(2020-10-20). Amy Coney Barrett, Constitutional Precedent, and the Problem of Originalism. counterpunch.org 
Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett is a threat to many constitutional precedents, including Roe v. Wade (abortion rights), National Federation of Business v. Sebelius, (Obamacare), and Obergefell v. Hodges (marriage equality). It may not simply be her ideology or pre-judged opinions that pose the problem, it is her constitutional interpretive method of Originalism that is the issue.
(2020-10-20). Democrats fail to block Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination as proposal to SHUT DOWN Senate falls through. rt.com 
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tried to adjourn the Senate until after the election, in order to stop the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court. A Covid-19 relief bill remains nowhere in sight. | "I am forcing a vote tonight to adjourn the Senate until after the November election," Schumer (D-New York) tweeted on Monday, claiming the Republicans are "using an illegitimate process to jam through a Supreme Court nominee to rip away health care from millions." | | I am forcing a vote tonight to adjourn the Sena…
(2020-10-20). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Health care sector worker in Buenos Aires, Argentina march to the city government offices to press demands for nurses to attain permanent professional status, emergency raises and additional staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-10-20). Will 'Nones' Bring a Progressive Future? counterpunch.org Someday, the coronavirus tragedy will be gone, wiped out by scientific vaccines. And Donald Trump will be just an unpleasant memory, an absurd reminder of what can happen when bigotry contaminates democracy. This part of the 21st century will be remembered chiefly, I predict, as the era when supernatural religion died among intelligent western people. I think it
(2020-10-20). Iranian COVID-19 vaccine to enter human phase in mid-Nov. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 20 (MNA) — Iranian Health Minister Saeed Namaki said that the Iranian coronavirus vaccine has passed animal test and will enter the human test phase in mid-November 2020.
(2020-10-20). Iran Covid-19 update: 322 deaths in past 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 20 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 5,039 new COVID-19 infections and 322 deaths due to the disease in the past 24 hours.
(2020-10-20). Iran reports record 5,039 new daily COVID-19 cases. yenisafak.com Iran's health ministry on Tuesday reported 5,039 new coronavirus infections in the previous 24 hours, the highest ever daily tally, pushing the national total to 539,670.Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 322 people had died from the disease in the previous 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 31,034 in Iran, one of the worst-hit countries in the Middle East.
(2020-10-20). 'China's potential vaccines show no adverse reaction'. yenisafak.com China claimed on Tuesday that its experimental vaccines for protection against COVID-19 have shown "no adverse reaction." "So far, none of those who have received the 'emergency use' vaccine have shown severe adverse reactions," Zheng Zhongwei, a top official at China's National Health Commission, was quoted as saying by the state-run Global Times newspaper.Pharma giants in many countries have resisted the idea of taking a shortcut in rolling out an antigen for the novel virus.China and Russia, however, have started vaccinating a select group of people with experimental shots, prompting a debate on risks of admin…
(2020-10-20). Coronavirus cases in Eurasia up by 7,376. yenisafak.com Coronavirus infections and deaths continued their upward trend across Eurasia and Central Asia on Tuesday.- UkraineUkraine's Health Minister Maksim Stepanov announced 5,469 new cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the tally on 309,107.The death toll in the country rose to 5,786 as 113 people died from COVID-19, while 3,044 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 126,489, Stepanov said.Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelenskiy met with religious leaders in his country and asked for their support amid the rising number of virus cases.Zelenskiy said that if the number of daily cases reach 9…
(2020-10-20). India: 20 Muslims cleared of flouting virus rules. yenisafak.com A court in western on India Tuesday acquitted 20 members of a Muslim group who had been charged with violating the nationwide lockdown in April.The members of the Tablighi Jamaat, including 10 from Kyrgyzstan and 10 from Indonesia, were booked in the state of Maharashtra for attempted murder and culpable homicide not amounting to murder.The police also charged them under laws against spreading diseases and preventing disasters.Ruling in the case, Metropolitan Magistrate RR Khan said: "There was no iota of evidence with prosecution to show any contravention of order by accused persons beyond all shadow of doubt. D…
(2020-10-19). Burkina Faso 'one step short of famine', warns UN food relief agency. news.un.org Unless access is urgently granted to humanitarian organizations, thousands in the Central Sahel will be "pushed into further destitution", the UN emergency food relief agency warned on Monday.
