0 "ne --ocaptions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good morning and happy, happy thanksgiving. i'm carol costello, thank you so much for being with me. let's start in new york city, shall we, with a holiday tradition, the 87th macy's thanksgiving day parade just getting under way, despite fears of strong winds macy's confirmed last hour all 16 giant helium balloons will be allowed to fly. we'll see several new balloons up in the air today including a holiday themed stro ed spongebo squarepants. 3.5 million people will be watching in new york and 50 million more will be watching on television. cnn's jason carol has a front row seat, he's along the parade route, happy thanksgiving. >> reporter: yes, and happy thanksgiving to you and take a look behind me the start of the parade just getting under way and the first helium balloon making its debut, snoopy and woodstock, and i have to tell you, there have been so many people out here, we were out here since 6:00 a.m. this morning. something like that, and it was touch and go, a lot of people were wondering are these balloons going to fly, are they not going to fly? the decision made the last hour the 16 giant helium balloons will fly, certainly good news to the brindell family from long island. >> the balloons are up? >> reporter: they're up! >> they're up! >> reporter: they're about to go. >> okay, that's terrific. we've been here since 5:00 in the morning waiting. >> reporter: 5:00 in the morning, i said 6:00, even earlier. you guys are excited to hear the balloons are going to be flying. >> yes i'm so excited and to see the celebrities and everyone, going to be so close. >> actually i think carol some of the young girls are more excited to see the celebrities and the balloons. i know that you said you've been waiting a long time. >> 19 years it's been my dream to come and we're finally going to see the balloons. >> reporter: when you come down here, yes, there are bands, yes, there are the clowns, i'm not going to cut you off. i know you wanted to get your shout out in. it's not just about the bands, it's not just about the clowns. they come down for the balloons as well and you wanted to talk about your performers. >> austin mahon, the best person alive and performing and it's going to be outstanding. >> reporter: not filled with helium but important to the young girls. >> very. >> reporter: go austin! >> thank you. the parade is getting under way. tom the turkey will be heading things off. snoopy out here, one of the newest balloons how to train your dragon, touch and go for a little bit, but it looks like tradition is going to weigh out here, the balloons are going to fly. carol? >> that's terrific news. the young lady who told you she'd been waiting 19 years, doesn't look much older than 19. >> reporter: i know, right? >> it's amazing. jason carroll we'll get back to you, thanks so much. in much of the country, temperatures are below freezing this holiday morning including right there in new york city, here in atlanta, it is the coldest thanksgiving morning in more than a century. so let's take a look at the holiday forecast so we can share in the misery together, cnn's jennifer gray is in new york. good morning. >> good morning to you. even the deep south experiencing very, very cold temperatures this morning, it's been breezy in new york and all across the northeast but luckily those winds are starting to die down. right now, 7-mile-per-hour winds with gusts of about 26, so looks like those balloons are going to be flying high, it's going to be perfect out there, seeing winds of about 25 miles per hour in boston, with gusts up to 39, so a windy start for you, current temperatures outside, 30 degrees in new york, 32 in boston, 32 in philly, and seeing temperatures around 19 degrees in vicksburg. if that's not cold enough, factor in the winds and the windchills are down in the 20s. new york city feels like 23 degrees for all of the folks along the parade route and windchill factors will not get out of the 20s throughout the entire day so it is going to stay awfully cold throughout much of the northeast, including the south, little rock, 33 degrees, by the time you wake up tomorrow morning, as all of you head out to do some black friday shopping, if you are in the north, 18 degrees, international falls for you black friday shoppers. chicago, 28 degrees to start your morning on friday. looks like things will stabilize a little bit more, carol, as we head into the end of the weekend. >> thank you, jennifer. black friday shoppers, black thursday shopper, jennifer. yes, some die-hard shoppers out already this morning, foregoing thanksgiving festivities to camp out in front of stores like best buy and toys "r" us hoping to snag some of the crazy doorbuster deals, adding to the appeal of a good discount, free iphones when you sign up for a new contract at best buy, $20 gift certificate with a k-cup and $50 gift card when you purchase a 50 inch samsung tv at target. is it really worth it? it depends. >> supposed to be home with your families not shopping. >> it's tradition for six years. >> you say you're focused on your family and your family all comes to shop, then that's fine. >> that's right, it's a joyous family gathering. kyung lah is tracking the magic in burbank. i can't believe they're shopping thanksgiving morning. >> reporter: carol, it is 6:05 in los angeles now and people are out here shopping. look at this line, about i counted about 50 people outside, people are lining up here and what are they lining up, cds, tvs, $179, all of this is part of the frenzy of black friday. the shoving. the screaming. [ bleep ]. >> reporter: the swearing. >> push and we'll stab one of you [ bleep ]! >> reporter: let