2020-05-22: News Headlines

Richard Horton (2020-05-23). [Comment] Offline: Health in the unhappy time of COVID-19. thelancet.com It was a tragedy for anyone hoping to see COVID-19 become a catalyst for international solidarity. On the first day of the first-ever virtual World Health Assembly, held during the worst acute global health crisis since WHO\'s creation in 1948, Alex Azar, US Secretary of Health and Human Services, further damaged the credibility of the US Government as a constructive member of the international community. \"We must be frank\", he began. What followed was an astonishing series of unsubstantiated allegations.

Birgit Sawitzki, Paul N Harden, Petra Reinke, Aurélie Moreau, James A Hutchinson, David S Game, Qizhi Tang, Eva C Guinan, Manuela Battaglia, William J Burlingham, Ian S D Roberts, Mathias Streitz, Régis Josien, Carsten A Bà∂ger, Cristiano Scottà , James F Markmann, Joanna L Hester, Karsten Juerchott, Cecile Braudeau, Ben James, Laura Contreras-Ruiz, Jeroen B van der Net, Tobias Bergler, Rossana Caldara, William Petchey, Matthias Edinger, Nathalie Dupas, Michael Kapinsky, Ingrid Mutzbauer, Natalie M Otto, Robert àñllinger, Maria P Hernandez-Fuentes, Fadi Issa, Norbert Ahrens, Christoph Meyenberg, Sandra Karitzky, Ulrich Kunzendorf, Stuart J Knechtle, Josep Grinyó, Peter J Morris, Leslie Brent, Andrew Bushell, Laurence A Turka, Jeffrey A Bluestone, Robert I Lechler, Hans J Schlitt, Maria C Cuturi, Stephan Schlickeiser, Peter J Friend, Tewfik Miloud, Alexander Scheffold, Antonio Secchi, Kerry Crisalli, Sang-Mo Kang, Rachel Hilton, Bernhard Banas, Gilles Blancho, Hans-Dieter Volk, Giovanna Lombardi, Kathryn J Wood, Edward K Geissler (2020-05-23). [Articles] Regulatory cell therapy in kidney transplantation (The ONE Study): a harmonised design and analysis of seven non-randomised, single-arm, phase 1/2A trials. thelancet.com Regulatory cell therapy is achievable and safe in living-donor kidney transplant recipients, and is associated with fewer infectious complications, but similar rejection rates in the first year. Therefore, immune cell therapy is a potentially useful therapeutic approach in recipients of kidney transplant to minimise the burden of general immunosuppression.

Angus W Thomson, Amit D Tevar (2020-05-23). [Comment] Kidney transplantation: a safe step forward for regulatory immune cell therapy. thelancet.com On the basis of promising animal studies and following the translational path of immune cell therapy in oncology,1 the field of organ transplantation has begun preliminary investigations of infusing regulatory immune cells into graft recipients. These early trials aim to reduce patients\' immunosuppressive drug burden and promote drug-free transplant tolerance. The ONE Study was established in 2011 as a multicentre collaborative effort (centres in France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the USA) to compare the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of regulatory cell-based medicinal products (CBMPs) when combined with redu…

Timothy Riddles, Nivene Saad, Helen Benham (2020-05-23). [Clinical Picture] Alternative causes of ankle pain in a patient with enthesopathy and X-linked hypophosphataemia. thelancet.com A 43-year-old Australian-born, white man was referred to our unit because of increasing pain in both his ankles. The pain had developed approximately 7 days earlier. 3 days before the pain started, he had been admitted to hospital with cellulitis of his upper arm; he had been treated for septicaemia and acute kidney injury caused by an infection with Streptococcus pyogenes.

The Lancet (2020-05-23). [Editorial] The plight of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic has vividly highlighted how much society depends upon essential workers. Praise for the heroic work being done by health-care workers to save lives worldwide in dangerous, exhausting conditions is everywhere. But those same workers are often left unprotected by governments and systems that have failed to supply them with enough personal protective equipment (PPE), supplies, and resources to do their jobs. In April alone, there were an estimated 27 COVID-19-related health worker deaths in the USA, 106 in the UK, and 180 in Russia, with tens of thousands of infections.

Geoff Watts (2020-05-23). [Obituary] Robert McCredie May. thelancet.com Physicist turned ecologist and UK Chief Scientific Adviser. He was born in Sydney, NSW, Australia, on Jan 8, 1936, and died of pneumonia in Oxford, UK, on April 28, 2020, aged 84 years.

Talha Burki (2020-05-23). [World Report] England and Wales see 20‚Äà000 excess deaths in care homes. thelancet.com PPE shortages, lack of testing, and a vulnerable population have seen care homes in England and Wales become hotspots of the COVID-19 epidemic. Talha Burki reports.

Richard Lane (2020-05-23). [Perspectives] Helena Legido-Quigley: proponent of health systems strengthening. thelancet.com As Associate Professor in Health Systems at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore, Helena Legido-Quigley was able to observe at first-hand how the country responded to its first COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year. \"It was striking how well Singapore was prepared, a legacy from the SARS era, with a dedicated infectious diseases hospital and 6 months of supplies of personal protective equipment and ventilators. The public health response was fast and efficient with good governance and effective health-risk communication\", she says.

David Agren (2020-05-23). [World Report] Mexican President López Obrador draws doctors\' ire. thelancet.com President López Obrador later apologised after his comments were denounced by Mexican medical associations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. David Agren reports from Mexico City.

Kjell Tullus, Nader Shaikh (2020-05-23). [Review] Urinary tract infections in children. thelancet.com Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children are among the most common bacterial infections in childhood. They are equally common in boys and girls during the first year of life and become more common in girls after the first year of life. Dividing UTIs into three categories; febrile upper UTI (acute pyelonephritis), lower UTI (cystitis), and asymptomatic bacteriuria, is useful for numerous reasons, mainly because it helps to understand the pathophysiology of the infection. A single episode of febrile UTI is often caused by a virulent Escherichia coli strain, whereas recurrent infections and asymptomatic bacteriur…

Angela Saini (2020-05-23). [Perspectives] Stereotype threat. thelancet.com Among the disturbing statistics to have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the disproportionate impact in terms of death and severe illness on ethnic minorities in the UK and the USA. On April 7, 2020, it was reported that in the US city of Chicago, where the black population is roughly 30%, nearly 70% of COVID-19 deaths were in this demographic. A report released by the UK Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre on April 17, 2020, showed that 34% of patients in the UK receiving advanced respiratory support were non-white, despite the non-white population nationally being about 14%.

F. William Engdahl (2020-05-22). Seeds of Destruction: The Diabolical World of Genetic Manipulation. globalresearch.ca \"Control the oil, and you control nations. Control the food, and you control the people.\"* -Henry Kissenger | \"

Max Blumenthal (2020-05-22). \'Los amigos americanos\': Nuevos documentos revelan el espionaje de la CIA contra Julian Assange y el papel del financista de Trump. thegrayzone.com Una investigación exclusiva de The Grayzone revela nuevos detalles sobre el papel crítico que la compañía Las Vegas Sands del…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-05-22). England Falsifies COVID Data: More than A Hundred Thousand Coronavirus Tests were \"Double-counted\" globalresearch.ca According to \"Tens of thousands of

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-05-22). England Falsifies COVID Data: Tens of Thousands of Coronavirus Tests were \"Double-counted\" globalresearch.ca According to a recent \"Tens of thousands of

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-05-22). Dramatic Increase in Global Poverty Generated by Coronavirus Crisis. No Scaling Back of US Militarism. globalresearch.ca The World Bank warns that there is a global poverty increase as tens of millions of people have fallen back into poverty because of the pandemic. Up to 60 million people worldwide may fall into extreme poverty due to the …

South Front (2020-05-22). Video: Turkey Supported GNA Confronts Libya\'s LNA: Turkish Drones Destroy LNA Pantsir Systems. globalresearch.ca Over the past days, forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA) and Syrian militants supported by the Turkish military continued developing momentum against the Libyan National Army (LNA) in northern Libya. | After capturing the Watiya Air Base from the …

Whitney Webb (2020-05-22). As Moderna\'s COVID-19 Vaccine Takes the Lead, The Issue of \"Gene-editing Vaccines\" globalresearch.ca More and more frequently, government officials, political pundits and self-appointed \"global health experts\" like billionaire Bill Gates have been instructing the public that mass gatherings and any semblance of \"normalcy\" will not return until a vaccine for the novel coronavirus …

Vijay Prashad (2020-05-22). The Bouficha appeal against the preparations for war. mronline.org On 23 March, the UN Secretary General António Guterres called for a ceasefire. \'The fury of the virus\', he said, \'illustrates the folly of war\'. In a recent report, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) wrote that the \'call for a global ceasefire has not had the desired result\'.

Vijay Prashad (2020-05-22). How the United States Government failed to prepare for the Global Pandemic. mronline.org On March 20, just after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic on March 11, the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) sent a cable to U.S. State Department instructing officials how they should speak about China and the novel coronavirus, according to the Daily Beast, which obtained the cable.

Tony Murphy (2020-05-22). Why socialist countries take lead in fighting COVID-19. workers.org This is a slightly edited version of a talk given during the\"What Road To Socialism?\" webinar held by Workers World Party on May 16. The coronavirus crisis has made it clear that society is run by workers. Our party is called Workers World Party precisely because those who produce the . . . |

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2020-05-22). Yemen: Aden Succumbs to COVID-19 as Saudi Coalition Infighting Distracts From Relief Efforts. mintpressnews.com The lives of civilians in Aden are being pushed into the abyss not only due to epidemic, disease, and fallout from flash floods but because of violent clashes between opposing factions of the Saudi-led Coalition.

Rob Urie (2020-05-22). Why Russiagate Still Matters. counterpunch.org A thought experiment with a purpose is to ask: if a group of former Directors of the CIA, NSA and FBI put forward a story about a malevolent foreign power acting against the U.S. without providing evidence that their story is true, who would believe them? While this wasn\'t precisely the setup for Russiagate, all

Jeffrey St. Clair (2020-05-22). Roaming Charges: Shallà≤: 120 Days of COVID. counterpunch.org As the USA approaches an official tally of 100,000 dead from COVID-19, let us recall that this bracing toll is still 467,000 fewer deaths than the number of Iraqi children who died as a result of the Bush/Clinton economic sanctions (not to mention the ongoing war itself.)

Staff (2020-05-22). Headlines for May 22, 2020. democracynow.org Unemployment Claims Reach 38.6 Million in Worst U.S. Economic Crisis Since Depression, As Millions Lose Jobs, the Billionaire Class Sees Wealth Soar by $434 Billion During Pandemic, COVID Cases Spike in Brazil, Mexico, India & Indonesia as Outbreak Grows in Global South, World Bank: 3 Billion People Don\'t Have Access to Clean Water & Soap, U.S. COVID Death Toll Tops 95,000, Trump Refuses to Wear Mask in Front of Media at Ford Plant in Michigan, Report: Striking Racial Divide Found in Nursing Homes Impacted by COVID Outbreak, COVID Racial Data Tracker Documents How Pandemic Is Devastating Communities of Color, Pol…

Staff (2020-05-22). FBI Says It Will Investigate Breonna Taylor Shooting Death as Police Chief Announces Retirement. democracynow.org We speak with Ben Crump, attorney for the family of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old aspiring nurse who was shot to death by police inside her own apartment. Her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department that details how police shot Taylor at least eight times after they burst into her apartment, unannounced, with a search warrant. The man police were looking for did not live in Taylor\'s apartment and was reportedly already detained by police when officers arrived at Taylor\'s residence on the night of March 13. At the time of her killing, Taylor had been working as an e…

Staff (2020-05-22). Mike Davis: Workers Face \"Sophie\'s Choice\" Between Income & Health as 50 States Reopen Amid Pandemic. democracynow.org All 50 states will be at least partially reopened this Memorial Day weekend, as the U.S. death toll from the COVID-19 outbreak tops 95,000 and some states prepare for a surge in cases. We\'re joined by historian and writer Mike Davis, who says in Jacobin that \"Reopening the Economy Will Send Us to Hell.\"

Staff (2020-05-22). Third White Man Arrested for Murder in Ahmaud Arbery Shooting as DOJ Considers Hate Crime Charges. democracynow.org Authorities have arrested a third white man for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, this one charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. We speak with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump about how William Bryan filmed Arbery jogging down a narrow road in Brunswick, Georgia, in broad daylight, before he was confronted by two armed white men — retired police officer Gregory McMichael and his son Travis — who shot him three times. \"This was never about any trespassing or burglary,\" Crump says. \"This was always about profiling Ahmaud Arbery because of the color of his skin.\"

Staff (2020-05-22). \"Diarrhea, Dehydration, Hunger, Exhaustion\": India\'s Rural Poor Suffer Most Under Lockdown. democracynow.org India just saw its biggest spike in coronavirus cases in 24 hours with 6,000 new reported infections, as an estimated 3 million seek shelter from a powerful cyclone and tens of thousands have no work or food. We go to Mumbai for an update from renowned journalist P. Sainath, founder of the People\'s Archive of Rural India.

RT (2020-05-22). \'You ain\'t black\' if you support Trump over me — Joe Biden to BLACK radio host. rt.com Joe Biden seems to have appointed himself the US\' top racial scientist, telling a prominent black radio host that if he considers voting for Donald Trump instead of himself, then he \"ain\'t black.\" | In a bizarre and often contentious interview, Joe Biden sat down with \'The Breakfast Club\' host Charlamagne Tha God to discuss all things African-American, including the rumor that he\'s considering choosing a black female running mate for this year\'s election. | Charlamagne grilled Biden from the outset. An outspoken supporter of Bernie Sanders, he has previously hounded Biden for \"avoiding\" a sit-down interview on…

Yves Smith (2020-05-22). The lockdown protestors are not working class. mronline.org Sarah Jones, in The Coronavirus Class War in New York Magazine, does a neat, tidy job of kneecapping the notion that the anti-lockdown protests are manned by workers who want to get back to their jobs so they can start making money again.

Marc Levy (2020-05-22). On Meeting Bao Ninh: \"These Good Men Meant as Much to Me as Yours Did to You\" counterpunch.org Three years after the Americans abandoned Vietnam, in the depths of the Jungle of Screaming Souls, NVA veterans search for the remains of men and women killed in combat. So begins The Sorrow of War, by Bao Ninh. In 1995, when reading my paperback copy, I would fall into a trance, feel as if I were floating above my bed. What was happening, I did not know. Several months later, traveling in Southeast Asia, I invented reasons not to locate Bao Ninh.

Staff (2020-05-22). Inside America\'s Cash-Hungry Plainclothes Police Units. therealnews.com Breonna Taylor, an EMT, was shot eight times in a botched no-knock drug raid. PAR interviews an ex-cop who tells the truth about drug raids, warrants, and asset forfeiture, and speaks with cop watcher Laura Shark.

Eds. (2020-05-22). Venezuelan Army to escort Iranian tankers bringing gasoline to Venezuelans blockaded by U.S. sanctions. mronline.org This was announced by the Minister for Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, this Wednesday. \"We have established contact with the Minister of Defense of Iran. All these ships, when they enter our exclusive economic zone (370Km), will be escorted by ships and planes of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), to welcome them and say to …

Raul Diego (2020-05-22). North Dakota Governor Delivers Testing Ground for Mass Tracking Tech. mintpressnews.com Privacy advocates are raising the alarm over the North Dakota governor\'s cozy ties to Bill Gates and big tech as the state deploys new mass surveillance tech under the auspices of limiting COVID-19.

Alan Macleod (2020-05-22). The Power of Propaganda: Americans Think Trump\'s COVID-19 Performance Better than China\'s. mintpressnews.com Americans rate their own government\'s response, along with that of the UK and Italy, higher than that of China despite those countries having much higher death and infection rates.

Miko Peled (2020-05-22). The Palestinian Legacy of East Jerusalem\'s Sheikh Jarrah Neighborhood Cannot Be Erased. mintpressnews.com The rich history and historical significance of Sheikh Jarrah, an East Jerusalem neighborhood dating back to the times of Salahaddin, endures despite the best efforts of Israeli authorities.

Staff (2020-05-22). Can Public Education Survive COVID-19? therealnews.com The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted apartheid conditions in US public schools.

