Overnight News Digest, aka OND, is a community feature here at Daily Kos. Each editor selects news stories on a wide range of topics.
The OND community was founded by Magnifico.
Agencies warn of possible anarchist activity at conventions
By Carol Cratty
Law enforcement officials are concerned about possible violence by anarchist extremists at the upcoming Republican and Democratic national conventions, according to an intelligence bulletin prepared by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.
The bulletin, which was obtained by CNN, says that anarchists could try to use improvised explosive devices.
It also says that, as of March, the FBI had intelligence indicating individuals from New York "planned to travel to Tampa and attempt to close" all of the Tampa Bay-area bridges during the Republican National Convention next week.
Man indicted in shooting at conservative group's office in Washington
A Virginia man was indicted on federal and local charges for last week's shooting of an unarmed security guard at a Christian lobbying group in Washington, federal authorities said on Wednesday.
A grand jury in U.S. District Court returned an indictment against Floyd Lee Corkins II, 28, of Herndon, Virginia, U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen Jr. said in a statement with James McJunkin, assistant director of the FBI's Washington field office, and Washington police chief Cathy Lanier.
On August 15, Corkins walked into the Family Research Council, which lobbies against same-sex marriage, and told the guard, "I don't like your politics," according to court documents.
Pilots at American Airlines plan strike vote
Pilots for American Airlines and US Airways are talking about terms for a possible labor deal if the two airlines merge.
Both groups of pilots would get raises on the day of a merger, said James Ray, a spokesman for US Airways pilots. After three years, he said, they would earn pay similar to that of pilots for Delta Air Lines Inc., whose recent contract is considered tops in the industry.
The terms are based on the outline of a deal in April between US Airways and pilots at American. Pilots for both airlines are now discussing changes to that outline.
'Accidental' removed from Natalie Wood's death certificate
Information gathered by a renewed investigation into actress Natalie Wood's 1981 drowning death has persuaded the Los Angeles coroner to remove "accidental" from her death certificate, a detective said.
The death certificate was amended on August 7 to list her death as caused by "drowning and other undetermined factors" rather than "accidental drowning," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Kevin Lowe said Wednesday.
Lowe and a partner are still working the case, which is an open and active investigation, Lowe said.
Drought brings 'banner year' for West Nile, fears of widespread outbreak
The mosquito responsible for the West Nile virus flourished during the summer's record heat and drought. Now, officials are concerned about emerging signs that a widespread outbreak may be on the horizon in Illinois.
Updated figures from the state Department of Public Health show extremely high numbers of the Culex pipiens species have tested positive for the disease — 71 percent in DuPage County and nearly 60 percent in Cook, the health department reported.
Although the 27 cases of West Nile virus in Illinois don't represent a particularly high number, experts start to get anxious when just 10 percent of samples of virus-carrying mosquitoes test positive.
The troubles with Prince Harry
Turns out what happens in Vegas doesn't really stay in Vegas for Prince Harry. Royal officials confirmed Wednesday that photos of a nude man cavorting with women in a Las Vegas hotel room were indeed Prince Harry, who was on "private holiday." Harry, who turns 28 next month, just wrapped up a successful stint as an Olympic ambassador, but it seems the royal wild child side of him has surfaced again.
HP Reports Nearly $9B Loss in Q3
Hewlett-Packard reported an $8.9 billion loss for its fiscal third quarter—easily the worst in the tech giant's 73-year history—and management warned that the company's struggles could persist into 2013.
"HP is still in the early stages of a multi-year turnaround, and we're making decent progress despite the headwinds. During the quarter we took important steps to focus on strategic priorities, manage costs, drive needed organizational change, and improve the balance sheet. We continue to deliver on what we say we will do," HP CEO Meg Whitman said in a statement on Wednesday.
HP reported revenue of $29.7 billion for its third quarter, down 5 percent from the $31.2 billion it pulled in during the same period in 2011, and a whopping EPS hit of $4.49 to investors. The company suffered sales declines in all of its core business units except Software, which saw revenue grow 18 percent, albeit unorganically—HP's $10 billion deal for Autonomy, completed last October, contributed significantly to that growth.
Early use of antibiotics linked to obesity, research finds
The use of antibiotics in young children might lead to a higher risk of obesity, and two new studies, one on mice and one on humans, conclude that changes of the intestinal bacteria caused by antibiotics could be responsible.
Taken together, the New York University researchers conclude that it might be necessary to broaden our concept of the causes of obesity and urge more caution in using antibiotics. Both studies focus on the early age, because that is when obesity begins, the scientists say.
The first study, published Wednesday in Nature, used mice to investigate the effects of low doses of antibiotic treatment. The researchers, led by Martin Blaser, thereby mimicked the treatment farm animals have been receiving in the United States in recent decades. Since the 1950s, low doses of antibiotics have been widely used as growth promoters in animals, reportedly increasing their size of by up to 10 percent.
Food Waste Is Overwhelming. Here Are Five Things People Are Doing About It
The food world is buzzing today about the latest news on just how often we waste perfectly good food. And we admit, the statistics are pretty depressing.
About 40 percent of food in the United States today goes uneaten. The average American consumer wastes 10 times as much food as someone in Southeast Asia — up 50 percent from Americans in the 1970s. Yet, 1 in 6 Americans doesn't have enough to eat, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And food waste costs us about $165 billion a year and sucks up 25 percent of our freshwater supply.
That's all according to the report with the not-so-subtle title, "Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill," just released by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
In California, An Effort To Fight Human Trafficking
This November, California voters will decide on a ballot initiative that would strengthen penalties for those involved in the sex trafficking of women and children. The CASE Act — or Californians Against Sexual Exploitation — would make those cases easier to prosecute. And if it passes, those convicted of the crime would have to register as sex offenders, which they're not currently required to do.
Los Angeles is a major hub for child sex trafficking in the state, though the LAPD does not give out numbers on how widespread the problem is because it is such an underreported crime. The average age of victims, according to Lt. Andre Dawson, head of the LAPD's Human Trafficking Unit, is 13 years old.
Pulling up the website, Backpage.com, Dawson reads from a posted ad.