As COVID-19 pandemic exposes failure of capitalism, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shifts to the right
wsws.org | 2020-04-02
Ocasio-Cortez is increasingly lining up behind the Democratic Party establishment at the very point that the coronavirus catastrophe is demonstrating the failure of the capitalist system and discrediting all of its political parties and representatives.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/02/cort-a02.html
Tunisia Leads the Way: New Report Exposes Israel's False Democracy
Ramzy Baroud | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-04-02
Tunisia is the Middle East's greatest success story, according to the findings of the V-Dem Annual Democracy Report 2019. One of the world's most regarded annual reports on democracy and good governance, the V-Dem Report is produced by the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. While Tunisians can be …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/04/tunisia-leads-the-way-new-report-exposes-israels-false-democracy/
Coronavirus freezes Democratic presidential campaign as states postpone primaries
wsws.org | 2020-04-02
Fourteen states have either delayed presidential primaries or extended deadlines for voting by mail.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/02/prim-a02.html
Three Truths and a Lie: a Version for Organizers
Deepak Bhargava, Dorian T. Warren | thenation.com | 2020-04-02
Three Truths and a Lie: a Version for Organizers…
thenation.com/article/politics/neoliberalism-democratic-organizing-unity/
Right-wing anti-Muslim, anti-LGBTQ organization sets up hospital in Central Park
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-04-02
New York, NY -This past week reports poured in as New York City opened and built several new medical support structures to aid the overwhelmed city hospital network. Over the weekend, pictures of the converted Javits Center, a huge convention center in Midtown, were circling around, boasting 1200 new hospital beds. | On Tuesday, March 30, tents began going up in Central Park. The makeshift tent hospital will have 68 beds, each with their own respiratory equipment. It will treat overflow patients from Mount Sinai Hospital as the spread of COVID-19 continues to overwhelm NYC hospitals. As Mayor Bill de Blasio prai…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/4/1/right-wing-anti-muslim-anti-lgbtq-organization-sets-hospital-central-park
Never mind the pandemic, when are you dropping out? Bernie Sanders gets a raw deal on 'The View'
rt.com | 2020-04-01
Democrat presidential contender Bernie Sanders got quite a hostile reception on ABC's 'The View', with the hosts more interested in pressuring him to drop out than in his proposal to deal with Covid-19 by nationalizing healthcare. | Democrat presidential contender Bernie Sanders got quite a hostile reception on ABC's 'The View', with the hosts more interested in pressuring him to drop out than in his proposal to deal with Covid-19 by nationalizing healthcare. | Sanders should have realized the fix he was in when ABC aired the promo announcing his upcoming live appearance, literally accusing him of "politicizin…
rt.com/usa/484727-view-bernie-sanders-medicare/
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/
With Hospitals Reaching Breaking Point, Pregnant People Face Additional Uncertainty During Pandemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-01
New York hospitals cannot force pregnant people to give birth without a chosen support person. That's what an executive order released by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Sunday revealed. The order comes in response to a move by the NewYork-Presbyterian and the Mount Sinai hospital systems to bar partners from labor and delivery rooms, causing widespread outrage. But how are pregnant people coping with new hospital guidelines and uncertain conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic? We speak with freelance journalist Amy Littlefield, who focuses on the intersection of religion and healthcare, about what she is confron…
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/1/amy_littlefield_pregnancy_during_coronavirus
#CancelRent: Tenants Demand Rent Relief & Organize Strikes as Unemployment Surges Due to COVID-19
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-01
Today is April 1, and millions across the country don't have the money to pay rent. But despite eviction moratoriums and relief on mortgage payments in hard-hit states like California, Washington and New York, no rent freeze has been ordered. In response, tenants around the country are calling for immediate rent cancellation. Some are planning to "rent strike." Meanwhile, many workers who lost their income due to the pandemic haven't even been able to file for unemployment in New York state, with the unemployment website continually crashing and phone lines jammed. Seven-point-eight million people called the New…
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/1/coronavirus_renters_relief_rent_strike
Assassination of Communist Party of Philippines official, comrades condemned
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-04-01
