good thursday morning. happy thanksgiving. right now on "first look," will they fly? high winds could ground the stars of the world famous macy's parade. right now ovens are preheating for those turkeys as shoppers get warmed up to battle for bargains and find out why police officers are using stun guns on themselves. today's the day for that icy comet to come in contact with the sun and own a piece of rock and roll history bruce springsteen's "born to run." happy thanksgiving, everyone. after days of treacherous travel for so many the holiday is finally here. we'll have more on that in just a moment. first, all eyes are on the stars of this thanksgiving morning, the 16 balloons flying in the macy's thanksgiving day parade.

but the weather system that snarled holiday travel, it is not over. and it has many wondering if snoopy and others will get off the ground. nbc's jay gray is live along the parade route in new york city. good morning, jay. happy thanksgiving. a lot of people looking at you because we need to know if snoopy is going to get up in the air? >> reporter: good morning, betty. happy thanksgiving to you and everyone out there. fingers still crossed here we won't have a decision until right before parade time. take a look behind me, the balloons are inflated and ready to roll should they get the chance. snoopy, one of the larger balloons in this parade and there are 16 that are threatened by the forecast here. if we see sustained winds of 23 miles per hour, gusts up to 34, then the bigger balloons won't fly. don't worry, there will still be plenty of balloons and floats along the parade route here. seven wind sensors line the route so they will keep a close monitor on this thing and make that decision again right before everything starts to roll here.

even if the big balloons don't go, and i know everybody wants to see that, i want to see that as well, even if they don't it's going to be a great parade, a lot of fun here. carrie underwood will be a part of the nbc broadcast. that's exciting. kelli pick her and florida georgia line will be on floats. country music entertainment here. the robertson family from "duck dynasty," everybody crazy about them, they will have a float for the first time. should be a very fun morning and the start to a happy thanksgiving. >> definitely going to be a sight to see no matter what. jay, thank you. stay warm out there. looks awfully cold. and a reminder the only place to see this year's macy's thanksgiving day parade is on nbc. mat lauer, savannah guthrie and al roker will have full coverage from the first float all the way down to santa claus. that is this morning at 9:00 eastern right here on nbc. a collective sigh of relief from travelers hitting the roads for the holiday. the messy weather system marching across the country caused hundreds of flight

cancellations. thousands of flight delays, and a whole lot of frustration. but it didn't cause the total meltdown many were expecting. forecasters expect things to be a lot quieter today now that worst of travel fears are behind them. nationwide, at least 600 flights were canceled as of yesterday evening with more than 5,000 flights delayed, but things are expected to run a lot smoother today. to the much to be thankful for on the 405 freeway in los angeles, though. traffic was backed up for miles on l.a.'s west side, and if you thought the 405 was packed, check this out. it's a map of what it looked like from the air last night. you can barely see any ground there. this map is from buzzfeed and courtesy of plane finder. and it's become a thanksgiving holiday tradition at the obamas, distributing food to the needy in washington. president obama, first lady michele and daughters sasha and malia were at the capitol food bank wednesday.

they were helping pack bags of food and handing them out to families in need. before that, the president and the first daughters took part in another popular holiday tradition, of course, the presidential pardon for the national thanksgiving turkey. and this year's lucky bird popcorn was selected by a vote on the white house website. popcorn went waddell to waddell against another bird caramel was that bird's name and by the way, both birds were spared. also in washington, officials kicked off the first ever thanksgivukkah. it started with the lighting of the largest menorah on the national mall. joining the jewish community were the u.s. air force band. it was a celebration that will hopefully last until the next convergence of thanksgiving and hanukkah which will be 79,000 years from now. a pizza hut manager in indiana decided to close shop for the thanksgiving holiday and you know what it did? it cost him his job.

