Good morning, it's Wednesday, Nov. 25. We'll be off tomorrow for Thanksgiving in the US—have a great (and safe) holiday, and we'll see you Friday! Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

College Hoops Returns

The 2020-21 college basketball season gets underway today, with 16 of the nation's top 25 men's programs taking the floor (see schedule). The pandemic—which forced a premature end to last year's play—has already disrupted the nascent season, with at least five games today featuring top 25 teams canceled. No. 2 Baylor was forced to pull out of the Empire Classic after head coach Drew Scott tested positive for the coronavirus. If the NCAA can weather the virus, expect more parity this year; Gonzaga, Baylor, Villanova, and Virginia fill out the top four and split first-place votes, ahead of traditional powers like Kansas (No. 6), Duke (No. 9), and Kentucky (No. 10). A number of these contenders will meet in December matchups. 

Women's basketball also tips off today, where South Carolina enters as the odds-on favorite to win the championship, receiving 29 of 30 first-place votes (No. 2 Stanford snagged the remaining vote). 

Grammy Nominations Announced

Nominations for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards were released yesterday, with superstar artist Beyoncé dominating the list with nine nods despite not releasing an album in 2020. "Black Parade," released as a single June 19—Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the US—earned four selections, including Record and Song of the Year. Her musical film (also considered a visual album) "Black is King" earned two nominations. Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, and Roddy Ricch followed with six selections each (see full list).   

The slate contained one major shocker: Singer The Weeknd was shut out of consideration, despite his album "After Hours"—specifically the single "Blinding Lights"—leading both sales charts and critics' lists. Some speculate part of the snub may be attributable to differing opinions over whether the artist is considered to be in the pop or R&B genre. 

The ceremony will be held Jan. 31, live from Los Angeles (8pm ET, CBS). 

Corn and Cob

Drawing on the powers vested in him by the Constitution, President Trump yesterday granted clemency to a 42-pound turkey named Corn. The president was presented with two birds. Corn narrowly won a public poll to receive the pardon, leaving his accomplice, Cob, to be served at the White House Thanksgiving Day feast—until a second pardon was offered (see video). It was unclear what crimes either committed. 

The tradition of presenting turkeys at the White House dates back to 1947—though President Lincoln pardoned a Christmas Turkey his son had grown fond of—intertwined with a lobbying campaign by the Poultry and Egg National Board and the National Turkey Federation. The chosen birds were often used in meals until George H.W. Bush instituted the informal tradition of pardoning the unfortunate winner in 1989. See the somewhat strange history here. 

It was ultimately a fortuitous turn of events for the reprobate gobblers, who will retire to the animal science department at Iowa State University.  

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

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> “Chappelle’s Show” removed from Netflix at Dave Chappelle’s request after pay dispute with ViacomCBS (More) | The late Chadwick Boseman’s final film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” gets limited theatrical release today ahead of Dec. 18 Netflix release (More)

> Peyton Manning and Calvin Johnson headline list of 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2021 class (More) | Minnesota-Wisconsin college football game canceled due to COVID-19, ending record of 113 consecutive years playing each other (More)  | Alabama tops initial College Football Playoff rankings (More)

> YouTube imposes one-week ban on One America News Network for posting video purporting to have a cure for COVID-19 (More)

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Science & Technology

> Russia's COVID-19 vaccine is 95% effective, government officials say; country will aim to produce 1 billion doses (More) | Scientists previously skeptical, waiting for full data (More) | Separately, studies say dogs can detect COVID-19 infections with 90% accuracy (More)

> Leaf-cutter ants found to create their own biomineral armor, a phenomenon seen in crustaceans but never before observed in insects (More)

> Google to lay fiber optic cable network that would link historical foes Saudi Arabia and Israel, as part of a larger effort to connect India and Europe (More, $$, WSJ)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets up (S&P 500 +1.6%, Dow +1.6%, Nasdaq +1.3%), with the Dow crossing 30,000 threshold for first time in history; index passed 10,000 in 1999, and 20,000 in 2017 (More)

> OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty to three criminal charges, formally admits role in opioid epidemic; follows $8.3B bankruptcy settlement between company and the Justice Department (More)

> McCormick to acquire hot sauce maker Cholula from private equity firm for $800M (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Pennsylvania and Nevada certify election results; President-elect Joe Biden leads by 80,000 and 33,000 votes, respectively (More) | Wisconsin recount surfaces 400 uncounted ballots amid ongoing recount; Biden leads by 20,000 in the state (More) | President Trump signs off on giving Biden access to presidential intel (More)

> US records almost 2,140 COVID-19 deaths yesterday, the highest daily death toll since early May; sets hospitalization record for 15th straight day (More) | See rolling averages (cases, deaths)

> House and Senate appropriators strike deal on $1.4T spending package, ahead of Dec. 14 deadline to fund the government; President Trump appears likely to sign off, but yet to confirm (More)

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ETCETERA

How to carve a turkey like a professional chef.

What George Washington did on his first Thanksgiving as president.

We still love this nerdy Thanksgiving Day quiz. ($$, WashPo)

Separating the history of the holiday from myth.

Ranking the worst Thanksgiving sides ever created. 

... and the best.

Seven recipes from Native American chefs.

Eating too much? Here's how ballerinas count calories.

Clickbait: Other people's holiday horror stories will make you feel better about your own (some NSFW language).

Historybook: Businessman Andrew Carnegie born (1835); Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” opens, becomes longest-running play in history (1952); President John Kennedy and his assassin Lee Harvey Oswald both buried (1963); Author Upton Sinclair dies (1968); Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies (2016).

"You cannot push anyone up a ladder unless he be willing to climb a little himself."

- Andrew Carnegie

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