Daily Archives: May 16, 2020

2020-05-16: News Headlines

Peter Koenig (2020-05-16). The Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic: The Real Danger is "Agenda ID2020" globalresearch.ca WHO has most likely received orders from "above", from those people who also manage Trump and the "leaders" (sic) of the EU, European Union. The final decision to go ahead NOW with COVID-19 pandemic, was taken in January 2020 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos – behind very much closed doors.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-05-16). Global Capitalism, "World Government" and the Corona Crisis. globalresearch.ca In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. | The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist. (President Dwight D. Eisenhower …

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Iran to hold online intl. conf. on Quds to as replacement to rallies. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — According to Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, head of the Islamic Seminaries of Iran, a two-day online international conference will be held on the issue of Palestine.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-16). On Nakba Day, Palestinians vow to continue resistance. peoplesdispatch.org May 15 is the anniversary of the Nakba, which means catastrophe or disaster. The day marks the forced exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes during the formation of Israel in 1948. This year, despite the COVID-19 quarantine, Palestinians across the world will mark the Nakba. Despite Netanyahu's apartheid policies and Trump's fradulent deal of the century, the resistance of the people of Palestine continues.

RT (2020-05-16). Russia's biggest automaker to jump-start production next week. rt.com Major Russian car manufacturer AvtoVAZ has announced that after more than a two-week shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic it will resume production on May 18. | "Due to the virus situation, work will be organized according to a safe schedule to avoid crowds of people in transport and at checkpoints. The start of shifts on the assembly lines and office staff work schedules will be timed," the company said. Starting from June 29, AvtoVAZ will switch over to a four-day work week. | Production of cars at AvtoVAZ was suspended from April 29 due to the spread of coronavirus infection in Russia, which led to a drop…

RT (2020-05-16). Moscow hits lowest daily Covid-19 cases mark since early May, with 3,505 infections recorded. rt.com The Russian capital, which accounts for a half of all Covid-19 cases and deaths in the country, has reported the lowest new daily infections number since early May. | Some 3,505 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed in Moscow on Saturday. This has become the minimum daily rate in the city since the beginning of May, the capital's operational headquarters for monitoring the pandemic reported. | The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the capital has now reached 138,969. According to the officials, in the third decade of April, an average of 2,700 to 2,800 cases were recorded every day in Moscow. As the t…

RT (2020-05-16). Air traffic won't return to pre-pandemic levels until 2023 — IATA. rt.com Demand for air travel has plunged more than 90 percent in Europe and the United States since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said. | It warned that passenger traffic won't rebound to pre-crisis levels until at least 2023, noting that recovery will be even slower if lockdowns and travel restrictions are extended. | "We are asking governments to have a phased approach to restart the industry and to fly again," Alexandre de Juniac, the IATA's director general and CEO, told CNBC, raising hopes that some flying will resume by summer. | According to him, the…

RT (2020-05-16). House Democrats push through $3 TRILLION Covid-19 relief bill as GOP puts up resistance to 'progressive wishlist'. rt.com Democratic lawmakers have passed a massive $3 trillion coronavirus aid package, the largest bill to ever move through Congress, but the Senate is likely to block the law, with Republicans deeming it a progressive "wishlist." | The 1,800-page bill passed 208-199 on Friday in a vote largely along party lines, with all but 14 Democrats voting in its favor, joined by a single GOP rep — Peter King of New York. | Introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) without consultation from lawmakers across the aisle, the expansive law will provide financial relief for state and local governments, hazard pay…

RT (2020-05-16). Biggest change in 231 years: Citing Covid-19, US House of Representatives adopts proxy votes & remote meetings in party-line vote. rt.com The US House of Representatives will allow members to cast votes for up to 10 others and hold hearings remotely. Billed as temporary due to the coronavirus outbreak, the rule change is the most radical in over two centuries. | The new rules passed on Friday evening in a 217-189 vote, with three Democrats and one Independent joining the Republicans in bipartisan opposition. | Democrats, who currently control the chamber, pushed for the change this week, calling it "a common-sense solution to an unprecedented crisis that demands our ingenuity and adaptability as an institution," in the words of House Majority Le…

