Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, current leader Neon Vincent, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, Doctor RJ, Magnifico, annetteboardman and Man Oh Man. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) wader, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, ek hornbeck, ScottyUrb, Interceptor7, 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.
New York Times: Shimon Peres Dies at 93; Built Up Israel’s Defense and Sought Peace by Marilyn Berger
Shimon Peres, one of the last surviving pillars of Israel’s founding generation, who did more than anyone to build up his country’s formidable military might, then worked as hard to establish a lasting peace with Israel’s Arab neighbors, died on Wednesday in a Tel Aviv area hospital. He was 93.
His death was confirmed by two people with direct knowledge who did not want to speak publicly until the family made an announcement. The family planned to address the media around 7 a.m. Israel time.
Mr. Peres died just over two weeks after suffering a stroke. Doctors kept him largely unconscious and on a breathing tube since then in hopes that it would give his brain a chance to heal. But he deteriorated as the nation he once led watched his last battle play out publicly and leaders from around the world sent wishes for his recovery.
As prime minister (twice); as minister of defense, foreign affairs, finance and transportation; and, until 2014, as president, Mr. Peres never left the public stage during Israel’s seven decades.
He led the creation of Israel’s defense industry, negotiated key arms deals with France and Germany and was the prime mover behind the development of Israel’s nuclear weapons. But he was consistent in his search for an accommodation with the Arab world, a search that in recent years left him orphaned as Israeli society lost interest, especially after the upheavals of the 2011 Arab Spring led to tumult on its borders.
Chicago Tribune: Judge blocks Election Day registration at Illinois polling places by Leonor Vivanco and Rick Pearson
A federal judge Tuesday blocked Election Day voter registration at polling places in Illinois, declaring a state law allowing the practice unconstitutional because it created one set of rules for cities and another for rural areas.
Voters will still be able to register Nov. 8 and cast a ballot for president but only at a limited number of sites, including the county clerk's office, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
The ruling, handed down on National Voter Registration Day, is the latest front in a broader battle between Democrats led by House Speaker Michael Madigan and Republicans led by Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Democrats pushed through the same-day registration law in the lame-duck session that followed the November 2014 election, weeks before Rauner took over from then-Democratic-Gov. Pat Quinn. It was billed as a way to get more people involved in the democratic process after a trial program resulted in long lines, particularly in Chicago, where it was used at five sites by nearly 2,900 people, some who waited hours to vote.
Fusion: You have to re-read Trump’s insane debate answer about the dangers of ‘cyber’ by Kevin Roose
Despite his hyperactivity on Twitter, Donald Trump is not a technological early adopter. In fact, there’s little evidence that he’s a regular user of computers. So you could normally forgive him for lacking some knowledge around the edges of tech policy.
But when asked about cybersecurity and the threat of state-sponsored hackers at tonight’s debate with Hillary Clinton, Trump went off the rails with an answer that swerved from 400-pound hackers to his 10-year-old son Barron’s love of computers, but never actually came close to making sense.
Trump’s response was so incoherent—so utterly disconnected from anything resembling a normal, logical response to a straightforward question about a major national security issue—that it’s almost hard to convey in a paraphrase. You just have to see it and read it for yourself.
lol, it kinda sorta registered when The HellBeast said it last night but reading DJT’s answer on “the cyber” is the closest that I ever hope to get to a LSD trip!
New York Times: Christie Laughed When Told of 2013 Bridge Plot, Former Ally Testifies by Kate Zernike
NEWARK — Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey was told about the George Washington Bridge lane closings — and that they were done to punish a mayor who had declined to endorse him for re-election — during a Sept. 11 memorial service two days after they began, a former ally who orchestrated the scheme testified in federal court here on Tuesday.
Mr. Christie, the witness recalled, laughed at the news.
The closings of the access lanes in September 2013 continued for two more days, creating a catastrophic traffic jam that created gridlock for emergency vehicles, school buses and commuters in Fort Lee, N.J.
But Mr. Christie made no effort to reopen the lanes and end the gridlock.
Instead, his former ally said, the governor was clearly delighted and seemed to savor the scheme. And after learning that the Fort Lee mayor’s persistent and urgent calls for help were being ignored, Mr. Christie said in a sarcastic tone, “I imagine he wouldn’t get his calls returned.”
