The Transportation Security Administration said it screened more than 2.3 million airline passengers on Wednesday — the highest number since the start of the pandemic and more than double the number of people who passed through TSA security checkpoints on the same day last year.
Driving the news: TSA said last week it expects to screen about 20 million air passengers during the Thanksgiving travel period this year.
The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City was back with fanfare on Thursday, after last year's festivities were scaled back due to the pandemic.
The big picture: The 95th annual parade featured new floats, marching bands, music stars, Santa and others, who made their way through the 2.5-mile route lined with cheering crowds. Last year's parade route was reduced to just one largely spectator-less block.
The route that your turkey took on its way to your table this year was beset by extreme weather, global supply-chain issues and labor shortages — many of the same factors contributing to the "Everything Shortage."
The big picture: Our Axios Local teams have turned their eye to each piece of the turkey supply chain — from Iowa, one of the top producers of animal feed nationwide; to Minnesota, the biggest turkey producer; to Arkansas, home of Walmart, the country's largest retailer.
Americans are itching to get back into their holiday traditions this year — including the traditional post-Thanksgiving shopping blitz.
Why it matters: Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren't the seismic economic and cultural events they used to be, and supply-chain issues have put a damper on things this year, but retailers expect shoppers to come back after a year of isolation — and to spend big.
Vegan bakers and chefs across the country are facing unprecedented demand as households prepare to cater to a growing number of vegans, vegetarians and "flexitarians" at Thanksgiving this year.
Why it matters: With the continued rise of plant-based meat sales and more meat-eaters opting for alternative meat products, this year's Thanksgiving is set to be America's most vegan-friendly yet.
The Biden administration approved Wednesday plans for a major offshore wind farm to supply power to New York.
Why it matters: The approval for the installation of a dozen turbines near Rhode Island marks a major step in the administration's goal of reaching 30 gigawatts of offshore wind-generating capacity in U.S. waters by 2030, powering more than 10 million homes.
The Biden administration will begin requiring essential travelers crossing U.S. borders to be fully vaccinated starting Jan. 22, a White House spokesperson told Axios Wednesday.
Why it matters: The move comes after the U.S. opened land borders with Canada and Mexico to non-essential travel in November, but only to those fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
People are journeying across the U.S. en masse this week to commemorate the Thanksgiving holiday, with air travel closing in on pre-pandemic levels after more than a year of COVID.
Why it matters: Last Thanksgiving, theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention urged Americans not to travel because of the pandemic. One year later, the total number of people traveling for the holiday by car, bus, train or plane is expected to cross 53 million, or 95% of 2019 levels.
What to watch: The total number of people traveling for Thanksgiving this year — by car, bus, train or plane — could reach 53 million, according to AAA, or 95% of 2019 levels.
3D Investment Partners, the second-largest Toshiba shareholder with a 7% stake, is objecting to the Japanese conglomerate's plan to split into three companies, per a letter obtained by Reuters.
Why it matters: This could set up a takeover battle for all of Toshiba, which was the target of a failed $20 billion bid earlier this year from CVC Capital Partners.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon walked back a recent critique of the Chinese Communist Party on Wednesday, saying he regrets joking that the bank will outlast the party in China.
Driving the news: Speaking at the Boston College Chief Executives Club Tuesday, Dimon noted that JPMorgan's Chinese operations and the CCP were both celebrating their 100th year anniversary in 2021 and said he would bet that the bank would outlive the party, according to Bloomberg.
As the holiday season gets underway, groups of thieves have undertaken brazen shoplifting exploits at stores across the U.S.
Why it matters: Organized retail crime costs retailers on average $700,000 per $1 billion in sales annually, per estimates from the National Retail Federation, and companies are blaming store closures and profit dips on the shoplifting scourge.
New Zealand will reopen to most international travelers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 next year, in a gradual lifting of border restrictions that have been in place since March 2020.
Eight airline passengers are facing fines totaling more than $160,000 for violations of alcohol and face mask rules aboard planes — including an individual penalty of over $40,000.
Why it matters: There have been more than 5,000 unruly passenger reports this year — including nearly 3,800 mask-related incidents, according to the latest figures from the Federal Aviation Administration, which proposed the latest fines.
