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.

Vijay Prashad (2020-05-21). How the United States Government Failed to Prepare for the Global Pandemic. counterpunch.org There were two immediate reasons for the U.S. to blame China for the novel coronavirus global pandemic. First, it was a convenient way to divert attention from the fact that the U.S. government had done nothing—despite months of notice—to effectively prepare for the arrival of the virus. Second, it was a necessary way to undermine the remarkable way China had been able to tackle the epidemic, with massive infusions of personnel and equipment as well as relief into Wuhan and Hubei province. U.S. President Donald Trump\'s attack on China is explained not as the rant of an unstable individual, but as part…

Marshall Auerback (2020-05-21). How Germany\'s Courts Might Destroy the Euro. counterpunch.org Germany\'s highest court issued a ruling that could threaten the existence of the euro with a constitutional court decision that said the European Central Bank\'s bond-buying operations exceeded the ECB\'s legal remit, and violated German constitutional law. The U.S. equivalent of this would be a state Supreme Court limiting the ability of the U.S. Federal

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.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-05-21). Towards a Culture of World Peace. globalresearch.ca \"Towards a Culture of World Peace\" constitutes a commitment to Human Livelihood. It consists in confronting the UU-NATO discourse in support of war and military intervention. It requires reviving a Worldwide anti-war movement, nationally and internationally as well as establishing a resolve by the governments of sovereign nation states to reject this Worldwide process of militarization.

Juan Cole (2020-05-21). Fundamentalist Pandemics: What Evangelicals Could Learn From The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam. counterpunch.org This spring, the novel coronavirus pandemic has raised the issue of the relationship between the blindest kind of religious faith and rational skepticism — this time in two countries that think of themselves as polar opposites and enemies: Supreme Leader Ali Khameini\'s Iran and Donald Trump\'s America. On the U.S. side of things, New Orleans

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 …

Don Fitz (2020-05-21). Soaring Beyond the Green New Deal with Stan Cox. counterpunch.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 meltdown.\" He became

Mark Weisbrot (2020-05-21). Lives Depend on Argentina\'s Debt Talks. counterpunch.org Argentina is currently engaged in intense negotiations with its creditors over at least $65 billion in government debt. The most important part of that negotiation, which can make or break Argentina\'s economic recovery, is foreign currency debt. That is mostly in dollars, and mostly owned by foreigners. Argentina\'s 45 million residents, as well as hundreds

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…

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). 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?

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.

Lance Olsen (2020-05-21). Too Many Demand Too Much of Renewable Energy. counterpunch.org Many have heard talk of coal miners finding new jobs installing rooftop solar panels. It\'s less often mentioned, but it seems just as likely that at least some coal miners will transition to new jobs in the metals mining basic to building those solar panels. Batteries for storing solar energy are also central to transition

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2020-05-21). From Plague to a Livable World. counterpunch.org The 2020 corona virus pandemic is not merely killing countless people. It is also having invisible but deleterious effects: psychological, political, and intellectual. Some people cannot cope with the severe economic effects of the plague, the constant barrage of bad news, and of being alone and isolated. They probably commit suicide. Others enter realms of fantasy and conspiracy. And still others, who know how to oil the wheels of power and influence, are taking advantage of America\'s corrupt Trump administration.

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.

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.

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…

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). 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.

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). 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). 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.

Toby Blomé (2020-05-21). 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.

RT (2020-05-21). Tory branded \'arrogant hypocrite\' after calling left-wing UK MPs \'lazy\' for wanting remote parliament to continue. rt.com A Conservative lawmaker has faced a fiery backlash after calling left-wing and pro-Scottish independence MPs \"lazy\" and \"work-shy,\" after they voiced opposition to returning to a \"physical\" Parliament, amid the Covid-19 crisis. | Henry Smith, the Tory MP for Crawley, took to Twitter on Thursday to make the accusations — insisting that he wasn\'t surprised at the \"the lazy left,\" but that it was \"interesting how work-shy socialist and nationalist MPs\" had tried to avoid travelling back to their place of work. | Not that I should be surprised by the lazy left but interesting how work-shy socialist and nation…

RT (2020-05-21). Covid-19 may end India's hopes of becoming world leading economic force, Professor Wolff tells Boom Bust. rt.com After Goldman Sachs projected the Indian economy to shrink by 45 percent this quarter, Professor Richard Wolff believes that no one can predict the future amid the coronavirus uncertainty. | \"We\'re in uncharted waters, we do not know what the ramification of this crash is and we do not know how long it will last,\" he told the host of RT\'s Boom Bust. | He added that while India failed to stockpile the necessary medical supplies and was not prepared for the pandemic as was the case with many other nations, the situation there is aggravated by its enormous population living in very close quarters. | \"And like…

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). Pursue a just cause for common good. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — On May 18, 2020, the 73rd World Health Assembly video conference opened. The world still faces a complex and severe situation caused by the COVID-19 as the pandemic is rampant and spreading around the globe. It is the focus of the international community to discuss how to deal with the most serious global public health emergency.

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 …

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 . . . |

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.

(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 . . . |

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-05-21). How To Understand All This China Stuff. thealtworld.com pretending to be offended because a Chinese tabloid published the accusation that our nation is a \"giant kangaroo that serves as a dog of the US\", even though we all know that\'s completely true and we should be flattered that at least they said \"giant\". Before that we were getting indignant over

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 . . . |

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.

RT (2020-05-21). 'Humiliating women': South Korean club slapped with record fine for placing SEX DOLLS in stands. rt.com Angry fans have lashed out at FC Seoul and the club has received the largest fine in its history after the top-level South Korean K-League found organizers who unwittingly placed sex dolls in stadium seats guilty of misogyny. | Club officials claimed they did not know they were placing about 25 sex-dolls inside their vast stadium when they introduced the mannequins in an attempt to replicate the presence of fans prohibited from attending matches under public health guidelines aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. | One of the dolls carried the name of an adult toy manufacturer as part of a set of banners he…

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

Andrew Stewart (2020-05-21). The Cynical Actors Surrounding Tara Reade. counterpunch.org At the outset, let me be absolutely clear that I have a particularly heightened level of sensitivity to matters of gender and violence against women. Almost everyone has either met someone with some kind of #MeToo story or, alternatively, has experienced gender-based violence in some form. But with that said, there\'s a metric ton of

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). US \'KILLS\' Russian draft seeking UNSC support for Venezuela amid sanctions & suspected coup attempt. rt.com The US has rejected a draft statement condemning terrorism and voicing support for Venezuela\'s sovereignty at the UN Security Council. The Russian-sponsored draft did not assign blame for the botched incursion. | The short statement was watered down to sound \"politically neutral\" in hopes it would not face any opposition from the UNSC members, the Russian mission to the United Nations said. | However, despite the text not even mentioning the recent boat incursion that led to the capture of two former US Green Berets, Washington did not give the document any chance, \"killing\" it \"within 9 minutes\" from the star…

RT (2020-05-21). Number of Covid-19 cases surpasses 5 million worldwide — Johns Hopkins University. rt.com The number of people worldwide who have tested positive for coronavirus has passed 5 million, according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University. Globally, there have been over 328,000 Covid-19 related deaths. | The widely-cited dashboard said that confirmed cases reached 5,000,038 on Thursday. | Although believed to have started in Wuhan, China, the virus spread westward, with the United States becoming the new epicenter of the health crisis. With more than 1.5 million infections, the US currently has the highest number of confirmed cases. | Russia has the second-highest number of cases, at over 308,…

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). N. Ireland won\'t use UK\'s contact-tracing app, will use own version to \'interact\' with Republic of Ireland\'s one, minister says. rt.com The health minister for Northern Ireland has said the NHS Covid-19 tracing app is \"not compulsory\" to download, urging people to wait for a separate app being developed to work in conjunction with the Republic of Ireland\'s one. | Speaking to the Northern Ireland Assembly\'s Committee for Health, Robin Swann said that, since NI is part of the UK, residents will have access to the NHS app \"whether we want it or not.\" | He did not suggest downloading it, however, as a \"Northern Ireland version\" is being created which \"can interact with\" with the Republic\'s one. | Northern Ireland is the only one of the UK\'s devolv…

RT (2020-05-21). Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov hospitalised in Moscow with suspected coronavirus – reports. rt.com The head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov is reportedly under medical supervision because of suspected Covid-19. Moscow news agency Interfax broke the news on Thursday afternoon, citing a source in health care circles. | Rumours of his evacuation to the Russian capital by private jet had been circulating on anonymous social media channels earlier in the day, and were picked up by several popular news outlets. \"Kadyrov is suspected of having coronavirus, he is under the supervision of doctors,\" Interfax quoted its source as saying. | The news agency emphasised that it does not have official confirmation.

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). \'You can't forever employ 5,000 people\': IOC head Thomas Bach admits Tokyo Olympics will be CANCELLED if not held in 2021. rt.com The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has acknowledged that the Tokyo Games would have to be cancelled if Covid-19 remains a threat next year | The high-ranking official admitted that it\'s impossible to constantly reschedule all major sports events and keep athletes, sports federations and thousands of employees in a state of uncertainty. | \"Quite frankly,…

RT (2020-05-21). Polish govt aims for June 28 for presidential election previously postponed. rt.com Poland\'s PM Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday that his government is aiming for June 28 as the date of the presidential election that was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The poll, in which conservative President Andrzej Duda is vying for reelection against nine other candidates, was originally set for May 10. | It was postponed four days before it was due to take place amid coronavirus restrictions and political infighting over how and when to hold the vote. The ruling coalition had pushed for an all-postal vote, but the necessary legislation was not ready. | The legislation currently being worked…

RT (2020-05-21). Italy\'s Conte announces reforms to cut red tape, revive virus-hit economy. rt.com Italy\'s government is preparing a raft of reforms to cut red tape, improve company governance and encourage investment to revive the coronavirus-battered economy, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told parliament on Thursday. | Conte promised a \"simplification decree\" to attract foreign capital by streamlining bureaucratic procedures, and said Rome would help the recapitalization of companies hit by the pandemic. | Red tape has long been blamed for delayed financial aid promised to business and families during a rigid lockdown to try to curb coronavirus contagion, Reuters said. | The European Commission has foreca…

RT (2020-05-21). US weekly jobless claims expected to climb by 2.4 million despite easing of lockdown measures. rt.com Millions more Americans are expected to have filed for unemployment benefits as the pandemic continues to wreck the economy, with the total number of US jobless claims over the past two months predicted at nearly 39 million. | Economists estimate an additional 2.4 million filings in the week ending May 16, following 2.98 million claims during the previous week. The rise in unemployment comes despite the reopening of the economy by an increasing number of states across the country. | Claims have been gradually declining since hitting a record 6.867 million in the week ending March 28. | \"A couple of large state…

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). State of emergency in Tokyo may be lifted next week — Japan\'s PM. rt.com Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said it is possible that a state of emergency in Tokyo and its surrounding regions could end as early as next week if the number of coronavirus infections continues to decrease. | \"The state of emergency will continue in Tokyo, Hokkaido and other regions. We will meet with experts (on Monday) to update the situation on infections,\" Abe told reporters on Thursday. | He made the statement after ending the state of emergency in Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures. | \"If the current situation continues, it is possible that the state of emergency could be lifted in those areas,…

RT (2020-05-21). Another sucker punch for the poor amid Covid-19 crisis as new study reveals Britain\'s top 1% enjoy 17% of nation\'s income. rt.com According to new analysis, Britain\'s highest-paid one percent took home 17 percent of the country\'s income ahead of the coronavirus pandemic — more than was previously thought — provoking a bitter backlash. | A

RT (2020-05-21). French care homes face manslaughter investigation: Victims\' lawyer tells RT details of \'scandal amid epidemic\'. rt.com Relatives of elderly people who didn\'t survive the Covid-19 epidemic in France\'s care homes want management to be held accountable for what they say was inaction and a cover-up that saw their loved ones die, their lawyer told RT. | Several French retirees, some as old as 89 and 96, died in nursing homes in March and April, amidst the coronavirus epidemic that is still raging in France. | Now, their families have filed a lawsuit against the care facilities, accusing their staff of being appallingly slow to test and safeguard the elderly, lawyer Fabien Arakelian, who represents the plaintiffs, said on RT. | Thei…

RT (2020-05-21). Top Russian, Turkish diplomats support Libya ceasefire, discuss Syria in phone call. rt.com Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu backed an immediate ceasefire in Libya during a phone call, Russia\'s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. | The two diplomats also supported the resumption of the United Nations political process in the North African country, it said. | Lavrov and Cavusoglu spoke a day after the Libyan National Army of eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar said it had pulled back from some Tripoli frontlines amid its year-long offensive aimed at seizing the capital, Reuters reports. | The ministers also discussed Syria and conf…

