Growing protests in US immigrant detention centers over coronavirus pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-31
Detainees have stepped up their protests against unsanitary conditions over the very real fear of coronavirus spreading rapidly through the vast immigration detention network in the US.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/31/immi-m31.html

Workers strike over safety failures; progressives hatch plans for next stimulus
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2020-03-31
WASHINGTON–From Sara Nelson to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, from the Economic Policy Institute to the Congressional Progressive Caucus, progressive leaders and groups are hatching ambitious plans for measures they insist should be in the government's next economic stimulus bill to deal with the coronavirus pandemic's impact. And this time, they declare they won't accept a business-heavy measure …
peoplesworld.org/article/workers-strike-over-safety-failures-progressives-hatch-plans-for-next-stimulus/

Amnesty International USA and LIRS launch "Hope Can't Be Quarantined" campaign to help immigrants and asylum-seekers held in detention during the COVID-19 crisis
commondreams.org | 2020-03-31
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2020/03/31/amnesty-international-usa-and-lirs-launch-hope-cant-be-quarantined-campaign-help?cd-origin=rss

Many immigrants left out of pandemic aid acts
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-31
San José, CA – Many immigrants won't be able to get help from the bipartisan COVID-19 pandemic aid bills passed by Congress and signed by President Trump. More than 4 million undocumented immigrants who are paying taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or ITIN, will not qualify for the $1200 per person benefit because they have no Social Security number. Another 5 million American citizen children with undocumented parents also will not get the $500 per child benefit. | Legal immigrants and naturalized citizens tend to have lower incomes than native-born Americans. People whose income is low en…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/3/31/many-immigrants-left-out-pandemic-aid-acts

Barbaric Decisions: Coronavirus, Refusing Bail and Julian Assange
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-31
"To expose another human being to serious illness, and to the threat of losing their life, is grotesque and quite unnecessary. This is not justice, it is a barbaric decision."

Brazil's ex-President Lula on Venezuela: Maduro is democratic, Guaidó should be in prison, US blockade kills civilians
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-31
In comments ignored by English language media, Lula da Silva slammed the US coup attempt against Venezuela, calling Nicolás Maduro…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/30/brazil-lula-maduro-guaido-us-blockade/

Southcom boosts US military presence in Latin America, citing China, Russia 'threats'
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-31
Southern Command is ramping up the US military presence in Latin America to counter China, Russia, and Venezuela, after signing…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/30/southcom-latin-america-china-russia-threats-brazil/

Brazil's ex-President Lula on Venezuela: Maduro is democratic, Guaidó should be in prison, US blockade kills civilians
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-31
In comments ignored by English-language media, Lula da Silva slammed the US coup attempt against Venezuela, calling Nicolás Maduro a…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/30/brazil-lula-maduro-guaido-us-blockade/

Trump's Mass Negligent Homicide Doesn't Let Democratic Leaders Off the Hook
Norman Solomon | indybay.org | 2020-03-31
Failures of leadership in a time of coronavirus…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/30/18831943.php

Growing xenophobia against China in the midst of CoronaShock
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2020-03-31
Violent attacks against Asians in the United States has spiked as a consequence of the stigma driven by the Trump administration.
mronline.org/2020/03/30/growing-xenophobia-against-china-in-the-midst-of-coronashock/

Our nativist freakout about China hides the real origin of the coronavirus. It's political, global, and made in the USA
Yasha Levine | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-31
We're facing something that's more difficult than a medical emergency. We're facing a political fight against the most powerful corporations…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/30/china-origin-coronavirus-political-global-usa/

Corporate coronavirus bailout threatens prolonged economic pain
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-31
Without a New Deal-style public works program, the coronavirus pandemic threatens major economic damage. The coronavirus pandemic has left millions…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/31/corporate-coronavirus-bailout-threatens-prolonged-economic-pain/

Peace is the New Priority for Planet Earth after CoVid19 Crisis
DLI | indybay.org | 2020-03-31
For decades Peace activists have been clamoring that the misplaced US priority on Militarism (wasting Trillions of dollars and narrowly focusing on imagined foreign enemies and/or real terrorists spawned by US policies) will decisively harm the health of citizens and the Planet itself. Sadly, 60 years after President Eisenhower warned of the danger of the Military Industrial Complex overshadowing the health and welfare of our society, the Peace agenda is still being sidelined to near extinction, both by the political ruling elite of Pentagon-Wall Street hucksters, and the compliant mainstream media outlets.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/29/18831925.php

