veteranstoday--2020-05-26--How the 5G coronavirus conspiracy theory tore through the internet

________ Wired How the 5G coronavirus conspiracy theory tore through the internet It started with one doctor .
On January 22 , Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws published an interview with Kris Van Kerckhoven , a general practitioner from Putte , near Antwerp .
“ 5G is life-threatening , and no one knows it ” , read the headline .
One scientifically-baseless claim in this article , published in a regional version of the paper ’ s print edition and since deleted from its website , sparked a conspiracy theory firestorm that has since torn through the internet and broken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in fires and threats .
Van Kerckhoven didn ’ t just claim that 5G was dangerous : he also said it might be linked to coronavirus .
At the time , the outbreak was a comparative speck .
It had claimed nine lives and infected 440 people , almost all of them in the Chinese city of Wuhan .
Under the heading “ Link met coronavirus ?
” the Het Laatste Nieuws journalist pointed out that since 2019 a number of 5G cell towers had been built around Wuhan .
Could the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not done a fact check ” , Van Kerckhoven cautioned , before piling in .
“ But it may be a link with current events ” .
And so the fuse was lit .
Van Kerckhoven ’ s comments were quickly picked up by anti-5G campaigners in the Dutch-speaking world , with Facebook pages linking to and quoting from the article .
Here , they claimed , was proof of something very dark indeed .
Within days , the conspiracy theory had spread to dozens of English-language Facebook pages .
But the conspiracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t new , it has been bubbling away quietly for decades in unfounded concerns about high-voltage power lines in the 1980s to mobile phones in the 1990s .
In coronavirus , such concerns had found a new hook .
“ Because the quotes were unfounded , we withdrew the article within a few hours , ” says Het Laatste Nieuws editor Dimitri Antonissen .
“ We regret the fact that the story was online for a few hours , ” he adds .
“ Unfortunately with conspiracy theories popping up on several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story from spreading.
” And spread it did .
On YouTube , obscure online talkshow hosts and bloggers started revealing “ the truth ” about 5G and coronavirus , racking up tens of thousands of views .
Posts on Facebook made similarly outlandish claims , receiving only a few thousand views from a familiar and welcoming audience .
For some time , the conspiracy theory would bounce across this echo chamber .
But some weeks later , it started to break out , propelled by engagement algorithms that were smart enough to spot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to notice the idiocy of its content .
From those obscure beginnings , the conspiracy theory has now been pushed by celebrities with hundreds of thousands or millions of social media followers including boxer Amir Khan , singer Anne-Marie , actor Woody Harrelson , former Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner , pop star Keri Hilson , former Made in Chelsea star Lucy Watston , and TV personality Amanda Holden – the latter of whom claims she “ accidentally ” tweeted a link to a since-deleted anti-5G petition on Change.org .
Said petition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 110,000 signatures , erroneously claimed that the symptoms of exposure to 5G are “ very much ” like the symptoms of coronavirus .
In recent days , a number of 5G masts across the UK have been set on fire in apparent arson attacks .
According to The Guardian , at least 20 mobile phone masts have been vandalised as a result of 5G disinformation in recent days .
Videos of these attacks have gone viral on social media , further adding to the anti-5G fervour .
At the government ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , cabinet office minister Michael Gove described the 5G conspiracy theory as “ dangerous nonsense ” , while the national medical director of the NHS , professor Stephen Powis , said it was “ the worst kind of fake news ” .
Van Kerckhoven ’ s scientifically baseless comments don ’ t exist in a vacuum .
In fact , they exist in sludge of conspiracy theories that have been shared millions of times on social media .
Sploshing about this sludge are six main coronavirus conspiracy theories : that 5G is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the effects of coronavirus by weakening your immune system ; that 5G outright causes coronavirus-like symptoms ; that the coronavirus lockdown is being used as cover to install 5G networks ; that Bill Gates had something to do with it ; and , finally , that this is all an Illuminati mass-murder plot .
None of these conspiracy theories have a shred of truth in them , while some are outright dangerous .
Almost all of the conspiracy theory posts linking 5G to coronavirus make use of tired , debunked tropes about non-ionising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” plots to use vaccines to control people and remotely shut down their organs .
Most of the time , such unsubstantiated and outlandish claims remain more or less hidden inside the communities that believe in them .
But with coronavirus as a peg , they were always bound to go viral .
“ The coronavirus has created the perfect environment for this message to spread , ” says Josh Smith , senior researcher at Demos , a think tank .
“ Like many conspiracy theories , the idea that 5G is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we find ourselves in is a comfort .
It provides an explanation , and a scapegoat , for the suffering caused by this pandemic ; as well as – cruelly – suggesting a way we might stop it : take down the masts and the virus will go away.
” If only it were that simple .
And , worryingly , the conspiracy theories themselves aren ’ t as simple as they first appear .
Amongst the conspiracy sludge , one voice stands out .
For more than a year , propaganda broadcaster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5G .
In one news segment , published on YouTube in January 2019 and with nearly two million views , RT correspondent Michele Greenstein explains that 5G has just one catch : “ it might kill you ” .
Greenstein ’ s scientifically-baseless rant is part of a coordinated and sustained attack against 5G by RT .
Greenstein alone has reported versions of the same 5G “ health risks ” conspiracy theory at least ten times since the start of 2019 .
In April of last year , RT erroneously claimed that children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nosebleeds and learning disabilities .
A declassified US intelligence report , released in 2017 , shows that RT videos on YouTube average one million views per day , higher than any other news outlet .
While RT has never outright linked 5G to coronavirus , it has played a role in adding legitimacy to conspiracy theories surrounding the technology .
As The New York Times reports , RT ’ s disinformation campaign against 5G – seemingly created to hinder the global roll-out of the technology so Russia can catch up – has since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social media accounts , where it has been decoupled from Moscow ’ s propaganda firehose .
In some of the most obscure corners of Facebook and YouTube , the conspiracy theory grew even more outlandish .
Amandha Vollmer , a “ mompreneur ” and apparent anti-vaccination campaigner who runs an alternative medicine store in Ontario , Canada , posted videos to Facebook and YouTube , claiming that the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter in a helicopter crash was in fact an Illuminati blood sacrifice ahead of a mass murder plot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow the cult to introduce a dangerous new vaccine .
Vollmer also references the scientifically-baseless conspiracy theory that 5G is linked to coronavirus and talks about coronavirus-related disinformation peddled by QAnon , a far-right conspiracy theory alleging a “ deep state ” plot against US president Donald Trump .
Versions of the same video , posted on Facebook and YouTube in late January , have been viewed more than 28,000 times .
By mid-February , coronavirus conspiracy theories , especially those linking it to 5G , were starting to gain real traction on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the page Waking Times , which has been on Facebook since 2011 and has more than 600,000 followers , shared a post claiming there were “ disturbing connections ” between 5G “ and the men who are developing vaccines for coronavirus ” .
The post was shared 1,700 times and received more than 800 comments and interactions .
On other conspiracy theory posts , collectively shared thousands of times , commenters link to YouTube videos that claim to expose “ new facts ” about 5G and coronavirus .
Collectively these videos have received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of comments .
One YouTube video linking coronavirus to 5G has been viewed almost 900,000 times .
On March 18 , Darrell Wolfe , a specialist in “ natural medicine ” posted a video to his Facebook page , which has 41,000 followers , in which he claims coronavirus could be a “ 5G prison for children ” , with global lockdowns being used by authorities as a ruse to install 5G infrastructure in schools .
The video , which is titled “ Coronavirus – 5G Prison For Children ” , has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not flagged as fake or misleading by Facebook .
By the middle of March , various conspiracy theories linking 5G to coronavirus were spreading through Facebook .
A post from an anti-5G group in Ireland claimed that while people were “ distracted by the coronavirus ” companies were “ working flat out ” to install new 5G masts .
The post has been shared 1,800 times and received more than 1,500 interactions .
Several Facebook posts from late-March link to a YouTube video that makes similar claims about coronavirus being a “ distraction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ version of this video has been viewed nearly 900,000 times on YouTube .
A video of a woman confronting two contractors installing fibre cables , which has been viewed more than a million times on YouTube , also went viral on Facebook .
The woman in the video makes baseless claims that they are installing 5G as part of a plot to kill people .
On Facebook , one version of the video has received more than 700 comments and 600 shares .
As with Van Kerckhoven , many of the conspiracy theories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supposed experts .
A video of a lecture given by Thomas Cowan , a physician from California , claims that coronavirus is the result of poisoning caused by 5G .
One version of this video , which has been posted to YouTube a number of times , has more than 640,000 views .
Another version has almost 600,000 views .
Cowan ’ s talk was given on March 11 at the Health and Human Rights Summit , an anti-vaccination conference , in Tucson , Arizona .
The event was headlined by Andrew Wakefield @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activist .
Cowan ’ s talk has also been shared widely on Facebook , receiving tens of thousands of shares , comments and views .
In a Facebook post on March 30 , the attorney and anti-vaccination activist Robert F. Kennedy , Jr. , son of Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former US president John F. Kennedy , also shared the conspiracy theory linking 5G to coronavirus .
Global lockdown , he said , was stopping people from protesting to prevent “ 5G robber barons from microwaving our country and destroying nature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 11,000 times and received almost 8,000 interactions .
A video attached to the post that makes similar claims has been viewed almost 500,000 times .
To date , more than 4,800 Facebook posts receiving more than 1.1 million interactions have in some way linked coronavirus and 5G .
David Icke , the ex-footballer and prominent conspiracy theorist with more than 240,000 Twitter followers and 782,000 YouTube subscribers , has also uploaded numerous videos and social media posts linking coronavirus to 5G .
One , titled “ Covid 19′ And 5G – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been viewed almost 400,000 times .
Social media analysis by fact-checking organisation Full Fact has found similar conspiracy theories going viral in France and Greece , racking up tens of thousands of interactions , shares and views on Facebook , Twitter and YouTube .
On April 5 , a YouTube spokesperson told The Guardian it was taking steps to limit the spread of the 5G coronavirus conspiracy theory .
The UK culture secretary , Olivier Dowden , has said he will hold talks with the major technology platforms to reiterate the importance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interest in the coronavirus pandemic – and the fear and uncertainty that comes with it – has caused tired , fringe conspiracy theories to be pulled into the mainstream .
From obscure YouTube channels and Facebook pages , to national news headlines , baseless claims that 5G causes or exacerbates coronavirus are now having real-world consequences .
People are burning down 5G masts in protest .
Government ministers and public health experts are now being forced to confront this dangerous balderdash head-on , giving further oxygen and airtime to views that , were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , would remain on the fringe of the fringe .
“ Like anti-vax content , this messaging is spreading via platforms which have been designed explicitly to help propagate the content which people find most compelling ; most irresistible to click on , ” says Smith from Demos .
He argues that while social networks have had success in removing content related to terrorism and child sexual exploitation from their platforms , they are continually failing to grapple with disinformation .
“ The dangerous messaging around 5G highlights the urgent need for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , driven by those who are experts in relevant fields , but also with public knowledge and consent , ” says Smith .
But , to date , social networks have once again failed to tackle a disinformation crisis running riot on their platforms .
James Temperton is WIRED ’ s digital editor .
He tweets from @ jtemperton Updated 07.04.20 , 16:30 BST : The interview with Kris Van Kerckhoven was published in a regional edition of Het Laatste Nieuws , not in its national edition .

