Phyllis Bennis (2020-05-18). Sanctions in the Era of Pandemic. zcomm.org From Venezuela to Iran, Washington\'s illegal and inhumane economic sanctions are putting millions of lives at risk…

Rev. William Alberts (2020-05-18). Unmasking the \"Wartime President\" counterpunch.org There is an insidious attempt by President Trump to manipulate workers and consumers into believing they are \"warriors,\" fighting to save the American economy from the coronavirus. His aim is to motivate citizens to return to work and to shop prematurely, in the belief that they are saving the country, when, in fact, their unnecessary

Joe Piette (2020-05-18). Philadelphia: #FreeBlackMamas demand prisoner release. workers.org Philadelphia Protesters, led by currently and formerly incarcerated women, trans and non gender-binary people, held a rally on May 15 in a city park next to Riverside Correctional Facility to demand the release of people held in Philadelphia jails and an end to unjust cash bail. The action featured speeches . . . |

Ted Kelly (2020-05-18). The Nakba: 72 years of ongoing catastrophe. workers.org May 15 is the day commemorating Youm al-Nakba, the Day of Catastrophe, when white European settlers declared war on the people of Palestine in 1948. In the violence that immediately followed the settlers\' so-called \"independence\" declaration, at least 700,000 Palestinians were forced out of their homes, and hundreds of towns . . . |

Editor (2020-05-18). An all-too-familiar occurrence. workers.org Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician in Louisville, Ky., was killed by eight police bullets as she lay in her bed at 1 a.m. on March 13. Breonna Taylor This tragic incident is an all-too-familiar event. Another young Black person has died at the hands of the shoot-first, ask-questions-later . . . |

Michael Otto (2020-05-18). Ecuador regime wages \'war against workers\' — Part 2. workers.org Ibarra, Ecuador Part 1, \"Ecuador\'s pandemic: Rightist regime fails to confront crisis,\" is available at workers.org. In a \"war against workers,\" President Lenín Moreno\'s regime is exploiting the pandemic crisis to advance the same International Monetary Fund austerity package that provoked the great uprising in Ecuador the first week of . . . |

Betsey Piette (2020-05-18). On anniversary of historic bombing: MOVE\'s message is \'Free Mumia!\'. workers.org Philadelphia May 13 was an historic and emotionally charged day as the city of Philadelphia took time to commemorate the horrific bombing of the MOVE family 35 years ago. Police dropped a C4 military-grade bomb on their west Philadelphia home, killing six adults and five children. City officials, including then . . . |

Karl Grossman (2020-05-18). The Coming Nuclear Menace: Hypersonic Missiles. counterpunch.org The United States is seeking to acquire \"volumes of hundreds or even thousands\" of nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles that are \"stealthy\" and can fly undetected at 3,600 miles per hour, five times faster than the speed of sound. Why so many? A Pentagon official is quoted in the current issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology as saying \"we have to be careful we\'re not building boutique weapons. If we build boutique weapons, we won\'t—we\'ll be very reluctant to—use them.\" |

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2020-05-18). War and Power in Classical Greece: Lessons for Superpowers and the World. counterpunch.org Prologue Humans have had almost ceaseless difficulties in working and living together. Superstition, religious ideas, race, geography, ownership of land, and language engulf them so much, they often fail to extend a friendly hand to people who don\'t fit their schizophrenia of who among humans is like them. This culture has been generating a deadly

Eds. (2020-05-18). Trump unveils plan that would see Big Pharma reap massive profits from COVID-19 vaccine. mronline.org President Trump has revealed a plan to mobilize the US military to deliver mass vaccinations across the country, coupled with Operation Warp Speed, a \"Manhattan project-style\" race to produce a COVID-19 vaccine.

Benjamin Willis (2020-05-18). Unsettling Noises: Locked Down in Queens. counterpunch.org For the past nine weeks an eerie silence has descended upon my neighborhood, as it has for much of the rest of New York City. Being a musician, I am extremely aware of my sonic environment at all times and the soundscape of the city has abruptly changed since even a week before the Stay-at-Home order was given on March 22nd. Gone are the honking horns and idling engines in snarled traffic. I don\'t hear the traffic helicopter hovering overhead daily anymore. The incessant roar of the turbines from the high volume of commercial airliners coming in and out of nearby LaGuardia and JFK airports has been replaced by bi…

Staff (2020-05-18). COVID-19 Exposes The Generational Injustices That Demand Reparations. therealnews.com Generations of racism created the conditions that made African Americans more susceptible to COVID-19, and reparations are the way to address that injustice.

Patrick Cockburn (2020-05-18). Trump\'s Megalomania and Boris Johnson\'s Incompetence Have Only Increased in COVID Pandemic. counterpunch.org It was the pandemic that turned Trump\'s and Johnson\'s character and behavioural flaws into lethal failings that have since killed many people. Both had risen to power by skilfully exploiting nativist fears and ambitions and scapegoating foreigners at home and abroad. They had become like a pair of conmen who have been successfully peddling lies and fantasies, but who must suddenly grapple with a highly-dangerous reality.

Douglas Bevington (2020-05-18). Taking the Air out of Balloon Pollution: Grassroots Environmental Activist of the Year Danielle Vosburgh. counterpunch.org Danielle Vosburgh has been selected as the Fund for Wild Nature\'s Grassroots Activist of the Year for 2020. Danielle is co-founder of the Florida-based grassroots group Balloons Blow, which opposes helium balloon releases and their harmful impact on wildlife. Discarded balloons are particularly dangerous for animals living in the ocean. When balloons deflate and fall

Rashid Nuri (2020-05-18). Covid-19, Big Ag and the Failing Food System. counterpunch.org Big Ag has separated humankind from the process of creating food that sustains existence. This separation has been done for material gain. Big Ag has interrupted the most natural relationship, a spiritual relationship, between humanity and the land. This human/land connection supersedes all religions. It is humankind\'s association with land that feeds us and fortifies

Alan MacLeod (2020-05-18). Latin America Braces for Major Spike in COVID-19 Cases. thealtworld.com Many Latin American countries have been hollowed out after decades of neoliberal \"reforms,\" leaving them weaker than ever. | MPN— Latin America appears to be on a precipice, about to lose what little control over the COVID-19 pandemic it had. Across the region, daily positive tests are

Stephanie Kenific (2020-05-18). Chicago nursing home workers achieve historic contract. liberationnews.org Nursing homes are among the places hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eds. (2020-05-18). UK COVID-19 Death-toll now exceeds 61,000. mronline.org The public, according to incessant government polling and monitoring of the public mood through focus groups and mass data has confirmed that the nation is quickly being \'traumatised\' by the UK\'s experience of the pandemic.

Maxximilian Seijo (2020-05-18). Coordination Beyond the Corporation with Sanjukta Paul. mronline.org In this episode, Maxx and Scott speak with legal scholar Sanjukta Paul about imagining alternative and more just forms of economic association in ways that denaturalize the 20th-century monopolistic firm. The key, Paul argues, is to reveal and contest the public \"coordination rights\" that legally structure all economic activity. Sanjukta Paul is Assistant Professor of …

Staff (2020-05-18). Climate Music To Soothe And Terrify You. therealnews.com Imagine if the climate crisis was a musical composition oscillating between musical highs and lows, between hope and despair. The ClimateMusic Project, in collaboration with Richard Festinger, a music composer and educator, has written the \"science-guided\" musical composition The composition was recently performed by San Francisco\'s Telegraph Quartet to celebrate Earth Day on April 22 in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). | \"Icarus in Flight\" premiered in 2018…

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-18). North Colombia paramilitaries had access to classified US counternarcotics documents: report. colombiareports.com A paramilitary group from northern Colombia had access to classified information from Colombian and international counternarcotics agencies allowing it to avoid drug seizures, according to Noticias Uno. According to the…

Staff (2020-05-18). How Democracy Falls In East Europe And The Balkans. therealnews.com Freedom House says Eastern European and Balkans democracies are in danger. COVID-19 has opened the door to surveillance, and threatens democracies from Hungary to India to Israel.

Staff (2020-05-18). Stir Crazy! Episode #36: Slaves To The Economy. therealnews.com On today\'s show: Incoming TRNN Executive Director John Duda, PERI Gender and Care Work Program economist Katherine Moos, and Economic Update host and founder of Democracy at Work Richard Wolff. Hosted by Kim Brown.

Eds. (2020-05-18). Freedom Rider: New attacks on Venezuela. mronline.org The Democratic Party\'s \"left\" wing is mute on the latest US aggression against the people and government of Venezuela, thus giving assent to Trump by their silence.

Staff (2020-05-18). How Will COVID-19 Change the World? Historian Frank Snowden on Epidemics From the Black Death to Now. democracynow.org Pandemics, like revolution, war and economic crises, are key determinants of historic change. We look at the history of epidemics, from Black Death to smallpox to COVID-19, and discuss how the coronavirus will reshape the world with leading medical historian Frank Snowden, author of \"Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present.\" He is a professor emeritus at Yale University who has been in Italy since the pandemic began, and himself survived a COVID-19 infection.

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-18). Profiting From Coronavirus. strategic-culture.org Much has been written about the possibility for a new and better kind of world to emerge after coronavirus. Yet our governments cannot conceive of any model for fighting this threat to the whole world, other than the capitalist, money-making model. The much-touted \"race to develop a vaccine\" is not a race to save lives. It is a race to make billions.

The Canary (2020-05-18). Loss of smell or taste added to NHS Covid-19 symptoms list. thecanary.co A loss or changed sense of taste or smell are to be added to the NHS coronavirus symptoms list, weeks after experts first raised concerns that Covid-19 cases are being missed.Anyone suffering loss of taste or smell, or a noticeable change, should now self-isolate for seven days to reduce the risk of spreading the infection, England\'s deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said.If the symptomatic person lives with others, they should stay at home for seven days, while all other household members should stay home for 14 days even if they do not have symptoms.The move means loss of smell or taste w…

The Canary (2020-05-18). Liz Truss trumpets benefits of UK-US trade deal for \'workers, consumers and farmers\'. thecanary.co The UK and US hope trade talks can proceed at an \"accelerated pace\" to deliver a \"comprehensive\" deal, Liz Truss said after the first round of transatlantic negotiations. | The International Trade Secretary said both sides wanted a deal to deliver benefits for workers, consumers and farmers. | Critics have warned that striking a deal will require Britain to accept looser US food and environmental standards, as well as opening up the NHS to American firms — something the government denies. | Truss said that during the talks, conducted remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic, \"a number of areas showed partic…

RT (2020-05-19). \'Potential benefit outweighed the risk': Trump\'s doctor pens letter in defense of HCQ, Twitter still unconvinced he takes it. rt.com With media and online pundits going into a full-blown meltdown after US President Donald Trump said that he was taking hydroxychloroquine as a prophylaxis against coronavirus, his doctor issued a statement in support of the drug. | Trump\'s admission late Monday that he has been taking the experimental drug, originally designed to treat malaria and several other conditions, has caught many off-guard, spawning a torrent of reactions online. | pic.twitter.com/o9DQrfSjJH— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) May 19,…

RT (2020-05-19). \'Rotten from the top\': Sexual harassment \'RAMPANT\' at McDonald\'s, international labor group tells OECD in complaint. rt.com An international group of labor unions has filed a complaint alleging \"systemic\" and \"rampant\" sexual harassment at McDonald\'s restaurants around the globe, arguing the corporate fast food giant has ignored the problem for years. | The complaint was filed with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Monday by the International Union of Food Workers (IUF), which said McDonald\'s had allowed a \"sexual harassment crisis\" to persist in restaurants all over the world, including in the US, Brazil, Australia, France, the UK, Chile and Colombia, among other countries. | \"McDonald\'s workers h…

The Canary (2020-05-18). Labour brands new immigration legislation a \'threat to national interest\'. thecanary.co Ministers have been accused of \"rank hypocrisy\" over their attitude to key workers as Labour claimed new immigration legislation would make it harder to fill NHS roles.The government\'s measures to replace European Union freedom of movement rules in the UK face their first Commons hurdle on Monday.The Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) bill is part of the move towards the government\'s new points-based immigration system, to be introduced from 2021, although it does not set out the details on this. | These will be fleshed out in the immigration rules, which will explain the future system…

RT (2020-05-18). Hungarian govt to table motion on May 26 to end its emergency powers — Orban aide. rt.com Hungary\'s government will submit a proposal to parliament on May 26 to end its special coronavirus emergency powers, Prime Minister Viktor Orban\'s chief of staff was quoted by media as saying. Gergely Gulyas put a date on a similar statement by Orban on Friday, Reuters reports. | Parliament would take a few days to pass the bill, which will end the emergency powers by early June, according to Gulyas. | No end date was set when parliament gave the government permission to rule by decree in matters related to the coronavirus.

RT (2020-05-18). 'S**t show of dynamic proportions': UK govt admits NHS Covid-19 tracing app still 'weeks' away from launch despite mid-May pledge. rt.com Downing Street has admitted that the NHS Covid-19 tracing app is still \"weeks\" away from being rolled out nationwide — despite previously saying that it would be launched in mid-May — prompting a scathing response from critics. | The delay in the rollout of the NHS app, currently being trialed on the Isle of Wight, is the latest setback for the UK government, which has been widely criticized for failing to hit a number of targets and causing unnecessary confusion throughout the coronavirus pandemic. | During a Downing Street media briefing on Monday, a spokesman for PM Boris Johnson appeared to pla…

RT (2020-05-18). Italian lawmaker demands Bill Gates be ARRESTED for \'crimes against humanity\'… But WHY? rt.com An Italian lawmaker has managed to bring the conspiracy blame-game to an entirely new level, exercising her parliamentary privilege to blast Bill Gates as a \"vaccine criminal\" and globalist tool. | Bill Gates and his latest anti-coronavirus efforts have been at the center of the wildest theories that explore possible sinister motives behind the billionaire\'s activities. In arguably the most high-profile outcry last week, an Italian MP for Rome Sara Cunial delivered a speech rarely (if ever at all) heard in any parliament. | In her passionate address, Cunial called upon fellow lawmakers to defy any plans for…

RT (2020-05-18). Erdogan LOCKS DOWN Turkey for Eid holidays over fears Muslim celebrations may turn into Covid-19 disaster. rt.com Turkey\'s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a strict four-day nationwide lockdown during the upcoming Eid al-Fitr celebrations. The move comes in an effort to prevent a possible spike in coronavirus cases. | The decision was announced by Turkey\'s leader on Monday. The lockdown will come into effect on May 23, when Muslims worldwide will start celebrating the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. | \"I hope that after the holiday we\'ll be in a situation when such restrictions are not needed,\" Erdogan stated. | The Eid al-Fitr is a major holiday in Turkey, where Sunni Muslims are a majority, and peo…

RT (2020-05-18). \'I\'m still here\': Trump reveals he\'s been taking Hydroxychloroquine against Covid-19. rt.com US President Donald Trump shocked reporters by revealing that he has been taking the anti-malaria drug Hydroxychloroquine as a preventative against the coronavirus, following the advice of the White House physician. | \"I\'ve been taking it for about a week and a half now and I\'m still here,\" he said on Monday, following a meeting with governors at the White House. \"I was just waiting to see your eyes light up when I said this,\" he told the reporter asking the question. | Asked what evidence he had that the drug was helpful, Trump said \"I get a lot of positive calls about it,\" before adding, \"What do you have to…

RT (2020-05-18). Pompeo throws yet another accusation at WHO for being pro-China, after delays to Taiwan getting observer status. rt.com By delaying the decision to grant Taiwan observer status, the World Health Organization (WHO) is further undermining its credibility and exposing its pro-China bias, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed. | WHO member nations unanimously voted to postpone the decision to grant Taiwan observer status until later in the year, in order to avoid shifting the focus away from the Covid-19 pandemic. This was in spite of the country having previously participated in a non-voting observer capacity between 2009 and 2016. | According to Pompeo, by delaying this decision, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebre…

RT (2020-05-18). Group that TRACKED protesters' cell phones accuses them of spreading Covid-19 across US… even if they DIDN'T leave their cars. rt.com A Democrat-linked advocacy group is blaming the spread of Covid-19 on anti-lockdown protesters in the US after tracking their cell phones cross-country. Despite the tempting partisan narrative, though, many never left their cars. | Anti-lockdown demonstrators traveled hundreds of miles to attend protests, almost certainly spreading the coronavirus to places where infections were rare, according to the Committee to Protect Medicare, a supposedly non-partisan group run by a former Democratic congressional candidate. The group provided a comprehensive analysis of smartphone location data from rallies in Michigan,…

RT (2020-05-18). \'THIS WILL KILL YOU\': Media goes into anti-HCQ panic mode after Trump says he\'s taking the drug to fend off Covid-19. rt.com Media outlets rushed to denounce hydroxychloroquine after President Donald Trump revealed he was taking it as a prophylactic against the coronavirus. Pundits called the drug dangerous and ineffective based on selected studies. | \"I\'ve been taking it for about a week and a half now and I\'m still here,\" Trump said Monday during an event at the White House, adding he had heard good things about the drug from medical professionals. | Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto immediately reacted by bringing up one long-documented side effect of the drug, used for decades to treat malaria and lupus. | \'I cannot stress this enough…

RT (2020-05-18). Saudi-backed Yemen\'s govt accuses Houthis of covering up coronavirus outbreak, calls for global assistance. rt.com Yemen\'s Saudi-backed government accused the Houthi movement of covering up a big outbreak of coronavirus in areas it holds. The Aden-based government also called for urgent global assistance to help Yemen\'s war-ravaged health sector deal with Covid-19, Reuters said. | The United Nations warned that the country could suffer a \"catastrophic\" food security situation due to the pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the virus is spreading undetected among the population in the country, control of which is divided between the government in the south and the Houthi group in the north. | The government ha…

RT (2020-05-18). France & Germany suggest ‚Ǩ500 BILLION fund to help Europe recover from Covid-19 epidemic. rt.com France and Germany have agreed on establishing a joint European recovery fund amounting to ‚Ǩ500 billion (US$543 billion) that will be given out as grants to the economic sectors and regions most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. | German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron have announced a joint initiative aimed at helping the European Union recover from the devastation the novel coronavirus pandemic has inflicted on its economy. The plan involves allocating a vast sum for the specialized recovery fund within the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) — a…

RT (2020-05-18). China supports WHO-led review of global response to pandemic after virus is under control — Xi Jinping. rt.com China supports a comprehensive review of the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic led by the World Health Organization (WHO) after the virus is brought under control, President Xi Jinping said on Monday. | In a video speech to the World Health Assembly, Xi said China has been open and transparent about the outbreak that first emerged in the country in late 2019, and will support an investigation conducted in an objective and impartial manner, Reuters reports. | The Chinese leader also pledged US$2 billion over two years to help with the Covid-19 response, adding that any vaccines developed against the dise…

RT (2020-05-18). Spain may reopen borders to tourists in late June, transport minister says. rt.com Spain aims to reopen borders to visitors around the end of June as its coronavirus lockdown fully winds down, Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos said on Monday. Madrid last week surprised its EU partners by imposing a two-week quarantine on all overseas travelers and effectively keeping borders closed, Reuters said. | Spain then explained that the measures were needed to avoid importing a second wave of the Covid-19 disease. However, the move was meant to be temporary and the transport minister said it would be phased out in parallel with travel being allowed within Spain, whose regions are easing restriction…

RT (2020-05-18). Beijing says it\'s premature \'to immediately begin investigation\' into coronavirus origins. rt.com China\'s Foreign Ministry said on Monday it was premature to immediately launch an investigation into the origins and spread of the coronavirus. Spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing that the vast majority of countries in the world believe the pandemic is not yet over. | The ministry also said separately that President Xi Jinping will give a video speech for the opening ceremony of the World Health Assembly later on Monday. | Health ministers from around the world are expected to call for an independent evaluation of the World Health Organization\'s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic during a WHO meetin…

RT (2020-05-18). Iraqi govt considers imposing full lockdown in Baghdad areas amid uptick in coronavirus cases. rt.com Iraq will impose a complete lockdown on some areas of the capital, the new health minister said on Monday, as in coronavirus cases have jumped in recent weeks since curfew hours were relaxed. | The new government under PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi was sworn into power just two weeks ago following a five-month leadership vacuum. Ministers have to respond to the pandemic and a severe economic crisis brought on by falling oil prices. | Areas of Baghdad believed to play a role in spreading the virus will face a full lockdown as of Wednesday for a period of two weeks, Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi said in a statement.

RT (2020-05-18). \'Masks are Sharia-lite!\' Explosive conservative host compares Covid-19 orders to \'ISIS & TALIBAN policies\' on Rush Limbaugh Show. rt.com Conservative author Mark Steyn has taken criticism of Covid-19 lockdown orders to a new level by comparing the measures to terrorist policies and mask-wearing rules to the Sharia law. | Filling in for conservative Rush Limbaugh on his radio show on Monday, Steyn began his lockdown critique by comparing the canceling of live musical performances to performers being killed and banned in the Middle East by none other than Islamic State (IS, ISIS/ISIL) terrorists. | \"You know the last time I was writing about societies banning music it was ISIS and the Taliban,\" Steyn said. \"I\'m creeped out by the fact that we\'re…

RT (2020-05-18). \'Have a good day & be safe\': New Jersey cops are latest police force to REFUSE enforcing Covid-19 restrictions. rt.com Footage of police in New Jersey informing anti-lockdown protesters they\'re in violation of Covid-19 executive orders, but will not face consequences, is the latest example of officers taking a more hands-off approach to the rules. | People began gathering outside Atilis Gym in southern New Jersey hours before it opened on Monday to show support for the business defying executive orders from the governor, and to protest the continuing lockdown measures in place across the state. | While almost no protesters wore face coverings and were clearly breaking social distancing guidelines by gathering in a big crowd, p…

RT (2020-05-18). \'Equipment on its way\': US to send 200 ventilators to Russia after Moscow dispatches a planeload of aid to New York. rt.com The US has sent 200 ventilators to Russia, where the number of new coronavirus cases continues to ebb. The assistance comes more than a month after Moscow sent medical supplies to America in a similar move. | The California-manufactured equipment was donated on orders from President Donald Trump, who was responding to the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a US administration official told TASS. The life-saving equipment is being delivered free of charge, the official added. | Although Russia has recently seen a decrease in the number of daily infections – that have dropped below 10,000 for two days…

RT (2020-05-18). Is that Big Brother behind the medical mask? Bill Gates to co-fund South Korean research of next-gen quarantine methods. rt.com South Korea\'s biggest telecom firm is banding with Bill Gates to develop next-generation quarantine methods. The $10-million project may stir uncomfortable thoughts in those who suspect the billionaire of having a sinister agenda. | KT, the Seongnam-based multinational giant,

RT (2020-05-18). Two asteroids to approach Earth on Monday, one of them BIGGER than STATUE OF LIBERTY. rt.com Just in case anyone was getting too comfy, NASA\'s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies is warning that two asteroids are heading towards Earth this Monday. Another one is expected to come close to us early on Tuesday. | All three of the near-Earth asteroids are expected to make close approaches at some point between Monday May 18 and Tuesday May 19, at speeds of between 13,000 and 31,000 miles per hour. | The first of the week\'s incoming asteroids, 2020 JE2, boasts a diameter of 56 feet, or the equivalent of two London buses one in front of the other, and will fly past us at roughly 2: 19 pm EDT, at a mercifull…

RT (2020-05-18). Covid-19 pandemic fuels knee-jerk anti-China sentiment just in time for Trump\'s reheated trade war. rt.com Two in five Americans won\'t buy products made in China, according to a recent survey, and nearly three-quarters blame Beijing for the Covid-19 pandemic — just in time for the relaunch of President Donald Trump\'s trade war! | On top of the 40 percent of Americans who said they wouldn\'t purchase made-in-China goods under any circumstances, in an FTI Consulting poll

RT (2020-05-18). \'Take the red pill\': Elon Musk sends Twitter into Matrix meltdown, gets Ivanka Trump\'s praise… & \'f*** you both\' from Wachowski. rt.com Elon Musk has yet again triggered an online storm, urging the public to \"take the red pill.\" The Matrix reference got him showered in praise from conservatives, but the creators of the iconic movie were not amused. | The new cryptic message from the billionaire, who has been repeatedly tweeting out bizarre things lately, arrived on Sunday afternoon. Unlike the lengthy and even less coherent threads Musk produced in the past, this time he stuck to a short form worthy of a true masterpiece. | \"Take the red pill,\" he stated, posting a red rose emoji. | Take the red pill üåπ— Elon Musk…

RT (2020-05-18). Dump the dollar: Russia has now gotten rid of over 96% of its US debt holdings. rt.com Moscow has continued to sell off US Treasury securities, cutting its stockpile by US$8.73 billion in March, according to the latest data from the US Department of the Treasury. | Russia\'s holdings of US state debt amounted to $3.8 billion in March, compared with $12.5 billion a month earlier. Three years ago, the amount stood at $105 billion. Moscow has liquidated over 96 percent of its holdings in that period. The country\'s long-term US Treasury securities decreased by $928 million, while short-term securities plunged by $7.8 billion to just $473 million. | Japan remains the biggest holder of US state debt si…

RT (2020-05-18). US may deploy intermediate & shorter-range missiles in Europe — Russian deputy FM. rt.com The United States may start deploying land-based intermediate- and shorter-range missiles in Europe after their deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday. | After the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty ceased to exist, Russia proposed that Moscow and the US, with its allies, exercise restraint to avoid an escalation in tension, he said during an online lecture covering key topics on US foreign policy for students at MGIMO University. | Washington has stated its intention to start deploying land-based intermediate- and shorter-range missiles in th…

RT (2020-05-18). Russia at its finest? BEAR ATTACKS man & chases cars in city streets (VIDEOS). rt.com If you still believe Russian cities are full of bears roaming the streets freely and attacking people, well, you\'re probably not wrong. At least that\'s exactly what some rare footage from one of Russia\'s cities would suggest. | The bizarre incident occurred overnight in the central Russian city of Yaroslavl, located some 260km (162 miles) from Moscow. An adolescent bear took to the streets and had a close encounter with an (un)lucky local, CCTV footage shows. | Spotting the bear, the man whipped out his smartphone, trying to film the animal. The ferocious beast, however, was apparently not in the mood for snap…

RT (2020-05-18). Personal pods, \'bumper tables\' & pool noodle hats? Inventive \'social distancing\' enforcers ensure New Normal is anything but. rt.com As populations emerge from Covid-19 lockdown, businesses are scrambling to comply with the onerous social-distancing regulations still in place, deploying everything from repurposed pool noodles to hula hoops to keep people apart. | Schools and \'non-essential\' businesses like restaurants and bars are preparing to reopen after lengthy lockdowns, but many governments are insisting on the need for continued \"social distancing\" – keeping people six feet apart at all times to prevent the spread of Covid-19. After months all but trapped in their homes, many people want nothing more than human contact. How to prevent…

RT (2020-05-18). A huge fleet of 117 tankers is bringing super cheap crude to China. rt.com While the rest of the world is tentatively coming out of lockdowns, China is taking advantage of the cheapest crude oil in years to stock up as demand is starting to return in the world\'s largest oil importer. | At present, a total of 117 very large crude carriers (VLCCs) — each capable of shipping 2 million barrels of oil — are traveling to China for unloading at its ports between the middle of May and the middle of August. If those supertankers transport standard-size crude oil cargoes, it could mean that China expects at least 230 million barrels of oil over the next three months, according to Blo…

RT (2020-05-18). \'Idiotic & unimplementable\': Chief of Europe's largest lowcoster Ryanair slams UK response to Covid-19. rt.com Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O\'Leary has blasted the British government for mismanaging the Covid-19 crisis, and hit out at fresh measures for quarantining travelers coming from abroad. | \"It\'s idiotic and it\'s unimplementable. You don\'t have enough police in the UK,\" O\'Leary told BBC radio. | \"This [is] the same government that has… mismanaged the crisis for many weeks. | Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that all travellers arriving in Britain will be quarantined for 14 days. The measure is expected to take effect in the end of the month. | O\'Leary had previously criticized the idea of q…

RT (2020-05-18). Saudi pilot who went on gun rampage at Florida naval base linked to \'Al-Qaeda operative\'. rt.com The FBI has found evidence linking the perpetrator of the December 2019 Pensacola naval airbase shooting, a trainee pilot of the Royal Saudi Air Force, to a suspected operative of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda. | The gun attack at the Naval Air Station Pensacola left three victims dead and eight others injured. The gunman, Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, was killed by responding police forces. The incident was a major embarrassment for both nations involved. | Attorney General William Barr announced on Monday that FBI investigators discovered evidence of \"significant ties\" to Al-Qaeda in the Arabia…

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-18). The Heat: China\'s War on Poverty. america.cgtn.com China\'s war on poverty. Personal stories, extraordinary access and how China is eradicating poverty.

Paul Haeder (2020-05-18). Down and Out in Portland: Retired in Style in Waldport, OR. dissidentvoice.org The irony of this quote from the Dustin Hoffman movie, The Graduate, is not wasted on Duane Snider: — One word: plastics. That was Benjamin Braddock, just graduated from college, sitting in a swimming pool. Giving him advice on gaining the American dream, the neighbor\'s statement says it all. Today? Hedge funds? Flipping houses? Coronavirus …

Andrew Korybko (2020-05-18). Improved Russia-Pakistan Relations. Moscow\'s \"New Bipolarity\" globalresearch.ca There\'s a growing consensus among Russia\'s leading experts that International Relations are increasingly characterized by what they\'ve termed the \"new bipolarity\" that\'s emerging out of World War C, and it\'s within this global context that the continued improvement of Russian-Pakistani …

Andrew Korybko (2020-05-18). The Prospects of Russia and India Jointly Leading a New Non-Aligned Movement. globalresearch.ca The ongoing global systemic transition is transforming international relations from its erstwhile unipolarity to what experts agree is either multipolarity or, less popularly, bipolarity. However one chooses to describe the present world order, it\'s clear that the US and China …

Yves Engler (2020-05-18). Ottawa\'s Ties with Far Right Colombian President Undermines Human Rights Rhetoric Regarding Venezuela. globalresearch.ca A week ago a former Canadian soldier instigated a harebrained bid to kidnap or kill Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Launched from Colombia, the plot failed spectacularly with most of the men captured or killed. | Still, the leader of the …

Staff (2020-05-18). Headlines for May 18, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Coronavirus Deaths on Track to Surpass 100,000 by June with Most States Partially Reopened , House Dems Probe Firing of State Dept. Watchdog, Pass $3 Trillion Stimulus Bill, Trump Names Ex-Pharma Exec and Army General to Lead Coronavirus Vaccine Effort, CDC Hits Back After WH Trade Adviser Criticism: CDC Director Is \"Appointed by President Trump\", Obama Slams Trump Admin Response to Crisis: \"A Lot of Them Aren\'t Even Pretending to Be in Charge.\", Belgian Medical Workers Stage Protests Against Gov\'t Response to Pandemic, Italy Opens Up Businesses, Starts Holding Public Masses as Part of \"Calculated Risk\", Ind…

Ted Glick (2020-05-18). Opening Up for Demonstrations? zcomm.org Stop racist killings! Act together to end the pandemic! Living wages or income now! A Green New Deal and Medicare for All! Trump must go!

