iconic interviewer of the powerful and high-minded, charlie rose suspended by cbs news after eight women say the tv journalist sexually harassed them with nudity, groping, lewd calls, and more. overnight, a massive gas line rupture sends balls of fire into the night sky and shock waves through a michigan community. and a whole different kind of fear as three north texas officers are narrowly missed by a suspected drunk driver. then to the hottest black friday deals that are available right now. and time for turkey bowling with just two days till thanksgiving. "early today" starts right now. good to be with you this morning. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm gigi stone woods. a massive fire erupted in oakland county, michigan overnight. a high pressure gas leak near

the border of auburn hills and orion township. witnesses on social media said the gigantic flames could be seen from several miles away. the blaze even knocked out 911 service to the entire county. but crews eventually got the system back up. law enforcement ordered evacuations for several blocks surrounding the inferno. >> the fire is now contained and the orders have been lifted but authorities are still advising people to avoid the area. officials said the gas main involved was managed by consumers energy. a spokesman said they shut down the gas line to let the fire burn itself out. they're also working with officials to determine the exact cause. no injuries have been reported. holiday security preparations are under way in new york city, where 3 million people are expected to attend the macy's thanksgiving day parade. the nypd says heightened security measures will be in place tone sure safety especially in the wake of last month's terror attack which killed eight people. >> you'll see every intersection there will be more blocker cars and there will be sand-filled sanitation trucks. this is the third year in a row

we'll be using our critical response command cops who are specifically assigned to counterterrorism duties. >> extra security will also apply to the tens of thousands expected to watch the balloon inflation tomorrow. the event will start and end two hours earlier than usual. and everyone attending will be screened. new york mayor bill de blasio called the macive's thanksgiving day parade a symbol of the city that everyone should feel comfortable enjoying. >> it will be a very strong presence of the nypd. stronger than ever in fact. i want to emphasize, this is the most important thing i'll say, there are no credible and specific threats against new york city at this time. there are no credible and specific threats against these events. eight women who have now come forward to accuse long-time newsman charlie rose of sexual misconduct. speaking out to the "washington post" in a revealing report, now rose is apologizing. cbs news, where rose appears as co-host on "cbs this morning" and correspondent for "60 minutes," announced it has

suspended the anchor immediately, looking into this matter. pbs, the home of rose's namesake "charlie rose show," says it too was suspending the distribution of his show. nbc's anne thompson has details on the fallout facing the veteran journalist. >> reporter: america knows him as co-anchor on the cbs this morning" and contributor to "60 minutes" but it's on pbs where charlie rose honed his television image. urbane and sophisticated. now eight women say off the air charlie rose sexually harassed them. the claims come from women who were 21 to 37 at the time of the encounters, spanning the late '90s to 2011. all working for his production company, distributing his show on pbs. associate producer rhea bravo telling the "washington post" "he was a sexual predator and i was his victim," describing unwanted advances while working with him in cars, hotels, private planes, and at his home.

orin carmon is one of the story's authors. >> there was what some people called the shower trick, which would involve mr. rose exposing himself, they said, while coming out of the shower. many of these women described the initial move being a hand on the leg, often the mid-thigh. >> reporter: kyle godfrey-ryan confirmed to nbc that rose fired her when she told a mutual friend about him walking nude in front of her while working at his home and late-night phone calls describing his fantasies about her. several of the women complained to rose's executive producer yvette vega, who told the "post," "i should have stood up for them. i failed. it is crushing. i deeply regret not helping them." though he said not all the descriptions were accurate, in a statement rose wrote, "it is essential that these women know i hear them and that i deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. i am greatly embarrassed. i have behaved insensitively at times. and i accept responsibility for that. i always felt that i was pursuing shared feelings, even though now i realize i was