RT (2020-05-21). Ankara warns against attacks on its interests in Libya amid anti-Haftar forces\' advances. rt.com Turkey warned on Thursday that attacks on its interests in Libya by Khalifa Haftar\'s forces will have \"very grave consequences,\" after advances by the country\'s Ankara-backed government. Turkey has provided military support to the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya, which has been battling to fend off a year-long offensive by Haftar\'s eastern forces to take control of the capital, Tripoli. | Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said Haftar\'s Libyan National Army (LNA) had received warplanes with \"foreign support\" and that they had vowed to target Turkish positions…

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

RT (2020-05-21). Fracking \'complete sham\' holding back US economy, energy market expert tells Keiser Report. rt.com The fracking industry relies on negative interest rates to convince investors that they will lose money slower than just holding cash, says Max Keiser of RT\'s Keiser Report. | He spoke to the director of Public Citizen\'s energy program Tyson Slocum about the structural failures in the energy market which allowed for a negative oil price. | \"The US fracking industry, which has had structural financial problems for a very long time, was left completely exposed by the chain of events surrounding Covid-19,\" Slocum said, adding that the \"entire business model has been exposed to be a complete sham.\" | As an example…

RT (2020-05-21). One of Earth\'s main planetary defense telescopes just spotted a NEW kind of ASTEROID… with a tail. rt.com A newly discovered asteroid, unlike any we\'ve seen before, has been reported by scientists at the University of Hawaii. Dubbed 2019 LD2, it is unique not just because of what it is, but where — sharing an orbit with Jupiter. | Asteroids that behave like comets, emitting gas or sublimating, are rare but not unknown, and are called active asteroids. | | (Left) ATLAS image of 2019 LD2 (indicated by two red lines) is almost lost in crowded field of stars. © University of Hawaii at MƒÅnoa | However, 2019 LD2 boasts an asteroidal orbit but a comet-like tail, and is part of an asteroid swarm c…

RT (2020-05-21). Beijing accuses Pompeo of using \'democracy\' bill to blackmail Hong Kong govt. rt.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is using self-described human rights legislation to put pressure on the Hong Kong government and threaten China\'s sovereignty, Beijing has claimed. | Pompeo is \"blackmailing\" the semi-autonomous city with the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry\'s Office of the Commissioner to Hong Kong said on Thursday. He added that China was not intimidated by Washington\'s political maneuvering and that Beijing would protect its national interests from all foreign threats. | Signed into law in November 2019, the act requires the State Depart…

RT (2020-05-21). Russia\'s newest radar can track 1,000+ fast-moving & HYPERSONIC weapons, and is now available to foreign buyers. rt.com Russia once claimed gold in the race for hypersonic dominance after rolling out a range of ultra-fast projectiles. Now it\'s offering unique radar protecting against weapons of the same kind — even if they come in huge numbers. | Having unbeatable offensive weapons — for example hypersonic missiles — could be a game-changer in the age of modern, fast-paced warfare. But it\'s equally crucial to have something that shields you from those designed or deployed by an adversary. | And Russia\'s newest radar station is able to fit the bill, Rosoboronexport, the government agency in charge of arms trade,…

RT (2020-05-21). Civil war among \'Russia disinformation\' crowd: How RT watchers fell out over not hating RT enough. rt.com Though awash with cash, the Western \'Russian disinformation\' racket is at the mercy of the political winds. Thus, its gatekeepers need to ensure the officials who manage the money tree don\'t realise the emperor has no clothes. | You may remember a report last month from British academics revealing how \"

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). \'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). Iran says new US sanctions on officials are \'fruitless & repetitive\'. rt.com Tehran dismissed on Thursday new US sanctions on several Iranian officials, saying they were a sign of the complete inefficiency of Washington\'s previous sanctions on the Islamic Republic. | \"Washington\'s fruitless and repetitive sanctions against Iranian officials is a sign of weakness, despair and confusion of the US administration,\" state TV quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi as saying. | The US on Wednesday imposed sanctions on several Iranian authorities, including the interior minister, accusing them of engaging in serious cases of human rights abuse, Reuters said.

RT (2020-05-21). Beijing complains to Washington about planned sale of advanced torpedoes to Taiwan. rt.com China\'s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had lodged \"solemn representations\" with the United States to complain about a planned Washington\'s sale of advanced torpedoes to Taiwan. | China firmly opposes US arms sales to Taiwan, ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing. | The US government has notified Congress of a possible sale of advanced torpedoes to Taiwan worth around $180 million, further souring already tense ties between Washington and Beijing, Reuters said. | The US State Department has approved a possible sale to Taiwan of 18 MK-48 Mod6 Advanced Technology Heavy Weight Torpedoes an…

RT (2020-05-21). EU court rejects Nord Stream 2\'s complaint, insists it must share Russian gas pipeline to Europe with competitors. rt.com The operator of Nord Stream 2 plans to challenge a ruling by the European Court of Justice that could see Russia\'s Gazprom losing partial control of the massive gas pipeline project it spent years and billions to develop. | The companies operating the gas links between Russia and Germany, Nord Stream AG and Nord Stream 2 AG, filed the complaint in November last year, seeking a partial annulment of the amendment to European gas transportation rules, known as the EU Gas Directive. | The legislature requires that the rules governing the European gas market must apply to all pipelines to and from third countries,…

RT (2020-05-21). Dutch emergency services battle fire at abandoned NUCLEAR PLANT, urge residents to lock windows and doors (VIDEOS). rt.com Dozens of firefighters have been deployed to tackle a blaze at a disused nuclear facility in Dodewaard in the Netherlands. Police have asked the public to stay away and lock all doors and windows to avoid exposure to the fumes. | The fire broke out shortly before noon local time on Thursday in Dodewaard, which is roughly 100 km from Amsterdam. Eyewitness video from the scene shows fire crews battling the blaze on the roof. | De brandweer is met veel menskracht aanwezig in

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?>

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 …

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 …

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-21). \"KievGate\" and the November 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, …

Norman Solomon (2020-05-21). Class War — Not the Media Hokey Pokey — Is What It\'s All About. zcomm.org The 24/7 siege to make large companies more profitable and the wealthy more wealthy is going on all around us. In the process, it normalizes avoidable death as a cost of doing business…

Lucas Koerner (2020-05-21). Trump Claims to Have Venezuela \'Surrounded\' as Iranian Tankers Approach. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuela\'s armed forces will escort the vessels upon reaching territorial waters.

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 …

sputniknews (2020-05-21). Maduro Accuses Colombian President of Ordering to \'Infect\' Venezuela With Coronavirus – Report. sputniknews.com In the mid-March, Venezuela declared a state of emergency in the country due to the spread of coronavirus; so far, the country has registered only 824 cases of the infection and 10 deaths. However, 44% of these cases were diagnosed in the last five days, as many of the new patients were reportedly returning from Colombia.

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 operational running of schools in the country and increase class barriers to education…

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 …

Jonathan Cook (2020-05-21). Outspoken Palestinians — Transformed Into Antisemites Simply Because They Call for Peace. globalresearch.ca An attack on a prominent British-Palestinian doctor and academic, Ghada Karmi, by a self-styled \"antisemitism watchdog\" looks suspiciously like a new trend in anti-Palestinian bigotry and bullying dressed up as victimhood. | Late last month, the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), …

Charlotte Casey (2020-05-21). Memorial Day Car Caravan for Peace. indybay.org Stevens Creek & Winchester Blvds, San Jose…

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. 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

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 …

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:

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 …

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

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 …

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

John W. Whitehead (2020-05-21). The Slippery Slope to Despotism: Paved with Lockdowns, Raids and Forced Vaccinations. globalresearch.ca \"You have no right not to be vaccinated, you have no right not to wear a mask, you have no right to open up your business… And if you refuse to be vaccinated,

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 …

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 …

WSWS (2020-05-21). Amazon workers react to elimination of pandemic hazard pay. wsws.org Amazon has terminated its unpaid sick time policy and will roll back the $2 per hour pay raise it implemented during the coronavirus pandemic, despite the rising number of infections.

WSWS (2020-05-21). Australia: Twelve fast food outlets closed in Melbourne after coronavirus outbreak. wsws.org Around 1,000 McDonald\'s workers have been stood down, and hundreds are in self-isolation.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-05-21). Pandemic Inquiry Wars: Australia, the United States and the Coronavirus Investigation. asia-pacificresearch.com …

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 …

Jonathan Power (2020-05-21). A Machiavellian US in the Middle East. counterpunch.org The war in Syria has dropped out of the news, like almost everything else, in a time when the Coronavirus seems to dominate all discourse and reporting. But the regime of Bashar al-Assad continues to strangle its own country. The Russians continue to bomb on his behalf, terrifying civilians and hospitals. The Americans work semi-clandestinely

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: COVID-19 news briefing. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic\'s Vaccine Research Group, covers the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Poland discusses how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is changing, and how scientists and researchers are rapidly gaining new knowledge about the virus and the disease that it …

WSWS (2020-05-21). Coronavirus infections surging in German refugee shelters. wsws.org The forced placement of refugees in large communal accommodation facilities exposes many people whose health is weakened to a deadly risk.

Sandra Lubarsky (2020-05-21). Now Is the Time to Practice Beauty. commondreams.org In this time of the great disruptions brought on by the coronavirus, the practice of beauty keeps us centered on the ultimate importance and worth of the world in which we live. (Photo: Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/flower.jpg …

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. …

Tom Clifford (2020-05-21). China\'s Two Sessions During Coronavirus. counterpunch.org Beijing. Even though it\'s being held on its home turf, Beijing will play second fiddle for the next week as thousands of delegates pour into the capital to debate, argue and socialize amid the \"Two Sessions\". The sessions, taking place after being postponed in March due to COVID-19, are the Chinese People\'s Political Consultative Conference,

WSWS (2020-05-21). Florida scientist was fired for \'refusing to manipulate\' COVID-19 data. wsws.org The state governments of both Florida and Georgia have been charged with manipulating their coronavirus case counts and death tolls in order to prematurely reopen their economies.

David Thorstad (2020-05-21). Frances Goldin and a Unique New York Story. counterpunch.org Death comes to us all but this is one that I feel acutely. For many years, I lived across from Frances on New York\'s East 11th Street, but I was not very familiar with her long history of housing activism. Our relationship began in 1981 when, overnight, little green trucks began towing cars supposedly illegally

Binoy Kampmark (2020-05-21). Why Thinking Makes It So: Donald Trump\'s Obamagate Fixation. counterpunch.org The \"gate\" suffix has been wearing thin since the break-in scandal that gave it its birth. Since Watergate, virtually anything dubious and suggestive, and much more besides, is suffixed. Which brings us to the issue of President Donald Trump\'s predecessor, Barack Obama. Finding himself in hot water (did he ever leave it?) Trump has been

Kim C. Domenico (2020-05-21). Social Studies for the Pandemic. counterpunch.org The moment of clarity [in the pandemic shutdown], expressed in climate and consciousness, will pass and progressives will resume their regular, but now carefully washed, handwringing. — John Davis, Visions of a Post-Covid-19 World Ignorant and inexperienced, it is not strange that in the first years of our new life [Reconstruction period] we began at

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)…

WSWS (2020-05-21). Missouri executes 64-year-old man convicted on flimsy evidence. wsws.org Walter Barton was executed Tuesday by lethal injection despite new evidence that had made jurors question his murder conviction.

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 …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). Spring cleaning takes on a new importance during COVID-19 pandemic. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released reopening guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting public spaces, workplaces, businesses, schools and homes. Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases expert, suggests taking a practical approach to spring cleaning. If no one in your household has been infected, he says standard spring cleaning practices …

Anya Briy (2020-05-21). Rojava: statelessness in a time of pandemic. zcomm.org Lack of international recognition as a state has disastrous consequences on an area already suffering from war and displacement…

WSWS (2020-05-21). COVID-19 pandemic exposes France\'s New Anti-capitalist Party. wsws.org The pandemic places workers in every country in irreconcilable conflict with pro-imperialist, middle class parties that the ruling class has long falsely presented as the left.

