wearechange--2020-05-03--Why You Should Oppose the Censorship of David Icke

Within 48 hours both Facebook and then Youtube have deleted the accounts of David Icke for posting “ content that disputes the existence and transmission of Covid-19 as described by the WHO and the NHS.
” Other platforms may soon fall in suit , as they did with Alex Jones in 2018 .
This article is not about David Icke .
I will say it again in italics for the especially dense : this article is not about David Icke .
This article is about why we shouldn ’ t be okay with monopolistic billionaire-owned Silicon Valley tech giants with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human communication .
I know next to nothing about David Icke , and I have done exactly zero research into his views for this article ; for all I know he ’ s every bit the raving lunatic the narrative managers say he is .
It doesn ’ t matter .
What matters is that we ’ re seeing a consistent and accelerating pattern of powerful plutocratic institutions collaborating with the US-centralized empire to control what ideas people around the world are permitted to share with each other , and it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conversation about Icke and his views distracts from the very important topic we need to actually focus on discussing .
Journalist Matt Taibbi recently wrote an excellent essay about the dangers inherent in the increased demand we ’ ve been seeing for more censorship and deplatforming during the coronavirus pandemic , correctly arguing that more authoritarian control over the ideas people are allowed to discuss is vastly more dangerous than the ideas themselves .
“ The people who want to add a censorship regime to a health crisis are more dangerous and more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president who tells people to inject disinfectant , ” Taibbi writes .
“ It ’ s astonishing that they don ’ t see this.
” “ Instead of asking calmly if hydroxychloroquine works , or if the less restrictive Swedish crisis response has merit , or questioning why certain statistical assumptions about the seriousness of the crisis might have been off , we ’ re denouncing the questions themselves as infamous , ” says Taibbi .
Taibbi argues against the increasingly normalized trend of elevating “ authoritative ” content while silencing content which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an attempt to fight disinformation .
If you examine which content is considered “ authoritative ” , you ’ ll find a bunch of outlets who have consistently lied to the world about war after war , who spent years promoting the baseless conspiracy theory that Vladimir Putin had infiltrated and secured control over the executive branch of the US government , who consistently normalize a status quo which is wholly incompatible with the surviving and thriving of life on this planet .
Google , who owns Youtube , has been financially intertwined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inception when it received research grants from the CIA and NSA for mass surveillance .
Facebook ’ s Mark Zuckerberg has called on the government to take “ a more active role ” in regulating “ harmful content ” , and has been actively collaborating with government agencies and government-funded think tanks to decide what content to remove .
Social media executives are now routinely called before government hearings and lectured about the need to increase censorship under the implicit threat of antitrust cases being brought to bear .
These massive corporations now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governments which refuse to bow to the demands of the US government and its allies .
In 2017 , representatives of Facebook , Twitter , and Google were instructed on the US Senate floor that it is their responsibility to “ quell information rebellions ” and adopt a “ mission statement ” expressing their commitment to “ prevent the fomenting of discord.
” “ Civil wars don ’ t start with gunshots , they start with words , ” the representatives were told .
“ America ’ s war with itself has already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the social media battlefield to quell information rebellions that can quickly lead to violent confrontations and easily transform us into the Divided States of America.
” Whenever anyone objects to censorship on these massive platforms they ’ re always told that those platforms are private companies who are free to do what they like on their private property , but how “ private ” is a corporation that is interlaced with government power with increasing inseparability ?
The reality is that in a corporatist system of government with vanishingly few meaningful distinctions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corporate censorship is state censorship .
Proponents of increased internet censorship have already openly conceded this point .
A recent Atlantic article by two legal professors subtitled “ In the debate over freedom versus control of the global network , China was largely correct , and the U.S. was wrong ” , the case is made that western internet censorship will necessarily involve a collaboration with “ private ” corporations and government power .
“ As surprising as it may sound , digital surveillance and speech control in the United States already show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authoritarian states such as China , ” the article ’ s authors favorably argue .
“ Constitutional and cultural differences mean that the private sector , rather than the federal and state governments , currently takes the lead in these practices , which further values and address threats different from those in China .
But the trend toward greater surveillance and speech control here , and toward the growing involvement of government , is undeniable and likely inexorable.
” Apart from the fact that they are here claiming that increasingly authoritarian speech control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bootlickers are absolutely correct .
Human communication is indeed being controlled using the so-called “ private sector ” to circumvent constitutional limitations which prohibit the government from censoring speech directly .
These Silicon Valley tech corporations have ensured their continued monopolistic dominance by demonstrating their willingness to collaborate with establishment power structures , so there are no platforms of anywhere near the same size and influence that people can move to if they don ’ t feel like letting government-tied plutocrats police what thoughts are permitted to enter into their minds .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to control the thoughts that people are allowed to share , discuss and think about in the same way totalitarian governments can , with the false mask of freedom plastered over it .
A truly free being does not need an alliance of plutocrats and government agencies to protect their mind from David Icke .
A truly free being does not want an alliance of plutocrats and government agencies to exert any control whatsoever over what ideas they are permitted to share and what thoughts they are permitted to think .
A truly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any attempt to lock in a paradigm where human communication ( and thereby thought ) is controlled by vast unaccountable power structures which benefit from the absence of dissent .
Be a truly free being .
Oppose this intrusion into your mental sovereignty .

Within 48 hours both Facebook and then Youtube have deleted the accounts of David Icke for posting “content that disputes the existence and transmission of Covid-19 as described by the WHO and the NHS.” Other platforms may soon fall in suit, as they did with Alex Jones in 2018.
This article is not about David Icke. I will say it again in italics for the especially dense: this article is not about David Icke. This article is about why we shouldn’t be okay with monopolistic billionaire-owned Silicon Valley tech giants with extensive ties to US government agencies controlling human communication.
I know next to nothing about David Icke, and I have done exactly zero research into his views for this article; for all I know he’s every bit the raving lunatic the narrative managers say he is. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we’re seeing a consistent and accelerating pattern of powerful plutocratic institutions collaborating with the US-centralized empire to control what ideas people around the world are permitted to share with each other, and it’s a very unsafe trajectory. Making this conversation about Icke and his views distracts from the very important topic we need to actually focus on discussing.
“The people who want to add a censorship regime to a health crisis are more dangerous and more stupid by leaps and bounds than a president who tells people to inject disinfectant.” https://t.co/KFA8jC6XiY — Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) April 30, 2020
Journalist Matt Taibbi recently wrote an excellent essay about the dangers inherent in the increased demand we’ve been seeing for more censorship and deplatforming during the coronavirus pandemic, correctly arguing that more authoritarian control over the ideas people are allowed to discuss is vastly more dangerous than the ideas themselves.
“The people who want to add a censorship regime to a health crisis are more dangerous and more stupid by leaps and bounds than a president who tells people to inject disinfectant,” Taibbi writes. “It’s astonishing that they don’t see this.”
“Instead of asking calmly if hydroxychloroquine works, or if the less restrictive Swedish crisis response has merit, or questioning why certain statistical assumptions about the seriousness of the crisis might have been off, we’re denouncing the questions themselves as infamous,” says Taibbi.
Taibbi argues against the increasingly normalized trend of elevating “authoritative” content while silencing content which does not wear that magical label in an attempt to fight disinformation. If you examine which content is considered “authoritative”, you’ll find a bunch of outlets who have consistently lied to the world about war after war, who spent years promoting the baseless conspiracy theory that Vladimir Putin had infiltrated and secured control over the executive branch of the US government, who consistently normalize a status quo which is wholly incompatible with the surviving and thriving of life on this planet.
Two weeks after the Atlantic Council explained to us that we need to be propagandized for our own good, Facebook announces a new partnership with the Atlantic Council to make sure we're getting the right kinds of information.https://t.co/aXwHvxdREXhttps://t.co/3CkVtvBs0s pic.twitter.com/sEz52VjNTe — Caitlin Johnstone ? (@caitoz) May 17, 2018
Google, who owns Youtube, has been financially intertwined with US intelligence agencies since its very inception when it received research grants from the CIA and NSA for mass surveillance. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg has called on the government to take “a more active role” in regulating “harmful content”, and has been actively collaborating with government agencies and government-funded think tanks to decide what content to remove. Social media executives are now routinely called before government hearings and lectured about the need to increase censorship under the implicit threat of antitrust cases being brought to bear. These massive corporations now consistently censor with an extreme bias against governments which refuse to bow to the demands of the US government and its allies.
In 2017, representatives of Facebook, Twitter, and Google were instructed on the US Senate floor that it is their responsibility to “quell information rebellions” and adopt a “mission statement” expressing their commitment to “prevent the fomenting of discord.”
“Civil wars don’t start with gunshots, they start with words,” the representatives were told. “America’s war with itself has already begun. We all must act now on the social media battlefield to quell information rebellions that can quickly lead to violent confrontations and easily transform us into the Divided States of America.”
Whenever anyone objects to censorship on these massive platforms they’re always told that those platforms are private companies who are free to do what they like on their private property, but how “private” is a corporation that is interlaced with government power with increasing inseparability? The reality is that in a corporatist system of government with vanishingly few meaningful distinctions between corporate power and state power, corporate censorship is state censorship.
Narrative Managers Argue China-Like Internet Censorship Is Needed "The only difference between @TheAtlantic article and something you might read on a libertarian site is that this article argues that all of these regulations on speech are a good thing."https://t.co/aXhhlQY366 — Caitlin Johnstone ? (@caitoz) April 27, 2020
Proponents of increased internet censorship have already openly conceded this point. A recent Atlantic article by two legal professors subtitled “In the debate over freedom versus control of the global network, China was largely correct, and the U.S. was wrong”, the case is made that western internet censorship will necessarily involve a collaboration with “private” corporations and government power.
“As surprising as it may sound, digital surveillance and speech control in the United States already show many similarities to what one finds in authoritarian states such as China,” the article’s authors favorably argue. “Constitutional and cultural differences mean that the private sector, rather than the federal and state governments, currently takes the lead in these practices, which further values and address threats different from those in China. But the trend toward greater surveillance and speech control here, and toward the growing involvement of government, is undeniable and likely inexorable.”
Apart from the fact that they are here claiming that increasingly authoritarian speech control is good and necessary, these two bootlickers are absolutely correct. Human communication is indeed being controlled using the so-called “private sector” to circumvent constitutional limitations which prohibit the government from censoring speech directly.
These Silicon Valley tech corporations have ensured their continued monopolistic dominance by demonstrating their willingness to collaborate with establishment power structures, so there are no platforms of anywhere near the same size and influence that people can move to if they don’t feel like letting government-tied plutocrats police what thoughts are permitted to enter into their minds. This has given this corporate-government alliance the ability to control the thoughts that people are allowed to share, discuss and think about in the same way totalitarian governments can, with the false mask of freedom plastered over it.
A truly free being does not need an alliance of plutocrats and government agencies to protect their mind from David Icke. A truly free being does not want an alliance of plutocrats and government agencies to exert any control whatsoever over what ideas they are permitted to share and what thoughts they are permitted to think. A truly free being opposes with all their might any attempt to lock in a paradigm where human communication (and thereby thought) is controlled by vast unaccountable power structures which benefit from the absence of dissent.
Be a truly free being. Oppose this intrusion into your mental sovereignty.
Republished from CaitlinJohnstone.com with permission


