>> "news nation" is following how the extreme weather is sweeping across a third of the countries is affecting plans for millions of people on the busiest travel day of the year. more than 3 million plus travelers expected to fly today. this is what many -- take a listen what many are facing across the airports around the country and of course on the east coast especially right now. long lines, delays and cancellations, according to the site flightstats, which checks flights worldwide, more than 400 flights have been canceled and more than 2700 others delayed. and one glance at flight aware's misery map, that's what they call it, deemed the misery map, it shows and not just airports in the path of this storm system that's affected. so far airports in new york city, washington, chicago and boston and atlanta are all seeing the most cancellations and delays and still some passengers were optimistic they would get out of town.

>> i like my chances of getting there. >> it was nerve-wracking but everything is on time and got here on time, no traffic getting in this morning. it's been smooth for me. unfortunately a i know a lot of people are stuck. >> traveling by road is expecting to get increasingly difficult in ohio and new york and pennsylvania where drivers are facing treacherous icy roads. the slippery conditions are being blamed for dozens of accidents, including a deadly pileup that shut down part of a major interstate in pennsylvania for hours. and after upstate new york and western pennsylvania saw heavy snow overnight, the snow continued to fall throughout the morning. buffalo and rochester, traveling by rail also not easy. this was the scene at new york's penn station yesterday where every single line was delayed. in all, some 58 million americans have been impacted and this satellite image released by

nasa shows just how wide it reaches, the entire country almost covered there. katy tur is at laguardia. what's the latest there now? >> reporter: the storm has such bad timing for everybody across the country and everyone is feeling delays in some form or another. we've been here at laguardia since 6:00 a.m. this morning. we first got here there were almost no delays or cancellations and as the day has gone on, there's only been a few more here and there. we're seeing a handful of delays on the board now at american airlines. they range from about 15 minutes to an hour and a half, only a couple cancellations, laguardia has been running pretty smoothly as the day has gone on. the flights are able to take off pretty much just fine here at laguardia, the inbound flights are having a much harder time, it's an hour delay coming into laguardia and most of the new york city airports at this time, two hours right now and two

hours for the entire day, 250 flights have been canceled and right now flightaware is showing 459 flights are delayed, from every major airport in the country, you have sfo, lax, new york city, d.c., atlanta, all of them are experiencing some delays in one for or another. even if you don't have bad weather where you have, you will have issues because you might be flying into bad weather. and all of this has trickled down from other airports and it's a cascading effect, 2.4 million people are trying to travel today and at least a handful of them probably a considerable amount more will run into problems. tamron? >> absolutely, katy, i'm looking at the app i have on my phone, my own flight to see if it's delayed and so far to your point, these outbound flights, at least at laguardia not affected. when you have a weather system

that slows down connections and if you're flying we're all in the same boat. >> reporter: absolutely. the issue you might find if you're coming to the airport later today is the wind. the winds are supposed to pick up in new york city. we've been talking about the balloons for tomorrow and whether or not they can fly them because the winds will pick up. the winds can also affect flights whether or not they can take off. there is an issue in some cases where the winds get too strong and everything gets grounded. hopefully by the time you get here it will be okay. fingers will be crossed. if it's really bad, there's a guy dressed up as a turkey walking around that can entertain you and christmas carollers for thanksgiving and bars are fully stocked. >> i think to your left or not far there's a five guy burgers which is always where i end up. i see the people traveling with kids. i'm traveling without a child. so my heart goes out to them because that's the hard part trying to convince a 6-year-old why you're delayed in the second

hour and they should keep cool. we'll see what happens. >> reporter: i can't imagine anything worse than that. nowadays there's iphones and ipads and way to distract them. >> thank you, katy. the weather channel's paul goodloe joins me now. i see -- there's your map. tell me where you're focused right now, paul. >> right now we're still watching the rain push across the northeast but also new england, back side though seeing snow down here where we are in atlanta on the back side of the storm system because the temperatures continue to really plummet behind this tamron. you zoom in and across lts mid-atlantic, this is the changing zone. we're seeing some freezing rain and sleet and rain changing to snow as you head through west virginia and western virginia. in new york city, a cold rain and snow not too far off to the west of you. plenty of rain through most of maine, higher elevations seeing

