right now here on msnbc, ready, set, shop. the black friday rush is on. stores are opening earlier than ever to reel in shoppers with the deals. the chaos in california, shoppers rnd attack by pepper spray. the latest on the hunt for the female suspect. in egypt, the march is on. tens of thousands are marching tahrir square demanding the rulers lead now. good morning to you. hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving. i'm alex witt. a group of shoppers for a group at walmart.

a customer sprayed her fellow shoppers with pepper spray as they rushed in for a deal on video games. we are live in los angeles. oh, come on. i can't believe this, good morning. >> good morning, alex. itis crazy. some of the victims were actually children that she sprayed. police now say she wasn't doing it to protect herself but to get preferred access to parts of the store. police and firefighters called to this los angeles walmart where one shopper had enough of the crowd. witnesses say customers were waiting in line for a sale on x boxes when people started pushing and shoving. a woman pulled out pepper spray and took aim at the crowd. >> caller: she wanted everybody to back off, so she came out

with the pepper spray. >> reporter: they called her behavior competitive shopping. this video shows customers recovering moments after the incident. speaking by phone, shopper carman johnson said she waited in line behind the woman for two hours. >> it was crazy, trying to get games for x-box when the crowd is rushing in. the shopper in front of me turns around and starts spraying erveds. >> reporter: they told knbc that the woman with two kids bragged about carrying the pepper spray. >> she did mention a couple times, i've got pepper spray. i knew who did it. >> reporter: at least 20 people were treated for minor injuries. >> it could have been worse. with as many people as they had inside, that's when you get people trampled. >> reporter: three years ago, it turned deadly when a worker was

crushed to death in a stampede. one woman says she learned her lesson. >> i won't be coming back. i won't do it anymore. it's not worth the deals. well -- is kristen still out there or not? can you all believe that? pepper spraying fellow shoppers. more developing news where there's been a shooting in a parking lot at a walmart near oakland. police are not sure if this is black friday shopping related. it happened during an argument and one man was injured. so far, no suspects. at other stores, crowds are rushing to get their hands on black friday deals right now. several retailers opened earlier than ever before. some at midnight, some before that. i'm hoping things aren't as crazy in florida as in

california. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, alex. fortunately no violence here in south florida, so far. definitely long lines. here, the first to open was macy's. there was quite a bit of a crowd there. the longest lines we have seen so far were at the apple store when they opened at 6:00 a.m. and victoria's secret. customers tell us the apple store doesn't seem to have that many discounts. not like other stores in the mall. anything with apple is a good discount. in terms of the long lines, express did very well this morning and other stores that are pulling out their best tricks, i have to say. this is on a very personal note, a shirtless male model standing outside the door. i'm guessing they are hoping to lure in females into the store this morning. also, old navy has 3-d glasses where they look into a special

deal, hidden for those with the glasses on. they are making shopping the fun experience here. >> certainly those who want to look at the male model. okay. thank you. we're going to head out for a check on the black friday rush. julia with wtvj in miami is live at the miami mall. what does it look like there this morning? good morning. >> good morning, alex. things here at saw grass mills tapers off a little bit. it hasn't stopped moving all morning. take a look. you can see what we have seen. sleepy shoppers and some using luggage carts. these are popular. you see them at airports. here, just normal for people lugging everything they can. saw grass mills opened two hours earlier this year. opening doors at 10:00. some shoppers i talked to have come from as far away as

columbia, others from morocco and some from india. some celebrating thanksgiving for the first time here and their black friday experience. one shopper i talked to told me she was blown away when she saw how crazy black friday is. she's the shopper from morocco. this is something she wants to keep doing. you will see great deals like movies for $2. still opportunities. more opportunities for the next couple of days through the weekend. if you snoozed, you didn't lose. alex? >> i'm stuck here, what can i say. many thanks. after scooping up the black friday deals, the mom and pop stores are hoping to steer customers their way for small business saturday. the idea is to encourage shoppers to shop at local and small businesses tomorrow. good morning to you kristen.

what is the president saying about this small business saturday as well as the economy looking forward. >> hi, alex. good morning to you and happy belated thanksgiving to you. president obama is encouraging americans to take full advantage of small business saturday in an open letter. small businesses are the backbone of this economy and they account for two out of three new jobs in this country. in that open letter, he touts the fact that he's recently passed 18 tax breaks for small businesses including a recent one, which got bipartisan support. that tax break for businesses who hire veterans. the president putting his full weight behind small businesses saturday. also, sort of a part of his larger theme this holiday season that americans each need to do their part to get this economy back on track during his weekly radio address, we heard him talk about that, the fact that we are going through a tough economic

time right now. it wasn't started overnight. it will be solved if americans each do their part. interestingly small business saturday is one of the few things that might have bipartisan support. a group of 34 senators from both parties saying they support small business saturday as well as a number of major corporations. as for the first family, i don't think they will be doing too much shopping. they are waiting for the arrival of the christmas tree. we are waiting for that to happen at 11:00 a.m. >> that's exciting. thank you very much. >> thanks, alex. the president is competing to keep his job in 2012 against a faceless, nameless opponent. republican hopefuls have claimed the spotlight then a slip of a word or comment. at this moment, there's absolutely no obvious answer to

this question, who will challenge barack obama in 2012. it will matter. joining me live from minneapolis, a vice chair for the democratic national committee. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> hope you had a great thanksgiving. i'm going to start by asking you straight up, who do you think would pose the greatest challenge to president obama? >> well, i think if they all ran together, that would be the biggest challenge. when i see the things the crowd cheers for and boos for, it sounds like they want to go back to the same economic policies that collapsed the economy in the first place. i's a really good question. we talked about it at the thanksgiving table. who knows who is going to come out. i'll shock you all today, i'm voting for president obama. >> shocking. just give me a consensus of what people were saying, if you don't want to go on record, whom do

people think would be the toughest person for the president to beat? >> well, you know, it's tough to tell. you can go through all these tactics. frankly, i don't think my table came up with a consensus on it. i'm focused on trying to figure out what is the message we have. these are tough times. people are going ask questions about all this. they are going to ask that big question that is always asked on elections. are you better off than four years ago. think about this for a second. four years ago, we had a president stuck in an unending war in iraq. the economy collapsed. all the regulations that took off had the housing industry, the financial services industry collapsed. that was four years ago. president obama inherited that mess. he's been focused on it. job growth has been tough but it's been up for 20 straight

months. small business strategy from three years of work. when you hear the republican debates, they want to go back to all that. that's why i'm working so hard and so many people need to stand-up and say these are tough times. we have a president that moved us forward, don't go back. >> there are a number of places for the president to hang his hat of success. let's face it, jobs, jobs, jobs. this recent gallup poll, if he competed against joe republican, the race is a statistical tie. that's with that whole vast group running in the election on the gop side. when it narrows, when it tightens up, one person for the president to face, do you think it will be a challenge for this president? >> well, this is going to be a tough re-election. it should be when you are in the middle of a crisis.

people are worried. they are nervous. you have to prove the point the president delivered on that. we are not running against a nameless faceless republican. we are running against newt gingrich whose record is clear. he wasn't able to run the government in washington. running against mitt romney who is for this thing and against that thing every other day. he's finally going to iowa. it's a great place for a guy that is a weathervane. one of the biggest challenges we have is he's got an enormous amount done against a republican party that is united against a goal of stopping barack obama. we'll go out and tell that story. i have a lot of confidence in the american people. >> i think we are going to chat with you again next hour. don't go too far. >> thank you. big developments in egypt.

a military stand off heats off in tahrir square. a live like right now. lots of people, thousands in fact. we are going take you there for the million man march. two new claims against penn state coach, jerry sandusky, including a family member. how more charges could send him to jail, next. we're america's natural gas

and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us.

topping the headlines now on msnbc, gunfire erupts at a north carolina mall as holiday shoppers arrive early for the black friday deals. police are searching for two suspects at a food court entrance. several more shots fired inside the mall. the families of three american students anxiously awaiting word on their fate. a court ordered their release on

thursday. it's not clear if they have left police custody. chicago is mourning the loss of maggie daley. she died last night at the age of 68. nine years after being diagnosed with breast cancer. we have video of jerry sandusky to show you. it is new. it's when he was driving himself home yesterday. he may not be a free man much longer. two more allegations of abuse have surfaced. some suggest as a result of them, he could be put behind bars while he awaits trial. we have mark here. good day to you. thanks for joining us. >> good morning, alex. >> the new accusations, how do they change things up for sandusky? >> his lawyer says they are supposed to go to court december 13th. i think he's afraid he's going to be put in prison.

he set bail at $100,000. they didn't put an ankle bracelet on him. he's been free since. i think his lawyer now, with new charges presenting themselves and a new judge handling the case feel he could have a higher bail set. a bail he could not be able to afford and put in prison. >> as you look at two more charges, they stem over, if you look at sandusky's time he was able to spend with young boys through his work or coaching, there's a lot of time to go through. do you expect more charges to crop up against sandusky? >> if you look at the original indictment, it's 40 counts, 15 years. eight young boys that he had, you know, he obviously affected their lives. the fact of the matter is, i think you are going to see more and more. you had two, one being one of

his foster kids. his lawyer says they don't believe the charges, he'll be able to fight those charges. i think you are going to see more and more cases. this is dating back to 1994. if you look at people who are pedophil pedophiles. >> here is a question for sports fans out there with a moral angel to it. penn state, if they win tomorrow, they may get a spot at the rose bowl. if they win, should they go? >> yeah, i think she should. i mean first off, they have to beat wisconsin tomorrow. that's not going to be -- it's a tall order. they are an underdog. wisconsin is two heart breaking losses away from being an undefeated season. they have a wonderful team.

they have to win in wisconsin and in indianapolis as far as the big ten championship game against michigan state, then to get to the rose bowl. you have two major hills for tom bradley, the intern coach taking over for joe paterno. as far as this team goes, i don't think what sandusky, paterno, go down the line, curley, the athletic director. what they did as far as covering up the sandusky case and everything going on at penn state, the players of 2011 had nothing to do with that and should not be affected. >> thank you, i appreciate that. in aruba, the man held for the disappearance of robin gardner. he's been behind bars for 100 days and yet to be charged with a crime. prosecutors plan to ask for another extension. live pictures coming in from

cairo. we are looking at tahrir square where thousands and thousands gathered to take place in the million man march. you are watching msnbc. ♪ ♪ i don't need anyone else in my arms ♪ ♪ but you tonight [ male announcer ] this is your moment. this is zales, the diamond store. take an extra 15 percent off storewide this friday until two p.m. it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom! thank you! [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. but we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. the only place to go on black friday. walmart. ♪ imagine me and you, i do ♪ i think about you day and night ♪ ♪ it's only right ♪ to think about the girl you love ♪ ♪ and hold her tight ♪ so happy together

[ male announcer ] when life changes, so can your insurances needs. use travelers free guide to better coverage to stay prepared. is your auto and home insurance keeping up with you? contact your local travelers agent, or call 800-my-coverage.

syria has until the end of this day to allow monitors into the country or face deep sanctions. they want to assess progress in a plan to end the eight month violent crackdowns and the protest in the country. let's go to egypt where protests are underway again today. this is what tahrir square looks like right now. a million man march to move toward getting a permanent government. good morning. >> reporter: hi, alex. you can probably hear and see the crowds behind me. they may not have reached the

millions but well into the tens of thousands and camping out for several days. they are saying the arabic word for leave. they are directing it to the supreme counsel of the country. the military rulers. they are disappointed in how they are running to the day-to-day affairs. there's a counter protest taking place in support of the military. they say the elections will go ahead as scheduled on monday. this is egypt's first parliamentary election since the fall of mubarak. alex? >> one thing people stateside are worried about are the fate of those three american students. they are with drexel, indiana university and georgetown. are they still in police

custody? do we know? >> reporter: we understand that on thursday a judge in cairo ordered their release. it was the most important step. the final hurdle for their release is more procedurprocedu. certainly, welcome news that according to officials here and to those representing the family, they will be released. two other american women that were detained have been released. unfortunately, one of them abused and assaulted while in custody. for the time being, all are going to be released. >> can't come soon enough. thank you so much. retailers are seeing green so far on this black friday. hello to you, julia. >> i'm here at the best buy in burbank, california.

this store had a line wrapped around the block waiting for the store to open at midnight. what the shoppers were waiting to buy, coming up after the break. >> we'll look forward to that. a thanksgiving surprise for service members in arizona as congresswoman gabby giffords returns home to give back to the community that supported her since the tragic january shooting. louisiana... they came to see us in florida... make that alabama... make that mississippi. the best part of the gulf is wherever you choose... and now is a great time to discover it. this year millions of people did. we set all kinds of records. next year we're out to do even better. so come on down to louisiana... florida... alabama... mississippi. we can't wait to see you. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. it's like having portable navigation. a bluetooth connection. a stolen vehicle locator. roadside assistance.

and something that could help save your life - automatic help in a crash. it's the technology of five devices in one hard-working mirror. because life happens while you drive. this holiday, give someone you love an onstar fmv mirror for only 199. visit onstar.com for retailers.

tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you and your money deserve. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, that means taking a close look at you

tdd# 1-800-345-2550 as well as your portfolio. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 we ask the right questions, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 then we actually listen to the answers tdd# 1-800-345-2550 before giving you practical ideas you can act on. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck online, on the phone, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 or come in and pull up a chair. at half past the hour, developing news out of california where gunfire erupted outside a walmart. a shopper was shot overnight. this is video just into us. this is from kntv reporting the shooting was a result of a robbery. a gunman approached a man, demanded his purchases then shot him. welcome back, everyone. i'm alex witt. a woman was shot to death in a parking garage. police arrested the alleged

gunman believed to be her ex-boyfriend. the hunt is on in los angeles for a woman who attacked shoppers with pepper spray. she was trying to grab an x-box 360 when she was attacked. 20 people injured, none seriously. the occupy protesters aren't anticonsumer but want shoppers to be aware of how they spend their money while millions are out of work and businesses are raking in record profits. 34% of consumers expect to shot today. julia is braving the crowds for us live at a store in burbank, california. what are people getting up so early to shop for? what are the hot items? >> the hot topic here are

televisions. a 42 inch sharp television set. there's $199. that sold out almost immediately. there were people lined up, 1500 people lined up when the doors opened at midnight. we are seeing some 32 inches. other hot items include dvd players. e readers, the tablets are popular. people are getting video games and dvds as stocking stuffers. everyone i talked to here, i talked with a dozen people, they are spending more this year than last year. some say it's because they are more confident about the economy. a lot of people say the deals are so good this year they couldn't pass them up. >> well, that's good. i can imagine if you want to get that tv for 200 bucks, that's incredible. it looks civilized behind you. are there a lot of security or handing out numbers? how is it working?

>> reporter: they have done a good job of controlling the crowd. there was a huge line outside. they opened up at midnight. by now, the line is already gone. they did a good job with security. they started letting people come in at 11:30 to get their items, started ringing them up at midnight. 25 to 30 in at a time t. door buster items they were handing out coupons for those outside so people could come in and pay and check out, then pick up the items later. there was nomad rush for people to go get those television sets. people weren't fighting over items in the aisles. they could figure out ahead of time who wanted the big sellers, come in and buy them in a calm, civilized manner. it's worked out well. best buy went all out to make sure customers were happy.

they had a screening of the new harry potter movie they were playing outside. >> thank you so much. let's go to politics now. the field of gop presidential candidates is still as crowded as the shopping malls before the front-runner is chosen. all eyes turning to the 12 swing states. in those 12 anything could happen states from nevada to new hampshire. i want to bring in a long term strategist and a former bush-cheney person in the election. good morning. hope you had good thanksgivings. >> there's a new purple poll checking the pulse of the voters in the key swing states. it doesn't look too good for democrats. 71% of voters believe the country is on the wrong track. obviously, that makes all democratic incumbents sitting

targets, mostly the president. how concerned is the democratic party? >> i think there's obviously concern. the last three elections have been antiincumbent because of the troubling situation since 2000 when middle income wages went down. for ten years, we have been looking at bad situations. they look at three things showing good signs in terms of numbers. when republicans or the public look at the republican gop presidential primary, it looks like a star trek implosion. secondly, democrats have an active agenda on jobs and mortgages. republicans seem to have a more pa passive agenda. if you look at the gallup polls,

since the republican nominee -- republican contenders started shooting themselves in the foot. obama had a 15% positive swing in gallup. it looks good for democrats. in the campaign season things look better. >> anyway, robert, the latest purple poll shows the strongest contender is mitt romney. a statistical tie there. does that resinate with gop primary voters now who we hear some grumbling about preferring more conservative candidates when they look for whom they want to support in this season? >> sure, taking a look at that poll, alex, it tells me republican primary voters are not happy with their gop field right now. what it also tells me, this is obviously 11 months out from the general election, the american people are not happy with

president obama in terms of his policies. julian did a good job of articulating what democrats are for, what he didn't tell you is what americans don't like with the democratic party. if, in fact, the american people were comfortable where democrats were going and comfortable where president obama was going, those numbers would be much, much higher for the president but they are not. this will be a change election. all elections are about changes and choices. if you are all about change, so to speak in 2012, it doesn't bode well for incumbents whether you are a republican or democrat. >> with regard to the swing states, the president did well in the last election cycle. is the fact he's not out front due to the economy and the jobless rate? >> yeah. i think it's largely due to the economy and people's frustration with the economy. as you look at the match ups, as you look at match ups in ohio and pennsylvania and new

hampshire, in north carolina, when you compare obama to an unnamed presidential nominee, it's not so good. when you bring in the contrast, whether it's romney, gingrich or anyone else, his numbers are better. the democrats have a positive, affirmative message here about how to deal with the jobs and the mortgage problem. the two issues americans are concerned with. the republicans have one message, let's reduce the size of the government. it worked in 2010. i think it's going to be a strong message. if they say pick the other guy, you know, i don't know how compelling a message that is going to be. when you compare obama to the other gop candidates the numbers look better for democrats. obama is the best campaigner out there. >> i want to ask you, robert, about the gop toss-ups, if you will. if you look at the favorites,

michele bachmann was at the top. then rick perry. what is it about these candidates who are not considered top tier now. do they stand at potential rebounds or the field is widling itself down? >> i think rick perry and michele bachmann have a chance to prove themselves. when you take a look at their debate performances, rick perry's comes to mind. the american people, particularly the republican voter were willing to give rick perry a chance. they gave him record amounts of money. they said you know what, he does not have the horsepower going against president obama in the general election. i think it's why when you look at the cross tags and deep dive into the polls, romney has been consistent. it's like he's on cruise control. there are a lot of people out there who do not like him. there are a lot of people who do like him. a lot of people are saying you

know what, i'm not sure where he stands on the issues. he seems steady. i'm not sure where he stands on the issues. at the least, i can see him going against president obama. it's where the romney campaign wants to be. >> hold your thought. we are going to see you again. guys, thanks. we have a thanksgiving surprise at an arizona air force base to tell you about. congresswoman gabrielle giffords made her first public appearance since her injury in january. we have the story. >> nice to see you working. >> thank you. >> reporter: it's a sight they have been waiting ten months to see. >> seeing her -- it's a little overwhelming. it's defieing the odds. it's the american spirit. >> reporter: she's choosing part of her thanksgiving serving military members who serve her country.

