christmas. >> happy thanksgiving. >> reporter: 137 million americans are expected to shop this holiday weekend. but this year, retail stores are under extra pressure to perform. black friday foot traffic was down last year, and is expected to sink again this year by 3.5%. more people going on the internet than anything into stores. consumers forecast to spend more than 50% of their holiday budget online this year. that's why malls are rolling out the red carpet to get you to shop. ri like valet parking and a personal concierge, even champagne. >> you feel special. you are more inclined to make more luxurious decisions. so if you're feeling special when you're shopping, you're going to want to spend more. >> merry christmas! >> reporter: santa claus getting a high tech makeover too. new interactive experiences built for kids. with virtual flight suits. and a life-size snow globe. >> what was it like in

exciting. because like i didn't know what was coming next. >> having a great service experience, a great experiential offering is critical to being a winner versus a loser. >> reporter: retailers heaping on the perks and the discounts, hoping to avoid leftovers this holiday weekend. crowds are out here at best buy in full force. retailers hoping you come in store to spend a little extra money, rather than sticking to youis shopping online. 6 in 10 americans plan to spend on themselves this holiday season. and the average personal splurge, 140 bucks, kate? >> jo, thank you very much. talk about a dangerous double threat in nicaragua, at almost the same time a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook the country's west coast today while a category two hurricane, otto, slammed into the east coast of nicaragua. so far, no reports of injuries or serious

federal authorities are revealing whether the shooting of a teenager in west virginia should be prosecuted as a hate crime. a 62 yearly man is jailed without bond facing murder charges. he's confessed to the shooting of the teen, but insists it was self-defense. ron allen has that story tonight. >> reporter: grief and sorrow after the death of james means. 15, high school freshman, who loved cars and dreamed of owning a mechanic shop. >> my son is in a safer place now, and we all love him. >> reporter: tonight police say by william pulliam after the two exchange words near a local discount store. >> be advised your suspect -- >> reporter: police say pulliam confessed to shooting means because he felt threatened, and in a jail house interview with wchs, pulliam said means had a gun. >> i don't like it. believe me, i didn't want to kill anybody. but, you know, they're not going to kill me.

armed. pulliam, according to the criminal complaint, expressed no remorse. stating, the way i look at it, that's another piece of trash off the street. he then had dinner and visited a friend. federal authorities looking into whether a hate crime was committed. >> if they want to charge me with a hate crime, they can. but they got to prove i hate black people, and i don't. >> reporter: the for calm. >> we're going to let the law put it in their hands. >> reporter: on social media, a request for a few thousand dollars to help with funeral expenses, surging past $40,000 if just a few days. >> we don't hold a grudge, so nobody else should hold a grudge. we all have to forgive and let everything take its place. >> reporter: tonight, pulliam remains jailed, with a hearing to come after the holiday weekend. as a family and community mourn the loss of a young life.

to the middle east now and the war against isis. as u.s.-backed forces battle to retake the city of mosul, a desperate situation is emerging on the front lines for the soldiers and innocent civilians injured in the fighting. lucy cavanaugh is there for us this evening. >> reporter: it's a frantic race to save a life. an iraqi soldier, arriving at the only hospital serving the front line outside of simply getting here could make the difference between life and death. but up to a million people are still trapped inside mosul. they are civilians, caught in the crossfire, unable to flee. few doctors, no hospitals, hope running low. dr. omar knows it first hand. he managed to escape mosul and is now treating patients. his family, still inside the city, trapped by isis. >> this hospital is a saviour for the people. they are our families.

they are our friends. >> reporter: tonight, u.s.-backed iraqi and kurdish forces say they've now completely surrounded mosul. 50,000 soldiers part of the mission, one of them this 25-year-old whose family is still stuck behind enemy lines. i'm fighting isis to free my sisters, my relatives, he tells me. we have to put an end to this hell. the most heart breaking stories here, 6-year-old ahmed was playing outside when a mortar struck. >> how are you feeling? >> sad. >> reporter: a lucky survivor in a war that grinds on. lucy cavanaugh, nbc news, iraq. still ahead tonight, your doctor on call on your computer monitor, even if she's just across town. also, an extraordinary thanksgiving

back now with a closer look at a big trend in the way americans see their doctors -- so-called telemedicine. more than 15 million americans received some kind of care remotely last year, and those numbers are expected to increase by nearly a third this year. as the practice expands, rehema ellis reports, so do the questions about quality, cost, and how to pay for it. >> reporter: daria bells rovea is a busy new mom, also trying

