(2020-05-26). Hong Kong Rioters Should Never Fight Against Their Own Country. dissidentvoice.org For several months, Western mass media called the Hong Kong rioters, "pro-democracy protesters". It still does. But I began noticing a new, even deadlier, terminology. Now, the black-clad ninja-looking men and women that are periodically and violently clashing with the law enforcement forces are once in a while described as "pro-independence". Some Hong Kong citizens …
(2020-05-26). Pandemics have a way of fomenting social revolutions. workers.org 
The following is a slightly edited talk given during the Workers World Party webinar "What Road to Socialism?" on May 16. Welcome everyone to this important national meeting of Workers World Party. I wish we could be meeting in person, but dire circumstances make that impossible. So we have to . . . |
(2020-05-25). Americans Have United Before to Defeat an External Enemy and We Can Again. commondreams.org People wait in line as SF-Marin Food Bank hands out 1,600 food bags at a pop-up pantry at Bayview Opera House in San Francisco, California on Monday, April 20, 2020. Work furloughs and layoffs created by coronavirus shelter-in-place orders are driving thousands to seek food assistance. (Photo: Scott Strazzante/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1220244720_1.jpg …
(2020-05-25). A school's unique response to COVID-19. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy (IJLA) is a small two-floor building that rests on the corner of Western and Blue Island Avenues in Pilsen, Chicago. At first glance you would notice the mural that decorates the wall – women of color with fists in the air, "La Lucha Sigue." You might ask yourself, "Is this a school?" and the first answer is: yes. Though, the more accurate answer is: "It's a home, a safe haven." | First, some vital context. IJLA (more commonly referred to by its original name, Rudy, after the socialist Rudy Lozano) is an options school. This means that our students are 16 to…
(2020-05-25). US threatens nuclear arms race 'into oblivion' as it kills another treaty and mulls bomb tests. thegrayzone.com The Trump administration continues to undermine global arms control and increase the threat of a nuclear weapons race with Russia…
(2020-05-25). Two Fictions of Mainstream Economics. 45 Million US Workers Unemployed. globalresearch.ca Mainstream economics consistently fails to predict the future. I'm talking about those 'schools' of mis-thought, ranging from Paul Krugman on the 'left' to Glenn Hubbard and other apologists of business and neoliberalism on the 'right'. | One of the favorite myths …
(2020-05-25). The "Lockdown" Has Turned America Into a Despotic, Cash-Strapped Basket-Case. globalresearch.ca "… and when we look back on this in two years time, from the ruins of our economy and the ruins of our liberty, we will want to see some kind of justice, that the people who made this decision …
(2020-05-25). Why Does Israel Celebrate Its Terrorists? dissidentvoice.org 
Israeli media and Zionist apologists everywhere are busy whitewashing Israel's globally-tattered image using the rare indictment of an Israeli terrorist, Amiram Ben Uliel, who was recently convicted for murdering the Palestinian Dawabsheh family, including an 18-month-old toddler in the town of Duma, south of Nablus. The conviction of Ben Uliel by an Israeli three-judge court …
(2020-05-25). How many dead Yemenis does it take to equal one Washington Post contributor? thegrayzone.com The War Nerd dissects reporting on Saudi Arabia to show how the corporate media cares more about a dead Washington…
(2020-05-25). Trump's Disastrous Coronavirus Response. zcomm.org How did the United States — the richest country in the world — become the worldwide epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, with one person dying of COVID-19 every 47 seconds?>
(2020-05-25). The Sure Way to End Concerns About China's "Theft" of a Vaccine: Make it Open. counterpunch.org 
In the last couple of weeks both the New York Times and National Public Radio have warned that China could steal a vaccine against the coronavirus, or at least steal work in the U.S. done towards developing a vaccine. Both outlets obviously thought their audiences should view this as a serious concern. As I wrote
(2020-05-25). For Betty Riddle, Amendment 4 Win Makes Her A Part of Society, Not Apart. aclu.org 
Betty Riddle made sure she was first in line to vote in the Florida primary this year. At age 62, it was her first time voting. "It was one of the greatest moments of my life," she told the ACLU. Her family made her a T-shirt just for the occasion, which read first in line, first time voting. | As a Floridian, Betty was subject to one of the nation's harshest felony disenfranchisement laws. Before
(2020-05-25). Safe Jobs Save Lives': N.C. union rallies to free prisoners, support city workers. workers.org 
Union workers and community members organized a car caravan protest in front of Neuse Correctional Institute in Goldsboro, N.C., on May 12 to demand the freedom of all prisoners. This was in response to the fifth COVID-19 related death of a prisoner in state prisons the week prior. At Neuse . . . |
(2020-05-25). Cuba applies very efficient national drugs to save critical and severe COVID-19 patients. mronline.org 
The CIGB-258, a peptide designed to reduce inflammatory processes, and the monoclonal antibody Itolizumab (Anti-CD6) have shown great effectiveness for the survival of critical and severe COVID-19 patients in Cuba, announced Friday Francisco Duran, national director of epidemiology at the ministry of public health.
