good morning. right now on "first look," the wife of former baltimore ravens running back ray rice opens up about the night he punched her in an atlantic city elevator. tragic story in ohio, an osu football player blood been missing five days found dead. chaotic scenes in hong kong as pro-democracy protests reach a violent new high. why the black friday shopping weekend may be losing its mojo. who's behind a massive hack attack at sony pictures, and the girl scouts are about to go digital. new fallout from the ray rice ruling after being cleared to play in the nfl again. questions are now swirling about rice's possible return to the field. at the same time, his wife janay

rice is speaking out denying claims her husband was vague when he told the nfl with the elevator incident that led to his suspension. kristen welker has the story. >> reporter: as the ravens took on the chargers, it was baltimore's former running back, ray rice, just reinstated into the nfl, who was the big topic of conversation off the field. >> everybody deserves a second chance in life. >> i think, yeah, it's right. let him come back. >> some team's going to pick him up, some team's going to want him for the playoff stretch. >> reporter: espn is reporting that multiple teams have expressed interest in rice, including the saints and colts. but no indication they'll pursue him. >> there are teams that have a definite need for a running back. they might be willing to take a chance. i think fans might be willing to f forgive. america loves people who make up for past wrongs. >> reporter: friday an arbitrator threw out the nfl's endef fin suspension of rice saying the league was wrong to

punish him twice. in july he was suspended two games. then after graphic video surfaced, goodell suspended him indefinitely saying in part rice was ambiguous if their original meeting. janay rice in an exclusive interview with matt lauer. >> when the commissioner of the nfl, roger goodell, says ray was ambiguous and the nfl says that it was starkly different sequence of events, is the commissioner lying? >> i can't say he's telling the truth. you know, i know for a fact that he told -- that ray told the honest truth. that he's been telling from february. >> and you think the league and the commissioner covered their butts? >> i think they did what they had to do for themselves. >> reporter: the nfl declined to comment on janay's account but wrote in a memo this weekend to club owners, no part of the arbitrator's decision questions the commissioner's honesty or

integrity nor his good faith consideration of the issue when he imposed the indefinite suspension. still the ruling continues to generate criticism. >> the pun does not have the greatest impression of roger goodell and rightfully so. but he makes the owners money and that's what they care about. >> kristen welker reporting. as mentioned you can watch matt lauer's exclusive interview with ray and janay rice later on "today." from ferguson to the white house, a series of meetings that could help break down the level of mistrust between law enforcement officials and some of the communities they police. president obama will meet with members of his cabinet and then with civil rights leaders, elected officials, clergy, and law enforcement officials. in missouri the 16-member ferguson commission will hold its first public meeting. all of this as supporters of michael brown are encouraged to stage walkouts across the country. nbc's ron allen has the latest. >> reporter: darren wilson, 28 and recently married to another ferguson police officer, expecting their first child, is

no longer with the police force. wilson has been getting death threats, according to his attorneys, who also say he made his decision to resign minutes after hearing from the police chief that others could be in danger. chief jackson would not go into details about the threats. >> were there threats to the department and him as well? >> there have been. >> you take these seriously? >> absolutely. >> what made them credible? >> who's making the threat and their capabilities to carry it out. that's what has to be assessed. i don't want to go into the analysis. >> are they still out this? >> oh, yes. >> reporter: in a letter wilson said, it is my hope my resignation will allow the community to heal." the mayor echoed that sentiment. >> the city of ferguson will not be making a severance payment to officer wilson. now is the time for the city of ferguson to begin its healing process. >> reporter: at a church service with michael brown's parents attending supporters said the battle has not been about whether wilson stayed on the police force. >> it was not about darren wilson's job, it was about

michael brown's justice. >> reporter: several players from the hometown st. louis rams took the field holding their hands up as many believe michael brown did when he was shot and killed. hands up, don't shoot! >> reporter: across the country demonstrations in cities like portland and washington, d.c., where protesters blocked traffic. >> ferguson! >> reporter: in ferguson, the annual holiday parade postponed because of the unrest, a thanksgiving dinner. and toy give-away. for hundreds of families trying to get into the holiday spirit. >> where is ferguson right now? >> you know, we're still at a point where we're hoping to feel like the worst is over. >> you're still not certain what's going to happen tomorrow, tonight, going forward? >> you know, that's what's really kind of holding us back from moving forward at this point is that tension out on the street. >> that was nbc's ron allen. just a few hours ago a spokesperson for the st. louis police officers association released a statement calling for a public apology from the rams and the nfl.

