making news on this thanksgiving morning. >> the holiday chill is on. blizzards, baring down. even california, seeing the coldest temps in more than a century. and shopping and stuffing. this year's improved economic outlook has more stores open for thanksgiving business. and candid comments from the first lady, about four more years in the white house. and a happy thanksgiving to all of you. i'm mike marusarz, in for vinita nair. >> and i'm rob nelson. we hope most of you traveling away from home for this long, holiday weekend have arrived safely, finally, at your destinations. but if you have not, don't plan on any mercy from mother nature.

much of the west is already buried under several feet of snow. and where it's not snowing, it is windy and wet out there. >> and all that winter-like weather is now taking aim at the northeast, making for a soggrid thanksgiving. ava dinges joins us now with more. good morning, ava. >> good morning, mike and rob. it's been a wild start to this holiday, across much of the nation. now, it's the turn for the northeast. we're going to see wet weather built in throughout thanksgiving. but temperatures are actually below freezing to start the day across central pennsylvania and upstate new york. as the rain moves in, it will come in as a wintry mix, making for some slippery travels along i-80. even the new york state throughway. but fortunately, as it goes throughout the day, this will change over to all rain. very chilly rain moving into new york city by the afternoon. and eventually into boston as we head into the overnight. it's still quite warm in the northeast. and we'll see some sunshine across the gulf coast states. but much cooler air is pulling in behind this. and we're going to see a general area of rain, from ohio all the

way into arkansas. some of that very heavy across the mississippi river valley. plus, flooding may even be a concern, as we go throughout the day. and temperatures continue to drop behind this front. an icy mix building back into st. louis and even cleveland, as we head into thursday night, making for slippery travels on black friday morning. back to you, mike and rob. >> thanks, ava. millions of air travelers have safely reached their thanksgiving destinations. to give you an idea of how busy the airports were on wednesday, look at this time lapse video, from the website flightaware. and the planned protest against airport security was mostly a bust. john hendren reports from reagan national airport. >> reporter: those dire predictions, the fear of cancellations and chaos at the security line, all were part of the protest that fizzled. >> compared to thanksgivings of years' past, this year's actually gone really well. security wait times are usually between 10 and 20 minutes. which is standard an on average day and good for thanksgiving.

>> reporter: few travelers opted in to national opt-out day. the campaign urging americans to opt out of the full-body scans critics call too invasive, and take patdowns instead. causing delays and making a point to the tsa. >> i don't think this is a day before the holidays, when we make our stand. >> reporter: the difference? body scans t body scans take about 20 seconds. patdowns, two minutes. in detroit, two little travelers even left a thank you note to the tsa. demonstrators drew looks, but not delays. this woman wore her protest and little else. >> if they want to try and see what i've got hidden in my bikini, they're welcome to. >> reporter: the biggest delays were in detroit, where computer problems at spirit airlines briefly left long lines. >> it happens. that's all i can say. >> reporter: some passengers who tried to avoid delays and drive, ran into bigger problems. outside washington, a 20-mile backup. near boston, 30 miles. here in washington, there were short lines at security. shorter lines at ticketing.

not even much of a line at starbucks. rob and mike? >> got to get that caffeine. well, say good-bye to the orange, yellow and red terror alert system. homeland security now wants to get rid of those color-coded warnings, in favor of something a little simpler. one option now under consideration, is to go to two threat levels instead of five. those two levels would be elevated and imminent. president obama may spend part of his holiday on the phone with the president of china. the u.s. wants that country to put pressure on north korea, after its attack on a south korean island on tuesday. the bodies of two civilians killed in that attack were taken from the island earlier today. and the president of south korea is now vowing to beef up security in that area. the once-powerful former house majority leader, tom delay, now faces life in prison. a texas jury found delay guilty of conspiracy and money laundering. he was charged with illegally funneling corporate money to

