Daily Archives: June 6, 2020

2020-06-06: News Headlines

WSWS (2020-06-06). More Australian war crimes exposed in Afghanistan. wsws.org The exposure of Ziauddin's killing highlights the years of coverups by successive Australian governments, both Liberal-National and Labor, of military abuses in the Middle East.

CP Editor (2020-06-06). Rage Against The Machine — Interview with Noam Chomsky (from The Battle Of Mexico City). counterpunch.org

Staff (2020-06-06). Climate Crisis: Black Lives Matter, Looting Puerto Rico, And California's Environmental Racism. therealnews.com This week the climate justice movement says Black Lives Matter, disaster capitalists are still looting Puerto Rico, and California is neglecting to fix the environmental racism of its oil infrastructure.

John Catalinotto (2020-06-06). Will U.S. troops be used against protesters? workers.org June 5 — Four days ago, the White House called on the U.S. military to deploy in U.S. cities to "dominate" the streets. Over the next three days, two former chairs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke out against this deployment. So did Trump's own former and current secretaries . . . |

Eds. (2020-06-06). From George Floyd back to the structural violence of capitalism. mronline.org Across the country—in city after city—the people have erupted in righteous indignation to George Floyd's recorded lynching. His extrajudicial murder set off a rebellion that had been primed by the highly publicized white-vigilante murder of Ahmaud Arbery and the botched, "no-knock" police raid that killed Breonna Taylor in her bed.

Monica Moorehead (2020-06-06). Rebellion against police exposes the haves and have-nots. workers.org Monica Moorehead delivered this talk as a panelist on a June 4 Workers World Party webinar "It is right to rebel against police terror." This rebellion has not only swept the U.S. but is electrifying the entire world, from Palestine to France to Iran to Africa. Every global sector of . . . |

F. William Engdahl (2020-06-06). Belt and Road: Can China's Silk Road Survive Coronavirus? globalresearch.ca China's priority infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), faces enormous problems just seven years after it was proclaimed in 2013. Serious problems and charges of China luring poorer nations into what a leading Indian analyst termed a "debt …

Matt Kennard (2020-06-06). Five questions for new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer about his UK and US national security establishment links. thegrayzone.com The public deserves answers about the UK's new opposition leader and his relationship with the British national security establishment, including…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-06-06). The Corona "Global False Alarm", the Campaign against Racism and Neoliberalism. globalresearch.ca "The media is the most powerful entity on earth. Because they control the minds of the masses, they have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power…If you're not careful, the newspapers …

Ralph Nader (2020-06-06). Governor Cuomo: Avoid Budget Cuts by Not Rebating Stock Sales Tax to Wall Street! dissidentvoice.org New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is basking in the popularity of his meticulous Covid-19 news briefings and simultaneously predicting a pandemic-driven $61 billion state deficit over four years. Astonishingly, the Governor electronically rebates an existing tiny stock transfer sales tax back to Wall Street. This stock transfer sales tax, bringing in an estimated 13 to …

Ralph Nader (2020-06-06). Governor Cuomo: Avoid Budget Cuts by Not Rebating Stock Sales Tax to Wall Street. commondreams.org New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during his daily news conference amid the coronavirus outbreak on March 20, 2020. (Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/cuomo_1.jpg

Joe Emersberger (2020-06-06). When did Venezuela's Economic Crisis begin? zcomm.org The starting point for Venezuela's current depression has been the subject of some debate. It can get a bit technical, so I'll weigh in on it here. Looking at Real GDP Inflation adjusted (i.e. real) Gross Domestic Product (GDP ) is essentially a country's aggregate income. I say "essentially" because there is an adjustment that

Peter Koenig (2020-06-06). 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.

Global Research News (2020-06-06). Selected Articles: The Corona "Global False Alarm" globalresearch.ca By Having announced he would begin the process to annex portions of the occupied Palestinian West Bank on July 1, he must be …

The Canary (2020-06-06). Joe Biden secures Democratic presidential nomination. thecanary.co Joe Biden has officially clinched the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, setting him up to meet Donald Trump for the leadership of a country beset by the coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest. Biden said in a statement: It was an honour to compete alongside one of the most talented groups of candidates the Democratic party has ever fielded, and I am proud to say that we are going into this general election a united party. | Biden has been his party's presumptive nominee since rival Bernie Sanders ended his campaign in April. But the former vice president's campaign had suffered setbacks with allegations o…

RT (2020-06-06). As UK braces for post-lockdown 'crime tsunami,' some turn to TRAINED DOGS for security. rt.com The UK is bracing for a crime wave, with unemployment soaring and US riots on every screen. But unlike Americans, Brits cannot own guns — so they're scrambling for whatever security they can get, from CCTV to trained dogs. | As Britain begins to ease its Covid-19 lockdown conditions, the nation is on alert. | The UK has been warned to expect a deluge of criminality. | Doctor Simon Harding, a former Home Office and Metropolitan Police adviser,

RT (2020-06-06). WHO's next? Quitting UN health body is an option unless it stops being 'partisan' & 'political', Brazil's Bolsonaro says. rt.com Shortly after the WHO warned Latin America that lifting lockdowns would be premature, President Bolsonaro threatened to consider quitting the "partisan" entity. It comes as Brazil's Covid-19 cases surges past 600,000. | "I'm telling you right now, the United States left the [World Health Organization], and we're studying that [possibility], in the future," Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

RT (2020-06-06). Russia's request for return of seized diplomatic properties to protect staff against Covid-19 ignored by US — Moscow. rt.com "When the New York State governor declared the state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we asked to return said property so our personnel could use it to lower the risks stemming from to the spread of the coronavirus," Russia's deputy envoy to the UN, Gennady Kuzmin, said. | Kuzmin noted that Moscow had hoped that "humanitarian reasons… would trump political motives," but the US ignored the request. | The US seized control over three Russian diplomatic posts in New York, DC, and San Francisco in 2017, after ordering Moscow to vacate the buildings. Moscow slammed the move as hostile and illegal under…

RT (2020-06-06). Biden hits delegate target to cement Democratic nomination after gaffe-prone campaign as protests overshadow election. rt.com Former Vice President Joe Biden has become the Democratic presidential nominee for 2020, scoring enough delegates to secure the nomination despite a string of embarrassing gaffes and major distractions from the race. | Also on rt.com | | Though a number of contests remain in this year's primary season, Biden reached the threshold for his party's nomination on Friday night, winning support from 1,993 delegates, according to the Associated Press."

RT (2020-06-06). US corporate media act as 'mouthpieces of intelligence services' on foreign policy & national security — ex-WSJ journalist to RT. rt.com American private media often "launder" misinformation fed by the secret services, while politicians pressure Facebook to act as its proxy against foreign outlets, author and former Wall Street Journal reporter Joe Lauria told RT. | "Private corporate media, on their foreign policy and national security reporting, are virtually mouthpieces of the intelligence services," Lauria told RT. | They launder misinformation and disinformation from the intelligence services in the US, which gains credibility if you read it in the New York Times and not directly from the CIA. They have a state function as well even if the…

RT (2020-06-06). George Floyd protest is 'for the benefit' of 'democratic struggles' abroad, says US group known for promoting regime change. rt.com The National Endowment for Democracy, a soft-power group mostly known for splashing government dollars on pro-US influence campaigns overseas to enforce regime change, has endorsed protests against police brutality at home. | Also on rt.com | | In a statement on Friday, the NED came out in support of the protests against the police killing of unarmed black man George Floyd, which, while originally peaceful, spiralled into violence, wreck…

RT (2020-06-06). George Floyd protest is 'for the benefit' of 'democratic struggles' abroad — US group NED, known for promoting regime change. rt.com The National Endowment for Democracy, a soft-power group mostly known for splashing government dollars on pro-US influence campaigns overseas to enforce regime change, has endorsed protests against police brutality at home. | Also on rt.com | | In a statement on Friday, the NED came out in support of the protests against the police killing of unarmed black man George Floyd, which, while originally peaceful, spiralled into violence, wreck…

RT (2020-06-06). Ilhan Omar takes heat after backing call to disband Minneapolis police & replace with 'non-violent' alternative. rt.com Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar has joined a growing call to disband the Minneapolis police force, arguing it is "beyond reform" after the killing of George Floyd. Critics have pilloried the suggestion as dangerous and "asinine." | The congresswoman took to Twitter on Friday to endorse an The Minnea…