wearechange--2020-05-02--The Media Will NEVER Explain It To You Like This!

Is The U.S Power Grid and Infrastructure Next To Fall ?
Just because a majority of the world is unprepared @ @ @ @ @ mean that you should be too .
OH YEAH , since we are not corporate @ @ @ @ @ out here .
YOU CAN ALSO SUPPORT US ON

It’s time to wake up people…
Is The U.S Power Grid and Infrastructure Next To Fall?
Just because a majority of the world is unprepared, it doesn’t mean that you should be too.


wearechange--2020-05-09--China Asked WHO to Delay Pandemic Announcement, Deny Human-to-Human Transmission: German Intelligenc

China Asked WHO to Delay Pandemic Announcement, Deny Human-to-Human Transmission: German Intelligence

German intelligence has revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping asked World Health Organization ( WHO ) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Thebreyesus to cover up the severity of the coronavirus pandemic in January , according to Der Spiegel .
During a January 21 conversation – one week after the WHO assured the world there was ‘ no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission ’ – Xi reportedly asked Tedros not to reveal that the virus was in fact transmissible between humans , and to delay declaring that the coronavirus had become a pandemic – despite the virus qualifying as one by the WHO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while the WHO announced on the 22nd that data collected through their own investigation “ suggests that human-to-human transmission is taking place in Wuhan , ” which they said more analysis was required “ to understand the full extent , ” they waited all the way until March 11 to declare the virus a pandemic .
As Brahma Chellaney of Project Syndicate wrote last month : It is now widely recognized that China ’ s political culture of secrecy helped to turn a local viral outbreak into the greatest global disaster of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the new coronavirus was detected in Wuhan , the Communist Party of China ( CPC ) concealed the outbreak , allowing it to spread far and wide .
Months later , China continues to sow doubt about the pandemic ’ s origins and withhold potentially life-saving data .
In mid-January , the body tweeted that investigations by Chinese authorities had found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus .
Taiwan ’ s December 31 warning that such transmission was likely happening in Wuhan was ignored by the WHO , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convince the Taiwanese authorities – which may have better intelligence on China than anyone else – to institute preventive measures at home before any other country , including China .
The WHO ’ s persistent publicizing of China ’ s narrative lulled other countries into a dangerous complacency , delaying their responses by weeks .
In fact , the WHO actively discouraged action .
On January 10 , with Wuhan gripped by the outbreak , the WHO said that it did “ not recommend any specific health measures for travelers to and from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screening offers little benefit.
” It also advised “ against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China.
” Even after China ’ s most famous pulmonologist , Zhong Nanshan , confirmed human-to-human transmission on January 20 , the WHO continued to undermine effective responses by downplaying the risks of asymptomatic transmission and discouraging widespread testing .
Meanwhile , China was hoarding personal protective equipment – scaling back exports of Chinese-made PPE and other medical gear and importing the rest of the world ’ s supply .
In the final week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million respirators and masks , according to official data .
As the situation continues to evolve and narratives are shaped , take a close look and remember who ’ s defending who .

German intelligence has revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping asked World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Thebreyesus to cover up the severity of the coronavirus pandemic in January, according to Der Spiegel.
During a January 21 conversation – one week after the WHO assured the world there was ‘no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission’ – Xi reportedly asked Tedros not to reveal that the virus was in fact transmissible between humans, and to delay declaring that the coronavirus had become a pandemic – despite the virus qualifying as one by the WHO’s own former guidelines.
And while the WHO announced on the 22nd that data collected through their own investigation “suggests that human-to-human transmission is taking place in Wuhan,” which they said more analysis was required “to understand the full extent,” they waited all the way until March 11 to declare the virus a pandemic.
As Brahma Chellaney of Project Syndicate wrote last month:
It is now widely recognized that China’s political culture of secrecy helped to turn a local viral outbreak into the greatest global disaster of our time. Far from sounding the alarm when the new coronavirus was detected in Wuhan, the Communist Party of China (CPC) concealed the outbreak, allowing it to spread far and wide. Months later, China continues to sow doubt about the pandemic’s origins and withhold potentially life-saving data.
In mid-January, the body tweeted that investigations by Chinese authorities had found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus. Taiwan’s December 31 warning that such transmission was likely happening in Wuhan was ignored by the WHO, even though the information had been enough to convince the Taiwanese authorities – which may have better intelligence on China than anyone else – to institute preventive measures at home before any other country, including China.
The WHO’s persistent publicizing of China’s narrative lulled other countries into a dangerous complacency, delaying their responses by weeks. In fact, the WHO actively discouraged action. On January 10, with Wuhan gripped by the outbreak, the WHO said that it did “not recommend any specific health measures for travelers to and from Wuhan,” adding that “entry screening offers little benefit.” It also advised “against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China.”
Even after China’s most famous pulmonologist, Zhong Nanshan, confirmed human-to-human transmission on January 20, the WHO continued to undermine effective responses by downplaying the risks of asymptomatic transmission and discouraging widespread testing. Meanwhile, China was hoarding personal protective equipment – scaling back exports of Chinese-made PPE and other medical gear and importing the rest of the world’s supply. In the final week of January, the country imported 56 million respirators and masks, according to official data.
As the situation continues to evolve and narratives are shaped, take a close look and remember who’s defending who.
Republished from ZeroHedge.com with permission


wearechange--2020-05-09--My Theory on What’s Really Happening and Why Censorship is Never the Answer

As someone who watches my videos , I know there ’ s a possibility your unsure of where I stand and where we stand as a news organization right now .
So here it is .
We ’ ve got 3 principles : These are important to keep in mind and I wanted to get them out there .
Which I do in the video above as well as discussing all of the crazy censorship going on right now , including of some theories that actually are pretty crazy .
But I ’ m sure you want to hear my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So without further ado… I think social media companies may be pushing and promoting crazy theories about the virus , in part by censoring them and thus making them more popular… As part of social engineering by powerful individuals and organizations to blame a second wave of the virus on people resisting government .
Which is one of the reasons why I ’ ve really been promoting freedom and personal responsibility lately .
Watch the video above for my full explanation .
Because we are now totally demonetized And based on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obviously at risk of being deleted… Now is the time to grab the pro free speech YOUTUBE DUCT TAPE MOUTH shirt .
Send a message to YouTube you will not stand with tyranny And that you and I will not be censored !

As someone who watches my videos, I know there’s a possibility your unsure of where I stand and where we stand as a news organization right now.
So here it is. We’ve got 3 principles:
1. Resisting tyranny
2. Preparing for economic collapse
3. Taking responsibility for yourself
These are important to keep in mind and I wanted to get them out there.
Which I do in the video above as well as discussing all of the crazy censorship going on right now, including of some theories that actually are pretty crazy.
But I’m sure you want to hear my theory about what’s going on. So without further ado…
I think social media companies may be pushing and promoting crazy theories about the virus, in part by censoring them and thus making them more popular…
As part of social engineering by powerful individuals and organizations to blame a second wave of the virus on people resisting government.
Which is one of the reasons why I’ve really been promoting freedom and personal responsibility lately.
Watch the video above for my full explanation.
SUPPORT FREE SPEECH
Because we are now totally demonetized
And based on the massive new wave of YouTube censorship,
Obviously at risk of being deleted…
Now is the time to grab the pro free speech YOUTUBE DUCT TAPE MOUTH shirt.
Send a message to YouTube you will not stand with tyranny
And that you and I will not be censored!


wearechange--2020-05-09--As State Reopens, Ohio Urges Employers to Snitch on Workers Who Stay at Home Over Virus Fears