Richard D. Wolff (2020-05-22). An Old Story Again: Capitalism vs. Health and Safety. counterpunch.org The U.S. president recently ordered meatpacking employees back into workplaces plagued by coronavirus. He did not order the employers to make their slaughterhouses safe. GOP-proposed legislation exempts employers from lawsuits by employees sickened or killed by coronavirus infections at workplaces. The GOP is mostly silent about requiring employers to maintain safe or healthy workplaces. Employers

David A. Schultz (2020-05-22). America and the Rise of the Chinese Century. counterpunch.org News of America\'s global supremacy and victory as well as demise are often premature. In 1942 journalist Henry Luce described the coming years as the American Century. And it looked like he was right despite some setbacks. Yet coming out of the coronavirus and the Trump presidency, this time maybe the end of the American

Tim Anderson (2020-05-22). How the Pandemic Defrocked Hegemonic Neoliberalism. thealtworld.com The global pretensions of the USA and the UK have been stripped naked by the virus and responses to it. These profit-driven systems failed to protect lives. Only the fabricated anti-China hysteria and the pseudo-science of the pandemic sceptics hides this. In a diverse post neoliberal world, strong public health systems will be crucial. | The COVID19 pandemic has laid bare the human disaster that is hegemonic liberalism, a project of the Anglo-American powers. In terms of the basic protection of human life the virus has made it plain that there are few countries whose performance is as bad as that of the USA and…

Joe Piette (2020-05-22). Car caravan: Free Our Youth! workers.org As states across the U.S. took steps to stop the spread of COVID-19 — closing schools and workplaces, canceling events and shifting to supporting children in their homes and communities — one group of young people is being left behind: the nearly 50,000 youth locked up across the country. Releasing . . . |

Deirdre Griswold (2020-05-22). What is a Marxist-Leninist party? workers.org This is a slightly edited version of a talk given during a discussion with members and candidates of Workers World Party on May 17. Many parties calling themselves Marxist and Leninist have come and gone. WWP is here and growing, after more than 60 years of struggle. This is due . . . |

G. Dunkel (2020-05-22). Imperialism and the right to self-determination. workers.org This is a slightly edited version of a talk given during the\"What Road To Socialism?\" webinar held by Workers World Party on May 16. One of the five features V.I. Lenin, leader of the Russian Revolution, laid out in his 1916 book, \"Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism,\" was the . . . |

Arielle Robinson (2020-05-22). Why I joined Workers World. workers.org This is a slightly edited version of a talk given during the\"What Road To Socialism?\" webinar held by Workers World Party on May 16. Arielle Robinson speaking during What Road to Socialism Webinar, May 16. I was introduced to Workers World Party when I first moved to Atlanta from Derry, . . . |

CP Editor (2020-05-22). Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time. counterpunch.org

Pete Dolack (2020-05-22). Work is Inevitable But its Organization is Not. counterpunch.org All human societies, from the most primitive to the most modern, have an important commonality — the need to work. Water, food, shelter and other basics of life don\'t arrive as gifts. Work is required to secure them and to raise the next generation. So fundamental is this basic principal of human life that generations

Andrew Levine (2020-05-22). If Nancy Pelosi Is So Great, How Come Donald Trump Still Isn\'t Dead in the Water? counterpunch.org To hear Democratic Party propagandists and anti-Trump Republicans on the cable networks tell it, Nancy Pelosi is the shrewdest, most politically savvy Democrat in living memory. MSNBC is the worst, and Rachel Maddow is the worst of the worst, but, in effect, they all speak with one voice, and they all agree that the woman

Matthew Stevenson (2020-05-22). Our Friend Eugene Schulman. counterpunch.org Our friend Gene Schulman died today. He was in his ninetieth year. Mercifully, he was only critically ill for less than twenty-four hours. Yesterday he had an aneurysm; last night he refused heroic, life-saving surgery on his heart; and today he is dead. He would rather still be with us, I am sure, but at

Joseph Natoli (2020-05-22). Will Things Fall Apart Now or in November? counterpunch.org \"[T]he Republican fraud drumbeat could lay the groundwork for Mr. Trump and his supporters to reject the election results should he lose.\" — Michael Wines, \"Republicans to Pursue a Crackdown on Voting,\" The New York Times, May 19, 2020. Bill Maher has been asking this question for a long time now: \"How will we get

Louis Proyect (2020-05-22). What Stanford University and Fox News Have in Common. counterpunch.org On April 21, Fox News\'s Laura Ingraham, one of Donald Trump\'s most vociferous supporters, spoke to Stanford University physician-professor John Ioannidis about COVID-19. She prefaced the interview with reference to the pandemic as a nothing-burger: And new antibodies testing on the West and East Coast shows that the true infection rate may be 55 times

CounterSpin (2020-05-22). Diane Ravitch on Pandemic School Privatization. fair.org Media…

Staff (2020-05-22). \'Children Are Infected, Inmates Are Dying\'. therealnews.com Maryland\'s largest public sector union staged a socially-distanced protest to demand more PPE, testing, and safer working conditions.

RT (2020-05-22). Robot sex dolls: The real winners in the coronavirus pandemic. rt.com Though made of silicone and often considered the choice of sexual loners, there\'s nothing inflated about the success of the robot sex doll industry, as the lockdown leaves singles and couples alike craving experimental excitement. | While the economic figures out So when yo…

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-22). Why the West Is Not the Best When It Comes to COVID-19. strategic-culture.org East Asia fares significantly better in terms of the impact of COVID-19 than the West. Although the virus is believed to have originated in East Asia, as of May 22, 2020 no East Asian nation was among the first ten countries in number of total cases of COVID-19. No matter what type of rule — democratic or autocratic — the numbers of total cases and deaths per 1 million of population in East Asian countries are significantly lower than in the West despite huge population density.

RT (2020-05-22). US billionaire wealth skyrockets to over $3 TRILLION during pandemic. rt.com Over the last two months unemployment in the United States has risen to levels not seen since the Great Depression. However, US billionaires got even richer during the same period of coronavirus pandemic. | A new The top five US billion…

RT (2020-05-22). 'If you see his sister running the country, something's wrong': Rodman wades in on rumors of pal Kim Jong-un's ill health. rt.com NBA legend Dennis Rodman, who recently revealed his unlikely friendship with Kim Jong-un began at a boozy karaoke session, has fueled rumors of the North Korean leader\'s ill health by suggesting that his sister has succeeded him. | Kim Yo-jong, Jong-un\'s younger sister, made her first public statement in March, having long held the trust of her ruling sibling to inform policy behind the scenes and represent him at major global events including the 2018 Winter Olympic. | The prominent political figure accompanied her brother to his two summits with US President Donald Trump and was even said to be acting as his…

RT (2020-05-22). Haftar\'s army spokesman accuses Turkey of sending arms & militants to Libya in violation of UN embargo. rt.com Turkey has been violating the UN embargo by sending arms and militants from Syria to Libya, a spokesman for Khalifa Haftar\'s Libyan National Army (LNA) claimed as he showed videos that allegedly proved Ankara\'s violations. | Turkey \"continues its aggression against our country\" by supporting the rivaling Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), Major General Ahmed al-Mesmari, the LNA\'s official spokesman, said during a press-conference. | Once prosperous, Libya remains divided since 2011 when NATO led a bombing campaign to overthrow the country\'s longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. The fighting between…

RT (2020-05-22). Putin warns of potential 2nd wave of Covid-19 infections in the fall, tells Russian Health Ministry to prepare. rt.com Right now, most of the world seems to think the worst of the coronavirus epidemic has passed, with many countries beginning to come out of lockdown. But Russian President Vladimir Putin believes there may be more pain ahead. | According to Putin, the virus may once again begin to spread widely from October to November. During a meeting to discuss the epidemiological situation in Russia, he said the country needs to be ready for a second wave later in the year. | Putin added that the removal of the present restrictions in Russia must be guided by science. However, he also asked officials to prepare recommendati…

RT (2020-05-22). WATCH: Drunk man tries to kill BEAR in Warsaw zoo just one day after coronavirus lockdown lifted. rt.com A 23-year-old man was arrested after a brief visit to hospital after he picked a fight with an elderly bear in Warsaw zoo, just one day after it reopened following the lifting of coronavirus lockdown restrictions. | In shocking and disturbing footage from the scene, the visibly intoxicated man can be seen jumping into the water in the bear\'s enclosure after she lunges at him. | Sabina the bear then hunts the foolish man down at which point he begins to grapple with her and tries to force and keep her head under the water in an attempt to drown her. | Zoo officials have said the bear was \"disturbed\" and \"str…

RT (2020-05-22). No, there is not a parallel universe in Antarctica where time runs backwards. rt.com Mixed reports surrounding the possible discovery of a parallel universe in Antarctica have found their way into global news outlets in recent weeks. The initial stories were incorrect, so how did so many outlets get it wrong? | The actual source of the tale came from the April edition of New Scientist magazine. \"We may have spotted a parallel universe going backwards in time\" ran the feature in question, which

RT (2020-05-22). It is \'not safe\' for England\'s schools to reopen on June 1, former UK chief scientific adviser\'s group warns. rt.com A group of top scientists led by a former UK government chief scientific adviser has warned against reopening English schools on June 1, saying it is too soon for kids to return to classrooms safely amid the threat of Covid-19. | A report

RT (2020-05-22). Soros says EU may not survive unless it props up \'sick man of Europe\' Italy. rt.com Billionaire financier George Soros has warned that the preservation of the European Union is dependent upon the economic health of Italy and other states hit hard by coronavirus, adding that the current aid policies favor Germany. | The Hungarian-American philanthropist argued that the bloc must issue perpetual bonds in order to raise money to support countries that have suffered the most from Covid-19, singling out Italy as particularly vulnerable. In a transcript of a question-and-answer session distributed to the media, Soros also railed against the reluctance of better-off member states to work together to…

RT (2020-05-22). \'WHO has worked day & night\' on global response to pandemic, director-general tells 34-member board. rt.com The World Health Organization has worked non-stop since the novel coronavirus emerged, informing its 194 member states of its evolution and providing technical advice, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday. | \"WHO has worked day and night to coordinate the global response at all three levels of the organization, providing technical advice, catalyzing political solidarity, mobilizing resources, coordinating resources and much more,\" he told the WHO Executive Board. | \"So far almost $800 million has been pledged or received towards WHO\'s appeal for Covid-19 programs, leaving a gap of jus…

RT (2020-05-22). Sinking alliance? Coronavirus puts Renault\'s existence in question & threatens 20,000 jobs at Nissan. rt.com The Renault-Nissan automaking alliance has taken a huge hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic. French carmaker Renault may not survive without government aid, and its Japanese partner faces massive job cuts to stay afloat. | Renault seeks a €5 billion (US$5.5 billion) state-guaranteed loan to cope with the fallout from the virus outbreak. While the government is still considering whether to provide the funds, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned that the company is facing \"serious financial difficulty\" and its future could be at stake. | \"Yes, Renault could disappear,\" the minister told Europe 1 radio…

RT (2020-05-22). Biden apologizes for telling black DJ he \'ain\'t black,\' but his supporters were already making excuses for him. rt.com Joe Biden has apologized for questioning the blackness of a black radio host, saying he \"shouldn\'t have been such a wiseguy.\" His earlier remarks caused an outcry, but the former VP\'s supporters were already covering for him. | In a radio interview with \'The Breakfast Club\' host Charlamagne Tha God on Friday morning, Biden appeared agitated. After Charlamagne pressed him on a list of racial issues, he asked Biden to return for another questioning before November, saying \"we\'ve got more questions.\" | Biden, having evidently reached the end of his tether, snapped. \"You\'ve got more questions?\" he jibed. \"Well I…

RT (2020-05-22). Covid-19 mass screening: first results show 14% of tested Russians have coronavirus antibodies. rt.com After the first few days of private clinic antibody testing in Russia, one national chain has revealed that at least 14% of the 40,000 people who took the test in their laboratory received a positive result for SARS-CoV-2. | Invitro, the chain who conducted the tests, began mass testing for Covid-19 antibodies on May 18, using their entire network, which comprises almost 1,500 medical offices. Each test costs 950 rubles ($13), with an extra 200-300 rubles ($3-4) charged for the process of taking the sample. The company is accepting anyone who wants to be tested, apart from those displaying symptoms of an acute…

RT (2020-05-22). Spain to partly lift lockdown restrictions in Madrid on Monday as pace of contagion slows down. rt.com Spanish authorities will lift part of the lockdown restrictions in Madrid on Monday, the regional health department said on Friday. It says the pace of the coronavirus contagion in the region has slowed down. | The restrictions in the capital are now the same as in most of the country that started phasing out the lockdown in early May. | Bars and restaurants in Madrid will be allowed to reopen terraces and groups of up to 10 people will be allowed to meet, according to Reuters.

RT (2020-05-22). Scientists in Brazil make faster, cheaper coronavirus test that doesn\'t produce false negatives. rt.com Researchers in Brazil have announced a quicker, more accurate coronavirus test than the existing method, allowing them to assess more people at once. The test has already been patented in the US and will be available from June. | Scientists at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paulo used Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), which identifies a particular disease by reading fragments of DNA. They adapted the NGS test to detect ribonucleic acid (RNA), the predominant molecule in viruses like SARS-CoV-2. | \"The virus has RNA and our research group was interested in knowing how a molecular test could be us…

RT (2020-05-22). How about \'1 coffin\'? BoJo\'s office ridiculed after suggesting people social distance \'3 fridges\' apart. rt.com No. 10 Downing Street\'s Twitter account was brutally mocked after recommending UK citizens visualize household items such as beds, benches, fridges and chairs to help them stick to the two-meter Covid-19 social distancing rule. | The strict regulation has been a key feature of coronavirus-mitigating restrictions imposed by countries around the globe, including the UK. In what was perhaps an attempt to communicate the physical distancing rule in a more relatable way, the PM\'s office tweeted on Friday: \"Keep 2 metres apart when you go outside. That\'s 1 bed; 2 benches; 3 fridges; 4 chairs.\" | Keep 2 metres apart…

RT (2020-05-22). Forget figures, American views of Covid-19 reflect media narratives, with deep partisan divide — but unity against China. rt.com Americans are sharply divided about almost every aspect of the coronavirus pandemic, except for overwhelming mistrust of information coming from China, a new poll shows, aligning with the mainstream media coverage of the outbreak. | One phrase keeps coming up repeatedly in the results of a new American Trends poll,

RT (2020-05-22). Bars & restaurants set to reopen in Madrid as Spain sheds more lockdown measures. rt.com Patrons will soon be welcomed back to Madrid\'s bars and restaurants, marking a positive milestone in Spain\'s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The nation had one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe. | Eateries and watering holes in the Spanish capital are scheduled to resume operations on Monday, under a phased plan for reopening the city. Smaller cities and municipalities were permitted to open their bars and restaurants last week. | The new provisions come with some conditions, however. Establishments can only serve customers in outdoor terraces, with a capacity limit of 50%. Revelers will also be lim…

RT (2020-05-22). \'We have lions on the front line, we need lions in leadership\': Nobel Prize-winning scientist SLAMS UK govt response to Covid-19. rt.com Top scientist Sir Paul Nurse has blasted the UK government for lacking proper leadership over the Covid-19 outbreak, saying Westminster has been \"increasingly playing catch-up\" and \"firefighting\" its way through successive crises. | In an interview with BBC Radio 4 on Friday, Nurse claimed that he believed that the UK government has not responded effectively to the outbreak of Covid-19. | Nurse – who won a Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2001 — even asked who\'s really in charge of handling the pandemic, before adding he\'s uncertain that the British leaders themselves know the answer to that ques…

RT (2020-05-22). Epidemic \'is under control\' in Czech Republic as it opens hotels, relaxes mask-wearing rules next week. rt.com Czech health authorities believe the spread of the new coronavirus is under control despite an uptick in cases in recent days. The country is preparing to open pubs, hotels and relax mask-wearing rules on Monday. | Public events for up to 300 people will be allowed next week, and swimming pools and schools will reopen. An initial easing of restrictions from May 11 had not had an adverse effect, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said. | The country had recorded 8,757 cases of Covid-19 by Friday morning, with 306 deaths, Reuters reports. | Chief public health officer Jarmila Razova said there were currently two main…

RT (2020-05-22). Covid-19 pandemic is all but OVER and we already have HERD IMMUNITY, says top Oxford scientist. rt.com The UK government was one of many that reacted to the coronavirus outbreak based on worst-case scenario predictions. But the author of an alternative model has restated her position, saying the virus is already \"on its way out.\" | Sunetra Gupta is a professor of theoretical epidemiology at the University of Oxford. Back in March, before the UK\'s lockdown, she and her team published a

RT (2020-05-22). Russia grateful to US for help in fighting pandemic — deputy FM. rt.com Moscow is grateful to the US for providing help to counter the coronavirus pandemic, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday. \"Yesterday, we received the first shipment of 50 ventilators from the US. We believe that these gestures are perfectly natural. They are exclusively of humanitarian nature, and we are grateful to the US side for the help provided at this stage,\" Ryabkov said. | The diplomat noted that on April 1 an An-124 jet delivered medical equipment to New York including 45 ventilators, 15,000 respirators and 1,000,000 masks as part of humanitarian aid to the US. | \"I believe t…

RT (2020-05-22). \'Not worthy of a test?\': UK family unable to find closure after beloved grandma dies in care home during Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com The elderly are people too, but the UK authorities forgot that when they prioritized the NHS over care homes amid the coronavirus outbreak, a grieving relative told RT. Her late mom-in-law couldn\'t even get a Covid-19 test. | \"We put her in a nursing home to keep her safe,\" Dawn Hopkins from Cheshire said of her mother-in-law and the grandmother of her children. But, tragically, things took a completely different turn, with the old lady passing away at the care facility after apparently becoming infected with Covid-19. | There\'s a 99.9 percent chance that the coronavirus was to blame for her death, but there\'s…

RT (2020-05-22). Lenin for sale? Russian politician suggests flogging Soviet leader\'s body to the Chinese. rt.com No stranger to controversy, veteran politician and perennial presidential candidate Vladimir Zhirinovsky caused a stir online after suggesting that Russia sells the preserved body of revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin. | \"In France, a businessman wants to sell the painting \'Mona Lisa\'. We could sell Lenin\'s mummy. There are buyers: China, Vietnam, or some other kind of communist. Lenin, in good condition, mummified just 96 years ago,\" he tweeted. The Soviet leader\'s body has been on public display since shortly after his death in 1924. | The controversial Russian politician was referring to a recent suggestio…

