a holiday tradition. macy's larger than life balloons are ready to fly in the annual thanksgiving day parade. hitting the road. millions of americans are hitting the road this holiday despite pesky fares. and wild turkey. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. and we begin this morning with a very happy thanksgiving to all of you at home one of the

highlights of this holiday will be the macy's thanksgiving day parade. the balloons are inflated, and soon the crowds will be gathering. michele franzen is live for us this morning. happy thanksgiving to you. you have a front row see there. >> reporter: i do. happy thanksgiving to you too. 85 years going strong. behind me, a few slummering giant balloons as they have taken shape in the last 24 hours here filled with that helium that will let them take to life later on today along this parade route. a few new big giant balloons joining the parade. you have sonic the hedgehog coming back. he's been redesigned. and paul franks julius will make his debut. 3.5 million expected to turn out. the weather should be great. sunny, november, crisp temperatures. most importantly, the winds

should be minimal. also, some celebrities turning out today. cee lo green and rodney atkins just to name a few. also, we can't forget an appearance by santa claus ushering in that holiday spirit. >> a lot more crowded than it is right now. have a great thanksgiving. thanks so much. the macy's thanksgiving day parade hosted by the today show's ann curry and matt lauer kicks off at 9:00 a.m. if you are one of the millions of americans traveling this thanksgiving, hopefully you've already made it to your holiday destination. if not, chances are it's a little easier to navigate the terminals and traffic than it was yesterday. john yang has more. >> reporter: on the road, rails, and in the air, the crowds and lines started to build early and continue to grow throughout the day. >> i do this every year. you know what? you just get in the mind set that you have to go and do this

and you just keep a good attitude and just do what you need to do. >> reporter: more people are traveling. >> i've never traveled on thanksgiving weekend. it's all new for me. >> reporter: and spending more to make the trip. >> prices are up. airfare prices are up. >> reporter: including prices at pump. up an average of 50 cents a gallon from last thanksgiving. there have been scattered delays and cancellations, but for the most part the weather is cooperating. >> if there was a super bowl for railroad, this would be it for amtrak. today we're probably going to move about 134,000 people. >> reporter: most of the planes are more than 90% full as travelers try to get home for -- >> the food. no, i'm looking forward to, you know, hanging out with the family and catching up with everybody. >> reporter: but only after catching a thanksgiving ride.

john yang, nbc news at o'hare airport in chicago. in other news this morning, disturbing new details in the child sex abuse scandal at penn state. the attorney for jerry sandusky has confirmed that one of two new allegations being investigated involves one of sandusky's own family members. at least one involves a minor. in an e-mail to the media, sandusky's attorney called the allegations, quote, ridiculous and unfounded, noted both were started after the initial report from the grand jury in the case. here's your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. an iowa college student is in hot water after apparently breaking into a mcdonald's to grill up some food. surveillance cameras were rolling as the suspect cooked himself a burger and fries. he turned himself in at media began showing footage of his break-in. and an alabama man learns no

good deed goes unpunished. he was making a phone call for a thief. he was not able to catch him. flood waters in eastern pennsylvania left one driver in desperate need of rescue. the stranded motorist was forced to climb on top of his car to escape rising water. once spotted, rescuers used a raft to carry him to safety. finally, one turkey in georgia may have escaped the dinner table all on its own. police placed the bird in the back of a squad car after it wandered into a convenience store. i hate it when that happens. the animal was kept there until animal control officers arrived. authorities say if the turkey is not claimed, it will be sent to a bird sanctuary. lucky thanksgiving for him. now for a look at your national weather, let's turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins. happy thanksgiving to you. >> going to slow cook today? >> everything's marinating right

now. >> that's the way to do it. >> we're going to try. >> happy thanksgiving to you and everybody else out there. hopefully you've already gotten to your destination. if not, you're on your way. we're going to be looking for nice travel conditions. the roads have been plowed in northern new england. we didn't see much snow, if any, here in the albany area. it was really the mountainous areas up north. we had 6-12 inches in some p spots. the ski reports were loving it. windchills this morning are in the 20s. a lot of people heading towards new york city for the parade. temperatures are going to be brisk, especially early today. once we get to the afternoon hours t will start to warm up. wind chills are not much of a factor around the country. we're in the 30s and chilly in minneapolis. that's probably where you should be this time of year. the troublesome weather today is out on the west coast. that's where we're watching chilly air, rain, and even snow.

