RT (2020-04-16). Terrifying crash landing & evacuation shown in dramatic video as probe finds pilot error in 2019 Superjet tragedy. rt.com Russia's Investigative Committee has finished its inquiry into the fatal crash of Superjet-100 passenger aircraft at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. It published a new video of the incident, which it blamed on pilot error. | Sukhoi Superjet-100 captain Denis Evdokimov will face charges of improper aircraft handling over the incident that took place on May 5, 2019 and claimed the lives of 41 people. On that day, the aircraft had to return to the airport because of malfunctions with the communications system and autopilot. As it hit the runway, the plane suddenly burst into flames that turned into a real firestor…

RT (2020-04-15). California gov announces $125 million relief for illegal immigrants over Covid-19. rt.com California will be the first state in the US to provide financial relief to illegal immigrants amid the Covid-19 pandemic. | California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a series of new measures by his state to provide financial relief to citizens suffering because of Covid-19 lockdown measures. Among the measures is an eye-catching $125 million fund for illegal immigrants living within the state. | "California is the most diverse state in the nation. Our diversity makes us stronger and more resilient. Every Californian, including our undocumented neighbors and friends, should know that California is here to sup…

KOAT (2020-04-15). Philanthropists helping provide $500, $1,000 checks to undocumented migrants in California. koat.com California Gov. Gavin Newsom said $50 million is being put up by philanthropists.

Luke Butterly (2020-04-15). Locked Down and Cast Out: Europe's Migrants Navigate the Pandemic. thenation.com Locked Down and Cast Out: Europe's Migrants Navigate the Pandemic…

RT (2020-04-15). Greek authorities send 1st group of unaccompanied young refugees to EU countries. rt.com Greece transferred a dozen unaccompanied children from overcrowded migrant camps to Luxembourg on Wednesday. The group is the first of more than 1,000 relocations that are being expedited amid concerns over the impact of coronavirus on vulnerable groups. | Another group of 50 children is expected to fly from Athens to Germany on Saturday, and 20 more will head to Switzerland at a later date. Greece hopes to relocate some 1,600 unaccompanied minors in the coming months. | The children relocated on Wednesday were aged between 11 and 15. Ten were from Afghanistan and two from Syria. At least 5,200 migrant childre…

repost (2020-04-15). A Surprising Plea on Behalf of Julian Assange. indybay.org In a recent video, attorney Stella Morris surprises the world by revealing that she has a partnership and children with whistleblower Julian Assange.

Medea Benjamin (2020-04-15). UN Ceasefire Defines War As a Non-Essential Activity. zcomm.org Let's insist that the U.S. government call off its airstrikes, artillery and night raids in Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, Syria and West Africa, and support ceasefires in Yemen, Libya and around the world…

Vijay Prashad, Du Xiaojun — Weiyan Zhu (2020-04-15). How China Broke the Chain of Infection. counterpunch.org The speed of the production of medical equipment, particularly protective equipment for the medical workers, was breathtaking. On January 28, China made fewer than 10,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) a day, and by February 24, its production capacity exceeded 200,000 per day. On February 1, the government produced 773,000 test kits a day; by February 25, it was producing 1.7 million kits per day; by March 31, 4.26 million test kits were produced per day

Kurt Nimmo (2020-04-15). German Lawyer Sent to Psychiatric Ward for Organizing Protest Against COVID-19 Lockdown. globalresearch.ca In the Soviet Union, activists were sent to state psychiatric wards. According to the state, any and all opposition to government policy was considered a form of mental illness. |

RT (2020-04-15). Anti-surveillance activists claim they set fire outside German institute developing Covid-19 tracking app. rt.com Left-wing activists aiming to prevent mass surveillance via the 'Corona App' claim they caused a fire outside Berlin's telecommunications institute, which is developing software designed to track the spread of the disease. | Several power and telecommunication cables were badly damaged during the fire at a construction site in Berlin's Charlottenburg district on Tuesday morning, outside the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications. The fire caused a temporary power outage on adjacent streets, and police are investigating the incident as a suspected arsonist attack. | A letter has since been sent to a number…

Harry Blain (2020-04-15). Why Did Our Permanent Emergency Government Fail to Face the Emergency? counterpunch.org Between 1978 and 2018, American presidents declared 58 national emergencies. Their targets ranged from "Transactions with Terrorists Who Threaten to Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process" and "Transactions with Significant Narcotics Traffickers" to "the Anchorage and Movement of Vessels with Respect to Cuba" and "Persons Undermining Democratic Processes or Institutions in Zimbabwe." By the time

Kanoh Nishizawa (2020-04-15). The Coming Revolt – and the peaceful solidarity for a Just World Society. indybay.org As capitalism gets exposed for its savagery, there will be tumult, and revolt of the oppressed. In this new environment, we should express peaceful solidarity if we want a chance at a Just World Society.

