Daily Archives: May 26, 2020

2020-05-26: 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.)

Bolivarian Government Denounces the Illegal Sale of Venezuelan State Company CITGO by the US
Orinoco Tribune | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
The Bolivarian republic of Venezuela denounced through a communique the decision of the Delaware District Court, United States, which intends to carry out the procedures for the judicial sale of the shares of the Venezuelan state-owned company Citgo Petroleum belonging …
globalresearch.ca/venezuela-denounces-il…

Governments are Using COVID-19 Crisis to Crush Free Speech
Patrick Cockburn | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
Stop those non-humans who are writing and provoking our people,” says Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in an Instagramvideo. The non-humans he objects to are journalists who criticise the Chechen authorities for mishandling their response to the Covid-19epidemic. Given Kadyrov has faced allegations of torturing and disappearing critics (which the leader denies), he leaves nobody in…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/governments-…

Governments are Using COVID-19 Crisis to Crush Free Speech
Patrick Cockburn | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
Stop those non-humans who are writing and provoking our people,” says Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in an Instagram video. The non-humans he objects to are journalists who criticise the Chechen authorities for mishandling their response to the Covid-19 epidemic. Given Kadyrov has faced allegations of torturing and disappearing critics (which the leader denies), he leaves…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/governments-…

Governments are Using COVID-19 Crisis to Crush Free Speech
Patrick Cockburn | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
Stop those non-humans who are writing and provoking our people,” says Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in an Instagram video. The non-humans he objects to are journalists who criticise the Chechen authorities for mishandling their response to the Covid-19 epidemic. Given Kadyrov has faced allegations of torturing and disappearing critics (which the leader denies), he leaves…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/governments-…

Defying U.S. sanctions, first Iranian tanker reaches Venezuela
Gloria La Riva | liberationnews.org | 2020-05-26
The enhanced U.S. military presence in Caribbean waters did not deter Iran as the first of its five giant tankers full of gasoline and refinery supplies reached Venezuela’s waters late Saturday, May 23.
liberationnews.org/defying-u-s-sanctions…

Brazil surpasses 350,000 cases as politicians promote rapid reopening of economy
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
For the first time, Brazil announced a larger number of deaths from COVID-19 in a single day than the United States.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/braz…

Hundreds of thousands of Americans face homelessness during pandemic as states begin lifting restrictions on evictions
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
Across the US, moratoriums on eviction proceedings and home foreclosures, set in place during the onset of the pandemic, have either been lifted or are set to expire early next month.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/acea…

Donald Trump, Resign Now for America’s Sake: This is No Time for a Dangerous, Law-breaking, Bungling, Ignorant Ship Captain
Ralph Nader | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
Where are the calls for Trump’s resignation? Since his first months in the White House, Trump has been the most impeachable, most lawless, most self-enriching, most bungling President in U.S. history. He relies entirely on lying and scapegoating to avoid taking responsibility for his failures. Trump didn’t even win the popular vote

Donald Trump, Resign Now for America’s Sake: This is No Time for a Dangerous, Law-breaking, Bungling, Ignorant Ship Captain
Ralph Nader | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
Where are the calls for Trump’s resignation? Since his first months in the White House, Trump has been the most impeachable, most lawless, most self-enriching, most bungling President in U.S. history. He relies entirely on lying and scapegoating to avoid taking responsibility for his failures. Trump didn’t even win the popular vote

Hong Kong Rioters Should Never Fight Against Their Own Country
Andre Vltchek | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-26
For several months, Western mass media called the Hong Kong rioters, “pro-democracy protesters”. It still does. But I began noticing a new, even deadlier, terminology. Now, the black-clad ninja-looking men and women that are periodically and violently clashing with the law enforcement forces are once in a while described as “pro-independence”. Some Hong Kong citizens …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/05/hong-kong-rio…

The Persian Rug Weaver Strikes in the US Backyard Through Venezuela
Elijah J. Magnier | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
Iranian tankers were 2200 km from the US coast when the Iranian-flagged “Fortune”, followed by “Forest”, entered Venezuelan waters, challenging the US embargo and the US’s threats. The Islamic Republic was broadcasting loud and clear a strong message. | The first …
globalresearch.ca/persian-rug-weaver-str…

If a Covid-19 Vaccine is Discovered, It Will be a Boon to Military Recruiters
Howard Lisnoff | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
There is some good news coming out of the terror of the Covid-19 pandemic. We on the left aren’t usually acquainted with anything even remotely approaching good news. How could it be otherwise, always being at the margins of society and at the margins of national consciousness? Bernie touted himself as a liberal with some…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/if-a-covid-1…

If a Covid-19 Vaccine is Discovered, It Will be a Boon to Military Recruiters
Howard Lisnoff | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
There is some good news coming out of the terror of the Covid-19 pandemic. We on the left aren’t usually acquainted with anything even remotely approaching good news. How could it be otherwise, always being at the margins of society and at the margins of national consciousness? Bernie touted himself as a liberal with some…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/if-a-covid-1…

Venezuela And Iran Show Solidarity Can Overcome US Empire
Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-26
Commemorating 100,000 COVID-19 Deaths The official milestone of 100,000 dead in the United States from COVID-19 is near. This figure is certainly an undercount as thousands of deaths from COVID-19 are not being recorded. Before our weekly news analysis, we pause to commemorate those deaths. The US, with 4 percent of the world’s population, has 28 percent of …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/05/venezuela-and…

Washington Keeps Accusing China of Orchestrating Border Clashes with India
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
The US is supporting India towards a military confrontation with China on their land border and in the Indian Ocean. The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, who is about to retire from …
globalresearch.ca/washington-accusing-ch…

North Atlantic vs. Eurasia: EU Admits that “American-led System” Nears Its End
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell told a gathering of German ambassadors on Monday that “analysts have long talked about the end of an American-led system and the arrival of an Asian century. This is now happening in front …
globalresearch.ca/eu-admitted-american-l…

The Ben Uliel Case: Has Israel Won the Battle Against Jewish Terror?
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-26
The verdict was a best-case scenario for Israel’s image as it deliberately absolved the massive terrorist network that spawned the likes of Ben Uliel and the Israeli army that protects those very extremists on a daily basis.
mintpressnews.com/ben-uliel-case-israel-…

UK puts Big Pharma profits ahead of coronavirus vaccine at WHO
graham | truepublica.org.uk | 2020-05-26
Global Justice Now today criticised Health Secretary Matt Hancock for failing to join world leaders in declaring a potential coronavirus vaccine to be a ‘public good’, and instead acting as a cheerleader for the pharmaceutical industry at the World Health Assembly, which concluded end of last week. The campaign group pointed to the government’s efforts …
truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/uk-puts-big-pharma-profits-ahead-of-coronavirus-vaccine-at-who/

Facing the ecosocial crisis: Is a socialist planning of the economy feasible?
Víctor Castillo | mronline.org | 2020-05-26
The current ecological and social crisis, a crisis which has seen its effects increased by a public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is a crisis which raises serious concerns over environmental sustainability and social polarization and which has a fundamental cause: the blind logic pursued by our economy system, where everything is secondary …
mronline.org/2020/05/26/facing-the-ecoso…

Towards A New World Order? The Global Debt Crisis and the Privatization of the State
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
This is the true picture of what is happening. Poverty is Worldwide. While famines are erupting in Third World countries, closer to home, in the richest country on earth, “millions of desperate Americans wait in long crowded lines for handouts”
globalresearch.ca/towards-a-new-world-or…

The Farce and Diabolical Agenda of A “Universal Lockdown”
Peter Koenig | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
First comes the farce, an (almost) universal government lie around the globe about a deadly virus, WHO named COVID-19. The decision for a global lockdown

Facts Vs. Fake. A Worldwide Lockdown of Everything
Peter Koenig | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
Do you know who coined the curse, “conspiracy theory” or accusation, “you are conspiracy theorist!”

Kremlin warns intensified shelling in Lugansk may undermine prospects for E. Ukraine settlement
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Intensified shelling on the contact line between Ukraine and the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic may undermine the prospects of a peaceful settlement, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. | “The Kremlin wants the parties to meet their commitments, first of all, on halting the shelling of territories where civilians live and in general the shelling of territories in the self-proclaimed republics,” TASS quoted the spokesman as saying. | “We believe that this is unacceptable and this mainly mars the prospects of creating a predictable situation in peaceful life,” Peskov said.
rt.com/newsline/489782-kremlin-lugansk-u…

Human Footprint Threatening Nearly 50 Billion Years of Evolutionary History: Study
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
“Our findings indicate that the magnitude of our impact as a species on the natural world is incomprehensibly large, and appears to be overwhelmingly impacting the most irreplaceable areas and species on the planet.” | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/26/human-f…

Selected Articles: Facts Vs. Fake. A Worldwide Lockdown of Everything
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
Facts Vs. Fake. A Worldwide Lockdown of Everything | By Peter Koenig, May 26, 2020 | The universal Covid-lockdown has also caused a meltdown of productive assets, which now become easy prey to be bought by large corporations

Tankers to Venezuela Are Part of Iranian Strategy to Mess With Trump in an Election Year as Payback for Soleimani
Elijah J. Magnier | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-26
Editor’s note: Very interesting information. This helps explain why the Imperial navy has been conducting live-fire drills off the coast of Persia and threatening Iranian vessels. | | Iranian tankers were 2200 km from the US coast when the Iranian-flagged “Fortune”, followed by “Forest”, entered Venezuelan waters, challenging the US embargo and the US’s threats. The Islamic Republic was broadcast…
anti-empire.com/tankers-to-venezuela-are…

Bolsonaro Gives a Fantastic, Impassioned, Radical Speech Against Lockdown Maos [VIDEO]
Marko Marjanović | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-26
This was a recent meeting of Bolsonaro’s cabinet footage from which made public by the Supreme Court, and what a meeting it was: Why are they puttin handcuffs on a citizen that is working or a woman in the public square and the Justice doesn’t say anything? You have to fucking speak! | You’re going to be quite? Until when? Or do I have to keep exposing myself? You have to speak, put it out there! Dish it out! | You can’t put handcuffs, a decision of the Supreme Court itself. Are we going to be quiet? Until when? | They keep on humiliating our people. And that’s growing… People keep pointing at me: “I voted for y…
anti-empire.com/bolsonaro-gives-a-fantas…

