defendant travis mcmichael guilty. >> the judge read out guilty 23 times, all three defendants convicted of murder in the killing of ahmaud arbery. their claim of self-defense rejected. arbery's mother emotional inside the courtroom as the verdicts were read. outside court, alongside civil rights leaders, she thanked prosecutors. she thanked supporters. her message, god is good. wanda cooper jones spoke to cnn last night. >> it means a lot. it means that my prayers have been answered. back in the early case, back in 2020, it was 74 days without an arrest. we finally was able to go through a lengthy trial and get justice for ahmaud. a lot of these families don't get justice. my message for those families is don't give up. keep pushing, keep fighting. >> you have to wonder what would have happened if there had been no video of arbery's murder. remember, it was one of the defendants, roddy bryant who recorded the killing. they thought it would clear them. gregory mcmichael dropped a copy off at a radio station. a host posted it online, it went viral, and instead of clearing them it led to their conviction, and in all likelihood life in prison. cnn's martin savage was outside the courtroom in brunswick. >> reporter: good morning, christine. i was in the courthouse when the verdict was read. many people were listening to what was going on inside the courtroom on their cell phones. the moment they heard guilty, it was like an emotional dam burst. people shouted, people cried, people hugged one another. it was clear guilty was the word they feared they might never hear in this case. it's understandable why. because for 74 days nobody had been arrested, despite the fact that law enforcement had from day one the video that showed the murder of ahmaud arbery. it was only after that video was made public that there was public outrage across the nation, and then state investigators got involved, and within 36 hours you had the first arrest in the case. then came the charges and then came the trial. but none of that guaranteed a verdict, and that is why when they heard the words "guilty" outside of that courthouse, there was so much meaning to so many people. >> black killed, life don't matter. for real, all life matters. not just black. we don't want to see nobody go through this. i wouldn't want to see no daddy watch their kid get shot down like that. so it's all our problem. it's all our problem. so, hey, let's keep fighting. let's keep joining and making this place a better place for all human beings. >> amen. >> all human beings. >> amen. >> everybody. >> amen. >> love everybody. >> love everybody. >> all human beings need to be treated equally. >> um-hmm. >> we're fixing to conquer this. today is a good day. >> reporter: next, of course, is going to be sentencing. we don't know the date yet. we do know the maximum that all three men now could face is life in prison without the possibility of parole. after that comes the potential for a federal trial on federal hate crimes, and there again, the punishment could be the same. life in prison without the prospect of parole. that trial is scheduled to begin in february right here in this same small town. christine? >> martin, thank you so much for that. you know, even with the convictions, the family attorney says there is still a lot of work to do. >> i think that what we witnessed was an anomaly. it's the reason all the media and the people around the world are stopping to pause and say, oh, my god, they got justice in this case. so, that's not a good sign that people think that in a case as open and obvious, one that was recorded on a bright sunday day, and just last year, that it was a big question mark, and there was a strong doubt that we would get justice. and so it represents how far we have to go. >> in a trial that featured one gripping moment after another, it was a scene after the verdicts that may have been among the most memorable. >> linda. >> [ cheers and applause ] >> good job. >> a sea of black men and women cheering the white prosecutor who convinced the 12 jurors to convict. the defense tried to use race to sway the jury several times at trial, but prosecutors said they had faith in the panel despite its racial makeup. 11 white people and one black person. >> after we picked the jury, we looked at them and realized that we had very, very smart, very intelligent, honest jurors who were going to do their job, which is to seek the truth. and so we felt that putting up our case, it didn't matter whether they were black or white, that putting up our case that this jury would hear the truth. they'd see the evidence. and that they would do the right thing and come back with the correct verdict. >> i wanted to make sure that the jury understood that the self-defense case was absolute garbage, that was not what took place, and i was doing my best in the moment to dismantle it. >> president biden says the convictions, quote, reflect our justice system doing its job and vice president kamala harris says the verdicts send an important message the fact remains we still have work to do. all right. breaking overnight, two more smash-and-grab robberies in california mar the start of thanksgiving weekend. one happened at an apple store in the bay area. police say at least four suspects