President-elect Joe Biden introduced six members of his security team yesterday, emphasizing that they’ll be tasked with leading America back into a position as a global leader. Monday’s release of funds for Biden’s transition ended a partisan standoff that delayed the process 16 days after the election was called. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, who still hasn’t conceded that he lost, pardoned a turkey named Corn for Thanksgiving as reports swirled that he plans to also pardon former national security adviser Michael Flynn before his term ends.

Sources: NYT, Washington Post, The Guardian, Axios 

We asked where this year’s pardoned turkeys hail from, and just eight of you came up with the right answer: Iowa! 

2. Thanksgiving Adapts to COVID-19 as Hospitals Struggle

A new poll found 61 percent of Americans have changed their Thanksgiving plans due to spiking COVID-19 cases, and 9 percent won’t celebrate at all. While the virus’s death rate has declined significantly since April, officials say that could change as hospitals become overwhelmed and care is less available. Still, the CDC is expected to shorten the recommended quarantine time after exposure — currently it’s two weeks — and European nations like France and Britain are slowly beginning to lift their lockdowns. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin still hasn’t taken the coronavirus vaccine he’s touted internationally as being safe. 

Sources: CNN, Reuters, Bloomberg, Washington Post, WSJ (sub)

3. French Police Under Scrutiny After Migrant Clearout

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo spoke out publicly against the “brutal” expulsion of homeless refugees and migrants from a city encampment after police used tear gas and dispersal grenades to force them out of their makeshift homes. Authorities vowed an investigation, even as French Parliament voted to advance a controversial security law that would make it illegal to post images and footage of police officers or soldiers on social media. Despite COVID-19 lockdowns, France has seen mass protests against police brutality since this spring, in line with those around the world.

Sources: BBC, NYT, Politico

4. Dow Hits Record 30,000 Despite Pandemic

Investors operating on the strategy that you buy when a crisis hits have buoyed the stock market 62 percent since its nadir in March, and put the Dow on track for its best month since 1987. President Trump emerged for a 63-second press conference, believed to be his shortest ever, to congratulate his administration and the American people on reaching what he called a “sacred number.” While some warn that market momentum can’t continue forever, and that in the past such highs have led to long lows, surveys have found that investor confidence is at a three-year high. 

Sources: WSJ (sub), The Week

5. Also Important …

Beyoncé became the most-nominated female artist in Grammy history with nine nods yesterday. The $1 billion worth of ketamine that Thai officials claimed to have seized earlier this month turned out to be a cleaning chemical. And Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has revealed that she had a miscarriage earlier this year.   

Do You Know? You only have to read on to find out who’s top of the KBO league. But which Korean baseball team is in last place? Reply to this email with your answer!

Listen to This: Need a little beat to get you through the week? Check out this week's curated playlist on OZY, featuring the game-changing artists you love and rising stars you'll soon love. 

General Motors is driving change with a goal to become the most inclusive company in the world. A third — and growing — of GM’s top management jobs are held by women (compared to roughly a fifth of C-suite positions held by women nationally), and the automotive giant plans to achieve high levels of multicultural representation across all staffing levels. Similarly, OZY is dedicated to helping #ResetAmerica and fight for racial equality, which is why we are thrilled to team up with GM as it works to foster a work environment that celebrates diversity and inclusion.

Helicopters surveying bighorn sheep in the Beehive State last week discovered a strange metal structure, 10 or 12 feet tall, driven into the red rock. There are no clues about who made it, how long it’s been there or why it was installed. Many are speculating that the slab is an art project, which would be illegal since it’s on public land, and it’s drawn parallels to the iconic monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Utah officials are concealing its location, concerned that gawkers could get stranded attempting to reach it, while they try to determine its origins.   

Sources: AP, The Guardian

2. How Blind Riders Are Hacking the Subway

This is on the right track. Spain’s NaviLens app works with colorful squares on subway walls that can be detected by an unfocused phone camera from 40 feet away, OZY reports. The squares activate audible instructions and timetables to help the visually impaired access the same information that’s easily available to the sighted. Already in use in Barcelona, NaviLens — which aims to be a resource for the wheelchair-bound as well — has also found success in New York City’s subway. Above ground, it’s used at schools for the blind and in museums hoping to make art more accessible.

Source: OZY

3. Nordic Ice Offers Up Trove of Arrows

This might just be the tip of the iceberg. Norway’s Langfonne ice patch has seen abnormally warm summers recently, and as it melts it’s revealing evidence of hunting going back millennia. That includes reindeer bones and at least 68 arrows, a record number for a frozen site. Some are Neolithic and date back 6,000 years and the newest were probably forged in the 14th century. The find also called into question the theory that ice perfectly preserves artifacts, something experts say will be increasingly important as more ice melts and archaeological wonders are released.

Source: National Geographic

4. Dave Chappelle Calls for Boycott of Own Show

“I'm not asking you to boycott any network. Boycott me.” So said the comedian in a video posted to Instagram Tuesday asking fans not to watch his iconic comedy seriesChappelle’s Show. Saying he was never paid by Comedy Central after he violated his contract by quitting the third season, he begged fans, “Do not watch it unless they pay me.” Chappelle praised Netflix, where he has a contract thought to be worth millions, for removing the show from streaming at his request. CBS, HBO and Comedy Central are still airing episodes.

Sources: Variety, CBS, The Verge

5. Korean World Series Ends With a Giant Sword Trophy

They really played to the hilt. Korea’s KBO League championship culminated yesterday in a 4-2 win for the NC Dinos over the Doosan Bears — the Dinos’ first title since the franchise started in 2013. And the winners were given not just the regular trophy, but a massive one-of-a-kind sword representing the most powerful item in the video game Lineage, which is published by NCSoft, the company that owns the team. Meanwhile, American Major League Baseball is surveying fans to determine when and under what circumstances they’ll feel safe returning to a ballpark in the future. 

Sources: SB Nation, Polygon, LA Times

We'll see you on Friday after Thanksgiving! Have fun!