First immigrant in ICE custody tests positive for coronavirus in New Jersey
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
This development highlights the criminal lack of basic sanitation that the Trump administration maintains in immigrant detention centers, as well as the ruling class' callous disregard for public health.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/berg-m26.html
The Corona Virus & Immigration
Conn Hallinan | zcomm.org | 2020-03-26
How Austerity and Anti-immigrant Politics Left Italy Exposed…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-corona-virus-immigration/
Helping migrant shipwreck survivors to deal with trauma
news.un.org | 2020-03-26
Every year, migrants embarking on sea-crossings see their journey end in tragedy: those who survive and return home can struggle to cope with daily life, and need support. To help migrant returnees, the UN has a range of programs aimed at tackling the mental health side-effects of trauma.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060192
Julian Assange's bail request denied despite coronavirus risk
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
Judge Vanessa Baraitser's refusal came amid mounting calls for the release of vulnerable, low-risk prisoners from the UK's overcrowded and woefully unprepared prison systems during the coronavirus crisis.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/assa-m26.html
"Forced labor" stories on China brought to you by US government, NATO and arms industry to drive Cold War PR blitz
Ajit Singh | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-26
A new wave of media reports on Chinese forced labor relies almost entirely on a series of dubious studies by…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/26/forced-labor-china-us-nato-arms-industry-cold-war/
Technology of Death: The Not-So-Shocking Report on Israeli Weapons Exports
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
The Middle East region, battered by wars and adjoining humanitarian crises that have left millions of people stateless, hungry and diseased, is in urgent need for peace, security and reconstruction. Thanks to the US, Russian, French, Israeli and other weapons manufacturers, however, it is now the dumping ground for military hardware, an ominous sign for…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/technology-of-death-the-not-so-shocking-report-on-israeli-weapons-exports/
Webinar: Coronavirus: Time to End US Sanctions on Iran
Peace Action Massachusetts | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
Online webinar via ZOOM…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/25/18831820.php
Webinar: Decarceration in the time of COVID – 19 with Ivette Ale from JusticeLA
San Jose Peace & Justice Center | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
Online event…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/25/18831822.php
Strikes, protests spread as US workers demand protection from COVID-19
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
Even as Trump rushes to resume full production, tens of thousands of workers in the US and around the world are refusing to die for the sake of corporate profits.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/work-m26.html
First of its kind 'Virtual G20': Can world leaders agree on a global response to Covid-19 with online diplomacy?
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Heads of state will meet for a 'Virtual G20' summit in a few hours to work out a global response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It comes as markets crash, supply chains falter, and a worldwide economic downturn looms. | For the first time in history, there will be no government planes touching down in the host city, no police blocking roads, no hotels full to the brim with the bodyguards of world leaders
The Shit Has Hit the Fan: Shut the Country Down to Save Lives
Peter Crowley | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
All my life fear is all I've heard. Fear the immigrant, Muslims, foreignness, black people protesting, black athletes kneeling during the Anthem, germs, foreign travel to non-Western countries, terrorism, etc., etc. Before 9/11, as a teen in the late 1990s, it was fear of marijuana, public welfare abuse and, as always, inclement weather. There is…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/the-shit-has-hit-the-fan-shut-the-country-down-to-save-lives/
What the Government Must Do Now About Coronavirus
Ted Rall | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
Americans don't expect much from their government. But even by the standards of a nation with one of the flimsiest social safety nets in the Western world, the inability and unwillingness of both major political parties to manage and solve the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic is shocking. President Trump's lack of leadership is…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/what-the-government-must-do-now-about-coronavirus/
West Bank woman is first Palestinian to die from COVID-19
Ali Abunimah | zcomm.org | 2020-03-26
Israel has not eased up on its abuses of Palestinians despite the pandemic. In one shocking incident on Monday, a Palestinian laborer with flu-like symptoms and a fever was dumped at a West Bank checkpoint by Israeli police…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/west-bank-woman-is-first-palestinian-to-die-from-covid-19/
Eight Day Journey from Hong Kong to Chile, Covid-19 on my Tail
Andre Vltchek | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-26
