Informing, engaging & connecting the people of the world. MAY 1, 2020

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U.S. President Donald Trump says he has a “high degree of confidence” the coronavirus pandemic originated in a Chinese laboratory, going beyond a rare, public assessment issued hours earlier by the top intelligence agency.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On May 1, 1941 the landmark movie, Citizen Kane , is released. The movie, starring Orson Welles, who also co-wrote and produced it, chronicles the life of Charles Foster Kane, a character loosely based on newspaper magnates Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. It was Welles’ first movie. While not a box office success, the movie was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning for Best Writing (Original Screenplay). The movie was quickly forgotten, but interest in it was reignited in the mid-1950s, and it is now considered one of the greatest movies ever made.

The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has been acutely felt by hospitality workers in New Orleans. Luke Vincent, a 32-year-old restaurant manager and bartender, says he hasn’t gotten a paycheck in over a month.

VIDEO: For years, Missouri sports photographer Jason Schoenig has captured the spirit of student-athletes. His pictures gained popularity among young people and parents alike. But COVID-19 changed everything. Spring sports programs were all cancelled, hurting Schoenig’s ability to provide for his family. But it’s what he did to stay afloat that caught our attention.

VIDEO: This week marked the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, which has given us unprecedented looks into deep space. VOA spoke with NASA’s director of astrophysics and brings us this story.

VIDEO: The United States and other countries hard hit by coronavirus are looking for ways to re-open their economies and get people back to work. Plugged In with Greta Van Susteren examines the challenges ahead to achieve a new normal way of life.