"today in the bay." >> and i enjoy watching it with a cup of coffee. christmas in the park. have a great friday. good morning ready, set, shop the black friday blitz is officially under way the biggest in-store shopping day of the year kicking off overnight. >> i'm always excited to shop. >> should you head out into the crowds or shop online? the answer may surprise you. sh crowds or shop online? the answer may surprise you. back to normal, a record breaking travel kicks off the holiday rush while millions crowded the streets here in new york to take in the parade in person tens of millions more hitting the roads and skies over the next few days. we're tracking it all so you can stay ahead of the rush ready, set, shop the black friday blitz is officially under way the biggest in-store shopping day of the year kicking off overnight.

>> i'm always excited to shop. >> should you head out into the crowds or shop online? the answer may surprise you. back to normal, a record breaking holiday kicks off the holiday rush while millions crowded the streets here in new york to take in the parade in person tens of millions more hitting the roads and skies over the next few days. we're tracking it all so you can stay ahead of the rush dangerous new variant. experts concerned this morning as a highly contagious strain makes its way around the world while numbers here at home show daily covid infections are on the rise once again. what you need to know about the latest risk. trouble in store, a disturbing string of smash and grab robberies has retailers and shoppers on edge this morning as law enforcement pursue those blazon criminals behind the attacks. claus and effect photo ops are back for santa this year, but first, you have to find him. why a santa shortage is making its tricky for some families to get that holiday picture and what you can do to make sure you don't miss out all that, plus bow down. all hail queen claire, the scottish deerhound who just made national dog show history taking home the championship for the second year in a row so what is her secret? we'll see if we can find out when america's top dog joins us live today, friday, november 26th, 2021 >> announcer: from nbc news,

this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza >> good morning on the day after thanksgiving i'm peter alexander along kristen welker while savannah and hoda enjoy a day off are you ready to do some shopping >> ready to do some shopping after eating all that food >> we get going, a little on this busy black friday, including that parade ushering in a holiday season that feels a lot more like it did before the pandemic about 2.5 million people lined the streets here in new york city to watch the macy's thanksgiving parade, a welcome sight after a celebration with no spectators just a year ago. >> and meantime, at the airports, it's official. wednesday was the busiest travel day since march 2020 the tsa screening more than 2.3 million passengers workers bracing for the rush

back this weekend. but we begin with black friday and sales expected to hit $859 billion this holiday season. that's an increase of more than 10%. we have it all covered for you this morning, beginning with jo ling kent in alexandria. jo ling is at the mall this morning and she's join us with what shoppers need to know >> reporter: with the cost of living so high right now, inflation rising, retailers are hoping shoppers will show up online and in person to make those purchases today. and it has major retailers like best buy redesigning the way they're doing business to meet that demand for super fast delivery tis the season to hunt for bargains >> i'm always excited to shop. >> with more than $5 billion

already spent online on thanksgiving day, this morning, stores large and small are hoping for a big, black friday turnout. they're offering deep discounts on everything from tvs and electronics to home goods and fitness in person and online but this year, the global supply chain backlog is threatening to delay deliveries or leave some shelves empty altogether classic gifts like board games and lincoln logs should be in short supply as many of their smaller plastic pieces are stuck on cargo ships and trains. >> we're waiting for parts from all different parts of the world, that's why the supply chain issues start to foul up. >> reporter: mall of america is betting those delays will deliver a huge turnout on friday >> i think the supply chain has people concerned about what they're going to get online. so being able to come to brick and mortar space and having instant gratification is important. >> reporter: still with the pandemic pushing more retailers

online are having others thinking about how they're going to get your packages to your door better. >> we needed to change our strategy. >> reporter: in eagan, minnesota, this store's retail space was downsized by more than half the old space converted to a warehouse all to meet the digital demand after customers click buy. it's dozens of pickers and patchers rushing to turn your orders around. how much faster can you get orders to customers now? >> i'd say ten times faster. only focused on picking your product and getting it out the back door. >> making sure the items on your list make it home in time for the holiday. not earn is going to be spending big this holiday season. 11.5% of shoppers out there are not going to spend anything on gifts and holiday stuff this

year as for those who are shopping, if you're planning to head out, look for extra incentives out here, an extra discount if you're showing up in person and, of course, if you're shopping online, be sure to order early and be aware of those supply chain delays guys >> with more on what that supply chain crunch means for businesses and your wallet is courtney reagan. courtney, good morning it's nice to see you following the thanksgiving holiday so leftovers, we'll save those we've got some shopping to do here now so you've got supply chain issues, you've got shipping delays, you have inflation are we expecting this to be a quick start to the shopping rush >> yeah. it's good to see you good morning, peter. i think shoppers are reinvigorated this year. after last year, a strange year all the way around, you're seeing a lot of excitement for

shoppers wanting to get back to the store. 108 million americans are expected to shop today 64% of them in store and we know a lot of online shopping has already happened. not just yesterday on thanksgiving, but actually in the days and weeks leading up to it 7 out of 10 shoppers started their holiday shopping before halloween, largely because they had been worried about availability because of what's going on in the supply chain and everything that we've been talking about. as a result, more than 60% of them have seen stock out or out of stock messages on some of those key items. >> courtney, you take me to my next question, which is the supply chain i think the issues there giving a lot of people concern this holiday season are people going to get the gifts they want? are they going to be on the shelves? >> what i would say is that the largest retailers are going to be the ones best equipped to handle this. walmart, target, costco, home depot, they're big enough that they were able to charter their own ships.

they've got inventory plans. remember, these black friday door busters are almost always in short supply. but you want to make sure you have a plan when you go to the store, know what you're looking for and know what price you should expect to pay, as well. >> so talk about those deals. that's what everybody is looking for. the best way to get those deals. should we expect things to be a bit more expensive this go around? >> yeah. so the name of the day is discounts deal. that's what black friday and this cyber weekend stretch is all about. you will expect deals, but they will likely be a little less deep than what we've seen in years past. so for a range, analysts are thinking deals would be somewhere between 5% and 25% off as opposed to maybe 10% to 30% off like we've seen in years past. that's an average. it's going to vary wildly and part of that has to do because retailers are paying more for their employees in store, they're paying more to get those

goods to you and inflation is higher by about 6% on average. but, really, you're going to pay the most for consumable items, things at the grocery store, energy prices, heath bills for your home, anything you buy at the auto dealership, new and used cars, that's where it's most expensive. >> courtney, thank you so much. and there's a busy travel weekend still ahead. it's looking a lot like it did before the pandemic. what does that mean for the return trip this weekend? kristen dahlgren is at laguardia airport here in new york this morning. is it busy there yet? >> reporter: good morning. things are actually moving pretty smoothly as we go through the morning rush here at laguardia. aaa is predicting 53 million americans will be flying or driving this holiday as thanksgiving makes its comeback. one of the biggest signs the

holidays were normal this year, the macy's thanksgiving day parade moving down the street. even the president is watching and taking a moment to give al roker a ring. >> oh, my god. look at who is calling? >> my message is after two years you're back, america is back, there's nothing we're unable to overcome. >> reporter: the airports packed this week with travel reaching prepandemic levels, the tsa saying it screened 2.3 million people, the busiest day at security checkpoints since march 2020. this sunday is expected to be one of the busiest travel days of the year. more than 48 million americans expected to travel by car this week according to aaa. but for drivers, a big speed bump, the price of gas. >> i just topped off the tank today. we're almost double where it was a year and a half ago.

