Three things for November 20
1. Hand count of Georgia’s votes affirms Biden’s win in the state
Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger will certify the election for Joe Biden Friday after a hand tally was counted. State law requires that Raffensperger must confirm the tally results by 5 p.m. Friday.
“Working as an engineer throughout my life, I live by the motto that numbers don’t lie,” Raffensperger said at a news conference today in Atlanta. “As secretary of state, I believe that the numbers that we have presented today are correct. The numbers reflect the verdict of the people, not a decision by the secretary of state’s office or of courts or of either campaign.”
The hand count was tallied because of an audit required by new state law. The hand count affirmed that Biden won by more than 12,000 votes out of around 5 million cast.
2. CDC recommends avoiding Thanksgiving travel
The CDC updated their website Thursday with a warning to stay home for Thanksgiving.
“More than 1 million COVID-19 cases were reported in the United States over the last 7 days,” said the CDC’s statement. “As cases continue to increase rapidly across the United States, the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with.”
If families decide to get together for the holidays, the CDC recommends precautions are taken such as outdoor gatherings, wearing masks and staying six feet apart.
3. BTS releases new album ‘BE’
K-pop band BTS released their highly anticipated album “BE” on Friday. The new album was announced at an online press conference, live-streamed on Youtube for fans. The band then held a socially-distanced news conference in Seoul, South Korea.
Members of the band shared their meanings of hope included in the album. The band opened up about the album-making process at the conference, explaining why they shared their thoughts and work on the album on social media over the past few months.
“We wanted fans to feel that we made this album together, during the pandemic,” band member RM said.
This is BTS’s second album release this year. Their English-language chart-topper “Dynamite” is included on the album, as well as the lead single “Life Goes On”, which will be performed at the American Music Awards on Nov. 22.
“BE” is available now on most streaming services.
