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 Tribune: Chicago looking at ‘Vax Pass’ for concerts and other events, public health commissioner says by Alice Yin
Chicago’s top public health official on Tuesday said she expects the city to debut a form of a vaccination passport requirement next month for access to events geared toward young adults. Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady gave few details about the initiative, but said it will be dubbed “Vax Pass” and roll out in May as a means to encourage vaccination particularly in younger people in exchange for attendance at concerts or other events as the second pandemic summer begins. “You get a vaccine, you’ll be able to get into a concert or get into an event,” Arwady said. “(We’re) really thinking, particularly for younger people, how can we make vaccine something that people are excited about getting?” Another campaign called “Vax and Relax” also will encourage people to get shots — this time with the reward of free haircuts, manicures and more through partnerships with salons, Arwady said. She said the idea was not considered a “bribe” but a public health measure. “We all want to put this behind us and getting people vaccinated is the way to do this, so I don’t think of it as a bribe,” Arwady said.
Chicago’s top public health official on Tuesday said she expects the city to debut a form of a vaccination passport requirement next month for access to events geared toward young adults.
Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady gave few details about the initiative, but said it will be dubbed “Vax Pass” and roll out in May as a means to encourage vaccination particularly in younger people in exchange for attendance at concerts or other events as the second pandemic summer begins.
“You get a vaccine, you’ll be able to get into a concert or get into an event,” Arwady said. “(We’re) really thinking, particularly for younger people, how can we make vaccine something that people are excited about getting?”
Another campaign called “Vax and Relax” also will encourage people to get shots — this time with the reward of free haircuts, manicures and more through partnerships with salons, Arwady said.
She said the idea was not considered a “bribe” but a public health measure.
“We all want to put this behind us and getting people vaccinated is the way to do this, so I don’t think of it as a bribe,” Arwady said.
Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday signed a contentious bill making it a crime to perform abortions based on genetic conditions, despite OB-GYNs and attorneys warning it was "medically unsound" and unconstitutional. Medical providers who terminate pregnancies based solely on conditions like Down syndrome or cystic fibrosis could face prison time under Senate Bill 1457, unless the abortion involves a condition that is considered "lethal." The measure also confers civil rights on fetuses at any stage of development, with an exception for embryos created via in vitro fertilization. "There’s immeasurable value in every single life — regardless of genetic makeup," Ducey said in a statement. "We will continue to prioritize protecting life in our preborn children, and this legislation goes a long way in protecting real human lives." In addition to imposing criminal sanctions, Senate Bill 1457 forbids the mailing or delivery of abortion-inducing drugs, which doctors sometimes use to manage miscarriages. It also requires fetal remains to be buried or cremated and imposes new reporting requirements on medical facilities.
Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday signed a contentious bill making it a crime to perform abortions based on genetic conditions, despite OB-GYNs and attorneys warning it was "medically unsound" and unconstitutional.
Medical providers who terminate pregnancies based solely on conditions like Down syndrome or cystic fibrosis could face prison time under Senate Bill 1457, unless the abortion involves a condition that is considered "lethal." The measure also confers civil rights on fetuses at any stage of development, with an exception for embryos created via in vitro fertilization.
"There’s immeasurable value in every single life — regardless of genetic makeup," Ducey said in a statement. "We will continue to prioritize protecting life in our preborn children, and this legislation goes a long way in protecting real human lives."
In addition to imposing criminal sanctions, Senate Bill 1457 forbids the mailing or delivery of abortion-inducing drugs, which doctors sometimes use to manage miscarriages. It also requires fetal remains to be buried or cremated and imposes new reporting requirements on medical facilities.
