face. >> i won't be coming back. i don't want to do this anymore. >> some shoppers are getting hurt as they head out into the friday frenzy. good afternoon. i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm jim handly. stores here and across the nation are buzzing this afternoon with shoppers eager to snag the cheap black friday deals. but it had gotten ugly. one shopper was shot in an armed robbery at a walmart. so was another at a walmart in northern california. jenelle klein has more on what descended into chaos. >> reporter: the day after thanksgiving is a national event all its own. a third of all americans are shopping today, more than any black friday before. in new york, 9,000 shoppers were at macy's when they opened at

midnight. >> we got here at 1:00. the line wrapped around the building. >> i like the craziness this time of year. >> reporter: it turned dangerous when a woman pepper sprayed the crowd, injuring at least 20 people. police called it competitive shopping. >> it could have been worse. with as many people as may had inside, it could have been much, much worse. >> reporter: those crowds are what retailers bank on. some make 40% of their yearly profits today. many use special deals on mobile sights sending offers directly to smartphones. however they shop, millions of americans are buying saying they love both the bargains and the bragging rights. >> they want to be part of it. there's bag bounty to say i was there at 4:00 in the morning. >> reporter: millions of americans are in the store,

cyber shopping is also big. online buying is up 20% from this week a year ago. >> it was utter chaos at this black friday sale in georgia this morning. take a look. a mob of eager shoppers fought their way pushing and shoving as they tried to grab stuff they wanted. several scuffles broke out and shoppers had to be removed from the store. closer to home, crowds of shoppers packed the mall as early as midnight. the first 500 were treated to swag bags filled with gift cards and other goodies. we talked about the deal some waited hours to get their hands on. >> reporter: the national retail federation predicts 152 million people will hit the stores this weekend. it's 10% higher than last year. most will buy shoes and clothes. sorry early birds, stores across

the land are catering to the night owls opening at 9:00 p.m., 10:00% or midnight. they are prepping for a lucrative night and day. >> it's the kick off for the holiday. it's what we are about now. >> reporter: they opened their doors at midnight for the first time ever. >> we came here around 11:00. >> reporter: you were early? >> yep. a little bit early. >> reporter: he had to wait until 6:00 for the apple store to open. he ended up with two ipads. >> 61 bucks off one of them. the other one, i think was $58 off. >> reporter: joe is from pennsylvania, this whole thing is pretty cool. >> you have to face the crowds and the traffic and the parking. it's almost worth it when you get to be in a place where everybody is thrilled to be here and make a big thing out of it. >> reporter: shoppers stuffing bags and bags with sale items,

others browsing, looking for the deepest of discounts. 25% off. 40% off. what about an extra 50? >> saw a lot of sales out there. this year, everybody is trying to get ahead of the shopping. >> reporter: others are forgetting the holidays all to be the and thinking about what they need. >> i bought some jeans, shoes and some socks. >> reporter: anything for anybody else? >> no. >> reporter: everyone in a festive, fun mood. this guy shopping with his dad and brother rolled out of bed to the mall in his pajama pants. hours and hours of hunting for the great deal can become tiring. a nap in the middle of this holiday hustle and bustle. one can only take so much shopping. if you are trying to avoid stores this holiday season, wait a few days until cyber monday, the day you get the best online

deals. in bethesda, news 4. we have new developments in the case of the maryland man jailed in aruba for the disappearance of robyn gardner. an appeal has been filed in hopes of keeping gary giordano behind bars. he's been in jail since august. this morning a judge denied a request to keep him behind bars for another 30 days. a date for the appeal has not been confirmed. if it's rejected, he could be released as early as next week. jane watrel will have what's ahead for giordano coming up on new 4s at 5:00. turning to the weather, clear, sunny skies on this black friday. we may see rain before the weekend is out. >> storm 4 meteorologist veronica johnson has more on when the wet weather could be moving in on us.

