Daily Archives: October 29, 2020

2020-10-29: News Headlines

Steve Champion (2020-10-29). My San Quentin Death Row Coronavirus Experience. counterpunch.org In late January 2020, President Donald Trump was fully aware of the potential danger and present threat of Coronavirus, even as it would take the WHO until March 11 to declare a pandemic. In that same month, San Quentin prisoners received an administrative notification that one of the guards tested positive. At the time, I was not overly concerned because I was healthy and in good shape, but of course viruses, pathogens with the sole aim of wreaking havoc on healthy cells, don't care about that.

Martha Rosenberg (2020-10-29). Is Pharma Our Covid Savior? zcomm.org Pharma has already eceived $1 billion of our hard earned tax dollars to develop Covid vaccines…

Marwa Osman (2020-10-29). Hariri is Back in the Game—MES EP.78. thealtworld.com Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri who was toppled in a popular uprising nearly one year ago, has been tasked with forming the crisis-plagued country's next government. Hariri's dramatic return was enabled by the votes of 65 MPs from across the country's political spectrum. Hariri now faces the grueling task of forming a cabinet in a country still reeling from the aftermath of a massive explosion that ripped through the capital in August. The country is mired in a financial meltdown, political infighting and widespread anger at Beirut's ruling elite. | To discuss this issue with us from Beirut is Dr. Dani…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-10-29). 'It's Not Just That You're a Crook': Watch Jon Ossoff Eviscerate Sen. Perdue Over Insider Trading, Covid Lies, and Healthcare Attacks. commondreams.org "You're attacking the health of the people that you represent," the Democratic challenger said to Georgia's incumbent GOP senator. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

_____ (2020-10-29). Why Marylanders Must Test The Water Near Military Bases. popularresistance.org Last month, independent testing of oysters in the St. Mary's River and St. Inigoes Creek was performed on behalf of the St. Mary's River Watershed Association and financially supported by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, PEER. | Oysters in the St. Mary's River and in St. Inigoes Creek were found to contain more than 1,000 parts per trillion (ppt) of the highly toxic chemicals. Oysters were analyzed by Eurofins, a world leader in PFAS testing. | The Harvard School of Public Health and leading scientific institutions around the world tell us not to consume more than 1 ppt of these substances daily…

news.un (2020-10-29). Reduce risk to avert 'era of pandemics', experts warn in new report. news.un.org Unless there is a "seismic shift" in how countries collectively deal with infectious diseases, future pandemics will emerge more often, spread more rapidly, cause greater damage to the global economy and kill more people than COVID-19, international experts warned in a UN-backed report published on Thursday.

MEE and agencies (2020-10-28). UK declares solidarity with France amid row with Turkey in wake of teacher's murder. middleeasteye.net UK declares solidarity with France amid row with Turkey in wake of teacher's murder | UK's foreign secretary calls on Nato allies to 'stand shoulder to shoulder' and 'never give terrorists the gift of dividing us' | Wed, 10/28/2020 – 08: 30 | Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab declared his country's support for France on Wednesday amid calls for an economic boycott triggered by anti-…

RT (2020-10-28). Russia's Covid-19 vaccines will NOT be given to tourists & won't be offered for sale until domestic demand is met: Health ministry. rt.com Russia's coronavirus vaccines will not be offered commercially and won't be given to tourists, the health ministry pledged on Wednesday after reports emerged in foreign media that "vaccination tours" are now on sale abroad. | Speaking to TASS, Alexey Kuznetsov, an assistant to the country's health minister, explained that any foreign visits being organised to Russia for vaccination against Covid-19 are entirely fraudulent. According to Kuznetsov, Russia's domestically produced vaccines won't be commercially available for quite some time. | "Vaccination is already underway, and it is free for citizens. Russians…

RT (2020-10-28). Germany set for new partial lockdown as cases surge amid second wave of Covid-19. rt.com Restaurants, gyms and theaters will be shut for a month from November 2 as part of new measures aimed at preventing spiking coronavirus cases from overwhelming German hospitals, Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. | The situation in Germany, which registered 14,964 new infections and 85 deaths from the disease over the last 24 hours, is "very serious," Merkel said on Wednesday. "We need to take action now." | "Our health system can still cope with this challenge today, but at this speed of infections it will reach the limits of its capacity within weeks," she added, explaining the need for the tough measures.

