Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame, jck, and JeremyBloom. 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.
Chicago Sun-Times: Civil rights group says Chicago mayor, top cop should take tougher action against officers linked to extremist Oath Keepers by Tom Schuba and Dan Mihalopoulos
A leading civil rights organization sent a letter Tuesday urging Mayor Brandon Johnson and his handpicked police superintendent to conduct a more thorough investigation into cops linked to the Oath Keepers, a far-right group at the center of the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
The letter from the Southern Poverty Law Center pushes Johnson and Police Supt. Larry Snelling to reconsider the decision not to take disciplinary action against eight officers connected to the Oath Keepers, six of whom admitted during an internal probe to joining the group.
The letter was also signed by a group of Johnson allies: progressive alderpersons Desmon Yancy (5th); Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th); Jessie Fuentes (26th); Rossana Rodriguez (33rd); and Carlos Ramirez Rosa (35th). David Cherry, president of The Leaders Network, signed it as well.
The recent probe was launched in October after WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Organized Crime and Corruption Project published a joint investigation that revealed the misconduct records of cops with ties to the Oath Keepers and detailed the department’s tolerance of extremism.
The New York Times: Angela Alsobrooks Defeats David Trone in Maryland Democratic Senate Primary by Luke Broadwater
Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive, won the Democratic primary for Maryland’s Senate seat on Tuesday, setting up a showdown with a popular Republican former governor that could determine control of the chamber.
The Associated Press called the race on Tuesday night for Ms. Alsobrooks, 53, who defeated Representative David Trone, a wealthy congressman who spent more than $61 million of his own money on the race. Mr. Trone outspent Ms. Alsobrooks by a nearly 10-to-1 ratio.
She is trying to become the first Black woman to represent Maryland in the Senate. The chamber now has just four Black members, three men and one woman, Senator Laphonza Butler, who has made it clear she will leave at the end of her term in January.
While Ms. Alsobrooks, a former prosecutor, trailed Mr. Trone early in the race, she was buoyed by widespread support among Maryland’s Democratic elected officials, who rallied around her campaign.
NBC News: Ship that caused Baltimore bridge collapse lost power twice before slamming into pillar, NTSB finds by Marlene Lenthang, Jay Blackman, Ryan Nobles, and Jon Schuppe
Two blackouts triggered by the unexpected tripping of electrical breakers caused a container ship to slam into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, sending it tumbling into Baltimore Harbor and killing six people, federal investigators said in a preliminary report released Tuesday.
The National Transportation Safety Board report said the 947-foot Singapore-flagged Dali suffered a pair of power losses in the minutes before it struck the bridge, leaving the ship without propulsion to help steer away from one of the bridge's piers. After radioing for help, the crew dropped its anchor in a last-ditch attempt to avoid a collision.
But it was too late: A crew member told investigators that as he was releasing a brake on the anchor, he had to escape the collapsing bridge.
USA Today: Department of Justice says Boeing may be criminally liable in 737 Max crashes by Zach Winter and Bart Jansen
Boeing has violated a 2021 agreement that shielded it from criminal prosecution after two 737 Max disasters left 346 people dead overseas, the Department of Justice told a federal judge in a court filing Tuesday.
According to the DOJ, Boeing failed to "design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the U.S. fraud laws throughout its operations."
The government has not yet decided if it will pursue prosecution of Boeing, but lawyers representing families of the victims who died in the crash said they hope to see further action in the case.
“This is a positive first step, and for the families, a long time coming. But we need to see further action from DOJ to hold Boeing accountable, and plan to use our meeting on May 31 to explain in more detail what we believe would be a satisfactory remedy to Boeing’s ongoing criminal conduct,” Paul Cassell, attorney for the victims’ families and a professor of law at the University of Utah College of Law, said in a statement.
BBC News: Blinken visits during moment of peril for Ukraine by James Waterhouse
The dimension of Russia’s invasion is dramatically changing in its favour.
For almost 18 months, the front lines have been in a state of relative stalemate, with occasional, modest Russian gains.
But in the space of a week, overstretched Ukrainian troops are struggling to contain the most significant ground offensive since 2022 in the north-eastern Kharkiv region.
"Help is on the way," is the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s message on a surprise visit to Kyiv. He comes during a perilous period for Ukraine.
Diplomatic visits by the country’s biggest military backer are not to be dismissed. The handshakes, working lunches and walkabouts typically bear fruit.
The approval of a $61bn military aid package in Washington is the biggest, juiciest one yet. But a month on, a fraction of it has arrived.
DW: Italy: Police arrest over 100 mafia members in mass raid by Sami Behbehani
Italian police detained 109 suspected members of the 'Ndrangheta mafia in the Calabrian city of Cosenza on Tuesday.
A coalition of Italian law enforcement agencies targeted local members of Lanzino-Patitucci and Zingari clan as well as a customs and financial police officer.
The raid was headed by anti-mafia prosecutors, with Carabinieri special police, as well as federal and local officers and the economic crimes unit involved.
According to authorities, those arrested are suspected of drug trafficking, mafia association and extortion of shopkeepers and business people in the Cosenza area.
Special operations against 'Ndrangheta members in the past have ended in the conviction of around 200 mobsters — including lengthy jail sentences for high ranking bosses. Charges ranged from drug trafficking to extortion and theft.
AlJazeera: ‘Unbearable’: Will 45C heatwaves affect who India chooses in election? by Bibhudatta Pradhan
Midway through his address to voters in the searing heat of central India late in April, Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari fainted and collapsed on stage. When he was revived a few minutes later, Gadkari returned to the podium, blaming the oppressive weather for the bout of unconsciousness.
Gadkari is only one among a series of politicians, election officials and campaign managers who have fainted or fallen sick in recent days, as the temperature in parts of India has reached 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). One TV anchor collapsed on air due to heat stroke, while she was reading out updates on a heatwave.
As India’s mammoth seven-phase national election winds its way towards the finish line, the country’s 970 million voters, 15 million election officials and thousands of candidates are grappling with a scorching summer that is forcing campaigns to adapt.
With voters reluctant to attend outdoor political events during the day, leaders are rescheduling campaign outreach efforts to early mornings and late evenings. In the eastern state of West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee advised campaigners from her Trinamool Congress (TMC) party to carry umbrellas, hats and drinking water while making door-to-door visits. Others are trying to stay cool with coconut water.