>> you have been an amazing contributor. >> reporter: she's surprising people at the base, smiling as she dishes up for the airmen and retirees. it's exciting for milly spending her first thanksgiving away from home in kansas city. >> seeing her and how she's overcome the odds and adversity, it strengthens me. >> reporter: she went table to table showing gratitude. >> i told he she looks stronger. she said i feel stronger. it's amazing. it makes me proud to be an american. i love it. >> reporter: spending the holidays away from families they feel appreciated because of the service of their congresswoman. >> i feel blessed. very fortunate. an overwhelming out pouring from the community. i feel supported. turkey dinner is over.

it's time to usher in the holidays in washington. michelle obama will be presented with the official white house christmas tree this morning. this year's tree is a 19 foot tall balsam fir coming from a farm in wisconsin. the finishing touches are being put on the rockefeller tree. don't miss the tree lighting with justin bieber on nbc. ♪ ♪ i don't need anyone else in my arms ♪ ♪ but you tonight [ male announcer ] this is your moment. this is zales, the diamond store. take an extra 15 percent off storewide this friday until two p.m.

♪ ♪ mom? dad? guys? [ engine turns over ] [ engine revs ] ♪ he'll be fine. [ male announcer ] more people are leaving bmw, mercedes, and lexus for audi than ever before. take advantage of exceptional values during the season of audi event. taki heard they found of exceptionalenergy here. it's good. we need the jobs. [customer:] we need to protect the environment. [worker:] we could do both. is that possible? [announcer:] at conocophillips, we're helping power america's economy with cleaner, affordable natural gas. more jobs. less emissions.

a good answer for everyone. well, if it's cleaner and affordable. as long as we keep these safe. there you go. thanks. [announcer:] conocophillips. it's a great hd tv. shh. don't speak. i'll just leave you two alone. [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. more electronics start at midnight. and we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. walmart.

and last chance at medicare open enrollment, too. what do you mean? it ends december 7th. if you haven't reviewed your medicare plan choices yet, well, it's getting late. medicare gives you free cancer screenings and wellness visits, and 50% off brand name prescription drugs when you're in the donut hole... it's all part of the health care law. december 7th? i better get goin'! [ male announcer ] medicare open enrollment ends soon. call 1-800-medicare or visit medicare.gov to learn more. we're closely watching the black friday shopping from coast-to-coast. this black friday, shoppers are expected to spend 3% more than last year. tim furlong is live in pennsylvania. good morning to you, tim. how do things look there? >> reporter: prosperous, alex, prosperous. it's a beautiful day for black friday. people come from a long way to

shop the king of prussia. mall of america has an amusement park, but we are the largest shopping center. all the stores i can't afford are here. it's been a quick moving day here. lots of people got here in the middle of the night. people are juicing up and caffeinating themselves. starbucks has packed all day long. a lot of the things we talked about earlier, i heard you talk about in the show. you don't seem to have one item everybody wants. we hear kinnect and wii. not one cabbage patch doll or tickle me elmo. it's a good day to be here. we have a couple friends here from the philadelphia area and new york. what are you buying? what is the one thing you have to have? >> the one thing i just have to have today, i want a new pair of

shoes. >> wait, wait, wait, it's not about what i want. it's about you today? >> it's all about me. >> reporter: tell me you are buying for someone else. >> a combination. i need new jeans, i put on some winter weight. i'm also looking for a good gift for my brother. >> reporter: what about me. i appreciate it. have a great day. lord & taylor. there's all sorts of promotions going on here. abercrombie & fitch, shirtless models. how about that? >> that will certainly catch my eye. >> reporter: that's what i say. >> you can go look inside tiffany and give me a report of what looks good in there. i would appreciate that. >> reporter: clearly you can afford it. i looked for my wife and said maybe we'll go back to the gap. >> i'm thinking me, too.

i hear ya. tim furlong thank you very much. black friday shoppers go for deals on electronics, clothing and toys. a new car. phil lebeau is live in park ridge, illinois. what kind of cars are you talking about? what kind of cars are behind you? >> reporter: i'm at a toyota dealership. if you look around the industry and the different dealerships, right now may be the best time to buy a new car for a number of reasons. first of all, end of the year. 20% of the vehicles out there, 2011 models. relatively reasonable financing terms out there. people are looking around saying there's a lot of demand. now is the time for me to replace the car that i should have replaced two or three years ago. today is the best day of the year in terms of discounts off the msrp when going out on to

the shopping lot or dealership. look at the best deals. on average you can save 9% according to truecar.com. these are among the five most desirable discounts out there. titan, chevy malibu and jeep liberty. the discounts between 12 and 29%. it's not new to see discounts on previous year models. this year, the industry is still dealing with the aftereffects of low inventory because of the earthquake and tsunami hitting the japanese auto makers. as a result, if you are out in the market for a new vehicle, right now, in fact today, may be one of the best days of the year in terms of trying to get a discount off the msrp. >> don't tell my daughter. she's like mom, i want a car. they weren't open all night like

the stores, right? there's not a lot of activity behind you. >> reporter: no. you know what, that might work in your favor. >> okay. that's a good point. i'll use it. this isn't something you see every day. it wasn't a wild turkey on thanksgiving. kangaroo sightings called into 911 in missouri. news traveled fast as people tried to catch a glimpse of noah who is out on the run. he took off from a family camp. he traveled four miles before kansas city zoo keepers caught up with him.

the other office devices? they don't get me. they're all like, "hey, brother, doesn't it bother you that no one notices you?" and i'm like, "doesn't it bother you you're not reliable?" and they say, "shut up!" and i'm like, "you shut up." in business, it's all about reliability. 'cause these guys aren't just hitting "print." they're hitting "dream." so that's what i do. i print dreams, baby. [whispering] big dreams.

if you are hitting the mall on this black friday, be aware, germs are all around you. with that in mind, the "huffington post" put together a list of hot spots. toy stores where kids tend to lick and rub toys close to their faces. the fitting room where the skin

cells and perspiration accumulates on the inside. gadget shops, where the items pick up germs from thousands of people who tested them out before you did. the atm, the worst key of all is the enter buttton. the filthiest place is the restroom sinks. it's the first place people touch after using the toilet is the sink. watch your hands. heads up on that. will mother nature cooperate for black friday shoppers out there? eric fisher, how is it looking out there? >> good morning, alex. i don't know if i feel good after that lead-in story. talk about the germs. a little under the weather to talk about this report. for the most part, for your shopping needs, things are looking quiet across the country. eastern new mexico into west texas, it's where we want to see it. it's a place that needs the rain. it's hard to find cold temperatures on the map here.

the entire country is running above average. if you are heading outside, we have sunshine, 50s, low 60s. the whole southeast looks beautiful outside. the midwest, where we have the cloud cover, we have mild temperatures and the breeze. the only spot with the rain in new mexico. snow in the interior rockies. we want to talk about what's going to happen saturday. if you are traveling, some of this is going to get heavy. houston up to chicago and green bay. accumulating snowfall in northern minnesota. pittsburgh, northeast corridor into the great lakes, heavy rain could slow people down as they head home for the weekend. >> thanks for the update. at the top of the hour, president obama has a common sense idea to spur on local economies. the latest on a woman who decided to use pepper spray on fellow black friday shoppers. she is still at large. i have to be a tree in the school play.

good. you like trees. well, i like climbing them, but i've never been one. good point. ( captain ) this is your captain speaking. annie gets to be the princess. oh... but she has to kiss a boy. and he's dressed up like a big green frog ! ewww. ( announcer ) fly without putting your life on pause. be yourself nonstop. american airlines.

let's do it, let's go to vegas. vegas baby! maybe we should head back to the dealership first? vegas! no, this is a test drive. vegas! [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a jetta. that's the power of german engineering. get zero first month's payment, zero down, zero security deposit and zero due at signing on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com. aflac... and major medical? major medical, boyyyy! [ beatboxing ] ♪ i help pay the doctor ♪ ain't that enough for you? ♪ there are things major medical doesn't do. aflac! pays cash so we don't have to fret. [ together ] ♪ something families should get ♪ ♪ like a safety net ♪ even helps pay deductibles, so cover your back, get... ♪

a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aflac! [ male announcer ] help protect your family at aflac.com. [ beatboxing ] and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us. pickle pickle blue mocking bird pronto! mom's calling an audible. head to bedding. [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. more electronics start at midnight. and we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. walmart.

right now, here on msnbc, black friday chaos. the hunt is on for a female suspect who attacked fellow shoppers with pepper spray inside a los angeles walmart. across the country, the shopping frenzy is on. the stores opened earlier than ever as millions tried to take advantage of the door busting deals. live video from egypt as military rules are tapping a new prime minister. thousands are marching demanding a full regime change. welcome, i'm alex witt. we are approaching 9:00 a.m. on the east, 6:00 a.m. on the west. a los angeles area walmart. as the crowds rushed in for the deals, a rush of shoppers were hit by pepper spray by a fellow shopper. kristen has the details. kristen? >> reporter: good morning, alex. thing haves returned to normal. there are a lot of shoppers here.

quite a few minutes when the store opened last night. it opened at 10:00. there were people lined up, many of them waiting for a special deal on x-boxes. one woman said the woman in front of her in line was bragging about having pepper spray with her. when they got inside, police say that woman started spraying fellow shoppers, including some children. 20 people were injured. ten of them from pepper spray and another ten trying to get away. they were all minor injuries and authorities say she wasn't doing it to protect herself from the crowd, but rather to get preferred access to parts of the store and she may have done it in several locations. the suspect fled and police say they are calling it competitive shopping, they are also calling it a potential crime and looking for her this morning. alex? >> another developing story

where a shopper was shot over his purchases in a walmart parking lot. this happened overnight near oakland. police told kntv that a suspect shot a man during a robbery after he left the store. the victim is in critical condition. with black friday in full swing, several mom and pop smaller stores are looking forward to small business saturday which takes place tomorrow. president obama is throwing his support behind that idea encouraging shoppers to buy from small businesses in their communities. kristen is live at the white house. another good morning to you, kristen. how is the president weighing in on this today? >> reporter: good morning to you. president obama encouraging americans to get out and shop on small business saturday. he is reminding americans small businesses are the backbone of this economy. they account for two out of three new jobs in the country.

he touted the fact he has put forth 18 new tax breaks for small businesses, including one that recently got a lot of bipartisan support. it's the tax break for companies who hire military workers and veterans. so, he is really encouraging americans to get out there and do their part on saturday. this is really sort of a part of the overall theme we are hearing from the president this holiday season. during his weekly radio address he made similar comments saying we can get this economy back on track if everyone does their part. small business saturday is getting a lot of support from all including major corporations. the ceo of american express was on the today show talking act this. listen to what he had to say. >> this is important. it's not about american express. this is about small business. you can use any type of card, you can use cash and checks. all you have to do is on

november 26th, go out and support your small business. >> reporter: you know, amazingly democrats and republicans haven't agreed on a whole lot recently. it seems like they agree on this. a group of 34 senators also encouraging people to get out there and shop on small business saturday. one of the few things that has bipartisan support here in d.c. alex? >> all politics are local. if businesses are doing well locally, it's good for everyone. thank you. new hampshire's primary is a little more than six weeks away now. mitt romney has a commanding lead. can anyone catch him in the granite state? wayne joins me from manchester. good morning. >> good morning to you. >> can anybody catch mitt romney in that state? >> new hampshire can be an unpredictable place. certainly governor bush, george w. bush was doing well here in

2000. john mccain came and beat him substantially in the primary. politics can be a surprising sport and new hampshire can be a surprising place. governor romney has a lot of key people supporting him. it's not going to be easy. >> is it a must win for mitt romney? >> new hampshire is a very important state. we have always believed that. we have an excellent history of vetting candidates. people who finish first or second usually go on to be president. we'll see what happens. governor romney is looking good here right now. he'll do well here regardless. >> how about jon huntsman? he's counting on winning there and he's not doing well in the polls. can you give a read on how new hampshire folks read him? >> everyone i have talked to, many don't know governor

huntsman that well. i was at a town committee meeting and they were raving about jon huntsman. the superpack ad is going to help him quite a bit. >> let's jump ahead to the general election. new hampshire, as you know, has gone democratic in the last two presidential elections. so, where do you think it will read a year from now? do you think that trend will continue and the president could win your state? >> we're feeling good. republicans are feeling good. we are energized. president obama is in the low 40s right now in his approval rating in new hampshire. our party is energized. we made tremendous gains in 2010. we feel very good about not only carrying the state for president obama but getting a republican governor elected. we feel confident we are going to put the state in the republican column next time. >> okay. you have a year to work on it.

thank you, we appreciate it. >> thank you. voters want honesty and candor. bloody punches are thrown with misrepresentation flying. why should 2012 be different? let's bring in karen from washington. joining me in the studio in new york good morning. happy day after. >> happy thanksgiving. >> as we are sitting a year out or so from the election, some are dealing these low blows and harsh accusations. we had whistleblowers and taking president obama out of context. his campaign staff is standing by. is this fair in love and politics? is this how the machine operates? >> it's fair. it's something barack obama used against mccain in 2008. now the romney team is using it

against barack obama. here is the problem. romney doesn't need to go there. there's a lot else he could use. mainly the economy and what hasn't happened since 2008. what hasn't happened, a rebound in the economy. romney didn't need to go there. he did go there and yes, it is fair. >> karen we talk about this. people who follow politics will hear us talk about this and how something has been taken out of context in an ad. does it register with voters? oh, come on, the ads can be nasty. >> absolutely. i think one of the things most politicians are not yet thinking about because they haven't had to, when they think about the negative ads, remember the context. americans are feeling disillusioned and down. it's not just because of the economy and the wars. it's because you hear things like penn state and what was going on. you know, we had the catholic

church. large institutions that are supposed to be protecting people and helping people. in people's every day lives, it adds a level of cynicism. you see an ad and say wait a second, that's not right. it adds to the level people have in distrust. this time around, with the superpacks, we are going to see oo lot of vicious ads that are probably going to cross that line. i agree with boris, romney didn't need to do the ad. it's something he didn't need to use. >> he didn't need to go there but he pointed to the republican voters. this is an ad that ran in new hampshire to show mitt romney is able to and will go after barack obama. i'm a tough candidate. i'm willing to get out there and get into the fight. it's what he's doing with the

ad. he's pointing to the key issue. that is the key economy. it's what the voters are going to care about a year from now. >> the point i'm making is it's one thing to say i'm a tough candidate and willing to land a solid punch. if you have to resort to taking a comment out of context to do that, it's a bigger problem. it may help you in a primary, but hurts in a general election. >> i'm sorry to interrupt you but i have to wonder how seriously people take this. at this stage, i'll ask you, boris. newt gingrich is under fire from democrats for lobbying. he's enjoying a surge in the polls. do you think people are paying attention to the finger pointing or have people wised up and they want discussion on issues as opposed to ads put together for sensationalism.

>> they want discussion. you are looking at approval ratings for this president below 45%. the only president since eisenhower that had a rating that low is jimmy carter. there's no question, people want to hear, what are you the candidates on the republican side going to do better than barack obama has done. it's where the candidates need to go. there's no question about it, red meat is necessary to a degree, but substantial proposals like mitt romney has done, he's got a proposal on the economy, they are necessary to choose a candidate out of a strong republican pool. >> people are looking for a real conversation about issues. if they are paying attention, if they are paying attention at this point, it's a primary voter trying to distinguish among the candidates. i think on both sides, the cost of running divisive negative ads

that may cross a line are going to be higher with voters. they are going to say i don't care about that. i want to know what your jobs plan is. hold on boris. the other thing is polling shows honest and trustworthiness, the most important value. if you are a flip-flopper -- if you are a flip-flopper, people aren't going to trust you. >> the polls show the electorate doesn't support the president. that's why republicans have an opportunity. >> they trust him and like him. they trust the president and like him. >> 43%. >> we are going to talk to you many times before that. thank you so much. >> thank you. let's head back out for the black friday rush going on now across the country. valerie with wxia is live at a toys "r" us in atlanta. how do things look there in the shopping frenzy? >> reporter: well, alex, this year has been different at toys "r" us and a lot of the other

stores. especially toys "r" us. they opened at 9:00 p.m. last night. some people said it's cutting into our thanksgiving dinner. people were here. they were lined up to get the seven inch minitablet computer. for $75, people were willing to wait for it. they had several rolling sales. a lot of stores were doing this year. a sale at 9:00 p.m., then 11:00 p.m. it kept the crowd slow and steady. there was never a giant jam up at the registers or a giant crowd in the aisles. there were things like the ipads or the tablet computers and the laptops they ran out of. there are other things people were in here shopping for this morning. it's very orderly. it's like shopping on a regular day compared to some of the black friday scenes we have seen in other places. will the 9:00 p.m. opening time

stick around for next year? walmart opens at 10:00. toys "r" us says it's been a big success. >> it's good they have been able to control the crowd so well. thank you so much. here is a live look at egypt's tahrir square in cairo. a large crowd turned out for a million man march. they are seeking to postpone the elections that are set to start monday. we'll check back for an update later on this hour. a shooting in a hospital parking garage sending the hospital into a lockdown. we have allegations in the penn state child abuse scandal. an accuser is a family member of the jerry sandusky. just one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon.

you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom! thank you! [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. but we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. the only place to go on black friday. walmart.

two more victims have come forward accusing jerry sandusky of abuse. his lawyer confirmed in a local newspaper one allegation is from a family member. he says his client denies the new claims. mark is a contributor for sny a cable news station here in new york. thank you for coming back. >> good morning, alex. >> this is problematic for sandusky in terms of the total of accusations. that wrinkle of a family member making allegations against him, how does that change everything? >> i think it does. obviously, he is an alleged sexual predator. in the original 23 page indictment there were eight cases totaling the number of years 15. now, his own family, blood

family and as far as foster children. we are not sure if it was one of those foster children or one of his blood relatives. who is the case? his lawyers deny it. we'll see how it plays out. >> it's kept him out of jail on bail. might these allegations change that? >> i think it could. december 13th, he has a hearing. he was given $100,000 bail. the prosecutor thought at the time it was low. the judge at the time had a link to the charity he ran. she is now off the case. a new judge is now running the case. his attorney feels he will be given a higher bail on december 13th and probably to a number he will not be able to reach and be put in prison. >> the ramifications of this in the college sporting world, you hear other colleges or states in california passing legislation that anybody in a sports program must report abuse they hear

about to authorities, not campus police or administrators. >> being completely clear with what is going on. i think there's an idea, when you look at penn state, they closed ranks. there's e-mails that when it came down to his players handing out when they were not acting as players or conducting themselves as they saw fit that he wanted to handle, keep everything in-house, don't get authorities involved. in this case, we'll see how it plays out. there's a common belief that's what they did here. i think other universities want to be clear what they know, when they knew it moving forward with the parties. >> many thanks. >> thanks, alex. police in chicago arrested a suspect of a fatal shooting of a woman in a hospital. the suspect worked at the hospital for 15 years.

he was pulled over. fled his car and was picked up a few blocks away. it took place late thursday and the hospital was in lockdown for several hours. time for "your business" entrepreneurs of the week. small bidses in austin, texas are thinking local. mason around runs greenling that distributes green from the city's stem. they are championing the buy local movement. for more, watch "your business" sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. [ coughs ] what is this shorty?

uh, tissues sir, i'm sick. you don't cough, you don't show defeat. give me your war face! raaah! [ male announcer ] halls. a pep talk in every drop. give me your war face! raaah! now there's no need to hold back. new revolutionary scope dualblast obliterates strong food odors leaving your breath minty fresh. hey. [ male announcer ] so there's no trace of evidence... new scope dualblast. have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur.

alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then get lunesta for $0 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom! thank you! [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. but we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. the only place to go on black friday. walmart. so you don't have to wait outside. ♪ ♪ ♪ when the things that you need ♪ ♪ come at just the right speed, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ medicine that can't wait legal briefs there by eight, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ freight for you, box for me box that keeps you healthy, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪

♪ saving time, cutting stress, when you use ups ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ iowa voters are a unique bun. . in 40 days they are going to travel to their precinct caucuses to kick off the 2012 process. what are they looking for in their candidates? peter joins me now. good to see you, good morning. >> i'm grateful, alex. how are you? >> well, thank you. better for having you here. there's interesting stuff to get to. michele bachmann won the straw poll, then fell off the map. what are the iowa voters looking for? >> what's changed is everybody keeps looking for somebody who is going to be the right candidate. they can't seem to find that candidate. mitt romney stands in there, but

he hasn't captured their interest. mrs. bachmann looked good, but at this stage of the game, they are looking toward gingrich and elsewhere. >> how about the university of pennsylvania policy center. they asked about the candidates and the president as well. fifth grade personalities, this is so interesting. the focus group occurred last month in cincinnati. for instance, let's go through barack obama's first. the words used to describe what he was like in fifth grade. hard worker, teachers pet, a know it all, all american kid and loner. what does that tell you? >> this is work we did for the public policy center. it's a focus group to understand what people are thinking. what's fascinatining is he endsp with a diverse image.

unlike ronald reagan and bill clinton and bush 43, there's not a single image. i think that's a challenge for the president. people need to get a reading and understanding. in this case, there are things they like. >> but you don't think having a diverse palette like that and description that might bring in more people under the tent that they relate to him? does it work in that way? >> i don't think so. in the end of the day, what people need to say is i understand him and he understands me. i think the portrait in the fifth grade is the problem he faces, which is, who is he and what's inside of him. they want to know something about his strength. >> this is interesting. we are going to look at three gop candidates. they each have a singular focus there. romney being the privileged kid. rick perry the bully. gingrich the know it all.

let's face it, none of these three in this economic climate with the former, they are not positive associations there. how damaging can that be? >> it's a big problem for each of the three because essentially, what they have given to the public at this stage of the game is a single portrait, but unflattering. for mitt romney, it is a sense he is part of the 1% rather than the 99%. the public has a certain theory. they respect him in terms of being smart and confident. they don't think he relates to them. for newt gingrich, it is a sense that he is the know-it-all, he's the nerd. in the case of perry, it's the sense he's a bully. he takes advantage. this is something they wrote. it's not something they really listen to one another.

it's something they individually felt then they discussed it. >> it is an interesting study. you always bring us great stuff. peter hart, thanks. a special thanksgiving surprise for arizona people. congresswoman gabrielle giffords serving dinner. she recovers from the gunshot wound to her head back in january. that's relied on to help bring children holiday joy, and while it doesn't travel by sleigh or reindeer, it does get around... in fact, every year duracell sends loads of batteries to the mattel children's hospital, u.c.l.a. of course, children here and everywhere don't really think about which battery makes their toy run... but, still... you'd never want to disappoint. duracell. trusted everywhere. ♪ let's go ♪

♪ ♪ come with me, let's go ♪ ♪ come with me, let's go ♪ ♪ cruise like a norwegian ♪

she's a black friday living legend. she even named her kid "black friday." [ woman 2 ] whoa. [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. but we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. the only place to go on black friday. walmart. half past the hour. welcome back to msnbc, i'm alex witt. wall street just opened up for a half day of trading. a slightly lower open. they are going to be slightly high on the retail sector. that is the fresh beat band up on the nyse stock change. big box retailers opened their doors well before midnight as 152 million people are

expected to hit the malls this weekend. occupy wall street protesters urging people to boycott black friday. they want shoppers to be aware of how they spend their money while minnesollions of american out of work. massive protests are under way once again today. we are looking live at tahrir square in cairo. they are calling for a million man march to move toward a permanent government. we are in cairo with the latest following all of this for us. it looks like the crowds have swelled further than when we last spoke. >> reporter: good morning. it's a very busy day here on friday. the sun is going down. the numbers in tahrir square continue to rise into the tens of thousands. they were asking for a million. they have definitely gotten enough to send a clear message to the military rulers of the

country. they want a democratic government. they do not want military rulers in power. the military rulers and supporters say they will not be pushed out of power by the protesters. they don't represent the entire country. in fact, they have gone ahead with appointing a new prime minister who is forming a new government. it's a critical day for egyptians when they go to the polls to vote. >> all right. these scheduled elections will go on as planned. is there any chance they will not be able to allow people to go to the polls in three short days from now? >> reporter: that's a very, very good question. certainly a very important one on the minds of people here. there were discussions on local media that the minister actually advised against holding the elections saying security

deteriorated and they could not secure the polling stations. some don't want the polling to take place. they say it's not right to go as long as it's under military rule. what kind of turnout is expected? they are expecting a very high turnout compared to the past. >> many thanks. reporting live from a very busy cairo. the holiday season means one thing in washington. the presidential primaries are knocking at the door. five weeks until that door opens in iowa. you have to bet president obama is going to be watching to see who emerges as the 2012 challenger. it could be anyone. joining me to talk about that, minneapolis mayor, archie. welcome back. another good morning. >> morning, alex, how are you? >> i'm well. i would like to get a handicap from the dnc perspective.

who do you think is the president's biggest threat? >> probably the economy. we have to prove four years ago, the economy under a republican's leadership collapsed because they removed all the regulations. barack obama has been focused on the economy. i'm not trying to skirt the issue. we can run against any of them, really. the economy is the number one choice. >> i want to hear from you, who do you think is going to be the toughest opponent? give me something here? is it mitt romney? i'll throw out some names. >> i'll be blunt, mitt romney on one end seems to be, you know, the only one that can get through a debate without making the daly show clips. he's been flip-flopping around. newt gingrich is surging in the polls but he's the one who collapsed or ground the

government to a halt when he was leading the congress. so, we'll make the case against that. herman cain, well -- michele bachmann, i'm from minnesota and we know how to run against that. here is the bottom line, alex. i went to iowa almost four years ago and campaigned for barack obama. when people asked us what they wanted they said i want a president who is going to get us out of iraq and take on health care. we want someone who is going to acknowledge there's climate change in this country. we want somebody who is going to focus on jobs from day one. i was back in iowa a couple days ago and i went back to those same folks and said look you asked and the president delivered. he was handed one of the toughest challenges of any president in american history was handed. what he's done from day one is focus on getting the economy. that's what we will be talking ability. >> you are talking your experience in iowa. you were back there big time in

2008. if you look at the polls, it's kind of lost this time around for the president. either young voters are disenchanted with the president. what is your recipe for success in turning that around in the president's favor? >> these are tough times. people are concerned about the future. when i was down there four years ago, people didn't just lay palm branches and say we love this obama guy. they asked tough questions. the good news is we have track record that we can talk about about what he's done. for instance, saturday is small business saturday. the president is trying to get folks out to shop at small businesses. i's a great thing for a president to do. from day one, he's been investing in small businesses. thank god they have been under the president's leadership delivering loans to small businesses in minneapolis. i'm excited military families

can say we have incentives to have small businesses hire people. that's the kind of record we have. i am incredibly proud of this president and we should be. we have to make the case and it's what we are doing. >> the case that was made in the new york times with a full article on mitt romney's hair. really? they are talking about his perfect hair. it's getting a lot of attention here. they talked with his long-time 20 plus here barber and he never wants a hair out of place. can the president compete with mitt romney's hair? >> let me say, i won't get too into the hair. if he has a hair out of place, he put it there. >> oh, your hair looks good today too. i'm just saying. >> i'm working on it. >> good to see you. >> bye-bye. republican hopefuls in the single digits when it comes to the polls. newt gingrich is in the lead followed by romney and cain.

they argue the race is far from over and anything can happen between now and the january 3rd caucuses in iowa. joining me now, joe an reid here in studio. also matt lewis. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. we are going to talk about this from a financial perspective. you look at the candidates out there, notably ron paul and michele bachmann. they are not raking in anywhere near the kind of money as mitt romney. perry did. gingrich is coming up in the money raking in. how does that play out? how does it keep the money grabbers out in front? >> the problem for the candidates not raising a lot of money is there are four primaries or caucuses in january. the advantage goes to the person who can compete across the board. if you don't have the money to get to florida, you are going to be out of gas.

the media might like to think they are in better shape. does huntsman have enough money to get past new hampshire or doing all heck to get to new hampshire then he's out. >> it's a place to sleep on people's couches. florida, you make that point, not so much. matt as we look at the end of the third quarter, huntsman's campaign. the debt was more than twice that much. so, how long can gop candidates last as money for them remains scarce. with huntsman, we know he's a millionaire many times over. what does it say that he's not putting more of his own money into his race? >> well, you could read something into that but keep in mind, his father has deep pockets and is funding the superpack. it's going to be a big deal. you can argue they could do things more effectively than

huntsman. keep that in mind. nothing succeeds like success. you can have a candidate catch fire, win iowa. that propels them to raise money to be competitive in other states. so, some of these candidates who don't appear to be doing much and can't raise money, they are banking on the fact if they win iowa or new hampshire, that propels them to raise enough money. it's a gamble but it could happen. the real problem comes not in january but as you head into march when retail politics doesn't matter. you have a supertuesday and you have to campaign in ten states in one day. it's game over if you don't have the money. >> the tv ads get more expensive, the travel and multiple people fanning out. newt gingrich saw his surge in the polls. with that came more money investment. do you see other candidates as being likely to have that same trajectory?

>> no. i don't see anywhere for the gop money to go. i think they are waiting for somebody to win something. the challenge for gingrich is, say he surprises everyone and wins iowa, they have not been indicative. a far to the right candidate sometimes wins that and lose new hampshire. i think romney has an advantage. people are going to look at the big new hampshire primary. the person who comes out of that is the true front-runner. the money will follow. because of superpacks, the republican that is the nominee is going to raise money. a lot of them really don't have a shot. there's too many primaries and caucuses. >> matt, you have to wonder about the sarah palin factor. there's a report gingrich may have an endorsement from palin. she has number of fans out there. she may have angered many by not

running. but, you know, she has a certain brand there. if she throws her support behind newt gingrich, how much does that help him? >> it's easy to dismiss it as publicity stunt. keep in mind the dynamic we have. there's essentially mitt romney and the anti-mitt romney primary. the way romney wins is if the antimitt romney primary, if they divvy up their vote. if cain gets a slice and gingrich gets a slice and perry gets a slice. that's how romney wins the nomination. if conservatives could get behind somebody, at this point it would be gingrich or perry, that person then has a real chance to go against mitt romney and win. sarah palin could come in at the right time, right before iowa and endorse gingrich or perry,

that could be a game changer. this thing is very interesting and i wouldn't rule it out. >> no, you make a good point. in this article, it talked about the timing. matt, thank you so much. tickle me elmo, cabbage patch dolls are going down as the hottest toys of all time. there's a list after the break. we're america's natural gas and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs

across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us. she's a black friday living legend. she even named her kid "black friday." [ woman 2 ] whoa. [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. but we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. the only place to go on black friday. walmart.

so you don'tcan i help you? outside. yeah, can i get a full-sized car? for full-sized cars, please listen to the following menu.

for convertibles, press star one. i didn't catch that. to speak to a representative, please say representative now. representative. goodbye! you don't like automated customer service, and neither do we. that's why, unlike other cards, no matter when you call chase sapphire preferred, you immediately get a person not a prompt. chase sapphire preferred. a card of a different color. (phone ringing) chase sapphire preferred, this is julie in springfield. black friday shoppers are out in force today looking for the too good to be true deals. we have it covered for you from coast-to-coast. ben joins us from great vine mills mall in dallas. good morning to you. things just getting going there, right? >> reporter: good black friday morning to you here. good morning from the grapevine mills shopping center. this facility is absolutely huge. it is 1.6 million square feet of

retail shopping space. the largest of its kind in all of north texas. to give you a perspective, the folks walking this line, it's a full one mile loop. there are some 200 plus stores in this area. people are taking full advantage of this. this mall opened at midnight last night. this is the fourth year in a row they have been doing that. we have seen that starting this year becoming a national trend with retailers and box stores opening early trying to get black friday shoppers in the doors as soon as they can. some of the people who have been here since midnight are trying to take advantage of the benches to get their rest. obviously, they are all here for what we see here. people are picking up newspapers over the past several weeks and finding all these sales offered at the major stores. they are offered in full force at grapevine mills. we have seen several shoppers in

since midnight. there was a lull around 5:30 or so. it continues. if you don't have your pdas and smartphones which are hot items, if you haven't shopped yet, they may be gone. >> thank you for the update. you have the electronics. we appreciate that. toys have always dominated the holiday sales from the radio flyer wagons in the 1920s on to barbie in the '50s, cabbage patch kids in the '80s. the must have toys for children. we have the ceo of toys "r" us joining us. good morning. >> good morning. >> we are glad to tell the viewers about the smile on your face when the toys "r" us flyer was on top. we have a live reporter at a toys "r" us store saying you were doing things very organized, not the mad dash you often see through the stores on

this black friday. things were calm. >> we pride ourselves on keeping the lines orderly. hand out tickets so you don't have to rush for them. of course, we are a family environment. we are a toy store. we want it light and fun. black friday at toys "r" us. >> let's talk about the things you had to hand out tickets for. a couple hot items here. lalaloopsy littles. >> it's been hot for a year. it's a version that is silly. you can do bend l hair tiles. very, very cute. a week or two ago, this broke out. a little sister for the big one. they are very, very hot. >> what is the age target for this. >> a little older, age four to ten. >> how much do they retail? >> about 20 bucks. >> that's a good price. let's move over to the trash pack garbage truck.

>> gross is good for boys. this is one of the hot collectibles for boys. there are all these monsters, over 100 of them that boys can collect. two for 2.99 or five for around 5.99 then also this great truck, which is 13.99 on sale today and tomorrow for buy one get one 50% off, by the way, very hot collectible for boys they can love them. jobs if good. they think they are gross. they are cute. >> we should say trash in the trash cans in the form of cute little collectibles, pop one out there is a green monster. >> they trade them. >> that is all good. sky lander spy rows adventure. what is that about? >> the hottest kids' video game out now, wonderful action figures great detailing on them, each figure has a chip in its base, you take the figures and put them on this portable, they pop into the video game and it is played on all platform, when you play with the figure in the game, all of the levels that you

achieve, all your accomplishments are stored on the character. >> oh, that's neat. >> take the character off the portal, disappears from the game go to your friend house, platform agnostic, doesn't matter if you have a wii, xbox, it pops into your friend's video game. >> i appreciate the detail. great detail. >> fantastic action figure. >> how much retailing? >> the basic starter set is on sale this week for 49.99, individual figures come in various packs far less than that. >> lastly, a little zsa zsa. >> a really cute collectible for girls, a little bit older, as they start to become maybe a little bit more fashion conscious. what zsa zsa is, it is a hermit clap, lots you can collect. each has what shell and inside each a surprise, the girls don't have to collect all the shell also, you can buy she wills separately and motorized, not going to do it now, it will run all over the place here and run like a hermit crab and it is a

blast for that young developing fashion queen. >> all right. we thank you so much for shopping by here, the chairman and ceo of toys "r" us, gerald stomp. appreciate it. a wire fox terrier from rialto, california, was named best in show at the national dog show on thursday, beating out almost 1500 other canines, beautiful ira is no stranger to success with the thanksgiving marked her 17th best in award -- best in show award. i will get it right. the dog is fine looking, right there. i'd race down that hill without a helmet. i took some steep risks in my teens. i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. it's backed by over 19 years of research.

[ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. [ man ] still love that wind in my face! talk to your doctor. don't kid yourself about the risk of heart attack and stroke. if lipitor's been working for you, stay with it. lipitor may be available for as little as $4 a month with the lipitor co-pay card. terms and conditions apply. learn more at lipitorforyou.com. 'cause i'm like a savings ninja. ok... [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. but we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. the only place to go on black friday. walmart.

'tis the season to be checking out the rockefeller center christmas tree. you see the scaffolding there? it's beginning to come down. that is because we are going to have bieber fever here once again on the income properties. on wednesday, they will be lighting that christmas tree, it is a big, huge event, on nbc starting at 8 p.m. eastern time. we are all looking forward to that especially if you have a window view from inside 30 rock,

the best place to be. meantime that does it for me on this special edition of msnb miss the weekends with alex witt. tomorrow it starts at 9 a.m. eastern, sunday at 10 a.m. my colleague, chris jansing next on msnbc. i can't believe she jetted in and made it. well done, kris. introducing crest complete whitening plus deep clean. you feel it working, so you know it's working. and that means you're good to go, for whatever the day brings. new crest complete. unlike ordinary toothpaste, you feel a deeper clean. it's a signal that tells you your whole mouth is clean. you're also protected. because most of life happens outside the bathroom. feel it working, know you're covered. with new crest complete, life opens up when you do.

it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom! thank you! [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. but we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. the only place to go on black friday. walmart. time is running out to select your medicare coverage. the annual enrollment period ends wednesday, december 7th. so call now to enroll in a plan that could give you the benefits and stability you're looking for, an aarp medicarecomplete plan insured through unitedhealthcare. what makes it complete? this plan combines medicare parts a and b which is your hospital and doctor coverage with part d prescription drug coverage, and more, all in one simple plan starting at a zero dollar monthly premium, beyond what you pay for medicare part b.

