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♪♪ good morning. 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz-balart. as we mark thanksgiving in the united states, people in other countries are just trying to get through their day. take ukraine, for example, where russian air strikes have knocked out power leaving people with no electricity, no heat and in a lot of cases very little food or water. i'll talk to one of president zelenskyy's former advisers to find out how people are coping there and what can be done to help them. could sky-high prices and inflation work in your favor as we move into the holiday shopping season. what retailers are going to try to entice you to spending your hard earned cash with. and finally more than two weeks after election day, the results are in from alaska. two incumbents returning to politics and one politician will be staying home.

we'll start with the final holiday dash. with hours to go before it's dinnertime, last-minute travelers are rushing to make it to their thanksgiving table. how likely are they to be on time? joining me from new york's laguardia airport, ron allen. what are things looking like today? >> reporter: happy thanksgiving, jose. you stole the headline, there's a -- there's a palpable and growing anxiety and nervousness about people trying to get to dinner on time. that's the story here. you can see behind me, there's not much going on in the terminal. i checked the board a little while ago. there's 50 flights listed and one cancellation. i think we have the flight aware map that shows what's happening across the country. there's a lot of green. there's very few delays, very few cancellations. the airline industry has been on notice to prepare for thanksgiving. after all the snafus that

happened during the spring and summer travel season. they seemed to have responded so far. we've had good weather. it's a beautiful day in new york along the east coast. that helps as well. as you said, yes, there's a mad dash to get what you're going. we spoke to a couple from new york who is heading to florida and i asked them why are you traveling on thanksgiving day? here's what they had to say. take a listen. >> there's less traffic than -- who wants to travel wednesday night? >> exactly. aren't you going to be late for dinner possibly? >> we're just going to make it on time if the plane gets us there on time. if we're late, they'll save something for us. >> leftovers, that doesn't sound very enticing. >> there's enough -- there's a cushion in there. >> it's more to see family than anything else. >> reporter: hopefully they'll get there on time and they were saying also that this is the first year that they missed the last two years of thanksgiving because of covid. they weren't traveling. it wasn't safe. they didn't think so. now it's all about getting together with family.

so hopefully they'll make it on time and everybody else here will. looking ahead, the forecast for sunday, there seems to be some unsettled weather in the middle of the country. that could perhaps cause some problems. but at the moment, it's a beautiful day. it's an amazing thing. travel is not a nightmare for thanksgiving in america. back to you. >> yeah, really. that's great news. ron allen, thank you. appreciate your time. high inflation rates this year have a lot of people worried about their holiday spending. the current rate of inflation is ticking down, but it's still high. just about everything costs more today than it did one year ago. nbc's brian cheung has more. >> americans are dealing with sky-high inflation as they get ready for the peak holiday shopping season but that doesn't necessarily mean there won't be deals to be found. >> reporter: amid a growing unease in the nation's economy, the dash for holiday deals is

on. with consumer prices up 7.7% compared to last season and one in three households are saying their finances are worse off than a year ago, shoppers are left with tighter budgets. >> retailers are aware of the fact that consumers only have so much to spend. >> reporter: that's why even before black friday, many retailers are already offering deep discounts, vying for your holiday dollars. the most discounted items this season, everything from tvs, laptops, to home appliances and beauty products. for electronics, consider holder models for an even better deal. many clothing retailers are also offering extra deep discounts this season. in part because of excess inventory following supply chain lockups last year. >> we're seeing a lot of overstock and retailers have spent the last couple of months trying to sell through that merchandise. >> reporter: which could lead to even deeper discounts. >> i do expect to see discounts deeper than usual in categories like causal apparel, tvs,

furniture, home decor. and so in addition to the exciting cyber weekend sales that we'll see, we'll also see kind of extra discounts as retailers look to clear out all of those overstocks. >> reporter: experts say shopping with strategy will save you big bucks. start by creating a shopping list with a spending cap. compare prices online and in store. and check your credit card for additional discounts and offers. >> don't forget about gift cards. you can get some of these at a discount this holiday season. back to you. >> thank you, brian cheung for that report. joining me now with more advice is robin farzad. lots of people are going to be nervous about spending this holiday season. what's the one thing they need to know when they're planning ahead? >> look, it's all a sale at this point? what does it matter, black monday, black friday.

