First immigrant in ICE custody tests positive for coronavirus in New Jersey
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
This development highlights the criminal lack of basic sanitation that the Trump administration maintains in immigrant detention centers, as well as the ruling class\' callous disregard for public health.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/berg-m26.html

The Corona Virus & Immigration
Conn Hallinan | zcomm.org | 2020-03-26
How Austerity and Anti-immigrant Politics Left Italy Exposed…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-corona-virus-immigration/

Helping migrant shipwreck survivors to deal with trauma
news.un.org | 2020-03-26
Every year, migrants embarking on sea-crossings see their journey end in tragedy: those who survive and return home can struggle to cope with daily life, and need support. To help migrant returnees, the UN has a range of programs aimed at tackling the mental health side-effects of trauma.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060192

Julian Assange\'s bail request denied despite coronavirus risk
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
Judge Vanessa Baraitser\'s refusal came amid mounting calls for the release of vulnerable, low-risk prisoners from the UK\'s overcrowded and woefully unprepared prison systems during the coronavirus crisis.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/assa-m26.html

\"Forced labor\" stories on China brought to you by US government, NATO and arms industry to drive Cold War PR blitz
Ajit Singh | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-26
A new wave of media reports on Chinese forced labor relies almost entirely on a series of dubious studies by…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/26/forced-labor-china-us-nato-arms-industry-cold-war/

Webinar: Coronavirus: Time to End US Sanctions on Iran
Peace Action Massachusetts | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
Online webinar via ZOOM…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/25/18831820.php

Technology of Death: The Not-So-Shocking Report on Israeli Weapons Exports
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
The Middle East region, battered by wars and adjoining humanitarian crises that have left millions of people stateless, hungry and diseased, is in urgent need for peace, security and reconstruction. Thanks to the US, Russian, French, Israeli and other weapons manufacturers, however, it is now the dumping ground for military hardware, an ominous sign for…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/technology-of-death-the-not-so-shocking-report-on-israeli-weapons-exports/

Webinar: Decarceration in the time of COVID – 19 with Ivette Ale from JusticeLA
San Jose Peace & Justice Center | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
Online event…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/25/18831822.php

The Shit Has Hit the Fan: Shut the Country Down to Save Lives
Peter Crowley | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
All my life fear is all I\'ve heard. Fear the immigrant, Muslims, foreignness, black people protesting, black athletes kneeling during the Anthem, germs, foreign travel to non-Western countries, terrorism, etc., etc. Before 9/11, as a teen in the late 1990s, it was fear of marijuana, public welfare abuse and, as always, inclement weather. There is…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/the-shit-has-hit-the-fan-shut-the-country-down-to-save-lives/

First of its kind \'Virtual G20\': Can world leaders agree on a global response to Covid-19 with online diplomacy?
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Heads of state will meet for a \'Virtual G20\' summit in a few hours to work out a global response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It comes as markets crash, supply chains falter, and a worldwide economic downturn looms. | For the first time in history, there will be no government planes touching down in the host city, no police blocking roads, no hotels full to the brim with the bodyguards of world leaders

Strikes, protests spread as US workers demand protection from COVID-19
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
Even as Trump rushes to resume full production, tens of thousands of workers in the US and around the world are refusing to die for the sake of corporate profits.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/work-m26.html

A Triage Crisis is Coming, and It\'s Personal
Dave Lindorff | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
I\'m sitting here self-quarantined with my family in our 1738 stone farmhouse just north of Philadelphia. It\'s an ancient building that I\'m sure has known its share of epidemics over the centuries, including typhus and the deadly 1918 Spanish Flu. Right now I\'m thinking about hospital triage. According to the New York Times, hospitals in…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/a-triage-crisis-is-coming-and-its-personal/

What the Government Must Do Now About Coronavirus
Ted Rall | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
Americans don\'t expect much from their government. But even by the standards of a nation with one of the flimsiest social safety nets in the Western world, the inability and unwillingness of both major political parties to manage and solve the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic is shocking. President Trump\'s lack of leadership is…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/what-the-government-must-do-now-about-coronavirus/

West Bank woman is first Palestinian to die from COVID-19
Ali Abunimah | zcomm.org | 2020-03-26
Israel has not eased up on its abuses of Palestinians despite the pandemic. In one shocking incident on Monday, a Palestinian laborer with flu-like symptoms and a fever was dumped at a West Bank checkpoint by Israeli police…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/west-bank-woman-is-first-palestinian-to-die-from-covid-19/

Media Struggle to Defend Washington\'s Cruelty
Joe Emersberger | zcomm.org | 2020-03-26
U.S sanctions toward Venezuela and Iran continue as Coronavirus Spreads…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/media-struggle-to-defend-washingtons-cruelty/

