2020-07-16: News Headlines

Ajamu Baraka (2020-07-16). Building Power to Win Is the Revolutionary Approach to "Bourgeois Electoralism" globalresearch.ca We must make clear that it is imperialism that degrades and destroys the earth, makes water a commodity, food a luxury, education an impossibility, and health care a distant dream. | The following is excerpted from a presentation by Ajamu Baraka …

Staff (2020-07-16). "The Pandemic Could Get Much, Much Worse": Is Another Lockdown the Only Way to Avoid Catastrophe? democracynow.org As health experts warn the coronavirus is on the rise in 41 states, many governors are reimposing restrictions after attempts at opening up the economy, but President Trump wants schools open. We speak with public health historian John Barry, who warns "The Pandemic Could Get Much, Much Worse" if we don't take bolder action now. Barry is a | professor at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and author of "The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History."

Staff (2020-07-16). Headlines for July 16, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Army Deploys to Houston as Hospital Beds Fill to Capacity, Florida Coronavirus Cases Top 300,000 as Miami Hospitals Run Out of ICU Beds, Alabama's Republican Governor Mandates Masks After Record COVID-19 Death Toll, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Greets Maskless Donald Trump, Bans Local Mask Mandates, Oklahoma Governor Tests Positive for COVID-19, Won't Require Masks in Public, White House Backs Down After Adviser Peter Navarro Attacks Dr. Anthony Fauci, India Posts Record Coronavirus Toll; Cases Explode in Nairobi Maternity Hospital , Members of Remote Amazon Tribe Test Positive for Coronavirus, President Trump Gu…

Rocco Galati (2020-07-16). Video: Covid-19 Unlawful Acts: Law Suit against Trudeau Government: Constitutional Lawyer Rocco Galati. globalresearch.ca A large constitutional claim against Canadian government actors for their actions in COVID-19 has just been filed at the Superior Court in Toronto, Canada. | Watch Atty. Rocco Galati speak in the video below. | Thanks to Mark Taliano for bringing …

Eds. (2020-07-16). Turin grants honorary citizenship to head of Cuban medical brigade (+ Photos). mronline.org The Municipal Council of Turin granted the honorary citizenship of that city in the region of Piedmont to Dr. Julio Guerra, head of the Cuban medical brigade that helped fight COVID-19 there.

Vijay Prashad (2020-07-16). Laos Has Tackled COVID-19, But It Is Drowning in Debt to International Finance. counterpunch.org On June 11, Laos (Lao People's Democratic Republic)—a country of 7 million in Southeast Asia—said it had temporarily prevailed over COVID-19. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said that his country had "gained an important victory in the first campaign against this vicious enemy." The first cases of COVID-19 detected in Laos were registered on March 24; a total of 19 people had been infected with the virus by April 12, and—after 58 days of no new cases—the last patient was discharged on June 9. There were no new cases of COVID-19 in Laos since April 12 (93 days of no new cases as of July…

Eds. (2020-07-16). How Settler Colonial States use incarceration as a tool of dehumanization during the COVID crisis. mronline.org Incarceration is a manifestation and continuation of chronic and interwoven structures of oppression…

Robert Langreth (2020-07-16). Moderna's Vaccine Side Effect Is COVID-19. anti-empire.com The findings are likely to increase hopes that a vaccine can be brought to market quickly. However, a number of patients in the trial experienced side effects, some of them severe. The vaccine will move into a much larger late-stage trial later this month that's likely to determine whether it's approved by U.S. re…

Mike Walter (2020-07-16). The Heat: Global view of U.S. america.cgtn.com As coronavirus rages across the United States and after weeks of protests against police abuse, has America's reputation taken a global hit? The U.S. response to its huge number of COVID-19 cases and deaths has caused dismay to people watching around the world. Meanwhile, weeks …

Susan Price (2020-07-16). South Africa: Inequality hides true picture of COVID-19 crisis. greenleft.org.au

RT (2020-07-16). Georgia governor bans mask mandates. 'Ignore the science and survive the best you can,' Savannah mayor complains. rt.com Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has prohibited cities from forcing residents to wear masks in public, voiding requirements put in place by some local governments. The move led to one mayor hurling incendiary accusations at Kemp. | The ban on mandatory face coverings was part of a new executive order which extended state measures purportedly put in place to fight the spread of coronavirus. Although Kemp has encouraged voluntary mask-wearing, his order made it clear that cities and counties could not coerce people into donning a face covering. The move voids orders adopted by at least 15 local governments across the…