The former ally, David Wildstein, who has pleaded guilty to being the culprit behind the lane closings, testified as prosecutors showed a series of photographs of him, Mr. Christie and Bill Baroni, then the governor’s top staff appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the bridge, at a service in Lower Manhattan on the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The photos showed the three men in a loose huddle outside the governor’s official vehicle on a dirt roadway between the Sept. 11 memorial and the World Trade Center construction site.
Guardian: Father of Muslim teen arrested for clock sues conservative media for defamation by Tom Dart
The father of Ahmed Mohamed, the Muslim teenager arrested in Texas last year when he brought a homemade clock to school, has launched a defamation lawsuit against several conservative media figures and organisations.
Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed filed the suit last week in Dallas County on behalf of his son, whose detention and questioning last September made international headlines amid accusations of Islamophobia. He was suspended from school for three days, though police decided not to charge him with making a fake bomb.
Among the eight defendants listed in the lawsuit are the political commentator Glenn Beck; his media network, the Blaze; Fox Television Stations; and Beth Van Duyne, mayor of Irving, the Dallas suburb where Ahmed went to school.
The suit claims that the broadcasts in question wrongly floated the idea that the boy deliberately brought a “hoax bomb” to school as a PR stunt, when in reality he simply tried to build an alarm clock to impress a teacher.
Van Duyne is accused of stating that Ahmed was “not forthcoming with information” and that he brought a “hoax bomb” to school. According to the suit, Beck theorised that the episode might be some sort of plot that “could be as simple as the progressives trying to turn Texas blue”. A broadcast on Fox News last October is described as containing libelous statements.
Requests for comment from Beck, Fox Television Stations and the city of Irving were not immediately returned.
Washington Post: Wells Fargo CEO to forfeit $41 million in performance pay after sales scandal by Renae Merle
The longtime chief executive of Wells Fargo agreed on Tuesday to forfeit $41 million in performance pay three weeks after the bank acknowledged that for at least five years, thousands of low-level employees set up sham accounts to meet sales quotas.
The San Francisco-based bank has repeatedly apologized for the scheme and said it had fired 5,300 employees for misconduct and put in place more stringent internal controls. But that has not been enough for lawmakers, who have been pushing for the company’s top leaders to give back the millions of dollars in bonuses they earned while the irregularities were occurring.
The independent directors of the Wells Fargo board announced Tuesday that they were launching an investigation into the bank’s retail business.
“We are deeply concerned by these matters, and we are committed to ensuring that all aspects of the Company’s business are conducted with integrity, transparency, and oversight,” Stephen Sanger, the lead independent director, said in a statement. Sanger, who has been a member of Wells Fargo’s board since 2003, is the former chairman of General Mills, the packaged-food company.
Mother Jones: Guess Which State Is Facing a Felon Voting Rights Lawsuit by Samantha Michaels
Alabama is the latest battleground in the fight to restore voting rights to millions of Americans who will not be able to cast ballots in November because of prior felony convictions.
A new lawsuit filed in an Alabama district court challenges a provision in the state's constitution that permanently disenfranchises some felons—including those who have served their full sentences—and requires others to pay fees in order to restore their voting rights. The lawsuit, filed Monday on behalf of several Alabama residents with prior felony convictions, argues that these restrictions violate the Voting Rights Act and discriminate against African Americans, who are disproportionately disenfranchised by them.
"Citizens with past felony convictions work and pay taxes and should have a say in deciding their community's and the nation's laws that directly impact their lives,"said Gerry Hebert, executive director of the Campaign Legal Center, which is representing the plaintiffs in the case along with the Voting Rights Institute and the law firm Jenner & Block.
USA Today: You can punch Martin Shkreli in the face and help a kid, too by Eli Blumenthal
Ever wanted to punch Martin Shkreli in the face? You soon may get your chance, and help a young child, too.
The infamous "pharma bro" likely has a long list of those who would like to hit him. Shkreli, the former Turing Pharmaceutical CEO, gained the ire of many last year after raising the price of a life-saving drug used by cancer and AIDS patients by over 5,000% to $750 per pill. It had previously cost just $13.50. Last month he defended Mylan's raising of the price for the EpiPen.
After friend and PR manager Mike Kulich, 29, died on Saturday, according to Shkreli, he wants to give people a chance to hit him in hopes of raising money for Kulich's soon-to-be 6-year-old son, Tyler.
"I will auction one slap/punch in the face to benefit my friend Mike who passed away & leaves behind a young son who survived cancer," the pharmacy exec posted to Twitter on Monday.
