good morning. coming up on "early today," the wife of former baltimore ravens running back ray rice opens up about the night that he punched her in an atlantic city elevator. a tragic story in ohio, an osu football player who had been missing for five days has been found dead. chaotic scenes in hong kong as premocracy protests reach a violent new high. why the black friday shopping weekend may be losing its mojo. who is behind a massive hack attack at sony pictures? and the girl scouts are about to go digital. it is monday, december 1st. "early today" starts right now. good morning.

i'm milissa rehberger. there is new fallout from the ray rice ruling after being cleared to play in the nfl again, questions are swirling about his possible return to the field. at the same time, his wife janay rice is speaking out. she is denying claims that her husband was vague when he told the nfl about the elevator incident that led to his suspension. nbc's kristen welker has the story. >> reporter: as the ravens took on the charmgers, it was baltimore's former running back ray rice just reinstated into the nfl who was the big topic of conversation off the field. >> everybody deserves a second chance in life. >> i think, yes, it is right. let him come back. >> some team will pick him up. some team will want him for the playoff stretch. >> reporter: espn is reporting that multiple teams expressed interest in rice, including the saints and the colts. but no indication they'll pursue him. >> there are teams that have a definite need for a running back. they might be willing to take a chance. i think fans

forgiv forgive. on friday, an arbitrator threw out the indefinite suspension of rice saying the league was wrong to punish him twice. in july, nfl commissioner roger goodell suspended rice for two games. then in september, after graphic video surfaced of rice assaulting his fiancee and now rice he was suspended indefinitely saying he was ambiguous in the original meeting. janay rice in an exclusive interview with matt lauer. >> when the commissioner of the nfl roger goodell says ray was ambiguous and the nfl says it was starkly different sequence of events, is the commissioner lying? >> i can't say so. you know, i know for a fact he told -- that ray told the honest truth that he's been telling from february. >> and you think the league and the commissioner covered their butts? >> i think they did what they had to do for themselves.

>> reporter: the nfl declined to comment on janay's account, but wrote in a memo this weekend the club owners no part of the arbitrator's decision questions the commissioner's honesty or integrity. nor his good faith consideration of the issue when he imposed the indefinite suspension on mr. rice. still, the ruling continues to generate criticism of goodell. >> the public does not have the greatest impression of roger goodell now and rightfully so. but he makes the owners money and that's what they care about. >> nbc's kristen welker reporting. you can watch matt lauer's exclusive interview with ray and janay rice coming up later on "today." from ferguson to the white house, a series of meetings will be held today that could help break down the level of mistrust between law enforcement officials and some of the communities that they police. president obama will meet with members of his cabinet and then with civil rights leaders, elected officials, clergy and law enforcement officials. in missouri, the ferguson commission will hold its first

public meeting. all of this as supporters of michael brown are encouraged to stage walkouts across the country. nbc's ron allen has the latest. >> reporter: darren wilson, 28 and recently married to another ferguson police officer, expecting their first child, is no longer with the police force. wilson has been getting death threats according to his attorneys, who also say he made his decision it resign minutes after hearing from the police chief that others could be in danger. the chief would not go into detail about the threat. were there threats against the department and him as well? >> there have been. >> reporter: you take them seriously? >> yes. >> reporter: what makes them credible? >> who makes the threat and the capability of carrying them out. >> reporter: are they still out there? >> yes. >> reporter: in a letter, wilson said it is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal. the mayor echoed that sentiment. >> the city of ferguson will not be making a severance payment to officer wilson. now is the time for the city of ferguson to begin its healing

