2020-07-17: News Headlines

Alparslan Turan, Andra Duncan, Steve Leung, Nika Karimi, Jonathan Fang, Guangmei Mao, Jennifer Hargrave, Marc Gillinov, Carlos Trombetta, Sabry Ayad, Manal Hassan, Andrew Feider, Kimberly Howard-Quijano, Kurt Ruetzler, Daniel I Sessler, DECADE Study Group (2020-07-18). [Articles] Dexmedetomidine for reduction of atrial fibrillation and delirium after cardiac surgery (DECADE): a randomised placebo-controlled trial. thelancet.com Dexmedetomidine infusion, initiated at anaesthetic induction and continued for 24 h, did not decrease postoperative atrial arrhythmias or delirium in patients recovering from cardiac surgery. Dexmedetomidine should not be infused to reduce atrial fibrillation or delirium in patients having cardiac surgery.

Nicolien J Schepers, Nora D L Hallensleben, Marc G Besselink, Marie-Paule G F Anten, Thomas L Bollen, David W da Costa, Foke van Delft, Sven M van Dijk, Hendrik M van Dullemen, Marcel G W Dijkgraaf, Casper H J van Eijck, G Willemien Erkelens, Nicole S Erler, Paul Fockens, Erwin J M van Geenen, Janneke van Grinsven, Robbert A Hollemans, Jeanin E van Hooft, Rene W M van der Hulst, Jeroen M Jansen, Frank J G M Kubben, Sjoerd D Kuiken, Robert J F Laheij, Rutger Quispel, Rogier J J de Ridder, Marno C M Rijk, Tessa E H Rà∂mkens, Carola H M Ruigrok, Erik J Schoon, Matthijs P Schwartz, Xavier J N M Smeets, B W Marcel Spanier, Adriaan C I T L Tan, Willem J Thijs, Robin Timmer, Niels G Venneman, Robert C Verdonk, Frank P Vleggaar, Wim van de Vrie, Ben J Witteman, Hjalmar C van Santvoort, Olaf J Bakker, Marco J Bruno, Dutch Pancreatitis Study Group (2020-07-18). [Articles] Urgent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with sphincterotomy versus conservative treatment in predicted severe acute gallstone pancreatitis (APEC): a multicentre randomised controlled trial. thelancet.com In patients with predicted severe gallstone pancreatitis but without cholangitis, urgent ERCP with sphincterotomy did not reduce the composite endpoint of major complications or mortality, compared with conservative treatment. Our findings support a conservative strategy in patients with predicted severe acute gallstone pancreatitis with an ERCP indicated only in patients with cholangitis or persistent cholestasis.

Danny Haiphong (2020-07-17). The great American firewall: On the question of censorship. mronline.org It should not surprise anyone that China would take protective measures against the threat of U.S. imperialism in the realm of cyber technology.

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-07-17). "Putin Hacked Our Coronavirus Vaccine" Is The Dumbest Story Yet. thealtworld.com Today mainstream media is reporting what is arguably the single dumbest Russiavape story of all time, against some very stiff competition. | "Russian hackers are targeting health care organizations in the West in an attempt to steal coronavirus vaccine research, the U.S. and Britain said," "Hackers backed by the Russian state are trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine and treatment research from academic and pharmaceutical institutions around the world, Britain's National Cyber Security…

WSWS Repost (2020-07-17). Amid Sri Lankan elections, YouTube censors Tamil-language WSWS posts. indybay.org Amid national elections, YouTube, the San Bruno, California subsidiary of Google, has been continually removing Sri Lankan World Socialist Web Site and Socialist Equality Party videos at its website.

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-17). Dems and GOP to Debate Extended Stimulus Benefits Next Week. globalresearch.ca Current federal unemployment benefits expire in days. | In May, House-controlled Dems narrowly passed a new $3 trillion stimulus package. | So-called Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) legislation extends current federal benefits through at least yearend. | Senate Majority Leader …

Abdul Rahman (2020-07-17). Neoliberal discourse on land harms livelihoods and environmental security: Oakland Institute report. peoplesdispatch.org Studying the cases of countries like Ukraine, Zambia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka and Brazil, the Oakland Institute report debunks some of the myths on development and land use propagated by mainstream economics, and calls for the preservation of commons.

Roland Rottenfuss (2020-07-17). The 9 coffin nails of democracy. indybay.org Democracy is an achievement and must be won anew, expanded and defended against attacks in every era… The political conformity of the mainstream press is a sad chapter. "Representative democracy" is a fine word, but who do the representatives actually represent today? Citizens want "representatives of the people."

_____ (2020-07-17). Chile: Night Of Fury To Demand The Withdrawal Of Pension Funds. popularresistance.org From Tuesday night until early Wednesday morning, Chilean citizens took to the streets to support a pension-related bill and protest against President Sebastian Piñera. | Today the Lower House is expected to vote on a bill that will allow Chileans to withdraw the 10 percent of their savings that remain controlled by the repudiated Pension Fund Insurers (AFP), which are private companies that control pensions in this South American country since that time of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990). | "This initiative is supported by a large majority of the people, which claims to have the freedom to dispose…

Mike Whitney (2020-07-16). Covid-19: Phase 1 of the "Permanent Crisis"? globalresearch.ca Let's assume that the events of the last five months are neither random nor unexpected. | Let's say they're part of an ingenious plan to transform American democracy into a lockdown police state controlled by criminal elites and their puppet governors. …

Nan Levinson (2020-07-16). Veterans Go to Washington: So What? counterpunch.org If you still follow the mainstream media, you're probably part of the 38% of registered voters who knew something about the op-ed Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) published in the New York Times early in June, exhorting the president to use the Insurrection Act to "restore order to our streets." This was in response to what

