Threatening Military Intervention in Venezuela During a Pandemic?
Medea Benjamin, Leonardo Flores | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
Unbeknownst to most Americans, as we are grappling with this terrifying pandemic, the Trump administration is currently carrying out the largest military operation in Latin America in 30 years, and has made it clear that alleged Venezuelan \"narco-terrorism\" is the target. It\'s worth noting that the last deployment of a similar size took place at…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/threatening-military-intervention-in-venezuela-during-a-pandemic/

Towards A New World Order, The Global Debt Crisis and the Privatization of the State
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-17
There is a serious health crisis which must be duly resolved. And this is a number one priority. | But there is another important dimension which has to be addressed. | Millions of people have lost their jobs, and their lifelong savings. …
globalresearch.ca/towards-a-new-world-order-the-global-debt-crisis-and-the-privatization-of-the-state/5709755

#ClimateStrike: Virtual Protest Against Chase Bank to #Stop The Money Pipeline
350.org Bay Area & many others | indybay.org | 2020-04-17
Online protest actions…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/16/18832428.php

Pentagon Escalates Tensions with Iran in Persian Gulf
Bill Van Auken | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-17
The US Navy charged Wednesday that 11 Iranian vessels had \"repeatedly conducted dangerous and harassing approaches against multiple US naval ships operating in international waters.\" | The protest, issued by the command of the US Navy\'s Fifth Fleet, represented a further …
globalresearch.ca/pentagon-escalates-tensions-iran-persian-gulf/5709955

Frontline Medical Workers Protest New NYC Policy Demanding Doctor\'s Notes When They Are Sick
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-17
A new policy at New York City\'s public hospitals requires medical workers who call in sick to produce a doctor\'s note. \"We know that people just need a mental health day,\" says Sean Petty, a registered nurse at a public hospital in the Bronx who is organizing a protest against the policy. \"Thousands of us have been exposed. Health workers are the least tested group of people in this city.\" Petty is a member of the board of directors of the New York State Nurses Association.
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/17/nyc_nurse_sean_petty_doctors_notes

As US Shale Oil Plunges, Trump Admin Takes Aim at Venezuela
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-17
WASHINGTON DC ( The Last American Vagabond)

Are COVID-19 Outbreaks Peaking or Heading Higher Ahead?
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-17
The short answer is it\'s unknown

Spreading the Virus of Occupation: Spitting as a Weapon in the Hand of Colonial Israel
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
Spitting at someone is a universal insult. In Israel, however, spitting at Palestinians is an entirely different story. Now that we know that the deadly coronavirus can be transmitted through saliva droplets, Israeli soldiers and illegal Jewish settlers are working extra hard to spit at as many Palestinians, their cars, doorknobs, and so on, as…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/spreading-the-virus-of-occupation-spitting-as-a-weapon-in-the-hand-of-colonial-israel/

\"Gangster in the White House\": Noam Chomsky on COVID-19, WHO, China, Gaza and Global Capitalism
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-17
We continue our conversation with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky. He responds to President Trump\'s cuts to U.S. support for the World Health Organization and the surge in deaths in the United States to another record high, and discusses conditions in Gaza, the rise of authoritarianism around the world, and the progressive response. \"This is typical behavior of autocrats and dictators. When you make colossal errors which are killing thousands of people, find somebody else to blame,\" say Chomsky. \"In the United States, it\'s unfortunately the case, for well over a century, centu…
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/17/noam_chomsky_coronavirus_trump_gaza_palestine

Sanders and Palestine: a Post Mortem
Steven Salaita | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
Let me start with a story about the Democratic primary. Now, I\'m no operative, so this story has nothing to do with voting choices or electability. It\'s about how Palestine disappears in US electoral discourses, even when people who identify as Palestinian purport to make it visible. Sometime ago, I was added to an online…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/sanders-and-palestine-a-post-mortem/

New Indonesian Capital in Borneo: From Rural Misery to Grody Dreams of Urban Glory
Andre Vltchek | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-17
An old road between Balikpapan and Samarinda passes through the poor villages, through rural slums, as well as stalls selling second-rate local fruits. The cheap, unhygienic eateries, are now half-empty. While the traffic is still heavy here, the \'real action\' …
globalresearch.ca/indonesian-borneo-rural-misery-urban-glory/5709933

Danger Clown and the Return to American Normalcy
Paul Street | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
Recently in an online urban studies discussion, a young white man expressed his desire for his fellow Chicagoans and Americans more generally to get over all this COVID-19 trauma and \"return to normal life in my great city and country.\" I was a little surprised and disappointed he didn\'t use Warren Harding\'s made-up word \"normalcy.\"
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/danger-clown-and-the-return-to-american-normalcy/

Video: US-trained Militants Surrender to Syrian Army. Israel Tries to Assassinate Hezbollah Commanders
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-17
On April 15th, 27 members of Maghawir al-Thawra, a militant group in the Al-Tanf zone, which is both funded and trained by the US-led coalition, surrendered to the Syrian Army with all of their weapons and equipment. These …
globalresearch.ca/video-us-trained-militants-surrender-syrian-army-israel-tries-assassinate-hezbollah-commanders/5709915

Bernie\'s Political Funeral
Kathleen Wallace | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
The end of the Bernie Sanders campaign always had a destination that was not the White House. I\'ll admit that I anticipated it playing out in a slightly different manner. The wildcard in all of this was COVID-19, but like all good disaster capitalists, the DNC, with the help of the Obama faction, used it…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/bernies-political-funeral-2/

