would not be a terrible idea to think about a 4-year-old american boy who may soon get to take a bath in a full tub for the first time in more than half his life. his life. msnbc live is next. it's thanksgiving, and millions are hitting the road to grandma's house with record numbers on the move. even if a quarter of you still have to work today. more additions to president-elect trump's cabinet and the eye-popping costs involved with protecting the new and very large first family. security on high alert ahead of the 90th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. and the commander in chief's parting words for pardoned turkeys, tator and tot. >> malia and sasha are thankful this is my final presidential turkey pardon. what i haven't told them is we're going to do this every

year from now on. no cameras, just us, every year. no way i'm cutting this habit cold turkey. >> msnbc live starts right now. good morning and great being with you on this thanksgiving. i'm frances rivera. if you're up early to prepare the turkey or getting ready to hit the road, you are in good company. almost 50 million americans from coast to coast are on the move, hoping to join friends and family for a thanksgiving feast. make sure you pack your patience. it may be crowded out there. nbc's tom costello starts us off. >> reporter: the thanksgiving crush. it started on the west coast tuesday night. nearly 49 million of us traveling this holiday. with gas now averaging just $2.13 a gallon, the vast majority are driving. meanwhile, a potential record breaker in the air with as many as 2.6 million people expected to pass through airport security both today and sunday. the tsa has been under pressure to avoid a repeat of the long lines that stretched for hours last spring.

since then, adding more dog teams and thousands of new screeners. >> 23,200 passengers went through our tsa precheck. >> reporter: and opening this new airport command center that tracks realtime every tsa check point at the 30 busiest airports. >> down here it shows us how many lanes they opened. >> reporter: one hot spot, a power outage in louisville that will slowed things down for an hour. >> sunday is predicted to be the largest day of the weekend. that's when everybody comes home. so just give yourself time. >> reporter: as always, the biggest variable, weather. snow in minneapolis. while in l.a., comfort dogs to easeth stress. >> all right. we just have to make sure the weather cooperates. i want to check in with our forecast for the holiday. here's meteorologist bonnie schneider. good morning. happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving. we have a couple trouble spots if you're driving early this morning or flying out. a little rain into cleveland and buffalo. snow in a few locations. overall, your travel looks good for today. not happying too much in the way

of air travel delays. just a couple in the northwest and across parts of the great lakes. into pittsburgh, we may see some delays due to light showers and poor visibility. seattle, rain is expected throughout much of the day. that will lower the clouds, lowering visibility. for those of you driving and hitting the roads, mostly looks great. watch out for slick spots in upstate new york. we could see rain and snow mixing at times. you want to be careful for that. excellent weather for the parade. calm winds, which is great, considering how windy it was monday and tuesday. a little bit of overcast skies to start us off but a nice looking parade. frances? >> bonnie, thank you very much. taking a turn now to the latest on that horrific school bus crash in chattanooga, tennessee. authorities say that a sixth child has died from injuries sustained in the crash. five children remain hospitalized. the driver, 24-year-old johnthony walker, faces several counts of vehicular homicide. the toxicology report shows no signs of drugs or alcohol in his system. however, walker was not driving

the approved route. >> in the course of looking at the history of tally road, we just ascertained that tally road was not on the designated route for that school bus. that's one of the things we're exploring, is a, has he done it before, b, if, so, why? >> and witnesses tell investigators walker was driving well above the speed limit. the local board of education has confirmed that it had received complaints about how walker operated his bus, and several relatives of victims say he was a known problem. >> it was about him slamming on brakes on purpose, making all the kids hit their heads. >> she had said one time before to my mom, granny, that man drives like a fool. >> even more tragic with those warning signs. now to this, nbc news has learned that president-elect trump has attended just two intelligence briefings since winning the election earlier this month. that's a lower number than his predecessors and even lower than the number of briefings attended by vice president-elect mike

pence. he has received the briefings nearly every day. however, a senior intelligence official cautions it's still too early to know what significance really is given that trump is in the middle of his transition process. well, that as democrats elijah cummings and elizabeth warren call on the government accountability office to review any conflict of interests, including alleged meetings trump held with business partners during the transition. the news comes as president-elect spends thanksgiving at his mar-a-lago resort, celebrating with his family while maintaining a busy schedule that includes filling out the rest of his cabinet. after making two key decisions, selecting two republican women for his administration. nbc's kristen welker has more. >> reporter: president-elect donald trump with a thanksgiving message for the nation. >> it's my prayer that on this thanksgiving, we begin to heal our divisions, move forward as one country. >> reporter: it comes as he's trying to diversify his cabinet, tapping two women, including

