The Sick Joke of Donald Trump's Presidency Isn't Funny Any More

THE GUARDIAN: The coronavirus outbreak has revealed the full stupidity, incompetence and selfishness of the president to deadly effect

For three long years the world has been treated to the sick joke of Donald Trump’s presidency. Some days were more sick than others. But now the joke is over.

So is the entire facade of the Trump White House: the gold-plated veneer of power and grift will be stripped bare by a global pandemic and recession.

Of all the obituaries we’ll read in the next several weeks, every one will be more meaningful than the political end of a former reality-TV star.

But make no mistake. The humanitarian crisis about to unfold will consume what’s left of this president and the Republican party that surrendered its self-respect and sense of duty to flatter his ego and avoid his angry tweets.

Trump was right about one thing, and only one thing, as the coronavirus started to spread across the world. The sight of thousands of dead Americans will hurt him politically. It will also hurt many thousands of Americans in reality. » Richard Wolffe | Friday, March 13, 2020

Coronavirus : les « lieux recevant du public » non essentiels fermés dès minuit

LE POINT: Edouard Philippe a annoncé samedi soir la fermeture dès minuit et « jusqu'à nouvel ordre » de tous les « lieux recevant du public non indispensables à la vie du pays », appelant les Français à « plus de discipline » face à la pandémie de coronavirus. Restaurants, bars, discothèques, cinémas sont appelés à fermer leurs portes. Les commerces sont aussi touchés, à l'exception des magasins alimentaires, pharmacies, banques, bureaux de tabac ou encore stations-essence, a précisé le Premier ministre. En revanche, le premier tour des élections municipales se déroulera dimanche « comme prévu ». Le directeur général de la Santé Jérôme Salomon a annoncé que 830 nouveaux cas de patients infectés par le nouveau coronavirus avaient été détectés en France, pour un total de 4 500 depuis le début de l'épidémie qui a fait pour l'heure 91 morts dans le pays. » | Par LePoint.fr (avec AFP) | Samedi 14 mars 2020

Be Careful. Trump May Exploit the Coronavirus Crisis for Authoritarian Ends

THE GUARDIAN: When he no can longer lie or deny, he’ll blame immigrants, journalists, people of color, liberals and other enemies

Donald Trump’s Oval Office address on coronavirus was terrifying because it revealed a man completely unmatched to the moment. Even though he was reading from a teleprompter, the president got the details of his major policy announcements wrong. He attempted no emotional connection with or comfort of the tens of millions of Americans whose lives are being upended by the threat of the disease. He didn’t even have anything useful to say about what his own top scientist has described as America’s “failing” testing regime, which has screened about as many people all year as South Korea does in a day. In a presidency accustomed to lows, this one was quite literally sickening. » | Andrew Gawthorpe* | Saturday, March 14, 2020


* Andrew Gawthorpe is a historian of the United States at Leiden University

Coronavirus: US to Extend Travel Ban to UK and Ireland

BBC: The US is to extend its European coronavirus travel ban to include the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The ban will begin at midnight EST on Monday (04:00 GMT Tuesday), Vice-President Mike Pence announced. » | Saturday, March 14, 2020

Italians Sing Patriotic Songs from Their Balconies During Coronavirus Lockdown

THE GUARDIAN: Neighbours from Naples to Tuscany make harmonies across empty streets to lift spirits and pass the time during quarantine

Italians have been singing from their balconies across the country, in an effort to boost morale during its nationwide lockdown that began this week, due to Covid-19.

Videos of Italian neighbours singing together have been appearing on social media after Italy’s prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced the restrictions that shut down virtually all daily life, and leftonly grocery stores, banks, and pharmacies open. » | Christine Kearney | Saturday, March 14, 2020



Italians Cope with Quarantine by Singing on Their Balconies »

Rom zu Zeiten von Corona - "La Dolce Vita" in Quarantäne | ARTE

Der Coronavirus breitet sich weiter aus. Immer mehr Städte sind in Quarantäne. Rom in Zeiten von Corona: Einen Espresso im Bistro zu bestellen, ist in Italien zu einem Akt des Widerstandes geworden. Denn um die Covid-19 Epidemie einzudämmen, hat der Ministerpräsident drastische Maßnahmen ergriffen: Schulen und Geschäfte wurden geschloßen, Fußballspiele und andere Menschenansammlungen abgesagt. Der italienische Alltag beschränkt sich fortan (fast) auf die eigenen vier Wände. Mit unserem Korrespondenten tauchen wir in das Leben unter Quarantäne ein.

