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2020-03-31: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Growing protests in US immigrant detention centers over coronavirus pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-31
Detainees have stepped up their protests against unsanitary conditions over the very real fear of coronavirus spreading rapidly through the vast immigration detention network in the US.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/31/immi-m31.html

Workers strike over safety failures; progressives hatch plans for next stimulus
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2020-03-31
WASHINGTON–From Sara Nelson to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, from the Economic Policy Institute to the Congressional Progressive Caucus, progressive leaders and groups are hatching ambitious plans for measures they insist should be in the government's next economic stimulus bill to deal with the coronavirus pandemic's impact. And this time, they declare they won't accept a business-heavy measure …
peoplesworld.org/article/workers-strike-over-safety-failures-progressives-hatch-plans-for-next-stimulus/

Amnesty International USA and LIRS launch "Hope Can't Be Quarantined" campaign to help immigrants and asylum-seekers held in detention during the COVID-19 crisis
commondreams.org | 2020-03-31
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2020/03/31/amnesty-international-usa-and-lirs-launch-hope-cant-be-quarantined-campaign-help?cd-origin=rss

Many immigrants left out of pandemic aid acts
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-31
San José, CA – Many immigrants won't be able to get help from the bipartisan COVID-19 pandemic aid bills passed by Congress and signed by President Trump. More than 4 million undocumented immigrants who are paying taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or ITIN, will not qualify for the $1200 per person benefit because they have no Social Security number. Another 5 million American citizen children with undocumented parents also will not get the $500 per child benefit. | Legal immigrants and naturalized citizens tend to have lower incomes than native-born Americans. People whose income is low en…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/3/31/many-immigrants-left-out-pandemic-aid-acts

Barbaric Decisions: Coronavirus, Refusing Bail and Julian Assange
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-31
"To expose another human being to serious illness, and to the threat of losing their life, is grotesque and quite unnecessary. This is not justice, it is a barbaric decision."

Brazil's ex-President Lula on Venezuela: Maduro is democratic, Guaidó should be in prison, US blockade kills civilians
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-31
In comments ignored by English language media, Lula da Silva slammed the US coup attempt against Venezuela, calling Nicolás Maduro…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/30/brazil-lula-maduro-guaido-us-blockade/

Southcom boosts US military presence in Latin America, citing China, Russia 'threats'
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-31
Southern Command is ramping up the US military presence in Latin America to counter China, Russia, and Venezuela, after signing…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/30/southcom-latin-america-china-russia-threats-brazil/

Brazil's ex-President Lula on Venezuela: Maduro is democratic, Guaidó should be in prison, US blockade kills civilians
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-31
In comments ignored by English-language media, Lula da Silva slammed the US coup attempt against Venezuela, calling Nicolás Maduro a…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/30/brazil-lula-maduro-guaido-us-blockade/

Trump's Mass Negligent Homicide Doesn't Let Democratic Leaders Off the Hook
Norman Solomon | indybay.org | 2020-03-31
Failures of leadership in a time of coronavirus…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/30/18831943.php

Growing xenophobia against China in the midst of CoronaShock
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2020-03-31
Violent attacks against Asians in the United States has spiked as a consequence of the stigma driven by the Trump administration.
mronline.org/2020/03/30/growing-xenophobia-against-china-in-the-midst-of-coronashock/

Our nativist freakout about China hides the real origin of the coronavirus. It's political, global, and made in the USA
Yasha Levine | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-31
We're facing something that's more difficult than a medical emergency. We're facing a political fight against the most powerful corporations…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/30/china-origin-coronavirus-political-global-usa/

Corporate coronavirus bailout threatens prolonged economic pain
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-31
Without a New Deal-style public works program, the coronavirus pandemic threatens major economic damage. The coronavirus pandemic has left millions…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/31/corporate-coronavirus-bailout-threatens-prolonged-economic-pain/

Peace is the New Priority for Planet Earth after CoVid19 Crisis
DLI | indybay.org | 2020-03-31
For decades Peace activists have been clamoring that the misplaced US priority on Militarism (wasting Trillions of dollars and narrowly focusing on imagined foreign enemies and/or real terrorists spawned by US policies) will decisively harm the health of citizens and the Planet itself. Sadly, 60 years after President Eisenhower warned of the danger of the Military Industrial Complex overshadowing the health and welfare of our society, the Peace agenda is still being sidelined to near extinction, both by the political ruling elite of Pentagon-Wall Street hucksters, and the compliant mainstream media outlets.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/29/18831925.php

How disinformation really works: Activists linked to pro-NATO think tank smear Russian Covid-19 aid to Italy
rt.com | 2020-03-31
With over 11,000 deaths and more than 100,000 cases of Covid-19, Italy is currently a country which feels under siege. But this is no impediment to the think tank racket twisting an offer of support for its propaganda purposes. | Here's what happened. The weekend before last, Vladimir Putin called Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. During the conversation, Conte asked for help, in fighting coronavirus, according to the Kremlin readout which hasn't been contradicted by Italian officials. | Let's be clear from the outset, there was undoubtably a strong PR, as well as practical, element to Russia's assistance…
rt.com/news/484593-disinformation-russian-aid-italy-covid/

