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.

hey, savannah?e's got an incredible adventure coming up, sand skiing or surfing or something going on. >> pretty cool, can't wait. >> coming up, couples go out to dinner, go to a movie but now apparently the new thing is going under the knife together. yes. i know it is the latest trend in plastic surgery, we'll tell you why they are holding hands and i guess getting a fresh face. >> nice. >> you wake up, who are you? >> who are you? >> that is not the woman i married. >> whoa, this is a great deal! >> come on! you may as well go through it together, right? >>> the sisters behind "d.c. cupcakes" gave up their high powered careers to follow their dreams and business is booming. they're here to share the secrets and recipes of the cupcake diaries. can't wait to get my mouth into one of their cupcakes. >> wow. a little sugar shock. >> i'm like a kid. but it felt so good. >> meanwhile -- how do you feel, al? >> daddy's got to check on the weather. >> we were talking about kids earlier. whatever. >> anyw

back to savannah and carl. i'm amazed by the extent to which people will make excuses to not help for cooking on thanks giving. >> he'll be home in time for the dishes. >>> let's get a check of the holiday forecast. >> mr. roker on new york's upper west side near the starting point of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. good morning. happy thanksgiving to you. >> happy thanksgiving, carl and savannah. a picture-perfect morning. even more important than sunshine. the winds for the balloon handlers for the 15 giant character balloons. light winds. not more than 5 miles per hour. they should be flying high from sponge bob to spider-man, making their way down central park west. much of the country seeing good weather. where they are not seeing good weather is the pacific northwest. a mess there. looking at very rough weather from northern california up into the pacific northwest. secondary front offshore. that will bring rain along the coast. from san francisco all the way up into the puget sound. cascades, looking

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.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

happy belated thanksgiving, savannah. millions of americans maybe digesting the thanksgiving dinner, millions more have been shopping, some for as many as ten hours already. leading retailers with a new holiday mantra, if you open your doors, they will come. and we're off. that's right. the holiday season is officially under way with millions already snapping up door buster black friday specials. >> it hasn't been too bad. the weather has been really nice, so it's very bearable. >> this is my first time, probably my last time. but got to do it once. >> reporter: toys-r-us opened at 9:00 p.m. thursday followed by walmart at 10:00, and then target, kohl's and macy's at midnight. from coast to coast shoppers battling the elements. >> energy drinks. >> reporter: lining storefronts in tents, camping out for outrageous bargains on everything from toys to electronics. >> 42-inch plasma tv 199. they have a samsung laptop for 299. >> reporter: while shoppers crowd stores not even greets these early opens with holiday cheer. a peti

you want a date with savannah, today.com, post a video for savannah. ] ruff! ruff! jingle loved to bark hello. ruff! ruff! ruff! ruff! [ mom ] jingle even loved to sing. ruff! ruff! ruff! ruff! jingle! [ female announcer ] it's for bringing stories to life in a whole new way. jingle, stay. and jingle did. [ female announcer ] hallmark interactive story buddies. when you read key words, jingle responds. [ female announcer ] pillsbury chocolate chip cookies with hershey's chocolate chips. for a moment of warm, gooey, togetherness. chocolate chip cookies... from pillsbury. ch[ femala $100 cream. we were flattered when regenerist beat flabbergasted when we creamed a $500 cream. for about $30 regenerist micro-sculpting cream hydrates better than over 20 of america's most expensive luxury creams. fantastic. phenomenal. regenerist. care and dedication. our family-owned company has focused on making... the best-tasting sour cream for over four generations. it's made with farm-fresh cream... that's 100% natural without any additives or preservatives. and no add

sa savannah, i >> good morning.we have to the late morning and early afternoon hours. >>> and that's your latest weather. >> fantastic. thank you, al. >>> we're going to say hello to ramon, the latest contestant to have the scales tip against him on nbc's hit show "the biggest loser." ramon, good morning. good to have you here. >> good morning. i love it, it makes me feel right at the ranch, right? >> you started at 355 pounds. >> yes, sir. >> and lost more that 86. you look terrific. what's your total loss? >> definitely. right now iem right around 130 pounds. >> you look amazing. >> thank you. >> this show really saved your life. you said when you got to the ranch you were dying and you didn't know it. you had diabetes and you were diagnosed there on the ranch. tell bus that. >> definitely. i didn't go to the doctor for a long time, probably since college, seven, eight years. i found out that i had diabetes on the ranch. amongst sleep appear nnea and o things. i don't have any of it anymore. >> ramon, you lost all

sorry, savannah. another thing is too putting eye mascara on the wrong way. it out toward the ear. thinking you're going to sort of open up the eye that way. it's actually closing the eye. my secret is to always take the mascara guide and pull it in toward the bridge of the nose. >> really. >> what that is going to do, look at that. it's given her a star burst effect and you see how open and wide and fresh her eyes look? >> yes. it really does. >> it looks like she's had eight hours of sleep. another great tip is also, hello, take a gray eyeliner and make sure that the eyeliner is nice and thin. don't make it thick. the thicker the eyeliner is -- >> almost inside the eye lashes. >> you've got it. >> great. >> visine to make the eyes look whiter. q-tip to clean it up. >> thank you so much. >> thanks, guys. >>> coming up next, kid tested and mom approved. the hottest toys we think are going to be flying off the shelves this holiday season. we'll show them to you. there's one flying all over our studio right after this. n't want healthy skin for a day. i want he

