2020-04-21: News Headlines

imperial.ac.uk (2020-04-22). UK coronavirus policy could put 7.3 million over-60s at increased risk. imperial.ac.uk The UK's policy for shielding older adults from COVID-19 overlooks 7.3 million adults aged 60-69, placing them at increased risk and death.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-04-22). Imperial COVID-19 vaccine team secures £22.5 million support. imperial.ac.uk The UK government will provide £22.5 million to fast-track Imperial's development of a coronavirus vaccine.

Staff (2020-04-21). Death Trap Jail: Pepper-Sprayed, Otay Mesa Detainees Demand Release as COVID-19 Spreads Inside. democracynow.org We look at the mounting number of COVID-19 cases inside immigration jails across the country and one of the largest outbreaks at the Otay Mesa Detention Center near San Diego, run by private prison company CoreCivic. Prisoners were told to sign contracts, written only in English, in exchange for receiving face masks. When some refused to sign, guards pepper-sprayed them. This comes as activists say hundreds imprisoned in detention centers in California are on hunger strike. We get an update from Ruth Mendez, community activist and volunteer with Otay Mesa Detention Resistance.

Staff (2020-04-21). Pepper-Sprayed, Otay Mesa Detainees Demand Release as COVID-19 Spreads Inside. truthout.org Image Credit: AFSC — San Diego | We look at the mounting number of COVID-19 cases inside immigration jails across the country and one of the largest outbreaks at the Otay Mesa Detention Center near San Diego, run by private prison company CoreCivic. Prisoners were told to sign contracts, written only in English, in exchange for receiving face masks. When some refused to sign, guards pepper-sprayed them. This comes as activists say hundreds imprisoned in detention centers in California are o…

RT (2020-04-21). Thailand announces second automatic 3-month visa extension for foreigners. rt.com The Thai government approved a second automatic visa extension for foreigners for three more months on Tuesday. The move could prevent long queues at immigration centers and stem the spread of the coronavirus. | Foreigners whose visas had expired since March 26 will be permitted to stay until July 30 without having to apply for an extension, said Narumon Pinyosinwat, spokeswoman for Thailand's cabinet. | A similar extension was granted until April 30. Thailand has since late March banned entry to foreigners, except diplomats and work-permit holders, to combat the Covid-19 outbreak. | Earlier on Tuesday, the So…

Staff (2020-04-21). Headlines for April 21, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Says He Will Shut Down All Immigration to the U.S. Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Southern States to Reopen Businesses Despite Mounting COVID-19 Cases | , Coronavirus Cases Surging in Massachusetts , NY Nurses Sue over Lack of Protection Against Coronavirus, MTA Moves Ahead with Increase in Police Force Despite Financial Hardship and Drop in Riders | , Federal Judge Orders ICE to Consider Releasing Immigrants Vulnerable to COVID-19, SCOTUS to Consider Crucial Role of DACA First Responders, Airline Industry Receives $3 Billion in Gov't Funds as Flight Attendants Denounce Working Conditions, Disney to Stop Paying…

RT (2020-04-21). American dream suspended: Trump says he's signing order to halt immigration into US 'in light of attack' from coronavirus. rt.com US President Donald Trump said he will sign an executive order suspending all immigration into the United States, citing the need to protect American jobs amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. | "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" Trump said in a tweet on Monday night. | In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to tempo…

teleSUR (2020-04-21). Trump to Suspend Immigration to the U.S. Due to COVID-19. telesurenglish.net The RELATED: | "In light of the attack from the invisi…

RT (2020-04-21). Trump announces 60-day immigration ban to shield American workers from competition. rt.com US President Donald Trump has ordered a two-month pause in issuing most work visas, so that more than 22 million Americans made unemployed by coronavirus lockdowns will not face as much competition. | The 60-day moratorium will apply only to immigrants seeking permanent residence permits, also known as "green cards," Trump said on Tuesday at the daily White House press conference about the US coronavirus response. | "By pausing immigration we'll help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America reopens," the president said. "It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be r…

Staff (2020-04-21). Trump Tweets Plan to Suspend All Immigration to US. truthout.org President Donald Trump "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT Ameri…

WSWS (2020-04-21). COVID-19 lockdown leaves Gulf states' migrant workers penniless in unsanitary conditions. wsws.org Unable to return home because of travel restrictions or their countries' refusal to accept them, migrants are left to fester in lockdown, confined to overcrowded, unsanitary dormitories without access to either health care or help.