a cold rain at the same time atlanta is seeing some snow flurries. behind this system, the cold air is cranking out lake-effect zones. in terms of heaviest snows it will be down wind for the great lakes. pushing a foot in many locations. today, the rain slowly pushes out and snow starts coming in through tonight. the rain ending in d.c. but new york city later tonight and the snow and wind starts to push in there. then we head towards thanksgiving day, the i-95 corridor, no problems in terms of rain or snow falling but we'll have more lake-effect snow off the great lakes and higher terrain of england. if you're traveling across interstate 90 as you head across the lakes, you will be dealing with snow. now, this isn't just for today. this is storm total, some areas could see more than a foot of snow, mainly lake-effect and lake enhanced because of the storm system. we're still seeing maybe about 3 to 5 here in parts of central pa and central new york seeing snow

as it pushes on through. look at the temperatures today, 30s and 40s. tomorrow just the 30s, 20s in the interior. you head towards black friday, all of the shoppers, it's going to feel like heart of winter. highs only in the 0's, 20s in interior d.c., might get to low 40s there. southeast also seeing cold air, 47 in atlanta. maybe a few degrees warmer, 40s and 50s, cold for this time of year and region. day after thanksgiving for shoppers, close to average, 50s and even 60s here at montgomery and new orleans, a chilly black friday, high of only 58 degrees. tamron? >> need a nice warm bowl of gumbo down there. as airlines face the busiest time they are getting a good sense of how the public feels about a proposal to allow cell phones on planes. the fcc noungsed it would consider dropping that cell phone ban and got a lot of pushback from flight attendants

but the agency cautioned before they make the decision, they would consider public input and now a new huffington post poll out this week, 49% of respondents do not think cell phones should be allowed while 31% say they should. joining me now, paul hudson of flyers rights.org. thanks for joining me. >> glad to be here with all of the weather. >> absolutely. safe and sound, other people are out there traveling. let me ask you, this is the first major holiday where people are allowed to keep their phones on and ipads and not in wi-fi mode. it seems flight attendants are adjusting well to that change. it's the issue of having phones on planes. >> allowing cell phone calls as opposed to other things is another major step. and most flyers are against

that. and we feel that it would be very disruptive to do it on a unrestricted basis certainly. >> go ahead. >> i mean, i've already heard people leaving their cell phones on without it being on airplane mode when the plane is taking off and climbing and very jarring to hear somebody's phone going off not to mention what's going to happen when we have a weather emergency with perhaps dozens if not hundreds of people trying to chatter on their phones. >> like today for example, you have flights that are delayed and you have people that wish they could all get on the phone and let the person know who's picking up or meeting them the status. it's interesting in the usa today, there's an article on traveling by bus -- i'm sorry, associated press -- how many younger americans are discovering bus travel and one of the reasons you have free internet connections. with amtrak you're able to stay

connected as well, via making a phone call or using internet. do you believe the airlines are feeling the pressure, i can buy my ticket with my smartphone, so this is a part of our daily habits, why not keep that extension going while on board your flight? >> of course on an airplane you're much more restricted and often you're on there for a very long time. and i of course traveled on buses and amtrak and they do have quiet cars and amtrak at least used to have in effect a private phone booths if you needed to make a phone call. >> we'll see what happens. the flight attendants association, union, anyway, have expressed their concerns. they feel they will be forced to police situations if people got loud and that would make an unsafe environment for them. happy thanksgiving, we appreciate you joining us today. >> thank you. >> betting on a bargain. shoppers have been lining up since last week for the black friday deals. are the advertised bargains

