(2020-05-13). Was it worth it? Pompeo dons fashionable flag-themed mask at Israel airport… then takes it off for meetings. rt.com 
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emerged from his plane after touching down for a flying visit to Israel sporting an especially patriotic red, white and blue striped mask — but the novelty didn't last long. | Pompeo disembarked from his plane at Ben Gurion Airport wearing the colorful face gear, which many news outlets described as a "US flag" mask. Upon closer inspection, however, it appears the face-covering could have been a creative mash-up of the US and Israeli flags, given the addition of blue and white stripes and blue stars. | @IsraeliPM (2020-05-13). Chechen leader Kadyrov BANNED from Instagram AGAIN, loses account with 1.4 MILLION followers. rt.com 
For many in the 21st century, losing social media access would be a devastating blow. However, for Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, it's just another day. For the third time in three years, Kadyrov has been banned from Instagram. | According to Instagram's owners, Facebook, the ban was in relation to US sanctions against the Chechen leader. | Since 2017, Kadyrov has been sanctioned by the United States under the terms of the Magnitsky Act. Signed by President Barack Obama in 2012, and later expanded in 2016, the Magnitsky Act enables the US government to sanction foreign government officials implicated in allege…
(2020-05-13). 'They will not silence us': Michigan activists undeterred after Facebook removes anti-lockdown group with 380,000 members. rt.com 
Facebook has shuttered a popular group for Michiganders who oppose their governor's extreme lockdown measures, fueling debate about free speech during the coronavirus crisis. | 'Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine' had more than 380,000 members, with media reports describing it as one of the largest anti-lockdown groups in the nation. It's not clear if Facebook has provided an explanation for the group's removal. Visiting the page gives the following message: "Sorry, this content isn't available right now." | Garrett Soldano of Mattawan, Michigan created Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine in Apri…
(2020-05-13). Assange's extradition: September 7 set for resumption of delayed hearing, WikiLeaks says. rt.com 
"A date of September 7 has been set for the resumption of Julian Assange's delayed extradition hearing," WikiLeaks tweeted on Wednesday. A court location has yet to be determined, it said. | A London court said on May 4 that the US extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Assange would resume in September. It had been postponed from later this month because of the coronavirus outbreak. | Assange is wanted by US authorities to stand trial for conspiring to hack government computers and espionage. The extradition case began in February for a week before being adjourned until May 18 for another three weeks of a…
(2020-05-13). Break or retirement? Russia's 'Angelina Jolie' of curling Anastasia Bryzgalova puts competitive career on hold. rt.com 
Russian curling stunner Anastasia Bryzgalova who became a viral hit during the 2018 PyeongChang Games, drawing comparisons with Angelina Jolie, has put her competitive career on ice. | The 27-year-old curling star who is taking a break from competitions will focus on training mixed-double duets serving as a second team coach in the Russian national team. | "I wanted to take a break right after the Winter O…
(2020-05-13). #WearOrange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day 2020 (virtual). indybay.org Social media…
(2020-05-13). Reeling From Controversy, Facebook Launches Faceless Lobbying Group to Influence Congress, Regulators. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-05-13). Right-wing Facebook groups threaten to assassinate Michigan Governor Whitmer. wsws.org Extreme right-wing members of private Facebook groups have made threats to assassinate the Michigan governor in response to her "stay home, stay safe" executive order.
