(2020-04-15). Facebook constructs bot-based universe to test out scenarios for manipulating humans, but don't worry, it's safe. rt.com 
Facebook has debuted a "web-enabled simulation" in which a population of bots it has created based on real users can duke it out – supposedly to help the platform deal with bad actors. But it's not totally isolated from reality. | The social media behemoth's new playpen for malevolent bots and their simulated victims is described in a company paper
(2020-04-15). Why Did Our Permanent Emergency Government Fail to Face the Emergency? counterpunch.org Between 1978 and 2018, American presidents declared 58 national emergencies. Their targets ranged from "Transactions with Terrorists Who Threaten to Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process" and "Transactions with Significant Narcotics Traffickers" to "the Anchorage and Movement of Vessels with Respect to Cuba" and "Persons Undermining Democratic Processes or Institutions in Zimbabwe." By the time
(2020-04-15). Coronavirus and the politics of disposability. mronline.org 
COVID-19 is having a disproportionate effect among vulnerable populations. When the dust settles, as in all U.S. disasters, there will be a tale to tell of who mattered and who was sacrificed.
(2020-04-15). Corporate Media Cover for US Mob Threats Against Venezuela. fair.org 
The Trump administration unveiled on March 31 a "democratic transition" plan to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from office, in favor of a "council of state" composed of both opposition and ruling party loyalists. | The plan was, however, less an offer to negotiate than a diktat, with the US State Department ( Despite the obvious mafioso over…
(2020-04-15). COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Data Review. cepr.net Though COVID-19 was slow to appear in worrying numbers in Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of infected people in the region is now rising rapidly. Between March 1 and April 1, total confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Latin America rose from 5 to 25,500. In the first half of April, that …
(2020-04-15). Life in Cuba exposed in rare video. thepeoplescube.com <h5><a href="https://thepeoplescube.com/peoples-blog/" title="People's Blog">People's Blog</a></h5> | <b>Statistics</b> : 5 Replies | | 1414 Views | Last post by Captain Craptek…
(2020-04-15). Letter From America: COVID-19 Strikes Home. counterpunch.org Friday, April 10, 2020: The news came yesterday. For a couple of days I thought we might escape the worst of COVID-19 here in my small midcoast Maine town of Belfast, population 6,700. We started social distancing before our county, Waldo County, had a single confirmed case. But then all that changed. Tall Pines senior housing suddenly
(2020-04-15). California to Vote on Protections for Imperiled Mountain Lion Populations. indybay.org SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 14, 2020 — In response to a petition authored by the Center for Biological Diversity, the California Fish and Game Commission will vote April 16 on advancing Southern California and Central Coast mountain lions to candidates for protection under the state's Endangered Species Act.
(2020-04-15). Venezuela Has the Lowest Contagion Rate in Latin America. globalresearch.ca According to data compiled through April 11, Venezuela had carried out 181,335 COVID-19 tests, which allowed this South American country to detect patients in time and become the Latin American nation with the lowest infection rate. | " …
(2020-04-15). Kids aren't coronavirus 'guinea pigs': Danish mums rebel as schools reopen. yenisafak.com Denmark eased its coronavirus lockdown on Wednesday by reopening schools and day care centres, but concerns they might become breeding grounds for a second wave of cases convinced thousands of parents to keep their children at home.The rate of new cases is falling, but the government's decision has led to a heated debate over how to balance the needs of the economy and the safety of the population – in this case its youngest citizens."I won't be sending my children off no matter what," said Sandra Andersen, the founder of a Facebook group called 'My kid is not going to be a Guinea Pig' that has more than 40,000 f…
(2020-04-15). Threatening Military Intervention in Venezuela During a Pandemic? commondreams.org Littoral combat ship USS Detroit off the coast of Venezuela. (Photo: US Navy/DoD) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/venevzuela_intervention_coronavirus.png …
(2020-04-14). HaàØti au bord du précipice en raison des ravages du coronavirus et des dirigeants imposés par les États-Unis. thegrayzone.com Alors que le gouvernement d'HaàØti, soutenu par les États-Unis et largement méprisé, encourage officiellement la distanciation sociale pour restreindre la…
(2020-04-14). U.S. company buys ventilator suppliers and then cancels shipments to Cuba. peoplesworld.org 
HAVANA (Granma)—While Cuban medical collaboration is extended around the world to help contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the blockade imposed by the United States on that country has just denied its public health system access to two regular suppliers of ventilators, key to the care of the most serious cases of the disease. Manufacturers IMTMedical AG …
(2020-04-14). Why is Canada Refusing Cuban Doctors? counterpunch.org 
We all have this feeling right now. Fear, sometimes verging on terror, and the main strategy to stay human is to never panic. Still, there is a lot of reason to be greatly afraid. Covid-19 has passed into every country, and most people on earth are on some variant of lockdown. The psychology of it is immense. There is an invisible enemy, somewhere out there, and it is threatening immediately our families and loved ones, and it has removed all outdoor life, socialization, schooling, etc.
