this remarkable berry contains a protein.s sour foods sweet and processes into a tablet that opens the door to endless new food experiences. >> what we're doing here, we are making something we can serve at one of the restaurants, but easy to do for the home cook. two sauces and some waffles. these waffles are sugar free. sauces are sugar free and easy to make. the first one is going to be a carmel applesauce. we have cornstarch and water. take apple cider vinegar. take a little cornstarch and some of the vinegar, make a slurry. over ten minutes after cooking it on slow and low, it will thicken into something that looks just like apple carmel sauce. very vinegary. when you eat the miracle berry, it is as sweet as apple caramel. the benefits, there's no sugar. you can't really fool a kid. they want sweetness. in this case, you know, we're going to pair it up with waffles. you like miracle berry? yes. how about you, gracie. you like them. good job. you're hired. there's a huge opportunity here for sugar companies, food companie

i'm lynn berry. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. and today we begin with a super failure. the bipartisan deficit panel charged with cutting over a trillion dollars from the budget admitted defeat yesterday and now republicans and democrats are pointing fingers across the aisle. meanwhile, president obama is doubling down on promise consequences, saying he'll veto any effort to bypass automatic spending cuts triggered by the supercommittee's collapse. nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: it ended with a whimper at a mostly empty u.s. capitol. in a statement the supercommittee co-chair said, we are deeply disappointed that it will not be possible to make any bipartisan agreement. president obama blamed republicans. >> they continue to insist on protecting the $100 billion worth of tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of americans at any cost. even if it means reducing the deficit with deep cuts to things like education and medical research. even if it means d

i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with a campaign in crisis. gop front runner herman cain is firing back against a fire storm of controversy over accusations and denials of sexual harassment from his past. cain's camp is considering legal action against plit kro for reporting those claims while he compares his situation of another case. >> reporter: herman cain is linking his ordeal over sexual accusations to supreme court justice clarence thomas's in 1991. >>s that the d.c. culture. guilty until proven innocent. >> reporter: one of the three women who worked at the national restaurant association in the 1990s said cain made unwanted sexual advances had her lawyer asked she be released from a confidentiality agreement. >> she had nothing to do with this becoming public and is anxious for it to go away. >> reporter: cain went on talk radio. >> give me a break. no touching was involved. the door to my office was open. my secretary was outside. this is why it was f

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with stepping down. stunning allegations of sexual child abuse against a former defensive coordinator of penn state's prestigious football program led to the resignation of two of the school's athletic officials accused of covering up the abuse. nbc's francisco reports. >> reporter: penn state football has always had a stellar reputation. now scandal is threatening to store one of the nation's most store read teams. >> it's a program because we pride ourself on being a clean program. >> reporter: jerry sandusky was arraigned weekend, charged with sexually abusing eight boys between 1994 and 2009. the state attorney general called sandusky, quote, a sexual predator who used his position within the university and community to repeatedly prey on young boys. also the school's athletic director tim curly and vice president gary schultz were charged with lying about what they knew and are exp

i'm lynn berry, this is "first look" on msnbc.tay tuned, way too earl li is next. >>> president obama touches down in the south of france for the g-20 summit. and there is no time for food as europe and the world work to head off a greek default that could bring down everything around it, including some american banks. the question is, will the greek prime minister be talked out of the his idea of putting the restricted eu bailout of his country to a popular vote. >>> meanwhile, herman cain spends another day grappling with charges of sexual harassment from his days as head of the national restaurant association. his campaign pointing the finger at rick perry's people. the question is how are republican voters and cain supporters reacting to all this? you might be surprised. >>> plus governor

i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today." just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one.

that's great there. >>> i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >>> mexico city is hoping to cut out some competition. 1,162 hair dressers came together to try and set the guinness world record for the most people cutting hair simultaneously. the goal was to get over 1,000 stylists out for what they hope is also a good training employer size. the snipping lasted just 17 minutes and still has to be certified by guinness officials. >>> shoppers in china are bringing italian luxury a little closer to home. called little italy, this new shopping center is an homage to italian inspired architecture. the plaza holds almost 200 luxury brand stories and replicas of landmarks such as coliseum offering wine and venetian canal. developers say it feeds locals' need for the good life. >>> well, let's hope the staff at one parking lot in china has mastered the game of tetris before applying. more than 70 cars are parked bumper to bumper in the tiny lot designed for only 50 vehicle

