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2020-05-15: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

"Faithless Electors" SCOTUS Case Tests If Electoral College Members Can Go Rogue
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-15
The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday in a case that could shape the outcome of future presidential elections. The question at hand was whether Electoral College members can "go rogue" and support candidates who did not win the state's popular vote. In 2016, one of Colorado's nine electors, Michael Baca, attempted to cast his Electoral College ballot for Republican John Kasich instead of Democrat Hillary Clinton. The Colorado secretary of state at the time

'Time to APOLOGIZE!' Orban hits back at critics as he plans to hand back emergency Covid-19 powers that caused major spat with EU
rt.com | 2020-05-15
Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has said emergency laws granting his government the right to rule by decree during the Covid-19 crisis will be rescinded soon and those who accused him of using it as a power grab should "apologize. | Orban secured open-ended emergency powers from parliament at the end of March, angering the country's opposition and triggering a spat with Brussels. The move predictably ignited a fresh round of condemnation in Western media as the PM was accused of dismantling democracy and taking another step toward "authoritarianism." | Now, having announced that he expects parliament will be able to…
rt.com/news/488800-orban-covid-emergency-powers/

As US Reels From COVID-19, Trump Turns to Sanctions, War Making and Threats
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-15
The Trump admin has decisively chosen war over peace and conflict over cooperation. Yet it appears less able than ever to coerce the world into following its lead.
mintpressnews.com/us-reels-covid-19-trump-sanctions-war-threats/267592/

Study: Coronavirus Has a Been a Massive Boon for America's Billionaires
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-15
A new study found that in the past eight weeks alone, the country's super wealthy have added a further $368.8 billion to their already enormous fortunes.
mintpressnews.com/study-coronavirus-billionaires-wealth-jeff-bezos/267604/

Arabs, UN Must Move to Swiftly Protect the Status of Palestinian Refugees
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
'Heinous racism,' is how the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described a recent decision by Lebanese authorities to bar Palestinian refugee expats from returning to Lebanon. Lebanon's restrictions on its ever-diminishing population of Palestinian refugees is nothing new. However, this event is particularly alarming as it may be linked to a long-term official policy regarding…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/arabs-un-must-move-to-swiftly-protect-the-status-of-palestinian-refugees/

Massachusetts Contact Tracing Program Handed to Clinton-Linked NGO with Questionable Past
Raul Diego | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-15
A new contact tracing program was recently unveiled in Massachusetts in partnership with Partners in Health, an NGO with links to US regime change operations, big pharma and the Clinton Foundation.
mintpressnews.com/massachusetts-contact-tracing-partners-in-health-clinton/267534/

Dark Winter? Honey Badger Trump Don't Care
Paul Street | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
"This coalition of the business elite, right-wing Christian evangelicals, and white nationalists and other white supremacists is very dangerous. Fascism is ultimately a death cult."

'The American friends': New court files expose Sheldon Adelson's security team in US spy operation against Julian Assange
Max Blumenthal | thegrayzone.com | 2020-05-15
An exclusive investigation by The Grayzone reveals new details on the critical role Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands played in…
thegrayzone.com/2020/05/14/american-sheldon-adelsons-us-spy-julian-assange/

Jordan's king warns Israel of 'massive conflict' if it proceeds with West Bank annexation plans
rt.com | 2020-05-15
Jordan's King Abdullah II warned Israel of a "massive conflict" if it proceeds with plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank. | Israel has vowed to annex Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley. The move could spell the end of the long-stalled peace process by making it virtually impossible to establish a viable Palestinian state. | "Leaders who advocate a one-state solution do not understand what that would mean," Jordan's king said in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel. | European Union foreign ministers met on Friday to discuss what action the bloc might take in response to Israe…
rt.com/newsline/488812-jordan-israel-conflict-annexation/

500,000 Germans apply to take part in Stuttgart lockdown protest, but police RESTRICT rally to 5,000 due to 'social distancing'
rt.com | 2020-05-15
The city of Stuttgart has reluctantly agreed to let a demonstration go ahead on Saturday, ordering that masks be worn on public transport and people stay apart, after dissent over the lockdown swept across Germany last weekend. | Five thousand protesters are set to hit the streets of the southwestern city to protest Covid-19 restrictions. And that's only one percent of the half a million who applied to take part in the rally against Covid-19 prevention measures. | The local government has permitted only a limited number of protestors, and also requires them to maintain social distancing. Anyone caught travelin…
rt.com/news/488790-social-distancing-protesting-germany/

MI Legislature Cancels Work as "Reopen" Protesters Call for Whitmer's "Lynching"
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-15
The Michigan state legislature called off meetings scheduled to take place on Thursday as demonstrations were set to take place against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order. | According to state police, 200 individuals took part in a demonstration near the capitol building in Lansing against Whitmer's social distancing measures, which were put in place in order to stem the spread o…
truthout.org/articles/mi-legislature-cancels-work-as-reopen-protesters-call-for-whitmers-lynching/

COVID-19 Planning: Is It Time to Nationalize Big Pharma?
Michael Barker | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
Pharmaceutical corporations make billions providing drugs to help improve some people's lives, in much the same way that privately-run hospitals provide care to those who can afford to pay. But Big Pharma is not a caring industry. Big Pharma has done some truly despicable things over the past hundred years or so. This is why…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/covid-19-planning-is-it-time-to-nationalize-big-pharma/

US sailors return to coronavirus-hit aircraft carrier only to test positive AGAIN, despite months of containment efforts
rt.com | 2020-05-15
Five American sailors have tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time after resuming duty on board an aircraft carrier that saw a major outbreak in March, even after a full evacuation of its crew and months of deep cleaning. | Though the Navy imposed several layers of screenings before allowing sailors to re-board the ill-fated USS 'Theodore Roosevelt'

