Monthly Archives: July 2020

2020-07-01: News Headlines

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-01). French health workers stage another protest demanding resources to save hospitals. peoplesdispatch.org This was the second round of nationwide protests organized by health workers in the country since the start of a two-month consultation process initiated by the government on its proposed health sector reforms…

Staff (2020-07-01). Jamaal Bowman on NY Primary Upset, Rent Strikes, Police Brutality & Opposing West Bank Annexation. democracynow.org As a surge of a progressive candidates of color see victories in Democratic primaries across the country, we speak with former Bronx middle school principal Jamaal Bowman about his upset victory over New York Congressmember Eliot Engel, the 16-term Foreign Affairs Committee chair. Bowman ran on a Green New Deal, Medicare for All platform and recently joined protests demanding an end to racism and police brutality. He says his upset over Engel came down to mobilizing people who are "disenfranchised and ignored" by the political establishment. "We didn't just target those who consistently vote in primaries. We targ…

Antonio Mastroianni, Sonia Greco, Giovanni Apuzzo, Salvatore De Santis, Carmela Oriolo, Alfredo Zanolini, Luciana Chidichimo, Valeria Vangeli (2020-07-01). Subcutaneous tocilizumab treatment in patients with severe COVID-19—related cytokine release syndrome: An observational cohort study. thelancet.com Tocilizumab administered subcutaneously to patients with COVID-19 and CRS is a promising treatment for reduction in disease activity and improvement in lung function. The effect of tocilizumab should be confirmed in a randomised controlled trial.

Alan Macleod (2020-07-01). Public Outcry Follows Gilead Decision to Charge $3000 for COVID Drug that Costs Pennies to Produce. mintpressnews.com To make matter worse, Remdesivir is a drug that "has had its development costs paid for, in large part, by independent donors like governments and ministries of health in China, the WHO, and the US government."

Staff (2020-07-01). Headlines for July 1, 2020. democracynow.org Dr. Anthony Fauci Warns U.S. Could Soon Record 100,000 Coronavirus Cases a Day, Dozens of Healthcare Workers Died of COVID-19 After OSHA Dismissed Pleas for PPE, 627,000 in Western Hemisphere Will Die of Coronavirus by October, Warns WHO, Hickenlooper Wins CO Senate Primary; Oklahoma Voters Approve Medicaid Expansion, Amy McGrath Narrowly Defeats Charles Booker in Kentucky Democratic Senate Primary, Oglala Sioux President Says Trump "Doesn't Have Permission" to Visit Mt. Rushmore, Top Republicans Break from Trump, Recommend Masks to Slow Coronavirus, New York Court Blocks Publication of Tell-All Book by Donald Tr…

Staff (2020-07-01). Ed Yong on the "Disgraceful" U.S. Pandemic Response & How Medicare for All Could Have Saved Lives. democracynow.org As the United States experiences the world's worst outbreak of COVID-19, we speak with Ed Yong, science writer for The Atlantic, who warned of the country's unpreparedness for a viral outbreak in 2018. Now he says "it's truly shocking and disgraceful" how badly the pandemic has been handled in the United States, and blames a lack of federal leadership for most of the damage. "A country with the resources that we have should not be in this state," he argues, and adds that Medicare for All could have saved lives.

RT (2020-07-01). Fears dozens of local lockdowns are 'days away' prompts dismay among Britons, as UK battles to contain coronavirus flare-ups. rt.com As many as 36 regions in England which are seeing a rise in newly confirmed cases of coronavirus could be "just days" away from being forced into local lockdowns, according to reports, leading many Britons to voice their alarm. | Sources in Public Health England (PHE) and the Department for Health have reportedly told Sky News they are "working collaboratively," with local authorities in England where spikes in cases of the deadly disease are cropping up. | As a result, local lockdowns — like the one in Leicester which will see some restrictions re-imposed, such as the closure of non-essential shops and t…

RT (2020-07-01). UK turns to Germany in bid to finally get its Covid-19 contact tracing app off the ground, ambassador says. rt.com Germany's ambassador to the UK says British health services have reached out to their German counterparts to find a solution to the UK's embarrassing predicament over its yet-to-be-launched coronavirus contact tracing app. | Diplomat Andreas Michaelis made the remark while speaking to BBC Radio 4's 'Today' show about the success of Germany's domestic contact tracing app, which relies on Apple and Google tech to trace people who may have contracted coronavirus because of their proximity to a confirmed case. "It works," Michaelis said. | This is in stark contrast to the UK's own app which, far from working, has…