How disinformation really works: Activists linked to pro-NATO think tank smear Russian Covid-19 aid to Italy
rt.com | 2020-03-31
With over 11,000 deaths and more than 100,000 cases of Covid-19, Italy is currently a country which feels under siege. But this is no impediment to the think tank racket twisting an offer of support for its propaganda purposes. | Here's what happened. The weekend before last, Vladimir Putin called Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. During the conversation, Conte asked for help, in fighting coronavirus, according to the Kremlin readout which hasn't been contradicted by Italian officials. | Let's be clear from the outset, there was undoubtably a strong PR, as well as practical, element to Russia's assistance…
rt.com/news/484593-disinformation-russian-aid-italy-covid/

Coronacrazy? Quarantined rapper cheers as his German shepherd GNAWS on retriever in sickening livestream (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-03-31
A popular Russian rapper with a long record of controversy has added apparent animal abuse to his list of sins. He livestreamed his dog attacking someone else's pet, cheering it on and asking viewers if they wanted more action. | Animal rights activists in Russia are after the blood of Aleksey Dolmatov, better known by his stage name Guf. The 40-year-old is a veteran award-winning performer, but lately it's his erratic behavior rather than his music that has been making headlines. | On Monday, Guf seemingly hit a new low as he was walking his German shepherd named Gucci near his country house. In a livestream…
rt.com/russia/484592-russian-rapper-animal-cruelty/

UN Regrets Lack of Progress in Middle East Peace
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-31
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov on Monday said he regretted the lack of progress on the ground, expressing concern over Israeli settlements and its plans to annex Palestinian land. | RELATED: | Palestinian Shoemaker Starts West Bank's Mask Factory Overnight | The expansion of Israeli settlements continues to pose a significant obstacle to achieving a viable two-state solution, Mladenov told the Security Council via video teleconference…
telesurenglish.net/news/UN-Regrets-Lack-of-Progress-in-Middle-East-Peace-20200331-0003.html

Right-Wing Media Joined Trump in Enabling Health Disaster
Karl Grossman | fair.org | 2020-03-31
"If Hitler succeeds in pointing the way of peace and order and an ethical development which has been destroyed throughout the world by war, he will have accomplished a measure of good not only for his own people but for all humanity."–William Randolph Hearst (New York Times, 8/23/1934) | The downplaying of the coronavirus by the right-wing press in the United States was preceded decades ago by the media owned by William Randolph Hearst enabling a different sort of toxicity by promoting a positive image of Nazism in the US.
fair.org/home/right-wing-media-joined-trump-in-enabling-health-disaster/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=right-wing-media-joined-trump-in-enabling-health-disaster

Bob Dylan's Midnight Message to JFK's Ghost
Edward Curtin | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-31
For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak with most miraculous organ.

As the Covid-19 Crisis Deepens, Grassroots Organizers Take Action
Sasha Abramsky | thenation.com | 2020-03-31
As the Covid-19 Crisis Deepens, Grassroots Organizers Take Action…
thenation.com/article/society/coronavirus-protest-organizing-trump/

Watsonville Community Hospital Nurses to Hold Shift Change Actions To Demand Protections When Treating Patients With COVID-19
California Nurses Association | indybay.org | 2020-03-31
To protest the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and preparedness for frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, registered nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital will hold a silent vigil and solidarity stand on Monday, March 30, 2020. Registered nurses are calling on Watsonville Community Hospital to reverse its decision to weaken personal protective equipment standards and cancel staff rather than preparing for a surge of COVID-19 patients.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/30/18831945.php

Amazon warehouse workers describe unsafe conditions and discuss forming workplace committees
wsws.org | 2020-03-31
Workers at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island, New York announced yesterday that they plan to walk out today to protest the prevailing conditions.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/31/amzn-m31.html

We've Met the Enemy and It's a Tiny Virus
Dave Lindorff | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-31
Over the course of just a couple of days last week, the backbone of the US Navy's Pacific fleet has just been shut down for the next month. The enemy that managed to cause this sudden surprise unilateral disarmament of the mighty US Navy's Pacific Fleet was not Russian or Chinese cyber hackers or a…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/31/weve-met-the-enemy-and-its-a-tiny-virus/

Nearly 1/3 of US Doctors are Foreign-Born, on Pandemic Front Lines
Juan Cole | zcomm.org | 2020-03-31
It turns out we need those foreigners after all, despite what Trump thinks…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/nearly-1-3-of-us-doctors-are-foreign-born-on-pandemic-front-lines/

