. on our broadcast tonight, on our broadcast tonight, spending time in the stores on this black friday. tonight, what people are spending, what they're buying, and how it is we know that. warning shot. another volley from north korea, now claiming the region is on the brink of war. in stitches. the president ices down an injury after a friendly basketball game gets rough enough to draw blood. survivors. three teenagers lost at sea and presumed dead. tonight, how they stayed alive for nearly two months. and "making a difference." a story of giving during the season of giving. making lives better for our wounded warriors. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. on this night every year, we come on the air and talk about so-called black friday, the day retailers count on so much for their holiday sales. every year we talk about percentages, how many people are out shopping and so on, but how do analysts know that? the short answer is they can see you. they're watching you shop, using satellite, some of them. here's one such technology. a satellite company in colorado hired to track the same shopping mall in california with their eye in the sky, they count the cars in thparking lots. they note their location. g ey can see the dference in shoppers, foheexample, from november of last year, to this year. another way to measure it is to add up the cash registers at the end of the day. if you've ever worked in retail on the day after thanksgiving, you know the end of the day can't come soon enough.

our own rehema ellis is out in it for us tonight, here in new york. rehema, everybody is watching this day for indicators on the economy. >> reporter: they absolutely are, brian. good evening to you. and the frenzied atmosphere in the stores today is yet another sign that people are spending more this year, and retailers hope that will add up to a better season for them. as the shopping season began, someone naughty instead of nice. the bargain hunters came out earlier than ever, looking for the door buster sales and deep discounts. >> 50% off, can't miss that. >> i'm hear for the savings. sometimes you end up buying more than what you need. >> reporter: in minnesota, best buy handed out snuggies to shoppers huddled in the dark. in pursuit of a good deal. >> can't afford it without the discount. >> reporter: nationwide, analysts expect 138 million shoppers will hit the stores during the black friday weekend,

up 3% from last year. >> everybody is in a great, great mood and they're buying a lot of merchandise. >> reporter: already, thanksgiving's online numbers are in. sales climbed 33% from last year, with orders averaging $183. >> we were smart. we were able to get some good stuff online yesterday. so we didn't have to get crazy. >> i think we're out earlier spending more. >> reporter: with unemployment above 9%, many americans will be cutting back. but retailers are seeing a jump in luxury sales to fill the gap. >> my wife want a new pocketbook, a moss jacobs bag. >> reporter: and buyers and sellers have a new cyber plan. >> i'm jane wells in los angeles where we are starting to see a few shoppers this year use the much hyped mobile strategy, using apps on their cell phones foursquare which tells them where the best deals are. you can get coupons online, you can scan bar codes. >> reporter: retailers are hoping to convince consumers not to wait for discounts as in

years past. >> if you find something you're looking for at a good price, now is the time to buy it. >> reporter: and to keep the momentum going, stores are expected to offer more discounts this weekend as well. brian? >> rem rehema ellis in the malls of manhattan tonight. thanks. there are some fascinating stats out tonight on who spends the most money this time of year or year round for that matter, from the retail federation and bundle.com. they were posted today on the daily beast website. they say men spend 19% more than women. among u.s. cities, the people in austin, texas are the biggest spenders throughout the year. and among states, the folks who live in connecticut spend the most. finally, those who do their holiday shopping online spend almost 25% more than those who shop in the stores. there are more great stats you can link to at all via our

website, nightly.msnbc.com. and while it's easy to think only about shopping and football and family and relaxation during this holiday weekend, we have a genuine crisis that continues to unfold half a world away whereby the way, 30,000 americans in uniform are stationed. north korea fired more shots and is warning the region could be on the brink of war. this following the artillery attack just three days ago that rained down on a south korean island. our own ian williams has visited the scene of the attack and is one of our two reports tonight from incheon in south korea. ian, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. artillery fire was heard again friday, this time within north korean territory. possibly a military drill. but it happened just as the commander of u.s. forces here was visiting the front line island hit by tuesday's attack. general walter sharp wanted to

see for himself the destruction caused by tuesday's shelling. >> it is clear to me by the briefings i've received and by what i've seen her physically that north korea attacked this island, which is in clear violation of the arms agreement. >> reporter: remarks punctuated by the distant sound of artillery fire. thought to be a north korean military exercise inside their own territory. that came as south korea's president was paying respects to the two marines killed in an attack that's shaken his country's usual calm. in the face of threats from the north. earlier we traveled on one of the first ferries to resume service to the island, which sits just a couple of miles from the disputed sea border. the military was on high alert. in the sky and patrolling the waters. soldiers checked everybody leaving our boat. the barrage of north korean shells tuesday struck at the very heart of the island's small

fishing village, home to its most 1,700 civilian residents. in one neighborhood, i counted 13 shops or homes reduced to burned out shells. it seems incredible that only two civilians died. this 71-year-old fisherman told me he had hidden in his boat when the shells rained in. today, he was collecting belongings before leaving the island. most civilians have now been evacuated. and those who remain are being urged to leave before the joint u.s.-south korean military exercises begin sunday. ian williams, nbc news, incheon, south korea. >> reporter: this is richard engel in seoul. in protests here today, just two men are blamed for the latest outburst of violence. north korea's secretive leader, kim jong-il and his son and heir apparent. south korean media claimed the father and son personally ordered tuesday's artillery

