really want for christmas. three american students accused of fire bombing police in cairo are still in custody, a day after an egyptian court ordered their release. it will be an anxious weekend of waiting for families at home in the states. a live tv experiment. five people swimming with sharks in an ocean without a cage for 24 hours. we will ask a shark expert why they are doing it and how it feels to share the water with a great white "early" this friday morning, november 25th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs good morning. welcome to "the early show" here on a friday morning. a beautiful sunrise. what a day to sit home and online shop! >> what a day or you could swim with the sharks, or you could go stand in a black friday line today. >> got it all for you this morning. good morning, i'm chris wragge. >> i'm rebecca jarvis. erica hill on off this morning.

the latest on black friday as the holiday shopping season officially gets under way. it began late last night and early this morning. thousands of stores across the country, this morning, millions of people are already at work. >> take a look at the hawthorne shopping center in vernon, illinois, west of chicagoship i've been there. there is a giant traffic jam of shoppers. right now, it has the scene of rush hour traffic. maybe it's a rush to spend and elaine quijano is back here in manhattan at macy's where thousands of people were waiting as it opened at midnight last night, first time ever. great to see you, elaine. >> reporter: good morning to you. this is, as you noted, the official start to the holiday shopping season and the holidays account for about 25% to 40% of annual retail sales. so for stores, there is a lot on the line. black friday has always been a

big day for retailers. but despite the 152 million consumers expected to shop this holiday weekend, it could be a bit of a bust. >> there is no jobs program, there's no tax rebates the president has put on the table so it's really up to the consumer to go toe the line themselves. >> reporter: blame it on high floimt a unemployment and low consumer confidence. of those planning on shopping will wait and see if this weekend's bargains are worth getting out and going to shop for. so retailers are pulling out all of the stops to make sure they are. >> they finally recognized that they have to get in competition with the online retailers. so look for retailers to get very aggressive when it comes to offering deals all different hours of the day. >> reporter: including earlier than ever before openings. stores like macy's and target's

kohl's all opened their door midnight. many americans still embrace black friday enthusiastic like tito hearnandez who has been camped out at this best buy since monday morning. >> i'm getting tvs. super bowl sundays will be pretty good at my house. >> reporter: but this year it might take more than one black friday to get u.s. retailers out of the red. and analysts this year are predicting a 2.8% increase in holiday sales. that would actually be down, compared to last year, when there was about a 5% increase. rebecca? >> cbs' elaine quijano at macy's, thanks. joining us is the president and ceo of macys, terry lundgren.

last night, the store opens at midnight. first time ever. what is going like down there at macy's this morning? >> it's going strong. you know, i was here and, of course, because i'm always here for our opening, but i was a little bit surprised when i went around the block and the entire, you know, square block in new york of macy's harold square to see the entire circumference of our store surrounded by about 10,000 customers at 11:30 p.m. waiting to get in at midnight. so we are pretty pleased with the crowd. >> one big question about the economy overall. from what you're seeing now in terms of black friday, what do you think about this christmas and the health of the american consumer? are things better than they were last year and are they improving as an overall economy? >> well, let me speak for macy's first. we are a rather large retailer. last year, $25 billion in sales and over 800 department stores with the macy's brand. we are having the best year in a

decade so our sales are up 5.3% on same store sales and we're very, very pleased with our performance. so in our case, we feel great about the momentum we are coming into this fourth quarter with and feel very confident about our potential for continued great sales throughout the holiday season. overall, as far as the economy is concerned, you know, you're seeing lots of signs of weakness out there, and what we are all hoping for is that the overall economy improves and so all boats rise. at the moment you're seeing some winners and some losers in the retail field. fortunately, we're on the winning side. >> terry lundgren, thanks for joining us this black friday and have a good one. >> thanks, rebecca. >> good luck to the retailers and happy shopping to all of the shoppers. hope you have good news to

report. 24 hours after officials announced the three students in egypt would be released, still no word from them. >> elizabeth palmer is in cairo with more. good morning to you, liz. >> reporter: good morning. it's pretty loud here. i'm in tahrir square which is filling up once again very fast, but you ask about the students. that's right. we think they are still in the police station here. they are certainly still in custody, working with their lawyer going through lengthy bureaucratic procedures before they are finally physically allowed to go free. at the american university of cairo dorm where the three students lived, friends were waiting to welcome them, relieved to hear the egyptians weren't going to press charges. >> my first reaction, just because i know them personally, was that there's no way that they could have had those, you know? i don't think they would of figured out how to get molotov cocktails. >> i wanted to come here and see them before they leave. i've been freaking out the past

few days. >> reporter: the three who haven't been seen by family or friends except in this police video on egyptian state television, may not be freed from custody until the end of the muslim weekend on sunday. today, though, demonstrators in tahrir square have called for another million man march, demanding the military give up power immediately to a ka caretaker government. but the generals have refused in a televised press conference. the people have entrusted us with a mission said this general and if we abandon is now, it would be a betrayal. although the violence on the edge of tahrir square has stopped, the dangerous political standoff in egypt continues with elections slated to begin in only four days. the generals offered a big political concession earlier this week. they said, look, we will be gone

by next summer. so to force them to take another step back that this demonstration is just going to have to be enormous the size of the ones we were seeing in january. chris? >> quick question before you. if the generals decide they will not step down which it looks as if they will not do, how much uglier can this situation possibly get? >> reporter: it will depend on the messages coming from the political leadership, but people are really angry, especially in the wake of so many having been killed this week. i think it's fragile and it could actually get very violent very fast once again. chris? >> cbs' elizabeth palmer in cairo, thank you very much. we turn to politics. washington, d.c. >> correspondent whit johnson is there with a look at how dysfunctional things are right now. . whit, good morning. >> good morning. >> reporter: like most americans, congress off for another holiday weekend. no surprise.

