today", red, set, shop! deal seekers are scooping up their black friday merchandise earlier than ever. giving thanks. not just about the turkey. many americans spent their holiday giving back. . and more to love. a sheep farmer in china welcomes the birth of one very special a sheep farmer in china welcomes the birth of one very special lamb. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with bargain hunters. serious shoppers are out in force this morning snapping up black friday deals at some of the nation's biggest retailers. and this year the official

holiday shopping season kicked off even earlier with some stores offering deep discounts thursday night. janelle, how does it look out there now? >> reporter: it's busy, lynn. in fact, many shoppers went right from thanksgiving dinner straight to the mall this year. for the first time, dozens of stores opened last night. just one way the competition to lure black friday shoppers is more intense than ever. the bargains are on, and so is the bedlam. with high stakes and low prices. >> black friday is the beginning of the season. it's a huge day across the country. and for many retailers, they are the best deals that consumers are going to get. >> reporter: and some of the deals are starting earlier than ever. many big chains opened today at midnight. >> people don't have to go to sleep and get up early. they can stay up all night long and shop. >> reporter: a third of americans will buy online this

season. and smartphones are the new buying battle ground. some companies like amazon and walgreen's have special deals targeting shoppers on their phones even as they wait in checkout lines. >> it used to be you camp out in front of the store. now you camp out in front of your phone. >> reporter: yet some say holiday shopping has gone too far and black friday has some buyers in a dark mood. >> christmas stuff was out before halloween. it's getting really early. >> do you like that or no? >> no. >> reporter: anthony hard wick works part-time at a nebraska target store and got 200,000 signatures on a petition to keep stores closed on thanksgiving day. target this week responded. >> our guests have expressed they would prefer to kick off their holiday shopping experience right after the holiday celebrations rather than getting up in the middle of the night. >> reporter: whatever their strategy, for retailers this remains the biggest and busiest

shopping day all year. one millions of americans can't help but buy into. well, many shoppers have been here for hours already. of course some of the best deals starting early this morning. so they have to get here first in order to take advantage of those. but some people not so happy about this black friday bonanza. one woman in california last night sprayed 15 people waiting in line at a walmart with pepper spray. 15 people injured, one of them hospitalized because of that pepper spray incident, lynn. and so a lot of backlash about black friday continues. >> yeah. unbelievable. janelle, thanks so much. you have a good one. whether you spent the day cooking, eating or on the couch watching football, a little bit of everything from coast to coast and overseas many folks spent yesterday giving thanks and reaching out to help those in need. nbc's brian mooar has that story. >> reporter: while some of us spent thanksgiving watching

parade, on the run or refusing up for sales, our troops in afghanistan were enjoying a feast. president obama called to thank 10 members of the armed services and sent a taped message to the nation. we will spend the day eating great food, watching football, and reflecting on how truly lucky we are. congresswoman gabrielle giffords helped serve meals. >> ma'am, you're an inspiration to the community, to the base, and to the nation. >> reporter: tough times offering opportunity to help. in atlanta, the joy of giving was not lost on this 12-year-old. >> to see people happy and on thanksgiving. >> reporter: actor steve was playing the role of good guy. >> we will be serving over 200 meals. >> this mission served 4,000 meals with a family touch.

>> just trying to make it to mom's house. >> reporter: this ikea in charlotte was closed but employees opened their arms to residents in a nearby shelter and gave away toys to children whose parents fell on hard times. >> giving yourself is what this holiday is all about. you can sell every single day but there's one or two days a year that is really about family and togetherness. that's really what we're doing today. >>eporter: brian mooar, nbc news, washington. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in pennsylvania, one wild turkey couldn't end up without winding in a dine room. it crashed into a plate glass window. no one was inside when he made his final flight. occupy wall street protesters returned to zucotti park for a peaceful thanksgiving celebration. turkey, vegetarian and vegan dinners were handed out to keep

