maki good morning, america. brutal arctic blast. a thanksgiving deep freeze on the way. record cold heading for the northeast and a three-day downpour out west. as tens of millions hit the roads and what the military is doing in the sky to help millions of flyers get home for the holiday. the stunning new report saying president trump wanted to order the justice department to investigate hillary clinton and former fbi director james comey, as the president announces he is standing with saudi arabia despite the brutal murder of that journalist. mansion fire mystery. four members of one family found dead after this home goes up in flames in an exclusive new jersey neighborhood. the investigation right now.

the cdc's urgent alert about romaine lettuce, warning all americans not to eat it. the e. coli outbreak that has dozens already sick across the country. first on "gma." tiger woods and phil mickelson, two of the greatest in a winner-take-all $9 million 18-hole showdown. what tiger is saying about his huge comeback and this epic rivalry only on "gma" this morning. and a holiday shopping alert. the black friday bonanza already under way. the high-tech tvs that may finally be affordable for everyone. why experts say the clock is truly running out if you want to grab the best deals. we do say good morning, america. a lot of excitement for michael's birthday. [ applause ] as well as excitement for the

holiday. >> yes. thank you very much. i appreciate it. everybody around here couldn't be better. >> because it's happy thanksgiving eve as well and the rush is already under way. take a look at the gridlock. this is what you're heading to overnight in los angeles. >> that's exactly what i'm heading to, robin. thank you. happy birthday to me. and this morning as well they're already hitting the roads in atlanta. you see there, so many on their way and the airports also are busy. millions expected to fly today. you're looking live at o'hare in chicago. >> and here in the northeast, millions of americans bracing for that arctic blast. it could come on thanksgiving, could be the coldest one on record for the northeast. ginger is tracking that. good morning, ginger. >> good morning to you. it's 36 this morning and people are saying, oh, you're dressed like you're in a hallmark movie. that's the type of dress you can do on this morning. shave off 20 degrees and tomorrow morning i'll be dressed like i'm climbing mt. everest. that's the difference. we're talking about a huge drop

in temperatures and it's coming tonight with this arctic front. the numbers will bring you to 4 below the feels like in boston tomorrow. 15 below, the feels like in burlington. so could we in providence and philadelphia which will feel like 11 tomorrow morning. to give you perspective all of the cities you see listed with their highs not even going to make it to freezing tomorrow. how do you kind of compare that to what it's like usually? this is colder than it's usually on average in january, just to give you an idea of where we're at, robin, that cold. >> it is that cold, the bitter cold. thank you, ginger. it's doing little, though, to slow down the storm of holiday travelers. airports are bracing for what could be the busiest thanksgiving ever. let's take a look at the flight tracker, and you can see how busy they already are this morning. look at that. now we are learning that the military is opening up some of its restricted airspace so commercial flits can get through. our senior transportation correspondent david kerley is at reagan national outside of d.c. with the latest. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning, robin.

the pace is really picking up. you can see this american jet, one of them that spent the night is being towed to a gate. you can see the line of jets getting ready to take off here. it's going to be a very busy day and you can feel it. now, we're normally used to snow and ice on this travel weekend but it was fog in seattle that caused a problem. three-hour delays for part of the day. if you are flying today, you are one of nearly 3 million flyers if you can believe that number which could be a record actually. 6% over last year. the airlines that deal with that have added 158,000 seats by bringing in bigger planes than the ones that they would normally use. getting you through security, tsa has added 1,200 officers, 80 canine units to try to get you through. robin, i talked to the airlines. they say they're in pretty good shape, they think it's going to be pretty good traveling even though we may set a record, robin. >> if we do set this record, that's going to be a lot of

passengers, does that mean that the probability of getting bumped will increase as well? >> reporter: not really because no airline wants a passenger not to get home for the holidays so they don't overbook as much during these holidays and as you mentioned, the planes are a little quicker and they opened up some airspace off the east coast that is for the military so the commercials can come through, robin. >> all sounds good. okay, david, thanks so much. michael. >> thank you, robin. now to the race to get home on the roads. more than 48 million are expected to drive over the thanksgiving holiday. we're over the skies in los angeles. >> reporter: los angeles, southern california, they're expecting 4 million people to hit the roadways before the thanksgiving holiday and already it looks tough on our roadways. early on in the drive in los angeles, already a lot of freeways in gridlock. there's a saying in los angeles,

you just can't get there from here. even at this hour, we're starting to see heavy traffic on all those freeways where we usually see a little bit of volume. we have had a challenging week after the borderline shooting and with a lot of closures in the canyon routes, more traffic than normal. as we make our way into the afternoon here in los angeles, we're expecting a storm, a godsend for the most part, except for the burn areas, that could be problem, that complicates the travel conditions as well. throughout the nation, everybody knows there's going to be a lot more traffic on the freeways as we make our way through the thanksgiving holiday. here in los angeles, especially traffic is going to be dreadful. michael. >> thank you so much. george. >> we're going to be hunkered down. to the white house and the latest on the mueller investigation after a stunning "the new york times" report that president trump wanted to order

the justice department to prosecute hillary clinton and former fbi director james comey but apparently backed off after his white house counsel warned him that could lead to impeachment. our chief white house correspondent jon karl has the story. good morning, jon. >> reporter: good morning, george. of course, the chant "lock her up" has long been a fixture of trump political rallies, now, this "the new york times" report says the president actually wanted his justice department to make it happen. the president told the top lawyer in the white house that he wanted the justice department to prosecute hillary clinton and former fbi director james comey, according to "the times" report. that is something trump vowed to do during the height of the 2016 campaign. >> if i win, i am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation. >> it's just awfully good that someone with the temperament of donald trump is not in charge of the law in our country. >> because you'd be in jail. >> reporter: and more recently, he's talked about going after comey, who he fired in may of 2017. >> what he did was horrible.

should he be locked up? let somebody make a determination. >> reporter: "the times" reports white house counsel don mcgahn scuttled the president's request to prosecute clinton and comey. instead, mcgahn had the white house legal team write a memo warning that prosecuting political enemies could have grave consequences for the president, possibly including impeachment for abuse of power. these revelations come as president trump is already under attack from democrats for the forced resignation of jeff sessions as attorney general and the appointment of matt whitaker who has expressed serious skepticism of the mueller investigation. the white house has had no comment on "the times" report and a lawyer for don mcgahn said that he wouldn't comment on the advice he offered the president although mcgahn's lawyer noted that the president never actually went forward with this saying, mr. mcgahn would point out that the president never to his knowledge actually ordered anyone to prosecute hillary

clinton or james comey. george. >> no comment from the white house on that but the white house has submitted those answers from president trump to the questions from special counsel robert mueller. we're learning a bit more about the questions, as well. >> reporter: yeah, they've answered at least some of the questions, george, and submitted those according to the white house legal -- the president's legal team. what we know is that the questions that they answered were regarding collusion between the campaign and the russians, but nothing about the president's activities after he became president and nothing on the critical question of obstruction of justice. >> jon karl, thanks very much. robin. and george, now more on president trump and that decision to stand firmly with saudi arabia despite the murder of "washington post" writer jamal khashoggi, the murder that the cia reportedly believes was carried out with the approval of the saudi crown prince. our senior foreign correspondent ian pannell is here and has more. good morning, ian. >> yeah, good morning, robin. it's 11 weeks since jamal

khashoggi was murdered, and the fact that we and the president is still discussing it shows how deep the crisis it sparked still is. there's always been fears that america's relationship and trade with the saudis might top human rights. the president now making clear where he stands. this morning, president trump standing firmly with saudi arabia. >> if we abandon saudi arabia, it would be a terrible mistake. >> reporter: saying this about the saudi crown prince's alleged involvement in the murder of journalist jamal khashoggi. >> the cia has looked at it, they've studied it a lot. they have nothing definitive and the fact is maybe he did, maybe he didn't. >> reporter: the president is echoing a remarkable exclamation-filled written statement released earlier in the day in which he wrote the world is a very dangerous place and it could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event, maybe he did, maybe he didn't. this in spite of "the washington post" report that the cia had concluded that crown prince mohammed bin salman himself ordered jamal khashoggi's killing.

