Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, current leader Neon Vincent, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, Doctor RJ, Magnifico, annetteboardman and Man Oh Man. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) wader, planter, JML9999, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, ek hornbeck, ScottyUrb, Interceptor7, BentLiberal, Oke 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.
Crack in Antarctic Ice Shelf is About to Launch a Delaware-Sized Iceberg
Scientists are watching intently as a titanic section of Larsen C, the fourth largest ice shelf in Antarctica, prepares to break off into the sea as an iceberg the size of Delaware. The question is, when?
ScienceAlert reports that satellite images began tracking the spread of an enormous crack in the ice shelf in 2010. As it reached 120 miles in length this spring, the fissure suddenly forked earlier this year. and the resultant rift will cause a 2,000 square mile section -- 10% of Larsen C's total area -- to break off into the ocean.
Though scientists cannot predict exactly when this will happen, it could be a matter of weeks, says Dan McGrath, a scientist with the U.S. Geologic Survey.
^It seems we have periodically appearing headlines like this. I’m waiting for the headline about “New glacier forming in Antarctica” or something like that.
Legendary Australian political hitman Lynton Crosby blamed for the Tory campaign
It was the Roman senator and historian Tacitus who observed how unfair it was that "victory is claimed by all, failure to one alone".
This is not the case with the Conservative Party's electoral disaster. There is an awful lot of blame to go around, but most of it is being sheeted home to two people: the party's leader, Theresa May, and the Australian hired gun who ran the campaign, Lynton Crosby.
Crosby, a former Liberal Party staffer, masterminded four victories for John Howard before moving to the United Kingdom to apply his dark arts for the Conservatives in 2005 for Michael Howard.
Howard (Michael, not John) lost a bitter election campaign in which he had focused on the perils of unchecked immigration, the same issue Mr Crosby had used to help propel John Howard's victories.
^Mr. Crosby seems cut from the same cloth as Lee Atwater, Karl Rove, Paul Manafort, etc.
#ThisIsMyVagina: Inspiration for women in a male-dominated world
This is my vagina, that’s it. What I do with it has nothing to do with anyone else; it does not belong to my political party, it does not belong to my girlfriend, it does not belong to my church, it does not belong to my lecturer, it does not belong to my boss, it belongs to me. It’s mine and I should own it. Whatever decisions I make with this vagina are my decisions and you have no choice, no voice over what I do with my vagina, when I do with my vagina or how I do with my vagina because it is mine.
The conversation must keep going. I’m definitely going to engage with black women on this issue time and time again. Because even when I leave those spaces, black women will go back to their boyfriends who abuse them and rape them. It’s a conversation that must continue until society gets comfortable with this decision that we’ve made as black women.
We’re not the first women to preach this message. Charlotte Maxeke was preaching on intersectionality decades ago. It’s something we’re going to continue and that’s going to manifest even in our lives as young people who are active in politics. All these spaces are male-dominated so we are responding to that.
^The birth of a hashtag, the use of social media by marginalized populations, & intersection feminism. All my favorites!
South America can be GEOINT experiment lab, military leader says
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — South America’s unique position in the world presents the opportunity to test out and develop new GEOINT capabilities, said U.S. Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd, leader of U.S. Southern Command.
As the flag officer in charge of U.S. military operations in South America, Tidd said he’s constantly on the lookout for new geospatial intelligence capabilities that could help him in his mission.
“We’ve got a host of willing, capable partners, who are eager to work with us, and with each other,” Tidd said this week during the annual GEOINT Symposium hosted by the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation. “While the region may be largely at peace, that doesn’t mean that it’s free from security challenges…It’s an environment we know more about, but seeing the signal through the noise and knowing what to do about it is a challenge in and of itself.”
^I sense a Tom Clancy-type novel series set in South American. Is it because of the high-altitude locations for telescopes and other comm equipment too? Is it colonialism? Ever the military-industrial complex hanging around.
12 Indian-origin MPs in House, Keith Vaz returns for 8th term
LONDON: A record 12 Indian-origin MPs won seats in the House of Commons after a tense night in which no party won a majority. All 10 sitting Indian-origin MPs held on to their constituencies whilst two Indian-origin first-timers made it to the House.
International development secretary Priti Patel, 45, of Ugandan-Gujarati heritage, retained her seat in Witham, a working-class heartland, with a comfortable majority of 18,646.
I didn’t mean to pick up on two articles about the British election. We seem evermore intersectional in our world. Maybe?
Merkel's G-20 Climate Alliance Is Crumbling
German Chancellor Angela Merkel had actually thought that Canada's young, charismatic prime minister, Justin Trudeau, could be counted among her reliable partners. Particularly when it came to climate policy. Just two weeks ago, at the G-7 summit in Sicily, he had thrown his support behind Germany. When Merkel took a confrontational approach to U.S. President Donald Trump, Trudeau was at her side.
But by Tuesday evening, things had changed. At 8 p.m., Merkel called Trudeau to talk about how to proceed following Trump's announced withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. To her surprise, the Canadian prime minister was no longer on the attack. He had switched to appeasement instead.
What would be wrong with simply striking all mentions of the Paris Agreement from the planned G-20 statement on climate, Trudeau asked. He suggested simply limiting the statement to energy issues, something that Trump would likely support as well. Trudeau had apparently changed his approach to Trump and seemed concerned about further provoking his powerful neighbor to the south.
Wildfire in Uintah County grows beyond 1,000 acres; evacuation order lifted
UINTAH COUNTY, Utah -- Firefighters in Uintah County are working to contain a wildfire that has been burning since 2 p.m. Friday.
The fire came dangerously close to neighborhoods, prompting homes to be evacuated near the town of Maeser.
As of Friday night the fire was moving away from the homes, but the wind is so strong and unpredictable the fire could change direction at any moment.
Hot, windy conditions create increased fire danger across Utah
3 wildfires in Salt Lake County just today. Higher temps, lower humidity. Wet winter, dry summer. This formula equal wildfire danger.