>> reporter: more people traveling and spending more. >> prices are all up. air fare prices are up, hotel prices are up. >> reporter: including prices at the pump up 50 cents a gallon from last thanksgiving. there have been scattered delays and cancellations. things seem to be moving smoothly, even with the stepped up workload. >> creates the baggage loads. >> they are feeling the holiday rush on the rails as well. >> it was a super bowl for railroad, this would be it for amtrak. normally we move 77,000 people every wednesday. today, we are probably going to move 134,000 people. >> reporter: most of the planes are more than 90% full, putting added pressure on airlines. >> there's only one chance, only one thanksgiving dinner. we have to be sharp around thanksgiving and the holidays. >> reporter: nobody wants to

look like a turkey this holiday weekend. it will be just as busy, if not more on sunday when even will be heading home. shoppers pack the grocery stores around the region to grab last minute food items for the big day. at this whole foods in bethesda, they had to patrol the incoming traffic. this holiday feast will cost about $42 this year. that is up 13% from last year. many shoppers say the higher prices are forcing them to scale back. others say they still plan to go all out. windy afternoon and the temperatures are changing, too. >> yeah, it was a day for hanging on to your hat. veronica johnson is here with the thanksgiving forecast. hey, veronica. >> hey, guys. in a couple minutes, we have shaky cam outside. the rain may have moved out, but

boy oh boy, the cold air is moving in. you will need a coat later on this evening. quite chilly conditions out there. let's take a look at the temperatures across the area now. 51 degrees. as i said, it's been windy. the wind northwest at 20 miles per hour. we have seen higher gusts across portions of western maryland. as far as the rain goes, residual showers around the area. prince william county, stafford county, light showers but all coming to an end as it makes its way off to the east. so, drier air will be moving in soon. heavy rain from late last night. still overcast skies throughout the area. we will be clearing out. we have a wind advisory that goes until 10:00 p.m. all those counties shaded in brown under a wind advisory

until 10:00 with winds that could gust up to 50 and 55 miles per hour. the temperatures are falling. we started out in the low 60s this morning. boy oh boy, the mercury is crashing down. by 11:00 p.m., 45 degrees. cold air for the overnight. forecast gusty and cooler for the evening. we'll talk about travel troubles that could be here or elsewhere. of course, later on in the show, your black friday shopping forecast for folk that is will be up way early friday morning. jim? pat? >> thanks, veronica. the georgetown university student arrested in cairo called home this morning. he told his father he is being treated well under the circumstances and hasn't been injured. he and two other american students were arrested monday night for allegedly throwing fire bombs in cairo. sweeney told his dad he was just watching the demonstrations and they didn't throw anything.

we have a report now. police clash with protesters and the death toll is on the rise. >> reporter: the revolution returned to cairo. the clashes today, a little less intense than what we have seen over the past few days. it's still just as deadly. >> we hope the violence comes to an end and quickly. the young people in the square have the right to express their views freely and protest and sit in. >> reporter: we understand police and protesters have been clashing throughout the day. military intervened to try to calm the situation down as well. it does not seem to have appeased the protesters. the military outlining a rapid and clear transition. the military made concessions.

the intern government resigned. the council of the armed forces says there will be a presidential election held prior to june, 2012. that does not seem to have appeased the protesters so far. >> at least 38 people have died since the cairo uprising last saturday. a pilot survived a helicopter crash in new zealand. it was caught on camera. it was being used to install a christmas tree. look at that. the chopper went plummeting to the ground. no one was seriously hurt including the pilot. a lightning ceremony was set for next week. hundreds of drivers were in a sticky situation. a truck driver spilled tar along the pennsylvania turnpike. the tanker entered the expressway at the interchange

last night. he drove 40 miles before noticing a valve was leaking the goo. at least 150 cars were damaged. many had to be towed to a local gas station after tar covered the tires. crews used sand to clean up the mess. washington's version of armed chair quarterback is on the way after last night's republican presidential debate. newt gingrich took a controversial, moderate stand. the topic was illegal immigration. he called the approach humane. brian mooar reports. >> reporter: at the latest gop presidential debate, newt gingrich gambled his front-runner status with a bold statement about illegal immigration. >> the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy that destroys families that have been here for a quarter century. let's be humane in enforcing the