RT (2020-07-01). 'For the 1st time in living memory': IMF expects Asian economy to shrink as it downgrades forecast. rt.com The coronavirus outbreak has been very costly to Asian economic development, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said as it revised down its forecast for the region and warned of possible protracted recovery. | "For the first time in living memory, Asia's growth is expected to contract by 1.6 percent—a downgrade to the April projection of zero growth," Chang Yong Rhee, director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department, wrote in a blog post. | Even the recent positive developments in the epidemic situation in some countries that allowed them to at least partly reopen have not helped to change the gloomy…

RT (2020-07-01). Russians vote in favor of changes to constitution potentially enabling Putin to remain as president until 2036 — exit polls. rt.com Exit polls after the Russian constitutional vote show 71 percent of the country supported the proposed amendments while just over 28 percent were opposed. The changes are major updates to Russia's most important legal document. | The tallies were conducted at 800 polling stations in 25 jurisdictions. They are based on questions asked of over 445,000 voters, 69.9 percent of which responded. | Wednesday marked the final day of in-person voting in the referendum, with turnout reaching 65 percent. The Central Elections Commission (CIK) has received reports of only four possible instances of irregularities, its hea…

The Canary (2020-07-01). Warning over Covid-19 'illusion' amid fears of more local lockdowns. thecanary.co It is an "illusion" that the UK is past the worst of the Covid-19 epidemic, a leading scientist has warned amid fears that other towns and cities could follow Leicester into lockdown.Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London — who quit as a government adviser after admitting breaking lockdown rules — said the UK should be braced for regional flare-ups.It comes amid criticism of the way Public Health England (PHE) and the government are handling data on coronavirus cases, with accusations of long delays in sharing figures with regional public health experts. | A PHE regional map for testing a…

William rivers Pitt (2020-07-01). New COVID Infections Surge as Trump Fixates on His Election. zcomm.org It is abundantly clear that, for this president, the health and survival of the people also come a distant second to his electioneering…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-01). Chileans demand protection for mine workers in the face of COVID-19. peoplesdispatch.org The Social Green Regionalist Federation (FREVS), a progressive political party in Chile, on June 30, demanded that the national government take immediate measures to protect the life and health of mine workers, their families and neighbors in the face of the surge in COVID-19 cases in the northern mining regions. | "We demand that, for the next two weeks at least, all activities in large public and private mining companies be suspended. The business logic of maintaining operations at any cost is irresponsible and short-sighted," said the FREVS in a statement. | Patricio Elgueta, the president of the Copper Worker…

Cesar Chelala (2020-07-01). Attorney General William Barr's Insomnia. counterpunch.org So far it's only a rumor. But the word all over Washington, D.C. is that Attorney General William Barr has insomnia. No one should take it lightly, because insomnia is a medical condition with devastating effects on a person's health, quality of life, and ability to make rational decisions. Several medical conditions may cause it,

Jeremy R. Hammond (2020-07-01). Children's Health Defense Responds to Accusation of Spreading "Misinformation" on Facebook. globalresearch.ca In November 2019, the Washington Post and other major news media accused Children's Health Defense (CHD) of using Facebook advertisements to spread "misinformation" about vaccines. The basis for these accusations, which have since continued, is a study published in the …

WSWS (2020-07-01). Food processing plants in Ohio and New York hit with outbreaks. wsws.org Outbreaks at salad and fruit processing plants in Springfield, Ohio, and Oswego, New York, show the vulnerability of food workers to the deadly disease.

WSWS (2020-07-01). Hands off Fiat Chrysler workers fighting the COVID-19 disease! wsws.org This joint statement was issued by the rank-and-file safety committees set up by Detroit-area Fiat Chrysler workers to fight for safe conditions during the pandemic.