mistaken." >> that was anne thompson reporting. of the eight women who spoke to the post, five requested anonymity, citing rose's stature in the media. however, two women have now confirmed their allegations to nbc news. a second woman has now come forward to accuse senator al franken of inappropriate touching. she says the democrat grabbed her behind while they took a photo together at the minnesota state fair. this time while he was a sitting senator in 2010. franken has not responded to the latest allegation. a number of his senate colleagues have called for an ethics investigation, which franken has vowed to cooperate with. developing this morning, president trump's executive order to block funding to sanctuary cities has been stopped in its tracks. a federal judge ruled to permanently block the administration, calling the order unconstitutional. it's dealing a political blow to the president on one of his signature issues, toughening immigration across the country. for more we go to nbc's tracy potts in washington. tracy, good morning. just how did the judge rule against the president last

night? >> reporter: well, frances, this is the second time that the 9th circuit has ruled on this, and the judge said that this sanctuary cities order is too broad, that it's coercive, vague and standardless, a violation of the separation of powers. this after the administration argued that it tried to narrow the sanctuary cities order. but the judge disagreed with that. also saying that the president's own words contributed to this order, that the president called it a weapon to use against jurisdictions that disagree with his preferred policies of immigration. that's what the president said, and that's what the judge said contributed to this order. meantime, the president tweeted in response, "see you in court at the supreme court." the president talking about trying to continue to pursue this, saying that the ninth circuit is ruling against the ban, that the court had a terrible record, the president

originally said in april, when the court ruled against him. so now this may go further in court. the ninth circuit, though, has permanently blocked it as the president tries to take money away from cities that don't cooperate with the federal government on immigration. frances? >> we'll see how far it goes. tracie potts, thank you. some shocking dashcam footage captures some scary moments in a north texas highway. police officers were helping some stranded motorists in forest hill. they narrowly escaped being hit when a suspected drunk driver plowed into a patrol car. the back of one police car absorbed most of the impact, but the three officers and two others had almost no time to get out of the way of the speeding vehicle. police arrested cedric keith henson jr. he faces a driving while intoxicated charge. fortunately, no one was hurt. wow. and more intense moments along an oklahoma highway monday. emergency crews responded to a propane truck that caught on fire on i-40 west in el reno, oklahoma shortly after it was

involved in a wreck with a pickup truck. the heat and fire sparked a brush fire along the side of the highway. the dramatic flames could be seen for miles. traffic came to a near standstill in both directions. thankfully, though, no one was hurt. >> it's pretty incredible. meteorologist bonnie schneider is here with a look at the day ahead. hi, bonnie. >> hi, frances and gigi. what we're looking at today, a little lake effect snow in upstate new york and pennsylvania. for those traveling today getting ready for the thanksgiving holiday, watch out for florida because we could see some heavy downpours and storms and may cause some airport delays as well as delays if you're driving on i-9 50r the florida turnpike. just watch out for some wet weather there. otherwise we're looking at pretty good travel for

as it did. lavar ball has a new message for president trump. find out what he said, next. in other news: are chocolate candies the new vegetable? did someone change this copy? it's good. keep reading! for 14 years, the today show has highlighted the life-saving work of st. jude children's research hospital.

and meeting the kids from st. jude is a holiday tradition we love, although it does make things a little different around here. join st. jude's fight against childhood cancer. watch st. jude on the today show all thanksgiving week. she pretty much lives in her favorite princess dress. but once a week i let her play sheriff so i can wash it. i use tide to get out those week old stains and downy to get it fresh and soft. you are free to go. tide and downy together. then moisturize with isaveeno® skin relief. with oat oil and natural shea butter, it softens and smooths extra dry skin and lasts for 24 hours. aveeno®. naturally beautiful results® fortified.tored. replenished. emerge everyday with emergen-c packed with b vitamins, antioxidants, electrolytes plus more vitamin c than 10 oranges. why not feel this good everyday? emerge and see.

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wildlife officers caught it with help from a trapper. officials said the crocodile will be evaluated, tagged, and released into a more suitable habitat. really drew a crowd there. leading the news this morning former president bill clinton visited puerto rico helping distribute supplies to those left homeless after hurricane maria. clinton visited health clinics on the island, bringing medical supplies and solar energy equipment donated by the clinton foundation. he also visited the island's largest shelter with governor ricardo roseo who said clinton's visit will help people realize puerto rico is still in need of relief even two months after the hurricane hit. lavar ball is seemingly continuing his public spat with president trump refusing to thank the president for helping his son who was arrested in china. appearing on cnn, ball questioned the president's role and said he would probably thank chinese president xi jinping instead. despite host chris cuomo's prompting, ball continued to hedge on thanking trump. >> why won't you say thank you to the president?

