(2020-04-30). The jobless crisis and im/migrants. workers.org 
Farmworker wearing bandana during pandemic. It's not just COVID-19 that's racing like wildfire across the U.S. It's unemployment. The number of newly jobless workers has climbed to an astounding 26 million. That is due to coronavirus-related layoffs or furloughs caused by business closures or contractions. Added to the number of . . . |
(2020-04-30). Trump's Immigration Suspension Doesn't Prevent Unemployment or COVID-19 Spread. truthout.org Late on the evening of April 20, President Trump tweeted that he was Government officials had to scramble to make sense of Trump's tweet, but by April 22, the White House staff had…
(2020-04-30). Ryan Grim: Dems' Coronavirus Response Repeats Past Blunders. therealnews.com 
Sanders is out of the race, but the fight over the future of the Democratic part continues, says Ryan Grim, author of We've Got People: From Jesse Jackson to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the End of Big Money and the Rise of a Movement.
(2020-04-30). How to turn Colombia's prisons into coronavirus death camps and stay positive. colombiareports.com It took months of inaction, but Colombia's government finally turned Villavicencio's prison into the perfect coronavirus petri dish from where its prison chief infected at least three more prisons. The…
(2020-04-30). Bolsonaro & COVID-19 push Brazil towards military dictatorship. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Brazilian journalist and researcher, Aline Piva, after Brazil's Justice Minister, Sergio Moro, caught…
(2020-04-30). Video: How the US Makes Countries Pay for Its Wars: Economics of American Imperialism with Michael Hudson. globalresearch.ca Economist Michael Hudson explains how American imperialism has created a global free lunch, where the US makes foreign countries pay for its wars, and even their own military occupation. | Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton discuss the economics of Washington's empire, …
(2020-04-30). Video: US Coronavirus 'Bailout' Scam Is $6 Trillion Giveaway to Wall St — Economist Michael Hudson Explains. globalresearch.ca Facing the Covid-19 pandemic, the US Congress rammed through the CARES Act — which economist Michael Hudson explains is not a "bailout" but a massive, $6 trillion giveaway to Wall Street, banks, large corporations, and stockholders. | Max Blumenthal and Ben …
(2020-04-30). 45 Years Ago, End of Vietnam War: Neoliberalism and "The Vietnam Model". Who Won the Vietnam War? globalresearch.ca April 1975 marks the official end of the Vietnam War. Yet today, Vietnam is an impoverished countries. The Hanoi government is a US proxy regime. Vietnam has become a new cheap labor frontier of the global economy. Neoliberalism prevails.
(2020-04-30). Joe Biden Needs an Intervention. zcomm.org An Open Letter to DNC Chair Tom Perez…
(2020-04-30). Joe Biden Needs an Intervention: An Open Letter to DNC Chair Tom Perez. indybay.org "It takes two wings to fly."
(2020-04-30). Onto the next 'child-rights crisis'? Greta Thunberg launches fundraiser to battle Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com 
Apparently not content to rescue mankind from only one doomsday scenario, teenage eco-warrior Greta Thunberg has sprung into action again, launching a fundraising campaign to help the children of the world survive Covid-19. | The project will see the young activist partner with Denmark's Human Act Foundation to pledge $100,000 each to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), which brings humanitarian aid to children around the globe. | Though the Covid-19 outbreak has largely spared the young, Thunberg nonetheless branded the pandemic a "child-rights crisis" in a statement announcin…
(2020-04-30). Seeking justice during COVID-19: Black man killed while jogging in Georgia. peoplesworld.org 
A 25-year-old Black man was shot and killed while jogging after being pursued by two white men in Brunswick, Georgia. Over two months have passed since the incident, and still no one has been charged for his murder. Friends, family, and activists are looking for answers in Ahmaud Arbery's death, but they are afraid the …
(2020-04-30). On Mumia's birthday, global event honors political prisoners. workers.org 
By Mirinda Crissman and Judy Greenspan From behind prison walls nearly 39 years, Mumia Abu Jamal continues to educate, energize and unite prison abolitionists, former and current political prisoners, and the global activist community. On April 24, his 66th birthday, Abu-Jamal's story and legacy brought together a virtual gathering "U.S. . . . |
(2020-04-30). Et tu? Progressive Boomers Are Now Preaching Pro-Biden Lesser-Evilism. mintpressnews.com At a time when an independent progressive movement is needed more than ever, the sheepdogs of a bygone era are trying to herd a new generation of activists into the Democratic Party.
