Ralph Nader (2020-03-22). For America's Urgent Health and Safety, Trump Needs to Resign! commondreams.org U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus response while flanked by Vice President Mike Pence during a briefing with health insurers at the White House on March 10, 2020. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/emergency-declaration-covid.jpg …

Nozomi Hayase (2020-03-22). Assange's Extradition: An Escalation of the US War on Terror. commondreams.org Julian Assange supporters demonstrate outside of the Westminster Magistrates Court on November 18, 2019 in London. (Photo: Hollie Adams/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/free_assange_0_0.jpg …

Michael Galant (2020-03-22). 5 Key Demands: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Face of the Coronavirus. commondreams.org The coronavirus outbreak must be defeated in a way that moves us forward. (Image: CDC) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/coronavirus-1.png …

RT (2020-03-21). Iran & France conduct prisoner swap in 'act of mutual cooperation'. rt.com Iran and France carried out a prisoner swap on Friday, Tehran has confirmed. The Islamic Republic released a French academic, Roland Marchal, who was turned over to the French Embassy in Tehran. | Hours earlier, an Iranian engineer, Jalal Rohollahnejad, who was detained by France last year under a US extradition warrant, was freed by French authorities. | Iran had previously accused Paris of holding the Iranian national without due process. France made similar allegations regarding Tehran's detention of Marchal, with the issue straining bilateral relations. | A spokesman for the Iranian judiciary hailed the ex…

RT (2020-03-21). Birthday to forget: Brazil icon Ronaldinho turns 40 while languishing in Paraguayan jail… and could be there for 6 more months. rt.com Former Brazil and Barcelona icon Ronaldinho turned 40 on Saturday, but it will likely be a birthday the World Cup winner wants to forget as he remains in a Paraguayan prison. | Ronaldinho and his brother are still behind bars in a maximum security facility on the outskirts of Asuncion after being The ex-Barca star was warned could face at least 6 more months in jail while the case is resolved, after he had an appeal to be m…

RT (2020-03-21). Italy coronavirus death toll hits 4,825 as 793 die in ONE DAY in biggest daily increase. rt.com The death toll from the Covid-19 illness in Italy has nearly reached 5,000, as health authorities reported on Saturday that another 793 people have fallen victim to the coronavirus. | Saturday's staggering increase of nearly 20 percent is by far the largest daily rise since the outbreak began a month ago. | Officials announced that 4,825 people have died from the disease in the Mediterranean nation, which surpassed China to become the worst-hit country in the world on Thursday. | The total number of cases across Italy rose to 53,578, an increase of over 5,000 from a previous tally of 47,021. | The worst-affect…

RT (2020-03-21). Twice-daily health checks and no spectators allowed: World Chess Candidates grabs online audience as sports hit by coronavirus. rt.com With stringent coronavirus tests before and after each game, the World Chess Candidates has become an unlikely sensation as action-starved sports fans go online to watch the battle of minds in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg. | Eight potential challengers are duking it out for the right to challenge the world champion, Magnus Carlsen, and for a €500,000 (US$538,000) prize fund — but the start of the three-week contest has been overshadowed by fears of Covid-19, with two competitors from China facing 14-day quarantine periods before the event began, and at least one player dropping out in protest ove…

Caitlin A. Johnstone (2020-03-21). Liberal NPCs hate Russia, Conservative NPCs hate China. mronline.org The frenzied, shrieking hysteria I'm witnessing right now among Trump's base regarding China looks and moves in the exact same way the mental zombification of Russia hysteria looked and moved when it began tearing through rank-and-file Democrats in late 2016 and early 2017. The seething, screaming vitriol I get from the MAGA crowd on social […] |

RT (2020-03-21). Businesses reopening, people allowed to spend more time outside as China reports NO local Covid-19 cases for third day. rt.com China has marked its third consecutive day of no new local cases of coronavirus, as officials ease lockdown measures. The number of deaths in China from the disease has also slowed dramatically. | The positive development has coincided with the government's decision to relax strict quarantine policies put in place across the country. Even in Wuhan, the epicenter of the disease, officials said residents could spend more time outside. Local businesses were also allowed to re-open in communities and neighborhoods where there were no existing cases of the virus. | The rate of infection has been brought to a near s…

RT (2020-03-21). Italian crematoriums running out of space as MILITARY patrols enforce quarantine in world's DEADLIEST coronavirus hotspot (VIDEOS). rt.com With Italy taking China's place as the top Covid-19 epicenter, the country is struggling to keep up with the number of new deaths, as morgues quickly fill to capacity and the army has been called in to enforce a national lockdown.

