that chinese manufacturing has fallen to a 32-month low. heightening fears that the euro zone debt crisis is spending beyond europe's borders. retailers and shoppers across the country are gearing up for black friday. many stores plan to open at midnight tonight or even earlier. shoppers have been camping out for nearly a week at one electronic store in florida that's advertising a 42-inch sharp tv for 200 bucks. prepare to be tracked at the mall starting on black friday. two major u.s. malls will monitor every step shoppers take by tracking their cell phone signals. officials at the malls in southern california and in richmond, virginia, say no personal data will be collected. the idea is to identify shopping patterns. rupert murdoch's son, james, has resigned from two boards. he's come under fire for his handling of the u.k. phone

hacking scandal. james murdoch remains ceo. occupy nba. new york basketball fans staged a protest outside of madison square garden calling for full refunds for knicks and nets season tickets and demanding an end to the lockout. upcoming day of solidarity will be announced that will take place at arenas across the country. "american morning" will be back after a short break. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents: the cold truth. i habe a cohd. and i toog nyguil bud i'm stild stubbed up.

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[♪...] >> announcer: now get a $250 airfare credit, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. certain restrictions apply. today we thank our troops overseas and we'll take you to the front lines of afghanistan where u.s. service men and women are celebrating thanksgiving on this "american morning." welcome back to "american morning" on this thanksgiving day. happy thanksgiving. 30 minutes after the hour. time for this morning's top stories. egypt's military rulers saying

35 people have been killed in clashes with military police. meanwhile, three american college students suspected of throwing cocktails during the protests are being held for another four days while prosecutors continue to investigate. the fbi and homeland security report there are no credible terror threats facing the united states this holiday season. it's the first holiday season since the death of osama bin laden and officials say in the past terror organizations have plotted attacks during the holidays because of large crowds. more than 3 million people are expected to pack new york city streets for the annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. millions more will watch at home. 50 balloons will be featured. some of them you'll recognize like spongebob, others are making their parade debut. festivities kick off at 9:00 a.m. eastern. >> the worry in new york city, bonnie schneider, is the wind. there were rumors maybe the balloons weren't going to fly. what's it looking like today? >> it's looking a lot better. a front went through yesterday

and usually behind a front you tend to get strong winds from the northwest. we will see northwesterly winds but they will not be as fierce as originally thought which is great news. one thing for those of you still traveling today for thanksgiving, we have a lot of fog in the south. that stretches from dallas to oklahoma city back out to arkansas and even as far east as kentucky. be careful because driving conditions will be tough when you have low visibility like this. in some spots visibility is less than a quarter of a mile. you can see that is well into tennessee and as i mentioned into areas of kentucky. be careful out there. as we look toward the west, it's still early out there. you can see rain moving into northern california. rainy weather elsewhere that caused us to ask this question, what happens when the fish crosses the road. let's take a look. there's a fish trying to cross a flooded roadway. it's doing a pretty good job. unfortunately we did have some wet roadways. i love how it loops over and over again. this is in washington state where there's more rain in the

forecast. be careful those of you driving. not just a fish in the road of course but any time there's water covering the roads, you don't know how deep it is and don't attempt to cross the road. it's okay for fish. we're looking at rain for northern california and overcast conditions for the pacific northwest. all of that will impact travel in a big way. many people are traveling this morning. yesterday of course was our busy travel day but today is busy as well. boston, low clouds and delays there in the early part of the day. chicago, minneapolis, early fog. detroit and cleveland, low clouds and some windy weather. you saw the fog alerts right now in dallas. that holds true for memphis as well. the biggest delays will be out west. seattle, san francisco, rain and wind could slow you down. that could be over an hour. elsewhere across the country we're looking at sunny and mild conditions later on today. that fog will burn off in texas and oklahoma. high pressure across the southeast is going to be a nice mild day with temperatures that will be warming up into the 60s and 70s. cooler out west where clouds are. i want to give you the heads-up

for tonight because a lot of people are going to the stores at 10:00 or midnight tonight. temperatures mild for those standing in line waiting to get in. >> i don't know how you get the energy to do that after eating that turkey meal. people are in it for the deals. bonnie, thank you so much. an american thanksgiving in afghanistan today. thousands of u.s. troops are getting their fill of turkey and stuffing and reflecting on what they're thankful for. certainly we are thankful for them. cnn's nick paton walsh joins us now. happy thanksgiving, nick. good morning to you. >> reporter: a decade of war here swirling around me here.

thanksgiving and celebration provides a few hours and several thousand calories worth of relief for many soldiers from the conflict here. we've been to quite remarkable dinner here that shows the sheer logistics in feeding people on a celebration like this in a war zone. remarkable amount of beef available to them. cut up for some grateful soldiers here. the pentagon saying that for today they have 168,000 pounds worth of turkey around the world. nearly 100,000 pounds worth of beef. thousands of pounds worth of stuffing as well. absolutely a massive celebration here for americans. >> nick paton walsh from afghanistan. happy thanksgiving. thanks for joining us. >> soldiers look so happy, didn't they? >> they do. we send over 168,000 pounds of turkey. 37,800 pounds of stuffing. it's incredible. >> they're hungry. they do a lot of work there. >> they most certainly do.

>> a favorite tradition for thanksgiving in cincinnati. a turkey toss. several lined up to win 50 bucks and a turkey trophy and trash talking rights. the game was simple. whoever knocks down the most pins wins. this year's winner says the secret to his success, do not wear a coat. he was so cold and shaking so badly it actually improved his aim. >> there you go. >> food for thought. >> millions are getting ready for the macy's thanksgiving day parade celebrating its 85th year if you're counting. there will be new faces floating above the city like a jet pack wearing monkey. it's not jason carroll. i would love to see you wearing a jet pack floating above the crowds. i think you would too. >> is that an insult i heard earlier? i'll have to replay the tape to make sure. turkey is in position getting ready for his march and it's

been exciting to be out here this morning. we're expecting such great weather that a lot of people already started to come out and line up. already met a few thousand of my few favorite friends here. this is joyce. her daughter is going to be in the parade dressed as an apple. i bet you're excited? >> we're thrilled to death for her. she worked very hard to become part of the parade and thanks to macy's in east brunswick, she was able to get a spot to walk in the parade because it's invitation only. >> apple in the big apple. perfect. thank you. joyce from jersey. we also have some folks visiting from brazil. this is their first time coming out to the parade. say hello to brazil. also atlanta. a shout-out to atlanta. what are you looking forward to? you came out last night trying to see big balloons. didn't happen, right? >> it didn't happen. the lines were too long. we were going to wait but they said we wouldn't get there before they closed them down. >> what are you looking forward to seeing out here today? what are you looking for?

>> balloons. >> which balloons. there are a lot of balloons. which one? >> smurfs. >> okay. that's not bad. personally i'm looking forward to seeing snoopy because i'm old school. have to give it up for snoopy out here. there will be new balloons that we'll see this year. tim burton has a new balloon. a lot of things to look for. this is a great tradition. 50 million people expected to tune in this year. you can see why when you stand out here. parade starts at 9:00. we'll be here all morning bringing you highlights. back to you. >> i can't wait. >> jason we talk about turkey and stuffing being a time honored tradition. >> i can't hear you guys. everyone is so loud here. >> can you hear me now? >> i can hear you now. >> we talk about time honored tradition of turkey and stuffing

but it's also you covering the parade. how many years have you been doing it? >> gosh, i think it's begen now four or five. you work so much and you start to lose track of this. i was walking down the parade and the guy said you talked to me last year. did i talk to you last year? >> yeah. >> i'm getting old. i don't even remember. what are the chances of that. >> the kid was three last year. i'm sure he's telling you the truth. >> jason carroll, thank you. we'll talk to you later. on "american morning," journey of discovery. it's taken one man from new york to los angeles. that man there. on foot. he's celebrating his impending naturalization as a u.s. citizen and we'll talk to him. it's 38 minutes after the hour. since 1894, ameriprise financial has been working hard for their clients' futures. never taking a bailout. helping generations achieve dreams.

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welcome back to "american morning." happy thanksgiving. it's 42 minutes past the hour. to celebrate his impending u.s. citizenship, our next guest decided to do something off the beaten path. he is on a walk across america to find out what it means to be american. we've been tracking his progress since his journey of discovery back in new york back in july. he's headed to los angeles. this morning he's in tuscaloosa, alabama. happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving, carol. how are you? >> it's nice to see you again. like i said, you started in new york on july 4th. we've been checking in with you regularly. for people just meeting you today, tell everyone again why you're doing this.