(2020-05-13). National Nurses Day: Not all heroes wear capes. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Photo and article are courtesy of Mayo Clinic News Center andMayo Clinic Employee Facebook. Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear scrubs, protective equipment and step out in difficult times to be there for others. As COVID-19 continues to spread and people heed notices to socially distance themselves and hunker down in their homes, there …
(2020-05-13). Africa: COVID Crisis Could Lead to Increase in AIDS Deaths. telesurenglish.net WHO and UNAIDS representatives warned on May 12 that an AIDS treatment could increase the total sum of HIV-related deaths by up to 500,000 in Africa. | RELATED: | According to the UNAIDS modeling group preclusion, the COVID-19 crisis could cause antiretroviral drug scarcity and treatment to cease if African HIV patients are not prioritized during the COVID spread. UN and WHO forecasts show a possible half million peo…
(2020-05-12). Facebook paying $52 million settlement to moderators who claim they developed PTSD through work. rt.com 
Current and former moderators for Facebook will each be receiving $1,000 or more, as part of a settlement in a lawsuit that claimed having to deal with censoring content made them develop post traumatic stress disorder. | The social media giant will be paying out extra to individuals for additional mental health issues stemming from their jobs, such as depression. The settlement, first reported by
(2020-05-12). British propaganda efforts in Syria may have broken UK law. thealtworld.com 
Ian Cobain, Alice Ross- Internal assessment concluded UK government's covert support of 'moderate opposition' was shallow, lacked coherence and cost lives | MEE- The UK's covert propaganda programmes in war-torn Syria were poorly planned, probably illegal and cost lives, according to a scathing internal review of the initiative that has been seen by Middle East Eye. | Using news agencies, social media, poster campaigns and even children's comics, communications companies working under contract to the British government attempted to undermine both the Assad government and the Islamic State group and bolster elemen…
(2020-05-12). PROPAGANDA has diminished the Soviet Union's role in victory over fascism — Russian foreign minister. rt.com 
The White House shocked the internet on May 8 when it posted a now-infamous tweet declaring the USA and the UK as the victors of World War II, omitting the USSR. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov believes propaganda is to blame. | Speaking at a press conference, Lavrov recalled how, at the Holocaust Forum in January, US Vice President Mike Pence forgot that the Soviets liberated Auschwitz. | "To be frank, it doesn't surprise me to hear such things," he said, following an online meeting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers. "It's not because we suspect that any particular politician is deliberately obscuring hi…
(2020-05-12). 'I feel terrible': Bill Gates says he warned Trump of pandemic threat in 2016, regrets not doing more. rt.com 
Microsoft founder and multi-billionaire Bill Gates said he tried to warn President-elect Donald Trump of the dangers of a major viral outbreak soon after the 2016 race, but feels guilty for not being more vocal. | "I chose, when I met with people all the way up to the top, in Europe, in the US, around the world, to talk about this pandemic risk," he told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Monday, explaining that he even made the case to the US president during a December 2016 meeting at Trump Tower. | I feel terrible. The whole point of talking about it was that we could take action and minim…
(2020-05-12). Police officer rants about 'tyrannical' & 'unconstitutional' Covid-19 measures… gets in trouble for 'insubordination' (VIDEOS). rt.com 
A US police officer has urged fellow cops to stop enforcing coronavirus lockdown measures, slamming them as "unconstitutional." While his call to action landed him in trouble, other officers have started to speak out as well. | Port of Seattle Officer Greg Anderson was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation after he appeared in a viral video last weekend arguing the lockdown measures are violating the US Constitution and "trampling on people's liberties," questioning the restrictions and whether enforcing them is "the right thing" to do. | I want to remind you that regardless of where you stan…
(2020-05-12). COVID-19 deaths among nurses: U.S. 91, Canada zero. Why? peoplesworld.org 
OAKLAND, Calif.—There's a yawning gap between the number of U.S. nurses the viral pandemic has killed so far in the U.S. and the number of Canadian nurses killed. The count as of May 11: U.S. 91, Canada, zero. That prompted National Nurses United President Zunei Cortez, RN, of California and her Canadian counterpart, Linda Silas, …
(2020-05-12). COVID-19 deaths among nurses: U.S. 91, Canada 0. Why? peoplesworld.org OAKLAND, Calif.—There's a yawning gap between the number of U.S. nurses the viral pandemic has killed so far in the U.S. and the number of Canadian nurses killed. The count as of May 11: U.S. 91, Canada, 0. That prompted National Nurses United President Zunei Cortez, RN, of California and her Canadian counterpart, Linda Silas, …
(2020-05-12). Bolivia Police Repress Protesters That Can't Afford Lockdown. telesurenglish.net Hundreds of people were violently repressed by security forces Monday in the Bolivian K'ara K'ara community located in Cochabamba city, as they took to the streets to demand that the de facto government eases the COVID-19 lockdown as they cannot afford it anymore. | RELATED: | Videos circulating on social media showed demonstrators fiercely attacked by the police and army who did not hesitate to use tear gas and rubber bullets, inj…
(2020-05-12). "Operation Volute": Covert UK Propaganda Efforts in Syria May Have Broken UK Law. globalresearch.ca The UK's covert propaganda programmes in war-torn Syria were poorly planned, probably illegal and cost lives, according to a scathing internal review of the initiative that has been seen by Middle East Eye. | Using news agencies, social media, poster campaigns …
(2020-05-12). The Important "Plandemic" Documentary that Has Justifiably Gone "Viral" globalresearch.ca The powers-that-be behind the banning of "Plandemic" and the disparaging and slandering of Dr Judy Mikovitz are obviously afraid of something that will expose them for planning something evil. Tyrannical corporate forces, starting with Google and YouTube and the CDC …
(2020-05-12). Delayed Antibiotic Prescriptions in Ambulatory Care—Reconsidering a Problematic Practice. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint discusses the unintended adverse consequences of delayed antibiotic prescribing—provision of an antibiotic prescription to be filled at a later date if a patient's condition has not improved—and calls on clinicians to avoid the practice in patients who have self-limited conditions with likely viral etiologies.