RT (2020-03-21). Coronavirus death toll in Italy's Lombardy surpasses 3,000 as 546 more perish. rt.com The death toll from the Covid-19 illness in the worst hit Italian region of Lombardy has surpassed 3,000, as the latest statistics show that 546 more people have fallen victim to the virus. | The region in northern Italy has been ravaged by the disease, with more people dying in that area than any country in the world except China. Officials announced on Saturday that a total of 3,095 people have now died from the illness. | The shocking figures come hot on the heels of Italy announcing that it had recorded its worst day for Covid-19 deaths, when 627 people died across the country between Thursday and Friday.

RT (2020-03-21). 'US wasted precious time China has bought!' Beijing shreds Washington over 'racist' coronavirus rhetoric. rt.com Washington has passed off blame to Beijing for its own failures in addressing the Covid-19 outbreak, China's Foreign Ministry said, hitting back at the 'Chinese virus' rhetoric with the ironic term 'Trumpandemic.' | "Some people in the United States attempt to stigmatize China's fight against the epidemic and shirk its responsibility to China," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters on Friday, referring to the finger-pointing adopted by President Trump and other top officials (after weeks of US media outlets calling it the 'Chinese' and 'Wuhan' virus). | This practice ignores the huge sacrifi…

RT (2020-03-21). China's Yutu-2 rover sets off for UNEXPLORED areas as Chang'e 4 mission reawakens on far side of Moon. rt.com Far, far away from coronavirus worries, China's Yutu-2 lunar rover and Chang'e-4 spacecraft have whirred back to life on the far side of the Moon, with the intrepid rover boldly setting off for unexplored areas. | After powering down while the Moon was hidden from the Sun, the mission has now earnestly started its 16th lunar day of work on Earth's natural satellite. | The lander, rover and their science payloads are all in good operating condition, despite having by now endured the harsh conditions on the lunar surface for over a year. | | Yutu-2 on the surface of the far side of the moon. © Xinhua/ Glo…

W. T. Whitney, Jr. (2020-03-21). Fighting COVID-19 in Cuba, China and the United States. mronline.org The pandemic has effectively provided a laboratory-like demonstration that people do better when states can plan ahead, apply national resources unequivocally to the public good, put science in the service of the people, and practice international solidarity. These are characteristics of socialist societies. |

RT (2020-03-21). Recession 'INEVITABLE' in Germany, Bundesbank chief warns as country mulls lockdown amid coronavirus pandemic. rt.com The coronavirus pandemic will trigger a serious downturn in the German economy, European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council member and Deutsche Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann has said. | Recession in Germany is "now inevitable," Weidmann told Die Welt newspaper in an interview published on Saturday. | When asked how bad the economic downturn will be, Weidemann said that all efforts first must be focused on stopping the spread on the coronavirus with steps such as social distancing. He also noted that "drastic measures" like curfew restrictions may be considered by the government. | The global economy took a…

RT (2020-03-21). 'We are not deserters!' French construction union chief hits back at labor minister after accusation of 'defeatism' on Covid-19. rt.com The chief of France's largest construction association has voiced his disdain after a top labor official said businesses are too quick to shut down work amid the Covid-19 pandemic that is becoming more deadly by the day. | Jacques Chanut, the president of the French Federation of Construction (FFB), the country's biggest building industry union, slammed Labor Minister Muriel Penicaud for her "contempt" towards construction companies struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic. | In an op-ed for Le Figaro titled "No, Madame Penicaud, the construction workers are not deserting!" Chanut urged the government to "take…

RT (2020-03-21). Thousands of French citizens ignore quarantine as cops issue nearly 39,000 citations for violating lockdown. rt.com French law enforcers have slapped fines on tens of thousands of uncooperative citizens, less than a week after the government introduced restrictions on non-essential travel and business in an effort to combat Covid-19. | The Ministry of Interior disclosed on Saturday that police across the country had carried out 867,695 inspections to ensure that people using transport or participating in other restricted activities had good reason to do so. As a result, cops reported some 38,994 instances of non-compliance resulting in fines between Tuesday and Friday. French authorities have also warned that they will beco…

