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Post Reports is the daily podcast from The Washington Post. Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you’ve come to expect from the newsroom of The Post, for your ears. Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi are your hosts, asking the questions you didn’t know you wanted answered. Published weekdays around 5 p.m. Eastern time.
The podcast Post Reports is created by The Washington Post. The podcast and the artwork on this page are embedded on this page using the public podcast feed (RSS).
Baseball is back – and so are the sport’s existential questions, both on and off the field.
Coming off a dominant 2024 season, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to become the first team since the 2000 New York Yankees to capture back-to-back World Series championships. Standing in their way is a changing game, the increasingly pervasive threat of elbow injuries across the majors, and the 29 other MLB teams set on beating them.
Today on “Post Reports,” guest host Ava Wallace is joined by Washington Post national baseball writer Chelsea Janes to discuss how the Dodgers are shaping the future of America’s pastime and building a team to compete in October.
Today’s show was produced by Lucas Trevor. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Clips provided courtesy of MLB.
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With just a few weeks to go until Tax Day, Treasury Department and IRS officials are predicting a decrease of more than 10 percent in tax receipts by the April 15 deadline compared with 2024. That would amount to more than $500 billion in lost federal revenue.
The prediction, officials told congressional economic correspondent Jacob Bogage, is directly tied to changing taxpayer behavior and President Donald Trump’s rapid demolition of parts of the IRS.
On “Post Reports,” Jacob joins host Colby Itkowitz to discuss the signals the Trump administration has sent taxpayers with its shrinking of the IRS. And he explains how the administration is hoping to use the tax agency's confidential taxpayer databases to aid in its mass deportation campaign.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Bishop Sand. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sean Carter.
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A Tuesday hearing had been previously scheduled for senior Trump administration officials to share an annual global threat assessment with the Senate Intelligence Committee. Instead, Democratic senators spent much of the time grilling them about their involvement in a Signal group chat in which Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of the Atlantic, had been erroneously included.
Screenshots shared by Goldberg showed top officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussing a U.S. plan to launch airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. They shared precise information about weapons and timing.
Host Colby Itkowitz is joined by national security reporters Dan Lamothe and Abigail Hauslohner to discuss the security risks this poses and how the administration and Congress are responding.
Today’s episode was produced by Sabby Robinson and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Lucy Perkins, with help from Peter Bresnan.
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Whether you consider it an odd joke, a national security threat or a negotiating tactic, Trump’s mentions of the United States annexing Canada have become a sticking point for the president, and a mystery to everyone else.
And, check out The Post’s coverage of second lady Usha Vance’s trip to Greenland, which comes as Trump vows to acquire the island “one way or another.”
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sean Carter.
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White House reporter Cleve Wootson interviews Uzo Aduba today on “Post Reports” about the new Netflix show “The Residence,” and the real dynamics the fictional show reveals.
Read Sonia Rao’s story about “The Residence.” She says it's “Clue,” set on Pennsylvania Avenue, with a Shondaland touch. You can also read our TV critic Lili Loofbourow’s review.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Maggie Penman.
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President Donald Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act last week kicked off a battle with the courts that’s getting more heated by the day. On Tuesday, he called U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg “crooked” and a “radical left lunatic” and suggested he should be impeached. Then, Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued a rare public rebuke of the president, saying impeachment is “not an appropriate response” to a judicial decision.
Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake speaks with Supreme Court reporter Justin Jouvenal and White House reporter Natalie Allison about the legal and political calculus behind Trump’s fight with the courts. And they also weigh in on the partial ceasefire deal for Ukraine brokered by the president and his Russian counterpart.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachel Van Dongen. It was mixed by Sam Bair.
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Since Trump’s second inauguration, there has been a firehose of news out of the White House – and longtime adviser Steve Bannon says that’s all part of the plan.
“It looks like chaos, but there's certain internal logic to it,” Bannon told Sarah Ellison, media and democracy reporter for The Post. “It's amazingly compelling content.”
Sarah and tech reporter Drew Harwell have been reporting on the White House’s new aggressive approach to messaging. Host Colby Itkowitz talks with Sarah about how that strategy involves sidelining legacy media in favor of newer outlets, and with Drew about how the White House is leveraging social media to attack critics and turn policy into meme-worthy moments.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair, with help from Sean Carter.
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More than 400 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in Tuesday’s attacks, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, making it one of the deadliest days of the 17-month war.
Host Colby Itkowitz talks with Miriam Berger, who has been covering the conflict for The Post, about what it’s like in Gaza right now and what this means for the possibility of a ceasefire in the future.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Bishop Sand. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Reena Flores, and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Over the weekend, President Donald Trump invoked a seldom-used wartime powers act to deport suspected gang members without due process.
Though a federal judge blocked the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, more than a hundred migrants accused by U.S. officials of being part of the gang Tren de Aragua were flown to a prison in El Salvador on Saturday.
It was the first time the Alien Enemies Act had been invoked since World War II, when it was used to incarcerate Japanese, Italian and German nationals and laid the foundation for the imprisonment of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans.
Today on “Post Reports,” immigration reporter Marianne LeVine joins host Colby Itkowitz to unpack the strategy behind the administration’s use of this act outside of wartime, the timing and legality of the move, and what El Salvador is getting out of working with Trump.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Reena Flores, with help from Lucy Perkins.
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Democrats are bristling at the decision by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to vote for a GOP bill averting a government shutdown.
Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake speaks with congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor to get a behind-the-scenes look at the politics of the shutdown vote. He also breaks down the latest tariff news and Elon Musk drama with David Lynch, a financial writer for The Washington Post, and Trisha Thadani, a Post technology reporter.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachel Van Dongen.
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Mehmet Oz is President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a massive agency that oversees health coverage for more than 100 million Americans, including older adults, those with low incomes and children.
Oz is a cardiothoracic surgeon and former professor at Columbia University who became a household name when he started appearing on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2004 and then hosted his own show, “The Dr. Oz Show,” from 2009 to 2022.
On Friday, Oz will face federal lawmakers in a Senate hearing as he seeks confirmation to run CMS, an agency that has a more than trillion-dollar budget and could face spending cuts in the budget year ahead.
Today on “Post Reports,” health accountability reporter Lauren Weber explains why he may face questions about his past, his investments and possible conflicts of interest.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Peter Bresnan with help from Maggie Penman and Lynh Bui. It was mixed by Sam Bair.
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For weeks, Americans have watched as Elon Musk and the U.S. DOGE Service have slashed at the federal bureaucracy, making drastic cuts to agency budgets and the federal workforce.
And while President Donald Trump has made clear that he supports Musk, DOGE’s efforts have sparked concern among many senior Trump advisers, civil servants and everyday Americans. That has left DOGE, which stands for Department of Government Efficiency, hunting for wins.
Today on “Post Reports,” The Post’s DOGE reporter Faiz Siddiqui joins host Colby Itkowitz to discuss how DOGE is responding to external pressure and what Tuesday’s White House press conference-turned-sales pitch for Tesla says about other pressures Musk could face.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Mike Madden.
Are you a snacker? This week, health columnist Anahad O’Connor published a deep dive into what makes a healthy packaged snack. He analyzed the labels and ingredients on different ultra-processed crackers, jerkies and protein bars and came away with a great guide to the healthiest options. You can find his recommendations at washingtonpost.com/snacks.
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Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil helped organize protests at the university against the Israel-Gaza war last spring. Khalil, who is a legal permanent resident of the United States, according to his lawyers, was detained over the weekend by immigration officers was detained by immigration officers and accused by the Trump administration of sympathizing with Hamas terrorists. So far no evidence of this has been reported.
Immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti speaks with host Colby Itkowitz about Khalil’s arrest and what it could signal about how this administration will treat activists and immigrants.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Jenna Johnson.
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In an interview broadcast on Sunday, President Donald Trump declined to rule out that Americans could see a recession this year as the economy stutters from his efforts to impose tariffs and cut down the size of the federal government.
He told Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo, “I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition, because what we’re doing is very big. We’re bringing wealth back to America. That’s a big thing.”
Today on “Post Reports,” economics correspondent Abha Bhattarai joins host Colby Itkowitz to talk about the economic indicators informing the Trump administration, how businesses and consumers are handling inflation, and whether we’re headed toward a recession.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Our beloved senior host, Martine Powers, is stepping away from the microphone for a bit to cover the White House and then take on a longer-term assignment. Tune in to today’s bonus episode to hear more, and get to know our guest co-host for the next few months, Colby Itkowitz.
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As Elon Musk leads a project to drastically remake the federal government, one goal might be fueling it all: getting to Mars.
It’s an objective that President Donald Trump seems to share. In his inaugural address on Jan. 20, Trump promised that the U.S. would “pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.”
But what are the obstacles to get to the Red Planet?
Host Martine Powers speaks with space reporter Christian Davenport about the U.S. ambitions to get to Mars — and how the country, along with private space companies, could actually get there.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Reena Flores with help from Renita Jablonski and Maggie Penman.
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The National Institutes of Health is a sprawling and complex institution that supports the work of hundreds of thousands of scientists at universities and labs across the country.
Since Trump’s inauguration that work has been stymied by confusion and uncertainty – potentially delaying or even preventing important medical research.
The Post’s science reporter Carolyn Johnson has been reporting on the turmoil at NIH and talks to Martine about how it could impact a generation of scientists.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff and Elana Gordon. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair. Elana Gordon contributed reporting.
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Senior political reporter Aaron Blake breaks down the speech with senior White House correspondent Naftali Bendavid and Democracy reporter Colby Itkowitz. They fact-check Trump’s DOGE claims and explain the political consequences Trump could face for his tariffs.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair.
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This episode has been updated to clarify that the Trump administration has said Elon Musk is not the head of DOGE. An earlier version of the episode included a misstatement where the names "Musk" and "Trump" were swapped.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world. It was eliminated in the United States 25 years ago because of an effective vaccine. While cases periodically pop up, a growing wave of vaccine skepticism is giving this old virus new traction.
Health reporter Fenit Nirappil and “Post Reports” producer Elana Gordon recently traveled to the heart of this growing outbreak, which officials say may take months to get under control.
Today, Martine Powers speaks with Fenit about the state of the Texas outbreak; we hear from a mom whose unvaccinated child recently got measles and from a pediatrician who has cared for hospitalized patients.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon, who also contributed to this report. It was edited by Peter Bresnan with help from Reena Flores and Maggie Penman, and mixed by Sam Bair. Thank you to Lenny Bernstein.
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On Friday, Zelensky and Trump met for what was expected to be a tense but uneventful meeting before signing a natural resources agreement that was seen as the first step to a peace deal with Russia. Instead, cameras captured a blow-up – Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of being ungrateful and said he was “gambling with the lives of millions of people.”
Since then, European leaders have redoubled support for Ukraine – while the Kremlin proclaimed that the Trump administration is “largely aligned” with Moscow’s vision.
Martine Powers speaks with White House reporter Michael Birnbaum about how the meeting fell apart and where Zelensky might go from here.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff with help from Bishop Sand. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Some House Republicans are getting nervous. They’re worried that passing President Donald Trump’s budget proposal could mean cuts to popular programs like Medicaid. They’ve also gotten an earful from voters angry at Elon Musk who are packing congressional town halls.
Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake unpacks the drama with congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor and congressional economics correspondent Jacob Bogage.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Ted Muldoon.
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This year’s Oscar contenders are all over the place, ranging from the adaptation of the popular musical “Wicked” to the Brazilian historical drama “I’m Still Here.” Film and TV reporter Sonia Rao and arts editor Janice Page sit down with host Martine Powers to share which films are rising to the top and explain why some actors may be favored more by the academy than others.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Sabby Robinson and Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.
