. >> joining us to examine the coverage this gut-wrenching story, in new york, marisa guthrie, columnist for "the hollywood reporter." eric degans, critic for "the st. petersburg times." in washington, david zerwick, for "the baltimore sun." this is a sensational, sad, and sickening story. television is organized around the big get, even if the people who are gotten don't have that much to say. >> you're right, howie. that's part of the problem. we judge tv journalism by -- i don't even like the term "get." i really don't. but i would have to disagree in this respect. i thought bob costas' interview was important. i don't agree about the cbs news. i think that was just a couple of words. but costas did illicit something in there, and he did it with really some superb interviewing. he pushed just enough without sort of hectoring sandusky. and the admissions -- at first sandusky said no, i'm innocent. then he said, innocent of everything, in a good way. sandusky said, well, i touched a leg, i did this -- it's not what you thought you saw. that was really good. i think costas' interview was

and reading through the document, as our own savannah guthrie has been doing today, it also portrays a long list of missed opportunities to stop him. savannah is here with us in the studio tonight. while i know you happen to be a lawyer, you don't need a law degree to get the import of these charges. >> no question about it. this document tells a terrible tale. it alleges sandusky had a pattern of finding victims in the charity for underprivileged children he founded, luring them in some cases with gifts, trips and access to sporting events and escalating the relationship into serious sexual abuse. the indictment tells the story of eight different victims, some of whom were subjected to repeated oral sex and intercourse. it's a timeline that starts in 1996 but doesn't end with sandusky's arrest until 15 years later. jerry sandusky is already working at penn state for nearly a decade when he starts the second mile in 1977, a nonprofit aimed at helping kids in trouble. nearly 20 years later in 1996, the indictment charges sandusky takes a young boy, under 10, to the football complex's

i'm savannah guthrie in tonight for brian. on the campus of penn state on the eve of the last big home game this should be a night of excitement and school spirit. instead, scandal, shame and new suspicions have cast a shadow over a once proud institution. tonight, a second coach has been pulled out of the game. we have two reports tonight, including an investigation into the charity started by jerry sandusky, the former coach accused of sexually abusing children. nbc's ron mott starts us off though from state college, pennsylvania. ron, good evening to you. >> reporter: savannah, good evening. the new president at penn state has been on the job 48 hours. among his first decisions, to remove an assistant football coach who is at the center of this child sexual abuse investigation. the assistant coach who told a grand jury he saw a former coach sexually assaulting a young boy in a campus shower nine years ago has been placed on administrative leave. mike mcqueary had been getting threats and penn state officials moved to keep h

. >> reporter: nbc's savannah guthrie sat down with murray before the verdict for an interview airing this week on today. they spoke about jackson's addiction to propofol which the singer nicknamed his milk. >> do you remember his final words before he died? >> it was probably -- i don't know. it was probably when he was pleading and begging me to please, please let him have some milk because that was the only thing that would work. >> reporter: the six-week trial became as much about michael jackson as conrad murray. ♪ >> reporter: his unusual lifestyle on full display. the man who dedicated his life to privacy exposed in court after death. sentencing is now set for november 29th. a couple of weeks from now. and the judge has full discretion here. he can give conrad murray anything from probation up to four years in prison. >> jeff rossen in l.a. starting us off tonight. jeff, thanks. >>> tonight as we mentioned there are new sexual misconduct accusations against gop presidential candidate herman cain, this time from a woman who stepped forward publically, told her own story in her o

i'm savannah guthrie in tonight for brian. and usually they let your turkey digest before they expect you in the stores. but the notorious shopping day known as black friday is now creeping into thanksgiving thursday, and there's a reason for it. retailers are desperate for the business. if you want to take the temperature of the american economy, what happens over the next four weeks or so provides as good a snapshot as any. the folks who survey these things for a living tell us some 152 million people plan to shop in the next three days. that's a 10% increase from last year. so the stakes are high, not just for all those retailers counting on the business, but also for what it says about how americans feel about their economic prospects. for more on that, nbc's john yang starts us off tonight from chicago. >> this one? >> no, pink. >> pink? >> reporter: for shoppers across the country, today was about more than just turkey with all the fixings. >> already had my dinner cooked. when i get done shopping, i go home and eat, rel

i'm savannah guthrie. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening, and we leave you with a look at rockefeller center getting ready for the holidays. that christmas tree will be lit one week from tonight. have a wonderful thanksgiving, one week from tonight. have a wonderful thanksgiving, and we'll see you tomorrow. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com . >>> good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. a city with massive budget shortfalls, many of the 66 police officers laid off in june have been offered their jobs back. but here's the twist. many of them are choosing not to return.