Trump says govt will work at 'WARP SPEED' to deliver vaccine BEFORE year's end
rt.com | 2020-05-15
President Donald Trump has promised to deliver a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year or earlier, saying that the government will invest in potential candidates. He added that, vaccine or no vaccine, America will reopen. | Speaking to reporters in the White House Rose Garden on Friday, Trump unveiled "Operation Warp Speed," a public-private partnership aimed at accelerating the development of a vaccine for Covid-19, the deadly virus that has infected more than 4.5 million people worldwide and killed more than 300,000. | "This is an endeavor unlike anything our country has seen since the Manhattan Project…
rt.com/usa/488811-trump-vacine-warp-speed/

Do the Most Severe Lockdowns Coincide to the Highest COVID-19 Death Rates?
Winslow Wheeler | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
The organization Our World in Data is running an article on the severity of government lockdown policies used to deal with the Covid-19 disease, "How Are Governments Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic?". It is shows rankings of the severity ("stringency") on nine measures of lockdown policies throughout the world; it also addresses testing and tracking.
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/do-the-most-severe-lockdowns-coincide-to-the-highest-covid-19-death-rates/

Why Capitalism Can't Cure Global Pandemics
Prabir Purkayastha | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
We frequently hear that COVID-19 is the worst pandemic since the influenza of 1918. It is forgotten that another pandemic known as "the third plague" (because it was "the third major bubonic plague outbreak to affect European society") killed millions from the 1890s to the 1950s in Asia's southern, southeastern, and eastern regions, continuing well…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/why-capitalism-cant-cure-global-pandemics/

Essential Sanitary Workers Strike for Hazard Pay and PPE in New Orleans
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-15
The severe outbreak of COVID-19 in southern Louisiana was the last straw for a group of sanitation workers who pick up trash in eastern New Orleans. Last week, they walked off the job and went on strike, demanding hazard pay and a $15 living wage. | Without "hoppers," as the workers are known, garbage would pile up on the streets and contribute to the spread of disease and other public health problems. However, the group of hoppers in New Orleans say their employers did not provide them with hazar…
truthout.org/articles/essential-sanitary-workers-strike-for-hazard-pay-and-ppe-in-new-orleans/

The Covid-19 Testing Fiasco
Eve Ottenberg | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
From the start, testing for Covid-19 in the U.S. has been abysmal. Experts agree that without adequate testing, the disease cannot be stopped. Poor testing means no idea how many are infected or how to trace and quarantine their contacts or how to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. There has been speculation that the Trump…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/the-covid-19-testing-fiasco/

Define 'distribute'! Trump mobilizing MILITARY to deliver Covid-19 vaccine 'assuming we get it,' sparks conspiracy frenzy
rt.com | 2020-05-15
US President Donald Trump said the military is gearing up to distribute a coronavirus vaccine when one is ready, unleashing a torrent of takes from conspiracy-minded netizens, many sounding alarms over mandatory inoculations. | American GIs are already being mobilized to parcel out a future vaccine to "most of the population," Trump told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo in an interview on Thursday, giving a highly optimistic end-of-the-year time frame even as many experts suggest a remedy won't be ready for mass distribution for another 12 to 18 months. | "We're mobilizing our military on the basis that we do hav…
rt.com/usa/488691-trump-military-distribute-vaccine/

As Corporations Adapt to a COVID-19 Economy, the Working-Class Prepares for a Paradigm Shift
Raul Diego | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-15
As social distancing measures persist across the country, corporations are setting in a "new normal" where most people are safely squirreled away in their homes, with paradigm-shifting implications for the working classes.
mintpressnews.com/corporations-adapt-covid-19-digitized-economy-working-class-paradigm-shift/267630/

Workingman's Blues (COVID 19 Version)
Ron Jacobs | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
I went back to work last week. Even though neither I most of my fellow workers are convinced library books are an essential service, the fact that we are once again loaning them out appeals to a certain pretense that they are. This is despite the fact that libraries–both public and academic–are often the first…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/workingmans-blues-covid-19-version/

First child dies in France from rare Kawasaki-like disease unwisely linked to Covid-19
rt.com | 2020-05-15
A nine-year-old boy in France has died from the mysterious Kawasaki-like disease, which some medics link to Covid-19. It's the first such case in that country, but similar child fatalities were earlier recorded in the US and UK. | The cause of the boy's death was "neurological injury related to a cardiac arrest," Fabrice Michel, head of the pediatric intensive care unit at La Timone hospital in Marseille, said. | The child was rushed to hospital with heart problems in early May. Doctors have been fighting for his life for a whole week, but the young patient passed away on Saturday. | While in hospital, the bo…
rt.com/news/488814-first-child-death-france-kawasaki/

MILLIONS of Americans dead from Covid-19? 85k jobs lost? What? Joe Biden commits gaffe after gaffe in confusing broadcast
rt.com | 2020-05-15
Joe Biden has once again caught flak for his creative and often confusing oratory, this time after the former VP and presumptive Democratic nominee struggled to relay how many Americans have died from coronavirus. | Speaking during a "virtual round table," Biden argued that playing the "blame game" during the ongoing health crisis would be counterproductive. But when it came time to relaying exactly what politicians might blame each other for, the presidential candidate faltered. | …
rt.com/usa/488756-biden-millions-covid-deaths-gaffe/

New Yorkers confused as Gov. Cuomo extends NY Pause and stay-at-home orders to seemingly contradictory dates
rt.com | 2020-05-15
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has extended the state's "NY Pause" economic shutdown until the end of May while stretching the stay-at-home order halfway into June, confusing residents already chafing under extended lockdown. | With both measures set to expire at midnight and five of the state's 10 economic regions entering the first phase of reopening, Cuomo poured cold water on any premature celebration by downstate residents on Friday, extending both Covid-19 executive orders by several weeks. | For those regions that haven't met the governor's stated criteria involving a decrease in hospital admissions, te…
rt.com/usa/488813-cuomo-ny-pause-lockdown-extended/

