Studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. Good morning. I am matt lauer. And i am Natalie Morales in for savannah. I thought gangnam style was bad enough, combine it with you cant touch this. We will get to the latest on the violence in the middle east from Richard Engel in a moment. Day six and no sign of it stopping any time soon. And Paula Broadwell, the woman that had an affair with general David Petraeus back at her North Carolina home this morning. Coming up, new details on her state of mind and the state of her marriage. And is it the end of the twinkie for all of those stockpiling it. Maybe not. We explain as hostess goes to court for an important hearing. Why this uproar over an item with no nutritional value, because it has emotional value. It does last forever, got to give them that. Were kicking off this holiday week with a live concert from one of our favorites. Low rider in the house. We begin with more deadly violence in the middle east overnight between israel and hamas. Nbc chief Foreign CorrespondentRichard Engel is in gaza this morning. Good morning to you. Reporter good morning, matt, it is not a good time to be a hamas military leader on the strip. They are being systematically picked off, killed in their homes, in cars, on motorcycles, many have gone into hiding, turning off cell phones, avoiding all usual locations. Israels war to stop hamas rockets continued. With 100 strikes in the air and from the sea. Hamas is still able to launch homemade, iranian made rockets towards southern israel and tel aviv. There were around 40 new launches today. Not all are hitting their mark because in israel theres a new national hero, the mobile iron dome Defense System, proving to be the most effective of its kind in the world. Of the thousand rockets israel says hamas fired in the last six days, about a third have been intercepted by the iron dome. In gaza, there are no air defenses at all, and israel appears to have superb intelligence, locating and destroying individual hamas homes at will. This four story house was flattened this morning. Israel first fired warning shots at the building to give people a chance to escape, but the attack also damaged buildings next door, killing witnesses say three people. Two minutes they destroyed all these houses. Within two minutes. Reporter so thats not enough warning. No. Reporter nearby a Police Station was leveled. Nowhere in gaza feels safe now, and the hamas government has gone underground. This Police Station was empty when bombed. In fact, all hamas government buildings have now been evacuated, and all schools in the gaza strip are closed. But mosques are busy these days. They buried 11 people, including four children killed with a field commander when his house was attacked. He was the target. His family and neighbors part of that collateral damage. Serious efforts seem to be under way to reach a ceasefire. The egyptian foreign minister is expected to visit here tomorrow and a source close to the israeli Prime Minister said he would prefer a diplomatic solution to a military invasion. Thanks so much, richard. Closer to home, start of the thanksgiving week and it is not off to a good start out west. Al has a first look at the weather. Good morning. Good morning. This is a big problem for travelers from Northern California all the way to the Pacific Northwest. Were talking about whats going to feel like in a sense a hurricane, but it is really a winter storm, a massive one coming in. Heavy rain, strong winds, and a lot of rain out of this system. You can see in the next 24 hours, the rain continues to stream in, and not just one to two inches of rain. Were talking about double digit amounts of rain, anywhere from 5 to 12 inches of rain, snowfall 8 plus in the cascade, inner mountain region. We have winter storm warnings, high wind warnings, flood watches, high wind watches stretching Northern California to the Pacific Northwest, and it is going to continue right into the middle of the week, and it is going to be a mess both for airports and roads as well. Matt . Al, thank you very much. The president is traveling overseas to start the week, but hoping democrats and republicans back in washington are hard at work on a compromise to avoid the looming fiscal cliff. So whats at stake if they cant . Jim cramer, hose of mad money joins us. Nice to see you. Usa today put it very well graphically in their newspaper, we copied it, put it here. These are parts of the cliff, what make up the cliff. Talk me through them. This is by far the biggest part. You basically are going to pay much higher taxes, 600 billion at stake. This is the toughest one. Here, this is compilation, taxes taking people by surprise. If not adjusted for inflation, costs the economy 59 billion. Social security we all knew this was a way to hire people. This is a sticking point. Wealthiest people have to pay more according to democrats, republicans hate this. This will cost the economy 40 billion. This is where compromise has to occur. Right. Do you see it happening . No. This figure will not stand. Somebody has to give. The president has to give or the republicans because this is whats going to cause a recession, if we h have a recession. We should all mention this didnt happen by accident. This thing was created because of failures to compromise and strike deals in the past on the part of congress. Except this must be so onerous, particularly defense cuts down here. This was supposed to be no bad, theres no way the parties would ever disagree about it. You say youre not optimistic. We heard lawmakers over the weekend speak out and say you know what, they think compromise is in the air and that they can strike a deal before we go over the fiscal cliff. Why do you disagree . I feel there has to be some give. The republicans say this is a deal breaker, the democrats say it is a deal breaker. Look at all these other things. How can that be the reason