The Great Gray Hope: Bernie Sanders Tests the Limits of US Political Systems
Roger D. Harris | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-17
For all his remarkable accomplishments, Sanders\' legacy in 2020 will likely be that of 2016, which was to be the sheepdog that herded progressives into the Democratic Party and got nothing in return.
mintpressnews.com/great-gray-hope-bernie-sanders-tests-limits-us-political-systems/266724/

Bernie Sanders Tests the Limits of the US Political System
Roger Harris | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
The Great Gray Hope has bowed out of the presidential primary race, leaving tottering Joe Biden as the last Democrat standing. What Bernie Sanders accomplished electorally was remarkable, revealing both how far a progressive can venture and the limits proscribing further advancement to the left within the Democratic Party. Sanders pushes the limits of the…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/bernie-sanders-tests-the-limits-of-the-us-political-system/

Roaming Charges: Bernt Offerings
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
+ You\'d better stock up on those Marvin Gaye stamps while you can because the stamps for Trump\'s privatized mail service will feature Jim Fisk, Jay Gould, PT Barnum, JP Morgan, Andrew Mellon, Charles Ponzi, old man Rockefeller, Roy Cohn, Michael Milkin, Ken Lay, Bernie Madoff and, of course, Trump himself… + So does Trump…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/roaming-charges-bernt-offerings/

Sadiq Khan\'s call for compulsory face masks on London transport provokes both fury and praise
rt.com | 2020-04-17
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged the UK government to make wearing face masks on public transport in the capital compulsory during the Covid-19 crisis, putting him at odds with UK health advisers and dividing public opinion. | During an interview with Sky News on Friday, the mayor of London claimed that \"the evidence around the world is that this [face masks] is effective.\" He referenced countries such as the USA, Canada, Germany and South Korea, all of whom are currently advising their citizens to wear face masks during the coronavirus pandemic. | What I\'m lobbying for is for when it comes to those circumsta…
rt.com/uk/486102-khan-london-face-masks/

Will the Pandemic Finish Trump or Give his Régime an Escape?
Pete Dolack | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
Amidst all the talk about if the global Covid-19 pandemic will lead to an opening for socialism, or at least a reduction in the grip of neoliberalism, in the wake of capitalism\'s failures, a more immediate question is if there is to be a reversal of the march of the Right in electoral politics. Elections…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/will-the-pandemic-finish-trump-or-give-his-regime-an-escape/

Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Emergency medicine in the time of COVID-19
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-17
Emergency medicine is a specialty that prides itself on a mantra: anyone, anything, anytime. The COVID-19 pandemic has put emergency health care providers and first responders on the front lines, fighting the spread of the virus and caring for critically ill patients. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Annie Sadosty, a Mayo Clinic emergency medicine …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-qa-podcast-emergency-medicine-in-the-time-of-covid-19/

Is it safe to wear contact lenses during the COVID-19 pandemic?
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-17
To prevent becoming infected with COVID-19, health experts are urging people to avoid touching their face. That\'s because SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can enter the body through the mouth, nose and eyes. That\'s left millions of people around the world who wear contact lenses wondering if they should stop wearing them and switch …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/is-it-safe-to-wear-contact-lenses-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/

The Unconscious System Plague: Will Covid-19 Finally Awaken Us?
John McMurtry | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
Like others, I have thought from the first day of the Covid-19 pandemic that it was forcing us to awake from exponential life-system destruction by corporate \'business as usual\' to our common life-ground. In the words of the formerly neo-liberal Governor Cuomo of New York,…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/the-unconscious-system-plague-will-covid-19-finally-awaken-us/

Japan\'s Abe tells G7 he backs WHO on coronavirus response, in contrast with Trump
rt.com | 2020-04-17
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed support on Friday for the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the campaign against the coronavirus, in contrast with President Donald Trump who has vowed to cut US funding to the agency. | Abe said at a news conference he had told fellow Group of Seven leaders on Thursday that \"the international community, centering on the WHO, must cooperate to fight this infectious disease, which is having a global impact\" and Japan would \"firmly\" support it. | \"There\'s only the WHO that can serve as an international institution\" to address the pandemic, Abe said. He di…
rt.com/newsline/486116-japan-abe-who-trump/

Billionaires Have Paid 79 Percent Fewer Taxes Since 1980
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-04-17
Conventional economic wisdom says a time of crisis is not the moment to enact tax increases. But, as Eric Toder at the Tax Policy Center recently pointed out: \"[Tax experts] can begin to think of the time after the pandemic passes and how government should respond to massive increases in the public debt, and the new tax increases that Congress will need to enact to fund them.\" | Initial tax increases should…
truthout.org/articles/billionaires-have-paid-79-percent-fewer-taxes-since-1980/

The Self-Centered Rich Country Response to Pandemics and Crises is Wrecking Poor Countries
Tamara Pearson | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
I\'m squatting on a round piece of concrete, and a 72-year-old man is sitting in the gutter, his walking stick beside him. He tells me that after being deported from the United States, he has been hiking the streets of Mexico City trying to find somewhere to stay. But all the refuges are closed due to the pandemic, including the one we\'re sitting outside of, where I volunteer. He has run out of insulin for his diabetes and says he can\'t walk any more.
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/the-self-centered-rich-country-response-to-pandemics-and-crises-is-wrecking-poor-countries/

