Overnight News Digest: Why US economy is plowing ahead of Europe

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Monday February 12, 2024 · 8:58 PM PST

2024/02/12 · 20:58

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Why US economy is powering ahead of Europe's

BBC

While countries around the world have struggled to recover from the economic setbacks brought on by the pandemic, one has emerged particularly strong.

With a fast-growing economy, a strong labour market and falling inflation, the US has outpaced its counterparts in Europe and elsewhere.

In terms of GDP, it posted a 3.3% gain in the fourth quarter of 2023, far exceeding economists' expectations of 2%.

That put the US at 2.5% over the course of the year, outpacing all other advanced economies and on track to do so again in 2024.

"The US is holding up much better than other countries," said Ryan Sweet, Chief US Economist, Oxford Economics. "It seems like the engine of the US economy continues to hum along where it's sputtering in other nations."

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maggiejean for Overnight News Digest

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Monday January 29, 2024 · 8:58 PM PST

2024/01/29 · 20:58

Pennsylvania case challenging ban on Medicaid abortions back in court

The Guardian, US

Pennsylvania’s supreme court ruled on Monday that a lower court must hear a case challenging a ban on the use of government-funded healthcare to pay for abortions, raising hopes among reproductive rights advocates for an expansion of abortion access in the state and the establishment of a constitutional right to the procedure.

The case, brought by abortion providers in the state, challenged a decades-old state law barring Medicaid from covering abortions, arguing that it should be overturned because it violates the broader rights guaranteed by the state constitution’s Equal Rights Amendment.

Monday’s 3-2 ruling both overturns a lower court decision to dismiss the case and puts aside a 1985 state supreme court court decision that upheld the law banning the use of state Medicaid dollars for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.

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maggiejean for Overnight News Digest

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Monday January 22, 2024 · 8:58 PM PST

2024/01/22 · 20:58

Germany's AfD could lose funds for anti-democratic behavior

Deutsche Welle

Germany in January 2024: The Alternative for Germany (AfD), which the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has partially classified as right-wing extremist, is enjoying record highs in opinion polls. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of people have been taking to the streets to demonstrate against the anti-immigration party.

The German Bundestag is also debating how to deal with the AfD. A motion has been submitted by the three governing parliamentary factions, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP). The topic: "Resilient democracy in a diverse country — a clear stand against the enemies of democracy and their plans of forced displacement."

This was prompted by a media report about a meeting of right-wing extremists in which AfD officials as well as members of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) took part. The gathering is said to have been about plans for the so-called remigration (expulsion) of millions of people who have immigrated to Germany.

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maggiejean for Overnight News Digest

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Monday January 15, 2024 · 8:58 PM PST

2024/01/15 · 20:58

A new 'purpose': On 2024 MLK Day of Service, some say volunteering changed their life

USA Today

Volunteering can bring its own rewards: the satisfaction of helping others; the knowledge you're making the world a better place; the smile on another person's face and their expressions of gratitude.

For some people, though, volunteering has brought unexpected returns, benefits they had never imagined when they started giving back.

As millions honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday by volunteering or participating in Day of Service projects, here are a few stories of people who found new paths − and passions − by donating time, energy and love to their communities.

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maggiejean for Overnight News Digest

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Monday January 08, 2024 · 8:58 PM PST

2024/01/08 · 20:58

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US to invest $1bn in plan to move from diesel to electric school buses

The Guardian, US

The US has announced nearly $1bn in grants to replace diesel-powered school buses with electric and lower-emitting vehicles.

The Environmental Protection Agency will disburse funds to 280 school districts serving 7 million children across the country in an effort to curb harmful air pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“Today we’re once again accelerating the transition to electric and low-emission school buses in America, helping to secure a healthier future where all our children can breathe cleaner air,” the EPA administrator, Michael Regan, said in a statement.

Diesel emissions have been linked to higher rates of asthma, cancer and school absenteeism. Communities of color and people living in low-income neighborhoods are more likely to suffer from higher rates of air pollution.

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maggiejean for Overnight News Digest

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Monday January 01, 2024 · 8:59 PM PST

2024/01/01 · 20:59

Japan earthquake: Thousands in shelters overnight after tsunami warnings

BBC

Four people are confirmed to have been killed, the Kyodo news agency reports, and dozens of others have been injured.

An unknown number of people are trapped beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings in several towns.

The 7.6-magnitude quake struck at around 16:10 local time (07:10 GMT) on Monday. Tsunami warnings were issued and later downgraded.

About 60 tremors have been recorded following the initial quake.

A snowboarder on holiday in Japan's Hakuba Alps said his entire hotel room shook. Speaking to Reuters, Baldwin Chia said he was concerned about avalanches but hadn't received reports of any taking place.

He said it was common to hear about earthquakes in Japan, but "you wouldn't expect to actually experience one".

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maggiejean for Overnight News Digest

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Monday December 18, 2023 · 8:58 PM PST

2023/12/18 · 20:58

Gen Z is suddenly obsessed with Snoopy — and not just because he's cute

NPR

It's Snoopy's world, and Gen Z is just living in it – apparently.

The anthropomorphic, imaginative beagle made his Peanuts comic strip debut in October 1950. More than half a century later he's winning over yet another generation of fans, with the TikTok views and sold-out store shelves to prove it.

Take, for example, Puffer Jacket Snoopy: a plushie wearing a striped hat and blue coat, just like the one that hand-drawn Snoopy started rocking in 1984.

