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    ‘Please be nice’: aviation authority issues plea for US travelers over Thanksgiving

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    The newly confirmed Federal Aviation Administration administrator, Mike Whitaker, has asked the US public to be on its best behavior ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday travel rush on Wednesday, when planning and execution are likely to be frustrated by bad weather.“If you’re flying, please be nice to your flight crew,” Whitaker said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “They are there for your safety. The FAA has zero tolerance for unruly behavior.”Whitaker – who was confirmed to his post by the Senate on 24 October – also said he anticipates that US skies will be “extremely busy” over the Thanksgiving period, “eclipsing last year”.“We are expecting 49,600 flights on Wednesday,” he added in a separate post. “The FAA will be working around the clock to make sure passengers get to their destinations safely.”Separately, the Transportation Security Administration anticipates that a record-breaking 30 million airline passengers will be screened from 17 through 28 November, with 2.6 million on Tuesday and 2.7 million on Wednesday. Sunday is expected to be the peak, with 2.9 million passengers squeezing through TSA checkpoints.The National Weather Service forecasts that two storm systems will affect the nation with rain, thunderstorms and other winter weather. About 1,784 flights within, into and out of the US had been delayed as of 1pm EST on Tuesday, as 2.6 million passengers rushed to get out ahead of a weather system moving up from the Gulf of Mexico toward the east coast.Severe storms have battered the US plains and midwest already this week. The American Automobile Association (AAA) predicts weather could cause travel disruptions for more than 50 million Americans who plan to go at least 50 miles from their homes at some point between Wednesday and Sunday.Alongside Whitaker’s appeal for improved passenger behavior, the US transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, released a public service announcement reminding airline passengers of their rights.“[I]f your flight does get delayed or canceled, know that the department of transportation has your back,” Buttigieg said in the PSA video posted to X.“For example, we have secured enforceable commitments from the 10 largest airlines to cover expenses for things like rebooking, meals and more, when you face delays or cancellations that are the airline’s responsibility.”skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionThe transportation secretary also noted that passengers are “entitled to a full cash refund” if a flight is canceled for “any reason”.At a press conference on Monday, Buttigieg said hiring more air traffic controllers, opening new air routes along the east coast and providing grants to airports for snowplows would help ease disruptions. He warned holiday travelers to check road and flight conditions before setting off.“Mother Nature, of course, is the X factor in all of this,” he said. More

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      ‘Congratulations, birds’: Biden brings the jokes as he pardons Thanksgiving turkeys