Mary Miller — Ariel Gold (2020-07-16). The U.S. Struggle for Justice for Palestine Begins a New Chapter. counterpunch.org 2020 has indisputably been a chaotic year. From the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent disruption of daily life, to the killing of George Floyd and the passionate resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement that followed, to the looming general election: there has been plenty occupying the minds and newsfeeds of Americans. But in between all

Philip Giraldi (2020-07-16). Israeli Proxies Profit from U.S. Coronavirus Funding. globalresearch.ca Washington D.C. is surely one of the most corrupt places on earth. Money talks and nearly everyone into the game sometimes referred to as politics has his or her hand out and expects to end up a millionaire. Given that, …

Gregg Gonsalves (2020-07-16). The New Lysenkoism in Washington. thenation.com The New Lysenkoism in Washington…

Elizabeth Woodworth (2020-07-16). The Battle for Pandemic Sanity: Hydroxychloroquine Efficacy vs. Its Suppression. globalresearch.ca Covid-19 cases are on the rise again in the U.S. | Why are Dr. Anthony Fauci's NIAID, the FDA, and the CDC so blind to the real-world success of HCQ+azithromycin? | If this combination is the simple, cheap, safe way to prevent …

Yanis Iqbal (2020-07-16). The Ravages of Lithium Extraction in Chile. globalresearch.ca In Chile, the Covid-19 pandemic is raging with an unprecedented speed. There are

news.un (2020-07-16). Rise in women prisoners and COVID measures, 'making sentences worse'. news.un.org More than 700,000 women are in prison around the world, and that number is growing much faster than men, the Human Rights Council has heard.

The Bernician (2020-07-16). Chaos in UK Health Care. NHS Staff Are Being Silenced Over COVID-19. "Lose Their Jobs if They Speak Out" globalresearch.ca Here lies an anonymous statement from an A&E consultant in a major hospital in Surrey, in relation to the criminal gagging of all levels of NHS staff, who have been threatened that they will lose their jobs if the speak …

Julian Rose (2020-07-16). Towards a Totalitarian Regime? European Commission Adopts GMO Vaccine to Combat Non Existent Covid-19 Virus. globalresearch.ca In a decision which will shock many, the European Commission has taken a big step towards its ambition to subject its citizens to a totalitarian regime in which DNA altering technology forms the centre piece of mass control and unapologetic …

William rivers Pitt (2020-07-16). Republicans Are Afraid to Attend Their Convention But Want Your Kids in School. zcomm.org The hypocrisy is breathtaking, perhaps literally so if you're a teacher who catches COVID in homeroom. Fortunately, the Trump administration's permanent policy of brazen shamelessness is not having the desired effect…

F. Douglas Stephenson (2020-07-16). The End of Private Health Insurance? zcomm.org Covid Crash shows Why we Need Medicare for All…

Do Thi Thu Huong (2020-07-16). Vietnam's Success Against COVID-19. globalresearch.ca While other countries are still lifting quarantine or planning to re-open public activities, Vietnam — a small, developing country that has about 1,400 km of land, river and stream and borders with China — has been opened up for more …

Dr. Kathleen Rest (2020-07-16). With NEPA Changes, Trump Administration Puts Public Health at Risk for Private Gain. globalresearch.ca Today, the Trump administration has announced a major weakening of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This rollback would increase the risk of environmental damages from major development projects, and limit the power of the communities to weigh in on …

Raul Diego (2020-07-16). New Tech Company Partnership to Offset Responsibility for Public Safety and Health onto AI. mintpressnews.com A new tech partnership augurs a bleak vision for the future of public safety and health emergencies where algorithms and mass profiling of entire populations make the social contract obsolete.

Bulgan Molor-Erdene (2020-07-16). Large corona aid for "small" companies. indybay.org Dozens of tenants in buildings owned or managed by Trump received funds. More than 20 companies registered at 40 Wall Street, an office building Trump has owned since the mid-1990s, have also reportedly received government loans of at least $20 million. Among the recipients were law firms, financial services companies and non-profit organizations.

Christian Kreiss (2020-07-16). Economic impact of corona lockdowns. indybay.org Even before the current lockdown-induced economic depression, the assets of the lowest 20 percent of US households – between 2007 and 2019 – had fallen by about a third according to the Wall Street Journal, and their incomes had fallen by 2 percent in real terms in these 12 years. Then came the lockdown. It hit the bottom fifth of the US population correspondingly hard.

