this morning on "world news now," thanksgiving storms. terrible conditions for millions of americans making the holiday drive a nightmare. snow and ice hitting the west as massive amounts of rain are dumping on the south. the complete forecast straight ahead. on alert. police and government officials doing their best to ease tensions. no credible threats made clear, but americans being urged to remain aware on this holiday weekend. and new this half hour, the mother of a baby left in a nativity scene not charged. >> new surveillance footage helping to identify the mom who left the newborn unattended with the umbilical cord still attached. >> and behind the scenes of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. original "world news now" anchor lisa mccree checks out the balloons and all at workers getting pumped up for the big day and getting some help from young fans.

it's thanksgiving day, thursday, november 26th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning and happy thanksgiving, everybody. >> don't worry if your turkey's not working out. there's always chinese or pizza. >> there is. you have lots of options on this thanksgiving. it's just your poor kids are going to be devastated. >> don't, lay it on them. >> and ruin them. >> says the guy who has takeout on speed dial. >> yeah, absolutely. thanksgiving day, it is all about uber food delivery. >> oh, boy. but it's not for a lot of people. traveling, we'll get right to the problems many people are facing. nearly 47 million people are traveling this holiday season. >> a lot of people. security is tight at airports and bus and train stations. most of which are packed with travelers. but outside of northern california, not many delays are reported yet. more now from abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: the

weather threat is not taking a holiday. snowing on busy california highways, dust storms blinding drivers in salt lake city. thanksgiving storms are bringing big helpings of ice and water. a winter mess of snow and sleet from the great lakes to the plains. california and oregon have more than a foot of snow in some places, along with crashes and spinouts. >> it is so dangerous out here. you really want to get your chains on so you can make, you know, the safest drive up there. >> reporter: in washington state, giant waves. winds knocking out power to 50,000. this falling tree nearly killed heather adams. >> i could see the tree coming. two seconds later, i might not be here. >> reporter: in colorado, the chowdhury family is leaving early. >> we just want to be -- not have to be on the roads if we don't have to. >> reporter: to beat the storm on their 12-hour drive from denver to dallas. the big concern now is freezing drizzle that forecasters say could you coat the highways in a dangerous layer of black ice

from here in colorado all the way to iowa. clayton sandell, abc news, littleton, colorado. >> the difficult weather isn't limited to the country's midsection. >> for the complete accuweather forecast we turn to meteorologist justin povick. good morning, justin and happy thanksgiving. >> reena and kendis, thanks. and good morning. happy thanksgiving to you, as well. high pressure is going to be drawing down some cold temperatures, and it's going to be a wintry day, believe it or not, from denver into northern nebraska where the snows will come down at a heavy clip. we're talking ice storm conditions over western kansas and the texas pan handle where we could have a quarter of an inch to a half an inch of ice. denver metro 3 to 6 inches of snow. very tricky travel throughout the daytime hours today and tomorrow throughout oklahoma and also kansas and then further south and east, the big concern is for a flood threat. thursday night and also into friday, extremely heavy rain over much of the south. reena and kendis, back to you.

>> justin, thank you. president obama trying to reassure americans who may still be jittery following the deadly paris attacks. the president insists there is currently no specific and credible intelligence indicating a terror plot against the u.s. he said they're taking every possible step to keep the country safe. he was flanked by his national security team who urged americans to go about their normal activities. >> we want to encourage the public as the holiday season begins to travel, be with your family, celebrate the holidays, go to public events. go to public gatherings, but be vigilant and be aware. >> than said, in a show of confidence and trust in national security, secretary jeh johnson left the briefing and headed home for thanksgiving on amtrak. he had a security detail with him, but he was showing he's like one of us. and he feels safe. a new round of protests in chicago overnight over the fatal

police shooting of 17-year-old laquan mcdonald. but they were relatively peaceful as president obama joined those calling for calm. posting on facebook, like many americans i was deeply disturbed by the footage of the fatal shooting of 17-year-old laquan mcdonald. this thanksgiving, ask everybody to keep those who suffered tragic loss in our thoughts and prayers and to be thankful for the overwhelming majority of men and women in uniform who protect our communities with honor. police in minneapolis have arrested four men for firing at a group protesting the deadly police shooting of jamar clark. hundreds of mourners filled a local church for clark's funeral. speakers thanked protesters for keeping up the pressure that helped launch a federal investigation and getting the names of the officers involved released to the public. >> now to the latest on the e. coli outbreak from chicken salad. blame it on the veggies. testing points to a problem with the onion and celery mix used in the chicken salad sold at costco.