>> that's right. but today couldn't have been more perfect across the area. it was dry, sunny and warm, everything you want for shopping. we got the best deal of all. we have clear skies throughout the area. a nice blue sky. it feels nice, too, at 61 degrees. it's nice for november. these types of temperatures more what you would find in the early part of november. on top of that, a nice south wind coming through the area. as far as the sky cover goes, take a look at it on the satellite in radar review. no drops around the area. you have to look hard to find the clouds. we have a few high clouds making their ways through westminster, frederick and gaithersburg including the district. for the most part, overnight, we have a clear to mostly clear sky. check out the temperatures now. the mercury at 61 degrees. cleveland park, tacoma park good afternoon to you. kensington, 64.

70 degrees right now in fredericksburg, virginia. we drop to 57 degrees by 7:00 p.m. temperatures rose very quickly today. they are going to drop quickly tonight. on your fast forecast another pleasant day coming tomorrow. the rain you were teasing, jim, i'll tell you when it's going to move in. >> we'll check back in a bit. thank you. an investigation is in place on why a flight was delayed five hours last night. it sat on the tarmac after authorities detained foreign students on board and questioned them for hours. eventually, the students were allowed to continue with the rest of the passengers. one of the students spoke with news 4 after arriving at reagan national. >> the police and bomb squad came in and told us we were not arrested. we didn't do anything, but they are going to call our names.

they didn't call -- they called us -- they called us individually because we were from the same country. >> now those students tell us they feel insulted, but they don't blame the officers who questioned them. they tell us they were just doing their job. the council on american islamic relations, united arab emirates embassy and us airways are investigating this incident. thousands of people are in tahrir square for the largest protest since the clashes began. a truce appears to be holding. the demonstrators are not giving up their demand that the military hand over power immediately. they rejected the latest move by the military rulers who named a

new prime minister to head the government. it dates back to the ousting of mubarak. the georgetown university student who was detained in egypt is apparently on his way home. yesterday, a judge ordered the release of him and two other american students on monday. there were concerns they would be held through the weekend because of delays in processing their release. now, it appears it's been expedited. we learned the american students are at the airport in cairo getting ready to board a flight home. there are new allegations against jerry sandusky, the former penn state assistant coach accused of sexually assaulting young boys. a family member is accusing him of abuse. there are new questions about the role pennsylvania's governor played in the investigation. jay gray has our report. >> reporter: thanksgiving

provides two rare looks at jery sandusky. in the morning by himself and later with his wife. they have been seen together and on the heels of allegations he sexually abused a member of their family. his attorney confirmed the report in a local news paper that one of two new accusers is a relative and goes on to say the allegations are ridiculous and unfounded. as the questions about sandusky intensify, they are also growing louder when it comes to pennsylvan pennsylvania governor john corbett. >> i gave thought to it on a constant basis. we are very careful. >> reporter: some say too careful. corbett was the attorney general during the grand jury investigation three years ago and also a member of the penn state board of trustees. several board members say he never discussed the

investigation during meetings. >> we had to be careful not to tip where this investigation was going. >> reporter: some legal observers say a closer look at the federal grand jury manual indicates he could have suggested they take a closer look at sandusky. >> he didn't do the complete investigation. now, he is trying to cooperate to instigate to get the truth out and revealed. >> reporter: ed rendell served as governor of pennsylvania. >> he knows the challenge his office was facing. >> reporter: argues the blame doesn't stop at the state house. >> there's no question that everyone in this process to the penn state officials to my good friend joe paterno, everyone in this process didn't act swiftly enough, didn't act courageously enough.

>> reporter: a courage this campus will need as they continue to work through the scandal. jay gray, news 4. when news 4 at 4:00 continues, a thanksgiving emergency for lindsay lohan's father. what put him in the hospital. a look at the centerpiece of the white house christmas decor as it arrives in washington. it nearly up staged the royal wedding. how you can

