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2020-05-08: 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.)

'It'd be called an invasion': Trump says he'd use ARMY to raid Venezuela as he doubles down on denial of ordering botched plot
rt.com | 2020-05-08
US President Donald Trump has dismissed claims the foiled plot to kidnap Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had government backing, insisting he'd have done it differently

When silence speaks volumes: US cut off ALL communication channels with Caracas after botched mercenary raid, says Maduro
rt.com | 2020-05-08
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said that evidence will soon reveal the US leader himself was behind the failed incursion attempt, noting that Washington severed all remaining ties with Caracas thereafter. | In an interview with Uruguayan reporter Jorge Gestoso on Thursday evening, Maduro said the freshly-appointed Ambassador James Story

Venezuela Confronts Intimidation, Myth-making, and Dirty War
W. T. Whitney | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-08
Venezuela's story currently is of vulnerability and precariousness amidst signs of rising U.S. aggression. The imperialist U.S. government wants the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro removed and insists that Venezuela's massive oil reserves and the entire continent remain within the fold of international capitalism. Crucial to these U.S. designs is junior partner Colombia with…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/08/venezuela-confronts-intimidation-myth-making-and-dirty-war/

On The Latest Failed Attempt To Topple Nicolas Maduro
Steve Ellner | zcomm.org | 2020-05-08
To understand the workings of this latest botched Venezuelan regime-change scheme by a 60-man sea-borne assault group from Colombia, it's necessary to take into account the fragmentation among Venezuelan opposition extremists…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/on-the-latest-failed-attempt-to-topple-nicolas-maduro/

Live and Let Die
Paul Street | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-08
Real Time Reflections from Sheltered Radicals in the Time of the Most Dangerous Criminal in Human History May 3 + Street: Comrades, this article never ends but it's worth a read: "34 days of pandemic: Inside Trump's desperate attempts to reopen America." It is a blow-by-blow account of Trump's total reckless insanity in response to…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/08/live-and-let-die/

This is Not a Conspiracy, It is a Terrifying Opportunity
Brad Evans | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-08
Every catastrophe and crisis are followed by a litany of conspiracy theories. The Covid-19 pandemic has proved no exception. From tales concerning transmission of some lethal agent through 5G infrastructure, to grand theories concerning a mastermind plot to destabilise the world, the fantastical and the absurd have spread almost as quickly as the virus. While the early culprits ranged from the Bill Gates to the Iranians, George Soros to the Eco-fascists, it's becoming more and more common to suggest some orchestrated Chinese plot. The alleged death of Kim Jong-un which had socialists the world over speculating ab…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/08/this-is-not-a-conspiracy-it-is-a-terrifying-opportunity/

For the United Socialist States of the Middle East and Central Asia
wsws.org | 2020-05-08
The pandemic exposes not only the bankruptcy of the Middle Eastern bourgeoisies, but the true face of imperialism.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/08/uasp-m08.html

US-China "War of Words", COVID-19, Economic Collapse, Is the US-China Trade Deal in Jeopardy?
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-08
In December, China agreed to buy an additional $200 billion worth of US goods and services over 2017 levels in the next two years (in 2020 and 2021). | In return, the Trump regime partially rolled back tariffs on Chinese imports …
globalresearch.ca/sino-us-war-words-covid-19-economic-collapse-us-china-trade-deal-jeopardy/5712221

What Future for American High School and University-College Graduates? Grim US "Class of 2020" Job Prospects
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-08
US class of 2020 high school and higher education graduates face the most dismal job market since the 1930s Great Depression with no near-term end of it in prospect. | According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, "(g)raduating in a …
globalresearch.ca/us-class-2020-job-prospects/5712224

Foreign Correspondent: Biden vs. Trump on Foreign Policy
Reese Erlich | progressive.org | 2020-05-08
The differences are not as great as you might suspect, but there is a clear winner.
progressive.org/dispatches/biden-vs-trump-on-foreign-policy-erlich-200508/

Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic, America's Billionaires Thrive and Prosper
Lawrence Wittner | zcomm.org | 2020-05-08
Although most Americans currently face hard times, with unemployment surging to the levels of the Great Depression and enormous numbers of people sick or dying from the coronavirus pandemic, the nation's super-rich remain a notable exception. Financially, they are doing remarkably well. According to the Institute for Policy Studies, between March 18 and April 28, Read…
zcomm.org/zblogs/amid-the-coronavirus-pandemic-americas-billionaires-thrive-and-prosper/

COVID-19 Might Cause Mass Starvation in the Global South Unless the World Acts Now
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-08
Provided that developing nations are assured of debt relief (however it be agreed upon) and the world's leading agricultural exporters can ensure the continuance of their operations (preferably subsidized by the state as emergency aid to the Global South), then …
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-cause-mass-starvation-global-south/5712215

COVID-19 Might Cause Mass Starvation In The Global South Unless The World Acts Now
Andrew Korybko | thealtworld.com | 2020-05-08
Provided that developing nations are assured of debt relief (however it be agreed upon) and the world's leading agricultural exporters can ensure the continuance of their operations (preferably subsidized by the state as emergency aid to the Global South), then it's possible that this looming catastrophe can be averted. If that doesn't happen for some reason, then not only could countless people perish, but the geopolitical stability of this broad swath of the planet could be shattered if domestic and/or international unrest follows as a result. | The developing countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, colle…
thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/covid-19-might-cause-mass-starvation-in-the-global-south-unless-the-world-acts-now