we have amazon with all of these different prime day sales during the year. that's the biggest sort of over every retailer's head the fact that you can check these prices on amazon and they're benchmarking against the best prices. i shed a tear for the retailers out there that were able to survive the pandemic that now have this inventory overhang and have to liquidate all of this stuff into an inflationary environment. i think it's so frustrating and everybody has a smartphone, everybody seems to be on amazon prime and that is the benchmark and that's just going to frustrate everyone. >> so when we're talking -- for over a year we've been talking about supply chain issues, shortages, et cetera, how are the brick and mortar folks going to handle this season? are they stocked? are they overstocked? are they understocked? >> it seems like they're overstocked and many of them have curtailed their return. it's a superfrustrating thing as i said.

you're going to see how inflation sows the seeds of its own demise. you have the supply chain shortage. reminds me of the cabbage patch dahl's of yesteryears. i know i'm dating myself in doing this. at some point, people would have paid the mafia to get their kid a cabbage patch kid. and that's kind of the way this pendulum swings that you had suppliers terrified about being in short supply and then inflation hits, the economy pulls back, and suddenly they have an overhang and they need to sell into new year's. >> there's no more black friday? is there a time between now and christmas that one should be looking towards, maybe i'll hold my purchases until, you know, a week before christmas? or is it now just every day is black thursday, friday, saturday, sunday? >> that's what -- it seems like it's just increasingly becoming

a free-for-all to me. i've lost track of prime day. in china you have singles day where you can commiserate being a single person by going out there and spending a on consumer goods. and this is a continuum for retailers right now. i've lost track of the walmart.com discounts, target discounts, you have online codes on twitter and instagram where you can go in on flash sales and buy things. i don't know how much is pegged to us getting in line and socking each other out on black friday like it used to be. i'm not sure i'm nostalgic for that, jose. >> i totally agree for you. there is -- is there no more of those cabbage patch doll frenzies coming up or the talking elmo that people were fighting over. >> the miami vice funko dolls.

i had to weave that in. that was a hot thing a year ago. suddenly my friend got it for me. it wasn't a tickle me elmo, cabbage patch dolls. we're not shortage-minded. the whole country seems to be economy-minded. it's a season of austerity, i sense. >> i'll tell you one day, i actually -- i don't remember what year it was, but i was the host -- or emceed the 100 rap party for miami vice in miami. so when they had they're 100th episode -- i seem to remember there was some fun times there. >> have you ever seen a more beautiful thing? >> no, that's gorgeous. thanks, buddy. coming up, new details about the mass shooting in virginia. one survivor shares their story.

and we'll go live to colorado springs where we're getting a lot of new information about the suspect who opened fire in a nightclub. stay with us on msnbc. nightclub. stay witush on msnbc. (woman 1) i just switched to verizon business unlimited. it's just right for my little business. unlimited premium data. unlimited hotspot data. (woman 2) you know it's from the most reliable 5g network in america? (vo) when it comes to your business, not all bars are created equal. so switch to verizon business unlimited today.

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the idea we still allow semiautomatic weapons to be purchased is sick. it's just sick. it has no, no social redeeming values. i'm going to try to get rid of assault weapons. >> that was president biden just moments ago indicating he will renew his push for an assault weapons ban. it comes as new details are emerging about the suspect of the virginia walmart shooting that left at least six of his colleagues dead. he had been with the company since 2010 and was an overnight team leader. one of his former colleagues tells nbc news that after the shooting, she learned that the

suspect had made threats before, quote, one person said andre told her if they were ever to fire him, he would come back and kill people. i want to bring in julie tsirkin who is on the ground for us. good morning. we're now beginning to learn the names of the victims of this horrific shooting. >> reporter: six people lost their lives here on tuesday night. that shooting came just nine days after another one in charlottesville. virginians here on this thanksgiving day are thinking about those who lost their lives. you see them on your screen and it's important we share their names. a sixth victim, a 16-year-old boy was also killed. his name and his photo are being withheld for privacy reasons because he's a minor. this makeshift memorial behind me, i mean, people have been coming up, including about five seconds before i came on with you to lay flowers in memory of those who lost their lives.