Ian Cobain (2020-10-28). UK bill shielding soldiers from prosecution slammed by parliamentary committee. middleeasteye.net UK bill shielding soldiers from prosecution slammed by parliamentary committee | Law to stop prosecutions over torture, murder and war crimes would damage Britain's reputation, human rights body warns | Wed, 10/28/2020 – 17: 15 | UK Houses of Parliament. There are fears that the Conservative government's large majority could allow it to press ahead with controversial new law (Reuters) | A proposed new law t…

WSWS (2020-10-28). Eighteen-year-old University of Dayton freshman, Michael Lang, dies of COVID-19. wsws.org Lang, a healthy first-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences at the university in western Ohio, died Thursday after weeks of battling the virus.

Leonardo Flores (2020-10-28). Healthcare, Police Brutality, Racism to Shape the Latinx Vote. telesurenglish.net This year, 32 million people of Latin American descent are eligible to vote, representing 13 percent of the electorate and surpassing the number of Black voters for the first time. That represents just over half of the 60 million Latinx people in the United States. | RELATED: | In 2016, voter turnout in the Latinx community was less than 50 percent; Clinton won the vote by 66 to 28 percent. | Nationally, Latinx voters a…

teleSUR (2020-10-28). Colombia: Ex-President Samper Criticizes Right-Wing Governments. telesurenglish.net Colombia's former President Ernesto Samper (1994-1998) Tuesday criticized the policies applied by Latin American right-wing governments amid the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | He pointed out that Colombia and Brazil implemented authoritarian measures, restricted mobility, and even restarted the economy without worrying about the citizens's health. | Instead of applying policies to develop his country's public…

Helen Buyniski (2020-10-28). VIDEO: The "Lock Step" Simulation Scenario: "A Coronavirus-like Pandemic that Becomes Trigger for Police State Controls" globalresearch.ca First published on February 5, 2020. In-depth analysis of the Simulation of a pandemic conducted in 2010 under the auspices of the Rockefeller Foundation. | By now, those following the novel coronavirus epidemic are familiar with Event 201, the pandemic

_____ (2020-10-28). Philadelphia Victim's Family Sought Ambulance, Not Police. popularresistance.org Philadelphia – The family of a Black man killed by Philadelphia police officers in a shooting caught on video had called for an ambulance to get him help with a mental health crisis, not for police intervention, their lawyer said. | Police said Walter Wallace Jr., 27, was wielding a knife and ignored orders to drop the weapon before officers fired shots Monday afternoon. But his parents said Tuesday night that officers knew their son was in a mental health crisis because they had been to the family's house three times on Monday. | Cathy Wallace, his mother, said one of the times, "they stood there and laughed at…

teleSUR (2020-10-28). Peru: First Diphtheria Case Amid Vaccination Deficit. telesurenglish.net Peru's Health Ministry confirmed on Wednesday the first diphtheria case in 20 years, as local media outlets report that in 2020 the children's vaccination program only covered 40 percent of minors due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | According to the World Health Organization, diphtheria is an infectious disease that primarily infects the throat and upper airways and produces toxins affecting other…

_____ (2020-10-28). Deception 2020: Our SickCare System. popularresistance.org In this third installment of the Deception 2020 Series, we dig into our so-called healthcare system — what would more appropriately be called our sickcare system. Yeah, the US has the ability to offer top notch care and medical support — but out of some 330 million people, how many have access to it? | Then, we're joined by Dr. Margaret Flowers for some more insight into this grossly unequal system, where the candidates stand and who those candidates even get to be!

Dr. Rudolf Hà§nsel (2020-10-28). The Davos Reset 2021 Agenda of the World Economic Forum. A New Phase of Economic and Social Destruction? globalresearch.ca On June 3, 2020, as a consequence of the "global health crisis", the World Economic Forum WEF in Geneva announced a "unique twin summit" for January 2021 in Davos, Switzerland.(1) The theme should be "The Great Reset". The WEF defines …

teleSUR (2020-10-28). France Back to Nationwide Lockdown as Second COVID Wave Hits. telesurenglish.net "We need everyone's sense of responsibility. Stay at home as much as possible. Respect the rules. Success depends on the good citizenship of each and every one of us. Every hour counts," stressed President Emmanuel Macron. | France will go into national lockdown starting from Friday to stem the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday evening. | RELATED: | "The virus is circulati…