Beijing May Dump US Treasuries in Response to US Hostility, Start Its Own QE: Chinese Media
Zero Hedge | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-08
In response to recent media speculation that as the blame game over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic escalates the US may cancel some of its $1.1 trillion debt owed to China, the South China Morning Post reported today that …
globalresearch.ca/beijing-may-dump-us-treasuries-start-own-qe-chinese-media/5712196

100 Years of Shame: Annexation of Palestine Began in San Remo
Ralph Nader | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-08
One hundred years ago, representatives from a few powerful countries convened at San Remo, a sleepy town on the Italian Riviera. Together, they sealed the fate of the massive territories confiscated from the Ottoman Empire following its defeat in World War I. It was on April 25, 1920, that the San Remo Conference Resolution was…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/08/100-years-of-shame-annexation-of-palestine-began-in-san-remo/

Democrats: Dump Biden Now
Andrew Levine | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-08
Listen up Democrats: dump Joe Biden; dump him now. I implore you not as one of you, but as someone who considers voting for Republicans unthinkable, and who nearly always does vote for Democrats for want of better alternatives. Ever since Ralph Nader's campaign twenty years ago, I have always voted for the Green candidate…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/08/democrats-dump-biden-now/

Greece's Renewed Relations with Syria Further Isolates Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-08
On Tuesday, the Greek Foreign Ministry finally announced a restoration of relations between Greece and Syria and assigned former ambassador to Syria and Russia, Tasia Athanassiou, as a Special Envoy of Greece's Foreign Ministry for Syria. Greek Foreign Minister …
globalresearch.ca/greece-renewed-relations-syria-isolates-turkey/5712179

The Coronavirus Crisis Has Exposed Germany's Ambition to Take Control of the EU
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-08
It has been repeatedly stated that the management of the coronavirus pandemic will be a barometer of how capable leaders are handling unprecedented crisis. Think how U.S. President Donald Trump has been lambasted all over the globe for letting coronavirus …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-exposed-germany-ambition-completely-control-eu/5712259

Silvercorp co-founder speaks with The Grayzone: What did State Department know about failed Venezuela invasion?
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2020-05-08
The Grayzone speaks to Drew White

As States Loosen Pandemic Restrictions, Dr. Leana Wen Warns "We Are Not Ready for a Safe Reopening"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-08
As more than 40 states begin to reopen, President Trump is downplaying the need for mass COVID-19 testing, even as he himself is now being tested every day for the virus. We speak with emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen, who says, "Widespread testing is so critical. … Why shouldn't this testing be available to all Americans?"
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/8/dr_leana_wen_covid_19_testing

"A Terrible Price": Mardi Gras Story Lays Bare How COVID-19 Is Devastating Black America
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-08
We look at the deadly disparate impact of the pandemic on African Americans as told through an in-depth story for The New York Times Magazine by writer Linda Villarosa in her new piece, "'A Terrible Price': The Deadly Racial Disparities of Covid-19 in America," that tells what happened to the Zulu club, a Black social organization in New Orleans, during and after Mardi Gras. She reports that the experience is usually a joy, but the coronavirus made it a tragedy.
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/8/coronavirus_racial_disparity_zulu_club_new

Trump Death Clock: Times Square Billboard Tallies Lives Lost to COVID-19 Inaction
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-08
A 56-foot billboard called the Trump Death Clock was unveiled in Times Square in New York City. The tally of lives lost to government inaction was created by filmmaker Eugene Jarecki, who says, "On behalf of all of those who needlessly lost their lives to this failed leadership in a pandemic, we need a symbol, a symbol that cries out not only for accountability, but also for more responsible and responsive stewardship, going forward." As of the Friday morning broadcast, the death toll count was nearly 47,000 and growing.
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/8/times_square_trump_death_clock_covid

"A Lynch Mob": After Months of Inaction, 2 White Men Are Charged with Murder of Ahmaud Arbery in GA
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-08
The two white men caught on camera shooting and killing Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old African American man, were arrested and charged Thursday with murder. The arrests came two days after video of the attack in February was shared with the public, sparking widespread outrage. Today would have been Arbery's 26th birthday. We speak with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents the Arbery family and formerly represented Trayvon Martin.
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/8/ahmaud_arbery_murder_benjamin_crump

Justice is Indivisible: Placing Palestine Back at the Center of American Muslim Activism
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-08
In many mosques across the US, Palestine, Kashmir, Afghanistan, and other places of great and perpetual injustice are hardly mentioned. Perhaps, argues Ramzy Baroud, over fear that doing so would place them at the radar of the FBI or local enforcement agencies.
mintpressnews.com/placing-palestine-center-of-muslim-american-activism/267317/

Right of Palestine should be taken from usurper regime of Israel in force: official
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-08
TEHRAN, May 08 (MNA)

Palestine President Abbas Threatens to Tear-up Agreements with Israel, US if West Bank Is Annexed
The New Arab | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-08
The Palestinian Authority has threatened to cut all agreements signed with Israel and the US, if the annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank goes ahead. | During a meeting in Ramallah with the Fatah Central Committee, Mahmoud…
globalresearch.ca/palestine-president-abbas-threatens-tear-up-agreements-israel-us-west-bank-annexed/5712232

Palestinians And Israelis Remember Casualties Together
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-05-08
The alternative memorial service organized by peace organizations in Israel/Palestine challenges the racist official memorial services of the State of Israel in which only Israeli casualties are remembered.
therealnews.com/stories/palestinians-israelis-remember-casualties-memorial-service

Roaming Charges: Ain't Living Long Like This
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-08
+ The detestable rationalizations liberals make for sticking with Biden despite Tara Reade's convincing story can't come as any surprise. It's the same ritual contortions they've made about the Iraq war, fracking, abortion, the drug war, Anita Hill, social security, segregation, climate change, health care, deportations, a living wage, student debt, the Patriot Act, pipelines, the Libyan coup, climate change. To be a Democrat is to live in a constant state of denial, self-contradiction and moral hypocrisy.
counterpunch.org/2020/05/08/roaming-charges-aint-living-long-like-this/

Maduro Accuses US Chargé d'Affaires Story of Being Behind Boat Incursion From Colombia
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-08
MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday that the US Chargé d' Affaires, for the Venezuela Affairs Unit, James Story, played a part in Sunday's boat incursion from Colombia.
sputniknews.com/latam/202005081079243245-maduro-accuses-story-of-being-behind-boat-incursion-from-colombia/

Never Cease to Fail? Private Military Company Behind Botched Venezuela Raid Suspected of Plagiarism
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-08
Company head Jordan Goudreau has acknowledged his involvement in an attempt to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after two of his men were captured, with one of them making a confession aired on Venezuelan TV.
sputniknews.com/us/202005081079243317-never-cease-to-fail-private-military-company-behind-botched-venezuela-raid-suspected-of-plagiarism/

Guaido Accused of Hiring Mercenaries Behind Foiled Coup Attempt in Venezuela
Steve Sweeney | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-08
Washington-backed Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Guaido has been accused of hiring mercenaries responsible for two foiled terror attacks, as more details of the plot begin to emerge. | Venezuelan communications minister Jorge Rodriguez confirmed that the former president of the National …
globalresearch.ca/guaido-accused-hiring-mercenaries-foiled-coup-attempt-venezuela/5712228

US Wants Release of Two Special Forces Veterans Who Led Failed Coup Invasion of Venezuela
Dave Lindorff | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-08
Imperial overreach was on full display this week as the US government demanded that a pair of US citizens

Freedom for Assange is inseparable from the fight against war and for socialism
wsws.org | 2020-05-08
All those political tendencies and individuals who refused to defend Assange–and who joined in the slander campaign against him–have blood on their hands.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/08/thom-m08.html

British coastguards rescue more than 120 migrants on 7 boats in Channel
rt.com | 2020-05-08
British coastguards rescued more than 120 migrants trying to cross the English Channel on seven small boats, French maritime authorities said on Friday. | The rescue took place in the night from Thursday to Friday, according to a spokesman for the Maritime Prefecture for the Channel and North Sea. | Border officials and coastguards in Britain and France have intercepted numerous attempted crossings in recent months as migrants have repeatedly tried to travel from destinations in Asia and Africa to Britain. | "It's little wonder people living in France's refugee camps are desperate to make this dangerous crossi…
rt.com/newsline/488175-british-coastguards-migrants-channel/

Crowded Prisons Are About to Create a Coronavirus Crisis in Rural America
Tana Ganeva | zcomm.org | 2020-05-08
For the past several decades, rural America's economic lifeline has been the construction and operation of prisons and immigrant detention centers, both public and for-profit…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/crowded-prisons-are-about-to-create-a-coronavirus-crisis-in-rural-america/

The Pandemic's Impact on Immigration Detention Centers
Andrea Arroyo | thenation.com | 2020-05-08
The Pandemic's Impact on Immigration Detention Centers…
thenation.com/article/society/pandemic-impact-on-immigration-detention-centers/

Karnataka State government concedes unions' demands, allows migrants to return home
Pavan Kulkarni | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-08
The State government had earlier decided to seek a halt to special train services for migrant workers from other States to return home amid the COVID-19 crisis. This was after a meeting with real estate developers who reportedly said they want to retain the laborers for construction work…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/08/karnataka-state-government-concedes-unions-demands-allows-migrants-to-return-home/

China should TRIPLE nuclear arsenal to deter 'warmongering' US, editor of state-run Global Times argues
rt.com | 2020-05-08
China should drastically increase its stockpile of nuclear warheads to dissuade the United States from pursuing its strategic ambitions abroad, the editor of the Global Times has urged. | In a piece published by his own paper, Hu Xijin said China is a "peace-loving nation" that has pledged to never be the first to use nuclear weapons. He argued, however, that Beijing must aim to expand the number of its nuclear warheads to 1,000 to create a powerful deterrent to "shape the attitudes of US elites toward China." The Asian power currently has around 300 nuclear weapons. | He said that bolstering China's nuclear c…
rt.com/news/488157-china-nuclear-warheads-increase-us/

#WorkerRightsNow: Day of Action for Essential Worker Bill of Rights
MoveOn, Greenpeace, others | indybay.org | 2020-05-08
Online and/or phone call actions…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/06/18832854.php

