president george bush on thursday and tomorrow night christina aguilera will be jimmy fallon happening right this morning on "early today" -- high alert. north korea's deadly attack on south korea draws worldwide condemnation. opting out. million of americans set out for the year's busiest travel day, but will new airport screening methods push them to the breaking point? and an eye for art. a new york performance artist takes his craft to a whole new level. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with a pledge to protect.

the united states is making that promise to south korea, a day after the north caused what the u.n. secretary-general called one of the "gravest incidents since the end of the korean war." nbc's tracie potts is in washington with more. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. new this morning we're hearing from south korean tv that the burned bodies of two men, civilians, construction workers, have been found on that south korean island that was attacked by north korea yesterday, about this morning japan's foreign minister is now saying it will be difficult, if at all, to restart the six-party talks with north korea. this after the worst attack since 1953. that's what the u.n. secretary-general calls it, between these two nations. this morning south korea is promising massive retaliation if there's another strike, and north korea says that's exactly what will happen if the south tries to come across its border. with the situation apparently escalating, president obama has promised that the u.s. will

protect its ally south korea. in fact, right now an aircraft career the "uss george washington" is headed tr tokyo to the peninsula with 75 warplanes onboard. >> tracie potts from washington. thanks so much. here at home, today is the day many of you will be headed out for your thanksgiving holiday destination. while the hope is that all goes smoothly, the question remains, will the invasive pat-downs wreak havoc for air travelers? kristen dahlgren has more. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. things definitely getting busier here at chicago o'hare, but we see people going through the body scanner images. nobody making a big fuss over it. nobody nows how big this movement may be, but travel experts fears if it causes on it could cause chaos around the country. for many on the way to grandma's this year there's a detour state into the debate.

body showing scanners or new pat-downs that leave nothing to the imagination. most of okay with the additional screening. >> just the world we live in. so -- i'd rather be safe than sorry. >> reporter: amongst the movement encouraging passengers to opt out of the scanners today forcing the tsa to do more hands-on pat-downs could jam up the system on one of the busiest days of the year. >> i want to get attention and educate those. >> reporter: but for the government that has agreed to do fewer random pat-down, the point remains from the shoot bomber to the alleged underwear bomber and recent attempt to bomb an air cargo, planes are still a target. they say a protest will ultimately punish passengers. >> my concern is that the people that opt out will cause others who just want to get home to miss their flight. >> reporter: so 42.2 americans home for the holidays means hitting the roads this year. that's up 11.4%. but while drivers may avoid getting up close and personal

with the tsa -- >> a lot of personal space issues. so i think that i would really dread having to get padded down. >> reporter: few holiday trips will be without lines, from traffic jams to baggage check, and now the fine one between security and privacy. and so back live now in chicago, those body scan machines are being used at 70 airports around the country. the tsa, though, says that since this started on november 1st, less than 3% of passengers have actually had one of those pat-downs. lynn? >> kristen dahlgren there in chicago. thank you. now here's a look at some of the other stories making news early today in america -- an ohio woman stocked up for the winter when she stole a fur coat from a local store. surveillance shows the woman rolling the coat into a ball and slipping it up her dress and down her leggings while two other people distract store

employees. police are looking for the woman and her alleged accomplice. a south carolina family deal wig a real-life medical mystery. this cat scan shows an open safety pin lodged in a 6-year-old's sinus cavity which she likely stuck up there as a toddler. the girl's parents say five years of nose bleeds, and infection, misdiagnosed as allergies. the pin will be surgically removered next month. and creating a winter wonderland at the beach covering the beach with a light snow dust. with a day off on school, keep an eye for snowmen on beach. no north dakota, a sun dog flare brightened the fargo sky. the luminous halo appears as light on one or both sides of the sun. this rare sight appeared after about a foot of snow fell in the area. beautiful sight there on your morning. now for a look at your national