we have to go in recession. All these job cuts would be tens of thousands, 600 billion. You say the reason we would have to go into recession, some people say lets look at the dramatic side, say we go over the fiscal cliff. Some people say that might not be the worst thing ever happened to us. You disagree with that . Tens of thousands of jobs, you make it so it is unlikely they get good unemployment benefits. Next thing you know, people cut back spending. Thats what it looks like. The famed investor, the fact that they, referring to congress and the president cant get along for the month of january, looking short term, is not going to torpedo the economy. Thats great. Wealthy person feels it is not going to torpedo the economy. Youre in this group, youre going to cut back spending. Youre in this group, you know this is about to happen. Youre in this group, this is the group supposed to be hiring people. Look at this. This group, i know they wont be that hurt, thats Warren Buffetts group. Cnbc has a Network Initiative rise above. Whats the thought behind it. There has to be common ground, not a leftwing, right wing, democrat, republican. This is avoiding recession, throwing people out of work, raising money steadily over time. Thats what politics is about. We dont want politics in this issue. We have to get you props more often. Gets you all wound up. Yes. Catch a special edition of mad money 6 00 and 11 00 eastern tonight. Willie geist is at the news desk. Good morning. The woman at the center of the bombshell resignation of former cia director general David Petraeus returned to her home overnight, First Time Since news of biographer Paula Broadwells affair with petraeus broke, she and her husband hosted family and friends at their charlotte home. Representatives working with the broadwell family say paula and her family are focusing on sticking together through a difficult time. According to associated press, a person close to broadwell says shes quote devastated by fallout of the affair and deeply regrets the damage she has done. The president is on a three nation tour of southeast asia. Chuck todd has the latest from myanmar. Good evening where you are, chuck. Reporter willie, it was just a few short years ago this country was essentially isolated from the world community. Now president obama makes this historic trip, becoming the first u. S. President to visit myanmar, country formerly known as burma. A rousing welcome for the president. A sea of people eager to catch a glimpse of the motorcade. Uniformed School Children waving u. S. And myanmar flags for miles. A red carpet welcome. Mr. Obama made an unannounced stop, a 2,000 year old holy site, center of buddhaism. A monk led them in a ceremonial pouring of water over the head of a buddha statue. Then it was off to Aung San Suu Kyis house, where the activist lived under house arrest for years. I would like to say how happy i am to receive president obama in my country and in my house. Reporter later, the president formally addressed the people of myanmar in a speech at a university where he justified his trip to this not yet free country. I sent a message to those governments that ruled by fear. I said in my inauguration address we will extend a hand if youre willing to unclench your fist. Under the president , the desire for change has been met by agenda for reform. So today ive come to keep my promise and extend the hand of friendship. Reporter and the president didnt just come here to give a speech, he also brought some aid money, some 170 million, not a large sum when it comes to foreign aid, but more will come the president and Obama Administration promised if more reform happened here in myanmar. Willie . Chuck todd traveling with the president in myanmar. Thanks. It was no surprise who brought down the house at the American Music awards. Korean superstar rocking out gangnam style. It was a special guest that electrified the theater. Yes, thats the one and only mc hammer, proving hes still too legit to quit. And those hammer pants are making a come back. Talk more about the amas and Justin Beibers big night at the awards coming up. 7 12. Natalie, matt, al, time to pull the hammer pants out. You were sharing each leg. Hammer pajamas. How old is mc hammer. He looks amazing. Hes good. Hes good. Willie, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Mr. Roker has a check of the weather. I have to hammer snug ee. Midsection of the country, look at this, in australia, one of the most well defined water spouts ive seen. The same system that spawned this caused massive damage on land. 2,000 homes damaged or destroyed, just really amazing video. Closer to home in the midsection of the country, talking about temperatures that are warmer than usual. Youre going to be looking at temperatures in the 60s and 70s, getting up by tomorrow, all the way up to minneapolis. For the day today, rain on the Mississippi River valley. Heavy rains in the northwest. Eastern seaboard, perfect weather and stays that way into thursday. Weve got your local forecast coming up after this. Is. Ter thi. Its on. Its on. Black fridays almost here. We should totally go together. Ok. Can we also bring trevor . Hes hot. I think we should get those dvds first. Duh theyre doorbusters. Missing those would be the worst. Totes. Its on. Its on, black fridays almost here. We should totally shop forever. Smiley face. Dont be late. Or whatever. What if you could shop forever . Good monday morning to you. Enjoy the sunshine for today and the temperatures in the mid to upper 60s buzz weve got rain on the way tomorrow. 