>> savannah? >> i wouldn't want to cause a scene so i would just suffer.e-mail a friend. >> if i had that problem which i wish i did, i would pay more for the extra leg room. >> i'd say something. >> i find that if the words, you use the words in a loud voice, air sickness bag, the people in front of you will just move right up front. you know something, i think this is the problem of this is strangers in tight spaces. so you've done what you can do. you've asked the guy politely. maybe an air stewardess could find something for you somewhere else on the plane. tangling with this guy more is going to raise your heart pressure. he's not going to do anything. >> he has the right to recline. >> baaaah-d man. >> a good sheep imitation. >> philip galanes thank you so much. >> thank you. >> the book is "social qs: how to survive the quirks, quandryes and quagmires of today." >>> we've got olympic ice dancing silver medalists live on our rock center. first these messages. hey guys, what can i get for you? i'd like a decaf 360 calories please. i'll have a triple i

savannah? >> good start, anne thompson, thank you so much. >>> coming up, why is the only suspect named in the disappearance of a missing florida mother, michelle parker, refusing to take a polygraph test? his attorneys speak out in an exclusive interview, but first this is "today" on nbc. >>> just ahead the judge throws the book at conrad murray. we'll talk exclusively to the prosecutors who won the case. >>> and a new study about arsenic in your kids' juice. we'll have that after your local news and weather. up here in maine, those things are cold weather and bean boots. ♪ and that's what makes them such a good gift. that and the fact that everybody wants warm feet for christmas. my name is jason valero, and i cut leather for bean boots. and the holidays are made here, right here. ♪ how about making it brighter. more colorful. ♪ and putting all our helpers to work? so we can build on our favorite traditions by adding a few new ones. we've all got garlands and budgets to stretch. and this year

michelle, good morning. >> reporter: hi, savannah.lebrities testify at this hearing, and each one of their stories seems to be worse than the last. in the case of singer charlotte church, though, the tabloids were tormenting a child. she says at one point she was given a choice, more than $100,000 to sing at rupert murdoch's wedding or good press coverage. ♪ >> reporter: charlotte church was 11 when fame found what the press called the voice of an angel. now in her 20s, she is using it -- >> just horrible, you know. >> reporter: -- to describe the hell that tabloids put her through. following her to school, vacations. at her house someone hid a video camera in the hedges. she said she was asked to sing at media mogul rupert murdoch's wedding in new york but told, she claims, she could either accept more than $150,000 or favorable coverage in his newspaper. >> i remember being 13 and thinking why on earth would anybody take a favor over 100,000 pounds but being advised by management to take the latter option, that he was a very, very p

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

iii got the season tipped off against savannah state. clark is now the leader of this group with the graduation of chris wright. georgetown only up by 3 at the half. what's up with that? >> they come with a 22-point charge in the second half. career high 19 for sim and watch this play carefully. the freshman is going to miss it and lubock will get the rebound and watch the nifty no hold behind the back pass. 13 points for hollis. journell passes savannah state 83-54. >>> coming up next, it is the midway point of the season. do you know who you picked? >> i don't recall. that's answering like a politician. >> you don't remember who you picked. >> i know what i remember. the restaurant skin are playing. off the wall is next.  >>> welcome back. i'm here with martin wisdom. we are at the halfway point of the nfl season. because, historically speaking, you are normally wrong. >> like i have been the last two webs on the redskins. >> i'm going to give you a clans to revise your super bowl picks after what you have seen in the first h

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

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 locker room and touches him in the shower. two years later, in 1998 coach sandusky allegedly take

savannah? >> all right. peter alexander in state college, p.a., thank you. >>> today a man suspected of opening fire on the white house appears in federal court in pennsylvania. oscar ortega hernandez was arrested wednesday after a four-day man hunt. authorities say the 21-year-old idaho man was obsessed with president obama. one of the bullets cracked a white house window but the president was not home at the time. a scare in the air this week on an airlines flight from north carolina to new york city. it started when the pilot took a bathroom break and then got locked inside the restroom. desperate to get out, he pounded on the door and that's when someone with a thick foreign accent heard him and went to the cockpit door to get help. well, the copilot didn't believe him, feared it was an emergency. fighter planes were alerted. finally the pilot got the bathroom door opened, explained to air traffic controllers about the broken door latch, and said, there was no threat. the fbi was there when the plane lan

