Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photos
President Obama carried out the annual Thanksgiving tradition of pardoning a turkey—and then continued his own tradition of pardoning another one. Accompanied by his daughters, Malia and Sasha, the president declared, “As some of you may know, I have recently been taking some action that doesn’t require congressional action—and this is another one,” and officially pardoned the two turkeys, named Peace and Liberty. Obama did get a joke in about the White House press corps, saying that the turkeys had been prepared for the flashes and loud noise, and that they've also had media training in “how to gobble without really saying anything.” On a more serious note, Obama called Thanksgiving “the one day of the year that is ours” as Americans and reminded everyone to count their blessings on the holiday.