law. >> reporter: a day later, mitt romney was pushing back. >> people here illegally should not get a special break. >> reporter: he's trying to connect with conservatives. >> how we will beat president obama is by speaking day in and day out about the one topic he does not want to talk about. that is the economy. >> reporter: far from the campaign front, president obama was enjoying the least political part of his job. >> you are here by pardoned. >> reporter: two months from now, iowa, new hampshire and south carolina will be settled and the gop field clarified. for now -- >> conservatives are looking for an alternative. for the moment, they like newt gingrich. this nomination is up for grabs. >> reporter: the latest poll shows president obama is ahead leading republican candidates, but not by much. brian mooar, news 4.

we know two turkeys that won't be sitting next to the mashed potatoes and stuffing tomorrow. >> you are here by pardoned. >> here he is, the president excusing liberty and peace. they are two turkeys raised by students in minneapolis/st. paul. they are studying agriculture. the president used the opportunity to offer a holiday message. >> let's be mindful of those who have less. push those who hold a special place in our lives. let's think about those who can't spend the holidays with loved ones. >> after a few media appearances, they will spend their remaining time on earth at mt. ver non. >> getting the royal treatment. tablets we know they are the hot item this holiday season. liz crenshaw joins us to break

them down to see which are really worth the price. ♪ chestnuts roasting on an open fire ♪ >> justin bieber puts on a show on the plaza. why some people are

before they can fly, they have to be filled up. we are talking about the famous macy's thanksgiving day balloons. >> with a lot of air. the larger than life characters are being inflated now on the streets of manhattan. michelle reports from manhattan. >> reporter: good evening. here on the upper west side, on the eve of thanksgiving, a

tradition taking place here in new york. it's the balloon inflation night. all the hard work goes into inflating the balloons before tomorrow's big parade. right behind me, saga's sonic the hedgehog coming back after being away for a short time. of course this is a new york tradition. hundreds of new yorkers and visitors to the city lining the route where the balloon inflation is taking place to get a peak on the ground of what they will see take to the skies. some of the giant 15 balloons, of course. some familiar and coming back. one new one, paul frank's julius making a debut. the funny, popular little monkey in addition to giant helium balloons, 44 novelty, ornament alba loons. 27 floats, 1600 performers, cheerleaders, clowns and more

than a dozen bands representing high schools and universities from around the country. back here, certainly a big night here. one of the concerns, the wind gusts that could take place later on tonight. they are making sure the giant balloons are in place. back to you. justin bieber fans camped out to get a chance to see him perform this morning on the "today" show. snoet chest nuts roasting on an open fire. >> the 17-year-old did not miss a point. he sang his number one hits and christmas songs, too. thousands of people spent days camped out for the concert today. bieber was asked about how he took a paternity test to prove he's not the father of a woman's baby. >>itis been positive. for me, it's about staying positive and focusing on what's

important. what's important are the fans and, you know, just -- i'm in a very blessed position. i can't let that bring me down. >> she will submit her baby for dna testing according to her legal team. >> the client is not avoiding the dna test and can't wait to compare the baby's dna with justin biebers. >> i think that was a new do for him. >> i like it. if you are in the market for a wedding dress, how about the one kristen stewart wore in the "twilight" movie? >> a replica of the dress is on sale for you. you can get your hands on the bella dress at alfred anglo. it's $799. the long-sleeved gown looks similar to the one created by the venezuelan designer. the fabric changed from silk to

satin. the dressment movie cost $35,000. this year's hot holiday tech toy is a tablet. it's a big gift. every electronic maker want as piece of the market. hi, liz. >> competition to the apple ipad can only be a good thing. it gives gift givers a choice of tablet options and prices. >> the question is, are we able to keep up with all this technology? >> laptops, e readers, smartphones, now the tablet. >> do we need one? >> reporter: the apple ipad tops the list and the competitors are hot on its heels. >> last year, you were shopping for an ipad. this year, it's different. >> reporter: best buy alone has dozens of different tablets on sale for the holidays.