Charlotte Observer: Autopsy shows ‘kill shot’ to Brown, attorney says. Ministers declare ‘moral emergency.’ By Kate Murphy, Josh Shaffer, Andrew Carter and Martha Quillin
Attorneys for the family of Andrew Brown Jr., at an emotional Tuesday news conference in Elizabeth City, said a private autopsy showed that he died when Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies fired a “kill shot to the back of the head.” Brown, 42, was killed in his car outside his home in Elizabeth City last Wednesday as deputies were serving search and arrest warrants related to felony drug charges. After hearing the autopsy results, Brown’s son Khalil Ferebee discouraged violence Tuesday as he addressed the crowd of about 100 people that stood outside the public safety building downtown. “To my pops … yesterday, I said he was executed,” Ferebee said. “This autopsy report showed me that was correct.” The autopsy also showed an additional four gunshot wounds to Brown’s arm.
Attorneys for the family of Andrew Brown Jr., at an emotional Tuesday news conference in Elizabeth City, said a private autopsy showed that he died when Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies fired a “kill shot to the back of the head.”
Brown, 42, was killed in his car outside his home in Elizabeth City last Wednesday as deputies were serving search and arrest warrants related to felony drug charges.
After hearing the autopsy results, Brown’s son Khalil Ferebee discouraged violence Tuesday as he addressed the crowd of about 100 people that stood outside the public safety building downtown.
“To my pops … yesterday, I said he was executed,” Ferebee said. “This autopsy report showed me that was correct.”
The autopsy also showed an additional four gunshot wounds to Brown’s arm.
Albany Times-Union: JCOPE chair's agenda shift may bury controversial discussions by Chris Bragg
ALBANY – A procedural move by the chair of New York’s ethics commission may make it more difficult to monitor the public discussion of topics related to the governor at future meetings — and the shift comes as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is facing several controversies. Camille Joseph Varlack, the Cuomo-appointed chair of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, rearranged the panel’s normal agenda on Tuesday so that “new and other” business – the portion of the meeting in which controversial topics often come up – was not held until after a lengthy, closed-door executive session. Following the executive session, the meeting grew heated, emotional and strange. Varlack sought to quickly end it, first citing a technology issue that did not materialize, then a commissioner's medical appointment. If Varlack's policy continues, members of the public seeking to watch the “new and other business” portion of meetings will be forced to monitor a Zoom feed for hours until the moment the executive session ends.
ALBANY – A procedural move by the chair of New York’s ethics commission may make it more difficult to monitor the public discussion of topics related to the governor at future meetings — and the shift comes as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is facing several controversies.
Camille Joseph Varlack, the Cuomo-appointed chair of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, rearranged the panel’s normal agenda on Tuesday so that “new and other” business – the portion of the meeting in which controversial topics often come up – was not held until after a lengthy, closed-door executive session.
Following the executive session, the meeting grew heated, emotional and strange. Varlack sought to quickly end it, first citing a technology issue that did not materialize, then a commissioner's medical appointment.
If Varlack's policy continues, members of the public seeking to watch the “new and other business” portion of meetings will be forced to monitor a Zoom feed for hours until the moment the executive session ends.
Louisville Courier-Journal: At the Kentucky Derby, party like we're in a pandemic. Don't be stupid (Opinion) by Joseph Gerth
We've been hiding in our basements long enough. Socializing only with our immediate families for more than a year. Working remotely so we don't have to come in contact with others who might be carrying that deadly bug. Now, nearly 14 months after we originally went into hiding to protect ourselves and others from the coronavirus, we're finally showing signs of coming back to life, of putting this gawd-awful chapter of our history behind us. Of finally doing some of the things we used to do before a virus changed our lives. It's time. And what better time than the first Saturday in May when Louisville traditionally throws its biggest party of the year and welcomes people from all around the globe? Don't get me wrong. It's not time to throw all caution to the wind and just reopen like nothing happened. And we might be better off if a lot of people just stayed home and celebrated with small parties in their backyards instead of going to the track. We ought not act like we've beaten this disease — because we haven't. But we may just have it on the run.
We've been hiding in our basements long enough. Socializing only with our immediate families for more than a year. Working remotely so we don't have to come in contact with others who might be carrying that deadly bug.