officials say khashoggi, who was last seen alive walking into the saudi consulate in istanbul, was assassinated by a saudi hit squad. khashoggi's killers reportedly carried syringes, electroshock devices and a cutting blade as they departed istanbul. there's also an audio recording of khashoggi's execution. the president said he didn't want to hear it. >> it's a suffering tape. it's a terrible tape. i've been fully briefed on it. there's no reason for me to hear it. >> reporter: the president said the crown prince assured him repeatedly he wasn't involved. and while trump's statement called the crime a terrible one that our country does not condone, he insists he will not jeopardize america's relationship with the saudis. >> i'm not going to destroy the world economy, and i'm not going to destroy the economy for our country by being foolish with saudi arabia. if we broke with them, i think your oil prices would go through the roof. >> reporter: well, overnight, republican and democratic senators sending a letter demanding that president trump investigate human rights violations. >> this is not over yet.

ian, thanks very much. >> great to have you here with us, ian. >> good to be here. . we turn to that e. coli outbreak alert as millions prepare their agenda meal. the cdc is saying don't eat any romaine lettuce. our "gma" weekend anchor eva pilgrim is here with the details. good morning, eva. >> good morning, michael. an urgent warning this morning against a popular salad ingredient. this as millions of americans are preparing for one of the biggest meals of the year and the centers for disease control issuing a new advisory telling people not to eat any romaine lettuce, this after 32 people have been infected across 11 states. 13 people are now in the hospital. the cdc is calling for stores and restaurants to actually stop selling the lettuce and health officials also saying, if you have romaine in your fridge, even if someone has eaten it and not gotten sick, still throw it away. that applies to all types of romaine, heads, hearts, precut lettuce, salad mixes, so no baby romaine, spring mix, and no caesar salad as well. >> i wanted a caesar salad last

night. this is just an alert. it's not a recall. why not just recall? >> well, they don't know the source of the contaminated lettuce so they're just telling people don't eat the lettuce at all right now. >> all right, better safe than sorry. all right, thank you, eva. >> we got our fridge emptied out last night. we're going to head to wall street right now, coming off a drop of more than 500 points tuesday, the latest in a string of down days that have wiped out stock market gains for the year. our chief business correspondent rebecca jarvis on the floor of the new york stock exchange with more on what it means. good morning. >> reporter: that's right. what it means is, if you have a retirement savings account it is back where it started the year, frankly back where it ended 2017, as the dow wiped out all of the gains for 2018 yesterday when it fell 551 points. some of the weakest stocks today are those tech names, companies like apple which most of you even, if you've never bought a share of apple, own in your 401(k) because it's one of the most widely held stocks and even though the economy in the u.s. is strong, even though

unemployment is at its lowest rate since 1969, and wages are rising, the forward-looking view on wall street is looking weaker. as far as interest rates go, they're climbing and the trade dispute with china, george. >> okay, rebecca, thanks very much. robin. george, now we have the investigation that is under way into a deadly highway incident. a driver killed after his car was hit by a concrete slab thrown from an overpass. now police are searching for the person who did that. alex perez has that story for us. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, robin. authorities say they know this was not a freak accident because that slab of concrete didn't match the concrete on the over pass. it came from somewhere else. this morning, an urgent manhunt underway in tennessee for a suspect police say threw this chunk of concrete off an overpass in the early morning hours tuesday. >> fatal crash scene right now. >> fatal crash scene right now. >> reporter: according to police, that concrete smashing

through the windshield of this car, instantly killing 54-year-old joe shelton. his car careened into a pickup truck and then a guardrail before coming to a stop. >> the world is such a bad place right now. people do things without thinking of the consequences. >> reporter: investigators are calling it an intentional act and scouring surveillance footage for any sign of a possible suspect. this is just the latest in a series of overpass tragedies. last summer, five teens were arrested after they threw rocks off an overpass on i-75 in michigan striking and killing 32-year-old kenny white who was a passenger in a van. >> i just went underneath the bridge and something hit me car. >> reporter: also in 2017, four teens pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after they threw a sandbag off an overpass, smashing into a car below, killing marquis bird. and authorities are hoping any drivers who may have seen something suspicious that

morning will now contact police. michael. >> all right, thank you so much. now to that holiday shopping alert. experts say this year you'll get the best deals if you buy early and don't wait. our consumer correspondent becky worley has all the details. good morning, becky. >> good morning, michael. what's new, some eye-popping technology, fewer retail options and the enduring truth that being well informed is often the difference between a screaming deal and a dud. in years past we told you to wait on buying toys to scoop up hot last-minute deals but strategy tip, this year toy buying is going to be different. this used to be our local toys "r" us. not anymore. this holiday season will be the first one without a major toy chain in play and we don't know how that is going to affect pricing and the availability of hot toys. according to research from marketing company criteo, 78% of shoppers who plan to shop in a physical store say they'll head to walmart or target. but they have a fraction of the

toys that toys "r" us had. amazon will pick up a lot of the slack online but experts say don't wait too long. >> if you really want your children to be able to pick something out that's really special to them, maybe it is worth going to the stores. >> reporter: for tech there isn't one big breakout gift, but for tv fans, new oled technology has them drooling. and this is first year they're even remotely affordable. >> it is a technology that produces blacker blacks and sharper colors. >> reporter: three years ago a 55-inch oled was $3400. this year, we're seeing prices as low as 1299 for the same size, $21 cheaper. look for budget tvs to have the best prices on thanksgiving but midrange and high-end tvs see the biggest discounts on cyber monday. the biggest takeaway is the best deals come very soon. that's because a little inside baseball here, manufacturers say the cost of making products is going up, rising wages, the

threat of tariffs and they are not incentivized to eat their margin as they go closer to the christmas holidays, so the best discounts, guys, will come in the next six days. >> good to keep in mind, becky, thank you. >> get busy. ginger is in from the cold. let's go back to her. >> as much as the cold will make headlines, fortunately there's not a big storm but there's enough of the snow to talk about. erie, pennsylvania, three inches and you have cars sliding off the roads today. we've got winter weather advisories that include buffalo and watertown, 2 inches to 4 inches overall but with a 40-mile-per-hour gust it will be pretty rough. dry for a lot of other folks.

coming up, that mystery mansion fire. four family members found dead in an exclusive neighborhood in new jersey. the urgent investigation going on right now. tiger woods, phil mickelson about to go head-to-head. epic showdown. $9 million on the line. their interview right here first on "gma." irst on "gma."