WSWS (2020-04-15). Garment workers protest in Bangladesh as COVID-19 spreads. wsws.org Employers have shuttered the plants, sacking thousands of workers and refusing to pay outstanding wages.

sputniknews (2020-04-15). Police Baton Charge in Indian State to Quell Protest Over COVID-19 Patients' Cremation — Video. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India is under its second spell of lockdown due to the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. The country has witnessed over 370 deaths due to the deadly contagious virus so far.

Alan Macleod (2020-04-15). As One of the Largest Bailouts in History Looms, "Crisis-Ridden" Corporations Reap Record Profits. mintpressnews.com Hospitals overflowing with sick and dying patients. Overworked staff risking their lives wearing garbage bags as makeshift protective equipment against an invisible but deadly virus. Refrigerated containers left outside medical facilities, filling with the dead. Mass graves being dug in the city. It is like something out of a horror movie. But it is very real and is happening right now in America. "We are doing the best we can," Derrick Smith, a certified registered nurse anesthetist in New York City

Alan Macleod (2020-04-15). GOP Tax Cuts in Coronavirus Relief Bill Give 82% of Benefits to Millionaires and Billionaires. mintpressnews.com A new report suggests that a tax cut quietly inserted into the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act will add almost $170 billion to the deficit over the next ten years and overwhelmingly benefit the ultra-wealthy.

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2020-04-15). American Politics Without Sanders. counterpunch.org The decision of Senator Bernie Sanders to withdraw from the Democratic presidential contest is a blow to the prospects of democracy in America. For several years, but especially since 2016, Sanders has been talking of the need for political revolution, by which he means: (1) revitalize democratic institutions and the economy by taxing the rich and closing

RT (2020-04-15). Should Biden create his own 'SHADOW GOVT, shadow cabinet, shadow SWAT team' to counter Trump… asks MSNBC host. rt.com MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle went beyond the point of shilling for Joe Biden by asking whether the former vice president should set up a "shadow government" to counter Donald Trump's coronavirus daily briefings. | Biden may be riding the momentum of endorsements from previous competitors Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as from former President Barack Obama, but one MSNBC host thinks he needs to do more to "counter-program" Trump during the Covid-19 pandemic. | "Should he be creating his own shadow government, shadow cabinet, shadow SWAT team, and getting up there on a podium every night saying, 'here's…

RT (2020-04-15). Elizabeth Warren officially endorses Democrat Joe Biden for 2020 election. rt.com Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has joined former President Barack Obama and fellow ex-candidate Bernie Sanders in throwing her support behind Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for the 2020 election. | "In this moment of crisis, it's more important than ever that the next president restores Americans' faith in good, effective government," Warren tweeted on Wednesday morning in her endorsement of Biden. | The senator also tweeted out a video of her talking up Biden's commitment to "public service" and "empathy," admitting she does not agree with the former vice president "100 percent of…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-04-15). WATCH: Sanders to Hold Livestream Discussion on Future of US Economy. commondreams.org Sen. Bernie Sanders will be joined by labor rights advocates and progressive economists Wednesday night for a livestream on the future of the U.S. economy after the coronavirus pandemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-6733707742_0.jpg …

South Front (2020-04-15). Video: Turkish Forces Clash with Their Own Proxies on M4 Highway in Southern Idlib. globalresearch.ca On April 13, the Turkish Army and its proxies from the so-called Free Syrian Police clashed with supporters of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other radical Idlib groups east of the town of Nayrab on the M4 highway. | According to sources …

Lucas Koerner (2020-04-15). Corporate Media Cover for US Mob Threats Against Venezuela. fair.org The Trump administration unveiled on March 31 a "democratic transition" plan to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from office, in favor of a "council of state" composed of both opposition and ruling party loyalists. | The plan was, however, less an offer to negotiate than a diktat, with the US State Department ( Despite the obvious mafioso over…

Staff (2020-04-15). Trump Cuts Funds for World Health Org as Oxfam Warns Pandemic Could Push Half a Billion into Poverty. democracynow.org As the confirmed cases of coronavirus surpass 2 million around the world, President Donald Trump says he will cut U.S. support for the World Health Organization. Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet medical journal, called it a "crime against humanity." Oxfam America said the cuts slash "any hopes for the responsible international cooperation and solidarity that is critical to save lives and restore the global economy." This comes as a new Oxfam report estimates the pandemic's economic fallout could push more than half a billion more people into poverty. We get response from Paul O'Brien, vice president…

