250,000 empty seats at the Thanksgiving table

A dark milestone, threats in Arizona, a wedding super-spreader

THE BIG STORY More than a quarter of a million people in the US have now died from COVID-19   The US had been approaching this mark for weeks now, and now it has arrived: 8 months into the coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19 has killed 250,000 people. It's a horrific milestone, passed as the country wades into another deadly wave of the pandemic with infections filling hospital beds to capacity in some cities.   The rising cases prompted some states to reinstate the restrictions of the spring, shutting down businesses and restaurants and limiting gatherings to slow the spread of the virus and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.   Among people who test positive for COVID-19, death rates have been declining since the start of the pandemic, thanks to doctors getting better at treating the patients who are most sick.    But as hospitals across the country reach capacity, and as more healthcare workers get sick, there will be fewer resources available to help treat people. There will be more than 250,000 empty seats at the table this Thanksgiving belonging to Americans who have died of COVID-19. BuzzFeed News STAYING ON TOP OF THIS   Arizona's top election official said she's getting violent threats due to Trump's lies Katie Hobbs, Arizona's secretary of state, said President Donald Trump's continued efforts to undermine the election through baseless lies have contributed to "ongoing and escalating" threats of violence against her, her family, and her staff.   As the state's chief election officer, Hobbs is in charge of overseeing and certifying the results of all elections in Arizona.    While the results have not yet been certified, multiple media outlets, including BuzzFeed News, have named Joe Biden the winner in the state. According to unofficial results, Biden won Arizona by a margin of more than 10,000 votes.   Hobbs said the threats are "utterly abhorrent, especially when directed at my family and my staff."  SNAPSHOTS   Schools in New York City are shutting down again because of the pandemic. The country's largest school system — with 1.1 million students — announced it would shut down in-person classes once more as the city's rate of infection continues to rise.   ICE arrested more than 180 immigrants in a nationwide sweep. The operation carried out in the recent weeks targeted those who officials say had promised to leave but did not, according to an internal document obtained by BuzzFeed News.   The Trump campaign is paying for a recount in Wisconsin — but only in areas with large Black populations. Trump's lawyers are asking for tens of thousands of ballots to be tossed out in a long-shot bid to flip Wisconsin. But even if it succeeds, Joe Biden would still win the election.   Managers at a Tyson pork plant placed bets on how many workers would get COVID-19, a lawsuit alleges. The family of Isidro Fernandez, a worker who died of COVID-19, filed the lawsuit alleging Tyson Foods downplayed the spread of the coronavirus among its workforce and incentivized employees to come in when they were sick.   An Ohio wedding had 83 guests. More than a third, including the newlyweds, got the coronavirus. The couple slashed their guest list from 200 people to 83, set tables 6 feet apart, and provided hand sanitizer to guests. Yet 32 people still tested positive for COVID-19 after the super-spreader wedding. BLOCKED POLICY   A judge has blocked the Trump administration from turning back unaccompanied minors at the border Before the pandemic, unaccompanied children were sent to government-run shelters as they attempted to pursue their asylum cases. When the coronavirus pandemic began, the Trump administration introduced a policy that gave federal agents unprecedented powers to close off access.   The government argued the policy was necessary to prevent the spread of the virus. Critics said the government was using public health orders as an excuse to violate federal laws that govern the processing of unaccompanied minors at the border.   We've previously reported that the Department of Homeland Security has expelled unaccompanied immigrant children from the US border more than 13,000 times since March. Now, a judge has blocked the Trump administration from turning back unaccompanied children. THE BEST KIND OF FEUD    People are making memes about Moderna and Pfizer   It's been a flurry of good news on the coronavirus vaccine front. In case you missed it: first, pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced early results showing its vaccine was 90% effective. Then rival Moderna announced its own results — which it said showed its vaccine was 94.5% effective.    THEN, Pfizer came back and said after collecting more data, its vaccine was actually 95% effective.   This is all very promising, and people are loving how Pfizer and Moderna are seemingly trying to one-up each other's results — and of course, they're making memes about it. Twitter Share your gratitude with someone who helped you manage through this year, Elamin P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (Monthly memberships are available worldwide). 📝  This letter was edited and brought to you by Brandon Hardin and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.   🔔  Want to be notified as soon as news breaks? Download the BuzzFeed News app for iOS and Android (available in Canadian, UK, Australian, and US app stores). 💌  Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up to get BuzzFeed News in your inbox! 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