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-18). Trump Tightens Restrictions on Huawei, China Threatens Retaliation. globalresearch.ca Even during a major public health crisis compounded by economic collapse — a domestic perfect storm — the Trump regime continues waging war on China by other means, including its blame game, wanting Beijing held responsible for its own failures….

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-18). Federal Reserve Financial Mismanagement. globalresearch.ca The misnamed Federal Reserve isn\'t federal. It\'s owned and controlled by major Wall Street banks. | It serves their interests at the expense of sound economic policy, ignoring its congressional mandate to \"promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, …

Andre Vltchek (2020-05-18). Iran — Powerful and Determined. globalresearch.ca I refuse to describe Iran as a victim. It is not. It is one of the most influential and strong-minded nations on Earth. | When facing mortal danger, its people unite, harden themselves and get ready to face invaders, no matter …

Andre Vltchek (2020-05-18). Iran Is Not A Victim, It Is One of The Most Influential and Strong-Minded Nations on Earth. iranian.com When facing mortal danger, its people unite, harden themselves and get ready to face invaders, no matter how threatening they might be. Iran is home to one of the oldest and deepest cultures in the world, and it\'s precisely this culture that helps Iranian people to survive the most frightening moments. And one such moment …

Romana Rubeo (2020-05-18). What You Need to Know about the ICC Investigation of War Crimes in Occupied Palestine. mintpressnews.com Considering the number of UN resolutions that Israel has violated throughout the years – the perpetual occupation of Palestine, the siege on Gaza, and the elaborate system of apartheid imposed on Palestinians, finding Israel guilty of war crimes, among others \"serious crimes\" should be a straightforward matter.

Joe Emersberger (2020-05-18). Disgraceful yet illuminating reactions to the 2002 coup that briefly ousted Hugo Chavez: IACHR, CPJ and RSF. zcomm.org The Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) The IACHR claimed in 2009 report on Venezuela that its reaction to the \"the attempted coup d\'état [of 2002] was immediate and decisive\" and that it \"warned that these acts constituted an interruption of the constitutional order as defined in the Democratic Charter.\" The evidence it offered

Lucas Koerner (2020-05-18). Iran Sends Fuel Tankers to Venezuela, Vows \'Decisive Response\' to US Threats. venezuelanalysis.com Crippling US sanctions have caused severe fuel shortages in the Caribbean nation.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-18). Ghani-Abdullah power sharing deal marks an end to stalemate in Afghanistan. peoplesdispatch.org According to the agreement, president Ashraf Ghani will continue as the Afghan president while rival Abdullah Abdullah will lead the peace talks with the Taliban. Abdullah will also choose an equal number of ministers in the government…

yenisafak (2020-05-18). Taliban blamed for over 3,800 attacks after peace deal. yenisafak.com Afghan government on Monday blamed the Taliban for \"blatantly violating\" terms of their peace deal with the US signed in February.Flanked by the country\'s army chief and interior minister, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Zia Siraj, the head of the secret service NDS, told a news conference the Taliban continued their assaults across the country.Siraj also accused the Taliban of having close ties with foreign terrorist groups such as al-Qaida, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Islamic Movement of Eastern Turkistan, Lashkar-e-Taiba and others.\"The Taliban, after the peace deal with the US orchestrated over 3,800 attacks in differen…

Aaron Maté (2020-05-18). Exposed: CIA used Sheldon Adelson\'s firm to spy on Julian Assange. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone\'s Max Blumenthal reveals explosive new details on the CIA spying and sabotage operation against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange….

Zero Hedge (2020-05-18). US Headed For Another \'Tanker War\' With Iran — This Time Off Venezuela\'s Coast. iranian.com Iranian state TV has announced at least five least five Iranian-flagged tankers are transporting fuel to Venezuela through the Atlantic Ocean and plan to break the American blockade on the Latin American country. Iran has warned that any US attempt at intercepting its fuel tankers \"would have serious repercussions for the Trump administration ahead of the November elections.\" State-funded PressTV underscores that \"Iran is shipping …

Freedom Socialist Party Bay Area (2020-05-18). Poetry in the Time of the Pandemic & Other Earthly Ills. indybay.org Zoom (access registration after ticket purchase)…

Alan Macleod (2020-05-18). US Military Planners Advise Expanded Online Psychological Warfare against China. mintpressnews.com Just three years ago, Americans had a neutral view of China (and nine years ago it was strongly favorable). Today, the same polls show that 66 percent of Americans dislike the country.

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-05-18). Germany\'s Kosovo Policy Shift. Implications for Serbia and the EU. globalresearch.ca The debate in the German Bundestag on the extension of the mandate of German Kosovo Force (KFOR) soldiers turned into a criticism of long-time Chancellor Angela Merkel and raised speculation that Berlin might adopt a different position on Kosovo. The …

Abdallah El Harif — Vijay Prashad (2020-05-18). The Bouficha Appeal: Universal Call for Humanity to End Militarism and Stop War. counterpunch.org On March 15, 1950, the World Peace Council sent out the Stockholm Appeal, a short text that called for a ban on nuclear weapons and that would eventually be signed by almost 2 million people. The appeal was made up of three elegant sentences: + We demand the outlawing of atomic weapons as instruments of

Dr. Katrin Korb (2020-05-18). Video: German Medical Doctor Katrin Korb\'s Analysis of Big Pharma\'s \"Dubious Vaccine\" globalresearch.ca German Medical Doctor Katrin Korb discusses COVID-19, the lockdown and the vaccine during a protest held in Oldeburg. | Below is the transcript of her speech. | *** | Dear fellow citizens, | I\'m thankful for being able to stand here today. My name …

Project Censored (2020-05-18). Part II of the Kent-State Series. projectcensored.org 50 years have passed since Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on Kent State University students protesting the Vietnam War. Four students were killed and nine wounded. On this Part…

IMEMC News (2020-05-18). Israeli Soldiers Abduct Eight Palestinians, Injure Several Others, In West Bank. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, Monday, eight Palestinians, and injured many others, in several parts of the occupied West Bank, after the soldiers invaded many communities, stormed and ransacked homes, and attack protesters. In Jenin, in northern West Bank, the soldiers invaded the home of Ahmad Nabeeh Abu ar-Rob, and violently searched …

WSWS (2020-05-18). COVID-19: Podemos, social-democrats prepare to send Spanish police against workers\' protests. wsws.org The \"left populist\" Podemos party is backing plans for Civil Guards to attack working class protests and monitor social media for signs of online dissent.

Leon Kunstenaar (2020-05-18). Protest at Fort Mason Against CCSF Cuts. indybay.org People young and old protest CCSF cuts in programs that benefit seniors, immigrants and working people.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Protesters storm MBC Iraq office, destroy its contents: report. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Protesters stormed on Monday, the office of MBC Iraq/ Saudi Arabia, refusing to describe Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis as a terrorist in a report.

yenisafak (2020-05-18). UN sends 89 trucks carrying aid to Syria\'s Idlib. yenisafak.com The United Nations sent Monday 89 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Idlib, a northwestern Syrian province where millions are in urgent need of assistance.The trucks loaded with the supplies entered Syria through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey\'s southern Hatay province bordering Idlib.The aid will be distributed to vulnerable people in Idlib and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within…

yenisafak (2020-05-18). Iraqi protesters storm Saudi channel HQ in Baghdad. yenisafak.com Iraqi demonstrators on Monday stormed the premises of the Saudi-owned MBC channel in Baghdad to protest what they describe as an insult to late Shia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. | Scores of angry protesters gathered outside the MBC office in central Baghdad before forcing their way into the building and destroying everything inside, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter at the scene. | Waving photos of al-Muhandis and Iraqi flags, protesters chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia during their rally. | \"We don\'t accept any insult to al-Muhandis, who is one of Iraq\'s symbols,\" Hussein al-Jumaili, a protester, told…

IMEMC News (2020-05-18). Soldiers Abduct Four Palestinians, Injure Many, In Hebron. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, earlier Monday, Hebron city, and nearby towns of Beit Ummar and Yatta, in addition to the al-\'Arroub refugee camp, in southern West Bank, searched and ransacked many homes and abducted four Palestinians, in addition to wounding several others. Mohammad Awad, a local nonviolent media activist in Beit …

Ben Eder (2020-05-18). World Health Assembly 2020: Is our response to COVID-19 adequate? peoplesdispatch.org Activists of the People\'s Health Movement talk about the World Health Assembly that begins today, the key issues that will come up for discussion, and the collapse of the global governance system in the realm of public health…

graham (2020-05-18). Outspoken Palestinians — transformed into antisemites simply because they call for peace. truepublica.org.uk By Jonathan Cook: An attack on a prominent British-Palestinian doctor and academic, Ghada Karmi, by a self-styled \"antisemitism watchdog\" looks suspiciously like a new trend in anti-Palestinian bigotry and bullying dressed up as victimhood. Late last month, the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), which claims to represent the interests of the UK\'s Jewish community, said it …

news.un (2020-05-18). Renewed trust and cooperation could finally \'unlock progress\' toward peace in Syria — UN envoy. news.un.org Renewed trust, confidence, and cooperation between international players and Syrians could finally \"unlock progress\", putting the country on a political path towards lasting peace, the UN Special Envoy for Syria told the Security Council on Monday.

Greg G. Wolff (2020-05-18). Influenza Vaccination and Respiratory Virus Interference Among Department of Defense Personnel During the 2017—2018 Influenza Season. globalresearch.ca Receiving influenza vaccination may increase the risk of other respiratory viruses, a phenomenon known as virus interference. Test-negative study designs are often utilized to calculate influenza vaccine effectiveness. The virus interference phenomenon goes against the basic assumption of the test-negative …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: COVID-19 news briefing. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic\'s Vaccine Research Group, covers the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Poland discusses how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is changing, and how scientists and researchers are rapidly gaining new knowledge about the virus and the disease that it …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: COVID-19 research at Mayo Clinic. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Thanks to its combination of practice, education, and research, Mayo Clinic has a strong foundation to respond quickly to a medical crisis such as COVID-19. As the SARS-CoV-2 virus spread worldwide, a research task force was formed at Mayo Clinic to review and approve research proposals related to the virus and the disease it causes. …

WSWS (2020-05-18). Even as death toll climbs, Indonesian government urges workers under 45 to resume work. wsws.org Indonesian epidemiologists have warned that a return to work will dramatically increase transmission of the virus and put the entire population, regardless of age, at extreme risk.

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-18). How the international community is helping Colombia confront the coronavirus. colombiareports.com The governments of the United States and Canada have announced financial aid to help Colombia\'s authorities combat the coronavirus pandemic while European nations plan to do the same. The US…

John R. Lott, Jr. (2020-05-18). The US Is Dramatically Overcounting Coronavirus Deaths. Deliberate Manipulation, Flawed Data. globalresearch.ca Over 86,500 people have reportedly died in the United States from the Coronavirus, and the fear generated by those deaths is driving the public policy debate. But that number is a dramatic overcount. Our metrics include deaths that have nothing …

Helen Buyniski (2020-05-18). Fear and Uncertainty: The Modern-Day Cult of Corona. \"Gotta to Have Faith\" globalresearch.ca Fear and uncertainty have dominated the media coverage of the Covid-19 epidemic. | The novel coronavirus is depicted not as a pedestrian pathogen certain to be beaten into submission by the miracles of modern science any day now, but as …

news.un (2020-05-18). Coronavirus impact on world\'s indigenous, goes well beyond health threat. news.un.org The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on the world\'s indigenous peoples that stretches well beyond the immediate threat to their health, the new UN independent expert on the rights of indigenous peoples said on Monday.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Possible neurological effects of COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Originally identified as a respiratory disease, some COVID-19 patients exhibit neurologic symptoms including stroke, loss of consciousness, headache, and even the loss of taste and smell. What\'s unknown is whether these are direct effects of the virus entering the nervous system, or consequences of the disease\'s effect on the body. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, …

WSWS (2020-05-18). Maryland and Virginia begin \"phase one\" reopenings despite record increase in COVID-19 cases. wsws.org The two jurisdictions began reopening their economies amid a consistent uptick in the amount of infections produced by the coronavirus.

Esha Bhandari (2020-05-18). Coronavirus \'Immunity Passports\' are not the Answer. aclu.org As governments the world over seek ways to jumpstart economic activity, one proposal is a so-called \"immunity passport\" that would allow certain people who test positive for COVID-19 antibodies to return to work before others. We at the ACLU have serious concerns about the adoption of any such proposal, because of its potential to harm public health, incentivize economically-vulnerable people to risk their health by contracting COVID-19, exacerbate racial and economic disparities, and lead to a new health surveillance infrastructure that endangers privacy rights. , , An immunity passport system is fundamentall…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). VIRUS: COVID-19 registry first to track global ICU experience to shed light on trends in care of critically ill patients. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-05-18). Hacking for Vaccines. Intellectual Property and Espionage. globalresearch.ca If you cannot discover or create something, best steal it. It has been the operating principle for everything from wealth to technology. With the efforts to discover a vaccine to the novel coronavirus being all but bound by solidarity, the …

Kester Kenn Klomegah (2020-05-18). Despite Criticisms, Madagascar Moves Ahead with COVID-Organics. globalresearch.ca While Western and Europeans and Asians race to find vaccines for coronavirus, Africa can no longer wait for that scientific discovery that experts have said it would, most probably, be ready in a year or two. Some experts have argued …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Mayo Clinic\'s comprehensive COVID-19 research. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org \"At Mayo, we\'ve developed a comprehensive research portfolio, or what we call a COVID-19 research task force, in order to respond to every area that we need to learn more about this virus. We have scientists doing research in epidemiology. We have people doing research in immunology and vaccine development, in virology, in translational work, in …

The Levant (2020-05-18). Over 250 Artists, Writers Urge Israel to Stop Siege of Gaza. globalresearch.ca More than 250 global artists and writers including rocker Peter Gabriel, director Ken Loach and actor Viggo Mortensen have appealed to Israel to stop the \"siege\" of Gaza. | The coronavirus epidemic could have a devastating effect in \"the world\'s largest …

WSWS (2020-05-18). Back-to-work drive places countless thousands at risk. wsws.org Major American factories are reopening today, each one the potential center for a major new outbreak of the coronavirus.

WSWS (2020-05-18). Spike in Kawasaki-like disease linked to coronavirus in France and Italy, one child dies. wsws.org This is a damning indictment of capitalist governments internationally which are reopening schools and asserting that the virus does not harm children.

WSWS (2020-05-18). Growing resistance in Germany to returning to schools as coronavirus pandemic continues. wsws.org Resistance is growing among German teachers and pupils against this irresponsible policy, which threatens to turn schools into new hotspots of COVID-19.

Karen Greenberg (2020-05-18). So Long to American Exceptionalism. commondreams.org The virus has put the realities of wealth inequality, health insecurity, and poor work conditions under a high-powered microscope. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/whitehouse_2_1_0.jpeg …

Mel Gurtov (2020-05-18). For Trump, It\'s Mission Accomplished. counterpunch.org \"We have met the moment and we have prevailed,\" Donald Trump said at a news briefing May 11. \"The moment\" is quite a departure from Dr. Anthony Fauci\'s idea that \"the virus determines the timeline,\" and from his caution that \"we\'re not out of the woods yet.\" Fauci\'s points seem incontrovertible, but not in Trump

Marshall Sahlins (2020-05-18). Reopen the Economy; or Charge of the Right Brigade. counterpunch.org Half a shop, half a bar, Half a school onward. Into the Virus of Death Goad the Sick Hundreds. \"Forward the Right Brigade, Charge on your cards,\" he said. Into the Virus of Death Goad the sick hundreds. \"Forward the Right Brigade!\" Was there a MAGA dismayed? Not that the shoppers knew POTUS had blundered.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Why you need to keep your child\'s vaccine schedule during COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Millions of children may be at risk of missing or delaying their routine childhood vaccines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Tina Ardon, a Mayo Clinic family medicine specialist, says she understands being thoughtful about taking your children outside the home for doctor\'s visits during this time. \"The current situation with the novel coronavirus shows us how scary …

Will Kesler (2020-05-18). Beware of The Globalists\' \"New World Order\" globalresearch.ca This article was originally published by The Aspen Times in 2011. | Eisenhower\'s legendary warning that the industrial-military complex could engender a \"disastrous rise of misplaced power\" has obviously come true. Notably, in the same speech, Eisenhower also advised of \"equal …

David Hearst (2020-05-18). Revealed: The Secret US-Iran Deal that Installed Kadhimi in Baghdad. globalresearch.ca Tehran ordered Shia factions to back prime minister in return for Washington \'looking the other way\' over release of assets targeted by sanctions, Iraqi officials tell MEE | *** | The nomination of Mustafa al-Kadhimi as Iraqi prime minister was the result …

Steve Sweeney (2020-05-18). Britain Warned Against \'Coup-mongering\' in Venezuela After Embassy Discovery. globalresearch.ca Venezuela has warned Britain against \"coup-mongering\" after the discovery of a \"Venezuelan reconstruction unit\" in the Foreign Office. | Demanding an urgent explanation, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreeaza lodged a formal complaint with ambassador Duncan Hill, who the minister said confirmed …

Dispatches from the Edge (2020-05-18). Military Spending and the Pandemic. globalresearch.ca \"There have been as many plagues as wars in history, yet plagues and wars take people equally by surprise\" —Albert Camus | \"The Plague\" | Camus\' novel of a lethal contagion in the North African city of Oran is filled with characters …

Gregory Shupak (2020-05-18). Corporate Media Setting Stage for \"New Cold War\" with China. globalresearch.ca Corporate media are laying the ideological groundwork for a new cold war with China, presenting the nation as a hostile power that needs to be kept in check. | The Washington Post (

Elijah J. Magnier (2020-05-18). Twenty Years After the Unconditional Israeli Withdrawal From Lebanon, What Has Been Achieved? globalresearch.ca \"We were Hezbollah trainers. It is an organisation that learns quickly. The Hezbollah we met at the beginning (1982) is different from the one we left behind in 2000\". This is what the former Chief of Staff and former Minister …

Patricio Zamorano (2020-05-18). Guaido Was the \'Commander in Chief\' of the Failed Mercenary Operation Against Venezuela. globalresearch.ca New information divulged this week reveals that Juan Guaidó was designated as \"commander and chief\" of the mercenary operation that completely unraveled on the shores of Venezuela. The 41 page contract that formed the basis of the already known eight …

Raúl Capote (2020-05-18). Attack on Cuban Embassy in Washington Brings Complicit Silence From U.S. Government. globalresearch.ca Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla discussed the April 30 attack on the country\'s embassy in Washington with the press yesterday, stating: \"Here is the attacker, an AK-47 rifle, 32 shell casings, 32 bullet holes and a statement — by …

Julian Rose (2020-05-18). COVID Mask of the Beast and \"Deadly Distancing\" globalresearch.ca Have you experienced a sense of unease when witnessing a group of individuals wearing masks and/or keeping strictly two meters apart? If so, that\'s good news, because it means you\'re still sufficiently human to be able to respond to life\'s …

Miri Wood (2020-05-18). Trump Bombs Syrian Wheat Fields While Fighting COVID \'Enemy\' at Home. globalresearch.ca US President Donald J. Trump took time from his domestic fight of battling COVID-19 single-handedly and with one arm tied behind his back to set fire to Syrian wheat fields in Hasakah governate. He performed the ritual of the double-war …

Dr. Jack Rasmus (2020-05-18). The Deepening US Health Care Affordability and Coverage Crisis. globalresearch.ca The current pandemic is wreaking havoc with the US and global economy, accelerating and deepening the general economic crisis—and threatening to provoke a global financial crisis that will exacerbate the decline and usher in a great depression no doubt even …

Paul Dobson (2020-05-18). Venezuela Sees COVID-19 Surge as Returning Migrants Surpass 40,000. venezuelanalysis.com Authorities say that 75 percent of recent cases have been \"imported.\"

WSWS (2020-05-18). On \"This Week\" news show, Sanders urges supporters to vote for Biden. wsws.org Sanders used the national platform afforded him to once again urge his supporters to vote for the right-wing Democratic candidate.

WSWS (2020-05-18). German Defence Ministry plans to wage international drone warfare. wsws.org Germany\'s ruling elite is responding to the mounting tensions between the major powers triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic by intensifying its drive to war.

WSWS (2020-05-18). As death toll mounts, White House steps up efforts to scapegoat China for pandemic. wsws.org Blaming China not only deflects attention from the Trump administration\'s responsibility for the horrific US death toll but feeds into its anti-China trade war measures.

Howard Lisnoff (2020-05-18). Staying Above Water During the Pandemic. counterpunch.org Depression is a serious disease. In its most serious manifestation, clinical depression, a person can hardly function or not function at all. A best guess is that there are untold millions of people in the US and around the world who are now suffering from either mild depression, or its more serious form as Covid-19

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Mayo Clinic launches radio campaign to encourage recovered patients of COVID-19 to donate plasma. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Mayo Clinic is collaborating with Entercom Communications to launch a radio campaign that raises awareness in Detroit, New York City, Miami and Chicago of the federally-sponsored national Expanded Access Program (EAP) for Convalescent Plasma. The Food and Drug Administration announced Mayo Clinic as the lead site for the EAP program to speed access and increase availability of investigational convalescent plasma for hospitalized patients …

Slava Zilber (2020-05-18). Left-winger smashes the idea that establishment centrists offer a \'safe electoral choice\'. thecanary.co Anti-war left-winger Shahid Buttar is \"More of the same\" is not a reasonable option: | Buttar stressed that: | Sometimes, what we perceive as safe choices are, unfortunately, simply choices for more of the same. And I think if there\'s anything that the pandemic,…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Mayo Clinic receives $26 million from BARDA for COVID-19 convalescent plasma expanded access program. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Mayo Clinic was awarded a $26 million contract today from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The financial support is for the Expanded Access Program (EAP) for convalescent plasma to fight COVID-19. …

Wim Laven (2020-05-18). Caring About the Murder of Ahmaud Arbery. counterpunch.org Black men are being stalked and killed in the US—business as usual. Ahmaud Arbery\'s murder was based on: \"He\'s a black man running down our road.\" Punishment for the crime of being black is sometimes death. Video footage has surfaced to challenge the citizen\'s-arrest-self-defense narrative. Of course, prosecutors were reluctant to charge the former law

WSWS (2020-05-18). New York Democratic governor enlists tech billionaires to push distance learning. wsws.org New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced \"Reimagine Education,\" a partnership with Microsoft\'s Bill Gates and Google\'s Eric Schmidt.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). New collaboration on COVID-19 response to include new serology test. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. announced it will expand its response to the COVID-19 pandemic by developing a total antibodies test in collaboration with WuXi Diagnostics and Mayo Clinic. The new test is the result of ongoing collaboration between all three organizations, including clinical evaluation and support from Mayo Clinic. Thermo Fisher will seek U.S. FDA …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Mayo Clinic expands in-person care. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and clinics were forced to postpone nonessential appointments and surgeries in March and April. Thanks to social distancing and executive stay-at-home orders which helped flatten the curve of the COVID-19 outbreak, Mayo Clinic is prepared now, not only to meet the projected needs of COVID-19 patients, but safely treat …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Masking your kids during COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Do you or don\'t you wear a mask? If you do, what material is best? And what about children? Questions around masks during the COVID-19 pandemic abound, especially in light of the recent recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that all Americans wear masks in public settings. \"The direction around face masks has …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Spring cleaning takes on a new importance during COVID-19 pandemic. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released reopening guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting public spaces, workplaces, businesses, schools and homes. Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases expert, suggests taking a practical approach to spring cleaning. If no one in your household has been infected, he says standard spring cleaning practices …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Packing on pounds during COVID-19 and how to turn it around. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org If you\'ve gained weight during the COVID-19 pandemic, you aren\'t alone. The \"Quarantine 15\"

Karen J. Greenberg (2020-05-18). Over There Is Now Over Here: America\'s Pandemic Role Reversal. zcomm.org The world watches us as we lose Americans by the thousands on an almost daily basis…

David Bacon (2020-05-18). COVID-Related Strikes Hit Washington\'s Apple Sheds. zcomm.org Demands for safer working conditions and extra hourly hazard pay during the pandemic are powering a strike wave in the Yakima Valley…

news.un (2020-05-18). Covid-19 crisis closes 90 percent of museums globally, UNESCO plans for reopenings. news.un.org As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc globally, museums have not been spared, the UN cultural agency said on Monday, International Museum Day, revealing that nearly 90 per cent of the treasured cultural institutions have had to close their doors, while almost 13 per cent are under serious threat of never reopening.

WSWS (2020-05-18). Amazon eliminates pay raises for workers as COVID-19 toll mounts. wsws.org As the number of infections and deaths continues to rise at Amazon, the world\'s richest man joins Trump\'s murderous campaign to \"reopen\" the economy.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-18). Israeli youth convicted for murdering 3 members of a Palestinian family in 2015 terrorist attack. peoplesdispatch.org The convicted Israeli is part of an extremist settler terror group called hilltop youth. Members of this group are followers of Meir Kahane, who called for the expulsion of all non-Jewish people from Israel…

IMEMC News (2020-05-18). Israeli Colonists Hurl Stones At Teqoua\' Town Council. imemc.org Several Israeli colonists hurled stones, Sunday, at the building of the Local Municipal Council of Teqoua\' town, east of Bethlehem, south of occupied Jerusalem in the West Bank. Salem Abu Mfarreh, the mayor of Teqoua\', said the colonists stopped their car in front of the Local Council\'s building, before jumping …

Ali Salam (2020-05-18). Jerusalem Charity Closed for \"Violating Israeli Sovereignty\" imemc.org Israeli police invaded the \"Volunteer for Hope\" charitable organization in Jerusalem, on Sunday, ordering it\'s closure for a total of six months, Quds News Network reported. The charity, located in Beit Hanina village, in occupied East Jerusalem is said to be associated with the Palestinian Authority (PA). The order included …

IMEMC News (2020-05-18). Israeli Colonist Stabs A Palestinian Teen In The Neck, In Jerusalem. imemc.org An Israeli colonialist settler stabbed, on Sunday evening, a Palestinian teenage boy in the neck, in occupied East Jerusalem, causing a mild-to-moderate injury. Eyewitnesses said the colonist assaulted the teen, Mohammad Natsha, 17, and stabbed him with a sharp object in his neck. They added that the Israeli assailant is …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-18). Israeli Army Bulldozers Raze Palestinian Farm Land in Tulkarem. imemc.org In the West Bank city of Tulkarem, Israeli troops reportedly attacked Palestinian farm land, earlier on Monday, and army bulldozers began razing olive trees in an area estimated at four acres in size. Local Palestinian sources said that the farm land razed is located between the Kafa and Shoufa villages, …

IMEMC News (2020-05-18). Israeli Colonists Chop Down 80 Olive Trees In Nablus, Bethlehem. imemc.org Several fanatic illegal Israeli colonists invaded, Sunday, a Palestinian olive orchard, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and cut more than 40 olive trees. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors Israel\'s illegal colonialist activities in northern West Bank, said the colonists stormed an olive orchard …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-18). Israeli Military Court Extends Detention of a Palestinian Teen Boy. imemc.org The Israeli military court of Salem, near Jenin city in the West Bank, ordered on Monday, the extension of the detention of Palestinian teenager, Qasem Abu Baker, 17, from the Palestinian village of Y\'abad, south of Jenin city. The mother of Qasem, told media outlets that Monday\'s extension is the …

IMEMC News (2020-05-18). Soldiers Assault A Palestinian Before Abducting Him In Jenin. imemc.org Israeli soldiers assaulted, on Monday at dawn, a young Palestinian man in Misilyah town, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and abducted him after searching and ransacking his home. Media sources said several army jeeps invaded the town, before the soldiers stormed and ransacked the home of …

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-18). Colombia protecting general who worked for guerrillas for 18 years. colombiareports.com Colombia\'s military has been so busy covering up corruption, it never filed criminal charges against an army general who worked for guerrillas and FARC dissidents for more than a decade….

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-18). Colombia\'s most infamous far-right group \'founded by important personalities\'. colombiareports.com Presumed members of Colombia\'s far-right group \"Aguilas Negras\" said Saturday they were founded by \"important national personalities\" in a death threat sent to politicians, a unionist and a journalist. In…

WSWS (2020-05-18). US Fed report reveals depth of financial crisis it helped create. wsws.org A Foreign Policy article noted that with its asset holdings predicted to reach $9 trillion by the year\'s end, the Fed is pumping money into the financial system at the rate of $1 million every second.

Raul Diego (2020-05-18). The Dem\'s $3 Trillion Dollar HEROES Act Can Not Brace Us for the Coming Shock. mintpressnews.com As the Trump show continues and each side of the political aisle takes aim at each other, the economy\'s freefall is quickly reaching catastrophic levels.

WSWS (2020-05-18). Britain\'s covert operations to overthrow Syrian government exposed. wsws.org Sarkha is one of many programmes in a vast network of fake news activities carried out by the intelligence arms of the US and European powers.

WSWS (2020-05-18). The last resort of the EU fighting refugees in Greece—armed force and COVID-19. wsws.org Greek soldiers used tear gas, stun grenades, rubber bullets and live ammunition against refugees stranded in the no-man\'s-land between Greece and Turkey.

WSWS (2020-05-18). Nicaraguan government lets COVID-19 spread freely, covers up toll. wsws.org The Ortega regime\'s response demonstrates the inevitable outcome of Sandinismo and all petty-bourgeois nationalist movements that have historically defended capitalism.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). FDA issues emergency use authorization for algorithm designed to improve detection of heart failure during COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization to Eko, a digital health company, for the heart screening algorithm developed by Mayo Clinic. The AI-driven algorithm can detect weak heart pump, which is commonly detected by echocardiogram, a test that is not normally conducted during a physical exam, requires specially trained technicians to record, and requires prolonged contact with …

WSWS (2020-05-18). Ontario government ignored workers\' complaints at poultry plant hit by fatal COVID-19 outbreak. wsws.org Maple Lodge Farms workers complained about unsafe conditions two weeks before a COVID-19 outbreak that killed one worker and sickened more than 25 others.