the group in accordance with the newly enforced rules. police were called in, but that was only to respond to noise complaints. finally, a crying kitten has at least eight more lives after being rescued by california firefighters. the animal was trapped in an underground pipe for nearly eight hours before the rescue crew pulled him out using a makeshift pole. the kitten will be put up for adoption if unclaimed. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> did you have a nice turkey day? >> i did. i said i was going to set my alarm, go shopping and come straight to work. i might have as well get some deals. i looked at the alarm and i couldn't do it. >> you probably wouldn't have made it into the stores yet. the lines when we were all coming in were insane. you can get my christmas present

after the show. >> well, good morning, everyone. hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving. a lot of people out there enjoying the beautiful weather. i can't tell you this is one of the warmest thanksgiving, day after thanksgiving we have seen. we're 50 degrees to start your day in minneapolis. that's kind of unheard of. it gets very cold this time of year from the northern plains. everyone up there is enjoying it. we're mild from the southeast to the east coast. the warmer air returning to this area too. a storm system in arizona. it's a slow-moving storm system. out ahead of it high pressure dominates the eastern half of the country. mild air is moving everywhere. let's track the one storm we deal with as we head toward the weekend. this morning rain in new mexico. just a little bit of rain in this area of green from texas into areas of western kansas. then we track the storm ever so slowly saturday morning with rain in the middle of the country. it's not until saturday that that storm system starts to affect people. rain in the forecast for kansas city, maybe san antonio and

dallas. but that's late today. more in the overnight hours. that's a look at your national forecast. now here is a look at the weather outside your window. beautiful day in philadelphia. 61 sunny degrees. that's nice. memphis, tennessee, no complaints. 68 and sunny. oklahoma city, don't worry, it will rain late today into tonight. during the daylight hours you're fine. sooner or later, lynn, mother nature is going to come back and old man winter will return. >> enjoy it while it lasts. it's wonderful. it really is. bill, thanks so much. coming up, the street watches europe. at&t signals problems with t-mobile. and the turkey can disaster four years in the making. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, will kermit see green at the box office this weekend. a nail biter between the cowboys and dolphins. packers roll. and it was a family day in

philadelphia as the harbaugh brothers meet for the first time. you're watching "early today."

good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. a judicial force in cairo tells nbc news three students held because of their involvement in egypt have been released. the military council said monday's planned elections will go forward calling for an immediate handover of power. at least 38 people have been killed in the uprising. syria has until the end of the day to sign a deal filing arab monitors into the country or it could face deep sanctions. arab foreign ministers want to assess progress on a plan to end the eight-month violent crackdown on protests in the country. chicago is mourning the loss

of its long-time first lady maggie bailey. the wife of former mayor had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. a rare occurrence in china where a sheep farm has welcomed its first five-legged lamb. that's right. the extra limb is smaller and shorter than the other four and sure to help this little lamb stand out from the rest of the herd. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. after being closed for thanksgiving. the dow opens at 11,257 after dropping 236 on wednesday. sp slid 26 points. nasdaq lost 61. taking a look at overseas trading, in tokyo, the nikkei was down five points, while in hong kong, the hang seng tumbled 245. well, some investors will be back to work today. but with a shortened trading session and no economic data

untapped all eyes. angela merkel disproved rumors she has softened on issuing euro bonds as an issue to the debt crisis. as a result, the continued lack of a clear plan to solve europe's debt crisis weighed on asian trading today with the nikkei spending most of the day near a two and a half year low. olympus shot up in speculation that a recent accounting scandal may not cause the company to be listed. australia's government approved miller's $11 billion takeover of foster's group as long as they keep brewing the aussie beer brand in australia. it doesn't look good for at&t on a roadblock to its merger with t-mobile. it has $4 billion to cover its costs if the deals fall apart. if you're short of things to be

thankful for yesterday, here's one. a woman got a frozen turkey home and it had an expiration date of november 23rd, 2007. your turkey disaster was not so bad. coming up, tony romo rallies the cowboys for a last second win. and one lions turns out to be a beast of burden, and not in a good way. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, it was a thanksgiving family affair. for brothers who squared off in the ravens/49ers matchup. here's northbound's bill seward with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the harbaughs spent the holidays together and cooked up a good old-fashioned grudge match. to baltimore we go. the brothers sharing a hug before the game. john, of course, the head coach of the ravens. jim with the niners. this one a slug fest through three-quarters. someone finally got in the end zone. in the fourth, joe flacco to dennis pitta. ravens up 13-6. that's the difference.