(2020-05-25). El imperialismo y el derecho a la autodeterminación. workers.org 
Esta es una versión ligeramente editada de una charla dada durante " øQué camino hacia el socialismo?" seminario web realizado por Workers World Party el 16 de mayo. Una de las cinco características que V.I. Lenin, líder de la Revolución Rusa, presentó en su libro de 1916, "Imperialismo: la etapa más . . . |
(2020-05-25). Portland caravan supports essential workers. workers.org 
Large placards covered supporters' cars during the Portland, Ore., caravan for essential workers held May 21. It started at the East Portland Post Office, circled two Fred Meyer grocery stores and ended at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital. The event was hosted by Communities and Postal Workers United and attended by a . . . |
(2020-05-25). Los migrantes lideran la lucha porque la 'reapertura' alimenta la resistencia. workers.org 
18 de mayo: El Gerente Ejecutivo, (CEO siglas en inglés), de Ford Motors, Jim Farley, dijo durante una reciente conferencia telefónica: "La industria automotriz es el motor económico [de los EE. UU.]. Reiniciar todo el ecosistema automotor es cómo reiniciamos la economía ". (New York Times, 18 de mayo) Los . . . |
(2020-05-25). Make a Resilient, Localized Food System Part of the Next Stimulus. counterpunch.org 
Consider the many problems in the meat industry. Workers ill with COVID caused temporary processing facility closures, putting our nation's meat supply in jeopardy. President Trump forced meatpacking plants to re-open by executive order, yet, further disruptions are likely. Roughly half of those plant workers are immigrants, living at or below the poverty line, forced to return to work, they are still at risk of getting sick.
(2020-05-25). How to understand all this China stuff. mronline.org 
The notion of "pre-crime" is the purview of dystopian horror fiction when applied to individual people, and there's no reason we should find the prospect of attacking and destroying for hypothetical future offenses any less insane on an international scale.
(2020-05-25). If the Federal Government Won't Fund the States' Emergency Needs, There is Another Solution. counterpunch.org 
Many states are now experiencing severe budget deficits as they cope with the combined collapse of tax revenues and corresponding expansion of spending brought about by the coronavirus. Although the most recent $3 trillion fiscal package of the House Democrats proposes significant funding for the state and local governments, the GOP and the president have
(2020-05-25). Privacy, Auricular Confession and Computer Viruses. dissidentvoice.org 
The original business with personal secrets The unilateral declaration of independence adopted by the slave traders and slaveholders in congress assembled, otherwise known as the American Declaration of Independence, is one of the most successful psychological warfare instruments of modern history. Alone it did not win the fight of the colonial elite against its cousins …
(2020-05-25). A Memory Fragment of the Vietnam War. counterpunch.org 
We billeted with the Infantry, but no one except Division up at Chu Lai had the reins on our unit. We gathered intel on infrastructure, came and went as we pleased. A lot of down time, lots of time in the local Ville at Mr. Hue's roadside food stand with the three tables under a rickety awning. Ba Hue served me the soup with the chicken feet floating on the surface, a delicacy she said. They'd taught me how to use chopsticks, and I pliered that delicacy to the side of my plate. They laughed.
(2020-05-25). The Next Death Wave from Coronavirus Will Be the Poor, Rural and White. counterpunch.org 
What do you call a crisis that kills a hundred thousand Americans? It all depends on who does the dying. At first, it seemed like it was mostly white people infected and/or killed by the coronavirus. As the scale of the coronavirus pandemic dawned on Americans during the month of March, most of the media
(2020-05-25). Econ-apocalypse: economic and social aspects of the coronavirus crisis. mronline.org 
In this historical conjuncture we are faced with the risk of a double temporality. The double temporality that I have in mind is that between saying, 'now let's make the economy restart quickly', adding 'later we will think about its contents'. It is an illusion. And a dangerous illusion.