Why Did Russia Refuse Venezuela’s Request but Iran Accepted It?
ahtribune.com | 2020-05-26
Iranian tankers were 2200 km from the US coast when the Iranian-flagged “Fortune”, followed by “Forest”, entered Venezuelan waters, challenging the US embargo and the US’s threats. The Islamic Republic was broadcasting loud and clear a strong message. | The first message was dispatched to the US administration after Gulf and Arab Leaders conveyed a direct message to the Iranian leaders: “Washington is determined to stop the Iranian tankers sailing to Venezuela”. Iran responded to all messages received that “its five tankers will sail to Venezuela and if any of these tankers is intercepted, Iran will respond in…
ahtribune.com/world/americas/venezuela/4…

Code Pink Delivers Anti-War Message to Sen. Feinstein
Leon Kunstenaar | indybay.org | 2020-05-26
In Memorial Day Action, Code Pink brings anti-war message to the steps of her San Francisco mansion.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/25/1883325…

Biden’s “You Ain’t Black” Comment Embodies Everything Wrong with the Democrats
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
Former Vice President and current Democrat front-runner Joe Biden embodied everything that’s wrong with the Democrats on Friday morning during an interview with a popular New York City radio host. In response to Charlamagne Tha God’s request for another interview …
globalresearch.ca/biden-you-aint-black-c…

Citing Dual Threat of Covid-19 and Duterte, Coalition Calls on Congress to Block US Arms Sale to Philippines
Jon Queally & Andrea Germanos, staff writers | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
“The U.S. should not be selling advanced military systems to an abusive, unaccountable Philippine military under cover of a global pandemic.” | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/26/citing-…

Stay Home, Stay Safe, Be Kind: What New Zealand Can Teach the World About Eliminating COVID-19
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-26
New Zealand implemented one of the earliest lockdowns and has largely succeeded in eliminating the coronavirus under the leadership of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Some of the country’s success has been attributed to her leadership, trust in science, and clear communication during the crisis. We get an update from Michael Baker, professor of public health at the University of Otago in Wellington, New Zealand. He is an epidemiologist and a member of the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s Technical Advisory Group. Baker has been advising the government on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their slogan is “Stay…
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/26/new_zeala…

Photojournalist Sebastià£o Salgado: Brazil’s Reckless COVID Response Threatens Indigenous Survival
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-26
As Brazil sees more than 800 deaths in 24 hours and nearly 400,000 confirmed cases, we look at COVID-19’s devastating impact on Brazil’s Indigenous peoples, who are dying at double the rate of the rest of the country. We speak with world-renowned Brazilian photojournalist Sebastià£o Salgado, who wrote an open letter to right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who called the virus a “little flu,” to warn him the pandemic is “an extreme threat to their very survival.”
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/26/brazil

Scotland joins countries blocking tax haven-tied corporations from receiving Covid-19 bailouts
graham | truepublica.org.uk | 2020-05-26
By Mark Bou Mansour: The Scottish Government has backed a Green Party amendment to exclude corporations registered in tax havens, or with subsidiaries or other arrangements in tax havens from receiving Covid19 bailouts. To date, Wales, France, Belgium, Denmark, Poland and Argentina have all announced similar measures. A second Green amendment that did not pass …
truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/scotland-joins-countries-blocking-tax-haven-tied-corporations-from-receiving-covid-19-bailouts/

Video: Turkey Dives Into Libyan Conflict
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and Syrian militants supported by the Turkish military have achieved more gains in their battle against the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. | GNA forces have captured the …
globalresearch.ca/video-turkey-libyan-co…

Israeli Authorities Order Ten Palestinian-owned Water Wells Closed
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-05-26
Israeli military authorities reportedly plan to shut down ten Palestinian-owned water wells, to the west of city Salfit, in the northern occupied West Bank. Local Palestinian sources in the Al-Sawiya village in western Salfit, told media outlets including the Palestine WAFA News Agency, that Israeli military authorities delivered shutdown warrants …
imemc.org/article/israeli-authorities-or…

Zionists Have Feelings Too
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
Regular visitors to this site will be aware that I frequently write about the massive propaganda campaign being run by supporters of Israel to conceal the damage done by the Jewish state to actual United States’ interests. One of the …
globalresearch.ca/zionists-have-feelings…

The power of propaganda: Americans think Trump’s COVID-19 performance better than China’s
Alan MacLeod | mronline.org | 2020-05-26
Americans rate their own government’s response, along with that of the UK and Italy, higher than that of China despite those countries having much higher death and infection rates.
mronline.org/2020/05/26/the-power-of-pro…

Grassroots Organizers Continue To Move The Needle For Change Despite Little Fanfare
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-05-26
Activists like Cameron Miles, Vonya Quarles, Erica Smith, and Amber Rose-Howard discuss organizing tactics that work in the continued fight for social justice and prison abolition.
therealnews.com/stories/grassroots-organ…

Memorial Day Peace Caravan/Demonstrators Drive to Donate to Homeless in San Jose
Ruth Robertson | indybay.org | 2020-05-26
On May 25, a Peace Caravan of activists drove in decorated cars through the streets of San Jose to demand human rights to health, housing, education, a living wage and all the components of a dignified life. The colorful caravan of about a dozen cars ended their protest at a homeless encampment where they made a donation and received thanks from Scott Wagers who serves and ministers to the city’s unhoused.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/26/1883327…

Italy Recommends Cuban Medical Brigade for Nobel Peace Prize
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
Italian authorities, ecclesiastic representatives, and social organizations acknowledged on May 23 Cuban efforts to face COVID across the country. | The Secretary of Health and Welfare of the government of the Lombardy region, Giulio Gallera, and the president of the …
globalresearch.ca/italy-recommends-cuban…

The Coming of a Social-Distancing Version of War
Danny Sjursen | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
The spread of Covid-19 has offered a rare opportunity to raise questions, challenge frameworks, and critically consider what “ending” war might even mean for this country.(Photo: Erich Ferdinand/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2020/05/26/coming…

First US Citizen Convicted for Protests at Nuclear Weapons Base in Germany
John Laforge | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
COCHEM, Germany A US Air Force veteran of the US war in Vietnam and two other nuclear weapons protesters were found guilty of trespassing and damage to property in Cochem District Court May 11, 2020, as a result of July 2018 protest action at Germany’s Bàºchel Air Force Base, where the United States positions 20…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/first-us-cit…

First US Citizen Convicted for Protests at Nuclear Weapons Base in Germany
John Laforge | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
COCHEM, Germany A US Air Force veteran of the US war in Vietnam and two other nuclear weapons protesters were found guilty of trespassing and damage to property in Cochem District Court May 11, 2020, as a result of July 2018 protest action at Germany’s Bàºchel Air Force Base, where the United States positions 20…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/first-us-cit…

Minnesota: Protest set to demand justice for George Floyd
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-26
Minneapolis, MN

Workers Struggles: The Americas
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
Colombian health care workers staged a protest last week in the capital Bogotá to protest lack of adequate provision of personal protective equipment.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/wrkr…

1st UK government minister quits IN PROTEST over Cummings lockdown violation saga
rt.com | 2020-05-26
The under-secretary of state for Scotland has become the first UK government minister to resign from cabinet after PM Boris Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings allegedly broke lockdown rules at the height of Covid-19 crisis. | In his resignation letter, published on social media on Monday morning, junior minister Douglas Ross insisted that he had constituents who had not been able to say “goodbye to loved ones” and were not allowed to “mourn together” as a family during the coronavirus pandemic. | I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior adviser to the government was right. | I…
rt.com/uk/489756-government-minister-qui…

A Whistleblowing Visionary Offers a Ticket to Our Future—If We Take It
Shahid Buttar | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
Workers protest against the failure from their employers to provide adequate protections in the workplace of the Amazon delivery hub on National May Day Walkout/Sickout by workers at Amazon, Whole Foods, Innstacart and Shipt amid the Covid-19 pandemic on May 1, 2020, in Hawthorne, California. (Photo: Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2020/05/26/whistl…

‘Some Honesty for Once’: Alberta Energy Minister Celebrates Covid-19 for Making In-Person Pipeline Protests More Difficult
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
“They’re literally using Covid as a cover to build pipelines because they know protest is impossible.” | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/26/some-ho…

COVID-19 Reveals the Inherent Vindictiveness of Migration Detention
Michael Flynn, Katie Welsford | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
Asylum seekers protest inside the Mantra Hotel in Preston, Melbourne, Australia. May 16, 2020. (Picture by Micheal Dodge/AAP/PA Images. All rights reserved) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2020/05/26/covid-…

CalOsha Do Your Job – Lives Over Corporate Greed-Essential Workers Are Not Expendable
LCLAA Sacramento | indybay.org | 2020-05-26
LCLAA Sacramento will be protesting the lack of protection by Cal-OSHA and demand that 1,000 new inspectors for inspection of California workplaces.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/24/1883324…

Thailand extends virus emergency powers to June 30 despite opposition objections
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Thailand’s cabinet on Tuesday extended an emergency decree to fight the coronavirus until June 30. A spokeswoman denied opposition suggestions that the prime minister, a onetime junta leader, was seeking a return to unchecked powers. | The state of emergency declared in late March came amid student protests against the banning of a party opposed to PM Prayuth Chan-ocha. | With new cases now dwindling, some opposition figures have suggested the emergency decree should be allowed to expire. Thailand has had 3,045 confirmed cases and 57 fatalities, Reuters said. | Prayuth first seized power in a 2014 military cou…
rt.com/newsline/489760-thailand-extends-…