>> acor, samsung. >> reporter: a tablet is less expensive than a laptop. you can watch movies, sur ch the web. among tablets, there are big price differences. $200 to $800 depending on screen size and features. the apple ipad is the best. second best is the samsung galaxy. >> unlike the ipad, it runs flash videos. flash is a service apple resists for years. >> just this month, two new tablets hit the market, am zion os kindle fire and nook had success as ereaders. >> it's half the price. the kindle fire is essentially a smaller tablet that offers a more limited set of features. it's half the price of the

biggest competitors. >> reporter: what should you consider when buying a tablet as a gift? for the college student or professional, consider more memory, if they need large files. you can buy a tablet with 1 gigabyte and as much storage as 64 gigabytes. the apple ipad and blackberry play book. then there's battery life. some run 11 hours. the ipad and motorola zoom and as short as four years, the dell streak 7. buyer beware, make sure you can upgrade the software on the tablet you buy. >> we have heard from some people who pay less on the front end then found out they can't update all the software and the applications like they assumed they could. know not all devices are created equal. >> today, they named kindle fire and nook tablet in their best price range.

they are half the price of the apple ipad. they both have shortcomings when compared to the ipad. the displays or screens are smaller. amazon and barnes & noble, app stores are less options. there are compromises. there's money to be saved. it's not just the ipad anymore. a lot of choices. i love it. >> thank you, liz. >> you love that under the tree. >> it's the hottest tech toy this year. coming up, down right dangerous flooding sweeps cars off the road. the emotional

heavy rain triggered flash flooding that went through a village in sicily. some 100 soldiers were sent to the village to help rescue people from flooded homes. much of southern italy was affected yesterday. mud slides caused by heavy rain off the west coast in october. bad weather there. >> yeah. now we have wind kicking up out in our neck of the woods,

veronica. >> we do. it's going to be windy for a big part of the evening. the north had heavy rain last night. the river three feet above flood stage. that will be about three feet above flood stage and recede here. the winds for us, oh, hey, have you been outside lately? it's a stark difference from earlier today. earlier today in the 60s. now, we are in the 40s to around 50 degrees. on top of that, it's windy out there. we are looking at lower readings with windchill temperatures out in western maryland. 51 currently. a shaky cam as we look toward the kennedy center. reagan national, definitely coat weather for your evening if you are stepping out. highs today, 61 in gaithersburg. baltimore and d.c. up to 64 degrees. the high in fredericksburg,

virginia, that was much earlier today. 50 now in leesburg. loudoun county. 48 in frederick, maryland. waldorf at 51 degrees. the temperatures coming down as the weather front came through the area. still left with a few light showers around the area. they are making their way eastward. wood bridge is very, very light sprinkles left around your area. the winds were high. earlier, close to 50-mile-per-hour winds. now at 30 miles per hour. 35-mile-per-hour wind in d.c. elsewhere in the 20s. breezy to gusty evening for us. here is a look at your good night wake-up forecast. 45 by 11:00 p.m. into the 30s with some wind left around early tomorrow morning. your future weather as high pressure starts to move in. we will get sunshine back in here. the clouds moving out. tomorrow, very nice. no foul weather for a foul day.

if you are eating turkey. nice conditions as high pressure moves in. i think on friday, it's going to be even better as the mercury starts to rise. it's right, even better through the holiday weekend. a couple degrees above average. let's look at the forecast for this evening. mostly cloudy, windy, cooler. the windchill temperatures are going to take quite a bit off the air temperature. 40s down to the 30s with a air temperature of 54 to 44 degrees. for tomorrow morning, clear skies. breezy and cool, 33 to 39. sun is up tomorrow a little later now at 7:00. for your afternoon tomorrow, sunshine, nice conditions. a great afternoon, 53 to 58 degrees. so, you know, if you get a little bored, go outside and do a little something with a big house of people, right? 64 degrees on friday. it's warm. 65 on saturday, still warm. if there was any sour note with this forecast it would be that

rain returns on sunday. right now, a 50% chance. showers, that is a big travel day for folks trying to get back. for the mid-atlantic and areas down south, we could be looking at showers on sunday. for the bulk of the holiday weekend, it is going to be dry. this is what i like. so, a nice one for a change for us, right? as far as the forecast for the early part of next week, we'll take a look at that in a couple minutes. >> all right. tomorrow looks good. >> very nice. >> thanks. still to come on news 4 at 4:00, a man survives being accidentally shot in the head with a staple gun. a million dollar mystery. who left behind a boat load of cash?

