americans are about to shop online or at the stores. we've got the info smart shoppers will want to know. why this favorite spice could be the thanksgiving fat buster you've been searching for. the highly anticipated new york city parade kicks off in a few hours. expected to draw 3.5 million spectators. streets of course line the parade coming less than a month after the terror attack that killed eight people in lower manhattan. officials say visitors should not be deterred. nbc jay gray has more from new york. good morning. are you calling me a turkey on thanksgiving? i don't know how i feel about that. look, the parade final prep underway. and things going real well. that show of force you talk about very apparent this morning along the parade route. more police than ever before for a macy thanksgiving day parade. we're not only talking about feet officers. people on every corner. we have will officers on every corner. k9 units. anti-terrorist task force on the ground. snipers on rooftops. a lot of security that police tell us you won't see throughout the morning hee. just to make sure everything stays safe, when you talk to people at the inflation party last night. even some out early supporting trying to get a good spot which seems crazy at this hour. they are. they feel completely safe. they like the show of force. something they'll put up with. may take longer to get where you need to be. they understand that's just the way things are right now. coming on the heels of the attack less than a month ago. eight people killed and 20 people injured by a man on the truck who drove on the west side highway bicycle path. no one willing to take any chances. let's get to the good stuff. 18 balloons including olaf you see behind me just over the new york police truck here. olaf needs a little topping off. i think they're getting on that now. he was starting to deflate a little bit. he'll lead the balloons out this morning. we have a row of floats that are ready to go as well. led by tom turkey. should be a fantastic day here. kind of windy yesterday. today no real winds to speak of, which is great for those balloons. 85-90 handlers on each of those. >> olaf looks like he needs a little bit of a list. by the way, that entire live shot you have two huge eyes peering other your shoulder. only on thanksgiving would i accept that. jay gray for us. thank you. don't police the world's most famous parade. fun beginning at 9:00 a.m. on nbc station. let's talk travel everybody. thanks to stronger economy, more people making the trek to see families this thanksgiving. 51 million americans traveling this year. whether it's car or plane, travelers are in for a rough ride. >> we're taking annual thanksgiving trip from rhode island to d.c. >> with six kids in toe, jessica begins the journey from rhode island to d.c. >> we are still moving. the best thing you can hope for. >> road trips by far the most popular form of thanksgiving travel. look at the gridlock in los angeles. road to rail to air. all types of travel are up this year. air travel seeing the biggest jump up 5%. >> it's nice to be home with family and actually get to have a meal cooked for yourself. >> at denver's airport, a tram malfunction backed up lines. nine hours and counting. now stuck in traffic. >> still smiling. so you're stuck in traffic, but at least you don't have to go to work? >> that's true. the up side. >> really a nice looking thanksgiving. cooler air in place in the northeast. watch out for soaking rain across much of the northwest. speaking of things going on tomorrow. rain in florida, so if you're driving anywhere across florida, watch out for heavy downpours. may see airport delays as well. isolated thunderstorms in the forecast for today. it should clear up by the weekend. in the meantime that rain is coming into the tampa bay area at this hour. no rain for the parade. that's good news. beautiful conditions out there. yes, it is going to be cold. it's november. it's supposed to be. looking at start time of 9:00 a.m. 36 degrees. bundle up and enjoy. nice weather for new york city. >> thanks. turning overseas now. the search continuing for three u.s. service members missing after navy plane crashed into the water off the coast of japan. eight people aboard the plane were rescued alive. from the navy fleet. this is just the latest in the a series of often deadly accidents. alley, it's good to talk to you this morning. give us an update on the situation. do we know what happened. why it is this crash happened? >> good morning, yasmin. rigorous and far reaching search and rescue operations continue for those three sailers following the crash of that c2 transport plane in the fell mean sea yesterday. fleet of warships have joined the uss ronald reagan as well as scores of helicopters and planes combined with the japanese navy to find missing sailors. efforts were going on flu the night. covered some 320 nautical miles as of this morning. the u.s. navy said the entire focus is on finding all the sailors and efforts will be relentless. now next of kin notifications to inform families of their