66 in fremont and 66 in redwood city. As we head throughout this holiday week, temperatures are going to remain right around 65 degrees just about all week long but were talking about rain tuesday night into early wednesday, should clear out by the second half of wednesday. Angeles with a high of 65. Natalie . Al, thank you. How far are you willing to go for a deal . Some black friday shoppers are already camping out. Diana diana al vee ar is in los angeles. Reporter if you want to be in line at this store, you had to get in line last monday. The first man in line will have camped out nearly two weeks to get the deals he came for. Black friday has been a tradition for a long time. But lately it has become a sport. This woman took a vacation day to be one of the first in line. Reporter youre here another five days. Yep, im ready. Reporter right behind her, another woman. Why come in a line and not save that much, but we actually are. Reporter black friday fever has taken hold earlier than ever, from florida to california. This year seeing people line up, i am astonished, never seen that in my years in retail. Reporter history making in part, because some major retailers like walmart, toys r us, target and sears kickoff their doorbuster deals before thanksgiving leftovers get a chance to cool down. Retailers are Opening Doors earlier, they want to get that customer in, take away market share from retailers like amazon. Reporter online retailers are planning their own black friday deals, hoping americans prefer to point and click to a bargain. Some companies do a little of both. Theyre hoping if you walk into the store to pick up another item you bought online, you go in and pick up a couple more items. Reporter in all, 147 million americans will take advantage of black friday weekend sales. 4 more than last year. While some say the focus on Christmas Shopping takes away from thanksgivings true meaning, these hardcore shoppers say theres no better way to celebrate. We do it as a family, it is kind of like oh, were not going to spend thanksgiving away from our family, were actually bringing our family into this. Reporter determined to prove that good deals come to those that wait, no matter how long. And this is just the beginning. The store manager tells me he expects up to 4,000 people at this store alone, which may explain why miriam says the toughest part of black friday is trying to get out of the parking lot. Last year it took two hours. Matt . Diana, thank you very much. If you spent the weekend stockpiling twinkies, you may have jumped the gun. Theyre likely to survive even though hostess is closing shop. We have more on that. Good morning. Reporter matt, good morning. Later today, hostess will have a hearing before a bankruptcy judge to begin the work of shutting down and selling off its assets, that includes everything from manufacturing equipment to the brands themselves, all up for grabs. Hostess outlets like this one, the sellout has already begun. Selling like hot cakes, across the country, shoppers are getting hostess snacks while they can after the bankrupt Company Announced they were shutting down next week. I dont know what i am going to do. I love twinkies. Reporter whats so special . Creamy inside. It is a snack from childhood. Brings back memories. Reporter sites like ebays are flooded with twinkies and ding dongs for sale at massive markup. Theres online petition asking the president to nationalize the twinkie. It represents a certain nostalgia and it going away is something that makes people feel, you know, like an era is over. Reporter last week, the Texas Based Company suspended operations in all 33 plants. In january, hostess filed for bankruptcy the second time in less than ten years. Though the Company Brings in an estimated 2. 5 billion in annual revenue, they were weighed down by debt, management problems, and rising labor costs. For fiscal 2011, they reported a loss more than 300 million, so it is a combination of many things when you get down to the nittygritty. Reporter hostess was founded 82 years ago. You get a big delight in every bite of hostess twinkies. Reporter went on to be one of the largest baked goods distributors in the country, with 500 Outlet Stores and almost 19,000 employees. Now loyal customers arent just buying the products, theyre trying to figure out how to recreate them. The web flooded with do it yourself tips like those shown on the today show in 2010. New found appreciation for one of americas most iconic brands. I wish americans would have realized how important twinkies were to them before friday. Reporter it may not be the end of the twinkie just yet. Analysts say a number of prospective buyers are considering that brand. All right, thank you very much. Coming up, new details on the deadly accident involving a train and parade float. Did the driver pulling that float ignore the crossing lights . First, this is today on nbc. [ female announcer ] martinellis gold medal sparkling cider is the Perfect Choice for holiday gatherings. Martinellis is nonalcoholic, festive like champagne, and tastes great martinellis since 1868. Just ahead, are your Favorite Stores being naughty or nice this year . And Paula Broadwell out and about with her husband. Can her marriage survive after her affair with David Petraeus . Picked and packed at the peak of ripeness. The same essential nutrients as fresh. Del monte. Bursting with fe. And eddy said the toys might not be ready eddy . The elf [ radio announcer ] todays forecast its snowing snowballs and snow bricks out there. Seven more days and its snowing snow bricks oh, well, be careful [ radio announcer ] only two days to go, and several of the elves were tossed around when they tried to wrap a pony. [ female announcer ] the keepsake countdown ornament. Build anticipation every day till christmas. Elves tried to wrap a pony build anticipation every day till christmas. Natures true celebrities arent always the most obvious. Take the humble stevia plant, with a surprising secret to share sweetness. Truvia sweetener. Zerocalorie sweetness, born from the stevia leaf. From nature, for sweetness. Some people put everything intotheir name on the door, and their heart into their community. Small business saturday is a day to show our support.