2020-04-04: News Headlines

WSWS (2020-04-04). Amid India's calamitous lockdown, Modi seeks to censor coronavirus reports. wsws.org India's Supreme Court has ordered media outlets to publicize "official" government-authored coronavirus reports, and threatened prosecution if they disseminate "fake news."

John Nichols (2020-04-04). 'We Will Not Sit Back and Let Transit Workers Be Treated Like Cannon Fodder'. thenation.com 'We Will Not Sit Back and Let Transit Workers Be Treated Like Cannon Fodder'

sputniknews (2020-04-04). Russian Historian Reveals Which Puppet Ally Hitler Was Ready to Sacrifice Berlin For. sputniknews.com 75 years ago, from January to May 1945, the Allies began the final push for the heart of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich, knocking down one puppet regime after another and counting down the days to the Nazis' surrender.

RT (2020-04-03). AOC slammed for blaming coronavirus deaths on inequality… after championing shutdown that accelerated it. rt.com Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has demanded minority-focused "reparations" for coronavirus, insisting "inequality is a comorbidity" exacerbating the deaths — after calling for shutdowns that impoverished millions. | The New York Democrat called for coronavirus relief to be "drafted with a lens of reparations," insisting that deaths from the virus were "disproportionately spiking in Black [and] Brown communities" in a tweet on Friday. | Blaming "the chronic toll of redlining, environmental racism, wealth gap," she smoothly conflated economic inequality — a problem in white and nonwhite commun…

RT (2020-04-03). 'Dark day' in Prague: Czech authorities use sham 'no mask' Covid-19 excuse to tear down monument to Soviet liberator. rt.com A monument to Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev, who commanded the forces that liberated Prague from the Nazis in 1945, has been removed and mocked for 'not having a mask' by one local official, in what Russia has condemned as an insult.

Eds. (2020-04-03). Brazil Supreme Court asks to suspend Bolsonaro for 180 days. mronline.org Marco Aurélio Mello, a Minister of Brazil's Supreme Court, sent the Attorney General's Office a request to suspend President Jair Bolsonaro from his post for 180 days for committing various actions that have put the country at risk in the face of the covid-19 health emergency, according to a Telesur report.

Omar Shaban (2020-04-03). Gaza's New Conflict: COVID-19. counterpunch.org At a time when everyone was celebrating the arrival of a new decade, a rare once-in-a-100-year event took the world by surprise: a major global pandemic named COVID-19. Governments around the world struggled to fight the virus, taking extreme measures to contain it with nearly one billion people now living in confinement. At first, Palestinians

Rami Almeghari (2020-04-03). Israeli Police Abducts Palestinian Minister Of Jerusalem Affairs. imemc.org The Israeli police forces in the internationally recognized occupied East Jerusalem, abducted early on Friday dawn the Palestinian Authority's minister of Jerusalem Affairs, Fadi al-Hidmi. Local Palestinian media outlets said a police force broke into the home of al-Hadmi in the Suwwana neighborhood and abducted him. The sources added several …

PCHR (2020-04-03). PCHR: Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (26 March — 1 April 2020). imemc.org Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) 26 March — 1 April 2020 Summary Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued to violate Palestinians' human rights and commit crimes against civilians and their properties, conducting raids into Palestinian cities without regard to the state of emergency declared across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) …

The Palestinian News & Info Agency (2020-04-03). WAFA: "10 Detainees At Ofer Embark On Hunger Strike" imemc.org RAMALLAH, Thursday, April 2, 2020 (WAFA) — Ten Palestinian political prisoners at Ofer detention camp, southwest of Ramallah, embarked today on an open-ended hunger strike in protest against the ongoing solitary confinement of two fellow prisoners, as well as against Israel's failure to provide the conditions to prevent a high …

Ramzy Baroud (2020-04-03). Tunisia Leads the Way: New Report Exposes Israel's False Democracy. counterpunch.org Tunisia is the Middle East's greatest success story, according to the findings of the V-Dem Annual Democracy Report 2019. One of the world's most regarded annual reports on democracy and good governance, the V-Dem Report is produced by the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. While Tunisians can be

Rami Almeghari (2020-04-03). PLO official Decries Israeli Actions Amidst Spread of Coronavirus. imemc.org Member of Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Dr. Hanan Ashrawi denounced on Friday, Israel's actions which she described as hampering Palestinian efforts, underway, to fight the Coronavirus (COVID-19). | In a statement released Friday, the high-ranking Palestinian official, Dr.