attack. the violence, analysts say, is about legacy, to ensure that the baby faced 27-year-old takes over for his father. >> the succession issue is vital, because it's one of the main reasons that we've seen this type of activity and the provocations. >> reporter: after ruling for more than a decade, kim jong-il is sick. he's had a stroke. analysts say his memory is fading and he wants his third son, kim jong-un to replace him, but kim jong-un is untested. attacking the old enemy, south korea, may be his rite of passage. kim jong-un was made a four-star general last september. now he has to show he can handle combat. >> the military campaign is to turn him into the military hero, somebody who can lead north korea out of this mess and into the next century. >> reporter: little is known about kim jung-un, except he's pudgy, around 5'9", 200 pounds.

he studied in switzerland under a false name. he likes basketball. a fan of michael jordan. it's not a stellar resume, but kim jong-un may be a last resort. the other sons have been unreliable. one was deported from japan in 2001, traveling on a fake passport. he claimed he wanted to go to disney world. a bizarre family, but kim jong-un could control the massive nuclear backed army. >> it's a highly calculated move to provoke the south as well as the united states. >> reporter: as north korea gambles with international stability to secure a dynasty. the basic question, brian, remains how will north korea react to the presence of u.s. warships? south korean officials we've spoken to say they expect the north will at least put on a show of force. brian? >> richard engel along with ian williams starting us off in incheon tonight. thanks.

we are apparently just days away from another massive leak of documents from wikileaks. they have promised a new leak of once secret pentagon and state department documents, larger than any of their prior releases. the pentagon now has no choice but to wait and try to anticipate. our pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski is on duty there tonight. jim, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. pentagon and military officials claim that this latest leak will pose a threat to national security and the lives of american service members but admit there's nothing they can do to stop it. u.s. officials tell nbc news that the upcoming document from wikileaks contains top secret information, so damaging it could threat senate ratification of the s.t.a.r.t. nuclear arms control treaty with the russians. according to the officials, the information contained in classified state department cables reveals secrets behind the s.t.a.r.t. negotiations, and embarrassing claims against russian leadership.

information that could provide ammunition to republican opponents of the treaty on capitol hill. >> the russians are not going to be surprised that american officials say derogatory things about them. what they're going to be extremely upset about is that it's being leaked to the public. >> reporter: there's also serious concern that some of the leaks could threaten u.s. counterterrorism operations on two fronts, afghanistan and yemen. in afghanistan, where president hamid karzai has already come under fire for afghan corruption and questions about his mental stability, u.s. officials say the cables reveal new and more embarrassing claims about his personality and private life. perhaps more troublesome, the leaks reportedly include top secret information about u.s. military and intelligence operations against al qaeda in yemen. and some critical dispatches about yemen's president. u.s. officials fear those leaks could not only threaten u.s. military operations, but jeopardize future cooperation

from both countries on two critical war fronts. >> anything that's said in these classified cables that is released, that is publicly embarrassing is going to complicate our ability to fight the enemy in those two countries. >> reporter: this will be the third massive leak of classified u.s. documents by wikileaks. the controversial founder of the website, julian, has been tweeting about this latest release all week as part of fund-raising drive. the coming months will see a new world where global history is redefined. keep us strong. but how did wikileaks get hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of pages of classified u.s. documents? pentagon officials say the prime suspect remains 23-year-old private bradley manning. an army intelligence officer in baghdad who is now in custody in charged with illegally downloading thousands of classified documents, many of which have already been released by wikileaks. pentagon and state department

officials have launched a massive damage control campaign, calling all those world leaders that may be maligned in these secret documents. but they say there are so many of them, they may not be able to get to all of them before sunday, brian. >> could be a busy weekend there. jim miklaszewski at the pentagon, thanks. when our friday after thanksgiving broadcasts continues in just a moment, the president of the united states nursing an injury, and fresh stitches from the doctor this weekend. and somebody is probably feeling really bad about it right about now. and later, "making a difference" for our wounded warriors in a way that really hits home. warriors in a way that really hits home. with rheumatoid arthritis, there's the life you live... and the life you want to live. fortunately there's enbrel, the #1 most doctor-prescribed biologic medicine for ra. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, fatigue, and stop joint damage. because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, and other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred.

