THE BIG STORY

The transition to Joe Biden’s presidency is now formally underway

The General Services Administration, a little-known agency with the power to begin government transition, has been thrust into the spotlights as it had been stalling for weeks while President Donald Trump sought to cast doubt on the election results.

But on Monday afternoon, the agency notified Joe Biden and his staff that they can begin receiving federal resources as part of the transition process — a formal recognition from the US government that Biden is the president-elect.

Shortly afterward, Trump announced he had directed his staff to also cooperate with Biden’s team, although he still refused to concede the election and vowed to continue to fight the results.

The GSA’s recognition came hours after Trump’s desperate attempt to overturn the Michigan results failed, and the Michigan Board of State Canvassers officially certified Biden as the winner of that state’s Electoral College votes.

President-elect Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware, Nov. 16. Roberto Schmidt / Getty Images.

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

The US is entering a terrifying yet promising phase of the pandemic. Here’s where things stand.

Right now, the US is at an unexpected intersection when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. On the one hand, cases are rising everywhere, overwhelming hospitals.On the other hand, there’s a newfound hope that several vaccines could roll out across the country in the next year.

Experts are worried that this third wave, which already features record-breaking numbers of people being diagnosed and hospitalized with COVID-19, will likely get much worse, as temperatures dip and holiday travel increases over the next few weeks.

On average, more than 1,300 people are dying of COVID every day — the highest level since May. The government is barely helping. Governors and mayors across many states are moving to impose lockdowns and tighten restrictions, while a sense of “COVID fatigue” sets in, making it harder for people to follow the rules.

Here’s the big picture of how the US is handling COVID-19 right now.

SNAPSHOTS

Oxford’s coronavirus vaccine is 70% effective, early data shows. It’s the third vaccine to clear a major hurdle. The vaccine, which Oxford University developed alongside the company AstraZeneca, was also highly effective in preventing hospitalizations or severe cases of the coronavirus.

These TV appearances tell us a lot about Antony Blinken, Joe Biden’s pick to be US secretary of state. Blinken, 58, is a close Biden ally and former senior-level diplomat in the Obama administration. Here’s what we know about him.

Biden has picked a Cuban immigrant and former Obama-era official to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Alejandro Mayorkas, a former top Obama administration official, will be the first Latino and immigrant to serve in the role.

There is a reason why everyone is watching The Masked Singer. The Fox competition show has turned celebrity recycling into the most fun guessing game on TV.

Taylor Swift fans think she started rerecording her albums with Red — here’s why. Swift is in the process of rerecording her first five albums, and real Swifties are out here with their detective hats on.

Not a lot going on at the moment. Big Machine Records

NO TIME TO REFLECT

There is no Democratic reckoning coming over their unexpected election losses.

Going into the 2020 election, Democrats were expected to make significant gains in the House and Senate. This did not come to pass. Instead, the party is expected to secure about 222 or 223 of the 218 seats necessary to control the House, their slimmest majority since World War II.

The weeks after the election would normally be spent seeking an answer, coalescing around an explanation for why the results ended up that way. Inside the party, moderates have argued that progressive policies allowed Republicans to brand them as socialists, and progressives have argued it was moderates’ fault for not campaigning strategically during the pandemic.

Read Addy Baird on how there doesn’t seem to be much soul-searching coming for the Democrats.

MAJOR MILESTONE

Charli D’Amelio, the most popular teen TikToker, is the first to hit 100 million followers

D’Amelio is the first creator to reach the milestone on the platform. Generally speaking, relatively few celebrities have hit that mark across the other social media platforms, like Instagram.

16-year-old D'Amelio only joined TikTok last year, and started posting dance trend videos. Her path to 100 million followers hit a bump in the road last week, when she and her family got backlash for their behavior in a YouTube video. She lost nearly a million followers but bounced back over the weekend.

Spend time doing something that brings out your most creative self,

Elamin