Coronacrazy? Quarantined rapper cheers as his German shepherd GNAWS on retriever in sickening livestream (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-03-31
A popular Russian rapper with a long record of controversy has added apparent animal abuse to his list of sins. He livestreamed his dog attacking someone else's pet, cheering it on and asking viewers if they wanted more action. | Animal rights activists in Russia are after the blood of Aleksey Dolmatov, better known by his stage name Guf. The 40-year-old is a veteran award-winning performer, but lately it's his erratic behavior rather than his music that has been making headlines. | On Monday, Guf seemingly hit a new low as he was walking his German shepherd named Gucci near his country house. In a livestream…
rt.com/russia/484592-russian-rapper-animal-cruelty/

UN Regrets Lack of Progress in Middle East Peace
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-31
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov on Monday said he regretted the lack of progress on the ground, expressing concern over Israeli settlements and its plans to annex Palestinian land. | RELATED: | Palestinian Shoemaker Starts West Bank's Mask Factory Overnight | The expansion of Israeli settlements continues to pose a significant obstacle to achieving a viable two-state solution, Mladenov told the Security Council via video teleconference…
telesurenglish.net/news/UN-Regrets-Lack-of-Progress-in-Middle-East-Peace-20200331-0003.html

Right-Wing Media Joined Trump in Enabling Health Disaster
Karl Grossman | fair.org | 2020-03-31
"If Hitler succeeds in pointing the way of peace and order and an ethical development which has been destroyed throughout the world by war, he will have accomplished a measure of good not only for his own people but for all humanity."–William Randolph Hearst (New York Times, 8/23/1934) | The downplaying of the coronavirus by the right-wing press in the United States was preceded decades ago by the media owned by William Randolph Hearst enabling a different sort of toxicity by promoting a positive image of Nazism in the US.
fair.org/home/right-wing-media-joined-trump-in-enabling-health-disaster/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=right-wing-media-joined-trump-in-enabling-health-disaster

Bob Dylan's Midnight Message to JFK's Ghost
Edward Curtin | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-31
For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak with most miraculous organ.

As the Covid-19 Crisis Deepens, Grassroots Organizers Take Action
Sasha Abramsky | thenation.com | 2020-03-31
As the Covid-19 Crisis Deepens, Grassroots Organizers Take Action…
thenation.com/article/society/coronavirus-protest-organizing-trump/

Watsonville Community Hospital Nurses to Hold Shift Change Actions To Demand Protections When Treating Patients With COVID-19
California Nurses Association | indybay.org | 2020-03-31
To protest the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and preparedness for frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, registered nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital will hold a silent vigil and solidarity stand on Monday, March 30, 2020. Registered nurses are calling on Watsonville Community Hospital to reverse its decision to weaken personal protective equipment standards and cancel staff rather than preparing for a surge of COVID-19 patients.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/30/18831945.php

Amazon warehouse workers describe unsafe conditions and discuss forming workplace committees
wsws.org | 2020-03-31
Workers at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island, New York announced yesterday that they plan to walk out today to protest the prevailing conditions.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/31/amzn-m31.html

We've Met the Enemy and It's a Tiny Virus
Dave Lindorff | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-31
Over the course of just a couple of days last week, the backbone of the US Navy's Pacific fleet has just been shut down for the next month. The enemy that managed to cause this sudden surprise unilateral disarmament of the mighty US Navy's Pacific Fleet was not Russian or Chinese cyber hackers or a…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/31/weve-met-the-enemy-and-its-a-tiny-virus/

Nearly 1/3 of US Doctors are Foreign-Born, on Pandemic Front Lines
Juan Cole | zcomm.org | 2020-03-31
It turns out we need those foreigners after all, despite what Trump thinks…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/nearly-1-3-of-us-doctors-are-foreign-born-on-pandemic-front-lines/

Already Faced with Famine and War, Yemenis Fear Saudi Arabia is Weaponizing COVID-19
Ahmed Abdulkareem | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-31
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Saudi Arabia has engaged in a number of questionable practices that have Yemenis fearing the Kingdom may be intentionally trying to spread the virus.
mintpressnews.com/yemen-fear-saudi-arabia-weaponizing-coronavirus/266257/

Has America Reached Its Endgame in Afghanistan?
M. K. Bhadrakumar | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-31
In an extraordinary statement titled "On the Political Impasse in Afghanistan," Washington has admitted to the failure of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's mission to Kabul on March 23, which was taken up to heal the political rift among Afghan politicians and to urge them to form an inclusive government so as to implement the…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/31/has-america-reached-its-endgame-in-afghanistan/

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed: Communities Enduring Racism & Poverty Will Suffer Most Due to COVID-19
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-31
As the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States tops 3,100, states are demanding ventilators and medical supplies. Michigan is a growing hot spot and struggling to prepare for a surge in cases, but President Trump has repeatedly attacked Michigan's governor, calling her "that woman." We speak with the former director of the Detroit Health Department, Abdul El-Sayed. He's a physician and epidemiologist, and his new book is just out today, "Healing Politics: A Doctor's Journey into the Heart of Our Political Epidemic." His recent piece for The Guardian is headlined "Coronavirus is exploiting an underlying…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/31/abul_el_sayed_epidemic_of_insecurity

Attempted coup & assassinations: Venezuelan prosecutors subpoena Guaido as 'among main perpetrators' in US-backed regime-change op
rt.com | 2020-03-31
Venezuela's prosecutors have summoned Juan Guaido over his role in the "attempted coup d'etat," as well as in alleged assassination attempts. Guaido is the main figure in US-backed efforts to oust President Nicolas Maduro. | The move was announced by Attorney General Tarek William Saab on Tuesday in a televised speech. The official described Guaido as "one of the main perpetrators" of a "new" attempted coup. | The move comes after a cache of weaponry, said to be smuggled into Venezuela, was seized in neighboring Co…
rt.com/news/484602-coup-assassinations-venezuela-guaido/