44-year-old south carolina governor nikki haley to serve as ambassador to the u.n. haley, whose parents immigrated from india, is a rising star in the republican party. she was sharply critical of trump during the primary. >> i will not stop until we fight a man that chooses not to disavow the kkk. >> reporter: but taking a more measured tone after meeting with the president-elect last week. >> i did vote for him, and i was absolutely thrilled to see him win. >> reporter: haley earned national praise for leading the call to take down the confederate flag in south carolina in the wake of the e manual ame church masser can. she also supported a block on new syrian refugees entering her state, something trump also supported. governor haley made eight international trips but lacks foreign policy experience p. she's going to have to navigate this role. of course, it involves a realm of november she doesn't have

directly in her portfolio. >> reporter: if confirms, haley's appointment could strengthen trump's hand, the move elevating south carolina's lieutenant governor henry mcmaster to be governor, giving trump a political edge in a key southern state. a transition official disputing that was part of the decision. mr. trump's second female pick, betsy devos for education secretary, a billionaire republican donor and school choice activist who opposes common core and wants to expand school voucher programs. the move was praised by school choice advocates like jeb bush and decried by the nation's largest teachers union. >> our thanks to nbc's kristen welker. this morning security in new york city is in a heightened state ahead of today's 90th macy's thanksgiving day parade. this follows an al qaeda publication suggesting the parade would be, quote, an excellent target. officials stressed there are no credible threats. nbc's jay gray is live along the

parade route. security on everyone's minds, along with the balloons behind you. >> reporter: you're absolutely right. good morning and happy thanksgiving to you. federal agents telling us that they see these types of vague references every year before this parade. they're still taking it very seriously. security is really hyped up this year. multilevel approach. take a look. there's a lot of excitement, a lot of energy building here and a lot of officers now on the ground. we expect 3,000 new york police to be a part of the security force here, federal agents as well w including the joint terrorism task force will be a part of making sure things stay safe here and they feel like they have an excellent plan in place. it's all to see these giant balloons. inflation day was yesterday. they've added a little bit inside here this morning, getting ready to unveil those things as the handlers, 50 to 100 on each of these giant balloons, make their way out and around the three-mile parade route. should be a lot of fun.

a little bit later today. we've already seen people lining up to get their good spot along the parade route. we've got dozens of marching bands, more than a thousand clowns here. i don't think they're including me in that number, frances. should be a lot of fun this morning. it is a thanksgiving day tradition. that's the latest live from the parade route. frances, back to you? >> all right, jay. appreciate it. happy thanksgiving. hopefully you enjoy a little bit of it. now to this, caught on camera, a shocking police ambush after a routine traffic stop turned into a life-or-death situation. that's when an officer in idaho pulls a car over and after speaking to the female driver, he turned to the trunk for a closer inspection. when he got there, look, a seemingly armed man burst from the trunk with what appears to be a gun and with just split seconds, the police officer wrestled the man right to the ground. in the end, no shots were fired. how scary is this happening here? turns out the man was in the trunk and was the son of the

female driver. he was being sought by police and has been charged with resisting arrest, also aggravated assault. police also arrested his mother for obstructing justice. it was determined that the man had a toy handgun. however, he was concealing brass knuckles as well. scary to see. just ahead, what looked like fireworks going off in a man's pants was anything but. really scary. new details on the exploding e-cigarette caught on camera. but first, some thanksgiving advice from stephen colbert. >> tip six, create new things to talk about by changing up tradition. for instance, this year, deep fry the turkey. you can't talk about politics when you're busy battling the garage fire. tip seven, definitely prepare a vegan option for your niece coming home from college. that way everyone can gang up on her. tip eight, remember, these are your relatives. try not to see them as political opponents but rather as potential kidney donors. danny t what he was dreaming about

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he wears his army hat, he gets awalks aroundliments. with his army shirt looking all nice. and then people just say, "thank you for serving our country" and i'm like, that's my dad. male vo: no one deserves a warmer welcome home. that's why we're hiring 10,000 members of the military community by the end of 2017. i'm very proud of him. male vo: comcast.