Ohio officials are encouraging employers to report what they ’ ve designated “ Covid-19 fraud ” as the state begins reopening some industries .
Workers who refuse to report to work in light of the pandemic , which has killed more than 1,300 Ohio residents so far , can be reported via a government website and have their unemployment benefits taken away .
According to the Washington Post , less than a week after the state reopened manufacturing and distribution facilities , construction , and offices , 600 employers have “ turned in ” about 1,200 workers for not reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ is a really fucked up way to even begin thinking about this , ” tweeted labor journalist Sarah Jaffe in response to the Post ‘ s report .
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services set up a website this week where employers may use a form “ to report employees who quit or refuse work when it is available due to Covid-19.
” With retail stores expected to reopen on Monday , employees in that sector could be reported as early as next week for not returning to work .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ohio , officials told companies that “ Ohio law prohibits individuals from receiving unemployment benefits if they refuse to accept offers of suitable work , or quit work , without good cause.
” The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has set up a form called “ Report COVID-19 Quits or Work Refusals when Work is Available ” By designating a deadly public health crisis an insufficient cause for staying home , as health experts have consistently urged for nearly two months , the Ohio government is giving residents a “ near-impossible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Budget and Policy Institute .
Ohio workers must now choose between “ going to work and earning income to put food on the table , and protecting their health , ” senior policy analyst Alex Camardelle told the Post .
Critics on social media accused Ohio officials of encouraging employers to “ snitch ” on workers for following the recommendations of public health officials .
Other Republican-led states have also aggressively pressured workers to report to their jobs with threats of having unemployment benefits taken away .
As Common Dreams reported last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report to businesses in reopened industries as a “ voluntary quit , ” while Texas ’ s reopening order carried the same message .
The Century Foundation , a progressive and non-partisan think tank , noted that the focus on so-called “ Covid-19 fraud ” in Republican-led states stems from a fixation at the U.S. Department of Labor on rooting out workers who are using unemployment benefits when work is available to them .
According to the Labor Department , nearly 90 % of people who received unemployment benefits in Ohio between 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The driving activity of the U.S. Department of Labor for the last six to seven years has been unemployment fraud , ” Andrew Stettner , a senior fellow at the foundation , told The American Prospect .
Ohio ’ s website represents a “ bright flashing light of ‘ fraud , fraud , fraud ’ that for me is just like another example of the system ’ s overemphasis on unemployment fraud , rather than making sure we pay people who are out of work , ” he added .

Ohio officials are encouraging employers to report what they’ve designated “Covid-19 fraud” as the state begins reopening some industries. Workers who refuse to report to work in light of the pandemic, which has killed more than 1,300 Ohio residents so far, can be reported via a government website and have their unemployment benefits taken away.
According to the Washington Post, less than a week after the state reopened manufacturing and distribution facilities, construction, and offices, 600 employers have “turned in” about 1,200 workers for not reporting to work.
“‘Turned in’ is a really fucked up way to even begin thinking about this,” tweeted labor journalist Sarah Jaffe in response to the Post‘s report.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services set up a website this week where employers may use a form “to report employees who quit or refuse work when it is available due to Covid-19.”
With retail stores expected to reopen on Monday, employees in that sector could be reported as early as next week for not returning to work.
In an email sent to employers across Ohio, officials told companies that “Ohio law prohibits individuals from receiving unemployment benefits if they refuse to accept offers of suitable work, or quit work, without good cause.”
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has set up a form called “Report COVID-19 Quits or Work Refusals when Work is Available”
By designating a deadly public health crisis an insufficient cause for staying home, as health experts have consistently urged for nearly two months, the Ohio government is giving residents a “near-impossible choice,” according to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.
Ohio workers must now choose between “going to work and earning income to put food on the table, and protecting their health,” senior policy analyst Alex Camardelle told the Post.
Critics on social media accused Ohio officials of encouraging employers to “snitch” on workers for following the recommendations of public health officials.
Other Republican-led states have also aggressively pressured workers to report to their jobs with threats of having unemployment benefits taken away. As Common Dreams reported last month, Iowa officials are designating failure to report to businesses in reopened industries as a “voluntary quit,” while Texas’s reopening order carried the same message.
The Century Foundation, a progressive and non-partisan think tank, noted that the focus on so-called “Covid-19 fraud” in Republican-led states stems from a fixation at the U.S. Department of Labor on rooting out workers who are using unemployment benefits when work is available to them. According to the Labor Department, nearly 90% of people who received unemployment benefits in Ohio between 2016 and 2019 used the system correctly.
“The driving activity of the U.S. Department of Labor for the last six to seven years has been unemployment fraud,” Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at the foundation, told The American Prospect.
Ohio’s website represents a “bright flashing light of ‘fraud, fraud, fraud’ that for me is just like another example of the system’s overemphasis on unemployment fraud, rather than making sure we pay people who are out of work,” he added.
Republished from CommonDreams.org under Creative Commons


wearechange--2020-05-09--These Are the Questions You Should Be Asking About the Viral ‘Plandemic’ Video

The links to the viral video “ Plandemic ” started showing up in my Facebook feed Wednesday .
“ Very interesting , ” one of my friends wrote about it .
I saw several subsequent posts about it , and then my brother texted me , “ Got a sec ?
” My brother is a pastor in Colorado and had someone he respects urge him to watch “ Plandemic , ” a 26-minute video that promises to reveal the “ hidden agenda ” behind the COVID-19 pandemic .
I called him and he shared his concern : People seem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in “ Plandemic ” seriously .
He wondered if I could write something up that he could pass along to them , to help people distinguish between sound reporting and conspiracy thinking or propaganda .
So I watched “ Plandemic.
” I did not find it credible , as I will explain below .
YouTube , Facebook and Vimeo have since removed it from their platforms for violating their guidelines .
Now it ’ s available on its own site .
Sensational videos , memes , rants and more about COVID-19 are likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and deep distrust of the media , the government and other institutions , such content is a way for bad actors to sow discord , mostly via social media .
But what surprised me is how easily “ Plandemic ” sank its hooks into some of my friends .
My brother also felt alarmed that his own church members and leaders in other churches might be tempted to buy into it .
The purpose of this column is not to skewer “ Plandemic.
” My goal is to offer some criteria for sifting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day , so we can tell the difference between fair reporting and something so biased it should not be taken seriously .
Here ’ s a checklist , some of which I shared with my friends on Facebook , to help interrogate any content — and that includes what we publish at ProPublica .
There ’ s never just one side to a story .
I mentioned this point in 2018 when I wrote about my faith and the biblical basis for investigative reporting .
One of my favorite Proverbs says , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right until another comes and cross-examines him.
” So a fair presentation should at least acknowledge opposing points of view .
I didn ’ t see this in “ Plandemic , ” so I called the filmmaker , Mikki Willis , who is also the film ’ s narrator , to ask him whether I had somehow missed the other side of the argument .
I had not .
“ The other side of the argument plays 24/7 on every screen in every airport and on every phone and in every home , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are only seeing one side of the story all the time .
This is the other side of the story .
This is not a piece that ’ s intended to be perfectly balanced.
” I asked Willis if it was fair to call his film “ propaganda , ” which the Oxford dictionary defines as “ information , especially of a biased or misleading nature , used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
” He said he doesn ’ t feel there ’ s anything misleading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ definition fits .
And based on that definition he feels 100 % of news reporting is propaganda .
“ What isn ’ t propaganda these days ?
” he asked .
“ In that sense , what we ’ re doing is fighting fire with fire.
” Is There an Independent Pursuit of the Truth ?
The star of “ Plandemic , ” medical researcher Judy Mikovits , is controversial .
The magazine Science reports that it published and then retracted one of her papers in 2011 .
A search warrant provided to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows she was fired from her position at Whittemore Peterson Institute , a research center in Nevada , in September 2011 .
Then she allegedly stole notebooks and a laptop computer from the Institute , the search warrant said , leading to an arrest warrant for alleged possession of stolen property and unlawful taking of computer data .
She was arrested on Nov. 18 , 2011 , but denied wrongdoing .
The charges were dropped .
But “ Plandemic ” ignores or brushes past these facts and portrays her as an embattled whistleblower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that conflicted with the agreed-upon narrative ?
” Willis says to Mikovits , introducing her as a victim .
“ And for that , they did everything in their powers to destroy your life.
” A typical viewer is not going to know the details about Mikovits ’ background .
But as the primary source of controversial information being presented as fact , it ’ s worth an online search .
The fact-checking site PolitiFact details her arrest and criminal charges .
Clearly , there ’ s more to her story than what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That should give us pause when we assess its credibility .
Is There a Careful Adherence to the Facts ?
In “ Plandemic , ” Willis asks Mikovits about her arrest : “ What did they charge you with ?
” “ Nothing , ” she replies .
“ I was held in jail , with no charges.
” Being charged with a crime is one of those concrete facts that we can check out .
Science magazine reported Mikovits ’ arrest and felony charge .
I also found a civil lawsuit she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California .
“ Mikovits was arrested on criminal charges… ” her complaint says in the case , which was eventually dismissed .
I asked Willis about the apparent discrepancy , where she said in his film that she wasn ’ t charged , when court documents show that she was charged .
After my inquiry , he said he spoke to Mikovits and now feels it is clear that she meant that the charges were dropped .
I tracked down Mikovits and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ film is that there were no charges of any type of wrongdoing that would have led to her being charged with being a fugitive from justice .
She admitted that all the controversy has been hard for her to sort out .
“ I ’ ve been confused for a decade , ” she told me .
She said she would try to be more clear in the future when she talks about the criminal charge : “ I ’ ll try to learn to say it differently , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and it distinguishes the craft of journalism from other forms of information sharing .
People often speak imprecisely when they ’ re telling their stories .
It ’ s our duty to nail down precisely what they do and do not mean , and verify it independently .
If we don ’ t , we risk undermining their credibility and ours .
That ’ s in part why we at ProPublica and many other journalists often link directly to our underlying source documents , so you can verify the information yourself .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , is one of the nation ’ s leaders in the response to the coronavirus .
In “ Plandemic , ” Mikovits accuses Fauci of a cover-up and of paying off people who perpetrate fraud , among other things .
PolitiFact found no evidence to support the allegations against Fauci .
Every time I write a story that accuses someone of wrongdoing I call them and urge them to explain the situation from their perspective .
This is standard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve gone to extreme lengths to get comments from someone who will be portrayed unfavorably in my story — traveling to another state and showing up at their office and their home and leaving a note if they are not there to meet me .
“ Plandemic ” doesn ’ t indicate whether the filmmakers reached out to Fauci for his version of the story .
So I asked Willis about it .
“ We did not , ” he told me .
Are All Sources Named and Cited , and if Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sources should be identified , with their credentials , so viewers can verify their expertise or possible biases .
If they can ’ t be for some reason , then that should be explained .
“ Plandemic ” features unnamed people in medical scrubs , presented as doctors , saying they ’ re being wrongly pressured to add COVID-19 on people ’ s death certificates or are not being allowed to use the drug hydroxychloroquine to treat patients .
But the speakers are not named , so we can ’ t really tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are doctors at all .
That makes it impossible to tell if they are credible .
I asked Willis why he didn ’ t name those people .
He told me he was in a hurry to release the 26-minute version of “ Plandemic , ” but the doctors will be named in the final version .
“ We should have done that , ” he said .
Does the Work Claim Some Secret Knowledge ?
“ Plandemic ” calls itself a documentary that reveals “ the hidden agenda behind COVID-19.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global pandemic where few people in the world can figure out what is happening or the right way to respond , let alone agendas .
We have almost every journalist in the country writing about this .
And if the truth about a conspiracy is out there , many people have an incentive to share it .
But “ Plandemic ” would like us to think it ’ s presenting some exclusive bit of secret knowledge that is going to get at the real story .
That ’ s not likely .
Plus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so many conspiratorial details stacked on top of each other in the film I couldn ’ t keep them straight .
When I spoke to Willis I told him I was having a hard time understanding his point .
Then I took a stab at what I thought was the main thrust of his argument .
“ Are you saying that powerful people planned the pandemic and made it happen so they could get rich by making everyone get vaccines ?
” I asked .
It turns out Willis isn ’ t sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the exploratory phase , ” he told me .
“ I don ’ t know , to be clear , if it ’ s an intentional or naturally occurring situation .
I have no idea.
” Then he went on to say that the pandemic is being politicized and used to take away our civil liberties and leverage other political policies .
“ Certain forces ” have latched onto the situation , he said .
“ It ’ s too fishy.
” He had me at , “ I have no idea.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vast pandemic and massive catastrophe .
Our country wasn ’ t prepared for it , and the response by our top leaders has been disjointed .
We ’ re restricted to our homes .
Many people have lost their jobs and some are afraid or sick or dying .
That makes us vulnerable to exploitation by people who will present inaccurate or intellectually dishonest information that promises to tell us the truth .
Perhaps “ Plandemic ” is guilty of sloppy storytelling , or maybe people really do believe the things they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Or perhaps they ’ re being intentionally dishonest , or it ’ s a biased connecting of the dots rooted in personal and professional grievances .
I don ’ t know because I can ’ t get inside their heads to judge their motives .
Ultimately , we ’ re all going to need to be more savvy consumers when it comes to information , no matter how slickly it ’ s presented .
This may be but a signal of what ’ s to come in the run-up to the 2020 presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unknown origin come across our social media feeds .
There are standards for judging the credibility of the media we take in every day , so let ’ s apply them .

