(2020-07-25). Saudi activist reports King in critical health conditions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 25 (MNA) — A prominent Saudi activist and whistleblower, known by online pseudonym 'Mujtahidd', posted a leaked message on Twitter, claiming that Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the king of Saudi Arabia is in critical health conditions.
(2020-07-25). Illinois Democrats embrace Trump's law enforcement "surge" wsws.org Illinois Democratic lawmakers have made public statements aimed at assuaging public fears that the federal forces will crack down on anti-police violence protesters in Chicago, just as they have in Portland.
(2020-07-25). [Perspectives] Pandemic science and politics. thelancet.com In 2019, the Global Health Security Alliance assessed worldwide adherence to the International Health Regulations (2005), which supposedly commit nations to measures that prevent or control the spread of infectious diseases and mitigate their effects. The study found that no nation was fully prepared, and many countries—rich or poor—fell woefully short. This finding is only one of the many indications that we could have been ready, nationally and globally, to deal with a crisis like COVID-19, but were not.
(2020-07-25). [World Report] COVID-19 cases surge in Colombia. thelancet.com Colombia has more than 8500 new cases per day, with restrictions being relaxed, putting the health system under strain. Joe Parkin Daniels reports from Bogotá.
(2020-07-25). [Correspondence] COVID-19 vaccine affordability and accessibility. thelancet.com The need to ensure the affordability of any future COVID-19 vaccine is gaining increasing attention.1 Although there is support for bulk purchasing, making vaccines affordable is fraught with difficulties, particularly for the so-called missing middle countries that are not eligible for aid from Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance or other aid but lack the resources to produce their own vaccines or afford patent-protected drugs.
(2020-07-25). [Comment] Offline: Preparing for a vaccine against COVID-19. thelancet.com The results of two randomised trials reported this week in The Lancet give great encouragement to the view that a vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be produced within the next 18 months. There are no guarantees. But the evidence is hopeful. Pedro Folegatti and colleagues from The Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford used a chimpanzee adenovirus viral vector expressing SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to create a vaccine given by a single intramuscular injection.
(2020-07-25). [Comment] Abrocitinib for atopic dermatitis: a step forward. thelancet.com Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory skin diseases worldwide with a global annual prevalence of 3—4%.1 Few data are available on disease activity strata, but in a 2018 multinational survey between 10% and 20% of adults with incident atopic dermatitis reported severe disease.2 Atopic dermatitis pathophysiology is characterised by epidermal dysfunction and T-cell-driven inflammation, with increased production of inflammatory cytokines, in particular type 2 cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13, and IL-31.
(2020-07-25). [Correspondence] Australia's First Nations' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. thelancet.com Kaitlin Curtice and Esther Choo1 described the well known risks for infectious diseases among First Nations internationally and the serious concerns that COVID-19 poses for them. These risks include their levels of chronic disease, poverty, poor living conditions, and racism in mainstream services with resulting lack of trust using them. They also highlighted the problem of data not being available specifically for First Nations so that authorities are blind to the situation and hence how best to help them.
(2020-07-25). [Comment] Tapering glucocorticoids in rheumatoid arthritis. thelancet.com Glucocorticoids are a cornerstone of care for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Since the 1950s, glucocorticoids have been used to reduce inflammation and symptoms of arthritis, improve physical function, and reduce disability. These drugs are widely available, inexpensive, and typically combined with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs to induce remission in rheumatoid arthritis. However, the administration of glucocorticoids is not without risk. Long-term use of glucocorticoids is associated with increased mortality,1 cardiovascular events,2 and bone fractures.
(2020-07-25). [Correspondence] Women's reproductive rights. thelancet.com I hope it is stating the obvious to suggest that it is despicable both to ban abortion and to impose it on women whether in the name of religion, in the service of a political ideology, or as a perceived demographic imperative.1 Forced birth and forced abortion are foul. They are an assault on the autonomy, dignity, and rights of women, and are a threat to their lives, health, and wellbeing. Examples of banning and forcing abortions are found throughout the world and across time (sometimes in the same place and at the same time, as seen in Nazi Germany).
(2020-07-25). Food, capitalism and the necessity of a socialist program. mronline.org Capitalist food production is based on ecological destruction, imperialism, inhumane labor practices, and the degradation of human health. A socialist program that guarantees healthy food for all is the only alternative.
(2020-07-25). The Moment of Truth Is Now for COVID and Economic Relief. dissidentvoice.org The US Senate returned to work this week after a two-week vacation during which COVID-19 exploded and the economy imploded. The moment of truth has now arrived. Will the House and Senate now bring forth a Covid relief package adequate to the Covid health and economic crises? The last six months of the pandemic and …
(2020-07-25). Canadian medical experts provide ideological justification for homicidal back-to-work drive. wsws.org Exploiting their professional qualifications to give their arguments credibility, the experts have fully endorsed the corporate elite's reactionary dictum: "The cure cannot be worse than the disease."