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the white house is wasting no time getting ready for holidays. first lady michelle obama welcomed the official tree this morning. the boston fir hails from wisconsin. the tree will be displayed in the white house blue room. the national christmas tree association has been the official selector of the white house tree since 1966. michael lohan is recovering in a florida hospital today after undergoing emergency heart surgery. radar online reports doctors operated on the 51-year-old with a problem of diminished blood flow. his blood pressure spiked yesterday. they found blood clots on his lungs. he's the father of actress lindsay lohan. he's in florida serving court

ordered rehab. it's big box office weekend for family movies. >> from the muppets to marilyn monroe, there's an option for everyone. we have the details in today's nbc buzz. everybody i'm seth. here is your entertainment buzz. we have a long holiday weekend. let's check out what's new at the movies. >> wow. i can't believe we are all back together. >> yeah. >> sorry. super excited. >> they're back! in the muppets, three of their biggest fans discover a plot to drill below their old stomping grounds. kermit and the gang went their separate ways to raise money to save the theater. >> you want to wake up the whole north pole? >> good idea. >> who cares about one single

child? >> santa's high-tech operation to deliver toys to good girls and boys in time to reassure the night goes off without a hitch. look for this in 3-d. >> who are you? >> hugo. >> where do you live? is it a secret? >> yes. >> oh, good, i love secrets. >> also in 3-d is hugo based on a children's book set in the 1930s in paris. an orphan is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and the robot he left behind. >> you can quit this. forget marilyn monroe. forget hollywood. >> a couple in limited release, my week with marilyn is about an assistant on the movie set who introduces marilyn monroe to the pleasures of british life.

michelle williams is getting oscar buzz about her performance. >> tell us about the first time you remember being beaten by your father. >> based on true events is "a dangerous method." dr. carl young takes on a young patient. he, along with his master fall under her spell. if you want more buzz on the latest entertainment, fashion and the rest of your lifestyle picks, visit nbcbuzz.tv. for headlines to your cell phone. text buzz to 446833. that's a look at the new movies out this weekend. happy thanksgiving from nbc buzz, i'm seth. >> there's a lot to see. >> something for everybody. she might be the most famous bridesmaid ever. >> and maybe her dress, too. now you can own pippa

middleton's dress. it's available online. there have been knock offs out there. this one is straight from sarah burton herself, the designer who made her gown. the dress is said to be nearly the same as pippa's according to people magazine. it's got a zipper instead of buttons down the back. they have already sold out. still to come on news 4 at 4:00, celebs take the stand at u.k. phone hacking investigation and unleash their anger at the media. the surprising way retailers are using cell phones to track where customers are shopping. for all your news, follow news 4 online. search nbc washington on facebook and twitter.

november days don't get any better than this. >> right. not when you have two handfuls of bags, you are trying to get to the car, you don't have to rush because you are not freezing to death.

>> perfectly comfortable. >> i'm going to take my time shopping and you don't mind the outdoor shopping malls, either. >> can you stretch it a little? >> you are going to like the rest of the weather for the weekend. you are really going to like it. let's look outside and see what's going on. beautiful sky, look at that. it's pretty. it feels as good as it looks. that's possible. 61 degrees is the temperature. nice for november, as i said. these temperatures are more like early november. 64 degrees in maryland. 66 degrees in waldorf, maryland. 68 now in fredericksburg, virginia and culpeper, too. very, very mild. what's going to happen is the temperatures are going to fall quickly down to the 50s. 51 degrees at 9:00. 11:00 p.m., 49 is the temperature. by early tomorrow morning, cool. it's not cold, but cool. we start in the low 40s.

with another clear sky more sunshine to start the day tomorrow. all right. let's look at what's going on with the digital doppler xt. we have showers with a developing weather system from areas of the great lakes down toward texas. big rains there around the panhandle of texas. this is a weather system coming our way tomorrow. what we are going to find is just a few high clouds coming into the area. an area of high pressure that's given us the gorgeous weather today. sunday, clouds thicken up more and increase. i don't think we are going to see rain from that weather system until well past sunset on sunday. tomorrow, another pretty one. sunday, more cloud cover but still mild. again, clouds are on the increase. there's the weather system at 4:00 on sunday. a cold front to the west. showers early monday morning. for the evening, clear skies. a nice evening. we are going to cool from 52 to

