Puerto Rico, Protest, Prison: Johanna Fernández and Jose Saldaña Talk About The Young Lords
Susie Day | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-23
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…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/23/puerto-rico-protest-prison-johanna-fernandez-and-jose-saldana-talk-about-the-young-lords/

Will America's Corruption End on a Ventilator or in a Mushroom Cloud?
Nicolas J S Davies, Medea Benjamin | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-23
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:…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/23/will-americas-corruption-end-on-a-ventilator-or-in-a-mushroom-cloud/

Libertarian Activist Organizes "Re-Open" Santa Cruz March, Calls Pandemic a Hoax
Santa Cruz News | indybay.org | 2020-04-23
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…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/22/18832568.php

Amazon Workers Hold Nationwide Strikes As COVID-19 Sweeps Warehouses
Chris Smalls | zcomm.org | 2020-04-23
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…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/amazon-workers-hold-nationwide-strikes-as-covid-19-sweeps-warehouses/

Demonstrators Demand Santa Cruz Provide Hotel Vouchers for the Homeless
Alex Darocy | indybay.org | 2020-04-23
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.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/20/18832521.php

Merchants of death: Multibillion-dollar bailout for arms industry amid rising COVID-19 toll
wsws.org | 2020-04-23
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.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/23/pers-a23.html

Talking Points for the "End the Shutdown" Protesters
Gary Leupp | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-23
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…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/23/talking-points-for-the-end-the-shutdown-protesters/

Incarceration is Now a Potential Death Sentence
Jesse Jackson | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-23
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,…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/23/incarceration-is-now-a-potential-death-sentence/

150 years after the birth of V.I. Lenin: Long Live Leninism!
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-04-23
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…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/4/22/150-years-after-birth-vi-lenin-long-live-leninism

Trump failed on Coronavirus, now wants to "shoot down" tiny Iranian Skiffs
Juan Cole | zcomm.org | 2020-04-23
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.
zcomm.org/znetarticle/trump-failed-on-coronavirus-now-wants-to-shoot-down-tiny-iranian-skiffs/

After Bernie: It's Time to Start Talking About a Democratic Socialist Party
Mimi Harris, Philip Locker and Evan Seitchik | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-23
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…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/23/after-bernie-its-time-to-start-talking-about-a-democratic-socialist-party/

Our Revolution or Our Capitulation?
Howard Lisnoff | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-23
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…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/23/our-revolution-or-our-capitulation/

The Fight For PPE On The Docks, The War On Workers & May Day 2020 With ILWU
Labor Video Project | indybay.org | 2020-04-23
WorkWeek interviews ILWU Local 10 president Trent Willis and ILWU president Keith Shanklin about the struggle protect longshore workers from being contaminated by Covid-19 and the war against working people. They also discuss May Day and the fight of the over 500 seafarers on the Grand Princess who are being kept as prisoners on the ship.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/22/18832560.php

UN chief warns that coronavirus pandemic is becoming a 'human rights crisis'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-04-23
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…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2020/04/23/un-chief-warns-that-coronavirus-pandemic-is-becoming-a-human-rights-crisis/

COVID-19: Will social distancing be the new normal? A Mayo Clinic expert discusses what the future might look like
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-23
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. …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/covid-19-will-social-distancing-be-the-new-normal-a-mayo-clinic-expert-discusses-what-the-future-might-look-like/

Germany's right-wing Bild newspaper agitates against China
wsws.org | 2020-04-23
The accusation serves to divert attention away from the ruling elite's failure to deal with the pandemic, while at the same time whipping up public opinion for war with China.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/23/bild-j01.html

US provocatively dispatches warships to South China Sea
wsws.org | 2020-04-23
As it amplifies its inflammatory rhetoric blaming China for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration is also raising military tensions in the South China Sea.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/23/scse-a23.html

Future research and innovation leaders backed through flagship fellowships
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-04-23
Three Imperial researchers have been awarded Future Leader Fellowships from UK Research and Innovation to tackle pressing global challenges.
imperial.ac.uk/news/197036/future-research-innovation-leaders-backed-through