(2020-04-30). A Letter From Viet Nam on the Occasion of the 45th Anniversary of the End of the War. counterpunch.org 
Dear Fellow Citizens, I am reaching out to you as current official friends and former enemies of Vietnam because I want you to know the truth about what could have been, an alternative and viable path of history that both countries could have trod together for mutual benefit and a more peaceful world. One milestone
(2020-04-30). ELN ends coronavirus ceasefire weeks ahead of expected peak in infections. colombiareports.com Despite calls for an extension, Colombia's ELN rebels end their unilateral ceasefire on Thursday, claiming that military offensives demonstrated President Ivan Duque is not interested in peace or in combating…
(2020-04-30). How to maintain peace in Persian Gulf region. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May. 01 (MNA) — The presence of foreign forces in the Persian Gulf has caused regional security efforts to secure the interests of these powers.
(2020-04-30). Colombia: Hunger Protests Continue Amid Pandemic. telesurenglish.net Colombian protests continued due to the food crisis and lack of governmental help during COVID-19 outbreak across the South American country. | RELATED: | In Ibague, several families demonstrated demanding humanitarian aid from Tolima's Mayor Office, despite social isolation measures to prevent the virus from spreading. Furthermore, the Las Ferias neighborhood residents blocked a street entrance and burned tires…
(2020-04-30). Democrats fume as armed protesters descend on Michigan Capitol to protest lockdown. rt.com 
Crowds of protesters, some carrying weapons, descended on the state capitol in Lansing, Michigan, as legislators considered extending Covid-19 lockdown measures. Democrats blamed President Donald Trump. | Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a stay-at-home order late last month, as the coronavirus epidemic took hold in her state. When the governor — a Democrat and fierce critic of Trump — extended the order by 15 days last week, a group of residents filed a lawsuit claiming Whitmer infringed on their Constitutional rights. | After the Michigan Court of Claims rejected the suit, the state legislature sat…
(2020-04-30). COVID-19 Has Exposed the US Under Trump as a "Failed State" zcomm.org Interview on what's behind Trump's encouragement of the "anti-lockdown" protests, discusses the right-wing determination to destroy the U.S. Postal Service, and lays out his views on the electoral "lesser of two evils" principle…
(2020-04-30). Family members protest amid six more deaths at Australian aged care home. wsws.org The outbreak underscores the danger of a new wave of COVID-19 infections as governments and business chiefs step up their drive for a premature return to work.
(2020-04-30). MoveOn Protest: Twitter Rally to Demand #RealReliefNow during COVID-19. indybay.org Protest online via Twitter…
(2020-04-30). Carnivals of the damned: the U.S. far-right fights the lockdown. mronline.org 
The wave of far-right anti-lockdown protests show how capitalist politics can create monsters. Worse might be on the way.
(2020-04-30). US to Mobilize Military Reservists in 'Anti-Drug' Operation Against Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com The Trump administration is also targeting oil-for-food deals involving the Venezuelan government and Mexican companies.
(2020-04-30). The Czech Republic's Russian Assassin Scandal Reeks of the Skripal Conspiracy. globalresearch.ca A Czech magazine's scandalous claim that two of the capital's politicians are being guarded by police in order to protect them from a reportedly imminent assassination attempt by a Russian spy reeks of the Skripal conspiracy when Moscow were accused …
(2020-04-30). Save America, Throw the Landlords Under the Bus. counterpunch.org 
We can save the economy. We have to throw the landlords under the bus to do it. At this writing, 26.5 million Americans have lost their jobs to the national lockdown necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Added to those who were unemployed before the coronavirus crisis, we will soon face jobless numbers equivalent to or greater than to
(2020-04-30). Uncivil Corporate Discourse. counterpunch.org 
Solving social problems democratically requires well-informed citizens who can reason together despite differences in outlook. It requires, in short, rational public discourse. Making this happen has never been easy, and today it seems to be getting harder. Architects of the new Program for Public Discourse at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill believe they know
(2020-04-30). Millions of Pakistani laborers struggle amid COVID-19 lockdown. yenisafak.com Hundreds of charged laborers, including women, gathered outside a garment factory in the eastern district of Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi to protest against their forced layoff only a week before the International Labor Day.They, in fact, came to receive their salaries but they were verbally informed that the factory no longer required their services due to the financial losses caused by a lingering lockdown imposed by the government to curb the raging coronavirus outbreak in the country.A few kilometers away, another demonstration was held outside a famous textile company, which also laid off hundreds o…
(2020-04-30). Greta Thunberg Donates $100,000 Prize to UNICEF to Protect Children From COVID-19 Outbreak. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has donated a $100,000 prize awarded by the Danish non-governmental organisation Human Act to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to help the organisation protect children from COVID-19, according to a UNICEF statement on Thursday.