>> when you add in the price of groceries, when you add in the price of housing and everything else that is hitting the wallet and the budget these days, it does add up and does make things difficult. >> for some, its was reason enough to stay home. >> oh, my gosh, it's ridiculous. it ruins a lot of plans, honestly. >> reporter: still this week, gas hit its highest level in more than 16 months. many shelling out what it took to get to see loved ones again. >> keep in mind, this is happening globally. and so until things kind of settle down, until oil production can catch up, we're going to be digging deeper when we fill our tanks. >> reporter: and i just checked the board inside. so far, not many delays or cancellations. things looking good. we will be watching a few storms as we go through the weekend. the way i know thanksgiving is back, the first time in two years i'm back out here at laguardia airport reporting on travel delays. it's not an assignment that reporters fight over, but this

year it feels pretty good. >> thank you for that. turning now to the latest on the pandemic and a new variant out of south africa is fueling new concerns this morning. nbc national correspondent gabe gutierrez is here with the gutierrez is here with the latest on this >> reporter: hey, guys good morning it's good to be here in person nationwide, this latest surge in the u.s. is nowhere near as bad as what we were dealing with last winter, but doctors in some states are sounding the alarm and it comes as the world health organization has called a special meeting to discuss yet another covid variant. this morning, another worrying new covid variant surging abroad scientists in south africa identified the strain, which has been fourteen e found in other south african countries and has spread to israel and congress long

this contagious variant may be more resistant to vaccines as it has a high number of variants. >> high transmissibility and some level of immune escape. >> reporter: multiple countries, including the uk, are immediately banning travel from south africa and other countries in the area. vaccinate the travelers from there are currently allowed into the u.s. after the biden administration rolled back foreign travel restrictions earlier this month this all comes as another covid winter wave may be on the horizon here daily infections are now rising by at least 10% in 35 states since last week, the average of new cases jumped by 18% nationwide hospitalizations by 6% dr. tonya gurgenroth works in the er in massachusetts. massachusetts's governor has ordered facilities to cancel elective procedures starting next week. >> as a health care worker, it's deaf stating to make people wait

so long for care they need >> reporter: in long island, new york, this facility close candidate due to a nursing staff shortage the northeast and the midwest are seeing the biggest covid spikes the south is no longer the hot spot so when will this end? >> reporter: this is a pandemic still of the unvaccinated. at some point between people who are vaccinated and not vaccinated getting infected, we will acquire pretty much broad immunity to create a wall of defense. >> reporter: this thanksgiving did show some signs of normalcy. in chicago suburb 11-year-old piper and 8-year-old alexa are finally able to see and hug their grandparents they even got to meet a new family member, rosie >> gabe, a lot of european

countries, obviously, right now are worried about this new south african variant. how concerned do we need to be here in the u.s. >> reporter: well, guys, the fact that it's been found on multiple continents could be a cause for concern. and if it spreads to europe, you know infections patterns in europe usually turn up here in the u.s. after a delay as i mentioned, the w.h.o. is meeting today to discuss this variant. scientists will decide whether this should become a variant of interest or concern. then the w.h.o. will assign a greek letter to it something to keep an eye on. >> a lot of people asking when will this end, gabe. nice to see you. thanks so much we want to turn to politics now and president biden who spent his first thanksgiving as commander in chief gathered with relatives on nantucket he and first lady jill biden met with coast guard members on the massachusetts island and spoke to all six military branches by video call nbc news senior white house correspondent kelly o'donnell is

traveling with the president and has the latest on all of this. good morning, kelly. >> reporter: good morning, kristen. the president and first lady are expected to bring some holiday cheer here to nantucket by attending the island's tree lighting ceremony. the president did spend part of his holiday greeting coast guardsmen stationed here and he zoomed the 6 branches of government to thank them for their time and service we know the president likes to emphasize his middle class roots, but during this day, the family is staying at the 13 acre $30 million compound that is owned by private equity billionaire david rubinstein who made it available during this visit. >> as the president wraps up his thanksgiving day, he will head back to washington with some pretty big issues on the agenda. what are you looking at? >> reporter: for sure. he'll go back this weekend and

there are big challenges waiting in washington and the top priority will be trying to get his social spending package through the senate and we know the white house acknowledges that will be tough to do. plus, the country reaches a new debt ceiling borrowing limit that happens before christmas. and the administration is grappling with how to deal with inflation just as americans are working on their own shopping list kristen, peter >> kelly, thank you. time now for our first look at the holiday weather forecast heading into the weekend janice is in for al this morning. janice, it was spectacular for a parade yesterday with fingers crossed that decent weather holds for the weekend. >> for a lot of places, it will. for shoppers and travelers, your biggest problems will be a couple of places across the great lakes, snow showers. and also even around new york city and the i-95 corridor, a lot of wind later on today and cold temperatures. in the pacific northwest, you've got more rain and snow coming your way places like seattle and portland, down this coastal

oregon the rest of the country, other than the southwest and southern california, fire danger. that's a big issue but the rest of the country today looking okay now, saturday, another storm drops in from canada an alberta clipper that will bring snow the upper midwest through parts of michigan and wisconsin, it will get soggy across southern texas and the high fire danger in the southwest and california. on sunday, a lot of travel happening that day, of course. people getting back from the holiday. you've got rain and snow across the great lakes. maybe a little bit in new york city warm and breezy out west and in the southwest, still nice. and, of course, in hawaii, a high of f 80 not babad. we'll l get your local forecastn the next 30 secondnds.

good friday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. hopefully you had a great thanksgiving, and the nice weather we had yesterday continues today even though it's a cold start. we're headed into the upper 60s, low 70s for much of the bay area. we're going to see great shopping weather into the weekend, reaching into the low 70s in the valleys and dry into the start of next week. slightly cooler by next wednesday and thursday and nice weather as well in san francisco. and that's your lawsuitest forecast, guys >> thank you for that. coming up, why experts plan criminal masterminds are creating smash and grabs in california and what to know about the high end sweeping

retailers. plus, this year santa claus may not be coming to town. why malls in stores are struggling to find folks willing to put on that suit for the holiday tradition and how it's changing to keep everybody safe. t