savannah? >>> all right, al, thanks. and now to an nbc news exclusive. former penn state assistant coach jerry sandusky is speaking out about the sexual abuse charges against him. he spoke to nbc's bob costas in an extensive conversation, and bob joins us now with more of his exclusive interview. bob, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, savannah it was, as you know, a blunt conversation. jerry sandusky admitting to showering with young boys, but beyond that, denying any sexual misconduct. a word of warning -- the content of this interview is not appropriate for children. >> i say that i am innocent of those charges. >> innocent? completely innocent and falsely accused in every aspect? >> well, i could say that, you know, i have done some of those things. i have horsed around with kids. i have showered after workouts. i have hugged them and i have touched their leg without intent of sexual contact, but -- so, if you look at it that way, there are things that wouldn't -- you know, would be accurate. >> are you denying that you had any inappropriat

right, savannah? >> yes.ot much for cooking, good with the dishes and good with eating. >> you're a perfect guest, then. >> happy thanksgiving. >> hope to see you soon, savannah. >> take care. >> happy thanksgiving to her. >> and we missed her. >> it is the best. it is now 6:39. 42 degrees. vincent mayor gray talked about his plan to get the red skins back to d.c. >> what thanksgiving was like inside the white house. >> tom kierein will let you know if you enjoyed sun along with your turkey this afternoon. your weather is 6:41. >>> good morning. clear and cold start though thanksgiving morning. i'm meteorologist tom kierein. right knew washington and by the way, it's near 40. we've cleared out overnight. the winds have diminished. we'll have a bright and sunny day today with light winds. we'll have afternoon highs climbing to the upper 50s to near 60. we're just a few minutes away from sunrise. about 18 minutes away. we'll have our sunset at 4:49 and a clear night to follow. a look at friday into the weekend.

i'm savannah guthrie alongside carl quintanilla. the rest of the gang has the day off. are you going to hit the stores? >> fifth avenue is only a couple of blocks ago. afterwards let's go do it. >> you probably -- >> no cameras, though. >> what are you getting me for the holidays? >> that's a secret. >> nothing. a lump of coal last year. on a serious note out in los angeles, black friday got out of hand. police say a woman actually used pepper spray on several shoppers there at a walmart in an offensive way in order to get a competitive edge over other shoppers. it's kind of unbelievable but true. we have details ahead. >>> what if you went to a doorbuster and a it's a complete bust, you didn't get what you wanted, or if you haven't started shopping, what do you do nen? we have more on different strategies depending on shopping plans this weekend. >> if you're not looking for little things but big things, homes for sale. we'll show you what's on the market coast to coast. first, let's get a check of the morning's top stories. natalie is gone today, so we have tamryn at

a liberal champion and i have a lot of respect for his career but then he pulled this move with savannah guthrie this morning and i thought was kindly take a look. you have served in this institution for thirty years and during that time i don't have to tell you congress's approval has gone down to the single digits how does that make you feel about your life's work. you were going before. you the cold you. sort of negative understand that the. ritual didn't used to be that way. the media didn't use as negative questions they were just oh so nice all the time i think they're still too nice right now i know and what is it their job to pander towards public officials who it is their job to hold accountable i don't think so probably feel that way and the officials are getting angry that maybe people aren't going as much anymore that's true i mean but let's be honest he was on the today show so maybe he wasn't expecting those hard hitting questions i think preceded him was. wolfgang puck really doesn't think starbucks coffee is really that great so you know the hard hitting question might yo

. >> 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

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

i dare you not to tear up. >> savannah, happy black friday. are you going to go shopping?don't think so. maybe some online shopping. >> i'm not braving the crowds. take care. joe, i've known you well enough to know you're not going to any mall any time soon. >>> what some consumer groups say is the one big purchase you store. >> we'll find out about that. >>> good morning. i'm meteorologist tom kierein in stormcenter 4. a cool start this morning down in the 20s. low and mid-30s through much of the region. 39 at reagan national. a clear sky here thanks to high pressure over the region. no travel problems up and down the atlantic seaboard. we have a clear sky over the potomac. live view from the city camera. a bright and sunny day on the way. sunrise at 7:01. by 9:00 mid-40s. ought to hit near 60 by midafternoon. sunset at 4:49 to be followed by a clear sky, down to the mid-40s by midnight. danella, how's traffic? >> good morning. great day for shopping. >>> if you're traveling south on i-95, a lot of great malls and outlets, you are very clear as you make your way from the

