The Missing Narratives in the Debate on "Medicare for All"
Richard Gale | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
The onslaught of misinformation from the corporatist wings of both political parties and media biases against universal healthcare are obviously confusing the electorate. This is seemingly evident in this week's Super Tuesday with Joe Biden winning the majority of the …
globalresearch.ca/missing-narratives-deb…
Bloomberg's Half-Billion Dollar Investment Failed to Pay Off
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-05
Michael Bloomberg dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary Wednesday after his half-billion dollar campaign fell flat on Super Tuesday. Despite spending unprecedented sums on advertising and campaign staff, the billionaire philanthropist didn't win a single state. | Bloomberg endorsed Joe Biden on the heels of the former vi…
truthout.org/articles/bloombergs-half-bi…
Warren Ends 2020 Presidential Bid After Super Tuesday Rout
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-03-05
WASHINGTON
Another New Voting System Causes Problems at the Polls
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-03-05
On the biggest day of the 2020 presidential season so far, Super Tuesday, America's biggest new voting system–in Los Angeles County–widely frustrated voters and poll workers in its debut in a jurisdiction that's more populous than 39 states. | Though the county had offered 11 days of early voting for the first time and spent millions to promote its new multilingual, user-friendly, part-paper and part-digital system, voters overwhelmed pinch points on Super Tuesday. Thus, as seen in other presidential co…
truthdig.com/articles/another-new-voting…
Bernie Had a Rough Night, But He Can Still Win
Miles Kampf-Lassin | zcomm.org | 2020-03-05
While the party's corporate wing helped Biden gain on Super Tuesday, Sanders' left-wing vision is still popular–and can still win…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/bernie-had-a-rough…
Super Tuesday Sets Stage for Biden vs. Bernie
Jon Queally | zcomm.org | 2020-03-05
'A Two-Person Race for Future of Democratic Party and the Country'…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/super-tuesday-sets…
The political lessons of Sanders' Super Tuesday defeat
wsws.org | 2020-03-05
Biden's victory shows once again it is impossible to transform the capitalist Democratic Party into a vehicle for socialist politics.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/05/pers…
The Myth of Sanders' "Socialism"
M. G. Piety | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
Fox News has an all-out frontal assault on Bernie Sanders' purported "socialism." It is a sad statement on the level of ignorance in this country that anyone could take seriously the charge that Sanders is a socialist. What Sanders is advocating is something approaching the social-welfare systems of other economically developed countries and that's a far cry from the socialism Fox News is using as a boogeyman to frighten conservatives. The "socialism" Fox is decrying is the old-fashioned Stalinist-Maoist kind where all important industries are nationalized, most of the private property of the wealthy is seized by…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/05/the-myth-of-…
Will Policy of Destabilizing Latin American Countries Help Trump to be Re-Elected?
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
As the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election campaign heats up, there is every chance that Donald Trump can become a one-term president as the popularity of Bernie Sanders increases despite the sabotage within his own Democrat Party against him. There still …
globalresearch.ca/will-policy-destabiliz…
Podcast: Kevin Gosztola Discusses the Latest Developments in the Case Against Julian Assange
Mnar Muhawesh | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-05
In this episode of MintCast, independent journalist and editor of ShadowProof Kevin Gosztola discusses the intricacies of the Assange hearings where the former editor of Wikileaks stands accused of 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act, an archaic law that has been used to target whistleblowers.
mintpressnews.com/podcast-kevin-gosztola…
Australian parliamentary parties endorse British show trial of Julian Assange
wsws.org | 2020-03-05
As Assange faced a legal travesty, government ministers declared their faith in British "due process," while the Labor Party maintained its silence.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/05/ausa…
Empires of the Steppes Fuel Erdogan Khan's Dreams
Pepe Escobar | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
The latest installment of the interminable Syria tragedy could be interpreted as Greece barely blocking a European "invasion" by Syrian refugees. The invasion was threatened by President Erdogan even as he refused the EU's puny "offer you can refuse" bribe …
globalresearch.ca/empires-steppes-fuel-e…
Video: Turkish Forces Are on 'Tactical Retreat'. Syrian Army Recaptures More Territory in Eastern and Southern Idlib
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
Erdogan's forces continue their bloody battle for peace and prosperity for al-Qaeda groups in the Syrian region of Greater Idlib. | On March 3, Turkey shot down an L-39 warplane of the Syrian Air Force in eastern Idlib. The warplane, which …
globalresearch.ca/video-turkish-forces-t…
Putin and Erdogan Meet in an Attempt to End Idlib Crisis
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-05
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan are meeting this Thursday in Moscow to take measures to stop the military escalation and its consequent migration crisis in the Syrian province of Idlib. | RELATED: | Turkey Threatens to Undo EU Migration Agreement | "This meeting is crucial. I am confident that the decisions we take will ease the situation in Idlib," the Turkish president said at the start of the meeting, according to local media. | Both presi…
telesurenglish.net/news/putin-and-erdoga…
Breaking: Terrorists Attempt Chemical Attack in Idlib
Miri Wood | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
Breaking news from Russian Ministry of Defense: A 15-member terrorist group tried to explode ammunition containing chemical substances in vicinity of Saraqib in Idlib countryside. | Yesterday, Syria News wrote that "The possibility of another chemical hoax continues to loom." | UK …
globalresearch.ca/terrorists-attempt-che…
Erdogan Tells Putin: "We're in Idlib to Protect the People There."