RT (2020-05-22). Khashoggi family announces PARDON for slain journalist's killers as Muslims mark the end of Ramadan fest. rt.com The family of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has declared \"forgiveness\" for his killers, extending pardons to the accused, who faced execution in Saudi Arabia, as Muslims gear to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan. | One of the Washington Post columnist\'s two sons, Salah Khashoggi, announced amnesty for the murderers in a statement posted to Twitter on Thursday. Five men were sentenced to death in the case last year in a Saudi court, while three others were given 24 years in prison for their role in the murder plot. | Sons of Jamal Khashoggi say they have decided to pardon the killers of their father -…

RT (2020-05-22). Hollywood producer charged with defrauding Covid-19 aid program, stealing from studio. rt.com Prosecutors in New York and Los Angeles have charged William Sadleir, former chair of Aviron Pictures, with defrauding both studio investors and the federal government\'s Paycheck Protection Program to pay for personal expenses. | Sadleir took more than $25 million from Aviron to buy a $14 million mansion in Beverly Hills, California and other personal expenses, according to a criminal indictment in New York. Another case, brought against him in Los Angeles, accuses the producer of taking $1.7 million in PPP loans — intended for small businesses to survive the Covid-19 pandemic — and using them to mak…

RT (2020-05-22). Trump designates houses of worship as essential, orders US governors to reopen them NOW. rt.com US President Donald Trump has declared that churches, synagogues and mosques are \'essential\' establishments. He ordered governors to allow them to reopen immediately, and threatened to override them if they refuse. | \"These are places that hold our society together and keep our people united,\" Trump announced at the White House on Friday, adding that it\'s \"not right\" that some states have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but mandated that houses of worship remain closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. | Any governor that has a problem with this can call the president, but will not find un…

RT (2020-05-22). Tripoli-based govt retakes more areas of Libya\'s capital — reports. rt.com Libya\'s internationally recognized government retook parts of southern Tripoli on Friday from the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) of Khalifa Haftar. His 13-month campaign to seize the capital is now under ever-greater pressure, Reuters said. | Fighters for the Government of National Accord (GNA) said they had advanced into several districts and overrun a military camp. However, the LNA said it had already pulled out of those areas as a humanitarian gesture for Ramadan. | The GNA has, with Turkish help, made sudden strides in recent weeks, seizing a string of towns from the LNA and capturing the strate…

RT (2020-05-22). New hydrophobic membrane could hold key to combating global mask shortage. rt.com While shortages of protective equipment against Covid-19 are still common worldwide, researchers have created a hydrophobic membrane that makes the surgical grade N95 mask, used globally in hospitals, reusable and more effective. | Populations have been advised that the masks mitigate the risks of Covid-19, as the virus is believed to be transmitted via respiratory droplets. But the production has not been able to keep up with demand, especially when it comes to N95 masks, believed to be the most effective. | Researchers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and the University of California <...

RT (2020-05-22). Portugal\'s \'doors are open to tourists\' as EU\'s doors are still closed. rt.com Portugal\'s Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said on Friday that the country\'s doors are open to tourists as it becomes one of the first European satets to welcome back visitors from elsewhere in the continent. | \"Tourists are welcome in Portugal,\" Santos Silva told Observador newspaper, explaining that some health checks will be introduced at airports but there will be no compulsory quarantine for those flying in. | Portugal, which has so far recorded 30,200 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 1,289 deaths, is slowly easing restrictions in place since mid-March, Reuters said. Many shops and have already reopened…

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-22). The Heat: COVID-19 in Mexico and Global Impact. america.cgtn.com Latin America is seeing a surge in cases with Mexico emerging as one of the hotspots. More than 54,000 people have been infected and over five thousand people have died.

Charles Pierson (2020-05-22). Is the US-Saudi Alliance Headed Off a Cliff? counterpunch.org Can the US-Saudi alliance endure? Should it? World oil prices crashed in March during a price war between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and rival oil producer Russia. Disregarding the advice of his ministers, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (\"MBS,\" as he is known to friends and foes), the kingdom\'s de facto ruler, turned the

Eds. (2020-05-22). The role of the state in Venezuela. mronline.org Venezuelan former Vice President Elias Jaua calls for the government to rebuild the state and retake the reins of the economy.

Paul Street (2020-05-22). How Obama Could Find Some Redemption. counterpunch.org What would redemption look like for Barack Obama? First, it would entail admitting something unpleasant: his own deep complicity in the deadly ascendancy of the neofascist Donald Trump, who Noam Chomsky aptly calls \"the most dangerous criminal in human history.\" To no small extent, Trump owes his disastrous and malevolent presidency to the silver-tongued Obama\'s eight years of White House service to the rich and powerful.

Joan Roelofs (2020-05-22). Greening the Old New Deal. counterpunch.org New bills in Congress \"Pandemic Response and Opportunity Through National Service Act\" (H.R. 6702 and S. 3624) invoke the 1930s recovery programs as precedents: More than 80 years ago, the Nation rose to the challenge of the Great Depression with the creation of citizen service programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Pam Martens, Russ Martens (2020-05-22). The Fed\'s Chair and Vice Chair Got Rich at Carlyle Group, a Private Equity Fund With a String of Bankruptcies and Job Losses. counterpunch.org Private equity funds have been variously called \"merchants of debt,\" \"vultures,\" or \"corporate raiders.\" What a private equity fund typically does is to buy up companies by piling debt on the balance sheet, selling off valuable assets like real estate, extracting giant dividends for the private equity partners to the detriment of workers and customers,

Toby Blomé (2020-05-22). Memorial Day Peace Caravan. indybay.org Sponsored by CODEPINK | All invited to join Peace Caravan, with cars decorated with anti-war relevant signs and colorful visuals. We\'ll travel across the Golden Gate Bridge, thru the Presidio, and end up at Sen. Dianne Feinstein\'s SF Home for: Rally, Press Conference and Memorial Altar.

Alan MacLeod (2020-05-22). With Iran Defying US Sanctions on Venezuela, Trump Must Choose Between Two Different Cowardly Paths. thealtworld.com Washington\'s illegal and deadly sanctions on Venezuela continue. However, President Nicolas Maduro has found an ally from across the world in …

Lucas Koerner (2020-05-22). Trump Claims to Have Venezuela \'Surrounded\' as Iranian Tankers Approach. globalresearch.ca US President Donald Trump issued new threats against Venezuela on Wednesday. | \"We\'ve got it [Venezuela] surrounded, it\'s surrounded at a level that nobody even knows but they know. We are watching to see what happens,\" he …

Mark Weisbrot (2020-05-22). Lives Depend on Argentina\'s Debt Talks. zcomm.org Creditors should accept the reality that unsustainable debt burdens only lead to worse crises up the road. At this crucial moment in the global pandemic and recession, many lives may depend on this understanding…

Alan Macleod (2020-05-22). \"We Thought You Were Muslim\": Police in India Apologize for Beating Hindu lawyer. mintpressnews.com A group of Hindu policemen in central India beat a diabetic man seeking treatment at a hospital after they mistook him for a Muslim man because of his beard.

commondreams (2020-05-22). ACLU Asks Supreme Court to Deny Bureau of Prisons Request to Block Order That Will Save Lives. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-05-22). Cuomo Order That Sent Estimated 4,300 Covid-19 Patients to Nursing Homes Denounced as \'Single Dumbest Decision Anyone Could Make\'. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/cuomo-covid.jpg

Andrew Korybko (2020-05-22). Poland is America\'s Main Partner in Europe: The Talk About US Nukes in Poland Proves that Warsaw Trumps Berlin for Washington. globalresearch.ca It\'s unimportant whether US nukes will eventually be deployed to Poland or not since the very fact that this scenario is seriously being discussed by both American and Russian diplomats proves that Warsaw trumps Berlin for Washington and that Poland …

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-22). Deal Breaking Trump Regime Abandons Open Skies Treaty (OST). globalresearch.ca Throughout his time in office, Trump proved he\'s more a deal breaker than observer of international law, treaties and agreements. | He abandoned the landmark 1987 INF Treaty with Russia, the 2016 Security Council adopted JCPOA, the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, …

CJPME (2020-05-22). Canada Must Oppose Israel\'s Annexation Plans. globalresearch.ca Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) urges the Canadian government to take a strong stand against Israel\'s planned annexation of huge swaths of Palestinian territory in the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-22). Indian trade unions protest attack on workers\' rights. peoplesdispatch.org Ten central trade unions in India issued a nationwide protest call against the changes being made to labour laws. On Friday, May 22, unions across the country took to the streets to stage demonstrations against the attack on workers\' rights. The protestors were peaceful and followed physical distancing and other safety norms. Still, multiple instances of repression and detentions took place.

Charlotte Casey (2020-05-22). Memorial Day Car Caravan for Peace. indybay.org Stevens Creek & Winchester Blvds, San Jose…

WSWS (2020-05-22). Strikes and protests by Brazilian nurses amid explosion of COVID-19 cases. wsws.org Over the last 15 days, there have been dozens of protests and strikes by health care workers across Brazil, as more nurses are dying than anywhere else in the world.

Amber Colón Núñez (2020-05-22). Covid-19 Profiteers Are Making a Killing. commondreams.org Amazon head Jeff Bezos appears at a company event Sept. 25, 2019. Thanks to Covid-19's sales boosts, in the first quarter of 2020 Bezos made back the $10 billion he lost in 2019 more than twice over. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa (Photo: Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/jeff_bezos_covid_profits_850_578.jpg

Luciana Tellez-Chavez (2020-05-22). This Year\'s Forest Fire Season Could Be Even Deadlier. commondreams.org In addition to contributing to climate change, forest fires present a more immediate and very grave threat to public health. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/amazon-fires-walmart-cargill-blackrock-brazil-bolsonaro.jpg

Robert F. Kennedy Jr (2020-05-22). Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: Moderna\'s \"Clinical Trial Results for Its Groundbreaking COVID Vaccine Could Not Be Much Worse\" globalresearch.ca The Warp Speed Timeline — is what Dr. Fauci, NIAID / NIH and Bill Gates called the Covid-19 vaccination program that should have started in a few weeks (\'should have\' — hopefully now it won\'t). | The world should know about …

Sasha Abramsky (2020-05-22). Here\'s What We\'re Doing With Your Check, Donald. thenation.com Here\'s What We\'re Doing With Your Check, Donald…

WSWS (2020-05-22). Merkel and Macron\'s European bailout: €500 billion for trade war and austerity. wsws.org Merkel and Macron see the coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to strengthen their countries\' position in the world market and reorganise the European economy in the interests of the major corporations.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-22). South African teachers\' unions warn against reopening schools without proper precautions. peoplesdispatch.org Five unions in the education sector have advised their members to not return to schools unless PPE is provided and the premises are sanitized. Classes are set to resume in South Africa on June 1 and teachers have to report for duty on May 25…

Heather Gray — Jonathan King (2020-05-22). Coronavirus and Other US Health Threats? Fund Public Health Not Foreign Wars. counterpunch.org How is it that in the richest nation on Earth we don\'t have enough masks, gowns, virus tests, and ventilators to serve our front-line healthcare providers in this coronavirus pandemic? Part of the answer is that the nation\'s wealth has been mis-allocated between military and civilian needs over the past four decades. All of the

Kelly Trout (2020-05-22). 5 Reasons We Must Act Now to End Oil and Gas Production. commondreams.org A return to \"normal\" in governments\' policies towards fossil fuel production—which were largely still enabling its expansion—is out of the question. To \"build back better,\" governments must exit the unstable boom-bust cycles of extraction, and instead manage its phase-out in a predictable, people-centered, and Paris-proof way. (Photo: Pixabay.com) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/oil_gas.png

WSWS (2020-05-22). Georgetown, Kentucky Toyota plant remains open as autoworker tests positive for COVID-19. wsws.org In the absence of testing, it is likely that many more infected workers are in the auto plants, unaware that they are carriers.

Sandipan Talukdar (2020-05-22). Tropical cyclones become stronger as Earth warms. peoplesdispatch.org Super cyclone Amphan has just passed, devastating large parts of India and Bangladesh. In India, large parts of the State of West Bengal, including the capital Kolkata, faced its wrath. Just a year ago, Cyclone Foni had wreaked havoc in the eastern coast of India. Large and very intense storms have become an almost yearly phenomenon in different parts of the globe. Every year, super cyclones in the tropics take a heavy toll on human lives and properties. | For at least the past two decades, a very significant question in cyclone and hurricane research is whether there is already a discernible trend of stronger wi…

Katitza Rodriguez, Svea Windwehr (2020-05-22). International Proposals for Warrantless Location Surveillance To Fight COVID-19. commondreams.org While location surveillance is problematic at any time, the coronavirus crisis has led to a rapid uptick in its use; many measures to facilitate it have been passed by fast-tracked legislative procedures during national state of emergencies. (U.S. Air Force photo by Steve Kotecki) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-05-22_at_11.15.31_am.png

WSWS (2020-05-22). World on Fire: Dramas of World War II. wsws.org World on Fire, a seven-episode series, is set at the beginning of World War II and follows characters from five countries. Colored by anti-war and anti-fascist views, it takes place in France, Britain, Germany and Poland.

Meaghan Beatley, Sam Edwards (2020-05-22). Is Mexico\'s \'Mayan Train\' a Boondoggle? thenation.com Is Mexico\'s \'Mayan Train\' a Boondoggle?

WSWS (2020-05-22). US withdraws from Open Skies Treaty, heightening danger of war with Russia. wsws.org US withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty is a deliberate escalation of military tensions not only with Russia, but also with the major European imperialist powers.

WSWS (2020-05-22). \"Obamagate\" claims spark new round in internal US political warfare. wsws.org There is no progressive or democratic side in the conflict between Trump and the Democrats.

graham (2020-05-22). Tories making redundancies at HQ in cash crisis. truepublica.org.uk Rob Woodward: There are a lot of stories floating around the newsrooms of just how badly Boris Johnson\'s government are doing in the pandemic. What we see publicly and what happens behind closed doors are entirely different. Publicly, we see the Tories boycotting media organisations that dare to challenge their actions, blatantly lying about their …

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts (2020-05-22). America is Drowning in Problems: Washington is Picking Another Fight With China. globalresearch.ca Washington is picking yet another fight with China. On top of the trade war we now have the coronavirus war. China is accused of being responsible for the virus by withholding information about it. Some in Washington want to make …

WSWS (2020-05-22). UK Labour council, Community union reject appeal to close ASOS warehouse after confirmed COVID-19 cases. wsws.org The defence of ASOS workers\' lives requires a fight against the veto that such corporations enjoy over workplace safety.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-22). Venezuela sends military to escort Iranian fuel tankers over US threats. peoplesdispatch.org Officials in the Trump administration have told the press that the US will consider mobilizing its forces in the Caribbean against Iranian shipment of petrol en route to Venezuela…

WSWS (2020-05-22). Trump issues new threats as Iranian tankers approach Venezuela. wsws.org The Trump administration has vowed to take unspecified \"measures\" to block the shipment of Iranian fuel to Venezuela, raising the threat of state piracy on the high seas.

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-05-22). US Militarizes the Caribbean Sea to Surround Venezuela. globalresearch.ca Recently, the number of American ships and planes in the Caribbean Sea has increased exponentially. The most likely hypothesis so far is that there will be an attempt to block Venezuela, as the military flow in the region began to …

commondreams (2020-05-22). U.S. Unprepared for Nuclear Accident During Pandemic. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2020-05-22). ACLU and Partners Challenge Michigan Absentee Ballot Deadline. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Mitchell Plitnick (2020-05-22). Key Biden Adviser Offers Little Hope for Palestinians. commondreams.org Speaking in a web broadcast organized by the so-called Democratic Majority for Israel, Blinken stated bluntly that Biden \"would not tie military assistance to Israel to any political decisions it makes, full stop.\"(Photo: Matt Smith Photographer / Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-05-22_at_9.42.21_am.png

Prof. Lynn Wolfe (2020-05-22). Coronavirus and the Constitution: Entering the Not-So-Brave New World. globalresearch.ca Two months have passed since the lockdown began, and statistics indicate that the coronavirus death toll hasn\'t risen as high as we might have supposed. Yet already we hear rhetoric of a \"post-COVID world,\" hauntingly reminiscent of the \"post-9/11 world.\" …

WSWS (2020-05-22). No to the anti-China campaign! For international solidarity against the pandemic and capitalism! wsws.org The SEP rejects the chauvinistic attacks by the Trump administration and Democrats aimed at shifting responsibility for the mass death due to the coronavirus pandemic from the American ruling class.

Robert P. Alvarez (2020-05-22). A Simple Solution for the Coronavirus Crisis in Prisons. commondreams.org We\'ve got over a million people in prison, nearly a million more in jail, and half a million in immigrant detention. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/mask.jpg

WSWS (2020-05-22). The economic impact of the pandemic on young workers in Wayne County, Michigan. wsws.org The WSWS spoke with Karissa, 27, about her experiences over the past eight weeks since she and her fiancé lost their jobs when the coronavirus pandemic hit the Detroit area.

WSWS (2020-05-22). Australian unions back pay cuts for fast food workers. wsws.org The attack on some of the lowest-paid workers, on the pretext of the coronavirus pandemic, is a precedent for a broader pro-business restructuring.

Bill Sardi (2020-05-22). COVID-19 Coronavirus: Scripted by the CDC in 2003? Dead Zone Plague. globalresearch.ca Deadzone (2003, Screenplay Stephen King, Jeffrey Boam): When Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) awakens from a coma caused by a car accident, he finds that years have passed, and he now has psychic abilities. Heartbroken that his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) has …

Project Censored (2020-05-22). Episode 85 — ATL Recommendations: What to Watch, Read, and Listen Too in Quarantine. 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…

WSWS (2020-05-22). Washington incites India in tense border dispute with China. wsws.org Washington\'s vocal support for New Delhi is in marked contrast with its stance during the 2017 Indo-China border dispute, and is part of a dramatic escalation of its anti-China offensive.

