good morning and happy thanksgiving. coming up on "early today," a sinister plot to blow up the st. lewis arch has been stopped. this as ferguson fallout continues. over 5,000 flights canceled or delayed as travelers and airlines scramble to get to the dinner table on time. a half a dozen thieves use some smash and grab technique. check this out here. to beat holiday shoppers. also, the macy's thanksgiving day parade just a few hours away. it's thursday, november 27th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. we begin with breaking details about a plot to blow up the st. louis arch.

this is according to officials. two men with the ties to the new black panther party had far worse plans in ferguson than previously thought. sources tell the "st. louis post dispatch" that the two men allegedly wanted to bomb the gateway arch and kill st. louis prosecutor bob mcculloch. ferguson police chief tom jackson was also a target. he tells nbc news that officials warned him of the plot but told him it was under control. the two men were indicted last week after making straw purchases of guns. they also tried to buy firebombs from undercover law enforcement officials with the intention of using them in ferguson. sources tell the "st. louis post" dispatch that the men wanted to acquire two more bombs but could not afford to do it until one suspect's girlfriend's benefits card was replenished. yesterday afternoon the parents of michael brown and the families of other victims killed by police held an evening of prayer here in new york city

with the national action netw k network's rev regard al sharpton. and in ferguson, a much quieter night with police reporting only two arrests. they also say there were no officers injured or any damage to police vehicles. meanwhile, in oakland, protesters blocked major roadways and set this car on fire. that cvs store was among several available liezed. police say protesters threw rocks at them. 35 people were arrested for a vee variety of crimes in oakland. then there's this. a simple yet powerful new cover of the "new yorker" magazine. it shows half of the gateway arch in white and the other half in black to illustrate the racial tension surrounding michael brown's shooting. nbc's jennifer bjorklund is in ferguson with the latest. >> reporter: protests dwindling with the holiday and a messy wintry storm moving in. but there have been too many

sleepless nights for people here in ferguson. business owners like queen barn especially worried. the salon she spent her life savings on as a retired teacher in the path of a fire early tuesday. not knowing if it would be there at day break, she was frustrated, disappointed. >> i don't approve this behavior, but after a while some people think they only can respond with violence. >> reporter: but there is another side. people responding with kindness. >> i'm trying to help sweep the sidewalks of ferguson because people were breaking windows without cleaning up after themselves. >> reporter: after the first night of chaos, more than 2,000 national guard troops backed up police and put an end to the clashes before they turned destructive and before barns' salon burned. >> we didn't burn. we didn't get looted. >> reporter: but there is still damage here. >> i have to think about my safety and my children's safety and, you know, them having to live their lives.

>> reporter: damage to the psyche of a community reeling from three months of turmoil. many retailers here in the ferguson area are staying closed and skipping black friday sales, and there is a social media push now to boycott black friday in support of ferguson protesters with the tag line, no justice, no profits. in ferguson, missouri, jennifer bjorklund, nbc news. now to other other big story this morning, that nor'easter nightmare. this morning, people are digging out. in paw paw, west virginia, 18 inches of snow. t airport, it's catch up time. airports delaying nearly 700 flights, delaying nearly 4800 flights. an australian cricket star has died, tragically, two days ago. phillip hughes was struck on the head during a sydney cricket match. he was wearing a helmet, but became dazed before collapsing

on to the pitch. hughes arrived at a hospital in an induced coma. he underwent surgery. there was massive pleading to his brain. he never regained conscious ps. the team doctor said hughes was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his close friends and family. he was only 25. president obama joked it would be the most talked about executive action this month. not immigration, the time honored white house tradition. >> today, i am taking an action fully in my legal authority, the same action taken by republican and dems before me, to spare the lives of mac and cheese from a terrible and delicious fate. >> and so he did. the two turkeys will live out their days in the commonwealth.

check this out. sasha and malia obama looking like they just so totally over it. before you pull that extra today, a new poll give uppup reports half the people who say they are seriously trying to lose weight are trying to lose weight. in just hours, the start of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> r this year, 27 floats, 12 marching bands and a thousand clowns. 16 giant character balloons. nbc's chris pollone is at the start of the route. chris, how is it looking, sir? >> reporter: happy thanksgiving to you, craig. you can see behind me things are starting to get under way here. in the last hour or so, we've seen all the volunteers to show

up. those balloon handlers are out here. i've seen a bunch of clowns. there are marching bands. we've seen some practicing going on as people are trying to figure out the best camera angles and whatnot. that balloon you see behind me is thomas the tank engine. this is one of the six new balloons which is unprecedented in the parade here in new york city. in all, there will be about 16 of those balloons floating their way down the avenue. you mentioned the marching bands, a dozen of them and thousands of cheerleaders and dancers. it's turning out to be a decent day. we're having a little bit of snow right now, but certainly nothing like yesterday when it was such a mess and we expect it will be a pretty nice day, maybe temperatures up around the 40s. live in new york city, back to you, craig. >> chris palone, ready for a parade. thank you, sir.

