Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, current leader Neon Vincent, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, interceptor7, Magnifico, annetteboardman and Besame. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) wader, palantir, JML9999, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, ek hornbeck, ScottyUrb, Man Oh Man, Doctor RJ, 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.
BBC
US child migrants: Melania speaks out on Trump's separation policy
US First Lady Melania Trump has spoken out on the policy of separating parents and children illegally entering the country from Mexico.
Mrs Trump "believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart," her spokeswoman said.
Her comments follow growing controversy over President Donald Trump's "zero-tolerance" policy.
In a recent six-week period there were nearly 2,000 family separations.
Adults who try to cross the border, many planning to seek asylum, are placed in custody and face criminal prosecution for illegal entry.
As a result, hundreds of minors are now being housed in detention centres, and kept away from their parents - a policy which rights groups have criticised as unprecedented.
Raw Story
Laura Bush goes off on Trump for ‘cruel’ and ‘immoral’ policies of ripping migrant children from their families
Former First Lady Laura Bush is normally very quiet on policy. She was content at the White House fighting for literacy and libraries. However, Sunday, she released an op-ed in The Washington Post blasting President Donald Trump for separating migrant families on the border.
“I live in a border state,” Mrs. Bush wrote. “I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart.”
She then noted the detention facilities were “eerily reminiscent’ of the Japanese internment camps the U.S. built after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor during World War II.
“Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation,” she continued. “If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents — and to stop separating parents and children in the first place.”
BBC
Cambodia Prince Ranariddh injured and wife killed in car crash
A Cambodian prince and former prime minister has been injured and his wife killed in a head-on car collision in the south-west of the country.
A taxi hit the vehicle Prince Norodom Ranariddh, 74, and Ouk Phalla, 39, were travelling in, officials say.
The couple were taken to a local hospital in the Preah Sihanouk province, but Ms Phalla died a few hours later.
They were travelling to meet political supporters when the crash happened.
Prince Ranariddh, the half-brother of King Norodom Sihamoni, leads a political party that is contesting next month's controversial general elections.
Last year, the country's main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was dissolved and its leader was charged with treason.
BBC
Hong Kong's fish are eating plastic - and people could be too
Many fishes in Hong Kong have ingested tiny particles of plastic which could end up being eaten by humans, according to research by universities and Greenpeace.
Researchers say they found 80 pieces of plastic in one fish.
BBC
Taliban rules out extension of Afghanistan Eid festival ceasefire
A widely welcomed three-day ceasefire between security forces and the Taliban in Afghanistan appears to be over.
The Taliban said its militants had been ordered to take up arms again on Sunday night - now the Eid festival had ended.
The government says it will continue a unilateral ceasefire for another 10 days, although security forces can defend themselves if attacked.
There were unprecedented scenes of soldiers and Taliban insurgents hugging each other during the ceasefire.
But the ceasefire failed to end violence entirely.
At least 18 people were killed in a suicide attack in the city of Jalalabad, outside the office of the governor of Nangarhar province while officials were meeting Taliban insurgents. Dozens were injured.
Al Jazeera
Thai king signs Crown's $30bn assets over to himself (because, why not?)
Thailand's royal family has formally turned over its multi-billion dollar fortune to King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who assumed the throne after the death of his father in 2016.
An undated announcement seen on Saturday on the website of the Crown Property Bureau (CPB), the financial arm of the monarchy, said that full ownership of the palace's multi-billion dollar assets were handed over to King Vajiralongkorn under a law passed last year.
"All 'Crown Property Assets' are to be transferred and revert to the ownership of His Majesty, so that they may be administered and managed at His Majesty's discretion," said the note which featured prominently on the front page of the CPB's website.
Al Jazeera
Conservative Ivan Duque wins Colombia's presidential election
Conservative Ivan Duque has won Colombia's presidential election, the first since a landmark peace deal that brought an end to more than 50 years of conflict.
With nearly all the votes counted, Duque secured 54 percent on Sunday, comfortably ahead of his leftist rival Gustavo Petro, at 42 percent.
About four percent of the voters submitted spoiled ballots, according to electoral officials.
In the capital, Bogota, enthusiastic Duque supporters honked car horns even before final results were announced.
The Guardian
US and South Korea to announce suspension of 'large-scale' military drill
South Korea and the US are expected to announce the suspension of “large-scale” military drills next week, with the provision that they will restart if North Korea fails to keep its promise to denuclearise, a South Korean news agency said on Sunday.
Citing an unnamed government source, the Yonhap agency said the suspension was likely to affect only major joint exercises, not more routine military training.
Donald Trump surprised officials in Seoul and Washington after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore last week, when he pledged to end “war games”.
Immediately after the announcement, US forces in Korea said they had received no guidance on stopping any drills and South Korean officials said they were trying to figure out which exercises Trump was referring to.
At a Senate hearing on Thursday, Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to South Korea, the retired admiral Harry Harris, backed the idea of a “pause” in major military exercises.
Reuters
U.S. oil slumps as China threatens duty on U.S. crude imports
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices slumped on Monday after China threatened duties on American crude imports in an escalating trade dispute with Washington.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $63.84 a barrel, down $1.22, or 1.9 percent, from their last settlement.
In an escalating spat over the American trade deficit with most of its major trading partners, including China, U.S. President Donald Trump last week pushed ahead with hefty tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, starting on July 6.
China on Friday said it would retaliate by slapping duties on American export products, including crude oil.
N Y Times
‘Incredibles 2’ Sells a Record-Setting $180 Million in Tickets
Wither Pixar? Not on Elastigirl’s watch.
“Incredibles 2” arrived to a jaw-dropping $180 million in ticket sales at North American theaters over the weekend — roughly 30 percent more than box-office analysts had predicted early last week — giving Pixar a confidence boost following the forced departure of its creative chief, John Lasseter, earlier this month. “Incredibles 2” received an A-plus grade from ticket buyers in CinemaScore exit polls.
The opening total set a box-office record for an animated release. The touting of sales records by movie studios is usually meaningless spin; they don’t take inflation into account. But not in this case: Even after accounting for higher ticket prices, “Incredibles 2” beat Hollywood’s previous record-holder, “Shrek the Third” (DreamWorks Animation), which collected an adjusted $151 million in 2007, according to comScore data.
The thundering turnout for “Incredibles 2” reflected pent-up demand. The film returns the superheroic Mr. Incredible and his quick-thinking wife, Elastigirl, to big screens after a 14-year hiatus — this time with her in the forefront.
Raw Story
Folk icon Joan Baez can’t get past Paris nightclub doorman
After giving a concert in Paris on Thursday night, American folk singer Joan Baez headed to a night club for some dancing — only to be told by a doorman that she wasn’t allowed in.
“Guess what? I was with a friend after my 8th Olympia concert in Paris. We wanted to go dancing at the posh Pachamama club in Bastille but were refused entrance because of my shoes,” the 77-year-old posted on Twitter with a picture of her feet.
“For once I was wearing shoes!”
Baez, who was at the vanguard of the antiwar movement in the 1960s, remains popular in France, where she has performed regularly over the years.
Her residency this month at the storied Olympia music hall ends with sold-out concerts on Saturday and Sunday.
The South American-themed club, housed in a building designed by Gustave Eiffel, quickly issued an apology.