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with damage control. gop presidential hopeful herman cain got a lesson in campaign crisis management after news broke that he faced allegations of sexual harassment back in the 1990s. referring to his recent poll run-up and what he calls, quote, a witch hunt, cain joked yesterday that now he knows what it's like to be at the top. nbc's tracie potts joins us with the very latest on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. cain insists there is no coincidence why these allegations are coming out now that he won another big poll in iowa. he calls it, as you said, a witch hunt. that was at the press club here yesterday. cain over the course of yesterday, a number of appearances and interviews, seemed to gradually remember more details about what happened when he was head of the national restaurant association back in the '90s. we have now confirmed that two women accused him of sexual harassment, and one received a five-figure settlement. >> i can't even remember her

i'm lynn berry and this is "first look."ned for "way too early" with willie geist. >>> a busy political morning with important ballot initiat e initiatives changing the game in several states across the country and nationally. the leading republican candidate giving a completely defiant press conference in response to charges from a group of women who say he harassed them in the 1990s. the question is -- will herman cain live to regret saying -- he has never even seen sharon bialek, the won who went public on monday. we'll see. >>> meanwhile, the united states says it's considering new tougher sanctions on iran after a new u.n. report says the country now has what it needs to make a nuclear weapon. the question is, what other pressure can be brought to bear by the international community. it's been tightening the screws on ira

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with speaking out. days after angrily declaring he was done answering questions about sexual harassment, republican presidential hopeful herman cain says he's ready to talk again. in the wake of yet another woman making accusations, cain has called a news conference for this afternoon in arizona. nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: it's the first time a woman has publicly come forward to accuse herman cain. >> mr. cain had been very sexually inappropriate with me. >> reporter: her name is sharon bialek. she says in july 1997 after she was fired from a restaurant association job in chicago, she came to washington to get advice from national ceo herman cain. after dinner, bialek charges cain physically assaulted her. >> he suddenly reached over and he put his hand on my leg, under my skirt. i was very surprised and very shocked. i said, what are you doing? you know i have a boyfriend? this isn't what i came here for. mr. cain said, you want a job, right? >> r

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a defiant denial. at a news conference yesterday republican presidential hopeful herman cain insisted he has never sexually harassed anyone. meanwhile as cain's camp worked to discredit his first accuser to go public we learned the identity of the first women to file a complaint. steve handelsman reports. >> i don't even know who this woman is. >> reporter: herman cain went after his first accuser to go public. the day after sharon bialek said cain groped her and pushed her in 1997. >> they simply did not happen. >> reporter: cain's campaign listed lawsuits against bialek and two bankruptcies. >> the democrat machine in america has brought forth a troubled woman to make false accusations. >> reporter: but in a media blitz, bialek denied her motivation is political or financial. >> i expected this. this is what happens. it's not about me. i'm not the one running for president. >> reporter: cain insisted he'll keep running. >> and as far as these accusations causing

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a big endorsement. as gop presidential candidates look to make the most of their remaining time on the campaign trail, former house speaker newt gingrich has landed the support of new hampshire union newspaper, the largest in the first primary state. nbc's brian mooar joins us from washington with that story. good morning to you. >> reporter: mitt romney has had no trouble raising money, but he is still struggling to get conservatives exciting. newt gingrich isn't the greatest candidate but he's better than mitt romney, that is the bottom line of an editorial endorsement by new hampshire's "union leader" newspaper. >> if you were to balance it between romney and gingrich, romney is a play it safe candidate. >> reporter: that highlights romney's inability to connect with conservatives. >> do you want a bona fide conservative like gingrich or a middle of the road candidate like a mitt romney. >> reporter: gingrich is just the latest to top the gop field. michele bach

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with campaign in crisis. gop front-runner herman cain is firing back against a firestorm of controversy over accusations and denials of sexual harassment from his past. cain's camp is reportedly seeking legal action against politico for reporting those claims while cain himself compares his situation to that of another historic harassment case. nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: herman cain is linking his ordeal over sexual accusations to supreme court justice clarence thomas's in 1991. by doing an interview with thomas's conservative activist wife. >> d.c. culture, guilty until proven innocent. >> reporter: one of the three women who worked at the national association restaurant in the 1990s and said cain, the ceo, made unwanted sexual advances had her lawyer ask that she be released from a confidentiality agreement, wanting to tell her side, now that cain is telling his. >> she had nothing to do with this becoming public and would -- and is anxious for it to go away. >> reporter: cain went on talk

i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today." just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com that's why i'm here, at st. jude children's research hospital. our research has changed the way the world treats brain tumors, leukemia and sickle cell. we help kids all across america. now, these kids have hope... and a sense of humor. where did you get this color?