RT (2020-06-06). Texas CHAINSAW counter-protester: Man arrested after confronting demonstrators with infamous 'massacre' weapon (VIDEO). rt.com A chainsaw-wielding Texan has been detained after threatening a group of demonstrators with his lumber-cutting mechanical tool. Thankfully, the altercation did not devolve into Hollywood-inspired violence. | A small group of seemingly peaceful protesters in McAllen, Texas briefly found themselves in a real-life slasher film, after a man with a chainsaw rushed at them while shouting profanities. | Footage of the bizarre incident shows a man pointing the deadly tool at protesters as he shouts at them. | "Move! Go home!" he yells above his roaring chainsaw. | He then uses a racial slur while warning against prote…

RT (2020-06-06). 'We're coming to get you out of the White House': NBA champion sends warning to Trump amid George Floyd protests. rt.com Former basketball star Stephen Jackson promised US President Donald Trump that he will not be re-elected this fall as protests against police brutality hit all of the states and receive support from overseas. | "I'm making you a promise, you will not be in the White House come November. You will not be reelected, I'm telling you now," Jackson, who won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, said in a video posted on Instagram. | "We're coming to get you out of the White House," he said. | Jackson earlier told the media that he became a close friend of George Floyd years ago as they both grew…

RT (2020-06-06). Judge BLOCKS Denver police from using tear gas & plastic bullets on 'peaceful' protesters. rt.com A federal judge in Denver has barred police from using tear gas, plastic bullets, and any projectiles against demonstrators, saying the threat to protesters' physical safety and free speech outweighs the threat to property. | R. Brooke Jackson, a US district court judge in Colorado, has

Anand Naidoo (2020-06-06). The Heat: Political Unrest in U.S. Amid Upbeat Economic News. america.cgtn.com Amid civil unrest and a global pandemic, some positive news in the United States, the economy adding 2.5 million jobs.

sputniknews (2020-06-06). American Oil Company Chevron's Crude Cargo Gets Embroiled In US Anti-Venezuela Sanctions. sputniknews.com The day before, Reuters reported, citing unnamed US officials that the US Department of the Treasury was considering sanctioning more than 40 foreign oil tankers over their alleged involvement in the oil trade with Venezuela, which has been sanctioned by the US in its efforts to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

Fight Back (2020-06-06). Italian communists to Freedom Road Socialist Organization: 'Fronte Popolare is at your side'. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Italian Marxist- Leninist organization Fronte Popolare. | Dear comrades of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, | In these days of pain, pride and struggle, Fronte Popolare is at your side. Our organization is supportive of those who are fighting for the dignity and rights of all women and men. The results of the mass uprising that exploded with the murder of George Floyd by a racist policeman are of decisive importance not only for American society and for the redemption of the nationalities and oppressed communities that make it up, but for…

_____ (2020-06-06). Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective Wins Legal Victory. popularresistance.org On the morning of June 3, four U.S. citizens from the Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective (EPC) who engaged in a two-week-long standoff with right-wing Venezuelan exile hooligans and members of Juan Guaidó's coup administration entered a plea agreement with the U.S. government. | The chief Judge for the U.S. District Court District of Columbia, Beryl Howell, sentenced David Paul, Margaret Flowers, Kevin Zeese, and Adrienne Pine to six months of probation and fines totaling $750 each. Additionally, Judge Howell ordered the four defendants to stay away from the building which formally served as Venezuela's emb…

Asher Mullard (2020-06-06). [World Report] COVID-19 vaccine development pipeline gears up. thelancet.com Vaccine makers are racing to develop COVID-19 vaccines, and have advanced ten candidates into clinical trials. But challenges remain. Asher Mullard reports.

Healthier Societies for Healthy Populations Group (2020-06-06). [Comment] Healthier societies for healthy populations. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic makes the importance of health and wellbeing clear. The pandemic's implications for societies are far reaching. Yet the response to this pandemic and the creation and promotion of health and wellbeing require action beyond the health sector—and beyond the usual ways of working in global health. Governments are not adequately tackling inequality, ongoing economic crises, or continuing environmental damage, which undermines the health of current and future generations. For example, tobacco and alcohol use, unhealthy diets, air pollution, and insufficient physical exercise contribute to m…

Kaitlin Curtice, Esther Choo (2020-06-06). [Perspectives] Indigenous populations: left behind in the COVID-19 response. thelancet.com Scholar Annie Belcourt described Native American populations in the USA as having lives that are "challenging and short". Globally, across countries and populations, Indigenous peoples face a greater burden of disease than non-Indigenous peoples, including cardiovascular disease and HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, and have higher infant and maternal mortality and lower life expectancy. Their health is impacted by epigenetic stressors of generational oppression and violence, including disproportionate numbers of missing and murdered Indigenous women, lower educational attainment, and persistent poverty.