>> it doesn't make -- well, if somebody does something for you then you say thank you. >> somebody did something for you. say thank you. >> okay. i would say thank you if he would have put them on his plane and took them home. there's a lot of room on that plane. >> earlier this week trump lashed out against ball on twitter calling him unaccepting and saying he should have left the player's son in jail. pop star gwen stefani lights up new york city just noom n. time for the holidays. she flipped the switch to symbolically light the empire state building with the holiday colors of red, green and gold on monday. the kickoff to the holiday season is also promotion for the empire state building's holiday lights show. the building lights will change color to the rhythm of zwep stefani's new song "you make it feel like christmas." her first holiday album titled by the same name also includes a duet with her current boyfriend blake shelton. >> too cute. can't take it. >> i know. still ahead, we've got the latest details on the best black friday sales that you can get right now. you're watching "early today." happy thanks for giving! thanks for giving lien the strength to outrun her brother.

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this is big. it's hate week in south carolina. marked by saturday's big football game between arch-rivals clemson university and the university of south carolina. to kick it off, students at usc burned a 30-foot-tall replica of the clemson tiger made from wood, paper, and chicken wire. clemson has a similar tradition, roasting a gamecock. you don't want to mess with those fans.

>> no, don't. black friday three days away. in many ways it's here already. stores rolling up deals to compete with online options. jo ling kent tells us how to get the most bang for your buck. >> it's here! >> reporter: to fend off online giant amazon, big name stores are already pushing some of their best deals. >> it's black friday at jcpenney, and the challenge is on. >> get 50% off your entire purchase. >> some things we bought today and some things we're going to wait. >> reporter: so when should you check the items off your list? experts say thanksgiving day will feature the deepest discounts online for video games, computers, and sporting goods. on black friday it's tablets and tvs online and in stores look for cookware and beauty products. cyber monday's the best day to buy toys online. but for purchasing toys in person wait until december. that's also when you'll find the best deals on winter clothing and fitness equipment. on average the top retailers will drop prices 37% on black friday and some even more.

kohl's and jcpenney are slashing prices 66%, sears offering deals 50% off and macy's cutting prices by 46%. >> the 2017 holiday shopping season should be huge. consumers are expected to spend up to $680 billion, which is about 3% to 4% more than they spent last year. >> reporter: and strong strategically to spend the least but give the most. for "early today" jo ling kent, nbc news, new york. >> the saying i love when it comes to that, it's not what you spend, it's just what you say. that's kind of how i justify it for my husband. >> that's how we spend all that we do. just ahead, who topped thisser's fs year's "forbes" list of highest paid women in music. plus a miracle on 34th street. but now you're going to need a reservation. wait for it. you're watching "early today." mother nature

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or if you have received a vaccine, or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. with less joint pain, watch me. for less joint pain and clearer skin, ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx. trump couldn't resist tweeting, "do you think the three ucla basketball players will say thank you president trump?" imagine thanksgiving at the trump house. "let's go around the table and all say what we're thankful to me for. i'll start." [ laughter ] thank you me. [ applause ] thank you. >> last night the balloons for the macy's thanksgiving day parade were inflated. it's a big deal. this year is actually the parade's 91st anniversary. that's amazing.