The links to the viral video “Plandemic” started showing up in my Facebook feed Wednesday. “Very interesting,” one of my friends wrote about it. I saw several subsequent posts about it, and then my brother texted me, “Got a sec?”
My brother is a pastor in Colorado and had someone he respects urge him to watch “Plandemic,” a 26-minute video that promises to reveal the “hidden agenda” behind the COVID-19 pandemic. I called him and he shared his concern: People seem to be taking the conspiracy theories presented in “Plandemic” seriously. He wondered if I could write something up that he could pass along to them, to help people distinguish between sound reporting and conspiracy thinking or propaganda.
So I watched “Plandemic.” I did not find it credible, as I will explain below. YouTube, Facebook and Vimeo have since removed it from their platforms for violating their guidelines. Now it’s available on its own site.
Sensational videos, memes, rants and more about COVID-19 are likely to keep coming. With society polarized and deep distrust of the media, the government and other institutions, such content is a way for bad actors to sow discord, mostly via social media.
But what surprised me is how easily “Plandemic” sank its hooks into some of my friends. My brother also felt alarmed that his own church members and leaders in other churches might be tempted to buy into it.
The purpose of this column is not to skewer “Plandemic.” My goal is to offer some criteria for sifting through all the content we see every day, so we can tell the difference between fair reporting and something so biased it should not be taken seriously.
Here’s a checklist, some of which I shared with my friends on Facebook, to help interrogate any content — and that includes what we publish at ProPublica.
Is the Presentation One-Sided?
There’s never just one side to a story. I mentioned this point in 2018 when I wrote about my faith and the biblical basis for investigative reporting. One of my favorite Proverbs says, “The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.” So a fair presentation should at least acknowledge opposing points of view.
I didn’t see this in “Plandemic,” so I called the filmmaker, Mikki Willis, who is also the film’s narrator, to ask him whether I had somehow missed the other side of the argument. I had not. “The other side of the argument plays 24/7 on every screen in every airport and on every phone and in every home,” Willis said. “The people are only seeing one side of the story all the time. This is the other side of the story. This is not a piece that’s intended to be perfectly balanced.”
I asked Willis if it was fair to call his film “propaganda,” which the Oxford dictionary defines as “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.”
He said he doesn’t feel there’s anything misleading in his film, but otherwise the definition fits. And based on that definition he feels 100% of news reporting is propaganda. “What isn’t propaganda these days?” he asked. “In that sense, what we’re doing is fighting fire with fire.”
Is There an Independent Pursuit of the Truth?
The star of “Plandemic,” medical researcher Judy Mikovits, is controversial. The magazine Science reports that it published and then retracted one of her papers in 2011. A search warrant provided to ProPublica by one of her former attorneys shows she was fired from her position at Whittemore Peterson Institute, a research center in Nevada, in September 2011. Then she allegedly stole notebooks and a laptop computer from the Institute, the search warrant said, leading to an arrest warrant for alleged possession of stolen property and unlawful taking of computer data. She was arrested on Nov. 18, 2011, but denied wrongdoing. The charges were dropped.
But “Plandemic” ignores or brushes past these facts and portrays her as an embattled whistleblower. “So you made a discovery that conflicted with the agreed-upon narrative?” Willis says to Mikovits, introducing her as a victim. “And for that, they did everything in their powers to destroy your life.”
A typical viewer is not going to know the details about Mikovits’ background. But as the primary source of controversial information being presented as fact, it’s worth an online search. The fact-checking site PolitiFact details her arrest and criminal charges. Clearly, there’s more to her story than what’s presented in “Plandemic.” That should give us pause when we assess its credibility.
Is There a Careful Adherence to the Facts?
In “Plandemic,” Willis asks Mikovits about her arrest: “What did they charge you with?”
“Nothing,” she replies. “I was held in jail, with no charges.”
Being charged with a crime is one of those concrete facts that we can check out. Science magazine reported Mikovits’ arrest and felony charge. I also found a civil lawsuit she filed against the Whittemore Peterson Institute in 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. “Mikovits was arrested on criminal charges…” her complaint says in the case, which was eventually dismissed.
I asked Willis about the apparent discrepancy, where she said in his film that she wasn’t charged, when court documents show that she was charged. After my inquiry, he said he spoke to Mikovits and now feels it is clear that she meant that the charges were dropped.
I tracked down Mikovits and she said what she meant in the film is that there were no charges of any type of wrongdoing that would have led to her being charged with being a fugitive from justice. She admitted that all the controversy has been hard for her to sort out. “I’ve been confused for a decade,” she told me. She said she would try to be more clear in the future when she talks about the criminal charge: “I’ll try to learn to say it differently,” she said.
This underscores the importance of careful verification, and it distinguishes the craft of journalism from other forms of information sharing. People often speak imprecisely when they’re telling their stories. It’s our duty to nail down precisely what they do and do not mean, and verify it independently. If we don’t, we risk undermining their credibility and ours. That’s in part why we at ProPublica and many other journalists often link directly to our underlying source documents, so you can verify the information yourself.
Are Those Accused Allowed to Respond?
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is one of the nation’s leaders in the response to the coronavirus. In “Plandemic,” Mikovits accuses Fauci of a cover-up and of paying off people who perpetrate fraud, among other things. PolitiFact found no evidence to support the allegations against Fauci.
Every time I write a story that accuses someone of wrongdoing I call them and urge them to explain the situation from their perspective. This is standard in mainstream journalism. Sometimes I’ve gone to extreme lengths to get comments from someone who will be portrayed unfavorably in my story — traveling to another state and showing up at their office and their home and leaving a note if they are not there to meet me. “Plandemic” doesn’t indicate whether the filmmakers reached out to Fauci for his version of the story. So I asked Willis about it. “We did not,” he told me.
Are All Sources Named and Cited, and if Not, Is the Reason Explained?
All sources should be identified, with their credentials, so viewers can verify their expertise or possible biases. If they can’t be for some reason, then that should be explained. “Plandemic” features unnamed people in medical scrubs, presented as doctors, saying they’re being wrongly pressured to add COVID-19 on people’s death certificates or are not being allowed to use the drug hydroxychloroquine to treat patients. But the speakers are not named, so we can’t really tell who they are, or even if they are doctors at all. That makes it impossible to tell if they are credible.
I asked Willis why he didn’t name those people. He told me he was in a hurry to release the 26-minute version of “Plandemic,” but the doctors will be named in the final version. “We should have done that,” he said.
Does the Work Claim Some Secret Knowledge?
“Plandemic” calls itself a documentary that reveals “the hidden agenda behind COVID-19.” We are in the midst of a global pandemic where few people in the world can figure out what is happening or the right way to respond, let alone agendas. We have almost every journalist in the country writing about this. And if the truth about a conspiracy is out there, many people have an incentive to share it. But “Plandemic” would like us to think it’s presenting some exclusive bit of secret knowledge that is going to get at the real story. That’s not likely.
Plus, to be honest, there were so many conspiratorial details stacked on top of each other in the film I couldn’t keep them straight. When I spoke to Willis I told him I was having a hard time understanding his point. Then I took a stab at what I thought was the main thrust of his argument. “Are you saying that powerful people planned the pandemic and made it happen so they could get rich by making everyone get vaccines?” I asked.
It turns out Willis isn’t sure either. “We’re in the exploratory phase,” he told me. “I don’t know, to be clear, if it’s an intentional or naturally occurring situation. I have no idea.”
Then he went on to say that the pandemic is being politicized and used to take away our civil liberties and leverage other political policies. “Certain forces” have latched onto the situation, he said. “It’s too fishy.”
He had me at, “I have no idea.” That sums it up. This is a vast pandemic and massive catastrophe. Our country wasn’t prepared for it, and the response by our top leaders has been disjointed. We’re restricted to our homes. Many people have lost their jobs and some are afraid or sick or dying. That makes us vulnerable to exploitation by people who will present inaccurate or intellectually dishonest information that promises to tell us the truth.
Perhaps “Plandemic” is guilty of sloppy storytelling, or maybe people really do believe the things they’re saying in the video. Or perhaps they’re being intentionally dishonest, or it’s a biased connecting of the dots rooted in personal and professional grievances. I don’t know because I can’t get inside their heads to judge their motives.
Ultimately, we’re all going to need to be more savvy consumers when it comes to information, no matter how slickly it’s presented. This may be but a signal of what’s to come in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, when memes and ads of unknown origin come across our social media feeds. There are standards for judging the credibility of the media we take in every day, so let’s apply them.
Republished from ProPublica.org under Creative Commons


