The Overnight News Digest is a nightly series chronicling the eschaton.
The Washington Post
Wavering Democrats face pressure as Republicans eyes bipartisan vote for Trump acquittal
Democrats are casting a nervous eye on a small group of publicly undecided senators in their ranks as Republicans target a coveted prize in the Senate impeachment trial — a bipartisan acquittal of President Trump.
Under the spotlight are two centrist mavericks who won election last year — Sens. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) — as well as Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.), who will face voters this year after a long-shot win in a special election in 2017.
“I talk to those three every day; I don’t have a sense on where they’re going to be in the end,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who described the coming verdict as a “conscience vote” in which senators are leaving colleagues to reach their own conclusions.
Prosecutors appear to back away from prison recommendation for Michael Flynn
Prosecutors backed away from their recommendation that former national security adviser Michael Flynn serve up to six months in prison, saying in a court filing Wednesday that probation remained a “reasonable sentence” that they would not oppose.
The filing comes as Flynn continues his effort to withdraw his guilty plea in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s Russia probe. Prosecutors did not explain in their filing why they reemphasized probation as a reasonable sentence for Flynn.
The shift represents the latest turn in the case in which federal prosecutors once held up Flynn as a model cooperator and suggested probation but shifted their stance to include prison time after Flynn hired a new defense team, attacked investigators and undermined the prosecution of his former business partner.
Trump’s impeachment team argues that anything he does to win reelection isn’t impeachable
On Wednesday, the impeachment trial of … Trump moved to a new phase in the Senate. After hearing hours of presentations in which the House impeachment managers argued for the removal of Trump from office and his own legal team rebutted those charges, senators were at last granted the ability to ask questions directly to either side.
Over the course of two responses to those questions, Trump’s legal team made a remarkable claim. First, that if an action includes any element of public interest, it can’t be impeachable under the terms set by the House. And, second, if Trump thinks that his own reelection is in the public interest — which he certainly does — that’s a valid claim.
Los Angeles Times
Former national security advisor John Bolton loomed large in Democratic senators’ inquiries during the question-and-answer phase of … Trump’s impeachment trial Wednesday, but Republicans are increasingly confident that by the end of the week they will have the votes to rebuff calls to subpoena him and other witnesses.
The key question now facing the Senate is whether to move toward an acquittal vote — which some GOP leaders say could take place as early as Friday — or vote to hear additional testimony from Bolton and perhaps others.
It is a question that grew more difficult after the disclosure this week of new allegations in Bolton’s upcoming book. Bolton reportedly writes that Trump told him he would not release nearly $400 million in U.S. aid to Ukraine until it opened investigations into a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. That strikes at the heart of the House’s impeachment of Trump.
New coronavirus spreads as readily as 1918 Spanish flu and probably originated in bats
Chinese scientists racing to keep up with the spread of a novel coronavirus have declared the widespread outbreak an epidemic, revealing that in its early days at least, the disease’s reach doubled every week.
By plotting the curve of that exponential growth and running it in reverse, researchers reckoned that the microbe sickening people across the globe has probably been passing from person to person since mid-December 2019.
Scientists in China are also closing in on the source of the aggressive new germ — bats.
‘I have lost everything’: Iranian students with valid visas sent home upon arrival at U.S. airports
Last September, Reihana Emami Arandi boarded a flight from Tehran and made her way to Boston, eager to study theology at an Ivy League university.
After nearly 100 days of vetting and background checks by the U.S. government, the 35-year-old was bound for a graduate program at Harvard Divinity School with a student visa in hand. But when she arrived at Boston Logan International Airport, she was promptly pulled aside by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers for additional questioning. […]
About eight hours later, after being fingerprinted and having her photo taken, she was on a flight back to Iran, unable to enter the country for five years. Customs officers had concluded that she planned on not just studying in the U.S., but staying here, Emami Arandi said — a charge she called “far from reality.”
The Independent
Brexit Party MEPs were scolded for flag-waving in the European Parliament, marking their last contribution to European democracy.
The eurosceptic British MEPs began waving the miniature flags the end of Nigel Farage’s speech to the legislature – his last before before Britain leaves on Friday.
“Please sit down and take your seats, put your flags away, and take them with you,” the presiding speaker Mairead McGuinness told the MEPs.
She also criticised Mr Farage for invoking “hate” in his attacks on the EU, warning that.
‘Alarming’ chance of two spacecraft colliding above Pittsburgh
Two old satellites had an “alarming” chance of colliding in orbit in the skies above the skies on Pittsburgh.
On Monday, LeoLabs, a California company that tracks space debris in low earth orbit, announced it was tracking the two decommissioned spacecraft. It said there was a chance they hit at 6.39pm local time on Wednesday. […]
If there had been a collision they could potentially create thousands of pieces of new space debris.
The Guardian
Climate breakdown 'is increasing violence against women'
Climate breakdown and the global crisis of environmental degradation are increasing violence against women and girls, while gender-based exploitation is in turn hampering our ability to tackle the crises, a major report has concluded.
Attempts to repair environmental degradation and adapt to climate breakdown, particularly in poorer countries, are failing, and resources are being wasted because they do not take gender inequality and the effects on women and girls into account.
Campaigners called for governments and institutions to take note, saying that the impacts on women and girls must be at the heart of any viable strategies on the climate and ecology.
Ministers told to find 5% savings to 'refocus' on PM's priorities
Sajid Javid has written to ministers urging them to identify projects that could be scrapped, to cut costs and “refocus” resources on Boris Johnson’s priorities of hospitals, schools and “levelling up”.
In a letter signed by the chancellor and the PM, each department has been told to identify potential cost savings worth up to 5%, by 2 March.
“This will allow us to refocus our efforts towards the things which matter most: strengthening our NHS; making our streets safer; and levelling up opportunity across the country,” the letter says.
Bloomberg
WHO Considers Emergency Decree; Toll Hits 170: Virus Update
The World Health Organization called a meeting of its Emergency Committee Thursday to consider issuing a global alarm as the death toll from the spreading coronavirus rose to 170 and the number of cases jumped.
Asian stocks slumped to a seven-week low on Thursday amid mounting evidence that the outbreak is disrupting China’s economy. Economists have started cutting growth forecasts as authorities tighten travel restrictions and lock down cities, while companies suspend their China operations.
Airlines across the world suspended more flights to the country, as the U.S., the U.K., Japan and other countries moved to evacuate citizens from the outbreak’s epicenter, Wuhan.
Iowa Caucuses Still Up for Grabs, Monmouth Poll Shows
Iowa remains up for grabs with nearly half of voters saying they could change their mind five days before the Feb. 3 caucuses, according to a Monmouth University poll released Wednesday.
The poll of likely Democratic caucus goers found Joe Biden leading with 23%, closely followed by Bernie Sanders with 21%, Pete Buttigieg with 16% and Elizabeth Warren with 15%. Amy Klobuchar had 10%. The numbers are barely changed from Monmouth’s last survey earlier this month.
“Caucus electorates are the most difficult to model in polling,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, in a statement. “The smartest takeaway from this, or any Iowa poll for that matter, is to be prepared for anything on Monday.”
Deutsche Welle
Pompeo heads to Ukraine under shadow of Trump's impeachment trial
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to visit Ukraine on Thursday, a trip originally planned for early January but postponed due to tensions in Iraq. The capital, Kyiv, is scheduled to be the first stop on Pompeo's brief tour of former Soviet republics, followed by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Ukraine is likely to be the most difficult and important stop.
Pompeo is the first Trump administration Cabinet member to visit Ukraine since former comedian turned politician Volodymyr Zelenskiy was elected president. It is also the first time a high-ranking US politician is visiting Ukraine after Donald Trump's July 2019 telephone conversation with Zelenskiy that led to impeachment proceedings against the US president. The visit takes place against the background of the decisive impeachment trial currently underway in the Senate.
Greta Thunberg seeks to trademark her name and movement
Climate activist Greta Thunberg is seeking to trademark her name and the Fridays for Future campaign in a move meant "to protect the movement and its activities," she wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.
In her post on the photo sharing platform, Thunberg said she and her fellow school strikers have "absolutely no interests in trademarks, but unfortunately it needs to be done."
The trademarks would cover the 17-year-old Swede's name, as well as the name of the "Fridays for Future" movement and 'Skolstrejk för klimatet' (which translates as "School strike for the climate" in Swedish), the slogan on a sign she held during her weekly solo climate protests outside of Sweden's parliament which inspired similar protests by other activists.
BBC News
Homero Gómez: Missing Mexican butterfly activist found dead
The body of a renowned environmental activist has been found in a well in central Mexico two weeks after he went missing, officials say.
Homero Gómez, 50, managed a butterfly sanctuary in the town of Ocampo in Michoacán state, a region notorious for its violent criminal gangs.
His body was found with no apparent signs of violence near where he was seen for the last time. Prosecutors are still investigating the case.
Rights groups had earlier said they feared that Gómez might have been targeted because of his fight against illegal logging, one of the activities that criminal gangs in the area are involved in.
Vox
“Erase all doubt”: Democrats explain why John Bolton’s testimony is so necessary
Lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff spelled out why lawmakers should call for John Bolton’s testimony during a senator question-and-answer session on Wednesday: Bolton has the firsthand information that could upend … Donald Trump’s defense.
“If you have any question about [Trump’s actions] at all, you need to hear from his former national security adviser. Don’t wait for the book,” Schiff said. “We think the case is overwhelmingly clear without John Bolton, but if you have any question about it, you can erase all doubt.”
Democrats need to listen to Neil Gorsuch’s surprisingly good idea
On Monday, the Supreme Court did something that’s become quite familiar in the Trump age: It reinstated a harsh new immigration policy that had been blocked by lower courts. This particular policy, known as the “public charge” rule, makes it easier for the United States to exclude lower-income immigrants.
The court did not explain its Department of Homeland Security v. New York decision, which is temporary — it lasts until the case makes its way through the appeals process and, most likely, to the justices’ decision on its merits. Monday’s order was split 5-4 along partisan lines.
Though the majority did not explain its decision, Justice Neil Gorsuch did pen a concurring opinion to which it is worth paying attention. It would limit the power of lower court judges to issue broad, nationwide orders suspending a federal policy. That’s what initially happened in the New York case, when a federal judge held that the public charge rule could not be enforced anywhere in the country.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Parts of southern Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern Iowa are at risk of rare winter floods as the Mississippi River runs faster and higher than it ever has this early in the year.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has told cities along the river from Winona, Minn., to Guttenberg, Iowa, to monitor and brace for potential flooding in the weeks and months ahead, an unusual concern for late January.
“We’re seeing flows we might normally see in late spring,” said Dan Fasching, Upper Mississippi River water manager for the Corps’ St. Paul District. “And it doesn’t seem to be wanting to slow down.”
Much of the precipitation that made 2019 the wettest year in Minnesota’s history is still emptying out through the river, Fasching said. All that water has caused the river to rush about three times its normal strength in southern Minnesota, roaring at a record-high rate of 43,000 cubic feet of water per second. The typical river flow for January is about 15,000 cubic feet per second, Fasching said.
Otago Daily Times
Historic train hauled from Southland river
One of two historic steam class locomotives has been retrieved from a Southland river this morning, but the other will be staying behind.
Two 1885 V Class steam class locomotives were dumped in the Oreti River, north of Lumsden, in 1927, and efforts cranked up in earnest today to lift them out.
The recovery is being done by Lumsden Heritage Trust members and contractors with heavy machinery, including a 110-tonne crane.
The first of the engines was hauled out this morning; however, after an assessment was made of the condition of the second, it was decided to leave it in the river.
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Ars Technica
The cheapest climate target to hit? Around 2°C
Quantifying the continuing cost of the increasing threat of climate change is, roughly speaking, impossible. Even just focusing on the financial impacts is daunting, much less putting a number on human suffering and species extinctions. But there are still things we can learn in the attempt. For example, some oppose action to reduce emissions as “too expensive.” Is that a good argument?
Building on previous efforts, a new study led by Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research scientists Nicole Glanemann and Sven Willner attempts a full-on cost-benefit calculation. Like a classic optimization problem, their analysis finds the cheapest combination of mitigation costs and damages—and finds that it’s around 2°C warming.
This kind of analysis requires a few obvious things: the cost of investments that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the economic damage of warming, the mathematical relationship between emissions and warming, and an economic model to drive the whole endeavor.