CDC Report Confirms Remarkably Low Coronavirus Death Rate. Where Is the Media?
Daniel Horowitz | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
Most people are more likely to wind up six feet under because of almost anything else under the sun other than COVID-19. | The CDC just came out with a report that should be earth-shattering to the narrative of the political …
globalresearch.ca/cdc-confirms-low-coron…

California: UFCW Local 770 wants Farmer John Vernon Plant closed now
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-26
Los Angeles, CA – As more than 130 workers at the Farmer John plant in Vernon have contracted the coronavirus, May 25, the union representing 1300 plant employees is calling for an immediate closure to ensure workers are safe and to keep all workers on the payroll with their full pay and benefits. | Workers at Farmer John, which is owned by Smithfield, have pressed the company for increased safety measures, workplace protections and information about infections at the plant. Information has been incomplete and safety measures insufficient. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is cu…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/5/25/californ…

Washington’s criminal deportations to Haiti threaten to ignite pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
In addition to slating coronavirus-positive detainees for deportation, Washington is seeking to ship back infamous death squad leader and CIA “asset” Emmanuel “Toto” Constant.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/hait…

Patterns of Compromise: The EasyJet Data Breach
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
It has been a withering time for the airlines, whose unused planes moulder in a gruelling waiting game of survival. The receivers are smacking their lips; administration has become a reality for many. Governments across the globe dispute what measures to ease in response to the coronavirus pandemic; travel has been largely suspended; and the…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/patterns-of-…

Maryland Democratic Party officials cite coronavirus crisis to impose sweeping budget cuts on workers
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
Democratic Party officials in Montgomery County seized upon the COVID-19 crisis to impose austerity upon county employees, many of whom are working on the front lines of the pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/moco…

Germany’s Left Party spearheading deadly back-to-work drive
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
After voting for the multi-billion-euro coronavirus bailout package in the federal parliament, the Left Party is now supporting the grand coalition’s reopening of the economy.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/link…

US “Woke” Community Wages Pointless War Against Huawei
Tony Cartalucci | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
When the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) withdrew from a Huawei-sponsored Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) webinar

Apocalypse never: what coronavirus teaches us about doomsday denial
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-05-26
he current pandemic is giving humanity a crash course in apocalypse management. Whether COVID-19 is actually apocalyptic or not is debatable, but the pandemic has many of the characteristics that we associate with something of that scale.
mronline.org/2020/05/26/apocalypse-never…

California: UFCW Local 770 wants Farmer John Vernon Plant closed now
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-26
Los Angeles, CA – As more than 130 workers at the Farmer John plant in Vernon have contracted the coronavirus, May 25, the union representing 1300 plant employees is calling for an immediate closure to ensure workers are safe and to keep all workers on the payroll with their full pay and benefits. | Workers at Farmer John, which is owned by Smithfield, have pressed the company for increased safety measures, workplace protections and information about infections at the plant. Information has been incomplete and safety measures insufficient. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is cu…
fightbacknews.org/2020/5/25/california-u…

Patterns of Compromise: The EasyJet Data Breach
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
It has been a withering time for the airlines, whose unused planes moulder in a gruelling waiting game of survival. The receivers are smacking their lips; administration has become a reality for many. Governments across the globe dispute what measures to ease in response to the coronavirus pandemic; travel has been largely suspended; and the…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/patterns-of-…

Reopened schools close across France as coronavirus found among students and staff
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
Two weeks after the reopening of schools began in France, more than 70 schools have been forced to close as coronavirus cases have been found among students and teachers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/scho…

Nearly 1,200 workers contract COVID-19 at remote Siberian goldmine
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
About 20 percent of the workforce at the Olimpiada mining and processing plant, which is owned by the 24-year-old son of a Russian oligarch, have contracted coronavirus.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/ruco…

Comcast Ignores Calls To Improve Internet Access During Pandemic
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-05-26
Despite making $4 billion in revenue in 2019, Comcast hasn’t responded to pleas from students and educators to increase internet speeds during the COVID-19 pandemic.
therealnews.com/columns/comcast-ignores-…

Executives of vaccine developer Moderna cash in, cut corners
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
In March, while the global economy was facing an implosion, CEO Stéphane Bancel became a billionaire based on the valuation of his nine percent stake in the publicly traded company.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/vacc…

Trump’s ‘Uncreative Destruction’ of the U.S.-China Relationship
John Feffer | zcomm.org | 2020-05-26
Trump’s economic war on China comes in the shadow of an even deadlier military escalation. And it may not stop after November, no matter who wins the election…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/trumps-uncreative-…

The Sure Way to End Concerns About China’s “Theft” of a Vaccine: Make it Open
Dean Baker | zcomm.org | 2020-05-26
If China can in principle develop a vaccine more quickly if it has access to data from labs in the United States then it must also be the case that researchers in the United States could develop a vaccine more quickly if they had data from labs in China and elsewhere…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-sure-way-to-en…

Racism and Bias at the Court of Arbitration for Sports
Rick Sterling | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-26
Sun Yang Over the past 5 years, the sports “anti doping movement” has been distorted into a political tool to attack Russia and now China. This article reveals the bias behind the decision to ban Chinese athlete Sun Yang for eight years. For example, the president of the panel tweeted against a “yellow faced Chinese …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/05/racism-and-bi…

COVID-19 adds new dimensions to U.S.-China trade war
C.P. Chandrasekhar | mronline.org | 2020-05-26
The Trump regime is ratcheting up its protectionist rhetoric vis-à -vis China. If this leads to new sanctions, it would worsen the COVID-induced trade crisis rather than help the U.S.
mronline.org/2020/05/26/covid-19-adds-ne…

Trump Administration and the Washington Post: Picking Fights Together
Melvin Goodman | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
For the past several months, the Trump administration has been picking fights–using cold war rhetoric regarding China and applying a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. The editorial writers of the Washington Post for the past few weeks have written a series of pieces that support a hard line against China, and on May 24th…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/trump-admini…

US threatens to “disconnect” Australia if it strays from conflict with China
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
Pompeo’s bullying intervention is part of an intensifying campaign by Washington to confront China economically and militarily.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/pomp…

Trump’s “Uncreative Destruction” of the US/China Relationship
John Feffer | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
Economists like to think of the wreckage caused by stock market downturns, widespread bankruptcies, and corporate downsizing as “creative destruction.” As it destroys the old and the dysfunctional, the capitalist system continually spurs innovation, much as a forest fire prepares the ground for new growth. Or so the representatives of the dismal science argue. Donald…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/trumps-uncre…

Trump’s “Uncreative Destruction” of the US/China Relationship
John Feffer | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
Economists like to think of the wreckage caused by stock market downturns, widespread bankruptcies, and corporate downsizing as “creative destruction.” As it destroys the old and the dysfunctional, the capitalist system continually spurs innovation, much as a forest fire prepares the ground for new growth. Or so the representatives of the dismal science argue. Donald…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/trumps-uncre…

COVID Data: ‘How Could the CDC Make That Mistake?’
Alexis C. Madrigal | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
We bring to the attention of Global Research readers selected excerpts from a carefully researched article published by the Atlantic, which documents the manipulation of CDC data pertaining to the corona-virus. Of significance: the recorded COVID data set guidelines for …
globalresearch.ca/covid-data-how-could-t…

Face Masks Pose Serious Risks to the Healthy
Dr. Russell Blaylock | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
“By wearing a mask, the exhaled viruses will not be able to escape and will concentrate in the nasal passages, enter the olfactory nerves and travel into the brain.”

The Banality of Evil, COVID-19 Edition
Thomas Knapp | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
As the COVID-19 pandemic ran its deadly course in New York, governor Andrew Cuomo affirmed a state policy forbidding nursing homes to reject suffering from the disease. At least partially as a result (Cuomo himself acknowledged early on that the virus spreads through such facilities “like fire through dry grass”), nearly 6,000 long-term care residents…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/the-banality…

Washington state farmworkers fight unsafe conditions as unions move to shut down strikes
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
The conditions in which agricultural workers are forced to live and work have heightened their risk of transmitting the virus that causes COVID-19.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/yaki…

The Banality of Evil, COVID-19 Edition
Thomas Knapp | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
As the COVID-19 pandemic ran its deadly course in New York, governor Andrew Cuomo affirmed a state policy forbidding nursing homes to reject suffering from the disease. At least partially as a result (Cuomo himself acknowledged early on that the virus spreads through such facilities “like fire through dry grass”), nearly 6,000 long-term care residents…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/the-banality…

A Cold War Is Heating Up this Summer
Steven Sahiounie | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
The Iranian oil tanker Fortune arrived in Venezuela yesterday, the first in a flotilla of five, Forest, Petunia, Faxon, and Clavel, carrying gasoline from Bandar Abbas to Puerto Cabello. The second ship, Forest, has entered Venezuelan waters today. Venezuela …
globalresearch.ca/cold-war-heating-summe…

Pandemics have a way of fomenting social revolutions
Larry Holmes | workers.org | 2020-05-26
The following is a slightly edited talk given during the Workers World Party webinar “What Road to Socialism?” on May 16. Welcome everyone to this important national meeting of Workers World Party. I wish we could be meeting in person, but dire circumstances make that impossible. So we have to . . . | Continue reading Pandemics have a way of fomenting social revolutions at Workers.org
workers.org/2020/05/48926/?utm_source=rs…

The Coming of a Social-Distancing Version of War
Danny Sjursen | zcomm.org | 2020-05-26
The Future of Forever War, American-Style…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-coming-of-a-so…

Grizzly Bears are Dying and That’s a Fact
David Mattson | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
More grizzly bears are dying, being seen, and in conflicts with humans in and around the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE). These are irrefutable facts. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) these trends are a straight-forward consequence of more bears. As a corollary, environmental change doesn’t matter to bears in this population because,…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/grizzly-bear…

Online meeting reveals union complicity in attacks on Australia Post workers
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
Union officials prevented workers from speaking or moving motions, in a warning that they are preparing to enforce the management’s sweeping pro-business restructure.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/aupo…