(2020-10-19). Patients before profits: Connecticut Backus Hospital nurses' strike wins tentative contract. peoplesworld.org 
NORWICH, Conn.—Three days after over 400 unionized nurses at Backus Hospital carried out a two-day strike, a tentative four-year contract was reached with the nurses gaining improvements in staffing levels and wages. The Oct. 13-15 strike was protesting unfair labor practices by Hartford HealthCare bosses, which included intimidating and threatening nurses for union activities and …
(2020-10-19). Waiting for a Vaccine and the Collaborative Research Alternative. counterpunch.org 
It seems increasingly likely that China will begin providing vaccines to its own people, as well as those in some other countries, by December, and possibly as early as next month. The prospect of a vaccine being available that soon has to look good to people here, now that the Trump administration's pandemic control efforts
(2020-10-19). New York Governor Cuomo goes 'full anti-vaxxer' on Covid-19 vaccine, says people should be 'very skeptical'. rt.com 
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is the latest Democrat to cast doubt on a potential Covid-19 vaccine, saying he is "not that confidant" in the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). | In a Monday morning interview with ABC's 'Good Morning America', Cuomo claimed the CDC and FDA "don't have any credibility" while President Donald Trump is in office and the public should be "very skeptical" of any vaccine pushed out. | "I'm not that confident, but my opinion doesn't matter. I don't believe the American people are that confident," the governor said. "I think it's going to be a…
(2020-10-19). They love Big Brother? Majority of Russians support using facial recognition cameras to identify those in contact with Covid-19. rt.com 
The majority of Russians are happy to give up their personal data to combat Coronavirus, with over three-quarters supporting the use of facial recognition tech to identify who came in contact with those infected by the disease. | According to a joint study by the Russian Venture Company and the Institute of National Projects, 54 percent of Russians think it is acceptable for the government to collect personal data for issuing passes for freedom to move around. Furthermore, 66 percent of respondents consider it acceptable for the state to collect information about who people have spent time with, in order to id…
(2020-10-19). Gym seeks to dodge Poland's new Covid-19 lockdown by rebranding as 'Church of the Healthy Body'. rt.com 
With the government in Warsaw imposing strict lockdown measures on almost 70 percent of Poland's population, a gym in Krakow has found a way to operate, albeit in a severely limited capacity — by declaring itself a church. | "Since fitness classes cannot function, starting today our club will start hosting religious gatherings of the 'Church of the Healthy Body'," Marta Jamroz, manager of the Atlantic Sports Fitness in Poland's second-largest city, Hard to believe?
(2020-10-19). COVID-19 infections soar in US. wsws.org The massive spike in COVID-19 cases is an indication that the US ruling elite's policy of reopening businesses and schools is already resulting in the surge predicted by public health experts for the fall and winter.