this plan offers you benefits like an annual physical, preventive screenings, and immunizations for a $0 copay. you'll also have the flexibility to change doctors from a network of providers dedicated to helping you stay healthy. there's more. when you enroll in an aarp medicarecomplete plan insured through unitedhealthcare, your benefits could also include vision and hearing coverage, and prescription drug coverage that's accepted at pharmacies nationwide. the pharmacy saver program makes prescriptions available for as little at $2 at thousands of pharmacies. unitedhealthcare has worked with these pharmacies to get low costs for our members. enroll today and enjoy advantages like these for as low as a zero dollar monthly premium, beyond what you pay for medicare part b. now is the time to look at your options and enroll. start getting the benefits of an aarp

medicarecomplete plan insured through unitedhealthcare. but you need to act now. annual enrollment ends wednesday, december 7th. call unitedhealthcare today about an aarp medicarecomplete plan. you can even enroll right over the phone. or visit us on the web. don't wait. call now. good morning. i'm chris jack sing. on this black friday, things get out of control in california. a shopping melee. and in the middle of it, a pepper spray assault. as egypt's last-chance million man protest rose, we wait to hear the fate of three young americans apprehended in cairo. and dead on arrival w the super committee failing what is next in the nation's budget battle? well, black friday shopping chaos in los angeles after police say a woman took competitive shopping to a dangerous level. they are looking for a woman they say pepper sprayed shoppers

to keep them away from the merchandise she wanted. it happened late last night as a crush of people swarmed the video game section. the "l.a. times" reports witnesses saw people screaming, pushing each other and ripping apart the xbox display that was still wrapped in plastic and that's when it all went very wrong. >> and all of a sudden, this lady came out with some pepper spray, brother was sprayed in the face, point blank. couldn't see. he was on the floor. >> wow. nbc's kristen dahlgren has the latest on what police are calling competitive shopping. good morning, kristen. >> reporter: hey, good morning, chris. we can say shoppers got a lot more than they bargained for here last night, a face full of person spray after what authorities say was part of a deliberate strategy to get a good deal on video games. the holiday shopping rush turned chaotic thursday night. police and firefighters called to this los angeles walmart, where one shopper apparently had

enough of the crowd. witnesses say customers were waiting in line for a sale on xboxes when people started pushing and shoving. that's when they say a woman pulled out some pepper spray and took aim at the crowd. >> she wanted everybody to back off, so she came out with the pepper spray. >> reporter: officials called the woman's behavior competitive shopping. this video on youtube shows customers recovering just moments after incident. speaking by phone, shopper carmen johnson said she waited in line behind the woman for two hours. >> it was crazy. i mean, trying to get games for the xbox 360 when the crowd was just rushing in. and the shopper who was right in front of me turns around and starts spraying everybody. >> reporter: johnson told nbc station knbc that the woman who had two kids her, had even bragged about carrying the pepper spray. >> she did mention a couple time, i got pepper spray. so we knew -- i already knew who

had done it. >> reporter: at least 20 people were treated for minor injuries. >> it could have been a lot worse, with as many people as they had inside, that's when you start to get -- people getting trampled and a stampede inside. >> reporter: three years ago, black friday turn deadly when a worker at a new york store was crushed to death in a stampede. back in los angeles, one young woman says she has learn herd lesson. >> i won't be coming back. i don't want to do this anymore. it wasn't worth it. it is not worth the deals. >> reporter: police may have called it competitive shopping but they are also calling it a potential crime. the suspect fled and this morning, they are still looking for her. chris? >> kristen dahlgren, thank you. across the country, shop verse been at some stores now for more than 12 hours. shoppers ran into that wichita toys "r" us with a warning of no fighting. more bargain hunters are expected to be out today than

last year so that's little bit of good news for the businesses. nbc's little la luciano was in florida until what shoppers call a comparatively late hour of a 6 a.m. to get inside. what is going on there? >> reporter: good morning, chris. i got to say you some stores opened earlier than that some at 5 a.m. macy's opened its doors at midnight last night them tell us they saw a younger crowd it would make sense, for younger people it is easier to stay up than actually get up. the longest lines we have seen so far are the apple store, despite not very impressive discounts over there. you know how people are about any discount at an apple store. other stores are pulling their best tricks, i have to say. who needs door bust irs when you have a male model shirtless in front of the abercrombie store? not sure how the discounts are there but i'm sure getting a lot of girls into that store. still it is not really that black friday madness here in at

ventura. experts did predict this would be an average year with growth in sales over the holidays of no more than 2.8% compared to last year's 5.2. then again, that was right out of the recession. so, it would make sense. experts are also saying this year, chris that shoppers are getting smart. they are going in for the door busters and leaving with just that, with just those items and not falling for the tricks and buying the regular-priced items. still, we expect, according to a forecast that about 152 million shoppers will go shopping in america this weekend. whether it is stores or online, starting today, on black fry friday and ending all the way into cybermonday. of course, we can't forget saturday, which has been baptized by american express as small business saturday. got to help those out, small billses as well. >> giving out good little gift cards for that as well. we will be talking about that throughout the afternoon. lilia, thank you so much.

we are watching wall street where it has been a dismal week for stock bus right now the dow is up, look at that 69 points. we weren't really expecting it, because overall, we saw the futures that were looking down. the s & p 500, nasdaq slightly higher. cnbc's mary thompson joins live from the new york stock exchange, a half-day session today, right? >> it is a half-day session. people have very thankful about where the mark else stand, chris. as you mentioned coming into today's session, there was a lot of concern because wednesday was very critical on the s & p 500 moving through what traders watched with key support levels. today though the mark vets gotten a boost from a turn around in some of the european markets and so the strength over there has spilled into the u.s. markets right now and it is banking stocks that are leading us higher with the dow jones industrial average up 71 points. nevertheless, as you mentioned, it has been a tough week for the indices, the dow is down about 4% for the week but once again,

a turn around today on that strength we are seeing in the european marketing helping things out, in the early going what is to be a holiday-shortened trained sessions, the stock market closed at 1 p.m. eastern time today. now, a couple of things we are watching today we are watching retailers, of course, because this is black friday. the retailer, along with the banks, are two of the better performing sectors so far this morning. keep in mind, the national retail federation expecting modest increases in holiday shorpg holiday sales this year, an increase of 2.8%. one other thing we are watching, gold is lower today the dollar is higher. so, that that is putting pressure on gold, although crude oil has turned higher in today's session. once again, the dow is up about 83 points, chris, back to you. >> mary thompson, thanks for that update. to politics now, congress returns monday to begin picking up the pieces after failures of the so-called super committee. the race for the republican presidential nomination also

resumes in ernest next week. joining me now patrick gavin from politico. good morning, my friend, how was your thanksgiving? >> it was great. i feel very fat. but i'm doing all right. >> you look devastatingly handsome, as always. >> stop. >> let's talk politics as always. >> yes. >> super committee failure. as a result, when congress comes back, to, haas to answer president obama's call to exsend the payroll tax cut which expires month month and housing benefits. so, how that shaping up? >> we see senator leashman now saying we have three deficit reduction plans on the table, let's just vote on one of them, get this thing going. the irony, of course, congress's very inability to get anything done on the issue is what created the super committee in the first place, so now i think that congress, they have another swing at the bat is going to do anything super meaning system optimistic. seeing utter frustration from the american public on

congress's din ability to act. i do think even congress, given its history of failure on this issue, knows that time is running out and they need to push through at least some deficit-cutting measures. another talking point for the republican presidential candidates. three on the campaign trail today when a lot of people are staying home, newt gingrich, rick santorum, michele bachmann, have appearances scheduled. newt leading in the latest poll what do we see next week? >> what we are looking at, whether or not newt can maintain this lead. history would show he would because donald trump had have the turn at the ton, picker ary, herm herman cain. is he going to be able to hang in there? he hasn't built up the organization and the fund-raising prowess that mitt romney has. for him to maintain that lead and make sure he's got structures in place to capitalize on the success he has

had of late is going to be tough and to be determined. >> have we heard any indication since he came out on top of that poll that he is doing better in fund raising? what are you hearing from his folks? >> he has still got a lot of dealt he needs to pay off. fund raising is going to go up for him inevitable. went up with herman cain and rick perry once they were the candidate of the moment. the fact of the matter is newt gingrich does have a lot of support among tried and true conservatives. he will be able to pull a lot of money from that but made a lot of enmisin the past this town and he has relationships to repair, going to want to ask them for money. so i think this next quarter fundraising report will be one to watch to see whether or not he has turned this momentum into money. >> good see you patrick, thank you. >> take care, have a good one. a programming note, following the failure of the super committee, david gregory's guests on "meet the press" this sunday include new york seine chuck schumer and influential republican lobbyist grover norquist called the 13th member of the super committee.

that's sunday, "meet the press," only on msnbc. it is not just the economy in a dry spell. next, how a drought in the southwest could hit your holiday celebration. plus, more on the shopping scene. will the black friday blitz give businesses the boost they need? [ male announcer ] how do you trade? with scottrader streaming quotes, any way you want. fully customize it for your trading process -- from thought to trade, on every screen. and all in real time. which makes it just like having your own trading floor, right at your fingertips. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. try our easy-to-use scottrader streaming quotes. it's another reason more investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade. helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health.

it's a great hd tv. shh. don't speak. i'll just leave you two alone. [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. more electronics start at midnight. and we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. walmart.

farmers in texas and oklahoma are saying ba humbug after a devastating drought killed thousands of christmas trees. some died of thirst, some from wild fires. the toll was heavy on young trees and that means the affects will be felt on that region's economy for years. black friday is under way across the country and early estimates say this year could be a boone for retailers. an estimated 152 million people are expected to go shopping this

weekend, up 10% from 2010. this year, retailers set records for early opening times, meaning some stores have been open nonstop for at least seven hours already this morning. kcra reporter brian hickey is live from the arden fair mall in sacramento, california, doesn't look chaotic there. how has it been so far? >> reporter: starting to decrease here. this is the third year they have done the midnight opening, double third numbers the first hour, 7500 customers came through the door in that first hour, double what they saw last year. so certainly positive news for this mall and now the latest numbers saying that so far, more than 20,000 customers made their way through this mall for those black friday deals. good news for the malls and where do you draw the line? this mall opened at midnight. a lot of stores, walmart at 10:00. some customers say simply too

early. whether or not there will be backlash on that, what everyone will be watching. certainly, some stores like sears and jc penney did not open until 4:00 they stuck to that more traditional black friday timeframe and they had hundreds of people lined up outside their door. after seeing the numbers that came at midnight, perhaps some of the big stores will soon follow on that midnight opening. so far, good news here in the west, black friday just a few minor problems but otherwise, a lot of people carrying big bags and buying big appliances. >> that was my question, because it is one thing to get the people out there the question is are they buying it, especially if they are not one of the lucky ones who gets one of the deals. just looking now live around you, most of the people i saw did not have bags but you're saying a lot of people were buying earlier? >> reporter: talking with mall security, sought big increase in midnight opening, the young crowd you can weren't a lot of shoppers, more about the scene. that is what they will be looking at, is it worth it to

open? that is when they had problems this morning. now they will stay will drop off. by 11 or noon here in the west it is going to pick back up again with the serious shoppers coming out to get the buys w did he talk to people who came out, for sears, for example, came out and one couple saved $1,000 on a washer and dryer certainly for their home, not for a christmas gift. >> that is a good deal. brian, thank you so much. in sacramento, california. let's go to egypt august massive demonstration under way in tahrir square. there were calls to 1 million demonstrators to turn out after friday's prayers to demand the country's military ricer hand over power to a civilian government this is the seventh straight day of demonstration, they have left at least 38 protesters dead we are joined live from tahrir square. how are things looking now?

>> reporter: they asked for a million, it is tense of thousands of people. they have continues about the way forward and there is one thing everybody agrees about, an end to military rule and feel the military the past ten months has exhausted all credibility in trying to pave the way for a new democratic egypt. yes, they are expecting elections to take place on monday, people are confident, they want to go to the polls but no doubt about it the end of military rule. >> thank you so much, reporting live from cairo for us this morning. coming up, we have got more on the deal he is and steals ahead. but first, how a little facial hair is helping men's health. we will explain after the break. [ male announcer ] tom's discovering that living healthy can be fun.

see? he's taking his vitamins. new one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups.

it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom! thank you! [ male announcer ] black friday's here. why wait outside when walmart has over 2 million tvs in stock? deals start thursday 10 pm. more electronics at midnight. an accident doesn't have to slow you down.

with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer... with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? have you 457d to notice more than the usual number of men to be sporting mustaches this month?

it is not a new trend, but it is a movement that you has raised more than $170 million to promote men's health, particularly cancer awareness. the manager for the movember movement is here. nice mustache. did you have one before this? >> i have during the year but started cheap shaven on the first, like we ask everybody to do. >> the whole idea you're going to go a mustache throughout the month of november. tell me what this movement is and how did you get involved in >> it is all about bringing back the mustache, having a good bit of fun and doing it in the name of men's health. we get guys to grow mustaches during the 30 days of november to raise awareness and funds for cancers anegotiating men, effectively bucking walking, talking billboards for the cause. >> it was kind of a reaction to the pink ribbon, we all knee with the women's breast cancer movement, it has been so effective and everyone sees that now and know what is it is, was

that sort of the impetus behind this? >> certainly inspired by the women's health movement and all that it has done for women's health and certainly men, i think are 10 to 15 years behind in terms of being following talk about and communicate around their health. >> let's talk about the biggest health issue you found that men tend to neglect what information needs to get out there? >> think health in general, breaking down those barriers and being willing to not always feel like you need to show that face of bravado and macho. and if something's ailing you, don't be afraid to go to the doctor and don't be afraid to have those conversations with folks in your life. >> i have to say, donny, when i read the research on this i was really impressed by the amount of money that you've raised. last year alone, $7.4 million in the u.s. tell us about where that money goes and what it's used for. >> sure. we have three program areas of focus, one is education awareness, getting guys talk about their health. second is prostate cancer

research through our partners at the prostate cancer foundation and they are funding world-class research to accelerate outcomes in both testing and in treatment and then survivorship, which is we want every man that is diagnosed with cancer in the united states to have free and confidential resources to be able to help them navigate that journey they are about to go on and they have created that program with the partners at live stroke. it is great. november 1st everybody started growing the mustache, do you all share it off on december 1st? >> some do we only ask that you register at movember.com and grow it for 30 days. >> donny killian, thank you so much and happy holidays to you. >> thank you very much for having me. next, new information on the penn state sex abuse investigation. plus, a scare for holiday shoppers in north carolina. and the white house gets into the holiday spirit with a very special delivery today. keep it right here on msnbc. i love the holidays.

and with my bankamericard cash rewards credit card, i love 'em even more. i earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. that's 1% back on... [ toy robot sounds ] 2% on pumpkin pie. and apple. 3% back on 4 trips to the airport. it's as easy as 1... -2... -3... [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. [ toy robot sounds ] it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom! thank you! [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. but we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. the only place to go on black friday. walmart. helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health.

welcome back to msnbc, i'm chris jansing. today, new developments in the penn state investigation with new accusations of abuse. plus, over 24 hours, 14 million shoppers are busting down store doors. we are live with the kickoff to the holiday shopping season with reports all around the country. and the smell of pine is in the air, as the white house christmas tree is about to arrive. that was supposed to be live pictures of the tree. we will have those for you coming up. well, let's talk about what's going on at penn state. the former football coach there jerry sandusky has surfaced in public while devastating new child abuse sex allegations are swirling. also questions now about the role pennsylvania's governor played in that investigation. nbc's jay gray joins us live from the penn state campus in state college and has the latest

on all of this jay, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, chris. let's start with coach jerry san does ski, the former defensive coordinator. here we saw him twice yesterday leaving his home in the morning with his dog, which he traditionally does every couple of days here but then later in the day, we saw him for the first time in more than a week with his wife, dottie. they were both leaving as well, again, with their dog this comes on the heels of allegations of abuse from a member of their fam. two young boys claiming they have been sexually accused by sandusky and one, confirmed by their attorney is a member of their family. they say this is part of a family squabble, part of a family fight anticipated categorically denies all of the accusations at this point and they will defend them very stringently. again, it seemed to be a calm day at the sanduskys, other than those two sightsings which very rare, we haven't seen him with

his wife in over a week, chris. >> what about these reports of the governor's role in all of this? >> reporter: yeah there's a lot of confusion right now and a lot of concern over what he did and didn't say. what we do know is he was the top law enforcement official at the time the investigation began three years ago, he was the attorney general. he knew perhaps as much as anyone about that investigation, but he was also a member of the penn state board of trustees and never in the meetings, according to the trustees did he bring issues up at all even though it looks like the rules of the grand jury would have allowed him to at least suggest they look into sandusky. he has said on his part that he felt like he couldn't, that he didn't want to very jen diocese the investigation and that the rules are very strict, there are legal another this state who said heed at the ability and perhaps even the necessity to let board members know to take a closer look, something that continues to play out as well, chris. >> mean time, of course this is still a college that loves its

football team and got a big game coming up, what, tomorrow? >> a huge game to the knitny lions take on the badgers of wisconsin, if they whip, that moves them to the big ten championship n that game, play for the championship trophy which up until this scandal had the name of joe paterno on it. so, this is a big game this weekend and it could lead to a huge game. >> jay gray in state college once again. thank you. federal investigators trying to determine what went wrong after a small plane crashed into the mountains near phoenix, arizona, wednesday night. police say three adults and three children were in the plane and all were killed. they were reportedly heading to a thanksgiving weekend in southeastern arizona when their twin-engine plane slammed into a cliff just after sun down. with thanksgiving officially behind us, christmas tree shops and deliveries get under way in ernest. the white house is no exception. in less than 30 minutes, the white house gets its treatment

and that's where we find nbc's kristenresplendent herself in red. tell butts treatment. >> full swing here at the white house, a beautiful tree about to be delivered to the first lady. we are going to pan over so you can take a look. this is a 19-football s balsam from a christmas tree farm there almost the people who own it, sue and tom schroder, they won, essentially, the national christmas tree association award this year. so this tree will be presented to the white house in just a few minutes. i have to tell you, according to local reporters, sue and tom are just thrilled about this, they say this is just a dream their tree has been chosen. the national christmas tree association has been providing trees the white house since 1996. you can see that tree really

every little kid's dream there, chris. it absolutely is gorgeous. we will, of course, bring it to you when it happens live here but it is sitting there in a horse-drawn carriage and will be sitting in the blue radio. >> comes from a battle ground state, that is not bad. let's talk about the president, the first laid dirk the girls. how are they spengd the long holiday weekend? >> reporter: chris, they have had a lot of time with family and friends this weekend. started off with the president pardoning the thanksgiving turkey, liberty and his alternate, peace, now in mount vernon, on display through the holiday season esenselism that was a fun event there with his lawyers. then later on, all happening wednesday, by the way. then the first family went to a food bank and gave out food to folks in need. yesterday the big day thanksgiving, president obama start it had off by calling ten service members and then he sat

down for a big family with -- a big dinner with his family and friends as well. they had all the fixin's here. every type of pie you can imagine, chris, sounded like a great meal. >> does indeed. thank you, kristen. that turkey was so well behaved. >> reporter: very well behaved. >> maybe it was a trained turkey. >> reporter: i was so impressed by that, i agree with you. >> thanks so much. let's talk about shopping, shall we? electronic are the name of the game on this black friday, stores giving huge discounts on flat screen tvs, laptops, game systems. cnbc's julia boorstin joins me live from los angeles in the middle of it all. one guy says he waited in line at best buy 31 hours to get a 42-inch tv for $199. what do you got there? >> reporter: one guy got in line 8 p.m. tuesday night, talking 48

house, waiting for as 199 deal on a 42-inch flat screen tv. people really think the deals were worth it. seen people buying the xbox 360 for 199, play station 3, 249. televisions are really hot demand, as are blew ru-ray play people still want the items like the tablets, like the smartphones and e-readers. >> talk about the tablets for kids. i have been reading onlighten leap frog leap pad is the must-have for kids and some places, already sold out. what else seems to be really hot today? >> reporter: an aer is tablet selling out and video games, a bunch of kids in line, even the middle of the night. you will see the line is going all the way down here. so, what's been selling out? a lot of video games, people getting the sort of stocking stuffers and really good deals on dvds here. 99 cent, 3.99 on dvds, always a

family favorite as well. and the people just can't get enough of these tvs and began et cetera. people say they are buying laptops as well for their kids. obviously, have an educational bent in there. >> what are we talking about for laptops, entry-level laptop these days? >> reporter: we have seen one deals, saw a desktop compute fear couple hundred dollars, some people about $500 on the laptops there is a pretty broad price raining the best deals are already gone but best buy is keeping people coming in with some of these lower-priced items, but $200 for a desktop computer was one of the lowest prices i have seen and then a lot of the laptops are a little bit higher than that but door busters are gone, doesn't mean that the discount russ over. >> we will see how the shopping season goes 'cause who know what is it will be like a week before christmas. julia, thanks so much. and.cog up next, going to talk about the dos and don'ts of holiday shopping. >> like a bumper sticker that says i climbed mount everest on my car, i survived, i endured, i

brought back the flat screen tv. [ male announcer ] whether over a cup of maxwell house, or a can of paint, you turned millions of votes, and hundreds of volunteer hours, into a real difference for over 100,000 people. what's next? tell us on facebook.