Eric Zuesse | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
On Thursday, March 5th, Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan meets privately with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, so as to arrange a face-saving way for Erdogan finally to end his attempted theft of Syria's Idlib Province away from Syria | …
globalresearch.ca/erdogan-tells-putin-id…
The Prospect of Peace in Afghanistan is Real…and Pakistan is the Key Player
M. K. Bhadrakumar | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
The chasm between illusion and reality in politics remains perennial. Wars seldom ended according to the script of peace agreements. The fall of Saigon in April 1975 ending the Vietnam War, with defeated Americans hastily retreating in helicopters from the rooftop of their embassy, was not anticipated in the Paris Peace Accords of January 1973…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/05/the-prospect…
Ending the Myth that Trump Is Ending the Wars
Khury Petersen-Smith | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
There was this moment during the State of the Union Address that I can't stop thinking about. | When President Trump spoke to army wife Amy Wiliams during his speech and told her he'd arranged her husband's return home from Afghanistan …
globalresearch.ca/ending-myth-trump-endi…
Trump's Afghanistan Deal Prioritizes Bragging Rights Over Lasting Peace
Prof. Marjorie Cohn | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
It's true that the Trump administration signed a "peace deal" with the Taliban
First Amazon worker at Amazon's Seattle headquarters tests positive for coronavirus
wsws.org | 2020-03-05
An Amazon employee, the first at the company's Seattle headquarters, has tested positive for the coronavirus. Two of the company's employees in Italy had contracted the virus and are in quarantine.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/05/amaz…
A Terrifying Scenario: Coronavirus in 'Quarantined' Gaza
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
What if the Coronavirus reaches the besieged Gaza Strip? While the question carries great urgency for all Palestinians living under Israel's military occupation, the Gaza situation is particularly complex and extremely worrying. Nearly 50 countries have already reported cases of COVID-19 disease, one of several epidemics that are caused by the Coronavirus. If developed countries,…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/05/a-terrifying…
A Terrifying Scenario: Coronavirus in 'Quarantined' Gaza
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
According to official Palestinian reports, the Coronavirus has already reached Palestine following a visit by a South Korean delegation in the period between February 8 and 15, which included a tour in the major Palestinian cities of Jerusalem, Nablus, Jericho, Hebron, and Bethlehem. The Palestinian Authority scrambled to contain the fallout of the news, which caused palpable panic among a population that has little faith in its leadership, to begin with.
counterpunch.org/2020/03/05/a-terrifying…
The Coronavirus Could Wreck the Economy. These Steps Would Help Limit the Damage
Jared Bernstein, Dean Baker | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
Though we don't yet know the extent of its threat, a widespread coronavirus epidemic in the United States is increasingly possible. In addition to the downright scary health consequences, we think the virus will quickly do serious damage to the U.S. economy, reducing growth in at least the first half of this year, pushing up…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/05/the-coronavi…
A Terrifying Scenario: Coronavirus in 'Quarantined' Gaza
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
What if the Coronavirus reaches the besieged Gaza Strip? While the question carries great urgency for all Palestinians living under Israel's military occupation, the Gaza situation is particularly complex and extremely worrying. Nearly 50 countries have already reported cases of COVID-19 disease, one of several epidemics that are caused by the Coronavirus. If developed countries,…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/05/a-terrifying…
California Declares State of Emergency Over Coronavirus
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-05
California has declared a state of emergency after the death toll from the coronavirus rose to 11 on Wednesday, with new cases being reported in large cities like Los Angeles. | RELATED: | WHO: Covid-19 More Lethal Than Seasonal Flu | According to health officials, the first coronavirus death recorded in California was an elderly person in Placer County, near Sacramento. The person had underlying health problems and likely had been exposed on a cruise ship voyage between San Francisco and Mexico l…
telesurenglish.net/news/California-Decla…
Who Made Coronavirus? Was It the U.S., Israel or China?