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good morning, east bay. let's get is up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. >> hi and good morning. i'm jessica castro from abc 7 mornings. expect long lines at bay area airports if you're flying out for the thanksgiving holiday. officials expect today to be one of the busiest airport days in a decade, up 5% from last year. travelers at san francisco international say they knew it would be bad, but when you have to work this week, you don't have a lot of options of when you can fly, so they have to do it today. busy at the airports. the good news right now, if you're hitting the roads, it's very light this morning. right now, a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. very light volumes. and let's look at those drive times. they are all in the green this morning. it has been very light out there. it will pick up throughout the

day, though. meteorologist mi

♪ ♪ connecting people... ...uniting the world. ♪♪

now your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. let me first tell you, all the hazardous air, gone. we've got good air to breathe the rest of today, and it's thanks to this light to moderate rain that's ranking a 2, moderate, on our storm impact scale. our biggest concerns are going to be hydroplaning and to a lesser extent, flooding on some roads and parking lots, because the drains are clogged from the falling leaves of autumn. from 7:00 to 9:00, we're definitely going to see an uptick in the coverage and intensity from green, light, to yellow, moderate. that hangs around until noon, up until 4:00, and then we transition over to showers and even some thunderstorms this evening and overnight. rain moves back into the north bay tomorrow afternoon and it becomes stronger, a 2, another moderate storm for friday, jessica. >> mike, thank you. coming up on "gma," the investigation underway after four people were found dead after a mysterious fire at a

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welcome back to "gma." that's duchess meghan this morning at a community kitchen in london helping them prepare meals for those in need. we'll have much more on that and the first look at a documentary about the duchess coming up. >> that is coming up. here at home the thanksgiving rush is under way. and we're going to take a live look at the lines at o'hare airport in chicago. millions hitting the roads and skies today, move than 54 million people expected to travel over the holidays. temperatures in the teens. it could be the coldest thanksgiving ever here. and a big showdown tonight in cleveland. lebron james, former cavs star,

now an l.a. laker. >> oh, it's on. >> it is on. he's heading back to his hometown to take on his old team. you can watch it all on espn at 8:00 eastern. >> ooh. the latest on that mysterious mansion fire that left four family members dead. investigators are now trying to determine whether it was arson and whether it's connected to another fire at a relative's home nearby. gio benitez is on the scene in colts neck, new jersey, for us. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey there, good morning. yeah, that mansion is just behind these trees here. this is as far as we can get because investigators are still there looking for any evidence trying to figure out how this all even started. this morning, a mystery. a well-to-do new jersey neighborhood, a $1.5 million mansion going up in flames, the fire turning deadly. >> unfortunately, we have confirmed that there are four fatalities that were found to be at the home. it's two adults and two children. we're still investigating the cause and the manner. >> reporter: authorities say a man was found dead in front of the house.

his wife and two children found dead inside. police say they are all victims of homicide. it turns out the man's brother, paul caneiro, whose homes also caught fire tuesday, has now been arrested and charged with aggravated arson. nobody was hurt at the fire. colts neck is the kind of town that celebrities flock to. bruce springsteen owns an estate, jon stewart and his wife have an animal sanctuary here, but now it's at the center of murder and arson case. investigators insist this community is safe. they don't believe this was a random act. robin. >> all right, thinking about those families. thank you very much, gio.

we're going to get the latest on michael avenatti. he is fighting allegations of domestic vice ace judge grants his accuser's request for a restraining order and tom llamas on the case and we have new details about the allegations. >> reporter: good morning. we have a new letter from michael avenatti's attorneys, they've hired private investigators to help clear his name. avenatti, who rose to fame representing stormy daniels in her case against the president, now assembling his own legal team after being arrested and a judge ordering him to stay away from his ex-girlfriend. this morning, michael avenatti facing a restraining order after his ex-girlfriend, actress mareli minuitti, says he attacked her last week inside of their los angeles apartment. according to court documents, minuitti says the violent encounter started with an argument over money. she claims avenatti called her a quote, ungrateful expletive, expletive, and began forcefully hitting her in the face with pillows. minuitti states avenatti grabbed my right arm and dragged me out of bed and into the public hallway. she says she was only wearing

underwear and a t-shirt. she says these photos of bruises on parts of her body are proof. minuitti who had a brief role in the film "ocean's 8" says she's been dating the high-profile attorney for more than a year and living with him since january. >> what happened, michael? >> reporter: avenatti was arrested and later posted bail. vehemently denying the accusations. >> i have never struck a woman. i never will strike a woman. >> reporter: overnight, abc news obtaining this letter addressed to lapd detectives from avenatti's attorneys. it tells his side of the story that minuitti was allegedly upset because he was no longer paying her bills, that she was allegedly acting irrational because she was taking multiple medications for severe acne and redness on her face and for pain associated with recent cosmetic surgery on her face. avenatti's lawyers also claim that on the night of the altercation a security guard looking into the matter asked minuitti if she had been drinking, the 24-year-old

allegedly did not deny she had been drinking that night. >> i am looking forward to a full investigation at which point i am confident that i will be fully exonerated. >> reporter: now we did contact minuitti's attorneys about these new allegations from avenatti and they told us the suggestions contained in mr. avenatti's counsel's letter to the lapd are vindictive, contrary to the evidence and unworthy of further reply. it's getting very ugly, guys. >> thanks very much. coming up, we have our interview with two golfing greats, tiger woods and phil mickelson. they're about to face off in a $9 million showdown. we're going to hear what they're saying about it all on "gma" this morning. this morning.

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we are back with two golfing legends, tiger woods and phil mickelson about to face off in a $9 million showdown, unprecedented. pay-per-view match. they sat down with abc's adrienne bankert right here on "gma" and, adrienne, how are you doing? >> this has been amazing. i have to tell you to be in the presence of sports royalty, wow, so awesome to talk to these two. tiger woods cool and confident, phil mickelson says he hates to lose. both having fun with the contest though fiercely determined in this high-stakes, winner take

all match. >> absolutely incredible. >> reporter: two of the greatest golfers to ever play will compete in a first of its kind one-on-one match. >> this smack talk is under the breath and his lips don't move so you can't necessarily identify him as the assailant. >> reporter: this friday, phil mickelson and tiger woods face off for a staggering $9 million and for the first time tiger and phil will wear live microphones. viewers will hear everything. >> there's a bit of a risk there because any time you let somebody in, let them know your innermost thoughts and feelings. >> is that going to get in your head, tiger? >> well, i have more mikes around me at every single round i play in. >> reporter: tiger still draws huge crowds. in september woods won the pga tour championship, his first title in five years after four back surgeries. >> i've won events but that was a different level, different energy that was, you know, the people were putting out. the level of yelling and decibels was incredible. >> that really showcased how much you've been missed. >> reporter: both had a comeback this year. mickelson won the world golf

championships in mexico. the two friendly rivals came into their sin city duel with a spirited volley over twitter. woods posting it's on. mickelson's response, i bet you think this is the easiest $9 million you will ever make. you didn't have twitter before this match was announced. you had no twitter account. >> i had no twitter. >> and all of a sudden you were on twitter talking smack about tiger woods. like, you want a piece of this. >> it's not meant to be in your face. it's meant to be self-deprecating and funny. >> does it feel that way. >> doesn't always come across that way. >> reporter: as competitive they are, they have a deep respect for each other. >> i mean this sincerely. when tiger came along and brought the game into the stratosphere and we started on this meteoric rise and we had increased ratings and increased rses and off-course opportunities, nobody benefited more than i did. >> what would you say are phil's greatest strengths in the game? >> in the game?