Fight Back (2020-04-03). Anti-war leaders condemn Trump's war moves against Venezuela. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN — Anti-war leaders are condemning U.S. war moves against Venezuela. The Trump administration has indicted Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, and a U.S. naval deployment is underway. | Cassia Laham, of the Florida anti-war group People's Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), states, "The indictment against Maduro is an absolutely transparent move by the U.S. imperialists to try, yet again, to take down the two-time democratically-elected government of Venezuela." | Laham continued, "The U.S. cannot stand that Venezuela has rejected American neoliberalism and has been trying…

splcenter (2020-04-03). Detained immigrants across Deep South feel like 'sitting ducks' as ICE ignores their safety amid global pandemic. splcenter.org COVID-19 began to infect the nation at rapid speed in March, reaching every corner of the country and taking the lives of more than 6,000 people by April 3. The United Nations has dubbed the coronavirus the "most challenging" crisis the globe has witnessed since World War II.

Kenneth Good (2020-04-03). The Apartheid Wars: Non-Accountability and Freedom for Perpetrators. counterpunch.org The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was a vital means to save the country from unending civil war. These had raged with increasing intensity since 1960, and in 1994 the forces of oppression were militarily intact. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu, soon to be chair of the Commission observed in 1995, "Nuremberg trials" were not for

Ramzy Baroud (2020-04-02). New Reports Place Israel Among World's 25 "Declining Democracies" mintpressnews.com Both Freedom House and V-DEM's Annual Democracy Report shows Israel is experiencing a precipitous decline in democracy. Thought that would hardly be surprising to the 2 million Arab citizens that live there.

Ali Salam (2020-04-02). Israeli Army Demolishes 3 Palestinian Homes under Construction near Jenin. imemc.org The Israeli army demolished, on Wednesday morning, three under construction buildings in the northern West Bank village of Rummaneh, west of the city of Jenin, reported WAFA correspondent. The source said that a large Israeli force invaded the village and proceeded to destroy the three buildings that were being built …

Ali Salam (2020-04-02). PPS Calls for Immediate Release of over 1,000 Palestinian Prisoners. imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS), on Tuesday, released a statement regarding fears for the fate of 5,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation jails, after the declaration of jailers and investigators being infected with the coronavirus, COVID-19. The Prisoners's Society added that they have experienced great difficulty in obtaining prisoner health …

Jonathan Cook (2020-04-02). How the Joint List Got it All Wrong for ever Believing Benny Gantz. dissidentvoice.org Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White party, abandoned the central plank of his platform at the weekend — that he would never sit in a coalition with Benjamin Netanyahu, who has led Israel continuously for the past 11 years. A former military general, Gantz justified his dramatic change of course under cover of …

IMEMC News (2020-04-02). Archbishop Hanna Calls For Releasing All Detainees As Coronavirus Detected In Prison. imemc.org Archbishop of Sebastia from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of occupied Jerusalem, Attallah Hanna, issued a statement calling on Israel to release the Palestinian political prisoners in its jails, especially after a recently released detainee was found to be infected with the Coronavirus. The Archbishop said that Israel must release all …

Rami Almeghari (2020-04-02). Israeli Troops Abduct 3 Palestinians, Seize 100 Sheep. imemc.org Israeli forces, overnight Wednesday, invaded Palestinian homes and abducted three residents in East Jerusalem, southern occupied West Bank, local sources reported. Sources told media outlets that Israeli troops stormed the Silwan neighborhood on Thursday at dawn, broke into several homes and abducted two Palestinian civilians, identified as Bahaa Abu Tayeh …

Rami Almeghari (2020-04-02). Israel Puts Forth a Condition for Aiding Gaza Over Coronavirus. imemc.org Palestinian media reports, citing Israeli sources, reported on Thursday that the Israeli government put forth a condition for shipping medical aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, for fighting the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Sources said that Israeli Defense Minister, Naftali Bennett, was quoted during a press briefing in Tel-Aviv, as saying …

Fight Back (2020-04-02). Stop Trump's anti-Asian Racism; Speak out against hate crimes! fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following March 29 statement from the Twin Cites based Anti-War Committee. | Racism against Asian Americans is on the rise with 650 attacks reported this last week of March, 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic deepens, Donald Trump is PURPOSEFULLY inciting these attacks. President Trump is using anti-Asian racism to distract from his bungled COVID-19 response and to demonize China. Despite the fact that Trump previously praised China's transparency and heroic efforts to curb the pandemic, he is now maliciously labeling the coronavirus as the "Chinese virus." | Trump has repea…

Katrina Huber (2020-04-02). Fighting for immigrant rights during a pandemic. splcenter.org As people across the country are confined to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, little attention has been given to a group of people whose health is in danger because they are locked away from the outside world — people in immigrant detention centers.