RT (2020-05-16). Italy to lift international and domestic travel restrictions in June. rt.com Italy will allow international travel, as well as transit between the country's regions, from June 3, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Saturday. | The authorities, however, have not ruled out curbing travel again in some areas — but only in the event that there is a new spike in infections. | The European state, one of the hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, has begun to slowly ease restrictions that were put in place to stop the spread of the illness following a steady decline in the number of new cases recently. | Factories and parks opened in early May, while shops and restaurants are se…

RT (2020-05-16). 'We surrender!' Roscosmos chief taunts Trump for bragging about 'super-duper' US missile. rt.com The head of Russia's space agency, Dmitry Rogozin, fired off a tongue-in-cheek tweet in response to Donald Trump's brag about the uber-powerful missile that he alleges leaves Russian or Chinese analogues far behind. | While unveiling the flag of the Space Force in the Oval Office on Friday, US President Donald Trump made some headline-grabbing remarks. | "We have no choice. We have to do it, with the adversaries we have out there…I call it the super-duper missile, and I heard the other night [it's] 17 times faster than what they have right now," Trump bragged. | The US president didn't give away a single clu…

RT (2020-05-16). 'Propaganda machine says it's OK for there to be Bezos & Zuckerberg': Roger Waters tells RT how media shields Covid-19 villains. rt.com Mankind is headed for annihilation unless societies reject unjust economic systems and media war propaganda, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters told RT, noting that the Covid-19 crisis could serve as a much-needed wake-up call. | "Clearly what Covid-19 has told us all is that in order to face a common enemy, like a virulent virus, we're going to need to cooperate, to act together… as a global community," Waters told RT's Rick Sanchez on Friday. | If we don't cooperate, we're all dead. The planet's over. We're heading for the cliff of omnicidal destruction of everything. So will this be a wake-up call? I hope…

RT (2020-05-16). War-loving 'propaganda machine' & 'neoliberal economics' driving humanity toward 'omnicidal destruction,' Roger Waters tells RT. rt.com Mankind is headed for annihilation unless societies reject unjust economic systems and media war propaganda, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters told RT, noting that the Covid-19 crisis could serve as a much-needed wake-up call. | "Clearly what Covid-19 has told us all is that in order to face a common enemy, like a virulent virus, we're going to need to cooperate, to act together… as a global community," Waters told RT's Rick Sanchez on Friday. | If we don't cooperate, we're all dead. The planet's over. We're heading for the cliff of omnicidal destruction of everything. So will this be a wake-up call? I hope…

The Canary (2020-05-16). Senior police officer accused of 'one rule for him, and one rule for the rest of us' after travelling to family home. thecanary.co A senior British Transport Police (BTP) officer has come under fire after he travelled from Glasgow to his family home in Yorkshire during lockdown.BTP confirmed chief superintendent Eddie Wylie returned to Yorkshire from his rented flat in Glasgow on two occasions between 21 March and 13 May, but said he did not breach Covid-19 regulations.It said that on both occasions he travelled home alone and by car to minimise any possible exposure to others.But Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said the journeys suggest Wylie "believes there is one rule for him, and one rule for the rest of us", and the officers has…

RT (2020-05-16). 'Unreliable for allies, dangerous for rivals': Tehran blasts 'mindless' trio of Trump, Pompeo & US Iran envoy. rt.com A high-ranking Iranian politician has unloaded on three of the top US officials, saying their "mindless" behavior paints the US government as being dangerous for rivals, unreliable for allies and incompetent for the people. | Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council took aim at US President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook in a series of tweets on Friday. | "The rule of the incompetent and mindless is only a source of danger," Shamkhani said before proceeding to call the Americans by name. | The Trump-Pompeo-Hook triangl…

RT (2020-05-16). Intelsat, launcher of 1st commercial communications satellite, files for bankruptcy… it's a friend we didn't know we had. rt.com Born in the Cold War, powered by rivalry and unhindered by free-market restrictions, Intelsat linked the planet with its satellites — but hardly anyone knew about it. Now, it struggles to stay afloat. | Anyone who remembers television in the late 20th century will remember the thrill of watching international broadcasts. The grainy pictures of faraway and foreign places, with their strange road signs, adverts and people. The sound delayed and crackled like a long-distance phone call. | Now we live in an age where a crystal-clear conversation with multiple people on multiple continents using a device ligh…

