mintpressnews--2020-04-29--“We are so F****d”: Joe Biden Town Hall Sparks Fears of a Clinton Rerun

Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden held a public online discussion with 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton yesterday , where she officially endorsed him for president .
The 55-minute long event was branded a “ women ’ s town hall , ” as the two veteran Washington insiders discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has hit women in particular .
“ I want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you to be our president , ” Clinton announced from her home .
“ Just think what a difference it would make right now if we had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science — put facts over fiction — but brought us together , showed the kind of compassion and caring that we need from our president and which Joe Biden has been exemplifying throughout his entire career.
” Throughout the conversation , where Biden positioned himself as a champion of women and an ally to the # MeToo movement , neither Clinton or Biden addressed the multiple women who have accused the former vice-president of inappropriate touching , nor the newest allegations by his former staffer , Tara Reade , who claims he sexually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1993 .
Biden has been adamant that he will select a woman as his running mate and that he will choose someone from the right of the party ( even floating the idea of choosing a Republican VP ) .
Yesterday ’ s event fueled speculation that Clinton is in the running to return to the White House .
The former senator from New York famously blew an enormous lead over Donald Trump – enjoying a 15-point advantage over the businessman and TV show host as late as the last week of campaigning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poll found that continued apathy and ill will towards her meant that a Clinton endorsement would be a net negative for any of the candidates in the running .
Thus , some described the latest announcement as a “ kiss of death ” for the Biden campaign .
The women ’ s town hall did not go particularly smoothly , with the participants not realizing they were live for almost 25 seconds .
Biden also appeared to momentarily fall asleep as Clinton was talking .
The former Delaware senator stormed into the lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the states on offer , but has still found it difficult to engage and extend his message online .
His YouTube channel that broadcast the event has only 47,000 subscribers ( in comparison , Donald Trump has 381,000 and Bernie Sanders has nearly 400,000 ) .
As of Wednesday , the town hall has 60,000 views and more than double the dislikes as likes .
The COVID-19 pandemic has raged particularly hard through the United States , with official figures showing more than one million Americans have been infected and over 59,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far higher numbers than official reports .
Nearly half of all New Yorkers , for instance , know someone who has already died of the virus .
For weeks , President Trump insisted the coronavirus was a “ hoax ” intended to force him out of the White House , claiming in February that , by April and the warmer weather , that the virus would “ disappear.
” Last week he also promoted the idea of injecting bleach into the human body as a cure , saying at a press conference : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Minnesota yesterday , refusing to wear even a mask .
Americans appear unable to choose between the two options placed before them , in what is increasingly looking like a rerun of the 2016 contest .
A survey from Quinnipiac University last week found that Biden enjoyed a small lead over Trump in the key battleground state of Florida .
However , only two percent of respondents claimed they would not vote – an impossibly low number .
Biden ’ s supporters are far less enthusiastic than Trump ’ s , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his small lead into a political victory .
Jamie Peck , a journalist , and producer of the Majority Report political program , summed up the mood among progressives watching the events of 2020 play out : “ we are so fucked , ” she tweeted .
Feature photo | Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets Vice President Joe Biden on the tarmac at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Avoca , Pa. , Aug. 15 , 2016 , before traveling together to a campaign event in Scranton , Pa. Carolyn Kaster | AP Alan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden held a public online discussion with 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton yesterday, where she officially endorsed him for president. The 55-minute long event was branded a “women’s town hall,” as the two veteran Washington insiders discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has hit women in particular.
“I want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you to be our president,” Clinton announced from her home. “Just think what a difference it would make right now if we had a president who not only listened to the science — put facts over fiction — but brought us together, showed the kind of compassion and caring that we need from our president and which Joe Biden has been exemplifying throughout his entire career.”
Throughout the conversation, where Biden positioned himself as a champion of women and an ally to the #MeToo movement, neither Clinton or Biden addressed the multiple women who have accused the former vice-president of inappropriate touching, nor the newest allegations by his former staffer, Tara Reade, who claims he sexually assaulted her in the Capitol Building in 1993.
Biden has been adamant that he will select a woman as his running mate and that he will choose someone from the right of the party (even floating the idea of choosing a Republican VP). Yesterday’s event fueled speculation that Clinton is in the running to return to the White House. The former senator from New York famously blew an enormous lead over Donald Trump – enjoying a 15-point advantage over the businessman and TV show host as late as the last week of campaigning. In October, a Morning Consult poll found that continued apathy and ill will towards her meant that a Clinton endorsement would be a net negative for any of the candidates in the running. Thus, some described the latest announcement as a “kiss of death” for the Biden campaign.
Biden doing a virtual townhall with Hillary Clinton concerning the impact of covid19 on women just a day after new corroboration of the Reade allegations is the most darkly portentous omen of the race so far — Elizabeth Bruenig (@ebruenig) April 28, 2020
The women’s town hall did not go particularly smoothly, with the participants not realizing they were live for almost 25 seconds. Biden also appeared to momentarily fall asleep as Clinton was talking. The former Delaware senator stormed into the lead on Super Tuesday, winning the majority of the states on offer, but has still found it difficult to engage and extend his message online. His YouTube channel that broadcast the event has only 47,000 subscribers (in comparison, Donald Trump has 381,000 and Bernie Sanders has nearly 400,000). As of Wednesday, the town hall has 60,000 views and more than double the dislikes as likes.
The COVID-19 pandemic has raged particularly hard through the United States, with official figures showing more than one million Americans have been infected and over 59,000 dead. However, other projections suggest far higher numbers than official reports. Nearly half of all New Yorkers, for instance, know someone who has already died of the virus. For weeks, President Trump insisted the coronavirus was a “hoax” intended to force him out of the White House, claiming in February that, by April and the warmer weather, that the virus would “disappear.” Last week he also promoted the idea of injecting bleach into the human body as a cure, saying at a press conference:
I see disinfectant, where it knocks it [coronavirus] out in a minute—one minute—and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning. Because you see it [coronavirus] gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it’d be interesting to check that.
Meanwhile, Vice-President Pence visited a hospital in Minnesota yesterday, refusing to wear even a mask.
We are so fucked https://t.co/tmfZuvXfLP — Big Structurals (@jamie_elizabeth) April 29, 2020
Americans appear unable to choose between the two options placed before them, in what is increasingly looking like a rerun of the 2016 contest. A survey from Quinnipiac University last week found that Biden enjoyed a small lead over Trump in the key battleground state of Florida. However, only two percent of respondents claimed they would not vote – an impossibly low number. Biden’s supporters are far less enthusiastic than Trump’s, and it remains uncertain that he can convert his small lead into a political victory. Jamie Peck, a journalist, and producer of the Majority Report political program, summed up the mood among progressives watching the events of 2020 play out: “we are so fucked,” she tweeted.
Feature photo | Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets Vice President Joe Biden on the tarmac at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Avoca, Pa., Aug. 15, 2016, before traveling together to a campaign event in Scranton, Pa. Carolyn Kaster | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-04-29--Hate as a Common Ground: Why Israel’s Coalition Government Is Likely to Survive

