black friday goes beyond deep discounts in stores or online. this year airlines and hotels are offering huge sales on flights and vacations. >> and block buster "the new york times" report former national security advisor michael flynn may be fully cooperating with special counsel robert mueller new details ahead. >> a 68-year-old grandfather is caught up in a sex tape controversy. >> then to newton, the annual winner of the thanksgiving national dog show. look at his face. does he remind you of anyone? "early today" starts right now. good to be with you on a friday. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm richard lui. a state trooper has been shot and killed in texas and a suspect is now in custody. police arrested 32-year-old

brett black hours after thanksgiving day shooting. they say trooper damon allen pulled him over on interstate 45 about 90 minutes south of dallas. as allen walked back to his patrol car black allegedly fired at him with a rifle. he died at the scene. police say black fled but was captured near houston. allen was a 15 year veteran of the force and leaves behind a wife and three children. the texas department of public safety said we ask for your prayers for his entire family and his many friends and colleagues during the difficult days ahead. >> new developments in the russia probe led by special counsel robert mueller. lawyers for former national security advisor michael flynn have formally cut ties with president trump's personal legal team saying they can no longer discuss mueller's investigation. the news was first reported by "the new york times". the paper says this could be a sign flynn is cooperating with the special counsel. legal experts tell nbc news it is not unusual for defense teams to share common information for separate clients until either

party is unwilling or unable to do so under the law. president trump's personal attorney refused to give specifics regarding the discussion between the two legal teams, but said the change came as no surprise. he added, what was not entirely unexpected was that flynn may be discussing a plea with special counsel. and no one should draw the conclusion that this means anything about general flynn cooperating against the president. the white house special counsel had no comment on the matter because it involves private defense of the president. flynn's attorney also declined to comment. >> the shopping frenzy is officially on. black friday sales are projected to hit $682 billion this year, but all that shopping may not be so effective in burning the calories from thanksgiving dinner. more americans are shopping online than ever before, according to adobe analytics. americans have already spent over $1.5 billion online on thanksgiving day. and 46% of them are shopping on smartphones. nbc's scott cohn joins us now

from best buy in oakland, california. it is early, but folks are moving. >> reporter: they are, richard. and, you know, some people still do actually come out to the stores to get the deals because they've sort of set it up that way. it used to be black friday was just that one frenzied day. it is now a five-day period. this best buy store is typical. they open at 5:00 on thanksgiving. they'll close shortly for a few hours and reopen at 8:00 in the morning with more of the so-called door buster deals that you can only get in the stores and not online. and we've seen a lot of people coming here bringing out flat screen tvs and all kinds of things. and of the shoppers are also employees. >> i mean, i was almost dripping sweat. literally, it's just a grind. we prepare all year for this day. we kind of love it. it's our super bowl. before we open the doors, we did our cheer, let's do the super bowl. all the associates, we take it as our day to bring the best service we can to you guys. it's all about having it red and i available for you guys when you get in, so, it's just

prepping, as much as we can. >> reporter: national retail federation says 69% of us will shop at some point during this five-day period. they are also predicting that all in all holiday sales will be up about 4% from last year. that would be a healthy increase. we'll see. this five-day black friday period, though, is crucial for the retailers. richard? >> if you have to work, why not have fun like that guy. thank you so much, scott cohn there in oakland california for us. >> if you have a case of wander luft, now might be the time to book your travel. airlines are jumping on the black friday and cyber monday bandwagon offering incredibly cheap deals on flights and vacations. nbc's business correspondent jo ling kent is in jersey city with a look at how you can snag the best deals. jo, good morning. >> reporter: richard, frances, good morning. officially black friday is underway. we're here at a pretty busy target in jersey city and there are already customers flowing in looking for the best retail