saying in part that "police officers around the nation found the hands up don't shoot pose tasteless, offensive, and inflammatory." a spokesperson for the st. louis rams tells "usa today" that the team was unaware of the demonstration before the game. the ohio state university football player who went missing last week has been found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. according to police, kosta karageorge's body was discovered in a dumpster with a gun. in three years as a wrestler and one as a football player his family says he had a history of concussions, including one just a month ago. no word yet on whether that contributed. last night at an on-campus vigil, teammates reflected. >> wish he would have talked to me. you know, if you're struggling, i love you to dead. i hope that you found peace and you're happy. violence scenes from hong kong overnight where police clashed with protesters outside of government headquarters. using batons and pepper spray. thousands of demonstrators have camped outside the city chief

executive's office as part of a 2-month-old election reform protest. the student-led movement is calling for changes to the electoral system which only allows a slate abofd by beijing's central government. they're supposed to be the biggest shopping days on the calendar. the cash is counted and the final numbers are in. the verdict, a down year for black friday weekend. that news ahead of another huge one today, cyber monday. nbc's kristen dalgren has more on why shoppers are already doing things a bit differently this year. >> reporter: this year's black friday had all the frenzy and fighting we've come to expect. but fewer americans were out shopping this weekend in stores and online. according to the national retail federation, overall shopper traffic was down. 134 million shoppers. less than the 141 million last year.

experts say that might actually be a good sign for consumers. >> i think the consumer feels they have more choice of when they want to shop and when the deals are available to them. >> reporter: despite some stores opening as early as 6:00 a.m. on thanksgiving, turkey day turnout was flat compared to last year. black friday drew twice as many shoppers as the day before. 87 million in stores and online. shoppers are also shelling out less. $381 over the holiday weekend compared to $407 last year. total spending for the weekend expected to be almost $7 billion less. millennials are one of the key demographics retail analysts say are spending this year. they say black friday as a social event. >> ended up buying a coat and another pair of jeans and two beanies and a sweater. >> reporter: and social media is already abuzz with cyber monday deals. 52% of consumers expected to shop on cyber monday. amazon is offering new discounts every ten minutes.

>> the game plan is to buy everything that we saw here today online and have it shipped free. >> reporter: for those who feel like they're starting too late for the best deals, take heart. >> it's not over until it's over. consumers can wait, procrastinate almost as long as they want, to december 25th, and retailers will be there and available for a deal. >> reporter: in a shopping marathon that it seems is just getting started. kristin dalgren, nbc news, new york. in sports, sunday night football, the chiefs hosted the broncos. denver's peyton manning threw two touchdown passes and kicker conner barth is a perfect 5 for 5 in field goal attempts to top the chiefs 29-16. broncos remain alone in first place in the afc west. packers keep the top spot in the afc north after ending the patriots' seven-game winning streak. aaron rodgers threw 368 yards, 0 interceptions, 2 touchdowns to down the pats 26-21. browns rookie quarterback johnny manziel gets his first

nfl touchdown against the bills after replacing starter brian hoyer in the fourth quarter. he finished the game completing 5 of 8 passes for 63 yards. the browns fell to the bills 26-10. lakers star kobe bryant reaches another milestone. he reached 6,000 career assists midway through last night's game against the raptors. he becomes the first player in nba history with that many assists and at least 30,000 they're points. nebraska's head football coach bob baloney hmea pelini. he went 67-27 in seven seasons with the cornhuskers. a new number one in the ap college football poll. alabama takes the top spot for the first time this season after their 55-44 win over auburn saturday. florida state drops a spot to second. and tcu moves two spots up to fourth. still ahead, the girl scouts of america are changing up their cookie routine.

