The Daily Folgen

Most of America is entering its second month of lockdown in an ongoing effort to contain the coronavirus. Still, our reporters are — as safely as they can be — spread across the country, doing their best to document this unique, and at times scary, moment in our lives. Today, we listen in as they ask people in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, New York and Seattle about their new realities. Guests: Campbell Robertson, John Eligon, Alan Feuer and Mike Baker, reporters for The New York Times.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: Once-crowded American cities now feel abandoned, as if everyone suddenly moved out. There is no rush hour on the nation’s highways. “Closed” signs hang from the front doors of business after business. This was 24 hours in our new country. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

On this episode of “The Sunday Read,” staff writer Sam Anderson claims Weird Al Yankovic is not just a parody singer — he’s “a full-on rock star, a legitimate performance monster and a spiritual technician doing important work down in the engine room of the American soul.” In these absurd times, Sam reaches into his childhood to explain the enduring appeal of an absurd artist. This story was recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Ali Jaffe and her grandmother Roslyn are self-quarantining 1,200 miles apart. Lately, they’ve been connecting — and coping — by cooking together over FaceTime. Ali is learning the recipes her grandmother cooked for her own children in the 1960s, a period when she had limited time and resources. Today, we listen in as they make matzo ball soup. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.