really, are they really worth being in a princess castle there? >> advertised on page and 6 and 7 and 8 might be average deals. >> plus esperanza spalding lending her chorus of human rights activist demanding guantanamo bay be closed. her new single called "we are america." he esperanza will join me live. tomorrow is thanksgiving, we'd like to know what you're thankful for. you can tweet your answers using the hash tag why i'm thankful. my answer, my support of colleagues and friend and family and for the continued sacrifice of the men and women serving in our military. whoa! sweet mother of softness. paws off, pal. [ female announcer ] new charmin ultra soft is so soft, you can actually see the softness with our new comfort cushions.

plus you can use up to four times less. enjoy the go with new charmin ultra soft. we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement, standard with our auto policies. so call liberty mutual at... today. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? is caused by people looking fore traffic parking.y that's remarkable that so much energy is, is wasted.

streetline has looked at the problem of parking, which has not been looked at for the last 30, 40 years, we wanted to rethink that whole industry, so we go and put out these sensors in each parking spot and then there's a mesh network that takes this information sends it over the internet so you can go find exactly where those open parking spots are. the collaboration with citi was important for providing us the necessary financing; allow this small start-up to go provide a service to municipalities. citi has been an incredible source of advice, how to engage with municipalities, how to structure deals, and as we think about internationally, citi is there every step of the way. so the end result is you reduce congestion, you reduce pollution and you provide a service to merchants, and that certainly is huge. female announcer: sunday's your last chance sunday's your last chance to save big during sleep train's triple choice sale. through sunday, thanksgiving weekend,

save hundreds on beautyrest and posturepedic. or choose $300 in free gifts with sleep train's most popular tempur-pedic mattresses. you can even choose 48 months interest-free financing on the new tempur-choice with head-to-toe customization. the triple choice sale ends sunday, thanksgiving weekend. ♪ sleep train ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪

the weather is expected to clear up in time for black friday when retailers will roll out the big deals to lure you in the store. some stores are even opening under much controversy over thanksgiving day. people are already lined up looking for those advertised deals. in fact, according to a survey by the national retail federation, 140 million people plan to brave the crowds or shop online over the long thanksgiving weekend. nearly a quarter of those people, 33 million, plan to shop on thanksgiving day. are those holiday bargains really what they are cracked up to be? joe fryer is outside of best buy in los angeles. happy thanksgiving early to you. i saw you discussing this earlier and i was so intrigued by fact that some people are surprised that a lot of these deals have either been offered earlier in the year or are not

as incredible as they are billed to be. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, tamron, happy thanksgiving to you as well. the store here doesn't open -- the sale doesn't start until 6:00 p.m. on thanksgiving and folks are already lining up. the tent in front has been here since sunday. there's seven tents at this location plus a couple more people as the line starts to round the corner. everyone here is hoping to get great deals and planning on that. others might be asking, is it worth the wait? they are the images that seem to define black friday. the reason deals are dubbed doorbuster, the quiet before the crazy with some campers camping out for years. >> this year i'm going to get a laptop, hopefully a microwave also. >> reporter: aside from the really big deals, retail analysts say black friday bargains are not always the steals of the year.

>> those items advertised on page, 6, 7, 8 of the ad scan, those might be average deals. you should really question whether it's worth losing sleep to get in line. >> reporter: matthew long is with nerd wallet.com. this black friday he says macy's is promoting a jacket for $79.99 but sold the same product for the same price during its veterans day sale. another example target's advertising a mixer for $199 this friday. but earlier this month it was 15 bucks cheaper. in response, macy's says it has compelling promotions throughout the year and target says prices fluctuate to reflect the constantly changing marketplace both online and in stores. bottom line, holiday sales are starting earlier. >> they fear if they wait on the sidelines, they'll face shoppers who spent their entire chris mat budgets at their competitors. >> reporter: amazon's black friday deals are already available. >> i have a coupon to jc penny.