considering congress has had more vacation days this year than the number of bills they have passed and sent to the president. new york city is notorious holiday season gridlock has nothing on washington, d.c. >> nothing big is getting done in washington. >> reporter: where the 112th congress, according to university of virginia larry sabato is as backed up as ever. >> you have nobody in the middle to broker deals. >> reporter: the failure of the super committee this week how to tackle the nation's debt was a continuation of the same old fight, one that caused a credit downgrade and near government default in august and a near government shutdown back in april. >> they should be doing everything in their power to make our economy stronger, not weaker. >> reporter: naturally, both sides blame each other for the lack of progress. >> we never got the democrats, whether it's the white house, or where we are today, we have never gotten them to a point where there was, yes. >> reporter: for perspective on the current gridlock, take a

look back at the nickname do nothing 80th congress under president harry truman. even they passed 906 public bills that were signed into law. under president george w. bush, the 110th congress passed 415. this congress, about halfway through its term, has passed only 44. with voters going to the polls in just under a year, politico's chief congressional correspondent jonathan allen says a change for the better is unlikely. >> that we have got a compressed policy schedule and an expanded election cycle. these guys are running constantly and they don't have time to sit there and work with each other when they are insulting each other to make sure they win the next election. >> reporter: benefits for the long-term unemployed and tax cuts exspeier at the the end of the year. once again, congress is staring down another deadline and failure to act could have another impact on millions of americans. >> whit johnson in washington for us, thank you. also in d.c. this morning,

one of the newest members of congress, west virginia democrat and senator joe manchin. he says every time he meets with voters, he apologized. good to see you, senator, this morning. >> good morning, chris. >> a tongue in cheek here. i want to begin with congress' approval rating at 9% and put this in context a little bit for the people at home. during watergate, president nixon was polling at 24%. b.p. polling at 24% during the gulf oil spill. the u.s. adopting communism running at 11%. what does congress have to be thankful for at 9% approval rating on this day after thanksgiving? >> i can't even find a 9% that approves of anything we are doing so i don't know where they are getting that number from. >> how do you improve it? that is the big question. right now, we are talking about all of this dysfunction and gridlock. what can get done at this particular time? >> we have to come forward and it has to be about this country, about the next generation. right now, it's about individual politics and partisan politics

and we are not getting anywhere because we are afraid who is going to get credit for something if we fix something. we have the blame game down to a science. by the end of every day, we know exactly how to blame somebody else and it's wrong. it's not how we did things in west virginia and where i come from, we try to work together and identify the big problems. right now, when you think about it, 15 trillion dollars in debt right now, our country is, 17 trillion by next year. we are going to 21 trillion. break this down in smaller denomination, every business day, chris, we go $5 billion more. we have to borrow to run this country. >> on monday, before the super committee announced its failure to reach a deal, you sent a letter to president obama and asked him to intervene. he did not. do you see this a massive failure in leadership? >> well, it's first of all, leadership have to lead and be involved and whether it's the president or the leaders of congress, we have to set our mark and what we are going to achieve and our goal. we are not doing that because they are afraid of what is best for the next election of next year.

in 2012. it should be about the next generation, chris. not about the next election. and we're not looking far enough. i don't want to go down history as you just mentioned since truman. this congress has done less than any other congress. i don't want to go down in history as being a generation that's turned over the keys to the next generation with the country in worst shape. that's never happened and i will do all i can to make sure it doesn't happen. >> if that was do nothing congress the 80th you have to come up with a whole different name for your congress at this rate. i want to talk about immediate concerns that are kind of relevant to the super committee's failure right now. . the millions of americans who are struggling and currently unemployed the temporary payroll tax cut and do you see those being extended and do you support those being extended first of all? >> unemployment and people are still struggling finding jobs and an awful lot of people that need retraining. i believe to get -- make sure

there is a component of education and a component of retraining before people continue to extend unemployment benefits. that way they will be trained for the jobs in the 21st century. the market is changing and we have to change with that. that would be, i think, the best way to do it. as far as the payroll extension on that one there, i think the american people are willing to say, listen, we'll sacrifice. we won't take that extension if you'll do meaningful tax reform. we have got to make sure we get our financial house in order and, right now, we can't do that. there is not fairness. you look at the occupy group and the tea party group and one saying you spend too much from the tea party. occupy saying you left 99% of measure behind. chris, they are both right. with that being said, we have to put fairness to the system. i believe there would be a perfect time for us to put all of that together and say, listen, we are going to sacrifice the payroll tax extensions if you do meaningful tax reform and a beautiful way for us to get our house in order, i really believe. >> it's a starting point.

senator, thanks for taking the time on this day after thanksgiving. have a good holiday weekend. >> thank you for having me, chris. appreciate it. we turn now to terrell brown with a check of today's other headlines. >> we begin with the markets this morning. worries over europe's debt crisis sent global markets on a losing streak. nikkei down more than 2.5% for the week and hang sang shed more than 1%. dax down nearly 1% in early trading and on the verge of posting biggest weekly loss in two months. dow futures are headed lower for today's shortened session. chicago police on hunt for a suspected gunman suspectinged killing his ex-girlfriend at a hospital complex. police say he shot her last in the parking garage. the hospital locked down several hours but the gunman managed to escape. in arizona gabrielle giffords helped serve a thanksgiving dinner at a base in

tucson. it was her first visit with constituents since shot in the head in january. they stayed about an hour. in western australia, more than 400 firefighters have been battling a brush fire destroyed more than 30 homes. the fire spread when a control burn got out of control on wednesday. still ahead this morning, author j.k. rowling says britain's tabloid press made her

feel like a hostage. >> also, we will meet a louisiana oil man, turned british gentleman, in a rags it to riches fairy tale that turned deadly. "48 hours mystery" has the part of the story you haven't heard and you'll hear it here on "the early show" on cbs. e most import are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security and our economy. it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom! thank you! [ male announcer ] no need to wait with our christmas price guarantee. if you find a lower price on a local print ad before christmas, we'll give you the difference on a walmart gift card.

