(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.
(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.
(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.
(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.
(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…
(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.
(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.
(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.
(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…
(2020-05-16). 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."
(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.
(2020-05-16). 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.
(2020-05-16). 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…
(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.
(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 …
(2020-05-15). Starving Bolivian workers clash with troops deployed by coup regime. wsws.org Amid the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic in Bolivia, Jeanine àÅñez's self-proclaimed "interim government" is escalating state repression.
(2020-05-15). Brazilian Health Minister Teich resigns after just weeks in job. rt.com 
Brazilian Health Minister Nelson Teich resigned on Friday after just weeks in the job. President Jair Bolsonaro had criticized Teich as being too timid in the push to reopen the economy and to advocate the use of anti-malarial drugs. | Military members of the Brazilian cabinet are pushing for deputy health minister Eduardo Pazuello, an army general on active duty, to become the new health minister, making permanent his interim role, Reuters reported, citing a government source. | Teich is the second health minister to resign amid the pandemic in Brazil. He replaced Nelson Mandetta, who was fired on April 16 fo…
(2020-05-15). MILLIONS of Americans dead from Covid-19? 85k jobs lost? What? Joe Biden commits gaffe after gaffe in confusing broadcast. rt.com 
Joe Biden has once again caught flak for his creative and often confusing oratory, this time after the former VP and presumptive Democratic nominee struggled to relay how many Americans have died from coronavirus. | Speaking during a "virtual round table," Biden argued that playing the "blame game" during the ongoing health crisis would be counterproductive. But when it came time to relaying exactly what politicians might blame each other for, the presidential candidate faltered. | "We're in the middle of a pandemic that has cost us more than 85,000 jobs as of today. Lives of millions of people, millions of pe…
(2020-05-15). Whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright testifies winter could be 'darkest in modern history'. peoplesworld.org 
Dr. Rick Bright, the top Health and Human Services official dumped by Trump for blowing the whistle on the administration's disastrous response to the coronavirus pandemic, testified to Congress Thursday that essentially everything the president is saying about his administration's response to the pandemic is a lie. One of the most damaging of those lies, …
(2020-05-15). Massachusetts Contact Tracing Program Handed to Clinton-Linked NGO with Questionable Past. mintpressnews.com 
A new contact tracing program was recently unveiled in Massachusetts in partnership with Partners in Health, an NGO with links to US regime change operations, big pharma and the Clinton Foundation.
(2020-05-15). One week after promising health supplies to southeast Colombia, government vows aid to bury the dead. colombiareports.com 
Colombia's government vowed to send cement to build repositories of Covid-19 deaths in the southeastern Amazonas province after promised health supplies never arrived. The situation in Colombia's most remote province…
(2020-05-15). Seeking justice for Breonna Taylor: Essential health worker killed by police. peoplesworld.org 
The actual suspect was already in police custody, but that didn't stop officers from allegedly opening fire and shooting Breonna Taylor eight times. It was March 13 in Louisville, Kentucky when the young Black woman Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician (EMT), was shot and killed. The police who raided her home were executing a …
(2020-05-15). Foreign Policy Sees 'Repression' in Vietnam's Fight Against Coronavirus – In the US, government may surveill you, but at least it doesn't protect your health. fair.org 
Foreign Policy ( A recent piece in Foreign Policy (
(2020-05-15). Dark Winter? Honey Badger Trump Don't Care. counterpunch.org 
"This coalition of the business elite, right-wing Christian evangelicals, and white nationalists and other white supremacists is very dangerous. Fascism is ultimately a death cult." — Jason Stanley , May 11, 2020 From the Annals of "The Most Dangerous Criminal in Human History" Despite timely alerts given by senior public health experts and warnings from
(2020-05-15). Czech Republic to allow gatherings of up to 300 people. rt.com 
The Czech Republic will take major steps to relax its coronavirus lockdown measures from May 25, as the government seeks to jump-start the economy, health officials said on Friday. | The central European country of 10.7 million people has reported fewer than 100 new cases a day throughout May. As of Friday morning, it had recorded a total of 8,352 cases of which 5,249 have recovered. It has reported 293 deaths, Reuters said. | Indoor dining and hotel stays could resume on May 25 under strict hygiene rules, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said. "After May 25, there won't be establishments in retail which would be…
(2020-05-15). War and Plagues: Military Spending During a Pandemic. counterpunch.org 
Welcome to the world of the hypersonic weapons, devices that are not only superfluous, but which will almost certainly not work, They will, however, cost enormous amounts of money. At a time when countries across the globe are facing economic chaos, financial deficits and unemployment at Great Depression levels, arms manufacturers are set to cash in big.