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      He had his turn at the White House, made all the right noises and now, getting on a bit, is heading for a quiet retirement.Sadly for the millions of voters who tell opinion pollsters they want him to make way for someone younger, it is not Joe Biden, but a turkey named Liberty who is about to put his feet up.The US president spent part of his 81st birthday on Monday observing the White House tradition of pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys. Liberty received executive clemency along with another gobbler named Bell.After their moment in the sun, Liberty and Bell will be returned to their home state to be cared for by the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences. Biden, meanwhile, will continue to wrestle with two intractable wars, turmoil at the border and a bitterly divided nation.While past presidents have used this occasion to tell dad jokes, Biden did grandad jokes. His seven-minute remarks on the White House south lawn on a crisp Monday were light on the puns favoured by Barack Obama that made his daughters cringe, or the funny-not-funny gags about pardons made by Donald Trump that made the nation cringe. But they were heavy on self-deprecating references to Biden’s age, enough to elicit groans from any campaign aides who still believe the subject can be dodged.The president thanked the chair of the National Turkey Federation and said when he met him and his family earlier, they sang “Happy Birthday”. America’s first octogenarian president quipped: “I just want you to know it’s difficult turning 60. Difficult.”He laughed at his own joke.The tradition dates to 1947 when the federation, which represents turkey farmers and producers, first presented a National Thanksgiving Turkey to President Harry Truman. Biden joked: “This is the 76th anniversary of this event. I want you to know I wasn’t there [for] the first one; I was too young to make it up.”He laughed at his own joke again and then, a little uneasily, laughed some more. This was not vintage comedy.The president had rambled about being used to chickens in Delaware. Nodding to the derivation of their names from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, he suggested the 20-week-old, 42lb birds have a new appreciation for the words “Let Freedom Ring”. Turning to the turkeys’ home, Minnesota, he said he would like see them play ice hockey.Things really went downhill when Biden said the turkeys beat tough odds and competition to reach the White House, comparing the feat to getting tickets to Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour or Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour but calling the latter Britney, presumably confusing Swift with Britney Spears.“They had to work hard to show patience and be willing to travel over a thousand miles. You could say it’s even harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour or – or Britney’s tour. She’s down in … it’s kind of warm in Brazil right now.”In short, this is a president who flies into war zones but he failed the Swiftie test.There was mystified silence from Biden’s audience, including a group of schoolchildren, who might have been thinking there goes grandpa again. The internet may have crashed as Republican operatives and rightwing media types scrambled to post the clip. Things could only have got worse if the president’s bitey German shepherd, Commander, had shown up with a taste for turkey.One of the gobblers was then brought to a podium decorated with pumpkins and autumnal colours. “That’s a big bird, man, I’m impressed,” Biden observed, raising his right hand and declaring: “I hereby pardon Liberty and Bell! All right. Congratulations, birds.”There were cheers from a crowd of a couple of hundred people including transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg and family. Biden concluded “on a serious note” about Thanksgiving – “we have so much to be thankful for as a nation” – and went to greet the schoolchildren as a band played jolly festive tunes. Asked by a reporter if a hostage deal is near in Israel, he replied, “I believe so,” and crossed his fingers.A few minutes later he broke into a half-trot and went inside, back to a world of cares and likely election rematch with Trump. No one seemed to have thought about bringing him a birthday cake. Perhaps they feared it would look bad for Biden in those corners of the media where 81 candles are an impeachable offence but 91 indictments? Not so much. More

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      Still alive: American democracy, Biden’s bad jokes – and two turkeys