grabbed more than $20,000 worth of goods. another happened in the canoga park area. they pepper sprayed at nordstrom security guard and made off with items including expensive purses. similar crimes in california the last few days have communities on edge. the state attorney general is at a loss for answers. >> what's happening in california and across the nation, it's awful. it's unacceptable. it's unsafe for our shoppers, for our businesses, for our communities at large. and this is organized retail crime. this is not petty theft. this is not shoplifting. this is not a teenager stealing candy from the store. this is organized. this is planned. this is premeditated. there is intent. >> in some cases highly organized. robbers also hit a louis vuitton store and others in the chicago area and stole more than 100 thoid worth of items. remember, black friday is tomorrow. with so much inventory out of stock online, the stores could be packed. best buy said the jump in thefts is traumatizing staff there. people misbehaving in the air as well. there's been a sharp rise in assault against airline workers. now attorney general merrick garland is directing federal prosecutors to prioritize cases involving violent passengers on commerce flights. the move comes during the peak holiday travel season. airlines are seeing a a re: surgence of travel. with fewer pilots and flight attendants than before the pandemic. the economic indicators are strong. spend sergio garcia up, income is up, spending is down. hanging over all of it, inflation. ray loves vacations. but his diabetes never seemed to take one. everything felt like a 'no'. everything. but then ray went 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insurance company that's been saving people money for nearly 60 years. ♪ 'cause it's the only thing i wanna do ♪ shaq: (singing in background) can't unhear that. for a great low rate, and nearly 60 years of quality coverage - make the right call and go with the general. such tree-mendous views. i'm at a moss for words. when a cough tries to steal dad's punchlines, he takes robitussin naturals powered by 100% drug-free ingredients. are you gonna leaf me hanging? soothe your cough naturally. new u.s. economic data out ahead of the thanksgiving holiday, weekly employment benefits finally falling below pre-pandemic levels. last week's adjusted jobless claims, look at that, dropped to 199,000. folks, that's the lowest number since 1969. that means more job choices for workers and higher wages as employers struggle to fill positions. which leads to the worst of times for consumers. surging inflation by one key measure, it is at 5% for the year ending in october. 4.1% if you strip out volatile food and energy. that is the highest level since november 19930. if there is any good news, inflation leveled off and pandemic price hikes are not behind us just yet. inflation is taking its place at the thanksgiving dinner table this year. by most measures the most expensive turkey day on record. america's farmers are not reaping the benefit of the pricey thanksgiving. coffers are up, prices are down and concern for what comes next. cnn's gabe cohen reports. >> reporter: as jim jones finishes the sweet potato harvest on his north carolina farm, skyrocketing costs are slicing through his profits. are you seeing any more money from this inflation? >> no, no. we're actually paying for it. >> reporter: the price of fertilizer, fuel and labor are way up with no ceiling in sight. how did your profit change this year? >> i would say maybe 10, 15%. >> reporter: what about looking ahead to next year? >> add that much more to it again. >> reporter: inflation may be cooking up the most expensive thanksgiving in history for families. the usda says the average dinner cost is up 5%. the american farm bureau says it may be as much as 14%. their survey shows price hikes on most products from potatoes to cranberries to turkeys which are nearing a record high. despite those markups at the market, many farmers say the price they receive for their crop isn't going up. so your price is staying the same? >> my price is staying the same. or a little lower. >> reporter: why don't farmers raise the price of their crops? >> farmers are price takers, not price makers. >> reporter: patty ed berg is president of the national farmers union. who is making the money from that inflation? >> much more the middleman than anybody else. >> reporter: the usda confirms in many cases processors and distributors that get food from the farm to store shelves are the ones passing along their surge in costs with materials and ingredients still stuck on cargo ships and a shortage of labor and truckers driving up wages and costs. >> to some extent we're also trying to pay for the uncertainty in the market place right now. >> reporter: twrey malone is an agricultural economist at michigan state university. >> we're in the middle of a perfect storm of unique events in agricultural production. i would say buckle up for awhile longer of these higher input costs. >> reporter: some farms are stocking up on materials in case suppliers run out. others are waiting, hoping prices will drop. all these costs, especially labor, are threatening the california sweet potato farm. >> we were making 100 to $150,000 