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former ncaa star, and a former pro. mike viqueira who covers the white house for us, has the latest on this tonight. mike, let's do the anatomy of this story. so you're out there on the lawn today and the traditional arrival of the white house christmas tree by horse drawn buggy, something we always cover, a very nice picture was today and we remarked we saw the first lady and both first daughters, sasha and malia. both of whom grown up. every couple of weeks we see them, and they look taller every time. and then the camera crew notes a figure in an upstairs window, which was clearly the president of the united states with an ice pack on his jaw. take it from there. >> reporter: you got it right, brian. it is one of the happier annual rituals, the arrival of that christmas tree, destined to be decorated and placed in the blue room. we did look up and the president of the united states appeared to be holding an ice pack to his mouth. that was a clue to another mystery from earlier in the day. you mentioned the president's

love of basketball. oftentimes on the weekend, he goes down to ft. mcnair just south of the white house in washington and plays. today, he was with family and friends playing defense when apparently the man he was covering, turned, gave him an elbow to the lip. he returned to the white house here, got 12 stitches from the doctor, the white house medical team here at the white house. required local anesthetic. late today, a man, a staffer with the congressional hispanic institute was revealed to be the owner of that elbow. his name is ray desarega. in a statement that was released to the white house, he called the president a tough competitor and a good sport. brian? >> oh, man, how would you like to be that guy for the next couple of days? all right, mike viqueira with the anatomy of a medical story at the white house this weekend. mike, thanks. up next here tonight, a group of teenagers lost at sea and found just in the nick of time. [ male announcer ] for frequent heartburn relief,

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foot on dry land. three teenage castaways, adrift for almost two months, managed to walk off the fishing boat that found them, with just enough energy for a smile. >> are you glad to be alive? >> yeah. >> reporter: for 50 days, they've been a speck in the south pacific, a floating needle in a hay stack of blue that new zealand's air force was unable to find. their families even held a memorial, fearing the ocean had claimed the trio for good. now on that string of tiny islands that they call home, they're saying the ocean gave back a miracle. >> oh, we are so happy. everyone is so happy. all the people are so happy. oh, what a story. >> reporter: the three had set off back in october to find love, it's rumored, a girl on a neighboring island.

but just northwest of samoa, their outboard stopped, leaving them at the mercy of the currents that carried them some 800 miles off course. it was in a lowly part of the south pacific, rarely traveled and well outside the shipping lanes. yet for some reason, a tuna boat decided to take that very heading home and was shocked to see another boat off its bow. >> just skin and bones. their skin was falling off their bones practically. >> reporter: they had survived on rainwater, a few coconuts, raw fish and one unlucky sea gull. if their hope was to impress a girl, their story of survival will undoubtedly do the trick. but first, they may have to explain to their grateful parents what on earth they were thinking. lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. when we come back, a holiday season homecoming for an american hero. back, a holiday season for an american hero.

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making a difference by building especially adapted homes at no cost to our nation's most severely injured veterans. it's heath calhoun day here in clarksville, tennessee. >> welcome home, my friend. >> an entire community coming together to celebrate a milestone for this army veteran. a double amputee, heath is getting keys to a specially adapted home. keys to a new life really. >> we've been looking for this house for so long. and to finally get the keys, it's just an amazing thing. >> heath lost both his legs above the knee seven years ago in iraq when an rpg struck his humvee. but he's never let those injuries stop him. we've actually profiled his success as an alpine skier on our broadcast before. but like so many before him and too many who have followed, heath endured a long, painful rehabilitation here at walter reed army medical center.

that's where he met john, a boston contractor who wanted to help. he had started homes for our troops, inspired in part by a story we reported at the time. >> to me, it's more or less a miracle because i didn't think i would ever walk. >> he could see that even though soldiers like heath never let their injuries hold them back, the things we take for grant it, the everyday stuff of life, like walking in your front door, would remain major obstacles for these severely injured veterans. >> so many people all over america are looking for a way to make a difference. we offer them a tangible way to do that. homes for our troops is about freedom and independence. they have the wide open floor plans, the doorways are wider. >> reporter: more than 41,000 service members have sustained injuries in iraq and afghanistan. 1,400 of them are ambu tees. homes for our troops would like

to build specially adapted homes for all of them. it's slow, painstaking work. the labor and materials are donated. there is no cost to the veterans. they've completed 100 homes in 80 communities. finishing five this month, including the one that now belongs to heath. >> it looks beautiful, man. they did a great job. >> wide open spaces, easy access to appliances. a shower that's wheelchair friendly. and his daughter's favorite item. >> she likes the magic toilet. >> most important to a veteran like heath, no stairs. >> i can tuck my kids into bed. >> i can carry them in from the car when they're asleep. it's the little things in life right now that's difficult for me as an amputee. they're getting a little bit of dad back with this home. >> the goal for the new year is 100 more homes for families like the calhouns. >> you guys excited about getting in here and getting to play? >> yes. >> yeah.

it's going to be fun, huh? >> great story to end on here this friday night. thanks for being here with us. i'm brian williams. savannah guthrie will be here with you tomorrow night. we hope to see you right back here on monday evening. in the meantime, please have a great holiday weekend. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com they waited, some of them, all night, and then they shopped. black friday's in full swing tonight as bargain hunters scour the bay area for some holiday deals. good evening to you. i'm chris sanchez. prices were slashed and stores were packed with shoppers for the official start of the holiday shopping season today. but the