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. | Revolutionary forces in the Philippines and abroad vehemently denounced the cold-blooded murder of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) official Julius Giron and his companions Dr. Ma. Lourdes Denero Tango and Arvie Alarcon Reyes, by Duterte security agents in the early morning hours of 13 March in Baguio City north of Manila. The three were sleeping and unarmed when they were gunned down by combined elements of the Northern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/4/1/assassination-communist-party-philippines-official-comrades-condemned
If at first you don't succeed…Impeachment frontman Schiff mulls 9/11-like 'nonpartisan commission' on coronavirus
rt.com | 2020-04-01
House Democrat Adam Schiff has called for a 'nonpartisan' probe modeled after the 9/11 Commission to find out what went wrong with the US response to Covid-19, an inquiry that will no doubt lead to President Donald Trump. | Schiff, who chairs the House intelligence committee, told the Washington Post about his plans in an interview, pledging to introduce a bill that would enact a nonpartisan commission to study "our mistakes" in dealing with the epidemic. The commission's work, he said, would have to wait until after the crisis, but he assured the outlet his committee was already reviewing "intelligence materi…
rt.com/usa/484733-schiff-911-commission-coronavirus-blame/
US Response to Coronavirus in North Korea Can Save Lives and Lead to Peace
Christine Ahn, Kevin Martin | commondreams.org | 2020-04-01
A health worker takes the temperature of a woman amid concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of the Pyongchon District People's Hospital in Pyongyang on April 1, 2020. (Photo: Kim Won Jin / AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-04-01_at_6.04.22_pm.png …
commondreams.org/views/2020/04/01/us-response-coronavirus-north-korea-can-save-lives-and-lead-peace?cd-origin=rss
Nearly 60% in US Believe System Made Solely to Serve Rich
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-01
Around 57 percent of United States voters believe that their political system only works for insiders with money and power, a new Hill-HarrisX poll revealed Tuesday. | RELATED: | US Unemployment Rate Could Soon Reach 32%: Fed Economists Warn | "This is a very clear concern that the majority of voters have that the economic system and the political system, which of course are intertwined, only work for those who are wealthy or who are well connected," President and CEO of the Roos…
telesurenglish.net/news/Nearly-60-in-US-Believe-System-Made-Solely-to-Serve-Rich-20200401-0018.html
"Profit Over People": UPS Workers Say Company Not Prioritizing Safety as Workers Test Positive
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-01
The White House is now estimating 100,000 to a quarter of a million people could die from the coronavirus pandemic. Some of those most concerned about exposure to the highly infectious virus are workers on the frontlines of grocery stores and delivery services. On Monday, Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island walked off the job, and the company fired one of them in response. At least three employees at a large UPS facility near Boston have tested positive, and two dozen more have been quarantined. Details about the infections were shared by the workers' union because they said the company refused to provide t…
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/1/ups_workers_coronavirus
Biden Says 'Hard to Envision' Democratic Convention Taking Place in July as Sanders Vows to Stay in Race
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-04-01
The two remaining contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination made their comments on separate late night tv appearances. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/sanders-biden-michigan-nafta_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/04/01/biden-says-hard-envision-democratic-convention-taking-place-july-sanders-vows-stay?cd-origin=rss
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/
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
Coronavirus poses latest threat to battered health system in DR Congo
news.un.org | 2020-03-31
The looming threat of the new coronavirus disease COVID-19 is just the latest challenge to the beleaguered health care system in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is struggling with deadly measles and cholera epidemics that have killed thousands of children over the past year, the UN children's fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060692
After Securing Corporate Bailout, Trump and GOP Largely Oppose New Stimulus
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-31
Having secured a multi-trillion-dollar bailout fund for large corporations and minimal relief for the public as the U.S. economy reels from the coronavirus crisis, the White House and Republican leaders in Congress are already throwing cold water on the prospect of a fourth stimulus bill that progressives say is necessary to address the deep flaws and g…
truthout.org/articles/after-securing-corporate-bailout-trump-and-gop-largely-oppose-new-stimulus/