What does Trump\'s Celebration of the Resurgent Dollar Tell us about the International Monetary System?
Emrah Yildiz | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
On April 7, the U.S. President Donald Trump took the stage for the White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing. In his speech, he targeted the World Health Organization (WHO) for mismanaging the Coronavirus pandemic. Trump criticized the organization for focusing too much on China, and accused its leadership of not being proactive enough in…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/what-does-trumps-celebration-of-the-resurgent-dollar-tell-us-about-the-international-monetary-system/

Russia stresses formation of anti-sanctions campaign
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-17
TEHRAN, Apr. 17 (MNA)

Health service parade in Rasht on National Army Day
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-17
RASHT, Apr. 17 (MNA)

COVID-19: What to do if you develop symptoms while away from home
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-17
In many areas of the U.S. and around the world, people are being told to stay home and avoid travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, travel restrictions may not apply to employees of critical industries, such as trucking, public health professionals, financial services, and food supply. So what should someone do if they develop …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/covid-19-what-to-do-if-you-develop-symptoms-while-away-from-home/

What a pane! Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher SMASHES window during at-home practice session (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-04-17
With the sporting world currently on lockdown, professional athletes around the world are being forced to work out at home and get creative as they look to stay in shape during the COVID-19 pandemic. | One such athlete is Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly, who set up a special target in his back yard in order to practice his array of pitches. | Also on rt.com | | Double trouble: BAD INTERNET connection rules darts ace Gary Anderson out of online PDC tournament | Unfortunately for Kelly, his attempt at a change-up p…
rt.com/sport/486137-los-angeles-dodgers-pitcher-smashes-window-practice/

When to seek emergency care during COVID-19 pandemic
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-17
In an effort to reduce the burden on hospitals due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to lower the risk of disease transmission, people are asked not to go to emergency rooms if they think they may have COVID-19 symptoms but otherwise feel okay. Instead, they\'re asked to call their primary care provider to discuss their …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/when-to-seek-emergency-care-during-covid-19-pandemic/

Is COVID-19 the end of the handshake as we know it?
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-17
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to accept a \"new normal\" and change behaviors. One example has been the need to alter how we greet each other. As part of social distancing, health experts have recommended that people to avoid shaking hands, since hands tend to carry a lot of germs. Dr. Anthony Fauci, …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/is-covid-19-the-end-of-the-handshake-as-we-know-it/

Connecting Patients: A different kind of grief in these times
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-17
Grief is the natural reaction to loss. Grief is both a universal and a personal experience. Individual experiences of grief vary and are influenced by the nature of the loss. During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic there has been and continues to be much loss. And different definitions of grief are being revealed. The …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/connecting-patients-a-different-kind-of-grief-in-these-times/

Mayo Clinic responds to COVID-19 financial impact
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-17
Mayo Clinic staff are doing extraordinary work, leading in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud of, and committed to, our staff and our communities as they come together to fight this global health crisis. Mayo Clinic is facing unprecedented challenges as a result of these circumstances, including a financial impact that requires significant …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-responds-to-covid-19-financial-impact/

If Coronavirus Overwhelms Gaza, Israel Alone is to Blame
Jonathan Cook | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
The Palestinians of Gaza know all about lockdowns. For the past 13 years, some two million of them have endured a closure by Israel more extreme than anything experienced by almost any other society

Bay Area Refuse Fascism Members Bang Pots, Call for Removal of Trump/Pence
On 2nd \"OUTNOW! Tuesday\" | indybay.org | 2020-04-17
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, Refuse Fascism updated their 2020 Statement of Conscience/Call To Act. Included here are photos and a 4 second video of members displaying signage, wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing and banging pots on an \"Out Now Tuesday\" April 14. At the same time, 7pm, at other locations in the Bay Area, members shouted \"Trump Pence Out Now!\" for neighbors to hear.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/15/18832371.php

Putin & Macron discuss minimizing negative economic consequences of pandemic in telephone conversation
rt.com | 2020-04-17
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have discussed by telephone measures aimed at minimizing the negative socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the Kremlin\'s press service said on Friday. | During the conversation, which was initiated by the French side, the two leaders spoke about measures which are being taken in Russia and France. Macron thanked Putin for \"helping France with the return of French citizens to their homeland and ensuring conditions for shipments of medical supplies and equipment through Russia to France,\" the press service said. | Int…
rt.com/newsline/486135-putin-macron-discuss-economic/

US Federal Reserve \'put the world on its back\' with $2.3 TRILLION injection, chief research analyst tells Boom Bust
rt.com | 2020-04-17
As organizations like the IMF and the UN warn that this is the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the US central bank has once again decided to pump trillions of dollars into the economy. | RT\'s Boom Bust talks to the CEO of Transformity Research, Tobin Smith, who has been sounding the alarm lately, saying that the economic downturn in the United States is not due to the coronavirus pandemic. | \"Let\'s bear in mind that up until eight days ago we were in a free fall and then the Fed put the United States on its back and it really put the world on its back. It basically said that the world is too…
rt.com/business/486134-us-fed-injection-world/

Army\'s \"Service Parade\" in Tehran
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-17
TEHRAN, Apr. 17 (MNA)

WHO first? It\'s time to revamp global institutions and prepare for a new post-Covid world order
rt.com | 2020-04-17
With the WHO under attack for alleged complacency in dealing with Covid-19, the roles of other international organizations could be put under the spotlight, too. Is this a chance to rethink how global institutions should function? | When he cut funding for the World Health Organization earlier this week, US President Donald Trump accused the health body of being \"China-centric,\" of propagating \"false information about transmission and mortality\" and generally of mishandling the pandemic, which has taken 135,000 lives and seen two million people infected globally. | Trump\'s decision to cut US funding to the WHO…
rt.com/news/486042-who-funding-trump-reform/

Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-17
COVID-19 is the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Because SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus, researchers are still learning how the virus affects the body. And this raises questions for pregnant women. Can COVID-19 affect pregnancy? Is breastfeeding safe? How can a pregnant woman protect herself from the disease? On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-qa-podcast-pregnancy-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/

Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Critical care units prepare for COVID-19
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-17
An intensive care unit (ICU) is a special unit in a hospital where patients who are very ill can be under constant supervision by their health care team. The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed ICU and critical care units in hot spots where the virus had spread widely. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Daniel Brown, …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-qa-podcast-critical-care-units-prepare-for-covid-19/

\'It would be like martial law. You choose\': Philippines leader Duterte threatens to deploy troops to enforce Covid-19 quarantine
rt.com | 2020-04-17
President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has said that police and the military will step in to control social distancing and curfew if citizens continue to violate the Covid-19 quarantine rules. | Duterte has sent out his warning in a televised speech. \"I am asking for your discipline, because if you don\'t want to [follow the rules], the military and police will take over. I am ordering them now to be ready,\" he said, as cited by local media. | The police and the military will enforce social distancing and curfew. It would be like martial law. You choose. | The president said that he could hand down the or…
rt.com/news/486099-duterte-martial-law-quarantine/

Cutting the Funding: The WHO, Trump and the Coronavirus Wars
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-17
The US president is in a warring mood. Having declared himself a president at war, a meaningless gesture given that the US is always, somewhere in the world, at war, finding necessary enemies in distraction was always going to be …
globalresearch.ca/cutting-funding-who-trump-coronavirus-wars/5709912

Everyone needs to hear the words of an \'underfunded\' intensive care nurse about the \'apocalyptic situation\'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-04-17
An intensive care nurse has recorded a spoken word poem warning of an \"apocalyptic situation\" for \"underfunded, under-prepared and under-protected\" NHS staff. | Tori Wills, a sister at Southampton General Hospital\'s intensive care unit, posted the video on Facebook \"out of frustration\" at people not obeying lockdown rules. | Willis told PA: \"I wrote the poem out of general frustration at the public still flouting the rules, when my colleagues are putting their lives at risk and working in extremely harsh environments. | I have never shared any of my spoken word, But today, the sun is out, there are still families…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/04/17/everyone-needs-to-hear-the-words-of-an-underfunded-intensive-care-nurse-about-the-apocalyptic-situation/

The Sixties in the City of the Fallen Angels
Ron Jacobs | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-17
Authors Mike Davis and Jon Weiner borrowed the title of their new history of Los Angeles from the Doors song \"Light My Fire.\" Titled Set the Night on Fire: A History of LA in the Sixties, it is a history of social movements for social and economic justice and against imperial war. Indeed, given the…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/17/the-sixties-in-the-city-of-the-fallen-angels/

UK could have the highest death rate in Europe because government was \'too slow\', doctor warns
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-04-17
Britain will face \"further waves\" of coronavirus and will probably have the highest death rate in Europe because the government was \"too slow\" to act, a leading physician has warned.Professor Anthony Costello, of University College London\'s Institute for Global Health, told a committee of MPs that the \"harsh reality\" is that \"we were too slow with a number of things\".\"If we\'re going to suppress the chain of transmission of this virus in the next stage we all hope that the national lockdown and social distancing will bring about a large suppression of the epidemic so far

Brave New Normal
CJ Hopkins | indybay.org | 2020-04-17
So the War on Populism is finally over. Go ahead, take a wild guess who won.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/15/18832376.php

Nigeria: Police Brutality Is More Lethal Than COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-17
Nigeria\'s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) denounced that the victims of police brutality outnumber those killed by COVID-19 on its territory as the Nigerian police are suspected of having carried out 18 extra-judicial killings between March 30 and April 13. | RELATED: | Africa: COVID Positive Cases Exceed 16,500 | \"While the new coronavirus has killed eleven patients, security forces have extrajudicially executed 18 people to enforce orders,\" the NHRC head Tony Ojukwu said and added that h…
telesurenglish.net/news/nigeria-police-brutality-is-more-lethal-than-covid19-20200417-0001.html

\'There were polar bears on the street\': Did former England captain John Terry\'s DAUGHTER scupper 2018 move to Spartak Moscow?
rt.com | 2020-04-17
John Terry rejected a move to Spartak Moscow at the last minute after his daughter voiced her fears that polar bears roamed the streets and the Chelsea legend would \"never return\", Italian agent Marco Trabucchi has revealed. | Terry had completed a medical with Spartak in Rome at the start of the 2018/19 season before a family summit made the free agent decide that a switch to Russia was \"not the right move\". | He had been expected to sign a lucrative two-year contract to join his first club outside of the UK at the age of 37, but later issued a public apology to Spartak chairman Leonid Fedun in an about-turn…
rt.com/sport/486119-john-terry-daughter-retirement/

Working-class immigrants terrorized by Trump administration avoid COVID-19 testing, treatment
wsws.org | 2020-04-16
Reports from doctors, immigration lawyers and community organizations reveal that a significant number of immigrants, despite showing symptoms associated with COVID-19, have avoided getting tested.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/16/immi-a16.html