diabetes. so she's checking with her doctor from her dining room. >> some on insulin might still be on board by the time you have dinner. >> i needed to be seeing the doctor all the time. basically working full time it's tough. >> reporter: daria is part of a new telemedicine program at brigham and women's hospital making it possible to see her doctor without making the 20-mile trek into boston, or losing any work time. >> i don't have to be in the waiting room. i don't have to think about parking. i'm not as it's been very helpful in caring for my diabetes. >> reporter: doctors say the treatment is the same. >> i think this is a model in which we can reach out and provide the care for people who can't make it in. >> reporter: the model of care is booming. there are 3,500 programs in hospitals nationwide. more than 70% of all hospitals use some form of telemedicine. 30 states and the district of columbia require private

telemedicine, just like an in-office visit. but there's a growing debate over what you should pay for. skype visits with your doctor? what about e-mails or phone calls? that's what massachusetts lawmakers are trying to figure out. what concerns you the most? >> it's a broad definition of what would be covered. it's something that we really need to take a look at as a state to understand what types of services that we're talking about. >> reporter: for daria, it's an ideal way to stay connected with hdo herself and her new baby. rehema ellis, nbc news, boston. we're back in a moment on this thanksgiving with one of the most popular traditions of the day.

back now with the story out of york county, pennsylvania, where residents boast the first national thanksgiving was proclaimed nearly two and a half centuries

for helping turn the crucial swing state of pennsylvania republican red for the first time in years. here's harry smith. >> reporter: the market in york, pennsylvania, was built more than a hundred years ago. york was once a hotbed of heavy industry. but york county has long been reliably republican. this is trump country. and these folks want you to hear this. >> you know, you gotta give him a chance. >> no matter which side of the fence you come down on, i think you should give the >> reporter: and just in case you didn't get it -- >> they gotta give the man a chance. >> reporter: -- york is a red county with a bit of blue downtown, and it reflects the quantum shift that's happening in this state. just this appear, the pennsylvania republican party enrolled almost a quarter million new voters and saw nearly 100,000 democrats switch to the gop. this guy gets it.

can you trust? >> we need to fix harrisburg. >> reporter: that's part of why he ran a write-in campaign for the state legislature in 2014, against a democrat, and a republican who was already on the ballot. he won. what did you tap into two and a half years ago, that you're still tapping into now? >> it's anger. people are fed up with government. >> reporter: wagner likes to hand out t-shirts with this on the back. >> if you could take your hands and put them around my neck and let me turn blue until i'm the color of your shirt, that's how business people in america feel. >> reporter: overregulated and under-appreciated. so this renegade republican is going to run for governor. sound familiar? >> where everybody missed this whole thing, they didn't talk to the people on the ground. >> reporter: and the folks on the ground are done with business as usual. it's why they supported trump. >> he's not the status quo. and i like what i see so far. >> reporter: they may have elected a

harry smith, nbc news, york, pennsylvania. it's a favorite for so many people every thanksgiving, the national dog show. and today's big winner, gia the greyhound. she was the top hound in her group and rose to earn the best in show designation, beating out 1,800 canine competitors and maybe she earned some of that leftover turkey tonight. when we come back, a common tradition with a unique twist. a thanksgiving

finally tonight, something to make you feel good on this thanksgiving. we all have our but this one is unique. the story of a man who truly understands what the holiday is all about. giving. and togetherness. no matter who's at the table. >> reporter: all day yesterday, scott mccauley worked at his vacuum cleaner shop. the holidays are his busy season. >> it's this mad dash. all of a sudden, company's coming. >> reporter: but that's nothing compared to today, because scott has an ambitious thanksgiving tradition. >> one, two, three.

year, he cooks and serves a thanksgiving feast in a church basement for a crowd of strangers. >> it's really important to me that people are not home alone. i don't want to stay home alone. >> reporter: it started way back in 1985. scott's parents were going through a divorce and he didn't have anywhere to go for the holiday. >> i would be miserable if i was staying home alone on thanksgiving. and so i just figured it's gotta be other people in that same boat. >> reporter: he put an ad in the local paper, offering to cook for 12 others without a plac t was a hit. so scott did it again the next year, and the next, and the next. >> i never thought it would last 31 years. >> reporter: the crowd has grown over time. this year, 60 strong. >> we don't have family here, so it really helps to have a family, extended family with the people we meet here. >> if we had an opportunity to take another invitation, we would probably -- we might turn it down and say, we already have plans. >> reporter: it's a staggering amount of

brings in fake fireplaces, arm chairs and rugs. >> anything and everything i can do to make it look as much like a home as possible. >> reporter: scott would love to see his tradition spread. >> i'm a vacuum fixer. if a vacuum fixer can do thanksgiving dinner for people, anybody can do it. >> reporter: over all the years, he's never had time to sit down and eat. but he's not complaining. >> if i made the people happy, that's the best part of the dinner, because that's the goal. >> a lot of happy people. that will do it for us on this thanksgiving thursday. hope you and your loved ones had a very happy one. we leave you tonight with some of the highlights from macy's thanksgiving day parade. i'm kate snow in for lester. from all of us at nbc news, thanks for watching. have a great night. ? ? here comes santa claus ? ? whether sunny or

