cake in the conference room! showing 'em you're ready... to be your own boss. that's the beauty of your smile. crest's three dimensional whitening... ...removes stains,... ...whitens in-between teeth...

...and protects from future stains. crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life. ♪ work so hard ♪ give it everything you got ♪ strength of a lioness ♪ tough as a knot ♪ rocking the stage ♪ and we never gonna stop ♪ all strength, no sweat. ♪ just in case you forgot ♪ all strength. ♪ no sweat secret. all strength. no sweat. ♪upbeat musieverything was so fresh in the beginning. [sniff] ♪ dramatic music♪ but that plug quickly faded. ♪upbeat music luckily there's febreze plug. it cleans away odors and freshens for 1200 hours. [deep inhale] breathe happy with febreze plug.

[ screaming ] police are asking for the public's help to solve a possible kidnapping in the los angeles area. it is hard to forget these terrifying screams captured on a security system. we've played this video before. authorities released an updated photo of the suspect's vehicle, a white toyota matrix. police have reportedly investigated more than 30 tips but they still don't know if it was a kidnapping or a domestic dispute. >> unbelievable. an incredible save by police also caught on camera in oklahoma. >> a tulsa deputy involved in a traffic stop monday, when all of a sudden a little girl fell out of a van and into the road. the deputy rushed into the street, scooped her up, and saved her from oncoming traffic. >> the child suffered only minor bruises. her mother cited for not having the girl and other children in the van buckled up or in car

seats. police in virginia have made a major break in the manhunt across three states for a marine who had gone awol wanted for allegedly killing his mother's boyfriend in virginia. >> the suspect ended up returning to the scene of the crime. here's abc's zachary kiesch. >> reporter: after 18 days, the search for marine michael brown is over. authorities remarkably arresting brown at the same virginia home where he's accused of murdering his mother's boyfriend. brown deserted his post at camp lejeune in north carolina last month. >> we were able to make contact with mr. brown this morning, thankfully take him into custody without any injury. >> reporter: the manhunt eventually focusing near roanoke where an rv linked to brown was found in this church parking lot not far from his grandmother's home. his family at the time pleading for brown to peacefully turn himself in. >> i won't leave you, just please turn yourself in, i can't

lose another person. >> reporter: brown's mother telling investigators she witnessed the november 9th shooting of her boyfriend, rodney brown. pressed on the relationship between the two men, an attorney hired by friends of michael brown described the family as dysfunctional. >> we don't know if he did it, if he did do it i'm sure there are a lot of things that can be brought up in his behalf. >> reporter: brown was charged with second degree murder, but right now authorities aren't giving a whole lot of details in terms of motive or exactly how he was captured. zachary kiesch, abc news, new york. this morning we're talking turkey with a real expert. >> that's right. kenneth moton. he'll show you one way to cook that big bird next. d next. a long day, it's the last thing i want to do. well i switched to swiffer wet jet and its awesome. it's an all-in-one so it's ready to go when i am.

the cleaning solution actually breaks down dirt and grime. and the pad absorbs it deep inside. so, it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. plus, it's safe to use on all my floors, even wood. glad i got that off my chest and the day off my floor. try wet jet with a moneyback guarantee

happy thanksgiving, everyone. of course i'm back for the food segment on this turkey day. we're checking out a quicker and cleaner way to cook that bird. joining us is butterball turkey talk line expert carol miller. carol, good morning. welcome to "world news now." >> good morning, kenneth. >> you've got a spread for us. >> we do, we do. for the past four decades,

butterball has watched the generations pass on the tradition of thanksgiving. the new millennials, they're not going to cook it the way grandma did. they're using the hot air fryer. >> i heard about this hot air fryer. everyone is doing it. they air say, come over, i'll air fry something for you. >> that's crazy. >> it's like the thing. people are air frying the turkeys. >> we tested them this summer before we started talking in november. and it's really simple. it's like a tiny convection oven. you can't put a big turkey in, but what you can do is put like a breast of turkey. so you might have a turkey in the oven, on the grill, then you've got your breast of turkey to serve also. it's really easy. set it to 350. and there's a little basket in there with the breast.

it takes 14 to 16 minutes per pound. you turn it over. you also baste it so it gets nice and brown. it's wonderful. >> i bet it keeps a lot of the flavor, the juices. >> it does, it really does. >> you want a nice, juicy turkey, i know. >> right, right. no matter how you plan to cook your turkey, there's a couple of things that you need to do if you're doing it in the backyard, in the oven, or whatever. first, you want to make sure that you get a pound and a half per person. that's generous, and leftovers, which is important. you also have to get it thawed. and it takes much longer than people think. it's one day for every four pounds of turkey. slide the turkey in the refrigerator on a tray, and just forget about it. >> hopefully people have started the thawing process at this point of the morning. >> right, right, right. you have to do it quicker, do it in cold water and just give us a call, we'll send that information to you. >> i have to admit i'm used to this versus this. this would scare me.

