IT: 👍 Trump administration allows Biden's transition to begin, and... How do you feel about Walmart's Black Friday plans?

Welcome to Tuesday, November 24th, sheep and wolves...

The General Services Administration has informed President-elect Joe Biden that the Trump administration is ready to begin the formal transition process.

GSA Administrator Emily Murphy sent a letter to Biden shortly after Michigan certified its election results.

Murphy said she was “never directly or indirectly pressured by any executive branch official—including those who work at the White House or the G.S.A.” 

“I do not think that an agency charged with improving federal procurement and property management should place itself above the constitutionally-based election process."

President Donald Trump tweeted that while he accepts Murphy's decision, he will continue his legal fights.

“Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail! 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.”

Do you support the General Services Administration's move?

Biden Announces Nominations to Cabinet

Biden's nominations will be formally submitted on Inauguration Day, when some appointees will take office and several others will begin the Senate confirmation process. The president-elect's nominations include:

• Secretary of State: Antony Blinken served as deputy secretary of state, the nation’s second highest ranking diplomat, from 2015-2017 after he previously served as principal deputy national security advisor to President Barack Obama. 
• Secretary of Homeland Security: Alejandro Mayorkas is a former law enforcement official who served in the Obama administration as director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from 2009-2013 and deputy secretary of homeland security from 2013-2016.
• Director of National Intelligence: Avril Haines served in several roles during the Obama administration, including as the principal deputy national security adviser and the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). 
• Special Presidential Envoy on Climate: Former Secretary of State John Kerry has been chosen to serve in the role popularly known as the “energy czar” when the office was last occupied during the first two years of the Obama administration.

How do you feel about Biden’s nominations?

Who Gets to be Buried at Arlington?

Arlington Cemetery is running out of space. There are only 95,000 plots remaining but 22 million+ active duty personnel currently alive. 

To keep Arlington an active burial ground, the Pentagon proposed reserving plots for those awarded a Purple Heart, former POWs, and service members killed in action. 

The proposal adds that former presidents and vice presidents would also be allowed to buried at Arlington, even if they never served in the military.

Some veterans say political leaders should not receive burial at Arlington if they didn’t serve in the armed forces.

Should Arlington Cemetery be reserved for veterans—and presidents?

Black Friday or Black Plague? Walmart

We'll be covering all the major outlets this week. We begin with Walmart.

How do you feel about Walmart's Black Friday plans?

And, in the End…

Jump for joy: It's D.B. Cooper Day.

On November 24, 1971, a man bought a one-way plane ticket from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington, and boarded the Boeing 727.

Once the plane was airborne, the man ordered a bourbon and 7 Up and handed a note to a flight attendant:

"I have a bomb in my briefcase. I will use it if necessary. I want you to sit next to me. You are being hijacked."

The man opened his briefcase, revealing wires and red sticks. He identified himself as Dan "D.B." Cooper.

Cooper ordered the craft to land at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where the FBI handed over four parachutes and $200,000 in cash. He let all 36 passengers off, then forced the pilots to take off for Mexico City.

And then, somewhere between Seattle and Reno, D.B. Cooper opened the tail door and leapt out, never to be heard from again.

I used to fly Northwest (ask your parents) on Thanksgiving, I can understand the urge to toss yourself from a plane,

—Josh Herman

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