Tag: USA

US, China absent from international vaccine effort

The competition to acquire precious quantities of a new vaccine for COVID-19 will be fierce, experts say

In laboratories around the world, hundreds of scientists are racing to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus and end the pandemic that has brought global commerce, travel and much of everyday life to a screeching halt.

But while the eyes of private business, civil society and the news media are fixated on which vaccine candidates look the most promising and how soon a cure could be available for widespread use, comparatively less attention is being paid to the toxic chain of events that could unfold internationally once a vaccine is ready and national governments compete over access to it.

If the global race over the past few weeks and months to procure coronavirus-related medical equipment is anything to go by — the one that has seen national, state and local governments, the private sector and multilateral institutions compete with one another to outbid, scoop up and hoard scant quantities of diagnostic tests, personal protective equipment and ventilators — then the competition to acquire precious quantities of a new vaccine will be something the likes of which the world has never seen. Continue reading.

US saw highest number of mass killings on record in 2019, database reveals

The US suffered more mass killings in 2019 than any year on record, according to researchers.

A database compiled by the Associated Press (AP), USA Today and Northeastern University recorded 41 incidents and a total of 211 deaths.

Mass killings are defined as four or more people being killed in the same incident, excluding the perpetrator.

Among the deadliest in 2019 were the killings of 12 people in Virginia Beach in May and 22 in El Paso in August. Continue reading

Trump’s extremely defensive interview about Russia and Putin

The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website July 16, 2018:

In an interview with CBS News, Trump said, “Well, I think we have a lot of foes. I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade.” (Reuters)

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation just indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers for interfering in the 2016 election. It seems to have changed nothing for President Trump.

About the most innocent explanation you can offer for Trump’s muted attitude toward Russia’s and Vladimir Putin’s 2016 actions is that he doesn’t like to talk about it— that he feels the whole thing undermines his legitimacy as president. And a new interview with CBS News shows better than just about anything how defensive he is about the whole thing.

CBS released four questions and answers Sunday from Trump’s interview with anchor Jeff Glor. The big news is that he suggested the European Union is a “foe” and that he says he doesn’t expect much from his meeting Monday with Putin.

View the complete post on the Washington Post website here.

The Case for Pessimism in the Age of Trump

The following article by Steve Chapman was posted on the Creators website December 28, 2017:

Credit: http://www.vectortemplates.com/

If there is any single trait that defines Americans, it is optimism. We read our history as a journey upward, from the arrival of the first European settlers to the present. We operate with a collective sense that progress may sometimes be slow and arduous — but will be achieved.

That intuition endows us with confidence in our destiny. But what if it’s wrong? What if all along, we have not been ascending a peak but been striding toward the abyss? What if our national story is one that ultimately ends in tragic, irreversible failure? Continue reading “The Case for Pessimism in the Age of Trump”

Just How Many Neo-Nazis Are There in the U.S., Anyway?

The following article by Julia Flasphaler was posted on the AlterNet website August 16, 2017:

Credit: Youtube screencap / Vice News

Neo-Nazis suddenly seem highly visible following this weekend’s Unite the Right riot in Charlottesville that left counter-protester Heather Heyer dead. The protest was largely void of Klan hoods, suggesting that neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan are feeling more emboldened. With the renewed visibility of these groups, many may be wondering: How many people do hate groups count as members, and where are these groups located?

Data from the Southern Poverty Law Center suggests the number of hate groups is currently near the country’s all-time recorded high, in 2011. The SPLC reports that as of 2016, there are 917 active groups. (That’s 100 fewer than the 1,108 groups reported in 2011.) The SPLC’s hate map identifies groups by tracking their publications and websites. Of those 917, more than 90 are neo-Nazi groups. California has the highest number with 79, followed by Florida with 63 and Texas with 55. Continue reading “Just How Many Neo-Nazis Are There in the U.S., Anyway?”