Daily Archives: May 17, 2020

2020-05-17: News Headlines

RT (2020-05-17). Bloomberg changes headline YET AGAIN amid backlash over article on why Covid-19 'didn't kill more Russians'. rt.com Bloomberg has yet again had to correct the title of an article, after rolling out a report about why Covid-19 hasn't "killed more Russians." Moscow has argued that Western media distort Russia's fight against the disease. | US-based Bloomberg News had published the story, originally titled "Experts Want to Know Why Coronavirus Hasn't Killed More Russians," on Wednesday. The news piece was ostensibly about how Russia's relatively low death toll from Covid-19 "puzzles health experts," especially since the nation has the second-highest number of officially-recorded cases of the disease, trailing only behind the…

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-17). Coronavirus begins spiralling out of control in Colombia's major cities. colombiareports.com Colombia's third largest city, Cali, and port city Cartagena rang the alarm as the country's healthcare system appears to slowly be falling apart because of the coronavirus pandemic. An explosive…

RT (2020-05-17). Coronavirus to burn out 'naturally' BEFORE vaccine? Former top WHO oncologist Karol Sikora says there's 'REAL CHANCE' of that. rt.com Covid-19 could be "petering out by itself" before the world comes up with any vaccine, a leading academic, formerly the World Health Organization's (WHO) top oncologist has said. | "There's a real chance that the virus will burn out naturally before any vaccine is developed," Karol Sikora, the dean of the University of Buckingham's medical school, We're seeing a roughly similar pattern everywhere — I suspect we have more immunity than estimated. We need to keep slowing the virus,…

ahtribune (2020-05-17). If You Think the Coronavirus Lockdown Is Worse Than the Disease, You Don't Understand the Disease. ahtribune.com It's no accident that one of the world's great morons—he who thinks injecting disinfectants and shining bright lights into bodily cavities will save the world from COVID-19—should be cheering on one the world's most moronic public health policy choices. | The novel coronavirus—aptly dubbed the stealth virus—is highly infectious, if not peerlessly contagious. People can be infected by the virus—and spread the disease to others—for up to two weeks before showing symptoms. Or they can experience symptoms so mild that they're not aware they're ill. If we believe it's now safe to…

RT (2020-05-17). Coronavirus to burn out 'naturally' BEFORE vaccine? Former WHO oncologist says there's 'REAL chance' of that. rt.com Covid-19 could be "petering out by itself" before the world comes up with any vaccine, a leading academic, formerly the World Health Organization's (WHO) top oncologist has said. | "There's a real chance that the virus will burn out naturally before any vaccine is developed," Karol Sikora, the dean of the University of Buckingham's medical school, We're seeing a roughly similar pattern everywhere — I suspect we have more immunity than estimated. We need to keep slowing the virus,…

RT (2020-05-17). 'Guard of dishonor': VIDEO shows nurses & doctors giving ICY welcome to Belgian PM over govt's Covid-19 response. rt.com Belgium's PM Sophie Wilmes has visited one of the nation's hospitals battling the pandemic — but the medical staff literally turned their backs on her to show that her "display of support" for frontline workers was not enough. | Prime Minister Wilmes faced a cold welcome at the Saint-Pierre hospital in the Belgian capital Brussels, where the doctors and nurses found a novel way to show their dissatisfaction with the government's policies amid the novel coronavirus epidemic. The nation has had one of the highest Covid-19 mortality rates in Europe. | Footage obtained by RT's video agency Ruptly shows do…

RT (2020-05-17). Prophetic? EU once paid for a comic book that showed how it BOTCHED response to PANDEMIC (yet took all the credit anyway). rt.com A pandemic has claimed a million lives despite a vaccine sent from the future, yet EU officials are patting themselves on the back for a good job and mull even more bureaucracy. That is how a comic book published by the EU ends.

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-17). Why East Beat West on COVID-19. strategic-culture.org East Asia has handled and contained the pandemic far better than the West on nearly all metrics | Andrew SALMON | Perhaps the most startling trend visible in the global Covid-19 pandemic is the vast differential separating East Asia from the West when it comes to the disease's impact. | The chasm is visible — indeed, is impossible not to notice — when examining infection and death rates in either gross or percentage terms. | Very clearly East Asia, defined as the Sinic or Sinic-influenced nations of China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, has done better than the West on virus management. | Why…

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-17). Trump and GOP Oppose New House Economic Stimulus Measure. globalresearch.ca On Friday, the Dem-controlled House narrowly passed a new $3 trillion stimulus package — by a 208 — 199 majority. | Fourteen House Dems opposed the measure. Republican Peter King, representing New York's hard-hit 2nd district, supported the so-called Health …

Alison P. Galvani, Alyssa S. Parpia, Abhishek Pandey, Charlotte Zimmer, James G. Kahn, Meagan C. Fitzpatrick (2020-05-17). [Commentary] The imperative for universal healthcare to curtail the COVID-19 outbreak in the USA. thelancet.com The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States is growing steeply and spreading widely. As of March 26, national incidence surpassed every other country, and as of April 28 has reported over a million cases. The COVID-19 crisis is exposing the systemic frailties in our healthcare system. More than 78 million people in America do not have access to adequate health insurance [1]. Given that health insurance in the US is typically provided by employers, millions more are at risk of losing their healthcare coverage as unemployment surges.