RT (2020-03-21). Russia delivers over 100,000 Covid-19 test kits to 13 states, including Iran, North Korea. rt.com The testing tools for coronavirus were delivered to 13 countries, including Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states Iran and North Korea, Russia's public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said on Saturday. | The equipment manufactured in Russia can conduct over 100,000 tests for Covid-19, and has already been used to track down the first cases of the disease in Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Moscow is due to ship the equipment to Serbia, as well as to Egypt and Venezuela. | Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said earlier this week that Russia has no shortage of testing kits. A government…

RT (2020-03-21). Little Rock Air Force Base declares EMERGENCY after US airman tests positive for Covid-19. rt.com The Little Rock Air Force Base (AFB) in Arkansas has declared a month-long public health emergency after an airman stationed there was confirmed to carry the coronavirus, contracted during recent travel overseas. | The airman, who has not been named, is the first to test positive at the base, the Air Force said in a statement on Friday, noting that the 30-day emergency order will allow the facility's commander to take special containment measures to limit further spread of the disease. | "Right now we have one confirmed case of Covid-19 on our installation," said Colonel John Schutte, installation commander at…

RT (2020-03-21). Cristiano Ronaldo's mother speaks of 'difficult days' as she posts emotional message upon release from hospital. rt.com Maria Dolores, mother of Juventus star Cristinao Ronaldo, had been in hospital since a March 3 stroke and has issued an emotional message on social media after being given a clean bill of health by Portuguese doctors. | The 65-year-old was discharged from a medical facility on Saturday after suffering from a ischemic stroke, a condition caused by a clot blocking a blood vessel to the brain. | Her superstar son had flown to the hospital in Madeira soon after hearing the news, where he has stayed during the coronavirus outbreak which has ravaged Italy, and was seen wearing protective clothing, such as masks and…

RT (2020-03-21). Startup creates money-disinfecting cash machine that 'KILLS coronavirus'. rt.com With the coronavirus pandemic claiming hundreds more lives every day, one startup tech company has invented a clever way to tackle the problem feared to be helping the disease's spread: ATMs dispensing the virus along with cash. | Istanbul-based company Money Shower has created a disinfection module for ATMs that removes bacteria and viruses, including Covid-19, from paper money before it gets into people's hands. | With the average banknote carrying thousands of types of bacteria and viruses, countries sometimes take the drastic step of collecting cash, destroying it and printing fresh notes in a bid to comba…

Steve Topple (2020-03-21). The BBC's latest coronavirus article is full-on Tory propaganda. thecanary.co The BBC has published a shocking article on coronavirus. And it's essentially as well-timed piece of propaganda for the Tory government. But what's more, the BBC has changed the article since it was first released. Not that we should be surprised by any of this.The BBC: did it really just say that?: In the

RT (2020-03-21). North Korea says Trump wrote Kim, offered coronavirus cooperation. rt.com

The Canary (2020-03-21). Coronavirus crisis causes surge in dangerous channel crossings by desperate refugees. thecanary.co Fears around the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have caused a surge in refugees trying to cross the English channel to the UK. The refugees risk their lives making these journeys in dangerous inflatable boats.Border patrols have blocked more than a 100 refugees from entering the UK this week. There are fears that 3,000 refugees living in desperate conditions in northern France are at high risk of contracting coronavirus.Desperation: Care4Calais founder Clare Moseley said it was only a matter of time before the virus swept through refugee camps.Bella Sankey, director of charity Detention Action, told the P…

RT (2020-03-21). Spain's Covid-19 death toll jumps by over 300 in one day, number of cases nears 25,000. rt.com The death toll from the Covid-19 illness in Spain has hit 1,326, an increase of over 300 in just one day, as the coronavirus crisis deepens in Europe. | The Spanish health ministry announced that the number of Covid-19 cases in the Iberian country climbed to 24,926 on Saturday, an increase of nearly 5,000 from Friday's tally of 19,980. | Speaking on Friday, Spanish health emergencies chief, Fernando Simon, said that the number of infected people could actually be higher than reported as the test laboratories are "overwhelmed" and unable to process all of the samples. | Spain is Europe's second-worst hit countr…

RT (2020-03-21). New York passes 10,000 coronavirus cases, as statewide lockdown ordered. rt.com New York State has reported its 10,000th person with the Covid-19 coronavirus, and now accounts for more than half of all the US' cases. Meanwhile, the federal government has declared a 'Major Disaster" in the Empire State. | A total of 10,365 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in New York State between Friday and Saturday, up 3,254 on the previous day, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday. Cuomo stated that 1,803 of these new cases were discovered in New York City, but officials in the city later told NBC News that cases there increased by nearly twice that figure. | Cuomo attributed the rise to…

