Swamp News: After more than two weeks of stalling, the Trump administration has released the money and facilities for President-elect Joe Biden to conduct his transition into the presidency. A letter to Biden came on the same day that Michigan certified its vote, assuring Biden 16 votes in the Electoral College.

  By allowing GSA Administrator Emily Murphy to send the letter, Trump was effectively conceding the election while also vowing to keep fighting to overturn the results. Like George Custer claiming he’s got them surrounded, Trump tweeted, “Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail!”

  But, he went on, “Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.”

  Murphy’s letter was loaded with excuses and defenses for delaying the normal process of transition. She wrote to Biden, “As you know, the GSA administrator does not pick or certify the winner of a presidential election.”

  She said, “I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official—including those who work at the White House or GSA—with regard to the substance or timing of my decision.” She said, “I did, however, receive threats online, by phone, and by mail directed at my safety, my family, my staff, and even my pets in an effort to coerce me into making this determination prematurely.”

  Murphy and Trump have acted within the law, but breached political convention and etiquette delaying the transition when there’s a clear winner.

  In Michigan, the vote was certified by the board of canvassers with three members voting yes and one Republican abstaining. Norman Shinkle, the abstaining member, had threatened to vote “no” until there’s an investigation of the vote in Michigan’s largest county, which includes Detroit.

  With the President’s lawsuits failing, Trump has embedded within his base supporters and the right wing media that the election was fixed. Fox’s Tucker Carlson said last night, “The 2020 presidential election was not fair. No honest person would claim that it was fair. On many levels, the system was rigged against one candidate and in favor of another. And it was rigged in ways that were not hidden from view. We all saw it happen.”

Deep Bench: Joe Biden yesterday pulled from the bench a group of government veterans to begin naming vital members of his administration.

  Notably, he named former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen to be the first woman Secretary of the Treasury. It’s a critical appointment in the midst of the coronavirus economic meltdown. She has already warned that the US is borrowing too much money, not a popular opinion among Democrats these days.

 Biden also named  Alejandro Mayorkas, a former deputy director of Homeland Security, as the first Latino to lead DHS. Avril Haines, who has worked for the National Security Council, the State Department, and the C.I.A. would be the first woman to be the director of national intelligence.

  And former Massachusetts Senator and Secretary of State John Kerry was named to lead Biden’s international climate policy. He was the chief negotiator for the US on the Paris climate accord that Trump exited.

  Biden’s nominee for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has his own “Wonk Rock” band called “Ablinken.” 

Viral News: The drug company AstraZeneca announced that their cheaper and easier-to-administer coronavirus vaccine is 90 percent effective.

  That’s less than the efficacy of other vaccines that need to be frozen and transported at minus 100 degrees.

  Once a vaccine arrives, not everyone is likely to take it. The Washington Post reports that, “fewer than half of Black people and 66 percent of Latino people said they would definitely or probably take it.”

  The Malaysian manufacturer Top Glove is closing more than half of its medical equipment factories, 28 of them, after almost 2,500 employees tested positive for the virus.

  And nearly 86,000 Americans are in the hospital being treated for the coronavirus. Another 909 died in the past 24 hours and a stunning 172,000 were diagnosed. 

The Obit Page: Former New York Mayor David Dinkens, the city’s first and only black mayor, has died at age 93. He was an elegant man who loved New York, creating Fashion Week and Restaurant Week drawing millions of people to the city.

  Dinkens was elected in 1989, beating three-termer Ed Koch, during a time of economic trouble, crime, and racial tension. He took a hit for poor handling of the 1991 riots in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He was not elected to a second term.

The Bulletin Board: Ken Jennings, the most famous “Jeopardy!” game show champion, has been named to temporarily replace the late host Alex Trebek. — General Motors is recalling six million trucks and spending $1.2 billion to replace defective Takata air bags. — More than three million travelers passed through American airports over the weekend despite a government plea to avoid travel for Thanksgiving. 

Asking for a Friend: Who is Megan Thee Stallion and what is she famous for?

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