By MARK KENNEDY, AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Two things that made massive cultural splashes this year — Labubu and “KPop Demon Hunters” — will fill the sky and streets of New York when the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off this year. Conan Gray and Lainey Wilson will bring the tunes.

The Nov. 27 parade begins rain or shine on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and ends at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street, which serves as a stage and backdrop for performances. It will feature 34 balloons, four mini-balloons, 28 floats, 33 clown groups and 11 marching bands — all leading the way for Santa Claus.

Here’s key things to know about the parade and how to watch it.

What time does the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade start?

It starts at 8:30 a.m. Eastern and airs at that time in all time zones.

New Thanksgiving Day floats are displayed during a press preview of the new floats at Macy’s Parade Studio in Moonachie, N.J., Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

What channel is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on?

It will be on NBC, available with an antenna or through cable and satellite providers.

What if I want to stream it?

For cord cutters, the parade is being simulcast on Peacock and an encore telecast begins at 2 p.m. EST/PST. A Spanish language simulcast will also be on Telemundo.

Last year, more than 31 million people tuned in on NBC and Peacock, up 10% from the previous year and marking the biggest audience ever for the parade.

A new Thanksgiving Day float featuring a monster from the show “Stranger Things” is displayed during a press preview of the new floats at Macy’s Parade Studio in Moonachie, N.J., Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

What’s the weather going to be like?

The Weather Channel predicts a high of 48 degrees and a partly cloudy day, with winds up to 13 mph. AccuWeather also predicts 48 degrees with intervals of clouds and winds at 12 mph. New York City law prohibits Macy’s from flying the full-size balloons if sustained winds exceed 23 mph or wind gusts are over 35 mph.

Who are some of the stars performing?

In addition to Gray and Wilson singing, “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo will kick off the starry moving show. Audrey Nuna, EJAE and Rei Ami of HUNTR/X, the fictional girl group at the heart of the Netflix hit “KPop Demon Hunters,” will feature alongside Ciara, Foreigner, Lil Jon, Kool & the Gang, Busta Rhymes, Mickey Guyton and Teyana. An eclectic group of stars — from ballet dancer Tiler Peck to YouTube’s “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans — will join the annual holiday kick-off.

Sheep adorn a float by Serta during a press preview of the new floats at Macy’s Parade Studio in Moonachie, N.J., Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Broadway will be represented by cast members from “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Just in Time” and “Ragtime,” while the Radio City Rockettes will be there and some serious athletes — three-time U.S. national champion figure skater Ilia Malinin and U.S Paralympian Jack Wallace. Alumni and students at LaGuardia High School in New York City — the school featured in the movie and TV series “Fame” — will help celebrate the 50th anniversary of “A Chorus Line.”

Others on hand will be Alison Brie, Jewel, Debbie Gibson, Drew Baldridge, Matteo Bocelli, Colbie Caillat, Gavin DeGraw, Meg Donnelly, Christopher Jackson, Darlene Love, Roman Mejia, Taylor Momsen, Calum Scott, Shaggy, Lauren Spencer Smith and Luísa Sonza.

Who is hosting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?

For those watching on TV or computers, the trio of hosting stalwarts — Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker from “Today” and their former colleague Hoda Kotb. On Telemundo, the hosts will be Andrea Meza, Aleyda Ortiz and Clovis Nienow.

A new Thanksgiving Day float featuring Pop Mart’s Labubu, right, and Mokoko are displayed during a press preview of the new floats at Macy’s Parade Studio in Moonachie, N.J., Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Kotb, who stepped down from “Today” in January, says working the parade was something she wanted to continue to do even after leaving the network, “One was the Olympics and the other were these parades because they’re just such fun, this one especially.”

The timing is good this year for the Kotb family. Her youngest daughter, Hope, is obsessed with “KPop Demon Hunters,” maybe even more than with Taylor Swift or Labubu. “This one is next level,” Kotb jokes. “I’ve never seen anything like it honestly. Labubu does not hold a candle to ‘KPop Demon Hunter’ stuff.”