a year in profit. this year we're probably going to lose 80 to $100,000. >> reporter: it's only getting worse. >> we could lose a quarter of a million dollars next year. we would not have enough cash to take into the following year in order to get our operating loan in order to operate for the following year. >> reporter: farmers are used to volatility, and both he and jones are now looking for ways to adapt, like downsizing or shifting to other crops. >> it's going to worry, i ain't gonna let it get me down. we'll survive somehow. >> reporter: as long as these money problems stop piling up. >> we just need to get a fair price for what we're growing. >> reporter: gabe cohen, cnn, washington. >> all kinds of industries. thank you for na, gabe. some health news from president biden. precancerous lesion, what it means for the president's health. y. so no more nudging your partner. or opting for the couch. because the tempur-ergo smart base is our first system that detects snoring and automatically adjusts to help reduce it. your best sleep. all night. every night. save up to $500 on select adjustable mattress sets during the tempur-pedic black friday event. learn more at tempurpedic.com ( ♪ ) what a pain in the... alice? if it's "let's wrap this up" season, it's walgreens season. it's the black friday sale. get 30 to 50% off everything. ♪ ♪ this is how we shine... at zales. the diamond store. xfinity rewards are our way of thanking you just for being with us. enjoy rewards like movie night specials, xfinity mobile benefits, and the chance to win tickets to see watch what happens live. hey, it's me. plus, get holiday gifts for everyone on your list with great deals on fan favorites from today. join over a million members by signing up for free on the xfinity app. our thanks. your rewards. in the clear, new york city prosecutors have informed a top trump organization executive they do not intend to charge him criminally, at least for now. the investigation of the former president's business has faced a series of delays including litigation that went to the supreme court and a sealed legal dispute over documents. remember, another long time trump executive cfo allen weisselberg has already been indicted. what does the latest decision by the manhattan da mean? cnn's whitney wild reports. >> reporter: christine, prosecutors have been investigating the trump organization's chief operating officer matthew calamari for compensation he received as a top executive, that includes a company apartment and car. and whether he paid taxes on those benefits. the fact prosecutors have told calamari he won't be charged at least for now suggests that prosecutors are not going to try to flip him to gain his cooperation. the latest decision also comes as prosecutors sharpen their focus on the trump organization and specifically how it valued certain assets such as office towers and golf courses and, moreover, whether the organization either inflated or lowered those values for certain gains like tax benefits. cyrus vance, jr., is the manhattan district attorney, and he's in his final weeks of his term after he decided not to run for reelection. so the time is really ticking for him to make a decision on how he is going to move forward with this case. former president donald trump has called this investigation a politically motivated witch-hunt, christine. 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(vo) reflect on the past, celebrate the future. season's greetings from audi. when it comes to autism, finding the right words can be tough. finding understanding doesn't have to be. we can create a kinder, more inclusive world for the millions of people on the autism spectrum. go to autismspeaks.org. welcome back. developing overnight we've learned president biden had a benign but potentially precancerous polyp removed during his colonoscopy last week. cnn chief medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joins us now. elizabeth, the president just turned 79. put this in context for us. this is why we get colonoscopies to find these lesions and treat them on the spot. >> that's right, christine. you know, when you hear precancerous, it is so scary. it is not uncommon for these polyps to be found after age 50. so the fact that he had one of these polyps and it was removed is a good thing. it shows the system is working. he had a colonoscopy, they found this 3 millimeter polyp, it was precancerous and they got rid of it. it's very effective to get rid of it at such an early stage. this is why the u.s. centers for disease control says get cancer screening starting at age 45. it works, and so something that sounds super scary like a precancerous polyp really isn't so scary. christine? >> all right, thank you so much for that. reminder to everyone out there, put off any of your screenings during the covid shutdowns, get up to date on your health care, please. thanks, elizabeth cohen this morning. all right. justice can come slowly, but how about this. a pennsylvania man sentenced to one day in prison for stealing a rare rifle 50 years ago. 78-year-old thomas gavin admits he took the rifle from a museum in philadelphia back in 1971. the rifle dates back to the american revolution. according to the d.o.j., gavin confirms he kept it 40 