Now, nearly 14 months after we originally went into hiding to protect ourselves and others from the coronavirus, we're finally showing signs of coming back to life, of putting this gawd-awful chapter of our history behind us. Of finally doing some of the things we used to do before a virus changed our lives.
It's time.
And what better time than the first Saturday in May when Louisville traditionally throws its biggest party of the year and welcomes people from all around the globe?
Don't get me wrong. It's not time to throw all caution to the wind and just reopen like nothing happened. And we might be better off if a lot of people just stayed home and celebrated with small parties in their backyards instead of going to the track.
We ought not act like we've beaten this disease — because we haven't.
But we may just have it on the run.
Washington Post: Real ID requirement for air travel delayed amid pandemic-related lag at motor vehicle branches by Luz Lazo
Americans will have two more years to obtain a Real ID driver’s license or identification card, the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday. U.S. air travelers will be required to present the Real ID credential to board a domestic flight beginning May 3, 2023. Implementation was scheduled to take effect in October. Postponing the enforcement of the last phase of the Real ID Act will give motor vehicle departments across the nation more time to process the new credentials after many were closed or reduced services because of the coronavirus pandemic. Less than half of Americans with a license and state identification card have a Real ID-compliant document, generally identifiable by a star in the upper-right corner.
Americans will have two more years to obtain a Real ID driver’s license or identification card, the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday.
U.S. air travelers will be required to present the Real ID credential to board a domestic flight beginning May 3, 2023. Implementation was scheduled to take effect in October.
Less than half of Americans with a license and state identification card have a Real ID-compliant document, generally identifiable by a star in the upper-right corner.
Roll Call: Census results start wave of litigation over new maps by Michael Macagnone
Within hours after the Census Bureau’s release of census apportionment results, the first wave of redistricting lawsuits hit federal courthouses in what is likely to be a flood of legal battles leading up to the 2022 congressional elections. A national Democratic redistricting group backed three voter lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Louisiana, the “first of many steps” the group said it may take on redistricting — the redrawing of congressional and legislative maps. “There’s simply too much at stake in this process to not use every tool at our disposal, and we know that the other party is committed to gerrymandering,” said former Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who heads the National Redistricting Action Fund, the group suing to mandate new maps across the three states. On Monday, the Census Bureau released results from its once-a-decade national headcount. They showed the United States population had reached 331 million in 2020, a 7.4 percent increase over the past decade and one of the slowest growth rates in the country’s history. The next sets of census results — coming at the end of this summer — will be used to draw new legislative and congressional maps as well as help guide more than $1.5 trillion in spending annually.
Within hours after the Census Bureau’s release of census apportionment results, the first wave of redistricting lawsuits hit federal courthouses in what is likely to be a flood of legal battles leading up to the 2022 congressional elections.
A national Democratic redistricting group backed three voter lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Louisiana, the “first of many steps” the group said it may take on redistricting — the redrawing of congressional and legislative maps.
“There’s simply too much at stake in this process to not use every tool at our disposal, and we know that the other party is committed to gerrymandering,” said former Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who heads the National Redistricting Action Fund, the group suing to mandate new maps across the three states.
On Monday, the Census Bureau released results from its once-a-decade national headcount. They showed the United States population had reached 331 million in 2020, a 7.4 percent increase over the past decade and one of the slowest growth rates in the country’s history. The next sets of census results — coming at the end of this summer — will be used to draw new legislative and congressional maps as well as help guide more than $1.5 trillion in spending annually.