United We Dream (2020-05-17). United We Dream: Immigrants, COVID-19, Jobs & Healthcare Virtual Town Hall. indybay.org Online…

Labor Video Project (2020-05-17). Jail Tesla Billionaire Elon Musk & Defend Health & Safety: Workers Speak Out At Tesla. indybay.org Workers spoke out against the bullying and intimidation of billionaire Elon Musk who has started his Tesla factory violating a shelter in place law. He challenged the Fremont police and Governor Newsom to arrest him but they are allowing him to open without any CA-OSHA inspections. Newsom has continued the destruction of CA-OSHA and there are less than 200 inspectors for the 18 million workers in California and only 1 doctor and 1 nurse at CA. OSHA.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-17). Iran coronavirus updates: 1,806 new coronavirus cases, 51deaths. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 17 (MNA) — Iranian Health Ministry announced on Tuesday that 1,806 new COVID-19 infections have been identified in the country during the past 24 hours.

teleSUR-la (2020-05-17). Latin America Sees Rise in COVID-19 Cases as Economies Reopen. telesurenglish.net Latin American countries on Saturday reported a further increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths, as some are gradually reopening their economies. | RELATED: | Brazil reported a total of 15,633 deaths from COVID-19 and 233,142 confirmed cases, after 816 more patients died of the disease and 14,919 infections were detected in the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry. | Sao Paulo, the most populous state, was h…

Staff (2020-05-17). Missouri GOP Votes to Gut Anti-Gerrymandering Reform Approved by Voters. truthout.org This article was produced by While most people are focused on their health and livelihoods amid the pandemic, Republican legislators in Missouri are working to overturn a voter-approved measure meant to make legislativ…

Kate Zeller (2020-05-17). World Health Assembly Wrestles with Coronavirus. indybay.org As the global coronavirus death toll tops 300,000 people, the leaders of the World Health Organization (WHO) prepare to hold their leadership meetings virtually from May 18th – 19th.

Dan Bacher (2020-05-17). ExxonMobil Seeks to Restart Three Platforms Idled After Refugio Oil Spill. indybay.org "On the anniversary of this deadly oil spill, in the middle of a public health crisis, Santa Barbara should embrace a clean energy future," said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "We need to end offshore drilling, not bring it back to life with another dirty oil pipeline."

teleSUR (2020-05-17). Chinese Ambassador to Israel Found Dead Inside Home. telesurenglish.net The Chinese ambassador to Israel Du Wei passed away in Tel Aviv Sunday, official sources said. | RELATED: | The preliminary judgment is that Du died unexpectedly of health reasons, but the details need to be further confirmed, sources told China's Xinhua News Agency. | The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the authenticity of press reports that revealed Sunday the body of the Chinese ambassador to Israel…

en.mehrnews (2020-05-17). People of Shiraz observe Night of Decree in personal cars amid pandemic. en.mehrnews.com SHIRAZ, May 17 (MNA) — Hundreds of people in Shiraz drove their cars to a parking lot to observe the Night of Decree on Saturday night while also following health guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Workers Solidarity Action Network (2020-05-17). Rally At Tesla: Jail Musk! Workers Health & Safety First & Lives Over Profit. indybay.org Tesla North Gate | Industrial Dr & Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA 94538 | www.google.com/maps/place/Tesla+factory/…: 0x86cfbef39088e346!8m2!3d37.5039468!4d-121.9622337?hl=en…

Tom Coburg (2020-05-17). BMJ damns UK government for mishandling coronavirus outbreak and ignoring science. thecanary.co An editorial in the prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ) condemns the Johnson-led government for the way it has handled the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and for ignoring the science. It amounts to possibly the most damning criticism of the government's management of the pandemic so far. | Moreover, a set of slides seen by The Canary reveals that the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) referenced a document, issued in 2019, that provided detailed projections for a major UK epidemic. Yet, this doesn't seem to have informed the government's response to the crisis. | Early failings: | The…

Staff (2020-05-17). How a Lobbying Campaign Pushed the CDC to Relax Protective Gear Guidelines. truthout.org This story was originally published by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more at Rick Lucas' cellphone chimed, alerting him to an emergency in the acute care unit. He wondered whether it would be another case of COVID…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-05-17). COVID-19 vaccine secures new government investment. imperial.ac.uk Imperial researchers have received a further £18.5 million in government support as they develop a coronavirus vaccine.

teleSUR (2020-05-17). Covid-19 Outbreak Reported in Bolivia's Largest Prison. telesurenglish.net Authorities from the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia confirmed an outbreak of coronavirus in the Palmasola prison on Saturday, reporting that 25 inmates tested positive for the disease. | RELATED: | "A total of 25 people deprived of liberty have tested positive for Covid-19. Having an epidemiological outbreak inside the Palmasola prison, we are going to establish two isolation centers: one for suspects and…

Ulson Gunnar (2020-05-17). The COVID-19 Chronicles: China. globalresearch.ca With the US spiraling downward, a downward trajectory merely steepened by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, we'd expect other nations to suffer likewise. | But China, where we are told the virus first appeared, has already bounced back. While it …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-05-16). 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Caused Brain Damage in Children. Dr. Anthony Fauci on "Vaccine Safety" Issues. globalresearch.ca In 2009, NIAID Director Anthony Fauci was firmly in support of a multibillion dollar H1N1 vaccine project | Today he is an avid supporter of a COVID-19 vaccine. | What he fails to acknowledge is that the 2009 H1N1 Vaccine caused brain …

Staff (2020-05-16). Checkpoint Closure By South Dakota Governor An Attack On Tribal Sovereignty. therealnews.com Governor Kristi Noem publicly issued a letter to the Cheyenne River and Oglala Sioux Tribes on May 8 ordering them to remove health checkpoints on roads crossing their reservations but did not directly deliver it to OST—"a sign of "disrespect," according to OST President Julian Bear Runner.

