THANKSGIVING DAY

Amtrak passengers may be facing service cutbacks in January.

Many major retailers and fast-food chains have announced they will be closed this Thanksgiving. A few, however, will stay open for customers.

Millions of Americans are loading up their cars or piling onto planes, determined to reclaim Thanksgiving traditions that were put on pause last year by the pandemic.

Eric Kim's make-ahead gravy can be reheated on the stove or in the microwave on Thanksgiving Day; drizzle over everything.

Many popular stores, such as Walmart and Target, announced their stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Many of those stores will stay shuttered, and even the word "doorbusters" has largely disappeared from circulars and ads. Retailers including Walmart and Home Depot have swapped one-day store events for a drumbeat of holiday deals. So far, that early start to holiday sales seems to be giving retail sales a lift. "This year, as soon as retailers started rolling out their sales and their deals, we were seeing really good deals that were sort of surprising to me," she said. She said retailers have still tried to create urgency by serving up different sales items each time.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of 23 U.S. states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit on Wednesday challenging a Trump administration decision to weaken Obama-era fuel efficiency standards. REUTERS/Mike BlakeIn March, the administration issued final rules requiring 1.5% annual increases in vehicle fuel efficiency through 2026 - far weaker than the 5% increases set under former President Barack Obama. The Trump administration also abandoned its August 2018 proposal to freeze requirements at 2020 levels through 2026. Last week, the group sided with the Trump administration plan and opposed a legal challenge to further weaken the requirements, while other automakers including Ford did not. Obamas environmental policies sought to cut carbon emissions that drive climate change, while Trump has ditched numerous environmental regulations his administration deemed harmful to industry.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 203,000 for the week ended Nov. 30, the lowest level since mid-April, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Claims data tend to be volatile around holidays like last week's Thanksgiving Day, which was later this year compared to 2018. The Labor Department said no states were estimated last week. The four-week moving average of initial claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, fell 2,000 to 217,750 last week. The claims data has no bearing on November's employment report, which is scheduled for release on Friday.

(Reuters) - Thanksgiving Day in New York City started with something many New Yorkers and visitors will be grateful for: the giant balloons in the annual Macys Thanksgiving Day parade were given the all clear to fly after fears strong winds could ground them. Good News, New York City: the winds are holding and the #MacysThanksgivingDayParade balloons will FLY!, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a tweet early on Thursday. Concerns had been mounting earlier in the week over a forecast of strong winds on Thanksgiving Day. Many of the massive helium-inflated balloons require up to 90 handlers and can be challenging to maneuver even in calm weather. In Philadelphia, local media reported early Thursday morning that high winds had forced authorities to ground balloons for the citys Thanksgiving Day parade.

How much do you know about Thanksgiving Day parades?

Performers from the musical "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" performed the singer's hit song "I Feel the Earth Move" on Thanksgiving Day.

The National Retailer Federation estimates more than 135 million people will shop this Black Friday weekend. More than 30 million say they will hit the stores on Thanksgiving Day, but the group also estimates nearly 60 percent of holiday shoppers have already started buying items on their list. CBS News financial contributor Mellody Hobson joins "CBS This Morning" from San Francisco to discuss new shopping trends.

Thanksgiving store hours spark Black Friday backlash Black Friday sales start as early as 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, and that has some consumers and retail workers outraged.