>> all right. so i've been in the u.s. now as a legal permanent resident for ten years and i'm now eligible for u.s. citizenship. i'm doing this primarily to celebrate the fact that i'm becoming a u.s. citizen and then also like you mention, i want to find out what it means to other people to be american. i am out to meet people and hear their thoughts. >> you have met so many great people along the way and made so many friends. you're actually taking something of a break in tuscaloosa. you're working and driving. sounds like you're cheating a bit. >> i don't know. i don't know if break is the best word to put it. i've been working. i did put the walk on pause for a few weeks. i wanted to, you know, get a better sense of life here in the

south. everyone in other parts of the country are always talking about the south as this imaginary place. i wanted to, you know, get a real sense of life here. also i was starting to run low on cash so i needed to get a job for a while and work a little bit. i got a job in construction and i've been, you know, living here and while i'm here, i have had to drive. it's hard to get around just on foot. >> i know. that's the sad thing about american cities. some cities aren't built to walk in which is kind of a sad thing because walking is good for you. you mentioned that you're an immigrant yourself. you went to a rally against the new immigration law there. what are people saying about it? >> that was really interesting. it was in birmingham on monday and there were about 2,000 people there and it's been -- that's also part of the reason why i wanted to stay here in alabama. i wanted to, you know, really

see the effects of this new law and, you know, it was interesting being there. what seems to be the main point that people are trying to get across, they want to keep families together. the main chant at the rally was one family, one alabama. and one of the problems is, you know, there are parents that were being deported or who might get deported and just get arrested and they are being separate d from their children. that's one of the main things people are concerned about. >> that law is being challenged in court. part of it has been thrown out. as an immigrant yourself, how does it feel to reside in a state for a time with an immigration call like that. >> it colors my experience a little bit different. the topic comes up whenever i

meet someone. it's what everyone is talking about. once they hear me and hear my accent and realize i'm hispanic. the topic always comes up. i'll say though, personally people have been very nice to me. i haven't really, you know, had any problems. you know, just also being an immigrant myself, i've been able to tap into the immigrant community more and make friends with other immigrants. i'm getting to really hear their stories much more personal. >> along those lines, you have been meeting people. hanging out. having some fun. we've got pictures of you enjoying a southern tradition and that would be tailgating outside an alabama football game. you look like you're having fun. are you becoming maybe kind of a southerner? >> well, i don't know.

i certainly have gotten into football. i am a big bamma fan now. i don't know. the south really is growing on me. i miss new york city. that's home. i see myself coming back here quite often. >> that's awesome. happy thanksgiving. we're glad you joined us on this thanksgiving day. continue to experience america because all parts of america you'll find fabulous things and fabulous people as you well know. thank you so much for joining us this morning. we appreciate it. >> thank you. happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving. it's 47 minutes past the hour. forget the movies. asteroid attacks are a real threat. teams of scientists are working on a master plan to avoid a potential armageddon. we'll hear from those could be heroes coming up. ben affleck is not one of them. we'll be back. congratulations.

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49 minutes past the hour. here's what you need to know to start your day. happy thanksgiving to the men and women in our military. definitely thankful for their service. our troops abroad are celebrating the holiday in a big way. the defense department says it flew in more than 160,000 pounds of turkey to iraq, afghanistan and kuwait. a time honored tradition,

macy's thanksgiving day parade. there will be more than 50 balloons floating high above manhattan including some new ones. three american college students arrested during protests in cairo during tahrir square will be held for another four days. egypt's rulers are apologizing for three dozen deaths in anti-military demonstrations. shoppers gearing up for black friday already. many big retailers plan to open at midnight tonight or even earlier. customers have been camping out hoping to snag a deal. miller says being hounded by press photographers is terrifying. she testified about british press ethics sparked by news of the world phone hacking scandal. j.k. rolwling is also scheduled

to testify. starting today the league observer in the press box in every stadium will phone access to a team's physician looking for concussion missed at the field level. that's the news you need to start your day. ameri "american morning" is back after this.

53 minutes past the hour. happy thanksgiving. welcome back. it's not just in the movies, asteroids are a real threat. i'm not kidding. thousands of space rocks hover

near earth. if one hits, it could cause a real life armageddon. >> scientists are working on a plan of attack like the old atari game where they would move wayward asteroids off course. john zarrella is live at the kennedy space center. this has been the best week of your life, hasn't it, john, you've been talking about all things space. >> reporter: it ranks right up there, i got to tell you that's for sure. we're at the kennedy space center visitor complex and a couple of days from now, just a few miles from here, nasa is going to be sending a rover to mars to search for evidence of past or even present life. we got to thinking, while we're doing all this stuff looking for life out there, how about protecting life here from stuff coming at us from out there. a nuclear blast. humanity never wants to see another one of these on the planet. off the planet, that's a

different story. rather than destroying life, it could save us from asteroid extinction. >> if you don't think there are clear danger to us, you're nearest dinosaur. >> scientists make great strides searching for life in the universe, they are working on ways to prevent massive asteroids from ending life here. like one did the dinosaurs. >> bad things happen to good planets. we know the earth has been hit by asteroids before. in the long run, i think our species has to learn how to protect the earth in that way. >> reporter: scientists say there are methods that should work. a nuclear blast knocking asteroid off its collision course or simply running into it with a spacecraft. to get a better handle on these flying rocks, nasa's first human deep space mission around 2025 is going to an asteroid. down in the florida keys, they're already planning.

>> if i chip a rock on an asteroid, it is going off. >> reporter: this astronaut is developing tools astronauts would need. >> this is a soil collection device that we cock. >> reporter: just offshore an asteroid proving ground of sorts where the tools are tested in the weightless environment beneath the surface. don't lose sleep over an asteroid impact. new findings show there are fewer of the really big ones. the size of a mountain than was thought. and none will threaten the earth for centuries. there is a downside. the smaller ones, like the one that flew by earth a couple weeks ago, astronomers say they don't know where most of those are. about 15,000 of them. >> we only have found a very small fraction of those objects yet. they could still cause considerable damage. >> reporter: like taking out a metropolitan area or an entire

state. scientists are confident if there's enough lead time, say 10 to 20 years before it would hit, they're pretty sure they'll get the asteroid before it gets us. now, the scientists out at the laboratory in california are working on all different kinds of ideas. one of them they tell us is you have to go out there with cans of spray paint and put enough spray paint on the asteroid, you add enough weight to it that will make the asteroid slide off the earth and wouldn't hit us. lots of interesting things. >> you're telling me with all of the science and technology out there all it takes is a can of spray paint? >> reporter: just a few cans. >> just a few. john zarrella, thank you. happy thanksgiving. >> reporter: sure. happy thanksgiving. still to come on "american morning," camping outside your favorite store does not guarantee you the best black friday deals. how to bring home the real bargains when this thanksgiving edition of "american morning" continues.

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thanksgiving overseas. we'll take you to the front lines where u.s. troops are celebrating this holiday. snoopy is ready. so is julius the monkey. the macy's thanksgiving day parade only hours away and we're live along the parade route. bargain hunters, almost time for black friday blitz. how to snag the best deals and steals. a century old tradition comes to an end in texas. why some football fans are calling this thanksgiving meal the last supper on this "american morning." good morning to you. happy thanksgiving. it is thursday, november 24th. ali and christine are off somewhere on this holiday soon to eat turkey. i'm carol costello along with alina cho on this "american morning." >> happy thanksgiving, everybody. celebrating 85 years, the annual macy's thanksgiving day parade

is a favorite holiday tradition and only hours away. you can expect to see some new faces floating above manhattan line sonic the hedgehog. jason carroll is live along the parade route. it's a tradition to see you there. good morning. >> reporter: you caught me off guard. you can see tom the turkey there at the start of the parade. parade now just about two hours away. as you guys know, i did this parade last year. what i'm already seeing is how huge the crowds are already out here already at this point because the weather is expected to be so nice. i want to introduce you to these guys. i was walking by. they shouted out my name. we have four generations of your family here. four generations of the family. they are from long island. you do this every year, yes? >> for the last 35 years at least. >> i want you to widen out a bit

to show how many are here. this is all one big extended family out here. how many of you guys are out here? >> 25. >> reporter: is that an accurate count? you didn't lose anybody on the way, did you? >> we're keeping count. >> reporter: obviously this is thanksgiving. what are you guys thankful for on a day like today? >> the family able to be together is great. >> reporter: thank you so much. we appreciate you guys having you here. >> happy thanksgiving. >> reporter: glad we were able to have you. this is an international thing that's going on here as well. we've got people from venezuela down there. we've got -- i said i would get holland on. holland over here. a few people here from georgia. where else do we have? where else? new jersey. we always get jersey. tennessee. i promised tennessee. virginia. pittsburgh, pennsylvania. michigan. michigan is here representing as well. it's always good to have a lot

of people here. actually 3.5 million people are expected to line the parade route this year. weather making it better. 50 million people expected to tune in. sonic the hedgehog making a debut after an 18-year absence. parade will get started two hours from now. we're going to bring it to you live. back to you. >> and snoopy, your favorite, too, jason. thank you. >> reporter: of course snoopy. >> we'll talk to you later. >> snoopy, jason is old school. a snoopy lover. one thing we are very thankful for, our brave men and women in the military serving here and overseas. we still have about 20,000 troops in iraq right now. the forces are flooding out as the december deadline for withdrawal fast approaches. thousands have been sent to kuwait waiting to be reassigned or sent back home. cnn's martin savidge is at camp virginia right now celebrating the holiday there with troops.

good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. it's a little after 3:00 in the afternoon here which means that the meal service is pretty much wound down. we started at 11:30. about 3 1/2 hours of serving what was a fabulous turkey dinner. here's the menu. they had roast turkey. carved smoked ham. roast beef. all of the trimmings. we're down to the last few. everybody left with a full stomach and empty plate. if they were giving out medals for the best turkey meals, then the young lady who is with me here, sergeant first class susan porter with minnesota national guard who was responsible along with her crew, and that's a crew, of putting together this fabulous meal. how do you think it went? >> actually, i think it went pretty smoothly. everybody came in and things went pretty well. >> reporter: you had a lot of people.