savannah guthrie! >> not cooking. >>> coming back, justin bieber in concert.dge. ♪ [ female announcer ] we know you've got a lot on your plate at thanksgiving. which is why safeway has everything you need to get it all done. right now, get a safeway frozen turkey 8 to 24 lbs, for just 58 cents a pound. cook your thanksgiving turkey perfectly with our free chef assistant app. it's foolproof. safeway. ingredients for life. ♪ >> announcer: the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> still to come on "today," "american idol" winner scott mccreery. and wild animals, not just talking about hoda and kathie lee. >> the smell of the tira misu coming out of the oven. >>> but first here he is, justin bieber, singing "never say never." have a great thanksgiving. ♪ ♪ get your hands up, get your hands up, y'all ♪ ♪ i never thought that i could walk through fire ♪ ♪ i never thought that i could take the burn ♪ ♪ i never had the strength to take it higher ♪ ♪ until i reached the point of no return ♪ ♪ and there's just no turning back when your heart's un

. >>> savannah guthrie sat down with dr. conrad murray. in the interview, conducted before the verdict was delivered, murray talked to guthrie about the details of the night jackson died and about the use of propofol. >> don't you bear some responsibility? the propofol is in that room because you prescribed it to him. >> this is the situation. it is difficult to -- i met michael was a situation where he was absolutely having use of that substance long before i got there. >> but own your portion of it. were you right to leave him in a situation where he had the opportunity to inject himself? >> well, i'm going to say that was not a foreseeable situation. if mr. jackson -- >> it wasn't? >> no, no. had i known what i know today, in retrospect, that mr. jackson was an addict and he had shared that information with me, addicts may behave in a way that is unreasonable and you may consider it. but you -- >> but you yourself just said he was a desperate man. and you left him alone with propofol. >> he was asleep. >> savannah guthrie's full intervi

i'm savannah guthrie.o see you right back here tomorrow evening, and we leave you with a look at rockefeller center getting ready for the holidays, that christmas tree will be lit one week from tonight. have a wonderful thanksgiving, and we'll see you tomorrow. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

that you know you are dating a bitch and they were already basic questions and i think that savannah guthrie came out so on top here i think she is the real take away from this because she totally was you know he was good questions because he didn't show does mostly just do fluff but i think that savannah's intelligent woman who asks good questions and it's like that wasn't everybody hates congress right now sorry that's just fact. yeah every poll will show you that so barney frank come on rick perry total all right let's move on to the next one. take a look at the time magazine. i think people know that we don't always have the same color covers here at home as they do in different regions around the world but in europe and asia and the south pacific everywhere right now it's got that picture and it says a revolution redux from egypt and ours just has to be used for you really this is why you can choose the alternative media who talks about real substantial things the mainstream domestic media is it but it's but it's times editors i think that are you know they're making these decisions bas

i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm carl quintanilla. that is the sight near the start of the macy's thanksgiving parade. >> and matt and ann are 43 blocks south therefore at macy's in harold's square. >> happy thanksgiving. >> here is the question of the morning. where you can find 800 clowns altogether in one place? not the "today" show control room. here in manhattan. we have the 85th macy's thanksgiving day parade. an american institution and by the numbers, it's huge. you've got 27 floats, 11 marching bands, 15 huge helium balloons, 44 balloonicles or balloon heads as we call them and they'll make their way down a three-mile parade route before 3 million people here, 50 million at home. >> i'm trying to wrap my mind around the range of guests here. we have c-lo greene and sponge bo square pants, but not together. we have avril lavigne, the much pets, daniel radcliffe and a lot of broadway shows. >> the cast from "how to succeed in marriage" doing rehearsal behind us. "sister act". >> how to succeed in business. in marriage? that wou