(2020-05-25). Saving the Lionhead Wilderness. counterpunch.org 
One of the most outstanding wildlands on the Custer Gallatin National Forest is the 43,759-acre proposed Lionhead Wilderness. The Lionhead lies along the Continental Divide and rises up above Hebgen Lake near West Yellowstone. The Madison River and Quake Lake on the north, while Targhee Pass on the south and Raynold Pass on the west
(2020-05-25). Chomsky Says Trump a 'Sociopathic Megalomaniac' Who Made US 'Singularly Unprepared' for Pandemic. commondreams.org New comments from the renowned academic come after he accused Trump of wanting "to destroy the prospects for all organized human life… in the near future." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/chomsky-trump-megalomaniac-covid.jpg …
(2020-05-25). Nearly 200 Groups in Canada Vow to Fight for Covid-19 Recovery That Puts Human and Ecological Health First. commondreams.org "The choices we make now about how to recover from this pandemic will shape not only our health and economic future, but also the future of human life on this planet." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/just-recovery-principles_0.png …
(2020-05-25). Noam Chomsky on Trump's Disastrous Coronavirus Response, WHO, China, Gaza and Global Capitalism. democracynow.org 
How did the United States — the richest country in the world — become the worldwide epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, with one person dying of COVID-19 every 47 seconds? We spend the hour with Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author, discussing this unprecedented moment in history, and its political implications. Chomsky reflects on the significance of the Bernie Sanders campaign, calling it "an extraordinary success" that "completely shifted the arena of debate and discussion" in the United States. He also responds to President Trump's cuts to U.S. support for t…
(2020-05-25). Bernie Sanders' Political Team: Don't Criticize Biden! indybay.org The coming together of Sanders and Biden underscores the fraud that the Democratic Party can be transformed into an instrument of progressive change.
(2020-05-25). 'Something like 10 principles': After 'solving' Israel/Palestine conflict & coronavirus, Kushner 'turned loose' on GOP platform. rt.com 
White House adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner reportedly wants to shrink the 56-page Republican Party platform to a one-page "mission statement." After Middle East peace and Covid-19, this should be a cinch. | Kushner has been leading the charge to downsize the sprawling document over the past six months, Axios reported on Sunday. The silver-spoon scion has been ruffling feathers within the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign alike in his quest to whittle the platform down to "something like the 10 principles we believe in," two sources confirmed to the outlet. | Also on rt.com…
(2020-05-25). The Mismanagement of Wildlife in Utah Continues to be Irrational and a National Embarrassment. counterpunch.org 
The greater sage-grouse, now threatened with extinction, once occurred in the tens of millions. It has declined in over 93% of it range in the Sagebrush sea in seven western states. This largest of our grouse may be on its way to oblivion if not protected by the Endangered Species Act, first proposed in 2003
(2020-05-25). Selected Articles: The "National Covid-19 Testing Action Plan" globalresearch.ca 
Do you value the reporting and in-depth analysis provided by Global Research on a daily basis? | Click to | * * * | |
(2020-05-25). Is that you, Joe? Biden's mask-sunglasses combo covers entire face at first public appearance in over 2 months. rt.com 
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden sported a face-obscuring combination of black mask and black sunglasses during a Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony, triggering an avalanche of memes and derision from the Trump camp. | The former vice president ventured outside his home for the first time in more than two months to lay a wreath at Veterans Memorial Park in New Castle, Delaware, on Monday. Along with his wife and a Secret Service detail, Biden wore a black face mask, the color presumably symbolizing mourning. Coupled with his trademark black aviator sunglasses, however, the get-up left little of his…
(2020-05-25). Palestinians start 'cautiously returning' to normal life in West Bank. rt.com 
Mosques, churches and businesses in the occupied West Bank will reopen on Tuesday in an easing of coronavirus restrictions, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has said. It is time to "cautiously return life to normal" now that infection rates have slowed, Shtayyeh added. | The Palestinian Authority declared a health emergency in March and imposed lockdowns after the first cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. The Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed 423 cases of Covid-19 in the West Bank and two deaths. In Gaza, which is run by the Palestinian Authorit…
(2020-05-25). Japan lifts Covid-19 state of emergency, eyes new stimulus package. rt.com 