how many? >> we are still tallying everything up. we're still looking at the numbers and whatever. i'm pretty confident it was around 4,000 people. we prepared for 6,500. >> reporter: you did that in 3 1/2 hours? >> correct. >> reporter: normally you would be the mom at home, right? >> correct. >> reporter: tell us about what your meal would typically be. >> for trimmings and turkey and ham and pies and all of the good stuff. >> reporter: you're not at home. you're here. who is taking over the chore of running the family and doing the meal? >> that would be my daughter. she'll have thanksgiving for all of the kids. >> reporter: miss them? >> yes. >> reporter: happy thanksgiving. congratulations to the wonder job that you have done. thank you very much on behalf of all of us for all of them because meals like this are so important to anybody who has been stationed overseas. what was different this time and why the faces were so bright is that normally the holidays are a time when you're sad and missing

family but for many soldiers, they are going home. this is the last stop. they catch the flight and they'll be home in time for christmas. that's the hope and the plan. we wish them safe travels. happy thanksgiving by the way. >> happy thanksgiving to you. great story. i hope they all make it home by christmas. that would be the best thanksgiving day ever if they were to get that word. martin savidge, thanks so much reporting from camp virginia in kuwait. in egypt an uneasy calm in tahrir square after protesters demand the country's military rulers step down. three american students suspected of throwing molotov cocktails during the demonstrations will be held for power more days. ben wedeman is live for us in cairo this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. these three americans, young men studying at the american

university of cairo, remain in detention. they were interrogated by the egyptian police yesterday. however, that was in the presence of the console general from the american embassy. the u.s. embassy here is saying that they are just making sure that the questioning is done in a proper, legal way according to egyptian law and that these young men do have access to lawyers but beyond that, they really don't have a lot of power to influence the course of the investigation at this time. we're told they are being treated well. being kept in humane conditions but obviously the standards in egypt for detention are not necessarily those of the united states. at the moment you may be able to hear chanting down below in tahrir square more people are coming in. this is thursday, the end of the week. we're expecting another million men march tomorrow in the

square. it's more peaceful in the streets to the east of the square where we've seen around the clock clashes going on. we understand that the military has come in with bulldozers to erect dirt mounds to separate the protestors from the police. at this point the death toll from the fighting since saturday is 38 at least well over 3,000 injured. >> ben wedeman live in cairo. ben, thank you very much. >> here's something to be thankful for. no credible terror threats facing the united states right now. that's according to a notice sent to police departments by the fbi and the department of homeland security. this is the first holiday season since the death of osama bin laden. officials say in the past terror organizations plotted attacks during the holidays because of large crowds. occupy wall street organizers are planning a thanksgiving feast for thousands of protesters at new york's

zuccotti park. turkey day meals with trimmings will be prepared at a nearby kitchen space and served later this afternoon. two turkeys getting a new lease on life. liberty and peace were pardoned by the president. president obama did the honors at the white house ceremony yesterday. >> from our family to yours, i want to wish everybody a wonderful and happy and healthy thanksgiving and now since liberty and peace have been so patient, it is my privilege to grant them the official pardon. i've got to give them a little symbol. all right. what do you think. are we ready? all right. here we go. all right. are you all right, liberty? okay. i like doing that. you are hereby pardoned. >> it's like the pope.

liberty and peace will now retire to the historic home of george washington in mt. vernon. >> to spend the rest of their fat days. >> people are still traveling on this thanksgiving holiday to get to grandmother's house over the river and through the woods is what they say, bonnie schneider. what's the weather looking like? >> the weather is looking better than it could be. we still have a bit of fog out there. those of you that are driving across the south, you probably know the clouds are on the ground so we have low visibility but i can tell you that the conditions will improve. a lot of fog advisories will expire at 10:00 in the morning. if you are getting a bit of a later start, you'll get more sunny skies. i'll show you where the fog advisories are at present further off to the south and further west into oklahoma and even into the dallas area at present. as i mentioned, this should burn off as we go through the morning hours. we're looking at poor conditions in terms of low visibility well into kentucky and tennessee just to the east of nashville we'll see that. that will work its way into

north carolina. be careful. give yourself extra time and of course allow plenty of room between your car and the car in front of you. another travel trouble spot we're monitoring is northern california looking at wet weather coming into the bay area. i know it's early. some people might be up early to get that head start on the holiday traffic. overall you'll face rainy conditions in san francisco. overcast conditions in seattle and portland with lots of rain there yesterday. for those of you catching a flight, there's a lot to keep in mind for today. early clouds in boston this morning. temperatures certainly have been much colder past thanksgivings. not too bad. chicago, minneapolis, looking at fog and wind. detroit and cleveland the same. dallas and memphis face early fog with largest delays out west. seattle and san francisco with that rain coming in and the wind picking up. it's definitely going to be a little bit tough out there. the showers in the northeast will really stay more toward canada than new england after some snow there yesterday. sunshine and mild temperatures with high pressure dominating

most of the country for today. and things are looking a lot better than they originally were for new york. look at this. the parade 9:00 a.m. 54 degrees. that's mild. i can remember as a child going to the parade and bundling up. this will be nice. not as windy as we earlier anticipated. the winds will be breezy out of the northwest at 10. certainly not dangerous and that's really, really good news. high temperatures today mild across the country. all of the way into the 50s and 60s. coolers out west where clouds and showers are. back to you. >> not bad. bonnie schneider, thank you so much. still to m coucome, how to get best black friday deals without camping out or waiting in the cold. >> they call it the last supper in the lone star state. why turkey dinners in texas won't taste the same tonight. we'll explain. you're watching "american morning." it's 13 minutes after the hour.

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welcome back to "american morning" on this thanksgiving day. happy thanksgiving. if you're watching thus morning from a tent on a cold curb

outside an electronic store, your determinationis admirable but it won't necessarily guarantee you the best black friday bargains. how far are retailers willing to go to get your hard earned cash? we want to ask marshall cohen, the author of the book "buy me." great to see you. with walmart, toys "r" us and other stores, gap, kmart, all open at some point today on thanksgiving day hard to believe. it's going to happen. is there even a black friday anymore? >> not really. it's what i call the graying of black friday. you see retailers trying to get into the 21st century. brick and mortar stores competing to offer better deals earlier and earlier and think the early bird will catch the worm. >> there are so many -- it's not about coupon clipping. there are deals out there. get in early on your smartphone. you can get a better deal.

it's mind-boggling but that is the case now, isn't it? >> it's really the consumer who does pre-search and that work before hand will get rewarded with the best deals. >> let's talk about the best deals. that's what everybody is tuning in for. 152 million americans will be shopping in one way, shape or form this weekend beginning today. you know, traditionally electronics are considered to be the best deals out there this time of year. there are others, right? >> you know, this year it's really back to traditional gifts. so many of the items that we've seen in the past few years are the same hot items that we're going to be seeing again this year. so look for traditional gifts. things like sweaters, particularly cashmere sweaters, great opportunity to take advantage of that. fragrance. another good opportunity to get sale deals. even toys. early on, lot of the stores will use toys as a great lure with price. >> what about all of this that i'm hearing now that black friday is no longer the best

deal to be had. if you wait a little longer in the season, you're more apt to get a better deal. >> as the season progresses and you get closer and closer to the holidays, the deals do get better but the selection gets smaller. sometimes the best deal isn't really a great deal if it doesn't fit or it isn't the right product you want. >> you talk about pre-searching whether online or clipping the coupon the old fashioned way. what's the best way to go about doing this on this thanksgiving day when you're finishing the turkey and tired and thinking tomorrow i'll go out and shop. what should you do right now to ensure that you can get the best deal as you head out the door? >> it's actually simple. all you have to do is go to certain different sites. >> like? >> click on there and start to find out. just put in the product that you're looking for. you'll see a host of different product offerings that may give you the price of what the product is. put in good deals and you'll be able to find them. >> deals are starting right now,

aren't they? >> it's really interesting. it used to be that the retailers would never tell us what the deals were going to be on black friday. now they are actually telling us days in advance so if you did a little bit of homework and if you are now out there looking and have time to do some search, absolutely go online and look. you'll find great bargains. >> is that a function of what's been going on in the economy, do you think? >> part of it is that. the consumer hasn't been given the ultimate christmas give. the government didn't come up with a solution to the debt crisis. that was a chance to give us a great holiday with confidence. >> i have a question about discounts in general. they'll get better later in the season. you go to some websites and some things are 70% off already. this was unheard of maybe even five years ago. yet when the markets went south in 2008, i noticed that retailers really cut back on inventory but they also gave us deeper discounts, which is great

for the consumer. that's continuing, isn't it? >> the recession caught the retailer by surprise. i don't know how, but it did. really what happened was we had huge discounts on new product offers better than ever. deals of the lifetime. retailers have to anniversary those deals. what they've done is they go a year in advance in putting together promotions so they are planned and give you really good deals. it's not desperation sales. it's limited product that is meant to drive traffic into the store and they may only have 24 in a store. you have to be one of the early ones to get it. >> speaking to retailers over the last couple years saying buys are 30% less than they have been pre-2008. having said that, i want to talk big picture here. we don't have to remind people that the economy is suffering. people are out of work. you know, what is the retail outlook going forward? >> you know, over the last eight months, we've seen seven out of

the last eight months the consumer has shown with retail sales growing between .5 and 1% doesn't sound like a lot but in this economy that's really good news. so the consumer has been kind of forging through this challenging economic time. holiday is never the time when the consumer pulls back. even during the heat of the recession. even during 9/11. there was this consumer movement at holiday time to say we're going to still spend and buy nice gifts for our loved ones. the challenge will be because of the lack of confidence and consumption this year, don't look for the consumer to spend more. a small marginal growth with less self-purchasing. you may be buying that gift for somebody else. in good years you may buy one for yourself and this year you won't do that. >> one for you, two for me. less of that. great to see you as always. happy thanksgiving.

carol? >> the next list is the program focusing on creative minds. every sunday sanjay gupta focus on the future of food. >> we already know that our food taste good and it's creative. we're able to focus on the future. we're able to create futuristic things here today. to know we're one step ahead of the curve but, you know, i'm still a kid at heart. we're still always creating things that explode or light on fire just for our own personal amusement usually. >> you can catch "the next list" every sunday at 2:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. if you are planning to do holiday shopping this weekend, prepare to be monitored at the mall. you are watching "american morning." it's 22 minutes past the hour. ♪

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25 minutes past the hour. welcome back. minding your business this morning. u.s. markets are closed for

thanksgiving. investors shaking off a holiday hangover. dow skidding 236 points yesterday. the sell-off triggered by a report that chinese manufacturing has fallen to a 32-month low. estimated 152 million americans are expected to shop over the black friday weekend. that's accordsing to the national retail federation. that's up 10% from last year. two major u.s. malls, one in southern california and other in virginia will monitor every step shoppers take this weekend by tracking their cell phone signals. officials say they are just trying to identify shopping patterns. out of the disney vault and onto youtube movie rental, the google owned website is offering the first of hundreds of disney classics. google is trying to compete with others like apple and amazon who already offer movie and music rentals. "american morning" will be back after a break. lly aware, we are now printing on the back sides of used paper and we switched to fedex cause a lot of their packaging contains recycled materials. tell them what else fedex does.

