2020-05-08: News Headlines

RT (2020-05-08). Victory Day karaoke: Russian flashmob invites ANYONE to iconic WWII sing-along in 100+ languages. rt.com A one-of-the-kind Russian website has enabled anyone to pay vocal tribute to the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat — by performing a beloved Russian Victory Day song with lyrics available in multiple languages. | Singing became a tradition in the Red Army during World War II, with soldiers using selected folk or patriotic tunes to raise morale. Innumerable video chronicles from May 1945 show Soviet service members dancing or singing along as they celebrated the fall of the Third Reich in Berlin, or boarded the long-awaited trains home. | 75 years later, a Russian group is taking that tradition fo…

RT (2020-05-08). Bonny & Clyde, who? WATCH 10yo carjacker FLEE Russian cops with 4yo toddler as 'accomplice'. rt.com A 10-year-old boy and his younger sister sparked a bizarre GTA-style car chase in the Siberian city of Tomsk after the pair grabbed hold of the family vehicle and went for the ride of their lives, which police won't soon forget.

RT (2020-05-08). Positive sign? On VE Day, Putin and Johnson agree need to improve British-Russian relationship. rt.com Victory Day brought a rare positive moment between Russia and the UK, as | President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed on the need to improve the badly soured relations between the two countries. | In a phone call on Friday, Putin and Johnson expressed a mutual desire for improved relations and for renewed "dialogue and cooperation" between London and Moscow, the Kremlin said. | "Both sides expressed readiness to establish dialogue and cooperation on issues on the agenda of Russian-British relations, as well as in solving pressing international problems," the Kremlin said in a readout. | D…

T.J. Coles (2020-05-08). The Plot to Blame China for COVID-19. counterpunch.org The Trump lot—Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, Mike Pompeo—and their media cheerleaders are as fanatically anti-China as the Biden crew is anti-Russia. Just like George W. Bush's WMD lies in the early-2000s, there is a developing timeline of Trumpian efforts to bend intelligence on COVID to the administration's anti-China policy. TARGET: CHINA In the 1980s, the

RT (2020-05-08). Trump says 'sick man' Comey and 'Sleepy Joe' Biden tried to take him down, warns 'it's all coming out'. rt.com A day after the Justice Department dropped charges against Gen. Michael Flynn, President Trump is accusing Joe Biden and a host of Obama administration officials of trying to sabotage his presidency, saying "it's all coming out." | The Justice Department on Thursday dropped its charges against former national security adviser Gen. Michael Flynn. One of the first Trump officials ensnared in the FBI's 'Russiagate' probe, Flynn's charges were nixed after it emerged that the FBI pushed him to lie in an interview, and kept their investigation open knowing that they had no evidence of wrongdoing. | In a phone interv…

RT (2020-05-08). China should TRIPLE nuclear arsenal to deter 'warmongering' US, editor of state-run Global Times argues. rt.com China should drastically increase its stockpile of nuclear warheads to dissuade the United States from pursuing its strategic ambitions abroad, the editor of the Global Times has urged. | In a piece published by his own paper, Hu Xijin said China is a "peace-loving nation" that has pledged to never be the first to use nuclear weapons. He argued, however, that Beijing must aim to expand the number of its nuclear warheads to 1,000 to create a powerful deterrent to "shape the attitudes of US elites toward China." The Asian power currently has around 300 nuclear weapons. | He said that bolstering China's nuclear c…

Ben Norton (2020-05-08). Russian journalists accuse NY Times of stealing stories that earned it Pulitzer Prize — for second time. thegrayzone.com The New York Times has apparently stolen its Pulitzer Prize-winning stories from Russian journalists — the same liberal anti-Putin reporters…

en.mehrnews (2020-05-08). Tehran, Moscow emphasize strengthening bilateral, intl. coop. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 08 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali and Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov in a telephone conversation on Thu. explored the avenues for bolstering regional and international cooperation.

Nadezhda Azhgikhina (2020-05-08). Freedom of Speech Is Under the Gun as the Virus Spreads in Russia. thenation.com Freedom of Speech Is Under the Gun as the Virus Spreads in Russia…

WSWS (2020-05-08). Russian COVID-19 cases rise, as 750,000 join unemployment rolls. wsws.org Layoffs are spreading in Russia, as the country surpasses France and Germany in total coronavirus infections.