the fists fly. retailers call it the super bowl of shopping or black friday but scenes like these that flood the internet give it a black eye. this ugly clash at a los angeles walmart two years ago was captured by juan castro. >> all the people just went in there and started destroying the boxes. >> reporter: all this for markdown xbox games. >> people were fighting trying to get the deals and that's when some lady brought out pepper spray and started going at it. >> my eyes are burning! my eyes! >> reporter: was that moment a turning point for walmart? >> certainly. i think we could do a better job at managing crowds and helping customers get into the store, find the item they're looking for and get out. so i think we learned a lot. >> reporter: walmart says this time, it's a calmer black friday, orderly lines through the store, shopper also get wristbands and rain check tickets to ship items that run out, but what won't change are the surprise deals through the store. >> 40 seconds and all the people will go crazy. >> reporter: so predictable and wild his dad brought his kids to walmart to witness the mayhem firsthand. there's something about black friday. >> reporter: these residents don't care about mayhem. they thrive on it every year, using shopping apps and meticulous planning to save on toys for their young kids. >> eight hours of shopping? yes, eight hours or so. >> reporter: seriously, all night. >> it was worth it. >> um-hum. >> reporter: one spent $960, half of her budget saving $1,000 on gifts, enough to make her want to dance. >> so yeah, the jig had to happen and i would do it again if i got a deal like that. >> reporter: not a laughing matter to victoria caruso, seen enough video of the fighting. >> me and you, any time you want [ bleep ]. >> reporter: doesn't want any of it even if it's literally a pillow fight. >> i think they're crazy. to them it's a sport. lacrosse is a sport. black friday is not a sport. >> she shops all online. she gives up some of the deals but savors her serenity. >> saving isn't worth the bail money. >> reporter: juan castro can't resist a short outing. >> i should get a vest, maybe some football gear would do me good. >> reporter: that may be good advice because for shoppers like these, it's game on. and kickoff has begun when it comes to the sport of black friday, you see people lined up there, people are winding around here through the aisles, a lot of people are here. i'm surprised and again, it's only about 6:10 on thanksgiving morning here in los angeles and i'm actually going to ask armando a quick question, how much sleep did you give up? >> a few hours of sleep but it was worth it. >> reporter: worth it and what did you buy? >> a television, 32 inch. >> reporter: and how much did you pay? >> 179. >> reporter: are you still eating turkey today? >> yes, i am. >> reporter: thanks, armando. people are apparently going to eat turkey but working off the pounds before they put them on. >> i'm not paying attention because i'm writing down my life's lesson you that just taught me this morning, savings aren't worth the bail money, words to live by. >> reporter: she's a wise woman. >> she is very wise. kyung lah, it was a lot of fun, thanks so much. the idea of being without family for the holiday is certainly not something everyone supports, last night dozens turned out in chicago to protest whole foods' decision to stay open on thanksgiving. >> we stock the food, we ring up the food n many cases we prepare the food and we also deserve to participate in the holiday. >> protesting employees are being backed by a local union group. whole foods says thanksgiving hours are voluntary and those who work will be paid time and a half. an indiana pizza hut manager fired by franchise owners for refusing to open thanksgiving day has been offered his job back. tony rohr says when he refused the thanksgiving hours he was asked to write a letter of resignation. he says thanksgiving is important. >> thanksgiving and christmas are the only two days that they're closed in the whole year and there are only two days those people are guaranteed to have off to spend with their families. >> he just wanted to give his employees thanksgiving day off. the franchise owners fired him. but now as i said they offered him his job back. pizza hut's corporate office says it was an error in judgment. no word whether rohr has accepted the offer to stay on. today's thanksgiving football feast kicks off with the lions hosting the green bay packers. as lions' head coach jim schwartz says i guess we don't have to worry about setting an extra place for josh sitton. >> they're a bunch of dirtbags or scumbags, that's how they play and how they're coached, that starts withier coach, with the head coach, schwartz, he's [ bleep ], i wouldn't want to play for him. >> seriously? scumbags and dirtbags? come on. i know the lions have a few problems with dirty play, i know, but scumbags and dirtbags? >> we're spicing up the rivalry, right, carol? can we really argue suh has had some controversial plays. two years ago stopped on a packers' offensive lineman and kicked matt schaub in the groin. >> that was an accident. >>y i suppose, he's a fierce competitor, some call him dirt y. >> i would be the first to admit suh has his problems. nick fairley for this year. >> they have a host of characters, it's interesting to see what happens today. >> the green bay packers and detroit lions hate each other anyway. >> aaron rodgers coming back from the broken collarbone, but looking at the defensive line with suh and fairley, i'm going to sit this one out and wait for next week. >> smart move. dallas is another much anticipated game, tony romo, you love him or absolutely hate him. >> right and i