especially later today around the mountains of washington state. that's where the travel trouble is. san francisco will get a little rain for your thanksgiving. the rest of the country looks beautiful. no problems at all. two big, huge areas of high pressure in control. the storm from yesterday is leaving us with a pretty nice forecast. here's how it looks for your thanksgiving day, whether you're traveling outside or playing that football game with relatives or friends. temperatures will be enjoyable. 54 in minneapolis. 70s in texas today. should be great. we should have the roof open at texas stadium. 50s in the areas of new england. boston's one of the colder spots in the country at 43. a lot of people asking me, what's that forecast look like for friday? a lot of people going to be doing early morning shopping. this rain in the middle of the country won't be until later in the day. anyone that's going to be out there in the middle of the nine standing in line from kansas city to dallas, oklahoma city, and san antonio, you'll be dry with rain late in the day on

friday. lynn, i know you love to stand outside in those long lines tomorrow morning. you'll be just fine too. >> you're giving me a bad reputation. don't we know by now, never listen to bill. i didn't mean that. coming up, germany joins in on bad news. moody's warning to washington. and why you probably weren't thankful for your turkey day grocery bill this year. coming up, the chiefs get a new quarterback. duke and kansas go down to the wire. and what does the nhl and the macy's thanksgiving day parade have in common? you're watching "first look" on msnbc. things can get out of control pretty quickly. so i like control in the rest of my life... especially my finances. that's why i have slate, with blueprint. i can make a plan to pay off big stuff faster... or avoid interest on everyday things. that saves me money. with slate from chase, i'm always in control.

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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. here are some of the top stories this morning. a tragedy on this thanksgiving after a small plane carrying three adults and three children crashed into a mountain in arizona. the debris field, about 40 miles east of phoenix, could be seen in the rugged terrain where law

enforcement officials say one child has been confirmed dead and there are no signs of survivors. after 33 years of rule and months of bloody demonstrations, yemen's leader has agreed to step down. he is the fourth leader to lose power in the arab spring uprisings this year. once seen as the heir apparent to news corp, james murdoch has resigned. his first public resignation since the phone hacking scandal broke. at the white house yesterday, president obama saved two turkeys from becoming part of a thanksgiving feast at the annual pardoning ceremony. in keeping with the annual tradition, the birds named liberty and peace, are now headed to george washington's home in virginia where a life of leisure awaits. later today, the president joins his wife and daughter at a

food bank to hand out treats for needy families. u.s. markets will be closed for the thanksgiving holiday, but here's a look at how they ended yesterday president. dow close the at 11,257. the nasdaq lost 61. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei sank 149 points. in hong kong, the hangsang was up 70. as many of you give thanks today, nervous traders will be checking on the latest developments overseas. underscoring the severity of europe's debt crisis, experts are calling yesterday's disappointing sale of german bonds, quote, disastrous. it sparks fears that even europe's most stable economy could be undermined by the spreading economic crisis. on the street financials, with the greatest exposure to european debt were hit hardest. citigroup was down 4%. meanwhile, pushing the price of

crude down sharply, china's weakest manufacturing report in nearly three years fueled fierce of dwindling energy demands. one of the few bright spots came from farm maker deere. elsewhere, moody's warned washington that the nation's top credit rating could be in had jeopardy if congress backs off automatic cuts triggered by the super committee's failure to slash more than $1 trillion from the deficit. microsoft has signed a non-disclosure agreement with yahoo! allowing it to take a closer look at search engine's struggling books. the latest sign microsoft could be a potential board if yahoo!'s board suicidecides to sell. finally, the price of a thanksgiving dinner has climbed by the highest amount in 20 years. >> reporter: shopping for her

family's thanksgiving dinner has given christy a case of sticker shock. >> can't live without that. >> reporter: it's just a small family gathering with a bigger than ever price tag. >> i buy just what i need, you know. i have my list with me. no more, no less. >> reporter: a traditional thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings will cost 13% more this year. that's the largest jump in more than two decades. across the board, everything is more expensive from frozen peas to a pack only of rolls. but nothing has climbed more than the traditional bird. turkey is up more than 20% in just one year. the rest of the feast too. pumpkin pie mix, if you can find it, will 41 cents more cranberries and sweet potatoes up 7 cents each. >> it looks like some of the major factors influencing price have been higher energy prices overall, which really influences all the items we survey, and

strong demand globally for food products. >> reporter: take pee cans. 30% of the u.s. supply is being exported at a time when the harvest has take an severe hit from the draught. this pecan grower says production has fallen from 70 million to 40 million pounds just in texas and prices are skyrocketing. >> people are getting 11 and $12 a pound. next year, they're probably going to go up more. >> reporter: yet, shoppers like lynn say the long-held tradition of the bountiful meal is not one they'll scrimp on. >> i'm sure the dinner will cost at least $200, but it's just once a year. so we do it. >> reporter: higher prices taking a bite out of the holiday as giving thanks gets more expensive. nbc news, houston. >> you really do notice it at the checkout counter. it's frustrating. let's go to sports now where the blue devils were the big kahunas

wednesd wednesday. here's fred ro began. >> good morning. happy thanksgiving. last night felt like march madness. the maui invitational between duke and kansas. elijah johnson knocked down the three to give the j-hawks the lead. duke came right back. tyler thornton from the corner. blue devils jumped on top 63-61. after a kansas turnover, it was thornton again. the shot clock winding down, threw up a prayer, and it was answered. duke won the tournament 68-61. memphis needed double overtime to squeak by tennessee. yesterday, not quite as fortunate. jason clark had 17 in the first half and finished with a team high 26. he buried the three pointer late. unranked georgetown pulled off the upset. football, didn't take long for kyle orton to find a job.