(2020-07-25). Trump's Reelection Strategy Involves Terrorizing Us With Secret Stormtroopers. zcomm.org Trump's actions in Portland are terrifying by any standard.
(2020-07-25). LA County OKs Coronavirus 'Health Councils' to Keep Watch on Worker Safety. zcomm.org COVID-19 outbreaks in such sites as Los Angeles Apparel underpinned the Board of Supervisors' efforts to include unions and business interests in a plan to ensure worker safety…
(2020-07-25). Mainland China reports 34 new coronavirus cases, including 20 in Xinjiang. yenisafak.com Of the new infections, 20 were in the far western region of Xinjiang, according to a statement by the National Health Commission. Nine were in the northeastern province of Liaoning, while the remaining five were imported cases.China reported 74 new asymptomatic cases, up from 43 a day earlier.As of Friday, mainland China had 83,784 confirmed coronavirus cases, the health authority said. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 4,634.
(2020-07-25). Lebanon health min. to pursue US harassment of Iran airliner. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 25 (MNA) — Hamd Hasan said that the Health Ministry of Lebanon will file a lawsuit in international institutions on behalf of Mahan flight passengers threatened by the US disgraceful attack.
(2020-07-25). Defund OPD: Oakland Mayor Schaaf & the City Council Failed Us. indybay.org On Tuesday night, Oakland City Council had the historic opportunity to address the decades-long budget inequity that has left police with the lion's share of our tax dollars and many residents without healthcare, housing, and critical social services during the pandemic. Instead, Councilmembers Reid, McElhaney, Taylor, Gallo, and Mayor Schaaf chose to overfund policing over funding basic needs for the people of Oakland, ignoring hours of public comment calling for further cuts to OPD's budget.
(2020-07-24). WATCH Portland protesters battling federal police to sound of Star Wars' Imperial March. rt.com 
Chaotic scenes outside Portland's federal courthouse were given a snarky soundtrack by a demonstrator who showed up to the fracas armed with a stereo. The city has seen nightly clashes between police and protesters. | Footage taken by New York Times correspondent Mike Baker shows activists and federal agents fighting over control of a fence guarding the building in downtown Portland, which has been under siege by demonstrators for nearly two months. | Protesters used projectiles and laser pointers against federal law enforcement tasked with protecting the courthouse, who in turn deployed tear gas to keep the m…
(2020-07-24). VIDEO: The 2020 Economic Crisis. Global Poverty, Unemployment and Despair. globalresearch.ca A complex decision-making process is instrumental in the closing down of national economies Worldwide. We are led to believe that the lockdown is the solution. Politicians and health officials in more than 150 countries obey orders emanating from higher authority.
(2020-07-24). Homeland Security Justifies Invasion of Portland by Claiming Shields and Gas Masks are Weapons. mintpressnews.com DHS' Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli claimed that defensive tools like Shields and Gas Masks were evidence that protesters were making "preparations for violence."
(2020-07-24). Leaked FBI Documents Reveal Secret Program To Criminalize Social Media. therealnews.com 
Simply posting about your presence at a police brutality protest can be used to incriminate you and lead to your arrest. We speak to Portland residents on the ground about the influx of unmarked federal agents.
(2020-07-24). Trump Uses Border Patrol to Implement Police State. progressive.org The same agents arresting protesters in Portland routinely terrorize immigrant communities.
(2020-07-24). From Portland to the World. mronline.org 
Since the end of May, demonstrators opposing police violence and white supremacy have thronged the streets of Portland, Oregon, clashing with law enforcement officers. Last week, aspiring autocrat Donald Trump escalated the situation by announcing that he would be sending federal agents around the country to assert his authority through acts of violence against protesters.
(2020-07-24). Uprising: Mass Protests Rock the Nation. counterpunch.org In an act of political desperation, President Donald Trump ordered a contingent of federal law-enforcement officers to impose order in Portland, OR. Under the direction of Attorney General Bill Barr, agents from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Bureau of Prisons were deployed to protect
(2020-07-24). Three Federal Agents Could Be 'Permanently Blinded' By Laser Attacks From Portland Protestors. sputniknews.com Demonstrations outside the courthouse in Portland have grown increasingly violent as the Trump administration sends in federal officers to crack down on the continuous nightly protests in the city.
