A century after the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the annual holiday tradition kicks off Thursday in New York City with new Spider-Man and Minnie Mouse balloons, zoo and pasta-themed floats, performances from Jennifer Hudson and Idina Menzel, and more.

A eclectic group of stars — including reality TV’s Ariana Madix, hip-hop’s T-Pain, members of the WNBA champions New York Liberty and country duo Dan + Shay — will feature in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Hoda Kotb, a fixture at NBC for more than two decades, says she will leave her morning perch on the “Today” show early next year, telling staffers “it’s time.”.

Singer Kelly Clarkson and NFL legend Peyton Manning will bring a new flavor to NBC Universal’s upcoming Paris Olympics coverage this summer.

An elementary school teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student says she thought she had died when she passed out from her injuries.

Hoda Kotb returned to NBC’s “Today” show on Monday after spending a few weeks tending to her 3-year-old daughter, Hope.

NBC says “Today” host Hoda Kotb has been absent from the show due to a family health matter.

Al Roker says he's recovering after he was hospitalized last week for blood clots in his leg and lungs.

Democracy issues were once an afterthought in election night coverage, with an occasional report on broken voting machines in a polling place or two.

Plans by news organizations that have been in place for years — even decades — to cover the death of Queen Elizabeth II were triggered and tested when the event took place.

Amber Heard says she stands by the testimony she gave during a contentious six-week libel trial against former husband Johnny Depp, saying she has “always told the truth.”.

Amber Heard says she doesn’t blame the jury that awarded Johnny Depp more than $10 million after a contentious six-week libel trial in her first post-verdict interview.

Some NBC News hosts are branching out into the theater.

Media coverage of the first anniversary of the U.S. Capitol attack reflected and reinforced differing political realities.

The holly, jolly, best time of the year has gotten a light-filled launch.

Katie Couric’s book tour, which begins in two weeks, will have some have well known guests.

The pandemic has been rough on the broadcast morning shows, so they're looking to make themselves valuable to consumers during other parts of the day.

(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)There will be about 25,000 fans inside Raymond James Stadium for the Super Bowl on Sunday. Even when COVID-19 numbers were spiking around the country, the Chiefs never experienced an outbreak traced back to their fans. AdThursday marked the final time talking to the media for the Bucs and Chiefs until after the Super Bowl. BRADY’S PORTUGUESETom Brady's six Super Bowl rings don't protect him from being trash talked in his own home. The fact that it will happen in the Super Bowl?

It meant buying into “alternative facts” — a phrase that spurred sales of George Orwell’s dystopian book “1984” when it was coined by a Trump aide. “I’m shocked to hear that,” Trump told his crowd. “And we now have the greatest, most modern military in the history of our country,” Trump told his Georgia crowd. But the systematic deceptions of the “alternative facts” president were unlike anything before. Attempting to explain her phrase, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said there are alternative ways of arriving at the truth.

Trebek made no secret of the fight with pancreatic cancer that claimed his life on Nov. 8. Here are a selection of the defining moments of 2020 from the perspective of The Associated Press' media and television writers. ALEX TREBEKThe “Jeopardy!” host made no secret of the fight with pancreatic cancer that ultimately claimed his life on Nov. 8. Millions of viewers will see the story resolved on their own time, creating countless individual moments rather than a communal one. The actors were conciliatory toward each other about what occurred during a marital separation, but Will Smith couldn’t resist revising his wife’s description.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump never admits defeat. But he faces a stark choice now that Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House: Concede graciously for the sake of the nation or don’t — and get evicted anyway. “He intends to fight,” Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow said as it was becoming clear that the president was headed for defeat. “What I would tell President Trump is: Don’t give up. “For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight.

On Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, Welker is scheduled to moderate the second and last Presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden. The NBC News White House correspondent is scheduled to moderate Thursday's second and last session between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. While Welker was one of four questioners at a Democratic presidential debate last fall, this is by far the 44-year-old journalist's biggest stage. She's the first Black woman to moderate a presidential debate since Carole Simpson in 1992. Andrea Mitchell, the NBC News correspondent who moderated last fall's Democratic debate with Welker, Rachel Maddow and Ashley Parker, doubted her colleague would be intimidated.