Brendan O'Neill (2020-05-16). Once Again Hysterical Media Is Complicit in the Needless Deaths of Tens of Thousands (So Far). anti-empire.com The media in this country have no shame. For two months they've been ramping up fear and hysteria over Covid-19. They predicted apocalypse. They reported the daily death tolls like gleeful grim reapers. They said hospitals would be overwhelmed. They interviewed doctor after doctor and nurse after nurse who told us in tearful tones that the health service was at breaking point. They painted a picture of a nation falling apart, of a plague visiting death upon every community, of institutions collapsing under the sheer weight of this mini Black Death. | And now, after all that, after pumping out 24-hour rolling d…

Brendan O'Neill (2020-05-16). Once Again the Screeching, Do-Gooder Media Is Complicit in the Needless Deaths of Tens of Thousands (So Far). anti-empire.com The media in this country have no shame. For two months they've been ramping up fear and hysteria over Covid-19. They predicted apocalypse. They reported the daily death tolls like gleeful grim reapers. They said hospitals would be overwhelmed. They interviewed doctor after doctor and nurse after nurse who told us in tearful tones that the health service was at breaking point. They painted a picture of a nation falling apart, of a plague visiting death upon every community, of institutions collapsing under the sheer weight of this mini Black Death. | And now, after all that, after pumping out 24-hour rolling d…

Denis Prager (2020-05-16). The Worldwide Lockdown Is the Biggest Man-Made Culling Since the Great Leap Forward. anti-empire.com

"The truth is, like most of the elites, it is Barber who is "merely inconvenienced." Indeed, the American battle today is between the merely inconvenienced and the rest of America."

| The idea that the worldwide lockdown of virtually every country other than Sweden may have been an enormous mistake strikes many — including world leaders, most scientists (especially health officials, doctors and epidemiologists), those who work in major news media, opinion writers in those media and the hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people who put their faith in these people — as so prep…

RT (2020-05-16). Hungary's Orban says Budapest lockdown will now be gradually lifted amid Covid-19 powers row with EU. rt.com The gradual removal of coronavirus restrictions will begin in Budapest from Monday, bringing Hungarian PM Victor Orban closer to fulfilling his promise to give up the emergency powers that had angered the EU. | "It has become clear that we have managed to curb the epidemic in Budapest as well…and thus we can lift the lockdown," Orban announced in a video address on his Facebook page. | However, the prime minister pointed out that the government will be moving "cautiously" towards what he called the second phase of defense against the virus in Hungary's capital and largest city, which has a population of mor…

John Church (2020-05-16). The Xhosa Cattle Killing Movement — The Forerunners of the COVID Lockdown Cult. anti-empire.com

"During this time many Xhosa herds were plagued with "lung sickness", possibly introduced by European cattle"

| This week-end we were all hoping to hear about a lifting of restrictions and a view of a rapid road back to normality. I know I am not alone in being seriously alarmed by the direction of travel that is the opposite to what was wanted. We were initially locked-down in March to ensure the 'NHS wasn't overwhelmed'. Then in April it was extended to 'save lives' and this has now morphed into a rationale to 'prevent a second wave'. This weekend we were to hear about reduced restrictions,…

Glen Ford (2020-05-16). Leftists jump the Corporate Democratic ship, leaving Sanders behind. mronline.org History may record that the corporate duopoly dike was finally broken in the Time of Plague, with the defection of Bernie's former sheep from the Democratic Party.

Jacqui Thornton (2020-05-16). [World Report] In the aftermath: the legacy of measles in Samoa. thelancet.com As Samoa recovers from a devastating measles outbreak, Jacqui Thornton reports on how the epidemic is having long-lasting effects on the country's health system.

Arnold Milstein, Eric J Topol (2020-05-16). [Perspectives] Computer vision's potential to improve health care. thelancet.com Artificial intelligence (AI) research for medical applications has largely focused on image pattern recognition or electronic health record (EHR) data. EHR data inputs include what clinicians order and what they document that they did. But the physical actions that comprise what clinicians actually did for patients can differ: one study showed almost half of physician medical record entries documenting the extent of their physical examinations of emergency room patients were not substantiated by an independent physician observer.

