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.
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Chicago Sun-Times: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $1.25 billion borrowing plan back on track for City Council approval by Fran Spielman
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to borrow $1.25 billion to bankroll economic development and affordable housing projects is back on track for City Council approval, but not without a bit of a fight.
The Rules Committee on Tuesday sent the mayor’s ordinance to the Finance Committee, where it would have been assigned originally if Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) hadn’t slowed it down. The vote was 29-7, with Ald. Bill Conway (34th) leading the charge against the legislative reroute.
Finance Committee Chair Pat Dowell (3rd) said the massive borrowing — signaling a fundamental shift in the city’s long-standing dependence on tax increment financing as a primary economic development tool — will not be on the agenda of Monday’s Finance Committee meeting.
“I’m not moving the bond issue fast. There has to be robust discussion and answers to the questions already asked in the briefings and concerns raised in the Rules meeting,” Dowell told the Sun-Times.
Dowell’s go-slow approach didn't satisfy Conway.
He argued the mayor’s ordinance should stay stuck in the Rules Committee so long as his own ordinance demanding prior City Council approval for any spending exceeding $1 million from federal COVID-19 relief funds is similarly bottled up and going nowhere.
The New York Times: New Federal Judiciary Rule Will Limit ‘Forum Shopping’ by Plaintiffs by Mattathias Schwartz
When anti-abortion activists sued the Food and Drug Administration in 2022 seeking to overturn the approval of the abortion drug mifepristone, they filed their suit in the federal court in Amarillo, Texas, where it was all but assured that the case would be heard by Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, an outspoken opponentof abortion.
Judge Kacsmaryk, the sole federal judge in Amarillo, wound up agreeing with the plaintiffs that the drug was “unsafe.” In his ruling, he invalidated the F.D.A.’s 23-year-old approval of the drug and opened a new front in the post-Dobbs reckoning over abortion rights.
The suit — and the role of Judge Kacsmaryk, who handles 95 percent of the Amarillo civil caseload — was one of the most striking recent examples of “forum shopping,” where plaintiffs to try to cherry-pick sympathetic judges.
Now, forum shopping is about to get harder.
The Washington Post: Whistleblower death compounds bad news for Boeing by Ian Duncan and Lori Aratani
The death of a former Boeing employee who had raised concerns about lapses at a South Carolina factory has renewed attention on the aerospace giant’s long history of facing allegations, from inside the company and from regulators, of the kinds of quality control issues that came to light after a piece of an Alaska Airlines jet fell off midflight in January.
Almost a decade ago, the company entered into a wide-ranging settlement with the Federal Aviation Administration in part over potentially dangerous debris left on Boeing jets, such as metal shavings and tools. Fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 triggered other whistleblowers to come forward to Congress to allege that relentless production schedules were causing safety and quality risks at Boeing plants.
And the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines incident, which investigators said was caused by the faulty installation of a door plug, has prompted a Justice Department investigation as well as fresh concerns from the FAA, which gave the company 90 days to fix numerous quality control issues discovered during an audit.
CNN: Support for LGBTQ rights slightly decreased in the last year, survey finds by Nicole Chavez
Support for laws that protect LGBTQ people from discrimination slightly fell last year among adults in the United States, according to a Public Religion Research Institute report released on Tuesday.
But a majority of Americans continue to support LGBTQ rights and protections in housing, employment, and public accommodation, said PRRI, a nonprofit that conducts research on religion, values and public policy.
The report surveyed more than 22,000 US adults’ views on LGBTQ rights, including nondiscrimination protections, same-sex marriage, and whether small business owners can refuse to provide products or services by citing their religious beliefs.
Respondents were asked whether they favor or oppose laws that would protect “LGBTQ Americans from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodation,” PRRI said. Last year, 76% of adults said they supported those policies, down from 80% in 2022, according to PRRI.
BBC News: The men fighting gang leader Barbecue for power in Haiti by Vanessa Buschschlüter
An ex-cop who likes to give news conferences while wielding a high-powered rifle and a young criminal as fond of starring in rap videos as he is of trafficking arms and drugs.
These are just two of the gang leaders blamed for the surge in violence which has engulfed the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, and led to the resignation of Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Add a former rebel fresh out of jail in the US who plans on becoming president and you get an explosive mix.
With the country in limbo awaiting the creation of a transition government, we take a closer look at some of those jostling for power in Haiti.
DW: Houthi attacks in Red Sea threaten internet infrastructure by Nik Martin
A new threat has emerged from the attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on shipping in the Red Sea that have caused delays to goods arriving in Europe from Asia.
The United States said last week it believed the recent sinking of a Belize-flagged, Lebanese-operated fertilizer ship severed vital undersea cables that provide internet connectivity between the East and West.
The attack on the M/V Rubymar on February 18 "forced the crew to drop anchor and abandon ship," a US defense official said.
"Preliminary assessments indicate the anchor dragging along the seafloor is likely to have cut the undersea cables that provide internet and telecommunications service around the world," the official added.
El País in English: Brazil’s paradox: the country progresses but Lula’s government falls in the polls by Juan Arias
Political analysts of all stripes are scrambling to understand the paradox in Brazil. While every major economic indicator is improving, President Lula’s administration is slipping in opinion polls. In recent polls by Genial, Quaest, Atlas and Ipec, Lula’s declining popularity is clear. The Quaest survey shows the narrowest gap between approval and disapproval in its history, and the Ipec survey shows a steadily rising disapproval rating.
Another warning sign is that the government’s approval rating is dropping for the first time among strong Lula supporters like women, young people, and the poorest Brazilians, despite ongoing social improvements. Why is this happening? National editorials and social media suggest Lula’s waning popularity is tied to issues like public security, political corruption, out-of-control spending and foreign policy. Approval on these issues among former Lula voters plummeted from 76% to 43%. Simultaneously, societal divisions have increased from 64% to 83% since Lula was elected, according to the Quaest survey.
The government’s disapproval ratings seem even more puzzling in the context of international relations, especially given Lula’s focus on positioning Brazil as a leader in global initiatives. Recent polls show a drop in approval of the government’s foreign policy, from 49% to 28%. The Brazilian government has faced foreign policy challenges due to Lula’s connections with dictatorial regimes like Venezuela and Iran. His past support for Putin in the Ukraine war and controversial remarks about Israel have led to a loss of support from evangelicals who consider Israel the promised land. The president of Israel reacted by inviting former president Jair Bolsonaro to visit the country. Bolsonaro, who was Catholic, is now considering becoming an evangelical.
Try to have the best possible evening everyone!