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Black Friday Shopping Underway; 840 Flight Delays And 19 Cancellations; "Wicked: For Good" At Number 1. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired November 28, 2025 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, Black Friday fully underway. Shoppers, of course, hoping -- you may be one of them, hoping to snag those low prices ahead of the holidays. But as the cost of living keeps rising, a number of Americans say they're actually holding back on their holiday spending this year.

Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary joins me now with some tips for shopping smarter this holiday season. Michelle, great to see you this morning. I mean, my first question for you is I feel like it's been Black Friday for, I don't know, like a month at this point. So, how can we --

MICHELLE SINGLETARY, COLUMNIST, WASHINGTON POST: Right? Since Labor Day.

HILL: Right? How can we spot an actual deal today?

SINGLETARY: Well, I think you really have to do some planning before you even shop today. Hopefully, you've been watching the prices for a while to see whether or not that, you know, discount is really a discount because sometimes, you know, some of those retailers will go back and make it seem like that regular price is like, oh, it's $100, now it's $50. But it was always $50 like the last six months.

So, you really have to be careful about that. And, you know, use some of the apps, Camo, Camo, Camo, things that help you track prices over time. So, you know whether or not you're actually getting a deal.

HILL: So, I feel like it's almost like we're told to track flights, right? That you can use Google Flight Tracker to track the type of flights. That's what we should be doing with anything that's on our Christmas list or holiday list.

[10:35:00]

SINGLETARY: That's exactly right. You know, people think about, you know, I'm just going to pick up and go out and shopping. And that's really not the smart way to do it. You ought to have a plan. You know, don't create a list of everybody you have to buy for. Start with how much money you can spend. What is your abundance that you -- that allow you to be as generous as you want to be. And then you start to shop. I mean, I tell you, I put stuff in the cart. I wait. I look at prices. It's just not like a spur of the moment thing when I'm going to shopping because I want to make sure that I'm getting a good deal and I'm sticking within my budget.

HILL: Well, sticking within the budget is key, right? I'm also thinking about how you say you put something in the cart and then leave it. Is that an effective strategy to maybe get a sweeter deal? If you just throw something in there and then you wait? I noticed I often will get an email. Oh, hey, by the way, you forgot that thing in your cart.

SINGLETARY: I know, right? It does. They're tracking that too. Oh, she said this in her cart. She might want to still get this. Here's 20 percent off or free checking -- or not free checking, free shipping. And so -- and here's the other thing. When you put it in the cart, particularly, you know, this is a season of generosity. We want to give to other people. But when you put it in, and let's say you were going to buy like five gifts for your kid and you put it in there and you just sort of forget about it and then they might ask you for like a couple of those things. Now, you can take those other ones out of the box because you're not going to forget it.

So, it's a really good strategy to slow down your spending. You've got to put pauses in place so that you spend less. And particularly with tariffs and inflation and all this, you know, affordability issues, you know, you all really have to be careful. We don't know where the economy is going. And I'm not trying to scare anybody, but I'm just saying be smart this year about how much you can spend.

HILL: Yes. Absolutely. So, once we have set our budget, hopefully, we've all set that budget, right? Is there anything as people are looking forward over the next few weeks doing their holiday shopping? Are there any particular categories or items that it's actually smart to wait on? Don't do the Black Friday. Don't do the Cyber Monday.

SINGLETARY: I think big ticket items as it gets closer to Christmas, they might come down even more. And then afterwards, you know, my -- I shouldn't say this because my husband will get me in trouble, but sometimes if he hasn't seen the right price, he'll put in a little envelope for Christmas. You're going to get this in a couple of weeks. And that's OK. So, you're telling the person, listen, I'm waiting for a good price.

HILL: Yes.

SINGLETARY: And that's -- you know, that's OK to do that. So, I just think you have to know yourself. I will say that the stores don't have as many items of the things. So, if you see something that is a must have, you might want to go ahead and buy it because it might not be in the store. However, make sure it's still within your price range. Don't let that 50 percent off or that. If you don't buy it now, it's not going to be here, only one left in stock, push you into making a decision. It's not going to be good. You do not want to have those bills when New Year's comes around. HILL: No. And then there's always the option, right? It never hurts to ask. I am a person who's been known to go back and ask for a price adjustment if the price drops. So, maybe your husband does the same thing. Michelle, appreciate it. Great to see you. Thank you.