years, sold it in 2018. it's worth more than $175,000. "early start" continues right now. ♪ all right, good morning, everyone. this is "early start." thanksgiving edition, exactly 30 minutes past the hour. i'm christine romans. laura jarrett has the holiday off with her family this morning. the macy's thanksgiving day parade a muted event, this morning the holiday tradition returns to form in its 95th year. and we have cnn's miguel marques there on the route. he joins us live. nice to see you this morning. you know, last year was such a, you know, covid thanksgiving. i'm calling this vax-giving this year. there will be vaccinated people there. there will be parade balloons. what can we expect to see today, miguel? >> reporter: yeah, the last two years have been brutal. if you had any desire to know if things were coming back, this is it. the turkey, the parade, the entire 2 1/2-mile route is all back. 15 giant balloons, a bunch of new ones, including baby yoda, which everyone is very excited to see. and ten bands, 28 floats, thousands of -- thousands of thousands, 300 pounds of glitter. police have everything set. the route is ready. people are already lining up, getting ready to see this theme. they are sleeping on the sides. it is expected to be a massive square all the way down to harold square where it will end. people feeling really good this morning. happy thanksgiving is what people are yelling at us as we're walking up the street here to get in position for this live shot. so a lot of excitement that this parade is back, and the world, the u.s., and new york city is starting to get back to normal. christine? >> i usually don't like crowd events to be honest, but i have to say i lived in new york long enough, that is one of the best things in new york, to be there to see the parade go by with all the people. everyone is always so happy. does it seem like the wind is pretty good there? sometimes it can be windy and that is a little treacherous. it looks like the weather is good, yeah? >> reporter: that's always the big report, is the wind going to keep the balloons from flying. it is a perfect day it looks like. there is not even a breeze right now. so it looks like all the balloons will be just fine. it looks like it's going to be a sunny day, just a spectacular day for a parade. and it couldn't come soon enough because a lot of people, i think, are feeling a little low about where everything is. it's been fits and starts to get through this pandemic after two years of doing little more than pandemic stories. it is an absolute joy to be out here with tom turkey and all the balloons and the n.y.p.d. and thousands and thousands of new yorkers, and people from around the world to watch this parade kickoff. >> miguel, maybe the most important question i will ask today, tell me, which do you prefer, pumpkin, apple or pecan? what kind of pie guy are you? >> reporter: pumpkin, absolutely pumpkin. >> all right. >> reporter: with lots of cream, lots of whipped cream. >> all right. for the record i've got it down. thank you. nice to see you. have a great day. the parade -- >> reporter: happy thanksgiving. >> you, too, happy thanksgiving. the parade balloons will be flying high. here's derek van democrat. >> good morning, christine. plenty to be thankful for, quiet weather for flying to and from family. a few light showers from chicago. perhaps flying home from family or friends, the i-95 corridor could experience a few wet spots from d.c. to new york as well as boston. but this cold front is actually going to set the stage for cooler weather, and the potential for more impactful weather conditions and the early part of next week as the clipper system drops from the great la lakes today mid-atlantic. let's talk thursday, thanksgiving day forecast. 43 for chicago the. 60 for atlanta. the nation's capital 67. you'll stay dry. guess what, looks like ideal conditions, in fact, for the macy's thanksgiving day parade. going off without a weather hitch in new york city. back to you. >> all right, thank you so much for that, derek. now to a tragedy in the english channel. at least 27 people drowned in the frigid waters off the french coast after an inflatable boat carrying migrants bound for britain capsized. it is one of the deadliest incidents ever on this dangerous route. five smugglers now under arrest. we have team coverage this morning starting with cyril vanier in kalle, france, near where the boat sank. macron said he will not let the channel become a graveyard. tell us more. >> reporter: i want to paint a picture for you and set the scene. i'm standing on the northern french coast. just over there is the english channel. we're meters away from the sea. 27 nautical miles on the other side, that's about 50 kilometers, is dover or the english coast. that is the el dorado. that is where the migrants are trying to go in search of a better life. and the jumping off point is this stretch of coast line, some 150 to 200 kilometers. they used inflatable boats. we just got here to try and understand what it is they go through. look at what we found. this is a spot that we randomly chose, and we found one of the boats that the migrants use, and these are dotted along the shoreline we're told. you see right there is a police car involved in the overall effort to patrol this coast line. but i want to go back on the boat because this is what people are entrusting to get them safely over to the other side. you would not put your children on this. the reason i mention children is because three children died in yesterday's tragic event. but look at this. see, there's some wooden boarding, wooden floor for the boat. there's some pretty shoddy taping. i'm not sure if that means that the boat had any kind of leaks. i don't know. but this is what we're talking about. in yesterday's tragic event, 34 people, the french interior minister tells us, got on a boat very much like this one. now, the smugglers who charged several thousand euros per migrant that they put on the boat, of course, they don't care if people make it alive. so they are known to overload those boats and those boats sit very low on the water. these seas can get very choppy. this is a windy waterway, a windy stretch between france and england. it is extremely dangerous, and this is what people are entrusting their lives with. you see this big gash here? this is because when law enforcement finds these boats that sometimes are buried into the sand, they want to de-commission them, so to speak. so they're the ones who have cut this up to make sure it can't be used again. during the rest of the day law enforcement will be going around these dunes. look at this. if a group of 30 migrants who are just on the other side of this dune right now, i couldn't tell you because you can't see them. so this is very, very favorable terrain for the migrants to hide in. that is exactly what they do. we spoke to a police man who told us yesterday 13 migrants were found hiding in one of these dunes. the smugglers bring them here, bury the boats, and when the time is right and the weather is right, they inflate the boat, put the migrants on it and send them off. the smugglers, by the way, they don't risk their lives. they just send the migrants. that's the story. that's what we know. and this is what's happening right along this 200 kilometer stretch of french coast line. >> cyril, amazing. thank you for that reporting. you say we wouldn't put our children on that boat. imagine the desperation what you're leaving and what you're trying to get to to actually take that risk to put your family on one of those boats. just remarkable about the plight of so many of these migrant families. thank you for that. cnn's nic robertson is in dover, england, the other side. they have been toughening borders for years. what is the reaction to this tragedy? >> reporter: there is a real sense of frustration. politically, the government is under huge pressure to solve this migrant issue. they partly got to power saying they could control this illegal migration that's happening here. i mean, look at the numbers. they're quite startling. where cyril is, just yesterday the french police managed to stop about 670 migrants getting out to the sea. even so, 255 of them, according to french officials, made it out into the channel and are believed to have made it here to the uk. a couple of weeks ago, a thousand migrants arrived in one day. there is a real spike going on at the moment. more than 25,000 migrants have made it into the uk from france over this past year, triple the number of last year. so the prime minister is under political pressure to do something about it. he called an emergency cabinet meeting of his government last night. he spoke about the tragedy, saying it's important that the two governments work together. >> it also shows how vital it is that we now step up our efforts to break the business model of the gangsters who are sending people to sea in this way. i say to our partners across the channel, now is the time for us all to step up, to work together, to do everything we can to break these gangs who are literally getting away with murder. >> reporter: and you're seeing and you're hearing some of the finger pointing that's already going on. boris johnson was essentially put pointing the finger at the french saying we made offers to help and the french aren't accepting. the french interior say the british are offering minimal support. i spoke with a local lawmaker here and i said, why isn't your government, which is part of boris johnson's government, why has your government been so slow to deal with this migrant issue that's happening? and she said, it's not our fault. she pointed to the french and said, the french police are just watching these migrants go out to sea and not stopping them. so you get a sense of the finger pointing and tensions here. despite president macron, boris johnson saying we should work together, there is a real element of a lack of trust and animosity on this and a number of other issues between the british and french right now. >> nic, where are these migrants coming from? they are citizens of what nations? >> reporter: on this particular crossing where 27 died, they are believed to be of somali and iraqi origin. typically many from north africa, many from countries in the middle east, syria, iraq, often afghanistan as well. the uk has really become, you know, a real focus for many of these migrants because they've got family here. they think they can get better support here, you know. the british are