Susie Day (2020-04-23). Puerto Rico, Protest, Prison: Johanna Fernández and Jose Saldaña Talk About The Young Lords. counterpunch.org Johanna Fernández, child of immigrants from the Dominican Republic and professor at New York\'s Baruch College, has just published The Young Lords: A Radical History, a book about the 1960s Puerto Rican activist group. The Young Lords began as a Chicago street gang; then, inspired by the Black Panther Party, morphed into a militant rights

Max Blumenthal (2020-04-23). Coronavirus Stimulus Bill Funds State Dept/USAID Operations that Once Helped Trigger Polio Outbreak in Syria. globalresearch.ca While the $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill was authored in the spirit of beating back a pandemic, buried deep within its text is a stipend for the US State Department operations dedicated to carrying out foreign interventions that have contributed …

Santa Cruz News (2020-04-23). Libertarian Activist Organizes \"Re-Open\" Santa Cruz March, Calls Pandemic a Hoax. indybay.org Libertarian activist Sean Cutler is organizing a march to Santa Cruz City Hall on April 24 in support of re-opening the \"local economy\". An event listing posted to social media by Cutler promises \"speeches\" at City Hall, however it is unclear if the event is real or a stunt, as only one person is listed as attending. The event post for the march demands \"an end to the tyrannical quarantine\" and encourages participants to \"bring flags, banners, posters, and the loving spirit of freedom\". On March 16, Cutler posted on social media that the COVID-19 pandemic was, \"overblown, childish, and insane\". The pandemic is \"s…

Alex Darocy (2020-04-23). Demonstrators Demand Santa Cruz Provide Hotel Vouchers for the Homeless. indybay.org Community members in Santa Cruz organized a \"physical distancing\" protest today to demand the City and County of Santa Cruz provide hotel vouchers for the homeless during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The demonstration was organized following California Governor Gavin Newsom\'s statements made during a press conference on April 18 that cities and municipalities that are blocking the State\'s effort to provide hotels for the homeless will be \"judged\" by history.

WSWS (2020-04-23). Merchants of death: Multibillion-dollar bailout for arms industry amid rising COVID-19 toll. wsws.org Workers in arms plants, classified as \"essential infrastructure,\" have protested and struck against the coronavirus threat that confronts the entire working class amidst the drive for a return to work.

Chris Smalls (2020-04-23). Amazon Workers Hold Nationwide Strikes As COVID-19 Sweeps Warehouses. zcomm.org Fired Amazon employee Chris Smalls says workers will protest until they feel protected, while Amazon-owned Whole Foods is ranking stores where employees are most likely to unionize…

Gary Leupp (2020-04-23). Talking Points for the \"End the Shutdown\" Protesters. counterpunch.org Just some helpful, encouraging ideas for the heroes who rally in defense of the dying system, enjoying the rebellious rush of imbibing one another\'s mucosal droplets in shouted sessions in classic settings. Some thoughts to discuss with friends and supporters, especially with the devout religious people leading the movement: *Pontius Pilate washed his hands after

Mimi Harris, Philip Locker and Evan Seitchik (2020-04-23). After Bernie: It\'s Time to Start Talking About a Democratic Socialist Party. counterpunch.org We all felt a deep sadness as Bernie Sanders announced the end of his campaign, along with gratitude for all his work fighting for socialist policies. The COVID-19 pandemic brutally underlines just how necessary Bernie\'s policies are. It\'s painful to even contemplate the presidential race being between the Wall Street Democrat Joe Biden and the

Howard Lisnoff (2020-04-23). Our Revolution or Our Capitulation? counterpunch.org Seeing Bernie Sanders sitting on camera side by side with Joe Biden, demanding nothing, made me want to… Bernie Sanders gave up without hardly a whimper! No wonder that many of his supporters are fuming and stating that they will not vote for Biden in November. See \"Say It Ain\'t So, Joe: The Latest Neoliberal

Jesse Jackson (2020-04-23). Incarceration is Now a Potential Death Sentence. counterpunch.org This week, the New York Times featured the story of how the coronavirus savaged the Federal Correctional Complex in Oakdale, Louisiana. On March 28, Patrick Jones, 49, serving a 27-year sentence for possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute, became the first federal inmate to die of the virus. Barely three weeks later,

Fight Back (2020-04-23). 150 years after the birth of V.I. Lenin: Long Live Leninism! fightbacknews.org On April 22, 1870 the great Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was born in a small city of Simbirsk near the Volga River. Lenin stood at the forefront of Russia\'s revolutionary movement, at the helm of the world\'s first socialist country, and simultaneously brought into being the modern international communist movement. Lenin\'s thinking and the movement he helped create shook the world, and with our collective efforts, will shape the future. | Lenin\'s practical and theoretical contributions are legion. He was a profoundly practical person, who made major contributions to Marxist theory. In fact, Lenin to…

Mike Davis (2020-04-23). Marxism in an age of catastrophe — capitalism created an era of plagues. mronline.org We live in an era of plagues because of capitalist development, argues socialist author Mike Davis. But he also says coronavirus has exposed the gap between a tiny rich elite and the rest of us—and creates space to put forward socialist ideas…

South Front (2020-04-23). Video: Government Forces Clash with Kurdish Militias Amid Israeli Strikes on Central Syria. globalresearch.ca On April 21, clashes broke out in the city of Qamishly between the Kurdish Asayish, a security force of the Syrian Democratic Forces, and the pro-government National Defense Forces. | Local sources claim that NDF units tried to capture several Asayish …