________
Wired
How the 5G coronavirus conspiracy theory tore through the internet
It started with one doctor. On January 22, Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws published an interview with Kris Van Kerckhoven, a general practitioner from Putte, near Antwerp. “5G is life-threatening, and no one knows it”, read the headline.
One scientifically-baseless claim in this article, published in a regional version of the paper’s print edition and since deleted from its website, sparked a conspiracy theory firestorm that has since torn through the internet and broken out into the real world, resulting in fires and threats. Van Kerckhoven didn’t just claim that 5G was dangerous: he also said it might be linked to coronavirus.
At the time, the outbreak was a comparative speck. It had claimed nine lives and infected 440 people, almost all of them in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Under the heading “Link met coronavirus?” the Het Laatste Nieuws journalist pointed out that since 2019 a number of 5G cell towers had been built around Wuhan. Could the two things be related?
“I have not done a fact check”, Van Kerckhoven cautioned, before piling in. “But it may be a link with current events”. And so the fuse was lit.
Van Kerckhoven’s comments were quickly picked up by anti-5G campaigners in the Dutch-speaking world, with Facebook pages linking to and quoting from the article. Here, they claimed, was proof of something very dark indeed. Within days, the conspiracy theory had spread to dozens of English-language Facebook pages.
But the conspiracy theory that Van Kerckhoven was peddling isn’t new, it has been bubbling away quietly for decades in unfounded concerns about high-voltage power lines in the 1980s to mobile phones in the 1990s. In coronavirus, such concerns had found a new hook.
“Because the quotes were unfounded, we withdrew the article within a few hours,” says Het Laatste Nieuws editor Dimitri Antonissen. “We regret the fact that the story was online for a few hours,” he adds. “Unfortunately with conspiracy theories popping up on several places, this does not stop a story from spreading.” And spread it did.
On YouTube, obscure online talkshow hosts and bloggers started revealing “the truth” about 5G and coronavirus, racking up tens of thousands of views. Posts on Facebook made similarly outlandish claims, receiving only a few thousand views from a familiar and welcoming audience.
For some time, the conspiracy theory would bounce across this echo chamber. But some weeks later, it started to break out, propelled by engagement algorithms that were smart enough to spot a viral trend but dumb enough not to notice the idiocy of its content.
From those obscure beginnings, the conspiracy theory has now been pushed by celebrities with hundreds of thousands or millions of social media followers including boxer Amir Khan, singer Anne-Marie, actor Woody Harrelson, former Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner, pop star Keri Hilson, former Made in Chelsea star Lucy Watston, and TV personality Amanda Holden – the latter of whom claims she “accidentally” tweeted a link to a since-deleted anti-5G petition on Change.org.
Said petition, which at the time had more than 110,000 signatures, erroneously claimed that the symptoms of exposure to 5G are “very much” like the symptoms of coronavirus.
In recent days, a number of 5G masts across the UK have been set on fire in apparent arson attacks. According to The Guardian, at least 20 mobile phone masts have been vandalised as a result of 5G disinformation in recent days. Videos of these attacks have gone viral on social media, further adding to the anti-5G fervour.
At the government’s daily coronavirus press briefing on April 5, cabinet office minister Michael Gove described the 5G conspiracy theory as “dangerous nonsense”, while the national medical director of the NHS, professor Stephen Powis, said it was “the worst kind of fake news”.
Van Kerckhoven’s scientifically baseless comments don’t exist in a vacuum. In fact, they exist in sludge of conspiracy theories that have been shared millions of times on social media. Sploshing about this sludge are six main coronavirus conspiracy theories: that 5G is, somehow, dangerous; that 5G worsens the effects of coronavirus by weakening your immune system; that 5G outright causes coronavirus-like symptoms; that the coronavirus lockdown is being used as cover to install 5G networks; that Bill Gates had something to do with it; and, finally, that this is all an Illuminati mass-murder plot. None of these conspiracy theories have a shred of truth in them, while some are outright dangerous.
Almost all of the conspiracy theory posts linking 5G to coronavirus make use of tired, debunked tropes about non-ionising radiation, chemtrails and “deep state” plots to use vaccines to control people and remotely shut down their organs. Most of the time, such unsubstantiated and outlandish claims remain more or less hidden inside the communities that believe in them. But with coronavirus as a peg, they were always bound to go viral.
“The coronavirus has created the perfect environment for this message to spread,” says Josh Smith, senior researcher at Demos, a think tank. “Like many conspiracy theories, the idea that 5G is to blame for the uncertain, frightening situation we find ourselves in is a comfort.
It provides an explanation, and a scapegoat, for the suffering caused by this pandemic; as well as – cruelly – suggesting a way we might stop it: take down the masts and the virus will go away.” If only it were that simple. And, worryingly, the conspiracy theories themselves aren’t as simple as they first appear.
Amongst the conspiracy sludge, one voice stands out. For more than a year, propaganda broadcaster RT has been attacking the roll-out of 5G. In one news segment, published on YouTube in January 2019 and with nearly two million views, RT correspondent Michele Greenstein explains that 5G has just one catch: “it might kill you”.
Greenstein’s scientifically-baseless rant is part of a coordinated and sustained attack against 5G by RT. Greenstein alone has reported versions of the same 5G “health risks” conspiracy theory at least ten times since the start of 2019.
In April of last year, RT erroneously claimed that children exposed to 5G suffered from cancer, nosebleeds and learning disabilities. A declassified US intelligence report, released in 2017, shows that RT videos on YouTube average one million views per day, higher than any other news outlet. While RT has never outright linked 5G to coronavirus, it has played a role in adding legitimacy to conspiracy theories surrounding the technology.
As The New York Times reports, RT’s disinformation campaign against 5G – seemingly created to hinder the global roll-out of the technology so Russia can catch up – has since spread to a network of blogs and social media accounts, where it has been decoupled from Moscow’s propaganda firehose.
In some of the most obscure corners of Facebook and YouTube, the conspiracy theory grew even more outlandish. Amandha Vollmer, a “mompreneur” and apparent anti-vaccination campaigner who runs an alternative medicine store in Ontario, Canada, posted videos to Facebook and YouTube, claiming that the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter in a helicopter crash was in fact an Illuminati blood sacrifice ahead of a mass murder plot – i.e. coronavirus – that would allow the cult to introduce a dangerous new vaccine.
Vollmer also references the scientifically-baseless conspiracy theory that 5G is linked to coronavirus and talks about coronavirus-related disinformation peddled by QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory alleging a “deep state” plot against US president Donald Trump. Versions of the same video, posted on Facebook and YouTube in late January, have been viewed more than 28,000 times.
By mid-February, coronavirus conspiracy theories, especially those linking it to 5G, were starting to gain real traction on social media. On February 19, the page Waking Times, which has been on Facebook since 2011 and has more than 600,000 followers, shared a post claiming there were “disturbing connections” between 5G “and the men who are developing vaccines for coronavirus”.
The post was shared 1,700 times and received more than 800 comments and interactions. On other conspiracy theory posts, collectively shared thousands of times, commenters link to YouTube videos that claim to expose “new facts” about 5G and coronavirus. Collectively these videos have received hundreds of thousands of views and hundreds of comments. One YouTube video linking coronavirus to 5G has been viewed almost 900,000 times.
On March 18, Darrell Wolfe, a specialist in “natural medicine” posted a video to his Facebook page, which has 41,000 followers, in which he claims coronavirus could be a “5G prison for children”, with global lockdowns being used by authorities as a ruse to install 5G infrastructure in schools.
The video, which is titled “Coronavirus – 5G Prison For Children”, has been viewed more than 95,000 times and is not flagged as fake or misleading by Facebook. By the middle of March, various conspiracy theories linking 5G to coronavirus were spreading through Facebook. A post from an anti-5G group in Ireland claimed that while people were “distracted by the coronavirus” companies were “working flat out” to install new 5G masts.
The post has been shared 1,800 times and received more than 1,500 interactions. Several Facebook posts from late-March link to a YouTube video that makes similar claims about coronavirus being a “distraction” to install 5G infrastructure. One version of this video has been viewed nearly 900,000 times on YouTube.
A video of a woman confronting two contractors installing fibre cables, which has been viewed more than a million times on YouTube, also went viral on Facebook. The woman in the video makes baseless claims that they are installing 5G as part of a plot to kill people. On Facebook, one version of the video has received more than 700 comments and 600 shares.
As with Van Kerckhoven, many of the conspiracy theories around 5G and coronavirus lean heavily on supposed experts. A video of a lecture given by Thomas Cowan, a physician from California, claims that coronavirus is the result of poisoning caused by 5G. One version of this video, which has been posted to YouTube a number of times, has more than 640,000 views. Another version has almost 600,000 views.
Cowan’s talk was given on March 11 at the Health and Human Rights Summit, an anti-vaccination conference, in Tucson, Arizona. The event was headlined by Andrew Wakefield, the discredited British ex-physician and anti-vaccine activist. Cowan’s talk has also been shared widely on Facebook, receiving tens of thousands of shares, comments and views.
In a Facebook post on March 30, the attorney and anti-vaccination activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., son of Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former US president John F. Kennedy, also shared the conspiracy theory linking 5G to coronavirus.
Global lockdown, he said, was stopping people from protesting to prevent “5G robber barons from microwaving our country and destroying nature”. The post has been shared more than 11,000 times and received almost 8,000 interactions. A video attached to the post that makes similar claims has been viewed almost 500,000 times.
To date, more than 4,800 Facebook posts receiving more than 1.1 million interactions have in some way linked coronavirus and 5G. David Icke, the ex-footballer and prominent conspiracy theorist with more than 240,000 Twitter followers and 782,000 YouTube subscribers, has also uploaded numerous videos and social media posts linking coronavirus to 5G.
One, titled “Covid 19′ And 5G – What’s The Connection?” has been viewed almost 400,000 times. Social media analysis by fact-checking organisation Full Fact has found similar conspiracy theories going viral in France and Greece, racking up tens of thousands of interactions, shares and views on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
On April 5, a YouTube spokesperson told The Guardian it was taking steps to limit the spread of the 5G coronavirus conspiracy theory. The UK culture secretary, Olivier Dowden, has said he will hold talks with the major technology platforms to reiterate the importance of tackling disinformation.
The level of interest in the coronavirus pandemic – and the fear and uncertainty that comes with it – has caused tired, fringe conspiracy theories to be pulled into the mainstream. From obscure YouTube channels and Facebook pages, to national news headlines, baseless claims that 5G causes or exacerbates coronavirus are now having real-world consequences. People are burning down 5G masts in protest.
Government ministers and public health experts are now being forced to confront this dangerous balderdash head-on, giving further oxygen and airtime to views that, were it not for the major technology platforms, would remain on the fringe of the fringe. “Like anti-vax content, this messaging is spreading via platforms which have been designed explicitly to help propagate the content which people find most compelling; most irresistible to click on,” says Smith from Demos.
He argues that while social networks have had success in removing content related to terrorism and child sexual exploitation from their platforms, they are continually failing to grapple with disinformation.
“The dangerous messaging around 5G highlights the urgent need for a process for identifying and removing harmful misinformation, driven by those who are experts in relevant fields, but also with public knowledge and consent,” says Smith.
But, to date, social networks have once again failed to tackle a disinformation crisis running riot on their platforms.
James Temperton is WIRED’s digital editor. He tweets from @jtemperton
Updated 07.04.20, 16:30 BST: The interview with Kris Van Kerckhoven was published in a regional edition of Het Laatste Nieuws, not in its national edition.