welcome back at 4:30, everybody. i'm jim handly. ak i'm pat lawson muse. here is what's happening at this hour. millions of people hitting the roads, rail and getting into the air to get to their thanksgiving dinners.

today is one of the busiest travel days of the year. this year, the weather is making the trip more stressful. flood warnings posted for the east coast. parts of northern new england and up state new england getting snow. airports say only minor delays. the father of a georgetown university student arrested in egypt said his son called home and says he's being treated okay under the circumstances. he's one of three arrested monday during government protests. police have been clashing with p protresers for five days now. stocks finished lower. a bad day for the dow. the dow jones industrial plunged 236 points. the nasdaq was off 61 and s&p 500 off 26. president obama pardoned the official thanksgiving turkeys

today. liberty and peace were raised by students in minneapolis. the birds will spend their remaining time at mt. vernon. they will be part of a holiday display through january 6th. police are searching for carjacking suspects who took an suv with a baby inside. >> it happened around 2:30 this afternoon in the 5500 block of south dakota avenue and northeast. three men took the suv when the owner was pumping gas. they found it five blocks away. the baby was not hurt but the suspects are still on the run. we'll have much more on the story on new 4s at 5:00. what were they thinking? a vodka company is under fire for a billboard advertisement. >> it's been taken down now

after the discount vodka company used antismetic wording. >> chihuahua and -- outraged viewer nan e-mailed us this billboard should come down. we grabbed a photo, took it to the upper west side and asked people what they think. >> it's not offensive. it's a joke. >> i don't find it offensive. >> reporter: do you find it funny? >> kind of. >> we are all god's children. >> reporter: the people behind the billboard already had controversial ads in the past. what were they thinking? >> we were celebrating hanukkah. it's eight nights. >> we have a lot of people to pull off of.

>> reporter: previous billboards, hampton's quality. escort quality, hooker prices. they never anticipated such a backlash. >> we are a nice company. it's about vodka. it's not about being mean and nasty about things. >> reporter: negative reaction has been fast and furious. the antidefamation website said they need to take it down. itis under way. >> the vodka company tweeted an apology saying although rarely serious, we apologize for anyone we offended. >> if you are making the trip to target to get last minute food items you may have to head to another store to get your eggs. they dropped their egg supplier.

they dropped the company after they learned the company was treating chickens inhumanely. it's leaving many stores without eggs and left customers scrambling to get the eggs somewhere else. >> i understand why they did it. i don't want to buy items where they have been cruel to animals. it's not the best time, the week of thanksgiving. >> they understand this is a very busy time of year and working to restore the egg supply. mcdonald's also dropped them as their egg supplier. many grocery stores are stocked with eggs for the holiday. a texas man is especially thankful this thanksgiving after surviving a horrific accident. >> he was shot in the head with a construction staple gun. it happened earlier this month near ft. worth.

he was at work when a two and a half inch staple pierced his head. he was showing a co-worker how to use an air-powered staple gun. when he stood up, he hit the safety trigger and the staple shot into his skull. he could have suffered hemorrhaging, a coma or death. it's amazing he doesn't have brain damage. >> the staple is thin. it dissects the brain as it goes through. the brain is a bunch of wires together. this is thin enough to make its way into the wires. >> i'm still alive to spend another day with my family. >> he hopes to be back to work in a few weeks. the centers for disease control reports an estimated 37,000 people visit the e.r. every year due to nail gun related injuries. >> it's an amazing number.

>> a lot of accidents with a staple gun. a guy walked into a cafe in australia carrying a suitcase. >> it was so noticeable, everybody in the cafe got nervous. he ran out and left the suitcase behind. they figured there might have been a bomb inside but there wasn't. the case was stuffed with $1 million in cash. >> i had a bad feeling about it. he had a suitcase and bag on his shoulder. his hand was in the bag the whole time. i said to my husband, something about this guy, you know, he's acting funny. >> police caught up with the guy later. they don't know the full story behind the cash. he suffered a medical emergency when police started to question him. they are waiting for him to recover before they question him again. he's a chinese national in his 40s. he's in australia on a student visa. a black friday app to get

you the best deal. wendy shows us how it works. >>

[ speaking french ] [ speaking french ] movie buffs! this film is tres bien, but the interest rate on your checking account is le pew. interest on your checking? earn more with new high yield free checking at capital one bank. your interest rate will be five times the national average. five times the interest! and free atms at any bank. show's over folks. make your way to capital one bank.