Stephen Lendman (2020-04-23). Iran\'s Military Satellite Launch, Pentagon Response, Trump Regime Threats. globalresearch.ca On Wednesday, Iran\'s IRGC launched a military satellite into orbit 265 miles in space above planet earth. | IRGC commander General Hossein Salami said the \"successful launch of the satellite promoted new dimensions of the defense power of the Islamic Republic …

Stephen Lendman (2020-04-23). Iran Harassing the US? Trump Threatens War? globalresearch.ca The Iranian and US geopolitical agendas are world\'s apart. | Iran hasn\'t attacked another country in centuries, threatens none now. Claims otherwise turn truth on its head. | The US, in contrast, is at war on humanity at home and abroad — …

Philip Giraldi (2020-04-23). Monitoring the Public After Coronavirus. globalresearch.ca It is too early to say when or even whether the siege initiated by the coronavirus will end, but many Americans and Europeans are speculating over what kind of countries will emerge on the other side. National Security Agency (NSA) …

Juan Cole (2020-04-23). Trump failed on Coronavirus, now wants to \"shoot down\" tiny Iranian Skiffs. zcomm.org I doubt that Trump\'s tweet will last longer than his memory of calling the coronavirus a hoax has. He\'s just seeing if he can get a rise from his base by … acting like a scoundrel.

RT (2020-04-23). \'I strongly disagree\': Trump says Georgia lifting Covid-19 lockdown \'too fast,\' but governor REFUSES to back down. rt.com US President Donald Trump said Georgia is scaling back its coronavirus lockdown measures too quickly, voicing disapproval for the state\'s aggressive timetable for reopening, but Governor Brian Kemp held firm to his plan. | \"I told the governor of Georgia that I disagree strongly with his decision to reopen certain facilities… which are in violation of the federal phase one guidelines,\" Trump told reporters at a White House briefing on Wednesday, adding that the state should \"wait a little longer.\" | Although the president took issue with the Republican governor\'s decision, which has drawn major backlash from…

RT (2020-04-23). Fauci \'CONVINCED\' US should brace for return of coronavirus in fall, says scale depends on \'response\'. rt.com A top member of the White House Covid-19 task force, Dr Anthony Fauci, said there is practically no chance the virus would leave the nation for good, predicting a resurgence in the fall which may overlap with the flu season. | \"We will have coronavirus in the fall. I am convinced of that, because of the degree of transmissibility that it has, the global nature,\" Fauci said at Wednesday\'s White House briefing, adding that while the next outbreak will be \"complicated by influenza season,\" the country will be \"much, much better prepared to do the kind of containment compared to what happened to us this winter.\"

Matthew J. L. Ehret (2020-04-23). From COP-21 To COVID-19: The Collapse Of \"Predictive Models\" and the Return to Actual Thinking. dissidentvoice.org American Surgeon General Jerome Powell\'s recent announcement that America would begin using real data and real trends instead of the World Health Organization-Bill Gates driven \'predictive models\' came as a breath of fresh air for many who were beginning to lose hope that reason had been banished from world policy. When compared with reality, the WHO/Gates-funded narrative …

RT (2020-04-23). China to donate additional $30mn to WHO for fight against Covid-19. rt.com Beijing will donate an additional $30 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the global fight against Covid-19, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday. Hua tweeted the donation was aimed in particular at strengthening developing countries\' health systems and added that China had already donated $20 million to the WHO in March. | The pledge comes about a week after US President Donald Trump suspended funding to the WHO and accused the Geneva-based organization of promoting Chinese \"disinformation\" about the virus, which emerged in the central city of Wuhan last yea…

RT (2020-04-23). \'Can\'t offer help with one hand & smother with the other\': Russia slams West & its allies after anti-sanction draft fails at UNGA. rt.com Moscow has blasted the decision by a group of countries, including the US, to block a draft resolution calling for an end to unilateral sanctions on developing countries gripped by the coronavirus pandemic. | The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) rejected two draft resolutions on Wednesday, aimed at supporting the battle against the Covid-19. Both of the Russia-sponsored and the Riadh-championed drafts received at least one \"nay\" after they were circulated among the body\'s members on Wednesday. A single objection is enough for a draft to be defeated in line with the special voting protocol in effect at th…

Eds. (2020-04-23). A crisis like no other: social reproduction and the regeneration of capitalist life during the COVID-19 pandemic. mronline.org As the COVID-19 health crisis deepens, it looks increasingly clear that the short-term collapse in global output is likely to exceed that of any recession in the last 150 years—that is, in the entire history of capitalism. The ILO estimates that the crisis will lead to the destruction of 195 million jobs. Hence, after discussing …

RT (2020-04-23). UK starts testing potential Covid-19 vaccine on humans. rt.com Over 500 brave volunteers began the process of receiving the first doses of the UK\'s efforts to create a Covid-19 vaccine as clinical trials got under on Thursday. | The vaccine has been developed by teams at the University of Oxford\'s Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group, and work began on it as recently as January. This short time-frame has led some to raise questions about the extraordinary speed at which the potential pandemic panacea has been developed. | A total of 510 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55 will take part in the clinical trials as the UK joins only the US and China in begi…