Trump's narcoterrorism indictment of Maduro already backfires
Leonardo Flores | mronline.org | 2020-03-31
Among those indicted by the U.S. was Cliver Alcalá, a retired general who is considered the military leader of the pro-Juan Guaidó forces. Soon, Alcalá posted videos that threaten to cause further splits in the opposition and could result in the arrest of Guaidó.
mronline.org/2020/03/31/trumps-narcoterrorism-indictment-of-maduro-already-backfires/

Out of the Coronavirus Crisis Can Come Efficient Historic Changes for Justice
Ralph Nader | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-31
Many of us have heard that the Chinese character for "crisis" is also the character for "opportunity." During the coronavirus crisis, we have a duty to apply political solutions and emerge much superior than before the pandemic struck an unready country. The time for serious civic reforms is now! Here are five fundamental opportunities for…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/31/out-of-the-coronavirus-crisis-can-come-efficient-historic-changes-for-justice/

IYSSE (Australia) online lecture tonight 7pm on the contemporary significance of the Russian Revolution
wsws.org | 2020-03-31
WSWS writer Nick Beams will explain the necessity to turn to the socialist and internationalist perspective of the Russian Revolution, amid the crisis of world capitalism triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/31/iyss-m31.html

Meet the Americans Studying Medicine on the Cuban Government's Dime
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-31
The Cuban government has been paying Americans through a little known program to study medicine in order to return to the United States and serve underprivileged communities.
mintpressnews.com/meet-americans-studying-medical-school-cuba/266223/

One Quarter of the World's Population is Under US Sanctions
Alan MacLeod | zcomm.org | 2020-03-31
Eight countries, representing around one-quarter of all humanity, say that Washington's actions are undermining their response to the COVID–19 pandemic sweeping the planet.
zcomm.org/znetarticle/one-quarter-of-the-worlds-population-is-under-us-sanctions/

Coronavirus Makes It More Clear Than Ever: Health Care Is a Human Right
Jesse Jackson | commondreams.org | 2020-03-31
Nurses and doctors rallying for Medicare for All in Chicago over the weekend outside the annual gathering of the American Medical Association which currently opposes the plan to make healthcare coverage in the United States available to all. (Photo: National Nurses United/flickr/cc | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/medicare_for_all_12_0_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2020/03/31/coronavirus-makes-it-more-clear-ever-health-care-human-right?cd-origin=rss

COVID-19 proves workers, not bosses, are essential
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-03-31
The Marxist argument that it's the labour of workers, and not the supposed intelligence and entrepreneurial spirit of bosses, that keeps society running, has long been ridiculed by defenders of capitalism. In the conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the truth of Marx's claim has been brought into sharp relief.
mronline.org/2020/03/31/covid-19-proves-workers-not-bosses-are-essential/

Trump's Chernobyl Moment: the US May Lose Its Status as World Superpower and Not Recover
Patrick Cockburn | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-31
The US may be reaching its "Chernobyl moment" as it fails to lead in combating the coronavirus epidemic. As with the nuclear accident in the Soviet Union in 1986, a cataclysm is exposing systemic failings that have already weakened US hegemony in the world. Whatever the outcome of the pandemic, nobody is today looking to…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/31/trumps-chernobyl-moment-the-us-may-lose-its-status-as-world-superpower-and-not-recover/

Corona is More Than a Health Disaster: It's a Human Calamity
Peter Koenig | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-31
The New York Times of March 20, asks rhetorically: "Is Our Fight Against Coronavirus Worse Than the Disease?" The coronavirus, known as COVID-19, was declared a pandemic by WHO's Director General, Dr. Tedros, on 30 January 2020, when outside of China there were only 150 WHO-registered infections. This declaration as a pandemic

Thousands of S. Korean workers go on unpaid leave as Seoul, Washington fail to agree on military costs
rt.com | 2020-03-31
Seoul on Tuesday criticized the US military's decision to place thousands of South Korean workers on unpaid leave this week, after the two allies failed to sign a new cost-sharing agreement. Washington and Seoul are embroiled in a dispute dating back almost two years, over how much each should pay to support the roughly 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea. | With no new pact months after the last agreement expired at the end of 2019, about half of the nearly 9,000 South Koreans employed by the US military command will be placed on unpaid leave starting on Wednesday, Reuters said. US officials have said t…
rt.com/newsline/484599-korea-workers-military-costs/

Why is the U.S. so Exceptionally Vulnerable to Covid-19?
Nicolas J S Davies | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-31
The United States has become the new center of the global coronavirus pandemic, with over 80,000 cases, more than China or Italy. More than a thousand Americans have already died, but this is surely only the very beginning of this deadly collision between the U.S.'s exceptionally inadequate public healthcare system and a real pandemic. On the other hand, China and South Korea, which both have universal public health systems that…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/31/why-is-the-u-s-so-exceptionally-vulnerable-to-covid-19/