Emily Apple (2020-03-21). Please don't try escaping Covid-19 in Cornwall. Our services simply can't cope. thecanary.co Anger is mounting across Cornwall as increasing reports come in of people fleeing to the region to escape the coronavirus (Covid-19). Local people are noticing rising numbers of second homeowners and tourists arriving. Meanwhile, some holiday parks

RT (2020-03-21). Never mind the HUMVEES! Maryland National Guard reassures residents there's no martial law threat amid virus panic. rt.com Concern over the presence of military vehicles in residential areas of Maryland has apparently prompted the state's national guard to tweet out a reminder that it is there to help fight Covid-19 — not to impose martial law. | The Maryland National Guard (MDNG) reassured all state residents on Saturday that, contrary to any nefarious rumors that may have been spreading, the force has been deployed to "deliver much needed supplies" and to perform other humanitarian duties. | "To our neighbors, there is not a threat of martial law. If you see a MDNG Humvee on your street, know we are helping someone in need…

RT (2020-03-21). Wake-up call for India? Social media split after police press charges against Covid-19-carrying Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor. rt.com Indian police have charged Bollywood star Kanika Kapoor, who has tested positive for coronavirus, with endangering public health by attending parties. Her case has sparked fierce debate in India as the virus continues to spread. | Kapoor has been accused of participating in malignant acts that could pose a danger to the public. The Bollywood star, who recently returned from a trip to London, attended a party last week with a guest list of parliamentarians and other VIPs. On Friday, it was revealed that she had tested positive for Covid-19, causing panic that Indian celebrities with whom she came into contact c…

RT (2020-03-21). 'Not sure we're NOT infecting people,' French police union tells RT as govt fails to provide protection against Covid-19. rt.com Police could be spreading coronavirus instead of enforcing the lockdown in France due to a lack of masks and gloves, a police union spokesperson told RT after the government was accused of not issuing protective gear to officers. | "Security officers, police and other people, who uphold law and order in the country, need to be protected. This virus doesn't distinguish between police, medics and other citizens," Christophe Crepin, spokesperson for the law enforcement union, France Police — Policiers en colere, told RT. | We are not even sure that we — police officers — are not potentially infecti…

RT (2020-03-21). Total death toll from Covid-19 jumps to 233 in UK as dozens of new fatalities confirmed. rt.com Health officials in the UK have confirmed 53 new Covid-19 related deaths in England. The increase brings the UK's death toll to 233, and comes as the government races to equip its health system against the illness. | The increase in deaths — the largest in a single day since the deadly virus reached British shores last month — came as the British government scrambled to prepare hospital beds for critical patients. | The National Health Service struck a deal with private hospitals on Saturday that will see 20,000 healthcare staff join the health service's response to the pandemic, which has infected n…

Eds. (2020-03-21). The fatalistic view from an ER Nurse on what's ahead. mronline.org Being an ER Nurse, a lot of people have asked me what I think about COVID-19. I almost inevitably tell them- first and foremost- that I really can't overstate how much of a problem it is that we don't have enough personal protective equipment (PPE). |

Glen Ford (2020-03-21). Late-stage imperial omni-crisis: Death by virus and internal contradictions. mronline.org "The system…is failing. Let's admit it," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on March 14 at a White House briefing. |

RT (2020-03-21). Russian economy can survive for a long time with oil at $20 per barrel. rt.com Despite efforts by Russia to gradually cut its reliance on oil, a lengthy energy market turmoil could be challenging for the country's economy and could even result in a major economic crisis. | Oil has continued its dramatic fall this week, dropping to more than an 18-year low on Wednesday amid global recession worries and low demand. Both US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and international benchmark Brent slightly rebounded on Thursday, trading at $22.55 and $27.65 respectively. | The key issue now is not how low can crude prices plunge, but for how long this situation persists, Aleksandr Bakhtin, investment…

Leon Kunstenaar (2020-03-21). Jewish Activists Demand Governor Newsom Release Detainees In Light of Covid-19 Outbreak. indybay.org In a March 21 press release, Never Again Action Bay Area calls on Governor Newsom to take immediate steps to release migrants from unsanitary, overcrowded "death camp" detention centers…

IWOC Oakland (2020-03-21). Santa Rita Jail Solidarity During the Coronavirus Pandemic. indybay.org As businesses, schools, and institutions close to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, many people are wondering how to support people in jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers.