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good morning. it's 7:26. i'm kira klapper. here's a look at your top stories including black friday shopping under way. >> reporter: stoneridge mall opened at 6:00 for black friday shoppers. plenty of space. we didn't see a mad rush of people trying to get in the doors. stone rinch was shut down on thanksgiving as was best buy, walmart, target. target said they're going to do it permanently from here on out. they did open this morning though. >> reporter: good morning. i'm cierra johnson. crews spent some of the morning

in san jose breaking down a brushfire that one of our producers spotted from the freeway. now, we do have video of the scene. it was near o'toole not far from montague expressway and 880. no one was hurt and the fire was knocked down quickly. thankfully no businesses were damaged. meteorologist kari hall has a look at the microclimate forecast. >> not a lot of people out here, kira, as i'm looking at the roads in san jose. a lot of people off work, but maybe you'll be heading out and going shopping. it's a chilly start as you're stepping out the door. temperatures in the mid-40s. take that coffee as you head out. we'll see the temperatures headed for the mid-60s today. nice day. kind of a repeat of yesterday. we're going to see more of this going into the weekend with highs in the low 70s. reaching 71 degrees by sunday in the midland areas. slightly cooler.

notice how dry it will be in the forecast going through next week while san francisco sees temperatures in the 60s. >> looks beautiful. thanks. i'll be back in 30 minutes with another local news update. see you then.

back now at 7:30 on a friday morning. november 26th, 2021, the day after thanksgiving with a look at our majestic tree the scaffolding has come down as we get closer to a big event, the rockefeller christmas tree lighting this wednesday, december 1st went wait for that speaking of thanksgiving, you had a great time you went to the parade for the first time >> i've been at nbc for 18 years and covered many of them he but never brought the family but it was awesome it was so much fun minus the confetti i've been clearing out of my collar >> the happiest being ava and emma >> they loved it it was a great day out there

with a great group of people at least 52 miners are dead this morning after russia's worst mine collapse in over a decade the methane gas built up and exploded officials say there was no chance of finding any more survivors at this point. a criminal investigation is now under way and the mine's director has been arrested the woman whose green eyes once drew attention to afghanistan's agony is ready to start a new life sharbat gula was a refugee when her portrait appeared on "national geographic" in 1985. now amid the takeover of the taliban, she escaped and she is now in rome where they've pledged to help her get integrated into italian life the raiders place kicker daniel carlson had a chance to win the game with this kick that goes right through the uprights. but it got called back for a penalty. refugee when her portrait now amid the turmoil of the taliban takeover, relief groups

helped her leave the country she is now in rome where the government has pledged to help her get integrated into italian life >> the third time was the charm. last night with the dallas cowboys and the las vegas raiders were all tied up in overtime raiders place kicker daniel karlsson had a chance to win the game with this kick that goes right through the uprights but it got called back for a penalty. so carlson gets a second shot and it bounces off the upright check that out no good this time. it was a penalty on the other team so he gets to try a third time carlson, the third go, this one was straight through the middle. no penalty flags on either side. the raiders win this one, 36-33. >> way to go, third time is a charm. now to more on the disturbing smash and grab crime trend we've been telling but, now causing black friday shoppers to think twice before stepping into high end retailers in major cities. erin mclaughlin has the latest

from legislation >> good morning, kristin for many retailers, black friday is the most important shopping of the day of the year but here in california, some stores aren't in a festive move as a crime spree takes hold. this morning, amid the black friday frenzy, retail shoppers across california are on edge. >> so it is kind of scary. the fact this has happened now makes me wonder if i should even walk in there. >> following a string of smash and grab robberies, striking retail stores across the state wednesday night outside los angeles, suspects attacked a department store security guard. >> they attacked him with a caustic chemical additional suspects entered the location and removed a number of high dollar purses >> criminals seen using similar tactics in the heart of san

francisco. >> hands up. hands up now >> reporter: and in a nearby suburb organized shoplifting crews breaking into high end retailers, grabbing merchandise and freeing as a cluster of getaway cars blocked traffic an tempted $200,000 worth of merchandise gone in a matter of minutes. >> i saw people running down the street i probably saw 50 to 80 people in, like, ski masks, crow bars, a bunch of weapons >> many of the robberies orchestrated, authorities believe, by criminal masterminds. who stayed far away from their crimes >> they're paying the individuals to do the robberies. they collect the goods and fence them and move them to other parts of the country >> reporter: and the situation is getting worse in 2020, the state saw more than five times the investigations into organized retail crime compared to 2019 designer clothes and hand bags now among the top targets. according to law enforcement

officials, california is now home to three of the nation's top ten cities for organized retail theft you're a holiday shopper in california how concerned should you be about this >> i think people need to keep their whits about them don't flash cash keep your purse in two hands or close to your body, under your coat at the sign of trouble, loud noise, cars where they don't belong, get off the sidewalk, get off the street >> now we don't really know why this is happening now. some law enforcement are pointing to legislation that reclassified some felony theft offenses as misdemeanors others are pointing to copy cats and the internet many of these stolen goods end up for sale on fringe websites >> the video is incredibly disturbing erin, thank you for that coming up, the surprising reason mall santas are in short supply this year and what you need to know to make sure the kids can meet the big guy for that all-important photo-op.

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customers will have the chance to sit near st. nick come 10:00 a.m., but others across the fus country may not be so lucky as a santa shortage fuels empty chairs nationwide. >> i'm santa claus oh, you don't believe that, do you? >> reporter: from the silver screen -- >> oh, my god! i know him >> reporter: to holiday jingles. ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ >> reporter: santa claus is synonymous with the joy of christmas. and time with him, a tried and true childhood tradition >> would you like to sit by santa? >> reporter: but this year, st. nick may not be coming to town the u.s. labor shortage stretching as far as the north pole >> we've never seen the demand or the shortage of santas like we're doing this year. >> reporter: mitch allen is part of a company that provides santas to stores nationwide. he says while demand for santas

has surged to 120%, the number of kriss kringles available has dropped by double digits >> why are we seeing less santas >> santa claus entertainers are at a high risk for a negative consequence if they catch covid. >> derrick is among the santas sitting out because of temporary health issues. i know you have to stay home this year. are you excited to get back to it next year >> i want it so bad. the kids need santa, especially this time of year. >> with santas in short supply, some families are making reservations weeks in advance to see him. >> we believe in santa we didn't get to do it last year because of covid so we were excited to experience it with him finally this year. >> reporter: when visiting santa's village, you'll likely find covid safety protocols. >> tell me what you wanted for christmas. >> star wars legos set >> reporter: at the galleria

outside of los angeles, santa is vaccinated kids can sit six feet away or next to him, but not on his knee and masks are required for those over 2 years old exceptions can be made for the picture, but that's up to the customer >> safety is the number one thing for our guests, first and foremost >> for 3 1/2-year-old dominic la port, this was a holiday highlight. dominic, was this your first time meeting santa what did you think >> i liked it. >> reporter: the pandemic reshaping holiday's messages, but santa's message, steadfast >> what is your christmas wish for people this year >> i would love for people to be happy and to be safe >> reporter: if you're having trouble pinning down santa for your event, consider adding mrs. claus or elves at your holiday event. book your reservations online. just remember to do so early >> great advice. thank you so much. and i think that santa emilie interviewed nailed it when he

