Good evening and happy thanksgiving. Im kate snow in for brian tonight. And in a week that brought a lot of news, n much of it good news, it seemed as if america paused today to give thanks, take a breath and reflect a moment. There were those who celebrated quietly with family, and those who chose to hit the stores. Yes, even on thanksgiving day. Well get to the shopping and what americans are most thankful for on this night, but lets begin with the festivities and National Correspondent peter alexander. Reporter no rain on this parade, but in new york more than 3 million fans braved the cold as those massive balloons floated through manhattan streets. Similar thanksgiving celebrations in chicago, houston, and here in the Nations Capital where runners tried to keep up with the rest of those turkeys. Along l. A. s skid row volunteers continued a 70yearold tradition feeding more than 2,500 homeless. From the white house the president worked the phone to thank americas troops. To our Service Members who are away from home, we say an extra prayer for you and your loved ones. Happy thanksgiving to you there, tough guy. Reporter and even if it wasnt moms cooking from south korea to germany, those troops enjoyed special meals. In afghanistan hundreds of soldiers shared their last thanksgiving away from home. Looking forward to, you know, my boys are young and going to boy scouts and taking them everywhere. Reporter across the northeast like the pilgrims, more than 300,000 homes this thanksgiving were in the dark after wednesdays storm. One family pulling out the barbecue to grill pancakes. Still today most airports enjoyed smooth sailing. Travelers make sure seats in the upright position, sunday and monday are the busiest air travel days of the year. If only you were flying right now. Today and tomorrow are the quietest. 200 miles above earth aboard the International Space station a freezedried feast, hold the gravity. Of course im from tennessee, so i grew up drinking sweet tea. So ive got a little sweet tea as well. Reporter as for that thanksgiving dinner, americans like their turkey and fixins all year, 242 million turkeys. More than 800 Million Pounds of cranberries. And watch your belt for this, 2. 4 billion pounds of sweet potatoes. Back home in maryland, the clemens family prepared their own beautiful spread. You want to put the turkey on the platter . Right. Reporter heading into the season of giving, so many reasons to give thanks. Peter alexander, nbc news, washington. The Holiday Shopping frenzy once reserved for black friday is already upon us on the day when were giving thanks for the things we have, retailers want us shopping for the things we dont have yet. And theyre doing whatever they can this year to lure us away from the dinner table. Our report tonight from nbcs janet shamlian. Reporter the wait is finally over. And if starting black friday on thanksgiving evening seems normal now, well, kmart opened this morning at 6 00. We put the turkey in the oven and we had Nothing Better to do so we came to pick out a few toys that were on sale. Reporter a laid back holiday with family has increasingly become a day to dine and dash. Retailers open doors earlier and earlier on thanksgiving day every year because it works. Because millions of americans show up. I got a fridge, a stove, toys, storage bins, i even got skylander paper. Im excited. Reporter but not everyones happy about black fridays creep into thursday. Its kind of hard because youre supposed to be like super thankful for everything and then the next thing you do is go and buy all the stuff you want. Reporter and you might not even get the best price. Online and in Stores Retailers have been unwrapping discounts for weeks. Walmart started just after halloween. Shoppers like Kimberly Glen in the houston galleria have been taking advantage of the early deals. How much shopping have you done already . A lot actually. Online. Reporter how do you get the best price . Check the calendar. Thanksgiving and black friday can be good for electronics, but experts say expect bigger cuts for clothes and toys in december. Look for discount gift cards onli online. If you use them to pay, youll be saving twice. Get a credit card with price protection. Some lower prices later. And use your phone to comparison shop from the store. And download Shopping Apps to help find the best prices and if you find a better deal, talk to the store. If you show the retailers a competing price on your phone at another retailer, many of them are willing to match that price. So you get the product right then and there without walking out of the store and buying it somewhere else. Reporter tips to help both shoppers and sellers ring in a happy holiday. Janet shamlian, nbc news, houston. Discounts mean very little to those who simply take whatever they want. Police are chasing down gangs of thieves in several cities now who are using a similar bold tactic. Theyre not just cleaning stores out, theyre leaving them in shambles. Our report tonight from nbcs kevin tibbles. Reporter escalating the smash and grab robbery to the crash and grab. Thieves targeting highend retailers by stepping on the gas. Theyre scary. Smash and grab and no one saw that. Unbelievable. Reporter at least nine bandits ransacked a Louis Vuitton store scooping up 120,000 worth of merchandise and disappearing into the night. Police say it was over in 90 seconds. A half dozen similar heists in the runup to the holidays. A minivan burst into this cisco nyc store. Surveillance video shows 20 thieves stuffing bags with jeans, jackets and jewelry. Then they vanished. The bad guys are using counter surveillance to watch our patrols. Reporter just as the holiday rush gets underway, police say organized gangs are using stolen cars and trucks as battering rams. Surveillance video shows a stolen pickup pounding its way right through a brick wall before the store was swarmed and looted. Tough for the owner on thanksgiving. Im going to lose a black friday sale. I mean, its one of the biggest day of the year. Reporter police say the stolen goods may be shipped overseas or peddled online. Revved up