WSWS (2020-05-22). New Zealand government stokes tensions with China. wsws.org New Zealand, a de facto American ally and member of the US-led Five Eyes intelligence network, is integrated into the anti-China build-up.

Aadesh Ravi (2020-05-22). The Long March of the Locked-Down Migrants. counterpunch.org I had to write this song because the world is facing a difficult and turbulent time. At the very hour that some of us implemented the lockdown and bolted ourselves in our houses, we hardly expected hundreds, thousands, lakhs of people to start walking to their faraway homes. This made me extremely sad and agonised.

WSWS (2020-05-22). Third man charged in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. wsws.org William Bryan, who recorded video of Arbery being shot and killed by Travis McMichael in February, was arrested Thursday and charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

Ishmael Reed (2020-05-22). Alex Azar Knows About Diabetes. counterpunch.org As soon as the Administration got into trouble because it failed to respond to the plague, it began hunting around for scapegoats. Trump\'s calling it a \"Chinese virus\" put heat on the entire Asian American community because the average American can\'t distinguish between members of 38 culturally distinct groups. This gave the Trump Shirts an

Kenn Orphan (2020-05-22). A Pandemic and a Plague of Absurdity. counterpunch.org At a certain point in an age of absurdity the normalization of madness becomes so common that it is almost indiscernible to most in the thick of it. Indeed, late capitalism, the stage which is undoubtedly preceding complete barbarism, has produced an endless stream of absurdities which not only insult the senses of those who

Brian Cloughley (2020-05-22). Don\'t Be Black in America. counterpunch.org Brown and blue and white and black, All one color on the one-way track. — Bob Dylan The musical \'West Side Story\' was produced over sixty years ago, and the lyrics by Stephen Sondheim still strike a chord, most notably in the song \'America\' in which Puerto Ricans look at both social sides of their

Jules Boykoff (2020-05-22). Why We Should Commandeer Hotels to House the Homeless. commondreams.org A homeless man walks down the street in the Montclair district of Oakland, Calif., on Monday, May 18, 2019. Unhoused people across the U.S. are among the most vulnerable to the pandemic, but there are ways to ease their burdens amid the crisis—and for the long term. (Photo: Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-12256966631.jpg

WSWS (2020-05-22). NY Governor Cuomo shields nursing homes from prosecutions related to 5,600 COVID-19 deaths. wsws.org The Democratic governor simultaneously praised his administration\'s response to the pandemic and asserted that \"nobody\" should be held accountable for the tremendous number of needless deaths.

Richard Gale (2020-05-22). Fast-Tracking a COVID-19 Vaccine: Why Should We Worry? globalresearch.ca The CoV-19 pandemic is now exposing the hidden agendas and motives of the powers that be in government, in the pharmaceutical industry and Wall Street, and in the media. Despairingly opponents of vaccine mandates are largely divided. Many Trump supporters …

WSWS (2020-05-22). Nearly 1.5 million health care workers laid off in pandemic-fueled jobs massacre. wsws.org According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 43,000 health care workers lost their jobs in March, while 1.4 million more lost their jobs in April.

WSWS (2020-05-22). US pandemic cover-up responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands. wsws.org On Wednesday, researchers from Columbia University posted a study showing that the massive US death toll, now approaching 100,000, is a direct consequence of decisions made by the Trump administration.

Fight Back (2020-05-22). 3.6 million more applied for unemployment last week. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Thursday, May 21, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that 2.4 million more people have applied for state unemployment insurance, or UI, in the week ending May 16. In addition, about 1.2 million people applied for the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, set up by the recent CARES act for the self-employed. This increase of 3.6 million applications for unemployment benefits means that a total of more than 47 million people have lost their livelihood in the last eight weeks. | Where is the good news? Well for the second week in a row, new claims for state unemployment benefits drop…

graham (2020-05-22). Wave of global brands file for bankruptcy. truepublica.org.uk The COVID-19 pandemic has been a nightmare for countless industries — especially companies in the travel sector. The aviation industry is now littered with companies that are either bankrupt or on state-aid to stave it off. There are very few able to withstand many more weeks of having grounded planes. But economies all over the …

Niles Niemuth (2020-05-22). US Unemployment Insurance Claims Approaches 40 Million… globalresearch.ca The United States Department of Labor reported on Thursday that more than 2.4 million Americans applied for unemployment insurance last week, bringing the total number of new claims to 38.6 million since mid-March, when social distancing measures and statewide stay-at-home …

Michael Sfard (2020-05-22). Land Grab and Deportation: A Leading Israeli Lawyer\'s Annexation Prediction. globalresearch.ca Almost 53 years after it occupied the West Bank, Israel is closer than ever to annexing parts of the Palestinian territory. |

Martin Sieff (2020-05-22). How the British Empire Created and Killed George Orwell. globalresearch.ca The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), happily amplified by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in the United States which carries its World News, continues to pump out its regular dreck about the alleged economic chaos in Russia and the imagined miserable …

WSWS (2020-05-22). Cyclone Amphan kills over 90 and devastates wide areas of eastern India and Bangladesh. wsws.org Millions of people have been evacuated from cyclone-hit areas in South Asia, but their relocation into overcrowded temporary shelters place them in real danger of contracting COVID-19.

Vyshakh T (2020-05-22). The human toll of COVID-19 in Brazil. peoplesdispatch.org The corona crisis has also brought to the forefront the crisis in Brazil\'s healthcare system. The Sistema àönico de Saúde – SUS -, Brazil\'s publicly funded health system has been facing dire budget cuts over the past several years while the private system has been steadily growing.

Mike Ludwig (2020-05-22). Trump\'s COVID-19 Disinformation Campaign Is a Preview of the 2020 Elections. zcomm.org Media watchdogs say homegrown disinformation is now a much bigger problem than foreign interference, thanks to President Trump, his reelection campaign and right-wing extremists fueling viral media content shared widely by the president\'s supporters…

Newsclick (2020-05-22). COVID-19 and the race for the vaccine. peoplesdispatch.org There are over 100 candidate vaccines that are currently being developed in labs across the world. Human trials have begun for three potential vaccines developed by the University of Oxford, Moderna Pharmaceuticals and the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products. Who might get there first and how affordable is it going to be?

WSWS (2020-05-22). UK university team predicts doubling or tripling of US death toll over the next two months. wsws.org The Imperial College projection predicts that community transmission of the virus will accelerate in the US over the next two months, with the death toll rising to 2—3 times the current total.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-05-22). \'A Misbegotten, Warped Freedom Obsession Is Killing Us\': Video of Trumpian Anti-Mask Jerks Goes Viral. commondreams.org On social media Friday, author Anand Giridharadas shared what he called an \"end-of-empire\" video featuring a number of people refusing to wear face masks in public places, coughing on others, and claiming their \"freedom\" is being trampled by public health guidance. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1214261292_1.jpg

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-05-22). As Warnings Mount of So-Called \'Second Wave\' of Covid-19, Trump Says He Won\'t \'Close the Country\' Again. commondreams.org \"We are witnessing the complete breakdown of the United States government.\" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/nyc_corona_1.jpg

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-05-22). Michigan Flood, Says Group, Shows US Unprepared for \'Nightmarish\' Threat of Nuclear Disaster Combined With Pandemic. commondreams.org \"The prospect of a nuclear disaster prompting a mass evacuation during a viral pandemic reinforces the need for an energy policy focused on safe, clean and affordable renewable energy.\" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/flood_3.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-05-22). Fridays for Future Europe Calls for Transforming Agricultural Policy to Tackle the Climate Crisis. commondreams.org As the world recognized the International Day for Biological Diversity on Friday, the youth-led Fridays for Future movement sent an open letter to European Union leaders demanding a transformation of the economic and political coalition's agricultural policies to tackle the intertwined biodiversity and climate crises. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12144089421.jpg

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-05-22). Oil Companies Can Set Their Own Rates for Royalties From Drilling on Public Lands Thanks to Trump: Report. commondreams.org \"Oil and gas corporations already pay pennies compared to what they make in profits from plundering public lands—land that belongs to the American people—and now they'll pay even less.\" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/15780703314_3db549560f_o_1.jpg

The Canary (2020-05-22). Investigation needed after Serco shared email addresses of contact tracers. thecanary.co The Government has been urged to launch an investigation after the email addresses of almost 300 new recruits to its coronavirus contact-tracing programme were shared by mistake. | The error prompted an apology from outsourcing firm Serco which said it would \"review its processes\" following the incident in which it had emailed new trainees to tell them about training. | A total of 296 addresses were included in a CC (carbon copy) section of an email rather than BCC (blind carbon copy), meaning they were visible to recipients. | The company are helping to sign people up to support efforts to track and trace cases…

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-22). U.S. Warplane Profits Scramble Over Germany\'s Anti-Nuclear Push. strategic-culture.org When Germany\'s Social Democrats — the junior governing coalition partner — renewed long-standing calls for withdrawing U.S. nuclear bombs from the country, the backlash from Washington was fast and furious. | Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Berlin, wrote an

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-22). Aiming Missiles at Viruses: a Plea for Sanity in a Time of Plague. strategic-culture.org Hugh IGLARSH | The point I am trying to make here is a simple and obvious one, or would be in a society not burdened with a two-pronged ideology of extreme militarism and extreme individualism. It is this: In feeding the military-industrial complex so richly at this time, we are starving ourselves of many vital things and weakening ourselves as a society, perhaps to the point of suicide. We are in effect sacrificing our future on the altar of American imperialism, which like some dark god of the past, is ever hungry and can be assuaged only by human life. | The coronavirus plague now sweeping the globe — si…

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-22). America the Terrified: What Makes This Superpower So Sensitive? strategic-culture.org They want to meet me not because I\'m Mike from Kansas, because I represent the greatest nation in the history of civilization. | I want everyone to be reminded that America remains the world\'s leading light of humanitarian goodness as well amidst this global pandemic. | …no greater privilege and no greater hono…

Lynda Carson (2020-05-22). Covid-19 resurgence is a real possibility warns a leaked Pentagon memo. indybay.org Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic…

Lynda Carson (2020-05-22). Has coronavirus Covid-19 turned local skilled nursing facilities into death camps? indybay.org Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic…

Lynda carson (2020-05-22). Tenants denied rent relief, as Trump Organization seeks rent relief. indybay.org Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic

The Commonwealth Club (2020-05-22). Climate Change and the 2020 Election during the Pandemic. indybay.org Online via livestream…

Keith McHenry (2020-05-22). Food Not Bombs Marks its 40th Anniversary by Responding to the Global Pandemic. indybay.org The shock of COVID 19 and economic crisis is not the way I imagined Food Not Bombs would be marking our fourth decade. The vision of free concerts in cities all over the world has vanished and now we find ourselves rushing to support the food and safety needs of people who were already marginalized before the crisis.

Posted By Lynda Carson (2020-05-22). #MakeThemPay: Rent Striking Tenants Car Caravan to Bay Area Corporate Landlord. indybay.org #MakeThemPay: Rent Striking Tenants Car Caravan to Bay Area Corporate Landlord as Part of National Day of Action Organized by #CancelRent Movement!

en.mehrnews (2020-05-22). Top general vows Iran\'s crushing response in case of enemy miscalculation. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 22 (MNA) — The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces warned the enemies against any miscalculation to attack Iran, reminding them that the country will give a crushing response if they make any mistake in this regard.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-22). Iran records 2,311 new cases, 51 deaths on Friday. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 22 (MNA) — As of Friday, the total number of coronavirus cases in Iran has passed 131,600, of whom 7,300 have lost their lives to the deadly virus.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-22). Widespread media coverage of Leader\'s speech on Quds Day. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 22 (MNA) — The speech of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on the occasion of International Quds Day has been reflected in international media outlets and received widespread media coverage.

sputniknews (2020-05-22). UK Dropped South Korea-Style Widespread Testing Due to \'Sheer Scale\' of Coronavirus Outbreak. sputniknews.com The coronavirus pandemic has spread across the United Kingdom to such a degree that it has become the worst country in Europe for total deaths from the disease. The government has been under fire in recent weeks for not rolling out sufficient testing and learning from the example of countries which were hit by the outbreak earlier.

sputniknews (2020-05-22). Government Probe Urged After Email Addresses of COVID-19 Contact Tracers Shared in Error by Serco. sputniknews.com Outsourcing company Serco accidentally shared the email addresses of almost 300 contact tracers, who had signed up to the UK government\'s coronavirus \"test, track and trace\" strategy, with the incident occurring when the company was contacting new recruits about the details of their training.

yenisafak (2020-05-22). Conflicts displaced over half-million amid virus: Report. yenisafak.com At least 661,000 people have been displaced due to armed conflicts in 19 countries during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report. | The report, Crossfire and Covid-19: Double crisis for displaced civilians, by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), said the \"conflict-affected countries are likely to be among the worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.\" | It stressed that hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced between March 23 and May 15 as conflicts continued in various regions despite calls by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to all warring sides to cease fire globally to ensure…

yenisafak (2020-05-22). Malaysia PM in home quarantine after officer tests positive for COVID-19. yenisafak.com Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will be home quarantined for 14 days after an officer who attended a meeting with him this week tested positive for the new coronavirus, the prime minister\'s office said in a statement on Friday.Muhyiddin has tested negative but \"all members of the meeting have been instructed to undergo screening and 14 days\' home quarantine\", the statement added.

Fight Back (2020-05-22). UNAC denounces any attempts by the US to stop shipments of Iranian fuel to Venezuela. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC). | Last week, an Iran-flagged tanker passed the Suez Canal, reportedly bound for Venezuela with a shipment of refined fuel. Despite having the largest proven oil reserves in the world, Venezuela\'s refining capacity has been damaged by the U.S. embargo, greatly hindering its economy US officials have claimed that Venezuela has begun to purchase fuel from Iran directly with gold, thereby bypassing U.S. controlled imperialist trade mechanisms. | Four additional Iran-flagged tankers loaded with refined fue…

Fight Back (2020-05-22). Tampa students say no to attack on video game club by USF administration. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) hosted an email-in on Wednesday, May 20, fighting back against the University of South Florida\'s administration. Under the panic of the COVID-19 crisis, USF administration has defunded, suspended and effectively disbanded the Video Game Club (VGC) at USF. The student organizers demanded the reinstatement of the VGC, in addition to maintaining students\' prior demands of refunds for \'distance learning fees\' and all activity and service fees, as the mandatory off-campus learning gives the fees no reason to be charged. | The suspension of student-run Vide…

commondreams (2020-05-21). Sanders, Warner, Jones and Blumenthal Introduce Paycheck Security Act to Keep Millions of Workers on Payrolls During Pandemic. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-05-21). Why Israel Fears the Nakba: How Memory Became Palestine\'s Greatest Weapon. mintpressnews.com On May 15, thousands of Palestinians in Occupied Palestine and throughout the \'shatat\', or diaspora, participated in the commemoration of Nakba Day, the one event that unites all Palestinians, regardless of their political differences or backgrounds. | For years, social media has added a whole new stratum to this process of commemoration. #Nakba72, along with #NakbaDay and #Nakba, have all trended on Twitter for days. Facebook was inundated with countless stories, videos, images, and statements, written by Palestinians, or in global support of the Palestinian people. | The dominant Nakba narrative remains &#150…

Ali Salam (2020-05-21). Israeli Prison Moves Palestinian Prisoner on Hunger Strike to Solitary Confinement. imemc.org Israeli Prison Service (IPS), on Wednesday, transferred Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike, to solitary confinement, the Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. The Palestine Prisoners\' Society (PPS) said that the IPS transferred Palestinian prisoner, Sami Janazreh, who began a hunger strike ten days ago, in opposition to being placed under administrative …

Zero Hedge (2020-05-21). Regime Change Back In Focus: Pompeo Targets Iran, Cuba & Venezuela In Epic Tweet Thread. iranian.com Given the very noticeable rise in threatening rhetoric focused on Iran over the past week, it seems thoughts of regime change in Tehran are once again top of the agenda. Or perhaps simultaneously the administration needs a significant distraction of sorts amid the coronavirus pandemic, and the persistent national reopening question and agenda. On Wednesday, Secretary …

Staff (2020-05-21). Study Warns 1.1 Million Children Could Die as Pandemic Interrupts Access to Food & Medical Care. democracynow.org A new report finds 1.1 million children under 5 could die the next six months from secondary impacts of the pandemic, like disruptions to health services and access to food. Mothers are also imperiled. We speak with Tim Roberton, lead author of the study and assistant scientist in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and with infectious diseases pediatrician Dr. Beate Kampmann.