Shortly after an agreement to form a “ national emergency government ” in Israel , leader of the Blue and White ( Kahol Lavan ) party , Benny Gantz , tweeted triumphantly that ‘ democracy ’ in Israel has been ‘ safeguarded ’ .
But how is a deal that would grant Israel ’ s right-wing Prime Minister , Benjamin Netanyahu , a veto power over the very judicial system which will determine his fate , a form of democracy ?
In January , Netanyahu was indicted on multiple counts of bribery , fraud and breach of trust .
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ By making such an assertion , Gantz is simply deluding himself , following one the most disgraceful acts of political betrayal in the country ’ s modern history .
By agreeing to join Netanyahu ’ s Likud party , Gantz has demolished his own parliamentary group which unified several major parties in one single bloc , all with the aim of removing Israel ’ s longest-serving leader from power .
The Blue and White , which until recently consisted of three parties ( Hosen Li-Israel , Yesh Atid and Telem ) , presented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force that would finally restore some credibility to Israel ’ s ailing political institutions .
Clearly , Israel was not ready for such a mission .
It is convenient to blame Gantz for the collapse of Israel ’ s once-burgeoning opposition , but the problem with Israel ’ s political elites is far more complex than that of a single individual .
Israeli leaders insist that democracy , transparency , and inclusion are achievable , even when millions of the country ’ s Arab citizens are marginalized and continue to be victims of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very foundation of Israel .
In actuality , Gantz could have formed a government with the help of the Joint List , a coalition of Arab and progressive parties , which is the only Israeli political bloc that represents hope for a better , more inclusive future .
The supposed Israeli ‘ centrist ’ , however , opted to join Netanyahu – and to , consequently , alienate his own allies , Yesh Atid and Telem – than meet the reasonable conditions of the Joint List .
The supposed Israeli ‘ centrist ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – and to , consequently , alienate his own allies , Yesh Atid and Telem – than meet the reasonable conditions of the Joint List .
The Joint List , which had eventually endorsed Gantz to form a government , had merely requested the removal of the Nation-State Law ( which defines Israel as a Jewish State ) , the Kaminitz Law ( which restricts building in Arab communities in Israel ) and ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine , in accordance with international law .
The Arab parties ’ demands were simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for several reasons .
One , Gantz is essentially a right-wing politician and a military hawk , who favors the annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories and has called for even harsher wars on Gaza .
Two , the Blue and White would have never been able to build a wider coalition if it adhered to any of these demands .
This much was made clear by the head of Yisrael Beiteinu leader , Avigdor Lieberman .
Three , Member of Knesset ( Parliament ) Zvi Hauser , one of the most influential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is among the main forces behind the racist Nation State Law of July 2018 .
Expecting Hauser to cancel the jewel of his political achievements would be most unrealistic and would have further destabilized a party that has already lost nearly half of its supporters in a matter of days .
Hauser is an interesting character , an ambitious politician and a person to watch , as he will play an important future role in Israel ’ s coalition government .
Hauser will now become the “ proverbial long arm of the Judicial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Verter , writing in Haaretz .
This committee , in particular , was the main stumbling block in the difficult negotiations , which preceded the announcement of a government coalition deal between Gantz and Netanyahu .
According to the deal , Netanyahu can accept or reject any of Hauser ’ s future appointments .
Hauser is unlikely to find Netanyahu ’ s interference unacceptable , simply because he is used to the idea of being Netanyahu ’ s point man .
Yes , indeed , Hauser entered public service in 1994 to serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under Netanyahu who , at the time , was the country ’ s opposition leader .
In fact , Hauser ’ s political career throughout the years seems to be intrinsically linked to Netanyahu ’ s own .
And here , yet , is another common ground between the Likud and the Blue and White , which could make the planned annexation of parts of the occupied Palestinian West Bank and Jordan Valley very much possible .
The text of the coalition government agreement spoke of potential annexation of parts of the occupied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in accordance with the US President Donald Trump ’ s “ Vision for Peace ” .
This understanding was by no means a concession on the part of Gantz , who , too , supports some form of annexation .
That ’ s where Hauser ’ s role becomes vital once more , for it was Hauser himself who headed the ‘ Coalition for the Israeli Golan ’ , which championed and promoted Israel ’ s sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights .
Hauser ’ s wish received a huge boost in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli .
Despite its difficult birth and the Blue and White setback , the Netanyahu-Gantz coalition has more in common than meets the eye : For one , Gantz seems to have abandoned his strategy of getting rid of Netanyahu through the court system .
With Hauser as a middle man , Netanyahu , at least for now , is somewhat safe .
Secondly , not only is the annexation of Palestinian territories ( despite strong Palestinian and international rejection to such a move ) not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but a point of agreement as well .
Thirdly , with Gantz ’ s rejection of a coalition that includes the Joint List , and Netanyahu ’ s complete disregard for the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank and Gaza , Palestinians are entirely erased from the political map of Israel ’ s ruling elites .
This is unlikely to change in the future as well .
There is one positive aspect in Israel ’ s unpromising government coalition , and that is clarity .
Knowing of Netanyahu ’ s anti-Palestinian , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we should have all the clarity needed to understand that no just peace can possibly be achieved when Netanyahu is still at the helm .
The same can be said of Gantz as well , who preferred to willingly shake the hand of the devil than to find common ground among the leaders of Israel ’ s Palestinian Arab community .
Even when Netanyahu ’ s eighteen-month term as Prime Minister expires , a Gantz-led Israeli government is unlikely to fare any better .
Feature photo | A billboard shows Israeli Prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Former Defense Minister and leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu ( Israel Our Home ) right-wing party Avigdor Lieberman , center , and Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz , wearing masks in the Israeli city of Ramat Gan , near Tel Aviv , March 29 , 2020 .
Sebastian Scheiner | AP Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle .
He is the author of five books .
His latest is “ These Chains Will Be Broken : Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs ( CIGA ) , Istanbul Zaim University ( IZU ) .
His website is www.ramzybaroud.net

Shortly after an agreement to form a “national emergency government” in Israel, leader of the Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) party, Benny Gantz, tweeted triumphantly that ‘democracy’ in Israel has been ‘safeguarded’.
But how is a deal that would grant Israel’s right-wing Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, a veto power over the very judicial system which will determine his fate, a form of democracy?
In January, Netanyahu was indicted on multiple counts of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. His trial is scheduled for May 24.
By making such an assertion, Gantz is simply deluding himself, following one the most disgraceful acts of political betrayal in the country’s modern history. By agreeing to join Netanyahu’s Likud party, Gantz has demolished his own parliamentary group which unified several major parties in one single bloc, all with the aim of removing Israel’s longest-serving leader from power.
The Blue and White, which until recently consisted of three parties (Hosen Li-Israel, Yesh Atid and Telem), presented itself to Israeli voters as a political force that would finally restore some credibility to Israel’s ailing political institutions.
Clearly, Israel was not ready for such a mission.
It is convenient to blame Gantz for the collapse of Israel’s once-burgeoning opposition, but the problem with Israel’s political elites is far more complex than that of a single individual.
Israeli leaders insist that democracy, transparency, and inclusion are achievable, even when millions of the country’s Arab citizens are marginalized and continue to be victims of institutional racism that dates back to the very foundation of Israel.
In actuality, Gantz could have formed a government with the help of the Joint List, a coalition of Arab and progressive parties, which is the only Israeli political bloc that represents hope for a better, more inclusive future.
The supposed Israeli ‘centrist’, however, opted to join Netanyahu – and to, consequently, alienate his own allies, Yesh Atid and Telem – than meet the reasonable conditions of the Joint List.
The supposed Israeli ‘centrist’, however, opted to join Netanyahu – and to, consequently, alienate his own allies, Yesh Atid and Telem – than meet the reasonable conditions of the Joint List.
The Joint List, which had eventually endorsed Gantz to form a government, had merely requested the removal of the Nation-State Law (which defines Israel as a Jewish State), the Kaminitz Law (which restricts building in Arab communities in Israel) and ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine, in accordance with international law.
The Arab parties’ demands were simply too much for Gantz to handle, for several reasons.
One, Gantz is essentially a right-wing politician and a military hawk, who favors the annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories and has called for even harsher wars on Gaza.
Two, the Blue and White would have never been able to build a wider coalition if it adhered to any of these demands. This much was made clear by the head of Yisrael Beiteinu leader, Avigdor Lieberman.
Three, Member of Knesset (Parliament) Zvi Hauser, one of the most influential figures of the Blue and White, is among the main forces behind the racist Nation State Law of July 2018. Expecting Hauser to cancel the jewel of his political achievements would be most unrealistic and would have further destabilized a party that has already lost nearly half of its supporters in a matter of days.
Hauser is an interesting character, an ambitious politician and a person to watch, as he will play an important future role in Israel’s coalition government.
Hauser will now become the “proverbial long arm of the Judicial Appointments Committee,” according to Yossi Verter, writing in Haaretz. This committee, in particular, was the main stumbling block in the difficult negotiations, which preceded the announcement of a government coalition deal between Gantz and Netanyahu.
According to the deal, Netanyahu can accept or reject any of Hauser’s future appointments. Hauser is unlikely to find Netanyahu’s interference unacceptable, simply because he is used to the idea of being Netanyahu’s point man.
Yes, indeed, Hauser entered public service in 1994 to serve as the Likud party’s spokesman under Netanyahu who, at the time, was the country’s opposition leader. In fact, Hauser’s political career throughout the years seems to be intrinsically linked to Netanyahu’s own.
And here, yet, is another common ground between the Likud and the Blue and White, which could make the planned annexation of parts of the occupied Palestinian West Bank and Jordan Valley very much possible.
The text of the coalition government agreement spoke of potential annexation of parts of the occupied territories as early as the summer, in accordance with the US President Donald Trump’s “Vision for Peace”.
This understanding was by no means a concession on the part of Gantz, who, too, supports some form of annexation.
That’s where Hauser’s role becomes vital once more, for it was Hauser himself who headed the ‘Coalition for the Israeli Golan’, which championed and promoted Israel’s sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Hauser’s wish received a huge boost in March 2019, when Trump signed the order recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli.
Despite its difficult birth and the Blue and White setback, the Netanyahu-Gantz coalition has more in common than meets the eye:
For one, Gantz seems to have abandoned his strategy of getting rid of Netanyahu through the court system. With Hauser as a middle man, Netanyahu, at least for now, is somewhat safe.
Secondly, not only is the annexation of Palestinian territories (despite strong Palestinian and international rejection to such a move) not a point of contention between the coalition partners, but a point of agreement as well.
Thirdly, with Gantz’s rejection of a coalition that includes the Joint List, and Netanyahu’s complete disregard for the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinians are entirely erased from the political map of Israel’s ruling elites. This is unlikely to change in the future as well.
There is one positive aspect in Israel’s unpromising government coalition, and that is clarity. Knowing of Netanyahu’s anti-Palestinian, anti-peace, and anti-international law long legacy, we should have all the clarity needed to understand that no just peace can possibly be achieved when Netanyahu is still at the helm.
The same can be said of Gantz as well, who preferred to willingly shake the hand of the devil than to find common ground among the leaders of Israel’s Palestinian Arab community.
Even when Netanyahu’s eighteen-month term as Prime Minister expires, a Gantz-led Israeli government is unlikely to fare any better.
Feature photo | A billboard shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, Israeli Former Defense Minister and leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) right-wing party Avigdor Lieberman, center, and Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz, wearing masks in the Israeli city of Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, March 29, 2020. Sebastian Scheiner | AP
Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books. His latest is “These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons” (Clarity Press, Atlanta). Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA), Istanbul Zaim University (IZU). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net


mintpressnews--2020-04-29--As US Approaches Record Deficit, Israel Asks for Record Handout

