wel veoullhereummoe anlsor yr.lu 40doarba. soo li oca n.t t t pt.etio good afternoon. i'm andrea grymes. >> and i'm diane macedo. chris and mary are off today enjoying the thanksgiving holiday. happy thanksgiving to the you all. and here this the city, the festivities are now in full swing. some 8,000 participants from marching bands to floats to balloon handlers are winding their way through manhattan for the annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> we are live in midtown with more on that. >> reporter: yes, well the parade has come and gone but the mayor said it best, it 9 doesn't matter how old you are,

thanksgiving day parade. it's the 89th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade with 17 giant character balloon, new balloons including ice age, ronald mcdonald and angry birds. >> i love it because the floats are unique and floats and different from the other ones and i just love it. >> reporter: but everyone here has their own idea of what's best of the parade. >> definitely the celebrities. >> reporter: yeah, which ones? >> any. i just want to see them. >> the band. >> probably the floats. yep. >> reporter: that's 27 floats. marching bands, cheerleaders and dancers. >> so much better in person. you got to see it. you know, if you had a bucket list option, this is probably one of the greater things to see. >> reporter: more than 2500 nypd officers plus counterterrorism units and thousands, specifically trained

to deal with active shooters are onhand to protect the crowds. police commissioner bill bratton walked the parade route. he says the security measures will be in place all weekend. >> we have black friday. then we have the lighting of the christmas tree in rockefeller center and then the millions of tourists and shoppers through new year's eve so an incredible busy time for the city and the new york city police department. >> reporter: mayor de blasio says the nypd is doing a great job of keeping parade goers safe. >> we know terrorists try to intimidate. well, the people of new york city are not intimidated. they are coming out in droves to celebrate everything great about the city and the country today. >> reporter: families along the route feel confident the nypd has it covered. he traveled here from maryland. >> any thoughts of canceling your trip based on? >> absolutely. yeah, absolutely. but we're here. got to move on. >> reporter: a lot of nerves

surrounding this but it turned out to be a beautiful, peaceful parade and you almost didn't even need a coat today. and another fun fact, in 1924, it was called macy's christmas held on thanksgiving. cbs 2 news. morning. thank you. many charities and places of worship are serving thanksgiving meals to those in need tay. we found one church doing it but with an upscale twist. we are live in harlem with that story. >> reporter: this thanksgiving dinner is a little bit different. the church here on west 116th and harlem is more like a restaurant today. the food is not only home cooked by volunteer, it's served by volunteers so the people who come here for restaurant experience. wait staff. people will take their orders.

of course, the menu is all thanksgiving goodies, it smells wonderful and you can see the volunteers have been getting ready to work in shifts all day starting this hour. one group of volunteers is from the omega chapter. and it's a reunion where they get to do something helpful together. >> we want to contribute back to the community and feed those who need to be fed. everyone should not go the day without a good home cooked meal. >> we have been doing this since 1911 and we're still doing it. so i'm happy to be with the brothers from all over the country. and serve. that's what we do, serve forker the community. every year. >> reporter: now the volunteers were here all day yesterday. and they were here all last night. and they were back here early this morning getting this ready. and they are expecting a few hundred people this afternoon. and they'll be serving the thanksgiving meals for anyone

in the neighborhood who can use a hot thanksgiving dinner and we hear at last more fresh home cooked food on the way as well. cbs 2 news. >> all right. looks good. thank you. the mission says they expect to serve more than 7,000 meals across the city today. and it got some celebrity help for the breakfast shift. the actress of the cbs drama blue bloods volunteered to serve bacon, eggs and potatoes at the mission. they have helped homeless, poor and the hungry new yorkers since 1879. >> a lot of people here who are appreciative of the warm meal, and there's a lot of amazing volunteers who have showed up to help serve the meals, help clean up and just provide a really nice environment for people in need. >> the mission says they'll have five shifts serving thanksgiving dinner. another house in queens goes up in flames. and now investigators are trying to determine if it's connected to a rash of recent

live at noon, we are in forest hills with more. >> reporter: who on earth is doing this? torching home after home in this area. this, the latest case overnight. it is an urgent question, not just for police but especially for residentses of this besieged neighborhood. he or she has struck again. just before midnight. this forest hills home under renovation, ravaged by flames. it is the seventh similarly suspicious fire in or around forest hills in a month. >> three of the fires have been determined to be arson for sure. and the others are under investigation. >> reporter: these fires sparking fear in this predominantly jewish neighborhood, recalling dark historical precedence. >> this whole family, all devastated. >> reporter: the homeowner of the latest site destroyed who doesn't want to give her name

