Noam Chomsky on Trump’s Disastrous Coronavirus Response, Bernie Sanders & What Gives Him Hope

How did the United States — the richest country in the world — become the worldwide epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, with one person dying of COVID-19 every 47 seconds? We spend the hour with Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author, discussing this unprecedented moment in history, and its political implications, as Senator Bernie Sanders announces he is suspending his campaign for the presidency. Chomsky also describes how frontline medical workers and progressive organizing are giving him hope.

Capitalism Hits Home: COVID-19: A Psychological, Political and Economic Plague

Coronavirus: What This Crisis Reveals about US - and Its President

BBC: There are no fresh flowers at the 9/11 Memorial any more. An American altar usually decorated with roses, carnations and postcard-sized Stars and Stripes is sequestered behind a makeshift plastic railing. Broadway, the "Great White Way", is dark. The subway system is a ghost train. Staten Island ferries keep cutting through the choppy waters of New York harbour, passing Lady Liberty on the way in and out of Lower Manhattan, but hardly any passengers are on board. Times Square, normally such a roiling mass, is almost devoid of people.

In the midst of this planetary pandemic, nobody wants to meet any more at the "Crossroads of the World". A city known for its infectious energy, a city that likes to boast it never even has to sleep, has been forced into hibernation. With more cases than any other American conurbation, this city is once again Ground Zero, a term no New Yorker ever wanted applied here again. With manic suddenness, our world has been turned upside down, just as it was on September 11th.

Nations, like individuals, reveal themselves at times of crisis. In emergencies of this immense magnitude, it soon becomes evident whether a sitting president is equal to the moment. So what have we learnt about the United States as it confronts this national and global catastrophe? Will lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who have been in a form of legislative lockdown for years now, a paralysis borne of partisanship, rise to the challenge? And what of the man who now sits behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, who has cloaked himself in the mantle of "wartime president"?

Of the three questions, the last one is the least interesting, largely because Donald Trump's response has been so predictable. He has not changed. He has not grown. He has not admitted errors. He has shown little humility. » | Nick Bryant, New York correspondent | Friday, March 24, 2020

Coronavirus: New York Ramps Up Mass Burials amid Outbreak

One virus, two Americas »

Einsamkeit und Trost in Zeiten von Corona | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur

Am Sterbebett eines Corona-Kranken stand Niklaus Peter, reformierter Pfarrer vom Fraumünster Zürich, noch nicht. Aber die Gläubigen suchen per Telefon oder über die Sozialen Medien Trost und Unterstützung von ihm.

Peter ist überzeugt, dass die Krise die Menschen verändert und eine Rückbesinnung auf das wirklich Wichtige im Leben geschieht.

Welche Rolle spielt die Religion dabei? Und bewirkt physische Distanz vielleicht sogar solidarische Nähe?

Sternstunde Religion vom 5.4.2020

Queen Elizabeth Addresses Coronavirus Pandemic

Queen Elizabeth II rallied Britons in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected at least 40,000 in the country. Her remarks were pre-recorded from Windsor Castle, where she is sequestering herself.

Boris Johnson Admitted to Hospital as Queen Elizabeth Urges Resolve in Face of Epidemic »

«Die Mehrheit der Priester im Vatikan ist schwul» | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur

Mit seiner These, wonach die Mehrheit der Prälaten, Bischöfe und Kardinäle des Vatikans schwul seien, generierte der französische Soziologe und Journalist Frédéric Martel im Frühling 2019 viel Aufmerksamkeit, aber auch Unverständnis.

Sein Buch «Sodom» erschien zeitgleich in acht Sprachen und Martel wurde in unzählige Talkshows eingeladen, doch der Vatikan hüllte sich in Schweigen. Wer sich in den 30er-, 40er- und 50er-Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts als junger Mann irgendwie anders – eben homosexuell – fühlte, fand in der römisch-katholischen Kirche eine Oase, so Martel in seinem Buch «Sodom»: Männer, die unter Männern leben, andere Kleidung tragen und singen, das wäre für viele die Rettung gewesen, die zudem noch von der Gesellschaft akzeptiert war.

Gegen aussen seien diese in der Regel sehr alten Männer nun homophob, gegen innen aber homophil. Dies führe zu einer gefährlichen Doppelmoral, einer Kultur des Schweigens, die die Skandale rund um die katholische Kirche sehr unglücklich begünstigt hätten.