wearechange--2020-05-08--‘Cataclysmic’ Jobs Report Shows US Unemployment Soaring to Level Not Seen Since Great Depression

Just a day after announcing that about 33.5 million Americans have filed jobless claims since mid-March as the coronavirus pandemic has caused lockdowns worldwide , the U.S. Department of Labor on Friday revealed the nation ’ s official unemployment rate hit 14.7 % last month—its highest level since the Great Depression .
Before the April jobs report release , Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute ( EPI ) warned on Twitter that Friday would be “ the most cataclysmic # JobsDay of all of our lives ” and shared a chart showing how recent unemployment claims contrast with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions in a 22-tweet thread .
While the 14.7 % figure for April is significantly higher than February ( 3.5 % ) and March ( 4.4 % ) , it fails to capture the full scope of how U.S. workers have been impacted by temporary business closures and hours reductions that have resulted from the ongoing global health crisis .
The report says 5.1 million Americans had hours cut in April .
Shierholz , senior economist and director of policy at EPI , explained that “ only about two-thirds of coronavirus-related job losses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showing up as having dropped out of the labor force .
If all coronavirus-related job losses had shown up as unemployed , the unemployment rate would now be around 19.0 % , not 14.7 % .
” “ Further , about 7.5 million workers are likely being misclassified as ’ employed , not at work ’ instead of ‘ temporarily unemployed , ' ” she continued .
“ If they were classified correctly AND all coronavirus-related job losses had shown up as unemployed , the unemployment rate would be around 23.6 % .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ estimate from April 30 that because of recent job losses , about 12.7 million Americans have lost their employer-based health insurance—which EPI researchers called a “ terrifying ” indictment of the country ’ s private , for-profit healthcare system , particularly in the midst of a pandemic .
EPI senior economist Elise Gould addressed the April jobs report in a Friday blog post entitled “ A Waking Nightmare.
” She wrote : “ I struggle to even put into words how large this drop is .
It ’ s as if all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out .
Total job losses over the last two months would fill all 30 currently empty Major League Baseball stadiums 16 times over.
” Gould advised against celebrating the supposed “ silver lining ” that nominal wages grew 7.9 % over the year , explaining that the wage growth “ reflects the dropping of lower wage jobs from the total , which results in higher average wages for the remaining jobs , and what appears to be faster overall growth , but not driven by people getting meaningful raises.
” The 20.5 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April underscore the need for bold action from federal lawmakers , according to Gould .

Just a day after announcing that about 33.5 million Americans have filed jobless claims since mid-March as the coronavirus pandemic has caused lockdowns worldwide, the U.S. Department of Labor on Friday revealed the nation’s official unemployment rate hit 14.7% last month—its highest level since the Great Depression.
Before the April jobs report release, Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) warned on Twitter that Friday would be “the most cataclysmic #JobsDay of all of our lives” and shared a chart showing how recent unemployment claims contrast with the past 80 years, before detailing current conditions in a 22-tweet thread.
Despair is an understandable and reasonable response here. Despair for the millions who’ve lost jobs, for their families, and for the immeasurable amount of lost potential. But then we must demand our policymakers do much, much more. 2/ — Heidi Shierholz (@hshierholz) May 8, 2020
While the 14.7% figure for April is significantly higher than February (3.5%) and March (4.4%), it fails to capture the full scope of how U.S. workers have been impacted by temporary business closures and hours reductions that have resulted from the ongoing global health crisis. The report says 5.1 million Americans had hours cut in April.
Shierholz, senior economist and director of policy at EPI, explained that “only about two-thirds of coronavirus-related job losses are showing up as unemployed—the rest are showing up as having dropped out of the labor force. If all coronavirus-related job losses had shown up as unemployed, the unemployment rate would now be around 19.0%, not 14.7%.”
“Further, about 7.5 million workers are likely being misclassified as ’employed, not at work’ instead of ‘temporarily unemployed,'” she continued. “If they were classified correctly AND all coronavirus-related job losses had shown up as unemployed, the unemployment rate would be around 23.6%.”
She also highlighted EPI’s estimate from April 30 that because of recent job losses, about 12.7 million Americans have lost their employer-based health insurance—which EPI researchers called a “terrifying” indictment of the country’s private, for-profit healthcare system, particularly in the midst of a pandemic.
EPI senior economist Elise Gould addressed the April jobs report in a Friday blog post entitled “A Waking Nightmare.” She wrote: “I struggle to even put into words how large this drop is. It’s as if all the gains in employment since 2000 were wiped out. Total job losses over the last two months would fill all 30 currently empty Major League Baseball stadiums 16 times over.”
A waking nightmare
Today’s jobs report shows 20.5 million jobs lost in Aprilhttps://t.co/XDrJIZLMKx
1/n — Elise Gould (@eliselgould) May 8, 2020
Gould advised against celebrating the supposed “silver lining” that nominal wages grew 7.9% over the year, explaining that the wage growth “reflects the dropping of lower wage jobs from the total, which results in higher average wages for the remaining jobs, and what appears to be faster overall growth, but not driven by people getting meaningful raises.”
The 20.5 million job losses across the United States in April underscore the need for bold action from federal lawmakers, according to Gould.
Republished from CommonDreams.org under Creative Commons


