A spring snowstorm overnight on May 8 into May 9 blanketed northern New Jersey with cold and snow, weather reports said. Parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware were also affected by the storm. The National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office recorded temperatures in the low 30s, some going below freezing into the mid-to-high 20s across the northeast. A local resident in Newton, New Jersey, filmed video of the storm blowing snow across their backyard. In the morning, the yard and garden were covered. “Snow on the ground with a pool open seems odd,” J&B Landscape wrote on one video. On another they wrote, “Nice winter morning in May.” Credit: J&B Landscape via Storyful

A polar vortex brought rare winter weather conditions to the Northeast of the US on May 9, with freezing temperatures and snow reported across parts of New England, including Vermont. Up to 9 inches of snow was recorded in parts of Vermont with freeze or frost advisories reported in 20 states across the Midwest and Northeast. Video filmed by Mitch @VermonsterWx shows several inches of “light and fluffy” snow accumulation near Readsboro, Vermont. Credit: Mitch @VermonsterWx via Storyful

All the news looks bad - but are we worrying needlessly about our economy, our health system and our institutions?

For months now France has been trialling a new form of democracy - bringing citizens together to think about ways forward on climate change policy. Could citizen councils be the future?

How is coronavirus affecting China, India and the Asia Pacific?

Australian lives and livelihoods now depend on the ability of Australia's public service to meet the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The EU has 'Europeanised' regulations around everything from phone privacy to food safety - and this, the 'Brussels effect' is the source of its real and often under-estimated power.

In the last few years, the renewable industry has been going from strength to strength. However 2020 might see that end. So what needs to be done to sustain the industry and protect Australia's electricity prices from the whims of the oil controllers?

Some pundits say capitalism can never recover from Covid-19, and there will need to be bigger government. Others say the future economic recovery rests with the business sector. Guests: Adam Tooze Historian of economic crises Professor of History and Director of the European Institute at Columbia University Rana Foroohar Global economic analyst with CNN, and global business columnist with The Financial Times Percy Allan Economist, and former Secretary of NSW Treasury Public sector advisor Professor at the Institute of Public Policy and Management, UTS and The global pandemic has been revealing in many ways in how people, countries and governments manage the situation. But what is it saying about the two major superpowers, the US and China? And where does that leave Australia, a question which has been on the minds of foreign policy experts for some time; now many of them feel its time has come. Guests: John Prideux, US editor The Economist and host of the podcast, Checks and Balance. Richard McGregor, senior fellow at the Lowy Institute, author of numerous books on East Asia, his latest is Xi Jinping; The Backlash Allan Gyngell, National president of the Australian Institute of International Affairs and host of podcast Australia in the World.

Even as universities scramble to stay alive, there is no lifeline from the government. What's gone wrong?

Is there a way of responding to the coronavirus that is both effective and ethical? That contributes to the tasks of social cohesion and mutual concern?

What new forms of life together — of modesty, prudence, simplicity, mutuality, sociality and cooperation — might we discover under the conditions of scarcity and social isolation imposed by the coronavirus, that perhaps we didn’t envision in more 'normal' times?

Any meaningful recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will require imagination, risk, solidarity and vulnerability; it will mean refusing to ‘free-ride’ and a willingness to sacrifice. How can we cultivate this capacity for social solidarity in our time of social fragmentation and mutual distancing?

In little more than a month, the coronavirus has exploded the sense of certainty, confidence, optimism and control on which so much of modern life, the economy and politics are predicated. Were these always just illusions?

As societies, we are having to grapple with the question of whether some will be made to bear a disproportionate amount of the cost of our collective response to COVID-19.

Can pride be ‘redeemed’, and form the basis of human dignity, or is pride as such a form of moral corruption, a debased form of moral vision?

Why, in the light of the #MeToo movement, have we not questioned the aesthetic, much less moral, justification for the disproportionate amount of nudity and simulated sex required of female actors? Do we really need to prolong this puerile reliance on sex to attract viewers?

Is the pandemic having a chastening effect on our politics, bringing voters back to the real-world consequences of political decisions, or is the pandemic in fact playing right into the hands of populist politicians, creating ideal conditions in which to fan the flames or fear, resentment and mutual suspicion?

While some parents are sharing picture-perfect posts about their home-schooling skills, others are pulling their hair out as they try to work and get their kids through this sudden introduction to remote learning. What lessons can we take from this crazy situation?

On today's show: * What's the NSW schools report all about? * Queensland is reducing some restrictions. Why now? * People are volunteering to be exposed to coronavirus to help test the vaccine. Is that a good idea? * What is the role of obesity in serious outcomes from COVID-19? * Why do I need a flu shot to visit my father in an aged care home? * Are vegans and vegetarians the least affected by COVID-19?

Steven wrote to us with a song suggestion which is actually the title track of this segment Alone Together - where you put up music that helps us all in this time of disconnection. We're playing one of those songs each day on Life Matters as a way of lifting all our spirits.

Is true privacy even possible in the internet age, and what is at stake if we don't protect what we have left?

On today's show: * What is the COVIDSafe app supposed to do? * Is it spying on me? * Is being fit and healthy a good thing to help tackle coronavirus? * What happened to all those suburb hotspots? * Is there a possibility of infertility occurring from this virus?

When writer Ailsa Piper was planning for her 60th birthday, she decided that instead of receiving presents from friends, she wanted 60 minutes of their time. What were their tips were for ageing wisely and making the best of every day?

In this time of keeping our distance, we can still connect. Through music. The Life Matters team invites you to email us your song choice to help us all in these troubled times, and the story behind that choice. We'll being playing one of those songs each day on Life Matters as a way of lifting all our spirits. We can't wait to hear from you!

Claims abound about how COVID-19 is affecting online dating. Some say that because the prospect of physical sex is off the table, people are spending more time getting to know each other. Think less ghosting, more talking. But researchers warn it’s too soon to make any major declarations about the changing nature of online trysts.

When we're hidden away from each other, with only the faint whiff of a figgy cologne to fuel our romantic fantasies, what hope is there for new love to bloom? In the search for romance, Melanie Tait follows her nose.

On today's show: * Were the lockdowns worth it? * Why is the tracing app critical time set to 15 minutes? * When is it likely that we will be able to travel interstate again?

Once a wealthy business owner, Brent Flower, or "Hammer" as he prefers, says that when he gave away everything he owned, he felt like he could fly.

In today's Alone Together series, Pam has suggested a track that is totally out there, so you have been warned! We'll be playing one of those songs each day on Life Matters as a way of lifting all our spirits. This one lifts the roof.

If a future employer asks you: "What did you do during lockdown?" Then "I watched a lot of TV" probably won't go down so well. Today, two career experts join us to talk about how to use your time in lockdown to build a solid career plan and make yourself as employable as possible.

On today's show: * What is happening with children in the UK? * What about younger adults suffering from stroke in America? * Is loss of sense of taste and smell a good enough symptom to get tested? * How does COVID-19 possibly change the way we think?

David Wardong Collard and John Holley share the story of their working relationship and friendship.