Arab League warns of virus risk in Syria refugee camps
yenisafak.com | 2020-04-16
The Arab League warned Wednesday that a humanitarian disaster could occur if the coronavirus pandemic spreads in refugee camps in Syria.A statement by the bloc\'s 22 Arab nations came after a meeting between its Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen.They discussed the dangerous consequences of the spread of the virus among refugees and asylum seekers, and the importance of an Idlib cease-fire agreement, inked March 5 between Turkey and Russia, to prevent the military escalation in the region.The statement said many of those who live in camps do so in poor health condition…
yenisafak.com/en/world/arab-league-warns-of-virus-risk-in-syria-refugee-camps-3517103

Andrew Cuomo is NOT bae: exposing the governor\'s thuggish record with Randy Credico
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-16
Millions of dollars of free earned advertising from his brother on CNN can not cover up the real record of…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/16/andrew-cuomo-governors-randy-credico/

Bolivian coup leader freaks out on The Grayzone for \'fascist\' label in complaint to OAS \'human rights\' arm
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-16
The director of far-right Bolivian coup leader Camacho\'s presidential campaign threw a slander-laced tantrum against The Grayzone in a letter…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/16/bolivia-coup-the-grayzone-cidh-camacho-maclean/

The Decade of Transformation: Being in Balance with Nature
Kevin Zeese | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-16
This is the fourth newsletter in our series on the 2020s as a decade of transformation See Remaking International Relations, Remaking the Economy for the People, and Remaking Healthcare. In addition to COVID-19 and the economic collapse, …
globalresearch.ca/decade-transformation-balance-nature/5709799

Coronavirus stimulus bill funds State Dept/USAID operations that once helped trigger polio outbreak in Syria
Max Blumenthal | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-16
A look at recent USAID schemes from Pakistan to Syria shows US empire can be very hazardous to your health….
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/16/coronavirus-stimulus-state-usaid-polio-syria/

Video: Coronavirus: Economic and Social Collapse: Mass Unemployment, Bankruptcy, Poverty and Despair
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-16
There is a serious health crisis which must be duly resolved. But there is another important dimension which has to be addressed. | Millions of people have lost their jobs, and their lifelong savings. In developing countries, poverty and despair prevail. …
globalresearch.ca/video-corona-virus-economic-and-social-collapse-bankruptcy-debt-and-poverty/5709883

India\'s Prime Minister Is Using Pandemic to Repress Dissent, Says Arundhati Roy
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-04-16
Officials in India say six major cities are coronavirus hot spots, including the capital city, New Delhi. We go there to speak with writer and activist Arundhati Roy, who has a new essay on how \"The Pandemic Is a Portal.\" She says, \"You have the sense that you\'re sitting on some kind of explosive substance,\" and describes how the government of Narendra Modi is using the pandemic to crack down on opponents and dissidents. | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its…
truthout.org/video/indias-prime-minister-is-using-pandemic-to-repress-dissent-says-arundhati-roy/

Pandemic Is a Portal: Arundhati Roy on COVID-19 in India, Imagining Another World & Fighting for It
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-16
Officials in India say six major cities are coronavirus hot spots, including the capital city, New Delhi. We go there to speak with writer and activist Arundhati Roy, who has a new essay on how \"The Pandemic Is a Portal.\" She says, \"You have the sense that you\'re sitting on some kind of explosive substance,\" and describes how the government of Narendra Modi is using the pandemic to crack down on opponents and dissidents.
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/16/arundhati_roy_coronavirus_india

Pandemic Is a Portal: Arundhati Roy on COVID-19 in India, Imagining Another World & Fighting for It
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-16
Officials in India say six major cities are coronavirus hot spots, including the capital city, New Delhi. We go there to speak with writer and activist Arundhati Roy, who has a new essay on how \"The Pandemic Is a Portal.\" She says, \"You have the sense that you\'re sitting on some kind of explosive substance,\" and describes how the government of Narendra Modi is using the pandemic to crack down on opponents and dissidents.
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/16/arundhati_roy_coronavirus_india

India\'s Prime Minister Is Using Pandemic to Repress Dissent, Says Arundhati Roy
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-04-16
Officials in India say six major cities are coronavirus hot spots, including the capital city, New Delhi. We go there to speak with writer and activist Arundhati Roy, who has a new essay on how \"The Pandemic Is a Portal.\" She says, \"You have the sense that you\'re sitting on some kind of explosive substance,\" and describes how the government of Narendra Modi is using the pandemic to crack down on opponents and dissidents. | Please check back later for full transcript.
truthout.org/video/indias-prime-minister-is-using-pandemic-to-repress-dissent-says-arundhati-roy/

German court rules blanket ban on demonstrations \'UNCONSTITUTIONAL\' as Merkel plans easing of Covid-19 restrictions
rt.com | 2020-04-16
Covid-19 health concerns are not grounds for a general ban on public demonstrations, a German court has ruled, after activists took a case arguing that Berlin\'s current restrictions on public gatherings are unconstitutional. | If they adhere to social distancing rules, Germans should have the right to hold political protests, the Constitutional Court said in the Thursday ruling. | Activists in Giessen, a town in the federal state of Hesse, had planned a protest march to denounce new rules that ban gatherings of more than two people in public, arguing that they were in breach of the country\'s constitution and c…
rt.com/news/486048-germany-court-ban-unconstitutional/