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beautiful. >> looks great. >> coming up, something you can't not pay me to do this. tonight, five divers are going to take part in an experiment. they are swimming in the open ocean with sharks for 24 hours off of south africa. we will tell you what they hope to prove by doing this. >> if i were to cut you a check for a hundred thousand dollars, would you try it? >> definitely not. >> 150,000. >> no. you have to get into the like

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a beautiful day after thanksgiving here in new york city. hopefully, where you are waking up today, it is just an ideal day to shop. >> an ideal day to stay inside and fight some crowds. enjoy yourself. >> i'm chris wragge along with

rebecca jarvis. erica hill is probably online at best buy. we have heard sharks get a bad wrap. because all they do is eat people like us. they deserve our respect and protection tonight. people in south africa are ready to put their bodies on the line to prove that no cage -- >> it sounds like you contradicted yourself there. one second you said they eat people and then you said they don't get enough respect. >> for the scientists, not us. >> these people are going to be swimming with the sharks in the ocean literally around the clock. 24-hour experiment under way on television. coming up, we will talk to their adviser who has gone swimming with great white sharks 50 or 70 times himself and done it and live to taell the tale. >> i say you need a bigger boat. here is terrell brown at the news desk with a check of today's other headlines for us. >> good morning. millions of americans nationwide hit the stores early this black friday morning. many retailers open their doors to the big crowds at midnight

and some earlier. retailers hope to ring up $466 billion in sales this holiday season. that is up nearly 3% over last year. you knew this was coming. while most shoppers hit the aisles peacefully a dustup in los angeles. at a walmart a shopper fired pepper spray after the store opened. 20 people suffered minor injuries and the pepper sprayer is still being sought this morning. a massive protest in egypt. tens of thousands gathered in tahrir square what is called the last chance million man protest and demanding the military government step down. paper work is apparently slowing down the release of the three american students held in egypt in their alleged role in a protest

tomorrow night, "48 hours mystery aahhas a rags to riches fairy tale. correspondent richard schlesinger has a preview. >> reporter: harold landry is a louisiana millionaire, cajun, right down to his dna, but he is also a maverick who ended up in england for a new life that surprised pretty much everyone. ♪ >> ageless story is a world of two tales. >> reporter: harold landry had it all and made it all himself. >> he went from down the bayou living with nothing to living in a fine british manner home.

i'm pat fanning and i'm a friend of harold landry who came to be known as h. >> reporter: landry made his fortune in the oil business. in 1999, he was retired and he was falling in love with lucy davies, a young british music student he met on the internet. by 2:002, landry and lucy were married and harold landry traded life in louisiana for the english countryside and his new life as an english country gentleman. >> his personality was big. yeah, h did pretty good. >> reporter: but landry's friends wondered what lucy saw in landry. she was half his age. >> the love affair between h and lucy was that lucy loved h's money and h loved lucy's appearance. >> reporter: the marriage began to deteriorate and as it did, things became violent at the landry estate. on the night of february 1st, 2010, authorities were called to the home. officer season elcox found lucy bleeding on the side of the road

just outside landry's house. >> she had a very, very large gash to her left cheek. she also had a very large butcher's knife that was still in her. >> reporter: lucy had been stabbed over 20 times. landry admitted stabbing his wife to death and while his english neighbors were shocked, people who knew him in louisiana were not. it turns out there was a lot more to the landry story than anyone realized and we got to hear and see both sides of it in louisiana and in england. "48 hours" is the only organization that has been able to interview landry since lucy's murder and to hear from lucy's teenage son who was in the house the night his mother was stabbed to death. he's a remarkable and very impressive young man, but to find out more, tune in tomorrow night for "murder at the manor." now back to chris and rebecca. >> thanks so much. you can see "48 hours mystery

murder at the manor" 10:00/9:00 central on cbs. come up next when the presidential candidates hit the road the president corps is with them every step of the way. >> a behind the scenes look at covering a campaign when "the early show" continues. [ female announcer ] at jcpenney this thanksgiving... ...shop jcp.com all day from the comfort of your home, or shop in store friday starting at 4am. find over 500 black friday deals... ...like $39.88 xersion down coats to keep her warm... ...$9.99 dapper dress shirts or ties... ...$39.88 4-piece luggage sets for the jetsetter... ...$9.88 kitchen electrics... ...and 60% off toys they'll love! save at jcp.com this thanksgiving... ...and in store at 4am on black friday! we make christmas affordable. you make it yours. jcpenney. vietnam, 1967. i got mine in iraq, 2003. u.s.a.a. auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation, because it offers a superior level of protection

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there is a long road ahead for the republicans running for president. and so is there for the journalists who cover them every step of the way. >> we asked some the cbs political news producers shed the cameras on themselves and tell us what it is like. >> this is sarah boxer. it is about 6:00 in the morning. everyone's beauty hour. i don't normally look like this during the day but, unfortunately, i do look like this at this time of morning. >> so one of the big things to do every morning is to label the tapes. >> these are all of my gizmos and gadgets. literally basically never, every, leave my side ever. >> also key that we get all of our gear like batteries, tapes, and that we don't leave them in the hotel. that would be bad!

i always get nervous that i'm going to leave something behind. also super key. the bill under the door. when walk around with this, everyone wants to talk to you about it. everyone wants to know what kind of camera it is, what you're doing with it, who you're shooting. >> audible presents "the new york times" audio digest. >> i don't have time to read the news so a lot of times i will listen to it while driving in the car. >> please drive to highlighted route. >> okay! i'm at this event! this bag is like 65 pounds and i carry it on my back in addition to three other bags. it's got my camera, all of my camera equipment, laptop, and got my tripod.

