justice department. you know, it s different from political motivations in congress. one interesting aspect, is there s so little case law on executive privilege, but what is the sanction if pence did the right thing and says i want to testify, executive privilege be damned? who s going to sanction him for it? he s not in a representative capacity, there s no attorney-client privilege, and he s not a federal employee anymore. kaitlan, you mentioned the new special counsel, jack smith, overseeing this investigation as well as the documents that were recovered at mar-a-lago. does this news today about pence tell us anything about where this process assistants? i think it does. we have had a lot of hints recently this is a pretty mature investigation, that there s been a lot of evidence gathered, and this is just another bullet point to speak to that, that this is a mature investigation where prosecutors are making decisions to do things that
i think smith will move expeditiously with this investigation. all right. paul callen, kaitlan paulens, and shan wu, thank you very much. happy thanksgiving. two american communities reels from mass shootings. we ll have live updates on the mass akers. stay with us. you re in the situation room. ? this is financial security. and lincoln financial solutions will help you get therere. as you plan, protect t and retire.
travel period they have seen since they started measures this data. so far so good on the front. omar, thank you, sir. appreciate it. retailers are hoping for a happier holiday season, as shoppers return to stores, as the pandemic drove more to buy online. here s the story. reporter: on this year s holiday shopping menu, more sales, but with a healthy side of inflation. cutting off your circulation. i m going crazy. reporter: denise is in the middle of her holiday shopping. this is for my mom, then i got stuff for my kids and my niece. oh, my god. reporter: this year the wish list is looking a little different. last month inflation cooled, but still running hot at 7.7%.
i try nod to over-spend anyway. i try not to exceed what he can do. reporter: according to the national retail federation, while online sales are expected to increase, a return to in-store shopping will make up a larger portion of all holiday sales. i kind of like in person more. why is that? it s more the field of trying it on for the stores that you re allowed to, and then being amongst everybody else. reporter: it s that holiday nostalgia that willowbrook mall will help this year s season return to pre-pandemic expectations. reporter: do you anticipate inflation will play a role in how people shot? i think people are planning better, in terms of what their experience will be. i think they have budgeted. i don t cut back at christmas. reporter: how many more stores? maybe five more?
i ve had to cut back on shopping. i do have three girls, they do understand that times are heart right now, and it s just me being a single mom. reporter: the national retail federation estimates that nearly 8 million more people will shock between black friday and cybermonday and spend up to 8% more than last year. we re looking at records in all categories. it s remarkable in the face of the pressures, that consumers are still finding a way to drive economic activity. reporter: last metropolitan, retail sales beat expectations, up 1.3% in october, but this month, consumer sentiment fell. still, higher prices haven t shopped some people from shopping has that impacted the way you re going to spend this holiday season? for me, not really.