said the kids need santa >> that little guy with the red bowtie, he's the cutest around janice is back with the forecast >> we'll see who gets snow, but not yet. we'll see some snow in some parts of the country coming up, but for now, we're looking at the back to back storms and the atmospheric river that is still in place across the pacific. that's that narrow band of concentrated moisture. which means the pacific northwest is going to get slammed again, first by one storm on saturday and a second storm will come middle of the week that will bring river flooding to much of that area here around portland and seattle and up towards forks. we're looking at possibly upwards of a foot of rain and that means a lot of snow up in

the mountains. that's coming up from both storms meanwhile, it's too bad we can't get that river to slide south to southern california to give them some moisture. the relative humidity is at 2% today, like the desert, so high fire danger for about 18 million people at ri good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. looking a little hazy outside, but overall things are starting out nice but chilly as we take a live look outside at the bay bridge. then as we head through the forecast, our temperatures warm up quickly. we're headed for the upper 60s for today and slightly warmer for tomorrow, reaching the low 70s. going into the rest of the forecast, our dry weather continues. no changes here as we're still looking rain-free for at least the middle of next week. >> now here is peter >> janice, thank you so much coming up, a look at how the royal family is pending the holiday season, their first year

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joe fryer is joining us as we talk about the royal family. >> it comes amid questions about the 95-year-old queen's health as she spends her first christmas season without prince philip kelly has more from london kelly, good morning to you >> guys, the queen likely looking forward to a long holiday break after a difficult year for the house of windsor. a handshake for a retiring general, a face-to-face with the bank of england. the queen showing the world she's carrying on after that surprise one-night hospital stay last month the 95-year-old monarch on light duty, bowing out of several key events, like the climate summit in glasgow >> so i wish you every good fortune in this significant endeavor >> reporter: in the annual ceremony honoring veterans which

she's only missed six times in her nearly 70-year reign, this year because of a back strain. >> other royals are stepping up. prince charles and camilla on a tour in egypt. the heir to the throne saying his mother is doing well >> once you get to 95, it's not quite as easy as it used to be it's bad enough at 73. >> reporter: the family's workload is not getting any easier, either, and the controversies keep coming. >> the house of windsor and the british press, a complicated relationship >> reporter: a new two-part bbc documentary the princes and the press about prince william and prince harry's relationship, this week drawing palace fire. the royal households

representing the queen, prince charles and prince william putting out a rare joint statement calling the claims in the documentary overblown and unfounded adding it's disappointing when anyone, including the bbc, gives them credibility. prince william and kate reportedly moving their royal christmas special from the bbc to a rival prince harry and meghan are venturing back out into the spotlight in the u.s while still fighting court battles against the press in britain. prince andrew stripped of his role as a working royal has his own legal problems, fight ago civil suit in the u.s. and nearly 70 years into her reign, the queen's realm is shrinking. the island nation of barbados breaking away next week. it will remain in the commonwealth, but the queen will no longer be head of state the royals entering a new era and for the first time celebrating christmas without

the head of the family, prince philip >> he was always there he was always such a fun and special part of christmases. and it will be very hard for her this year without him. but i think made easier by the fact that she'll be in a residence that she loves surrounded by family >> reporter: a big family that's grown even bigger this year. the queen has four new great-grandchildren, princess eugeini and beatrice >> the queen was able to attend a double christening just last weekend. still unclear whether prince harry and meghan will be bringing their children to the uk for a royal christmas guys >> thank you for that. joe, great to see you. what's coming up in pop start? >> the successful and not so successful from blake shelton and gwen stefani's first thanksgiving together as a married couple and

jimmy kimmel's thanksgiving day failure. plus we'll meet the top dog at the dog show, but firsts, your local news. thanksgivin dag your e eyes. beautifuful on the o outside, but if y you have didiabetes, therere can be s some nonot-so-pretttty stuff going onon inside. it's trurue, with didiabetic retinopaththy, excess s sugar cacan damage b blood vessese, causining vision l loss oror even blinindness. so rememember thisis: now is t the time toto get your eyes s checked. eyeye care is s important t tor long-tererm diabeteses managem. sesee a path f forward withth actions a and treatmes that m may help yoyour eye—- and protecect against t vision . visit nonoweyesee.cocom and tatake controlol of your s . intrtroducing ththe new cititi m cash℠ c card,

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good morning. it's just about 7:56. i'm kira klapper. a look at today's top stories including black friday shopping rush under way. >> i'm bob redell outside stoneridge mall which opened at 6:00 for black friday shoppers. you can see there's plenty of space in the parking lot. stoneridge mall was shut down yesterday for thanksgiving as was best buy, walmart, target. target, as a matter of fact, sass they're going to do that permanently from here on out. the stores did open up early this morning. >> bob, thanks. we're going to check in with meteorologist kari hall for how the weather is for people headed out to shop. >> yeah, kira, i was looking at the cameras in livermore. it's starting out a little bit

hazy, but it's very chilly as you're stepping out. we're headed for the upper 60s and low 70s. morgan hills, 71, dublin reaching into the mid-60s. our dry weather continues for the weekend. it's going to be a spectacular weekend for getting out and about in the bay area. next week we're seeing more of the same with temperatures in the upper 60, and san francisco will also continue to see temperatures in the mid- to upper 60s. kira? >> looks beautiful. thanks. scots mcgrew will have another local update for you in a half hour. we hope to see you then. until then, back to the "today" show.

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coming up, ready, set, shop. >> i'm always excited to shop. >> what you should know ahead of one of the biggest shopping holidays of the year from hitting the mall to the bargains online new strain >> this variant has the two characteristics we've been most concerned about. which is high transmissibility and some level of immune escape. >> a new strain sounding the alarm for medical experts. just ahead, where it was discovered and how dangerous it might be

plus, dream team >> it's definitely a brotherhood with this team >> we'll introduce you to a deaf football squad that's breaking records and shattering barriers. >> even off campus or the weekend, we don't ever lose that focus. and bow wow wow. >> the first time in 20 years, we have a repeat winner. >> meet the hound that took home the national dog show's grand prize for a second straight year claire joins us live to celebrate her big win today, friday, november 26th, 2021. >> from the united states of mississippi to the "today" show. >> go, tigers, go. >> we're here to celebrate -- >> my sweet 16 >> shout out to my daughter

overseas we love you, melissa >> to all of our studio back in north carolina >> to my mom, happy birthday, gigi >> she's turning 80. from nina, massachusetts, hi to dad and grandma dorothy. >> hi to my son, christian >> to all of our friends in morsetown, tennessee >> i'm bill in naples, florida, that help st. matthew's pack and delivered meals to families in southwest florida. happy thanksgiving >> welcome back to "today" on this friday morning and thanks for starting your day with us. what an awesome crowd outside. a little bit of rain out there, but not dampening the spirits of shoppers that are starting on this day after thanksgiving friday so nice to see the city packed with people again. >> it really is. the could on are is so fired up. we're excited to go out and say hello to them. >> we want to get to your news at 8:00 right now, and the