US Deports COVID-Positive Immigrants to Haiti and Guatemala, Spreading Virus
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-15
The United States continues to deport thousands during the coronavirus pandemic, causing a dangerous spread of COVID-19 to Central America and the Caribbean. We speak with Haitian American novelist Edwidge Danticat, who says "U.S. deportations to Haiti during coronavirus pandemic are 'unconscionable,'" and go to Guatemala City for an update from reporter José Alejandro García Escobar. | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. | AMY GOODMAN: We turn now…
truthout.org/video/us-deports-covid-positive-immigrants-to-haiti-and-guatemala-spreading-virus/

Trump Unveils Plan That Would See Big Pharma Reap Massive Profits from COVID-19 Vaccine
Raul Diego | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-15
President Trump has revealed a plan to mobilize the US military to deliver mass vaccinations across the country, coupled with Operation Warp Speed, a "Manhattan project-style" race to produce a COVID-19 vaccine.
mintpressnews.com/trump-plan-big-pharma-massive-profits-covid-19-vaccine/267617/

Jailing people who use Covid-19 as bioweapon would be 'discrimination.' So better lock up everyone instead?
rt.com | 2020-05-15
Accidentally spreading Covid-19 is wanting grandma dead, say opponents of ending lockdowns. Yet activists now worry that proposed laws to punish those who threaten to spread it deliberately would discriminate against minorities. | A Florida man spat and coughed on a police officer responding to a domestic violence call, and faces up to five years in prison on a federal charge of biological weapons hoax (he was negative for Covid-19). Another man in Texas, who falsely claimed on Facebook that he paid someone to spread the virus at local grocery stores, was charged with the same thing. A Michigan man who wiped h…
rt.com/usa/488692-criminalizing-covid-discrimination-minorities/

Roaming Charges: Unmasked and Anonymous
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
I'm hyped for some ObamaGate action, as long as its about things that matter: health care plan designed by Heritage Foundation, bailing out Wall Street, failing to close Gitmo, droning US citizens, Afghan surge, the jailing of whistleblowers and legal harassment of journalists, the Libyan and Honduran coups, mass surveillance, the funding and arming of proxy wars in Yemen and Syria, record deportations, Deepwater Horizon, new nukes (both power plants and weapons), etc…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/roaming-charges-unmasked-and-anonymous/

'We were totally helpless': Russian woman jailed for SLAPPING 'abusive' Californian husband, mother tells RT
rt.com | 2020-05-15
What looked like an intercontinental fairytale romance turned into a story of domestic violence, when a Russian woman was arrested for slapping the American husband her mother says abused her. | When she married a Californian man last year, 30-year-old Krasnodar native Alina Alipatova couldn't have imagined that the line between romance and fear could be crossed so fast. She met her future husband while holidaying in Miami and quickly fell in "big love" with him, the woman's mother, Elena Gertsog, told RT this week. | Once engaged, the happy couple spent two months at the Californian's house in San Luis Obispo…
rt.com/russia/488726-russian-woman-abused-us/

Nord Stream 2 to challenge German regulator's decision denying waiver of 'discriminatory' EU rules for gas pipeline from Russia
rt.com | 2020-05-15
The company building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has vowed to appeal Germany's refusal to remove the multibillion-dollar project from the restrictions laid out in the "discriminatory" EU Gas Directive. | The latest amendment to the EU rules was greenlighted in April last year, long after Nord Stream 2 construction began. The legislature made the rules governing the European gas market apply to all pipelines to and from third countries. The new rule means Russia's Gazprom, which designed the project, will be allowed to use not more than 50 percent of the pipeline capacity while allowing third parties to use…
rt.com/business/488738-germany-denies-waiver-nord-stream/

Head of the Hydra: The Rise of Robert Kadlec
Raul Diego | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-15
WASHINGTON DC ( The Last American Vagabond)

'Disturbing': Messi freaks out fans with sloppy music video kiss with wife Antonela Roccuzzo (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-05-15
Lionel Messi can curl in free-kicks from 30 yards but his kissing skills leave a lot to be desired, if the reaction to a clumsy viral smooch with wife Antonela Roccuzzo is anything to go by. | Messi and partner Roccuzzo were filmed locking lips for the latest video by Puerto Rican rapper Residente. | The track – titled 'Before the World Ends' – features couples canoodling all around the world, including famous faces such as Hollywood star Ben Affleck and actress partner Ana de Armas, and Mexican boxer Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and his beau Fernanda Gómez. | But it's the appearance of six-time Ballon d'Or wi…
rt.com/sport/488796-messi-kiss-wife-antonella-music-video-residente/

Trump salutes his 'keyboard warriors,' but has he actually curtailed corporate online censorship?
rt.com | 2020-05-15
President Donald Trump has paid his respects to the legions of online meme-makers and "keyboard warriors" who helped him get elected. But among these netizens, many feel the president hasn't done enough to fight online censorship. | "Thank you to all of my great Keyboard Warriors," Trump tweeted on Friday. "You are better, and far more brilliant, than anyone on Madison Avenue (Ad Agencies). There is nobody like you!" | Thank you to all of my great Keyboard Warriors. You are better, and far more brilliant, than anyone on Madison Avenue (Ad Agencies). There is nobody like you!– Donald J. Trump (@realDonald…
rt.com/usa/488798-trump-keyboard-warriors-censorship/

Corruption and the Pandemic Bailout
Dean Baker | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
Neil Irwin had an interesting New York Times piece on how concerns about moral hazard in the bailout may damage the recovery. The gist of the article is that the fear that bad actors will be wrongly rewarded will prevent us from spending enough money to get the economy back on its feet. Irwin's point…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/corruption-and-the-pandemic-bailout/

