COVID-19 Is Turning Prisons Into "Kill-Boxes"
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-04-05
"Our prisons are about to be utterly transformed by tragedy on a grand scale." So concludes "COVID-19 And Indiana Prisons," a 13-page blueprint to save the lives of thousands of people locked up in the cages of the Indiana Department of Corrections. | Written through a collective process involving more than 600 formerly incarcerated women, the report calls for the release of 5,662 people

COVID-19 Is Turning Prisons Into "Kill-Boxes"
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-04-05
"Our prisons are about to be utterly transformed by tragedy on a grand scale." So concludes "COVID-19 And Indiana Prisons," a 13-page blueprint to save the lives of thousands of people locked up in the cages of the Indiana Department of Corrections. | Written through a collective process involving more than 600 formerly incarcerated women, the report calls for the release of 5,662 people

Venezuelan Leader Pens Open Letter to US Public
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-05
In a letter issued on Sunday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro warned the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump against making any unwise military decisions against the Bolivarian Republic. | RELATED: | Nearly 600 Venezuelans Return to Their Country From Colombia | Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza read a letter on Sunday that Venezuelan President Maduro sent to the people of the United States, following Washington's recent threats toward the Bolivarian Republ…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuelan-Leader-Pens-Open-Letter-to-US-Public–20200405-0003.html

Switching Focus: From the Coronavirus Crisis to the Cuban Missile Crisis
Shane Quinn | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-05
With the world's attention directed towards the coronavirus it may be worth changing focus, and analysing another international incident, the Cuban Missile Crisis. This hugely significant event occurred almost 60 years ago, officially from the 16th to the 28th of …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-crisis-cuban-missile-crisis/5708670

COVID-19 and Black Workers
Margaret Kimberley | commondreams.org | 2020-04-05
The gross inequalities and declining standards of life in the US are magnified by the corona crisis, pushing already marginalized populations to the brink.
commondreams.org/views/2020/04/05/covid-19-and-black-workers?cd-origin=rss

Coronavirus in Albania and the Presence of Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) in Tirana
Robert Fantina | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-05
Following the outbreak of coronavirus in Italy, more than 120,000 Albanians residing in Italy returned to their country. Albania, with a population under 3,000,000, has, as of this writing, 243 cases of coronavirus. That is 84 cases per 1,000,000 people. …
globalresearch.ca/mek-coronavirus/5708684

A Simple "Democratic Transition" Framework for Venezuela: End All "Sanctions"
Nino Pagliccia | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-05
On March 31 the US Secretary of State issued a press statement proposing a "pathway" by which all Venezuelans would live happily ever after. At least that is what Mike Pompeo seems to wish. He "call[s] on all Venezuelans, whether …
globalresearch.ca/simple-democratic-transition-framework-venezuela-end-all-sanctions/5708687

'Profound lack of human decency': Oliver Stone tears into US govt over Iran & Venezuela sanctions amid Covid-19 crisis
rt.com | 2020-04-05
The United States government has revealed its contempt for human compassion and global solidarity by refusing to lift draconian sanctions on Iran and Venezuela during the Covid-19 crisis, director Oliver Stone has argued. | Iran has suffered immensely from the virus, Stone noted in an op-ed published by the New York Daily News, but due to US sanctions the Islamic Republic is "reportedly the only country in the world that cannot buy medicines needed to fight the pandemic." | The outspoken Hollywood legend similarly condemned Washington's decision to maintain

Trump sends gun boats to Venezuela while the World partners to fight a deadly pandemic
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2020-04-04
On April's Fools Day, U.S. President Donald Trump gave a press conference where he announced a new "counter-narcotics effort" by U.S. Southern Command. "We're deploying additional Navy destroyers, combat ships, aircrafts and helicopters, Coast Guard cutters…doubling our capabilities in the region," he said…
mronline.org/2020/04/04/trump-sends-gun-boats-to-venezuela-while-the-world-partners-to-fight-a-deadly-pandemic/

[Research Paper] Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing surgeries during the incubation period of COVID-19 infection
Shaoqing Lei, Fang Jiang, Wating Su, Chang Chen, Jingli Chen, Wei Mei, Li-Ying Zhan, Yifan Jia, Liangqing Zhang, Danyong Liu, Zhong-Yuan Xia, Zhengyuan Xia | thelancet.com | 2020-04-04
In this retrospective cohort study of 34 operative patients with confirmed COVID-19, 15 (44 ∑1%) patients needed ICU care, and the mortality rate was 20 ∑5%.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30075-4/fulltext?rss=yes

ECLAC Urges the U.S. to Lift Sanctions Against Venezuela, Cuba
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-04
The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Friday urged the United States to lift its blockade against Cuba and Venezuela. It is a necessary action at a time when the COVID-19 is deteriorating the prospects of all Latin American economies. | RELATED: | President Maduro Sends Solidarity to Colombia and Ecuador | "It is soli…
telesurenglish.net/news/ECLAC-Urges-the-U.S.-to-Lift-Sanctions-Against-Venezuela-Cuba–20200404-0005.html