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welcome back to "first look." getting you started on your first december morning. december 1st, do you believe that? we're here and it feels like it in the middle of the country. yesterday was a very nice travel day for everyone returning from the holidays, 70s and 80s through the southern half of the country. nice in the mid-atlantic too. cold air is on the way. windchills in the negative numbers. cold front now making its way through areas of texas into tennessee. eventually that cold front goes through the east today. look at the cold air behind it. langdon, north dakota, negative 39. that hurts just thinking about it. minneapolis at negative 17. cold air is pushing into the ohio valley and pushing to the south. now in the northeast today as that cold front goes through, we could get a few sprinkles out of it. it's a very mild morning. temperatures will slowly fall during the day today.

the rest of the country, the cooler temperatures in the deep south, the bigger story during the week is going to be the rain in california. no snow storms to start december. we're getting a good old soaking rainstorm. california, san francisco, all the way to h.a. they need it, they're in a horrible drought, so it's good. >> but i'm stuck on that negative 39. i don't think i'd go outside. >> north dakota, i don't know. >> brr. >> they do this till march, i don't know how they do it. now to stories making news this morning. tears of joy marked the end of a 4-year-old nightmare. in 2010 this florida mother reported her son missing after he didn't return from a visit with his father. police found the boy hidden inside of a fake wall. he was able to contact his mother through a cell phone he found. his father and stepmother appeared in court yesterday. they were both denied bail and will appear in court again next week. a public viewing was held for the 12-year-old boy tamir

rice, shot and killed by a rookie cleveland police officer while he held a bb gun. surveillance video shows that the fatal shooting happened seconds after he and his partner responded to a call about him pointing the gun at others. a handful of supporting for tamir's family held signs outside of the funeral home calling for justice. he will be laid to rest on wednesday. nasa is counting down the first test launch of its 90 orion spacecraft. liftoff is set for thursday. orion could eventually take astronauts to mars. getting your favorite girl scout cookies is about to get easier. a program will allow you to place an online order of the web page of a member or through a mobile app. you'll still be able to order using the old-fashioned way as well. the 2016 ballot without hillary clinton or jeb bush? why one political expert thinks it's possible. "scrambled pom politics" is next.

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wow! go power...oats! go! made from oats cheerios! cheerios! go, go, go! go power oats! go! cheerios! go power! go...power! yayyyy! time for your morning dish of "scrambled politics." gop staffer apologizes for lecturing obama daughters to show a little class. but in "the daily mail" hundreds are calling for her to lose her job under #firelit bethlauten. she works for congressman steven fincher. dear sasha and malia, try showing a little class, dress like you deserve respect and not a spot at the bar. can ferguson ever heal?

one st. louis alder money weighed in. >> there are many more resignations that need to happen in order for this community to begin healing. i think the ferguson police chief. i think it's impossible for this community to move forward with him still in that role. >> as for the president, going to ferguson, here's what massachusetts governor patrick told nbc's chuck todd. >> do you think he should go? >> i think, you know, it's -- i think he wants to go, by the way. and that's not because i know that, i just sense that, knowing the man. i think he'd like to be there to comfort the family of michael brown. >> why isn't he going? he wants to go? >> my sense is what i would suspect, you asked me what i would do, i think the reason it's a quandary is because the federal government is investigating right now. you don't want to appear to ininfluenza that investigation. been there, done that, doing it again. in politico rick perry ramps up. texas governor invites gop

donors to december sessions to discuss 2016. on the agenda, rebuilding his national brand. in "the kansas city star," don't expect jeb bush to face hillary clinton on the ballot. why? this political expert believes clinton is too rusty and a book tour that saw low sales. bush predicts the nomination will be a tea party senator or midwest governor. >> north carolina, plant protection. it's a felony to poach venus fly traps. the reason, the plant is so rare. that is your morning dish of "scrambled politics." now here in the studio i'm joined by msnbc reporter jane timm. good morning. >> great to be here. >> let's talk about what's happened with ruth bader ginsburg and her health scare. where does that put the supreme court? >> justice ginsburg had a heart stent put in, the same stent 500,000 million americans get every year. i think there are progressives who are worried saying, maybe