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      AnalysisStill alive: American democracy, Biden’s bad jokes – and two turkeys David Smith in Washington High on the Democrats’ midterm success, the octogenarian president presides over the annual pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkeysHail to the grandpa-in-chief!With important legislation under his belt, Republicans in disarray and Vladimir Putin in retreat, Joe Biden is looking pleased with himself and ready for family time.On Saturday he hosted the wedding of his granddaughter, Naomi Biden, on the White House South Lawn. On Sunday he was at family brunch to celebrate his 80th birthday.So if it’s Monday, it must be the annual pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey, complete with “God love yas” and grandad jokes.“It’s a wonderful Thanksgiving tradition here at the White House,” America’s first octogenarian president said as he welcomed turkeys Chocolate and Chip on the South Lawn. “There’s a lot to say about it, but it’s chilly outside, so I’m going to keep this short. Nobody likes it when their turkey gets cold!”Trump plays the ousted autocrat struggling to recapture past gloryRead morePeople laughed politely. Looking over at the gobblers, Biden added: “I don’t know if they’re mad yet or not.”The White House tradition of issuing a presidential pardon to keep a pair of turkeys off the holiday dinner table goes back 75 years – almost as long as Biden himself. This time the gobblers were named Chocolate and Chip, a nod to the president’s favorite ice-cream flavor.The short ceremony in crisp sunshine was punctuated by the sound of Chocolate and Chip gobbling and of Biden’s pet dog, Commander, barking from the Truman balcony (where two of his young grandchildren were also watching).“I was worried if he came down here with all of you, he’d just do nothing but kiss you and lick you,” the president said. “But he may go after the turkeys, so I kept him up there.”Earlier, as a band played Hail to the Chief, Biden walked out with trademark shades and an appreciable spring in his step. The perennial nearly man of American politics – he ran for president twice and lost twice before 2020 – has shown the world that old dogs can learn new tricks.His fans say he has passed the most consequential legislation since President Lyndon Johnson, and in a narrowly divided Congress to boot. They point to his rallying of western governments against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is failing miserably. And Biden’s emphasis on democracy and abortion rights appeared to pay off in the midterm elections as Democrats retained the Senate.Even his turkey pardoning outdid Barack Obama and Donald Trump who used to hold the ceremony in the Rose Garden. This time it was on the South Lawn watched by hundreds of people including students from a Washington middle school. No doubt Trump will insist that his turkey pardoning drew the biggest crowd ever.Noting that Chocolate won a public poll with Chip as his backup, Biden remarked: “First of all, the votes are in. They’ve been counted and verified. There’s no ballot stuffing. There’s no fowl play. The only red wave this season is going to be if a German shepherd, Commander, knocks over the cranberry sauce on our table.”That one got applause.But there was also some Bidenesque awkwardness after he approached Chocolate the turkey on a table surrounded by pumpkins. A politician accused of being overly tactile down the years stroked the bird and talked to it: “Chocolate, you are pardoned. You are pardoned. He said, ‘You had to tell me that?’ Yeah. Yeah, you are. Yeah. I’m serious. He said, ‘I don’t know, man. You didn’t have to pardon me. I knew I was pardoned.’”Then things got weirder as he asked Ronald Parker, chairman of the National Turkey Federation, how many turkeys he was raising. Parker said Circle S Ranch grows about 9.5 million turkeys a year.Biden replied: “God love ya. Nine and a half million turkeys. I tell you what. That’s like some of the countries I’ve been to. And the – anyway.” That train of thought wasn’t going anywhere so he pivoted to Chocolate: “Do you want to talk?”The turkey declined to comment.Chocolate and Chip were hatched in July in Monroe, North Carolina, according to the National Turkey Federation, sponsor of the turkey tradition that dates to 1947 and President Harry Truman.Each weighing nearly 50lb, the gobblers arrived in Washington on Saturday night from North Carolina and checked into their room at the Willard hotel near the White House to await Monday’s presidential decree. They are both set to live the rest of their natural lives on the campus of North Carolina State University.Biden concluded on a serious note, encouraging Americans to get coronavirus and flu vaccines head of the holiday season. He could not resist a bit of campaign trail rhetoric: “Folks, let’s remember – all the political fighting that goes on that you read about – let’s remember one thing: this is the United States of America – the United States of America. There’s not a single, solitary thing beyond our capacity as a nation – nothing beyond our capacity – if we do it together, united. United!”And with that, the sound of gobbling marked the passing of another year. American democracy is still alive and so is Joe Biden.TopicsJoe BidenThe US politics sketchThanksgivingUS politicsanalysisReuse this content More

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      Lara Trump claims pricier turkeys are a liberal plot against Thanksgiving

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      Lara Trump claims pricier turkeys are a liberal plot against ThanksgivingEx-president’s daughter-in-law tells Fox News leftwing Americans ‘don’t want us to have any shared traditions’ Lara Trump, the Fox News contributor and wife of Eric Trump, has bizarrely claimed that the rising cost of the Thanksgiving turkey is part of a liberal plot to “chip away” at American traditions.During a discussion on Fox News about inflation and its impact on Thanksgiving-related purchases, the former president’s daughter-in law claimed leftwing Americans “want to fundamentally transform America” and were using the humble Thanksgiving turkey as a vehicle for their nefarious plot.Yes, there will be enough turkeys for Thanksgiving – at a priceRead more“Well, how do you that? You have to change America from the inside-out. You have to take away our traditions. So it might seem a little funny and a little ridiculous. ‘Oh, don’t have a turkey, then people won’t come over.’”In the exchange with the Fox host Pete Hegseth, Trump was responding to comments made by the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, that inflation had pushed costs of the traditional Thanksgiving bird to about a dollar more for a 20lb bird.“It all goes to fundamentally transforming this country, and the way you do that is you make sure that we have no commonality whatsoever, no traditions as Americans whatsoever,” she said. “You start chipping away at that, and they don’t care that Thanksgiving costs a lot more.”A battle over turkey inflation has been brewing for weeks, with conservatives accusing liberals of attempting to quash holidays, including Halloween, as part of an effort “to divide Americans up”.“They don’t want us to have any common ground. They don’t want us to have any shared traditions like Thanksgiving. A lot of places last month actually did away with Halloween because they wanted to be inclusive of the people that didn’t celebrate Halloween,” Trump added.Last week, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) warned that costs of the traditional turkey feast has risen 14% over the past year. The cost increase, up from an average of $46.90 for a family group of 10 last year to $53.31 in 2021, works out at $6 a person.Within the overall 6.6% increase in the cost of the family sit-down, including stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk, the cost of the bird has increased more than any other factor – 24%.At the same time, Butterball, the North Carolina poultry giant that produces more than 1bn pounds of turkey each year, told the Guardian that it had been preparing for this Thanksgiving a year in advance and prices “remain roughly the same as previous years, and turkey is one of the most economical parts of the Thanksgiving meal”.But the tradition of a turkey dinner is under pressure from some other quarters, with some questioning why it is necessary for millions of turkeys to be slaughtered. In a punchy essay for the Cut, food writer Mia Mercado argued that side dishes are the true stars of the holiday sit-down.“I’m coming for your precious holiday bird. Turkey is not welcome at my Thanksgiving,” Mercado wrote.TopicsThanksgivingUS politicsRepublicansnewsReuse this content More