covered tony romo for a couple of years in dallas, he gets so much unfair criticism, it's unbelievable, without tony romo, the cowboys wouldn't be in some of the games, everyone gives him, get on him for throwing the fourth quarter interceptions. if i asked you who was the all-time highest rated quarterback in the fourth quarter ever in the nfl? >> now i got to guess tony romo. >> got to guess and that's correct, out of every quarterback to ever play the game he's the highest rated quarterback in the fourth quarter. most people don't think about that, they think about the terrible interceptions he throws. he does throw those but he should get more credit than he's due. >> we'll see if he wins today. >> he should. >> thanks, andy. still to come, despite giving thanks, despite tragedy that's the task for residents of an illinois town devastated by recent tornadoes. we'll take you there next. and what are you thankful for today? give me an answer, facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me @carolcnn. so, with chevy's black friday sale, the price you see is the price you pay? yep, best prices of the year. i can't see. honey. 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[ woman ] i'd be an architect. what if i told you someone could pay you and what if that person were you? ♪ when you think about it, isn't that what retirement should be, paying ourselves to do what we love? ♪ checking our top stories at 17 minutes past the hour. new report says canada gave the united states permission to spy during the 2010 g-8 and g-20 summits in ontario. cbc news made the report based on documents received from edward snowden. they show the usa set up shop in the u.s. embassy for the operation. pope francis will make his first ever trip to israel next year, a source tells cnn the visit will take place from may 25th until the 26th. earlier the pope said it was his lifelong dream to advise i the ho visit the holy land. a southern california man is under arrest for holding two women hostage and shooting two police officers. man opened fire when a s.w.a.t. team arrived on the scene, fortunately both hostages are okay and one of the police officers is still in the hospital this morning. ♪ it's been one week since you looked at me ♪ ♪ tucked your head to the side and said get together, come back to see me ♪ bake naked ladies has canceled a concert at sea world before seeing cnn's "black fish." after the concert was announced fans started an online petition asking bare naked lied ease to back out of the show. in a facebook post the band members said they did not feel comfortable performing at the venue. new video out this morning shows the power of those deadly tornadoes that ripped across the midwest earlier this month, this is security camera footage from inside an indiana middle school, motion sensors were triggered when the storm ripped apart that gym. the town of washington, illinois, got the brunt of that storm which leveled as many as 500 homes in the small community near peoria. at least six people across the state were killed, officials estimate another 200 were injured but on this thanksgiving, survivors of the storm are joining with family and friends to give thanks. cnn ted rowlands is there. good morning, ted. >> reporter: good morning, carol. you think about thanksgiving and for many of us it is being at home, being around family and friends, watching football or the parade or cnn, but it's about home, your home or your grandma's home or someone in your family's home and so many people here have no home and it is really heartbreaking what they're going through. yesterday there was a wonderful event here in washington about 600 people took part in it, they came together, people in the community, who are displaced and got together for a lunch, pre-thanksgiving meal, governor was here and it was amazing the people there, while they have lost everything they surely have not lost their spirit. >> all of a sudden everything is taken away and you don't know what direction to move in. having the ability to get together with the community is powerful. >> just so thankful so be alive and all of the people so wonderful like this, people that have come to help, brought food. >> thanksgiving lunch is really about reminding people about what they should be thankful for, which is life, health, one another, the physical assets, while it's been devastating to lose them, we can rebuild those. >> reporter: there are a number of events taking place today as well in washington for people who don't have any place to go, there are several churches that are providing meals and a place to spend thanksgiving with friends and family and when you're enjoying your thanksgiving, think about these people and just be thankful for what you have, because they're going through a lot here and this is going to be the case for the next year or so as they decide whether to rebuild or relocate. >> it really makes you think about how much you have to be thankful for. we're asking you the question, what do you feel thankful for this holiday season? this from kristen via tweet, "i'm thankful for my life, cancer free three years, loving husband, two wonderful dogs we adopted one yesterday, and from eden, i'm thankful to wake up to cnn every morning. hmm, i don't think you're telling me a complete truth but i appreciated that. just ahead, nervous about getting your thanksgiving dinner just right? don't fret. we've got nicole johnson from the butterball turkey hotline to help you get through it. >> this is captain morris stationed in bagram air field afghanistan. i wish my mom, grandmother an family and friends a happy thanksgiving. i love you and i miss you. 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