Daily Archives: April 21, 2020

2020-04-21: News Headlines

RT (2020-04-21). At least 11 percent of Swedes may have contracted Covid-19, antibody study suggests. rt.com More than one in 10 people in Sweden may have been infected with the novel coronavirus since the outbreak began, the country's leading medical university has said, citing preliminary results of a new Covid-19 antibody study. | Tests conducted on 200 blood donors by Sweden's Karolinska Institute together with Karolinska University Hospital showed that at least 11 out of 100 of the participants have antibodies to Covid-19. If their results are truly indicative of the viral spread in society, they suggest that for the nation with a roughly 10 million-strong population, more than a million people may have been inf…

Whitney Webb (2020-04-21). As US Shale Oil Plunges, Trump Admin Takes Aim at Venezuela. globalresearch.ca President Trump recently praised a deal reached largely by Saudi Arabia and Russia, two of the top oil producers in the world who together dominate the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), saying that the agreed upon production cuts …

Dr. T. P. Wilkinson (2020-04-21). The Economic War with Russia and China. The Economic and Geopolitical Impacts of the COV-19 Lockdown. globalresearch.ca The major reason for Cuba's travel restrictions- ≠‚Äê- ≠‚Äê always used as grounds for slandering the Cuban state- ≠‚Äê is the extreme difficulty Cuba has maintaining foreign exchange reserves essential for international trade- ≠‚Äê- ≠‚Äê esp. since the end of trade- ≠‚Äêin- ≠‚Äêkind with the COMECON. Every …

Colin Todhunter (2020-04-21). Coronavirus Capitalism: Entrenching Dispossession and Dependency. globalresearch.ca There is surprisingly a certain degree of optimism around at the moment, despite virtually entire populations and economies on lockdown. Although things are really bad for millions right now due to the effects of lockdown, economist

teleSUR (2020-04-21). U.S. Citizens Demand Trump to Halt Sanctions Against Venezuela. telesurenglish.net U.S. human rights defenders and citizens Monday organized a car rally in Northampton, Massachusetts to demand that President Donald Trump stop his attacks and RELATED: | "End the U.S. sanct…

Telesur (2020-04-21). Bolsonaro Closes Brazil's Embassy and Consulates in Venezuela. globalresearch.ca Amid a health crisis that has made Brazil the country with the largest number of COVID-19 cases in Latin America, At least 38 people boarded in …

Alan Macleod (2020-04-20). Experts Warn: Years of US Intervention Have Set the Stage for a Deadly Coronavirus Outbreak in Haiti. mintpressnews.com Since 2004, successive administrations have partnered with Washington to loot Haiti, stripping away its assets to the point of collapse and leaving it woefully unprepared to face the coming pandemic.

Nicolás Maduro Moros (2020-04-20). President Maduro: Venezuela faces the COVID-19 With voluntary quarantine without curfew or State of Exception (Interviewed by Alfredo Serrano). mronline.org "Without a doubt, the first measure to contain the transmission chains of Covid-19 is quarantine, and we took it in advance on March 16," Nicolás Maduro Moros, the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, told in the Argentinian multimedia show La Pizarra, led by Alfredo Serrano Mancilla.

Garron Daniels (2020-04-20). Faultlines in the blockade: Unification of American and Cuban churches. peoplesworld.org In the past month, the Episcopal Churches of the United States and Cuba have seen something beyond extraordinary. The Cuban Episcopal Church has reunited with the Episcopal Church in the United States after the long separation due to the blockade placed against Cuba. The Episcopal Church of Cuba officially returned to the fold by becoming …

Ed Sykes (2020-04-20). Amid US coronavirus disaster, Trump tries to shift focus to China with increasingly anti-Chinese messaging. thecanary.co Donald Trump has The stats: | China has more than four times the population of the US but has reported far fewer deaths. At the time of writing, China has