Gregg Bafundo worked as a lead wilderness ranger in Washington state and used his basic firefighting training to help contain fires in the parks he worked in. Erin Williamson traveled to rural communities to help them get financing for essential services as part of her job with the U.S. Agriculture Department. Veteran Jared Blockus worked for a VA hospital in North Carolina ordering critical equipment. All of them were probationary workers fired a couple of weeks ago as part of the Trump administration’s plan to reduce the size of the federal workforce, along with thousands of others.
Host Martine Powers speaks with reporter Kyle Swenson about these former federal workers and what their job loss means personally and for the public.
Correction: A previous version of this episode mispronounced a source’s name. The error has been corrected.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Host Martine Powers speaks with Supreme Court reporter Justin Jouvenal about Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, which will be heard before the country’s highest court on Wednesday.
Ames and her attorneys say she was held back at her job because she is straight and White. Her case was rejected by lower courts, in part because reverse discrimination claims require a higher burden of proof than anti-minority discrimination in many parts of the country. But Ames’s attorneys argue that this double standard is unconstitutional. And many legal experts say the Supreme Court is poised to agree. They expect that if the court sides with Ames, it could lead to an increase in the number of discrimination lawsuits filed by straight people, White people and men. The decision may also have a chilling effect on corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Opioid overdoses don’t have to be fatal if the person gets help in time.
In recent years naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses, has become more widely available in the United States. Narcan, a nasal spray version of naloxone, became available without prescription in pharmacies in 2023. That means more people can help reverse overdoses. Despite showing signs of decline, the number of people dying nationwide from overdoses eclipsed 100,000 annually from 2020 to 2023, according to national health data.
Host Elahe Izadi talks with producer Elana Gordon about the lifesaving effects of the medication. They walk through the steps of how to use Narcan and what it feels like to experience an opioid overdose reversal.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Alison MacAdam and mixed by Sam Bair.
Download The Post’s step-by-step guide for how to administer the naloxone nasal spray here.
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An analysis of news reports by The Washington Post found that at least 477 people — 90 percent of them students — were arrested in the two weeks after the Apalachee High massacre in Georgia. That’s nearly 100 more than in the aftermath of the three previous mass school shootings combined.
In Volusia County, Florida, the elected sheriff, Mike Chitwood, a registered Independent and brash Philadelphia native, decided he’d had enough. In September 2024, he deployed dozens of deputies and spent an extra $21,000 in taxpayer money. On a single night, his office received 54 tips.
Reporters Hannah Natanson and John Woodrow Cox document the real-life effects of Volusia’s aggressive response on children, parents, teachers, administrators and police officers.
This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was read by John Woodrow Cox. Audio production and original music by Bishop Sand.
Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with Post congressional reporter Liz Goodwin and Dan Lamothe, who covers the Pentagon and the U.S. military, about the week’s political news. They dig into Trump’s sharp turn against Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. They also talk about new polling that shows Trump’s sweeping federal policy decisions are largely unpopular. Plus, why GOP lawmakers are quietly begging Trump to spare their districts from Trump and his ally Elon Musk’s splashy government spending cuts.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Rachel Van Dongen. It was mixed by Justin Gerrish.
Alex Clark stands out on mic and on camera. The 31-year-old wellness influencer and podcaster has nearly half a million followers on YouTube and ranks among the top 10 wellness podcasts on Apple.
While wellness has long been associated with liberal hippies, Clark hails from a conservative background. She’s part of the new “Make America Healthy Again” movement questioning modern medicine, backing President Donald Trump and supporting anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has started as health and human services secretary.
For the last year and a half, reporter Kara Voght has been following Clark’s rise, spending time with her in Arizona. Today, Voght speaks with host Martine Powers about Clark’s rise as a conservative wellness warrior, what’s behind the changing politics of wellness, and what that could mean for the nation’s health.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Steve Kolowich.
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The United States and Russia have begun talks to end the war in Ukraine. But Ukraine wasn’t there.
The United States and Russia just completed their first round of diplomatic talks to end the war in Ukraine since the start of Russian invasion in 2022. The exclusion of Ukraine representatives from the talks signals a new approach and new U.S. interests in the region.
Host Martine Powers talks with White House correspondent Michael Birnbaum about Trump’s conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and why the United States’ actions over the past week have alarmed its European allies.
Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service sparked alarm over the weekend, when a senior DOGE official requested access to the Internal Revenue System’s detailed database featuring financial information about every taxpayer, business and nonprofit in the country.
Host Martine Powers speaks with economics correspondent Jacob Bogage about how this could affect millions of American taxpayers.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Mike Madden.
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Fartlek is a Swedish term for “speed play.” This informal version of interval training is simple, effective and dare we say … enjoyable? And not just because "fartlek" is fun to say.
Exercise columnist Gretchen Reynolds is here to vouch for this often-overlooked, decades-old practice. Reynolds, who helped popularize the 7-minute workout, has found that a growing body of research points to the benefits of this approach, even in small doses. According to exercise scientists, it can improve strength, endurance and longevity, and may even lower the risk of dementia.
Read more:
Don’t like to exercise? Try this simple, science-backed trick.
Being in shape is better for longevity than being thin, new study shows
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon and mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Thanks to Anjuman Ali.
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Belinda is one of the few decent people on “The White Lotus,” the sharp satire populated with miserable rich people on vacation. Belinda is back for Season 3, and host Martine Powers knew she wanted to talk to the actress who plays her.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.
Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with Supreme Court reporter Justin Jouvenal and Democracy reporter Colby Itkowitz about how President Donald Trump is testing the power of the courts — and trying to expand his own authority in the process. They break down the cases facing the executive branch right now, what Trump and his allies are saying about them, and why some experts say Trump’s actions run afoul of the constitution.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Ted Muldoon.
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Ronny Chieng’s approach to comedy, along with his expanding TV and film portfolio, have put him on The Washington Post’s first-ever “Post Next 50” list – 50 people shaping our society this year. In this conversation with Elahe Izadi, he reflects on why he works to write jokes for his stand-up in a way that anyone can appreciate, even if they’re coming from a different perspective, and why the work of “The Daily Show” is crucial.
By the way, Martine Powers interviewed another name on the “Post Next 50” list. You can catch her conversation with Congresswoman Sarah McBride here.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.
Special thanks to Evan Bretos, Hope Corrigan, Bronwen Latimer, Daniela Santamarina and Maggie Penman.
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Today on “Post Reports,” how USAID entered President Donald Trump’s crosshairs. And, how his freeze on foreign aid has affected vulnerable people around the world.
Read more:
On the first day of his second term in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order freezing foreign aid for 90 days. The suspension was part of the president’s effort to slash public spending, remake the federal government and align foreign policy more closely with his “America First” agenda. And it had near-immediate consequences.
Today on “Post Reports,” The Post’s West Africa bureau chief Rachel Chason relays the fears of a refugee camp coordinator in Mauritania, where more than 115,000 residents rely on American aid.
And, host Martine Powers speaks with national security reporter Missy Ryan about why the Trump administration has focused its sights on the U.S. Agency for International Development, the legal roadblocks they may face, and how an aid freeze could impact the United States' standing around the world.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Elana Gordon. It was edited by Peter Bresnan, with help from Lucy Perkins, and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Katharine Houreld, Amy Fiscus and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
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Sarah McBride was elected to the House of Representatives in 2024, representing Delaware's lone congressional district — and becoming the first openly transgender member of Congress.
She’s become a target for her conservative colleagues — but she’s also determined to work with Republicans. She joins Martine Powers to talk about how she makes that work and what she thinks Democrats can do now.
Rep. Sarah McBride is part of “Post Next 50,” The Post’s project profiling 50 people shaping our society in 2025. The full list can be found here.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair. Thank you to Lucas Trevor.
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Host Martine Powers talks with health reporter Lena Sun about the connection between bird flu and egg prices. She also explains what consumers should know about how bird flu spreads and whether the cost of eggs will drop any time soon.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Lynh Bui.
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Over the last five years Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs have dominated the NFL and the national sports spotlight. They are looking for a historic third straight Super Bowl win this weekend in New Orleans. On the other side of the ball is the Philadelphia Eagles. Led by star running back Saquon Barkley, they are seeking their first championship since 2018.
Today on the show, host Ava Wallace is joined by national sports reporter Adam Kilgore and sports columnist Candace Buckner. They discuss Kansas City’s quest for history, Philadelphia’s chance for redemption, and the players who could make the difference.
Today’s episode was produced by Lucas Trevor and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Maggie Penman and Dan Steinberg.
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Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with senior national political correspondent Naftali Bendavid and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about President Donald Trump's proposal to “take over” Gaza, displace Palestinians and remake it as the “riviera” of the Middle East. They also dig into Trump's use of tariffs as bargaining chips and the lack of resistance to Trump policies from both parties.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair.
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As the Trump administration ramps up immigration arrests, it’s promoting a simple story: They are getting the dangerous criminals out. But to get to the massive numbers of deportations that President Donald Trump has promised, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is also arresting people without violent or criminal offenses on their records. Those arrests have spread fear among undocumented immigrants and their family members.
Today, a look inside two recent ICE arrests. First, host Martine Powers speaks with immigration reporter Nick Miroff about his recent ride along with ICE in New York City. Then, a visit to Newark, New Jersey, where investigative immigration reporter Silvia Foster-Frau reported on ICE’s arrest of three men working at a seafood distributor.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Reena Flores with help from Maggie Penman. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Jenna Johnson.
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Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency – a team of 20 or so engineers – now has influence in a number of departments, working to deplete the civil service. But is this legal?
Read more:
Elon Musk and other unelected officials are working to remake the U.S. government.
Faiz Siddiqui has been covering the world’s richest man for years, and he says Musk’s playbook at DOGE is similar to what he did at X, formerly known as Twitter: Cut first, ask questions later.
There are still questions about whether that worked for X and whether it’s legal for the U.S. government.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Over the weekend President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would be putting an import tax on goods coming from Mexico, Canada and China. He said he wanted to stop people from bringing fentanyl into the country and prevent migrants from crossing the borders. The leaders of the other countries are working to find alternative solutions with Trump, and on Monday the tariffs against Mexico and Canada were delayed for a month after he had conversations with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. But if they take effect later, the steep taxes could push the price of many items up for Americans, like cars and cell phones.
Martine Powers speaks with Mexico City correspondent Mary Beth Sheridan about how these tariffs would work and what the impact of them could be on Americans and the globe.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sam Bair. And edited by Reena Flores.
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Franke spoke out during the spring student protests on the Columbia University campus. She had watched as mostly Republican lawmakers grilled the presidents of MIT, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard on live television. Soon after, the latter two women resigned — followed months later by Columbia’s Minouche Shafik. Franke read about professors at colleges in other states, from Arizona to California to Pennsylvania, who said they were fired or punished for speaking out about the Gaza war.
Months later, she didn’t know whether she’d be next. Nor had she decided how to respond to Columbia’s verdict of its probe into her actions, whenever it came: She could accept what the university determined. She could draw on her legal expertise to fight any punishment in court. Or she could give up and retire early, because sometimes she was no longer sure she wanted to stay.
Could she still teach at Columbia, if she could no longer recognize it? This is the story of what unfolded in Franke’s life after the student protests. The piece was reported, written and read by Hannah Natanson. Audio production and original music by Bishop Sand.
Trump’s extraordinary news conference on the plane crash near Reagan National Airport, his administration’s freeze and unfreeze of all federal funds, and the Senate hearings for three more of his controversial Cabinet picks.
Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks through another chaotic week of political news with Congress reporter Liz Goodwin and White House economics reporter Jeff Stein. They break down Trump’s baseless claims that DEI could be the cause of the fatal plane crash in the Potomac, why the administration reversed its decision to halt the flow of all federal funds, and whether Trump’s picks for FBI director, director of national intelligence and health and human services secretary have enough support to be confirmed.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen.