WSWS (2020-05-21). Almost no US prisoners have been released since the beginning of the pandemic. wsws.org Despite highly publicized executive orders, only a handful of inmates have been released from jails and prisons across the US even as 100,000 inmates are projected to die from COVID-19.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Mayo Clinic expands in-person care. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and clinics were forced to postpone nonessential appointments and surgeries in March and April. Thanks to social distancing and executive stay-at-home orders which helped flatten the curve of the COVID-19 outbreak, Mayo Clinic is prepared now, not only to meet the projected needs of COVID-19 patients, but safely treat …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). Packing on pounds during COVID-19 and how to turn it around. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org If you\'ve gained weight during the COVID-19 pandemic, you aren\'t alone. The \"Quarantine 15\"

WSWS (2020-05-21). Florida stalls jobless pay to force workers back to work. wsws.org The state has only paid out 22 percent of the claims for unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WSWS (2020-05-21). World Health Organisation warns pandemic could \"turn the clock back\" on other killer diseases in Africa. wsws.org The WHO has predicted that some quarter of a billion Africans will become infected with COVID-19 and as many as 190,000 will die within the first year of the pandemic.

WSWS (2020-05-21). Build rank-and-file factory and workplace committees to prevent transmission of the COVID-19 virus and save lives! wsws.org The government and corporations are demanding a return to work in the midst of a pandemic, which is claiming thousands of lives every week. Their drive for profits takes priority over the health and safety of workers and their families.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). New collaboration on COVID-19 response to include new serology test. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. announced it will expand its response to the COVID-19 pandemic by developing a total antibodies test in collaboration with WuXi Diagnostics and Mayo Clinic. The new test is the result of ongoing collaboration between all three organizations, including clinical evaluation and support from Mayo Clinic. Thermo Fisher will seek U.S. FDA …

WSWS (2020-05-21). US prepares anti-Russian war games amid COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org In a little over two weeks, 6,000 US and Polish troops will simulate ground and airborne attacks about 35 miles from the Russian territory of Kaliningrad.

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…

Amee Chew (2020-05-21). Stop the $2 Billion Arms Sale to the Philippines. zcomm.org Amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, the US government is brokering a $2 billion arms sale to Rodrigo Duterte\'s repressive regime. The sale would only pour further fuel on an already dire human rights catastrophe…

WSWS (2020-05-21). Pandemic crisis: Tens of thousands of UK job losses announced. wsws.org The jobs cull in the UK began in April as firms in retail and hospitality collapsed into administration after the imposition of lockdown, accelerating an already existing trend towards recession.

Mark Harris (2020-05-21). Pandemic Capitalism\'s Cruel Absurdity. zcomm.org Under conditions of a public health emergency, the venality at the core of the capitalist way of life is now exposed for the acute threat to life it actually is…

WSWS (2020-05-21). Brazil records 1,179 COVID-19 deaths in a single day amid spiraling political crisis. wsws.org Even as it closes ranks behind Bolsonaro\'s back-to-work campaign, the Brazilian ruling class is conscious that it is bringing Brazil to the brink of a social explosion.

WSWS (2020-05-21). Australian government falsely claims credit for global COVID-19 inquiry. wsws.org Australia\'s push was obviously part of a US drive to demonise China and the World Health Organisation.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). FDA issues emergency use authorization for algorithm designed to improve detection of heart failure during COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization to Eko, a digital health company, for the heart screening algorithm developed by Mayo Clinic. The AI-driven algorithm can detect weak heart pump, which is commonly detected by echocardiogram, a test that is not normally conducted during a physical exam, requires specially trained technicians to record, and requires prolonged contact with …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). Convalescent plasma advocate donates at Mayo Clinic. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org A recovered COVID-19 patient who has become a strong nationwide advocate for the Convalescent Plasma Expanded Access Program made a plasma donation at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Chaim Lebovits became involved with the program in March and since then has rallied thousands, who have also recovered, to donate.The initiative, which Mayo Clinic is leading, studies …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). Mayo researchers, minority communities team up to combat COVID-19 health disparities. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Rochester, Minn.

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 …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). Mayo Clinic encourages patients to practice good hand hygiene. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Mayo Clinic has placed reminders about good hand hygiene and also has placed hand sanitizer stations around campus to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Amy Williams, M.D., Mayo Clinic executive dean for practice, illustrates how to properly apply hand sanitizer. Watch: Mayo Clinic encourages patients to practice good hand hygiene youtu.be/NSohxy0aP9A Journalists: Video is …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). Mayo Clinic Q and A: COVID-19 and people with disabilities. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Dear Mayo Clinic: My father, who suffers from Lou Gehrig\'s disease, lives with me and my family, including three children. While my husband can work at home, I am still required to go on-site for my job. Although I practice social distancing, I am wondering if I need to do anything differently in caring for …

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…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). VIRUS: COVID-19 registry first to track global ICU experience to shed light on trends in care of critically ill patients. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill

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

WSWS (2020-05-21). Deaths and illness among youth raise concerns as schools plan to reopen. wsws.org Several recent deaths of youth and students due to COVID-19 demonstrate that, despite efforts by the media and politicians to downplay the danger of the virus to youth, the virus can pose a deadly threat to young people.

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…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: COVID-19 research at Mayo Clinic. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Thanks to its combination of practice, education, and research, Mayo Clinic has a strong foundation to respond quickly to a medical crisis such as COVID-19. As the SARS-CoV-2 virus spread worldwide, a research task force was formed at Mayo Clinic to review and approve research proposals related to the virus and the disease it causes. …

WSWS (2020-05-21). COVID-19 cases at Ford plants in Detroit, Chicago as anger grows over inadequate safety measures. wsws.org New infections have emerged at Ford plants in Dearborn, Michigan and Chicago and also at supplier plant, just days after the reopening of the North American auto industry.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). Updated visitor policy: Mayo Clinic limits number of visitors during COVID-19 response. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. ? To support the best safety for patients and staff, Mayo Clinic is currently limiting the number of outpatient and hospital visitors? UPDATED: Friday, May 15 As Mayo Clinic continues to monitor our communities for the spread of COVID-19, updates have been made to visitor restrictions at all Mayo Clinic sites. The ongoing …

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 …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-21). Mayo Clinic launches radio campaign to encourage recovered patients of COVID-19 to donate plasma. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Mayo Clinic is collaborating with Entercom Communications to launch a radio campaign that raises awareness in Detroit, New York City, Miami and Chicago of the federally-sponsored national Expanded Access Program (EAP) for Convalescent Plasma. The Food and Drug Administration announced Mayo Clinic as the lead site for the EAP program to speed access and increase availability of investigational convalescent plasma for hospitalized patients …

Badri Raina (2020-05-21). When the People Are Not \'We the People\'. zcomm.org The attainment of universal adult franchise has had little bearing on actually transforming the labouring masses into equal stakeholders in a constitutional democracy…

Extinction Rebellion (2020-05-21). What do laptops, children\'s shoes and fake oil spills have in common? zcomm.org Using their laptops and phones, and specially coded software, hundreds of synchronised rebels have bombarded websites, swarmed social media, and email blitzed major polluters and their enablers…

WSWS (2020-05-21). Canada\'s official opposition attacks Trudeau for \"appeasing\" China. wsws.org Conservative leader Scheer\'s inflammatory comment, likening the Liberal government\'s policy towards Beijing to British imperialism\'s attempt to reach an accommodation with Nazi Germany, marks a new high point in the Canadian elite\'s frenzied anti-China campaign.

Robert C. Koehler (2020-05-21). Rethinking Public Safety: Trust vs. Force. commondreams.org We must disarm our concept of social order. This means a different sort of training for police officers—less target practice, more psychological awareness. (Photo: Kevin Cortopassi/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/policestate.jpg …

WSWS (2020-05-21). Sri Lankan president demands legal immunity for the military. wsws.org The real purpose of Gotabhaya Rajapakse\'s defence and promotion of the military is to prepare for another savage war against the working class.

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…

WSWS (2020-05-21). The Berries of Wrath: Prince Charles demands \"hard graft\" from furloughed workers. wsws.org The Tories have long desired to replace cheap migrant labour with a native workforce so reduced to penury that they too will do backbreaking work for a pittance.

commondreams (2020-05-21). Fink Thinks BlackRock Already \'Operates in Accordance\' With New Purpose of a Corporation. commondreams.org ______________________________…

C. J. Hopkins (2020-05-21). Brave New Normal (Part 2). dissidentvoice.org My columns haven\'t been very funny recently. This one isn\'t going to be any funnier. Sorry. Fascism makes me cranky. I don\'t mean the kind of fascism the corporate media and the fake Resistance have been desperately hyping for the last four years. God help me, but I\'m not terribly worried about a few hundred …

WSWS (2020-05-21). The Trump administration makes Taiwan latest front in anti-China campaign. wsws.org The US has provocatively hailed the re-election of Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen and pressed Taiwan\'s case at the annual World Health Organisation (WHO) ministerial assembly.

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…

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 …

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-05-21). \"Tom Perez\'s Worst Nightmare\": Newly Elected DNC Member RL Miller to Push Dems on Climate. commondreams.org RL Miller, founder of the advocacy group Climate Hawks Vote, was elected to the Democratic National Committee last Friday—and she intends to push the Democratic Party's governing body to improve how it handles the climate crisis and fossil fuel industry, according to a Thursday interview in Emily Atkin's HEATED newsletter. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/perez-miller.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 …

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). 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

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

Lynda Carson (2020-05-21). Covid-19 resurgence is a real possibility warns a leaked Pentagon memo. indybay.org Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic…

Lynda carson (2020-05-21). Tenants denied rent relief, as Trump Organization seeks rent relief. indybay.org Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic

The Commonwealth Club (2020-05-21). Will Climate Matter in the 2020 Election during the Pandemic? indybay.org Online via livestream…

Science for the People & partner (2020-05-21). The Science We Need + The Science We Have: Internationalism in the Pandemic. indybay.org Online via livestream…

Women\'s March (2020-05-21). Art & Resistance in the Era of COVID-19 (Women\'s March). indybay.org Online via Zoom…

Dan Bacher (2020-05-21). Labor and Environmental Groups Ask Governor to \'Protect People and Not Polluters. indybay.org \"Workers in the fossil fuel industry, like workers in every industry, should receive direct relief during this crisis, and should receive transition assistance going forward as oil and gas production and use in California continues its inevitable decline.\"

Posted By Lynda Carson (2020-05-21). #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!