_____ (2020-07-16). The Case for Regionalism in a Post-Coronavirus World. strategic-culture.org Mathew MAAVAK | The lingering COVID-19 scourge continues to devastate the global economy. Initial fears of an impending supply chain shock, arising from shuttered Chinese factories, have instead led to a moth-eaten global economy where rising supply is met with depreciating demand and vice versa. To make matter worse, COVID-19 relief funds — amounting to trillions of dollars in the West alone — have ended up

_____ (2020-07-16). Turmoil at Home, Turmoil Abroad: Israel and the U.S. Escalate Their War Against Iran. strategic-culture.org As the combined impact of the corona virus and the wholesale destruction of America's history and culture, or at least the part of it that is white, continues, it is nice to see that other nations are getting into the game that will lead to the de facto elimination of western civilization. No one is yet quite up the U.S. level of senseless destruction and looting by the heroes of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa, but in Britain mobs are beating policemen, statues including that of Winston Churchill are being attacked and the Cenotaph commemorating the country's war dead has been vandalized. In a bizarre inc…

The Canary (2020-07-16). Tory government accused of 'corrosive' lack of transparency over coronavirus spending figures. thecanary.co Rishi Sunak's emergency Plan for Jobs to tackle the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis will involve up to £10bn less spending on previously planned projects, economists said. | Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) revealed that the proposals — which the chancellor said could amount to up to £30bn of support — are partly funded by spending cuts on previously planned projects and investments which are now deemed less of a priority or infeasible given the Covid-19 plan. | The think-tank was critical of the "lack of transparency" from the Treasury which is "corrosive to trust". | http…

The Canary (2020-07-16). Nurses and midwives 'at high risk of burnout and bullying in the workplace'. thecanary.co Working conditions for nurses and midwives pose a significant threat to their mental health, which could worsen due to the pandemic, a review has found. | The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) reviewed the mental health and wellbeing of nurses and midwives in the UK before the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis. | Among its findings, published in a report on 16 July, it identified the high risk of work-related stress, mental health problems and burnout in the professions. | SOM warned that these problems are likely to have risen further due to the pandemic, as many are "at high risk of post-traumatic stress sympt…

yenisafak (2020-07-16). Italy imposes travel ban on 3 more Balkan nations. yenisafak.com Italy on Thursday imposed a travel ban on three more Balkan nations due to the coronavirus pandemic, the country's heath minister said.Italy's list of high-risk countries now contains 16 nations with new additions; Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Facebook.Travelers, who had been in these countries in the last 14 days, will not be able to enter Italy.The list of restricted countries included Armenia, Bahrein, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bosnia Herzegovina, Chile, Kuwait, North Macedonia, Moldova, Oman, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic, Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo.Since originati…

yenisafak (2020-07-16). Spain to cull 93,000 mink at a farm hit by coronavirus. yenisafak.com Health authorities have ordered the culling of all 93,000 mink at a farm in eastern Spain to prevent human contagion after discovering that most of the animals there had been infected with the coronavirus.The farm in the village of La Puebla de Valverde in the region of Aragon, 200 km (125 miles) east of Madrid, came to the attention of the authorities after the wife of one of its workers tested positive in May.Joaquin Olona, head of the Aragon agriculture department, told reporters on Thursday that seven farm workers had subsequently tested positive, including the woman's husband.Authorities initially ordered th…

yenisafak (2020-07-16). India's Muslims vs Modi: Dirilis Ertugrul and Israel's Fauda locked in fierce soft power battle. yenisafak.com Two international hit television dramas, one produced by Turkey and the other by Israel, have captured the interest of large audiences in India after the country began to implement stay-at-home orders to curb the spread of coronavirus.During quarantine, Turkish television series "Resurrection: Ertugrul," known as the Muslim Game of Thrones, glued Indian audiences to the small screen, while interest in the Israeli Netflix show "Fauda" skyrocketed.The Israeli political TV series "Fauda" (Arabic for "chaos") is attracting mostly right-wing nationalists in India. The spy thriller is based on the story of an Israeli u…

yenisafak (2020-07-16). Minister tells French public: don't wait to put on masks. yenisafak.com French Health Minister Olivier Veran on Thursday encouraged people to start wearing masks in enclosed public spaces immediately, instead of waiting for a government order that takes effect next week."I invite the French people to start wearing the masks now," Veran told parliament. "We don't need to wait for a decree."French officials have accelerated plans to make face coverings compulsory in shops and other enclosed public spaces in response to signs that the COVID-19 outbreak is flaring up again in some places.