>> all right. so we're here for first event of the day and two more to go. it's going to be a tight one, but camera is up and set for the first. >> speaker gingrich. >> ever since assigned to herkan cain, my life has been chaotic. he often does multiple states in one day which makes it nearly impossible for me to get to all of them. mr. cain, what is going on in cain world today? >> well, doing what i do best -- talk. welcome back, lindsey. >> interested in checking the levels quickly? >> another big element to our jobs is twitter and while we're shooting, we are also logging and transcribing the interviews and we are tweeting and we are on the phone and we're just doing a million things at once. >> thank you. >> thank you too. >> thank you. >> appreciate you being here. >> nice to meet you.

>> do you have any special thanksgiving plans with your family? >> it's been a wonderful trip, but it's -- we have been out for about -- for about a month, so we're anxious to get home and spend a couple of days. >> here at places where we have the best access, on camera, on the record. >> i am hoping to get him walking out, which is always a good shot. i don't know. okay. that was fun. >> you know, you can look at this one or two ways. what an amazing experience or, man! it's pretty tough. >> it's a lot of running around. >> that's a look at of hustling back and forth. >> good for them being behind the scenes and getting the information. >> and bringing it to us here, so we thank them for all of the work they do. it's not easy, one thing we can say, not easy and not as glamorous as it looks. a month before people start

voting. the 2012 election also. almost a year away. everyone has to pace themselves. >> you better pace yourselves, absolutely. coming up next, some people think politicians are like sharks. let's not put the sharks down like that, okay? >> good point. you don't want to get them angry. we will show you how brave swimmers with trying to change our minds about the predators with the big teeth. look out! >> we do mean the sharks. >> not the politicians. this is "the early show" on cbs. hi, could you read my list? it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom!

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it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom! thank you! [ male announcer ] no need to wait with our christmas price guarantee. if you find a lower price on a local print ad before christmas, we'll give you the difference on a walmart gift card. the sky is safe but how about the water? how is this for a fun idea? 24 hours film with sharks in the ocean with most protection from a cage. nothing, just you and the sharks. five swimmers in south africa will do that starting tonight and doing it in the name of science. joining us is their adviser marine biologist and shark expert, ryan johnson.

thank you for joining us this morning. why undertake an experiment like this that sounds so dangerous? >> it's all about -- the shocks. we have gone around the world and talked to a lot of shark attack victims and they have a lot of perceptions why sharks attack and some of them probably not as true as people believe. we are going out there' put the tests and myths to the tests through science right here on net wild. >> this is going to be happening, like we said on natgoe wild. you want to spell the myths. i think it probably -- if you say to one of the scientists, you splash around and let's see where what the shark's reaction is, i don't think i'd want to be the one called on to do that. how do you protect these swimmers that are in the water? >> you know, we have taken various measures to make sure our divers experiment is doing to be sa going to be safe. we have a cage and a helicopter

on standby. the small chance something does go wrong we make sure we get them to safety as quickly as possible. >> when you say small chance something could go wrong. i think sharks are dangerous and if i saw one swimming around me i would freak out. how do you convince people that is not necessarily the reaction you need to have? >> well, the biggest thing about this show is that we are not getting some crusty old shark divers into the water. we are getting three very pretty girls who don't have that much experience with sharks and being guinea pigs and doing the test. we hope the girls do these experiments that they, themselves, believe that they can do it safely with sharks. >> how much are you paying them to do this? i mean, how do you convince like you said these pretty girls to swim with the sharks? why are they doing it? are they nervous? >> no. these girls love sharks and have for many years and see this as a great opportunity for them to

contribute to changing people's perceptions of sharks. >> so what is it? i mean, why is there this perception that sharks are so dangerous to humans? you say it's not the case. why is that? >> it goes back a long time in our history. "jaws" came out in the 1970s and that, for some reason, captured the imagination of the world. ever since then, sharks have been recognized or identified as man-eaters and what people see sharks as and it's a big road back from there and why we are trying to go. take one small step to show what sharks are really about. there are things can you do in the water that is responsible and irresponsible but we really believe that education is the key. >> ryan, i'm swimming and i'm down in florida. all of a sudden, this pack of sharks comes up on me. what should i do? >> you know, if you see a shark in the water, i would say enjoy it.

99% of the time, the shark will circle around you and have a look at you and then swim off. every now and then, if the shark does have an interest in you, the worst thing is swim away. you want to face the shark and let them know that you're there and you see them and then you're going to be pretty safe. >> ryan, thank you very much. best of luck to you with this experiment, okay? shark attack experiment live on natgoe live. we will be right back. e live. we will be right back. o live. we will be right back. geo live. we will be right back. 3q

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welcome back to the "the early show." i'm chris wragge along with rebecca jarvis. erica hill is off this morning. 'tis the season for shopping and black friday bargain hunters have been out in full force. coming up we will find out how much the average shopper plans to spend this year and look at the top items on people's wish lists. >> they might include video games. coming up we will look at the ma have games of the season for children of all ages from sesame street to the latest call of duty game. "call of duty" expected to be the best selling game of the year. >> better than most movies. >> it is incredible what a video game can do for your company. all this week in london a judge has been holding hearings on britain's phone-hacking scandals. >> on thursday, "harry potter" author j.k. rowling told how tabloid reporters frightened her and cbs news correspondent charlie d'agata is in london. good morning. >> good morning. >> reporter: at one point, j.k.