holiday shopping season is officially under way for the biggest day of the year for brick and mortar retailers jo ling kent is in article ton with a look at the early going good morning >> reporter: hey, peter, good morning from alexandria, virginia, where we are at a best buy on this busy black friday. but the busy part of it is happening online you can see behind me it's relatively quiet, but these black friday deals have been going on for a long time and that's why you've seen, over the years, the lines and the crowds basically try to trickle down a little bit. we want to show you some pictures from the mall of america in bloomington, minnesota, where shoppers are getting their black friday shopping down. we do know that 32% of shoppers plan to buy in person according to kpmg. that's double last year, of

course, during the height of the pandemic a majority of shoppers do plan -- 66% of people plan to buy online the majority of their stuff online this year as you hunt for those deals, it's important to know that the supply chain crisis is very much under way. so if you're looking for a toy that has plastic pieces from china, it may not delayed. if you're looking for a gaming console, say the playstation 5 or an xbox, you may have to act quickly given the delays in the supply chain one other thing i want to point out is a lot of people are really hurting in their wallets this year. inflation certainly causing a problem for many budgets as people try to pay for gas and food we do know according to deloitte, 11.5% this year do not plan to spend anything on holiday gifts. that has retailers putting out their best deems as early as possible and stretching them on to december. >> your live duties are done so you can break out your wallet and start buying again nice to see you. americans hungry for thanksgiving dinners put up with

nearly prepandemic crowds at airports and on highways and now who knows what the trip home will be like. nbc's kristen dahlgren is at laguardia airport with some insights for us. how is it looking this morning >> hey, good morning, kristen. it's pretty busy we've seen a steady extreme of people coming in and checking in behind me here as we continue to set pandemic travel records. the tsa screened 2.3 million travelers on wednesday alone that is the most since march of 2020 of course, many of those people now need to get back home, so expect another few days of really busy travel at airports and on the roads aaa is predicting 48 million americans are traveling by car this holiday they are doing so as gas prices hit the highest level in 7 years. so a lot of pain at the pump that was enough for some people to say they were staying home this holiday for others, though, it was just the price they had to pay to finally get back together with

friends and family, kristen. >> it is good to see the airports and roadways packed again. thank you. turning to the latest on the pandemic and concerns over new variants first identified in south africa nbc's national correspondent gabe gutierrez is here with more on this. >> that's exactly right. the world health organization has called an emergency meeting today to discuss this new variant. scientists in south africa first identified the strain, but it's also been found in other southern african countries and has spread to israel and hong kong experts warn that the contagious variant may be more resistant to vaccines as it has a high number of mutations multiple countries, including the uk, are banning travel from south africa vaccinated travelers from that area are currently allowed into the u.s. after the biden administration rolled back foreign travel restrictions

earlier this month and in an interview this morning, dr. anthony fauci would not say whether the u.s. plans to impose new restrictions after the w.h.o. meeting today, scientists will eventually decide if this variant officially becomes a variant of interest or concern. after that, the w.h.o. would assign a greek name. now it's still early on in the process, but something to keep an eye on and it comes as daily covid infections in the u.s. tops at least 10% in 35 states >> a lot of americans watching closely as the world tries to catch a break from this. gabe, nice to see you. thanks is an incredible sight we want to show you, egypt is celebrating the restoration of a glorious part of its ancient history. the company reopened its 3,000-year-old avenue of the sphinxes yesterday it included historical costumes and traditional dances how about that >> the avenue of the sphinxes.

now time for your morning boost. >> a couple has been fostering a baby girl. >> i'm making a little video because i wanted to introduce you to someone >> i wanted to introduce you to someone. >> shut the front door >> oh, my god! no way >> oh, my god, she's so cute congratulations. >> that's awesome. >> well, that's such a quarantine >> you can feel their emotion. well, we never did get to see baby francesco there, but those reactions say it all the parents wanted to save showing off francesco for when she's a little older, but you

can feel their emotion and excitement >> that is such a nice moment. you can always see the moment when the baby takes the first step and this and that, but the moment the family gets to celebrate for you, that is so exciting up next, our harry smith is introducing us to some dedicated farmers going above and beyond to make sure sums and hearts are full in their community. that's right after these messages

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i'i'm ready fofor anythingn. find o out what's strong w withu with daiaily readineness on fit. into back philadelphia has the largest poverty rate of any u.s. city. across the river in new jersey, that is even higher. 37% of the population living below the poverty line >> harry smith wentz to a farm run by some locals who are addressing that emergency with empathy. harry, good morning. tell us about this >> you're going to love this so much i just was gob smacked when i spent the day with these folks i don't know if you know, but i grew up working on a farm. i used to bunch radishes, cut cabbage, drive a tractor, the whole nine yards and i heard about this farm, this rather remarkable farm in pennsylvania

and i said, i'm going to go see this place once we saw it, then we learned what happens to the produce once it leaves. that's the even better part of the story. even in the fall, carversville farm is as green as spring a response we're thinking to the care and good will of the folks who work here. >> they're excited to come out and help >> listen to that. that's some happy chickens >> yeah, i think so. >> guard dogs floor and natasha make sure no wiley coyotes invade this haven that produce more than 1,000 eggs a day >> these are rule live super duper organic eggs >> yeah. they're certified organic and pasture raised good living. >> nearby, turkeys strut their stuff. and across the way, the black angus move on to fresh pasture carversville farm is organic,

regenerative, which means season by season, the soil actually gets richer. it shows >> we've got broccoli over here. >> yep we've got broccoli here. and we have cauliflower over here and it's just looking really, really beautiful >> it sure is. >> stephanie zimmerman schmidt is vegetable production manager here we sampled the kale. >> it's very, very sweet >> carversville farm fulfills the lifetime dream of a son of south philadelphia >> he grew up in south philly in a row house. and for him, the farm was heaven >> for years and years and years, he talked about it.