time is running out. [ male announcer ] are you considering a new medicare plan? what's next? the annual enrollment period is coming to an end. you only have until wednesday, december 7th to enroll and get the coverage that's right for you. so don't wait another day, call right now to find out how a medicare plan from unitedhealthcare medicare solutions may have the coverage you're looking for. medicare has two parts, parts a and b to help cover a lot of your expenses, like doctor visits and hospital care. but they still won't cover all of your costs. now's the time to learn about plans that may be right for you. call now and tell us about your situation. we can help you select the right medicare plan. with some plans, we can help you enroll right over the phone. i'm looking for help paying for my prescriptions. [ male announcer ] that's a part d prescription drug plan. tell us about your prescriptions and we can help you select the right plan. you can choose a stand-alone plan,

or you can combine your part d plan with a medicare supplement plan for complete coverage. is there a single plan that combines medicare parts a & b with medical and drug coverage? [ male announcer ] absolutely. a medicare advantage plan can give you doctor, hospital and prescription drug coverage for nothing more than what you already pay for medicare part b. with unitedhealthcare plans, you can access the pharmacy saver program, with prescriptions as low as $2, at thousands of pharmacies all across the country, including these. call unitedhealthcare now. tell us about your situation. we can help you choose the right plan for your needs. [ male announcer ] don't wait another day. you only have until december 7th to make sure you get the medicare coverage you need. call unitedhealthcare to learn about medicare plans that may be right for you. with some plans, you can enroll right over the phone. don't wait. call now. ♪

police are looking for two suspects after gunfire erupted at a north carolina mall early this morning. after hearing the gunshots, several shoppers left the mall and smaller stores and scrambled to close. no one was hurt. and in another dark turn for black friday, shopper in northern california was shot in a store parking lot a gunman confronted a man leaving the san leandro walmart. the gunman shot the shopper after he refused to hand over his purchases. barbara dell from kntv joins live from san jose. what can you tell us about that incident? >> reporter: good morning to you, chris. this did happen in walmart, san leandro, south of oakland, happened before 2 this morning a group of family members coming out of this walmart, loaded down with merchandise, perhaps taking advantage of the black friday deal wednesday three people approached them. they asked for the items, they

were trying to rob them, one person in the family refused, got some sort of argument or fight, that's when that person was shot. some of the family members detained one of those three people. the other two, as you mentioned did get away, they are still looking for those -- >> i think we had a freeze-up there i want to thank rob redle from kntv. you might want to double check your list before heading to the mall, despite the discounts there are a few things shouldn't buy on black friday. joining me here in the studio, daniel day grand prix, ceo of deal news.com. good to see you. good morning. ed to see you. >> happy thanksgiving weekend. >> to you as well. >> the number one item on the deal news don't buy list really surprised me it is toys. >> is toys u. >> why? >> toys get cheapest after this week, as retailers stock up on toys for the holidays, toys have a short shelf life not very useful for retailers on guest

26th. >> the problem is parents are worried what if this toy sells out my kid wants so desperately? >> the leap program tablet is selling out. see it, grab t talking about generic fisher-price, legos, buy them the first two weeks of december them sell out less. >> best buy and target offering huge deals on tv. a top tv is two on your list of not buy y? >> for black friday, the low-end tvs marked down. look at the tvs on sale at the really low price, they are actually very low end. if you want a high-end tv, you are talking about a new centerpiece for your home enter taint system, you need to wait until mid-december or january as the super bowl prices -- >> and i've actually heard the best time to buy is after super bowl because then they are trying to you get rid of the stock. lots of people are grabbing the wii today and play stations as well. but you say if you are buying a game console, you need to know one thing what is that? >> that there's going to be new game consoles coming out as early as next year, buying a

game console last year. >> going to be obsolete. >> buying into technology. the fact of the matter is if you have buying something, look to the bundles, the bundles are the best deals, include extra controllers or extra games. >> so here is one of my favorite things, you guys are working, asked how your thanksgiving was, you said you were working, you guys went out to walmart and target right after they opened and then you duke the prices at the stores and you compared them to what's online what did you find out? >> we found that 85% of the deals that were black friday advertised offers were available online the same prices. >> didn't need to wait in line? >> absolutely. in fact, 50% of the deals that were advertised were available cheaper at other competitors online. >> you're kidding? >> yeah. i'm not kidding, unfortunately. >> how do you do this? do you just google whatever the name is of the product you want and just cross your fingers, hope it is up to date? >> the way we do it, we do do a lot of research, proprietary cools but the same tools you and i have to use when we do shopping, like google, other comparison shopping engines, do

the research first and bring your smartphone with you if you are going to the store. >> daniel, great information for folks, you probably saved them some bucks this morning, thanks for coming in. >> thank you. if you happen to have a new bmw on your holiday wish list, who doesn't, right? you are just going to miss a price hike. the german automaker is raising the prices to cover the cost of inflation. the increase takes effect january 1st. expect to pay more at the post office next year, new rate likes out in addition to the one-crept stamp increase earthquake the postal service plans to trim the price for overnight express mailboxes. the price for priority mail will increase slightly more than 3% that new pricing goes into effect january 22nd. the postal service says it needs to recoup $5 billion they lost in just the last year. next, the muppets take thanksgiving. we will have all the box office hits ahead. ♪ i've got everything that i

need right in front of me ♪ ♪ nothing's stopping me, nothing ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] mini™ meets berries. kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats cereal with a touch of fruit in the middle. helloooooo fruit in the middle. see? he's taking his vitamins. new one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups. it's a great hd tv. shh. don't speak. i'll just leave you two alone. [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. more electronics start at midnight. and we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. walmart. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes?

we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. shop less. get more. make one call to an allstate agent.

a thanksgiving surprise at an arizona air force bay, congresswoman gaby giffords making her first appearance since the shooting that injure herd in january. >> reporter: it is a sight to you sewnians have been waiting ten months to see. >> seeing her, is a little overwhelming. defying the odds, the american spirit. >> reporter: gaby give ford is choosing to spend part of her thanksgiving serving the military members who serve her country. >> you have been such an amazing contribute per, supporter, family member to this base and our airmen. >> reporter: surprising to people at the base, smiling as she dishes up turkey for hundreds of airmen and retirees. unprecedented, absolutely

amazing to have her here with us. >> reporter: exciting for millie great lakes, spending the first thanksgiving away from her home in kansas city. >> seeing her and how she has overcome a lot of odds and as environment, it just strengthens me. >> reporter: after feeding the crowd, swhept from table to table giving her thanksgiving gratitude to the people that support her. >> i saw her, i said you look strong. said i feel strong t is amazing. make mess proud to be american. i love t. >> reporter: despite celebrating the holiday away from families, these airmen feel appreciated, partly because of the unexpected service of their congresswoman. >> i will feel very blessed, very fortunate, just an overwhelming outpouring from the community and i feel really support. >> our thanks for that report. that's live pimp, by the way wise of black friday shopping in tysons corner, virginia. according to experts, 34% of consumers say they do plan to shop today that's up 31% from last year.

not looking to shop today, well, going to the movies has become something of a thanksgiving weekend tradition for man americans. with lots of movies hitting theaters weekend, there is sure is to be something for everyone. for more, let's talk to a senior writer for "newsweek" and the daily beast. good to see you, happy thanksgiving weekend. >> hi, how are you? >> start with the movie everybody has been buzzing about and a lot of questions about how it would do the money et cetera. >> it has been 12 years since the money prets at the movie, this went away, they came back. jason segel, an actor on "how i met your mother" loved the muppets growing up, he wrote this screenplay, a passion play for him t works it is so much fun. they are singing, they are dancing there is kermit, miss pig give people were excited about this movie, projected to make $40 million this weekend. >> truly something the whole family can enjoy, the parents knew the muppets when they were kids. >> a huge nostalgia factor, contributing to you making this a hit. >> martin scorsese a new movie out "hugo" some are talking

about oscar buzz for this movie. >> this movie was well reviewed it is based on a young adult novel. martin scorsese's family film, first 3-d film. it is -- >> 3-d, too? >> but it is over two hours, it is really long. so if you have younger kids, i don't think i would recommend it for them. >> for those in the christmas spirit you there, is "arthur christm christmas" what is that about? >> it is about an elf who tries to save christmas after santa forgets to deliver one of the presents, a classic dilemma for santa every christmas this elf tries to save christmas. i haven't seen it, but targeted for very young kids it is doing okay at the box office. >> looks cute, too. very cute. for those who want to catch a movie without the kids there are a number of adult movies, "my week with mary lip" and the black and white silent film "the artist." the first is michelle williamser, plays marilyn monroe? >> oscar season is kicking up now that we are getting toward the end of the year n 1957,

marilyn monroe went to london to make this movie called "the prince and the show girl." and she -- this is -- this movie about the shoot, michelle williams is absolutely terrific as marilyn monroe, i think she is going to get an oscar nomination, i think she can even win. >> there has been talk she is great earthquake the movie maybe -- >> maybe not the best movie but the performance so good it overcomes the movie. >> what a gutsy move, a black and white silent film? >> a black and white silent film made with french actors. >> subtitles in english where there is -- talking? it is a silent movie, so -- >> is about classic hollywood and really, really good. also a big movie for the season. it will surprise u. >> so, somebody is saying what wait one movie i should go see this weekend that i can't miss, not going to want to miss this season, not just among these but the holiday movies out so far what is your favorite? >> "twilight." i'm joking. take the family, go see the "the

muppets" if not "the artist." rialto wire fox terrier best in show on thursday beating out 1500 other canines. beautiful ira is no stranger to success though this thanksgiving marked her 17th, 17th best in show award. i'm guessing none this big. this is msnbc, the place for politics and weekend, we asked folk what is they are thankful for in the realm of politics. here is a sampling of what people had to say. i'm thankful for our founding father. i'm grateful for democracy. >> i'm thankful for barack obama because he is a wonderful, honorable man and he is a wonderful president. >> i'm thankful that there's a change that is seen and that is gonna be corrected in a matter of time. >> you know what i really don't have any faith in any of them, quite honestly. i just don't think there's any, you know, politics that i actually trust or that i'm thankful for. >> i'm thankful for the fact

that i can vote but i mean, decides that i wouldn't say there is anything. people need to look at the big pitch and get something done for our country. >> interesting thoughts from some of our viewers on the streets there. okay now, on your mark, get set, shop. black friday suspectst in full swing, if you are just to get out there, are there still some deals to be had? we will check in with some of the nation's busiest shopping spots next on msnbc. with the capital one venture card we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! dinner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a mace, a sword, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. i wonder what it could be?! what's in your wallet? i took some steep risks in my teens.

i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. it's backed by over 19 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. [ man ] still love that wind in my face! talk to your doctor. don't kid yourself about the risk of heart attack and stroke. if lipitor's been working for you, stay with it. lipitor may be available for as little as $4 a month with the lipitor co-pay card. terms and conditions apply. learn more at lipitorforyou.com.

♪ but you tonight [ male announcer ] this is your moment. this is zales, the diamond store. take an extra 15 percent off storewide this friday until two p.m. storewide this friday at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, man: good job. where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee, where the repairs made on your car are guaranteed for life or they're on us. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, when you insure both your home and car with us, it could save you time and money. at liberty mutual, we help you move on with your life. so get the insurance responsible drivers like you deserve. looks really good. call us at...

or visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policy that's right for you. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

we are just hours into the black friday shopping frenzy and chaos broke out at a california walmart after someone pepper sprayed a crowd of shoppers. what is going on? we will have a live report coming up. a calmer scene at stores across the country, live pictures from the mall of america in minnesota and also in tysons corner, virginia. there has been a steady stream of shoppers this morning, awful welcomed sight for retailer,

they have had another tough economic year. in egypt, crowds continuing to grow in kai reese tar rear square, demonstrators gathering for what they hope will be a million man protest against the country's military leaders and its new prime minister. good morning, i'm chris juan sing, i hope you had a great thanksgiving day. but a violent going black friday for shoppers in california. at least 20 people injured last night moments after walmart open neared los angeles a woman person sprayed her fellow shoppers. nbc's kristen dahlgren joined me live now. what exactly happened here, cristen? >> reporter: yeah, chris, we know people take black friday seriously but this takes it to a whole new level this woman didn't just person spray adults she person sprayed some children. authorities say she wasn't doing it to defend herself against the crowds, she was trying to, quote, get preferred access to parts of the store. the holiday shopping rush turned

chaotic thursday night. police and firefighters called to this los angeles walmart where one shopper apparently had enough of the crowd. witnesses say customers were waiting in line for a sale on xboxes when people started pushing and shoving. that's when they say a woman pulled out some pepper spray and took aim at the crowd. >> i guess she wanted everybody to back off so she came without with the pepper spray. >> reporter: officials called the woman's behavior competitive shopping this video on youtube shows customers recovering just moments after the incident. speaking by phone, shopper carmen johnson said she waited in line behind the woman for two hours. >> it was crazy. i mean, trying to get games for xbox 360 when the crowd just was rushing in. and the shopper who was in front of me turned around and started spraying everybody. >> reporter: johnson told nbc station knbc that the woman who had two kids her, even bragged about carrying the pepper spray.

>> she did mention a couple times, i got pepper spray. so we knew -- i already knew who had done it. >> reporter: at least 20 people were treated for minor injuries. it could have been a lot worse with as many people as they had inside, that is when you start to get people getting trampled and stampede inside. >> reporter: three years ago, black friday turned deadly when a worker at a new york store was crushed to death in a stampede. back in los angeles, one young woman says she has learn herd lesson. >> i won't be coming back. i don't want to do this anymore. wasn't worth t not worth the deals. >> reporter: police may have called it competitive shopping but also a phones crime. the woman fled the scene and this morning, police looking for her. >> there have to be assault charges, wouldn't you think? talking about what kind of charges might be filed against her? not to mention the fact but what a lovely example she is setting for her two children. >> reporter: bring kids along

and show them,get a bargain on black friday. police haven't said yet what type of charges, like you said, likely some type of assault charges. of those 20 people, ten had direct effects of the pepper spray another ten were injured trying to get away from her. could be multiple charges when they find her. >> it could have been a lot worse. thank you so much. shoppers across the country have been spending their money at stores since about 9:00 last night on thanksgiving night and early indications are that today's crowds are bigger than last years. here is video from dallas, texas, toys "r" us, outside, the parking slot jammed with cars. lillian lucian snow in at ventura, florida. tell us what stores are doing to lure in the shoppers? >> reporter: just about anything, chris. this year, expert stays is not so much shoppers fighting each other over bargain bus competing

for customers. abercrombie & fitch, they have a shirtless male model showing is off his abs to lure in customers. i have to say that is the best pick out of them all right now. what are stores doing? >> we have amazing promotions, 250 buy one get one free, all over the shopping center. >> how would you compare it to last year? >> stores opening as early as midnight? >> macy's at midnight you penne's and sears at 4, we opened at six. extremely positive, bags in hand is a great sign for everybody. >> absolutely. definitely some of the stores have those kind of tricky signs, say 60% off and read underneath it says up to 60% off r they

staying loyal to custers? being truthful in the sales? >> our retailer knows that customers are more savvy than ever this year, they are looking for the special opportune writs they can get buy one get one free and they know they are looking for the value. they understand they have to entice the cop souper to shop early and buy as soon as possible. >> thank you very much, annabel annabelle. here at the big malls. tomorrow starts small business saturday, a good cause for small business and monday, shoppers who didn't have time to shop go online and they call monday cybermonday. there will be enough shopping throughout the whole weekend and they say that this holiday season, see some gains up to 2.8% increase in sales. we are hoping for some positive news there in the economy. chris? >> thanks. we will let you get back to abercrombie & fitch. we appreciate that report.

politics now, another week next week. failure of the so-called super committee. the race for the republican presidential nomination resumes in ernest next week. joining me now, "usa today" political reporter jackie sues sin niche a happy day after thanksgiving. >> same to you. >> as a result, congress is facing you president obama's call doak send the payroll tax cut you expires at the end of next month and extend long-term unemployment benefits. what are we looking at for next week? >> more fighting, a lot of what we have seen. we are also looking at a poe potential government shutdown on december 16th, so resuming -- prussians pushing how to pay for these -- the payroll tax and things like that all of the things added up together that they need to pass by the end of this year, think it's $440

billion of a tax pack am we are looking at by the end of this year, you imagine republicans want that paid for, meaning they will look for things to cut. again, we are back right where we were for basically this entire year. >> and already, we have some of the comments from the folks who are on the campaign trail. again, we said that they will be back out in ernest, although a number of the candidates are out, including newt gingrich is one of the three republican candidates who is actually stumping today o the question is i guess the new poll numbers that you have them at the top of the republican field, can they hold? >> we will see. we haven't -- i personally haven't seep a poll yet since the debate last week and as you know, he made some controversial comments about immigration that he has actually made before. there was an article this morning or yesterday that said, you know, he actually made the same comments about having an immigration system where people who have been here a long time could stay. and now that he is a front runner, these things count, these things matter, people are listening to exactly what he is saying but you know earthquake the last polls showed him at the

top of the field in iowa, nationally. and it is going to be really interesting to see what these next rounds of polls say say to see how republicans are reacting to immigration. >> more debates on the 10th and 15th for the republican field and really interesting with all these debates this year, they actually have been consequential. they seem to be moving the polls. >> they absolutely do i mean, look at rick perry. he is the perfect example of that i mean, he came out like a rocket when he first announced his campaign and his debate performances have definitely hurt him over the past couple of months. and again, newt gingrich's comments, romney has been pretty steady, just as his poll numbers have been pretty steady, about the same this entire time t has been very reflective, these debates, where the candidates have been. >> jackie kucinich, appreciate it. >> thank you. following the failure of that super committee, david gregory's guests on meet the press this sunday include new york senator chuck schumer,

chairman of the democratic policy committee and republican lobbyist grover norquist of course called 193th member of that committee. that's sunday on "meet the press" on nbc. we are following developments in egypt where it's now just after 6 p.m. the crowd in cairo's tar rear square has been swelling and calls for a million protestors turn up and demand that the country's military rulers hand over power to a civilian government. this is the seventh straight day of demonstrations that have left at least 38 protesters dead. nbc's correspondent joins us live from tar rear square. are the crowds continuing to grow there, amon? >> reporter: yes, absolutely, hundreds of thousands of people continue and this is by far the largest consistent protest that has taken place in tar rear square since the ousting of former president hosni mubarak, come from all walks of life, differences about the way forward in egypt. but one thing everyone behind me has been united about has been

their call for an end to military rule, really disappointed with the supreme council of the armed forces, how they have been conducting the day-to-day affairs of the country but their vision for transitioning egypt to a democracy. they want that now handed over to a civilian government ahead of parliamentary elections this monday. >> in the mean time, the military government appointed a new prime anyone officer today and somebody not likely to make the people in that protest march very happy, is it?minister toda somebody not likely to make the people in that protest march very happy, is it? >> reporter: one over the issues with the prime minister, he is on the older side, close to the early 80s, her is sfd under the former president hosni mubarak. more importantly, he doesn't necessarily have the powers that the people here want in a prime minister or leader that is a sticking point it is not about who holds the title of prime minister, it is that the power in the hands of the prime minister are not enough to bring about the desired change and that is what the protestors

disappointed about they want the council, supreme coupncil to had over powers and go back to the barracks. no indication they will be doing that any time soon. >> the middle of that protest, three american students arrested. we have conflicting report they was been released, not released. what can you tell us? >> reporter: that is correct. it was part of the news that broke yesterday, on thursday that they were going to be released. we have confirmed that a judge has ordered their release. as we understand it they still need to clear a few procedural hurdles from the security officials here in cairo. keep in mind, today friday, so the government is shutdown. agencies are shutdown. they are not getting all the paperwork that they need to because it is the official weekend here. they expect, as the offices and agencies to get back to work on sunday, that that paperwork will get done, they will be released at some point, expected to happen in the next 24 to 48 hours. >> amman, thank you so much for that update. let's talk more about those students because joining us now on the phone is joyce sweep nirk

motor of derek sweeney. good morning to you. and what is the latest you're hearing? >> hi, good morning. actually, i spoke to the council general of the u.s. embassy this morning. he contacted me and said that he was going to going to -- the boys, they had the final paperwork, it was being processed, even though it is a weekend and that the boys will all be allowed -- actually taken to the airport and derrik has reservations to be on the plane in the morning, the morning of the 26th of november. they will be home on saturday he will be in the united states on saturday, the 26th of november. i'm ecstatic about t. >> that must have been one of the happiest phone calls you ever got? >> oh, my goodness, i was ecstatic. i was talking to some -- to some -- a reporter and i said, i'm gonna get a call from egypt, i have got to go.