The Lancet (2020-06-06). [Editorial] Salient lessons from Russia's COVID-19 outbreak. thelancet.com Alexander Myasnikov, Russia's COVID-19 information chief, said in mid-April that it would be "impossible" for Russians to get the virus, estimating the probability of extensive spread in Russia at "0 ∑0%". This hubris has been sorely exposed. As of June 2, Russia has 423‚Äà186 cases, the third most in the world, while relatively few deaths from COVID-19 (5031) have been recorded. The rapid spread of the epidemic in Russia has highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the health system, and presents the traditionally strong Russian leadership with a new challenge.

Richard Horton (2020-06-06). [Comment] Offline: COVID-19 and the ethics of memory. thelancet.com Lockdowns are lifting. Lives are returning. And livelihoods are being gradually reclaimed. Very tentatively, societies are beginning to put the pandemic behind them. There are understandable fears of flare-ups. In the UK, several scientists who advise government are warning that ending strict home curfews is premature. There are still about 2000 new cases of infection being diagnosed daily in the UK (the figure in Italy is around 500) and the test, trace, and isolate system remains incomplete. According to WHO, total confirmed cases of COVID-19 are now approaching 6 million globally, with almost 400‚Ä&…

Giulio Cossu, Robin Fears, George Griffin, Volker ter Meulen (2020-06-06). [Comment] Regenerative medicine: challenges and opportunities. thelancet.com In 2018, the Lancet Commission on stem cells and regenerative medicine1 reported how, despite an exponential growth in experimental therapies, there had been limited clinical uptake. Regenerative medicine comprises various novel approaches such as cell and gene therapy that have produced life-saving therapies for a few genetic diseases affecting blood or skin. Enthusiasm about the broad potential of regenerative medicine led to a gap between expectations and the realities of translating technologies into clinical practice.

Phil Withington (2020-06-06). [Perspectives] Journal of a plague year. thelancet.com Daniel Defoe's A Journal of the Plague Year is one of the best single accounts of an epidemic written in English. Published anonymously in 1722 as a contribution to public debates about the prospect of plague reaching Britain from the French port of Marseilles, it takes the form of the literary memoir by "H.F." during London's "great plague" of 1665. The sources for the memoir and its status as fact or fiction are complicated. Defoe clearly had strong opinions, informed by continental initiatives, about how societies and people should respond to plague and he used Restoration London as a place to rehearse them.

Joht Singh Chandan, Deepiksana Keerthy, Dawit Tefra Zemedikun, Kelvin Okoth, Krishna Margadhamane Gokhale, Karim Raza, Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, Julie Taylor, Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar (2020-06-06). The association between exposure to childhood maltreatment and the subsequent development of functional somatic and visceral pain syndromes. thelancet.com Background: Childhood maltreatment is a global public health issue linked to a vast mortality and morbidity burden. This study builds on current literature to explore the risk of developing central sensitivity syndromes (CSS) (consisting of somatic and visceral pain syndromes) subsequent to childhood maltreatment exposure.Methods: A retrospective population based open cohort study using the UK primary care database, 'The Health Improvement Network,' between 1st January 1995-31st December 2018. 80,657 adult patients who had experienced childhood maltreatment or maltreatment related concerns (exposed patients) were…

Mohamed Ahmed Ahmed, Mahmoud Abdelnabi, Abdallah Almaghraby, Fatma R Elkafrawy, Karim Ziada (2020-06-06). [Clinical Picture] Neuropathy, encephalopathy, status epilepticus, and acute intermittent porphyria. thelancet.com A 23-year-old man was admitted to our hospital in status epilepticus—he had been having repeated episodes of generalised tonic-clonic seizures without gaining consciousness between them. He was in a wheelchair. He was intubated and the seizures were controlled with midazolam and he was then transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU). On examination his blood pressure (BP) was 220/110 mm Hg, and his heart rate was 120 beats per min. He was given labetalol and his blood pressure lowered.