Japan is ending its Covid-19 state of emergency after a drop in infection numbers, and is considering a stimulus package worth more than $900 billion. | The government earlier ended restrictions on economic activity in 42 of the country's 47 prefectures, and has now opened up the remaining five regions, including Tokyo. | Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: "We did not enforce restrictions with punitive measures, but we have been able to bring the outbreak under control in just a month and a half." | "I would like to say that we were able to show the strength of the Japanese model," he added. | Also on rt.com…
(2020-05-25). 'Orwellian dictatorship': Italian government to recruit 60,000 'civic assistants' to snitch on Covid-19 rule-breakers. rt.com 
The Italian government is preparing to recruit unemployed citizens to act as volunteer social-distancing enforcers, who will operate amongst the masses as life returns to a semi-normal state after the Covid-19 lockdown. | The government will publish a call this week for 60,000 so-called "civic assistants" to help perform control and assistance tasks — like reporting social distancing infractions or a lack of masks — during its reopening phase, to prevent non-compliance and a new surge in infections, AdnKronos reported. | The government will specifically target unemployed people who are availing of so…
(2020-05-25). UK hospital SHUTS to all new patients due to 'high number of Covid-19 cases' as country prepares to ease lockdown further. rt.com 
A hospital in Somerset, England has closed its doors to all new patients – even emergency cases – due to the high volume of coronavirus sufferers already being treated there. | In a statement on Monday morning, Weston General Hospital said the temporary measure was implemented at 8am local time, adding that alternative arrangements have been made for new patients to receive treatment in other healthcare facilities. | "We currently have a high number of patients with COVID-19 in Weston General Hospital," said Dr William Oldfield, medical director at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.
(2020-05-25). PM Markovic declares Montenegro first coronavirus-free state in Europe. rt.com 
Prime Minister Dusko Markovic on Monday declared Montenegro a coronavirus-free country, 69 days after it reported its first case and after 20 without a new one. Montenegro has reported 324 confirmed cases of Covid-19 illness and nine deaths, Reuters said. | "The battle with such a vicious virus has been won and Montenegro now becomes the first coronavirus-free country in Europe," Markovic told reporters after meeting a body tasked with combating the epidemic. The PM started the news conference by taking off his face mask. | In early March, the Balkan republic of 620,000 people, which relies heavily on revenues…
(2020-05-25). WHO SUSPENDS trials of Trump-chosen hydroxychloroquine drug over SAFETY RISKS for Covid-19 patients. rt.com 
The World Health Organization has paused the clinical trials of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine in coronavirus patients. It says the drug, notably taken and endorsed by US President Donald Trump, has raised safety concerns. | The drug's safety data is being reviewed by a monitoring board, and the trials have been put on hold, the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. It was being tested as part of the Solidarity international program aimed at tackling the Covid-19 pandemic. | The UN health body took the step out of an "abundance of caution," said Mike Ryan, the head of the organization's e…
(2020-05-25). 'Better and safer': As Russia prepares to open up, prime minister urges citizens to holiday at home. rt.com 
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has advised citizens not to rush abroad this summer, stressing that the risk of Covid-19 being imported into the country should be minimized. | Yes, some progress has been made in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus infection, but we must remember that coronavirus was [originally] imported from abroad. | Read more | | "I ask our citizens not to rush… for just a few days of holiday, you could pay a high price", he added.
(2020-05-25). Race you, NASA!: China confirms July launch of first Mars rover, which rivals Perseverance mission. rt.com 
With a window of opportunity to send robots to Mars opening in July, Beijing plans to launch its Tianwen-1 mission sooner rather than later, and it may come ahead of NASA's Mars 2020 expedition. | The two scientific missions to the Red Planet both involve deploying a rover on its surface, but for Beijing, it will be a first attempt to do so. The Chinese mission may start slightly ahead of the American one, however. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said on Sunday that it is targeting a July launch for the Long March 5 Y4, which is to deliver an orbiter and a rover to Mars. | Èï&osl…
(2020-05-25). Mexico may create more jobs as 'biggest factory in the world reduces output' — Lopez Obrador. rt.com 
A slowdown in China's economy this year should allow Mexico to attract more investment and lure companies, Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday. | Lopez Obrador cited forecasters' expectations that China's economy will, in 2020, post its weakest growth in years, amid disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak. | "That means this big factory, the biggest factory in the world, will reduce its output," he said, referring to China. "And this gives us the opportunity, Mexico, for more investment to arrive, for companies to set up, for jobs to be created." | Lopez Obrador noted that the…