they are like, okay. i guess we can understand that. and it was him telling me that they were actually going to -- even though it is the weekend there, they got the people to come in and work on the weekend, just to get the boys out of the country. >> during this whole ordeal, have you had a chance to talk to derrik at all? >> we had a chance to talk to him on thanksgiving last night h we did talk to him. he call you had the home. >> what did he tell you? >> it has been a life-changing experience for him and he is just ecstatic to be coming home. he is so grateful that the judge saw fit to not charge them with anything. and is he is so, so thankful for the outpouring of love and support that we conveyed to him that was being received by all of us. everybody at george up to, everybody in his hometown of jefferson city and all around the globe, all the people that are supporting him and his safe return and he -- he actually

just stood back and yelled into the phone, "i love people. i love people." it was wonderful. >> there are thousands of parents around the country whose kids, like yours, are studying abroad, who go abroad for a week or a month or even a year and obviously, that's what these three young men were doing. tell us a little bit about when you heard -- were you worried when you heard he was going to be going to cairo and knew there had been so much unrest over the last year? >> we discussed it. he was originally intending to go because he was majoring in arabic and psychology. and he thought that would be one of the safer country goes to that speak arabic answered wanted to be immersed in the language and immersed in the culture around when all the unrest happened last spring, he had already made initial plans and so it was questionable. we thought, well, maybe it won't happen. and then when the trip was back on and they thought it would be safe for him to travel there,

you know, we said okay, it's -- it looks like it is going to be safe for the students to go and there are students from all over the world there at american university in cairo and he went there in august he was just going for one semester, from august to december we discussed the possibility of unrest and, you know, looked like things had stabilized substantially and that it was going to be fine. and most of the -- when he first got there, there were some, you know, more peaceful demonstrations, you know, just like college students, people just out there conveying their opinions with signs, like things that happened in washington, d.c. all the time where he has been living for the last two years. >> student at georgetown. >> yes. he is a stud up the at george up to. yes. >> all right. well, we share in your joy at this great news and i know that you're excited for your reunion.

i guess happy thanksgiving doesn't begin to describe it but thanks so much, joy sweep nirks and our best to you and your family. >> oh, thank you so much. i appreciate you having me on. >> happy holidays. >> oh, thank you, happy holidays to you, too. new bloodshed is reported in syria today as activists urge protestors flood the streets to support army detectors who have sided with the opposition there. meantime, syria ignored a an arab league deadline today to allow hundreds of observers into the country. as a result, the arab league is considering economic sanctions against damascus for its eight-month crackdown on dissent. the u.n. estimates more than 3,500 protesters have been killed in that crackdown. still ahead, new details on allegations that penn state coach jerry sandusky sexually abused a family member. we will go live to state college for the very latest on that investigation. plus, we will tell you who to you help your local shop owner stay afloat during these tough economic times and save some money to boot. and it is beginning to look a lot like christmas at the

white house. we have got all the details for you next. man: my electric bill was breaking the bank. so to save some money, i trained this team of guinea pigs to row this tiny boat. guinea pig: row...row. they generate electricity, which lets me surf the web all day. guinea pig: row...row. took me 6 months to train each one, 8 months to get the guinea pig: row...row. little chubby one to yell row! guinea pig: row...row. that's kind of strange. guinea pig: row...row. such a simple word... row. anncr: there's an easier way to save. get online. go to geico.com. get a quote. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

if something is simply the color of gold, is it really worth more? we don't think so. chase sapphire preferred is a card of a different color. that's because you always get two times the points on travel, from taxis to trains, airfare to hotels, and all kinds of dining... from fast food to fine dining. and that's not all you get. there are expert advisors who answer immediately, whenever you call. and absolutely no foreign transaction fees. does your card do all that? apply today and earn 50,000 ultimate rewards bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. that's $625 toward your next trip when you redeem through ultimate rewards. so, why settle for gold when you can have so much more? chase sapphire preferred. a card of a different color. call the number on your screen or visit our website to apply.

developing right now in washington, the christmas season has arrived in our nation's capitol there it s the white house christmas tree being delivered this morning. this year's tree, 19 feet tall. it was selected in october from a farm in wisconsin. kristen welker is on duty for us at the white house it is nice to have kind of a fun story to talk about for a change. >> reporter: it certainly is. a little bit of a lighter story from the white house here today, chris. the holiday spirit certainly alive here. i'm going to step out of the way so that you can see what's going

on behind me, because it is a lot more exciting. the official white house christmas tree being delivered as we speak. the first lady and the first daughters just came out moments ago to inspect this beautiful try. as you said, chris it is a 19-football sam fir that comes from the south central wisconsin area. a christmas tree owned by tom and sue schroder. according to reporters who have spoken to tom and sue, they are thrill third tree was chose than year. the horses are named abe and jake and they have the honor of delivering the tree today. talking about history, going back in time this tradition

dates back to 1889 and the harrison administration, so, this is certainly a tradition that has been around for a long while. there tree will be displayed in the blue room and certainly marks the beginning of the holiday season here at the white house. chris? >> always beautiful, always have another event where they unveil the christmas tree. who decor rates it, actually? sasha and mel leah going to get up on ladders? >> reporter: safe to assume they will probably be watching the decorating process, maybe help out a little bit. what actually happens here, chris, is volunteers come from all over the country to help decorate the white house and to help decorate the official white house christmas tree. so as you said, certainly a lighter day at the white house, a fun day, watching the tree being deliver birtd two beautiful clydesdales, beautiful horses to see them in person. >> i wonder if they will have their own tree, like a family tree up in the private quarters or something like that. hard to think of the girls not decorating a tree, seems like the kind of family that always got together and decorated the

cs i mass tree? looks like a beautiful tree. and i'm sure that you will be there when it is all unveiled. kristen, thank you much. >> thank you, chris, i sure will be. still ahead this black friday, how you can help a small business and get a bargain at the same time this weekend. also ahead, the prime suspect in the case of missing american robyn gardner heading to court for a crucial hearing. will prosecutors be forced to let him go? inmates are turning to social networking sites to intim mate and harass people on the outside. you're watching msnbc.

also ahead, the prime b;b;bx [ child ] it's so cool! you can put a force field on him and be invisible! [ child 2 ] i call first player. no. i already called it. [ dad ] nobody's playing anything until after we get our homework done. thank you. hello? test drive's not over yet. [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. [ louder ] hello? but we still need your signature. right now during sign then drive it's never been easier to get the all-new passat, the 2012 motor trend car of the year, for practically just your signature. that's the power of german engineering. visit vwdealer.com.

what is this shorty? uh, tissues sir, i'm sick. you don't cough, you don't show defeat. give me your war face! raaah! [ male announcer ] halls. a pep talk in every drop.

like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. shop less. get more. make one call to an allstate agent. shop less. get more. i've tried it. but nothing helped me beat my back pain. then i tried salonpas. it's powerful relief that works at the site of pain and lasts up to 12 hours. salonpas. we are keeping our eye on wall street for you you where on this black friday turks is all green arrows. dow up 79, pretty much where it has been all morning long, s & p nasdaq marginally higher as well. before today, the dow plunged 4.6% this week. in case you are keeping track, the stock market closes early today, everybody gets to go home earlier, 1:00 eastern time. millions of americans are

hitting starts in search of the black friday bargains, ads are running nationwide to promote tomorrow's small business saturday. >> i pledge plem to shop small at big top candy shop. >> alan's boots. >> hyde's hardware. >> the pot hole store. >>. >> the effort to get people to support small businesses in their communities was the focus of msnbc's your business and the host of that show, jj ram berg, joins are us now from out west. good to see you, happy thanksgiving a little late. small business saturday is a creation of american express and they do sponsor your program, let's say that. as somebody who loves out sneak stuff we often get at small business shops, they are great places to go for christmas, tell us about small business saturday. >> reporter: this is an amazing campaign. and it is basically reminding people go to small businesses. you're going to be shopping for this holiday season.

remember the small businesses who a, have great products you will want to buy. but b, are supporting the community. we have heard these numbers million times but 50% of the people who work in this country are employed by or own small businesses. small business does a lot to support local initiative, support the community tour support your main street. go ahead and support them when you are going to be buying this holiday season, particularly on saturday. >> let's talk about a the advantages that you get because i know that we said american express sponsoring it. if you do shop with american express it can be worth your while. >> reporter: it can be. you can gaetds 25 credit on your american express card, you can save money there. for a small business, they are giving tons of tools to market this on facebook, on going approximately videos, a lot of material it is so they can get the word out to people. beyond that lot of small businesses are taking advantage of this and starting to promote deal he is just like we hear about the black friday deals,

you will see deals at small blisses. look this isn't -- we talked about american express promoting this and small businesses but people across the country, president obama threw his support behind this the head of the sba, karen mills, threw her support behind it. we talked to mayors who have earlier last week, we spoke to the mayor of atlanta, listen to what he said. >> we are getting local stations involved to spread the word so the important shopping period doesn't just focus on large retailers. he and other mayors understand that in order to keep communities vibrant, they want to keep the small businesses alive and letting all the shop mothers that. >> jj ram berg, thank you so much. have a great rest of your holiday weekend. "your business" airs sundays mornings at 7:30 eastern time here on msnbc.

thank you, jj. up next, new child sex abuse allegations against penn state's jerry sandusky, live to state college, pen, and the latest on that. holiday shoppers out taking advantage of big bargain thus black friday morning. we will tell you what this holiday's hot ticket items are, next. [ male announcer ] tom's discovering that living healthy can be fun.

see? he's taking his vitamins. new one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups.

you noticed! these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories. welcome back to msnbc, i'm chris jansing. new allegations of sex abuse by penn state coach jersey sandusky and how much did pennsylvania's governor know about the investigation before it went public? could the main suspect in days appearance of an american woman in aruba be freed soon? with more than 150 million americans be expected to shop this weekend, we will tell you which electronics are selling out fast. let's start with former penn state coach, jersey san does ski, surfaced in public while devastating new child sex abuse allegations are swirling. there are also new questions about the role that pennsylvania's governor played

in this investigation. nbc's jay gray joins us live from the penn state campus in college with the latest on this. we haven't seen much of jersey sandusky, he was out and about with his wife? >> reporter: people wonder why the man who may have known more about the grand jury investigation three years ago chose to stay silent. thanksgiving provides a rare look of jerry sandusky, he and his wife together, on the heels of allegations he sexually abused his family. sandusky's attorney confirms a report in a local newspaper that one of two new accusers a relative and goes on to say quote earthquake the allegations are ridiculous and unfounded. as the questions about sandusky intense, if i they are also

growing louder when it comes to pennsylvania governor tom corbett's role in this controversy. >> i gave thought to it on a constant basis. we are very careful. >> reporter: some say too careful. corbett was the attorney general during the grand jury investigation three years ago and also a member of the penn state board of trustees. several board members say he never discussed it during meetings. >> we had to be careful not to tip where the investigation was going. >> reporter: some legal observers say a closer look at the federal grand jury manual indicates he could have suggested the trustees take a closer look at sandusky. >> i think tom corbett in 2002 didn't do the complete investigation so i think now he is trying to cooperate to instigate, to do whatever he can to get the truth out and truth

revealed. >> reporter: ed rendell served as governor of pennsylvania. >> 'cause he knows what was -- what was going on. he knows the challenges that his office was facing. >> reporter: but argues the blame doesn't stop at the state house. >> there's no question that everyone in this process, from grik car to the pen is stan sta officials to mothers this process didn't act swiftly enough, courageously enough. >> reporter: a courage this campus and community will need as they continue to try to work through the scandal. and the next public step in that journey will be the football game this weekend, penn state taking on wisconsin. if they win, they move to the big 10 championship. in that game, they would play for the trophy that used to bear joe paterno's name. chris? >> jay gray in state college. thank you so much. now let's talk about aruba and the search for robyn gard r gardner. today a judge there declined the prosecution's request for a 30-day jail extension for the

prime suspect in the case, gary giordan know. jeff rossen joins me with the very latest. how significant is this ruling? >> would bomb shell ruling from the judge. prosecutors have got several, half a dozen extensions before. gary giordano as of today has been in jail 111 days. ing that wouldn't happen in the u.s. but happening in aruba, without being charged with anything. prosecutors went back again and said to the judge, we need more time to investigate for the i disappearance of robyn gardner on your screen now. said she was swept under the current in aruba there snorkeling together, but prosecute ers do haven't enough to charge him yet. >> what are they look fogger? >> evidence, blood, clothing, direct evidence that he was tied to a crime. first of all there is no body so there is not 100% guarantee a crime was committed here. the judge said no to the prosecutors for the first time in this entire case, he needs to be released if you're not going to charge him and that needs to happen by tuesday. >> fess released, does that mean he is essentially off the hook,

try to get him back? >> woe fly off the island of arube band we both know that's half the battle here. once he gets off that island, very hard to bring him back, even if in a few month these decide they have enough evidence to charge him. we just spoke with prosecutors who say they are going to appeal, going to file the papers today and go for an emergency hearing, trying to keep giordano in jail. they just want to keep him on that island while they continue to investigate but no question about it, a major victory for gary i giordano here. now the onus is on prosecutors to have this overturned by the judge before that tuesday release deadline. >> they give you any indication of what their argument is going to be other than we need more time? >> i think probably go back to the argument -- right their old argument, we need more time and to let this man go's flight risk, he is going to go back to the u.s., he is not hanging out in the capital of aruba, he is going back to maryland and we are going to lose him forever. i think that will be their argument to the judge and fee it works or not. >> jeff rossen on top of this case from the beginning. thank you.

it is all about electronics on this black friday, stores giving huge discount ounce flat screens, tablets, game sisters. cnbc's julia boorstin is braving are the crowds and joins me from the best buy in los angeles. we have been checking things out. the local paper in poughkeepsie, new york, reported people had as many as four televisions in one single cart. tell us what you're seeing. what's hot, what's not this year? >> reporter: chris, seeing the same thing here, tvs seem, by far, to be the most popular item, mostly because they are such great deals on tvs, big door buster special was $199 for a 42-inch sharp television set, seeing loft other discounts, like these 32-inch tv rz, $229. other hot items are blu-ray players, people buying tablets and e-readers, video games and dvds, also on discount. one thing we are not seeing a lot of in people's shopping carts are cameras and that's because smartphones, these day

have such good cameras in the smart phone people don't really need buy a separate camera. >> i got to tell you, i think my little blackberry takes better pictures than my camera, but that is tway is these days. then you don't have to carry the camera. having said that, let's talk about some of the crowds, we know that we have been reporting on some of these problems, a woman who help he pepper sprayed some shoppers, there was a shooting in one store, one parking lot. what are you seeing and what are you hearing about how retailers are trying to control these crowd use little bit bet they are year? >> reporter: you know, best buy has done a really good job of controlling the crowds inside w did he see some jostling outside in line there were about 1,500 people in line last night before they opened the doors at 11:30 and started ringing people up at midnight. best buy is careful, let people in 2530 at a time, made sure there was no rushing to get products in the aisle buys handing out tickets for do at door buster items ahead of time, people knew what they would be

able to get. chris? >> julie boorstin in the middle of shoppers in los angeles. black friday may be a ato get a deal for gadget bus what about cars? it is the best day to buy a car, if you can believe t phil lebeau is in park ridge, i will imwhat kind of deals are we talking about here, phil? >> reporter: chris you on average, according to true car.com if you go out and buy a new car today it will be about 9% off the msrp. according to true car.com, that makes today the best day of the year to buy a new car in terms of getting a deal out there. that 9% that is the average. some of the better deals that are being offered, according to true car, this is by their calculation, no the by the automakers, nissan titan, 29% off the list price, you see the mall burk the liberty, the lincoln mkza couple of factors are contributing to today and this weekend being a great weekend for new car sale he is. first of all, the inventory of 2011 models, about 20% of the

vehicles that are on the show room floors this weekend, those are 2011 models that the dealers want to clear out. then you add into that the fact that we have really mild weather coast-to-coast on a three-day weekend, it mean a lot of traffic going into the showrooms. november, at this point, is shaping up to have the strongest seams pace of any month this year, the strongest since cash for clunkers. so, it seems a little odd to say black friday is a greet day to buy a new car but by many calculations that maybe the case today. >> who wouldn't want to see a new car under the tree after all, phil? thank you so much. phil lebeau reporting as he always does on the car industry. the weather on this black friday, as he just said, kwai yet, mild you for at least the eastern two-thirds of country. nbc meteorologist bill carrens with a look at the forecast now. bill? >> good friday to you. i hope you and everybody else had a wonderful thanksgiving. this weather pattern we can be thankful for in many years over

the country. exceptions this weekend. on the east coast or anywhere in the inner mountain west or west coast especially, going to be a beautful setup. here is how it looks, the area of blue the middle of the country, a very slow-moving storm this is going to sit over the top of areas like mississippi, alabama, louisiana, up through st. louis. as we head into indiana and chicago this weekend. that is where the weather is going to be less than ideal. very warm conditions in the east coast, also going to be seeing mild air returning to the inner mountain west. a map that shows where it is going to rain in the next 48 hours. you notice it really is nothing too heavy, maybe an inch or two possible there, throughout tennessee, kentucky, northern mississippi, also could see some showers and storms thought from dallas to houston, but overall you as we go through today, today great day the storm really develops as we go through tonight and tomorrow, the middle of the country. saturday looks fantastic for the east coast, probably the warmest day you are going to see until next spring. as we go into sunday, the storm begins to slide east through the appalachians but not going to arrive amount east coast until we go throughout sunday night

into monday, many people on the eastern seaboard, one of the best weekends with you will see probably for a long time. so enjoy it, everyone, while you can. back to you. >> we will indeed, bill, thank you so much. prisoners have been turning to facebook and using it to harass victims and the intimidate witnesses. we will tell you what is being done to stop it. a parade of a-list celebrity test testifying on the british phone hacking scandal. we will take you live to london for the very latest. ...got promoted to director? so 12 seconds ago. we should get him a present. thanks for the gift basket. you're welcome. you're welcome. did you see hr just sent out new... ...office rules? cause you're currently in violation of 6 of them. oh yeah, baby? ...and 7. did you guys hear that fred is leaving? so 30 seconds ago. [ noisemakers blow ] [ both ] we'll miss you! oh, facecake! there's some leftover cake. [ male announcer ] the new htc vivid. stay a step ahead with at&t 4g lte, with speeds up to 10x faster than 3g. ♪

it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and $250 goes to your choice of 5 charities. with your help, we can reach $20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year.