Trump, Erdogan speak by phone, 'stress need' for ceasefires in Syria & Libya
rt.com | 2020-03-31
US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan underlined on Tuesday the need for ceasefires in Syria and Libya during the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said. The two spoke by phone on efforts to "defeat the virus and bolster the global economy," according to its statement. | They "agreed it is more important now than ever for countries in conflict, particularly Syria and Libya, to adhere to ceasefires and work toward resolution," it said. | Syria's government has so far reported only a handful of Covid-19 cases. Health experts warn that the country, torn apart by years of c…
rt.com/newsline/484616-trump-erdogan-syria-libya/

Russian dog owners offer pets for rent as excuse to walk outside despite Covid-19 'stay home' order
rt.com | 2020-03-31
The quarantine in Russia leaves people with few legit excuses to go out. Some dog owners are willing to rent their pets to restless clients, so that they could take a walk not be stopped by the police. | People in many parts of Russia, including the capital, are supposed to stay home to curb the spread of Covid-19. A handful of exceptions is made, including for dog owners who need to walk their pets, but even those are expected to keep the walks short and not stray further than 100 meters from their home. | The loophole creates an obvious temporary business opportunity. Want to have a pretext to be outside and…
rt.com/russia/484551-rent-dog-russia-coronavirus/

Great Lakes Coca-Cola Teamsters fight for safety measures and hazard pay
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-31
Milwaukee, WI – A wave of worker activity has sprung up in the past two weeks as the slow government and employer response to COVID-19 has thrown millions of workers into dangerous working conditions. Workers have organized petitions, walkouts and sickouts at dozens of workplaces this week, demanding safe working conditions and hazard pay for essential workers during the pandemic. | In response to the wave of worker activity, many companies have begun to offer hazard pay, increased time-off benefits and new safety measures. Warehouse and distribution workers on the frontlines have been leading workplace actions a…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/3/30/great-lakes-coca-cola-teamsters-fight-safety-measures-and-hazard-pay

Grad Students Continue Withholding Grades During Covid-19 Pandemic
Spread The Strike! | indybay.org | 2020-03-31
Email from graduate student to UCSC Chancellor and Executive Vice Chancellor on the day Winter quarter grades are due.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/30/18831944.php

FROM THE FIELD: Humanitarians on the frontline in COVID-19 fight
news.un.org | 2020-03-31
Humanitarian workers in developing countries are on the front lines and taking "urgent action" in the fight against the spread of the deadly new coronavirus, COVID-19, according to the United Nations.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060682

12yo girl dies of Covid-19 in Belgium, as country counts 700+ victims
rt.com | 2020-03-31
A 12-year-old girl has died of the coronavirus in Belgium, becoming the youngest person to succumb to the disease in the country, authorities have announced. The epidemic death toll has surpassed 700 in Belgium. | Losing the child to the disease is "an emotionally difficult moment" not only for the family, but also for medics and researchers," Belgian crisis-center coronavirus spokesman Emmanuel Andre said on Tuesday as he announced the death. | "We are thinking of her family and friends. It is an event that is very rare, but one which upsets us greatly," he added as cited by AP. | Belgium has identified 12,70…
rt.com/news/484564-12yo-girl-dies-covid19-belgium/

Global Covid-19 death toll hits 40,000 as countries continue to struggle with outbreak
rt.com | 2020-03-31
The latest coronavirus figures compiled separately by the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center and the AFP news agency each show that the global death toll from Covid-19 has reached 40,000. | An increasing death toll across both Western Europe and in the US was a major contributor to the somber milestone. | Earlier on Tuesday, Spanish authorities confirmed a jump of 849 in Covid-19 deaths

Neoliberalism is terminally ill–There can be no more 'business as usual'
Marc Vandepitte | peoplesworld.org | 2020-03-31
In terms of health, the coronavirus is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges in recent history. But it may also turn our economic system upside-down completely. It is already clear that in future we will look back on 2020 as a turning point, the beginning of a new era. COVID-19 is an unusually aggressive virus, …
peoplesworld.org/article/neoliberalism-is-terminally-ill-there-can-be-no-more-business-as-usual/

Do they really want to kill us?
Eric A. Gordon | peoplesworld.org | 2020-03-31
The American response to COVID-19 has taken a myriad of daily twists and turns. Last week, the buzz was all about getting us out of our sheltering in place and back to work. By Easter (April 12), the president expressed hopefully, we'd see the churches packed with people! My thought at the time was, migod, …
peoplesworld.org/article/do-they-really-want-to-kill-us/

Coronavirus hasn't stopped bombs falling in Yemen. And our government's complicit in death
Fréa Lockley | thecanary.co | 2020-03-31
On 30 March, airstrikes continued in Yemen. This came only five days after a promised ceasefire intended to help Yemen's healthcare system prepare for the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. But with the whole world in crisis, it's vital we don't forget that the UK is still complicit in arming devastating and destructive attacks on Yemen. | Crisis: | Saudi Arabia has been leading a brutal…
thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2020/03/31/coronavirus-hasnt-stopped-bombs-falling-in-yemen-and-our-governments-complicit-in-death/

Dutch Navy submarine aborts North Sea training mission due to Covid-19 outbreak on board
rt.com | 2020-03-31
A Dutch combat submarine was forced to cut its voyage short and quickly return home after several of its crew members tested positive for the Covid-19 disease. | The mission was aborted after 15 sailors on board the Walrus-class submarine HNLMS 'Dolfijn' showed flu-like symptoms. Eight of them later tested positive for Covid-19, the Dutch Defense Ministry said. | The outbreak was discovered when the submarine was on a training mission in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. The disease forced the vessel to cut its trip short and return to the Den Helder naval base two weeks earlier than planned. All of its…
rt.com/news/484576-dutch-submarine-coronavirus-outbreak/