Musk's swarm of Starlink microsatellites to light up UK skies this weekend
rt.com | 2020-05-15
Elon Musk's artificial constellation of Starlink microsatellites will stream across the night skies above the UK twice this weekend, providing some fodder for amatuer astronomers but some frustration for the pros. | Musk's SpaceX designed the fleet of microsats to provide cheap broadband internet to neglected areas of the globe. | While this is a noble goal, the swarm of microsatellites has divided the astronomy community: amateurs have added them to the list of casual targets for a night of stargazing while professionals and researchers bemoan the additional light pollution, lampooning Musk for 'destroying' t…
rt.com/uk/488744-starlink-satellites-uk-skies/

War and Plagues: Military Spending During a Pandemic
Conn Hallinan | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
Welcome to the world of the hypersonic weapons, devices that are not only superfluous, but which will almost certainly not work, They will, however, cost enormous amounts of money. At a time when countries across the globe are facing economic chaos, financial deficits and unemployment at Great Depression levels, arms manufacturers are set to cash in big.
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/war-and-plagues-military-spending-during-a-pandemic/

How Economic Misery Helped Fuel the Syrian War
Louis Proyect | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
Ever since the civil war began in Syria in early 2011, the left has largely ignored the social and economic circumstances that led to a conflict costing over a half-million deaths and the migration–internal and external–of half the population. The tendency was to see Syria as a piece on a global chessboard with…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/how-economic-misery-helped-fuel-the-syrian-war/

My Birth Control Experience Is Why I'm Fighting to Ensure Access for Everyone
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-15
The issue of birth control is particularly important to me as a woman of color from an immigrant community in Pennsylvania. Beyond my own experience, I also understand the difficulties other marginalized communities face in obtaining this essential health care. | The first time I sought birth control, the provider lectured me based on stereotypes she had of people from my "culture." She also insisted repeatedly that I choose a birth control method which I was not comfortable with because it w…
truthout.org/articles/my-birth-control-experience-is-why-im-fighting-to-ensure-access-for-everyone/

For Cuba and Venezuela, US Silence May Not Be Golden
W. T. Whitney | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
The U. S. President and his Secretary of State frequently expound about the supposed failings of enemies abroad. Recently they've blasted China's response to the pandemic, Venezuela's dictatorship, Cuba's "slave doctors" overseas, and even Iranian border guards beating up on Afghan migrants. But they've been mostly silent about two recent disruptions of the imperialist status…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/for-cuba-and-venezuela-us-silence-may-not-be-golden/

Rearranging Desires Amidst Climate Catastrophe, COVID Chaos, and Capitalist Calamity
Nick Pemberton | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak states that her political goal is to rearrange desires. No goal is more pertinent to our present trying time. As Chuck Mertz refrains "the future ain't what it used to be." The coronavirus has exposed much of what we knew to be true, but counted on avoiding. What has become plain as…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/rearranging-desires-amidst-climate-catastrophe-covid-chaos-and-capitalist-calamity/

Socialism and Collective Responses: Attacking Venezuela in a Pandemic
Macdonald Stainsby | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
That feeling of international solidarity. This pandemic has brought terror in daily life to many, including this home where a 79 year old with COPD resides. Global calls of "we are all in this together" have served to blunt the bleakness in the face of unprecedented threats to our collective health. However, the initial rush…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/socialism-and-collective-responses-attacking-venezuela-in-a-pandemic/

Can We Simultaneously Oppose Bayer/Monsanto's Biotechnology and Support Cuba's Interferon Alpha 2B?
Don Fitz | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
Genetically engineered crops are a form of food imperialism. This technology allows mega-corporations like Bayer/Monsanto to patent seeds, lure farmers into buying them with visions of high yields, and then destroy the ability of small farmers to survive. Genetic engineering produces an artificial combination of plant traits which often results in foods with less nutritional…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/can-we-simultaneously-oppose-bayer-monsantos-biotechnology-and-support-cubas-interferon-alpha-2b/

Democrats' Relief Bill Would Let Lobbying Giants Access Small Business Aid
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-15
House Democrats' newest coronavirus relief proposal would allow influential Washington lobbying groups

USPS Reportedly Considering Price Hikes as Trump's Takeover Accelerates
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-15
With the leadership of the U.S. Postal Service soon to be completely under the control of President Donald Trump's appointees, the agency has reportedly launched a review of its package prices and bulk delivery contracts as it faces the possibility of imminent collapse due in large part to the coronavirus crisis. | According to the Washington Post, USPS has in recent weeks "sought bids from consult…
truthout.org/articles/usps-reportedly-considering-price-hikes-as-trumps-takeover-accelerates/

Brazilian Health Minister Teich resigns after just weeks in job
rt.com | 2020-05-15
Brazilian Health Minister Nelson Teich resigned on Friday after just weeks in the job. President Jair Bolsonaro had criticized Teich as being too timid in the push to reopen the economy and to advocate the use of anti-malarial drugs. | Military members of the Brazilian cabinet are pushing for deputy health minister Eduardo Pazuello, an army general on active duty, to become the new health minister, making permanent his interim role, Reuters reported, citing a government source. | Teich is the second health minister to resign amid the pandemic in Brazil. He replaced Nelson Mandetta, who was fired on April 16 fo…
rt.com/newsline/488802-brazilian-minister-resigns-bolsonaro/

Czech Republic to allow gatherings of up to 300 people
rt.com | 2020-05-15
The Czech Republic will take major steps to relax its coronavirus lockdown measures from May 25, as the government seeks to jump-start the economy, health officials said on Friday. | The central European country of 10.7 million people has reported fewer than 100 new cases a day throughout May. As of Friday morning, it had recorded a total of 8,352 cases of which 5,249 have recovered. It has reported 293 deaths, Reuters said. | Indoor dining and hotel stays could resume on May 25 under strict hygiene rules, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said. "After May 25, there won't be establishments in retail which would be…
rt.com/newsline/488794-czech-gatherings-hundreds-people/

