To contain the pandemic, the U.S. government has brought the economy to a halt. Today, we explore one result of their containment efforts: one of the worst unemployment crises in American history. Guest: Jim Tankersley, a reporter covering economic and tax policy for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

• The national unemployment rate is probably around 13 percent, The Times estimated. “Scary things are going on in our life right now,” one idled Lyft driver said.
• Whole sectors of the U.S. economy have gone dark to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Here’s what comes next.