good morning. we hope had you a great thanksgiving. right now on "first look," the black friday shopping season is in full swing and not for the faint of heart. we have bargain hunter strategies you will want to hear. the giant balloons took flight. so did giant hearts who reached out to show what being thankful is all about. an update on what would be the world's largest floating city, a mile long with school, parks and an airport and room for 50,000 residents. plus -- space x scrubs its expensive mission at the last possible moment. a soda spilling time-out cost nets coach 50 grand, and the motor city wins a big one on a nasty weather day. good morning, everyone.

hope you had a great thanksgiving. i'm betty nguyen. while many of you were enjoying family and friends along with a terrific meal, millions of your neighbors ate quickly to join the mall madness. just take a look at this line from a macy's in atlanta. and this from a mall near houston. black friday started more than 12 hours ago, and the day is just a few hours old. nbc's jay gray is with those hearty shoppers at the mall of america outside minneapolis. jay, i wonder if some have been there all night long? >> reporter: i can tell you, they have, betty. good to talk to you this morning, and they plan to be here all day long. it's finally here. shopping's big day. as you talked about, it's kind of merged with thanksgiving this year, and not everybody's buying that. the dash for deals. the push for presents -- the rush for a little retail therapy actually began just after all the turkey was gone. >> i live for this day, and i take this day off of work every

year. dinner is cooked. my belly is full, and now i'm ready to shop. >> reporter: the lines stretched around stores, shoppers all shopping for the same thing -- savings. >> trying to save money. trying to get as much as we can for the kids. >> reporter: starting early, and analysts say stretching even past the weekend. >> i actually think black friday is gaining relevance, because it's becoming more of a season than one day in particular. >> reporter: but not everyone is sold on the idea of shopping thanksgiving day. >> they should all be closed op thanksgiving. it's thanksgiving. >> reporter: if there's a debate about what to do on thursday -- >> football, beer and pretzels and food. right? that's what it's about. >> reporter: friday's focus is clear -- finding that perfect gift at a great price. now a live look. you'll see most of the shoppers have bags. that means they are spending money here. so black friday, not a bad deal

for retailers either. when you consider that on average this year, shoppers expected to spend nearly $650 over this weekend. that's up 11%, betty, from black friday last year. what can i get for you? >> well i just was going say, since you're already there, i'm going to send awe list. and, by the way, you're buying. right? all right. >> reporter: we'll talk about that. >> i figured. thank you, jay. now for some smart shopping strategies you can share with your loved ones. nbc jay clackum. >> reporter: small business saturday, black friday, then cyber monday. this is the week american shoppers will be inundated like never before. >> at this point, the consumer could be facing a little bit of deal overload, and it's hard to kind of figure out where to start and where to end. >> reporter: that's why retail

experts, like trey, suggest you adopt a strategy that starts with staying connected. >> sometimes we use the target app to download coupons and scan the coupons. >> reporter: and includes social media. >> i've seen this app on facebook with my friends a lot. >> reporter: they say, make a list of what you're buying for whom. sign up for e-mail alerts and research before you shop. >> because there are so many deals out there, and they're coming from all of these different sources it is hard to take advantage of them as they come. >> reporter: if your plans for holiday shopping mean venturing no further than the keyboard, here's another tip. >> the majority of deals that are available in the store are available online. stores start online early on thanksgiving morning. so can you do both. >> ho, ho, ho -- >> reporter: and trying to fulfill a child's list with santa, a child's wish list, know that the best

deals on toys happen right before christmas. chris clackum, nbc news. in florida, a thanksgiving miracle of sorts. the mother who put the state's controversial stand your ground law back in the national spotlight is free on bail. marissa alexander sentenced 20 year years fired for what she says was a warning sigh shot for her husband. a jury convicted her or multiple accounts with a firearm despite no one being injured. that appeal was overturned. she released wednesday. bond set a little over $200,000. her new trial is scheduled for march 31st. the first family enjoyed a hearty feast at the white house, but president obama did manage to sneak away, just for a little while. the commander in chief called service members from every branch of the military and thanked them for their service and dedication and sacrifice for america. tense of thousands of troops celebrated thanksgiving overseas and of those some