The Canary (2020-04-20). Reports suggest many have had coronavirus with no symptoms. thecanary.co New research suggests that far more people have had the coronavirus without any symptoms, fuelling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared.Based on known cases, health officials have said the virus usually causes mild or moderate flu-like illness.Now evidence is growing that a substantial number of people may have no symptoms at all.Scientists in Iceland screened 6% of its population to see how many had previously undetected infections and found that about 0.7% tested positive.So did 13% of a group at higher risk because of recent travel or exposure to someone sick.Aboard the airc…

teleSUR (2020-04-20). Argentina to Soon Welcome 200 Cuban Doctors for COVID-19 Fight. telesurenglish.net Argentina's government confirmed Sunday night that a contingent of 202 Cuban doctors will arrive in the South American nation to help local health professionals with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | "The idea is for them to contribute and join medical resources. They won't be at the front line," Argentina's Minister of Health Gines Gonzalez said, adding that the Cuban specialists won't be making important decisions but w…

Joe Piette (2020-04-18). Philadelphia failure to empty jails causes COVID-19 death. workers.org The first COVID-19 death in Philadelphia jails occurred on April 14. She was Yvonne Harris, a 48-year-old woman incarcerated at Riverside Correctional Facility. In the meantime, city judges have mocked the danger our incarcerated neighbors face and have only reduced the jail population by 13 percent in the past month . . . |

Beau Peters (2020-04-18). The Important Role of the Gig Economy Worker in Times of Crisis. dissidentvoice.org In 2017, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 55 million Americans were gig economy workers, making up 34% of the working population. At that time, it was expected for the number to rise to 43%, but due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the gig economy is changing. Currently, about 95% of Americans are on …

ACLU (2020-04-17). A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform. aclu.org

2020-04-21: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

As US Shale Oil Plunges, Trump Admin Takes Aim at Venezuela
Whitney Webb | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-21
President Trump recently praised a deal reached largely by Saudi Arabia and Russia, two of the top oil producers in the world who together dominate the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), saying that the agreed upon production cuts …
globalresearch.ca/us-shale-oil-plunges-trump-admin-takes-aim-venezuela/5710257

U.S. Citizens Demand Trump to Halt Sanctions Against Venezuela
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-21
U.S. human rights defenders and citizens Monday organized a car rally in Northampton, Massachusetts to demand that President Donald Trump stop his attacks and sanctions against Venezuela, Cuba, and other peoples of the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | Caribbean Organizations Unite Against US Attacks, Support Caricom | "End the U.S. sanct…
telesurenglish.net/news/U.S.-Citizens-Demand-Trump-to-Halt-Sanctions-Against-Venezuela-20200421-0008.html

The Economic War with Russia and China. The Economic and Geopolitical Impacts of the COV-19 Lockdown
Dr. T. P. Wilkinson | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-21
The major reason for Cuba's travel restrictions- ≠‚Äê- ≠‚Äê always used as grounds for slandering the Cuban state- ≠‚Äê is the extreme difficulty Cuba has maintaining foreign exchange reserves essential for international trade- ≠‚Äê- ≠‚Äê esp. since the end of trade- ≠‚Äêin- ≠‚Äêkind with the COMECON. Every …
globalresearch.ca/the-economic-war-with-russia-and-china-the-economic-impacts-of-the-cov-19-lockdown/5710118

At least 11 percent of Swedes may have contracted Covid-19, antibody study suggests
rt.com | 2020-04-21
More than one in 10 people in Sweden may have been infected with the novel coronavirus since the outbreak began, the country's leading medical university has said, citing preliminary results of a new Covid-19 antibody study. | Tests conducted on 200 blood donors by Sweden's Karolinska Institute together with Karolinska University Hospital showed that at least 11 out of 100 of the participants have antibodies to Covid-19. If their results are truly indicative of the viral spread in society, they suggest that for the nation with a roughly 10 million-strong population, more than a million people may have been inf…
rt.com/news/486471-sweden-contracted-coronavirus-antibody-study/