Eddie Bejarano (2020-04-21). Anti-Immigrant Movement Has History of Politicizing Disease. splcenter.org COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, is the latest disease the nativist movement has politicized to demonize immigrants.

teleSUR (2020-04-21). Millions in US Won't Get Stimulus Aid for Marrying Migrants. telesurenglish.net Millions of United States (U.S.) citizens are being excluded from the US$2 trillion coronavirus relief package because they are married to a migrant, local media including the Dallas Morning News and the Los Angeles Times have reported. | RELATED: | The large group of those who won't get help is made of citizens who file taxes jointly with a spouse using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), an identification…

Staff (2020-04-21). NYC Immigrant Communities Fight Hunger, Exploitation & Invisibility Through Mutual Aid. democracynow.org We look at how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting undocumented people here in New York City, where the coronavirus has hit immigrant communities the hardest, even as the numbers of daily deaths statewide has declined in recent days. As reports of widespread poverty and hunger continue in the immigrant communities, people are also organizing and helping each other through mutual aid despite extraordinarily difficult circumstances. We are joined by Juan Carlos Ruiz, Lutheran pastor at Good Shepherd Church in Brooklyn and co-founder of the national New Sanctuary Movement and the New Sanctuary Coalition here in Ne…

WSWS (2020-04-21). Mass COVID-19 infection among migrant workers in Singapore. wsws.org The number of COVID-19 infections is exploding in the Singapore workers' camps.

RT (2020-04-21). Spanish firm spying on Assange stole his son's dirty diaper and BLACKMAILED Ecuadorian diplomat with NUDE PHOTOS — court papers. rt.com Spanish security firm UC Global secretly obtained Julian Assange's son's dirty diapers and used "intimate photos" to blackmail a diplomat into continuing its surveillance contract on the Ecuadorian embassy, court documents show. | The bombshell revelations emerged on Tuesday in court documents from an ongoing criminal case against UC Global's owner, David Morales, in the Spanish courts. Morales is accused of privacy violation, bribery, and money laundering. While his company was hired to provide security for the Ecuadorian embassy in London, he allegedly spied on Assange's guests and the Ecuadorian staff on be…

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Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-04-21). Video: COVID-19: Closing Down the Economy Is Not the Solution. globalresearch.ca Millions of people have lost their jobs, and their lifelong savings. In developing countries, poverty and despair prevail. | While the lockdown is presented to public opinion as the sole means to resolving a global public health crisis, its devastating economic …

Eric Wagner (2020-04-21). The Gates Foundation's Vaccination Activism. globalresearch.ca In the corona crisis, billionaire Bill Gates makes a high-profile appearance as a vaccination activist. The essence: a vaccine is the solution, it is only a matter of implementation. According to Gates, the G20 should now "address the logistics of …

en.mehrnews (2020-04-21). Iran, Russia, Turkey to discuss Syria situation on April 22. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 21 (MNA) — The foreign ministers of Astana peace process guarantors (Russia, Iran, Turkey) will hold a round of negotiations on Syria via video conference on April 22, according to the Russian foreign ministry.

en.mehrnews (2020-04-21). Iranian envoy meets with different Afghan sides. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 21 (MNA) — Iran's special envoy for Afghanistan has met and held talks with various Afghan officials and figures during the past days to facilitate the establishment of peace and stability in the neighboring country.

teleSUR (2020-04-21). Global Climate Fight Continues Despite Isolation. telesurenglish.net Fridays For Future (FFF) members announced demonstrations and other activities next Friday, April 24. The ecological international movement will perform protests through social media to remain active and respect COVID-19 preventive measures. | RELATED: | FFF representatives explained that international attention is on COVID development and all preventive strategies. However, as movement leaders pointed out, the environmental…

Staff (2020-04-21). Kentucky Sees Highest Single-Day Increase in COVID-19 Cases Days After Protests. truthout.org Protests against stay-in-place measures have occurred in a number of states across the nation, in spite of the fact that While it's not possible to directly link the protests with a spike in infections, at least one state where such events ha…

Alex Darocy (2020-04-21). Demonstrators Demand Santa Cruz Provide Hotel Vouchers for the Homeless. indybay.org Community members in Santa Cruz organized a "physical distancing" protest today to demand the City and County of Santa Cruz provide hotel vouchers for the homeless during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The demonstration was organized following California Governor Gavin Newsom's statements made during a press conference on April 18 that cities and municipalities that are blocking the State's effort to provide hotels for the homeless will be "judged" by history.