RT (2020-05-16). Trump vows to strip 'radical left' of 'TOTAL COMMAND' over FB, IG, Twitter & Google. rt.com President Donald Trump has vowed to break the "radical left's" apparent control of social media platforms. Earlier, the president thanked his "keyboard warriors" for their support, as they accused the tech firms of censorship. | "The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google," Trump tweeted on Saturday. "The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation. Stay tuned, and send names & events." | t.co/ZQfcfD3Hk9— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

RT (2020-05-16). POLAND would gladly host American nukes if Germany refuses, US envoy claims, fanning 'Cuban missile crisis 2.0'. rt.com As the US ambassador to Germany — and acting spy chief — tried persuading Berlin to keep hosting US nuclear weapons, his colleague in Warsaw suggested Poland would be willing to take them instead, an act sure to provoke Moscow. | "If Germany wants to diminish nuclear capability and weaken NATO, perhaps Poland — which pays its fair share, understands the risks, and is on NATO's eastern flank — could house the capabilities here," Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher tweeted on Friday. | If Germany wants to diminish nuclear capability and weaken NATO, perhaps Poland – which pays its fair share, un…

Glen Ford (2020-05-16). Leftists jump the Corporate Democratic ship, leaving Sanders behind. mronline.org History may record that the corporate duopoly dike was finally broken in the Time of Plague, with the defection of Bernie's former sheep from the Democratic Party.

RT (2020-05-16). 'Camera off, mask off?' CNN reporter blasted for removing mask seconds after end of WH press briefing. rt.com CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins has been accused of Covid-19 theatrics, as she was caught hastily removing her face mask after a White House briefing. Collins has criticized Donald Trump for not wearing masks in public. | Despite the president's 'masks are optional' policy at White House briefings, the CNN journalist, like most of her colleagues, wore one during the press event on Friday. | However, when Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany walked off the podium, Collins wasted no time in taking off the protective item as she brushed past other people in the room — a social distancing faux pas in the age of…

teleSUR Desk (2020-05-16). U.S. blocks vote on UN's bid for global ceasefire amid COVID-19. mronline.org The U.S. veto trashes the UN's efforts to convince armed factions in more than a dozen countries to call for temporary truces as the world battles the pandemic.

The Lancet (2020-05-16). [Editorial] Reviving the US CDC. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen in the USA with 1 ∑3 million cases and an estimated death toll of 80‚Äà684 as of May 12. States that were initially the hardest hit, such as New York and New Jersey, have decelerated the rate of infections and deaths after the implementation of 2 months of lockdown. However, the emergence of new outbreaks in Minnesota, where the stay-at-home order is set to lift in mid-May, and Iowa, which did not enact any restrictions on movement or commerce, has prompted pointed new questions about the inconsistent and incoherent national response to the COVID-19…

Richard Horton (2020-05-16). [Comment] Offline: Don't let COVID-19 divert us completely. thelancet.com Dr Robert Spencer, a trustee of Dr Edward Jenner's House, Garden and Museum in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK, wrote to me last week on the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox (May 8). He was polite but disappointed: "On this day in 1980 the WHO announced the eradication of smallpox from the world. This infection, which probably caused more deaths than any other disease, was finally condemned to the history books. Sorry to see you had no space in this week's edition of The Lancet to commemorate this milestone, especially at a time of COVID-19 pandemic." Dr Spencer was right to admonish me.

Leon Kunstenaar (2020-05-16). Protest at Fort Mason Against CCSF Cuts. indybay.org People young and old protest CCSF cuts in programs that benefit seniors, immigrants and working people.

WSWS (2020-05-16). Herd immunity policy in Turkey risks thousands of new deaths. wsws.org The government is launching a "normalization" policy forcing employees back to work over opposition from medical experts.