Why Trump and Anti-Lockdown Protesters' Calls to Return to Normal Are Acts of White Supremacy
Sonali Kolhatkar | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-08
When the coronavirus pandemic was first declared, Americans dutifully stayed at home to prevent outbreaks like the ones playing out in China and Italy. Although a majority of Americans continue to support quarantine orders intended to quell the spread of the virus, a growing number of anti-lockdown protests across the nation are sending a clear…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/08/why-trump-and-anti-lockdown-protesters-calls-to-return-to-normal-are-acts-of-white-supremacy/

Vietnam protests Beijing's 'unilateral fishing ban' in S. China Sea
rt.com | 2020-05-08
Hanoi protested on Friday against what it described as Beijing's unilateral fishing ban in the disputed South China Sea from May 1 to August 16. The statement comes weeks after Vietnamese boat had reportedly been rammed by a Chinese maritime surveillance vessel, Reuters said. | China and Vietnam have for years been embroiled in a dispute over the potentially energy-rich stretch of water, called the East Sea by Hanoi. | "Vietnam demands that China not further complicate the situation in the South China Sea," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said in a statement. | China's Foreign Ministry said on Apr…
rt.com/newsline/488120-vietnam-china-sea-protest/

Long Live the Spirit of Kent and Jackson State!
Otis Grotewohl | workers.org | 2020-05-08
May 4 and May 15, 2020, mark the 50th anniversaries of the murders of students at Kent State and Jackson State in the United States. Many people are familiar with the National Guard shooting of students and protesters at Ohio's Kent State University in 1970, which left four dead and . . . | Continue reading Long Live the Spirit of Kent and Jackson State! at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48357/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=long-live-the-spirit-of-kent-and-jackson-state

Prodded by Right Wingers, Santa Cruz Businesses Operate Outside of Health Restrictions
Santa Cruz News | indybay.org | 2020-05-08
The "Committee to Reopen Santa Cruz," a group founded recently by right wing extremists who believe the COVID-19 Pandemic is a hoax, is prodding local businesses to open early. The group has announced that the Om Gallery on Pacific Avenue is opening to two shoppers at a time from 1-5pm on Friday, May 8, by appointment. The Committee to Reopen Santa Cruz also plans to do "guerrilla yoga" at a studio that will secretly open its doors for the group. "Some studios are opening the back door for the cool kids club. No Snitches," a flyer for a May 8 "Freedom Friday" protest states. On May 6, the Santa Cruz County Health…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/07/18832876.php

HIGH-FREQUENCY failure of combination antiretroviral therapy in paediatric HIV infection is associated with unmet maternal needs causing maternal NON-ADHERENCE
Jane R. Millar, Nomonde Bengu, Rowena Fillis, Ken Sprenger, Vuyokazi Ntlantsana, Vinicius A. Vieira, Nisreen Khambati, Moherndran Archary, Maximilian Muenchhoff, Andreas Groll, Nicholas Grayson, John Adamson, Katya Govender, Krista Dong, Photini Kiepiela, Bruce D. Walker, David Bonsall, Thomas Connor, Matthew J. Bull, Nelisiwe Nxele, Julia Roider, Nasreen Ismail, Emily Adland, Maria C. Puertas, Javier Martinez-Picado, Philippa C. Matthews, Thumbi Ndung'u, Philip Goulder, the Ucwaningo Lwabantwana Consortium | thelancet.com | 2020-05-08
The success of early infant testing and cART initiation strategies is severely limited by subsequent cART non-adherence in HIV-infected children. Although there are practical challenges to administering paediatric cART formulations, these are overcome by mothers who themselves are cART-adherent. These findings point to the ongoing obligation to address the unmet needs of the mothers. Eliminating the particular barriers preventing adequate treatment for these vulnerable women and infants need to be prioritised in order to achieve durable suppression of viraemia on cART, let alone HIV cure/remission, in HIV-infecte…
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30088-2/fulltext?rss=yes

Protecting Our Democracy w/ Stacey Abrams & Ari Berman of 'Mother Jones'
Mother Jones | indybay.org | 2020-05-08
Online…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/06/18832851.php

New outbreaks of COVID-19 reported at workplaces across the US
wsws.org | 2020-05-08
As states continue to push to reopen their economies and force workers back on the job, new hot-spots are emerging in factories and stores from Iowa to Massachusetts.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/08/covd-m08.html

Venezuela: A Failed US Invasion in the Midst of a Pandemic
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-08
In the midst of a massive global pandemic that has killed tens of thousands of people and wrecked economies all over the world leaving millions jobless, some terrorists and mercenaries allegedly backed by certain governments had on 3rd May …
globalresearch.ca/invasion-midst-pandemic/5712192

The Plot to Blame China for COVID-19
T.J. Coles | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-08
The Trump lot–Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, Mike Pompeo–and their media cheerleaders are as fanatically anti-China as the Biden crew is anti-Russia. Just like George W. Bush's WMD lies in the early-2000s, there is a developing timeline of Trumpian efforts to bend intelligence on COVID to the administration's anti-China policy. TARGET: CHINA In the 1980s, the…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/08/the-plot-to-blame-china-for-covid-19/