who is woody guthrie? jay, back to you. autobiographies, $1,000. who is eichmann? no. jay. who was speer? albert speer, architect. uh, 2001--2011 emmys, $200. who is probst? jeff probst. $400, emmys. what is "mildred pierce"? you're out of the hole now. 2001 emmys for $800, please. what is "mike & molly"? uh, emmys, $1,000. who is de niro? aw! no. kara. who is, uh, scorsese? martin scorsese. for $1,000. uh, jeoportmanteau for $200, please. what is... president dentures? nope. buddy. what are presudentures... presidentures? presidentures. portmanteau, $400. what is pumpkindergarten? portmanteau, $600. you've found your category, maybe. what is p.s. sacred? no. buddy. what is postscripture? portmanteau, $800. what is a stipendulum? with that, you get yourself out of the hole, on the plus side, in second place, and you breathe a big sigh of relief, i'm sure. we'll be back in a moment. kara spak is from chicago, and, kara, your five winning appearances early on on our program enabled you to reconnect in a way with your late father, right? yeah, that's right. i got, um, many, ma

welcome to "today" on this friday mornin i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm carl quintanilla. black friday got off to an earlier start this year with a lot of stores opening last night and people are more than happy to take advantage of it. >> maybe in some cases getting too excited considering that pepper spraying incident in los angeles. a fire captain says the suspect did it to gain an advantage over fellow shoppers. we're going to have more on that straight ahead. >> also ahead a rare glimpse of jerry sandusky. he was spotted on thanksgiving day as new questions come out about the role pennsylvania's gurchtor played in the child sex abuse investigation. >>> on a lighter note the day after thanksgiving means you're probably wearing your elastic pants, but you have more than your share of leftovers. coming up, we'll tell you how to turn that boring turkey and stuffing into tasty new meals. >>> let's begin in los angeles where a woman pepper sprayed her fellow black friday shoppers at a walmart. kristen dahlgren is there. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. shoppers here

i'm matt lauer here in namibia, along with savannah guthrie.y live or manage to survive, if you will, in some of the most inhospitable terrain anywhere in the world. i thought maybe we'll send sarah in a up to find out. >> thanks, what a guy. we traveled to damaraland, a forbidden desert landscape but somehow these animals in bone dry temperatures and bone dry conditions, temperatures up to 100 degrees, are managing to thrive. to see something truly unique to this beautiful country, you have to be willing to cross it. so we set out from namibia's capital on a quest to see the country's legendary desert dwelling elephants. how long do we have to drive to get to the elephants? my wilderness safari guide piers lastrange says we'll get there just now, a diminishing concept. >> between 30 minutes and three hours. for example we'll see the elephants just now but that might not be right now but just now. >> so just now we head across namibia's vast countryside, six hours on roads getting ever more rugged, terrain more unforgiving. it rains in this des

melissa guthrie as a result sat down with dr. conrad murray. this interview took place before the jury decision of involuntary manslaughter. >> don't you bear some possibility? the propofol was in that room because you prescribed it to him. >> when i met michael, it was a situation where he was absolutely having use of that substance long before i got there. >> but own your portion of it. were you right to leave him in a situation where he had the opportunity to inject himself? >> well, i -- i'm going to say that was not a foreseeable situation. if mr. jackson -- >> it wasn't? >> no. had i known what i know today, in retrospect, that mr. jackson was an addict and he had shared that information with me, addicts may behave in a way that is unreasonable and you may consider it. but -- >> you yourself just said he was a desperate man. >> desperate to sleep. >> and you left him alone with propofol. >> he was asleep. >> savannah guthrie's full interview will air in two parts, this morning and tomorrow morning on the "today" show. >>> a parent is faci

