IMPORTANT READS

COVID POLITICS--President Donald Trump's brand of "America First" isolationism was on full display Monday as the U.S. declined to participate in an international pledge drive which raised more than $8 billion during its kick-event to create a global fund to develop and deploy diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

PANDEMIC POLITICS-A new analysis of financial disclosure documents found that Republican and Democratic members of Congress made nearly 1,500 stock transactions worth up to $158 million between February and April as the coronavirus spread across the U.S., heightening suspicions that elected officials in charge of the federal response to the pandemic have opportunistically cashed in on it. 

SS WATCH--President Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed opposition to providing additional direct relief payments on top of the $1,200 checks that are slowly trickling out to eligible U.S. households, saying he would instead prefer to slash the tax that funds Social Security and Medicare. 

OTHER WORDS-I don’t know how you’re spending your quarantine, but I’ve spent the past few weeks wondering how to legally obtain marijuana.

PERSPECTIVE--You know you are in a dark place when you must cite Adolf Hitler to support your side of the argument.

WORLD WATCH-The formation of an Israeli coalition government led by Netanyahu and Gantz, the leaders of Likud and Kahol Lavan respectively, will finally put an end to Israel’s nearly 18-month-long political paralysis and, for now, personal rivalry following three elections.

GUEST WORDS--“Be assured of one thing: whichever candidate you choose at the polls in November, you aren’t just electing a president of the United States; you are also electing an assassin-in-chief.”

VOICES-The long U.S. tradition of providing equal time to the opposition party after a president’s yearly State of the Union (SOTU) address must now apply to Trump’s daily COVID-19 “briefings.” 

ELECTION POLITICS---First, it was a public health crisis. Now, it’s decimating the economy. And for its next trick, the coronavirus is threatening to undermine the 2020 election. 

THE NEW NORMAL-The traditional handshake, once part of our daily interactions, is now defunct.

GUEST WORDS--In late December of last year, the Chinese announced an epidemic in Wuhan.

VIEW FROM HERE-Social distancing may feel like a new and abnormal concept for most Americans but not for those familiar with the research and writings of Edward T. Hall (1914 – 2009).

THE RIGHT TO KILL--Our government just told polluters they are free to pump deadly chemicals into our air and water.

VOICES-Presently we face a true crisis – a crisis in the fullest sense of the word.

GUEST WORDS--There is no dearth of examples suggesting that President Donald Trump lives in an alternate reality.

TOM DISPATCH--As the coronavirus sweeps across the planet, leaving death and mayhem in its wake, many theories are being expounded to explain its ferocity.

ONE MAN’S OPINION-Protocols are established procedures to do some task. Some are obvious such as putting the toothpaste on the toothbrush before brushing your teeth.

SPORTS POLITICS--The coronavirus has disrupted practically every part of our lives, including the complete shutdown of every major sports league.

VIEW FROM HERE-It always gets on my nerves when religious people turn natural events such as earthquakes, floods, and infectious diseases into divine acts of mercy and judgement.

VIEW FROM HERE--There’s a short-circuit in the political convictions of some progressive-minded voters these days.

VOICES-In the midst of this terrible pandemic, three absolutely essential items must be made immediately available to all Americans: masks, testing and ventilators.