i just come eat. >> this wouldn't scare you. >> how do you get started? what's your biggest piece of advice for someone who is getting that turkey ready? >> have the meat thermometer before you even think about getting the turkey ready. it's the only way that you can tell if the turkey is done. you can't look at it by the color. you can't look at it by the time it suggests to cook it. you need to know what the internal muscle is. this would go -- this is raw, i'm not going to put it in. there's three places. deep in the inner thigh, way down there, 180. in the thick breast, 170. if you're a family that stuffs the turkey, it doesn't come out of the oven until it's 165 in the center of the stuffing. >> gotcha. 180 -- >> 170, 165. at butterball.com, they have all that information. >> butterball helping us out here. do you have tips on the sides as

well? >> great, great. these are on our butterball.com. great recipes. also you can go there to calculate how much to buy, 325 degree oven, how long it's going to take to get in there, all sorts of nice leftovers, there's everything. how-to videos. if you have to carve, go and watch the video. >> there you go. best said by carol there. for these and other turkey tips, check out the turkey talk line at butterball.com. carol miller, thank you for joining us on this thanksgiving. happy thanksgiving, everyone.

♪ work so hard ♪ give it everything you got ♪ strength of a lioness ♪ tough as a knot ♪ rocking the stage ♪ and we never gonna stop ♪ all strength, no sweat. ♪ just in case you forgot ♪ all strength. ♪ no sweat secret. all strength. no sweat.

sstop struggling to clean tough messes with sprays. try clean freak! it has three times the cleaning power of the leading spray to dissolve kitchen grease on contact. and it's great for bathrooms! just keep pumping the power nozzle to release a continuous burst of mist and make quick work of big jobs. it even works on stainless steel. it cuts through 100% of dirt, grease and grime.

available with easy-to-swap refills. to get three times the cleaning power, try clean freak from mr. clean. it's not exact it's not exactly the jungle, but orlando is close enough for those of you who may be looking to take a walk on the wild side this weekend, working off all that turkey. >> our own tom kelly takes us inside where all the alligators go to play. >> welcome to gatorland! ♪ gatorland is an old-style florida roadside tourist attraction that has been open since 1949. it's how florida used to be. park owners promote it as florida's best half-day attraction. >> we're thinking it's pretty fascinating. >> reporter: it's part theme

park, animal show, and conservatory. >> i was that kid growing up that caught stuff in the backyard or went out in the woods and caught stuff and brought it in the house, terrorized my mom and dad with animals, you know, living in my drawer. >> you feel safe going in on that right now? >> yeah. >> our tour guide brandon, so much more of a man than our camera guy. >> reporter: on our first stop brandon had me feed some of the smaller alligators. >> plague, the big guy in the middle, has been fighting blackwater. blackwater doesn't like to come too close to plague. >> name them things like blackwater and plague, yeah. they're going to get a little handsy. >> reporter: our second stop was a little more intimate. >> is this a smile, or is that i'm going to eat you? >> that's a smile. >> what do i need to know about gators to not be scared? >> move back so they can't bite you. >> move back so they can't bite

you, that's smart advice. >> reporter: eliza's advice was about to come in handy as brandon took me to meet gatorland's second-largest alligator. >> in the movie dragon was the bad guy, smog. the guy from universal came, took audio, hissing, making noise, used his noise as the dragon noise. smile, buddy! chester, smile! >> there's no gators in brooklyn. we've got rats, but these. this is a lot of fun. >> this place is the best half day i've spent in a while. find somebody else at abc news who can call a live alligator. i got to feed live and dangerous animals and i lived to tell the tale. it's tom kelly in orlando, florida, at gatorland saying, see you later, alligator. >> you can find a lot of things in new york city but there are no alligators in brooklyn. >> no, there are not. i have a whole list of alligator facts here. i'm going to turn over -- you lived in orlando. those are your people right there. >> i did, those are my people. i never went to gatorland. >> oh, come on.

>> before i moved there, i had a dream about my dog getting eaten by an alli

this morning on "world news now," two powerful storms striking mil this morning on "world news now," two powerful storms striking millions of americans. >> on this thanksgiving day, we can expect major travel disruptions with snow, icy roads making driving and flying quite dangerous, and the macy's balloons, they're ready to fly. but will the weather cooperate? we have your thanksgiving forecast. explosive emergency. a chemical plant blast forcing thousands of people to leave their home on thanksgiving eve. the fire burning through the night and authorities are warning not to touch any of the debris. we'll take you to the scene. plus the medical milestone for a man paralyzed from the neck down after a surfing accident nearly three years ago. the experimental stem-cell trial that now has him able to walk again. and later in "the mix," the

attempted to thwart a traffic stop in california. we'll show you how it all ended, and maybe we've got some more turkey puns. it's thursday, november 28th, thanksgiving day. hey, good thursday morning. happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving to you, janai, thanks. >> so happy to have you here. kenneth is off in the great state of south carolina. >> am i getting the slow clap? i'll take it any time. >> here we are apparently in some swanky soho loft. >> we're doing the show on remote in a loft, we have 8,000 pumpkins with us as you do on thanksgiving. >> right? it looks like autumn outside, beautiful. >> wine glasses, which is, you know. >> boozy. >> my kind of thanksgiving, good.