Menifee , CA ( IAK ) — Breaking Defense , a digital magazine that covers military issues , reports that Israel may ask for its U.S. aid early , possibly in a lump sum that could be as high as $ 7.6 billion .
This would work out to almost $ 21 million per day from American taxpayers , even though the U.S. is approaching a $ 4 trillion deficit ( the largest in the world ) , and Israel typically has a lower unemployment rate than the United States .
The report is by Breaking Defense Israel correspondent Arie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Israeli military and is close to the Israeli security establishment .
Egozi ’ s article states that because of the coronavirus pandemic , “ Israel ’ s Ministry of Defense and high command have hammered out an emergency plan for an appeal to Washington.
” The article , which carries a Tel Aviv dateline , reports : “ Sources here say the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing Israel to ask Washington to make major changes to the [ aid ] agreement , including a request to receive the annual allocation $ 3.8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Israel is normally disbursed in October , in a lump sum that is deposited to an interest-bearing Israeli account in the New York Federal Reserve Bank .
( Since the U.S. has been operating at a deficit , this means that the U.S. government borrows the money and pays interest on it long after it has gone out . )
In addition to receiving the aid earlier than usual , a “ senior source ” quoted by Egozi suggests that Israel may request that the aid expected for 2024 also be disbursed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would work out to nearly $ 21 million per day , or $ 14,460 per minute to Israel from American taxpayers suffering from a devastating hit to the U.S. economy .
Moreover , it is highly likely that when 2024 comes around , the advance would be forgiven , as have numerous U.S. “ loans ” to Israel , and Israel would get the aid again .
The current aid to Israel is based on a 2016 agreement by the Obama Administration to give Israel $ 3.8 billion annually for the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 38 billion , touted as the largest such aid package in U.S. history .
Overall , Israel has received more U.S. aid than any other country , on average , 7,000 times more per capita than others .
While the Obama Memorandum of Understanding ( MOU ) is a non-binding agreement , Israel has received this sum every year since it was signed .
Israel advocates in Congress are currently seeking to cement it into a law that would permit this amount to go even higher in the future .
Egozi reports that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Joseph Weiss , said asking for the money ahead of time is “ a wild idea , ” but said it “ makes sense in the special conditions created [ in Israel ] by the pandemic.
” However , it ’ s unlikely that this would make equivalent sense to Americans , who have been at least as hard hit by the pandemic .
Over 26 million Americans so far have lost their jobs , and many U.S. companies are facing bankruptcy .
A comment below Egozi ’ s article suggests how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Israel this year : To deflect such outrage , Israel partisans in the U.S. typically defend the aid by saying that it eventually goes to U.S. defense companies .
However , they fail to mention that millions of dollars go to Israeli companies that compete with American businesses , often leading to job losses in the U.S. No other country receiving U.S. military aid is allowed to do this .
In addition , many Americans feel that Israel should use its own money to purchase its weaponry , as the U.S. does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wished to subsidize weapons companies , the U.S. government could simply purchase items for American use .
Similarly , a growing number of Americans object to the uses Israel makes of U.S. weapons , regularly deploying them in violation of both international law and U.S. law ( also this ) .
However , the pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. is extremely influential in both political parties , and U.S. media rarely report on aid to Israel , so the lump sum could slip through without notice .
An administration official recently said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money “ even if there is a depression.
” A critic of the aid , former CIA officer Philip Giraldi , points out that Israel is not an ally , and that it has often “ done damage to the United States.
” Giraldi , who is currently executive director of the Council for the National Interest ( CNI ) , notes that Israel often spies on the U.S. and has stolen American technology .
It also tried to sink a U.S. Navy ship , killing 34 Americans and injuring over 170 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is unclear and suggests that Israel may ask for even more money this year .
He says he “ would not be surprised ” if they seek advances for additional years , receiving possibly triple the normal amount .
Giraldi is asking people to sign a petition by CNI calling on Congress to “ stop the money to Israel.
” The petition states : Feature photo | President Donald Trump , right , speaks during an event with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , left , in the East Room of the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 .
Susan Walsh | AP Alison Weir is executive director of If Americans Knew , president of the Council for the National Interest , and author of Against Our Better Judgment : The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel .
This article has been updated with Philip Giraldi ’ s views on the Breaking Defense article .

Menifee, CA (IAK) — Breaking Defense, a digital magazine that covers military issues, reports that Israel may ask for its U.S. aid early, possibly in a lump sum that could be as high as $7.6 billion.
This would work out to almost $21 million per day from American taxpayers, even though the U.S. is approaching a $4 trillion deficit (the largest in the world), and Israel typically has a lower unemployment rate than the United States.
The report is by Breaking Defense Israel correspondent Arie Egozi, an Israeli citizen who served in the Israeli military and is close to the Israeli security establishment.
Egozi’s article states that because of the coronavirus pandemic, “Israel’s Ministry of Defense and high command have hammered out an emergency plan for an appeal to Washington.”
The article, which carries a Tel Aviv dateline, reports: “Sources here say the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing Israel to ask Washington to make major changes to the [aid] agreement, including a request to receive the annual allocation $3.8 billion earlier than planned.”
U.S. aid to Israel is normally disbursed in October, in a lump sum that is deposited to an interest-bearing Israeli account in the New York Federal Reserve Bank. (Since the U.S. has been operating at a deficit, this means that the U.S. government borrows the money and pays interest on it long after it has gone out.)
$14,000 per minute
In addition to receiving the aid earlier than usual, a “senior source” quoted by Egozi suggests that Israel may request that the aid expected for 2024 also be disbursed this year.
If that happens, it would work out to nearly $21 million per day, or $14,460 per minute to Israel from American taxpayers suffering from a devastating hit to the U.S. economy.
Moreover, it is highly likely that when 2024 comes around, the advance would be forgiven, as have numerous U.S. “loans” to Israel, and Israel would get the aid again.
The current aid to Israel is based on a 2016 agreement by the Obama Administration to give Israel $3.8 billion annually for the next 10 years – a total of $38 billion, touted as the largest such aid package in U.S. history. Overall, Israel has received more U.S. aid than any other country, on average, 7,000 times more per capita than others.
While the Obama Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a non-binding agreement, Israel has received this sum every year since it was signed. Israel advocates in Congress are currently seeking to cement it into a law that would permit this amount to go even higher in the future.
A ‘wild idea’
Egozi reports that the former president of Israel Aerospace Industries, Joseph Weiss, said asking for the money ahead of time is “a wild idea,” but said it “makes sense in the special conditions created [in Israel] by the pandemic.”
However, it’s unlikely that this would make equivalent sense to Americans, who have been at least as hard hit by the pandemic.
Over 26 million Americans so far have lost their jobs, and many U.S. companies are facing bankruptcy. A comment below Egozi’s article suggests how Americans would respond to a massive outlay to Israel this year:
Why do Americans put up with all this money going to Israel when millions of them have no healthcare, no job, and are eating from food banks?”
To deflect such outrage, Israel partisans in the U.S. typically defend the aid by saying that it eventually goes to U.S. defense companies. However, they fail to mention that millions of dollars go to Israeli companies that compete with American businesses, often leading to job losses in the U.S. No other country receiving U.S. military aid is allowed to do this.
In addition, many Americans feel that Israel should use its own money to purchase its weaponry, as the U.S. does. They point out that if Americans wished to subsidize weapons companies, the U.S. government could simply purchase items for American use.
Similarly, a growing number of Americans object to the uses Israel makes of U.S. weapons, regularly deploying them in violation of both international law and U.S. law (also this).
However, the pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. is extremely influential in both political parties, and U.S. media rarely report on aid to Israel, so the lump sum could slip through without notice.
An administration official recently said that Israel would not need to worry about money “even if there is a depression.”
Triple the normal amount
A critic of the aid, former CIA officer Philip Giraldi, points out that Israel is not an ally, and that it has often “done damage to the United States.”
Giraldi, who is currently executive director of the Council for the National Interest (CNI), notes that Israel often spies on the U.S. and has stolen American technology. It also tried to sink a U.S. Navy ship, killing 34 Americans and injuring over 170.
Giraldi feels that Egozi’s article is unclear and suggests that Israel may ask for even more money this year. He says he “would not be surprised” if they seek advances for additional years, receiving possibly triple the normal amount.
Giraldi is asking people to sign a petition by CNI calling on Congress to “stop the money to Israel.” The petition states:
…We need to take care of Americans and not send our tax money to a wealthy foreign country. Israel has already received billions of dollars from American taxpayers. It has received over $10 million per day, year after year. This year it’s time to keep our money home.”
Feature photo | President Donald Trump, right, speaks during an event with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Jan. 28, 2020. Susan Walsh | AP
Alison Weir is executive director of If Americans Knew, president of the Council for the National Interest, and author of Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel. This article has been updated with Philip Giraldi’s views on the Breaking Defense article.


mintpressnews--2020-04-29--Your Freedoms Don’t Have to Be Muzzled Just Because You’re Wearing a Mask

CHARLOTTESVILLE ( Rutherford ) –– Despite all appearances to the contrary , martial law has not been declared in America .
We still have rights .
The government may act as if its police state powers suppress individual liberties during this COVID-19 pandemic , but for all intents and purposes , the Constitution—especially the battered , besieged Bill of Rights—still stands in theory , if not in practice .
Indeed , while federal and state governments have adopted specific restrictive measures in an effort to lockdown the nation and decelerate the spread of the COVID-19 virus , the current public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspension of fundamental constitutional rights such as freedom of speech and the right of assembly .
Mind you , that ’ s not to say that the government has not tried its best to weaponize this crisis as it has weaponized so many other crises in order to expand its powers and silence its critics .
All over the country , government officials are using COVID-19 restrictions to muzzle protesters .
It doesn ’ t matter what the protest is about ( church assemblies , the right to work , the timing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brutality , etc . )
: this is activity the First Amendment protects vociferously with only one qualification—that it be peaceful .
Yet even peaceful protesters mindful of the need to adhere to social distancing guidelines because of this COVID-19 are being muzzled , arrested and fined .
For example , a Maryland family was reportedly threatened with up to a year in jail and a $ 5000 fine if they dared to publicly protest the injustice of their son ’ s execution by a SWAT team .
If anyone had a legitimate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and protest , it ’ s the Lemp family , whose 21-year-old son Duncan was gunned down in his bedroom during an early morning , no-knock SWAT team raid on his family ’ s home .
It was 4:30 a.m. on March 12 , 2020 , in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic that has most of the country under a partial lockdown and sheltering at home , when this masked SWAT team—deployed to execute a “ high risk ” search warrant for unauthorized firearms—stormed the suburban house where 21-year-old Duncan , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lived with his parents and 19-year-old brother .
The entire household , including Lemp and his girlfriend , was reportedly asleep when the SWAT team directed flash-bang grenades and gunfire through Lemp ’ s bedroom window .
Lemp was killed and his girlfriend injured .
No one in the house that morning , including Lemp , had a criminal record .
No one in the house that morning , including Lemp , was considered an “ imminent threat ” to law enforcement or the public , at least not according to the search @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that militarized police felt compelled to employ battlefield tactics in the pre-dawn hours of a day when most people are asleep in bed , not to mention stuck at home as part of a nationwide lockdown ?
According to police , they were tipped off that Lemp was in possession of “ firearms.
” So instead of approaching the house by the front door at a reasonable hour in order to investigate this complaint—which is what the Fourth Amendment requires—police instead strapped on their guns , loaded up their flash bang grenades and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the blowback from all that military weaponry flowing to domestic police departments .
This is what happens when you use SWAT teams to carry out routine search warrants .
This is what happens when you adopt red flag gun laws , which Maryland did in 2018 , painting anyone who might be in possession of a gun—legal or otherwise—as a threat that must be neutralized .
These red flag gun laws allow the police to remove guns from people merely suspected of being threats .
While in theory it appears perfectly reasonable to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they act , ” where the problem arises is when you put the power to determine who is a potential danger in the hands of government agencies , the courts and the police .
Remember , this is the same government that uses the words “ anti-government , ” “ extremist ” and “ terrorist ” interchangeably .
This is the same government whose agents are spinning a sticky spider-web of threat assessments , behavioral sensing warnings , flagged “ words , ” and “ suspicious ” activity reports using automated eyes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ software , and citizen spies to identify potential threats .
This is the same government that keeps re-upping the National Defense Authorization Act ( NDAA ) , which allows the military to arrest and detain American citizens with no access to friends , family or the courts if the government believes them to be a threat .
This is the same government that has a growing list—shared with fusion centers and law enforcement agencies—of ideologies , behaviors , affiliations and other characteristics that could flag someone as suspicious and result in their being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Let that sink in a moment .
If you believe in and exercise your rights under the Constitution ( namely , your right to speak freely , worship freely , associate with like-minded individuals who share your political views , criticize the government , own a weapon , demand a warrant before being questioned or searched , or any other activity viewed as potentially anti-government , racist , bigoted , anarchic or sovereign ) , you are most likely at the top of the government ’ s terrorism watch list .
Moreover , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you may be an anti-government extremist ( a.k.a .
domestic terrorist ) in the eyes of the police if you are afraid that the government is plotting to confiscate your firearms , if you believe the economy is about to collapse and the government will soon declare martial law , or if you display an unusual number of political and/or ideological bumper stickers on your car .
Needless to say , if you happen to be passionate about the Constitution and a vocal critic of government corruption , you ’ ve already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Likely , Lemp was , too .
Now Lemp is dead and his family is devastated , outraged and desperate to make sense of what appears to be an insensible act of violence resulting in an inexcusable loss of life .
As usual in these kinds of shootings , government officials have not been forthcoming with details about the shooting : police have refused to meet with family members , the contents of the warrant supporting the raid have not been revealed , and bodycam footage of the raid has not been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their objections to police violence and demand answers about the shooting , Lemp ’ s family and friends planned to conduct an outdoor public demonstration—adhering to social distancing guidelines—only to be threatened with arrest , a year in jail and a $ 5000 fine for violating Maryland ’ s stay at home orders .
Yet here ’ s the thing : we don ’ t have to be muzzled and remain silent about government corruption , violence and misconduct just because we ’ re wearing masks and social distancing .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exercise , or is it ?
While there is a moral responsibility to not endanger other lives with our actions , that does not mean relinquishing all of our freedoms .
Be responsible in how you exercise your freedoms , but don ’ t allow yourselves to be muzzled or your individual freedoms to be undermined .
Understandably , no one wants to talk about individual freedoms when tens of thousands of people the world over are dying , and yet we must .
The decisions we make right now—about freedom , commerce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the least of these in our communities , what it means to provide individuals and businesses with a safety net , how far we allow the government to go in “ protecting ” us against this virus , etc.—will haunt us for a long time to come .
At times like these , when emotions are heightened , fear dominates , common sense is in short supply , liberty takes a backseat to public safety , and democratic societies approach the tipping point towards mob rule , there is a tendency to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( to freely speak , associate , assemble , protest , pursue a living , engage in commerce , etc . )
as foolishly reckless , criminally selfish , or outright villains .
Sometimes that is true , but not always .
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America : The War on the American People , there is always a balancing test between individual freedoms and the communal good .
What we must figure out is how to strike a balance that allows us to protect those who need protection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the police state .
We must find ways to mitigate against this contagion needlessly claiming any more lives and crippling any more communities , but let ’ s not lose our heads : blindly following the path of least resistance—acquiescing without question to whatever the government dictates—can only lead to more misery , suffering and the erection of a totalitarian regime in which there is no balance .
Feature photo | A nurse stands in counter-protest during a demonstration against stay-at-home orders at the State House , April 25 , 2020 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus outbreak .
Michael Dwyer | AP John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute .
His new book Battlefield America : The War on the American People ( SelectBooks , 2015 ) is available online at www.amazon.com .
Whitehead can be contacted at johnw @ rutherford.org .