that's relied on to help bring children holiday joy, and while it doesn't travel by sleigh or reindeer, it does get around... in fact, every year duracell sends loads of batteries to the mattel children's hospital, u.c.l.a. of course, children here and everywhere don't really think about which battery makes their toy run... but, still... you'd never want to disappoint. duracell. trusted everywhere. but, still... you'd never want to disappoint. diabetes testing? it's all the same. nothing changes. then try this. freestyle lite® blood glucose test strip.

sure, but it's not gonna-- [beep] wow. yep, that's the patented freestyle zipwik™ design. did it just-- [both] target the blood? yeah, drew it right in. the test starts fast. you need just a third the blood of one touch.® that is different. so freestyle lite test strips make testing... easy? easy. great. call or click-- we'll send you strips and a meter, free. free is good. freestyle lite test strips. call or click today. we have known for a long time that just because an inmate is behind bars that doesn't mean he or she can't create problems for those on the outside, but they are doing it in a new way now. the "chicago tribune" reporting that a growing number of inmates are using facebook to make contact with the outside world. for more on this, i'm joined by investigative crime reporter michelle segona. good morning. >> good morning. >> the question is how are the inmates getting on facebook? >> they are gaining access to a lot of the cell phones. what's happening is some of them

are being thrown from the outside in, you know, in through the fences, being brought in through the prison system and passed off. about 10,000 were confiscated in california alone last year. this is definitely a growing problem throughout the prison systems. and not only are inmates allowed to get on facebook when they have ac sets to phone bus able to get on people searches and find out addresses and communicate, you know, via text message and phone calls and everything else. so, this is -- this is a pretty big deal. >> give us some of the examples how they are using it once they get on. >> you know, there was one story that came out last week where a woman said she was kidnapped by her ex and her and her child and he was going on facebook and sort of -- allegedly sending photos of himself, whether it was him or another person and you know, messages and things like that. other inmates being -- other inmates are also reaching, intimidating some witnesses,

things of that nature but there are ways -- there's a few ways out there that could potentially stop this. the first is called managed access. mississippi state penitentiary laid to out, sort of a bumper that goes around this system and if your number is not within the system, it sends you a message that says, your phone is illegal it is being shut off right now you that's one way. it has worked so well there, they put it in two other penitentiaries throughout the state of mississippi. the second way, maryland and new jersey tried this, with dogs that are able to sniff out the batteries and one other way, called cell phone hound, which once it pinpoints the location of the cell phone, it is able to alert the guards and they are able to go in and actually physically take it away. so, there's a few methods out there to try to help stop this. that is one thing that everyone is looking forward to. >> that is actually fascinating. what are they doing maybe to stop this from even happening in the first place and i don't know what do you do to somebody who

is already in prison if caught with an illegal cell phone, right? >> exactly h you take away some of their good time, hopefully make them stay a little bit longer. having -- as technology advances and things turn over, especially i not even the old cell phones, just with the calling and maybe minimal texting. again this is getting october internet, doing those searches, logging into facebook. if you are, for instance, if you are nervous that someone from behind bars may be reaching out to you, there are methods you can take on facebook to protect your privacy, utilize those. make yourselves not searchable on facebook. go in under a different name. things of that nature that you can do to make sure that if you are being harassed, immediately report it to authorities so they can try to figure out if this person is, in fact, harassing or someone is posing as someone else, methods they can do to figure out where the message also are coming from. >> always good to sue. >> have a good day. big-time celebrities on the stand and sharing some nightmare experiences with the british

tabloids. we will have a live report on the phone hacking scandal that continues to rock britain, next. g healthy can be fun. see? he's taking his vitamins. new one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups. with crest 3d white professional effects whitestrips. it penetrates below the enamel surface to whiten as well as a $500 dentist treatment. the secret's in the strip. crest 3d white professional effects whitestrips. life opens up when you do. how did i get here? dumb luck? or good decisions? ones i've made. ones we've all made. about marriage. children. money. about tomorrow. here's to good decisions. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us.

massmutual. we'll help you get there. i've tried it. but nothing helped me beat my back pain. then i tried salonpas. it's powerful relief that works at the site of pain and lasts up to 12 hours. salonpas. ♪ but you tonight [ male announcer ] this is your moment. this is zales, the diamond store. take an extra 15 percent off storewide this friday until two p.m.

when the middle class is

strengthened, when we change our tax code to benefit people who work for a living, people in the middle of the economic spectrum, everybody does better. the british press is under assault. hearings into the u.k. phone hacking scandal have turned to how the press basis in general. celebrities testified in a london courtroom this week, all sharing their horror stories of dealing with the notorious british tabloid press. michelle, i know there's been some emotional testimony. what have these celebrities been saying? >> it's been both eye opening and jaw dropping to hear some of these stories. everybody knows the british tabloids are notorious for their screaming headlines, very personal scoops and also for the lawsuits they have generated when celebrities then sue them. but i think everybody has the sort of idea about what goes on but you don't really know the behind the scenes until you hear

these celebrities' horror stories, not just about being pursued by the press. in one case siena miller say she's would find herself running down a dark street being pursued by ten big guys with cameras. she said what makes this legal ♪ fact they have cameras in the hand. you take away their cameras and you have a pack of guys chasing down a woman. and she told stories about things that would happen like she would be at a charity event for children, for terminally ill children and she would be on the floor rolling around playing with the kids, sweet moments, they were photographed by tabloids and then all of a sudden they turn up published but when the kids cropped out and just her on the floor and the tabloid saying that siena miller was actually drunk at the time, which was not true. in that case the tabloid had it apologize. then you have j.c. rowelling saying she had to move out of her home after two years because

she couldn't stand people constantly pursuing her, taking zoom pictures of her kids. they obtained a copy of one of her books before it was published. i think interestingly and strangely she said that she would get calls from people believed to be reporters who would pretend that they worked for government offices and she told these kind of funny stories, like she would get a call saying i work for the post office, we got a package here for you, what's your address? and she would almost give them the information and say, wait a minute, you're at the post office. then she said there would be embarrassed silence and they would hang up. she said in one case her boyfriend who later became her husband got a call from somebody pretend tock a tax officer asking for all kinds of personal information, how much he made a year, where he lived, his insurance number. she said he gave them all of this information, he didn't know that it wasn't really a tax officer and she said the next day he opened his door to go to work and there was paparazzi all

over his yard. we don't hear with these things. they sound funny in some way. she said it caused real emotional hurt and the celebrities said it actually damaged relationships with their loved ones because they would accuse the loved ones of leaking these stories to the press but in fact their cases their voice mail, e-mails and phones were being hacked. chris? >> unbelievable stuff. thank you so much, michelle. >> the kickoff to the holiday shopping season turns violent. a woman who pepper sprayed a crowd of shoppers. we'll take you live in our next hour to the scene. and flash mob crime. what police are doing to address this frightening new phenomenon coming up. you're watching msnbc. [ male announcer ] if you think tylenol

is the pain reliever orthopedic doctors recommend most for arthritis pain, think again. and take aleve. it's the one doctors recommend most for arthritis pain... two pills can last all day. ♪ i took some steep risks in my teens. i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. it's backed by over 19 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness.

this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. [ man ] still love that wind in my face! talk to your doctor. don't kid yourself about the risk of heart attack and stroke. if lipitor's been working for you, stay with it. lipitor may be available for as little as $4 a month with the lipitor co-pay card. terms and conditions apply. learn more at lipitorforyou.com. tried to deep-fat-fry their turkey. 15 succeeded in setting their houses on fire. at christmas, there was a lot of driving over the river and through the woods. and a little bit of skidding on the ice and taking out grandma's garage door. so while you're celebrating, allstate will be standing by. trouble never takes a holiday. neither should your insurance. that's allstate's stand. are you in good hands? ♪

good day on this holiday weekend. it is noon on the east coast,

9:00 a.m. out west and of course it's black friday. and things got out of control in california. how shopping chaos turned into a pepper spray assault. plus, we're live in cairo as police and protesters strike a deal. and win, lose or draw? why a supercommittee failure might actually mean some success for the nation. let's start with those shoppers, some of them getting more than they bargained for in california. a woman is inside a walmart near los angeles. she wants her stuff so she pepper sprays fellow shoppers moments after the store opened. police say she was trying to keep them away from what she wanted to get. kristin, you can't make this stuff up. what exactly happened? >> yeah. we've heard about people having a deliberate plan of attack for how they're going to tackle black friday but this takes that to a whole new level. this woman police say had a

deliberate strategy of using the pepper spray to get a good deal on some video games. the holiday shopping rush turned chaotic thursday night. police and firefighters called to this los angeles walmart where one shopper apparently had enough of the crowd. witnesses say customer were waiting in line for a sale on x-boxes when people started pushing and shoving. that's when they say a woman pulled out pepper spray and took aim on the crowd. >> i guess she wanted everybody to back off so she came out with the pepper spray. >> reporter: officials called the woman's behavior competitive shopping. this video on youtube shows customers recovering moments after the incident. shopper carmen johnson said she waited in line behind the woman for two hours. >> it was crazy. we were trying to get games for the xb 360 when the crowd was just rushing in and the shopper

in front of me turned around and starts spraying everybody. >> reporter: john told knbc that the woman who had two kids were her even bragged about carrying the pep are spray. >> she did mention a couple times "i got pepper spray" so i already knew who had done it. >> reporter: at least 20 people were treated for minor injuries. >> it could have been a lot worse. with as many people as they had inside, that's when you start getting people getting trampled and a stampede inside. >> three years ago, a worker in a new york store was crushed to death in a stampede. back in los angeles one young woman says she's learn her lesson. >> yeah, i won't be coming back. i don't want to do this anymore. it wasn't worth it. it's not worth the deals. >> luckily just minor injuries, the store still open, shoppers still going into today. when police called competitive shopping, they're also calling it a potential crime. the woman fled the scene

apparently without those video games and they are still looking for her today. >> i have to believe there's a number cameras there. they probably are getting a good idea what she looked like and obviously a number of people who were in line with her probably could identify her, right? >> yeah. it doesn't sound like it will be too difficult to get at least images of her or descriptions of her. that woman was behind her for two hours when she apparently bragging about the pep are spray. police reached out to them to see if they do have any surveillance video. we still haven't heard back from them. >> judging by the sheer number of people who are shopping today, retail analysts say midnight store openings might to be here to stay. moody's says a lot of shoppers preferred to stay up late and go at midnight rather than have to get up early and go to sales that start at like 4:00 in the morning.

macy's opened at midnight but some the other stores early in the morning? >> that's right, chris. many stores opened at 5:00 a.m. but the earliest was macy's opening at midnight and with us is the district vice president darlene haynes. darlene, can you tell us a little bit about this new strategy of opening at midnight. it's the first time ever for macy's. did it work for you guys? >> it seems to have. our customers were very excited this morning. we were happy to respond to the customers' request to have as much time as possible to shop and select the values we offer in our stores. we had hundreds of customers literally lined up at the doors at this score and many of the stores in the miami market. >> reporter: how would you describe those crowds that came in late last night? i would imagine it's probably the younger people who don't want to wake up early and they say let's just give it a run for this time of night? >> we did see a lot of young customers. we saw a lot of families in early. >> reporter: children? >> with children. they were enthusiastic, happy,

smiling, some of them were running but it was a really, really fun morning. >> reporter: is the trend here to stay hoping at midnight for macy's? >> it's a little early for me to say. we'll do what the customer asks us to do but it looks like that how the customer is voting. >> the mall is getting packed. there's shopping for at least the rest of the day today, chris. >> thanks so much. as i was driving in, i went by macy's in herald scare here in new york and it looked like they were giving stuff away. i thought it was liekt thanksgiving day parade leftovers but everybody was shopping. i guess that's good if people are out putting money into the economy. let's talk politics now. it promises to be another big week ahead in washington as congress. you wrote in the "washington post" about the supercommittee. you think it might actually turn

into a useful failure. explain. >> great to be with you. first of all, it's definitely worth pointing out this was undeniably a failure by the the supercommittee to reach their goal this week. >> and they were forced to admit it. >> and they were hanging their heads. so the fact that they have failed and now we've had a couple days to think about this, now where are they headed? basically one of the silver linings in this is we're able to see both parties did make some concessions here. you saw republicans come out with a deal over the past few weeks that did actually for the first time ever include new revenues on the table and as we've known, that's been the major issue in this whole fight ever sense the debt ceiling debate in august was whether or not to include tax increases in the deal. the fact that republicans' plan did include that is one benefit going forward because they're going to have to deal in congress with the debt issue again at some point. and on the democratic side as well where they introduced their plan. it did put entitlement programs on the program in some quite

significant cuts there the democrats would acknowledge were in it. so on both of those ends, it's not a mass of redefinition of the debate over the debt by any means but it's still a little bit of progress on capitol hill that we can see both parties sort of moving away from their traditional stands. >> where does that putting moving forward? what are we going to see in this next week? >> the house and senate are both back on monday and tuesday this week. there's not anything immediately coming up on the debt debate and there probably won't be any legislation for that for months at a minimum i would say. we haven't heard anything from either party. there have been calls for members on both sides, though, for congress to take up a vote on the report that was put forward last year by president obama's deficit reduction commission -- >> is that going to happen? >> the leaders right now haven't said. on beau sides i think the leadership is a little built reticent on that. they wouldn't like to see that come to the floor. if there were a vote on that on

the house side or senate side, i think you'd see a lot of part divisions open up. one of the interesting things in this past debate you saw about a hundred house members come out and urge congress to make a big deal on the debt of about $4 trillion in savings. that's the same ballpark that this commission report was recommending. so if congress did take up a vote on this, those honey numbers would be put on the spot now and at the same time you've got a lot of those members on both sides saying we refuse to raise taxes and cut entitlement programs. if there were a vote on and that right now it's unclear, it would be a pretty defining moment in the debt debate. >> ander how speaker newt gingrich is back on the campaign trail today, they've got a couple of big debates coming up. going to be interesting toy z how this goes moving forward. we've seen it before, a republican goes to the top beating mitt romney and falls. we have to see whether newt gingrich can hang on. >> i think one of the

interesting things about gingrich is when he came to the capitol hill as all the republican contenders have over the past couple of months, he was there and several of us asked the house republican leadership have you met with him, are you interested in him with a candidate? several months ago they laughed and shrugged and threw up their hands and not quite coming out and saying this but it's newt gingrich and we don't expect him to go very far because as we've all seen as a candidate he's got plenty of experience but he can be across the board in the things he'll say and the gaffes he'll make. as you've mentioned in the poll, especially in iowa, we're seeing him risingeverything hinges on that. coming out of this cnn foreign policy debate on this past week, gingrich was among the winners there because he proved himself on the stage. we haven't seen a lot on this issue but his immigration answer, how well is he going to be able to parlay that into something that could help him down the line? >> not to mention he has

organizational problems and we'll see whether hi fumiss fund-raising gets a boost from all of this. >> a programming note, following the failure of the supercommittee, guests on "meet the press" include chuck schumer, chairman of democratic policy committee and the public lobbyist, called the 13th member of the committee, grover norquist. that is sunday on "meet the press" on nbc. >> we've been following developments in egypt where is t is now after 7:00 pam. the crowd in the square is swelling where folks are calling and demanding they trn over powers to a civilian movement. at least 38 protesters have died. i understand there was appointed a new prime minister today. have you heard any reaction, especially from those in this

crowd? >> you know, when you go down and you speak to the protesters the first thing they will tell you, it's not about the person that assumes the responsibility, it's actually the power that's given to him. yes, the new prime minister has been appointed to form a new government. he is a man who has served under the former president hosni mubarak so his popularity not that high among many egyptians. it not just about him as an individual really, it's about his powers. that's one of the sticking points. the people here don't believe the military rulers of this country are going to give any civilian leader the power they need to put egypt on the path to democracy. that's why they want the military to step aside. >> then there are the three students involved in these protests, they were arrested and being held. there were conflicting reports about whether or not they were going to be able to come back to the states, although in the last hour we spoke to the mother of one of the three college students being held and she indicated she heard from u.s. officials he would be on a flight tomorrow. what are you hearing from there

in egypt? >> well, it's going to be great news for that family. the journalists here on the ground can only hear from officials. they have been somewhat ambiguous in terms of the processin folding. the judge has ordered them to be released, therefore, they will be released. the timing of when they'll be released is really more a matter of procedure. according to some because today was friday, the necessary paperwork was not getting done because of the bureaucracy and government agencies being shut down. as the mother told us, she said that's going to be cleared and the children will be back in the united states at some point on saturday. >> good news indeed for all those families. thanks so much for that update. >> and next, the white house gets into the holiday spirit with a special delivery in just moments. keep it here on msnbc.

i'm an expert on softball. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for

because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. massmutual. we'll help you get there.