process. >> reporter: at a church service michael brown's parents attending, his supporters said the battle has not been whether wilson stayed on the force. >> it was not about darren wilson's job, it was about michael brown's justice. >> reporter: several players from the rams took the field holding their hands up as many believe mikechael brown did whe he was shot and killed. across the country, demonstrations in portland and washington, d.c. where protesters blocked traffic. >> ferguson. >> reporter: in ferguson, with the annual holiday light parade postponed because of the unrest, a thanksgiving dinner. and toy giveaway for hundreds of families trying to get into the holiday spirit. where is ferguson right now? >> you know, we're still in a point where we're hoping to feel like the worst is over. >> reporter: you're still not certain when is going to happen tomorrow, tonight, going forward? >> that's what's really kind of holding us back from moving forward at this point is that

tension on the street. >> that was nbc's ron allen. just a few hours ago, a spokesperson for the st. louis police officers association released a statement calling for a public apology from the rams and the nfl saying in part that police officers around the nation found the hands up don't shoot pose tasteless, offensive and inflammatory. a spokesperson for the st. louis rams tells usa today that the team was not aware of the demonstration before the game. the owe owe state university football player who went missing last week has been found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. according to police, kosta karageorge's body was found in a dumpster with a gun. in his three years as a wrestler and one as a football player, his family said he had had a history of concussions including one just a month ago. no word yet on whether that contributed to his death. last night, his teammates reflected during an on campus vigil. >> i wish he would have talked

to me, if you're struggling. i love you to death and i hope you're -- i hope you found peace and you're happy. a violent scene from hong kong overnight where there were clashes. thousands of demonstrators camped outside the city chief executive's office as part of a two-month old election reform protest. the student led movement is calling for changes to the city's electoral system, which currently only allows a slate of candidates approved by beijing's central government. in denver, extreme weather, freezing fog is causing problems at denver airports sunday. dozens of flights were delayed, diverted as well. close to 200,000 travelers will pass through as the holiday weekend wraps up. nbc meteorologist bill karins is here with the start of the week forecast. >> the start of december too. november is gone. december goes fast too with the holidays soon approaching. and the big story in the west is

the rain that is on the way. this storm system is spinning, you can clearly see it right here. notice the bottom of the screen, tropical moisture, trying to move up into the area. this is the recipe for our first significant rain system of the rainy season in the west. right now, the storm is off the coast, very little if any effects today. few showers here in southern portions of southeastern oregon. but that's really about -- southwestern oregon. as far as the forecast goes, let's watch the computers, see slugs of moisture here. the red indicating the heavier amounts of rain. this is as we go through the overnight tonight into tomorrow morning. we go all the way here from northern california to the bay area, southward. eventually into tuesday morning, even l.a. area. as far as rainfall amounts go, the highest totals in the mountains of south facing slopes, 2 to 5 to 6 inches. the cities themselves, 1 to 2 inches. significant rain for slick roads, maybe downed tree limbs and heavier wind gusts. this is a good start.

that's all it really is is a start because of our historic and the cooler air to the south. so i'll let you know when we come back, when the rain should turn off. >> very good. bill, thank you. still ahead, the girl scouts of america are changing up their cookie routine. plus, what napa is doing this week that could end up with astronauts on mars. you're watching "early today." in a race, it's about getting to the finish line. in life, it's how you get there that matters most. like when i found out i had a blood clot in my leg. my doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. so he talked to me about xarelto®. >>xarelto® is the first oral prescription blood thinner proven to treat and help prevent dvt and pe that doesn't require regular blood monitoring or

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treatment with xarelto® was the right move for me. ask your doctor about xarelto® today. welcome back. stories making news this monday morning. tears of joy mark the end of a four-year-old nightmare. this florida merge reported her son missing after he didn't return from a visit with his father. police found the 13-year-old boy

hidden behind a fake wall outside of an atlanta home on saturday. they say he was able to contact his mom through a cell phone that he had found. his father and stepmother appeared in court on charges of obstruction, false imprisonment and cruelty yesterday. they were denied bail and will appear in court again next week. a public viewing was held for 12-year-old tamir rice who was shot and killed by a rookie cleveland police officer while he held a bb gun. surveillance video shows that the fatal shooting happened seconds of he and his partner responded to a call about the boy pointing the gun at others. a handful of supporters for tamir's family held signs outside the funeral home calling for justice. he'll be laid to rest on wednesday. nasa is counting down to the first test launch of its new owe ryan spacecraft. liftoff set for thursday. it could take astronauts to mars. and getting your first girl scout cookies is about to get a whole lot easier. a new program will allow you to place an online order on the