CHARLOTTESVILLE (Rutherford) –– Despite all appearances to the contrary, martial law has not been declared in America. We still have rights.
Technically, at least.
The government may act as if its police state powers suppress individual liberties during this COVID-19 pandemic, but for all intents and purposes, the Constitution—especially the battered, besieged Bill of Rights—still stands in theory, if not in practice.
Indeed, while federal and state governments have adopted specific restrictive measures in an effort to lockdown the nation and decelerate the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the current public health situation has not resulted in the suspension of fundamental constitutional rights such as freedom of speech and the right of assembly.
Mind you, that’s not to say that the government has not tried its best to weaponize this crisis as it has weaponized so many other crises in order to expand its powers and silence its critics.
All over the country, government officials are using COVID-19 restrictions to muzzle protesters.
It doesn’t matter what the protest is about (church assemblies, the right to work, the timing for re-opening the country, discontent over police brutality, etc.): this is activity the First Amendment protects vociferously with only one qualification—that it be peaceful.
Yet even peaceful protesters mindful of the need to adhere to social distancing guidelines because of this COVID-19 are being muzzled, arrested and fined.
For example, a Maryland family was reportedly threatened with up to a year in jail and a $5000 fine if they dared to publicly protest the injustice of their son’s execution by a SWAT team.
If anyone had a legitimate reason to get out in the streets and protest, it’s the Lemp family, whose 21-year-old son Duncan was gunned down in his bedroom during an early morning, no-knock SWAT team raid on his family’s home.
Imagine it.
It was 4:30 a.m. on March 12, 2020, in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic that has most of the country under a partial lockdown and sheltering at home, when this masked SWAT team—deployed to execute a “high risk” search warrant for unauthorized firearms—stormed the suburban house where 21-year-old Duncan, a software engineer and Second Amendment advocate, lived with his parents and 19-year-old brother.
The entire household, including Lemp and his girlfriend, was reportedly asleep when the SWAT team directed flash-bang grenades and gunfire through Lemp’s bedroom window.
Lemp was killed and his girlfriend injured.
No one in the house that morning, including Lemp, had a criminal record.
No one in the house that morning, including Lemp, was considered an “imminent threat” to law enforcement or the public, at least not according to the search warrant.
Now what was so urgent that militarized police felt compelled to employ battlefield tactics in the pre-dawn hours of a day when most people are asleep in bed, not to mention stuck at home as part of a nationwide lockdown?
According to police, they were tipped off that Lemp was in possession of “firearms.”
So instead of approaching the house by the front door at a reasonable hour in order to investigate this complaint—which is what the Fourth Amendment requires—police instead strapped on their guns, loaded up their flash bang grenades and acted like battle-crazed warriors.
This is the blowback from all that military weaponry flowing to domestic police departments.
This is what happens when you use SWAT teams to carry out routine search warrants.
This is what happens when you adopt red flag gun laws, which Maryland did in 2018, painting anyone who might be in possession of a gun—legal or otherwise—as a threat that must be neutralized.
These red flag gun laws allow the police to remove guns from people merely suspected of being threats.
While in theory it appears perfectly reasonable to want to “stop dangerous people before they act,” where the problem arises is when you put the power to determine who is a potential danger in the hands of government agencies, the courts and the police.
Remember, this is the same government that uses the words “anti-government,” “extremist” and “terrorist” interchangeably.
This is the same government whose agents are spinning a sticky spider-web of threat assessments, behavioral sensing warnings, flagged “words,” and “suspicious” activity reports using automated eyes and ears, social media, behavior sensing software, and citizen spies to identify potential threats.
This is the same government that keeps re-upping the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which allows the military to arrest and detain American citizens with no access to friends, family or the courts if the government believes them to be a threat.
This is the same government that has a growing list—shared with fusion centers and law enforcement agencies—of ideologies, behaviors, affiliations and other characteristics that could flag someone as suspicious and result in their being labeled potential enemies of the state.
Let that sink in a moment.
If you believe in and exercise your rights under the Constitution (namely, your right to speak freely, worship freely, associate with like-minded individuals who share your political views, criticize the government, own a weapon, demand a warrant before being questioned or searched, or any other activity viewed as potentially anti-government, racist, bigoted, anarchic or sovereign), you are most likely at the top of the government’s terrorism watch list.
Moreover, as a New York Times editorial warns, you may be an anti-government extremist (a.k.a. domestic terrorist) in the eyes of the police if you are afraid that the government is plotting to confiscate your firearms, if you believe the economy is about to collapse and the government will soon declare martial law, or if you display an unusual number of political and/or ideological bumper stickers on your car.
Needless to say, if you happen to be passionate about the Constitution and a vocal critic of government corruption, you’ve already been flagged in a government database somewhere.
Likely, Lemp was, too.
Now Lemp is dead and his family is devastated, outraged and desperate to make sense of what appears to be an insensible act of violence resulting in an inexcusable loss of life.
As usual in these kinds of shootings, government officials have not been forthcoming with details about the shooting: police have refused to meet with family members, the contents of the warrant supporting the raid have not been revealed, and bodycam footage of the raid has not been disclosed.
So in order to voice their objections to police violence and demand answers about the shooting, Lemp’s family and friends planned to conduct an outdoor public demonstration—adhering to social distancing guidelines—only to be threatened with arrest, a year in jail and a $5000 fine for violating Maryland’s stay at home orders.
Yet here’s the thing: we don’t have to be muzzled and remain silent about government corruption, violence and misconduct just because we’re wearing masks and social distancing.
That’s not the point of this whole COVID-19 exercise, or is it?
While there is a moral responsibility to not endanger other lives with our actions, that does not mean relinquishing all of our freedoms.
Be responsible in how you exercise your freedoms, but don’t allow yourselves to be muzzled or your individual freedoms to be undermined.
Understandably, no one wants to talk about individual freedoms when tens of thousands of people the world over are dying, and yet we must.
The decisions we make right now—about freedom, commerce, free will, how we care for the least of these in our communities, what it means to provide individuals and businesses with a safety net, how far we allow the government to go in “protecting” us against this virus, etc.—will haunt us for a long time to come.
At times like these, when emotions are heightened, fear dominates, common sense is in short supply, liberty takes a backseat to public safety, and democratic societies approach the tipping point towards mob rule, there is a tendency to cast those who exercise their individual freedoms (to freely speak, associate, assemble, protest, pursue a living, engage in commerce, etc.) as foolishly reckless, criminally selfish, or outright villains.
Sometimes that is true, but not always.
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, there is always a balancing test between individual freedoms and the communal good.
What we must figure out is how to strike a balance that allows us to protect those who need protection without leaving us chained and in bondage to the police state.
We must find ways to mitigate against this contagion needlessly claiming any more lives and crippling any more communities, but let’s not lose our heads: blindly following the path of least resistance—acquiescing without question to whatever the government dictates—can only lead to more misery, suffering and the erection of a totalitarian regime in which there is no balance.
Feature photo | A nurse stands in counter-protest during a demonstration against stay-at-home orders at the State House, April 25, 2020, in Providence, R.I., during the coronavirus outbreak. Michael Dwyer | AP
John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His new book Battlefield America: The War on the American People (SelectBooks, 2015) is available online at www.amazon.com. Whitehead can be contacted at [email protected].


mintpressnews--2020-04-30--Et tu? Progressive Boomers Are Now Preaching Pro-Biden Lesser-Evilism

The former members of the Students for a Democratic Society ( SDS ) , a leading Vietnam War-era peace organization , recently circulated an open letter warning today ’ s young activists to – as the adage goes – do as I say and not as I did .
Back in the ‘ 60s and ‘ 70s , these leaders led the way in opposing the ravages of U.S. imperialism and exposing what they called the “ death culture.
” Today , they are admonishing the new generation not to follow in their footsteps , but to go all out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democrat ” Joe Biden .
When I was first becoming politically aware , these SDS folks were my heroes and mentors .
They helped me break from the illusion that the USA was fighting for democracy and freedom , rather than imposing an empire where the U.S. controlled 50 percent of the world ’ s wealth for only 6.3 percent of its population .
They were the ones chanting , “ Hey , hey , LBJ , how many kids did you kill today ?
” The ones who pulled no punches , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ injustice .
And they especially warned about “ selling out to the establishment.
” But that was then .
Today , they are variously tenured professors , attorneys , or working at comfortable NGOs .
Who would have known that they would one day be raising money for multi-billion-dollar Democratic Party PACs ?
While I don ’ t for a moment begrudge them for their financial or social achievements , the shift from independent direct action to boosterism within the Democratic Party is unfortunate .
It should be noted that SDS originated as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Industrial Democracy ( LID ) , a nominally socialist but more accurately liberal anti-communist organization .
In 1965 , the LID elders told their youth counterparts to include an anti-communist clause in their manifesto .
Those rising SDS youth told their seniors to take a hike .
In bed with the Democratic Party Bernardine Dorn , herself an SDS leader , and subsequently with the Weather Underground , comments that the open letter “ has all the wrong content and tone of the elders lecturing young activists : “ [ I ] t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too in-bed with the Democratic Party.
” And that is a sympathetic comment to “ comrades I love and respect.
” The Democratic Party is not like a labor union , or like what a labor union is supposed to be with dues-paying members democratically electing leadership that serves their interests .
Rather the Democratic National Committee ( DNC ) , which is the governing body of the U.S. Democratic Party , is in fact a private corporation .
The DNC has more in common with a for-profit sports team .
You are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their games , but the team owners are the ones that make the decisions and reaping the profits .
When the DNC was taken to court for violating its own rules treating voters unfairly , it brazenly argued , that they are a private corporation with no obligation to be fair and won .
As the court transcript shows , the DNC ’ s attorney said that cheating Bernie Sanders in 2016 out of the nomination was “ the business of the party , and it ’ s not justiciable.
” This same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2020 , preferring to run a corporate Democrat favorable to their superrich donors and risk losing again to Donald Trump .
Now , the authors of the open letter are preaching to the young activists that they have no choice but to fall in with those who screwed them .
Or as the open letter states , to join with “ solemn determination ” their “ high moral and political responsibility.
” Peter Drucker , another former member of SDS , points out in his critique of the open letter that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nineteenth-century German sociologist Wax Weber is at best odd , but telling , for a letter addressing people who consider themselves socialists .
Weber ’ s view was that revolutionary socialists were engaged in “ dirt , muck , dung , and horse-play—nothing else.
” A favorite trope of anti-leftists , reflected in the open letter , is to blame the rise of Hitler on the failure of communists to unite with socialists against a common enemy .
In fact , what happened was that the socialists likewise would not unite with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support the “ lesser evil ” of Paul von Hindenburg .
In the 1932 German presidential race , Hindenburg ran against Hitler , won , and then turned around to appoint Hitler as chancellor in 1933 .
The rest , as they say , is history .
If we were to accept the open letter ’ s hyperbolic meme of Trump as a stand-in for Hitler , the historical analogy would be that today ’ s Democratic Party is not the socialists and certainly not the communists but would be Hindenburg ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Nazis .
Once elected , Hindenburg dissolved the German parliament twice , approved the Reichstag Fire Decree suspending civil liberties , and signed the Enabling Act giving Hitler arbitrary powers .
For those worried about fascism being enabled in the U.S. , recall that the Democrats militantly supported the national security apparatus and the Patriot Act .
Even so-called progressive Elizabeth Warren calls for the government censorship of social media .
Citing the lessons of Germany , the open letter summons an “ all-hands-on-deck ” effort to elect Joe Biden to prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The situation , they exclaim , is dire for we may all end up in jail if Trump were to win .
In a follow-up to publishing the April 16 open letter , The Nation again plays the fear of fascism card if one strays from the confines of the Democratic Party .
An April 28 article – “ WTF Is Jacobin ’ s Editor Thinking in Voting Green ?
” – cries , “ in a second term , Trump will double down on his fascist instincts.
” The Nation lectures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough to know better ” than disregard the wisdom of your elders because , under a Republican , “ progressives will spend the next four years fighting defensive battles.
” The youth in their naiveite might ask , how would it be any different if the former Senator from MBNA wins ?
In the real world , as Stan Smith notes , Trump “ can ’ t even shut down Saturday Night Live .
Trump is a billionaire racist , sexist war-monger out to salvage the U.S. corporate empire , nothing more , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in having a smaller bank account and better table manners .
A more fitting lesson from the historical example of the rise of German fascism suggests the opposite of what the open letter advocates .
The best strategy to combat the rightward trajectory of the two corporate parties is not to go all out and vote for the lesser evil .
Especially with the COVID-19 crisis and the mechanisms of disaster capitalism , Naomi Klein warns their shared course to the right might well accelerate .
In 2016 , the corporate Democratic candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age to 50 or 55 .
Yet Biden is to the right of Clinton ’ s position of four years ago , only conceding to lower the eligibility age to 60 .
We are now in the midst of a pandemic which demonstrates as never before the need for Medicare for All ( M4A ) .
The latest polls indicate a 69 percent overall approval rating with 88 percent of Democrats supporting the policy .
This support is despite the millions of “ dark money ” dollars spent by the insurance industry against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cut Medicare and Social Security , vows he would veto M4A were it to come before him as president .
Voting for the lesser evil is encouraging a march to the right by making a step in the wrong direction .
At a time when an independent progressive movement is needed more than ever , the sheepdogs of the open letter are trying to herd the new generation of activists into the Democratic Party .
Feature photo | Supporters listen to Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden during a campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Kansas City , Mo .
Charlie Riedel | AP Roger D. Harris is on the state central committee of the Peace and Freedom Party , the only ballot qualified socialist party in California .

