on the broadcast tonight, black thursday. stores opening earlier than ever this year, and on this thanksgiving night the mad dash is already on. giving thanks on the home front and the front lines, and a surprise volunteer serving troops in tucson, arizona. rage and revolution in egypt after days of violence and blood shed. tonight, signs of a cease-fire in a country deep in crisis. a league of her own. a barrier-breaking coach leads her team to the championship game. and rough life, dozens of dogs rescued then brought here for a life most dogs take for granted. "nightly news" starts now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening, everyone, and happy thanksgiving. i'm savannah guthrie in tonight for brian. and usually they let your turkey digest before they expect you in the stores. but the notorious shopping day known as black friday is now creeping into thanksgiving thursday, and there's a reason for it. retailers are desperate for the business. if you want to take the temperature of the american economy, what happens over the next four weeks or so provides as good a snapshot as any. the folks who survey these things for a living tell us some 152 million people plan to shop in the next three days. that's a 10% increase from last year. so the stakes are high, not just for all those retailers counting on the business, but also for what it says about how americans feel about their economic prospects. for more on that, nbc's john yang starts us off tonight from chicago. >> this one? >> no, pink. >> pink? >> reporter: for shoppers across

the country, today was about more than just turkey with all the fixings. >> already had my dinner cooked. when i get done shopping, i go home and eat, relax and get ready to shop again. >> the last couple years the deals are better on thanksgiving. >> reporter: this year deals could be even more important. according to a survey from the accounting firm deloitte americans plan to slash their holiday spending by more than 15% from last year. the reasons, higher food and gas prices, worries about the economy and worsening household finances. to compete for consumer dollars, black friday is eating into thanksgiving day. >> 4:00 a.m. on black friday. >> reporter: as retailers open up -- >> friday morning at midnight. >> reporter: earlier and earlier. >> 9:00 p.m. thursday night. >> our customers have told us that they want to start shopping earlier. >> reporter: target's planned midnight opening sparked outcry from workers and shoppers. nearly 200,000 people signed petitions asking the retailer to open later.

>> a full holiday is not just for the elite of the nation. all americans should break bread with loved ones and get a good night's rest on thanksgiving. >> reporter: from california to florida, some chose to spend thanksgiving outside stores. >> 3:00 in the morning, 2:00, whatever time it takes to get there. >> reporter: for those who don't want to face the crowds at stores and malls, retailers are making plenty of deals available online, as they do everything they can to try to get americans spending again. >> thank you. >> look for these extended hours and these extra deals that are being given to the consumer to help move the economy just a little bit further. >> reporter: no big storms in the forecast through this weekend, which is good news for retailers who are hoping for a record number of shoppers in the next few days. savannah. >> all right, john yang live in chicago. thanks, john. we head into the holiday season with the economy still struggling to get going and an economic crisis in europe that could have a serious ripple effect here at home. for insight on that we turn to cnbc's chief international

correspondent, michelle caruso-cabrera. there was talk not that long ago of a double-dip recession. it seems the fear of that has passed, but nothing is making a dent in this unemployment. we saw a bad week in the market so what's the big picture on the u.s. economy. >> reporter: back in august we got some data that really frightened people and we wondered if we were going to have a second recession. however, recently when it comes to consumer spending, even the weekly unemployment data, it's gotten better. it's not great, but it's better. in fact even some economists this week said maybe the economy could grow as much as 3% this quarter. the one caveat is what happens in europe with their debt crisis, and do they resolve it in some way. >> and you put your finger on it because we've seen this movie before. their economic problems can easily become ours. a bad day in the markets over there, so what's happening? >> reporter: there was a big meeting today once again between the leaders of france, germany and italy. the leader of germany once again said a big no to two ideas that a lot of economists think europe should do to solve the problem,