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a ticking clock. time is running short on capitol hill this morning as a congressional super committee struggles to come to terms on $1.2 trillion deficit reduction plan. the bipartisan panel has just one week left to reach an agreement before harsh mandatory cuts kick in that no one wants. so far, there are no signs of a deal. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with all the details. good morning. >> reporter: hi, lynn, good morning. we are looking at deja view. senate majority leader harry reid says he doesn't see any sign of compromise yet but aides also say there's not a stalemate. both sides, democrats, are working really hard to cut $1.2 trillion from the budget. republicans and democrats have different ideas how to do that. same arguments from last spring. democrats want to see taxes and more revenue coming into the government. republicans say no tax hikes. they want to lower tax rates and deal with medicare and medicaid. the two biggest parts of the

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with bargain hunters. serious shoppers are out in force this morning snapping up black friday deals at some of the nation's biggest retailers. and this year the official holiday shopping season kicked off even earlier with some stores offering deep discounts thursday night. nbc's janell klein is live for us in new york city. janelle, how does it look out there now? >> reporter: it's busy, lynn. in fact, many shoppers went right from thanksgiving dinner straight to the mall this year. for the first time, dozens of stores opened last night. one sign that the competition to lure black friday shoppers is more intense than ever. the bargains are on, and so is the bedlam. one in four americans are shopping today, with high stakes and low prices. >> black friday is the beginning of the season. it's a huge day across the country. and for many retailers, they are the best deals that consumers are going to get. >> reporter: and some of the deals are starting earlier than ever

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with a would-be assassin. a 21-year-old man suspected of opening fire on the white house is expected to appear in a pennsylvania courtroom today. the suspect reportedly obsessed with president obama is currently facing weapons charges, but a far more serious count of attempted assassination has not been ruled out. nbc's brian mooar reports. >> reporter: family members are shedding light on what might have motivated a 21-year-old idaho man, suspected of opening fire on the white house. a nationwide manhunt led to this hotel in western pennsylvania, where authorities arrested oscar ortega-hernandez. authorities say he had a history of criminal and mental health issued. his father tells nbc's spanish news network that he was obsessed with the date 11-11-11. he believed the world might end on that day, and that is when the shooting took place. the shooting happened friday evening, while president obama was traveling in california. minutes later, and a few blocks away fr

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with mounting accusations. in the face of an associated press report that a third woman from herman cain's past once considered filing a sexual harassment complaint against him, the republican presidential candidate insists he's innocent. and now cain's camp is pointing the finger at gop rival rick perry. nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: as his campaign crisis got worse, herman cain tried to cut off questions. >> are you concerned about -- >> excuse me. excuse me! >> reporter: two more people allege cain committed sexual harassment in the '90s. a woman told the associated press cain called her attractive and asked her to his corporate apartment. she told ap she considered filing a complaint but did not. kris wilson, who does work for rick perry, said he saw cain in a d.c. area restaurant in the '90s sexually harass an employee in her 20s. cain charges a smear campaign. >> things are trying to destroy me personally as well as this campaign. >> reporter: he s

i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc.y too early starts right now. >>> pakistan seethes after a nato air strike killed 24 of its soldiers along the afghan border. with the government there calling the attack unprovoked. after the united states bin laden raid earlier this year and now this, the question is, how much more can your important relationship with pakistan take? we'll have a live report in a minute. >>> in presidential politics, newt gingrich, spending another week near the top of the polls. picks up the endorsement of a key newspaper in new hampshire, a month and a half ahead of the state's primary. the question is, with thanksgiving behind us, will the real gop field take shape? >>> and buffalo bills wide receiver stevie johnson, with the dumbest touchdown celebration in recent memory. mimics jets' wide receiver plaxico bury shooting himself in the leg, as

i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. for a third day, police in cairo's tahrir square are clashing with protesters demanding the country's military rulers transfer power to a civilian government. egyptian officials say 20 people have been killed since yesterday. >>> u.s. officials tell "the washington post" the obama administration is investigating whether iran supplied former libyan leader, moammar gadhafi, with hundreds of special artillery shells for chemical weapons that were kept secret for decades. the shells, which libya fitted with mustard gas were uncovered by revolutionary fighters. >>> penn state university police say they've referred another alleged incident of indecent assault to the attorney general's office. the "center daily times" quotes a police official as saying the alleged assault by a known individual took place in an outdoor swimming pool building in the summer of 2000. >>> dutch tv reports 24-year-old seattle mariner outfielder, greg holman was sta