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>> so long to the orange and the

white. >> happy thanksgiving. it's the end of an era in the lone star state for thousands of football loving texans this thanksgiving feels more like the last supper on this "american morning." welcome back to "american morning." your top stories now at 30 minutes past the hour. after months of bloody protests, yemen's president has stepped down. he agreed to leave after 33 years in power. he's the third leader to be swept from power in the arab spring protests this year. egypt's military apologizing for deaths around tahrir square in protests. 35 people have been killed. more than 3,000 injured in the demonstrations demanding the country's military leaders step down. meantime, three american college students suspected of

throwing molotov cocktails off a roof during the protests are being held for another four days while prosecutors investigate. after taking part in protests in cairo's tahrir square, a journalist was taken into custody. her latest tweet saying simply "i am free." >> there are no credible terror threats against the u.s. this holiday season according to a notice sent to police departments from homeland security. an official says terror organizations have plotted attacks during the holidays because of the large crowds. the macy's thanksgiving day parade celebrating 85 years is a favorite american pastime. more than 3 million people are specked to pack new york city streets with millions more watching at home. festivities kick off at 9:00 a.m. eastern. actually, are we going out there live now to talk with jason

carroll? >> maybe a little bit later. just live pictures. look at those floats. >> i can't wait to step outside of our studios. it's right in our backyard. >> we're lucky. >> happy thanksgiving to our troops overseas. we're definitely thankful for their service. the defense department delivered more than 160,000 turkey meals to iraq, kuwait and afghanistan. cnn's nick paton walsh is spending the holiday in afghanistan with troops. good morning, nick. >> reporter: this isn't just about people's holiday meal, it's about an enormous logistical operation for the pentagon. around the world moving 168,000 pounds of turkey to iraq and afghanistan. nearly 100,000 pounds worth of beef. a huge chunk of it on that table over there. a lot of it being consumed here in this dining facility. >> i would like to tell pam i love her. i'll see her soon. >> reporter: tell the camera and not me.

>> hey, pam. how you doing? love you. be back soon. >> reporter: people are pouring down the line here to get salad and various desserts. >> i'm from california, sir. >> reporter: first afghan thanksgiving? >> yes, this is my first deployment. >> reporter: and your last? >> no. probably not. >> reporter: why did you join the military? >> i wanted to do something bigger than myself. it was my calling. >> reporter: are you enjoying today so far? there's a ridiculous amount of food. >> there are a ridiculous amount of food here and i'm getting food for the rest of my co-workers. >> reporter: that's your excuse? >> yes. thank you. >> reporter: do you expect to survive the day? >> i hope so. >> reporter: nobody here aggressive toward you yet? >> not yet. >> reporter: which nationality are you? >> bosnian.

>> reporter: you won't be a turkey tomorrow? >> no. >> reporter: less dangerous being a turkey tomorrow. at the same time there's a slight tinge of sadness and remembrance here. this is the missing man table around that nato insignia, the hats of the different nationalities who served and lost people here and below it words saying we can't toast these people at this time. an enormous operation of terrifying numbers here. just to feed people for thanksgiving but also remember this is america's longest war, a decade now here in afghanistan and for many of these soldiers, it's a drawdown that begins in the coming year and it could be the last time they come back to have thanksgiving here. a sense of success for some, remembrance of others they lost and also celebration with a day with a large amount of calories. >> hello to the united states of america. i can't wait to get back. i love everybody. >> happy thanksgiving. >> reporter: nick paton walsh,

cnn. >> lots of food. my idea of thanksgiving. if you have to be overseas, let's make sure there's lots of food. >> if you are anywhere, let's make sure there's lots of food. all over texas today, college football fans will sit down for a meal dubbed the last supper. a long standing tradition is about to become a footnote in history. as ed lavandera reports, the turkey won't go down easy. ♪ good morning to texas university ♪ ♪ it's good-bye. ♪ so long to orange and white >> give them hell go horns go ♪ >> nobody imagined the fight songs would mean good-bye forever. on this thanksgiving a 117-year tradition comes to an end. thanksgiving dessert in texas has been watching the aggies and long horns play football. there aren't dinner tables big

enough to safely sit these bitter rivals. when you hear the word longhorns, what do you think? >> revolt. >> when i say aggies, what do you think of? >> it's almost like a derogatory term. it's beneath where you are standing. >> whiners. >> they are separated by 100 miles but culturally they might as well be from different planets. >> they are opposites but to some degree it's exaggerated on both sides. this rigid conservative college station mentality is one way of looking at a & m and texas in austin is pot smoking hippies. >> there's a new york outsider by birth but now a reincarnated texan. how does this compare? >> it's much worse. you never fought with your family on thanksgiving.

this is a day of rage. at the end of the day it's food and rage and then football. it all fits together very well. >> this is where the last game will be played and thanksgiving in texas may never be the same. texas a&m is leaving the big 12 athletic conference moving to s.e.c. it's a fight over uts $300 million deal with espn to create the longhorn tv network but trying to figure out when both teams will ever play again is listening to both sides of a bitter divorce. we talked to the longhorns athletic director who blames the aggies to leaving the big 12 conference. >> they made a conscious decision to move to the s.e.c. which we'll live with. if they wanted to cam back, we'll take them back. >> we headed over to talk to texas a&m president who says the longhorns should make room in their schedule to keep the rivalry alive. >> it's texas's choice in our opinion whether it goes on or not. >> reporter: historic traditions like the aggies bonfire will

disappear. no need for longhorns rally. snapshots of a rivalry that defined more than a century's worth of generations will be left. ed lavandera in austin and college station, texas. >> got both of them. that's sad. >> it is sad. it's a little bit about money or a lot a bit about money. >> i think it's all about money. >> it probably is all about money. i was being nice. >> thanksgiving. >> exactly. listen up, chefs. if you are in charge of the bird this thanksgiving, avoid turkey trauma. butterball talk line operators working the phones today to help you roast it like a pro. you can get a crispy skin and juicy meat. an expert in our studio talking turkey straight ahead. 38 minutes after the hour. you made is so good. it's got tender white meat chicken. the way i always made it for you. one more thing.... those pj's you like,

i bought you five new pairs. love you. did you see the hockey game last night? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. tltltltle emotional here? aren't you getting a little industrial? okay, there's enough energy right here in america. yeah, over 100 years worth. okay, so you mean you just ignore the environment. actually, it's cleaner. and, it provides jobs. and it helps our economy. okay, i'm listening. [announcer] at conoco phillips we're helping power america's economy with cleaner affordable natural gas... more jobs, less emissions, a good answer for everyone. so, by reducing the impact of production... and protecting our land and water... i might get a job once we graduate. i could not make working and going to school work. it was not until the university of phoenix that i was able to work full-time, be a mom, and go to school. the opportunits that i had at the university of phoenix, dealing wh profesonals teaching things that they were doing every day, got me to where i am today. i'm mayor cherie wood, i'm responsible for the largest urban renewal project in utah,

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good morning, lady liberty. happy thanksgiving, new york city. it's sunny and 36. take your coat. high of 54 later. still sunny. it's a beautiful day for a macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> or anything else i might add. an awesome shot. welcome back. happy thanksgiving. are you excited for that thanksgiving day meal or are you filled with anxiety and dread because you're in charge of cooking? have no fear. carol miller from butterball joins us with tips. we talked about thawing in the last hour of "american morning." now we're going to talk about actually cooking the turkey. you have your nicely thawed bird here. what's the first step. >> you know who cooks the turkey at my house? my husband.

>> you would think the butterball lady would cook the turkey. >> i talk turkey on thanksgiving. he needs to do the cooking. >> it starts with the right pan. make sure you have a rack. >> this is what's happening in america's homes as we speak. the turkey is thawed sitting in a shallow open pan so the air can flow around it. you put a rack on the bottom. if you don't have a rack that fits the pan, you can use carrots or i use a coil of foil. take aluminum foil and crunch it up. those will work great. if you're going to stuff the turkey, do that before you put it in. and then you can just -- i think this is fun to get kids to do this. just paint the turkey. you can just brush on or if you want to use one of those sprays you can. this is just vegetable oil.