web -- the web page of a member or through a mobile app. you'll still be able to order your cookies the old-fashioned way too in case you were wondering. they're supposed to be the biggest shopping days on the calendar. this morning the cash is count and the final numbers are in. the verdict, it's a down year for black friday weekend. that comes ahead of news of another huge shopping day today, which is cybermonday. nbc's kristen dahlgren has more on why shoppers are doing things differently this year. >> reporter: this year's black friday had all the frenzy and fighting we have come to expect. but fewer americans were out shopping this weekend, in stores and online. according to the national retail federation, overall shopper traffic was down, 134 million shoppers. less than the 141 million last year. experts say that might actually be a good sign for consumers. >> i think the consumer feels

they have more choice of when they want to shop and when the deals are available to them. >> reporter: despite some stores opening as early as 6:00 a.m. on thanksgiving, turkey day turnout was flat compared to last year. black friday drew twice as many shoppers as the day before. 87 million in stores and online. shoppers are also shelling out less, $381 over the holiday weekend compared to $407 last year. total spending for the weekend expected to be almost $7 billion less. millennials are one of the key demographics retail analysts say are spending this year. they see black friday as a social event. >> we bought a coat. >> and another pair of jeans and two beanies and a tweter. >> reporter: social media is already abuzz with cybermonday deals. 52% of consumers expected to shop on cybermonday. amazon is offering new discounts every ten minutes. >> the game plan is to buy everything that we saw here

today online and have it shipped free. >> reporter: for those who feel like they're starting too late for the best deals, take heart. >> not over until it's over. consumers can wait and procrastinate almost as long as they want to december 25th and retailers are will be there and available for a deal. >> reporter: in a shopping marathon that it seems is just getting started. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. just ahead, history is made in the nba. plus, a potential super bowl preview in the nfl. and the first career touchdown for this guy, mr. johnny football, his cleveland browns and plenty of other highlights coming up next in sports. get to kohl's sunday and monday for 2-day christmas bonus buys and save on gifts of fine jewelry, watches and so much more!

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this morning on "today," say good-bye to the beard as november comes to an end, so does no shave today. in sports, sunday night football, the chiefs hosted the broncos. denver's peyton manning threw two touchdown passes and kicked conner barth was a perfect five for five in field goal attempts to top the chiefs 29-16. the broncos remain alone in first place in the afc west. the packers keep the top spot in the afc north after ending the patriots serve-game winning streak. aaron rodgers threw for 368 yards. no interceptions and a pair of touchdowns to down the pats 26-21.

browns rookie quarterback johnny manziel gets his first nfl touchdown against the bills after replacing starter brian hoyer in the fourth quarter. he finished the game completing five of eight passes for 63 yards. the browns fell to the bills 26-10. kobe bryant hits another milestone. he reached 6,000 career assists midway through last night's game against the raptors. he becomes first player in the nba history with that many assists and at least 30,000 career points. nebraska's head football coach bo pelini has been fired after his team beat iowa 37-34 in overtime. he was 67-27 in seven seasons with the cornhuskers. a new number one in the ap college football poll, alabama takes the top spot for first time this season after their 55-44 win over auburn saturday. florida state drops a spot to second and tcu moves up two spots to fourth. it had twitter exploding and people magazine apologizing.

the rumor involving kirk douglas. look ma, no stand. the secret behind this record-breaking christmas tree. this is "early today." [ female announcer ] a 3d white smile has the power to captivate. [ all cheering ] ♪ that's why shakira uses... crest 3d white with whitelock technology, removing up to ninety percent of surface stains, and locking out future stains. so your smile always steals the show. and to get even faster whitening, use this collection for a whiter smile in just 2 days. crest 3d white. life opens up with a whiter smile. crest 3d white. ♪ ah, ♪ h it.