there's a bible. there are candles, balloons. people in this community, even those who weren't affected by the shooting personally, they live here, one woman i spoke to works at a walmart an hour away. she got up to lay flowers here. it was important for her because she told me it can happen anywhere. i want you to take a listen to what one of the survivors of the shooting said. she was in the breakroom when the gunman start firing on his fellow employees. take a listen. >> i really did try to comfort anybody that was listening in that moment so they knew they weren't alone. please know that. >> reporter: jose, that woman's name is jesse. just 28 years old. started working at this walmart five days before the shooting. she got out of there alive but not without the scars of what the shooting can do to people and the ripple effects that it

can have. i want to talk about this investigation because even though it is a holiday we've seen the fbi, investigators, police, the fire department pouring over the scene behind us. they told us yesterday it could take days to figure out a motive. why this gunman who worked for walmart 12 years opened fire and killed six of his employees. it's unthinkable, it's unimaginable. there are still four in the hospitals, one in critical condition as well. >> julie tsirkin, thank you so much. and turning now to colorado springs where the suspected shooter who took the lives of five people over the weekend is being held without bond, facing possible murder and hate crime charges in the coming weeks. i want to bring in steve patterson who is there for us in colorado springs and lisa rubin. steve, we're getting a lot of new details about the suspect behind the attack. >> reporter: yeah, much more after yesterday's advisory

hearing. the suspect read their constitutional rights, visibly battered on a video link we saw after some heroics inside club q helping subdue the suspect, not leading to any further death. we know the suspect being held without bond until what is likely going to be a december 6th court case. that suspect scheduled to appear in person facing what are now preliminary charges, what are expected to be formal charges in the way of five counts of first-degree murder. also, learning much more on the suspected shooter's background. the fact that now we believe this was a ghost gun, the weapon used inside the club. no serial number. the fact that there was a filing before the hearing that we had yesterday. the defense team describing their client as nonbinary, using they/them pronouns which is pertinent to the fact that there could be hate crime charges in this case. as we've been reporting on the

ground, our nbc news team scattered across colorado springs speaking to neighbors, speaking to friends of the suspect. not only did -- are we reporting that the suspect may have been hateful towards the lgbtq community, there have been several instances of using bad language towards that community. but there were he and him and pronouns exchanged between that suspect and friends. there's much more on the family background, the father thought to be abusive, may have led to an alleged name change back in 2016 which helped further obscure parts of the investigation. the incompetent mother that lost custody of the suspect as well. the suspect reportedly using a bomb threat against their own mother as early as last year. that case was thrown out. that case was sealed which may have helped trigger a red flag law which may have helped not -- you know, the suspect not being able to get their hands on a weapon in the first place. there's so much more to learn, of course, but those details, of course, will come out hopefully

before this december 6th court date. jose? >> steve patterson, thank you so much. lisa, as we're learning more about the suspect's past, if you were building a case, what stands out to you right now? >> clearly, jose, one of the things that stands out as was just mentioned is that the attorneys have identified their client as nonbinary and say that their client used they/them pronouns. there hasn't been anybody in the suspect's past, however, with whom that resonates as the person that they knew. it may be that they are trying to avoid hate crimes charges against their client in addition to five counts of murder charges. but whether they'll be successful in that really remains to be seen. one of the reasons i think that remains to be seen is because being a member of one protected class doesn't legally preclude the ability to bring bias crime charges against a suspect. the other thing that i might be