>> is that better than butter? >> you can use butter. it has milk solids in it so sometimes it gets splotchy. if that's your family tradition, use butter. something to give it a pretty sheen. >> we do have a question via facebook about basting the turkey. i'll read it verbatim here. does rubbing herb butter under the skin help the moistness of the turkey. she wants to go under the skin. >> using this method you could because it's a way to tweak it and make it your own. you would put your hand in there and lift the skin up and get your butter and put it in there. it's messy. might be something you get someone else to do. it adds more flavor. when you ask about basting, the skin of the turkey is not very porous. it's like a raincoat. it goes to the bottom of the pan. if your family tradition is to baste, that's okay. you don't want to get rid of

those traditions. what you want to do is not do it too often because what happens, you open the oven door, heat is in the kitchen. it's going to take longer. >> let's talk about cooking the turkey. how warm -- what should the temperature be? >> the temperature is important. at this point if you don't have a thermometer call a guest and have them bring one. it's really, really important. we've got it in there. put it into the oven at 325. it's so simple. we've done it. >> the biggest question i have about cooking the turkey is you hear a lot of an hour per pound or so many minutes per pound. what's the formula. >> it really depends on the method that you are using. this one if you have a 10 to 18-pound turkey, it's going to roast up in about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. if you have a turkey that's stuffed, you need longer.

my suggestion is always test the turkey. you want a juicy turkey. >> it's not a certain amount of minutes per pound. >> it doesn't really work. there's tiny little turkeys that are six pounds and great big turkeys. science 101 has to do with heat distribution that's beyond what we need to know. use your formula for the method that you're using. sometimes people get confused about that. >> one last quick question. someone wonders if you baste in red bull if that would countereffect the acts the -- >> i don't know. there are those people that talk about you getting that turkey coma. i'm one of them. >> i know. butterball has been making it better. as we speak those ladies are manning those phones. if you have a question, make

sure you call them. >> carol miller, thank you. you'll be back in the next hour for more tips. >> that's right. we'll be giving you tips on carving the turkey and what in the world to do with all of the leftovers. that's my favorite part. if you have questions, tweet them to us at cnnam using the hash tag turkey talk or go to "american morning" facebook page. 47 minutes after the hour. we're back after this. that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and $250 goes to your choice of 5 charities. with your help, we can reach $20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year. [ knock on door ] cool. you found it. wow. nice place. yeah. [ chuckles ] the family thinks i'm out shipping these. smooth move. you used priority mail flat rate boxes.

if it fits, it ships for a low, flat rate. paid for postage online and arranged a free pickup. and i'm gonna track them online, too. nice. between those boxes and this place, i'm totally staying sane this year. do i smell snickerdoodles? maybe. [ timer dings ] got to go. priority mail flat rate shipping at usps.com. a simpler way to ship. sir, can you hear me? just hold the bag. we need a portable x-ray, please! [ nurse ] i'm a nurse. i believe in the power of science and medicine. but i'm also human. and i believe in stacking the deck.

48 minutes after the hour. here are your morning headlines. u.s. markets are closed for the thanksgiving holiday and there will be an abbreviated session tomorrow with closing bell ringing at 1:00. overnight in asia, japan's nikkei was down nearly 2% sinking to its lowest level in 32 months. european stocks trading slightly higher this morning. the northeast is thankful for clear, sunny weather today. take a look at the map. more snow and rain is in the forecast for the northwest. spots of rain this thanksgiving day in the southwest as well. a time honored tradition macy's thanksgiving day parade. there will be more than 50 balloons floating high above manhattan including some new ones. julius the monkey. the parade begins at 9:00 a.m. eastern time. occupy wall street organizers here in new york city are planning a thanksgiving feast for thousands of protesters at zuccotti park. turkey day meals with trimmings will be prepared at a local

kitchen and served in the park this afternoon. a very special thanksgiving matchup. san francisco 49ers coach will battle it out on the gridiron with harbaugh will battle it out on the field with his brother. the first time in history the two brothers face each other as head coaches. that's the news you need to know to start your day. "american morning" is back after a quick break.

it is 51 minutes past the hour. this news just in to cnn. egyptian authorities are in the process of releasing three american students being held in cairo on suspicion of taking

part in that big protest against the country's ruling military council. joining us on the phone, joy sweeney, her son, derrik is one of the three captured. this has to be the greatest thanksgiving news you have ever gotten. >> it is absolutely incredible. we are just so blessed and so grateful right now. god is awesome. can't wait to give him a big hug. >> what have you heard? >> well, we actually -- i talked to mr. roberto powers on the phone, i don't know, about an hour ago. and it was confirmed officially. they are, all three of them have been released and the attorney general is not going to appeal. and as i was speaking to mr. powers, the boys were being taken to a physician for a medical examination and from there they were going to be taking the boys back to the police station for them to be officially, all the paperwork

being processed for them to be released and then from there, somehow either the university or the counselor, somebody was going to get them back to their dorm rooms. at that point in time, we would probably hear from them. >> i was just going to ask you, have either you or your husband talked to your son? >> no, no, no. they don't have their -- until they get the police station, they will not get their cell phones back. >> did your husband talk to your son yesterday at any point? >> no, i did. >> you did. >> right after i think i talked to you. >> tell us what his mood was like then. >> he was still terrified. he was very, very concerned. adamant that they didn't do anything wrong. very confused. you know, gosh. just, just grateful to hear from me and i just let him know about the outpouring of love and support that he was receiving from all the world.

>> he will eventually get back to his dorm today. will he be coming home then? sgl >> yes, yes. >> no question there. yes, he will. >> i'm adamant. yes, we haven't confirmed that with him, but mr. powers said derrik was one of the people that conveyed that he was ready to leave and mr. powers said he would strongly advice it. he said their pictures have been plastered all over the news, all over the news over there. it wouldn't really be safe or prudent for him to stay in the country. >> so, what is the first thing you're going to say to your son when you see him in person and you're able to throw your arms around him? >> like i said, i cannot wait to give him a big hug. you know, i'm so, you know, i'm going to say i love him, i love him, i love him and i'm so excited he's home. and i just can't express how jubulent i am right now.

i am just so happy. >> that's so, so awesome. throw some turkey in the freezer and save it for him. >> okay. we haven't even bought one yet. >> yeah, you got bigger things on your mind, i guess. >> yeah, it was one of those thanksgiving holidays where buying food was the last thing on our list, okay. >> so awesome. >> but, anyway, we will definitely enjoy it and have so much to be thankful for. not that we didn't already. but now one more thing to add to our list. >> happy, happy thanksgiving, joy sweenen. thank you so much. we were glad you were able to share your happy news with us. >> it's incredible. talk about a thanksgiving to be thankful for. i mean, really, just this morning we were reporting that they might still be in custody for another four days. so, it's really incredible and very, very happy news. good for her and good for their family. top stories are next, including an amazing story. shrinking after the year-long

drought in texas. now those receding waters are revealing deep secrets. old ghost towns reemerging from the depths. a flood of sticky, gooey black muck stops traffic on a pennsylvania turnpike for 40 miles. what on earth is that stuff? we'll tell you. what are you doing tonight? eating thanksgiving dinner or hunting down thanksgiving deals? or maybe both. stores are opening up earlier and earlier. have stores crossed the line by intruding on the national holiday? what do you think? 56 minutes after the hour. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics...

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good morning, washington. it's clear and 42 degrees. i thought we were going to have a picture of the capitol, but we're not. instead, we're looking at the set up for the macy's thanksgiving day parade about to get under way. all the details for you live.

good morning, everybody. i'm alina cho. a thanksgiving dilemma with so many stores offering black friday bargains. food, football and family for you or finding the hottest deals on this "american morning." and good morning. happy thanksgiving. it is thursday, november 24th. ali and christine have the day off. i hope they're having fun. i'm sure they're having fun with their families. >> or they're sleeping. >> i'm sure christine is working probably now. >> i'm sure. i'm alina cho along with carol costello. we begin with breaking news. egyptian authorities in the process of releasing three american students who were held in cairo on suspicion of taking part of the violence during a tahrir square protest against the country's military rulers. just a few minutes ago, we spoke with joy sweeney, the most of one of the freed students and

she said the three of them will get a medical examination before being officially released. and at least her son is coming home. >> she is one happy woman this morning. >> that's right. a day of celebration and tradition and what's more traditional than the macy's thanksgiving day parade. now celebrating its 85th year jason carroll live along the parade route making new friends. >> hello to you, carol. you know, i like to serve it up a little old school. joining me for this live shot are some of my friends from sesame street. i got elmo. you know elmo. i have zoe here and also rosita. what are you having this thanksgiving? >> turkey! >> turkey? i know you guys will sing a song, right? >> "meet me on sesame street." >> have you practiced? are you all ready?

