French military surrenders to coronavirus Duffelblog

Hilarious obituary for ‘Uncle Bunky’ goes viral: ‘I’m ready for the dirt nap’ NY Post. Reminds me of some skibums I know…Many of my skibum cronies are based in Whistler, British Columbia (Canada), so they (largely) eschew firearms in their antics

#COVID-19

What Kind of Country Do We Want? New York Review of Books

The Big Failure of Small Government Project Syndicate

Laurence Tribe roasted for advocating herd immunity on coronavirus: ‘You go first’ The Hill

Nearly half of Twitter accounts pushing to reopen America may be bots MIT Technology Review

As America Reopens, Trial Lawyers Salivate at Endless Coronavirus Lawsuit Possibilities Breitbart. Posting this from a dodgy conservative source, to make readers aware of another conservative meme, like people protesting for opening the economy.

Trump skips a mask in public during tour of Michigan auto plant that requires them WaPo

Donald Trump says that ‘I tested positively toward negative…meaning I tested negative’ for coronavirus after taking hydroxychloroquine despite FDA warning of its dangers Daily Mail

Reopening reality check: Georgia’s jobs aren’t flooding back Politico

Reopening Dental Offices For Routine Care Amid Pandemic Touches A Nerve Kaiser Health News

What Lockdown? World’s Cocaine Traffickers Sniff at Movement Restrictions OCCRP. Fascinating.

States Don’t Agree on How to Determine When It Is Safe to Reopen WSJ

Trump says U.S. won’t shut down again if there’s second wave of coronavirus MarketWatch Yes, but would you bet on anything Trump says? I pity anyone who is currently tradin.g

Great piece by @alex_sammon on the Small Business Administration. https://t.co/aY682uSu19

— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) May 21, 2020

Testing/Medicine

Epidemiology, clinical course, and outcomes of critically ill adults with COVID-19 in New York City: a prospective cohort study Lancet

Scientists Warn CDC Testing Data Could Create Misleading Picture Of Pandemic NPR (David L)

Class Warfare

Mortgage delinquencies surge by 1.6M in April, the biggest monthly jump ever USA Today

Seventh Circuit Hears Arguments in Obama Library Land Grab Suit Courthouse News

Report: Texas-size rivalry for Tesla’s Cybertruck factory heats up Fast Company

Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort Got to Leave Federal Prison Due to COVID-19. They’re The Exception. Marshall Project.

‘Grotesque Nature of Unequal Sacrifice’: Since Pandemic Hit, Wealthiest Americans Now $434 Billion Richer Common Dreams

Calling health care workers ‘heroes’ harms all of us Stat

Health Care

Battle Covid-19, Not Medicare for All: Doctors Demand Hospital Industry Stop Funding Dark Money Lobby Group Common Dreams

Food Security

Pandemics aren’t limited to people: How the world’s most famous seed vault defends plants against their next big outbreak The Counter

Are Washington’s Farmworkers COVID-19 Guinea Pigs? Capital & Main

Argentina

Another Debt Crisis Is Looming for Argentina Jacobin

China?

US Senate’s bill to fence off Wall Street from Chinese companies may turn into a helping hand to Hong Kong stock exchange SCMP

The Fable of the Chinese Whistleblower Project Syndicate

Two Sessions 2020: Beijing ‘out of patience’ after long wait for Hong Kong national security law, plans to proscribe secession, foreign interference and terrorism in city SCMP

Hong Kong stocks dive on China’s plans for security law FT

Asia

Asian century began in May 2020 Asia Times

India

Amphan: Kolkata devastated as cyclone kills scores in India and Bangladesh BBC

Cyclone Amphan: Kolkata airportflooded, all flight operations suspended Live Mint

A day after Amphan, Kolkata residents take stock of the damage left by worst storm in living memory Scroll

In the Time of Crisis, India’s Politicians Need to Shun Partisan Bickering The Wire

Syraqistan

Shaking the House of Saud to the core Qantara

Jamal Khashoggi’s son Salah says family ‘forgives’ killers Al Jazeera

United Kingdom

Government incompetence stops people in Britain being able to assess the real risks around them Independent. Patrick Cockburn.

Disraeli or Churchill? History Today

Immunity certificates to free people from lockdown ‘being considered again’ Metro UK

A no-deal Brexit amid the pandemic would be disgraceful FT. Martin Wolf.

Germany

The German Towns on the Front Lines of COVID-19 Der Spiegel

Sweden

Sweden’s former health chief says the country’s coronavirus strategy ‘hasn’t been the smartest’ and it should’ve spent at least a month locked down Business Insider

Varsity Blues

Lori Loughlin and Her Husband to Plead Guilty in College Admissions Scandal New York Magazine

Trump Transition

Exclusive: IG Fired Days After Inquiring About Pompeo’s ‘Donor Dinners’ American Conservative

2020

Fox News poll: Biden opens up 8-point lead over Trump The Hill

Trump in Private: I Wish I Could Run Against Hillary Again Daily Beast

We Should Take Women’s Accusations Seriously. But Tara Reade’s Fall Short. The Nation. Good example of how TDS distorts the ability of Good Democrats – and journalists whom I once respected, such as Katha Politt – to think.  She’s getting ahead of herself in telling us now why she thinks she can still vote for Biden. Many, many disagree – not so strongly that they’ll vote for Trump, but enough that they may stay home. And Politt’s screed won’t change their minds. The solution for Democrats: don’t nominate Biden.

Antidote du Jour (via reader David H):

And a bonus video. I usually feature feathered antidotes only. Yet this bonus video recalls
for me the several winters I spent as a ski bum in Whistler, BC (h/t Jo). So today, I make an exception to my birds rule, as a foolish consistency is indeed the hobgoblin of little minds:

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.