>> amanda joe hansen is devoted to the day after thanksgiving, no camping, just coupons. >> i mostly am buying clothes and shoes and i do feel the prices are cheaper on black friday than throughout the year. >> reporter: we spoke with shoppers and experts who said you will find plenty of great deals on thursday and friday. you can expect to see deals promoted all the way up until christmas. the best advice is always to shop around and compare and tamron, these days there are plenty of phone apps and websites to help you do that. >> thank you very much. >> and witched between black friday and cyber monday, small business saturday is the day people are encouraged to shop mall, j.j. ren berg has been following it since it started. >> good to see you. >> since you started to cover this over the last couple of years, what are the positive numbers that show this is working?

>> well, if you just use facebook as a gauge, the likes have gone up probably three times since this first started and if you just go around an he can dotally talking to people, consumers who go out there and support local independent businesses on saturday. >> we talk about this a lot. i'm a nostalgic kind of person. i grew up in our neighborhood, every business owned by a family you knew or if they didn't live in your community they were tied to it in some way. we get caught up in the bigger stores and that's natural and they have place as well. but it does really fuel a community's growth, it fuels the pride in the community when you see small businesses such seetd. >> think of the sense of community, the fact is if you don't shop at your local cure, it's going to disappear. this is a time to sit back and reflect on that idea. what would you do if the local

toy store wasn't more or the boutique you like to shop at disappears? that's what going to happen if people don't shop there. it is time to all be reminded of that, shop small on that day and hopefully throughout the year as well. >> it's a reminder if you're an entrepreneur and want to launch into a small business, there are initiatives and there are platforms out there to promote your business. one of the things you and i discussed earlier is a share the wealth mentality, tell each other about your customers and in a sense grow together. >> yeah, and for the past year i've been doing a series of main street usa going around to main streets across america and asking these small business owners what's working. and the places where i feel like it's really working is where they work all together, co-promote each other and have events where stores are open late together and they have maybe wine at the stores and

co-promote things. it is all about marketing together. >> we know the economy is slowly recovering. how would you gauge the spirit of entrepreneurs? are you seeing more people ready to dive in whereas perhaps they were not a few years ago or is there still that same hesitation that many people have quite honestly when they think about buying a home as we wait to see what's next with our markets in in economy? >> the spirit is certainly alive and well. when the economy took a dip, one of the things that happened, people that may not have started a small business, love their jobs and health insurance and decided there's nothing else to do, may as well start a small business. now people can go into it with a little more security that the economy is behind them as well. >> that's great news. thank you so much. you can watch your business 7:30 a.m. eastern time on msnbc. we're also following developing news involving small businesses

and the president's health care law. we'll get the latest from the white house. plus, pope francis taking on capitalism and what he calls the idol tri of money. the first major writing since becoming pope. >> esperanza spalding out with a new song and video calling on our leaders to close guantanamo bay just as time may be running out on the law to keep the prison camp open. she'll join us to talk about her new single. ♪ ♪

you get your coffee here. you get your hair cut here. you find that certain thing you were looking for here, but actually you get so much more. when you shop at these small local businesses, you support all the things that make your community great. the money you spend here, stays here. in this place you call your neighborhood. this saturday is small business saturday. get out and shop small. to share with family. [ woman 2 ] to carry on traditions. [ woman 3 ] to come together even when we're apart. [ male announcer ] in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and more, swanson makes holiday dishes delicious.

okay, who helps you focus on your recovery? yo, yo, yo. aflac. wow. [ under his breath ] that was horrible. pays you cash when you're sick or hurt? [ japanese accent ] aflac.