The former members of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), a leading Vietnam War-era peace organization, recently circulated an open letter warning today’s young activists to – as the adage goes – do as I say and not as I did. Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, these leaders led the way in opposing the ravages of U.S. imperialism and exposing what they called the “death culture.” Today, they are admonishing the new generation not to follow in their footsteps, but to go all out for what they call the “capitalist democrat” Joe Biden.
The big chill
When I was first becoming politically aware, these SDS folks were my heroes and mentors. They helped me break from the illusion that the USA was fighting for democracy and freedom, rather than imposing an empire where the U.S. controlled 50 percent of the world’s wealth for only 6.3 percent of its population.
They were the ones chanting, “Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?” The ones who pulled no punches, criticizing Democrats and Republicans alike for genocidal injustice. And they especially warned about “selling out to the establishment.” But that was then.
Today, they are variously tenured professors, attorneys, or working at comfortable NGOs. Who would have known that they would one day be raising money for multi-billion-dollar Democratic Party PACs? While I don’t for a moment begrudge them for their financial or social achievements, the shift from independent direct action to boosterism within the Democratic Party is unfortunate.
It should be noted that SDS originated as the student branch of the League for Industrial Democracy (LID), a nominally socialist but more accurately liberal anti-communist organization. In 1965, the LID elders told their youth counterparts to include an anti-communist clause in their manifesto. Those rising SDS youth told their seniors to take a hike.
In bed with the Democratic Party
Bernardine Dorn, herself an SDS leader, and subsequently with the Weather Underground, comments that the open letter “has all the wrong content and tone of the elders lecturing young activists: “[I]t is finally too pompous and pretentious, too in-bed with the Democratic Party.” And that is a sympathetic comment to “comrades I love and respect.”
The Democratic Party is not like a labor union, or like what a labor union is supposed to be with dues-paying members democratically electing leadership that serves their interests. Rather the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which is the governing body of the U.S. Democratic Party, is in fact a private corporation. The DNC has more in common with a for-profit sports team. You are free to wear their paraphernalia and attend their games, but the team owners are the ones that make the decisions and reaping the profits.
When the DNC was taken to court for violating its own rules treating voters unfairly, it brazenly argued, that they are a private corporation with no obligation to be fair , and won. As the court transcript shows, the DNC’s attorney said that cheating Bernie Sanders in 2016 out of the nomination was “the business of the party, and it’s not justiciable.”
This same DNC again undermined Bernie Sanders’ candidacy in 2020, preferring to run a corporate Democrat favorable to their superrich donors and risk losing again to Donald Trump. Now, the authors of the open letter are preaching to the young activists that they have no choice but to fall in with those who screwed them. Or as the open letter states, to join with “solemn determination” their “high moral and political responsibility.”
Wrong historical lessons
Peter Drucker, another former member of SDS, points out in his critique of the open letter that the letter’s favorable reference to early nineteenth-century German sociologist Wax Weber is at best odd, but telling, for a letter addressing people who consider themselves socialists. Weber’s view was that revolutionary socialists were engaged in “dirt, muck, dung, and horse-play—nothing else.”
A favorite trope of anti-leftists, reflected in the open letter, is to blame the rise of Hitler on the failure of communists to unite with socialists against a common enemy. In fact, what happened was that the socialists likewise would not unite with the communists against the fascists and instead chose to support the “lesser evil” of Paul von Hindenburg. In the 1932 German presidential race, Hindenburg ran against Hitler, won, and then turned around to appoint Hitler as chancellor in 1933. The rest, as they say, is history.
If we were to accept the open letter’s hyperbolic meme of Trump as a stand-in for Hitler, the historical analogy would be that today’s Democratic Party is not the socialists and certainly not the communists but would be Hindenburg’s party as the lesser evil to the Nazis. Once elected, Hindenburg dissolved the German parliament twice, approved the Reichstag Fire Decree suspending civil liberties, and signed the Enabling Act giving Hitler arbitrary powers.
For those worried about fascism being enabled in the U.S., recall that the Democrats militantly supported the national security apparatus and the Patriot Act. Even so-called progressive Elizabeth Warren calls for the government censorship of social media.
Citing the lessons of Germany, the open letter summons an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to elect Joe Biden to prevent the “protofascist” Trump from winning. The situation, they exclaim, is dire for we may all end up in jail if Trump were to win.
In a follow-up to publishing the April 16 open letter, The Nation again plays the fear of fascism card if one strays from the confines of the Democratic Party. An April 28 article – “WTF Is Jacobin’s Editor Thinking in Voting Green?” – cries, “in a second term, Trump will double down on his fascist instincts.”
The Nation lectures the youth that you are “old enough to know better” than disregard the wisdom of your elders because, under a Republican, “progressives will spend the next four years fighting defensive battles.” The youth in their naiveite might ask, how would it be any different if the former Senator from MBNA wins?
In the real world, as Stan Smith notes, Trump “can’t even shut down Saturday Night Live. Trump is a billionaire racist, sexist war-monger out to salvage the U.S. corporate empire, nothing more, nothing less.” Joe Biden diverges mainly in having a smaller bank account and better table manners.
Politics for the pandemic
A more fitting lesson from the historical example of the rise of German fascism suggests the opposite of what the open letter advocates. The best strategy to combat the rightward trajectory of the two corporate parties is not to go all out and vote for the lesser evil. Especially with the COVID-19 crisis and the mechanisms of disaster capitalism, Naomi Klein warns their shared course to the right might well accelerate.
In 2016, the corporate Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton advocated lowering the Medicare qualifying age to 50 or 55. Yet Biden is to the right of Clinton’s position of four years ago, only conceding to lower the eligibility age to 60.
We are now in the midst of a pandemic which demonstrates as never before the need for Medicare for All (M4A). The latest polls indicate a 69 percent overall approval rating with 88 percent of Democrats supporting the policy. This support is despite the millions of “dark money” dollars spent by the insurance industry against M4A. Biden, who had campaigned to cut Medicare and Social Security, vows he would veto M4A were it to come before him as president.
Voting for the lesser evil is encouraging a march to the right by making a step in the wrong direction. At a time when an independent progressive movement is needed more than ever, the sheepdogs of the open letter are trying to herd the new generation of activists into the Democratic Party.
Feature photo | Supporters listen to Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden during a campaign rally, March 7, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. Charlie Riedel | AP
Roger D. Harris is on the state central committee of the Peace and Freedom Party, the only ballot qualified socialist party in California.


mintpressnews--2020-05-01--Groundhog Day: Juan Guaidó Is Trying to Overthrow the Venezuelan Government Again