Ryan Devereaux (2020-03-21). Lawmakers Demand ICE Stop Arresting Immigrants to Prevent Spreading Coronavirus. zcomm.org More than a dozen Democratic lawmakers are calling on the Department of Homeland Security to freeze its enforcement-to-detention pipeline…

WSWS (2020-03-21). Coronavirus transforms Greek refugee camps into death camps. wsws.org The intolerable hygienic conditions in the internment camps prevent even the most basic protective measures from being adopted.

Norman Solomon (2020-03-21). What the Coronavirus Emergency Has to Do with Biden vs. Sanders. indybay.org Tepid adjustments vs. truly transformational agendas…

Reynard Loki (2020-03-21). Coronavirus and climate change: How eco-activists can use this terrible moment to help save the planet. nationofchange.org One major lesson from the pandemic is that we can save the planet from climate change.

Staff (2020-03-21). Beyond the Death Penalty, Activists Are Fighting to End Death by Incarceration. truthout.org With 2.3 million people behind bars, the United States is the world's largest jailer. Yet after decades of holding this dubious honor, many Americans have begun to question what Fordham law professor

The Lancet (2020-03-21). [Editorial] Peace and health in Afghanistan. thelancet.com After years of war and political instability, Afghanistan is at a potentially historic crossroads. On Feb 29, 2020, a peace deal was agreed between the Taliban and the USA. The anticipated resumption of talks between the Afghan Government and the Taliban could signal a new phase, but what this means for the Afghan people is unclear. Weak health systems and disrupted access to health care have left many in poor health for decades, but since the fall of the Taliban some extraordinary gains in health have occurred.

Fight Back (2020-03-21). U.S. Teamsters get warm welcome at Venezuela's Canaima laptop plant. fightbacknews.org Caracas, Venezuela – A Freedom Road Socialist Organization labor delegation toured the Canaima laptops and tablets factory in Caracas, Venezuela on March 12. The Canaima plant is located within walking distance of the bridge where U.S. puppet Juan Guaido launched a failed coup d'état April 30, 2019. Upon arrival, leading representatives of the Canaima assembly plant greeted the American Teamsters with genuine smiles and warm handshakes. | A Venezuelan educator and Canaima spokesperson, Oscar Martinez, explained the assembly plant's purpose, "Our goal is to produce a laptop or tablet for every school-aged child i…

Juan Cole (2020-03-21). The Coronavirus and Vulnerable Gaza. zcomm.org California releasing inmates for fear of Coronavirus, but Israelis Keep Vulnerable Gaza as Largest Open Air Prison…

Staff (2020-03-21). We Can't Let COVID-19 Drive Us Into Authoritarianism. truthout.org Note: This excerpt was adapted from Internationalism or Extinction by Noam Chomsky, edited by Charles Derber, Suren Moodliar and Paul Shannon. | As the COVID-19 pandemic turns the global political and economic order on its head, two vastly different futures appear possible. At one end of the spectrum, societies facing the toll of the virus may collapse into authoritarianism. But at the other end of the spectrum, we have the possibility of learning the lessons of this disaster — another colossal market failure e…

Anis Shivani (2020-03-21). Bernie 2020: What Went Wrong? commondreams.org Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) arrives at the Capitol for a vote on a coronavirus bill amendment on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/sanders_camp.jpg …

teleSUR (2020-03-21). Libya: Haftar's Army Suspends Fight for Tripoli Due to Covid-19. telesurenglish.net Marshal Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) Saturday suspended fighting in Tripoli for humanitarian purposes in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, as local media reported. | RELATED: | A few hours earlier, however, the fight for this city, which the Government of National Accord stills controls, was quite intense. | In Tripoli's Ain Zara suburb, the LNA forces attempted to infiltrate areas defended by the…

Larry Romanoff (2020-03-21). COVID-USA: Targeting Italy and South Korea. globalresearch.ca A high-level Italian virologist, Giuseppe Remuzzi, has published papers in the Lancet and other articles in which he states facts not hitherto known. (1) |
The doctor stated that Italian physicians now recall having seen: | "a very strange and very severe …

(2020-03-21). Ten Questions for the U.S.: Where did the Novel Coronavirus Come From? globalresearch.ca by Wang Fuhua | . | CGTN Editor's note: The article is an edited version of an article which was first published on a WeChat official account named Gong Yi Kan Shi Jie. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily …

Sharmila Devi (2020-03-21). [World Report] Building bridges in Yemen. thelancet.com 20 million Yemenis lack health care. A new air-bridge scheme won't help them all, but it could help to build trust. Sharmila Devi reports.