The Canary (2020-04-23). UN chief warns that coronavirus pandemic is becoming a \'human rights crisis\'. thecanary.co UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has said the coronavirus pandemic is \"a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis\".The UN chief issued a video message warning there is discrimination in the delivery of public services to tackle coronavirus (Covid-19) and there are \"structural inequalities that impede access to them\".He said the pandemic has also seen \"disproportionate effects on certain communities, the rise of hate speech, the targeting of vulnerable groups, and the risks of heavy-handed security responses undermining the health response\".He warned that with \"rising ethno-nationalism, populi…

yenisafak (2020-04-23). German court opens first Syria torture trial. yenisafak.com Two suspected members of President Bashar al-Assad\'s security services had charges of torture and sexual assault read out against them on Thursday in a German court, in what lawyers say is the first trial for war crimes by Syrian government agents.Anwar R., a former intelligence officer who applied for asylum in Germany six years ago after leaving Syria, is charged with 58 murders in a Damascus prison where prosecutors say at least 4,000 opposition activists were tortured in 2011 and 2012.Grey haired, with a bald patch and wearing a moustache, glasses and a dark sweater, he sat calmly behind a glass cubicle erect…

sputniknews (2020-04-23). Immigration Freeze: COVID-19 Provides \'Window of Opportunity\' for Key Trump Policy – Prof. sputniknews.com On Wednesday evening US President Trump announced that he had signed an executive order putting a hold on the entry of immigrants to the country for at least 60 days.

sputniknews (2020-04-23). Nobody Will Survive if Pandemic Spreads in Iraq\'s IDP Camps – Official. sputniknews.com Iraq\'s internally displaced persons might have survived Daesh*, but they have zero chances of completely fighting off the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to spread throughout the war-torn country, warns an official who has been working with IDPs since 2016. Certain obstacles make matters worse, but IDPs are determined to keep the virus at bay.

sputniknews (2020-04-23). Ex-Concentration Camp Prisoners Ask Investigation Committee to Deal With Actions of Finnish Invaders. sputniknews.com Former prisoners of Finnish concentration camps in Karelia have asked Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the Investigation Committee, to look into the actions of the occupation authorities during the Great Patriotic War.

sputniknews (2020-04-23). Iran Summons Swiss Ambassador Representing US to Lodge Protest Against Trump\'s Threats. sputniknews.com The US president said he had \"instructed\" the country\'s Navy to shoot and sink Iranian gunboats if they start harassing American war vessels in the Persian Gulf. Head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami later cautioned Washington against such step warning that Tehran will shoot back.

RT (2020-04-23). Indian refineries slash Middle East oil imports as storage fills up. rt.com Due to plummeting fuel demand and overflowing storage capacity, at least three oil refiners in India have asked for lower crude oil imports for May from the Middle East, including from the world\'s top exporter Saudi Arabia. | Two oil refiners will be cutting their crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia by between 66 percent and 80 percent for May, as India — population 1.3 billion people — went into a nationwide lockdown at the end of March. The lockdown has since been extended to May 3. | Due to the lockdown and to India\'s struggles to contain the spread of the coronavirus, fuel demand in the world\'s t…

RT (2020-04-23). Working dead? Seoul says \'no unusual signs\' from North Korea & Kim carrying on duties despite reports of \'grave illness\'. rt.com North Korean leader Kim Jong-un apparently keeps up a busy schedule, penning letters to foreign leaders — that is, despite being placed on his death bed by some media, but Seoul says it has yet to detect any \"unusual signs.\" | An official with South Korea\'s Ministry of Unification — founded to improve ties with Pyongyang — brushed aside the rumors on Thursday, according to the Yonhap news agency, noting that the government had seen nothing out of the ordinary with North Korea\'s leader. | \"No unusual signs have been detected,\" the ministry official said, adding: \"We are monitoring North Korean m…

RT (2020-04-23). US warships will be DESTROYED if they threaten ANY Iranian vessel — Iran\'s Revolutionary Guards chief. rt.com Iran will not hesitate to retaliate against the US Navy if it attacks any Iranian vessel, Tehran\'s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander has warned, responding to a similar threat by Trump. | \"I have ordered our naval forces to destroy any American naval force in the Persian Gulf that threatens the security of Iran\'s military or non-military ships,\" Major-General Hossein Salami said on Thursday, as cited by Tasnim News Agency. | Salami was responding to US President Donald Trump, who said that he had issued an order on Wednesday to \"destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our shi…

Julie Hollar (2020-04-23). Media fail to identify xenophobia as Biden says Trump \'rolled over for Chinese\'. mronline.org Rather than respond by focusing blame for the crisis squarely where it belongs—on Trump\'s incompetent, reckless and self-centered management—and working to beat back the dangerously rising anti-Asian sentiment in this country, Biden and some of his supporting super PACs are choosing to adopt rather than challenge the anti-China premise of the attacks.