>> we had some thanksgiving dinner already. >> we did. we were -- we had a bounty. >> we did. >> we were -- cupcakes. >> played some games. >> said some things that will stay private. we're family here at abc. sometimes you can't bring that out. >> there you go. we wish you a happy thanksgiving. we do begin this morning with holiday travel plans. if you're hitting the road today, you're going to find relatively light traffic in the air and on the ground. but nasty weather across the country has been causing headaches and delays. heavy snow has been hitting several parts of the country. >> maneuvering the roadways is tough, especially at higher elevations. there's more snow up there. that forces drivers to stop and

put on their chains. the curt radar painting the best overall picture, and abc's alex perez reports from one of the hardest-hit areas. >> reporter: the blast of heavy snow slamming parts of the midwest, falling as fast as 2 inches an hour. minneapolis declaring a snow emergency. the city's first responders battling the elements at this apartment fire. >> entered the 14th floor where they experienced heavy fire and very high heat. >> reporter: tragically, five people did not survive. in chicago, damaging wind gusts above 60 miles per hour. scaffolding crashing through this taxi windshield. the driver hurt. and in the south suburbs, winds whipping the flames of this structure fire. at o'hare airport, pilots battling crosswinds. more than 500 flights delayed at this major hub. more than 4,000 across the country on this, the second-busiest travel day of the year. on the roads, new video showing how dangerous ice can be. a utah highway patrol trooper jumping over a concrete barrier just in time, his body camera capturing his escape from another angle. in northern california, a second storm system shutting down part of interstate 5 for hours north of redding. dozens of travelers stranded. >> at this point they can't even plow the roads because so many people are stuck in the roadway. >> reporter: to the west winds

gusting nearly 70 miles per hour, ripping the roof off this crescent city hardware store tuesday. and in the mountains north of l.a., the california highway patrol using pace cars to slow drivers down. >> we're slowing people down to about 30 miles per hour. that's a safe speed. people start going 65, 70, recipe for disaster. >> reporter: this storm is now moving east but expected to create problems along the way. so this is not over just yet. alex perez, abc news, minneapolis. >> all right, alex. here in new york forecasters calling for heavy wind gusts. that could mean a disappointing parade, unfortunately. organizers inflating the balloon characters as usual overnight, but some or even all of them could be grounded because of that wind. >> so many people hoping that won't be the case. parade fans may recall one of the windiest thanksgiving day parades ever back in 1997. balloons were literally out of control, and two people suffered severe head injuries.

accuweather meteorologist adam del rosso joins us with the full forecast. >> janai, will, good morning. a storm exiting out of the northeast bringing some snow to new england. however, bigger story across the rest of the northeast, some powerful winds. we're talking gusts 40 to 50 miles per hour along the 95 corridor, including new york. unfortunately impacting the macy's thanksgiving day parade. out west yet another storm making its way onshore bringing rain and heavy snow to the mountains. you make your way down to the coast of southern california, 1 to 2 inches of rain leading to a flooding threat. around flagstaff, 1 to 2 feet of snow expected with that. ahead of it into the plains we're talking rain and icy spots, making for a messy thursday. janai, will? >> all right, adam, thank you. thousands of people were forced to leave their homes after a second explosion at a chemical plant in texas.

>> the blast caused extensive damage across the city of port neches. it blew out the windows and doors of nearby homes and businesses. the fire has been contained but it's still burning. abc's marcus moore has the details. >> reporter: the new images, more trouble at this chemical plant in southeast texas. part of the plant collapsing. burning debris rocketing into the air. plumes of black smoke stretching for miles as firefighters work to contain the blaze. parts of the tpc group plant in port neches, an hour and a half outside houston, first went up in flames sending three workers to the hospital. flying glass injuring five residents after the explosion blew out home windows. >> our kitchen just caved in. >> reporter: this roof collapsing miles away from the plant. >> my wife jumped and up she was yelling. i run into the bedroom to get my daughter, we've got to get out

of here, i don't know if something else is going to blow up. >> reporter: mandatory evacuations ordered for a four-mile radius of the explosion site. authorities warning residents not to touch any of the potentially harmful debris. >> we don't want people touching it with bare hands because it could be contaminated. >> reporter: this explosion was reportedly felt 10 miles away. officials are monitoring air quality and working to try to contain the flames and figure out what went wrong. marcus moore, abc news, dallas. as the impeachment inquiry moves forward, rudy giuliani is facing growing scrutiny over his reported dealings in ukraine. >> "the new york times" is reporting giuliani, president trump's personal lawyer, had tentative deals to do work for the ukrainian government while pushing officials there to investigate the president's political rivals. the paper says giuliani even signed an agreement to be paid $300,000 by ukraine's justice ministry, supposedly to recover stolen money, but the deal never went through. giuliani said he thought it would look bad and claims he

never received a penny. the ban on flavored tobacco and vaping products in massachusetts is facing some backlash. the vaping industry says it's the wrong way to curb youth vaping. the group says raising the age to purchase tobacco and nicotine vapor products would be more effective. convenience store owners say the law will cost the state millions in tax revenue and fuel the black market. former president jimmy carter is home for the holiday a little more than two weeks after surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. the 95-year-old was released from an atlanta hospital yesterday. a spokesperson says he and former first lady roslyn carter are looking forward to celebrating thanksgiving at their home in plains, georgia. so glad to hear that he's doing well and back home. >> absolutely. from thanksgiving to christmas, being a good santa takes practice. and with less than four weeks till the big day, st. nicks over