veteranstoday--2020-05-27--Trump and Netanyahu’s Race War Begins in Minnesota

VT wants all 4 officers arrested for murder .
Frankly , we are sick of this and recognize the hand of an American police state , trained and supplied by the same thugs and killers that have raped the Palestinian people for over six decades .
RT/Moscow : A massive crowd of demonstrators descended upon a police headquarters in Minneapolis to protest a recent killing of an unarmed man .
They were met with an arsenal of riot control weapons , including stun grenades and rubber bullets .
Thousands of marchers could be seen around the 3rd police precinct headquarters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after a local man , George Floyd , was killed by an officer ’ s chokehold , despite repeatedly stating that he couldn ’ t breathe .
In the video , Floyd is heard begging for his life , at times calling out for his mother , as an officer pins the man to the ground with a knee on his throat .
While police insist Floyd “ physically resisted officers , ” footage of the incident appears to belie their story .
As for Donald Trump , he now thinks insulin can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him some , ” give him all the insulin in the world .

VT wants all 4 officers arrested for murder.
Frankly, we are sick of this and recognize the hand of an American police state, trained and supplied by the same thugs and killers that have raped the Palestinian people for over six decades.
RT/Moscow: A massive crowd of demonstrators descended upon a police headquarters in Minneapolis to protest a recent killing of an unarmed man. They were met with an arsenal of riot control weapons, including stun grenades and rubber bullets.
Today began with Amy Cooper, a Canadian transplant.
Amy Cooper, best known as #CentralParkKaren, has been fired from her job at an investment management firm. The company said they "do not tolerate racism of any kind…" https://t.co/1mF01vSUkd — UberFacts (@UberFacts) May 26, 2020
Thousands of marchers could be seen around the 3rd police precinct headquarters in Minneapolis on Tuesday, demanding answers after a local man, George Floyd, was killed by an officer’s chokehold, despite repeatedly stating that he couldn’t breathe.
In the video, Floyd is heard begging for his life, at times calling out for his mother, as an officer pins the man to the ground with a knee on his throat. While police insist Floyd “physically resisted officers,” footage of the incident appears to belie their story.
George Floyd deserved better and his family deserves justice. His life mattered. I'm grateful for the swift action in Minneapolis to fire the officers involved — they must be held responsible for their egregious actions. The FBI should conduct a thorough investigation. https://t.co/n1tdiUba0x — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 27, 2020
America is one of the most brutal evil police force in the World. These cops in Minnesota should be charge for first-degree murder for killing an innocent black man. Hey Democratic politicians and Republicans time to stand up and condemn police brutality against us. So pic.twitter.com/ghb0EjvWYm — Don Salmon (@dijoni) May 26, 2020
As for Donald Trump, he now thinks insulin can cure COVID. I say “give him some,” give him all the insulin in the world.
Should I take insulin pic.twitter.com/ALEYQqzJir — Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) May 27, 2020
Police in riot gear macing protestors marching for #JusticeForFloyd pic.twitter.com/7mazRZ4ddZ — Keaon Dousti کیان (@KeaonDousti) May 27, 2020
This unverified image appears to show another angle of the police killing in Minnesota. There were THREE officers on top of an unarmed George Floyd. pic.twitter.com/6gwAtxDaV9 — Jamie 😷’Grady ⚡ (@JamieOGrady) May 26, 2020
MNA Nurses respond to the killing of a black Minnesotan by Minneapolis Police: https://t.co/g2FHdO0bIq #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/XCLnRJDVOQ — Minnesota Nurses (@mnnurses) May 26, 2020
This is not the reaction of a department that understands proportionate use of force. https://t.co/qyQlENRLZn — ANAGATE! (@anamariecox) May 27, 2020
Chopper video from Minnesota's KSTP-TV earlier as protesters demanding justice for George Floyd line the street. People are angry and say they'll demand justice despite the Mayor's announcement that four murder-involved officers were fired. pic.twitter.com/VTJah3eFz3 — Camila (@camilateleSUR) May 27, 2020
This is the scene in Minneapolis; cops are in riot gear and using chemical agents against demonstrators, some becoming violent pic.twitter.com/scDLvdRNLw — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/ACLUMN/status/1265378279793602561?s=20


veteranstoday--2020-05-27--Venezuelan Fighters Escort 2nd Iranian Tanker While Trump Fumes

Press TV is a 24-hour English language news and documentary network , affiliated with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting ( @ @ @ @ @ but independent of the Iranian government in its management and is the only legal TV @ @ @ @ @ .
IRIB ’ s head is appointed directly by the supreme leader , Ayatollah Ali @ @ @ @ @ to be close to the country ’ s conservative political faction .
Press TV is @ @ @ @ @ and bureaus around the world ; including London , Beirut , Damascus , Kabul , @ @ @ @ @ *All posts on behalf of PressTV are made by Jim W. Dean

Press TV is a 24-hour English language news and documentary network, affiliated with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
IRIB is state-owned but independent of the Iranian government in its management and is the only legal TV and radio broadcaster inside Iran. IRIB’s head is appointed directly by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and is considered to be close to the country’s conservative political faction. Press TV is headquartered in Tehran with offices and bureaus around the world; including London, Beirut, Damascus, Kabul, and the Gaza Strip.
*All posts on behalf of PressTV are made by Jim W. Dean


veteranstoday--2020-05-27--Wuhan lab director says virus leak claims ‘pure fabrication’

[ Editor ’ s Note : This is the first response story directly from the Wuhan Lab I have seen .
I had expected that China had centralized all commenting on the “ Wuhan lab did it ” claims coming from the White House so they would be controlled by the central government .
Today we see that restriction has been adjusted .
But on the US side , not much has changed from the Trump team tactic of making allegations that the virus came from the Lab , but never offering any evidence week , after week .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Trump regime , taking the low road by using early morning attack tweets to grab the headlines for the day , and never following up with any substantiations .
On the contrary , we see the same charges echoed around the administration , an age old PR tactic , so the public comes to believe them absent of any evidence .
As one fake cure gets shot down after another , this president just replaces it with another , thinking this demonstrates he is on top of the situation and knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guy who our sources say they are requested to keep it very simple in briefings , by not using unfamiliar terms with the President or he will get angry .
I am wondering , when during the campaign is Trump being a national security risk to the country going to be front and center and on the table ?
… Jim W. Dean ] Jim 's Editor ’ s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal Jim 's work includes research , field trips , Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more .
Thanks for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Wuhan Institute of Virology ’ s director has dismissed as “ pure fabrication ” US claims that the new coronavirus pandemic originated in the Chinese laboratory .
Wang Yanyi told China Global Television Network ( CGTN ) on Monday that the laboratory first got a sample of the deadly virus at the end of 2019 when it had already spread around the world , rejecting unsubstantiated rumors and conspiracy theories that the coronavirus may have leaked from the institute .
“ This is pure fabrication .
Our institute first received the clinical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 last year .
After we checked the pathogen within the sample , we found it contained a new coronavirus , which is now called SARS-CoV-2 , ” Wang said .
She further stressed that the laboratory did not have any knowledge of the coronavirus before the outbreak , adding that their team had never “ encountered , researched or kept the virus.
” “ In fact , like everyone else , we didn ’ t even know the virus existed , ” Wang said .
“ How could it have leaked from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” The new virus , a respiratory disease known as COVID-19 , emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei Province in December last year , incrementally affecting the rest of the world .
Since the flu-like pathogen broke out in Wuhan in late December , Beijing and Washington have clashed over the virus spread and its origin , further increasing tensions between the world ’ s two largest economies .
US President Donald Trump keeps referring to the novel coronavirus as the Chinese virus .
Beijing has hit back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus to Wuhan and initiated the outbreak .
Trump has over the past weeks claimed that there is evidence Beijing created the coronavirus in a medical lab in the Chinese city .
This is while the US intelligence agencies say they have seen no evidence to show the virus is “ man-made.
” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has on several occasions accused China of not being transparent and honest about the coronavirus pandemic in the country .
China has fiercely defended its handling of the new coronavirus , repeatedly saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , transparent and responsible ” in informing the World Health Organization ( WHO ) and affected countries about the pandemic .
Scientific studies have already suggested that the virus originated through natural processes .
The United States and Australia have called in recent weeks for a probe into the origins of the novel coronavirus pandemic .
Some 15,000 Rohingya refugees are now under coronavirus quarantine in Bangladesh ’ s vast camps , officials say , as the number of confirmed infections rose to 29 .
Health experts have long warned that the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ housing almost a million Muslims who fled violence in Myanmar , and officials had restricted movement to the area in April .
Despite this , the first cases in the camps were detected in mid-May .
“ None of the infections are critical .
Most hardly show any symptoms .
Still we have brought them in isolation centers and quarantined their families , ” Toha Bhuiyan , a senior health official in the surrounding Cox ’ s Bazar area told AFP .
He said narrow roads to three districts of the camps , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detected , have been blocked off by authorities .
The 15,000 Rohingya inside these so-called blocks faced further restrictions on their movement , he said .
It comes as charity workers expressed fears over being infected in the camps as they worked without adequate protection .
Two of the areas under isolation are in Kutupalong camp , home to roughly 600,000 Rohingya .
“ We are trying to scale up testing as fast as possible to make sure that we can trace out all the infected people and their contacts , ” Bhuiyan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capacity to treat more than 700 COVID-19 patients have been prepared , he said .
Officials hope to have just under 2,000 ready by the end of May , he added .
Mahbubur Rahman , the chief health official of Cox ’ s Bazar , said authorities hoped this week they would double the number of tests being performed daily from 188 .
He said further entry restrictions have been imposed on the camp , with a 14 day quarantine in place for anyone visiting from Dhaka .
“ We are very worried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ populated .
We suspect community transmission ( of the virus ) has already begun , ” Rahman told AFP .
The Palestinian government is ending its two-month coronavirus lockdown in the occupied West Bank , after a steady decline in new cases .
Shops and businesses will operate as normal from Tuesday , while government employees will return to work after the Eid holiday on Wednesday , Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh told a press conference on Monday .
Mosques , churches and public parks will also reopen , though with social distancing measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and restaurants would be reopened but subject to restrictions to be announced in the coming days , he added .
“ The easing in the measures and gradual return to normal life is being taken with caution , ” Shtayyeh said , warning that an increase in cases could lead to restrictions being reinstated .
The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority declared a state of emergency in March to try to quell the spread of COVID-19 .
The lockdown in the West Bank had been due to remain in place until June 5 but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recent weeks .
Syria has reported 20 new cases of the novel coronavirus , the largest single-day increase to date , the Health Ministry says .
The war-torn country has recorded 106 infections and four deaths so far , and new cases have increased in recent days with the return of Syrians from abroad , the ministry said on Monday .
Syria has kept an overnight curfew in place but has begun to open some of its economy after a lockdown .
Doctors and relief groups worry that medical infrastructure ravaged by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more serious outbreak deadly and difficult to fend off .
Health Minister Nizar Yazigi said last week that “ coercive and unfair ” Western sanctions were hitting medical services needed to cope with coronavirus and he called for their removal .

…by PressTV, Tehran
[ Editor’s Note: This is the first response story directly from the Wuhan Lab I have seen. I had expected that China had centralized all commenting on the “Wuhan lab did it” claims coming from the White House so they would be controlled by the central government.
Today we see that restriction has been adjusted. But on the US side, not much has changed from the Trump team tactic of making allegations that the virus came from the Lab, but never offering any evidence week, after week.
This is something we have gotten accustomed to from the Trump regime, taking the low road by using early morning attack tweets to grab the headlines for the day, and never following up with any substantiations.
On the contrary, we see the same charges echoed around the administration, an age old PR tactic, so the public comes to believe them absent of any evidence.
As one fake cure gets shot down after another, this president just replaces it with another, thinking this demonstrates he is on top of the situation and knows all the details. This is the guy who our sources say they are requested to keep it very simple in briefings, by not using unfamiliar terms with the President or he will get angry.
I am wondering, when during the campaign is Trump being a national security risk to the country going to be front and center and on the table? … Jim W. Dean ]
Jim's Editor’s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal
Jim's work includes research, field trips, Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more. Thanks for helping. Click to donate >>
– First published … May 27, 2020 –
The Wuhan Institute of Virology’s director has dismissed as “pure fabrication” US claims that the new coronavirus pandemic originated in the Chinese laboratory.
Wang Yanyi told China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Monday that the laboratory first got a sample of the deadly virus at the end of 2019 when it had already spread around the world, rejecting unsubstantiated rumors and conspiracy theories that the coronavirus may have leaked from the institute.
“This is pure fabrication. Our institute first received the clinical sample of the unknown pneumonia on December 30 last year. After we checked the pathogen within the sample, we found it contained a new coronavirus, which is now called SARS-CoV-2,” Wang said.
She further stressed that the laboratory did not have any knowledge of the coronavirus before the outbreak, adding that their team had never “encountered, researched or kept the virus.”
“In fact, like everyone else, we didn’t even know the virus existed,” Wang said. “How could it have leaked from our lab when we never had it?”
The new virus, a respiratory disease known as COVID-19, emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei Province in December last year, incrementally affecting the rest of the world.
Since the flu-like pathogen broke out in Wuhan in late December, Beijing and Washington have clashed over the virus spread and its origin, further increasing tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
US President Donald Trump keeps referring to the novel coronavirus as the Chinese virus. Beijing has hit back by suggesting that the US military brought the virus to Wuhan and initiated the outbreak.
Trump has over the past weeks claimed that there is evidence Beijing created the coronavirus in a medical lab in the Chinese city. This is while the US intelligence agencies say they have seen no evidence to show the virus is “man-made.”
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has on several occasions accused China of not being transparent and honest about the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
China has fiercely defended its handling of the new coronavirus, repeatedly saying it “has been nothing but open, transparent and responsible” in informing the World Health Organization (WHO) and affected countries about the pandemic.
Scientific studies have already suggested that the virus originated through natural processes. The United States and Australia have called in recent weeks for a probe into the origins of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
15,000 Rohingya under coronavirus quarantine as cases hit 29
Some 15,000 Rohingya refugees are now under coronavirus quarantine in Bangladesh’s vast camps, officials say, as the number of confirmed infections rose to 29.
Health experts have long warned that the virus could race through the cramped settlements, housing almost a million Muslims who fled violence in Myanmar, and officials had restricted movement to the area in April.
Despite this, the first cases in the camps were detected in mid-May.
“None of the infections are critical. Most hardly show any symptoms. Still we have brought them in isolation centers and quarantined their families,” Toha Bhuiyan, a senior health official in the surrounding Cox’s Bazar area told AFP.
He said narrow roads to three districts of the camps, where the majority of the infections were detected, have been blocked off by authorities. The 15,000 Rohingya inside these so-called blocks faced further restrictions on their movement, he said.
It comes as charity workers expressed fears over being infected in the camps as they worked without adequate protection. Two of the areas under isolation are in Kutupalong camp, home to roughly 600,000 Rohingya.
“We are trying to scale up testing as fast as possible to make sure that we can trace out all the infected people and their contacts,” Bhuiyan said.
Seven isolation centers with the capacity to treat more than 700 COVID-19 patients have been prepared, he said. Officials hope to have just under 2,000 ready by the end of May, he added.
Mahbubur Rahman, the chief health official of Cox’s Bazar, said authorities hoped this week they would double the number of tests being performed daily from 188. He said further entry restrictions have been imposed on the camp, with a 14 day quarantine in place for anyone visiting from Dhaka.
“We are very worried because the Rohingya camps are very densely populated. We suspect community transmission (of the virus) has already begun,” Rahman told AFP.
Palestinian government ends coronavirus lockdown
The Palestinian government is ending its two-month coronavirus lockdown in the occupied West Bank, after a steady decline in new cases.
Shops and businesses will operate as normal from Tuesday, while government employees will return to work after the Eid holiday on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh told a press conference on Monday.
Mosques, churches and public parks will also reopen, though with social distancing measures. Public transport will resume. Cafes and restaurants would be reopened but subject to restrictions to be announced in the coming days, he added.
“The easing in the measures and gradual return to normal life is being taken with caution,” Shtayyeh said, warning that an increase in cases could lead to restrictions being reinstated.
The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority declared a state of emergency in March to try to quell the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown in the West Bank had been due to remain in place until June 5 but was ended early with few new cases in recent weeks.
Syria records 20 new coronavirus cases in largest single-day increase
Syria has reported 20 new cases of the novel coronavirus, the largest single-day increase to date, the Health Ministry says.
The war-torn country has recorded 106 infections and four deaths so far, and new cases have increased in recent days with the return of Syrians from abroad, the ministry said on Monday.
Syria has kept an overnight curfew in place but has begun to open some of its economy after a lockdown. Doctors and relief groups worry that medical infrastructure ravaged by nine years of conflict would make a more serious outbreak deadly and difficult to fend off.
Health Minister Nizar Yazigi said last week that “coercive and unfair” Western sanctions were hitting medical services needed to cope with coronavirus and he called for their removal.