RT (2020-07-16). Twitch cracks down on US Army's 'fake giveaway' program aimed at teens after activist complains. rt.com The streaming platform Twitch has removed a 'bait and switch' ad by the US Army that sought to harvest teenagers' data through a misleading video-game controller giveaway, after complaints from a progressive activist. | "This promotion did not comply with our Terms, and we have required them to remove it," Twitch told the videogame news site Kotaku in an email on Thursday, after the Nation Video gam…

South Front (2020-07-16). Video: Syria Sends Pantsir Air Defense Systems to Counter Turkey in Libya. globalresearch.ca The Syrian government seems to be deploying Pantsir-S1 air defense systems to Libya to assist forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar in their battle against the Turkish-controlled Government of National Accord. | An unusual Pantisr-S1 air defense system was for the …

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-07-16). Every Billionaire Is A Predator: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com Step 2: Buy up all news media. | Step 3: Structure outlets to elevate voices who defend the status quo. | Step 4: Smear non-plutocratic media who don't protect the status quo as crazy conspiracy theorists and Russian propaganda. | Step 5: Dominate the narrative about what's going on in the world. | ~ | Mainstream news is just advertising. You watch advertisements for maintaining the plutocratic status quo, then you watch advertisements between those advertisements for useless crap to make plutocrats even richer. It's all just different layers of marketing. When I was getting my journalism degree they used to talk…

teleSUR (2020-07-16). Venezuela's Electoral Process Is Legitimate, Fernandez Says. telesurenglish.net Argentina's RELATED: | His statements came after international mainstream media…

Sophie Marie Anne Effing, Bishal Gyawali (2020-07-15). [Research Paper] Assessing the risk-benefit profile of ramucirumab in patients with advanced solid tumors: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. thelancet.com In this meta-analysis of RCTs, use of ramucirumab in patients with advanced cancer was associated with increased risk of treatment related serious and possibly fatal adverse events but the magnitude of clinical benefit from ramucirumab was mostly negligible with no trial reporting an improvement in QOL. These relative risks and benefits should be considered in clinical and regulatory decision making.

RT (2020-07-15). Let the oil flow: Dakota Access pipeline to continue operation for now, appeals court says as legal battle drags on. rt.com A US appeals court has allowed the Dakota Access oil line to stay in operation while legal wrangling continues over the controversial project, overturning a lower court's ruling handed down last week to shutter the pipeline. | The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled on Tuesday that Energy Transfer LP — the firm controlling Dakota Access — could keep the 570,000-barrel-per-day pipeline running as it considers a final decision on whether to delay enforcement of the previous court order. | Last week, the US District Court for the District of Columbia called on Energy Transfer to halt…

Sean Stinson (2020-07-15). The End of History lasted 2 Years: I'll give the Great Reset 18 Months. dissidentvoice.org The many similarities in the unfolding narrative of Covid-19 to that of September 11, 2001 — the mass hysteria, the banker bailouts, the insider trading, the censorship of dissent, the apparent foreknowledge (Lockstep, Event 201, PNAC, Catastrophic Terrorism, A Clean Break etc), the rollout of mass surveillance measures and more — make the two seem …

Joshua Cho (2020-07-15). Corporate Media Give Trump Powers He Doesn't Actually Possess. commondreams.org It's crucial that media report on Trump's executive orders accurately—and not grant Trump powers that he doesn't actually possess. (Photo: Screenshot) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Margaret Kimberley (2020-07-15). Propaganda Will Not Be Enough to Win Joe Biden the White House. mintpressnews.com The biggest threat to Biden's chances is the continuing suppression of black votes and the refusal of the Democrats to do anything about it.

yenisafak (2020-07-15). France: Protesters confront Macron, chant 'Resign!'. yenisafak.com An evening stroll late Tuesday by first couple Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron through Paris's Tuileries Gardens included …

_____ (2020-07-14). Europe Uncensored: An Online Warning Shot. strategic-culture.org Being a part of the Strategic Culture Foundation certainly has its benefits, one of them was receiving a personal request from someone in EU politics (who will remain unnamed) to watch and comment on what could turn out to be a very important moment for the direction of the continent. "

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-07-14). A Country Without an Honest Media Is Lost. thealtworld.com For some time I have reported to you that in place of a media, a media that our founding fathers relied on to protect our society, the United States has had a propaganda ministry whose sole purpose is to destroy our society. | I learned of New York Times editor Bari Weiss' resignation letter to A. G. Sulzberger from a relative and from friends who called to ask if I wrote the letter as it sounds so much like me. | No, of course I did not write the letter. This is an extraordinary letter written by a journalist of real principle and integrity who realized that such highly valuable journalistic traits were no longe…

Dean Baker (2020-07-14). Propaganda on Government Action and Inequality from David Leonhardt. counterpunch.org It really gets annoying how all discussions in the media of inequality in the media take the White Savior route, where we need the government to act to reduce inequality created by the natural workings of the market. David Leonhardt gave us another dose of this one today when he speculated about the state of

Renee Parsons (2020-07-14). Lockdowns: Essential to the Master Plan. globalresearch.ca If given the choice between maintaining a toxic world of fear, pollution and violence controlled by the State or a

De Backer D, Michiels G. (2020-07-14). Hydroxyethyl Starch vs Saline for Volume Expansion After Abdominal Surgery. jamanetwork.com To the Editor Dr Futier and colleagues reported the effects of HES vs saline in high-risk surgical patients. This placebo-controlled trial found no significant difference in the primary end point, a composite of death and preselected major postoperative complications.

John Whitehead (2020-07-14). Divide We Fall: America Has Been Blacklisted and McCarthyism Refashioned for a New Age. mintpressnews.com Who needs a government censor when the American people are already doing such a great job at censoring themselves and each other.