rowling said she wish she had a cloak of invisibility to hide from reporters. although the hacking scandal prompted this inquiry. she may have risen from obscurity to become one of the richest women in the world but j.k. rowling could never be described as publicity shy but an army of photographers camped out in her front yard made her furious. >> there were two particularly bad periods where it really like being under siege or being a hostage. after the birth of each of my subsequent children, for a week, it was impossible for me to leave the house. >> reporter: the trouble began soon after the publication of her first potter novel in 1997. one journalist stuck a note inside her daughter's schoolbag. >> it's difficult to say how

angry i felt my 5-year-old daughter's school was no longer a place of, you know, complete security from journalists. >> reporter: actress siena miller, former girlfriend of actor jude law said media attention made her feel paranoid and often very anxious. >> i would find mileself, i was 21 at midnight running down a dark street on my own with ten big men chasing me and the fact that they had cameras in their hand meant that was legal. >> reporter: she has already won $160,000 judgment against rupert murdoch's "news of the world". and now she feels terrible she wrongly blamed friends for leaking information to the papers. >> having changed my number and being pretty convinced that it couldn't have been as a result of hacking, even though that was my suspicion, i horribly, i accused my friends and family of selling stories. >> reporter: former tabloid

editor and cnn host piers morgan is the next to make a name. allegations he denies. >> so many big names involved here. this isn't the first time the british tabloids have been accused of crossing the line. they have a long history of doing it to get the story. so why do you think they are getting so much attention this go round? >> reporter: it was brought up by prime minister david cameron who demanded an inquiry after revelation the "news of the world" tapped into murdered school girl's voice mails and deleted them. at that time, the prime minister decided more should be done to look into these hacking allegations and to broaden that into media intrusion itself and why so many celebrities are stepping forward to air their grievances. >> charlie d'agata, thank you. let's go to terrell brown with a check of other headlines for us.

in egypt tens of thousands of protesters flooded tahrir square and demanding the military government step down. there is also outrage over a report that military rulers have asked a leader from the former hosni mubarak administration to head the next government. red tape is holding up the release of three american students held in cairo accused of throwing fire bombs at police during a protest this week but now won't probably be getting out of jail until sunday. one of the fathers is complaining about how his son is being treated. >> we wouldn't do that to ax murderers and i think it's appalling to make kids sleep on the floor. >> state department is working with egyptian authorities to bring the kids home. it appears the syria government has ignored a deadline to allow monitors into the country. syria under intense pressure to stop its crackdown on government protesters. at&t and t-mobile will try to overcome their planned merger. the federal government said it could hurt competition and lead to higher prices for 135 million

cell phone customers. they say they will seek approval soon. high in the mountains east of phoenix a recovery operation is under way for the victims of a small plane crash. all six on board were killed when the plane slammed into the side of a mountain on wednesday night. the victims including pilot shawn perry and his three young children and two other men died and no word on what caused the crash. giffords and her husband, retired astronaut mark kelly, helped serve a turkey sdidinner a tucson military base. >> ma'am, you're an inspiration to the community, to the base, and to the nation. >> thank you. >> so thank you for your strength and your courage. it's something that a lot of our airmen down range can relate, so thank you so much for coming out. >> giffords has been undergoing rehab in houston, texas. nasa launches a new mars

rover mission tomorrow. the new more sophisticated is named curiosity and costing $2.5 billion to send it to mars. and bring it down safely. >> this will be the slowest, more gentle landing of all time. it's fantastic vehicle. it's got the capabilities of the other rovers didn't have. >> the new rover is designed to last about two earth years. it will travel about 600 feet per day and looking for evidence that mars could have harbored life. and a star spangled oops for "american idol" runner up lauren alaina. she had a problem in the star spangled banner yesterday at the detroit and packers game ♪ what so proudly we hailed through the twi ♪ >> she did go on with the rest of the song.

green bay won that game 25-15 over detroit. announcer: this portion of "the early show" sponsored by macy's. got to go back to the national anthem for a second. that's tough. especially in the arenas, they have the words that are running on some of the big screens there. >> they do? i didn't know that. >> they even have that visual

aid. >> yikes. up next from dolls to donkey ko kong, look at the holiday gifts people are likely to buy. >> let's say you're still in your jammis right now and nestled on the couch. if you're not one of the early bird shoppers we will tell you what you can expect if you get out to the mall a little bit later. this is "the early show" on cbs.

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jingle, stay. and jingle did. [ female announcer ] hallmark interactive story buddies. when you read key words, jingle responds. ♪ as black friday kicks off the holiday shopping season, the national retail federation predicts the average consumer will spend about 704 on gifts. boosting retail sales by 2.8% over last year. . federation vice president ellen davis joins us now. where is the mind of the american consumer right now? we are spending more than last year but is that a healthy thing? >> it's healthy to see people spending. we know the last three or four years, consumers have gotten

themselves into a better financial position and paid down debt and put money into savings. even though consumer confidence is low and people are concerned about things like the unemployment rate, the stock market volatility, their own home prices, we are seeing people feel a little bit more comfortable spending this year and why we are expecting a slight increase. >> are they doing it with cash they have or on credit and the way that potentially got us into the problems we are facing right now already? that's a great question. it seems that many americans have learned their lesson from what their spending patterns look like in 2006 and 2007 when they were relying on credit. according to our survey, about 75% of americans will primarily spend with cash, debit cards or personal checks this holiday season. really spending with money that they already have and not waiting for a bill to arrive in january. >> that is a good thing to hear in terms of the economic environment going forward. at least in terms of how strong the economy is and whether we are spending beyond our means. what would you say, ellen, is on

people's wish list for the year ahead? >> probably the most requested gift and one of the most popular gifts this year, gift cards. and an economy like this one, people like the idea of getting a gifed cat card and get someth they have their eye for a while. gift cards are extremely convenient but we also are seeing growth in a lot of other discretionary categories. jewelry and sporting goods and home decor and toys are up this year instead of the basics like clothing and, you know, the more basic toys and small appliances. >> in terms of where people are spending their money, do you think it's happening more in the brick and mortar stores or online? >> we are seeing a lot of people go to the internet, both to purchase and also to research gifts, look for ideas, read reviews. but still the majority of holiday shopping is happening in brick and mortar stores. we know a lot of people are visiting a variety of different locations before they decide to

buy. discounters and department stores, electronics stores and certainly the internet will all see a lot of traffic this weekend and throughout the holiday season. >> yeah. you bring up the number of locations people are visiting. they are also looking at all of these deal web sites to try to get the best price possible. how important is social media and getting the word out on the internet so retailers can get more sales this year? >> social media and web, everything web related is huge this year. the new shopper is extremely educated. they are looking for information. they are craving information. and so they are looking at things like facebook and twitter. they are looking at group buying sites like livingsocial and groupon where before they decide where to buy. it's important extremely important going forward. >> one thing extremely important to people are jobs. are retailers creating more of them this holiday?