(2020-10-19). Africa's COVID-19 Death Toll Nears 40,000: Africa CDC. telesurenglish.net The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the African continent has reached 1,644,780 as of Monday afternoon as the death toll due to the pandemic reached 39,738, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. | RELATED: | The Africa CDC said the number of people who have recovered from the infectious virus across the continent has reached 1,356,239 so far. | The most COVID-19 a…
(2020-10-19). WHO: 184 Countries Join COVAX for a COVID-19 Vaccine. telesurenglish.net The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that 184 countries had joined the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX), aimed at providing at least 2 billion doses of a vaccine by 2021. | RELATED: | "COVAX represents the largest portfolio of potential COVID-19 vaccines and the most effective way to share safe and effective vaccines equitably across the world," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during his media brief…
(2020-10-19). Cuba Announces Clinical Trials Of New COVID-19 Vaccine. telesurenglish.net The Cuban Public Registry of Clinical Trials (CRCT) Monday revealed that a new clinical trial with a second COVID-19 vaccine is underway in the Finlay Institute of Vaccines (IFV). | RELATED: | This is the second Cuban vaccine candidate after the IFV presented SOBERANA01 in August, which is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the only one produced as of today by a Latin American country. | So far, th…
(2020-10-19). Who are the New York Watchmen? wsws.org The New York Watchmen are a newly formed right-wing militia with close ties to Michael Caputo, the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for the Trump Administration.
(2020-10-19). China Fires Health Officials after New COVID-19 Outbreak. globalresearch.ca A hospital president and the director of the health commission in the northern Chinese city of Qingdao have been fired after China's latest coronavirus outbreak, authorities said Thursday. | A brief notice on the Qingdao city government's official microblog Thursday said …
(2020-10-19). Focus on fundamentals as COVID-19 caseloads rise: WHO. news.un.org As COVID-19 cases continue to accelerate, particularly in Europe and North America, the World Health Organization (WHO) is advising governments and people everywhere not to let their guard down, for the benefit of those hospitalized, or working on the front line of the battle to end the pandemic.
(2020-10-19). COVID-19 vaccine: UNICEF to stockpile more than half a billion syringes by year's end. news.un.org With countries and pharmaceutical companies around the world gearing up to distribute COVID-19 vaccines following trials, the UN Children's Fund UNICEF has begun laying the groundwork for the rapid, safe and efficient delivery by buying and pre-positioning syringes and other necessary equipment.
(2020-10-19). Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on teen mental health. imperial.ac.uk An Imperial-led project is set to explore the impact the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of adolescents in the UK.
(2020-10-19). Europe braces for second COVID-19 wave with tough measures. yenisafak.com The European countries are taking new measures to stem the spread of coronavirus as the rising daily cases triggered fears of a second wave. Belgium was hit hard by the COVID-19, according to data released by the country's health authorities on Monday.Between Oct. 9 and 15, an average of 7,876 new infections a day were reported, an increase of 79% from the previous week.In the country with a population of 11.4 million, the total number of cases increased to 222,253 since the beginning of the pandemic, while 10,413 people died.Speaking to Belgian broadcaster RTL, Frank Vandenbroucke, the federal minister, said the…
(2020-10-19). 1,000+ CDC Officials Condemn Trump's Disastrous Pandemic Response, 'Silencing' of Agency. commondreams.org "The absence of national leadership on Covid-19 is unprecedented and dangerous," reads statement from current and former staffers. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-10-18). 'Cuomo killed my parents': Protesters fill casket with copies of New York Governor's book on his Covid-19 response 'leadership'. rt.com 
Dozens who have lost loved ones after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's controversial Covid-19 nursing home order gathered in Brooklyn to protest the politician, who recently wrote a book on his leadership during the pandemic. | The protesters gathered in front of the Cobble Hill Health Center, a nursing facility, and demanded an apology from Cuomo for his highly controversial March 25 order forcing nursing homes to accept Covid-positive cases, a decision many critics feel was a large factor in the 6500 deaths in nursing homes during the pandemic. | Holding signs with such messages as "Cuomo killed my parents" and…
(2020-10-18). Playing Russian Roulette with a COVID-19 Vaccine. globalresearch.ca America, we need to have a conversation. It is a very serious and dire conversation that has been intentionally ignored and swept under the rug for far too long. It concerns a dialogue that our entire mainstream media, in its …
(2020-10-18). Bill Gates: 'A Second Wave of (COVID) Vaccines Will Come Next Year' After the First. globalresearch.ca What Happened: Bill Gates
(2020-10-18). Health Justice And Black Liberation: Dána-Ain Davis. popularresistance.org It is not only that state violence is a public health issue, but what I want people to understand is that state violence bleeds into particular public health issues—specifically, reproductive health issues. It is parastatal violence as well, by which I mean those practices and institutions that work in parallel and intersecting ways with the state. Think about this: some of the research I did for my book Reproductive Injustice shows both subtle and blatant examples of state and…
(2020-10-18). Newsom Administration approves 6 more fracking permits, bringing the total to 54 this year. indybay.org "Gov. Newsom sacrifices our health, food, water and climate while dodging criticism when he issues new fracking permits on a Friday night," said Alexandra Nagy, California Director of Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Action. "Newsom's concern over climate change is a deceptive mirage as his actions reveal a strong adherence to the status quo.