Staff (2020-05-07). How Russia Became the Next COVID-19 Hot Spot: Infection Rate Soars with 10,000 New Cases Each Day. democracynow.org We go to Moscow for an update on the pandemic in Russia, where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly, with at least 10,000 new cases a day and the second-highest infection rate in the world, and more than 100 medical workers have died fighting the virus, and many have reported lack of personal protective equipment. Meanwhile, three Russian healthcare workers mysteriously fell from hospital windows over the past two weeks. Two died, and the one who is hospitalized had posted a video online to note the lack of medical equipment and said he had to keep working despite testing positive. We speak with Joshua Yaffa, Mos…

RT (2020-05-07). 'Never saw any direct evidence': Clapper admission torpedoes Democrat push to revive Trump-Russia conspiracy with transcript dump. rt.com House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff has published all the transcripts of 'Russiagate' interviews he had kept secret, blaming President Donald Trump for the delay, but their content belied his conspiracy narrative. | Schiff (D-California) published on Thursday afternoon While it will take time to sift through the thousands of pages, some of the jui…

RT (2020-05-07). 'America needs you!' Comey rallies anti-Trump #Resistance amid meltdown over DOJ dropping Flynn case. rt.com The Justice Department's dropping of charges against former National Security Advisor Gen. Michael Flynn unleashed a torrent of liberal rage. Among those seething at the Trump administration was former FBI chief James Comey. | Flynn was one of the first Trump officials to be targeted by the FBI's 'Russiagate' probe, and pleaded guilty in 2017 of lying to the Bureau about his communications with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. | Also on rt.com | | However, the Dep…

RT (2020-05-07). End of Russiagate? DOJ drops case against Trump adviser Flynn that started 'witch hunt'. rt.com Charges against US President Donald Trump's first national security adviser, General Michael Flynn, have been dropped due to new evidence showing they were baseless. Flynn was the first to be targeted in the 'Russiagate' probe. | BREAKING: ‚&A…

en.mehrnews (2020-05-07). Lavrov expresses Russia's unity with Iran against inhumane US sanctions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 07 (MNA) — In a letter to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced his country's unity with Iran against the cruel and inhumane US anti-Iranian sanctions.

Dr. Jacques R. Pauwels (2020-05-07). May 1945: Nazi Germany Surrenders, but… on May 7, 8, or 9? globalresearch.ca After the Casablanca Conference of January 1943, the Americans, British, and Soviets had agreed that there would be no separate negotiations with Nazi Germany with respect to its capitulation.

Robert C. Koehler (2020-05-07). Can We Achieve Nuclear Adulthood? commondreams.org Why does it take a pandemic to get the world to stop fighting? Are we being led by 3-year-olds? (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/shutterstock_1101398828-1080x675_0.jpeg

Alan MacLeod (2020-05-06). Experts warn of new nuclear arms race after Trump signals U.S. withdrawal from START Treaty. mronline.org While much of the corporate press has blamed Russia and China for the sudden failure of multiple longstanding nuclear treaties, experts put the blame on squarely on the Trump administration.

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-06). The Washington Post's Neocons Are Beating Cold War Drums… Again. strategic-culture.org Melvin GOODMAN | The Washington Post has a reputation as liberal and even left-of-center, although its editorial pages are dominated by neoconservatives who support the idea of American exceptionalism and the extreme operational tempo of America's military. In the past week, we have been treated to a series of oped essays that are supportive of expanded American military power and a political, if not military, confrontation with China. | U.S. national media generally have been lazy in their treatment of our military—pandering to the military itself and resorting to retired general officers, such as Generals…

Staff (2020-05-05). Headlines for May 5, 2020. democracynow.org Dire Forecasts Warn U.S. Death Toll Could Surge in Coming Weeks as States Move to Relax Restrictions, China Rebukes Trump Admin Claim That Coronavirus Was Man-Made, Report Says Brooklyn Jail Destroying Medical Records to Hide Toll of COVID-19, J. Crew Files for Bankruptcy, Betsy DeVos Sued for Garnishing Wages of Student Loan Holders During Pandemic, EU, World Leaders Pledge Billions to Fund Coronavirus Vaccine; U.S. Sits Out, Questions Raised After 3 Doctors in Russia Fall from Hospital Windows, U.K. May Have Second-Highest Coronavirus Death Toll; France Identifies COVID-19 Case from December, Venezuela Detains…

Gareth Porter (2020-04-30). With apparently fabricated nuclear documents, Netanyahu pushed the US towards war with Iran. thegrayzone.com An investigation of supposed Iranian nuclear documents presented in a dramatically staged Netanyahu press conference indicates they were an Israeli…

Jon Rainwater (2020-04-23). A Myriad of Ways to Wage Peace During These Times. peaceaction.org As we shelter in our homes to protect ourselves from this global pandemic, we wanted to share some of the many ways you can remain active and impactful in the work for a more peaceful world. Peace Action has long been a leader in organizing international conferences, marches, and rallies around the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty …

Paul Dobson (2020-03-30). Rosneft Dodges US Sanctions by Transferring Venezuela Operations to Russian State Firm. venezuelanalysis.com Moscow insists that its support for the Venezuelan government and role in its oil industry will remain unchanged.

Jason Ditz (2020-02-20). Turkey Kills Over 50 Syrian Troops, Russian Warplanes Intervene to Halt Offensive. theantimedia.com Russia called the situation a "worst case scenario."

Tasnim News (2020-05-06). Rouhani Communicates To G4+1 Consequences Of Extending Iran Arms Embargo. iranian.com Addressing a cabinet session on Wednesday, Rouhani made it clear that lifting the UN arms embargo against Iran is an indispensable part of the nuclear deal. "If the arms embargo (on Iran) is to return one day, with any title, under any statement and with any mechanism, our response will be what I have mentioned …

Global Research News (2020-05-07). Selected Articles: Fake News About North Korea, Failed Invasion of Venezuela. globalresearch.ca A future without independent media leaves us with an upside down reality where according to the corporate media "NATO deserves a Nobel Peace Prize", and where "nuclear weapons and wars make us safer" | | | If, like us, this is a …

yenisafak (2020-05-08). Red Army Choir performs Ottoman war song amid pandemic. yenisafak.com Russia's Red Army Choir shot a video at home playing notes from the Ottoman military band Mehter in support of Turkey's fight with the novel coronavirus.The video was directed by the choir's art director, Gen. Gennadiy Sachenyuk.The video was shared by the Red Army Choir's social media accounts with a note: "With love and respect to the heroic Turkish nation."The Russian and Turkish flags are hurled at the start of the video with choir members singing and playing their instruments.A montage of the choir's concerts in Turkey plays in the background along with images of Turkey's disinfecting drive at historical and…

sputniknews (2020-05-08). Putin, Merkel Exchange Congratulations on Anniversary of Liberation From Fascism. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have exchanged congratulations, in a phone conversation, on the 75th anniversary of the world's liberation from fascism, the Kremlin said on Friday.

sputniknews (2020-05-08). US Intel, Obama Aides Never Saw Any Direct Proof of Trump-Russia Collusion, Transcripts Reveal. sputniknews.com In late July, former Special Counsel Robert Mueller confirmed in testimony to Congress that his team of investigators had failed to find sufficient evidence of President Trump's collusion with Russia to rig the US 2016 election, basically repeating the conclusions of his report that was released earlier in 2019.

yenisafak (2020-05-08). Putin holds phone talk with Merkel over Victory Day. yenisafak.com Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday talked on the phone over the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.The two leaders stressed that for Russia and Germany this date is of particular importance, and vowed to preserve the historical memory of the tragic events of those years to avoid repetition in the future, the Kremlin said in a statement published on its website.Putin and Merkel called Russia and Germany "partners in resolving many international problems" and confirmed the intention to further build constructive relations.Turning to the coronavirus pandemic, both…

Jason Ditz (2020-02-17). DOJ Investigating Former CIA Director's Role in Russiagate. theantimedia.com The Justice Department is investigating the role of John Brennan in the assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

Strategic Culture (2020-02-08). US Deploys 'Mini-Nukes' in Deplorable Threat to World Peace. theantimedia.com These so-called "mini-nukes" represent—despite the diminutive-sounding name—an increased risk of nuclear war.

Tyler Durden (2020-02-08). Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions. theantimedia.com Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.

Middle East Eye (2020-02-07). Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes. theantimedia.com Russia accused Israel of "making a total mockery of the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians."