Informing, engaging & connecting the people of the world. MAY 29, 2020

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For many Hong Kongers, the Chinese parliament’s approval of a plan to impose controversial national security laws will cause some hard decisions. Fearing a sweeping erosion of the city’s rule of law will soon start affecting their lives, many people quickly sold stocks, converted savings into U.S. dollars and seriously inquired into emigration.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On May 29, 1848, Wisconsin becomes the 30th state. French explorer Jean Nicolet was the first European to explore the area in 1634. At the conclusion of the French-Indian Wars in 1763, what would become Wisconsin was the center of a lucrative fur trade. After the Revolutionary War, the U.S. ostensibly governed the area, but it wasn’t until after the War of 1812 that the U.S. took control from British fur traders. With the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, settlers began arriving, attracted by the agricultural potential. Today, Wisconsin, home to nearly 6 million people, is known as “America’s Dairyland” and is most famous for its cheese.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday he said was aimed at reining in social media platforms. The president said his action is meant to “protect and uphold the free speech rights of the American people.” However, some analysts doubt it will survive legal scrutiny.

VIDEO: For most people, bringing a child to work at a hospital would seem a poor choice during the COVID-19 pandemic. But many expectant mothers in the medical field have little choice if they are to keep working. VOA brings us the story of a pregnant doctor in California who is caring for patients with COVID-19 and her unborn baby.

VIDEO: Lockdowns during the COVID pandemic have led to renewed interest in hobbies, as people look for pastimes in their time of isolation. As VOA reports, there’s a resurgence in amateur or “ham” radio, a hobby that connects people from all walks of life, wherever they are in the world .

VIDEO: In northern Hungary, one of the European Union’s poorest regions, many Roma who live with hardship in the best of times are facing hunger as the coronavirus brings the economy to a halt. VOA reports from the town of Ózd, northeast of Budapest.