Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, Interceptor7, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame and jck. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Man Oh Man, wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck, 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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Tonight, we begin the Overnight News Digest with one of my favorite local columnists.
Chicago Sun-Times: A Thanksgiving prayer in the age of the coronavirus by Mary Mitchell
Today, many of us will say a prayer of gratitude around the dinner table.
This is my prayer.
Lord, help us do the right thing.
On Wednesday morning, I was still trying to decide whether I should risk going to my daughter and son-in-law’s house for their first Thanksgiving dinner in their first home.
Frankly, even though I nixed the family gathering at my house, I still wasn’t ready to pass the apron.
But the plea from health officials was clear: Avoid the traditional Thanksgiving gathering.
On Tuesday, there were 1,203 people receiving intensive care and 668 others were on ventilators due to COVID-19.
This virus tries us even when we aren’t infected.
For instance, recently Gov. J.B. Pritzker choked up when he talked about his daughter being subjected to Internet trolls after she was falsely accused of flouting COVID-19 restrictions at an outdoor restaurant.
“That was a lie,” Pritzker told reporters, noting that his daughter is now out of the state.
If Pritzker can sit tight with his son under these circumstances, while his wife and daughter spend Thanksgiving in Florida, well, I guess I can get through the day without being surrounded by my grandchildren.
Washington Post: As Americans prepare to gather for Thanksgiving, the world watches with dread and disbelief by Siobhan O’Grady and Adam Taylor
Foreign observers are watching with trepidation — and at times disbelief — as coronavirus cases surge across the United States, and scores of Americans are choosing to follow through with plans to visit family and friends for this week’s Thanksgiving holiday anyway.
It’s been a grueling year. Many have gone months without seeing their loved ones. Thanksgiving travel is down and many families are opting against their usual festivities. But as the pandemic drags on, with shorter days and chillier weather forcing more people indoors, the social isolation is becoming more difficult to bear.
Decisions over whether to gather have turned divisive, as experts warn that Thanksgiving includes the key ingredients — a shared, indoor meal and inter-household mixing — that could spark an even worse surge in cases in the coming weeks.
Buzzfeed: Artificial Antibodies Are The Latest COVID-19 Treatment. But Hospitals May Struggle To Use Them. by Dan Vergano
As the third wave of the pandemic surges, a much-hyped COVID-19 treatment that just received a green light from the FDA — monoclonal antibodies — is beset by shortages and doubts over its effectiveness.
On Saturday, the FDA gave emergency authorization for monoclonal antibodies made by the pharmaceutical firm Regeneron, a drug cocktail dubbed a “miracle” cure by President Donald Trump after it was used in conjunction with other drugs to treat his coronavirus infection in October. Earlier this month, the agency authorized another monoclonal antibody treatment called bamlanivimab, made by the drug company Eli Lilly. Both therapies were authorized for use in patients who were recently diagnosed with COVID-19.
The concept of the treatment is simple: Doctors infuse lab-made antibodies into a patient’s blood, boosting their own natural immune defense against the coronavirus during the early stages of infection. So far, preliminary data suggest that the treatment could lessen symptoms and shorten hospital stays. But that benefit isn’t certain, medical experts say, and the drugs may even cause harm if they’re administered later in an infection.
Reuters: State Department tells staff: transition to Biden administration has begun by HUmeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has informed staff that the transition process has begun and a team had been assigned inside the agency to support a handover to the incoming Biden administration, according to an internal email seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
The guidelines, sent on Wednesday, came after the General Services Administration (GSA), the federal agency that must sign off on presidential transitions, notified President-elect Joe Biden on Monday that he could formally begin the handover.
“Following the November 3 election, representatives of President-elect Biden’s Transition Team have arrived at the Department of State to support preparations for the transition,” the email said.
A “dedicated” team would support Biden’s transition team to ensure they receive the necessary information and logistical support, the email said.
BBC News: Diego Maradona dies: Three days of mourning begin in Argentina as tributes pour in
Today's football superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo "could not even dream" of being admired as much as Diego Maradona was, says his former Argentina team-mate Ossie Ardiles.
Three days of national mourning have begun in Argentina after Maradona died on Wednesday at the age of 60.
His body will lie in state at the Casa Rosada, the seat of the Argentina government, during that time.
"To be Diego Maradona was incredibly beautiful," Ardiles told the BBC.
"But on the other hand, it was not easy at all. Right from a really early age, he was subject to the press all the time. He didn't have a normal childhood, he never had normal teenage years.
"Everybody wanted to be with him, everybody wanted a piece of him, so it was incredibly difficult."
DW: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam vows to restore order amid political 'chaos'
Hong Kong's leader vowed on Wednesday to restore order to the former British colony's political system after a year of massive pro-democracy protests.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the hand-picked leader, praised a new security law in a speech to a gathering of almost exclusively pro-Beijing lawmakers.
"After a year of social unrest with fear for personal safety, Hong Kong people can once again enjoy their basic rights and freedoms, according to the law," she said.
"One of our urgent priorities is to restore Hong Kong's constitutional order and political system from chaos."
Beijing imposed a tough security law on Hong Kong in June, aiming to crack down on dissent following months of anti-government protests in the city that at times descended into violence.
France 24: Global Covid-19 lockdowns inflame violence against women
No country has been spared the coronavirus, nor the scourge of domestic violence which has surged during lockdowns, as the world marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Wednesday.
From a spike in rapes in Nigeria and South Africa, increased numbers of women missing in Peru, higher rates of women being killed in Brazil and Mexico and overwhelmed associations in Europe: the pandemic has aggravated the plague of sexual violence.
According to UN data released in late September, lockdowns have led to increases in complaints or calls to report domestic abuse of 25 percent in Argentina, 30 percent in Cyprus and France and 33 percent in Singapore.
In essentially all countries, measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus have resulted in women and children being confined at home.
"The house is the most dangerous place for women," Moroccan associations noted in April as they pressed authorities for "an emergency response".
Don’t forget that Meteor Blades is hosting a Wednesday night owls thread tonight.
Everyone have a god evening and a happy...and especially safe Thanksgiving!