wearechange--2020-05-08--Something Odd is Going on in Parking Lots Around the US

Over the last few weeks , we have been keeping a close eye on the growing glut of automobile inventory , exacerbated by demand falling off a cliff , plunging used car prices and rental car companies suffering from an unprecedented collapse in business ( or , like Hertz , simply going bankrupt ) .
To wit , just hours ago , we documented how declining fleet sales was having a profoundly negative impact on automakers .
Previously , we pointed out how a crash in used car prices could be putting significant pressure on the rental car industry .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ we also wrote that automakers were having so much trouble finding space for their unsellable inventory that ships bearing auto cargo from overseas were denied entry at US ports and sent back out into the ocean .
Now , we are seeing firsthand what buildups of inventory look like in major cities .
Philadelphia is rapidly becoming the case study which other cities will follow , because as Inquirer reports , the city ’ s sports complex parking lots are now being used as lots for rental car companies based at the Philadelphia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are so many cars available , not even airport parking lots can hold them anymore .
In an effort to deal with the drop in air traffic , “ rental cars are being stored at off-site locations , including the Wells Fargo Center parking lots , ” the Inquirer reported .
Phil Weinberg , executive vice president and general counsel for Comcast Spectacor , which owns the Wells Fargo Center , said : “ Enterprise is a corporate partner of the Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center , and it is the only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stadium .
They approached us shortly after the stay-at-home orders became effective and asked if we could assist them in parking their cars , which are clearly not in service right now.
” According to the Inquirer , the Wells Fargo Center is letting Enterprise park more than 2,000 vehicles free of charge , with no fixed end date in sight .
The Wells Fargo Center isn ’ t the only sports venue in the country housing overflow rental vehicles .
According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser , Aloha Stadium has up to 1,500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its lots .
And in Southern California , thousands of rental cars fill the parking lots at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and Angel Stadium in Anaheim , according to the Southern California News Group .
Lisa Martini , a spokeswoman with Enterprise Holdings , which owns the Enterprise , National and Alamo brands , said her company is working with Santa Anita to stage many of its cars there while the vehicles are being prepared and processed for rental , lease or sale .
Business , she said , has fallen sharply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis .
“ Like others across the travel industry – and countless other companies large and small – we have witnessed an impact to our business , ” Martini said via email .
“ This includes a significant decrease in reservations and customer demand as both corporate business and leisure travel have come to a virtual standstill.
” Pete Siberell , Santa Anita ’ s director of community services and special projects , said the parking arrangement makes sense .
“ With Santa Anita not being able to race and having postponed many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parking lot space was available for us to help and we were glad to do so , ” he said .
Incidentally , earlier today we reported that Hertz and Avis had put stops on purchases and , in some cases , re-directed purchases they ’ ve already made to additional parking lots .
These companies have cancelled “ all orders of GM vehicles for May , June and into July ” .
This has left GM and Hyundai taking back cars that it had agreed to sell to Hertz , Avis and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts to try and redirect almost 30,000 vehicles these companies had purchased , but was unable to transfer them .
The chaos has continued this month when Avis had to sell $ 500 million in junk bonds and Hertz was granted a last-minute concession from its lenders to narrowly avoid bankruptcy .
Meanwhile , rental car sales fell 77 % in April .
Most recently , Bloomberg reported this morning that rental icon Hertz hired advisors to consider a bankruptcy and the auto industry has placed a major bet on incentives to try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Based on what we ’ re seeing in parking lots around the nation , it isn ’ t working .

Over the last few weeks, we have been keeping a close eye on the growing glut of automobile inventory, exacerbated by demand falling off a cliff, plunging used car prices and rental car companies suffering from an unprecedented collapse in business (or, like Hertz, simply going bankrupt). To wit, just hours ago, we documented how declining fleet sales was having a profoundly negative impact on automakers. Previously, we pointed out how a crash in used car prices could be putting significant pressure on the rental car industry. And most notably, several days ago we also wrote that automakers were having so much trouble finding space for their unsellable inventory that ships bearing auto cargo from overseas were denied entry at US ports and sent back out into the ocean.
Now, we are seeing firsthand what buildups of inventory look like in major cities.
Philadelphia is rapidly becoming the case study which other cities will follow, because as Inquirer reports, the city’s sports complex parking lots are now being used as lots for rental car companies based at the Philadelphia Airport. In other words, there are so many cars available, not even airport parking lots can hold them anymore.
In an effort to deal with the drop in air traffic, “rental cars are being stored at off-site locations, including the Wells Fargo Center parking lots,” the Inquirer reported.
Phil Weinberg, executive vice president and general counsel for Comcast Spectacor, which owns the Wells Fargo Center, said: “Enterprise is a corporate partner of the Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center, and it is the only company with rental vehicles parked at the stadium. They approached us shortly after the stay-at-home orders became effective and asked if we could assist them in parking their cars, which are clearly not in service right now.”
According to the Inquirer, the Wells Fargo Center is letting Enterprise park more than 2,000 vehicles free of charge, with no fixed end date in sight.
The Wells Fargo Center isn’t the only sports venue in the country housing overflow rental vehicles. According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Aloha Stadium has up to 1,500 rental cars from five companies parked in its lots.
And in Southern California, thousands of rental cars fill the parking lots at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and Angel Stadium in Anaheim, according to the Southern California News Group.
Lisa Martini, a spokeswoman with Enterprise Holdings, which owns the Enterprise, National and Alamo brands, said her company is working with Santa Anita to stage many of its cars there while the vehicles are being prepared and processed for rental, lease or sale. Business, she said, has fallen sharply in the face of the COVID-19 health crisis.
“Like others across the travel industry – and countless other companies large and small – we have witnessed an impact to our business,” Martini said via email. “This includes a significant decrease in reservations and customer demand as both corporate business and leisure travel have come to a virtual standstill.”
Pete Siberell, Santa Anita’s director of community services and special projects, said the parking arrangement makes sense.
“With Santa Anita not being able to race and having postponed many of our events, much of our parking lot space was available for us to help and we were glad to do so,” he said.
* * *
Incidentally, earlier today we reported that Hertz and Avis had put stops on purchases and, in some cases, re-directed purchases they’ve already made to additional parking lots. These companies have cancelled “all orders of GM vehicles for May, June and into July”.
This has left GM and Hyundai taking back cars that it had agreed to sell to Hertz, Avis and Enterprise. Last month, Fiat underwent efforts to try and redirect almost 30,000 vehicles these companies had purchased, but was unable to transfer them.
The chaos has continued this month when Avis had to sell $500 million in junk bonds and Hertz was granted a last-minute concession from its lenders to narrowly avoid bankruptcy. Meanwhile, rental car sales fell 77% in April.
Most recently, Bloomberg reported this morning that rental icon Hertz hired advisors to consider a bankruptcy and the auto industry has placed a major bet on incentives to try and move inventory off of their lots.
Based on what we’re seeing in parking lots around the nation, it isn’t working.
Republished from ZeroHedge.com with permission


wearechange--2020-05-08--As COVID-19 Grips Yemen, Saudi Warplanes Target Trucks Full of Medical Supplies

Despite calls by the United Nations Secretary General , the Security Council and the World Health Organization to stop its war on Yemen amid the COVID-19 pandemic , the Saudi-led coalition has been intentionally targeting food and drug supplies in the country .
On Wednesday , at least 12 trucks loaded with food and medicine and other basic commodities went up in flames when Saudi warplanes struck them as they awaited passage through a customs checkpoint at the Afar Port in Al-Bayda .
Multiple drivers , including foreign nationals , were killed or injured in the attack and others are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently established in the central province of al-Bayda as a major point of entry for food and medicine in light of the continued siege on the port of Hodeida and Sana ’ a International Airport .
The attack comes amid a number of Saudi-Coalition attacks on food and medicine supplies in Yemen .
On Thursday , at least six civilians , including a child , were killed and others injured when Saudi warships targeted a food storage facility in the al-Jurr area in the Abbs District in the country ’ s northwestern province @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saudi Arabia claimed it was halting military attacks and suspending hostilities in support of United Nations ’ peace efforts and to avoid further spread of the new coronavirus in Yemen , however , the onslaught continues .
The Coalition has carried out 76 offensives , over 810 airstrikes since April , according to the Yemen Army .
Just last month , a Saudi airstrike killed 31 civilians , 19 of them children , and injured another 18 children in al-Jawf .
“ It was an attack on a civilian-populated area where children were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Following the uptick in attacks on Yemeni ports and other vital facilities , Yemen ’ s health minister held a presser in Sana ’ a , accusing Saudi Arabia of deliberately attempting to spread the COVID-19 pandemic .
Medical authorities in Sana ’ a ’ reported their first case of the novel coronavirus , a Somali national who had underlying liver and kidney problems and was found dead in their Sana ’ a hotel .
The health minister , Taha al-Mutawakkil , said , “ We received a report about a situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ a on Sunday and epidemiological investigation teams went there immediately , where the affected person had died .
As a result of the ongoing blockade , particularly on medical devices , the coronavirus is suspected to have already spread undetected across much of the country , with testing virtually nonexistent .
Moreover , 70 percent of all medical facilities in the country are not functioning and are poorly positioned to treat victims of the respiratory virus , let alone to protect healthcare workers .
According to the UN , most Yemeni healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been paid irregularly , for over two years , it added that equipment and medical supplies are insufficient or obsolete .
The attacks on food and medicine trucks come as Yemen grapples with funding cuts from international aid organizations according to the Aid Chief of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , who said that nutrition programs will also be cut and 80 percent of health services provided through U.N.-funded programs could also stop .
The WHO also said that there are currently 260,000 severely malnourished children and 2 million others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ These children ’ s immune systems will be weakened , making them much more vulnerable to COVID-19 and other diseases , ” said Mark Lowcock , the UN ’ s Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator .
Lowcock has called for nearly $ 60 million to urgently protect the health and safety of women and girls in Yemen , where figures show that every two hours a woman loses her life during labor .
On Monday , the UN warned that a shocking 16 million Yemenis are at risk of contracting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what it has already described as the world ’ s worst humanitarian crisis .
The “ most likely scenario would see COVID-19 strike 55 percent of Yemen ’ s entire population , the global body ’ s aid chief , Lise Grande said .
The United Nations Population Fund ( UNFPA ) said $ 24 million was also needed for the COVID-19 response to protect health workers and help women and girls gain access to reproductive health services .
This pandemic has proven a formidable foe for the health-care systems of advanced , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but to Yemen , which is suffering from five years of the war and an ongoing Saudi blockade , COVID-19 could result in an unprecedented death toll reminiscent of that that the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 wrought upon much of the world .
The UN said in a statement on Wednesday that the dire humanitarian situation for Yemeni women would deteriorate even further as the COVID-19 pandemic enters the war-torn country .
According to the international agency , more than 48,000 Yemeni women could lose their lives from complications of pregnancy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critical funding shortages and the possible shutting down of reproductive health facilities .
According to the United Nations Population Fund ( UNFPA ) , nearly half of all health facilities in Yemen are not functioning or only partially functioning , and “ only 20 percent of health facilities provide maternal and child health services due to staff shortages , lack of supplies , inability to meet operational costs , or damage due to the war.
” The organization also said that “ if such facilities shut down , an estimated 320,000 pregnant women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and over 48,000 women could lose their lives of emergency obstetric complications in Yemen .
The best preventive measure to control the spread of the COVID-19 has so far been the practice of good hygiene , but the Saudi war and blockade have mired much of the country in filth as chemicals used to sanitize the water supply sit idle for a lack of fuel thanks to the blockade .
In fact , the ongoing Saudi blockade has deprived Yemenis of the opportunity to reap the benefit of the sharp decline in crude @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18 tankers , carrying more than 450 thousand tons of gasoline , from reaching electric stations and hospitals , despite carrying international permits , according to a statement by the Yemeni Oil Company .
Meanwhile , trucks carrying canned food and medicine en route to the besieged residents of al-Durayhimi have remained in Musai village for two weeks , unable to proceed thanks to the seemingly endless barrage of coalition rocket and artillery attacks , making it difficult to smuggle even to medical aid into the district .
The heavily populated area of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Red Sea port city of Hodeida .
The civilians there endure an acute shortage of food and medicine with no corridors for aid amid daily rocket and artillery strikes on the district by Saudi forces .
The district has been blockaded by Saudi-led Coalition since June 2018 .

Despite calls by the United Nations Secretary General, the Security Council and the World Health Organization to stop its war on Yemen amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Saudi-led coalition has been intentionally targeting food and drug supplies in the country.
On Wednesday, at least 12 trucks loaded with food and medicine and other basic commodities went up in flames when Saudi warplanes struck them as they awaited passage through a customs checkpoint at the Afar Port in Al-Bayda. Multiple drivers, including foreign nationals, were killed or injured in the attack and others are still missing.
The Afar crossing was recently established in the central province of al-Bayda as a major point of entry for food and medicine in light of the continued siege on the port of Hodeida and Sana’a International Airport. The attack comes amid a number of Saudi-Coalition attacks on food and medicine supplies in Yemen.
On Thursday, at least six civilians, including a child, were killed and others injured when Saudi warships targeted a food storage facility in the al-Jurr area in the Abbs District in the country’s northwestern province of Hajjah.
On April 8, Saudi Arabia claimed it was halting military attacks and suspending hostilities in support of United Nations’ peace efforts and to avoid further spread of the new coronavirus in Yemen, however, the onslaught continues. The Coalition has carried out 76 offensives, over 810 airstrikes since April, according to the Yemen Army. Just last month, a Saudi airstrike killed 31 civilians, 19 of them children, and injured another 18 children in al-Jawf. “It was an attack on a civilian-populated area where children were in the vicinity,” UNICEF reported.
The World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis
Following the uptick in attacks on Yemeni ports and other vital facilities, Yemen’s health minister held a presser in Sana’a, accusing Saudi Arabia of deliberately attempting to spread the COVID-19 pandemic.
Medical authorities in Sana’a’ reported their first case of the novel coronavirus, a Somali national who had underlying liver and kidney problems and was found dead in their Sana’a hotel. The health minister, Taha al-Mutawakkil, said, “We received a report about a situation in a hotel in the capital Sana’a on Sunday and epidemiological investigation teams went there immediately, where the affected person had died.
As a result of the ongoing blockade, particularly on medical devices, the coronavirus is suspected to have already spread undetected across much of the country, with testing virtually nonexistent. Moreover, 70 percent of all medical facilities in the country are not functioning and are poorly positioned to treat victims of the respiratory virus, let alone to protect healthcare workers.
According to the UN, most Yemeni healthcare workers have not been paid, or have been paid irregularly, for over two years, it added that equipment and medical supplies are insufficient or obsolete.
The attacks on food and medicine trucks come as Yemen grapples with funding cuts from international aid organizations according to the Aid Chief of the World Health Organization (WHO), who said that nutrition programs will also be cut and 80 percent of health services provided through U.N.-funded programs could also stop.
The WHO also said that there are currently 260,000 severely malnourished children and 2 million others that will be affected by moderate malnutrition. “These children’s immune systems will be weakened, making them much more vulnerable to COVID-19 and other diseases,” said Mark Lowcock, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Lowcock has called for nearly $60 million to urgently protect the health and safety of women and girls in Yemen, where figures show that every two hours a woman loses her life during labor.
On Monday, the UN warned that a shocking 16 million Yemenis are at risk of contracting the coronavirus, dealing a whopping blow to what it has already described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The “most likely scenario would see COVID-19 strike 55 percent of Yemen’s entire population, the global body’s aid chief, Lise Grande said. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said $24 million was also needed for the COVID-19 response to protect health workers and help women and girls gain access to reproductive health services.
This pandemic has proven a formidable foe for the health-care systems of advanced, stable countries like those in Europea, but to Yemen, which is suffering from five years of the war and an ongoing Saudi blockade, COVID-19 could result in an unprecedented death toll reminiscent of that that the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 wrought upon much of the world.
A Death Toll Reminiscent of the Spanish Flu
The UN said in a statement on Wednesday that the dire humanitarian situation for Yemeni women would deteriorate even further as the COVID-19 pandemic enters the war-torn country. According to the international agency, more than 48,000 Yemeni women could lose their lives from complications of pregnancy and childbirth in the impoverished country due to critical funding shortages and the possible shutting down of reproductive health facilities.
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), nearly half of all health facilities in Yemen are not functioning or only partially functioning, and “only 20 percent of health facilities provide maternal and child health services due to staff shortages, lack of supplies, inability to meet operational costs, or damage due to the war.”
The organization also said that “if such facilities shut down, an estimated 320,000 pregnant women would lose services from reproductive health centers and over 48,000 women could lose their lives of emergency obstetric complications in Yemen.
The best preventive measure to control the spread of the COVID-19 has so far been the practice of good hygiene, but the Saudi war and blockade have mired much of the country in filth as chemicals used to sanitize the water supply sit idle for a lack of fuel thanks to the blockade. In fact, the ongoing Saudi blockade has deprived Yemenis of the opportunity to reap the benefit of the sharp decline in crude oil prices.
Saudi Arabia has prevented 18 tankers, carrying more than 450 thousand tons of gasoline, from reaching electric stations and hospitals, despite carrying international permits, according to a statement by the Yemeni Oil Company.
Meanwhile, trucks carrying canned food and medicine en route to the besieged residents of al-Durayhimi have remained in Musai village for two weeks, unable to proceed thanks to the seemingly endless barrage of coalition rocket and artillery attacks, making it difficult to smuggle even to medical aid into the district.
The heavily populated area of al-Durayhimi lies nearly 20 kilometers from the Red Sea port city of Hodeida. The civilians there endure an acute shortage of food and medicine with no corridors for aid amid daily rocket and artillery strikes on the district by Saudi forces. The district has been blockaded by Saudi-led Coalition since June 2018.
Republished from MintPressNews.com under Creative Commons


wearechange--2020-05-08--You Need To Know About This Police Robot Dog Before It’s Too Late

OH YEAH , since we are not corporate or government owned help us out here .
YOU CAN ALSO SUPPORT @ @

How would you like to be going for a stroll in the park…
And then out of nowhere a Terminator style robot that’s remote controlled by a cop and has a camera mounted on it…
Starts barking social distancing orders at you.
In the video above, you can see footage of this in Singapore.
This is really concerning, especially since many US police departments have bought this “robot dog.”
And the US military is investing heavily in robots.
So much so that we have a report there will be more robots than humans in the US military by 2025.
In today’s video, I cover other surveillance state developments that Google and YouTube do not want you to hear about.
As well as other craziness like police running a sting operation on a woman who was giving manicures at home.
Plus we have fresh Russiagate hoax news… coming from the Michael Flynn case.
I go over how Michael Flynn was innocent from the get go.
And how what he got caught up in was really Israeli collusion, not Russian collusion.
Watch the video for the full breakdown.
PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY
The pandemic is being used as an excuse to roll out a Chinese style Orwellian surveillance state worldwide.
And Big Tech companies are right in the middle of it.
Fortunately, there are lots of amazing innovators in the world. And luckily we have a great alternative to Google’s Chrome browser.
Brave is a web browser focused on privacy that, when you download and use, allows you to earn cryptocurrencies. A small portion of the cryptocurrency you earn goes to us to help fund this independent media operation.
This allows you to support us without even spending a dime.
By the way, lots of people are telling me they’re using Brave and it is a much better browser than Chrome and Firefox.
So if you haven’t downloaded Brave, what are you waiting for?!


wearechange--2020-05-08--“Keep Them in a Bubble”: Army Unit Deploys To War Zone During COVID “New Normal”