Officer Michael Fanone tells @donlemon it’s been very difficult to see elected officials whitewash what happened on Jan. 6. He was stun-gunned several times and beaten with a flagpole during the Capitol attack. Watch part 1 of his first in-depth interview: pic.twitter.com/4LzuJcfztl— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) April 28, 2021
Officer Michael Fanone tells @donlemon it’s been very difficult to see elected officials whitewash what happened on Jan. 6. He was stun-gunned several times and beaten with a flagpole during the Capitol attack. Watch part 1 of his first in-depth interview: pic.twitter.com/4LzuJcfztl
CNN: Coming this summer: Gas stations running out of gas by Chris Isidore (warning: autoplay ahead)
New York (CNN Business) Millions of people stuck at home for more than a year are expected to hit the road for much-needed post-pandemic vacations this summer. Good luck finding gas. Not that there's a looming shortage of crude oil or gasoline. Rather, it's the tanker truck drivers needed to deliver the gas to stations who are in short supply. According to the National Tank Truck Carriers, the industry's trade group, somewhere between 20% to 25% of tank trucks in the fleet are parked heading into this summer due to a paucity of qualified drivers. At this point in 2019, only 10% of trucks were sitting idle for that reason. "We've been dealing with a driver shortage for a while, but the pandemic took that issue and metastasized it," said Ryan Streblow, the executive vice president of the NTTC. "It certainly has grown exponentially." Indeed, drivers left the business a year ago when gasoline demand ground to a near halt during the early pandemic-related shutdowns.
New York (CNN Business) Millions of people stuck at home for more than a year are expected to hit the road for much-needed post-pandemic vacations this summer. Good luck finding gas.
New York Times: In a Locked-Down Capitol, Biden Will Address a Sparse Audience by Luke Broadwater
WASHINGTON — Congressional officials have ramped up security and drastically limited the number of attendees for President Biden’s first joint address to Congress on Wednesday, preparing the Capitol for the long-awaited speech under the strictures of a pandemic and a heightened threat level after the deadly Jan. 6 riot. Inside the cavernous House chamber, Mr. Biden will address only 200 people instead of the usual 1,600 under the special security and public health protocols. Only a fraction of members of the House and the Senate — some chosen by lottery, others on a first-come, first-served basis — have received invitations, and just a small group of the usual dignitaries from the other branches of government will attend. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will be the lone member of the Supreme Court on hand, according to a court spokeswoman. Instead of the full complement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman, will attend, along with Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III. Denied their traditional privilege of inviting a guest to sit in the House gallery for the speech, some lawmakers have resorted to remote invitations. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s virtual guest is a doctor who runs a community health center for Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in her hometown, San Francisco; Representative Sara Jacobs, a California freshman, invited a child-care worker.
WASHINGTON — Congressional officials have ramped up security and drastically limited the number of attendees for President Biden’s first joint address to Congress on Wednesday, preparing the Capitol for the long-awaited speech under the strictures of a pandemic and a heightened threat level after the deadly Jan. 6 riot.
Inside the cavernous House chamber, Mr. Biden will address only 200 people instead of the usual 1,600 under the special security and public health protocols. Only a fraction of members of the House and the Senate — some chosen by lottery, others on a first-come, first-served basis — have received invitations, and just a small group of the usual dignitaries from the other branches of government will attend.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will be the lone member of the Supreme Court on hand, according to a court spokeswoman. Instead of the full complement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman, will attend, along with Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III.
Denied their traditional privilege of inviting a guest to sit in the House gallery for the speech, some lawmakers have resorted to remote invitations. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s virtual guest is a doctor who runs a community health center for Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in her hometown, San Francisco; Representative Sara Jacobs, a California freshman, invited a child-care worker.
Indian Express: ‘Bodies are everywhere’: Crematorium in Kanpur tries to keep pace with deaths by Avaneesh Mishra
Sitting in a small cabin, Kamruddin, the supervisor of the Bhairav Ghat crematorium in Kanpur, keeps a count of people coming to cremate family members or friends who have died of Covid-19. It is Monday evening and outside the cabin, on the other side of a small window, grieving family members wait to receive a token to cremate a loved one, or for a certificate of cremation. Everyone waiting has lost someone beloved in the second wave of the pandemic. While social distancing norms are not being followed in the chaos in hospitals and outside oxygen suppliers’ offices, the queue here is calm and following the rules. Around 5.45 pm, Kamruddin confirms he just handed over his 66th token on the day. “So far we have received 66 bodies today, and on average we have been getting around 70 bodies a day for the last 7-10 days. On some days, the maximum number goes to 80 or 90 bodies. Just around one-fourth of the bodies are cremated using the electric crematorium, and the rest are using pyre wood. As of now, out of these 66, we have cremated around 40,” he adds.