Trump campaigned 'Friday in Florida and Georgia, neighboring states he carried four years ago and must win again to extend his presidency. And earlier this week, Trump had to court voters in Iowa, a state he carried by almost 10 points four years ago. More to the point for Trump's Florida audience, he spoke directly to seniors who have increasingly soured on his handling of the pandemic. “Mishandling the pandemic isn’t enough for Trump,” Biden charged. While decidedly on the defensive on the ground in key states, Trump released a scathing new ad on Friday attacking Biden's record on race.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)NEW YORK – It's not the tally that really matters, but Joe Biden scored something of an upset over President Donald Trump. In their dueling town halls, the Democratic presidential candidate reached more viewers on ABC than Trump did for NBC News Thursday night. The Biden town hall reached 14.1 million people on ABC between 8 and 9 p.m. and Trump had 13.5 million combined on NBC, CNBC and MSNBC, the Nielsen company said. “Well, that just happened,” MSNBC's Rachel Maddow said as soon as Trump's town hall with Savannah Guthrie ended, proceeding to launch into a lengthy fact-check. The Biden town hall, with questions from the audience and moderator George Stephanopoulos, lasted 90 minutes.

Moderator Savannah Guthrie speaks during an NBC News Town Hall with President Donald Trump at Perez Art Museum Miami, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)NEW YORK – Savannah Guthrie did more than just display her journalistic chops at NBC News' town hall with President Donald Trump. As host of the “Today” show, Guthrie knows the importance of time and how to stop an interview subject from filibustering. “The biggest challenge with President Trump is that it’s never a linear conversation,” Swan said. “Why does anyone take Savannah Guthrie seriously?” tweeted conservative talk show host Buck Sexton.

The couple, Caryn and Michael Borland, have shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts, The Associated Press reported in September, which led to the cancellation of a Montana fundraiser. The Trump campaign also did not immediately respond. While many Republicans have dismissed QAnon, Trump has been unwilling to reject support from adherents, a sign of how deeply it has gained a foothold in the GOP. During a townhall forum broadcast on NBC Thursday night, Trump repeatedly declined to say the QAnon theory was false and professed to know little about it. It previously featured several QAnon “Q” logos, including a flaming “Q” with a Christian cross in the middle.

Trump campaigned in Florida and Georgia, neighboring states he carried four years ago and must win again to extend his presidency. And earlier this week, Trump had to court voters in Iowa, a state he carried by almost 10 points four years ago. More to the point for Trump's Florida audience, he spoke directly to seniors who have increasingly soured on his handling of the pandemic. “Mishandling the pandemic isn’t enough for Trump,” Biden charged. While decidedly on the defensive on the ground in key states, Trump released a scathing new ad on Friday attacking Biden's record on race.

President Donald Trump wipes his face during a break in an NBC News Town Hall, at Perez Art Museum Miami, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, in Miami. NBC News chief executive Cesar Conde said Thursday that NBC scheduled Trump out of fairness after Biden did a town hall at the same time last Thursday. There were apparently still hard feelings, given that Muir twice mentioned a nameless “another network” holding a Trump town hall. “Has there ever been two more different presidential candidates than Trump or Biden?” asked The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler in a tweet. At a rally in North Carolina on Thursday, Trump called NBC “the worst" and said he was being set up with the town hall.

President Donald Trump speaks during an NBC News Town Hall with moderator Savannah Guthrie, at Perez Art Museum Miami, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – The latest on the presidential campaign (all times local):10:10 p.m.A spokesperson for President Donald Trump’s campaign is declaring that the president “defeated” town hall moderator, Savannah Guthrie, and derided the NBC “Today” host as a “surrogate” for Democrat Joe Biden’s campaign. At a Thursday town hall, he pointed to a piece of the deal that calls for 100% renewable and zero-emission energy sources by 2030. ___9:20 p.m.President Donald Trump tried to end his contentious town hall meeting on a positive note. Trump was asked Thursday about the ruling establishing abortion rights nationwide during a town hall in Florida.