Coronavirus Capitalism: Entrenching Dispossession and Dependency
Colin Todhunter | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-21
There is surprisingly a certain degree of optimism around at the moment, despite virtually entire populations and economies on lockdown. Although things are really bad for millions right now due to the effects of lockdown, economist Mariana Mazzucato believes that…
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-capitalism-dispossession-dependency/5710248

U.S. Could Stop Buying Oil From Saudi Arabia
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-21
The current oil prices will allow the country to fill its national oil reserves, U.S. President Donald Trump admitted Monday that he is considering halt on buying oil from Saudi Arabia. | RELATED: | U.S. Citizens Demand Trump to Halt Sanctions Against Venezuela | Within hours of the news that oil prices had fallen to negative values, Trump told a press conference that "we're going to think about that option." | The current oil prices will allow the country to fill its national…
telesurenglish.net/news/us-could-stop-buying-oil-from-saudi-arabia-20200421-0011.html

Bolsonaro Closes Brazil's Embassy and Consulates in Venezuela
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-21
Amid a health crisis that has made Brazil the country with the largest number of COVID-19 cases in Latin America, President Jair Bolsonaro's administration closed its embassy and consulates in Venezuela on Friday. | At least 38 people boarded in …
globalresearch.ca/bolsonaro-closes-brazil-embassy-consulates-venezuela/5710303

President Maduro: Venezuela faces the COVID-19 With voluntary quarantine without curfew or State of Exception (Interviewed by Alfredo Serrano)
Nicolás Maduro Moros | mronline.org | 2020-04-20
"Without a doubt, the first measure to contain the transmission chains of Covid-19 is quarantine, and we took it in advance on March 16," Nicolás Maduro Moros, the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, told in the Argentinian multimedia show La Pizarra, led by Alfredo Serrano Mancilla.
mronline.org/2020/04/20/president-maduro-venezuela-faces-the-covid-19-with-voluntary-quarantine-without-curfew-or-state-of-exception-interviewed-by-alfredo-serrano/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=president-maduro-venezuela-faces-the-covid-19-with-voluntary-quarantine-without-curfew-or-state-of-exception-interviewed-by-alfredo-serrano

Experts Warn: Years of US Intervention Have Set the Stage for a Deadly Coronavirus Outbreak in Haiti
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-20
Since 2004, successive administrations have partnered with Washington to loot Haiti, stripping away its assets to the point of collapse and leaving it woefully unprepared to face the coming pandemic.
mintpressnews.com/us-intervention-haiti-set-stage-deadly-coronavirus-outbreak/266794/

Argentina to Soon Welcome 200 Cuban Doctors for COVID-19 Fight
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-20
Argentina's government confirmed Sunday night that a contingent of 202 Cuban doctors will arrive in the South American nation to help local health professionals with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | Cuban Doctors Arrive in Honduras to Fight COVID-19 | "The idea is for them to contribute and join medical resources. They won't be at the front line," Argentina's Minister of Health Gines Gonzalez said, adding that the Cuban specialists won't be making important decisions but w…
telesurenglish.net/news/Argentina-to-Soon-Welcome-200-Cuban-Doctors-for-COVID-19-Fight-20200420-0012.html

Faultlines in the blockade: Unification of American and Cuban churches
Garron Daniels | peoplesworld.org | 2020-04-20
In the past month, the Episcopal Churches of the United States and Cuba have seen something beyond extraordinary. The Cuban Episcopal Church has reunited with the Episcopal Church in the United States after the long separation due to the blockade placed against Cuba. The Episcopal Church of Cuba officially returned to the fold by becoming …
peoplesworld.org/article/faultlines-in-the-blockade-unification-of-american-and-cuban-churches/

Reports suggest many have had coronavirus with no symptoms
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-04-20
New research suggests that far more people have had the coronavirus without any symptoms, fuelling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared.Based on known cases, health officials have said the virus usually causes mild or moderate flu-like illness.Now evidence is growing that a substantial number of people may have no symptoms at all.Scientists in Iceland screened 6% of its population to see how many had previously undetected infections and found that about 0.7% tested positive.So did 13% of a group at higher risk because of recent travel or exposure to someone sick.Aboard the airc…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/04/20/reports-suggest-many-have-had-coronavirus-with-no-symptoms/

