on the broadcast tonight, giving thanks. here at home traditions and the joy of giving back. far from home, the call of duty takes no holiday. crisis in korea. tonight some of the first images from the south, and the people still shaken after that attack by the north. working overtime. what some stores are doing this holiday season to make it even easier for shoppers to part with their money. and chemical reaction. the science behind the holiday spirit. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> good evening and happy

thanksgiving. i'm carl quintanilla. brian williams has the night off. we begin tonight with holiday observances and holidays across the nation and globe. this year is a reminder that sometimes thanksgiving comes during hard times when many americans have to dig deep to put a feast on the table. others don't have the luxury to be with loved ones because duty calls on the war front. and it's been such a tough year for some of america's big name retailers that one of them, a legacy name, is open on thanksgiving day for the first i'm ever. we have it all covered beginning with nbc's rehema ellis. >> four, three, two, one! >> reporter: for many in new york, this day began with a tradition, "diary of a wimpy kid" and "kung fu panda" joined the line-up for today's 84th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. at the white house president obama used his weekly radio address to count the nation's blessings. >> we'll spend some time taking stock of what we're thankful for, the god-given bounty of america and the blessings of one another. >> reporter: he also placed calls to ten service members to

thank them for their service in iraq and afghanistan and joined the first family for dinner. on the holiday menu, turkey, cornbread stuffing, sweet potatoes and a whole lot of pies. across the country, volunteers pitched in. in new york, people lined up as 1,300 dinners were served at the church of the holy apostle, where people like rick mcdowell who says his paycheck doesn't go very far. >> it was hard to be able to sustain certain things, particularly with taking care of bills and rent. yeah, places like this do make a difference. >> reporter: besides the working poor who need help, there are almost 15 million americans with no jobs at all. for many, soup kitchens like this are a lifeline. in atlanta, turkey dinner was served to an estimated 30,000. along the west coast, turkey trots were in full swing. in sacramento, more than 25,000 ran to raise money to feed the hungry. while in philadelphia, a little

snow didn't stop fathers and sons playing football for charity. >> because this is thanksgiving, and this is the whole point of the holiday. >> please welcome santa claus! >> reporter: and just as this day is ending, signs of another major holiday. ♪ still, many pause today, however briefly, and remembered to give thanks. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. tens of thousands of america's men and women in uniform are a long way from home this thanksgiving. among them, the 95,000 u.s. troops currently serving in afghanistan in what has been the bloodest year yet of the nine-year war. nbc's lester holt is spending part of this holiday with the troops on the front lines and has our report from camp eggers in kabul. lester, good evening. >> reporter: carl, long lines for the thanksgiving meal here at camp edgars between afghanistan and iraq, nearly 150,000 americans are spending this holiday in harm's way, some have been able to enjoy the traditions of the holiday.

others, however, have had to continue with the business of war. duty called on this thanksgiving as it does every day in the war zone. you guys all set? for these soldiers in kabul, the holiday takes a back seat. >> going out every day is pretty much the normal thing for us. >> hi, mommy. >> hi, landon. >> reporter: when this war started in 2001, there was no skype. >> what are you doing? >> reporter: now video chats help close the distance with home, providing virtual family get-togethers. >> love you. >> i've been gone for seven months, and so i think right now he thinks i live in the computer. >> reporter: mail from home helps a lot and the holiday volume is already picking up. >> makes me feel good because i'm a superstar around here. everybody's looking for me. >> reporter: thanksgiving is an american holiday, but a universal sentiment. >> this has candy, snacks. >> reporter: the care packages many of you send from the states help create a thanksgiving tradition at camp edgars. troops bag up the goodies for

delivery to a kabul orphanage. >> i think it's a great opportunity for some folks to kind of show their thanks for the many blessings that they have, and give back to those who are particularly in need. >> reporter: another camp edgars tradition, the early morning turkey day run. in dining halls around the country, troops enjoy the true taste of home and this holiday. >> happy thanksgiving to everybody. >> happy thanksgiving! >> reporter: but it's not just those at home that were on their minds. >> i'm definitely thinking about the other guys who are out not in places safe and stable as ours. ♪ >> reporter: at an interdenominational service at camp ed garz, a message that rang home. >> dear god, we celebrate the gifts you gave us in this life. >> reporter: as americans are keeping our men and women in uniform in their thoughts on this holiday, we are reminded that there are thousands of american civilians who are also serving in the war zhon and

