![NPR Topics: Story of the Day Podcast show](https://d3dthqtvwic6y7.cloudfront.net/podcast-covers/000/011/349/small/npr-story-of-the-day.jpg)
Summary: Every year, the president pardons a turkey in a lighthearted Thanksgiving tradition. But while the business of pardoning humans is more serious, it's also increasingly rare. President Obama has granted just 1 pardon for every 290 applications — a much lower rate than other recent presidents.