WHAT HE KNEW. Trump knew of whistleblower complaint when he released aid to Ukraine: “Lawyers from the White House counsel's office told Mr. Trump in late August about the complaint, explaining that they were trying to determine whether they were legally required to give it to Congress, the people said.”

RIP. Groundbreaking cartoonish Howard Cruse: “Thanks to Cruse's big-hearted art, readers have received a big scope vision of gay life in the latter half of the 20th century.”

SEX PIG? Or a fame whore?

RIP. 35-year-old Taiwanese Canadian model-actor Godfrey Gao dies after collapsing on set. “Godfrey collapsed on set while participating in a physical challenge and multiple reports state that he suffered a heart attack, though this has not yet been officially confirmed.”

BREAD & BUTTER. Trump made sad impeachment jokes at Thanksgiving turkey pardoning event.

NAMES PROJECT. AIDS Memorial Quit is getting permanent home: “The quilt will be moved from Atlanta to the National AIDS Memorial in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for long-term preservation and educational purposes, while related archival collections will be under the care of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington.”

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS UP. The Department of Homeland Security created a fake university, enticed foreign born students to enroll in it, then had ICE officials arrest and deport them. “A total of about 250 students have now been arrested since January on immigration violations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of a sting operation by federal agents who enticed foreign-born students, mostly from India, to attend the school that marketed itself as offering graduate programs in technology and computer studies, according to ICE officials.”

GATEWAY DRUG. Joe Biden backtracks on marijuana remarks: “‘I don't think it is a gateway drug. There's no evidence I've seen to suggest that.' … Biden said marijuana should be ‘totally decriminalized,' and that anyone convicted for using the drug should have their criminal record “wiped totally clean, completely clean.”

JIMMY WALES. Wikipedia founder says Twitter should ban Trump: “A lot of stuff he says would not violate the terms of service of Twitter — he's a blowhard and he says false things,” said Wales. “But he's attacked people in ways that other people couldn't get away with. I mean they've made it very clear that they are applying the rules differently.”

2020. Pete Buttigieg to return donations from Brett Kavanaugh's lawyers: “Buttigieg's campaign received $7,200 from Alexandra Walsh – $3,150 of which had already been returned because it exceeded limits – and attended a fundraiser in July that was co-hosted by the Washington lawyer. Buttigieg also received $2,800 from Beth Wilkinson, Walsh's law partner, who also represented Kavanaugh. When asked by the Guardian about the donations, the campaign said it had overlooked the lawyers' role in the Kavanaugh confirmation and had made a mistake in accepting the donations.”

REVIEW OF THE DAY. Breaking Banter reviews Knives Out.