40,000 troops remain in afghanistan. thanksgiving is behind us, but some good deeds and random acts of kindness added an extra touch of class to the holiday. ohio governor john kasich spent the day with families forced out of their homes for the holiday. the homes were evacuated early wednesday after a train derail caused a chemical spill. the railroad provided the displaced families with a free thanksgiving dinner. in sacramento, a record 33,000 laced up for the annual run to feed hungry people. check this out. the race hopes to raise about $900,000 for charity. and outgoing mayor, turkey and fixings for all those in need of a good meal and warm reception. the mayor has been doing it the past two decades. now the latest in sports from my dear friend t.j. holmes. good morning, t.j. so great to see you. >> good to see you. strange to hear you talk about sports, but, yeah. no. we had some newsworthy topics actually in sports. of course, thanksgiving day,

everybody's talking about football, and the first game here really was an odd game. it was an ugly game. we're talking about baltimore and pittsburgh. we start here. you see this clip. this happens every once in a while. a little snafu, the kicker trying to be a running back. usually doesn't work well. didn't work well for him. an odd play. and this is a little fun. pittsburgh, a touchdown here. the fun part. i like when they do trash talk, but this right here was a scary moment, betty, why they talk so much about safety and concussions in the league. >> goodness. his helmet comes off. >> yes. a helmet-to-helmet hit, bad enough, then he bangs his head on the turf and actually laid motionless for a while. baltimore won the game. no worthy moments there. we turn to your boys. >> oh, yeah. america's team, baby. >> oh, good lord.

>> dallas cowboys. >> you see the uniforms. they're a big deal. first time in about 40 years that they played in the blue jerseys. >> you know why that is? >> why, betty? >> it's a bit of bad luck. they haven't been doing it all these year, but -- not this time. oh, did i give away the story? >> actually, yes and no, because they did what they always do. they looked terrible for a while, and had to come back and win this thing. down early but pulled off the win. the cowboys, you know it better than anybody. they do what they do. >> that's what they do. >> even when they're supposed to look good, they look bad. and this is a good one. folks in detroit, talking for years, people complained, actually, that this tradition needed to stop. detroit playing every thanksgiving, because they were so bad for so long. well, they broke their ten-year thanksgiving day losing streak yesterday. >> all right. about time. >> yeah. beat green bay pretty handedly, and the head coach for the denver broncos, he'll be back. he had an aortic valve replacement november 4th.

good to see him up and about. going to be back on the sidelines. this here, this is cool. people that are interested, lebron james, pretty good tweeter, pretty good out there on social media. >> and photographer as well. >> yeah. he put this thing together, but this is his team, the miami heat, at his house. >> a shoeless team. >> a shoeless team. some people have these rules at their homes. you take your shoes off in king james' house. >> makes complete sense. you don't want your dirty shoes walking around the house. i get it. >> last thing here. this is sochi, the torch, the the torchbearer's flame. catches on fire. put him out. he's okay. still, that's not supposed to happen. and a major sports story. a fine for spilling a drink. >> you have to see the video. it's great. thank you, t.j. great to see you. see you soon. and detroit, a dicey weather day. snow blanketing the region led

to accidents throughout the city. condition was so bad, even interstate 75 was temporarily shut down. now let's get you a look at the weather outside this morning. nbc meteorologist bill karins is here. >> hello. >> it is a big shopping day, and -- >> had a good thanksgiving? >> yes. did a lot of eating. >> you've got to hold my bags. credit card burning. good morning, everyone. not a lot of snow or bad weather. a lot of good coming out of this black friday. temperatures, though, typically chilly. it was a cold thanksgiving. it continues that way. but the map is about as blank and clear as it gets. there's no big storms out there. we had a little bit of rain for southern cal, and also lake-effect snow showers. over the next five days our weather computers are pinpointing a new winter storm. this one stays primarily in the northern rockies and spills into the northern plains. especially montana and north dakota. that's really about it. it's looking really nice out there for everyone traveling back from your

thanksgiving destination, today a lot of sunshine, major airports just fine. no issues at all. saturday, the storm affects the pacific northwest and continuing into the northern rockies into sunday. notice, everyone in the eastern seaboard, betty, we start to warm up finally. >> oh, i like the sound of that. thank you, bill. leading headlines for nbcnews.com, last-minute glitch aborts the space launch. set to launch when a last-second order to abort the mission was issued. the reason? of course, was due to a slower than expected thrust ramp. we all know what that is. according to space x billionaire and founder elon. you can borough, one. right? well, the north koreans are at it again with nukes. details next. plus, best in show. meet the winner of the national dog show, and the floating city for 50,000 people. would you want to live here?

