(2020-04-13). The President and His Mob: the Autopsy of Governance. counterpunch.org 
The mainstream media have insufficiently explained the fundamental importance of the role of the Inspector General, particularly in the national security bureaucracy that dominates discretionary spending and can resort to secret funding. National security institutions, such as the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency, are reluctant to admit that they have made mistakes, let alone allow the lifting of the veil on illegal practices. There are institutional concerns that drive this reluctance: vulnerability to legal action; reduced budgets, setbacks to programs considered important; and the possibility of ho…
(2020-04-13). How to Convince the Recalcitrant That This Time Really is Different. counterpunch.org 
Although I personally agree with the "shelter in place" policy currently in effect in North Carolina and other states, and am more or less reconciled to "the way we live now"—to borrow from Trollope—a bit more context on the crisis provoked by the novel corona virus COVID-19 might at once provide some useful information to the public and allow the recalcitrant better to understand what all the fuss is about.
(2020-04-13). Trump says record oil production cuts will soon DOUBLE. rt.com 
Global oil producers have already agreed on the world's largest ever production cut, but US President Donald Trump has said that cut may soon be doubled, to bring the world "back to business" from the coronavirus pandemic. | The Organization of Petroleum Exporting States (OPEC) and producers outside the bloc agreed on Sunday to cut their output for May and June by 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd), an amount equal to ten percent of the world's oil supply and the largest such cut in history. | "Having been involved in the negotiation," Trump tweeted on Monday, "the number that OPEC+ is looking to cut is 20 Mill…
(2020-04-13). As Nicaragua confronts Covid, its US-backed opposition exploits the pandemic to create chaos. thegrayzone.com Nicaragua's right-wing opposition is waging an information warfare campaign to undermine the elected Sandinista government, spreading fake news on coronavirus,…
(2020-04-13). Editor at The Economist: 'Something fishy' about Boris Johnson's intensive care stay. truepublica.org.uk TruePublica Editor: I'm not sure what to make of this story. Boris Johnson has made a career out of creating fictitious nonsense, publishing propaganda and outright lying. If he was someone you knew in the pub or was somehow in your social circle, you wouldn't take his word for anything and dismiss him as a …
(2020-04-13). Don't Ban David Icke. Debate Him. sputniknews.com UK media regulator Ofcom is to investigate "as a matter of urgency" an interview David Icke gave on Coronavirus. The interview on "London Real" has been taken down from a number of platforms, raising concerns over the censoring of alternative opinions.
(2020-04-13). Brexit Mission Creep: Half of UK chickens already produced by US agri-giants. truepublica.org.uk By Andrew Wasley, Alexandra Heal, Claire Colley: Half of the UK's chickens are being produced by companies fully or partly controlled by US agribusinesses, according to an analysis of industry data, fuelling concerns of growing American influence over the British food sector. Moy Park, owned by Pilgrims Pride, now produces approximately 312 million birds a year, while Avara Foods …
(2020-04-12). Believe all women? New York Times only remembers its journalistic skepticism when it's Biden in the crosshairs. rt.com 
For anyone running for office in modern America, accusations of sexual assault are par for the course. But when it comes to weighing up these accusations, the US' mainstream paper of record applies some very uneven standards. | Take Joe Biden, the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee. If doubts weren't already raised by his fondness for Yet amid the coronav…
(2020-04-12). Fake news: Wrestling fans SLAM Ronda Rousey, rivals threaten to 'knock her the f*ck out' over claims WWE fights aren't real. rt.com 
Ronda Rousey has caused uproar and received threats of violence from fighters keen to punish the former champion after she called WWE "fake" and claimed there would be deaths if wrestling matches were not planned in advance. | Rousey fired back by reiterating her stance after a fierce row broke out when she likened wrestling to theater and laughed off the idea of fights being real. | "Anyone who is outraged…has never been in a REAL fight," she told her following of more than 13 million on
(2020-04-12). Freedom from Fear: John Pilger Discusses Coronavirus Propaganda, Imperialism, and Human Rights. globalresearch.ca John Pilger is a world-renowned journalist and filmmaker. The author of several books and maker of over 60 documentaries (the latest being The Coming War on China and The Dirty War on the NHS), Pilger has won dozens of prestigious …
(2020-04-12). One World Governance and the Council on Foreign Relations."We Shall have World Government… by Conquest or Consent." globalresearch.ca The fact is the Council on Foreign Relations has been controlling US foreign policy for almost a century, and chief among its most obvious agendas has been building and maintaining US Empire's global unipolar hegemony and military strength at all cost.