Staff (2020-10-28). The Case for Abolition After Philadelphia Police Kill Walter Wallace Jr. truthout.org Protesters in Philadelphia mark a second night of calling for the abolition of police after two Philadelphia police shot and killed Walter Wallace Jr., a 27-year-old Black man, while he was having a mental health crisis. The shooting reflects decades of defunding of social services, including for mental health, while police departments have continued to grow, says author and activist Marc Lamont Hill, who argues, "If all you have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail." Lamont Hill is prof…

Staff (2020-10-27). Headlines for October 27, 2020. democracynow.org Amy Coney Barrett Sworn In, Giving SCOTUS Heavy Conservative Majority Ahead of Pivotal Cases, SCOTUS Rules Wisconsin Cannot Count Ballots Received After Election Day, Surging COVID-19 Cases Trigger Curfews; Doctors Say 800,000 Children Have Been Infected, China Testing 5 Million People After One Asymptomatic Case in Xinjiang, New Lockdowns in Germany, Mask Orders in Russia as COVID-19 Cases Surge, Oxford Vaccine Shows Promising Results as New Data Suggests Antibodies in Recovered Cases Don't Last, U.S. Imposes Harsh New Sanctions on Iranian Oil, Airstrikes Kill Dozens at Training Camp in Idlib, Syria, Explosion a…

Howard Lisnoff (2020-10-27). Adrift Amid the Right-Wing Obscenity. counterpunch.org I haven't talked to anyone with mental health credentials since the early 1970s when I was a war resister. I contrast the need to be heard in a safe setting to someone objective as Chris Hedges in his recent observation about the lack of a political left in the US and the boutique nature of

Jack Rasmus (2020-10-27). Barrett Confirmed, Post-Election Chaos Will Ensue. counterpunch.org Yesterday Mitch McConnell's Republican Senate confirmed its third ultra conservative Supreme Court nominee, Amy Barrett, as Supreme Court Justice. Coming in the midst of America's current dual crisis—economic and Covid health—both now worsening, the Barrett appointment ensures the emergence of historic political instability in the USA. The dual crisis is about to become a triple

Staff (2020-10-27). Barrett's confirmation threatens fair election, healthcare, and women's rights. therealnews.com Hundreds at the White House celebrated the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court—just one month after her nomination became a COVID-19 superspreader event that infected the president and at least three dozen others.

RT (2020-10-27). Russia applies to WHO for emergency listing of Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, approval would speed up formula's global distribution. rt.com As global coronavirus cases surge, Russia has applied to the World Health Organization (WHO) for the early pre-qualification and registration of its pioneering Sputnik V vaccine, which would make it available globally sooner. | The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has filed the application to include the Sputnik V formula in the WHO's Emergency Use Listing program allowing for its accelerated approval for use, the sovereign wealth fund said in a "The Russian Federation was the first in the world to register a vaccine a…

Global Research News (2020-10-27). Selected Articles: Mass Rebellion in Nigeria, State Repression and Police Brutality. globalresearch.ca By CDC (Center for Disease Control) scientists made some COVID admissions that totally destroy the official COVID narrative in a study published in …

RT (2020-10-27). 'Europe is united': French minister urges EU leaders to adopt measures against Turkey at next summit. rt.com France's trade minister has called on the EU to adopt formal measures against Ankara at its next summit, after the Turkish leader questioned the French president's mental health and called for a boycott of the country's exports. | "France is united and Europe is united," Trade Minister Franck Riester told French lawmakers on Tuesday. "At the next European Council, Europe will have to take decisions that will allow it to strengthen the power balance with Turkey to better defend its interests and European values," he added. He did not specify as to what measures could be taken. | Turkey's President Recep Tayyip…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-27). Child malnutrition reaches new highs in parts of Yemen: UN survey. middleeasteye.net Child malnutrition reaches new highs in parts of Yemen: UN survey | Programmes keeping millions from starvation and disease are gradually closing amid an acute funding shortage | Tue, 10/27/2020 – 07: 54 | The UN said it needs $50m urgently to boost nutrition programmes (AFP) | Parts of Yemen are seeing their highest levels of acute malnutrition in children, heightening warnings that the c…

