black friday. shoppers turn out early. very early. in search of holiday bargains. the brink of war. north korea issues a new warning an south korea refuses to back >r a and survit soup south pacifsouth past. this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, november 26th, 2010. it is time to put away the

turkey and pull out your wallet. stores across america opened as early as midnight for black friday shoppers. 138 million americans are expected to do holiday shopping today, tomorrow and sunday. the national retail federation expects the average shopper to spen $689 on holiday gifts. not me. that would push sales up 2.3% compared to last year. whit, good morning to you. >> terrell, good morning. this is it, the daddy of all shopping experiences. this black friday, retailers know there is a little more money in the marketplace and are already fired up over positive sales figures in early november. if you open, they will come. >> crazy but i think it worth it. >> kohl's opens at 3:00. couple open at 5:00 and the mall opens at 7:00 and go all black friday. country braved the cold and economy early this morning lining up for the blockbuster

deals black fully day is known for. >> i've been looking at the ads and seeing what's on sale so i can get more for our money. >> if it's the one thing you want you want to make sure you can get it for them. >> reporter: hoping to cash in on the traditl for retailers, black friday and the rest of the holiday shopping season is more important than ever. >> this november and december alone is 40% of annual sales. >> reporter: sears makes 57% of its profits the last three months of the year, best buy 56%, discount retailer big lots brings in as much as 70% this critical period. some didn't even wait until black friday to start offering discounts. for the first time in its history, sears was open all thanksgiving day but bargain shoppers beware. some of those big deals may be more bait and switch than blockbuster. >> they basically dangle the

promise of inexpensive products like $200 tvs and $200 laptops but there may only be a handful of store and they hope you'll get so excited and enthusiastic, you will line up with a thousand other people oonz. >> reporter: experts are warning shoppers do not overspen "kourm reports" says more than 13 million people are still paying their debts from last holiday shopping season. terrell. >> whit, good to see you. have a good weekend. thanks. overseas now, the sound of more artillery filled the air at a disputed island attacked by north korea this week. islanders could see the smoke from the guns in the distance apparently from a military drill on north korean soil after general walter sharpe visited yeonpyeong island this morning. north korea's news agency warned today the region was on the brink of war and said next week's planned military exercises by

u.s. and south korean forces would only make things worse. officials in brazil sent the military to help police take on gangs in rio de janeiro. there were more gun battles thursday, the fifth day of violence in one slum there controlled by gangs for decades. police say at least 30 people have died in this week's attacks. u.s. officials warn allies to be ready for a massive new leak of top-secret documents. wikileaks is prepared to release millions of classified papers the next few days reportly showing friendly politicians in afghanistan, russia and other countries have been accused of kroopgs -- corruption. a milestone for the u.s. war in afghanistan. as of this morning american troops and nato allies have been fighting there for 9 years, 50 days, exactly as long as the soviet union's unsuccessful afghan war in the 1980s that killed more than one million civilians. ten years after it was introduced, president obama is looking at a plan to change the

government's terror alert system. the goal to make it easier to understand and means taking out all those colors. cheryl atkinson has the story. >> reporter: since march 2002, it has attempted to guide americans on the likelihood of a terror attack from low-risk green to severe risk red. the problem, too many have found it meaningless. >> i don't think anybody pays attention to it, anyway. >> it's always, what, orange, elevated? >> reporter: the national threat level has been stuck at yellow since 2006. that translates to significant, somewhere above guarded and below high. stuck at yellow before, during, even after the underwear bomber attempt last christmas. >> seems it has been the same for a very long time. >> it's not really clear, you know, what orange is versus yellow, like i mean i don't know. >> critics say it doesn't convey any real information to the public or first responders who have to use that information. >> reporter: it's of the same in

great britain. their system uses words like low risk to critical. >> i don't really pay much attention to it. >> reporter: the question is, what system would be better? >> i think an old-fashioned bell, to be honest, oooh, ooh. then all of a sudden everyone knows there's a terrorist problem. >> reporter: the "washington post" quotes u.s. officials saying the new system could have two threat categories elevated and imminent and last no more than a week at a time. when possible the alerts would come with specific information on the nature of the threats. today homeland security would only tell us it's reviewing new recommendations with the goal of providing more clarity. sharyl attkisson, cbs news, reagan national airport. this morning two american astronauts back on earth after five months in space. the spacecraft landed safely this morning. they've been in orbit for the international space station, doctors say they are in good health. an amazing story of survival from the south pacific. three young men are safely back on land after 50 days lost at

sea. their families had given them up for dead but were able to walk, with help, after they were rescued in fiji this morning, a fishing boat found the teenagers 800 miles from where they started last month. >> i did ask them if they needed any help and their reply was a very excited yes. realizing they had been at sea for two months we immediately deployed our rescue craft and brought them straight on board. >> reporter: doctors say they are dehydrated and badly sunburned. otherwise, they are okay. over the 50 days they survived drinking rain water, eating coconuts, some raw fish they caught and eating a seagull that landed o n their boat. cbs money time watch, stocks in asia sank, ashley morrison in new york with that and more. good morning to you. >> good morning. profit taking in asia this morning. japan's nikkei lost nearly half a percent, while hong kong's hang seng shaved off three-quarters of a percent. wall street opens this morning for a half day of trading. analysts expect a quiet session