The Military-Industrial-Governmental Complex
Eric Walberg | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-26
Christian Sorensen’s ambitious Understanding the War Industry documents the US war economy with zest. It’s a dull, monotonous topic but vitally important, and he manages to make it interesting. You see the military-industrial-political complex as a vast, complex hive, embedded in the larger economic monster called the United States. That union has always been tenuous, …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/05/the-military-…

Covid-19 and The Plight of New York State’s Nursing Homes
William Walter Kay | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
On March 25, 2020 New York State’s Health Department issued the urgent Advisory: Hospital Discharges and Admissions to Nursing Homes. Nursing Home (NH) Administrators, Directors of Nursing, and Hospital Discharge Planners needed to “carefully review this guidance.” | To “…
globalresearch.ca/howard-zucker-scarlet-…

Doctors in Egypt threaten mass resignation as deaths of colleagues continue
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-26
The Egyptian Medical Syndicate issued a formal statement warning of a medical catastrophe in the absence of adequate arrangements of PPEs and tests for medical staff in the country…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/26/doctors-i…

The global pandemic and global war on immigrants and refugees
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
As with attacks on the working class as a whole and the drive to war, capitalist ruling classes the world over have responded to the pandemic by intensifying the brutal assault on migrant workers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/pers…

Australian governments rush to end lockdowns in line with business demands
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
Thousands of students and teachers are returning to schools, crowded public transport services are operating and millions of workers are being herded back onto the job.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/aust…

Strike action looming in South Africa as government downgrades lockdown
Pavan Kulkarni | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-26
Business associations claim that health and safety protocols will be followed, but unions point to previous violations which resulted in a further spread of the epidemic…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/26/strike-ac…

Victory: Ohio’s plan to deny workers their unemployment insurance is shelved
Martin Hart-Landsberg | mronline.org | 2020-05-26
In early May, Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine began reopening the state economy. And to support business and slash state expenses, both at worker expense, he had a “COVID-19 Fraud” form put up on the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services website where employers could confidentially report employees “who quit or refuse work when …
mronline.org/2020/05/26/victory-ohios-pl…

Working class demonstrates in Spain for a social emergency plan
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-26
On May 23, Saturday, workers and progressive sections across Spain demonstrated in major cities demanding the protection of workers’ rights and for an urgent social emergency plan to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. Various trade unions and parties, including the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) and Committees for Workers Unity (CUO), participated in the mobilizations. | According to reports, demonstrations were organized in Madrid, Las Palmas, Tenerife, Almería, Granada, Aguilar de la Frontera, Puente Genil, Málaga, Huelva, Cádiz, Sevilla, Murcia, Alacant, Valencia, Barcelona, Olot, Lleida, and Barakald…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/26/working-c…

Postal workers stop work in Peterborough and High Wycombe, England, over COVID-19 safety fears
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
The threat to safety in the two offices are replicated in delivery and sorting offices all over the country and internationally.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/rmuk…

Working class demonstrates in Spain for a social emergency plan
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-26
On May 23, Saturday, workers and progressive sections across Spain demonstrated in major cities demanding the protection of workers’ rights and for an urgent social emergency plan to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. Various trade unions and parties, including the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) and Committees for Workers Unity (CUO), participated in the mobilizations. | According to reports, demonstrations were organized in Madrid, Las Palmas, Tenerife, Almería, Granada, Aguilar de la Frontera, Puente Genil, Málaga, Huelva, Cádiz, Sevilla, Murcia, Alacant, Valencia, Barcelona, Olot, Lleida, and Barakald…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/26/working-c…

The Gods of Small Things
John Kendall Hawkins | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
O brave new world that has such people in it!

The Gods of Small Things
John Kendall Hawkins | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
O brave new world that has such people in it!

“Globalized Wellness”: The Big Pharma COVID Vaccine Marathon
Brett Jordan | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
As far as pharmaceutical giants pining to roll out the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine is concerned, the race is very much on. The SARS-CoV-2 continues to be lauded as the most time-sensitive crisis of our modern era, and CEOs of …
globalresearch.ca/globalized-wellness-th…

“We will resist the ruling-class offensive to make the working class pay the cost of the COVID-19 crisis”
Muhammed Shabeer | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-26
Interview with Robert Griffiths, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain, on the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/26/we-will-r…

Make a Resilient, Localized Food System Part of the Next Stimulus
Anthony Pahnke | zcomm.org | 2020-05-26
From wasted food to the exploitation of farmworkers, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it painfully clear that this country’s food system must be changed…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/make-a-resilient-l…

North Milwaukee COVID-19 testing site closure leaves Black community with few options
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-26
Milwaukee, WI – On May 7, Wisconsin governor Tony Evers declared a COVID-19 testing plan that would focus on reaching all Blacks, Latinos and indigenous people in Wisconsin. The sites would be administered by and staffed by members of the Wisconsin National Guard. The significance of these sites was that individuals would be able to receive testing regardless of symptoms, healthcare or appointment. | Beginning on May 11, the City of Milwaukee opened two testing centers: the Midtown Center site, located on the North Side, home to the vast majority of the city’s Black residents; and a second one at the United Migra…
fightbacknews.org/2020/5/26/north-milwau…

Automakers, Unifor and Ontario government push plant reopenings as COVID-19 continues to spread
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
The premature back-to-work drive in Canada’s auto industry is being spearheaded by hard-right Ontario Premier Doug Ford, in concert with the automakers, the financial oligarchy and the union Unifor.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/caau…

“This is not a game that I want to play with my life”: US autoworkers denounce premature return to work
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
In the last week alone, cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at several auto plants in Detroit, Chicago, Kentucky, New York and Indiana.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/auto…

Memorial Day Letter to my Union President
Steve Morse | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-26
As a retired sheet metal worker, on Memorial Day, I watched the Memorial Day video put out by the general president of my union. This was my response to him. I appreciate your stress on staying safe during this pandemic, as well as the listing of our 14 members who have died from COVID-19. I …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/05/memorial-day-…

TRUMP-20: The Other Pandemic
John G. Russell | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
The laws of God, the laws of man, He may keep that will and can; Not I: let God and man decree Laws for themselves and not for me –A. E. Housman In the destructive wake of TRUMP-20, Americans should practice media-distancing. Daily reports that expose us to Trump, his lies, his racism, and the…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/trump-20-the…

Criminogenic Politics as a Form of Psychosis in the Age of Trump
Henry Giroux | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
In its late stages, capitalism morphs into a form of neoliberal fascism. In this instance, the structural misery produced by capitalism via its destruction of the welfare state, safety net, and its growing investment in accelerating inequality and criminalizing all social problems merges with the theater of racism, racial cleansing, hyper-masculinity, ultra-nationalism, militarism, scapegoating the…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/criminogenic…

Criminogenic Politics as a Form of Psychosis in the Age of Trump
Henry Giroux | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
In its late stages, capitalism morphs into a form of neoliberal fascism. In this instance, the structural misery produced by capitalism via its destruction of the welfare state, safety net, and its growing investment in accelerating inequality and criminalizing all social problems merges with the theater of racism, racial cleansing, hyper-masculinity, ultra-nationalism, militarism, scapegoating the…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/criminogenic…

TRUMP-20: The Other Pandemic
John G. Russell | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-26
The laws of God, the laws of man, He may keep that will and can; Not I: let God and man decree Laws for themselves and not for me –A. E. Housman In the destructive wake of TRUMP-20, Americans should practice media-distancing. Daily reports that expose us to Trump, his lies, his racism, and the…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/26/trump-20-the…

Telephone Calls Between Biden and Poroshenko Reveal Kiev’s Submission to Washington
Lucas Leiroz de Almeida | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
Recently, several phone calls made four years ago between former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and current Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden were revealed. The content of the talks is profound and controversial and reveals the high degree of American influence …
globalresearch.ca/telephone-calls-biden-…

The ‘Science’ Behind Social Distancing. Shutting Down National Economy Based on Flawed Computer Models
Jeff Harris | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
The world has been turned upside down with draconian government orders to “flatten the curve” with what is called Social Distancing. Schools have been closed for months, businesses have been involuntarily shut down and travel restrictions have idled 90 percent …
globalresearch.ca/social-distancing/5714…

Global Research: An Antidote to Isolation
The Global Research Team | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
Dear Readers, | We have witnessed of late how a global medical issue can be flipped on its head and used to further divide and isolate the people. Our intention is to provide a digital forum of ideas as an antidote …
globalresearch.ca/global-research-an-ant…

US Prepares to Withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies
Lucas Leiroz de Almeida | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
On Thursday, May 21, American President Donald Trump announced the decision to withdraw the United States from the Treaty on Open Skies, signed with Russia and ratified by 35 other countries in 1992. Trump says the reason for withdrawing from …
globalresearch.ca/us-withdraw-treaty-ope…

Israeli Police Shoot, Injure Palestinian after Alleged Stabbing Attempt in Jerusalem
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-05-26
A Palestinian young man was seriously injured, on Monday, when Israeli police officers shot him near Jabal Mukaber neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) reported. Israel’s Channel 7 alleged that the man attempted to stab police officers near Jabal Mukaber, video footage of the scene showed …
imemc.org/article/israeli-police-shoot-i…

Israeli Military Abducts Two Palestinians from Tulkarem
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-05-26
Israeli military reportedly abducted, on Tuesday, two Palestinian young men from the northern occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem. Head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society in the city, Ibrahim Alnemr, confirmed earlier today, that Israeli troops placed a mobile roadblock at the entrance of the city of Qalqilia, near Tulkarem …
imemc.org/article/israeli-military-abduc…

Settlers, Soldiers Take Over 47 Dunams of Palestinian Land
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-05-26
Illegal Israeli settlers, with the full support of the Israeli military, on Tuesday, took possession of Palestinian land, east of Ramallah, in the central occupied West Bank, a local official reported. Head of Deir Dibwan municipality, Mansour Mansour, told Palestinian WAFA news Agency that dozens of illegal colonial settlers stormed …
imemc.org/article/settlers-soldiers-take…

