PBC News & Comment: Trump Exploits Pandemic for International Mischief

With China, Israel and Venezuela, Trump administration policies promote confrontations that could become destabilizing and spiral out of control…
PBC note: the WordPress robots decided to post big photos and headlines of some linked stories today, not sure why.  And yes, I got hacked on Facebook, so ignore those Messenger posts with the dirty video.
--are Trump and Pompeo blaming China, and seeking money damages only for domestic political consumption?
--in article with no dateline, NY Times frames accurate reports of suppression in China in manner that promotes anti-China sentiments
--dense report in scientific frame by anonymous researchers explores the source of Covid-19, leans toward blaming China https://project-evidence.github.io
--at MintPress, Alan Macleod says US fears that China will win race for Covid vaccine, and give it away free, as US stays out of Euro vaccine funding

US Government Fears China will Give Away COVID-19 Vaccine for Free

--as Israel’s “unity” government plots to annex 30% of West Bank, Marjorie Cohn argues that fog of Covid is used to enable war crimes
--the comical attempted “incursion” into Venezuela by US-based mercenaries
shows US continues to plot regime change

New Details Emerge Linking US to Latest Coup Attempt in Venezuela

--Berkeley listener Negeene Mosaed is trying to save her physical therapy business, and got a loan from Cares Act that she fears she can’t use
--Amazon VP quits, risks losing $1 million for criticizing company’s firing of warehouse workers who protested
--as Buzzfeed profiles worker who got sick with Covid but didn’t get paid for a month, after media coverage
--like Bill Barr, hyper-partisan DNI nominee John Ratcliffe puts on angelic act for Senate confirmation
--our daily Covid-19 update, prepared by Linda Lewis
--new projections show doubling of daily death rate during June, and doubling of current total deaths by August
--White House says all of its Covid officials are too busy to testify to Congress, as it says it is “winding down” virus task force
--Crown Prince Jared’s parallel team is inept and confused, whistleblower reports
--Texas Gov. Abbott acknowledges that re-opening will increase deaths from virus
--Gov. Cuomo projects compassion and concern about re-opening
--at The Guardian, Francine Prose depicts Trump as “heartless”, drawing defense from big-hearted Rush Limbaugh
--both The Intercept and Buzzfeed ridicule schemes to use smartphones for contact tracing with Bluetooth
compare this WashPost expose of fake news of Kim Jong-un’s death with yesterday’s much more revealing report from Grayzone

Anatomy of a fake news campaign: Media spreads lie from US govt-funded Korean outlet that Kim Jong-un died

--in mixed opinion column, NY Times writer Michelle Goldberg concludes that MeToo movement will suffer
--Sanders backers form new “Once Again” PAC to promote progressive agenda,
as Colorado Dems retreat on their public option proposal
--FAIR did a good analysis of corporate media’s ugly role in sinking Sanders