RT (2020-04-23). Vietnam says accusations it hacked China center for Wuhan virus info \'baseless\'. rt.com A report which said Vietnamese government-linked hackers had attempted to break into Chinese state organizations at the center of Beijing\'s effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak is \"baseless,\" the Foreign Ministry in Hanoi said on Thursday. | US cybersecurity firm FireEye said the previous day that the hackers had tried to compromise the personal and professional email accounts of staff at China\'s Ministry of Emergency Management and the government of Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the pandemic. | \"The accusation is baseless,\" Foreign Ministry spokesman Ngo Toan Thang told reporters. \"Vietnam fo…

RT (2020-04-23). US unemployment headed for 27 MILLION as pandemic erases all new jobs created since 2008 financial crisis. rt.com With the US Labor Department set to reveal the number of weekly jobless claims on Thursday, economists expect another 4.5 million Americans to have applied for unemployment benefits for the week ending April 18. | A slight decrease on the previous week\'s 5.2 million claims, it will bring the total number to around 27 million in a month. The number is greater than all the 23.3 million jobs created in the US since the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Economists broadly expect the figure to steadily decline going forward. | \"Claims have moved passed the peak more visibly now, but the cumulative number is still rising…

RT (2020-04-23). Hungary\'s lockdown rules to be in effect until May 3, as govt plans \'restart of economy\'. rt.com The Hungarian government will decide next week on the future of lockdown measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, as Budapest prepares for a restart of the economy, Prime Minister Viktor Orban\'s chief of staff said on Thursday. | Current lockdown rules will be in effect until May 3, and a new set of rules will be implemented thereafter to incrementally allow the economy to get back to normal, Gergely Gulyas said. | The new set of restrictions after May 3 will ensure that those who are the most endangered by the virus are protected when economic activity is recommenced, Gulyas said. The restart of the…

RT (2020-04-23). Moon\'s geology revealed in greater detail than ever before in first all-inclusive map (PHOTOS, VIDEO). rt.com For the first time in history, the entire lunar surface has been mapped and the geology classified, paving the way for safer future Moon landings and reminding us to look upwards once more. | Scientists from the USGS Astrogeology Science Center, in collaboration with NASA and the Lunar and Planetary Institute, have produced the \'Unified Geologic Map of the Moon,\' at 1: 5,000,000 scale, marking the culmination of decades of work. | | © NASA/GSFC/USGS | \"People have always been fascinated by the Moon and when we might return,\" said current USGS director and former NASA astronaut Jim Reilly. \"So, it\'s wonde…

RT (2020-04-23). Brent crude recovers as military spat between US and Iran overshadows investors\' fears over storage exhaustion. rt.com The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil has climbed by more than nine percent to $22.25 (ICE) on Thursday amid renewed military tensions between the US and Iran. | Brent crude prices had fallen by more than 50 percent over the last week, reaching its lowest level since June 1999. The dramatic drop came as concerns mounted that crude storage tanks are running out of space. | On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump had warned that the US Navy would attack Iranian gunboats if they \"harass our ships at sea,\" reigniting fears of a conflict in the Persian Gulf. | West Texas Intermediate (WTI) had similarly plunged…

Eds. (2020-04-23). ‚ÄãCoronavirus is not an enemy rather a courier. mronline.org A Perspective from Chinese Dao thinking…

Susan Price (2020-04-23). Indonesia: Regional health systems and COVID-19. greenleft.org.au

Lucas Koerner (2020-04-23). Trump Administration Orders Chevron to Shutter Venezuela Operations. globalresearch.ca The United States Treasury Department gave California-based oil giant Chevron until December 1 to wind down its operations in Venezuela. | The Treasury\'s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a temporary

Shane Quinn (2020-04-23). Forgotten War Crimes: NATO\'s 1999 Attack on Serbia\'s State TV Headquarters \"Wiped from the Record\" globalresearch.ca This article was originally published in 2018 following its 19th anniversary. Slight modification is made below for its 21st anniversary. | Twenty-one years ago, on 23 April 1999, a NATO missile attack on Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) headquarters killed …

Andrew Korybko (2020-04-23). India\'s Selective Embrace of Economic Nationalism Has Anti-Chinese Motivations. globalresearch.ca India\'s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) took a page from Trump\'s playbook by selectively embracing economic nationalism after it revised its foreign investment policy to mandate that companies from neighboring states receive government approval prior to …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-04-23). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: How contact tracing can fight the spread of COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Contact tracing is a used to slow community spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19. Contact tracing is the process of finding and reaching out to the people who have been in contact with an infected person. Then close contacts of a person who might have COVID-19 can be isolated or quarantined to lessen further spread …

Davide Mastracci (2020-04-23). Blame the Covid-19 failure on your governments, not on China. indybay.org The anti-Chinese narrative is based on false statements and serves to distract people from the failure of neoliberalism. Build hospitals and make health care universal! Cut military spending in half! Testing, not imprisonment, abuse and neglect!

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-04-23). How to safely care for someone with COVID-19 in your household. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Most people who get sick with COVID-19 should be able to recover at home without the need for hospitalization. Because of that, it\'s important to know what to do if someone in your household becomes infected. How can someone give that patient the care he or she needs without putting others in the household at …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-04-23). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Managing stress and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The COVID-19 pandemic has forced changes to daily life, and disrupted normal routines at work, at school, and at home. Physical isolation can negatively affect mental health, and constant news coverage can bring fear and anxiety about the disease. How can you best cope in these uncertain times? On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-04-23). COVID-19: Mayo Clinic expert on what it\'s going to take to reopen the US. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Widespread stay-at-home efforts have forced many businesses to close during the COVID-19 pandemic. As talk of reopening the economy ramps up across the U.S., Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic COVID-19 expert, answers questions about what it\'s going to take to get to that point. Watch: Dr. Gregory Poland answers questions on reopening after COVID-19 …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-04-23). Connecting Patients: New habits I\'ve learned from COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Have you created new patterns or behaviors in your daily life, while staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are there things you\'ve changed or learned about yourself that you\'d like to continue in the future? Bring your ideas to the Mayo Clinic Connect conversation: New Habits from COVID-19 and the New Normal__________________________________________ Shared from a …

WSWS (2020-04-22). Trump announces plan to halt all immigration to US. wsws.org Trump\'s \"pause\" on immigration is a desperate attempt by the crisis-riddled administration to distract from the criminality of the ruling class\'s own response to the coronavirus pandemic.

news.un (2020-04-22). FROM THE FIELD: Migrants use digital \'fab labs\' to address Djibouti health protection shortages. news.un.org With Djibouti\'s health system under enormous strain from the COVID-19 pandemic, young migrants in the country are using 3D-printers to make face shields, and ease the shortfall inside medical facilities.

ORION (2020-04-22). Free julian assange Nation wide Webinar event Panel. indybay.org zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Xh2EsZbrTtOq1FZifgfIlw…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-04-22). Who is Behind \"Fake News\"? Mainstream Media Use Fake Videos and Images. globalresearch.ca The mainstream corporate media is desperate. They want to suppress independent and alternative online media, which they categorize as \"fake news\". Readers on social media are warned not to go onto certain sites. Our analysis confirms that the mainstream media are routinely involved in distorting the facts and turning realities upside down.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-04-22). William Shakespeare and the New World Order: \"Hell is Empty and all the Devils are Here\" globalresearch.ca William Shakespeare\'s birthday: he taught us never to despair in our resolve to confront the Lie. \"to unmask falsehood and bring truth to light\". War criminals in high office are celebrated as messengers of peace: \"And thus I clothe my naked villany. And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.\" (Shakespeare, the words of King Richard III)…

Charles Pierson (2020-04-22). We Won\'t Stop COVID-19 with \"Chickenpox Parties\" counterpunch.org Thumbing their noses at both government directives and the coronavirus, right-wing protestors have been massing at state capitols in Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia, and Texas to demand the lifting of stay-at-home orders issued by Democratic governors. President Donald Trump has responded in a way that looks a whole lot like a call to insurrection. On April 17, Trump tweeted \"LIBERATE MICHIGAN,\" \"LIBERATE MINNESOTA,\" and \'LIBERATE VIRGINIA,\" apparently mistaking those states for Paris in 1944.

Alex Darocy (2020-04-22). Demonstrators Demand Santa Cruz Provide Hotel Vouchers for the Homeless. indybay.org Community members in Santa Cruz organized a \"physical distancing\" protest today to demand the City and County of Santa Cruz provide hotel vouchers for the homeless during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The demonstration was organized following California Governor Gavin Newsom\'s statements made during a press conference on April 18 that cities and municipalities that are blocking the State\'s effort to provide hotels for the homeless will be \"judged\" by history.

Robert Fisk (2020-04-22). Russia is About to Face its Biggest Test Yet in Syria. counterpunch.org An American reader tired of corona journalism sent me a plea this week: \"There must be plenty of cruelty being unleashed by the gangsters-in-chief across the \'Mideast\' that simply isn\'t making it into the headlines,\" she wrote. \"Trump et al are either ignoring it or silently condoning it.\" I doubt if Donald Trump is ignoring

Ted Rall (2020-04-22). Don\'t Worry, Everything Will Get Back to \"Normal\" counterpunch.org When will things get back to normal? Everyone is asking. The economic lockdown prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a mass unemployment shock, forced countless businesses into bankruptcy and is driving many Americans crazy. But this shall pass. The good old days will be back. The coronavirus worried city officials. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers were sleeping \"head-to-toe in dormitory-style

RT (2020-04-22). \'We did not get a cent\': Palestinian diplomat says US \'lying\' about promised $5mn aid package to hospitals facing Covid-19. rt.com The Palestinian envoy to France said Washington lied about sending millions in aid to beleaguered hospitals in Gaza and the West Bank, insisting the funds were earmarked for favored NGOs unlikely to spend a dime on healthcare. | In a tweet last week, Washington\'s ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, claimed the US would provide $5 million to \"Palestinian hospitals and households to meet immediate, life-saving needs in combating Covid-19,\" while congratulating the US for being the \"world\'s top humanitarian donor.\" | I\'m very pleased the USA is providing $5M for Palestinian hospitals and households to meet imme…

WSWS (2020-04-22). Israel: Gantz agrees to national emergency government with Netanyahu. wsws.org The new government\'s real purpose is to protect the wealth of Israel\'s corporate and financial elite and to suppress social unrest in Israel and Palestine.

Zero Hedge (2020-04-22). Cancellation Wave Continues, China Leasing Firm Scraps Boeing 737 MAX Order. globalresearch.ca As thousands of Boeing employees head back to work in the Puget Sound region over the last week, the Washington-based aircraft manufacturer has noticed a string of recent cancellations of the grounded 737 MAX jet. | Last Tuesday (April 14), Boeing …

Paul Le Blanc (2020-04-22). United States: An \'all hands on deck\' moment—Sixty six old new leftists urge support for Joe Biden. mronline.org SDS, along with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), had been in the vanguard of the new left in the 1960s, and some of these oldsters now want to challenge a position taken by Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), currently the foremost organization on the left today. They tell us \"this is an all hands …

Rebecca Gordon (2020-04-22). Strange Attractors: On Being Addicted to Trump and His Press Conferences. counterpunch.org My partner and I have been fighting about politics since we met in 1965. I was 13. She was 18 and my summer camp counselor. (It was another 14 years before we became a couple.) We spent that first summer arguing about the Vietnam War. I was convinced that the U.S. never should have gotten