veteranstoday--2020-05-27--Russian jets in Libya: Why Haftar’s MiGs will ‘change nothing’ on the ground

Russian jets in Libya : Why Haftar ’ s MiGs will ‘ change nothing ’ on the ground A fleet of Russian-made fighter jets which have arrived in Libya in support of Khalifa Haftar ’ s Libyan National Army forces are militarily “ useless ” and will “ change nothing ” on the ground , aviation analysts have told Middle East Eye .
Instead , the planes , which are probably piloted by mercenaries , have likely been deployed with Moscow ’ s approval in order to deter further Turkish-backed attacks on LNA forces .
At least six MiG-29 Fulcrum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ escorted by two Russian Air Force planes were reported last week to have landed in the North African country .
Fathi Bashaga , the interior minister for the internationally recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli , told the Bloomberg news agency last Thursday that the GNA had information that the planes had arrived .
On the same day , a reliable source told MEE that a suspected “ Syrian ” Mig-29 was stationed at the Haftar-held airbase at al-Jufrah .
Meanwhile a satellite image taken of the base on 19 May appeared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s taxiway , suggesting that the other seven planes were there as well .
On Tuesday , the US military ’ s Africa Command said it assessed that Russia had sent military fighter aircraft to Libya to support Russian state-sponsored private contractors fighting for Haftar .
The transfer-flight of this small fleet probably occurred on 14 May from Astrakhan in Russia ’ s northern Caucasus , via stops at Hamedan , in Iran , and at the Russian-operated Hmeimim air base in Syria , before reaching Libya several days later .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planes had been recamouflaged in Syria to conceal their Russian origin .
One Russian aviation website reported that the planes were modernised Syrian Air Force fighters , but Tom Cooper , a specialist in military aviation and conflict , with a deep knowledge of the Syrian Arab Air Force , told Middle East Eye that this was unlikely .
“ Syria ’ s MiG-29s have been already overhauled and upgraded – in Syria , at Nayrab airbase .
Plus , the Syrian regime has no money for a new upgrade , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a defence specialist , the origin of the MiG-29s could be Belarus via an order from the UAE .
This type of transaction between the two countries would not be a surprise since at least three Mi-24PS helicopter gunships delivered by the UAE to Haftar in April 2015 came from Belarus .
Neither Belarus nor the UAE possesses the capability to deploy the MiG-29s to Libya without both extensive logistical assistance and political approval from the Russian state .
Moreover , this discreet , even clandestine , transfer is reminiscent of the Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Syria .
That comparison was also drawn by U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend , the commander of US Africa Command , who said on Tuesday : “ Russia is clearly trying to tip the scales in its favour in Libya .
Just like I saw them doing in Syria , they are expanding their military footprint in Africa using government-supported mercenary groups like Wagner .
“ Neither the LNA nor private military companies can arm , operate and sustain these fighters without state support – support they are getting from Russia.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air force , known as the LNA/AF , does not have the pilots and ground personnel with the skills to fly and maintain this small fleet .
Indeed , mastering a fighter jet like the MiG-29 requires years of training and the LNA/AF is short of good pilots .
Most of the best operational airmen of the former Gaddafi air force have been killed during the country ’ s years of civil war .
One can therefore be almost certain that these newly introduced aircraft are not operated by Libyans .
It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Syrians , according to Cooper .
“ They have next to no training – that ’ s intentional – and require tight ground control to fly even simple ground attacks in Syria .
Sending any of them to Libya now , and letting them fly there without good ground control ( of which there is none in Libya ) , would be a complete waste of time , ” he said .
The most logical inference is that these crews are former Russian and/or Belarusian pilots hired via private mercenary companies .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Tripoli .
As he met with tenacious resistance from local militias aligned with the GNA , Haftar ’ s foreign backers , led by the UAE , introduced modern weaponry and thousands of mercenaries with the hope that they would help his forces enter the capital – to no avail The destruction of about nine Emirati-owned Pantsir missile systems by Turkish drones over the last few days provides a stark illustration of this failure .
But experts do not expect the deployment of the MiG-29s or Su-24s to bring about any change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the capture of the Libyan capital by brute force alone is an impossibility .
“ Bringing MiG-29s to Libya will change nothing : no variant of the MiG-29 could accomplish anything better than the Emirati Mirage 2000-9s and Wing Loongs already active in the Libyan theatre , ” said Cooper .
That is not to say that the new warplanes could not drop bombs on civilian areas in Tripoli .
But Turkish frigates currently stationed off the coastal city have demonstrated their ability to down the UAE ’ s drones whenever the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The MiGs and Sukhois would be exposed to the same risks .
Why then send a fleet of militarily “ useless ” fighter bombers to Libya in support of Haftar ?
As previously stated , these MiG-29s and Su-24s could not have been deployed without Moscow ’ s support and endorsement .
Whatever the origin and ownership of these aircraft , and regardless of who is operating them on behalf of the LNA , they are indissociable from Russia – and for that reason nobody is going to risk shooting at them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough to deter Turkey from attempting an attack on al-Jufrah .
By providing protection for this crucial airbase , Russia increases its sway in eastern Libya as a decisive negotiator on Haftar ’ s side .
Turkey ’ s reaction to the deployment of the Russian warplanes was immediate , with several air cargo flights departing from Istanbul for Misrata , including Turkish Air Force Hercules C-130 and Airbus A400 transport planes , as well as a C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft likely provided by Qatar .
This air bridge suggests a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-aircraft systems meant to build a protection bubble around Tripoli , Misrata and the Al-Watiya airbase , which GNA forces recaptured from the LNA last week .
The injection of a new batch of “ low cost ” Bayraktar TB2 drones is almost certain , given that over a dozen have been shot down this year .
However , Ankara is unlikely to deploy more air assets even to al-Watiya .
Regardless of how often some commentators anticipate the involvement of Turkey ’ s F-16s in the Libyan conflict , the prospect is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air combat .
Erdogan ’ s objective in Libya has always been a rebalancing of forces in a proxy war , not a direct confrontation between state forces as has been seen in Syria .
Taking all of the above into account , and with neither Ankara nor Moscow prepared to risk an escalation , the likeliest scenario appears to be a return to stalemate and a frontline between the GNA and the LNA that existed prior to Haftar launching his offensive in April 2019 .
The effect of the deployment of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to enforce the status quo .
Such a scenario is consistent with a 21 May press release from the Russian Foreign Ministry following a telephone exchange between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu which called for an immediate ceasefire , as well as the resumption of the United Nations-backed political process .
Caution is advised nonetheless .
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin had already called in January on the belligerent parties in Libya to declare a ceasefire .
The conditions of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but not by Haftar who left Moscow without having signed the document proposed by Russia and Turkey .
“ The worst scenario would be for these MiG-29s to start targeting hospitals and other primary installations of civilian life in the Tripoli area , ” said Cooper .
“ Then we could expect the same exodus of millions of civilians as in Syria .
During the last week the LNA has already targeted at least two hospitals in the Tripoli area with the help of BM-21 multiple-rocket launchers.
” Nonetheless , the catastrophic defeats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the LNA and the notable loss of a major airbase may bring Haftar ’ s foreign sponsors to the conclusion that he should be forced to negotiate or be pushed out .

