Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, November 24, 2020:
TRANSITION FORMALIZED
After Michigan certified Joe Biden as the state’s winner, the Trump administration has formally authorized the president-elect’s team to begin the transition process. The General Services Admin. informed the Biden camp in a letter that they could now get access to federal funds and other government resources that they are entitled to by law. President Trump, coming as close as he is likely to come to conceding, tweeted that he approved the “initial protocols” to begin even as he said he would continue to fight the results in court, where his lawyers are 1-35 in post-election litigation. AP
CABINET PICKS
President-elect Biden has chosen Janet Yellen, the former head of the Federal Reserve, to run the Treasury Dept., according to multiple reports. Yellen, who was the first female Fed Chair, would also be the first female Treasury Secretary. Biden will also appoint John Kerry to a cabinet-level role as special envoy for climate under the umbrella of national security. The president-elect had vowed to assemble the most diverse cabinet ever, and he’s on the path to doing just that: he is said to have chosen Alejandro Mayorkas as Dept. of Homeland Security Secretary, making him the first Latino and first immigrant to run DHS. Avril Haines is said to be the pick for Director of National Intelligence, making her the first woman to be the country’s top spy. POLITICO
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The virus surge that had been centered around the Midwest has now spread virtually everywhere in the U.S. At least nine states are reporting caseloads that have doubled in the last two weeks, including places that had already been through earlier waves, like Arizona, Louisiana and California. In NYC, Gov. Cuomo specifically called out Staten Island as “a problem” and authorized a field hospital to reopen in the borough. In California, Gov. Newsom and his family are in quarantine after an exposure. Overseas, UK PM Boris Johnson -- who is also quarantining -- said England’s lockdown has been flattening the curve and restrictions will begin to lift next week. NY TIMES
TRAVEL FORECAST
A line of severe thunderstorms could cause travel disruptions today and tomorrow in the center of the country, from the Texas panhandle up to southern Illinois before it moves east to create a damp (but mild) Thanksgiving morning for the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Southeast. The Pacific Northwest is looking at rain and mountain snow that will ease up just in time for the holiday, and the South and Midwest will get a quiet and warm Turkey Day that will be conducive to outdoor dining. ACCUWEATHER
GM BAILS ON TRUMP
In the biggest indicator yet that the business world is moving on from the Trump administration, General Motors reversed course and said it would no longer support the White House’s efforts to ban California from setting its own emissions rules. GM is pulling out of a lawsuit with the EPA -- which is all but certain to be dropped under a Biden administration anyway -- and urged other automakers to do the same. GM recently said it would increase its spending on electric vehicles by 35 percent as a Biden administration is expected to heavily promote EV sales. REUTERS
TIKTOK RULES
Less than a year after TikTok star Charli D’Amelio hit 1 million followers on the viral video app, she has crossed 100 million -- an exponential rise for the relatively ordinary 16-year-old that underlines the star-making power of TikTok. The app has become so popular that even Snapchat is now copying it, with a new feature that uses an algorithm to surface videos going viral in real time. Notably, Snap says it will shell out $1 million a day to creators of the top-performing posts as an incentive for smaller accounts to put out creative, high-quality content. BLOOMBERG
T-DAY FOOTBALL
There are three football games to choose from on Thanksgiving Day, starting with Detroit-Houston at 12:30 pm ET, followed by Washington-Dallas and Pittsburgh-Baltimore in primetime. That last game, the marquee matchup of the week featuring the 10-0 Steelers, is in jeopardy after several Ravens players tested COVID positive on Monday. The NFL says kickoff is on, barring more positive tests. TRIB LIVE
CHESS IS COOL AGAIN
2020’s hottest holiday gift is… a chessboard? Netflix’s smash hit The Queen’s Gambit has spurred an explosion of interest in chess, which was already having its own mini-renaissance amid the pandemic. Google searches for chess are through the roof, eBay says searches for chessboards are up nearly 300 percent, and chessboard makers have confirmed that sales have spiked. Netflix says Queen’s Gambit is now its most-watched original limited series ever. BI
SPOTTED...
…First Lady Melania Trump, receiving the White House Christmas Tree to officially kick off the holiday season in D.C.: SEE PICS
...Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver, part of a small group of NBA players and officials meeting with Pope Francis in Rome. The NBA sent a delegation to the Vatican to see the Holy Father after Francis called the player’s union to learn more about how the NBA has dealt with social-justice issues. Tolliver described the pope as being “super chill”: SEE PIC
LEFTOVERS: DIY THANKSGIVING
If there was ever a year to take the plunge and cook Thanksgiving dinner all by yourself, it’s now, right? Why not? But before you burn the house down, Cheddar reached out to some experts for tips on everything from picking a turkey to knowing when it’s cooked through: READ
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