RT (2020-04-22). \'The Fed can\'t print gold:\' Bank of America sees bullion price surge to $3,000. rt.com At a time of weak economic growth and increased market volatility, analysts are getting more bullish on gold. According to Bank of America, the precious metal is headed 78 percent higher, to hit $3,000 per ounce in 18 months. | \"As economic output contracts sharply, fiscal outlays surge, and central bank balance sheets double, fiat currencies could come under pressure. And investors will aim for gold,\" the bank\'s analysts said, adding that the US Federal Reserve has provided enough momentum to propel investment demand and prices higher. | They have warned that the Federal Reserve\'s balance sheet as a percentag…

Paul Haeder (2020-04-22). Zooming Newport\'s Climate Awareness Earth Day 2020. dissidentvoice.org Fifty years ago, the first Earth Day brought out 20 million Americans across the land — to parks, schools, college campuses, stadiums, the Mall in DC, and for hundreds of river/beach/trail clean-ups. \"Our Space Ship is Burning\" From the series XR #7 ( XR — Greta Thunberg\'s movement Extension Rebellion) 20\"x30\" Oil, college and gold …

RT (2020-04-22). Australian frigate joins US ships in S. China Sea amid rising tension. rt.com An Australian frigate has joined three US warships in the South China Sea, near an area where a Chinese vessel is suspected to be exploring for oil, officials said on Wednesday. The warships arrived this week close to where the Chinese government survey ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 has been operating, which, in turn, is near where a vessel operated by Malaysia\'s Petronas state oil company is conducting exploratory drilling, Reuters said, citing regional security sources. | The US navy said on Tuesday the USS America amphibious assault ship and the USS Bunker Hill, a guided missile cruiser, were operating in the South…

RT (2020-04-22). Barreling down past $16: Brent crude continues its freefall, crashing to lowest point since 1999. rt.com Brent crude oil has extended its price plunge, falling to just below $16 per barrel, a level not seen in 20 years. The decline comes as WTI crude slowly recovers after sinking into negative territory earlier this week. | Brent plummeted to as low as $15.98 per barrel on Wednesday morning, dipping by more than 24 percent, according to OilPrice.com and Reuters. The benchmark has not plumbed such depths since 1999. | The US benchmark, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, continued to lag on Tuesday, settling at just shy of $10.89 per barrel after its dramatic downward spiral earlier this week, which pushed WTI pr…

RT (2020-04-22). Thousands of UK healthcare workers given inaccurate Covid-19 tests, minister admits. rt.com UK healthcare workers were given flawed Covid-19 tests, a government minister has admitted, meaning frontline staff may have returned to work carrying the deadly virus. | Junior health minister Helen Whately told Sky News on Wednesday that NHS staff have been informed that their coronavirus tests were \"not up to scratch\" and results may not be accurate. They have now been offered a new test. | At least 100 frontline health workers have died from Covid-19, according to the most recent figures. Defending the serious error, Whately claimed it was all part of a \"normal process when you are using a test for an illn…

RT (2020-04-22). Number of Covid-19 cases exceeds 10,000 in Poland, which plans to re-open hotels in May. rt.com The number of people infected with the novel coronavirus in Poland rose to 10,034 on Wednesday. The death toll among the country\'s population of 38 million had reached 404, the health ministry tweeted. | On Monday, the government started to relax some of the restrictions that have been imposed during the outbreak. Hotels may be allowed to re-open in May as part of a second phase, Reuters quoted government spokesman Piotr Muller as saying on Wednesday. | \"The opening of hotels should be decided in May, including hotels at the seaside,\" Muller told state broadcaster TVP Info.

RT (2020-04-22). Netherlands extends ban on major public events until September 1, some schools to re-open in May. rt.com The Netherlands is extending by three months its ban on major public events, including professional sports and music festivals, until September 1, to prevent a resurgence of coronavirus infections. However, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday an \"encouraging\" slowdown in the spread of the virus would enable elementary schools and daycare centers to partly re-open on May 11. | Limitations on the easing of restrictive measures are necessary to prevent a new wave of Covid-19 cases, according to Rutte. \"It\'s better to be cautious now than to have regrets later,\" he told a televised press conference. | \"I wou…

MBNJSD (2020-04-22). Will America\'s Corruption End on a Ventilator or in a Mushroom Cloud? dissidentvoice.org Little by little, Americans are understanding just how badly our government has let us down by its belated and disastrous response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and how thousands more people are dying as a result. But there are two other crises we face that our government is totally unprepared for and incapable of dealing with: …

RT (2020-04-22). First Covid-19 deaths in US occurred WEEKS EARLIER than previously thought. rt.com People in the US were dying of the novel coronavirus weeks before authorities officially reported the first death linked to the disease, new data published in Santa Clara County, California reveals. | Autopsies performed on two people who died at home on February 6 and February 17 show that their tissues were infected with Covid-19, Santa Clara health authorities said in a The fi…

RT (2020-04-22). India suspends Covid-19 antibody tests as accuracy concerns grow. rt.com The Indian government has ordered a pause in coronavirus-antibody testing owing to accuracy concerns, health officials said on Wednesday. As India\'s tally of cases nears 20,000, this will complicate the fight against the epidemic. | India trails many countries in conducting the standard swab tests to determine the presence of Covid-19 because of limited testing equipment and protective gear for medical workers. | Earlier this month, health authorities approved blood tests for coronavirus antibodies as a faster way to bolster the screening effort, and ordered half a billion testing kits from China. However, Dr…