in the uk are back in school. >> santas in london are in class you see there working on their ho ho ho and other famous lines. the group the ministry of fun is running its 23rd annual santa tkengri hpy during the holidays. >> i can only say high streets are looking to father christmas to put smiles on people's faces so we've had to find more father christmas performers than ever. >> the santas learned how to answer children's questions and they're taught how to say merry christmas in multiple languages, as well as the names of all the reindeer. the founder says bookings for santas have gone quote through the roof this year. so you've got to get the santas ready. >> you said that they work on all the famous lines. what is there? there's ho ho ho ho, merry christmas. >> what other is there? >> i have no idea. >> you'll be getting coal? >> i guess. you're on the naughty list. >> yeah. >> doesn't really roll off the tongue. >> i don't think so. >> i wouldn't even get the

reindeer right. >> i wonder what the -- what criteria you have to meet to be accepted into the school? do you have to have a nice-sized belly? >> do you have to be jolly? >> yeah. >> the beard, does it have to be natural? >> right. >> i don't know, i guess we'll never know, i don't think either of us are ever going to be santa. before we get to christmas, let's bring it back to thanksgiving. we have a special edition of "the mix." and the medical miracle involving a stem-cell trial and the patient paralyzed from the neck down nearly three years ago, now able to walk again. first the terrifying road rage incident caught on camera unfolding in realtime as a driver sideswipes a vehicle carrying a father, mother, and their baby. by. about the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget

are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54. alex, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan, available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock, so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information. and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours just for calling.

so call now. for your worst sore throat pain, try vicks vapocool drops. it's not candy, it's powerful relief. ahhh vaporize sore throat pain with vicks vapocool drops and try new vapocool spray. ♪upbeat musieverything was so fresh in the beginning. [sniff] ♪ dramatic music♪ but that plug quickly faded. ♪upbeat music luckily there's febreze plug. it cleans away odors and freshens for 1200 hours. [deep inhale] breathe happy with febreze plug.

we're back with this dramatic water rescue in los angeles. a man was trapped in those rushing waters you see of the l.a. river. the waters rose after heavy storms hit the area. he hung on to a tree until firefighters reached him in that inflatable raft that was tied to shore. that man's safe and recovering in the hospital. >> what a scene. police in texas have arrested a driver in what appears to be a case of dangerous road rage north of houston. >> a father and mother in the car with their baby catching another vehicle on camera sideswiping their car before hitting a motorcyclist. here's abc's kayna whitworth. >> reporter: a terrifying road rage attack caught on camera. >> i have a baby. >> reporter: watch as this couple with their toddler in the back seat frantically calls 911 as the driver of a white tahoe hits their car. >> he just hit us! >> reporter: the tahoe speeds up, cutting across the highway,

then crashing into a motorcycle, sending the rider tumbling. >> he just hit a guy on a motorcycle! >> he knocked him off the bike! >> give me the gun. >> reporter: afraid for their lives, lucas martin and his girlfriend still stop to help the motorcyclist, who amazingly survived. martin says he thinks it all started because he wasn't driving fast enough. >> it escalated very quickly. it got scary. when something like that happens, if you've never been in a situation, you panic. >> reporter: officers arresting the driver at the scene, identifying him as 30-year-old armando montez. authorities say montez had his wife and 7-year-old child in the car with him at the time, so he's now charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and child endangerment. kayna whitworth, abc news, los angeles. >> such a scary video to see there. coming up next half hour, the countdown to black friday.

>> those door buster deals, they're already online. here's how you can bag a bargain without having to brave those crowds. but first the man who is paralyzed from the neck down and the innovative stem-cell therapy that has him walking again.

new details involving a medical innovation. >> take a look at how a man who was paralyzed is now walking again. it's a life unimaginable. sit still. don't shift your weight. don't scratch your nose or scroll on your phone. don't move at all. imagine waking up and suddenly this is your new life. your every day. your forever. >> i think i remember driving to the beach that morning. i only know what everyone told me what happened afterwards. >> reporter: for chris barr, young, successful, active, it was a surfing accident in february 2017. >> it's exactly like it is in the movies, like a fish eye lens opening up and the doctor says, you're paralyzed from the neck

down, you've had a really bad neck injury. the prognosis was bad. bad meaning, you know, probably 95%, 97% chance i'll have nothing below my neck. >> a lifetime of no movement? >> exactly. i asked my wife for permission to pull the plug. >> i said, yes, i will support whatever you want to do, but can you give us just a little time, just a little bit of time? and you said yes. >> reporter: the new norm. rehab, physical therapy, months of small improvements, glimmers of hope. first a toe. then a leg. even his hands. then the progress plateaued. >> you ask yourself, is that all there is? is this all the further i'm going to go? is this it? so very, very dark nights of the soul at that time. >> where'd the light come back in? >> dr. bydon. a phone call from dr. bydon. >> reporter: dr. mohammad bydon,