WSWS (2020-05-16). Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York: A little more of an edge than usual. wsws.org Disgracefully, A Rainy Day in New York has been suppressed in the US. The film was completed in 2018, but Amazon Studios refused to distribute it.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Talks underway between Iran, Iraq to reopen Mehran border crossing amid pandemic. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — The Director-General of Ilam Customs Office Rouhollah Gholami said on Sat. that Iranian and Iraqi customs officials are in talks with each other for reopening Mehran Border Crossing with the aim of resuming trade activities halted due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

WSWS (2020-05-16). With private prison outbreak, Tennessee county leads US in per capita COVID-19 cases. wsws.org More than half of the 2,400 inmates at the CoreCivic Trousdale Turner Correctional Center have tested positive for coronavirus.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Leader, university studesnts to meet via videoconference. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — On the 22nd day of the holy month of Ramadan (May 17), the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will meet with a group of university students and the representatives of students associations via videoconference, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

WSWS (2020-05-16). California State University, the largest public university system in the US, closes campuses for the fall semester. wsws.org In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, universities and colleges throughout the US are grappling with the new economic and social reality as uncertainty mounts over reopening campuses in the fall.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Schools reopened in Hamedan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — According to the direct order of the National Committee on Combating Coronavirus, schools in Iran have been reopened as of May 16. These pictures depict school students in the western Iranian province of Hamedan.

WSWS (2020-05-16). Overwhelming opposition to reopening of UK schools amid worsening COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org The closure of schools is a key measure recommended by medical experts internationally to reduce the infection and death rate from the coronavirus.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Covid-19 infects above 4.6mn globally. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — On Saturday, the global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic reached 308,676, while 4,629,407 cases of the infection have been detected.

Poor People's Campaign & MoveOn (2020-05-16). We Can't Go Back to Normal: A Moral Respnse to Coronavirus Town Hall (PPC). indybay.org Online via livestream…

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Iran condemns US' coronavirus blame game against China. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi has condemned American officials' COVID-19 related blame game against China, noting that these measures are being taken to divert attention from Trump administration's incompetency to fight the outbreak.

WSWS (2020-05-16). US House passes $3 trillion coronavirus "relief" bill. wsws.org In a near party-line vote, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a fourth stimulus bill that has no chance of being approved by the Republican-controlled Senate.

Staff (2020-05-16). House Passes $3 Trillion Relief Package, But Progressives Say More Must Be Done. truthout.org The Democrat majority House of Representatives passed a massive, $3 trillion coronavirus relief stimulus package known as the HEROES Act roughly along party lines on Friday night despite progressive concerns over the bill's provisions. | "The truth is that while a significant step in the right direction, the bill does not go far enough to provide urgently needed economic relief to the millions of people who lost their income and whose families are now standing in food lines," Ana Maria Archi…

WSWS (2020-05-16). Chile's government deploys troops in the streets as coronavirus cases soar. wsws.org Ultra-right President Sebastian Piñera has responded to the pandemic, and signs of growing popular resistance, by increasing repressive powers in Chile.

Gary Younge (2020-05-16). Can Britain Survive Boris Johnson? thenation.com Can Britain Survive Boris Johnson?

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Iran's COVID-19 cases surpass 118,000. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — More than 118,000 people have contracted the novel coronavirus in Iran with the death toll exceeding 6,900, a senior health official said.

WSWS (2020-05-16). Coronavirus crisis exposes devastating conditions in the German meat processing industry. wsws.org German slaughterhouses have become coronavirus hotspots, with hundreds of workers, most of them sub-contracted from Eastern Europe, infected with the virus.

Kate Zeller (2020-05-16). World Health Assembly Wrestles with Coronavirus. indybay.org As the global coronavirus death toll tops 300,000 people, the leaders of the World Health Organization (WHO) prepare to hold their leadership meetings virtually from May 18th – 19th.

WSWS (2020-05-16). One dead and more than 600 Irish meat processing workers infected with coronavirus. wsws.org There are 23,956 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Republic of Ireland and 1,518 deaths—one of the highest death ratios in the world. In Northern Ireland, 4,317 people have tested positive, with 469 deaths.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Nuclear deal opponents helpless, ignorant: Ulyanov. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov termed the opponents of the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as Iran deal, ignorant and helpless.