with many investors away for the long holiday weekend. trading on the friday after thanksgiving has generally been strong rising 12 of the last 16 years. wednesday, stocks jumped after a string of reports pointed to an improving economy. the dow gained 150 points and the nasdaq added 48. today, of course, black friday, the traditional kick-off to the holiday shopping season. retailers expect a more than 2% jump in sales compared to last year, luring shoppers in with expanded hours, deep discounts and online deals, some got an early start on thanksgiving though most reports show the turn-out was fairly subdued on the holiday. nearly 140 million americans are expected to hit the stores today and this weekend with the average shopper spending about $700. electronics are expected to be the best selling items. general motors says its chevrolet volt will get the equivalent of 93 miles per gallon in combined city and highway drying while powered by electricity.

the taught toe m the automaker says the rechargeable electric car will get an estimated car will get an estimated 37 miles per gallon runs on its gasoline-powered generator. it goes on sale next month. some out-of-work flight attend accidents in mexico found a new calling at calendar girls. 10 women put up the money and photos of themselves to print the calendar selling like crazy south of the border. they all lost their jobs when mexicana the airlines filed for bankruptcy last summer. now, even if mexicana starts flying again they may have enough cash to stay grounded. terrell, i'm thinking if the whole tv thing doesn't work out for you and i, we can put together a calendar, maybe. >> that's it, i'm posing, baby. no problems there. ashley morrison in new york, thank you so much. have a good one. what not to wear. new york city cabbies with a new dress code. plus two new movies about aliens fight for originality. this is the "cbs morning news."

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a party in new york city, a little party here in new york city the annual thanksgiving day parade featured marching bands, mega entertainers and yep all those giant balloons. tens of thousands turned out along the route, millions more watched on tv and santa claus closed the parade, as always. if you plan to head to the movies this weekend you can check out a new film about aliens invading the city of los angeles and curiously next summer you can go back to the theater again and see another movie with the same plot. kendis gibson tells us about it. >> reporter: on the big screen a battle against aliens. but, the real battle is behind the scenes. in one corner, the upcoming $100 million sony pictures blockbuster "battle los angeles." >> my god. >> reporter: in the other, the

small-budget film in theaters now called "skyline" while its stars insist their movie is one of a kind. >> conceptually, the movie is very unique, while it falls under a genre we're familiar with and have seen before. >> reporter: sony is accusing the movie maker was stilg its thunder. there are similarities. both movies about alien invasions, both take place in los angeles. and both use the same special effects company. in fact, the directors of "skyline" made the film after doing special effects on "battle los angeles." >> they had experience on another film they directed and didn't have control. and so, this product comes out into the marketplace and people, you know, make accusations. >> reporter: sony has gone beyond just accusing the brothers. a few months ago they sent a a cease and desist letter to

"skyline's" producers, warning them not to use the same special effects equipment used to make "battle los angeles" no lawsuits have been filed and reps for both aren't commenting. it appears the battle between the two movies will play out at the box office. kendis gibson, cbs news, los angeles. a new york taxi cab dress code for drivers. the drivers of new york taxis here in the city will soon be required to obey a new rule to, quote, present a professional appearance. city taxi regulators admit proper dress can't be easily enforced especially since the new dress code doesn't specify what cabbies can and cannot wear. straight ahead your weather forecast. in sports, a jets kick-off return highlights an nfl triple header on turkey day. triple header on turkey day. i feel like i have to wind myself up just to get out of bed. then...well, i have to keep winding myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the trouble concentrating, the lack of energy.

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here's a look at weather in some cities around the country. new york, 54 degrees and showers. miami, thunderstorms, 82 degrees. 33 degrees and sunny in chicago. 47 and sunny in denver. 65 degrees and sunny in los angeles. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clouds scattered across the ohio valley and northeast while the plains are mostly clear. later today, scattered showers over the northwest. the southwest stays dry with plenty of sunshine. soggy in the northeast and southeast and scattered snow showers over the great lakes. in sports, three nfl games things giving to the highlights drew brees of new orleans led a comeback in the fourth quarter against dallas.

a big pass for a touchdown in the closing minutes and the cowboys just missed the tying field goal. the saints edge the cowboys 30-27. in the second game tom brady of new england threw four touchdown passes against detroit all in the second half. the patriots came from behind to beat the lions 45-24. in the nightcap, mark sanchez of the jets tossed a touchdown pass and the jets beat the bengals 26-10. new york is 9-2 right now, tied with the patriots at the top of the afc, the best records in the nfl. in college football, number 17 texas a&m beat texas. the 24-o 7 a & m win means texas will have its first losing season since 1997. when we come back, we'll have another look at the top stories this morning and holiday hiring cheer, a number of temporary workers hits a two-year high.

