Monday, May 04, 2020

Don Lemon to Trump: What Is It about Obama That Gets Under Your Skin?


CNN's Don Lemon slammed President Donald Trump's response to a unifying message from former president George W. Bush amidst the coronavirus pandemic and questioned Trump's frequent attacks on former president Barack Obama.

Analyst: Trump's White House Departure Will Be Ugly If He Loses (2019)


Retired Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters talks to CNN's Anderson Cooper about the future of the United States if President Donald Trump loses in 2020.

Donald Trump's Four-step Plan to Reopen the US Economy – and Why It Will Be Lethal


THE GUARDIAN: The president and his allies are hiding the facts and pretending ‘freedom’ conquers all. As a result, more Americans will die

Donald Trump is getting nervous. Internal polls show him losing in November unless the economy comes roaring back.

But much of the economy remains closed because of the pandemic. The number of infections and deaths continue to climb.

So what is Trump’s re-election strategy? Reopen the economy anyway, despite the risks. » | Robert Reich | Sunday, May 3, 2020

Under Trump, America Has Gone a Bit Late Weimar. We Know How That Ended


THE GUARDIAN: Life and death are on the line and the president and his minions appear reluctant to grasp the reality

Welcome to the US in the age of coronavirus. Faces and fists pounded the windows of Ohio’s capitol like a zombie apocalypse. In Michigan, an armed crowd stormed the state house. Then, history repeated itself.

Taking a page from his Charlottesville playbook, Donald Trump called the protesters “good people” and urged Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic governor of Michigan, to “make a deal” over the shutdown. The president tweeted that Whitmer should “give a little, and put out the fire”. In other words, negotiate over the barrel of a gun. After all, his base was “angry”.

One state over, in Illinois, an anti-shutdown protester waived a poster aimed at the state’s Jewish governor, JB Pritzker: “Arbeit macht frei, JB.” The words that hung over the gates of Auschwitz.

A Trump administration insider conveyed that it was all a “bit” reminiscent of the “late” Weimar Republic. We know how that ended. » | Lloyd Green | Monday, May 4, 2020

“It’s Very Scary”: COVID Surges in Meat Plants as Activists Demand Worker Safety & Meatless Mondays


At least 20 workers at meat processing plants have died from COVID-19, and around 5,000 have tested positive, but President Trump invoked an executive order to bar local governments from closing meat plants. We hear from meat plant workers and organizers about conditions during the pandemic and speak with Sindy Benavides, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, which is supporting the workers with a virtual town hall on food worker safety with presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and calling for Meatless May Mondays.

Joe Reacts to Trump Tweet | Morning Joe | MSNBC


Joe Scarboroough reacts to a new tweet from the president. Aired on 5/4/2020.

WaPo Reports on Trump's 'Desperate' Attempts to Reopen the U.S. | Morning Joe | MSNBC


In new reporting, the Washington Post details the president's 'desperate' attempts to reopen the country as the coronavirus pandemic raged. The panel discusses. Aired on 5/4/2020.

Sunday, May 03, 2020

George W. Bush's Powerful Message of Hope During the Coronavirus Pandemic


Former President George W. Bush on Saturday tweeted a video encouraging Americans to be their best selves during the coronavirus pandemic.

"We serve our neighbor by separating from them," Bush said in the video. "We cannot allow physical separation to become emotional isolation. This requires us to not only be compassionate but creative in our outreach."

He added, "Let us remember empathy and simple kindness are essential, powerful tools of national recovery. Even at an appropriate social distance, we can find the way to be present in the lives of others. ... In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants. We're human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God."


Italy's Coronavirus Journey: 'People Don't Sing from Balconies Anymore'


Coronavirus continues to spread globally but Italy was the first country in Europe to experience the devastating effects of the disease. The first to go under full lockdown, Sally Lockwood's special report explores the effects on the country right from the beginning of the most unprecedented crisis the world has ever seen.

Friday, May 01, 2020

Trudeau Announces Canada Is Banning Assault-style Weapons


THE GUARDIAN: Move comes after murder of 22 people in worst mass shooting in Canada’s history

Canada has banned assault-style weapons following the murder of 22 people in the worst mass shooting in the country’s history, Justin Trudeauannounced on Friday.

“These weapons were designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time. There is no use and no place for such weapons in Canada,” said the prime minister. “Effective immediately, it is no longer permitted to buy, sell, transport, import or use military-grade assault weapons in this country.”

After the Nova Scotia shooting last week, Trudeau said his government intended “strengthen gun control” to fulfil a campaign promise to restrict certain weapons – a plan that had initially been derailed by the coronavirus pandemic. » | Leyland Cecco in Toronto | Friday, May 1, 2020

Monday, April 27, 2020

South Korea: Kim Jong Un Is 'Alive and Well'


THE JERUSALEM POST: "Kim Jong Un is alive and well. He has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13," South Korea's top foreign policy adviser said.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is "alive and well," the South Korean government has said, according to CNN. "Our government position is firm," Moon Chung-in, the top foreign policy adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, told CNN. "Kim Jong Un is alive and well. He has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13. No suspicious movements have so far been detected." » | Donna Rachel Edmunds | Monday, April 27, 2020

Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You


Sunday, April 26, 2020

Doctor Says 'a Lot of Transmission Left to Come' | Morning Joe | MSNBC


Dr. Michael Osterholm, the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, reacts to the president's remarks on coronavirus and says that 60 to 70 percent of the U.S. population is infected. Aired on 04/23/2020.