World reaches another grim Covid-19 milestone as global cases surpass 800,000
rt.com | 2020-03-31
The number of cases of coronavirus infection around the world surpassed 800,000 confirmed cases on Tuesday, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. | At the time of writing the total number of coronavirus cases worldwide stood at 800,049 resulting in some 38,714 deaths. | Of this grim tally, the US accounts for 164,000 cases followed by Italy with 101,739 and Spain with 87,956, marking the three largest and most severe outbreaks within the wider, global pandemic. | Authorities the world over are preaching continued caution, as WHO experts in Asia warn that the pandemic in Asia is "far from…
rt.com/news/484573-global-covid-19-cases-800000/

Last Process: 50 Postees: 2020-03-31 23:39 GMT (19:39 EST)

2020-03-30: News Headlines

RT (2020-03-30). Tokyo could announce new Olympics date this week, organizers say. rt.com A decision on a new date for Japan's Olympics could come as early as this week, the president of the Tokyo organizing committee Yoshiro Mori said on Monday. The Games had been postponed because of a coronavirus pandemic. | Last week's decision was a huge blow to Japan, which invested $13 billion in the run-up to the Games. However, financial markets were initially cheered by the decision, with some investors having anticipated cancellation, Reuters said. | "We need to swiftly decide on the new date," Mori said at the start of a committee meeting, its first since the move to delay the Games. Mori added that he…

RT (2020-03-30). Iran's Covid-19 death toll reaches 2,757 with almost 41,500 identified cases. rt.com There are 41,495 Covid-19 cases in Iran, the country's health officials reported in the latest update. The death toll from the pandemic has reached 2,757 in the Islamic Republic, a nation hit hard by the viral disease.

RT (2020-03-30). Minister in one of Germany's wealthiest states commits suicide 'over coronavirus worries'. rt.com The finance minister in the German state of Hesse, Thomas Schaefer, has taken his own life. His colleagues said he was pushed over the edge by an inability to cope with the harsh economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. | Schaefer's body was discovered near the speed railway track line in the town of Hochheim am Main on Saturday. Prosecutors said that the cause of his death was most likely suicide. | "We are in shock; we are in disbelief and above all we are immensely sad," Volker Bouffier, head of the Hesse regional government, said of the passing of his close associate and fellow member of Angela Merkel'

RT (2020-03-30). Global number of Covid-19 cases smashes past 700,000. rt.com The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases around the world has soared past the 700,000 milestone, according to tallies carried out by Johns Hopkins University and the AFP news agency. | The total number of cases worldwide now stands at over 724,000, as several regional outbreaks have led to major spikes in the numbers, most notably in the United States. | Authorities in the US are now reporting upwards of 143,000 cases, followed by Italy with 97,600 and China, the original epicentre of the pandemic, with 82,000 cases. | As of early Monday, the total number of deaths from the disease now stands at 34,026. More tha…

The Canary (2020-03-30). Morrisons to give foodbanks £10m during coronavirus outbreak. thecanary.co Supermarket chain Morrisons is to give away £10m worth of goods to foodbanks across the country during the Covid-19 pandemic.David Potts, chief executive of Morrisons, said its bakery, egg and fruit & vegetable departments will run for an extra hour every day to make, prepare and pack food required to restock the services.It will also be sending deliveries of ambient food — such as canned goods and pasta — to local foodbanks via "community champions".The move comes after foodbanks across the UK were forced to close or reduce hours after the virus led to a decline in volunteers and a shortage in do…

The Canary (2020-03-30). City at centre of China's virus outbreak gradually revives. thecanary.co Shopkeepers in the city at the centre of the virus outbreak in China were reopening on Monday but customers were scarce after authorities lifted more of the anti-virus controls that kept tens of millions of people at home for two months."I'm so excited, I want to cry," said a woman in the Chuhe Hanjie pedestrian shopping area.She said she was a teacher in the eastern city of Nanjing visiting her family in Wuhan when the government locked down the city in late January to stem the spread of the coronavirus.Some 70% to 80% of shops on the retail street were open but many imposed limits on how many people could enter…

RT (2020-03-30). Beijing boasts 93% recovery rate & NO new cases in Hubei for sixth day after saying local Covid-19 spread 'STOPPED'. rt.com No new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in China's central Hubei Province and its capital Wuhan, where the outbreak originally began, the National Health Commission (NHC) told reporters during a press briefing on Monday. | Overall, 81,470 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in mainland China since the beginning of the outbreak, and 75,770 of them have subsequently recovered and were discharged from the hospitals, a health official said. This makes the recovery rate in the country close to 93 percent. | Chinese doctors have recorded 31 new cases and four deaths in the past 24 hours, with all but…

RT (2020-03-30). Twitter REMOVES posts by Brazil's Bolsonaro in crackdown on information that 'may increase risk' of Covid-19 spread. rt.com In an unprecedented move, Twitter has yanked two posts by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, in which he took aim at coronavirus lockdowns as part of his controversial campaign to avoid a shutdown of the economy. | Bolsonaro has become the first ever head of state to have his tweets censored by the platform under recently-updated guidelines, requiring users to remove content that defies "global or local health authorities recommendations" aimed at halting the spread of the deadly disease that has already taken hold in the Latin American country. | I could be mistaken but I'm pretty sure these two tweets from…