hey, savannah. >> good morning, everybody. a front window at the home of jerry sandusky was smashed this morning. he is, of course, the former assistant coach at the center of the penn state sex abuse scandal. mean twim, two weeks after that scandal rocked the penn state football program, police are investigating child sex abuse allegations at syracuse university now. two men told espn that long-time assistant basketball coach, bernie fine, plo molested them for years, starting when they were teen ball boys. the school placed fine on leave on thursday. coach fine has denied those allegations. >>> a 21-year-old idaho man is facing charges of attempting to assassinate the president after he allegedly fired nine rounds at the white house last friday. president obama and his family were not in washington at the time. according to court documents, oscar ramiro ortega hernandez believes he is jesus. if convicted faces life in prison. >>> president obama is highlighting economic and diplomatic progress on his asian tour. in indonesia

savannah? >>> al, thanks. this morning on "tooled's money" avoiding financial stress. it's been three years since the recession hit, and according to a recent survey, millions of americans are still worried about their financial security, even if the recession is technically over. "money" magazine covers the topic in its current issue and donna rosatta say senior writer and gail saltz, an nbc contributor. people are under tremendous strain and stress about their finances. >> i see it in my practice and people talking to me in life. everybody is really worried about money and it's interesting, people who are really struggling and have serious concerns, they're worried about are they going to be able to afford health insurance. will they have a job in will they have, really it's about loss, the life that they expected to have, the way they expected to be able to raise their family, what they expected to provide for the next generation. it may not be there and they're really feeling it, even people who have money are anxious, that it will disappear. >> leads me to donna.

let's go back outside to matt, ann and savannah. him to do the work for you. >> he's thinking i need a bigger basket. >> that's very cool. >>> let's get a check of the weather, mr. roker across from us. >> thank you so much. if you want an itinerary of what you need to do when you come in here, what is your name? >> harlan anderson. >> and? >> lori. >> you've been here since november 23rd. check out the list, got here on the 23rd, you did the parade, stardust diner, radio city, "today" show, rockefeller park, subway, central park, brooklyn cabaret. you did the "today" show twice? >> yes. >> wow! you like the "today" show. >> very nice. congratulations. i'm exhausted just looking at this. let's check your weather and see what's going on. we'll show you we've got this line of showers and thunderstorms stretching its way from florida all the way up into new england and back behind the system we're starting to see some snow, memphis, nashville, knoxville, look for anywhere from one to three inches of wet snow, a heavy rain also in that

savannah guthrie from nbc.of the case conrad murray agreed to an interview, with his fate still in the hands of the jury. michael jackson was one of the most beloved entertainers this country, around the world. what's it like to be blamed for his death? >> well, i loved michael, too. i'm as much a fan as any of the others. to be blamed for his death has not been an easy thing. >> reporter: dr. conrad murray first met michael jackson during a house call in las vegas in 2006 and saw him off and on from that point forward. >> this is it. i'll see you in july. >> but when jackson agreed to a comeback tour in 2009, he wanted his own full-time doctor with him, and the concert promoter agreed to hire jackson's pick, dr. murray, for a salary of $150,000 a month. do you now wish you'd never met michael jackson? >> i would hate to put blame on michael as an individual. i don't regret that i met michael. i only wish that maybe in our dealings with each other he was more forthcoming and honest to tell me things about himse

>> wonderful. >> savannah is crying. what do you think? birth of her son she feels guilty buying anything for herself. she begged us to give her a sexy new look for a night out with her husband. let's see her story. >> i'm cracking up because you came with letters from your co-workers telling me why you deserve the makeover. they are telling me that you're wearing a dress, a maternity dress and your child is 7. >> yeah, pretty much. i think it's time for a makeover. >> what are you hoping for? >> i want to leave behind the 24/7 mom, pta, and become grown-up, mature, wife. >> are you ready to be a hot mama? >> deal, ready, set, go! >> all right, we are about to go. he is so cute. that is kevin her 7 yelled son she was talking about. her son thomas and her husband kevin. let's take one last look at kara before. and let's bring nut kara. >> all right! >> all right, guys, take off the blinds. >> whoa! >> you look amazing. >> kara, turn around and see. >> i love it! >> thomas can't get over it. luis, i love that color. >> it's so pretty. it's a

we're going to go back to savannah and we're going to talk a little more about dr.ay and what is happening practically speaking with the sentencing trial. i know that the judge you said went on at some length. i think it was 24:54 by my timer. do you think that was to give closure to this case? given the fact that dr. conrad murray may not spend that much time in jail, was this sort of the judge's effort in giving some sort of peace to this case? >> you know, it's -- >> it's hard to know. here's a judge who clearly knows he has a national audience. some people, i've seen them on twitter saying, he really wants to use his 15 minutes of fame. you know, the point is, this is a high-profile case. there are people who think, you know, dr. conrad murray got a raw deal. boy, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. this is a judge trying to explain the decision he's made in this case. for those who are just tuning in or casually watch, it is clear this judge wants to convey the sense of outrage he so obviously feels. you just saw the defense lawyer stand up there