deal. the best deep discounts. but i've got to tell you, it's not just retail that's rolling out the big deals for this holiday shopping weekend. it's travel as well. the sky is the limit for black friday deals. beyond deep discounts in stores or online, this year airlines and hotels are offering huge sales on flights and vacations. when you buy on black friday and cyber monday. fly from the u.s. to europe, including london, amsterdam, and dublin. on wow airline for $99 each way, round trip purchase required. on delta go from minneapolis to las vegas, $137 round trip. united offering flights from new york to fort lauderdale for $80 round trip, including taxes. to find the best get away deal, travel experts recommend being flexible with your dates and do more than just check airline websites. also use the hopper app. airline watch dog, and google

flights. certain >> certainly among millennials, we see gifting travel and something to experience with me together as gifting. >> reporter: for those who want to gift under the tree aggressive deals for many retailers capitalizing on the new iphone. wal-mart is offering a $300 store gift card with a purchase of an iphone 8, 8 plus or 10. target giving out $250 gift cards with a purchase of an iphone 8 or 8 plus. major retailers slashing prices. and their holiday season on a high note. this holiday shopping season is critical for busy stores like these, these physical stores. even though overall spending is expected to go up by about 4%, not all of it necessarily will happen in these brick and mortar stores, especially as more customers choose to spend on the store websites or amazon. back to you guys. >> all right, jo, thank you. >> now to that other annual thanksgiving day tradition, the national dog show. this year newton, there's newton, a brussels griffon beat

out the competition for best in show. kn newton was a big shut saying he has a celebrity look alike. chubaka? >> look at that. >> i don't know. let's bring some someone else. >> you don't know? look at the split screen. looks exactly like him. >> what do you think, bill karins? >> i think a little insulting for our best of show to be compared to jubaka. >> he's best of show. >> the best looking dog in the whole world and you're comparing him. >> i need a sound check to find out. >> i'd have to agree with richard. >> true, i paid him a lot of money. yesterday we had fantastic weather. warm weather through the mid of the country. florida had storms yesterday. there is a little bit of light rain heading over the state. it's going to improve as the day goes on. notice a little bit of the computer showing up around daytona beach, heading up there shougt of jacksonville. there will be clouds lingering

by noon. but as we go through the afternoon, the clouds begin to break up so it should be a really nice friday afternoon in the sunshine state. we'll return you to some of the your sunshine. look at the east coast. after a nice morning, afternoon, d.c., philly, new york, middle of the country incredibly warm this time of year. 77 degrees in oklahoma city. perfect for any time of year let picture-perfect type day out there for your friday. get all those errands done, shopping, whatever else. well, the staff at busch gardens in tampa, they have something extra special to be thankful for this thanksgiving. how about a newborn giraffe? now, this little itty bitty baby stands at 6 feet tall weighing in at 150 pounds. busch gardens officials released these adorable photos of the yet

to be named baby giraffe, saying from our growing family to yours, happy thanksgiving. >> what's cuter, giraffe or newton? >> it's amazing born at 6 feet? >> giraffe kind of looks like jabaka. >> i don't know what i'm doing. >> come on. >> thanks, bill. >> ahead, actress uma thurman reveals her feelings about harvey weinstein. mom" per roll more "doing chores for dad" per roll more "earning something you love" per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty the quicker picker upper.

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leading the news, actress uma thurman has broken her silence on the ongoing allegations against disgraced hollywood producer harvey weinstein. in an instagram post thurman wished everyone a happy thanksgiving, but pointedly called out weinstein saying, quote, except you, harvey. i'm glad it's going slowly. you don't deserve a bullet. thurman worked with weinstein in several movies including her academy award nominated roll in pulp fiction and kill bill volumes 1 and 2.

when initially asked about the stream of allegations about weinstein on access hollywood, thurman chose her words carefully then, saying she was waiting to feel less angry before speaking out. she ended her post by saying, stay tuned. so, there may be more to come on this. harvey weinstein spokesperson has repeatedly said weinstein unequivocally denies any allegations of nonconsensual sex. >> minnesota al franken is issuing another apology in the wake of new allegations of groping by several women. the latest allegations came from two women who anonymously told the huffington post he touched them on the backside while posing for a photo. he said, i met tens of thousands of people and taken thousands of photographs. i've learned from recent stories that in some of those encountsers i crossed the line for some women. i made some women feel badly and for that i am sorry. let me say again to minnesota ans that i'm sorry for putting them through this and i'm