(2020-04-14). Cuba: From AIDS, Dengue, and Ebola to COVID-19. dissidentvoice.org 
Preparing for a pandemic requires understanding that a change in the relationship between people is primary and the production of things is secondary and flows from social factors. Investors in profit-based medicine cannot comprehend this concept. Nothing could exemplify it more clearly than Cuba's response to the corona virus (COVID-19). The US dawdled for months …
(2020-04-14). Combatting COVID-19 through solidarity. mronline.org 
Despite a deep economic recession, a profound political crisis and international sanctions that have ravaged its health sector, the South American nation of Venezuela is demonstrating that prioritising lives is possible in the battle against COVID-19.
(2020-04-14). President Maduro announced 6 new confirmed coronavirus cases for a 181 total—Venezuela moving to massive screenings. mronline.org 
The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros , reported this Sunday that 6 new positive cases for Covid -19 were recorded in the country, for a total of 181 infected patients and zero [new] fatalities.
(2020-04-14). Lucha contra COVID-19 refleja amistad profunda entre China y Venezuela. peoplesworld.org 
CARACAS (Xinhua) — La solidaridad demostrada por China a Venezuela en medio de la pandemia del nuevo coronavirus refleja la amistad profunda entre ambos pueblos de Venezuela y de China, expresó hoy el analista internacional Sergio Rodríguez Gelfenstein. En entrevista con Xinhua, el experto explicó que "esta es la continuidad de lo que se ha …
(2020-04-14). Mural in the West Bank Painted in Honor of Cuba and Venezuela. telesurenglish.net A large mural named "Al Ahrar" (Liberators in Arabic) was painted on a wall in the illegally occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank in honor of Cuba and Venezuela, local media reported Tuesday. | RELATED: | The stone wall, which measures 10 meters wide by three high, is located on the highest summit of the city of Dura, in the southern West Bank. In Dura, and more generally in Palestine, murals are an important way to showcase the art…
(2020-04-14). COVID-19: Growth forecast at -3 per cent, as IMF offers debt relief to most vulnerable nations in Africa, Asia, Middle East and Caribbean. news.un.org Forecasting the "worst economic downturn since the Great Depression", the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday that growth for the year was likely to end up at minus three per cent, with a dramatic change evident since the last World Economic Outlook report in January.
(2020-04-14). Cuba Is Developing a Vaccine to Activate the Immune System. telesurenglish.net Cuba applies a clinical trial for a vaccine aimed at activating the innate immune system to combat COVID-19. This experimental vaccine has been developed with Cuban technology and scientists amid the U.S. blockade against the Island. | RELATED: | The drug called CIGB 2020 is undergoing clinical trials at Havana's Luis Diaz Soto hospital with volunteer patients suspected of being carriers of the disease, the director of re…
(2020-04-14). Preventing Cytomegalovirus Infection After Liver Transplant: An Evolving Approach. jamanetwork.com Despite recent advances in the management of patients following liver transplant, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality among this population. Clinicians and transplant centers have adopted varying approaches to managing CMV-seronegative liver transplant recipients with CMV-seropositive donors, a recipient group that is at highest risk for developing CMV-associated complications. Antiviral prophylaxis is typically initiated soon after transplant for a period of several months. Although the most widely used strategy, prophylaxis is limited by the incidence of delaye…
(2020-04-14). Cuba Under Media Attack for Sending Doctors, Not Bombs, to Help Covid-19 Victims. fair.org 
As coronavirus ravages the world, Cuba has exhibited disproportionate heroism, deploying medical personnel to
(2020-04-13). Wash Your Hands? Despite Pandemic, Thousands Still Have No Water in Detroit, a Coronavirus Hot Spot. democracynow.org 
Water shutoffs continue amid the coronavirus pandemic in Detroit, despite a moratorium and a program to help thousands of residents restore service last month. The lack of water access comes as nearly 1,500 people in Michigan have died from COVID-19, and 40% of those who have died are African-American, despite making up just 14% of the state's population. We speak with community pastor and activist Rev. Roslyn Bouier, who has been working with residents to restore their water.
(2020-04-13). Community organisation key to fighting COVID-19. mronline.org 
While, by April 9, Brazil to its east had registered more than 16,000 cases and 822 deaths and Colombia to its west, had seen its tally climb above 2000 cases and 54 deaths, Venezuela had only recorded 167 cases and 9 deaths.
(2020-04-13). Venezuela and Iran Strengthen Ties Against US Sanctions. telesurenglish.net Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani spoke over the phone Monday in order to strengthen cooperation and brotherhood in the face of the illegal unilateral measures imposed by the United States on both nations. | RELATED: | Both leaders "are evaluating making a common front to fight against the imperial sanctions that affect our nations," the Venezuelan president wrote on his Twi…
(2020-04-13). Exactly 18 Years After US Coup Against Venezuela, Pompeo and Abrams Warn Another is Coming. mintpressnews.com US regime change cheerleaders Mike Pompeo and Elliot Abrams warned Venezuala's government not to resist the upcoming implementation of a "transitional government."