a spinal cord researcher leading an innovative study. chris would be patient number one. >> patient number one? >> yeah. >> there's got to be some anxieties associated with that. >> none. >> none. >> you got to understand, you've got absolutely nothing to lose. i mean, this is exactly why i stuck around, was to do something. >> reporter: stem cells from chris' own stomach fat were injected into his spinal cord to regenerate and repair the injury. but what happened next is potentially groundbreaking news. >> how soon did you see improvement from that procedure? >> it was fast. it was fast. i felt it going in. i felt it in my legs. i hadn't felt anything in my legs for, you know -- for almost a year. >> can you raise this leg? >> we do all the testing and all the numbers jumped off the charts. >> after we treated him, the improvements started to come quickly.

>> push down on my knees. >> let me blow your mind. >> wow. >> those improvements began to come very rapidly. >> hold on, hold on. all right. you ready? >> wow. >> reporter: then a milestone some might call miraculous. chris barr was doing what he and many thought would never happen again, he was walking. >> does it feel good? does it feel nice to just stand? >> yeah, it does. >> never thought you'd do this again? >> i'm telling you. >> you're standing and walking. >> we're living it. this is a step forward. you know, i don't know if these are baby steps or neil armstrong steps. but they're absolutely steps in the right direction. and like i said, in a place where there was just hopelessness. you know. stuff is happening. >> reporter: right now there is no cure for spinal cord injury. >> oh, wow. is this a breakthrough? >> this

developing a breakthrough. >> should we take a walk back? you've had a long day. >> reporter: progress is measured in decades. but for chris barr, patient number one, it's measured in steps. a future he imagined confined to a wheelchair changed, now brighter. >> trying to moonwalk. come on, you said you'd do it. >> i know. >> that's all you got? >> what an inspiration chris barr is. mayo clinic cautions this is a phase one study. there's only ten patients. not all of them super responders like chris. but he is remarkable. the progress he's making means so much to the future for the spinal cord injury community. >> incredible. munity. >> incredible.

about the colonial penn program. here to tell you if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase,

and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54. alex, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan, available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock, so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information. and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours just for calling. so call now.

♪ i guess that's some thanksgiving music for you. >> to go with our thanksgiving decor. >> the background of this swanky loft here. >> put a little log on the fire there you go. >> it's time for "the mix" and we're starting with thanksgiving sides. the favorite for each state. take a look at this map. >> break it down here. >> that's broken down, google put this together. you see casseroles are in red. veggies in green. stuffing in blue. dressing in yellow. other in gray. for new york the side dish of choice is cornbread stuffing. >> i'll take it. >> texas, fruit salad. >> yep.

>> really? >> i mean -- sure. i don't know, texas, it's so big. >> i guess. >> i guess that they -- i don't know. >> they like that. washington, green beans. california, mac and cheese. i hope it was baked. keto soup. >> like the diet? >> keto soup, yeah. north dakota, salad. >> north dakota, explain yourselves. >> iowa, what are you going to do without romaine from salinas county, california? >> hey, newsie, that's a pro here. all right, so tenacious turkey, janai. >> tenacious turkey. >> is what we're going with today, tried to attack a police officer. >> shame. >> which is a bird-brained thing to do. >> ha ha ha. >> livermore, california, november 25th. this is the officer's body cam. he's pulled a car over, trying to speak to the driver, and the turkey just shows up. >> excuse me. >> he gets all aggressive. >> turkey's like, what's going on here? >> i mean, i got attacked by a chicken when i was 5, it scarred me.

>> clearly. >> i eat so much c i'm on the revenge tour. >> payback. >> this is not fun. and on thanksgiving -- whoa! >> oh! >> took awhile, but -- >> yeah, my goodness. he's got the baton out. >> let's move on. >> in arizona, you probably heard this story, the grandma who was texting her family about thanksgiving dinner accidentally texts the wrong guy. he says, hey, it's not me, can i come to dinner anyway? she says, yes, that's what grandmas are for, we feed everyone. this is the fourth year they're spending thanksgiving together. it's become a tradition for them there in phoenix, arizona. such a great story. >> it's so sweet. hee goes, family's more than blood, it's the people that you want to be with. >> there you go. >> nice they hang out. >> sometimes the wrong text works out. >> sometimes it doesn't. in this case did it. >> hope your family is who you want to spend thanksgiving with, if you're spending thanksgiving with them. >> or whomever. >> are you already cooking?