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“It was probably out in the middle of the river. I just saw a fireball, and then it was gone.” Today on “Post Reports,” unpacking a deadly collision in the nation’s capital.
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On Wednesday night, an American Airlines plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in midair near Reagan National Airport. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River in Washington.
D.C. officials believe the three soldiers in the helicopter and all 64 passengers and crew aboard the airplane were killed.
Today on “Post Reports,” host Elahe Izadi and transportation reporter Lori Aratani break down what we know about the collision, the close calls faced around Reagan National Airport in the recent past, and President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the Federal Aviation Administration were to blame for the crash.
Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand and Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Reena Flores. Thanks to Teddy Amenabar, Blair Guild, Evan Hill, Jorge Ribas, Chris Rowland, Kyle Swenson and Clarence Williams.
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The stock market plummeted this week after a Chinese company showed it could do more with less. Today, we talk about the new AI chatbot DeepSeek, and why people are freaking out about it – from Silicon Valley to Wall Street to Washington.
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For two years, American artificial intelligence companies looked unstoppable. Then came DeepSeek.
Today on Post Reports, we talk to tech policy reporter Eva Dou about how a scrappy startup became so dominant, and what it means for the AI arms race.
Eva has a book out now about one of the world’s most controversial tech companies, set against the backdrop of the political, social and economic transformation of China. It’s called “House of Huawei: The Secret of China’s Most Powerful Company.”
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to James Graff.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s selection has raised red flags among medical experts and public health officials, especially because of his stance on vaccines. Health reporter Lauren Weber and data reporter Caitlin Gilbert examined hundreds of appearances that RFK Jr. has made to understand the extent of his disparaging claims about vaccines.
Today on “Post Reports,” Weber discusses what they exclusively unearthed and what it all means for the contentious confirmation battle ahead.
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Caroline Kennedy warns senators of ‘predator’ RFK Jr. in searing letter
10 RFK Jr. conspiracy theories and false claims, in his own words
Pressure builds on RFK Jr. as confirmation hearing remains unscheduled
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Stephen Smith and Caitlin Gilbert.
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Over the weekend, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials received instructions from the White House to ramp up deportations, from a few hundred per day to at least 1,200. This came after President Donald Trump expressed disappointment with the results of his mass deportation campaign so far, according to people with knowledge of the briefings.
The orders significantly increase the chance that officers will engage in more indiscriminate enforcement tactics or face accusations of civil rights violations as they strain to meet quotas, according to current and former ICE officials.
Host Martine Powers speaks with immigration reporter Nick Miroff about what these new deportation quotas mean for the country, and the obstacles the Trump administration could face in making these goals a reality.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff with help from Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Ahead of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, scores of career diplomats at the State Department were asked by Trump aides to resign.
Trump campaigned on dismantling what he has called the “deep state” of federal bureaucrats, who he views as lacking loyalty to him and undermining his agenda. The forced departures were seen as confirmation of this plan – and a step toward changing the tone of the department.
But who are these bureaucrats, and what are their stories?
Those are the driving questions behind Netflix’s “The Diplomat.” Martine Powers spoke to its creator and executive producer, Debora Cahn. The show is about the life of a no-nonsense Foreign Service officer who’s suddenly made the U.S. ambassador to Britain. It is messy, it is human, and it – unintentionally – sometimes seems to be in conversation with the headlines.
On “Post Reports” today, Martine and Debora talk about the stories we don’t hear out of the Foreign Service, the allure of “competency porn,” and what “The Diplomat” can tell us about the value of “using your words.”
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Maggie Penman.
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Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with senior White House reporter Isaac Arnsdorf and national political reporter Marianne LeVine about how Trump’s executive actions are already having a tangible impact. They also talk about how Trump’s pardon of Jan. 6 rioters was met with a muted response from several prominent Republicans.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Historically, many women dropped out of the labor force because of family obligations. Today, women are working longer — in some cases because they feel like they’ve finally hit their stride in their careers. In other cases, they feel they can’t afford to retire.
Hannah Ziegler is a business reporter for The Post, and she talks to host Martine Powers about this Big Shift as the workforce becomes older — and more female.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.
You can also read about the hurdles older women face with investing and how some savers have overcome them. Plus, the women who are sharing their homes as they grow older.
Check out a live podcast taping that will be hosted by Martine on Jan. 25 about the enduring legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
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On Wednesday, Rupert Murdoch’s British media group agreed to pay “substantial damages” and apologized to Prince Harry as part of a settlement agreement over claims that the paper illegally intruded into the prince’s life. Harry is one of many celebrities and politicians who have sued Murdoch’s papers for illegally obtaining private information – the claims stretch back to 2011, when it was first revealed that journalists at the tabloids might be hacking phones.
Martine speaks with democracy reporter Sarah Ellison about why Prince Harry finally decided to settle and what this outcome means for the Murdochs.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair.
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It’s not over for TikTok. Or is it? Today on “Post Reports,” why the app went dark in the United States, how it came back and who controls its fate.
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Last week, the Supreme Court upheld a federal law banning TikTok in the United States unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sold to an American buyer.
On Sunday, the popular video-sharing app went dark, only to come back later that night. And on Monday, Trump signed an executive order to halt the ban.
Today on “Post Reports,” tech reporter Drew Harwell digs into the national security arguments that swayed the court’s decision, why Trump’s opinion on the app has flip-flopped and why users of the platform might still feel like they’re in purgatory.
And, we hear from Dave Jorgenson, the face of The Washington Post’s TikTok team, about how TikTok users are feeling amid the turmoil.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Bishop Sand. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Lucy Perkins and Monica Campbell. Thanks also to Alexis Fitts.
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Check out a live podcast taping that will be hosted by Martine on Jan. 25 about the enduring legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Crowds of Trump supporters in Washington were supposed to watch the inauguration on the National Mall. But when plans changed last-minute because of freezing temperatures, the president’s fans crowded instead into indoor space at Capital One Arena and nearby bars.
At the same time, Trump was getting sworn in at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, flanked by tech billionaires and members of his proposed Cabinet.
On today’s episode, host Martine Powers talks with chief correspondent Dan Balz about the unusual inauguration, Trump’s plans for his presidency and what he’s already doing to make them a reality.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Reena Flores. Thanks to Annah Aschbrenner.
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Check out a live podcast taping that will be hosted by Martine on Jan. 25 about the enduring legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
In this special episode of “Post Reports,” columnist Petula Dvorak reads her first installment of The Post’s revealing history column, Retropolis.
James Buchanan barely won the presidency. The nation was roiling in the debate over slavery. So when Buchanan became gravely ill before his inaugural address, it wasn’t a stretch to suspect an assassination attempt. The presidential entourage all stayed at the posh National Hotel on Capitol Hill and they fell ill, too. It hit more than 400 guests of the hotel and more than 30 died. It became known as the mysterious National Hotel Disease and confounded Washington for months.
The piece was reported, written and read by Petula Dvorak. Audio production and original music by Bishop Sand.
Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author of The Campaign Moment newsletter talks with national security reporter Abby Hauslohner and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about the most heated exchanges that Trump’s picks for defense secretary and attorney general, Pete Hegseth and Pam Bondi, faced during their Senate confirmation hearings. They also talk about what to expect if the historic ceasefire deal goes into effect over the weekend and what to watch for at Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Rennie Svirnovskiy, who also mixed the episode. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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After months of negotiations mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement. But its fate is already in doubt.
If the agreement takes effect as planned Sunday, an initial 42-day ceasefire would bring Gaza’s residents some relief from Israeli attacks that have killed more than 46,700 people there, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry’s toll does not distinguish between civilians and militants.
In exchange, Hamas has agreed to release 33 of the hostages it kidnapped during its Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel.
The status of the deal is not certain: On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office cast doubt on whether it would be formally approved. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes have killed at least 77 people in the Gaza Strip since the deal was announced, according to Gaza’s civil defense spokesman. At least 25 women and 21 children were reported to be among the dead.
Today on “Post Reports,” correspondent Claire Parker joins us from Jerusalem to talk about the factors that finally led to a ceasefire agreement – and what the road ahead could look like.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Monica Campbell with help from Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.Thanks to Heba Farouk Mahfouz, Miriam Berger, Erin Cunningham and Alan Sipress.
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The 2024 election pushed some people to put down their phones more and tune out of the news. But author Catherine Price started thinking about breaking up with her phone years ago, after realizing she was focusing on it instead of her newborn daughter.
“Our devices and their apps are designed to fragment our attention, whether it is taking us out of our real-life experience and getting us to focus our attention even momentarily on the phone itself or it's what we do within apps where we are looking at different pieces of content in a particular feed,” Price told “Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi.
After realizing how detrimental her phone was to her life, she wrote “How to Break Up With Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life.” The book details the negative impact our phones can have on our attention and mental health and provides advice for how to create a healthier relationship with them.
“It really has made me feel more alive,” Price said. “It encouraged me to ask questions that have resulted in me tapping into this broader community of people I never would have met and discovering this joy.”
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.
You can find more writing by Price at her Substack here.
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After two men brutally assaulted a security guard on a train platform in St. Louis, police detectives faced a daunting challenge: identifying the attackers. Police turned to facial recognition technology, feeding a blurry image from a small surveillance camera into the software.
The software gave them the mugshot of a man who says he had nothing to do with the crime. Christopher Gatlin spent over a year in jail awaiting trial before the case was dropped.
Gatlin is one of at least eight people in the United States who have been wrongfully arrested after being identified by facial recognition technology. All of those cases were eventually dropped by prosecutors – but only after the suspects fought to clear their names.
Business and tech investigations reporter Doug MacMillan unpacks his research into how police are using AI-driven facial recognition and how people like Gatlin have been wrongfully arrested as a result.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff and Trinity Webster-Bass. It was edited by Maggie Penman and Evelyn Larrubia. Thank you to David Ovalle and Aaron Schaffer.
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Today, when disaster hits home. Weather editor Paulina Firozi and Brianna Sacks, an extreme weather and disaster reporter, are Post colleagues. We'll hear how they and others are grappling with the devastation in L.A.
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When several wildfires began ripping through parts of Los Angeles County on Jan. 7, The Post’s Brianna Sacks, an extreme weather and disaster reporter, began documenting the destruction. Then the story turned personal as her own father’s house in Pacific Palisades burned down.
Since Tuesday, the Palisades Fire has burned over 23,000 acres. The Eaton Fire, which erupted to the northeast, has burned more than 14,000 acres, according to Cal Fire, while the Hurst Fire, burning in the north, has spread to over 700 acres.
At least 24 people have been killed in the fires.
Today on “Post Reports,” Brianna speaks with weather editor Paulina Firozi, also from Los Angeles, about the wildfires and what it has meant to see their childhood neighborhoods erased. We also hear from other Angelenos about how they are grappling with loss — and finding hope.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Monica Campbell and Renita Jablonski. Thanks also to Zach Goldfarb, Juliet Eilperin, Maggie Penman and Allison Michaels.
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Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Post’s White House editor, Naftali Bendavid, and national political reporter Maeve Reston about the politics of Trump’s sentencing in the New York hush money case. They also dig into how Trump is trying to pin the Los Angeles wildfires on Democrats and look ahead to next week’s Senate confirmation hearing for Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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After 10 years on the job, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced earlier this week that he is stepping down.
Today, The Washington Post’s Amanda Coletta and host Elahe Izadi break down Trudeau’s career, where this leaves Canadian politics and what this could mean for U.S.-Canada relations.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores with help from Monica Campbell. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Reem Akkad.
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Early Tuesday, wildfires started burning across Los Angeles County. The scale of the destruction is massive; entire neighborhoods are in flames, with longtime businesses, schools and houses of worship burnt to the ground.
