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Overnight News Digest May 15th 2025 [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-05-15

x Protestors have gathered outside of federal court in Milwaukee in support of judge Hannah Dugan, who faces arraignment later this morning Signs read “Stop Trump’s war on democracy”, “Hands off due process”; “Stop the coup” — Scott MacFarlane (@macfarlanenews.bsky.social) 2025-05-15T12:39:15.819Z

Rewriting the Timeline: Neanderthal Innovation at Schöningen

In a soggy pit on the shores of an ancient lake in what is now central Germany, a cache of wooden spears lay hidden for nearly a quarter of a million years. When they were first unearthed in the 1990s from the Schöningen site, archaeologists believed these weapons might have been crafted by Homo heidelbergensis—a hominin species ancestral to Neanderthals and perhaps to us. But thanks to a refined dating technique that analyzes1 proteins preserved in fossilized snail shells and horse teeth, the spears have lost about 100,000 years of age. This subtle shift in chronology has profound consequences. The weapons, along with butchered horse remains and other artifacts, now appear to date to around 200,000 years ago. That’s squarely within the Middle Paleolithic and within the evolutionary range of Neanderthals—not some proto-human cousin, but the real thing. And that makes the Schöningen spears more than just some of the oldest preserved wooden weapons in the world. It casts them as evidence of a species capable of cooperation, planning, and precision.

Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame, jck, JeremyBloom, and doomandgloom. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man (RIP), wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw. OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos since 2007, 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.

x Romania has 24 hours to save the country from a Russian-backed kleptocrat seeking to reverse all the progress that brought them out of decades of brutal repression.



"Life in freedom or death! everyone shouts. Let's vote! Go Nicușor! Long live Romania!"

pic.twitter.com/LpT4zh6cq2 — Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) May 15, 2025

Amy Coney Barrett Tears Into Trump Official to Defend Liberal Justice at Supreme Court

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett ripped into President Donald Trump’s solicitor general on Thursday for disrespecting one of the high court’s liberal justices. Barrett, who was appointed by Trump in 2020 but has recently drawn the ire of MAGA, slammed Solicitor General Dean John Sauer for giving what she felt was an insufficient response to Justice Elena Kagan, an appointee of Barack Obama. Barrett stepped in after Sauer’s answer and asked, “Sir, are you really going to answer Justice Kagan by saying there’s no way to do this expeditiously?”

Officials under fire for approving 'unfathomable' offshore project set to cost billions: 'It should never have been given the green light'

Australia's National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority has greenlit oil and gas company Santos' Barossa offshore gas field — a decision environmental experts have denounced as the world grapples with the effects of rising global temperatures. In April, the Guardian reported that Australia gave Santos' environmental plan for the Barossa offshore gas field its seal of approval, even though the project is projected to add nearly 300 million tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The move, which came amid Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's reelection campaign, outraged environmental advocates, who said the Labor government wasn't doing enough to protect Australians from the dangerous effects of global overheating.

x NEW: US House Democrats launch probe into Justice Dept for “blessing” the Qatar jet deal with Trump Admin Atty General Bondi is named in letter — Scott MacFarlane (@macfarlanenews.bsky.social) 2025-05-15T17:29:17.302Z

An unresponsive jet that crashed after flying over Washington had dozens of unresolved maintenance issues, NTSB report says

A business jet that flew over Washington with no response from the pilot – prompting a chase by F-16s which caused a sonic boom – likely lost pressure, causing everyone onboard to pass out, according to the final report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The pilot and three passengers died in the crash. On June 4, 2023, the Cessna Citation was flying from Elizabethton, in eastern Tennessee, to Long Island, New York when the pilot stopped responding to air traffic control. The jet rose to 34,000 feet and flew over Long Island and then turned back to the southwest, flying over Washington and into Virginia.

The Walls of a 15th-Century Church Collapsed—and Out Fell 12 Hidden Skeletons

When the walls of a 15th century Portuguese church collapsed during poor weather, they revealed more than just dust and debris—they exposed at least 12 skeletons stashed inside the walls. The ancient Igreja Matriz de Portimao (which translates to Main Church of Portimão), is located at the highest point in the city of Portimão near the famed Praia da Rocha beach. It was likely one of the most impressive buildings in the region when it was constructed, but time took its toll and eventually caused a wall to collapse. When crews arrived on site to assess the damage, they stumbled into an unexpected archaeological situation. “The work to replace the wall ended up uncovering part of the bones, and at the time, an archaeology team was called in to study the findings,” a source within the Portimao City Council told the Lusa News Agency. Ancient churches often doubled as cemeteries, and questions have now started to brew regarding the possibility of a larger graveyard on site—especially since the walls that held the bones surrounded a courtyard. “It is normal to find bones in construction sites near churches,” the source said, “because these were places that were previously used as cemeteries.”

x AOC, talking Medicaid cuts — after Rep. Weber chides her for addressing the camera: “.. There are 13.7 million Americans on the other side of that screen. .. They deserve. To see. What is happening. Here.” @aoc.bsky.social — Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) 2025-05-14T23:45:15.499Z

Russia's 'poor weapons handling' likely caused the massive blasts that wiped out much of its 105-ton ammo depot: UK MOD

A combination of poor weapons handling and bad storage practices likely led to the blasts that rocked Russia's 51st GRAU arsenal in late April, the UK Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. In an intelligence update, the ministry estimated that the explosions likely resulted in the Kremlin's largest loss of its own munitions due to its own troops' actions since the full-scale war in Ukraine began. "It is highly likely that poor weapons handling procedures alongside negligent storage of munitions resulted in this loss," the ministry wrote.

One of America’s biggest companies is imploding

UnitedHealth Group, one of America’s biggest corporations and a member of the exclusive Dow Jones Industrial Average, is suddenly unraveling. The crisis engulfing UnitedHealth hit a crescendo this week when CEO Andrew Witty stepped down abruptly for “personal reasons.” UnitedHealth also swiftly abandoned its financial guidance, blaming skyrocketing medical costs. And then The Wall Street Journal dropped the hammer, revealing that UnitedHealth is under federal criminal investigation for possible Medicare fraud.

Sun Wakes Up: Aurora Alert After Biggest Solar Flare Of 2025

After a period of quiet on the surface of the sun, everything changed this week with the strongest solar flare of 2025 and coronal mass ejections that could spark Northern Lights in the coming nights. On May 13 and May 14, NASA spotted X1.2 and X2.7 solar flares, the strongest since March 28 and 2025 so far. Solar flares are unpredictable and intense bursts of energy and electromagnetic radiation from the sun's surface. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength, according to NASA. There were also two slightly weaker M-class solar flares, rated M5.3 and M4.7, on May 14. Spaceweather.com. Most of the activity is coming from a new sunspot called 4087, which has appeared on the left-hand side of the sun as we see it, according to

x “A major survey of 12,000 reveals that 39% of Parisians are regular cyclists. The study also highlights the rapid development of infrastructure in the capital, which is behind this cycling boom!” Posted by the City of Paris (aka @paris.fr) Leadership. — Brent Toderian (@brenttoderian.bsky.social) 2025-05-15T04:26:53.510Z

Lawmakers move forward on unprecedented measure that will impact anyone visiting Hawaiʻi: 'No other state has done something of this magnitude'

The Hawaiʻi state legislature has approved a landmark bill to help the state protect itself from the changing climate and protect its uniquely beautiful landscape and wildlife. According to Honolulu Civil Beat, the Hawaiʻi legislature passed a long-discussed visitor "green fee" to help pay for conservation efforts in the state and protect its environment. Under the new bill, visitors to the islands will pay a 0.75% tax on their hotel and short-term rental stays, and cruise ships that dock in Hawaiʻi will apply the same tax to their travelers as well.

A college student disappeared without a trace over 50 years ago. His remains were just found.

Remains found in Salt Lake City belong to a University of Utah student who disappeared without a trace more than 50 years ago, police officials say. Douglas Brick, a former student at the University of Utah, disappeared on Oct. 12, 1973, according to information from police and the school in Salt Lake City. Brick was reportedly last seen leaving his dorm. Major Heather Sturzenegger with the University of Utah Police told USA TODAY that Brick − a Pocatello, Idaho native − was a 23-year-old senior when he went missing. The case went cold for years but in 2022, according to a university news release, crime data analyst, Nikol Mitchell reopened the cold case while working in Utah’s Statewide Information and Analysis Center.

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