>> it's back there.

this morning on "world news now," a holiday headache for millions of people traveling this thanksgiving day. two powerful storms are pummeling the country with snow, sleet, and rain. whipping winds have left thousands of people in the dark, and it may also ground those iconic macy's balloons. >> oh, no. new overnight, several new england patriots players missing practice. what forced them including five stars to sit out and stay home. new this half hour, jump starting your black friday shopping. >> how bagging some of the biggest deals this holiday weekend does not have to involve braving those crowds. we'll show you the door buster deals already under way. and consider it a thanksgiving miracle. one major girl group is announcing a reunion of the

decade. but who is it? we'll let you know ahead in "the skinny." oh, all these girl groups, which one is it? so many things to be thankful for on this thanksgiving day, november 28th. okay, all of those girl -- first off, when i started reading that tease and i saw spice girls i was like, wait a minute, i don't remember this story, i'm excited. then i saw destiny's child. a lot to be excited about. >> it's overwhelming and we're going to let you know. >> it's coming up. happy thanksgiving. we're thankful to have will reeve this morning. >> hello. >> hello. >> good to be here. >> it's all empty this morning. >> everyone's off because it's thanksgiving.

also we're on remote. >> right? >> we're in our thanksgiving cornucopia loft. >> everyone's off, kenneth is in the other room, he's making dinner. just kidding. kenneth is home enjoying time with his family while we're working, we'll hold down the fort. >> we'll get our revenge somehow. >> somehow we will. if you're up early already cooking or preparing to travel, we begin with holiday travel troubles. if you're already where you want to be, congratulations. >> if not, prepare yourself for the possibility of accidents on the nation's roadways thanks to heavy rain and snow from virtually coast to coast. you can't escape it. one upside, you'll likely find less traffic today than last night. this is a live look at the san francisco-oakland bay bridge where traffic looks like it's moving all right. >> still quite a few people out there at this point. those traveling by air may get a break today, but on thanksgiving eve airports across the country were packed. abc's trevor ault has the details. >> reporter: the thanksgiving holiday is here and with it the

holiday travel rush. 55 million americans taking off for the next several days and in many of the country's airports it shows. in atlanta, security lines stretching through the terminal. >> this is really long. it's my first time traveling so close to the holidays. >> we're here early because i have travel anxiety, we're always here on time, we never miss a plane. >> reporter: for some the plane never arrived. more than 100 cancelations and several thousand flight delays. 500 of them at chicago's o'hare airport. pilots battled crosswinds and gusts above 60 miles per hour. on the roads video showing just how dangerous ice can be. a utah highway patrol trooper jumping over a concrete barrier just in time. in northern california part of interstate 5 shut down for hours north of redding leaving dozens of travelers stranded. >> at this point they can't even plow the roads because so many people are stuck in the roadway. >> reporter: the busiest stretch on the roads and highways was expected to be wednesday evening. if you're driving it should get easier from here. if you're flying, bigger crowds might be on the way. 3.1 million people are expected to fly just on sunday, which would be an all-time record. janai, will? >> all right, trevor, thank you.

and we are tracking major storms all across the country. the midwest getting slammed with snow. in minneapolis fire crews doing their best to battle an intense apartment fire. tragically, five people did not survive. >> and chicago is really living up to its windy city nickname. look at those flags blowing in the wind there. the national weather service says o'hare international airport measured a 61-mile-per-hour wind gust, and that wind has knocked out power to more than 100,000 people in and around the great lakes. accuweather meteorologist adam del rosso joins us with the full forecast. adam, good morning. >> janai and will, good morning and happy thanksgiving. we've got this storm exiting out of the northeast bringing some snow to new england initially. bigger story across the rest of the northeast, some powerful winds bringing in cooler air. gusts 40 to 50 miles per hour from boston southward to d.c. unfortunately impacting that macy's thanksgiving day parade. out west yet another storm

making its way into california bringing a flooding threat along the coast of southern california. as you make your way inward toward the mountains, flagstaff, 1 to 2 feet of snow expected. heavy snow northward into portions of the northwest. ahead of that, rain, icy spots across the central plains making for a messy thanksgiving day. janai, will? >> all right, adam. and the question on everybody's mind, will the parade balloons fly in these high winds? the forecast is dicey and we'll have the latest from the macy's team later this morning. will, you will be out there along the parade route keeping us updated on "good morning america." >> i certainly will be. hope those balloons fly, we'll see. now to reports that rudy giuliani was quietly looking to cash in by negotiating business deals with ukrainian officials the same time he was pushing for ukraine to investigate president trump's political rivals. >> this new revelation came to light after the president

appeared to distance himself from his personal attorney and days before impeachment hearings shift to the judiciary committee. abc's mary bruce has more. >> reporter: as rudy giuliani pushed president trump's political agenda in ukraine, he was also reportedly pursuing lucrative business deals for himself with the ukrainian government. "the new york times" reporting giuliani signed a proposal to be paid $300,000 by the ukrainian ministry of justice, supposedly to find stolen money. the deal never went through, but it raises questions about a conflict of interest. several impeachment witnesses have testified america's ukraine policy went through the president's personal lawyer. >> if we wanted to get anything done with ukraine, it was apparent to us we needed to talk to rudy. >> right. you understood mr. giuliani spoke for the president?