Today, guest host Rachel Siegel speaks with extreme weather and natural disaster reporter Brianna Sacks about what Los Angeles looks like as the wildfires rage, and the struggle to contain the flames.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Ariel Plotnick and Elana Gordon. It was edited by Reena Flores with help from Lucy Perkins. It was mixed by Sam Bair.
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The country’s top doctor is calling for cancer risk warning labels on alcohol. On “Post Reports,” why, and what that could mean for you.
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Last week, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in an advisory that studies suggest alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of cancer, contributing to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 related deaths each year.
For that reason, he says health warning labels on bottles of alcohol should be updated to include a cancer risk warning and that recommended limits for alcohol consumption should also be reassessed, given the increased risk of certain cancers.
Today on “Post Reports,” public health reporter Fenit Nirappil breaks down the science behind the surgeon general’s advisory, what it would take to get warning labels amended and what it could all mean for you.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Monica Campbell and mixed by Sam Bair.
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On New Year’s Day in New Orleans, a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people, killing 14 and leaving many others injured. In the aftermath law enforcement found an Islamic State flag in the truck, and evidence that shows the man was inspired by the extremist group.
This wasn’t the only Islamic State-inspired incident in recent months.
Today on “Post Reports,” guest host Rachel Siegel speaks with national security reporter Joby Warrick about how people become radicalized by the Islamic State and what the New Orleans attack and the canceled Taylor Swift concerts in Austria tell us about the power of extremist propaganda.
Warrick’s book “Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS” was awarded a 2016 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon, with help from Ariel Plotnick and Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Reena Flores, and mixed by Sam Bair.
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On Friday, Republicans once again selected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to be speaker of the House — but not before there was a little bit of drama.
Earlier this week, President-elect Donald Trump took to social media to link the New Year’s Day vehicular attack in New Orleans to weak border policies, even though the attacker was an American citizen born in Texas. In the hours following, the message became a popular Republican talking point.
Reporters Marianna Sotomayor, Marianne LeVine and Leigh Ann Caldwell join host Aaron Blake to discuss how Johnson eked out a victory in the speaker fight, and why the New Orleans attack became so quickly politicized.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachen Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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Early in the morning on New Year’s Day, a man drove a truck into a crowd of people celebrating on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. In the hours since, law enforcement has discovered key details that point to a possible motive, including an Islamic State flag in the attacker’s car.
Guest host Rachel Siegel and Justice Department reporter Perry Stein break down what we know about the terrorist attack in New Orleans.
We also talk about the investigation into a possible attack in Las Vegas with some eerie similarities, though no known connection.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Emma Talkoff and Elana Gordon. It was edited by Maggie Penman with help from Monica Campbell and Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sam Bair.
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Happiness, it turns out, comes down to a science — even though what makes each of us happy can vary widely. Host Cristina Quinn talks to happiness scientist Emiliana Simon-Thomas, science director at UC-Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, about exactly what makes us happy and how much our sense of joy is within our control.
Drawing from the science of happiness, Emiliana explains that happiness isn’t about chasing fleeting positive emotions, but rather about fostering an overarching sense of contentment, belonging and resilience. She also lays out how much of happiness is influenced by genetics, external circumstances and the choices we make.
This course reminds us that happiness isn’t out of reach — it’s something we can cultivate every day.
Emiliana and her colleagues at the Greater Good Science Center have been collecting data on happiness through the Big Joy Project, a seven-day online study where participants are assigned a micro-act of joy every day. Learn more about the project here.
For some extra happiness tips, read about trying new things for joy and embracing “joy snacks.”
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To hear more, check out “Try This” wherever you listen to podcasts.
Carter, a peanut farmer, Navy veteran and Georgia governor, served just four years in the White House. But his time in office was only part of his legacy. Later in life, he would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his pursuit of peace and human rights.
Elahe Izadi speaks with national political correspondent Dan Balz about the life and legacy of the former president.
Today’s show was produced by Ted Muldoon and Arjun Singh. It was edited by Maggie Penman, with help from Reena Flores. It was mixed by Ted Muldoon.
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It had been five years since Frankie Nole came out from behind prison doors. Now at age 72, Nole shakes his head. He had spent 49 years fighting to get out. He struggled to find work.
Managers unfailingly loved his attitude. Then — as always — came the background check and email. “Unfortunately, we have decided to move forward with other candidates …”
At a loss for a purpose, two years ago, he started picking up other prisoners on the day they were released. He put out the word to friends on the inside. He persuaded guards to put up notices in prisons across Pennsylvania. Anyone who didn’t have family or friends to get them — he’d be their ride.
This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written by William Wan. Audio narration comes from our partners at Noa, an app offering curated audio articles.
In 2000, the movie “Erin Brockovich” helped put the small town of Hinkley, California, on the map. The movie stars Julia Roberts as a determined law clerk who takes on the massive utility company Pacific Gas & Electric, which had been dumping chromium-6, the dangerous chemical, in Hinkley's groundwater.
Brockovich is depicted gathering evidence and building a legal case against the utility. And she prevails: The movie concludes with a landmark settlement awarded to residents.
But that Hollywood ending isn’t the whole story. Many residents say the settlement didn’t go far to cover mounting medical bills and moving costs. And the chromium-6 cleanup proved to be slow. It was stymied by the difficulty of containing widespread contamination and a small local water board lacking the power to enforce stricter standards. Today, Hinkley is a ghost town, and the water there is still contaminated with chromium-6.
On the 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act, investigative reporter Silvia Foster-Frau has traveled the country reporting on where America has fallen short in its promise of providing clean drinking water. In the final installment in this series, she returns to Hinkley to learn why, even with a massive spotlight, it can be so hard to clean up toxic tap water.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Biologist Daniel Hofstadter and a tiny band of researchers have been carrying out the most expansive barred owl removal effort to date. It’s a project that has killed more than 1,000 owls in Northern California since 2019 across nearly 10 million acres. The biologists believe that their work protecting spotted owls — a species that launched a conservation movement more than three decades ago — will ultimately help safeguard the ecosystem in one of the last old growth forests in the West.
Host Martine Powers speaks with national climate reporter Joshua Partlow about the motivation behind the barred owl removal, the brief history of spotted owls in the area, and the ornithologist who carries out the shootings.
Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Justin Garrish.
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Tom Sietsema has been The Post’s food critic for 25 years. Over a quarter of a century, Sietsema has eaten at and reviewed thousands of restaurants. Even after all these years, he’s not sick of it. In fact, Sietsema loves the theater of dining out, and he takes great pride in guiding readers toward truly delicious food.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.
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“Sesame Street” is an American institution. It began airing in 1969 as an educational program intended to help toddlers prepare for kindergarten. It has grown into a cultural staple and become one of the longest-running shows in TV history.
Back in 2022, Laura Meckler learned that Season 55 of “Sesame Street,” which will start airing next year, will focus heavily on the emotional well-being of young kids. She spent almost two years following the cast and creatives behind the show as they researched, wrote, and filmed their upcoming season.
But as she was reporting, Laura learned that “Sesame Street” is in a fight for its own survival. Warner Bros. Discovery, which currently distributes “Sesame Street,” has announced that it will not renew the show’s contract for another term. Now, the iconic show is on the hunt for a new streaming partner and is preparing a major reimagining as it tries to adapt both to the needs of today's kids and to the increasingly competitive world of children’s TV.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.
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This weekend, the 2024 College Football Playoff kicks off, featuring more teams, more storylines and a lot more money than ever before. Today on the show, how we got to this moment in college sports, and what could be next.
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In 2021, amateur athletes won the right to profit off sponsorships using their name, image and likeness or NIL). Now, some college football players are able to ink million-dollar endorsement deals with shoe brands and insurance companies. This has led to sweeping changes in college athletics, from how players are recruited to whom teams play against.
Guest host Ava Wallace talks to sports columnist Jerry Brewer and Jesse Dougherty, a reporter covering the business of college sports. They talk about the development of NIL, how conference realignment shaped the 2024 season and what the future could hold for amateur athletics.
Today’s show was produced by Lucas Trevor and edited by Maggie Penman. It was mixed by Ted Muldoon.
Today on “Post Reports,” Washington scrambles to avoid a government shutdown. President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk have fanned the flames.
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On Wednesday, Republicans scrapped House Speaker Mike Johnson’s initial bipartisan plan to avoid a government shutdown. That’s after President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk condemned the bill online. Musk called it “terrible,” “criminal,” “outrageous,” “horrible,” “unconscionable,” “crazy” and, ultimately, “an insane crime.”
Today on “Post Reports,” host Elahe Izadi and congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor discuss what Trump and Musk found so objectionable about that first plan, and why some are seeing it as a preview of the kind of power Musk – who’s not even a government official – could soon have over Washington.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Laura Benshoff, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores, with help from Lucy Perkins, and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Emily Rauhala.
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When Francesca Ebel, a Russia correspondent for The Post, returned to one of Moscow’s most popular nightclubs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, she noticed differences. The physical structure was there, but there were fewer young artists. Something had changed.
What Ebel noticed that night was just one example of a bigger shift. Her reporting has since found that young Russians are increasingly embracing a culture of ultranationalist patriotism and Orthodox Christian values. Online influencers and Kremlin-sanctioned artists are changing the narratives on war and identity. An independent poll this year found a majority of Russians ages 18 to 24 support Russia’s war in Ukraine. Conforming can bring rewards and career advancement. Defiance can mean jail – or worse.
Today on “Post Reports,” Ebel speaks with host Elahe Izadi about her reporting inside Russia on how Putin’s propaganda strategies toward Russian youth are working – and creating a new generation to carry forward the Kremlin’s anti-Western ideology.
Read more from The Post’s “Russia, Remastered” series:
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon, with help from Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy, who also helped with translation. It was edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Maggie Penman. Thanks to David Herszenhorn, Paul Schemm and Jenn Amur.
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Since he last held office, President-elect Donald Trump’s business interests have evolved. The real estate mogul launched the social media company Truth Social, and — in the height of this year’s presidential campaign — he announced a cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial.
Both of these industries could be targeted with efforts at regulation during Trump’s second term. So what could it mean for Trump to oversee an administration that also plays a role in these regulations? This dynamic sets up what ethics experts have described as unprecedented potential conflicts of interest for his second term.
“Post Reports” host Elahe Izadi speaks with investigative reporter Jonathan O’Connell about how Trump became involved in these new businesses, what potential conflicts of interest they present, and what we might learn from how Trump approached potential conflicts in his first term.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff with help from Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Alison MacAdam and Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Hundreds of thousands of protestors celebrated in Seoul over the weekend as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the National Parliament.
Yoon, who was elected by a narrow margin in 2022, oversaw deepening political divisions and a population increasingly frustrated by income inequality. His tenure was marked by scandals and unpopular choices. But his administration reached a breaking point when Yoon declared martial law in early December, outraging many Koreans who saw the move as an unwelcome return to the authoritarian rule of decades past.
Washington Post Tokyo bureau chief Michelle Ye Hee Lee was among the crowd celebrating outside the National Assembly, talking to protestors about why they were so excited to see the president impeached. She joins “Post Reports” to explain how Yoon fell from power, who will lead the country next and what lessons other countries can take from a tense 11 days in South Korea.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff with help from Elana Gordon and Sabby Robinson.
It was edited by Maggie Penman with help from Lucy Perkins, and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Dean DeSoto has been teaching his driving class for aggressive drivers over the past 26 years. During that time, he has come to believe several things. One is that what goes on in the country will play out on its roadways. Another is that anger on the roads is getting worse. Across the country, the number of people injured or killed in road rage incidents involving a gun has doubled since 2018, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group. There is no uniform definition of aggressive driving across law enforcement agencies and no national database to track it, but DeSoto has been keeping his own tally, including cases in Texas involving guns, knives, ice picks, 2-by-4s, tire tools, PVC pipe, plumbing pipe, bats, hammers, shovels, hatchets, ball bearings, marbles, frozen water bottles, bricks, stones and, in at least one instance, a spear.