it sickened at least 19 states in seven states. while costco uses an the same vegetable supplier nationwide and that number is likely to grow, the product has been removed from store shelves. stunning new details about the death of football great and abc broadcaster frank gifford. his family now revealing that he suffered from the same severe head trauma found in dozens of other pro football players. with more, here's abc's ryan smith. >> reporter: he was a gridiron hall of famer. >> sends frank gifford flying around. >> reporter: an icon in the broadcast booth. >> hello, again, everyone. frank gifford with al michaels and dan dierdorf. >> reporter: announcing "monday night football" for 27 years. married nearly 29 years to his wife, kathie lee. his family revealed that the nfl star suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, cte, caused by repeated hard hits to the head. cte, detectable only after death. a team of pathologists just now diagnosing gifford after he died of natural causes at the age of 84.

gifford, no stranger to big hits, suffering one of the era's most famous head injuries in 1960. knocked unconscious in a game, carried out on a stretcher. cte has been discovered in numerous players, like hall of famer junior seau, who took his own life. according to gifford's family, he was dedicated to understanding the connection between repetitive head trauma and its associated cognitive and behavioral symptoms, which he experienced first hand. but they hope their revelation will inspire others suffering from the disease. and gifford's family also hoping to turn this diagnosis into a positive, hoping to be part of the solution to a, quote, urgent problem confronting anyone in football on any level. reena, kendis. >> ryan, thank you so much. a mother who left her newborn baby in a nativity scene of a new york church will not be charged. the baby boy was discovered by a custodian laying in the manger wrapped in towels. the mother came back the next day to make sure he had been found. new york has a safe haven law that allows people to

anonymously drop off newborns at a church, hospital, police station or fire station. there's dashcam video this morning of a wild high speed chase near new york city. take a look at this. speeds were as high as 110 miles an hour, and when police tried to slow him down, the murder suspect went the wrong way and sped through a gas station. but it was the infamous new jersey turnpike that did him in. the fugitive got stuck at a toll plaza. there were no injuries in the end. a florida woman says it's a miracle she escaped without injuries when her e cigarette exploded inches from her face. she had been using it for nearly a year with no problems recharging while she slept till her and her fiance woke up to find the bed on fire. the maker of the e cigarette has pulled that model from the market. another reason to give up. >> that stuff, yeah. okay. around this time of year, any self-respecting turkey that's

still alive should be hunkering down out of sight. >> but bob and ted have no such worries. that's because they're beloved members of a new jersey family who say they'll never end up stuffing it and eating it and putting it on tear table. bob and ted are royal palm domestic turkeys considered too small to be cooked. >> there's not much meat on that. come on. >> the owners say they love bob and ted so much, they'll be eating pasta today out of respect for their fellow turkeys. >> i just ordered one from stop and shop for the family today. >> did you? >> i sure did. >> good on them. 41 million turkeys will be consumed today. but bob and ted will be safe. >> and two pounds of tofu. >> at your house. >> at my house. all right. well, coming up, blowing up the balloons for the big parade. >> original "world news now" anchor lisa mccree is back with a behind the scenes look before the thanksgiving day parade. >> i just love that woman. she's fantastic.

later in "the skinny," will smith contemplating a career change. the fresh prince possibly running for office? is this right? is that copyright? you're watching "world news now." >> announcer:"world news now" weather, brought to you by colonial penn life insurance. "world news now" weather, brought to you by colonial penn life insurance. write down this number now. right now, people are receiving this free information kit for guaranteed acceptance life insurance with a rate lock through the colonial penn program. if you are on a fixed income, learn about affordable whole life insurance that guarantees your rate can never increase for any reason. if you did not receive your information, call this number now. your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. stand by to learn more. >> i'm alex trebek, here to tell you about a popular life insurance plan with a rate lock

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♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ of course. who didn't know that? >> beautiful. well, besides you were talking about the cackling.