Mandy Smithberger (2020-07-01). COVID-19 Means Good Times for the Pentagon. counterpunch.org In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Washington has initiated its largest spending binge in history. In the process, you might assume that the unparalleled spread of the disease would have led to a little rethinking when it came to all the trillions of dollars Congress has given the Pentagon in these years that have in

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-07-01). Unusual coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms: What are they? newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can cause a wide range of signs and symptoms. The most common are fever, dry cough and tiredness. Other symptoms include shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle aches, chills, sore throat, headache, or chest pain. But COVID-19 can also cause symptoms you might not expect, including: Gastrointestinal symptoms. COVID-19 might cause mild gastrointestinal symptoms, …

_____ (2020-07-01). Doctors, Not Bombs, Needed For Humanity To Save Itself. popularresistance.org At a time when the world is hit by one of the most dangerous pandemics in human history, the United States is arming itself for war. It allocates millions of resources to this sector, over and above basic services such as health, in the country with the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the planet. | "With nearly three million troops in service, 4,800 defense sites on every continent, and an annual budget of more than $700 billion, the U.S. military is considered the world's leading fighting force," according to CNN. | In the midst of the crisis generated by the new coronavirus, Washington is rapidly modernizin…

_____ (2020-07-01). As COVID19 Spikes, Blackfeet Leaders Close Entrances To Glacier Park. popularresistance.org Blackfeet Nation leaders, citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, have decided to keep the eastern entrances to Glacier National Park closed for the rest of the tourism season. | The Blackfeet Reservation borders the east side of the park. The tribe's Business Council passed an ordinance on Thursday closing the entrances, saying the move was necessary to protect residents of the reservation — where tribal citizens suffer from higher rates of existing health conditions that put them at higher risk of serious complications of COVID-19 — as case numbers continue their recent rise statewide. | The closur…

_____ (2020-07-01). COVID19 Brings American Decline Out In The Open. popularresistance.org The U.S.'s decline started with little things that people got used to. Americans drove past empty construction sites and didn't even think about why the workers weren't working, then wondered why roads and buildings took so long to finish. They got used to avoiding hospitals because of the unpredictable and enormous bills they'd receive. They paid 6% real-estate commissions, never realizing that Australians were paying 2%. They grumbled about high taxes and high health-insurance premiums and potholed roads, but rarely imagined what it would be like to live in a system that worked better. | When writers speak of A…

Alex Lawson (2020-07-01). Blood on His Hands: The Nursing Home Covid-19 Crisis is Donald Trump's Fault. commondreams.org Emergency Medical Service workers unload a patient out of their ambulance at the Cobble Hill Health Center on April 18, 2020 in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo: Justin Heiman/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

yenisafak (2020-07-01). Turkey catches suspected Daesh terrorist. yenisafak.com A suspected Daesh terrorist was captured in central Turkey, security sources said on Wednesday.The suspect was apprehended in an operation by provincial gendarmerie forces in the Kayseri province, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.After a health check, the suspect was sent to the local courthouse.Turkey, in 2013, was among the first countries to list Daesh as a terror group.The country has since been hit by the group numerous times in at least 10 suicide attacks, seven bombings, and four armed attacks, in which 315 people have been killed and hundreds others…

yenisafak (2020-07-01). Israel records highest daily coronavirus count. yenisafak.com Israel on Wednesday confirmed 859 new coronavirus infections, the highest daily number of cases since the virus was first detected on Feb. 21, the country's health ministry said.Israeli authorities have so far reported 25,547 infections, including 320 deaths and 17,389 recoveries.Israel lifted most of the COVID-19 measures after the daily number of virus cases dropped below 20 last month.The Israeli government has relaxed a lockdown imposed to stem the spread of coronavirus, reopening schools, universities, shopping malls and restaurants.Nevertheless, the country's Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said Sunday that…

yenisafak (2020-07-01). Iran reports 141 more fatalities from coronavirus. yenisafak.com Iran on Wednesday confirmed 141 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus, bringing the nationwide death toll to 10,958.A further 2,549 people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the overall count to 230,211, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said.She added that a total of 191,487 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, adding that 3,081 patients remain in critical condition.Over 1.69 million tests have been conducted in the country to date, Lari noted.Iran sees an upward trend in daily infections in many provinces as Khuzestan, Razavi Khorasan, West and East Azerbaijan, Kurd…

yenisafak (2020-07-01). Oxford University has seen 'right sort of immune response' in potential COVID-19 vaccine trial. yenisafak.com A leading scientist behind the University of Oxford's potential COVID-19 vaccine said on Wednesday the team has seen the right sort of immune response in trials, which have entered the Phase III clinical stage.Speaking at a parliamentary hearing, Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the university, said the trial has enrolled 8,000 volunteers for the Phase III of its trial into the vaccine, AZD1222, which was licensed to AstraZeneca.She said she couldn't give a timeline for when the vaccine might be ready as it depends on the results of the trial.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-01). Tehran's City Theater hosts 1st performance under Covid-19 outbreak. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 02 (MNA) — After almost five months of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, Sayeh Hall of Tehran's City Theater hosted its first performance in the current year (started March 20), allocating half of its capacity to audiences, preserving health and safety protocols.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-01). Iran records 2,549 new COVID-19 cases. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 29 (MNA) — The novel coronavirus disease has infected 2,549 people across Iran in the past 24 hours, according to the Iranian Health Ministry.