(2020-04-11). New People's Army fights COVID-19, Armed Forces of Philippines spreads lies. fightbacknews.org Over the past few days the Armed Forces of the Philippines (APF) has stepped up in its propaganda drive against the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People's Army (NPA) in a desperate attempt to discredit the ongoing public health and economic campaign of the people's army and the mass organizations to help the efforts to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. | According to an April 11, statement from Marco L. Valbuena, Information Officer, Communist Party of the Philippines, "The AFP's anti-NPA propaganda drive smacks of pure lies and accusations based solely on AFP-manufactured inf…
(2020-04-10). Trump gloats over ABC 'fake news' as medical intelligence refutes shock report, denies warning Washington of Covid-19 in November. rt.com 
A bombshell ABC News report that claimed US military intelligence warned the White House about a looming coronavirus outbreak was denied by the service itself, giving President Trump an opportunity to gloat at his accusers. | The story, released on Wednesday, claimed the National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI) reported in November that a possible "cataclysmic event" was in the making in China's Wuhan city. The NCMI — part of the Pentagon's intelligence apparatus — gave a warning to the US government, but it failed to act early to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic in the country or t…
(2020-04-10). Covid-19 'mass graves' on New York's Hart Island spark frenzy of fake news amid grim reality. rt.com 
Photos of a 'mass grave' for coronavirus casualties on New York City's Hart Island sent the media into overdrive overnight, even launching calls to dig up President Trump's properties instead. The truth, while grim, was different. | Drone imagery from the island showing a dozen undertakers — some in full white protective suits — stacking coffins in a trench has spread around the world, with tabloids from London to New York itself latching on to them as an iconic shot depicting New York City's struggle with Covid-19. | Prisoners wearing full hazmat suits bury caskets in mass grave on New York's Hart I…
(2020-04-09). Colonialism & coronavirus: 800,000 Haitians may die of COVID-19. thegrayzone.com Gutted by US-allied, neoliberal governments which have controlled the country since 2004, Haiti's healthcare sector braces for a potential catastrophe….
(2020-04-08). The stark contrast between MSM coverage of #ClapForBoris and reality on the streets. thecanary.co 
The front pages of mainstream media outlets on 8 April claimed that 'the nation' had come together the previous night to show support for Boris Johnson. Some even suggested that the country had stopped to clap for the PM as he spent his second night in intensive care with coronavirus (Covid-19). | The actual response around the country, however, seemed to be very different. | Corporate media out of step with reality? Whatever next?: | The Times
(2020-04-08). As US Consigns Iranians to Death, Corporate Media Look the Other Way. fair.org 
Covid-19 has hammered few countries as hard as it has hit Iran, which reports (as of
(2020-03-20). [Comment] Second-line anticonvulsants for paediatric convulsive status epilepticus. thelancet.com Convulsive status epilepticus is the most common life-threatening neurological emergency in childhood. Mortality is low but morbidity is not, which could substantially affect the child, their family, and health and social care systems. The cause and the management of convulsive status epilepticus are the two most important factors in determining its outcome.1 Benzodiazepines are the recommended first-line drug treatment of convulsive status epilepticus and for which reasonably good scientific evidence based on a number of randomised controlled trials exists to support their use.
(2020-02-28). [Articles] Feasibility of controlling COVID-19 outbreaks by isolation of cases and contacts. thelancet.com In most scenarios, highly effective contact tracing and case isolation is enough to control a new outbreak of COVID-19 within 3 months. The probability of control decreases with long delays from symptom onset to isolation, fewer cases ascertained by contact tracing, and increasing transmission before symptoms. This model can be modified to reflect updated transmission characteristics and more specific definitions of outbreak control to assess the potential success of local response efforts.
(2020-02-21). Paul Paz y Miño, Saqib Bhatti & Beverly Bell on Environmental Justice & Cross-National Solidarity. fair.org 
There will only be an increasing number of frontline struggles between extractive, climate-disrupting industry and those willing to stand up to it. Corporate media's inadequate attention, and unwillingness to truly call out the moneyed interests causing present and future harms, make them more often part of the problem than the solution.
(2020-02-19). [Correspondence] Asymptomatic cases in a family cluster with SARS-CoV-2 infection. thelancet.com Since December, 2019, an outbreak of pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to a serious epidemic in China and other countries, resulting in worldwide concern.1 Family clusters of infected individuals have been reported, and this phenomenon could present a serious threat to public health if not strictly controlled. In a previously reported family cluster, most infected individuals had clinical symptoms, decreased lymphocyte counts, and abnormal chest CT images, and were positive for the virus on quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis.
(2020-02-05). [Correspondence] Obstructive sleep apnoea in acute coronary syndrome. thelancet.com Whether patients with coronary artery disease should be screened for obstructive sleep apnoea, and consequently treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), regardless of excessive daytime sleepiness, is a hot topic. Previous randomised controlled trials on the effect of CPAP on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with sleep apnoea—namely, the RICCADSA1 and SAVE2 trials—reported neutral findings in intention-to-treat analyses. Thus, it is not surprising that current results from the ISAACC trial (examining the effect of obstructive sleep apnoea and CPAP on cardiovascular events in patients…