Dose Of News Useful Today

Thursday, June 4th

United We Stand

Good morning. In the past, we’ve partnered with Project Divided, a nonprofit dedicated to enabling political conversations between problem solvers of differing beliefs to facilitate understanding and change. If you’d like to get involved in criminal justice and police reform initiatives, they’ve identified Campaign Zero as an organization worth checking out.

Daily Sprinkle

"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."

- Steve Jobs

DOJ Alleges Fowl Play

The DOJ indicted four poultry industry executives on charges of price-fixing on Wednesday, including the CEO and a former vice president of the second-largest chicken producer in the country, Pilgrim’s Pride.

A deeper dive…
The four executives - two of whom work for Claxton Poultry Farms - are accused of communicating together to fix prices from 2012 to 2017.

Claxton & Pilgrim’s Pride supply chicken products to a range of grocery stores and fast-food restaurants including Kroger, Walmart, and Chick-fil-A.
There have been nearly 40 lawsuits filed by groceries, restaurants, and other buyers alleging price-fixing by poultry companies since late 2016. The five largest companies in the chicken industry reportedly control 61% of U.S. production.
A number of poultry giants have also been implicated in a separate ongoing DOJ probe into price-fixing in the meatpacking industry (including JBS - the owner of Pilgrim’s Pride).

What’s Next?
In ongoing judicial proceedings, Pilgrim’s Pride and Claxton have denied these allegations, countering that the rise in poultry prices could be attributed to increased demand. If found guilty, the implicated executives could each face up to ten years in prison and a $1 million fine.

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Coronavirus Updates

Global cases rose above 6.55 million yesterday, with more than 386,200 deaths. The number of confirmed U.S. cases rose past 1.90 million, with 109,102 confirmed deaths.

Florida saw its largest daily increase in new COVID-19 cases (1,317) since mid-April on Wednesday. See how many cases your state has reported here.
The Department of Transportation said it will block the flights of four Chinese airlines to and from the U.S. beginning June 16. The move is in direct response to Beijing’s failure to let Delta and United resume flights to China this week.
The WHO announced it will restart its trial on hydroxychloroquine after initially pausing the trial last Monday due to potential health concerns. The WHO’s move comes after the drug was cleared by a safety review.

Three More Officers Charged In Floyd’s Death

Three former Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd’s death were charged with aiding and abetting murder on Wednesday. Derek Chauvin - the officer charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on Friday - was additionally charged with second-degree murder yesterday (he still faces the initial two charges).

More: Across the U.S., over 11,000 people have been arrested since George Floyd’s death on Memorial Day, with officials having linked at least 11 deaths to the ensuing protests.

LEFT CENTER → Minneapolis Star Tribune	RIGHT CENTER → WSJ (No $)

2020 Election Update

Joe Biden swept all eight Democratic primary elections held on Tuesday. Projections show him winning all but three of the 479 delegates up for grabs. President Trump on Tuesday night announced his intention to move the Republican National Convention (scheduled to begin Aug. 24) from Charlotte, NC, though details of the move - and its chances of taking place - are still unclear.

Black Voters Are Coming For Trump → NYT (OPINION)	Police Brutality Protests Will Change The November Election → Reason (OPINION)

Protests & The Coronavirus Effect

Quibi has reportedly asked senior executives to take a 10% pay cut.
FedEx will add surcharges to some U.S. shipments to offset rising costs and an increase in demand due to COVID-19.
Lyft said demand rose 26% last month compared to April, but still remains 70% weaker compared to May 2019.
The APCIA - an association representing nearly 60% of U.S. property insurers - said that damage from riots is typically covered under most insurance policies for businesses.

Paying His Dues

Former UAW President Gary Jones pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering and embezzlement on Wednesday. Jones is the highest-ranking member of the UAW to be convicted in an ongoing federal probe that has already convicted 13 other union members. He faces up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

More: Jones was accused earlier this year of misusing more than $1 million in union funds to pay for private villas, cigars, golf outings, and other luxuries.

Snap Decision

Snap announced it will stop promoting content from President Trump’s Snapchat account in its Discover tab on Wednesday, though his account will remain fully accessible to the public. Snap’s decision is based on controversial statements posted by Trump on other social media sites, rather than any violation of Snap’s own posting policies.

More: The move comes after Twitter hid one of President Trump’s tweets regarding the Minneapolis protests on the basis of it violating the company’s rules on “inciting violence.” Facebook declined to remove the same content from its platforms, citing the company’s policy on free speech.

Food Network

Protests have caused citywide shutdowns of municipal services in Minneapolis, including the suspension of school food services. Responding to the needs of students who rely on her middle school’s free or reduced lunch program, local principal Amy Nelson reached out to administrators and parents to organize a modest food drive.

Although Amy anticipated a delivery of no more than 150 donations, an estimated 30,000 food kits were delivered, each packed with necessities such as bread, apples, and cereal. Bolstered by a line of cars that stretched for miles, the drive benefited more than 500 food-insecure families in the area.

Connect the Docs

When Cynthia Kudji, a native of Ghana, was 23 years old, she put her plans of becoming a doctor on hold after giving birth to her daughter, Jasmine. Nevertheless, the persistent mother continued to pursue a career in medicine, working for ten years as a nurse at a local hospital.

Now, mother and daughter are making history and fulfilling their dreams as they both graduate from medical school – in the very same class. Receiving degrees in Family Medicine and General Surgery, respectively, Dr. Cynthia Kudji and Dr. Jasmine Kudji will both complete their residency at LSU Health in Louisiana.

Go Fish

When Hawaiian fisherman Setsuo Todoroki passed away last month at the age of 104, he left behind a legacy of generosity, having been known to regularly donate the fish he caught to strangers in need. Spurred by Setsuo’s selflessness, a group of five Hawaiian fishermen recently set off from shore with the goal of feeding local health care workers.

After reeling in two yellowfin tunas – totaling a whopping 220 pounds – the team donated their catch to the staff of Honolulu’s Straub and Queen’s Medical Centers. Cleaned and prepared by a local seafood distributor, the fish was delivered to the workers in the form of more than 300 poke bowls.

TOGETHER WITH

How are you managing stress?

Modern Holistic Health focuses on addressing the root causes of physiological illness and mental health imbalances. During this difficult time, we’re working overtime to help calm our clients and the community.

And community is more important than ever.
So we want to share some stress-management tips to help you get through this time:

• Help others. This simple - yet powerful - act can empower you in times of uncertainty.
• Practice Sleep Hygiene. Eight hours of sleep each night ensures your body and brain have the time they need to regenerate, manage stress, and keep your immune system strong.
• Exercise daily. Whether it’s taking time out for yoga, dancing, running, or walking - just be consistent and do something every day. Not only will this help manage stress, but it also helps support your immune function, healthy sleep cycles, and your mindset.

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🎗️ Canceling Cancer… researchers at Tulane University have identified a gene that causes an aggressive form of breast cancer to rapidly grow - as well as a way to “turn it off” and stop the cancer from occurring altogether.