meantime here in new york city, i'm ann curry along with savannah guthrie and al roker and by the way, we should take a moment and mention to all the people who are possibly in our plaza, but also all around the country who have served our nation, that we want to wish you a warm veterans day. we cheer you. we love you and we are grateful to you so thank you. >> and to their families. >> that's right, because families serve being a military brat myself, families serve along onside their parents, mothers or fathers. >>> coming up in this half hour you're going to be doing a little house hunting. >> our real estate guru barbara cork ran will show you exactly how far our money goes these days as we check out homes everywhere, from classic brick tudor in seattle to a woodlands retreat in the adirondacks, new york. you two ladies have social graces. >> that's nice to hear, thank you. that's a compliment. >> you'll do the correct thing i know. what if you're seated in ex-to somebody who is rude on the plane or your teenager get involved with something? we'll get a lesson innet quit from an e

here in new york i'm ann curry along with al roker and savannah guthrie and matt is enjoying the view. we've really been enjoying matt and kerry watching you this morning. >> it's been so much fun. we're looking for those instant reactions, the first one, now play along, ann, savannah, and al, the first we're looking for is, wow. >> wow! >> wow. >> right? the second one we're looking for is, oh. >> oh, look at. >> look at these. >> so cute. >> little 9-week-old st. bernard puppies. aren't they cute? these are the official mascots of the swiss alps. >> bring them home. >> no kegs. >> those are 9 months old? they're so big. >> i know. well, you know, the reason they had them here initially is before helicopters these were the rescue dogs and they would pull the sleds and as matt said there are no kegs. that was a big myth anyway. there never was any brandy. >> we just like playing with them, guys. we'll have much more ahead. back to you guys. >> okay. we'll stop in and talk to you in a second. first we want to mention there is much more ahead including an interview with conrad murray. >

. >> good morning, i'm savannah guthrie in for ann who's on assignment. herman cain has had to defend himself against allegations of sexual harassment and now he's having to address an accusation that he carried out a lengthy affair with a georgia woman. >> that's right. the woman spoke out to a local tv station in atlanta alleging the affair started back in the late 1990s. while herman cain does acknowledge that he knows her, he's denying her claims. so what impact will this newest allegation have on him and the gop race? we'll have more on that straight ahead. >>> also this is a big day for dr. conrad murray. how is he feeling as he prepares to be sentenced for his role in the death of michael jackson. coming up, his friend and former assistant opens up about her recent jailhouse visit with dr. murray. >>> here's a story i think a lot of people can identify with. imagine being the parent of an obese child and being told by social workers that your kid would be better off living in foster care. basically they say you neglected your own son or daughter by

i'm savannah guthrie. we're going to check in with ann in baghdad traveling with the vice president in just a moment. >>> meanwhile is herman cain considering leaving the republican presidential race? during a conference call he again denied having an affair but the one-time gop front-runner conceded the allegation has created a cloud over his candidacy. we're going to have the latest oen that story coming up straight ahead. >>> also ahead new images of gary giordano leaving prison last night, the prime suspect in the disappearance of a maryland woman in aruba. after spending nearly four months in custody he was ordered to be set free from a judge. where does the case go from here? we'll get a live report from aru aruba. >>> new questions concerning the safety of the juices your kids may be drinking. "consumer reports" tested dozens of samples of apple and grape juice. we'll have the ruts of the test and dr. mehmet oz. he sparked controversy with testing commissioned for his show. he'll be here to weigh in

joining me is savannah guthrie. also ricky kleman. down is going to hold murray's feet to the fire. do we think he's goingo get the max and then gut probation? >> everything out there suggests this judge wants to give him the top amount he can get, which is just four years for this involuntary manslaughter conviction. the judge didn't hide what he thought of the crimes when he took the verdict in. he also took him straight into custody, which is a signal of how seriously this judge takes this offense. >> when we talk about the max is four years, he could potentially only serve a fraction of that. >> what ultimately will happen here i predict is i agree with savannah. he's going to get the max of four years. the problem is overcrowding in the prison system in california. and there's a new law that they call realignment. which means a nonviolent felon is going to go into the county jail. then i would bet after some months, he will ultimately get out of the county jail and wind up serving his sentence on house arrest. >> as we have seen