>> yes. >> we had a conversation about that during the commercial break. besides the feasting there's the shopping or for some the home delivery. business expected to be brisk for companies that bring fixings right to your door within an hour or so. that's limited mostly to big cities. but if you'd rather walk off some of those calories toys 'r us, best buy open at 5:00, target, macy's and sears open at 6:00. walmart open all day. but the patti labelle pies won't be there. black friday deals don't start till 6:00. >> at walmart. >> yeah. >> good. >> patti. >> patti. >> of course. ♪ on my own >> sorry. >> thanksgiving means big parades in many cities including right here in new york with believe it or not the balloons are the star attraction. they started blowing them up. >> they are. it's a tradition here. they're hovering just a few blocks from where we are right now ready to fly this morning. we sent our special correspondent lisa mccree to show us what it takes to make

them take flight. >> reporter: wake up "world news now" viewers. i'm back. it's lisa mccree, your first "world news now" anchor. >> hello from new york, i'm aaron brown. >> i'm lisa mccree. back here on this gorgeous fall day in new york city to watching blowing up of the balloons of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> wake up "world news now" viewers. it's almost time for the parade. ♪ >> reporter: so how do these elite athletes, the best balloon wranglers in the world, fuel up for their big job tonight? i know that's what you're wondering. what does the perfect balloon wrangler need to eat? >> chili and egg sandwiches. >> so you're paid in chili and onions. >> yes, we're pd in food and the food is delicious. it's so good. >> it's the best food ever.

>> reporter: eat nothing but like reindeer meat and stuff. >> absolutely, all raw. >> exactly. >> reporter: what is fun about being in the cold in the middle of the night on a dirty new york street? >> the kids really. >> reporter: what do you like about the balloons? >> the balloons are ginormous. >> reporter: they are ginormous. they don't get paid any money to work here. you know what they get paid in? >> what? >> chili and doughnuts. >> what the heck? that's weird. >> how about you, what's your favorite balloon? >> toothless. >> reporter: toothless. your favorite balloon is toothless. i wonder why. does anybody know what the one, the one that's the duck with the scarf? >> isn't that from like little nursery rhyme? it's from aflac. >> it's either classic literature or a commercial for insurance. >> yeah. >> this is going to be on abc news. >> oh, wow. >> my grandma watches it.

so she could probably see it. >> reporter: your grandma watches abc news? probably not what research wants to hear. so that's it from the 2015 macy's thanksgiving day parade. staging area and balloon inflation. back to you, kendis and reena. and happy thanksgiving, everyone. >> oh. >> lisa, happy thanksgiving. that was just awesome. >> so great having her back. >> that was awesome. >> now you know why she's a legend. did you ever know they eat chili and egg sandwiches? >> i didn't know that but i did notice a line of port a potties on central park west. it all explains it now. >> i love that piece. >> when we come back, a hollywood "a" lister who has had it up to here with politicians. as we look at the balloons. >> and someone is denying me the music of my favorite rap collective. stay tuned, "the skinny" up next. >> announcer: "world news now"

