What short wave and Ham stations can I listen to to get news when everything is shut down?
You can listen all you want without a licence.
If you are interested in getting a licence so you can talk on ham frequencies - here is a sample technician exam. Techs are the lowest on the ham chain, but about half the licences out there are tech licences.
https://hamexam.org/exam/15-Technician
You can’t. Ham radio is by law not a broadcast media. It is meant to be a 2 way non-commercial radio meant for hobby or emergency use.
People are saying you need to spend a fortune. That can be the case- but not necessarily so. You can find perfectly good hf gear on ebay for a couple hundred books.