looking for is scouring as many journalists are the suspect's online history to see if he has a history of threats and bad language and bullying against people in the lgbtq community. that might be indicative also of whether he'll be facing hate crime charges in the end, jose. >> so, lisa, how is a hate crime charge affected by something like, you know, what the lawyers are saying about the gunman? the alleged gunman? >> i think it muddies the water, certainly. and it remains to be seen based on the fact that the prosecution can develop, whether or not mr. aldridge does, in fact, identify as nonbinary. there are some folks in the legal community who say it doesn't matter one way or the other. the fact that he might identify

as nonbinary doesn't preclude his having hatred which may be self-hatred towards those in the lgbtq community. there are other who is say his membership in that group may at least make it more confusing for jurors and have prosecutors scratching their heads and thinking twice about whether they want to bring those additional charges beyond the murder and attempted murder charges that i think he's looking at thus far, jose. >> the da said formal charges for the suspect are likely to come at the next trial date. right now that's set for the 6th of december. is this a typical amount of time for these formal charges to be made? >> yes or no. this is an atypical crime. it's not every day that somebody walks into what should be a place of refuge for a community, the lgbtq community in colorado springs, and decides with a semiautomatic rifle and an additional weapon to just fire,

killing five people and injuring 18. i think the crime itself. while there are mass shootings every day in america, there is something particularly shocking and horrific about this crime. that having been said, certainly the police and the district attorney needs some time to develop some facts to determine whether charges can be brought. but it's not unusual, for example, for federal investigators to fire a criminal complaint and then take some time between the filing of a criminal complaint and an arrest and filing an indictment against an individual. so, no, i don't think this is entirely unusual. but the case itself is unusual. we need to give it some time to develop. >> lisa rubin, thank you so much for being with us this morning. appreciate it. alaska finally knows who it's sending to washington after the midterms. that's next. you're watching msnbc. ching msn. (woman 1) i just switched to verizon business unlimited. it's just right for my little business. unlimited premium data. unlimited hotspot data. (woman 2) you know it's from the most reliable

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27 past the hour. we've got developing political news this morning from nearly 4,000 miles away in alaska. the front page has the story, republican senator lisa murkowski and mary peltola have

been re-elected. it's also important to note who they beat. two trump-backed candidates. i want to bring in former florida republican congressman, and julie manchester who covers politics for the hill. thank you, both. former president trump won alaska by ten points two years ago. both of his candidates lost. what do you think happened there? >> happening thanksgiving. democracy reformers all over the country are ecstatic about this alaska result. ranked choice voting, the system they use in alaska which is used in maine and a few other states, has yielded the two moderate candidates, senator murkowski and congresswoman peltola were running against candidates who

are extremes and they both emerged victorious. these two republicans and a democrat endorsed each other during the campaign. so the alaska result we had to wait a long time to get it, but it really does stand out in our political system. >> yeah, and julie, standing out, one of -- out of the seven republican senators who voted to convict trump on impeachment, murkowski is the only one who faced voters this year. what's the significance of the fact that she was able to keep here seat? >> it's very significant because of the fact that she's one of the strongest and most vocal trump critics in the senate. we know there was an effort by president trump and his allies throughout this cycle to very much promote their pro-trump candidates, many of whom were election deniers, especially in terms of those governor races. the fact that lisa murkowski in a state where trump was able to perform very well in 2020 and