RT (2020-03-30). 'New way of life' in Iran likely to be prolonged — President Rouhani. rt.com The Iranian president has warned that "the new way of life" in Iran was likely to be prolonged. The Islamic republic is one of the countries worst-hit by the virus. "We must prepare to live with this virus until a treatment or vaccine is discovered, which has not yet happened to date," Hassan Rouhani said in a cabinet meeting on Sunday. "The new way of life we have adopted" is to everyone's benefit, he said, adding that "these changes will likely have to stay in place for some time." | After weeks of refraining from imposing lockdown or quarantine measures, Tehran decided on Wednesday to ban all intercity trav…

RT (2020-03-30). 'No such plan': Modi govt dismisses report it's considering extension of coronavirus lockdown beyond April 14. rt.com New Delhi has denied that it has been considering an extension of the 21-day lockdown for a week, with fears mounting that a massive migrant exodus is bound to undermine the effect of the measure. | India has been in a state of a complete lockdown since March 25, after Indian PM Narendra Modi announced sweeping restrictions on movement and ordered all non-essential commerce to shut down. | Public transport came to a screeching halt, with most states banning inter-state bus routes, railway lines and, in some cases, private transport, including buses and auto-rickshaws. While the measure was aimed at emptying th…

RT (2020-03-30). Germany sees coronavirus cases rise by 4,751 in one day as death toll nears 500. rt.com The number of Covid-19 cases in Germany has hit 57,298, with 4,751 more people testing positive for the virus, as well as 66 new deaths, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported on Monday. | The new data brings the total nationwide death toll from Covid-19 to 455, the RKI said. | Doctors have recorded 4,751 more cases over the past 24 hours, which is a slight increase from the 3,965 new cases reported on Sunday. | Germany still has a lower death rate from the coronavirus compared to Italy and France, where more than 10,700 and 2,600 people have died respectively. | The government had banned all public gatherin…

RT (2020-03-30). Covid-19 stretches NYC ambulances more than 9/11, exhausted FDNY lieutenant tells RT. rt.com First responders in coronavirus-stricken New York have to deal with record-breaking numbers of calls, a shortage of equipment and a constant fear of getting the virus and bringing it home to their loved ones. | The Covid-19 epidemic in America's largest city has stretched the resources of its ambulances service worse than on the day of the country's worst terrorist attack in 2001, Anthony Almojera, a Fire Department lieutenant and supervisor, told RT. | "In the last few days we've done over 44,000 calls. Just to give you some perspective, we normally do only about 4,000 calls a day," he explained. "9/11, which…

RT (2020-03-30). EasyJet grounds entire fleet as Covid-19 hammers global travel industry. rt.com UK budget carrier EasyJet said on Monday that it has parked its entire fleet after completing repatriation flights. The coronavirus health crisis is bringing the global travel industry to a halt. | According to the company, it has worked out an agreement with cabin crew, who will get 80 percent of their pay under a government program. EasyJet said it is looking for ways to increase its access to cash, adding that the company has a strong balance sheet and no maturities until 2022. | "We are in ongoing discussions with liquidity providers who recognize our strength of balance sheet and business model," said Eur…

RT (2020-03-30). Deteriorating economic conditions sink global stock markets. rt.com Stocks in Asia and Europe suffered fresh losses on Monday due to unrelenting pressure from the worsening global spread of Covid-19. The virus has already infected more than 724,000 people worldwide and caused 34,017 deaths. | Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped almost four percent at the opening, Hong Kong's Hang Sang Index slid 1.9 percent and China's Shanghai Composite fell about 1.4 percent. | All the European stocks also tanked in early trading, with shares in France off the most. The CAC 40 was down 2.6 percent while London's FTSE 100 nosedived two percent. Germany's DAX was lower by 1.5 percent and the pan-Europe…

RT (2020-03-30). North Korea says it used 'super-large multiple rocket launcher' in latest missile test. rt.com Pyongyang has confirmed it conducted yet another test of a new "super-large multiple rocket launcher" a day after Seoul reported that North Korea had fired two short-range missiles towards the Sea of Japan amid ongoing drills. | The launch, carried out early on Sunday morning, went off without a hitch, North Korean state media reported, saying that it was conducted to "verify strategic and technical characteristics" of the novel launcher, which has featured in a series of recent tests by the reclusive country. | It's unclear whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the drill to oversee the launch in pe…

RT (2020-03-30). Majority of new Covid-19 patients in Moscow are between 18 and 40 — disease response team. rt.com There were 212 new Covid-19 cases in Moscow over the past 24 hours, with 102 patients between the ages of 18 and 40, the city's disease response team said Monday. | Out of the newly recorded 212 cases in the Russian capital, 102 patients are between 18 and 40, and 58 are between 40 and 65. The health officials added that 17 patients are children. | The new cases include 43 people who recently returned from Europe. Moscow officials have earlier reported that a sizable portion of the confirmed Covid-19 patients were young people, with many of them undergoing artificial lung ventilation. | Also on rt.com | | <...

WSWS (2020-03-30). Trump administration and Mexican government collaborate to deny life-saving care to refugees with HIV. wsws.org HIV-positive immigrants seeking asylum in the United States, who face a growing shortage of key medication in Mexico to maintain their compromised immune systems, must now also contend with a growing coronavirus epidemic.