Eight Day Journey from Hong Kong to Chile, Covid-19 on my Tail
Andre Vltchek | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-26
Imagine that you are in Hong Kong, in a city where \"you are actually not supposed to be\", in the first place. You are ready to go home, to South America. But just two days before your departure, via Seoul and Amsterdam, your first Sky Team carrier, Korean Air, unceremoniously decides to cancel all flights …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/03/eight-day-journey-from-hong-kong-to-chile-covid-19-on-my-tail/

Cuba\'s Coronavirus Response Is Putting Other Countries to Shame
Ben Burgis | zcomm.org | 2020-03-26
Cuba is caricatured by the Right as a totalitarian hellhole. But its response to the coronavirus pandemic

Bailouts Are Coming. Here\'s How to Make Them Fair
Bryce Covert, The Nation | thenation.com | 2020-03-26
Bailouts Are Coming. Here\'s How to Make Them Fair.
thenation.com/article/politics/coronavirus-bailouts-stimulus-workers/

Venezuela\'s Coronavirus Response Might Surprise You
Leonardo Flores | zcomm.org | 2020-03-26
Venezuelans waiting to go home understand that their chances of surviving the coronavirus

Pop star Britney Spears social media posts go viral after telling public to \"re-distribute wealth\" and \"strike\"
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
The Instagram post has been shared millions of times in a widespread reaction to the coronavirus pandemic and efforts by the ruling elite to dump the crisis on the back of the working class.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/brit-m26.html

Moscow bans all regular, charter flights starting March 27, except those bringing Russians home
rt.com | 2020-03-26
The Russian government is banning all regular and charter international flights starting Friday, except those bringing citizens home, as part of measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. | . | Russia\'s aerial borders will go on lockdown starting Friday, so far without a resumption date. | The cabinet also requested that the Foreign Ministry assist Russian citizens abroad until their return home. Russian embassies around the world will receive additional funds to provide support. | So far, 652 Covid-19 cases have been registered in Russia, with more than half of those infected in Moscow. | The ban on flig…
rt.com/russia/484121-moscow-bans-flights-coronavirus/

Iran\'s coronavirus death toll reaches 2,234 with 157 new fatalities
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Covid-19 has now killed 2,234 people in Iran, with 29,406 infected, the health authorities said, as the country remains the worst-hit by the disease in the Middle East. | …
rt.com/news/484147-iran-coronavirus-death-travel/

Covid-19 deaths pass 4,000 in Spain as Europe passes chilling 250,000 mark of those infected
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Spain has reported a sharp rise in fatalities from coronavirus since the outbreak began. The overall number of infections has also soared by more than 8,000 over the past 24 hours, officials revealed. | …
rt.com/news/484155-spain-4000-deaths-coronavirus/

\'Covid-19 could be seasonal\': Fauci warns coronavirus is likely to return in \'CYCLES\', stresses need for vaccine
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Even if the US and other nations battling Covid-19 succeed in beating it back, the illness may return in yearly cycles, warned Anthony Fauci, a top expert on the US coronavirus task force, urging for the fast rollout of a vaccine. | …
rt.com/usa/484116-fauci-coronavirus-seasonal-cycles/

Moscow shuts down all non-essential shops & restaurants to stop spread of Covid-19
rt.com | 2020-03-26
All restaurants, cafes, and shops, except food stores, will be closed in the Russia capital from March 28 to April 5. The mayor also advised Muscovites to refrain from visiting places of worship amid the Covid-19 epidemic. | Restaurants and cafes will still be able to provide take-away food and delivery service, the order by Mayor Sergey Sobyanin read. | The restrictions also include barber shops, spas, massage parlors, as well as baths and saunas. | Access to parks, including Gorky Park and the All-Russian Exhibition Center, will be barred during the upcoming week due to the epidemic. | \"I understand the feel…
rt.com/russia/484133-moscow-shops-restaurants-coronavirus/

Leaked government report warns of tens of thousands of deaths in one Canadian province
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
An internal Saskatchewan Health Authority report has warned that the rapid spread of the coronavirus would overwhelm the province\'s health care system and result in 9,000 to 15,000 people dying due to COVID-19.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/caco-m26.html

S.F. has 8,000 Homeless, 30,000 empty homes, 42,000 empty hotel rooms
repost | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
We are now seeing the boarding up of businesses in San Francisco, including the huge Sir Francis Drake Hotel near Union Square due to loss of tourist business. Meanwhile, San Francisco has an estimated 8,000 homeless, 30,000 empty homes and 42,000 empty hotel rooms. The homeless must be housed right now to save their lives from the coronavirus and to stop the epidemic. At sfunitedincrisis.org/, 100 medical professionals have a letter with their recommendations.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/25/18831811.php