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throughout this evening. even enough dynamics that the system that we could see a rumble of thunder, lightning strikes, a couple reported off shore with the system already. this is your tuesday. tuesday will be the wettest day and by the time we get into wednesday, it is more or less hit and miss showers that will continue with the storm system. but tuesday and tuesday night as we get to the burn areas, mudslides, that sort of thing, most likely will occur tuesday night. >> bill, thank you very much. at the box office this weekend, the hunger games mocking jay part one won the holiday weekend earning $56.9 million, giving it a grand total of $225 million so far. sony pictures is being targeted by file sharing websites after being hacked earlier this week. least five new movies including annie and fury are being pirated with fury downloaded close to 900,000 times. sony is reportedly investigating a possible north korean link to this hack. frozen fans don't have to

let it go. idina menzel confirmed that a stage musical is in development following that hit 2013 film. this obituary was published on people magazine's website on sunday claiming that kirk douglas has passed away. but kirk douglas is still very much alive. while there are no official comments from either the publication or the star, nobody can be happy about this. i will be wearing a pierre romper with cheese and children's ice skates. >> i'll be wearing an er bandage dress with stilt kings. >> that sounds gorgeous. >> either way, we expect to fall. >> join us. >> tina fey and amy poehler leased first teaser for this year's golden globes. stay tuned for that. i'm milissa rehberger. this is "early today." we hope it is just your first stop of the day today on nbc. hi, i'm jay farner, president of quicken loans. and we're here in detroit with our amazing team members. the best part about working with quicken loans,

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leading the news in usa today, 26th world aids day seeks to show support and urge investment. today, hundreds of events around the world from argentina to india will focus on prevention and treatment. an estimated 34 million people are living with hiv, the virus that causes aids. and more than 35 million people have died from that disease. and from mashable, young father writes his own touching, funny obituary. aaron joseph died of brain cancer on november 25th. his obit says he battled crime, was once married to gwen stefani and the most fun person at any party. >> good for him. other stories we're following today, a stretch of the pacific coast highway near

malibu, california, is closed after heavy rain caused a mudslide there. highway patrol officers say about a dozen vehicles have been abandoned because the drivers were stuck. a new government study shows more than half of all infants in the us russ sle.s. are sleeping cribs. parents report using cribs with blankets, pillows and other loose bedding. these items dramatically raise the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. actually close the complaint desk, but i want to have to reopen it. hey, king. how are you? live tv. how are you, buddy? it is not your turn yet. >> well, this pet of the week made his tv debut a little earlier than expected. this happened in miami. this is so cute. the 1-year-old american bulldog mix named king is looking for his forever home. after that performance, he'll find a good home. >> a little energy. >> yes. and lots of love. and if you thought it was getting tough -- it was tough

getting your tree into the house, check this out. the world's largest floating christmas tree certified by the guinness book of world records, it was lit in rio de janeiro saturday night. the tree stands 279 feet tall and weighs a whopping 542 tons. it is decorated with 3.1 million microlightbulbs and over 2,000 strobe effects. now a look ahead, don't wrap it just yet. the 29th annual trouble in toyland report comes out later today, calling out all the unsafe toys that are out there. looking back, in alabama 1955, rosa parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. happy birthday to the washington redskins desean jackson who turns 28. actress and comedian sarah silverman is 44. and actor and filmmaker woody allen is 79. keep it here for more news, weather and sports. i'm milissa rehberger. thank you for watching "early today." have a great one.

black friday may have flopped but the biggest online shopping day of the year is just getting started. >> let's take a live look outside. you can see at least half of the bay bridge there. it's december 1st. this is "today in the bay." >> from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> and good morning. it's 4:30. we hope you had a