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
The most commonly reported mainstream media account of the creation of the Coronavirus suggests that it was derived from an animal borne microorganism found in a wild bat that was consumed by an ethnic Chinese resident of Wuhan. But there …
globalresearch.ca/who-made-coronavirus-u…
US Complains as Cambodia Pivots Toward China
Joseph Thomas | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
US State Department-funded front "Radio Free Asia" (RFA) recently complained about plans to proceed with joint Chinese-Cambodian military exercises despite the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. | According to Khmer Times, this year's joint exercises will include up to 200 Chinese personnel …
globalresearch.ca/us-complains-cambodia-…
U.S. Economy Heads Towards Recession as Its Central Bank Takes Panic Measures to Protect Financial Markets
Dr. Leon Tressell | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
Global stock markets have experienced roller-coaster levels of volatility over the last two weeks due to fears that the coronavirus is going to seriously impact the global economy. | On Tuesday the US Federal Reserve panicked and introduced a 0.5% cut …
globalresearch.ca/u-s-economy-heads-towa…
Coronavirus and "Pandemic Pantries". Fear Campaign Triggers Stockpiling of Emergency Supplies
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
Fears of imminent apocalypse tend to be midwives to absurdity. The stockpiling fever that has gripped various populaces in response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has taken various forms. "Pandemic pantries" are becoming the norm, suggesting that hoarding in …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-and-pandem…
The coronavirus could wreck the economy
Jared Bernstein | zcomm.org | 2020-03-05
These steps would help limit the damage…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-coronavirus-co…
A Terrifying Scenario: Coronavirus in 'Quarantined' Gaza
Ramzy Baroud | zcomm.org | 2020-03-05
What is needed is a fundamental and structural change that would emancipate the Palestinian healthcare system from the horrific impact of the Israeli occupation and the Israeli government's policies of perpetual siege and politically-imposed 'quarantines' – also known as apartheid…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/a-terrifying-scena…
Federal Reserve rate cut can't stop stocks from falling again
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-05
San José, CA – On Tuesday, March 3, the U.S. central bank, the Federal Reserve, cut interest rates by one-half of one percent. This emergency action was taken between the regular Fed meetings every six weeks. This was the first time that the Fed had acted between meetings since the financial crisis in October of 2008. | The Fed action was in reaction to the steep drop in U.S. stock prices, which had fallen in a little over a week by 15% from record highs in mid-February. Stocks in the United States and around the world were hit hard by the new coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. | The U.S. stock market was on a rol…
fightbacknews.org/2020/3/4/federal-reser…
Coronavirus kills at more than 20 times the rate of seasonal flu
wsws.org | 2020-03-05
The World Health Organization has warned that the medical supplies necessary to treat the novel coronavirus are "rapidly depleting."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/05/coro…
Will the Coronavirus Kill Globalization?
John Feffer | zcomm.org | 2020-03-05
The Spanish flu helped herald the collapse of the first wave of modern globalization. A century later, could the coronavirus do the same?>…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/will-the-coronavir…
The Coronavirus Scream
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-03-05
truthdig.com/cartoons/the-coronavirus-sc…
Coronavirus Outbreak in Nursing Home Highlights Risk in Elder Care Facilities
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-05
An outbreak of coronavirus disease in a nursing home near Seattle is prompting urgent calls for precautionary tactics at America's elder care facilities, where residents are at heightened risk of serious complications from the illness because of the dual threat of age and close living conditions. | As of Monday afternoon, the emergence of the novel contagious illness at the Life Care Center of Kirkland, Washington, had left four residents dead and others hospitalized, local health officials…
truthout.org/articles/coronavirus-outbre…
UK coronavirus plan underscores gutting of health and social care
wsws.org | 2020-03-05
The ruling elite in Britain, as internationally, are responding based on defending the interests of the tiny layer of financial parasites, who dominate society at the expense of the working class.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/05/ukco…
Coronavirus outbreak takes hold in New York
wsws.org | 2020-03-05
There are now 11 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in New York state, which is likely a significant underestimation given indications of community spread.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/05/nycc…
Tropical Forest Shift Raises the Alarm of Climate Scientists
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-03-05
Both the Amazon and the Congo have helped mitigate the effects of global warming. That may no longer be the case, a new study reveals.
truthdig.com/articles/tropical-forest-sh…
Donald Trump "Has Plans" for Venezuela
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-05
U.S President Donald Trump claimed he "has plans" for Venezuela, as he said in a speech during the Latino Legislative Coalition Summit in Washington. The current U.S. leader did not offer details of his purposes. | RELATED: | Venezuela: Alleged Attack Against Lawmaker Guaido Was Staged | The U.S. President affirmed he is "with Venezuela", as well as blamed the legitimate leader of the Bolivarian Republic, Nicolas Maduro, of causing "misery" for the Venezuelan people. According…
telesurenglish.net/news/trump-has-plans-…
Turkey Deploys 1,000 Well-Armed Police to Halt Migrants' Return
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-05
Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu Thursday announced that his country will send a thousand special forces police to the border with Greece to prevent migrants from trying to return to Turkish territory. | RELATED: ‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã | Greece Turns a Ship Into a Refugee Camp to Face the Crisis | "Greece has tried to return 4,900 people to Turkey… A thousand special f…
telesurenglish.net/news/Turkey-Deploys-1…
The Pentagon's "Ides of March 2020": Best Month to Go to War?
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
or the Romans, the month of March (Martius) marked "the time to start new military campaigns." As in the heyday of the Roman Empire, the Pentagon has a mandate to plan and implement a precise "timeline" of military operations.
globalresearch.ca/the-pentagons-ides-of-…
Arms Firms Swarm Decision Makers
Yves Engler | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
More politically dependent than almost all other industries, arms manufacturers play for keeps in the nation's capital. They target ads and events sponsorships at decision makers while hiring insiders and military stars to lobby on their behalf. | Activist and academic …
globalresearch.ca/arms-firms-swarm-decis…
Within days of Afghan "peace" deal, US bombs Taliban
wsws.org | 2020-03-05
The bombing is one more indication that the deal to end Washington's nearly two-decade war is already beginning to unravel.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/05/afgh…
Canadian media lies about Venezuela
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-03-05
Canada's public media the CBC long-ago entered the ranks of yellow journalism when it comes to its reporting on Venezuela. However, two recent reports, in particular, one on CBC radio's "The Current" and the other a CBC News article by reporter Evan Dyer, weigh heavy on the sensationalism and light on facts. Filled with unsubstantiated […] | Source…
mronline.org/2020/03/05/canadian-media-l…
A Pandemic of Fear
Evaggelos Vallianatos | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
A microscopic virus has been unsettling global business as usual: killing people all over the world, hospitalizing countless others, and spreading a pandemic of fear. The Los Angeles Times reported March 1, 2020, the novel corona virus "sends shudders daily across the planet." In an area the size of a quarter of the United States, China has locked down…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/05/a-pandemic-o…
The Trump-Modi Lovefest: a Hideous Pseudo-Event
Kenneth Surin | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
Donald Trump is back in the US from his trip to India. His visit overlapped with some of the time I spent in Delhi, and watching the saturation media-coverage of the visit was in turns painful (because of the grotesquerie on display) and an absolute hoot (again, because of the grotesquerie on display). There was…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/05/the-trump-mo…
The Long History of Elite Rule: What Will It Take To End It?