correct? >> that's correct. >> reporter: trump is now distancing himself. >> so you didn't direct him to go to ukraine to do anything, put any heat on -- >> no, i didn't direct him. >> reporter: with the next round of public impeachment hearings set to start next week, trump is rallying his troops. >> and now the same maniacs are pushing the deranged impeach him. think of this, impeachment. impeachment. >> reporter: trump and his lawyers have the right to participate in those hearings. we're told the president is reviewing his options. now responding on twitter, rudy giuliani says he did not pursue a business opportunity in ukraine. he says he could have helped them but he didn't and was paid zero. mary bruce, abc news, the white house. >> our thanks to mary. gordon sondland, the u.s. ambassador to the european union who testified at the impeachment hearings, is facing allegations of sexual misconduct. >> three women detailed their accusations in a report jointly published by propublica and "the portland monthly." they say sondland retaliated against him when they rejected his advances which allegedly included forcibly kissing them and exposing himself.

the alleged incidents took place between 2003 and 2010. sondland has denied the claims and suggests that they're politically motivated. police in virginia have made a major break in a tri-state manhunt for a marine who'd gone awol and on the run. 22-year-old michael brown was captured and arrested at the same virginia home where he's accused of murdering his mother's boyfriend. he deserted his post at camp lejeune in north carolina last month. brown has now been charged with second-degree murder, but this morning his motive is still unclear. the oldest person in america has died. alelia murphy was 114 years old. she was born in north carolina in 1905. teddy roosevelt, the president then. she lived in harlem for more than 90 years. murphy attributed her longevity to her faith, a healthy lifestyle, and never drinking alcohol. no word yet on the cause of death. >> 114. >> good job. learning new details about the departure of gabrielle union

and julianne hough from "america's got talent." reports say they were subjected to a toxic environment at the competition series. union allegedly complained about racism on more than one occasion. both were given notes on their physical appearance. hough denied the allegations saying she had a wonderful time on the show. a spokesperson for nbc says the show has a long history of inclusivity and diversity. a texas waitress is very grateful this thanksgiving for a huge tip that these two customers left her. >> adriana edwards says she's been walking 14 miles round-trip each day to get to and from her job at a denny's in galveston. tuesday a man and woman she served during breakfast heard about edwards' situation. hours later they came back and handed her the keys to a 2011 nissan sentra. imagine. all they asked from edwards is that someday she pays it forward. holy cow. >> i mean -- how do you ever? you can't repay someone like that. >> right.

>> you just drive all your friends all the time. >> yeah, i guess so. don't ask for gas money. >> exactly. >> instead of having to walk five hours to and from work, her commute now is only half an hour. >> that's great. >> incredible. she was walking all of that way to make ends meet, do what she had to do. so great those people came along to help. >> in the thanksgiving spirit, excellent. this morning we are beating the black friday dash. >> we will have those door buster deals, you can already score them today in between basting the turkey and mashing those potatoes. we've got 65-inch tvs, apple airpods. >> you want to hear that. but first the man who learned the hard way about texting and walking on a subway platform.

about the colonial penn program. here to tell you if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54. alex, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too.

if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan, available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock, so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information. and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours just for calling. so call now.

take a look at what could have been a very dangerous case of texting while walking. a man staring at his phone. right there. walks off a subway platform in argentina and tumbles onto the tracks. thankfully good samaritans helped him back up before a train arrived, and he's okay. but that could have been much worse. >> that was terrifying. wow, okay. the new england patriots, they're already dealing with a tough opponent heading into sunday's game in houston. >> at least eight players have come down with the flu. all of them missed practice yesterday. one player wore a medical mask while taking questions from reporters. head coach bill belichick said they'll just try to do the best they can. and now to the countdown to black friday. it's almost here. >> it almost is, set the clocks. for many major retail stores the

countdown is actually already over with door buster deals already to be had right now online. here's abc's rebecca jarvis. >> reporter: 165 million americans gearing up to shop this thanksgiving weekend. but you don't have to brave the crowds to bag a bargain. >> it's really not worth the hassle to go all the way to a store. >> reporter: some retailers rolling out door busters online. at walmart this philips 65-inch 4k smart tv marked down more than 40%. this weekend a good time for deep discounts on tvs, with this caveat. >> when it comes to tvs you're not going to be getting the newest and latest model for sale on black friday. >> reporter: at best buy score this microsoft surface pro 7 for $360 off. apple's ceo recently telling us they're seeing high demand for the new airpods. >> i suspect airpods will be the top gift of the holiday season. >> the top gift? >> i don't mean just of apple, i

mean overall. >> reporter: airpod pros from apple.com won't arrive until after december 30th. but order at target, best buy, and walmart, and you can have them by christmas. finally, consider using apps like honey and rakuten which will give you up to 15% cash back at more than 700 retailers this black friday for additional savings. rebecca jarvis, abc news, new york. >> got to get those deals. when we come back, the girl power group that's reuniting. and a "star wars" whodunit now solved. "the skinny" is next.

♪ loosen up my buttons baby uh-huh, time for "the skinny." get ready to loosen up your buttons for thanksgiving or for this, all right, reeve. anyway.y, sorry. it's not for thanksgiving dinner but the group who sings that song, the band's getting back together. >> boys are back, or girls. after months of speculation the

pussycat dolls are officially reuniting. lead singer nicole scherzinger sharing this photo on instagram confirming the news with the hash tag pcd reunion. >> the group disbanded a decade ago, but they're set to take the stage this weekend on the british version of "x-factor." >> that's not all, "e.t." is reporting the group will be on tour beginning april of next year. 2020 shaping up to be a good year already, huh? >> can't wait. and next to the saga of the "star wars" script that almost went to the dark side. >> to the dark side. "star wars: the rise of skywalker" director j.j. abrams recently revealed the plot was almost leaked after a certain actor lost the script. it later wound up on ebay when amazingly it was tracked down. >> oh, man, thankfully. john bouye, he plays finn, he stopped by "gma," he revealed it was him. >> whose script? >> all right, guys, it was me. >> oh! >> wait, wait, wait -- >> what happened? >> let me tell you how this went down.