yeah. [ applause ] i think you can sort of tell the balloons are getting a little older, though. i'll show you what i mean. for example, here's what the elf on the shelf balloon used to look like. here's what it looks like now. you see what i'm saying? >> oh. wow. >> yeah. here's what the charlie brown used to look like. here's what it looks like now. you see what i'm saying? [ applause ] and finally, here's what the ronald mcdonald used to look like. here's what it looks like now. >> too easy. it was a layup. >> i'm not going to be able to look at those floats the same way now when that parade actually does happen. "forbes" just released its list of the highest paid women in music for 2017. so who's number one on that list? none other than queen bey herself. beyonce earned $105 million this year thanks to her hit album "lemonade" and her world tour making her the highest-earning lady by far. joining her, though, in the top five are adele with 69 million, taylor swift with 44 million,

celine dion with 42 million, and jennifer lopez with 38 million. wow. how about that for some girl power? bucks. >> sisters doing it for themselves. >> yeah, they are too. and then some. whether you've been naughty or nice, if you'd like to see santa claus this year, you are actually going to need a reservation. for the first time ever the chance to sit on santa's lap is by appointment only at macy's flagship store in midtown manhattan. the company said the reservation system is designed to shorten wait times and allow for the best holiday experience. admission is free. parents can make reservations on macy's website through christmas eve. i think it's only fair. santa is so businessy, and i've always thought he needed a better administrative assistant. >> there you go. mrs. clause can't keep track of it. maybe we'll just make online reservations help him out. if you've ever seen a streisand concert, consider yourself lucky. that's because barbra streisand says she's done with the tours. the oscar-winning actress and singer says performing live concerts are just too nerve-wracking for her to

consider doing them again. the 75-year-old legend made the comments while premting her new net flix special "barbra: the music the memories" which debuts this week. you'll be able to enjoy her on netflix. i had some friends who went to see her in new york city. they said she was late and she only performed three songs. there was a lot of banter, a lot of chat. and they're like just sing, barbra. maybe this is her way of saying all right, i'm pretty much done. >> they had some foresight going to see her because there's no more chances. that's it. they got in at the last minute. >> that's it right there on netflix and your itunes. still ahead, why the justice department wants to block the at&t time warner merger. plus, saying good-bye to a hollywood legend. you're watching "early today." want in on the secret to ageless skin? take the olay 28 day challenge see visible results day 1.

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intense flames. fire breaks out sending firefighters scrambling to get it under control. disturbing discovery. a man found dead in a strip mall parking lot. now there's a search for his killer. and packing for the roads. the thanksgiving rush is on as a number of drivers prepare to leave for the holiday. we have team coverage of what you need to know before heading out. coming up on 4:00 a.m., good morning, this is "nbc10 news today" first look at 4. i'm tracy davidson. >> i'm via sikahema. get ready for the travel rush as people head out for thanksgiving. the next couple of days will be the busiest on the road. we have team coverage. katy zachry has more on what to expect if you plan on driving. jessica boyington is monitoring

the conditions on the road. we begin with meteorologist bill henley and the most accurate neighborhood weather forecast. >> starting with clear skies and a chilly morning. temperatures well below freezing in the lehigh valley. 27 degrees right now. a couple degrees above in delaware. philadelphia, the warm spot. suburbs falling, 33. philadelphia, a lot of sunshine. king of prussia will, too. a nice turnaround from now. the wind will be picking up. a breezy day, but the wind has shifted direction, so it's bringing in mild air. new jersey, close to 60. 59 in philadelphia. the upper 50s in delaware. i'll break it down, show you what your getaway day looks like if today is the day when i'm back in a few minutes. first jessica boyington keeping a close eye on the roads with first alert traffic. starting on the vine street expressway where it's open, here are cameras around 8th street. so far, so good. you can see both directions are fine. here westbound toward the schuylkill, here eastbound

toward 95 is okay. moving on there is okay. moving through center city. the schuylkill expressway is dealing with construction work that westbound side around cityline avenue, starting on the boulevard, lane restrictions there. the drive times are fine. 11 minutes on the westbound side from the vine to the blue route. also mass transit, everything on or close to school for amtrak, septa, new jersey transit, and patco. i'm hearing of a problem on jfk boulevard moving through the city on 30th street station. i'll have details when i come back. we continue team coverage with katy zachry. drivers can expect a lot of company on the roads as they head out. tell us more. >> reporter: if you're up early at this hour, trying to get a jump-start on all of the holiday travel, you're not alone. it may be for a good reason. today and tomorrow are expected to be the busiest travel days over the thanksgiving holiday