Chuck Churchill | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
Elites have ruled over people and commanded the surplus produced by their labor for many millennia. It is this long history we have to contend with in today's crisis of capitalism that has produced endless wars and environmental catastrophes as corporate billionaire rulers continue to promote business as usual while preparing to fight each other…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/05/the-long-his…
Strong Man Legacies: Burying Mubarak
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
Reviled strongmen of one era are often the celebrated ones of others. Citizens otherwise tormented find that replacements are poor, in some cases even crueller, than the original artefact. Such strongmen also serve as ideal alibis for rehabilitation: Look at who we have come to bury! Fittingly, Egypt's late Hosni Mubarak was given that most…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/05/strong-man-l…
Creating a National Insecurity State: Spending More, Seeing Less
Mandy Smithberger | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
Hold on to your helmets! It's true the White House is reporting that its proposed new Pentagon budget is only $740.5 billion, a relatively small increase from the previous year's staggering number. In reality, however, when you also include war and security costs buried in the budgets of other agencies, the actual national security figure…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/05/creating-a-n…
How a Mockingbird Can Kill a Legacy
Elliott MIller | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
Each morning after working on my maiden novel from 5 am to 8: 30 am I do what I always do: heat some filtered water in my electric kettle, carry it to the bedroom with an empty large cup, and watch the early morning news shows for a mental respite
The Trump-Modi Lovefest: a Hideous Pseudo-Event
Kenneth Surin | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-05
Donald Trump is back in the US from his trip to India. His visit overlapped with some of the time I spent in Delhi, and watching the saturation media-coverage of the visit was in turns painful (because of the grotesquerie on display) and an absolute hoot (again, because of the grotesquerie on display). There was…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/05/the-trump-mo…
Rudy Giuliani Has Emerged as Trump's Shadow Secretary of State
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-05
Imagine, just for the sake of argument, that the president of the United States was an arrogant, information-challenged, would-be autocrat with a soft spot for authoritarian leaders from China, Russia, and North Korea to Egypt (" my favorite dictator"), Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. And then, suppose that very president, while hollowing out the State Department and slamming its d…
truthout.org/articles/rudy-giuliani-has-…
Defender 2020: Largest Mobilisation of NATO Troops Against Russia in 25 Years
Markus Salzmann | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
The largest deployment of troops across the Atlantic in 25 years entered its main phase last weekend within the framework of the Defender Europe 2020 exercise. The scale of NATO's provocative military exercise underscores how far advanced the preparations for …
globalresearch.ca/defender-2020-largest-…
Brazil: Death Toll Rises to 27 After Heavy Rains and Landslides
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-05
The state of Sao Paulo's Civil Defense Thursday reported that heavy rains in the Baixada Santista region have left 27 people dead and 43 missing so far, which led to the declaration of a "public calamity" situation. | RELATED: | Brazil: Left-Wing Parties Unite Against Bolsonaro's Gov't | Guaruja city woke up in mourning after registering 22 dead people, including a mother and her baby, three minors, and two firefighters. | "It is a scene of war, death, and destruction," said Pa…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brazil-Death-Tol…
Bomb Threat, Lack of Election Results Raise Tension in Guyana
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-05
Three days after the presidential election, Guyana's Election Commission (Gecom) has not yet offered the results of an electoral process in which the ruling Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (ANPU-AFC) and the opposition People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP-C) are the main political forces in dispute. | RELATED: | Guyana Continues to Wait for Election Results | The situation became more complicated on the midnight of Wednesday when the vote count stopped because an official said he was…
telesurenglish.net/news/Bomb-Threat-Lack…
Guyana Continues to Wait for Election Results
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-05
The vote counting is still ongoing in Guyana, two days after the general presidential election was held in the Caribbean country. | RELATED: | Guyana's Elections: Still Waiting For Results 2 Days After Vote | Guyana ¥s Election Commission's (Gecom) last bulletin, published on the institution official website, offered preliminary results consideri…
telesurenglish.net/news/guyana-awaiting-…
The Legacy of Michael Bloomberg's Muslim Surveillance Programme
Azad Essa | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
When Asad Dandia received a friend request on Facebook, he didn't think much of it. | The college student was active with a religious-based charity, so it was common for people to reach out on the social media platform and offer …
globalresearch.ca/legacy-michael-bloombe…
Banana America: The Fix Is in! "US Politics These Last 48 Hours, …Bernie vs. Biden"
Philip A Farruggio | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
This writer has watched countless boxing matches over the years, and has seen how in many instances 'The Fix is in'. The powers that be want a certain prospect to move up the ranks, they 'Fix' it. With boxing all …
globalresearch.ca/banana-america-the-fix…
Democratic billionaire governor of Illinois proposes austerity budget
wsws.org | 2020-03-05
Minuscule spending increases in K-12 education and social services would be conditional on passage of a constitutional amendment instituting a graduated income tax in the November election.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/05/illi…
Joe Biden Would Be Donald Trump's Dream Opponent
Conor Lynch | truthdig.com | 2020-03-05
