good wednesday morning. coming up on "early today." time to hit the roads. millions will face mother nature head on in order to get to the thanksgiving dinner on time. many stores will be open before the pie is cool, though. will americans shop? plus manny pacquiao's bank account frozen before he can help victims at home. and the u.s. sends a mighty message to china using massive b-52s. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for wednesday, november 27th. good morning to you. i'm richard lui.

that monster storm, watches and warnings are posted in 20 states up and down the east coast. straight to nbc meteorologist bill karins. good morning to you. we can now add most miserable to most busy, if that were a word. >> people sitting at airports, waiting for their flights to go. >> hate it. >> what happens on the east coast, they say the ripple effect. we'll find out if there is a ripple effect all the way to the west coast. significant airport delays that are developing up there in the northeast from philadelphia to new york city. rain is clearing florida, so miami you look like you'll be okay. temperatures continue to fall. it's still very windy. the worst of the airport delays will be up here in new england. anyone traveling to or from those locations, significant delays the first half of today, better the second half of today. airport delays already. philadelphia airport two-hour delays. laguardia is reporting hour and a half delays and we'll probably

see those delays building as we go throughout the morning. i'll be surprised if boston doesn't begin to start report delays here shortly. 10:00 this morning on the east coast. we'll see that front clearing through, dramatic improvement even during the afternoon hours. if anyone has any interest in any flights, you know, leaving or arriving from the east coast, it's going to be interesting to see how the delays pile up. >> it reminds me of "planes, trains and automobiles," that movie. it will be tough for a lot of folks. bill karins will be back later for us. rain rain-soaked 76 in philadelphia. getting out of town for the holidays. most by air. nbc's tom costello was right there next to them. >> reporter: at the world's busiest airport in atlanta a cold driving rain made for a miserable day on the ramp. inside, a rush of activity and just a handful of delays and

cancellations. going to fly today atlanta to pittsburgh through the weather and we'll see how it goes. as the rain picked up, my flight was among those delayed. >> i do apologize for this delay. and i hope to get you out of here, get you to your holidays as quickly as possible. >> reporter: total delay in atlanta about 90 minutes, now head for the record pittsburgh. the rain in atlanta for a winter landscape on approach in pittsburgh. further north in michigan, a sheet of ice led to a multi-vehicle accident near flint. near whitehall, a dashboard cam caught this truck jack knifing and barely missing an already stopped car. near roanoke, virginia, drivers were met with ice a quarter inch thick. while ong long island in new york, trooper frank bendario has seen this before. a holiday rush and treacherous roads. >> it's just going to be twice as congested i would assume.

and then factor in the weather and the flooding, it's probably going to create a lot of traffic and very slow going. >> and from tom costello about the travel nightmare across the northeast we go to tracie potts. some are taking that unprecedented stop -- rather step to open on thanksgiving night. we're talking about shopping. we're talking about stores. what's the bait to get them inside? >> the bait seems to be that you can get a better deal if you come on thanksgiving. the bait, you've got a lot of fish biting at that same hook and literally a lot of consumers this year say they're just not buying it. despite the campers -- and they started last week -- fewer americans plan to shop this weekend compared to last year. >> i don't shop on thanksgiving. i dedicate that to family. >> reporter: many large retailers plan to open

on thanksgiving day. macy's, target and sears along with walmart earlied it up to 8:00 pm. due to the shopping season, it's one week late this week. >> you are not going to get the intensity that you have in the past on black friday. >> reporter: in a new survey half say they will shop online this weekend. one in eight plan to hit the stores on thanksgiving day. that's down 10% from last year. on black friday, six in ten say they'll avoid crowded stores. that's up from last year. the lack of interest may be linked to consumer confidence, which just hit a seven-month low. but retailers are counting on super shoppers like tracy phillips to boost their bottom line. >> i will be spending about $3,000 and saving about $2,500.