♪ skinny, so skinny >> welcome back. it's "skinny" time on thanksgiving morning. and we start with will smith, apparently thinking about making something of a career change. > yes, smith says he may soon need to run for political office. the "men in black" star tells the hollywood reporter when he looks at the political landscape, he's so incensed he

can't sleep, and he seems to be ready to do something about it. >> quoting here, smith saying at some point in the near future, i will have to lend my voice to the conversation in a different way. unlike kanye west who will be running in "20/20," smith doesn't say how high his political ambitions go. >> as high as a g-6 will let him go. clearly. >> next up, getting the holiday spirit with adam sandler. >> you remember he debuted the original version of his hanukkah song on "saturday night live" back in 1994. there's been versions 2 and 3 since then and now version 4. here's a sample from his quote list of people who are jewish. ♪ gordon levitt enjoys eating kugel, so does stanley jake gyllenhaal and the two guys who founded google ♪ ♪ adam levine wears a jewish star, so does drake and seth rogen ♪ ♪ goldberg has a gold yamaka to match the belt he won from hulk

hogan ♪ >> oh, sandler goes on to mention scarlet johannsen, getty lee from rush, ron jeremy and even jared, the former subway guy. >> i love ron jeremy is getting love from the hanukkah song. and elsewhere. he sings about our old friend shia labeouf who he calls half a jew but 100% nutty. and finally sad news for you, reena. there is new material coming from wu tang clan out there somewhere. and you can't have it. >> yeah, this is just so heart breaking. unfortunately, my favorite rap collective's secret, one-of-a-kind album "once upon a time in shaolin" has been purchased -- i'm a really big fan -- purchased by an unanimous american buyer for "an undisclosed figure in the millions." shaolin is a reference to staten island. here's the worst part. the 31-track album contractually

capital be released till 2103. i love you so much wu tang clan. >> we will wait.

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♪ well, she danced the waltz, the cha-cha, rhumba, and bindi irwin did it better than all the other contestants on "dancing with the stars." >> now she's ready to get back to real life and her work. irwin talks about it, and we're up "up all nightline"" with abc's nick watt. >> bindi and derek! >> reporter: a 17-year-old high heeler pulled from the australian outback won it all. >> the new champions of "dancing with the stars.." >> reporter: where does bindi irwin get that spirit? her dad, the late great steve. >> oh, crikey. >> the crocodile hunter which made steve and baby bindi household names.

steve, of course, was killed by a stingray back in 2006. and just before the final, bindi posted this family snap writing the day before i had to wave good-bye to my hero without knowing it would be the last time, but dad, i know you walk beside me always and your strength lives within me. i love you. >> it was probably two weeks after dad passed away that i said to mom, so, when are we going to start filming again. i think i'm able to use all of these different avenues to spread my message. >> reporter: and this is her message. >> every time we lose an animal species, it's kind of like losing a brick from the house. pretty soon the house just falls down. >> reporter: now bindily hang up the high heels and pull back on a pair of muddy boots helping mom run the world famous australia zoo. they've rescued and habbed 58,000 animals in the past ten years. >> we have conservation projects

globally helping animals like rhinos in kenya, tigers in sumatra. we work with elephants in cambodia. it's a phenomenal, phenomenal project. >> is there going to be a day when you declare victory? >> no, i always think that. it's one of those things you're never going to wake up and say that's it, i've saved the world. i'm done, now i'm going to be an astronaut. >> reporter: or a pro dancer. >> exactly. >> i can't believe that i'm here. just thank you for changing my life! >> reporter: queen of the outback and now queen of the dance floor. i'm nick watt for "nightline," los angeles. >> she has undeniably the best spirit. >> she does. >> just the best. >> only 17 years old. how cool listening to those two in their french accents. very cute. >> don't miss our updates on facebook. >> announcer: this is abc's "world news now." informing insomniacs for two decades.

making news in america this morning, rain, snow and ice complicating holiday travel. temperatures in some areas dropping into the single digits, plus high winds tearing apart tents at a flea market. we're tracking it all. on alert, the president meeting with his security team amid heightened security concerns. his message to the country as americans get set to celebrate thanksgiving. new this morning video just released showing the moments before a teenager was shot and killed in chicago. plus, what we're learning about the officer charged with murder. and, yes, it is turkey day. the president pardons two lucky birds, plus, out of this world, what are they eating in space for the holiday? and the thanksgiving fails that you just have to see.