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breaking overnight, florence henderson, the brady bunch mom, beloved by millions, has died at the age of 82. leading americans shopping this weekend, and spending billions. president-elect donald trump spending part of his thanksgiving, looking to fet two carrier jobs in the u.s. the oil pipeline protesters are in full force. an incredible, many totally awesome rendition of the national anthem. soaring in the skies goes to a whole new level. "early today" starts right now.

friday morning. we begin with breaking news, overnight the country waking up to learn the loss many call their tv mom. florence henderson reportedly died of heart failure. she burst on the season about a blended family him generations grew up watching reruns of the show. henderson was surrounded by her friends and family when at cedar sinai medical center thanksgiving night. she was a star on broadway. she made countless television appearances, including "the tonight show." she was the first to host when johnny carson took off. maureen mccormick tweeted this, florence henderson was a dear friend for so many years in my heart forever.

florence henderson dead at the age of 82. now, taking a turn out there on your mark, getting set and you are certainly going. right now, millions of bargain hunters are out in force for black friday, the busiest shopping day of the year him they're shopping, waiting for stores to open. consumers are expected to drop nearly $3.6 billion. of that they are supposed to rack up 117 billion. nbc's jay gray is live at the newport city mall in jersey, i can't tell from this van tage point, but a lot of shoppers out there right now? .

surprised, the anchor stores have been opened since last fight. those shoppers getting a an early start on what some of the analysts believe tab record breaking friday. the deals began while the turkey was still warm. shoppers starting plaque friday on thursday. >> we came to buy some gifts. >> reporter: it comes today through the weekend when six if ten americans are expected to make >> we know people are planning to spend more money this season as opposed to the last. >> reporter: sales are predicteding to up over last year. once again, big ticket items include electronic, high-tech and television, clothes also continue to be a go-to gift. ultimately, shoppers show up in

>> reporter: everyone looking for a bargain on plaque friday. now a couple of tips, make a list, experts say, keep you from getting into the frenzy the hype of black friday, also, bring your cell phone or your pad, check online, prepare to shop a. lot of stores will match something you find a on. frances, i got you on my list. >> we are officially kicking off the holiday season as well, jay, thank you. president obama spent part of his last thanksgiving in the white house talking to troops. he thanked them for their service. president-elect donald trump spent part of the holiday tweeting he was trying to save jobs in indiana. some job loyalists are fighting

administration's pick of secretary of state. >> reporter: donald trump at his palm beach estate, eager to show he's not just relaxing, tweeting, trying to get carriere company to stay in the u.s., in the midst of a move to mexico was a constant on the campaign trail. announcement. intelligence officials telling nbc news, mr. trump has received only two intelligence briefings since the election. far fewer than the nearly daily briefings. >> he is risking the security of the umgs. >> reporter: the washington first reported the news, noting vice president elect mike pence is getting a summary of key security developments, as well

during president obama's transition, he requested extra briefings. president bush got into a routine after the recount. >> there is nothing as important for these briefings for the president of the united states. if he discounts then them, then, of course, there could be ramifications. >> reporter: the trump team says national security is his top priority. one senior says it's too early with him busy forming his administration. who will be named next? all eyes on secretary of state the top contenders, new york mayor rudy guiliani, a trump loyalist and mitt romney, one of trump's biggest critics during the primary. >> donald trump sa phony, a fraud. >> reporter: a tweet praising loyalty in past secretary of states. echoed by other trump allies.

people who would be naturally compatible with the the trump vision of foreign policy. >> reporter: the secretary general insisting he is dedicated. >> he supports nato. >> thanks, to nbc's kristen walker. green party nominee jill stein appears to have met her recount goal for michigan, pennsylvania and three states went trump. the campaign says it has so far raised more than $4.6 million toward funding the recount. a campaign lawyer says they will formally request recounts in the coming days. coming now to syria, where a u.s. service member has been killed. officials say the service member was killed when an ied was detonated.