According to the GiveForward donation page, Tyler had been waging his battle with cancer since being diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia when he was 2. Tyler finished his chemotherapy in August, only to lose his father a month later.
Select/All (Nymag.com): The Government Is Suing Peter Thiel’s Palantir Technologies for Discrimination by Madison Malone Kircher
On Monday evening, the United States Department of Labor filed a lawsuit against Palantir Technologies. The suit alleges that the data-analytics start-up co-founded by Peter Thiel (of PayPal-founding, Facebook-investing, Hulk Hogan–backing, Gawker-killing, and RNC-speaking acclaim) used questionable hiring practices to screen out Asian job applicants.
According to the suit, Palantir “routinely eliminated” Asian candidates. Since 2010, the company has reportedly used résumé and phone screening as a way to filter out these applicants, even if they were just as qualified as other, white applicants for the same positions. Investigation into potential discrimination at Palantir began after the company was randomly selected for review by the Labor Department, which looked at Palantir’s hiring data between 2010 and 2015.
From Reuters:
In one example cited by the Labor Department, Palantir reviewed a pool of more than 130 qualified applicants for the role of engineering intern. About 73 percent of applicants were Asian. The lawsuit, which covers Palantir’s conduct between January 2010 and the present, said the company hired 17 non-Asian applicants and four Asians.
A representative for Palantir told Select All the company plans “to vigorously defend against these allegations.”
Bloomberg: Obama Names DeLaurentis First Ambassador to Cuba in 55 Years by Michael D. McDonald
U.S. President Barack Obama nominated career diplomat Jeffrey DeLaurentis as the nation’s first ambassador to Cuba in 55 years as relations between the two nations thaw, the White House said in a statement.
DeLaurentis currently serves as the Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, which formally re-opened last year.
"Jeff’s leadership has been vital throughout the normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba," Obama said, according to the statement. "The appointment of an ambassador is a common sense step forward toward a more normal and productive relationship between our two countries."
The U.S. relaunched commercial flights to the communist island this month and aJetBlue flight was the first to touch down in Cuba in more than five decades.
The embargo against Cuba, which remains in place, has cost Cuba $4.7 billion this year, according Cuba Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla. World leaders speaking at the United Nations General Assembly last week called for the end of the blockade.
AlJazeera: Germany: Dresden mosque bombed in 'xenophobic' attack
Bomb attacks hit a mosque and a convention centre in the eastern German city of Dresden, police said on Tuesday, adding the motive appeared to be xenophobia and nationalism.
No one was injured in the explosions late on Monday in a city that has become a hotspot for far-right protests and hate crimes following a major influx of migrants and refugees into Germany.
The imam, his wife and two sons were in the Fatih Camii mosque at the time of the blast. Police said they found the remains of homemade explosives at both crime scenes.
"Although no one has so far claimed responsibility, we must assume that there was a xenophobic motive," Dresden police chief Horst Kretschmar said.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the mosque attack was "all the more scandalous" because it happened on the eve of the 10th annual meeting of the German Islam Conference.
Police linked the explosion at the congress centre to celebrations set to take place next week in Dresden marking the 26th anniversary of German unification, which is to be attended by German President Joachim Gauck.
Guardian: Panama Papers: European parliament opens inquiry by Juliette Garside
At the inquiry’s first evidence session in Brussels, the 65-member panel heard from journalists at some of the media organisations that broke the story in April.
MEPs from a range of parties called for the inquiry to focus on the role of British overseas territories. Nearly half the 214,000 companies, trusts and foundations contained in the data leaked from the internal files of the offshore law firm Mossack Fonseca were registered in the British Virgin Islands.
Described by the whistleblower Edward Snowden as the biggest leak in the history of data journalism, the investigation by 107 media outlets in 76 countries revealed how offshore companies were being used to evade tax, shelter funds for criminals, facilitate political bribes and embezzlement, and avoid sanctions.
“I see a great risk with Britain leaving the European Union and thus becoming the biggest tax haven in the world,” said Green MEP Molly Scott Cato. “More than half the companies listed were registered in the British Virgin Islands and the data showed that other overseas territories and countries with a rather murky relationship with the City of London and the UK dominate the data. Britain is right at the heart of this.”
In a statement released after the hearing, the German MEP Michael Theurer, a member of the centrist Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, said he would be calling on British government representatives to give evidence. He said: “I recommend that we have a look at the influence of Great Britain on the former colonies and crown dependencies and the role that for instance the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Gibraltar are playing.