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). 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.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). 2,392 new coronavirus infections confirmed in Iran: spokseman. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — According to Iranian Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour, 2,392 new coronavirus cases and 66 deaths have been confirmed in Iran during the past 24 hours.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). Sanctions, coronavirus cannot stop Iran\'s production: Rouhani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the American virus and coronavirus can not stop Iran in the production field despite their impacts.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). Elimination of Zionist regime doesn\'t mean eliminating Jews: Leader. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — In a Wednesday tweet, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali said that eliminating the Zionist regime doesn\'t mean eliminating Jews.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). Intl. Quds Day, symbol of fighting global arrogance, hegemony. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — Muslims around the world makes the International Quds Day, which falls on the last Friday of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). Collapse of Israeli regime perceptible: IRGC. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — On the occasion of International Quds Day, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps released a statement, saying that evidence implies that the liberation of Quds is imminent.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). Venezuelan military to escort Iranian tankers delivering fuel. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — 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 said on Wednesday.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). Mousavi condemned sanctions against interior min., police chief. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — Iran\'s foreign ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi said that the US regime\'s fruitless and repetitive sanctions against the Interior Minister, the police chief, and other Iranian officials are sign of the US regime\'s weakness, despair, and confusion.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). Front pages of Iranian intl. dailies on May 21. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — Here are the front pages of Iran-based international newspapers on Thursday, May 21.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). Iranian police bust over 26 tons of illicit drugs in a week. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — International Deputy of Iran Drug Control Headquarters Nasser Aslani said on Wednesday that over 26 tons of narcotics have been confiscated by Iran\'s anti-narcotics police forces in the country in the last week.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). Headlines of Iranian dailies on May 21. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — Mehr News takes a look at the headlines of Iranian dailies on Thursday, May 21.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). US unlawful sanctions threaten global public health: envoy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — Iran\'s Permanent Representative to the UN office in Geneva said that the US unlawful sanctions threaten global public health.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). Legitimacy biggest challenge to Israeli regime: FM Zarif. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) —Iranian Foreign Minister said that the biggest challenge to the Israeli regime is \'legitimacy\'.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-21). Funeral processions of 4 martyrs of Iranian Navy in Shiraz. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — Funeral processions of 4 martyrs of Iranian Navy was held on Thursday in Shiraz, Fars Province. Iranian Navy announced on May 11 that the naval mishap for its light vessel in Konarak has led to the martyrdom of 19 and wounding of 15 personnel.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). One Policeman Killed, Three injured in Alleged Terror Attack in Kashmir. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Several weeks ago, Indian security forces gunned down a top commander of the Kashmir-based Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terror group.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). India\'s COVID-19 Frontline Warriors Caught Between Pandemic and Neglect. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Medical professionals are frontline fighters in the war against coronavirus. In India, they have to fight on several fronts — exposure to infection, social alienation and heavy handed management. Many state-run hospitals don\'t have enough protective gear for those medics handling COVID-19 patients.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). COVID-19-Led Reverse Migration to Disrupt India\'s Urban & Rural Economy, Business Models – Analysts. sputniknews.com Sputnik (New Delhi): As many as 2.1 million migrants have been carried to their home states in 1,595 Special Trains over the last three weeks by Indian Railways. The measure was agreed on as a large number of migrant workers started hiking back to their hometowns in different states, despite the threat posed by the coronavirus.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). French Businessman Proposes Selling Mona Lisa to Help Nation Amid COVID-19 Pandemic. sputniknews.com In late-April, France\'s national statistics agency, INSEE, reported that the country fell into recession as it\'s GDP contracted 5.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020, primarily due to the coronavirus lockdown imposed in March.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). White House Goes After China\'s \'Malign Activities\', Accuses Beijing of Array of Crimes in New Report. sputniknews.com The report comes on the heels of President Trump accusing China of causing the global coronavirus pandemic, and suggesting that Chinese \"incompetence\" is responsible for \"mass worldwide killing\". Chinese officials have dismissed US allegations, suggesting they are based on Washington\'s own failures in handling the pandemic.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). Ankara Warns of \'Serious Consequences\' After Haftar\'s Air Force Reveals Plan to Strike Turkish Units. sputniknews.com Turkey began sending troops to Libya in January to shore up the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). Before that, Ankara provided the GNA with military equipment to assist Tripoli in its ongoing campaign against the Tobruk-based government and the Libyan National Army (LNA) of Gen. Khalifa Haftar.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). \'No Probe, Huh?\': Swiggy, Zomato in Hot Water Over \'Stale Food\' Deliveries Amid Pandemic. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): As people are confined to their homes due to the lockdown, online food delivery platforms are booming. However, scores of people have been venting on social media about the poor quality of food on online platforms.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). Trump Administration Offers Energy Companies Steep Royalty Cuts Amid COVID-19 Pandemic. sputniknews.com In April, the Interior Department\'s Bureau of Land Management was cited by The Hill as confirming royalty-rate cuts to oil and gas companies were possible if they could show that otherwise they were not able to successfully operate public energy leases economically or maintain enough staff at drilling sites.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). Refusal to Return Venezuelan Gold Undermines UK\'s Stance on COVID-19 Response – Ex-Lawmaker. sputniknews.com LONDON (Sputnik) – The repeated refusal by the UK to return Venezuelan gold assets to their legitimate owner is compromising the UK\'s efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, especially after the Latin American nation made it clear that the money would be used exclusively for the virus response efforts, ex-lawmaker Chris Williamson said.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). Who are the Barack Obama-Linked Scientists Who Lecture Trump on COVID-19 Preparedness? sputniknews.com A group of Barack Obama\'s former scientific advisors have issued the strongest warning yet to the White House on Donald Trump\'s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). Obama Science Team Warns US Has 3 Months to Replenish Medical Stockpiles in Case COVID Strikes Again. sputniknews.com Ex- US President Barack Obama and his successor recently exchanged verbal barbs, with the former slamming the administration\'s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Donald Trump countering by calling him \'grossly incompetent\'.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). Origin of the Problem of Multilateralism is Retreat of United States – Media Adviser to Ex-Indian PM. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Countries across the globe are coming together in the fight against COVID-19 and multilateral platforms on an economic, regional and global basis remain relevant. Despite this, there are growing question marks over the efficacy of such platforms to deal with the crisis.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). Mysterious \'First-of-Its-Kind\' Trojan Asteroid is Detected by Astronomers. sputniknews.com Although quite rare, it is not at all unusual for astronomers to come across so-called \"active\" asteroids, that share some characteristics with comets due to their outgassing tails. However, a newly-discovered space object may complicate this definition even more.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). S Korean Unification Minister Reportedly Denies Rumors Over Lifting Sanctions on Pyongyang. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Seoul is not considering lifting sanctions that were imposed on Pyongyang in 2010 after a South Korean warship was sunk by North Korea, in spite of rumours to the contrary, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said on Thursday, as reported by the Yonhap news agency.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). Go Green! Antarctica\'s Snow is \'Changing Colour Due to Climate Change\'. sputniknews.com The rise of the global temperatures has had a dramatic effect on our planet\'s polar regions, which are warming up faster than other parts of the Earth; the secondary effects of this distressing phenomenon can be quite visible.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). Russia Ready to Sell Abroad New Radar Locator Detecting Hypersonic Targets – Defense Exports Agency. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia\'s state intermediary agency for defence exports, Rosoboronexport (part of Rostec Corporation), said on Thursday it was ready to sell abroad a new radar locator, capable of detecting hypersonic targets.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). Scotland\'s Sturgeon Unveils Lockdown Exit Plan, Lifting Restrictions From 28 May. sputniknews.com According to Nicola Sturgeon\'s plan, Scotland will be reopening in four stages over the nex few months, with \"phase one\" beginning as early as next Thursday.

sputniknews (2020-05-21). US Navy Member Wounded as Gunman Goes on Shooting Spree at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in Texas. sputniknews.com The station has been on lockdown following a reported incident.

yenisafak (2020-05-21). Amazon taps into food delivery services in India. yenisafak.com Amazon.com Inc is rolling out services to deliver food in India, pitting it against established players Swiggy and Zomato in a market that has seen explosive growth in the last few years.Amazon already has a strong presence in India with its e-commerce business and the food delivery services would only add an attractive option for the company that has been investing heavily in the country.\"Customers have been telling us for some time that they would like to order prepared meals on Amazon in addition to shopping for all other essentials,\" an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the company had roll…

yenisafak (2020-05-21). Turkey distributes food aid to hundreds in Lesotho. yenisafak.com Turkey\'s state-run aid agency distributed food aid in Lesotho to hundreds of vulnerable families and fasting Muslims affected by the economic impact of the novel coronavirus.\"The distribution was done in four districts of Lesotho, which include, Maseru, Berea, Leribe and Botha Bothe,\" the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.TIKA said the food aid was meant to help fasting Muslims during the month of Ramadan as well as vulnerable non-Muslims affected by the restrictions introduced to curb the spread of COVID-19, which have stopped millions from working for several wee…

yenisafak (2020-05-21). Dining dummies help cafe-goers keep a fashionable distance in Vilnius. yenisafak.com Mannequins dressed in clown hats and couture frocks have taken up seats in restaurants in Lithuania\'s capital, to coax real customers back after the coronavirus lockdown and help them out with social distancing.Bernie ter Braak said he came up with the idea when he reopened his Cozy restaurant in Vilnius\' old town and saw how empty it looked.Even when customers started coming back in, he had to obey restrictions and keep every second table clear, killing the atmosphere.So he asked local designers to dress up some mannequins and seat them at the quarantined tables.\"When we had all the mannequins sitting in their p…

yenisafak (2020-05-21). EasyJet to restart some flights in June with compulsory masks. yenisafak.com British low-cost airline easyJet said it would restart a small number of flights on June 15, becoming the latest airline to plan for the return of European travel by making face masks mandatory onboard.EasyJet\'s planes have been grounded since late March when the novel coronavirus spread across Europe. The airline said it would restart primarily domestic flights in Britain and France, before adding other destinations.Flights would restart with new safety measures including the wearing of masks by passengers and cabin crew, enhanced cleaning of aircraft and no food service onboard.EasyJet shares, which have sunk 6…

yenisafak (2020-05-21). France: End of lockdown sees bicycle use balloon. yenisafak.com Since the coronavirus lockdown was lifted in France, bicycle usage has gone up 44% nationwide, as reported by cycling advocacy group Velo et Territoire. | The data was gathered by 182 counters who counted bicycles on popular cycling routes nationwide. | Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has pushed for the continued use of bikes throughout the Paris region during the crisis, feeling it was the right move to keep traffic at bay, thus reducing the spread of infection where possible. | To that end, Paris will add 50 kilometers of temporary cycling lanes, while towns and villages in the region will add 150 km of lanes. | The F…

yenisafak (2020-05-21). Eurozone PMI hits 3-month high in May amid pandemic. yenisafak.com The Eurozone Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) recorded the three-month high in May after seeing all-time low last month, according to a flash estimate on Thursday.The PMI, which dropped to 13.6 in April, rose to 30.5 this month, a report by the London-based global data firm IHS Markit said.\"The eurozone economy remained stuck in its deepest downturn ever recorded in May due to ongoing measures taken to control the coronavirus disease,\" it stated.\"However, the rate of decline eased as parts of the economy started to emerge from lockdowns.\"The report warned that social distance and other measures continue to affect s…

yenisafak (2020-05-21). China\'s Wuhan says conducted 887,321 COVID-19 tests on May 20. yenisafak.com The city of Wuhan, the original epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak in China, conducted 887,321 nucleic acid tests on May 20, the local health authority said on Thursday, compared with 856,128 a day earlier.Wuhan kicked off a campaign on May 14 to look for asymptomatic carriers – infected people who show no outward sign of illness – after confirming on May 9-10 its first cluster of COVID-19 infections since its release from a virtual lockdown on April 8.

yenisafak (2020-05-21). Libyan Army enters downtown al-Asabaa. yenisafak.com The Libyan Army on Thursday entered al-Asabaa downtown after clashes with warlord Khalifa Haftar\'s militia.Libya Al-Ahrar TV channel cited unnamed military source as saying the army launched an attack on the remnants of Haftar\'s militia, who had escaped from the al-Watiya airbase.On Wednesday, the Libyan army said it was in progress towards liberating the town located 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the capital Tripoli from Haftar\'s militia.Local tribes in al-Asabaa announced their support to the Libyan government on the same day.Libya\'s army on Monday retook al-Watiya Airbase, a key facility now back under governme…

yenisafak (2020-05-21). Al-Watiya defeat derailed UAE\'s Libya plans: Analysis. yenisafak.com Al-Watiya had long been the main airbase used by the LNA in western Libya. This airbase was not only the main center of air operations but also the center of all land operations carried out by the LNA in western Libya. For this reason, the Libyan government controlling the airbase is a large loss for the LNA\'s military presence in western Libya. In particular, following this defeat the LNA can no longer provide military supplies to certain critical fronts south of Tripoli and western Libya. For this reason, LNA spokesperson Ahmed Al-Mismari announced the evening after the defeat that they would be \"tactically\" re…

yenisafak (2020-05-21). Turkey says Haftar forces will be \'legitimate target\' if Ankara\'s interests attacked. yenisafak.com Turkey reiterated Thursday it will respond to putschists Khalifa Haftar\'s elements in Libya as a \"legitimate target\" if they attack Turkey\'s interests in the country.\"We remind it once again that in case of targeting Turkish interests in Libya, this will have very heavy consequences and the putschist Haftar elements will be considered as a legitimate target,\" Hami Aksoy, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said in a written statement.Aksoy\'s statement came after eastern Libya-based renegade Gen. Haftar\'s militias said they would target Turkish forces and interests.\"It is noteworthy that the statement, which is…

yenisafak (2020-05-21). Healthcare workers \'face violence\' for pandemic work. yenisafak.com The International Council of Nurses (ICN) on Thursday said its global network has informed it of \"highly concerning\" reports of mounting violence aimed directly at nurses and other healthcare workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.\"Violence against nurses and other healthcare workers has always been a serious issue, but it should never be accepted as part of the job,\" states an article published in British medical journal The Lancet.It is co-authored by ICN chief executive officer Howard Catton who told journalists covering the UN in Geneva last week that the association estimated that nearly 100,000 h…

yenisafak (2020-05-21). Texas naval air station reports active shooter. yenisafak.com The U.S. Navy said on Thursday it is aware of reports of a possible active shooter at a naval air station in Corpus Christi, Texas.The station itself tweeted earlier there was an active shooter near one of its gates and that the base was in lockdown.

yenisafak (2020-05-21). US: FedEx to rehire two black employees after viral video. yenisafak.com American cargo company FedEx said early Thursday it offers reemployment to two African-American workers who were fired after sharing a confrontation video with a white costumer.\"We are aware of the incident in GA [Georgia] that led to the release of two drivers employed by a service provider. We\'re offering employment while investigating to ensure an appropriate outcome,\" it said on Twitter.The company added that it takes allegations of \"discrimination, retaliation, or improper employment actions\" seriously.A driver of FedEx shared the video on Twitter Wednesday, which went viral within hours, saying he and a co-…

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 …

George Ochenski (2020-05-21). Trump-style Dysfunction Comes to Montana. counterpunch.org The Montana Public Service Commission is far from living up to its name. Instead of public service, we get a highly regrettable rat\'s nest of in-fighting among its all-Republican members. Now, even more regrettably, not only is this public agency refusing to honor Montana\'s constitutionally guaranteed \"right to know\" about our own government, but actually

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-20). At World Health Assembly, unanimous support for independent global study on pandemic. peoplesdispatch.org Attempts by the US and Australia to marginalize China at the World Health Assembly failed as the resolution adopted by member states through consensus made no mention of either Wuhan or China…

WHO-Watch Team (2020-05-20). Mixed outcomes at the \'COVID-19 World Health Assembly\'. peoplesdispatch.org The 73rd World Health Assembly saw the US continue its attack on China and the World Health Organization. The WHA recognized immunization as a global public health good but failed to do the same for vaccines…

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.