>> reporter: and like many consumers, she's starting this weekend. and many are shopping smarter, too, researching before they go out and even taking their mobile device in the store with them. you may find another price on your phone and walk back out. that's a problem for brick and mortar stores. >> what are you going to do, shop on thanksgiving day or stay and eat more? >> no way, i'm going to stay and probably clean up the kitchen. >> i'm going to have a double helping, my friend. it is thanksgiving day. thank you, tracie potts. three girls claiming they've been held prisoner, this time in tucson, arizona. the mother, stepfather of the 12 and 17-year-old sisters have been arrested, charged with kidnapping and emotional and physical abuse. the stepfather is accused of one count of sexual abuse. the girls were found malnourished and dirty and told

officers they had not taken a bath up to six months and were imprisoned in their home for possibly two years. the two younger girls were able to escape tuesday. police found the third locked inside the home. new dash cam video shows one police officer displaying incredible heroism. police officer chris singer came to the scene of a truck fire and sprang into action. he rushed towards the burning vehicle pulling the unconscious driver to safety. that man in critical condition, but alive. >> we can't picture it but they say their training kicks in and they just do it. >> it is instinct. >> yes. so, traveling in the west, busy day today. a lot of volume out there on the roads. not doing so bad weatherwise. at least not compared to the east coast. temperatures chilly in the inner mountain west.

people like to go to the ski resorts over the thanksgiving day holiday. some open up, too. good for making the snow, at least, if it's cold like that. you can see the spin under the blue weather channel logo there off the coast of california. little storm system trying to work its way to the south-southeast. eventually that will bring a threat of showers and wet weather to southern california. not too many on the radar weather map. seattle should stay dry today. mix of sun and clouds, 53. 71 in phoenix and l.a. very similar to yesterday in many cases. all the difficult travel remains on the east coast. anyone traveling to the middle of the country, the road.

that should clear up as soon as daylight hits anyways. i'll talk more about the wet weather rain chances in southern california for thanksgiving day coming up. >> i hear there are two ski resorts open. >> you've been doing your research, huh? >> i'm headed back for a couple of days. why not? $15 an hour minimum. that's the law. we'll tell you where. plus, turning gitmo terror detainees into double agent spies for the u.s. that story and much more, next.

welcome back. the supreme court will take up a controversial obama care provision requiring private companies to provide contraception to female employees. justices will decide if there is a right to object on religious grounds. opponents will request a hand recount because of that

small margin. the cia used to train guantanamo detainees to become double agents, then back into al qae qaeda. it was known as penny lane. it has special accommodations like showers, real beds and pornography for those who ask for it. a las vegas judge rejects o.j. simpson's bid for a new trial, saying it lacks merit. the former football star is serving a sentence of up to 33 years in prison. and caught on camera, a tow truck driver was helping a stalled one yesterday when a pickup truck hauling a trailer almost jack knifed and hit him. time to get down to

business. the nasdaq finished above 4,000 for the first time in 13 years while the dow continues the upward rise. louis v. is changing the face of moscow's square. the trunk is a replica of a piece that belonged to the cszas family. tax troubles for pac man. the "l.a. times" reporting that manny pacquiao has had his bank account in the philippines frozen by the internal revenue service over a tax dispute. the more pressing issue for the boxerer and member of congress in the philippine government is borrowing money to help aid his country. this 1640 book is believed to be the first book printed in what is now known as the united states. it was purchased by david reubenstein for $14.2 million at auction. it's only one of the 1,100 copies known to exist printed back in the year 1640. just ahead, lebron james is

bringing the heat to this thanksgiving dinner. literally. details, next.

now let's get the latest in sports for you. a bittersweet victory. the newtown high school football team finished the season 12-0. the head coach said they were hungry to give the people of sandy hook something to feel happy about following such a tough year.

and they did. congratulations, 12-0. expect the lakers kobe bryant to return to the hard court after a few more hard practices. the under .500 lakers could use a bit of help from kobe. wall showing dominance. that was a 360. leaving a lot of people's jobs open. battle of the undefeated at the cancun challenge. it's really cold there. 63-57. they play west virginia tonight for the championship. talking about heat, taking the maui invitational, pummeling the bears 92-81. come on, california. the miami heat take on cleveland cavs thanksgiving day. a feast thanks to the local. lebron james will have the team at his house for thanksgiving. it will be a lot of fun, no doubt.