Amid US coronavirus disaster, Trump tries to shift focus to China with increasingly anti-Chinese messaging
Ed Sykes | thecanary.co | 2020-04-20
Donald Trump has insisted that deaths from coronavirus (Covid-19) are much higher in China than in the US, despite official statistics painting a far different picture. This comes as Trump and his supporters have been boosting anti-Chinese sentiment as part of his re-election campaign. | The stats: | China has more than four times the population of the US but has reported far fewer deaths. At the time of writing, China has reported 4,…
thecanary.co/trending/2020/04/20/amid-us-coronavirus-disaster-trump-tries-to-shift-focus-to-china-with-increasingly-anti-chinese-messaging/

France: Violent Confrontations Between Police and Parisians
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-20
Parisian police confronted groups Sunday for the second consecutive night, as part of violent clashes occurred in the Villeneuve-La-Garenne suburb, during social isolation due to COVID-19. | RELATED: | Russian and Venezuelan Presidents Hold Solidarity Phone Meeting | The conflicts started after a 30-year-old motocross driver crashed against a police car door. According to local news media, the motorcyclist was riding at high speed, without a helmet, when he passed by the unma…
telesurenglish.net/news/-france-violent-confrontations-between-police-and-parisians—20200420-0009.html

Philadelphia failure to empty jails causes COVID-19 death
Joe Piette | workers.org | 2020-04-18
The first COVID-19 death in Philadelphia jails occurred on April 14. She was Yvonne Harris, a 48-year-old woman incarcerated at Riverside Correctional Facility. In the meantime, city judges have mocked the danger our incarcerated neighbors face and have only reduced the jail population by 13 percent in the past month . . . | Continue reading Philadelphia failure to empty jails causes COVID-19 death at Workers.org
workers.org/2020/04/47797/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=philadelphia-failure-to-empty-jails-causes-covid-19-death

The Important Role of the Gig Economy Worker in Times of Crisis
Beau Peters | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-04-18
In 2017, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 55 million Americans were gig economy workers, making up 34% of the working population. At that time, it was expected for the number to rise to 43%, but due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the gig economy is changing. Currently, about 95% of Americans are on …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/04/the-important-role-of-the-gig-economy-worker-in-times-of-crisis/

As US Shale Oil Plunges, Trump Admin Takes Aim at Venezuela
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-17
WASHINGTON DC ( The Last American Vagabond)

A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform
aclu.org | 2020-04-17

| For decades…
aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/a-tale-of-two-countries-racially-targeted-arrests-in-the-era-of-marijuana-reform

Covid-19 much more widespread than thought, and NO MORE DEADLY THAN FLU, new Stanford study suggests
rt.com | 2020-04-17
A study out of Stanford University tested California residents and found that the Covid-19 infection rate is likely far higher than has been reported, but the virus could also be far less lethal than commonly believed. | Researchers used 3,300 residents in Santa Clara County to conduct their tests, which found that the coronavirus could have infected far more people than has been reported. The study distinguishes itself from past Covid-19 research by using seroprevalence data, meaning the level of a pathogen measured in the blood streams of a specific population. | Titled 'COVID-19 Antibody Seroprevalence in S…
rt.com/usa/486183-stanford-coronavirus-infection-rate-higher/

Coronavirus pandemic threatens crises-ravaged communities, UN appeals for global support
news.un.org | 2020-04-16
A psychosocial counsellor in Jordan's Azraq refugee camp informed the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) on Thursday that during the first four days of the COVID-19 lockdown she called beneficiaries to let them know that "virtual support" was available.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1061922