Reuters: India-Pakistan tensions rise after Indian PM cancels trip by Tommy Wilkes and Drazen Jorgic
Tensions between India and Pakistan rose on Tuesday as India's leader canceled a visit to a regional summit and Islamabad warned it would treat it as "an act of war" if India revoked a water treaty.
India blames Pakistan for a deadly assault on an army base in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir this month that has heightened fears of a new conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
India says militants sneaked across the de facto border that separates the countries and killed 18 soldiers on Sept. 18, the biggest loss of life for Indian security forces in the region for 14 years.
Pakistan rejects the accusation and says India should conduct a proper investigation before it apportions blame.
India said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, a regional meeting of South Asian leaders, in Pakistan in November.
"Increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in the region and growing interference in the internal affairs of Member States by one country have created an environment that is not conducive to the successful holding of the 19th SAARC Summit," India's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"In the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed summit in Islamabad."
Pakistan's foreign ministry called India's move "unfortunate" and said it remained committed to peace and regional cooperation. In a statement, it accused India of meddling in Pakistan's internal matters.
In last night’s debate, I did note that all the talk was about Iran and North Korea and neither The Hellbeast nor Senator Clinton mentioned Pakistan or India.
AFP: Playboy features first Muslim woman in hijab
Playboy magazine, once famous for bunnies and soft porn, for the first time is featuring a Muslim woman wearing a hijab, in a spread that is drawing both praise and criticism.
American journalist Noor Tagouri appears in the magazine's October "Renegades" edition, a series that focuses on men and women "who risked it all -- even their lives -- to do what they love."
The 22-year-old journalist who works as a reporter for Newsy, a video news network, is featured wearing a black leather jacket, jeans, sneakers and a hijab, or headscarf, in the publication that describes her as "a badass activist."
Tagouri, who is of Libyan descent and whose goal is to become the first "hijabi" anchor on commercial US television, says that her struggles as a Muslim woman growing up in the United States have helped her move ahead in her career.
"I know what it's like to have the narrative of our community be skewed and exploited in the media," she told Playboy, which did away with nudity earlier this year as it sought to appeal to a wider audience.
"I was like, 'Hey, I know what it's like to be misrepresented in the media. I won't do that to you. I want to tell your story because it's important and deserves justice.'"
Tagouri, who has a social media following of more than 100,000, first gained attention after launching the viral #LetNoorShine campaign in 2012.
Her appearance in the revamped Playboy is being hailed by many as a breakthrough, but others have hit out at the young woman.
The Hollywood Reporter: 'South Park' Irks White House, Scientology With Trolling Mobile Billboards by Ryan Parker
South Park is still the master of ruffling feathers.
In an effort to promote the 20th season, which premiered Sept. 14, mobile billboards have been placed in seven locations around the country depicting scenes that coincide with the trucks' placements.
The marketing ploy did not go over so well with three locations: the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and the Church of Scientology.
"We knew it was risky," Walter Levitt, chief marketing officer for Comedy Central told The Hollywood Reporter. "We knew some locations might not be pleased to have us out there, but we thought this is a perfect way to celebrate everything the series has covered in its 19 seasons."
The billboard in front of the White House featured a cartoon President Barack and Michelle Obama. The Scientology truck featured a scene from the infamous 2005 episode "Trapped in the Closet" in which the church and its most famous follower, Tom Cruise, were skewered. All billboards stated: "We've Been There."
"In some cases, the locals were not pleased to have us outside their locations and asked us to leave, but that was all expected, and we completely understand why," Levitt said, confirming "personnel" from the three aforementioned locations asked the trucks to leave the area.
"We did this stunt because we thought it was a great way to remind South Park fans of all the amazing moments of the past 19 seasons and truly a perfect way to celebrate the 20th season," Levitt said.
AP: College Football Top 10 (first place votes in parentheses)
1) Alabama (50)
2) THOSE people (4)
3) Louisville (6)
4) Michigan (1)
5) Clemson
6) Houston
7) Stanford
8) Wisconsin
9) Texas A&M
10) Washington
YUUUUUUGE showdowns this Saturday featuring #3 Louisville at #5 Clemson, #8 Wisconsin at #4 Michigan and #7 Stanford at #10 Washington. After this week’s games, the Top 5 should be set!
Don’t forget that Hunter is hosting an open thread for night owls tonight.
Everyone have a great evening!