what's in your wallet? were you crying? yeah.

all right. it's time now for our prethanksgiving app of the day. >> the day before thanksgiving, people have eating and shopping on their mind. wendy is here with a little help. hey, wendy. >> this is called tgi black friday. it's for your iphone and your android. a lot of you are saying is this for android or what? it's an aggregate that helps you upload the deals going on. as we were standing here on commercial break, we got more deals. i'm looking at popular deals. there was one a minute ago we were talking about that was good. there's a remmington rifle at walmart. here's an idea pad at office depot. it's now $299. so, that's really cool. you can look at the newest additions that have gone on. all these shops at all the

stores. they look at like sears has appliances, sporting goods. you can look at it and see what they are. they will often be a little rooster up in the corner that lets you know that that is for the early bird special. you have to be there at midnight starting on friday. what's -- what i like about it is you can create a list. you can go to stores and see what they have. you can search a particular store. as you load stuff up, you create your own list and you can e-mail it to your spouse, to your parents, to someone looking at what to buy you. they can get the list and see what you are looking at. not only that, where the best deals are. tgi black friday. on monday, there will be tgi, what's it called? cyber monday. tgi cyber monday. someone is telling me they want the rifle.

you are not getting it! anyway, it's really cool. i's a free app. it is also for your android. back to you. >> how much was that rifle? >> $275 at, let me see where was that? trip wants that. he's got plenty. it's the remmington 275 at walmart. you don't want that. come on. come on. get a toshiba disk player. >> or a sewing machine as well. when we continue, people already camped out for black friday deals. we are going to let you know about more secret deals for friday. new developments in the case of the judge caught on video beating his daughter. coming up at 9:00, we are checking out some of the areas top restaurants including a look behind the scenes with an incredibly talented chef who

keeps his customers entertained. >> he almost broke the egg or i almost broke the egg on his face. >> calling all wine lovers on nonstop d.c., we are going to show you where some of our favorite

so, veronica, is this going

to be a good holiday to drive to grandma's house? >> it's a good holiday to drive to grandma's house. very, very nice conditions. yesterday, it was terrible. it was nightmare travel on our roads yesterday. at least for this evening, the weather should not be a problem. there might be bumper-to-bumper traffic. you can't blame that on the weather. airport delays taking place right now. we are fine. reagan international and pittsburgh fine. laguardia, up to a 30 minute delay. boston has delays right there with low ceiling. that's where the system is continuing to make its way out of here. for us, during the overnight, we continue to clear out. there's the sky, going with a clear sky by tomorrow morning. the sunshine by 11:00 a.m. temperatures easing down to the 40s. 45 degrees by 11:00 p.m. by tomorrow morning, plenty

chilly, if not cold in the outlying suburbs. 39 degrees outside the beltway. other locations starting out in the low 30s. look at manassas at 30 degrees with wind around. feeling like temperatures are in the 20s with windchill values. sunshine throughout the area. we get into the upper 50s tomorrow. great looking day coming our way. 53 to 58. breezy, too. if you are heading out for black friday, shopping forecast, we start out at 38 degrees. we hit a high of 64. it starts chilly as we get into the nice afternoon. friday, saturday, sunday, nice temperatures. 64 to 65 degrees. the best days, of course, will be friday and saturday with rain returning on sunday. we have rain posted for the early part of next week monday and tuesday. we will start to cool off, once again. maybe looking at temperatures in the 40s by the mid part of next

week. have a very safe and joyous, happy, thanksgiving. >> you, too. >> lots of cooking to do. >> thanks, veronica. there are so many deals out there this weekends at local stores and big box stores. >> a lot of folks are going to be searching. you need a cheat sheet to find the deals around. angie has the story. >> black friday starts early and many stores are putting deals online and planning to open thanksgiving night. we are mapping out the major players. best buy opens at midnight and will give out tickets for high demand items for those waiting in line starting at 10:00 p.m. one deal is the big screen tv by sony. it's $800 less. we are looking at $1900 slashed to $1100. a lot of people are going to facebook. macy's are engaging consumers on