WSWS (2020-05-18). Modi promotes \"herd immunity,\" vows \"quantum jump\" in pro-investor reforms. wsws.org As the Modi government expands its reckless back-to-work drive, India reported yesterday its biggest daily jump in COVID-19 cases to date.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Convalescent plasma advocate donates at Mayo Clinic. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org A recovered COVID-19 patient who has become a strong nationwide advocate for the Convalescent Plasma Expanded Access Program made a plasma donation at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Chaim Lebovits became involved with the program in March and since then has rallied thousands, who have also recovered, to donate.The initiative, which Mayo Clinic is leading, studies …

Paul J. Baicich (2020-05-18). The Covid-19 Crisis Shows Why Food Should Be a Human Right. zcomm.org With lines at food banks stretching for miles, the need has never been clearer to guarantee food to all U.S. residents…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). National Nurses Day: Not all heroes wear capes. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Photo and article are courtesy of Mayo Clinic News Center andMayo Clinic Employee Facebook. Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear scrubs, protective equipment and step out in difficult times to be there for others. As COVID-19 continues to spread and people heed notices to socially distance themselves and hunker down in their homes, there …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-18). Mayo Clinic expands in-person care on all campuses. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Mayo Clinic will expand in-person care on all of its campuses as COVID-19 executive orders are lifted for elective procedures by governors in Arizona, Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin. \"Our patients\' health and safety is always our top priority,\" says Amy Williams, M.D., Mayo Clinic Executive Dean for Practice. \"We have taken several extra precautions to …

WSWS (2020-05-18). Australian government heightens trade conflict with China. wsws.org Successive Australian governments have been in the forefront of imposing tariffs and other restrictions on imports from China.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Indian Equities Give Thumbs Down to PM Modi\'s $266 Bln COVID Stimulus, Sensex Crashes 800 Points. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India\'s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a $266 billion stimulus package on 12 May. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the proposals in a series of press conferences until 17 May.

Global Research News (2020-05-18). Selected Articles: Who Is Behind the Failed Invasion of Venezuela? globalresearch.ca Lying is a money making activity and lies are commodities. There is a profitable global market for media and public figures committed to spreading disinformation. | Needless to say, \"Telling the Truth\", on the other hand, Is Not a Money-Making Proposition. …

Press TV (2020-05-18). US unable to block Iran gasoline shipments to Venezuela: Source. iranian.com A senior source within the Iranian petroleum industry says the United States would be practically unable to block shipments of gasoline from Iran to Venezuela at a time the two countries need to cooperate to mitigate the impacts of American sanctions on their energy sectors. Hamid Hosseini, who serves as the spokesman of the Iranian …

Rob Woodward (2020-05-18). Covid Chaos: From Lockdown to Body Bags. globalresearch.ca The national Covid strategy managed by the government is now in disarray. The mood in Tory HQ is migrating away from its beloved Brexit leader. The mainstream media are now causing confusion, the country is heading towards chaos. | What is …

Megan Sherman (2020-05-18). Brexit and the Sovereignty Delusion. globalresearch.ca Brexit is nothing if not exclusive and elitist. The government and Conservative party are united in contempt for the sovereignty of parliament, and the sovereignty of the people. The Remain campaign may have been one of the most vibrant and …

graham (2020-05-18). Brexit — Tory treachery against UK farmers favours US agribusiness. truepublica.org.uk By Rob Woodward — TruePublica: At TruePublica we said this was going to happen all along — and this is just a taster for what is coming down the road. Brexit will not defend anything at all in Britain except deregulation. Brexit is not about the EU, it\'s about corporate power, profits and about America. …

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-18). Our Civilisational Quagmire — Looking Truth in the Eye. strategic-culture.org First, the bottom line: If you don\'t solve the biology, the economy won\'t recover. That is where we are now. A sealed-off, \'exceptionalist\' mindset has brought about — surprise; surprise — an exceptionalist outcome. We have both a deluge of avoidable deaths, and clearly, a staggering amount of possibly avoidable economic damage (albeit some of which was It is the worst of both worlds. Initially, dilatory in mitigating the pandemic for fear of damaging the e…

Kate Zeller (2020-05-18). World Health Assembly Wrestles with Coronavirus. indybay.org As the global coronavirus death toll tops 300,000 people, the leaders of the World Health Organization (WHO) prepare to hold their leadership meetings virtually from May 18th – 19th.

Lynda Carson (2020-05-18). New Covid-19 testing site opens May 18, at Allen Temple Baptist Church. indybay.org Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic…

Lynda Carson (2020-05-18). Music-Mix Parade In The Era Of Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic. indybay.org The Era Of The Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic…

Billie Pierre (2020-05-18). Tribal Leader Red-Tagged in Philippines During COVID-19 Crisis. indybay.org 00: 21.42 Length. Hi, this is Billie Pierre with Media Coop, in so-called Canada. Today is May 17, 2020, and we\'ll be hearing from a tribal indigenous land defender Windel Bolinget from the Cordillera People\'s Alliance in the Northern Philippines. Himself and his children are currently being smeared in a dangerous disinformation campaign through social media.

Johannes Haver (2020-05-18). The war metaphor in the Corona crisis. indybay.org Instead of a positive elimination of conditions, a social regression could also occur: intensified competition in the fight for market share, \"exclusive solidarity\" (Klaus Dà∂rre) in the fight for jobs and welfare benefits. Will governments master the crisis? Will world society cannibalize itself?>

United We Dream (2020-05-18). United We Dream: Immigrants, COVID-19, Jobs & Healthcare Virtual Town Hall. indybay.org Online…

Labor Video Project (2020-05-18). Jail Tesla Billionaire Elon Musk & Defend Health & Safety: Workers Speak Out At Tesla. indybay.org Workers spoke out against the bullying and intimidation of billionaire Elon Musk who has started his Tesla factory violating a shelter in place law. He challenged the Fremont police and Governor Newsom to arrest him but they are allowing him to open without any CA-OSHA inspections. Newsom has continued the destruction of CA-OSHA and there are less than 200 inspectors for the 18 million workers in California and only 1 doctor and 1 nurse at CA. OSHA.

Citizens\' Climate Lobby (2020-05-18). Citizens\' Climate Lobby: Virtual Climate Conference 2020 (Day 1). indybay.org Online/virtual conference…

Citizens\' Climate Lobby (2020-05-18). Citizens\' Climate Lobby: Virtual Climate Conference 2020 (Day 2). indybay.org Online/virtual conference…

INCLO (2020-05-18). Worldwide Webinar: Civil Society Response to COVID-19 in Prisons & Jails Globally. indybay.org Online via zoom…

Tracy Rosenberg (2020-05-18). Santa Cruz Needs Community Control of Surveillance. indybay.org Santa Cruz has a community control of surveillance law in front of the City Council. We need transparency, advanced notice and joint decisionmaking about pervasive surveillance everywhere. Sign the petition (from ACLU) action.aclu.org/petition/cn-santa-cruz-surveillance-petition…

The Canary (2020-05-18). Hiscox faces legal action from companies pursuing coronavirus payouts. thecanary.co A group of angry Hiscox policyholders have been given the go-ahead to launch legal action against the insurance giant. | The Hiscox Action Group — which was set up by policyholders frustrated by Hiscox\'s decision to exclude coronavirus disruption from its business interruption policies — said it intends to launch a claim in the coming days. | Mishcon de Reya, the city law firm leading the case, says that over 400 policyholders have signed up with almost £40 million in claims against the insurer. | The law firm is expected to file an \"expedited arbitration claim\" and has advised members of the gr…

The Canary (2020-05-18). EU calls for independent probe of the WHO\'s pandemic response. thecanary.co The European Union and other countries have called for an independent evaluation of the World Health Organisation\'s (WHO) response to the coronavirus pandemic \"to review experience gained and lessons learned\". | The resolution has the support of more than half of the WHO\'s member countries and will be discussed this week at the decision-making body of the UN health agency, being held virtually this year. | The proposal is intended to initiate \"a stepwise process of impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation\" of the WHO\'s efforts to coordinate the international response to Covid-19, including the function…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-18). MSc virologists explore infections and cell biology in new virtual laboratory. imperial.ac.uk As the College continues remote learning, MSc Molecular Biology & Pathology of Viruses students are trialling remote research in a \'virtual lab\'.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-18). Imperial donate excess food to local food banks and community projects. imperial.ac.uk Imperial\'s Catering team have donated excess food and drink to support those in need during COVID-19.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Iran enters \'containing phase\' of coronavirus pandemic: govt. spox. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Iranian Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei announced in a press conference on Monday that Iran has stepped out of the \'curbing phase\' of the lethal respiratory coronavirus and entered the \'containing phase\'.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). \"We owe our success in fight against COVID-19 to Leader\'s support.\": Rouhani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the country owes its success in the fight against the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, to the unsparing support of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution from the government and the National Headquarters to Combat Coronavirus.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Iran records 2,294 new cases, 69 deaths on Monday. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — As of Monday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Iran has passed 122,400, of whom 7,057 have lost their lives to the deadly virus.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Confirmed worldwide Covid-19 death toll passes 316,000. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Globally, more than 316,000 have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, while the number of confirmed infections has surpassed 4.8 million and more than 1.8 million people have recovered.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). West to pay high price for sanctions during pandemic: Russian FM. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 19 (MNA) — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov lashed out at western officials for the sanctions they impose during the coronavirus pandemic noting that they will also pay high price for the sanctions.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Abdullah thanks FM Zarif\'s support for political accord in Afghanistan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Afghanistan\'s Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah in a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday thanked him for his support of a political agreement with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). At least 7 killed in suicide attack in Afghanistan\'s Ghazni. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — A suicide bomber in a humvee vehicle detonated his explosives close to a building of the National Directorate of Security\'s (NDS) special unit in Ghazni province on Monday morning, local officials said.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). How did Afghan government reach an agreement? External pressure or internal consensus? en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — It seems that the signing of the political agreement in Afghanistan has been able to greatly prevent the escalation of a political crisis in the country and at the very least, determine the status of the Kabul-based government.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Iran vows \'retaliation\' in case its oil tankers seized by US. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi condemned the US\' threats against free trade, warning that any seizure of Iranian tankers will be retaliated.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Al-Kazemi govt. in charge of ousting occupiers: Al-Nujaba official. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — The deputy secretary-general of the Iraqi al-Nujaba Islamic Resistance Movement called the new Iraqi government formed by Mustafa al-Kazemi responsible for the execution of the parliament\'s enactment on ousting occupiers, otherwise, he warned, for the enforcement of this law, the Resistance will take an action before the Iraqi nation.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Iran chides EU\'s impracticality towards US hostile anti-Iranian actions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi criticized Europeans for their impracticality against US anti-Iranian policies including the debate over the extension of Iran\'s arms embargo.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Saudi-led coalition violates Yemen truce 66 times in 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 19 (MNA) — The Liaison and Coordination Officers\' Operations Room, which monitors violations of the Stockholm Agreement and Ceasefire, reported that the US-Saudi aggression in Hodeidah recorded 66 violations during the past 24 hours.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). VIDEO: Canadian acrobatic jet crashes during flyover. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 17 (MNA) — A Canadian acrobatic jet crashed into the British Columbia neighborhood Sunday during a flyover intended to boost morale during the pandemic, killing at least one crew member, seriously injuring another and setting a house on fire.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). VIDEO: Russian envoy talks of Iran, Russia bilateral relation, regional issues. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — In an exclusive interview with Mehr News Agency, Russian Ambassador to Tehran Levan Dzhagaryan talked of Tehran-Moscow bilateral relations, as well as the recent developments in Syria and region.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Russia terms US struggles to retain JCPOA rights \'groundless\'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Russia\'s Permanent Representative to the United Nations says the US efforts to retain rights of partnership in the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, are groundless since Washington has already withdrawn from the pact.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Russia sends three batches of fabric for face masks to Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) —Russia has delivered to Iran three batches of fabric for manufacturing face masks, a press attache of the Russian diplomatic mission Andrei Ganenko said.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Iran, Pakistan, China, Russia emphasize on holding comprehensive inter-Afghan talks. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — In a joint statement issued by Iran, Pakistan, China, and Russia, they said that holding comprehensive inter-Afghan talks is the only way to achieve national reconciliation and a speedy end to the country\'s long-running conflict.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). US policy on Iran not well-calculated: Ulyanov. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — In his latest tweet on Monday, Russia\'s Permanent Representative to the United Nations named US anti-Iranian policies as \'not well-calculated\'.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Political stability in Iraq important for region. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Iraqi President Barham Salih held a phone talk on Monday on the development and strengthening of Tehran-Baghdad relations.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Zionist regime disturbing region by its hostile activities: Larijani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — The Speaker of Iran\'s Parliament Ali Larijani said on Monday that the Zionist regime is disturbing the region by its hostile activities and Majlis has accordingly approved a motion which obliges the government to take certain measures against hostile moves of the Israeli regime.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Iran\'s preparedness should be one step ahead of enemy\'s threats: MP. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Chairman of the Iranian Parliament\'s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mojtaba Zonnour said that preparedness of the country should be one step ahead of threats of enemy.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Headlines of Iranian dailies on May 18. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Mehr News takes a look at the headlines of Iranian dailies on Monday, May 18.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Iran to give crushing response to protect its security: Hatami. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Iran\'s Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said that the Islamic Republic of Iran will give a quick, decisive, and crushing response to enemies in order to defend its national interests and security.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). India\'s FILMSAAZ to host two Iranian titles. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Two Iranian short films directed by Zivar Hojjati, namely \'Feng Shui Upside Down\' and \'Bullets of Baptism\' will take part in the 13th edition of FILMSAAZ Film Festival in India.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). \'The Unseen\' to go on screen at Krakow Film Festival. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Iranian Animation Documentary \'The Unseen\' by Behzad Nalbandi will take part in the 60th edition of Krakow Film Festival (KFF) in Poland.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Iranian mills produce 2.3mn tons of steel ingot in one month. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Iranian mills produced over 2.3 million tons of steel ingot in the first month of the current fiscal (March 20-April 19), according to statistics.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Iran\'s electricity export to neighboring states up 27% last year. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — The volume of electricity exported from the Islamic Republic of Iran to neighboring countries in the last Iranian calendar year [ended March 20, 2020] registered a 27.6 percent growth as compared to a year earlier.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Details of anti-Zionism motion adopted by Iranian Parliament. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 17 (MNA) — Iranian lawmakers have approved a motion unanimously to counter the hostile measures of the Israeli regime.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-18). Parl. ratifies outlines of a motion to counter Zionist regime\'s hostile moves. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) — Lawmakers at the Iranian Parliament approved the generalities of a motion which obliges the government to take certain measures against hostile moves of the Israeli regime.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Brazil\'s Bolsonaro Flouts Social Distancing Rule Posing for Rally Pics With Children. sputniknews.com Although keeping a face mask on, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has continued to defy the key WHO rule to curb the spread of the novel virus – social distancing, as he mingled with the crowd during a recent rally near the presidential palace in the country\'s capital.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Coronavirus; US Election; Venezuela. sputniknews.com Join George Galloway on the new home for the Mother of All Talk Shows – this week we talk all about coronavirus and US election…

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Fed Chair Jerome Powell Says Downturn Will Last Until Late 2021, Warns of Second Coronavirus Wave. sputniknews.com As a number of states have moved to partially lift the COVID-induced protection measures, the US Federal Reserve chief insists there will be no economic rebound unless medical data improves.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). NYC-Based Private Equity Firm Invests $868 Mln in Asian \'Richie Rich\' Mukesh Ambani\'s Reliance Jio. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian telco Reliance Jio, headed by business tycoon Mukesh Ambani, has managed to attract foreign investments worth billions from US-based companies despite the coronavirus-caused global economic slowdown.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Traditional Beer Gardens in Munich Welcome First Visitors After Lockdown Restrictions Eased – Video. sputniknews.com Since late April, Germany has started scaling back some of the coronavirus-related restrictions imposed on public life amid a declining COVID-19 infection rate.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Putin, Erdogan Discuss Coronavirus Response, Situation in Syria and Libya. sputniknews.com ANKARA (Sputnik) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed cooperation on the coronavirus fight and the situation in Syria, both the Kremlin and the office of the Turkish president said Monday.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). UK, US \'Hope for Accelerated Trade Talks\' Amid Reports of Discord Over London\'s Projects With China. sputniknews.com A trade deal with the US is regarded by many British politicians as the Holy Grail that will boost the country\'s economy. This is particularly important now when the coronavirus pandemic has shuttered the global economy, with UK heading towards its worst recession in 300 years. Opponents say by striking it, the UK will accept lower food standards.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Keeping Virus at Bay: How People Across the Globe Respect Social Distancing Rules. sputniknews.com In less than half a year, the whole of humanity has been upended due to the coronavirus pandemic and the world outside of our dwellings has become an entirely new place with new rules. However, respecting these rules is a key to get our lives back to normal, including by respecting social distancing.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Italian MP Claims Bill Gates Should Be Tried for \'Crimes Against Humanity\' in Jab at COVID Vaccine. sputniknews.com Bill Gates has already injected hundreds of millions of dollars, including $100 million via the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, into the development of COVID-19 vaccines and testing, part of an international effort to tackle the coronavirus crisis.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Controversy as Identities of 4 K-Pop Idols Who Visited Itaewon Week Before COVID Breakout Revealed. sputniknews.com At the beginning of May, South Korea, which effectively contained the spread of COVID-19, reported dozens of news cases after an infected person visited a party district in Seoul.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). China\'s Oppo Inks Pact With UK\'s Vodafone to Push 5G Adoption Worldwide Starting With Spain, Germany. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): In a bid to compete globally, countries around the world are making plans and taking actions to boost their high speed 5G capabilities. South Korea, Turkey, Sweden, Japan, and China are just a few of the countries already deploying and testing the fifth generation of super fast connectivity.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Huawei Slams \'Unjustified\' US Tech Rules, Vows To \'Survive, Move Forward\' Amid Renewed US Trade War. sputniknews.com A major keynote speech from a high-ranking official in the world\'s largest telecoms equipment addressed concerns on tensions in the US trade war on China, which skyrocketed in following the Trump Administration\'s renewed ban on US firms doing business with the Chinese firm.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Tehran Pledges \'Decisive Response\' to Possible US Attempts to Intercept Iranian Tankers. sputniknews.com On Saturday, Iran\'s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif slammed alleged plans by the US Navy to intercept Iranian tankers as \"illegal, dangerous, and provocative\" acts, which he said look like \"an act of piracy\".

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Six of Russian State Duma Members Diagnosed With COVID-19 – Speaker\'s Aide. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Six of 450 members of the State Duma, the Russian parliament\'s lower house, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, Anastasia Kashevarova, an aide to the State Duma Chairman, said on Monday.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). US Attorney General Barr Accuses Apple of Cooperating With Chinese, Russian Governments. sputniknews.com Earlier, Apple refused to help American law enforcement unlock data on its smartphones, namely the one possessed by a Saudi cadet responsible for a mass shooting at a Pensacola military base in 2019. However, there is no evidence that the tech giant ever provided such services to either Moscow or Beijing.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Easy as Pie: Russian MoD Releases Video Showing Air-to-Air Refuelling of Sukhoi Fighter Jets. sputniknews.com The process itself was carried out by an Ilyushin-78 four-engine tanker, which is capable of refuelling up to ten jets during a single flight. Additionally, more than 20 Su-24M, Su-34, and Su-30 jets practiced air combat manoeuvring.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). Old Faces, New Positions: Who\'s Who in Israel\'s 35th Government. sputniknews.com After a year and a half of political turmoil, Israel\'s 35th government was finally sworn in on Monday. Featuring 34 ministers and half a dozen deputies, amid an economic crisis caused by the spread of COVID-19, the coalition has become the most expensive in the history of the country, stirring criticism from left, right, and centre.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). US Official Claims IG\'s Firing May Be Linked to Trump\'s $8 Bln Weapons Sale to Saudi Arabia. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump reportedly fired the State Department inspector general in a letter sent to Congress late on Friday, saying that he no longer had the \"fullest confidence\" in Steve Linick, who had been in charge of the oversight office of Washington\'s diplomatic arm since his appointment in 2013 by President Barack Obama.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). FBI Found Evidence Linking Al Qaeda to 2019 Shooting at US Military Base in Florida. sputniknews.com On 6 December 2019, a Saudi trainee pilot opened fire at US Naval Air Station Pensacola, killing three American sailors and wounding eight others before being shot dead.

sputniknews (2020-05-18). WHO\'s Hesitation to Granting Taiwan Observer Status \'Further Damages\' Its Credibility, Pompeo Says. sputniknews.com The World Health Organisation\'s member states agreed during the virtual World Health Assembly to postpone the discussion on granting Taiwan observer status in the agency, despite mounting pressure from the United States.

yenisafak (2020-05-18). Qatar reports new 1365 coronavirus infections. yenisafak.com The ministry said the number of recoveries rose by 529 to reach 4,899, the official QNA news agency reported.Qatar\'s virus-linked death toll now stands at 15.The ministry said 19 patients were admitted to intensive care due to complications resulting from the infection, bringing the total number of cases receiving care in the ICU to 172.Qatar reported its first coronavirus cases on Feb. 29.Since the virus emerged in China last December, it has spread to 188 countries and regions.The global death toll from the novel coronavirus has exceeded 315,600, with more than 4.73 million confirmed cases, and recoveries toppi…

yenisafak (2020-05-18). Fast in, first out: Denmark leads lockdown exit. yenisafak.com Four weeks after Denmark began easing its lockdown, Danes on Monday returned to cafes and restaurants, confident that the coronavirus outbreak is under control.Denmark last month became the first country in Europe to reopen schools, day-care centres and smaller businesses. It did not see a subsequent rise in COVID-19 cases.\"The quick shutdown and the fact that Danes actually listened to messages from authorities about good hygiene and social distancing are the main reasons we\'ve come this far,\" said Hans Jorn Kolmos, a professor in clinical microbiology at the University of Southern Denmark.Contrary to the French…

yenisafak (2020-05-18). Bangladesh may see coronavirus peak next week: Experts. yenisafak.com As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus continues to rise in Bangladesh, experts say the South Asian nation may see a peak in infections in the next two weeks. The country on Monday registered 1,602 new infections of COVID-19, with 21 deaths, marking the single day record in the country of around 165 million population.\"Bangladesh may see a peak in COVID-19 cases in next two weeks or so,\" said Dr. Bijon Kumar Sil, leader of a Bangladeshi research team at Gonoshasthaya Kendra Hospital that invented a $3 test kit that can detect the coronavirus in less than 15 minutes.Since the first positive case…

yenisafak (2020-05-18). Voluntary groups in Kashmir battle invisible enemy. yenisafak.com As the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 has spread rapidly across Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, many volunteer groups have joined to combat the pandemic which has so far killed 15 people and infected more than 1,200.Since the first case of COVID-19 was detected in the region on March 18, hundreds of volunteers have been working tirelessly to help stem the spread of the infection.Hakim Mohammad Ilyas, general secretary of Ehsaas International, a non-government organization that mainly works to impart education to downtrodden, was moved with the news of deaths taking place across the globe due to the pandemic…

yenisafak (2020-05-18). Coronavirus pushes Swedish deaths to highest since 1993 in April. yenisafak.com More Swedes died in April than in any one month since 1993, figures from the Statistics Office showed on Monday, as the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pushed the death toll higher.Sweden, which has stopped short of the strict lockdown measures enforced by many countries, has suffered a higher death rate during the coronavirus pandemic than its Scandinavian neighbours.In Sweden, the pandemic has caused around 3,700 deaths since the first reported fatality in March, but has not been as deadly as some seasonal flu over the last three decades, when the toll in December 1993 and January 2000 was higher, the Statist…

yenisafak (2020-05-18). \'Some solidarity, little unity against COVID-19\'. yenisafak.com The secretary-general of the UN said on Monday that the world had shown limited solidarity, yet very little unity in facing the novel coronavirus.Antonio Guterres was speaking at the opening of the first virtual World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO) held over two days with a focus on the coronavirus.\"Despite the enormous scientific and technological advances of recent decades, a microscopic virus has brought us to our knees,\" said Guterres via video-link from New York to the WHO.\"We do not yet know how to eradicate, treat or vaccinate against COVID-19. We have no i…

yenisafak (2020-05-18). Loss of smell, taste added to UK COVID-19 symptoms list. yenisafak.com The UK government updated its COVID-19 advice on Monday, adding the loss of smell and taste to the list of symptoms induced by coronavirus.\"From today, all individuals should self-isolate if they develop a new continuous cough or fever or anosmia,\" the government statement said.\"Anosmia is the loss or a change in your normal sense of smell. It can also affect your sense of taste as the two are closely linked.\"We have been closely monitoring the emerging data and evidence on Covid-19 and after thorough consideration, we are now confident enough to recommend this new measure.\"The individual\'s household should also…

yenisafak (2020-05-18). WHO chief to review its pandemic handling, vows transparency. yenisafak.com The head of the World Health Organization said on Monday an independent evaluation of the global coronavirus response would be launched as soon as possible, and China backed such a review.Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made his promise during a virtual meeting of the WHO\'s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly, at which Chinese President Xi Jinping defended his country\'s own handling of the crisis.U.S. President Donald Trump has fiercely questioned the WHO\'s performance during the pandemic and led international criticism of China\'s handling of the early stages of the crisis.Tedros, who has…

yenisafak (2020-05-18). Kuwait\'s coronavirus death toll rises to 118. yenisafak.com Kuwait confirmed six fatalities due to the novel coronavirus on Monday, according to the country\'s Health Ministry. | A ministry spokesman said 841 people have tested positive for the virus over the past 24 hours, the official KUNA news agency reported. | The Gulf state\'s death toll now stands at 118 and 15,691 infections, the spokesman said. | He said 161 patients are still in intensive care, while a total of 4,339 have recovered. | Since the virus emerged in Wuhan, China last December, it has spread to 188 countries and regions. | The global death toll from the novel coronavirus has exceeded 315,000, with more…

yenisafak (2020-05-18). Germany hopes to end global travel warning in June, but no return to normal. yenisafak.com Germany is hoping to replace a travel warning that is in place for all touristic trips abroad until June 15 with softer guidelines, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday, but warned there would be no quick return to holidays as usual.\"June 15 is not the starting date for taking holidays – June 15 is the date when we need to make a decision on whether we will lift the global travel warning and we\'re working on replacing this travel warning with travel guidelines,\" Maas said.He said he wanted summer holidays to be possible but stressed that this needed to be done in a responsible way and added that it was too…

yenisafak (2020-05-18). Turkey condemns pig\'s-head vandalism of German mosque. yenisafak.com An Islamophobic incident in which a pig\'s head was mounted onto the door of mosque in southern Germany drew condemnation from Turkey on Monday.\"Even during the holy month of Ramadan and the epidemic, racism and hostility against Islam continues in Europe. The ugly attack on our mosque in Germany is the latest example of this,\" Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted on Monday.Denouncing the perpetrators\' \"sick mentality,\" he urged that they be caught immediately.The incident took place Saturday at the Fatih Mosque in the city of Vaihingen, run by the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs. The incident too…

WSWS (2020-05-18). Little Rock, Arkansas transit workers laid off amidst COVID fears. wsws.org Due to heavy absenteeism over concerns of coronavirus infection, Rock Region Metro has announced service cuts and the layoff of 23 drivers.

WSWS (2020-05-18). SEIU pushes through sellout contract after blocking strike by Illinois nursing home workers. wsws.org The Service Employees International Union pushed through a deal with poverty wages and no guarantee of health and safety measures as the deadly coronavirus continues its rampage.

Mike Robinson (2020-05-18). COVID Coercion: Boris Johnson\'s Psychological Attack on the UK Public. globalresearch.ca Coercion: the practice of forcing another party to act in an involuntary manner by use of threats or force. | Over the course of the Covid-19 \'crisis\', scientific advice to the UK Government has been co-ordinated by the Scientific Advisory Group …

Jim Naureckas (2020-05-17). Grading the States\' Coronavirus Control. fair.org I recently wrote a Twitter thread ( The good idea, which appears on the Times\' \"Coronavirus in the US\"

CP Editor (2020-05-17). Laura Veirs: I Was a Fool. counterpunch.org …

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-17). Operation Baton: Colombia\'s most epic military corruption probe in history? colombiareports.com Colombia\'s army is so corrupt, one general was even selling classified information to guerrillas, a counterintelligence operation discovered before its findings mysteriously disappeared. Operation Baton was meant to purge the…

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-17). The sad story of Colombia\'s Supreme Court judge who only accidentally gets people in legal trouble. colombiareports.com Colombia\'s Supreme Court magistrate Cristina Lombana seems to have a special gift to accidentally get her allegedly criminal former army buddies in legal trouble. Since President Ivan Duque swore in…

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-17). Why East Beat West on COVID-19. strategic-culture.org East Asia has handled and contained the pandemic far better than the West on nearly all metrics | Andrew SALMON | Perhaps the most startling trend visible in the global Covid-19 pandemic is the vast differential separating East Asia from the West when it comes to the disease\'s impact. | The chasm is visible — indeed, is impossible not to notice — when examining infection and death rates in either gross or percentage terms. | Very clearly East Asia, defined as the Sinic or Sinic-influenced nations of China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, has done better than the West on virus management. | Why…

The Canary (2020-05-17). Johnson\'s ratings plummet and he\'s warned early lockdown will \'fracture\' UK. thecanary.co Boris Johnson has been warned he may cause a fracturing of national unity if he fails to listen to regional concerns about the easing of lockdown restrictions.Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham spoke out as a poll reported public support for the UK government\'s handling of the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis had slipped.Meanwhile, only 39% of Britons approve of the Government\'s response — down from 48% a week ago — according to an Opinium survey of 2,005 adults on Wednesday and Thursday.Those saying they disapproved rose from 36% to 42%.Burnham said Johnson did not inform civic leaders of his easing of…

The Canary (2020-05-17). A hospital pharmacist says lockdown has been eased too soon. thecanary.co As a pharmacist working in a busy London hospital, Arvinder Sarai is concerned that the public needs to be \"vigilant\" about the spread of the coronavirus.As well as maintaining her usual post as a pharmacist at St Mary\'s Hospital in Paddington, Sarai has been campaigning for free transport for NHS staff continuing to work throughout the pandemic.In a series of profiles looking at workers on the front line of the battle against coronavirus (Covid-19), Sarai told the PA news agency about her experiences.How has it been, personally and emotionally, working on the front line?: You can read a patient\'s notes, t…

RT (2020-05-17). Boozing by letter: Alcohol sales rationing based on SURNAMES could soon be a thing in South Africa as it eases its \'dry\' law. rt.com South Africa, which has some of the toughest Covid-19 restrictions, is set to relax them, including a ban on alcohol sales. To avert a feared onslaught of booze buyers, retailers are proposing what seems an outlandish scheme. | Alcohol is expected to rain on the arid market of South Africa from June 1, when the government is set to partially lift its coronavirus-related restrictions. The blanket ban on alcohol and tobacco sales was implemented late in March. | The government draft plan would allow liquor stores to operate from Monday to Wednesday between 8am and 12pm. Retailers, however, fear that the stores m…

RT (2020-05-17). DHS & FBI fear more attacks on 5G infrastructure fueled by Covid-19 conspiracies. rt.com The Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies are worried that conspiracy theories, bizarrely linking the Covid-19 pandemic to the 5G technology rollout, could inspire more vandalism and violence in the US. | The DHS, FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center issued a joint warning to US law enforcement officials about the growing threat this week, while a separate DHS intelligence report,

RT (2020-05-17). \'Guard of dishonor\': VIDEO shows nurses & doctors giving ICY welcome to Belgian PM over govt\'s Covid-19 response. rt.com Belgium\'s PM Sophie Wilmes has visited one of the nation\'s hospitals battling the pandemic — but the medical staff literally turned their backs on her to show that her \"display of support\" for frontline workers was not enough. | Prime Minister Wilmes faced a cold welcome at the Saint-Pierre hospital in the Belgian capital Brussels, where the doctors and nurses found a novel way to show their dissatisfaction with the government\'s policies amid the novel coronavirus epidemic. The nation has had one of the highest Covid-19 mortality rates in Europe. | Footage obtained by RT\'s video agency Ruptly shows do…

RT (2020-05-17). Putin calls Russia a \'distinct civilization\' that needs to be SAVED with homegrown high-tech. rt.com President Vladimir Putin has compared his multi-ethnic and multi-faith nation to an entire civilization, saying that if Russia is to maintain its independent status, it has to develop its own cutting-edge technologies. | In an I…

Philip Giraldi (2020-05-17). Remembering Palestine on Nakba Day: Use the Hashtag COVID1948. globalresearch.ca Palestinians worldwide have an annual day of remembrance called

Fight Back (2020-05-17). Boisterous Nakba Day car rally rolls through Minneapolis suburb. fightbacknews.org Columbia Heights, MN – Just outside city limits from Northeast Minneapolis, Central Avenue was awash with Palestine flags during Friday rush hour as Palestinian-Americans and solidarity activists commemorated Al-Nakba. Nakba Day, held each year on May 15, remembers the 1948 ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of indigenous Palestinians from their national homeland by Zionist settlers. Around 60 cars and dozens of families drove in a long caravan through the heavily Arab-American neighborhood, with chants of \"From the river to the sea…\" echoing for blocks. The protest was one of many actions that happened…

Joe Emersberger (2020-05-17). Attempts to whitewash the military coup of April 2002 in Venezuela. zcomm.org Given the overwhelming support opposition voices have been given in western media since Hugo Chavez was first elected in 1998, it is unsurprising that some would have had the audacity to attempt at least a partial whitewash of what the opposition and its foreign allies did in April of 2002. I\'ll address some of those

Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2020-05-17). Venezuela: Guaido\'s Leadership in Question Following Failed Coup Attempt. venezuelanalysis.com A letter from Silvercorp\'s lawyers demanding payment has cast doubt on Guaido\'s denials of involvement in a recent paramilitary operation.