On the Need for Dissent and Debate in These Urgent Times
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2020-03-31
On the Need for Dissent and Debate in These Urgent Times…
thenation.com/article/politics/dissent-debate-massie-aoc/
"It Shattered My Life": Former Joe Biden Staffer Tara Reade Says He Sexually Assaulted Her in 1993
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-31
In an exclusive Democracy Now! TV/radio broadcast, we speak with Tara Reade, the former staffer in Joe Biden's Senate office who has come forward with allegations that Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993. Last week, The Intercept reported that the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, set up to help survivors of rape and sexual assault, refused to fund a #MeToo investigation into allegations against Biden. Reade told journalist Katie Halper in an interview published Tuesday that Biden repeatedly touched her without her consent and sexually assaulted her. Reade approached the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund in January looki…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/31/tara_reade_joe_biden_sexual_assault
Biden's Foreign Policy Team Hints at War with China, Conflict with Russia
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-30
An analysis by the Brookings Institute based on interviews with Biden's foreign policy teams hints at a foreign policy that closely mirrors that of the Pentagon under President Trump.
mintpressnews.com/joe-biden-foreign-policy-war-china-conflict-russia/266202/
"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 Not Shelters: Amid Pandemic, Homeless New Yorkers Demand Refuge in Vacant Apartments, Hotels
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-30
More than 100 million people across the United States have been ordered to stay home to prevent the spread of coronavirus, but what about people who are homeless? Tens of thousands of homeless people in New York City shelters and on the streets have been left with no way to safely shelter in place. We hear from people who are homeless, and speak with Kiana Davis, advocate and policy analyst with the Safety Net Project at the Urban Justice Center.
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/30/nyc_homelessness
We Need a Public Health New Deal: Neoliberal Austerity & Private Healthcare Worsened U.S. Pandemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-30
It's been described as the public health failure of the century. As the United States leads the world in coronavirus infections, a record number of Americans file for unemployment. Gasping for air, gasping for care; what does global health justice look like? We speak with two Yale professors who say decades of neoliberal austerity make it harder to fight the pandemic. They propose a New Deal for public health. Gregg Gonsalves is assistant professor in epidemiology of microbial diseases at Yale School of Public Health; Amy Kapczynski is professor of law at Yale Law School and co-founder of the Law and Political Ec…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/30/coronavirus_public_health
Headlines for March 30, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-30
Trump Extends Social Distancing, Says U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Could Reach 100,000 | , States Mandate Quarantines, Set Up Checkpoints to Limit Cross-State COVID-19 Infections , ER Doctor Who Blasted Lack of Worker & Patient Protections at WA Hospital Removed from Post, Coronavirus Cases Mount in Prisons and Among Law Enforcement Workers | , 9-Month-Old Is First Known Infant to Die from the Coronavirus in U.S. | , Cigna and Humana to Waive Copays for Coronavirus Treatment | , CBS News Executive and Cancer Survivor Maria Mercader Dies from Coronavirus | , | New York Scrambles to Build Hospitals, Imposes Fines fo…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/30/headlines
Congresswoman with 'presumed coronavirus infection' was on House floor & next to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (PHOTO)
rt.com | 2020-03-30
Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-New York) announced she may have a presumed case of Covid-19, which could put many other members of Congress at risk, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. | Velázquez said in a statement on Monday that she reached out to the House attending physician on Sunday after feeling "the abrupt onset of muscle aches, fevers, nasal congestion and stomach upset," all symptoms other positive coronavirus victims have reported. She had also lost her sense of smell and taste. | After hearing the congresswoman's symptoms, the physician diagnosed her with a "presumed coronavirus infect…
rt.com/usa/484531-velasquez-coronavirus-house-pelosi/
Beyond Chutzpah: the Hypocrisy of US Nacroterrorism Charges Against Venezuela
Roger D. Harris | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-30
This latest escalation of the US hybrid war against Venezuela takes place amid a global pandemic, which the US apparently sees as an opportunity to further attack a people made more vulnerable by the health crisis.