and regional weather, let's check in with nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. bill, obviously busiest travel day of the year and a lot of trouble on the west coast. >> yesterday a miserable day and today plain old cold, lynn. what happened in salt lake city, utah. a blizzard warning in effect, a band of very heavy snow go through, and in one hour in salt lake city, we had four inches of snow. that was pretty much the entire storm. there wasn't much more to it. winds howling, though, and that continues to be the problem in many of the mountain areasas that storm exits, belinds it has been an arctic air mass plunged down, straight down, from the north, and temperatures are just brutal this morning with this cold blast. especially through montana, wyoming and idaho. portions of utah, very cold. temperatures, negative numbers in the northern rockies and cold air in san francisco this morning at 39. even talking a windchill in phoenix this morning of 44, and in l.a., it feels like 48

degree. so look at seattle. windchill now at 6. one of the coldest pre-thanksgiving we've ever had throughout the west. today will slowly warm things up a little bit. all the bad weather's gone, but temperatures still very, very chill pip that's a look at your the ski areas will be grooming that snow, and it will be picture perfect this weekend. thanksgiving forecast is coming up, lynn. >> all right, bill. thanks so much. also coming up, a bleak job forecast. a bright forecast for online spending, and which beatles song sold the most on itunes? your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, the results are finally in. as far as we know, no one has blown away their tv way shotgun. coming up, a major upset in

college hoops. dirk nowitzki shuts down the pistons and coach k gets number 100. you're watching "early today."

good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. just three days after senate republicans voted to support a two-year ban on earmarks, the chamber's number two republican appears to have backed out on his promise. last friday, arizona senator jon kyl steered $200 million in federal funds to settle an indian tribe's claim against his state. while kyl's office insists it's not an earmark, critics claim it fits the measure of an earmark.

a chicago man pled not guilty to making a bomb out of his house. officials say it's unclear what the man intended to do with the explosives. the biggest in history. new zealand police say all 29 workers missing in a coal mine since an explosion last friday are likely dead after a second blast today that no one could have survived. and teachers are often accused of having eyes in the back of their heads, but one new york university professor is coming stunningly close. he'll have a tiny camera surgically implanted in the back of his skull for one year all in the name of performance art. now here is an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,036 after dropping 142 points yesterday. the s&p lost 17 points. the nasdaq shot down 37. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei fell 85 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng rose 127. so much for a quiet week of holiday trading.

u.s. markets tumbled yesterday in response to rising global tensions. that unexpected exchange of fire between north and south korea fueled fears of investors already on edge about possible spread of ireland's debt crisis. wall street's volatility index or so-called fear factor spiked the most in three months. slumping sales of previously owned homes overshadowed the government's just beat news that the economy grew faster than previously thought last quarter, and that corporate profits are at an all-time high. more fuel came from the fed's economic forecast predicting unemployment will remain around 9% next year and will probably stay high for years to come. energy stocks led the day's declines on the s&p while chevron and exxon mobil's losses were a significant drag on the dow. comscore has raised its estimates for online spending this holiday season for the second time calling for 11% growth over last year.

a california jury ordered europe's top softwaremaker s.a.p. to pay $1.3 billion in damages to rival oracle in what's being called the largest award ever in a case of copyright infringement. more recalls for recalled plagued johnson & johnson. this time for children's benadryl allergy fast-melt tablets, junior strength tablets and rolaids fast chews. san francisco city officials overturned a veto by that city's mayor that will require specific dietary guidelines for kids meals that include toys. and finally -- out of 2 million beatles songs finally available on itunes, "here comes the sun" was the number one selling single and "abby road" the top selling album. firing all cylinders to beat

the pistons, plus things get nasty between the sixers and the wizards. your early morning sports headlines are just ahead. in wednesday's weather, we'll review our winter storm in the west and look at your thanksgiving forecast. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, the college basketball season may just be starting out, but so far, the youthful uconn huskies have made a lot of noise. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good wednesday morning. it may only be november, but last night felt like march madness. uconn pulled the first major yuf set of tupset of the season. the spin and in, huskies were down one. under a minute to play, walker with another incredible shot. he had 30. uconn knocked off the number two team in the nation, 70-67. number nine kentucky took down 11th ranked washington. brandon knight led the wildcats. kentucky won it. 76-77. they've got the maui invitational. off to kansas city, mike krzyzewski picked up win number 800. in true coach k style, five blue devils scored in double digits.