Staff (2020-05-21). Headlines for May 21, 2020. democracynow.org Global Coronavirus Cases Top 5 Million as WHO Records Record One-Day Spike, Brazilian Mayor Fears \"Genocide\" from COVID-19, Accuses Bolsonaro of \"Crime Against Humanity\", Disease Modelers Say Delays in U.S. Lockdowns Cost Tens of Thousands of Lives, Pro-Trump Doctors to Promote Reopening States Despite CDC Warnings, Millions Flee as Cyclone Batters India and Bangladesh, Dam Disaster in Michigan Threatens to Flood Toxic Sites, Trump Threatens to Cut Funding to Michigan, Nevada over Mail-in Voting, McDonald\'s Workers Strike to Demand Personal Protective Equipment, Striking New Orleans Sanitation Workers Replaced by…

Staff (2020-05-21). Refugees Worldwide Face Hunger and Deprivation as COVID-19 Spreads. truthout.org We look at the coronavirus threat to millions of refugees across the globe, where social distancing is often impossible and healthcare is extremely limited. We\'re joined by Dr. Miriam Orcutt, executive director of Lancet Migration. | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. | AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I\'m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh, as we look now to the spread of the coronavirus across the globe and how i…

Staff (2020-05-21). Crowded & Desperate: Rohingya in World\'s Largest Refugee Camp Face Dual Crises of Cyclone & COVID-19. democracynow.org A major cyclone hits India and Bangladesh amid the pandemic, displacing 3 million people and unleashing heavy rain on Cox\'s Bazar, home to 1 million Rohingya refugees, where the first cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed. We get an update from Steven Corliss, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Bangladesh, and speak with Tun Khin, a Rohingya activist, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK.

Staff (2020-05-21). From Syria to U.S.-Mexico Border, Refugees Worldwide Face Hunger & Deprivation as COVID-19 Spreads. democracynow.org We look at the coronavirus threat to millions of refugees across the globe, where social distancing is often impossible and healthcare is extremely limited. We\'re joined by Dr. Miriam Orcutt, executive director of Lancet Migration.

Tracy Keeling (2020-05-21). Wuhan\'s latest anti-pandemic measure is a bold move in an essential direction. thecanary.co The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic started in Wuhan, China. Although China is still

Socialists for Retirement Security (2020-05-21). Washing Our Hands of Financialized Pensions. globalresearch.ca Rethinking Retirement After COVID-19 | The unemployment crisis brought on by the coronavirus outbreak has suddenly destroyed the earnings of hundreds of thousands of working people in Canada. For many jobless workers, the immediate scramble to make ends meet will be …

Liberation Staff (2020-05-21). La Riva designated presumptive Peace & Freedom Party presidential nominee in California. liberationnews.org The following statement was originally published by the Peace and Freedom Party.

Teresa Gutierrez (2020-05-21). Carrizo Comecrudo Tribunal for Human Rights: \'The Indian Wars are not over\'. workers.org An important online tribunal — the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribunal for Human Rights — will take place on May 22-23 and should not be missed. The Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas is hosting this event in partnership with the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy. The tribunal involves \"the continued . . . |

John Whitehead (2020-05-21). COVID-19: The Slippery Slope to Despotism is Paved with Lockdowns, Raids and Forced Vaccinations. mintpressnews.com Until now, the police state has been more circumspect in its power grabs, but this latest state of emergency has brought the beast out of the shadows.

Staff (2020-05-21). The Proposed Nile Dam Is A Wedge Between Egypt, Ethiopia, And Sudan. therealnews.com The plan to build a giant hydroelectric dam on the Nile River is a cornerstone in Ethiopia\'s economic development strategy, but is fiercely opposed by President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi in Egypt.

Mark Gruenberg (2020-05-21). Using \'economic recovery\' excuse, Trump trashes all federal rules and regulations. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Catering to corporate chieftains and right-wing ideologues, GOP President Donald Trump ordered all federal departments and agencies, large and small, to trash rules and regulations, and their enforcement. He used the excuse that doing so would help stimulate the economy to recover from closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump did not specify which rules …

Staff (2020-05-21). What Impact Has Coronavirus Had On Policing? therealnews.com Racial bias in policing has always existed, with tragic results for some. But has the coronavirus had an impact, or has it merely exposed just how deeply biased policing always was?

Mark Gruenberg (2020-05-21). Auto Workers union demands Trump wear anti-virus mask on Ford plant visit. peoplesworld.org YPSILANTI, Mich.—When GOP President Donald Trump visits a Ford auto parts plant in Ypsilanti, Mich., on May 21, the United Auto Workers demands he wear an anti-coronavirus face mask. He said he may, depending on specific parts of the plant he visits. But if past is prologue, given his visits to plants in Allentown, Pa., …

Staff (2020-05-21). \'Students Have Fallen Off The Face Of The Planet\'. therealnews.com Remote learning has created huge barriers to learning for low income communities of color, where four in ten families lack high speed internet access.

Ted Kelly (2020-05-21). Bolivian prisoners protest/ \'We want to live!\'. workers.org Incarcerated workers at the largest prison in Bolivia staged a mass uprising on May 11, demanding freedom and protesting dangerous conditions exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The rebels chanted, \"We want to live!\" and \"This is not a riot, this is a fight for life!\" Police mounted a repressive presence . . . |

(2020-05-21). Witness at the prison gates, Karnes Family \'Detention\' Center. workers.org May 16 car caravan protesting migrant family imprisonment at the Karnes County Residential Center — first immigrant detention facility in Texas to be licensed as a \'child care provider.\' By BLS On May 16, I found the Karnes County Family Residential Center tucked away on a secluded road in Karnes . . . |

Taegan Stross (2020-05-21). Organizing health care for patients, not profits. workers.org This is a slightly edited version of a talk given during the\"What Road To Socialism?\" webinar held by Workers World Party on May 16. I appreciate being given the chance to speak on such a critical topic as health care in the so-called United States. Many comrades have already spoken . . . |

Eds. (2020-05-21). Pandemic: How big banks and big AG share blame. mronline.org Here in the U.S., agribusiness lines up with pharmaceutical and military contractors in terms of being a political force to be reckoned with and, in effect, help run the country. Their needs are protected so that these pathogens have the best lawyers on the planet.

Mark Bergfeld (2020-05-21). The COVID-19 crisis and the end of the \'low-skilled\' worker. mronline.org IN A PANDEMIC, \"ESSENTIAL\" LABORERS ARE WORKING, BUT THE LABOR MARKET ISN\'T.

Ian Goodrum (2020-05-21). Less talk, more action: Between Trump and Xi, the contrast is clear. peoplesworld.org The following op-ed comes from our Beijing correspondent, Ian Goodrum. | As COVID-19 continues its devastating spread, two laws of nature are revealing themselves: The virus infects, and the U.S. deflects. | In a letter sent to the World Health Organization and posted online Monday, President Donald Trump gave the global health body a blistering ultimatum: agree to vague, undefined \"improvements\" within 30 days or lose its funding. As the U.S. is the WHO\'s biggest contributor by far, this would strike a crippling blow to health systems all over the world. | It was a fiery broadside, unleashed at a time when the…

Marcha Noticias (2020-05-21). Wallmapu: \"The Mapuche political prisoners are not alone\" peoplesdispatch.org The Mapuche community demands protection for political prisoners in the prisons of the Araucanía region of Chile after being exposed to the risk of COVID-19 due to lack of necessary care…

Eds. (2020-05-21). The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2. mronline.org Infections with SARS-CoV-2 are now widespread, and as of 11 March 2020, 121,564 cases have been confirmed in more than 110 countries, with 4,373 deaths.

Sara Roos (2020-05-21). Corporate consultants Bain & Company size up Los Angeles schools. peoplesworld.org LOS ANGELES—While families have been scrambling to homeschool and accessorize their 20 million+ Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) GrabNGo meals, the District\'s Superintendent and improbably employed former investment-banker, Austin Beutner, has sought guidance from his own comfort-sector, the world of corporate management consulting. On Wednesday, May 6, LAUSD announced that Bain & Company will …

pip.hinman (2020-05-21). Medical professionals: \'COVID-19 in institutions is a significant risk\'. greenleft.org.au

The Canary (2020-05-21). Track and trace strategy coming late in the day, NHS leaders warn. thecanary.co The government has defended its position on track and trace, after NHS leaders warned that action to control the future spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) is coming late in the day.Security minister James Brokenshire said he remains \"confident\" that a test, track and trace system will be in place by 1 June — the earliest date by which primary schools in England and some non-essential shops could reopen.However, Brokenshire admitted the NHS app would not be ready in time and suggested \"technical issues\" were behind its hold-up, just over a week after health secretary Matt Hancock said it would be rolled out acr…

The Canary (2020-05-21). Police watchdog rejects criminal probe into PM over public money and access given to Jennifer Arcuri. thecanary.co Boris Johnson will not be the subject of a criminal investigation by the police watchdog over allegations that he used his position while London mayor to benefit and reward US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said on 21 May that it would not be launching a probe into the prime minister following claims of misconduct in public office, which he denies.But the London Assembly said it will resume its own investigation into allegations that Arcuri received thousands of pounds in public money and privileged access to three foreign trade trips led by Johnson when he headed C…

The Canary (2020-05-21). The lockdown achieved a 35% reduction in emissions from British power production. thecanary.co The lockdown has seen an impact on carbon pollution, with emissions from British power production falling 35% on the same period last year. Meanwhile, renewables generated more than 40% of Britain\'s power in the first three months of the year — overtaking fossil fuels for the first time, analysis shows.Wind farms were vying for top spot with gas in the electricity mix, generating 30.5% of power, just behind fossil fuels which contributed 30.6% between January and March.Severe winter storms in the wettest and windiest February since records began helped make it the first month on record when more electricity…

RT (2020-05-21). Hand sanitizers can cause FIRE if left in car on hot summer\'s day. rt.com Hand sanitizers, the new liquid gold sought after and rationed in the times of the Covid-19 pandemic, may cause even more harm than the virus itself if left unattended under the burning summer sun, firefighters have warned. | While vigorously trying to protect yourself from the coronavirus, which has already infected more than five million people around the globe and killed over 328,000, you could find your vehicle and even life in danger from the means to fend off the virus. | A Wisconsin fire department posted a photo of a destroyed car door on its Facebook page. It looks as if it was fired upon from a shotg…

RT (2020-05-21). The more you know? Over a third of Americans apprehensive about Covid-19 vaccine, citing rushed development & trust issues. rt.com As the Trump administration pushes for Covid-19 vaccine development on an ever-shrinking timetable and companies report lackluster early trials, 35 percent of Americans are less than thrilled about getting the shot. | Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration\'s unprecedented drive to create and roll out a vaccine for the coronavirus pandemic by the end of the year, may be doing more harm than good, at least where Americans\' trust is concerned. Between the shockingly abbreviated timetable and the lack of long-term safety testing, almost one in four Americans (24 percent) said they were not interested in th…

RT (2020-05-21). Active shooter \'neutralized\' at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas, base on lockdown. rt.com A US Navy air base in Corpus Christi, Texas is on lockdown after an active shooter incident at the facility. Soon after the alarm was raised, officials said the shooter had been \"neutralized.\" | The shooting was reported at around 6.15am local time Thursday. As Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) investigators and local law enforcement responded, airbase officials warned anyone near the north gate of the base to \"get out and away to safety.\" | \"Execute lockdown procedures — remain indoors and away from windows,\" they added in a Facebook post about the unfolding incident. | www.facebook.com

RT (2020-05-21). Paying for priority? US forks out over $1.2 billion for 300 MILLION doses of University of Oxford\'s Covid-19 vaccine. rt.com The US government has secured nearly one third of the anticipated production of a vaccine for coronavirus under development by AstraZeneca, after pledging more than $1 billion to fund the project. | The US Department of Health will dole out $1.2 billion for 300 million doses of the vaccine, which is being created in conjunction with the University of Oxford. Health Secretary Alex Azar described the deal as a \"major milestone\" in US President Donald Trump\'s program to fast-track a Covid-19 vaccine, dubbed Operation Warp Speed. | AstraZeneca, based in Cambridge, England, says it will be able to manufacture aroun…

RT (2020-05-21). \'Selfish\' or \'correct\'? Twitter\'s blue checks go to war over New York Post cover story demanding NYC lockdown ends NOW. rt.com As the New York Post prepares to run a cover story urging for an immediate end to the Big Apple\'s lockdown, pundits have raced to their battle stations to fire off a barrage of hot takes and pithy attacks on the hot-button column.

RT (2020-05-21). \'We\'ll spend you into oblivion\': US nuclear envoy reveals \'negotiating\' tactic for New START, last arms control deal with Russia. rt.com The new US arms control czar has laid out Washington\'s thinking on the last remaining nuclear pact with Russia, hoping that US threats of a new arms race will force Moscow and Beijing to negotiate a new three-way deal instead. | \"We intend to establish a new arms control regime now, precisely to prevent a full-blown arms race,\" Ambassador Marshall Billingslea, special presidential envoy for arms control, said Thursday during a half-hour interview hosted by the Hudson Institute, a DC-based think tank. | In case there is an arms race, he added, US President Donald Trump \"has made clear that we have a tried and t…

RT (2020-05-21). Governor Cuomo \'no hero\' but VILLAIN of New York\'s Covid-19 tragedy: Surprising op-ed goes after MSM darling. rt.com A scathing opinion piece has accused Governor Andrew Cuomo of being a villain of the Covid-19 outbreak in New York, not a hero as most media outlets have depicted him. Where it appeared will come as a surprise to many. | Cuomo \"should be one of the most loathed officials in America right now,\" says Wednesday\'s opinion piece by Lyta Gold and Nathan Robinson. They proceed to offer a thickly-sourced argument as to why the governor was at fault for New York leading the nation in the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths alike. | As one particularly stunning visual example, they bring up the \"mask mural,\" a wall of h…

RT (2020-05-21). \'R rate falling\': Denmark opens museums and zoos weeks ahead of schedule. rt.com Denmark began re-opening museums and zoos ahead of schedule on Thursday as virologists said the virus epidemic was slowing despite the lifting of quarantine measures. Museums, zoos, theaters and cinemas were due to stay shut until June 8 but the Danish government has decided to accelerate the end of the lockdown. | The Danish health agency SSI said the coronavirus rate of transmission (R) had fallen to 0.6, down from 0.7 on May 7, meaning that the outbreak is slowing. An R rate of 0.6 means that 100 virus patients typically infect another 60 people, meaning that the number of cases falls over time. | Danish au…

RT (2020-05-21). What does Trump\'s new spy director think of Russia and China? rt.com John Ratcliffe has been confirmed as the US\' new director of national intelligence. As he gears up to oversee seventeen intelligence agencies, how will he use these organizations to work with, or against, America\'s adversaries? | The Senate confirmed Rep. Ratcliffe to the position on Friday, in a 49-44 vote along party lines. President Trump had previously tipped the Texas Republican for the role last year, before urging him to withdraw his application due to \"months of slander and libel\" from the \"lamestream media.\" The supposed slander centered around Ratcliffe\'s defense of Trump during Special Counsel Rober…

RT (2020-05-21). \'Dystopian hell world\': Walmart & Pepsi blasted for \'Covid-19 testing site\' promotional banner. rt.com Pepsi and Walmart are taking heat online over a banner which was hung outside one of the retail chain\'s stores cheerily advertising a Covid-19 testing site along with the beverage giant\'s latest slogan. | \"Covid-19 testing site — near Walmart #908,\" the banner reads, alongside an image of a refreshing glass of ice-cold Pepsi. The company\'s slogan \"That\'s what I like,\" appears underneath — rather ominously, considering the circumstances. | Unsurprisingly, the Walmart-Pepsi-Covid mashup

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-21). The Heat: China\'s Two Sessions Preview. america.cgtn.com China\'s political season gets underway. What can we expect in the wake of COVID-19?>

Norman Solomon (2020-05-21). In a Class War—Like It or Not—the System Always Makes a Killing. commondreams.org Demonstrators unload fake body bags from a truck in protest of the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic, in Lafayette Park near the White House, May 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. All 50 states have reopened to varying degrees more than two months after lockdown, but the moves have not been coordinated, with the Northeast and West Coast moving slower than states in the South. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-12142774371.jpg

Norman Solomon (2020-05-21). Class war — not the media hokey pokey — is what it\'s all about. nationofchange.org Maybe you don\'t want to call it class war. But whatever you call it, the system always makes a killing.

Abdel Bari Atwan (2020-05-21). Iran and the US: a new front opens. thealtworld.com Tehran will retaliate in the Gulf if Trump uses force to stop its fuel deliveries to Venezuela | A new front could open up at any time in the conflict between Iran and the US, not in the scorching waters of the Gulf but in the faraway Caribbean Sea. We are all bracing for the fuse to be lit or the trigger pulled. | It began when the Iranian authorities decided to send five tanker-loads of fuel to Venezuela to help their ally, President Nicolas Maduro. His country is suffering a severe gasoline shortage due to US sanctions, which have blocked its access to fuel imports and prevented it from obtaining the parts nee…

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-05-21). \"We\'re Ready for Whatever, Whenever,\' Says Maduro as Venezuela Vows Navy Escort to Protect Iranian Oil Tankers from US Threats. commondreams.org Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warns that the U.S. government \"must give up bullying on the world stage and respect the rule of international law, especially free shipping in the high seas.\" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/iran_venezuela1.jpg

Ellie Rushforth (2020-05-21). Abortion Rights are on the Line in New Mexico\'s Primary. aclu.org Abortion is still legal in all 50 states, but if the past year has taught us anything, there is no guarantee it will stay that way. Should Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, be overturned, several states — including New Mexico — still have abortion bans on the books that could go back into effect. In the case of New Mexico, a 1969 law that is mostly unenforceable could make abortion care a felony in almost every case. , , This old abortion ban would require patients — including survivors of rape and incest — at any stage of pregnancy to beg for permission t…

Mnar Muhawesh (2020-05-21). Podcast: Aaron Mate Debunks RussiaGate and Discusses How Liberals Came to Love Bush-Era Neocons. mintpressnews.com Investigative journalist Aaron Mate unpacks four years of Russiagate propaganda and how it was the gift that kept on giving for both the Trump administration and the Democratic Party.