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Trump Attack on Biden Highlights President's Own Past Dealings with China


THE GUARDIAN: Trump Organisation’s far-flung real estate business has involved dealings with Chinese state-owned firms on several occasions

Donald Trump has a share in a New York property development that borrowed tens of millions of dollars from China, it was reported on Friday.

The debt derived from a 30% share the US president owns in a billion-dollar building on the Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan, which was refinanced in 2012 with $211m of the funding coming from the state-owned Bank of China, Politico reported on Friday. » | Julian Borger in Washington | Saturday, April 25, 2020

Brazilian Government In Turmoil after Justice Minister Resigns


THE GUARDIAN: President Jair Bolsonaro denies he sought to influence federal police inquiries

Brazil’s government has been plunged into turmoil after the resignation of one of Jair Bolsonaro’s most powerful ministers sparked protests, calls for the president’s impeachment and an investigation into claims he had improperly interfered in the country’s federal police.

In a rambling televised address late on Friday, Brazil’s embattled president denied claims from his outgoing justice minister Sérgio Moro that he had sought to appoint a new federal police chief in order to gain access to secret intelligence reports – for reasons that remain murky.

“Sorry Mr Minister, you won’t make a liar of me,” Bolsonaro declared, flanked by an almost entirely male group of backers, including his politician son Eduardo. » | Dom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro | Friday, April 24, 2020

Saudi Arabia to End Flogging as a Form of Punishment


THE GUARDIAN: Form of corporal punishment will be replaced by jail terms, fines or a mixture of both

Saudi Arabia is ending flogging as a form of punishment, according to a document from the kingdom’s top court.

The decision by the general commission for the supreme court, taken sometime this month, will mean the punishment will be replaced by prison sentences, fines or a mixture of both.

“The decision is an extension of the human rights reforms introduced under the direction of King Salman and the direct supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman,” the document said.

Flogging has been applied to punish a variety of crimes in Saudi Arabia. Without a codified system of law to go with the texts making up sharia, or Islamic law, individual judges have the latitude to interpret religious texts and come up with their own sentences. » | Agencies | Saturday, April 25, 2020

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Kim Jong-un's Health Has Always Been an Issue


The Washington Post's Anna Fifield says that since Kim Jong Un came to power his health has always been an issue, in particular the risk of cardiac problems.

North Korea's Kim Jong-un Reportedly Near Death


The leader of the world's most secretive country is apparently close to death. The North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, has reportedly suffered complications after surgery. Speculation on his health started when he missed the celebration of his grandfather's birthday six days ago. CNN's Paula Hancock joins us from Seoul.

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Reich at Home: Alarming Lockdown Protests, Unemployment Benefits in Limbo, Mixed Families Ignored


Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich is discussing the latest coronavirus developments, including how most of the promised $600 weekly extra unemployment benefits remain stuck in state offices overwhelmed with claims, what it will actually take for the economy to “reopen,” how American citizens in mixed status families are not receiving the economic stimulus, and the dangerous, right-wing protests against stay-at-home orders popping up across the country.

Monday, April 20, 2020

’Keep Your Voice Down’: Trump Berates Female Reporter When Questioned over Covid-19 Response


US president Donald Trump told a female reporter to keep her voice down and to ‘relax’ when she asked about what his administration had done to prepare for the coronavirus in February. CBS reporter Weijia Jiang asked Trump why he waited so long ‘to warn people the virus was spreading like wildfire’ in February ‘instead of holding rallies with thousands of people’? An irritated Trump touted his China travel ban as proof he acted fast. Jiang persisted with her point and said: ‘When you issued the ban, the virus was already here,’ to which Trump said: ‘Do your research.’


Trump must be the most objectionable president ever! – Mark

Nova Scotia Shooting Death Toll Rises as Trudeau Calls on Canadians to Stand United


THE GUARDIAN: Death toll from country’s deadliest mass shooting rose to 18, including the gunman

Justin Trudeau has called on Canadians to stand unified in the face “senseless violence” as the death toll from the country’s deadliest mass shooting rose to 18 people, including the gunman.

“No one man’s action can build a wall between us and a better day, no matter how evil, how thoughtless or how destructive,” the prime minister said on Monday morning. “As families grieve the loss of a loved one, all Canadians are standing with them.” » | Leyland Cecco in Toronto | Monday, April 20, 2020

Sunday, April 19, 2020

Piers Morgan's Stunning Advice for His Friend Donald Trump


Former CNN host Piers Morgan tells CNN's Brian Stelter what advice he has for his friend Donald Trump regarding handling the coronavirus pandemic.