Sitting in a small cabin, Kamruddin, the supervisor of the Bhairav Ghat crematorium in Kanpur, keeps a count of people coming to cremate family members or friends who have died of Covid-19.
It is Monday evening and outside the cabin, on the other side of a small window, grieving family members wait to receive a token to cremate a loved one, or for a certificate of cremation. Everyone waiting has lost someone beloved in the second wave of the pandemic. While social distancing norms are not being followed in the chaos in hospitals and outside oxygen suppliers’ offices, the queue here is calm and following the rules. Around 5.45 pm, Kamruddin confirms he just handed over his 66th token on the day.
“So far we have received 66 bodies today, and on average we have been getting around 70 bodies a day for the last 7-10 days. On some days, the maximum number goes to 80 or 90 bodies. Just around one-fourth of the bodies are cremated using the electric crematorium, and the rest are using pyre wood. As of now, out of these 66, we have cremated around 40,” he adds.
AlJazeera: WHO says ‘perfect storm’ of conditions led to India COVID surge
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the wave of COVID-19 infections in India is the result of a “perfect storm” of mass gatherings, more contagious variants and low vaccination rates. India’s new coronavirus cases remained above 300,000 for a sixth consecutive day on Tuesday, while its armed forces have pledged urgent medical aid to help battle the staggering spike in infections overwhelming its hospitals and crematoriums. The WHO is providing critical equipment and supplies to India, including 4,000 oxygen concentrators, which only require an energy source, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said. India’s death toll is now pushing towards 200,000, and hospitals that do not have enough oxygen supplies and beds are turning away coronavirus patients. “Currently, part of the problem is that many people rush to the hospital (also because they do not have access to information/advice), even though home-based care monitoring at home can be managed very safely,” Jasarevic said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the wave of COVID-19 infections in India is the result of a “perfect storm” of mass gatherings, more contagious variants and low vaccination rates.
India’s new coronavirus cases remained above 300,000 for a sixth consecutive day on Tuesday, while its armed forces have pledged urgent medical aid to help battle the staggering spike in infections overwhelming its hospitals and crematoriums.
The WHO is providing critical equipment and supplies to India, including 4,000 oxygen concentrators, which only require an energy source, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.
India’s death toll is now pushing towards 200,000, and hospitals that do not have enough oxygen supplies and beds are turning away coronavirus patients.
“Currently, part of the problem is that many people rush to the hospital (also because they do not have access to information/advice), even though home-based care monitoring at home can be managed very safely,” Jasarevic said.
Spiegel Online International: Annalena Baerbock Holds the Keys to Germany's Next Election by (I am not typing out all of those names on that byline.)
With elections approaching in Germany this fall, one narrative that we will frequently see on the campaign trail has already taken shape. Two against one. Two men against one woman. Two 60(ish)-year-olds against a 40-year-old. Two lawyers against a political scientist with a focus on international law. Two governing professionals against a parliamentarian with no executive experience. Two representatives from Germany's traditional big-tent parties against the candidate of a party hoping to become the next big-tent party. It is astonishing how similar Armin Laschet, the chancellor candidate from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and Olaf Scholz, who is running for the Social Democrats (SPD), really are when you look closely. Particularly when compared with the chancellor candidate from the Green Party: Annalena Baerbock. Two against one. Or: Old against new. The question will be whether the old wins out once again. Or whether the time is ripe for something new.