one, his creativity, the short game that he's played over the years is probably the best that's ever lived. >> i love how you forced him to say nice things about me. >> reporter: they share stories like mickelson's first majors win at the 2004 masters and 2005, tiger won. in 2006, phil earns the green jacket again. >> he put the jacket on me and i put the jacket on him. >> you were meant to be. this was meant to be. >> it was funny. i sent him photos of him putting the jacket on me and the next year -- >> i autographed a photo. you're putting the jacket on me in '06 and write, tiger, it fits great. our best today is still better than i believe the younger players -- i believe we can still win multiple times. i think that we have multiple wins in us as well as more major championships. >> it's getting harder now as we're getting older but, yes, i believe we can do it. >> reporter: ahead of friday mickelson's betting he will birdie on the first hole. woods says not so fast. >> so, there's a million ways to

putt. million different ways to stroke. i don't really think too much about the stroke. i just kind of look at the target. >> first of all he just admitted it, he doesn't really think much. >> i try not to get in my own way. and then stroke it. >> done. >> you see. >> he made that look pretty easy. >> next. >> in true fashion there, right? drop the mike and drop the club. they believe events like this could change the face of the game really bringing us up close and personal and have drones and fans will be able to make live wagers. >> and i can't wait to hear the microphone conversation. >> oh, my goodness. >> they're also making charitable side bets on top of it. >> pretty cool. a lot of money at stake here. the 9 million goes to the winner but they will bet at each hole or certain holes, you know what, phil has already challenged tiger saying he will definitely make a birdie on hole 1 and he will, you know, put $200,000 at stake so, yeah, $200,000. >> because 9 million wasn't

enough. >> tiger took that bet? >> tiger took the bet. in fact, he doubled it. it was 100,000 and tiger was like, double it. >> you have to take the bet to be honest with you. >> one interesting thing, i don't know if you knew this. it was funny, when i was asking tiger about coming back after the back surgeries and nerve pain and so many injuries he said, you know, i'm reinventing my swing based on the surgeries at 42 years old. he said this is the same age my dad was when he picked up the game of golf. >> oh, okay. >> george and i have been reinventing our swings. hasn't quite worked out as well. >> said it was an honor to be in sports royalty. george and i are in sports royalty. >> every day. >> it's your birthday. i have to. >> i knew the timeliness was for a certain reason. >> coming up, the hockey fan who scored big at the game using this sign you're about to see to find an organ donor who jumped in to help. come on back. happy birthday, michael. ael.

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we had another fascinating conversation during the commercial break. we're 2 for 2 this week. we're back now with a simple homemade sign that helped save a life. a woman asking for a kidney holding up this sign at a pittsburgh penguins hockey game and paula, what happened next is absolutely beautiful. >> it is beautiful. you're going to love this story. many types we talk about the negative aspects of social media, right? but here's one story that shows it's positive power. social media bringing together

two hockey fans and ultimately saving one of their lives. >> pittsburgh penguins! >> reporter: it all started with a sign and a hockey fan. >> i thought this is my last chance to really get the attention of somebody in a big way. >> reporter: 31-year-old kelly sowatsky desperate for a life-saving kidney. her health rapidly fading decided to literally take matters into her own hands at a pittsburgh penguins hockey game last april. >> what i decided to do was make this sign calling all hockey fans, i need a kidney, gratefully yours and then said kelly. >> reporter: the penguins tweeting out her sign and that post instantly going viral. >> my fiance said did you know you're on the pens twitter feed. >> reporter: getting the attention of jeff lynd who reached out on facebook. >> i saw desperation and saw courage and i just saw she

needed help. >> he said, hey, my name is jeff, i want to be a donor, and i said that's awesome. >> i knew my blood type matched and felt like it was something i had to do. >> score! >> reporter: the two penguins fans who happen to also be teachers met and were indeed a match. dr. amit tevar performing the life-saving surgery just two weeks ago. >> jeff had an excellent kidney to donate. kelly actually should do very, very well for a long time with that kidney. >> reporter: now, kelly's prognosis is excellent. her doctor says she is incredibly fortunate to get a live donor. otherwise on dialysis for upwards of six years. she'll be home for thanksgiving. a lot to be thankful for and getting married this spring, not to her donor but to her fiance. >> he was just so matter of fact about it. >> he was. it was his calling. >> generosity. >> we'll have you back to talk about your podcast. >> that's right. coming up, we have a true

thanksgiving celebration. how this school hit hard coming together to serve each other. tell t.j. t.j. holmes is there in florida. we'll have the incredible story just ahead. [ applause ] [ applause ] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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good morning, south bay. let's get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. >> good morning. i'm jessica castro from abc 7 mornings. and meteorologist mike nicco has our forecast. >> hey, jessica, hi, everybody. look at this! good air quality for the first time in nearly two weeks. and all of us are pretty healthy right now. now, it's also where some of the heavier rain is falling. look at the yellows and oranges starting to come at us from the south. so if you haven't had the rain yet, it is on the way. and it will be here through the early afternoon hours, and we'll change over to showers and thunderstorms for the evening and overnight hours tonight, upgraded friday storm to a 2 moderate, also, jessica. >> all right, mike, thank you. that rain is great for the air quality, but not so great for our roads. in oakland on the westbound 580, westbound 980 connector, there is a car on fire. all lanes to the westbound 580

are open, but the connector ramp from westbound 580 to 980 remains closed. there's about a four-mile backup there. and i want to show you the santa cruz mountains. northbound 17 has really been our problem spot throughout the morning. two earlier crashes. there's a three-car accident right now on northbound 17 before cat statues off-ramp. a h

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good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. get ready for thanksgiving. record cold heading for the northeast. three days of rain set to pour out west as millions hit the roads for the holidays and airports brace for what could be the busiest thanksgiving ever. urgent consumer warning. the cdc's major alert about romaine lettuce. the e. coli outbreak that already sickened so many across the country. what you should know before thanksgiving dinner. dr. ashton is here with the latest. and new this morning. duchess meghan cradling her baby bump on a visit to that community center that was the inspiration behind her charity cookbook as she helps make hundreds of meals this morning for women's shelters and the homeless. black friday just hours away. the best deals, the biggest bargains, what to buy and when.

our "gma" deal detective is on the case to save you the most money this shopping season. ♪ i've got the heart of a hero look at this shot. this school in florida took in so many students after hurricane irma over a year ago. then torn apart in hurricane michael. this morning, "gma" is there to share one remarkable thanksgiving as the students of this school come together to make thanksgiving dinner for families that wouldn't even be celebrating because they're just trying to hold on. it's a morning to remember what this holiday is all about. we're live from the hurricane zone as we say good morning, america. ♪ i've got the heart of a hero t.j. has a wonderful story. he's going to share it with us later. and we have some wonderful folks that are outside.

i spent a little time during the commercial break from the carolinas, a lot are here for their first time. they're very excited about the macy's thanksgiving parade. >> and they are bundled up. >> talking about the cold weather, they're going to brave it. they're happy because they are counting down to thanksgiving as we are. it's just one day away and we can't wait to share that beautiful story with t.j. of a school and their community coming together to give thanks, even in the toughest times. really, really incredible story. >> they're down in panama city, florida. they suffered so much damage from hurricane michael back in october. the kids were just able to go back to school last week but they are the ones giving back and we have a special surprise for them. but first, we're going to get the latest on the thanksgiving rush that is under way and how record cold and some snow will affect your holiday travel. we're going to go outside to ginger, and ginger, the snow is already causing trouble. >> it is, michael. and the cold, people are waiting for it, step out right now and then shave off about 20 degrees. that's what you wake up tomorrow

at and then the windchill is going to be worse but let me show you what the snow has done. in erie, pennsylvania, three inches is all it took and roads were a mess. people slipping and sliding all over the place. you're going to see little pockets of that especially in the lee of the lakes and with the front coming through. flurries for most folks closer to the coast and that. you wake up to 6, the feels like in new york city, syracuse will feel like 3 below. burlington, vermont, 15 below the feels like, and they could have their coldest thanksgiving on record and so could providence, rhode island. the gusts are going to be a big deal. you look at macy's and say, whoa, will the balloons fly? i think they will but it will be a challenge. i think they're right under the threshold of what they require. i'm so worried about the dancers and the band members, everybody with a costume, it's going to be so cold and you're exposed for so long. >> you're right about that. thank you. and we have more now on the holiday rush. airports bracing for what's expected to be the busiest thanksgiving ever. so let's go back to our senior transportation correspondent david kerley still there at reagan outside of d.c. with the latest. good morning again, david.