DLI (2020-03-30). Peace is the New Priority for Planet Earth after CoVid19 Crisis. indybay.org For decades Peace activists have been clamoring that the misplaced US priority on Militarism(wasting Trillions of dollars and narrowly focusing on imagined foreign enemies and/or real terrorists spawned by US policies)will decisively harm the health of citizens and the Planet itself. Sadly, 60 years after President Eisenhower warned of the danger of the Military Industrial Complex overshadowing the health and welfare of our society, the Peace agenda is still being sidelined to near extinction, both by the political ruling elite of Pentagon-Wall Street hucksters, and the compliant mainstream media outlets.

ADRIAN KUZMINSKI (2020-03-30). What's Wrong with Ranked Choice Voting. counterpunch.org An electoral reform popular with many political activists and commentators is ranked choice voting, also called cumulative or preferential voting. Instead of voting for just one candidate from a list, as we normally do, ranked choice voting allows each of us to vote for two or more candidates, ranking them respectively as first choice, second

WSWS (2020-03-30). China: COVID-19 hospital construction worker's protest blog goes viral before being deleted. wsws.org The worker described the wage theft and repressive conditions suffered by thousands of construction employees who build hospitals in Wuhan at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ted Rall (2020-03-30). My Dead French Grandfather Helped Me with COVID-19. counterpunch.org After my mother died on February 7th I gathered her valuables and photo albums drove home to New York. But there wasn't enough room in the car for everything I wanted to keep. There were tchotchkes like a silly white ceramic salt and pepper shaker in the shape of Arab kings. It wasn't my taste

Leonardo Flores (2020-03-30). Trump's Narcoterrorism Indictment of Maduro Already Backfires. zcomm.org The indictments are another brick in the foundation for a pretext for either a direct U.S. military invasion or a proxy war…

Paris Marx (2020-03-30). To Fix the Looming Supply Chain Crisis, Nationalize Amazon. zcomm.org Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic demands a novel solution: placing the e-commerce giant under public control…

WSWS (2020-03-30). The coronavirus pandemic and the perspective of socialism. wsws.org On Sunday, March 29, the World Socialist Web Site and the Socialist Equality Party held an online forum, "The COVID-19 pandemic: Capitalism and the making of a social and economic catastrophe."

WSWS (2020-03-30). Mehring Yayƒ±ncƒ±lƒ±k publishes Turkish-language edition of The struggle against imperialism and for workers' power in Iran. wsws.org First published by the WSWS in February 2018, The Struggle against Imperialism and for Workers' Power in Iran—A Reply to a Proponent of "Iranian Islamic Socialism" advances a socialist strategy for the working class in a country that has been the target of US imperialist aggression for decades.

Lawrence Wittner (2020-03-30). The World's Major Military and Economic Powers Find Happiness Elusive. counterpunch.org Long before the advent of the coronavirus pandemic left people around the world desperate for survival, a popular assumption emerged that national governments are also supposed to promote the happiness and well-being of their citizens. This idea was expressed in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed that governments are instituted to secure humanity's "unalienable

Seth Sandronsky (2020-03-30). Reclaiming Vacant Homes in the COVID-19 Pandemic. counterpunch.org There are homes without people. More visible are the people without homes. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March, homeless and housing insecure folks in the Los Angeles area moved into publicly owned vacant homes as politicians and public health experts told people to take precautions to avoid infection. One precaution was for people to stay

Cesar Chelala (2020-03-30). The New World of Coronavirus. counterpunch.org The tragedy of September 11, 2001, and the coronavirus pandemic have one thing in common: both caused a seismic change in the world. And that change, in general, is for the worse. The present pandemic has, and will have, negative effects on how people work, live, and use their free time. This huge public health

John G. Russell (2020-03-30). Racial Profiling Disorder: the All-American Pandemic. counterpunch.org Please, please help me. No, I don't want to put handcuffs on. No! Don't put handcuffs on! No, I want to stay in school, I just got here. Let go of me. No, please let me go…I don't wanna go in a police car. No, please give me a second chance! — Pleas of 6-year-old

By Lynda Carson (2020-03-30). Oakland passes coronavirus rent freeze & eviction ban. indybay.org Because of the coronavirus pandemic, on March 27, 2020, the Oakland City Council passed an emergency ordinance prohibiting landlords from evicting residential and commercial tenants. The emergency ordinance which includes a freeze on rents took effect immediately, and will last at least until May 31!

WSWS (2020-03-30). Australian governments pour billions more into big business as pandemic spreads. wsws.org The stark discrepancy between the "economic" and "health" packages epitomises the response of Australia's bipartisan "national cabinet."

WSWS (2020-03-30). Hungary's Orbán government seizes on coronavirus pandemic to establish dictatorship. wsws.org Following the declaration of a state of emergency on March 11, the country's parliament is to be effectively abolished with the introduction of an "Emergency Ordinance Act."

Marshall Auerback (2020-03-30). Washington Uses the Pandemic to Create a $2 Trillion Slush Fund for Its Cronies. counterpunch.org When historians look back on our current government's response to a public health emergency and resultant economic depression, there won't be many paeans to profiles in courage. It may seem impressive that Congress has approved legislation worth $2 trillion to help sustain the American economy, but it's no New Deal. Rather it's a massive economic slush fund

WSWS (2020-03-30). UK government sources speak of "blood on our hands" over coronavirus due to NHS cuts. wsws.org The Telegraph article makes clear the NHS was unable to deal with the outbreak of a pandemic because of the decade long and ongoing austerity programme designed to make the working class pay for the trillion-pound bailout of the banks in 2008.