Kathryn Casteel and Will Tucker (2020-04-02). Alabama prisons hold more than 1,100 older people at greater COVID-19 risk. splcenter.org More than 1,100 people age 65 or older are locked away in Alabama prisons, putting a group already highly susceptible to the deadly COVID-19 virus at an even greater risk, according to an SPLC analysis of the state's prison system.

Manar Waheed (2020-04-02). COVID-19 Doesn't Discriminate — Neither Should Congress' Response. aclu.org Congress' third bill addressing the impacts of COVID-19, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), was a necessary attempt to respond to this public health crisis but its exclusion of immigrant communities is downright racist and xenophobic. Immigrants were

Rami Almeghari (2020-04-02). UN Official Calls for Assisting the Palestinian Government in Fight against Coronavirus. imemc.org United Nations' Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace, Nickolay Mladenov, called on Thursday for helping the Palestinian Authority fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19). In a new statement, reported by local media outlets, Mladenov urged key international donor countries to promptly aid the Palestinian Authority, voicing concerns amidst the rapid spread …

John Nichols (2020-04-02). 'People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote'. thenation.com 'People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote'

Chris Time Steele (2020-04-01). These Songs Kill Fascists. dissidentvoice.org These Songs Kill Fascists, my latest album, is an ode to Woody Guthrie, a call to fight fascism outside and internally. Featuring Mick Jenkins, Psalm One, Denver jazz legend Ron Miles, and platinum producer DJ Pain 1, the album tackles issues such as the murder of Heather Heyer, Denver's history with the KKK, gentrification, rape …

Steven K. Choi (2020-04-01). The Added Importance of the Census, in Light of COVID-19. aclu.org Last year around this time, my biggest worry was how the inclusion of the Trump administration's proposed citizenship question would depress participation in the decennial census. Thankfully, our Supreme Court victory means there is no citizenship question on the census. Now, I have a new worry: a global pandemic and the health of my loved ones. As it turns out, the 2020 Census plays a role here too, as it will have enormous implications on our health care for decades to come. | Specifically, the census will determine the allocation of $300 billion dollars of federal aid for the states' health care — mo…

splcenter (2020-04-01). SPLC, partners seek temporary restraining order to prevent immigration courts from becoming public health hazard. splcenter.org

Karl Grossman (2020-03-31). Right-Wing Media Joined Trump in Enabling Health Disaster. fair.org "If Hitler succeeds in pointing the way of peace and order and an ethical development which has been destroyed throughout the world by war, he will have accomplished a measure of good not only for his own people but for all humanity."—William Randolph Hearst (New York Times, The downplaying of the coronavirus by the right-wing press in the United States was preceded decades ago by the media owned by William Randolph Hearst enabling a different sort of toxicity by promoting a positive image of Nazism in the US.

Staff (2020-03-31). Dr. Abdul El-Sayed: Communities Enduring Racism & Poverty Will Suffer Most Due to COVID-19. democracynow.org As the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States tops 3,100, states are demanding ventilators and medical supplies. Michigan is a growing hot spot and struggling to prepare for a surge in cases, but President Trump has repeatedly attacked Michigan's governor, calling her "that woman." We speak with the former director of the Detroit Health Department, Abdul El-Sayed. He's a physician and epidemiologist, and his new book is just out today, "Healing Politics: A Doctor's Journey into the Heart of Our Political Epidemic." His recent piece for The Guardian is headlined "Coronavirus is exploiting an underlying…

Miko Peled (2020-03-31). Remembering Theresa Halasa: Revered Veteran of the Palestinian Resistance. mintpressnews.com Amman, Jordan — "I didn't join the Palestinian resistance because I experienced suffering, I joined out of a sense of patriotism," Theresa Halasa, a revered veteran of the Palestinian resistance said this in an In 1972, Halasa was one of four Palestinians who hijacked a Belgian Sabena airliner en route to Tel-Aviv. The objective was to keep the passengers hostage until the Israeli government agreed to release Pal…

Susan Price (2020-03-31). Palestinians face two enemies: Occupation and pandemic. greenleft.org.au The number…

splcenter (2020-03-30). Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative: COVID-19 Parole Informational Guide for Sponsors. splcenter.org

Hatewatch Staff (2020-03-30). Neo-Confederate Group Moves Ahead with Conference Amid Covid-19 Outbreak. splcenter.org Michael Hill has no intention of letting a global pandemic cancel plans for the League of the South's annual conference.

splcenter (2020-03-30). The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery played key role in launching SPLC's legal battle against Ku Klux Klan. splcenter.org The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, who died on Friday at 98 years old, was a longtime friend of the Southern Poverty Law Center and played a leading role in the SPLC's first lawsuit against the Ku Klux Klan in 1980.