either to allow the central bank of europe to do what the u.s. central bank did during our crisis and flood a lot of money and liquidity into the system or do a set of bonds that puts all of europe's debts into one big pile so collectively they can pay for that. germany is still against both of those ideas, so so far no resolution. >> michelle caruso-cabrera on our global economy. michelle, thanks. after some stormy weather snarled travel across the country, we're thankful for some spectacular weather in new york today. clear blue skies and millions of folks turned out for an annual tradition. here's nbc's jeff rossen. >> reporter: the bands marched today. acts of all kinds. ♪ and the crowd ate it up. an estimated 3.5 million people lining the streets of manhattan. >> i remember coming when i was a baby, and now it's so great to

bring my son. >> reporter: the 85th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade, featuring 27 floats and 44 balloons, including new additions. julia's the monkey and tim burton's latest creation called bee. >> one word to describe this parade. >> excited. >> fun. >> awesome! >> best time of the year. >> reporter: the parade, part of the fabric that is thanksgiving. but this huge celebration, and i do mean huge celebration, is just part of it. the real essence of thanksgiving is giving. >> happy thanksgiving to you. >> reporter: in atlanta today this charity served more than 12,000 meals to the homeless, the jobless and the needy. >> it's nice to see people be happy and eat on thanksgiving. >> reporter: thousands more than last year. >> me and my family eat out here. >> reporter: out west these members at the tucson air force base got a surprise today. congresswoman gabrielle giffords

served thanksgiving meals with her husband, mark kelly. giffords' first public event in her hometown since the shooting. >> thank you. >> reporter: at the white house today, president obama honored the troops too, calling ten members of the armed services. >> the american people are thinking of you today, and when you come home, we intend to make sure that we serve you as well as you're serving america. >> reporter: tonight across the country in these difficult economic times, so many thankful for what they do have. >> i have a meal. there are a lot of people in the world that do not have a meal. >> reporter: as the holiday season begins. jeff rossen, nbc news, new york. overseas tonight american troops are marking their final thanksgiving in iraq before leaving the country at the end of this year, but it is quite a different story in afghanistan, where troops could spend many thanksgivings to come as the war there drags on. nbc's jim maceda is in kabul for us tonight. jim, good evening to you.

>> reporter: hi, savannah. well, this is the 11th thanksgiving for u.s. forces fighting in afghanistan. we shared it today with the thousand or so u.s. troops based at kabul military airport, where the highlight today was roast turkey with all the trimmings, ham, ribs, corn on the cob, even apple and pecan pies. but of course as you suggest, the big question is how many more thanksgivings will u.s. troops mark here going forward? well, at least three, according to president obama's plan to hand over to the afghans by the end of 2014 all security. but what happens after that really depends on a long-term agreement that right now they are trying to hammer out between washington and kabul. now, meanwhile afghan tribal leaders recently endorsed the plan that would actually keep u.s. troops here for at least a decade beyond 2014. some u.s. commanders are buying into that saying they could work with the plan but they stress that the majority of u.s. forces must be gone by 2014. still, the taliban has a vote in

all this and a series of recent suicide attacks here, especially on the u.s. embassy in kabul, killed dozens and show that the taliban can really strike at will, even in the heavily guarded capital. so, savannah, there are still many intangibles, but the safe bet is that u.s. troops will be celebrating thanksgiving here for many years to come. back to you. by the way, happy thanksgiving. >> and to you, jim maceda with our troops in afghanistan tonight. thank you. in egypt tonight, news of a truce between police and protesters after days of blood shed in and around tahrir square. meantime there are new developments involving three american teens being held in an egyptian jail. for the latest we turn to ayman mohyeldin in cairo tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, savannah. it's been a week of deadly protests and thousands remain in tahrir square behind me. they are calling for a million man march on friday that is going to be a political showdown between the protesters and the

military rulers. it was the front line of intense fighting all week long. this street off of tahrir square, the site of day-long battles between egyptian security forces and protesters that continued late into wednesday evening. by thursday morning, a shaky truce seemed to be sticking. the military erecting a barrier to separate the two sides. the fighting on the street may have stopped, but the political standoff still continues. battered but still determined, protesters are demanding the military immediately hand over power to a civilian government. not so fast, says egypt's military rulers, refusing to take their marching orders from the tahrir protesters. they say the path to democracy begins with monday's parliamentary election, which this general says will take place on schedule. but the military has made some concessions, apologizing publicly for the killing of