US unemployment headed for 27 MILLION as pandemic erases all new jobs created since 2008 financial crisis
rt.com | 2020-04-23
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. | …
rt.com/business/486619-us-unemployment-claims-soaring/

Brent crude recovers as military spat between US and Iran overshadows investors' fears over storage exhaustion
rt.com | 2020-04-23
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…
rt.com/business/486614-brent-oil-price-recovers/

Stop the Pandemic Profiteers
Jim Hightower | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-23
Wartime profiteering has been as common in our country as war itself. Indeed, during the American Revolution assorted corrupt merchants and traders lined their pockets by controlling the supply and jacking up the prices on various goods they sold to the Continental Army and to the general public. Often though, feisty colonials struck back at…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/23/stop-the-pandemic-profiteers/

World Food Programme warns: COVID-19 pandemic will cause "famines of biblical proportions"
wsws.org | 2020-04-23
Hundreds of millions of people face starvation and millions could die as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/23/hung-a23.html

A Progressive Victory over the Coronavirus
John Feffer | zcomm.org | 2020-04-23
South Korea, having beaten back the coronavirus, is now poised to show the world how to move forward to save lives, democracy, and the planet…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/a-progressive-victory-over-the-coronavirus/

Moon's geology revealed in greater detail than ever before in first all-inclusive map (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-04-23
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.com/news/486628-usgs-detailed-lunar-map/

'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 | 2020-04-23
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…
rt.com/news/486610-sanctions-resoltion-un-coronavirus-russia/

German court opens first Syria torture trial
yenisafak.com | 2020-04-23
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…
yenisafak.com/en/world/german-court-opens-first-syria-torture-trial-3517747

Immigration Freeze: COVID-19 Provides 'Window of Opportunity' for Key Trump Policy – Prof
sputniknews.com | 2020-04-23
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.com/analysis/202004231079067872-immigration-freeze-covid-19-provides-window-of-opportunity-for-key-trump-policy—prof/

Ex-Concentration Camp Prisoners Ask Investigation Committee to Deal With Actions of Finnish Invaders
sputniknews.com | 2020-04-23
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.com/russia/202004231079067297-ex-concentration-camp-prisoners-ask-investigation-committee-to-deal-with-actions-of-finnish/

Nobody Will Survive if Pandemic Spreads in Iraq's IDP Camps – Official
sputniknews.com | 2020-04-23
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.com/middleeast/202004231079066858-nobody-will-survive-if-pandemic-spreads-in-iraqs-idp-camps/

Iran Summons Swiss Ambassador Representing US to Lodge Protest Against Trump's Threats
sputniknews.com | 2020-04-23
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.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/202004231079066568-iran-summons-swiss-ambassador-representing-us-to-lodge-protest-against-trumps-threats/

Earth Day: How to Get Ships Off Fossil Fuels (webinar)
Pacific Environment & Climate Works Found. | indybay.org | 2020-04-23
Online via Zoom…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/19/18832492.php

The car industry and the climate crisis
Stephan Kroll and Christian Hofmann | indybay.org | 2020-04-23
The car companies should now be converted into providers of mobility needs based on socio-ecological sustainability. Reduction of working hours – short full time of an average of 30 hours/4 days per week for all – is part of the neceesary radical change to save human lives amid plutocratic neoliberalism.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/22/18832551.php

Pandemics, Climate Crisis and the Turbulent Future
Ted Glick | zcomm.org | 2020-04-23
We must learn from the history of past efforts at systemic change which have floundered because they were male-dominated, monochromatic instead of consciously multi-racial, led too often by white men who too often got wrapped up in ego and power…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/pandemics-climate-crisis-and-the-turbulent-future/

Infographic: Understanding COVID-19 testing
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-23
For the latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic, check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. For more information and COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/infographic-understanding-covid-19-testing/

Australia Post announces major restructure threatening thousands of jobs
wsws.org | 2020-04-23
The government and management are utilising the coronavirus pandemic to implement longstanding plans for mass sackings and privatisation.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/23/post-a23.html