(2020-04-30). New COVID-19 Antiviral Drug Remdesivir Offers 'No Significant' Benefit, More Research Needed-Study. sputniknews.com The first randomised trial for a promising new antiviral drug, lauded by many as a positive treatment for SARS-CoV-2 patients, suggested that there were no significant clinical benefits, with researchers urging further trials, a study released on late Wednesday revealed.
(2020-04-30). Corporate planning in the coronavirus economy. mronline.org 
In this blog post, I want to connect what we're currently seeing in the retail sector during this pandemic to deep-seated narratives about the nature of economic exchange, in particular to the notion of "the market".
(2020-04-30). China calls for cooperation rather than blame on COVID-19. peoplesworld.org 
A leaked secret GOP memo to its 2020 Senatorial candidates exposes Donald Trump's "blame China for the virus" strategy as the core of the party's re-election campaign for November. The memo was leaked this week just after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made two false accusations against China, one that the Chinese were guilty of …
(2020-04-30). May Day strike at Amazon, Walmart, FedEx, Target, Instacart, Whole Foods! peoplesworld.org 
Dangerous pandemic-caused working conditions at warehouses, in the "gig economy," and at big box stores are forcing tens of thousands of workers at six large firms — Amazon, Walmart, FedEx, Target, Instacart, Shipt, and Whole Foods — into a walkout during their lunch breaks on May 1. Depending upon the final totals who walk out, …
(2020-04-30). Arab League condemns Israel's plan to annex parts of West Bank. rt.com 
The Arab League condemned Israel's plan to de facto annex parts of the occupied West Bank as "a new war crime" against Palestinians, it said in statement after a video conference of Arab foreign ministers on Thursday. | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in announcing a deal to form a unity government, has set July 1 as the date for the start of cabinet discussions on extending Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlements in the West Bank and annexing outright the Jordan Valley, Reuters said. | Palestinians have expressed outrage at Israel's plans to cement its hold on land it seized in the 1967 Six-Day War in th…
(2020-04-30). Is Kim Dead? Your Guess Is as Good as Western Media's. fair.org 
"Monitoring intelligence" is journalese for "aware of rumors" (CNN, If CNN is to be believed, Kim Jong-un is in critical condition—or he isn't. | Recently, the network published an article (
(2020-04-30). Economist Thomas Piketty: Coronavirus Pandemic Has Exposed the "Violence of Social Inequality" democracynow.org 
As nearly 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment in just six weeks and millions worldwide face hunger and poverty, we look at the global economic catastrophe triggered by the pandemic and its impact on the most vulnerable. As the World Food Programme warns of a massive spike in global hunger and more than 100 million people in cities worldwide could fall into poverty, can this crisis be a catalyst for change? We ask French economist Thomas Piketty. His 2014 internationally best-selling book, "Capital in the Twenty-First Century," looked at economic inequality and the necessity of wealth taxes. His new b…
(2020-04-30). By 'as Successful as Most Other Nations,' NYT Means Sweden Is 10th Worst in the World. fair.org 
The relaxed attitude of Swedes towards the spread of the coronavirus "does not seem to have hurt them," reports the New York Times ( "In Sweden…the government defied conventional wisdom and refused to order a wholesale lockdown to 'flatten the curve' of the coronavirus epidemic," the New York Times (
(2020-04-30). Lockdowns-Boosting WHO Now Lauds Sweden as a 'Model' for Other Countries to Copy Going Forward. anti-empire.com 
The World Health Organization lauded Sweden as a "model" for battling the coronavirus as countries lift lockdowns — after the nation Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO's top emergencies expert, said Wednesday there are "lessons to be learned" from the Scandinavian nation, which has largely relied on citizens to self-regulate. [This would be the same Mike Ryan who argued authorities would need to enter people's homes and forcefully take away infected fami…
(2020-04-30). Serbia eases lockdown this weekend despite health warnings. rt.com 
The Serbian government has decided to ease coronavirus lockdown measures this weekend despite warnings by doctors. The government reversed its decision to lock the entire country down during the coming May Day weekend and instead introduced a curfew from 6pm on Thursday until 5pm on Saturday despite calls by doctors not to relax restrictions. | Serbia's chief epidemiologist, Predrag Kon, a member of the government's crisis team, sees the decision as a compromise. He said a three-day lockdown would have been a better and safer decision to prevent the disease spreading. | Serbia has so far reported 8,724 coronav…
(2020-04-30). Postal Workers' Dimondstein: USPS collapse would disenfranchise tens of millions. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—The financial collapse of the U.S. Postal Service, which could happen any time between late summer and Sept. 30 without federal aid, "would disenfranchise tens of millions" of voters in the November election, Postal Workers President Mark Dimondstein warns. And that threat was one reason Dimondstein joined two Secretaries of State — the top elections …
(2020-04-30). WHO says Russia could start 'gradually' easing partial lockdown in 2 weeks, amid a record daily spike in Covid-19 cases. rt.com 