Michael Otto (2020-05-16). Ecuador's pandemic — Part 1: Rightist regime fails to confront crisis. workers.org Ibarra, Ecuador May 9 — During March and April, U.S. and European media spewed out shocking images from Guayaquil, the biggest city in Ecuador and capital of the province of Guayas on the Pacific Coast. No one in the port city of 2.9 million is untouched by the death of . . . |

Larry Holmes (2020-05-16). Pandemia ha acelerado etapa final del capitalismo — °El resto depende de nosotros! — un análisis. workers.org La semana pasada, los trabajadores celebraron el Día Internacional de los Trabajadores 2020. No ha habido otro momento en nuestras vidas en que el mensaje del Primero de Mayo, —la solidaridad global de los trabajadores en la lucha contra el capitalismo— haya sido más urgente. Hemos entrado en un período . . . |

(2020-05-16). Marc Lamont Hill: 'Outside the logic of the prison' on Mumia's birthday. workers.org By Marc Lamont Hill These slightly edited remarks were given April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. Marc Lamont Hill . . . |

a guest author (2020-05-16). Rashid Johnson: 'Prison has always served a particular political function'. workers.org Remarks were given April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. Kevin Rashid Johnson, currently incarcerated in the Pendleton Correctional Facility . . . |

(2020-05-16). Sekou Odinga: 'The right to struggle by any and all means'. workers.org These slightly edited remarks were given April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. By Sekou Odinga I'm a representative of . . . |

Project Censored (2020-05-16). Episode 84 — The History of 420 and Teaching in Quarantine with Ben Boyington (Vice President of ACME). projectcensored.org Along the Line, is a member of the Demcast network, brought to you by the Media Freedom Foundation. On today's episode hosts Nicholas Baham III (Dr. Dreadlocks), Janice Domingo, and Nolan…

2020-05-16: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

Missing the Context of De Blasio's 'Jewish Community' Tweet
Ari Paul | fair.org | 2020-05-16
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's tweet ( 4/28/20) to "the Jewish community." | Time for a Yiddish lesson: Shanda, meaning a shame or disgrace; a scandal. | Right-wing voices throughout the media thought they found one with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's tweet ( 4/28/20) about a Hasidic funeral that violated Covid-19 social-distancing rules. But their shoddy coverage was the real shanda. | The background is this: Some Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn, members of a strictly Ort…
fair.org/home/missing-the-context-of-de-blasios-jewish-community-tweet/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=missing-the-context-of-de-blasios-jewish-community-tweet

On Nakba Day, Palestinians vow to continue resistance
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-16
May 15 is the anniversary of the Nakba, which means catastrophe or disaster. The day marks the forced exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes during the formation of Israel in 1948. This year, despite the COVID-19 quarantine, Palestinians across the world will mark the Nakba. Despite Netanyahu's apartheid policies and Trump's fradulent deal of the century, the resistance of the people of Palestine continues.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/16/on-nakba-day-palestinians-vow-to-continue-resistance/

On Nakba Day, Palestinians vow to continue resistance
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-16
May 15 is the anniversary of the Nakba, which means catastrophe or disaster. The day marks the forced exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes during the formation of Israel in 1948. This year, despite the COVID-19 quarantine, Palestinians across the world will mark the Nakba. Despite Netanyahu's apartheid policies and Trump's fradulent deal of the century, the resistance of the people of Palestine continues.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/16/on-nakba-day-palestinians-vow-to-continue-resistance/

Global Capitalism, "World Government" and the Corona Crisis
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-16
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. | The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist. (President Dwight D. Eisenhower | …
globalresearch.ca/global-capitalism-world-government-and-the-corona-crisis/5712312

Global Capitalism, "World Government" and the Corona Crisis
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-16
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist. (President Dwight D. Eisenhower | …
globalresearch.ca/global-capitalism-world-government-and-the-corona-crisis/5712312

The Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic: The Real Danger is "Agenda ID2020"
Peter Koenig | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-16
WHO has most likely received orders from "above", from those people who also manage Trump and the "leaders" (sic) of the EU, European Union. The final decision to go ahead NOW with COVID-19 pandemic, was taken in January 2020 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos – behind very much closed doors.
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-causes-effects-real-danger-agenda-id2020/5706153

The Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic: The Real Danger is "Agenda ID2020"
Peter Koenig | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-16
WHO has most likely received orders from "above", from those people who also manage Trump and the "leaders" (sic) of the EU, European Union. The final decision to go ahead NOW with COVID-19 pandemic, was taken in January 2020 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos – behind very much closed doors.
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-causes-effects-real-danger-agenda-id2020/5706153