committed to regaining their trust. >> capital police have opened an investigation into the leak of nude photos of a texas congressman on social media. representative joe barton issued an apology for the photos earlier this week. he says a former lover threatened to make private photos and messages public. now his constituents are reacting to these salacious controversial pictures. nbc's kelly o'donnell has more. >> reporter: a public life overexposed, texas republican congressman joe barton, a 68-year-old grandfather, is caught up in a sexting controversy, making constituents back home shake their heads. >> it wasn't a good idea. even if you're looking for love, it's not a good idea. >> reporter: barton's nude selfie photo and intimate text messages splashed on the internet wednesday, an embarrassing disclosure that could be what's called revenge porn. barton said in a sthamt that

u.s. capital police are investigating the release of the sexually charged material as a potential crime against him. the 17-term congressman explained that during the break-up of his second marriage a few years ago, he had consensual sexual relationships with mature adult women. barton apologized to voters for not showing better judgment. >> for someone to do something as silly as that, really should not be in washington writing laws to legislate what we have to live by. >> reporter: but barton's trouble is political, not legal. >> all this seemed to have been done in a consensual way, such that there's no crime really having been committed by congressman barton. it certainly is a humiliating and embarrassing situation. >> and our thanks to kelly o'donnell for that report. >> straight ahead, president trump gives thanks and talks up the economy, plus he is the dancing grandpa that got millions watching around the globe. that's next. why shop kohl's this week?

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that is pete the dancing grandpa, 634 years ol years old his groove on. might be a dance at a wedding or church location. he can pop and lock it, can't he? >> he can and then some, too. under high security millions of americans celebrated thanksgiving without incident at

the macy's thanksgiving day parade in new york city. the president also took time to thank u.s. troops overseas and with the u.s. coast guard near his vacation home in florida. some of the biggest feasts today were in areas hard hit by recent storms where people are especially thankful to have loved ones around them. nbc's rehema ellis has more. >> reporter: good morning, richard. as people start to think about shopping today, they have great memories of a safe thanksgiving day parade here in new york where security measures are still intense. >> minnesota, woo-hoo. >> reporter: from across the country. >> california. >> reporter: and around the world, millions gathered under clear skies for the country's biggest thanksgiving celebration. what's the best part about the parade? >> um, everyone comes together. >> reporter: four new balloons joined the lineup this year. behind the scenes and along the route, new york was well prepared to keep the crowd safe. officials say there was no credible threat against the city

or the parade. still, they added extra levels of security on the ground and in the air. elsewhere in the nation -- >> i just want to thank you on behalf of the whole country. >> reporter: -- president trump is spending his holiday inn florida. he and the first lady made a stop by a coast guard station in riviera beach. >> hello, everybody, and happy thanksgiving. >> reporter: also sending a message of thanks to our military serving overseas. in puerto rico, a great spot for an area still reeling from hurricane maria. volunteers spent all week dishing up what they're calling the biggest thanksgiving dinner the island's ever seen. >> gravy, gravy for how many people? 40,000 people. >> reporter: similar efforts underway in houston hit hard three months ago by hurricane harvey. in southern california, they got a roaster of a different kind. >> it's a nice day. >> reporter: record breaking heat this week, mid 90s meant some spent the holiday along the

board walk or at the beach. this day a baby giraffe born 6 feet tall, 150 pounds. now that the busy holiday tourist season is underway here in new york, authorities say expect heightened security measures especially in high-profile areas like where i am right now, in times square. richard? >> nbc's rehema ellis. thank you so much. it's the feel-good story of the day. a healthy dose of good karma for one homeless man. plus why you may want to run out and buy that christmas tree early this year. you're watching "early today" can we do this tomorrow? (grunts of effort) can we do this tomorrow? if you have heart failure symptoms, your risk of hospitalization could increase, making tomorrow uncertain. but entresto is a medicine that was proven, in the largest heart failure study ever, to help more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine.

