Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, November 19, 2020:

COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

The U.S. death toll has surpassed 250,000, according to the Johns Hopkins database. That exceeds the high end of the projection made by Dr. Fauci back in March. New York City public schools, the largest system in the country, are closing indefinitely after the city breached 3 percent test positivity. Pfizer has revised its vaccine efficacy from 90 to 95 percent, and plans to apply for emergency authorization within days. California’s Democratic leaders are taking heavy criticism for breaking their own protocols -- the governor recently attended a semi-indoor dinner party while, earlier, state lawmakers flew to a junket in Hawaii. NPR

BIDEN TRANSITION

House Democrats nominated Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top deputies, Reps. Steny Hoyer and Jim Clyburn, to lead the caucus into the Biden presidency, opting against any leadership changes in the party despite its poor showing in House races. Meanwhile, Georgia’s recount results will be released today and are expected to affirm that Joe Biden won the state, and a partial recount in Wisconsin funded by the Trump campaign is happening, but state officials do not expect it to reverse Biden’s win there, either. Trump’s refusal to concede the election -- now going on for more than two weeks -- is blocking the new administration’s ability to access materials, office space, confidential briefings and other resources that a president-elect is entitled to by law. REUTERS

CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF

The FAA has cleared Boeing to resume flying its 737 Max jetliner, 20 months after the entire fleet was grounded following two fatal accidents that killed 346 people. It will probably take months for Boeing to get the planes back in the air, and other regulatory agencies around the world still need to give their own sign-offs. The head of the FAA says he’s happy with the changes Boeing made to the 737 Max software system that is thought to be behind the two crashes, adding: “I am 100 percent comfortable with my family flying on it.” SEATTLE TIMES

CHARGES DROPPED

Federal prosecutors have abruptly dropped drug trafficking and money laundering charges against Mexico’s former defense minister -- reportedly because Mexico threatened to expel U.S. drug agents from the country if they didn't. Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos was arrested at LAX last month, accused of taking bribes from the cartels while he was in office. Rather than face trial here, he will be returned to Mexico under the unusual agreement. The decision to drop the case went all the way up to Attorney General Bill Barr. AP

A WONDER WOMAN CHRISTMAS

The sequel to Wonder Woman will now debut Christmas Day, simultaneously in theaters (where they are still open), and on HBO Max at no additional cost to subscribers. Wonder Woman 1984 will become the highest-profile tentpole film of the year to premiere directly on a streaming service. WarnerMedia is hoping that a bump in new subscribers for HBO Max will outweigh whatever revenue is lost from a big theatrical run. THR

BITCOIN ON FIRE

One bitcoin could now get you a small car. The price of the cryptocurrency crossed $18,000, a level that hadn’t been seen since the bubble of 2018. Bitcoin is up around 150 percent in 2020 as the digital coin has gained legitimacy as a hedge against inflation and political risks. The all-time high is just under $20,000. CHEDDAR

NBA DRAFT

The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Georgia guard Anthony Edwards with the first overall draft pick. Golden State selected James Wiseman, a center from Memphis, with the second pick, and LaMelo Ball went to the Hornets at no. 3. He and Lonzo Ball are the first brothers to be top-five draft picks in NBA history (Lonzo was the no. 2 pick in 2017). ESPN

SPOTTED...

...The actor Michael B. Jordan, sitting pretty on the cover of People for its Sexiest Man Alive issue: SEE PICS

...a small -- and scared -- owl, hiding in the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The owl has been rescued and sent to an animal sanctuary after it traveled with the tree from upstate New York to its new home in Midtown Manhattan: SEE PICS

GOVERNOR MCCONAUGHEY

Matthew McConaughey for governor? In a recent interview promoting his book, the actor appeared to be warm to the idea of running for Texas governor. McConaughey told Hugh Hewitt: “Politics seems to be a broken business to me right now. And when politics redefines its purpose, I could be a hell of a lot more interested." Texas’ current governor, Greg Abbott, is up for reelection in 2022. STAR TELEGRAM

LEFTOVERS: MOST COMMON PASSWORDS

A cybersecurity firm has compiled a list of 200 passwords it says are the worst you can choose in terms of the time it takes a computer to crack them. Using a database of 275,000 passwords, Nordpass found less than half were unique. Many of the rest were versions of 123456, abc123 and, of course, the classic: password. If your password is on this list, you may want to finally change it: SEE IT

Listen to the N2K Podcast! Looking for more context and analysis on the big stories of the day? Check out our podcast! Hosts Jill and Carlo break down the headlines, every weekday morning Listen on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

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