Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame, jck, and JeremyBloom. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man, wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw.
OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time.
Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
Chicago Sun-Times: Be prepared: Surge of winter sickness likely on its way, city’s top doc says by Stefano Esposito
With the worst of the winter illnesses not yet upon us, the city’s top public health official is urging residents to make sure they’re fully vaccinated.
And Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady issued a warning Tuesday: “My biggest concern is that it’s only November, and RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] has already come and hit us hard. … If we see a significant surge — and we will see some surge, no doubt — of flu and of COVID on top of that, particularly for kids, we may run out of good hospital capacity.”
In recent weeks, local children’s hospitals have been reporting unusually long wait times at emergency rooms, driven in large part by a surge in respiratory sicknesses. Doctors have been warning of the possibility this winter of a “tri-epidemic” of flu, COVID-19 and RSV
There is no vaccine for RSV, which has early symptoms similar to a common cold — runny nose, decreased activity and appetite. RSV sometimes leads to a wheezing cough and problems breathing.
Washington Post: Supreme Court denies Trump bid to withhold tax returns from Congress by Robert Barnes
The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for a congressional committee to examine Donald Trump’s tax returns, denying without comment the former president’s last-ditch effort to extend a legal battle that has consumed Congress and the courts for years.
The justices’ brief order means that the Treasury Department may quickly hand over six years of tax records from Trump and some of his companies to the House Ways and Means Committee.
There were no recorded dissents and, as is often the case in emergency applications, the court did not state a reason for denying Trump’s request to withhold the records.
Lawmakers have said they need Trump’s tax returns from his time in office to help evaluate the effectiveness of annual presidential audits. Trump has argued that Democratic lawmakers are on a fishing expedition designed to embarrass him politically.
The New York Times: A Lasting Legacy of Covid: Far-Right Platforms Spreading Health Myths by Sheryl Gay Stolberg
Not long after Randy Watt died of Covid-19, his daughter Danielle sat down at her computer, searching for clues as to why the smart and thoughtful man she knew had refused to get vaccinated. She pulled up Google, typed in a screen name he had used in the past and discovered a secret that stunned her.
Her father, she learned, had a hidden, virtual life on Gab, a far-right social media platform that traffics in Covid misinformation. And there was another surprise as well: As he fought the coronavirus, he told his followers that he was taking ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasitic infections that experts say has no benefit — and in fact can be dangerous — for patients with Covid-19.
“On two occasions I coughed so hard that larynx went into spasm and closed my airway,” he wrote in a post on Gab a few days before Christmas last year. “Frightening, yes, but relaxing instead of panicking allowed the airway to open in 15 to 20 seconds. Took second dose of ivermectin, along with ibuprofen for fever and my usual vitamin regimen. Rest, fluids, and prayer.”
NBC News: Being LGBTQ in Colorado Springs wasn’t always easy. Now, some feel more exposed than ever. By Matt Lavietes
As a queer woman who has lived for 12 years in this city known for its evangelical Christian and conservative roots, April Slawson has been the subject of unflattering looks and comments at work and is always cautious around strangers.
Last week, she finally told friends that she felt “comfortable” here.
As the people of Colorado Springs grieve those who died, its queer community is also grappling with the stark realities many LGBTQ people face living in some conservative or rural areas of the United States — the loss of a safe space, the loss of security, the loss of trust in their neighbors.
“Conservative and rural areas” aren’t the only locations that LGBTQs have to worry about.
CNN: Biden extends student loan repayment freeze as forgiveness program is tied up in courts by Arlette Saena and Katie Lobosco
The Biden administration is yet again extending the pause on federal student loan payments, a benefit that began in March 2020 to help people who were struggling financially due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The extension comes as the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program is tied up in the courts. Officials had told borrowers the forgiveness program, which is worth up to $20,000 in debt relief per borrower, would be implemented before loan payments were set to resume in January.
The payment pause will last until 60 days after the litigation is resolved. If the program has not been implemented and the litigation has not been resolved by June 30, payments will resume 60 days after that, according to the Department of Education.
“I’m completely confident my plan is legal,” said President Joe Biden in a video posted to Twitter Tuesday, referencing his student loan forgiveness program.
“But it isn’t fair to ask tens of millions of borrowers eligible for relief to resume their student debt payments while the courts consider the lawsuit,” he added.
Guardian: Ukraine’s security service raids Russian-backed monastery in Kyiv by Lorenzo Tondo
Ukraine’s SBU security service and police have raided a 1,000-year-old Orthodox Christian monastery in Kyiv as part of operations to counter suspected “subversive activities by Russian special services”.
Located south of the city centre, the sprawling Kyiv Pechersk Lavra complex – or Kyiv Monastery of the Caves – is the headquarters of the Russian-backed wing of the Ukrainian Orthodox church that falls under the Moscow patriarchate, as well as being a Ukrainian cultural treasure and a Unesco World Heritage site.
The Russian Orthodox church, whose head, Patriarch Kirill, has strongly supported Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine, condemned the raid as an “act of intimidation”.
The SBU said in a statement: “These measures are being taken … as part of the systemic work of the SBU to counter the destructive activities of Russian special services in Ukraine.”
BBC News: Bolsonaro party challenges Brazil election result
The far-right party of Brazil's outgoing president, Jair Bolsonaro, has challenged some votes in October's election that saw him lose narrowly to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The Liberal Party asked the electoral court to reject ballots from certain voting machines, which it claims were compromised during the second round.
The court has now given the party 24 hours to amend its petition, to include the first round of voting.
The same machines were used both times.
Mr Bolsonaro's party performed better than expected in the first round. The party has not presented proof for its allegation of machine errors.
Lula's victory - with 50.9% to Mr Bolsonaro's 49.1% - has been ratified by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), so the challenge may not get very far.
AlJazeera: Kosovo pauses Serbian car plate scheme after Brussels talks fail
Kosovo’s prime minister, accused by Brussels of scuppering talks to resolve a row over a scheme to replace Serbian car number plates, has delayed the plan for two days.
The dispute erupted after Kosovo said the country’s ethnic Serbs would be penalised if they did not swap vehicle licence plates issued by Serbia for registration numbers issued by Pristina.
The underlying source of tension is Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia. The latter does not recognise the move and has encouraged Kosovo’s Serb minority to remain loyal to Belgrade.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Twitter on Tuesday morning that he had accepted a request from Washington “for a 48-hour postponement of the introduction of fines” for cars with Serbian plates.
Michigan @ Ohio State seems like a pretty important game.
Everyone have a good night!