(2020-10-18). Iran registers 3,890 new COVID-19 infections, 252 deaths. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 3,890 COVID-19 infections and 252 deaths due to the disease in the past 24 hours.
(2020-10-18). Holy Prophet (S) Shrine reopened in Medina. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — After a hiatus that Holy Prophet Muhammad (S) Shrine had been closed due to the outbreak of coronavirus global pandemic, doors of the holy shrine were reopened as limited by fully observing of health protocols.
(2020-10-18). MPs slam government for paying £7k a day to private sector Test and Trace consultants. thecanary.co Opposition MPs have slammed the government for paying £7k day rates to private sector consultants who're helping the government to set up and run its testing system. Michael Gove has defended the practice. | Sky News has reported that it had seen documents revealing Boston Consulting Group (BCG) was paid about £10 million for around 40 consultants to provide 4 months' work. This was between the end of April and late August. | The broadcaster said the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) received a 10 to 15% discount from BCG. Its day rates for public sector work reportedly range from £2,4…
(2020-10-18). Young US poll workers brace for Election Day as virus fears keep elders home. yenisafak.com After scrambling to replace an aging force of poll workers most at risk from the coronavirus, U.S. election officials face the challenge of running the Nov. 3 voting with untested volunteers tasked with following strict health protocols in an intensely partisan environment.A nationwide drive that recruited hundreds of thousands of younger poll workers – the people who set up equipment, check in voters and process ballots – means most battleground states will not be understaffed, a Reuters review of Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin found.In nearly all of those states, mo…
(2020-10-18). Malaysia reports 871 new coronavirus cases and seven more deaths. yenisafak.com Malaysian health authorities reported 871 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, a record daily count, raising the country's total infections to 20,498.The Southeast Asian country, which imposed targeted lockdowns this month as infections surged, also recorded seven new deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 187.Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah told reporters the infection rate had dropped since a third wave of infections in the country began four weeks ago."We expect this third wave of infections to be more challenging. Although we are more prepared in terms of medical equipment, manpo…
(2020-10-18). Nurses protest NSW wage freeze. greenleft.org.au Mental health nurses from the Waratah Mental Health Centre branch protested the NSW government's effective wage freeze outside their hospital, reports Niko Leka.