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      US Covid cases, hospitalisations and deaths rise amid Thanksgiving rush

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      The US reported 181,490 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, a third daily rise in a row, as hospitalisations hit a record for a 16th day in succession, at 89,959.
      There were 2,297 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, the largest single-day rise since May, bringing the pandemic toll to 262,065 out of nearly 12.8m cases. The death rate is still lower than in the spring.
      The alarming numbers were reported as millions of Americans defied official advice against travel and gatherings for Thanksgiving.
      In an address to the nation on Wednesday, Joe Biden appealed for resilience and sympathised with those contemplating a holiday without loved ones.
      “I know this time of year can be especially difficult,” said the president-elect, whose wife and daughter were killed in a car crash in December 1972. “Believe me, I know. I remember that first Thanksgiving. The empty chair, silence that takes your breath away. It’s really hard to care. It’s hard to give thanks … It’s so hard to hope, to understand.
      “I’ll be thinking and praying for each and every one of you this Thanksgiving.”
      Biden’s transition team were unable to coordinate with federal authorities for two weeks after the election was called, as Donald Trump refused to concede. The president still has not taken that step, but has allowed transition funds to be released.
      Biden heralded the approach of apparently effective vaccines. The US was “on track for the first immunisations to begin by late December, early January”, he said.
      “We’ll need to put in place a distribution plan to get the entire country immunised as soon as possible, which we will do. It’s going to take time. And hopefully the news of the vaccine will serve as incentive to every American to take simple steps to get control of the virus.”
      Biden listed such steps, including wearing a mask, social distancing and more, which the Trump administration has been loath to seek to enforce, even at its own events. Trump, members of his family, aides and senior Republicans have fallen sick.
      “There’s real hope,” Biden insisted. “Tangible hope.”
      Later, in Washington, the newly 6-3 conservative supreme court sided with religious communities who sued to block New York state Covid restrictions on attendance at houses of worship. Amy Coney Barrett, the devout Catholic justice who replaced Ruth Bader Ginsburg last month, sided with other conservatives on the ruling.
      Avi Schick, an attorney for Agudath Israel of America, told the Associated Press: “This is an historic victory. This landmark decision will ensure that religious practices and religious institutions will be protected from government edicts that do not treat religion with the respect demanded by the constitution.”
      On Wednesday, New York saw more than 6,000 daily Covid cases for the first time since late April. Pennsylvania recorded more than 7,000 cases, its second-highest total since the pandemic began. Massachusetts and Nevada saw record case numbers.
      In Wyoming, the Republican governor, Mark Gordon, has opposed a mask mandate. On Wednesday, it was announced that he had tested positive.
      US airports saw around 900,000 to 1 million people a day pass through checkpoints from Friday to Tuesday, down around 60% from last year but some of the biggest crowds seen since the pandemic took hold. Typically, more Americans drive for Thanksgiving than fly.
      Officials – among them New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo – have been forced to cancel their own Thanksgiving plans in order to set an example. One who did not, Denver’s mayor, Michael Hancock, issued an apology on Wednesday.
      Having asked city staff and residents to avoid holiday travel, Hancock flew to Mississippi to spend the holiday with his wife and youngest daughter.
      “I made my decision as a husband and father,” he said, “and for those who are angry and disappointed, I humbly ask you to forgive decisions that are born of my heart and not my head.” More