Imagine that you are in Hong Kong, in a city where "you are actually not supposed to be", in the first place. You are ready to go home, to South America. But just two days before your departure, via Seoul and Amsterdam, your first Sky Team carrier, Korean Air, unceremoniously decides to cancel all flights …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/03/eight-day-journey-from-hong-kong-to-chile-covid-19-on-my-tail/
A Triage Crisis is Coming, and It's Personal
Dave Lindorff | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
I'm sitting here self-quarantined with my family in our 1738 stone farmhouse just north of Philadelphia. It's an ancient building that I'm sure has known its share of epidemics over the centuries, including typhus and the deadly 1918 Spanish Flu. Right now I'm thinking about hospital triage. According to the New York Times, hospitals in…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/a-triage-crisis-is-coming-and-its-personal/
Media Struggle to Defend Washington's Cruelty
Joe Emersberger | zcomm.org | 2020-03-26
U.S sanctions toward Venezuela and Iran continue as Coronavirus Spreads…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/media-struggle-to-defend-washingtons-cruelty/
Moscow shuts down all non-essential shops & restaurants to stop spread of Covid-19
rt.com | 2020-03-26
All restaurants, cafes, and shops, except food stores, will be closed in the Russia capital from March 28 to April 5. The mayor also advised Muscovites to refrain from visiting places of worship amid the Covid-19 epidemic. | Restaurants and cafes will still be able to provide take-away food and delivery service, the order by Mayor Sergey Sobyanin read. | The restrictions also include barber shops, spas, massage parlors, as well as baths and saunas. | Access to parks, including Gorky Park and the All-Russian Exhibition Center, will be barred during the upcoming week due to the epidemic. | "I understand the feel…
rt.com/russia/484133-moscow-shops-restaurants-coronavirus/
Trump's State of Denial, Not the Deep State, Kept Us Unprepared for the COVID-19 Pandemic
Nick Licata | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
President Donald Trump prides himself on being optimistic no matter how dire the situation. That is not necessarily a bad trait; it helps to get by in hard times. But deniability of past or repeated behavior when it results in harm to yourself or others, is not a positive trait. In fact, as president of…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/trumps-state-of-denial-not-the-deep-state-kept-us-unprepared-for-the-covid-19-pandemic/
The Truth on COVID-19 is Ugly and the Lies are Deadly
Wim Laven | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
On March 19th, the gutless depravity of failed leadership found a new poster-boy. Republican Senator Richard Burr was found to have sold off his stock in what he knew would be losing value (hotels, travel industry) before the stock market started crashing from the pandemic COVID-19 while simultaneously toeing Donald Trump's line that everything was…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/the-truth-on-covid-19-is-ugly-and-the-lies-are-deadly/
Africa records over 2,400 cases of COVID-19
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
An international and coordinated struggle against the spread of coronavirus on the African continent is an urgent necessity.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/afri-m26.html
Venezuela: U.S. blocks flights to repatriate citizens amid COVID-19
teleSUR Desk | mronline.org | 2020-03-26
Arreaza reiterated that the request for humanitarian flights responds to a request made by Venezuelans themselves to the Venezuelan Attention System in the United States.
mronline.org/2020/03/26/venezuela-u-s-blocks-flights-to-repatriate-citizens-amid-covid-19/
Leaked government report warns of tens of thousands of deaths in one Canadian province
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
An internal Saskatchewan Health Authority report has warned that the rapid spread of the coronavirus would overwhelm the province's health care system and result in 9,000 to 15,000 people dying due to COVID-19.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/caco-m26.html
How many must die for Wall Street?
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
Amid growing evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading through American workplaces, powerful representatives of finance capital are demanding that the country be "open for business."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/pers-m26.html
Moscow bans all regular, charter flights starting March 27, except those bringing Russians home
rt.com | 2020-03-26
The Russian government is banning all regular and charter international flights starting Friday, except those bringing citizens home, as part of measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. | . | Russia's aerial borders will go on lockdown starting Friday, so far without a resumption date. | The cabinet also requested that the Foreign Ministry assist Russian citizens abroad until their return home. Russian embassies around the world will receive additional funds to provide support. | So far, 652 Covid-19 cases have been registered in Russia, with more than half of those infected in Moscow. | The ban on flig…
rt.com/russia/484121-moscow-bans-flights-coronavirus/
Iran's coronavirus death toll reaches 2,234 with 157 new fatalities
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Covid-19 has now killed 2,234 people in Iran, with 29,406 infected, the health authorities said, as the country remains the worst-hit by the disease in the Middle East. | …