Mayo Clinic expert discusses potential neurological effects of COVID-19
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-05-08
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can take a severe toll on the respiratory system. However, recent research suggests that the virus may also infect the nervous system. A study of patients with COVID-19 out of Wuhan, China found that possible neurological signs and symptoms caused by COVID-19 can include loss of taste and smell, …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-expert-discusses-potential-neurological-effects-of-covid-19/

COVID May 8, 2020 An Intel Drop, White House Hiding a 500,000 Death Figure
Gordon Duff | thealtworld.com | 2020-05-08
We begin with the deal breaker of all time. COVID is supposed to be a bat virus, a natural bat virus, unmodified, supposedly from China, right? | Name one animal that can't get COVID? | smiling COVID bat, Lugar Center 2018 | The folks in the White House mostly went to business school. They had statistics classes and they all know numbers. You can't steal without being able to count or at least without being able to hire someone who counts, as in Trump's case. | The numbers we are given are fake, not a little fake but great big fa…
thealtworld.com/gordon_duff/covid-may-8-2020-an-intel-drop-white-house-hiding-a-500000-death-figure

Last Process: 50 Postees: 2020-05-09 01:10 GMT (21:10 EST)

2020-05-07: News Headlines

Norman Solomon (2020-05-07). The Fight for Bernie Delegates Is Escalating — and Could Help Beat Trump. zcomm.org "Bernie's campaign has suspended, but the movement to fight for the Bernie platform must go on"

www.speakoutsocialists (2020-05-07). On the Brink of Starvation: COVID-19 and the Global Food Chain with Raj Patel. indybay.org This is an online townhall. For links and information on how to join the Zoom call visit here: | speakoutsocialists.org/townhall-05-09-20/…

Noam Chomsky (2020-05-07). COVID-19 & the Economy. zcomm.org Interview on COVID-19 politics, the global economy and the environment…

Dave Lindorff (2020-05-07). Thoughts on the Liberation of Saigon and the end to America's Genocidal War Against the Vietnamese People. counterpunch.org The following are recollections from several members of the ThisCantBeHappening! about their anti-war movement struggles and the day of final triumph in Vietnam 45 years ago. A Day in the Park Like No Other When the US war on Vietnam ended on April 30 with the Vietnamese liberation forces marching into Saigon, a victory celebration

The Canary (2020-05-07). Johnson compared to Chamberlain in protest video on White Cliffs of Dover. thecanary.co Boris Johnson's response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis has been compared to Neville Chamberlain's "peace for our time" moment, in a giant projection beamed on to the White Cliffs of Dover.The Kent landmark was lit up with a mock-up of the prime minister holding a scrap of paper saying "Highest death toll in Europe".The stunt was the brainchild of Led By Donkeys, a group of activists famed for their giant billboards of politicians' tweets.The group said the black and white creation is a comment on the government's "profound failure" and compares Johnson's conduct to Chamberlain's appeasement policy in the l…

RT (2020-05-07). Kadhimi takes office as Iraq's PM amid fiscal & coronavirus crises. rt.com Mustafa al-Kadhimi took office as Iraq's prime minister early Thursday after breaking months of political deadlock. The former intelligence chief will have to tackle a staggering economic crisis, a health pandemic and the specter of renewed protests. | Observing social distancing, lawmakers gathered at parliament in masks and gloves around 9: 00pm local time, but the vote was delayed to make last-minute edits to ministerial posts. | Kadhemi soon received a congratulatory call from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who announced a 120-day waiver extension on US sanctions to let Iraq buy gas from neighboring Ira…

RT (2020-05-07). 'Worst case' scenario: Second coronavirus wave could come as early as July, top doctor in Germany warns. rt.com Another wave of coronavirus infections could hit Germany as early as this summer, the vice president of the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases has warned. Health officials say they are preparing for all possibilities. | Case numbers in Germany are falling but the situation could change if people do not adhere to social distancing guidelines, Lars Schaade said at a news conference. A worst-case scenario would be a surge in cases returning in late July or early August, he added. | Germany began easing its nationwide lockdown two weeks ago. Although the number of new cases continues to drop, Helge Brau…

RT (2020-05-07). Famous VR artists recreate kids' drawings from World War II in virtual animation (VIDEO). rt.com RT's multimedia project #VictoryPages presents 'War: Kids' drawings in VR animation,' a series of children's drawings from the collection of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg interpreted by famous artists in VR. | For many decades, the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg has kept about 700 unique children's drawings that were created during the Siege of Leningrad (September 8, 1941 — January 27, 1944). These drawings, collected by workers in kindergartens, orphanages and schools, reflect a child's view of wartime events, exposing their feelings and ideas. Almost every drawing has an ac…

RT (2020-05-07). Dutch to begin easing lockdown measures next week, watchdog to review govt performance. rt.com The Dutch Safety Board said on Thursday it would conduct an independent investigation and review of the country's preparedness and government performance during the coronavirus outbreak. | Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday announced a three-month roadmap toward relaxing lockdown measures imposed in mid-March, including opening schools and some businesses. The review will look at "the preparation for a pandemic, the crisis management and the measures taken, as well as the phasing out of those measures." | Easing restrictions in the Netherlands will be rolled out over the next four months. They could be cur…