What are the new balloons?

This year, four new featured character balloons will debut, including Buzz Lightyear, Pac-Man, Mario from Super Mario Brothers and a 32-foot-tall balloon onion carriage featuring eight characters from the world of “Shrek.” “KPop Demon Hunters” will also be represented in the sky with the characters Derpy Tiger and Sussie.

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What about new floats?

Several new floats will debut this year, including the first Pop Mart float, with Labubu, Skullpanda, Peach Riot, Dimoo, Molly, Duckoo and Mokoko. There will also be floats from Holland America Line, Lego, Lindt chocolates, “Stranger Things” featuring members of Foreigner, and a bunch of whimsical sheep trying to get to sleep courtesy of Serta. The fish-shaped snack Goldfish is returning to the parade with a tiny float that measures just 14 Goldfish crackers long.

Is your state represented by any of the bands?

The marching bands will hail from South Carolina, California, Texas, Arizona, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Alabama, Pennsylvania and Santiago, Panama. The New York Police Department’s marching band will also join. There will also be dancers and cheerleaders from Spirit of America Dance and Spirit of America Cheer.

By CLAUDIA LAUER, Associated Press

Tucked in a two-sentence footnote in a voluminous court opinion, a federal judge recently called out immigration agents using artificial intelligence to write use-of-force reports, raising concerns that it could lead to inaccuracies and further erode public confidence in how police have handled the immigration crackdown in the Chicago area and ensuing protests.

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis wrote the footnote in a 223-page opinion issued last week, noting that the practice of using ChatGPT to write use-of-force reports undermines agents’ credibility and “may explain the inaccuracy of these reports.” She described what she saw in at least one body camera video, writing that an agent asks ChatGPT to compile a narrative for a report after giving the program a brief description and several images.

The judge noted factual discrepancies between the official narrative about those law enforcement responses and what body camera footage showed. But experts say the use of AI to write a report that depends on an officer’s specific perspective without using an officer’s actual experience is the worst possible use of the technology and raises serious concerns about accuracy and privacy.

An officer’s needed perspective

Law enforcement agencies across the country have been grappling with how to create guardrails that allow officers to use the increasingly available AI technology while maintaining accuracy, privacy and professionalism. Experts said the example recounted in the opinion didn’t meet that challenge.

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“What this guy did is the worst of all worlds. Giving it a single sentence and a few pictures — if that’s true, if that’s what happened here — that goes against every bit of advice we have out there. It’s a nightmare scenario,” said Ian Adams, assistant criminology professor at the University of South Carolina who serves on a task force on artificial intelligence at the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment, and it was unclear if the agency had guidelines or policies on the use of AI by agents. The body camera footage cited in the order has not yet been released.

Adams said few departments have put policies in place, but those that have often prohibit the use of predictive AI when writing reports justifying law enforcement decisions, especially use-of-force reports. Courts have established a standard referred to as objective reasonableness when considering whether a use of force was justified, relying heavily on the perspective of the officer.

“We need the specific articulated events of that event and the specific thoughts of that specific officer to let us know if this was a justified use of force,” Adams said. “That is the worst case scenario, other than explicitly telling it to make up facts, because you’re begging it to make up facts in this high-stakes situation.”

Private information and evidence

Besides raising concerns about an AI-generated report inaccurately characterizing what happened, the use of AI also raises potential privacy issues.

Katie Kinsey, chief of staff and tech policy counsel at the Policing Project at NYU School of Law, said if the agent in the order was using a public ChatGPT version, he probably didn’t understand that he lost control of the images the moment he uploaded them, allowing them to be part of the public domain and potentially used by bad actors.

Kinsey said from a technology standpoint most departments are building the plane as it’s being flown when it comes to AI. She said it’s often a pattern in law enforcement to wait until new technologies are already being used — and in some cases, mistakes being made — to then talk about putting guidelines or policies in place.

“You would rather do things the other way around, where you understand the risks and develop guardrails around the risks,” Kinsey said. “Even if they aren’t studying best practices, there’s some lower-hanging fruit that could help. We can start from transparency.”