Exactly one year since his audacious coup attempt failed spectacularly , self-declared Venezuelan president Juan Guaidó is once again trying to overthrow the government of Nicolas Maduro .
“ Today I speak to the patriotic soldiers of our Armed Forces who rebelled against hunger and destruction and sided with the constitution , ” he announced on social media last night , “ To the majority of patriotic soldiers who are still in each branch of the Armed Forces : today , more than ever , there are obvious reasons for them to act and support the formation of a National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Venezuela.
” In a separate video published today , Guaidó addressed Maduro directly : “ Every political agreement to save Venezuela begins with your departure from power , ” he said , demanding his immediate resignation .
Guaidó ’ s call for the military to come over to his side and for Maduro to step down comes precisely one year after his most notable coup attempt , which primarily consisted of him standing on an overpass near a military base , claiming to have taken it over and to lead a huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interrupted when state media rushed there and filmed the base in a state of complete normalcy , soldiers and even commanders unaware of their supposed defeat .
Guaidó continued to address the nation via social media , claiming the small group of people around him in non-matching military uniforms were actual defecting soldiers .
The day , like his three other coup attempts that year , ended in embarrassing defeat .
The government brushed off the action , labelling it a “ small ” coup attempt .
However , there are reasons why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their candidate on Venezuela this time .
For one , the Trump administration has frozen and transferred $ 342 million from the Central Bank of Venezuela ’ s Citibank account to Guaidó , who is using the Venezuelan people ’ s collective wealth to pay his supporters $ 5,000 per month , an enormous salary in Venezuela .
He is also offering local medical workers a stipend during the coronavirus pandemic , hoping to increase his base of support .
At a time of collapsing oil prices ( the country ’ s major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent warships to the region to tighten sanctions against the country , all under the guise of an anti-drug operation .
Venezuela imports a great deal of food , and much of it is controlled by oligarchical corporations linked to the opposition .
For example , over half of the country ’ s flour is controlled by Empresas Polar , ( the country ’ s largest private company ) whose CEO , Lorenzo Mendoza , considered standing as the opposition ’ s presidential candidate in 2018 .
Mendoza has regularly used his power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political tension .
On the other hand , Guaidó is as unpopular as he has ever been inside the country , even among the opposition , who removed him from his post as head of the National Assembly in January .
His own political party , Voluntad Popular , also expelled him from their ranks .
Opposition presidential candidate in 2018 , Henri Falcón recently attacked his credibility , asking if oil company CITGO is truly in his hands , why is there a gasoline shortage in the country .
The most recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approval and a 69 percent disapproval rating .
He is even unpopular among his fellow coup-plotters ; after a failed attempt in January 2019 , his co-conspirators fled to the United States , thinking they would be given a hero ’ s welcome .
Instead , they have spent over a year in an ICE concentration camp for crossing the border illegally .
The highest ranking member of the group told reporters that they feel abandoned by Guaidó .
While Maduro is often disparaged in Western media because of his working class roots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ union organizer before entering politics ) , Guaidó is constantly presented as the true humble man of the people .
This , despite the fact his father was an international airline pilot , sending his son to private schools and a private university in Washington , D.C .
It appears he is unable to travel freely around the country for fear of coming into contact with working class people .
In February , for example , he touched down at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas , where enraged crowds of travelers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and manhandling him , dousing him in water and other , less sanitary liquids , shouting that he was a “ traitor ” and a “ fascist.
” The incident was unironically described across Western media as him being “ greeted by a throng of cheering supporters.
” Thus , while the COVID-19 pandemic makes Venezuela more economically weak than ever , it appears unlikely that Guaidó ’ s latest action will result in the sudden overthrow of the Maduro government , in power since 2013 .
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

Exactly one year since his audacious coup attempt failed spectacularly, self-declared Venezuelan president Juan Guaidó is once again trying to overthrow the government of Nicolas Maduro. “Today I speak to the patriotic soldiers of our Armed Forces who rebelled against hunger and destruction and sided with the constitution,” he announced on social media last night, “To the majority of patriotic soldiers who are still in each branch of the Armed Forces: today, more than ever, there are obvious reasons for them to act and support the formation of a National Emergency Government…we are going to liberate all of Venezuela.” In a separate video published today, Guaidó addressed Maduro directly: “Every political agreement to save Venezuela begins with your departure from power,” he said, demanding his immediate resignation.
https://twitter.com/BuxtonJulia/status/1256151058549747712
Guaidó’s call for the military to come over to his side and for Maduro to step down comes precisely one year after his most notable coup attempt, which primarily consisted of him standing on an overpass near a military base, claiming to have taken it over and to lead a huge rebel army. This narrative was rudely interrupted when state media rushed there and filmed the base in a state of complete normalcy, soldiers and even commanders unaware of their supposed defeat. Guaidó continued to address the nation via social media, claiming the small group of people around him in non-matching military uniforms were actual defecting soldiers. The day, like his three other coup attempts that year, ended in embarrassing defeat. The government brushed off the action, labelling it a “small” coup attempt.
However, there are reasons why the U.S. might be able to force their candidate on Venezuela this time. For one, the Trump administration has frozen and transferred $342 million from the Central Bank of Venezuela’s Citibank account to Guaidó, who is using the Venezuelan people’s collective wealth to pay his supporters $5,000 per month, an enormous salary in Venezuela. He is also offering local medical workers a stipend during the coronavirus pandemic, hoping to increase his base of support. At a time of collapsing oil prices (the country’s major export) the United States has also sent warships to the region to tighten sanctions against the country, all under the guise of an anti-drug operation. Venezuela imports a great deal of food, and much of it is controlled by oligarchical corporations linked to the opposition. For example, over half of the country’s flour is controlled by Empresas Polar, (the country’s largest private company) whose CEO, Lorenzo Mendoza, considered standing as the opposition’s presidential candidate in 2018. Mendoza has regularly used his power to starve the country at times of political tension.
On the other hand, Guaidó is as unpopular as he has ever been inside the country, even among the opposition, who removed him from his post as head of the National Assembly in January. His own political party, Voluntad Popular, also expelled him from their ranks. Opposition presidential candidate in 2018, Henri Falcón recently attacked his credibility, asking if oil company CITGO is truly in his hands, why is there a gasoline shortage in the country. The most recent polls show he has a 10 percent approval and a 69 percent disapproval rating. He is even unpopular among his fellow coup-plotters; after a failed attempt in January 2019, his co-conspirators fled to the United States, thinking they would be given a hero’s welcome. Instead, they have spent over a year in an ICE concentration camp for crossing the border illegally. The highest ranking member of the group told reporters that they feel abandoned by Guaidó.
While Maduro is often disparaged in Western media because of his working class roots (he was a bus driver and union organizer before entering politics), Guaidó is constantly presented as the true humble man of the people. This, despite the fact his father was an international airline pilot, sending his son to private schools and a private university in Washington, D.C. It appears he is unable to travel freely around the country for fear of coming into contact with working class people. In February, for example, he touched down at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas, where enraged crowds of travelers and even airline employees began hectoring, jeering and manhandling him, dousing him in water and other, less sanitary liquids, shouting that he was a “traitor” and a “fascist.” The incident was unironically described across Western media as him being “greeted by a throng of cheering supporters.”
Thus, while the COVID-19 pandemic makes Venezuela more economically weak than ever, it appears unlikely that Guaidó’s latest action will result in the sudden overthrow of the Maduro government, in power since 2013.
Feature photo | Opposition leader Juan Guaido speaks during a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, March 9, 2020. Matias Delacroix | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-05-01--First Official Cases of Coronavirus and Deadly Flooding Mark Ramadan in Yemen