john earning family bragging rights. cowboys and dolphins. everyone needs a date for thanksgiving dinner. jason witten grabbing a cheerleader. took out the young lady on the sidelines. she was okay but i don't think whitten will get the call for a second date. tony romo hooking up with robinson. all game. connected from five yards out in the second. in the fourth, romo scrambling. and robinson streaking across the back of the end zone. hello! cowboys, up 17-16. this one came down to a field goal. dallas down one. dan bailey for the win. down the middle as time expires. romo remains unbeaten on thanksgiving with a 20-19 win. to detroit where the lions and suh not in the giving mood got tangled up with smith, nearly twisted his head off. as he's getting up, suh stomping on the air. just another reason why people are calling suh the dirtiest player in the league. he gets ejected and the

commissioner may have something to say about that. with detroit's best player on the defensive side out, the packers two to work. rodgers, two touchdowns. at one point, green bay up 24-0. they win 27-15. a perfect 11-0 for the first time in franchise history. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm bill seward. well, will vampires once again be able to scare away the competition at the box office this weekend? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, meet the couple this year who were thankful for eight decades of marital bliss. you're watching "early today."

well, welcome back on this day after thanksgiving. hope you had a wonderful day yesterday. maybe you're waking up to do some early morning shopping or just returning. it was very mild around the country. today is just an incredibly gorgeous day for the eastern half of the country. we will see some rain late in the day in the middle of the nation. but it's not going to be until after dark. and then that rain tomorrow will move into the ohio valley and areas like louisiana. well, if you're watching wxia 11 alive, atlanta, georgia, learn the facts behind some of the science greatest mysteries and debates at bad astronomy at the fernbank science center. that's your "early today" event of the day. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. this holiday weekend is seeing

three major movie newcomers all fighting for the same audience. the muppetts return. kermit could be seeing a lot of green. thanks to publicity and stunning reviews, it is expected to pull in $45 million for the five-day weekend. arthur christmas is an adventure from the creators of chicken run. it's also getting great reviews and should hit the $19 million mark. martin scorsese branches out with his first 3d feature hugo. it won't bring in the eye-popping return that the muppetts but it is expected to make $10 million. the honeymoon is not over for edward and bella. breaking down part. bill's favorite. he's just waiting for part 2. it scored the fifth best opening weekend of all time. it's expected to be number one

for a second week for around $55 million. so take that, bill karins. this comes to us from knbc california in los angeles, where thanksgiving was the perfect day for one couple to show how thank they are for each other. harold and edna put their own personal touch on yesterday's holiday dinner. along with giving thanks they celebrated, get this, 80 years of marriage. the 100-year-old first went over his 99-year-old in fifth grade with a candy bar. what's the secret to their story? never let an argument last overnight. everyone get out your pens and paper and make a note of that. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. we are in store for a beautiful day. folks heading out shopping, it will be delightful. temperatures in the mid 60's under sunny skies. 39 degrees at the airport. at the inner harbor, 51 degrees. how long will this great weather last? at least three saturday. >> 4:57. 49 degrees on tv hill. a big win for the ravens over

the 49ers. >> it is black friday morning and shoppers are out in full force. >> plenty of traffic expected around the malls. nothing major at the bay bridge. we have some

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. i am sarah called walt. >> i am stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. -- i am sarah caldwell. >> we have a nice day yesterday. >> today will be even better. let's look to the temperatures. 41 degrees at the airport. 39 starting off this morning. 39 starting off this morning.