(2020-05-15). Define 'distribute'! Trump mobilizing MILITARY to deliver Covid-19 vaccine 'assuming we get it,' sparks conspiracy frenzy. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump said the military is gearing up to distribute a coronavirus vaccine when one is ready, unleashing a torrent of takes from conspiracy-minded netizens, many sounding alarms over mandatory inoculations. | American GIs are already being mobilized to parcel out a future vaccine to "most of the population," Trump told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo in an interview on Thursday, giving a highly optimistic end-of-the-year time frame even as many experts suggest a remedy won't be ready for mass distribution for another 12 to 18 months. | "We're mobilizing our military on the basis that we do hav…
(2020-05-15). Trump says govt will work at 'WARP SPEED' to deliver vaccine BEFORE year's end. rt.com 
President Donald Trump has promised to deliver a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year or earlier, saying that the government will invest in potential candidates. He added that, vaccine or no vaccine, America will reopen. | Speaking to reporters in the White House Rose Garden on Friday, Trump unveiled "Operation Warp Speed," a public-private partnership aimed at accelerating the development of a vaccine for Covid-19, the deadly virus that has infected more than 4.5 million people worldwide and killed more than 300,000. | "This is an endeavor unlike anything our country has seen since the Manhattan Project…
(2020-05-15). Do the Most Severe Lockdowns Coincide to the Highest COVID-19 Death Rates? counterpunch.org 
The organization Our World in Data is running an article on the severity of government lockdown policies used to deal with the Covid-19 disease, "How Are Governments Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic?". It is shows rankings of the severity ("stringency") on nine measures of lockdown policies throughout the world; it also addresses testing and tracking.
(2020-05-15). No Lockdowns: The Terrifying Polio Pandemic of 1949-52. anti-empire.com 
World War II had ended four years earlier and the U.S. was trying to return to peace and prosperity. Price controls and rationing were ended. Trade was opening. People were returning to normal life. The economy started humming again. Optimism for the future was growing. Harry Truman became the symbol of a new normacy. From Depression and war, society was on the mend. | As if to serve as a reminder that there were still threats to life and liberty present, an old enemy made its appearance: polio. It's a disease with ancient origins, with its most terrifying effect, the paralysis of the lower extremities. It mai…
(2020-05-15). The Covid-19 Testing Fiasco. counterpunch.org 
From the start, testing for Covid-19 in the U.S. has been abysmal. Experts agree that without adequate testing, the disease cannot be stopped. Poor testing means no idea how many are infected or how to trace and quarantine their contacts or how to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. There has been speculation that the Trump
(2020-05-15). First child dies in France from rare Kawasaki-like disease unwisely linked to Covid-19. rt.com 
A nine-year-old boy in France has died from the mysterious Kawasaki-like disease, which some medics link to Covid-19. It's the first such case in that country, but similar child fatalities were earlier recorded in the US and UK. | The cause of the boy's death was "neurological injury related to a cardiac arrest," Fabrice Michel, head of the pediatric intensive care unit at La Timone hospital in Marseille, said. | The child was rushed to hospital with heart problems in early May. Doctors have been fighting for his life for a whole week, but the young patient passed away on Saturday. | While in hospital, the bo…
(2020-05-15). Roaming Charges: Unmasked and Anonymous. counterpunch.org 
I'm hyped for some ObamaGate action, as long as its about things that matter: health care plan designed by Heritage Foundation, bailing out Wall Street, failing to close Gitmo, droning US citizens, Afghan surge, the jailing of whistleblowers and legal harassment of journalists, the Libyan and Honduran coups, mass surveillance, the funding and arming of proxy wars in Yemen and Syria, record deportations, Deepwater Horizon, new nukes (both power plants and weapons), etc…
(2020-05-15). Quarantined & lonely? Find a 'SEX BUDDY,' Dutch government advises. rt.com 
Dutch authorities have decided that sex is a necessity, even in times of lockdown. Ever the pragmatists, they suggest that quarantined singletons "make arrangements" with a willing partner. | With more than 43,000 people infected with the coronavirus and a death toll of 5,600, the Netherlands has been on lockdown since late March. Citizens are allowed to have up to three visitors in their homes, provided they keep a distance of 1.5 meters from each other. Naturally, this precludes most sexual activity. | However, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has admitted that two se…
(2020-05-15). Video: Coronavirus: Economic and Social Collapse: Mass Unemployment, Bankruptcy, Poverty and Despair. globalresearch.ca First published on April 16, 2020 | There is a serious health crisis which must be duly resolved. But there is another important dimension which has to be addressed. | Millions of people have lost their jobs, and their lifelong savings. In …
(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…