Xi Li, Harlan M Krumholz, Winnie Yip, Kar Keung Cheng, Jan De Maeseneer, Qingyue Meng, Elias Mossialos, Chuang Li, Jiapeng Lu, Meng Su, Qiuli Zhang, Dong Roman Xu, Liming Li, Sharon-Lise T Normand, Richard Peto, Jing Li, Zengwu Wang, Hongbing Yan, Runlin Gao, Somsak Chunharas, Xin Gao, Raniero Guerra, Huijie Ji, Yang Ke, Zhigang Pan, Xianping Wu, Shuiyuan Xiao, Xinying Xie, Yujuan Zhang, Jun Zhu, Shanzhu Zhu, Shengshou Hu (2020-06-06). [Review] Quality of primary health care in China: challenges and recommendations. thelancet.com China has substantially increased financial investment and introduced favourable policies for strengthening its primary health care system with core responsibilities in preventing and managing chronic diseases such as hypertension and emerging infectious diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, widespread gaps in the quality of primary health care still exist. In this Review, we aim to identify the causes for this poor quality, and provide policy recommendations. System challenges include: the suboptimal education and training of primary health-care practitioners, a fee-for-service payment s…

Comité No Guerra no Nato (2020-06-06). Video: Let Us Free Ourselves From the Virus of War. globalresearch.ca The complete video produced by the Italian Committee No War No NATO, in collaboration with Global Research. Giulietto Chiesa's last words focussed on Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Information, and Freedom for Julian Assange.

Natalie Shure (2020-06-06). Don't Shame Protesters and Park-Goers Over Covid-19 Spreading—Shame Corporations and the State. commondreams.org Some of the highest risks for Covid-19 spread have been imposed by police. (Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/police_6.jpg

Project Censored (2020-06-06). "I Can't Breathe" The George Floyd Protests with the Blacktivist Des Mims; Rev. Wanika K. Stephens and Kulwa Apara | Along the Line Ep.92. projectcensored.org On today's episode, Nicholas Baham II (Dr. Dreadlocks), Janice Domingo, and Nolan Higdon explore George Floyd protests with the Blacktivist Des Mims; Rev. Wanika K. Stephens and Kulwa Apara, Along The…

WSWS (2020-06-06). Brazil's President Bolsonaro calls demonstrators "terrorists," threatens military repression. wsws.org Gen. Hamilton Mourà£o viciously attacked protests against the murder of George Floyd and social inequality, calling for the arrest of demonstrators.

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-06-06). Israeli Troops Shoot, Injure Four Palestinians at Kufur Qaddoum. imemc.org Israeli military reportedly wounded, on Friday, at least four Palestinians, as a result of Israeli soldier's shooting rubber-coated steel bullets towards the dozens of local Palestinian protesters in the West Bank village of Kufur Qaddoum, a part of the West Bank district of Qalqilia. Those wounded today were taking part …

WSWS (2020-06-06). US autoworkers denounce police violence, Trump's moves to impose military dictatorship. wsws.org The multi-ethnic, multi-racial protests against the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis have evoked widespread sympathy among autoworkers.

WSWS (2020-06-06). The police murder of George Floyd sparks mass protests throughout the world. wsws.org Hundreds of thousands of people have joined demonstrations in Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.

Fight Back (2020-06-06). Keith Ellison and politicians: We demand justice for George and all victims of police crimes! fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – On Friday, June 5, the day after the Minneapolis memorial for George Floyd, and two days after all of his killers were finally charged for his murder, the building that houses the office of state Attorney General Keith Ellison was shut down by some 3000 protesters who came to demand more than charges in this single case. Organized by the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J), they called for re-opening all the cases of police homicide that district attorneys have failed to prosecute in counties across the state, and for community control of police to bring an end to police crimes agains…

WSWS (2020-06-06). Mass protests erupt across Canada against police brutality and Trump. wsws.org Protesters denounce Canadian police brutality and racism, following the US police murder of George Floyd.

Unicorn Riot (2020-06-06). Rally and March to Defund MPD after George Floyd: Day 12. unicornriot.ninja MINNEAPOLIS — Unicorn Riot is covering a march demanding the Minneapolis Police Department is defunded and disbanded. Thousands are in attendance of this action led by Black youth — now the 12th straight day of protests and actions in the city. The event started at…