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: Quinn for mayor? Says he’ll decide by end of summer, sounds like he’s already in by Fran Spielman
Former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said Tuesday he will decide by the end of summer whether to join the crowded field of candidates seeking to deny Mayor Lori Lightfoot a second term. But it sure sounds like he’s in.
“I served as governor for six years at a very difficult time for our state. [Rod] Blagojevich was removed from office. The national economy was really going in the ditch. Our state budget was a mess,” Quinn told the Sun-Times.
“I navigated our state through that and I think I can navigate our city through its crisis right now. You’ve got to have people who know what they’re doing and believe in everyday voters of our city. ... Nobody left out when it comes to rescuing Chicago.”
Quinn supported Lightfoot over County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in the 2019 mayoral runoff.
Washington Post: Justice Dept. investigating Trump’s actions in Jan. 6 criminal probe by Carol D. Leoning, Devlin Barrett, Josh Dawsey, and Spencer S, Hsu
The Justice Department is investigating President Donald Trump’s actions as part of its criminal probe of efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to four people familiar with the matter.
Prosecutors who are questioning witnesses before a grand jury — including two top aides to Vice President Mike Pence — have asked in recent days about conversations with Trump, his lawyers, and others in his inner circle who sought to
substitute Trump allies for certified electors from some states Joe Biden won, according to two people familiar with the matter. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
The prosecutors have asked hours of detailed questions about meetings Trump led in December 2020 and January 2021; his pressure campaign on Pence to overturn the election; and what instructions Trump gave his lawyers and advisers about fake electors and sending electors back to the states, the people said. Some of the questions focused directly on the extent of Trump’s involvement in the fake-elector effort led by his outside lawyers, including John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani, these people said.
New York Times: Interstate Abortion Travel Is Already Straining Parts of the System by Margot Sanger-Katz, Claire Cain Miller, and Josh Katz (7.23.22)
The reversal of Roe v. Wade did not affect the legal status of abortion in New Mexico, where seven clinics are still operating. But that does not mean an abortion is easy to obtain there.
The wait times for abortions at five of the clinics have been at least three weeks because of an influx of women from nearby states that have banned or restricted abortion. Some clinics were so full they couldn’t book new appointments. Of the other two, one serves only patients seeking medication abortion before the 11th week of pregnancy, and the other is on the border with Texas, a drive of more than six hours from some parts of New Mexico.
Of all the states, New Mexico has been most affected by interstate abortion travel in making appointments, according to a nationwide survey of clinics by a research team led by Caitlin Myers, a professor of economics at Middlebury College who studies the effects of reproductive policy. But the data suggests that as more bans go into effect, women who need to travel to another state for an abortion may have more difficulty getting appointments. It may even become hard for those living in some states where it remains legal.
NBC News: At least 1 person is dead in historic St. Louis rainfall as cars are stranded on flooded streets and residents flee homes by Minyvonne Burke
At least one person was killed when historic rain of more than 8 inches fell on St. Louis.
Thunderstorms in Missouri developed overnight Monday through Tuesday morning, leading to widespread flash flooding that left St. Louis motorists stranded and residents fleeing their homes.
Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said one person had died after being pulled from a submerged vehicle. The person's identity was withheld until family members could be notified, he said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
About 70 people had to be rescued or assisted as rain drenched the city, Jenkerson said.
"We’ve had a tremendous amount of cars that have been door-deep and also roof-deep in some of these low-lying areas," he said.
Guardian: Longstanding adviser to Viktor Orbán resigns over ‘pure Nazi speech’ by Shaun Walker and Flora Garamvolgyi
A longstanding adviser to Viktor Orbán has resigned in protest at “a pure Nazi speech” the Hungarian prime minister gave that was “worthy of Goebbels”.
Zsuzsa Hegedüs, one of Orbán’s longest-serving advisers, has known the prime minister since 2002 and described her relations with him as friendly. However, in her resignation letter – published by the Hungarian news outlet hvg.hu on Tuesday – she said she had become increasingly uncomfortable with Orbán’s “illiberal turn” in recent years.
Orbán has made anti-migration rhetoric a key part of his political platform since 2015, and frequently uses far-right language, but his speech on Saturday – in which he spoke out against “race mixing” – was extreme even by his standards.
In the speech, Orbán said mixing between Europeans was acceptable, but Europeans mixing with non-Europeans created “mixed race” people.
DW: Saudi Crown Prince heads to Europe in first trip since Khashoggi killing
The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman set off for a trip to Greece and France on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's state news agency SPA reported.
The journey marks the first time the prince has visited the European Union since the killing of US-Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 in the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul.
Investigations have linked the journalist's murder to Prince Mohammed, frequently referred to as MBS.
He is set to meet with the Greek and French leaders "to discuss bilateral relations and ways to enhance them in various fields," SPA reported, citing a statement from the Saudi royal court.
Greek Prime Minister Kyrios Mitsotakis and French President Emmanuel Macron have both visited Riyadh since Khashoggi's murder in 2018.
Christian Science Monitor: Democracy falls quietly in Tunisia, yet it reverberates around region by Taylor Luck
Democracy in Tunisia, the Arab world’s last hopeful holdout since the revolutions of 2011, was dealt a crushing defeat today – not with the bang of a military coup, but with a whimper of apathy at the ballot box.
Anticipating the constitutional referendum Monday set to tear up their democratic system in favor of a presidency with near-unlimited powers, many Tunisians merely shrugged.
“We spent too much time and energy talking the last 11 years, and left no energy to work to change things for the better. Sometimes a dictatorship is just better,” says Hamzeh Salem, a Tunis cafe owner and political independent in his 30s who, like many, was abstaining from the vote.
“We have a lot of freedoms, but we didn’t get a better life. Freedom and liberties mean nothing if you can’t live comfortably.”
With no minimum-vote threshold required for the referendum’s approval, and many boycotting, it was widely believed the authoritarian constitution drawn up by populist President Kais Saied passed.
BBC News: Beijing vows 'consequences' if Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan by Sam Cabral
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's rumoured plan for a trip to Taiwan has infuriated China and left the White House with a serious geopolitical headache. How big a problem is this?
On Monday, China warned of "serious consequences" if Nancy Pelosi were to proceed with a visit to Taiwan in the coming weeks.
Second in line to the presidency, Mrs Pelosi would be the highest ranking US politician to travel to the self-governing island democracy since 1997.
However China sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be part of the country again.
The potential trip has not only rankled Beijing - the Biden administration has reportedly tried to dissuade the California Democrat, 82, from going.
Last week, President Joe Biden told reporters "the military thinks it's not a good idea", but his White House has called Chinese rhetoric against any such trip "clearly unhelpful and not necessary".
Variety: Tony Dow, Who Played Wally Cleaver on ‘Leave It to Beaver,’ Still Alive Despite Representatives Confirming Death by Pat Saperstein
Update: The New York Times has reported that the statement Dow’s representatives released to Facebook was inaccurate and he is still alive. In addition to the Facebook post, Variety ran the obituary after confirming the death with Dow’s team. Variety has reached out to his reps again for further comment.
The family’s most recent Facebook message, from his son Christopher Dow, reads, “This is a difficult time. Dad is at home, under hospice care, and in his last hours. My wife and I are by his side along with many friends that have visited. He has a fighting heart.”
Previously: Tony Dow, the actor and director best known for playing the stalwart older brother Wally Cleaver to Jerry Mathers’ Beaver in the iconic series “Leave It to Beaver,” has died. He was 77.
Have a good evening, everyone!