On Monday Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that for the Pentagon and armed services a “ new normal ” should be expected for “ an extended period of time ” .
This after the Pentagon has now for many weeks been down to what ’ s essentially a skeleton crew of reduced personnel working on site .
“ The long-term view is : What do we do over the next 6 , 12 , 18 months ?
” Esper said in a virtual conference for a D.C. think tank event .
“ There will be a new normal that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an extended period of time at least until we have a vaccine that we ’ re confident in.
” Meanwhile this “ new normal ” is already greatly impacting regular ranks throughout the United States Army and other branches .
A new Wall Street Journal article explores how mission protocols have shifted dramatically , in a way “ where warfighting and coronavirus collide.
” The Army has reportedly now been able to reorient itself away from a domestic emergency response ( of doing things like set up emergency make-shift hospitals ) to deploying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Approximately 900 troops from the Fourth Security Force Assistance Brigade , which is based in Fort Carson , Colo. , are scheduled to go to Afghanistan in the fall and will be the first large group to undergo Army training for overseas deployment since the onset of the pandemic , ” WSJ reports .
“ In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak , military resources were largely devoted to building makeshift medical facilities and providing supplies to hard-hit areas in the U.S .
But as demand for military medical help has receded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security operations.
” But even deployed to Afghanistan and other places , the “ new normal ” will be immediately felt , given that to remain effective , soldiers have to first attempt to stay health , and prevent themselves from getting infected .
“ The idea is to keep them in a bubble , ” Gen. James McConville , chief of staff of the Army , said .
He underscored that , “ We ’ re looking at the long game .
We ’ re not waiting for Covid-19 to go away.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US and the world , the Army has been in short supply of both coronavirus tests and personal protective equipment .
It ’ s already taken drastic steps which many generals fear could damage US defense readiness , such as temporary pauses to sending new recruits to boot camp .
And with nearly 5,000 COVID-19 cases across the military , including two deaths , also with an entire aircraft carrier crew , the USS Theodore Roosevelt , knocked out of commission by the virus , deployed personnel will have to face the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing ’ while carrying on already challenging foreign missions .
But we have a novel idea that would make all of the above incredibly easy : How about just ending all regime change ops and ‘ wars of choice ’ , foreign occupations , and trillion dollar ‘ nation-building ’ deployments altogether ?
As we recently underscored : America , we have to end the wars now .

On Monday Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that for the Pentagon and armed services a “new normal” should be expected for “an extended period of time”. This after the Pentagon has now for many weeks been down to what’s essentially a skeleton crew of reduced personnel working on site.
“The long-term view is: What do we do over the next 6, 12, 18 months?” Esper said in a virtual conference for a D.C. think tank event . “There will be a new normal that we will have to adapt to for an extended period of time at least until we have a vaccine that we’re confident in.”
Meanwhile this “new normal” is already greatly impacting regular ranks throughout the United States Army and other branches. A new Wall Street Journal article explores how mission protocols have shifted dramatically, in a way “where warfighting and coronavirus collide.”
The Army has reportedly now been able to reorient itself away from a domestic emergency response (of doing things like set up emergency make-shift hospitals) to deploying on foreign missions once again.
“Approximately 900 troops from the Fourth Security Force Assistance Brigade, which is based in Fort Carson, Colo., are scheduled to go to Afghanistan in the fall and will be the first large group to undergo Army training for overseas deployment since the onset of the pandemic,” WSJ reports.
“In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, military resources were largely devoted to building makeshift medical facilities and providing supplies to hard-hit areas in the U.S. But as demand for military medical help has receded, the military has shifted back to security operations.”
But even deployed to Afghanistan and other places, the “new normal” will be immediately felt, given that to remain effective, soldiers have to first attempt to stay health, and prevent themselves from getting infected.
The WSJ continues:
A barracks that normally bunks 44 soldiers instead will hold only 12, in cots spaced 6 feet apart. When waiting in line at an assembly building, troops must stand in prespaced squares, painted red. Masks, gloves and eye protection will be required. So will temperature checks, quarantines and social distancing.
“The idea is to keep them in a bubble,” Gen. James McConville, chief of staff of the Army, said. He underscored that, “We’re looking at the long game. We’re not waiting for Covid-19 to go away.”
Like much of the rest of the US and the world, the Army has been in short supply of both coronavirus tests and personal protective equipment. It’s already taken drastic steps which many generals fear could damage US defense readiness, such as temporary pauses to sending new recruits to boot camp.
And with nearly 5,000 COVID-19 cases across the military, including two deaths, also with an entire aircraft carrier crew, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, knocked out of commission by the virus, deployed personnel will have to face the difficult task of some level of ‘social distancing’ while carrying on already challenging foreign missions.
But we have a novel idea that would make all of the above incredibly easy: How about just ending all regime change ops and ‘wars of choice’, foreign occupations, and trillion dollar ‘nation-building’ deployments altogether? As we recently underscored: America, we have to end the wars now.
Republished from ZeroHedge.com with permission


wearechange--2020-05-08--Coronavirus Found in Semen of Young COVID-19 Patients

We don ’ t know much about SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 , but we are learning new things about it every day .
The latest bit of the jigsaw puzzle comes from a small study conducted in China , which found SARS-CoV-2 RNA ( the virus ’ s genetic code ) in the semen of young COVID-19 patients .
The study , published in JAMA Network Open , involved 38 patients undergoing treatment for severe COVID-19 disease at Shangqiu Municipal Hospital in Henan province .
Fifteen of the patients provided a semen sample during the acute phase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recovering .
In four of the 15 patients with acute disease and in two of the 23 recovering patients , SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in the semen samples .
These new findings differ from the results of an earlier study involving 12 COVID-19 patients and a case report .
However , the earlier investigations focused on patients with mild disease after they had recovered , whereas the current study focused on hospitalised patients with severe disease , and all samples in this latest study were taken during disease or very shortly after recovery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ semen samples that were found to have viral RNA in recovering patients were taken at day two and day three after recovery .
So the differences between the earlier studies and the current one are probably the result of differences in disease severity and the time of sampling .
The testes , along with the eyes , placenta , foetus and central nervous system , are considered to be “ immunoprivileged sites ” , which means they are protected from severe inflammation associated with an immune response .
This is probably an evolutionary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these are niches where viruses may be protected from the host immune response .
Immunoprivileged sites gained attention as places where viruses can persist after disease recovery during the 2013-16 West African Ebola virus outbreak .
Ebola virus remained detectable in the semen of some survivors for more than three years and Ebola virus transmission through sexual intercourse can occur months after the patient has recovered .
We don ’ t know what the implications of the latest findings are yet .
The presence of viral RNA in the patients ’ semen does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus .
So it will be critical to show whether infectious virus can also be isolated from the semen of SARS-CoV-2 patients and survivors .
If this is possible , the next question will be whether – as the current data suggests – SARS-CoV-2 is predominantly found in the semen of patients with severe disease or whether significant virus levels can also be detected in the semen of patients with mild disease – or , indeed , in the semen of asymptomatic people .
Even if these things are shown , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spreading during acute infection .
Given the high contagiousness of SARS-CoV-2 by non-sexual routes , it is difficult to imagine how this could be substantially increased by sexual transmission .
The only scenario where sexual transmission of SARS-CoV-2 might be a problem would be if the virus persisted in the testicles for extended periods , and if COVID-19 survivors could sexually transmit the virus after their recovery .
We need more studies to investigate whether this is possible .
In the meantime , it would still be sensible for those recovering from COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is done to clarify how long infectious virus stays in semen .

We don’t know much about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, but we are learning new things about it every day. The latest bit of the jigsaw puzzle comes from a small study conducted in China, which found SARS-CoV-2 RNA (the virus’s genetic code) in the semen of young COVID-19 patients.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, involved 38 patients undergoing treatment for severe COVID-19 disease at Shangqiu Municipal Hospital in Henan province. Fifteen of the patients provided a semen sample during the acute phase of their illness and 23 shortly after recovering. In four of the 15 patients with acute disease and in two of the 23 recovering patients, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in the semen samples.
These new findings differ from the results of an earlier study involving 12 COVID-19 patients and a case report. However, the earlier investigations focused on patients with mild disease after they had recovered, whereas the current study focused on hospitalised patients with severe disease, and all samples in this latest study were taken during disease or very shortly after recovery. In fact, all of the semen samples that were found to have viral RNA in recovering patients were taken at day two and day three after recovery. So the differences between the earlier studies and the current one are probably the result of differences in disease severity and the time of sampling.
Immunoprivileged
The testes, along with the eyes, placenta, foetus and central nervous system, are considered to be “immunoprivileged sites”, which means they are protected from severe inflammation associated with an immune response. This is probably an evolutionary adaptation that protects vital structures. So these are niches where viruses may be protected from the host immune response.
Immunoprivileged sites gained attention as places where viruses can persist after disease recovery during the 2013-16 West African Ebola virus outbreak. Ebola virus remained detectable in the semen of some survivors for more than three years and Ebola virus transmission through sexual intercourse can occur months after the patient has recovered.
We don’t know what the implications of the latest findings are yet. The presence of viral RNA in the patients’ semen does not necessarily indicate the presence of infectious virus. So it will be critical to show whether infectious virus can also be isolated from the semen of SARS-CoV-2 patients and survivors.
If this is possible, the next question will be whether – as the current data suggests – SARS-CoV-2 is predominantly found in the semen of patients with severe disease or whether significant virus levels can also be detected in the semen of patients with mild disease – or, indeed, in the semen of asymptomatic people.
Even if these things are shown, it’s probably of minor concern for virus spreading during acute infection. Given the high contagiousness of SARS-CoV-2 by non-sexual routes, it is difficult to imagine how this could be substantially increased by sexual transmission. The only scenario where sexual transmission of SARS-CoV-2 might be a problem would be if the virus persisted in the testicles for extended periods, and if COVID-19 survivors could sexually transmit the virus after their recovery.
We need more studies to investigate whether this is possible. In the meantime, it would still be sensible for those recovering from COVID-19 to use a condom until further research is done to clarify how long infectious virus stays in semen.
Republished from TheConversation.com under Creative Commons


wearechange--2020-05-07--The Truth About The Lockdown Police You’re NOT Hearing Elsewhere

And why did the U.S. ban COVID-19 survivors from joining the military?
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