Zero Hedge (2020-05-17). Chinese Ambassador To Israel Found Dead, Sparking Avalanche Of Rumors Amid Tensions. iranian.com China\'s Ambassador to Israel has been found dead inside his home near Tel Aviv Sunday morning, Israel\'s Foreign Ministry has confirmed. 57-year old ambassador Du Wei had only assumed his post in February 2020 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, due to which he entered a two week mandatory self-quarantine upon his arrival. He\'d previously been China\'s envoy to …

Eric Zuesse (2020-05-17). Why U.S. Must Be Prosecuted for Its War Crimes Against Iraq. globalresearch.ca The reason why the U.S. Government must be prosecuted for its war-crimes against Iraq is that they are so horrific and there are so many of them, and international law crumbles until they become prosecuted and severely punished for what …

Staff (2020-05-17). Big Oil Takes $1.9 Billion in CARES Act Tax Breaks Intended for Small Businesses. truthout.org Sen. Bernie Sanders was among critics outraged that the fossil fuel industry is using tax breaks in the CARES Act meant to help businesses keep workers employed to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes — and then delivering that money to executives. | \"Good thing President Trump is looking out for the real victims of the coronavirus: fossil fuel executives,\" Sanders tweeted sarcastically Friday. | t.co/4sj6gT53f9 | — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders)

South Front (2020-05-17). Video: Syrian Army Suffers Casualties in Daraa. Militants Attack Russian-Turkish Patrol. globalresearch.ca The security situation has been escalating in southern Syria. Over the past 24 hours, at least 3 pro-government fighters and a civilian have been killed in attacks by gunmen in al-Musayfrah and Saida-al-Taebah. The attacks followed the March 14 and …

Peter Koenig (2020-05-17). China\'s New Crypto-Currency — First Step to Full Dedollarization? globalresearch.ca \'We\'ll cut off the whole relationship\' — Trump threatened China in a recent Fox-Business interview, suggesting he may cut diplomatic relations with China and thereby saving US$ 500 billion. He didn\'t say how, though. | Mr. Trump\'s anger referred to what …

Alex Kotch (2020-05-17). Secretive Right-Wing Nonprofit Plays Role in COVID-19 Organizing. commondreams.org A right-wing protester holds a sign which reads \"Be like Sweden\" while another called the coronavirus pandemic a \"fake crisis\" during an April anti-lockdown demonstration in Minnesota. (Photo: AP) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/be_like_sweden_0.jpg …

Fight Back (2020-05-17). 1000 rally in Brunswick, Georgia demanding justice for Ahmaud Arbery. fightbacknews.org Brunswick, GA — Around 1000 people took to the streets of Brunswick, Georgia, May 16, to demand justice for Ahmaud Arbery, the young African American man murdered in late February by the racist vigilantes Gregory and Travis McMichael. Organized by a coalition of many organizations, protesters also demanded the resignation of State Attorneys Jackie Johnson and George Barnhill, both prosecutors who originally declined to press charges against the McMichaels for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-17). America\'s Newest Wedge Issue and the Tale of the Bizarre 2020 Presidential Elections. strategic-culture.org The answer to 1776 is not 1984 and if anything needs to be protested it would be any efforts by the government to make elections \"go digital\". Ironically such a move would actually be the way that the Chinese and Russians could actually get the guy they want in the Oval Office.

Amine Souadka, Hajar Essangri, Amine Benkabbou, Laila Amrani, Mohammed Anass Majbar (2020-05-17). [Letter] COVID-19 and Healthcare worker\'s families: behind the scenes of frontline response. thelancet.com During the COVID-19 outbreak, healthcare professionals are exposed to a high-risk of infection and mental health problems [1], but also fear of contagion and spreading the virus to their families [2]. In fact, considering them as individuals implies looking beyond their function as frontline responders and taking into account their societal role as parents, spouses and offspring.

Jean-Jacques Tuech, Lilian Schwarz (2020-05-17). [Letter] Can we operate our patients without fear during the period of COVID-19 infection? thelancet.com We read the paper by Shaoquin LEI and colleagues [1] with great interest. The authors reported 34 patients in whom the infection was revealed after surgery was performed. In this group of patients 15 (44.1%) needed ICU care and 7 (20.5%) died. This retrospective cohort study is the first one to describe the outcome of operative patients with SARS-Cov-2 infection.

Cristina Pérez-Cameo, Juan Marín-Lahoz (2020-05-17). [Commentary] Serosurveys and convalescent plasma in COVID-19. thelancet.com The current pandemic is not only overwhelming the health systems of the affected countries but also is killing thousands of other ways healthy adults. Convalescent plasma has been proposed [1] and approved to treat COVID-19 based on the experience acquired treating other viral diseases such as influenza, Ebola, and SARS [2]. It is considered a safe treatment (at least its side effects and contraindications are well known) and it has proven to be efficacious in several viral infections for more than a century.

Alison P. Galvani, Alyssa S. Parpia, Abhishek Pandey, Charlotte Zimmer, James G. Kahn, Meagan C. Fitzpatrick (2020-05-17). [Commentary] The imperative for universal healthcare to curtail the COVID-19 outbreak in the USA. thelancet.com The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States is growing steeply and spreading widely. As of March 26, national incidence surpassed every other country, and as of April 28 has reported over a million cases. The COVID-19 crisis is exposing the systemic frailties in our healthcare system. More than 78 million people in America do not have access to adequate health insurance [1]. Given that health insurance in the US is typically provided by employers, millions more are at risk of losing their healthcare coverage as unemployment surges.

Paulina Cecula, Sir David Behan, Mahiben Maruthappu (2020-05-17). [Commentary] COVID-19: Challenges and opportunities in the care sector. thelancet.com Covid-19 has spread around the world at a tremendous pace. On April the 12th, the total number of cases in the UK reached 84,279 including 10,612 deaths [1]. The UK Government introduced measures to reduce the spread of disease and the NHS is operating at full capacity to manage the demand. Meanwhile, more than 2000 care homes in England reported Covid-19 cases, which are underrepresented in national statistics [2]. Charities are calling for urgent action to support older people and the care sector.

Gary L Ross (2020-05-17). [Letter] Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing surgeries during the incubation period of COVID-19 infection. What are the implications for the commencement of elective surgery? thelancet.com …

news.un (2020-05-17). AU and UN appeal for \'stable and peaceful environment\' for Burundi elections. news.un.org Ahead of presidential and local elections in Burundi on Wednesday, the African Union (AU) Commission and the United Nations (UN) urged the authorities to provide a safe and secure environment for citizens to cast their votes.

Cynthia Kaufman (2020-05-17). Alternatives to Killing People for the Economy. commondreams.org A sign warns residents to take steps to contol the coronavirus outbreak at the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn on March 19, 2020 in New York City. (Photo: Victor J. Blue/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/nyc_corona.jpg …

Renee Parsons (2020-05-17). Section 230: Protecting Internet Speech, The Censors and Censorship. globalresearch.ca With a better world on the horizon, the old order is desperately asserting its last vestige of power. What the perpetrators of the coronavirus event were not counting on was that the pandemic would usher in a new era of …

Ted Morgan (2020-05-17). Are the Democrats Dead (Again)? commondreams.org House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks during a news conference with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) at the U.S. Capitol January 25, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Zach Gibson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/pelosi_schumer_coronavirus.jpg …

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-05-17). Pandemic Scales Up Cases of Mental Illnesses. globalresearch.ca The global pandemic of the new coronavirus worsens day after day worldwide, bringing with it a series of harms for humanity. As it is known, in addition to the simple infection by the virus, the pandemic causes problems in society …

SANA (2020-05-17). Video: Three ISIS-Daesh Terrorists Confess to Perpetrating a Number of Operations in Cooperation with US. globalresearch.ca Three Daesh terrorists confess to perpetrating a number of operations in cooperation with US occupation forces in al-Tanf. …

Basma Qaddour (2020-05-17). ISIS Terrorists Confess that They Have Carried Out Many Operations in Coordination with US Occupation Forces in Al-Tanf Base. globalresearch.ca During a security operation carried out with the help of the Syrian Badia\'s residents, an ambush was set up against an ISIS terrorist group composed of 6 members where 3 of them were killed and the remaining ones were arrested….

Derrick Broze (2020-05-17). How Big Wireless Lobbied Governments to Build 5G for Citizen Data Collection and Surveillance. globalresearch.ca While selling 5G technology to the public as a means for faster downloads, Big Wireless — comprising a web of telecom companies, lobbyists and law firms— is spending millions to lobby governments the world over to implement the next generation …

Pepe Escobar (2020-05-17). How Biosecurity Is Enabling Digital Neo-Feudalism. globalresearch.ca Italian master thinker Giorgio Agamben has been on the — controversial — forefront examining what new paradigm may be emerging out of our current pandemic distress. | He recently called

Eric Sommer (2020-05-17). China Declares the U.S. an Enemy: Sea-Change in World Affairs. globalresearch.ca For a long period the Chinese regime has vacillated between seeking accommodation with the U.S.-led imperialist forces to \'do business\' with the western world, and defending itself against the attempted economic, political, and military encirclement and strangulation of China by …

Najwan Simri (2020-05-17). Jews to Palestinian Whose Home They Occupy: What Do You Want? globalresearch.ca \"On the anniversary of the

Global Times (2020-05-17). Chinese Ridicule Trump\'s China \'Cut-Off\' Threat. globalresearch.ca \"Is Trump totally insane?\" Experts and the international community couldn\'t help but ask this question after US President Donald Trump threatened to \"cut off the whole relationship\" with China on Thursday in an interview with FOX Business. Observers said that …

Edward Curtin (2020-05-17). The Online Double-bind. \"Digital Revolution, …. Many More People are Crazy\" globalresearch.ca The trap was set at least twenty-five years ago and the mice jumped at the smell of the cheese. I am referring to the introduction of the computer as a mass necessity and the Internet that followed. I was slow …

Gregory Shupak (2020-05-17). Corporate Media Setting Stage for New Cold War With China. commondreams.org Corporate media distortions and bombast are priming the American public to see China as a treacherous villain that has to be forcefully confronted, perhaps with violence. (Photo: Thomas Peter-Pool/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/china_0.png …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-17). Indian migrant workers killed in road accident while returning home. peoplesdispatch.org 24 laborers who were on their way home from India\'s capital city of New Delhi were killed when a truck carrying migrant workers rammed the vehicle they were on…

Sam Pizzigati (2020-05-17). Civil Disobedience, Billionaire-Style. commondreams.org Musk forced Tesla workers into the same lose-lose bind that faces meatpacking workers in states like Nebraska. (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/elonmusk_0.jpeg …

Ra√∫l Carrillo (2020-05-17). The Pandemic Has Shown That We Need a Public Option for Banking Services. commondreams.org The Federal Reserve Board Building located at 20th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW in Washington, D.C. (cc/AgnosticPreachersKid) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/955px-marriner_s._eccles_federal_reserve_board_building_0.jpg …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-17). Tunisian President Reiterates Support for Palestinian Cause. imemc.org Tunisian President, Qais Said, reportedly said, on Saturday, that his country continues to support the Palestinian people and their cause of justice. The president\'s remarks came on the sidelines of a Ramadan breakfast banquet, he held for various Arab and Islamic ambassadors to Tunisia. \"We in Tunisa are still dedicated …

Ali Salam (2020-05-17). Israeli Forces Abduct Child, Two Young Men in West Bank Raids Sunday. imemc.org Israeli forces invaded the West Bank, early Sunday morning, before dawn, and attacked Palestinians in their homes, including a child. The troops then abducted the Palestinians and took them to unknown locations for interrogation. According to local sources, Israeli troops abducted 14-year-old Ammar Thawabteh while he was asleep in his …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-17). Armed Israeli Settlers Uproot 40 Olive Trees, South of Nablus. imemc.org Armed Israeli colonists reportedly uprooted, early on Sunday morning, forty olive trees, owned by local Palestinian farmers, south of Nablus city, in the occupied West Bank. Ghassan Daghlas, Palestinian chief for the Israeli settlements\' file in the northern West Bank, told media outlets that dozens of armed Israeli settlers invaded …

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-17). Stuck in Colombia? Our home is your home until you\'re repatriated. colombiareports.com Colombia may maintain its ban on international travel. Your embassy will inform you about repatriation. Meanwhile, our home is your home. President Ivan Duque\'s consideration is not unique. Because Latin…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-05-17). Eric Trump Goes on Fox News to Claim That Coronavirus Lockdowns Being Used to Hurt His Father\'s Re-Election Bid. commondreams.org MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle wondered why, in that case, the interview was not being held face-to-face. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/eric.png …

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-05-17). \'Reality is Radicalizing\': As Pandemic Pushes Biden to Embrace Progressive Ideas He Once Spurned, Left Says We Told You So. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/biden_3.jpg …

Tasnim News (2020-05-17). Google Play Removes Iranian App Used against Coronavirus. iranian.com The anti-Iran sanctions imposed by the \"Wild West\" have forced Google to remove Iranian mobile application \'Mask\', developed to tackle the novel coronavirus and warn people to avoid high-risk areas, from its Play Store, a health official said. Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Kianoosh Jahanpoor said in a post on his Twitter account that the homegrown …

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-17). Trump Goes on Offense Against Obama. strategic-culture.org If Donald Trump wants to get re-elected as President of the U.S. he\'s going to have to take out former President Barack Obama. At this point Obama is the person who most stands in his path for a second term. | Former Vice President Joe Biden may well wind up being the nominee but that\'s only because he is Obama\'s stand in since Obama can\'t run for a third term thanks to the only part of the U.S. Constitution anyone seems to give a damn about anymore. | But, make no mistake, the current flap about the unmasking of Trump\'s first (and short-lived) National Security Adviser Gen. Michael Flynn is all about Trump final…

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-17). The Soviet Union Defeated Germany in World War II — Not the Western Forces. strategic-culture.org Eric MARGOLIS | President Donald Trump claimed last week that the US and Britain had won World War II. This was a shameless lie and distortion of the facts. | Many Americans and Canadians like to believe their nations won the war in Europe and give insufficient recognition to the decisive Soviet role. Most Europeans would rather not think about the matter. By contrast, Russians know that it was their soldiers who really won the war. They remain angry that their military achievements are ignored by American triumphalists and myth-makers. | Not only did Stalin\'s Soviet Union play the key role in crushing Nazi Germa…

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-17). A New Pandemic? Two Trailblazing COVID-19 Researchers Dead in a Month. strategic-culture.org Academia does not really have a reputation for being riddled with violence and sudden unexplained deaths. Yet at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, two young pioneering researchers from the same obscure field of study met with mysterious ends. | Outside of academic circles, Dr. James Taylor and Dr. Bing Liu were relative unknowns. Inside of the scientific community, however, the two had achieved something like rock-star status. And now, within a period of 30 days, both young men are dead at a time when their talents are needed most. | James Taylor, 1979-2020 | Let\'s first consider the life and work of James Taylo…

Staff (2020-05-17). COVID-19 Exposes Systemic Devaluation of Elderly and Dementia Patients. truthout.org I hold my breath when I see I left the nursing home nearly six years ago, but I worry about my friends who still w…

Staff (2020-05-17). Formerly Incarcerated People Should Be Compensated for Telling Their Stories. truthout.org During the 19th-century emancipation movement, some of the most important voices were those of Black abolitionists. \"This was especially true of those who had experienced slavery,\" When they told their stories it \"disabused listeners and readers of the notion that slaves were contented or well-treated,\" Finkenbine said, and even \"unlettered fu…

Staff (2020-05-17). How a Lobbying Campaign Pushed the CDC to Relax Protective Gear Guidelines. truthout.org This story was originally published by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more at Rick Lucas\' cellphone chimed, alerting him to an emergency in the acute care unit. He wondered whether it would be another case of COVID…

Staff (2020-05-17). Ahmaud Arbery\'s Murder Shows Lynching Remains a Reality for Black America. truthout.org On May 4, Ida B. Wells received a posthumous Pulitzer award.

Staff (2020-05-17). Missouri GOP Votes to Gut Anti-Gerrymandering Reform Approved by Voters. truthout.org This article was produced by While most people are focused on their health and livelihoods amid the pandemic, Republican legislators in Missouri are working to overturn a voter-approved measure meant to make legislativ…

Tom Coburg (2020-05-17). BMJ damns UK government for mishandling coronavirus outbreak and ignoring science. thecanary.co An editorial in the prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ) condemns the Johnson-led government for the way it has handled the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and for ignoring the science. It amounts to possibly the most damning criticism of the government\'s management of the pandemic so far. | Moreover, a set of slides seen by The Canary reveals that the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) referenced a document, issued in 2019, that provided detailed projections for a major UK epidemic. Yet, this doesn\'t seem to have informed the government\'s response to the crisis. | Early failings: | The…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-17). COVID-19 vaccine secures new government investment. imperial.ac.uk Imperial researchers have received a further £18.5 million in government support as they develop a coronavirus vaccine.

teleSUR Desk (2020-05-16). U.S. blocks vote on UN\'s bid for global ceasefire amid COVID-19. mronline.org The U.S. veto trashes the UN\'s efforts to convince armed factions in more than a dozen countries to call for temporary truces as the world battles the pandemic.

Glen Ford (2020-05-16). Leftists jump the Corporate Democratic ship, leaving Sanders behind. mronline.org History may record that the corporate duopoly dike was finally broken in the Time of Plague, with the defection of Bernie\'s former sheep from the Democratic Party.

Andre Vltchek (2020-05-16). Iran: Socialist, Internationalist, Powerful and Determined. dissidentvoice.org I refuse to describe Iran as a victim. It is not. It is one of the most influential and strong-minded nations on Earth. When facing mortal danger, its people unite, harden themselves and get ready to face invaders, no matter how threatening they might be. Iran determined despite attacks Iran is home to one of …

Matthew J. L. Ehret (2020-05-16). How Huxley\'s X-Club Created Nature Magazine and Sabotaged Science for 150 Years. dissidentvoice.org Amidst the storm of controversy raised by the lab-origin theory of COVID-19 extolled by such figures as Nobel prize winning virologist Luc Montagnier, bioweapons expert Francis Boyle, Sri Lankan Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and the head of Iran\'s Revolutionary Guard, an elaborate project was undertaken under the nominal helm of Nature magazine in order to refute …

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-16). Techno-Tyranny: How the U.S. National Security State is Using Coronavirus to Fulfill an Orwellian Vision. strategic-culture.org Whitney WEBB | LAST YEAR, A GOVERNMENT COMMISSION CALLED FOR THE US TO ADOPT AN AI-DRIVEN MASS SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM FAR BEYOND THAT USED IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN ORDER TO ENSURE AMERICAN HEGEMONY IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. NOW, MANY OF THE \"OBSTACLES\" THEY HAD CITED AS PREVENTING ITS IMPLEMENTATION ARE RAPIDLY BEING REMOVED UNDER THE GUISE OF COMBATING THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS. | Last year, a U.S. government body dedicated to examining how artificial intelligence can \"address the national security and defense needs of the United States\" discussed in detail the \"structural\" changes that the American economy and socie…

The Canary (2020-05-16). Senior police officer accused of \'one rule for him, and one rule for the rest of us\' after travelling to family home. thecanary.co A senior British Transport Police (BTP) officer has come under fire after he travelled from Glasgow to his family home in Yorkshire during lockdown.BTP confirmed chief superintendent Eddie Wylie returned to Yorkshire from his rented flat in Glasgow on two occasions between 21 March and 13 May, but said he did not breach Covid-19 regulations.It said that on both occasions he travelled home alone and by car to minimise any possible exposure to others.But Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said the journeys suggest Wylie \"believes there is one rule for him, and one rule for the rest of us\", and the officers has…

RT (2020-05-16). House Democrats push through $3 TRILLION Covid-19 relief bill as GOP puts up resistance to \'progressive wishlist\'. rt.com Democratic lawmakers have passed a massive $3 trillion coronavirus aid package, the largest bill to ever move through Congress, but the Senate is likely to block the law, with Republicans deeming it a progressive \"wishlist.\" | The 1,800-page bill passed 208-199 on Friday in a vote largely along party lines, with all but 14 Democrats voting in its favor, joined by a single GOP rep — Peter King of New York. | Introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) without consultation from lawmakers across the aisle, the expansive law will provide financial relief for state and local governments, hazard pay…

RT (2020-05-16). Biggest change in 231 years: Citing Covid-19, US House of Representatives adopts proxy votes & remote meetings in party-line vote. rt.com The US House of Representatives will allow members to cast votes for up to 10 others and hold hearings remotely. Billed as temporary due to the coronavirus outbreak, the rule change is the most radical in over two centuries. | The new rules passed on Friday evening in a 217-189 vote, with three Democrats and one Independent joining the Republicans in bipartisan opposition. | Democrats, who currently control the chamber, pushed for the change this week, calling it \"a common-sense solution to an unprecedented crisis that demands our ingenuity and adaptability as an institution,\" in the words of House Majority Le…

RT (2020-05-16). Trump vows to strip \'radical left\' of \'TOTAL COMMAND\' over FB, IG, Twitter & Google. rt.com President Donald Trump has vowed to break the \"radical left\'s\" apparent control of social media platforms. Earlier, the president thanked his \"keyboard warriors\" for their support, as they accused the tech firms of censorship. | \"The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google,\" Trump tweeted on Saturday. \"The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation. Stay tuned, and send names & events.\" | The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google. The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation. Stay tun…

RT (2020-05-16). \'Camera off, mask off?\' CNN reporter blasted for removing mask seconds after end of WH press briefing. rt.com CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins has been accused of Covid-19 theatrics, as she was caught hastily removing her face mask after a White House briefing. Collins has criticized Donald Trump for not wearing masks in public. | Despite the president\'s \'masks are optional\' policy at White House briefings, the CNN journalist, like most of her colleagues, wore one during the press event on Friday. | However, when Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany walked off the podium, Collins wasted no time in taking off the protective item as she brushed past other people in the room — a social distancing faux pas in the age of…

RT (2020-05-16). Dems launch ANOTHER Trump probe — after he fires State Dept official who was investigating Pompeo & pushed a new \'dossier\'. rt.com Two Democrat-led committees on Capitol Hill have launched a fresh investigation into President Trump. This probe focuses on allegations that Trump fired a State Department employee for political reasons. | Trump informed Congress on Friday that he intends to fire State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, claiming he \"no longer\" had confidence in him. | By Saturday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-New York) and Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) sent a letter to the White House, alleging the firing was \"politically-motivated,\" and announcin…

Rania Khalek (2020-05-16). Rania & Anya Show: Venezuela invasion, Bolivia coup, China conspiracies w/ Wyatt Reed. thealtworld.com Rania Khalek and Anya Parampil discuss the attempted mercenary invasion of Venezuela, conspiracies about China and Covid-19, and the aftermath of the US-backed military coup against Bolivia\'s democratically elected government, with journalist Wyatt Reed, who was on the ground in Bolivia reporting on the violent repression.

Staff (2020-05-16). The ŸêAnnexation After Seventy-Two Years Of Continuous Nakba. imemc.org By: Marwan E. Toubassi, Ambassador of the State of Palestine in Greece:…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-16). On Nakba Day, Palestinians vow to continue resistance. peoplesdispatch.org May 15 is the anniversary of the Nakba, which means catastrophe or disaster. The day marks the forced exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes during the formation of Israel in 1948. This year, despite the COVID-19 quarantine, Palestinians across the world will mark the Nakba. Despite Netanyahu\'s apartheid policies and Trump\'s fradulent deal of the century, the resistance of the people of Palestine continues.

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-05-16). Revolutionary Boiling Point, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com Still mad at China\'s brutal authoritarian government for imprisoning Julian Assange after his journalism exposed Chinese war crimes. | ~ | Arresting people for future crimes is called \"pre-crime\", and it\'s the stuff of dystopian horror fiction. | Violently dominating an entire planet because another country might hurt yours in the future is called \"US foreign policy\", and it\'s the stuff of mainstream news punditry. | ~ | Saying a US politician is bad on foreign policy but good on domestic policy is a bit like saying \"Yeah my boyfriend murders hitchhikers, but he cooks.\" | ~ | Dominant revolutionary thought…

Ralph Nader (2020-05-16). Trump: Letting Big Corporations Get Away with Whatever They Want. commondreams.org President Donald Trump walks to the Oval Office after attending a ceremony at the South Portico of the White House on Thursday, September 26, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/donald_trump_0_2.png …

Eva Bartlett (2020-05-16). Daesh terrorists Confess Terrorism Done In Coordination With US Occupation Forces. thealtworld.com SANA, \"Through a security operation, that was launched in cooperation with Syrian citizens in al-Badyah (Syrian semi-desert), an ambush has targeted a group from Daesh terrorist organization, including 6 persons. | The security operation ended up with killing three of the groups and arresting the three others. …The three terrorists, in a program broadcast on the Syrian TV on Thursday, confessed to perpetrating different terrorist operations, inducing acts of killing, execution, abduction, acts of sabotage and destruction of public and private properties…

Ali Salam (2020-05-16). Israeli Forces Shoot, Assault and Injure 5 Palestinian Protestors near Nablus. imemc.org Israeli forces attacked a peaceful protest, on Friday, and wounded five Palestinians in the village of As-Sawiya, south of Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank. Quds News Network correspondent stated that dozens of Palestinians held a peaceful protest, waving Palestinian flags, to express their opposition to Israel\'s illegal settlement …

Staff (2020-05-16). Exploiting Pandemic, Trump Admin Weighs Banning Immigration Indefinitely. truthout.org Earlier this week, the Trump administration started hinting that With the country entirely preoccupied by the public health and economic catastrophes, and with protest all but impossible given the dangers of congregating in large crowds, Tr…

Richard Horton (2020-05-16). [Comment] Offline: Don\'t let COVID-19 divert us completely. thelancet.com Dr Robert Spencer, a trustee of Dr Edward Jenner\'s House, Garden and Museum in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK, wrote to me last week on the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox (May 8). He was polite but disappointed: \"On this day in 1980 the WHO announced the eradication of smallpox from the world. This infection, which probably caused more deaths than any other disease, was finally condemned to the history books. Sorry to see you had no space in this week\'s edition of The Lancet to commemorate this milestone, especially at a time of COVID-19 pandemic.\" Dr Spencer was right to admonish me.

The Lancet (2020-05-16). [Editorial] Reviving the US CDC. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen in the USA with 1 ∑3 million cases and an estimated death toll of 80‚Äà684 as of May 12. States that were initially the hardest hit, such as New York and New Jersey, have decelerated the rate of infections and deaths after the implementation of 2 months of lockdown. However, the emergence of new outbreaks in Minnesota, where the stay-at-home order is set to lift in mid-May, and Iowa, which did not enact any restrictions on movement or commerce, has prompted pointed new questions about the inconsistent and incoherent national response to the COVID-19…

Walden Bello (2020-05-16). The Race to Replace a Dying Neoliberalism. commondreams.org Empty toilet paper shelves in an Australian supermarket after panic buying due to the Coronavirus. (Photo/Chris Putnam/Barcroft Media via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/toilet-paper-wars_0.jpg …

Gary Younge (2020-05-16). Can Britain Survive Boris Johnson? thenation.com Can Britain Survive Boris Johnson?

Michael Otto (2020-05-16). Ecuador\'s pandemic: Rightist regime fails to confront crisis. workers.org Ibarra, Ecuador May 9 — During March and April, U.S. and European media spewed out shocking images from Guayaquil, the biggest city in Ecuador and capital of the province of Guayas on the Pacific Coast. No one in the port city of 2.9 million is untouched by the death of . . . |

(2020-05-16). Marc Lamont Hill: \'Outside the logic of the prison\' on Mumia\'s birthday. workers.org By Marc Lamont Hill These slightly edited remarks were given April 24 at the \"U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners\" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. Marc Lamont Hill . . . |

Larry Holmes (2020-05-16). Pandemia ha acelerado etapa final del capitalismo — °El resto depende de nosotros! — un análisis. workers.org La semana pasada, los trabajadores celebraron el Día Internacional de los Trabajadores 2020. No ha habido otro momento en nuestras vidas en que el mensaje del Primero de Mayo, —la solidaridad global de los trabajadores en la lucha contra el capitalismo— haya sido más urgente. Hemos entrado en un período . . . |

a guest author (2020-05-16). Rashid Johnson: \'Prison has always served a particular political function\'. workers.org Remarks were given April 24 at the \"U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners\" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. Kevin Rashid Johnson, currently incarcerated in the Pendleton Correctional Facility . . . |

(2020-05-16). Sekou Odinga: \'The right to struggle by any and all means\'. workers.org These slightly edited remarks were given April 24 at the \"U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners\" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. By Sekou Odinga I\'m a representative of . . . |

Ali Salam (2020-05-16). Israeli Forces Isolate Ya\'bad Town, Assault Disabled Palestinian Man. imemc.org Israeli forces blocked all entrances to Ya\'bad town, west of Jenin city, on Friday morning, after several days of military invasions into the northern West Bank town. On Tuesday, a 21-year old Israeli soldier was killed during a pre-dawn invasion of the town, the military has since invaded the town …

news.un (2020-05-16). Cultivating a taste for traditional crops in Hawaii. news.un.org Hundreds of millions of people go hungry around the world, and there are fears the COVID-19 pandemic could make matters worse. In Hawaii, researchers think that bringing back overlooked, traditional crops, could help feed many vulnerable people. As part of an ongoing series focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals and ahead of International Day of Biodiversity marked annually on 22 May, UN News travelled to Hawaii with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to see how researchers are trying to cultivate a taste for indigenous crops.

