(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Overnight News Digest: Who will call me dad? [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-02-26 BBC Ahmad al-Ghuferi missed the bomb that obliterated his family. When 103 relatives were killed in a strike on their family home in Gaza City, he was stuck 50 miles (80km) away, in the occupied West Bank town of Jericho. Ahmad had been working on a Tel Aviv construction site when Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October - unable to return to his wife and three young daughters because of the war that followed, and Israel's military blockade. He spoke to them at the same time every day, when the phone connections allowed, and was on the phone to his wife, Shireen, as the attack happened on the evening of 8 December. "She knew she would die," he said. "She told me to forgive her for anything bad she might ever have done to me. I told her there was no need to say that. And that was the last call between us." This is an open thread where everyone is welcome, especially night owls and early birds, to share and discuss the happenings of the day. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments. BBC A New York City medical school will offer students free tuition following a $1bn donation from the 93-year-old widow of a major Wall Street investor. The gift to Albert Einstein College of Medicine came from Dr Ruth Gottesman, a former professor at the Bronx school. It is one of the largest ever donations made to a US school and is the largest ever made to a medical school. The Bronx, New York City's poorest borough, is ranked as the unhealthiest of New York's 62 counties. In a statement, university dean Dr Yaron Yomer said that the "transformational" gift "radically revolutionises our ability to continue attracting students who are committed to our mission, not just those who can afford it". Tuition at the school is nearly $59,000 each year, leaving students with substantial debt. NPR Aaron Bushnell, 25, died in the hospital after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Sunday in what he said on social media was an act of protest against Israel's war in Gaza. Bushnell was an active duty member of the U.S. Air Force and based in San Antonio, Texas, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department said. He was pronounced dead at 8:06 p.m. ET Sunday. On Sunday, the U.S. Secret Service said it was responding to reports of an individual experiencing a possible medical or mental health emergency. Local police arrived around 1 p.m. NPR On a late autumn day, a team of forestry workers spreads out among the burned trunks of giant sequoia trees. The 1,000-year-old trees in the grove are dead but still standing, killed in an extreme wildfire that raced through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. In the shadow of one of the trees, the crew gets to work, pulling tiny, 4-inch seedlings out of bags clipped to their belts and tucking them into the dirt. "Wish it some luck and that's it," says Micah Craig of the Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps, standing back to look at the young sequoia. He then grabs another seedling, part of a historic planting effort that the National Park Service hopes will be enough to preserve one of the world's most iconic species. Deutsche Welle With the death of Alexei Navalny, Russia has lost Vladimir Putin's best known rival β€” but also unexpectedly gained a new symbol of resistance. In an emotional video posted in the days after his death on February 16, Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnayapledged to continue her husband's fight against the regime and urged others to fight "harder, more desperately and more fiercely," than before. "I know it already appears impossible to do more, but more is needed. To join up into a single powerful fist and strike their insane regime β€” Putin, his friends, the bandits in uniforms, thieves and murderers who have crippled our country," she said in a video on Navalny's YouTube channel. Navalnaya said her husband was "unbreakable." "And that's exactly why [Vladimir] Putin killed him β€” shamefully, cowardly, without ever looking him in the eye," she said. Deutsche Welle For the first time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presented his Security Cabinet with a plan for managing the Gaza Strip after the end of the war against the militant Islamist group Hamas. The Israel-Hamas war began after the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on October 7. According to Israeli figures, around 1,160 people were killed and some 250 hostages were taken to Gaza. Israel believes that around 130 hostages are still being held by Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, Israel and other states. The Palestinian death toll since the start of the war has exceeded 29,500, with close to 70,000 wounded, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Widespread destruction has led to dire humanitarian conditions. The Guardian, Europe Ed. note: Check out some of the photos at the link. It’s worth it. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2024/2/26/2225970/-Overnight-News-Digest-Who-will-call-me-dad Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/