Donald Trump had the perfect opponent in the 2016 election. Running as a populist billionaire taking on the Washington elite, he couldn't have asked for a better rival in Hillary Clinton, who carried heavy political baggage and who, for many, personified the so-called establishment. While Trump's populist shtick was easy to pick apart, Clinton was the wrong person to promote the message she was trying to get across to voters. | By nominating a candidate whose place in the Democratic Party establishment was undeniable and who lacked credibility on issues like money in politics, the Democrats simply let Trump run a…
truthdig.com/articles/biden-would-be-jus…
Biden Would Be Just the Challenger for Trump
Conor Lynch | truthdig.com | 2020-03-05
Donald Trump had the perfect opponent in the 2016 election. Running as a populist billionaire taking on the Washington elite, he couldn't have asked for a better rival in Hillary Clinton, who carried heavy political baggage and who, for many, personified the so-called establishment. While Trump's populist shtick was easy to pick apart, Clinton was the wrong person to promote the message she was trying to get across to voters. | By nominating a candidate whose place in the Democratic Party establishment was undeniable and who lacked credibility on issues like money in politics, the Democrats simply let Trump run a…
truthdig.com/articles/biden-would-be-jus…
New PR Group Pushes Private Prison Industry Talking Points
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-05
In late 2019, the three largest private prison operators joined forces to establish a new group to push pro-industry talking points to the press and on social media: the Day 1 Alliance. Why is the private prison industry going on the offensive to improve its public image and secure positive earned media? | In the wake of the family separation and detention crisis of summer 2018, a broad array of organizations joined forces under the banners of #FamiliesBelongTogether and #BackersOfHate. This coalition specific…
truthout.org/articles/new-pr-group-pushe…
Turkey-Russia ties at their highest in defense & trade, Erdogan tells Putin, as the two leaders meet to untie Idlib knot
rt.com | 2020-03-05
Overshadowed by the standoff in Idlib, northwestern Syria, the relationships between Moscow and Ankara remain at "peak" levels, including in defense and trade, the Turkish leader said, vowing each state is ready to move forward. | "We are now experiencing the moment in our relations when they reached their peak. This, without doubt, applies to the defense industry, and trade relations, and so on," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Vladimir Putin as they convened for a one-to-one meeting in Moscow. | We believe that the biggest task is to promote and develop our relations. I believe that we will succeed in th…
rt.com/news/482402-turkey-russia-relatio…
Acute crisis in Syria's Idlib demanded our direct talks, Putin says as he meets Erdogan in Moscow
rt.com | 2020-03-05
Dozens of Turkish troops died in a Syrian airstrike as no one knew they were there, Putin told Erdogan, stressing the crisis in the Syrian province is so dire that a personal conversation between the two leaders is needed. | Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the deaths of 34 Turkish troops in last week's airstrike in Idlib, as the two sat to the closely-watched one-in-one in Moscow. | "Unfortunately, as I already told you in a telephone conversation, no one, including the Syrian troops, knew about their location," the Russian President reiterated. | Attributed to the Syrian…
rt.com/news/482394-putin-erdogan-direct-…
Turkish-Russian ties in defense & trade at highest level, Erdogan says as he meets Putin
rt.com | 2020-03-05
Ties between Turkey and Russia have reached the highest level in defense and trade areas, and it is necessary to go further in this direction, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Moscow on Thursday. | He made the statement at the start of the talks on Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. Putin said that a face-to-face meeting was necessary amid the escalation in Idlib. The developments in the Syrian province must be discussed, so that it does not ruin Russian-Turkish relations. | The Russian president reiterated his condolences over the death of Turkish troops in Syria, noting that th…
rt.com/news/482402-turkey-russia-relatio…
What war crimes? Pompeo promises to 'protect' Americans from 'renegade' ICC probe into US military in Afghanistan
rt.com | 2020-03-05
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said Washington will take "all steps possible" to protect Americans from the International Criminal Court (ICC) approval of a probe into war crimes it allegedly committed in Afghanistan. | Speaking to the media in Washington, Pompeo called the ICC's decision "reckless." The US, he said, will take all measures necessary to protect US citizens "from this renegade, unlawful so-called court." | The ICC, which is not recognized by the US government, approved a probe into alleged war crimes by the US and others on Thursday, in a move that could, for the first time, create potent…
rt.com/usa/482421-war-crimes-afghanistan…
Could US face 'criminal liability' for torture program? ICC greenlights inquiry into Afghan war crimes
rt.com | 2020-03-05
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has approved a probe into alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan by the US and other parties, potentially exposing Washington to legal repercussions for its nearly 20-year occupation. | Hailed as a landmark ruling, the panel of judges at The Hague reversed a decision by the court's Pre-Trial Chamber denying the ICC prosecutor's request to open a formal inquiry into crimes committed in connection with the conflict in Afghanistan. The previous decision not to pursue an investigation was reportedly influenced by the belief that the United States would not cooperate with…
rt.com/news/482392-icc-us-war-crimes-afg…
OPEC agrees biggest oil production cut since 2008 financial crisis, but only if Russia joins
rt.com | 2020-03-05
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, has decided to cut production by up to 1.5 million barrels per day. The decision is believed to be conditional on approval from Russia. | The production cut will be OPEC's deepest since the 2008 financial crisis. | OPEC and its allies, including Russia, are also expected to keep existing cuts of 2.1 million bpd, which expire this month, in place until the end of 2020. | "We now convene at a time when the outbreak of Covid-19 has had a pr…
rt.com/business/482400-opec-supply-cut-c…