Newsclick (2020-05-20). At World Health Assembly, US bid to scapegoat China fails. peoplesdispatch.org Former Ambassador M.K. Bhadrakumar talks about the two-day World Health Assembly where COVID-19 was a major focus area. He talks about how the attempts by the US to pin the blame for the disease on China backfired. He also talks about how India has failed to emerge as an important player in this context and has ended up ganging up with the US…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-20). Venezuela invasion bid: US denial on its role is not credible. peoplesdispatch.org Can we believe the claims of the US administration that it had no involvement in the most recent Venezuelan invasion attempt? Anya Parampil of The Grayzone tells more.

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-05-20). Failures in Syria and Libya Fuel Coup Speculations Against Erdogan. globalresearch.ca Turkish media has been full of speculation of a potential coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, including from state-run

Whitney Webb (2020-05-20). Media Ignores Israel Connection to Eric Schmidt\'s Push For NY \"Smart Cities\" thealtworld.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 been given to the decision by NY Governor Andrew Cuomo to tap former Google executive Eric Schmidt to

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-05-20). Video: \"The House Cat Flu\" is Coming. The Meow Apocalypse… globalresearch.ca The following episode of the Simpsons was released in 2010. | It is a satire. But at the same time it reveals the unspoken truth. The writer of the script is an award winning author and political analyst. Michael Price | This …

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

Staff (2020-05-20). It\'s Possible to Run for Office as an Unapologetic Socialist and Win. truthout.org Despite being an eternal disappointment to the majority of people, the capitalist-allied political establishment is able to remain in power in part by maintaining the illusion that politics is for experts, people with Rolodexes full of professional contacts, people who went to elite schools. Since the myth of meritocracy maintains that people get ahead professionally because they\'re smarter or better than others, the people who are in charge (both as candidates and behind the scenes) are presumed dese…

South Front (2020-05-20). Video: Turkey\'s \'Neo-Ottoman\' Project Shifts Focus From Syria to Libya. globalresearch.ca This week, massive Turkish military support has finally allowed the Government of National Accord to achieve some breakthrough in the battle against the Libyan National Army (LNA). | On May 18, GNA forces and members of Turkish-backed militant groups from Syria …

South Front (2020-05-20). Video: Caliphate in Miniature: Rift Between Turkey and Al-Qaeda in Idlib. globalresearch.ca In the second half of April and early May, the Syrian province of Idlib became the epicenter of a military political drama developing between Turkish forces and their al-Qaeda-linked allies. | The escalated tensions even led to a military incident on …

RT (2020-05-20). Pompeo denies firing of State Department IG was retaliation for probe into 'emergency' arms sales to Saudi Arabia. rt.com The US secretary of state has confirmed he asked the president to sack Inspector General Steve Linick, but denied it was in retaliation for reported probes into arms sales to the Saudis and the use of an aide for personal errands.

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…

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). \"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). 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). 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.

Andrew Korybko (2020-05-20). The US\' \"Medical Terrorism\" Against Syria Threatens to Make World War C Much Deadlier. globalresearch.ca The Syrian Ambassador to Russia slammed the US\' sanctions against his country as a form of medical terrorism that prevents it from importing much-needed \"medicines, and medical goods, and other means to combat [COVID-19]\", which strongly suggests that America wants …

Claire O\'Manique (2020-05-20). The Way Out of the COVID-19 Crisis Is a Green New Deal. commondreams.org Fortunately, we have an alternative to this fossil-fuelled, neoliberal capitalist normal: the Green New Deal. (Photo: Climate Justice Ottawa) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/canada-green-new-deal_0.jpeg …

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 …

Martha Grevatt (2020-05-20). Economic ruin, pandemic pose question: Capitalism or Socialism? workers.org This is a slightly edited and expanded version of a talk given during the \"What Road To Socialism?\" webinar held by Workers World Party on May 16. May 17 — According to the Department of Labor, the official unemployment rate is now almost 15 percent. A staggering 37 million workers . . . |

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2020-05-20). How Russia is Botching Its Relationship With Syria. counterpunch.org What complicates Russia\'s relationship with Syria, which has sometimes been referred to as a Russian client state, is that two strong-willed, highly self-opinionated leaders are also involved here—Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Syria Bashar al-Assad. Both enjoy unshakeable clan support and can hold their ground. Assad is by no means a Russian protege, and the interests of the two countries do not always overlap, either.

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.

Jipson John (2020-05-20). The pandemic has only exposed the suicidal tendencies of capitalism: Noam Chomsky. mronline.org \'Another, probably more severe pandemic has been predicted. Scientists know how to prepare, but someone must act. If we choose not to learn the lessons that are right before our eyes, the consequences will be dire.\"

commondreams (2020-05-20). CODEPINK to Hack BlackRock\'s Annual Shareholders Meeting. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Eva Bartlett (2020-05-20). US just piled more misery on Venezuelans already hit by sanctions & pandemic. Now they are deprived of most popular TV service. thealtworld.com America\'s meddling in Venezuela has no boundaries. After a failed coup attempt, trying to install a bogus …

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.

Mark Gruenberg (2020-05-20). Obama, in two speeches, criticizes Trump and challenges grads to grab control. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Stepping out of what had been a public self-imposed silence on discussing his successor, former President Barack Obama slammed Donald Trump, though not by name, for badly botching the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic—a pandemic, Obama said, that has laid other social ills bare for all to see. The former generation, including Trump, has …

Eds. (2020-05-20). Our economic system fuels outbreaks, says Evolutionary Epidemiologist who predicted the pandemic. mronline.org Mass deforestation, industrialised animal agriculture and reductions in biodiversity are among a number of factors which increase the likelihood of the emergence and spread of dangerous pathogens such as the coronavirus disease 2019, explains scientist Dr Rob Wallace in an exclusive interview with Sputnik.

Janine Jackson (2020-05-20). \'Efforts to Make Voting More Difficult Are Magnified in a Pandemic\' – CounterSpin interview with Ari Berman on voter suppression and the coronavirus. fair.org Janine Jackson interviewed Ari Berman about voter suppression and the coronavirus for the Media…

Tim Libretti (2020-05-20). Hospital mystery \'One Foot in the Grave\' a working-class response to pandemic. peoplesworld.org The coronavirus pandemic, it is now commonly observed, has drawn into relief, and indeed exacerbated, the various layers of inequality already fragmenting culture and society in the United States. At the same time, when it comes to class inequality, in particular, Americans have tended to find ways to gloss over the brutal realities in the …

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-05-20). Global Cockfights, Viruses, and the Monsters Within. counterpunch.org It\'s a funny thing, language. Geniuses tell us that it\'s what separates us most from the chimpanzees at the zoo who spit at us, unimpressed. One time, I saw a guy spit back and pick up a banana that had fallen from the cage, and made as if to give it back to the chimp with entreating eyes, only to pull it back at the last minute and begin a burlesque peel that drove Bonzo, and his mates, cageshakingly apeshit, and as he ate it, like a one-percenter, I could see in Bonzo\'s eyes a vow to evolve

Kenneth Surin (2020-05-20). What The President Continues To Say (About The Plague). counterpunch.org In two previous pieces in CounterPunch I compiled Donald Trump\'s statements on the COVID-19 pandemic up to May 2nd-3rd. Here is a continuation of that list. Rather than place Trump\'s statements in strict chronological order, I have sometimes put 2 or more of statements from different days together, to highlight Trump\'s contradictions and subsequent deviations—

Ellen Brown (2020-05-20). Another Bank Bailout Under Cover of a Virus. counterpunch.org When the Dodd Frank Act was passed in 2010, President Obama triumphantly declared, \"No more bailouts!\" But what the Act actually said was that the next time the banks failed, they would be subject to \"bail ins\" — the funds of their creditors, including their large depositors, would be tapped to cover their bad loans. But bail-ins were tried in Europe, and the results were disastrous.

Karen J. Greenberg (2020-05-20). America\'s Pandemic Role Reversal: Over There Is Now Over Here. counterpunch.org Remember the song \"Over There\"? \"Over there, over there Send the word, send the word over there That the Yanks are coming, The Yanks are coming, The drums rum-tumming everywhere…\" Maybe not, since it was popular so long ago, but it was meant to inspire American troops saying goodbye to their country on their way

Eds. (2020-05-20). The Navajo Nation is being decimated by this virus. mronline.org The problems facing Native American communities during this pandemic were decades in the making.

John Bachtell (2020-05-20). Biden\'s \'crisis presidency\' and potential for transformative change. peoplesworld.org We shall not lose heart, no matter which turn history takes, but we shall not allow history to take a turn without our participation. — V.I. Lenin Like all national and global crises, the COVID-19 pandemic and economic implosion will profoundly change people, work, and society generally. The only question is, how much? Other great …

David Unger (2020-05-20). Will COVID-19 become a modern-day Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and spark reform? peoplesworld.org The world is in the grips of a horrible pandemic that will touch us all. But as has almost always been the case, the burden of COVID-19 will disproportionately fall on marginalized and working people. In New York, now the epicenter of the U.S. crisis, we watch as the crisis pushes the stories of previously …

Steve Sweeney (2020-05-20). Vietnam marks Ho Chi Minh\'s 130th birthday; prepares for victory over COVID-19. peoplesworld.org Vietnam celebrated the 130th anniversary of the birth of Ho Chi Minh Tuesday by announcing the imminent end of its COVID-19 outbreak, with no locally transmitted cases reported for 33 consecutive days. Despite bordering China, where the outbreak began, Vietnam has recorded no deaths from the virus. It attributes its success to preventative measures such …

Sue Davis (2020-05-20). Migrants lead struggle as \'reopening\' fuels resistance. workers.org May 18 — Ford Motors CEO Jim Farley said during a recent conference call, \"The auto industry is [the U.S.] economic engine. Restarting the entire auto ecosystem is how we restart the economy.\" (New York Times, May 18) Workers protest unsafe conditions due to COVID-19 as the Tesla auto plant . . . |

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.

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.

