Biden's 3 magic letters

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Tuesday, November 24

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TRUMP STOOGE FINALLY FOLDS Emily Murphy, the administrator of the General Services Administration, said the transition between President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden can begin, releasing millions of dollars in funds and clearing the way for a new administration. “Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and the available facts," Murphy wrote in a letter to Biden. Trump, his bogus victory claims and flimsy lawsuits failing, thanked Murphy for her work just moments later. [HuffPost]

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BIDEN LIGHTS UP THE INTERNET WITH 3 LETTERS Biden shared a tweet showing off a new website for his transition. And his supporters are excited by just three letters in the URL: .gov. The new site, BuildBackBetter.gov, is one of the first visible signs that the formal transition to the new administration is underway, hours after the General Services Administration finally signed off on giving Biden’s team access to the resources to begin the process. [HuffPost]

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HERE COMES THE CABINET Biden announced another wave of senior staff picks for his administration. Alejandro Mayorkas, a Cuban American who served as the deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security during the Obama administration, has been nominated for the agency’s top position. He is the first Latino person and first immigrant to be selected for the role. Janet Yellen will reportedly make history as the first female secretary of the Department of the Treasury, and Biden has named John Kerry as his special envoy on climate. [HuffPost]

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MICHIGAN CERTIFIES ELECTION RESULT Michigan’s Board of Canvassers certified the state’s election results, declaring Biden the winner of the state and handing Trump an official loss despite his unprecedented attempts to somehow negate a 154,000-vote chasm. Three of the board’s four members voted to certify the results, with one of its two Republican members abstaining. [HuffPost]

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CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST WARNS OF TRUMP'S LEGACY Max Boot, a conservative columnist for The Washington Post, in his latest op-ed wrote of his hope that Trump’s “outrageous” bid to overturn the 2020 election would be “the last gasp of a pathetic presidency in its dying days,” but also of his worry “it might represent only a middle chapter in the Republican Party’s transformation” into an authoritarian party. Fox News host Laura Ingraham, meanwhile, told viewers that it was time to prepare for the Biden presidency. [HuffPost]

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SAN FRANSISCO COP CHARGED WITH HOMICIDE In a historic first, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin charged former police officer Chris Samayoa with homicide in the 2017 fatal shooting of Keita O’Neil, who was Black. It was the first time the city had ever prosecuted a law enforcement officer for a killing while on duty, per Boudin. "For far too long we’ve seen the failure of our legal system to hold police accountable for violence committed against the very members of the public that they have sworn to serve and protect,” he said. [HuffPost]

WHAT'S BREWING

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HOW CORONAVIRUS IS CHANGING HOLIDAY PLANS In a new HuffPost/YouGov survey of registered voters, 56% of respondents say they’re expecting the upcoming holiday season to be less fun than usual, with 30% expecting it to be about the same as usual and just 3% expecting it to be more fun than usual. One-third expect the holidays to be unusually stressful this year, with 15% that they’ll be less stressful than usual. This alongside surgeon general Jerome Adams' "dire" warning about celebrations this year. [HuffPost]

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BIDEN BACKS DEMS' PURSUIT OF BIGGER RELIEF DEAL Biden supports congressional Democrats in holding out for a more comprehensive coronavirus relief package than Republicans have been willing to support. The New York Times reported over the weekend that advisers to Biden want Democratic leaders in Congress to “reach a quick stimulus deal with Senate Republicans, even if it falls short of the larger package Democrats have been seeking.” On Monday, Biden’s spokesman called the story “incorrect.” [HuffPost]

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WISCONSIN LAWYER TAKES ACTION TO THROW OUT OWN BALLOT In a surreal twist, the lawyer leading Trump’s Wisconsin election challenge is seeking to throw out thousands of “illegal” votes, including his wife’s and his own. Attorney Jim Troupis, a former Dane County judge, voted early and in person, which is one of a number of classes of votes Troupis and the Trump campaign have argued is illegal. [HuffPost]

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TENNESSEE CAN ENFORCE ABORTION BAN BASED ON DOWN SYNDROME DIAGNOSIS A Tennessee law outlawing abortion based on a patient’s reason for the procedure, including a potential Down syndrome diagnosis or the sex or race of the fetus, can take effect, a federal appeals court ruled. The measure, dubbed a “reason ban” by reproductive rights advocates, was part of an extreme anti-abortion bill signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee (R) in July. [HuffPost]

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GM DROPS SUPPORT FOR LAWSUIT AGAINST CLEAN AIR STANDARDS General Motors says it will no longer support the Trump administration in legal efforts to end California’s right to set its own clean-air standards. CEO Mary Barra said in a letter to environmental groups that GM will pull out of the lawsuit, and it urges other automakers to do so. She said the company agrees with Biden’s plan to expand electric vehicle use. [AP]

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