welcome back. look at this scary moment at new york city's grand central station. an e-cigarette exploded in that man's pocket. it looked like fireworks. there were projectiles. he said he could smell fumes. amazingly, a transit spokesman says the victim's injuries appeared minor. just leg and hand burns. could have been so much worse. leading the news this morning, president obama offers thanksgiving feast to veterans. the first couple delivering service with a smile, visiting an armed forces retirement home in washington and also offering up some traditional thanksgiving food. but not before unleashing his final barrage of dad jokes at his final turkey pardon for a pair of birds named tator and tot. >> the past seven years i've established another tradition, embarrassing my daughters with a

corny-copia dad jokes about turkeys. this year they had a scheduling conflict. actually, they just couldn't take my jokes anymore. >> very funny. now to this, new challenges ahead for the secret service tasked with keeping the first family safe. donald trump's large family, including children and grandchildren, are making the mission more challenging and more expensive. cynthia mcfadden brings us the exclusive details. >> reporter: as the soon-to-be first family gathers for thanksgiving, it's clear they'll need a bigger turkey than usual. according to internal homeland security documents reviewed by nbc news, at least 150 secret service personnel are joining them. here the 45-vehicle convoy arriving at mar-a-lago. >> we're sort of in uncharted waters.

we haven't had adult children of a president-elect in a long time. >> reporter: and that makes the job tougher. it's a big family, 18 in all. melania trump and barron, then four adult children, their three spouses, and eight grandchildren. everyone around the president becomes a target. >> absolutely. wherever the president goes, he's drawing the attention of every bad guy in the world. >> reporter: mr. trump has long been a fan of the secret service. >> these are incredible people, incredible individuals, and they are tough. >> reporter: but still, living with agents 24/7 takes some getting used to. >> just think about you at your home tonight. four strangers just show up, and they're standing in your kitchen. >> reporter: once mr. trump becomes president, there will be about 920 secret service personnel assigned to him and his family per day. about 80 more than the obamas. none of this comes cheap. according to classified documents reviewed by nbc news, the daily cost is already well

over $2 million. including reimbursing the trump organization for secret service seats on his plane. this weekend in mar-a-lago, a source involved in the protection operation says it's a $7 million thanksgiving. cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, new york. now to donald trump, who sought to make america great again with his surprise presidential win and now the billionaire is looking to make christmas great again. we're talking about the famous red hat so often seen on the campaign trail. it's been retooled into a christmas ornament. the item billed as a collectible is made of brass and 24-karat gold and promises to, quote, make any tree stand out. trump's official campaign site, now the trump make america great committee, is selling the item for $149. what? well, you can see it right there. that's the price tag. any purchases are considered donations to the organization. just ahead, a new study that

says eating ice cream for breakfast makes you a whole lot smarter. i know you're running to the freezer right now. plus, this is the start of the most insane basketball trick shot ever recorded. we'll show you how it ends. also, new details on the plan to protect the president-elect, and the job is about to get a whole lot bigger. o is for ordinarily i wouldn't. l is for layers of luxury. a is for alll the way back. r is for read my mind. and i... can't see a thing. s... see you in the morning. polaris, from united. mshe said i should think of my rteeth like an apple. it could be great on the outside not so great on the inside. her advice? use a toothpaste and mouthwash that strengthens both. go pro with crest pro-health advanced.

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this is the group how ridiculous. they truly lived up to their name by doing this, setting a new guinness world record for the longest basketball shot. he sank one from atop that dam in switzerland. talking about 55 stories. watch from this angle. ball curves right inside. that was only his third attempt. and he nails it. all right. this holiday shopping season, several retailers are bucking the recent trend of opening on thanksgiving day while others will open up early to give shoppers a jump start on black friday. nbc has what you need to know. >> reporter: for the last three years, maria has pulled double duty on thanksgiving. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> reporter: preparing an enormous feast for 30 family members before rushing off to open the mall doors to shoppers on thanksgiving night. >> having to leave my own thanksgiving dinner when i'm the