46 with very light wind. then by tomorrow morning, clear skies, chilly in the suburbs, a nice start of 31 to 43 degrees. here is a look at tomorrow afternoon. temperatures will be -- oh, not falling from the 60s. tomorrow afternoon, take a look at the high temperature, 64 degrees, mostly sunny. 60 on sunday. loving that, too. monday, we are at 60 degrees, too. again, clouds and a 30% chance for showers throughout the area. tuesday is the day we are going to get the big rain. what a forecast this is for the whole holiday weekend. coming up, i have a thanksgiving story for you. not a turkey story, but a squirrel story. >> i have heard pieces of this, you don't want to miss this one. >> we can't wait to hear the rest of it. still to come on news 4 at 4:00, ready for a lift off. how nasa plans to go deeper into

explorations. possible life on mars. >> like being under siege or kept hostage. >> the create or of harry potter and others tell their side

welcome back at 4:30, everybody. i'm jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse. here is what's happening on the news at this hour. a midnight black friday shopping event turned dangerous. a woman pepper sprayed fellow shoppers as they raced to the electronics department. at least 20 people injured. police are still looking for the woman. prosecutors are trying to keep gary giordano behind bars.

this morning a judge denied the request to keep holding him for another 30 days. if the prosecutors appeal is also denied, giordano could be freed as early as tuesday. >> us airways are investigating why students were taken off a flight from charlotte headed to washington. they were detained and questioned for hours. the plane was eventually allowed to take off. the students on board and the flight arrived about five hours later. georgetown university student is on his way home tonight along with two other students arrested in cairo monday. a judge ordered their release yesterday. there were concerns they would be held through the weekend due to procedural delays. the process was indicted. the students are at the airport in cairo, getting ready to board a flight home. on capitol hill, both sides

continue blaming each other after the supercommittee failed to reach an agreement on how to slash more than $1 trillion from the deficit. >> if they don't bridge their differences, millions of americans will feel it right in the wallet. brian mooar reports. >> reporter: the failure of the congressional supercommittee sets the stage for a spending showdown. >> when congress returns, on the to-do list is legislation possibly extending the payroll tax credits and unemployment benefits. >> reporter: millions of americans could pay the price if they can't find a way to extend payroll tax cuts and business breaks that expire at the end of the year. president obama wants voters to put the pressure on lawmakers. >> tell them, don't be a grinch. don't vote to raise taxes on working americans during the holidays. put the country before party. >> reporter: the supercommittee

flop guarantees tougher fights down the road to avoid trillions of dollars in automatic cuts to social programs and the pentagon budget. republicans blame the president. >> when the negotiation should have been underway to solve the budget debt crisis, the president wasn't there. >> reporter: they have to figure out how to keep tax breaks without adding spending. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. in london, author j.k. rowling told a courtroom tabloid journalists made them feel threatened, intimidated in their own homes. they testified into the phone hacking scandal. they staked out her house and got personal details and slipped

a note to her in her daughter's book bag. >> how angry i felt that my 5-year-old daughter's school was no longer a place of complete security. >> so that feeling of just -- of just people knowing everything about you was, as i said before, really intimidating and scary and confusing. i didn't understand how they knew. >> miller says the constant pursuits and personal stories led her to accuse friends and family of leaking informers to the media. it's a result of the illegal ease dropping scandal that led to the closing of rupert murdock's news of the world tabloid. retailers found a new way to track your shopping habits. it's called footpath. it uses the signal from your cell phone to record your movements in the mall. the new technology doesn't allow them to collect data on what

shoppers purchased, but provides insight on how much they spend at certain stores. it's being used in richmond. some sopors consider it an invasion of privacy. others say they are not bothered by it. >> why would anybody care if i go to macy's then to penny's? so, who cares? >> it doesn't make me nervous. grow with the movement of technology. >> mall officials say to turn off your cell phone if you don't want to be a part of the survey. nasa's next step in the search for life on mars is set to start tomorrow by getting the latest mars rover going on its long journey to the red planet. all systems are a go for the launch. we have a look at the mission to mars. >> reporter: this is what nasa's