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…

Devin Cole (2020-05-20). Living under fascism, killing fascism. workers.org \"Black communist James S. Allen included this map of the \'Black Belt\' and adjoining plantation lands of the South in his 1938 \'The Negro Question in the U.S.\'\" This is a slightly edited version of a talk given during the\"What Road To Socialism?\" webinar held by Workers World Party on . . . |

Phebe Eckfeldt (2020-05-20). Women and gender-nonconforming people: Nothing to lose but our chains. 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. In his book \"High Tech, Low Pay,\" Sam Marcy, the late Workers World Party chairperson, talks about how technology has diminished the number of skilled workers . . . |

Global Research News (2020-05-20). Selected Articles: China Updates Its \'Art of Hybrid War\'. globalresearch.ca By The escalated tensions even led to a military incident on the M4 highway, near the town of Nayrab, when the Turkish Army …

(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). Granddad dies of coronavirus, dad denied test & dies, mom sent back home with symptoms: Detroit man shares family tragedy with RT. rt.com Covid-19 swept through a Detroit family, killing Keith Gambrell\'s father and grandfather just hours apart. He told RT his family was the victim of negligence and racism. | \"I feel like my dad was pushed to the back of the line for getting the test because he was black,\" Keith Gambrell said. \"He went to a hospital in an all-white neighborhood. They looked at him and pushed him out the door to go home and die.\" | Also on rt.com | | Keith was speaki…

RT (2020-05-20). WATCH: McDonald\'s workers across the US go on STRIKE in protest over coronavirus working conditions. rt.com Hundreds of McDonald\'s workers in the US are protesting unsatisfactory working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic, with some quitting and others decrying the risk they say they\'re being exposed to from Covid-19. | Strikes took place in over 20 cities across the US, including Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Jose in California, as well as St. Louis, Missouri, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee. The protests were planned for Wednesday, ahead of the company\'s annual shareholders meeting the following day. | The Fight for 15 movement — a group focused on raising the minimum wage…

RT (2020-05-20). Adding insult to injury: Spike in Covid-19 robocalls & fraud pushing Americans over the edge. rt.com From phony positive Covid-19 test results to deceptive offers of financial relief, robocalls have proliferated amid the pandemic, separating Americans from millions of precious dollars at a time when few can afford to lose money. | As if locked-down Americans don\'t have enough to worry about, robocalls have exploded in frequency, afflicting 91 percent of respondents in a survey

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…

RT (2020-05-20). Morning Mika demands Twitter censor Trump over murder accusations, wants to speak with CEO Jack and lawyer. rt.com MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski wants to see the manager. She is attempting to get President Donald Trump\'s Twitter account banned over tweets in which he accused her husband Joe Scarborough of murder. | The president regularly uses social media to slam critics in legacy outlets, but his recent tweets about \'Morning Joe\' co-host Scarborough were particularly harsh, as they relate to the 2001 death of an intern in the former congressman\'s office. | Conspiracy theories have swirled around the death for years, although the medical examiner at the time found it to be accidental, reporting the intern passed out from an…

RT (2020-05-20). Iran's top cop among nine targeted by new round of US sanctions. rt.com Not letting the pandemic soften its hard line on Tehran, Washington has sanctioned nine Iranian officials over alleged human rights violations during last year\'s protests, including Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli. |

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.

Gareth Porter (2020-05-20). Washington\'s Tell Tale of Iranian-Al Qaeda Alliance Based on Questionably Sourced Book \'The Exile\'. globalresearch.ca 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

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 …

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-20). Abbas Suspending Agreements with Israel? globalresearch.ca In 2005, Israel virtually installed Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian president and PLO chairman. | A rigged election with no legitimacy assured it. His mandate is serving as Israel\'s enforcer. | He\'s kept in power as long as remaining submissive to Israeli interests …

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

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.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-05-20). National Day of Mourning Slams Trump and GOP\'s Failed Covid-19 Response as US Death Toll Nears 100,000. commondreams.org As the U.S. death toll from Covid-19 climbed toward 100,000 and congressional Republicans continued \"pumping the brakes\" on further relief spending, a coalition of advocacy groups on Wednesday held a \"National Day of Mourning\" to protest the GOP's inadequate response to the coronavirus pandemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/eyep7m2xyayjdgp2.jpg …

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-05-20). After Coronavirus Triggers 17% Emissions Drop, Experts Say Only \'Fundamental Structural Change\' Can Save Humanity\'s Future. commondreams.org After an analysis revealed Tuesday that lockdowns from the coronavirus pandemic caused planet-heating emissions to drop in early April by an unprecedented 17%, climate scientists and activists warned that progress will quickly be erased if the world returns to business as usual and called for systemic changes in the global energy, food, and transportation sectors. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12134770401.jpg …

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…

Jon Levine (2020-05-20). YouTube Censors Epidemiologist Knut Wittkowski for Opposing Lockdown. globalresearch.ca this is an article by NYP. Selected excerpts | Big Tech companies are aggressively tamping down on COVID-19 \"misinformation\" — opinions and ideas contrary to official pronouncements. | Dr. Knut M. Wittkowski, former head of biostatistics, epidemiology and research design …

Steven Sahiounie (2020-05-20). The US Is Using Wheat as a Weapon of War in Syria. globalresearch.ca Apache helicopters of the

Barbara Nimri Aziz (2020-05-20). Mocking Birds in Spring 2020. globalresearch.ca Our seas and rivers look cleaner; our air feels fresher, quieter; our streets and roadways are abandoned. Panic shopping for household supplies has passed, only to be replaced by lines of mothers and fathers at food banks while UberEats and …

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-05-20). Israel and Iran Face Each Other in Cyberspace. globalresearch.ca Cyber ‚Äã‚Äãwarfare is one of the main bellicose activities of contemporary times. Through technologically advanced and powerful weapons, the great world powers face each other on the international stage in an invisible field, far from media attention, where the most …

Robert Abele (2020-05-20). We Hold These Truths: An Updated Manifesto for the Sick, the Tired, the Poor, and the Huddled Masses Yearning to Breathe Free. globalresearch.ca These are not only rapidly changing times; they are revolutionary times. The people are awakening not only to a new situation of living under Coronavirus, but a situation in which the hot spotlight is shining on the ongoing injustices, incompetence, …

Elijah J. Magnier (2020-05-20). Israel Strikes Syria to Keep the USA in the Levant 20 Years After the Unconditional Withdrawal From Lebanon — What Has Been Achieved? globalresearch.ca Following its

The Global Research Team (2020-05-20). Global Research: Our Readers Are Our Lifeline. globalresearch.ca Dear Readers, | Your support has been a real lifeline to us over the past 12 months. We have found ourselves in rough seas, but have been able to ride the storm so far: the Global Research project lives on thanks …

Pepe Escobar (2020-05-20). China Updates Its \'Art of Hybrid War\'. globalresearch.ca In 1999, Qiao Liang, then a senior air force colonel in the People\'s Liberation Army, and Wang Xiangsui, another senior colonel, caused a tremendous uproar with the publication of

Sen. Scott Jensen (2020-05-20). US Hospitals Getting Paid More to Label Cause of Death as \'Coronavirus\'. globalresearch.ca First published on April 15, 2020 | Senator Scott Jensen represents Minnesota. He\'s also a doctor. He appeared on Fox News with Laura Ingraham where he revealed a very disturbing piece of information. | Dr. Scott Jensen says the American Medical Association …

Comité No Guerra no Nato (2020-05-20). Video: Let Us Free Ourselves From the Virus of War. globalresearch.ca International Conference on the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Italy and the End of World War II organised by the Italian Committee No War, No Nato and Global Research. | The great Italian journalist Giulietto Chiesa passed away a few …

Prof. Valeria Z. Nollan (2020-05-20). Coronavirus Crisis Has Created \"Major Political Fault Lines\" in Relations Between the World\'s Regions and Countries. globalresearch.ca It is curious that the coronavirus pandemic in which we unwittingly find ourselves is exposing both praiseworthy and unattractive features of the world we inhabit. On the one hand, countries are sharing vital information with each other. Medical personnel are …

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.

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 …

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…

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

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\".

Thomas Klikauer — Nadine Campbell (2020-05-20). Conspiracies and the Coronavirus in the USA and Germany. counterpunch.org By early May 2020, Coronavirus and Conspiracies had become a pressing issue. It should not come as a surprise that the global right-wing is linking the coronavirus to conspiracies. The use of conspiracies is nothing new. In 2018, CNN reported that within 72 hours, three hate crimes killed two African-Americans in Kentucky, nail bombs were

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.

Mark Gruenberg (2020-05-20). Corporations using coronavirus excuse to get permanent immunity from workers\' lawsuits. peoplesworld.org …

WSWS (2020-05-20). Ford Chicago Assembly worker tests positive for COVID-19 after North American auto plants reopen. wsws.org The Trump administration is spearheading a campaign to force a return to work, eliminating all pretense of combatting the spread of the coronavirus.

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

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 …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-05-20). Inglorious Bastardry: Hacking for Vaccines. counterpunch.org If you cannot discover or create something, best steal it. It has been the operating principle for everything from wealth to technology. With the efforts to discover a vaccine to the novel coronavirus being all but bound by solidarity, the race on plundering secrets has already begun in earnest. No one party can claim particular

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.

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.

commondreams (2020-05-20). Statement: Senator Carper Releases Valuable Report on EPA\'s Pandemic of Pollution. commondreams.org ______________________________…

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 …

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…

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

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.

H. Patricia Hynes (2020-05-20). Women Have Risen to Heroic Heights During Covid-19. commondreams.org Violence by an intimate partner is the leading cause of injury to women 15 to 44 years old. (Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/endviolenceagainstwomen.jpg …

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.

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.

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

Bernie Horn (2020-05-20). To Save Lives—and Democracy—We Need to Vote by Mail. commondreams.org It will be impractical, and in many places impossible, to safely conduct the election in 2020 unless the numbers voting on Election Day are greatly reduced. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/shutterstock_13034893.jpg …

commondreams (2020-05-20). Rep Garc√≠a, Sen Whitehouse, Indigenous and Community Leaders Call Out BlackRock on Climate Deception. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-05-20). Battles Over Barley: Australia, China and the Tariff Wars. asia-pacificresearch.com …

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

commondreams (2020-05-20). Cap and Trade Auction Reveals Weakness of Market-Based Climate Policy. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Alec Connon (2020-05-20). In the Fight to Curtail the Climate Crisis, the Earth Just Moved a Little. commondreams.org JPMorgan Chase is the world\'s largest funder of fossil fuels. Without that money, the fossil fuel companies simply can\'t afford to build their new mines, pipelines or fracking wells. (Photo: Antonia Juhasz/Twitter) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/shut_down_chase.jpg …

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…

commondreams (2020-05-20). Earthjustice: The Trump Administration\'s Assault on Public Protections Is a Handout to Corporate Special Interests. commondreams.org ______________________________…

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 …

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 …

Barton Kunstler (2020-05-20). Space Force\'s blabbermouth-in-chief. nationofchange.org The odds are our commander-in-chief has just given a case of the jitters to the entire defensive—and offensive—apparatus of the nuclear world.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-05-20). \"They Don\'t Care for Our Lives\": McDonald\'s Workers Strike Across US to Demand Better Protections From Covid-19. commondreams.org Demanding McDonald's prioritize public health and worker safety over profits, hundreds of employees at the fast food chain went on strike Wednesday, a day before the company was set to hold its annual shareholders' meeting. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1214144551_1.jpg …

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-05-20). Lavish Taxpayer-Funded Dinners Hosted by Pompeo Spark Concern Over Real Purpose. commondreams.org \"The CEO of Chick-fil-A is not someone I would say is involved in foreign policy.\" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pompeo_9.jpg …

Manlio Dinucci (2020-05-20). Piano USA: controllo militarizzato della popolazione. globalresearch.ca La Fondazione Rockefeller ha presentato il ´Piano d\'azione nazionale per il controllo del Covid-19 ª, indicando i ´passi pragmatici per riaprire i nostri luoghi di lavoro e le nostre comunità ª. Non si tratta perà≤, come appare dal titolo, semplicemente di misure …

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…

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-20). How the British Empire Created and Killed George Orwell. strategic-culture.org 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 state of the Russian people. | It is all lies of course. But amid all their countless fiascoes and failures in every ot…

Staff (2020-05-20). Amid COVID-19, NYC Subway Closures Force Unhoused People Into Packed Shelters. truthout.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 J…

Staff (2020-05-20). Reverend Barber Organizes \"Poor People\'s Digital March on DC\" for June 20. truthout.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. | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be…

Staff (2020-05-20). Mnuchin Wants to Deny Unemployment to Workers Who Stay Home Due to COVID Risk. truthout.org United States Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin assured conservative lawmakers on Tuesday that unemployment benefits could not be collected by workers who refused to return to work out of fear of contracting coronavirus. | While speaking before the Senate Banking Committee, Sen. David Perdue questioned Mnuchin on whether additional aid of $600 per week in unemployment \"disincentivizes\" people from returning to work. It\'s estimated that half the U.S. workforce could receive more income from un…

Staff (2020-05-20). WHO Doctor Warns Against Hydroxychloroquine Use as Trump Continues to Peddle It. truthout.org A high-ranking member of the World Health Organization (WHO) encouraged people against seeking out a drug frequently touted by President Donald Trump, who, without evidence backing up his claims, has called it a \"game-changer\" in the fight against coronavirus. | Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program and a former trauma surgeon and infectious disease specialist, explained this week that hydroxychloroquine should not be taken by individuals unless they\'re par…

Staff (2020-05-20). Workers Are Afraid of Returning to Work. Will There Be a General Strike? truthout.org Calls for a general strike are growing as millions of people consider going back to work after months of quarantine. Could a mass work stoppage be on the horizon? What about waves of local and regional general strikes as more cities and states move to reopen businesses during a global pandemic? Let\'s consider the conditions of our current moment. | As COVID-19 continues to claim

Staff (2020-05-20). Trump\'s Assaults on Government Watchdogs Expose His Authoritarian Ambitions. truthout.org It has nearly reached the point of being a parlor game: Which government watchdog will Donald Trump Before this past Friday, Trump had already sacked three of them. Intelligence community inspector general Michael Atkinson, who handled the Ukraine whistleblower complaint that led to the impeachment, got bounced on April 3. | Glenn Fine, the Defense Department\'s acting inspector genera…

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). 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.