ADEN , YEMEN — In northern Yemen , the Saudi-led coalition has so far offered little reprieve to civilians during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan .
Several regions — including Marib , al-Jawf , Beydha , and Sadaa , — have been under almost constant aerial bombardment and the continued violence is not the only thing making the lives of civilians in Yemen ’ s difficult this Ramadan In southern Yemen , a region whose provinces have been under Saudi-led coalition occupation since 2016 , the price of food and medicine is skyrocketing .
Civilians in Lahj , Abyan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struggling against an unprecedented famine and cholera epidemic and the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the UAE , both members of the coalition waging a war on Yemen , has worsened on the ground .
In Aden , dozens of people die every day after experiencing shortness of breath , fever , and a sore throat – all common symptoms of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus , according to doctors there .
The city ’ s Al-Waly Hospital closed after an unknown epidemic swept through a number of areas .
Hospital administrators told MintPress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those associated with the coronavirus , but the cases could not be confirmed due to a shortage of tests .
Many civilians fear that the Saudi-led coalition has been actively covering-ups of coronavirus infections after a string of mysterious deaths hit Aden ’ s hospitals .
Medical authorities with the Hadi-led government recorded the city ’ s first two coronavirus deaths on Wednesday after confirming five new cases .
Despite this , the coalition-backed government that runs the city has not imposed quarantine and families and friends still gather to pray , break @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All this comes as the city was recently declared a disaster area due to the torrential rain that began two weeks ago and caused deadly floods across Aden ’ s districts , including Sirah , Tawahi , and Al-Areesh .
At least 70 homes collapsed in the central Crater district , nearby Khormaksar , as well as Sheikh Othman and Tawahi , and dozens of residents , were killed .
Franz Rauchenstein , head of the International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC ) delegation in Sana ’ a described the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Yemenis cope with so much hardship every day .
Ongoing fighting in parts of the country causes daily despair , seasonal infectious diseases claim thousands of lives each year and high inflation is affecting the price of food , medicine , and other basic goods .
Covid-19 is one more worry for people who are already so vulnerable.
” The floods were not just confined to Aden either .
Scenes of mudslides , floods sweeping the streets , submerged cars , damaged homes , and power outages were witnessed in many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ a , Thamar , Hajjah , and Mahwit provinces .
The flooding came just as local authorities were rolling out prevention measures to contain the coronavirus .
UNHCR spokeswoman ShabiaMantoo told a virtual press briefing in Geneva that the recent torrential rain and flooding has impacted more than 100,000 people across the country .
Health officials told MintPress that the floods have impeded coronavirus prevention measures and preparations in the country , which is already devastated from five years of Saudi bombing that has destroyed 70 percent of its health facilities .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the National Centre for Public Health Laboratories in Aden said the laboratory was forced to shutter after the city was hit by floods causing electricity outages and water cuts .
Before the flooding began , the World Health Organization ’ s in Yemen said that teams were working to bolster the country ’ s battered health infrastructure before the spread of coronavirus began in the country , yet flooding has all but eliminated any gains they ’ ve made .
The Coalition forces administrating most of the country ’ s eastern provinces , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also done little to address the looming crisis .
Anger from Aden ’ s residents over the lack of response from the Saudi-led coalition has even spilled into the streets , where hundreds of protesters cut off several roads and burned tires in the street .
They also set fire to government buildings , including a building belonging to the government ’ s statistics office in the Tawahi area .
Aden , where temperatures are extremely high in summer , has suffered from a lack of essential services since 2016 when the Saudi-led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today , after nearly five years , the city still suffers from rolling blackouts and constant outages .
Poverty , poor sanitation , and the lack of electricity in the city also heighten the risk for a particularly deadly outbreak of COVID-19 , especially in the wake of the deadly flash floods .
Health officials have also warned that stagnant water from the flooding could also lead to mosquitos that may carry infectious diseases , including cholera and dengue fever .
In Sana ’ a , 1,000 cholera cases were reported in one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in Ma ’ rib , Hajjah , and in the capital city of Sana ’ a , the flooding has destroyed the tents of thousands of people living in camps for internally displaced peoples .
The ICRC said that many recipients of ICRC aid last month have found themselves once again in need of urgent assistance .
The United Nations refugee agency says nearly one million internally displaced people in Yemen risk losing their shelter due to torrential rains and seasonal floods , warning of a dire lack of funding at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the coronavirus pandemic .
The UN has raised the alarm that the funding shortfall threatens critical aid for nearly one million displaced Yemenis and refugees .
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR ) said that some $ 89.4 million is urgently needed in the coming weeks to keep life-saving aid programs running in Yemen .
UNICEF has appealed for an additional $ 92.4 million to help fight the coronavirus pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa , with Yemen being a top concern , according to Ted Chaiban , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was already critical to address the needs of children in Yemen .
With Covid-19 , now you ’ ve got this extra layer of vulnerability , ” Chaiban told The Associated Press.
” If fears over coronavirus were not enough , simmering months-long hostilities have reignited after the Southern Transitional Council , a militant organization backed by the United Arab Emirates , declared “ emergency rules ” in Yemen ’ s southern provinces .
In August 2019 , heavy clashes erupted between Saudi Arabia and UAE-backed militants when the latter captured Aden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forcing thousands of families to flee .
But the fighting stopped in November 2019 , when the two sides signed a Saudi-brokered agreement to end their power struggle in southern Yemen .
On Wednesday , members of the UNSC issued a statement expressing their concern that the STC ’ s actions “ could distract from the efforts of [ UN ] Special Envoy Martin Griffiths to secure a nationwide ceasefire , confidence-building measures , and the restart of a Yemeni-led and owned inclusive political process.
” Feature photo | People walk as health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of coronavirus in Sana ’ a , Yemen , April 30 , 2020 .
Khaled Abdullah | Reuters Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist .
He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media .

ADEN, YEMEN — In northern Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition has so far offered little reprieve to civilians during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Several regions — including Marib, al-Jawf, Beydha, and Sadaa, — have been under almost constant aerial bombardment and the continued violence is not the only thing making the lives of civilians in Yemen’s difficult this Ramadan
In southern Yemen, a region whose provinces have been under Saudi-led coalition occupation since 2016, the price of food and medicine is skyrocketing. Civilians in Lahj, Abyan, Hadhramout, and Aden are already struggling against an unprecedented famine and cholera epidemic and the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both members of the coalition waging a war on Yemen, has worsened on the ground.
In Aden, dozens of people die every day after experiencing shortness of breath, fever, and a sore throat – all common symptoms of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, according to doctors there. The city’s Al-Waly Hospital closed after an unknown epidemic swept through a number of areas. Hospital administrators told MintPress that patients were experiencing symptoms similar to those associated with the coronavirus, but the cases could not be confirmed due to a shortage of tests.
Many civilians fear that the Saudi-led coalition has been actively covering-ups of coronavirus infections after a string of mysterious deaths hit Aden’s hospitals. Medical authorities with the Hadi-led government recorded the city’s first two coronavirus deaths on Wednesday after confirming five new cases. Despite this, the coalition-backed government that runs the city has not imposed quarantine and families and friends still gather to pray, break their fast, and make social visits.
Flooding of Biblical proportions
All this comes as the city was recently declared a disaster area due to the torrential rain that began two weeks ago and caused deadly floods across Aden’s districts, including Sirah, Tawahi, and Al-Areesh. At least 70 homes collapsed in the central Crater district, nearby Khormaksar, as well as Sheikh Othman and Tawahi, and dozens of residents, were killed.
Franz Rauchenstein, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Sana’a described the urgency of the situation, saying that “Yemenis cope with so much hardship every day. Ongoing fighting in parts of the country causes daily despair, seasonal infectious diseases claim thousands of lives each year and high inflation is affecting the price of food, medicine, and other basic goods. Covid-19 is one more worry for people who are already so vulnerable.”
The floods were not just confined to Aden either. Scenes of mudslides, floods sweeping the streets, submerged cars, damaged homes, and power outages were witnessed in many of Yemen’s cities, including Sana’a, Thamar, Hajjah, and Mahwit provinces. The flooding came just as local authorities were rolling out prevention measures to contain the coronavirus. UNHCR spokeswoman ShabiaMantoo told a virtual press briefing in Geneva that the recent torrential rain and flooding has impacted more than 100,000 people across the country.
Health officials told MintPress that the floods have impeded coronavirus prevention measures and preparations in the country, which is already devastated from five years of Saudi bombing that has destroyed 70 percent of its health facilities. A statement by the General Directorate of the National Centre for Public Health Laboratories in Aden said the laboratory was forced to shutter after the city was hit by floods causing electricity outages and water cuts.
Before the flooding began, the World Health Organization’s in Yemen said that teams were working to bolster the country’s battered health infrastructure before the spread of coronavirus began in the country, yet flooding has all but eliminated any gains they’ve made. The Coalition forces administrating most of the country’s eastern provinces, those hardest-hit by the floods, have also done little to address the looming crisis.
Anger from Aden’s residents over the lack of response from the Saudi-led coalition has even spilled into the streets, where hundreds of protesters cut off several roads and burned tires in the street. They also set fire to government buildings, including a building belonging to the government’s statistics office in the Tawahi area.
Aden, where temperatures are extremely high in summer, has suffered from a lack of essential services since 2016 when the Saudi-led coalition occupied the coastal city. Even today, after nearly five years, the city still suffers from rolling blackouts and constant outages.
Poverty, poor sanitation, and the lack of electricity in the city also heighten the risk for a particularly deadly outbreak of COVID-19, especially in the wake of the deadly flash floods. Health officials have also warned that stagnant water from the flooding could also lead to mosquitos that may carry infectious diseases, including cholera and dengue fever. In Sana’a, 1,000 cholera cases were reported in one ICRC-supported hospital this week alone.
“An extra layer of vulnerability”
Meanwhile, in Ma’rib, Hajjah, and in the capital city of Sana’a, the flooding has destroyed the tents of thousands of people living in camps for internally displaced peoples. The ICRC said that many recipients of ICRC aid last month have found themselves once again in need of urgent assistance.
The United Nations refugee agency says nearly one million internally displaced people in Yemen risk losing their shelter due to torrential rains and seasonal floods, warning of a dire lack of funding at a time when the county is already threatened by the coronavirus pandemic.
The UN has raised the alarm that the funding shortfall threatens critical aid for nearly one million displaced Yemenis and refugees. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that some $89.4 million is urgently needed in the coming weeks to keep life-saving aid programs running in Yemen.
UNICEF has appealed for an additional $92.4 million to help fight the coronavirus pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa, with Yemen being a top concern, according to Ted Chaiban, the regional chief of UNICEF. “It was already critical to address the needs of children in Yemen. With Covid-19, now you’ve got this extra layer of vulnerability,” Chaiban told The Associated Press.”
If fears over coronavirus were not enough, simmering months-long hostilities have reignited after the Southern Transitional Council, a militant organization backed by the United Arab Emirates, declared “emergency rules” in Yemen’s southern provinces. In August 2019, heavy clashes erupted between Saudi Arabia and UAE-backed militants when the latter captured Aden, killing and injuring hundreds civilians and forcing thousands of families to flee. But the fighting stopped in November 2019, when the two sides signed a Saudi-brokered agreement to end their power struggle in southern Yemen.
On Wednesday, members of the UNSC issued a statement expressing their concern that the STC’s actions “could distract from the efforts of [UN] Special Envoy Martin Griffiths to secure a nationwide ceasefire, confidence-building measures, and the restart of a Yemeni-led and owned inclusive political process.”
Feature photo | People walk as health workers fumigate a market amid concerns of the spread of coronavirus in Sana’a, Yemen, April 30, 2020. Khaled Abdullah | Reuters
Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.