_________
Middle East Eye
Russian jets in Libya: Why Haftar’s MiGs will ‘change nothing’ on the ground
A fleet of Russian-made fighter jets which have arrived in Libya in support of Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army forces are militarily “useless” and will “change nothing” on the ground, aviation analysts have told Middle East Eye.
Instead, the planes, which are probably piloted by mercenaries, have likely been deployed with Moscow’s approval in order to deter further Turkish-backed attacks on LNA forces.
At least six MiG-29 Fulcrum and two Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer fighter jets escorted by two Russian Air Force planes were reported last week to have landed in the North African country.
Fathi Bashaga, the interior minister for the internationally recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli, told the Bloomberg news agency last Thursday that the GNA had information that the planes had arrived.
On the same day, a reliable source told MEE that a suspected “Syrian” Mig-29 was stationed at the Haftar-held airbase at al-Jufrah.
Meanwhile a satellite image taken of the base on 19 May appeared to show a MiG-29 on the facility’s taxiway, suggesting that the other seven planes were there as well.
MiG-29 on the ground at al-Jufrah, 19 May 20. Grid: 29.1916, 16.0112 https://t.co/62By0rSZMC pic.twitter.com/k1Fw7HePOA — Brian Castner (@Brian_Castner) May 21, 2020
On Tuesday, the US military’s Africa Command said it assessed that Russia had sent military fighter aircraft to Libya to support Russian state-sponsored private contractors fighting for Haftar.
The transfer-flight of this small fleet probably occurred on 14 May from Astrakhan in Russia’s northern Caucasus , via stops at Hamedan, in Iran, and at the Russian-operated Hmeimim air base in Syria, before reaching Libya several days later.
The US military said it assessed that the planes had been recamouflaged in Syria to conceal their Russian origin.
One Russian aviation website reported that the planes were modernised Syrian Air Force fighters, but Tom Cooper, a specialist in military aviation and conflict, with a deep knowledge of the Syrian Arab Air Force, told Middle East Eye that this was unlikely.
“Syria’s MiG-29s have been already overhauled and upgraded – in Syria, at Nayrab airbase. Plus, the Syrian regime has no money for a new upgrade,” he said.
According to Akram Kharief, a defence specialist, the origin of the MiG-29s could be Belarus via an order from the UAE. This type of transaction between the two countries would not be a surprise since at least three Mi-24PS helicopter gunships delivered by the UAE to Haftar in April 2015 came from Belarus.
Neither Belarus nor the UAE possesses the capability to deploy the MiG-29s to Libya without both extensive logistical assistance and political approval from the Russian state. Moreover, this discreet, even clandestine, transfer is reminiscent of the Russian Air Force’s August 2015 deployment to Syria.
That comparison was also drawn by U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of US Africa Command, who said on Tuesday: “Russia is clearly trying to tip the scales in its favour in Libya. Just like I saw them doing in Syria, they are expanding their military footprint in Africa using government-supported mercenary groups like Wagner.
NEWS: Russia deploys military fighter aircraft to Libya
—–
"For too long, Russia has denied the full extent of its involvement in the ongoing Libyan conflict. Well, there is no denying it now." – Gen. Townsend
Release: https://t.co/HpLdwUJxcr
Photos: https://t.co/raTal1LKPa pic.twitter.com/dVtsWKPYZ5 — US AFRICOM (@USAfricaCommand) May 26, 2020
“Neither the LNA nor private military companies can arm, operate and sustain these fighters without state support – support they are getting from Russia.”
Mercenary pilots
Townsend is correct that Haftar’s air force, known as the LNA/AF, does not have the pilots and ground personnel with the skills to fly and maintain this small fleet. Indeed, mastering a fighter jet like the MiG-29 requires years of training and the LNA/AF is short of good pilots.
Russian fighters reportedly flown out of western Libya after Haftar retreat Read More »
Most of the best operational airmen of the former Gaddafi air force have been killed during the country’s years of civil war. One can therefore be almost certain that these newly introduced aircraft are not operated by Libyans.
It is also very unlikely that the pilots are Syrians, according to Cooper.
“They have next to no training – that’s intentional – and require tight ground control to fly even simple ground attacks in Syria. Sending any of them to Libya now, and letting them fly there without good ground control (of which there is none in Libya), would be a complete waste of time,” he said.
The most logical inference is that these crews are former Russian and/or Belarusian pilots hired via private mercenary companies.
Attack on Tripoli
In April 2019, Haftar launched an offensive on Tripoli. As he met with tenacious resistance from local militias aligned with the GNA, Haftar’s foreign backers, led by the UAE, introduced modern weaponry and thousands of mercenaries with the hope that they would help his forces enter the capital – to no avail
The destruction of about nine Emirati-owned Pantsir missile systems by Turkish drones over the last few days provides a stark illustration of this failure.
But experts do not expect the deployment of the MiG-29s or Su-24s to bring about any change in Haftar’s fortunes. Arguably, the capture of the Libyan capital by brute force alone is an impossibility.
“Bringing MiG-29s to Libya will change nothing: no variant of the MiG-29 could accomplish anything better than the Emirati Mirage 2000-9s and Wing Loongs already active in the Libyan theatre,” said Cooper.
That is not to say that the new warplanes could not drop bombs on civilian areas in Tripoli. But Turkish frigates currently stationed off the coastal city have demonstrated their ability to down the UAE’s drones whenever the latter venture near the sea shore. The MiGs and Sukhois would be exposed to the same risks.
Why then send a fleet of militarily “useless” fighter bombers to Libya in support of Haftar?
As previously stated, these MiG-29s and Su-24s could not have been deployed without Moscow’s support and endorsement. Whatever the origin and ownership of these aircraft, and regardless of who is operating them on behalf of the LNA, they are indissociable from Russia – and for that reason nobody is going to risk shooting at them.
Even unarmed therefore, their presence is enough to deter Turkey from attempting an attack on al-Jufrah. By providing protection for this crucial airbase, Russia increases its sway in eastern Libya as a decisive negotiator on Haftar’s side.
Turkish reaction
Turkey’s reaction to the deployment of the Russian warplanes was immediate, with several air cargo flights departing from Istanbul for Misrata, including Turkish Air Force Hercules C-130 and Airbus A400 transport planes, as well as a C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft likely provided by Qatar.
Libya’s GNA captures key air base in major advance against Haftar Read More »
This air bridge suggests a reinforcement of Turkish defences, in particular anti-aircraft systems meant to build a protection bubble around Tripoli, Misrata and the Al-Watiya airbase, which GNA forces recaptured from the LNA last week.
The injection of a new batch of “low cost” Bayraktar TB2 drones is almost certain, given that over a dozen have been shot down this year.
However, Ankara is unlikely to deploy more air assets even to al-Watiya. Regardless of how often some commentators anticipate the involvement of Turkey’s F-16s in the Libyan conflict, the prospect is unlikely. And so is any Turkish-Russian air combat.
Erdogan’s objective in Libya has always been a rebalancing of forces in a proxy war, not a direct confrontation between state forces as has been seen in Syria.
Return to stalemate
Taking all of the above into account, and with neither Ankara nor Moscow prepared to risk an escalation, the likeliest scenario appears to be a return to stalemate and a frontline between the GNA and the LNA that existed prior to Haftar launching his offensive in April 2019. The effect of the deployment of the Russian aircraft on the side of Haftar is to enforce the status quo.
Such a scenario is consistent with a 21 May press release from the Russian Foreign Ministry following a telephone exchange between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu which called for an immediate ceasefire, as well as the resumption of the United Nations-backed political process.
Caution is advised nonetheless. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin had already called in January on the belligerent parties in Libya to declare a ceasefire.
The conditions of the ceasefire were accepted by the GNA, but not by Haftar who left Moscow without having signed the document proposed by Russia and Turkey.
“The worst scenario would be for these MiG-29s to start targeting hospitals and other primary installations of civilian life in the Tripoli area,” said Cooper.
“Then we could expect the same exodus of millions of civilians as in Syria. During the last week the LNA has already targeted at least two hospitals in the Tripoli area with the help of BM-21 multiple-rocket launchers.”
Nonetheless, the catastrophic defeats of the last few weeks suffered by the LNA and the notable loss of a major airbase may bring Haftar’s foreign sponsors to the conclusion that he should be forced to negotiate or be pushed out.


veteranstoday--2020-05-27--COVID Levels Exploding in Red States as Deaths Pass the First Hundred Thousand Mark

_________ Hurriyet Virus expands grip in many areas , as US nears 100,000 deaths South Korea reported its highest number of new coronavirus infections in weeks on May 27 and India reported another record single-day jump of more than 6,000 cases , as the pandemic expanded its grip across much of the globe .
Still , optimism over reopening economies from business shutdowns to fight the virus spurred a rally on Wall Street , even as the official U.S. death toll approached 100,000 .
Outbreaks are still climbing in much of the Americas , while many countries in Asia and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in containing the deadliest pandemic in a century .
New Zealand ’ s Ministry of Health reported on May 27 that there were no COVID-19 patients under treatment in hospitals .
The nation took aggressive and early action to stop transmissions and has reported only 21 deaths .
It has 21 active cases out of 1,504 confirmed and probable ones .
In South Korea , 40 newly confirmed cases the biggest daily jump in nearly 50 days raised alarm as millions of children were returning to school .
All but four of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Seoul region , where officials are scrambling to stop transmissions linked to nightclubs , karaoke rooms and an e-commerce warehouse .
South Korea has reported 269 deaths and 11,265 cases , after managing to contain a severe earlier outbreak .
Authorities were testing 3,600 employees of a local e-commerce giant , Coupang , after discovering dozens of coronavirus infections linked to workers at the company ’ s warehouse near Seoul .
India saw another record single-day jump , reporting 6,387 new cases on May 27 , as the government prepared new guidelines for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdown that is due to end on May 31 .
In the Americas , from Mexico to Chile , health officials were reporting surging coronavirus cases and overwhelmed hospitals .
Mexico ’ s health department reported 501 deaths from the coronavirus on May 26 , a new one-day high , and 3,455 more infections .
Its daily death toll is approaching that of the U.S. , at about 620 .
Brazil currently leads in daily deaths with more than 800 .
Authorities in Chile said their intensive care units were near full capacity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed daily .
“ This is an extraordinarily difficult time , ” Health Minister Jaime Manalich said .
A U.S. travel ban took effect on May 26 for foreigners coming from Brazil , where President Jair Bolsonaro has raged against state and local leaders enforcing stay-at-home measures despite warnings that the outbreak is deepening .
Brazil has about 375,000 coronavirus infections second only to the 1.6 million cases in the U.S. and has counted over 23,000 deaths , but many fear Brazil ’ s true toll is much higher .
Worldwide , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and killed over 350,000 , according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University .
Europe has recorded about 170,000 deaths , while the U.S. has reported more than 98,900 in a span of less than four months , more than the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined .
The true death toll is widely believed to be significantly higher , with experts saying many victims died of the virus without ever being tested for it .
President Donald Trump several months ago likened the coronavirus to the flu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to so many deaths .
The administration ’ s leading scientists have since warned that as many as 240,000 could die from the virus .
The White House said on May 26 that the president was committed to holding a Fourth of July celebration in the nation ’ s capital even as local officials warned that the region one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus will not be ready to hold a major event .
“ Given the number of individuals that would try to attend such an event , logistically such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on safely , ” lawmakers from the city wrote in a statement .
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said on May 26 that the city won ’ t be issuing any permits for large gatherings in the immediate future .
The capital is still under a stay-at-home order , with plans to shift to Phase One of its reopening this weekend .
Reopenings are pushing ahead even as more than a dozen states are still seeing increasing numbers of new cases .
News of reopenings was cheered on Wall Street , with the S @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining nearly 530 points , or 2.2 % .
Nevada Gov .
Steve Sisolak announced on May 26 night that casinos can reopen on June 4 , welcoming tourists to the gambling mecca of Las Vegas .
Sisolak shuttered the casinos , which draw millions of tourists and power the state economy , 10 weeks ago to help stop the spread of the coronavirus .
In New York , the state with the highest death toll from the virus , Gov .
Andrew Cuomo said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York City ’ s moribund economy .
After ringing open the New York Stock Exchange ’ s trading floor for the first time in two months , he laid out a plan that included accelerating major infrastructure projects and tackling transmission of the virus in the hardest-hit neighborhoods .
Cuomo reported a one-day total of 73 deaths on May 26 , the lowest figure in months .
“ In this absurd new reality , that is good news , ” he said .

