Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame and jck. 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: Omicron is upon us: Illinois’ first case of latest COVID-19 variant confirmed in Chicago resident by Mitchell Armentrout
Omicron has officially arrived in Chicago.
Public health officials on Tuesday announced COVID-19’s latest “variant of concern” was detected in a fully vaccinated Chicago resident who had received a booster dose. That person had been in contact with a visitor to the city who contracted Omicron.
The infected Chicagoan “did not require hospitalization, is improving and has been self-isolating since their symptoms began,” officials from the Illinois and Chicago public health departments said in a joint statement. Further contact tracing is underway.
“While unsurprising, this news should remind Chicagoans of the ongoing threat from COVID-19, especially as families prepare to come together over the holidays,” Chicago Public Health Director Dr. Allison Arwady said in a statement.
“We know how to slow the spread of this virus: get vaccinated, get boosted, get tested if you have symptoms or have been in contact with someone with COVID-19, and stay away from others if you test positive.”
New York Times: House Passes $768 Billion Defense Policy Bill by Catie Edmondson
WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a $768 billion defense policy bill after lawmakers abruptly dropped proposals that would have required women to register for the draft, repealed the 2002 authorization of the Iraq war and imposed sanctions for a Russian gas pipeline, in a late-year drive to salvage a bipartisan priority.
The legislation, unveiled hours before the vote, put the Democratic-led Congress on track to increase the Pentagon’s budget by roughly $24 billion above what President Biden had requested, angering antiwar progressives who had hoped that their party’s control of the White House and both houses of Congress would lead to cuts to military programs after decades of growth.
Instead, the measure provides significant increases for initiatives intended to counter China and bolster Ukraine, as well as the procurement of new aircraft and ships, underscoring the bipartisan consensus on Capitol Hill for continuing to spend huge amounts of federal money on defense initiatives, even as Republicans lash Democrats for spending freely on social programs.
Washington Post: First lab results show omicron has ‘much more extensive escape’ from antibodies than previous variants by Carolyn Y. Johnson and Joel Achenbach
The first laboratory study testing the omicron variant of the coronavirus against the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shows the variant has significant, but not total, ability to evade the virus-fighting antibodies that are a key line of defense.
In a preprint paper not yet peer-reviewed, scientists in South Africa reported a large, 41-fold drop in antibodies’ virus-blocking ability — “much more extensive escape” than seen against previous variants using similar experiments. But the scientists stressed the positive element of their research: Omicron did not escape antibodies completely, and people who had been previously infected and fully vaccinated with two shots of the vaccine retained “relatively high” levels of antibodies protective against omicron.
“Previous infection, followed by vaccination or booster is likely to increase the neutralization level and likely confer protection from severe disease in Omicron infection,” the study said.
Guardian: Kellogg to replace 1,400 striking workers as workers reject deal
Kellogg has said it is permanently replacing 1,400 workers who have been on strike since October, a decision that comes as the majority of its cereal plant workforce rejected a deal that would have provided 3% raises.
The Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) International Union said an overwhelming majority of workers had voted down the five-year offer.
The decision follows months of bitter disagreement between the company and the union. The rejected offer would have provided cost of living adjustments in the later years of the deal and preserved the workers’ current healthcare benefits. But workers say they deserve significant raises because they routinely work more than 80 hours a week, and they kept the plants running throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
CNN: Hawaii health officials order Navy to clean up contaminated drinking water after families are forced out of their homes by Natasha Chen, Amy Simonson, and Tina Burnside
(CNN)— The Hawaii Department of Health has demanded the Navy immediately halt operations at a Navy fuel storage facility after a leak led to contaminated drinking water -- forcing 700 people from their homes and sickening families.
The fuel storage facility was built during World War II and can store up to 250 million gallons of fuel, according to the Navy.
Testing revealed petroleum hydrocarbons and vapors in the water, the
Navy said Friday.
On Sunday, US Pacific Fleet Deputy Commander Rear Adm. Blake Converse confirmed a petroleum leak was the cause.
But the military and some local residents are at odds about what should be done now.
NBC News: Biden warns Putin of 'strong' response if Russia invades Ukraine by Shannon Pettypiece
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the U.S. would pursue "strong economic measures" and increase military aid to the region should Russia invade Ukraine.
Biden told Putin that in addition to sanctions, the U.S. would provide additional defense materials to Ukraine and build up military capabilities in nearby countries that also border Russia.
In a two-hour video call, Biden called for a "de-escalation" and reiterated U.S. support for Ukraine's sovereignty, the White House said in a statement. The two leaders discussed several other issues, including nuclear security, ransomware and Iran.
"He told President Putin directly that if Russia further invades Ukraine, the United States and our European allies would respond with strong economic measures," national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. "We would provide additional defensive material to the Ukrainians above and beyond that which we are already providing, and we would fortify our NATO allies on the eastern flank with additional capabilities in response to such an escalation."
Reuters: Exclusive: Up to 1 million COVID vaccines expired in Nigeria last month by Edward Mcallister, Libby George, and Stephanie Nebehay
DAKAR, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Up to one million COVID-19 vaccines are estimated to have expired in Nigeria last month without being used, two sources told Reuters, one of the biggest single losses of doses that shows the difficulty African nations have getting shots in arms.
Governments on the continent of over one billion people have been pushing for more vaccine deliveries as inoculation rates lag richer regions, increasing the risk of new variants such as the Omicron coronavirus now spreading across South Africa.
In Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and home to more than 200 million people, fewer than 4% of adults have been fully vaccinated, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
A recent surge in supply has caused a new problem, however: many African countries are finding they do not have the capacity to manage the shots, some of which come with a short shelf life.
BBC News: Jamal Khashoggi: Suspect in murder of journalist arrested in Paris
A Saudi man suspected of involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been arrested in France, police say.
Khaled Aedh Alotaibi was arrested at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris on Tuesday, a police source told the BBC.
He is believed to be one of 26 Saudis wanted by Turkey over the killing.
A Saudi official later said the arrest was a case of mistaken identity, and that those involved in the murder had been convicted in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Alotaibi, a 33-year-old former Saudi royal guard, was travelling under his own name and was placed in judicial detention, RTL radio said.
Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the government in Riyadh, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
DW: Indonesia volcano eruption death toll rises
The death toll from the eruption of the Mount Semeru volcano on the island of Java has risen to 34, Indonesia's national disaster agency announced on Tuesday.
Mount Semeru is the highest mountain on the island of Java, which is the world's most populous island and contains the Indonesian capital Jakarta. It last erupted in January, leaving no casualties.
How much damage did the eruption cause?
Mount Semeru ejected a mushroom of hot ash into the sky on Saturday and rained hot mud as thousands of residents fled the area. The disaster left entire streets filled with mud and ash and destroyed countless homes and vehicles.
Lava and searing gas swept as far as 11 kilometers down Mount Semeru's slopes.
Everyone have a great evening!