trying to sort of redesign their asylum system here on immigration. they haven't done it yet. but of the hundred thousand migrants that made it, we know one quarter of them have tried and made it into the uk. the uk is an attractive place, it appears, for the migrants to try to get to. >> amazing. all right, nic robertson, thank you so much for that. great reporting. we'll be right back. this holidam shine like never before. ♪ this is how we shine. ♪ find the perfect gift at zales. the diamond store. a mountain of toys to fulfill many wishes must be carried across all roads and all bridges. it's not magic that makes more holiday deliveries to homes in the us than anyone else, it's the hardworking people of the united states postal service. with xfinity home, you can keep your home and everything in it more protected. i can wrangle all my deliveries. thanks, hoss! and i help walk the dog from wherever. *door unlocks* ♪ ♪ well, i can bust curfew-breakers in an instant. well, you all have xfinity home, with cameras to home security monitored by the pros. *laughs* learn more about home security or get our self-monitored solution starting at just $10 per month. former president trump still casting a large shadow in washington. in particular, over kevin mccarthy's bid to become the next speaker if republicans take back the house. daniela diaz live on capitol hill with new cnn reporting this thanksgiving morning. nice to see you. take us flthrough it, daniela. >> reporter: christine, we have new reporting there is a small minority in trump's orbit that is circulating the idea that trump could make a play to win the speaker's gavel if, of course, the house wins the majority in the 2022 midterms. now, while this is, of course, a wild rumor that's circulating, this is still possible because technically the speaker of the house does not have to be a member of congress if the majority of the house votes to elect them. so this could happen. however, really what this shows is a couple of things, right. it shows trump is still the majority player in the republican party and still has a dominating influence over what the republican party does. and there's a couple of ways this could play out. it could play out where trump endorses mccarthy who has long wanted the speaker's gavel, and that would offer, of course, mccarthy the boost for the speaker's gavel. or trump could remain neutral, which could also potentially help mccarthy. or secretly privately, trump could go against mccarthy and hurt his chances toward the speaker's gavel. now, this is a whole math game. mccarthy wants to be speaker. he needs 218 votes in the house to be elected speaker. but, of course, remember there is the marjorie taylor greenes of the house, matt gates of the house who listen to trump. even some that are more subtle than them, and they could really hurt his chances if trump plays a role in mccarthy taking the speaker's gavel. of course, all of this if republicans take the majority in the 2022 midterms. but, yeah, that's basically how it might play out considering the fact that trump still plays a large role in the party. >> daniela diaz covering politics for us on thanksgiving. quick question, breaking news, what is your favorite pie, pumpkin, pecan, apple? >> pecan. always at the cann, christine. i'm from texas. i'm a texas girl. >> texas girl with a pecan pie. happy thanksgiving. >> reporter: happy thanksgiving. >> thanks for getting up early for us. some nations go back into lockdown. the world health organization says the continent could see another 700,000 covid cases -- covid deaths, rather, by march which would increase the current death toll by about half. cnn's phil black joins us from london. you know, phil, the w.h.o. says i.c.u.s could hit high or extreme stress levels across much of the continent. tell us more. >> reporter: yeah, christine, good morning. it's a really challenging time for europe at the moment. the cold weather is here. people are indoors, the delta variant is spreading rapidly. and on top of that, vaccine coverage is really patchy. it's less than 70% across the continent and much lower in some countries, some some specific regions. there is huge variation. on top of that there is also concern about diminishing immunity among those who have been vaccinated. that is why the european center for disease prevention and control is worried about what it calls this immunity gap, a huge number of people that are still vulnerable to infection and potentially serious disease. so it is calling on countries to ramp up their existing vaccination programs to try and get those shots into people's arms, to expand the booster programs quickly to include all adults, but especially the vulnerable. but it also acknowledges that that alone will not be enough. such is the rate of spread. figures of spiking so quickly that it knows you cannot close the immunity gap through vaccines alone. you can't get shots into arms fast enough. so it is calling for tougher action as well. more restrictions. it's why we are already seeing countries go that way. austria is already in something close to lockdown. italy is tightening up its health pass system. we are expecting more restrictions to be announced by france today as well. the overall picture strongly suggests that