It has become a political and cultural flashpoint, drawing a clear divide between the "masked" and the "masked-nots." The disdain runs between the consciously unmasked president of the United States and his deliberately mask-donning Democratic rival, all the way on down to those crossing paths — and often crossing each other — in the cereal aisle of the grocery store.

Columbia, Brown, Penn, Purdue — universities with hallowed traditions, proud alumni and another thing in common: Right now they're being sued by disgruntled students.

The economic upheaval and social disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic have upended the assumptions that many people made last fall about which insurance plan to sign up for or how much of their pretax wages to sock away in flexible spending accounts devoted to health care or dependent care.

In an effort to keep voters safe, states of all political complexions are finding ways to expand access to mail-in ballots as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Then there's Texas.

The state has some of the most restrictive laws limiting vote by mail in the country. Under Texas law, the program is open only to people who are 65 or older, people who will be out of the county during the election, people who are in jail and not convicted, and people who are disabled.

On this broadcast of The National Conversation, we'll answer your questions about the process to get a vaccine for the coronavirus, workplace safety and friendship. We'll also discuss issues around voting and voter registration as elections continue during the pandemic.