love it. [ under his breath ] hate it. helps you focus on getting back to normal? [ as a southern belle ] aflac. [ as a cowboy ] aflac. [ sassily ] aflac. uh huh. [ under his breath ] i am so fired. you're on in 5, duck. [ male announcer ] when you're sick or hurt, aflac pays you cash. find out more at aflac.com. 12 years after it opened in the aftermath of nefrn, a new provision will allow for transfers of gitmo detainees for

detention and trial. the republican controlled house has to get on board for changes to take place. 164 people are still being detained at the prison, even though a majority of them, 84, have already been clear for transfer. most of the detainees have never been charged with a crime and now the grammy award winning artist is lending her voice to pressure congress to close down guantanamo for good. esperanza spalding is inspired by the words of martin luther king to write a song and create this video about what she believes is an injustice carried out in america's name. ♪ ♪ you have to ask the question what does in the name of freedom mean ♪ ♪ we are america in our america

we put a stamp on this ♪ >> joining us now, esperanza, good to see you. >> good to see you too. thank you for having me. >> absolutely. i read several pieces on the song and one of things that stood out most to me, we have an issue with people calling it a protest song and doesn't fit the description of your passion and why you wanted the song to come to live. tell me about the process and how you got here. >> i realize i was really getting more and more troubled by the ongoing reality of indefinite tension without charge or trial. and i wasn't really sure what i was going to do but my band members came to me and said can we do something about this? we settled on the idea of a song and we found so much support from our friends and human rights organizations and family and the thing just kept growing to become the project that you see today.

i say it's not a protest because really it's an invitation for us to get engaged with democratic process. i'm not trying to put pressure on congress. i'm trying to help create a platform for more of the american public to voice the genuine concern that i think most of us have about the ongoing existence of the detention center. >> part of the effort and video as well, you've encouraged people to contact members of congress. when you're calling them and putting them on the line, that is meant to put pressure and many would say rightfully so. >> yeah, i guess pressure is the word that troubles me because it's no easy task to be in the job that our representatives and senators have. so i don't like to use the word pressure, it's more voicing what we want. it's a representative democracy. so i've heard so much times, my friends and neighbors and colleagues, i know, it's so wrong, we have to do something

about it. we didn't translate that concern to our representative, be it our senator or representative. so this is an invitation to say, okay, take that concern, take that pain and that worry and voice it so that our message is getting through to the decision makers. >> some of the people in the video harry belafonte, stevie wonder, when you made the call to them, i can't imagine a single one of those names saying they would not be on board happily. >> happily, meaning it's important to us and it's time and you know, it's such a gift and a joy to be engaged in the process and under democratic process and i think maybe we forget we each can do something, it seems like such an overwhelming issue and any overwhelming issue gets solved by slow continual person by person action. that's the invitation. and i think it's an ongoing

project with more and more guests and friends lending their cameos and all of the people that come back with a really positive response. it's exciting to be a part of something to create more justice in the word. that's really what this project is all about. we sang as americans, we are not advocating, can't put our name on indefinite detention without a charge. can you imagine being thrown somewhere without being charged for 11 years. >> we know seven of the 800 men who passed through guantanamo have been convicted and sentenced, 7 out of 800. those are staggering numbers. last i have to ask you about the tone of the song. it is not a somber song or slow song. it as han incredible funky beat and sense of power. you close your eyes and just listen to the music alone and you feel the power that you're conveying behind this message of yours. >> yeah, well, we're powerful

individuals. you know, each of us have a lot of power in us to contribute to powerful transformation of the word we live in. it's a celebration, we don't have to sit here and let unpleasant things happen under our nose. we can celebrate this freedom and power we have to make a difference. >> thank you very much for joining us. i know you're incredibly busy and your fans want to hear every bit of music that comes from your mind and heart. it's a pleasure to speak with you. >> it's a pleasure to speak with you. thank you so much. >> we're still tracking this nasty holiday storm impacting travelers. right now millions of folks. this is a live picture out of cleveland where you see the snow a little bit on the ground. my standards are high after living in chicago for years. hundreds of flights have been canceled and thousands delayed. we'll have the latest for you. plus -- >> even a turkey with a funny

name can find a place in politics. >> was it caramel or popcorn? two lucky birds spared from the dinner table but only one has the title of america's national thanksgiving turkey. we use this board to compare car insurance rates side-by-side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. that's one smart board -- what else does it do, reverse gravity? [ laughs ] split atoms? [ flo chuckles ] [ whirring ] hey, how's that atom-splitting thing going? oh! a smarter way to shop around -- now that's progressive. call or click today.