colts owner is not happy after two losses in a row. after -- he took to twitter. he wrote this, the team must get our heads out of our butts. wake up. not happy. end quote. cleveland browns say they signed alex tanney as quarterback. he set a record for touchdown passes with 167. that is one of the great videos. undrafted in 2012. here is real news for you. my michigan wolverines take on bitter rival ohio state saturday. a radio dee jay instagram'd an account that looks like it's real. no. the account features buddhist buckeye smashing a wolverine.

go blue. check out this cool moment. arsenio surprised leaper by bringing out his childhood hero. that's right, that's bo jackson. he said he didn't let his prosthetic hip slow him down. just ahead, using b-52 bombers plus taylor swift gets down with prince william and jon bon jovi.

welcome back on this busy

wednesday for travel preparations for your busy thanksgiving day holiday. there have been a few showers reported along the washington coast. that's about it. temperatures are chilly. you need winter coats like yesterday. but temperatures will be okay. some of you may want to carry that jacket home in los angeles and phoenix. west coast, we'll be waiting to see the next storm that comes. there does look like there will be a chance of showers in southern california. it's really miniscule and won't interrupt anyone's plans. >> why don't you turn up the clucking sound from the turkey on your graphic? >> i figured one turkey in the studio was enough. >> this guy. got to deal with this guy. stick around. prince william met jon bon jovi and taylor swift and joined them for a little sing along. ♪ living on a prayer ♪ we'll make it i swear

♪ oh livin' on a prayer >> ever get put in that situation? that's tough to do. >> i would do it with taylor swift. >> yeah, but sing on demand. he did okay. family guy killing off brian has led to outcries around the globe. fox has launched a website now, briansannouncement.com. they'll be making a statement about brian's future at 2:00 pm eastern time, 11:00 am pacific. he's coming back. come on. country singer keith urban has cut off his locks. actress jennifer love hewitt and hubby announced the birth of their new baby girl. congrats to them. "malcolm in the middle" star tweeted he suffered another mini stroke, the second for the actor in two years. the 27-year-old described the experience as, quote, miserable. the cast of "anchor man 2"

gave moviegoers at the sydney premiere quite a treat. watch. ♪ sky rockets in flight afternoon delight afternoon delight ♪ >> not bad. >> might want to tour together. "dancing with the stars" crowned their new champion, "glee's" amber along with her partner, derek hough. this is hough's fifth win on the show. more celebs jumped on the kanye parody band wagon. they say if more people want to make parodies like this one, it's okay. i'm richard lui. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.

leading the headlines in the "new york times" u.s. sends b-52s into air zone owned by china. u.s. send bombers over the east china sea. the same area that beijing is declaring it was going to exert more military control over. will comet ison beat the odds? the video is from nasa's heliospheric imager. >> how cool is that? >> with ison heading toward the sun. they give ison only a 30% chance of surviving the thanksgiving day encounter with the sun. it will make that u-turn at 800,000 miles an hour. former fbi agent robert levinsohn marks a sad milestone

in captivity. he has now been captive by iran for the fourth year. u.s. officials are giving the case fresh attention. and a release of the sandy hook 911 tapes. and president obama speaks at dreamworks animation studio even giving an elbow bump to an under the weather martin. he looks like he's okay, though. mr. obama praised the entertainment industry. he said creativity is one of the things that the u.s. does better than anybody else. he gave special mention to shows like "modern family" and "will and grace." he said they're a testament to the front row seat of the march towards progress. >> these sculptured are a little delighting. artists in belgian competed in a snow and ice sculpture contest.

the crystal clear and almost realistic looking. >> how are they getting them so clear? it's not water out of my tap. >> it took the artists five weeks to create. the scene was built on characters from disney's upcoming film "frozen." macy's will inflate those famous balloons today for the annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. it might be the closest you will get to the giant balloons. it is time for the other thanksgiving ritual. president obama will pardon two turkeys and save them from the dinner table. the two lucky birds are named karmle and pop corner. at least we can hear the clucking there, bill. say happy birthday to jaleel white. caroline kennedy is 56. and bill nye the science guy is 58. i'm richard lui along with bill karins.

have a very good wednesday, the day before thank