Staff (2020-04-15). "I Want an Apology": Black Doctor Who Tests Homeless for Coronavirus Handcuffed by Miami Police. democracynow.org We speak with Dr. Armen Henderson, an African-American doctor who was handcuffed and detained outside his home Friday as he was wearing a mask and preparing for a volunteer shift to test homeless people for COVID-19. "I want the officer held accountable. There's no way that you racially profile me and then you arrest me, detain me, during a pandemic, when you have no mask on, where hundreds of police officers throughout Miami-Dade County have tested positive," says Dr. Henderson, who is an internal medicine physician, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Miami and an organizer with Dream Defenders…

Staff (2020-04-15). Headlines for April 15, 2020. democracynow.org Lancet Editor Calls Trump's WHO Funding Freeze a "Crime Against Humanity", NYC Coronavirus Toll Tops 10,000 as Thousands of Uncounted Deaths Added, Health Official Says COVID-19 May Be Present in All New Jersey Nursing Homes , California Governor Outlines Roadmap for Easing Coronavirus Lockdown, Florida Governor Declares Pro Wrestling an "Essential Service" Amid Lockdown, Pandemic to Increase U.S. Budget Deficit to World War II Levels, IMF Warns Global Economy Faces Worst Downturn Since Great Depression, Indian PM Modi Cracks Down on Political Opponents Amid Coronavirus Lockdown, Scientists Warn 400,000 Will Die…

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-04-15). Woody's Wicked Levity and Wicked-er Gravity. counterpunch.org "I ought to join a club and beat you over the head with it, [but] I would not belong to a club that would have me as a member." — Two Groucho Marx cracks joined together A few decades ago I lived in low-rent East Hollywood among junkies, assorted burn-outs, and people playing extras —

Stephen Lendman (2020-04-15). Corruption at the WHO. Trump Regime COVID-19 Blame Game Diverts Attention from Its Own Failings. globalresearch.ca Trump is the latest in a long line of US leaders and other key officials who time and again blame others for their own harmful actions and failings. | On Tuesday, Trump directed his blame game at the World Health Organization …

Robert Hunziker (2020-04-15). Abrupt Ecosystem Collapse. counterpunch.org A new study in Nature (April 2020) casts a disturbing light on the prospects of abrupt ecosystem collapse. The report analyzes the probabilities of collapsing ecosystems en masse, and not simply the loss of individual species. (Source: Trisos, C.H. et al, The Projected Timing of Abrupt Ecological Disruption From Climate Change, Nature, April 8, 2020)

RT (2020-04-15). Digital Coronavirus commuting chaos in Moscow: Metro sees long lines as motorists face 5km tailbacks. rt.com The particular type of Western Twitter user who believes Russia's IT savvy can hack elections anywhere —and rule the world remotely— will be astonished that the roll-out of Moscow's new digital pass hasn't been very smooth. | As of Wednesday, every Muscovite using public or private transport is required to have a pass, obtained online; all part of the city's bid to fight the spread of Covid-19 by preventing non-essential journeys. In theory, the system was supposed to reduce crowds. Sadly, on the first day of the scheme, the reality was quite different. | Social media was full of pictures of queues…

RT (2020-04-15). Kremlin rejects criticism as China calls Russia its 'largest source of imported coronavirus cases'. rt.com The Kremlin has rejected criticism of Russia's handling of the coronavirus outbreak after China said its largest source of imported cases had come from transmissions in the far northeast, bordering Russia. "We hear that there is now an exchange of criticism over coronavirus between different countries, which is played like ping pong. We consider this to be a thankless exercise," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday. | Beijing's Global Times newspaper said in an editorial on April 13: "The Chinese people have watched Russia become a severely affected country from one that did a great job. This sh…

RT (2020-04-15). Fox News reporter generously adds N. Korea and 'maybe Russia' as intended audience of Pentagon's B-52 'elephant walk' in Guam. rt.com A show of force by the US on its Pacific island of Guam this week was a message to 'China, North Korea and maybe Russia,' a sharp Fox News reporter covering Pentagon news noted. Too bad his own channel doesn't agree.