rt.com/news/484147-iran-coronavirus-death-travel/
Russia confirms 182 new Covid-19 cases, bringing total to 840
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Russia has 182 new cases of coronavirus, according to the country's official tally. Most of the new cases were recorded in Moscow. This, as Russia shutters international flights to stop the spread of the virus. | The new infections bring the nation's tally to 840. The vast majority of the new cases, 136, were reported in Moscow. | The Russian government announced on Thursday that it would ban all regular and charter international flights starting Friday. Only flights bringing citizens home from abroad will be allowed. | Non-essential businesses in the Russian capital, including restaurants and cafes, will be c…
rt.com/russia/484137-russia-coronavirus-new-infections/
'Covid-19 could be seasonal': Fauci warns coronavirus is likely to return in 'CYCLES', stresses need for vaccine
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Even if the US and other nations battling Covid-19 succeed in beating it back, the illness may return in yearly cycles, warned Anthony Fauci, a top expert on the US coronavirus task force, urging for the fast rollout of a vaccine. | …
rt.com/usa/484116-fauci-coronavirus-seasonal-cycles/
After downplaying COVID-19 pandemic, Japan forced to postpone Olympics
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
Facing a growing public outcry over his indifference to public health, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that the Olympics had been moved to the summer of 2021.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/japn-m26.html
Black Rock Profits in a Time of Crisis
Nancy Mancias | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
With little government support and corporate accountability, humanitarian aid workers are scrambling to address the refugee crisis in the wake of the global pandemic, COVID-19 (coronavirus). The outbreak of the coronavirus comes at a time when there is a great influx of war and economic refugees migrating to Europe. Despite Turkey's efforts to host millions…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/black-rock-profits-in-a-time-of-crisis/
Webinar: Capitalism is Killing Us! COVID-19 and Wall Street Crash
Workers World Party | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
Online event…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/25/18831825.php
Live Stream: Solutions to the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond
The Commonwealth Club | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
Online event via live stream…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/25/18831819.php
US braces for SHOCKING unemployment numbers as jobless claims could reach 4 MILLION
rt.com | 2020-03-26
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits is set to climb to historic highs after claims in Canada crushed the previous weekly record as Covid-19 brings businesses to a standstill. | New unemployment data is expected to reflect how hard the US economy has been hit by the Covid-19 outbreak. The minimum number of initial claims amounts to 250,000, according to a Reuters poll, while economists predict that the number of filings for last week could range from one to four million. | That would make the number of jobless claims higher than during the 2009 financial crisis or the 1982 recession. | Also…
rt.com/business/484131-us-canada-record-unemployment/
US coronavirus deaths top 1,000 as the country waits for $2.2 trillion economic rescue package
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Deaths from Covid-19 have surpassed 1,000, according to a widely-cited tally, a worrying benchmark in the ongoing health crisis as Washington rushes to provide economic relief to the country's battered economy. | The United States saw its 1,000th fatality on Wednesday night, according to Johns Hopkins University. Confirmed cases have also continued to grow, reaching more than 69,000 by Thursday. The US reported its first case of the virus at the end of February. | The milestone coincided with a unanimous vote in the Senate to pass a $2.2 trillion bill designed to provide badly-needed economic aid to the countr…
rt.com/usa/484129-coronavirus-us-deaths-1000-top/
(Cheesecake) Factory workers unite! Netizens cheer after California-based eatery says it won't pay rent amid virus-induced slump
rt.com | 2020-03-26
While many imagined revolution might arise from a factory, few thought the Cheesecake Factory would fit the bill, but the firm has inspired scores of netizens after refusing to pay its landlords, some vowing to join in solidarity. | As Covid-19 brings swathes of the US economy to a standstill, workers and businesses alike have taken a beating, many facing layoffs and closed doors as the pandemic sweeps the country. The downturn has prompted the Cheesecake Factory
'All new trips between cities are banned': Iran shuts down internal travel to fight Covid-19
rt.com | 2020-03-26
An intercity travel ban has now entered into force in Iran as the Middle East's worst-hit country fears another wave of coronavirus cases, with violators facing legal repercussions. | Hossein Zolfaghari, a member of Iran's national HQ for tackling coronavirus, said that those travelling for Iranian New Year celebrations should "immediately return to their cities without making any stop in the cities on their way back home." | Iran has already shut down schools, universities, and suspended gatherings, but after largely unsuccessful measures, the government revealed that it would bring in harsher restrictions.