A WHO representative suggested that Russia could start partially easing Covid-19 restrictions soon if the situation develops in the right way. However, new data in relation to infections adds more uncertainty to the situation. | One month on from Putin's announcement of a Russian partial lockdown, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. | Speaking at a coronavirus-focused roundtable hosted by Russian news agency TASS, Dr. Melita Vujnovic, the World Health Organization Representative in Russia, stated that measures could soon be eased if the country sees a downward trend within the next two weeks. "I…
(2020-04-30). 'No need to generate undue alarm': Doctors call for calm amid media hype over Covid-19-linked inflammatory syndrome in children. rt.com 
The Western media has been flooded with stories about a "mysterious disease" affecting children in the UK and the US that is supposedly linked to Covid-19. RT has asked a number of pediatricians if there is cause for concern. | On Monday, the UK's Paediatric Intensive Care Society (PICS) sent a memo to British doctors warning them about a rise in cases of a "multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care" that had been exhibited in "children of all ages" in several regions across the UK, including London. It further noted that the symptoms of the condition were "consistent with severe Covid-19," and…
(2020-04-30). European classical music in the U.S. and its foreign policy impact. peoplesworld.org 
Scholar Jonathan Rosenberg's new book Dangerous Melodies: Classical Music in America from the Great War through the Cold War has a misleading title. He focuses on controversies during three major episodes in global history—the Great War (World War I), World War II, and the Cold War of the 1940s-1960s (he only sketchily carries the story …
(2020-04-30). US intelligence says Covid-19 'not man-made' but will still investigate Wuhan lab-origins theory. rt.com 
The US intelligence community has said the Covid-19 virus was "not man-made or genetically modified," as reports suggest Donald Trump is warring with spy agencies and pushing the theory that the virus came from a Chinese lab. | In a rare
(2020-04-30). We need your vote! RT projects nominated for 'Internet Oscars' Webby Awards 2020. rt.com 
For the third year in a row, RT is among the nominees for the most prestigious online awards — the Webbys. This year, RT picked up an impressive four nominations, but now we need your vote as well! | More than 13,000 entries were submitted for the 24th annual Webby Awards, which has been dubbed the 'Webbys From Home,' as the ceremony will be held online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the nominees for the internet's highest honor are celebrities, artists, studios, designers, brands, and media including CNN, the BBC, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, Marvel, HBO, Netflix, Disney, National Geographic, Jimmy Fallo…
(2020-04-30). WHO Adviser on Meat Plants: If We're at War, the Weapons We Need Are Tests and PPE, Not Pork. democracynow.org 
As President Trump invokes the Defense Production Act to bar local governments from closing meatpacking plants around the United States, we get response from a longtime adviser to the World Health Organization. "When Congress passed that act, it certainly did not have in mind that the president has the power or the right to put workers' lives and health at risk," says Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health law at Georgetown University and director of the World Health Organization Center on National and Global Health Law. Gostin also discusses why he joined 40 leading center directors in a declaration this we…
(2020-04-30). Libya's UN-recognized govt rejects rival Haftar's offer of Ramadan truce. rt.com 
The Tripoli-based government of Libya has rejected a truce offer from rival military commander Khalifa Haftar for the month of Ramadan, saying it "did not trust" the pledge made by its eastern-based adversary. | In a statement issued Thursday, the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) insisted it would continue "legitimate self-defense" and would attack "any threat." It also apparently referenced Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), saying it would "put an end to outlaw groups." | The LNA, which controls swathes of eastern and southern Libya, launched an offensive to seize the capital Tripoli in Ap…
(2020-04-30). The Beginning of the End for Oil? Energy in a Post-Pandemic World. counterpunch.org 
Energy analysts have long assumed that, given time, growing international concern over climate change would result in a vast restructuring of the global energy enterprise. The result: a greener, less climate-degrading system. In this future, fossil fuels would be overtaken by renewables, while oil, gas, and coal would be relegated to an increasingly marginal role
(2020-04-30). US unemployment set to soar to 30 MILLION as coronavirus pandemic wrecks economy. rt.com 
With the US Labor Department set to release weekly jobless claims figures on Thursday, economists project that another 3.5 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits during the week ending April 25. | That will add to the 4.427 million initial jobless claims in the previous week, bringing the total number to at least 30 million during the six-week period of the forced lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak. | Economists expect the number of unemployed Americans in April to shatter…
(2020-04-30). Protect Victims of Domestic Violence During and After the Pandemic. thenation.com 
Domestic and sexual violence increases exponentially as a consequence of the pandemic.