yenisafak (2020-07-16). Gabon appoints first woman prime minister amid government shakeup. yenisafak.com Gabon President Ali Bongo on Thursday promoted his defence minister, Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, to prime minister on Thursday, the first time a woman has held the role in the country.Ossouka Raponda, 56, is the sixth prime minister appointed since Bongo succeeded his father in 2009. Her first job is to form a new government after her predecessor, Julien Nkoghe Bekale, stepped down earlier in the day.She will take on two major challenges: declining oil production and prices, which have weighed on growth in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Central African country has registered nearly 6,000 cases…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-07-15). 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Caused Brain Damage in Children. Dr. Anthony Fauci on "Vaccine Safety" Issues. globalresearch.ca A lawsuit against the Trudeau Government for its handling of the COVID-19 Crisis has been launched. What is at stake is the violation of fundamental rights of Canadians. | "The mass and indiscriminate containment of citizens, the restriction of access to …

Ladan Golestaneh, Joel Neugarten, Molly Fisher, Henny H. Billett, Morayma Reyes Gil, Tanya Johns, Milagros Yunes, Michele H. Mokrzycki, Maria Coco, Keith C. Norris, Hector R. Perez, Shani Scott, Ryung S. Kim, Eran Bellin (2020-07-15). The association of race and COVID-19 mortality. thelancet.com The BMHS COVID experience demonstrates that Blacks do have a higher mortality with COVID incompletely explained by age, multiple reported comorbidities and available metrics of sociodemographic disparity.

Yu-miao Zhao, Yao-min Shang, Wen-bin Song, Qing-quan Li, Hua Xie, Qin-fu Xu, Jun-li Jia, Li-ming Li, Hong-li Mao, Xiu-man Zhou, Hong Luo, Yan-feng Gao, Ai-guo Xu (2020-07-15). Follow-up study of the pulmonary function and related physiological characteristics of COVID-19 survivors three months after recovery. thelancet.com Radiological and physiological abnormalities were still found in a considerable proportion of COVID-19 survivors without critical cases 3 months after discharge. Higher level of D-dimer on admission could effectively predict impaired DLCO after 3 months discharge. It is necessary to follow up the COVID-19 patients to appropriately manage any persistent or emerging long-term sequelae.

Jessica Culhane, Monisha Sharma, Kate Wilson, D.Allen Roberts, Cyrus Mugo, Dalton Wamalwa, Irene Inwani, Ruanne V. Barnabas, Pamela K. Kohler (2020-07-15). Modeling the health impact and cost threshold of long-acting ART for adolescents and young adults in Kenya. thelancet.com Providing LA-ART to AYA can be cost-effective in Kenya if it is less than twice the cost of oral ART. Long-acting injectable ART for priority populations with low viral suppression has the potential to cost-effectively avert disability and death.

Sara Larsen, Rasmus Vinther Russell, Lotte Klinten Ockert, Stephen Spanos, Helena Strà∏mstad Travis, Lars Holger Ehlers, Anders Mà¶rkedahl (2020-07-15). [Research Paper] Rate and impact of duodenoscope contamination: A systematic review and meta-analysis. thelancet.com This is the first meta-analysis to estimate the contamination rate of patient-ready duodenoscopes used for ERCP. Based on the available literature, our analysis demonstrates that there is a 15.25% contamination rate of reprocessed patient-ready duodenoscopes. Additionally, the analysis indicates that dHLD and EtO reprocessing methods are superior to single HLD but still not efficient in regards to cleaning the duodenoscopes properly. Furthermore, studies conducted following an outbreak did not entail a higher contamination rate compared to non-outbreak-initiated studies.

Sophie Marie Anne Effing, Bishal Gyawali (2020-07-15). [Research Paper] Assessing the risk-benefit profile of ramucirumab in patients with advanced solid tumors: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. thelancet.com In this meta-analysis of RCTs, use of ramucirumab in patients with advanced cancer was associated with increased risk of treatment related serious and possibly fatal adverse events but the magnitude of clinical benefit from ramucirumab was mostly negligible with no trial reporting an improvement in QOL. These relative risks and benefits should be considered in clinical and regulatory decision making.