tony roor a pizza hut employee for ten years was fired after refusing to open his restaurant on thanksgiving. more and more businesses have decided as you know to stay open today. and this is the first year roor was asked to keep his pizza hut open on thanksgiving. this story does have a happy ending. the word of roar's firing spread across the internet causing pizza hut to respond on facebook saying, he has been rehired by the store owner. all is well. time for your turkey day helping of sports. thanksgiving means family, food and, of course, a full day of football. so plan your meals accordingly. the first course begins at 12:30 eastern with an nfc north battle between green bay and detroit. your second course begins at 4:30 with the oakland raiders taking on the dallas cowboys. the cowboys are hungry for the win as they are tied for first in the nfc east with the eagles. for your final course served up right here on nbc at 8:30, afc

north fight to the end between the steelers and ravens. both are 5-6 and two wins away from the division leading bengals. home sweet home in ohio for lebron james and some cleveland cavalier fans have started a movement to try to lure the king back to ohio for good by giving out "come home lebron" shirts before the heat/cavs game. lebron swoops in for a loose ball and then charges the net for a slam dunk. he ran circles around his old team finishing 28 points. the heat win 95-84. so, of course, next stop turkey and fixings for the heat at lebron's akron home. model katherine webb is feeling a little uneasy, maybe a little cold in that swimsuit but at the iron bowl today, actually going to be on saturday and the auburn graduate is also very well known as the girlfriend of alabama's quarterback aj mccarron. this is web's first time attending the iron bowl and said she will be rooting for her man, of course, and alabama.

ahead of the much anticipated michigan/ohio state game this saturday as well, a honda dealership in michigan put out quite the deal. a car purchased between november 22nd and game day which is november 30th, it will be free if michigan shuts out their riv rivals. one can open dream, right? well, the number three buckeyes, they are favored to win by 14.5 points. so good luck with that. and minor league hockey, darren archie bold of the comets with this hard-hitting check, totally yes flipping over his opponent. ouch. that's going to sting. and college hoops, duke beats alabama 4-64 in the nit tip-off final. duke will face off against arizona in finals on friday. check this out. huntington university, one second left, trailing by one, shane merriman nails a shot from 75 feet away for the win. that was not trick camera work there, folks. that was the real deal.

and incredible buzzer beater. so cleanup efforts have uncovered more incredible video of this month's deadly tornadoes in indiana surveillance videos show the tornado's destructive power as it tore through a middle school, smashing windows and causing part of the roof to collapse. the extent of damage shown is substantial and school officials are not sure if the school will even be rebuilt. for a look at the weather outside is nbc meteorologist bill karins. >> never get caught in a gymnasium, that's what they say. >> exactly. >> today we're in the middle of some much better weather than yesterday. >> it's cold but quiet. that storm that went up the east coast that came onshore in california like a week ago, took its time going across the country and brought so many people some problems out there. a lot of people should be able to get to their destinations if you couldn't last night, in northern new england, you should be this morning, we are watching the storm exiting into canada. hefty lake-effect snows out there, driving the new york state thruway between buffalo

and syracuse or buffalo to erie, the favorite areas near ashtabula of cleveland we have lake-effect bands of snow and 81 south of syracuse some of the worst drives out there with the lake effect bands of snow. we're watching the winds in new york city. we're still gusting up to 40. we need the winds to come down. only about four hours to go before they make the decision for the balloons to fly or not. it has to get under 34. the winds are still too strong. it's cold. look at orlando, 34 is the windchill in orlando. this is by far the coldest morning of this early winter season all the way down to florida. tell you what 51 windchill in miami and people are complaining. people don't have pants down there. as far as the forecast for your thanksgiving day it looks as calm as it could get. just a beautiful, sunny clear day in so many areas. it's cold but it's going to be at least sunny and dry. little rain, if anywhere on the entire map. this is for betty since she's going to be shopping at midnight and getting in line for the big deals, the overnight lows,

planning on going out to the store you need the hand warmers like the one you break open and put in the glove. >> i need a tent and generator. >> people wait around the blocks and corners. >> already on thanksgiving day. >> yeah, stay warm. good luck. >> indeed. leading the news on this thanksgiving in the new york times, on-line health law sign-up is delayed for small business. it's another setback for the rollout of obama care impacting businesses with under 50 employees. and on nbcnews.com, thanksgiving shopping not in states that ban it. so even though over a million walmart employees will have to report to the job today around the nation, those living in rhode island, maine and mass chet, they have the day off. blue laws still rule ins those three states where shopping is prohibited today. i guess they'll just have to enjoy thanksgiving. bummer. well four people busted using a drone to speak stuff into a jail plus stun guns for police cars? and a father/son team talking