>> i feel that we are under attack. it's a the terrorist attacks going against. >> reporter: the other fires in the pattern of arson almost all big homes under construction or renovation. to get an idea of the devastation and damage in the neighborhood, almost all the homes set ablaze are within a short walking distance of this exact spot. live in forest hill, queen, cbs 2 news. >> steve, thank you. new at noon, an emergency landing on long island. a blimp was forced to land at farmingdale. the aircraft was returning from manhattan to refuel just after 9:00 this morning when wind gusts picked up. the pilot landed in front of the school's baseball diamond. no one was hurt. now to the war on isis. france is looking for more support to attack isis militants in syria but cooperation with russia may be

one of the jets this week. craig boswell has more. >> reporter: french president francois hollande continues to meet with world leader urging them to step up their attacks on isis. russia has been carrying out a two-month long bombing campaign in syria but the focus has to been to help prop up the syrian president al-assad. he says the meeting with pout season centered around theless sons learned from the november 13th terrorist attacks in paris that killed 130 people. and the u.s. has been pushing russia to focus on isis but effort have been complicated after turkey shot down a russian jet. the plane came down along turkey's border with syria. one pilot was killed and the other survived. turkey says the plane strayed into its air space and it

released a garbled recording of a warning they say they gave the russian jet ahead of time. the russian pilot who survived told journalists there was no warning and he did not cross into turkey. president putin says he believes turkey is purposely dividing relations and he is waiting for an apology. that's unlikely to come since turkey's leader says if a similar incident happened again, his country would have the same response. craig boswell, cbs 2 news, the white house. >> the russian news service says the military has deployed long range air defense missiles to syria. there's much more ahead on cbs 2 news at noon. police find the mother of an infant boy left in a church manger. plus this -- >> the pope celebrates mass during his historic trip to africa. and then -- >> whoa.

>> if you ain't scared, you ain't alive. >> it's the beginning of the big holiday movie season. see what's new at theaters. >> first, erika martin with the forecast. >> a gorgeous day all around. we are starting to see clouds from the east. a live shot outside looking at queens. and we can see the clouds pushing through. more information coming up in the full forecast. i'm with afn at camp walker, south korea, i want to

i miss you guys. you'd be surprised how easy it is to get a good low-cost health plan! choose yours today, you might even get help paying for it! go to nystateofhealth.ny.gov or call 1-855-355-5777 to find out more. [hold music playing] we at time warner cable, need to apologize to you. we no longer offer extended periods of free on hold elevator music when you call us.

we're making a bunch of changes at time warner cable. including reducing how long you could wait on hold. now, we'll even call you back at a time that's convenient for you. but for those of you who miss our old on hold music, please check out our greatest hits at

welcome back to cbs 2 news this morning. thank you so much for joining us. join us on facebook. you can like our page there at facebook.com/cbsnewyork. the mother who left her baby boy in a nativity scene at a queens church will not face criminal charges. police found the mother seen here buying towels. she used it to wrap the newborn in. a custodian found the child at holy child jesus church. leaving a newborn without the district attorney says the mother followed the spirit of the law and even returned to the church to make sure the baby had been found. pope francis is on a historic trip to africa and he celebrated mass today in kenya. and he will visit two other african countries in the next two days.

welcome to kick-off the first public engagement to kick-off pope francis' first-ever african trip. the theme of this stop is be strong in faith, do not be afraid. it took a fair bit of strength for tens of thousands of faithful to make their way into the field that rain turned into a mess. but rain is seen as a blessing here and no one seemed to mind in the least. police are onhand in considerable number. there have been several bloody attacks including the massacre of a students at a university and the 2013 shooting in the mall that left 67 dead. both carried out by the al- qaeda affiliate. france has called them barbarous and said that god's name must never be used to justty violence. all too often he told a gathering, young people are being radicalized in the name

fabric of our societies. the mass was aimed at young people and francis urged them to let the greats have of africa's traditions help them shape a society that's ever more just, inclusive and respectful of human dignity. and with his usual style, pope francis isn't pulling any punches but the message seems to be going down well. >> the pope is expected to weekend. people are gearing up for a black friday shopping spree. >> we leave either at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. >> but do you have a shopping strategy? what you need to do before you hit the stores or go online. and we will be back with the weekend forecast.

back. sometimes, we all need a little help. today, you helped her plant a garden, and you want to be there to help her with all her tomorrows. if you're trying to quit smoking, you may need a little help. medications to help you stop smoking... including nicotine patches,

gum and other medicines, are available to medicaid members. call your doctor today to get the help you need to quit smoking... so you can always be there

in space, nothing says thanksgiving like dehydrated vacuum packed turkey. >> yum. >> nasa has released a video on how astronauts prepare thanksgiving dinner on the international space station.