The Lancet (2020-05-16). [Editorial] Reviving the US CDC. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen in the USA with 1 ∑3 million cases and an estimated death toll of 80‚Äà684 as of May 12. States that were initially the hardest hit, such as New York and New Jersey, have decelerated the rate of infections and deaths after the implementation of 2 months of lockdown. However, the emergence of new outbreaks in Minnesota, where the stay-at-home order is set to lift in mid-May, and Iowa, which did not enact any restrictions on movement or commerce, has prompted pointed new questions about the inconsistent and incoherent national response to the COVID-19…

Lisa Zimmer, Elisabeth Livingstone, Jessica C Hassel, Michael Fluck, Thomas Eigentler, Carmen Loquai, Sebastian Haferkamp, Ralf Gutzmer, Friedegund Meier, Peter Mohr, Axel Hauschild, Bastian Schilling, Christian Menzer, Felix Kieker, Edgar Dippel, Alexander Rà∂sch, Jan-Christoph Simon, Beate Conrad, Silvia Kà∂rner, Christine Windemuth-Kieselbach, Leonora Schwarz, Claus Garbe, Jàºrgen C Becker, Dirk Schadendorf, Dermatologic Cooperative Oncology Group (2020-05-16). [Articles] Adjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab or nivolumab monotherapy versus placebo in patients with resected stage IV melanoma with no evidence of disease (IMMUNED): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial. thelancet.com Adjuvant therapy with nivolumab alone or in combination with ipilimumab increased recurrence-free survival significantly compared with placebo in patients with stage IV melanoma with no evidence of disease. The rates of grade 3—4 treatment-related adverse events in both active treatment groups were higher than the rates reported in previous pivotal trials done in advanced melanoma with measurable disease.

Richard Horton (2020-05-16). [Comment] Offline: Don't let COVID-19 divert us completely. thelancet.com Dr Robert Spencer, a trustee of Dr Edward Jenner's House, Garden and Museum in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK, wrote to me last week on the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox (May 8). He was polite but disappointed: "On this day in 1980 the WHO announced the eradication of smallpox from the world. This infection, which probably caused more deaths than any other disease, was finally condemned to the history books. Sorry to see you had no space in this week's edition of The Lancet to commemorate this milestone, especially at a time of COVID-19 pandemic." Dr Spencer was right to admonish me.

Staff (2020-05-16). Exploiting Pandemic, Trump Admin Weighs Banning Immigration Indefinitely. truthout.org Earlier this week, the Trump administration started hinting that With the country entirely preoccupied by the public health and economic catastrophes, and with protest all but impossible given the dangers of congregating in large crowds, Tr…

teleSUR (2020-05-16). The Showbiz Must Go On: Germany Restarts Its Soccer Games. telesurenglish.net With six soccer matches to be held behind closed doors, Germany's Bundesliga Saturday became the first of the major European leagues to restart their activities amid the pandemic. | RELATED: | The health protocol mandates that each soccer match must limit assistants to 98 people: 22 players, 18 substitutes on the bench, 5 referees, 20 assistants, 4 ball-throwers, 3 cleaning people, 3 photographers, 4 nurses, 4 security people, and…

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Eid al-Fitr prayers to be held all across Iran: Rouhani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced on Saturday that the Eid al-Fitr prayers (on May 24) will be held in all mosques across the country by observing health protocols.

Staff (2020-05-16). Cuba's Resilience Through Economic Crisis Prepared It for COVID Health Crisis. truthout.org In times of crisis, who we are is revealed. That is true of people and of nations. What COVID-19 has exposed — not created — is a deeply flawed and inequitable society. The truths of how race and class intersect to shorten the existence of some in our society are now laid bare for all to see. The collapse of structures that were barely holding on have revealed how inadequate they were to begin with. The failure of many states to prevent, protect against and help contain an illness…

WSWS (2020-05-16). Workers point to health risk in early reopening of North American auto plants. wsws.org As the Detroit-based auto companies prepare to restart their North American factories, opposition is growing among workers to a deadly return to work.

teleSUR (2020-05-16). Brazilian Workers' Party Ask for Impeachment Against Bolsonaro. telesurenglish.net The Workers' Party (PT) of Brazil will present a formal petition to initiate an impeachment against the far-right President Jair Bolsonaro for his mismanagement in the face of the health crisis that the country is going through due to COVID-19. | RELATED: | In a statement, the left-wing party reported that its executive commission "decided to submit to the Chamber of Deputies a collective impeachment petition agai…

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Iran's COVID-19 cases surpass 118,000. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — More than 118,000 people have contracted the novel coronavirus in Iran with the death toll exceeding 6,900, a senior health official said.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Iran's COVID-19 cases surpass 118,000 with recovery rate at 78%. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — More than 118,000 people have contracted the novel coronavirus in Iran with the death toll exceeding 6,900, a senior health official said.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr (2020-05-16). Gates' Globalist Vaccine Agenda: A Win-Win for Pharma and Mandatory Vaccination. globalresearch.ca First posted on GR on April 13, 2020 | Vaccines, for Bill Gates, are a strategic philanthropy that feed his many vaccine-related businesses (including Microsoft's ambition to control a

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-16). Trump Appoints Gates-Tied Pharma Exec As Vaccine Czar & Florida's Mandatory COVID Vaccination Order. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (5/15/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

WSWS (2020-05-16). The murderous pseudoscience of "herd immunity" wsws.org Proponents of "herd immunity" argue that measures to contain COVID-19 should be abandoned, allowing the disease to infect billions of people and kill countless millions.

Fight Back (2020-05-15). Minnesota Governor Walz decision to end many stay-at-home restrictions endangers public health. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN — Jess Sundin, a Minnesota leader of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) condemned Governor Walz's decision to allow many statewide stay-at-home restrictions to lapse, May 13. | Sundin stated, "Against the advice of scientists, he's opening up before infection rates have dropped. Against his own promises, he's opening up when there are still widespread reports of PPE shortages for healthcare workers. Minnesota is still behind with testing, and contact tracing is unheard of. Grimly, the only benchmark the governor has met is expanding the number of ICU beds available for thos…

2020-05-17: 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.)