>> what happened was? >> what happened was, it was actually from my apartment. i was moving apartments and i left the script under my bed. i'm going to leave it under my bed, when i wake up in the morning i'll take it and i'll move. then my boys came over and we started piking a little bit and the script, it just stayed there. it was scary, man. i got calls from every official, even mickey mouse called me, "what did you do?" >> man. "star wars: the rise of skywalker" by our parent company, disney, hits theaters december 20th. man, i bet those calls were not nice. >> not at all. that's why mickey mouse called him, disney. don't want to be on mickey's bad side. next to madonna not quite into the groove. >> in the midst of a seven-month tour promoting her latest album

the material girl has been forced to cancel three upcoming "madam x" concerts due to what she describes as overwhelming pain. >> the 61-year-old pop icon said in an announcement she's following doctors' orders but didn't release any details. >> hope she gets better. next to a big reveal from james vanderbeek. >> the former "dawson's creek" star sharing dramatic selfies before and after his grueling experience on "dancing with the stars." >> okay, dawson. he captioned the posts "fight training versus dancing." as you can see, despite already being in great shape before, there are some improvements. >> i mean, hey. getting better every day. >> i was a huge "dawson's creek" fan in second grade. >> i bet you were. >> i would rush home after girl scouts to turn that on. >> what a wholesome experience. >> right? >> what an existence you had. >> i mean, just saying. >> good for you, that's all american. anyway, on this thanksgiving

day, a throwback snap from the first family. >> ivanka trump took to instagram to share a throwback photo of herself helping her mother ivana baste the family's thanksgiving turkey in the connecticut mansion her parents shared before their divorce in 1991. >> she captioned it "happiness is homemade, thanksgiving memories." >> and it comes as former first lady michelle obama shares her own happy thanksgiving message with a sunny photo of herself, her husband, their children, saying, from our family to yours. her husband, you mean the former president of the united states? they look amazing. someone on twitter said, sasha's got plans that don't include her family. absolutely nothing says new york

about the colonial penn program. here to tell you if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase,

and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54. alex, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan, available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock, so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information. and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours just for calling. so call now.

nothing. absolutely nothing says new york city like the macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> nothing? >> nothing. >> okay. >> i guess it's arguable, right? >> up for debate but that's not the point of what we're talking about right now. what we're doing right now is getting into the rhythm with an early peek at what's in store for this year's iconic balloons, and our own will ganss will take us there. >> we are here in new york city where preparations are under way for the 93rd annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. the balloons are getting bigger and so is the excitement. we're bringing you guys behind the scenes to see how they make

all of the magic happen. and listen, if astronaut snoopy is any indication, this year's parade is going to be out of this world. >> we have three new giant character balloons, including the most largest, most ginormous green ham, green eggs. on the earth end of the street, leading the parade will be our brand-new snoopy balloon. now snoopy has been a balloon in the parade seven other times. seven different designs. this is his eighth design to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the apollo 11 missions. >> logistically, what does it take to fill these balloons up, to keep them on the ground? >> about 160 inflation team members, 36 tarps, 16 giant balloons, 23 medium to small sized balloons, four helium trucks, 2,000 balloon handlers will show up and help us hold the lines, 12 marching bands, nearly 1,000 clowns, 46 floats, it's pretty incredible. >> what is your favorite thing you've seen today since watching the balloons get blown up? >> i think it might be the dinosaurs. and coffee. >> maybe one of the people from

"duck tales." >> love it. if you could add any balloon to the parade that isn't here yet, is there a character? >> dogman. >> who's dogman? >> pennywise. >> pennywise? >> i like donald duck. >> pennywise is "it." >> what's your favorite thing about thanksgiving? >> i get to spend time with all my family and have a great time. >> so there you have it, that's how the macy's thanksgiving parade comes to life. before we go, a quick message from some of my new friends. >> happy holidays! >> happy holidays, but almost as scary as pennywise, the threat of high winds grounding some of these iconic balloons. they've only been grounded once before and that was in 1971. macy's still hopeful that they'll fly, but the official decision will be made later

today, and you'll be there when that decision is made.

making news in america this morning, the thanksgiving weather nightmare for millions of americans on the move. from a snow emergency to stranded drivers to record winds threatening to ground the macy's parade balloons, what you can expect this morning. also happening right now, mandatory evacuations, a four-mile radius ordered to flee as another explosion rips through this chemical plant in texas. debris flying into the air. nearby homes damaged. 60,000 people affected. the big concern overnight. the dash for deals under way at this hour, the biggest bargains on this thanksgiving day, and we