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.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-20). Tehran; 50 days earlier and now. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — Here are photos that compare the same spots in central Tehran on March 24 and May 13. Iranian officials and medical experts have warned that people should continue to follow social distancing guidelines despite the re-opening of the economy.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-20). Iran population growth rate below 1%: official. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 20 (MNA) — Hamed Barakat, who presides over health ministry\'s department of population, family and school\'s health, said in a video conference on Wednesday that for the first time since the victory of the Islamic revolution, i.e.42 years ago, population growth in Iran has fallen below one percent.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-20). Iranian delegation to probe Harirud incident in Afghanistan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) — Afghanistan ministry of foreign affairs announced on Wednesday that an Iranian delegation, led by FM Mohsen Bahrvand is to arrive in Kabul to conduct investigations on Harirud incident; the tragic deaths of a number of Afghan migrants near the Iran-Afghanistan border in Early May.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-20). Zionist regime is a global problem: Foreign Minister Zarif. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 20 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the Zionist regime is a global problem that threatens the world with its nuclear bombs and Weapons of Mass Destruction [WMDs].

en.mehrnews (2020-05-20). US imposes new sanctions on Iranian entities, incl. Interior Min. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 20 (MNA) — The US Treasury Department announced on Wednesday fresh round of sanctions against some Iranian authorities including the Interior Minister Rahmani Fazli and Police Chief Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-20). Trump\'s letter to WHO vain attempt at wrong time: Mousavi. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 20 (MNA) — Following Trump\'s letter to WHO director-general, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi said that his letter is undermining the professionalism and independence of the Organization.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-20). Pursuing Gen. Soleimani\'s case among main priorities of Judiciary: chief. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 20 (MNA) — Iran\'s Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raeisi said that the body considers the case of Lieutenant General Soleimani\'s assassination at international level one of its main priorities.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-20). Iran, Russia discuss regional issues, bilateral coop. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 20 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali held a telephone conversation with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Andrey Rudenko on Wed. on the regional issues and matters of mutual concerns.

Tanya Wadhwa (2020-05-20). Due to US coercive measures, DirecTV\'s operations suspended in Venezuela. peoplesdispatch.org On May 19, the US telecommunications company AT&T announced, without prior notice, the suspension of DirecTV\'s operations in Venezuela. DirecTV is a broadcast satellite service provider, transmitting digital television and radio signals to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. | In an official statement, AT&T said that due to the sanctions imposed by the US government on Venezuela, it was impossible for the company \"to comply with the legal requirements of both countries\" and it \"was forced to close its pay TV service in Venezuela.\" | The abrupt suspension of services was denounced by…

news.un (2020-05-19). WHO countries agree 'equitable and timely access' to coronavirus vaccine, 'comprehensive evaluation' of response. news.un.org The World Health Organization (WHO) concluded the annual World Health Assembly on Tuesday, adopting a resolution that calls for an independent review of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the agency\'s own performance.

Max Blumenthal (2020-05-19). \'Les amis américains\' : de nouveaux documents révèlent l\'étendue de l\'opération d\'espionnage sur Julian Assange. thegrayzone.com Une enquête exclusive de The Grayzone révèle de nouveaux détails sur le rà¥le clé joué par le milliardaire Sheldon Adelson…

Bruce Lerro (2020-05-19). Left Gatekeepers Through the New Left: Monitored Rebellion. dissidentvoice.org The Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters by Frances Stonor Saunders Cultural containment meant \"ring around the pinkos\" Leftist Patron Saints What do the following people have in common: Noam Chomsky, Cornel West, Naomi Klein, Robert Reich, Michael Albert, Howard Zinn, Amy Goodman, Medea Benjamin, Norman Solomon, Chris Hedges, …

Staff (2020-05-19). Headlines for May 19, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Claims He Is Taking Hydroxychloroquine Despite FDA Warnings, Navajo Nation Has Highest Coronavirus Infection Rate in the U.S., 60-Year-Old Burmese Refugee Becomes Eighth COVID-19 Victim at Colorado Meat Plant, 74-Year-Old Man at California ICE Prison Dies of Suicide, Trump Attacks WHO as U.S. and China Trade Barbs over Pandemic Response, Early COVID Vaccine Trials Show Positive Results, Outbreak at Refugee Center in Germany Infects at Least 70 people, France and Germany Propose 500 Billion-Euro Coronavirus Assistance Fund for EU, Sà£o Paulo\'s Hospitals \"Near Collapse\" as Brazil Becomes Third Most Infe…

Staff (2020-05-19). \"Whitening of the Media\": As Pandemic Cuts Ravage Newsrooms, Diversity Is \"First Thing That Goes\" democracynow.org At a time when many journalists are risking their lives to cover the coronavirus, media companies are slashing jobs and salaries. Over the past week, hundreds of journalists at Vice, Quartz, The Economist, BuzzFeed and Condé Nast have been laid off. In April, The New York Times estimated 36,000 employees of news media companies had been laid off, furloughed or had their pay reduced since the arrival of the pandemic. We speak with award-winning journalist and former editor of The Denver Post, Gregory Moore. He says, \"Advertising has fallen out of these newspapers because of the economic shutdown, and it has led to…

Staff (2020-05-19). Harvard Doctor: As States Rush to Reopen, Lack of COVID-19 Testing Is \"Achilles Heel\" for U.S. democracynow.org President Trump claimed Monday he\'s been taking the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, even though multiple studies show the drug can be dangerous and is not an effective treatment for COVID-19. This comes as the U.S. COVID-19 death count tops 90,000 and all 50 U.S. states prepare to partially reopen by Memorial Day. We speak with Dr. Ashish Jha, the director of Harvard University\'s Global Health Institute, who says that testing needs to vastly improve in order for widespread reopenings. He calls the lack of accurate tests in the U.S. the nation\'s \"Achilles heel,\" saying, \"The testing saga will go down as one…

Gareth Porter (2020-05-19). Washington\'s tall tale of Iranian-Al Qaeda alliance based on questionably sourced book \'The Exile\'. thegrayzone.com A disinformation campaign aimed to justify the assassination of Qassem Soleimani by painting him and Iran as willing enablers of…

Peter Koenig (2020-05-19). China\'s New Crypto-Currency: First Step to Full Dedollarization? dissidentvoice.org \'We\'ll cut off the whole relationship\' —Trump threatened China in a recent Fox-Business interview, suggesting he may cut diplomatic relations with China and thereby saving US$ 500 billion. He didn\'t say how, though. Mr. Trump\'s anger referred to what he calls China\'s \"mismanagement\" of the corona crisis. This is consistent with the new China bashing …

Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo (2020-05-19). What You Need to Know about the ICC Investigation of War Crimes in Occupied Palestine. dissidentvoice.org Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has, once and for all, settled the doubts on the Court\'s jurisdiction to investigate war crimes committed in occupied Palestine. On April 30, Bensouda released a 60-page document diligently laying down the legal bases for that decision, concluding that \"the Prosecution has carefully considered the …

Misión Verdad (2020-05-19). Genocide and military occupation: The five most important keys of the agreement executed between Guaidó and Silvercorp. peoplesdispatch.org Analysis by Misión Verdad of the contract between Silvercorp and the Venezuelan opposition which lays out their plan to overthrow Maduro and install a military occupation…

Media Lens (2020-05-19). An Illusion of Protection: The Pandemic, the \"Criminal\" Government and Public Distrust of the Media. dissidentvoice.org Any notion that the UK government actually considers that its primary responsibility is to protect the health and security of the country\'s population ought to have been demolished in 2020. The appalling death toll that continues to mount during the coronavirus pandemic is largely rooted, not merely in government \'incompetence\', but in criminal dereliction of …

Jay Stanley (2020-05-19). Technology and Liberties in the Fight Against Coronavirus. aclu.org There have been disease outbreaks throughout human history, but never one that has taken place in the era of high-tech tracking tools and \"big data.\" , , Policymakers and technologists have proposed a number of ideas for leveraging such technologies to help suppress the spread of COVID-19. At the ACLU, we recognize the urgency of stemming the pandemic and re-opening America, and don\'t think we should immediately write off any tools that may offer public health benefits. But we shouldn\'t give up critical rights and freedoms unless a proposal is necessary, effective, and proportionate. We are particularly wary…

K.J. Noh and Claudia Chaufan (2020-05-19). Why is Sam Husseini Channeling Neocon Conspiracy Theories on Covid-19? dissidentvoice.org Journalist Sam Husseini, was once known for challenging the Neocon warmongers on the Iraq War in a former lifetime. He now seems to have joined them, becoming a promoter of anti-China Neo-con conspiracy theories on the origins of Covid-19. Husseini recently wrote a series of articles that recycle a large amount of right wing disinformation—alt-right …

Staff (2020-05-19). US Sanctions On Iran Fueled By Hate And Money. therealnews.com John Bolton brought Richard Goldberg from the neoconservative Foundation for Defense of Democracies to serve as a senior advisor for the National Security Council, ensuring that sanctions against Iran will intensify even as Iran is wracked by COVID-19.

Gilbert Mercier (2020-05-19). COVID-19 Great Depression: Global Ecosocialism Is the Way Out. dissidentvoice.org Suffering in numbers The abstract science of mathematics is a language like music. But while music is in the realm of pure emotion, the language of mathematics only speaks to the mind not the heart. Numbers and equations do not lie. They are not, by essence, subjective. This being said, when the numbers are those …

Anthony Monteiro (2020-05-19). The revolutionary legacy of Malcolm X. peoplesworld.org Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little May 19, 1925, was assassinated Feb. 21, 1965, and buried El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. He is the most remarkable figure in the African-American nationalist tradition and one of the more important figures in the entire struggle for democracy and Black liberation. In many respects, his legacy defines modern day revolutionary African-American …

pip.hinman (2020-05-19). Making up 28% inside, First Nations inmates are still at threat from COVID-19. greenleft.org.au

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-19). Tomorrow\'s Arctic: Theatre of War or Cooperation? The Real Story Behind the Alaska Purchase. strategic-culture.org Today, the Arctic has increasingly become identified as a domain of great prosperity and cooperation amongst world civilizations on the one side and a domain of confrontation and war on the other. | In 2007, the Russian government

The Canary (2020-05-19). Scientists dismiss claims \'mega doses\' of vitamin D can protect against Covid-19. thecanary.co Scientists have dismissed \"very misleading\" social media reports that so-called \"mega doses\" of vitamin D can protect against coronavirus.Some articles have claimed that the vitamin can act as a protective measure — which scientists say is \"not true\" and prompted an urgent need to inform the public.However, they have emphasised the importance of maintaining a healthy level of vitamin D in the body.Professor Colin Smith, the University of Brighton\'s professor of functional genomics, said: \"There are currently some very misleading articles doing the rounds on social media about mega doses of vitamin D as a Cov…

The Canary (2020-05-19). What do the latest statistics tell us about Covid-19 deaths? thecanary.co The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published its latest figures for the number of deaths involving coronavirus in England and Wales.Here are five things the data tells us about the situation across the country.— The number of deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK has passed 44,000Tuesday\'s ONS figures show that 39,071 deaths involving Covid-19 had occurred in England and Wales up to 8 May and had been registered up to 16 May.(PA Graphics)Latest figures from the National Records of Scotland, published last week, showed 3,213 deaths involving Covid-19 had been registered in Scotland up to 10 May.Data f…

The Canary (2020-05-19). Harriet Harman says Covid-19 contact tracing app assurances do not cut the mustard. thecanary.co New laws to protect the privacy of personal information gathered by the coronavirus contact tracing app are a \"no brainer\" — and can be adopted quick enough without disrupting its rollout, Harriet Harman has said.The Joint Committee on Human Rights — which Harman chairs — has a bill drafted and ready for introduction, amid concerns about the data such an app can gather and who can access it.Using Bluetooth, the app keeps an anonymised log of other people also using the app who have been in close contact with the user.If someone shows symptoms, they can inform the app, which will instruct anyone who…

The Canary (2020-05-19). Grenfell Inquiry to resume when possible, but not for several weeks. thecanary.co The latest stage of the Grenfell Inquiry will not resume until at least July — more than three years after the west London tower block blaze that killed 72 people.The second phase of the investigation was halted on 16 March by chair Martin Moore-Bick as the coronavirus swept through Europe, with at least one panel member falling ill with suspected Covid-19 and concerns over the safety of other participants.The panel had spent more than a month hearing evidence from witnesses to examine the circumstances and causes of the disaster — on 14 June 2017 — before proceedings were drawn to an abrupt end.

