Stocks sink on new COVID variant; Dow loses 1,000 points

A day after the Stock Market was closed for Thanksgiving, news of a new COVID-19 variant sent stocks falling, with the Dow losing 1,000 points.

FDA finds Merck COVID-19 pill effective, seeks outside experts on safety

U.S. health officials say Merck's experimental COVID-19 pill is effective but they raised questions about its safety during pregnancy.

Macy's Thanksgiving parade returns with all the trimmings

Balloons, floats, marching bands, clowns, and performers — and, of course, Santa Claus — once again came to the streets of Manhattan as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was no longer confined to one block or sometimes pre-taped last year.

US families struggle with how to conduct 2nd Thanksgiving amid COVID-19 pandemic

The second Thanksgiving of the COVID-19 pandemic comes as a resurgent virus has pushed new infections in the U.S. to 95,000 daily and caused alarming increases at hospitals in Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona.

Survey: Few Americans blame God for COVID-19 pandemic, other tragedies

A large majority of U.S. adults believe that most of the suffering in the world comes from people rather than from God, according to surveys from the Pew Research Center.

Child COVID-19 cases in US up 32% ahead of Thanksgiving, AAP reports

Between Nov. 11 and Nov. 18, nearly 142,000 child cases were added — an increase of about 32% from two weeks ago and making up 25.1 percent of all the cases reported that week, AAP reported.

WHO: Europe could see another 700K COVID-19 deaths by spring

WHO Europe called on people to get vaccinated and respect proper hygiene and practice social distancing to help stop the spread of the virus.

Phoenix City Council to reconsider COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city workers amid backlash

City of Phoenix officials say they will reconsider a decision to enact a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for its employees amid concerns over negative impact on city services.

Thanksgiving dinner prices are up this year by at least 4%

Those doing all the Thanksgiving dinner shopping are going to see a spike in prices as costs are up at most grocery stores, including in Phoenix.

My Sister's Closet asks customers to pull down masks to capture faces on camera

Customers at My Sister's Closet will be asked to pull down their masks before shopping so security cameras can record their faces. The policy is in place following two, high-priced thefts at different locations.

White House: 92% of federal workers vaccinated under mandate with no apparent disruptions

On Tuesday, one day after the deadline for compliance, 92% of the 3.5 million federal workers covered by Biden’s mandate reported to the government that they are at least partially vaccinated, according to White House officials.

Unemployment benefits claims hit 52-year low after seasonal adjustments

Seasonal adjustments around the Thanksgiving holiday contributed significantly to the bigger-than-expected drop. Unadjusted, claims actually ticked up by more than 18,000 to nearly 259,000.

Arizona reports 4,064 additional COVID-19 cases, 36 more deaths

COVID-related hospitalizations are over half the Jan. 11 pandemic high of 5,082, with 2,574 virus patients occupying inpatient beds as of Nov. 23.