duke won it, 82-68. baseball a month after losing the world series, rangers' josh hamilton has something to smile about. named the american league mvp, first ranger to win that award since alex rodriguez back in 2003. wizards and pistons, bran brandon ejected. rightfully so. mcgee was okay. final seconds, wiz down three. the shot was off the mark, but fouled by shooting, made all three free throws for to force o.t. in the extra session, nick young stepped up big. corner pocket, wizards won it, 116-114. nets and hawks, under ten seconds left. tied at 93. devin harris for the win, no. on to overtime it went. he made up for it in the o.t. the dagger from beyond the arc. nets win 107-101. performance of the night turned in by dirk nowitzki, jump for after jump for finish with a

season high 42 and 12 boards. mavs won it, 88-84. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. you won't believe who martha stewart will be spending the holidays with. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, it is never too late to learn. even's at 100 years old. you're watching "early today."

welcomes back. let's break down your forecast. getting ready to do your 2r56s or just to work or school, today very cold. at least year not seeing snow in areas of west. lake-effect snow in salt lake city. traveling in hawaii, no issues. typical hawaii weather. alaska a different story. warm and rain this week, chance of freezing rain today. anchorage, plain old rain for you. that's where we could have possible delays in and out of the airports. thankfully on thanksgiving, not many problems. seattle, a little rain and snow. if you're waging us, speaking of them, king 5 news, good old seattle, washington. give back to your community, food and office supplies or volunteer to help out at the west seafood food bank. that's your pacific see vent of the day. >> thanks, bill. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. rest easy, america. the world is safe. at least for reality tv dance shows. 50-year-old actress jennifer

grey, whose "dancing with the stars" performances earned highest all season was named the new champion last night. grey and her partner earned perfect scores from the judges in the finals. the improbable run of bristol palin's final was fueled at least in part by conservative bloggers urging voters to check in phone or online and in the end, palin and her partner finished third. elsewhere -- martha stewart is going to play herself on a christmas themed episode of "the simpsons." among other things, she chloroformeds bart. the show said she's the fifth richest person we've had on the simpsons and the sixth funniest. not bad. finally, for those who will say that kim kardashian will appear anywhere for cash and attention, here she is yesterday unveiling charmin's deluxe free public restrooms in new york's

times square. >> why not her? >> more importantly, there are public restrooms now in times square. this is a big deal. >> good to promote that on the first day they're open. i don't think anyone will want anything to do with them after that. >> exactly right. and kim kardashian won't be there anymore. and this comes to us, myrtle hit it proving getting older does not slow you down. she just completed four college courses at other local community college and plans to take two more in the spring. turning 100 has its perks including a personalized congratulations from the president and first lady. not bad. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

one chocolatemaker has outdone the average gingerbread house. in appropriately named hershey, pennsylvania, a giant home made of chocolate went on display. it was decorated with 6,000 pounds of different types of candy and chocolate. visitors must hold back on the urge to snack on the house. no sampling is allowed, unfortunately. one town in minnesota is celebrating the holidays with a towering steel tree. the 120-foot tall tree is thought to be the largest artificial tree in the country. it may not have the same fresh scent of an evergreen,

it's thought to be the largest it is lit with 50,000 l.e.d. lights and synchronized to music. the tree is part of a holiday village expected to draw in over 200,000 visitors. you don't need a pricey stylist to dress like a star. sometimes it just takes a good butcher. a tv host in the czech republic wore a unique dress alaa lady gaga after a bet he could kiss the pop star in her visit to prague. there were a lot of animal activists that were upset about the lady gaga dress. this guy says he's going to donate all the meat to a dog shelter. >> they'll be thankful, at least. looking a lot better. we have girl, dancing bears and a meat dress. >> don't say that. don't give anyone any ideas. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. expect some company as you head off for the thanksgiving holiday today, which is traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year. according to aaa, about 42 million americans will be on the move. nats up over 11% from last year. president obama kicks off the holiday with a time-honored tradition of pardoning the

national thanksgiving turkey. and if you're in new york, check out the balloons being inflated today for the thanksgiving day parade. if you're not in the big apple, you can catch the big parade right here on your nbc station starting at 9:00 a.m. eastern time tomorrow morning. all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. a live report from south korea with the latest on the rising border tension with the north. and the grammy winning group kings of leon perform songs off their new album live on the plaza. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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