This story follows attendees of DeSoto’s class as well as a police officer who encounters rage from motorists in Texas. The piece was reported, written and read by Ruby Cramer. Audio production and original music by Bishop Sand.
Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author of The Campaign Moment newsletter, sits down with senior congressional correspondent Paul Kane and White House reporter Matt Viser to talk about what Biden is trying to do with his last few weeks in office. They also talk about Time magazine’s person of the year interview with Trump and what two GOP Senate appointments could mean for Trump’s ability to get his agenda through Congress.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Justin Gerrish.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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Americans are being conned every day by increasingly sophisticated scams. Today, we hear the story of one woman who lost her life's savings to a government impersonation scam.
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According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans were scammed out of more than $10 billion in 2023. And that’s just what’s been reported.
Most scam victims never report the crime because they feel shame and embarrassment.
In “Scammed,” a seven-part series, personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary explains how con artists exploit human nature and technology to manipulate their victims. She joins “Post Reports” to tell the story of how Judith Boivin lost her life’s savings to a government impersonation scam.
Today’s show was produced by Charla Freeland. It was edited by Maggie Penman and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. Thank you to Joshua Carroll and Amber Ferguson.
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Two years ago, President Biden and congressional Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act, aimed at stimulating clean energy production and reducing carbon emissions. Since then, hundreds of thousands of jobs have been created and Americans have claimed over $8 billion in tax credits to spend on climate-friendly technologies for their homes. The biggest winners have been more conservative areas, where more investments have been made because of lower tax barriers and more incentives for companies to build there. But despite this, President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to stop efforts to boost clean energy, calling it the “green new scam.”
“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi speaks with reporter Maxine Joselow about how he could do this and what the lasting effects of the Inflation Reduction Act might be.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson with help from Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Justin Gerrish and edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Maggie Penman. Thank you also to Roger Hodge.
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After a five-day manhunt, authorities have arrested and charged a man with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Today on “Post Reports,” we bring you the latest in the case — and a look at why some on the internet cheered the killing.
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Authorities have charged 26-year-old Luigi Magione with murder in the shooting of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare chief executive who was killed in New York City last week.
New York police say Mangione killed Thompson, 50, with a fatal shot to his torso. According to a complaint made public Tuesday, police say Mangione is the person who killed Thompson based on evidence that includes “written admissions about the crime” as well as surveillance footage.
Today on “Post Reports,” health reporter Dan Diamond takes host Martine Powers through the multiday search for Mangione and the charges he faces. Dan also breaks down the reputation of UnitedHealthcare, and explains why so many on social media celebrated the health-care executive’s death.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Sabby Robinson and Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Reena Flores with help from Monica Campbell, and mixed by Justin Gerrish. Thanks also to Stephen Smith.
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After more than a decade of destructive civil war in Syria, it was widely assumed that the Assad regime would keep its grip on power. Instead, lightly armed rebels were able to launch an offensive that succeeded in toppling the regime in less than two weeks. Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow.
Louisa Loveluck spoke with Martine Powers as she prepared to cross into Syria.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Ted Muldoon, Emma Talkoff and Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Justin Gerrish and edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Maggie Penman and Reena Flores. Thanks to Naomi Schanen, Lior Soroka, Mohamad El Chamaa, Jesse Mesner-Hage, Jenn Amur and Andrew Golden.
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On Capitol Hill, Hegseth is facing renewed scrutiny over allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct, which he denies. So this week, the veteran and former Fox News host spent time with lawmakers, publicly and privately making the case for his leadership of the Defense Department. But some Republican senators are skeptical, and Trump is reportedly lining up other options.
Senior political reporter Aaron Blake breaks down the latest Cabinet controversies with White House editor Naftali Bendavid and Washington Post Live anchor Leigh Ann Caldwell. Plus, they discuss the extraordinary breadth of Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter and the possibility that Biden will issue more preemptive pardons to critics of the incoming president.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Justin Gerrish.
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Last month, organic carrots were recalled after they were linked to an E. coli outbreak across 18 states that left one dead. This week, cucumbers available in 19 states have been recalled after regulators fielded reports of at least 68 people falling ill from salmonella. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared a massive E. coli outbreak linked to slivered onions in McDonald’s Quarter Pounders to be over this week. Earlier this year, a Boar’s Head plant shut down and ceased making liverwurst following a deadly outbreak of listeria.
These kinds of high-profile incidents have many wondering about the country’s food safety system, even as the number of food recalls this year appears to be on track to go down slightly.
Today on “Post Reports,” co-host Elahe Izadi talks with national health-care reporter Rachel Roubein about how food regulation in the U.S. works, how bacteria like salmonella can wind up in vegetables like cucumbers and how to make sure the produce in our kitchens is safe to eat.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon with help from Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Reena Flores and mixed by Justin Gerrish. Thanks also to Tracy Jan.
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In the past week, the civil war in Syria reignited. Islamist rebels seized control of Aleppo, triggering a new phase in a years-long civil war. The Post’s Middle East bureau chief, Kareem Fahim, talks with host Elahe Izadi about why this moment matters.
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Last weekend’s assault on Aleppo, Syria’s economic capital, poses the most serious challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in years. Government forces, supported by Russia and Iran, have controlled the majority of territory in Syria. Now, the government is fighting back against Islamist rebels who showed surprising strength.
This shakeup raises questions for the major foreign powers who have, directly or indirectly, become involved in the conflict, such as Russia, Iran and the United States. The incoming Trump administration will have to decide how it addresses one more destabilizing situation in the Middle East.
Host Elahe Izadi talks with Middle East Bureau Chief Kareem Fahim about the implications for Syria and for the wider regional conflict.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Sabby Robinson, Ariel Plotnick and Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Justin Gerrish and edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Alison MacAdam, Reena Flores and Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Jesse Mesner-Hage.
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The case the Supreme Court will hear Wednesday is brought by a doctor and three transgender teens with their families – including L.W. and her parents, Brian and Samantha Williams. Their suit challenges a law in Tennessee, but nearly half of states have banned certain treatments for minors with gender dysphoria, so the implications of the Supreme Court case could be wide-ranging.
When the Williams family first sought out hormone treatment for their daughter, it wasn’t illegal in any state, but over the past few years, trans kids have increasingly become a talking point for Republican lawmakers.
Elahe Izadi speaks with reporter Casey Parks about what the law in Tennessee has meant for L.W. and her family – and what a ruling in this case could mean for the tens of thousands of kids who live in states where gender transition care is restricted.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff and Ariel Plotnick with help from Bishop Sand. It was edited by Maggie Penman with help from Reena Flores. It was mixed by Justin Gerrish.
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Today, why so many people on death row will likely never be executed and what this says about the American justice system.
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Today, more than 2,000 people sit on American death rows. But some may never see an execution chamber. Between moratoriums, court orders and other official edicts, many people on death row are left in a state of indefinite limbo.
Host Martine Powers speaks with criminal justice reporter Mark Berman about the state of the death penalty in America and what those languishing on death row symbolize about the American justice system.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Sabby Robinson and Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Maggie Penman, with help from Monica Campbell, and mixed by Justin Gerrish. Reshma Kirpalani provided tape from video interviews. Thank you to Efrain Hernandez Jr.
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On this episode of “Impromptu,” Opinions columnists Shadi Hamid and Heather Long talk with Style columnist Monica Hesse about what’s really behind the baby bust and whether we just need to prepare for a lower fertility future.
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Shane Harris first tasted “Vangie’s bacon” 10 years ago, and he hasn’t stopped thinking about it since. But learning her secret recipe turns out to be harder than Shane’s day job covering national security for The Washington Post. Today on the show, Shane goes on a quest to unlock the bacon mystery – and a time in Washington when Republicans, Democrats, spies, diplomats and journalists used to set their differences aside and gather around a dinner table.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Maggie Penman and Renita Jablonski. Special thanks to Ariel Plotnick and Ariella Markowitz. Tape of David K.E. Bruce courtesy of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.
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Today, host Martine Powers talks with The Post’s climate zeitgeist reporter Shannon Osaka about the benefits and challenges of rooftop solar panels, and why rooftop solar is more expensive than solar farms. Shannon also shares advice about how to take advantage of solar tax credits before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan and Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Reena Flores and mixed by Justin Gerrish.
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Today on “Post Reports,” we unpack President-elect Donald Trump’s seemingly contradictory picks for the top positions in public health – in particular, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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Public health experts have been alarmed by the idea that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, could be running the Department of Health and Human Services. But some of his other positions – like getting ultraprocessed foods out of school lunch and leaving abortion decisions up to women and their doctors – sound like liberal talking points.
Today, Martine unpacks his beliefs with accountability reporter Lauren Weber, who covers the forces behind medical misinformation for The Post. They talk about how likely it is that RFK Jr. and Trump’s other health picks could be confirmed, and what power they could have over American public health.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman with help from Reena Flores. It was mixed by Justin Gerrish.
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And build your ultimate Thanksgiving menu with our holiday meal planner here.
“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell, who co-authors the Early Brief politics newsletter for The Post, about why Gaetz’s bid for attorney general lasted just eight days. Aaron breaks down why Trump’s electoral mandate is actually weaker than he claims. Plus, answers to listeners’ and readers’ lingering questions about the 2024 election.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Justin Gerrish.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is poised to have an influential role in the next Trump administration as the president-elect's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Recently, Kennedy told news outlets that a top priority will be directing communities to take fluoride out of their drinking water.
Fluoride has been a pillar of public health for decades, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes it as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Experts point to evidence that it strengthens teeth and improves oral health. But fluoride has also inflamed local debates, where some oppose the government putting something in public drinking water. Recent research also raises questions about potential benefits and harms of fluoride.
Yet these growing debates are already well underway in Oregon, which is home to Portland, the largest U.S. city without fluoride in its drinking water. The liberal suburb of Hillsboro and the small conservative town of Lebanon may also foreshadow the impassioned fights that could soon spread across the country. Whether to add or remove fluoride from drinking water was on the ballots in both places this month, fueling intense battles in person and online.
National health reporter Fenit Nirappil recently traveled to Oregon to understand up close the science and politics of fluoride. He spoke with host Elahe Izadi about what he learned.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon, who also contributed reporting. Sabby Robinson contributed production help. It was edited by Reena Flores, with help from Lucy Perkins, and it was mixed by Justin Gerrish. Thanks to Tracy Jan.
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You can also read the oral history of Elphaba ahead of the opening weekend of the movie, Wicked, here.
Just a few years ago, the National Women’s Soccer League was a relatively small business. Now, it’s becoming a financial juggernaut with multimillion-dollar investments, a big TV deal and huge attendance. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to tune in this weekend for the big game: the championship match between the Washington Spirit and the Orlando Pride.
Guest host and sports writer Ava Wallace speaks with soccer reporter Steve Goff and sports editor Ella Brockway about how the NWSL emerged from years of scandal and underinvestment.
Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand with help from Lucas Trevor. It was edited by Maggie Penman and Alison MacAdam and mixed by Justin Gerrish.
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During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to make sweeping changes to federal agencies, including doing away with the Education Department.
This is not a new threat. Closing the department has been an off-and-on Republican goal since it was created in 1979. It is also difficult to make happen since it would require congressional approval – and it’s unlikely Trump would have sufficient support.
Still, Trump argues – and many Republicans are with him – that the department is unnecessary, ineffective and a tool of a “woke” culture war.
Today on “Post Reports,” host Elahe Izadi speaks with education reporter Laura Meckler about the implications of eliminating the Education Department and the possible ripple effects of Trump’s criticism of the agency.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Bishop Sand. It was mixed by Justin Garrish and edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Alison MacAdam, Maggie Penman and Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Chastity Pratt.