. >>> be sure to catch christmas in rockefeller center hosted by al roker and savannah guthrie. it will feature performances by justin bieber, tony bennett, michael buble and radio city rockettes. it begins tonight at 8:00/7:00 central time on your nbc station. >>> here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. a 1-year-old is fighting for his life after getting shot in the head on the set of a rap video. the infant was one of seven people injured in an oakland shooting caught on tape. the police investigation has been hampered by uncooperative witnesses who may have returned fire on the gunman. so far, there is no motive and no arrests have been made. >>> one california thief trying to cover up a surveillance camera forgot about his big close-up. oops. a fast food restaurant security tape-recorded clear picture of an atm robbery suspect before he could cover the lens with a napkin. the stolen atm had about $2,000 inside. look at that face. police have not made an arrest. >>> finally, a nasty cold front hammered the chicago area tuesday. the windy weather fue

. >>> nbc savannah guthrie will have an exclusive interview with congressman franc on his decision to retire later today on the "today" show. >>> united nations united states has concluded syrian forces have committed crimes against humanity, including the killing and torture of hundreds of children. the report found at least 256 children were killed by government forces between mid-march and early november. some tortured to death, including a 2-year-old girl, reportedly shot so she wouldn't grow up to be a demonstrator. also reports government forces were given shoot to kill orders to crush demonstrations. the results of the inquiry add to mounting pressure on syria's president bashar al assad to end his crackdown on protests and enact democratic reforms. >>> meanwhile, for the first time in two years, several rockets were fired tuesday from lebanon into north israel. two buildings were damaged but no reported casualties. the israeli military says it returned fire across the border. a 34-day war was fought in 2006 between israel and iranian-backed hezbollah guerrillas based in lebano

. >> savannah guthrie's full interview will air this morning and then tomorrow morning on the "today" show. >>> new details about the solyndra bankruptcy. the e-mails released by a house committee show the donor, george keiser discussed a loan to the company previously. solyndra was the first renewable energy company to get a federal loan. under the 2009 stimulus law. it declared bankruptcy back in september. >>> a new report says the fbi should move to a new location. the government accountability office says the j. edgar hoover billion is aging and deteriorating. there are options, but all of them are costly. they can stay put in that building, renovate the building, demolish the building and rebuild it at the same site or build a new headquarters at a new locations. all four of those options could cost anywhere from $4 million to $657 billion. >>> there is a new warning out this morning on the danger of traffic fumes. researchers say auto exhaust appears to have an impact on mental capacity, intelligence, and emotional stability of people. and if you drive in the washington area, y

in the meantime, coming up on the "today show" savannah guthrie's exclusive interview just days beforehe verdict came down. >>> let's check back in with mike inouye for a look at traffic. >> we'll take you to this the south bay where i had a couple of onramps to avoid. but now go ahead. it looks like construction crews have cleared the roadway. no problems for 880 down here. 880 past the coliseum. we'll see more traffic picking up as folks head north from 66, where you're looking north of there. construction crews still in a couple of spots. and we're watching the closure on the peninsula in palo alto. >>> a san francisco puppy, a cute little puppy is home with his new family after a wild week. >> the san francisco spca says someone took james from the adoption center a few hours before he was supposed to go home with his new family. they offered a $500 reward for the dog's safe return, and yesterday a woman returned the 8-week-old puppy. she said she bought him for $200. she took the puppy to her mom who heard about the abducted dog an then took him back to the dopg center. >> looks v

more of savannah guthrie's exclusive interview with michael jackson's doctor as he explains why he didn't call 911 after finding the pop star in trouble. and find out where in the world is matt lauer as he wraps up his week-long adventure. >>> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm veronica de la cruz, thank you for watching "early today." just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific weekend.