>> who else are you looking forward to seeing in this year's parade. >> elmo doesn't know who else is in it. >> zoe, too. i think all you guys are the stars. >> do you know? >> well, i know big bird is on the float. >> really? >> yes. >> so, maybe he'll sing with you so some. that will be fun. what would you say to all those kids out there watching? >> we love you. >> we love you. >> enjoy your families. >> happy thanksgiving. >> right around the corner is christmas. >> we're not ready for christmas yet. also, i know two of your biggest fans are alina cho and carol costello. >> right at the critical moment. >> happy thanksgiving. >> this is my -- back to you.

parade starting in about an hour, right? >> we're ready, you guys. >> we got the gist of it. even with the technical problems, it was fun. >> group hug. >> oh. bottom line, they're big fans of us. >> they love us, that's what they said. >> happy thanksgiving, jason, thank you. let's go to atlanta and check in with bonnie schneider to see if any nasty weather is moving in today. good morning, bonnie. >> great weather for sesame street and everybody out at the parade enjoying nice conditions, which is great news. originally, it looked like a windy one. i don't think we'll see the strong winds. in fact, temperatures climbing into the mid-50s. that is nice for this time of year in new york. you'll feel a cool breeze and nothing too strong. it should be really, really nice for this parade for this year. for those of you driving and a lot of people not quite where you want to be just quityet. if you're on the road in texas

and oklahoma, there is quite a bit of fog. holds true for tennessee and kentucky. visibility in some areas less than a quarter of a mile. allow plenty of room between your car and the car in front of you as you head on the roads. if you're up early in the bay area and san francisco, lots of rain coming through, still early there this morning and heading on the roads, just be careful because we're seeing a lot of wet areas out west. that's where we're anticipating the longest airport delays today. seattle and san francisco, they could be up to an hour as we go through the morning and the afternoon today. otherwise, low clouds in boston. look for delays there. in the midwest, chicago and minneapolis facing delays, as well as detroit and cleveland. i mention that fog in dallas and memphis, but the good news is it will burn off and we'll see sunshine developing and very mild temperatures. in fact, most of the country enjoying a fairly mild thanksgiving. there's always exceptions and, as you look a little cooler in seattle and portland in the 40s. but important to note for those of you heading out to an early start to black friday, like tonight, temperatures

comfortable if you're waiting in line to catch your best sale in the stores. the stores are opening pretty early. you won't have to leave too early. >> that sounds really fun to me. >> bonnie, thank you. speaking of which, food, family and football are scoring that 42 inch tv for 100 bucks. a tough choice for millions of americans this black friday as black friday and turkey thursday collide. here's maggie lake. >> reporter: as millions of americans sit down for their thanksgiving feast this thursday -- many others will spend their evening in a much less tranquil setting. don't look now, but black friday is fast turning into black thursday. among the chains opening their doors thanksgiving day, walmart. where stores are offering holiday deals beginning at 10:00 p.m. toys "r" us, where most stores open at 9:00. macy's, target and other chains that used to open early friday

morning will now open at the stroke of midnight. some who follow the retail scene call this a troubling trend. >> it's like, where is it going to stop? are we going to be open all night on christmas eve or christmas day and have thanksgiving next year or is everybody just going to be at target? >> reporter: a backlash has already begun. thousands signed a petition for targt to open later, with thousands already shopping online on thanksgiving, analysts say retailers have no choice. >> i would say, you better do everything you can to get those customers in as early as possible. they only have x dollars to spend. that's all they're going to spend. the idea that the stores have is we better get those dollars first because once they spend it, they're done. >> reporter: still, shoppers in times square are not happy at all with the prospect of trading dinner for deals. >> to have to weigh, am i going to get together for thanksgiving with my family or go save a couple bucks. it's a shame, i think.

>> i think they should wait unit thill day after, 8:00 in the morning, 9:00 in the morning. >> reporter: in florida shoppers are already camped out. big crowds are expected by thanksgiving afternoon. >> i think there are tremendous lines and i think there's going to be fights over the doorbusters. the stores aren't doing anything wrong. they're offering the consumer more convenience. more time to shop. more deals. what are they angry about? >> never underestimate the power of an eye popping deal, especially in these troubled economic times. maggie lake, cnn, new york. >> well, speaking of shopping, be prepared to be monitored at the mall. two major u.s. malls will track every step that shoppers take by monitoring their cell phone signals. are you kidding me? officials at the mall in southern california and richmond, virginia, say no personal data will be collected, insisting they're trying to identify shopping patterns. >> makes you want to hang out in

the bathroom in the mall constantly to mess up their monitoring thing. back to our breaking news this morning, egyptian authorities in the process of releasing three american students who are held in cairo on suspicion of taking part of the violence during the tahrir square protest against the country's military rulers. let's bring in cnn's ben wedemen he's live in cairo. what do you know, ben? >> well, we've heard from the spokesman that these three young men, students at the university of american cairo detained by egyptian security forces accused of participating in these protests. accused of throwing molotov cocktails have been released. these three young men we're told have been released by a judge. we're still, we haven't gotten confirmation from embassy authorities here, but it appears they are free at the moment.

alina? >> ben, this is carol costello. we talked to joy sweeney, derrik's mother, earlier. the boys were going to get a medical exam and then brought back to their dorm and then probably they would have to leave the country because things would be too dangerous for them to stay. >> well, it's hard to say if it's dangerous for them to stay. but their faces have been all over egyptian television and certainly it might be a wise idea to get them out of the country. whether they actually did anything or not. alina? >> it's hard to know at this point. you know, we'll have to wait and hope that we can speak to those students at some point soon. ben wedemen in cairo, thank you very much. still ahead, thinking of and being thankful for our brave military service members. we're not just, we're not just saying we're doing it, how you can get involved with holiday

mail for heroes, next p. nine minutes past the hour. can i help you? yeah, can i get a full-sized car? for full-sized cars, please listen to the following menu. for convertibles, press star one. i didn't catch that. to speak to a representative, please say representative now. representative. goodbye! you don't like automated customer service, and neither do we. that's why, unlike other cards, no matter when you call chase sapphire preferred, you immediately get a person not a prompt. chase sapphire preferred. a card of a different color. (phone ringing) chase sapphire preferred, this is julie in springfield. [ male announcer ] we're not employers or employees. not white collar or blue collar or no collars. we are business in america. and every day we awake to the same challenges. but at prudential we're helping companies everywhere find new solutions to manage risk, capital and employee benefits,

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activate after rain is detected to help improve braking performance. we don't just make luxury cars. we make cadillacs. good morning, washington. looking like a beautiful day. fair skies right now. 39 degrees. the sun will shine later, too, with a high of 59. >> what a gorgeous way to wake up on this thanksgiving. >> i know, it's a beautiful shot. they could have ended up next to mashed potatoes and stuffing. that's so cold, isn't it? but two turkeys caught the luckiest break ever. president obama pardoned the two named liberty and peace in a time honored thanksgiving

tradition. that's liberty. peace is not pictured because peace, you know, is kind of shy. president issued an executive order at a white house ceremony yesterday. watch. >> from our family to yours, i want to wish everybody a wonderful and happy and healthy thanksgiving. and now since liberty and peace have been so patient, it is my privilege to grant them the official pardon. i've got to give them a little symbol. all right. what to you think? are we ready? all right. here we go. okay. you are hear by pardoned. >> there you go. liberty and peace will now retire to george washington's home in mt. vernon. >> we want to give thanks to our

men and women in military this thanksgiving. we want to show you a fun and simple way to show your gratitude. holiday mail for heroes. started by the red cross five years ago. since then, they received 5.3 million cards for our troops. the cards are screened by the red cross. with me now sam, the chief spokesman for the red cross and a former marine himself. good morning. >> good morning, happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving to you. you know, this is such a simple gesture that could make such a difference for our wounded warriors. tell us how this program works. >> well, basically, you know, anyone at home can take out pen, paper, construction paper, greeting cards and just send a simple thank you. when you think about it, our troops are out there, we have thanksgiving because of them. this is just a really simple way to acknowledge what they're doing for us. >> where do you send them to? >> you send them to a box office address where they are screened and then sent out to red cross

volunteers all across the country and around the world. we're stationed with our troops all over the world. >> if you just google holiday mail for heroes it will come up. >> you can go to our website. >> perfect. you can also do cards online, right? >> you can select cards online. you can make them at home. however you want to do it. we make it really simple for everybody. >> you know, some people might be saying, why don't i send a card myself to walter reed or maybe i can get it that way. it won't go to the troops if you send it that way. >> unfortunately, no, after 9/11 and the anthrax scare, they stopp stopped that. we can actually get these cards into the hands of our troops, as well as wounded warriors at hospitals across the world. >> it's such a great service and so needed, especially at this time of year. you know, your father was a marine. we mentioned that you were a marine. just give ossense of what

exactly this does to troops in terms of morale, especially at this time of year. >> i remember one of my first christmases away from home i was on a ship in barcelona, spain. i thought, how cool is that, i'm going to be in spain. as soon as we got off the ship there streets were barren and we went back to ship, it's a lonely feeling. just getting a simple touch of home could brighten the holidays for these young men and women. >> in fact, you brought some cards with you, right? >> i'm hoping that you and the crew here will sign some of these for us. it is really a simple way just to thank our troops for what they're doing. >> i don't have to address it to anyone. just happy thanksgiving, happy holidays. >> happy holidays. >> wonderful, i'll do that right now. and tell us, again, if you are watching right now and you want to do this, it's as easy as picking up a card or going online to the red cross website. >> go to redcross.org/holiday mail. all the cards need to be in by

december 9th so we can get them overseas in time. >> i'll finish the signing a little bit later. sam with the american red cross, we thank you and happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving. >> just a reminder, if you want to send a card, mail it by december 9th. po box 5456. capitol heights, maryland. if you need the address or want to create a card online, go to redcross.com/holidaymail and link the site on our blog, cnn.com/am. coming up next, "occupy wall street" protests spreading to the nba. that's right, "occupy nba," next. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪

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22 minutes past the hour. minding your business this morning. u.s. stock markets are closed today for the holiday. an abbreviated session tomorrow with the closing bell sounding at 1:00 p.m. eastern. nikkei down 2%. european stocks trading slightly higher this morning. groupon's big discount these days is groupon. shares fell 14% yesterday, the third straight day of massive declines. groupon shares have fallen nearly 40% this eweek. rupert murdoch's son, james, has resigned from the boards of two companies that purchased news corp. newspapers. came under fire for the phone hacking scandal. james murdoch remains chairman and deputy chief operating officer of news corp. a record number of shoppers,

about 152 million of them are gearing up for black friday and so are the stores. many big retailers plan to open tonight. among the major big box stores, toys "r" us will open its doors at 9:00 p.m. eastern tonight followed by walmart at 10:00 p.m. in the meantime, the "occupy wall street" movement has a new target, holiday shopping. planning to march on wall street stores and organizing sit-ins at malls to protest consumer overconsumption. here's one more, "occupy the nba" new york basketball fans staged a protest outside of madison square garden. calling for full refund for knicks and nets season tickets and demanding an end to the lockout. an upcoming day of solidarity will take place that will take place at arenas around the country. up next, the three american college students jailed in cairo have been freed this morning. we'll hear from one of their very joyous and thankful mothers. that's coming up next. "american morning" is back after

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it's me? alright emma, i know it's not your favorite but it's time for your medicine, okay? you ready? one, two, three. [ both ] ♪ emma, emma bo-bemma ♪ banana-fana-fo-femma ♪ fee-fi-fo-femma ♪ em-ma very good sweety, how do you feel? good. yeah? you did a really good job, okay? let's go back to drawing.