rt.com/news/484136-iran-intercity-travel-ban/
US military confirms 1st Covid-19 case INSIDE Pentagon after Marine tests positive
rt.com | 2020-03-26
A US Marine has become the first confirmed carrier of the coronavirus within the Pentagon's walls, with the US military announcing that a serviceman has gone into self-isolation after testing positive this week. | The officer's test for Covid-19 came back positive earlier this week, Captain Monica Witt, a spokesman for the US Marine Corps, confirmed Wednesday, according to Defense One. | The Marine is believed to have contracted the deadly illness sweeping through all 50 American states from his spouse, who was displaying flu-like symptoms. Assigned to the plans, policy and operations office of the Marine Corp…
rt.com/usa/484117-pentagon-coronavirus-case-first/
Warnings that hundreds of thousands of Indonesians may already have COVID-19
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
There are fears that the archipelago may become "the Italy of south-east Asia," with experts warning that 135 million may be infected by mid-May.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/indo-m26.html
Covid-19 deaths pass 4,000 in Spain as Europe passes chilling 250,000 mark of those infected
rt.com | 2020-03-26
Spain has reported a sharp rise in fatalities from coronavirus since the outbreak began. The overall number of infections has also soared by more than 8,000 over the past 24 hours, officials revealed. | …
rt.com/news/484155-spain-4000-deaths-coronavirus/
Santa Cruz Police Prohibit Food Distribution to Homeless at Town Clock
Santa Cruz News | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
Santa Cruz Chief of Police Andrew Mills has addressed a cease and desist letter to Keith McHenry, the co-founder of Food Not Bombs, demanding McHenry, "cease feeding people at the clock tower immediately." Additionally, Police have issued a public notice to vacate the area of the Town Clock, which states that all personal belongings must be removed from the park by March 25 at 9 am. Since the Coronavirus/COVID-19 shelter in place order issued by the County took effect on March 17, Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs and the Santa Cruz Chapter of the Homeless Union have been sharing food in downtown Santa Cruz around the cl…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/24/18831778.php
CDC: Housing, Not Handcuffs Is the Way to Stop COVID-19 Amongst Homeless Populations
NLCHP | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
Advocates Hail First Step, Call for More Help…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/24/18831782.php
US Senate passes massive economic "rescue" bill
wsws.org | 2020-03-26
The $2 trillion bill allocates the bulk of its funds to loans and grants to corporations and businesses, with some emergency aid to workers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/26/bill-m26.html
Senate passes $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill bogged down by days of partisan wrangling
rt.com | 2020-03-26
US senators have passed a much-delayed $2 trillion stimulus bill, aimed at bolstering the economy while the country is rattled by coronavirus lockdowns. The mammoth package was approved after days of bitter partisan fighting. | Senators moved to vote on the bill late Wednesday night after the last hurdle preventing its passage
8 Nations Address Letter to UN Chief Urging Sanctions Be Lifted
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-26
Venezuela has joined Wednesday China, Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, and Nicaragua in their plea to United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to urge the United States (U.S.) to remove its illegal economic sanctions on these countries amid the coronavirus global pandemic. | RELATED: | Iran: Campaign to Lift US Sanctions Gets Around 100K Signatures | "Today we have a common enemy. As you've already recognized, it's a time to prepare, to step up and incre…
telesurenglish.net/news/8-Nations-Address-Letter-to-UN-Chief-Urging-Sanctions-Be-Lifted–20200325-0024.html
Somalia Wins Debt Relief
Kate Zeller | indybay.org | 2020-03-26
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank announced that Somalia qualifies to receive debt relief. In three years time, Somalia's debt will be reduced from $5.2 billion to $557 million.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/25/18831805.php
Truth or Consequences
George Ochenski | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
As calls ramp up for the nation's leaders to deal with the coronavirus pandemic as if we were at war, it's worth remembering the advice Aeschylus, the Greek tragedy playwright, gave nearly 2,500 years ago: "In war, truth is the first casualty." Indeed, if there's been one thing notoriously lacking in the months since the…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/truth-or-consequences-2/
A Planet of Missing Beauties: In Memoriam
Tom Engelhardt | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
The other morning, walking at the edge of a local park, I caught sight of a beautiful red cardinal, the first bird I ever saw some 63 years ago. Actually, to make that sentence accurate, I should probably have put either "first" or "ever saw" in quotation marks. After all, I was already 12 years…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/a-planet-of-missing-beauties-in-memoriam/
Amidst Coronavirus, It's Time to Heal the U.S.'s Domestic and International Reputation
Greta Zarro | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
It is in times of crisis, like the growing coronavirus pandemic, that deep structural inequities and the U.S. government's mismanagement of funds are starkly revealed. Half of all Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Half a million Americans sleep out on the streets. Thirty million Americans don't have health insurance. Forty-five million are burdened with $1.6…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/amidst-coronavirus-its-time-to-heal-the-u-s-s-domestic-and-international-reputation/
Business as Usual: Coronavirus, Iran and US Sanctions
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
Never discount the importance of venality in international relations. While pandemics should provide the glue for a unified front in response
In a Pandemic, Workers Need Sick Leave…Now
Robin Carver | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
Breathing hurts. The mound of tissues next to the groove you hollow into the couch grows faster than seems possible. Sound and light crash against your skull like hammers, so even binge-watching and reading become painful. In the spring of 2016, my chronic sinusitis had flared up again. It does this at least once a…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/in-a-pandemic-workers-need-sick-leave-now/
Radical Individualism and Profit vs. Human Solidarity:The United States And Cuba
Harry Targ | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-26
On Ideology The economic and political structure of capitalism requires…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/26/radical-individualism-and-profit-vs-human-solidaritythe-united-states-and-cuba/