i'm most excited about savannah guthrie is hosting with mr. al roker. let's get a check on your weather with todd santos. good morning. >> it looks like they're preparing for a ravenous crowd with the amount of barricades set up. keep that in mind. temperatures around for the lighting closer to mid 40s. gusty winds may make it feel like the upper 30s. meanwhile, new york city on the dry side of things. that's the good news part of it. boston, most of the rain channeling toward the north. portland, you're in the showers. back towards cleveland, you see light rain in the area. maybe the lakes are getting involved in the east and northeast. just southwest of buffalo. keep in mind if you're traveling through there. meanwhile, boston, 55. that's about the day time high for today. so maybe -- actually earlier on we had warmer temperatures. cooling down a little bit. be prepared for that. otherwise, some sunshine breaking out across the area. cooler the last few days. >> sunshine breaking out. we like to hear that, todd. >> the detroit lions find out if they h

savannah guthrie sat down with dr. mury in an interview a few days ago. >> do you remember his final words before he died? >> it was probably -- i don't know, it was probably when he was pleading and begging me to please, please let him have some milk. that was the only thing that would work. >> milk is a word jackson used for the propofol treatment. a jury of seven men and five women spent less than nine hours deliberating the fate following six weeks of expert testimony. prosecutors proved murray was responsible for his death. you can watch the rest of his interview only on the today show. >> trying to take a bite out of apple's retail business. they will go head to head in silicon valley beginning this week. the first store known in california is scheduled to open thursday in santa clara right in apple turf. the cupertino-based company operated retail store for years. microsoft said they are rate to move in in in a big way. joe montana is getting back in the game by hosting a tournament and there will be musical act

be sure to catch christmas in rockefeller center hosted by al roker and savannah guthrie. it features performances by tony bennett and the world famous radio city rockettes. festivities begin tonight 8:00, 7:00 central on your local nbc station. >>> here is your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. a 1-year-old is fighting for his life after getting shot in the head on the set of a wrap video. he was one of seven people injured. police investigation has been hampered by uncooperative witnesses who may have returned fire on the gunman. so far there is no motive and no arrests have been made. >>> one california thief trying to cover up a surveillance camera forgot about one big close-up. that would be his. a fast food restaurant security tape recorded this guy, clear picture of him, actually. the atm robbery suspect before he could cover up the lens with napkins, the stolen atm had about $2,000 inside. take a good look. police have not made any arrests. >>> a nasty cold front hamterred the chicago area tuesday. the windy weather fueled 60 mile-

savannah guthrie has all the headlines. >>> good morning, guys. thanks. in the news today rescue teams are searching for more victims of violent storms and tornadoes that claimed at least six lives in the south and southeast on wednesday. dozens of people were injured and thousands of homes lost electricity. officials said there were nearly 20 reports of tornadoes from louisiana to north carolina. the man suspected in last week's white house shooting is due in federal court today. 21-year-old oscar ortega hernandez was arrested wednesday in pennsylvania. the secret service says at least two bullets fired from a car hit the white house but the president and his family were not there at the time and no one was injured. >>> there are new questions this morning about claims by penn state assistant coach mike mcqueary that he did contact police after allegedly witnessing jerry sandusky sexually attacking a child. mcqueary told a friend in an e-mail last week that he stopped a 2002 child sex assault by the former defensive coordi

roker, savannah guthrie, entertainment including buble and the biebs.bc as they light the most famous christmas tree in the world right here at 30 rock. and that is our successfully completed broadcast for this wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we do hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. we do hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

arlo guthrie joins me now via skype from boston.hat do you make of this whole occupy wall street movement? >> hi, randi. i think it's really reminiscent of old times, for sure. i think it is wonderful. it's great to see so many young people engaged from all parts of the political spectrum an i was just happy to be there joining them. >> how do you think it compares to some of the great movements of the 20th century? >> well, a couple of things are the same essentially. you had back 40, 50 years ago so many things going on. you had the civil rights movement, anti-war movement, you had the save the trees, the whales, burn the lingerie, whatever was going on. most all of these things were leaderless. they weren't necessarily looking to do -- to fix one thing one way. there were a lot of different points of view. there were people who took advantage of that who sort of became de facto leaders, but nobody really listened to them. it was really a groundswell, something just coming out of the earth that pour people out into the streets and