Alan Macleod (2020-07-15). UN Warns COVID-19 Fears Leading to "Alarming" Decline in Immunizations and Hospital Visits. mintpressnews.com The WHO and UNICEF have expressed concern over what they describe as an "alarming decline" of children's immunization programs, hospital visits for serious issues, including heart attacks and even a reversal in the fight against AIDS.

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-07-15). 101 Organizations Call on Congress to Enact $1.5 Trillion Student Debt Jubilee as Part of Covid-19 Relief. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-07-15). 'Pandemic Has Been Very Good for Insurance Companies': UnitedHealth Posts Largest Profit—By Far—Amid Covid-19. commondreams.org "Incredible—as hospitals are furloughing workers and cutting wages as budgets are squeezed, UnitedHealth's profits soar." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Staff (2020-07-15). Tucson Mayor Romero Slams Arizona Gov. Ducey for Downplaying COVID & Hasty Reopening as ICUs Fill. democracynow.org As COVID-19 cases soar in the U.S. South and Southwest, we go to the hot spot of Arizona, where 88% of ICU beds are full and the family of one man accuses Arizona Governor Ducey and President Trump of being directly responsible for his death, after they downplayed the threat of the virus and obstructed local officials from requiring masks even as Arizona's case numbers were exploding. "We have been in a state of crisis since Governor Ducey decided to hastily reopen the state," says Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, who has been standing up to Ducey and is the first Latina and the first woman to be elected mayor of Tucs…

Staff (2020-07-15). Headlines for July 15, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Sets Another Single-Day Record with 67,000+ Coronavirus Cases, Trump Admin Orders Hospitals to Bypass CDC on Reporting COVID-19 Data, GOP Convention in Jacksonville May Move Outdoors, as COVID-19 Skyrockets in Florida, U.N. Chief Warns Pandemic May Set Back Global Economy by "Decades", Trump Admin Rescinds Plan to Strip International Student Visas, Jeff Sessions Loses Bid to Reclaim Alabama Senate Seat, Democrats Pick Challengers to GOP Incumbent Senators in Texas & Maine, Progressive Challenger José Garza Unseats District Attorney of Travis County, TX, Joe Biden Unveils $2 Trillion Clean Energy and Jobs Pla…

Staff (2020-07-15). As COVID-19 Cases Spike, Epidemiologist Warns "The Road to an Uncertain Vaccine Is Paved in Death" democracynow.org As the U.S. reports its highest one-day spike in infections and 11 states report record hospitalizations, the Trump administration is demanding states stop sending COVID patient data to the CDC, which then releases it to the public. We speak with Dr. Ali Khan, epidemiologist and the dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, about the Trump administration's handling of the crisis and his hopes for a vaccine. "The road to an uncertain vaccine is paved in death," notes Dr. Khan. He is the former director of the CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, where he…

_____ (2020-07-15). Trump Tells Florida Crowd 'Something Will Happen In Venezuela' Soon. popularresistance.org On a trip to COVID-19 riddled Florida this weekend, President Donald Trump not-so-cryptically revealed that he had something big planned for Venezuela during a meeting with leaders of the U.S. military's Southern Command. "Something will happen with Venezuela. That's all I can tell you," he said, before adding that Washington would be "very much involved" in what he was referencing. Biden has also taken a hard line on Venezuela and is attempting to out-hawk Trump on the issue. "It's time for free and fair elections so that the Venezuelan people can turn the page on the corrupt and repressive Maduro regime," he sa…

Adam Geller, Malcolm Ritter (2020-07-15). Profile of a killer: Understanding the deadly coronavirus pandemic. peoplesworld.org Editor's note: This special report on what is known thus far about the deadly coronavirus was released today by the Associated Press. We publish it because the information contained in it sheds light on what we are facing during the dark days of this pandemic. It is clear that, in addition to embracing the safety …

Staff (2020-07-15). Corporate Greed Drives COVID-19 Pandemic Inside Peruvian Amazon. therealnews.com Peru's lawmakers are weighing a vote on crucial legislation, which, if passed, will declare large areas of pristine Amazon rainforest off limits to drilling and mining projects—a clear showdown between Big Oil and corporate mining interests and the rights of Indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon. | Peru's Congress was expected to vote on the draft bill Thursday, July 2. But the proposal did not make it into the legislative agenda, prompting questions about whether corporate dollars are pulling the strings behind the scenes. | The proposed amendment has revived bitter decades-old social divisions in the…