RT (2020-04-15). Putin promises strong support for Russian businesses hurt by coronavirus crisis. rt.com Russia's President Vladimir Putin has suggested new measures to support small and medium-sized businesses by providing them with funds to continue paying salaries to employees instead of laying them off amid the Covid-19 pandemic. | During a meeting with the members of the government on Wednesday, Putin proposed adding the hardest-hit non-food companies to the list of small and medium-sized businesses. | The president said that, starting from May 18, companies that retained at least 90 percent of their employees will receive salary funds from the state. Support will be calculated based on the total number of e…

RT (2020-04-15). Resistance loses it as Trump offers extra US ventilators to RUSSIA to help with Covid-19. rt.com Arguing the US was so well supplied with ventilators to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, President Donald Trump said he will send spares to other hard-hit places such as Russia, immediately triggering his critics. | "I think Russia is going to need ventilators. They're having a hard time in Moscow. We're going to help them," Trump said on Wednesday, during the daily press conference in the White House garden. | The online Resistance — die-hard believers in the conspiracy theory that Trump colluded with Russia in the 2016 US presidential election, pushed for years by the Democrats and the mainstream med…

RT (2020-04-15). Express delivery! Speed skating world champ Pavel Kulizhnikov signs up as volunteer to deliver meals during coronavirus lockdown. rt.com Five-time speed skating world champion Pavel Kulizhikov has put his speedy qualities to good use during the coronavirus pandemic, as a delivery man. | Russia's Kulizhnikov has swapped the rink for the road as he has become a volunteer delivery man, helping transport meals and essential items to elderly people across Moscow who are unable to leave their homes to get food and basic necessities from nearby shops. | Read more | | Kulizhnikov's volunteer work…

RT (2020-04-15). Russian city inside Arctic Circle to use ELECTRONIC TAGS to track coronavirus patients. rt.com Like many countries, Russia is finding it hard to convince everyone to stay at home during this pandemic. Now one northern city has come up with a drastic solution, one normally more associated with prisoners on temporary release. | In Murmansk, just 108km from Russia's border with Norway, local authorities have decided to spend 1,479,000 rubles ($20,000) on 120 electronic tracking bracelets to make sure infected patients don't leave their homes. The tags will facilitate "remote monitoring of patient compliance," enabling officials to see when the rules are being broken. The region's eponymous capital is the l…

RT (2020-04-15). Russia reports 3,388 new coronavirus cases, overall nationwide tally stands at 24,490. rt.com The coronavirus case count in Russia has grown by 3,388 over the past day to 24,490 in 84 regions, the crisis center said on Wednesday. | The Altai Republic remains the only Russian region which has not been affected by the virus. A total of 1,986 people have recovered from the disease and 198 people have died, TASS reports. | Moscow has confirmed 1,774 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the official count in the Russian capital to 14,776. New cases of the disease have been recorded in 64 other regions, including in the Moscow Region (272), the Murmansk Region (137), St. Petersburg (130), the Leningrad Region (108),…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-04-15). Trump Treasury tells banks they can seize your $1,200 check. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Got plans for that $1,200 federal check you're going to get from the $2.2 trillion economic stimulus law? Think again. That's because, in a webinar last week, top Trump Treasury officials gave the nation's big banks permission to go ahead and seize the electronically sent checks, or parts of them, if your account is overdrawn. …

RT (2020-04-15). Covid-19 pandemic tops 2 MILLION cases worldwide — AFP tally. rt.com More than two million people have contracted Covid-19 globally since the lethal outbreak began last December, passing another dark milestone as the World Health Organization is pulled into a war of words between the US and China. | The worldwide coronavirus case count now sits at over two million, the latest figures from AFP showed on Wednesday. More than half of the number relates to outbreaks in European nations, but globally the single worst-hit country is the United States, with almost 610,000 identified Covid-19 patients and over 26,000 deaths recorded, according to Johns Hopkins University. | As the pand…

RT (2020-04-15). 'Now is not the time!' UN chief says WHO is 'critical' in global war against Covid-19 as US cuts funding to probe its 'China ties'. rt.com The United Nations has urged continued support for the World Health Organization (WHO) as countries around the globe battle the coronavirus pandemic, just hours after US President Donald Trump froze American funding to the agency. | The WHO and its thousands of staff are fighting the health crisis on the front lines, supporting the most vulnerable nations with "concrete life-saving services," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in a It is my belief…

RT (2020-04-15). US cutting WHO funding will 'undermine' intl efforts against pandemic at 'critical moment' — Beijing. rt.com Beijing has blasted US President Donald Trump for cutting funds for the World Health Organization (WHO), warning it would have serious implications for the global Covid-19 response. | Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, said the battle against coronavirus is now "at a critical moment," AFP reports. The US decision to withdraw funding from the WHO will "undermine the international cooperation against the epidemic," which makes China "seriously concerned." | Zhao added that China is urging "the United States to earnestly fulfill their responsibilities and obligations, and support the WHO-led internationa…

RT (2020-04-15). Facebook constructs bot-based universe to test out scenarios for manipulating humans, but don't worry, it's safe. rt.com Facebook has debuted a "web-enabled simulation" in which a population of bots it has created based on real users can duke it out – supposedly to help the platform deal with bad actors. But it's not totally isolated from reality. | The social media behemoth's new playpen for malevolent bots and their simulated victims is described in a company paper

Mark Gruenberg (2020-04-15). Obama, Sanders, and Warren back Biden: 'Lives and democracy at stake'. peoplesworld.org …

RT (2020-04-15). Oh, what now!? Newfound asteroid the size of a house will fly by Earth on Wednesday. rt.com NASA's asteroid defense network has warned of an impending close flyby of a space rock about the size of a house, which will zip past the Earth just inside the orbit of the moon on Wednesday. | Asteroid 2020 GH2 will

RT (2020-04-15). 'Dangerous & harassing'? WATCH Iranian boats buzz US Navy vessels 'patrolling' Persian Gulf. rt.com The United States Navy has accused the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps of threatening and "unsafe" actions, stating that IRGC vessels approached American warships conducting "maritime security" operations in the Persian Gulf. | Eleven Iranian vessels buzzed a number of American ships on Wednesday, the US Navy said in a statement, calling the maneuvers "harassing … dangerous and provocative." The US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, later published footage of the encounter, showing several smaller IRGC craft in close range to a US ship. | | © US Naval Forces Central Command / US 5th Fleet | | &copy…

RT (2020-04-15). Trump globally scolded for denying funds to WHO amid Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com Nations and medics around the world have blasted US President Donald Trump for defunding the UN's health agency over alleged pro-Chinese bias. Even the head of America's own Centers for Disease Control had kind words for the WHO. | The US leader accused the World Health Organization (WHO) of "severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus," claiming the agency conspired with Beijing to cover up the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic. Trump said American funding would be frozen pending a US investigation into his theory. | Withdrawing the money at a time when the disease is months from being…

RT (2020-04-15). More than half of French industry restarts after Covid-19 shutdown — Finance Ministry. rt.com A large part of France's economy "is functioning," according to Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who said that close to 60 percent of the country's industry has restarted after being shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. | Speaking on RTL radio on Wednesday, Le Maire said that the cost of the government's economic relief package had risen by €10 billion ($10.9 billion) from the previously announced €100 billion ($109.3 billion). | He also said that Air France-KLM will receive support in a "matter of days," as the carrier needs backing from the government because its planes are grounded. | Also o…

Johann Beckford (2020-04-15). The myth of British exceptionalism has driven the inept response to coronavirus. bright-green.org We are seemingly becoming used to dramatic and disturbing headlines on a daily basis during the coronavirus pandemic. Reported deaths in the UK from Covid-19 have risen to over 10,000, …

RT (2020-04-15). 'My child is not a guinea pig' petition gets thousands of signatures as Denmark re-opens schools amid Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com Denmark has made the decision to reopen schools for younger children after a month-long lockdown, becoming the first country in Europe to relax coronavirus restrictions on education. | Schools have been given new guidelines around limiting the number of children in classrooms and rearranging the desks two meters apart from each other. The measure was welcomed by some parents. Caroline, a 38-year-old mother of two, told AFP that she feels "really good about the kids going back to school." | However, others are still worried that the easing of restrictions may be coming too soon. A petition titled 'My child is n…

Eds. (2020-04-15). On social reproduction and the Covid-19 pandemic. mronline.org "This pandemic can, and should, be a moment when the left puts forward a concrete agenda for how to support life over profit in a way that will help us move beyond capitalism."

The Canary (2020-04-15). Pandemic fraud warning as two arrested over false Covid-19 test claims. thecanary.co The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is increasingly being used as "a hook to commit fraud", a senior investigator has warned.Director general of the National Economic Crime Centre Graeme Biggar expects to see an increase in scams amid the Covid-19 outbreak and said that individuals and businesses need to be prepared.He spoke out as the National Crime Agency said it had arrested two people on suspicion of illegally selling tests for the virus.A 46-year-old pharmacist from Croydon, south London, was arrested under the Fraud Act on Saturday after he allegedly made false and misleading claims about the tests.Officers…