host, it's sad. >> so this is where you would come on thanksgiving? >> it is. >> reporter: but this year is different. maria has the day off because moorstown mall outside philadelphia has chosen to close on thanksgiving day. it's one of dozens of major companies bucking the trend of opening on thanksgiving as retailers worry opening early may steal some of black friday's thunder without increasing overall sales. even the mall of america putting up the closed sign. but other stores like macy's best buy, walmart, target, and kohl's doubling down and opening their doors. k-mart kicks off at 6:00 a.m. jcpenney opens at 3:00 p.m. and lp give away $500 coupons at the door. toys r us will open at 5:00 and stay open 30 hours straight. retailers say thanksgiving is certainly not the only day to land great discounts. black friday has the best deals on tvs, drones, and home appliances. cyber monday is also great for electronics, beauty products,

and kitchen ware. and the deepest discounts on toys come during the second week of december, although the hottest items could be sold out. and hold off on buying any winter clothes until the week before christmas. she's thankful she won't be working the crowds this year. >> i am happy i get to spend this one with my family. >> reporter: giving thanks for the things money can't buy. nbc news, new jersey. >> the things that really matter. all right. how about shopping across the pond? the brexit effect sweeping the uk means americans are getting more british bang for their american buck. and with more spending power, those u.s. travelers are taking notice with thousands flocking to shopping centers across the pond for their own thanksgiving feast. matt bradley joins us live from london with more on the shopping happening there. matt, good morning. >> reporter: morning. happy thanksgiving, frances. i'm here at the world famous shopping destination for people from all over the world. they're coming here for all the of the deals. while thanksgiving is not a big holiday here in london, what

they do have is the same shopping experience we have in the states. they have the black friday phenomenon that everybody enjoys in the states. i'm here with chris from visit london. i just want to ask, why are so many americans coming to london for this decidedly american holiday? >> well, happy thanksgiving, everyone. it's a fantastic time to come to london. it represents such great value at the moment for americans to come to london because the pound and the dollar, you get so many more pounds basically for your dollar. so please come. we welcome all american tourists. >> reporter: what is visit london? what are londoners trying to do to promote this? i understand american visitors are up 8% from last year. >> that's right. obviously it's because americans are getting such great value. outfits at london, we have a fantastic website if you want to come and visit london. i recommend you visit our website. it has everything going on in london for you. >> reporter: and why is it such a good time to visit? why is this thanksgiving better than last thanksgiving? >> i think simply because it represents better value.

if you want to go shopping or visit the attractions, it's better value for americans. so that's the main reason. >> reporter: of course, all of this because of the brexit referendum in june, which has driven down the value of the pound by 16%. thanks, chris. back to you, frances. >> matt, thank you very much. happy shopping to you there across the pond. donald trump is getting support from an unlikely source. after "snl's" weekend update co-anchor says some of this is deserved. he sat down with "esquire" magazine where he was asked about trump's latest criticism that "snl" is too one-sided. he responded, quote, oddly, i agree with him. we try to write that way, but comedy should take both sides. no matter who is in power, we should be making fun of them. zblmpl all right. here's a reason to head to your freezer and grab some ice cream. ice cream for breakfast is apparently good to you. that's according to research from the university of tokyo. they find that eating the frozen

treat in the morning can actually make you smarter. test subjects given a scoop immediately after waking up had faster reaction times and also increased mental capacities. scientists say it's not just because of the cold temperature, and they tested it because another group was given a glass of ice water in the morning. although they did see a boost in alertness, their levels didn't reach the high of those starting their day with ice cream. i know they're scientists and all that be, but it's probably the sugar in the ice cream. >> that's true. and the good feeling that ice cream gives you. lots of childhood memories. >> just makes you nice and happy. maybe start your thanksgiving with ice cream too. all right. here's a fun way to burn off thanksgiving dinner or ice cream this morning. cyclists in san francisco will bike in their annual turkey ride today. look at their map. this year they've mapped it out through the city that's in the shape of a turkey with a hat and everything. the ride covers over 50 miles of road, giving every neighborhood

there a piece of that bird. i know you're a big runner, bonnie. how would you love to do that and navigate it and say, you know what, you ran a turkey? >> and i'd love to eat some extra pie and then run so you could burn it off. >> and come back with even more pie. thank you very much. thank you so much for being with us on this thanksgiving morning. i'm frances rivera. you're watching msnbc live. have a great turkey day and enjoy that feast. so much to be thankful for. he gets a lot of compliments.

he wears his army hat, walks around with his army shirt looking all nice. and then people just say, "thank you for serving our country" and i'm like, that's my dad. male vo: no one deserves a warmer welcome home. that's why we're hiring 10,000 members of the military community by the end of 2017. i'm very proud of him. male vo: comcast.