Trump cheers on mass gatherings as US pandemic death toll hits 100,000
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
Despite certain tactical differences, the entire political establishment, including the Democratic Party, accepts the basic framework of an unsafe return to work that is articulated most brutally and crudely by Trump.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/coro…

The Case For Sectoral Bargaining Is Now Stronger Than Ever
Hamilton Nolan | zcomm.org | 2020-05-26
We need to talk about how we’re going to prevent the paychecks of workers from getting crushed for years even after the pandemic is over…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-case-for-secto…

The Case For Sectoral Bargaining Is Now Stronger Than Ever
Hamilton Nolan | zcomm.org | 2020-05-26
We need to talk about how we’re going to prevent the paychecks of workers from getting crushed for years even after the pandemic is over…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-case-for-secto…

Challenges Facing LGBTQ+ Immigrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers (webinar)
The Commonwealth Club | indybay.org | 2020-05-26
Online via livestream…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/24/1883324…

Stop spending billions to punish the unemployed
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-05-26
Workers & unions Kerry SmithIssue 1267 Australia Australian Unemployed Workers Union job providerMay 26, 2020A leaked employment department letter reveals that the federal governm…
greenleft.org.au/content/stop-spending-b…

Susan Connelly: Secret trial a cover up of Australia’s swindling of Timor-Leste
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-05-26
Democracy Paul OboohovIssue 1267 Australia East Timor Witness K East Timor buggingMay 26, 2020The Australian government is pursuing crimi…
greenleft.org.au/content/susan-connelly-…

Running Out of Stuff to Do? Try Freaking Out
Tom Tomorrow | thenation.com | 2020-05-26
Running Out of Stuff to Do? Try Freaking Out…
thenation.com/article/society/coronaviru…

One French Hospital’s Battle Against the Coronavirus
Elena Perlino, The Nation, Magnum Foundation | thenation.com | 2020-05-26
Elena Perlino, The Nation, Magnum Foundation One French Hospital’s Battle Against the Coronavirus…
thenation.com/article/world/france-coron…

Iran: Virus deaths cross 7,500, cases near 140,000
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-26
Iran’s coronavirus death toll crossed 7,500 on Tuesday, while the number of confirmed cases moved close to 140,000.Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 57 people died over the past 24 hours, raising the nationwide death toll to 7,508.The country’s overall case count reached 139,511 after 1,787 more people tested positive for COVID-19.He said 2,567 patients remain in critical condition across Iran, which is the hardest-hit country in the Middle East.A total of 109,437 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals since Iran’s outbreak began in the city of Qom on Feb. 19, according to the He…
yenisafak.com/en/world/iran-virus-deaths…

Spain declares 10-day official mourning for coronavirus victims
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-26
The Spanish government declared a 10-day official mourning period from Wednesday to honour the nearly 30,000 people who died from the coronavirus pandemic in one of the world’s worst-hit countries, government spokeswoman Maria Jesus Montero said.During the mourning period, flags will fly at half-mast all over the country’s public buildings and navy ships, she told a news briefing after a cabinet meeting.The period will end with an official ceremony led by the head of state in remembrance of the 26,834 fatalities recorded in the country. Spain has reported a total of 235,400 confirmed cases of the disease.
yenisafak.com/en/world/spain-declares-10…

Covid-19 tests within 24 hours for symptomatic Bavarians
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-26
Bavaria, one of the German states hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, will guarantee that people with symptoms can get a virus test within 24 hours, Prime Minister Markus Soeder said on Tuesday.This way people will know after 48 hours at the latest if they are infected, Soeder added at a news conference in Munich.Those without symptoms would be guaranteed a test within 48 hours and could expect a result within a week, he said.
yenisafak.com/en/world/covid-19-tests-wi…

Turkey sends masks to Tajikistan amid pandemic
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-26
The Turkish Red Crescent delivered 50,000 medical items, Turkey’s Embassy to the Central Asian country said in a statement.Some 200 Tajik citizens stranded in Turkey were also brought back to their country, the statement added.Turkey has helped at least 82 countries with humanitarian aid during the outbreak, including Italy, Spain, and the UK, making it the world’s third-largest provider of aid during the pandemic.After originating in China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit areas.The pandemic has killed nearly 347,000 people wor…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-sends-masks…

Indivisible: Demand Safe Voting Amid COVID19 Town Hall w/ Elizabeth Warren & more
Indivisible | indybay.org | 2020-05-26
Online via livestream…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/24/1883323…

First Person: The struggle to protect human rights in East Africa during the pandemic
news.un.org | 2020-05-26
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in East Africa, the UN Human Rights regional office, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has been contributing to the COVID-19 response of UN country teams in the region, by ensuring that human rights protection for vulnerable people is included in their plans. The head of the office, Nwanneakolam Vwede-Obahor, shared some of the challenges she and her colleagues are facing.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/05/1…

Is Mitch McConnell Blocking State Aid to Enrich Vulture Funds and Bolster Corporate Control of the Economy?
John Buell | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
McConnell’s moralistic reference to the profligacy of state governments is an initial shot over their bow in the political struggle over state debt. (Photo: Zach Gibson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2020/05/26/mitch-…

L’esercito Usa riprende le grandi manovre in Europa
Manlio Dinucci | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
Lo US Army Europe (Esercito Usa in Europa), ´dopo attenta valutazione e pianificazione ª, ha deciso che effettuerà in Polonia, dal 5 al 19 giugno, l’esercitazione Allied Spirit nel quadro della grande manovra strategica Defender-Europe 20 (Difensore dell’Europa 2020). Vi parteciperanno …
globalresearch.ca/lesercito-usa-riprende…

Exército USA retoma as grandes manobras na Europa
Manlio Dinucci | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
O Exército dos EUA na Europa, “após cuidadosa avaliaàßà£o e planificaàßà£o”, decidiu que efectuará na Polónia, de 5 a 19 de Junho, o exercício Allied Spirit , no âmbito da grande manobra estratégica Defender-Europe 20 (Defensor da Europa 2020). Participarà£o …
globalresearch.ca/exercito-usa-retoma-as…

Passing Behind Our Backs
Edward Curtin | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-26
I never met the great basketball player, Bob Cousy, the man known as “the Houdini of the Hardwood,” yet he somehow influenced my life in ways I never knew, or to be more accurate, in ways I didn’t reflect upon except in superficial ways. He was the guy who brought professional basketball into the modern …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/05/passing-behin…

Israel’s new government plans war on Palestinians and working class
wsws.org | 2020-05-26
The new National Emergency Government, headed by an indicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his deputy Benny Gantz, has taken office amid a political crisis unprecedented in the country’s 72-year history.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/26/isra…

‘He left when he should stay!’ Donald Tusk takes Brexit-themed jab at Cummings on Twitter
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Donald Tusk has taken to Twitter to troll British PM Boris Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings over his failure to abide by Covid-19 lockdown guidance, comparing his rule-breaking 260-mile drive to Brexit. | “This is apparently Cummings and his Brexit friends’ rule: that they leave when they should stay,” Tusk, the former president of the European Council, quipped on Twitter on Tuesday. Cummings has been described as one of the masterminds behind Brexit. | On the other hand, the avidly pro-EU Tusk, who now heads the European People’s Party (EPP) grouping in the European Parliament, last year described Bre…
rt.com/news/489817-tusk-cummings-brexit-…

Fauci: ‘Dying Cancer Victims Should Just Be Glad They Didn’t Get COVID-19 With a 99.8% Cure Rate’
Axel Thomas | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-26
Tens of thousands of cooperative self-isolating quarantined citizens are coming out of their basements. A bit dazed, a little pale, but with something our so-called experts didn’t see coming. | Many are presenting to their primary care physicians with lumps. Not small lumps which would have been easy to diagnose and treat but golfball-sized lumps that have already spread like butter on hot corn. | Why just last week, Ms. Justine Bean Screwed claimed, “I’ve been in my basement since Christmas. I first noticed a tiny weeny lump in my right breast. Then I noticed a tiny weeny lump in my right armpit. What’s weird is…
anti-empire.com/fauci-dying-cancer-victi…

Minister resigns over Dominic Cummings’ alleged lockdown breaches
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-05-26
Dominic Cummings’ alleged lockdown breaches have provoked a resignation from government by a junior minister amid continued anger at Boris Johnson’s chief adviser. | Douglas Ross, the under secretary of state for Scotland, said on Tuesday that he was quitting after hearing Cummings’ efforts to defend his trip from London to Durham. | Ross said he could not “in good faith” tell his constituents who could not care for sick relatives or say goodbye to dying ones while obeying lockdown rules that Cummings acted appropriately. | I haven’t commented publicly on the situation with Dominic Cummings as I have waited to he…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/05/26/minister…

One Rule for Me and Another for Everyone Else: The Cummings Coronavirus Factor
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
Leaving crises to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s management skills will never disappoint those who favour chaos and the attractions of vague direction. The double standard is to be preferred to the equal one. With the United Kingdom sundered by …
globalresearch.ca/cummings-coronavirus-f…

One Rule for Me and Another for Everyone Else: The Cummings Coronavirus Factor
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-26
Leaving crises to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s management skills will never disappoint those who favour chaos and the attractions of vague direction. The double standard is to be preferred to the equal one. With the United Kingdom sundered by death and the effects of COVID-19 (the PM himself having had his battle with the virus), …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/05/one-rule-for-…

Boris Johnson’s approval rating PLUMMETS by 20 points after refusing to sack Cummings for lockdown breaches
rt.com | 2020-05-26
The UK prime minister’s public approval rating has plummeted to below zero as he stands by his closest aide Dominic Cummings, who was found to have flouted lockdown rules twice during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. | Boris Johnson’s approval rating currently sits at minus 1 percent, according to the Savanta coronavirus data tracker

59% of Britons say PM’s adviser Cummings MUST GO after lockdown violations, as pressure builds on Johnson
rt.com | 2020-05-26
A new opinion poll shows a sizeable majority of the British public think Dominic Cummings