2016, was able to win re-election, is pretty remarkable. that being said, she is a bit of a political institution in alaska. it is remarkable. also mary peltola, i mean, the significance of her win being the first native alaskan to serve in congress is major and she obviously beat sarah palin, a former governor of that state. it's yet another loss for trump's backed candidates. >> and, julia, i want to change topics a little bit to the justice department naming jack smith as special counsel. there are reports now that trump allies, including some on capitol hill, are trying to undermine his credibility. what have you heard? >> yeah, there are a number of republicans on capitol hill, you know, notable republicans jim jordan, for example, from ohio,

republicans that normally side with trump on a number of these matters especially saying that jack could be politically biased in some way, have some sort of liberal leaning. they point to the fact that his wife had donated to president biden's 2020 presidential campaign and also they point to what they say was targeting of conservatives by the irs during the obama administration. they're trying to sort of poke holes in the special counsel and this investigation. we'll see if that holds. that will certainly hold with conservative audiences. but i think right now among republicans, this is a growing sense within the party right now, there's a fatigue with wanting to defend trump and such. this isn't the same 2017 mueller investigation this time around. we're dealing with a much weaker trump and dealing with someone not in office who does not have those protections that the

president of the united states normally has. >> carlos, do you think these issues could have an impact on the investigation going forward? >> well, jose, i think the president's allies in congress -- and i agree, every day there are fewer of them, especially after he's become such a drag for republican candidates in this 2022 midterm election, they don't want to focus on his conduct, on his actions. what they want to do is discredit anyone who criticizes or attacks him. this is a sensitive time for house republicans, especially, because there is an ongoing leadership decision-making progress in the house republican conference. kevin mccarthy got 188 votes for speaker. he needs 218. over the next few weeks, he needs to make up that difference. and donald trump could be a factor in all of this. he could decide to play, he could decide to support or undermine kevin mccarthy.

so a lot of these people who are out there defending him could be positioning themselves to either support kevin mccarthy or undermine him. there's a lot more here than we can see on the surface. >> carlos, i'm just wondering, it looks as though the upcoming congress is going to have the majority/minority breakdown almost exactly as it was the last time around, right, except it flips over to the republicans. is it possible, carlos, for anything to be done with that kind of congress going forward? >> well, jose, the first question is, can republicans elect a speaker of their own. there are already a handful of house republicans who have refused to commit to supporting kevin mccarthy. republicans are going to end up with 222 members. that means mccarthy can only lose for. if he loses more than four, what happens next? no one knows. before we begin to explore

what's achievable or possible in the next congress, we have to wait and see who is going to be running the u.s. house of representatives. by the way, whoever wins, even if it is mr. mccarthy, clearly the favorite, he's going to have a tough time keeping those 222 republicans together as they have to pass basic bills to fund the government and other such legislation. >> i can't thank you enough for being with us this morning. really appreciate it. it's great seeing you both. an idaho college town remains on edge as authorities scramble to find out what led to the gruesome killing of four students. are they any closer to finding a suspect? true test of survival for people in ukraine. for millions, no heat, no light, no sense of safety. former adviser to president zelenskyy will be with us next. t ♪♪ what will you do? will you make something better? create something new?

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11 days, 150 interviews, more than 1,000 tips and still no suspect in the deaths of four idaho college students. i want to bring in gadi schwartz. what more are you learning? >> reporter: investigators say they are working around the clock and through the holiday to solve the murders asking the public for any tips that could help. meanwhile, fear and frustration are growing. but officials say they're making some headway and they're not going to stop until this killer is caught. >> reporter: for the tight-knit college town of moscow, idaho, and the family members of the four students brutally stabbed to death, this will be a thanksgiving filled with grief. >> devastating for the community. >> reporter: a city official emotional about the toll the case has taken.

moscow is my home and i know we won't be defined by tragedy but how we respond to it. >> frustration is growing, including among family members who worried investigators may have fallen behind during the crucial first 48 hours of the case. >> we all want to understand why this has happened. >> reporter: others are raising concern about the lack of information from officials. >> we don't want to put our investigation in jeopardy by releasing what we have. >> reporter: police say the case is complex involving more than 100 personnel from local, state and federal agencies. they've conducted 150 interviews and processed more than 150 pieces of evidence and more than 1,000 tips. police looked into reports of one victim having a stalker, receiving hundreds of pieces of information but say they haven't been able to identify a stalker. >> we have obtained information through some of our interviews that kaylee had made some comments about a stalker. we have not been able to corroborate it, but we're not done looking into that piece of