Declan Terence Bradley, Mariam Abdulmonem Mansouri, Frank Kee, Leandro Martin Totaro Garcia (2020-03-28). [Commentary] A systems approach to preventing and responding to COVID-19. thelancet.com A novel zoonotic coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in a pandemic of respiratory infection [1,2]. COVID-19 has provoked restrictive infection control measures, social and economic disruption, and expressions of racism [3]. Systems thinking can help policymakers understand and influence the spread of infection and its multifaceted consequences across the community since society is itself a complex adaptive system [4]. It can provide a framework to look beyond the chain of infection and better understand the multiple implications of decisions and (in)actions in face of such a complex situation involving many inte…

splcenter (2020-03-27). Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers. splcenter.org

Cassie Miller (2020-03-26). White Supremacists See Coronavirus as an Opportunity. splcenter.org Far-right extremists believe the intense uncertainty surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19 will aid their ability to recruit new members into their movement.

splcenter (2020-03-25). Once a High-Profile Neo-Nazi, Azzmador Has Pulled a Disappearing Act. splcenter.org At "Unite the Right" in Charlottesville, Virginia, Azzmador appeared to be everywhere.

splcenter (2020-03-25). SPLC and allies seek federal court injunction in system-wide suit to protect people detained by ICE from contracting COVID-19. splcenter.org The SPLC and its allies asked a federal court today to issue a preliminary injunction requiring that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) take immediate steps to protect people in its custody, particularly those who have medical conditions making them more susceptible to serious illness and death from COVID-19.

Kathryn Casteel and Will Tucker (2020-03-24). Arbitrary & excessive: Marijuana trafficking sentences in Alabama. splcenter.org Alabama resident Lee Carroll Brooker garnered national attention in 2016 when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the marijuana trafficking case that put Brooker, in his 70s at the time, in prison for life.

Hatewatch Staff (2020-03-23). Hate Group Leaders, Antigovernment Extremists Push Anti-China Coronavirus Rhetoric. splcenter.org A litany of conservative groups and figures, including members of hate and antigovernment extremist groups, have signed a March 17 letter to President Trump asking him to investigate China for its alleged role in spreading the novel coronavirus and hiding its origins.

splcenter (2020-03-20). COVID-19 Updates: SPLC continues fight against injustice. splcenter.org We are only beginning to feel the impacts of the coronavirus, but we know that the communities we serve — including low-income people, immigrants and people of color — are already among the most affected.

splcenter (2020-03-20). Grassroots effort sponsored by SPLC protects voting rights for hundreds across South Florida. splcenter.org Clutching a clipboard full of voter registration forms under his arm, Marq Mitchell knocked on the front door of a small, beige, stucco house in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

splcenter (2020-03-20). SPLC responds to Trump's Racist and Xenophobic Attacks on Asians. splcenter.org President Trump continued to use racist and xenophobic language today during a news conference about the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. by calling it the "Chinese virus."

Michael Edison Hayden and Hannah Gais (2020-03-20). As White House Contemplates Coronavirus Asylum Ban, Hate Groups Urge Trump to Seize the Moment. splcenter.org The Trump administration took steps to block asylum seekers from entering the U.S.-Mexico border amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This nativist policy course has been pushed by anti-immigrant pundits and hate groups from the time the crisis started to unfold.

Andrea Flores (2020-03-20). How the ACLU Organized to end Racial Profiling on Greyhound Buses. aclu.org Two years ago, the ACLU set a clear goal: push Greyhound to refuse Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers access to their buses to conduct warrantless searches. As part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, CBP officers were targeting bus passengers around the country, boarding their buses to racially profile, harass, and too often, detain people who they suspected of being undocumented. Of course, you can't tell someone's immigration status by how they look or sound — this practice is unconstitutional and blatantly racist. By pushing aggressively with the help of our membership and…