What about Beslan? Russian Human Rights Council fears change in WWII end date may overshadow anniversary of massacre
rt.com | 2020-04-16
Most of the world recognizes September 2, 1945 as the day World War II concluded. Following Victory Day in Europe that May, the conflict continued in Asia for four more months, until Japan formally surrendered. | In Russia, a plan to move the date has upset some activists. On Tuesday, the national parliament (State Duma) passed a law changing the final day of the Second World War to September 3. However, this coincides with another devastating tragedy – the Beslan School Massacre. | According to Chairman of the State Duma\'s Defense Committee Vladimir Shamanov, moving the date matches the reality in the Soviet…
rt.com/russia/486012-wwii-end-date-change/

History is More or Less Bunk: Coronavirus as Peacemaker?
Tom Engelhardt | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-16
Let me quote a Trumpian figure from long ago, Henry Ford. That\'s right, the bigot who created the Ford Motor Company (and once even ran for president). Back in 1916, in an interview with a Chicago Tribune reporter, he offered this bit of wisdom on the subject of history:…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/16/history-is-more-or-less-bunk-coronavirus-as-peacemaker/

History is More or Less Bunk: Coronavirus as Peacemaker?
Tom Engelhardt | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-16
Let me quote a Trumpian figure from long ago, Henry Ford. That\'s right, the bigot who created the Ford Motor Company (and once even ran for president). Back in 1916, in an interview with a Chicago Tribune reporter, he offered this bit of wisdom on the subject of history:…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/16/history-is-more-or-less-bunk-coronavirus-as-peacemaker/

The Coming Revolt – and the peaceful solidarity for a Just World Society
Kanoh Nishizawa | indybay.org | 2020-04-16
As capitalism gets exposed for its savagery, there will be tumult, and revolt of the oppressed. In this new environment, we should express peaceful solidarity if we want a chance at a Just World Society.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/14/18832351.php

Azerbaijani leader thanks Turkey for show of solidarity
yenisafak.com | 2020-04-16
A top Azerbaijani leader on Wednesday praised Turkey over a recent mutual display of solidarity against coronavirus.\"I express my deep gratitude to fraternal Turkey. Our countries always stand by each other, on both joyful and difficult days,\" First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva said on Instagram.She added: \"This is our unity, our strength. I wish our peoples the best of health, and our countries peace and prosperity. May Almighty God bless our world!\"Over the last week, Turkey and Azerbaijan lit up iconic buildings in Ankara and Baku, their respective capitals, with both countries\' flags, honoring their cooper…
yenisafak.com/en/news/azerbaijani-leader-thanks-turkey-for-show-of-solidarity-3517106

Colombia: Red Rags on Windows to Protest Amid Quarantine
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-16
Faced with the inability of President Ivan Duque administration to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, Colombians are displaying red cloths on windows to express their dissatisfaction. | RELATED: | Colombia: Police Abuse Becomes Common During COVID-19 Outbreak | ‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã\"They said to take out red rags if people needed help. Today the red rag seems to be the new flag in the most humble neighborhoods. Hunger is…
telesurenglish.net/news/Colombia-Red-Rags-on-Windows-to-Protest-Amid-Quarantine-20200416-0005.html

Anti-Choice Signs, Assault Rifles Suggest Michigan Rally Wasn\'t About Quarantine
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-04-16
While stay-in-place orders across the country continue to remain in place with the support of the overwhelming majority of Americans, right-wing demonstrators have decided to engage in street protests against the measures

Australian police use COVID-19 emergency powers to ban refugee detention protest
wsws.org | 2020-04-16
The police action, which state Premier Daniel Andrews\' Labor government must have authorised, constitutes a direct attack on the right to protest.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/16/prot-a16.html

Watching Hong Kong Cop Movies After 10 Months of Tear Gas
Jaime Chu | thenation.com | 2020-04-16
Watching Hong Kong Cop Movies After 10 Months of Tear Gas…
thenation.com/article/culture/hong-kong-police-movies-protests/

#ClimateStrike: Virtual Protest Against Chase Bank to #Stop The Money Pipeline
350.org Bay Area & many others | indybay.org | 2020-04-16
Online protest actions…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/16/18832428.php

UN sends humanitarian aid to Idlib, Syria
yenisafak.com | 2020-04-16
The United Nations on Thursday sent 63 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Idlib, the northwestern Syrian province where millions remain in desperate need of assistance.The aid trucks entered Syria through the Cilvegozu border in Turkey\'s southern Hatay province, which borders Idlib.The supplies will be distributed to people in Idlib city and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million remain displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within a d…
yenisafak.com/en/news/un-sends-humanitarian-aid-to-idlib-syria-3517102

Brazil: Bolsonaro Fails to Manage COVID-19 Crisis
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-16
The Federal Supreme Court (STF) on Thursday validated the autonomy of State and Municipal governments in making decisions to contain the new coronavirus pandemic. | RELATED: | Bolsonaro Is Good President Only for 33 Percent of Brazilians | The STF\'s decision acknowledges that President Jair Bolsonaro has been unable to take the necessary measures to contain COVID-19 in the country, which has been hit hardest by the pandemic in Latin America. | \"The STF\'s verdict is a defeat for…
telesurenglish.net/news/brazil-bolsonaro-fails-to-manage-crisis-by-covid19-20200416-0003.html

The Russians Get Blamed Again, but Who Is Really Subverting American Democracy?
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-16
It is perhaps inevitable that a major health panic like the coronavirus will have political ramifications based on whether those most affected by the illness will perceive that the government performed well or poorly in the crisis. The government for …
globalresearch.ca/russians-get-blamed-again-who-really-subverting-american-democracy/5709858