WSWS (2020-04-21). Protests and looting break out in Colombia over failure to distribute aid amid COVID-19 quarantine. wsws.org The right-wing Duque government has called for reopening "productive life without social life" to meet the needs of Colombian and foreign capital.

WSWS (2020-04-21). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Medical workers from the October 1 hospital in Mexico City set up a blockade to protest the lack of protective equipment and other supplies needed to confront COVID-19.

Rep. Ron Paul (2020-04-21). What If the Lockdown Was All a Big Mistake? globalresearch.ca From California to New Jersey, Americans are protesting in the streets. They are demanding an end to house arrest orders given by government officials over a virus outbreak that even according to the latest US government numbers will claim fewer …

teleSUR (2020-04-21). US: Nurses Protest Over Lack of Resources. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Nurses Union protested Tuesday in front of the White House. The health workers demonstrated in honor of the coworkers they lost due to the pandemic. They also demanded better biosafety resources. | RELATED: | According to Bonnie Castillo, Executive Director of the National Nurses Union (NNU), nurses are asking for better Personal Protection Equipment. Nurses will read aloud the names of those who lost their lives bec…

Zero Hedge (2020-04-21). Trump Temporarily Suspends All Immigration Into The United States. iranian.com In a stunning turn of events, late on Monday, President Trump tweeted that "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1252418369170501639 Trump did not …

Sarah Roberts (2020-04-21). Car caravan protesters demand release of immigrant detainees in Arizona. peoplesworld.org TUCSON, Ariz. — Over 200 cars carrying protesters rallied outside the Eloy and La Palma immigrant detention centers in central Arizona on Friday, April 10, demanding the release of all immigration detainees. The rally was organized by the Puente Human Rights Movement, No More Deaths and Trans Queer Pueblo. All detainees are at high risk …

John Wojcik (2020-04-21). Fake Facebook pages used to push protests at state capitals. peoplesworld.org A wealthy family of extreme right wingers, armed with plenty of money and social media skills, is behind the hundreds of Facebook groups, including the five largest of those groups, opposing stay-at-home orders designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The Facebook groups, which have hundreds of thousands of members, are being used to …

Tom Tomorrow (2020-04-21). The Right to Get Our Hair Cut. thenation.com The Right to Get Our Hair Cut…

Andrew Korybko (2020-04-21). Trump's Patriotic Color Revolution Call, against "Unreasonable Quarantine Demands" globalresearch.ca Trump caught his political opponents flatfooted when he endorsed the patriotic protests against several Democrat Governors' unreasonable quarantine demands, channeling the nascent Color Revolution spirit nationwide to show the rest of his compatriots that he truly has the people's support …

sputniknews (2020-04-21). Protest in Beirut Against Lebanese Gov't Measures Amid COVID-19 Pandemic – Video. sputniknews.com Lebanon's parliament is holding a three-day legislative session at a Beirut theatre in order to observe social distancing measures imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

sputniknews (2020-04-21). Furious Delhi Residents Protest Sale of Alcohol, Drugs Amid COVID-19 Lockdown — Video. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): In order to combat the spread of COVID-19, the Indian government extended the nationwide lockdown until 3 May. The lockdown has brought the country to a standstill with only essential services allowed to function.

Staff (2020-04-21). Trump Supporters Are Brandishing Automatic Weapons at Anti-Shutdown Protests. truthout.org We get an update from Democracy Now! co-host Juan González about his mother and wife, who were infected with COVID-19, and discuss how right-wing Trump supporters are brandishing automatic weapons at protests to demand an end to coronavirus shutdowns and are being egged on by the president. "We should make no mistake, that this country is edging closer and closer to neo-fascist authoritarianism," says González, expressing concern these actions will become normalized in the lead-up to a bitter na…

Staff (2020-04-21). Juan González: "Make No Mistake: This Country Is Edging Closer to Neo-Fascist Authoritarianism" democracynow.org We get an update from Democracy Now! co-host Juan González about his mother and wife, who were infected with COVID-19, and discuss how right-wing Trump supporters are brandishing automatic weapons at protests to demand an end to coronavirus shutdowns and are being egged on by the president. "We should make no mistake, that this country is edging closer and closer to neo-fascist authoritarianism," says González, expressing concern these actions will become normalized in the lead-up to a bitter national election in November.

