Tips For Safer Flying; Your Boss Is Watching You; When Will We Have A Vaccine?

Plus, how to make an effective mask at home

by Jill Hudson and Suzette Lohmeyer Jackie Ferrentino for NPR Here are a few stories and podcasts you may have missed.    As more people work from home, companies are ramping up the use of software to monitor what their employees do all day. This includes programs that download videos of employees' screens while they work and enable a computer's webcam to take a picture every 10 minutes.    With some countries and states lifting stay-at-home orders, people are wondering whether it's safe to get on a plane to take that work trip or beach vacation. Here's a Q&A on the risks of flying — and tips if you do.  There are more than 100 coronavirus vaccines under development, and researchers are reasonably confident that at least one will be successful. Some skeptics want to remind us that optimism about an AIDS vaccine was once high, and that 40 years later, there is no vaccine. Some of the first New Yorkers to contract COVID-19 were people in the Orthodox Jewish communities in and around New York City. Now some American Jews say they find themselves in a historically familiar position: Scapegoated for a plague. "We're, ya know, we're the guys dressed in black and white and we wear the hats, so it becomes a sort of more interesting story" when Jews violate health rules, says Eli Steinberg, an Orthodox Jewish writer in Lakewood, N.J.   David Dee Delgado/Gothamist/WNYC Travel restrictions into and out of a country are often promoted by politicians as a sign of strength in efforts to halt the spread of the coronavirus. But experts say national border closures have done little to stop it. From now on, travel restrictions will likely play only a small role in containing the virus. The pandemic has added a level of fear for people who smoke, and many are stepping up efforts to quit the habit permanently. Increasing evidence suggests people who smoke are more likely to become severely ill and die from COVID-19 than nonsmokers.  Listen Up! Alaa El-Koussaimi, Gail Sullivan, Adam and Amanda Anderson, Stacey Goers,/NPR If you're thinking this might be a good time to adopt a dog (you're home a lot, maybe you're lonely), you're not the only one. This episode of the  Life Kit podcast raises a few questions you should ask before bonding to that adorable pup — for both your sakes. (Listen here or read the story) Public outrage from the release of a video led to the arrest of two white men involved in the shooting of a black jogger in Georgia. Gene Demby, co-host of the Code Switch podcast, wants to know: What are the broader consequences of the drumbeat of videos that show violence or killings? (Listen here or read the transcript) Newsletter continues after sponsor message How To, For You YouTube We've got three tips from researchers who've been testing mask materials — including a hack that involves a pair of pantyhose. Here’s a video on how to do it.  The death of a loved one can be so gut-wrenching and annihilating that you may be left unable to imagine ever regaining your equilibrium. But with proper care and attention, grief eases its heart-clenching grip. And, says grief expert Terri Daniel, embrace it fully and it can shake you alive and awake like nothing else. (Listen here or read the story) As the social-distancing requirements lengthen our time at home, we all need advice about facing the quarantine blues. For starters, try making art.  Just For Kids Courtesy of Sesame Workshop Kids have lots of questions about staying home right now. To answer them (and have a little fun), we reached out to Sesame Street's beloved monster, Grover, to speak directly to kids. Grover talks with Life Kit hosts Anya Kamenetz and Cory Turner about wearing a mask, missing his friends and why it's OK to be sad sometimes. Our Picture Show Pick Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR Life before the pandemic hadn't always been easy, but Elia Gonzalez had managed to keep her family fed by stretching her food stamps and her partner's modest income as a DJ at bars around Puerto Rico's capital, San Juan. That changed in mid-March, when nearly everything closed, including her daughter's school, where she had gotten free breakfast and lunch. Now many Puerto Ricans are dealing with the devastating effects of everyday hunger. Music Notes Daniel Medhurst/Courtesy of the artist Fantastic Damage, El-P's solo debut from his years before Run the Jewels, has come to streaming services after years out of print. The artist warns that a foretold dystopia is already here and calls out "merchants of blood" and "the eerie malevolence of commerce" as parts of daily life. But the album also looks inward, cataloging personal moments that shaped its creator's grim outlook.  In the interest of national unity — of shared struggle, of resilience, of all-in-this-togetherness during the pandemic — NPR Music feels it is vital to mean-spiritedly rank the quality of Saturday Night Live's musical guests.  Sign Up For The New Normal So much has changed quickly and we're all feeling a little unmoored. We hope our new newsletter, The New Normal, can help you work through what's happening now and get through whatever is next. We're all in this together. If you are interested in seeing what it is all about, please subscribe here.  What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: bestofnpr@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Politics, Health and more! 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