The Fed Hasn't Spent a Dime Yet for Main Street Versus $735 Billion for Wall Street
Pam Martens, Russ Martens | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-15
The stimulus bill known as the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) was signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27. Among its many features (such as direct checks to struggling Americans and enhancing unemployment compensation by $600 per week for four months to unemployed workers so they could pay…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/15/the-fed-hasnt-spent-a-dime-yet-for-main-street-versus-735-billion-for-wall-street/

Last Process: 50 Postees: 2020-05-15 21:33 GMT (17:33 EST)

2020-05-14: News Headlines

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-05-14). Will Turkey Contract Its Militarism Because of Its Economic Problems? globalresearch.ca A report by

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-05-14). EU Offers West Balkans ‚Ç¨3.3 Billion as Forgiveness for Coronavirus Snub. globalresearch.ca The European Union promised ‚Ç¨3.3 billion to the West Balkan countries and provinces of Serbia, Montenegro Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia. In return, the European Union is demanding loyalty and renunciation of close ties with Moscow and Beijing. …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-05-14). Obamagate Shows Biden Is Inadequate in Challenging Trump. globalresearch.ca Former U.S. President Barack Obama is coming under increasing pressure, led by what President Donald Trump is calling "Obamagate." This comes as Mexico has requested to finally clarify the affair with the secret sale of American weapons to Mexican drug …

en.mehrnews (2020-05-14). Iran names Palestine most significant issue in Muslim World. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 14 (MNA) — Iran's Foreign Ministry has released a statement on the occasion of the Nakba Day, which marks the anniversary of the establishment of the illegitimate Zionist regime of Israel, naming Palestine the most important issue in the Muslim world.

Editor (2020-05-14). Exigencias socialistas para la crisis del COVID-19. workers.org A medida que la pandemia de COVID-19 continúa extendiéndose, la respuesta del gobierno a la crisis ha sido criminalmente negligente, mientras que los capitalistas prefieren arriesgar la salud de los trabajadores que detener la producción con fines de lucro. A medida que la clase dominante se muestra incapaz de abordar . . . |

Andrew Korybko (2020-05-14). India Is Intensifying Its U.S. Backed Hybrid War on China. globalresearch.ca Whether it's India's latest clashes with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), its selective embrace of "economic nationalism" to "poach" foreign companies from the People's Republic, or its forthcoming leadership of the World Health Assembly (WHA) where it …

Jesse Jackson (2020-05-14). Our Continuing Terror: the Murder of Ahmaud Arbery. counterpunch.org Today there is a national outcry about the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. The public condemnation has forced a belated response. Those accused of his murder finally have been arrested. His murder has become a global embarrassment for whites. For blacks, however, it is another humiliation, a continuing terror. It is the normal silence, however, that condemns

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-05-14). Why "Obamagate" Will Never Lead To Anything Of Significance. thealtworld.com thrust into mainstream attention by the concerted efforts of Trump and his surrogates after new details on the early days of the Trump-Russia collusion investigation emerged. These details include Obama officials (including Joe Biden) requesting the Prof. Marjorie Cohn (2020-05-14). Don't Expect to See Trump's Tax Returns Before the Election. globalresearch.ca Donald Trump claims that while he is president, his pre-presidency financial records can't be subpoenaed and he can't even be investigated for criminal conduct. The Supreme Court will decide by the end of June whether Trump is indeed beyond the …

RT (2020-05-14). Gunpoint diplomacy: US to 'snap back' all UN sanctions on Iran if expiring arms embargo isn't renewed. rt.com Two years after spectacularly exiting the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the US has threatened to trigger a return of all UN sanctions — once lifted under those accords — if it doesn't renew an arms embargo set to expire in October.

Sue Davis (2020-05-14). Trump v. birth control case heard by Supreme Court. workers.org A March 2016 demonstration in support of birth control coverage in the Affordable Care Act in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Washington, D.C. Health care is the most pressing issue in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. So it's in keeping with the Trump administration's overall right-wing agenda to . . . |

A. Majumdar (2020-05-14). PDF download of May 14 issue. workers.org Download entire 12-page PDF here. Justice for Ahmaud Arbery. Kent State and Jackson State. Also: COVID‚Äë19: capitalism's end stage; workers resist. Editorial: Changing narrative in Michigan. World: China, Vietnam, Haiti, Ecuador. Tear down prisons: victory in PA; San Quentin caravan; No cages for migrants; Global prisons & white supremacy; Solidarity . . . |

Olujimi Alade (2020-05-14). You have to experience everything. workers.org My life today is completely different than it was four years ago: I am a college graduate and now a member of the workforce — although that could change. Sitting here in the early months of 2020, it is clear to see that we are headed toward a crisis that . . . |

Mirinda Crissman (2020-05-14). U.S. global prison model: white supremacy on display. workers.org The United States has institutionalized white supremacist violence at home and abroad through its use of police and prisons. This does not come as revelation, but as a call to action. Whether we examine photographs coming out of El Salvador's prisons, or surveillance software used by U.S. police and Immigration . . . |

Makasi Motema (2020-05-14). Working class democracy and centralism. workers.org Painting shows V. I. Lenin speaking to soldiers and civilians. We are taught in school that the United States is a democracy, but this claim is completely divorced from the reality of class struggle. The wealthy ruling class, which owns the greater proportion of our economy through the stock market . . . |

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-14). Unless Duque changes course, Colombia could be heading for collapse. colombiareports.com It took the 1918 Spanish Flu less than a month to collapse Bogota. A lockdown prevented the immediate collapse of Colombia by the coronavirus in March, but not indefinitely. President…

RT (2020-05-14). Global energy demand will collapse again if coronavirus makes a comeback, IEA warns. rt.com A Second wave of Covid-19 cases is a major risk for the energy market, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned. The agency raised its outlook for oil demand, which will still see a record drop this year. | In its key monthly report published on Thursday, the Paris-based energy watchdog said it expects global oil demand to fall by 8.6 million barrels per day (bpd). That's around 700,000 bpd more than the IEA said in its previous report. | "Major uncertainties remain. The biggest is whether governments can ease the lockdown measures without sparking a resurgence of Covid-19 outbreaks," the report said.