mintpressnews.com/hypocrisy-nacroterrorism-charges-against-venezuela/266160/
Civil rights groups condemn COVID-19 authoritarianism
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-30
Democracy Jacob AndrewarthaIssue 1259 Australia civil rights COVID-19March 30, 2020Against expert health and civil rights advice, governments are opting for authoritarian measures they claim will protect u…
greenleft.org.au/content/civil-rights-groups-condemn-covid-19-authoritarianism
U.S. Imperialism Pulls Desperate Move in Venezuela
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-29
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC). | For years, the criminal government of the United States has attempted to remove the democratically elected president of Venezuela and discredit the peoples' movement in that country that has been so successful in lifting millions of Venezuelans out of extreme poverty. Under the corrupt Trump administration alone, the United States has conducted multiple illegal attacks against President Nicolas Maduro and the people of Venezuela, including: failed assassination attempts by drone, poorly orchestrated mi…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/3/29/us-imperialism-pulls-desperate-move-venezuela
Beyond Chutzpah: US Charges Venezuela with Nacro-Terrorism
Roger D. Harris | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-29
According to the parable, the ungrateful son takes out a life insurance policy on his parents, murders them to collect, and is caught and found guilty. At his sentencing, the judge asks if he has anything to say on his behalf. The son replies: "Have mercy upon me because I am an orphan." That's chutzpah. …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/03/beyond-chutzpah-us-charges-venezuela-with-nacro-terrorism/
[Perspectives] Despair, democracy, and the failures of American capitalism
Michael Marmot | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
A third of the children who used to ride the number 6 bus to school in Yamhill, OR, USA, in the 1970s died before their time, mostly by suicide or from drugs, alcohol, or reckless accidents. Nicholas Kristof, columnist for The New York Times, is one of the survivors. He recalls one family of five siblings, four of whom succumbed as adults: Farlan died of liver failure from drink and drugs; Rogena died of hepatitis linked to drug use; Zealan burned to death in a house fire while passed out drunk; and Nathan blew himself up cooking meth.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30640-1/fulltext?rss=yes
Media Silent as Poll Workers Contract Covid-19 at Primaries That DNC, Biden Campaign Claimed Were Safe
Katie Halper | fair.org | 2020-03-28
Donald Trump is the single individual in US society most responsible for spreading dangerous misinformation about Covi…
fair.org/home/media-silent-as-poll-workers-contract-covid-19-at-primaries-that-dnc-biden-campaign-claimed-were-safe/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=media-silent-as-poll-workers-contract-covid-19-at-primaries-that-dnc-biden-campaign-claimed-were-safe
COVID-19: UN donates 250,000 face masks to NYC health workers
news.un.org | 2020-03-28
On behalf of the city, the Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, was on hand to receive 250,000 face masks donated by the UN on Saturday, destined for health workers in the metropolis that is home to the Organization's Headquarters.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060582
[Obituary] Aron Goldhirsch
Andrew Green | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
Medical oncologist specialising in breast cancer. Born on April 25, 1946, in Landsberg am Lech, Germany, he died on Feb 26, 2020, in Lugano, Switzerland, aged 73 years.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30642-5/fulltext?rss=yes
'The universe is collapsing'
Bernie Sanders | zcomm.org | 2020-03-27
Bernie Sanders mocks Republicans over coronavirus aid…
zcomm.org/zvideo/the-universe-is-collapsing/
U.S. Is #1 in Pandemic: Rep. Omar Blasts Trump for "Wrong Kind of American Exceptionalism"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-27
As much of the United States is under lockdown, the House votes today on a $2 trillion emergency relief package to address the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. It will generate payments to most Americans and includes protections for workers, but it is also a massive bailout for a number of industries and corporations, and the vote comes as a record 3.28 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits. We speak with Congressmember Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, the first Somali American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and one of the first Muslim women in Congress, about the bill, Trump's response t…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/27/rep_ilhan_omar_coronavirus_relief_bill
When Home Isn't Safe: Shelter-in-Place Is Putting Domestic Violence Survivors in a "Dire Situation"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-27
As schools shut, public spaces close, and all but essential workers are ordered to stay indoors under shelter-in-place orders across the U.S. and globe, domestic violence services are scrambling to help vulnerable people navigate home lives that they say are increasingly unsafe during the pandemic. What happens when you're trapped at home with your abuser? "This is really a dire situation for a lot of victims across the country," says Katie Ray-Jones, chief executive officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and loveisrespect.