_________
Hurriyet
Virus expands grip in many areas, as US nears 100,000 deaths
South Korea reported its highest number of new coronavirus infections in weeks on May 27 and India reported another record single-day jump of more than 6,000 cases, as the pandemic expanded its grip across much of the globe.
Still, optimism over reopening economies from business shutdowns to fight the virus spurred a rally on Wall Street, even as the official U.S. death toll approached 100,000.
Outbreaks are still climbing in much of the Americas, while many countries in Asia and much of Europe are making steady progress in containing the deadliest pandemic in a century.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Health reported on May 27 that there were no COVID-19 patients under treatment in hospitals. The nation took aggressive and early action to stop transmissions and has reported only 21 deaths. It has 21 active cases out of 1,504 confirmed and probable ones.
In South Korea, 40 newly confirmed cases the biggest daily jump in nearly 50 days raised alarm as millions of children were returning to school.
All but four of the new cases were in the densely populated Seoul region, where officials are scrambling to stop transmissions linked to nightclubs, karaoke rooms and an e-commerce warehouse. South Korea has reported 269 deaths and 11,265 cases, after managing to contain a severe earlier outbreak.
Authorities were testing 3,600 employees of a local e-commerce giant, Coupang, after discovering dozens of coronavirus infections linked to workers at the company’s warehouse near Seoul.
India saw another record single-day jump, reporting 6,387 new cases on May 27, as the government prepared new guidelines for the next phase of a 2-month-old national lockdown that is due to end on May 31.
In the Americas, from Mexico to Chile, health officials were reporting surging coronavirus cases and overwhelmed hospitals.
Mexico’s health department reported 501 deaths from the coronavirus on May 26, a new one-day high, and 3,455 more infections. Its daily death toll is approaching that of the U.S., at about 620. Brazil currently leads in daily deaths with more than 800.
Authorities in Chile said their intensive care units were near full capacity, with about 4,000 new cases being confirmed daily. “This is an extraordinarily difficult time,” Health Minister Jaime Manalich said.
A U.S. travel ban took effect on May 26 for foreigners coming from Brazil, where President Jair Bolsonaro has raged against state and local leaders enforcing stay-at-home measures despite warnings that the outbreak is deepening.
Brazil has about 375,000 coronavirus infections second only to the 1.6 million cases in the U.S. and has counted over 23,000 deaths, but many fear Brazil’s true toll is much higher.
Worldwide, the virus has infected nearly 5.6 million people and killed over 350,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Europe has recorded about 170,000 deaths, while the U.S. has reported more than 98,900 in a span of less than four months, more than the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined.
The true death toll is widely believed to be significantly higher, with experts saying many victims died of the virus without ever being tested for it.
President Donald Trump several months ago likened the coronavirus to the flu and dismissed worries that it could lead to so many deaths. The administration’s leading scientists have since warned that as many as 240,000 could die from the virus.
The White House said on May 26 that the president was committed to holding a Fourth of July celebration in the nation’s capital even as local officials warned that the region one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus will not be ready to hold a major event.
“Given the number of individuals that would try to attend such an event, logistically such an event would be impossible to put on safely,” lawmakers from the city wrote in a statement.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said on May 26 that the city won’t be issuing any permits for large gatherings in the immediate future. The capital is still under a stay-at-home order, with plans to shift to Phase One of its reopening this weekend.
Reopenings are pushing ahead even as more than a dozen states are still seeing increasing numbers of new cases. News of reopenings was cheered on Wall Street, with the S&P 500 closing 1.2% higher, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining nearly 530 points, or 2.2%.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced on May 26 night that casinos can reopen on June 4, welcoming tourists to the gambling mecca of Las Vegas. Sisolak shuttered the casinos, which draw millions of tourists and power the state economy, 10 weeks ago to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
In New York, the state with the highest death toll from the virus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it was time to focus on relaunching New York City’s moribund economy. After ringing open the New York Stock Exchange’s trading floor for the first time in two months, he laid out a plan that included accelerating major infrastructure projects and tackling transmission of the virus in the hardest-hit neighborhoods.
Cuomo reported a one-day total of 73 deaths on May 26, the lowest figure in months.
“In this absurd new reality, that is good news,” he said.


veteranstoday--2020-05-27--Washtenaw County Michigan, One More Racist Incident for Police

The video below reminds me of living in Washtenaw County , albeit in a condo on Geddes Road with a 9/11 parked out front .
This was nearly 50 years ago and I used to run evenings , across the US 23 bridge , weaving up to Plymouth Rd and back down Huron Parkway .
I had my own Arbery experience , being asked to explain at gunpoint to two Washtenaw County deputies why a White U of M grad student and USMC reservist ( decorated combat veteran ) was out at night .
My first thought was to disarm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side of the road while setting fire to their car , but my better angels got my PTSD under control .
Then again , I would have more than simply gotten away with it because of “ good friends ” and a wealth of white privilege .
Michigan has some great police departments , certainly the State Police , Grand Rapids , Lansing for sure but then East Lansing , Washtenaw County , Ann Arbor , and a handful in Northern Michigan , utterly corrupt .
I remember a call years and years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jackson , Michigan , a friend , who asked for to protect him for a couple of days after he received death threats from the local sheriff ’ s department over a civil rights lawsuit .
Simple how it is…worse now , much worse… ATTENTION READERS Due to the nature of independent content , VT can not guarantee content validity .
We ask you to Read Our Content Policy so a clear comprehension of VT 's independent non-censored media is understood and given its proper place in the world of news , opinion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by author exclusively .
Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT , other authors , affiliates , advertisers , sponsors , partners or technicians .
Some content may be satirical in nature .
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Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT , other authors , affiliates , advertisers , sponsors , partners or technicians .
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The video below reminds me of living in Washtenaw County, albeit in a condo on Geddes Road with a 9/11 parked out front. This was nearly 50 years ago and I used to run evenings, across the US 23 bridge, weaving up to Plymouth Rd and back down Huron Parkway. I had my own Arbery experience, being asked to explain at gunpoint to two Washtenaw County deputies why a White U of M grad student and USMC reservist (decorated combat veteran) was out at night.
My first thought was to disarm them at leave them bleeding at the side of the road while setting fire to their car, but my better angels got my PTSD under control. Then again, I would have more than simply gotten away with it because of “good friends” and a wealth of white privilege.
Michigan has some great police departments, certainly the State Police, Grand Rapids, Lansing for sure but then East Lansing, Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor, and a handful in Northern Michigan, utterly corrupt.
I remember a call years and years ago from a Circuit Court Judge in Jackson, Michigan, a friend, who asked for to protect him for a couple of days after he received death threats from the local sheriff’s department over a civil rights lawsuit. Simple how it is…worse now, much worse…
Eine schwarze Frau, die gegen den Mord an #GeorgeFloyd protestiert, wurde von einem weißen Polizisten brutal auf den Kopf geschlagen.#ViolencesPolicieres#BlackLivesMatter #MoiAussiJaiPeurDevantLaPolice#PoliceBrutality #Polizeigewalt #JusticeForGeorgepic.twitter.com/VycUoPwEXB — BlxckMosquito #Systemrelevant (@BlxckMosquito) May 27, 2020 https://twitter.com/TheEasternEcho/status/1265445403970936833?s=20


veteranstoday--2020-05-27--Ann Coulter: Trump is a “Jackass President”