G20 leaders to convene remotely, discuss coronavirus pandemic, economic impacts
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Leaders from the Group of 20 major economies will speak by video link on Thursday about combating the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impacts. Global infections top 471,000 with more than 21,000 dead, according to Reuters. | G20 finance ministers and central bankers agreed this week to develop an \"action plan\" to respond to the outbreak, which the International Monetary Fund expects will trigger a global recession. Few details, however, have been offered so far. | World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will address the leaders to seek support for ramping up funding and prod…
rt.com/newsline/484134-g20-leaders-convene-pandemic/

IMF and World Bank Ask G20 to Halt Debt Collection for Poor Countries
Kate Zeller | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
The International Monetary Fund asked G20 countries and other lending countries to stop collecting debt from poor countries due to the coronavirus pandemic.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/25/18831803.php

Australia unprepared for surge as coronavirus infections, fatalities mount
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
Even before a dramatic spike in hospitalisations, there are shortages of protective masks and other essential equipment.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/auvi-m26.html

Santa Cruz Police Prohibit Food Distribution to Homeless at Town Clock
Santa Cruz News | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
Santa Cruz Chief of Police Andrew Mills has addressed a cease and desist letter to Keith McHenry, the co-founder of Food Not Bombs, demanding McHenry, \"cease feeding people at the clock tower immediately.\" Additionally, Police have issued a public notice to vacate the area of the Town Clock, which states that all personal belongings must be removed from the park by March 25 at 9 am. Since the Coronavirus/COVID-19 shelter in place order issued by the County took effect on March 17, Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs and the Santa Cruz Chapter of the Homeless Union have been sharing food in downtown Santa Cruz around the cl…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/24/18831778.php

Amidst Coronavirus, It\'s Time to Heal the U.S.\'s Domestic and International Reputation
Greta Zarro | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
It is in times of crisis, like the growing coronavirus pandemic, that deep structural inequities and the U.S. government\'s mismanagement of funds are starkly revealed. Half of all Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Half a million Americans sleep out on the streets. Thirty million Americans don\'t have health insurance. Forty-five million are burdened with $1.6…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/amidst-coronavirus-its-time-to-heal-the-u-s-s-domestic-and-international-reputation/

Global stock markets down on expectations of negative US jobs data
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Global market sentiment has declined ahead of the latest US jobless claims data that is expected to show a massive spike in unemployment claims after businesses stateside shut down in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. | Some experts suggest record unemployment numbers in the US, with Citi as the most bearish, projecting roughly four million claims. | The pan-European Stoxx 600 dropped 1.5 percent in early trade on Thursday, with basic resources tumbling 2.7 percent to lead losses as all sectors and major bourses plunged into negative territory. | Britain\'s FTSE 100 index shed almost three percent a…
rt.com/business/484135-european-markets-open-lower/

Black Rock Profits in a Time of Crisis
Nancy Mancias | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
With little government support and corporate accountability, humanitarian aid workers are scrambling to address the refugee crisis in the wake of the global pandemic, COVID-19 (coronavirus). The outbreak of the coronavirus comes at a time when there is a great influx of war and economic refugees migrating to Europe. Despite Turkey\'s efforts to host millions…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/black-rock-profits-in-a-time-of-crisis/

8 Nations Address Letter to UN Chief Urging Sanctions Be Lifted
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-26
Venezuela has joined Wednesday China, Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, and Nicaragua in their plea to United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to urge the United States (U.S.) to remove its illegal economic sanctions on these countries amid the coronavirus global pandemic. | RELATED: | Iran: Campaign to Lift US Sanctions Gets Around 100K Signatures | \"Today we have a common enemy. As you\'ve already recognized, it\'s a time to prepare, to step up and incre…
telesurenglish.net/news/8-Nations-Address-Letter-to-UN-Chief-Urging-Sanctions-Be-Lifted–20200325-0024.html

Nashville, Tennessee mayor issues business-friendly \"safer at home\" order in face of coronavirus pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
The state\'s Governor Bill Lee also suggested that workers and their families seek solace in prayer during the growing public health disaster.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/tenn-m26.html

Sri Lankan workers and young people endorse SEP\'s election program
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
\"The coronavirus pandemic has proven that the nation-state system is irrational.\"
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/slin-m26.html

US military confirms 1st Covid-19 case INSIDE Pentagon after Marine tests positive
rt.com | 2020-03-26
A US Marine has become the first confirmed carrier of the coronavirus within the Pentagon\'s walls, with the US military announcing that a serviceman has gone into self-isolation after testing positive this week. | The officer\'s test for Covid-19 came back positive earlier this week, Captain Monica Witt, a spokesman for the US Marine Corps, confirmed Wednesday, according to Defense One. | The Marine is believed to have contracted the deadly illness sweeping through all 50 American states from his spouse, who was displaying flu-like symptoms. Assigned to the plans, policy and operations office of the Marine Corp…
rt.com/usa/484117-pentagon-coronavirus-case-first/

Strikes mount across Europe against official response to coronavirus pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
There is growing mistrust and social anger among workers against governments, trade unions and financial markets trying to force them back to work amid the pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/euro-m26.html

US coronavirus deaths top 1,000 as the country waits for $2.2 trillion economic rescue package
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Deaths from Covid-19 have surpassed 1,000, according to a widely-cited tally, a worrying benchmark in the ongoing health crisis as Washington rushes to provide economic relief to the country\'s battered economy. | The United States saw its 1,000th fatality on Wednesday night, according to Johns Hopkins University. Confirmed cases have also continued to grow, reaching more than 69,000 by Thursday. The US reported its first case of the virus at the end of February. | The milestone coincided with a unanimous vote in the Senate to pass a $2.2 trillion bill designed to provide badly-needed economic aid to the countr…
rt.com/usa/484129-coronavirus-us-deaths-1000-top/

Senate passes $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill bogged down by days of partisan wrangling
rt.com | 2020-03-26
US senators have passed a much-delayed $2 trillion stimulus bill, aimed at bolstering the economy while the country is rattled by coronavirus lockdowns. The mammoth package was approved after days of bitter partisan fighting. | Senators moved to vote on the bill late Wednesday night after the last hurdle preventing its passage

Coronavirus and Climate Change: 6 Ways the Trump Administration Has Botched Responses to Both
Dawn Stover | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-26
Here in Washington state, a spokesman for the nursing home that is the epicenter of a coronavirus outbreak said on Sunday that he and his colleagues \"had seen some residents go from no symptoms to death in just a matter …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-climate-change-6-ways-trump-administration-botched-responses-both/5707591

Russia confirms 182 new Covid-19 cases, bringing total to 840
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Russia has 182 new cases of coronavirus, according to the country\'s official tally. Most of the new cases were recorded in Moscow. This, as Russia shutters international flights to stop the spread of the virus. | The new infections bring the nation\'s tally to 840. The vast majority of the new cases, 136, were reported in Moscow. | The Russian government announced on Thursday that it would ban all regular and charter international flights starting Friday. Only flights bringing citizens home from abroad will be allowed. | Non-essential businesses in the Russian capital, including restaurants and cafes, will be c…
rt.com/russia/484137-russia-coronavirus-new-infections/

Indian prime minister\'s coronavirus lockdown threatens social disaster for millions
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
Modi has not outlined any comprehensive program to deal with enormous difficulties that millions of workers and rural poor will face.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/indi-m26.html

San Francisco Dept of Public Health Site Offers Help to Everyone
Solidarity Around the World | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
San Francisco now has 178 Coronavirus cases and for the first time today, 1 death. See the Department of Public Health website at www.sfdph.org/dph/alerts/coronavirus.asp The same website has all kinds of helpful tips good for everyone, no matter where you live, translated into Chinese, Filipino, Spanish, Arabic and Vietnamese.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/25/18831802.php

Business as Usual: Coronavirus, Iran and US Sanctions
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
Never discount the importance of venality in international relations. While pandemics should provide the glue for a unified front in response

Truth or Consequences
George Ochenski | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
As calls ramp up for the nation\'s leaders to deal with the coronavirus pandemic as if we were at war, it\'s worth remembering the advice Aeschylus, the Greek tragedy playwright, gave nearly 2,500 years ago: \"In war, truth is the first casualty.\" Indeed, if there\'s been one thing notoriously lacking in the months since the…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/truth-or-consequences-2/

Russia\'s unexpected advantage in the oil price war
rt.com | 2020-03-26
The global economic downturn due to coronavirus and the breakup of OPEC+ has sent the ruble tumbling, which could give Russia an unexpected advantage in the oil price war. | While the ruble is now at its lowest level against the dollar in four years, the cheaper ruble has a silver lining for Russia\'s oil producers in the oil price war for market share with Saudi Arabia. The collapse of the OPEC+ deal and oil prices has hit Russia\'s financial markets and currency, leading to a sharp drop in the ruble versus the US dollar. The lower the ruble slides against the US dollar, the lower the production costs of Russia…
rt.com/business/484130-russia-saudi-oil-price/

Africa records over 2,400 cases of COVID-19
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
An international and coordinated struggle against the spread of coronavirus on the African continent is an urgent necessity.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/afri-m26.html

(Cheesecake) Factory workers unite! Netizens cheer after California-based eatery says it won\'t pay rent amid virus-induced slump
rt.com | 2020-03-26
While many imagined revolution might arise from a factory, few thought the Cheesecake Factory would fit the bill, but the firm has inspired scores of netizens after refusing to pay its landlords, some vowing to join in solidarity. | As Covid-19 brings swathes of the US economy to a standstill, workers and businesses alike have taken a beating, many facing layoffs and closed doors as the pandemic sweeps the country. The downturn has prompted the Cheesecake Factory