protesters and releasing some of those detained in the fighting. among those ordered freed on thursday, three american university students shown here on state tv. they were arrested, accused of attacking security forces. charges that were later dismissed. award-winning egyptian filmmaker who was detained during wednesday's fighting and prominent egyptian american activist, who was also detained tells of a terrifying ordeal. >> broke my left arm and my right hand, hit me on the head with a stick and then sexual sort of gropes everywhere. >> reporter: a sense of calm returning to the streets tonight along with anxiety over egypt's future. savannah, the military has been under intense pressure ever since an interim government resigned. this evening nbc news has learned they have appointed a new prime minister to form an emergency cabinet, but the protesters aren't convinced he'll be given the power he

needs to put egypt on the right path. >> ayman mohyeldin in the middle of the night in cairo. thank you, ayman. back in this country, more details are coming to light about those new allegations against jerry sandusky, part of the growing child sex abuse scandal at penn state. nbc's jay gray is in state college for us tonight. >> reporter: from the outside, it seemed to be a quiet thanksgiving for jerry sandusky, even as the firestorm of allegations around him continued to grow. two more young boys, both currently under the age of 18, have now accused the former penn state assistant coach of sexual abuse. as he drove off with his dog this morning, sandusky refused to discuss the latest accusations, but his attorney, joe amendola, confirms a report in a local newspaper that one of sandusky's new accusers is from his own family. and in an e-mail to the media, also goes on to say, quote, the allegations are ridiculous and unfounded. as the investigation continues

to grow, so do questions about governor tom corbett's role in the controversy. he was the attorney general and member of the penn state board of trustees during the grand jury investigation of sandusky three years ago. during that time, never shared any information with the school. >> i gave thought to it on a constant basis. we are very careful about how we reveal it. >> the grand jury manual, though, seems to indicate he could have shared at least some of the information. >> look, there is no question that everyone in this process, the penn state officials to even my good friend joe paterno, everyone in this process didn't act swiftly enough, didn't act courageously enough. >> reporter: also tonight an attorney for one of the men identified as a victim is asking for an injunction to stop the second mile charity from

dissipating or transferring any of its assets as they consider suing that charity. jay gray, nbc news, state college, pennsylvania. when "nightly news" continues, military families with some joyous family reunions for thanksgiving. for others, just a struggle to get by. and later, what the first steps of freedom look like for a group of rescued beagles just getting a first taste now of a dog's life.

an emotional homecoming in ft. worth, texas, this holiday. some of america's bravest returning from iraq a month earlier than planned. as more and more veterans return from the wars in iraq and afghanistan, many of them are having a tough time finding work in this job market, particularly single moms, and that's leading to a troubling new statistic. more tonight from nbc's thanh truong. >> reporter: like many moms, ruth donaldson's day starts at the bus stop. waiting, she reads to her 6-year-old son, dante.

>> he rubbed his wings together. rub. >> reporter: after seeing him off, the 29-year-old heads inside and searches for jobs in fayetteville, north carolina. >> is that full-time or part-time? >> reporter: joining her is 23-year-old deja handy. they're single mothers and homeless, now living in a shelter. >> i fought for my country. i come back, nothing. >> reporter: both women were honorably discharged from the army after they split from the children's father and failed to have adequate family care plans. divorced, pregnant and broke, donaldson had to sleep in her pontiac grand am. >> you kind of lose confidence, your sense of identity. it's like you're not human anymore. people just look past you. they don't really care. >> reporter: the number of women veterans has doubled in the last decade, a by-product of that, they're also the fastest growing segment of the homeless. >> who thinks of a female veteran homeless? nobody. >> reporter: the department of veterans affairs estimates on

any given night in this country there are more than 4500 homeless female vets on the street, and that number is expected to grow as more return from deployments and are finding few job opportunities. >> we make sure when we have a female veteran that we try our hardest to make sure we provide some type of housing. >> reporter: the va offers housing, medical and job assistance but says more places are needed. the local charity gives homeless female vets and their kids a temporary place to stay. >> they want jobs. they want their own houses. these women want their own keys and their own kitchens. >> reporter: donaldson is searching for stability. six years of bouncing around is taking a toll. >> that's the worst. being a mom and knowing you can't give your kids what every kid should have. >> reporter: the va has set a goal of wiping out veteran homelessness by 2015. but for these women warriors, they're just trying to make it through the week. thanh truong, nbc news, fayetteville, north carolina. when we come back, the female coach changing the game on and off the field.