Finian Cunningham (2020-05-16). Trump Wants to Cut Off China in Guilt-Projection Meltdown. thealtworld.com China involved in pandemic cover-up? That\'s the most audacious American guilt-projection since the \"War on Terror\". | So President Trump, the self-declared business genius, wants to cut off the whole relationship with China and \"save America $500 billion a year\". That\'s what he told Fox News this week in an

Wayne Madsen (2020-05-16). Lack of Empathy Equates to a Lack of Leadership Skills. thealtworld.com Trump never has and never will experience empathy and thousands of Americans and others have died and are dying because of it, Wayne Madsen writes. | U.S. Army Field Manual 6-22, titled \"Leadership Development,\" states that the ability to show empathy toward others is a key factor in exhibiting Army leadership qualities. Donald Trump, who is ordering all 1000 graduating U.S. Army cadets at West Point back to campus on June 13 from sheltering at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, does not possess the leadership skills that have been drilled into each of the new Army Second Lieutenants who will be present for Tr…

Derrick Broze (2020-05-16). Trump Appoints Big Pharma Exec Connected to Bill Gates to Head Vaccine Developments. thelastamericanvagabond.com On Friday, Donald Trump announced his appointment of Moncef Slaoui, a former executive with vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline, to lead \"Operation Warp Speed\", Trump\'s plan to fast track the development of vaccines for COVID-19. Slaoui will serve in a volunteer position, assisted by Army Gen. Gustave Perna, the commander of United States Army Materiel Command. According …

Stewart Lansley (2020-05-16). It\'s time for a basic, guaranteed income for all. thecanary.co The pandemic crisis has laid bare the multiple flaws in the British system of social support. With the economy shrinking and unemployment soaring, the government has been forced to support falling incomes through wage subsidies and the easing of

Tiffany Duong (2020-05-16). States sue Trump EPA for suspending environmental regulations during pandemic. nationofchange.org Polluters are allowed, at their sole discretion, to stop monitoring and reporting air emissions and water pollution levels during the outbreak.

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-16). Israeli Troops Throw Fire Bombs, Burn Palestinian Homes, Farm Land in Hebron. imemc.org Israeli troops reportedly fired, on Friday evening, fire bombs in the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron, causing Palestinian-owned farm lands to be set ablaze. Palestinian sources in Yatta village, south of Hebron, said that Israeli troops fired some torch bombs in the sky over Hebron, which burned half …

Staff (2020-05-16). Israeli Hospital Guards Kill Epileptic Palestinian Man. imemc.org Security guards at a Tel Aviv hospital on Wednesday killed an epileptic Palestinian man in front of his mother. He was killed at the entrance to the hospital where he frequently received treatment for his epilepsy. Mustafa Younis, from Aara town, was killed by the guards after an argument at …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-16). Israeli Courts Extend Detention of 47 Palestinian Prisoners. imemc.org Two Israeli military courts reportedly extended, on Saturday, the detention of 47 Palestinian prisoners. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoners\' Society (PPS) said, early this morning, that the Israeli military courts of Ofer and Salem, extended the detention of 47 Palestinian prisoners, under some pretexts. The PPS noted that the courts\' decisions …

graham (2020-05-16). Johnson lies to parliament about care homes lockdown. truepublica.org.uk Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Britain\'s parliament on Wednesday that his government moved swiftly to protect the country\'s vulnerable care homes. Under increasing pressure to defend his record on fighting Covid-19, he said: \"We brought in the lockdown in care homes ahead of the general lockdown.\" An examination by Reuters of the guidance issued to …

Andrea Mazzarino (2020-05-16). How Covid-19 Is Affecting Military Families. thenation.com How Covid-19 Is Affecting Military Families…

Derrick Broze (2020-05-16). This U.S. State Has Already Established Legal Means for Mandatory Vaccinations. thelastamericanvagabond.com While the U.S. government and global health \"authorities\" debate how quickly they can roll out Contact Tracing surveillance programs and fast track vaccines, Americans are left wondering and debating over whether the vaccinations programs for COVID-19 might end up being mandatory. It is true that Donald Trump has acknowledged that, \"We are looking for a …

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-05-16). Big Oil Taking $1.9 Billion in CARES Act Tax Breaks Aimed at Helping Small Businesses in \'Stealth Bailout\': Report. commondreams.org \"In the name of 'small business,' we're shoveling out billions of dollars to big corporations and rich guys.\" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/cash-in-covid-big-oil_0.jpg …

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-05-16). \'Slow Moving Coup\': Outrage After Trump Quietly Fires State Department Inspector General Friday Night. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/linick.jpg …

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-05-16). \'We Can and Must Do Better\': House Passes Massive $3 Trillion Relief Package, But Progressives Say More Must Be Done. commondreams.org \"We must give people real relief and certainty before this crisis gets worse—because if we fail to do so, it will.\" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pelosi_7.jpg …

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-16). Architects Of American Carnage. strategic-culture.org Who cares what the Neocons think? They have no moral authority to police the bounds of allowable opinion | John A. BURTKA IV | The banner of principled conservatism is now being carried by the architects of American carnage. By \"principled conservatives\" all they mean is that they are conservatives who oppose the Republican president. If they have principles—foreign policy interventionism and neoliberal economics—they are bad ones. After The Weekly Standard closed its doors, Bill Kristol and his gang moved on to start new web publications like The Bulwark and The Dispatch. From their new perches, they…

Staff (2020-05-16). House Passes $3 Trillion Relief Package, But Progressives Say More Must Be Done. truthout.org The Democrat majority House of Representatives passed a massive, $3 trillion coronavirus relief stimulus package known as the HEROES Act roughly along party lines on Friday night despite progressive concerns over the bill\'s provisions. | \"The truth is that while a significant step in the right direction, the bill does not go far enough to provide urgently needed economic relief to the millions of people who lost their income and whose families are now standing in food lines,\" Ana Maria Archi…

Staff (2020-05-16). Whistleblower Says Systemic Mortgage Fraud Has Returned to Wall Street. truthout.org Among the toxic contributors to the financial crisis of 2008, few caused as much havoc as Twelve yea…

John McEvoy (2020-05-16). Venezuela calls on UK government to \'abandon coup-mongering plans\' after The Canary\'s investigation. thecanary.co Following an investigation by The Canary, the Venezuelan government has Venezuela Reconstruction Unit: | On 13 May, The Canary

Project Censored (2020-05-16). Episode 84 — The History of 420 and Teaching in Quarantine with Ben Boyington (Vice President of ACME). projectcensored.org Along the Line, is a member of the Demcast network, brought to you by the Media Freedom Foundation. On today\'s episode hosts Nicholas Baham III (Dr. Dreadlocks), Janice Domingo, and Nolan…

Raul Diego (2020-05-15). Massachusetts Contact Tracing Program Handed to Clinton-Linked NGO with Questionable Past. mintpressnews.com A new contact tracing program was recently unveiled in Massachusetts in partnership with Partners in Health, an NGO with links to US regime change operations, big pharma and the Clinton Foundation.

IndustriALL (2020-05-15). India: Right wing uses COVID-19 to implement 12-hour workday, 72-hour week. peoplesworld.org Some Indian states are using coronavirus as a pretext to attack working conditions. Many have increased the working day to 12 hours, while others have suspended or provided exemptions to labor law. State governments, including Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh, have increased the workday to 12 hours and the standard workweek to …

Pam Martens, Russ Martens (2020-05-15). The Fed Hasn\'t Spent a Dime Yet for Main Street Versus $735 Billion for Wall Street. counterpunch.org The stimulus bill known as the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) was signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27. Among its many features (such as direct checks to struggling Americans and enhancing unemployment compensation by $600 per week for four months to unemployed workers so they could pay

Mirinda Crissman (2020-05-15). Andrea Circle Bear and six centuries of genocide. workers.org Andrea Circle Bear, of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation near Eagle Butte, S.D., was the 29th federal inmate to die due to the coronavirus in Bureau of Prisons custody. She was sentenced to serve 26 months. Circle Bear was being held at Tripp County Jail in South Dakota up until . . . |

CounterSpin (2020-05-15). Ari Berman on Voter Suppression and Coronavirus. fair.org Media…

Winslow Wheeler (2020-05-15). Do the Most Severe Lockdowns Coincide to the Highest COVID-19 Death Rates? counterpunch.org The organization Our World in Data is running an article on the severity of government lockdown policies used to deal with the Covid-19 disease, \"How Are Governments Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic?\". It is shows rankings of the severity (\"stringency\") on nine measures of lockdown policies throughout the world; it also addresses testing and tracking.

Mark Gruenberg (2020-05-15). Back to work, or else: Trump administration tells states to pull unemployment benefits. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—GOP President Donald Trump\'s Labor Secretary, Eugene Scalia, and his #2 who runs the agency that oversees jobless benefits want employers to report—and states to bar benefits from—workers who fear returning to their old jobs because their employers won\'t protect them against the coronavirus. The memo, from John Pallasch, a GOP operative, an advocate for …

Janine Jackson (2020-05-15). Foreign Policy Sees \'Repression\' in Vietnam\'s Fight Against Coronavirus – In the US, government may surveill you, but at least it doesn't protect your health. fair.org Foreign Policy ( A recent piece in Foreign Policy (

Eve Ottenberg (2020-05-15). The Covid-19 Testing Fiasco. counterpunch.org From the start, testing for Covid-19 in the U.S. has been abysmal. Experts agree that without adequate testing, the disease cannot be stopped. Poor testing means no idea how many are infected or how to trace and quarantine their contacts or how to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. There has been speculation that the Trump

John Wojcik (2020-05-15). Whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright testifies winter could be \'darkest in modern history\'. peoplesworld.org Dr. Rick Bright, the top Health and Human Services official dumped by Trump for blowing the whistle on the administration\'s disastrous response to the coronavirus pandemic, testified to Congress Thursday that essentially everything the president is saying about his administration\'s response to the pandemic is a lie. One of the most damaging of those lies, …

a guest author (2020-05-15). Political Prisoners Teach-In: \'We got out because of the people\'. workers.org These slightly edited remarks were given April 24 at the \"U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners\" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. By Janet Africa On the Move! Happy . . . |

A. Majumdar (2020-05-15). PDF download of May 14 issue. workers.org Download entire 12-page PDF here. Justice for Ahmaud Arbery. Kent State and Jackson State. Also: COVID‚Äë19: capitalism\'s end stage; workers resist. Editorial: Changing narrative in Michigan. World: China, Vietnam, Haiti, Ecuador. Tear down prisons: victory in PA; San Quentin caravan; No cages for migrants; Global prisons & white supremacy; Solidarity . . . |

Sue Harris (2020-05-15). The struggle and personal growth. workers.org What motivates some people to dominate and/or destroy, based on their illusory sense of superiority, even when it is against their own interests? Who are these people who profess to be acting in the name of \"freedom and individual liberty,\" while gathering together and refusing to wear protective masks in . . . |

Patricio Zamorano (2020-05-15). Guaidó and the Failed Military Operation Against Venezuela: a Story of Betrayal and Financial Corruption. counterpunch.org Now that we have had a few days to study the failed, illegal paramilitary incursion by a group of American and Venezuelan mercenaries into Venezuela, some key details have emerged in this incredible story. They reveal the internal dynamics of the fractured, demoralized, and financially corrupt nature of the hardline sectors of the opposition. Much

Staff (2020-05-15). Climate Crisis: KXL Ruling, Unity Task Force, California Pollution, and TRNN\'s New Climate Reporter. therealnews.com Climate activists get a big court win on Keystone XL as the Biden and Sanders camps unite. California has delayed air pollution rules at the behest of industry during COVID-19 as polluting oil tankers line its coast.

Tony McKenna (2020-05-15). El Diego: the Two Lives of Maradona. counterpunch.org 22 June 1986. A world cup quarter-final is about to play out in the Estadio Azteca stadium at the heart of Mexico City. Under the billowing blue skies and the streaming sunlight the pitch is shadowless and pastel green. The teams line up. The English in white. The Argentinians in blue. As the Argentine anthem plays, the camera moves across the team, before lingering momentarily on the solemn, stormy features of the captain — a small, squat man, a head shorter than his teammates, his dark, handsome features shadowed with determination. Diego. Armando. Maradona. Despite the blue, open vistas of the sky and th…

Dean Baker (2020-05-15). Corruption and the Pandemic Bailout. counterpunch.org Neil Irwin had an interesting New York Times piece on how concerns about moral hazard in the bailout may damage the recovery. The gist of the article is that the fear that bad actors will be wrongly rewarded will prevent us from spending enough money to get the economy back on its feet. Irwin\'s point

Conn Hallinan (2020-05-15). War and Plagues: Military Spending During a Pandemic. counterpunch.org Welcome to the world of the hypersonic weapons, devices that are not only superfluous, but which will almost certainly not work, They will, however, cost enormous amounts of money. At a time when countries across the globe are facing economic chaos, financial deficits and unemployment at Great Depression levels, arms manufacturers are set to cash in big.

Paul Street (2020-05-15). Dark Winter? Honey Badger Trump Don\'t Care. counterpunch.org \"This coalition of the business elite, right-wing Christian evangelicals, and white nationalists and other white supremacists is very dangerous. Fascism is ultimately a death cult.\" — Jason Stanley , May 11, 2020 From the Annals of \"The Most Dangerous Criminal in Human History\" Despite timely alerts given by senior public health experts and warnings from

Ariel Gold (2020-05-15). My Israeli Nemesis is Moving to America. counterpunch.org My first run-in with Israeli politician Gilad Erdan took place on July 1, 2018, when I arrived at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, passport and visa in hand. After seven hours of interrogation, I was told that Erdan had had my visa revoked and was sending me directly back to the U.S. \"We prevented

Staff (2020-05-15). HEROES Act Includes Utility Shutoff Ban, $4 Billion For Broadband Access. therealnews.com Republicans oppose the HEROES Act provision to expand broadband, but students and educators say lack of internet access is a major roadblock to learning in low income and rural communities.

Kimball Cariou (2020-05-15). Fake pandemic science and conspiracy theories a key part of far-right agenda. peoplesworld.org When is science not actually scientific? One answer is that research which cherry-picks and manipulates facts to support a preconceived hypothesis is not truly scientific. Long after Galileo and Copernicus demolished the Ptolemaic theory, some highly educated scientists kept creating astronomical models showing that the sun, planets, and stars revolve around Earth. The sheer weight …

Vijay Prashad (2020-05-15). Hunger gnaws at the edges of the World. mronline.org On 21 April, the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) David Beasley said that the world was experiencing a \'hunger pandemic\'. That day, the Global Network Against Food Crises and the Food Security Information Network released the 2020 Global Report on Food Crises.

Staff (2020-05-15). The Secretive Police Commission The Justice Department Doesn\'t Want You To Notice. therealnews.com PAR learns about life under lockdown with COVID-19 from a guest just released from 10 months of incarceration, and examines the secretive police commission created by Attorney General Barr.

Maxximilian Seijo (2020-05-15). #Unis4all: An Open Letter to the U.S. Higher Education Community. mronline.org Universities can immediately bypass feckless state & federal legislatures & finance themselves directly with \"Unis\" supported by the Federal Reserve For a growing majority of outspoken administrators and faculty, the economic fallout associated with the Covid-19 crisis threatens to catapult U. S. higher education into a draconian age of austerity, layoffs, and closures. The question, …

Staff (2020-05-15). \"Can Democracy Survive the Pandemic?\": Election Hangs in the Balance as Trump Attacks Mail-In Voting. democracynow.org The coronavirus pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to the November presidential election, as President Trump and the GOP capitalize on the moment to attack voting rights. We speak with Emily Bazelon, staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, whose new cover story examines the bureaucratic and political challenges of mobilizing widespread vote-by-mail by November. We also speak with Jena Griswold, secretary of state of Colorado, which already has universal vote-by-mail and the second-highest voter turnout in the country.

Jeffrey St. Clair (2020-05-15). Roaming Charges: Unmasked and Anonymous. counterpunch.org I\'m hyped for some ObamaGate action, as long as its about things that matter: health care plan designed by Heritage Foundation, bailing out Wall Street, failing to close Gitmo, droning US citizens, Afghan surge, the jailing of whistleblowers and legal harassment of journalists, the Libyan and Honduran coups, mass surveillance, the funding and arming of proxy wars in Yemen and Syria, record deportations, Deepwater Horizon, new nukes (both power plants and weapons), etc…

RT (2020-05-15). Jailing people who use Covid-19 as bioweapon would be \'discrimination.\' So better lock up everyone instead? rt.com Accidentally spreading Covid-19 is wanting grandma dead, say opponents of ending lockdowns. Yet activists now worry that proposed laws to punish those who threaten to spread it deliberately would discriminate against minorities. | A Florida man spat and coughed on a police officer responding to a domestic violence call, and faces up to five years in prison on a federal charge of biological weapons hoax (he was negative for Covid-19). Another man in Texas, who falsely claimed on Facebook that he paid someone to spread the virus at local grocery stores, was charged with the same thing. A Michigan man who wiped h…

Staff (2020-05-15). \"The Wuhan of the Americas\": U.S. Deports COVID-19-Positive Immigrants to Haiti & Guatemala. democracynow.org The United States continues to deport thousands during the coronavirus pandemic, causing a dangerous spread of COVID-19 to Central America and the Caribbean. We speak with Haitian American novelist Edwidge Danticat, who says \"U.S. deportations to Haiti during coronavirus pandemic are \'unconscionable,\'\" and go to Guatemala City for an update from reporter José Alejandro García Escobar.

Staff (2020-05-15). Democracy At Stake: \"Faithless Electors\" SCOTUS Case Tests If Electoral College Members Can Go Rogue. democracynow.org The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday in a case that could shape the outcome of future presidential elections. The question at hand was whether Electoral College members can \"go rogue\" and support candidates who did not win the state\'s popular vote. In 2016, one of Colorado\'s nine electors, Michael Baca, attempted to cast his Electoral College ballot for Republican John Kasich instead of Democrat Hillary Clinton. The Colorado secretary of state at the time — a Republican — removed Baca as an elector. Colorado is one of 31 other states that has a law requiring presidential electors to vote for…

The Canary (2020-05-15). Vast majority support Scottish government\'s lockdown strategy. thecanary.co The majority of the public back the Scottish government\'s lockdown approach, according to polling announced by Nicola Sturgeon.At her daily coronavirus briefing on Friday, the first minister said government polling shows 84% support a \"slow and gradual\" lifting of restrictions, while 82% agree that before further significant changes to lockdown are made the impact of those already introduced should be assessed.The survey also found 86% said \"decisions on when and how to lift restrictions must be based on saving lives and protecting the NHS\".Nicola Sturgeon said she will outline her thoughts on easing lockdown nex…

The Canary (2020-05-15). \'Worrying data\' reveals more than 12,500 people in care homes have now died with Covid-19. thecanary.co More than 12,500 people living in care homes have now died with Covid-19, with the majority dying in their care home, new figures show.Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that just over one in four of all deaths of care home residents in England and Wales between March 2 and May 1 involved Covid-19.Of 45,899 care home residents who died during this period, 27% (12,526) had Covid-19 mentioned on their death certificate.Some 9,039 (72%) of the deaths occurred within a care home and 27% were in hospital.(PA Graphics)The latest data includes all care home residents who died with coronavirus eit…

RT (2020-05-15). Define \'distribute\'! Trump mobilizing MILITARY to deliver Covid-19 vaccine \'assuming we get it,\' sparks conspiracy frenzy. rt.com US President Donald Trump said the military is gearing up to distribute a coronavirus vaccine when one is ready, unleashing a torrent of takes from conspiracy-minded netizens, many sounding alarms over mandatory inoculations. | American GIs are already being mobilized to parcel out a future vaccine to \"most of the population,\" Trump told Fox Business\' Maria Bartiromo in an interview on Thursday, giving a highly optimistic end-of-the-year time frame even as many experts suggest a remedy won\'t be ready for mass distribution for another 12 to 18 months. | \"We\'re mobilizing our military on the basis that we do hav…

RT (2020-05-15). MILLIONS of Americans dead from Covid-19? 85k jobs lost? What? Joe Biden commits gaffe after gaffe in confusing broadcast. rt.com Joe Biden has once again caught flak for his creative and often confusing oratory, this time after the former VP and presumptive Democratic nominee struggled to relay how many Americans have died from coronavirus. | Speaking during a \"virtual round table,\" Biden argued that playing the \"blame game\" during the ongoing health crisis would be counterproductive. But when it came time to relaying exactly what politicians might blame each other for, the presidential candidate faltered. | \"We\'re in the middle of a pandemic that has cost us more than 85,000 jobs as of today. Lives of millions of people, millions of pe…

RT (2020-05-15). US sailors return to coronavirus-hit aircraft carrier only to test positive AGAIN, despite months of containment efforts. rt.com Five American sailors have tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time after resuming duty on board an aircraft carrier that saw a major outbreak in March, even after a full evacuation of its crew and months of deep cleaning. | Though the Navy imposed several layers of screenings before allowing sailors to re-board the ill-fated USS \'Theodore Roosevelt\' — where more than 1,000 personnel contracted the virus in March — the five seamen nonetheless tested positive again after returning to the ship, the military confirmed on Thursday. | \"Five [\'Theodore Roosevelt\'] sailors who previously tested Covid…

RT (2020-05-15). Trump says govt will work at \'WARP SPEED\' to deliver vaccine BEFORE year\'s end. rt.com President Donald Trump has promised to deliver a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year or earlier, saying that the government will invest in potential candidates. He added that, vaccine or no vaccine, America will reopen. | Speaking to reporters in the White House Rose Garden on Friday, Trump unveiled \"Operation Warp Speed,\" a public-private partnership aimed at accelerating the development of a vaccine for Covid-19, the deadly virus that has infected more than 4.5 million people worldwide and killed more than 300,000. | \"This is an endeavor unlike anything our country has seen since the Manhattan Project…

RT (2020-05-15). Trump salutes his \'keyboard warriors,\' but has he actually curtailed corporate online censorship? rt.com President Donald Trump has paid his respects to the legions of online meme-makers and \"keyboard warriors\" who helped him get elected. But among these netizens, many feel the president hasn\'t done enough to fight online censorship. | \"Thank you to all of my great Keyboard Warriors,\" Trump tweeted on Friday. \"You are better, and far more brilliant, than anyone on Madison Avenue (Ad Agencies). There is nobody like you!\" | Thank you to all of my great Keyboard Warriors. You are better, and far more brilliant, than anyone on Madison Avenue (Ad Agencies). There is nobody like you!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonald…

RT (2020-05-15). \'But will it fly at ludicrous speed?\' Trump teases mysterious \'SUPER DUPER MISSILE\' at Space Force flag unveiling ceremony. rt.com US President Donald Trump has offered a sneak peak into the future of American military tech, talking up what he called a \"super duper missile,\" but his scientific terminology was simply too much for some netizens to take. | The comment came during an Oval Office ceremony to unveil the official flag of the Space Force on Friday, with Trump taking a brief detour into state-of-the-art hardware under development at the Pentagon. | \"We have, I call it the Super Duper Missile. And I heard the other night [it\'s] 17 times faster than what they have right now,\" Trump said. | TRUMP: \"We have, I call it the \'Super Duper…

RT (2020-05-15). New Yorkers confused as Gov. Cuomo extends NY Pause and stay-at-home orders to seemingly contradictory dates. rt.com New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has extended the state\'s \"NY Pause\" economic shutdown until the end of May while stretching the stay-at-home order halfway into June, confusing residents already chafing under extended lockdown. | With both measures set to expire at midnight and five of the state\'s 10 economic regions entering the first phase of reopening, Cuomo poured cold water on any premature celebration by downstate residents on Friday, extending both Covid-19 executive orders by several weeks. | For those regions that haven\'t met the governor\'s stated criteria involving a decrease in hospital admissions, te…

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-15). The Heat: China-U.S. tensions. america.cgtn.com U.S. President Donald Trump renews his attacks against China, as tensions flare between the two economic powers.

Lyn Neeley (2020-05-15). Portland, Ore.: \'U.S. mail not for sale\'. workers.org Over 20 cars lined up to cheer postal workers during the afternoon shift change on May 8 at the Portland, Ore., United States Postal Service Processing and Distribution Center. Messages of solidarity were plastered over the cars and Elvis Presley\'s \"Return to Sender\" was playing. Portland, Ore., car caravan shows . . . |

Hatewatch Staff (2020-05-15). 'Boogaloo Boy' Arrested in Texas, Charged With Plotting To Murder Cops on Facebook Live. splcenter.org \"Boogaloo Boys\" — individuals associated with an online community characterized by calls for civil strife and ownership of firearms and tactical gear — have advocated for an armed revolution online and at public rallies for months. On April 11, one self-proclaimed \"Boogaloo Boy\" allegedly used Facebook Live to show himself attempting to murder police.

Staff (2020-05-15). Headlines for May 15, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Whistleblower Says U.S. Unprepared for Second Wave of Infections, The Lancet Assails Trump\'s \"Inconsistent and Incoherent\" COVID-19 Response, Trump Says Mass Coronavirus Testing May Be \"Overrated\", FDA Warns of Inaccurate Results from Rapid Coronavirus Test Used by White House | , Michigan Cancels Legislative Session as Armed Protesters Gather at State Capitol, California to Slash Billions from State Budget as Coronavirus Hammers Tax Revenues, Amazon to End $2-an-Hour Hazard Pay as CEO Jeff Bezos Gains $30 Billion During Pandemic, New York Police Tackle and Arrest Mother for Allegedly Wearing a Mask I…

Stansfield Smith (2020-05-15). China\'s International Solidarity Aid to the World During the Corona Pandemic. dissidentvoice.org China\'s worldwide assistance and medical aid to other countries to combat the coronavirus is barely covered in the corporate press. Instead, the US has ramped up its anti-China campaign to cover up its own incompetence in combating the virus. As John Pilger shows in his Obama era film The Coming War on China, this is no …

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2020-05-15). Russia makes a botch of its Syrian alliance. iranian.com Russia\'s relationships with its client states have never been easy. Of course, managing client states is always a complicated exercise. The Kremlin\'s cupboard is full of skeletons — Hungary (1956), Czechoslovakia (1968), Cuba (1962), Afghanistan (1980), Ukraine (2014) and so on. What complicates Russia\'s relationship with Syria is that two strong-willed, highly self-opinionated leaders are also …

Max Blumenthal (2020-05-15). \'The American friends\': New court files expose Sheldon Adelson\'s security team in US spy operation against Julian Assange. thegrayzone.com An exclusive investigation by The Grayzone reveals new details on the critical role Sheldon Adelson\'s Las Vegas Sands played in…

Alan Macleod (2020-05-15). Study: Coronavirus Has Been a Massive Boon for America\'s Billionaires. mintpressnews.com A new study found that in the past eight weeks alone, the country\'s super wealthy have added a further $368.8 billion to their already enormous fortunes.

Alan Macleod (2020-05-15). Study: Coronavirus Has a Been a Massive Boon for America\'s Billionaires. mintpressnews.com A new study found that in the past eight weeks alone, the country\'s super wealthy have added a further $368.8 billion to their already enormous fortunes.

Alan Macleod (2020-05-15). As US Reels From COVID-19, Trump Turns to Sanctions, War Making and Threats. mintpressnews.com The Trump admin has decisively chosen war over peace and conflict over cooperation. Yet it appears less able than ever to coerce the world into following its lead.

ACLU (2020-05-15). DeRay McKesson on the Threat to Protesters\' Rights. aclu.org Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, protests have erupted across the country. Some are related to the virus: Protestors in Ohio and Michigan took to the streets and state capitols to call for an end to their governors\' stay-at-home orders. Others are calling out an ongoing injustice: the killing, often at the hands of the state, of Black Americans. Now, the rights of participants in protests across the spectrum could be at stake unless the Supreme Court weighs in on an important decision., , In this episode of At Liberty, we speak with DeRay McKesson, an activist at the center of an important ACLU…

Fight Back (2020-05-15). Tampa students demand COVID-19 relief for undocumented students. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – On May 14, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a car protest at the University of South Florida (USF) to demand COVID-19 relief funds for undocumented students. USF has offered no financial help for undocumented students during the pandemic and the only COVID-19 aid for students is the CARES Act Fund, for which DACA and undocumented students are ineligible. | Students and SDS members parked near the USF president\'s mansion on campus for socially-distanced speeches and chants demanding that USF provide relief for undocumented students. Simon Rowe, a member of SDS stated, \"DACA stude…

Abdallah El Harif (2020-05-15). A universal appeal for humanity to end militarism and stop war. peoplesdispatch.org On March 15, 1950, the World Peace Council sent out the Stockholm Appeal, a short text that called for a ban on nuclear weapons and that would eventually be signed by almost 2 million people. The appeal was made up of three elegant sentences: | -We demand the outlawing of atomic weapons as instruments of intimidation and mass murder of peoples. We demand strict international control to enforce this measure. | -We believe that any government which first uses atomic weapons against any other country whatsoever will be committing a crime against humanity and should be dealt with as a war criminal. | -We call on a…

Michael Massing (2020-05-15). The Virus, the Press, and the Comfortable Class. thenation.com The Virus, the Press, and the Comfortable Class…

Ed Sykes (2020-05-15). If the media\'s on Starmer\'s side, you know something\'s very, very wrong. thecanary.co The last five years have been a nightmare. And as a result, we have a government whose handling of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has been To escape this nightmare, we need to learn from it. | Five years of establishment terror: | The political and econ…

news.un (2020-05-15). Philippines typhoon recovery, complicated by coronavirus concerns. news.un.org As Typhoon Vongfong slammed the Philippines on Thursday, tens of thousands of people fled to cramped shelters, raising fears that without proper safety precautions in place, evacuation centres could become a hotbed of coronavirus infection, the UN emergency humanitarian relief agency (OCHA) said on Friday.

Ahmed Abu Artema (2020-05-15). Gaza Holds Its Breath as the Threat of Coronavirus Looms. thenation.com Gaza Holds Its Breath as the Threat of Coronavirus Looms…

news.un (2020-05-15). Coronavirus lockdowns in Central America, exploited by criminal gangs. news.un.org Chronic violence, insecurity and now COVID-related restrictions have put tens of thousands of Central Americans at risk of increased hardship and even death, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.