Reese Erlich (2020-05-21). Foreign Correspondent: Michael Flynn\'s Forgotten Turkish Connection. progressive.org Before Russiagate, the former national security advisor was an operative for Turkey, tilting foreign policy against the Kurds.

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-05-21). Warren Tops MoveOn Survey for Preferred Biden VP Pick. commondreams.org The new poll shows 73% of the group's members would be more likely to vote for the former vice president if Sen. Elizabeth Warren is his running mate. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/moveon-warren-vp.jpg

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-05-21). Lockdown Delays Contributed to Massive US Death Toll, Says Modeling, Suggesting Lessons to Be Learned as States Reopen. commondreams.org Implementing social distancing policies two weeks earlier could have saved nearly 54,000 lives, the new study found. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/earlier-lockdowns-save-lives.jpg

Andrew Korybko (2020-05-21). The Real UkraineGate Scandal: There\'s No Longer Any Question that Joe Biden Carried Out a Cover-Up in Ukraine. globalresearch.ca Trump stands vindicated for accusing Biden of trying to cover up his son\'s corruption in Ukraine after one of that country\'s lawmakers released audio recordings of the former Vice President\'s numerous conversations with former President Poroshenko to that effect, proving …

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-21). \"KievGate\" and the November 2020 Presidential Elections. Biden and Poroshenko Colluded in Ukraine. globalresearch.ca Money-controlled US elections are farcical when held — world\'s apart from what democracy in action is supposed to. | It\'s a notion long abhorred by both right wings of the one-party state — the war party, the money party, the anti-peace, …

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-21). Will Trump Wage More Wars to Distract From COVID-19 and Economic Collapse? globalresearch.ca Trump is the latest in a long line of belligerent US presidents, throughout his tenure waging war on multiple fronts at home and abroad. | His priorities are self-enrichment, serving Wall Street, Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Military, and other corporate …

Ed Rampell (2020-05-21). The History of the Peace Corps on Film. progressive.org A new documentary looks into the tensions that shaped the aid agency\'s role.

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-21). Jordanian FM Signals Unilateral Suspension of Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty. imemc.org The Jordanian government signalled, on Wednesday, its intention to unilaterally suspend implementation of some provisions within Jordan\'s peace treaty with Israel. Such an announcement came in response to an Israeli plan, reported widely, to annex the Palestinian West Bank, along with the Jordan River area of Al-Aghwar, to the boundaries …

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-05-21). Trump Condemned for Ditching Treaty That Has \'Helped Prevent Nuclear War for Nearly Three Decades\'. commondreams.org In a move that alarmed nuclear experts, anti-war activists, and policymakers around the world, the U.S. government notified international partners on Thursday that President Donald Trump is withdrawing the country from the Treaty on Open Skies over alleged Russian violations. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-11862935441.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-05-21). Climate Protesters Call Out \'Hot Air\' of Financial Giant During BlackRock Annual Meeting. commondreams.org As BlackRock—the world's biggest investor in fossil fuels and deforestation—held its annual shareholders meeting Thursday, climate activists came together in New York City, San Francisco, Brussels, and London for socially distanced demonstrations protesting the massive asset manager's \"failure to live up to its rhetoric on climate change.\" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/sunriseprojectblk_brookeanderson-31.jpg

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-21). Teachers and students across Greece protest government\'s flawed educational policy. peoplesdispatch.org Protesters denounced a new bill on education proposed by the conservative New Democracy-led government in Greece. Critics claim the new bill is likely to worsen the operation of schools and increase class barriers to education…

Jake Johnston (2020-05-21). ICE Confirms More than 100 Deportation Flights to 13 Countries in an Eight-Week Period. cepr.net On Tuesday, in a comment to CEPR\'s Americas Blog, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson confirmed that the agency had run 112 deportation flights to 13 countries during an eight-week period beginning in early March. This is the first on-the-record comment from ICE confirming the extent of the agency\'s deportations. Since late April, CEPR …

Scott Ritter (2020-05-21). Dangerous narcissism: REAL reason Trump ditched Open Skies is dislike for any treaties that don\'t bear HIS signature. thealtworld.com By announcing its intent to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty, the Trump administration continues its war on legacy arms control agreements, endangering international security. | The Trump administration has formally announced its intention to withdraw from the 2002 Open Skies Treaty (OST), a critical multilateral agreement involving 35 states which allows specially equipped reconnaissance aircraft to overfly the territories of member states, and in doing so contribute to the kind of transparency necessary to minimize the possibility of conflict by keeping all members appraised of military activities in regions…

IMEMC News (2020-05-21). Israeli Colonists Attack Palestinian Cars Near Nablus. imemc.org Several fanatic illegal Israeli colonists attacked, on Thursday evening, many Palestinian cars at the main junction near Huwwara town, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors Israel\'s colonialist activities in northern West Bank, said the colonists hurled stones at many …

Dean Baker (2020-05-21). The Sure Way to End Concerns About China\'s \"Theft\" of a Vaccine: Make it Open. cepr.net In the last couple of weeks both the New York Times and National Public Radio have warned that China could steal a vaccine against the coronavirus, or at least steal work in the U.S. done towards developing a vaccine. Both outlets obviously thought their audiences should view this as a serious concern. As I wrote …

Cynthia Chung (2020-05-21). The \'Clean Break\' Doctrine: A Modern-Day Sykes-Picot Waging War and Havoc in the Middle East. globalresearch.ca In 1996 a task force, led by Richard Perle, produced a policy document titled \"A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm\" for Benjamin Netanyahu, who was then in his first term as Prime Minister of …

Tamara Kunanayakam (2020-05-21). Sri Lanka, Fight or Flight From International Organisations: In the Footsteps of US President Trump? globalresearch.ca Speaking at the National War Heroes Commemoration Ceremony on 19 May 2020, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared that he will not hesitate to withdraw Sri Lanka from any international body or organisation that continuously targets the country and war heroes. | The …

graham (2020-05-21). Blaming Russia, China, Iran — to profit from Covid-19 vaccine. truepublica.org.uk By Craig Murray: On 5 May, the British security services released to their pet media the claim that Russia, China and Iran were attempting to hack into British research institutes conducting coronavirus research. The BBC reported it. Britain\'s shameful copy and paste media all, without exception, just copy and pasted the government press release. …

Ricardo Vaz (2020-05-21). US Blocks UNSC Draft Resolution Denouncing Paramilitary Incursion into Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com Russia, China and other countries criticized violations of Venezuelan sovereignty.

PCHR (2020-05-21). Pompeo Israel Statements: Defiance of International Law and Unconditional Support for Annexation that Perpetuates Lack of Accountability. imemc.org Ref: 49/2020: Date:…

news.un (2020-05-21). Somalia looks to first full elections in 51 years, despite COVID-19 crisis. news.un.org The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are acute for Somalia, but the Horn of Africa nation is doing what it can with the resources it has, even as it looks ahead to its first direct elections in a half-century, the top UN official in the country said on Thursday.

David Cole (2020-05-21). The Absurd Attacks on the ACLU. aclu.org On May 19, the National Review editors condemned the ACLU\'s \"absurd\" lawsuit against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos\'s new Title IX regulations, which govern sexual harassment and assault at schools that receive federal funding. They argue that we had sacrificed our principles by seeking to \"weaken\" due process standards. President Trump promptly retweeted it, though showed no evidence that he actually read it. But the National Review\'s criticism bears no relation to the lawsuit we actually filed. Our suit challenges provisions letting schools ignore serious claims of sexual harassment altogether. It does not…

Kathleen Wong (2020-05-21). A Lesson From COVID-19: A History of Racism and Disease in Hawai\'i. aclu.org As someone of Chinese descent who lives in the multicultural mixing pot that is Hawai\'i, I find myself thinking about the fact that May is Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month, and how the opportunity to reflect on API heritage in the United States could not have come at a better time. In some ways, what\'s happening today with COVID-19 is history repeating itself. As the disease has spread, there has also been a rise in anti-Asian sentiment and xenophobic attacks on Asian people throughout the country. These attacks are provoked and encouraged by the dangerous and inaccurate rhetoric spewed by the…

Andrew McCormick (2020-05-21). How the Covid-19 Lockdown Is Reshaping Uighur Activism. thenation.com How the Covid-19 Lockdown Is Reshaping Uighur Activism…

Vincent Mathieu (2020-05-21). Pandemic 2020: From Statistical Fraud to Controlled Society. globalresearch.ca The outbreak of Covid-19 which first occurred in China in the autumn of 2019 did not, at that time, seem to herald a crisis of such magnitude in the West. In Quebec, the new coronavirus (Sars-Cov-2) was referred to as …

John Ranson (2020-05-21). While parts of lockdown are like going back to the 70s, the Tories want to drag us back to the 40s. thecanary.co The coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown has made me even more grateful that I live in the arse end of nowhere. Or Norfolk, to give it its correct title. I\'ve lived elsewhere, even on the fringe of That London for a few years. But now I\'m two doors away from the house in which I grew up. The village has changed a lot in the *mumble* years I\'ve known it. It\'s louder now, faster moving, more transitory. The shop has gone. The two women that I used to see daily, cycling slowly back from their work picking fruit and veg at one of the nearby farms, are probably just pictures in an album. | Lockdown hasn\'t brought the shop…

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-21). Bob Langer The Coronavirus \"Common Denominator\" Tied To Charles Lieber & Israel\'s NY \"Smart Cities\" 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 (5/20/19). 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 …

Dr. Sherri Tenpenny (2020-05-21). COVID-19 Testing: What Are We Doing? What Does \"Positive\" Test Really Mean? globalresearch.ca In 1965, scientists identified the first human coronavirus; it was associated with the common cold. The Coronavirus family, named for their crown-like appearance, currently includes

GRAIN (2020-05-21). Millions Forced to Choose Between Hunger or COVID-19. globalresearch.ca On the eve of May Day 2020, in full coronavirus pandemic, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) released some hair raising statistics. About 1.6 billion workers from the informal sector are in dire straits because of the lockdowns governments have imposed …

Augie Lindmark (2020-05-21). Covid-19 Isn\'t the Only American Health Epidemic. thenation.com Covid-19 Isn\'t the Only American Health Epidemic…

Kester Kenn Klomegah (2020-05-21). COVID-19 Hits Hard, but Challenges BRICS. globalresearch.ca By and large, the coronavirus pandemic has taken a huge toll on Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) since it was declared late January by the World Health Organization (WHO). It allegedly originated (yet to be proved) from …

Project Censored (2020-05-21). Zooming Past Equity in Higher Education: Technocratic Pedagogy Fails Social Justice Test. projectcensored.org By Nolan Higdon and Mickey Huff The response to COVID-19 by governing institutions has altered the lives and practices of people across the nation, including the students, faculty, and staff…

Gideon Polya (2020-05-21). COVID-19 Timeline Exposes Falsehood of US and US Lackey Australian Anti-China Blame Game. globalresearch.ca Trump is blaming China for the Covid-19 pandemic to hide his criminal negligence during the crisis. A detailed Timeline of the disaster reveals that China informed the WHO and the World of the Wuhan outbreak on 31 December 2019 but …

Dr. Dennis Etler (2020-05-21). The US Is Trying to Dismember China by Promoting Separatism in Its Regions. globalresearch.ca The US Senate, on 14 May passed bill on the mistreatment of Uyghur minority in China. The bill demands President Donald Trump to sanction Chinese officials who partake in the violating rights and freedoms of Uyghur community in the northwestern …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-21). Armed Israeli Settlers Set Palestinian Farmlands on Fire near Tulkarem. imemc.org Several armed Israeli colonists set fire to Palestinian farm lands, east of the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, early on Thursday, near the illegal Annab colonial settlement, which was built on the lands of Ramin village. Local Palestinian farmers told media outlets that the armed settlers set fire to …

Ali Salam (2020-05-21). Former Prisoners, Minors among the 28 Palestinians Arrested by Israeli Forces. imemc.org Twenty eight Palestinian civilians were arrested by Israeli troops during large scale arrest campaigns, overnight Wednesday, while two Palestinians were reportedly shot and wounded by the Israeli army in Qalqilia, and the town of Beit Rima during those campaigns. The Palestinian Prisoners\' Society (PPS) said that occupation forces arrested six …

IMEMC News (2020-05-21). Israeli Soldiers Attack A Palestinian Family In Salfit. imemc.org Israeli soldiers attacked, on Thursday evening, a Palestinian family in Kifl Hares town, north of Salfit, in central West Bank. The attack was carried out against the family home of the late Abdul-Qader Shaqqour, when dozens of soldiers surrounded the property and tried to smash its doors, before the family …

Tanya Wadhwa (2020-05-21). Ecuadorians vow to resist Moreno\'s latest neoliberal economic measures. peoplesdispatch.org On May 20, several Ecuadorian social movements, Indigenous organizations and trade unions called for a national mobilization on May 25, against the neoliberal economic policies imposed by President Lenín Moreno in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The People\'s Front, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), the Indigenous and Peasant Movement of Cotopaxi (MICC), the Unitary Front of Workers (FUT), among others, are the organizations behind the call for national mobilization. | On May 19, Moreno announced a new set of austerity measures, involving a budget cut of 4 billion USD in public…

News Desk (2020-05-21). For Women in Qatar, Lockdown Is Nothing New. globalresearch.ca When it comes to the issue of women\'s rights in the Gulf , Saudi Arabia is most frequently cited as the most repressive country in the region, and Qatar is widely regarded as the most modern in terms of human …

news.un (2020-05-21). Asia-Pacific nations commit the whole region to \'defeat\' COVID-19. news.un.org Gathering together at the top UN intergovernmental body in Asia and the Pacific on Thursday, countries of the vast region of more than four billion people, urged greater measures that reinforce global solidarity in ending the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fight Back (2020-05-21). California Gov. Newsom calls for 10% state worker pay cuts. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On May 14, Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom laid out his plan to deal with a projected $54 billion budget deficit for the state of California. Included in the plan was to save almost $3 billion by cutting state workers\' pay by 10%. | Eleven years ago, California state workers were furloughed for one to two days a month as part of the effort to cut spending after a large budget deficit developed with the deep recession and financial crisis. While the unions tried to fight this, the courts ultimately sided with the state government. The furloughs continued for five years, even though the recession ende…

Johanna Ross (2020-05-21). Nicola Sturgeon Is Leading Scotland Out of Lockdown, and Out of the UK. globalresearch.ca Scotland\'s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been voted the UK\'s \'most impressive\' politician according to a recent poll. The

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-05-21). What Goes Around Comes Around. thealtworld.com The Democrats wasted President Trump\'s first term with contrived investigations of Trump and General Flynn. The Russiagate hoax resulted in illegitimate indictments of Republican consultants Paul Manafort and Roger Stone as the questionable charges against them were unrelated to Robert Mueller\'s Russiagate investigation and exceeded the scope of his mandate. The charges were brought in order to coerce them into giving false testimony against Trump. The arm-twisting failed, but both were convicted in the media and had their old age ruined by the corrupt Muller\'s effort to frame the President of the United States.

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-21). Israel Uses COVID To Further Infiltrate US Cybersecurity & US Gov Sets Fire To Wheat Crops In Syria. 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 (5/21/19). 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 …

Environmental Investigation Agency (2020-05-21). New Family of Synthetic Refrigerant Gases Poses Potential Dangers to Human Health and the Environment. globalresearch.ca Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) are being promoted as sustainable alternatives to climate-wrecking hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are widely used in refrigeration and air-conditioning and are currently being phased down under the Montreal Protocol. | HFOs are the next generation of synthetic chemicals being promoted …

Brasil de Fato (2020-05-21). Murder of Black youth in Rio de Janeiro shows racist nature of policing in Brazil. peoplesdispatch.org 14-year-old Joà£o Pedro Mattos Pinto was playing in the yard of his house when he was shot in the midst of an operation involving the Federal Police and of the Coordinator of Special Resources (Core)…

news.un (2020-05-21). Danger awaits migrant children returned to Mexico and Central America during pandemic. news.un.org Migrant children forcibly returned from the United States to Mexico and Central America are facing danger and discrimination aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the UN Children\'s Fund (UNICEF).