Russia cancels SPIEF 2020 economic conference over coronavirus concerns
rt.com | 2020-03-05
One of the biggest business events in Russia, the St Petersburg Economic Forum (SPIEF), won't be convening this year due to the coronavirus outbreak, organizers have announced. | The decision was made in order to "protect the health of Russian citizens, guests and participants," Andrey Belousov, chairman of the SPIEF organizing committee, explained. | SPIEF 2020 was scheduled to take place between June 3 and 6. | For over a decade, the St Petersburg Economic Forum has been the prime business event in Russia, and has traditionally been attended by the president. It assembled around more than 10,000 guests from…
rt.com/business/482438-spief-russian-eco…
–°oronavirus may be a product of US 'biological attack' aimed at Iran & China, IRGC chief claims
rt.com | 2020-03-05
The US –Åould be the prime culprit behind Covid-2019 outbreak that hit China and then Iran, head of its elite Revolutionary Guards claimed, threatening that the virus will eventually be turned against those who unleashed it. | "It is possible that this virus is a product of a biological attack by America which initially spread to China and then to Iran and the rest of the world," Hossein Salami said on Thursday. | He vowed that Iran would "fight" the virus and cautioned that the illness "will return" to the United States, if Washington was indeed responsible for the outbreak. | Though such conspira…
rt.com/news/482405-iran-coronavirus-us-b…
Coronavirus hurts Middle East economies beyond oil
rt.com | 2020-03-05
The Middle East oil exporters are grappling with depressed demand in their key market, China, due to the coronavirus outbreak. | The economies of the Arab Gulf countries are feeling the double sting of a sizeable loss of oil demand in Asia and a plunge in oil prices as the markets fear a significant slowdown in global economic growth because of the outbreak. | If that wasn't bad enough for the biggest economies in the Gulf, business activity in the non-oil sector continues to deteriorate in OPEC's biggest producer Saudi Arabia and in OPEC's third-largest producer, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). | The start to…
rt.com/business/482385-coronavirus-hurts…
'Epidemic can be contained': WHO chief urges concerted approach against COVID-19 coronavirus
rt.com | 2020-03-05
The epidemic of COVID-19 coronavirus infection spreading around the world from China can be contained and controlled, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday, urging a concerted response by all governments. | "We are calling on every country to act with speed, scale and clear-minded determination," the WHO's director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said at the UN health agency's Geneva headquarters. | Tedros voiced concern that "some countries have either not taken this seriously enough, or have decided there is nothing they can do," Reuters reports. "This is not the time to give…
rt.com/newsline/482429-epidemic-coronavi…
First person in UK dies from coronavirus as number of cases doubles in 48 hours
rt.com | 2020-03-05
Health authorities in the United Kingdom have revealed that the country has recorded its first death from the coronavirus as the number of cases in the country jumped to 116. | The victim was an elderly patient who had underlying health conditions. "The patient has previously been in and out of hospital for non-coronavirus reasons, but on this occasion was admitted and last night tested positive for coronavirus," Royal Berkshire NHS Trust said in a statement. | "The family has been informed and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time," it added. | A total of 116 people have now tested positive for vi…
rt.com/uk/482434-first-coronavirus-death…
Iran closes schools & universities until March 20, reports 107 deaths, 3,513 infections from Covid-19
rt.com | 2020-03-05
All schools and universities in Iran will be closed until the end of the country's calendar year on March 20, Health Minister Saeed Namaki announced on state TV on Thursday. | So far, 3,513 people have been infected with coronavirus in the country, according to the ministry's spokesman Kianush Jahanpur. "In the last 24 hours the lab samples that have been confirmed include 591 infections from Covid-19," he reported. | "Unfortunately 15 people died in the past day which brings the total of our dear countrymen who have passed away from Covid-19 to 107," Reuters quoted him as saying.
rt.com/newsline/482396-iran-schools-univ…
California declares state of emergency after 1st coronavirus death… as US House passes $8.3bn emergency funding bill
rt.com | 2020-03-05
California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency over the deadly coronavirus, soon after local officials confirmed the state's first death from the illness, which has infected more than 50 people in 12 counties. | With California's first death announced on Wednesday, and six new cases arising in the last 48 hours, the emergency declaration could see an influx of emergency funds set aside by Congress rush into the state
IDF troops banned from leaving Israel over coronavirus fears
rt.com | 2020-03-05
No IDF soldiers will be able to leave Israel from noon on Friday in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, IDF spokesman Brig.-Gen. Hidai Zilberman said on Thursday. The decision was made by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi in accordance with the Health Ministry's guidelines and following an assessment with the military's General Staff. | Kochavi decided to take a strict approach to reduce the number of soldiers with the virus in order to maintain operational readiness. Zilberman warned that one has to be careful "with spreading rumors." Currently, between 500-600 soldiers are in quarantine, t…
rt.com/newsline/482411-idf-troops-israel…
Netanyahu advises Israelis to use India's ancient 'Namaste' greeting to fend off germs amid coronavirus epidemic
rt.com | 2020-03-05
Benjamin Netanyahu has called on his countrymen to abandon traditional handshakes in order to stop the spread of coronavirus. Instead he recommended a no-contact gesture like India's 'Namaste' greeting or the Hebrew shalom. | Netanyahu said that he has already adopted the no-handshake policy, and suggested that his fellow Israelis do the same. | "You can try to implement the Indian system of Namaste or say another word like shalom, but find a way, any way of not shaking hands," the Israeli prime minister said during a press conference. He then demonstrated how Indians greet each other by folding their hands.