Dave Zirin (2020-05-15). Baseball\'s Plan to Reopen Is All Risk for the Players. thenation.com Baseball\'s Plan to Reopen Is All Risk for the Players…

Sasha Abramsky (2020-05-15). If They Walk Like Fascists and Talk Like Fascists… thenation.com If They Walk Like Fascists and Talk Like Fascists…

Brasil de Fato (2020-05-15). In less than a month, Brazil sees two health ministers leave office. peoplesdispatch.org Oncologist Nelson Teich asked to step down from his position as Minister of Health on Friday morning May 15, according to the government. A press conference will be held in the afternoon. | Teich took over the position as Health Minister on April 17, after Luiz Henrique Mandetta was fired from the position. In Teich\'s speech when assuming the position, he affirmed that he would work to ease social isolation measures, but in a \"technical and scientific\" way. | As of now, the individual expected to take over the position is General Eduardo Pazuello, the current number two in the ministry. | History: | While…

news.un (2020-05-15). Millions of migrants across Russia, Central Asia, \'teetering on the brink\', as UN launches urgent appeal. news.un.org The International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched an urgent $7 million appeal on Thursday, to ease the impact of COVID-19 on migrant communities in five Central Asian countries and the Russian Federation, where the pandemic is pushing a growing number of migrant workers into poverty.

Fight Back (2020-05-15). UPS Teamsters plan call-in to demand hazard pay. fightbacknews.org Salt Lake City, UT – UPS Teamsters are working extremely long hours in hazardous conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, putting themselves and their families at risk with no hazard pay. UPS was late to provide sufficient personal protective equipment for workers and only did so after workers demanded it. Still, many areas lack the appropriate PPE to stay safe at work. The Teamsters union has not put hazard pay on the negotiating table for UPS Teamsters; workers are organizing on the shop floor to win their demand. UPS recently announced their quarterly profits at almost $1 billion. | \"UPS is making hundreds of…

news.un (2020-05-15). COVID-19 shows crucial role of the UN, says next General Assembly President. news.un.org The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the \'crucial role\' of the UN and its agencies, according to the veteran Turkish diplomat and parliamentarian who, as the only candidate for the top job, is slated to lead the historic 75th session of the General Assembly which begins in September.

Fight Back (2020-05-15). Almost 3 million more applied for Unemployment Insurance last week. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Thursday, May 14, the Labor Department reported more bad news, saying that almost 3 million people applied for unemployment insurance in the previous week ending May 9. This means that over the last eight weeks more than 36 million people applied after losing jobs and income. Another 3.5 million are collecting the federal government\'s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, which goes to the self-employed. This brings the total number of recently unemployed people to about 40 million. | This report was worse than mainstream economists expected, with a drop of only 200,000 from the week before,…

Fight Back (2020-05-15). Chicagoland area Arabs and Muslims continue to fight racist, incompetent, township board during pandemic. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – On May 11, over 30 Arab and Muslim community members and their allies joined a Palos Township online meeting to continue demanding the resignation of the racist trustee, Sharon Brannigan. | Since the global pandemic forced the state of Illinois and its functions to be moved to digital forms, the Palos Township started to hold its monthly general meetings via Zoom. | The #ResignBrannigan coalition, which has been demanding the resignation of Brannigan since July of 2017, refused to let the quarantine get in the way of their campaign and took the fight to Zoom. | The meeting, like usual, became heated…

news.un (2020-05-15). Child vaccinations down in DR Congo, and COVID-19 is not helping: UNICEF. news.un.org Fewer children are getting vaccinated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the COVID-19 pandemic is almost certainly going to make matters worse, the United Nations Children\'s Fund (UNICEF) says. If the trend continues, it could trigger a resurgence in deadly childhood diseases such as polio, chickenpox, measles, yellow fever, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and meningitis.

Mike Ervin (2020-05-15). The Sound and Fury of \'America Strong\'. progressive.org What\'s the best way to honor medical professionals during a pandemic? Why, with a public display of militarism, of course!

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-15). \'Not their business\': Iran slams US threats to reimpose UN sanctions. peoplesdispatch.org The US has threatened to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran if its draft resolution to extend the arms embargo is vetoed in the UN Security Council…

Elie Mystal (2020-05-15). Breonna Taylor Was Murdered for Sleeping While Black. thenation.com Breonna Taylor Was Murdered for Sleeping While Black…

Raul Diego (2020-05-15). As Corporations Adapt to a COVID-19 Economy, the Working-Class Prepares for a Paradigm Shift. mintpressnews.com As social distancing measures persist across the country, corporations are setting in a \"new normal\" where most people are safely squirreled away in their homes, with paradigm-shifting implications for the working classes.

Ali Salam (2020-05-15). Israeli Troops Detain 5 Palestinians, Including a Minor and Former Prisoner. imemc.org Israeli forces, on Thursday evening, detained five Palestinians from the northern districts of Nablus and Qalqilia, in the occupied West Bank. Local Fatah official, Munir Gaghoub, stated that Israeli troops abducted three Palestinians, including a former prisoner, seized a vehicle at the entrance of Beita town, south of the city …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-15). Israeli Troops Halt Construction of Palestinian Home in Bethlehem. imemc.org Israeli troops reportedly intercepted, on Friday, the construction of a Palestinian home in the southern occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem. Local sources in Bethlehem told media outlets that an Israeli army force stormed the site of the construction and prevented workers from building. Mayor of the Palestinian municipality of …

Trudy Hess (2020-05-15). Our Revolution Los Angeles Leaves Democratic Party. peoplesparty.org Our Revolution Los Angeles\' overwhelming vote to leave the Democratic Party and join the Movement for a People\'s Party on Monday has ignited a fierce debate in the progressive movement over whether Bernie supporters should continue trying to reform the Democratic Party or form the major new party that the majority of Americans want.

Raul Diego (2020-05-15). Head of the Hydra: The Rise of Robert Kadlec. mintpressnews.com WASHINGTON DC (

Bill Lueders (2020-05-15). Still in the Dark in Wisconsin. progressive.org Health officials don\'t have an up-to-date count of people who got COVID-19 after attending a \'large gathering.\'

Joe Amon (2020-05-15). Plan Now for Vaccination Decisions to Come. progressive.org Who should be first in line for a COVID-19 vaccine once it is available?

news.un (2020-05-15). Support stepped up for Rohingya camps as first COVID-19 infections are confirmed. news.un.org After confirmation that the first cases of COVID-19 infection have been identified in a vast and overcrowded refugee camp in Bangladesh, UN humanitarians on Friday announced additional measures and appealed for funds to prevent the disease from spreading.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-05-15). Calling on Americans to Vote Trump Out, The Lancet Eviscerates US President Over \'Incoherent\' Covid-19 Response. commondreams.org Esteemed medical journal The Lancet on Friday took an unusual step towards calling on American voters to remove President Donald Trump from office in November, condemning the Trump administration's \"incoherent\" response to the coronavirus pandemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1223495095_1.jpg …

Sputnik News (2020-05-15). Iranian Warns US Acts Over Venezuela Fuel Shipments Will Not \'Go Without Repercussion\'. iranian.com An Iranian news agency has warned the US against taking action against several Iranian-flagged tankers transporting fuel to Venezuela, as Washington has threatened. \"If the United States, just like pirates, intends to create insecurity on international waterways, it would be taking a dangerous risk and that will certainly not go without repercussion,\" Iran\'s Nour News …

Tasnim News (2020-05-15). INSTEX Transactions Unsatisfactory: Iranian Deputy FM. iranian.com Iran\'s deputy foreign minister for economic diplomacy expressed dissatisfaction with the volume of transactions that Tehran has been able to carry via a financial mechanism the EU has devised for trade with the Islamic Republic, known as INSTEX. In an interview with IRIB, Gholam Reza Ansari said although the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges …

graham (2020-05-15). Is this Boris Johnson\'s biggest lie? truepublica.org.uk By Rob Woodward — TruePublica: The government has privately conceded there will be post-Brexit checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea, months after Boris Johnson insisted there would be no such trade barriers. This is not a mistake or an error of judgement or the result of being badly advised — this was concocted as …

Peter Bolton (2020-05-15). Coronavirus outbreak calls for new era in our relationship with animals. thecanary.co As The Canary has Tim…

The Canary (2020-05-15). Low-paid workers more likely to have lost jobs since coronavirus crisis began — study. thecanary.co Almost a third of the country\'s lowest-paid workers have been furloughed or lost their jobs altogether, a new study suggests. | The Resolution Foundation said a survey of 6,000 adults showed that Britain\'s lowest-paid employees are paying the heaviest economic price in the current crisis. | Among the lowest-paid fifth of earners before the crisis, 5% have lost their job, and a further 25% have been furloughed, said the report. In contrast, less than one in 10 of the top fifth of earners have lost work or been furloughed. | Across the workforce as a whole, almost one in five workers have lost work or been furlough…

The Canary (2020-05-15). Matt Hancock refuses to commit to a pay rise for nurses. thecanary.co Matt Hancock has refused to promise a pay rise for nurses after the coronavirus crisis. He\'s said that he would fight for them to have \"fair reward\" but without making specific commitments. | Speaking at the Downing Street press conference, the health secretary said he agreed \"very strongly\" with the statement that nursing is a \"highly skilled profession and it deserves decent pay\". | But he stopped short of making any promises, saying only: We put up nurses\' pay last month and in fact last year we had the biggest rise in pay, especially for nurses when they were starting their career, the lowest paid nurses got a…

The Canary (2020-05-15). Psychiatrists fear a \'tsunami\' of mental illness following pandemic. thecanary.co Mental health services could be overwhelmed by a \"tsunami\" of referrals when coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown measures end, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has warned. | A survey by the College found almost half (45%) of psychiatrists had seen a reduction in routine mental health appointments. Its led to fears that patients are avoiding support until they reach crisis point. | Meanwhile, 43% of psychiatrists had seen an increase in their urgent and emergency caseloads, where patients were showing the most serious conditions. | Professor Wendy Burn, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists said: We are alr…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-15). Covid-19 changes to NHS services may lead to worsening health inequalities. imperial.ac.uk The decision to suspend non-urgent services at NHS hospitals in response to the Covid-19 pandemic will lead to worsening health inequalities.

Zero Hedge (2020-05-14). \"My Job Is To Make Syria A Quagmire For The Russians\": CIA Doctrine Made Official Policy. iranian.com Like with the disastrous Iraq quagmire years before the US war machine came to Syria under Obama, Washington\'s rationale and justification for occupying the Syrian Arab Republic has shifted and changed drastically multiple times over. When ultimately what started as US covert regime change efforts targeting Assad failed (based ostensibly in \"protecting civilians\"), the official mission then …

PAI (2020-05-14). U.S. pandemic unemployment grows again, but so does the number of billionaires. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Some 2.981 million more people filed for jobless benefits in the week ending May 7, the Labor Department said Thursday, bringing total unemployment insurance claims since the coronavirus pandemic-caused shutdowns began to 36.5 million. Progressive analysts at the Economic Policy Institute predict jobless figures will only get worse, especially for low-wage workers, women workers, and …

Staff (2020-05-14). Israel Strips Financial Aid From Palestinian Prisoners, Leaving Them To Face COVID-19 Alone. therealnews.com Calls and visits are denied to many of Israel\'s Palestinian prisoners, leaving their fate in the pandemic unknown.

Kate Ruane (2020-05-14). In Fear of Falling Behind and Privacy Invasions, Students Demand Action on Remote Learning. aclu.org Mia\'s high school peers are completing class assignments from their school parking lot because they, like many families in their rural Maryland community, lack access to internet at home. Delina, a high school junior from Arizona, has to wait until all her younger siblings finish their schoolwork using the one computer at home before she can use it to start hers. One student from New Jersey fears that the lack of privacy protections for students using remote learning technology puts their mom at increased risk of deportation. , , This is the reality of education in America during the COVID-19 crisis, accordin…

Walter Smolarek (2020-05-14). Why China is not the aggressor. liberationnews.org The war hawks want you to believe that China is bullying and threatening the United States. Don\'t fall for it

Staff (2020-05-14). Who\'s Fighting The War Against Cash? therealnews.com Mastercard, Visa, and Bill Gates are all pushing for polices to make it harder to use cash, hoping to keep closer tabs on the population through the trail of electronic transactions.

Roger D. Harris (2020-05-14). US Uses \"Humanitarian Intervention\" to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests. dissidentvoice.org No More War focuses on the one nation in recent times that has been continuously engaged in wars of aggression. In fact, that nation has been engaged in wars or military occupations in all but five years since its founding in 1776. Author and professor of human rights law at the University of Pittsburgh, Dan …

John Bachtell (2020-05-14). \'Tyrannical\' Wisconsin court ruling puts lives in danger amid pandemic. peoplesworld.org In a ruthless display of power, the right-wing-dominated Wisconsin Supreme Court threw the state\'s response to the COVID-19 pandemic into \"chaos,\" putting the lives of millions of residents in danger. The ruling, termed \"tyrannical\" by one dissenting justice, struck down Democratic Gov. Tony Evers\'s administration\'s ability to issue statewide emergency safer-at-home orders during the pandemic, …

Patricia Gorky (2020-05-14). Bay Area car caravan: Stop state executions by COVID-19! liberationnews.org More than 80 cars drove around San Quentin prison in Marin County, California on Sat. May .

pip.hinman (2020-05-14). Socialist Alliance withdraws from Victorian Socialists. greenleft.org.au

pip.hinman (2020-05-14). Three essential measures to make workplaces COVID-19 safe. greenleft.org.au

Susan Price (2020-05-14). Global Ecosocialist Network: COVID-19 shows need for system change. greenleft.org.au

Susan Price (2020-05-14). Vietnam is quietly leading the world in fighting COVID-19. greenleft.org.au

Staff (2020-05-14). When Patients Die Alone, How Do Families and Health Workers Cope, Relieve Suffering? democracynow.org We look at the tremendous emotional toll the coronavirus is taking on families when loved ones are forced to battle COVID alone in hospitals or at home, with Dr. Diane Meier, director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care and a professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She helped start a 24-hour palliative care hotline for COVID-19 patients in New York City that served nearly 900 people in a four-week period.

Staff (2020-05-14). Coronavirus Pandemic Prompts Global Mental Health Crisis as Millions Feel Alone, Anxious & Depressed. democracynow.org Is the coronavirus pandemic generating a mental illness crisis? Millions face isolation, poverty and anxiety. We speak with psychology professor and author Andrew Solomon, as the United Nations calls on governments to put mental health \"front and center\" in their response to the crisis.

RT (2020-05-14). Western media concerned coronavirus 'hasn't killed more Russians'. rt.com US and allied media outlets seem frustrated that the pandemic isn\'t killing more Russians, so they\'re claiming the death toll is higher, despite a lack of evidence — while insisting Moscow is the one spreading disinformation. | When the number of confirmed coronavirus cases started accelerating in Russia last month, Western media pounced, presuming the increase would be followed by the kind of spike in casualties seen in the US and many European countries. That hasn\'t happened, and the same outlets that were licking their lips waiting for the Russian body count to explode now seem to feel cheated. | A ne…

RT (2020-05-14). \'We're in deep s**t\': Ousted \'whistleblower\' Dr. Bright becomes new anti-Trump hero pinning blame on White House. rt.com Mainstream media has elevated National Institutes of Health whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright to heroic status after his congressional testimony denounced Trump\'s Covid-19 response as borderline criminally negligent. | Bright, the director of the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) until he was unceremoniously dismissed last month, painted a disturbing picture of a government flying blindly into disaster on Thursday during his testimony on the administration\'s Covid-19 response before a subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. | \"We\'re in deep shit\"

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-14). The Heat: Brazil now ranks sixth in global pandemic infections. america.cgtn.com Brazil records its deadliest day yet from the coronavirus.

Staff (2020-05-14). Headlines for May 14, 2020. democracynow.org World Health Organization Says Novel Coronavirus \"May Never Go Away\", Whistleblower Warns U.S. Faces \"Darkest Winter\" Without Urgent Action on COVID-19, Trump Calls Dr. Anthony Fauci\'s Warning on COVID-19 and Schools \"Not an Acceptable Answer\", Wisconsin Stay-at-Home Orders Struck Down, Threatening New Wave of COVID-19 Deaths, Fed Reserve Chair Warns of Long Recession as Unemployment Claims Hit 36 Million, Trump Calls Democrats\' Coronavirus Relief Bill \"Dead on Arrival\", Native Americans Make Up Half of New Mexico Coronavirus Deaths; New Orleans Sanitation Workers Strike, China to Test 11 Million Wuhan Residents…

Ruth Conniff (2020-05-14). Hell No, You Can\'t be Safer at Home. progressive.org Wisconsin Supreme Court, in act of \'blatant . . . judicial activism,\' strikes down state rules meant to curb spread of COVID-19.

news.un (2020-05-14). 'Significant progress' made towards lasting ceasefire in Yemen, UN Special Envoy tells Security Council. news.un.org UN Special Envoy for war-weary Yemen, Martin Griffiths, told the Security Council on Thursday, that he had been in intensive negotiations with the warring parties in Yemen over a lasting peace deal, with \"significant progress\" made, especially towards making the UN\'s call for a complete silencing of the guns, a reality.

news.un (2020-05-14). Presidents and prime ministers lead call for \'people\'s vaccine\', free to all. news.un.org UNAIDS, the UN agency fighting against the deadly HIV/AIDS virus, has initiated a petition from global leaders requesting that when a successful COVID-19 vaccine is developed, it be made available free of charge to all.

Daniel Fernandez (2020-05-14). There Is Only One Way to Prevent Mass Deaths in Prisons: Let Them Out. thenation.com There Is Only One Way to Prevent Mass Deaths in Prisons: Let Them Out…

Gregg Gonsalves (2020-05-14). Reopening: A Chronicle of Needless Deaths Foretold. thenation.com Reopening: A Chronicle of Needless Deaths Foretold…

Matt Sedlar (2020-05-14). US Should Release Occupational Data in COVID-19 Death Reports. cepr.net Earlier this week, the Guardian reported that UK women working in care occupations are two times as likely to die from COVID-19 as women in professional and technical occupations. In addition, UK men in low-paid, manual jobs are four times as likely to die from the virus as men in professional and technical jobs. The …

Jeff Abbott (2020-05-14). The Other Americans: Trump is Spreading the Virus. progressive.org Deportations of migrants are exacerbating already weakened health care systems in Latin America.

Sasha Abramsky (2020-05-14). Undocumented Workers in Coronavirus Crisis. thenation.com Undocumented Workers in Coronavirus Crisis…

news.un (2020-05-14). Deadly gas leak in India, grim wake-up call for global chemical industry: UN rights expert. news.un.org Last week\'s deadly toxic gas leak at a Korean-owned polymer plant in south-eastern India, is a grim wake up call for the chemical industry to acknowledge and fulfil its responsibility to respect human rights, the UN independent expert who monitors the issue, said on Thursday.

news.un (2020-05-14). UN rights chief warns against mishandling the lifting of COVID-19 lockdowns. news.un.org The UN Human Rights High Commissioner on Thursday warned of potential risks as more countries move to lift lockdown measures put in place to contain COVID-19 spread.

Erin Schwartz (2020-05-14). \'God Friended Me\' Was the Strangest Show on TV. thenation.com \'God Friended Me\' Was the Strangest Show on TV…

Michelle Chen (2020-05-14). Prisons Are Using the Pandemic to Impose Lockdowns. progressive.org Advocates say the extreme restrictions on movement are punitive and dangerous.

Trudy Hess (2020-05-14). ideas that are lying around … peoplesparty.org | LYING AROUND … | During a crisis, when people are disoriented, afraid and focused on survival, it is much easier to push through horrific policies that will punish working and poor people with austerity, further privatize our commons, and transfer wealth from the bottom to the top. | But Friedman\'s legacy didn\'t end with his own work. We see the Shock Doctrine playbook everywhere in US policy. | We saw it in the \"rebuilding\" of Iraq, the responses to Hurricanes Katrina and Maria, and of course,…

news.un (2020-05-14). Workers and COVID-19: Access to healthcare, now \'a matter of life and death\'. news.un.org The spread of COVID-19 in developing countries has exposed gaps in social protection coverage which could compromise recovery plans, expose millions of people to poverty and affect global readiness to cope with similar crises, according to two policy briefs issued Thursday by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

news.un (2020-05-14). WHO seeking further details on staff expulsion from Burundi. news.un.org The World Health Organization (WHO) was on Thursday seeking to clarify why authorities in Burundi have expelled its top official in the country and three other staff members, the UN agency\'s Regional Director for Africa told journalists during a press briefing on COVID-19.

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-14). AI-Powered Medical \"Pre-Crime\" Is Officially Here To \"Fight COVID-19\" thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (5/13/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Jennesa Calvo-Friedman (2020-05-14). DeVos is Rolling Back Protections for Sexual Harassment and Assault Survivors in Schools. We\'re Suing to Put a Stop to It. aclu.org By the time a student graduates from college — particularly if they are a woman, LGBTQ, a person of color, or have a disability — the odds are high that they have experienced sexual harassment and assault.

RFE (2020-05-14). Iran Receives Another Cargo Of Medical Supplies From Germany. iranian.com An official of the Iranian Customs Organization on Thursday confirmed that a consignment of medical equipment purchased from Germany worth around 749,000 euros (about $800,000) has been delivered to Iran. Speaking to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the Director-General of Customs Office Sadeq Namdar at the Turkish border said the equipment delivered from Germany consists …

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-14). COVID-19 Response Fund: Cutting-edge technologies advance coronavirus fight. imperial.ac.uk Imperial researchers are driving forward the fight against coronavirus with new healthcare innovations and data insights.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-14). Imperial MBBS medics deliver action plans for London GPs and local communities. imperial.ac.uk Third-year medical students have partnered with community, voluntary, health & social care leaders to respond to local needs in the era of COVID-19.

Norman Solomon (2020-05-13). Bernie\'s Decision: Retreat Should Not Be Confused with Surrender. zcomm.org Photo by StoopDown/Shutterstock.com Politics is ultimately about life and death, as the current pandemic horrors make clear. Policies that can seem abstract not only routinely harm quality of life; they also kill. Both Bernie Sanders campaigns for president have brought a principled seriousness to the national discourse that no other candidate has come near

Janine Jackson (2020-05-13). \'Our Food System Is Very Much Modeled on Plantation Economics\' – CounterSpin interview with Ricardo Salvador on the coronavirus food crisis. fair.org Janine Jackson interviewed the Union of Concerned Scientists\' Ricardo Salvador about the coronavirus food crisis for the Media…

Staff (2020-05-13). Naomi Klein: Healthcare Industry Sees \"Potential Bonanza\" of Profits in COVID-19 Crisis. democracynow.org As the top infectious disease expert testifies to the Senate that needless death and suffering could result from reopening too quickly, author and journalist Naomi Klein says a \"pandemic shock doctrine\" is beginning to emerge. \"The fact that a large sector of the economy, the healthcare industry, sees a potential bonanza here … that\'s a win for them.\"

Staff (2020-05-13). Screen New Deal: Naomi Klein on How Companies Like Google Plan to Profit in High-Tech COVID Dystopia. democracynow.org In her new report for The Intercept on the \"Screen New Deal,\" Naomi Klein looks at how the coronavirus pandemic is more high-tech than previous disasters — and how the future we\'re being rushed into could transform our lives into a \"living laboratory for a permanent — and highly profitable — no-touch future.\" She joins us to discuss what she found, and says, \"I think we\'re going to see very incomplete so-called solutions … that massively benefit private tech interests.\"

Ricardo Vaz (2020-05-13). [UPDATED] Venezuelan Oil Sector Continues Slump Amid Pandemic, US Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com The Maduro government is working to repair refineries with Chinese and Iranian assistance to tackle fuel shortages.

Staff (2020-05-13). Headlines for May 13, 2020. democracynow.org Dr. Anthony Fauci Warns Senators Reopening Too Soon Will Cause \"Suffering and Death\", House Democratic Leaders Unveil New $3 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package, Tesla CEO Elon Musk Defies Lockdown Order, Reopens California Auto Plant, L.A. Extends Lockdown for 3 Months as Cal State Cancels In-Person Fall Classes, CDC Estimates 5,000+ More New York City Coronavirus Deaths Than Officially Reported, Progressive Lawmakers Call on World Bank, IMF to Cancel Poor Countries\' Debts, Brazil Records Its Highest Daily COVID-19 Death Toll, London Transit Worker Dies After Man Claiming to Have COVID-19 Spits on Her, Aide to R…

Alan Macleod (2020-05-13). Wall Street Will Likely Be the Only Winners in the Pandemic Housing Crisis. mintpressnews.com For most Americans, the $1,200 stimulus check didn\'t even cover rent and a third of American renters have even paid rent yet this month, meaning an ongoing de facto rent strike is likely already taking place.

Alan Macleod (2020-05-13). American Weapons Manufacturers Are Thriving Even as the US Economy Suffers. mintpressnews.com The economy has crashed. A nationwide pandemic that has (officially) claimed some 84,000 Americans has also resulted in an estimated

Kathy Kelly (2020-05-13). Vigil for Peace in Yemen: A New Norm. zcomm.org U.S. national security leaders and stakeholders in war, as they shelter in place, have an extraordinary opportunity to set a new norm and link with the vigil for Peace in Yemen…

Denijal Jegiƒá (2020-05-13). In banning Hezbollah, Germany responds to far-right, U.S. and Israeli pressure — not any security threat. thegrayzone.com Hezbollah has never been charged with any crimes in Germany nor does it have an official presence in the country….

Ramzy Baroud (2020-05-13). From Lebanon to Syria, the Arab World is Failing Palestinian Refugees. mintpressnews.com Heinous racism. That is how the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described a recent decision by Lebanese authorities to bar Palestinian refugee expats from returning to Lebanon. | Lebanon\'s restrictions on its Many were ta…

news.un (2020-05-13). Hong Kong urged to drop prosecutions of leading activists, not to silence peaceful protest. news.un.org Independent UN human rights experts urged Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday to immediately drop the criminal prosecution of 15 pro-democracy activists who participated in peaceful protests across the Special Administrative Region of China last year.

Jonathan Cook (2020-05-13). The bigger picture is hiding behind a virus. zcomm.org If only we could redirect our gaze, if we could seize back control of our attention for a moment, we might understand that we are being plagued not just by a virus but by our fear, our hate, our hunger, our selfishness…

news.un (2020-05-13). South Sudan: Coronavirus cases confirmed inside UN civilian protection site. news.un.org The South Sudanese Government has confirmed that two cases of COVID-19 have been identified inside a Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in the capital, Juba, although the world\'s youngest nation has been relatively unscathed by the pandemic, with 74 cases recorded so far.

Danica Jorden (2020-05-13). ICE Eases Threat but \"Essential\" Immigrant Farmworkers Struggle to Feed Themselves During Coronavirus. zcomm.org Immigrant farm workers have long been essential to the U.S. But they have never been recognized, respected or properly rewarded for their labor…

Sonali Kolhatkar (2020-05-13). Can Democracy Survive the Coronavirus? zcomm.org The coronavirus is not just a threat to our personal and collective health; it is a threat to our democratic institutions as well. We need to protect lives and democracies…

news.un (2020-05-13). Take \'all appropriate public health measures\' to protect detainees from coronavirus, UN urges. news.un.org UN agency chiefs on Wednesday highlighted the heightened vulnerability to COVID-19 of detainees, and others in confinement, urging Governments to take \"all appropriate public health measures\" to keep them safe from the deadly disease.

news.un (2020-05-13). Coronavirus \'grim reality\': World economy to shrink by 3.2 per cent, new UN report projects. news.un.org Against the backdrop of the raging COVID-19 pandemic, the world economy in 2020 is projected to shrink by 3.2 per cent, racking up some $8.5 trillion in overall losses — wiping out nearly four years of output gains, according to a mid-year economic analysis by the United Nations.

Edward Hunt (2020-05-13). U.S. Officials Chart a Course for Greenland\'s Future. progressive.org Trump\'s talk of buying the island fits a broader pattern of efforts to keep the island under U.S. influence.

Sarah Lahm (2020-05-13). Billionaires Are the Biggest Threat to Public Schools. progressive.org For education \"disruptors\" like Bill Gates and Betsy DeVos, COVID-19 isn\'t a crisis—it\'s an opportunity.

news.un (2020-05-13). COVID-19 could help turn the tide on ocean health in Asia-Pacific. news.un.org The COVID-19 pandemic could help turn the tide on the well-being of oceans in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a UN report published on Wednesday.

Jonathan Cook (2020-05-13). Why is Mike Pompeo risking a One-day Trip to Israel Amid the Pandemic? dissidentvoice.org As part of its battle against Covid-19, Israel has closed it borders to foreigners and imposed a two-week quarantine on anyone entering the country. There are also strict requirements to wear masks in public places. Israel, however, has thrown the rules — and caution — to the wind in approving the arrival on Wednesday of …

news.un (2020-05-13). UN leads call to protect most vulnerable from mental health crisis during and after COVID-19. news.un.org Decades of neglect and underinvestment in addressing people\'s mental health needs have been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN said on Thursday, in a call for ambitious commitments from countries in the way they treat psychological illness, amid a potential global spike in suicides and drug abuse.

Jack Rasmus (2020-05-13). Market \"Solutions\" to the Covid-19 Crisis. zcomm.org The Fed has opened a free money spigot to investors, bankers, and to big business of all types, and has simply declared \"come on in and take it.\" And if the $6 trillion to date isn\'t enough, we\'ll provide more…

Brian Terrell (2020-05-13). COVID-19 and the Wasting Disease of Normalcy. zcomm.org The wasting disease of normalcy is the far greater existential threat and our survival requires that we meet it with at least the same courage, generosity and ingenuity…

news.un (2020-05-13). COVID-19 threatens to undo global health progress. news.un.org While more people are living longer and healthier lives, the rate of progress is too slow to realize global efforts to stamp out poverty and inequality by 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

Erica Fein (2020-05-13). After Trump Vetoed the Iran War Powers Resolution, Congress Must Continue to Act. iranian.com The bipartisan majority that has come together on this issue should not stop working to enact legislation to reclaim its war powers and block Trump from taking us to war with Iran. On April 22, President Trump took to Twitter and threatened to attack Iran, instructing the Navy to \"shoot down and destroy any and …

Tehran Times (2020-05-13). Evidence suggests prehistorical Iranians migrated to Americas. iranian.com Some prehistorical residents of the Iranian plateau migrated to the Americas, an Iranian archaeologist and researcher says based on evidence from similarities between the petroglyphs and cave painting symbols in central Iran and the ones found in the Americas. \"After years of exploring ancient paintings inside Iran\'s caves and mountains and other parts of the …

Nina Eichacker (2020-05-12). Learning All the Wrong Lessons From the 2008 Financial Crisis – NYT should not fixate on debt as governments respond to the coronavirus pandemic. fair.org I recently wrote a piece for FAIR (

Paul Kawika Martin (2020-05-12). Action Alert: Call Your Rep to Cut Pentagon Spending. peaceaction.org ‚òéÔ∏èüó£Call your Reps. to ‚úÇ Pentagon spending Over the last few weeks, we\'ve alerted you that the Pentagon is trying to direct funds for COVID-19 relief into its own bloated coffers. In the last three years alone — during a time of relative peace — we have already increased annual Pentagon spending by more than …

Staff (2020-05-12). Trump Is Using COVID-19 As An Excuse To Let Polluters Destroy The Earth. therealnews.com Trump\'s former coal lobbyist EPA administrator is letting oil, gas, and coal take advantage of the global pandemic.