The Canary (2020-05-07). Shipment of 400,000 gowns from Turkey impounded over safety standards. thecanary.co A shipment of 400,000 medical gowns from Turkey has been impounded in a warehouse after falling short of UK standards.The personal protective equipment (PPE) was flown into the UK by the RAF last month but has not been released to NHS staff after inspectors deemed the gowns unsafe for guarding against coronavirus (Covid-19) when treating patients.Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said the gowns turned out to "not be of the quality that we feel is good enough for our frontline staff".The ministerial confirmation of the decision to impound the imported goods is another blow in what has proved an embarrassing…

RT (2020-05-07). 'When clowns purchase gowns': UK govt skewered after ALL 400,000 items of PPE bought from Turkey fail inspection. rt.com A highly-publicized shipment of urgently-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers fighting Covid-19 has backfired spectacularly for Downing Street, after the items were deemed unfit for use. | British ministers used the arrival of 400,000 protective gowns flown in from Turkey last month as evidence of the government's pro-active approach to overcoming the health crisis. Some two weeks later, the British public has learned that the PPE shipment has been impounded after being deemed unsuitable by UK standards. Unsurprisingly, people are fuming. | Speaking to Sky News about the scandal, Mayor…

RT (2020-05-07). 'I guess we did': Simpsons writer admits 2020 pandemic clairvoyance as murder hornets clip goes viral. rt.com The Simpsons is widely known for predicting the future with eerie accuracy, but things are starting to get ridiculous; after apparently predicting the coronavirus, it now appears the show saw the murder hornets coming too. | Like an animated Nostradamus for the noughties, the animated TV show has a number of oddly accurate predictions already on the books over the course of its 30 years on air. | It apparently foresaw Disney buying Fox nearly 20 years ago, the invention of smart watches, the US winning an Olympic medal in curling and, of course, also predicted that Donald Trump would one day become president o…

RT (2020-05-07). ALL of China declared 'low Covid-19 risk' as daily infections approach zero. rt.com The first nation to step into the battle against Covid-19 earlier this year, China is also the first to report that the risk of the outbreak is now "low", as no fresh domestic cases have been recorded during the past few days.

RT (2020-05-07). Japan's state of emergency could be lifted early in some areas — minister. rt.com The state of emergency imposed because of Covid-19 could be lifted early in some areas of Japan that have seen a decline in new infections, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Thursday. He told reporters it was possible the emergency powers would be removed in those regions from May 14. | On Monday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe extended the nationwide state of emergency to May 31, saying the infection rate had yet to drop enough to justify ending lockdown measures. | Tokyo reported just 38 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, marking a fifth straight day of declining numbers of new infections, Reuters said…

RT (2020-05-07). China's exports return to growth in April, but imports tumble. rt.com China says that its exports rebounded last month, beating most expectations of a sharp decline. However, the drop in the country's imports accelerated as the coronavirus continues to crush demand. | Data released by the General Administration of Customs shows that April's exports surpassed $200 billion. This is a 3.5 percent rise from the previous year. Last month's results reversed the 6.6 percent fall in March, as well as the collapse recorded at the beginning of the year. China's exports are also much better than some economists polled by various media predicted, with the expected decline varying between 10…

RT (2020-05-07). US unemployment expected to pass 33 MILLION, marking worst economic downturn since Great Depression. rt.com Another three million Americans are expected to have filed for unemployment benefits during the week ending May 2, which brings the total claims over the seven weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown to 33 million. | Some 3.839 million initial jobless claims have been registered in the past week. Florida saw the highest number of initial filings, at an estimated 432,000 on an unadjusted basis, from 507,000 in the week prior. | California reported 328,000 claims — down from 528,000 in the previous week. Meanwhile, Georgia reported an estimated 265,000 and Texas 254,000. | "Initial jobless claims continued to modera…

RT (2020-05-07). 'Unprecedented in modern times': New research shows 1 in 5 children in US face food insecurity amid Covid-19 lockdowns. rt.com A new study has found that children in the United States are suffering the highest rate of food insecurity ever recorded in the country, as tens of millions of Americans are barred from working under coronavirus-induced lockdowns. | Food insecurity for American children was significantly worse in April than during any year since 2001, before which point no comparable data is available, according to "Looking ove…

RT (2020-05-07). Stigma or precaution? DoD memo lists Covid-19 as 'permanently disqualifying' for survivors seeking to join army. rt.com New guidelines for US military recruiters severely limit the chances for survivors of the coronavirus to join the ranks of the armed forces, banning them from service outright unless they obtain a special waiver. | A memo penned by the US Military Entrance Processing Command (MEPCOM) laying out guidelines for staffers who screen applicants for military service has been circulated online. The authenticity of the document — which effectively makes the coronavirus a black mark, excluding survivors from the pool of potential recruits — was confirmed by Pentagon spokeswoman Jessica Maxwell on Wednesday, a…

RT (2020-05-07). Merkel's aide says pandemic 'to last at least for rest of year'. rt.com The coronavirus pandemic will last for at least the rest of this year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff said on Thursday. | "We are not living after the pandemic now — rather we are living in the middle of a pandemic, one that will be with us for a while — at least for this year and that's being very optimistic," Helge Braun told Deutschlandfunk radio. | Merkel announced steps on Wednesday to ease the coronavirus lockdown in Germany. At the same time, she launched an "emergency brake" mechanism allowing for renewed restrictions in case infections pick up again. | A senior German healt…

RT (2020-05-07). Polish MPs approve law allowing presidential election to be held by postal ballot. rt.com The Polish lower house of parliament, the Sejm, approved on Thursday government-sponsored legislation that would allow the presidential election to go ahead by postal ballot, according to voting records. | The presidential election was scheduled to take place on Sunday. The ruling party wants to hold it by postal ballot, due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, opposition parties strongly oppose the plan, saying the election would be neither transparent nor fair. | Although lawmakers have in principle approved a postal ballot, the deputy prime minister said on Thursday that June was now the earliest date the…

RT (2020-05-07). No smoke without fire? Trump nominates new envoy to Venezuela, first in 10 YEARS after denying US involvement in failed incursion. rt.com The White House has tapped a new ambassador to Venezuela, the first in a decade, even as relations with the country's government hit all-time lows. The appointment comes as the US continues to deny any role in a recent coup plot.

news.un (2020-05-07). FROM THE FIELD: Protecting the displaced in the time of COVID-19. news.un.org Refugees and displaced people living in camps are amongst the most vulnerable communities across the world and more likely to catch COVID-19 than others, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

MoveOn, Greenpeace, others (2020-05-07). #WorkerRightsNow: Day of Action for Essential Worker Bill of Rights. indybay.org Online and/or phone call actions…

Labor Video Project (2020-05-07). "Blood Money & Murder On The Job" Amazon 2020 On May Day. indybay.org New York MTA TWU 100 steward John Ferretti and Amazon worker Chris Smalls are interviewed about May Day and why they were protesting at the Amazon JFK8 Staten Island warehouse.

William rivers Pitt (2020-05-07). Far Right Group Behind Boston's "Straight Pride" Also Organized "Reopen" Protest. zcomm.org If the federal government actually starts helping people, Trump and his allies fear that capitalism will lose its stranglehold on the nation…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-05-07). The Rohingya in Malaysia: Coronavirus and Alibis for Paranoia. counterpunch.org Rounding up undocumented workers, migrant and refugees is part of a brutal order of things in Malaysia. When matters economic are going well, authorities turn the blindest of eyes. The money pours in; development goals are being met. During times of crisis, the eye sharpens in the search for scapegoats. With the enervating effects of

Geoff Dutton (2020-05-07). A Good Time: Civilization Hits the Pause Button. counterpunch.org Think of all the times you were on hold, waiting for a response, something to take place, like a decision about a school or financial aid application, a job interview, a submission to a publication, or even a marriage proposal. Did you simply sit on your thumbs, immobilized, until some far-off entity decided your fate?

pip.hinman (2020-05-07). Renters demand more assistance during the pandemic. greenleft.org.au

Susan Price (2020-05-07). Brazil: As COVID-19 death toll spirals out of control, Bolsonaro pursues strategy of 'permanent radicalisation'. greenleft.org.au

yenisafak (2020-05-07). Daesh/ISIS increases attacks in Iraq amid virus. yenisafak.com The Daesh/ISIS terror group has increased its attacks in Iraq, especially in rural areas, amid political instability and security weakness in the country as well as the US-led coalition forces' withdrawal due to the coronavirus outbreak.Daesh has been trying to strengthen its operational capability in rural areas since mass protests against Iraqi government erupted in October in the capital Baghdad and southern provinces.Iraq has been roiled by mass protests since early October over poor living conditions and corruption, forcing Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi to resign.At least 496 Iraqis have been killed and 17…

Charles Pierson (2020-05-07). COVID-19 and the High Cost of Dying. counterpunch.org Put down the Clorox. Remdesivir may not be the effective coronavirus treatment the world desperately needs, but it has to be better than President Donald Trump's idea about ingesting disinfectants. One strong point in remdesivir's favor: the MAGA crowd hates it. Remdesivir, which is administered intravenously, is an antiviral drug developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc. which patented it in 2017. It has just been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use in treating cases of Covid-19.

Deborah James (2020-05-07). What Not to Do During a Pandemic: Business-As-Usual on Trade Negotiations. counterpunch.org Reduce governments' ability to respond to the needs of citizens and prioritize foreign investors. Constrain developing countries from investing in small-scale fisheries. Hand over control of more aspects of citizens' lives, and data, to Google and Amazon. These are not proposals you would think governments would be eager to negotiate in international treaties during the

Johnny Hazard (2020-05-07). COVID-19 Comes to Nezahualcóyotl: a Mexican City Confronts a Pandemic. counterpunch.org One of the cities most vulnerable to Covid-19 in Mexico is Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, often known simply as Neza, which is adjacent to the east side of Mexico City and specifically to the boroughs of Iztacalco and Iztapalapa. The latter has the highest Covid infection rate in the capital city. Nezhualcóyotl is named for "the poet

Chuck Collins — Helen Flannery (2020-05-07). Time for an Emergency Charity Stimulus. counterpunch.org We are living through a time of unprecedented challenges: a major public health crisis and a deepening recession. Congress has already authorized trillions in stimulus funds. But millions of Americans are still relying on the support of local nonprofits such as food banks and human services. These nonprofits are going to need major infusions of

Kirkpatrick Sale (2020-05-07). Two Truths from the Pandemic No One Is Mentioning. counterpunch.org Two truths at least are certain in this post-pandemic world: 1) Humans have so dominated the world, destroying much of non-human life and systems in the process, that the world has struck back in recoil and seeks to readjust the balance. 2) Human sustenance systems are far too large and unwieldly to be effective and

Rev. William Alberts (2020-05-07). "What the Hell Do You Have to Lose?" counterpunch.org The coronavirus does not care whether we are Republican or Democrat; mainline or evangelical Christian; Jew, Muslim or Hindu; white, black or brown; Chinese, Italian, Iranian, Russian, African or American, richer or poorer, older or younger. We are all human and subject to the same illnesses. Our nationality, faith, race, class, location or age does

Joseph Scalia III (2020-05-07). Conserving Politics or Conserving Nature? counterpunch.org Imagine a world in which conservation decisions were based on ethics and aesthetics, that including the interdependence of all the earth's organic and inorganic elements. Imagine a northern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in which the science of ecology, the science of conservation biology, were inextricable and uncompromising parts of those decisions. Imagine a Gallatin Range from

Dean Baker (2020-05-07). How Many People Will Patent Monopolies Kill This Pandemic? counterpunch.org No one wants to die, but hey, who wouldn't be willing to sacrifice their life to protect someone's patent monopoly? That is a question that is implicitly raised in this New York Times piece on the race to develop an effective vaccine against the coronavirus. Near the beginning the piece tells readers: "In an era

Howard Lisnoff (2020-05-07). Online Education in a Time of Grave Danger. counterpunch.org I taught a college course online. I used a program that was accepted at that level of education as the standard for teaching. The program took several sessions of individual instruction at the community college's tech center and lots of off-site practice to become competent in meeting students online for one class out of four

George Ochenski (2020-05-07). Freedom of Press Under Attack by Trump. counterpunch.org Sunday was World Press Freedom Day and although it's far from a national holiday, freedom of the press is a right granted to all Americans. Unfortunately, this critical freedom, which has survived and served our nation well for nearly two and a half centuries, is under attack by Donald Trump and his benighted administration. Our

Philip Doe (2020-05-07). The Great Divorce: the People of Colorado v. the State. counterpunch.org When I was a boy, my dad took me and my twin sister and brothers to see the demolition of the Omaha-Grant Smoke Stack in Globeville. At the time it was among the tallest smokestacks in the world. It stood 350 feet high, with brick walls 12 feet thick. It was said to contain enough

J.P. Linstroth (2020-05-07). Genocidal Disease, as it is Happening in Amazonia. counterpunch.org Back in 2009 with a Fulbright Foreign Scholarship and as a Visiting Professor at the Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), I conducted ethnographic fieldwork in the Amazonian and Brazilian city of Manaus of over two-million people among urban Amerindians there. The urbanized Native peoples living in Manaus, the capitol of Amazonas State, may number as

Lynda Carson (2020-05-07). Oakland has more COVID-19 cases than Fremont, Hayward and Livermore combined. indybay.org Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic…

graham (2020-05-07). Global stocks prediction: 50 percent wipeout. truepublica.org.uk Paul Singer, the hedge-fund billionaire behind Elliott Management, warned last month that the ultimate path of global stock markets is a drop of at least 50% from February highs. What's an investor to do in the face of such a grim outlook? Load up on gold, perhaps. After all, according to a report this week from the Financial …

RT (2020-05-07). RT SPECIAL VICTORY DAY PROGRAMMING TO AIR AND STREAM WORLDWIDE IN SIX LANGUAGES. rt.com MOSCOW, MAY 7 — On May 9 RT will run special programming dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the allied victory in the Second World War and Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War in English, German, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian. Since the beginning of 2020, RT has launched multiple Victory Day projects, including a film recreating the circumstances surrounding the capture of the iconic May 1945 photograph "Raising a Flag over the Reichstag." | On May 9, RT will air the full version of the documentary series under the title #VictoryAlphabet: from Brest to Reichstag, which tracks the Red Army's…

graham (2020-05-07). Bank of England: Unemployment to double. truepublica.org.uk The Bank of England has warned the British economy could shrink by 14% this year and unemployment more than double by next spring as the coronavirus causes the deepest recession in modern history. Leaving interest rates on hold at a record low of 0.1% as the economic crisis unfolds, the central bank said economic activity across …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-05-07). Mayo Clinic receives $26 million from BARDA for COVID-19 convalescent plasma expanded access program. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Mayo Clinic was awarded a $26 million contract today from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The financial support is for the Expanded Access Program (EAP) for convalescent plasma to fight COVID-19. …

en.mehrnews (2020-05-07). US in no position to raise issues about JCPOA: Foreign Ministry. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 07 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry reminded the world of American officials' habit of breaking promises and violating agreements.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-07). Headlines of Iranian dailies on May 7. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 07 (MNA) — Mehr News takes a look at the headlines of Iranian dailies on Thursday, May 07.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-07). Zarif congratulates Iraqis for formation of government. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 07 (MNA) — Iranian FM Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday extended congratulation to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi on approval for…

Last Process: 50 Citations: 2020-05-07 14:13 GMT (10:13 EST)