$2.5 billion lab will look like once it reaches mars. this is called curiosity. calling it complicated may have worked, too. >> this is the most complicated mission we have tried on the surface of mars. science demands that. >> reporter: in this case, science is trying to determine if mars is or ever could have been a place that harbored life. that's what curiosity will be looking for driving for miles across the red planet's landscape. it's the side of a car with six wheels. >> this rover, curiosity rover, is really a rover on steroids. it will go longer, discover more than we could possibly imagine. >> reporter: after its launch between 10:00 and noon saturday from cape canaveral, the capsule carrying curiosity will separate and spend eight and a half months traveling 60 million

miles to mars. >> should be quite a trip. >> i'll say. >> there's more to come on news 4 at 4:00 including a website that offers private jet flights to prices comparable to tickets in the coach cabin. a life at captivity to these rescued puppies. [ female announcer ] at verizonfios.com, you can choose your channel package. ♪ you can choose your own internet speeds. ♪ you can even choose to chat with a live person. ♪ now you can choose to save $35 a month for fios tv, internet and phone for just $79.99 a month, plus get a $300 verizon visa prepaid card

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well, let's take a look at the app of the day. this really comes in handy on the day after thanksgiving. jim is going to show us just how it works. >> you and i and the whole news room have been doing this all day, all afternoon. it's about the leftovers today. we are not talking just turkey sandwiches, it's stretching out meals in creative ways. it's called love food hate waste. let's bring up the portion planner. pick out how many family members

you want to serve. we are going with four. it brings up, once you hit the blender all the different kinds of things you have in your kitchen left over from yesterday. bring up meats and fishes. bacon, ham, you want to send pork to it, too. then go back, add in vegetables you may have, too. they all come up. send them the carrots, the mixed vegetables all to the blender, again. go back again, we have a lot of dairy left over, cream and butter. we probably overshopped as usual this thanksgiving. once it's all in the blender there, you actually click on the blender. when you hear it churning, it is whipping up some creative recipes. interesting stuff all the way from quick quiche, jamaican vegetables. we can do mediterranean bread

here. salsa salad, tofu skewers. you can take this and plan out not just tomorrow but actually a whole week's worth of meals for you and your family. it allows you to create a shopping list as well. there is a lot with this app. it's called love food, hate waste. if you have a cool app you would like to share, e-mail me. pat, happy eating. everybody is bringing their leftovers into the news room. i have eaten five times today. >> when we continue, if you are still waiting to book a flight for christmas, you might be able to travel in luxury. the sight that makes private jet flights affordable. a bold statement about

so, we heard veronica mention a squirrel story before.

>> squirrel story on thanksgiving day. how much does one weigh? >> a couple pounds? >> before or after thanksgiving dinner. >> it depends on what the squirrel is eating. take a look at this guy. this was ten crescent rolls later. this is yesterday. that's a real squirrel. he's stuffed with crescent rolls. he's got them in his cheeks. this is my son and his wife feeding him crescent rolls. >> you cannot have too many of those. >> no, you can't. by the end, he started burying the crescent rolls. by the end, end, he couldn't make it up the stairs. i figure he put his feet up watching football. >> exactly. >> i'm a happy little squirrel. >> he's storing up leftovers and to keep warm if we get cool weather. >> next week it gets chilly again. >> insulation.

>> exactly. let's take a look and see what's happening. the temperatures are dropping again. it's going to be a chilly evening for us as far as the temperatures go. the wake-up forecast, we will be down into the 40s by tomorrow morning. upper 30s to low 40s. cool, you bet. by the time we take a look at tomorrow morning, the chilly conditions across the area with the cooler air coming in for at least the first part of the day on saturday. but cloud cover, not a lot. it's going to be another mostly sunny day for us under an area of high pressure. by the time we get to sunday, more cloud cover around the area. you will remember it as a partly sunny type of day. more clouds by the end of the day. there's a look at 4:30 with a few showers off to the south and west around orange county and outside western maryland. really, the wet day is coming up next week. we get into the 60s tomorrow.