Princess Harmony (2020-10-27). Purdue Pharma guilty in opioid deaths. workers.org A contributing cause to the opioid epidemic — overprescription of painkillers like OxyContin — has been identified by both individuals and the state. Since the start of the opioid crisis, overdoses have continued to rise, with COVID-19-based isolation pushing even more people toward the abuse of prescription and illicit opioids. . . . |

The Canary (2020-10-27). 20 things the government must do to tackle structural racism and protect BAME communities from coronavirus. thecanary.co Baroness Doreen Lawrence has set out 20 recommendations for the government to protect those most at risk from coronavirus and tackle inequality in the longer term.Here are her recommendations from her review into the impact of coronavirus (Covid-19) on Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities: | Set out an urgent plan for tackling the disproportionate impact of Covid on BAME people this winter | 2. Implement a national strategy to tackle health inequalities.3. Suspend the "no recourse to public funds" rule during the pandemic and review its impact on public health and health inequalities.4. Ensure Covi…

RT (2020-10-27). Schools & clubs closing in Bulgaria amid record Covid-19 surge as health minister warns of 'severe winter months'. rt.com Bulgaria will close its clubs and order high school and university students to study remotely for two weeks as of October 29 in a bid to curb rising coronavirus infection rates, the country's health minister said on Tuesday. | "We have to defuse Covid-19 spread…and if we continue to neglect the [preventative] measures, at some point it may be too late," Health Minister Kostadin Angelov said in a Facebook "We are facing severe winter months — we are entering the flu season and the risk that th…

Ralph Nader (2020-10-27). Don't Rush to Declare Victory: Implementing a Two-Week Grace Period After November 3rd So All Voters Can Be Counted. commondreams.org With such large stakes for our fragile democracy, we cannot afford to bypass such a course of action that will assure a peaceful transition in accord with the rule of law. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

jamanetwork (2020-10-27). The Physician's Responsibility. jamanetwork.com The recent decision of the Supreme Court of Nebraska, abstracted in the Medicolegal department of The Journal last week, is of importance and interest to practicing physicians, and especially to health officers…. The plaintiff, while stopping at a small hotel, consulted a local physician, the defendant, regarding some sores that had appeared on his body. After an examination, the physician told the plaintiff—his patient—that he believed the disease to be syphilis, but that it was impossible to make a positive diagnosis without a Wassermann test, for which he had no equipment. The defendant physician…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-27). With Amy Coney Barrett, US Supreme Court lurches further to the right. peoplesdispatch.org Six of the nine judges in US Supreme Court are conservatives and Amy Coney Barrett is likely to be among the most extreme. This could have a massive impact on the upcoming elections and a host of issues, including abortion and healthcare…

Dr. Jack Rasmus (2020-10-27). Barrett Confirmed by US Senate: Post-Election Chaos Now Inevitable. globalresearch.ca Today Mitch McConnell's Republican Senate confirmed its third ultra conservative Supreme Court nominee, Amy Barrett, as Supreme Court Justice. Coming in the midst of America's current dual crisis—economic and Covid health—both now worsening, the Barrett appointment ensures the emergence …

Keith Norris, Cynthia Gonzalez (2020-10-27). [Commentary] COVID-19, health disparities and the US election. thelancet.com The recent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been distinguished by its disproportionate high rates of infection, hospitalization, and mortality in oppressed and disenfranchised communities [1,2]. These disparities have drawn great global attention to inequities in social determinants of health (SDOH) such as education, employment, housing, and access to affordable health care, which often increase risk for contracting and dying from COVID-19 in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities [3].

Rubin R. (2020-10-27). Rising Rates of ED Visits for Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempt. jamanetwork.com From 2008 to 2017, the rate of emergency department (ED) visits related to suicidal ideation or suicide attempt increased among all age groups 5 years or older, according to a recent report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Kinner SA, Borschmann R. (2020-10-27). Polysocial Risk Scores for Assessing Social Determinants of Health. jamanetwork.com To the Editor Dr Figueroa and colleagues recognized the importance of social determinants in shaping health outcomes. Echoing a recommendation to study marginalized populations, they recommended multisectoral data linkage as a promising means of examining these complex relationships. We agree with this recommendation but urge caution in pursuing development of a polysocial risk score for 4 reasons.