sailor's whereabouts are unknown have been done. their names are going to be withheld in accordance with usa navy policy. this is going to be a very anxious thanksgiving for the families of missing soldiers. on the positive, of the 11 people who went messing, eight have been recovered and transferred to uss ronald reagan and said to be in good condition. >> certainly eight happy families there. thoughts and prayers with those three remains. going to be keeping an eye on this. the house's longest running serving member has no plans to resign after allegations of sexual misconduct. >> if people were required to resign over allegations. settlement was not an admission of guilt. he denies the allegations. the house ethics committee says they are investigating. another congressman refusing to step down after a lewd photo of him surfaced on the internet. texas representative joe barten apologized over the photo of him shared on twitter. he said he originally shared the photo with a woman he had a consensual sexual relationship with prior to his divorce. he said in a statement i'm sorry i didn't use better judgment during those days. i'm sorry i let my constituents down. federal witness against fellow offices. commissioner kevin davis announced he was killed all day before he was set to testify in a grand jury investigation involving baltimore police officers. the commissioner says he was not the target of the ongoing investigation 6789 take a listen. there is no information that has been communicated to me that detective was anything other than a stellar detective, great friend, loving husband and dedicated father. no connection as his status of a federal witness. former doctor accused of molesting girls while he worked for usa gymnastics had bleed guilty in michigan. admitted to abusing young gymnasts under the guise of treatment and now faces 20 years in prison. among them more than 130 women and girls who accuse of molestation. multiple gold medalists. >> three time gold metal winner now adds her name to a list more than 100 long. accusing larry the former doctor for usa olympics of molesting her. shackled and looking weary, admitted abusing seven children in michigan, part of a plea deal that means he will go straight to children. >> i pray to the rosery every day for forgiveness. i want them to heel. >> the judge told him he can expect to spend the rest of his life behind bars. >> you used that position of trust that you had in the most vile way to abuse children. >> reporter: one of his most high profile, i didn't publicly share my experiences as well as many other things because for years we were conditioned to stay silent and honestly some things were extremely painful. she's the latest decorated olympic gymnast to o accuse. >> i think he's a monitor. i think it's so disturbing to me what he did to me and so many other people. this is so much bigger than just me. >> douglas weighed in for the first time last week in response she posted online about the subject of abuse. however, it is our ronlt as women to dress modestly and be classy. the comment drew quick criticism, even from her own teammate. on tuesday, douglas said she too was abused and that, quote, i know that no matter what you wear, it never giving anyone the right to harass of abuse you. he has not been charged with assaulting any olympians, but among the accusers in michigan, there is relief. >> today i am grateful for the army of women that has stopped a pedophile. >> thank you to stephanie for that. just ahead, is talking politics at the thanksgiving dinner today or plan to avoid it at all costs. 30 minute delay caused one group of travelers to break out in song and dance. first, jimmy fallon on donald trump's thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving eve. thanksgiving is tomorrow. that's right. trump is spending the holiday down at mar-a-lago. have a big buffet. has a gourmet stuffing. vegetable and turkey for the adults. chicken fingers, grilled cheese and curly fries from the president. this chicken nugget doesn't look like a dinosaur, i'm not eating it. (hard exhalation) honey? can we do this tomorrow? (grunts of effort) can we do this tomorrow? if you have heart failure symptoms, your risk of hospitalization could increase, making tomorrow uncertain. but entresto is a medicine that was proven, in the largest heart failure study ever, to help more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. women who are pregnant must not take entresto. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren. if you've had angioedema while taking an ace or arb medicine, don't take entresto. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high potassium in your blood. ♪ tomorrow, tomorrow... ♪ when can we do this again, grandpa? well, how about tomorrow? ask your doctor about entresto and help make tomorrow possible. think of all the things ithat think these days. businesses are thinking. factories are thinking. even your toaster is thinking. honey, clive owen's in our kitchen. i'm leaving. oh never mind, he's leaving. but what if a business could turn all that thinking... thinking... endless thinking into doing? to make better decisions. make a difference. make the future. not next week while you think about it a little more. but right now. is there a company that can help you do all that? ♪ i can think of one. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ oh, canada. got to love it. traveling through the holidays can be a nightmare of course, but these passengers packed their patience. found out they had a 30 minute delay. instead of getting frustrated threw an impromptu party with a guitar. accordion. singing and a lot of dancing. by the time their flight took off, the video had already gotten thousands of views. just a 30 minute delay. that's why they're happy. five hour delay, i think probably it would be a different story. you pass the turkey. might want to hold the politics. according to new associated press, two in ten americans anticipate the subject will come up during thanksgiving dinner. among them 39% of them dread the thought. 35% are eager for the conversation. nbc boston reporter alison king has more on politic's place at your thanksgiving dinner table. >> reporter: ask a random group of people what they'll be talking about at thanksgiving dinner and this is a common response. >> dig a little deeper. you realize it's more about what they don't want to talk about. >> we're going to try to keep it as far away from politics as we possibly can. >> start arguing about trump on the clintons, you get yourself in a real mess. >> reporter: this year it's not just that crazy uncle that will is worrisome. >> my mother has different views on immigration. we try to steer away from that as much possible. >> trans rights, lgbt community things. >> my son-in-law law for one, die hard trump fan. gets heated and one of us storms out of the room. >> yes, the nation's president is often driving the strongest opinions. >> would donald trump be a good dinner conversation. >> no. >> if i want to remain healthy, no. we don't even go there. >> will donald trump come up? >> some have it relatively easy. >> it's not a problem because everybody at the table is lefty liberal. >> others have a well thought out game plan. >> i just enjoy my beer or coffee and shut up. >> okay. then. thanks to alison for that report. if you can skip the report and only worry about gaining extra pounds from the holiday feast, you're not going to be sure to bust out of the cinnamon. rerges researchers from michigan found the essential oil that gives the warm spice and distinct flavor also turns up the heat on fat cells. acts directly on the cells causing them to burn energy while more study is needed. researchers hope cinnamon can be used to combat obesity. pour the cinnamon all over your food today, it sounds like to me. this is more than family and friends. it's also about scoring the best deals. this year retailers struggling to compete with online merchants. having a new strategy to get you in the door. jo ling kent has details from wayne, new jersey. the thanksgiving rush is about to begin. 164 americans expected to head out or get online to find deep discounts this holiday weekend. for the first time this year, shoppers say they would rather spend online than go to a store. to lure you back, retailers are rolling out dramatic deals, but only if you show up in person. jcpenney giving away are $500 coupons for $500 purchase or more. 100 if you spend 100 or more. macy's offering their in store shoppers a repeat. and target granting early access. >> having foot traffic in the store is easier to sell additional items. quite frankly, consumers are going more and more to online shopping. >> if you want to start shopping, walmart will keep 24 hour stores open. thanksgiving deals won't kick in until 6:00 p.m. target and sears also open after dinner time. macy's 5:00 p.m. along with toys r us and best buy. if you want a three hour head start, jcpenney opens at 2:00. retailers pulling out all the stops to win customers back. >> there's never anything open, but now i can go shopping when i leave the studio. if you're looking to celebrate thanksgiving in luxury. one restaurant may have the package for you. the old homestead steak house in new york city pulls out all the stops with their $76,000 thanksgiving package. especially when it comes to the turkey that cost $105 per pound. >> what we focused on is using the most expensive ingredients that we possibly could find from all over the world. >> how expensive are these ingredients. also includes four tickets to see hamilton. $7500 shopping free on fifth avenue. two night stay at the mandarin oriental hotel. and to top it all off, double o lease watch that cost over $20,000. just ahead. in tool on facebook. study says coffee has major health benefits for you. we're going to explain next. here's the story of green mountain coffee roasters sumatra reserve told in the time it takes to brew your cup. let's go to sumatra. where's sumatra? good question. this is win. and that's win's goat, adi. the coffee here is amazing. because the volcanic soil is amazing. making the coffee erupt with flavor. so