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Today on “Post Reports,” how President-elect Donald Trump plans to make good on his campaign promise of mass deportations.
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President-elect Donald Trump has taken steps to fulfill his pledge to deport undocumented immigrants on a massive scale by naming top officials to lead the effort: Stephen Miller and Tom Homan.
Miller — who helped shape policies during Trump’s first administration, including the ban on travel from many Muslim-majority countries and family separations at the border — is expected to become a deputy chief of staff.
Tom Homan, a former acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will serve as “border czar,” in charge of border security and deportations.
On today’s “Post Reports,” reporter Nick Miroff walks host Elahe Izadi through what those picks could mean for the incoming administration’s approach to immigration enforcement and why they might have an easier time this term to turn Trump’s rhetoric into reality. We also hear from an immigration lawyer and advocate about how he’s advising his clients to prepare for another Trump presidency.
Today’s episode was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Laura Benshoff, with help from Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Monica Campbell with help from Maggie Penman and Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Maria Sacchetti and Efrain Hernandez Jr.
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There’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz to head up the Justice Department. Former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence. Trump has chosen some eyebrow-raising names to staff his Cabinet. But are there any Republicans in the Senate that would choose to block them?
Congress reporter Liz Goodwin joins hosts Aaron Blake and Elahe Izadi to dig into Trump’s Cabinet appointments, their chances in the Senate, and whether Trump could bypass the upper chamber entirely with the use of recess appointments.
Today's episode was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Reena Flores, Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.
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Gaetz has been under investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct, illegal drug use and accepting improper gifts. The choice of Gaetz for attorney general stunned senators and even some of Trump’s own advisors and set up a test of loyalty for a Republican Senate that might be loath to confirm Gaetz.
Host Elahe Izadi speaks with congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor about why Trump would choose Gaetz – and why the former congressman is so controversial, even within his own party.
Today’s episode was produced by Laura Benshoff, with help from Ariel Plotnick and Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy and edited by Monica Campbell with help from Maggie Penman, Lucy Perkins, and Reena Flores. Thanks to Emily Rauhala.
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Elon Musk invested millions of dollars to help Donald Trump’s reelection campaign through the political action committee America PAC. The result was a massive door-knocking campaign in critical swing states and million-dollar giveaways to voters who signed a petition. Musk held rallies and town halls across Pennsylvania, spoke at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, and was alongside the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago on election night.
Now Musk has been picked to help lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, with the goal of cutting government spending and streamlining regulations.
Tech reporter Trisha Thadani spoke with Martine Powers about Musk’s political affiliations and his role in a future Trump administration and how it could benefit Musk’s companies.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick and edited by Maggie Penman. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Lucas Trevor, Bishop Sand, Reena Flores, Sabby Robinson and Emma Talkoff.
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When it comes to abortion, the results of last week’s election were decidedly mixed. Abortion protections passed in New York, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Missouri but failed in Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota. This means that 2 million more women now have access to abortion services across the country.
But with Donald Trump’s second term as president nearing, there are questions about how a Republican-controlled government will approach the issue of abortion, and whether a federal abortion ban could be on the table.
Elahe Izadi speaks to Post reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske about what abortion access now looks like after the election, and how that could change again when Trump returns to the White House.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Susan Levine, Frances Stead Sellers and Maggie Penman. Additional reporting for this episode was provided by Reshma Kerpalani.
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On today’s “Post Reports,” how foreign leaders are reacting to Trump’s victory, and how they are preparing for a second Trump presidency.
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For months, foreign leaders have been anxiously awaiting the results of the United States’ presidential election. Now, with Donald Trump’s decisive victory, politicians and policymakers abroad are wondering what a second Trump presidency will mean for them, and for the complex issues facing the world right now.
Today, host Martine Powers speaks with foreign affairs columnist Ishaan Tharoor about the ripple effects of Trump’s win across the globe.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Ariel Plotnick and Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sam Bair. And edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Maggie Penman.
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Read more about veterans helping with Hurricane Helene recovery efforts here.
“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers, senior political reporter Aaron Blake and White House reporter Cleve Wootson break down the questions many Democrats are asking right now about why Harris lost: Should Biden have dropped out earlier? Did Harris run a bad campaign? Does America hate women?
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to do a variety of things on “Day 1” should he win the presidency: mass deportations, tariffs on all U.S. imports, cutting federal funding for schools that discuss race and much more.
Today, host Martine Powers speaks with White House reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb about what Trump’s second term could mean for America.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Ariel Plotnick and Bishop Sand. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnoskiy. And edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Reena Flores. Thanks to Gina Harkins.
“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake and senior national political correspondent Ashley Parker about how Donald Trump won over a broad swath of voters to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris. Plus, how Democrats are reacting to their election losses and what this defeat means for the party’s future.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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Former president Trump is projected to win the White House – again. Martine Powers takes you through what we know about the results of a historic election.
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Very early Wednesday morning, former president Donald Trump stepped on stage in south Florida and claimed victory. Sounding surprised about how the election had gone, the former president promised to “fix everything” and praised his supporters, saying this was “the greatest political movement of all time.”
This morning on Post Reports, we’re walking you through what happened overnight. Later today we’ll be back with another episode diving deeper into the results, and what the second Trump presidency might look like.
This morning’s show was produced and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Peter Bresnan and Elana Gordon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski with help from Maggie Penman and Monica Campbell. Thank you to Aaron Blake, Dan Balz and Mo Rodman.
After an unprecedented campaign season, Election Day in America is finally here. Today, host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter and host of “The Campaign Moment” podcast Aaron Blake about what to pay attention to as results start to come in this evening, including downballot races and potential scenarios for each candidate's path to victory.
Plus: Election anxiety is real! Here’s how to manage stress throughout the day.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick and Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Sam Bair. It was edited by Reena Flores, with fact checking help from Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Mary Jo Murphy, Jenna Johnson, Cathy Decker, Susan Levine, and the whole slew of Post reporters around the country covering this election on the ground, including Laura Benshoff, Holly Bailey, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, and Josh Dawsey.
It’s the day before the presidential election, and a lot of people have already voted – or at least made up their minds.
But there are still undecided voters in key swing states who may or may not turn out. Last week, “Post Reports” producers interviewed some of these voters – whom we’re calling “The Deciders” – a key voting bloc that The Washington Post has been following all year. We’re bringing you their thoughts today.
Host Martine Powers also speaks with Scott Clement, polling director for The Post, about what these voters mean for former president Donald Trump’s or Vice President Kamala Harris’s path to victory.
Starting in the spring, The Post reached out to a contact list of voters who were not committed to either candidate, or who had a history of voting infrequently, and therefore might sit out the 2024 presidential election. All live in one of the seven battleground states largely expected to determine the election: Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada. Clement describes how The Post has surveyed this group over time to gain insight into what motivates them and which way they are swinging this November.
Correction: a previous version of this podcast incorrectly said voter Richard Schall is from Michigan. The audio has been updated.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff with help from Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Emily Guskin.
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What the early voting numbers and final polling say in the last days of the 2024 campaign.
“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with Amy Gardner, who covers early voting for The Post, about what early voting data can and can’t tell us right now about the election results. They also talk about whether looking at polls this weekend is helpful, and what to make of burned ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington.
Today’s show was produced by Eliza Dennis. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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In the final days of a presidential election that polls show as extremely close, we wanted to know how supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are feeling.
Our host Martine Powers and producer Emma Talkoff went to Harris’s rally on the Ellipse in D.C. while producer Elana Gordon went to a Trump rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Today, we bring you dispatches from these two rallies that happened on the same day a week before the election.
Also, we’re highlighting a Halloween story. The Post has reported on eco-friendly ways to get rid of a pumpkin. Tips include composting it or even smashing it.
Today’s show was reported and produced by Martine Powers, Emma Talkoff, Elana Gordon and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Maggie Penman. Thank you to Monica Campbell, Bishop Sand, Sabrina Rodriguez and Ariel Plotnick.
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San Luis, Arizona, has a population of around 40,000 people. Most still vote for Democrats, if they vote. But in the 2020 presidential election, Democrats saw their advantage drop by 36 percentage points here since 2016.
This swing is one indicator of the inroads Republicans have made in recent years in traditional Democratic strongholds, gains that former president Donald Trump hopes will propel him back into the White House. That strategy relies on winning over young, non-college-educated men.
We meet a family in San Luis, where debates over whom to vote for dominate the dinner conversation, and we travel to other key swing states where Latino men are aligning with the GOP to better understand this emerging political trend.
Host Martine Powers speaks with voting reporter Sabrina Rodriguez about her reporting on Latino communities in battleground states, and they also break down the fallout from racist and sexist remarks at a recent Trump rally in New York City.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Maggie Penman and Reena Flores. Thanks to Nick Baumann.
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Patience Frazier said she had a miscarriage in April 2018. A month later, police were at her door, asking about a Facebook post and a cross in her backyard. Today, the story of Frazier, and what happens when someone is prosecuted under an abortion law.
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Patience Frazier was charged with manslaughter under an abortion law from 1911. It was a rare instance of a woman who sought an abortion facing prosecution.
Host Martine Powers is joined by reporter Caroline Kitchener to talk about Frazier’s story, the aftermath of her arrest, and the sheriff’s deputy who pushed for her prosecution.
Today’s episode was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, and edited by Reena Flores. It was mixed by Ted Muldoon.
Thanks to Peter Wallsten, Bishop Sand and Lucas Trevor.
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Former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have made vastly different proposals to address the housing shortage. Harris says that her administration will provide incentives to get millions of homes built while helping first-time homebuyers with their down payments. Trump says that deporting large numbers of undocumented immigrants will free up more housing for Americans, an idea that has been widely debunked by economists.
Host Elahe Izadi speaks with housing reporter Rachel Siegel about why housing has become such a hot topic this election season, and whether either candidate's plans are feasible.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Bishop Sand. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Peter Bresnan, with help from Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Sam Fortier and Mike Madden.
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In the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, host Lillian Cunningham created the “Presidential” podcast, with one episode dedicated to each of the (at the time) 44 U.S. presidents. Now, in the thick of the 2024 election, Lillian is back. This is the second of two special “Presidential” podcast episodes released in advance of the presidential election on Nov. 5. The episodes examine how the candidates, former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, could make history if they win. This episode focuses on the history and precedent surrounding Trump’s run, as a former president hoping to retake the office.
Library of Congress archivist – and “Presidential” fan favorite – Michelle Krowl talks with host Lillian Cunningham about the long history of American presidents seeking reelection after their tenure has ended, unspooling the stories of the six previous men to try it. Only former president Grover Cleveland was successful, but all of their efforts offer parallels and lessons for today.
Want to brush up on more presidential history? Listen to the full “Presidential” podcast. Host and creator Lillian Cunningham takes listeners on an epic historical journey through the personality and legacy of each American president. The podcast features interviews with the country’s greatest experts on the presidency, including Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers Doris Kearns Goodwin, David McCullough, Jon Meacham and Bob Woodward.
Archival audio in this episode is courtesy of the Library of Congress and the G. Robert Vincent Voice Library at Michigan State University.
Over the past few months, Elon Musk has heavily invested in the Trump campaign. Musk is hosting rallies in swing states, giving out million-dollar checks to registered voters in those states and organizing canvassers. Billionaires donating to presidential campaigns is nothing new, but Musk is putting much more than money into the race.
Elahe Izadi speaks with technology reporter Trisha Thadani and national political reporter Michael Scherer about Musk’s political influence.
Today’s show was produced by Eliza Dennis and Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair.
The Campaign Moment newsletter is here.
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The morning after the 2020 election, then-president Donald Trump prematurely declared victory and claimed that a “fraud” was being perpetrated on the American public. He would go on to wage a campaign against the 2020 results, which culminated in rioters storming the U.S. Capitol.