robberies now bring a whole new meaning to door busters. Kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. The violence earlier this week in ferguson, missouri has given way to a kind of fragile peace tonight. The scars are still there from the rioting after a grand jury decided not to indict the officer who fatally shot michael brown. And on this thanksgiving day a certain uneasiness remains, but also reasons to give thanks. Our ron allen is in ferguson once again for us this evening and has this report. Reporter no holiday parades in ferguson. The main street the scene of so much violence earlier this week, still a nogo area. Overnight only a small crowd outside police headquarters. Theres a little bit of tension at this moment. Reporter elsewhere in the country at least 145 arrested and released in los angeles. And 35 taken into custody in oakland, protesting the grand jury decision not to charge officer Darren Wilson for killing michael brown. Wilsons attorneys say hes facing Death Threats and may never be able to serve as a Police Officer again. Hes careful. Extremely careful. Necessarily so. But you have to continue to try to live your life. Reporter and on this holiday ferguson is grateful for calm. I have to reach out and let people know theres hope. Reporter today, steve moore took down some of the boards and opened his doors for thanksgiving dinner. Business has been off 80 . I have 17 employees and now im down to six. Reporter because you have to lay them off . Just temporarily . Well, i pray that its temporary. I dont know. Reporter still, he offered free holiday meals to ferguson residents who would have spent the holiday alone. I am thankful for these people here. I dont even know their names. But thank you. Business is already hard enough. Reporter Natalie Dubose also thankful. Her bake shop vandalized and shut down by the violence. I just cry. Reporter but now back in business after christine saw her story on the news. It was upsetting and i thought i dont want to watch and be upset anymore. I want to do something good and help. Reporter she helped set up a website for donations. So far more than 230,000 has poured in. Im grateful to everyone that contributed. I wish i had enough arms to just go hug each and every one. Reporter shes very fortunate because there are still dozens upon dozens of businesses, some like these behind me, that are still boarded up or in even worse condition. And many owners saying its going to be a struggle to reopen. This is of course the time of year when they hope and need to make a lot of money. Kate. Ron allen once again in ferguson, missouri tonight. Thanks, ron. Supreme Court JusticeRuth Bader Ginsburg has made it home in time for the holiday after a Serious Health scare. Ginsburg was released from the hospital today after undergoing a procedure to put a stint in her heart. A blockage was discovered tuesday after she felt discomfort while exercising. At 81 Justice Ginsburg is the eldest member of the supreme court. Tomorrow, the world will witness a major moment for pope francis, the leader of the Catholic Church is traveling to turkey where 98 of the population is muslim. But what could prove to be one of the most diplomatically tricky visits since he became pope. Our report tonight from nbcs chief Foreign Correspondent richard engel. Reporter the popes itinerary may say hes visiting istanbul, but for many christians this will always be constantinople. For thousands of years christians ruled this city. And from it an empire called byzantium. Built in the sixth century, its name means holy wisdom. But byzantium was ultimately conquered. Muslim armies arrive ed 1453 an converted it into a mosque. Five years later it was changed again turned into a museum. And today is one of turkeys most popular tourist destinations. But turkey is changing. Hagia sophia is a symbol of the deep struggle between those who want turkey to remain secular and others who want to revive its islamic past. And for now its the islamists who have the upper hand. Alid wants to turn back the tide of history. He leads a movement to turn it back into a mosque and plans to try and block the pope from entering. Hagia sophia is a mosque owned by muslims, he says. And if we dont reclaim it, we will be punished by god. Already his supporters in the tens of thousands gather in front of hagia sophia to pray. The islamists have a powerful ally, turkeys president , bishop recep tie tayyip erdogan. Hes resisted calls to make it a mosque but allows prayers outside to go ahead. Its the best choice because its the monumental work of humanity. Reporter a monument that embodies nearly two millennia of religious power struggles that have returned to the shores. Richard engel, nbc news, istanbul, or old constantinople. Still ahead, Many Americans opting for longer term car loans. But whats the downside . Ar loans. But whats the downside . Is a really big deal. U with aches, fever and chills theres no such thing as a little flu. So why treat it like its a little cold . Theres something that works differently than overthecounter remedies. Prescription tamiflu attacks the flu virus at its source. So call your doctor right away. Tamiflu treats the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. Before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if youre pregnant, nursing, have Serious Health conditions, or take other medicines. If you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. Children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. The most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. So dont wait. Attack the flu virus at its source. Ask your doctor about tamiflu. Prescription for flu. Soft holiday music ] can you help me up . [ snow intensifies ] [ sleighbells ring in the distance ] aleve. All day pain relief with just 2 pills. Get back to being you. And youll see just how much it has to offer, especially if youre thinking of moving an old 401 k to a fidelity ira. It gives you a wide range of investment options. 