back now on this thanksgiving night. for a lot of folks, celebrating thanksgiving means a whole lot of time with the three fs, family, food and football. on a field in our nation's capital, the annual turkey bowl was more closely watched than usual because of the barrier-breaking woman on the sideline. we get the story tonight from nbc's kristen welker. >> reporter: the coolidge colts are defying the odds just by taking the field in d.c.'s biggest public high school football game, the turkey bowl. >> well, this is the championship of the city. >> reporter: it's only the team's second appearance in the game since 1987, and their current record makes them the underdog. >> eagle, eagle, eagle 3. >> reporter: but their current coach, 31-year-old natalie randolph, won't allow her team to think of themselves as anything but winners.

>> they're just great kids. >> reporter: it's a message that resonates with the 45 young men she coaches. >> she really shows us that she cares, like we're really her own kids. >> reporter: that's why she's a game-changer. she spent several years playing in a woman's football league and two years ago, she assumed the role of head coach at coolidge, a position typically held by a man. >> being female has nothing to do with it. i love football. i love football, i love teaching, i love these kids. >> reporter: but that's just the half of it. when natalie is not out on the field, she's in the classroom, teaching environmental science. natalie pushes her kids to strive for excellence, on and off the field. >> i really want to make this good for the kids. the fact that it's making history is just an added bonus. >> she loves the game. she loves kids. she loves to see them succeed. >> reporter: at the end of the day, the colts didn't end up on top, but with natalie randolph

investing in their future, these young men can't lose. kristen welker, nbc news, washington. and coming up next here tonight, proof that happiness is a warm beagle. trust us, we saved the best in our show for last.

and finally tonight, dog lovers, this one's for you. we're thinking we may gain a few more dog lovers after you see this next story. thanks to a special holiday delivery at l.a.x., dozens of dogs who spent their whole lives trapped in cages are getting their first taste of freedom. they flew halfway around the world to get here in search of new homes and some new best friends too this thanksgiving. here's nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: just in time for the holiday, a special arrival at l.a.x. >> okay, baby doll. >> reporter: 40 beagles rescued from a research lab in spain, headed to foster homes in los angeles for a second chance at life. >> these dogs have lived their entire lives being poked, prodded, opened up, cut open, sewn, and now they get to be free. >> reporter: but these beagles and the dogs rescued before them have never known what freedom is.

>> everybody is loaded and we are headed somewhere where we can run free for a minute. >> reporter: the rescued beagles have lived life as a science project rather than family pet. their previous home, cages in a lab. most have never seen the sun. >> opening the door for what's about to be their first step ever on the grass or outside. >> reporter: but that first step is a scary one. >> come on, big boy. >> reporter: timid paws finally on solid ground. >> in the beginning, they didn't know what anything was. they didn't know what a toy was, they didn't know how to go for a walk. >> reporter: but the beagle freedom project helped change all that. these little guys will spend the next couple of weeks here until they're medically cleared. then they'll be adopted out. >> it's such an amazing thanksgiving. we're going to have fun, aren't we? >> reporter: thankful families caring for grateful dogs together this holiday taking the first step toward a new life. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. and that is our broadcast

for this thanksgiving night. thank you for being with us. i'm savannah guthrie. brian will be back with us tomorrow evening. we leave you tonight with some of the spectacular sights from today's parade in new york. have a happy thanksgiving, and good night, everybody. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com right now at 6:00, the time to digest has come. shoppers in line earlier than ever because stores are opening earlier than ever. i'm marian. i'll tell you how a few volunteers made a big difference to to a hundred homeless people. protesters give