The Canary (2020-07-01). Nicola Sturgeon slams 'ridiculous political comments' from PM. thecanary.co Nicola Sturgeon has criticised Boris Johnson's "absurd and ridiculous political comments" claiming there is no Scottish border, and urged him to focus on the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. | The first minister said attempts to escalate a row about people potentially having to quarantine if entering Scotland from other parts of the UK are "frankly disgraceful". | Sturgeon has repeatedly stated she will not rule out such quarantine measures if they are supported by public health evidence, a suggestion the PM said he found "absolutely astonishing". | At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Johnson said: "There…

Seymour Center at Long Marine Lab (2020-07-01). Sunday 7/19: Stranded: A Window into the Health of Marine Mammal Populations. indybay.org Online…

Workers Solidarity Action Network (2020-07-01). Thursday 7/2: Rally At Alameda County Health Department-No Protection For Workers At Tesla & In Alameda. indybay.org Alameda Department of Public Health | 1000 Broadway, Oakland…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-07-01). Big Pharma Trade Group Blasted as 'Morally Bankrupt' for Suing to Block Minnesota Insulin Affordability Law. commondreams.org The law is named for Alec Smith, an uninsured 26-year-old who died in 2017 after rationing his insulin. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-06-30). 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.

yenisafak (2020-06-30). French healthcare workers protest for wages, resources. yenisafak.com Healthcare professionals in France took to the streets Tuesday to demand increased wages and resources.Marchers came out in the capital Paris and France's other major cities as talks on the Segur de la Sante, a program put forth by the government at the end of May to tackle disparities in the health sector, are set to end on Friday.Members of unions and hospital collectives were at the protests, which followed previous demonstrations staged a week ago that ended in violence when workers torched cars and furniture in Paris, some being arrested.With direct involvement from President Emmanuel Macron, Segur de la San…

Staff (2020-06-30). "Moment of Elation": In 1st Big Abortion Case of Trump Era, SCOTUS Strikes Down Strict Louisiana Law. democracynow.org In the first big ruling on abortion in the Trump era, the Supreme Court has struck down a restrictive abortion law in Louisiana that would have left the state with just one abortion clinic. The 2014 law required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic, an onerous requirement that often made it impossible for abortion providers to continue to operate. "It was a moment of elation," says Lakeesha Harris, director of reproductive health and justice at Women with a Vision, a women's rights organization based in New Orleans. "Many of us have been working…

Candice Yanez (2020-06-30). A win for women's rights win at the Supreme Court. liberationnews.org On June 29, the Supreme Court overturned an abortion restriction law in its decision in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo. The case posed a direct threat to abortion rights in the United States, and the decision is a win for women's rights. Although the court has a conservative, anti-abortion majority, this decision was no …

Candice Yanez (2020-06-30). A win for women's rights at the Supreme Court. liberationnews.org On June 29, the Supreme Court overturned an abortion restriction law in its decision in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo. The case posed a direct threat to abortion rights in the United States, and the decision is a win for women's rights. Although the court has a conservative, anti-abortion majority, this decision was no …

RT (2020-06-30). Covid-19 may make men STERILE, Russia's Health Ministry warns. rt.com Covid-19 infection leads to drastic reduction in the quality of sperm and can make men infertile, the Russian Health Ministry said citing recent data. | "Today, the problems of infertility, especially male infertility, associated with Covid-19 are revealing themselves on a grander scale," Elena Uvarova, the Russian Health Ministry's chief gynecologist for children and youths, told journalists at a press conference in Moscow. The data gathered by Russian medics has shown a "38 percent reduction in quality of sperm" in men who recovered from the coronavirus, she said. It was a worrying discovery, as the overall…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-30). Dutch Socialists bring initiative to prevent hiring of external consultants by government. peoplesdispatch.org Socialist Party MP Ronald van Raak put forth an initiative to stop the rising unnecessary expenditure on external hirings in government offices in the Netherlands. The party also joined a petition by the European left to ensure free availability of a future COVID-19 vaccine…