Still to come here with Thanksgiving holiday, air travel expected to be at a 15 year high over the course of this holiday. How are air traffic controllers coping? Because of this is just the start of this busy holiday season, of course, but especially coming off the heels of the country's longest ever government shutdown. We're going to speak with the president of the Air Traffic Controllers Union next.

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[10:40:00]

HILL: Happening now, we are in the middle of one of the busiest travel periods of the year. In fact, the FAA says this is not only one of the best travel periods of the year, but it's actually the busiest that we've seen for the holidays at the airport in 15 years, according to the FAA. So, far today, there have been about 840 flight delays, about 20 cancellations. That's a far cry, of course, of what we saw during the government shutdown when air traffic controllers were also working for weeks without pay.

Nick Daniels is president of the Air Traffic Controllers Union. Nick, it's good to have you back with us today. First of all, how are things going right now? What are you hearing from members? How are they doing sort of midway through this Thanksgiving holiday travel?

NICK DANIELS, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION: Good morning, Erica. Thank you for having me. It's a mix of emotions right now. This is an amazing group of individuals, a proud group. They're working with only 75 percent of the essential workforce and somehow people say things are getting back to normal. None of this has been normal. It's something that we have to contend with on a daily, weekly basis of the amount of aircraft that we're handling, extremely low morale right now.

In some places, nonexistent morale after seeing only 311 of their co- workers be recognized for a government shutdown when it takes thousands of air traffic controllers to hold this together, especially not having the workforce or the equipment that they need and deserve.

HILL: Yes, it's such an important point. You talk about the low morale and we have talked about this. We were talking about this prior to the government shutdown. We have talking -- been talking about the shortage of air traffic controllers. There's been a shortage for more than a decade, I believe. You know, we saw over the course of the shutdown, more air traffic controllers retiring. We know it could take years to replace them.

If we know how difficult this job is, if we know how long it takes to become an air traffic controller, that morale is low, that they're dealing with a lot. And then the fact that, to your point, only a limited number are being recognized, where do you think the disconnect is, you know, at the government level in terms of understanding what's needed just on a basic level for people who are essential?

[10:45:00]

DANIELS: Well, I think it's the complexities of this job and what it entails. Air traffic controllers, we bid vacation 15 months in advance. Right now, an air traffic controller is selecting for every day that they need off or plan on having off if they can -- you know, depending on how much they earn for 2026. To somehow say that those people aren't -- you know, shouldn't be recognized, I understand a bonus is something that goes above and beyond.

But we need to be realistic. This entire workforce has gone above and beyond. They continue to step up. And that's, again, why I point back to people continue to say through the shutdown, when is it going to return back to normal? It's not normal. When you have 25 percent of your workforce missing in any given job, that puts the pressure. They're working 10 hours a day, six days a week, mandatory overtime.

And this is an opportunity. It's an opportunity for us to sit down with this administration, sit down with Administrator Bedford and say, let's put the reality behind it, the understanding behind it and recognize this workforce for what they do.

HILL: So, in terms of that opportunity, what have those conversations been like? Are you able to get to the table to talk to them?

DANIELS: We've got to the table, not specifically on this bonus, on, you know, the areas that we agreed on initially when it came to staffing, the ways to work on supercharging hiring. This is something we've been talking about as a union for over a decade. And we're talking about, you know, the need for equipment. Now, we need to talk and ensure about the people. They are preparing for the next government shutdown right now.

It's not like we're out of the woods. January 30th is around the corner and that's weighing on every one of their minds. They're still recovering from the bills that they had to pay from the last shutdown. Their pay is still not correct yet. And yes, we need to sit down. We need to have those conversations and we need to all be at the table because leaders have to find a way to agree.

HILL: Really quickly, before I let you go, do you think that the traveling public has a better understanding, certainly in the wake of the government shutdown, about the realities for air traffic controllers?

DANIELS: I think they're finally getting to see the amount of frustration that we carry when they carry it as well of what this system, how fragile it truly is. And it shouldn't be that way. No American person flying should have to say, man, one person missing from a facility can delay an entire flight. You're absolutely right. It shouldn't. And that's why we need everyone's support, everyone's help in backing these air traffic controllers to get through these difficult times and get back to it being the gold standard for the world.

HILL: Nick Daniels, I appreciate you joining us. Thank you.

DANIELS: Thank you.