A crisis like no other: social reproduction and the regeneration of capitalist life during the COVID-19 pandemic
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-04-23
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 …
mronline.org/2020/04/23/a-crisis-like-no-other-social-reproduction-and-the-regeneration-of-capitalist-life-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-crisis-like-no-other-social-reproduction-and-the-regeneration-of-capitalist-life-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

When to seek emergency care during COVID-19 pandemic
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-23
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/

Despite restrictions eviction notices still being delivered in New Orleans amid pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-04-23
There have been multiple instances in New Orleans and around the country of landlords sending eviction notices as a bullying tactic to force out or squeeze rent payments from of poor and unemployed workers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/23/evic-a23.html

Confronting coronavirus pandemic requires global, collective move: Araghchi
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-23
TEHRAN, Apr. 23 (MNA)

The Perils of Politicizing the Pandemic
George Ochenski | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-23
President Trump has so thoroughly polarized the nation that almost every conceivable action is now seen through the false lens of red and blue. If the sky is blue, does that mean it's Democratic? If the sunset is red, does that mean it's Republican? Inane questions

Shakespeare on Trump
Entering 6th Week of Quarantine | indybay.org | 2020-04-23
As we enter the 6th week of quarantine due to Nazi Trump's inexcusable delay in preparing for a pandemic which was known to be a threat in November 2019 , the benchmark of literature in the English language, Shakespeare's writings, teach us that Trump is not an aberration.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/20/18832516.php

Mass deaths in New York nursing homes
wsws.org | 2020-04-23
Combined with a lack of testing three months into the pandemic, state policies have created conditions for an uncontrollable spread of the virus and horrific mass deaths among the elderly, and significant fatalities among the staff.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/23/nurs-a23.html

UK starts testing potential Covid-19 vaccine on humans
rt.com | 2020-04-23
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…
rt.com/uk/486623-uk-vaccine-clinical-trials/

Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: How public health measures can help reopen the country
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-23
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, efforts are underway to find a new normal and begin to reopen the country and the economy. While people are eager for strict social distancing rules to end, public health measures, including testing and tracing for the virus, will be important tools needed to control the spread of the virus …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-qa-podcast-how-public-health-measures-can-help-reopen-the-country/

COVID-19: Mayo Clinic expert on what it's going to take to reopen the US
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-23
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.org/discussion/covid-19-mayo-clinic-expert-on-what-its-going-to-take-to-reopen-the-us/

Travel firm says offering vouchers instead of refunds is 'bad idea for everyone'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-04-23
The boss of an online travel agency has condemned travel firms and airlines for offering vouchers instead of cash refunds for cancelled holidays. | Simon Cooper, founder and chief executive of On The Beach, said the issuing of vouchers is "a travesty" as consumers face being ripped off when they re-book once the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is over. | A number of travel companies and airlines are offering vouchers which can be exchanged for an alternative booking at a later date. | In an interview with the PA news agency, Cooper described this as "a bad idea for everyone concerned". | Tour operators issuing vo…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/04/23/travel-firm-says-offering-vouchers-instead-of-refunds-is-bad-idea-for-everyone/

Cooperation Humboldt and the Solidarity Economy
Margaret Kimberley | zcomm.org | 2020-04-23
Founded in 2017, Cooperation Humboldt was already incubating worker cooperatives, administering food sovereignty programs, advocating for public banking and participatory budgeting, and exploring housing cooperatives, an arts hub, and eco-villages–all before the pandemic arrived in the U.S.
zcomm.org/znetarticle/cooperation-humboldt-and-the-solidarity-economy/

As US governors rush to reopen businesses, "Excess death" counts begin to reveal true toll of pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-04-23
A series of reports have shown that the real death toll from the coronavirus in many parts of the United States and Europe is likely at least twice what has been officially reported.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/23/covi-a23.html

Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Managing stress and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-23
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.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-qa-podcast-managing-stress-and-anxiety-during-covid-19-pandemic/

Twenty-nine London transport workers dead from COVID-19, as anger rises over unsafe working conditions
wsws.org | 2020-04-23
More than six weeks after the World Health Organisation declared a global pandemic, London bus drivers say they are being treated as an "expendable commodity."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/23/lond-a23.html