US University Leading COVID Response Leaves Black Workers Behind
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-16
On May Day, food service workers led a socially distanced protest at the campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, taking part in the international day of action to defend workers and highlight the disparate impact COVID-19 is having across the country. Donning masks, the workers read the names of their 188 colleagues who have been laid off amid the pandemic, 98 percent of whom are Black, according to UNITE HERE…
truthout.org/articles/us-university-leading-covid-response-leaves-black-workers-behind/

Protest at Fort Mason Against CCSF Cuts
Leon Kunstenaar | indybay.org | 2020-05-16
People young and old protest CCSF cuts in programs that benefit seniors, immigrants and working people.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/15/18833052.php

[Comment] Offline: Don't let COVID-19 divert us completely
Richard Horton | thelancet.com | 2020-05-16
Dr Robert Spencer, a trustee of Dr Edward Jenner's House, Garden and Museum in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK, wrote to me last week on the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox (May 8). He was polite but disappointed: "On this day in 1980 the WHO announced the eradication of smallpox from the world. This infection, which probably caused more deaths than any other disease, was finally condemned to the history books. Sorry to see you had no space in this week's edition of The Lancet to commemorate this milestone, especially at a time of COVID-19 pandemic." Dr Spencer was right to admonish me.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31130-2/fulltext?rss=yes

[Editorial] Reviving the US CDC
The Lancet | thelancet.com | 2020-05-16
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen in the USA with 1 ∑3 million cases and an estimated death toll of 80‚Äà684 as of May 12. States that were initially the hardest hit, such as New York and New Jersey, have decelerated the rate of infections and deaths after the implementation of 2 months of lockdown. However, the emergence of new outbreaks in Minnesota, where the stay-at-home order is set to lift in mid-May, and Iowa, which did not enact any restrictions on movement or commerce, has prompted pointed new questions about the inconsistent and incoherent national response to the COVID-19…
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31140-5/fulltext?rss=yes

Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York: A little more of an edge than usual
wsws.org | 2020-05-16
Disgracefully, A Rainy Day in New York has been suppressed in the US. The film was completed in 2018, but Amazon Studios refused to distribute it.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/16/rain-m16.html

Washington places Cuba and Venezuela on "terror" list
wsws.org | 2020-05-16
After fostering an abortive mercenary invasion aimed at overthrowing Venezuela's government and murdering its president, the US placed Caracas on a list of governments deemed uncooperative in the "war on terrorism."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/16/cuba-m16.html

Sekou Odinga: 'The right to struggle by any and all means'
| workers.org | 2020-05-16
These slightly edited remarks were given April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. By Sekou Odinga I'm a representative of . . . | Continue reading Sekou Odinga: 'The right to struggle by any and all means' at Workers.org
workers.org/2020/05/48701/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sekou-odinga-the-right-to-struggle-by-any-and-all-means

Marc Lamont Hill: 'Outside the logic of the prison' on Mumia's birthday
| workers.org | 2020-05-16
By Marc Lamont Hill These slightly edited remarks were given April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. Marc Lamont Hill . . . | Continue reading Marc Lamont Hill: 'Outside the logic of the prison' on Mumia's birthday at Workers.org
workers.org/2020/05/48703/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=marc-lamont-hill-outside-the-logic-of-the-prison-on-mumias-birthday

Rashid Johnson: 'Prison has always served a particular political function'
a guest author | workers.org | 2020-05-16
Remarks were given April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" webinar teach-in sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. Kevin Rashid Johnson, currently incarcerated in the Pendleton Correctional Facility . . . | Continue reading Rashid Johnson: 'Prison has always served a particular political function' at Workers.org
workers.org/2020/05/48698/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rashid-johnson-prison-has-always-served-a-particular-political-function

Al-Nujaba calls on Iraqi emulation sources to condemn Saudis' insult to Shahid al-Muhandis
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Hospital Workers Report Failures by Management to Notify Them of COVID Exposures
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-16
Dinah Jimenez assumed a world-class hospital would be better prepared than a chowder house to inform workers when they had been exposed to a deadly virus. | So, when her boyfriend, an employee of a popular seafood restaurant in Seattle, received a call from his boss on a Sunday in late March telling him a co-worker had tested positive for COVID-19 and that he needed to quarantine for 14 days, she said she assumed she'd get a similar call from the University of Washington Medical Center. A…
truthout.org/articles/hospital-workers-report-failures-by-management-to-notify-them-of-covid-exposures/