Coronavirus Pandemic Has Shown that Mediterranean Europe Does Not Need THE EU
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-16
Germany\'s long history of wanting to rule the entirety of Europe extends back to both World Wars in the 20th Century, and perhaps even earlier. The German political structures believed that through war and conquest it could dominate the continent …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-pandemic-shown-mediterranean-europe-does-not-need-eu/5709824

\"Pure Baloney\": Zoologist Debunks Trump\'s COVID-19 Origin Theory, Explains Animal-Human Transmission
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-16
With the largest one-day death toll in the U.S. yet

Sanders-sponsored forum advocates new worker-centered economy after COVID-19
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2020-04-16
Though the nation, and the world, are still in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic and the global recession it\'s produced, five progressive leaders, marshalled by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., are thinking ahead on to how to build a new economy that works for workers, not the rich, out of the ruins. Sanders and the …
peoplesworld.org/article/progressives-look-to-build-a-new-worker-centered-economy-after-covid-19/

Elizabeth Warren Joins the Biden Bandwagon, Betrays Supporters
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-16
Judge them by their actions, never their rhetoric, a rule of thumb in evaluating others, notably politicians. They all lie with the rarest of rare exceptions. | Warren\'s sellout to Dem party bosses followed Tulsi Gabbard and Bernie Sanders going the …
globalresearch.ca/elizabeth-warren-joins-biden-bandwagon-betrays-supporters/5709852

Coronavirus and the Crisis of African American Human Rights
Ajamu Baraka | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-16
Pushing workers back to work and attempting to \"normalize\" the economy was the growing consensus among the capitalist class, not just Trump. | \"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-crisis-african-american-human-rights/5709781

\"Major Blow To US\": Large Group Of US-Backed Fighters \'Defect\' To Assad Forces
Zero Hedge | iranian.com | 2020-04-16
The brutal proxy war in Syria, which has had the deep involvement of American intelligence and the Pentagon, has been wrapping up after grinding on for nine years. With the coronavirus pandemic now completely taking over the news cycle, and as Washington struggles to contain both the virus and devastating economic fallout, Syria has taken a …
iranian.com/2020/04/15/major-blow-to-us-large-group-of-us-backed-fighters-defect-to-assad-forces/

Video: Syria and Iraq Launch Operations Against ISIS in Border Area
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-16
Members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Turkistan Islamic Party have four times shelled positions of the Syrian Army in the provinces of Lattakia and Hama over the past 24 hours, the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria reported. At the …
globalresearch.ca/video-syria-iraq-launch-operations-against-isis-border-area/5709787

Bachelet: Countries Must Allow Safe Return of Its Citizens
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-16
Latin American governments must allow the return of their countries\' citizens despite the COVID-19, urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on Thursday. | RELATED: | Bolivia Indigenous Denounce Añez for Discrimination | Even though the borders of many nations in the world and Latin America are closing, to stop the advance of COVID-19, \"everyone has the right to refresh their country of origin,\" Bachelet said. | Bachelet\'s statements c…
telesurenglish.net/news/bachelet-countries-must-allow-save-return-of-its-citizens-20200416-0008.html

The Russia-Saudi Oil-Price War Is a Fraud and a Farce
Mike Whitney | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-16
The Russia-Saudi oil-price war is a fabrication concocted by the media. There\'s not a word of truth to any of it. Yes, there was a dust up at an OPEC meeting in early March that led to production increases and …
globalresearch.ca/russia-saudi-oil-price-war-fraud-farce/5709856

Venezuela Seeks to Perform 10 Million Tests for COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-16
Venezuela\'s President Nicolas Maduro Wednesday mentioned that his administration is taking action to carry out 10 million detection tests for COVID-19. | RELATED: | Venezuela Has the Lowest Contagion Rate in Latin America | \"We have to get at least 10 million tests with the help of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization, China…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-Seeks-to-Perform-10-Million-Tests-for-COVID-19-20200416-0002.html

Intensifying Sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, Trump Is Weaponizing Coronavirus
Marjorie Cohn | zcomm.org | 2020-04-16
As the entire world grapples with the most devastating pandemic of the modern era, the United States is pouring kerosene on the fire in Iran and Venezuela…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/intensifying-sanctions-on-iran-and-venezuela-trump-is-weaponizing-coronavirus/

Intensifying Sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, Trump Is Weaponizing Coronavirus
Prof. Marjorie Cohn | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-16
As the entire world grapples with the most devastating pandemic of the modern era, the United States is pouring kerosene on the fire in Iran and Venezuela. The U.S. government has maintained punishing sanctions against the people of Iran and …
globalresearch.ca/intensifying-sanctions-iran-venezuela-trump-weaponizing-coronavirus/5709831

Trump Regime Immunity Certificates for Mass Vaxxing and Population Control
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-16
Orwellian control over the lives and welfare of ordinary people would pose the greatest threat to free and open societies. | They\'d no longer exist if the worst of it was imposed, notably by manipulating the public mind to accept the …
globalresearch.ca/trump-regime-immunity-certificates-mass-vaxxing-population-control/5709849

\"World War C\" Presents a Host of Challenges for Central Asia
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-16
Central Asia is at risk of collapse if the socio-economic consequences of World War C aren\'t addressed after much-needed remittance flows from Russia were abruptly cut off as a result of that country\'s emergency quarantine measures, which in turn could …
globalresearch.ca/world-war-c-presents-challenges-central-asia/5709810

In Palestine, COVID-19 Meets the Israeli Occupation
Yara Hawari | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-16
The first measures taken against COVID-19 in the West Bank occurred in early March after the confirmation of seven cases in Bethlehem that were linked to a Greek tourist group. The Palestinian Authority (PA) declared a state of emergency and …
globalresearch.ca/palestine-covid-19-meets-israeli-occupation/5709832