RT (2020-05-14). How dare you… use CHINESE drones!? US lawmakers 'grill' feds over spying on lockdown-violating Americans. rt.com A group of House Republicans has called on federal agencies to shed light on drones used by police across the country to surveil and enforce Covid-19 lockdowns, arguing that Chinese devices could compromise "sensitive US data." | The 14 GOP representatives, all on the House Judiciary Committee, penned

RT (2020-05-14). 'Unlawful & invalid': Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down state's stay-at-home order. rt.com Measures purportedly enacted to stop the spread of coronavirus in Wisconsin have been overturned by the state's Supreme Court, which ruled that the orders violate the law and cannot be enforced. | The state's highest court issued a 4-3 ruling describing the restrictions as "unlawful, invalid, and unenforceable." The decision comes after Republican lawmakers sued Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm, after she unilaterally extended the state's "Safer at Home" emergency order in mid-April. The measures were first implemented in March and were set to expire on May 26. | Wisconsin has alrea…

RT (2020-05-14). British journo branded 'vile' after saying teachers should 'step up' & show 'same bravery' as health workers amid Covid-19 crisis. rt.com British journalist Isabel Oakeshott has provoked a fiery backlash after claiming teachers must "step up" and show the "same bravery" as health workers by returning to school to educate kids as Covid-19 lockdown measures are eased. | Oakeshott — who famously co-authored 'Call Me Dave', the unauthorised biography of former British PM David Cameron — took to Twitter on Thursday. She urged teachers who may take part in the weekly 'clap for our carers' to return to their schools as "millions of children" need them, claiming: "The risk in schools is nothing like the risk in hospitals." | Tonight thousands…

RT (2020-05-14). More than 70 servicemen who helped to tackle coronavirus in Italy return to Russia. rt.com Il-76 planes belonging to the Russian Aerospace Forces have brought home more than 70 Russian servicemen who helped to tackle the novel coronavirus outbreak in Italy, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday. "Starting from May 8, more than 70 servicemen and 19 pieces of special-purpose military equipment, have been brought from… the Verona Villafranca Airport," it said. | A total of 10 Russian planes have already arrived from Verona. From March 22 to May 7, Russian specialists working with Italian military personnel fully disinfected care homes for elderly people and other facilities in around 100 comm…

RT (2020-05-14). Russian aviation industry gets government lifeline to stay afloat during pandemic-related flight restrictions. rt.com The Russian government has allocated 23.4 billion rubles ($316 million) to support domestic airlines, which are suffering tremendous losses as a result of coronavirus-related restrictions. | The subsidies were unveiled on the government website early Thursday following Russian President Vladimir Putin's call to support the troubled sector. | According to the document, air carriers will have to use at least 60 percent of the funds on wages for their employees. The rest can be spent on leasing payments (30 percent at most), payments for aircraft parking, as well as other operating activities. The companies will…

RT (2020-05-14). Russia fills coffers with gold & adds $2.5 billion to forex reserves during coronavirus peak. rt.com Russian gold and foreign currency holdings have hit $566 billion as of May 1, according to the latest data released by the country's central bank. International funds grew by $2.53 billion, or 0.4 percent, last month. | The regulator said that currency holdings decreased by 0.8 percent in April, to $440 billion. At the same time, the value of monetary gold rose by 5.2 percent, amounting to over $126 billion. | The state's international reserves are highly liquid foreign assets comprising stocks of monetary gold, foreign currencies and Special Drawing Right (SDR) assets, which are at the disposal of the Central…

RT (2020-05-14). Investigation opened after photos of HITLER & HIMMLER uploaded to Russian online WWII victory celebration. rt.com Russia's Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case after pictures of Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler were found on the website Immortal Regiment Online, celebrating Soviet veterans of World War II. | Every May 9, Russia celebrates the triumph over Nazism in the Second World War with fireworks, ceremonies, and parties. Another tradition, introduced in 2012, is the

RT (2020-05-14). Fearsome storm ravages Siberian city, ripping roofs from buildings, tossing cars down street (VIDEOS). rt.com A powerful storm has battered the Siberian city of Chita, raining roof tiles and lumber down upon the city streets while tossing cars and mobile garages alike down the road with terrifying ease. At least three people were injured. | The Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that winds of between 25 and 30 meters per second upended trees and crushed multiple vehicles with a barrage of flying debris, with the tempest eventually causing a citywide power outage. | Eyewitness footage shows the sheer ferocity of the wind as beleaguered residents sought shelter wherever they could. | Thankfully no-one was c…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-05-14). Transit union leaders, system heads seek further aid. peoplesworld.org NEW YORK—Saying U.S. mass transit systems are essential both to move "essential" workers to jobs now, and to economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent forced closures, transit union leaders and top transit managers seek $32 billion-$33 billion to keep the buses, subways and commuter railroads going through the end of 2021. House …

RT (2020-05-14). Bitcoin could 'easily' reach $10 TRILLION market cap, similar to that of gold — investment strategist on RT's Keiser Report. rt.com Billionaire investor Paul Tudor Jones said recently he was betting on bitcoin as the best hedge against inflation in the age of coronavirus. The cryptocurrency reminds him of gold in the 1970s, he added. | RT's Max Keiser spoke to Raoul Pal of Global Macro Investor and Real Vision Group about those statements and whether or not they will spur interest from the larger hedge fund investors. They discussed gold's current market capitalization, which is around $9 trillion, while bitcoin's market cap sits at $117.8 billion. | Talking about bitcoin's valuation over time, Raoul said: "If it becomes an eco-system, and…

Ian Angus (2020-05-14). 3.5 billion people may face 'unlivable' heat in 50 years. mronline.org Every degree of global warming will push a billion people out of the human survival zone.