The Canary (2020-04-22). UK coronavirus deaths may have reached 41,000, study finds. thecanary.co Deaths linked to coronavirus (Covid-19) in the UK may have already reached 41,000, according to new analysis.The Financial Times estimate is more than double the latest total announced by the Department of Health, which stood at 17,337 at 5pm on 20 April.The government\'s figure is based almost entirely on the deaths of hospital patients who tested positive for Covid-19.Differences in reporting mean this total can include a small number of deaths outside hospital that occurred in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.The Financial Times has used separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS)…

RT (2020-04-22). US reports 2,700+ coronavirus deaths in 24 hours in its 2nd biggest single-day spike as it prepares to reopen economy. rt.com The United States has reported over 2,700 new Covid-19 fatalities in the space of a single day, AFP reported, citing data from Johns Hopkins University. The daily death toll surged as the country is gradually easing lockdowns. | Some 2,751 American deaths on Tuesday marked one of the deadliest days yet in the global health crisis, which has claimed the lives of some 44,845 people in the US alone. Still the top hotspot for the coronavirus, the US will soon surpass 825,000 cases, more than several of the next worst-hit nations combined. | The spike in fatal cases in the US comes as 20 states — comprising ne…

RT (2020-04-22). Vietnam to ease coronavirus lockdown in most areas, PM says. rt.com Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc agreed on Wednesday to ease the nationwide coronavirus lockdown in most parts of the country, according to state media. | No provinces in the Southeast Asian country are seen as \"highly prone\" to the new coronavirus, Phuc was quoted as saying on Voice of Vietnam national radio. | Vietnam has recorded 268 cases of the novel coronavirus so far, and no deaths, according to Reuters. | On Wednesday, the government in Hanoi has decided to raise its white rice exports quota for April to 500,000 tons from 400,000 tons.

RT (2020-04-22). Hosing down corona: WATCH Russian troops disinfect military training center in Serbia. rt.com Russian troops who arrived in Serbia to help the country fight its coronavirus epidemic have already disinfected some 80 sites in the Balkan nation. A fresh video has caught them in action. | Footage released by the Russian Ministry of Defense showed a string of khaki-colored Kamaz trucks veering into the training compound in the city of Pozarevac. After disembarking, the servicemen in full protective gear sprayed the buildings\' interiors with a disinfectant. | The soldiers worked hand-in-hand with Serbian chemical defense troops, who took it upon themselves to decontaminate an area adjacent to the training…

yenisafak (2020-04-22). Trump to sign suspension of legal immigration to US. yenisafak.com U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will sign the executive order halting all legal permanent immigration to the U.S. for at least 60.\"I will be signing my Executive Order prohibiting immigration into our Country today,\" Trump said on Twitter. \"In the meantime, even without this order, our Southern Border, aided substantially by the 170 miles of new Border Wall 27,000 Mexican soldiers, is very tight

sputniknews (2020-04-22). Indian IT Firms at Risk of Losing Around 3% of Revenue After Trump Halts Immigration to US – Analyst. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): With the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the US hard, President Donald Trump has decided to suspend immigration to the country for the next two months, which may lead to difficulties for Indian IT specialists.

RT (2020-04-22). Spain may start easing lockdown in 2nd half of May — PM Sanchez. rt.com The Spanish government aims to begin winding down the coronavirus lockdown in the second half of May, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday. Restrictions could be reintroduced if the epidemic worsens again in one of the worst-hit nations. | With the world\'s second-highest number of infections, more than 200,000, and Europe\'s second-highest death toll, 21,282, Spain has imposed one of the severest lockdowns, Reuters said. The country has taken a few tentative easing steps, including allowing some workers to return from last week and giving permission for children to go outside from next weekend, but mo…

RT (2020-04-22). Universal basic income plan for post-lockdown UK endorsed by over 100 opposition MPs. rt.com A group of over 100 MPs and Peers have called on the UK government to prepare some form of recovery Universal Basic Income (UBI) to protect citizens from the impending financial crisis resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. | \"As the scale and duration of the crisis becomes clear, it is essential that we take steps now to ensure that when we eventually emerge from lockdown, we do so with a fairer and more resilient society and economy,\" the cross-party Basic Income Conversation group wrote in a blog

RT (2020-04-22). Opposition calls for official inquiry into Johnson govt\'s coronavirus response. rt.com The leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey, a long-time detractor of Boris Johnson, has called for an official inquiry to be launched into the prime minister\'s handling of the coronavirus response. | \"Once we are through this crisis, there will of course need to be an independent inquiry to officially review the government\'s response to the pandemic, so we can learn the lessons,\" Liberal Democrats acting leader Ed Davey said. | In Davey\'s estimation, the inquiry must be granted \"the strongest possible powers\" given the Tory government\'s \"shocking failures on protective equipment for staff and the slow respon…

The Canary (2020-04-22). Lockdown reveals fresh air and cleaner rivers in India. thecanary.co India\'s extended lockdown to curb the coronavirus outbreak has shut down schools, workplaces, industries, transport, and forced people to stay home.It also led to an unexpected bonus in the country with six out of 10 of the world\'s most polluted cities: cleaner air.India accounts for the highest pollution-related deaths in the world with more than two million people every year, according to a December 2019 report by the Global Alliance of Health and Pollution.On 25 March, the first day of the lockdown, the average PM 2.5 levels decreased by 22% and nitrogen dioxide — which comes from burning fossil fuels [m…

Alan MacLeod (2020-04-22). BJP capitalizes on Coronavirus fears to take India\'s fascist creep to the next level. mronline.org India is accelerating down the track of religious strife, and the government itself is driving the vehicle.