facing many of the same risks as the troops. carl? >> lester holt in kabul, thanks. thousands of american troops spent this thanksgiving in iraq as well. among the first members of the 1st infantry division enjoying dinner at camp taji near baghdad, on this day in kirkuk, it also included the presentation of purple hearts. the captain tony smith of minnesota and private first class matthew gray of michigan. as we were reminded this week there are nearly 30,000 u.s. troops in south korea, an outpost for american forces since the korean war began 60 years ago. the "uss george washington" will take part in military exercises off korea next week. this follows tuesday's attack by north korea, which rained artillery fire on an island near the border killing four including two civilians and triggering an international crisis. nbc's ian williams made his way to that island today for a firsthand look. >> reporter: we traveled on one of the first ferries to resume service since tuesday's attack. to the very edge of north korean

waters where the rocky island of yeonpyeong sits just a couple of miles from the disputed sea border. the military was on high alert in the sky and patrolling the waters. soldiers checked everybody on the boat. there was vigilance but also bravado. "enemy shells poured down on me but i stood my ground," this soldier insisted. as we discovered, it was civilian areas which bore the brunt of the attack. the barrage of north korean shells tuesday struck at the heart of the island's small fishing village, home to most of its 1,700 civilian residents. there appeared to be no military facilities nearby, suggesting the village was deliberately targeted. in one neighborhood, i counted 13 shops or homes reduced to burned-out shells during the hour-long attack. scores of others had been badly damaged. the villagers knew they lived on

the front line that theirs was a precarious existence, but nobody expected this. it seems incredible that only two civilians died. most were able to reach nearby shelters. "a small dot this size fell from the sky," this man says, "and it just exploded." while this 71-year-old fisherman told me he hid on his boat when the shells rained in. today he was collecting belongings before leaving the island. most civilians have now been evacuated, though some insist on staying. yeonpyeong is a heavily fortified eye land, but it clearly wasn't enough to deter the north, and the army is pouring in reinforcements, these soldiers heading there today. the government says they have tough new rules of engagement, though these haven't been made public, which is all little comfort to the island's fishermen. their biggest catch used to come from waters close to the border. now their lives have been shattered by a violent attack from across that disputed line.

ian williams, nbc news, yeonpyeong island, south korea. >> our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has arrived in south korea and joins us tonight from enson, not far from where the trouble broke out. richard, good evening. where is all of this headed? >> reporter: well, the big question here is, how will north korea react when the u.s. warships come to this region and start cruising not far from the north korean border? there has already been considerable criticism in south korea that the government has not responded strongly enough. already the defense minister of this country has resigned. and as ian reported, there is an increased military footing in in country relaxing the rules of engagement, sending more troops to the area. so if, as the u.s. troops and the u.s. warships cruise through these waters, a single shot is fired or north korea perceives

this as yet another provocation, the situation next week could look very different, carl. >> the u.s. and others are pressuring china to reign in their ally, north korea. where does that stand tonight? >> reporter: this is classic gunboat diplomacy. what you're seeing here is the u.s. sending a message not only to south korea that it supports it, to north korea saying that this kind of belligerence must stop, but also to china saying that if it doesn't try to rein in north korea, it will see an increased military presence in east asia, something that china doesn't want. china is already uncomfortable with u.s. troops stationed in afghanistan, which shares a border with china. it certainly doesn't want american warships even closer on its sea borders. >> richard engel in south korea tonight, richard, thanks for that. back in this country, the obama administration is preparing for the expected release of a new batch of classified documents from online whistleblower wikileaks