rt.com/news/482361-netanyahu-israel-indi…
Airlines to lose up to $113 BILLION in revenue this year due to fall in passenger traffic
rt.com | 2020-03-05
Airlines will lose $63 billion to $113 billion in revenue for passenger traffic globally in 2020, depending on how the coronavirus spreads, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced. | While air passenger demand in January rose 2.4 percent year-on-year, it was the slowest growth rate since April 2010, according to IATA data. | IATA has attributed the weak demand to the Covid-19 outbreak, saying it expects a further weakening in February and March as the virus spreads outside China. | #COVID19: depending on ho…
rt.com/business/482388-airline-revenue-f…
HSBC evacuates London HQ after employee tests positive for coronavirus
rt.com | 2020-03-05
HSBC has evacuated its UK headquarters in London after an employee of the bank tested positive for coronavirus. | The infected individual reportedly works in the bank's research department, and an entire floor of the Canary Wharf building that houses the company will have to be deep cleaned as a result of the incident. | The headquarters is in the center of London's financial center, which hosts many investment banks, including Citi, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and Barclays. | Sources in the building told the Reuters news agency that HSBC had told its staff who came into contact with the infected man to work from…
rt.com/uk/482401-hsbc-evacuate-london-of…
'Sweden is full!' Head of Swedish Democrats goes to the EU-Turkey border to halt migrants before they set out
rt.com | 2020-03-05
The leader of the anti-immigration Swedish Democrats is determined to discourage migrants right from the off, telling them that they shouldn't be counting on Sweden's famed benefits, as the Nordic country is already "full." | Jimmie Akesson traveled to the Turkish border city of Edirne along with his top aide, having in their sights people set to cross into neighboring Greece. Over 12,000 migrants amassed there shortly after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a power move in proclaiming they are free to continue their journey westward. | While at the border, Akesson and his entourage handed out leaflets disco…
rt.com/news/482371-sweden-full-migrants-…
Greece plans to deport migrants who arrived illegally after March 1
rt.com | 2020-03-05
Athens will transfer migrants who arrived on its territory illegally after March 1 to the northern city of Serres then plans to deport them back to their countries of origin, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said. | Thousands of migrants have made for Greece since Ankara said on February 28 that it would let migrants cross Turkey's borders into Europe, despite a commitment to hold them on its territory under a 2016 deal with the EU. | Mitarachi also said late on Wednesday migrants who entered the country prior to January 1, 2019 and are living on certain islands would be transferred to the mainland in…
rt.com/newsline/482376-greece-deport-ill…
Ankara deploys 1,000 police at Greek border to stem pushback of migrants, minister says
rt.com | 2020-03-05
Turkey is deploying 1,000 special police forces along its border with Greece on Thursday to halt the pushback of migrants towards its territory, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. | The comments come amid a war of words between Ankara and Athens following Turkey's decision to no longer abide by a 2016 deal with the EU to halt illegal migration flows to Europe in return for billions of euros in aid. | Soylu told reporters in the northwestern border province of Edirne that Greek police wounded 164 migrants trying to cross the border, Reuters reports. "They tried to push 4,900 people back to Turkey… We are…
rt.com/newsline/482391-turkey-police-gre…
Arctic military force & coastal security system created as Putin approves state policy for key region
rt.com | 2020-03-05
Russia will enhance military forces deployed in the Arctic to ensure its sovereignty and maintain peace and stability in the region, according to the plan of Arctic development until 2035, signed by President Putin. | The document, entitled Fundamentals of the Russian state policy in the Arctic, confirmed that Russia has already created a conventional forces grouping and a coastal security system there. | Their main task during the 15 upcoming years will be to prevent the use of military power against Russia. To deter any aggression, the capabilities of the Arctic forces will be further enhanced. | Air, water…
rt.com/russia/482414-arctic-military-for…
Hitler, Gogol, or just a shoe? Russians theorize about hidden meaning behind Puma sneaker
rt.com | 2020-03-05
A sports shoe released by popular brand Puma has riled Russian social media, with internet sleuths putting forward theories that the sneaker is an ode to Hitler
Pay up or be terminated: Arnold Schwarzenegger sues Russian bot firm for $10 mln over unauthorized 'Arnie android' doppelganger
rt.com | 2020-03-05
Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is dragging a Russian robot company to court for its humanoid replica of the Hollywood hulk. The firm needs to fork over $10 million
Indian gang rape & murder convicts will be executed on March 20 after multiple delays
rt.com | 2020-03-05
The hanging of four death row convicts behind the brutal gang rape and murder of a young woman in 2012 will take place on March 20, a Delhi court has ruled, following a series of delays. | In its ruling, the court said that the four men had exhausted all of their legal remedies
DENNIS MILLER, EMMY WINNER AND SNL ALUM, TO HOST NEW INTERVIEW SHOW ON RT AMERICA
rt.com | 2020-03-05
WASHINGTON, DC, MARCH 5
NYPD officers caught in shocking VIDEO brutalizing unarmed black man for unspecified 'crime'
rt.com | 2020-03-05