so i deserve a small business credit card with amazing rewards. with the spark cash card from capital one, i get 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. i break my back around here. finally someone's recognizing me with unlimited rewards!

meetings start at 11, cindy. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one. choose 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet? i need your timesheets, larry! welcome back. president obama pardoning the national turkey, but first the president announced the winner of the competition on the white house website for the title. battle was between caramel or popcorn. >> the competition was stiff but we can officially declare that popcorn is the winner proving -- there you go. proving even a turkey with a funny name can find a place in politics. as for caramel, he's sticking around and already busy raising money for his next campaign.

>> nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker joins us. we are more caramel than popcorn. popcorn was the winner. >> reporter: caramel had our vote. that's right. popcorn managed to win out. a number of americans went online and voted between these two birds and i can tell you that there are a number of similarities between them. they are both 20 weeks old, both weighing in at 38 pounds. they are also some distinct differences worth mentioning, popcorn's favorite musician beyonce, favorite song halo. he likes to eat corn. he's described as having a prideful gait compare that to caramel with an understated gait. i'm told his favorite food, soybean meal. his favorite song, bad romance

by lady gaga. some important key differences going on between the two birds. i can tell you both of them are going on to mount vernon. this dates back to jfk, formalized under george h.w. bush. never gets old. >> gives us a break from all of the other issues. today was not without one of the more serious issues, an announcement there's a one year delay in the enrollment for small businesses. tell me more about that, kristen. >> reporter: that's right, the serious business that took place, administration officials confirming what you just said, they are going to delay online enrollment for small businesses for one year. underscoring the point that they can enroll through brokers and agents and insurance companies and themselves but not surprisingly, republicans seizing on this saying it's another setback for the obama administration and rnc releasing

a statement that reads in part, it's time we stop delaying pieces of obama care and scrap it and start over with common sense reforms that will actually lower koflt and increase access to care. i spoke with rnc chairman michael steele who said these type of criticisms will only go so far for members of his own party. what they really need to do is put an alternative on the table. as you know, the backdrop to all of this, the administration has said its website which has been plagued by a number of glitches will be operating smoothly for the vast majority of americans by december 1st. they just wrapped up a conference call and that continues to be the case despite the fact they are delaying this portion for small businesses. now, i also spoke with a representative of small business organizations who say this is frustratin frustrating, they want to get online and sign up.

another set back for obama administration as they race to meet the deadline in a few days. >> it has wound down fast. >> more on the supreme court's decision to take up a challenge to the health care law's controversial provision mandating that employers provide contraceptive care to female employees. joining me now tom goldstein teaches supreme court litigation at harvard law school. i imagine day s like yesterday leave you awake all night pondering the decision to take the case and where this might lead us? >> it's a huge deal in the sense that the country is so focused on obama care and also we have here an echo of the supreme court's famous citizens united case, whether corporations have rights. we're going to pay huge attention to the case and we think the country will tune in as well. >> you mentioned citizens united, the tenth circuit court

of appeals in denver ruled in favor of hobby lobby, one of the stores whose owner says that this would be against his religion to provide certain types of contraception that he believes would abort a birth. it says, we see no reason the supreme court would recognize constitutional protection for a corporation aegs political expression but not its religious expression. when you look at this and the decision that came out of the third circuit court of appeals in philadelphia where the decision went against the mennonite owned wood company, when you read this tom and you know better than all of us here, we try to understand how two appealed court could see this in such a broadly different way. it's hard to digest, i think. >> it's a novel question, when is it that a company which doesn't go to church, nonetheless that's religious rights. when is it that the owners