Kinsey said while federal law enforcement considers how the technology should be used or not used, it could adopt a policy like those put in place in Utah or California recently, where police reports or communications written using AI have to be labeled.

Careful use of new tools

The photographs the officer used to generate a narrative also caused accuracy concerns for some experts.

Well-known tech companies like Axon have begun offering AI components with their body cameras to assist in writing incident reports. Those AI programs marketed to police operate on a closed system and largely limit themselves to using audio from body cameras to produce narratives because the companies have said programs that attempt to use visuals are not effective enough for use.

“There are many different ways to describe a color, or a facial expression or any visual component. You could ask any AI expert and they would tell you prompts return very different results between different AI applications, and that gets complicated with a visual component,” said Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, a law professor at George Washington University Law School.

“There’s also a professionalism question. Are we OK with police officers using predictive analytics?” he added. “It’s about what the model thinks should have happened, but might not be what actually happened. You don’t want it to be what ends up in court, to justify your actions.”

By STACEY MEI YAN FONG

Every time I am feeling a little too much, or sometimes not enough, I bake a pie. I bake a pie when I celebrate something, make a new friend, figure out something hard, go on an inspiring trip, and, most of all, when I am trying to create a feeling of home.

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For my project-turned-cookbook, “50 Pies, 50 States,” I decided to learn about America by creating a pie for each state that said something about its people and included meaningful regional ingredients.

For pumpkin pie, one state stood out: Illinois. About 85% of canned pumpkin consumed in the United States comes from Illinois, and pumpkin pie is the official state pie.

But I couldn’t just make a regular ol’ pumpkin pie! I had to think outside the box. Then it hit me: I could make the love child of a pumpkin pie and a deep-dish pizza, which is thick and baked in a skillet and requires a fork and knife to eat ’cause it’s too dang hard to pick up! Like one of Chicago’s skyscrapers, this deep-dish pumpkin pie was an engineering feat.

The deep-dish crust is the hardest part of this recipe. I always egg-wash the crust. For the egg wash, I combine one whole large egg, one large yolk, and 2 tablespoons milk or water (whichever you have on hand) in a quart container, and blend with an immersion blender or whisk until smooth. This has been the recipe that has given me the best golden brown on my bakes. Don’t be stressed, chill your dough and take your time! Pro Tip: Make your filling a day in advance; this will help guarantee a thicker set custard filling.

Deep-Dish Pumpkin Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Start to finish: 6 hours (1 hour active)

Ingredients

CRUST

Store-bought or homemade pie dough (preferably made with all butter; and enough for a double crusted pie); do not separate into two portions.

Egg wash

—-

PUMPKIN FILLING

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 (15-ounce) cans pumpkin puree (I prefer Libby’s)

2-1/2 cups heavy cream

6 large eggs, beaten

—-

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

9-inch springform pan that is at least 2-1/2inches deep

Parchment paper

Directions

MAKE THE FILLING: In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: sugars, cornstarch, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and pepper. In a separate medium bowl, mix the pumpkin, cream and eggs together until well incorporated. Mix in the dry ingredients and make sure everything is well incorporated. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.

BLIND BAKE THE CRUST: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roll out the double portion of dough so that there will be at least a 1-inch overhang beyond the edge of the springform pan. Spray the 9-inch springform pan liberally with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Fit the rolled-out crust in the pan, making sure to push the dough into all corners on the bottom and that all the sides are covered. Leave about an inch of dough hanging over the edge of the pan. Freeze for one hour. Prick the dough with a fork on the base and sides. Line the entire crust with foil, making sure it is tight around the edges. Fill to the brim with pie weights or beans. Bake for 30 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden at the edges. Let the crust cool completely with the weights still in the crust; it may take 2 to 3 hours to cool completely.