their site. they are offering shoes up to 50% off this blad friday. tablets are another deal. h.h. greg is selling them for $99. torgt is selling theirs at various prices and a $30 gift card with the purchase of a nook. if you are a fashion seeker, shop local. some of the great deals from smaller boutiques including up to 80% out of wedding gowns. go to old town alexandria, a list of deals 20% to 30% off at various restaurants and shops. visital exa aa aal al exand ria. we'll have a list at our own website at www.nbcwashington.com. in closing, make your list now, know your budget. do research before you hit the

web or the pavement. >> could save a lot of gas, too. >> yeah. it's a big gi. coming up on news 4, off the job. new punishment for a judge caught on video beating his daughter. the former head of the imf may be ready and willing to go back to court. i'm wendy rieger in the news room. just ahead at 5:00, team coverage from the conditions on the road to the latest as folks make their way out of town. we check in with two women in a weight loss battle to see if age really matters when it comes to shedding pounds. coming up at 6:00, the cost of security as they up the price tag on the occupy d.c.

the judge caught on camera beating his teenaged daughter in 2004 is off the job. this is video of that beating posted online by hillary adams. it's been viewed millions of times. adams was 16 at the time she recorded this. william adams disciplining her with the belt. the texas supreme court suspended the county court at law judge with pay. it's pending the outcome of an inquiry started by the state commission on judicial conduct. he denies wrong doing.

>> dominique strauss-kahn, the former imf chief and his wife are suing a top french newspaper, several magazines and a senior adviser to president nicolas sarkozy. they are being sued for invasion of privacy. they are expected to take further action after recent reports that she is seeking a divorce. still ahead on news 4, a warm welcome home for ho

[ male announcer ] the chicken marinara melt is the featured $5 footlong of november. juicy chicken, marinara sauce, and melty cheese served toasted on freshly baked italian bread. get it pronto, cuz this november only, it joins our everyday $5 footlongs! subway. eat fresh.

there were some joy filled moments at bwi airport last night. soldiers and airmen returned from war zones and were greeted with big cheers and warm hugs. news 4 has the story. >> the day of our wedding is what i feel like right now. the anticipation, the butterflies, everything. >> reporter: it was a homecoming filled with tears and smiles, happiness and excitement. family, friends waiting to see that one person walk out. >> he's been away ever since summer. >> reporter: 350 service members, mostly air force were flown in from iraq and afghanistan just in time for

thanksgiving. greeting them, volunteers, girl scouts, boy scouts. they weren't scheduled to come home until christmas. >> it's incredible. we thought we were coming to pick him up. >> reporter: flags and flowers. hugs and high fives, goody bags and cards. >> it says thank you on the front on the inside for serving our country, protesting us and all the things you do. >> reporter: some of the service members are stationed near the washington area. for others, a stop before hopping the plane home. >> we make them feel special and we appreciate them. we are making them feel at home again. >> reporter: for three long hours, the 6-year-old little lady waited with her homemade sign. >> we're going to have a big party. >> reporter: finally, daddy is here. >> it's wonderful. i didn't know where to look for them. they were in the front. it was nice.

>> reporter: the tissues come in handy for that moment when they walk through ready for one long-awaited hug. >> i'm excited. i'm glad he's home and safe. >> it's great to be home. >> that's news 4 at 4:00. news 4 at 5:00 starts right now. tonight at 5:00, it's one of the most dangerous nights of the year for teens. the warning police have for under age drinkers on this black wednesday. plus, a major s.a.t. cheating scandal raising questions about security at test centers. >> getting ready for black friday earlier than ever. the stores are stocked for a busy day of shopping. >> good afternoon. welcome, i'm wendy rieger. >> i'm jim handly. we begin with breaking news in

the district. police searching for a carjack suspect who took an suv with an infant inside. it happened at a gas station on south dakota avenue in northeast. shomari stone is there with details. >> reporter: good evening, we are on kennedy street between 5th and 4th street. behind me, the area is roped off. it is a crime scene. the car involved in the situation has been towed away. terrifying moments for this infant's mother. she's pumping gas, you can roll video. she's at the gas station. all of a sudden, a man jumps in her white porsche suv. the child was not touched. i'm sure the mother was very upset. she starts shouting. police hop in their cars, bring her here to the scene. then, all of a sudden, the men were already gone. they left the suv here. she was reunited with her