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Even longer for teresa who just signed a sixyear loan at 2 to put her college son into a 2011 toyota tundra. We wanted a good product. Something that would last him a long time with a nice payment. Reporter why the longer loans . To begin with good cars simply are more expensive today. The low rates are making it possible for buyers to drive away in more expensive cars that used to be out of reach. The average car loan is now 27,000. With good credit, five and a half year loans are averaging 3. 2 . Total cost of financing 2,500. But for customers with weaker credit who pay a 5 rate, the cost of financing jumps to 4,000. The good news . Outside kansas city toyota dealer scott adams says cars are also lasting longer than ever before. People are keeping their car past the length of the loan no matter how long the loan is. Reporter the risk, some people are buying more car than they can afford. If youre the kind of consumer whos likely going to want to be back in the market in two or three years and get something new, then chances are youll likely be upsidedown when you go to buy that next car. Reporter and cars depreciate the minute theyre driven off the lot, a very big reason money experts advise putting down a bigger down payment and sticking to three and fouryear loans. Tom costello, nbc news, vienna, virginia. Now to another thanksgiving tradition, the national dog show. A bloodhound named nathan won best in show. But one of his distant runnersup nearly stole the show by fleeing the show. A miniature pinscher took over. His mortified handlers face pretty much says it all. A reminder no matter how much you train them sometimes dogs are going to do just whatever they want to do. When we come back, different walks of life, different jobs, different talents with one common theme. Something to be thankful for tonight. Common theme. Something to be thankful for tonight. 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Reporter warmly welcomed on her first day of school in america, 18yearold mercy paul smiles brightly showing no hint of her ordeal in nigeria. She started a new life in canyonville, oregon. Just seven months ago she was one of the 276 mostly christian girls kidnapped by islamic terrorists called boko haram. There was no way for us to run away, she says. They told us they would kill us. With a licensed counselor at her side, mercy tells us how the terrorists set the girls school on fire, forced them onto trucks and drove deep into the forest. I jumped, mercy says, not knowing if i would be able to walk or whether i would die. Dozens of other girls also escaped. But more than 200, some seen in this boko haram video, did not. The militants leader said they have converted to islam and would be sold in the market. Worldwide outrage sparked bring back our Girls Movement with some high profile support. In these girls, barack and i see our own daughters. We see their hopes and their dreams. Reporter mercys dream now is to become a doctor, learning a new language, a new culture, basketball, air hockey and, yes, even super mario. And shes excited that some of her nigerian classmates will soon join her at school. With the help of the christian group, the jubilee campaign, which is raising funds so that all 57 girls who escaped can finish school in the united states. Mercy tells us she loves and misses her friends. Her sisters, still being held captive. But she asks for mercy even for the men who are hurting them. In the bible god says he can talk to people, even in their dreams, she tells us. I pray they find god is forgiving and merciful and they stop doing what it is that theyre doing. Her faith allows mercy to smile and hope shell some day see the friends she left behind. Ann curry, nbc news, canyonville, oregon. When we come back, what you say youre grateful for above all this holiday. E all this holiday. Shes still the one for you. 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Thats why theres Coricidin Hbp it relieves cold symptoms without raising Blood Pressure. So look for powerful Cold Medicine with a heart. Coricidin hbp. Finally tonight, its called thanksgiving for a reason. And though it may get all mixed up in the annual buying frenzy, it is still a day rooted in giving thanks for whatever makes your world a little brighter this time of year. And so we asked americans from all over the country one simple question, what are you most thankful for . This thanksgiving i am so thankful for just my life. I love what i do. Im thankful for freedom and to be able to choose to be a part of something that helps others. Im thankful for family. Im thankful for my friends playing with me and being nice to me and playing fair. Im thankful i live in beautiful sunny southern california. Thankful for my brothers, a little bit but not so much because they keep roughing me up. Well, not my baby one, so im thankful for him a little bit more. Im thankful for having the best job in the world. Im thankful for being able to live out my dream every single day. I am thankful for my job. I can have plenty of food on the table for my husband, my family. Im thankful for football because i get to see the giants and the buccaneers and the bengals play. Im very, very, very thankful for my big tv. Im thankful for my new wife. Weve only been married for about a year. Im thankful for a loving family and a wife ive been married to for 47 years. And im very thankful for my children. They make me happy and bring me such joy. Im thankful for seeing my whole entire family. Because i never get to see them a lot. This thanksgiving im thankful to the men and women in the armed forces serving overseas that wont be able to spend time with their family this holiday. Want to say love you, grandma, mom, please save me some food. You know im hungry. Happy thanksgiving. Happy thanksgiving. Happy thanksgiving. Happy thanksgiving. And that is our broadcast for this holiday evening. Thank you so much for being with us. Im kate snow. Brian will be back here tomorrow night. We hope to see you then. Light, camera, access. Well, get ready. Were going to have more . I was, like, didnt have to take it that far. Viola is just getting started. Im billy bush with exclusive access to the how to get