Already Faced with Famine and War, Yemenis Fear Saudi Arabia is Weaponizing COVID-19
Ahmed Abdulkareem | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-31
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Saudi Arabia has engaged in a number of questionable practices that have Yemenis fearing the Kingdom may be intentionally trying to spread the virus.
mintpressnews.com/yemen-fear-saudi-arabia-weaponizing-coronavirus/266257/

Has America Reached Its Endgame in Afghanistan?
M. K. Bhadrakumar | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-31
In an extraordinary statement titled "On the Political Impasse in Afghanistan," Washington has admitted to the failure of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's mission to Kabul on March 23, which was taken up to heal the political rift among Afghan politicians and to urge them to form an inclusive government so as to implement the…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/31/has-america-reached-its-endgame-in-afghanistan/

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed: Communities Enduring Racism & Poverty Will Suffer Most Due to COVID-19
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-31
As the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States tops 3,100, states are demanding ventilators and medical supplies. Michigan is a growing hot spot and struggling to prepare for a surge in cases, but President Trump has repeatedly attacked Michigan's governor, calling her "that woman." We speak with the former director of the Detroit Health Department, Abdul El-Sayed. He's a physician and epidemiologist, and his new book is just out today, "Healing Politics: A Doctor's Journey into the Heart of Our Political Epidemic." His recent piece for The Guardian is headlined "Coronavirus is exploiting an underlying…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/31/abul_el_sayed_epidemic_of_insecurity

Attempted coup & assassinations: Venezuelan prosecutors subpoena Guaido as 'among main perpetrators' in US-backed regime-change op
rt.com | 2020-03-31
Venezuela's prosecutors have summoned Juan Guaido over his role in the "attempted coup d'etat," as well as in alleged assassination attempts. Guaido is the main figure in US-backed efforts to oust President Nicolas Maduro. | The move was announced by Attorney General Tarek William Saab on Tuesday in a televised speech. The official described Guaido as "one of the main perpetrators" of a "new" attempted coup. | The move comes after a cache of weaponry, said to be smuggled into Venezuela, was seized in neighboring Co…
rt.com/news/484602-coup-assassinations-venezuela-guaido/

Trump's narcoterrorism indictment of Maduro already backfires
Leonardo Flores | mronline.org | 2020-03-31
Among those indicted by the U.S. was Cliver Alcalá, a retired general who is considered the military leader of the pro-Juan Guaidó forces. Soon, Alcalá posted videos that threaten to cause further splits in the opposition and could result in the arrest of Guaidó.
mronline.org/2020/03/31/trumps-narcoterrorism-indictment-of-maduro-already-backfires/

Out of the Coronavirus Crisis Can Come Efficient Historic Changes for Justice
Ralph Nader | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-31
Many of us have heard that the Chinese character for "crisis" is also the character for "opportunity." During the coronavirus crisis, we have a duty to apply political solutions and emerge much superior than before the pandemic struck an unready country. The time for serious civic reforms is now! Here are five fundamental opportunities for…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/31/out-of-the-coronavirus-crisis-can-come-efficient-historic-changes-for-justice/

IYSSE (Australia) online lecture tonight 7pm on the contemporary significance of the Russian Revolution
wsws.org | 2020-03-31
WSWS writer Nick Beams will explain the necessity to turn to the socialist and internationalist perspective of the Russian Revolution, amid the crisis of world capitalism triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/31/iyss-m31.html

Meet the Americans Studying Medicine on the Cuban Government's Dime
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-31
The Cuban government has been paying Americans through a little known program to study medicine in order to return to the United States and serve underprivileged communities.
mintpressnews.com/meet-americans-studying-medical-school-cuba/266223/

One Quarter of the World's Population is Under US Sanctions
Alan MacLeod | zcomm.org | 2020-03-31
Eight countries, representing around one-quarter of all humanity, say that Washington's actions are undermining their response to the COVID–19 pandemic sweeping the planet.
zcomm.org/znetarticle/one-quarter-of-the-worlds-population-is-under-us-sanctions/

Coronavirus Makes It More Clear Than Ever: Health Care Is a Human Right
Jesse Jackson | commondreams.org | 2020-03-31
Nurses and doctors rallying for Medicare for All in Chicago over the weekend outside the annual gathering of the American Medical Association which currently opposes the plan to make healthcare coverage in the United States available to all. (Photo: National Nurses United/flickr/cc | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/medicare_for_all_12_0_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2020/03/31/coronavirus-makes-it-more-clear-ever-health-care-human-right?cd-origin=rss