>> amy and tony derazzio built and run a still growing technology company they've done quite well. he said, you know, i think i might want to start a farm and give everything away and i thought, well, the ride has been pretty fun so far may as well give it a try. >> they've done well and decided to do something good really good. >> the food is as good as any food that goes to a michelin three-star restaurant and our dream is to provide the level of respect that you would expect for the food to be delivered to you in a restaurant. >> and in case you missed it, the abundance of their 300 acre farm, they give away, give away. every afternoon, there's a line outside cathedral kitchen in nearby camden, new jersey. what these folks come for often rivals the best takeout anywhere chef matt jenson >> i have green salad with watermelon radishes from carversville farm and our chickens >> how good is this as produce >> the quality is fantastic. >> discerning clients like deion sanders echo that praise >> how good is the food here >> on a scale from 1 to 10, a 9

1/2. >> that's pretty good. >> look at it. it feeds the homeless. >> pre covid, cathedral kitchen served meals inside, more like a family restaurant than a soup kitchen. they run a kitchen academy that trains workers for careers in the restaurant industry. >> like i tell me students, if you're not doing nothing with love or doing it from the heart, people -- i talk to people through my food or even if it'se just saying hi, how was your day today? >> nothing is too good for the hungry people who arrive at cathedral kitchen's door says executive director carrie kitchen santiago >> i went into this work because i want to try to help people that don't have the same opportunity that a lot of the rest of us do. >> there but for the grace of god, the derazzio's commitment to serve like the farm keeps

growing. >> we can't possibly do as much as we want to do, but we'll keep going. >> okay. so i have tears in my eyes this cathedral kitchen place, oh, my gosh, over the top. prepandemic, this beautiful dining room with tablecloths on the tables people would come in and they would be seated in the place a moment of dignity in a life that is just too hard to live sometimes. and this carversville farm, i mean, my gosh. >> so the derazzios, they're amazing, but the way you described it is so perfect it's a restaurant, not a soup kitchen. the way they treatment people and access to free quality produce. >> and this farm is regenerative, not just sustainable. they're making the land richer they're way ahead of the curve i would like to see a lot of these kind of pop up all over the place.

there's plenty of rich people in america who could do that. >> it should become contagious harry, thank you very much >> the true spirit of giving in this holiday season, right let's get another check of the forecast from janice >> hi, kristen, thanks it's about to become a winter wonderland, but dangerous for travel across northern new england and upstate new york they're looking at major snow, lake enhanced snow that could add up to as much as a foot in the higher elevations. meanwhile, it's rain in the lower elevations moving out of new york city and away and strong, gusty winds on the back side of that a lot of cold air. the front does move offshore quickly, but we still maintain more snow. and another storm comes in tomorrow, very active pattern. this one moving across michigan and the great lakes of detroit towards buffalo, cleveland, erie, maybe upwards of a foot of snow there and look at all of this, tracking into parts of maine over the next couple of days heavy snow back towards portions of northern michigan, as well. so it's going to be a snow fest across this area

rain in the pacific northwest. heavy rain and flooding likely there. dry in the southwest high fire danger for southern california it's sunny and mild over the central portion of the country you could be looking at near record highs in part good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. take a look at our temperatures today. it's going to be another nice one but also looking a little hazy out there. we'll see that continue into the afternoon as our temperatures head for the upper 60s in hayward, 68 degrees also in santa rose. going through the forecast, we'll see more of the same, just slightly warmer for the weekend with a mostly sunny sky, and we'll see also some nice and dry weather for the weekend into early next week. san francisco will also continue to see temperatures reaching into the mid-60s. >> now back to you we're so excited about this next segment we want to turn now to big news from the 20th annual national dog show

claire, a beautiful scottish deerhound made history when she was named best in show >> best in show this evening will go to the scottish deerhound. >> we have for the first time in 20 years -- >> that's because claire was actually an old hand or i guess in this case a paw at this it was her second year in a row to take home the top prize making her the competition's first repeat winner. she was joining us along with her owner, angela. and david, nice to see you in person claire and angela, we'll let you begin the honors this is your second go at this this is a big deal the dog world is taking note of claire's new dominance here. how does two-time champion sound? >> sounds amazing. >> how was it in that moment yesterday? i mean, a lot of people enjoy this, families across the country watch it, but to sit in

that moment when you heard her name called, what went through your mind? >> oh, it's just pure joy. you know, you work daily with these dogs that we have and they're part of our lives. so it's just totally amazing when things like this happen because it just makes for a wonderful time together. >> and, david, we're talking about the fact that these a two-time winner. that has never happened before she made history talk about why this was such a history-making moment. >> well, because most of them, they don't always come back. they go somewhere else the next year or they just are not quite ready and up to it again we've had some of them come back and try, but it hasn't he happened with claire, she's in great condition. she looks beautiful. angela has a perfect hand on her in the ring. >> angela, how confident after last year's win were you feeling that you were going to repeat again this year? >> oh, i don't think that that

was ever a thought in our minds, truly. we wanted to come back to the show to give it our best shot and it just -- all the cards lined up the way they went >> angela, i should acknowledge that in the alexander house, this show is beginning a new negotiation this morning about with when and if there is a dog coming to us right now it's nice to say we are no competition. but there are 2,000 dogs that compete in this. can you take us into that atmosphere, this community and what a day like that is. >> it's incredible we're here at one again today and there's so much activity and so much energy, everyone is excited. the dogs are happy so it just makes for a fun thing. it's just wonderful to have that time to share together with your

animals. >> such a special tradition in so many homes. my in-laws watch this. they love this every year. david, talk about the preparation that goes into this and the fact that claire's grandmum was a previous winner, right? >> she was best in show, yes it's a lifetime of preparation it's road work, it's grooming, it's conditioning, it's training and people like angela were great handlers are going at it every day. and she's right back on the road for another dog show today up in springfield. >> wow >> no rest that's right and peter, i'm going to help you find a dog >> now it's a done deal. now the negotiation is over. >> angela, are you going to go for a third try? >> we'll have to see everyone needs to watch and wait >> we'll be keeping a close on you're dominating these days thank you so much for being with us still ahead in popstart, if your practicing gratitude, you have to hear jimmy fallon's thoughts on dessert.

good morning, 8:26. i'm scott mcgrew, the world health organization holding a special meeting today to discuss that new covid-19 variant that's raising concerns. experts say b 115289 has a large number of mutations that could impact the effectiveness of vaccines. experts say the new variant may spread more rapidly than delta as well. it's been found in south africa, botswana, hong kong and now europe. the uk has announced plans to block flights from six african

countries. let's get a check of your weekend weather with kari. >> we're starting out with a sunny sky across much of the bay area, just chilly temperatures as you get ready to head out, our temperatures right now in the mid-40s. we'll go from the low to mid-40s this morning to the upper 60s across the bay area. it's going to be a beautiful afternoon. we'll see more weather like this into the weekend as well as into at least the middle of next week. scott. >> all right, kari, thank you. we'll have more local news for you coming up in half an hour, and of course you can always check nbcbayarea.com. mom, hurry! our shshow's gogonna start t soon! i promisised i wouldldn't mimiss the shohow and momommy alwaysys keeps s her promisises.