Shocking footage of a swarm of NYPD cops savagely beating an unarmed black man while arresting him for the 'crime' of asking why a plainclothes officer was detaining him has gone viral, epitomizing 'excessive force.' | The eyewitness video, viewed close to three million times since it was posted to Twitter late on Wednesday night, opens on a black man being held against a wall by an undercover cop. With his hands up and holding only a cellphone, he calmly asks what crime he's accused of committing (and if he's even being arrested), but his assailant refuses to answer his questions and calls for backup. Within…
rt.com/usa/482423-black-man-beaten-nypd-…
Selected Articles: Turkey at War with Syria
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-05
Lying is a money making activity and lies are commodities. There is a profitable global market for media and public figures committed to spreading disinformation. | Needless to say, "Telling the Truth", on the other hand, Is Not a Money-Making Proposition. …
globalresearch.ca/selected-articles-turk…
Elizabeth Warren Suspends Her Presidential Campaign: NYT
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-05
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has suspended her campaign for the Democratic ticket for the 2020 presidential election, the New York Times reported on Thursday. | RELATED: | Joe Biden Gains Momentum After Super Tuesday Performance | Warren, who previously emerged as a top Democratic contender for the White House on the strength of an anti-corruption platform backed by a dizzying array of policy proposals, ended her campaign after a poor showing on Super Tuesday. | The former bankruptc…
telesurenglish.net/news/Elizabeth-Warren…
Elizabeth Warren Must Decide Which Side She's On
Norman Solomon | truthdig.com | 2020-03-05
The night before Super Tuesday, Elizabeth Warren spoke to several thousand people in a quadrangle at East Los Angeles College. Much of her talk recounted the heroic actions of oppressed Latina workers who led the Justice for Janitors organization. Standing in the crowd, I was impressed with Warren's eloquence as she praised solidarity and labor unions as essential for improving the lives of working people. | Now, days later, with corporate Democrat Joe Biden enjoying sudden momentum and mega-billionaire Mike Bloomberg joining forces with him, an urgent question hovers over Warren. It's a time-honored union inquir…
truthdig.com/articles/elizabeth-warren-m…
Elizabeth Warren Will Drop Out of 2020 Presidential Race Today
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-05
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is expected to announce that she is ending her presidential bid Thursday after failing to finish in the top two in any state on Super Tuesday, The New York Times reports. | Warren is expected to brief her staff before issuing a public announcement, according to the report. It is not clear if she plans to endorse another candidate. | Warren, who ran on a pro…
truthout.org/articles/elizabeth-warren-w…
Elizabeth Warren: Which Side Are You On?
Norman Solomon | zcomm.org | 2020-03-05
In the midst of these pivotal election battles, Warren should provide a vehement endorsement of Sanders and swiftly begin to campaign for him. Choosing, instead, to stand on the sidelines would be a tragic betrayal of progressive principles…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/elizabeth-warren-w…
Elizabeth Warren Still Has a Choice to Make
D.D. Guttenplan | thenation.com | 2020-03-05
Elizabeth Warren Still Has a Choice to Make…
thenation.com/article/politics/elizabeth…
Joe Biden Gains Momentum After Super Tuesday Performance
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-05
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has been on a roll as of late, following his powerful performance on Super Tuesday, which resulted in him winning ten of the 14 states up for grabs. | RELATED: | Democratic Primaries Heat Up, Mike Bloomberg Ends Candidacy | Biden, who was struggling in previous polls, received a major boost this week when Democratic candidates Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg all announced the end of their campaigns for the presidency. | Perhaps…
telesurenglish.net/news/Joe-Biden-Gains-…
Obstacle to Help in Idlib? Turkey's Purchase of S-400s a Serious Concern for US, Envoy on Syria Says
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-05
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated earlier that he had requested that the US provide ammunition for his country's forces, which are involved in the Spring Shield military operation in Syria's Idlib province.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/2020030510784…
Putin on Turkish Losses in Syria: No One Knew About Servicemen's Location
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-05
Several Turkish servicemen died in Syria's Idlib after being caught in the Syrian Army's fire on local terrorist positions. Damascus' forces were responding to the militants' attacks, which have intensified in recent months.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/2020030510784…
Putin, Erdogan Meet in Moscow to Discuss Situation in Syria's Idlib – Video
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-05
The situation in northwestern Syria recently escalated into fighting between government forces and militants that resulted in the deaths of over 30 Turkish troops last week. Turkey has responded by targeting Syrian troops and equipment.
sputniknews.com/world/202003051078480508…
Russia to Curb Foreign Currency Purchases to Minimum Amid Oil & Gas Price Rebound
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-05
Russia's financial policymaker has given the green light to diminishing investments in safe haven assets like foreign currencies, citing projected surpluses in oil and gas revenues, as the coronavirus epidemic shows signs of gradually slowing down.
sputniknews.com/business/202003051078483…