The Canary (2020-05-19). MPs \'risk becoming 650 super-spreaders\' if forced to return to Westminster. thecanary.co Plans for MPs to return to Westminster next month risk creating 650 Covid-19 \"super-spreaders\", a Labour MP has warned. | Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has It comes as MPs learned that the planned multibillion-pound renovation of the Palace of Westminster is set for a review due to…

The Canary (2020-05-19). Ministers face pressure as councils and teachers question school reopening date. thecanary.co Ministers are facing increasing pressure from council leaders and teaching unions to reconsider their plans to open primary schools in England to more pupils from next month. | Calderdale Council in West Yorkshire has joined a number of local authorities in advising its schools against reopening more widely to Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils from 1 June amid safety concerns. | Solihull Council, believed to be one of the first Conservative-led local authorities to question the government\'s proposed start date, has warned that some school places may not be ready for the first week of June. | It came as a poll f…

RT (2020-05-19). MSNBC and Fox News finally agree! Media comments on Trump \'taking\' malaria drug against Covid-19 reach new level of bizarre. rt.com MSNBC\'s Joe Scarborough has recommended listening to Fox\'s Neil Cavuto over hydroxychloroquine — an anti-malarial drug with hotly-debated effectiveness in fighting Covid-19 — slamming the president\'s support for the medicine. | The media went into a frenzy after Donald Trump said he was taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventive measure against coronavirus, but none of the responses have been more bizarre than the apparent teaming-up of liberal commentator Scarborough and Fox News\' Cavuto. | \"I say this to seniors who I\'m so worried about, and I know we\'re all worried about you, because the presiden…

RT (2020-05-19). Fearing the baying mobs? Jamie Dimon roasted for belated show of caring about inequality. rt.com JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon has called for \"rebuilding a more inclusive economy\" in a letter to shareholders. The internet isn\'t buying the plutocrat\'s change of heart, however, reasoning he\'s more concerned about populist rage. | Dimon used his company\'s latest shareholder

RT (2020-05-19). \'Potential benefit outweighed the risk\': Trump\'s doctor pens letter in defense of HCQ, Twitter still unconvinced he\'s taking it. rt.com With media and online pundits going into a full-blown meltdown after US President Donald Trump said that he was taking hydroxychloroquine as a prophylaxis against coronavirus, his doctor issued a statement in support of the drug. | Trump\'s admission late Monday that he has been taking the experimental drug, originally designed to treat malaria and several other conditions, has caught many off-guard, spawning a torrent of reactions online. | The White House physician says he and the president \"concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks.\" The FDA says there\'s no evidence hydroxy…

RT (2020-05-19). \'Fat shaming is cool now?\' Pelosi\'s jab at Trump\'s weight sends #MorbidlyObese trending & the \'Resistance\' can\'t get enough. rt.com US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was cheered by President Donald Trump\'s critics after dubbing him \"morbidly obese,\" even making the phrase trend online, but many have condemned what they see as a double standard over \"fat shaming.\" | Pelosi\'s comment came during an interview with CNN\'s Anderson Cooper on Monday, telling the pundit she was concerned about the president\'s health after he said he was taking hydroxychloroquine — a controversial treatment for Covid-19 which Trump says he\'s taking as a preventative measure. Speaking on air, Pelosi \"diagnosed\" the US leader as \"morbidly obese.\" | \"I would rather h…

RT (2020-05-19). Keep your distance: US Navy tells vessels in the Gulf to stay 100 yards away or be seen as threat. rt.com The US Navy has issued new guidelines for mariners in the Persian Gulf, warning anyone against approaching too close to its vessels. Those defying the warning would be seen as a threat and met with \"defensive measures.\" | US military vessels will take \"lawful defensive measures\" against ships that would come closer that 100 yards (about 91 meters), warns a new notice to mariners, according to reports by Reuters and AP. | The usual actions taken in case of a close encounter involve turning the ship away from the approaching vessel, sounding a horn and shooting off flares before firing even warning shots. | Also…

Anand Naidoo (2020-05-19). The Heat: President Xi supports COVID-19 review. america.cgtn.com China says it will support an international review of the coronavirus pandemic when the health emergency ends.

Andre Vltchek (2020-05-19). The Soviet Victory over Nazism 75 Years Ago and Covid-19. dissidentvoice.org How could the Great Patriotic War in which the Soviet people (including many members of my own family) lost at least 25 million lives, have anything in common with the latest outbreak of the novel coronavirus? You think this is an absolutely insane question? However, before you dismiss it, think twice. There are similarities how …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-19). Mismanagement of pandemic by Haitian President Jovenel MoàØse fuels latest protests demanding his resignation. peoplesdispatch.org In response to the anti-government demonstrations, the Haitian National Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd and arrested many social leaders…

Eleanor J. Bader (2020-05-19). Staging a Defense of Reproductive Rights. progressive.org As anti-choice activists try using the pandemic to stop abortions, this nonprofit theater group pushes back.

Annika Stechemesser, Leonie Wenz, Anders Levermann (2020-05-19). [Commentary] Corona crisis fuels racially profiled hate in social media networks. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic has the world firmly in its grip with more than 2.5 million confirmed cases worldwide [1] and over 100 countries in full or partial lockdown [2] (as of April 24th, 2020). Although political leaders call for solidarity and people all over the world have started support initiatives, various incidents prove that the corona outbreak has also given rise to a series of discrimination and racist attacks against Chinese people and people with Asian looking features [3—5]. These attacks are not restricted to the physical space but pertain to social media networks as well.

news.un (2020-05-19). Coordination essential to beat coronavirus, keep development goals on track. news.un.org As the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis continues to wreak havoc across the world — with the most vulnerable suffering the most — the UN chief said on Tuesday that the task of eradicating poverty and achieving the development goals \"has never been more challenging, more urgent and more necessary\".

graham (2020-05-19). Private healthcare hospitals poised to cash in on exploding surgery waiting list. truepublica.org.uk The COVID-19 crisis caused NHS Doctors to postponed more than 2million operations after non-emergency surgery was cancelled for at least three months to free up beds for coronavirus patients. This number was just less than eight weeks of booked operations that currently costs the NHS £1billion a month. \"We have to do a really major …

Sasha Abramsky (2020-05-19). Is Trump Encouraging Paramilitary Violence? thenation.com Is Trump Encouraging Paramilitary Violence?

Karen J. Greenberg (2020-05-19). Covid-19 Is Destroying the Myth of American Exceptionalism. thenation.com Covid-19 Is Destroying the Myth of American Exceptionalism…

news.un (2020-05-19). Syria: UN relief chief appeals for renewal of lifesaving cross-border aid operation. news.un.org The UN\'s top aid official has urged the Security Council to renew a mechanism that provides lifesaving assistance to millions of desperate people in northwest Syria, through cross-border deliveries from Turkey.

news.un (2020-05-19). 'Alarming\' military build-up underway in Libya, as COVID-19 heightens insecurity. news.un.org The civil war in Libya is in danger of intensifying as foreign intervention grows and the spectre of the COVID-19 pandemic adds to a deepening sense of insecurity, the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) told the Security Council on Tuesday.

news.un (2020-05-19). Post-pandemic \'green shift\' in transport could create up to 15 million jobs. news.un.org Transforming the transport sector to be more environmentally-friendly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, could create up to 15 million new jobs worldwide and help countries move to greener, healthier economies, according to a UN-backed report published on Tuesday.

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.

Jessica Suriano (2020-05-19). What Happens When You Age Out of Foster Care During a Pandemic? thenation.com What Happens When You Age Out of Foster Care During a Pandemic?

Joshua K. Leon (2020-05-19). Nations Fight Extreme Patenting to Ensure Access to COVID-19 Relief. progressive.org The pandemic is spurring fresh efforts to rein in the ability of Big Pharma to put profits over public health.

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.

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-19). Gene-Editing Vaccines: Forced Vaccination vs. Informed Consent In The Age Of COVID-19. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (5/18/19). 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 …

Ruth Anna Buffalo (2020-05-19). When a Two-Year Sentence Becomes a Death Sentence. aclu.org Andrea Circle Bear wasn\'t given a death sentence. , , She plead guilty last year to maintaining a drug-involved premises. She was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison. , , But shortly after being transferred from a jail in South Dakota to a federal prison in Texas, Circle Bear died of COVID-19 while in custody, just 28 days after giving birth via C-section while on a ventilator. The 30-year-old member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota was the first federally incarcerated woman to die from COVID-19. , , Just how did a pregnant woman serving time for a drug offense get sent to a crowded f…

Fight Back (2020-05-19). Read some Ho Chi Minh for his birthday. fightbacknews.org To mark the birthday of Ho Chi Minh, May, 19, 1890, Fight Back is circulating his 1960 article The path which led me to Leninism. | After World War I, I made my living in Paris, now as a retoucher at a photographer\'s, now as painter of \"Chinese antiquities\" (made in France!). I would distribute leaflets denouncing the crimes committed by the French colonialists in Viet Nam. | At that time, I supported the October Revolution only instinctively, not yet grasping all its historic importance. I loved and admired Lenin because he was a great patriot who liberated his compatriots; until then, I had read none of his boo…

Derrick Broze (2020-05-19). Which Side of the \"Vaccine Information War\" Are You On? thelastamericanvagabond.com The NY Times launches the first shot in the Vaccine Information War. Do you support individual liberty or collective force? In a recently published opinion piece, The New York Times all but declared war against Americans who question the safety of vaccines. Of course, the war being waged is — for the moment — a …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-19). Israeli Troops Erect Settler-only Bypass Road in Southern Nablus. imemc.org Israeli troops reportedly embarked on erecting a bypass road, on Tuesday, in the Huwara village, south of Nablus city in the northern occupied West Bank. Local Palestinian media sources said that the road is seven kilometers-long and that it will be located on about 100 acres of Palestinian farm lands. …

NationAction (2020-05-19). Take Action Now: Fight for Immigrant Justice. thenation.com Take Action Now: Fight for Immigrant Justice…

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).

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…

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-19). UPDATED: Israeli Troops Abduct Several Palestinians in West Bank and Israel. imemc.org Updated: May 20 @ 0651 | The Palestinian Prisoners\' Society (PPS) reported that Israeli forces detained 18 Palestinians from across the West Bank. | The following names are the Palestinian residents detained by Israeli forces; | 1.

Ali Salam (2020-05-19). Israeli Settler Convicted in Dawabsha Arson Attack. imemc.org Israel\'s Lod District Court convicted Israeli settler, Amiram Ben-Uliel, on Monday, for his involvement in the arson attack that resulted in the death of 18-month-old Ali Dawabsha, the Jerusalem Post reported. Ben-Uliel was involved in the 2015 attack that killed the infant and severely burned his older brother Ahmad and …

news.un (2020-05-19). Guterres encourages Member States to reach agreement over Ethiopian Nile dam project. news.un.org UN chief António Guterres is encouraging Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to persevere with efforts to overcome their differences and reach agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Sputnik News (2020-05-19). Israeli Operatives Behind \'Highly Accurate\' Cyberattack on Iranian Port Facility — Report. iranian.com On 10 May, the managing director of Iran\'s Ports and Maritime Organization, Mohammad Rastad, confirmed in a televised statement that the county\'s port of Shahid Rajaee, in the coastal city of Bandar Abbas, was the victim of a cyberattack by an unknown foreign hacker on 9 May, bringing to a halt all shipping traffic in …

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-19). Why East Beat West on Covid-19 (Part II). strategic-culture.org Andrew SALMON | It is abundantly clear that East Asia has managed the Covid-19 crisis far better than the West. So what is behind this glaring differential? | The In this part, Asia Times examines leadership, policy response, vaccination policy, travel and geographic integration,…

John McEvoy (2020-05-19). \"I was outraged\": Venezuelan foreign minister responds to secretive British \'reconstruction\' plans. thecanary.co On 13 May, The Canary