The final Thanksgiving under President Trump should be an intimate affair, his administration’s public health officials said today.

Why it matters: The CDC’s new guidance recommends excluding grandparents and college students and anyone who doesn’t live in the same household.

• Don't travel, the guidance says.
• Don't share the same bathrooms if you do travel.
• Wear masks inside.

Between the lines: This guidance would have been more useful a few weeks ago.

• Most of the people who are traveling already booked their plane tickets, and it’s too late for travelers to quarantine the recommended days to keep loved ones safe.

The big picture: The U.S. recorded its highest death toll yesterday since June.

• There have been more than 1 million confirmed new cases this week.
• Contact tracing isn't happening, and hospitals are filling up.
• Remarkably, the idea of sharing spaces indoors during an airborne pandemic is a leading indicator of partisan lean.

The bottom line: 250,000 people won't be at any Thanksgiving table this year either way — because they died from COVID-19.

In an “Axios on HBO” interview that airs Monday, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly told Axios’ Felix Salmon he believes the Boeing’s 737 MAX is safe — but will work to reassure customers of its safety.

• Why it matters: Flyers may not just be wary because of COVID-19. They may also be afraid to board the MAX after its software malfunctioned causing two crashes that killed hundreds.

📺 Catch the full "Axios on HBO" interview on Monday, Nov. 23 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on all HBO platforms.

1. Cities like Atlanta, Houston and Orlando helped buoy merchants' coffers in October, according to data that looked at retail sales in the 20 largest U.S. metropolitan areas during the first 10 months of the year. Go deeper.
2. BuzzFeed has agreed to buy HuffPost from Verizon Media in an all-stock deal. Go deeper.
3. Facebook says it removed more than 265,000 pieces of content from Facebook and Instagram for violating content policies on voter interference. Go deeper.
4. The famous 350-meter (1,148-foot) Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will not be fixed after multiple accidents left the telescope unstable and on the brink of collapse. Go deeper.
5. 🎧 Axios Re:Cap talks with Fortune senior reporter Phil Wahba about which retailers have the most to gain or lose on Black Friday. Listen here.

Talker du jour: Gondolas could be a salve for America's traffic and parking nightmares, transportation experts are telling Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson.

• In the Tampa Bay area, transit officials are about to study the possibility of building an air gondola system for Clearwater Beach and St. Petersburg.
• There's also an air tram proposal for Dodger Stadium in LA, and the Oakland A's are floating the idea as they prepare to open a new ballpark.

Existing U.S. systems include the Portland Aerial Tram in Oregon, the Roosevelt Island Tram in New York City and the Skyliner at Disney World.