texas political candidates in 2002. delay calls his conviction a miscarriage of justice and says he will appeal. in the months before midterm elections, sarah palin campaigned coast-to-coast. now that the election is over, palin is ramping up her talk, toughly, against a whole, new set of targets. jonathan karl has the details. >> reporter: it may be an odd move for someone thinking of running for president. but sarah palin took a shot at a popular former first lady from her own party. >> the majority of americans don't want to put up with the blue bloods. and i say it with all due respect because i love the bushes. but the blue bloods who want to pick and choose their winners instead of allowing competition to pick and choose the winners. >> reporter: she even blamed the bushes for the current state of the economy. >> they kind of do some of this with the economic policies that were in place that got us into these economic woeful times. >> reporter: all a response to

what barbara bush said on "larry king live." >> i sat next to her once. thought she was beautiful. and i think she's very happy in alaska. and i hope she'll stay there. >> reporter: palin also picked a fight with the current first lady and her anti-obesity campaign. >> she is telling us that she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own children, instead of a government thinking they need to take over, make decisions for us, according to some politician or politician's wife's priorities. just leave us alone. get off our backs. >> reporter: then, there was "dancing with the stars." although daughter, bristol, came in third, she's looking at the bright side. >> she's going to say, mom, it was a great experience. >> reporter: it all adds up to an unconventional way to explore running for president. but as palin has proven time and time again, she'll never be a typical candidate. jonathan karl, abc news, washington. and when we come back this

morning, shoppers' delight. your guide to what's now being called black thursday. plus, they're the hottest gadget this year. but which tablet is right for you? and on top of that, barbara walters with the obamas. and the first lady's first comments about a possible second term. we'll be right back. ororisisisis

before the turkey, football and family today, you may want to make some time for shopping. there is no shortage of stores open this thanksgiving, offering shoppers early bargains. and of course, a jump-start on

their holiday list. among the many chains open today are walmart, kmart, sears, toys "r" us and old navy. stores will also be opening extra early on friday, especially walmart, which is hosting midnight events. a massive, new crackdown on suspected insider trading on wall street has resulted in its very first arrest. consulting firm executive, don chu, is accused of tipping off hedge fund managers about corporate earnings before they became public. three hedge funds were raided as part of the investigation. overseas stocks are rising this morning, following a big day on wall street. investors are encouraged by hopeful signs the u.s. economy is improving. tokyo's nikkei average, meanwhile, gained 0.5% today. hong kong's hang seng is higher. in london, the ftse opened higher. and on wall street, the dow surged 150 points yesterday. the nasdaq, meanwhile, jumped 48 points. when the chevy volt hits showrooms next month, it may

cause some confusion for potential buyers. it will have three mileage ratings on the sticker. now, according to government tests, the electric car gets 93 miles per gallon on battery power alone. its gas engine gets 37 miles per gallon. when using the battery and gas, it gets 60 miles per gallon. tablet computers are sure to top many wish lists this holiday season. and according to one survey, apple's ipad, ranks number one with kids age 6 to 12. but the apple ipad is not the only option out there. "the new york times'" nick bilton has some advice if you're thinking about getting a tablet. >> if you want an ipad, for example, it can become a computer-like experience for you. if you want something just to read book, you'll be able to spend a lot less money and get a nook or a kindle, or along those lines. >> speaking of the kindle, it'so already the most-gifted product on amazon. it's already staked claim to 500 million users.

now, it's just a step away from taking ownership of a word we use every day. >> strange story here. facebook has moved closer to trademarking the word face. it doesn't mean the social networking giant will be able to stop anyone from using that word. if the trademark was applied, it would belong to online chatting, bulletin boards and other telecommunication services. >> facebook started trying to trademark the word book. this is basically back in august, was around a trademark infringement lawsuit. it filed against a website called teachbook. >> interesting. >> i guess it's trying to hook in that brand. >> facebook, becoming all-powerful. going after everything. when we come back, the alarming news for hospital patients this morning. mistakes in the operating room, despite new rules for doctors. and it's a day for our big parade. we're along the route here in the big apple. nn,