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some stories making news this morning. two people were killed in brazil after a crane collapsed at the site of a stadium that will hold next year's world cup. an investigation is under way to determine the cause. four people have been arrested in georgia for attempting to use a remote control helicopter to deliver contraband over prison walls. a guard at the prison noticed the small helicopter flying over the gate and immediately ordered a search. it led authorities to this dodge containing the chopper and two pounds of tobacco. a small victory for residents in irwindale,

california. they complained of irritated eyes and throats due to the local factory. on wednesday a judge ordered the condiment maker to partially shut down while they figure out how to reduce the tear-inducing fume coming from the factory and its crushed chili peppers. electronic cigarettes gaining popularity but are still not welcome in public places. new york and chicago are both considering banning ecigarettes from bars, restaurants. the cities join the likes of new jersey, north dakota and utah. listen to this, beijing wants it cut down on air pollution so naturally, all barbecues must be destroyed? yep. the chinese capital has already taken out 500 grills in an effort to clean the air. no word on how much that alone will help a city known for its smog. and a mayor has been arrested on drug charges. and no, it's not rob ford. the mayor of hamden, florida, was busted for trying to acquire and sell oxycodone, prompting the local sheriff to declare,

this isn't toronto. that's a quote. stock markets are closed on this holiday but money never stops. the nicetown indiana police department is going the extra mile to raise $9,000 for a new squad car. watch this. >> i got a cramp in my leg. >> and that was voluntary. even police chief danny baker is willing to be shot by a stun gun in an effort to raise money for the depleted squad cars. for those traveling by car this thanksgiving, there is good news. gas prices are down about 50 cents from its peak this year. aaa reports the nationwide average is about $3.29. a handwritten manuscript of bruce springsteen's song "born

to run" will be offered at auction in new york next month. only one of two known to exist and includes many unpublished and unrecorded lines from the 1974 version. sotheby's expects it could fetch around $100,000. but if you are short on cash, not to worry, kmart is offering a rent to own finance program on item costing over $150. finally that digital currency known as the bitcoin has reached $1,000 for the first time. great news if you own them. but just maddening for one british i.t. specialist who actually managed to toss his hard drive along with 7500 bitcoins into a landfill where that $7.5 million will lay in waste. that hurts just to even say. time to take a first look at politics and talk turkey. joining us is bob franken. good morning, happy thanksgiving, bob. >> good morning. happy everything, i guess. >> exactly.

>> thanksgiving, hanukkah, black friday eve. >> thanksgivukkah. let's talk about something serious for a moment. about 45,000 troops are celebrating thanksgiving in afghanistan, but a new security deal could keep those troops there past the 2014 draw down to train and mentor afghan security forces. is this a good idea? >> well, it depends on your point of view. probably for the afghan forces it's a very good idea, although president karzai is making it extremely difficult to reach that kind of deal. but certainly for those who want everybody home from that very dangerous part of the world, it's probably not the best idea. as a matter of fact, we're seeing that controversy raging right now. >> you know, just this week, bob, afghan president hamid karzai said the only way he would sign a security deal is after the u.s. brings peace to his country. so my question is, how exactly is he measuring peace? >> well, to say peace and afghanistan in the same sentence is ludicrous if we're going to

look at history. it's a country that has been involved in turmoil for at least a generation and i suspect once the american troops leave, there's going to be no peace because there's going to still be the unsettled business with the taliban. >> exactly. it's something that i think we're going to be talking about for a little while. back here at home, there are a few politicians looking for a little peace of their own. let's run down a list of who is giving thank on this holiday, fir first up mayor rob ford, what should he be thankful for? >> he probably can be thankful for the fact that he wasn't prosecuted. he can also be thankful for the fact he's gotten all kinds of newfound fame and probably a big speaking contract. >> he didn't lose his reality show. that one is -- >> he is a reality show. >> a walking reality show. how about senator ted cruz? >> ted cruz can probably be thankful for the fact that there's so many gull lable people out there. >> really? how do you really feel, bob? let's move on to former