27 minutes after the hour. breaking news just in to cnn. three american college students who were arrested in egypt on suspicion of taking part in those violent profetests have n been released by a judge in cairo. they were accused of throwing molotov cocktails. >> after taking part in the protests in cairo's tahrir square taken into custody. she tweeted that she was arrested and beaten at egypt's interior ministry. her latest tweet bringing better news. it says simply, i am free. no terror threats against the u.s. this holiday season, according to notice sent by the fbi by homeland security. this is thirst if holiday season since the death of osama bin laden. officials say in the past terror

organizations like al qaeda plotted attacks because they could target large crowds. believe it or not, this is not holiday traffic. more than 100 cars literally stuck on the pennsylvania turnpike and the turnpike itself, the pavement was covered in sticky, black tar. a tanker truck dropped the stuff over nearly a 40-mile stretch. workers covered the goo with sand to make it dry faster, but some cars just got stuck. >> talk about a thanksgiving downer on your way to grandmother's house. this is less than 30 minutes away, more than 3 million people expected to pack new york city streets for the annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. 85th annual, by the way. you're looking live at the crowds and the balloons, 50 balloons in all. some of them new and some of them old like snoopy. the festivities kick off at 9:00 a.m. eastern time. >> the weather is going to be fantastic. tell us more, bonnie schneider.

>> looks like it is going to be great for all the parade goers. i think at least you're not going to be bundled up too badly. we're also not expecting the intense wind that was forecast early on. that is more good news. plenty of sunshine. the winds will be cool because they will be out of the northwest at ten miles per hour. keep that in mind. you'll definitely need a jacket if you're heading to watch the parade. if you're driving today in texas or oklahoma, we will have low visibility and that means fog to start us off. it won't last long. by 10:00 this morning, a lot of that fog will burn off and in the meantime the visibility will be poor and less than a quarter of a mile eastward. another travel trouble spot is out west and you can see in san francisco, plenty of rain rolling into the area, i know it's early out there, if you're planning to catch a flight this morning, that may impact you because we are anticipating delays there. look for delays to the north and east in boston due to low clouds and chicago and detroit, cleveland, dallas and memphis. and most of those delays will be

in the morning due to fog. across the country, high pressure for the eastern half of the u.s. and that means fair conditions with lots of sun. temperatures are actually going to be mild for many locations for today. notice memphis high is 64 degrees and chicago 56. new york city 54 and even boston is 46, which isn't bad at all for november. 64 in albuquerque. for those of you heading out tonight, i say tonight because black friday is getting an early start. some of the stores open 10:00 this evening, maybe you're heading out there midnight. well, good news. you won't have to bundle up too much. the temperatures pretty much above freezing in the eastern half of the country. it will be cold for those of you in denver, down to 27 salt lake down to 27. for the rest of black friday, traditional shopping hours, nice conditions across the country. very mild this year for thanksgiving. carol and alina, definitely could be a lot colder and certainly has been in years past. great shopping weather and parade weather in new york. >> especially after a week of

rain in new york. bonnie, thank you very much. back to our breaking news. egyptian authorities releasing three american students who were held in cairo on suspicion of taking part in the violence during week-long protests in cairo's tahrir square against the country's military rulers. just a few minutes ago we spoke with joy sweeney. she is the mother of one of the freed students. she got a phone call with the good news earlier today. >> we are just so blessed and grateful right now. god is awesome. can't wait to give him a big hug. >> what have you heard? >> well, i talked to mr. roberto powers on the phone, i don't know, about an hour ago. and it was confirmed officially, he is, they are all three of them have been released and the attorney general is not going to appeal. and as i was speaking to mr. powers, the boys were being taken to a physician for medical

examination and from there they were going to be taking the boys back to the police station for them to be officially all the paperwork being processed for them to be released and then from there, somehow, either the university or the consolet, somebody was going to get them back to their door rooms and then we'll hear from them. >> have either you or your husband talked to your son? >> no, no, no. they don't have their -- until they get to the police station, they won't have their cell phone backs. no, we have not been able to speak to them yet. >> did your husband talk to your son at any point? >> no, i did. right after i think i talked to you. >> so, tell us what his mood was like then? >> he was still terrified. he was very, very concerned. adamant that they didn't do anything wrong. very confused. you know, gosh, just, just grateful to hear from me and i

just let him know about the outpouring of love and support he was getting from all around the world. >> he will eventually get back to his dorm today. will he be coming home then? >> yes, yes. >> no question there. yes, he will. >> adamant. you know, i mean, we haven't confirmed that with him, but mr. powers said that derrik was one of the people that conveyed that he was ready to leave. and mr. powers said he would strongly advise it. he said their pictures have been plastered all over the news, all over the news over there. he said it wouldn't really be safe or prudent for him to stay in the country. >> so, what is the first thing you're going to say to your son when you see him in person and you're able to throw your arms around him? >> like i said, i cannot wait to give him a big hug. i don't know if i'll let go of him for the entire rest of the day. i'm so, you know, i'm going to say i love him, i love him, i

love him. i'm so ecstatic that he's home and i just can't express how jubulent i am right now. i am just so happy. >> that's so, so awesome. throw some turkey in the freezer and save it for him. >> okay. we haven't even bought one yet. okay. >> yeah, you got bigger things on your mind, i guess. >> yeah. >> joy -- >> it was one of those thanksgiving holidays that buying food was the last thing on our list. >> so awesome. >> anyway, we will, we will definitely enjoy it and have so much to be thankful for. >> joy sweeney. derrik is coming home soon. >> talk about being able to hear joy through the phone like that. i mean, that will be a thanksgiving she will never forget, certainly. good for them. and her son will be coming home soon. want to talk turkey now. thanksgiving, of course. you're going to be having a table full of holiday hungry guests or you're going to

somebody's house. either way, no way to mess around. how do you carve a turkey once it's done? get a leg up with last-minute tips from the pros. look at that crowd. , i wouldn'te that single miles credit card. hey, aren't you... shhh. i'm researching a role. today's special... the capital one venture card. you earn double miles on every purchase. impressive. chalk is a lost medium. if you're not earning double miles... you're settling for half. was that really necessary? [ male announcer ] get the venture card at capitalone.com and earn double miles on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? cover for me. i have an audition.

just 20 minutes more, the macy's thanksgiving day parade about to get under way. good morning, new york. sunny and 39 degrees and later a gorgeous day with a high of 54. chamber of commerce perfect, i might add. welcome back on this thanksgiving. happy thanksgiving, everybody. getting real about your thanksgiving meal. butterball thanksgiving hotline helped 100,000 poor souls last year is answering calls, e-mail, even tweets today. some 12,000. carol miller from butterball has been with us all morning and we have been talking about prepping and putting it in the oven and now it's out. how do you carve it? what's the first thing you should know? wh how long should it sit out? >> let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes. the juices settle and it's a lot

easier. >> that's agony, though. >> one of the calls our experts get is my turkey is ready and my company isn't coming for an hour. what you do, put it on the kitchen counter and put foil over it or towels on it. it will keep it warm. it's fine. it will be nice and cozy in there. >> that is a good tip. you can't time it perfectly. >> let's get to the carving. sharp knife is really important. so, you know, start -- >> no electric carves knives any more. >> no, that's great. but make sure your knife is sharp. now, butterball has this wonderful band of skin. you cut through that and you then do the skin that is between the breast and the dark meat. and mother nature is really good. there's a joint in there and i'm not going to pop it off completely. there is a joint in there that you put the tip of your knife

into that joint. you don't have to cut through the bone. you can snap that. so, we're going to pretend that that's off. >> i didn't know there was such a science to it. then, what you do is just go, you are saying, well, what are you doing down there? the breast is up there. what you're doing is making a cut through there right above the wing there and then you go up the breast and slice down. so, that when i get to that first cut, it is just going to slide off. now, the experts at the talk line get this question on how to carve all the time is you can imagine it's a little tricky to describe it over the phone, but what's good is that there are videos on butterball.com that if you are the person that is going to do the, you know, 60% of the people actually carve in the kitchen, but if you're on the show and you're in front of all the family and friends -- >> you have to do it at the table so people can laugh at you. >> i always say have a good

story or make everyone say what they're thankful about so they're not paying attention to you. >> so, is it important to cut the meat on a slant? >> you know what, you want to go so you're in the right way of the grain. so, just keep going up and that's it. now, here's what also is important. we've feasted. everyone has enjoyed and they had dessert and every member to get the turkey and all the trimmings back into the refrigerator in about two hours. don't wait and don't go play football or shopping or whatever. >> leave the turkey on the table and get back six hours later. >> two hours is the limit. >> that's the rule that you should remember. >> what about my favorite day, the day after where you can eat the leftovers. you know, i was asking you earlier about this, if you want leftovers, you should account for about a pound and a half per person. >> correct. >> my turkey comes to my table

huge. more than i need because i want those leftovers. and what you want to do is you cannot eat them in about three to four days, package them up in recipe ready packages. two cups of cubed turkey and put it in a package and pop it into the freezer. now it's christmas and you're so bidsy and you've got shopping. pull it out and put that turkey right into a salsa soup. we have great recipes. >> what are some of the better recipes? >> you know, great recipes. i like comfort food. we have a great recipe for a four-cheese turkey mac and cheese. how can you go wrong for that? the turkey salsa soup is a soup where you just have to, you don't cook -- >> this is good for you ladies. >> it's just leftover turkey, soup, can of beans, can of corn and some hot salsa.