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/27/domestic_violence_coronavirus_katie_ray_jones
Headlines for March 27, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-27
U.S. Leads World in Reported COVID-19 Cases as Hospitalizations Surge, Trump Doubts New York City's Need for 30,000 Life-Saving Ventilators, Politico: President Trump Failed to Follow Pandemic Playbook, Squandering Precious Time, Detroit and Chicago Join New Orleans as U.S. Coronavirus Hot Spots, House to Vote on Record-Shattering $2.2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package, Three Unaccompanied Migrant Children Test Positive for COVID-19, Jailed Asylum Seekers Stage Hunger Strike, Demanding Release During Pandemic, Activists Demand Release of Aging Prisoners as Coronavirus Spreads, Hospitals in Spain and Italy on th…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/27/headlines
"Total System Failure": Congress Pushes $2 Trillion Pandemic Bill. Will Dems Allow "Corporate Coup"?
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-27
We continue our look at the massive $2 trillion coronavirus relief package
Bernie Sanders Fights for Laid-off Worker Protections in $2 Trillion Stimulus with Corporate Bailout
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-26
The Senate unanimously approved a historic $2.2 trillion emergency relief package late Wednesday night to battle the unprecedented economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. ‚Ä®‚Ä®The House will consider the bill Friday before it goes to President Trump's desk to be signed into law. ‚Ä®‚Ä®The bill would massively expand unemployment benefits, providing laid-off workers up to 100% of their salary and health insurance benefits for four months. Vermont senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders successfully fought to strengthen the bill's assistance…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/26/coronavirus_relief_bill_bernie_sanders
Headlines for March 26, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-26
Senate Approves Historic $2.2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package, Republican Sen. John Thune Misses Vote on Coronavirus Bailout Due to Illness, New York City Hospitals Set Up Makeshift Morgues as COVID-19 Deaths Multiply, U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Top 1,000 as Louisiana Cases Soar, Pittsburgh Sanitation Workers Hold Wildcat Strike, Demanding Safety Gear, COVID-19 Claims Playwright Terrence McNally, Chef Floyd Cardoz and Fashionista Jenny Polanco, World Health Organization Urges Dramatic Action as Global Coronavirus Cases Near 500,000, Italy's COVID-19 Infection Rate Slows as Spain's Death Toll Surpasses China's, I…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/26/headlines
"Chaotic Situation": India Begins Lockdown of 1.3 Billion Residents as Coronavirus Pandemic Spreads
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-26
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads around the world, we look at India, which is now under the largest lockdown in human history, with 1.3 billion people ordered to shelter in place. As the country's economy and daily life come to an abrupt halt, hundreds of millions of Indians who live hand to mouth have been left without the means to support their families. We speak with Amitav Ghosh, whose books include "Gun Island" and "The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable."