secretary of state hillary clinton. >> she can be thankful for the fact that she doesn't have to campaign for the presidency. >> not yet, right. >> >> all these other groups that are doing it for her. stand there and make the big bucks making speeches. >> new jersey governor chris christie, what's he thankful for? >> thankful for the fact that he is viewed as the most sane canned candidate potential in the republican party. it is a very, very low bar. >> i was going to say. last but not least what should president obama be thankful for on this day of thanks? >> probably for the fact that he doesn't have to apply for obama care. >> oh, my goodness i knew you were going there. >> on that, i want to talk about saturday, november 30th. it is the obama administration's own self-imposed deadline for the obama care enrollment website to begin working smoothly for the vast majority of americans. are you optimistic or skeptical

about this? >> well, i think that just about any person who isn't skeptical about that probably needs to apply for the mental health part of the obama care. this has been a real slog to say the least. part of the problem is they keep on changing the definition of what they will have accomplished, so i think that most of us will say, we'll see. >> all right. i'm thankful for your sense of humor on this thanksgiving, bob. thanks for coming in and joining us. we appreciate it. >> thank you, betty. >> not going anywhere because bob franken will be back with bill karins and tell you the stories we've been talking about today, including where it will be illegal for you to shop tonight. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. tash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air.

raze get you entertainment news. goldie blocks have pulled their parody version. because the beastie boys filed a lawsuit against the toy company. which are the biggest box office flops of 2013? topping the list is the julian assange flick "the fifth estate" which cost $28 million to make but only made $6 million. thely have stallone stinker bullet to the heat head was second costing $25 million to make and then only brought in $9 million. after a two-year separation and a year-long pending divorce ashton kutcher and demi moore finalized the divorce yesterday. prince harry has left on his 208 mile trek across antarctica. the prince talked about his

attempts to get out of the trip and why prince william is jealous of him. >> obviously brought my tote hoping to get out of the trip. i think he's jealous i managed to get away from. >> i'm joined by bill karins and bob franken. "time" magazine is trying to figure out who will be the person of the year and you can vote on this. believe it or not, miley cyrus might be the person of the year? say it isn't so. but she is leading far and away by 29%. next up would be edward snowden, but miley is firmly beating vladimir putin, the russian president, and she is taking a wrecking ball to pope francis who only has 1.1%. >> she's obviously wants to wish everybody a happy twerky day. >> no way they won't do it.

past president, like presidents, the u.s. soldiers. >> you still have a week to vote, you never know. >> toronto mayor is no the on that list. what's wrong? >> i'm going with pope francis. >> bob, you're talking about something that's all-encompassing on a day like this, something we haven't seen in a long time. >> the convergence of three really, really historic days. we have hanukkah, thanksgiving, and as i said we have black friday eve which is probably the most significant of them, at least if you live in the united states. >> and this is not going to happen, the thanksgiving/hanukkah for another 9,000 years which is crazy. >> we'll be starting to get a little old by then. >> yeah. i don't know if i'm going to be around. it may be stuff. blue laws may keep people from shopping, right, bill? >> yeah. we mentioned it earlier in the show, in the three states rhode island, maine and massachusetts, you don't have the option of leaving the dinner table and going shopping, but what are we going to do with the people that are going to eat the turkey dinner and say sorry i can't do dishes, i'm going shopping?

i mean, i just don't get it. i can't imagine that family dynamic. >> people working in those blue law states are saying at least i can enjoy thanksgiving. >> that's right. but that's why they have borders to other states. >> yeah. all right. thanks, guys. appreciate it. >> happy thanksgiving. >> have a great and safe thanksgiving out there, everyone. thanks for watching. ♪ [ male announcer ] this december, experience the gift of true artistry

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good thursday morning. happy thanksgiving. right now on "first look," will they fly? high winds could ground the stars of the world famous macy's parade. right now ovens are preheating for those turkeys as shoppers get warmed up to battle for bargains. plus, find out why police officers are using stun guns on themselves. today's the day for that icy comet to come in contact with the sun and own a piece of rock and roll history bruce springsteen's "born to run." happy thanksgiving, everyone. after days of treacherous travel for so many the holiday is finally here. we'll have more on that in just a moment. first, all eyes are on the stars of this thanksgiving morning, the 16 balloons flying in the macy's thanksgiving dara