Staff (2020-05-12). Stir Crazy! Episode #32: Don\'t Make Us Regret This! therealnews.com On today\'s show: TRNN climate reporter Aman Azhar, co-host of \"By Any Means Necessary\" Jacqueline Luqman, and TRNN managing editor Marc Steiner. Hosted by Kim Brown.

Matt Sedlar (2020-05-12). Etazini vle depà≤te yon gwo asasen an Ayiti. cepr.net ayiboPost Al gade nan atik sou sit orijinal la An Anglè Pandan pandemi COVID-19 la, prèske tout fwontyè ak ayewopà≤ nan mond lan fèmen men avyon Imigrasyon leta Ameriken (ICE) kontinye vole. Chak 2 a 3 semèn, yon và≤l depà≤tasyon konpayi Swift Air, LLC opere, ateri nan ayewopà≤ Pà≤toprens. Apre youn nan và≤l sa yo …

Lauren Kuhlik (2020-05-12). During COVID-19 Crisis, We Must Prioritize the Release of Pregnant People. aclu.org This piece was first published on

Susan Price (2020-05-12). Ecuador\'s neoliberal war on public sector worsens COVID-19 catastrophe. greenleft.org.au

Susan Price (2020-05-12). Tax-havened companies bailed out while poverty doubles amid pandemic. greenleft.org.au

Staff (2020-05-12). Los New Yorkers: Essential, Underprotected Undocumented Immigrants Struggle to Survive in Epicenter. democracynow.org As the coronavirus continues to devastate New York City communities, we hear the voices of undocumented New Yorkers about how they are surviving the pandemic. Their stories are told in a new ProPublica story headlined \"Los New Yorkers: Essential and Underprotected in the Pandemic\'s Epicenter.\" We speak with one of the story\'s reporters, Adriana Gallardo.

Staff (2020-05-12). \"Losing the Fabric of the City\": COVID-19 Took Chicago Black Lives First & Exposed Structural Racism. democracynow.org We look at the coronavirus pandemic\'s disproportionate toll on African Americans through the story of Chicago\'s first 100 recorded deaths. A report by ProPublica found that 70 of the first 100 people to die were African American. Black people account for 30% of Chicago\'s population and 72% of COVID-19 deaths. We speak with ProPublica reporter Adriana Gallardo, who contributed to the report \"COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn\'t Have To.\" She says the story paints a picture of \"sophisticated structural racism\" in Chicago.

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-12). The Heat: Countries face economic fallout from COVID-19. america.cgtn.com In the United States the latest government figures show 20.5 million people lost their jobs in April, raising the unemployment rate to 14.7%. Both are post-World War II records. The European Union is now forecasting the worst economic outlook since the Great Depression. While …

Staff (2020-05-12). Headlines for May 12, 2020. democracynow.org Dr. Fauci to Warn Lawmakers of \"Needless Suffering and Death\" If Lockdowns End Too Soon, European Countries Report New Spikes as They Reopen Economies, Trump Makes False Claim About Testing Capacity, Tells Reporter Weijia Jiang to \"Ask China\" About Coronavirus, PA Plant Canceled Trump Visit over Concern for Worker Health, New Study Finds Hydroxychloroquine Does Not Help COVID-19, Can Cause Heart Attacks, China Threatens \"Countermeasures\" for U.S. Journalist Visa Restrictions, Meatpacking Union Condemns Reopening of Factories Amid Pandemic, India Starts to Ease Lockdown as Cases Mount, Coronavirus Cases Mount in W…

Project Censored (2020-05-12). Kent State 50th with Mickey Huff. projectcensored.org 50 years have passed since Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on Kent State University students protesting the Vietnam War. Four students were killed and nine wounded. On this week\'s…

ISDBICC (2020-05-12). [Research Paper] Mapping of variations in child stunting, wasting and underweight within the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2000—2017. thelancet.com CGF indicators have improved in India, but there are substantial variations between the districts in their magnitude and rate of decline, and the inequality between districts has increased in a large proportion of the states. The poor correlation between the national surveys for CGF estimates highlights the need to standardise collection of anthropometric data in India. The district-level trends in this report provide a useful reference for targeting the efforts under NNM to reduce CGF across India and meet the Indian and global targets.

Sanders JM, Monogue ML, Jodlowski TZ, et al. (2020-05-12). Pharmacologic Treatments for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). jamanetwork.com This narrative review summarizes what is currently known about how SARS-CoV-2 infects cells and causes disease as a basis for considering whether chloroquine, remdisivir and other antivirals, or other existing drugs might be effective treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Omer SB, Malani P, del Rio C. (2020-05-12). The COVID-19 Pandemic in the US: A Clinical Update. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint provides a summary update of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the US, discussing case-fatality rates, interpretation of polymerase chain reaction test results, duration of immunity, reinfection, and more.

Sinha A. (2020-05-12). King Lear Under COVID-19 Lockdown. jamanetwork.com This Arts and Medicine feature draws lessons from William Shakespeare\'s King Lear about our collective disorientation and obligations to each other in the midst of the first-wave coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Project Censored (2020-05-12). The Censorship of Inequality in the Covid-19 Era: How Corporate and Market-Based Metrics Rule the News, and Why it Matters. projectcensored.org By Anthony DiMaggio The old adage that \"the more things change the more they stay the same\" seems particularly appropriate to media coverage in the Covid-19 crisis. Old patterns of media…

Michael K. Smith (2020-05-12). Joe Biden Suffers Massive Stroke! dissidentvoice.org Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden suffered a massive brain hemorrhage today as he practiced reciting the days of the week for upcoming debates with President Trump. Campaign staff members say it will not affect his work, and insist he has no plans to withdraw from the presidential contest, unless \"something serious happens.\" \"We\'ve been through …

Kuehn BM. (2020-05-12). Despite Gains, Progress Toward TB Elimination Has Slowed. jamanetwork.com Although the US incidence of tuberculosis (TB) reached an all-time low in 2019, CDC researchers expressed concern in a recent report that the rate of decline has slowed in recent years.

Matt Sedlar (2020-05-12). Consumer Price Index Plunges 0.8 Percent, Core Falls 0.4 Percent. cepr.net Food prices rose 2.6 percent in April, reflecting a large increase in store-bought food. The overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) fell 0.8 percent in April, driven again by large price declines in sectors that were hit hard by pandemic-related shutdowns. Gas prices fell 20.6 percent, following a drop of 10.5 percent in March. They are …

Andrea Woods (2020-05-12). Dallas County Officials are Leaving Vulnerable People to Catch COVID-19 in Jail. aclu.org Wykivia and Ideare Bailey were taking every precaution. Worried for their asthmatic daughter due to the spread of COVID-19, the couple was meticulous in cleaning, sanitizing, and social distancing to reduce every possible threat. However, when Ideare was arrested for property theft and booked into the Dallas County Jail on April 6, there was no way to adhere to those precautions. Held in a crowded intake room, he could not maintain six feet of distance from other people. Forced to live in a dormitory with 60 other people — for meals, downtime, sleeping, bathing, everything — Mr. Bailey knew that he…

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-12). Mountains Of Evidence Show COVID-19 Was All Over The World Oct/Nov 2019, Why Is It Being Ignored? thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (5/12/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Rubin R. (2020-05-12). The Challenge of Preventing COVID-19 Spread in Correctional Facilities. jamanetwork.com This Medical News feature examines steps that correctional facilities are taking to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Kate Oh (2020-05-12). President Trump\'s Assault On Inspectors General Threatens Our Civil Liberties. aclu.org One recent Friday night, President Trump quietly nominated a replacement inspector general (IG) for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). But this was no ordinary nomination. If confirmed by the Senate, it will force out the acting IG after her office released a

Tasnim News (2020-05-12). Iran to Reopen Schools on May 16. iranian.com All schools in Iran will reopen as of Saturday, May 16, after almost three months of closure in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the minister of education announced. Speaking to the state TV on Tuesday, Iranian Education Minister Mohsen Haji Mirzaee said the schools will reopen on coming Saturday. The teachers and school staff …

Bauchner H, Sharfstein J. (2020-05-12). Medical Students and Public Health Service for the COVID-19 Pandemic. jamanetwork.com Over the next few months it is likely that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that has surged in New York City, Seattle, New Orleans, and Detroit will move from city to city and state to state. After the initial peak, absent highly effective medical interventions, the US will likely experience outbreaks of lingering disease for months and potentially years to come. As the US enters the next phase of COVID-19, critical questions will involve the nation\'s capacity to respond to outbreaks, protect high-risk populations, and limit community spread.

Staff (2020-05-11). Trump Death Clock: Creator Eugene Jarecki Says \"Reckless Mishandling\" of COVID-19 Must Be Quantified. democracynow.org As the death toll from COVID-19 in the United States surpasses 80,000, an unusual new billboard called the Trump Death Clock in New York City\'s Times Square keeps tally of lives lost to government inaction. \"What we found was that there was an amazing and very dark truth underlying the numbers that spoke to reckless mishandling of a pandemic by the president and his team, and we felt that ought to be quantified,\" says Eugene Jarecki, the award-winning documentary filmmaker, author and activist behind the project.

Staff (2020-05-11). \"Weaponized and Racialized\": Police Departments Use COVID-19 to Target Black & Brown Communities. democracynow.org Viral images have shone a spotlight on uneven policing. Some show police officers distributing masks to White residents in crowded New York City parks — and apparently arresting no one. Meanwhile, videos have emerged of violent crackdowns on social distancing measures in Black and Latinx neighborhoods. We continue our look at how Black and Brown communities are being disproportionately targeted and policed in New York City\'s enforcement measures during the pandemic, and also discuss how officers have ordered protesters to disband, citing executive orders from the mayor and the governor that ban \"any non-ess…

Staff (2020-05-11). \"COVID-19 Has Been Racialized\": Black Scholar Jill Nelson Arrested for Chalking \"Trump = Plague\" democracynow.org Black and Brown communities are being disproportionately targeted and policed in New York City\'s response to the spread of COVID-19. We speak with author and activist Jill Nelson, who was herself arrested by NYPD in April for writing \"Trump = Plague\" in chalk on an abandoned building in her Washington Heights neighborhood. The 67-year-old scholar was handcuffed, taken to the police station and held for five hours. Now she is speaking out. The president is \"telling us that as people of color, and older people, we should just die,\" says Nelson. \"It\'s ridiculous.\"

Alan MacLeod (2020-05-11). Guaidó\'s mercenary hit contract on Venezuela\'s Maduro mirrors official US bounty, authorizes death squad killings. thegrayzone.com The leaked contract between Juan Guaidó and the Silvercorp USA mercenary firm closely resembles a DEA bounty placed on the…

Staff (2020-05-11). Headlines for May 11, 2020. democracynow.org COVID-19 Cases Mount as States Reopen Economies, NY Investigating Deaths of at Least 3 Children Linked to COVID-19, Bronx Hospital Investigating Nurse Who Shared Video of Medical Staff Speaking Out About Lack of PPE, Cheyenne River Sioux Defies South Dakota Order to Remove Coronavirus Checkpoints, Another COVID-19 Case Confirmed at White House as Barack Obama Blasts Trump\'s \"Chaotic\" Response, Hunger-Striking Immigrant Women Released from California Prison, U.S. Continues to Deport Haitian Immigrants, Including Those with COVID-19 Infections, WSJ: Trump Planning to Ban H-1B Visas, Three Prisoners Die at Chino Fac…

Aaron Maté (2020-05-11). Bombshell: Crowdstrike admits \'no evidence\' Russia stole emails from DNC server. thegrayzone.com Crowdstrike, the firm behind the Russian email hacking allegation at the core of Russiagate, makes a bombshell admission: \"We did…

Martin Begemann, Jan Seidel, Luise Poustka, Hannelore Ehrenreich (2020-05-11). Accumulated environmental risk in young refugees — A prospective evaluation. thelancet.com Young refugees, arriving in hosting countries with alarming \'risk burden\', should be considered as highly vulnerable towards development of global functional deficits, behavioral abnormalities, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Rapid proactive integration or sustainable support of those who will return to rebuild their countries are mandatory.

Paul Dobson (2020-05-11). Western Venezuela Rocked by Rolling Blackouts. venezuelanalysis.com Low water levels at hydroelectric dams, \"terrorist sabotage\" and damaged infrastructure have been blamed for the power cuts.

Derrick Broze (2020-05-11). This Is Why You Can\'t Trust The Fact Checkers. thelastamericanvagabond.com For the last eight years I have worked as a writer, researcher, and investigative reporter for many well-known American independent media outlets. I have spent my time investigating digital surveillance technology, attacks on indigenous communities, and the overall growth of the government and corporate power. As someone working in this field, writing about topics which …

Matt Sedlar (2020-05-11). Mothers on the Frontlines of a Pandemic Need More than Flowers. cepr.net Daily Press Online The Free Lance-Star See article on original site More than 30 million U.S. workers are employed in industries that put them on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. They include grocery store clerks, nurses, cleaners, warehouse workers and bus drivers, among others. Nearly one-in-four frontline workers — 7.5 million — are also …

Eleanor J. Bader (2020-05-11). College Faculty Are Speaking Out Against Billionaire Donors. progressive.org Resignations from a growing number of professors bring attention to the undue influence of deep-pocketed donors like Charles Koch.

Linda Wiggins-Chavis (2020-05-11). We Also Face a Pandemic of Racism. progressive.org COVID-19 sheds light on America\'s systemic oppression of people of color.

splcenter (2020-05-11). SPLC fights to keep children out of juvenile detention, other confined settings during pandemic. splcenter.org …

Trudy Hess (2020-05-11). Senator Nina Turner has something to Share! peoplesparty.org has something to share! | I\'m happy to say that after her courageous show of support last weekend, Senator Nina Turner will be joining us on a National Call soon. She wanted me to let you know she\'s been watching our movement with admiration for some time. | SNT has a history of standing up for what is right, even in the face of immense pressure and adversity. She is not afraid to stand up for bold new ideas. | | Justice for Ahmaud Arbery | Join the call at 8 pm ET on May 13. |

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-11). Doctors Speak Out About COVID 19 & The Violent Suppression Of Your Rights. thelastamericanvagabond.com The only question, is whether We The People have the courage to stand for what we know to be right, or if we will allow ourselves to be scared into passively accepting the \"new normal,\" a locked down controlled society that was prepped for, planned out, and designed years ago. I for one, will never …

David Quinn-Jacobs (2020-05-11). Saturday, May 16, Second Webinar: Disarm and Divest During Covid-19. kingsbayplowshares7.org Disarm & Divest During COVID19 Last KBP 7 Webinar Before Sentencing SATURDAY, MAY 16 The recording of the webinar can be viewed on Facebook now. Eventually we hope to have an edited version up on the KBP Youtube channel and will post link. In it current form we recommend that you skip the first…

Billy Easley (2020-05-11). Our Privacy is on the Clock. aclu.org This piece originally appeared in

Vincent Tsai and Camden Goetz (2020-05-10). New York pandemic spending favors wealthy over workers. liberationnews.org New York politicians have recently barreled forward with plans for massive cuts to public spending.

Ricardo Vaz (2020-05-10). [UPDATED] Venezuela Makes Fresh Arrests as Opposition Splinters over Failed Coup. venezuelanalysis.com Trump said the operation \"was not a good attack,\" again denying any US involvement.

Staff (2020-05-09). HBO Docuseries Points To Many Suspects In Atlanta Child Murders, Including The Klan. therealnews.com Atlanta\'s mayor re-opened the 40-year-old case of 30 missing and murdered Black children in Atlanta. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation operated a secret investigation that pointed towards a Klan member for at least one of the murders.

I.V. Sta (2020-05-09). Eyewitness: Russia\'s 70th V-Day. liberationnews.org In addition to beautiful parades, fireworks and concerts, I was able to witness multitudes of people sharing with each other something wholly priceless: the gratitude of being alive thanks to those who fought fascism.

Staff (2020-05-09). As Oil Price Plummets, Call to Nationalize Industry Rises. therealnews.com The price of oil dropped below zero, prompting new subsidies from the Federal Reserve. Progressive voices in the U.S. and Canada have a different idea: nationalization as a way to wind down the sector, tackle the climate crisis and create a just economic transition.

Staff (2020-05-09). Largest Public Utility To Outsource Hundreds Of Jobs Amid Covid-19. therealnews.com Despite Trump\'s \'America First\' policy, the Tennessee Valley Authority is outsourcing hundreds of federal jobs overseas.

Staff (2020-05-09). Women In Prisons Say They\'re Being Punished For Speaking Out About COVID-19 Risks. therealnews.com Women say they\'re being punished for contacting people outside about their living conditions. Activists are planning an action May 23 at Jessup Correctional Facility in response.

Janine Jackson (2020-05-09). \'We Can Pool the World\'s Science to Develop Better Medical Tools\' – CounterSpin interview with Peter Maybarduk on Covid-19 and the drug industry. fair.org Janine Jackson interviewed Public Citizen\'s Peter Maybarduk about the drug industry and Covid-19 for the Media…

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-09). The Heat: COVID-19 — Iran and U.S. economy. america.cgtn.com Iran is one of the worst hit countries in the Middle East with more than 100,000 cases of COVID-19. In April, President Hassan Rouhani started the process of reopening the country and recently mosques reopened their doors. And, April will be remembered as the worst …

Project Censored (2020-05-09). Episode 83 — Shelter-in-Place Protests; Implicit Bias and Medical Schools During COVID-19 with Robin Andersen and Colleen Sweeney. projectcensored.org Along the Line, is a member of the Demcast network, brought to you by the Media Freedom Foundation. On today\'s episode hosts Nicholas Baham III (Dr. Dreadlocks), Janice Domingo, and…

Derrick Broze (2020-05-09). \"We Need An Army Of Contact Tracers\" — Meet The Enforcement Arm Of The \"New Normal\" thelastamericanvagabond.com As the people of the world grapple with a pandemic that is demonstrably less deadly than originally reported, the public is being primed to accept an exponential increase in invasions of personal liberty and privacy. Every day the public grows more weary of lock downs which seem to never end, and the bankrupting of individuals …

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-09). \"Gene-Edited\" Future Justified By COVID-19 & France Admits Athletes Infected At Wuhan Military Games. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (5/8/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Vincent Tsai (2020-05-08). In NYC pandemic used as excuse to crackdown on the homeless. liberationnews.org This follows incitement by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo against the homeless.

Aviva Levine (2020-05-08). U.S. to roll back infection control rules in nursing homes in midst of pandemic. liberationnews.org Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of long-term care facilities were failing to maintain appropriate standards of hygiene and disease prevention.

Staff (2020-05-08). Stir Crazy! Episode #31: Cancel Corporate Media. therealnews.com On today\'s show: TRNN climate reporter Aman Azhar, The Progressive Army founder Ben Dixon, and TRNN Executive Producer Lisa Snowden-McCray. Hosted by Kim Brown.

Staff (2020-05-08). Climate Crisis: False Techtopia, Tariffs Accounting, Orphan Wells, And The Dead Cow. therealnews.com Recent studies debunk the false techtopianism in climate science models, U.S. import tariffs failed climate accounting, and Argentina\'s shale industry is flailing. As fracking goes bust, what happens to orphaned wells?

CounterSpin (2020-05-08). Ricardo Salvador on the Food System & Covid-19. fair.org Media…

Staff (2020-05-08). \"A Terrible Price\": Mardi Gras Story Lays Bare How COVID-19 Is Devastating Black America. democracynow.org We look at the deadly disparate impact of the pandemic on African Americans as told through an in-depth story for The New York Times Magazine by writer Linda Villarosa in her new piece, \"\'A Terrible Price\': The Deadly Racial Disparities of Covid-19 in America,\" that tells what happened to the Zulu club, a Black social organization in New Orleans, during and after Mardi Gras. She reports that the experience is usually a joy, but the coronavirus made it a tragedy.

Staff (2020-05-08). As States Loosen Pandemic Restrictions, Dr. Leana Wen Warns \"We Are Not Ready for a Safe Reopening\" democracynow.org As more than 40 states begin to reopen, President Trump is downplaying the need for mass COVID-19 testing, even as he himself is now being tested every day for the virus. We speak with emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen, who says, \"Widespread testing is so critical. … Why shouldn\'t this testing be available to all Americans?\"

Staff (2020-05-08). Trump Death Clock: Times Square Billboard Tallies Lives Lost to COVID-19 Inaction. democracynow.org A 56-foot billboard called the Trump Death Clock was unveiled in Times Square in New York City. The tally of lives lost to government inaction was created by filmmaker Eugene Jarecki, who says, \"On behalf of all of those who needlessly lost their lives to this failed leadership in a pandemic, we need a symbol, a symbol that cries out not only for accountability, but also for more responsible and responsive stewardship, going forward.\" As of the Friday morning broadcast, the death toll count was nearly 47,000 and growing.

Staff (2020-05-08). \"A Lynch Mob\": After Months of Inaction, 2 White Men Are Charged with Murder of Ahmaud Arbery in GA. democracynow.org The two white men caught on camera shooting and killing Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old African American man, were arrested and charged Thursday with murder. The arrests came two days after video of the attack in February was shared with the public, sparking widespread outrage. Today would have been Arbery\'s 26th birthday. We speak with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents the Arbery family and formerly represented Trayvon Martin.

Staff (2020-05-08). Palestinians And Israelis Remember Casualties Together. therealnews.com The alternative memorial service organized by peace organizations in Israel/Palestine challenges the racist official memorial services of the State of Israel in which only Israeli casualties are remembered.

Staff (2020-05-08). Headlines for May 8, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Pass 75,000 as Trump Sidelines Top Medical Experts, Trump to Be Tested for Coronavirus Daily After Valet Tests Positive, Vigil at White House Honors 88 Who Died from \"Trump\'s Abhorrent Failure to Protect Nurses\", U.S. Unemployment Claims Soar to 33.3 Million Amid Pandemic | , Democrats Promise \"Rooseveltian\" Coronavirus Relief Bill | , Mitch McConnell Prioritizes Judicial Confirmations as Senate Returns Amid Pandemic | , Data Shows 35 of 40 People Arrested in NY for Social Distancing Violations Are Black | , Texas Stops Jailing Lockdown Violators; Nebraska Ends Reporting on Meat Plant COVI…

Lawrence Wittner (2020-05-08). Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic, America\'s Billionaires Thrive and Prosper. zcomm.org Although most Americans currently face hard times, with unemployment surging to the levels of the Great Depression and enormous numbers of people sick or dying from the coronavirus pandemic, the nation\'s super-rich remain a notable exception. Financially, they are doing remarkably well. According to the Institute for Policy Studies, between March 18 and April 28,

Anya Parampil (2020-05-08). Silvercorp co-founder speaks with The Grayzone: What did State Department know about failed Venezuela invasion? thegrayzone.com The Grayzone speaks to Drew White — a close friend and business partner of Silvercorp mercenary firm founder and failed…

Ben Norton (2020-05-08). Russian journalists accuse NY Times of stealing stories that earned it Pulitzer Prize — for second time. thegrayzone.com The New York Times has apparently stolen its Pulitzer Prize-winning stories from Russian journalists — the same liberal anti-Putin reporters…

Reese Erlich (2020-05-08). Foreign Correspondent: Biden vs. Trump on Foreign Policy. progressive.org The differences are not as great as you might suspect, but there is a clear winner.

Jane R. Millar, Nomonde Bengu, Rowena Fillis, Ken Sprenger, Vuyokazi Ntlantsana, Vinicius A. Vieira, Nisreen Khambati, Moherndran Archary, Maximilian Muenchhoff, Andreas Groll, Nicholas Grayson, John Adamson, Katya Govender, Krista Dong, Photini Kiepiela, Bruce D. Walker, David Bonsall, Thomas Connor, Matthew J. Bull, Nelisiwe Nxele, Julia Roider, Nasreen Ismail, Emily Adland, Maria C. Puertas, Javier Martinez-Picado, Philippa C. Matthews, Thumbi Ndung\'u, Philip Goulder, the Ucwaningo Lwabantwana Consortium (2020-05-08). HIGH-FREQUENCY failure of combination antiretroviral therapy in paediatric HIV infection is associated with unmet maternal needs causing maternal NON-ADHERENCE. thelancet.com The success of early infant testing and cART initiation strategies is severely limited by subsequent cART non-adherence in HIV-infected children. Although there are practical challenges to administering paediatric cART formulations, these are overcome by mothers who themselves are cART-adherent. These findings point to the ongoing obligation to address the unmet needs of the mothers. Eliminating the particular barriers preventing adequate treatment for these vulnerable women and infants need to be prioritised in order to achieve durable suppression of viraemia on cART, let alone HIV cure/remission, in HIV-infecte…

Sarah Anderson (2020-05-08). Let\'s Save the Postal Service. progressive.org The coronavirus-related plunge in mail revenue is threatening to bankrupt USPS—Trump doesn\'t want to help.

Staff (2020-05-07). Sanders Is Back On The NY Primary Ballot. therealnews.com Before the ruling was announced, TRNN spoke with Norman Solomon and Marcus Ferrell about how the split between establishment Democrats and progressives could help hand Trump the November election.

Neal Sweeney (2020-05-07). How capitalism and racism hold back a COVID-19 cure. liberationnews.org In a few short months, the novel coronavirus COVID-19 has swept the world without any proven treatment or vaccine.

Staff (2020-05-07). UK Supreme Court Reverses BDS Ban. therealnews.com The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the largest British Palestinian solidarity group, successfully petitioned to reverse a 2016 ban preventing local governments divesting from companies involved in the Israeli occupation.

Staff (2020-05-07). Women In Prison Need More Than Cuomo\'s Order To Help Against COVID-19. therealnews.com Incarcerated women still face inadequate testing and an inability to self-isolate, and few will be helped by Cuomo\'s announcement releasing pregnant and elderly women.

Staff (2020-05-07). How Russia Became the Next COVID-19 Hot Spot: Infection Rate Soars with 10,000 New Cases Each Day. democracynow.org We go to Moscow for an update on the pandemic in Russia, where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly, with at least 10,000 new cases a day and the second-highest infection rate in the world, and more than 100 medical workers have died fighting the virus, and many have reported lack of personal protective equipment. Meanwhile, three Russian healthcare workers mysteriously fell from hospital windows over the past two weeks. Two died, and the one who is hospitalized had posted a video online to note the lack of medical equipment and said he had to keep working despite testing positive. We speak with Joshua Yaffa, Mos…

Staff (2020-05-07). Profiting from the Pandemic: Will Pharmaceutical Giants Use Patents to Limit Access to COVID Drugs? democracynow.org As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide approaches 4 million and the pandemic could be with us for months or years, we look at who can access drugs like remdesivir, being developed by pharmaceutical giant Gilead, which has the patent for the drug and is poised to make massive profits. We look at how much drugs like remdesivir will cost, and who can access them, with writer Achal Prabhala, coordinator of the AccessIBSA project, which campaigns for access to medicines in India, Brazil and South Africa.

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-07). The Heat: COVID-19 Pandemic-U.S. and Japan. america.cgtn.com A new government document projects the daily death toll in the U.S. could reach 3000 by June 1. Japan is extending its state of emergency until May 31.

Ricardo Vaz and Lucas Koerner (2020-05-07). US Investigating Ex-Green Beret, Denies \'Direct\' Involvement in Failed Venezuela Coup. venezuelanalysis.com New documents confirm that the Venezuelan opposition signed a contract with Florida-based Silvercorp to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro.

John H Amuasi, Christian Walzer, David Heymann, Hélène Carabin, Le Thi Huong, Andrew Haines, Andrea S Winkler (2020-05-07). [Correspondence] Calling for a COVID-19 One Health Research Coalition. thelancet.com Emerging from its ancestral bat host in December, 2019,1 possibly at a wildlife trading market in Wuhan, China,2 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had by mid-April, 2020, spread globally, infecting more than 2 million individuals and causing at least 130‚Äà000 deaths. Travel restrictions were imposed, borders sealed, schools and businesses closed, and more than half of humanity locked down, all to reduce the spread of this virus.

Jeff Jurgens (2020-05-07). Once Again Trump Scoffs Congressional War Powers with Republican Help. peaceaction.org Once Again Trump Scoffs Congressional War Powers with Republican Help Washington, D.C. — May 7, 2020 — In response to the veto by President Trump yesterday of a bill (S.J.Res.68) to reclaim congressional war powers in regards to Iran and the anticipated failure today of the Senate override vote, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for …

Project Censored (2020-05-07). Episode 82 — The COVID Chronicles #4: New York City. projectcensored.org Along the Line, is a member of the Demcast network, brought to you by the Media Freedom Foundation. On today\'s episode hosts Nicholas Baham III (Dr. Dreadlocks), Janice Domingo, and Nolan…

Bratton Young (2020-05-06). Clase dominante a los obreros: tu labor o tu vida. liberationnews.org Los trabajadores de todo el país se preparan para un regreso prematuro a sus trabajos a pesar de las advertencias de salud pública de un segundo aumento en las infecciones por el Coronavirus. Un total de 23 estados, con una población combinada de 120 millones de personas, han emitido órdenes de \"regreso al trabajo\" que entrarán en vigencia en los próximos días.

Bratton Young (2020-05-06). Ruling class tells workers: your job or your life. liberationnews.org Workers across the country are bracing for a premature return to their jobs despite public health warnings of a second spike in Coronavirus infections.

Staff (2020-05-06). Stir Crazy! Episode #29: Our Headline Writers are Still Recovering From Cinco de Mayo. therealnews.com On today\'s show: TRNN visual producer Andrew Corkery, Chinatown Collective founding member Leandro Lagera, and writer and organizer Jesse Myerson. Hosted by Kim Brown…

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-06). The Heat: COVID-19 impact on U.S.-China relations & Russia battles coronavirus. america.cgtn.com China-U.S. relations under strain over COVID-19. And, Russia battles coronavirus.

Denis Rogatyuk (2020-05-06). Ecuador\'s Moreno govt persecutes opponents as coronavirus catastrophe exposes its neoliberal war on public sector. thegrayzone.com Sentencing former President Rafael Correa and Jorge Glas to eight years in jail and barring them from public office for…

Oliver Gross, Onnen Moerer, Manfred Weber, Tobias B Huber, Simone Scheithauer (2020-05-06). [Correspondence] COVID-19-associated nephritis: early warning for disease severity and complications? thelancet.com Among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), parameters for the prediction of the need for admission to intensive care units (ICUs) are urgently needed to enable appropriate resource allocation. Here we report that analysis of a urine sample on admission to hospital can be used to detect systemic capillary leak syndrome, which can be a predictor of fluid overload, respiratory failure, need for ICU admission, and death.

Jeff Jurgens (2020-05-06). U.S. Reverses Policy On Use of Landmines. peaceaction.org On May 6, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) headed a congressional oversight letter with 107 other members of Congress to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper expressing disappointment to the Trump Administration\'s reversal of the policy limiting the use of antipersonnel landmines to the defense of South Korea, and seeking answers to …

Nicolas J S Davies (2020-05-06). Trump Must Choose Between a Global Ceasefire and America\'s Long Lost Wars. progressive.org Despite a U.N. call for ceasefire and his promise to bring troops home, Trump is continuing U.S.\'s unwinnable wars.