English version »

Jared Kushner Doesn't Want to Share Medical Masks

Saluting the Heroes of the Coronavirus Pandumbic | The Daily Show

Hannity. Rush. Dobbs. Ingraham. Pirro. Nunes. Tammy. Geraldo. Doocy. Hegseth. Schlapp. Siegel. Watters. Dr. Drew. Henry. Ainsley. Gaetz. Inhofe. Pence. Kudlow. Conway. Trump. We salute the Heroes of the Pandumbic. #DailyShow #TrevorNoah #Coronavirus

Sean Hannity defends Fox News against claims of coronavirus misinformation: 'I never called it a hoax’ »

The Guardian View on Trump and Coronavirus: Endangering American Lives

THE GUARDIAN: The abject failure of the administration has magnified this crisis. The president is already trying to pass the buck

Even in these extraordinary times, the sight of the president of the United States presenting a slide which announced as a “goal” the death of up to 240,000 of its citizens was almost beyond belief. To hit the lowest end of the target, a staggering 100,000 American deaths, would show that his administration had done “a very good job”, Donald Trump claimed this week. The highest end would be more than double the US casualties in the first world war. This could only be considered a positive outcome because the alternative is so shocking: without mitigation measures, if people fail to stay at home as advised, the US could be heading for between 1.5 million and 2.2 million deaths.

The US is now the new centre of the pandemic, with more than a fifth of the million cases reported worldwide, and more than 5,000 deaths. The vast majority of Americans – more than 300 million – are now under some form of lockdown, though the stringency of restrictions varies greatly and a few states are still holding out. Those measures have come too late to stop hospitals from being overwhelmed.

The richest country in the world is structurally ill-equipped to cope with such a crisis. The lack of universal healthcare or basic employment rights such as statutory sick pay, and the low incomes on which so many Americans survive, are conducive to the spread of disease and to it having the most serious consequences. » | Editorial | Friday, April 3, 2020

Coronavirus: More Than 10,000 Lives Lost in Spain – BBC News

The total number of coronavirus deaths in Spain has now exceeded 10,000. The country, the second-worst hit in terms of deaths, has also lost nearly 900,000 jobs.

The US on Thursday said it saw a record 6.6 million new unemployment benefit claims.

Unemployment figures are another sign of the dire impact the pandemic is having on businesses in many countries. Worldwide, confirmed coronavirus infections are nearing one million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The university's tracker has recorded more than 50,200 deaths globally; while more than 204,000 people have recovered.

Coronavirus: Fears that Putin Has Been Exposed to Infection – BBC News

President Putin may have been exposed to the Coronavirus after he met a leading doctor who has since tested positive. Russia has passed tough new laws including prison terms for breaking quarantine rules after a surge in Coronavirus infections. Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten coverage from Moscow Correspondent Steve Rosenberg.

Breaking News: Wimbledon Cancelled Due to Coronavirus

This summer's Wimbledon has been cancelled due to coronavirus, the All England Club has confirmed. It is the first time since the Second World War the oldest tennis tournament in the world, founded in 1877, will not be held. All tennis courts and facilities have been closed across the UK since Boris Johnson placed the country in lockdown on 23 March.

Ireland Vows to Treat All Covid-19 Patients for Free

The Irish government nationalized its hospitals, imposed a rent freeze, and authorized state-funded childcare, promising free treatment for patients with Covid-19.

Susan Rice Criticizes Hungarian PM Using Coronavirus Crisis for Power Grab | Andrea Mitchell | MSNBC

Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice joins Andrea Mitchell to discuss how governments have used emergency powers granted during the coronavirus crisis to impinge on democratic norms and the rule of law. She also discusses the Trump administration seeming to back off the use of the term "Wuhan virus" in an official capacity, and the president's pattern of lashing out at women and women of color.Aired on 3/31/2020.

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — March 30, 2020

US Indictment of Maduro Is Cruel & Inhuman Action – Prof. Salas

In the latest move against an already struggling Venezuela, US Attorney General William Barr has announced the indictment of President Maduro and more than a dozen other Venezuelan officials for a narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Author and professor of Latin American History at Pomona College Miguel Tinker Salas shares his expertise.

Spain: 'It Is Really, Really Bad...and It Will Only Get Worse'

A medical director speaks about the health workers affected by the virus in Spain and what the UK needs to learn before the virus curve peaks.

Xi Jinping Calls on Trump to Improve US-China Relations amid Covid-19 Crisis

THE GUARDIAN: Phonecall between leaders came as China prepares to seal itself off from the world to stem ‘imported’ coronavirus cases

Chinese president Xi Jinping has called on Donald Trump to take “substantive actions” to improve relations between the two countries, as China prepared to shut its borders to foreign arrivals amid fears of infections coming from abroad.

On Friday, Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping held a phone call about the coronavirus outbreak in an attempt to repair strained relations, following weeks of traded barbs over the virus. According to state media, Xi told Trump in a phone call on Friday that US-China relations had reached an “important juncture”.

“Working together brings both sides benefits, fighting hurts both. Cooperation is the only choice,” he said. Xi said he hoped the US would take “substantive actions” to improve US-China relations to develop a relationship that is “without conflict and confrontation” but based on “mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation.”

Trump has continued to call the disease “the Chinese virus,” despite protestations from Beijing. Chinese diplomats have in turn pushed the idea that the virus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, originated in the US.

Xi also said he hoped the US would take “effective measures” to safeguard the lives of Chinese citizens in the US, describing the pandemic as the “common enemy of mankind.” He said: “Only by united can the international community defeat it.” » | Lily Kuo in Shanghai | Friday, March 27, 2020

Coronavirus: Nachrichten zur weltweiten Lage