it's thanksgiving, and millions are hitting the road to grandma's house with record numbers on the move. even if a quarter of you still have to work today. more additions to president-elect trump's cabinet and the eye-popping costs involved with protecting the new and very large first family. security on high alert ahead of the 90th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. and the commander in chief's parting words for pardoned turkeys tator and tot. >> malia and sasha are thankful this is my final presidential turkey pardon. what i haven't told them is we're going to do this every year from now on. no cameras, just us, every year.

no way i'm cutting this habit cold turkey. msnbc live starts right now. good morning and greati inbg with you on this thanksgiving. i'm frances rivera. if you're up early getting ready to hit the road or preparing the turkey, you are in good company. almost 50 million americans are on the move from coast to coast, hoping to join family and friends for a thanksgiving feast. make sure you pack your patience. it may be crowded out there. >> reporter: the thanksgiving crush. it started on the west coast tuesday night. nearly 49 million of us traveling this holiday. with gas now averaging just $2.13 a gallon, the vast majority are driving. meanwhile, a potential record breaker in the air with as many as 2.6 million people expected to pass through airport security

both today and sunday. the tsa has been under pressure to avoid a repeat of the long lines that stretched for hours last spring. since then, adding more dog teams and thousands of new screeners. >> 23,200 passengers went through our tsa precheck. >> reporter: and opening this new airport command center that tracks realtime every tsa check point at the 30 busiest airports. >> down here it shows us how many lanes they opened. >> reporter: one hot spot, a power outage in louisville that will slowed things down for an hour. >> sunday is predicted to be the largest day of the weekend. that's when everybody comes home. so just give yourself time. >> reporter: as always, the biggest variable, weather. snow in minneapolis. while in l.a., comfort dogs to easeth stress. >> all right. we just have to make sure the weather cooperates. i want to check in with our forecast for the holiday. here's meteorologist bonnie schneider. good morning. happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving. most of the weather looks good. we have a couple trouble spots if you're up early driving this morning or flying out. a little rain into cleveland and buffalo. snow in a few locations. overall, your travel looks good for today. not anticipating too much in the

way of air travel delays. just a couple in the northwest and across parts of the great lakes. into pittsburgh, we may see some delays due to light showers and poor visibility. seattle, rain is expected throughout much of the day. that will lower the clouds, lowering visibility. for those of you driving and hitting the roads, mostly looks great. watch out for slick spots in upstate new york. we could see rain and snow mixing at times. you want to be careful for that. excellent weather for the parade. calm winds, which is great, considering how windy it was monday and tuesday. a little bit of overcast skies to start us off but a nice looking parade. frances? >> bonnie, thank you very much. taking a turn now to the latest on that horrific school bus crash in chattanooga, tennessee. authorities say that a sixth child has died from injuries sustained in the crash. five children remain hospitalized. the driver, 24-year-old johnthony walker, faces several counts of vehicular homicide. the toxicology report shows no signs of drugs or alcohol in his system. however, walker was not driving

the approved route. >> in the course of looking at the history of tally road, we just ascertained that tally road was not on the designated route for that school bus. that's one of the things we're exploring, is a, has he done it before, b, if, so, why? >> and witnesses tell investigators walker was driving well above the speed limit. the local board of education has confirmed that it had received complaints about how walker operated his bus, and several relatives of victims say he was a known problem. >> it was about him slamming on brakes on purpose, making all the kids hit their heads. >> she had said one time before to my mom, granny, that man drives like a fool. >> even more tragic with those warning signs. now to this, nbc news has learned that president-elect trump has attended just two intelligence briefings since winning the election earlier this month. that's a lower number than his predecessors and even lower than the number of briefings attended by vice president-elect mike

pence. he has received the briefings nearly every day. however, a senior intelligence official cautions it's still too early to know what significance really is given that trump is in the middle of his transition process. well, that as democrats elijah cummings and elizabeth warren call on the government accountability office to review any conflict of interests, including alleged meetings trump held with business partners during the transition. the news comes as president-elect spends thanksgiving at his mar-a-lago resort, celebrating with his family while maintaining a busy schedule that includes filling out the rest of his cabinet. after making two key decisions, selecting two republican women for his administration. nbc's kristen welker has more. >> reporter: president-elect donald trump with a thanksgiving message for the nation. >> it's my prayer that on this thanksgiving, we begin to heal our divisions, move forward as one country. >> reporter: it comes as he's trying to diversify his cabinet, tapping two women, including 44-year-old south carolina

