Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, current leader Neon Vincent, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, Doctor RJ, Magnifico, annetteboardman and Man Oh Man. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) wader, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck, ScottyUrb, Interceptor7, 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.
Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
And as you can tell from the title of this thread, I ain’t gettin’ in the middle of an Iron Bowl argument...as a native Michigander, I have my own problems with THOSE people to the south of my home state.
Mother Jones: Doug Jones Rides a Perfect GOP Storm to the Senate by Pema Levy
Against all odds, a Democrat will take the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and represent Alabama in the US Senate.
Doug Jones, the underdog in the race, prevailed Tuesday in a close contest against a historically compromised opponent. Roy Moore, a former judge and religious extremist, was dogged by allegations of sexual assault against teenagers, but he still managed to come within a hair of being elected to the Senate by voters willing to overlook his transgressions to keep a Republican in the seat.
Jones’ victory, called by the Associated Press just before 10:30 p.m., with more than 90 percent of precincts reporting, may have been made possible by Moore’s weakness. But his victory suggests that a Democratic wave could be approaching in the 2018 midterm elections, one in which an energized Democratic base can overwhelm less enthusiastic Republicans, even in places like Alabama. Republicans across the country who consider themselves safe may be recalculating their reelection chances.
Moore’s loss is in part a story about his own failings as a candidate. A longtime fringe figure with extreme anti-gay, anti-Muslim views, Moore was twice removed from Alabama’s highest court for failing to follow the law. Last month, multiple women came forward to allege that Moore had assaulted them or tried to date them when they were minors. Despite partisan polarization, enough conservative voters ultimately could not bring themselves to support Moore to cost him the election.
AL.com: Turnout exceeds expectations in Alabama Senate race by Mike Cason
Turnout exceeded expectations in today's Alabama special election for the U.S. Senate between Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore, won narrowly by Jones.
Secretary of State John Merrill had estimated turnout would be about 25 percent.
But turnout exceeded 35 percent. More than 1.2 million of Alabama's 3.3 million registered voters went to the polls.
Both campaigns stressed the importance of turnout in the bitterly contested race and implored their supporters to go to the polls.
Chicago Sun-Times: Judge to Dennis Hastert: Stay away from porn, sex phone numbers by Jon Seidel
Five months after leaving a federal prison, former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert faces several new restrictions on his freedom.
No pornography. No “sex-related telephone numbers.” And no contact with anyone under 18 without a “responsible adult” present.
It’s not clear exactly what prompted U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin to hand down those conditions late Tuesday. But it followed the quiet filing Monday of a probation report asking for the order. Most of that report is sealed, and Hastert’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
Given that the conditions have been handed down well after Hastert served his prison time, former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Cramer said it’s likely “a reaction” to something — but the public may never know what.
“There’s a theme here,” said Cramer, managing director in Chicago of Berkeley Research Group.
What, no ban from the mall?
Louisville Courier-Journal: Kentucky Rep. Dan Johnson won't resign, says sexual abuse allegations are politically motivated by Philip M. Bailey and Thomas Novelly
A Kentucky lawmaker accused of sexually abusing a teenager said Tuesday that he would not resign from office and that the allegations are false and politically motivated.
"This allegation concerning this lady, this young girl, absolutely has no merit, these are unfounded accusations, totally," state Rep. Dan Johnson, R-Mount Washington, said at a press conference at his church attended by family, campaign volunteers and members of his congregation.
Johnson, a self-anointed "pope" of his congregation, is accused of sexually abusing a member of Heart of Fire Church in the Fern Creek area when she was 17.
The woman, who is now 21, alleges Johnson molested her after a New Year’s party in 2012, according to a wide-ranging report on Johnson published Monday by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting.
Courier Journal is not naming the woman because it has not independently verified her statements and because she says she was a victim of sexual abuse.
Denver Post: Colorado’s Mike Coffman is first Republican U.S. Rep. to ask FCC to delay vote on net neutrality by Tamara Chuang
U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman on Tuesday became the first Republican to urge regulators to delay a vote on net neutrality, which would repeal open internet rules adopted two years ago.
In a letter to Ajit V. Pai, the Federal Communications Commission chairman who proposed the rollback, Coffman said that altering the rules “may well have significant unanticipated negative consequences.” He asked Pai to let Congress hold hearings on the issue and pass open internet laws.
“As you stated in your dissent to the previous FCC’s open Internet proceeding, ‘A dispute this fundamental is not for us, five unelected individuals, to decide. Instead it should be resolved by the people’s elected representatives, those who choose the direction of government — and those whom the American people can hold accountable for that choice,’ ” the Aurora Republican wrote.
In his letter, Coffman did not come out for or against net neutrality. Fellow Colorado U.S. Reps Diana DeGette, Jared Polis and Ed Perlmutter — all Democrats — oppose rolling back the rules. Republican Ken Buck of Windsor supports Pai.
Buzzfeed: One Of Trump's Controversial Judicial Nominees Has Offered To Withdraw by Zoe Tillman
One of President Donald Trump's controversial judicial nominees, Brett Talley, has offered to withdraw his nomination, a source close to the situation told BuzzFeed News.
The White House had not announced any change in Talley's status as of Tuesday evening. Talley communicated his offer of withdrawal to the White House last week, according to the source.
If the White House does decide to withdraw Talley's name, it would be Trump's first unsuccessful judicial nomination.
Talley, nominated to the US District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, faced opposition from Democrats and civil rights groups before the judiciary committee voted in favor of his nomination in early November, but he faced new scrutiny after the vote amid revelations about information that wasn't included in his Senate questionnaire. BuzzFeed News first reported on thousands of posts that Talley appeared to have written for a University of Alabama sports fan website, including on gun control, immigration, and other political subjects.
BBC: Disney set to seal $60bn 21st Century Fox takeover by Chris Johnston
Walt Disney is close to confirming a deal to buy 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets for about $60bn, reports say.
The sale would include the 20th Century Fox film studio and the Sky and Star satellite broadcasters in the UK, Europe and Asia.
Disney was left as the front runner after Comcast, the NBC owner, dropped out of the race on Monday.
The Financial Times said talks about the price were continuing on Tuesday.
CNBC reported that Fox and Disney were on a "glide path" for an announcement on Thursday, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
The Murdoch family was said to favour a deal with Disney because it would rather be paid in the entertainment giant's shares than Comcast stock.
A deal with Disney could also face fewer US regulatory hurdles, although it is extremely unlikely to be waved through.
Guardian: Italy declares state of emergency after deadly gas explosion in Austria by Philip Oltermann and agencies
Snow-hit southern Europe could face energy shortages after authorities warned that Austrian pipelines were likely to be out of action for days following an explosion and fire that ripped through a main gas hub near Vienna.
Baumgarten, where the explosion occurred, is a key distribution and reception hub for gas exports and imports, including from Russia, Europe’s biggest gas supplier. In Italy, where rain, snow and extreme cold weather have disrupted traffic in the north-east over the last few days, the country’s industry minister declared a state of emergency due to a lack of gas supplies.
One person was killed and 18 injured in the blast on Tuesday. One of the casualties was airlifted to Vienna’s general hospital with serious injuries but was later confirmed to be in a non-critical condition.
A police spokesman said: “There was an explosion around 8.45am and a fire. A wide area has been sealed off and there are expected to be several injured.”
In Britain, Europe’s biggest gas market, gas for immediate delivery rose 35% to 92p per therm, its highest level for four years.
AlJazeera: The growing tide of fake news in India by Ruchi Kumar
New Delhi, India - It was early March, 2014, and India was buzzing with activities that often precede a parliamentary election of this magnitude, in the world's largest democracy.
Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, a whistle-blowing website, put out a statement refuting claims of an unlikely endorsement of Narendra Modi, then prime ministerial candidate and the eventual frontrunner.
The statement was issued after several infographics were shared across social media with fake quotes, attributed to Assange, praising Modi.
For the first time in the nation's history, digital media, a force that had grown powerful over the last decade, was employed aggressively by political parties to woo the voters. After all, nearly 37 percent of urban Indian voters were connected to some form of social media, according to a
survey by Google in 2013.
The internet not only helped bring in the young voters, but also sway their favourability towards the running candidates.
However, this relatively cheap and, in many ways, revolutionary platform also created a whirlpool of misinformation that continues to create unwelcome ripples across the nation.
The Hollywood Reporter: LAPD Opens New Investigation Into Roman Polanski by Ryan Parker
Los Angeles police have opened a new investigation into filmmaker Roman Polanski, authorities confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
No additional information was able to be released, but the Associated Press reports Polanski is accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in 1975. Although the statute of limitations has passed on the case, detectives may be able to use evidence to build on other cases.
The 84-year-old Polanski has been a fugitive since 1978 when he fled to France while awaiting his sentence for being convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old.
His accuser, Marianne Barnard, said she was molested during a photo shoot after the Oscar-nominated director had her pose nude.
Wifi continnues to run veeeeeery slowly tonight, so I’m going to call it a night now.
Everyone have a great evening!