Trump’s Virtual Town Hall: A Vehicle for Deception, Finger-Pointing and Threats
By , May 04 2020
On Sunday, Trump was his usual congenital lying self, falsely boasting to viewers that he’s “done more than any other president in the history of our country.” At a time when the nation faces a public health crisis and economic collapse, he falsely claimed things are “all working out. You know, the numbers are heading in the right direction.”
If We Want to Return to Normal, We Have to Fix the Policy
By , May 04 2020
Most of the United States is still under lockdown, but why? What is the purpose of the policy?We’ve had the “flatten the curve” meme pounded into our brains for so long, that most people think it’s the objective of the policy, but is it? Flattening the curve is a worthy goal, but preventing the health care system from being overwhelmed should not be our highest priority. True, it is critical, I don’t dispute that, I just think there are other goals that are more important. But what would those be?
The Deeper Historical Roots of Chinese Demonization
By , May 04 2020
The new normal tactic of non-stop China demonization is deployed not only by crude functionaries of the industrial-military-surveillance-media complex. We need to dig much deeper to discover how these attitudes are deeply embedded in Western thinking – and later migrated to the “end of history” United States.
The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster and Civil Actions as a Social Movement
By , May 04 2020
Like the many industrial disasters that have marked the history of modern and contemporary Japan, the nuclear disaster of March 2011 resulted in much litigation. By the ninth anniversary of the catastrophe in 2020, nearly four hundred individual civil actions, and at least thirty known cases of collective civil actions, along with two collective administrative lawsuits, have been launched across the country. The total number of plaintiffs exceeds twelve thousand. Thirteen district courts have already handed down judgments, a large majority of them in favor of the plaintiffs against the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) and the Japanese state. The cases are now pending in appeal.
Crushing the States, Saving the Banks: The Fed’s Generous New Rules
By , May 04 2020
Congress seems to be at war with the states. Only $150 billion of its nearly $3 trillion coronavirus relief package – a mere 5% – has been allocated to the 50 states; and they are not allowed to use it where they need it most, to plug the holes in their budgets caused by the mandatory shutdown. On April 22, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was opposed to additional federal aid to the states, and that his preference was to allow states to go bankrupt. No such threat looms over the banks, which have made out extremely well in this crisis.
No, the US Isn’t Going to Dump India over Its Atrocious Treatment of Minorities
By , May 04 2020
There’s been a lot of speculation that the US might be preparing to dump India over its atrocious treatment of minorities after the official White House Twitter account stopped following several Indian government ones including Prime Minister Modi’s and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended blacklisting the South Asian state, but that scenario is extremely unlikely since America envisages its new junior partner functioning as a long-term counterweight to China in both the military and economic domains, which certainly takes strategic precedence over punishing the country for its human rights abuses.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Africa. The Case of Somalia
By , May 04 2020
Since early April, Somalia has been on lockdown. Daily life has come to a halt. Movement is restricted. Public gatherings are suspended. All but a small number of essential businesses are closed. Every one of the country’s 19 million people has been affected by these restrictions, but – as ever – the most vulnerable have been hit the hardest. In Somalia, only a small minority are formally employed. Everyone else who earns a living works in the informal economy with no employer-provided benefits, few alternative livelihood options, and only the most meagre social safety net to fall back on.
