Thursday, 23 April 2020

Global headlines - 23 April, 2020

News Links, April 23, 2020

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##
11% of global CEOs fear their business won't survive coronavirus: YPO survey
The Death of the Department Store: 'Very Few Are Likely to Survive'
Shuttered flagships. Empty malls. Canceled orders. Risks of bankruptcy. The coronavirus has hit the behemoths of the retail world.
Tensions mount as EU leaders mull huge virus recovery plan
Market Mayhem Meets Liquidity Mismatch: "At Least" 76 Mutual Funds in Europe Were "Gated" in March

## Airline death spiral ##
Delta's 1st quarterly loss in 5+ years; worse is on the way
Delta Air Lines, the biggest and most profitable U.S. airline, is reporting a $534 million loss for the first quarter, a setback that will appear trivial when the full force of the pandemic is revealed in the current quarter
Any kind of social distancing will be an economic blow to an industry which depends on packing people tightly into airports and aircraft to make money. -- RF
15 deaths in the airline industry in 9 days linked to coronavirus. Why are planes still flying?

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
U.S. orders Chevron to 'wind down' Venezuela operations by December 1
One reason for this threat was very likely to raise oil prices. -- RF
Aligning America's ends and means in the Indo-Pacific
The U.S. combatant command responsible for the Indo-Pacific region warned in a report last month that it lacks the resources and capabilities necessary to implement the National Defense Strategy.
And it's only going to become more so as economies around the world continue to deteriorate, thereby forcing the big players to pull back, and become more localized and less globalized. Because the US military is the most globalized, it stands to lose the most. -- RF

## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
Coronavirus and Rightwing Rebellion: Retreading a Tired Narrative


It's unfortunate that we've created a system which requires that it be either humans or everything else. -- RF
• Coronavirus

## Intelligence/security/internet/cyberwar ##
How the National Security State Is Using Coronavirus to Push AI-Driven Mass Surveillance
Last year a government commission called for the US to adopt an AI-driven mass surveillance system far beyond that used in any other country. Now, many of the "obstacles" cited as preventing its implementation are being removed under the guise of combating coronavirus.
The good news is that all this depends on the internet and lots of electricity, both of which are endangered species. -- RF
## Propaganda/censorship/fake news/alternative facts ##
Yellow peril! How a Trump media dump mainstreamed Chinese lab coronavirus conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory about Covid-19 escaping from the Wuhan Institute of Virology is the Trump administration's Iraqi WMD. And the Washington Post's Josh Rogin is playing the role of Judith Miller.
Yellow peril! COVID-19: New York Times Revives its Role in Chinagate
The paper of record is again laundering without skepticism U.S. intelligence meant to ratchet up tensions with China, just as it did with Russia.
Yellow peril! Media Fail to Identify Xenophobia as Biden Says Trump 'Rolled Over for Chinese'

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
Michael Moore's 'Planet of the Humans' asks: What if green energy cannot save the planet?
It can't, which is — as long-time readers know — what I've been saying for ages. The industrial lifestyle is toast. -- RF
Coronavirus: Social restrictions 'to remain for rest of year'

## US ##
As the US Grapples with Coronavirus, Congress Leaps into Action… On a New Military Draft
What is the dumbest thing Congress could do at this moment? How about pushing a bill to force young women to register for a military draft. Meet HR 6415.
• Coronavirus
C.D.C. Labs Were Contaminated, Delaying Coronavirus Testing, Officials Say
Sloppy laboratory practices at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention caused contamination that rendered the nation's first coronavirus tests ineffective, federal officials confirmed on Saturday.

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