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> and we begin this morning with a very happy thanksgiving to all of you at home one of the highlights of this holiday will be the macy's thanksgiving day parade. the balloons are inflated, and soon the crowds will be gathering. michele franzen is live for us this morning. happy thanksgiving to you. you have a front row see there. >> reporter: i do. happy thanksgiving to you too. 85 years going strong. behind me, a few slummering giant balloons as they have taken shape in the last 24 hours here filled with that helium that will let them take to life later on today along this parade route. a few new big giant balloons joining the parade. you have sonic the hedgehog coming back. he's been redesigned. and paul franks julius will make his debut. 3.5 million expected to turn out. the weather should be great. sunny, november, crisp temperatures. most importantly, the winds should be minimal. also, some celebrities t

fans are planning a protest. >> lynn berry's apartment here in new york city.adquarters of "people." i promise i am not involved in this protest. >> bradley cooper's blue eyes, how you going to beat that. >> because it's ryan gosling. have you seen "the notebook." stay tuned, "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. >>> president obama has just left australia, after a trip on which he really put the heat on china for its questioning their policy on currency and then announcing united states marines would set up shop in australia. the question is, how are the chinese taking this? we're going to have a live report from the ground. >>> in about 90 minutes, occupy wall street protesters will march down to wall street, where they'll set up shop, the group says, to celebrate two months of occupation. the question is, will there be another showdown with new york city police. >>> and an idaho man alleged to have taken two shots at the white house is tracked down and arrested in pennsylvania. the question is, what is this guy's story? it's "way too early" for

i'm lynn berry. here are the top stories making news this morning.he u.s., england and canada announced coordinated sanctions against iran aimed at cutting it off from the international financial system. the measures are a response to a recent u.n. report that warns tehran is trying to build nuclear weapons. >>> louie free will head penn state's investigation into the child sex abuse allegations against former assistant football coach jerry sandusky. free says his inquiry will go back to 1975 and nia bus uncovered will be reported to police. >>> a russian capsule carrying three people returning from a six month stay on the international space station touched down safely in kazakhstan this morning. >>> now you can own the show stealing bridesmaid dress worn by kate middleton's little sister pippa at the royal wedding earlier this year. a close version of the alexander mcqueen silk creation is being sold for around 3100 bucks. it does not guarantee your body will look that good in it. which i would probably pay 3100 bucks for. at least it looks like th

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with damage control. gop presidential hopeful herman cain got a lesson in campaign crisis management after news broke that he faced allegations of sexual harassment back in the '90s. referring to his recent poll run-up and what he calls, quote, a witch hunt, cain joked yesterday that now he knows what it's like to be at the top. nbc's tracie potts joins us with the very latest on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. cain says now because he's leading in the polls in iowa, there's a target on his back. ♪ for it was grace herman cain insists there's a reason 20-year-old sexual harassment allegations came to light right after he won iowa's latest poll. >> i have not idea who's egging this on. who's on this witch hunt. >> reporter: cain now recalls more details about one of his two accusers, a female co-worker at the national restaurant association who complained he stood too close wi

good morning, everyone, i'm lynn berry, those stories and more are straight ahead, this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> and we begin this morning with terror target -- a new york city man is behind bars this morning on a slew of terror-related charges. after allegedly plotting to bomb new york city police, u.s. post offices and troops returning home from overseas. officials say the al qaeda sympathizer was driven by terrorist propaganda. wnbc has more. >> reporter: if the suspect was able to build and place the pipe bombs, investigators say this tape of an nypd test shows the kind of damage that would have been done. the 27-year-old suspect is jose pimintel, police say he had spoken about wanting to bomb u.s. soldiers returning home and nypd police cars. >> the suspect was a so-called lone wolf. motivated by his own resentiments of the presence of american troops in iraq and afghanistan. >> police say pimintel learned how to build bombs by reading al qaeda's inspired magazine. officials showed off some materials, pipes and timers, materials allegedly acquired at stores like home depot an

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are stra straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> and we begin this morning with a very happy thanksgiving to all of you at home. before you can sit down for your thanksgiving meal, one of the highlights of this holiday will no doubt be the 85th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. the balloons are inflated, and soon the crowds will be gathering. mbc's michelle franzen is live there along the parade route. you have a front row seat there. >> reporter: i do. happy thanksgiving to you. we are right here at the start of the parade. 85 years going strong. behind me, a few slumbering giant balloons as they have taken shape in the last 24 hours here filled with that helium that will let them take to life later on today along this parade route. a few new big giant balloons joining the parade. you have sonic the hedgehog coming back after being sidelined for a number of years. he's been redesigned. and paul franks julius will make his debut this morning. 3.5

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with details and denials. according to "the new york time times", an entire year's salary was paid to one woman who alleged she was sexually harassed by herman cain back in the 1990s as another former employee says she's red ready to speak out to refute what cain has called, quote, a witch hunt. bro brian mooar joins us from washington with the latest on this. >> reporter: good morning. for the cain campaign this a crash course in crisis management. lynna hopeful herman cain heads to capitol hill today to pitch lawmakers on his 9-9-9 economic plan. but the media spotlight is on the 1990s. and sexual harassment allegations from his time at the national restaurant association. one of his two accusers wants to be released from a confidentiality agreement. >> when he says he never sexually harassed anyone, i know that's not the perception of my client. >> reporter: a second accuser reportedly received $35,000 in severance. cain initially denied there was a settlent, but now acknowledges there was an agreement. sti

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> well, we begin this morning with bargain hunters. that's right, serious shoppers are out in force this morning, snapping up black friday deals at some of the nation's biggest retailers, and this year, the official holiday shopping season actually kicked off even earlier with some stores offering deep discounts thursday night. nbc's janel klein is in new york city for us this morning. janel, these people are like late to the game, at 5:00 in the morning. it's like, you know, people have been out there for hours. >> reporter: they're pretty serious about this, lynn, and like you said, a lot of stores opening last night, so many people went straight from thanksgiving dinner right to the shopping mall. many stores doing this for the very first time, and that is just one sign that the rush to lure black friday shoppers is more intense than ever. bargains are on, and so is the bedlam. one in four americans are shopping today with high stakes and low prices

i'm lynn berry and here are some top headlines. a tragedy after a small plane carrying three adults and three children crashed into a mountain in arizona. the debris field, about 40 miles east of phoenix, could be seen in the rugged terrain where law enforcement officials say one child has been confirmed dead and there are no signs of survivors. >>> after 33 years of rule and months of bloody demonstrations, yemen's leader ali abdullah saleh has agreed to step down. he's the fourth leader to lose power in the arab spring uprising this year. >>> one scene is the heir-apparent, james murdoch resigned, overseeing his father's english newspapers, his first public resignation since the phone hacking scandal broke. >>> the first couple handed out treats for needy families ahead of this thanksgiving day. >>> u.s. markets are closed for the thanksgiving holiday but he's an early look at how they ended yesterday. the dow closed at 11,257 after dropping 236 points. the s&p slid 26 points. the nasdaq lost 61. let's take a look at overseas tra

i'm lynne berry. aaa is expecting a 4% up tick in traveling this year.kets are up and so is gas. as brian mooar reports, it's not stopping millions of americans from hitting the road. >> reporter: aaa expects 42.5 million people will be jamming america's airports and highways this holiday weekend. for many, the driver is costs. >> 2011, it's 20% more to buy a ticket and 60% more to get a hotel room. on the other side, car rentals are down 11% in terms of rates. >> reporter: 40% of travelers are scaling back because of economy, air travel is expected to be up. tsa is easing security procedures. the full body scanners are getting a software upgrade. no more r-rated pictures. children 12 and under can keep their shoes on while going through security. there's still plenty to worry about. >> i wonder if taking our shoes off and restricting liquid is protective. >> reporter: the flexibility of being behind the wheel comes at a price. gas is 50 cent as gallon higher than last year. >> it's $2.39 here. it's how people are making decisions. >> reporter: holiday t

i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. more than 500 people are now dead from thailand's worst floods in half a century. nearly half of bangkok has been evacuated as pools of polluted sewage water creep towards the city's subway. >>> a report breaking finish at the new york city marathon sunday at geoffrey mutai shattered the course report. firehiwot dado won the women's race coming in in the home stretch. >>> after missing several performs, singer andy william, most famous for "moon river" now he's he's battling cancer. >>> and tomorrow evening, an asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier is expected to pass between the earth and moon some 220,000 miles away. it is the earth's closest encounter in 35 years. nasa scientists say they are 100% confident it is not a threat. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at is 11,983 after falling 6 is points on friday. the s&p dipped 7 points. the nasdaq lost 11. taking a look at overse