the chiefs claimed orton and made him their starting quarterback. he replaces matt cassel. sidney crosby was held scoreless last nigh, and the penguins could have used him. blues won it 3-2. islanders blue a lead to the flyers. flyers rallied to win 4-3. do you see a trend here? caps and jets also needed o.t. jason chimera on the doorstep. that's a slam dunk. his second of the game. caps won it 4-3 in o.t. finally, there will be ice in manhattan for today's macy's thanksgiving day parade. the nhl has its own float. it features a 25-foot turkey as a goalie. it's all part of the showdown tomorrow afternoon between the red wings and bruins. that's your first look at sports. well, how celebrities are giving back this thanksgiving

day. and why the beibs paternity test just isn't enough for his accuser. plus, the unique way one woman is getting these celebrities to join her at the breakfast table. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. tulations. congratulations. congratulations. today, the city of charlotte can use verizon technology to inspire businesses to conserve energy and monitor costs. making communities greener... congratulations. ... and buildings as valuable to the bottom line... whoa ! ... as the people inside them. congratulations. because when you add verizon to your company, you don't just add, you multiply. ♪ discover something new... verizon.

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counts. kevin tibbles has their story. >> reporter: on a cold, raw, november day, spirits have been warmed on glenn's farm. for here in rural illinois, that age-old bond between neighbors remains sacred. >> it's about giving. >> reporter: glenn's wife carol is battling breast cancer. in the midst of coping with her illness, the family also had to get the fall harvest in. 940 acres of beans and corn. out here, you don't need to ask for help. people just know. >> all these farmers, they just called up and said they're going to show up and harvest this crop. they did. >> reporter:n to the farm rumbled combines, semi trucks, grain carts, and people. more than 100 all drawn by word of mouth. >> it's just so heartwarming to see a sight like that. >> reporter: pink ribbons flew

from the farm machinery in honor of carol. in one day, these neighbors already busy with their own harvest did what would have taken glenn a month to do. >> i still get choked up about it. to think that many people, you know, care and want to help. >> reporter: this time of year, people here say it's important to give thanks for what you have, but it's also important to give thanks for what you can give. >> that's what it is, just feeling good about doing something good for somebody else. >> you don't expect anything in return? >> no, i do not. >> reporter: 65,000 bushels of corn, 80 truckloads delivered to the grain elevator. for this family, who have pitched in themselves when neighbors needed help, it's a weight off their shoulders. >> the farmers' hearts are bigger than the pieces of equipment they brought on our farm.

>> reporter: friends, neighbors, strangers proving that the spirit of thanksgiving is still very much alive. kevin tibbles, nbc news. >> great reminder about what the holiday is all about. it's time for your first look at entertainment news. justin bieber may be headed back to the lab. the woman who claims biebs fathered her infant son wants a dna test. it is really cool, isn't it? we'll talk about that in a second. just not the one he took last friday. the woman's lawyer said she and her baby deserve to be present when the test is done. bieber has stated repeatedly he's never met the woman. kim kardashian and jennifer love hewitt joined kirk douglas wednesday at a thanksgiving dinner for the homeless. the l.a. event was hosted by the 95-year-old actor on his wife ann for the seventh straight year. hundreds of celebrities were also on hand. finally, a chicago woman is taking her obsession with hollywood celebrities to a new

height by creating movie star portraits out of pancakes. see, bill, i'm not that bad. she says each one can take hours to complete. her specialties include some favorites. ryan gossling, justin bieber, stephen colbert, and kelly ripa. can we go back to biebs for a second? was it christmas sweater or varsity jacket? >> combo. >> where might you get that? >> i try to hate on the biebs, but he's so darn likable. >> see. welcome. it's epic, right? i know. >> i should rent a movie and watch it ten times like you did. >> that's what the movie -- it's what created the interest. >> get the family together, put the biebs movie on. >> no, do not do that. let's get a check of the weather, bill. >> we're actually pretty quiet. yesterday was all the troublesome stuff. we had the airport delays, the wind, the rain. now it's calming down. everyone was a little worried

initially about the balloons. if the winds are so high, they won't fly the balloons. they get worried about the spectators. the winds are at 3 miles per hour. the balloons are going to fly. it's not going to be any issue whatsoever for the macy's parade. it is cold this morning. 36 is the windchill. it's in the shade with all the buildings around. you won't get any of that sunshine. although, we will be sunny and about 52 during 2:00 or 3:00 this afternoon in new york. anyone traveling around the big apple, it's a great weekend. the rain on sunday isn't even that bad. it's not until monday a better chance of wet weather comes in. the other rainy spot i have for you if you're heading out really early is in the san francisco area. rain now moving into the bay. that continues north wards up i-5. as far as the forecast goes, san francisco, a little rain today. much of the country looks great today. the worst weather, lynn, will be up in the pacific northwest later on today. >> all right, bill. thanks so much. i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc.

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