Coronavirus Hits All US States, While Testing is Poor and Ego Prevents Cooperation

The COVID-19 coronavirus has spread to all 50 US states and
Washington, DC, and the death toll in the country has surpassed 100.
MintPress News reported Monday: "While the United States government is
complicating efforts to treat coronavirus across the world and is
using the pandemic to increase pressure on countries already
struggling under U.S. sanctions, including Iran, Syria, and Venezuela,
the small island of Cuba, itself a target of Washington’s ire, is
leading the fight against the spread of COVID-19." What's going on?

"Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will spend coming days talking to
supporters to 'assess his campaign,' his campaign manager said
Wednesday following decisive victories Tuesday by former vice
president Joe Biden in Florida, Illinois and Arizona that gave him
firm control of the Democratic nominating contest," the Washington
Post reported Tuesday. What are we to make of this?

The US Senate voted on Wednesday in favor of a coronavirus relief bill
previously approved by the House of Representatives, sending it to US
President Donald Trump's desk. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
(R-KY) expressed earlier in the day that he would vote for the plan,
even with its "real shortcomings," reported CNBC. The bill guarantees
free testing for the novel coronavirus, provides additional funding
for government nutrition assistance programs, expands unemployment
insurance and grants businesses with 500 employees or fewer the
ability to offer two weeks paid sick leave to workers.

GUESTS:

Alan MacLeod — Academic and journalist. He is a staff writer at
MintPress News and a contributor to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
(FAIR), as well as the author of "Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty
Years of Fake News and Misreporting."

David Schultz — Professor of political science at Hamline University.

Dr. Linwood Tauheed — Associate professor of economics at the
University of Missouri-Kansas City.