WSWS (2020-03-30). Instacart workers in US begin nationwide walkout as Whole Foods workers plan sickout Tuesday. wsws.org Instacart workers vowed not to return to work until the company provides basic protections and improves compensation during the coronavirus pandemic, while Whole Foods workers plan a sickout tomorrow.

WSWS (2020-03-30). Japanese government planning attacks on democratic rights on pretext of pandemic. wsws.org Health experts are warning that Japan could see a wider COVID-19 outbreak, in part due to the complete lack of preparation by the Abe government.

WSWS (2020-03-30). Duterte reacts to COVID-19 with military repression. wsws.org The Duterte administration has responded to the pandemic not with the deployment of masks, testing and treatment, but heavily-armed military checkpoints, armored personnel carriers and police state repression.

Steve Early (2020-03-30). No Pandemic-Related Pause? zcomm.org VA Privatization Leaves Veterans Waist Deep in Another Big Muddy…

Peter van Agtmael, The Nation, The Magnum Foundation (2020-03-30). Working Behind the Scenes in the Pandemic. thenation.com Peter van Agtmael, The Nation, The Magnum Foundation Working Behind the Scenes in the Pandemic…

William Astore (2020-03-30). How My Dad Predicted the Decline of America. counterpunch.org My dad was born in 1917. Somehow, he survived the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1919, but an outbreak of whooping cough in 1923 claimed his baby sister, Clementina. One of my dad's first memories was seeing his sister's tiny white casket. Another sister was permanently marked by scarlet fever. In 1923, my dad was hit

WSWS (2020-03-30). Leading epidemiologist says Detroit is facing a coronavirus "tsunami" wsws.org The coronavirus pandemic is exploding in Detroit and surrounding communities as Michigan overtook Washington as the state with the fourth most confirmed cases of the infection.

Ella Baker Center (2020-03-30). As COVID-19 Reaches Santa Rita Jail, Decarceration Becomes More Urgent. indybay.org Oakland, CA — According to Alameda County jail officials, a nurse in Santa Rita Jail has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the first positive test in the jail. The positive case follows at least one confirmed exposure and several possible exposures at the jail by an arrestee and sheriff deputy. For the last two weeks, advocates with the Audit Ahern Coalition and healthcare labor unions have been calling for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office (ACSO), Alameda County District Attorney's Office, and Alameda County Board of Supervisors to reduce the risk of this pandemic for those incarcerated at Santa…

WSWS (2020-03-30). UN warns that COVID-19 pandemic could trigger global food shortage. wsws.org The hardest hit will be the world's most vulnerable people, including 300 million children who rely on school meals as their one reliable meal of the day.

National Lawyers Guild (2020-03-30). Know Your Rights during COVID-19 (Coronavirus). indybay.org While the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates public health measures to reduce the impact of the virus on our communities and health care systems, we must be vigilant and resist authoritarian and violent tendencies.

WSWS (2020-03-30). Four deaths over the weekend raise COVID-19 death toll among US autoworkers to nine. wsws.org The primary and immediate responsibility for these deaths lies with the Detroit automakers and their lackeys in the United Auto Workers, which conspired to keep workers on the line as long as possible during the pandemic, without even minimal sanitation and safety measures…

Ashar Foley (2020-03-30). COVID-19 Proves It: We Need Medicare-for-All. counterpunch.org For decades, critics of single-payer health care have raised the menace of rationed care, long waits, and "death panels." Now, in our collective national effort to "flatten the curve" — to slow the spread of coronavirus to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed — we are seeing all three of these rumored pitfalls of "socialized medicine"

Stephanie Kelton (2020-03-30). The "How Will You Pay For It?" Question Is Tossed in the Trash. zcomm.org Because the coronavirus is a threat to all of us — not just the poor — we are choosing to act in ways we always could have acted…

Arshad Khan, Meena Miriam Yust (2020-03-30). Dying Planet and a Virus Unleashed. counterpunch.org If the coronavirus is life-threatening, and the whole of the USA is in lockdown, the speed of its arrival and impact should at least remind us of the fragility of life — not just for our own species but on the planet itself. Of course, Donald Trump disbanded the White House's National Security Council Directorate

Yao Zhe & Wu Yixiu (2020-03-30). China must stimulate the economy sustainably after coronavirus. zcomm.org Government spending should incentivize consumption of public goods and services, not big infrastructure and heavy industry…

IWOC Oakland (2020-03-30). ACSO Requests $255M in New Funding; COVID-19 Reaches Santa Rita Without Plans in Place. indybay.org Just over a week into the "shelter in place" directive that is now statewide, COVID-19 has reached Santa Rita Jail. The County confirmed on March 26 that a nurse working in one of the jail's housing units has tested positive for the virus. In response, that pod as well as one other in Santa Rita were placed under quarantine on Friday, March 27. The second pod was quarantined allegedly in response to a case of pneumonia or other similar medical condition. All transportation of detainees between the jail and the federal courthouse has been suspended, according to a federal court notice. Community advocates warn tha…

Last Process: 50 Citations: 2020-03-30 13:56 GMT (09:56 EST)