(2020-04-13). Interview with Tom Burke of FRSO on Trump's war moves against Venezuela. fightbacknews.org Fight Back! interviewed Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) Organizational Secretary Tom Burke, who led the FRSO labor delegation to Venezuela on March 8. | Francisco Torrealba, president of the Venezuelan Transport Workers Federation, elected Venezuelan National Assembly member, and important leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) invited Burke and four Teamsters to see for themselves the changes happening in Venezuela. | Fight Back!: Why did President Trump order U.S. Navy ships to patrol near Venezuela? | Tom Burke: It is a military provocation by the U.S., and it is dangerous. Preside…
(2020-04-12). ILPS U.S. Chapter Stands Firmly with Venezuela. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the International League of Peoples' Struggle – US chapter. | The International League of Peoples' Struggle – US chapter (ILPS US) expresses our deep and genuine solidarity with the people of Venezuela and their government under duly-elected President Nicolas Maduro. We absolutely reject the war mongering of the Donald Trump administration, including the fabricated charges of drug trafficking against President Maduro, the deployment of the U.S. Navy to Venezuela under the flimsy guise of fighting drug trafficking, and the continuing economic san…
(2020-04-09). Colonialism & coronavirus: 800,000 Haitians may die of COVID-19. thegrayzone.com Gutted by US-allied, neoliberal governments which have controlled the country since 2004, Haiti's healthcare sector braces for a potential catastrophe….
(2020-04-08). Billionaire-backed Human Rights Watch lobbies for lethal US sanctions on leftist governments as Covid crisis rages. thegrayzone.com Regime change-hungry HRW is proudly taking credit for crushing new US sanctions on Nicaragua while pushing to escalate Washington's economic…
(2020-04-08). "A Systematic Issue of Disparity": Black People in Louisiana Account for 70% of COVID-19 Deaths. democracynow.org 
Louisiana faces one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus in the United States. New data shows black people account for 70% of all the state's coronavirus deaths, though they comprise just 32% of the state's population. Louisiana also has the highest incarceration rate in the country, and more than 65% of the people in its jails and prisons are black. At least 28 people are infected, and 22 corrections staff have tested positive. State corrections officials are sending infected prisoners to the Louisiana State Penitentiary — known as Angola, the largest maximum-security prison in the United States [mdas…
(2020-04-07). Headlines for April 7, 2020. democracynow.org Boris Johnson in Intensive Care for COVID-19, U.K.'s Foreign Secretary Deputized | , Most of U.S. Population Told to Stay Home as Medical Equipment Shortages Continue to Mar Response, Trump Ignored Coronavirus Warnings from His Own Administration as Early as January | , Grocery Stores Report Coronavirus Deaths as Workers Say They Are Not Receiving Adequate Protection, WI Primary Vote Goes Ahead After Ruling by State Supreme Court; SCOTUS Throws Out Mail-in Ballot Extension, New York Appears to Flatten COVID-19 Curve as Cuomo Tightens Preventive Measures, Gov't Called to Release Data on Racial Makeup of COVID-19 D…
(2020-04-03). Ex UN anti-narcotics chief & mob expert says US Treasury running 'mafia racket' against Venezuela. thegrayzone.com Pino Arlacchi, the former Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Prevention, says US is behaving…
(2020-04-03). Haití en el precipicio mientras el coronavirus y el liderazgo impuesto por EEUU hacen estragos. thegrayzone.com Mientras que Haití es ampliamente despreciado, el gobierno respaldado por Estados Unidos promueve oficialmente el distanciamiento social para reprimir al…
(2020-04-01). Pompeo's 'transition' plan tells Venezuela to suffer into submission. thegrayzone.com Declaring that "Nicolas Maduro will never again govern Venezuela," Mike Pompeo unveils a so-called "transition" plan that tells Venezuelans to…
(2020-04-01). Implementation of HIV Self-Testing Program in New York City—Reply. jamanetwork.com In Reply We were pleased to read the letter from Edelstein and colleagues about successful HIV self-testing programs supported by the New York City Health Department since 2015. The distribution of HIV self-tests to men who have sex with men and to other at-risk populations has the potential to increase HIV testing, awareness of HIV infection, and to initiate access to treatment and prevention services for more than 150‚ÄØ000 people living in the country with undiagnosed HIV. HIV testing programs could distribute HIV self-tests via the internet, community-based organizations, or other avenues. T…
(2020-03-13). Julio López Varona on Puerto Rico's Disaster Capitalism. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-03-13). No, Venezuela does not have a six child per family policy. zcomm.org I respect UK journalist Andrew Buncombe. As I noted for FAIR last year, he was one of the few corporate journalists who reported on a study linking Trump's financial sanctions on Venezuela to thousands of deaths by the end of 2018. Since 2018, Trump has repeatedly intensified the sanctions and threatened Venezuela with military action,
(2020-02-06). Embassy Protection Collective: "We Are Not the Ones Who Violated the Law" theantimedia.com In this exclusive interview, VA talks to the activists who defended the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC ahead of their trial.