COVID-19 proves workers, not bosses, are essential
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-03-31
The Marxist argument that it's the labour of workers, and not the supposed intelligence and entrepreneurial spirit of bosses, that keeps society running, has long been ridiculed by defenders of capitalism. In the conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the truth of Marx's claim has been brought into sharp relief.
mronline.org/2020/03/31/covid-19-proves-workers-not-bosses-are-essential/

Trump's Chernobyl Moment: the US May Lose Its Status as World Superpower and Not Recover
Patrick Cockburn | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-31
The US may be reaching its "Chernobyl moment" as it fails to lead in combating the coronavirus epidemic. As with the nuclear accident in the Soviet Union in 1986, a cataclysm is exposing systemic failings that have already weakened US hegemony in the world. Whatever the outcome of the pandemic, nobody is today looking to…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/31/trumps-chernobyl-moment-the-us-may-lose-its-status-as-world-superpower-and-not-recover/

Corona is More Than a Health Disaster: It's a Human Calamity
Peter Koenig | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-31
The New York Times of March 20, asks rhetorically: "Is Our Fight Against Coronavirus Worse Than the Disease?" The coronavirus, known as COVID-19, was declared a pandemic by WHO's Director General, Dr. Tedros, on 30 January 2020, when outside of China there were only 150 WHO-registered infections. This declaration as a pandemic

Thousands of S. Korean workers go on unpaid leave as Seoul, Washington fail to agree on military costs
rt.com | 2020-03-31
Seoul on Tuesday criticized the US military's decision to place thousands of South Korean workers on unpaid leave this week, after the two allies failed to sign a new cost-sharing agreement. Washington and Seoul are embroiled in a dispute dating back almost two years, over how much each should pay to support the roughly 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea. | With no new pact months after the last agreement expired at the end of 2019, about half of the nearly 9,000 South Koreans employed by the US military command will be placed on unpaid leave starting on Wednesday, Reuters said. US officials have said t…
rt.com/newsline/484599-korea-workers-military-costs/

Why is the U.S. so Exceptionally Vulnerable to Covid-19?
Nicolas J S Davies | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-31
The United States has become the new center of the global coronavirus pandemic, with over 80,000 cases, more than China or Italy. More than a thousand Americans have already died, but this is surely only the very beginning of this deadly collision between the U.S.'s exceptionally inadequate public healthcare system and a real pandemic. On the other hand, China and South Korea, which both have universal public health systems that…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/31/why-is-the-u-s-so-exceptionally-vulnerable-to-covid-19/

Trump, Erdogan speak by phone, 'stress need' for ceasefires in Syria & Libya
rt.com | 2020-03-31
US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan underlined on Tuesday the need for ceasefires in Syria and Libya during the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said. The two spoke by phone on efforts to "defeat the virus and bolster the global economy," according to its statement. | They "agreed it is more important now than ever for countries in conflict, particularly Syria and Libya, to adhere to ceasefires and work toward resolution," it said. | Syria's government has so far reported only a handful of Covid-19 cases. Health experts warn that the country, torn apart by years of c…
rt.com/newsline/484616-trump-erdogan-syria-libya/

Russian dog owners offer pets for rent as excuse to walk outside despite Covid-19 'stay home' order
rt.com | 2020-03-31
The quarantine in Russia leaves people with few legit excuses to go out. Some dog owners are willing to rent their pets to restless clients, so that they could take a walk not be stopped by the police. | People in many parts of Russia, including the capital, are supposed to stay home to curb the spread of Covid-19. A handful of exceptions is made, including for dog owners who need to walk their pets, but even those are expected to keep the walks short and not stray further than 100 meters from their home. | The loophole creates an obvious temporary business opportunity. Want to have a pretext to be outside and…
rt.com/russia/484551-rent-dog-russia-coronavirus/

Great Lakes Coca-Cola Teamsters fight for safety measures and hazard pay
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-31
Milwaukee, WI – A wave of worker activity has sprung up in the past two weeks as the slow government and employer response to COVID-19 has thrown millions of workers into dangerous working conditions. Workers have organized petitions, walkouts and sickouts at dozens of workplaces this week, demanding safe working conditions and hazard pay for essential workers during the pandemic. | In response to the wave of worker activity, many companies have begun to offer hazard pay, increased time-off benefits and new safety measures. Warehouse and distribution workers on the frontlines have been leading workplace actions a…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/3/30/great-lakes-coca-cola-teamsters-fight-safety-measures-and-hazard-pay