64 d.c. 64 around fredericksburg. nice and mild for tomorrow. nice, mild temperatures. that includes sunday, too, with a high of 60 degrees. 60 on mondays. 56 on tuesday. again, wet day coming up next week, monday and tuesday. that fat little squirrel is ready for wednesday, thursday and friday. the temperatures are starting out in the 30s with highs into the mid to low 50s across the area. mid-40s to low 50s and sunshine for the end of the week. >> my dog would have no trouble catching that squirrel today. it's moving slow. >> that squirrel is nuts. >> pills berry wants to have that squirrel in their next commercial. traveling on a private jet might sound expensive but a site is making it more affordable. >> it's the same cost as buying a coach ticket.

linda breaks it down for us. >> reporter: the price of a luxury experience aboard a six or eight seat plane like this doesn't have to be sky high. matthew manages a fleet of corporate and private jets. he's spokesman for a new service opening up private jets to the public. >> it can be in the commercial coach fare. >> you heard right. social media and websites like socialflights.com take group discount deals to a new level. the reason, empty legs. >> the plane is dropping someone off and flying back empty. this is a cost that's usually abso absorbed. now you can use it for a dis count. >> reporter: register on soci socialflights for free. search for trips you need or post a trip you would like to make. >> you have access to an

aircraft at a price more reasonable than if you were to charter a jet by yourself. >> reporter: on jetblue a flight saturday cost $164, not including taxes. for roughly $30 more, you can take a private plane to syracuse. that seat is just 200 bucks. and there's a private flight from nantucket to white plains for $200. that's less than flying jetblue the same day. of course, you can get background checks on the planes and crews for your flights. >> you can check the airline and whether they are gold or platinum rated. they offer a trip check to tell you whether or not the crew also passes. >> you can fly in style. >> nice. coming up on news 4, what singer usher has to say about the paternity claims surrounding his pop protege, justin bieber. coming up on news 4 at 5:00,

if you got up early to catch the great deals, listen up. why you might be able to get better deals after black friday. a health hazard in the new "twilight" movie. a scene that might have triggered seizures for some movie goers. a store clerk brings a broom to a

r & b superstar usher is weighing in on the paternity scam that rocked fellow singer justin bieber. he told tmz he's not surprised by what happened to bieber. he says such rumors come with the territory. a 20-year-old woman claims bieber is the baby's father. she since dropped a paternity lawsuit. bieber took a paternity test earlier this week to put an end to the scandal. the results have not been made public yet. a fire spinning metal schedule tin made of all sorts of trash. it sits in front of berlin's memorial church. it was created by an artist hoping to create recycling. he doesn't believe in cutting down new trees for christmas.

>> it's interesting looking. >> i don't think it would look good in front of the capital or the white house. >> or in your living room. still ahead, a new life for dozens of beagles rescued from a research lab. >> they are cute. also, remember you can follow us online

four years, dozens of people live caged inside a dark research lab in spain until now. miguel shows us a special organization not only rescued the dogs, but flew them here to the states to find loving homes for the animals. >> reporter: just in time for the holiday, a special arrival at l.a.x. >> it's okay. >> reporter: 40 beagles rescued from a research center in spain headed to los angeles for a second chance at life. >> they have lived their entire lives being poked, prodded, opened up, cut up and sewn. now they get to be freed. >> reporter: they have never known what freedom is. >> we are headed to somewhere where we can run free for a minute. >> reporter: the beagles lived a life more science project than family pet. their previous homes, cages in a

lab. most have never seen the sun. >> opening the door for what's about to be their first steps ever on the grass or outside. >> reporter: that first step is a scary one. >> come on, big boy. >> reporter: timid paws finally on solid ground. >> in the beginning, they didn't know what anything was. they didn't know what a toy was or how to go for a walk. >> reporter: these guys will spend the next couple weeks until they are medically cleared, then adopted out. together this holiday, taking the first step toward a new life. nbc news, los angeles. that's news 4 at 4:00. news 4 at 5:00 starts right now. a black friday filled with

bad behavior. around the country, shoppers pushing, shoving and pepper spraying each other. what we found in local shopping malls. >> we are hearing from a group of bicyclists out for a ride. unrightly detained. why a group of students were treated to a scare on a plane. i'm jim handly. >> gary giordano could be a free man. he's the suspect held in the disappearance of his travel compani companion, robyn garner. jane watrel joins us now live from the news room with more on the legal wrangling. jane? >> reporter: the only suspect in the august disappearance of