Trump and GOP Oppose New House Economic Stimulus Measure
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
On Friday, the Dem-controlled House narrowly passed a new $3 trillion stimulus package

Trump and GOP Oppose New House Economic Stimulus Measure
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
On Friday, the Dem-controlled House narrowly passed a new $3 trillion stimulus package

Bloomberg changes headline YET AGAIN amid backlash over article on why Covid-19 'didn't kill more Russians'
rt.com | 2020-05-17
Bloomberg has yet again had to correct the title of an article, after rolling out a report about why Covid-19 hasn't "killed more Russians." Moscow has argued that Western media distort Russia's fight against the disease. | US-based Bloomberg News had published the story, originally titled "Experts Want to Know Why Coronavirus Hasn't Killed More Russians," on Wednesday. The news piece was ostensibly about how Russia's relatively low death toll from Covid-19 "puzzles health experts," especially since the nation has the second-highest number of officially-recorded cases of the disease, trailing only behind the…
rt.com/news/488893-bloomberg-story-russi…

Latin America Sees Rise in COVID-19 Cases as Economies Reopen
teleSUR-la | telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-17
Latin American countries on Saturday reported a further increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths, as some are gradually reopening their economies. | RELATED: | Puebla Group Discusses Peace in Colombia and Pandemic Crisis | Brazil reported a total of 15,633 deaths from COVID-19 and 233,142 confirmed cases, after 816 more patients died of the disease and 14,919 infections were detected in the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry. | Sao Paulo, the most populous state, was h…
telesurenglish.net/news/Latin-America-Se…

Latin America Sees Rise in COVID-19 Cases as Economies Reopen
teleSUR-la | telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-17
Latin American countries on Saturday reported a further increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths, as some are gradually reopening their economies. | RELATED: | Puebla Group Discusses Peace in Colombia and Pandemic Crisis | Brazil reported a total of 15,633 deaths from COVID-19 and 233,142 confirmed cases, after 816 more patients died of the disease and 14,919 infections were detected in the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry. | Sao Paulo, the most populous state, was h…
telesurenglish.net/news/Latin-America-Se…

[Commentary] The imperative for universal healthcare to curtail the COVID-19 outbreak in the USA
Alison P. Galvani, Alyssa S. Parpia, Abhishek Pandey, Charlotte Zimmer, James G. Kahn, Meagan C. Fitzpatrick | thelancet.com | 2020-05-17
The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States is growing steeply and spreading widely. As of March 26, national incidence surpassed every other country, and as of April 28 has reported over a million cases. The COVID-19 crisis is exposing the systemic frailties in our healthcare system. More than 78 million people in America do not have access to adequate health insurance [1]. Given that health insurance in the US is typically provided by employers, millions more are at risk of losing their healthcare coverage as unemployment surges.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PI…(20)30124-3/fulltext?rss=yes

United We Dream: Immigrants, COVID-19, Jobs & Healthcare Virtual Town Hall
United We Dream | indybay.org | 2020-05-17
Online…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/16/1883308…

Coronavirus begins spiralling out of control in Colombia's major cities
Adriaan Alsema | colombiareports.com | 2020-05-17
Colombia's third largest city, Cali, and port city Cartagena rang the alarm as the country's healthcare system appears to slowly be falling apart because of the coronavirus pandemic. An explosive…
colombiareports.com/coronavirus-begins-s…

Chinese Ambassador to Israel Found Dead Inside Home
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-17
The Chinese ambassador to Israel Du Wei passed away in Tel Aviv Sunday, official sources said. | RELATED: | China: 5 Five Vaccines to Go Into Large-Scale Testing by July | The preliminary judgment is that Du died unexpectedly of health reasons, but the details need to be further confirmed, sources told China's Xinhua News Agency. | The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the authenticity of press reports that revealed Sunday the body of the Chinese ambassador to Israel…
telesurenglish.net/news/Chinese-Ambassad…

Missouri GOP Votes to Gut Anti-Gerrymandering Reform Approved by Voters
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-17
This article was produced by Sludge, an independent, ad-free investigative news site covering money in politics. Click here to support Sludge. | While most people are focused on their health and livelihoods amid the pandemic, Republican legislators in Missouri are working to overturn a voter-approved measure meant to make legislativ…
truthout.org/articles/missouri-gop-votes…

Iran coronavirus updates: 1,806 new coronavirus cases, 51deaths
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-17
TEHRAN, May 17 (MNA)

If You Think the Coronavirus Lockdown Is Worse Than the Disease, You Don't Understand the Disease
ahtribune.com | 2020-05-17
It's no accident that one of the world's great morons–he who thinks injecting disinfectants and shining bright lights into bodily cavities will save the world from COVID-19–should be cheering on one the world's most moronic public health policy choices. | The novel coronavirus–aptly dubbed the stealth virus–is highly infectious, if not peerlessly contagious. People can be infected by the virus–and spread the disease to others–for up to two weeks before showing symptoms. Or they can experience symptoms so mild that they're not aware they're ill. If we believe it's now safe to…
ahtribune.com/world/covid-19/4163-lockdo…

People of Shiraz observe Night of Decree in personal cars amid pandemic
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-17
SHIRAZ, May 17 (MNA)