FILL AND BAKE THE PIE: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the foil and weights from the baked crust and brush the entire crust with egg wash to seal. Keep the crust in the springform pan. Place it on a baking sheet and fill with the chilled pumpkin filling. Bake the pie on the center rack, rotating the baking sheet 90 degrees every 15 minutes to make sure the filling is cooking evenly, for 45 to 50 minutes, until the center has a slight jiggle but is mostly set. Check the edge of the crust at 30 minutes; if it is getting too brown, tent with foil. Let the pie cool for at least four hours before removing from the springform pan. Serve with whipped cream if desired. Best enjoyed while watching “The Last Dance” documentary series about Michael Jordan and the 1997 Chicago Bulls.

Adapted from “50 Pies, 50 States,” by Stacey Mei Yan Fong. Copyright (copyright) 2024 by Stacey Mei Yan Fong. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

By Tan Vinh, The Seattle Times

SEATTLE — Teriyaki chicken is a quick and cheap lunch that’s synonymous with Seattle. One acclaimed local chef, Taichi Kitamura of Eastlake’s Sushi Kappo Tamura, makes a compelling case for elevating that humble poultry dish into a fancy Thanksgiving feast.

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Teriyaki chicken is only made with dark meat. That rule also applies to turkey teriyaki, since the breast meat will dry out, the chef said. Kitamura offered us a pan-fried turkey breast recipe, too, with a sake-and-butter sauce. He typically fries the turkey breast while the rest of the meat roasts in the oven.

All told, the entire turkey was cooked and ready to be eaten in less than an hour.

We asked for both recipes and printed them below. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving turkey teriyaki

Ingredients

2 turkey thighs, deboned
2 turkey wings
2 cups soy sauce
2 cups sake
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 cups hot water
1/3 cup of whiskey (optional)

Steps

1. Break down the turkey by chopping it down the middle, cutting off the hindquarters (thighs and drumsticks) and separating the thighs from the drumsticks.

2. Turn the bird over and cut off the breast from the rib cage and then chop the wings that are attached to the breasts. (A turkey has the same anatomy as a chicken, so if you’re more of a visual learner, head to YouTube for step-by-step instructions on breaking down a bird.)

3. Then comes the deboning. Detach the bone by trimming the edge of the meat where it meets the bone. The rest is less labor-intensive. (No need to debone the wings, since they cook faster.)

4. Score the meat with the tip of the knife.

5. For the marinade: In a large mixing bowl, add the hot water and sugar; whisk until all the sugar is dissolved.

6. Add soy sauce, sake, whiskey and water. Let the teriyaki sauce cool before marinating the meat.

7. Marinate the turkey for 12-16 hours in fridge.

8. On Thanksgiving Day, remove the turkey from the marinade. Towel it dry.

9. Lay the meat on a flat rack/grid over a pan, skin side up. A rack or grid over the pan helps keep the turkey from getting soggy from all the fat drippings. The rack helps crisp up the skin, too.

10. Roast the turkey in an oven (preferably a convection oven) preheated to 475 degrees until the temperature of the thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees. If using a conventional oven, heat the oven to 450 degrees.

11. Depending on the size of your turkey and your oven, you may need to use two trays or cook in batches.

12. Cut into 3/4-inch slices and serve.

Pan-fried turkey breast

Ingredients

2 turkey breasts, deboned
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 stick of butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 1/4 cups sake
1/2 cup soy sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Steps

1. Butterfly the breast meat to an even width of about an inch thick or less.

2. Score the skin with the tip of the knife.

3. Season with salt and pepper.

4. In a large frying pan or skillet, heat vegetable oil.

5. Place the turkey skin side down on medium-high heat, cooking until the skin is golden-brown.

6. The turkey will be too large to cook on one skillet, so cook each breast separately or use two skillets.

7. Turn the turkey and cook the meat until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from the pan.

8. Deglaze the pan with sake. Add the bay leaves, soy sauce, lemon juice and butter. Add the juice from the cooked turkey if there is any. Stir vigorously with a spoon to emulsify.

9. Cut the turkey into 3/4-inch strips. Place on a platter.

10. Pour the sauce over the turkey and serve.

©2025 The Seattle Times. Visit seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.