Mark Harris (2020-05-21). Pandemic Capitalism\'s Cruel Absurdity. commondreams.org The United States has long established itself as the neoliberal superstar, the modern nation with the most wealth inequality, threadbare social safety net, and thoroughly corporatized political leaders from both major parties. (Photo: Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/killcapitalism.jpg

Gordon Duff (2020-05-21). Lies and Censorship, a Second Pandemic. thealtworld.com On April 6, 2020, the University of Manchester published a paper titled COVID-19 Disinformation: Two Short Reports on the Russian Dimension. | That paper focused on highly funded disinformation programs, some funded by the EU and/or UK governments seemingly tasked with censoring or crushing media that strayed from the official \"party line.\"\"The EU\'s main task force for fighting Russian disinformation is in danger of becoming a source for disinformation itself, and so of skewing policy decisions in the EU and the UK, as well as distorting public discourse throughout Europe. Based on EU-sponsored counter-disinforma…

Bill Lueders (2020-05-21). Comment: Trump\'s Pandemic of Ignorance. progressive.org The United States is in the midst of a full-blown health care crisis, headed by a man who is not just monumentally unfit to lead, but actually deranged.

news.un (2020-05-21). UN agencies join forces to protect forcibly displaced during pandemic. news.un.org To strengthen and advance public health services for millions of forcibly displaced people globally, two United Nations signed an agreement on Thursday to better protect some 70 million from COVID-19.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-21). Migrant workers in Lebanon reach agreement with waste management company. peoplesdispatch.org Approximately 400 migrant workers were on strike for weeks after management of the Lebanese waste management company, RAMCO, started cutting their wages and paying them in Lebanese pounds instead of the contractually obligated US dollar…

Christian Correa (2020-05-21). Trump Admin. Punishes Renewables While Bailing Out Oil and Gas. globalresearch.ca Trump\'s Interior Department is demanding payment from the past two years from solar and wind projects on federal lands, Reuters is

Dr. Pascal Sacré (2020-05-21). The WHO and the EU Want a Covid Vaccine for the Entire Planet, What About Water and Food… globalresearch.ca COVID-19: 324,990 deaths recorded worldwide … | Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has launched a Global Telethon to speed up the delivery of a corona vaccine for all. | Deaths attributable to lack of access to water …

Michael Lynk (2020-05-21). Canada Missing in Action on Israel\'s Proposed Annexation of the West Bank. globalresearch.ca The leaders of the two of Israel\'s largest political parties — Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz — In an initial six-month period, the coalition will address only two issues:

Michael Jansen (2020-05-21). Demanded by Israel\'s Radical Right-wing and Settler Movement, Annexation Has Become Netanyahu\'s Crutch. globalresearch.ca Israel\'s latest \"national unity\" government has, for the time being, ended 500 days of internal political crisis, the longest in Israel\'s 72-year history. At the same time, Israel embarked on an external political crisis over the potential annexation of occupied …

Tsvetana Paraskova (2020-05-21). Ukraine\'s Port Odessa Welcomes First U.S. Crude Oil Cargo. Undermines Russia\'s Oil and Gas. globalresearch.ca The Ukrainian port Odessa on the Black Sea will receive its first-ever crude oil cargo of WTI Crude from the United States, after the U.S. shipped its first oil to Ukraine just last year as it looks to wean off …

Nadia Bazuk (2020-05-21). Politics and Religion: Why Is Constantinople Reluctant to Resolve the Conflict Between the Antioch and Jerusalem Patriarchates? globalresearch.ca The world is slowly beginning to return to a normal way of life. Shops, cafes, restaurants, and government offices are opening. Church life is also returning to its usual course. It would seem that the pause and problems caused by …

Astrid Caldas (2020-05-21). Dangerous Hurricane Season To Open Amidst COVID-19. commondreams.org Imagine one million people on the move right now, all trying to find safe shelter. (Photo: NASA) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/nasa_1.jpg

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-21). France sees a spike in COVID-19 cases after schools reopen. peoplesdispatch.org At least 70 new cases of COVID-19 were reported from schools in France following their reopening last week by French authorities. Teachers\' unions and student organizations criticized the government for the move…

Stan Karp (2020-05-21). Getting a Covid-19 Education: From Race to the Top to a Plunge to the Bottom. commondreams.org From a rally for public education in Washington D.C. in July 2017. (Photo: Bob Korn) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-05-21_at_2.12.16_pm.png

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Ethnic disparities and COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org As COVID-19 continues to take hundreds of lives each day in the U.S., public health officials say minorities are being affected disproportionately. Early data shows that African Americans and other U.S. ethnic minorities have contracted COVID-19 at a higher rate and experience greater sickness and a higher death rate than other Americans. On the Mayo …

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-05-21). With Covid-19 Raging, Warnings of Worse-Than-Usual Hurricane Season Point to Trouble Ahead. commondreams.org \"Hurricane season is about to start and its risks will only grow and potentially compound any impacts from the pandemic.\" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/noaa.png

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-05-21). Despite Deadly Pandemic, Trump Says: \"We Don\'t Want Anybody to Do Mail-in Ballots\" commondreams.org \"Five states already have all-mail elections—Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.\" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_29.jpg

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-05-21). \'This Is My Retirement\': Trump\'s Covid-19 Vaccine Czar Refuses to Sell Stock Holdings of Major Drug Company. commondreams.org The chief adviser overseeing President Donald Trump's task force aimed at discovering a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of 2020 has refused to divest his shares in his former pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1213154988.png

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-05-21). Demanding Greater Say in Covid-19 Safety Policies, Just 9% of Walmart Workers Report Ability to Socially Distance at Work. commondreams.org The labor rights movement United for Respect released polling data showing that months after companies across the U.S. implemented various social distancing measures, employees at Walmart are reporting that the company is still not keeping its workers safe. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1211017717_1.jpg

Global Research News (2020-05-21). Selected Articles: Warmongering Amid COVID-19. globalresearch.ca To say that the public has become disillusioned and wary of constant doomsday media reports and news coverage is a gross understatement — people see their world changing and they want to understand what is happening, and why. They want …

Tehran Times (2020-05-21). Iran\'s population growth drops to less than 1% for first time. iranian.com The country\'s population growth rate has decreased to less than one percent for the first time over the past four decades, Seyed Hamed Barakati, deputy health minister for family and school population has said. The marriage rate in the country has dropped by 40 percent since 10 years ago, which is an alarm that threatens …

Sputnik News (2020-05-21). Venezuelan Military to Escort Iranian Tankers Delivering Fuel — Defense Minister. iranian.com Venezuela\'s military will escort Iranian tankers delivering fuel to the country when they enter Venezuela\'s exclusive economic zone, the country\'s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino revealed Wednesday. In a state television interview, Padrino said the escort would \"welcome them in and thank the Iranian people for their solidarity and cooperation,\" Reuters reported. Padrino also said that …

graham (2020-05-21). Indoor pollution — Another slow-burning scandal. truepublica.org.uk By George Monbiot: Everything gets buried by something (Brexit and Covid-19)— that, after all, is the point. It\'s the great disrupter and the great distractor. Under the cover of chaos, essential public protections are destroyed. Take the scandal that should be creating headlines everywhere: the toxic flame retardants now penetrating the lives of everyone in …

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-21). A Vaccine Might Mitigate COVID-19, but What About the Plague in Its Wake That\'s Not Novel and Is Spreading. strategic-culture.org RAIN | \"Nobody\'s seen this I would say since 1917, which was the greatest of them all, the greatest of this kind of battle,\" the self-dubbed \"wartime president\" said. It\'s reassuring, no doubt, to a grateful nation on course to lose over 100,000 of its citizens to COVID-19 by month\'s end, to know that their health and wellbeing is the hands of a \"wartime president\" who once stated that avoiding STDs was the equivalent of the tour of duty he never did in

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-21). Leading Neocon Directs Pentagon Middle East Planning. strategic-culture.org The Global War on Terror or GWOT was declared in the wake of 9/11 by President George W. Bush. It basically committed the United States to work to eliminate all \"terrorist\" groups worldwide, whether or not the countries being targeted agreed that they were beset by terrorists and whether or not they welcomed U.S. \"help.\" The GWOT was promoted with brain-dead expressions like \"there\'s a new sheriff in town\" which, after the destruction of large parts of the Middle East and Central Asia, later morphed into the matrix of the God-awful belief that something called \"American Exceptionalism\" existed. | With a national…

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-21). Who Is \'Essential\' to Our COVID-19 World. strategic-culture.org A Military Spouse\'s Perspective on Fighting This Pandemic | Andrea MAZZARINO | \"When he first came home, it was tough.\" So

Staff (2020-05-21). Florida, Georgia and Trump Are Lying. COVID Is Far From Over. truthout.org COVID-19 doesn\'t care about your opinions regarding its threat. It can come into your house, fluff your pillows, breathe on your toothbrush, lick your doorknobs, rearrange your furniture and settle down for a nice long visit before you even know it\'s there. | By the time you figure out you have a guest, you yourself have become a vector spraying COVID into the wind like the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, because you\'ve likely been infected for days or even weeks, and may never feel a single symptom. I…

Staff (2020-05-21). 54,000 Deaths Could\'ve Been Prevented If Distancing Were Introduced March 1. truthout.org A newly released study from Columbia University concludes that tens of thousands of Americans likely died from COVID-19 due to the initial inaction and slow response to the disease from the Trump administration. | The study looked at the number of deaths that occurred from the start of March through May 3, at which point 65,307 Americans had reportedly died from COVID-19. Had social distancing measures been initiated one week before President Donald Trump announced his recommendations on March 1…

Staff (2020-05-21). Trump\'s \"Blame China\" Strategy Echoes Bush\'s Targeting of Iraq. truthout.org There\'s a meme that appears now and then on Facebook and other social media: \"Those who don\'t study history are doomed to repeat it. Yet those who do study history are doomed to stand by helplessly while everyone else repeats it.\" | That\'s funny. What\'s not is that the Trump administration and its coterie of China-bashers, led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and aided by Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton, have recently been dusting off the fake-intelligence playbook Vice President Dick Cheney used in 20…

Staff (2020-05-21). 1.1 Million Children Could Die as COVID Interrupts Food and Medicine, Study Says. truthout.org A new report finds 1.1 million children under 5 could die the next six months from secondary impacts of the pandemic, like disruptions to health services and access to food. Mothers are also imperiled. We speak with Tim Roberton, lead author of the study and assistant scientist in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and with infectious diseases pediatrician Dr. Beate Kampmann. | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush transcript. Copy ma…

Staff (2020-05-21). McConnell Vows to Block Benefits While Pushing Corporate Legal Immunity. truthout.org Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell The boosted unemployment insurance — whi…

The Canary (2020-05-21). Police urged to review over 14,000 coronavirus fines after review reveals an \'outbreak of injustice\'. thecanary.co Civil liberties groups and lawyers are calling for a review of more than 14,000 police fines for alleged breaches of coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown rules over fears some have been \"wrongly issued\". | Police chiefs and prosecutors last week apologised after admitting that dozens of people have been wrongly charged under new coronavirus laws. | It followed a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) review of all 231 prosecutions under the legislation in England and Wales to the end of April, which have either been stopped or ended in a conviction. | All 44 charges brought under the Coronavirus Act — which allows offi…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-21). Potential US COVID-19 resurgence modelled as lockdowns ease. imperial.ac.uk Increased mobility in the United States as lockdown measures lift could result in a surge of coronavirus infections and deaths.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-21). Imperial\'s international networks of scientists tackling coronavirus pandemic. imperial.ac.uk Imperial\'s work to lead the response to the coronavirus pandemic has brought together some of the world\'s best scientists and institutions.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-21). World can likely capture and store enough carbon dioxide to meet climate targets. imperial.ac.uk The world is currently on track to fulfil scenarios on diverting atmospheric CO2 to underground reservoirs, according to a new study by Imperial.

True Pundit (2020-05-21). Cover Up: Fauci Approved Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine 15 Years Ago to Cure Coronaviruses; \"Nobody Needed to Die\" globalresearch.ca Dr. Anthony Fauci, whose \"expert\" advice to President Trump has resulted in the complete shutdown of the greatest economic engine in world history, has known since 2005 that chloroquine is an effective inhibitor of coronaviruses. | How did he know …

Don Fitz (2020-05-20). Soaring Beyond the Green New Deal. dissidentvoice.org When Stan Cox was writing his book, The Green New Deal and Beyond: Ending the Climate Emergency While We Still Can, he scripted these prophetic words: \"The oft-predicted national decline in use of fossil fuels is nowhere to be seen, and it is unlikely to occur on its own, at least until the next economic …

Juan Cole (2020-05-20). Religious Fundamentalists Are Making the Pandemic Worse. thenation.com Religious Fundamentalists Are Making the Pandemic Worse…

M.K. Bhadrakumar (2020-05-20). How Russia is botching its alliance with Syria. mronline.org 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.

Zero Hedge (2020-05-20). \"Polite Deflection Will No Longer Cut It\" — US Pressures Israel To Sever Economic Ties With China. iranian.com Since President Trump fired the first volley in the US-China trade war two years ago, tensions between the US and China have intensified to unprecedented levels, and the prospect of an armed confrontation between the world\'s two largest military and economic powers is becoming a tail risk worth considering, according to Wall Street luminaries like David …

Staff (2020-05-20). Headlines for May 20, 2020. democracynow.org CDC Unveils Guidance on Reopening, Excluding Advice to Houses of Worship, Florida, Georgia Accused of Manipulating Data on Coronavirus Outbreaks, Senators Grill Treasury Secretary, Fed Chair over Coronavirus Loan Programs, Trump Claims Meat Plants Are Safe Despite Surging Coronavirus Cases, Unhoused New Orleans Residents Demand Rooms in Hotels Idled by Pandemic, Federal Judge Rules Texas Must Allow Residents to Vote by Mail, Homeland Security Department Watchdog to Probe Coronavirus Response, Trump Defends Use of Unproven Antimalarial Drug Despite Medical Warnings, Brazilian President Pushes Chloroquine Use as CO…

Staff (2020-05-20). \"Stay Alive, Stay at Home, Organize\": Rev. Barber Sets June 20 for Poor People\'s Digital March on DC. democracynow.org We look at the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Black, Brown and poor communities, and the next steps officials should take, with Reverend William Barber, who is organizing an online Mass Poor People\'s Assembly and Moral March on Washington, D.C., on June 20. \"We\'re not going to just die. We\'re going to stand up and fight back,\" says Rev. Barber. He also discusses voter suppression ahead of the November election.

Staff (2020-05-20). As NYC Subway Closures Force Unhoused People into Packed Shelters, Advocates Demand Permanent Homes. democracynow.org For the first time in its 115-year history, this month New York City began shutting down its subway system overnight. The unprecedented move has left unhoused people who rely on the trains for shelter suddenly with nowhere to go, and made them even more vulnerable as the coronavirus continues to spread. \"The situation is concerning,\" says emergency physician Dr. Kelly Doran, who has joined advocates in calling on New York to do more to protect unhoused people from infection. We also speak with Josh Dean, executive director of the homeless advocacy group Human.NYC.

Staff (2020-05-20). Immigrants Protest Demolition of NJ Public School for $750 Million Robert Wood Johnson Cancer Center. democracynow.org We go to New Brunswick, New Jersey, to look at the fight to save the largely immigrant Lincoln Annex public school from demolition to make way for the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital\'s $750 million cancer center. Democracy Now! co-host Juan González lives in New Brunswick and has been active in the campaign. We also speak with Juan Cartagena, president and general counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and attorney representing parents, students and taxpayers who oppose the demolition.

Whitney Webb (2020-05-20). Media Ignores Israel Connection to Eric Schmidt\'s Push For NY \"Smart Cities\" thelastamericanvagabond.com With NY Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announcing that former head of Google, Eric Schmidt, would lead an effort to \"reimagine\" post-pandemic life in the state, media reports have failed to note that the groundwork for that \"reimagining\" was laid last year and intimately involves the state of Israel. In recent weeks, considerable media attention has …

Alan MacLeod (2020-05-20). U.S. Military planners advise expanded online psychological warfare against China. mronline.org 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.

Alan Macleod (2020-05-20). Ahmaud Arbery Murdered in Racist Attack, Now Slandered by Racist Media. mintpressnews.com The New York Post, a paper infamous for its close relationship with the police and a long history of defaming black victims of white violence, now has Arbery is in its sights.

Staff (2020-05-20). This is Not a Drill: LIVE, May 20th. therealnews.com What strategic opportunity remains for left organizers to build political power within the Democratic Party after Bernie? Are the Democrats in internal crisis, exacerbated by the broader health, political, and economic crises? And, how can we best fight the right wing? Join us for the next episode of This is Not a Drill: LIVE as…

Staff (2020-05-20). Stir Crazy! Episode #38: Generation WTF! therealnews.com On today\'s show: TRNN climate reporter Aman Azhar, and co-hosts of upcoming new show \"Why You Should Give a F*ck\" Genevieve Montinar and Tunde Ogunfolaju. Hosted by Kim Brown.

Staff (2020-05-20). How Islamophobia And Trump Are Dividing Major Jewish Organizations. therealnews.com The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations\' incoming Chair-elect Dianne Lob faced attack from of Morton Klein of the Zionist Organization of America because of her work with Muslim refugees.