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make the holidays a treat with kellogg's rice krispies. a new jersey woman has raised over $250,000 for this homeless man here who helped her. kate mcclur ran out of gas while driving on i-95 into philadelphia one night. the homeless man named johnny offered to help and used his last 20 bucks to buy gas for her. mcclur said johnny didn't ask her for any money but she started a gofundme page to express her thanks. she only aimed to raise $10,000, but has now raised over $250,000 from donors and plans to help johnny find ape stable home and then some. >> that's fantastic, frances. >> got him back on his feet. >> give a little, get a lot. do something because you don't expect anything in return. certainly a thanksgiving gesture. >> karma coming right back to her. >> although thanksgiving just

ended, but you might want to start shopping now for your christmas tree. yeah, a nationwide shortage of trees is driving up the prices and this tree farm owner in austin is warning you and us as well, not to wait until the last minute. he says for the first time in his 37 years of business he will not have enough trees to go around. and he predicts rather just about everyone in the market will run into the same issue. he says the wholesale price of trees he imports from the northwest jumped nearly 50% this year. >> so, yeah, some people don't like to get theirs early, it's going to dry out. but it's going to save you some bucks. may be worth it. >> it's going to be run up on fake trees i think. >> other options as well. >> folks doing it online. >> easier clean up. still ahead the eagles celebrate a milestone plus president trump's busy agenda after he returns from mar-a-lago. happy thanks for giving! thanks for giving lien the strength to outrun her brother. thanks for giving victor the energy to be the rowdiest fan.

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♪ ♪ welcome to the hotel california ♪ ♪ such a lovely place the anniversary deluxe edition of their classic '70s album, hotel california. the two cd blue ray package includes remastered sounds and ten previously unreleased live recordings. >> very cool. a decision is expected from south africa's highest court of the man convicted of killing his girlfriend. his 6th year jail term is shockingly low and should be increased. >> and zimbabwe's new leader will be sworn in following robert mugabe's ouster. he is the former vice-president who fled the country earlier

this month after mugabe fired him. >> president trump is spending the holiday weekend with his family at his mar-a-lago estate. but he has a busy agenda when he returns to washington. nbc kelly o'donnell is in west palm beach to fill us in. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, frances. the turkey has been carved, the pie has been dished out and on this black friday, president trump has no public events on his schedule. he's taking some down time with the first family at his palm beach mar-a-lago resort. the president has been talking up the economy as many americans will be going out to visit stores or shop online. he certainly wants his administration to get some of the credit for the booming stock market and other economic developments. a frustrated president trump is also trying to promise that there is a big tax cut coming, which has a psychological impact on how consumers spend during a holiday season. that's a big question mark because the president does not have that locked in yet. when he heads back to washington, a tax cut plan

that's being dealt with by republicans in the senate will certainly be a top agenda item. over his holiday break, of course the president did something traditional. he visited with troops via video conference and then a personal visit with coast guards men here in florida. the president offering the thanks of the country, but also talking up what he believes his administration has done to make the lives of service members easier and to give them more latitude to do their jobs. more winning, as the president would describe it. president trump will head back to washington on sunday night. today we'll watch his twitter feed to see if he has anything else on his mind. frances? >> all right, kelly, thank you. >> all right. let's get over to bill karins. what have you got for us? >> travel forecast. let's get into saturday and show you if we have any problems in the northwest. this is some of the airports in portland. relentless rain. one storm after another. a dreary weather pattern. easily the worst weather in the country. as far as we get into sunday maybe a little lake effect snow.

look how nice much of the country s. if you're not in the west coast and pacific northwest, you're goingo have a t g steinle.

and good morning to you. happy friday. a live picture of the golden gate bridge this morning, whereas you might imagine there are very few people going much of anywhere. good morning. thank you for joining us. >> i had the road to myself. it was beautiful weather. we went for a walk after dinner last night, gorgeous. >> nice pairing, dinner and a walk. you have a chance to walk it off again, if heading to the stores, it will be another great day. mild conditions to get you started. waking up 60 deg