No problem!
1.
The way I tend to see this is as follows: Done correctly, meeting a firm is a great way to bump your 'why this firm?' answer to the top % of applicants. However, not meeting a firm isn't going to disadvantage your application.
Many candidates who haven't personally met a firm go on to secure interviews, you just need to make sure that you genuinely understand the firm you're applying to and have thought deeply about why you want to work at that particular firm. In other words, pick out clear and specific reasons which are fairly unique to the firm you're applying to and explain why these points personally appeal to you.
One final thing to add here: One of the big benefits of meeting a firm at an open day/firm event is you can then bring in what you learned about a firm in your application/interview. This shows you've gone out of your way to find out more about a firm, beyond online research. That said, if you can't attend either of these, LinkedIn offers some new opportunities here. Once lockdown is over, consider connecting with a trainee/associate/partner and asking them if they'd be willing to meet for a coffee. I've seen a few candidates do this recently and they were often surprised at how willing a lawyer was to meet them. You can then mention what you learned about a firm in your application form.
2.
There's quite a few ways to approach this. I'd try to find a method which you're most likely to stick with over the long term, whether that's listening to podcasts or reading the Financial Times. If you make this a daily habit, this doesn't need to be time intensive (e.g. 30 minutes a day is plenty). At the start, I personally wouldn't worry too much if it doesn't seem to stick.
Over time, you should find yourself drawn to reading more about particular stories/researching around topics that interest you. This should give you a wide understanding of what's going on in the news and will lead to things starting to stick (you should find you start to make connections between stories). If you really want to fast-track this process, try writing an article on the topic and send it to people (whether that's via a blog or on LinkedIn). I find writing helps me to organise my thoughts much better and the public accountability forces me to think about how to communicate what I know clearly (which will pay dividends for you during interviews).
Shortly before interviews, you can then ramp up the time involved, so that you gain a deeper understanding of a few stories that genuinely interest you.
There's a lot I can say on this, so let me know if anything is unclear/you want me to expand on a something more specific!