Switzerland Imposes Sweeping Measures to Contain Coronavirus

SWISS INFO: Switzerland has closed schools throughout the country and imposed a ban on public gatherings of more than 100 people. The government pledged CHF10 billion ($10.6 billion) in emergency aid to support the economy and re-introduced in principle border checks with neighbouring countries.

The package of measures was announced at a news conference attended by four of the seven government ministers on Friday.

The ban on gatherings will last until at least the end of April while schools will be closed until April 4 (some cantons have bans until April 30). The border with Italy will remain open but further restrictions will be applied. Furthermore, border controls with other European countries have been tightened with a suspension of the single border agreement. Switzerland is not a member state of the European Union but is included in the Schengen zone.

The CHF10 billion ($10.6 billion) aid package is aimed at helping companies survive the economic downturn caused by coronavirus. » | Urs Geiser and Matthew Allen | Friday, March 13, 2020

Coronavirus: US Travel Ban on Europe Begins as Many Countries Step Up Containment

THE GUARDIAN: Saudi Arabia suspends all international flights, New Zealand introduces quarantine for almost all arrivals

The travel ban from Europe to the United States has come into force, as a growing number of countries across the world ramp up their efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

President Trump’s travel ban on the 26 countries of the Schengen area began as part of stepped up efforts by his administration to tackle the growing Covid-19 outbreak, including the declaration of a national emergency, freeing up $50bn in federal funding and promising a screening website and drive-through tests.

The travel ban excludes the UK and Ireland, but Donald Trump has said the UK could be added to the list of European countries included.

Many other countries also stepped up their fight against the virus, including Saudi Arabia which suspended all international flights for two weeks, starting on Sunday. The period will be considered as an exceptional official holiday for citizens and residents who are unable to return due to the suspension of flights or if they face quarantine after their return to the Kingdom, state news agency, SPA, cited the official as saying. The country has reported 86 coronavirus cases.

In New Zealand, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced that she would introduce “the widest-ranging and toughest border restrictions of anyone in the world”, also from midnight on Sunday. » | Rebecca Ratcliffe | Saturday, March 14, 2020

Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Cause a Global Recession? I Inside Story

Stock markets around the world have had a turbulent week with some of the worst losses in over 30 years. It's the world's biggest health emergency. The coronavirus outbreak is now a pandemic, and there are fears it can lead to a catastrophic global economic crisis.

Sweeping containment measures have disrupted markets around the world - including in the US. A travel ban on 26 European countries came into effect on Friday and the unprecedented move sent stocks crashing to their worst losses in over 30 years.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 10 percent on Thursday -- its biggest plunge since the Black Monday crash of 1987. While European markets showed some signs of recovery on Friday. So, what's the economic fallout?

Presenter: James Bays | Guests: Pedro Da Costa - Senior Reporter at Market News International; Hosuk Lee-Makiyama - Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy; Gareth Leather - Senior Economist who specialises in Asian and emerging markets at the firm Capital Economics

Coronavirus: WHO Accuses Governments of 'Alarming Levels of Inaction' | DW News

The World Health Organisation has declared the coronavirus a pandemic and accused governments of "alarming levels of inaction". The WHO says it hopes using the word 'pandemic' will shock lethargic governments into taking more decisive measures. One of the worst-hit countries, Italy, has announced another wave of restrictions. Now, all shops, except food stores and pharmacies, will be closed to try to halt the spread of the disease. US President Donald Trump has banned nearly all travel from Europe to the United States starting at midnight on Friday. The ban will last for 30 days, but excludes the UK and Ireland and a few other countries outside the Schengen passport-free travel area. Trump said clusters of coronavirus infections in the US were traceable to people coming from Europe. He blamed the European Union for failing to act quickly enough to prevent the spread of the disease.

Emmanuel Macron : Adresse aux Français

Gleich richtet sich die Kanzlerin an alle Deutschen | BILD Live

In der Corona-Krise kommt jetzt eine Ansprache von Kanzlerin Merkel an alle in Deutschland.