Matt Sedlar (2020-06-30). Older Workers Targeted in Trump's Lawsuit to End Obamacare. cepr.net The Trump administration is supporting a lawsuit which seeks to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in its entirety. The implication is that a large share of the older workers now able to afford health insurance as a result of the ACA will no longer be able to afford it if the Trump administration wins …

Mandy Smithberger (2020-06-30). Washington Is Still Putting the Military Before Public Health. thenation.com Washington Is Still Putting the Military Before Public Health…

news.un (2020-06-30). Harmful practices rob women and girls of 'right to reach their full potential'. news.un.org Urgent, and accelerated action is needed to end female genital mutilation, child marriage, and other "harmful practices" and abuses carried out against women and girls, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA), said on Tuesday, in its latest major report on the state of the world's population.

yenisafak (2020-06-30). Spain braces for slow economic recovery post-pandemic. yenisafak.com As Spain saw new daily infections rise by 301 on Tuesday, the county's central bank released an annual report suggesting that the economy will not recover from the health crisis until late 2022.The Health Ministry reported a spike in deaths adding nine to the total. The nationwide death toll has hit 28,355.The central bank's 238-page annual report not only predicts that economic recovery will take years, but that women, low-income workers and young people will bear the brunt of the economic crisis."Spain's economy faces the COVID-19 crisis with inequality significantly higher than before the financial crisis of 2…

yenisafak (2020-06-30). Iran records highest daily virus deaths since Feb.19. yenisafak.com Iran on Tuesday confirmed 167 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus, the highest daily number of deaths since the virus was first detected on Feb. 19, country's health ministry said. | A further 2,457 people tested positive for COVID-19, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said. | Iranian authorities have so far reported 227,662 infections, including 10,817 deaths, Lari said. | She added that a total of 188,758 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, adding that 3,049 patients remain in critical condition. | Over 1.66 million tests have been conducted in the country to date,…

yenisafak (2020-06-30). Tally of virus cases surpasses 24,600 in Israel. yenisafak.com Israel on Tuesday reported 714 new infections of coronavirus over the past 24 hours, the highest daily number of cases since April 2, country's health ministry said. | One person died from the disease, the ministry said in a statement. | Israeli authorities have so far reported 24,688 infections, including 320 deaths, and 17,272 recoveries. | Israel lifted most of the COVID-19 measures after the daily number of virus cases dropped below 20 last month. | The Israeli government has relaxed a lockdown imposed to stem the spread of coronavirus, reopening schools, universities, shopping malls and restaurants. | Nevert…

yenisafak (2020-06-30). Burundi's new government sworn in. yenisafak.com The newly appointed Burundian government was sworn in Tuesday by the head of state and the senate, local media reported.President Evariste Ndayishimiye promised to combat corruption in public services and the COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in an address to the nation after the ceremony."Burundi will be managed by its sons and daughters with dignity. A country where all citizens can eat as much as they need, have financial independence to meet their needs," SOS Médias Burundi quoted the president. "Burundi is a nest for everyone. We call on all Burundian refugees to return to their country.

yenisafak (2020-06-30). US could see 100,000 daily coronavirus cases: Fauci. yenisafak.com The US could see as many as 100,000 new coronavirus infections daily, the nation's top infectious disease expert told a Senate hearing Tuesday."We are now having 40,000 new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around," said Anthony Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases.He said he was "very disturbed" by the recent spike in the number of the cases that exceeded 40,000 daily this week."I am also quite concerned about what we are seeing evolve right now in several states," said Fauci. "When states start to try and…

sputniknews (2020-06-30). US COVID-19 Public Health Practices Being Debated in Political, Not Scientific Field – Researcher. sputniknews.com As COVID-19 spreads rapidly across several US states including Florida, Texas, Arizona and California, the US government also continues to politicize the public health issue, Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor of viral pathogenesis at the University of Manitoba and Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis, told Sputnik Monday.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-30). Five COVID-19 human vaccines to be unveiled: VP Sattari. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 30 (MNA) — The Vise President for Science and Technology, Sorena Sattari announced that two human vaccines for treating the novel coronavirus are ready to be unveiled and three other ones will be ready by the end of the current year (March 2021).