5 things to know for November 12: Transition, Covid-19, Eta, Mozambique, Ethiopia

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1. US presidential transition

The Trump administration is still refusing to begin the formal transition process and cooperate with Joe Biden’s incoming team. So, there is now a stack of messages from foreign leaders sitting at the State Department that the President-elect can’t access. A Republican senator has said he would step in if Biden can’t access the intelligence briefings by the end of the week. In the meantime, Biden named a longtime aide as his chief of staff. Here’s who else could serve in his administration (potential hopefuls include Sen. Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms). Though Biden has been projected the winner, there are still a few states that haven’t been called yet. Georgia, where Biden is leading and where two high-stakes Senate races appear headed for runoffs, will conduct an audit of the presidential race, recounting millions of ballots by hand.

2. Coronavirus

The US keeps breaking records that no one wants to see broken. The nation reported more than 144,000 new daily coronavirus cases yesterday, the single highest daily count since the pandemic began. The country also saw its highest daily death toll since early May. More people are hospitalized with Covid-19 this week than at any point in the pandemic, and hospitals are running out of health care workers, which could cause some major problems. The situation is particularly bad in the Midwest and the Sun Belt, and the Navajo Nation and El Paso, Texas, are also being hit hard. So, it’s probably a good time to recirculate this recent guidance from the CDC: Not only can wearing a mask help protect others, it can also protect you.

3. Tropical Storm Eta

Tropical Storm Eta has made its fourth landfall on the northwest coast of Florida. It’s continuing to weaken as it moves north, but some areas of Florida and coastal Georgia could still see tropical storm conditions. Western Florida already got hit with tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain for much of yesterday, while officials in some communities have been responding to reports of blown-off roofs and flooded streets. More than 15,000 Floridians are without power as of this morning. The storm is expected to dissipate over the Atlantic Ocean by the weekend. This year has seen an especially active hurricane season, and a new study finds that as the planet heats up, hurricanes are maintaining their strength for much longer after landfall.

Check your locsal forecast here>>>

4. Mozambique

Insurgents loosely aligned with ISIS have beheaded scores of people in Mozambique in a series of attacks that began on October 31 and lasted several days. The horrors took place in the province of Cabo Delgado, with a resident saying entire families were killed. It was one of the worst assaults reported in the three-year insurgency, drawing international condemnation. In recent months, the insurgency has undertaken increasingly sophisticated attacks. The province is home to a $60 billion natural gas development that is heavily guarded by Mozambican military and private security.

5. Ethiopia

Thousands of Ethiopians are fleeing into neighboring Sudan to escape escalating conflict in their country’s northern region, and many more are expected to follow. The moves come as Ethiopia’s government announced that it was at war with regional forces. The government has since stepped up its military offensive, and the escalating violence has led to casualties across the region. International partners are trying to step up efforts to ease tensions as the conflict threatens to drag Ethiopia into a civil war.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Last night was country music’s biggest night

Here’s who won at the 2020 CMA Awards.

One of the few places in the world untouched by coronavirus has now recorded its first Covid-19 case

A man who’d returned to the small island nation from the US tested positive this week.

McDonald’s has a plan to make its drive-thrus faster

Now, if only they could figure out a way to fix their ice cream machines.

Jason Momoa was in debt and couldn’t get work after ‘Game of Thrones’

Thankfully, he’s got plenty of acting gigs these days.

6 of the world’s smartest dogs will try to show whether they can learn the names of new objects in the ‘Genius Dog Challenge’

Who will be the world’s top dog?

TODAY’S NUMBER

200

That’s about how many queens were discovered in the “murder hornet” nest that scientists in Washington state destroyed in October. Each of those queens could have started a new nest had they escaped, and researchers don’t know whether any others managed to get away.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“I think I speak for all mothers who want the best for their children when I hope for the same moral courage, bravery and love as that of Lucille Bridges.”

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, on the death of civil rights leader Lucille Bridges. In 1960, Bridges braved threats and abuse to escort her daughter Ruby Bridges to an all-White school in the South, in defiance of segregation.

AND FINALLY

Just call him Tony Squawk

Because this little birdie can shred! (Click here to view.)