shopping since 3- am.. and where they're finding the best deals. a glitch with california's fancy new licenses. why it's causing delays for drivers across the state. plus.. surprising new facts about *who's* dying from second hand smoke. the age group most at risk. and what new tapes are revealing about that christmas day tiger attack at the san francisco zoo. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at five. ,,,,

on the "cbs morning news" a look at today's weather. on the "cbs morning news," a look at today's weather. scattered shower lingering around the northeast. the great plains remain chilly and dry, and scattered showers and thunderstorms are developing over the southeast. here's another look at this morning's top stories. north korea warns the region is at the brink of war as the top u.s. general inspects the the damage from this week's attack. on that island, the sound of more artillery from apparent military drills on north korean soil. many shoppers hit the stores after midnight. others waited in the dark though sales to begin. analysts expect americans to buy a little more for the holidays this year. on top of the increase in holiday spending there's more evidence the economy is looking up. retailers are hiring more temporary workers this season than they did in the past two years.

ben tracy reports. >> hello. how are you? >> good. >> finding everything okay? >> reporter: victoria morales had been out of work four months then landed a temporary holiday job at the pumpkin patch, a clothing store in the glendale galleria near los angeles. it's the best christmas present she and her three kids could ask for. >> feel like mommy's going to do a good job to take you to chuck e. cheese, take you to get your shoes. i can take you wherever you want. we're going to go to disneyland. >> reporter: this chain hired 163 temporary holiday workers. 16% more than last year. retailers think consumers are finally ready to dust off their wallets and spend again. >> the stock market is up. house prices have stabilized. i think people are feeling much better than they were last year or the year before. >> reporter: overall retailers are adding between 550,000 and 650,000 holiday jobs. more than last year, but still

well below the more than 720,000 added in 2007, just as the recession began. so who's hiring? toys r us bringing on 45,000 holiday employees a 30% jump over last year. amazon.com hired more than 15,000 people to fill orders at shipping centers and to deliver those packages ups is bringing in 50,000 more workers. with the unemployment rate at nearly 10% employers have a lot of choices. the labor pool is full of highly experienced and highly educated job seekers. >> even though we are seeing more retail jobs created this year, competition is very stiff. college kids are competing with out-of-work adults. >> right now, the whole entire store is 40% off. >> reporter: good news for people like victoria, 40% of employers hiring holiday workers plan to make some of them full time employees, up 31% from last year. >> i need the money. >> and you want to be here long

term. >> exactly. >> but in the short term, she's simply hoping shoppers are ready to buy. ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. talking about it. coming up on "the early show," black friday shopping strategies. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering.

n in afghanistan the war against opium getting down-home help. american farmers sent to lent expertise to afghan farmers. the goal is to steer them away from growing poppy, the source of the opium that finances insurgents. terry mccarthy reports from afghanistan. >> reporter: for horse and cotton formers the chance to go from the green fields of georgia to the arid lands of afghanistan was a calling of sorts. >> well, i look at it as an opportunity to not only serve my country but to help some people that probably am in need worse than i am in afghanistan. >> i think growing up on a farm, taking that experience over with me will help them.

help me, even. >> reporter: so far, more than 60 american farmers have been sent by the u.s. department of agriculture to afghanistan, as part of president obama's civilian surge. their mission? to wean afghan farmers off opium poppy by showing them how to grow alternative crops, like wheat. apples. rice, and melons. michigan farmer gary teets part of the same program is already at work in this remote corner of southeast afghanistan, in a job so dangerous, he can't leave his base without heavy military protection. >> these experiences, you know -- >> reporter: change you. >> yeah, they change you. >> reporter: daily faces skeptical farmers and corrupt officials in an area where 90% of the world's opium is grown. last year according to u.s. government figures the taliban made about $100 million from opium, fueling the

insurgency and its war against the west. once or twice a week, he visits villages to check on livestock. >> do a lot of damage to the udder. >> reporter: and on their fields to ensure farmers aren't growing poppy. this farm has been poppy free for two years but opium is worth $1500 per acre, three times more than wheat. he's trying to ensure farmers like this don't give into the temptation of going back to poppy. by teaching them important soil and water conservation techniques and how to get their new crops to market. with the hopes they'll make more money and be able to feed the village. >> i hope i represent an option for farmers to choose not to do illegal actions. if i can work myself out of a job that, would be the highlight of my career. >> if what good we'll do over there helps anyone or anybody or any country, afghanistan, our nation, then i'm fall for it and i feel like i'll make a difference there and i known she will, too.

coming up later on "the early show" the latest on the so-called honeymoon killer extradited back to the u.s. we'll hear from his attorney in an exclusive interview. also before you hit the stores today, smart strategies for shopping on black friday. and a creative spin on what you can do with your thanksgiving dinner leftovers. that and more on "the early show." that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thank you so much watching this morning. i'm terrell brown. have a great weekend, everybody. i'm terrell brown. have a great weekend, everybody. take care! -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

this morning.. all in search of black friday deals. {anne ad lib} turkeys coma? no way. shoppers across the bay area have been going since 3 a.m.