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we are back and we have a fired up celebratory crowd here out on the plaza this friday after thanksgiving we are so thrilled that they're braving the rain to be here. >> how is everybody doing after the holiday? >> yeah, ready for some shopping >> turkey and joy. >> turkey and joy, indeed. and, of course, you shoppers,

all these guys know that it's already black friday and we've got huge bargains on some of the most popular items online tech must haves, kitchen gadgets and home essentials. >> be prepared to be second in line as kristen will be there first. also the inspiring story of an undefeated high school football team that's making history in california the all deaf squad that's breaking records and stereotypes as it heads into a huge championship game. >> love that story ahead in our third hour to celebrate the beginning of hanukkah on sunday, joy bower is putting her super food spin on potato lakas >> that looks good also coming up on "today," legendary actress rita morenes will be with us, hoda goes one-on-one with sandra bullock and blake shelton will be joining us, as well. now we want to get a check on the weather

janice, your job is to tell us what is happening. >> you can leave me with that one. it's raining outside let's check the forecast the weekend outlook, a lot of you are traveling and getting back home for the holiday. snow across the great lakes and lots of it rain showers across texas and fire danger remains high in southwest. on sunday, we've got slick travel still across the great lakes because of lake enhanced snow it will be sunny in the southeast. florida, north florida, your temperatures are in the 60s around tallahassee and jacksonville well above-average temperatures over the northern and central plains for november we're looking at readings in the 50s and 60s, the pacific northwest will get more rain and it stays dry in southern california high fire danger will remain as the winds are gusty and strong the temperatures are warm in the 70s to near 80 degrees and good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. we'll see some nice weather

today. it just starts out cold but warms up to the upper 60s today with a hazy sky. a lot of sunshine in our weekend forecast with temperatures in the low 70s. going into next week, we're still not seeing any chances of rain, and our temperatures really don't change too much as we'll see our temperatures in san francisco and near the coast continue to reach into the mid to upper 60s, at least through the middle of next week. >> now it's time to talk sunday night football this sunday, we have the browns versus the ravens in baltimore at 7:00 on sunday right here on nbc. partly cloudy skies, temperatures in the low 40s. so a little on the coolish side for the game now back inside to kristen >> we'll look forward to that, janice now it's time for popstart and joe is in for carson >> we have seth meyers the late night host family just got a little bigger. he revealed in a new series why

he has one more reason to be thankful this year >> so keep your eye out. if you peel your eyes very closely, there's sort of an easter egg that maybe you will fine but, again, watch very closely. here are the boys and frisbees as turkeys >> thanksgiving happy day, thanksgiving one, two, three, surprise! >> so that little butterball is baby adelaide. seth sharing the big news how he and wife welcomed their third child ten weeks ago and managed to keep her a secret until last night. adelaide, or baby addie, is named after seth's maternal grandmother. a big congratulations to the meyers family. what a little cutie. >> good for them congrats

next up, let's kick things off with two of our favorite people around here, gwen stefani and blake shelton. this year, they shared their first thanksgiving together as husband and wife a peek at blake and apollo assembling a bacon wrapped turkey i don't even know if there's turkey in there. my goodness. sounds pretty good >> that's the way to do it >> late night host jimmy kimmel decided not to go the traditional oven baked turkey route. instead, kimmel smoked the whole bird and his hair. i posted this photo writing, happy thanksgiving, everyone try not to burn your hair and eyebrow off lighting the oven. glad to see jimmy is doing okay. let's wrap this up with a birthday shout out to our pals jenna and barbara. the sisters got to celebrate their 40th birthdays together, making thanksgiving dinner all

the sweeter. all the kids got in on the actions, too, showing lots of love for their new cousin, baby cora this year, the most precious having our babes fall in love. i love all this baby news this morning. so wishing a very happy birthday to jenna and barbara and finally, the tonight show, yesterday was the perfect occasion for jimmy fallon to break out the old stationary for a special thanksgiving edition of thank you notes take a look. >> thank you, the person who brings talent to thanksgiving dinner we aren't going to say anything to your face, but you better believe you're getting dragged in the group chat as we speak. valid? thank you, adding a leaf to the dining table for making sure i'm not the only thing getting wider on thanksgiving. yeah thank you, gravy boats for looking like i'm about to summon

a genie with high cholesterol. >> those are all great surprisingly, one thing that didn't make the list was a shout out to elastic waist pants for all they do -- not just on thanksgiving, but this morning >> we could all use them after thanksgiving, that's for sure. coming up next, jasmine snow is here with a special black friday edition of big bargains on home, tech and kitchen gadgets yowon't want to miss u

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so we're back with best sellers and on this black friday, some huge bargains jasmine snow is here with top rated kitchen and gadget deals that you can get right now >> scan the qr code on your screen to see all of these amazing product. good morning, jasmine. hope you had a great holiday, not too stuffed. let's start off with tech

because there are some great tech deals maybe a good time to upgrade your headphones? >> tech is huge today. it is great. we have bose noise canceling head phones. so they're $199 today. which is amazing because they're usually $279 so that's 35% off. and noise canceling, love it because there's no distractions. you can listen to the audio. don't be distracted. you can get it in beautiful colors we've got black, blue, they come in four different colors and you can fit it to your ears. they have multiple sizes it really is the best gift >> great for the airplane. >> the best. >> good feel on your ear, too. i'm a dad. let's talk families. the challenge for parents right now is devices are so distracting for kids when you're trying to get them to focus on reading on occasion. here is a perfect way to deal with that. >> this is perfect kindle kids, $59.99 today. so it's from $109.99

45% off. which is awesome super cute case. but like you're saying, it's fought distracting there's no ads, no videos. and if they love to read, it's perfect. especially travel. you can store a ton of books you don't have to carry them all with you look how cute. >> adorable. >> bright colors >> that's great. >> and you can pair it with speakers, but they want to listen to the audio, they can. >> for mom and dad, this is a must coffeemaker, tell us about this. >> expresso machine, i love this we were just talking about this. we both love it. so it's $119.96 today. you can make coffee or expresso. you pick one of these pods it reads this bar code you pop it right in here press it down, you're done one and done, done single it's great for the coffee lover. it is great for someone with not

that much kitchen space. and they really just are super sleek. they look great in the kitchen i love them. >> again, that qr code is on the screen right now for folks this is your chance to start your buying even as you're wake up this morning. there's another way of staying in the kitchen that will save you some energy and will go pretty well with pretty much anything >> yes i love this one. this is our ninja air fryer. so it's $99.99 today that is from $149.99 33% off. this saves my life it is so quick and easy in the kitchen. and it's a five for one. so you can air fry, you can reheat, you can bake, you can roast. >> does it work quickly? >> oh, my god, so quick. i love this.