House Passes $3 Trillion Relief Package, But Progressives Say More Must Be Done
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-16
The Democrat majority House of Representatives passed a massive, $3 trillion coronavirus relief stimulus package known as the HEROES Act roughly along party lines on Friday night despite progressive concerns over the bill's provisions. | "The truth is that while a significant step in the right direction, the bill does not go far enough to provide urgently needed economic relief to the millions of people who lost their income and whose families are now standing in food lines," Ana Maria Archi…
truthout.org/articles/house-passes-3-trillion-relief-package-but-progressives-say-more-must-be-done/

Cuba's Resilience Through Economic Crisis Prepared It for COVID Health Crisis
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-16
In times of crisis, who we are is revealed. That is true of people and of nations. What COVID-19 has exposed

Leftists jump the Corporate Democratic ship, leaving Sanders behind
Glen Ford | mronline.org | 2020-05-16
History may record that the corporate duopoly dike was finally broken in the Time of Plague, with the defection of Bernie's former sheep from the Democratic Party.
mronline.org/2020/05/16/leftists-jump-the-corporate-democratic-ship-leaving-sanders-behind/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=leftists-jump-the-corporate-democratic-ship-leaving-sanders-behind

POLAND would gladly host American nukes if Germany refuses, US envoy claims, fanning 'Cuban missile crisis 2.0'
rt.com | 2020-05-16
As the US ambassador to Germany

Nuclear deal opponents helpless, ignorant: Ulyanov
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Venezuela calls on UK government to 'abandon coup-mongering plans' after The Canary's investigation
John McEvoy | thecanary.co | 2020-05-16
Following an investigation by The Canary, the Venezuelan government has formally called on the UK to "abandon Washington's coup-mongering plans and any destabilizing initiative". | Venezuela Reconstruction Unit: | On 13 May, The Canary revealed the existence of a specialist unit within the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) dedicated to the 'reconstruction' of Venezuela. Files obtained un…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/05/16/venezuela-calls-on-uk-government-to-abandon-coup-mongering-plans-after-the-canarys-investigation/

Iran's COVID-19 cases surpass 118,000
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Iran to hold online intl. conf. on Quds to as replacement to rallies
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

The CORONAREVAYAT Festival invites public to submit 'corona narrative' in a variety of forms
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Iran's OPEC governor passes away after brain haemorrhage
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Zarif, Zanganeh offer condolences on passing of Iran OPEC governor
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

'incompetent' Trump-Pompeo-Hook triangle is only a source of threat: Shamkhani
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Front pages of Iran international dailies on May 16
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Parl. National Security Committee ratifies anti-Zionism motion
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Iran condemns US' coronavirus blame game against China
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Zarif main online speaker of intl. Quds Day on May 22
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Resistance will terminate fake Israeli regime's existence: Amir-Abdollahian
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

'Unreliable for allies, dangerous for rivals': Tehran blasts 'mindless' trio of Trump, Pompeo & US Iran envoy
rt.com | 2020-05-16
A high-ranking Iranian politician has unloaded on three of the top US officials, saying their "mindless" behavior paints the US government as being dangerous for rivals, unreliable for allies and incompetent for the people. | Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council took aim at US President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook in a series of tweets on Friday. | "The rule of the incompetent and mindless is only a source of danger," Shamkhani said before proceeding to call the Americans by name. | The Trump-Pompeo-Hook triangl…
rt.com/news/488855-iran-trump-pompeo-incompetent-triangle/

Talks underway between Iran, Iraq to reopen Mehran border crossing amid pandemic
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Eid al-Fitr prayers to be held all across Iran: Rouhani
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Schools reopened in Hamedan
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Headlines of Iranian dailies on May 16
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

MP warns about relocation of ISIL terrorists to Iraq
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Lack of Empathy Equates to a Lack of Leadership Skills
Wayne Madsen | thealtworld.com | 2020-05-16
Trump never has and never will experience empathy and thousands of Americans and others have died and are dying because of it, Wayne Madsen writes. | U.S. Army Field Manual 6-22, titled "Leadership Development," states that the ability to show empathy toward others is a key factor in exhibiting Army leadership qualities. Donald Trump, who is ordering all 1000 graduating U.S. Army cadets at West Point back to campus on June 13 from sheltering at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, does not possess the leadership skills that have been drilled into each of the new Army Second Lieutenants who will be present for Tr…

