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.
Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
The announcement by Markos that Meteor Blades was retiring was quite the shock to the daily kos community. Congratulations Meteor Blades, Hope you get to do your bucket list.
Reuters News
U.S. Capitol calm amid high security; Trump supporters hold faith he will return
A smattering of followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory gathered near the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, the day the movement had predicted former President Donald Trump’s return to office, but they were far outnumbered by security forces deployed to deter any possible attack.
National Guard troops patrolled inside the fence encircling the Capitol, the scene of a deadly insurrection by Trump supporters that killed five people. Police had warned of a potential attack by militants to mark Thursday’s date, and the House of Representatives canceled its session.
But around noon, all was quiet. John and Karyn Carson, who took time off work and came from California to see Trump be inaugurated for a second term, were undaunted.
Reuters News
Biden has asked team to travel to Mexico border and report on influx of children
President Joe Biden has asked senior officials to travel to the U.S.-Mexico border and brief him on the government response to the influx of unaccompanied minors and steps to ensure their safety and care, a White House spokesman said on Thursday.
Biden’s administration is facing criticism from Democrats and activists who say unaccompanied migrant children and families are being held too long in detention centers instead of being released while their asylum applications are considered.
For their part, Republicans and immigration hawks complain that the willingness to let in more migrants while their asylum applications are being heard has encouraged more migration from Central America.
Space.com
Large asteroid Apophis will safely fly by Earth on Friday
Our solar system's most infamous asteroid will pass by Earth on Friday (March 5), and with a high-end telescope you can watch it as it safely whizzes by our planet.
We're talking about none other than asteroid 99942 Apophis, which will come even closer to Earth on April 13, 2029, when it passes through the zone of high-altitude satellites. But even then, Apophis won't hit Earth as some had predicted — so instead, let's focus on what science is coming from these flybys.
The near-Earth asteroid is roughly 1,000 feet (300 meters) across and was discovered in 2004. Initial early estimates suggested there was a small chance of Apophis hitting Earth in 2029, but scientists ruled out that possibility after looking at archival images, NASA said.
Aljazeera New
Western powers drop censure plan as Iran agrees to IAEA talks
Western powers have backed off from an effort to censure Iran at the global nuclear watchdog as Iran agreed to cooperate with international experts regarding uranium particles found at several of its sites.
Iran’s foreign ministry credited “intense diplomatic efforts” by Tehran and all other participants to its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers for stopping a European and American-backed resolution at the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The United States, which unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018, had initially backed a plan by Germany, the United Kingdom and France – together known as the E3 – to introduce a resolution to condemn Iran’s reduction of commitments under the deal.
Aljazeera News
Medical technicians’ strike in Oregon could be the first of many
As a registered respiratory therapist, Rachel Maida spent the past year caring for COVID-19 patients at St Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oregon in the United States – challenging work that has taken both a physical and mental toll on the 48-year-old.
The powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) she wears for 12 hours a day causes headaches, she said, and her mask leaves bruises on her face. She loves her job, but “it’s exhausting, day in and day out,” Maida told Al Jazeera, explaining that earning between $25 and $35 per hour, she is not compensated enough.
That is why nearly a year into the coronavirus pandemic, Maida and more than 150 other medical technicians – a group of highly skilled healthcare professionals who typically don’t have the labour protections afforded to nurses and doctors – have been negotiating their first union contract as part of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP).
Aljazeera News
German warship to cross South China Sea for first time since 2002
A German frigate will set sail for Asia in August and, on its return journey, become the first German warship to cross the South China Sea since 2002, senior government officials said on Wednesday.
The ship will not pass within what officials called the “12-nautical-mile”, officials in the foreign and defence ministries added, in a reference to contested areas of the sea, which China claims almost in its entirety.
The United Kingdom is also sending its navy to the region, announcing on Saturday that HMS Queen Elizabeth will set sail on its maiden voyage in May this year and is expected to reach eastern Asia by the late northern hemisphere summer.
AP News
Police request 60-day extension of Guard at US Capitol
The Capitol Police have requested that members of the National Guard continue to provide security at the U.S. Capitol for another two months, The Associated Press has learned. Defense officials say the new proposal is being reviewed by the Pentagon.
The request underscores the continuing concerns about security and the potential for violence at the Capitol, two months after rioters breached the building in violence that left five people dead. And it comes as law enforcement was on high alert Thursday around the U.S. Capitol after intelligence uncovered a “possible plot” by a militia group to storm the building.
The potential plot is tied to the far-right conspiracy theory promoted by QAnon supporters that former President Donald Trump will rise again to power on March 4, the original presidential inauguration day.
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said she learned that the request for a 60-day extension was made in the last 36 hours, and that the Guard is now seeking volunteers from states around the country to fill the need.
AP News
Press Club seeks release of AP journalist jailed in Myanmar
The National Press Club called on Myanmar to immediately release an Associated Press journalist who was arrested last week while covering security forces charging at anti-coup protesters.
Authorities have charged Thein Zaw and five other members of the media with violating a public order law that could see them imprisoned for up to three years.
A video of the arrest shows Zaw being quickly surrounded and held in a chokehold as handcuffs are placed on him.
The Associated Press has also called for Zaw’s immediate release and condemned his arrest and “arbitrary detention.”
AP News
AP Interview: DOE reviving loan program, Granholm says
As part of its clean-energy agenda, the Biden administration is reviving an Energy Department program that disbursed billions of dollars in loan guarantees to companies such as electric car maker Tesla and the failed solar company Solyndra, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says.
The loan program helped launch the country’s first utility-scale wind and solar farms as part of the Obama administration’s efforts to create “green jobs″ but largely went dormant under President Donald Trump.
The program boosted Tesla’s efforts to become a behemoth in electric cars, but it stumbled with a major loan guarantee to Solyndra, the California solar company that failed soon after receiving federal money a decade ago, costing taxpayers more than $500 million.
Good News Network
Owner of Pilot Pete’s Coffee Has Collected 6,000 Warm Coats for the Homeless–And Delivered Them Personally With Coffee
Tucked into a suburban Chicago train station may appear to be an unassuming coffee shop. But what’s going on behind the scenes is much more than just your average cup of Joe.
For the seventh year in a row the shop’s owner Pilot Pete, a.k.a. Peter Thomas, has been the driving force behind ‘Coffee With a Purpose’, an annual community initiative that collects and distributes coats and other necessities to help the local homeless population brave the harsh Midwest winters.
Thomas says the idea came to him when he was trying to find a way to give back to the community as well as get others involved. He admits he was initially unprepared for the positive avalanche of responses. In the weeks prior to Christmas in the drive’s first year, he and other volunteers took in 3,000 coats.