Ghost Ship: Thirty-three people are confirmed dead in the Oakland warehouse fire and authorities expect to find still more bodies. Some of the bodies were found with personal identification, and the names of seven have been released. Identification of others will take time. The coroner’s office is asking families of the missing to provide objects that might have DNA samples, things like hairbrushes and toothbrushes.

Recovery workers had to support part of the building to keep it from collapsing and knocked a hole in one side to get access to the interior. Investigators say they are going through the rubble with shovels and buckets in the search for bodies.

The warehouse was home to the “Ghost Ship” artist cooperative, whose organizer, Derick Ion Almena, is being excoriated for tweeting about his personal loss. “Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound … it’s as if I have woken from a dream filled with opulence and hope … to be standing now in poverty of self worth.”

Big Win: In an incredible win for American Indian protesters, the Army Corps of Engineers announced yesterday that it will not approve the route of the Dakota Access Pipeline through the Standing Rock Reservation.

The pipeline was supposed to be tunneled under Lake Oahe on the reservation, which opponents said would threaten the reservation’s water supply if the pipe ever broke.

The protesters had been under orders to break camp and leave today, but they’ve been spending the past week building warmer and more weather-resistant tents and shelters.

Twitter President: After the weekend diplomatic dustup over taking a phone call from the president of Taiwan, breaking diplomatic policy, Donald Trump Twitter-challenged China with the following: Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into their country (the U.S. doesn’t tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea?  I don’t think so!

In Transition: Donald Trump has chosen former presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson to be head the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. Carson has no experience in government or running a large bureaucracy. Trump said in a statement this morning, “Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities.”

International Politics: Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he would resign after voters shot down constitutional changes that were designed to streamline government. The bill hit a wall of anti-establishment opposition — sound familiar? — from voters who don’t trust globalization, open borders, and closer ties with the European Union.  — New Zealand’s popular Prime Minister John Key abruptly announced he is resigning after eight years in office. He said he wanted to go out on the top of his game.

In Passing: The New England Patriots’ Tom Brady became the all-time winningest NFL quarterback yesterday, beating Los Angeles 26-10. Brady has 201 wins, surpassing Peyton Manning’s 200.  Brett Favre is third with 186.

The Obit Page: Dr. Sammy Lee, who overcame discrimination and became the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal, has died at age 96 in California. Lee won consecutive gold medals in platform diving in 1948 and 1952.

Growing up, he was allowed to swim in a Pasadena pool only with other kids who were black, Asian, and Hispanic. When they were done, the pool was drained and refilled for white kids to swim the rest of the week. After serving as a doctor in the Korean War, he was unable to buy a house in a white neighborhood in California. When word got out, politicians jumped up to help and he and his wife were welcomed in the city of Garden Grove.

Social Notes: Rapper Kanye West is out of the hospital but continuing his recovery somewhere away from the home he shares with Kim Kardashian. Some reports blame his public meltdown on failure to take his medications, which makes you wonder what he’s taking medication for.

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