Cummings criticism sees Church of England bishops receive death threats
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-05-26
Some of the Church of England’s most senior bishops have reported receiving hate mail and death threats after speaking out on Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings’ alleged breach of lockdown rules. | Bishop of Worcester John Inge tweeted that he received an email warning “stay out of politics or we’ll kill you” after he criticised Boris Johnson’s “risible defence” of Cummings on Sunday night. | Helen-Ann Hartley, the bishop of Ripon, reported a similar threat, posting: “‘Stay out of politics or it will be the death of you’ was one of the emails I received today. Thank you to those who have sent supportive mess…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/05/26/cummings…

The Real Meaning Behind Dominic Cummings Breaking Lockdown
Kit Knightly | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-26
The debate today is whether Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s Chief Advisor, should resign, or not. Whether he broke the lockdown rules, or even the law. Whether his trip was justified or if there was some perfidiousness behind it. | Mostly, …
globalresearch.ca/dominic-cummings-break…

Cummings ‘acted reasonably’ driving sick across country, his ally Gove insists amid national fury
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Dominic Cummings is a “man of honor and integrity” who “thinks he did the right thing”, his long-time ally Michael Gove said amid national outrage over the PM’s aide’s cross-country trip during lockdown. | Gove, the Minister for the Cabinet Office under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is among prominent Tory figures circling the wagons around their embattled colleague. On Tuesday morning, he appeared on the BBC Breakfast television program to give a full-throated endorsement of Cummings’ character and the explanations he offered about his trip. | “He is a man of honor and integrity,” he said. “As people will hav…
rt.com/uk/489749-gove-defends-cummings-t…

New York Uber and Lyft Drivers Sue Cuomo Over Refusal to Pay Unemployment Benefits During Pandemic
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
Joined by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, four Uber and Lyft drivers in New York filed a lawsuit against Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Labor Department on Tuesday over the government’s failure to pay the drivers unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/26/new-yor…

Hundreds of Medical Professionals and Groups Say Covid-19 Stimulus Plans Must Be Prescriptions for #HealthyRecovery
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
Hundreds of medical professionals and groups representing over 40 million healthcare workers came together Tuesday to demand that world leaders pursue a #HealthyRecovery from the coronavirus pandemic that incorporates preparation for future public health crises as well as environmental and climate action into economic stimulus packages. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/26/hundred…

Survey Shows 1 in 5 Teachers—Citing Covid-19 Concerns—Likely Won’t Return to US Schools This Fall
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
While most U.S. schools have ended in-person instruction for the rest of this academic year because of the coronavirus pandemic, polling results published Tuesday show that the majority of parents and teachers expect classrooms to reopen in the fall and worry about what that will mean for safety and education. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/26/survey-…

Countries Rushing to Reopen Risk Causing an ‘Immediate Second Peak’ In Covid-19 Infections and Deaths, WHO Warns
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
The director of the World Health Organization’s program overseeing health crises warned Tuesday that countries that rush to reopen their economies risk immediately causing an increase in coronavirus infections and deaths. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/26/countri…

Let’s Pay Attention to What COVID-19 Is Trying to Tell Us About Climate Change
Janis Petzel | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
COVID-19 demonstrates that there is a direct connection between the environment and our health. (Photo: World Learning/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2020/05/26/lets-p…

Big Oil Loses Appeals in California Climate Lawsuits
commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2020/05/26/big…

Facebook Ignored Internal Warnings Its Algorithms Were Intensifying Divisiveness: Report
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-05-26
“Facebook knows what it’s doing, intentionally continues to cause harm to increase engagement and profit, and will never fix these problems themselves.” | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/26/faceboo…

WHO executive warns first wave of coronavirus is not yet over
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-05-26
A health expert has warned that the world is still in the midst of the “first wave” of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.World Health Organisation (WHO) executive director Dr Mike Ryan warned that the risks of reigniting coronavirus outbreaks are complicating efforts to fend off further misery for the many millions who have lost their jobs.Dr Ryan said: “Right now, we’re not in the second wave. We’re right in the middle of the first wave globally.(PA Graphics)”We’re still very much in a phase where the disease is actually on the way up.”Dr Ryan pointed to South America, South Asia and other areas where the numb…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/20…

How Many Dead Yemenis Does It Take to Equal One Washington Post Contributor?
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-26
The War Nerd dissects reporting on Saudi Arabia to show how the corporate media cares more about a dead Washington Post columnist than a quarter of a million Yemenis killed in a Western-backed war. | Gary BRECHER | The headline here is not a joke, unfortunately. It’s a question you can’t help asking if you’ve followed the war in Yemen. | You probably noticed that on Radio War Nerd we’ve pointed out over and over that some wartime deaths get a whole lot of attention, others very little

World Rejects Trump’s China Witch-Hunt
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-26
Is it the Chinese who were at ground zero when the Covid-19 pandemic started? Or is it America’s inability to show leadership in handling the crisis now?
strategic-culture.org/video/2020/05/26/w…

The COVID-19 Conspiracies of German Neo-Nazis
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-26
Thomas KLIKAUER, Nadine CAMPBELL | Where there are conspiracy theories, German Neo-Nazis are never far away. Indeed, the Corona pandemic is a welcoming vehicle for German Neo-Nazi to broadcast their ideology and to recruit new members. The belief in conspiratorial forces behind the 2020 Corona crisis isn’t just nonsense; it is a dangerous symptom of democratic societies’ plight to be exploited by its enemies. | It almost seems as if it expresses virtuous inclinations to make fun of conspiracy theorists. No wonder because an ever-growing community of ideological cranks is continuously giving new cause. German Neo-…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/05/26/th…

The New Diplomacy: Virtual Instead of Physical
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-26
The Covid-19 pandemic may have permanently changed the way diplomacy is conducted. Diplomacy has traditionally relied on physical contact in both formal and informal settings. Physical diplomacy has included the presentation of credentials of accreditation by ambassadors to heads of state; participation in global summits and bilateral, trilateral, quadrilateral, etc. meetings; diplomatic receptions, and so on. | In the era of Covid, virtual diplomacy was on display in India on May 21 when India’s President Ram Nath Kovind accepted the credentials of the ambassadors of Australia, Mauritius, Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire,…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/05/26/th…

7 Ways the DNC Will Use Contact Tracers for Biden’s Campaign to Oust Trump
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-26
The Democrat Party’s GOTV (Get Out the Vote) program relies on labor unions and the NGO sector. Those who organized these directly as this writer has, or those who have been on the receiving end of it, will understand how this zeal, backed by the force of law under the auspices of Contact Tracers/Compliance Officers, will change the electoral outcome. | Contact Tracers are Compliance Officers Backed by Police and Operating under Governor’s Orders | Contact Tracers are based on public sector workers in the area of public health, or NGO’s that rely on funding from DNC backed philanthropy and state budgets. They all…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/05/26/7-…

Washington Prefers to Ignore the Pandemic and Ramp Up Confrontation
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-26
Here is a quotation that might sound familiar: “I’m the commander, I do not need to explain why I say things. That’s the interesting thing about being the President. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don’t feel like I owe anybody an explanation.” It is understandable when people say they think these words were spoken by Donald Trump, but in fact they were said by George W. Bush and published in the Washington Post in November 2002, a year aft…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/05/26/wa…

Spain Cuts Virus Death Toll by 2,000
Medical Express | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-26
Spain’s government on Monday revised downward the country’s death toll from the coronavirus by nearly 2,000, bringing the total number of deaths recorded to 26,834. | A new system of gathering data had allowed them to identify cases that were counted twice and exclude deaths wrongly attributed to the virus, said Fernando Simon, the health ministry’s emergencies coordinator. | “A variation of 1,900, that’s a lot,” he added. “We are trying to check that it’s correct, but these are the figures that we have at the moment.” | The health ministry, which gat…
anti-empire.com/spain-cuts-virus-death-t…

Pointless Damage: Robert Koch’s Own Calculation Shows Germany’s Lockdown Was Unnecessary and Ineffective
anti-empire.com | 2020-05-26
In an interview with Punkt.Preradovic, finance Prof. Dr. Stefan Homburg of the Leibniz University of Hanover said Germany’s lockdown has “amounted to nothing”, has had no effect on the spread of the corona virus and that the spread had already slowed down below a reproduction number of 1.0 before the lockdown. | Citing data from Robert Koch Institute (RKI) : | In the interview, the prominent professor, once an adviser to former chancellor Gerhard Schrà∂der, cited a chart from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) that was issued on April 15th: |
anti-empire.com/pointless-damage-robert-…

UK Vaccine Team: Vaccine Is Now in a “Race Against Virus Disappearing”
Nicky Harley | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-26
Leading UK scientists racing to develop a Covid-19 vaccine are concerned that as the virus diminishes in Britain their tests may not be effective. | Researchers at the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute and the Oxford Vaccine Group are warning that their initial hope of an 80 per cent success rate for the vaccine has now dropped to 50 per cent. | “It is a race, yes. But it’s not a race against the other guys. It’s a race against the virus disappearing, and against time,” Professor Adrian Hill told the Telegraph newspaper. | “We said earlier this year that there was an 80 per cent chance of developing an effe…
anti-empire.com/uk-vaccine-team-vaccine-…

New York Times Sabotages Its Emotional Blackmail Story by Including a MURDER Victim in 1000 ‘Covid Victims’ List
Marko Marjanović | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-26
When you turn yourself into emotionally blackmailing propaganda arm of a doomsday cult… | …but you can’t even do that right: | Now waiting for a similar list highlighting 1000 individuals who died as a result of the unnecessary lockdown, which is sure to follow, right? | Here’s a little bonus, Slavsquat comments: “As a connoisseur of post-9/11 garbage journalism, I can say with a high degree of confidence that we have officially entered the Dumpster Fire Dark Ages. That’s the actual image they used for their op-ed, btw. lol.” | And another:…
anti-empire.com/the-nyt-completelly-nuke…