and this is my eggo. on fridays i have hockey before school, so i take two eggo homestyle waffles and put peanut butter inside. [ whispering ] i add a couple chocolate chips when dad's starting the car. [ male announcer ] there's only one way to eat an eggo...your way. [ quinn ] l'eggo my eggo. [ louise ] my name is louise and this is my eggo. on tuesday i go in even earlier than usual. thank goodness for eggo, a nutri-grain waffle with a quick smoodge of cream cheese... at least that part's easy. [ male announcer ] there's only one way to eat an eggo...your way. [ louise ] l'eggo my eggo. just got more powerful. introducing precise pain relieving heat patch. it blocks pain signals for deep relief precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol.

3 million people are pouring into manhattan today to check out the biggest thanksgiving day parade in the country. early birds get a sneak peek last night, as dozens of giant balloons were inflated, of course, for the world-famous macy's thanksgiving day parade. diary of a wimpy kid and kung fu panda balloons will make their debut. rain is in the forecast. but expect it to hold off until after the parade. >> i know that panda is your favorite. >> yeah. on the roads this morning, it will be wet on i-95, from pennsylvania to d.c. flooding on i-70, from st. louis to philly. slippery on i-80, from chicago to cleveland. wet and flooded on i-40, from little rock to memphis. and on i-20, from dallas to montgomery. >> and if you're flying today, expect airport delays in seattle, minneapolis, detroit, chicago, and memphis. on the east coast, in boston, new york, philly, and d.c. and then, in the south, dallas, houston and new orleans.

well, coming off what he called a shellacking in the midterm elections earlier this month, president obama hinted that he's now starting to think about a second term. >> but we haven't heard about what mrs. obama thinks. until now. barbara walters sat down with the first couple. >> reporter: after your husband lost the democratic primary campaign for congress in 2000, you wanted him to give up politics. >> yes. >> reporter: you talked about it openly. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: it affected your marriage. you wanted him to get out of it. is there ever a moment when you say to yourself, one term is enough? >> you know, i think that it's important for him to finish what he started. any ambivalence i felt was all personal. it was all the sacrifice that this life requires of one's family. but if i had to pick the man i'd want to be in politics, the kind of person that we seek out in

this country, somebody who is honest and sincere and smart as a whip, he would be the person that i would pick. and that's always been why i followed him into these escapades because i would feel because of me, that somebody like him didn't do what this country needed. and i still feel that way. and i'll feel that way until the job is done. but that's up to the american people. >> and you can see barbara's entire interview special called "a thanksgiving visit with president and mrs. obama." it will air right here on abc, tomorrow night at 10:00 eastern. a new study finds that hospitals are still dangerous places for many patients. harmful, even deadly accidents and errors continue, despite a massive effort to improve safety, researchers say. the study conducted at north carolina hospital, found 18% of patients were harmed by medical care.

in a small number of cases, those mistakes led to a patient's death. some terrifying moments for a couple that took on a carjacker at a gas station in kansas city. the car was running with their 6-month-old baby inside, when a man jumped in and sped off. now, the mom lost her grip after she was dragged. but the dad managed to get inside and attack the carjacker until he crashed. the man got away. thankfully, that little baby was not hurt. and it was another wild police chase. this time, in california. officers in long beach, were in hot pursuit of a burglary suspect in a van for nearly an hour. the suspect was finally arrested when his van crashed into a fire hydrant, sending water gushing through the streets. in lighter news now, singer billy joel is on the mend, recovering from double hip replacement surgery. joel's spokeswoman says he is, quote, doing extremely well, after an operation to correct a congenital condition.