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/26/amitav_ghosh_india_coronavirus_lockdown
"In a Week We Will Be Italy": NYC ER Doctor Says the U.S. Pandemic Will Only Get Worse
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-26
As New York hospitals see a surge in coronavirus cases, medical workers report growing shortages of protective gear, and a nurse who tested positive after treating patients with the highly contagious disease has died. "It's pretty dire inside New York City hospitals right now," says New York City emergency room doctor Craig Spencer. "We have a growing number of patients coming in every day with coronavirus. We have people young and old, with complications, without complications, who get put on mechanical ventilators, who get put on life support to help their breathing, who have cardiac arrest. It's a daily realit…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/26/nyc_hospitals_coronavirus
Headlines for March 25, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-25
Senate and White House Reach Agreement on $2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill, NY Governor Blasts Trump's Coronavirus Response, Asking "Where Are the Ventilators?", Two Georgia Medical Workers Die of COVID-19 Amid Critical Shortage of Protective Gear, California Seeks to Add 50,000 Hospital Beds Ahead of COVID-19 Peak, Washington to Inspect Nursing Homes After 37 Die of Coronavirus at Life Care Center, Minnesota Lt. Gov.'s Brother Dies of COVID-19; Sen. Klobuchar's Husband Hospitalized, Defying Medical Advice, Trump Calls for Return to Normal and "Packed Churches" on Easter Sunday, U.S. Immigration Agencies Quara…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/25/headlines
Calls Grow for Sen. Burr to Resign After He Sold $1.7 Million in Stocks & Downplayed COVID-19 Risks
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-25
Calls are growing for Republican Senator Richard Burr to resign after he reportedly sold up to $1.7 million worth of stocks after receiving privileged briefings about the coronavirus's threat to the global economy. ProPublica reports Burr, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, unloaded his holdings on February 13 in 33 separate transactions. At the time, he had access to classified information about the coronavirus and was receiving daily intelligence briefings. The stock market began plummeting a week after Burr's sales and has since lost about 30% of its value. We speak with Derek Willis of ProPublica…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/25/senator_richard_burr_stocks_coronavirus
Madrid's Ice Rink Turned to Morgue as Spain Exceeds China in Coronavirus Deaths
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-25
We go to Madrid, Spain, one of the epicenters of the pandemic in Europe, where health workers account for nearly 14% of the country's infections. Many face limited availability of protective equipment. So many people have died that Madrid's municipal funeral home has stopped collecting bodies. A large ice rink is now being used as a makeshift morgue, and the government plans to extend the state of emergency by another 15 days in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus. "If Madrid was a country, it would actually be fifth in terms of death rate in the entire world," says María Carrión, journalist and former De…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/25/maria_carrion_spain_coronavirus
"People Go Before Money. This Is About Saving Lives," Says San Juan Mayor on Pandemic in Puerto Rico
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-25
Puerto Rico announced a record $787 million financial package to fight the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic Monday, as the island's death toll hits two with 39 cases reported. The pandemic follows a series of devastating earthquakes in Puerto Rico earlier this year and comes as the island continues to deal with fallout from Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico's infrastructure and killed at least 3,000. "One of the things that I think is evident is that with the Trump administration and FEMA, we have to continue to remind them, time and time again, that we are people and that we deserve to be…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/25/puerto_rico_coronavirus_carmen_yulin_cruz
Frontline NY Nurses Lack Protective Masks & Ventilators, Say Worst Yet to Come as COVID-19 Spreads
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-25
As the New York metro area has 60% of all the new coronavirus cases in the United States and is responsible for half the cases all over the country, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday the number of hospitalizations is expected to peak in the next 40 days as hospitals are already encountering shortages of equipment needed to protect medical workers and to keep patients alive when the city's COVID-19 cases peak in the coming weeks. We're joined by two people on the frontlines of the pandemic: Sean Petty, a registered nurse in the pediatric emergency room of a public hospital in the Bronx and member of the…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/25/frontline_healthcare_workers_ppe_shortage_coronavirus
"Top Priority Is Release": Will Rikers Island Free More Prisoners as 60+ Test Positive for COVID-19?