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      'Our democracy was tested this year': Joe Biden's Thanksgiving address – video

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      Joe Biden urged Americans to put aside their political differences as he called for unity in his Thanksgiving address to the nation.
      ‘We need to remember, we are at war with the virus, not one another,’ said the president-elect. ‘Our democracy was tested this year, and what we learned was this: the people of this nation were up to the task.’
      Joe Biden says ‘Let’s be thankful for democracy’ in message of unity – live More

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      Lame duck pardons turkey: Trump confronts reality at muted Thanksgiving event

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      It was a sad spectacle. Here was an ageing comic confronted by a shrinking audience, his jokes landing with a thud, his star beginning to fade.
      Donald Trump suddenly finds himself where he has never been: a secondary story, overshadowed by Joe Biden, dominating the news cycle no more.
      On Tuesday, Biden introduced the brainy grownups of his government-in-waiting at a weighty event with lofty talk of restoring America’s moral leadership and saving the planet from the climate crisis.
      An hour later, at the White House, a turkey was pardoned by a lame duck discovering how fickle the media circus can be.
      The gathering in the Rose Garden was naturally diminished by the coronavirus pandemic, but his last Thanksgiving ceremony was a muted affair that also struggled to break through on cable news.
      “Ladies and gentleman, the president of the United States and Mrs Trump,” said an announcer, the words suddenly elegiac as abnormal administration fades to black.
      Trump, true to himself to the end, began by lauding the Dow Jones industrial average breaking 30,000 for the first time. He praised his wife, Melania, for revamping the Rose Garden, and welcomed his daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared, who are perhaps contemplating their bumpy re-entry to New York society.

      Trump talked about the tradition of presidents sparing birds from the Thanksgiving table, dating back to Abraham Lincoln and receiving formal pardons every year since George HW Bush. This year’s pair, Corn and Cob, were selected from the official presidential flock of 30, he said. “Some real beauties.”
      The president talked about the nation’s love of farmers and the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the pilgrims on the Mayflower. He thanked doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, and scientists who have fought the coronavirus pandemic and raced towards a vaccine, but could not resist using the term “China virus” for old time’s sake or bring himself to offer condolences to families of the quarter-million Americans dead.
      “We send our love to every member of the armed forces and the law enforcement heroes risking their lives to keep America safe, to keep America great, and, as I say, ‘America first’,” Trump said. “Shouldn’t go away from that: America first.”
      It sounded like a feeble plea from a dying monarch, given that Biden had just vividly put the Barack Obama band back together with an explicit repudiation of “America first”.
      What was missing from Trump’s brief remarks were the puns of the Obama years that made his daughters cringe, or Trump’s own brazen jokes in 2018 regarding an online vote on which turkey should survive – “This was a fair election. Unfortunately, Carrots refused to concede and demanded a recount, and we’re still fighting with Carrots” – or his bleak humour about his own impeachment a year ago.
      The reality of losing, for a self-declared lifelong winner, is evidently not a laughing matter. Earlier on Tuesday, Trump retweeted a picture of himself brooding over the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office with the caption: “I concede NOTHING!!!!!”
      A man scooped Corn up on to a table festooned with autumnal flowers and mini-pumpkins. Trump and Melania walked over. With raised hand, Trump said: “Look at that beautiful, beautiful bird. Oh, so lucky. That is a lucky bird. Corn, I hereby grant you a full pardon. Thank you, Corn. What a bird. Thank you.”
      He added: “Happy Thanksgiving to everybody. Thank you very much. Thank you, everybody. Have a good one.”
      So it was that as Biden prepares to take the reins of power, Trump is left with the equivalent of ribbon-cutting. The one-time champion of attention has lost his crown to a challenger he deems unworthy. As he departed, reporters shouted, “Mr President, will you be issuing a pardon for yourself?” and “Will you invite president-elect Biden?”
      Answer there came none. The man who could never stop talking to reporters has now taken a vow of silence. Bringing up the election result is as awkward as making conversation at a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by a divorcing couple. More