embody the company so much that if you make the company do something against their owners' religious principles and violating it or their rights. really it's amazing that no court has ever finally decided that. that's what the supreme court is going to resolve here. >> it is amazing. on the other side, i think some people watch all day and you hear various amounts of other opinions but the bottom line, the logical thing, where does that then stop? if they say a woman's place is in the home and a person sub describes to that particular faith, is that discrimination against gays and lesbians and of race? i think for many nonlegal people in a common sense form that seems to jump to those questions. >> no question about it. you put your finger really on it. the plaintiffs real problem is where to draw the line. apporti abortion is the easy case, but there are all kinds of religion

out there. when is it that we'll be able to guarantee that the civil rights laws or health care laws will apply to employees and won't be negated -- >> and with the hobby lobby case in particular, listen, they are clear cut about abortion. but they are taking issue with contraceptives that prevent pregnancy that they believe abort a pregnancy but science says does not. then you have science factored in. >> there's no question about it. they have a line drawing problem even when it comes to the question of abortion, and the same thing can be said if you have very devout catholics and the notion of providing contraceptive care at all. even if you're sympathetic where they say guide the company, the company closes on sunday and the like, you have to wonder what will come next. >> rewe appreciate you making

time for us today. >> the pope's seeming critique of capitalism, francis paul, a new tyranny and urged the rich to share their wealth. we'll have reaction.

there are seniors who have left hundreds of dollars of savings on the table by not choosing the right medicare d plan. no one could have left this much money here. whoo-hoo-hoo! yet many seniors who compare medicare d plans realize they can save hundreds of dollars. cvs/pharmacy wants to help you save on medicare expenses. talk to your cvs pharmacist, call, or go to cvs.com/compare to get your free, personalized plan comparison today. call, go online, or visit your local store today. how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us.

we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much is the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪ i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is. [ inhales deeply ] it's donut friday at the office. aso every friday morning they psend me out to get the goods. but what they don't know is that i'm using my citi thankyou card at the coffee shop, so i get 2 times the points. and those points add up fast. so, sure, make me the grunt. 'cause i'll be using those points to help me get to a beach in miami. and allllllll the big shots will be stuck here at the cube farm.

the citi thankyou preferred card. now earn 2x the points on dining out and entertainment, with no annual fee.to apply, go to citi.com/thankyoucards new comments from pope francis giving the world a lot to think about this thanksgiving. an 84-page document called the joy of the gospel and criticized the popular economic theory saying some people continue to defend trickle down theories and this opinion has never been confirmed by facts expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power. joining me now, host of the catholic guy show. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> you have the pope saying a new tyranny, this is not a new message but the messenger is waking us up.

>> it's not this is the first pope to love the poor or care about the poor but it's the way he says it in such a brutally honest way, i love pope francis because he's so comfortable in his own skin and comfortable making everybody uncomfortable. >> when we learn so much about him after he was named pope, part of his bioincluded his constant reminder in his home country of the poor and suffering and quite honestly was said that he wasn't as beloved by the rich because he was saying these trickle down or the wealthy taking care of the poor. >> that takes courage. that takes a lot of jesus said be not afraid, francis is simply not afraid. i think most of us go through lives at school and work at whatever and care what people think. >> we're afraid to be bold and read what someone you don't know says about us on twitter. with that said, how -- how do you -- what are people telling

you? you're on the radio all day long and hearing feedback from the every day citizen. are they truly in support of these bold news by the pope? >> absolutely. people like change. just in general people like change and like boldness. when he talks about the poor, talks about the marginalized and disenfranchised, it speaks to your heart. >> does it speak to your heart turning into action? are you seeing more people they are ready to act on this message? >> there's a lot of people that say they are ready to act, though haven't quite started acting yet. i have to start helping the poor -- >> that's the next thing. >> that's the actual activity that takes part not just making a donation online but doing something about it. i was in haiti last week, for instance, not because the pope sent me but because i went to see the poorest of the poor and say what am i doing? am i calling myself doing enoug