(2020-05-12). Pharmacologic Treatments for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). jamanetwork.com This narrative review summarizes what is currently known about how SARS-CoV-2 infects cells and causes disease as a basis for considering whether chloroquine, remdisivir and other antivirals, or other existing drugs might be effective treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
(2020-05-11). "Weaponized and Racialized": Police Departments Use COVID-19 to Target Black & Brown Communities. democracynow.org 
Viral images have shone a spotlight on uneven policing. Some show police officers distributing masks to White residents in crowded New York City parks — and apparently arresting no one. Meanwhile, videos have emerged of violent crackdowns on social distancing measures in Black and Latinx neighborhoods. We continue our look at how Black and Brown communities are being disproportionately targeted and policed in New York City's enforcement measures during the pandemic, and also discuss how officers have ordered protesters to disband, citing executive orders from the mayor and the governor that ban "any non-ess…
(2020-05-11). 'Binders full of women' anyone? Biden blasted for 'calendar model' VP search. rt.com 
Joe Biden is getting put through the ringer on social media for his latest reported blunder, comparing vice presidential picks to calendar models, which looks especially bad considering he wants a female running mate. | The tidbit that set social media ablaze was buried in a friendly New York Times piece about Biden picking a vice presidential nominee for November. | "Mr. Biden has likened running-mate evaluation to deciding among calendar models," The Times
(2020-05-11). Trumka proposes universal federal jobs payments. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON —Sticking to a here-and-now solution to coronavirus-caused joblessness, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka proposed the federal government guarantee paid employment — by actually shelling out the money — for all workers. Employers would be a pass-through, nothing more. In a 13-minute speech posted on the federation's Facebook page, Trumka said that with unemployment at highs …
(2020-05-11). Huawei goes FULL WOKE with black 'Covid-19 misinformation' panel to battle White House criticism. rt.com 
The US branch of Chinese tech giant Huawei has chosen a stunning and brave new public relations strategy to combat criticism, announcing web events with black journalists, environmentalists and women in technology. | Arguing that Covid-19 misinformation is "hitting African American, Asian, Hispanic, rural & low-income Americans hard," Huawei USA announced a May 13 event with musician will.i.am and CNN contributor and former Obama adviser Van Jones — among others — hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists. | #Misinformation on (2020-05-11). US coronavirus death toll tops 80,000. rt.com 
Deaths from the Covid-19 pandemic in the US have topped 80,000, just as some states have begun relaxing lockdown measures and President Donald Trump tweeted the numbers are "looking much better." | WH officials had previously predicted a death total of 100,000 to 240,000 from the virus. Some states have already begun slowly reopening, including New York, which has been the hardest hit state in the US. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday some non-essential businesses will be allowed to reopen on Friday, declaring a partial victory over the virus, saying, "we are on the other side of the mountain." | The p…
(2020-05-12). Elon Musk Stirs Up Online Crowd With 'Kylie Jenner Pregnancy' Meme. sputniknews.com While many netizens seemed to appreciate Musk's tweet and responded with a barrage of memes of their own, some appeared to suggest that perhaps Elon should take a break from social media.
(2020-05-12). 'Like in Avatar': Natural Phenomenon Making California's Ocean Waters Glow Blue Wows Internet. sputniknews.com The phenomenon in question is caused by bioluminescence emitted by certain species of phytoplankton during an algal bloom event known as red tide.