Trump Calls COVID-19 “Foreign Virus” as Lack of Universal Healthcare Makes the Pandemic Worse

After downplaying the threat of coronavirus for days, President Donald Trump addressed the nation Wednesday from the Oval Office, calling COVID-19 a “foreign virus” and announcing an unprecedented travel ban from most of Europe to the U.S. He also said he will expand sick leave. This comes as Senate Republicans blocked paid sick leave legislation. Robert Pollin, distinguished university professor of economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, says the lack of universal healthcare in the U.S. is exacerbating the coronavirus crisis due to “the absurdity that people cannot feel confident that they are going to get medical treatment” when they need it most. In 2018, Pollin co-authored a paper titled “Economic Analysis of Medicare for All.” His forthcoming book, co-authored with Noam Chomsky, is “The Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal: The Political Economy of Saving the Planet.”

Everyone Questioning Biden's Mental Fitness

Joe Biden’s mental fitness is a huge concern. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian, hosts of The Young Turks, break it down.

Trump’s Re-election Chances Suddenly Look Shakier

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Weeks ago, his advisers were counting on a strong economy and a Democratic opponent easily portrayed as too far left. But the political landscape has sharply shifted.

President Trump faces the biggest challenge yet to his prospects of being re-elected, with his advisers’ two major assumptions for the campaign — a booming economy and an opponent easily vilified as too far left — quickly evaporating.

After a year in which Mr. Trump has told voters that they must support his re-election or risk watching the economy decline, the stock market is reeling and economists are warning that a recession could be on the horizon because of the worsening spread of the coronavirus.

And instead of elevating Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, as Mr. Trump made clear was his hope, Democrats have suddenly and decisively swung from a flirtation with socialism to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who has run a primary campaign centered on a return to political normalcy.

“Biden’s success in the suburbs makes him an acceptable alternative to Trump,” said Scott Reed, the top political adviser for the United States Chamber of Commerce. “His turnout in the suburbs threatens the Republican Senate.” » | Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin | Thursday, March 12, 2020

Sanders Presses Biden on Key Issues

Trump Delivers National Address on Coronavirus (Full Video)

Richard Wolff: Banks Are Trembling!

Economist and founder of Democracy at Work Dr. Richard Wolff and broadcasting legend Larry King join Rick Sanchez to weigh in on Wall Street's terrifying Monday plunge, the worst since 2008. They explain the link between oil exploration and extraction and the debt that fuels it. They also discuss the role of the coronavirus outbreak in the economic crisis and its likely influence on US politics.

A Fumbled Global Response to the Virus in a Leadership Void

THE NEW YORK TIMES: While world leaders are at last speaking out about the gravity of the pandemic, their voices are less a choir than a cacophony, with the United States absent from its traditional conductor role.

LONDON — In Frankfurt, the president of the European Central Bank warned that the coronavirus could trigger an economic crash as dire as that of 2008. In Berlin, the German chancellor warned the virus could infect two-thirds of her country’s population. In London, the British prime minister rolled out a nearly $40 billion rescue package to cushion his economy from the shock.

As the toll of those afflicted by the virus continued to soar and financial markets from Tokyo to New York continued to swoon, world leaders are finally starting to find their voices about the gravity of what is now officially a pandemic.

Yet it remains less a choir than a cacophony — a dissonant babble of politicians all struggling, in their own way, to cope with the manifold challenges posed by the virus, from its crushing burden on hospitals and health care workers to its economic devastation and rising death toll.

The choir also lacks a conductor, a role played through most of the post-World War II era by the United States.

President Trump has failed to work with other leaders to fashion a common response, preferring to promote his border wall over the scientific advice of his own medical experts. » | Mark Landler | Wednesday, March 11, 2020, updated Thursday, March 12, 2020

A Room With a View • O Mio Babbino Caro • Kiri Te Kanawa

Soundtrack/theme music from the 1985 James Ivory film "A Room With A View" with Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Day-Lewis, Julian Sands, Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliot, Judi Dench, Simon Callow & Rupert Graves. Based on the novel by EM Forster. "O Mio Babbino Caro" ("Oh My Beloved Father") is a soprano aria from the opera Gianni Schicchi (1918) by Giacomo Puccini.