information. >> reporter: the university is upping security for the foreseeable future. until the killer is found, police are advising vigilance, traveling in pairs and general awareness. >> in some ways, this took our innocence. >> reporter: a loss of innocence, safety and four young lives. >> as the community continues to mourn and grieve, there's a candlelight vigil next wednesday. back to you. >> thank you so much. we are also following developing news in china. home to roughly 10 million people has been put into lockdown and with that regime there, lockdown means literally locked down. as the country reported a record number of infections, 131,000 in a single day. but the concerns are being

compounded by violent protests where riot police in hazmat suits squared off with employees that were complaining about their working conditions. turning now to ukraine, it's becoming a struggle for millions of people there to simply stay alive. hunkering down in the cold with no heat, no power, no running water. it comes after a wave of russian missile attacks wednesday targeted the power grid. plunging huge parts of major cities, including the capital of kyiv into darkness. all of this comes with temperatures set to fall below freezing and snow in the forecast. i want to bring in former adviser to president zelenskyy. this morning i read one resident said it's like living in the stone age. how are people there coping? >> well, we're trying to survive. some are more lucky than the

others. i have a diesel generator. it's been running for 27 hours nonstop now. and that's a gallon of diesel fuel an hour. so 27 gallons of diesel. and i'm the lucky one. people don't have running water, people don't have electricity. but to be honest, the scariest is the lack of cell connection, lack of telephones, basically. so if there is an emergency, you can't even call an ambulance. you won't know if more strikes are coming. it is petrifying. although slowly but surely the energy supply is being restored. 30% of kyiv has electricity now and almost everyone has running water. there's good news there. >> and i'm just wondering about, you know, not the 24th of november but the 24th of december and the 24th of january. it seems as though there are difficult times ahead. >> times will be incredible

difficult and to me the biggest ukraine-related news were a couple of statements by the kremlin, the other one made by the belarus dictator. they said if you want to end the suffering of the people of ukraine, the ukrainian government needs to capitulate. accept all of the russian demands. only one group of people do that, they're called terrorists. from today onwards, we've been declared hostages. but i don't think it's going to do anything to our resolve. we're going to win this. if we have to suffer, we'll suffer for it. but we have nowhere else to run. >> what's your message to all of us? well, there are a couple of messages. first of all, you have to remember that we're in this tragic situation in the 21st century. the first war children have already been born. it's nine months today since the

start of the war, and sadly some have already been killed. stand with us, help us go through this and we need to make sure we don't repeat the mistakes of the 20th century. twice in the '30s and the '40s we failed to stop mass genocide and we're on the verge of that again. >> thank you so much for being with us. i send you all the best. thanks for being with us this morning. >> happy thanksgiving. it is, meanwhile, a -- just perfect day in new york for the macy's thanksgiving day parade. we're going to have some of the highlights so far next. (woman 1) i just switched to verizon business unlimited. it's just right for my little business. unlimited premium data. unlimited hotspot data. (woman 2) you know it's from the most reliable 5g network in america? (vo) when it comes to your business, not all bars are created equal. so switch to verizon business unlimited today. announcer: type 2 diabetes? discover the power of 3 in the ozempic® tri-zone.

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(woman 1) i just switched to verizon business unlimited. it's just right for my little business. unlimited premium data. unlimited hotspot data. (woman 2) you know it's from the most reliable 5g network in america? (vo) when it comes to your business, not all bars are created equal. so switch to verizon business unlimited today. 49 past the hour. it's one of the nation's most beloved holiday traditions, this year's annual macy's thanksgiving day parade is under way. there you see it on screen. 12 bands, 16 giant balloons, 700 clowns and more making their way through the streets of new york city. there are performers, floats and, of course, santa claus. also there, kristin.

>> what a day for a parade. the weather could not have been better. 200 pounds of confetti, some of which i'm still wearing. we are on 6th avenue. the parade is coming through. people getting back to their feasts. off in the distance, 34th street where the parade is wrapping up, santa coming through, this crowd had such a good time today. 3 million people out here on the streets, including these gentlemen over here. >> it was wonderful, great. everything we hoped for. >> what was your favorite part? >> i will say the snoopy float and santa. >> santa. i love santa. >> did you ask him for something? >> yes, we did. happiness. >> that's a good one. >> health for everyone. >> that's a great one. thank you guys.

do you know that macy's is the second largest consumer of helium ever year with those 16 giant balloons? those were a huge, huge hit. i know i brought my little girl to the parade. she was just in awe. some of them 52 feet tall and took 50 handlers on them to keep those balloons going straight down 6th avenue here. really, just an amazing day for a parade. back to you. >> what were some of your favorites and your daughter's favorites? those are the ones that matter. >> right. i think that baby yoga was a big hit. i loved all the marching bands. 12 marching bands, and they just were all so talented. high school bands, college bands. everyone was giving the crowd high fives. it was such great energy out here. everybody just really happy to be out here and to be a part of

what for many people is as much a thanksgiving tradition as the turkey at this point. >> it's great seeing you. i'm glad that you and your daughter were able to partake in that. just a beautiful day's ceremony. it's great seeing you. >> happy thanksgiving. >> to you as well. there's no doubt kids across the country have had a rough two years since the onset of the pandemic. as we wrap up our program, i want to take a minute to share some endearing stories from some young students in new york who told us what they are thankful for this thanksgiving. nbc's lester holt has more. >> reporter: today's lesson is all about giving thanks. >> thank you for the food. >> reporter: after two years of holidays overshadowed by covid, many students told us they are grateful for a thanksgiving that feels a little more normal. >> i'm thankful for family and

friends. during covid, i wasn't able to see a lot of my friends. >> very grateful that me and my family or my family and i have been healthy and happy and able to see each other. >> i'm thankful for the school and my teachers and my friends. >> i'm thankful for my dog. she's good at comforting people, especially me. >> i'm thankful for my family, because they give me comfort. and i just love them. >> reporter: of course, on thanksgiving -- >> i love cooking. >> reporter: comfort comes in the form of turkey, stuffing and potatoes. >> we bake and we cook and we have this huge feast at the end. >> we make an angel food cake which i love do with my grandma. >> looking forward to eating. we do cook a pretty good thanksgiving meal. >> reporter: when you are in grade school, there's something else to look forward to. >> we get a lot of days off from school. >> the first thing i think about

is wrapped up in a blanket drinking hot chocolate and waf -- watching a moment. i get excited about that. >> reporter: a moment of peace with the people you love to give thanks. isn't that what the day is all about? >> when i think about the holidays, i think about community and spending time with the people i love and giving back to them and hopefully receiving the same. >> that was nbc's lester holt. thank you for that report. before we go, msnbc films presented documentaries, kicking off with "four seasons" at 2:00 p.m., that's beginning today at 2:00 p.m. eastern. that wraps up the hour for me. you can always reach me on twitter and instagram.

follow the show online. of all the things i'm grateful for, among the many things i'm grateful for the privilege of your time. thank you. have a great thanksgiving. chris jansing picks up with more news next. ever notice how stiff clothes can feel rough on your skin? for softer clothes that are gentle on your skin, try downy free & gentle downy will soften your clothes without dyes or perfumes. the towel washed with downy is softer, and gentler on your skin. try downy free & gentle. (woman 1) i just switched to verizon business unlimited. it's just right for my little business. unlimited premium data. unlimited hotspot data. (woman 2) you know it's from the most reliable 5g network in america? (vo) when it comes to your business, not all bars are created equal. so switch to verizon business unlimited today.

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♪♪ good day. happy thanksgiving. i'm chris jansing in new york city. this hour, frustration within the january 6th committee. new reporting on liz cheney and her focus on former president trump. what committee staffers are reportedly worried about as the panel preps its final report. also this hour, we are live on the scene of those two recent mass shootings. tw