Argentina: Fernandez Criticizes Bank Opening Amid Quarantine
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-04
Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez Saturday expressed feeling "angry, worried and annoyed with the banks" after thousands of pensioners and people receiving public financial aid queued long lines at banks amid confinement measures decreed to stop the COVID-19. | RELATED: | Second Medical Flight Arrives in Argentina From Cuba | He made a call to comply with…
telesurenglish.net/news/Argentina-Fernandez-Criticizes-Bank-Opening-Amid-Quarantine-20200404-0004.html

Spanish singer-songwriter Luis Eduardo Aute dies at 76
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-04
Singer-songwriter Luis Eduardo Aute, a leading light of modern Spanish song, died this Saturday at the age of 76 in a Madrid hospital, local media reported. | RELATED: | Bill Withers, Soulful Singer of 'Ain't No Sunshine,' Dead at 81 | Aute, a multifaceted artist – he was a painter, filmmaker, sculptor, poet – had been retired from the stage since he suffered a severe stroke in 2016, which kept him in a coma for two months. | After several stays in hospitals, including one Cuban, t…
telesurenglish.net/news/Spanish-singer-songwriter-Luis-Eduardo-Aute-dies-at-76-20200404-0006.html

Nepal: Masses confront enormous hardships from coronavirus pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-04-04
Nepal's government has made no serious effort to ensure that the country's overwhelmingly poor population will have daily essentials, medicine and health safety equipment.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/04/nepa-a04.html

Amid war threats, Washington blocks UN resolution demanding end to sanctions
wsws.org | 2020-04-04
The Trump administration has brushed aside calls for an end to punishing sanctions against Venezuela and Iran, threatening both countries with military aggression.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/04/unsa-a04.html

Iran Expands Its Hospital Capacity to Treat Over 55,000 Cases
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-04
Iran's Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi reported that his country continues to expand its hospital capacity as a preventive measure against a possible worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed 3,452 people so far. | RELATED: | US Senators Request to Ease Sanctions Against Venezuela, Iran | In the last 24 hours, 2,560 new cases and 158 deaths have been confirmed, bringing the total count to 55,743 infected, of whom 4,103 are in serious condition. So far, 19,736 pati…
telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-Expands-Its-Hospital-Capacity-to-Treat-Over-55000-Cases-20200404-0001.html

'We Will Not Sit Back and Let Transit Workers Be Treated Like Cannon Fodder'
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2020-04-04
'We Will Not Sit Back and Let Transit Workers Be Treated Like Cannon Fodder'…
thenation.com/article/activism/public-transportation-worker-covid/

Ex UN anti-narcotics chief & mob expert says US Treasury running 'mafia racket' against Venezuela
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-03
Pino Arlacchi, the former Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Prevention, says US is behaving…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/03/un-narcotics-mob-treasury-running-mafia-venezuela/

Anti-war leaders condemn Trump's war moves against Venezuela
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-04-03
Minneapolis, MN

How the US is using coronavirus to push regime change in Venezuela
Peter Bolton | thecanary.co | 2020-04-03
Ever since the Trump administration launched a coup attempt against the democratically-elected government of Venezuela in January 2019, the country's civilian population has been suffering under a brutal sanctions regime. Amidst the coronavirus outbreak, Venezuelans are now at even greater risk given that the government is hamstrung by what has essentially morphed into a full-blown economic blockade. | But having so far failed in its 'regime change' effort, the Trump administration has now…
thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2020/04/03/how-the-us-is-using-coronavirus-to-push-regime-change-in-venezuela/

Mexico: Chiapas Natives Vulnerable to COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-03
Mexican native communities in the southern state of Chiapas lack of potable water while facing the sanitary crisis due to COVID-19. | RELATED: | Mexico: Migrant Population Vulnerable to the COVID-19 | The National Humans Rights Commission in Mexico informed about this situation and referred to the precarious sanitation services in the region. According to the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval), Chiapas is one of the poorest Mexican states. | In the…
telesurenglish.net/news/-mexico-chiapas-natives-vulnerable-to-covid19-20200403-0005.html

The United States to Lose 7 Percent of Its Domestic Product
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-03
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) forecasts that the United States might experience a 12 percent unemployment rate and a 7 percent loss of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the end of this year's second quarter. | RELATED: | The US Transition Plan for Venezuela Is a Mockery, Russia Says | …
telesurenglish.net/news/The-United-States-to-Lose-7-Percent-of-Its-Domestic-Product-20200403-0003.html

Puebla's Group Condemns US Military Move To Venezuelan Coast
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-03
The Puebla Group denounced on Friday the deployment of military forces at the Venezuelan maritime borders by the United States under the pretext of the war on drugs. | RELATED: | The US Transition Plan for Venezuela Is a Mockery, Russia Says | The group of leftist leaders rejected the use of force and threat against Venezuela, saying the U.S. move vi…
telesurenglish.net/news/Pueblas-Group-Condemns-US-Military-Move-To-Venezuelan-Coast-20200403-0013.html