With elections approaching in Germany this fall, one narrative that we will frequently see on the campaign trail has already taken shape. Two against one.
Two men against one woman.
Two 60(ish)-year-olds against a 40-year-old.
Two lawyers against a political scientist with a focus on international law. Two governing professionals against a parliamentarian with no executive experience. Two representatives from Germany's traditional big-tent parties against the candidate of a party hoping to become the next big-tent party.
It is astonishing how similar Armin Laschet, the chancellor candidate from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and Olaf Scholz, who is running for the Social Democrats (SPD), really are when you look closely. Particularly when compared with the chancellor candidate from the Green Party: Annalena Baerbock.
Two against one. Or: Old against new. The question will be whether the old wins out once again. Or whether the time is ripe for something new.
BBC News: Covid: Brazil's Bolsonaro defiant as Congress launches inquiry
Brazil's Congress has launched an inquiry into the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The country has recorded more than 14 million cases and 391,000 deaths since the pandemic began. The inquiry could potentially lead to the impeachment of President Jair Bolsonaro who has frequently spoken out against lockdowns, masks and vaccinations. Mr Bolsonaro says he is "not worried" by the inquiry. The president has faced widespread criticism over his handling of the outbreak and his support has plummeted. Hospitals are overcrowded, with people dying as they wait for treatment in some cities, and the health system is on the brink of collapse in many areas.
Brazil's Congress has launched an inquiry into the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The country has recorded more than 14 million cases and 391,000 deaths since the pandemic began.
The inquiry could potentially lead to the impeachment of President Jair Bolsonaro who has frequently spoken out against lockdowns, masks and vaccinations.
Mr Bolsonaro says he is "not worried" by the inquiry.
The president has faced widespread criticism over his handling of the outbreak and his support has plummeted.
Hospitals are overcrowded, with people dying as they wait for treatment in some cities, and the health system is on the brink of collapse in many areas.
Hollywood Reporter: 'Citizen Kane' Loses Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score Thanks to Resurfaced 80-Year-Old Review by James Hibberd
People will think "what I tell them to think," Charles Foster Kane famously declared in Citizen Kane. And for decades, many critics and film scholars thought Orson Welles' 1941 film was hands-down the Best Movie Ever Made. Accordingly, the black-and-white drama's 100 percent "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes has likewise long reflected that honor. But not anymore. Citizen Kane's score across 116 reviews has been reduced to a mere 99 percent "Fresh." The ranking slip is due to a single negative review that was recently unearthed by Rotten Tomatoes as part of the site's Archival Project, which focuses on resurrecting critics and publications of the past and adding archived reviews to classic films. The project discovered a Citizen Kane review that ran in the Chicago Tribune in 1941 and is only available online as a scanned newspaper clipping. Last month, the review was quietly added to Kane's page. The review's headline is incredibly on point, given the circumstances: "Citizen Kane Fails to Impress Critic as Greatest Ever Filmed."
People will think "what I tell them to think," Charles Foster Kane famously declared in Citizen Kane.
And for decades, many critics and film scholars thought Orson Welles' 1941 film was hands-down the Best Movie Ever Made.
Accordingly, the black-and-white drama's 100 percent "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes has likewise long reflected that honor.
But not anymore.
Citizen Kane's score across 116 reviews has been reduced to a mere 99 percent "Fresh."
The ranking slip is due to a single negative review that was recently unearthed by Rotten Tomatoes as part of the site's Archival Project, which focuses on resurrecting critics and publications of the past and adding archived reviews to classic films. The project discovered a Citizen Kane review that ran in the Chicago Tribune in 1941 and is only available online as a scanned newspaper clipping. Last month, the review was quietly added to Kane's page.
The review's headline is incredibly on point, given the circumstances: "Citizen Kane Fails to Impress Critic as Greatest Ever Filmed."
Don’t forget Hunter’s News Roundup tonight.
Everyone have a great evening!
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