>> retailers are expected to hire about 500,000 season workers and on top of the jobs we hired this past year. the retail supports 42 million jobs so while out spending we need to remember this is good news for the economy as well. >> ellen davis, thanks for the news today. we really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> and coming up next. >> overnight. >> you're shopping? >> i took a little cue from you to get out there and to start shopping. >> you took the cue from me? >> yeah. >> interesting. video games on lots of wish lists this year. >> we look at video games for your kids. this is "the early show" on cbs. >> back to shopping.

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if you're heading out today to kick off your holiday shopping and you've got kids on your list you're probably on the hunt for video games. last year, the industry brought in more than 18 billion dollars in sales. that's billion with a "b."

with new releases hitting the shelves adults need to figure out the best and age-appropriate choices. joining us is john davidson of a cbs interactive website. so many choices for people. so parents can feel it's safer the esrb has their ratings and fully disclosed on the gaming packages. e for every. anybody seen the commercials hears that at the end. what is your pick that is "e" for everyone? >> the families are younger kids a sesame street game out for the x-box this year and it's called "once upon a monster." a game that encourages parents to play along. you're playing in the sesame street universe and playing through the story. mom and dad and the kids can stand in front of the tv and play together and the monsters are talking to you. >> so mesmerized and you forget you're playing a game. this is the game you recommend for the young ones out there?

>> yeah. particularly kids that are just getting started with video games. even 4 and 5-year-olds can get their hands around this pretty well. >> awesome. next the legend of zelda sky sword. >> when the content a little bit edgier. it's still very safe but they will tend to be some combat involved in these games. this is a big epic adventure game and sword and fighting monsters. it's the latest in a franchise nintendo have been producing for years now. we all grew up playing it. this one just came out for the wii. it can take you 30, 40 hours to get through this thing. >> is that enjoyable for the kids and the next stip i want that because i can sit there for 30 hours? >> a huge quest and so much to splor a explore and a ton of stuff to find in this game. >> the next rating is t for

teen. your pick is golden eye 007. >> another one is based on an nintendo game successful a while ago. it's based on the movie. it's been updated further. x-box 360 and the ps3. james bond game and you're playing as james bond but daniel craig is doing voices. he is voicing bond in this. it's sort of a spy game particularly for parents that a little worried about their kids wanting the big shooters this year and talk about that in a minute. it's a little safer and not as bloody and still running around and first person shooting game but i think for parents who are a little uncomfortable or skittish, this is maybe -- >> mild killing? >> mild killing. a way to ease your sort ofself into that comfortably as a parent as much as anything. >> good they still find james bond cool. i think james bond is where it's at. let's talk about what you were talking about. this receives "m" for mature. you talk about having the entire world buzzing.

this is making big-time money and that is "call of duty" "modern war fare 3." this is bigger the movie openings. >> they said before i came out they thought it was going to be the biggest in terms of revenue the biggest event in entertainment history. and it's first weekend, i think it did $601 million in revenue it's bigger than movies! this thing, if video games has like a movie type, you know, this is it. the "call of duty franchise" comes out every year. this is the eighth "call of duty" game coming out and one efficient year since the beginning. >> what is the draw here? >> so, i mean, there is a single player experience where you're playing through a story but the big draw is going online and playing against other people. so you're playing in teams and you're shooting each other and this team based objectives and stuff you have to go through and as well as it being a bit violent, i think some parents may be i don't know if i want you shooting but also the online

environment is something that, you know, particularly you got teens that want to be on this. you have to be aware that people on the voice chat and have headsets on and cussing each other so you have to be aware of that. >> that is where it's "m" for mature. thank you and happy holidays. we will be right back. this is "the early show" on cbs.

♪ welcome back to "the early show" here on this friday morning. no one swimming in central park? everybody out shopping. >> doesn't look like thanksgiving out there. it kind of looks like summer.

>> fall. >> okay, thanks. i'm chris wragge along with rebecca jarvis. erica hill is off this morning. patrick wilson is with us this morning. there he is. he is star of "a gifted man." soon you can see him on the bringing screen with charlize theron. that new movie that is he in with charlize already getting oscar buzz and great things about it. if you've seen the trailer, it is hilarious and talk about that coming up with patrick in a couple of minutes. you might want to look at md anderson children art project. the art project goes into calendars, cards and so on and brings in more than a million dollars a year to help sick children. we are going to hear from some of the young people who are involved in the project. m.d. anderson is one probably the greatest hospitals in the world. >> doing incredible things. >> the work down there, such great people.

first, e-retailers ready to take your money on the internet. 80% of the annual online sales have been between black friday and the weekend before christmas. >> that leaves room for a lot of scam artists. here to get us ready for cybermonday and the rest of the holiday season is jennifer jolly tech lifestyle editor at tech dok. good to have you with us. >> good morning. >> i was reading this in the notes. malicious mobile applications. it sounds scary. what is it and what does it do? >> it is so scary. so many of you using our mobile phones to look up coupons and banking and buy things at the checkout stand. so, of course, cybercriminals go right to what we are using and that is mobile phones. so these qr, quick response codes, you scan them and they can take you to a website or a coupon or to a magazine article or right to the lapse of the cybercriminals. >> like you said it was only a matter of time before somebody

did that. how do you keep yourself protected? >> get security or software protection on your smart phone, on your tablet. most people don't think twice about getting it on their computer these days. get it on your smart phone or tablet as well. also only download apps from official app stores, from itunes or from the android app store. download an app to preview the qr code first. i use an app called red laser and that will at least let you check out what that url is. what that web address is. if it's.exe , don't go to it. >> you do have these people who prey on you via social media like facebook and twitter because they know the retailers are going that way so they jump in the act and it's not legit. >> like this coupon, you'll get 50% off here.

or two free plane tickets. this cheesecake factory made the rounds and millions. people sucked into this one and no fault of the stores or the cheesebake factory but it's saying one of the red flags with that one is saying, like this. or download this app. those are big red flags. it's against facebook policy to make you like something to get something. so that's one of the biggest warnings, that tit for tat. share this with your friends and we will give you this in return. >> cheesecake factory is guilty of a lot of things. portion control but not that advertisement. >> not that. >> again, if you're involved in the whole facebook thing, how do you avoid these things, because so many people click on likes. >> if it looks too good to be true, it is. you're not going to win an ipad right now. you're not going to win two free plane tickets. don't share your private information, no matter what. use the direct link to the

company site so if it takes you off to this other weird site, don't go to the dark alleys of the internet. >> don't do it. >> you talk about that with retailers, but banks are getting in on the act or not banks but people are pretending to be banks. they are shipping alerts that are fake shipping alerts people should be watching for. >> you're getting text messages on your smart phone your account has been compromised, call this number immediately. you call that number and they want you to provide your bank account number. don't do that! the same thing, u.p.s. download this packing slip and we will send you something. don't click the links and don't call the numbers you give. call your bank directly and don't, for the love of everything, don't give out your personal information to these strangers! >> finally, how about these coupons and give-aways. is it another element if it's too good to be true, ignore it? >> absolutely. you're not going to get a free iphone 4s and you're not.

get over it. you're not. test and keep an ipad3. are you kidding me? >> wake up, people! >> you will not be the first to know about an ipad3. that's right. so, again, i go back to that use software with browsing protection and get some protection. mcafee, others out there, get software protection and check the site's url. if it's fishy, don't go there. >> jennifer, appreciate it. everybody is trying to get out early to get the deals the stores but if you go online -- >> if it's too good to be true, it is. here is terrell brown at the news desk with a final check of today's other headlines for us. keeping with that theme. the black friday shopping craze under way this morning and kicking off the official start to the holiday shopping season. they predict 152 million will shop over the next three days and expects 466 billion. great news for retailers.

many of them get up to 40% of their annual revenues from holiday sales. central oklahoma was hit with another earthquake. a small quake, magnitude 3.7 struck near prague east of oklahoma city. federal officials ordered airlines to remove the emergency oxygen masks from airplane lavatories. the concern the oxygen could be used to start a fire. aircraft makers are working to develop a more secure system but that could take 2 to 4 years. hopefully you don't neat oxygen in a restroom. a kitty in southern california is recovering after a police rescue. the tiny kitten got trapped inside a plastic pipe next to the street. they spent hours trying to get it out. finally they created a

this has been going on for a long time now. more talks this weekend to end the nba lockout which has now lasted nearly five months. the season that should have started a month ago is in jeopardy. >> it's not just players who aren't getting a paycheck. as john black stone reports, the ripple effects goes much deeper in some cities. >> reporter: without professional basketball, what is it like in this town now? >> you know, it's kind of depressing.

>> reporter: welcome to portland, oregon, without the trail blazers. timothy daley runs a sports bar named after the year the blazers last won a championship, 34 years ago! but fans remain loyal, he says, and the nba lockout hurts. what would this look like in here on a game night? >> you'd have a full bar. people standing behind the stools. all of the tables full. >> reporter: it's a scene especially noticeable in cities with just one major sports team. portland fans have no one else to root for. >> they have been a part of our sports fabric for over 40 years. and there is a huge vacuum right now without them playing. >> reporter: in portland trail blazers are larger than life presence and the lockout has left this city even gloomier than it's weathered. it's also taken an economic toll. >> this all trickles down to real people as well? >> it really does. it's the waiters and waitresses

at the bars and restaurants and the taxi cab drivers and vendors that sell cotton candy in the arena. >> reporter: and clement uduk works as an usher at blazer games for $11 an hour. small change, but it means a lot to someone hoping to attend law school. we got a lot of rich owners and a lot of rich basketball players. >> right. >> reporter: and then guys like you. >> yeah. and, unfortunately, in the world of bigger, better, more, the lesser, little, none don't have a voice or don't get seen. >> reporter: it's especially tough when the blazers are the only game in town. is it as well then like sort of the heart of portland on to stop beating? is that a way to put it? >> that's actually really good. >> reporter: without basketball, the northwest winter will be longer than ever. john blackstone, cbs news, portland. if the players and owners

can work out a deal by monday, a shortened season would begin by christmas. now here is chris. nominated actor patrick wilson stars in the cbs drama "agifted man" as a brilliant surgeon trying to change his life. >> you got a patient for me, boss? >> i got a lady with the flu and kid with pink eye. but first i'd like you to take a look at a school teacher, julia. chief complaint, sore throat. temp of 101. her strep test just came back negative. >> sounds like viral meptingnin. what is the big deal? >> she is confused. we are going to talk about your busy live the next couple of minutes. good to see you. >> great to see you. >> for the people that aren't familiar with the show let's talk about the show. you are this i want to say arrogant but probably a safe word to describe you. >> safe. >> safe, arrogant neurosurgeon who only works with the have's and now working with the have not's. why the change?