(2020-05-25). Iran reopens major Shiite shrines after 2-month closure over coronavirus outbreak. rt.com 
Iran on Monday reopened key Shiite shrines across the Islamic Republic, more than two months after they were closed because of the coronavirus outbreak. | At Tehran's Shah Abdol-Azim shrine, worshipers had to wear a mask, walk through a disinfection tunnel, and have their temperature checked, AFP reported. The Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad in northeast Iran, and the Fatima Masumeh shrine and Jamkaran mosque in the holy city of Qom also reopened while observing health protocols. | Worshipers were shown on state TV crying and running towards the Imam Reza shrine as they were guided by attendants. | Iran has allowe…
(2020-05-25). Finland to spend €100mn on coronavirus protective equipment, respirators. rt.com 
The Finnish government said on Monday it plans to place orders for protective gear and respirators worth €100 million ($109 million) between June and August to fight the coronavirus and prepare for a possible surge in demand for the equipment. | The decision was taken despite infections from the novel coronavirus slowing in the nation of 5.5 million. Last week, children were allowed to return to daycare centers and elementary schools, as part of easing coronavirus-related restrictions. | "We are prepared for the fact that the disease situation may change in the future and the demand for protective equipme…
(2020-05-25). Chinese media TROLLS Pompeo, depicting him using dollars to lure Hong Kong protesters to hell. rt.com 
A Chinese state media outlet has mocked Mike Pompeo, who is tasked with 'certifying' Hong Kong's autonomy, depicting him dressed as a sheep, seducing protesters with cash into falling off a cliff into the fires of hell. | The unflattering portrayal of the US Secretary of State comes from the CGTN, Beijing's international broadcaster, which lampooned Pompeo's involvement in Hong Kong protests in a cartoon on Monday. | It shows a line of zombie-like protesters, some armed with Molotov cocktails, standing in line to receive apple-shaped dollar grants from the hands of the top US diplomat. They then walk through a…
(2020-05-25). 'Ever thus to tyrants': WATCH protesters hang effigy of US governor in anti-lockdown protest. rt.com 
Political leaders across the spectrum have condemned an anti-lockdown protest outside the state capitol in Kentucky during which an effigy of the governor was hung from a tree. | At least 100 people attended a Second Amendment rally at the state capitol in Frankfort on Sunday. Many of the attendees were armed and bore US and Gadsden flags that read "Don't tread on me," as well as placards which read "Abort Beshear from office," and "My rights don't end where your fear begins." | After a failed attempt to hand-deliver a letter calling for the governor's resignation, an effigy of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear w…
(2020-05-25). Cummings REFUSES to apologize for Covid lockdown-breaking trip, cites child's health — but convoluted story triggers MORE scrutiny. rt.com 
After days of controversy Boris Johnson's top adviser Dominic Cummings has offered a lengthy defense of his 260-mile lockdown trip across England. However, his lack of apology has sparked fury and left many asking more questions. | Cummings held a press conference in the garden of 10 Downing Street on Monday amid mounting calls for his resignation from across the political spectrum and the public at large. | The 48-year-old claimed that none of his usual childcare options were available and his wife had become suddenly ill. Out of worry for the safety of his family at their London home he decided to travel acr…
(2020-05-25). Newly discovered Comet SWAN is now VISIBLE from Earth, but facing fight for its life as it nears the Sun. rt.com 
Astronomers keeping a close eye on the newly discovered Comet SWAN have discovered that it faces a fight for survival as it nears the Sun. But it's good news for skywatchers, as the space rock is more beautiful than before. | The comet, the official name of which is C/2020 F8, was discovered in late March by astronomer Michael Mattiazzo from Australia. All indications suggest it is likely to be the brightest comet visible in 2020. | It got its nickname because the first images of the fireball were captured by the Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) instrument on the joint ESA and NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observa…
(2020-05-25). Patriotic consumers in Poland were duped by store into buying Ukrainian cucumbers, Belgian carrots as home-grown, watchdog finds. rt.com 
A Polish supermarket chain has been caught mislabeling imported produce as home-grown, that country's consumer watchdog has revealed. The violation might result in a fine of up to 10 percent of the company's annual turnover. | Poland's patriotic drive to support indigenous producers has been put in great jeopardy by the Biedronka chain, a
(2020-05-25). Racist, sexist, job-killing, union-busting robber baron appointed to head USPS. workers.org 
An earlier version of this article appeared in Labor Notes May 15. The Trump administration, COVID-19 and U.S. Senate reluctance to provide needed funding have put the U.S. Postal Service in dire economic straits. To make matters worse, newly appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy comes with 35 years' experience in . . . |
