THE BIG STORY

The story behind *that* photo

It was instantly iconic: Photographer Alyson McClaran captured the moment a counter protester in full scrubs and face mask stood in the middle of the road and blocked a convoy of anti-lockdown protesters. The image soon went extremely viral; you’ve probably already seen it:

Alyson McClaran / Reuters

The story behind the photo is also one worth telling. Tasneem Nashrulla spoke with McLaran and found out that like at least 22 million others, the Denver-based photographer is currently unemployed. So she decided she’d head to the state Capitol this weekend to photograph what happened when the multi-state protests dubbed “Operation Gridlock” hit her city.

"I wanted to document history," McClaran said. But she soon became uncomfortable at the protest — participants weren’t wearing masks or following social distancing guidelines, so she decided to head home. On the way, she came across the scene in the image above.

Her boyfriend took video footage of the confrontation. "Go to China if you want communism," the woman in the car yelled at the unidentified counter protester. "Go to China!" But they stood their ground," McClaran said. "They were very peaceful, and I didn't hear a single word come out of the guy's mouth."

IT'S NEWS O'CLOCK

Our new podcast is live!

As an Incoming reader, may I interest you in another great piece of daily content from two of my most talented colleagues? On News O'Clock, Hayes Brown and Casey Rackham cover the day's big news and entertainment stories, with each episode coming out just in time for what once upon a time would have been your evening commute. Their first episode covered everything from the art of getting weed during lockdown to the mystery of where that $350 billion in small business money actually went. Check it out here!

SNAPSHOTS

President Trump claimed last night that he will order a temporary suspension of all immigration to the US. It’s unclear how that would work — all we have to go on is a single tweet — but expect more details soon.

At least four southern states plan to begin reopening businesses in the coming weeks. Governors in Georgia, South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee have all announced plans to begin loosening their lockdowns.

Germany is treating more than 200 critically ill coronavirus patients from EU countries whose health systems are under severe stress. “That is our understanding of European solidarity," Germany's health minister said.

The largest Burger King franchise owner in the US is considering tapping the government’s small business relief fund. Carrols Restaurant Group, which owns 1,036 Burger King restaurants in 23 states, told investors it’s preparing to get funding from the Paycheck Protection Program.

A French military helicopter bringing coronavirus patients for treatment lands in Muehlheim, Germany. (Lukas Schulze / Getty Images)

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WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH KIM JONG UN?

Short story: Nobody knows. Longer story….

The North Korean leader was nowhere to be seen during the country’s most important national holiday, the April 15 celebration of the birthday of his grandfather who founded the country in 1948. And he hasn’t been seen in public since then either, which has raised eyebrows in South Korean media and among intelligence officials around the world.

A news outlet in South Korea reported that the 36-year old leader is recovering from a surgery. CNN followed that report with news that US intelligence officials believe his health is in “grave danger” after the operation, while an MSNBC anchor tweeted — and later deleted — a claim that not only is he seriously ill, but that he is brain dead.

The South Korean government, which monitors the situation in North Korea closely, says it’s seen no evidence these rumors are true. "No unusual signs have been identified inside North Korea," a presidential spokesperson told the country’s Yonhap news agency. "There is nothing we can confirm with regard to Chairman Kim's alleged health problem."

It’s next to impossible to really figure out what’s happening inside the world’s most secretive country – and anything’s possible. In 2014, Kim disappeared from view for about a month, walking with a limp on his return. Wait and see on this one.

Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

GENERATION FREEFALL

Spare a thought for Gen Z

What’s it like to be fresh out of college right now, entering the job market during the worst economic times in living memory? Ryan Brooks spent weeks talking to young people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, who are entering adulthood as the coronavirus reshapes the world.

“I’ve spent much of the last two years reporting on young Americans like myself and what’s shaped their political ideology,” Brooks writes. ”Most have few to no memories of the US before 9/11, unlike millennials and other older generations. The country has always felt like it was in a free fall — adrift with a government that they think lacks the imagination and willingness to address the problems that they’ll be handed long into their futures.”

Want to hear more? I’ll be hosting a live streamed Q&A with Brooks to talk about his story and take questions from our BuzzFeed News members. Come and join us! It’s this Friday, April 24, at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. All the details can be found here.

VERY GOOD TWEETS

Crude oil… is free now?

Or they pay you to take it off their hands, or something? The price of oil collapsed yesterday, and for a while there one particular oil price – US-based oil to be delivered in May — went negative, meaning that at least in theory, the people selling the oil would pay you to take from them. In reality, it’s not that simple, and it definitely doesn’t mean gas stations will be paying you to fill up.

I won’t get into the technicalities of it here, but I can confirm that oil costing less than ten bucks per barrel — that’s *55 gallons*, to be clear — led to some excellent tweets. Here’s a few of them.

via @wallstreetbets

via @Psythor

via @gloomfather

Learn from the crude oil futures markets today: block out the negativity and the haters,

Tom