>> reporter: good morning, robin. as you can see, the rush is on here as the aircraft are coming off the tarmac and heading to the runway. up to 3 million of us are actually going to fly on this very compact travel season. to deal with that, the airlines have added 158,000 seats and some military airspace off the east coast has been opened to move all those flights around. i was just in the terminal a couple of minutes ago, the lines are a little longer. tsa has added 1,200 officers to try to get you through security. the best news right now is the weather. it's cooperating for the airlines. that is very good news. robin. >> that is great news that the weather so far is cooperating. thank you, david. now we're going to move on to that health alert from the cdc saying you should stop eating all romaine lettuce immediately. there are fears of e. coli. our chief medical correspondent dr. jen ashton is here with more. this is pretty extreme recommendation.

just stop. >> it sure is. let me tell you we're talking about a strain of e. coli known as stec 0157. the cdc's recommendations are incredibly aggressive. they're recommending that people do not buy, sell, serve, eat any form of romaine. throw it out if you already have it in your refrigerator, even if you've already had some and feel fine, and sanitize the area where it was kept. they just don't know the origin of this outbreak yet, george. so they are erring on the side of caution. >> what if you have eaten some of it recently and what signs and symptoms should you be looking for? >> robin, i'm one of them. i've had a ton of it in the form of poke bowls. here's what you need to know about this type of food poisoning. generally the onset of symptoms occurs anywhere from two to eight days after consumption, the symptoms are not pleasant and they involve abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. if you have those symptoms, you should seek medical attention and make sure you mention romaine consumption. but this thanksgiving, let's try to focus on the orange and red vegetables and not the green and everyone can enjoy themselves. >> don't take any chances. >> absolutely.

>> you said you cleaned out the refrigerator? >> all done. >> smart. >> hey, jen, thanks. have a great thanksgiving. >> thank you, you too. >> you certainly are a blessing to us. >> aw, same. coming up, as duchess meghan cooks for those in need this morning, a first look at the brand-new documentary, how she's blazing a new trail. and we are gearing up for black friday with our deal detective, becky worley. we're going to have the best bargains and we're going to answer the questions, should you buy them on thanksgiving, black friday or cyber monday? plus, the new repe that's going viral, does the cheetos turkey actually work? >> oh, come on. >> are we going to answer that? >> taste test. but we are going to meet some amazing students and teachers hit hard by hurricane michael down in panama city. they've come together to serve others. we'll tell you their story just ahead. ♪ ♪ oh i'll be there avenue's come together to serve others. we'll tell you their story just ahead. ♪ ♪ oh i'll be there crohn's disease, stelara® works differently. studies showed relief and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks.

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[ cheers and applause ] back here at "gma," it is the day before thanksgiving and t.j. holmes is getting is getting ready with an amazing community in panama city, florida. they decided to celebrate early as they work to recover from hurricane michael. how is it going there, t.j.? >> reporter: well, robin, some people think that you can tell how good a meal was by how big of a mess is left in the kitchen and if that's the case there was some good eating going down last night over here but, look, this is the place where hurricane michael tried its best to wipe this place out in panama city. it couldn't, but still you have people here who are still homeless. they're not thinking about a thanksgiving meal. well, these folks got together and pulled off a mini miracle last night and that miracle continues through today. you've got to see what they pulled off and, robin, this is one of those where it tells you

about the true meaning of thanksgiving. >> amen to that. all right, t.j. we look forward to that. we do. we'll check back with t.j. in just a moment. >> he is coming back. we keep talking about it being somebody's birthday. you know, michael strahan. [ cheers and applause ] y'all don't realize there are cameras everywhere, even backstage, and they got you good in your dressing room early this morning as you walked in. >> ah. >> our producer sara. she had something waiting for him. didn't they crown you? didn't they make you a king or something? >> well, they consider me royalty. >> ah. there you go. very nice. >> so they crowned me. they were throwing rose petals, real rose petals. they had cakes and cookies. >> spared no expense. >> oh, look. >> wow. >> they even made up --

>> did you eat that this morning? >> i haven't eaten any of it yet but i'm pretty sure it will be all gone. the crew, everybody is welcome to come back to the dressing room and grab themselves something to eat. >> aw, thank you. >> i'm sharing. sharing is caring. but i feel the love and i appreciate all of them and i appreciate everybody here every day to come in and it's great to come in and be at a place full of joy because everybody here enjoy has they do. thanks for making my birthday special and every day special, and your birthday is in two days, and robin won't be here for her birthday -- >> i'll be in key west, baby. >> but we will -- but we'll think about you and celebrate your birthday as well, robin. >> this is your day but thank you very much. mwah. >> i appreciate it, guys. >> giving love. >> week giving thanks to both of you. >> i was considered -- i was born on thanksgiving and my parents said, she's a blessing and my brothers and sisters said, oh, she's a turkey. [ laughter ] did you get that? >> i never got that. >> because your birthday falls -- >> yeah, but i never got the turkey part.

>> no. the real blessing is adrienne with "pop news." >> yes. >> there we go. [ applause ] >> it's true. george, don't you call "pop" the gift that keeps on giving? >> always. >> always. we begin across the pond. this adorable moment courtesy of a cat and a very helpful police officer. check it out. this very patient feline is at 10 downing street waiting at the door. office of the prime minister, theresa may, the officer comes over, knocks on the door, have somebody let him in. the bbc calls this the most british thing you'll see today. meanwhile, sky news' brexit report was upstaged by the whole thing. it happened live behind a news report, and that's not just any cat either. breaking news, chief mouser to the cabinet office, that's larry. according to the u.k. government's website larry's official duties include greeting guests at the house and testing antique furniture for napping quality. [ laughter ] >> has his own security guard. >> he has his own security guard and makes sure there's not too

many mice in the house so thank you, larry, for giving us that moment. [ applause ] >> what! okay, we're approaching the end of the year and "time" magazine is asking twier followers to cast their vote for 2018 person of the year. turns out a certain friend of "pop news" is already submitted themselves as a write-in candidate. take a look. gritty, the philadelphia flyers wacky mascot. it gets better. gritty had a little fun with the cover there. "it me" is what they changed it to. you definitely get our vote at "pop news." and this goes out to anybody responsible for cooking a thanksgiving turkey tomorrow. throw out your plans. reynolds kitchens want you to spice up your feast with a flaming hot cheetos turkey. yeah. what do you think? the recipe is posted on the company's website. it calls for a buttered bird with a flaming hot cheetos crust. you just put the cheetos through the food processor.

i've seen michael's face right now, and i'm thinking, he's got all the feels going on. you just pat those crumbs around the turkey. there you go. put it in the oven. we have to get our hands on one so i think we actually have one to show you. [ applause ] thank you to our wonderful crew. this is the flaming hot cheetos turkey. >> see how they have four plates there. >> i don't think we're actually going to taste it on tv but i thought while you're eating michael's birthday cupcakes, you can have some flaming hot cheetos turkey. what do you think? [ applause ] >> let me just -- they're like no. yes? okay, one person online said i would sever all ties with any family member who made this. another chiming in with simply, call the police. >> wait a minute. are you coming to eat it? >> yeah. >> oh, great. >> all right. >> show us what this is like. he's got the napkin.