An Economy That Cannot Allow Stocks to Decline Is Too Fragile to Survive
Charles Hugh Smith | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-26
Feast your eyes on the chart below of the Nasdaq 100 stock market Index, which is dominated by the six FAAMNG (rhymes with “famine”) stocks: Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix and Google which now account for over 20% of the entire U.S. stock market’s capitalization. | Notice that despite the global economy sliding into a debt-bust depression, the NDX is within kissing distance of new all-time highs. You’re joking, right? Sales and profits won’t slide as the depression steps on the neck of hundreds of millions of households? | As you’ve probably heard by now, sales don’t matter, profits don’t matter, cos…
anti-empire.com/an-economy-that-cannot-a…

Democracy: Or How to Choose A Candidate in United States Elections
ahtribune.com | 2020-05-26
I am both a Swiss and US citizen and vote in both jurisdictions. In Switzerland I participate in its semi-direct democratic system, characterized by voting on issues, initiating legislation, approving or rejecting laws and regulations by referendum. We can even decide whether a bridge or a tunnel is built over Lake Geneva

Oakland reaches nearly 1,000 covid 19 cases in Alameda County
Lynda Carson | indybay.org | 2020-05-26
Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic:…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/25/1883325…

Circuit Judge Tosses Out Governor Kate Brown’s Coronavirus Restrictions In Oregon
AP | indybay.org | 2020-05-26
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/24/1883323…

2020 Memorial Day Weekend ~ From Historic Negro Bar Cemetery, we remember
Michael Harris from Dave Roos | indybay.org | 2020-05-26
2020 Memorial Day Weekend, limited opportunities to gather in a good way to remember May 1865 and the initial “American” notion of Memorial Day after the US Civil War. Earliest documented burial on Historic Rancho Rio Del Los Americanos, Negro Bar Cemetery was 1846… Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Tour.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/24/1883324…

Nurses, Covid-19, Healthcare Crisis & Defending Public Health With NNU Pres. Burger
Labor Videeo Project | indybay.org | 2020-05-26
Deborah Burger R.N. president of the National Nurses Union NNU-California Nurses Association CNA talks about the crisis in the healthcare system and the fight of the NNU-CNA to defend nurses, healthcare workers and the public.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/23/1883323…

Trump cheers on mass gatherings as US pandemic death toll hits 100,000
WSWS Repost | indybay.org | 2020-05-26
The narrative that it is necessary to “balance” between human life and the “economy,” is false. What is referred to as the “economy” is the economy of the rich, not the working class. | Workers are being given the “alternative” of returning to death traps or permanently losing their jobs and income.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/26/1883329…

Fundamental Justice: Fighting Racism and Patriarchy in Brazil and the U.S. (films & panel)
Ms., Girls Learn International, others | indybay.org | 2020-05-26
Online via Zoom: virtual screenings w/ post panel discussion…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/26/1883329…

Obama-era Pentagon deputy IG resigns less than 2 months after unexpected demotion from top coronavirus watchdog post
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Principal Pentagon Deputy Inspector General Glenn Fine has tendered his resignation less than two months after his controversial removal from a top watchdog post overseeing the Trump administration’s $2 trillion Covid-19 bailout. | “After many years in the [Department of Justice] and [Department of Defense] OIGs, I believe the time has come for me to step down and allow others to perform this vital role,” Fine said in a statement on Tuesday. | Fine becomes the latest of several inspectors general to exit the administration in an ongoing shakeup that has the president’s opponents crying foul. Last month, he was…
rt.com/usa/489827-glenn-fine-departure-o…

NATO rejects Russia’s offer to MUTUALLY freeze military drills amid Covid-19 pandemic
rt.com | 2020-05-26
NATO has ignored Moscow’s proposal to jointly put military exercises on hold while the world is dealing with the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. Russia said it can’t afford “unilateral concessions” to the Western bloc. | Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had addressed NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, proposing to mutually halt military drills as a “constructive and positive step” towards restraint amid the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak, Russian business newspaper Kommersant reported. NATO promptly rejected this idea. | The US-led military bloc’s spokesperson, Oana Lungescu, told the paper that NATO’s exercises…
rt.com/news/489798-russia-nato-covid19-d…

UN to discuss with world leaders support for developing states hit hard by pandemic
rt.com | 2020-05-26
UN officials said that, on Thursday, they and more than a dozen world leaders will discuss shoring up financial support for emerging economies hit hard by the pandemic’s economic fallout. The online meeting comes amid surging coronavirus infections in developing countries, and warnings it will cost more than the initially forecast $2.5 trillion if they are to weather the crisis, Reuters said. | The meeting was convened by Canada, Jamaica, and United Nations chief Antonio Guterres. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said many developing countries, including middle-income nations, lacked sufficient funds…
rt.com/newsline/489812-un-support-develo…

Hungary’s govt plans to end state of emergency on June 20, justice minister says
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Hungary’s government expects to end a state of emergency on June 20, Justice Minister Judit Varga said on her Facebook page on Tuesday. The government is also preparing to submit a bill ending its emergency powers, such as the power to rule by decree. | The emergency powers were granted to the government earlier this year in a bill that contained no end clause. Hungary had reported a total of 3,771 coronavirus cases and 499 deaths as of Tuesday, Reuters said. | The Hungarian government has been gradually easing a strict lockdown in the country since early May. On Monday, Budapest opened the southern border for…
rt.com/newsline/489800-hungary-state-eme…

Syria cancels night-time curfew & allows travel between provinces
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Syrian authorities loosened its coronavirus lockdown restrictions on Tuesday by canceling a night-time curfew, allowing travel between provinces and announcing a reopening of mosques, according to state media. | Damascus has announced 121 coronavirus cases –including four deaths– in government-held areas. In the Kurdish-run northeast, the UN has recorded six cases, including one death. The government is completely canceling night-time curfews starting on Tuesday. It also allows travel between provinces and allow shops and malls to open from 8am to 7pm during summer, SANA reported. | The endowments mi…
rt.com/newsline/489815-syria-curfew-trav…

Covid-19 case tally reaches 5.5 MILLION worldwide
rt.com | 2020-05-26
The number of Covid-19 infections has topped 5.5 million across the globe, with more than a million new cases reported in the past 10 days. | More than two-thirds of all confirmed cases are in Europe and the United States. | Europe continues to be the worst-affected continent, despite the virus originating in China. The UK has the highest number of both infections and deaths from Covid-19 in Europe. | Also on rt.com | | UK hospital SHUTS to all new patients due to ‘high number of Covid-19 cases’ as country prepares to ease lockdown further…
rt.com/news/489780-coronavirus-global-de…

Is it OK to dodge tax? As Covid-19 hurts wages, more Russians say ‘yes’!
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Almost half of surveyed Russians consider tax evasion acceptable in a crisis. According to a new study, 45 percent think not paying tax is defensible, which is up from 35 percent before Covid-19. | In a study called ‘Taxes through the eyes of Russians’, conducted by the Center for Strategic Research (CSR) think tank and obtained by the RBK Daily newspaper, it was revealed that attitudes towards taxation have changed during the coronavirus crisis. When asked their opinion of individuals evading tax, 45 percent of those surveyed said it is sometimes acceptable not to pay. This is in stark contrast to a similar s…
rt.com/russia/489784-covid-russia-tax-ev…

CNN v pastor: Network gets a lesson in mask-wearing after slamming cleric for sermon without PPE
rt.com | 2020-05-26
A New Jersey pastor has defended himself after being accused by CNN of creating unnecessary risk by delivering his sermon unmasked during the Covid-19 pandemic. | The question of when and where to don a protective mask in public has become an intensely-debated topic in the US, as some fight to end lockdown restrictions and others argue a ‘new normal’ must be embraced until a vaccine is released, and that debate played out between a New Jersey preacher and a CNN host on Tuesday morning. | Pastor Charles Clark II of the Solid Rock Baptist Church in Camden County, New Jersey, appeared on ‘New Day’ to explain his…
rt.com/usa/489824-cnn-pastor-coronavirus…

Jordan’s public sector employees return to work as 2-month lockdown ends
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Public sector employees in Jordan began a phased return to work on Tuesday, more than two months after they were told to stay at home under a coronavirus lockdown. Most of the country’s 250,000 civil servants had not been working in their offices since a state of emergency was declared in mid-March. | Sameh al Nasser, the head of the civil service commission, said that about 60 percent of civil servants were expected to show up for work under a gradual plan involving social distancing, Reuters reports. | Schools, universities and border crossings were closed and international flights were halted under the lock…
rt.com/newsline/489786-jordan-public-sec…

Spain wants common EU rules for reopening of borders
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Spain on Tuesday urged its European Union partners to set up common rules on cross-border movement and reestablish the freedom-of-travel Schengen area as different national coronavirus lockdowns are phased out. | “We have to work with our European partners to define the common rules that will allow us retake freedom of movement on European territory,” Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez told Cadena Ser radio station. | EU countries have set different dates for reopening borders, but there must be common principles and rules throughout the Schengen area to open internal borders and establish rules for external bo…
rt.com/newsline/489742-spain-eu-rules-bo…

Israel snubs Beijing to give mega desalination project to local firm days after Pompeo warned about Chinese money
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Washington may celebrate a win in its tug-of-war with Beijing after the Israeli government awarded a huge contract, to build a massive facility for making saltwater drinkable, to a local company rather than to a Chinese bidder. | A government panel selected IDE Technologies to build a large desalination plant about 15 km south of Tel Aviv. The Israeli company’s bid was chosen over that of Hutchison Water, a water treatment subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based multinational conglomerate. The win comes less than two weeks after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Israel and voiced concern about Chinese investme…
rt.com/news/489783-israel-snubs-china-de…

Not just the elderly: As Covid-19 continues to kill, figures show increase in working-age mortality
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Russia is seeing far more deaths in 2020 than in 2019, and it’s not just the old and vulnerable. This year, it has seen a significant increase in mortality in general, with more able-bodied people dying than before. | Read more | | Putin warns of potential 2nd wave of Covid-19 infections in the fall, tells Russian Health Ministry to prepare | According to Evgeny Bryun, the Ministry of Health’s chief narcologist, Russia saw an increase in working-age deaths in the first three months of the year, compared to the same period in 2019. From January to…
rt.com/russia/489808-russia-covid-mortal…