she should retire while we still have a democratic president to nominate her replacement. part of that process is having 60 votes in the senate and i can't see that happening any time soon when you have a republican majority. i think ruth herself is worried that her progressive replacement, successor, would not make it onto the court these days. she's said exactly that in interviews. i think she's cautious about retiring. she said, i'm going to do this job as long as i possibly can. >> we'll take that into consideration. she's 81. what about the timing of this? could it work out where she would retire? >> yeah, you know, i mean, she very well could. she is the oldest member of the court. remember, this as woman who can do 20 pushups with her knees up and 15-pound curls, working out with a trainer every day. i think she's going to hang in there for a while. i think she's betting on getting a democratic president and seeing what happens in the next four years. >> that being said, who do you think would be on the short list to replace her? >> i think there's a lot of

candidates who have started to create rumblings. we see jim webb, hillary clinton, governor o'mally, a lot of people on the left and the right sort of looking at this. i think it's really time will tell. >> jane timm, thank you so much for checking in with us. and it had twitter exploding and "people" magazine apologizing. ahead, the rumor involving kirk douglas. the news that will have "frozen" fans shaking with delight up next. , we thought, "wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad?" so we gave people the power of the review. and now angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule services from top-rated providers. conveniently stay up to date on progress. and effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with our snapfix app. visit angieslist.com today. ♪

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leading the news in "usa today," 26th world aids day, seek to show support, urge investment. today, hundreds of events around

the world from argentina to india will focus on prevention and treatment. an estimated 34 million people are living with hiv, the virus that causes aids. more than 35 million have died from the disease. from mashable, young father writes his own touching, fun neo bit water. aaron joseph died of brain cancer november 25th. he was once married to gwen stefani and was the most fun person at any party according to his obituary. "mocking jay" earned $56.9 million, a grand gross of $225 million so far. sony is being targeted by file sharing websites after being hacked earlier this week. at least five new movies tlug "annie" and "fury" are currently being pirated. sony is reportedly investigating a possible north korean link to the hack. "frozen" fans, listen up.

idina menzel confirmed a sequel and stage musical are in development to the hit of the 2013 film. >> they don't company sequels to a lot of disneys, that will be a great one. >> this obit claimed kirk douglas passed away. kirk douglas is still alive. there are no official comments from either the publication or the star, no one can be happy about this one. i will be wearing a pierre romper with cheese and children's ice skates. >> and i'll be wearing an e.r. bandage dress with stilts by the ohio stilt king. >> that sounds gorgent. >> either way, we expect to fall. >> they expect to fall. that is right, tina fey and amy poehler released their first teaser for this year's golden globes. catch the glamor and glitz on january 11th on nbc. >> they finally figured it out. stop trying to sell what the awards are for and sell the presenters. >> and have fun with it.

>> the golden globe, they drink at the tables. >> it's all good stuff. >> that one's always entertaining. >> this is "first look" on msnbc. "way too early" with thomas roberts starts right now. were there threats against the department and him as well? >> there have been, yes. >> you take them seriously? >> absolutely, yeah. >> what made them credible? >> just who's making the threat and their capability to carry it out. that's what has to be assessed. i don't want to go into the analysis. >> and are they still out there? >> oh, yes. >> after threats to himself and his colleagues, officer darren wilson resigns from the ferguson, missouri, police department. will his absence on the force help ferguson to heal? ray rice goes from persona non grata to eligible for play in the nfl. will any team sign him? and this moneying what his wife is saying about the violent elevator incident and if rice ever misled the nfl commissioner.

apology. one republican staffer is backtracking on her facebook comments about the first daughters being dressed for a bar. why her verbal assault on the teens caused an outrage. this is "way too early." hey, hey, everybody. good morning. where does the time go, jen? weekend flies by. we got a little house keeping to do here. i'm thomas roberts. it is monday, december the 1st. welcome to "way too early" where it's way too early to be december the 1st. this year's flying by. you can officially put up your christmas tree now. straight to our top stories today. we begin with continued fallout with the death of michael brown and the ensuing protests in ferguson, missouri. later today president obama will hold a number of ferguson-related events as the white house looks for ways to