Saul Foster (2020-05-14). The 1930s and now: Looking back to move forward. mronline.org While there are great differences between the crises and political movements and possibilities of the 1930s and now, there are also important lessons that can be learned from the efforts of activists to build mass movements for social transformation during the Great Depression. My aim in this paper is to illuminate the challenges faced and …

RT (2020-05-14). WHO warns Covid-19 may 'never go away' as Trump clashes with Fauci over US reopening. rt.com US President Donald Trump has pushed for reopening schools, against the advice of his chief epidemiologist. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has warned that the coronavirus may become endemic and never really disappear. | After meeting with governors of Colorado and North Dakota in the White House on Wednesday, Trump said he won't consider any state fully open until the schools are back up and running. | "I think you should absolutely open the schools. Our country has got to get back and it's got to get back as soon as possible, and I don't consider our country coming back if the schools are closed," T…

Erik Edstrom (2020-05-14). Celebrated to Death: the Betrayal of the American Soldier. counterpunch.org "Every day is a copy of a copy of a copy." That meme, from the moment when Edward Norton's character in Fight Club offers a 1,000-yard stare at an office copy machine, captures this moment perfectly — at least for those of us removed from the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis. Isolated inside a

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-14). Why Xi Won't Repeat Ming Dynasty Mistakes. strategic-culture.org China has learned from its own rich history and is applying those lessons to re-emerge as a major 21st century power | Pepe ESCOBAR | With hybrid warfare 2.0 against China reaching fever pitch, the New Silk Roads, or Belt and Road Initiative, will continue to be demonized 24/7 as the proverbial evil communist plot for economic and geopolitical domination of the "free" world, boosted by a sinister disinformation campaign. | It's idle to discuss with simpletons. In the interest of an informed debate, what matters is to find the deeper roots of Beijing's strategy — what the Chinese learned from their own rich…

RT (2020-05-14). Beijing signals harsh counter-sanctions for US lawmakers & STATES targeting China over Covid-19 outbreak. rt.com China will not submit to US lawsuits and legislation aimed at blaming Beijing for the coronavirus crisis, state media has warned, suggesting that counter-sanctions against officials and entire states are already in the works. | Numerous members of Congress and other officials will be put onto China's sanctions list for their involvement in efforts to demonize China for its alleged responsibility for the pandemic, the Global Times The "painful" countermeasures will likely target Senator John Haw…

RT (2020-05-14). FBI serves search warrant, seizes Sen. Richard Burr's phone amid probe into insider trading before Covid-19 market crash — reports. rt.com Federal agents have seized the private cell phone of Republican Senator Richard Burr, reportedly serving him with a search warrant amid a Justice Department probe into suspicious stock trades he made soon after Covid-19 hit the US | The North Carolina senator was presented with the warrant at his Washington-area residence on Wednesday night, the LA Times The move comes as the DOJ intensifies…

Raul Diego (2020-05-14). Massachusetts Contact Tracing Program Handed to Clinton-Linked NGO with Questionable Past. mintpressnews.com A new contact tracing program was recently unveiled in Massachusetts in partnership with Partners in Health, an NGO with links to US regime change operations, big pharma and the Clinton Foundation.

RT (2020-05-14). DOZENS of babies born to Ukrainian surrogate mothers left stranded in Kiev hotel due to Covid-19. rt.com It has emerged that nearly 50 infants waiting to be delivered to their foreign would-be parents are stuck in Ukraine's capital due to border closures, adding to worries about the country becoming a supplier of surrogate babies. | The news, broken by a handful of local media outlets, revolves around a video appeal issued by Biotexcom, which describes itself as a "center for human reproduction." It shows 46 newborn babies lying in their cradles at a hotel called 'Venice' or being taken care of by the clinical staff. | Foster parents, the clinic lamented, "do not have the opportunity to pick up their newborns" as…

RT (2020-05-14). 'Don't give 2 rats' a**es about your cops': NYC police unions call on health commissioner to resign after refusal to provide masks. rt.com Unions representing New York City police officers have demanded the dismissal of the city's health commissioner after she scoffed at a request to provide the force with surgical masks amid the coronavirus pandemic. | Dr. Oxiris Barbot refused to provide the city's police with 500,000 masks as Covid-19 began to spread in March, telling a high-ranking law enforcement official, NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan: "I don't give two rats' asses about your cops." The conversation, first reported by the New York Post, was confirmed to the media by the NYC Health Department. Barbot has since apologized to Monaha…

Liberation Staff (2020-05-14). Bay Area car caravan: Stop state executions by COVID-19! liberationnews.org More than 80 cars drove around San Quentin prison in Marin County, California on Sat. May .