Now, with Trump back on the ballot, experts are concerned that Trump and his allies may use the same playbook they did in 2020 to challenge the 2024 results. Trump has already suggested that the 2024 election would be stolen from him and has continued to press baseless claims about election fraud.
Today on “Post Reports,” Martine Powers speaks with reporter Patrick Marley about how Trump tried to contest the 2020 results, what has changed in the past four years, and what may play out in 2024.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Jenna Johnson.
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This year, several large unions withheld their endorsements for a presidential candidate – a move that upset Democrats, because the majority of unions have always endorsed Democratic candidates. This was reflective of a shift that’s been happening since the 2016 election, with more and more union members moving to the right.
This division was on display when labor reporter Lauren Kaori Gurley visited the Ford auto plant in Wayne, Michigan, a factory in a critical swing state. Workers told her that they listen to MSNBC and Joe Rogan while they work and wear shirts in support of former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Some said they were still undecided.
Host Martine Powers spoke with Lauren about why this shift to the right has happened and what workers at the auto plant told her about how they’re deciding whom to vote for.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter. And edited by Reena Flores, with help from Monica Campbell. Thanks to Mike Madden.
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In recent months, rapid advances in AI audio technology have made it possible to clone any voice, chat with artificial versions of celebrities like Judi Dench, and make a podcast on any topic in minutes.
Those developments have raised ethical questions, opening the door for election disinformation and scams. And they’ve also raised philosophical questions about what complex constellation of qualities allows us to relate to a voice.
Martine Powers speaks with technology columnist Geoffrey Fowler about how Silicon Valley is attempting to re-create the human voice – and where they’re falling short.
Also mentioned in today’s show: How to spot AI-generated “deepfakes” of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff with help from Elana Gordon. It was edited by Peter Bresnan with help from Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Hamas’s leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces last week. The Israeli government had been searching for Sinwar ever since he helped orchestrate the deadly Oct. 7 terror attacks last year. While some celebrated Sinwar’s death – and see this moment as a potential catalyst for a ceasefire – Sinwar’s supporters see him as a martyr,
Today, host Martine Powers speaks with The Post’s Jerusalem bureau chief, Steve Hendrix, about who Sinwar was, the fallout from his death, and whether it changes the likelihood of an end to the war in Gaza.
It was produced by Sabby Robinson with help from Emma Talkoff and Bishop Sand. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Reena Flores. Thanks to Jesse Mesner-Hage, Ahemed Shehata and Lisa Jacobson.
Listen to the latest update in the “Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop” series here.
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“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with national political reporter Marianne LeVine about the peculiar moments that she’s observed on the campaign trail this week with former president Donald Trump. From a music listening session on stage, to some eyebrow-raising interviews with both candidates, “The Campaign Moment” crew digs into the Trump and Harris campaigns’ final sprints before Election Day.
Today’s show was produced by Eliza Dennis. It was edited by Reena Flores and Mary Jo Murphy. It was mixed by Sam Bair.
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Jon Tester is one of the last Senate Democrats standing in a red state. First elected in 2006, he pitches his bipartisan record and his Montana roots as an antidote to national political warfare. He still farms the land his grandparents settled in the state and has a personal relationship with voters. But the state he represents is changing. The Republican candidate, businessman and veteran Tim Sheehy, has accused Tester of being too liberal for Montana, a state that voted for Trump by more than 16 percentage points in 2020.
On today’s “Post Reports,” host Martine Powers speaks with reporter Liz Goodwin, who traveled to Montana with producer Laura Benshoff, about the race and the Republican voters who used to like Tester and will probably decide his fate.
This episode was produced by Laura Benshoff, with help from Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Reena Flores, with help from Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thank you to Emily Ruahala and Jesse Mesner-Hage.
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Just 140 miles off the coast of the Philippines’ largest island is a sparkling blue lagoon that is rich with fish and minerals. This ring of reefs and rocks is called Scarborough Shoal. For centuries, it has been a place of open passageway and connection, drawing fishermen from all over the region.
It’s a place that captain Jory Aguian, student activist Mathew Silverio and the rest of a small Philippine flotilla of wooden boats are determined to reach. They hope to follow in the steps of generations before them and to show solidarity with the Philippine fishermen who have managed to remain at Scarborough. However, getting there is complicated.
Scarborough Shoal is in the South China Sea – a waterway that is claimed in part by at least six countries and has become one of the most geopolitically tense places in the world. With its geographic proximity, the Philippines views Scarborough as theirs, but China also claims the shoal. In recent years, as the Philippines has tried to stress its claim to this waterway, China has doubled down on its efforts to maintain its security interests in the South China Sea. This has led to escalating tensions and confrontations, with Chinese ships using water cannons on Philippine boats and flying fighter jets overhead.
And so the question for those on board this small Philippine flotilla is: Can they do this, can they achieve their goal of making it to Scarborough? How far are they willing to go, to risk their lives?
Today on “Post Reports,” we embed with the Post’s Southeast Asia bureau chief, Rebecca Tan, on a voyage into these contested waterways. Yasmin Coles and Martin San Diego contributed to this story.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Peter Bresnan with help from Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Special thanks to Alan Sipress.
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The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, site of the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history, could reopen in 2028. The plant’s owner, Constellation Energy, signed a deal with Microsoft that would allocate 100% of the plant’s power output to the tech company. Constellation is seeking a $1.6 billion federal loan guarantee to get the plant up and running.
Microsoft hopes the power generated by the facility will help fuel the increasing energy needs of AI. It’s estimated that by 2030, 17% of the U.S. energy output could be going to data centers used by tech companies to power AI.
On today’s “Post Reports,” host Martine Powers speaks with reporter Evan Halper about how AI is reshaping the energy landscape in the U.S., and about the potential benefits and dangers of reopening Three Mile Island.
One other story mentioned in today’s episode: see how climate change could be affecting the price of your home.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Reena Flores. Thanks to Christopher Rowland.
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This summer, at a small recruiting station in Toms River, New Jersey, Sgt. 1st Class Dane Beaston met with a team of Army recruiters to offer some encouragement.
“Let's change the places we're looking,” Beaston told his colleagues. “Let's change our messaging. Let's change what we're doing if it's not working, right? But the potential's out there.”
Beaston has given a lot of talks like these lately. While his team has gotten closer to meeting its goals since he joined a couple years ago, it fell short of meeting its quota in June.
This isn’t just a problem in Toms River. Across the country, the Army is struggling to sign people up. Negative trends accelerated by the pandemic have shrunk the number of young people able to meet the Army’s academic and athletic requirements. Trust in American institutions is also waning.
Today on “Post Reports,” Martine Powers speaks with Greg Jaffe, a national reporter at The Post, about the time he and reporter Missy Ryan spent at the Toms River recruiting station to see how recruiters there are trying to persuade young people to join the Army.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter.
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In the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, host Lillian Cunningham created the “Presidential” podcast, with one episode dedicated to each of the (at the time) 44 U.S. presidents. Now, in the thick of the 2024 election, Lillian is back. This is the first of two special “Presidential” podcast episodes that will be released in advance of the election on Nov. 5. The episodes examine how the two major party candidates, former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, could make history if they win.
This one focuses on the history Harris would make, and the history that has led to this moment. Sharon McMahon, a beloved voice on American civics and the creator behind Instagram’s @SharonSaysSo, helps guide listeners through women’s initial efforts to gain the right to vote and explains why, from her perspective, the pace of further progress has been slower than expected over the past century. She also explores the changes that are likely (and unlikely) to happen if Harris does become the first woman to win the White House.
Want to brush up on more presidential history? Listen to the full “Presidential” podcast. Host and creator Lillian Cunningham takes listeners on an epic historical journey through the personality and legacy of each American president. The podcast features interviews with the country’s greatest experts on the presidency, including Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers Doris Kearns Goodwin, David McCullough, Jon Meacham and Bob Woodward.
Archival audio in this episode is courtesy of the Library of Congress, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and News Radio KDKA. Special thanks to the Shirley Chisholm Cultural Institute.
Democrats want to retake control of the House of Representatives. Vice President Kamala Harris goes on a media blitz. And elected officials wade through destruction and misinformation after another hurricane made landfall this week.
“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with Congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor about whether Democrats will succeed in flipping the House and which voters Harris wanted to reach with her flurry of interviews on podcasts and TV this week. They also dig into the political aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
Today’s show was produced by Eliza Dennis. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair.
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From Medicare to Obamacare, health care has long been a powerful and polarizing issue in the race for president. This year, the issue of reproductive health care is dividing Americans. The high cost of prescription drugs and access to affordable health care are also concerns.
So how exactly does the ticket of former president Donald Trump and JD Vance compare with Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz when it comes to our health? National health reporter Dan Diamond breaks down what we know from the candidates’ current policies and track records.
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Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy and Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Stephen Smith.
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After Hurricane Helene hit the southern United States last month, a wave of conspiracy theories flooded social media about the storm and the response by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. Former president Donald Trump promoted one conspiracy theory, falsely suggesting that the Biden administration used FEMA disaster funds to help migrants at the southern border.
Now, as Hurricane Milton nears landfall, FEMA and other federal agencies are gearing up to respond to potentially devastating damage, and also to combat conspiracy theories that may discourage people from getting help.
Today on “Post Reports,” Martine Powers speaks with climate reporter Maxine Joselow about how FEMA is preparing for Hurricane Milton while fighting misinformation.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson with help from Peter Bresnan and Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell with help from Reena Flores. Thanks to Molly Hennessy-Fiske.
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On today’s “Post Reports,” we look into why Republicans are waging legal battles to disqualify mail-in ballots, and why rhetoric against mail voting might actually hurt their presidential candidate.
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Since 2020, the Republican Party has waged a nationwide legal campaign to reject mail-in ballots.
From Wisconsin to North Carolina to Nevada, Republicans say much of their litigation is aimed at enforcement of election law, down to the letter. But critics see a strategy that has nothing to do with election integrity — and everything to do with disqualifying voters who cast ballots by mail, an overwhelming majority of whom support Democrats.
At the same time, Republicans are also ramping up their get-out-the-vote operations, which include pushing their supporters to use mail-in ballots.
On today’s “Post Reports,” Elahe Izadi speaks with democracy reporter Colby Itkowitz about Republicans’ efforts to get mail-in ballots thrown out in Pennsylvania, and about the have-it-both-ways strategy they’re employing in this election.
And we hear from an election official in Pennsylvania’s Lycoming County — a GOP-leaning area in the center of the state — who’s sick of the fighting.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Sabby Robinson and Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thank you to Griff Witte and HyoJung Kim.
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Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip awoke on Monday, the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks, in the same way they were roused on Oct. 7, 2023: to the sound of air-raid sirens.
At 6:32 a.m. – almost to the minute of the surprise assaults last year – militants in Gaza launched four rockets toward those same towns and kibbutzim, sending Israelis into shelters and highlighting how the battle continues to rage 12 months after that fateful morning.
Israeli forces immediately struck targets inside Gaza, where more than 41,000 people have been killed since the start of the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Despite the fighting, Israelis came together to remember those who were lost, those who are still being held captive and those who remain unable to return to their homes. About 1,200 Israeli citizens, visitors, guest workers and soldiers were killed in the Oct. 7 attacks. At least 250 were taken hostage. More than 160,000 fled to safety from towns around Gaza and along the border with Lebanon. Few have come home.
Today on “Post Reports,” Martine Powers speaks with Steve Hendrix in Jerusalem about the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, and about the internal divisions within Israel as its war with Hamas in Gaza expands to include Lebanon, Yemen and Iran.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Emma Talkoff and Rennie Svirnvoskiy. It was edited by Monica Campbell and Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Jesse Mesner-Hage, Heidi Levine, Joe Snell and Alisa Shodiyev Kaff.