Rally At Tesla: Jail Musk! Workers Health & Safety First & Lives Over Profit
Workers Solidarity Action Network | indybay.org | 2020-05-17
Tesla North Gate | Industrial Dr & Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA 94538 | www.google.com/maps/place/Tesla+factory/…: 0x86cfbef39088e346!8m2!3d37.5039468!4d-121.9622337?hl=en…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/15/1883304…

Coronavirus to burn out 'naturally' BEFORE vaccine? Former WHO oncologist says there's 'REAL chance' of that
rt.com | 2020-05-17
Covid-19 could be "petering out by itself" before the world comes up with any vaccine, a leading academic, formerly the World Health Organization's (WHO) top oncologist has said. | "There's a real chance that the virus will burn out naturally before any vaccine is developed," Karol Sikora, the dean of the University of Buckingham's medical school, wrote on Twitter. | We're seeing a roughly similar pattern everywhere

Jail Tesla Billionaire Elon Musk & Defend Health & Safety: Workers Speak Out At Tesla
Labor Video Project | indybay.org | 2020-05-17
Workers spoke out against the bullying and intimidation of billionaire Elon Musk who has started his Tesla factory violating a shelter in place law. He challenged the Fremont police and Governor Newsom to arrest him but they are allowing him to open without any CA-OSHA inspections. Newsom has continued the destruction of CA-OSHA and there are less than 200 inspectors for the 18 million workers in California and only 1 doctor and 1 nurse at CA. OSHA.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/16/1883308…

Coronavirus to burn out 'naturally' BEFORE vaccine? Former top WHO oncologist Karol Sikora says there's 'REAL CHANCE' of that
rt.com | 2020-05-17
Covid-19 could be "petering out by itself" before the world comes up with any vaccine, a leading academic, formerly the World Health Organization's (WHO) top oncologist has said. | "There's a real chance that the virus will burn out naturally before any vaccine is developed," Karol Sikora, the dean of the University of Buckingham's medical school, wrote on Twitter. | We're seeing a roughly similar pattern everywhere

World Health Assembly Wrestles with Coronavirus
Kate Zeller | indybay.org | 2020-05-17
As the global coronavirus death toll tops 300,000 people, the leaders of the World Health Organization (WHO) prepare to hold their leadership meetings virtually from May 18th – 19th.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/15/1883305…

ExxonMobil Seeks to Restart Three Platforms Idled After Refugio Oil Spill
Dan Bacher | indybay.org | 2020-05-17
"On the anniversary of this deadly oil spill, in the middle of a public health crisis, Santa Barbara should embrace a clean energy future," said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "We need to end offshore drilling, not bring it back to life with another dirty oil pipeline."
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/15/1883305…

'Guard of dishonor': VIDEO shows nurses & doctors giving ICY welcome to Belgian PM over govt's Covid-19 response
rt.com | 2020-05-17
Belgium's PM Sophie Wilmes has visited one of the nation's hospitals battling the pandemic

BMJ damns UK government for mishandling coronavirus outbreak and ignoring science
Tom Coburg | thecanary.co | 2020-05-17
An editorial in the prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ) condemns the Johnson-led government for the way it has handled the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and for ignoring the science. It amounts to possibly the most damning criticism of the government's management of the pandemic so far. | Moreover, a set of slides seen by The Canary reveals that the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) referenced a document, issued in 2019, that provided detailed projections for a major UK epidemic. Yet, this doesn't seem to have informed the government's response to the crisis. | Early failings: | The…
thecanary.co/discovery/2020/05/17/bmj-damns-uk-government-for-mishandling-coronavirus-outbreak-and-ignoring-science/

How a Lobbying Campaign Pushed the CDC to Relax Protective Gear Guidelines
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-17
This story was originally published by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more at revealnews.org and subscribe to the Reveal podcast, produced with PRX, at revealnews.org/podcast. | Rick Lucas' cellphone chimed, alerting him to an emergency in the acute care unit. He wondered whether it would be another case of COVID…
truthout.org/articles/how-a-lobbying-cam…

How a Lobbying Campaign Pushed the CDC to Relax Protective Gear Guidelines
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-17
This story was originally published by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more at revealnews.org and subscribe to the Reveal podcast, produced with PRX, at revealnews.org/podcast. | Rick Lucas' cellphone chimed, alerting him to an emergency in the acute care unit. He wondered whether it would be another case of COVID…
truthout.org/articles/how-a-lobbying-cam…

COVID-19 vaccine secures new government investment
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-05-17
Imperial researchers have received a further £18.5 million in government support as they develop a coronavirus vaccine.
imperial.ac.uk/news/197573/covid-19-vaccine-secures-government-investment

Prophetic? EU once paid for a comic book that showed how it BOTCHED response to PANDEMIC (yet took all the credit anyway)
rt.com | 2020-05-17
A pandemic has claimed a million lives despite a vaccine sent from the future, yet EU officials are patting themselves on the back for a good job and mull even more bureaucracy. That is how a comic book published by the EU ends. | …
rt.com/news/488902-eu-pandemic-comic-boo…

The COVID-19 Chronicles: China
Ulson Gunnar | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
With the US spiraling downward, a downward trajectory merely steepened by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, we'd expect other nations to suffer likewise. | But China, where we are told the virus first appeared, has already bounced back. While it …
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-chronicles-china/5713169