(2020-07-24). 18 Arrested for Vandalising Courthouse, Attacking Police in Portland. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The authorities have arrested 18 participants in nightly and often violent anti-police protests in Portland, Oregon, on charges ranging from assaulting federal officers to participating in attacks on a federal courthouse, the US Justice Department said in a press release.
(2020-07-24). Oregon judge bans feds from arresting or using force against 'journalists & legal observers' at Portland protests. rt.com 
A judge has issued a temporary restraining order on federal agents deployed in Portland, ruling that they may not arrest, disperse or otherwise use force against reporters and legal observers covering ongoing protests there. | US District Court Judge Michael Simon
(2020-07-24). Black protester ATTACKED while trying to stop mob taking down Portland courthouse fence (VIDEO). rt.com 
Protesters returned to the Justice Center in Portland for another night of orchestrated chaos on Thursday. Eyewitness footage from the scene captured the moment apparent Antifa members attacked a black protester calling for calm. | After repeated criticism of heavy-handed tactics, reportedly no police or federal agents were posted on the streets at the beginning of Thursday evening, instead remaining inside the courthouse and issuing repeated orders that protesters not target the exterior fence. | Despite this, several agitators in the crowd threw trash over and set it on fire at the fence, which quickly desce…
(2020-07-24). Headlines for July 24, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Cancels RNC in Jacksonville as COVID-19 Deaths Soar in Florida, CDC Issues New Guidelines Urging Schools To Reopen, South Africa Closes School For a Second Time as COVID-19 Cases Top 40,000, 1.4 Million File For Employment as Moratorium on Evictions Ends, Whistleblowers Reveal How ICE Used Deception to Deport Immigrants with COVID-19, ICE Attempted to Censor Embedded Journalists Who Filmed Wrongdoing, Judge Bars Federal Agents in Oregon From Targeting Journalists & Legal Observers, 37 Senate Democrats Join GOP in Passing $740 Billion Military Spending Bill, AOC Delivers Moving Response to Rep. Ted Yoho's Se…
(2020-07-24). Marjorie Cohn on Portland Secret Police. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-07-24). Some are in super-yachts and others are clinging to drifting debris. mronline.org 
COVID-19 has exposed the lie that free markets can deliver healthcare for all, the fiction that unpaid care work isn't work, the delusion that we live in a post-racist world. We are all floating on the same sea, but some are in super-yachts and others clinging to drifting debris.
(2020-07-24). Illinois Communists condemn Trump's move toward guns and secret police. peoplesworld.org 
CHICAGO — "The City of Chicago is united in rejecting the provocation of the Trump administration in sending hundreds of militarized, highly armed secret-police gunmen into our streets in the midst of a public health crisis and economic catastrophe." So says the Communist Party of Illinois in a statement released Friday, July 24. In the …
(2020-07-24). Cuban medical internationalism has been a core component of the revolution. mronline.org 
"If the small economy of Cuba can improve the health of millions of the world's people, imagine what could be accomplished if America's enormous productive capacity changed from creating useless and destructive junk to producing what people throughout the world actually need."
(2020-07-24). Portland's movement is fighting back! Defend Portland, Ore.! Defend People's Resistance! No Police State! workers.org 
Workers World Party Statement Despite the brutal attempt of the White House to crush the heroic Black Lives Matter movement by sending camouflaged federal agents — secret police — to Portland, Ore., Chicago and other U.S. cities, the movement and all who support it have been fighting back. The initial . . . |
(2020-07-24). Florida's 'Covid-19' case spike includes gunshot deaths, motorbike accidents – report. rt.com 
Most deaths attributed to the pandemic in Palm Beach County had serious health issues beyond the virus, and some were totally unrelated to Covid-19, an investigation has revealed. It's not the first anomaly to surface in Florida. | Gunshot wounds, hip fractures, and Alzheimer's deaths have all been counted as Covid-19 casualties in Palm Beach County, according to an investigation published Thursday by local CBS affiliate WPEC. Of a spreadsheet of 581 "Covid-19 deaths" analyzed by the team, only 169 could be attributed to the virus without other contributing factors – and eight had nothing to do with the virus…
(2020-07-24). Light at the end of coronavirus tunnel? Human trials of second Russian Covid-19 vaccine to start on Monday. rt.com 
A team of researchers in Siberia's largest city have been granted a permit by the Russian health ministry to conduct a clinical trial of their potential coronavirus vaccine. The first volunteers will be inoculated on July 27. | Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's health watchdog, said the Novosibirsk-based Vektor State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology was given the green light on Friday. The authority's chief Anna Popova announced that her monitors were satisfied with the results of the first stage of development. | Earlier, the Ministry of Defense announced the successful completion of clinical trials of a…
(2020-07-24). 'Do as I say, not as I do'? Twitter goes berserk after mask advocate Fauci forgoes his own Covid-19 guidances. rt.com 
Anthony Fauci has taken a tongue-lashing on social media, after photographs of the top US doctor showed him ignoring guidelines put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus. | Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a key player in guiding the US response to Covid-19, enjoyed a pleasant day at the ballpark on Thursday, where he threw the ceremonial first pitch of the MLB opening day game between the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals. His throw was wildly off-target, sparking near-unanimous mockery of his baseball skills on Twitter. But he received equa…
(2020-07-24). Colombians march in defense of life and dignity. peoplesdispatch.org Colombian movements marched for days to reignite hope and continue putting pressure on the government to take action to protect the people of the country amid the an onslaught of violence and the public health crisis…
(2020-07-24). Face Masks Pose Serious Risks to the Healthy. globalresearch.ca First published by GR on May 26, 2020 | "By wearing a mask, the exhaled viruses will not be able to escape and will concentrate in the nasal passages, enter the olfactory nerves and travel into the brain." — Russell Blaylock, …
(2020-07-24). The nationalist hijacking of the race for a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. wsws.org Vaccine nationalism is driving the fury to capitalize on being the first nation to produce a viable cure against the coronavirus.