. yes, the white house christmas tree has finally arrived, a sure mark that the season is upon us. it's a 19 foot balsam fur. we saw the clydesdales that came in on the wagon. a big morning there can he white house. >> reporter: it certainly was a big morning here, chris. the holiday spirit is in full force with the arrival of the christmas trees. in terms of decorating it, there are going to be volunteers coming from all across the country to help decorate the tree. it's hard to imagine malia and sasha won't get in on it a little bit. this is a 19 foot balsam fur.

the national christmas tree association has been providing trees to the white house sense 1996. the idea of the official white house christmas tree actually dates back all the way to 1889 and the harrison administration. this is something that has been going on for a very long time and it is the great tradition to watch unfold. as you said, eventually this will make its way into the blue room. >> awesome looking tree. when will we see it all decorated? >> reporter: the first unveiling will be next wednesday when the first lady will invite military families to view the tree at the white house. the kids are going to go off with some the white house chefs and florists here and there will be a whole demonstration of the treats and all of the

decorations here at the white house, arts and crafts. it should be a lot of fun. there's also this year, by the way, going to be a separate tree for gold star families. those are families who have lost loved ones to service overseas. so it should be a great day, a day of family coming here to the white house and enjoying what will no doubt be some great decorations when it's all said and done. >> you mentioned we saw the first ladies, we you sat girls, i even thought i saw bo running around the tree. where is the president today? >> reporter: the president has snuck off today and he's actually playing a little bit of golf. that's because it's so beautiful today. a lot warmer than it was yesterday. it's in the 60s. the president is off playing golf with three other people, including reggie love, who is one of his very close assistants here at the white house. reggie love is going to be heading off to business school soon. so a chance to play golf with him i'm sure as much as he can before he leaves. >> i'm guessing there's a lot of

folks doing that. other folks may be doing the black friday shopping. it's beautiful weather here on the east coast. it good to see you out there on the lawn and it's nice that it's a nice day for you. thanks so much. >> families in texas and oklahoma, though, having a tough time finding a tree this year because they have had a devastating drought and it's killed a lot of the trees. hundreds of others burned in wildfires that were caused in part by the trout. some are importing trees but it's unlikely to make up for the widespread loss. >> up next, violent flash mobs. what you need to know about those social networking nightmares. [ female announcer ] removing facial hair can be irritating.

challenge that. new olay smooth finish facial hair removal duo. first a gentle balm. then the removal cream. effective together with less irritation and as gentle as a feather. new olay hair removal duo.

cell phones and social networking sites have been used to organize protests like we've seen across the middle east but they're also being used to organize something more

sinister, splash mobs. spontaneous mobs have descended on stores to rob them. michelle, good to see you given. law enforcement officials say this is kind of an emerging form of a crime that they've been sort of having trouble monitoring, right? >> you're exactly right. sometimes it's organized by social networking, sometimes being in a group together and designeding on a particular store like last weekend in the silver spring, maryland area. a group of about 78 went into a convenience store. i spoke with montgomery county police this morning, they said out of the 78, 22 have been identified. they're categorized in three groups. in this particular scene, there was one group that was simply watching, one that paid and then another group that did not pay. so out of the 22, so far they have taken photos and gathered information on six of those and now they're moving forward.

it's taking a lot of time and resources to figure this out actually. >> and their attempts to prevent it have caused reproblems. there's a lot of controversy about how far police ought to be able to go to stop this. >> you're exactly right. when i spoke with police this morning, they said, look, the best thing you can do if you're working in one of these stores or you're a customer and something like this happens, pick up the phone and call 911. worst case scenario, they come out there and help to stand guard, they serve as an extra set of eyes. they just don't want anyone to get hurt. back in august also in montgomery county, maryland, there was another mob scene that had happened in germantown where 25 people went into a convenience store, 18 of those have been identified, 14 juveniles and three adults have been charged with theft under $1,000, conspiracy and disorderly conduct. if you do decide to take part in these alleged crimes and do decide to move forward with it,

you can be held responsible. sometimes if you're watching, sometimes if you're taking part, it's not okay to go into these stores and to take from other people. it hurts their bottom line, their bottom dollar and in turn makes prices go up and could also turn into something dangerous, especially if one of these store clerks decide to do something about it. >> what are police doing to stop it before it happens? >> they're monitoring social networking, getting together, doing the best they can. in the recent maryland incident, a lot of those folks had come from a party. so there was a call for a party in the area, they went to that party and put two and two together that some of the people inside that store may have come from that party. they're still trying to figure that out. but trying to keep track of large groups. if you see something on social media, on twitter, on facebook and it looks like something's being organized, alert authorities, let someone know so someone doesn't get hurt and you don't take advantage of these innocent businesses. >> thank you so much.

next, did pennsylvania's governor move too slowly to vet the penn state sex abuse kase. and what's behind a new call to spend more american troops to afghanistan? ♪ ♪ ♪ when the things that you need ♪ ♪ come at just the right speed, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ medicine that can't wait legal briefs there by eight, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ freight for you, box for me box that keeps you healthy, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ saving time, cutting stress, when you use ups ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪

♪ i think i'm falling ♪ i think i'm falling [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ for you [ male announcer ] this is zales, the diamond store. take an extra 10 percent off storewide now through sunday.

it is 28 minutes past the hour. welcome back to msnbc, i'm chris jansing. are you too late to get the best black friday deals? we'll tell you where you can still score big. and disturbing new allegations of abuse against the coach at the center of the penn state allegations. and as the u.s. prepares to withdraw troops from afghanistan, there's a new order to send more military into the combat zone. >> jerry sandusky's attorney is denying two new allegations of child sex abuse against the former penn state football coach. what's the latest, jay?

>> reporter: you talked about jerry sandusky's attorney. he says categorically these are false, that he will defend these accusations but they come from two new sources, two are that are under the age of 18 currently and one of those a relative of the family according to his torn. yesterday we saw jerry sandusky a couple of times, first with his dog and a second time with his wife. it's the first time we've seen them together as a couple in the last week or so and definitely since at gagss a family member may be involved. while there continue to be growing questions about governor tim corbitt's role in all of this. he was a member of the penn state board here but said nothing to the members of the board as the investigation was going on, chris. >> there are questions about the role pennsylvania's governor played in the role of the

investigation. he's it and some tough questions about this. give us the background. >> basically what he has said as the attorney general and member of the penn state board he felt he couldn't speak about what was going on, felt the law would not allow him to do that. legal experts have looked at him and said they believe it would allow him to at least they took a look at sandusky. some believe that may have been something he was required to do. that's why a lot of people are frustrated, a lot of people saying if he had said something, got the board or anyone at the university just to take a closer look, they may have prevented some of the future abuse. >> so many questions about different people and what they knew and what they should have said or done at the time. but let's talk football because at the heart of penn state is their beloved team and they've got a make-or-break game tomorrow. >> yeah, no question about that. everybody's, isling around this nittany lion football team.

they go out for their last regular season game for tomorrow in wisconsin, they play the badgers. if they win that game, they move on to the big ten championship. in that game they would be playing for the trophy that before this scandal had the name of joe paterno on it. >> jay gray, thank you so much. >> federal investigators are trying to determine what went wrong when a small plane crashed into the mountains near phoenix, arizona wednesday night. place say three adults and three children were in the plane and all were killed. they were reportedly heading to a thanksgiving weekend in southeastern arizona when their plan slammed into a cliff just after sundown. >> authority are searching for two suspects after gun fire broke out at a north carolina mall this morning. while it caused quite a commotion, no one was hurt. if you think the black friday crowds are big at your local

stores today, just try shopping in new york city. an estimated 10,000 people were waiting when the macy's flagship store opened at midnight. we're joined live from the manhattan mall. i guess those door bustersnded in less th-- busters end in hal an hour? >> reporter: that was onech the big strategies retailers used, opening earlier than ever and cutting off those door busters a little earlier as well. some store opening as early as last night at 9:00 p.m. and many others at midnight. that's sort of a new strategy this year and one that actually seems like it has worked. the national retail federation is saying they're seeing good numbers this year and that consumers have responded to that opportunity to get into the stores early. another trend we're seeing that seems to be helping sales is the move toward targeting shoppers with technology. mobile sites have been big this

year among stores sending shoppers exclusive deals only available on mobile sites, some sending them directly to their smart phones with the hopes they'll be able to shop as they're in stores, maybe even buy from them instead of from the competition. some people, though, saying this has gone just too far. one target employee got 200,000 signatures on a petition asking the chain not to open its stores on thanksgiving so that employees could enjoy the holiday with family and friends. stores are saying that maybe they would rather not do that but if their competitors are doing that, they feel like they have to, too, because this is such a competitive day. retailers will tell you that this really sets the tone for holiday shopping the rest of the season. in fact, some stores make up to 40% of their profits for the year on this day alone. so a big day, chris, and one that seeps to be going very well, at least here in manhattan. >> thank you so much for that update. the big sellers this black friday, electronics. we're seeing shoppers leaving

scores with big screen tvs literally by the car load. retails are giving huge discounts on hot gadgets this year. what are you seeing in los angeles? what's the hot item? >> reporter: you're right, chris, tons of tvs, the hottest door buster was a $19 9, 42 inch flat screen tv, laptops and tablets and ereaders are really hot it year. they're also excited the doors of this best buy opened at midnight instead of 4 a.m. like last year. >> and we were tacking about this debate over when they should open. what time did that store open and how have the crowds grown or waned as the day's gone on? >> reporter: well, the doors actually opened at 11:30 and they started ringing people through the cash registers at midnight. there was one wave that came in

and was waiting in line for days, the first guy in line started waiting at 8:00 p.m. on tuesday night. he was waiting for more than 48 hours. then we've seen another wave this morning. the folks that were waiting in line last night, we estimated there were 1,500 in line by the time they opened the doors, they pretty much thought it was great that this store was opening up at midnight because it meant they didn't have to spend another night waiting outside, in the cold. they got to come in, get their shopping done and either hit another store or go home and get into bed and get some rest. for shoppers at least the midnight opening was a great thing. the folks here probably aren't too pleased they had to work overnight. this store expects to see 25% higher sales than on black friday last year. >> i don't get what would make you want to sleep outside for 48 hours. >> reporter: i guess a great deal on the television. the one thing people thought was worthwhile was to be able to get

a television for 200 bucks instead of $550 or $600. a lft people who are here in time for those door buster specials were saving maybe $800 if they bought enough items. >> that's a lot of money. >> reporter: they can get their shopping done, save a lot of money and i think they had a lot of fun waiting in line. a couple of people i talked to said they made new friends, had a fun thanksgiving dinner and best buy entertained the people this year, they screened the last of the harrow potter movies, they screened it on this huge bus so they were entertaining people and handing out samples from the cheese kak factory. it was kind of a party atmosphere. >> that sounds not as bad as i thought it might. julia, thank you so much. >> let's talk about afghanistan. according to a los angeles times report, the u.s. commander on the ground there is preparing a request for more troops to serve as advisers for afghan military units.

do we have any idea when we might actually see an increase in american troops? >> reporter: hi there, chris. we're hearing it could be as soon asneck year. they're already trying to train and advise the afghan forces. the commander of forces here in afghanistan apparently is requesting 1,700 more military personnel to come to afghanistan. but let's be clear, this isn't combat troops. the combat troops we expect to be fully withdrawn by 2014. the purpose of this 1,700 trainers and advisers is so that these combat troops could actually leave by the deadline and at the end of 2014. if we look at july of this year, we saw the first part being transitioned into of a fan hands. we're seeing a second group

transitioning other parts of afghanistan. this doesn't mean it's going completely into afghan hands. the afghans will take the lead rote. they want to transition it quicker before that 2014 deadline so afghanistan isn't hit by the responsibility of protecting their on land at one time. they want to make sure they can do it little by little and the afghans are ready for it. >> was this a surprise, though? that's what we've been hearing so much about is bringing down the number of people who are in afghanistan. could this have been anticipated they would want to have more advisers on the ground? >> reporter: i heard part of your question there, chris. we're having some com issues. they want to make that plan smoother by the time they hit that 2014 deadline. i went to a briefing just a a couple weeks ago when are we lend a little more about what they plan to do and they hope to in fact transition afghanistan

by 2013 and be there through 2014 to watch how the afghans are doing. and if the afghans need their help, they will be here at least for another year to provide the support that the afghan security forces as well as the afghan government will need in order to fight the insurgency on their own. >> atia, thank you so much. and next the new accusations in the uk hacking scandal. did the murdoch media empire going simply too far? just one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day

helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. [ gasp ] [ mom ] my husband -- he thinks it's a 3-sheeter. i say 1-sheeter.

bounty can clean the mess with less. [ female announcer ] in this lab demo, 1 sheet of bounty leaves this surface as clean as 2 sheets of the bargain brand. ♪ dance cooking? bring it. super durable. super absorbent. super clean. bounty the 1-sheet clean picker-upper. and try bounty napkins. bounty the 1-sheet clean picker-upper. now there's no need to hold back. new revolutionary scope dualblast obliterates strong food odors leaving your breath minty fresh. hey. [ male announcer ] so there's no trace of evidence... new scope dualblast. and last chance at medicare open enrollment, too. what do you mean? it ends december 7th. if you haven't reviewed your medicare plan choices yet, well, it's getting late. medicare gives you free cancer screenings and wellness visits, and 50% off brand name prescription drugs when you're in the donut hole... it's all part of the health care law. december 7th? i better get goin'! [ male announcer ] medicare open enrollment ends soon.

call 1-800-medicare or visit medicare.gov to learn more. how do you know which ones to follow? the equity summary score consolidates the ratings of up to 10 independent research providers into a single score that's weighted based on how accurate they've been in the past. i'm howard spielberg of fidelity investments. the equity summary score is one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. get 200 free trades today and explore your next investing idea. there is news out of aruba today in the case of the missing woman melissa gardner the judge has declined the request for a jail extense of 30 days. if prosecutors don't appeal

tlshs is a chance giordano could go free on tuesday. her body has never been found. >> this has been a week filled with emotional testimony in london where the u.k. phone hacking inquiry has turned into a scathing review of british tabloid newspapers. michelle kosinski joins me from london. let's talk a little bit about what the goal of these hearings have been. we remember after the death of princess diana, there were calls to change things. >> reporter: it's always sort of a wave. things will get a little extreme and then something might happen to scale things back or there might be a big lawsuit, that sort of thing.

when the phone hacking scandal blew up, first the government initiated a wider investigation of that issue but then they said let's do to inquiry and look at the practices of the press in general. so now they're sort of opening up these hearings for people to come in and tell their stories. some of them are so outlandish pe-the-read like something out of of the tabloids, it's the newspaper's own scandalous behavior making the headlines. it's not easy to feel sorry for celebrities and billionaires that some of their stories are so jaw dropping, it does help you feel the helplessness and frustration they feel trying to put a stop to this stuff. here's what they said. >> it's really terrifying running down a dark street on my own with ten big men chasing me. the fact they had cameras in their hand meant that that was legal. >> such a sense of invasion. it's difficult to explain to

people who haven't experienced it what that feels like, the twist in the stomach because you wonder what do they want, what do they think they've got? >> reporter: we've never really heard details about this before. when you hear it from that perspective, it really does stop you. i think some of the best stories, siena miller said she was at a charity event for sick children and playing with a little boy on the floor. one of the tabloids took pictures but in the end cropped out the kid and sad that she was drunk at this charity event, which was not true and the paper then apologized. and j.c. rowling tould about how one time her little daughter who is in first grade came home from first school and she finds a letter from a reporter who had gotten it inside this child's book bag. another reporter said her daughter at school revealed the ending of "the deathly hallows."

she said she and her loved ones would get calls from people who would pretend to be government officials and they would ask for personal information like your address, how much you make a year and insurance numbers and some of her loved ones would give. this information thinking they were legit and the next day there there would be paparazzi showing up. it really was shocking, chris. >> what are the british laws? obviously we have some pretty significant freedoms here constitutionally, freedom of the press. i was struck by what siena miller said, ten men -- and she's a small woman, ten men are chasing he done a dark alley and it's legal because they have cameras in their hands. >> reporter: she said take away their cameras and you just have a pack of men chasing down a woman. privacy law here is complex of course as it is everywhere but

it's seen as developing. and there's been this really pull and push because we all know that there is a fine line between imposing more standards on the press and preventing the press from actually being able to expose things that are in the public interest. so you're always going to get that dynamic. i think what's interesting here, you see it generally from an american perspective is privacy laws actually being tougher here whereas in the u.s. in many cases when you're dealing with privacy and like libelish us iss a defense. in britain not necessary. people here can get a super injunction -- let's say someone's having an affair and this is a case that actually happened. they can go to court, get a super injunction that prevents all the press from saying anything about it or naming

anyone and the press is also not allowed to talk about the fact that there is a super injunction. so there are some strict rules but what we've seen is that many of the penalties here and those rules themselves are not necessarily a deterrent for newspapers running outright false information at times. chris? >> michelle kosinski, thank you so much from london. >> we're talking about the muppets and the box office hits ahead. and sidewalk santas on parade along manhattan's ritzy fifth avenue. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ for you [ male announcer ] this is zales, the diamond store. take an extra 10 percent off storewide now through sunday. take an i've tried it. 10 percent off but nothing's helped me beat my back pain. then i tried this. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for.

salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours. and my pharmacist told me it's the only otc pain patch approved for sale using the same rigorous clinical testing that's required for prescription pain medications. proven. powerful. safe. salonpas. ♪ imagine me and you, i do ♪ i think about you day and night ♪ ♪ it's only right ♪ to think about the girl you love ♪ ♪ and hold her tight ♪ so happy together [ male announcer ] when life changes, so can your insurances needs. use travelers free guide to better coverage to stay prepared.

is your auto and home insurance keeping up with you? contact your local travelers agent, or call 800-my-coverage.

how about some skiing this weekend at california's sugar bowl? at least one run is open this weekend. it was enough for the die hards to get out on the slopes and look like they were having a good time doing it. what's the forecast for the rest of the country?

bill has the details for us. hey, bill. >> a good friday to you. a lot of people heading back from their holiday destination, maybe get a little shut eye after shopping all night. whatever your plans are, the weather is most likely going to cooperate. the entire east half of the country is fantastic weather conditions. very warm for this time of year. even areas of the southwest have cleared out for rather nice conditions. here's how the weather map sets up. mild air is pumping in off the gulf, heading up through louisiana, all the way through the great lakes into new england. the storm system we're going to track this weekend now in new mexico. that's where it's a little rainy and cloudy and less than ideal. as we go through the day today, some of that rain there spread. the other travel spot to watch for trouble is in seattle. you're clearing ot today but more rain through today, less

than an ideal weekend forecast. for today there is some of that wet weather in the new mexico area. areas that kansas city, maybe a shower storm late in the day but look at the east coast, temperatures 60 to 65. it continues into saturday with great conditions on the east coast. that's when we start to deal with stormy and wet weather, especially the deep south up through the great lakes, saturday and sunday could be mixing with snow in areas like chicago. overall on this friday, it doesn't get much better than this. hopefully can you get outside and enjoy it. >> while crowds are braving falls this weekend, others were heading straight to their local movie theater. why wouldn't they with a bunch of new movies hitting the theaters. for a preview of what's going on this weekend, let's talk with a senior writer for "newsweek." let's talk movies. it is a big weekend. let's start with the muppets. it's been such a lgtime. >> it's been2 years since the muppets were on the big screen. i have to confess, i actually

cried during this movie. >> you cried is this. >> i cried. they were tears of joy. i was so happy to see kermit back on the big screen. there's singing and dancing -- >> let's talk about miss piggy's love life. >> she's still with kermit. >> now i might cry. >> and martin scorsese has a film? >> it's about a young boy in paris who lives in one of the clock towers and goes on this adventure. it's a little long. if you have younger kids, i don't know if this is the movie for them but it's gotten great review ps. >> is it going to make me cry? >> no, it's not going to make you cry. >> for those already in the christmas spirit there's something called "arthur christmas." >> yes, i don't know if you knew this but santa's youngest son named arthur -- >> i didn't know santa had children. >> he has two sons in this movie. and he's called upon to save

christmas when one present has forgotten to be delivered. >> that's a very odd looking santa actually. isn't it? >> oh, there. >> we missed it. >> it's an animated santa. >> so get over it in other words. for those who want to go out without the kids or maybe you don't have kids, there a couple of movies out this week that really are kind of grown up movies, they're getting oscar buzz. let's start with "my week with marilyn." >> michelle doesn't look exactly like marilyn monroe but she totally pulls this off. she's going to get an oscar nomination, might win. >> absolutely. it's kind of a cool back story. this is whether she was making a movie with lawrence olivier? >> she's goes to london to do it, olivier is really excited and he realizes marilyn monroe can't act. it's all about the drama back

stage. >> and friends with the production assistant? >> she has an affair with the production assistant. in the movies. it's the kind of movie if you took your parents or grandparents to, they'd appreciate it. >> and then there is a black-and-white silent film called "the artist." >> it's black and white, a french cast of most li unknown to american audiences in is the movie that's going to get all the attention this year at the oscars. i think it will come in and sweep everything, the critics love it, it's a lot of fun and the person to watch for in in movie isn't a person at all. it's a dog named uggie, jack russell terrier and he steals the whole thing. >> now i will go. thank you for coming in. we appreciate it. that's going to do it for me. i'm chris jansing. i thank you for watching. i hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend. up next, "hardball" with chris matthews.

let's go to vegas. alright, let's do it. let's do it, let's go to vegas. vegas baby! maybe we should head back to the dealership first? vegas! no, this is a test drive. vegas! [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a jetta. that's the power of german engineering. get zero first month's payment, zero down, zero security deposit and zero due at signing on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com.

and zero due at signing on any new volkswagen. ♪ ♪ ♪ when your chain of supply ♪ goes from here to shanghai, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ chips from here, boards from there ♪ ♪ track it all through the air, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ clearing customs like that ♪ hurry up no time flat that's logistics. ♪ ♪ all new technology ups brings to me, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property."

and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years.