you will not be able to ease pressure on hospitals this winter in europe purely through light restrictions and gently moving ahead with vaccines. it is why a german health minister gave a very blunt prediction this week. he suggested that everyone in his country will by the end of winter either be vaccinated, recovered from covid, or will have died from covid. christine? >> vaccinated, recovered or dead. that really puts it starkly. phil black, thank you so much for that this morning. all right. the resurgence in covid cases across europe fueling fear of the eu's heeconomic recovery mit back slide. it's been limited, but all the new restrictions phil mentioned are prompting concerns from economists. many are forecasting slower growth in the fourth quarter. the european commission says consumer confidence fell markedly in november. and ihs market reports business expectations for future economic output deteriorated this month to the lowest level since january. other economists note businesses and consumers have learned to cope with covid and the economic impact has diminished with each new wave of cases. sperds say a lot will depend how the situation unfolds in germany. of course, europe's biggest economic engine. all right. lebron james had a pair of unruly fans ejected in his first game back after being suspended. coy wire this morning with the thanksgiving bleacher report. hey there. >> happy thanksgiving, christine. the lakers superstar back in the lineup against indiana pacers last night after sevginrving th first suspension of his career. leading his team to a 124-116 overtime win. halfway through the extra period, a pair of indiana fans sitting court side said something to lebron that did not sit well with him. he brought the referee over to the side line, pointed out the fans. after a brief discussion with arena officials, the man and woman were escorted out of their seats. lebron didn't say what the fans said to him. you can see the woman here still taunting on her way out. he did tell reporters, though, lebron said after the game the behavior like that is not acceptable. >> it's between cheering on your home -- not wanting your opponents to be successful, that's where it goes outside the line without seeing gestures and words. it shouldn't be tolerated. i would never say it to a fan, a fan should never say it to a player. >> all right. let's go on to the minnesota vikings who say that their defensive end emerson griffin is now safe and getting the care he needs after posting a series of videos on social media claiming an intruder was trying to kill him. deputies and mental health professionals went early yesterday morning after he called 911. he told dispatchers he fired a weapon, but no one was injured. officials say no intruder was located and the 33-year-old initially refused to leave his house. but eventually came out peacefully. >> your family is our family, and it's important at this moment we respect the health, same and well-being of everyone that is involved in this situation. and i know he's receiving the care and the support he needs along with his family. >> the four-time pro bowler played his first ten nfl seasons in minnesota. he spent time with the cowboys and the lions last season before returning to the vikings. finally, the alabama crimson tide is third in the latest college football playoff rankings, but some fans still aren't happy. the caller on head coach nick s saban's radio show said why aren't they winning by a bigger margin? saban's response epic. >> come on, give me a break. this is not professional football. these guys aren't getting paid to play here. they're representing you all. you should be proud and happy to support them. and appreciate what they do and have some gratitude. and you know what else? nobody wants to win worse than they do. not me, not you. i don't care what kind of fan you are. nobody wants to win more than the players that play. nobody. and nobody feels worse than they do when they lose. nobody. so for all you self-absorbed folks out there that can't look past your own self, appreciate what other people are doing. >> oh, my goodness. speaking of gratitude, i'm grateful for you, christine. something tells me saban's players are going to be a little pumped up to play auburn, their big arrivals in the iron bowl ts weekend. >> i'm grateful for you. i can't wait to hear what kaitlan collins thinks about the self-absorbed fans, too. thank you. we antowant to celebrate med women in the military. national guard soldiers arrived after a nine-month deployment. their families are so relieved they're back home, including a woman who gave birth while her husband was gone. >> he has not seen his father until this moment. >> this is the first time? and what's going through your mind? >> a lot of emotions. >> reporter: you've been waiting for this day, i imagine. >> oh, yes. i'm overwhelmed. he's home finally. it's the most amazing day. >> good on all of them. thank you for joining us. thanks, all of our first responders, our veterans, all of those people who work in the hospitals, everyone who is working today. thank you so much for all you do for us every day of the year. i'm christine romans. hat happy thanksgiving, everybody. 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