(2020-07-24). Russia Accused of a Plot to Steal Vaccine Research! commondreams.org What will the vaccine cost the individual and who will get it? Well, as we know, the dense and the bought believe these things are matters to be settled between individuals and their pharmaceutical companies.(Photo: Floris Van Cauwelaert/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-07-24). Stories Dooming Vaccine Hopes Overlook Immunity's Complexity in Search of Easy Clicks. commondreams.org While there is much that's uncertain about the search for a vaccine, these antibody studies are not cause for despair. (Photo: Screenshot) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-07-24). $600 unemployment benefits expire as more workers lose jobs. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – The $600 a week in additional unemployment insurance benefits is set to expire at the end of July. This aid is called the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation or FPUC. More than 25 million people who are receiving regular state unemployment benefits, or the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or PUA for the self-employed, will lose their FPUC benefit. | With the average state unemployment benefit paying about $350 a week, the loss of the extra $600 a week will cut jobless workers' income by almost two-thirds. House Democrats passed a $3 trillion HEROES Act back in May to extend aid past…
(2020-07-24). Quick Reminder: Casey Mulligan Argued that a Main Factor Pushing Unemployment Higher in the Great Recession Was Food Stamps. cepr.net This is worth keeping in mind when reading a New York Times article discussing Republican plans to cut the weekly $600 supplement to unemployment insurance benefits. The piece cites Mulligan as a conservative economist who argues that this supplement is discouraging people from working and therefore keeping unemployment high. In this context, it is worth …
(2020-07-24). 2020 Vision Will Show You What is True, if You Can Keep Your Sanity. counterpunch.org We've all been making jokes about how terrible 2020 has played out, but I think even those of us with a bit of an imagination for the absurd and ominous missed the mark as far as this ultimate level of governmental degeneracy we've been able to achieve. Dads backing up moms in Portland with leaf
(2020-07-24). The COIN doctrine comes to Portland? nationofchange.org The president has also promised to deploy similar militarized police to other cities, claiming that those run by Democrats are somehow in the thrall of the 'radical left', despite the latter being among the most strident critics of the former.
(2020-07-24). Trump orders federal police to more cities. wsws.org The Trump administration is stepping up its unconstitutional moves toward dictatorial rule, tear gassing the mayor of Portland, Oregon and announcing the deployment of federal police to additional cities.
(2020-07-24). Border Patrol Violently Assaults Civil Rights And Liberties. popularresistance.org In the past week, unidentified federal officers in camouflage fatigues, labeled only "police," abducted people off the streets of Portland in unmarked vehicles and threatened the "Wall of Moms" standing up for our Constitution. The administration later confirmed the unidentified officers were Border Patrol agents. | This blatant demonstration of unconstitutional authoritarianism is demonstrating to the entire country the cruel capabilities of the U.S. Border Patrol. For communities that have historically borne the brunt of Border Patrol's abuses — and still do — seeing these agents pose as a "secret f…
(2020-07-24). People of all walks of life say prayers at Hagia Sophia. yenisafak.com People of all walks of life attended Friday prayers at Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia Mosque as it reopened for worship after 86 years.Men, women, the elderly and children were seen waiting at the 11 checkpoints in place. Police searched worshippers, while health workers checked their temperature and masks in line with COVID-19 measures.To save time, some people performed their ablution in the surrounding mosques. Many were seen carrying Turkish flags and prayers mats.A shuttle service was launched to carry foreigners and others from a designated parking space in Yenikapi district.Hitchhiking for first prayerAli…