"today's" show will bring you team coverage of the macy's thanksgiving day parade, including the elaborate floats and the performances. it starts at 9:00 a.m. here on nbc. now for a look at your turkey day forecast, here is no turkey, bill carins. >> i'm a sucker for big character balloons. >> you are? >> how about you? >> when i was a kid, the santa at the end. it was on, game on. like let's make the list, give it to the parents. >> i like that. the folks who are going to be out there, how does it look? >> not bad. considering we had this huge storm go through. new york city saw snow, but it was too warm. it all melted. they're going to be okay. this nor'easter is not like a high system with pressure gradient behind it. it's just about over with. oim maine is getting a little bit of that snow. 20 inches in maine. as far as big cities went,

albany, big hamilton and albany, 10 inches. in the west, riverside was 92 yesterday. it was 85 in l.a. incredible warmth in areas of southern cal. we continue to watch a wet weather pattern, the weak cold front has dissipated over the pacific northwest. bringing showery-type weather out there. it's not going to pour all day, but it's going to slowly, on and off here and there, especially at the higher elevations if you're driving through any of those passes. right now, portland and seattle are both dry for the time being. it's not too bad. temperatures are mild as we go into central and southern california. as we look towards the upcoming weekend, i've been talking all week about the chance of rain, like significant rain coming

into san francisco. i'll give you an update on that, coming up. here is one way to beat the shopping rush. check it out. a brazen smash and grab by these thieves at an upscale louis vuitton, caught on tape, next. can't i just have regularity without having to think about it, let alone talk about it? benefiber® conveniently helps support good digestive health and maintain that word. benefiber® is all natural, clear, taste-free and dissolves completely. you know what benefiber® tastes exactly like when you put it in water? water! the only way you'll know you're taking fiber is by how great you feel. and by how little you're thinking about that word. benefiber®. now available in stick packs.

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welcome back. in the news this morning, these pictures of a bear are the last ones a college student took before the very same bear killed him. police released the pictures which were taken back in september when the 300 pound bear attacked the 22-year-old. he was hiking with his friends when they encountered the bear. check this out. caught on camera. police released surveillance video showing a brazen smash and grab at a louis vuitton store in illinois. it all happened in less than two minutes. they say the group of thieves stole a number of purses valued at $120,000. meanwhile, surveillance video in china shows just how lucky this man is to be alive. he got hit not once or twice.

some good samaritans tried to help him but then he was accidentally struck a third time when a car trying to stop got rear ended. the man was pinned under the car for a few seconds. he's in the hospital and is said to be recovering well from his injuries. coming to colorado theaters, seth rogen and pot? the actor tweeted his 2.4 million followers about a chance to, quote, get baked with him during a screening of his new film "the interview" next month. that is one heck of a marketing strategy, huh? it is time to get down to business on this thanksgiving morning. today is all about family, football, turkey and now shopping. americans are getting ready to spend big with consumer sentiment at its highest level in more than seven years thanks to the improving job market and lower gas prices. and federal regulators have given takata until tuesday to expand a recall on its airbags which can inflate too

forcefully, sending shrapnel flying. just ahead, a college basketball bonanza plus a preview of thanksgiving day's big nfl match-ups. check out this turkey day tradition. down in myrtle beach. for just a buck, people got to bowl a frozen bird. if you got a strike you had a chance to take your turkey home or donating it to a local food bank. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪ well, it's been the number one soup in america.soup?

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this morning on "today," black friday goes digital. find out details on an app that helps you get the most out of your visit to the mall. turning to sports. let's start with college hoops. butler knocked off fifth ranked unc in the first round of the battle of the lantas in the bahamas with a 74-66 victory. >> louiville coach rich pitino has joined the 700 club. pitino becomes the 20th division i coach to win 700 games in the cardinals 45-33 win over cleveland state. st. john's forward chris obekpa was rocking some short shorts last night in their 70-61 win against minnesota. he reportedly rolls his shorts because the length restricts him running. it does serve another purpose, though. take a look at this between the legs escape that his teammate

was able to make chasing down a ball. check out this adorable teaser of a calendar shoot picturing chicago bulls player posing with pit bulls. it's part of a fund-raiser to promote the rescue and adoption of pit bulls. and one of the best traditions of thanksgiving following the big parade on nbc, you got it, all day football. the early game at 12:30. the bears take on the lions at 4:30 nfc rivals cowboys and eagles face off. the night cap in primetime features nfc heavy weights seahawks and the san francisco 49ers at 8:30 eastern right here on nbc. just ahead, a thanksgiving story of true thanks and giving. details up next. and the winner of this year's superstar... (coughs) coughing can really be disruptive. with a record breaking fifty million votes, your superstar is... that's why there's delsym. delsym helps silence coughs