Ann Coulter , the author of the New York Times bestselling book In Trump We Trust : E Pluribus Awesome !
, is now throwing in the towel .
Trump , Coulter has recently said , is a “ jackass president ” who has become a “ big baby.
” Coulter was just getting started .
She moved on to say that “ most disloyal actual retard that has ever set foot in the Oval Office.
” [ 1 ] My question is simply this : Will Coulter provide a refund to the thousands and perhaps millions of naïve people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devour her book as gospel truth ?
Anyway , Coulter herself has been a jackass commentator since the beginning of time .
In fact , she has written one book after another praising George W. Bush ’ s invasion of Iraq and making fun of people who criticized sodomy at Abu Ghraib .
Right after the 9/11 attack , Coulter wrote : “ Airports scrupulously apply the same laughably ineffective airport harassment to Suzy Chapstick as to Muslim hijackers .
It is preposterous to assume every passenger is a potential crazed homicidal maniac @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are .
They are the ones cheering and dancing right now .
We should invade their countries , kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity .
We weren ’ t punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers .
We carpet-bombed German cities ; we killed civilians .
That ’ s war .
And this is war.
” [ 2 ] It was Coulter herself who said that “ the magnificently successful Iraq War has been rewritten as a failure ” [ 3 ] by Democrats or Liberals who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iraq was a thriving country until Obama took office .
With respect to the war in Iraq , Coulter again wrote unashamedly : “ We won , executed a dictator , presided over democratic elections , and killed loads of al Qaeda fighters.
” [ 4 ] Listen to what Coulter says of Trump in In Trump We Trust : “ He opposed the Iraq War , a massively popular position now that Obama has turned our victory there into a defeat and the birthplace of ISIS.
” [ 5 ] One must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was really Obama who turned the Neocon ’ s vision of Iraq into a defeat !
Coulter does not lack the intellectual or scholarly sophistication to realize that her position is vacuous and morally worthless , but because she is ideologically under the Neoconservative or Israeli system , she can not think straight at all .
Coulter—get this—would welcome Benjamin Netanyahu as president of the United States !
[ 6 ] This woman is still screwing around and playing dice with the whole truth .
Perhaps Netanyahu was speaking of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I know what America is .
America is a thing you can move very easily , move it in the right direction .
They won ’ t get in [ our ] way.
” [ 7 ] • [ 1 ] “ Ex-Trumpist Ann Coulter Trashed Online as She Rips ‘ Disloyal Actual Retard ’ Trump in Twitter Rant , ” Sputnik News , May 25 , 2020 .
• [ 5 ] Ann Coulter , In Trump We Trust : E Pluribus Awesome !
( New York : Sentinel , 2016 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ WATCH : Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity : ‘ I Wish Netanyahu Was Our President , ’ ” Haaretz , August 3 , 2014 .
• [ 7 ] “ Netanyahu In 2001 : ‘ America Is A Thing You Can Move Very Easily , ’ ” Huffington Post , July 16 , 2010 .

Ann Coulter, the author of the New York Times bestselling book In Trump We Trust: E Pluribus Awesome!, is now throwing in the towel. Trump, Coulter has recently said, is a “jackass president” who has become a “big baby.” Coulter was just getting started. She moved on to say that “most disloyal actual retard that has ever set foot in the Oval Office.”[1]
My question is simply this: Will Coulter provide a refund to the thousands and perhaps millions of naïve people who have plunked down the money to devour her book as gospel truth?
Anyway, Coulter herself has been a jackass commentator since the beginning of time. In fact, she has written one book after another praising George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq and making fun of people who criticized sodomy at Abu Ghraib. Right after the 9/11 attack, Coulter wrote:
“Airports scrupulously apply the same laughably ineffective airport harassment to Suzy Chapstick as to Muslim hijackers. It is preposterous to assume every passenger is a potential crazed homicidal maniac. We know who the homicidal maniacs are. They are the ones cheering and dancing right now. We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren’t punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That’s war. And this is war.”[2]
It was Coulter herself who said that “the magnificently successful Iraq War has been rewritten as a failure”[3] by Democrats or Liberals who are too stupid enough to know that Iraq was a thriving country until Obama took office.
With respect to the war in Iraq, Coulter again wrote unashamedly: “We won, executed a dictator, presided over democratic elections, and killed loads of al Qaeda fighters.”[4] Listen to what Coulter says of Trump in In Trump We Trust: “He opposed the Iraq War, a massively popular position now that Obama has turned our victory there into a defeat and the birthplace of ISIS.”[5]
One must say that Coulter is dumb on purpose. It was really Obama who turned the Neocon’s vision of Iraq into a defeat! Coulter does not lack the intellectual or scholarly sophistication to realize that her position is vacuous and morally worthless, but because she is ideologically under the Neoconservative or Israeli system, she cannot think straight at all.
Coulter—get this—would welcome Benjamin Netanyahu as president of the United States![6] This woman is still screwing around and playing dice with the whole truth. Perhaps Netanyahu was speaking of people like Coulter when he said:
“I know what America is. America is a thing you can move very easily, move it in the right direction. They won’t get in [our] way.”[7]


veteranstoday--2020-05-27--Mexico’s Daily Coronavirus Deaths Reach New High

Mexico hits new virus record of over 500 deaths per day MEXICO CITY — Mexico ’ s health department reported 501 deaths from the coronavirus Tuesday , a new one-day high and the first time the figure exceeded 500 .
The number of new cases also set a daily high , with 3,455 additional infections confirmed .
Mexico has so far recorded nearly 74,560 confirmed cases and 8,134 deaths , though officials acknowledge the number of cases is probably several times higher due to Mexico ’ s extremely low rate of testing .
Mexico ’ s daily death toll is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at around 620 , though Brazil leads in daily deaths with over 800 .
The announcement came on the same day that dozens of health care professionals blocked a major boulevard in the capital for at least an hour to demand better personal protective equipment .
They displayed over-sized coveralls they were supposed to wear and held placards demanding better equipment .
It was the same day that the World Health Organization said in a letter to the Mexican government that it “ wants to congratulate ” Mexico on its social-distancing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that testing is vital to containing the pandemic .
Mexico , with over 125 million people , has conducted about 230,000 tests to date , one of the lowest testing rates in the Western Hemisphere .

Mexico hits new virus record of over 500 deaths per day
by Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s health department reported 501 deaths from the coronavirus Tuesday, a new one-day high and the first time the figure exceeded 500.
The number of new cases also set a daily high, with 3,455 additional infections confirmed.
Mexico has so far recorded nearly 74,560 confirmed cases and 8,134 deaths, though officials acknowledge the number of cases is probably several times higher due to Mexico’s extremely low rate of testing.
Mexico’s daily death toll is now approaching that of the United States, at around 620, though Brazil leads in daily deaths with over 800.
The announcement came on the same day that dozens of health care professionals blocked a major boulevard in the capital for at least an hour to demand better personal protective equipment. They displayed over-sized coveralls they were supposed to wear and held placards demanding better equipment.
It was the same day that the World Health Organization said in a letter to the Mexican government that it “wants to congratulate” Mexico on its social-distancing and lockdown measures. But the WHO insisted that testing is vital to containing the pandemic.
Mexico, with over 125 million people, has conducted about 230,000 tests to date, one of the lowest testing rates in the Western Hemisphere.
Read More:


veteranstoday--2020-05-27--Merck Developing Two Different COVID-19 Vaccines and Antiviral

Merck , one of Big Pharma ’ s biggest players , reveals its COVID-19 vaccine and therapy plans Merck , one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world , has been conspicuously absent from the race to develop COVID-19 vaccines and drugs .
No longer .
The company this morning announced it has cut deals to develop and manufacture two different COVID-19 vaccines and a much-discussed experimental antiviral compound that is already in early clinical trials .
Roger Perlmutter , president of Merck Research Laboratories , portrays the company as deliberate rather than a latecomer .
And the immunologist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can accelerate the progress that other , smaller developers already have made .
“ Clearly , we have a lot of heft , ” says Perlmutter , who declined to disclose how much Merck is investing in each project .
According to the World Health Organization ’ s latest table of COVID-19 vaccines , 124 candidates are at various stages of development with eight different technologies , or platforms .
Merck ’ s new investments focus on a platform , known as the replicating viral vector , that takes longer to develop than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ robust immune responses triggered by a single dose .
“ Most vaccine projects fail—it ’ s very difficult to make a vaccine , ” Perlmutter says .
“ So if I ’ m going to start making a vaccine , I ’ d like to be thoughtful about which vaccine platforms ..read more : ATTENTION READERS Due to the nature of independent content , VT can not guarantee content validity .
We ask you to Read Our Content Policy so a clear comprehension of VT 's independent non-censored media is understood and given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news , opinion and media .
All content is owned by author exclusively .
Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT , other authors , affiliates , advertisers , sponsors , partners or technicians .
Some content may be satirical in nature .
All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT. About VT - Read Full Policy Notice - Comment Policy Due to the nature of independent content , VT can not guarantee content validity.We ask you toso a clear comprehension of VT 's independent non-censored media is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world of news , opinion and media.All content is owned by author exclusively .
Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT , other authors , affiliates , advertisers , sponsors , partners or technicians .
Some content may be satirical in nature .
All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT .

Merck, one of Big Pharma’s biggest players, reveals its COVID-19 vaccine and therapy plans
By Jon Cohen/Science Magazine
Merck, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, has been conspicuously absent from the race to develop COVID-19 vaccines and drugs. No longer. The company this morning announced it has cut deals to develop and manufacture two different COVID-19 vaccines and a much-discussed experimental antiviral compound that is already in early clinical trials.
Roger Perlmutter, president of Merck Research Laboratories, portrays the company as deliberate rather than a latecomer. And the immunologist believes Merck’s skills and experience can accelerate the progress that other, smaller developers already have made. “Clearly, we have a lot of heft,” says Perlmutter, who declined to disclose how much Merck is investing in each project.
According to the World Health Organization’s latest table of COVID-19 vaccines, 124 candidates are at various stages of development with eight different technologies, or platforms. Merck’s new investments focus on a platform, known as the replicating viral vector, that takes longer to develop than others, but will potentially lead to robust immune responses triggered by a single dose. “Most vaccine projects fail—it’s very difficult to make a vaccine,” Perlmutter says. “So if I’m going to start making a vaccine, I’d like to be thoughtful about which vaccine platforms ..read more: