historic. for more news download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm elise preston, cbs news, new yo . it's friday, november 26th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news". black friday shopping. americans could spend a record amount of money this holiday season. the items that some experts say are almost impossible to find. sounding the alarm. a new covid variant is moving fast in south africa. why some health leaders are especially concerned about this outbreak. and later, a second chance at life. the outpouring of support and money for a wrongfully convicted man who spent decades in prison. good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green.

we begin with the kickoff of the holiday shopping season. americans could shatter a record this year. according to the national retail federation, sales could reach up to $859 billion. ththat would be a 10% increase compared to last year. some items may not be so easy to find. supply chain disruptions have dampened the holiday media. -- mood. courtney kealy is in new jersey with more on this. courtney, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. more than 100 million americans are expected to do some shopping today either on line or in stores. the holiday shopping season is officially under way. >> i'm going to wake up at 4:00 a.m., go shopping. anything that's open i'm going to go shopping. >> reporter: the national retail federation predicts holiday sales could hit up to $859 billion in 2021 which would be a record. >> retail sales will grow somewhere between 8.5% and 10.5% which is a really historic high.

>> reporter: more than 100 million americans are expected to do some shopping today. either on line or in stores. this year the ample person -- average person will buy about $1,000 worth of holiday items. spending that money may require some searching as many in-demand products become exceedingly hard to find. there are reports that a nationwide trucker shortage have left stores struggling to keep shelves stocked. >> supply chain disruptions have been an ongoing issue for retailers and for consumers really since the onset of the pandemic. and the situation unfortunately just continues to evolve. >> reporter: toys are among the gifts that could be hard to come by. >> gaming systems, as well, the newer xbox, playstation, and the new nintendo switch version are virtually impossible to find, and shoppers are going to have to hope that retailers keep them in stock. >> reporter: experts say shoppers in the market for a specific present should buy it and here at the american dream

mall, they're hoping for a holiday surge in sales. anne-marie? >> i bet they are. courtney kealy at the american dream mall in new jersey. thank you so much. now to the latest on covid. this morning the president of the european union commission says that she wants to stop flights from southern africa after a new coronavirus variant was detected. it's reportedly spreading faster than the delta variant. today the world health organization will meet discuss it. natalie brand has the latest. >> reporter: the uk is banning travel from six african countries due to a new covid variant that is spreading fast. it has multiple mutations. >> the early indications we have is that it may be more transmissible than the delta variant. and the vaccines that we currently have may be less

effective against it.ff rials e variant will travel fast. >> you can be rest assured as people start to move even more over the next few weeks, this will be all over. ♪ >> reporter: here in the u.s., the thanksgiving holiday seemed back to normal after more muted celebrations last year. >> with everyone being vaccinated, we can like all be around each other and not be as worried about getting sick. >> reporter: but covid cases are rising in 25 states, and hospitalizations are up in 22 states. >> we're really in uncharted territories, and it's not clear what's going to happen the next six to ten weeks. >> reporter: to protect yourself, health officials say it's imperative to get vaccinated and get a booster shot if eligible. >> this delta variant spreads so easily. it is crowding out any other mutations right now, but there's certainly the chance for something worse. and our best protection against that is vaccinating not just the u.s. but also the rest of the globe. >> reporter: nearly 60% of americans are now fully vaccinated. natalie brand, cbs news, washington.

in southern california, tens of thousands of customers were left without power on thanksgiving as utility companies cut electricity to help prevent wildfires. the region is experiencing warm and dry conditions along with santa ana winds. the winds were so strong in one l.a. neighborhood, trees toppled on to houses, cars, and power lines. neighbors said their power was cut off at the same time last year, too. power was off multiple times. and sometimes for a few days. we understood why. we weren't happy about it. >> now they've got insulated wire, all these fancy covers over the connectors and stuff. we go through all these outages to upgrade, and they're still going to shut us down. >> red flag warnings are still in place through today due to predicted strong wind gusts and low humidity. and this morning five u.s. lawmakers are in taiwan as part of a surprise one-day visit. the bipartisan group of

lawmakers from the house of representatives is trying to reaffirm u.s. support for the island. last night they met with the president of taiwan, and the visit comes amid high tensions between taiwan and china. the two sides split during a civil war in 1949, but china considers the island part of its territory. hundreds of people gathered in france last night to pay tribute to at least 27 migrants bound for britain who died trying to cross the english channel. their inflatable boat capsized making it the most dangerous crossing to date. at least five traffickers have been arrested in connection with this incident. president biden is in nantucket this morning after celebrating his first thanksgiving holiday as president. yesterday he met with u.s. service members, and he has a little more to be thankful for when it comes to his health. nancy cordes explains. >> reporter: in a brief break from family time, the president and first lady visited a coast

guard station speaking with about two dozen service members outside and holding video calls inside with troops from all six branches of the military. afterwards, mr. biden was asked what he's thankful for. >> what am i thankful for? i'm not joking when i say i'm thankful to these guys, wherever they are. the people wonder what america is, they look and see them. that's who they see. they don't see us here. they see them, and they make me proud. >> reporter: the president and first lady also called into the annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> happy thanksgiving, everyone. >> reporter: and recorded a video message wishing the nation a happy holiday. one thing mr. biden can be thankful for, a note from his doctor saying that a 3 mm polyp removed from his colon last week turns out to be benign. though the doctor noted it was potentially precancerous. the polyp was discovered during a routine colonoscopy at walter reed military medical center last week. >> i feel great.

>> reporter: doctors say such polyps are common, especially in 79-year-olds. the president's doctor is recommending he get a followup colonoscopy in seven to ten years. nancy cordes, cbs news, nantucket. an afghan woman who famously appeared on the 1984 cover of "national geographic" magazine as a girl has arrived in italy. the famed green-eyed afghan girl appeared as part of the evacuation of afghans after the taliban regained control of the country. officials in italy said they organized the woman's evacuation after she asked for help to leave the country. and coming up, a shocker in sweden. why the country's first female prime minister quit after less than one day on the job. and dog show history. we'll show you the back-to-back winner of this year's best in show. this is the "cbs morning news." ."

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nasa says it is pushing ahead with plans to launch the james webb space telescope next month after an incident at its launch site in south america. the space agency says that it found no signs of damage after a piece of equip malfutioned earlieos e $10 billion obatory. beeshedk for days to december 22nd. the webb telescope is supposed to replace the hubble space telescope. the winner of the national dog show has made history, and there's political turmoil in sweden. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the new york times" reports sweden's first female prime minster resigned after about seven hours on the job. magdalena andersson quit wednesday after her government's budget proposal was rejected by parliament in favor of one put forth by the opposition. she had formed a two-party coalition government with the green party, but the green party

left the coalition after their budget was rejected. the opposition includes a right-wing party with neo-nazi roots. and the "birmingham news" says hundreds of fedex packages were found tossed in an alabama ravine. authorities say about 300 to 400 boxes were found in the ravine wednesday about 40 miles northeast of birmingham. fedex sent multiple trucks and drivers from all over the south to retrieve the packages. an investigation is under way to determine why the packages ended up in the ravine come is located on private property. and "people" magazine says for the first time ever the same dog won best in show two years if a row at the national dog show. >> best in show this evening will go to the scottish deerhound. >> david, we have first time in 20 years, we have a repeat winner. >> claire, a 4-year-old scottish deerhound from virginia, took top honors at the 20th annual

show in philadelphia. she also won last year. claire comes from a line of leading dogs. her grandmother won best in show at the 2021 westminster dog show. still to come, tiny home, tiny price. furniture retailer ikea is renting out a small apartment for just pennies a day. we'll tell you where. ur type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk, and losing some weight... now, back to the game! ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® wershe risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death.

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the latest slew of economic data, including most recent read on gdp. the commerce department says the economy grew 2.1% in the third quarter. consumers loosened their wallets this fall, according to the commerce department. personal spending rose 1.3% last month. that was more than expected. now spending is a closely watched metric because consumers make up about two-thirds of economic activity. incomes rose and people saved more money. amazon employees in dozens of countries around the world are protesting this black friday. workers say the e-commerce giant puts profit over people. organizers are caller for the first of all-dollar company to boost worker pay, give adequate break time, extend paid sick leave, and be more transparent about the company's protocol on covid-19 cases. and making a list, checking it twice. no matter who's naughty or nice, gift givers are being creative in the name of saving a buck or two.

44% said they're not bashful about re-gifting, more than half are inclined to wrap up homemade gifts. when people can't think of anything to give, a third say a gift card, money, or something practical like socks is fine, too. that's your cbs "money watch" report. for more head to cbsmoneywatch.com. at the new york stock exchange, i'm diane king hall. looking for a place to rent that is less than $1 a month? ikea has something that you might like. check out this 107 square-foot apartment in tokyo. swedish retailer ikea is renting it out for just 86 cents a month. the unit is fully furnished with, of course, ikea furniture and accessories. to apply, you must be a member of ikea family. this isn't the first time ikea got involved in real estate. the company has teamed up with a construction company to build affordable homes in sweden, finland, and norway. up next, generous donations. contributions pour in for a man

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ donations to help a missouri man who served more than 40 years in prison for a crime he did not commit are pouring in. a gofundme page set up for 62-year-old kevin stthmidwinnoc prison tuesday after a judge ruled that he was wrongfully convicted for killing three people in 1978. he does not qualify for wrongful imprisonment payments in missouri since the state only allowed it for those exonerated through dna evidence. as americans celebrated thanksgiving, they got an extra treat with some dramatic

finishes in the nfl. >> the snap good -- good kick. good-bye. >> the chicago bears defeated the lions with a 28-yard field goal as time expired. the lions remain the league's only winless team, though. it was a similar ending between oakland and dallas. the raiders won in overtime 36-33 to end a three-game losing streak. it's their first thanksgiving victory since 1968. and the buffalo bills marched all over the new orleans saints. final score 31-6. the bills are tied for first with the patriots in the afc east. canadian author margaret atwood is being honored with a postage stamp that she's pictured with her hand on her face and her eyes closed. the background repeats a line from one of her poems. "the handmaid's tale" was made into an award-winning streaming series in hulu on 2017. coming up on "cbs mornings,"

as the holiday shopping season gets into full swing, a new payment option is growing in popularity. mark strassmann tells us about buy now, pay later. i'm anne-marie green. i'm anne-marie green. super emma just about sleeps in her cape. but when we realized she was battling sensitive skin, we switched to tide hygienic clean free. it's gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old free detergent. tide hygienic clean free. hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. our strength, our power, our purpose... starts within. so let's start there. with collagen that supports our body from the inside out. (sfx: playful cadence of full soundscape)

our top stories this morning, the world health organization is meeting today to discuss a new coronavirus strain. it emerged in south africa, and

it's reportedly spreading faster than the delta variant. starting today the uk is banning travel from six african countries due to the new strain of the virus. and americans are ready to cash in big on black friday sales. the national retail federation expects more than 100 million americans to shop in store or on line today. the average person is expected to spend about $1,000 on holiday items between november and december. this season is not just about giving but growing. there's a young farmer in philadelphia who's using tiny seeds to mke a big impact in her community. here's nikole killion. >> we've been growing these seeds together -- >> reporter: for amirah mitchell, the seed was planted early. >> i've been farming since i was 14. >> reporter: now at 28 she's a seed keeper. >> these are the seeds of the green striped squash. it's the exact same variety as the one that my great grandfathr used to grow. you see how beautiful they are.

>> reporter: almost looks like a pumpkin seed. connecting to her ancestral past sprouted a passion for heirloom crops that she grows on this urban farm nestled in the heart of philadelphia. >> my favorite seeds are important to the african diaspora. so i love growing any kind of southern black eyed pea, i grew collard. >> reporter: all catalogued from a seed library where she helps others discover their roots. >> i've cooked recipes from some of the vegetables i've been stewarding here, and i would tell my mom, "mom, i made catfish etoufee." and she says, "that is not etoufee that is mother catfish," and grandmama made it like this. >> the seeds and stories tell not just a personal story but also the story of where we come from and our culture. >> reporter: sowing seeds of the past looking toward the future. nikole killion, cbs news, philadelphia.

coming up on "cbs mornings," as the holiday shopping season gets into full swing, a new payment option is growing in popularity. mark strassmann tells us about buy now, pay later. plus, we'll speak with ceo of macy's, jeff gennette, about the challenges the retail industry faces. and jane pauley, host of "cbs sunday mornings," tells us about her primetime special "forever young: searching for the fountain of youth." that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great weekend. ♪ ♪