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-06). Horrifying Glimpse Into How DARPA Will \"Save\" You From COVID-19 & Venezuela Coup Tied Back To Trump. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (5/6/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-06). A Massive \"COVID-19\" Cover Up Is Underway & \'US Mercenaries\' Caught In Venezuelan Coup Attempt. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (5/5/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Nic de la Riva (2020-05-05). Paramilitary invasions in Venezuela: Made in USA. liberationnews.org Attempted invasion taken care of swiftly and efficiently by the Venezuelan government.

Sunil Freeman (2020-05-05). New PSL book: \'Climate Solutions: Beyond Capitalism\'. liberationnews.org \"It is a small book, but expansive in outlook in a way that echoes the holistic eco-socialist society we will need…\"

Annika Lee (2020-05-05). Detainees put at high risk for COVID-19 at Madison, Wi., jail. liberationnews.org To protect them from COVID-19, incarcerated people must be freed.

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-05). The Heat: U.S. approves drug to treat COVID-19. america.cgtn.com The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given Remdesivir emergency authorization for treating COVID-19. While not a cure, the drug has helped the sickest coronavirus patients.

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-05). The Heat: COVID19-U.S. Economy & Mexico battles coronavirus. america.cgtn.com Unemployment claims move past 30 million in the United States as its economy shrinks and Mexico battles the coronavirus pandemic.

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-05). The Heat: Italy reopens and COVID-19 surges in U.S. america.cgtn.com Italy reopens nearly two months after a nationwide shutdown.

Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2020-05-05). Venezuela: Two US Citizens Captured in Botched Coup Attempt. venezuelanalysis.com Two former green berets were arrested in a second failed assault on Venezuelan shores on Monday.

Aaron Maté (2020-05-05). US refuses to extradite CIA agent who killed UK teen Harry Dunn. thegrayzone.com As the US government hunts Julian Assange, it refuses to extradite a CIA agent who killed UK teen Harry Dunn…

Paolo Perini, Bilal Nabulsi, Claudio Bianchini Massoni, Matteo Azzarone, Antonio Freyrie (2020-05-05). [Correspondence] Acute limb ischaemia in two young, non-atherosclerotic patients with COVID-19. thelancet.com Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was announced a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020.1 As of May 3, 2020, Italy is one of the countries hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 28‚Äà884 confirmed deaths.2 In addition to pulmonary insufficiency, COVID-19 is associated with other life-threatening complications such as sepsis, heart failure, and pulmonary embolism.3,4 Here we describe patients with COVID-19 who presented with acute limb ischaemia but did not have atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation, or pre-existing blood clotting disorders.

Elena Cuadrado-Payán, Enrique Montagud-Marrahi, Manuel Torres-Elorza, Marta Bodro, Miquel Blasco, Esteban Poch, Alex Soriano, Gaston J Piñeiro (2020-05-05). [Correspondence] SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus co-infection. thelancet.com Since December, 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been an international public health emergency.1—3 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mimics the influenza virus regarding clinical presentation, transmission mechanism, and seasonal coincidence.3 Thus, co-infection by both viruses is feasible. To the best of our knowledge, only one case of co-infection is known, although the diagnosis was sequential.4 Here, we present four cases of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza co-infection, diagnosed simultaneously.

David L Leverenz, Teresa K Tarrant (2020-05-05). [Correspondence] Is the HScore useful in COVID-19? thelancet.com Puja Mehta and colleagues1 suggest using the HScore2 to detect hyperinflammatory states in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The HScore is validated for the diagnosis of secondary haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (sHLH), a condition that shares a similar cytokine profile to severe COVID-19.

Eric Crubézy, Norbert Telmon (2020-05-05). [Letter] Pandemic-related excess mortality (COVID-19), public health measures and funerary rituals. thelancet.com Faced to COVID-19, the earliest public health recommendations in France [1] forbade washing of the body and mandated inhumation and cremation within 24 h, recommendations similar to those when case-patients were, more likely than non—case-patients, to have participated in funeral rituals. When a patient is hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2, family and friends were not allowed to be with him or her, and the farewells were done as the patient got into the ambulance. The grieving process, however, implies three phases [2]: viewing of the body, performing a collective ceremony to support those affected, and finally a…

splcenter (2020-05-05). Why White Supremacists Are Targeting Zoom Meetings During the COVID-19 Pandemic. splcenter.org White supremacists have harassed people through the video conferencing app Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic, part of a broader trend in which they exploit emerging online platforms to promote hate before companies can sufficiently adapt to their presence.

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-05). Dr. Andrew Kaufman Interview — The COVID-19 Theory That You Are Not Allowed To Hear. thelastamericanvagabond.com Joining me today is Dr. Andrew Kaufman to discuss a topic that, despite being rooted in facts, evidence and years of research, has been suppressed, censored and ignored by the entirety of the mainstream medical and scientific community. (d.tube/c/tlavagabond) Bitcoin Donations Are Appreciated: www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/bitcoin-donation (3FSozj9gQ1UniHvEiRmkPnXzHSVMc68U9f)…

Whitney Webb (2020-05-04). Coronavirus Gives a Dangerous Boost to DARPA\'s Darkest Agenda. thelastamericanvagabond.com Technology developed by the Pentagon\'s controversial research branch is getting a huge boost amid the current coronavirus crisis, with little attention going to the agency\'s ulterior motives for developing said technologies, their potential for weaponization or their unintended consequences. In January, well before the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis would result in lockdowns, quarantines and economic devastation …

Ben Norton (2020-05-04). Anatomy of a fake news campaign: Media spreads lie from US govt-funded Korean outlet that Kim Jong-un died. thegrayzone.com Corporate media outlets spread fake news claiming North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had died. The lie originated with a Seoul-based…

Hatewatch Staff (2020-05-04). Facebook Is Go-To Platform For Organizing Protests Against Social Distancing. splcenter.org As COVID-19 continues to pose a lethal threat worldwide, fringe, right-wing activists are using Facebook to mobilize protests of stay-at-home orders in several states.

Alberto E Paniz-Mondolfi, Emilia M Sordillo, Marilianna C Márquez-Colmenarez, Lourdes A Delgado-Noguera, Alfonso J Rodriguez-Morales (2020-05-04). [Correspondence] The arrival of SARS-CoV-2 in Venezuela. thelancet.com We read with interest the World Report about the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Venezuelan migrants.1 We concur wholeheartedly that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a negative impact on Venezuelans who have taken refuge in neighbouring countries.

David A Kass, Priya Duggal, Oscar Cingolani (2020-05-04). [Correspondence] Obesity could shift severe COVID-19 disease to younger ages. thelancet.com Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 was first reported in China in late December, 2019, and has since evolved into a global pandemic. As of April 29, 2020, COVID-19 has been confirmed in more than 3 million individuals in 185 countries and regions, with an overall mortality rate of more than 6%.1 Severe disease involves bilateral interstitial pneumonia requiring intensive care unit (ICU) ventilatory support and can evolve into adult respiratory distress syndrome with high mortality.

David Nott (2020-05-04). [Comment] The COVID-19 response for vulnerable people in places affected by conflict and humanitarian crises. thelancet.com Next year I will have worked full time in the UK\'s National Health Service (NHS) for 40 years. I seem to be a survivor not only from the political rollercoaster that various governments have enacted on the NHS, but also from volunteering my surgical skills in places affected by conflict and natural disasters for the past 25 years. The experiences of the patients I have served whose lives have been impacted by war, injustice, and inhumanity during this time have given me insight into what life is really about.

Project Censored (2020-05-04). Special Guests Nicholas Baham, III, Anthony DiMaggio. projectcensored.org This week\'s program focuses on the media\'s response to the current Covid-19 pandemic. Mickey\'s first guest is ethnic studies professor Nicholas Baham, III, who outlines his \"Covid Chronicles,\" a continuing…

Paul Dobson (2020-05-04). Venezuela: 45 Killed in Guanare Prison Riot. venezuelanalysis.com The government pledged to investigate the May 1 riot, which it described as an attempted breakout.

Carmen Martinez (2020-05-04). Amid pandemic, poultry workers must be protected. splcenter.org Recently, there has been an outpouring of praise for essential workers on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hatewatch Staff (2020-05-04). Anti-LGBTQ Group Pushes Voter Fraud Conspiracy Theories Amid COVID-19. splcenter.org Family Research Council (FRC) has branched out of its usual anti-LGBTQ and anti-choice rhetoric to push longtime right-wing conspiracy theories about voting by mail. It\'s a narrative that is gaining popularity during COVID-19 restrictions with regard to public gatherings and social distancing.

Victor CW Tam, Shing Yau Tam, Wai Kwong Poon, Helen Ka Wai Law, Shara WY Lee (2020-05-03). [Letter] A reality check on the use of face masks during the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong. thelancet.com Despite the rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) into a pandemic, an \'east-west\' divide remains between the recommendations of different health authorities on the use of face masks in the community [1,2]. We respectfully differ from the WHO recommendation on its effectiveness [3]. In our opinion, mass masking in the community is one of the key measures that controls transmission during the outbreak in Hong Kong and China. Moreover, it would be futile to convince individuals who experienced the SARS or swine flu outbreaks, not to wear face masks for protection.

Ricardo Vaz (2020-05-03). Venezuelan Armed Forces: Paramilitary Incursion Neutralized. venezuelanalysis.com Former US green beret Jordan Goudreau, reported to have led preparations for a coup, confirmed the operation.

Preston Wood and Michael Prysner (2020-05-02). In memoriam: Dr. Roh Kil-nam, beloved fighter for reunification of Korea. liberationnews.org \"Ken Roh embodied the spirit of eternal optimism in the long road of struggle of the Korean people for freedom and reunification.\"

Brianna Griffith (2020-05-02). During pandemic, Austin, TX police kill Mike Ramos days after damning city report. liberationnews.org As with so many police shootings, the Austin PD\'s first instinct was to spin the story and criminalize the victim.

Joe Emersberger (2020-05-02). Remembering Henri Falcon\'s May 2018 Presidential campaign in Venezuela. zcomm.org Henri Falcon was a viable candidate — attacked by his own side Venezuela\'s opposition had a viable candidate in Henri Falcon, a two-time governor of the state of Lara. He was first elected governor of the state of Lara in 2008 as a pro-Chavez candidate.[1] He broke with Chavez in 2010 and was then re-elected

Lucas Koerner (2020-05-02). Former US Special Ops Soldier Led Plot to Invade Venezuela: Sources. venezuelanalysis.com AP reports that the Venezuelan opposition and Colombian authorities were aware of the plan.

CounterSpin (2020-05-01). Jim Naureckas on Coronavirus False Choices, Peter Maybarduk on Pharmaceutical Price-Gouging. fair.org Media…

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-01). The Heat: China and Impact of COVID-19 on Native Americans. america.cgtn.com The Heat takes a look at the latest from China as it emerges from lockdown and in the U.S. How is the coronavirus outbreak impacting Native Americans?>

Project Censored (2020-05-01). Episode 81 — The Biden Veepstakes and The Media\'s COVID War Rhetoric and Bernie Coverage with Dr. Robin Andersen. projectcensored.org Along the Line, is a member of the Demcast network, brought to you by the Media Freedom Foundation. On today\'s episode hosts Nicholas Baham III (Dr. Dreadlocks), Janice Domingo, and Nolan…

Luo M, Li P, Niu W. (2020-05-01). Concerns Remain Regarding Long-term Ozone Exposure and Respiratory Outcomes. jamanetwork.com To the Editor We read with great interest the article by Paulin et al, who examined the association between long-term ozone exposure and the respiratory health of smokers, finding that higher ozone exposure was significantly associated with lower lung function and more emphysema and air trapping. The findings of this article underscore the need for enhanced meteorological monitoring on ground ozone concentrations as well as the need for early detection and targeted intervention of respiratory diseases in vulnerable members of society to reduce the escalating burden of respiratory diseases worldwide. However, from…

Yang S, Hu J, Li Q. (2020-05-01). Not All Hypertension Is a Lifelong Disease. jamanetwork.com This Teachable Moment encourages clinicians to be aware of the high prevalence of primary aldosteronism and to consider screening in appropriately selected patients.

Redberg RF. (2020-05-01). JAMA Internal Medicine —The Year in Review, 2019. jamanetwork.com Clearly, 2020 is another year full of interesting health care issues and new (and not so new) health care proposals that we look forward to discussing on these pages. In addition to a wide range of clinical topics in internal medicine, we will continue to cover issues such as drug pricing, surprise billing, bundled payments, Medicare for all, and transparency issues, to name a few. We are now in the tenth year of the Less Is More series and are pleased to see international attention to the harms of overdiagnosis and overtreatment and on programs to increase high-value care. Of course, our work is far from done, a…

Anand Naidoo (2020-04-30). The Heat: COVID-19 research and medical response. america.cgtn.com As…

Ricardo Vaz and Lucas Koerner (2020-04-30). US to Mobilize Military Reservists in \'Anti-Drug\' Operation Against Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com The Trump administration is also targeting oil-for-food deals involving the Venezuelan government and Mexican companies.

Nigel Curtis, Annie Sparrow, Tedros A Ghebreyesus, Mihai G Netea (2020-04-30). [Correspondence] Considering BCG vaccination to reduce the impact of COVID-19. thelancet.com In addition to its specific effect against tuberculosis, the BCG vaccine has beneficial nonspecific (off-target) effects on the immune system that protect against a wide range of other infections and are used routinely to treat bladder cancer.1,2 This has led to the suggestion that vaccination with BCG might have a role in protecting health-care workers and other vulnerable individuals against severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Jeff Jurgens (2020-04-30). Take Action: Keep COVID Stimulus $$ Away From the Pentagon. peaceaction.org Congress is putting together additional and much needed stimulus packages in response to COVID-19. That\'s the good news. The bad news is that the Pentagon is trying to weasel billions of dollars out of these stimulus bills! All just to keep the mega-profits rolling for weapons dealers and the military-industrial complex. As people here at …

Jeff Jurgens (2020-04-30). U.S. Organizations React to Global Military Spending Report. peaceaction.org Joint Statement: U.S. organizations react to global military spending report April 27, 2020 Our diverse group of 39 think-tanks, non-profits, faith-based organizations, and advocacy groups based in the United States find the exorbitant amount of money spent on militaries worldwide to be an irresponsible and harmful use of global wealth. The Global Military Expenditures Report …

Project Censored (2020-04-30). Episode 80 — The COVID Chronicles #3: Washington D.C. projectcensored.org Along the Line, is a member of the Demcast network, brought to you by the Media Freedom Foundation. On today\'s episode hosts Nicholas Baham III (Dr. Dreadlocks), Janice Domingo, and Nolan…

Ryan Cristián (2020-04-30). Dismantling The Superficial \"China Did It\" Narrative (Origin Unknown) & CDC \"Suspends\" Flu Reporting. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (4/29/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Hatewatch Staff (2020-04-30). Cody Wilson Uses COVID-19 Crisis To Re-enter Extremist Movement. splcenter.org A registered sex offender and antigovernment icon is trying to use the current global pandemic to whitewash his image. A recent post on Jacobite magazine\'s website seeks to remind readers of Cody Wilson\'s past contributions to the movement and to cast doubt on the government responsible for his arrest and sentencing.

Anand Naidoo (2020-04-29). The Heat: COVID-19 Pandemic — Global impact. america.cgtn.com The coronavirus pandemic which has caused over 216 million deaths worldwide is also having a massive economic and geo-political impact.

Justin T Okano, Sally Blower (2020-04-29). [Correspondence] Preventing major outbreaks of COVID-19 in jails. thelancet.com Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections are now being found in jails throughout the USA. Conditions in jails are very conducive to the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and social distancing is impossible. Therefore, there is widespread concern that there could be major outbreaks in jails and that jails could amplify transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in surrounding communities.

John David Norrie (2020-04-29). [Comment] Remdesivir for COVID-19: challenges of underpowered studies. thelancet.com In The Lancet, Yeming Wang and colleagues1 report a randomised trial of remdesivir (200 mg on day 1 followed by 100 mg on days 2—10, in single daily infusions) versus placebo for adults with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in ten hospitals in Wuhan, China. The authors report on 236 patients (140 [59%] men and 96 [41%] women; median age 65 years [IQR 56—71]), with inconclusive findings on the primary outcome of time to clinical improvement, defined as a two-point improvement on a 6-point ordinal scale,2 a hazard ratio of 1 ∑23 (95% CI 0 ∑87—1 ∑75; favouring remdesivir), and…

Borame L Dickens, Joel R Koo, Annelies Wilder-Smith, Alex R Cook (2020-04-29). [Correspondence] Institutional, not home-based, isolation could contain the COVID-19 outbreak. thelancet.com In the absence of vaccines, non-pharmaceutical interventions such as physical distancing, intensive contact tracing, and case isolation remain frontline measures in controlling the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.1 In Wuhan, China, these measures were implemented alongside city lockdown, mass quarantine, and school closure during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in January and February, 2020.2 Critical to Wuhan\'s success, cases identified through liberal testing, regardless of symptom profile, were immediately isolated in purpose-built shelters, as delays in isolation fro…

Yeming Wang, Dingyu Zhang, Guanhua Du, Ronghui Du, Jianping Zhao, Yang Jin, Shouzhi Fu, Ling Gao, Zhenshun Cheng, Qiaofa Lu, Yi Hu, Guangwei Luo, Ke Wang, Yang Lu, Huadong Li, Shuzhen Wang, Shunan Ruan, Chengqing Yang, Chunlin Mei, Yi Wang, Dan Ding, Feng Wu, Xin Tang, Xianzhi Ye, Yingchun Ye, Bing Liu, Jie Yang, Wen Yin, Aili Wang, Guohui Fan, Fei Zhou, Zhibo Liu, Xiaoying Gu, Jiuyang Xu, Lianhan Shang, Yi Zhang, Lianjun Cao, Tingting Guo, Yan Wan, Hong Qin, Yushen Jiang, Thomas Jaki, Frederick G Hayden, Peter W Horby, Bin Cao, Chen Wang (2020-04-29). [Articles] Remdesivir in adults with severe COVID-19: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial. thelancet.com In this study of adult patients admitted to hospital for severe COVID-19, remdesivir was not associated with statistically significant clinical benefits. However, the numerical reduction in time to clinical improvement in those treated earlier requires confirmation in larger studies.

Yang Liu, Zhonglei Gu, Shang Xia, Benyun Shi, Xiao-Nong Zhou, Yong Shi, Jiming Liu (2020-04-29). What are the underlying transmission patterns of COVID-19 outbreak? An age-specific social contact characterization. thelancet.com With an in-depth characterization of age-specific social contact-based transmission, the retrospective and prospective situations of the disease outbreak, including the past and future transmission risks, the effectiveness of different interventions, and the disease transmission risks of restoring normal social activities, are computationally analyzed and reasonably explained. The conclusions drawn from the study not only provide a comprehensive explanation of the underlying COVID-19 transmission patterns in China, but more importantly, offer the social contact-based risk analysis methods that can readily be appl…

Ryan Cristián (2020-04-29). Israel Attacks Syria, US OKs Annexation, OPCW Caught Again & Impending (Already Here) Bio False Flag. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (4/28/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Whitney Webb (2020-04-28). Douglas Valentine Interview — How The COVID-19 Police State Was Born In Vietnam. thelastamericanvagabond.com Interview Transcript: Whitney: Today I am joined by the legendary author and researcher Doug Valentine, whose books, including \"The CIA as Organized Crime,\" among several others, are essential reading for understanding how covert and illegal intelligence operations have shaped, and continue to shape, conflict and policy in the U.S. and beyond. In this interview, we …

Cassie Miller (2020-04-27). Anti-Lockdown Rallies Are Providing an Opening for the Proud Boys and Other Far-Right Extremists. splcenter.org Protests against state-imposed stay-at-home orders have exploded across the country and attracted a wide array of right-wing supporters, including the Proud Boys.

Daniel M Altmann, Daniel C Douek, Rosemary J Boyton (2020-04-27). [Comment] What policy makers need to know about COVID-19 protective immunity. thelancet.com About a third of the world is under lockdown as a public health measure to curb the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Policy makers are increasingly pressed to articulate their rationales and strategies for moving out of lockdown; the process of re-emergence is already cautiously starting in Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Wuhan, and some US states. As the counterpoise between further disease spread and socioeconomic costs is debated, it is essential that policy makers in all affected countries have the best possible d…

Project Censored (2020-04-27). Peter Kuznick and The Global Covid 19 Solidarity Manifesto. projectcensored.org Historian Peter Kuznick, co-author with Oliver Stone of \"The Untold History of the United States,\" returns to the Project Censored Show to discuss his latest project: working with a team of other…

Venezuelanalysis (2020-04-27). Venezuela Rolls out Cabinet Change, Economic Measures to Combat Inflation. venezuelanalysis.com Measures include a 60 percent wage increase and a push to bring food prices under control.

Ryan Cristián (2020-04-26). Evidence US Gov Knew Of COVID Before November 2019 & Anti-China Talking Points Expose CV Cover Up. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (4/25/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Project Censored (2020-04-25). Their Second Recession: For the Second Time in Their Lives, Millennials Will Head to the Polls with an Economic Depression Looming. projectcensored.org By Nolan Higdon On Election Day 2020, millennials face a difficult choice: vote or stay home. Either way, their decision will need to be accompanied by wide-spread activism, something they…

Project Censored (2020-04-25). Episode 79 — The News Stories Buried by COVID-19 and Terrorism with Dr. Ashley Larson. projectcensored.org Along the Line, is a member of the Demcast network, brought to you by the Media Freedom Foundation. On today\'s episode hosts Nicholas Baham III (Dr. Dreadlocks), Janice Domingo, and Nolan…

Anand Naidoo (2020-04-24). The Heat: Economic impact of COVID-19 in the U.S. america.cgtn.com More than 26 million Americans have now filed for unemployment, the highest number since the Great Depression.

Maria Demarco, Noorie Hyun, Olivia Carter-Pokras, Tina R. Raine-Bennett, Li Cheung, Xiaojian Chen, Anne Hammer, Nicole Campos, Walter Kinney, Julia C. Gage, Brian Befano, Rebecca B. Perkins, Xin He, Cher Dallal, Jie Chen, Nancy Poitras, Marie-Helene Mayrand, Francois Coutlee, Robert D. Burk, Thomas Lorey, Philip E. Castle, Nicolas Wentzensen, Mark Schiffman (2020-04-24). [Research Paper] A study of type-specific HPV natural history and implications for contemporary cervical cancer screening programs. thelancet.com HPV type and persistence are the major predictors of progression to CIN3+; at a minimum, distinguishing HPV16 is clinically important. Dividing the other HPV types into three risk-groups is worth considering.

Project Censored (2020-04-24). Episode 78 — The COVID Chronicles #2: with Dr. Andrew Chan (Massachusetts) and the COVID Symptom Tracker App. projectcensored.org Along the Line, is a member of the Demcast network, brought to you by the Media Freedom Foundation. On today\'s episode hosts Nicholas Baham III (Dr. Dreadlocks), Janice Domingo, and Nolan…

splcenter (2020-04-24). Fraihat v. ICE Community Resources. splcenter.org On April 20, 2020, a federal district court granted a nationwide preliminary injunction requiring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take a number of important steps to protect medically vulnerable people in its custody from COVID-19.

Michael Edison Hayden and Eddie Bejarano (2020-04-24). Trump's Immigration Order Was Drafted by Officials With Ties to Hate Groups, According to Report. splcenter.org Two officials with ties to anti-immigrant hate groups helped write President Trump\'s executive order blocking the issuance of new green cards, according to a report.

Ryan Cristián (2020-04-24). Dr. Rashid Buttar Interview — Why COVID-19 Is Not What You Think. thelastamericanvagabond.com Joining me today to discuss further some of the very relevant and important points we went over during our recent roundtable (www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO2Fh3ThKoE) is Dr. Rashid Buttar. We discuss the very obvious way in which it seems we are all being deceived, and the many and varied ways in which that deception is taking place. (d.tube/c/tlavagabond) …

Jon Rainwater (2020-04-23). A Myriad of Ways to Wage Peace During These Times. peaceaction.org As we shelter in our homes to protect ourselves from this global pandemic, we wanted to share some of the many ways you can remain active and impactful in the work for a more peaceful world. Peace Action has long been a leader in organizing international conferences, marches, and rallies around the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty …

Anand Naidoo (2020-04-23). The Heat: Impact of COVID-19 on Immigration and Latino Communities. america.cgtn.com As the number of global cases surpasses 2.6 million, The World Health Organization warns the coronavirus will be with us for a long time.

Lawrence Wittner (2020-04-23). If Farmworkers Are \"Essential,\" Why Are They Treated So Badly? zcomm.org On March 19, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, spurred to action by the coronavirus pandemic, issued a memorandum that identified the nation\'s 2.5 million farmworkers as \"essential\" workers. Soon thereafter, agribusinesses began distributing formal letters to their farm laborers, also declaring that that they were \"essential.\" Of course, it shouldn\'t have required a

Lucas Koerner (2020-04-23). Venezuela: Guaido to Use Funds Frozen in US to Pay Loyalists $5000 Monthly Salaries. venezuelanalysis.com Pro-Guaido lawmakers and diplomats will take nearly a third of an $80 million \"Liberation Fund.\"

The Lancet Respiratory Medicine (2020-04-23). [Editorial] Reflecting on World Asthma Day in the era of COVID-19. thelancet.com On May 2, 2020, World Asthma Day will again focus on the needs of people with asthma across the globe. Previous themes have included managing asthma and living with the disease. These themes resonate more than ever this year, as any discussions are likely to be dominated by current debates in relation to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its effects on asthma care and management.

A.J. Sinclair, A.H. Abdelhafiz (2020-04-23). [Commentary] Age, frailty and diabetes — triple jeopardy for vulnerability to COVID-19 infection. thelancet.com In December 2019, a pneumonia like illness was first reported in Wuhan-China caused by a new coronavirus named corona virus disease ‚àí2019 (COVID-19) which then spread to cause a global pandemic. The epidemiology of COVID-19 incidence, severity of illness and mortality seem to be shifted towards older people particularly those with multiple comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease [1]. However, frailty, which affects more than one in five older people with type 2 diabetes, worsens prognosis in severe acute illness and is a better predictor of ICU (intensive car…

Anand Naidoo (2020-04-22). The Heat: Coronavirus — Africa and New Zealand. america.cgtn.com From Africa to New Zealand, the battle against COVID-19 continues across the world.

Whitney Webb (2020-04-22). Is Trump\'s \"Shoot Down And Destroy\" Tweet About Boosting Oil Prices Or A Harbinger Of War With Iran? thelastamericanvagabond.com Trump\'s recent tweet to \"shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships\" has sparked concern over a new war in the Middle East. However, the more immediate effect of Trump\'s tweet has been a big boost in oil prices and a rise in the stock market. Was that Trump\'s …

Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2020-04-22). Trump Administration Orders Chevron to Shutter Venezuela Operations. venezuelanalysis.com The latest measures followed reports of fresh dialogue between the government and the opposition.

Ryan Cristián (2020-04-22). \"Artificial Intelligence Plan\" That Became \"Coronavirus Plan\" & \"China Did It\" Narrative Is WMDs 2.0. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (4/21/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Anand Naidoo (2020-04-21). The Heat: 20+ potential COVID-19 vaccines in development. america.cgtn.com Urgent work continues on more than 20 potential coronavirus vaccines. Plus is there enough accurate testing for U.S. states to reopen?

Paul K. Drain, Nigel Garrett (2020-04-21). [Commentary] SARS-CoV-2 pandemic expanding in sub-Saharan Africa: Considerations for COVID-19 in people living with HIV. thelancet.com In December 2019, a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, started a global pandemic of respiratory illness, termed COVID-19 [1]. The spectrum of COVID-19 has ranged from a mild, self-limiting respiratory tract illness to severe progressive pneumonia, multi-organ failure, and death [2]. Older patients and those with a weaker immune system appear to have a greater risk of death [3]. Thus far, the vast majority of deaths from COVID-19 have occurred in Italy, China, Iran, and Spain—all Northern hemisphere countries with good health care resources and a low HIV prevalence.

Arundhati Roy (2020-04-21). India, Narendra Modi, and the Coronavirus. zcomm.org Is the far-right government of Narendra Modi exploiting the crisis to target Muslims and the media?>

Paul Dobson (2020-04-20). US \'Plunders\' $342m of Venezuelan Funds as COVID-19 Hotspot Breaks Out at Baseball Academy. venezuelanalysis.com The money has been transferred from a Venezuelan Central Bank account at Citibank to an account at the US Federal Reserve.

Project Censored (2020-04-20). Andy Lee Roth, April Anderson, and Peter Obstler Discuss LGBTQ Issues. projectcensored.org For the first half of the program, sociologist Andy Lee Roth describes his latest work with research librarian April Anderson indicating that Google and other internet giants are filtering out material…

Anand Naidoo (2020-04-18). The Heat: Economic impact of COVID-19. america.cgtn.com The coronavirus pandemic results in big economic losses for China. We\'ll discuss what it means for Beijing and the rest of the world.

CounterSpin (2020-04-17). Naomi Walker on Covid-19 Relief, Johanna Bozuwa on the Last \'New Normal\'. fair.org The $150 billion designated for state, local and tribal governments as relief from the Covid-19 crisis is nowhere near what those governments will need—and not just that, but forcing them to cut budgets just as they need to be spending more is going to drive a cycle that only hurts more those already hurting.

Anand Naidoo (2020-04-17). The Heat: Coronavirus Pandemic-Impact in UK. america.cgtn.com {ANAND OC} | The global death toll from coronavirus continues to surge. And, with millions out of work in the United States, President Trump is issuing new guidelines to get the country moving again.

The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2020-04-17). [Editorial] COVID-19: endgames. thelancet.com As of April 14, 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has killed more than 120‚Äà000 people and led to nearly 2 million confirmed infections worldwide. At least a third of the global population is in some form of lockdown, treading the fine line between health services overwhelmed with rapidly rising infections and an economic recession with its own detrimental health consequences. Although this surreal situation might seem like a plot from the Avengers franchise, the hard reality is that the selfless actions of health-care workers will not alone restore the world to normality.

Project Censored (2020-04-17). Episode 77 — The History of Quarantines and Using Media During the Shelter in Place with Dr. Allison Butler. projectcensored.org Along the Line, is a member of the Demcast network, brought to you by the Media Freedom Foundation. On today\'s episode hosts Nicholas Baham III (Dr. Dreadlocks), Janice Domingo, and Nolan…

Anand Naidoo (2020-04-16). The Heat: Coronavirus Pandemic- W.H.O/ U.S. funding controversy. america.cgtn.com President Trump\'s decision to halt funding to the W-H-O, pending a review of its handling of the COVID-19 crisis, has sent shockwaves around the world. With global confirmed cases now topping two million and deaths over 130-thousand, some have questioned the timing of the U.S. …

David Koeckerling, Daniel Pan, N Lakmal Mudalige, Oluwatobiloba Oyefeso, Joseph Barker (2020-04-16). [Correspondence] Blood transfusion strategies and ECMO during the COVID-19 pandemic. thelancet.com In The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Ramanathan and colleagues1 describe the provision of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) services for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We would like to make further comment.