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expecting to get some rain, possibly as much as 1 to 2 inches into the bay area. not so much into southern cal, but even central california where the drought is horrible. that would be an accomplishment, something that's needed. >> rain we we need more rain out there, i guess. a family in minnesota will be celebrating thanksgiving today with one chair empty, but a decision that a young manmade before he died assured another family would not have to. nbc's kate snow reports. >> reporter: matthew heisler was a junior at the university of north dakota when his parents and sister got the call last spring. his roommate dragged him out of a burning house. >> he was tender. he had a huge heart. >> when matt was 16 he chose to be an organ donor so when he died his family was proud to know that someone got his heart. >> the heart that i grew up with and felt in all of my hugs when you hugged him, that it's still out there somewhere. >> nice to see you, doctor. >> reporter: 71-year-old vietnam veteran tom meeks had been

waiting for a heart for three years. >> i'm telling you i feel awesome. >> reporter: the first thing he said after waking up from surgery was that he wanted to meet the donor's family. >> obviously in my case they're always going to carrie a very, very, very warm spot in my heart. >> the heislers wanted to meet tom, too, and it finally happened on monday. >> wow. >> you must be katie. >> i'm cheryl. >> one more. >> hello. >> reporter: they shared stories. >> your brother's heart. >> and then the grampa of four let matt's family simply listen. the heislers and the meeks allowed a camera into this deeply private moment in the hopes that others might be inspired to become donors, too. >> we're all going to listen.

>> reporter: nearly 124,000 people are currently waiting for an organ. matt's organs helped as many as 60 people. >> thank you. >> reporter: and as his father said as much as their loss still hurts, meeting the man who got a second chance at life is a reason to be thankful. >> that's awesome. >> yeah. >> reporter: kate snow, nbc news, new york. >> how about that? >> can a imagine what that would be like to be on either side of that. the emotions. >> i'm craig melvin. this issettet "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day here on nbc.

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leading the news in the "new york times," bill cosby gave interviews to keep secret. cosby acknowledged under oath that he gave an exclusive interview to the "national inquirer" in february 2005. in return, the paper would drop a damaging article about previously undisclosed about sexual assault allegations at the time. cosby was facing allegations that he drugged and molested a temple university staff person one year earlier. from the hill, tom hanks and wife to co-host national christmas tree lighting. president obama and his family will help light the tree on december 4th. among the performingers, patti labelle. other stories we are following on this thanksgiving,

an ebola vaccine has showed promise in stage one trials. it triggered an immune response and no serious side effects were reported, either. the second asteroid blast lit up the night sky over northern china. >> we love these. >> i know you do. surveillance footage showed a white flash for about four seconds as it streaks across the sky there. >> we've seen better, but okay. >> the asteroid itself was about 10 to 13 feet in diameter, a little bigger than a car. >> give me the 16 screens. >> that made it look more impressive. check out this polar bear, gave birth to triplet cubs at a dutch zoo last weekend. those cubs appear to be healthy. they are currently enclosed inside an artificial snow and ice cave with their mother. at an illinois zoo, a lucky group of ring tailed lemurs got to celebrate thanksgiving early.

the furry inhabitants feasted on the meal that included turkey made from biscuits, sweet potato pie. >> you can't go wrong with lemurs eating biscuits on turkey. six crew members on board the international space station will be celebrating a that additional thanksgiving dinner with a few tweaks. their menu will include irradiated smoked turkey, thermostabilized candied yams and freeze dried green beans and mushrooms. the meal will also feature nasa's own freeze dried cornbread dressing. all you have to do is add water to that. cherry blueberry cobbler for dessert. >> that will be all right. happy birthday to actress robin givens who turns 50. former first daughter turned u.s. ambassador caroline kennedy is 57 and bill nye the science guy turns 59.

i'm craig

good morning. it is 4:30 on this thanksgiving morning. i'm kris sanchez. we have news, travel info and tips for you this morning. happy thanksgiving, christina. >> happy thanksgiving, kris. the countdown to turkey time is on this morning. it's pretty chilly out there. if you have to go out and grab some of those