The Overnight News Digest is a nightly series dedicated to chronicling the eschaton. Please add news or other items in the comments.
Camp fire death toll climbs to 63; number of missing jumps to 631
The death toll from the devastating Camp fire jumped to 63 on Thursday as search crews recovered seven more bodies in the burn area. The number of people unaccounted for jumped dramatically to 631 people, up from 130 on Wednesday evening.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told reporters that crews found three bodies in Magalia, three in Paradise and one in Concow. One body in Paradise was found in a car that had been flipped on its side.
The blaze has scorched 141,000 acres and destroyed 11,862 structures. It was 40% contained as of Wednesday evening. The Camp fire is now by far the worst in California history, destroying an entire town in a matter of hours. Officials said it could take weeks to complete the search for victims.
Made homeless by flames, Camp fire evacuees face hardship, disease and desperation
Don Hardin burrowed between blankets in his SUV, and switched on the heater whenever the shivers returned.
Even during the day Thursday, the 81-year-old Camp fire evacuee, who has arthritis, struggled to stay warm. When temperatures dropped near freezing Wednesday night, Hardin popped a sleeping pill.
Nearby, a woman bear-hugged her grandson for body heat and, inside a small green tent, a man had nightmares of his escape from flames — he flashed back to the car he watched drive into the fire, wondering if he could have saved the people inside.
It had been one week since the Camp fire destroyed everything they owned and respite still seemed out of sight. In a region that was facing a housing shortage even before the fire, some survivors were forced to seek refuge in a tent city outside a Walmart in Chico. For others, evacuation centers established outside the burn zone have become breeding grounds for disease. On Thursday, Butte County health authorities warned that an outbreak of norovirus was spreading with alarming speed, and appeared to have sickened survivors in at least four shelters.
Republicans lose a fifth House seat in California as Rep. Mimi Walters is ousted in Orange County
In another blow to California Republicans reeling from defeats in the Nov. 6 election, Democrat Katie Porter has ousted GOP Rep. Mimi Walters in an upscale Orange County congressional district that was a longtime conservative bastion.
At the same time, the updated vote count Thursday by the Orange County registrar of voters had Democratic House candidate Gil Cisneros pulling 941 votes ahead of Republican Young Kim in an adjacent congressional district.
The Associated Press projected Porter’s unseating of Walters in the 45th Congressional District contest after Orange County’s tally found that the two-term incumbent had dropped 6,203 votes behind her challenger.
Washington Post
Julian Assange has been charged, prosecutors reveal in inadvertent court filing
WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange has been charged under seal, prosecutors inadvertently revealed in a recently unsealed court filing — a development that could significantly advance the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and have major implications for those who publish government secrets.
The disclosure came in a filing in a case unrelated to Assange. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen S. Dwyer, urging a judge to keep the matter sealed, wrote "due to the sophistication of the defendant and the publicity surrounding the case, no other procedure is likely to keep confidential the fact that Assange has been charged." Later, Dwyer wrote the charges would "need to remain sealed until Assange is arrested."
Dwyer is also assigned to the WikiLeaks case. People familiar with the matter said what Dwyer was disclosing was true, but unintentional.
Democrats prepare to grill Trump officials on environmental issues in new Congress
Three likely incoming Democratic chairs of House committees overseeing environmental issues vowed to scrutinize the Trump administration’s actions on climate change and bring before them top administration officials who they think have escaped adequate oversight under their Republican colleagues.
After eight years out of power in the House, Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Tex.), Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.) and Frank Pallone Jr. (N.J.) are expected to lead the committees on Science, Space, and Technology; Natural Resources; and Energy and Commerce, respectively, after serving as the panels' ranking Democrats.
In a slate of interviews, they outlined an expansive agenda to put a hot spotlight on the Trump administration’s rollback of President Obama’s climate agenda and to delve deep into alleged misconduct of officials at the Environmental Protection Agency, Interior Department and the Housing and Urban Development Department.
Nancy Pelosi says she has the votes to become the next House speaker, but a potential challenger has emerged
An unbowed Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi insisted on Thursday that she has the votes to become the next House speaker despite the emergence of a possible challenger who claimed party dissidents can block her historic bid.
In a flurry of one-on-one meetings, Pelosi courted wavering lawmakers, paying particular attention to the incoming, majority-making class of freshmen. She appeared to make headway as leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus described their session with her as a “productive and successful conversation” that they would share with their 70-plus membership.
The veteran Democratic leader is also relying on an aggressive outside campaign to lobby lawmakers, made up of liberal interest group leaders and high-profile Democrats, including one of former president Barack Obama’s closest advisers — former chief of staff Denis McDonough.
The Guardian
Beleaguered May 'offers Gove Brexit secretary job'
As the most senior figure from the Vote Leave campaign still inside May’s deeply-divided cabinet, Gove’s backing is regarded as pivotal to her efforts to keep her Brexit deal alive.
But the environment secretary is said to be urging the prime minister to shift her stance, and allow negotiators to go back to Brussels in a last-ditch bid to secure a deal that could be backed by parliament.
Gove’s close ally, Conservative backbencher Nick Boles, has called for the UK to try to secure a close, Norway-style relationship in the short term – and then negotiate a free trade deal.
Claws out: crab fishermen sue 30 oil firms over climate change
For the fourth-generation crab fisherman John Beardon, the warming of Pacific waters off the coast of California has meant toxic crabs, shortened fishing seasons and a near decimation of his livelihood as a crab boat captain. Now he would like to see the industry he says is responsible pay for the damage.
On Wednesday, associations representing California crab fishermen like Beardon filed suit against 30 fossil fuel companies seeking to make the companies pay for the harm global warming has caused to California’s fisheries. The suit demands that petroleum interests finance the changes that will be needed to sustain the crab fishing industry in the future.
“We just about can’t make a living fishing crabs any more,” said Beardon, who has seen the earnings he can make with his 35ft crab boat, Stormy II, cut in half in recent years because of the effects of ocean warming. “I’d like to see the industry that caused this take responsibility for that.”
Warmer winters linked to higher crime rates, study finds
Warmer winters are linked to increased crime rates in parts of the United States, a new study has found.
Researchers found that violent crime is almost always more prevalent when temperatures are warmer in the winter months. The trend was especially strong when winters were mild in regions that usually have fierce winters, like the north-east and midwest.
The study has implications for how America reacts to climate change as the promise of a warming climate could therefore lead to rising crime levels.
Deutsche Welle
US denies it will deport Erdogan foe Fethullah Gulen to reduce heat on Saudis
The US is studying the motivations of a Turkish request to extradite preacher Fethullah Gulen, the US state department said Thursday.
NBC News earlier reported that the White House was attempting to deport Gulen, despite reportedly holding permanent residency, to reduce pressure on its ally Saudi Arabia after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told AFP news agency it rejected that report. "We have received multiple requests from the Turkish government... related to Mr Gulen," Nauert said. "We continue to evaluate the material that the Turkish government presents requesting his extradition."
Reports: North Korea tests "cutting-edge" weapons
North Korea is developing and testing modern strategic weapons, state media outlets announced on Friday.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un "inspected the testing of a newly developed high-tech tactical weapon at the Academy of National Defence Science," the state broadcaster said. The weapon was not described, but the test was reportedly successful.
The test gave Kim "great satisfaction" and he said it marked "a groundbreaking turning point in strengthening the fighting power of our military," KCNA news agency said.
Reuters
Trump's summit no-show draws Asian nations closer together
Donald Trump didn’t make it to this week’s summit of Asian nations in Singapore, but his influence was still keenly felt among the leaders who gathered in the city.
One prime minister warned that the trade war between Washington and Beijing could trigger a “domino effect” of protectionist steps by other countries. Another fretted that the international order could splinter into rival blocs.
“The most important and talked-about ... leader, President Trump, is the only one that did not turn up,” said Malcolm Cook, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
And yet, in Trump’s absence, countries from South to East Asia pressed on with forging multilateral ties on trade and investment among themselves, including with China.
China’s representative at the meetings, Premier Li Keqiang, egged them on.
'Get out!' Some Mexico border residents reject migrant arrivals
Demonized by… Donald Trump and exhausted after a harrowing journey, migrants from Central America in a caravan now face a new threat: open hostility from some Mexicans.
A small group of residents in an upscale Tijuana neighborhood near the Mexican border confronted caravan migrants late on Wednesday, throwing stones and telling them to go back to their home countries.
“Get out of here,” around 20 people shouted at a camp of Hondurans near the border. “We want you to return to your country. You are not welcome.”
BBC News
Khmer Rouge surviving leaders face genocide verdict
The UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal is set to deliver its verdict on whether the last two surviving leaders of the Pol Pot regime are guilty of genocide.
Nuon Chea, 92, was Pol Pot's deputy, and Khieu Samphan, 87, was the regime's head of state. They are on trial for genocide against Cambodia's Cham Muslim minority and ethnic Vietnamese.
Up to two million people are thought to have died under brutal Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979. Many of them succumbed to starvation and overwork, or were executed as enemies of the state.
'Phallic' owl statue mocked in Serbian town of Kikinda
A recently erected owl statue in northern Serbian has drawn mockery for its allegedly phallic shape.
The 2.4 metre (8ft) terracotta sculpture was created to celebrate the town of Kikinda's status as a bird-watching hub for the world's largest roosting population of long-eared owls.
But shortly after it was raised, critics decried it as obscene.
Brexit: EU leaders dismiss talk of renegotiating draft agreement
EU leaders have dismissed talk of renegotiating the draft Brexit deal and warned the UK's political situation could make a "no-deal" more likely.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there was "no question" of reopening talks as a document was "on the table".
Meanwhile French PM Edouard Philippe said there was a need to prepare for a no-deal because of UK "uncertainty".
The EU has set out a series of meetings leading up to 25 November when it plans to approve the Brexit agreement.
Bloomberg
Florida Secretary of State Sets Hand Recount in Senate Race
Ballots in Florida’s tight U.S. Senate race will be tallied by hand after a machine recount narrowly expanded Republican Rick Scott’s lead, but not by enough to end incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson’s fight to retain his seat.
Three hours after a federal judge ruled against Nelson’s request that the deadline for Florida’s mechanical recount be extended, election officials announced the tabulation had boosted Scott’s 12,562-vote lead by 41 votes out of 8.2 million cast in a state that will be pivotal in the 2020 presidential contest.
In the race for governor, the machine recount confirmed that Republican Ron DeSantis had defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum. DeSantis’ margin of victory shrunk by a single vote, to 33,683, leaving Gillum short of the hand-recount-threshold of 0.25 percentage point or less.
ABC News
Trump met with legal team over 3 days to discuss responses to questions from Mueller’s office: Sources
Over three days this week, President Donald Trump met with his legal team to discuss his written responses to special counsel Robert Mueller’s questions, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
The questions center on alleged Russian meddling during the 2016 election cycle, which Mueller is tasked with investigating, according to ABC News sources. The nearly year and a half long probe by the special counsel stems from allegations that Russia may have coordinated with members of the Trump presidential campaign.
CNN
Lawsuit: 'Predatory' Dartmouth professors plied students with alcohol and raped them
Three former Dartmouth College professors turned the school's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences into a "21st Century Animal House," where female students were subjected to rape and sexual harassment, a federal lawsuit alleges.
Tenured professors Todd Heatherton, William Kelley, and Paul Whalen treated women as sex objects, the lawsuit from seven women claims. The men, who no longer are allowed on campus, coerced them into drinking and made the women feel as if their success depended on their willingness to go along with the "alcohol-saturated" culture the prominent researchers created, according to the complaint.
Scientists confirm massive impact crater beneath Greenland's ice
A team of international researchers has verified the discovery of the first meteorite impact crater ever found deep beneath the Greenland ice sheet.
Found under the Hiawatha Glacier, the crater is about 1,000 feet (300 meters) deep and 19 miles (31 kilometers) wide, according to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
It was likely formed when a half a mile (800 meter) wide iron meteorite struck northwest Greenland less than three million years ago. It was then covered in ice, hiding it from view, NASA said.
'Death knell' of press freedom in Hong Kong has been a long time coming
Every day before work, Kevin Lau stopped for breakfast at a restaurant in Sai Wan Ho, a residential area in eastern Hong Kong. It was a routine as ingrained in him as brushing his teeth, and it nearly cost him his life.
On a morning in February 2014, Lau -- a senior editor at the popular, upmarket daily Ming Pao -- had parked his car on a street near the restaurant when two men, wearing motorcycle helmets and gloves, rushed up to him. One slashed at Lau with a meat cleaver, knocking him to the floor, where he lay bleeding with deep wounds in his back and legs as his assailants ran off.
With what a court later described as "superhuman calm," Lau phoned for an ambulance, and was rushed to hospital. He survived, and two men with triad links -- Yip Kim-wah and Wong Chi-wah -- were arrested and charged with grievous bodily harm.
Ars Technica
Judge rejects neo-Nazi’s First Amendment argument in harassment case
When Andrew Anglin isn't editing his neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer, he organizes harassment campaigns against perceived enemies. One target of an Anglin harassment campaign, Tanya Gersh, sued Anglin last year. On Wednesday, a Montana federal judge dealt Anglin a significant setback, holding that the First Amendment does not protect Anglin's right to publish Gersh's personal information and encourage his legion of anti-Semitic followers to harass her.
But this legal battle isn't over yet. The judge's ruling allows the lawsuit to go forward, but Gersh's lawyers will still have to prove Anglin liable for invasion of privacy and other harms.
Still, the ruling could prove significant for other victims of online harassment. Anglin argued that he was just publishing information—like Gersh's home phone number—and couldn't be held responsible for what his readers did with that information. But the judge pointed to clear evidence Anglin knew exactly what readers would do with the information and egged them on at every step.
US travel ban blocking students from presenting their research
At an academic conference, the question “where are you from?” can have many meanings. “For anybody who’s in science, that’s a complicated question,” says paleontologist P. David Polly. “Where are we now, where did we get our degree, where did we grow up, where did we get the other degree?” For many people in science, the list of answers will span multiple countries.Because of this international culture, science is feeling the effects of increasing restrictions on international travel. At last week’s Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting in San Diego, a research poster drew a lot of attention: the bulk of the poster was grayed out, covered instead by a message from the author explaining that, as a citizen of Iran, she had been unable to enter the US to take part in the conference. “Science should be about breaking barriers,” she wrote, “not creating new ones.”