and you can just throw in some nuggets, some french fries >> these nuggets look good maybe not the healthiest, but it is healthy, right? >> healthy so if you want to grow your own herbs in your house, no need to wait for that perfect time of year this is our aerogarden >> this is cool. >> so cool $58.79 from $83.99 and it's 30% off. love this because we have all of your essential herbs and then -- oh, i'm sorry. our nutrients right here and it's amazing >> a garden in your home >> yes it's perfect it's a great piece for like decor and it just looks beautiful on your counter. >> this is information we could have used last night we handled it okay but now as the holidays get started, the houses start filling up with things, you have to keep it clean >> it gets messy, right? so we have our sharp robot vacuum, $149.99, it's 35% off. >> that's become a competitive field these days >> yes so you can set it and go watch. >> amazing

makes a little noise nice >> right >> oh, wow, that's -- >> you can use an app, you can use alexa. this is so easy. >> and it works on carpets, too? >> yes >> it's amazing. i love this. comes in black and white you're going to love it. >> the most impressive thing about these to me is it always hits the staircase and stops i'm always waiting for a big crash landing. >> corners, any kind of tough areas, it gets right in. >> thank you so much >> great to see you. appreciate it. you can scan the qr code again or text today to the number below. this segment solely features products available on amazon which has an affiliate relationship with "today." come up next, an undefeated football team with a huge set of hearts on the verge of making history.

this morning, cheering for a unique and undefeated team now headed for a championship this weekend. erin mclaughlin learned more about their inspiring story. good morning >> good morning, guys. for seven straight seasons, the cubs were mostly a losing team on the field, but this year, something magical has happened some say it's the new weight training program others point to the school's spirit but the team agrees the real secret to their success may be that all of the players and coaches are deaf the riverside cubs are in the zone and hoping to make history. they're now just one win away from claiming their division's championship title a first for this team of all deaf coaches and players >> it is a big deal. it's huge for me and the football team. number 45, david figeroa plays offensive lineman and defensive end for the cubs >> i believe in my football

team i believe in these guys. i know they can do this. >> reporter: the players say a big part of that belief comes from coach keith adams he's been leading this eight-player team for the last four years >> i'm nervous i'm a little nervous >> excite. >> yes, very excited i'm very, very proud of our players. they've gone so far. they have not given up they just persevered they practice hard and we are getting close to what their goal is >> reporter: that goal is now making national headlines, the inspiring story of the cubs that could has propelled the team to

high school stardom. >> it feels overwhelming it's been nonstop getting messages, you know, congratulations, and well wishes my email is blowing up i've had some nfl head coaches, you know, the tennessee titans have sent me congratulations it's just been amazing >> reporter: and the spotlight only growing brighter since we first profiled the team a week ago. >> rams. pepper >> reporter: the team believes being deaf helps them be better players and teammates, seamlessly communicating with rapid fire hand signals. all their other senses heightened >> here people use their eyes as much and less alert visually as we are >> factors that helped them crush their most recent opponents under the bright glare of friday night, the team's 12th straight win the cubs have seen much darker days felix gonzalez is one of the team's star offensive players. he says his talent hasn't always been recognized by the hearing world. >> a lot ooh people say deaf people, they're not this, they're not that, they can't do it because they're deaf. >> starting at just 5 years old when he was on a hearing team, gonzalez says he was bullied for being deaf >> and i played until i did something wrong.

the coach would get mad at me and yell at me and i'm the only deaf person on the team he would smack me. he would yell at me. so it made me really upset and i would get home and be in tears >> how did that change when you arrived on this team >> moving here to be with riverside, i liked communicating with my team members they can give me the plays directly and i can understand it instead of me guessing and having someone talk at me. >> it's been described as a brotherhood. do you agree >> absolutely, i agree it's definite lay brotherhood with this team >> reporter: figeroa says it's a bond that will lasted a life time >> even off campus and the weekends, we don't ever lose that bond. >> when you step on the field on saturday to play, what message are you sending? >> that deaf people can play the game we're going to play hard we are equal to people >> are you going win >> yes, we're going to win >> the championship game kicks off saturday afternoon all eyes will be on the cubs to see if they can continue the season's phenomenal undefeated winning streak but no matter which way the season goes, it has been a major

win. they say they want to show the world what deaf people can do. back to you guys >> erin, thank you so much just these guys proving that they are not defined by their disability, right, in a moment like this and that nfl coaches are calling the team to wish them good luck riverside cubs, they play on saturday good luck, fellas, go get them >> we'll be cheering for them. coming up next, we can't get enough of the beautiful stories and now we'll meet some of those

wrapping up our angel special series thanks and giving at the lye saving work at st. jude's hospital. >> joining us remotely are some of the children from st. jude. we have jackson hempfield, aubrey sutton, kate carson and aveoy emrick

and they are all holding up signs of gratitude good morning to all of you thank you for being here marlow, i want to start with you. there are so many inspiring stories this season. tell us about the essence of giving >> the essence of giving and love and hope and gratitude. that's why we say give thanks for the healthy kids in your life and give to those who are not. so when you're out shopping, look for our logo at all of our favorite fabulous partners that i hope are scrolling along the bottom now like at home and dominos and kay jewelers, so many because it's so important. this is the time of year you're out there shopping for your families and friends, so think about the kids at st. jude and worldwide that are helped by st. jude's research hospital we have a new program, a science program where we're recruiting 60 scientists in the next five years to expand our research with all kinds of diseases, pediatric cancer and infectious diseases like covid and

neurological diseases. so that's where the money is going and that's why we're so grateful to the "today" show and all of our partners and our friends who give to st. jude every year and help kids all of our partners and our worldwide. >> we're always so thankful for you. not just this year but throughout the year. so we have our st. jude patients here and they are via remote because the covid vaccine is still getting rolled out jackson, who are you thankful for and why? >> i am thankful for my band teacher, mr. thomas. when i was going through my treatment, he was the only teacher that actually messaged me to check in on how i was doing and it was just so relieving to see that my band teacher who taught me how to play my instrument was checking in on me >> love it thank you all so much.

we are so grateful to have all of you with us and to see what you all are all thankful for >> yes it's fantastic marlow, final thoughts >> it is my thanks that these kids are healthy and living because of the great generosity of people around this country and our partners >> we appreciate you guys so much >> thanks for being here to inspire us we appreciate it great to see you all coming up in our third hour, we have a feel-good story for your friday. two men who met by accident now have a bond that chang and good morning, everyone. 8:56 on your friday morning. i'm scott mcgrew. overnight, a brush fire in san jose started around 3:30 this morning near o'tool and rinkin circle, not far from montague expressway and 880. we learned that it started

within a new homeless encampment. the whl holding a special meeting to discuss that new covid-19 variant that's raising extreme concern. b 11259 has may affect the effectiveness of vaccines and make it more contagious. it's been found in sot africa, botstswana, honong kong. we'll h have lots s on black f coming u up at 11:0000.

♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i i see them b bloom for me andnd y ♪ (music) ♪ so i thihink to myse ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪ holiday shopping is far from over, the best sales happening on cyber monday and the scams you should be looking out for. and we're tracking weather and the commute, join us monday at 4:30 for "today in the bay."

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from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the third hour of "today." >> november 26th so here is the good news first we're not really here. >> i'm here. >> well, but this was previously recorded and it's all those deal hunters going out there for those friday deals. so we're hoping you're having a good time. this morning, we're going to give the gift of some of our favorite stories from the past few months and the good news is, you don't have to return them