HILL: Still ahead here, can "Wicked's" magic last through the Thanksgiving weekend or could it be inched out by "Zootopia 2?" A look at the kickoff to the holiday box season -- holiday -- yes, holiday box office season. There we go. That's next.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Only you can.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does that do what I think it does?

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[10:50:00]

HILL: "Wicked: For Good" casting a bit of a spell on the box office, but can it last? The second act of the movie adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical brought in more than $150 million in the U.S. during its first weekend. "Zootopia 2," which is also now in theaters, making a strong showing with $39 million on its first day, according to Variety.

Emmy-winning journalist and media personality Segun Oduolowu is joining me now. OK. So, let's start with the newest film that we have out there, "Zootopia 2." I mean, who doesn't love a good sloth at the DMV? I'm looking forward to it. Opening this weekend. But is it enough to bring people in?

SEGUN ODUOLOWU, EMMY-WINNING JOURNALIST AND MEDIA PERSONALITY: Erica, once again, thank you for having me. It is enough to bring people in. It brought me and my family in. And I'm still baffled as to what I saw. The money that it's generating is record-breaking. The critics love it on Rotten Tomatoes. The audiences love it on Rotten Tomatoes. It's in the 90th percentile for both.

I was there. I sat through it. For me, it's theater popcorn. It's good when you're sitting down, but as soon as you walk out of the theater, it gets stale pretty quick. My daughter did not love it. My wife fell asleep right next to me while we were watching it. So, I say that buyer beware, caveat emptor, go if you want to. But I don't think it's as good as the first one, but it's going to generate a ton of money as it already is.

HILL: It will, but you're not going to get if -- you know, if your wife is falling asleep and your daughter's not that into it, it's going hard -- to be a little tough to get people back for a second showing. So, as we set that aside for just a moment, looking at "Wicked: For Good," I mean, so much hype, so much hype for this movie. And the initial opening numbers, as I -- you know, as I read, exceeding expectations, even as the reviews have been sort of meh. ODUOLOWU: Yes, the reviews are savage, right? They are as savage as a Wicked Witch could be. And rightly so. The themes are heavier this time around. Even with the play that the source material for the movie is based on, the second half of the play, the songs weren't as big and it's darker. And this is what the movie does.

But we should all realize what Hollywood is doing, which is the setup for "Wicked 3," OK? Like, that's what's going on here. That's why I think it's so jumbled. They threw so many things. Spoiler alert, you're going to see a little bit of Dorothy. You're going to see some stuff from the "Wizard of Oz" that's going to -- from original "Wizard of Oz" that's going to probably generate a third movie. But is it the phenomenon that the first one was? I don't think so.

I just really look at the fact that it's all sequels at the box office right now. And there weren't really a lot of good movies to compete with "Wicked 2." As you said, Erica, huge rollout.

[10:55:00]

You know, we saw Ariana Grande. And we saw Cynthia Erivo. We saw them everywhere on the red carpet. There was drama on the red carpet and on the screen. So, that's what it benefited from. But the critics have savaged it. Audiences are kind of tepid. As I've been saying, it's Wicked for mid. Not for good, for mid.

HILL: For mid.

ODUOLOWU: So, if mid is OK, you'll enjoy it.

HILL: I kind of love that. I might steal it from you, my friend. You know, you make such a good point about so much of what we're seeing is sequels, right? And now, they're potentially gearing up for a third "Wicked." We have the third installment of "Avatar" coming out next month. Where are the new ideas, the new movies?

ODUOLOWU: Your guess is as good as mine. If we look back, we've seen a remake of "The Running Man." Nobody really asked for that. We saw "Now, You See Me, Now, You Don't 3." I didn't really know that anyone was clamoring for that either.

With "Avatar," it was the spectacle. It was the technology that really drew us in the first time. The second one was OK. And James Cameron, he's great. He's a great cinematic auteur. We love James Cameron. But honestly, if not for Christopher Nolan and occasionally Martin Scorsese, we don't have a lot of new material or a lot of new movies that really generate interest. And until that happens, the box office is not going to break through our cell phones, which keep us more interested on Instagram and TikTok.

HILL: Yes, it's true. All right. Well, I'll see you on the socials then, my friend. Always good to see you. Segun, thank you.

ODUOLOWU: Always, Erica.

HILL: And stay with us. Much more to come here in the Situation Room after we fit in this quick break.

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