governor nikki haley to serve as ambassador to the u.n. haley, whose parents immigrated from india, is a rising star in the republican party. she was sharply critical of trump during the primary. >> i will not stop until we fight a man that chooses not to disavow the kkk. >> reporter: but taking a more measured tone after meeting with the president-elect last week. >> i did vote for him, and i was absolutely thrilled to see him win. >> reporter: haley earned national praise for leading the call to take down the confederate flag in south carolina in the wake of the e manual ame church masser can. -- massacre. while she opposed trump's muslim ban, she also supported a block on new syrian refugees entering her state, something trump also supported. governor haley made eight international trips but lacks foreign policy experience p. she's going to have to navigate this role. of course, it involves a realm of november she doesn't have

directly in her portfolio. >> reporter: if confirms, haley's appointment could strengthen trump's hand, the move elevating south carolina's lieutenant governor henry mcmaster to be governor, giving trump a political edge in a key southern state. a transition official disputing that was part of the decision. mr. trump's second female pick, betsy devos for education secretary, a billionaire republican donor and school choice activist who opposes common core and wants to expand school voucher programs. the move was praised by school choice advocates like jeb bush and decried by the nation's largest teachers union. >> our thanks to nbc's kristen welker. this morning security in new york city is in a heightened state ahead of today's 90th macy's thanksgiving day parade. this follows an al qaeda publication suggesting the parade would be, quote, an excellent target. officials stressed there are no credible threats. nbc's jay gray is live along the parade route.

security on everyone's minds, along with the balloons behind you. >> reporter: you're absolutely right. good morning and happy thanksgiving to you. federal agents telling us that they see these types of vague references every year before this parade. they're still taking it very seriously. security is really hyped up this year. multilevel approach. take a look. there's a lot of excitement, a lot of energy building here and a lot of officers now on the ground. we expect 3,000 new york police to be a part of the security force here, federal agents as well w including the joint terrorism task force will be a part of making sure things stay safe here and they feel like they have an excellent plan in place. it's all to see these giant balloons. inflation day was yesterday. they've added a little bit inside here this morning, getting ready to unveil those things as the handlers, 50 to 100 on each of these giant balloons, make their way out and around the three-mile parade route. should be a lot of fun.

a little bit later today. we've already seen people lining up to get their good spot along the parade route. we've got dozens of marching bands, more than a thousand clowns here. i don't think they're including me in that number, frances. should be a lot of fun this morning. it is a thanksgiving day tradition. that's the latest live from the parade route. frances, back to you. >> all right, jay. appreciate it. happy thanksgiving. hopefully you enjoy a little bit of it. now to this, caught on camera, a shocking police ambush after a routine traffic stop turned into a life-or-death situation. that's when an officer in idaho pulls a car over and after speaking to the female driver, he turned to the trunk for a closer inspection. when he got there, look, a seemingly armed man burst from the trunk with what appears to be a gun and with just split seconds, the police officer wrestled the man right to the ground. in the end, no shots were fired. how scary is this happening here? turns out the man was in the trunk and was the son of the

female driver. he was being sought by police and has been charged with resisting arrest, also aggravated assault. police also arrested his mother for obstructing justice. it was determined that the man had a toy handgun. however, he was concealing brass knuckles as well. scary to see. just ahead, what looked like fireworks going off in a man's pants was anything but. really scary. new details on the exploding e-cigarette caught on camera. but first, some thanksgiving advice from stephen colbert. >> tip six, create new things to talk about by changing up tradition. for instance, this year, deep fry the turkey. you can't talk about politics when you're busy battling the garage fire. tip seven, definitely prepare a vegan option for your niece coming home from college. that way everyone can gang up on her. tip eight, remember, these are your relatives. try not to see them as political opponents but rather as potential kidney donors.