(2020-05-15). Trump's "Operation Warp Speed" for Mass Vaxxing. "Big Bucks for Big Pharma" globalresearch.ca Big Pharma is poised to cash in big from mass COVID-19 vaxxing — at the expense of human health and welfare. | Author of "Pharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America" Gerald Posner explained that drug companies "view Covid-19 …
(2020-05-15). Massive protests in El Salvador against President Nayib Bukele. peoplesdispatch.org Salvadorans are protesting over the lack of food and economic aid to poor and unemployed people, the shortage of personal protection equipment for health workers, and the delay in the return of people stranded abroad…
(2020-05-15). Ecuador: Human Rights Organizations Denounce Police Brutality. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's Human Rights organizations Thursday denounced that police force abuse against pacific protesters in Guayaquil. Claimers denounced the negligence of health authorities in corpses counting and handling. | RELATED: | Protesters gathered at Centenary Park for a sit-in demonstration against both President Lenin Moreno's budget cuts and lack of economic aid for those in need. | "We are mourning and resisting," was their protest's maxim. Cit…
(2020-05-15). Puebla Group Discusses Peace in Colombia and Pandemic Crisis. telesurenglish.net The Puebla Group today is discussing the peace process in Colombia, the health crisis, and the regional economy, during a new virtual meeting that brings together progressive leaders from Latin America. | RELATED: | Colombia is the host of the new virtual meeting, in the voices of former President Ernesto Samper and former Minister of Labor Clara Lopez Obregon. | "Peace measures are the level of civilization of a country," sa…
(2020-05-15). The Best Way to Ensure Unemployed Workers Get Health Care? Pay for It Through Medicare. commondreams.org The Medicare Crisis program offers far more generous benefits than the COBRA proposal, the Worker Health Coverage Protection Act. Still, according to the economists at PERI, the cost to the federal government of the Medicare Crisis program based on coverage for 38.7 million people is $22.3 billion less than the full cost of care under the COBRA proposal, $47.5 billion vs. $69.8 billion for three months of coverage. (Photo: @AngryVoters / Twitpic) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-05-15). Physicians' group responds to Emergency Health Care Guarantee Act. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-05-15). The 2003 SARS epidemic: How Canada's elite squandered the chance to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org Canada's disastrous response to the pandemic is all the more criminal given the impact of SARS and the repeated government vows that the country's health system would be well-prepared for any future novel virus.
(2020-05-15). Essential Sanitary Workers Strike for Hazard Pay and PPE in New Orleans. truthout.org The severe outbreak of COVID-19 in southern Louisiana was the last straw for a group of sanitation workers who pick up trash in eastern New Orleans. Last week, they walked off the job and went on strike, demanding hazard pay and a $15 living wage. | Without "hoppers," as the workers are known, garbage would pile up on the streets and contribute to the spread of disease and other public health problems. However, the group of hoppers in New Orleans say their employers did not provide them with hazar…
(2020-05-15). FDA issues emergency use authorization for algorithm designed to improve detection of heart failure during COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization to Eko, a digital health company, for the heart screening algorithm developed by Mayo Clinic. The AI-driven algorithm can detect weak heart pump, which is commonly detected by echocardiogram, a test that is not normally conducted during a physical exam, requires specially trained technicians to record, and requires prolonged contact with …
(2020-05-15). Malnutrition is leading cause of death and ill-health worldwide. wsws.org A recent report confirms that various forms of malnutrition are the result of inequities in food distribution and health care systems but only hints at the criminal indifference of all national governments to these issues…
(2020-05-15). Socialism and Collective Responses: Attacking Venezuela in a Pandemic. counterpunch.org That feeling of international solidarity. This pandemic has brought terror in daily life to many, including this home where a 79 year old with COPD resides. Global calls of "we are all in this together" have served to blunt the bleakness in the face of unprecedented threats to our collective health. However, the initial rush
(2020-05-15). Mayo Clinic expands in-person care on all campuses. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Mayo Clinic will expand in-person care on all of its campuses as COVID-19 executive orders are lifted for elective procedures by governors in Arizona, Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin. "Our patients' health and safety is always our top priority," says Amy Williams, M.D., Mayo Clinic Executive Dean for Practice. "We have taken several extra precautions to …
(2020-05-15). Congress Must Guarantee Health Coverage During Pandemic. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-05-15). Sanders, Gillibrand, Booker, Warren, Markey, Merkley, Harris Introduce Emergency Health Care Guarantee Act. commondreams.org ______________________________…