RT (2020-05-14). It will 'take months for EU travel to return to normal,' says Irish PM Varadkar. rt.com It will be a matter of months, not weeks, before Covid-19 restrictions are lifted and travel around the European Union returns to normal, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Thursday. | Ireland is part of a Common Travel Area with the United Kingdom but is not a member of the European Union's Schengen free travel area. The country is considering strengthening public health requirements for visitors from abroad, Varadkar told parliament. | "While it is our policy to resume normal travel for business, leisure, study and visits to friends and relatives (around the EU) as soon as it is safe to do so… it wi…

RT (2020-05-14). Beijing opposes 'US slander' after it says 'China-linked hackers breaking into Covid-19 research'. rt.com China's Foreign Ministry, asked about alleged China-linked hackers breaking into US Covid-19 research, said Beijing opposed what it called slander from the US. | Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian added on Thursday that any action online to sabotage efforts against the disease should be condemned. | In a joint statement on Wednesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security said China-linked hackers are breaking into US organizations carrying out such research. | The FBI is investigating digital break-ins at US organizations by China-linked 'cyber actors' that it had monitored "a…

RT (2020-05-14). China's politburo: Task to prevent rebound in local coronavirus cases 'remains arduous'. rt.com China's task to prevent rebound in local coronavirus cases remains arduous, the Communist Party's politburo said on Thursday. | The government should step up targeted prevention and control measures for clusters coronavirus cases in northeastern Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces, a state television report said, citing the politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping. | China will also take more flexible measures to prevent imported coronavirus cases, the statement added. | The country will step up Covid-19 testing and screening to prevent a rebound of the coronavirus epidemic, the National Health Commissio…

The Canary (2020-05-14). Strong typhoon slams into pandemic-hit Philippines, making social distancing 'almost impossible'. thecanary.co A strong typhoon has hit the Philippines after authorities evacuated tens of thousands of people while trying to avoid the coronavirus (Covid-19) risks of overcrowding emergency shelters.The first typhoon to hit the country this year rapidly gained force as it blew from the Pacific then barged ashore in San Policarpio town in Eastern Samar province around noon local time, weather agency administrator Vicente Malano said.The typhoon came as the Philippines is trying to fight Covid-19 outbreaks largely by locking Filipinos in their homes and prohibiting gatherings that can set off infections. More than 11,600 infec…

The Canary (2020-05-14). Health leaders say it will take months for NHS services to fully resume. thecanary.co It will be months before the NHS is able to fully restart services in the face of coronavirus (Covid-19), health leaders say. | Experts from the Health Foundation, the King's Fund and the Nuffield Trust will tell MPs on 14 May of the significant challenges facing the health service as it tries to create a "new normal". | It comes as NHS waiting list data is due to be published which is expected to show the number of people waiting for treatment has swollen during the pandemic. | The waiting list for planned treatment stood at around 4.4 million before the coronavirus outbreak but is now expected to be much higher…

RT (2020-05-14). Your money, your right? France disputes PRIVILEGED ACCESS to Covid-19 vaccine for US. rt.com Pharmaceutical giant Sanofi should not give the US first access to its Covid-19 vaccine, Secretary of State for Economy Agnes Pannier-Runacher has said, urging that the firm make the treatment available to all countries. | Headquartered in Paris, Sanofi received funding from the US government to develop a vaccine for Covid-19. As a result, the United States has "the right to the largest pre-order because it's invested in taking the risk," the company's CEO, Paul Hudson, told Bloomberg News. | The French government has disputed this line of reasoning, insisting that no nation should be given priority once the v…

Staff (2020-05-14). When Patients Die Alone, How Do Families and Health Workers Cope, Relieve Suffering? democracynow.org We look at the tremendous emotional toll the coronavirus is taking on families when loved ones are forced to battle COVID alone in hospitals or at home, with Dr. Diane Meier, director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care and a professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She helped start a 24-hour palliative care hotline for COVID-19 patients in New York City that served nearly 900 people in a four-week period.

RT (2020-05-14). Global investments pour into China as Covid-19 turmoil grips financial markets. rt.com China has seen more capital flow into its stock markets as a result of market dislocations caused by the Covid-19 crisis. According to some strategists, this is part of a longer-term trend. | Allocation to Chinese stocks among more than 800 global funds reached nearly a quarter of their almost $2 trillion in assets under management, according to data from EPFR, a company which provides fund flow and asset allocation information to financial institutions around the world. That's up from about 20 percent a year ago. | The data covers funds that break down holdings into nine categories of stocks listed in mainlan…

The Canary (2020-05-14). More than £30,000 raised for family of rail worker who died after being spat at. thecanary.co A fundraising campaign for the family of a rail worker who died with coronavirus after being spat at on a station concourse has topped £30,000 as her union issued demands over staff safety.The gofundme initiative has received more than 1,700 individual donations following the shocked reaction to the death of Belly Mujinga.British Transport Police has launched an investigation after Mujinga died a fortnight after the incident at London's Victoria station.(Gofundme/PA)The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) said many of its members were now fearful for their safety.Officials contacted Mujinga's emplo…

David Ruccio (2020-05-14). The jungle—pandemic edition. mronline.org Like nursing homes, the U.S. meatpacking industry has become one of the hotspots of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

RT (2020-05-14). Japan's plan to end emergency for 39 prefectures accepted by experts — minister. rt.com A panel of experts has accepted the Japanese government's plan to end the state of emergency for 39 prefectures, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Thursday. The 39 prefectures in which the emergency is expected to be lifted account for 54 percent of Japan's population. | Japan was expected to lift the state of emergency across a large part of the country on Thursday but the capital, Tokyo is likely to remain under restrictions until there is a convincing containment of the coronavirus. | The world's third-largest economy declared a nationwide state of emergency a month ago, urging citizens to reduce…

RT (2020-05-14). Japan lifts coronavirus-related state of emergency in most regions, Tokyo not included. rt.com Most of Japan's prefectures, except Tokyo and seven others, will be lifting emergency restrictions imposed to battle the novel coronavirus outbreak, effective Thursday. | The decision comes as the number of new cases of infection has consistently fallen in 39 provinces, prompting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to say that the pandemic is "currently not spreading widely." The regions mentioned account for 54 percent of Japan's total population. | Also on rt.com | | Japan declar…

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