(2020-05-20). Solidarity with all LGBTQ2+ workers! workers.org By Ezra Echo This is a slightly edited version of a talk given during the\"What Road To Socialism?\" webinar held by Workers World Party on May 16. The LGBTQ2+ working class looks like my gay, bisexual, and trans comrades who usually would be gearing up for our collective celebration of . . . |

The Canary (2020-05-20). 2.6 million people flee as Cyclone Amphan batters India and Bangladesh. thecanary.co A strong cyclone has blown heavy rain and strong wind into coastal India and Bangladesh after more than 2.6 million people were moved to shelters in a frantic evacuation made more challenging by coronavirus.Cyclone Amphan slowed slightly as it reached cooler waters near the coast, but with wind speeds ranging between 100mph and 105mph, the … | By

The Canary (2020-05-20). \'Unproductive\' to blame scientists for government decisions, says Buckland. thecanary.co Justice secretary Robert Buckland has labelled it \"unproductive\" to blame scientists for decisions taken by the government during the coronavirus crisis.His comments came after Cabinet colleague Thérèse Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, tried to deflect criticism about key decisions, such as ending community testing, on to the scientists advising ministers on the UK response.Coffey, speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, said: \"If the science was wrong, advice at the time was wrong, I\'m not surprised if people then think we made a wrong decision.\"Downing Street distanced itself from her comments sh…

The Canary (2020-05-20). \'Stay alert\' slogan needs more explanation, admits minister. thecanary.co Ministers have admitted that the government\'s \"Stay alert\" slogan requires added explanation to help the public understand the \"more nuanced messages\" involved.When announcing the lockdown on 23 March, Downing Street introduced the slogan \"Stay at home\", which was well adhered to and praised for its clarity.But when prime minister Boris Johnson spoke on 10 May about easing the restrictions for England, new messaging urged the public to \"stay alert\" to the virus, a slogan that has been criticised for being too vague.The devolved administrations refused to adopt the messaging at the same time and hit out at Johnson…

RT (2020-05-20). Florida governor goes after media who 'waxed poetically\' of Florida Covid-19 crisis, brandishing numbers. rt.com Republican Governor Ron DeSantis took a victory lap touting Florida\'s Covid-19 improved numbers after a partial lockdown lifting, and went after the media for their doomsday predictions. | Speaking to the press on Wednesday, DeSantis said Florida has the \"absolute best data\" when it comes to coronavirus and anything saying otherwise is simply \"typical, partisan narrative trying to be spun.\" | \"And part of the reason [for] that is you got a lot of people in your profession,\" the governor said, pointing to the cameras and microphones in front of him, \"who waxed poetically for weeks and weeks about how Florida wa…

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-20). The Heat: Trump threatens to cut funding to WHO. america.cgtn.com U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to permanently cut the funding to the World Health Organization, as countries across the globe deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

news.un (2020-05-20). Tedros hails WHO \'landmark resolution\' to accelerate COVID-19 response. news.un.org With \"unprecedented solidarity\", the World Health Assembly adopted a \"landmark resolution\" on Tuesday, which sets out a \"clear roadmap\" of the actions needed to sustain and accelerate the COVID-19 response at both national and international levels, the UN health agency chief told a press briefing on Wednesday, the day after the meeting concluded.

Lucas Koerner (2020-05-20). AT&T Shuts down DirecTV in Venezuela over Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com The National Assembly will investigate the \"rash decision\" that affects 600 workers and two million households.

Alan Macleod (2020-05-20). Biden: Criticism of Israel Is Not Anti-Semitism, Unless It Comes From the Left. mintpressnews.com Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden held an online fundraiser yesterday with around 550 people organized by former U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro and Emory University professor Deborah Lipstadt. Much of the discussion revolved around the role of Israel and around the growing tide of anti-Israeli sentiment on American college campuses. \"Criticism of Israel\'s policy is not anti-Semitism,\" Biden

Ben Norton (2020-05-20). New NYPD press officer co-wrote The Intercept Russiagate story that landed source in prison. thegrayzone.com The Intercept published a story that landed Reality Winner in prison, burning its third source. That article was co-authored by…

Gareth Porter (2020-05-20). Washington\'s Tell Tale of Iranian-Al Qaeda Alliance Based on Questionably Sourced Book. iranian.com A disinformation campaign aimed to justify the assassination of Qassem Soleimani by painting him and Iran as willing enablers of al-Qaeda. The propaganda operation relied heavily on a shoddily sourced book, \"The Exile.\" *** The U.S. assassination of Qassem Soleimani in January touched off a new wave of disinformation about the top Iranian major general, with Trump administration …

Yves Engler (2020-05-20). Canada Does Not Deserve a Seat on the UN Security Council. dissidentvoice.org Despite its peaceful reputation, Canada is not acting as a benevolent player on the international stage. Rather, Canada ranks among the twelve largest arms exporters and its weapons have fueled conflicts across the globe, including the devastating war in Yemen. In a disappointing move, Canada refused to join 122 countries represented at the 2017 UN Conference to Negotiate a …

news.un (2020-05-20). UN Middle East peace envoy warns against unilateral action on all sides, as Israel threatens West Bank annexation. news.un.org The UN\'s Middle East peace envoy issued a stern warning on Wednesday against any unilateral action — including an Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank — that could undermine diplomatic efforts to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-20). Cuba: End of Sanctions Is More Important Than Nobel Peace Prize for Its Doctors. strategic-culture.org In recognition for the Cuban doctors\' efforts to aid nations across the world to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, there have been In 2015, the Henry Reeves Medical Brigade was nominated for the Nob…

progressive (2020-05-20). Smoking Gun: Crisis? What Crisis? progressive.org A timeline of the pandemic warning signs ignored by the Trump Administration.

news.un (2020-05-20). Just hoping coronavirus will bypass Africa, would be a deadly mistake: Bachelet. news.un.org Tens of millions of people in Africa could become destitute as a result of COVID-19 and its catastrophic impact on fragile economies and health systems across the continent, human rights chiefs from the United Nations and the African Commission warned on Wednesday.

Ellis Howard (2020-05-20). Coronavirus lockdown diary: The last one by Ellis Howard. thecanary.co Ellis Howard brings more of his sharp wit and insight in this, his final Canary coronavirus lockdown diary. | It\'s Mental Health Awareness week as Ellis shares his struggles and shines a light on the absurdity of reopening schools. | If you\'ve appreciated hearing about Ellis and his community in Liverpool and would like to hear more voices from around the country, then please By

Raul Diego (2020-05-20). Florida Fires COVID-19 Public Data Guru as Private Firm Takes over Atlanta\'s Data Dashboard. mintpressnews.com The firing of Florida COVID-19 data guru Rebekah Jones comes as Georgia hands control of its own coronavirus data dashboard to an HHS-linked private cybersecurity firm.

Ricardo Vaz (2020-05-20). Venezuela Sues UK over Frozen Gold Reserves, Loses CITGO Appeal. venezuelanalysis.com The US $1 billion worth of gold would be used in the fight against COVID-19.

news.un (2020-05-20). Only Venezuelans can resolve Venezuela\'s deepening crisis, DiCarlo tells Security Council. news.un.org Negotiations remain the only way to overcome the ongoing political deadlock in Venezuela, especially given the potentially far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday.

ACLU (2020-05-20). Celebrating 100 Episodes of \"At Liberty\" aclu.org This week, we\'re airing the

Katha Pollitt (2020-05-20). We Should Take Women\'s Accusations Seriously. But Tara Reade\'s Fall Short. thenation.com We Should Take Women\'s Accusations Seriously. But Tara Reade\'s Fall Short.

news.un (2020-05-20). Stand in solidarity to preserve Africa\'s hard-won progress, urges UN chief. news.un.org The coronavirus pandemic threatens the hard-earned gains Africans have made throughout the continent, the UN chief said on Wednesday, urging the world to stand in solidarity with the people, \"now, and for recovering better\".

Jennifer C. Berkshire (2020-05-20). The Lunacy of Global Seafood Supply Chains. thenation.com The Lunacy of Global Seafood Supply Chains…

Joan Walsh (2020-05-20). Trump\'s Crackpot Claims Are a Distraction—and We\'re Taking the Bait. thenation.com Trump\'s Crackpot Claims Are a Distraction—and We\'re Taking the Bait…

graham (2020-05-20). Why Britain will now fail to contain the fallout of COVID-19. truepublica.org.uk TruePublica Editor: Today we have a Prime Minister in charge of a national crisis, who is quite clearly out of his depth. To be fair, so would any PM right now. The problem is that the Coronavirus has a modus operandi that is not fully understood — so no matter what the government does, their …

graham (2020-05-20). UK succours up to Trump and blows £millions on drugs that don\'t work. truepublica.org.uk TruePublica Editor: The mainstream media reports that Hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug being taken by Donald Trump as an unproven protection against coronavirus, is being bought in bulk by the UK in case it does turn out to be an effective Covid-19 treatment. Yes, you did read that right. \'In case\' — it turns out to do …

Ali Salam (2020-05-20). Israeli Forces Deliver Demolition Orders to Palestinian Family, Seize Mobile Home. imemc.org Israeli occupation forces handed Palestinian citizen, Jamal Rashayda, a demolition order, on Tuesday, for several structures in Ras al-Auja area in the Jordan Valley, the Palestinian Information Center reported. Palestinian human rights workers said the forces gave no justification for the order to demolish the family\'s tents and barns, north …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-20). Armed Israeli Settlers Open Fire at Palestinian-owned Vehicles in Nablus. imemc.org Several armed colonial Israeli settlers reportedly attacked, on Wednesday, more than 15 Palestinian-owned vehicles in northern Nablus city in the West Bank. Ghassan Daghlas, Palestinian chief for the Israeli settlements file in the West Bank, told media outlets that two Israeli settlers\' vehicles, carrying several armed settlers from the nearby …

news.un (2020-05-20). Human development backslides, education at global levels \'not seen since the 1980s\'. news.un.org School closures, to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, have left some 60 per cent of the world\'s children without an education, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in its new report, launched on Wednesday.

Ed Sykes (2020-05-20). New report shows how NHS privatisation played a key role in \'turning the pandemic into an utter disaster\'. thecanary.co A new Privatisation a key player in \'turning the pandemic into an utter disaster\': | Instead of in-house NHS employees handling supplies, the report…

Shawgi Tell (2020-05-20). Economic Collapse Caused by Capitalism Not \"COVID Pandemic\" dissidentvoice.org The aversion of the rich and their political and media representatives to science in general and economic science in particular is legendary. When it comes to making sense of the economy, they rely mainly on irrationalism and discredited ideas. It is no accident that mainstream economics has long been called \"the dismal science.\" It lacks …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-20). No return to normality of exploitation: Migrant workers strike in Italy. peoplesdispatch.org Maurizio Coppola talks about the strike organized by migrant workers in Italy in response to a government proposal to temporarily regularize the statuses of some migrant workers. Migrant workers demand dignified conditions and access to rights…

Nicholas Johnson (2020-05-20). Schools Will Need Help to Recover. progressive.org States need to find ways to protect education funding in the age of COVID-19.

Peter Bolton (2020-05-20). Fiona Bruce\'s comment about \'lower-skilled workers\' wasn\'t just a gaffe. It reveals much, much more. thecanary.co With one misinformed insult, the BBC has notched another low point in its

CGTN (2020-05-20). Will Washington Allow the WHO to Investigate its Military Bio Labs? dissidentvoice.org In Fort Detrick, Maryland, the U.S. Army has cutting-edge labs researching viruses. In August 2019, Ft. Detrick labs were closed and a number of pneumonia cases, or illness with similarities to pneumonia, occurred in Maryland. What happened when the labs were shut down? What does the U.S. need the labs for? Dr. Qiao tries to …

Tehran Times (2020-05-20). 107 Iranian medical staff have died in coronavirus battle. iranian.com An official with the Iranian Medical Council has said that 107 healthcare workers have so far lost their lives in the country in fighting the coronavirus. \"We are gathering precise data from all over the country in order to know how many people from among medical staff have been infected with the coronavirus or lost …

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-20). Magic and Voodoo Versus Science and Medicine. strategic-culture.org Across the globe, as scientists and doctors are working a breakneck speed to develop safe vaccines and therapies for the Covid-19 virus, modern-day magicians and voodoo purveyors are pushing all forms of quackery to swindle and sway an unsuspecting public. The most notorious wizard of woo is Donald Trump, who, on February 28, said of Covid-19, \"It\'s going to disappear. One day, it\'s like a miracle, it will disappear.\" | Trump, like all the snake oil salesmen and carnival barkers who have preceded him, was dead wrong in his magical prognostication. As of May 16, there were 4,564, 286 cases of Covid-19, with the Un…

The Canary (2020-05-20). Serco apologises for sharing email addresses of contact-tracing recruits. thecanary.co Outsourcing giant The company is helping to sign up people to support efforts to track and trace cases of Covid-19 to help reduce the spread of the disease in the UK. | The government has promised to recruit 18,000 contact tracers to manually gather information about the places infected people have visited and other individuals they have been in contact with to get a detailed picture of who might be at risk of…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-20). COVID-19 Response Fund: new projects advance the fight against coronavirus. imperial.ac.uk New research projects focused on tackling the global pandemic have received funding from Imperial\'s donor-backed COVID-19 Response Fund.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-20). Imperial researchers help New York State model COVID-19 outbreak. imperial.ac.uk Imperial\'s Covid-19 Response team will advise the state of New York as they look to re-open following lockdown.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-20). Podcast: Britain\'s brains, COVID-19 at the GP, and a green economic recovery. imperial.ac.uk In this edition: Britain\'s intelligence and mental health, COVID-19\'s impact on primary care, and a sustainable economic recovery after the pandemic.

Tom Tomorrow (2020-05-19). Trump\'s a Master of Crisis Mismanagement. thenation.com Trump\'s a Master of Crisis Mismanagement…

jamanetwork (2020-05-19). The Bubonic Plague in San Francisco. jamanetwork.com We have always regarded the plague as something very distant and impossible, and have read of its ravages in India and China with much the same feeling of composure and security that we read about an uprising of the natives in Madagascar. Or perhaps we have considered it as a matter of historic interest on account of the fearful epidemics which in pre-sanitary days used to sweep over Europe, devastating countries and hardly leaving enough people behind to keep up the archives and records of the state. Even now that it is among us, and in America for the first time, there seems to be a tendency to underrate its im…

Dehority W. (2020-05-19). Infectious Disease Outbreaks, Pandemics, and Hollywood—Hope and Fear Across a Century of Cinema. jamanetwork.com This Arts and Medicine feature tallies the appearance of infectious disease outbreaks in cinema since 1914, and identifies common themes, such as stigmatization and physician heroism, that characterize the films.

Walensky RP, del Rio C. (2020-05-19). From Mitigation to Containment of the COVID-19 Pandemic. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint discusses public health strategies necessary for the US to relax its mitigation strategies—most notably expanded testing, isolation, and contact-tracing in ways that avoid stigmatization of vulnerable populations—and proposes investing returns from a reopened economy to finance testing and public health infrastructure.

Kuehn BM. (2020-05-19). Studies Explore HIV Treatment and Prevention in Pregnant Women. jamanetwork.com Taking dolutegravir along with a single pill containing emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) is the safest, most effective option for pregnant women with HIV and their infants, according to a large international study presented recently at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI).

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

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 …

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

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 …

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 …

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

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Jeff Jurgens (2020-04-15). Peace During Pandemic — Support the Global Ceasefire. peaceaction.org \"The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war.\" That\'s is what United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres exclaimed as he delivered an appeal to warring parties around the world to lay down arms in a global ceasefire. The United States, which is currently engaged in war hostilities on nearly every continent of the world, …

CounterSpin (2020-04-10). Mike Elk on Frontline Worker Rights, Joe Emersberger on Pandemic Sanctions. fair.org Media…

CounterSpin (2020-04-03). Bama Athreya on Gig Economy & Covid-19. fair.org Media…

CounterSpin (2020-03-27). Mary Grant on Water & Covid-19, David Cay Johnston on the Last Bailout. fair.org Media…

CounterSpin (2020-03-20). Jim Naureckas on Covid-19, Dana Brown on Public Ownership of Pharmaceuticals. fair.org Media…

Lilly Dragnev (2020-03-20). Peace Action Supports Wyden-Klobuchar Bill to Protect Democracy and Ensure Safe Elections. peaceaction.org Statement of Jon Rainwater, Executive Director, Peace Action, on the introduction of the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act (NDEBA) by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). This bill would help ensure that elections can take place in a safe and secure way throughout the pandemic and beyond. March 19, 2020 Peace Action …

Lilly Dragnev (2020-03-13). Latest U.S. Military Strikes Are as Reckless as they are Cruel. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — March 12, 2020 — In response to reports that the U.S. has carried out five airstrikes on Iranian-backed militia sites in Iraq, Jon Rainwater, Executive Director of Peace Action, released the following statement: \"At a time of one of the greatest global challenges of our lifetimes, it is shocking that the Trump …

Paul Kawika Martin (2020-03-11). Congress Sends Bipartisan Bill to Trump Rebuking Iran War. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — March 11, 2020 — In response to the House passing the bipartisan bill — S.J.Res.68 — that would thwart President Trump from going to war with Iran and end any current hostilities, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Peace Action, released the following statement: \"Both chambers and …

Jason Ditz (2020-02-20). Turkey Kills Over 50 Syrian Troops, Russian Warplanes Intervene to Halt Offensive. theantimedia.com Russia called the situation a \"worst case scenario.\"

Jason Ditz (2020-02-17). DOJ Investigating Former CIA Director\'s Role in Russiagate. theantimedia.com The Justice Department is investigating the role of John Brennan in the assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

Strategic Culture (2020-02-08). US Deploys \'Mini-Nukes\' in Deplorable Threat to World Peace. theantimedia.com These so-called \"mini-nukes\" represent—despite the diminutive-sounding name—an increased risk of nuclear war.

Tyler Durden (2020-02-08). Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions. theantimedia.com Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.

Middle East Eye (2020-02-07). Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes. theantimedia.com Russia accused Israel of \"making a total mockery of the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians.\"

Venezuela Analysis (2020-02-06). Embassy Protection Collective: \"We Are Not the Ones Who Violated the Law\" theantimedia.com In this exclusive interview, VA talks to the activists who defended the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC ahead of their trial.

Middle East Eye (2020-02-06). Turkey Gives Assad Deadline to Pull Back or Face Military Action. theantimedia.com Turkey has given the Syrian government until the end of this month to withdraw from recently seized territory in Idlib province.

Jason Ditz (2020-02-05). Trump Says War With Iran Was \"Closer Than You Thought\" Last Month. theantimedia.com Trump told reporters that the U.S. came \"closer than you thought\" to war with Iran last month.

Tyler Durden (2020-02-04). Biden Threatens Lawsuit to Halt Release of Real Iowa Caucus Results. theantimedia.com American democracy—ain\'t it grand?>