(2020-10-18). Why Are Fauci, Redfield, and the Presstitutes Deceiving Us About Masks? thealtworld.com Twitter, the Censor and Explainer Controller for the Deep State, removed a tweet from White House Covid adviser Dr. Scott Atlas who reported accurately that the masks people are wearing do not prevent the transmission of Covid-19. | As I have reported to you from the beginning, the only mask available to the public that provides protection against Covid is a N95 mask. Even this mask does not provide 100% protection. The masks people are wearing provide zero protection. | This is simply a fact. Dr. Atlas knows it as does every one familiar with masks, including Fauci at NIH and Redfield at CDC. Indeed, both Fauci…
(2020-10-17). Giuliani says shop owner who passed Biden laptop to FBI had copied data to friends in case he's 'KILLED'. rt.com 
President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani is insisting that the hard drive allegedly belonging to Hunter Biden contains such explosive revelations that the shop owner who handed the data to authorities feared for his life. | The repair-shop owner handed the laptop, allegedly left for repair by Biden and then abandoned, over to the FBI some time in December — but not before making four complete copies of the data as insurance, the former New York City mayor claimed, in a recent interview with The Daily Caller. | "He gave two to friends of his in case he was killed," Giuliani, who shared information fro…
(2020-10-17). India gives go-ahead to domestic trial of Russia's pioneering 'Sputnik V' Covid-19 vaccine. rt.com 
India's vaccines regulator has given the green light for a clinical study of the Russia-developed Covid-19 vaccine. Similar trials of the formulation are underway in Russia itself and in some other nations. | The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), a department in India's drug regulator that is responsible for licensing vaccines, has given its approval for a domestic clinical study of the Russian candidate vaccine dubbed "Sputnik V," Indian and Russian partners have announced in a joint statement. The "multi-center and randomized controlled study" will be conducted by Dr Reddy's Laboratories, a Hyderabad…
(2020-10-17). 'American stupidity': Furious Italian governor imposes CURFEW on Halloween, blaming partygoers for Covid-19 spread. rt.com 
The governor of the south-western Campania region didn't mince his words as he lashed out at those defying social distancing rules to enjoy nightlife, and vowed to stop Halloween celebrations he called "American stupidity." | Vincenzo de Luca said he plans to "close everything at 22: 00" and impose a curfew from the last day of October — supposedly to prevent "uncivilized" Italians from throwing Halloween parties right in the middle of the Covid-19 epidemic. | And the official did not hide the fact he thinks nothing of the occasion itself. "Halloween weekend is … immense idiocy, immense American stupidit…
(2020-10-17). Alarming spike of COVID-19 infections in Michigan amid ruling class push for "herd immunity" wsws.org Several Republican state senators in the Michigan Senate held an online meeting last Saturday, where they discussed steps towards the lifting of mandates to wear masks indoors despite a clear resurgence of the disease.
(2020-10-17). UK's local lockdown system in disarray as COVID-19 cases surge out of control. wsws.org This dispute been the local Labour authorities and central government confirms that combating the spread of this deadly disease cannot be left in the hands of any faction of the ruling elite, and their political representatives.
(2020-10-17). HHS Must Release Billion Dollar Coronavirus Vaccine Contracts, Public Citizen Lawsuit Says. globalresearch.ca Public Citizen today The suit, filed in the U.S. …
(2020-10-17). Aaron Steichen Murder Inquiry. indybay.org Mandated reporters and first responders repeatedly and willfully fail to provide emergency mental health intervention for Aaron's schizophrenic brother, Jacob. The end result is the death of a loved one after a 5 week escalation spanning a speculated 8 calls to authorities.
(2020-10-17). Behavior and body in the sights of capital. indybay.org The proclamation of states of emergency in the spring of 2020, even if not in all countries, helped to consolidate a state crisis management system that overturned constitutions and now completely bypassed democratic decision-making processes. In the name of public health… the measures were presented as without alternative and divergent expert opinions were ignored or defamed.
(2020-10-17). Trump Admin Issues CDC Eviction Moratorium Guidance to Benefit Landlords over Renters. indybay.org Change's To Coronavirus Covid-19 CDC Eviction Moratorium:…
(2020-10-17). [Editorial] Global health: time for radical change? thelancet.com What strategies should governments adopt to improve the health of their citizens? Amid the COVID-19 syndemic it would be easy to focus attention on global health security—at a minimum, strong public health and health-care systems. WHO has based its global health strategy on three pillars: universal health coverage, health emergencies, and better health and wellbeing. The indispensable elements of robust public health and health care are well known and endlessly rehearsed—a capable health workforce; effective, safe, and high-quality service delivery; health information systems; access to essential medi…
(2020-10-17). [Global Health Metrics] Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990—2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. thelancet.com As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and development investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identi…