Welcome to Overnight News Digest where the usual crew, consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors maggiejean, Chitown Kev, Man Oh Man, side pocket, rfall, and JML9999, alumni editors palantir, Bentliberal, Oke, Interceptor7, jlms qkw, and ScottyUrb, guest editors annetteboardman and Doctor RJ, and current editor-in-chief Neon Vincent, along with anyone else who reads and comments, informs and entertains you with tonight's news. 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 12:00AM Eastern Time.
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From CNN: Sit-in spurs late-night clash on House floor
Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives are in a dramatic standoff over how to resolve a sit-in entering its second day.
Democrats, led by civil rights icon John Lewis, took control of the chamber Wednesday morning demanding a vote on gun control legislation. But Republicans are resisting, saying they don't want to give in to such protests tactics.
The tension exploded onto the floor just after 10 p.m. ET when Republican Speaker Paul Ryan gaveled the chamber into order to hold a procedural vote on an unrelated matter. An extraordinary scene unfolded as throngs of Democrats -- some holding signs with the names of victims of gun violence -- remained in the House well chanting "no bill, no break" and "shame shame shame." They also sang the protest anthem "We Shall Overcome."
From the Washington Post: The real reason C-SPAN cameras aren’t showing Democrats’ gun control sit-in
When the new Congress got together in January of last year, like every new Congress before it, it voted on the rules that would govern it.
One of those rules — ostensibly not that controversial at the time — was that when the House of Representatives wasn’t in session, the C-SPAN cameras would be off. C-SPAN is useful for capturing a lot of moments the American public might not otherwise see, but no need to broadcast an empty room, right? (Side note: As even approving rules for C-SPAN’s filming indicates, Congress controls what the cameras show and when.)
Fast forward to Wednesday, when the House was just about to go out of session for the afternoon. House Democrats, led by civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), seized the floor and demanded a vote on gun-control measures. They literally sat down on the carpeted floor to demand a vote and said they’d stay there as long as it took to negotiate one.
D.C. perked up. We turned to C-SPAN. And C-SPAN had nothing to offer us.
That’s because House Republicans presiding over the floor at the time gaveled the Congress on a break as the sit-in started. There was clearly a disruption going on, and they weren’t sure what to do. (The House isn’t like the Senate, where one lawmaker can force it to stay in session for hours and hours.) So the House went on recess, and per the rules, the C-SPAN cameras shut off.
Even congressional reporters, the people who cover the mundane ins and outs of House proceedings, were confused.
From USA Today: Florida officials say they are sure they've euthanized alligator that killed toddler
Florida wildlife officials say they are sure that the alligator that fatally attacked a 2-year-old outside of a Disney resort has been killed.
The reptile has been euthanized, Tammy Sapp, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, confirmed to USA TODAY.
The state commission said in a statement Wednesday that it was positive that the alligator believed to have killed Lane Graves of Nebraska during a family vacation had been removed from the Seven Seas Lagoon by wildlife experts. The agency said this determination was based on conditions observed by experts.
Lane was wading the evening of June 14 in the lagoon outside the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando when the alligator snatched him and pulled him into the water. The boy's father, Matt Graves, tussled with the alligator but was unable to save Lane. Searchers found the little boy's body after combing the lagoon overnight. The family held a funeral on Tuesday.
From CBS News: Coast Guard: 1 body found in search for missing Florida family
The U.S. Coast Guard says it has found a body while searching for a family last seen in a 29-foot sailboat off Florida's southwest coast.
The Coast Guard said in a press conference Wednesday evening they have recovered one body within the search area that had a life vest on, but they have not said which one of the four family members it is. There is still no sign of the sailboat, CBS affiliate WTSP reported.
The Coast Guard, along with other agencies, will help search through the night using sonar technology. Another press conference with an update on the search is expected at 10 a.m. Thursday.
The Coast Guard tweeted Wednesday that two kayaks being pulled by the sailboat were found, and they also found life jackets while searching for the family.
From ESPN: NHL approves expansion to Las Vegas with team to play in 2017-18
The NHL is now officially the first major professional sports league to gamble on Las Vegas.
On Wednesday, the NHL's board of governors unanimously approved expanding to this city, making the franchise the 31st team in the league.
The team will start play during the 2017-18 season and will be included in the Pacific Division. The league said its current playoff format will not change.
In the expansion draft, which will take place next year, the Las Vegas franchise must select one player from each team for a total of 30 players, with at least 20 being under contract for the 2017-18 season. The franchise also must select at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders.
From the New York Times: The New Panama Canal: A Risky Bet
On July 8, 2009, the champagne finally flowed.
After an intense two-year competition, a consortium led by a Spanish company in severe financial distress learned that its rock-bottom bid of $3.1 billion had won the worldwide competition to build a new set of locks for the historic Panama Canal.
The unlikely victors toasted their win at La Vitrola, a sleek restaurant in an upscale neighborhood east of downtown Panama City. Within days, executives of the four-nation consortium, Grupo Unidos por el Canal, flew to Europe to begin planning the project.
This time, there would be no champagne. Disputes quickly erupted over how to divide responsibilities. Some executives appeared not to fully grasp how little money they had to complete a complex project with a tight deadline and a multicultural team whose members did not always see things the same way.
Internal arguments soon gave way to bigger problems. There would be work stoppages, porous concrete, a risk of earthquakes and at least $3.4 billion in disputed costs: more than the budget for the entire project.
Seven years later, and nearly two years late, the locks have finally been declared ready to accept the new generation of giant ships that carry much of the world’s cargo but cannot fit in the original canal. To mark the occasion, Panama has invited 70 heads of state to watch on Sunday as a Chinese container ship becomes the first commercial vessel to attempt the passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific through the larger locks.
From Reuters: North Korea leader says missile gives ability to attack U.S. in Pacific
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un said after supervising the test launch of a "medium long-range strategic ballistic missile" that the country now has the capability to attack U.S. interests in the Pacific, official media reported on Thursday.
South Korean and U.S. military officials have said the North launched what appeared to be two intermediate-range missiles dubbed Musudan on Wednesday. The first of the two was considered a failure.
The second reached a high altitude in the direction of Japan before plunging into the sea about 400 km (250 miles) away, they said.
The test-fire was successful without putting the security of neighboring countries at risk, the North's KCNA news agency said, referring to the missile as a "Hwasong-10." Hwasong is Korean for Mars.
"We have the sure capability to attack in an overall and practical way the Americans in the Pacific operation theater," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
From BBC News: UK goes to polls in EU referendum
The UK is set to go to the polls in a historic referendum on whether the country should remain a member of the European Union or leave.
Polling stations are open between 07:00 BST and 22:00 BST.
An estimated 46,499,537 people are entitled to take part in the vote - a record number for a UK poll.
It is only the third nationwide referendum in UK history and comes after a four-month battle for votes between the Leave and Remain campaigns.
In common with other broadcasters, the BBC is limited in what it can report while polls are open but you can follow the results as they come in across the BBC after polls close on Thursday evening.
From Bloomberg: Oil Falls After U.S. Crude Stockpiles Shrink Less Than Expected
Oil declined for a second day in New York after U.S. government data showed crude stockpiles dropped less than expected last week amid a jump in imports.
Futures dropped 1.4 percent in New York after rising above $50 a barrel earlier. U.S. crude imports climbed to the highest level since December 2012, and nationwide crude inventories shrank by 917,000 barrels last week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. A vote to determine U.K.’s membership in the European Union will take place on Thursday with the latest two polls showing a narrow lead for “Leave.”
Crude stockpiles declined to 530.6 million barrels in the week ended June 17, according to the EIA report. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg ahead of the release had expected a drop of 1.5 million barrels, while the American Petroleum Institute had reported a draw of 5.2 million barrels. U.S. crude imports climbed by 817,000 barrels a day to 8.44 million last week. Shipments from Saudi Arabia increased by 59 percent from the previous week to 1.49 million barrels a day, preliminary data show.
From The Hollywood Reporter: Judge Says Viacom Board Can Remain as Is, Sets Hearing for July
The makeup of Viacom's board of directors won't change just yet, a judge ruled Wednesday, despite the move by Sumner Redstone and his daughter Shari to remove CEO Philippe Dauman and others.
After the Redstones — through their control of National Amusements and that entity's control over Viacom — moved to get rid of Dauman and his board allies, Judge Andrew Bouchard said he'll have a hearing in July to, in part, determine if the action was valid.
The judge on Wednesday asked attorneys representing both sides about 93-year-old Redstone's mental capacity, at one point even suggesting that if a child had issued written consents about the running of a major company it would be within the company's right to challenge them.
From Slate: Mark Zuckerberg Is Right to Tape His Webcam. But He Shouldn’t Have To.
A photo that Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg posted Tuesday has inadvertently sparked a welcome discussion about hardware security.
Meant to celebrate an Instagram milestone—the Facebook-owned photo-sharing app topped 500 million active users—the image’s background shows a desk with a laptop that sports a couple of non-standard features. As one Twitter user noticed and Gizmodo highlighted, the MacBook in question sports small pieces of tape over both its webcam and the audio input area. (“Wow, Mark Zuckerberg is Paranoid as Fuck,” read the Gizmodo headline.)
There’s some sweet irony in the apparent discovery that the founder and CEO of Facebook—a company famous for inhaling and capitalizing on its users’ personal data—guards his own computer so carefully. But Gizmodo’s conclusion requires a couple of jumps.
From People: Michael Jackson's Estate Blasts New Pornography Reports as Sheriff and Former Prosecutor Weigh In
Seven years after his death, Michael Jackson is in the news again, this time over reports that claim he kept a stockpile of pornography at his Neverland Ranch.
On Tuesday, Radar Online released documents, including photographs that were purportedly from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office's investigation of the pop star back in 2005. The items detailed in the article were described as evidence of Jackson's penchant for adult and child pornography.
"Everything in these reports, including what the County of Santa Barbara calls 'content that appears to be obtained off the Internet or through unknown sources' is false," Jackson's estate said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. The statement claims the new reports are "no doubt timed to the anniversary of Michael's passing."
Jackson's reported affiliation with pornography first came to light at his 2005molestation trial in Santa Monica, California, when Jackson's accuser claimed he searched internet porn sites with the pop star.
From Rolling Stone: Led Zeppelin 'Stairway' Trial Goes to Jury as Both Sides Plead Case
The copyright infringement lawsuit against Led Zeppelin over the songwriting credits and profits of its classic "Stairway to Heaven" has now gone to the jury, which began deliberations Wednesday morning.
In the sixth day of the case - "Michael Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin et al" (the "et al" referring to corporate defendants Atlantic Records, Rhino Records and Warner/Chappell Music) - both sides made final arguments in Court 850 of Los Angeles' Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and United States Courthouse. The presiding judge, Gary Klausner, allotted counsel representing the plaintiffs (the trust of Randy "California" Wolfe, whose composition "Taurus" for the band Spirit they allege has been plagiarized) and Zeppelin's defense team 45 minutes each to convince the eight-person jury of their arguments.
The plaintiff's controversial attorney, Francis Malofiy, began the proceedings, giving his best performance to date in the trial - concisely summing up the various themes he'd presented with clarity and force and largely never veering out of control. (Judge Klausner has repeatedly sustained objections over procedure against Malofiy throughout the trial.) "This case is about one thing: credit," Malofiy began, noting his plaintiff requested songwriting credit for Wolfe and one-third of royalties of "Stairway." "This case is about copying. Give. Credit. Where. Credit. Is. Due."
From the Chicago Tribune: Bulls trade Derrick Rose to Knicks, change direction of franchise
On the morning of April 28, 2012, the prospects of Derrick Rose and the Bulls looked limitless.
Rose reigned as the youngest most valuable player in NBA history, with a Rookie of the Year award and three All-Star selections in his rearview mirror since the Bulls used the No. 1 overall pick in 2008 to draft the homegrown product. The Bulls were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs for the second straight season.
Rose tore the ACL in his left knee that afternoon. Surgeries to repair torn right menisci followed in November 2013 and February 2015.
It may be simplistic to say Rose's left ACL tear serves as the delineation for the too-good-to-be-true ascension for Rose and his subsequent falling out of favor. But it's true.