I’m filling in for maggiejean.
Here are a few topics in tonight’s OND
- Six thousand migrants head for US border
- Six-year-old unaccompanied minor placed on wrong flight by airline
- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been located
- Banksy stop-sign art taken from London
- DJT something something
- Two paramedics found guilty of homicide in Elijah McClain death in 2019
- New US citizens look forward to voting in 2024
Politico
Thousands join migrant caravan in Mexico ahead of Blinken’s visit to the capital
TAPACHULA, Mexico — A sprawling caravan of migrants from Central America, Venezuela, Cuba and other countries trekked through Mexico on Sunday, heading toward the U.S. border. The procession came just days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Mexico City to hammer out new agreements to control the surge of migrants seeking entry into the United States.
The caravan, estimated at around 6,000 people, many of them families with young children, is the largest in more than a year, a clear indication that joint efforts by the Biden administration and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s government to deter migration are falling short.
The Christmas Eve caravan departed from the city of Tapachula, near the country’s southern border with Guatemala. Security forces looked on in what appeared to be a repeat of past tactics when authorities waited for the marchers to tire out and then offered them a form of temporary legal status that is used by many to continue their journey northward.
This is an open thread where everyone is welcome, especially night owls and early birds, to share and discuss the happenings of the day. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
Salon
by Ashlie D. Stevens
"Incorrectly boarded": Spirit Airlines placed unaccompanied 6-year-old on wrong holiday flight
On Thursday, Maria Ramos went to pick up her 6-year-old grandson at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers — only to be told that he was actually 160 miles away in Orlando. As reported by WINK-TV, a television station in Fort Myers, the child was an unaccompanied minor who had been traveling from Philadelphia to visit family. He was boarded onto the wrong flight by Spirit Airlines amid the holiday travel rush.
“I want them to call me [and] let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando,” Ramos told the station. “How did that happen? Did they get him off the plane? The flight attendant — after mom handed him with paperwork — did she let him go by himself? He jumped in the wrong plane by himself?
Spirit Airlines has since apologized that the child was “incorrectly boarded,” but has not offered any details on how the mistake was made. In a weekend statement, the airline said: “The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member, and as soon as we discovered the error, we took immediate steps to communicate with the family and reconnect them … We take the safety and responsibility of transporting all of our Guests seriously and are conducting an internal investigation.”
Axios
Alexei Navalny located in Siberian prison after being reported missing
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been located in a Siberian penal colony, two weeks after his lawyers said he was missing.
Driving the news: Navalny has been moved to the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp, his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said in a statement on X.
- Yarmysh did not provide details as to how the Kremlin critic was located, but added that his lawyer visited him and Navalny is "doing well."
- In a separate statement, Ivan Zhdanov, the former director of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, said his legal team undertook hundreds of requests to locate him in the weeks he was missing.
Axios
by Rebecca Falconer
Banksy stop sign taken from London street soon after artwork appears
Two men were arrested on suspicion of theft of a Banksy traffic sign that went missing in London, England, soon after the anonymous street artist unveiled the artwork, British police said Sunday.
The big picture: London's Metropolitan Police said they're "aware of footage being shared" to social media showing the removal of the stop sign that features three drones, which has been widely interpreted as calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as it's reminiscent of artwork in Banksy's Walled Off hotel in Bethlehem that was established in 2017.
Salon
by Andrew O’Hehir
Donald Trump asks appeals court to toss Jan. 6 indictment
Donald Trump's lawyers asked a federal appeals court on Saturday to throw out special counsel Jack Smith's indictment of the former president related to the Jan. 6 uprising, arguing that Trump is immune from prosecution for acts he committed as president. This follows the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to fast-track Trump's appeal of a previous ruling by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who rejected the immunity claim.
Trump's legal team claimed, in a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, that he was acting within "quintessential" presidential authority in pursuing claims about "alleged fraud and irregularity" in the 2020 presidential election. The ex-president's lawyers further suggested that the Trump indictments may endanger national stability and are "likely to shatter the very bedrock of our Republic — the confidence of American citizens in an independent judicial system.”
Axios
by Esteban L Hernandez
Jury finds two Aurora paramedics guilty in 2019 death of Elijah McClain
A jury on Friday found Aurora paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec guilty of criminally negligent homicide in Elijah McClain's 2019 death.
Why it matters: Legal experts say the decision could set a new standard for future cases involving medical first responders, who rarely face criminal charges.
npr
by Elena Moore
In their own words, new U.S. citizens look to voting in 2024
PHOENIX — It was a very proud moment for Nilesh Patel.
"It's the happiest day of my life," he said, walking out of the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix earlier this month.
Patel, who emigrated from India nearly a decade ago, had just finished participating in a naturalization ceremony — officially making him an American citizen. And after the ceremony, down the hall from the courtroom, he was able to register to vote.
"[The] U.S. has given a lot to us," said Patel's wife, Hatel Patel, who is already a citizen. "I've been serving back, now he will get more chances as well."
And serving back, she says, means voting.
New Arizona voters like Nilesh Patel are registering in a state that next year has key congressional races and could play a crucial role in the presidential election. And many new voters see their eligibility to participate in elections as an impactful and exciting responsibility.
The crew of the Overnight News Digest consists of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, jeremybloom, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Rise above the swamp, Besame and jck. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) eeff, 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.