WSWS (2020-10-27). The policy of "herd immunity" pushes Europe's health care system toward the abyss. wsws.org With more than 50,000 new cases recorded in France on Sunday, there is a clear danger that hospitals and emergency rooms will once again be overwhelmed.

Kuehn BM. (2020-10-27). Shifting Hydroxychloroquine Patterns Raise Concern. jamanetwork.com The number of hydroxychloroquine prescriptions by specialists who don't typically prescribe the drug skyrocketed after preliminary reports in March suggested potential benefits for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-10-27). Warning of 'Poisonous Consequences,' PA Secretary of State Calls on Barrett to Recuse Herself in Crucial Mail-in Ballot Case. commondreams.org "It is reasonable to infer that, in Trump's mind, Barrett must repay his appointment by refusing to recuse, and then by voting both to secure his election and to gut the Affordable Care Act," wrote one legal ethicist. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

sputniknews (2020-10-27). 'Diet' Beverages Found to be Associated With Heart Complications – Study. sputniknews.com Newly published research concludes that artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) may not be a heart-healthy alternative to sugary drinks.

Rubin R. (2020-10-27). US Drug Use Survey Uncovers Both Promising and Concerning Trends. jamanetwork.com Among people aged 12 years or older in 2019, 60.1% reported having used a substance during the past month, according to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health, compiled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Figueroa JF, Jha AK. (2020-10-27). Polysocial Risk Scores for Assessing Social Determinants of Health—Reply. jamanetwork.com In Reply Drs Kinner and Borschmann raise important concerns around the development and deployment of polysocial risk scores into real-world practice, a topic we described in a Viewpoint. Issues they highlight include problems related to the dynamic nature of social risk, the difficulty of capturing social complexity in a single score, the fact that there is not an optimal score to capture risk across multiple health outcomes, and the potential danger of interpreting the relationship between risk scores and health outcomes as causal. These are all important issues, and we largely agree, although we offer some poin…

Timothy Alexander Guzman (2020-10-27). "Mask Mouth": Wearing Facemasks Causes Decaying Teeth, Gum Disease, Skin Blemishes, Pimples, Acne. globalresearch.ca Facemasks are causing many problems, but the medical establishment and governments around the world who impose mandates to wear facemasks in public seem to be oblivious to the damage they are causing in order to protect us. In this case, …

Slomski A. (2020-10-27). Colchicine Reduces Cardiovascular Events in Chronic Coronary Disease. jamanetwork.com The anti-inflammatory drug colchicine has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events after recent myocardial infarction. Now, a trial in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that daily low-dose colchicine also significantly reduces the cardiovascular event risk among patients with chronic coronary disease.

Gondi S, Chokshi DA. (2020-10-27). Financial Stability as a Goal of Payment Reform—A Lesson From COVID-19. jamanetwork.com Over the last decade, the US health care system embarked on a journey toward value-based care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) designed and implemented a range of value-based payments through the rollout of alternative payment models, such as accountable care organizations (ACOs). The goal of these efforts was to increase value by improving quality and reducing costs. To date, however, alternative payment models have had modest effects on health outcomes or spending.

Slomski A. (2020-10-27). No Mortality Differences Among Localized Prostate Cancer Treatments. jamanetwork.com Compared with active monitoring, radical treatment of localized prostate cancer does not improve disease-specific or overall survival at 10 years, a multicenter UK trial in Health Technology Assessment found.

WSWS (2020-10-27). Health care systems face collapse across Eastern Europe amid resurgent COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org Poland's leading epidemiologist pointed to parallels between current conditions in Poland and those in Italy earlier this year, when the health care system collapsed due to the number of infections.

Fight Back (2020-10-27). IAM Local 1855 wins a better contract after strike in Appleton, WI. fightbacknews.org Appleton, WI – On the morning of October 24, the following message was posted on the social media accounts of IAM Local 1855: "After a week-long strike IAMAW Members employed at AstenJohnson in Appleton overwhelmingly accepted a greatly improved contract offer this morning. This offer included locking in insurance plan design and premiums for the next two years among other positive changes. Their solidarity and persistence paid off big. Congratulations to the members of Local 1855 and a special thank you to the Teamsters Local 662 for honoring our picket line." | The machinists at AstenJohnson were on strike to d…