…

Menta said the official Snoopy TikTok account saw a 223.8% increase in engagements between the second and third quarter of this year. During that time it gained 198,000 new followers, which she called "the highest growth the account has ever seen."

Similarly, Gina Huntsinger, director of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, Calif., told NPR that its Instagram reach has been up over 200% in the last 30 days, with engagement highest among 18- to 24-year-olds.

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maggiejean for Overnight News Digest

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Sunday December 17, 2023 · 8:58 PM PST

2023/12/17 · 20:58

Israel claims to discover largest Hamas tunnel as death toll mounts in Gaza. Here's what to know

CNN

The Israel Defense Forces claims to have discovered “the biggest Hamas tunnel” in Gaza, spanning a length of four kilometers (about 2.5 miles).

The IDF said the tunnel, secured “a few weeks ago” but revealed to the public Sunday, is wide enough to drive a large vehicle through, reaches up to 50 meters (over 160 feet) underground and is equipped with electricity, ventilation and communication systems.

It does not cross into Israel but ends 400 meters before the now-closed Erez crossing on the northern Israel-Gaza border, according to the IDF.

Military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a news conference Sunday evening that the IDF had mapped three similar tunnel locations, but has only revealed one so far.

"In the future, we will expose the additional ones that we intend to dismantle," he added.

CNN could not independently verify the IDF’s claims.

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maggiejean for Overnight News Digest

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Monday December 11, 2023 · 8:58 PM PST

2023/12/11 · 20:58

A Royal crisis: The shocking moment King Edward VIII announced his abdication to the nation

BBC

On 11 December 1936, unable to reconcile his desire for US divorcée Wallis Simpson with his role as King, Edward VIII made the shocking decision to abdicate the throne, bringing an end to a crisis that tested the boundaries of duty, love and the monarchy itself.

"At long last I am able to say a few words of my own," was how the royal, who the day before was known as King Edward VIII, began a BBC radio broadcast that would not just stun the listening public but reshape the future of the monarchy. Over the next seven minutes he explained how he had decided voluntarily to abdicate the throne, the first English monarch to do so, in order to marry the woman he loved, US socialite Wallis Simpson.

Up until the week before the broadcast, most of the British public had known nothing about it. Edward was already a controversial figure, and while his relationship with Mrs Simpson had been openly reported in Europe and the US, an effective blackout on the story agreed between the government, the press and the BBC had meant that, in the UK, people were only just learning about it. The broadcast itself was the final act of what had become a constitutional crisis for the country.

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maggiejean for Overnight News Digest

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Monday December 04, 2023 · 8:58 PM PST

2023/12/04 · 20:58

Nearly 100,000 Gaza buildings may be damaged, satellite images show

BBC

Satellite images commissioned by the BBC reveal the extent of destruction across Gaza, showing that nearly 98,000 buildings may have suffered damage.

The satellite images were taken last Thursday - before the start of a seven-day suspension of hostilities, which has now ended.

Drone footage and verified video also show buildings and entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble after Israeli air strikes and on-the-ground fighting.

While northern Gaza has been the focus of the Israeli offensive and has borne the brunt of the destruction, widespread damage extends across the entire strip.

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maggiejean for Overnight News Digest

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Monday November 13, 2023 · 8:58 PM PST

2023/11/13 · 20:58

Iceland braces for volcanic eruption as prime minister reassures residents

The Guardian

Iceland’s prime minister has sought to reassure the nation as it braces for a volcanic eruption and the Reykjanes peninsula continues to be hit by hundreds of earthquakes.

Between midnight and early afternoon on Monday, the Icelandic meteorological office detected about 900 earthquakes as seismic activity between Sundhnúkur and Grindavík in south-west Iceland continued near the capital, Reykjavik. In recent days, a magma tunnel has formed under the peninsula, stretching out into the sea.

It comes after thousands of earthquakes have been recorded in recent days, amid warnings of the significant likelihood of the Fagradalsfjall volcano erupting within days.

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maggiejean for Overnight News Digest

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Monday November 06, 2023 · 8:58 PM PST

2023/11/06 · 20:58

Unopened 18th-century love letters to French sailors read for first time

The Guardian

A forgotten bundle of love letters sent to French sailors more than 260 years ago – but never before opened or read – has been discovered among British naval archives, revealing intimate details of 18th-century marital and family life.

The remarkable stash of more than 100 letters was discovered by chance at the National Archives in Kew by Renaud Morieux, professor of European history at the University of Cambridge, who asked archivists if they could be opened so he could read them for the first time.

Inside, he found deeply personal and often passionate messages intended for the sailors, who had been captured in 1758 onboard a French warship during the seven years’ war.

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Overnight News Digest: Why US economy is plowing ahead of Europe

Overnight News Digest: Abortion and Medicaid return to court in Pennsylvania

Overnight News Digest: Germany pushes back against Nazis in their government

Overnight News Digest: 2024 MLK Day of Service -- Volunteering

Overnight News Digest: $1Bn to move school buses from diesel to electric

Overnight News Digest: Japan earthquake

Overnight News Digest: It's Snoopy's world -- just ask Gen Z

Overnight News Digest: Gaza

Overnight News Digest: Dec. 11, 1936 King Edward VIII abdicated the throne

Overnight News Digest: The war on Gaza has resumed

Overnight News Digest: Iceland braces for volcanic eruption

Overnight News Digest: 18th century love letters to French sailors opened for first time