that could come as early as this weekend. a senior government official tells nbc news that the 250,000 documents expected to be leaked are "very, very damaging and could have grave consequences for national security." that wintry weather that blew through parts of the pacific northwest and west over the past few days is moving east, and a lot of folks might want to prepare for a change in the weather over the next few days. for the latest on what holiday shoppers and travelers can expect for the weekend, we're joined by meteorologist chris warren at weather channel headquarters in atlanta. chris, good evening. >> the main problem, carl, tonight and tomorrow will be the very heavy rain. in fact, the latest satellite radar combination showing us where the rain and the clouds are right now, from the south all the way up to the ohio valley we are seeing some very heavy rain and some strong storms. all of that mess you see right there will be moving to the east tomorrow. here's a look at your forecast for friday. getting around during the day on the eastern seaboard, whether it's by car on interstate 95 or through air through the major

airports will be tough. behind that cold front, that blue line with the blue triangle that separates the warm air from the cold air, that moves through the cooler air which means snow, lake-effect snow around the great lakes. the middle part of the country not looking too bad, but we do have another storm moving into the west, which is going to mean more mountain snow, so travel will be tough throughout the mountains and around the lakes and the whole country will be cooling down, carl, just in time for the weekend. >> chris warren and our friends at the weather channel, thanks for that. up next as "nbc nightly news" continues, why some big names start the holiday shopping season earlier than ever. later, the science behind an attitude of gratitude and thanks. does it come more naturally to some people than others?

while most people were sitting down for a thanksgiving feast with family and friends today, some were out at the mall, yes, shopping, getting a jump on black friday on thanksgiving thursday. nbc's lee cowan reports on what could become a brand new tradition for shoppers and some of the nation's biggest retailers. lee, good evening. >> reporter: hey, carl. yes, it's been a trend over the last several years as you push away from the turkey at the dinner table, you pull up to the keyboard and you start your holiday shopping online. that's a group of shoppers retailers want to take advantage on. opening up on the holiday themselves gives them a chance to get a piece of that economic pie. the nation's economy has been working overtime all year to keep the recovery moving, and yet, that hasn't earned it a single day off.

retailers expected consumers to clock back in on this holiday, and they're reporting for duty sort of. >> why aren't you on the couch right now? >> well, i got drug out of the house. >> reporter: he's not alone. this was the thanksgiving line outside a kmart before dawn this morning. customers waiting to feast on deals they used to have to wait for. for many, it was a chance to beat the rush. after all, black friday gives some shoppers worse indigestion than stuffing themselves with family and friends. >> the crowds on black friday is crazy. everybody is nuts. >> reporter: it's all about market share. last thanksgiving, $318 million were spent online. for brick and mortar stores, those are customers who are gravy on a holiday bottom line that's already expected to rise by around 2% this year. >> it pays for the stores to open. the traffic's there and they can get them in the stores rather than selling them on the internet.

>> reporter: she says stretching out the tone-setting weekend for the holiday shopping season is a good start, but it's not everything. >> really, it's december 15th through the 25th that's the make it or break it time. >> reporter: for sears, one of the nation's oldest retailer, opening on thanksgiving day is a real break with tradition. >> it's the first time in over 100 years we did it. a lot of customers are excited about. it. >> reporter: some are lamenting the loss of the holiday it used to be. >> the employees should have the day off like everybody else. unless you're a nurse or a doctor, what's the point? you have plenty of other days to shop. >> reporter: the point is that thursday may be the new black. a light version of what's expected to happen tomorrow. carl, retailers like toys "r" us, for example, they're going to be opening at 10:00 tonight, walmart is going to be opening at midnight and then kmart opens in the wee hours of the morning, so that holiday shopping tradition is just getting earlier and earlier, carl.

