Coronavirus: California voters asked to vote by mail in fall – Los Angeles Times

Gov. Newsom ordered ballots to be mailed to the state’s 20.6 million voters for the November election while imposing new rules for in-person voting.
— Read on www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-08/all-california-voters-will-be-asked-to-vote-by-mail-in-november-2020-coronavirus

China Is Happy to Fill the Leadership Vacuum Left by the U.S. – DER SPIEGEL

In the global jostling amid the coronavirus crisis, Beijing is extending its influence while U.S. President Donald Trump continues to squander America’s leadership role. The pandemic could mark the beginning of a new Chinese era.
— Read on www.spiegel.de/international/world/china-is-happy-to-fill-the-leadership-vacuum-left-by-the-u-s-a-9b9ba65c-4148-4283-a1ca-fdb1a4a1fc4d

Revealed: major anti-lockdown group’s links to America’s far right

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American Revolution 2.0, which presents itself as bipartisan, has been assisted by far-right individuals – some with extremist links

Leaked audio recordings and online materials obtained by the Guardian reveal that one of the most prominent anti-lockdown protest groups, American Revolution 2.0 (AR2), has received extensive assistance from well-established far-right actors, some with extremist connections.

Related: Armed protesters demonstrate against Covid-19 lockdown at Michigan capitol

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F.D.A. Clears First Home Saliva Test for Coronavirus – The New York Times – Rutgers to cash in on CoVid-19. Will Medicare and Medicaid pay?  $2,000,000 a day not profiteering?

They will cost about $100 each, Rutgers said, and must be ordered by a physician. “A patient can open the kit, spit into the tube, put the cap back on and ship it back to our lab,” said Dr. Andrew Brooks, chief operating officer and director of technology development at RUCDR. Dr. Brooks said the tests should be used only by people who have Covid-19 symptoms. His lab can process 20,000 tests each day, with a 48-hour turnaround, but he expects other labs to adopt it for their own use.

Coronavirus protests show U.S. racial and political tension – Los Angeles Times

The crowds protesting California’s stay-at-home orders aimed at stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus have a litany of grievances: Open the beaches. Free the churches. End the tyranny of a governor who has gone too far. They hop barricades to surf. They cite the Constitution. They wave American flags. They sport Trump 2020 gear. They rail against vaccines. In other states, including Michigan, protesters have shown up at government buildings carrying rifles. Despite their varied causes, the protesters have been almost entirely white — even in California, a state that mostly is not.

Source: Coronavirus protests show U.S. racial and political tension – Los Angeles Times

UK scientists furious over attempt to censor Covid-19 advice

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Exclusive: report criticising government lockdown proposals heavily redacted before release

Government scientific advisers are furious at what they see as an attempt to censor their advice on government proposals during the Covid-19 lockdown by heavily redacting an official report before it was released to the public, the Guardian can reveal.

The report was one of a series of documents published by the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) this week to mollify growing criticism about the lack of transparency over the advice given to ministers responding to the coronavirus.

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Ohio urges employers to report workers fearful of returning to work | World news | The Guardian AKA: It does not make any difference if the reopen order is a potential death sentence – work or lose benefits. Government failing the people it is supposed to protect.

“We are concerned about unemployment serving as a disincentive for individuals who have been laid off to get back to work when the economy reopens,” said a spokesperson for US senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio.

Source: Ohio urges employers to report workers fearful of returning to work | World news | The Guardian

For Trump, l’etat, c’est moi. Attorney General Barr does whatever he wants | Lloyd Green

Traitors know no bounds

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The Justice department has announced it will drop its case against Michael Flynn, who pled guilty to lying to the FBI – we know why

Welcome to law and order in the age of William Barr. Against the tableau of a raging pandemic and job market in free-fall, on Thursday the justice department announced that it would be dropping its case against Michael Flynn, the president’s short-tenured national security advisor.

The fact that Flynn had pled guilty and Donald Trump had previously accused him of lying to the vice president no longer mattered. These days, Trump was claiming that Flynn had been exonerated and, after all, Barr was the president’s obedient servant. His tweets were Barr’s commands.

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