in a recent interview with howard stern, joel said years of bouncing around on stage had finally taken a toll. the nfl has a trio of matchups to enjoy after turkey today. new england is in detroit, to play the lions. then, rob, your saints, taking on dallas. and tonight's big game, the bengals, here in new york, play the jets. to get the latest, now, and all the highlights from other action, here's espn news. >> good morning. and happy thanksgiving. some college basketball to get your holiday on, including uconn, doing well, very nice, at the maui invitational. kemba walker's crew taking on kentucky. first half, nice pass by niels giffey, to oriakhi. uconn up by 13. walker, who cleans the leg. steps back with a man in his grille and knocks it down for three. the huskies up by 16. later on, another three. huskies are up by 21 at the half. it's not even close. second half, giffey will make the diving save along the

sideline. five seconds left on the shot clock. look at walker. guy's on speed. huskies are up by 18. later in the half, the man cannot be stopped. glass and good. uconn pulls off another upset. 84-67 in maui. nba action. dwight howard, dwyane wade, meeting at center court. hey, it's all love. third quarter, heat down by six. lebron james, knocks down a three. and the heat are down by three on the road. fourth quarter, game tied at 89-89. jameer nelson, off the screen. knocks down the jumper. magic take a two-point edge. on the next magic possession, it will be nelson. lots of open space. they get the drive and the magic up by four. it will be j.j. redick. excellent pump-fake. knocks down the easy jumper. the magic, at that point, they beat the heat, 104-95.

that does it for your sports update. back to you in new york. >> the big three not living up to the hype just yet. >> 87. that's not a very good decision, rob. >> all that money. okay. well, coming up next, nasty weather will be one of the big stories on this thanksgiving. the worst spot in the country, coming up, when we come right back.

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of the lucky bird, today, the first family will have their thanksgiving dinner with relatives and friends at the white house. the president will also release a holiday message to the country. and it is a stormy and frigid thanksgiving across much of the country. look for record lows in california, blowing snow in the upper midwest, as well as some heavy rain and flooding from the northeast to chicago and down to texas. and many of the nation's biggest retail chains are open for business. stores including walmart, kmart and sears are offering shoppers early deals, and a chance to, of course, beat those black friday crowds. and coming up later on "good morning america," what if you prefer to get started shopping without leaving the couch? that's my preference. stores are also advertising online specials and previews today. becky worley will be here to help shoppers get the very best deals. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, a how-to guide to deep-frying your turkey. our resident pro, bill weir, gives it a try.

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ask your doctor about pristiq. >> the coming up next at 4:30. sarah palin fires back at former first lady barbara bush. and the turkey hasn't been consumed but retailers are trying to get customers to spend. and mike nicco has the forecast. >> those early and finally from us this morning, not everyone will be digging into a moist turkey fresh from the oven today. >> some people are going to

nontraditional route, serving up their tasty bird deep-fried. bill weir gives us some pointers on how to get the job done just right. >> reporter: hello, lovers. happy thanksgiving. this recipe is for all of those who want to keep the oven off this holiday. and go outside. enjoy a nice, brisk autumn. and it's also for those who enjoy a little danger. >> drop and run, dude. drop and run. >> reporter: and that's why you're going to want to remain sober and well away from your wood deck. today, i'm going to show you how to -- first of all, season your bird. come up with a delicious marinade. they're going to inject in that 15-pound beauty. we're going to fry it in peanut oil, using one of these contraptions. since you have to wash your turkey anyway. start by putting your bird in the kettle and fill it with water. >> just enough water to cover the bird. just barely over the top. that way, you'll know how much

oil to put in. the night before you fry the bit bird, you're going to want to inject it with marinade. you can buy the premade stuff. there's plenty of good brands out there. or you can make your own, using a half-pound of butter. about a bottle of beer. a little bit of worcestershire sauce. some salt. seasoned salt is good, too. make sure you have the right fire extinguisher, nearby. and we'll put this on top. now, while the oil is getting up to 350 degrees, it's a good time to remind all pets and kids they're not allowed anywhere near the frying apparatus. just to be sure, i tie my child to a tree. whether or not you want to gag them with a sock, that really depends on the child. and about three minutes for every pound.