Grad Students Continue Withholding Grades During Covid-19 Pandemic
Spread The Strike! | indybay.org | 2020-03-31
Email from graduate student to UCSC Chancellor and Executive Vice Chancellor on the day Winter quarter grades are due.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/30/18831944.php

FROM THE FIELD: Humanitarians on the frontline in COVID-19 fight
news.un.org | 2020-03-31
Humanitarian workers in developing countries are on the front lines and taking "urgent action" in the fight against the spread of the deadly new coronavirus, COVID-19, according to the United Nations.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060682

12yo girl dies of Covid-19 in Belgium, as country counts 700+ victims
rt.com | 2020-03-31
A 12-year-old girl has died of the coronavirus in Belgium, becoming the youngest person to succumb to the disease in the country, authorities have announced. The epidemic death toll has surpassed 700 in Belgium. | Losing the child to the disease is "an emotionally difficult moment" not only for the family, but also for medics and researchers," Belgian crisis-center coronavirus spokesman Emmanuel Andre said on Tuesday as he announced the death. | "We are thinking of her family and friends. It is an event that is very rare, but one which upsets us greatly," he added as cited by AP. | Belgium has identified 12,70…
rt.com/news/484564-12yo-girl-dies-covid19-belgium/

Global Covid-19 death toll hits 40,000 as countries continue to struggle with outbreak
rt.com | 2020-03-31
The latest coronavirus figures compiled separately by the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center and the AFP news agency each show that the global death toll from Covid-19 has reached 40,000. | An increasing death toll across both Western Europe and in the US was a major contributor to the somber milestone. | Earlier on Tuesday, Spanish authorities confirmed a jump of 849 in Covid-19 deaths

Neoliberalism is terminally ill–There can be no more 'business as usual'
Marc Vandepitte | peoplesworld.org | 2020-03-31
In terms of health, the coronavirus is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges in recent history. But it may also turn our economic system upside-down completely. It is already clear that in future we will look back on 2020 as a turning point, the beginning of a new era. COVID-19 is an unusually aggressive virus, …
peoplesworld.org/article/neoliberalism-is-terminally-ill-there-can-be-no-more-business-as-usual/

Do they really want to kill us?
Eric A. Gordon | peoplesworld.org | 2020-03-31
The American response to COVID-19 has taken a myriad of daily twists and turns. Last week, the buzz was all about getting us out of our sheltering in place and back to work. By Easter (April 12), the president expressed hopefully, we'd see the churches packed with people! My thought at the time was, migod, …
peoplesworld.org/article/do-they-really-want-to-kill-us/

Coronavirus hasn't stopped bombs falling in Yemen. And our government's complicit in death
Fréa Lockley | thecanary.co | 2020-03-31
On 30 March, airstrikes continued in Yemen. This came only five days after a promised ceasefire intended to help Yemen's healthcare system prepare for the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. But with the whole world in crisis, it's vital we don't forget that the UK is still complicit in arming devastating and destructive attacks on Yemen. | Crisis: | Saudi Arabia has been leading a brutal…
thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2020/03/31/coronavirus-hasnt-stopped-bombs-falling-in-yemen-and-our-governments-complicit-in-death/

Dutch Navy submarine aborts North Sea training mission due to Covid-19 outbreak on board
rt.com | 2020-03-31
A Dutch combat submarine was forced to cut its voyage short and quickly return home after several of its crew members tested positive for the Covid-19 disease. | The mission was aborted after 15 sailors on board the Walrus-class submarine HNLMS 'Dolfijn' showed flu-like symptoms. Eight of them later tested positive for Covid-19, the Dutch Defense Ministry said. | The outbreak was discovered when the submarine was on a training mission in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. The disease forced the vessel to cut its trip short and return to the Den Helder naval base two weeks earlier than planned. All of its…
rt.com/news/484576-dutch-submarine-coronavirus-outbreak/

World reaches another grim Covid-19 milestone as global cases surpass 800,000
rt.com | 2020-03-31
The number of cases of coronavirus infection around the world surpassed 800,000 confirmed cases on Tuesday, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. | At the time of writing the total number of coronavirus cases worldwide stood at 800,049 resulting in some 38,714 deaths. | Of this grim tally, the US accounts for 164,000 cases followed by Italy with 101,739 and Spain with 87,956, marking the three largest and most severe outbreaks within the wider, global pandemic. | Authorities the world over are preaching continued caution, as WHO experts in Asia warn that the pandemic in Asia is "far from…
rt.com/news/484573-global-covid-19-cases-800000/