Corporate Media Cover for US Mob Threats Against Venezuela
Lucas Koerner | fair.org | 2020-04-15
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 ( 3/31/20) vowing that "sanctions will remain in effect, and increase, until the Maduro regime accepts a genuine political transition." | Despite the obvious mafioso over…
fair.org/home/corporate-media-cover-for-us-mob-threats-against-venezuela/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=corporate-media-cover-for-us-mob-threats-against-venezuela

HaàØti au bord du précipice en raison des ravages du coronavirus et des dirigeants imposés par les États-Unis
Jeb Sprague | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-14
Alors que le gouvernement d'HaàØti, soutenu par les États-Unis et largement méprisé, encourage officiellement la distanciation sociale pour restreindre la…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/14/haiti-coronavirus-etats-unis/

Cuba Under Media Attack for Sending Doctors, Not Bombs, to Help Covid-19 Victims
Belen Fernandez | fair.org | 2020-04-14
As coronavirus ravages the world, Cuba has exhibited disproportionate heroism, deploying medical personnel to at least 14 countries thus far to battle the pandemic–including to Italy, which has been particularly devastated. The response is in keeping with Cuba's decades-long tradition of " doctors, not bombs," which has seen the tiny island nation dispatch tens of thousands of medics across the globe to combat everything…
fair.org/home/cuba-under-media-attack-for-sending-doctors-not-bombs-to-help-covid-19-victims/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cuba-under-media-attack-for-sending-doctors-not-bombs-to-help-covid-19-victims

Preventing Cytomegalovirus Infection After Liver Transplant: An Evolving Approach
Desai AN, Malani PN. | jamanetwork.com | 2020-04-14
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…
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764441

Wash Your Hands? Despite Pandemic, Thousands Still Have No Water in Detroit, a Coronavirus Hot Spot
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-13
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.
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/13/detroit_michigan_water_shut_offs

Federal Wardens Must Immediately Flatten the Curve in our Nation's Prisons
Kanya Bennett | aclu.org | 2020-04-13
With 10 deaths and more than 500 positive COVID-19 cases in the nation's federal prisons, wardens must " move with dispatch" to " move vulnerable inmates out of these institutions." These are the words that Attorney General William Barr used on April 3rd when he directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to reduce the federal prison population in the wake of COVID-19…
aclu.org/news/prisoners-rights/federal-wardens-must-immediately-flatten-the-curve-in-our-nations-prisons

Colonialism & coronavirus: 800,000 Haitians may die of COVID-19
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-09
Gutted by US-allied, neoliberal governments which have controlled the country since 2004, Haiti's healthcare sector braces for a potential catastrophe….
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/09/colonialism-coronavirus-haitians-covid/

Database Inaccuracies and Disparities in Care Among Hospitalized Homeless Adults
Essien UR, Paul DW, Jr, Kushel M. | jamanetwork.com | 2020-04-01
To the Editor In a recent issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, Wadhera and colleagues reported that hospitalized adults experiencing homelessness are less likely than those who were not homeless to undergo indicated cardiovascular interventions, including coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention, and coronary artery bypass graft. Those who were homeless experienced higher mortality rates. Their study adds to the literature on poor health outcomes in homeless populations by demonstrating that disparities may, in part, be because of disparities in care provided to hospitalized patients.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2763746

Human Rights Watch cabildea por sanciones letales contra Nicaragua y Venezuela, mientras arrecia la crisis de Covid-19
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-20
Human Rights Watch está orgullosamente asumiendo el crédito por sanciones devastadoras contra Nicaragua, mientras busca escalar la guerra económica en…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/20/human-rights-watch-sanciones-nicaragua-venezuela/

Wildlife Camera Captures Rare Video of Persian Leopard
The Iranian | iranian.com | 2020-04-21
The Persian leopard, also known as the Caucasian leopard is a leopard population in the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia.
iranian.com/2020/04/20/wildlife-camera-captures-rare-video-of-persian-leopard/

Implementation of HIV Self-Testing Program in New York City–Reply
MacGowan RJ, Chavez PR, Mermin JH. | jamanetwork.com | 2020-04-01
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…
jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2763753