During an interview with Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, Maddow asked whether she was “as mad as everybody else” about the Trump town hall. NBC said it agreed to set up the dueling town hall after Trump was administered a coronavirus test Tuesday by the National Institutes of Health. Trump's town hall on NBC is scheduled for an hour. An estimated 6.7 million people saw Biden at an NBC News-sponsored town hall last week. Trump's ABC town hall with Stephanopoulos on Sept. 15 was seen by 3.8 million people, Nielsen said.

Then, just as quickly, they receded into memory with the revelation Friday that Trump had tested positive for COVID-19. CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta called it “a bit unsettling.”Meanwhile, the White House Correspondents Association said three journalists there tested positive for COVID on Friday. All had covered White House events last weekend. Then, at 12:54 a.m. Eastern, the president tweeted that both of them were positive. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was asked pointedly why he was not wearing a mask when he briefed reporters Friday afternoon.

Hoda Kotb is bringing fans into her morning routine as she prepares to co-anchor the Today show. The 55-year-old journalist took to her Instagram early Friday morning to share a video of herself walking through the NBC morning show's empty studios. Kotb is one of the few staff members still going into work in the 30 Rock studio amid the coronavirus pandemic. All the doors are open so that you don't have to touch the handles," Kotb shares while wearing her mask around the building. She also shares a look into doing her own hair for the morning show with a massive hair straightener brush.

Savannah Guthrie is not here for the critics. The 48-year-old Today show co-anchor took to Twitter this week after one viewer complained about her hair during her remote broadcast from Hudson, New York. We are all doing our own hair and makeup during the pandemic. https://t.co/w6QVY0Zhyt Savannah Guthrie (@SavannahGuthrie) June 23, 2020The day Guthrie received her hair critique, she was reunited with Al Roker in Hudson, New York, for an outdoor, socially distant broadcast. RELATED CONTENT:Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker Reunite to Film 'Today' Show OutdoorsSavannah Guthrie Requires Second Eye Surgery After ComplicationsSavannah Guthrie Drops Mic Down Her Shirt on 'Today' Show in Funny Live TV Moment

The New York City nurses got married on Thursday morning, and while their friends and family weren't able to be there in person, they were watching the ceremony live on the Today show. Hoda Kotb officiated the nuptials for the couple, who were forced to cancel their May wedding due to the coronavirus pandemic. She recovered two weeks later, but told Today they didn't want to risk exposing their family members. "We didnt know if we were gonna be carriers and we definitely didnt want to spread that to our family. Silva proposed to Baral on vacation last year, so the Today show wanted to make sure their next trip was just as memorable.

Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker are together again! The Today show co-anchors reunited in person on Tuesday's episode, both reporting live from Hudson, New York. Guthrie proved her point when the camera zoomed out to show Roker standing near her, while still adhering to social-distancing guidelines. pic.twitter.com/i10xFFlwCs TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 23, 2020Roker took to Instagram to mark the special day, sharing a few socially-distanced selfies with Guthrie. "So good seeing @savannahguthrie in person here on @todayshow live from #hudsonny"Both Roker and Guthrie began working from home in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Savannah Guthrie has experienced complications from her December eye surgery. "It's getting better, the surgery worked," Guthrie tells Ellen DeGeneres and her co-anchor, Hoda Kotb, on Thursday's The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The Mayo Clinic defines cataract surgery as "a procedure to remove the lens of your eye and, in most cases, replace it with an artificial lens." Despite the fact that the procedure is common, Guthrie notes that she can't currently have the surgery. Guthrie, Kotb, Gayle King and other news anchors recently opened up to ET about the pressures of delivering critical news during these unprecedented times.

Savannah Guthrie revealed Wednesday that she was working from home after coming down with a sore throat. Thank you so much for joining us on this Wednesday morning,” Hoda Kotb said at the start of the show, revealing she was anchoring solo from the NBC morning show’s studio. “Things look a little different. She’s usually six feet away here but Miss Guthrie, where are you?”“Well, now we’re really socially distancing aren’t we, Hoda?” Guthrie responded before letting viewers know that she was broadcasting from the basement of her New York home. Craig is from home as well -- we’re actually going to talk to him a little bit later this morning,” Guthrie said later in the broadcast.