By Sam Sifton

Good morning. One thing I've learned from cooking many Thanksgiving dinners is that everything is going to turn out all right today.

A holiday reflection

There's only one thing you really need to know as Thanksgiving gets underway, and it applies whether you're cooking or filling a seat, whether you're a guest or a host, and whether you're working a shift or stuck in an airport. It's this: Everything is going to be all right.

Everything's going to be all right because you're going to repeat that phrase like a mantra until it becomes a fact, until it turns into gear to protect you from whatever foul weather comes your way. Kitchen disasters, rude relatives, guests who are late, failed pies, scorched mashed potatoes, not enough wine — it's fine. These things happen.

Allow them to happen. Practice radical empathy, for others and for yourself today. And don't worry 'bout a thing.

Fact, from those of us at New York Times Cooking: Your turkey is done when its internal temperature, measured at the deepest part of the thigh, is 165 degrees. I pull mine out of the oven at 160 or 162, knowing that the temperature will continue to rise as the bird rests on my counter beneath its jaunty foil cap. But I've also seen numbers closer to 180 over the years and (see the advice above) tamped down my stress about that. Carved and moistened with stock, and then served with a lot of gravy, an overcooked bird can still make for a marvelous meal.

(Don't panic if you don't have a thermometer. Use a fork or a paring knife to pierce the skin of the thigh. If the juices run clear, you're good. If the legs are loose in their sockets, you're good.)

Advice: Rest your bird before carving, to allow it to settle. Plan for at least 20 minutes, though I've gone as long as an hour with no ill effect.

If you're looking for help in your cooking today, avail yourself of the resources on New York Times Cooking, including our Thanksgiving FAQ, our best recipes for the feast and our best last-minute recipes. We also have guides to help you roast and carve the turkey, and for making gravy, cranberry sauce, brussels sprouts, pie crust, potatoes and stuffing.

I'm thankful for those. I'm also thankful to you for being a part of The Times. Have a wonderful holiday.

For more

• These drinks recipes will get you in the spirit.
• Here's how to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• A gastroenterologist explains how to soothe your stomach after dinner.
• "Astrid is finally here!" A reader celebrates a new life, and 11 other stories of gratitude.

Today's your last day to save on New York Times Cooking.

Subscribe to Cooking for 50% off your first year and discover a variety of recipes that'll make this Thanksgiving your most delicious yet.

THE LATEST NEWS

• Justice Department investigators want to question Mike Pence in their Jan. 6 inquiry.
• Senator Lisa Murkowski, a centrist Alaska Republican, beat a Trump-endorsed challenger to win re-election.
• Mary Peltola, an Alaska Democrat, won a full term in the House, defeating Sarah Palin.
• Georgia's Supreme Court reinstated the state's ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

• The gunman who killed six people at a Virginia Walmart was a manager at the store. Most of his victims were co-workers. Here's what we know about them.
• The suspect in the Colorado Springs L.G.B.T.Q. nightclub shooting identifies as nonbinary, lawyers say.

• Russia again attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure, plunging much of the nation into darkness and shutting down water systems.
• The Biden administration announced another $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, including ammunition for air defenses.

• Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's longtime opposition leader, was appointed as the country's prime minister.
• Google, Apple, Amazon and ESPN are all interested in the rights to stream the N.F.L.'s Sunday Ticket games.
• A Mars rover has collected samples that hold life-friendly molecules "in pretty much every rock," The Washington Post reports.

The recent U.N. climate conference was a surprisingly bold leap forward for climate justice, but a setback for emissions reductions, David Wallace-Wells argues.

Take Gail Collins's Thanksgiving politics quiz.

In an era of increased book banning, Charles Blow is thankful for libraries.

MORNING READS

Cuero, Texas: The town that loves turkeys all year.

Staying safe: How to approach the holidays as an immunocompromised person.

A Times classic: Your mother is destined to annoy you.

Shopping for dinosaurs: The bone market is booming.

Lives Lived: Edward C. Prescott's work explaining the economic shocks of the 1970s catalyzed new ways of thinking, shaped the Reagan administration and earned him a Nobel Prize in economics. He died at 81.

SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC

Injury: The Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said yesterday that he'd been playing with a broken thumb since Week 5, which might explain some of those mediocre performances. Rodgers says he's not considering surgery.

Fight: Seven Michigan State football players are facing charges over a brawl with Michigan players after the Wolverines' win last month. The authorities charged six of the players with misdemeanors and Khary Crump with felonious assault.

WORLD CUP

Yesterday: Germany is the latest powerhouse to lose its opening match, falling to Japan, 2-1, after taking the lead in the first half. And Belgium beat Canada, 1-0.

Protest: Germany's players covered their mouths before the match to protest FIFA's ban on armbands supporting gay rights.

Elimination: Losing a match in the group stages doesn't necessarily mean that a team is out of the tournament. Here's how it works.

Accommodation: Sleeping in a container might not be for everyone. Peek inside a $200-a-night "room" in Qatar.

Today's matches: Portugal takes on Ghana. Brazil, among the tournament's favorites, plays its first match, against Serbia. Follow all the matches.

ARTS AND IDEAS

A many-layered sequel

"Glass Onion," a sequel to the twisty, funny whodunit "Knives Out," is now in theaters. Daniel Craig plays Benoit Blanc, the master detective with the Foghorn Leghorn accent who is once again summoned by rich eccentrics to solve a mystery. This time, the host is a tech billionaire (Edward Norton) who has invited friends to play a murder-mystery game on his private island.

"The plot twists and loops, stretching logic to the breaking point while making a show of following the rules," A.O. Scott writes in The Times. "I can't say much about what happens in 'Glass Onion' without giving away some surprises, but I can say that some of the pleasure comes from being wrong about what will happen next."

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

Make gravy in your turkey pan.

For jazz during dinner, here's an Ornette Coleman playlist.

How do wild turkeys find love? With wingmen and sexy snoods.

Test your knowledge of this week's headlines while you're waiting on your food.

The hosts joked about Thanksgiving.

The pangram from yesterday's Spelling Bee was namecheck. Here is today's puzzle.

Here's today's Mini Crossword, and a clue: Thanksgiving sauce (five letters).

And here's today's Wordle. After, use our bot to get better.

Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow.

P.S. The Athletic, the sports website owned by The Times, is expanding its women's sports coverage, starting with the W.N.B.A.

Here's today's front page.

There's no new episode of "The Daily." On the Modern Love podcast, open marriages collide.

Matthew Cullen, Lauren Hard, Lauren Jackson, Claire Moses, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Tom Wright-Piersanti and Ashley Wu contributed to The Morning. You can reach the team at themorning@nytimes.com.

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