>> if they're working and you're working and lee, you're working, working on thanksgiving is the new black. thanks so much for that. when we come back, the flags say it all. one family's almost unbelievable sacrifice for this country.

a tense situation in brazil tonight. a police crackdown on drug gangs. today armored military vehicles rolled into the slums of rio de janeiro backed by hundreds of agents. live pictures on brazilian television showed gang members, some with automatic weapons, trying to escape. 30 have died since the offensive began on sunday. brazil is scrambling to clean up rio, host city for the 2014 world cup and the 2016 summer olympics. among the u.s. troops serving in afghanistan this thanksgiving are members of the iowa national guard in their largest deployment since world war ii. nbc news has been following them since last year when they learned they'd be heading to

afghanistan. among them, five members of a single very supportive extended family. nbc's kevin tibbles has our report. >> reporter: at this home in des moines, iowa, the american flag flies proudly. beneath it the military service flag, meaning a family member is deployed. >> they're in good hands. we trust they're training. >> reporter: major linda purdue and her husband, platt, fly five flags here one at a time, because five of their kids in their family are part of the same deployment to afghanistan. nic jonsson, his wife janet, nick's brother chris and stepbrother anthony purdue and cousin nick vanderpool. linda is a member of the iowa national guard for 26 years sees this deployment through a mother's eyes. >> it's immense. it's very hard to put into words the excitement, the panic, the stress. >> reporter: linda and platts see them all as the children

they once were and the soldiers they've become. nick and nick are cavalry scouts. >> i think it's cool we're all going together. we'll all come back the same way we came. >> we're all intertwined. my little brother is a uav operator. he sees above and we see the ground. >> reporter: anthony purdue is also a uav operator who carries a family photo with him. >> makes me know i'm not alone, they're there. >> reporter: and janet johnson, nick's wife, is military police. >> when you get around the family, you feel a sense of pride. it definitely gives you a sense of i want to be part of this. >> reporter: and it's that pride and strong family bond that keeps all of them grounded and connected. >> we focus on the home front and be here when you get back. >> reporter: a message of support and unity that will sustain them all through the long year ahead. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. up next, what happened when researchers put the holiday spirit under the microscope.

finally tonight, as we spend this day gathered with loved ones to give thanks, it might interest you to know that gratitude and acts of kindness are now coming under the scientific microscope. nbc's george lewis has more on what some of the evidence shows. >> oh, thank you.

>> reporter: thanksgiving dinner for l.a.'s homeless and for the hundreds of volunteers at the los angeles mission, a different kind of reward. >> when you serve the people and you can see the look on their face and how thankful they are and they're eating, it's the most wonderful joy you can ever feel. >> reporter: all year long we do stories about people making a difference. >> this has kind of been in my heart for a while to reach out to people in need. >> reporter: now there is new scientific evidence that humans are genetically wired to be kind, that those who help others are only doing what comes naturally. a group of researchers here at the university of california berkeley are looking into what brings us joy, what makes us kind, what makes us gen success. it's known as positive psychology or the science of happiness. >> we're going to be attaching these to sensors. >> reporter: they've been mapping human emotions like empathy and running test subjects through computer exercises that measure their ability to share with others. >> i think increasingly the research suggests that it's

really gen ropsity and compassion and empathy that pay. >> reporter: psychologist dachner keltner has written a book called "born to be good." >> nice guys don't finish last. they do pretty well. >> reporter: he says it's a common misconsthaepgs charles darwin came up with the idea of survival of the fittest. what darwin actually said was sympathy was the strongest human emotion. >> i think the new science says it's really the survival of the kindest. >> the big question is what makes people happy. >> reporter: uc berkeley sociologist kristine carter says teaching gratitude is key to raising happy children. >> gratitude is so closely associated with happiness it's practically the same thing. >> reporter: as we pause to give thanks today, we can be thankful for the kindness that is in our dna, just waiting to be used. george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. and that is our broadcast for this thanksgiving. thank you for being with us. i'm carl quintanilla. brian williams will be back here tomorrow evening.

as we leave you, more of the sights and sounds of the 84th macy's thanksgiving day parade here in new york city. good night. ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com another freeze alert this holiday weekend and rain on the way too. good evening, i'm vicky nguyen. happy thanksgiving. tom and jessica have the night off. but jeff ranieri is here with us and he's tracking a new storm headed our way. jeff, what's in our shopping forecast? >> we certainly have big changes coming in the next