Jayati Ghosh (2020-04-22). The pandemic and the global economy. mronline.org Developing countries face collapsing international trade, falling remittances, sharp reversals of capital flows, and currency depreciation. Only bold policies—debt relief, international financing, planning, and more—will avert further catastrophe.

RT (2020-04-22). Oil inventories near breaking point as American Petroleum Institute reports 13 million barrel build. rt.com The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated on Tuesday another large crude oil inventory build of 13.226 million barrels for the week ending April 17. | Tuesday\'s inventory build was smaller than the expected 15.15 million barrels. | In the previous week, the API estimated a large build in crude oil inventories of 13.134 million barrels Oil prices were trading down on Tuesday afternoon prior to t…

The Canary (2020-04-22). RAF plane returns from Turkey PPE mission. thecanary.co An RAF plane, believed to be carrying a delayed consignment of personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS staff, has landed in the UK.Flight tracker RadarBox showed the Airbus A400-M registered ZM416 depart Istanbul and land just after 3.30am on Wednesday at RAF Brize Norton.The plane had been dispatched from the Oxfordshire base, where two other planes are on stand-by to pick up further kit from Turkey, late on Monday.It is not known if the consignment, which was ordered on Thursday and originally due to arrive on Sunday, includes 400,000 badly-needed surgical gowns. | The government has come in for mounting cr…

Eds. (2020-04-22). Our Voice: Victim-hood, money and lives underline the \"them\" versus \"us\" divide. mronline.org Some of the same forces that brought about the single largest act of domestic terrorism in our county—killing 168 people, including dozens of children, and injuring hundreds more—are percolating below the surface today. In fact, last year was the second highest year for domestic terrorism, with attacks that killed 31 people.

pip.hinman (2020-04-22). Asian community stands up to escalating COVID-19 racist violence. greenleft.org.au

WSWS (2020-04-22). Thousands view online meeting of UK SEP outlining a socialist perspective on the pandemic. wsws.org Around 500 viewers took part in the event with participants from Britain joined by others from Australia, Sri Lanka, Germany, France, Canada and the US—underscoring the international interest in the meeting.

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-04-22). \"Mask Diplomacy\" Might Not be Enough to Save Turkey from Financial Crisis. globalresearch.ca Turkey seems to be getting inspiration from China by engaging in \"mask diplomacy\" and is helping many coronavirus affected countries. Even though Turkey is being devastated by the pandemic with over 100,000 cases and 2,200 succumbing to the infection, it …

Fight Back (2020-04-22). It\'s Lenin 150th birthday, read his \'Letter to American Workers\'. fightbacknews.org To mark the 150 birthday, April 22, of the outstanding revolutionary V.I. Lenin, Fight Back News Service is circulating his famous article \'Letter to American Workers.\' | Comrades! A Russian Bolshevik who took part in the 1905 Revolution, and who lived in your country for many years afterwards, has offered to convey my letter to you. I have accepted his proposal all the more gladly because just at the present time the American revolutionary workers have to play an exceptionally important role as uncompromising enemies of American imperialism—the freshest, strongest and latest in joining in the world-wide sl…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-04-22). COVID-19: Will social distancing be the new normal? A Mayo Clinic expert discusses what the future might look like. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org As some states look toward relaxing restrictions and social distancing measures, such as stay-at-home orders, new projections suggest social distancing may need to continue through 2022. Researchers predict that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, will return every winter, and that prolonged or intermittent social distancing strategies could limit the strain on health care systems. …

WSWS (2020-04-22). Nova Scotia gunman kills 22 in Canada\'s deadliest mass shooting. wsws.org Marked by rampant social inequality and economic insecurity and led by a ruling elite mired in aggression and war, Canadian capitalism regularly engenders outbursts of homicidal violence.

Mischa Popoff (2020-04-22). The Impacts of Roundup (Glyphosate): Immune Suppression, Total Corporate Control over Agriculture, Destruction of the Family Farm. globalresearch.ca The war is on. A crucial weapon in the attack is Roundup (glyphosate), a herbicide that\'s being used for something for which it was never intended[1]: the forced ripening of crops, called desiccation, all but guaranteeing it …

en.mehrnews (2020-04-22). \'Life Among War Flags\' to go on screen at Visions du Réel Filmfest. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 22 (MNA) — Iranian documentary, \'Life Among Warring Flags\' directed by Mohsen Eslamzadeh, will take part at the Visions du Réel Film Festival in Switzerland.

WSWS (2020-04-22). New York City mayor declares \"wartime\" budget. wsws.org Cuts to New York City\'s municipal budget due to the COVID-19 pandemic will have a devastating economic impact on the city\'s working class.

en.mehrnews (2020-04-22). Iran records 1,194 new cases, 94 deaths on Wednesday. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 22 (MNA) — The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 85,996, of whom 5,391 have lost their lives to the deadly virus, according to Iran\'s Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on Wednesday.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-04-22). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Managing stress and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The COVID-19 pandemic has forced changes to daily life, and disrupted normal routines at work, at school, and at home. Physical isolation can negatively affect mental health, and constant news coverage can bring fear and anxiety about the disease. How can you best cope in these uncertain times? On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. …