Lack of Empathy Equates to a Lack of Leadership Skills

Trump vows to strip 'radical left' of 'TOTAL COMMAND' over FB, IG, Twitter & Google
rt.com | 2020-05-16
President Donald Trump has vowed to break the "radical left's" apparent control of social media platforms. Earlier, the president thanked his "keyboard warriors" for their support, as they accused the tech firms of censorship. | "The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google," Trump tweeted on Saturday. "The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation. Stay tuned, and send names & events." | t.co/ZQfcfD3Hk9– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) …
rt.com/usa/488860-trump-left-censorship-social-media/

Trump vows to strip 'radical left' of 'TOTAL COMMAND' over FB, IG, Twitter & Google
rt.com | 2020-05-16
President Donald Trump has vowed to break the "radical left's" apparent control of social media platforms. Earlier, the president thanked his "keyboard warriors" for their support, as they accused the tech firms of censorship. | "The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google," Trump tweeted on Saturday. "The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation. Stay tuned, and send names & events." | The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google. The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation. Stay tun…
rt.com/usa/488860-trump-left-censorship-social-media/

Trump Wants to Cut Off China in Guilt-Projection Meltdown
Finian Cunningham | thealtworld.com | 2020-05-16
China involved in pandemic cover-up? That's the most audacious American guilt-projection since the "War on Terror". | So President Trump, the self-declared business genius, wants to cut off the whole relationship with China and "save America $500 billion a year". That's what he told Fox News this week in an interview referring to the US trade deficit with China. The fault of the chronic US trade deficit with China (and much of the world), like that of the Covid-19 crisis in America, is classic 3-D Trump: dissembli…

Trump Wants to Cut Off China in Guilt-Projection Meltdown

Intelsat, launcher of 1st commercial communications satellite, files for bankruptcy… it's a friend we didn't know we had
rt.com | 2020-05-16
Born in the Cold War, powered by rivalry and unhindered by free-market restrictions, Intelsat linked the planet with its satellites

War-loving 'propaganda machine' & 'neoliberal economics' driving humanity toward 'omnicidal destruction,' Roger Waters tells RT
rt.com | 2020-05-16
Mankind is headed for annihilation unless societies reject unjust economic systems and media war propaganda, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters told RT, noting that the Covid-19 crisis could serve as a much-needed wake-up call. | "Clearly what Covid-19 has told us all is that in order to face a common enemy, like a virulent virus, we're going to need to cooperate, to act together… as a global community," Waters told RT's Rick Sanchez on Friday. | If we don't cooperate, we're all dead. The planet's over. We're heading for the cliff of omnicidal destruction of everything. So will this be a wake-up call? I hope…
rt.com/news/488838-roger-waters-humanity-destruction/

Trump threatens to cut all ties with China
wsws.org | 2020-05-16
The US president's phony allegations–that China failed to prevent COVID-19 becoming a global pandemic–have been integrated into Washington's trade war measures.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/16/usch-m16.html

'Propaganda machine says it's OK for there to be Bezos & Zuckerberg': Roger Waters tells RT how media shields Covid-19 villains
rt.com | 2020-05-16
Mankind is headed for annihilation unless societies reject unjust economic systems and media war propaganda, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters told RT, noting that the Covid-19 crisis could serve as a much-needed wake-up call. | "Clearly what Covid-19 has told us all is that in order to face a common enemy, like a virulent virus, we're going to need to cooperate, to act together… as a global community," Waters told RT's Rick Sanchez on Friday. | If we don't cooperate, we're all dead. The planet's over. We're heading for the cliff of omnicidal destruction of everything. So will this be a wake-up call? I hope…
rt.com/news/488838-roger-waters-humanity-destruction/

COVID-19: Military steps up repression in war-ravaged northern Sri Lanka
wsws.org | 2020-05-16
The government and the military are nervous about the growing unrest among workers and poor against the draconian social conditions.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/16/nort-m16.html