Online Learning May Be Here To Stay; How To Say No; Are States Opening Too Soon?

Plus, do murder hornets live up to their name? by Jill Hudson and Suzette Lohmeyer [States opening too soon image]( Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images Here are a few stories and podcasts you may have missed. As of Friday, you can go to a tanning salon in Texas. Houses of worship in Indiana are opening with no cap on attendance. By Monday, at least 31 states will have partially reopened after seven weeks of restrictions. The moves come as President Trump pushes for the country to get back to work despite public [health experts warning that it's too soon](. Protests over COVID-19 stay-at-home orders have become more common across the country. In California, [a surprising group is behind some]( of them: those who oppose mandatory vaccinations. What will college look like in the fall? While it is a bit too early to really know, one thing is clear: Life and learning will be different for the nation's 20 million students in [higher education](. Plus, [online learning is here to stay]( for some primary and secondary kids even after governors say it's OK to go back to school. [Hamburg pandemic image]( Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty History has an unfortunate tendency to repeat itself when it comes to pandemics, says British scholar Richard Evans. "Almost every epidemic you can think of, the [first reaction of any government is to say]( 'No, no, it's not here. We haven't got it,' " Evans says. "Or 'it's only mild' or 'it's not going to have a big effect.' " In nearly every case, says Evans, they are wrong. Health care workers are being laid off in droves as the pandemic crisis rolls on. Nearly 1.4 million found themselves unemployed in April alone. With emergency room visits down and many nonurgent surgical procedures on hold, hospitals are losing massive amounts of revenue and [turning to furlough and layoffs to stay afloat](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen Up! [Murder hornet image]( Alastair Macewen/Getty Images Have you heard the stories about the "murder hornets"? Entomologist Samuel Ramsey joins the hosts of the Short Wave podcast to discuss how much of a threat the Asian giant hornet could be to American honeybees. He also shares his encounter fighting these insects in Thailand. ([Listen here, 11:57]( Once a person recovers from COVID-19, are they immune for life? And if they are immune, can they still infect others? Here's what scientists around the world know so far. ([Listen here, 3:42,]( or [read the story]( In this time of fear and uncertainty, people are going back to the land — more or less. Gardening might just be overtaking sourdough baking, TV binge-watching and Animal Crossing playing as our favorite pandemic coping mechanism. ([Listen here, 3:57,]( or [read the story]( Jackie Stockton didn't realize she had contracted the virus until she landed in the hospital. "One day I was at church and that's all I remember, until I woke up in the hospital — and apparently, I'd been there awhile," Stockton told her daughter on a recent StoryCorps episode. At least eight family members and many friends became infected and some have died, including Jackie's best friend. ([Listen here, 3:14]( or [read the story]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- How To, For You [How to say no image]( by Sarah Knight Author Sarah Knight's latest book, F*ck No!, is a 300+ page tongue-in-cheek look at how paring life down to the essentials lets you identify what you don't really want to be doing. "Most people will take no for an answer much more easily than you think they will," Knight says. ([Listen here, 5:08]( or [read the story]( Have you been lying awake at night asking yourself how we get through this pandemic and what the world will look like when it's over? Or maybe you've been wondering how to get through another day of normal life stuff with constant uncertainty whirring in the background? Life Kit has seven tips on how to cope. ([Listen here, 18:47,]( or [read the story]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Joy And Goodness [Comic image]( Grace Farris for NPR The halls of New York hospitals have been ringing with all kinds of superalarming sounds, like "Code Blue!" and "Respiratory stat!" But many hospitals are changing that tune by playing uplifting music as patients recovered coronavirus patients are released. One [doctor, who is also a cartoonist, drew a comic]( to explain. It finally happened: Comfy clothes are — gasp! — legitimately chic. Fashion guru Tim Gunn used to bemoan what he called the "comfort trap" — clothing that put leisure ahead of style. But in recent months, because of the pandemic, he has spent [more time than usual in a white T-shirt]( pajama pants and a cotton robe. (Haven't we all?) --------------------------------------------------------------- Our Picture Show Pick [Petra image]( Moises Saman for NPR Petra, which 2,000 years ago was on the thriving caravan trade route for frankincense and spices, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It also gained popularity with the 1989 movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, with some scenes filmed at the location. But the coronavirus has brought [the ancient city to a dramatic halt]( and with it, the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers. Now the deserted area has [been overtaken by animals](. --------------------------------------------------------------- In Memoriam Patrick Semansky/AP Little Richard, one of the founding fathers of rock 'n' roll, died Saturday in Tullahoma, Tenn., at age 87. T[he flamboyant singer]( was as famous for his songs (“Tutti-Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Rip It Up,” “Lucille” and “Good Golly, Miss Molly”) as he is for his energetic, piano-pounding style of playing. Magician and animal trainer Roy Horn, one half of the legendary Las Vegas duo Siegfried and Roy, died Friday from complications related to COVID-19. He was 75. Horn tested positive last week. "The world has [lost one of the greats of magic]( but I have lost my best friend," Siegfried Fischbacher said of his partner. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sign Up For The New Normal [The New Normal image]( 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](mailto:bestofnpr@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) 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! You received this message because you're subscribed to Best of NPR emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy](