(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Overnight News Digest: ‘We have more to fear from stupid people than evil ones’ [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-16 Bonhoeffer’s “theory of stupidity”: We have more to fear from stupid people than evil ones Big Think There’s an internet adage that goes, “Debating an idiot is like trying to play chess with a pigeon — it knocks the pieces over, craps on the board, and flies back to its flock to claim victory.” It’s funny and astute. It’s also deeply, depressingly worrying. Although we’d never say so, we all have people in our lives we think of as a bit dim — not necessarily about everything, but certainly about some things. Most of the time, we laugh this off. After all, stupidity can be pretty funny. When my friend asked a group of us recently what Hitler’s last name was, we laughed. When my brother learned only last month that reindeer are real animals — well, that’s funny. Good-natured ribbing about a person’s ignorance is an everyday part of life. Stupidity, though, has its dark side. For theologian and philosopher Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the stupid person is often more dangerous than the evil one. Mike Pence Calls For Privatizing Parts of Social Security on Fox News Mediaite [...] Pence … calling for “reforming” entitlements and declaring that younger Americans should have the option to “invest a portion of their Social Security in a private savings account.” […] “I think in Social Security, you can keep all the promises that you made to seniors. You can people that will retire within the next 20 years. No changes, but to give options to younger Americans to invest a portion of their Social Security in a private savings account and get a better deal, I think is an idea whose time will come,” Pence concluded. Elderly in China protest over slashed health benefits BBC News Crowds of retirees in China have again taken to the streets to protest against cuts to their medical benefits. They gathered on Wednesday for a second time in Wuhan, where Covid was first detected, and also in the north-eastern city of Dalian. The second round of protests in seven days puts pressure on President Xi Jinping's administration just weeks before the annual National People's Congress, which will usher in a new leadership team. Protests first took place in Wuhan on 8 February after provincial authorities said they were cutting the level of medical expenses which retirees can claim back from the government. Republicans worry as self-inflicted wounds pile up The Hill Republican lawmakers are wary of their party’s propensity for self-inflicted wounds and are hoping for more discipline heading into the next election cycle. Leading Republicans think that the House GOP’s raucous reception of President Biden at last week’s State of the Union played into the president’s hands and that the proposal by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to sunset all federal legislation after five years is a political gift to Democrats. Some Republicans on Capitol Hill are dismayed that Scott hasn’t disavowed his 12-point plan to “Rescue America,” despite repeated Democratic attacks, and they are disappointed by lapses in message discipline, such as Sen. Ron Johnson’s (R-Wis.) call for annual votes on Medicare and Social Security, which he described as “a legal Ponzi scheme.” D.C.-based DOJ investigators take over corruption probe into Attorney General Ken Paxton The Texas Tribune Justice Department officials in Washington, D.C., are taking over the corruption investigation into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton after the U.S. attorney’s office in San Antonio was recused from the probe. Prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office had led the investigation since October 2020 into allegations of whether Paxton had abused his office, state prosecutors said. The Washington-based investigators will now look into allegations made by Paxton’s former top deputies that the attorney general took bribes to benefit a political donor who also employed a woman with whom Paxton was alleged to have had an extramarital affair. The latest news was made public less than one week after Paxton agreed to apologize and pay $3.3 million in taxpayer money to settle a whistleblower lawsuit with four of the employees who accused him of crimes. The settlement still needs court and legislative approval. Wyden to Biden: Damn the Judge, Protect the Abortion Pill RollingStone Someday very soon, a single district court judge in Texas could order the Food and Drug Administration to withdraw its approval of mifepristone, cutting off access — nationwide — to the most widely-used abortifacient in the United States. (The earliest a decision is expected is next Friday, February 24.) If that happens, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) says President Biden and the FDA have one option: openly defy the court’s order. “You’ve got this one judge making a mockery of the rule of law, stomping all over the privacy rights of millions of American women,” Wyden told Rolling Stone. The judge in question is Matthew Kacsmaryk, former deputy counsel at the far-right First Liberty Institute before he was installed on the federal bench by the Trump administration in 2019. Since then, Kacsmaryk has distinguished himself as one of the most nakedly partisan judges in the country, issuing rulings that often defy legal logic. President Biden's First 100 Judges American Constitution Society This week, the Senate confirmed President Biden’s 100th federal judge. There is much to celebrate about this milestone and the 100 judges (1 Supreme Court Justice, 30 circuit judges, and 69 district court judges) now sitting on the bench. The 100 confirmed judges represent unprecedented diversity for the federal bench. […] President Biden has also prioritized professional diversity. One example, 27 of his first 100 confirmed judges are former public defenders. We still have a long way to go to achieve a judiciary that reflects the diversity and experiences of the public it serves, but these 100 judges have certainly moved us closer. Why Conservatives Are Losing Their Minds Over the Existence of Black Judges Balls and Strikes The right-wing freakout over the qualifications of Black judges makes sense only if you view whiteness as an entitlement to power, and multiracial democracy as an existential threat. This is becoming a bit of a Black History Month tradition: For the second February in a row, conservatives have narrowed the focus of their racial resentment to Black members of the federal judiciary. Last year’s target was the then-unannounced Black woman whom President Joe Biden had pledged to appoint to the Supreme Court, and whom we now know as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. This year’s ire is directed at Biden’s nominees for other federal judgeships: Biden has appointed more people of color and white women to the federal bench than any of his predecessors at this point in their presidencies. As a result, Black judges now make up a greater share of the federal judiciary than ever before—a whopping 11 percent, which still falls short of Black people’s share of the U.S. population and leaves 18 states with no Black federal judges. This modest increase in representation is proving too much for the conservative psyche to bear. Grand jury report recommends perjury charges The Atlanta Journal-Constitution For nearly eight months, 23 Fulton County residents met in secret to investigate a hotly contested question: did former ... Donald Trump and his allies break Georgia laws by meddling in the 2020 election? On Thursday, the public got its first glimpse into what they found as a judge released five pages of their final report. Members of the special grand jury agreed unanimously that there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election as Trump and his supporters had claimed. A majority of the panel also recommended that prosecutors should pursue perjury charges against at least one witness they believe lied under oath in their testimony. Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows subpoenaed by special counsel in Jan. 6 investigation CNN Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows has been subpoenaed by the special counsel investigating the former president and his role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Special counsel Jack Smith’s office is seeking documents and testimony related to January 6, and Meadows received the subpoena sometime in January, the source said. An attorney for Meadows declined to comment. Off the air, Fox News stars blasted the election fraud claims they peddled NPR News In the days and weeks after the 2020 elections, the Fox News Channel repeatedly broadcast false claims that … Donald Trump had been cheated of victory. Off the air, the network's stars, producers and executives expressed contempt for those same conspiracies, calling them "mind-blowingly nuts," "totally off the rails" and "completely bs" - often in far earthier terms. The network's top primetime stars - Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity - texted contemptuously of the claims in group chats, but also denounced colleagues pointing that out publicly or on television. Russia bombards Ukraine in yet another mass strike The Kyiv Independent On Feb. 16, Russia launched a new mass missile strike against Ukraine. According to Ukraine's Air Force, Moscow fired 32 missiles. Ukrainian military downed 16. Russia also used drones for the attack. […] The consequences of the mass strike, however, have been felt beyond Ukraine's borders. The country's Interior Ministry reported that debris was found near the border village of Briceni in Moldova. This is the fourth time a missile has fallen in Moldova since Russia began launching mass missile strikes on Ukraine on Oct. 10, according to the ministry. The most recent incident occurred on Jan. 14. Zelenskyy aide says Russian balloons part of aerial assault Deutsche Welle Ihor Zhovkva, the Deputy Head of the Office for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Thursday that Russia is using suspected spy balloons as part of a multi-pronged aerial assault. Ukrainian authorities said Thursday that six alleged spy balloons were located over the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. In response, the Kyiv military administration said the balloons were shot out of the sky. In an interview with DW, Zhovkva said Russia launched another attack on Wednesday "across the whole country." He did not speculate whether Russia has commenced a new offensive ahead of the one-year February 24 anniversary of the Kremlin-backed invasion. Iran becoming global drone producer on back of Ukraine war, says US The Guardian Iran is emerging as a global leader in the production of cheap and lethal drones, according to US officials, who say Tehran is using the war in Ukraine as a shop window for its technologies. Analysts at the Defense Intelligence Agency outlined how Iran had turned from being a regional drone player in the Middle East to becoming Moscow’s most significant military backer in the war. Countering denials by Iran’s foreign ministry that its drones had been used in deadly attacks in Ukraine, including against civilian energy infrastructure, the officials shared declassified intelligence demonstrating that Iranian drones used in attacks in the Middle East – including one claimed by Iran – were identical in all significant features to drones being used in Ukraine. Russia's Wagner chief says no more prison recruits as group's role in Ukraine war shrinks CBS News The leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner says the private army will reduce the number of fighters it has deployed in Ukraine and has put a halt entirely to its practice of recruiting detainees from Russia's prisons to send to the front lines. Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has long been seen as having close ties with President Vladimir Putin, referred to "a certain number of structural changes" in a video recorded Wednesday. […] "Advancement is not happening as quickly as we would like," Prigozhin said in the new video this week, of fighting in Ukraine. "Why is it not happening quickly? I think we could have taken Bakhmut by New Year's if it wasn't for our horrific war bureaucracy and the sticks in wheels that are inserted every day." Putin is staring at defeat in his gas war with Europe Politico There's more bad news for Vladimir Putin. Europe is on course to get through winter with its vital gas storage facilities more than half full, according to a new European Commission assessment… That means despite the Russian leader's efforts to make Europe freeze by cutting its gas supply, EU economies will survive the coldest months without serious harm — and they look set to start next winter in a strong position to do the same. A few months ago, there were fears of energy shortages this winter caused by disruptions to Russian pipeline supplies. But a combination of mild weather, increased imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and a big drop in gas consumption mean that more than 50 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas is projected to remain in storage by the end of March, according to the Commission analysis. Potential impact on whales overlooked as deep-sea mining looks set to start Mongabay The potentially imminent start of deep-sea mining in international waters could impact whales, dolphins and porpoises, particularly in terms of noise pollution, according to experts who say there needs to be urgent research into the issue. In a new perspective piece published in Frontiers in Marine Science, scientists from the University of Exeter, Greenpeace Research Laboratories, and Oregon State University say proposed deep-sea mining activities would likely produce a range of noises with frequencies that overlap with those used by cetaceans for communication purposes, potentially leading to behavioral changes in these animals. Beware a climate ‘doom loop,’ where crisis is harder to solve, report says The Washington Post The devastating effects of climate change on Earth could become so overwhelming that they undermine humanity’s capacity to tackle climate change’s root causes, researchers warned Wednesday. They are calling it a “doom loop.” The self-reinforcing dynamic, outlined in a report jointly published Wednesday by two British think tanks, warns of a spiral effect: Governments risk expending so much money and attention on merely coping with the impacts of climate change that they neglect efforts to reduce global emissions, exacerbating the crisis. “We’re pointing to a potential situation where the symptom of the climate and ecological crisis — the storms, the potential food crises, and things like this — start to distract us from the root causes,” report author Laurie Laybourn, an associate fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank, said in an interview. “You get a feedback that starts to run out of control.” First ever images of Antarctica's 'Doomsday glacier' show melting from below ABC News Scientists studying one of the most crucial glaciers that's been deteriorating by climate change got a new look at what's going on underneath the surface. In two studies published in the science journal "Nature," scientists from the UK-US International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration said they were able to measure the bottom of the Thwaites Glacier and insert cameras and probes through a borehole to study the object from underwater. The images showed researchers that while the glacier overall is melting slower than models projected, the warmer water underneath the ice is creating cracks and crevasses where the ice is melting much faster than the rest of the glacier. World Bank President, Dogged by Climate Questions, Will Step Down Early The New York Times David Malpass, the embattled president of the World Bank, said on Wednesday that he would step down by June, roughly a year before his term expires. Mr. Malpass, who was nominated in 2019 for a five-year term by … Donald J. Trump, has overseen an organization that lends billions of dollars each year to poor countries grappling with health crises, hunger, conflict and a warming planet. But last September he came under fire for his own views on climate change. When asked if he accepted the overwhelming scientific consensus that the burning of fossil fuels was causing global temperatures to rise, he demurred. “I’m not a scientist,” he said. […] The departure of Mr. Malpass is likely to add new urgency to sweeping changes that were already underway at the World Bank. It will also give President Biden, who came to office with an ambitious climate agenda, the opportunity to install a leader whose term will stretch until 2028. White House preparing report on climate geoengineering E&E News | ClimateWire The White House is researching geoengineering as one possible solution to global warming — an effort that puts the Biden administration at the center of one of the most controversial ideas in climate policy. Broadly, much of President Joe Biden’s climate strategy has focused on cutting carbon emissions. But the ongoing research into geoengineering is the first time a presidential administration has undertaken such a comprehensive effort to examine technologies that could mitigate the effect of greenhouse gases after they have been released. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is preparing to release a five-year research plan on “solar and other rapid climate interventions” that could reduce some of the worst effects of global warming. The report is required by Congress and was tucked into the appropriations bill that Biden signed last March. Sen. John Fetterman has checked into Walter Reed hospital for clinical depression Philadelphia Inquirer Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday night to receive treatment for clinical depression, his office said Thursday, adding that his longtime struggle with that issue became “severe” in recent weeks. […] “While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks,” his chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, said in a statement Thursday. Newsom wants to waive environmental rules in the Delta amid drought worries Los Angeles Times As January’s drenching storms have given way to an unseasonably dry February, Gov. Gavin Newsom is seeking to waive environmental rules in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in an effort to store more water in reservoirs — a move that is drawing heated criticism from environmental advocates who say the action will imperil struggling fish populations. In an executive order signed Monday, Newsom directed the State Water Resources Control Board to “consider modifying requirements” for California’s two water conveyance systems in the Delta, the State Water Project and the federally operated Central Valley Project. “While recent storms have helped replenish the state’s reservoirs and boosted snowpack, drought conditions continue to have significant impacts on communities with vulnerable water supplies, agriculture and the environment,” an announcement of the order read. “Until it is clear what the remainder of the wet season will hold, the executive order includes provisions to protect water reserves.” EPA chief at train derailment site: ‘Trust the government’ AP News The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency got a first-hand look Thursday at the toll left by a freight train derailment in Ohio, where toxic chemicals spilled or were burned off, leaving the stench of fresh paint nearly two weeks later. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who walked along a creek that still reeks of chemicals, sought to reassure skeptical residents that the water is fit for drinking and the air safe to breathe around East Palestine, where just under 5,000 people live near the Pennsylvania state line. “I’m asking they trust the government. I know that’s hard. We know there’s a lack of trust,” Regan said. “We’re testing for everything that was on that train.” Angry Ohio townspeople seek answers on train's toxic spill Reuters Hundreds of irate residents of the Ohio town where a train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals packed into a high school gym on Wednesday, seeking answers to what health dangers they face. East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, looking angry and tired, said at Wednesday's town hall that he wanted to help provide some reassurance for the 4,700 citizens of his town, and hold to account those responsible for the train derailment. "We need our citizens to feel safe in their own homes," Conaway said as the meeting began. "I need help. I'm not ready for this. But I'm not leaving, I'm not going anywhere." Conaway said Norfolk Southern, which operated the toxins-laden train that derailed on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, was working closely with him. "They screwed up our town, they're going to fix it," Conway said. ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary’ ruling in Oregon deals blow to controversial gun rights ordinance The Oregonian The Oregon Court of Appeals set a national precedent Wednesday as it voided a controversial gun rights ordinance that claimed state and federal firearms regulations didn’t apply in Columbia County. The ruling strikes down the “Second Amendment Sanctuary” ordinance narrowly approved in 2020 by voters in the 50,000-person county just north of Portland. Gun safety advocates say it is the first such ruling passed at the appellate level. And while the decision has sway only within state lines, the ruling could have major ramifications for the more than 1,900 counties nationwide that have declared themselves gun sanctuaries. UN launches $1bn appeal for earthquake aid operations in Turkey Al Jazeera The United Nations has appealed for more than $1bn in funds for the Turkish earthquake relief operation, just two days after launching a $400m appeal for Syrians. UN aid chief Martin Griffiths, who visited Turkey last week, said on Thursday that the people have “experienced unspeakable heartache”, adding: “We must stand with them in their darkest hour and ensure they receive the support they need.” The February 6 earthquake has so far killed at least 36,187 in southern Turkey, while authorities in neighbouring Syria have reported 5,800 deaths. Turkiye's oldest mosque and world's oldest church destroyed by earthquake Euronews In the ancient Turkish city of Antakya, the oldest church in the world and the oldest mosque in the country were reduced to rubble after two massive earthquakes hit in just 8 hours. The domes and walls of the 1st century Antioch Orthodox Church, known as Antakya Church, and the 7th century Habib-I Nejjar Mosque have almost completely collapsed. "Unfortunately our church was destroyed after the earthquake. All its walls have fallen down and it is not in the condition for prayers, " says Sertac Paul Bozkurt, a member of the board of Antioch Orthodox Church. "Sadly Antakya is in great trouble. As the community here, of course, we are deeply sad, we are in great despair. We have big losses. We lost around 30-35 people from our church community." ‘A political quake as well’: Will Turkey’s calamity rattle Erdogan’s rule? France24 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared last week’s earthquake the deadliest catastrophe since the country’s inception a century ago… Last week’s disaster exposed a collapse of Ankara’s response capabilities to a natural event of this magnitude. It also left in shambles Erdogan’s rhetoric following the 1999 quake, as promises to make the country quake-proof were not kept. With tens of thousands dead and millions more wounded, homeless or lacking basic facilities, coupled with a possible loss of 1% of the country’s GDP in a time of economic crisis, the calamity has proven to be the worst disaster to face Turkey in its modern history. With general elections due in May… Erdogan's own future [is] on the line… How many Chinese spy balloons did we miss and when did they start flying above the U.S.? NBC News The scale of China’s balloon surveillance could be more extensive than a handful of flights over the U.S., as intelligence agencies sift through hundreds of sightings of unidentified balloons and aerial objects in recent years, a lawmaker, a U.S. official and experts told NBC News. The Biden administration is still trying to determine the full extent of China’s spy balloon intrusions into U.S. airspace, and it’s possible that the number of confirmed Chinese surveillance flights over the U.S. rises. […] There are currently five known Chinese balloon flights into U.S. territory, including two during the Biden administration and three during Donald Trump’s presidency, according to the Biden administration’s public statement. The military and intelligence agencies detected the three balloon flights during the Trump presidency after Trump had left office, by reviewing the data for previous sightings of unidentified aerial objects, according to Biden officials. The four known flights prior to the February shootdown spent far less time in U.S. airspace. High-altitude balloons: a scientists' guide to what’s up there and why Nature […] Balloons are a valuable tool for getting a good view downwards or upwards, from an altitude higher than drones or planes can reach and at a lower cost than satellites. By far the majority are weather balloons: these are launched twice a day simultaneously from almost 900 locations worldwide, according to the US National Weather Service. They transmit data about temperature, humidity, pressure and location, and are disposable. The thin balloons — typically made of biodegradable latex — expand at altitude to about 6 metres in diameter. Flights are designed to go straight up to about 30 km, and last for only a few hours. Some scientists use much larger, longer-lasting balloons, for example to get a clear view of space, or to test instruments destined for high altitudes. NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia manages the launch of about 10–15 scientific balloons each year worldwide. These can carry around 3,000 kg, expand to be larger than a football stadium, and fly to an altitude of 37 km. Monk parakeets have lived in the Houston area for 40 years. Here's how those wild green birds got here Houston Chronicle Monk parakeets have been around the Houston area for some 40 years, and their bright-green feathers guarantee a double-take from anyone who see them flitting around backyards and perching on power lines and street lights. Local sightings of flocks of the birds this week were at sites in Pearland and League City. The birds originate in Latin America, as this article by nature columnist Gary Clark notes, but no one knows when they were introduced to the United States. However, between the late 1960s and early 1970s, the pet trade imported 60,000 birds from South America. The parakeets quickly spread across the country, with the largest populations in Florida and Texas. How Australia rescued an island plagued by more than 200,000 rats The Sydney Morning Herald Animals pushed to the brink of extinction by rats have been brought back to life on Lord Howe Island, with some bird populations doubling in number within 12 months of the extermination of the last of the invasive pests. […] It wasn’t until 2019 that a rat eradication program began. With no invasive species on the island, its ecosystem is thriving. Among the animals bouncing back is one of Australia’s rarest birds, the Lord Howe Island Woodhen, whose population has increased five-fold in four years, and more than doubled in the past 12 months. 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