Informing, engaging & connecting the people of the world. MAY 4, 2020

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Producers of in-demand goods typically see incomes rise. But U.S. hog farmers are struggling to survive. As VOA reports, the COVID-19 pandemic has hobbled meat processing, causing pain for consumers and producers alike, and prompting President Donald Trump to order federal intervention in the industry.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard open fire on unarmed protestors at Kent State University who were opposed to the U.S. bombing in Cambodia as part of the war in Vietnam. Four students were killed and 9 others were wounded. The tragedy helped fuel growing opposition and frustration with military action in Southeast Asia.

A watchdog group is calling on democratic nations to prevent the election of Russia, Cuba and Saudi Arabia to the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council, saying their abysmal human rights records disqualify them from membership.

Kemi Lawani tries to keep up her spirits in the face of financial adversity, especially in front of her two young children. But sometimes she can’t help but think the deck has been stacked against her amid the coronavirus pandemic shutdown in the northern U.S. state of Minnesota.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday there is “enormous evidence” that the coronavirus pandemic originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China, not a nearby market. He declined to say whether the U.S. believes the virus was intentionally released.

The United States Supreme Court will make history Monday. Not with an epoch-making ruling, but with its embrace of heretofore shunned technology.