(2020-05-11). Cartoon of "Campus Seen Through the Eyes of Conservatives" Goes Viral Because Right-Wingers Didn't Understand It Was Satire. commondreams.org "Right-wing idiots didn't realize the joke is on them not the students." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/thecampus.jpg …
(2020-05-11). How Much Are You Prepared to Pay for Your 'Free' Press? Arab Media Wars Are Driving Us All Towards Twitter. strategic-culture.org In the coming months, it is likely that more Arab media titles in the region will fold following the financial crisis and the vociferous media wars which they conduct which are costly and self-defeating. How do you like your fake news? With or without a media banner? | World Press Day passed like a thief in the night in the Arab world. It's largely seen as something lauded by western countries who use it to chastise what they see as backward countries with authoritarian leaders who only know the one model of journalism in their countries: pay-as-you-go. | Or, if you like, the advanced version of the state dictati…
(2020-05-11). Colombia: Avianca Airlines Declares Bankruptcy Due to COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Colombian airline Avianca announced Sunday that they are declaring bankruptcy after an 80% income drop due to the health crisis. | RELATED: | Avianca Holdings airline representatives published a communication announcing voluntary bankruptcy declaration to protect future operations. "Today our wings are closed so that tomorrow we can all continue to fly "tweeted Anko van der Werff, Avianca president. | The compa…
(2020-05-11). Senator Nina Turner has something to Share! peoplesparty.org has something to share! | I'm happy to say that after her courageous show of support last weekend, Senator Nina Turner will be joining us on a National Call soon. She wanted me to let you know she's been watching our movement with admiration for some time. | SNT has a history of standing up for what is right, even in the face of immense pressure and adversity. She is not afraid to stand up for bold new ideas. |
(2020-05-11). Bahrain Blocks Event Criticizing Normalization With Israel. telesurenglish.net Authorities in Bahrain canceled Saturday an online event on the Gulf state's normalization of relations with Israel, shortly after its transmission began on YouTube. | RELATED: | The event's organizer, the Bahraini Democratic Youth Society, said it had received a phone call from the security authorities ordering them to stop live-streaming the event "without discussions." | The president of Bahrain's chapter o…
(2020-05-11). HIV Deaths Could Double in Sub-Saharan Africa Due to COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Disruption of antiretroviral therapy in HIV/AIDS patients due to the COVID-19 pandemic could cause more than 500,000 deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa over the next year, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nation (U.N.) AIDS said Monday. | RELATED: | Modeling conducted for the two U.N. agencies revealed that a six-month interruption in HIV healthcare services could set the region back by a decade when almost one mi…
(2020-05-11). Wisconsin: COVID — 19 outbreaks at Brown County meat packing plants show hypocrisy of "essential worker" designation. fightbacknews.org Green Bay, WI – While Wisconsin business owners and their political allies claimed local COVID-19 cases were on the decline and pressed to repeal Governor Ever's Safer at Home order, manufacturing plants in Brown County were experiencing a huge outbreak of the deadly viral disease amongst the workers. Cases at three meatpacking plants – JBS Packerland, American Foods Group, and Salm Partners – have accounted for over half of the county's cases, even as the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union fought for and won vital hazard pay, safer working conditions, and personal protection equipment (PPE) for its…
(2020-05-10). Elon Musk resorts to insults in RUSSIAN to defend capitalism. rt.com 
As Elon Musk sues Californian authorities for stopping a Tesla factory from reopening, he has found a somewhat novel way of dealing with his critics — dismissing them with short Russian insults. | The target of Musk's Cyrillic ire is Robert Reich, an economist and labor secretary under the Clinton administration. A well-known proponent of fairer distribution of wealth, Reich shared a story about the Tesla CEO's plans for legal action in the Golden State with the comment: "Elon Musk threatens to take away people's jobs unless he's allowed to risk their health. Capitalism at its worst." | Elon Musk threate…
(2020-05-10). Trump to blame — again! Atlanta mayor pins controversial shooting of Ahmaud Arbery on WH 'rhetoric' giving 'permission to racists'. rt.com 
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has used the controversial shooting of Ahmaud Arbery to attack the "rhetoric" being used by US President Donald Trump and his administration. | "It's 2020 and this was a 'lynching' of an African American man," Bottoms told CNN on Sunday about the case of Arbery, a black jogger who was allegedly chased and killed by two white men in Georgia at the end of February. | Arbery's case has gained national attention mainly due to the fact that murder charges were not filed until a cellphone video showing the 25-year-old man being confronted went viral in recent days. Gregory McMichae…
(2020-05-10). NYC more than doubles number of 'social-distancing ambassadors' after cops' enforcement of Covid-19 rules causes backlash. rt.com 
Following troubling viral videos of arrests and concerns about racial disparity in enforcing Covid-19-related social distancing, Mayor Bill De Blasio says he is increasing "ambassadors" in the city from 1,000 to 2,300. | "Enforcement has always been the last resort," the mayor said at a press conference Sunday. | His comment comes in the wake of the city having come under increased scrutiny thanks to a viral video, of what some have flagged as police brutality, showing NYPD officers arresting several people suspected of breaking social-distancing rules, and also to statistics showing the last few months have s…
(2020-05-10). Nicola Sturgeon just blew a key Johnson coronavirus claim wide open. thecanary.co Just as Boris Johnson Stay what…?: | On Sunday 10 May, Twitter was
(2020-05-08). HIGH-FREQUENCY failure of combination antiretroviral therapy in paediatric HIV infection is associated with unmet maternal needs causing maternal NON-ADHERENCE. thelancet.com The success of early infant testing and cART initiation strategies is severely limited by subsequent cART non-adherence in HIV-infected children. Although there are practical challenges to administering paediatric cART formulations, these are overcome by mothers who themselves are cART-adherent. These findings point to the ongoing obligation to address the unmet needs of the mothers. Eliminating the particular barriers preventing adequate treatment for these vulnerable women and infants need to be prioritised in order to achieve durable suppression of viraemia on cART, let alone HIV cure/remission, in HIV-infecte…