Is American Exceptionalism Shaping Our Scientific Response to the Coronavirus?
David Swanson | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-16
While New York City suffers through coronavirus, it\'s worth recalling that in the name of science in 1966, the U.S. government released bacteria in the New York subways. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
mintpressnews.com/american-exceptionalism-shaping-scientific-response-to-coronavirus/266695/

Now That Charlottesville Can Remove Monuments, Should It?
David Swanson | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-16
News reports proclaim that the Governor of Virginia has signed into law a bill allowing localities in Virginia to remove Confederate statues. In reality, this new law allows Virginia cities and counties to remove, alter, or relocate any war monuments

Now That Charlottesville Can Remove Monuments, Should It?
David Swanson | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-16
News reports proclaim that the Governor of Virginia has signed into law a bill allowing localities in Virginia to remove Confederate statues. In reality, this new law allows Virginia cities and counties to remove, alter, or relocate any war monuments

Trump Orders Deportation of Migrant Children Due to Coronavirus
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-16
About 400 migrant children were intercepted in the US/Mexican border and deported as a preventive measure to restrain COVID-19 from spreading. After this measure, the U.S. administration left minors unprotected from human traffic and prevents their legal guardians from caring for them. | RELATED: | Billionaire Jeff Bezos Makes US$24 Billion More Amid Pandemic | Before the migration policy, unaided children received shelter and resources from the Department of Health and Human…
telesurenglish.net/news/us-trump-orders-deportation-of-migrant-children-due-to–coronavirus-20200416-0004.html

Brazil\'s COVID-19 Death Toll Nears 2,000 30,000+ Test Positive
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-16
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brazil rose from 28,320 to 30,425, the Health Ministry said on Thursday. | RELATED: | Brazil\'s COVID-19 Denialist President Fired His Health Minister | The death toll from the disease increased from 1,736 to 1,924, for a mortality rate of 6.3 percent, the ministry said. | Brazil\'s epicenter of the outbreak continues to be the southeast state of Sao Paulo (11,568), followed by the states of Rio de Janeiro (3,944), Ceara (2,386), Amazonas…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brazils-COVID-19-Death-Toll-Nears-2000–30000-Test-Positive-20200416-0016.html

Caricom Demands End of US Sanctions Against Cuba and Venezuela
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-16
The members of the Caribbean Community -CARICOM-, called this Wednesday for the lifting of the U.S. sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela. | RELATED: | Caricom: \'Only With Unity, We Can Fight Against Imperialism\' | \"All countries must be part of the global effort to combat Covid-19,\" the region\'s heads of government agreed during the emergency Summit convened by Caricom. | The meeting, which took place via videoconference, also condemned the U.S. decision to suspend funding to the Wo…
telesurenglish.net/news/caricom-demands-end-us-sanctions-against-cuba-and-venezuela-20200416-0001.html

Africa: COVID Positive Cases Exceed 16,500
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-16
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 16,800 positive cases of COVID-19 and more than 850 deaths from the virus have already been recorded in Africa this Thursday. | RELATED: | The U.S. Opposes the IMF to Create Liquidity to Help Countries | According to John Hopkins University and the African Center for Disease Control, South Africa has 2,506 cases and 34 deaths followed by Algeria with 2,160 cases and 336 deaths, while Cameroon has 855 confirmed cases with 17 deat…
telesurenglish.net/news/africa-covid-positive-cases-exceed-16-500-20200416-0014.html

Cuba Calls for International Cooperation to Combat COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-16
The impact of COVID19 can already be measured and will be assessed in the future by the striking numbers of people infected, the unacceptable numbers of deaths, the unquestionable damages to the world economy, production, trade, employment and personal income of millions of people. | It is a crisis that goes well beyond the scope of health. The pandemic has emerged and spread amidst a scenario previously marked by overwhelming economic and social inequalities within and among nations. With unprecedented migratory and refugee flows, xenophobia and racial discrimination have reemerged. The remarkable advances of…
telesurenglish.net/news/Cuba-Calls-for-International-Cooperation-to-Combat-COVID-19-20200416-0011.html

Argentina: Health Authorities Report Dengue Fever Outbreak
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-16
Argentina\'s Health Ministry reported Wednesday an increase in dengue cases in the South American country. In the Epidemiological Surveillance bulletin, the authorities revealed that, from August 2019 to March 2020, more than 25,000 suspected cases of dengue were recorded, of which 7,862 were confirmed and probable. | RELATED: | Argentina Extends Mandatory Lockdown Until April 26 | According to the report, of the total 26,351, most of the infected are of local origin. 6,169 of these cases…
telesurenglish.net/news/argentina-health-authorities-report-dengue-fever-outbreak-20200416-0013.html

Earthquake of 6.0 Magnitude Felt in Central America
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-16
During the early hours on Thursday morning, an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 shook the Caribbean Sea, and was felt in several Central American countries. | RELATED: | Massive Earthquake Hits Ecuador and Peru | The epicenter of the earthquake took place 62 kilometers northeast of Guanaja, in Honduras, and was perceptible in Mexico and other islands in the Caribbean Sea, such as Cuba. | Experts said the quake will not generate a tsunami warning in the Caribbean Sea. So far, no casualties or material da…
telesurenglish.net/news/earthquake-of-60-magnitude-felt-in-central-america-20200416-0006.html