Covid-19 Outbreak Reported in Bolivia's Largest Prison
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-17
Authorities from the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia confirmed an outbreak of coronavirus in the Palmasola prison on Saturday, reporting that 25 inmates tested positive for the disease. | RELATED: | Bolivia: Añez Backs Down, Annuls Decree Against Speech Freedom | "A total of 25 people deprived of liberty have tested positive for Covid-19. Having an epidemiological outbreak inside the Palmasola prison, we are going to establish two isolation centers: one for suspects and…
telesurenglish.net/news/Covid-19-Outbrea…

Why East Beat West on COVID-19
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-17
East Asia has handled and contained the pandemic far better than the West on nearly all metrics | Andrew SALMON | Perhaps the most startling trend visible in the global Covid-19 pandemic is the vast differential separating East Asia from the West when it comes to the disease's impact. | The chasm is visible

Global Capitalism, "World Government" and the Corona Crisis
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-16
The COVID-19 crisis is marked by a public health "emergency" under WHO auspices which is being used as a pretext and a justification to triggering a Worldwide process of economic, social and political restructuring.
globalresearch.ca/global-capitalism-world-government-and-the-corona-crisis/5712312

2009 H1N1 Vaccine Caused Brain Damage in Children. Dr. Anthony Fauci on "Vaccine Safety" Issues
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-16
In 2009, NIAID Director Anthony Fauci was firmly in support of a multibillion dollar H1N1 vaccine project | Today he is an avid supporter of a COVID-19 vaccine. | What he fails to acknowledge is that the 2009 H1N1 Vaccine caused brain …
globalresearch.ca/video-dr-anthony-fauci-on-the-2009-h1n1pandemic-the-2009-h1n1-vaccine-caused-brain-damage-in-children/5711540

Exploiting Pandemic, Trump Admin Weighs Banning Immigration Indefinitely
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-16
Earlier this week, the Trump administration started hinting that the president's "temporary" ban on immigration, rushed into effect in late April as a part of the pandemic response, was about to be extended indefinitely. | With the country entirely preoccupied by the public health and economic catastrophes, and with protest all but impossible given the dangers of congregating in large crowds, Tr…
truthout.org/articles/exploiting-pandemi…

Exploiting Pandemic, Trump Admin Weighs Banning Immigration Indefinitely
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-16
Earlier this week, the Trump administration started hinting that the president's "temporary" ban on immigration, rushed into effect in late April as a part of the pandemic response, was about to be extended indefinitely. | With the country entirely preoccupied by the public health and economic catastrophes, and with protest all but impossible given the dangers of congregating in large crowds, Tr…
truthout.org/articles/exploiting-pandemi…

[World Report] In the aftermath: the legacy of measles in Samoa
Jacqui Thornton | thelancet.com | 2020-05-16
As Samoa recovers from a devastating measles outbreak, Jacqui Thornton reports on how the epidemic is having long-lasting effects on the country's health system.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)31137-5/fulltext?rss=yes

[Perspectives] Computer vision's potential to improve health care
Arnold Milstein, Eric J Topol | thelancet.com | 2020-05-16
Artificial intelligence (AI) research for medical applications has largely focused on image pattern recognition or electronic health record (EHR) data. EHR data inputs include what clinicians order and what they document that they did. But the physical actions that comprise what clinicians actually did for patients can differ: one study showed almost half of physician medical record entries documenting the extent of their physical examinations of emergency room patients were not substantiated by an independent physician observer.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)31090-4/fulltext?rss=yes

[Editorial] Reviving the US CDC
The Lancet | thelancet.com | 2020-05-16
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen in the USA with 1 ∑3 million cases and an estimated death toll of 80‚Äà684 as of May 12. States that were initially the hardest hit, such as New York and New Jersey, have decelerated the rate of infections and deaths after the implementation of 2 months of lockdown. However, the emergence of new outbreaks in Minnesota, where the stay-at-home order is set to lift in mid-May, and Iowa, which did not enact any restrictions on movement or commerce, has prompted pointed new questions about the inconsistent and incoherent national response to the COVID-19…
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)31140-5/fulltext?rss=yes

[Articles] Adjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab or nivolumab monotherapy versus placebo in patients with resected stage IV melanoma with no evidence of disease (IMMUNED): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial
Lisa Zimmer, Elisabeth Livingstone, Jessica C Hassel, Michael Fluck, Thomas Eigentler, Carmen Loquai, Sebastian Haferkamp, Ralf Gutzmer, Friedegund Meier, Peter Mohr, Axel Hauschild, Bastian Schilling, Christian Menzer, Felix Kieker, Edgar Dippel, Alexander Rà∂sch, Jan-Christoph Simon, Beate Conrad, Silvia Kà∂rner, Christine Windemuth-Kieselbach, Leonora Schwarz, Claus Garbe, Jàºrgen C Becker, Dirk Schadendorf, Dermatologic Cooperative Oncology Group | thelancet.com | 2020-05-16
Adjuvant therapy with nivolumab alone or in combination with ipilimumab increased recurrence-free survival significantly compared with placebo in patients with stage IV melanoma with no evidence of disease. The rates of grade 3–4 treatment-related adverse events in both active treatment groups were higher than the rates reported in previous pivotal trials done in advanced melanoma with measurable disease.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30417-7/fulltext?rss=yes