Philip Giraldi (2020-04-21). A Government Against the People. globalresearch.ca The 24/7 intensified media coverage of the coronavirus story has meant that other news has either been ignored or relegated to the back pages, never to be seen again. The Middle East has been on a boil but coverage of …

Whitney Webb (2020-04-21). As US Shale Oil Plunges, Trump Admin Takes Aim at Venezuela. globalresearch.ca President Trump recently praised a deal reached largely by Saudi Arabia and Russia, two of the top oil producers in the world who together dominate the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), saying that the agreed upon production cuts …

Whitney Webb (2020-04-21). How the National Security State Is Using Coronavirus to Push AI-Driven Mass Surveillance. mintpressnews.com Last year a government commission called for the US to adopt an AI-driven mass surveillance system far beyond that used in any other country. Now, many of the "obstacles" cited as preventing its implementation are being removed under the guise of combating coronavirus.

Andrew Korybko (2020-04-21). The Gulf Kingdoms Are Finally Waking Up to Hindu Extremists' Inherent Islamophobia. globalresearch.ca Three back-to-back developments over the past week prove that the Gulf Kingdoms are finally waking up to Hindu extremists' inherent Islamophobia, the threat of which Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been warning about for a while now, suggesting that …

Ralph Nader (2020-04-21). Cowardly Congress Chooses to be AWOL: Shouldn't Our Elected Representatives be on the Job Providing Essential Services? counterpunch.org In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic a careening, confused President is fibbing, flailing, breaking laws, and mishandling money. As the domino effect of this crisis mounts, the public is asking: "Where is the Congress?" Our Senators and Representatives have been home since March 20 and won't be back until May 4th, not on the

Ajamu Baraka (2020-04-21). Coronavirus and the crisis of African American human rights. mronline.org With the overwhelming evidence that the capitalist system is fundamentally antithetical to the realization of human rights, including what should be an elementary right—access to healthcare—the presidency of Donald J. Trump has been a godsend for the capitalist rulers.

Staff (2020-04-21). Coronavirus Relief Bills Bail Out Corporations as Small Businesses & Workers Suffer. democracynow.org As the White House and Democrats near a deal on a $450 billion coronavirus relief package, members of the Progressive Caucus say it bails out businesses once again and fails to protect working people. "In general, there's been kind of a disproportionate response that is reflected in the CARES Act. For individuals, for small businesses, it's very hard to get relief," says The American Prospect's executive editor, David Dayen. "But if you're a big corporation, the Federal Reserve has $4.5 trillion in reserves ready for you."

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-04-21). Latvia Wanted to Bridge EU with Russia but Is Now in Economic Trouble. globalresearch.ca The transit industry was one of the most important in Latvia and was established during the Soviet era. In the first years of Latvia's independence in the 1990's, it was destroyed. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has significantly lowered Latvia's …

F. William Engdahl (2020-04-21). The Agribusiness Model Is Failing. globalresearch.ca Over the past decades the organization of the entire world food supply from farm to consumers has been reorganized into a globalized distribution known as agribusiness. With most of the world in lockdown over the fears of spread of the …

South Front (2020-04-21). SARS-CoV-2 Mortality Data Is Distorted. Review of Scientific Research in Germany, U.S., Italy, Spain. globalresearch.ca SouthFront offers a scientific-based survey providing an in-depth look at the real death toll statistics and the spread of SARS-COV-2. | 1. The research issued by the Bonn University Hospital |

David Swanson (2020-04-21). As the US Grapples with Coronavirus, Congress Leaps into Action… On a New Military Draft. mintpressnews.com What is the dumbest thing Congress could do at this moment? How about pushing a bill to force young women to register for a military draft. Meet HR 6415.

Paul Buhle (2020-04-21). When Solidarity Mattered: the Seattle General Strike. counterpunch.org Radical Seattle: the General Strike of 1919. By Cal Winslow, New York: Monthly Review Press, 2020. 242pp, $19.00 pbk This is a special book, bearing an almost sacred topic for all those interested in the history of the American labor and the Left. The vibrant, pre-1920 Socialist Party, waxing strong and confident until struck down

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2020-04-21). Why the OPEC+ Deal is a Many-Splendored Thing. counterpunch.org A perfect deal is where all protagonists get something out of it. All oil-producing countries stand to gain if the oil price rebounds. In bare bones, the OPEC+ group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia finalized, in a nail-biting photo finish on April 12, an agreement to steeply cut oil production by a combined 9.7