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-24
As COVID-19 begins to spread in the U.S. prison system, calls are growing in the New York City epicenter of the pandemic to release people from Rikers Island, the second-largest jail system in the country. At least 39 prisoners and 21 staff at Rikers Island have tested positive. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday the city had released 75 people, but advocates are calling for the release of thousands more. We speak with Dr. Homer Venters, former chief medical officer for New York City's Correctional Health Services and author of "Life and Death in Rikers Island." His piece for The Hill is headlined "Coronavirus behi…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/24/rikers_coronavirus
This is No Time to Play Politics with our Democracy
Sonia Gill | aclu.org | 2020-03-23
Update 03/27/2020: Congress passed a $2 trillion stimulus package intended to address the broad impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic. While it included $400 million for states to expand access to the ballot for eligible voters, as outlined in this blog, more can and must be done to safeguard our democracy. , , To ensure elections proceed and eligible Americans can vote, any federal legislative package addressing the impact of COVID-19 on our elections must include an immediate, substantial infusion of federal funding and federal requirements for no-excuse mail-in absentee voting and early in-person voting.
aclu.org/news/voting-rights/this-is-no-time-to-play-politics-with-our-democracy
The Fight to Vote: Overcoming voter suppression in the South
splcenter.org | 2020-03-20
Voter suppression is alive and well across the South.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/24/fight-vote-overcoming-voter-suppression-south
Peace Action Supports Wyden-Klobuchar Bill to Protect Democracy and Ensure Safe Elections
Lilly Dragnev | peaceaction.org | 2020-03-20
Statement of Jon Rainwater, Executive Director, Peace Action, on the introduction of the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act (NDEBA) by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). This bill would help ensure that elections can take place in a safe and secure way throughout the pandemic and beyond. March 19, 2020 Peace Action …
peaceaction.org/2020/03/20/peace-action-supports-wyden-klobuchar-bill-to-protect-democracy-and-ensure-safe-elections/
The Dem Primary is Over, and We Need Bernie Sanders to Lead on Health Care From the Senate
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-03-19
On Tuesday, I cast a joyless vote for the very much politically doomed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Illinois primary, in an elementary school where hushed whispers and fearful glances had replaced the normal din of an election day. There was no one standing just outside the perimeter hustling me to vote for this …
truthdig.com/articles/the-dem-primary-is-over-and-we-need-bernie-sanders-to-lead-on-health-care-from-the-senate/
Who are we, America?
Eric K. Ward | splcenter.org | 2020-03-19
Just as the authoritarian-tinged tenure of Donald Trump underscores the question, the coronavirus and near shut-down of public life in response highlight this defining time in our democracy.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/22/who-are-we-america
These Are the 51 GOP Senators Who Just Voted Against Expanding Paid Sick Leave to Protect Americans
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-03-19
Republican senators on Wednesday teamed up to kill an amendment introduced by Democratic Sen. Patty Murray that would have expanded paid sick leave to millions of U.S. workers left out of a bipartisan coronavirus relief package. Every Republican present for the vote, 51 in total, voted against the amendment while every Senate Democrat voted in favor. …
truthdig.com/articles/these-are-the-51-gop-senators-who-just-voted-against-expanding-paid-sick-leave-to-protect-americans/
California Anti-Immigrant Activist Robin Hvidston Seeking State Assembly Seat
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2020-03-19
Robin Hvidston, a longtime anti-immigrant activist, is running as a Republican for a California Assembly seat in District 41.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/03/19/california-anti-immigrant-activist-robin-hvidston-seeking-state-assembly-seat
[Correspondence] COVID-19, ECMO, and lymphopenia: a word of caution
Brandon Michael Henry | thelancet.com | 2020-03-13
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can serve as life-saving rescue therapy for refractory respiratory failure in the setting of acute respiratory distress syndrome, such as that induced by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In the study by Yang and colleagues,1 who compared clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19, five (83%) of six patients receiving ECMO died. Although this sample was small, and specific baseline characteristics and disease courses were almost unknown, it raises concerns about potential harms of ECMO therapy for COVID-19.
thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30119-3/fulltext?rss=yes
Latest U.S. Military Strikes Are as Reckless as they are Cruel
Lilly Dragnev | peaceaction.org | 2020-03-13
Washington, D.C.
[Correspondence] Are patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus at increased risk for COVID-19 infection?
Lei Fang, George Karakiulakis, Michael Roth | thelancet.com | 2020-03-11
The most distinctive comorbidities of 32 non-survivors from a group of 52 intensive care unit patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the study by Xiaobo Yang and colleagues1 were cerebrovascular diseases (22%) and diabetes (22%). Another study2 included 1099 patients with confirmed COVID-19, of whom 173 had severe disease with comorbidities of hypertension (23 ∑7%), diabetes mellitus (16 ∑2%), coronary heart diseases (5 ∑8%), and cerebrovascular disease (2 ∑3%). In a third study,3 of 140 patients who were admitted to hospital with COVID-19, 30% had hypertension and 12% had diab…
thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30116-8/fulltext?rss=yes
Congress Sends Bipartisan Bill to Trump Rebuking Iran War
Paul Kawika Martin | peaceaction.org | 2020-03-11
Washington, D.C.
TEXAS 2020 DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRIMARY
Theodore de Macedo Soares | tdmsresearch.com | 2020-03-07
Exit Poll Versus Reported Vote Count By Theodore de Macedo Soares The 2020 Texas Democratic Party presidential primary was held on March 3, 2020. Election results from the computerized vote counts differed significantly from the results projected by the exit poll conducted by Edison Research and published by CNN at poll's closing. According to the exit poll Sanders was tied with Biden but lost in the unobservable computer counts by 4.5%. In this election candidate Sanders saw the largest Continue Reading ‚Üí…
tdmsresearch.com/2020/03/07/texas-2020-democratic-party-primary/
If Sanders forms a real Alliance with Warren, their Popular Policies Can Win
Antonio Carty | zcomm.org | 2020-03-06
Conventional wisdom is that a presidential candidate should pick an opposite or contrasting vice presidential running mate, to create a perception of a balanced ticket. But this is not a conventional time or race, Bernie is offering a clear and practical progressive choice to fix the USA. So his running mate needs to be a Read…
zcomm.org/zblogs/if-sanders-forms-a-real-alliance-with-warren-their-popular-policies-can-win/
[Correspondence] Respiratory support for patients with COVID-19 infection
Silvio A àëamendys-Silva | thelancet.com | 2020-03-05
As of Feb 27, 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected 47 countries and territories around the world.1 Xiaobo Yang and colleagues2 described 52 of 710 patients with confirmed COVID-19 admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) in Wuhan, China. 29 (56%) of 52 patients were given non-invasive ventilation at ICU admission, of whom 22 (76%) required further orotracheal intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation. The ICU mortality rate among those who required non-invasive ventilation was 23 (79%) of 29 and among those who required invasive mechanical ventilation was 19 (86%) of 22.
thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30110-7/fulltext?rss=yes
The Escalating Class War Against Bernie Sanders
Norman Solomon | zcomm.org | 2020-03-02
"If there is going to be class warfare in this country," Bernie Sanders told the Iowa AFL-CIO convention last summer, "it's time that the working class of this country won that war and not just the corporate elite."
zcomm.org/zmagazine/the-escalating-class-war-against-bernie-sanders/
Sanders Threatens the Establishment by Inspiring Popular Movements
Noam Chomsky | zcomm.org | 2020-03-02
Inspiring a popular movement that violates these norms is a serious attack on democracy, so conceived, an intolerable assault against good order…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/sanders-threatens-the-establishment-by-inspiring-popular-movements/