‘These are American policies’: US ambassador to Germany clashes with MP who said envoy ‘issued threats like a hostile power’
rt.com | 2020-05-26
The outgoing US ambassador to Berlin, Richard Grenell, has lashed out at a lawmaker who called out his “hostile” stance towards Germany. The envoy said he merely followed Washington’s policies and defended American interests. | As the controversial envoy was about to leave his post, Andres Nick, a German lawmaker and the head of the nation’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), took to Twitter to question Grenell’s legacy. | For decades, every previous US envoy left his post as “a highly respected figure and trusted friend of Germany,” the MP wrote in a scathing post, addin…
rt.com/news/489735-us-ambassador-germany…

‘Make Germany great again’: Ukrainian strategy game about WWII glorifies NAZISM, Russian diplomats say
rt.com | 2020-05-26
The Russian UN mission in Geneva has criticized a freshly released computer game where players are expected to lead Nazi Germany’s forces to “bittersweet victory,” with Hitler holding a parade in Moscow. | The diplomats blasted the wargame ‘Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg’ on Tuesday, saying it “glorifies Nazism and international criminals convicted by the Nuremberg Tribunal.” The tweet featured a screenshot from an in-game storyline cinematic video showing Adolf Hitler and Nazi top brass standing atop the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow’s Red Square.
rt.com/news/489802-ukrainian-game-russia…

Unexplained anomaly weakening Earth’s magnetic field is EVOLVING and SPLITTING in two, warn scientists
rt.com | 2020-05-26
The ESA has deployed its constellation of satellites to investigate unusual weaknesses in Earth’s magnetic field. It appears that the strange anomaly believed to be responsible is now evolving and splitting in two. | The unexplained force, referred to as the South Atlantic Anomaly, is an area of reduced magnetic intensity that extends from South America to southwest Africa. | For now, the effects of this anomaly are restricted to technical malfunctions aboard spacecraft and orbital satellites. However, because Earth’s magnetic field shields us from solar winds and cosmic radiation, it’s a critical part of our…
rt.com/news/489746-earths-magnetic-field…

‘Ultimate Karen’ calls cops on ‘dangerous’ black man who asked her to leash dog, gets put on leave after massive backlash (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-05-26
A New York woman dubbed the “Ultimate Karen” has been placed on leave and forced to “voluntarily surrender” her pet after being captured calling the cops on a “threatening” black man who merely asked that she leash her dog. | Shared on social media on Monday and set in Central Park, the video opens with a visibly-upset woman walking toward the camera, asking the man filming to “please stop.” The situation quickly escalates when he refuses, with the woman vowing to call the police and “tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.” | “There is a man, an African American… he is recording me an…
rt.com/usa/489740-ultimate-karen-central…

‘Justice for Carolyn’: Resistance claims Trump KILLED INTERN, figuring fake news will force Twitter to nuke his Morning Joe tweets
rt.com | 2020-05-26
After Twitter refused to censor President Donald Trump for suggesting former Congressman and TV host Joe Scarborough may have played a role in the death of his intern, Trump critics launched a murder conspiracy of their own. | There is no one named Carolyn Gombell, but her name was trending on social media on Tuesday, along with the hashtag #JusticeForCarolyn, after a Twitter account calling itself ‘God’ posted a thread accusing the current US president of murder. | “He strangled her because he’d gotten her pregnant and was threatening to tell the press. Then he bribed NYPD Police Chief Bernie Kierik to cover…
rt.com/usa/489844-trump-carolyn-murder-h…

‘An onion of intellectual imbecility’: Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro roasts Trump over Joe Scarborough murder tweets
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro has advised US President Donald Trump to “grow the f**k up” and called him out for “intellectual imbecility” over tweets suggesting MSNBC host Joe Scarborough is a murderer. | Trump implied (not for the first time) in tweets on Tuesday that Scarborough may have been involved in the 2001 death of an intern who worked at the former congressman’s office. | While the death was ruled to be accidental, with the medical examiner saying Lori Klausutis died after she fell and hit her head on a desk due to an underlying heart condition, many alternative theories have made their way around t…
rt.com/usa/489826-shapiro-trump-onion-im…

CDC quietly DOWNGRADED Covid-19 death rate and media IGNORED good news. Elon Musk wonders why
rt.com | 2020-05-26
The latest estimates show that Covid-19 is nowhere near as lethal as early models claimed, yet yet the mainstream media have been mum on the subject, prompting some prominent lockdown critics to ask why that might be the case. | According to the “current best estimate” scenario laid out by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the overall case fatality rate (CFR) is significantly lower than 3.4 percent that World Health Organization claimed early on

‘THAT is integrity’: UK public heaps praise on Dutch PM who didn’t break Covid-19 lockdown rules to visit dying mother
rt.com | 2020-05-26
The Dutch prime minister has been hailed for abiding by Covid-19 lockdown rules which prevented him from visiting his dying mother in a care home, in contrast to actions of the UK prime minister’s top aide, Dominic Cummings. | On Monday, Mark Rutte announced the death of his 96-year-old mother at a home in The Hague on May 13. The Dutch prime minister’s office later revealed that he had obeyed strict social distancing measures that his own government had implemented since March 20, despite the tragic circumstances. | The news emerged about Rutte, as the British media became absorbed in the political fallout ov…
rt.com/uk/489777-rutte-mother-bojo-cummi…

CDC quietly DOWNGRADED Covid-19 death rate and media IGNORED good news. Elon Musk wonders why
rt.com | 2020-05-26
The latest estimates show that Covid-19 is nowhere near as lethal as early models claimed, yet the mainstream media have been mum on the subject, prompting some prominent lockdown critics to ask why that might be the case. | According to the “current best estimate” scenario laid out by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the overall case fatality rate (CFR) is significantly lower than 3.4 percent that World Health Organization claimed early on

EU officials point finger at US tech companies for ‘imposing’ standards on Covid-19 apps, call for more ‘digital sovereignty’
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Top digital officials in Europe have criticized US tech giants for “imposing” standards on Covid-19 tracing apps and called for Europe to wean itself off its reliance on foreign technology companies. | In a joint op-ed published on Monday, officials in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal said it had been a challenge to provide technical solutions to Covid-19 tracing efforts that “are effective across borders” in Europe while also maintaining specific national requirements. Europe, it said, is committed to developing “voluntary, open-source, privacy-preserving, temporary applications.” | Attempts to “imp…
rt.com/news/489799-eu-covid19-apps-apple…

‘Is that like Soylent Green?’ Trump adviser calls American workers ‘human capital stock’ & triggers cannibalism-themed meme storm
rt.com | 2020-05-26
A White House adviser has triggered a wave of memes and mockery after referring to the US labor force as “human capital stock,” drawing countless comparisons to the dystopian sci-fi flick ‘Soylent Green’ (spoiler: it’s people). | In calling to reopen the US economy amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis in an interview with CNN on Monday, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett noted that the country’s “capital stock” was still intact, adding that “our human capital stock is ready to get back to work.” Though the comment was meant to express a simple idea, Hassett’s jargonistic wording conjured up much darker ima…
rt.com/usa/489737-human-capital-soylent-…

Indonesia deploys soldiers, police to enforce ‘new normal’ Covid-19 restrictions
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Indonesia ordered the deployment of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and police on Tuesday to enforce rules on wearing masks and safe distancing. The move comes after reports of people in the world’s fourth-most-populous nation flouting the rules. | From Tuesday, about 340,000 officers will be deployed across four provinces to ensure the country’s transition to the “new normal,” Reuters quoted Indonesian military chief Hadi Tjahjanto as saying. | “We will monitor people to ensure people are wearing masks, and are also maintaining a safe distance from others,” said Hadi. “What we want is that people can do the…
rt.com/newsline/489743-indonesia-deploy-…

Moscow DENIES US general’s claim of ‘Russian mercenary jets in Libya’. Is this AFRICOM’s new ‘worse than ISIS’ moment?
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Reports of repainted Russian fighter jets being sent to bomb Libya have nothing to do with reality, Moscow said in response to the latest sensational claims by US Africa Command about alleged Russian involvement in the region. | The accusation that Russia sent combat aircraft to Libya “does not correspond to reality,” Andrey Krasov, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, told Interfax on Tuesday. | “Russia’s position is well known: we are in favor of ending the bloodshed in Libya, we urge all parties to the conflict to refrain from using weapons and sit at the negotiating table,” Krasov add…
rt.com/news/489838-moscow-denies-africom…

Russia backs immediate Libyan ceasefire & talks, Lavrov tells Haftar ally in phone call
rt.com | 2020-05-26
Moscow backs an immediate ceasefire and political talks in Libya, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday. He made the statement during a phone call with Aguila Saleh Issa, speaker of eastern Libyan House of Representatives, according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry. | Issa is aligned to General Khalifa Haftar who controls eastern Libya and opposes the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. | During the conversation, Lavrov supported the speaker’s initiative which was announced on April 23. That plan proposed “an immediate ceasefire and stepping up inter-Libyan t…
rt.com/newsline/489829-russia-libya-ceas…

The Heat: China’s foreign policy priorities for 2020
Anand Naidoo | america.cgtn.com | 2020-05-26
China outlines its diplomatic priorities for 2020. We will take a closer look at the country’s foreign policy.
america.cgtn.com/2020/05/26/the-heat-chi…

Envoy condoles over death of Tajik famous figures, elites due to Covid-19
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-26
TEHRAN, May 26 (MNA)

Iran records 1,787 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-26
TEHRAN, May 26 (MNA)

President Rouhani signs law to counter hostile moves of Zionist regime
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-26
TEHRAN, May 26 (MNA)

Rouhani urges Switzerland to play more constructive role against US illegal actions
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-26
TEHRAN, May 26 (MNA)