>> the catholic, might be my next new favorite radio station. >> absolutely. >> giving others a voice to the next segment, voices of inspiration, i had the privilege of attending an amazing event that put smiles on faces of children battling cancer here in new york, broadway gospel sensation, best in the business, singing to the kids, i'll talk with the founder next. to share with family. [ woman 2 ] to carry on traditions. [ woman 3 ] to come together even when we're apart. [ male announcer ] in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and more, swanson makes holiday dishes delicious.

♪ >> that was broadway inspirational voices group performing for families at the ronald mcdonald house in new york. over the past six months they composed an original song for

children based on experiences. one was performed for a young girl confined to a wheelchair which was lovingly incorporated into her special song. ♪ my name is bianna burton i'm always in control ♪ ♪ of this you can be certain because it's just the way i roll ♪ >> that's the way i roll. i love that one. joining me, the founder and director of broadway inspirational voices, one of my best friends in my family circle. i was blown away this year. some of these biggest names in broadway like yourself created the songs for the kids. >> that's what we do. gospel choir made up of broadway folks who want to give back talents to something other than how we make our living. last night we had not only performers but had public composers, tony award winning, grammy winning and oscar

nominated composers giving up their time to write the songs. >> they actually sit down with the kids and they get to know their stories. i love them all equally, the song for israel. he wanted a song about a super hero and named his super hero cough man, take a listen. ♪ if you're something evil you better take a note ♪ ♪ watch out for the tickle, tickle in his throat ♪ ♪ they are just over to the left, his mother is there. he has two siblings sitting with me, a brother and ronald mcdonald house in new york helps all of these families, not just about the kid but sub lings who

also -- >> one was also about a sibling. >> who lost her little brother who died of cancer. >> we used her in the program and she loved it. a chance for her voice to be heard as well. >> marian dg na, her birthday was yesterday. one of the older kids actually there, luella. >> a sibling. >> shs part of her song she did with keith her man and barry harman were the composers. ♪ >> this was about love and the experiences. you're supposed to be going to the prom and high school things and dealing with cancer and loss of a loved one. >> ronald mcdonald house new york is an amazing place. one of the things i was taken with and why i wanted to partner with them. it's a place about life. it's about celebrating these

kids and allowing them to be kids. they have programs that go on all year long that help to remind us that they are children and to support their families and to give them some sense of normality in their existence, going through the challenges. we're a part of that, i'm excited about that. >> it is exciting and i'm so happy you invited me, broadway inspirational voices, they do this concert and do several, there's one you do every year that the roof is off the building. it is fantastic. congratulations to you. so thankful to the foekds at the ronald mcdonald house, let me in their lives yesterday. seld i can come back any time. bless you all and happy thanksgiving, michael, thank you. love you very much. >> thank you. >> that does it for this edition of "news nation." to mee team, including those right here in the control booth, i love you all, happy thanksgiving. you are my heart and soul and appreciate you all. "the cycle" is up next. charitable giving. really.

i get bonuses even working part-time. where i work, over 400 people are promoted every day. healthcare starting under $40 a month. i got education benefits. i work at walmart. i'm a pharmacist. sales associate. i manage produce. i work in logistics. there's more to walmart than you think. vo: opportunity. that's the real walmart.

baby it's cold outside and windy and rainy on this tur can you day getaway. for thousandses hoping to make it hope for the holidays a massive storm system means delays and cancellations and traffic jams. this is supposed to be the busiest travel day of the entire year. high winds and snow and driving rain and even tornadoes are grounding flights and flooding streets. remember, hanukkah starts tonight. nbc's katy tur at one of the busiest airports and courtney scott are with us now and carl parker, we start with you. how is the forecast looking? >> katy, go ahead. >> reporter: it's okay.