hey america, even though she doesn't need them, cheryl burke is cha-cha-ing in depend silhouette briefs for charity, to prove that with soft fabric and waistband, the best protection looks, fits, and feels just like underwear. get a free sample and try for yourself.

all right. stories making news, less than

24 hours before president obama self-imposed deadline for fixing healthcare.gov. as problems continue, government workers are trying to fix the system, and officials say the vast majority of people will have a better experience. and as people try to enroll for health care, the technology team is scrambling to build a new part of the website. the easy app would permit people eligible for aid to sign up for coverage without calculating an exact subsidy amount, a major stumbling block so far. >> and an american foxhound stole the show. jewel. check her out. she's pretty. best in show at national dog show beating contestants from seven canine group. and the united nations nuclear agency has seen steam at water and a north korean nuclear plant all of which indicates they may try to restart the reactor, which means, it may be capable of making plutonium for atomic bombs. the south defense ministry is

aware of this and is monitoring the situation. and the comet speeding towards the sun may have just fizzled out. scientists say they are seeing what may be remnants of the comet continuing to journey past the sun. we'll have to see. well, stocks they enter this final day in record territory as markets close early today at 1:00 eastern. cnbc reports when the s&p 500 and dow are positive for the month, 80% of the time, december is also a positive month for investors. and japan is setting new standards with a luxury bullet train that will travel at speeds of, get this, over 160 miles per hour. now it's time for your friday edition of "scrambled politics." first up -- israeli american media tycoon, producer of "the teenage ninja turtles" and a major donor announced backing former secretary of state hillary clinton, that is, if she runs for president in 2016.

and writing that the mystery of white house chief of staff dennis mcdunham is also the mystery why president obama's second term is going so badly. he runs operations well and gets along well with other key white house staffers, and even sends out thank you cards, bust this year has been a terrible one for the president. former arkansas governor mike huckabee's radio show is coming to an end. huckabee was heard on 200 stations. his final show airs december 12th. and the first family spent thanksgiving at the white house enjoying turkey and cornbread stuffing, along with mashed potatoes, sweet potato, macaroni and cheese, three-bean casserole and for dessert, nine kinds of pie. oh, my. from apple to three types of cream pies, plus huckleberry, pumpkin, peach, pecan and sweet potato pie. no word if any of it made it to leftovers. i think i just got a cavity reading all of those pies. and by comparison, sheriff

joe arpaio served a very economical meal at his jail. featuring a vegetarian turkey soy casserole that cost a whopping 24 cents per inmate. the whole menu from mashed potatoes to dinner rolls cost only 56 cents per inmate. the white house christmas tree is arriving today, and as in past years, first lady michelle obama will be part of the welcome wagon. the nation's tree will be displayed in the blue room next month. news this morning, it looks like toronto mayor rob ford may have his show after all. what? the mayor's brother doug told a radio station that he and rob will host an online series called "ford nation" which was their show on sun-tv that was cancelled after only one episode. you can expect the first episode before christmas. talk about reality tv. that is your morning dirk of "scrambled politics." well, as bargain hunters

prepare to scoop up friday deals, many are wondering, how are they going to afford it all? a push to raise the minimum wage might help. a move gaining momentum. joining me, politicos kevin surreally. good morning, kevin. >> good morning. yes, happy friday. >> yes. happy black friday. this week a city in washington actually raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour. are you seeing more local governments take up this issue? >> absolutely, betty. you know, there are more than 20 states plus the district of columbia that have increased the minimum wage level. despite congress essentially saying that they stalled on this. but more than 20 states have increased the minimum wage than the limit congress set for the minimum wage. so a lot of this is coming at the grass roots level and pushed by democrat, but i don't think we could expect to see much traction on this in congress. >> i wanted to ask you that. why has it stalled in congress? >> you know, that's a great question, and, in fact, president obama mentioned this

in his state of the union address, that he would like to see this, the min mup wage increased, but, you know, unemployment is still at 7.3%, and republicans say if you raise the cost of employment and how much it costs to hire workers, that it would end up lowering -- i'm sorry -- raising unemployment because of that, because it would be an additional burden. so you know, not much time left until the end of the year. i don't expect lawmakers to get much done between now and the end of the year. so i don't think that this contentious battle, as they're pressured with obama care and other taxes will see much traction. >> where is traction? and we are seeing some at the local level. >> yes. >> are democrats seeing it in here? are they seeing an advantage with this issue? >> it's a great issue. right? i think the blue collar workers, places where i'm from, suburban philadelphia, this is an issue that really hits close to home, and i think that when you've got --

you're only making a couple more than $7 an hour and you have folks saying, hey, maybe it's time to raise this thing, i think there's an appeal here, and it's a really tough argument if you're a republican, and you're saying that you don't want to raise the minimum wage, and i think there are a lot of compelling stories that we could start to hear about folks who can't make ends meet. particularly around the holidays. >> right. >> about minimum wage. >> on the other hand, republicans are going to say that it's going to stall job growth and it's going to hurt employers. a lot to debate. thanks for your insight and coming in on black friday. >> i'm still emerging from my turkey coma. >> i know. time to go shopping, right? >> my mom made turkey last night. >> all right. take care. bill karins and t.j. holmes will be back for "first buzz" including what did nets' coach jason kidd say that got him slapped with a $50,000 fine? that's next. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] welcome back all the sweet things your family loves

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all right. it's that time of the morning, time for "first buzz." joined by my buddy, bill karins, and t.j. holmes. >> still buzz. >> hey, and the first buzz goes to -- t.j. >> this is a fantastic story. everybody look at the video if you haven't seen this and tell me what this guy says. talking about the head coach of the brooklyn nets. jason kidd. >> used to be a dallas mavericks' player. >> look at him. first year as a head coach, brooklyn. you see him spill the drink there. >> "hit me." >> as plain as day.

look at this acting there. >> you do not need to hire a professional actor here. a lot's people called it clever, bill. a lot of coaches look at it as clever. >> what did he do? >> didn't have time-outs. tried to get a time-out by spilling a drink. the nba came down on thanksgiving day, 50 grand. >> a lot of money. >> trying to make a point. >> how much money would you pay for a win if it ended up working? >> they lost. >> i know, they did. it didn't work. >> speaking of money. check this out. this could cost upwards of $10 billion but could be worth every penny. look at this. this is essentially a floating island. it's going to be a mile long. it's called a freedom ship. you can actually live here. it will house 50,000 residents. it's just like a city. it's got, you know, shopping. it has places where you can go out to an aquarium. it has an airport. this is one that would actually be floating around the world. it takes two years to actually circle the world. >> that's crazy. >> i want to do it. i think it's fantastic. 25 stories high. it's beautiful. but it hasn't been built yet. they still need $10 billion.

>> avoid any hurricanes. >> but you can get off of it with a plane. because planes land there. right? >> a runway? >> yeah. i promise you. that's what they say. anyway -- already talking about christmas. it's barely past thanksgiving. >> you're going with me. you are, too. road trip. we're going to cleveland. >> for -- >> no offense, cleveland. >> this is the 30th anniversary of "a christmas story." this, you've seen this a million times. right? 24-hour loop the last week before christmas. they're actually having a celebration for the anniversary. the actual house from the movie is from cleveland. a guy bought the house, re did it to look exactly like this, even has the lamp in the window. probably walk in the door and go, oh -- fudge -- >> the bb gun and all that? >> you know that scene? you're not into this? >> no. >> you don't like the movie? have you seen it? >> i like it enough, but it's not my favorite. >> have you ever tried to stick your tongue to a flagpole in the

middle of winter? >> that i have not done. i'll have to try that. i missed out. my childhood was just boring, apparently. all right, guys. thanks for joining me. >> painful. >> i imagine. i'm betty nguyen and this is "first look" right here on msnbc. have a great day. hey mom. yeah? we've got allstate, right? uh-huh. yes! well, i found this new thing called... [ dennis' voice ] allstate quickfoto claim. [ normal voice ] it's an app. you understand that? just take photos of the damage with your phone and upload them to allstate. really? so you get [dennis' voice] a quicker estimate, quicker payment, [normal voice] quicker back to normal.

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[ male announcer ] this december, experience the gift of exacting precision and some of the best offers of the year [ ding! ] at the lexus december to remember sales event. this is the pursuit of perfection. the right-wing delivers a crazy '13. let's play "hardball." hello, i'm chris matthews in washington. politicians on the right have done some disturbing and destructive things this year. they derailed every legislative initiative they could. when they did take up legislative it looked like this. more than 45 separate votes to kill the affordable care act. abortion laws cooked up by the