Despite pandemic, U.S. government threatens intervention in Venezuela
W. T. Whitney Jr. | peoplesworld.org | 2020-04-03
peoplesworld.org/article/despite-pandemic-u-s-government-threatens-intervention-in-venezuela/

'People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote'
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2020-04-02
'People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote'…
thenation.com/article/politics/wisconsin-democratic-primary/

'People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote'
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2020-04-02
'People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote'…
thenation.com/article/politics/wisconsin-democratic-primary/

Pompeo's 'transition' plan tells Venezuela to suffer into submission
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-01
Declaring that "Nicolas Maduro will never again govern Venezuela," Mike Pompeo unveils a so-called "transition" plan that tells Venezuelans to…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/01/pompeos-transition-plan-tells-venezuela-to-suffer-into-submission/

Coronavirus Aid for Regime Change: Washington's 13 Point Plan for Venezuela
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-01
The State Department released what it called its "democratic transition framework for Venezuela" yesterday; a 13-point plan for the removal of Nicolas Maduro and a radical overhaul of the country's political system. The principal and most fundamental change Washington proposes is to "restore all powers to the National Assembly," the one branch of government the right-wing pro-U.S. opposition coalition currently holds. This would place the entire country under the…
mintpressnews.com/coronavirus-aid-washington-gives-venezuela-ultimatum/266298/

Coronavirus Aid for Regime Change: Washington's 13 Point Plan for Venezuela
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-01
The State Department released what it called its "democratic transition framework for Venezuela" yesterday; a 13-point plan for the removal of Nicolas Maduro and a radical overhaul of the country's political system. The principal and most fundamental change Washington proposes is to "restore all powers to the National Assembly," the one branch of government the right-wing pro-U.S. opposition coalition currently holds. This would place the entire country under the…
mintpressnews.com/coronavirus-aid-washington-gives-venezuela-ultimatum/266298/

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/

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/

"Housing Is Health": Calls Grow for California to Give Vacant Homes to Unhoused People Amid Pandemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-30
We look at the crisis of homelessness during the coronavirus pandemic in California, where the number of cases has passed 6,000 with 132 deaths. The entire state has been ordered to shelter in place, leaving the state's massive unhoused population extremely vulnerable. As the state braces for a surge in cases, tens of thousands of people are living on the streets. A recent study estimates that nearly 2,600 unhoused people will need to be hospitalized for the virus in Los Angeles alone

"Housing Is Health": Calls Grow for California to Give Vacant Homes to Unhoused People Amid Pandemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-30
We look at the crisis of homelessness during the coronavirus pandemic in California, where the number of cases has passed 6,000 with 132 deaths. The entire state has been ordered to shelter in place, leaving the state's massive unhoused population extremely vulnerable. As the state braces for a surge in cases, tens of thousands of people are living on the streets. A recent study estimates that nearly 2,600 unhoused people will need to be hospitalized for the virus in Los Angeles alone

Julio López Varona on Puerto Rico's Disaster Capitalism
CounterSpin | fair.org | 2020-03-13
Media…
fair.org/home/julio-lopez-varona-on-puerto-ricos-disaster-capitalism/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=julio-lopez-varona-on-puerto-ricos-disaster-capitalism

[Correspondence] Adoption of COVID-19 triage strategies for low-income settings
Rodgers R Ayebare, Robert Flick, Solome Okware, Bongomin Bodo, Mohammed Lamorde | thelancet.com | 2020-03-11
Despite major advances in epidemic preparedness, Africa remains uniquely susceptible to novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to the Infectious Disease Vulnerability Index,1 22 of the 25 countries most susceptible to an infectious disease outbreak are in Africa. The high prevalence of HIV, tuberculosis, and other pathogens might potentiate the severity of COVID-19 and contribute to diagnostic uncertainty. Health-care systems and human resources are already spread thin. And although the young age of the population (with more than half aged younger than 20 years) might prove protective, it also means…
thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30114-4/fulltext?rss=yes

[Comment] Patchy progress on the ICPD: are we asking the right questions?
Dorothy Shaw | thelancet.com | 2020-03-09
The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) agenda, set in 1994 in Cairo and revisited 25 years later in Nairobi in 2019, included goals for equitable education of women, reduction of infant and child mortality, reduction of maternal mortality, and access to reproductive and sexual health services, including family planning, through its well known Programme of Action.1 The ICPD was ground-breaking in recognising the benefits that empowerment of women and girls would have for themselves, their families, and, ultimately, their countries.
thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30080-2/fulltext?rss=yes

[Comment] Getting to zero in the DR Congo Ebola outbreak
Ranu S Dhillon, Devabhaktuni Srikrishna, Gerardo Chowell | thelancet.com | 2020-03-09
Any plan to stop the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo must be based on a quantitative understanding of the proportion of the at-risk population that needs to be protected by effective control measures for transmission to decline sufficiently and quickly enough for the outbreak to end.
thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30056-6/fulltext?rss=yes