we give farmers like win more plants. to grow more delicious coffee. that erupts with even more flavor. which helps provide for win's family. and adi the goat's family too. because his kids eat a lot. all, for a smoother tasting cup of coffee. green mountain coffee roasters. packed with goodness. ♪ is this for me? [alarm beeps] happy? wooo! let out your inner child at the lexus december to remember sales event. experience amazing at your lexus dealer. tomorrow is thanksgiving and i am so excited to reunite with all my loved one, pumpkin pie, stuffing, sweat pants. it's a time for family. but even in the best of years, political differences can make things tense. this is not the best of years. so if you are concerned about conflicts over the dinner table, watch how much you have to drink. i recommend either no drinks or all of the drinks. it's really karate yes orca rate -- or karate no it's that time when uncle fred says, well, why don't we have a history month? >> an investigation was forwarded into the 2016 election. facebook has a plan to offer you a tool in its portal, to find out whether you liked or followed fake content from russian bots. tell tool will be leaked out at the end of the year. it reached an estimated 150 million people during the 2016 election another endorsement, they found that drinking three or four cups of coffee a day were associated with a risk of lower heart disease. the study found coffee is tied to lower risks, diabetes, liver disease and dementia. and there is probably no bigger sign the holiday snap is about to begin with the filling of the ploonts of the macy's parade, it took place wednesday, culminating a process most of the year. kevin tibbles takes us behind the scenes. >> reporter: since 1924 the macy's parade ushered in the holidays with those magnificent balloons, john piper calls him chief balloon-atique. >> we ultimately go to a 3d model. >> reporter: his staff at this top secret factory spent a year creating the meanest greenest plan. >> it's going to be yuge! >> he's a mean one. to be him the grinch, each pan sell precisely cut and glued so it will hold the helium. goreia has been doing it for 30 years. >> it's a work of art and the heart? >> yes, definitely. >> reporter: then all the bright green paint you can muster is brushed on with care. slowly, but surely, mr. grin were is ready for his test flight with trusty dog max per wered on his back. as the big day emerges, john piper marshals the troops. handlers hand on, one for dear life. >> am i go him to proceed away? >> of course not. we're going to have fun. >> oh, yeah, fun! >> he may be green and he may be mean, but this grinch isn't going to steal anything, except children's hearts, kevin tibbles, nbc news, meadow lands, new jersey. >> also in the spirit of thanksgiving, vice president pence and doctors visited military members to give thanks, pence and his wife met alongside service members of the uss warrior and family center at washington reed medical center in bethesda, maryland. they may be thousands of miles away, they mark a traditional turkey dinner and we thank them for their service, of course, and sacrifice, you are watching msnbc live. happy thanksgiving, everybody. ( ♪ ) more people shop online for the holidays than ever before. (clapping) and the united states postal service delivers more of those purchases to homes than anyone else in the country. ( ♪ ) because we know, even the smallest things are sometimes the biggest. even the smallest things was supposed to be a wake reup call for our government?sh people all across the country lost their savings, their pensions and their jobs. i'm tom steyer and it turned out that the system that had benefited people like me who are well off, was, in fact, stacked against everyone else. it's why i left my investment firm and resolved to use my savings for the public good. but here we are nine years later and this president and the republican congress are making a bad situation even worse. they won't tell you that their so called "tax reform" plan is really for the wealthy and big corporations, while hurting the middle class. it blows up the deficit and that means fewer investments in education, health care and job creation. it's up to all of us to stand up to this president. not just for impeachable offenses, but also to demand a country where everyone has a real chance to succeed. join us. your voice matters. nahelps protect eyesin blue from damaging blue light, filtering it out to help you continue enjoying your screens. or... you could just put your phones down and talk to each other. [laughing] nature's bounty lutein blue. because you're better off healthy. . >> we have news on the russia front, for starters, what really happened in the oval office with donald trump and the two sergeis and russian media on hand. new detail from "vanity fair" on that encounter. a one-time business associate of michael flynn, a question of the trump investigation. trump spent five hours at the white house today, the white house did not want us to refer to it as a low key day. the 11th hour on thanksgiving ev