Black Friday in-store shopping is making a comeback this year with a record number of shoppers expected to flock to stores, Axios' Kelly Tyko writes.

• Why it matters: Five years after COVID changed the shopping holiday, retailers are returning with in-store deals to entice customers.

🖼️ The big picture: Retailers want consumers to shop in-person because it drives more sales. Most customers pick up more items than what's on their list.

• "We've actually been calling 2024 the 'year of the store,' we've seen such strong demand for physical retail space this year," Tom McGee, president and CEO of the International Council of Shopping Centers, told Axios.

Zoom in: Target is appealing to Swifties by releasing exclusive Taylor Swift merchandise in its stores.

• Releasing exclusive items in stores first is a reversal from recent years when popular items were pushed online first to reduce crowds in the early days of the pandemic.

🔮 What's next: Tomorrow is projected to be the most popular shopping day of the year in stores and online.

• Kelly Tyko's guide to today's retail and restaurant openings ... Get Axios Local, with morning newsletters for 30 cities.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg ate Thanksgiving Eve dinner with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Axios' Sara Fischer reports.

• A Meta spokesperson told us: "It's an important time for the future of American Innovation. Mark was grateful for the invitation to join President Trump for dinner and the opportunity to meet with members of his team about the incoming Administration."

🔭 Zoom out: Meta is preparing to face off against the FTC in a historic antitrust trial next year. The lawsuit was brought by the FTC four years ago, during the first Trump Administration. The FTC seeks to possibly unwind Meta's critical acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram. 

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President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call Tuesday that their focus should now be on reaching a hostage and ceasefire deal for Gaza following the Lebanon agreement, two U.S. officials told Axios' Barak Ravid.

U.S. officials said Biden intends to continue pushing for a deal to release the hostages until his last day in office, even if President-elect Trump ultimately gets credit for a deal.

• "Biden thinks that doing nothing and telling the hostage families to wait until January 20 would be crazy," one of Biden's aides told Axios.

👀 Behind the scenes: Two U.S. officials said the conversation between Biden and Netanyahu lasted a few minutes. The only topic that came up besides Lebanon was the deal to release the hostages and establish a ceasefire in Gaza.

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Nearly a third of adults under 30 believe that a political argument will be on the menu at their Thanksgiving tables this year, Axios' April Rubin writes from YouGov polling.

🧮 By the numbers: 31% of adults under 30 said they're likely to get into a political argument, higher shares than other age groups:

• 25% of 30-40 year olds.
• 11% of 45-64 year olds.
• 5% of Americans 65 and up.

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Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade — the most-watched entertainment program on TV in recent years — is about to get a lot more expensive for NBC to air.

• Why it matters: The network is working on a new deal with Macy's that would increase its annual fee to $60 million next year — roughly tripling the current deal, The Wall Street Journal reports.

A record 28.5 million people watched the parade last year. That's more than any other non-sports or politics broadcast.

• Of the top 100 TV broadcasts of 2023, 97 were NFL or college football. The other three were the State of the Union, the Oscars ... and the Macy's parade.

Above: Workers prepare the Ronald McDonald balloon for today's parade. Others include Spider-Man, Minnie Mouse and Bluey.

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We asked readers of Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness, to tell us what they're grateful for.

• Here's a smattering of gratitude from across the country, curated by Erica Pandey:

🍽️ "Very grateful that my wife and I are celebrating our 50th Thanksgiving as a married couple. Also happy the whole family will be joining us at the table." —Tim C., Lancaster, Pa.

🙏 "I'm grateful for all of the generosity shown by folks coming to help us in Asheville and the surrounding areas dig out, clean up, search for survivors and feed us. Thank you all." —Susie W., Asheville, N.C.

❤️ "I am 92 years old. I have five children (a blended family). Every one of them, whether they live near or far, is attentive and kind to me and we enjoy being together." —Nancy O., Richmond, Va.

🩺 "I'm grateful for the compassionate and generous hospice nurses, who are making my father's life more pleasant and comfortable in this last stage of his life." —Laura K., Los Angeles

🗽 "I count my blessings every day to have been born in a ZIP Code in the U.S. — Brooklyn, N.Y., 11208 — and not one of the myriad countries where life is so much tougher than we have it here. I am just so lucky and cognizant of my good fortune." —Bob C., Huntington, N.Y.

🎊 "Gratitude overflowing in 2024 for a major milestone moment in my life: 10 years cancer-free!" —Paula H.S., The Woodlands, Texas

In a real-life rendition of the WKRP Turkey Drop, residents in some of the remotest reaches of Alaska will have a Thanksgiving bird thanks to the Alaska Turkey Bomb.

• For the third straight year, a resident named Esther Keim has been flying low and slow in a small plane over rural parts of south-central Alaska, dropping frozen turkeys to those who can't run out to the grocery store, the AP reports.

🎿 Why it matters: Alaska is mostly wilderness, with only about 20% of it accessible by road. In winter, many who live in remote areas rely on small planes or snowmobiles to travel any distance. Frozen rivers can act as makeshift roads.

The backstory: When Keim was growing up on an Alaska homestead, a family friend would airdrop turkeys to her family and others nearby for the holidays. Other times, the pilot would deliver newspapers, sometimes with a pack of gum inside for Keim.

• Her family moved to more urban Alaska nearly 25 years ago but still has the homestead. Using a small plane she rebuilt with her father, Keim launched her turkey delivery mission a few years back after learning of a family living off the land nearby who had little for Thanksgiving dinner.

"They were telling me that a squirrel for dinner did not split very far between three people," Keim recalled. "At that moment, I thought ... 'I'm going to airdrop them a turkey.'"

• This year, she's delivering 32 frozen turkeys to people living year-round in cabins where there are no roads.

Watch the famous WKRP clip.

Going on a "fart walk" after eating can be good for your health — something you may want to keep in mind after your Thanksgiving feast tonight, Axios Seattle's Melissa Santos writes.

• Why it matters: They have real benefits! Walking after a meal can reduce bloating and acid reflux — just mind who may be walking behind you.

Cookbook author Mairlyn Smith has promoted "fart walks" on social media as a way to boost health and help pass gas after eating fiber-rich meals — and the hashtag has been catching on.

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