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Expert on Dictators: President Donald Trump on a Path of Despotism | The Last Word | MSNBC (2017)


Degrading the rule of law? Appointing cronies, generals and his family? Brian Klaas’s new book "The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy" says Trump's actions are the same as other despots around the world. Klaas joins Ari Melber.

Friday, April 17, 2020

“Baghdad Don”: Trump Blasted for Most Inept Response to “Any Crisis in History” | MSNBC


Veteran strategist and former Republican Steve Schmidt argues President Trump has exhibited the most inept response of any president to any crisis in history. Schmidt tells MSNBC’s Ari Melber that many avoidable problems in the US response to the coronavirus pandemic revealed Trump’s failures as a president, and historians will look back on this as a time when a reality show star “New York con man” narrowly ended up as President and was simply not prepared. Aired on 4/16/2020.

Monday, April 13, 2020

Emmanuel Macron : Adresse aux Français


Chacun d’entre vous – que vous soyez soignant, travailleur mobilisé ou confiné – a permis à ce que l’épidémie commence à marquer le pas. L'espoir renaît. Mais rien n'est acquis. Le confinement doit continuer jusqu'au lundi 11 mai.


France to remain in strict lockdown for another month »

Sunday, April 12, 2020

US's Global Reputation Hits Rock-bottom over Trump's Coronavirus Response


THE GUARDIAN: International relations expert warns policy failure could do lasting damage as president insults allies and undermines alliances

Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, which he once dismissed as a hoax, has been fiercely criticised at home as woefully inadequate to the point of irresponsibility.

Yet also thanks largely to Trump, a parallel disaster is unfolding across the world: the ruination of America’s reputation as a safe, trustworthy, competent international leader and partner.

Call it the Trump double-whammy. Diplomatically speaking, the US is on life support.

“The Trump administration’s self-centred, haphazard, and tone-deaf response [to Covid-19] will end up costing Americans trillions of dollars and thousands of otherwise preventable deaths,” wrote Stephen Walt, professor of international relations at Harvard.

“But that’s not the only damage the United States will suffer. Far from ‘making America great again’, this epic policy failure will further tarnish [its] reputation as a country that knows how to do things effectively.”

This adverse shift could be permanent, Walt warned. Since taking office in 2017, Trump has insulted America’s friends, undermined multilateral alliances and chosen confrontation over cooperation. Sanctions, embargoes and boycotts aimed at China, Iran and Europe have been globally divisive. » | Simon Tisdall | Sunday, April 12, 2020

Alert! This clown has to go! – Mark

Segen „Urbi et Orbi“ : Papst ruft zu Schuldenerlass auf


FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Reichere Staaten müssten in der Corona-Krise Solidarität beweisen, fordert der Papst. Auch Sanktionen sollten gelockert werden. Die aktuelle Zeit erlaube keinen Egoismus.

Papst Franziskus hat in seiner Osterbotschaft zu einem Schuldenerlass für arme Staaten wegen der Corona-Krise aufgerufen. In seiner erstmals im Internet übertragenen Ostermesse bekräftigte der Papst zudem seine Forderung nach einem sofortigen weltweiten Waffenstillstand. Von den Europäern forderte er „Solidarität“ in der Krise und das Einschlagen „neuer Wege“

Arme Länder seien kaum gerüstet, um sich gegen die Coronavirus-Pandemie zu stemmen, sagte der Papst. „Alle Länder sollten in die Lage versetzt werden, die notwendigsten Maßnahmen zu treffen, indem die Schulden, welche die Bilanzen der ärmsten Länder belasten, teilweise oder sogar ganz erlassen werden“, forderte er. Auch internationale Sanktionen müssten jetzt gelockert werden. Die aktuellen Zeiten erlaubten „keinen Egoismus“, betonte Franziskus weiter. » | Quelle: AFP | Sonntag, 12. April 2020

Friday, April 10, 2020

French Police Turn Back Private Jet of Holidaymakers from UK


THE GUARDIAN: Party of 10 flew into Marseille-Provence airport to be taken by helicopter to luxury Cannes villa

A group of would-be holidaymakers who flew in a private jet from London to the Côte d’Azur in France has been turned back by police.

Seven men and three women arrived on the chartered aircraft to Marseille-Provence airport, where helicopters were waiting to fly them on to Cannes, where they had rented a luxury villa.

The men, aged 40-50, and women, aged 23-25, were refused permission to enter France and ordered by police to fly back to the UK.

“They were coming for a holiday in Cannes and three helicopters were waiting on the tarmac,” a border police spokesperson told Agence France-Presse. “We notified them they were not allowed to enter the national territory and they left four hours later.” » | Kim Willsher in Charny-Orée-de-Puisaye | Friday, April 10, 2020

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 »

Wednesday, April 08, 2020

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


Sunday, April 05, 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


Saturday, April 04, 2020

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’ »

Friday, April 03, 2020

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.


Thursday, April 02, 2020

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.

Wednesday, April 01, 2020

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.

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

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.

Saturday, March 28, 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.

Friday, March 27, 2020

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