bag of turkey. the festive meal includes corn bred stuff, candied yam is and other favorites. they say they plan on watching football after the feast. well if you plan on getting a jump on the holiday shopping this weekend, save your money for the toy department. >> many toys include technology this year and that means a higher price tag. one on the list, the top sell ising toys cost 36% more than last year. upwards of $100. >> there's so much to sort through if you plan to hit the stores on black friday. how to get the best deals. >> reporter: this black friday is going to be epic. well, at least that's what retailers are hoping for. luring customers with deep discounts on everything from clothing to cars to electronics. it work on charles. how long have you been here? >> since yesterday, 11:00. >> reporter: just to get the deal? >> just to get the deal and be number one. >> reporter: he's first in line outside of best buy on the upper east side to get his

hands on the flat screen tv. says it's one of the best deals out there and definitely worth waiting for. >> the it's going to be $150 which is about $400 off. >> reporter: she says it's family tradition. >> we leave at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. we usually go to urban outfitters first because it's my favorite store. and my mom always hits best buy. >> i wouldn't go out unless you have a game plan. >> reporter: personal finance journalist vera says 145 million people are going to shop this weekend. and that's just one of the another? >> it's bad to just go and look around because it leads to impulse buys. >> reporter: once you know what the app. it will tell you who has the best deals and when. the. >> it's important this year because the deals are staggered and some are hourly and some are week-long. what are you going to get the

>> very good prices on electronics. >> reporter: she says you can find laptop, tablets and tvs at give-away prices. just have a plan before you head out to grab the goods. from the upper east side, vanessa murdock. >> my plan was writing everybody's name down. i got to do it seems. >> you have to start somewhere. >> yeah. now it's time for the cbs 2 news forecast. erika martin is in forjohn elliott. >> we bumped up the expected highs for today. low 60s. so the good news, a couple warm for today. a quick look at the weather watchers right now. a lot of great entries that we have been seeing. currently 58 degrees. and we have 58 degrees in brooklyn. well, she's happy right now. conditions are nice. and i'm sure she wants to wish everybody a happy thanksgiving. so thank you for sending us your weather watcher photos and

your comments. a live look outside. gorgeous look over queens. we are seeing those developing clouds push on in. that onshore flow, southeasterly winds so conditions are partly cloudy but expect those clouds to start to develop and continue to develop as the day 57 degrees. so it's certainly expected that we will reach 60 soon enough. for today. a couple of spots we may see drizzle later along the shoreline. and even nicer for tomorrow. and current temperatures across the entire nation, a look at this, billings, montana, single digits, 8 degrees. much different locally, 57 in new york. so of course, we have to take full advantage of that. and last year, the gusts were really high on thanksgiving. ranging between 25 and 30 miles per hour. a high of 38 degrees. this year again, we're expected to see upper 50s to low 60s. right now, we are seeing spotty

9. again, not much going on. just a little bit of an onshore flow and wider perspective. west to east. right now, mainly dry and mild. a high for today, expected to reach a lot of upper 50s and certainly some low 60s. tonight, low 50sing for. a chance of showers. and conditions for tomorrow, seeing low to mid-60s around the entire area. so excited for that. that's for sure. friday. and mid-50s for saturday. and there is that cold front, sunday. cooling down by sunday into monday. so we will take advantage of high temperatures. sunday. >> thank you. and now showing, we will

movies opening this weekend. i'm chris bosh. when i was sidelined with blood clots in my lung, it was serious. fortunately, my doctor had a game plan. treatment with xarelto . hey guys! hey, finally, somebody i can look up to... ...besides arnie. xarelto is proven to treat and help reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots. xarelto is also proven to reduce the risk of stroke in people with afib, not caused by a heart valve problem. for people with afib currently well managed on warfarin,

there's limited information on how xarelto and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. i tried warfarin, but the blood testing and dietary restrictions... i didn't have to. we started on xarelto . nice pass. safety first. like all blood thinners, don't stop taking xarelto without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of a blood clot or stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto may increase your sk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto , watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto , tell your doctor about any kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. you know xarelto is the #1 prescribed blood thinner in its class. that's a big win. it is for me. with xarelto there is no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary strictions.

treatment with xarelto . ...was the right move for us. ask your doctor about xarelto . hollywood is serving up a little something for everyone.

>> this promises to be a big thanksgiving weekend at the movies. >> your father was a great man to me. >> i don't know him. ain't got nothing to do with me. >> well, i think you could be great too. >> sylvester stallone returns to the big screen as rocky in "creed" but this time he won't be fighting in the ring. instead, he is training his late friend and rival's son. >> whoa. >> i'm done being scared. >> if you ain't scared, you ain't alive. >> pixar's latest film "the dinosaur" features the story of a dinosaur and a little boy on the quest to get back home. that's it for us at home. thank you for joining us. i am andrea grymes. >> and i am diane macedo. we will see you tomorrow

have a happy thanksgiving. who doesn't like a good surprise? you'd be surprised how easy it is to get a good low-cost health plan! at ny state of health you'll find many quality plans to choose from, help paying for your plan, a new essential plan at less than $1 a day for new yorkers with lower incomes. be surprised! visit nystateofhealth.ny.gov or call 1-855-355-5777 to learn more.