>> get a big piece. get in there. >> no, i'm good. good? he likes it. [ cheers and applause ] take it, all yours. >> a star is born. >> we're here to please. [ applause ] making thanksgiving dreams come true and that's "pop news." >> just so people know, that was not planted. he actually did that on his own. >> he made the most of his 15 seconds too. he sure did. >> a star is born. we're going to move on now to our "gma" cover story. duchess meghan back in the kitchen visiting the community that she wrote that charity cookbook with and she's helping make hundreds of meals for those in need. deborah roberts is here with that and there's a new documentary out as well.

and you've been on this beat for a long time. >> i got to tell you almost as fun as it was here today at the royal wedding it's been one year since she hit the scene with her engagement to prince harry. former actress meghan markle has brought her california cool to the royal family. she and harry taking the world by storm. this morning, the duchess of sussex visiting this community kitchen in london right near grenfell tower, site of a disastrous fire a year ago. meghan helping prepare meals that are headed to homeless and women's shelters. it's the same place she launched her cookbook "together." proceeds of that book going back into the community center. this visit just days after she and harry appeared at the royal variety show. >> when you look at the duke and duchess of sussex, there is an enormous electricity between them. >> if ever there was a fairy tale it's those two. the love just exudes. >> for me they've become the duke and duchess of cuddles. >> reporter: in the six months since she married prince harry, meghan markle's become a formidable force. >> the queen is incredibly smart. the queen sees meghan as a very useful tool in securing and

symbolizing the future of the monarchy for decades to come. >> reporter: blazing a new trail. in the monarchy. she was a very, very savvy outspoken young woman, a real feminist. first speeches in fiji she had notes with her that all had handwritten scribbles on before she went up and i asked, has she written this herself because that's quite unusual for the royals. there's usually other people. they said this was all her, she's been up for days working on this speech. >> meghan is the feminist princess of our dreams and for americans we sort of take pride in that because we say, look, there's our american girl over there shaking up the monarchy. >> reporter: and as markle sparkles she's joining sister-in-law kate as a powerful fashion influencer. >> when kate wears something it sells out instantly. now we have the meghan effect. >> i think the meghan effect is even bigger than the kate effect. >> congratulations. >> congratulations. >> reporter: but lately the public is focused on the duke and duchess' royal bundle.

>> for your baby. >> reporter: who will break so many barriers. >> there is excitement and interest in the fact that this baby will be the first biracial baby that is born into the royal family. this is a family that for centuries has been made up predominantly of white european. >> people are waiting to see is this going to be a brown-haired little baby, is it going to be a ginger baby? >> reporter: so here you have this child who has ancestors that are british royalty and african-american slaves. how powerful. >> reporter: this couple's child will truly be a ground breaker in so many ways. so many eyes on meghan and harry and, george, harry in particular, a new poll says that he is the most popular royal right now stealing a little spotlight from the queen. >> and not even a dad yet. >> not even a dad yet. it's going to be a lot of fun watching all the details of them and how they maneuver in this special. >> thanks for coming in, deb. let's go over to michael. all right, thank you, george. and we are now closing in on the biggest bargains of the year

from thanksgiving to black friday and cyber monday. we're going to test the sales smarts of an audience member, jessica, who is right here and we're going to get the best shopping strategy from our deal detective becky worley. and what we're going to do, we're going to play a quick little game and go down, you have these tags here. you're going to tag each one of these categories to see what you think is the best time to buy each group. so we have thanksgiving, black friday, the weekend or cyber monday, so you put those tags on where you guess it's best to buy each one of those out of those four dates, and audience, you can help her along the way. are you ready, jessica? go. >> looking at that and looking at tvs and travel. >> okay. >> clothing, she says cyber monday. and then toys and makeup, the weekend. >> you said the weekend, okay. >> let's see how she did. >> that was a great job, jessica. becky, you're up now. you tell us when is the best time to buy each of these. >> jessica said the weekend to buy toys and makeup and the right answer is black friday.

oh, yes. build-a-bear has their 12-inch plushes on sale black friday only while supplies last for $6. lots of toys on sale that day. also makeup, this so rarely goes on sale. stock up on staples. >> i will do that. >> i know. i sense you will. >> okay, clothing, jessica said -- >> cyber monday. >> she said cyber monday, the answer is -- >> the weekend. oh, no. but the good news about clothing, you want to try it on in stores so this is go to the mall. you can shop online both in store and online. we expect discounts of 40% to 60% so it's really a great thing to buy and stock up on. >> gaming. >> all the gaming consoles, jessica said black friday. but the answer is thanksgiving. yes. we are seeing things like headphones, gaming consoles, so the switch from nintendo is 329 plus 90 bucks in kohl's cash on

thanksgiving. and then finally, jessica said, unfortunately, i already know -- >> it's not thanksgiving. >> it's not thanksgiving for tvs. cyber monday, whoo! >> cyber monday. >> we're really seeing great discounts from walmart they have a samsung 58-incher for 447 on cyber monday. that's a preview you'll only see here on "good morning america" so good deals. >> thank you for helping us out. i got to say, there was no prize involved if you got them all right. you can check this out on our website for more. now over to ginger. >> thank you, michael. time for your "gma" moment. the katmai ya. this cat used to always watch the birds from the deck. now took out the middle man. this is what happened in your "gma" moment. >> it's a bird. feeder. >> maya is sitting right i

we now have that nfl first. on sunday jeff rohrer became the first known former pro football player to tie the knot in a same-sex marriage and "nightline's" juju chang is here with more on this journey to this very powerful moment. good to see you. >> good to see you, robin. it's such a happy story. you know, jeff rohrer played football for the dallas cowboys during the glory days and he believes if he had come out

back in the '80s he would have been let go. today he says his friends and former teammates could not have been more supportive. jeff rohrer never set out to be a pioneer. >> you kow, my generation, it was -- it just never was part of the narrative. >> reporter: as a linebacker for the dallas cowboys in the '80s, he was worried about tackling players, not breaking down barriers. but for all those years running down the field he was also running from the truth. that he was gay. >> i was living the life of a straight man for most of my life and then when my wife and eventually got divorced, i just, you know, followed my heart. >> reporter: now jeff is the first known former nfl player to be in a same-sex marriage, married this sunday to skin care expert to the stars, joshua ross. their relationship kept a secret for most in jeff's life. going public making him uneasy, even with wedding planning under way, there were jitters. >> i wanted to announce the wedding months ago and jeff just wasn't ready for that and so

literally we didn't tell anybody about the wedding until maybe six weeks before. >> i feared the worst with my kids, feared the worst with my family, feared the worst from my friends, feared the worst from my teammates and with past teammates, and i would say 99.4% i was wrong. >> reporter: they've started an instagram account hoping that those who are struggling will reach out. >> people have already been reaching out. there was a young kid that played -- i don't think it was professional baseball, i think it was college baseball but he basically sent a long message saying thank you so much and i need advice. >> reporter: you know, jeff pointed out that among the biggest hurdles was telling his ex-wife and now teenage kids but the newlyweds say they are one big happy modern family. >> love is love. all right, juju, thank you. we'll be right back. ght, juju, thank you. we'll be right back.

good morning, north bay. let's get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. >> and good morning. it's 8:27. i'm reggie aqui from abc 7 mornings. expect long lines if we're heading to the airport, as you fly off for thanksgiving. officials expect today will be one of the busiest airports -- days in a decade, up 5% from last year. travelers at san francisco international say they knew it would be bad, but when you have to work this week, you don't have a lot of options, of course, when you can fly. going to take a look now at what is happening with traffic this morning. and as you can see, we do have a sig alert right now in the santa cruz mountains. a third crash on northbound 17 has really messed up traffic there. this is a three-car crash involving a tractor-trailer that was hauling gravel that jack

knifed. two other cars involved, all lanes are blocked. and right now, we don't know when this is going to reopen. watch out here in this area. san mateo bridge right now, of course, it's cloudy and there's that rain there, but no incidents. incidents. and speaking of on thousands of giftss this weekend at ross. most stores are open thanksgiving, six p.m. to midnight. reopening friday at seven a.m. with extended hours saturday and sunday. yes for less.