>> that doesn't sound so hard. >> there you go. >> you always have to get the wish bone out of the turkey. where is the wish bone in the turkey because that is the most fun of thanksgiving in my mind. >> it is. i was one of four and there was always a fight about that. it is right there. >> so you take the meat off there and you pull it out. >> give your brother the slippery end. >> that is a good idea. there is one tricky end. >> i wish you could all smell this turkey. it is magnificent. carol miller, so fun this morning. so informative for us. >> i think next year i'm going to do it. i'm going to try, once again, to make a turkey. even though my first turkey making was a complete disaster. >> not complete. >> it was bad. if we didn't answer your questions this morning, feel free to reach out to butterball. 1-800-butterball. also answering questions via facebook and twitter. help is one tweet away. we have the carving of the turkey down, what about tossing

the turkey. check this out, several contestants lined up for a chance to win 50 bucks and a turkey trophy, not to mention turkey trash talking rights. look at that. little light bowling but turkey tossing is what it's called. the game is simple. whoever knocks down the most pins wins. the secret is, don't wear a coat. he was so cold and shaking so badly it actually improved his throw. >> that's such a terrible waste of turkeys. but it looks fun. morning headlines coming your way, next. an end of an era in the lone star state for hundreds of football loving texans. this thanksgiving feels more like the last supper. it's 45 minutes past the hour.

yeah. it's electric. i don't think so. it's got a gas tank right here. electric tank, right over here. an electric tank? really, stu? is that what you pour the electricity in? it's actually both, guys. i can plug in and go 35 miles gas free, or i can fill up and go a whole lot farther. is that my burger? oh. i just got bun. i didn't even bite any burger.

46 minutes after had hour. here are your morning headlines on this thanksgiving day. freedom for three american college students held in egypt. they were released by a judge in cairo this morning. the students were arrested on suspicion of taking part in violent protests gebs the ruling military council in cairo's tahrir square. egypt's military rulers are apologizing for the deaths of nearly three dozen demonstrators over the last week. protesters have clashed with police in and around tahrir square demanding that the country's military leadership step down. actress sienna miller says

being hounded by the british press has made her scared and paranoid. she is testifying before a government panel, it follows allegations of widespread phone hacking by the now defunked "news of the world." u.s. markets are closed for the holiday and an abbreviated session tomorrow with the closing bell ringing at 1:00 eastern time. overnight in asia, japan's nikkei was down nearly 2%, sinking to the lowest level in 32 months. european stocks trading slightly higher this morning. the northeast is thankful for clear, sunny weather today. but more snow and rain in the forecast for the northwest. spots of rain this thanksgiving day in the southwest, as well. the macy's thanksgiving day parade kicks off in just a couple of minutes and they're ready to go. live pictures now looking down on central parwest in manhatt manhattan. there will be more than 50 balloons s floating high above manhattan. this is the parade's 85th

anniversary. "occupy thanksgiving" occupy organizers here in new york city are planning a thanksgiving feast for thousands of protesters at zuccotti park. all about family and football today. san francisco 49ers coach jim harbaugh will battle it out on the gridiron with his older brother, john, the baltimore ravens coach on this thanksgiving day. the first time in nfl history that two brothers face each other as head coaches. that's the news you need to know to start your day. "american morning" is back after this.

it's beautiful weather nearly everywhere in the country. this is a picture of chicago. cloudy and 42 degrees, but, boy, a great day. partly cloudy and 55 later on. >> happy thanksgiving, everybody. you're with us on this holiday. all over texas today college football fans sitting down at the dinner table for a meal that is dubbed the last supper. a long-standing thanksgiving tradition is about to become a footnote. as our ed lavandera reports, the turkey won't go down easy. ♪ ♪ so long to the orange and the white ♪ >> go, horns, go. >> reporter: no one imagined the good-byes and the fight songs that texas a&m would mean good-bye forever. on this thanksgiving, a 117-year tradition comes to an end.

thanksgiving dessert in texas has been watching the aggies and longhorns play football. >> when you hear the word longhorns, what do you think? >> revulsion. >> piece of beef to me is something i eat for dinner. >> i kind of want to throw up a little bit. >> when i say aggies, what do you think of? >> almost like a derogatory term in a sense. you think beneath where you're standing. >> ran off after 100 years of abuse. >> reporter: ut and texas a&m are separated. >> a&m is self-defined by the core. this ridged, conservative college station mentality is sort of one way of looking at a&m and texas being in haaustina bunch of hippies. >> reporter: a new york outsider by birth now a reincarnated

texan. you know the rivalries. how does this compare to the yankees? >> you never fought with your family on thanksgiving. this is a day of rage. at the end of the day, it's about food and rage and football. >> reporter: this is where the last game will be played and thanksgiving in texas may never be the same. texas a&m is leaving the big 12 athlic conference and moving to the sec. mostly a fight over the $300 million deal with espn to create the longhorn tv network, but trying to figure out when both of these teams will ever play again is like listening to both sides of a bitter divorce. we talked to longhorns athletic director who blames the aggies for leaving the big 12 conference. >> they made a conscious decision to move to the sec, which we're going to live with. if they wanted to come back, we'd take them back. >> reporter: then we headed over to talk to texas a&m president. he said they should make room in their schedule to keep the

rivalry alive. >> we hope they will simply reconsider. >> reporter: historic traditions like the aggies bonfire will disappear and no need for the longhorn/tex rally. defined more than a century's worth of generations will be left. in austin and college station, texas. >> don't forget the sign off from both places. great story. >> at least for the last swan song, huh? speaking of texas, this is an amazing story. the year-long drought for people living 90 miles north of san antonio. look at lake buchanan. 20 feet lower than normal because of the extreme heat this summer and beneath the receding waters, you can now see the buried town of bluffton. it was swallowed up by the lake back in the 1930s and now resurfaced complete with an old cotton gin, a general store and even the town's cemetery. >> that's amazing. >> like the lost city of

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3.5 million strong party in the usa, specifically in new york city. macy's thanksgiving day parade getting ready to start in just a couple of minutes and what a picture perfect day. sunny and 40 degrees going up to a high of 54. >> i know it's going to be such a gorgeous day. so, bonnie schneider. give us some more good news. >> there's lots of good news because if you're not watching the parade or cooking turkey or maybe you're doing all of this at the same time, you're probably watching football today. we have the game day forecast for you. let's check it out. beautiful in new york for the parade and very nice for the game in baltimore, maryland. 49erss the ravens. two brothers that are coaches facing off today. 49 degrees. that's pretty nice. westerly winds. a little colder in detroit at ford field, we'll look at the kickoff time at 12:30 p.m.

eastern time. so, winds will be out of the south, southwest. that will make it feel a little milder and mix of sun and clouds for the packers versus the lions. two very good weather days for football, i'm very happy to say. another bit of good news, temperatures in the 40s in new york, but warming up to 54 degrees. originally the forecast for the parade was a little bit troublesome. we thought the winds would really pick up. they will still be brisk out of the northwest, but comfortable. only at ten miles per hour. so, some really nice weather. you saw that bright sunshine looked great. eventually, the sun shining out in texas and oklahoma. before that, quite a bit of fog out there this morning. if you're getting an early start and whether you're in dallas or oklahoma city or eastward, the fog will be thick to start off the morning and then eventually burn off. we're also looking at wet weather on the west coast early this morning in san francisco. a lot of rain come through and because of the low clouds that will linger out in the bay area and anticipating some lengthy

airport delays if you're flying this thanksgiving day, you may have a slow down out west and that holds true for seattle, as well. most of the airport delays will be less than an hour and mainly in the morning hours due to fog. once again, once that burns off, pretty nice out there. temperatures mild and lots of sunshine with high pressure dominating most of the eastern half of the country. pacific midwest temperatures linger in the mid-40s because wow won't have the sunshine there. if you're heading out tonight, many of you are getting an early start, like 10:00 the stores are opening for black friday, the day before. temperatures will be cool, bring your jacket if you're shopping in kansas city or chicago, but by the time we get to friday, traditional black friday, the weather nice and mild. overall, a nice holiday weather wise. >> i know, it couldn't be more perfect. for a football game, carol costello. don't bother calling carol costello between 12:30 the kickoff of the