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welcome back. look at this scary moment at new york city's grand central station. an e-cigarette exploded in that man's pocket. he was working behind the counter at a wine store when it happened. one of his co-workers says it looked like fireworks. you might agree when you're watching it right there. there were projectiles. he said he could smell fumes. amazingly, a transit spokesman says the victim's injuries appeared minor. just leg and hand burns. could have been so much worse. leading the news this morning, president obama offers thanksgiving feast to veterans. the first couple delivering service with a smile, visiting an armed forces retirement home in washington and also offering up some traditional thanksgiving food. but not before unleashing his final barrage of dad jokes at his final turkey pardon for a pair of birds named tator and tot. >> the past seven years i've established another tradition, embarrassing my daughters with a

corny-copia of dad jokes about turkeys. this year they had a scheduling conflict. actually, they just couldn't take my jokes anymore. >> very funny. now to this, new challenges ahead for the secret service tasked with keeping the first family safe. donald trump's large family, including children and grandchildren, are making the mission more challenging and more expensive. cynthia mcfadden brings us the exclusive details. >> reporter: as the soon-to-be first family gathers for thanksgiving, it's clear they'll need a bigger turkey than usual. according to internal homeland security documents reviewed by nbc news, at least 150 secret service personnel are joining them. here the 45-vehicle convoy arriving at mar-a-lago. >> we're sort of in uncharted waters. we haven't had adult children of a president-elect in a long time.

>> reporter: and that makes the job tougher. it's a big family, 18 in all. melania trump and barron, then four adult children, their three spouses, and eight grandchildren. everyone around the president becomes a target. >> absolutely. wherever the president goes, he's drawing the attention of every bad guy in the world. >> reporter: mr. trump has long been a fan of the secret service. >> these are incredible people, incredible individuals, and they are tough. >> reporter: but still, living with agents 24/7 takes some getting used to. >> just think about you at your home tonight. four strangers just show up, and they're standing in your kitchen. >> reporter: once mr. trump becomes president, there will be about 920 secret service personnel assigned to him and his family per day. about 80 more than the obamas. none of this comes cheap. according to classified documents reviewed by nbc news, the daily cost is already well over $2 million.

including reimbursing the trump organization for secret service seats on his plane. this weekend in mar-a-lago, a source involved in the protection operation says it's a $7 million thanksgiving. cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, new york. now to donald trump, who sought to make america great again with his surprise presidential win and now the billionaire is looking to make christmas great again. we're talking about the famous red hat so often seen on the campaign trail. it's been retooled into a christmas ornament. the item billed as a collectible is made of brass and 24-karat gold and promises to, quote, make any tree stand out. trump's official campaign site, now the trump make america great committee, is selling the item for $149. what? well, you can see it right there. that's the price tag. any purchases are considered donations to the organization. just ahead, a new study that

says eating ice cream for breakfast makes you a whole lot smarter. i know you're running to the freezer right now. plus, this is the start of the most insane basketball trick shot ever recorded. we'll show you how it ends. also, new details on the plan to protect the president-elect, and the job is about to get a whole lot bigger. david. what's going on? oh hey! ♪ that's it? yeah. ♪ everybody two seconds! ♪ "dear sebastian, after careful consideration of your application, it is with great pleasure that we offer our congratulations on your acceptance..." through the tuition assistance program, every day mcdonald's helps more people go to college. it's part of our commitment to being america's best first job. ♪

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we showed you how insane the start of it was, but here's how it ends. this is just crazy. this is the group how ridiculous. they truly lived up to their

name by doing this, setting a new guinness world record for the highest basketball shot. watch, swish, it goes right in. that's 28-year-old derek herron of perth, australia. he sank one from atop that dam in switzerland. talking about 55 stories. watch from this angle. ball curves right inside. that was only his third attempt. and he nails it. all right. this holiday shopping season, several retailers are bucking the recent trend of opening on thanksgiving day while others will open up early to give shoppers a jump start on black friday. nbc has what you need to know. >> reporter: for the last three years, maria has pulled double duty on thanksgiving. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> reporter: preparing an enormous feast for 30 family members before rushing off to open the mall doors to shoppers on thanksgiving night. >> having to leave my own thanksgiving dinner when i'm the

host, it's sad. >> so this is where you would come on thanksgiving? >> it is. >> reporter: but this year is different. maria has the day off because moorstown mall outside philadelphia has chosen to close on thanksgiving day. it's one of dozens of major companies bucking the trend of opening on thanksgiving as retailers worry opening early may steal some of black friday's thunder without increasing overall sales. even the mall of america putting up the closed sign. but other stores like macy's, best buy, walmart, target, and kohl's doubling down and opening their doors. k-mart kicks off at 6:00 a.m. jcpenney opens at 3:00 p.m. and will give away $500 coupons at the door. toys r us will open at 5:00 and stay open 30 hours straight. retailers say thanksgiving is certainly not the only day to land great discounts. black friday has the best deals on tvs, drones, and home appliances. cyber monday is also great for electronics, beauty products, and kitchen ware. and the deepest discounts on toys come during the second week

of december, although the hottest items could be sold out. and hold off on buying any winter clothes until the week before christmas. she's thankful she won't be working the crowds this year. >> i am happy i get to spend this one with my family. >> reporter: giving thanks for the things money can't buy. nbc news, new jersey. >> the things that really matter. all right. how about shopping across the pond? the brexit effect sweeping the uk means americans are getting more british bang for their american buck. and with more spending power, those u.s. travelers are taking notice with thousands flocking to shopping centers across the pond for their own thanksgiving feast. matt bradley joins us live from london with more on the shopping happening there. matt, good morning. >> reporter: morning. happy thanksgiving, frances. i'm here at the world famous shopping destination for people from all over the world. they're coming here for all the of the deals. while thanksgiving is not a big holiday here in london, what they do have is the same

shopping experience we have in the states. they have the black friday phenomenon that everybody enjoys in the states. i'm here with chris from visit london. i just want to ask, why are so many americans coming to london for this decidedly american holiday? >> well, happy thanksgiving, everyone. it's a fantastic time to come to london. it represents such great value at the moment for americans to come to london because the pound and the dollar, you get so many more pounds basically for your dollar. so please come. we welcome all america tourists. >> reporter: what is visit london? what are londoners trying to do to promote this? i understand american visitors are up 8% from last year. >> that's right. obviously it's because americans are getting such great value. outfits at london, we have a fantastic website if you want to come and visit london. i recommend you visit our website. it has everything going on in london for you. >> reporter: and why is it such a good time to visit? why is this thanksgiving better than last thanksgiving? >> i think simply because it represents better value.

if you want to go shopping or visit the attractions, it's better value for americans. so that's the main reason. >> reporter: of course, all of this because of the brexit referendum in june, which has driven down the value of the pound by 16%. thanks, chris. back to you, frances. >> matt, thank you very much. happy shopping to you there across the pond. donald trump is getting support from an unlikely source. after "snl's" weekend update co-anchor says some of this is deserved. he sat down with "esquire" magazine where he was asked about trump's latest criticism that "snl" is too one-sided. he responded, quote, oddly, i agree with him. we try to write that way, but comedy should take both sides. no matter who is in power, we should be making fun of them. all right. here's a reason to head to your freezer and grab some ice cream. ice cream for breakfast is apparently good to you. that's according to research from the university of tokyo. they find that eating the frozen treat in the morning can

actually make you smarter. test subjects given a scoop immediately after waking up had faster reaction times and also increased mental capacities. scientists say it's not just because of the cold temperature, and they tested it becau another group was given a glass of ice water in the morning. although they did see a boost in alertness, their levels didn't reach the high of those starting their day with ice cream. i know they're scientists and all that, but it's probably all the sugar in the ice cream. >> that's true. and the good feeling that ice cream gives you. lots of childhood memories. >> just makes you nice and happy. maybe start your thanksgiving with ice cream too. all right. here's a fun way to burn off thanksgiving dinner or ice cream this morning. cyclists in san francisco will bike in their annual turkey ride today. look at their map. this year they've mapped it out through the city that's in the shape of a turkey with a hat and everything. the ride covers over 50 miles of road, giving every neighborhood there a piece of that bird.

i know you're a big runner, bonnie. how would you love to do that and navigate it and say, you know what, you ran a turkey? >> and i'd love to eat some extra pie and then run so you could burn it off. >> and come back with even more pie. thank you very much. thank you so much for being with us on this thanksgiving morning. i'm frances rivera. you're watching msnbc live. have a great turkey day and enjoy that feast. so much to be thankful for. for the holidays. before his mom earned 1% cash back everywhere, every time. [ dinosaur growls ] and his dad earned 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs. yeah! even before they earned 3% back on gas.

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trump's new hires. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm steve kornacki in for chris matthews. we are following the latest developments from donald trump's presidential transition. trump making several key cabinet picks today. governor nikki haley seen by many as a rising star in the republican party. trump naming her his pick to be u.s. ambassador to the united nations. a one-time critic of trump's