and you find a deal on cookware that makes you say. you know when you're at ross yes! ...oh, yeah! bring on the holidays! that's yes for less. everything you need to prep, cook and serve up the season. it feels even better when you find it for less-at ross. yes for less. now your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. >> we've got some downpours hitting the bay area and the richmond san rafael bridge and this is all heading northbound into the north bay and it extends out to antioch and

discovery bay. and this is going to be the case for the next several hours. the steadier rain, light to moderate at times, and then we transition this evening over to scattered showers and thunderstorms. i ♪ welcome back to "gma." it's wonderful to have all you guys here today the day before thanksgiving. so thank you. thank you. and we've got a story that is truly in the spirit of the holiday. it's one we wanted to highlight with our "tell t.j." series. t.j. holmes is in panama city, florida, where a community is coming together to lift each other up after suffering major devastation in hurricane michael. good morning again, t.j. >> reporter: good morning to you, strahan, and, look, you can argue panama city, this is a city that's been in cleanup mode since the storm hit october 10th

but this cleanup is because of a mess they gladly made themselves last night. yeah, we good a lot going on. a lot of work still going on this morning, but they gladly made the mess themselves and have a lot in the community still without homes so having a thanksgiving meal wasn't in the cards, then these folks stepped up with hundreds more volunteers and said, hey, we got 450 turkey, let us cook for you. hurricane michael was a monster. the strongest storm to ever hit the florida panhandle, its primary target panama city. the storm virtually wiped out this coastal community, thousands were left homeless. some schools were so badly damaged that they were only able to re-open last week, a full month after the storm. >> come on, y'all. >> reporter: their first order of business, turkey. 5,000 pounds of it. >> these are the largest. they'll take longer. >> reporter: bay high school's culinary director greg bailey had what he admits was a crazy idea, get his students to prepare a thanksgiving meal for everybody. >> everybody wanted to have

their piece of pie, their piece of the action to be able to come out and help. the response has been overwhelming. ♪ >> reporter: volunteers were immediately on board with bailie's plan to feed up to 6,000 people who might otherwise not have a thanksgiving dinner. companies helped too donating food and time. nestle going above and beyond donating food, water, desserts and so much more to make sure no one went home empty-handed. the hurricane took away any chance of a traditional thanksgiving for many of these families. >> we don't even think about the fact that it's a national holiday and that we would normally be preparing to have dinner with our family. we're still in survival mode. >> reporter: for some, this might be their only thanksgiving dinner. was it possible that this might be the only bite of turkey you were going to get this week? >> yes. >> how was that bite? >> good. >> delicious. >> reporter: this year, food, traditions seem secondary.

family and community are the priority and one man's crazy idea turned into part of this community's recovery and a reminder that people who lost everything still have plenty to be thankful for. >> and to actually be a part of this event and to see our families and be with our families and just help in our community, it's what our hearts need. it's what our morale needs. it's what our community needs. >> reporter: and i said this is just a few of the volunteers. i said we had hundreds and look what happened this morning. [ cheers and applause ] i said we had hundreds. y'all pulled it off. y'all pulled it off. y'all pulled it off. these are the folks that pulled it off. guys, and i'm going to sit down with two special guys. this is principal smith who -- actually prince mall of jinks middle school.

they came to you. you had to take on high school students. you had all that going on. he comes and says, let's feed the whole community but you didn't think you had a choice but to pull it off. >> we had to. our community needed it and any time someone says i have a crazy idea, i'm crazy enough to do it, i knew this is the right guy to make it happen. >> this is the crazy guy, this is coach bailie. [ cheers and applause ] who had the idea and has been working nonstop to pull this off. a lot of people don't know, you just like everybody in the community, you lost a lot and took on personal loss for this storm. >> we did. >> just like everybody else did but you still pulled this off and i heard you say to your volunteers yesterday, to the students, you have jobs assigned to you. if you don't have one assigned to you, your job is to love on somebody. what did you mean by that? >> well, there's always going to be somebody who is a little worse off than you so hopefully through what i've taught and displayed everybody understands that while your life may be in shambles and things may be going on, there's somebody else who needs you to help them at that

point in time too. >> we certainly saw that yesterday and i want you all to know, robin, stra, george, that what's thanksgiving, right, without leftovers. you got to have leftovers. well, the food, the people who weren't able to come by last night they're taking the food they have left over over to them. they hope to feed another thousand-plus today and keep in mind there's still people in this community six weeks after the storm, i want you all to hear this, six weeks after the storm they still have people in this community living in tents and that is where they're taking that food today. so remember these folks down here after hurricane michael. >> we certainly will, t.j. and have to say, what a blessing to have such strong community ties and we've been celebrating michael's birthday here and i understand that greg is having a birthday coming up soon too? >> oh, yes. we don't want to forget about you. robin roberts just mentioned to me you have a birthday coming up. >> i do.

>> on friday. i think you all knew this. okay, so i mean while we're here, my anchor, robin, george, come on with me, come on with me here. robin, robin, george and strahan wanted to give you a birthday cake. so happy birthday to you, but can you read what we have on your birthday cake. can you read it? >> to the bay high foundation a $20,000 check. [ applause ] >> yes. bay high school. [ applause ] of course, we know that nestle played a big role in donating a lot of the food. huge role. >> huge. >> but they heard and loved what you were doing and they wanted to do more and they stepped up and they are contributing this to your school foundation to help.

i know you're rebuilding and you'll open at some point. you hope to but this can possibly help you. >> thank you. >> along the way. >> thank you. [ applause ] >> so robin, george, strahan this is the guy, everyone lost something here but they are giving back in a major way despite everybody in this room, some of them still without homes as you see them but they have been supporting each other and the whole community yesterday and this did the guy who spearheaded it all. >> t.j. [ applause ] t.j., let me ask you, what does it mean to you personally to be able to do these types of stories and to give people a platform to share these stories? >> look, robin, there's enough negativity, right, going on in the world, and you get -- and you get a guy like this and you know, to hear them say thank you to us just for being here, they were going to do this whether we were here or not. you know, so you talk about

thanksgiving and i'm thinking about my meal that i'm cooking tomorrow and these folks are looking for a place to stay. i mean, just, you know, they're helping out as much as you can imagine, robin. [ applause ] >> t.j., we got to thank you, t.j., because we joke and say t.j., you know, tell t.j. means tearjerker. >> yeah. >> exactly. >> but no one brings us these things better than you and you've done a great job of spotlighting all these incredible stories and we just got to say, thank you. this is an inspirational story and the perfect story that leads us right into thanksgiving and the meaning of what it's all about so, t.j., thank you and congratulations to all those volunteers and the coach and principal and all the hard work that everyone is doing there and, you know, we'll be right back, everybody. >> tissue sales are going

through the roof. >> thank you, t.j. we'll be right back. [ applause ] [ applause ]

[ applause ] welcome back to "good morning america." you know we're talking about the headline of chill but come with me. i was just talking with claudia. your number as far as how cold is too cold. >> 60. >> oh, claudia, it's going to be

way colder than that tomorrow. let me show you how cold. the windchill will feel like the single digits, like 6, not 60. it's rough. she's from north carolina. i get it. i feel the same way. could see the coldest thanksgiving on record from burlington to providence, rhode island, and at least we won't have a ton of precipitation. that's the big picture. >> this weather report has been sponsored by lincoln. robin, i know you have paula over there. i sure do, yeah. a closer look at our good friend and "gma" family member paula's podcast, journeys of faith, exploring how spirituality has helped successful people navigate their own live, become who they are and you have sat

down with some fascinating people. >> including yourself, robin. it's been really fascinating and thank you, by the way, we're getting great feedback about your particular episode. that's the whole point. it's an opportunity to talk to influencers and see them in a totally different light. finding out how their faith guides them through the good and the bad. journeys of faith podcast is a chance to listen to influencers of many faiths about what they believe and why and how their faith has guided them through the best and worst of times. like country music stars luke bryan. how does all of that tragedy affect what you believe? >> why are we the ones that -- right when it seems like we got our footing under us, the rug gets pulled out. >> and hillary scott. >> as beautiful as this world is it's broken. >> in season one i'm digging in with tim tebow. >> was it hard to give up that dream of being in the nfl? >> of course, and sometimes when i watch games i'm thinking, i could totally do that. >> and our own robin roberts whose faith was pivotal in landing her the role at "gma."

this is nothing that you saw for yourself. >> oh, heck no. if you had really good ears, you could hear my knees knocking under the "gma" desk. >> you were that nervous. >> oh, gosh, i was just like what in the world have i done? but that's faith. >> i'm hoping to shatter the norms with my guests, putting aside our judgments and listening to people we may even disagree with. it's why i'm talking to kellyanne conway even sitting down with marla maples? >> i'm not trying to get publicity because my ex-husband is the president. he would go to church with me. it was really the biggest part of my life. wasn't the biggest part of his, i would suppose. >> i knew from day one when i met you how faith played such a pivotal role in your life and so it'snly natural that you would want to do this. >> yeah, and that's really what

this was borne out of, my faith. it's my rock, my glue, that's why i wanted to do it. i know it's so pivotal for so many but we don't give people the opportunity to talk about god or their judaism or their faith in general so that's why i wanted to do it. >> or the fact they don't have faith because you also talk to people like that. >> yeah, and that's one thing, i mentioned i want to shatter the norms this. this isn't just sitting down and listening to people that we agree with. it's listening to people that we disagree with. i'm going to have -- i have ben shapiro on the show, an orthodox jew and conservative commentator and pre-eminent atheist. his name is sam harris. i have kellyanne conway who is dropping today. it's important to get to the table and listen to people and i found that listening to people i even disagree with, it's only strengthened my faith. >> but i have to say our conversation, i loved it. it was so -- i just -- thank you, thank you for giving us the opportunity to share. people are hungry for that.

>> people are hungry for that. my husband, i've had so much feedback on your particular episode. my husband said it was groundbreaking. listen to robin's, everybody. and it's free. can i just say it's free 99. >> free 99. new episode drops every wednesday. you can find journeys of faith on apple, on spotify, or anywhere you like listening to podcasts. >> thank you, robin. >> bless you, my friend. [ applause ] hey, we got jessie j with a special performance to get us into the holiday spirit. the spirit. [ applause ] [ applause ]

[ applause ] oh, the holiday season in full effect here and superstar jessie j recently stopped by to help us get in the spirit with a performance of a holiday classic and she told us how she's helping make one lucky, aspiring

young singer's dream come true. all right, we are backstage with jessie j. yes, we are so happy. beautiful in red sequin. >> thank you so much. >> she's teaming up with our sponsored cost plus world market for an exclusive album and a contest that could make you a star. welcome again. >> thank you for having me. >> this is an exciting time for you. >> very exciting time. >> european tour. >> yes. >> brand-new album. how does one get ahold of that album? >> you can get it. it's streaming everywhere worldwide and get it in world market, in stores everywhere, and on my official website. >> you got to follow her if you don't on instagram. that's how i get all your updates. >> yes, follow me. >> you're so good with your fans and with them singing, there is actually a chance for someone who wins a contest to get a top hollywood producer if they just sing one of your songs. >> i know how hard it is to be heard and get a break in this industry. this is an opportunity for people to go into world market and sing "santa claus is coming to town" and win the opportunity for an amazing session with a producer to record their own song. i have to pick the winner so that's pressure on me but i'm

excited. >> it does sound fun. sounds like exactly. so many people are doing it in the shower anyways. >> might as well go to world market and sing it into a machine and become a star. >> all right. it's that easy but now is not easy what you're about to do. you're about to hear this song, you got to head into the studio. jessie j with "santa claus is coming to town." >> merry christmas. >> thank you. ♪ you better watch out you better not cry you better not pout i'm telling you why ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming uh-huh ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ whoo ♪ you better watch out

you better not cry you better not pout i'm telling you why ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ he's making a list and checking it twice gonna find out who's naughty or nice ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town he sees you when you're sleeping he knows when you're awake ♪ ♪ he knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake ♪ ♪ you better watch out you better not cry you better not pout i'm telling you why ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ yeah >> good morning, america. merry christmas, everybody. woo! yes. ♪ ♪

♪ he sees you when you're sleeping he knows when you're awake he knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake ♪ ♪ you better watch out you better not cry you better not pout i'm telling you why ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming, yes, to town ♪ ♪ here come santa claus and it won't be long ♪ ♪ it won't be long here comes santa claus with his red suit ♪ ♪ he's coming and it won't be

long coming for you ♪ ♪ here comes old santa claus oh yeah ♪ ♪ he's coming and it won't be long he's coming for you ♪ ♪ oh, yeah ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming, yes, to town ♪ town ♪ [ applause ] on thousands of giftss this weekend at ross. most stores are open thanksgiving, six p.m. to midnight. reopening friday at seven a.m. with extended hours saturday and sunday. yes for less.

♪ ♪ connecting people... ...uniting the world. ♪♪ and you realize you are the the hostess with the mostest. you know when you're at ross yes! yeah! that's yes for less. entertain in style all season long. it feels even better when you find it for less-at ross. yes for less.

[ applause ] before we go, we found someone digging into that flaming hot cheetos turkey, adrienne, yes. we saw you. we saw you. and, again, we want to wish a very happy birthday to michael. >> thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you, thank you, thank you. >> for the people. in five seconds. >> well, we didn't have enough room for candles on this cake because i'm so old but everybody have a great weekend and thank you for watching. we love you. happy thanksgiving. [ applause ]

maybe you're with the family you got. (all) ooh! or maybe the one you've chosen. it's culture salad. our holidays don't all look the same. am i saying it well, l'chaim? l'chaim? and maybe that's what makes us great. make the dream yours. ikea.

good morning, bay area. let's get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. good morning. it's 8:59. i'm reggie aqui from abc 7 mornings. as you can see, it's a little wet outside and we are thankful for the air, mike. >> yes, how about that? the air is clean, it's good. get out there, take an umbrella, get a deep breath of it. now, be careful. 687, benicia bridge, carquinez bridge, heading up to 37, we have a moderate to heavy push of rain moving through right now and it will change over to thunderstorms as we head through the evening and overnight hours. i upgraded friday's storm to a 2, moderate, just like today, reggie. >> thanks so much. we're going to take a look at what traffic is doing this morning as people are heading out for that holiday weekend. we want to let you know that the sig alert that we had in the santa cruz mountains on northbound 17 has now been canceled. so all lanes are open.

that's good to see that thumbs up. bay bridge toll plaza, it is wet, but it is empty. no one there. time now for "live with kelly & ryan." we'll see you at 11:00 for the ♪ >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan." today, recording artist and superstar, mariah carey. and from the new film "welcome home," emily ratajkowski. plus, nascar champion joey logano! all next on "live"! and now, here are ryan seacre and kelly ripa! ♪ [cheers and applause]