[Comment] Offline: Don't let COVID-19 divert us completely
Richard Horton | thelancet.com | 2020-05-16
Dr Robert Spencer, a trustee of Dr Edward Jenner's House, Garden and Museum in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK, wrote to me last week on the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox (May 8). He was polite but disappointed: "On this day in 1980 the WHO announced the eradication of smallpox from the world. This infection, which probably caused more deaths than any other disease, was finally condemned to the history books. Sorry to see you had no space in this week's edition of The Lancet to commemorate this milestone, especially at a time of COVID-19 pandemic." Dr Spencer was right to admonish me.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)31130-2/fulltext?rss=yes

telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-16
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro Saturday appointed General Eduardo Pazuello as Acting Health Minister amidst the crisis prompted by the resignation of the last two health ministers, both of whom disagreed with the President's vision on how to fight the pandemic. | RELATED: | Brazil Second Health Minister Quits, Deepening COVID-19 Crisis | "Gene…
telesurenglish.net/news/A-Paratrooper-Ge…

Brazilian Workers' Party Ask for Impeachment Against Bolsonaro
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-16
The Workers' Party (PT) of Brazil will present a formal petition to initiate an impeachment against the far-right President Jair Bolsonaro for his mismanagement in the face of the health crisis that the country is going through due to COVID-19. | RELATED: | Brazil Second Health Minister Quits, Deepening COVID-19 Crisis | In a statement, the left-wing party reported that its executive commission "decided to submit to the Chamber of Deputies a collective impeachment petition agai…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brazilian-Worker…

14 Dead in Sixth Day of Fighting in South Yemen
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-16
Fourteen combatants died in Yemen Saturday, as fighting between pro-government troops and separatist forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) entered a sixth day in the southern province of Abyan, according to sources on both sides. | RELATED: | COVID-19 Spreads in Yemen With Health System in Shambles | "Fourteen fighters, including ten pro-government soldiers, were killed on Saturday," a government military official told AFP on condition of anonymity. | The toll was confirm…
telesurenglish.net/news/14-Dead-in-Sixth…

14 Dead in Sixth Day of Fighting in South Yemen
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-16
Fourteen combatants died in Yemen Saturday, as fighting between pro-government troops and separatist forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) entered a sixth day in the southern province of Abyan, according to sources on both sides. | RELATED: | COVID-19 Spreads in Yemen With Health System in Shambles | "Fourteen fighters, including ten pro-government soldiers, were killed on Saturday," a government military official told AFP on condition of anonymity. | The toll was confirm…
telesurenglish.net/news/14-Dead-in-Sixth…

ExxonMobil Seeks to Restart Three Platforms Idled After Refugio Oil Spill
Dan Bacher | indybay.org | 2020-05-16
"On the anniversary of this deadly oil spill, in the middle of a public health crisis, Santa Barbara should embrace a clean energy future," said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "We need to end offshore drilling, not bring it back to life with another dirty oil pipeline."
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/15/1883305…

Once Again Hysterical Media Is Complicit in the Needless Deaths of Tens of Thousands (So Far)
Brendan O'Neill | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-16
The media in this country have no shame. For two months they've been ramping up fear and hysteria over Covid-19. They predicted apocalypse. They reported the daily death tolls like gleeful grim reapers. They said hospitals would be overwhelmed. They interviewed doctor after doctor and nurse after nurse who told us in tearful tones that the health service was at breaking point. They painted a picture of a nation falling apart, of a plague visiting death upon every community, of institutions collapsing under the sheer weight of this mini Black Death. | And now, after all that, after pumping out 24-hour rolling d…
anti-empire.com/once-again-hysterical-me…

Iran's COVID-19 cases surpass 118,000
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Once Again the Screeching, Do-Gooder Media Is Complicit in the Needless Deaths of Tens of Thousands (So Far)
Brendan O'Neill | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-16
The media in this country have no shame. For two months they've been ramping up fear and hysteria over Covid-19. They predicted apocalypse. They reported the daily death tolls like gleeful grim reapers. They said hospitals would be overwhelmed. They interviewed doctor after doctor and nurse after nurse who told us in tearful tones that the health service was at breaking point. They painted a picture of a nation falling apart, of a plague visiting death upon every community, of institutions collapsing under the sheer weight of this mini Black Death. | And now, after all that, after pumping out 24-hour rolling d…
anti-empire.com/once-again-hysterical-me…

Iran's COVID-19 cases surpass 118,000 with recovery rate at 78%
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Rally At Tesla: Jail Musk! Workers Health & Safety First & Lives Over Profit
Workers Solidarity Action Network | indybay.org | 2020-05-16
Tesla North Gate | Industrial Dr & Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA 94538 | www.google.com/maps/place/Tesla+factory/…: 0x86cfbef39088e346!8m2!3d37.5039468!4d-121.9622337?hl=en…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/15/1883304…

Eid al-Fitr prayers to be held all across Iran: Rouhani
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

World Health Assembly Wrestles with Coronavirus
Kate Zeller | indybay.org | 2020-05-16
As the global coronavirus death toll tops 300,000 people, the leaders of the World Health Organization (WHO) prepare to hold their leadership meetings virtually from May 18th – 19th.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/15/1883305…

Checkpoint Closure By South Dakota Governor An Attack On Tribal Sovereignty
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-05-16
Governor Kristi Noem publicly issued a letter to the Cheyenne River and Oglala Sioux Tribes on May 8 ordering them to remove health checkpoints on roads crossing their reservations but did not directly deliver it to OST–"a sign of "disrespect," according to OST President Julian Bear Runner.
therealnews.com/columns/checkpoint-closu…