>> in the first episode, i run into my ex-wife who i soon thereafter figure out has died a few weeks prior to that and so i'm wondering if this is the spirit or this ghost or my subconscience and she used to run this free clinic so part of her making me a better person is sort of me dealing and treating patients that i didn't have the opportunities that my patients typically do. so you have this real balance of the very fortunate ones who have all of the money and can get the high tech service and then those that really need it. so it's unfortunately too prisoned with the state of health care. >> i was going to say, you can talk about the have's and have not's but does it open your eyes to what it's like out there for people who are not wealthy? >> it does and certainly being in new york and watching hospitals close, e.r.s close and how it affects everyone. we don't try to put the show on a pedestal this is about health care but you can't help but look at the parallels, especially

with the state of who deserves this kind of care that everybody should get the same kind of care. so it is very apropos to what is going on. >> we did an informal poll with viewers about the show and they want to know about a love interest. i said i would ask that question and -- >> i have a feeling you will. >> let's do it. is it safe the one we saw in the clip be a potential love interest down the road? >> we found out a few weeks ago that she has a husband on the show. so something -- we don't want to cross any boundaries. michael is single. >> we will leave it at that. >> you never know. >> got to keep watching. talking a movie generating quite a bit of buzz. i saw the trailer for it and it looks hilarious. >> it is. >> i always screw her name up, but charlize theron? >> yes.

>> tell the people a little bit about this. >> the couple who teamed up and jason has done some amazing films in the short career he's had, and charlize, of course, is oscar winning actress and pat oswalt is fantastic. >> "the fan." eye yeah, exactly. it's a very dark comedy about sort of the most unlikable woman that comes back to her high school to woo her ex-boyfriend away from his marriage, which, of course, must be awful and in turn, it's me. and it's not. i have a very happy simple life. so you see she's a very destructive person and all joking aside, what is remarkable about the role and charlize is she keeps sort of spiralling downwards and you keep not wanting her to screw up and she does. it's a comedy i love where people are going, gosh, get her away from me and some think it's hilarious. >> the truth you love her or

hate her. talk about a fun topic. i know i'm the same age as your brother. we are all huge van halen fans. i know you guys have a little band together. the title is van wilson? >> yes. >> we have a little clip for you. >> you certainly do! look at that! yes! >> when did you guys decide to put this band together? you just play van halen songs? >> no, we branch out into other e '80s rock. >> even sammy hagar? >> no. >> you give me five! >> no, no. >> you got to keep it real with david lee. >> no, listen. i'm a singer first and i love me some sammy too. no, we have a good time. >> i would be remiss if i didn't mention this, your brother and father are both news anchors. >> they are. >> down in tampa. >> they are, they are, they are. >> did you just feel growing up with them that you had to take fame to a stratosphere?

>> no, come on. you know, it's funny. also local news in the '70s and '80s when i grew up when there were only three or four channels on the tv anyway, the sheer numbers of people that watched your dad every night on tv was pretty remarkable, so i just got used to every time you went out, somebody came up and acted like they knew your dad. so it's a great thing. i love it. >> way to go as far as trumping them up. you took it to a whole new level. mr. box office, thank you

if you're looking to build a little holiday spirit on this thanksgiving weekend, one of america's top cancer hospitals can help you. >> debbye turner bell has an inspiring story of children

helping children. >> reporter: for 12-year-old bandar, art is about infinitily more than expression. it's about triumph in the face of adversity. >> i had a nongerm cell brain tumor. i really have to get about this close. about this close to really see it. but that works for me. >> reporter: at houston's m.d. anderson hospital, the children's art project began in 1973 as a way for sick kids to be creative and escape the realities of their disease. so this is children's art? >> it is. it's all over the hospital and it's -- >> reporter: executive director shannan murray says an art auction to funds the children's project in the pediatric cancer ward has now grown into a

million dollar enterprise. this year, we are giving $1.25 million back and that will touch almost 26,000 patients. ♪ >> reporter: her program's formula? artwork created by children diagnosed with cancer has turned into merchandise like cards, ornaments, calendars, and mugs. >> $37.89. >> i got two shirts, one for me and one for my sister-in-law and i already bought eight packages of christmas cards so i bought one more! >> reporter: proceeds from the sales fund an in-hospital school, summer camp, and even college scholarships. so what is it like to be a college student now? >> it's fun. it's amazing. >> reporter: megan is one of though recipients. 11 years ago she was fighting for her life at m.d. anderson. her project became holiday greeting cards. >> i never thought my art would

be published, but it's a really good feeling. >> reporter: today, megan is on her way to becoming a pediatric oncologist. >> there is three little claws just like that, okay? they inspire me every day to come and do what i do. every day. look at the worry in his eyes. >> reporter: leon benavides has been a hospital art project teacher for 12 years. >> i hope the class gives them an opportunity to forgot about what they are going through every day and give them a time to relax and get their mind off their treatment and hopefully smile and just relax. >> it all started when i was 2. >> reporter: when you were 2? your whole life? >> yes, ma'am. >> reporter: courtney's cancer treatment blossoms in vibrant hues. >> i want to help people the way they helped me. >> reporter: so the cycle of art and hope continues. what does your art say about

you? >> cancer can do a lot of things. there is one thing that cancer can't could is take away joy. >> i'm enjoying mountains and looking at that place and looking at it. >> reporter: wow! so your art sort of takes you somewhere else? >> yeah. >> reporter: children facing one of life's greatest challenges continue to help other young cancer patients. one creative inspiration at a time. >> i really hope that i can just make a difference in a lot of children's lives, you know? i had a lot of people make a difference in mine so i hope i can do the same for them. >> reporter: debbye turner bell, cbs news, houston, texas. >> the m.d. anderson children's art project has raised $29 million to help diagnose kids with cancer and also find out more about this, go to the project website and the merchandise, go to our website, earlyshow.cbsnews.com. >> i used to live down in houston a number of years. i had a number of experiences not only at the hospital with events but some of the doctors and the volunteers and people down there, just one of the

greatest hospitals like i said in the world. they do such great work down there and to see the smiles on those kids's faces, incredible. keep up the good work. have a great weekend, everyone. catch rebecca back here tomorrow morning. have a great day. your local news is next.

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