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The WNBA playoffs are underway, capping a record-breaking season: The league added teams, games saw the highest attendance ever, and television viewership skyrocketed. Many credit rookie player Caitlin Clark for drawing fans to the league after millions tuned in to watch her and rival players compete in this year's college basketball championship.
Host Elahe Izadi speaks with sports reporters Kareem Copeland and Ava Wallace about how the “Clark effect” has transformed the WNBA on and off the court.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Mark Selig.
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As Election Day looms, we’re seeing more and more headlines based on poll results. Some declare Trump and Harris neck and neck, while others state one candidate has a small advantage over the other. But how can we make sense of all these polls flooding the news cycle?
Today, Martine Powers speaks with The Post’s deputy polling director, Emily Guskin. Emily explains how a poll comes to be, what to look for when trying to understand whether a poll is trustworthy and breaks down once and for all what “margin of error” really means.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Bishop Sand. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Correction: A previous version of this episode gave an example of a margin of error applying to a percentage of a sample that hated apples. In the example, the margin of error actually applied to the percentage of the population that hates apples. The audio has been corrected.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio faced off at what was expected to be the only vice presidential debate on Tuesday night. But it was much less dramatic than the presidential debates.
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“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake about Walz’s stumbling performance, Vance’s efforts to soften his image on unpopular issues for the GOP, like abortion, and whether either performance could significantly impact the race.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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Across the southeastern United States, Hurricane Helene destroyed houses, swept up cars and overflowed riverbanks. Now millions of people are without power and clean drinking water; more than 100 people are dead.
“It's not really an overstatement to say there are towns that were there and are basically not there anymore,” environment and climate reporter Brady Dennis said. He’s been reporting from North Carolina, where many communities were not prepared for the disaster. On today’s show, Dennis describes the widespread destruction and relief efforts to host Elahe Izadi.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Reena Flores, with help from Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Scott Dance, Paulina Firozi and Katie Zezima.
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For months, tensions between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah have increased, with the two sides exchanging cross-border attacks. Yet in recent weeks, Israel has ratcheted up its attacks in Lebanon, including the assassination of Hasan Nasrallah on Friday. The Shiite cleric oversaw Hezbollah for decades and became one of the most powerful and divisive leaders in the Middle East.
The impact of Israel’s strikes has also been devastating. The death toll has now surpassed 1,000 people, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The agency doesn’t distinguish between combatant and civilian deaths, but it said more than 80 children are among the dead. Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing for safety.
Now, officials have told reporters at the Post that Israel is planning an imminent, limited ground invasion into Lebanon.
Today, host Elahe Izadi speaks with Shane Harris, who covers intelligence and national security for The Post, about Israel’s strategy in attacking Hezbollah inside of Lebanon. We also hear whether this could pull Iran and the United States into a bigger regional conflict.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Reena Flores. Thanks to Joe Snell and Ben Pauker.
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Kevin Roche was recently elected to a small governing board in Norfolk, Mass. He had lived in the small town his whole life. Then Roche received the news Haitian migrants were going to be sheltered in Norfolk.
The state had opened new shelters in towns across Massachusetts, but none so big in a town so small.
The story was written and read by Ruby Cramer. Audio production and original music by Bishop Sand.
“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with Senate reporter Liz Goodwin about how Senate Democrats are feeling ahead of the November election. They also dig into the politics of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s indictment and preview what to expect in next week’s first – and likely only – vice presidential debate.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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In 2020, North Carolina was the one that got away for Democrats: Then candidate Joe Biden lost the state by the smallest margin in the presidential election. Now, with the election a little over a month away, Democrats and Republicans are kicking into overdrive, campaigning to win North Carolina, a newly competitive swing state.
Elahe Izadi speaks with political reporter Hannah Knowles about why Democrats now think they can win North Carolina and how the state could tip the balance of the election in November.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff, with help from Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Sean Sullivan.
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This week, Israel unleashed a wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon, against what it says are Hezbollah targets. At least 569 people have been killed in the attacks this week and more than 1,800 injured, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants but said at least 50 children, 94 women and nine paramedics were among the dead.
Thousands of civilians are now fleeing southern Lebanon in search of safety.
Also, on Wednesday, Hezbollah fired a missile toward the Tel Aviv area as retaliation, which Israeli forces intercepted. This marks the first time the militant group has aimed a missile toward this major Israeli city.
Israel has increasingly turned its attention away from its war against Hamas in Gaza to its conflict with Hezbollah, which has been launching near-daily rockets into northern Israel. Hezbollah says it has been carrying out the attacks in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza and will not stop until there is a cease-fire there. Tens of thousands of Israelis under fire have left their homes in the north of the country, and Israeli officials have vowed to ensure their safe return.
Today, on “Post Reports,” host Elahe Izadi speaks with the Post’s Susannah George about this dramatic escalation and fears of a widening conflict.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy and Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Mohamad El-Chamaa, Suzan Haidamous, Lior Soroka and Jesse Mesner-Hage.
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Last Friday, Georgia’s state election board voted 3-2 to approve a new election rule: before vote totals can be reported, each precinct must confirm the total number of votes cast by three separate hand counts.
The move was spearheaded by a pro-Trump majority who say that it will make elections more transparent. But critics – among them many of Georgia’s election administrators – said hand counts would take too long, cost money and almost certainly produce counting errors, opening the door to doubts about the election results in November. The office of the Republican state attorney general, which is responsible for advising the board, wrote in an opinion that the change was unlawful.
This rule is the latest in a string of new election measures passed by the pro-Trump election board. Democracy advocates have accused the board of intentionally injecting chaos and uncertainty into the presidential contest.
Today on “Post Reports, host Elahe Izadi speaks with Amy Gardner, who covers voting for the Post, about how the rule change could affect the November election.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Lucas Trevor. It was mixed by Sean Carter. And edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Reena Flores. Thanks to Griff Witte.
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The FDA wants to propose putting labels on the front of food and drink packages in order to flag whether they are high in added sugar, saturated fat or sodium. The effort aims to help people make healthier choices and to address the nation’s exploding rates of diet-related diseases.
The proposal could come as early as next month, but a fight with the food industry is already heating up. At the same time, some nutrition experts and lawmakers worry the FDA options under consideration are confusing and won’t be clear enough to protect Americans’ health.
So, what could these labels even look like?
Today on “Post Reports,” reporter Lauren Weber joins host Martine Powers to unpack the FDA efforts and how possible labels might compare with the front-of-package food warnings commonly found in other countries like Chile and Mexico.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon, with help from Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Tracy Jan and Rachel Roubein.
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“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi and senior political reporter Aaron Blake chat with national political reporter Michael Scherer about all of this week’s political news. They also dig into how last week’s first – and perhaps only – debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump is shaping voters’ perceptions of the candidates.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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Thousands of people were injured across Lebanon this week in back-to-back explosions of electronic devices – pagers, mostly – used by the militant group Hezbollah.
Host Martine Powers speaks with Post correspondent Susannah George about what it’s like in Lebanon in the aftermath of these explosions and why they may portend an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Lebanon.
Also, an update on the controversy over the 2024 Olympic medal stripped from Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled her coach did not initiate the decisive inquiry before the one-minute deadline.
An investigation by The Post, which analyzed dozens of videos to examine the disputed inquiry, shows CAS ruled against Chiles based on time markers that don’t precisely match the sport’s protocol for inquiries.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Emma Talkoff and Bishop Sand. It was mixed by Ted Muldoon and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Jesse Mesner-Hage, Jenn Amur, Suzan Haidamous, Mohamad El Chamaa and Lior Soroka.
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In the past couple weeks, both former president Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), have pushed unfounded claims about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets in the small city of Springfield, Ohio. The story got its start with a viral Facebook post and quickly made its way from far-right corners of the internet into the Republican mainstream.
Since the presidential debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, during which Trump repeated these claims, the town of Springfield has been struggling with the sudden national attention. More than 30 bomb threats have been made in Springfield in the past week, and some members of the Haitian community are fearing for their safety.
National correspondent Danielle Paquette traveled to Springfield last week to speak with Haitian immigrants about how their lives have changed since the debate, and today on “Post Reports,” Martine Powers talks with her about what she learned.
Then, democracy reporter Sarah Ellison explains exactly how this conspiracy took root online and how it spread so quickly.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Sean Combs was arrested Monday in New York, and today prosecutors unsealed the criminal indictment. The hip-hop impresario could face years in prison if found guilty. Meanwhile, Combs’s lawyers have called the persecution “unjust.” It all comes less than a year after the first public allegations against Combs emerged.
Today on “Post Reports,” Martine Powers speaks with Style reporter Anne Branigin about the indictment against Combs, what he’s accused of and what it could mean for the music mogul.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Emma Talkoff and Lucas Trevor. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Reena Flores, with help from Monica Campbell. Thanks to Avi Selk and Lindsey Underwood.
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Today, what we know about a possible second assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump. And, what this latest threat of political violence could mean for his presidential campaign.
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Yesterday, Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested on the suspicion of possibly trying to assassinate former president Donald Trump. Today, Routh was charged with two gun-related crimes.
Host Martine Powers speaks with national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf about what happened at Trump’s West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course on Sunday. And we unpack the potential implications for the presidential campaign.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Bishop Sand. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Affirmations help alleviate stress and can make you emotionally and mentally stronger. Host Cristina Quinn talks to clinical psychologist Natalie Dattilo-Ryan about what kinds of affirmations are most effective. She lays out an exercise to help get you started with identifying the right kinds of statements to shore up your sense of self. Next, we dive into research on affirmations and stress levels with Carnegie Mellon University psychology and neuroscience professor David Creswell. Creswell’s work reveals how affirmations can activate the brain's reward system.
For more on how to make affirmations work for you, read this from The Post’s Allyson Chiu.
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To hear more, check out “Try This” wherever you listen to podcasts.
As students return to school, more states and districts are cracking down on cellphones. But not everyone agrees. On “Post Reports,” we hear how things look on the frontlines of this battle.
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A few years ago, Jennifer Rosenzweig’s high school students gave her a strange nickname: the “Bucket Lady.” That’s because Rosenzweig, an English teacher at Scarsdale High School in New York state, saw students increasingly on their cellphones, including in class, and having trouble focusing. Her solution? Have students drop their phones in a bucket before class.
Today, Rosenzweig is no longer the sole phone cop at her school, which now has a caddy on every classroom door, with pockets that students drop their phones into as they enter.
New policies like this are spreading at schools throughout the United States, with pressure coming from teachers and parents who see phones as a distraction, an impediment to learning and a burden on students’ mental health.
Host Martine Powers speaks with national education reporter Laura Meckler about the growing battle over phones in schools and the different opinions on the correct approach.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff with help from Ted Muldoon and Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Karina Elwood and Chastity Pratt.
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Post Reports co-host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake about what each candidate needed to do in this debate to win over voters in an incredibly tight race. They also talk about whether a new endorsement from Taylor Swift could give Harris an edge.
Note: An initial version of this episode had an incorrect reference to Springfield, Illinois rather than Springfield, Ohio. The error has been fixed.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon and Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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In preparation for Tuesday’s debate between Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, “Post Reports” fact-checks the former president’s claims about crime and immigration.
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Crime is falling rapidly in many U.S. cities for the second year in a row. But the decrease in homicides and assaults has been largely ignored by Republican politicians like Donald Trump, who publicly blames his opponent Kamala Harris and other Democrats for what he claims is a surge in violent crime across the United States.
Ahead of the first –– and probably only –– debate between Trump and Harris on Tuesday evening, reporter Devlin Barrett joins host Martine Powers to give some context to what we might hear on the debate stage when it comes to crime, policing and immigration.
The teams behind “Post Reports” and “The Campaign Moment” will also be working late to get you an episode first thing tomorrow, breaking down the biggest moments of the debate and fact-checking some of the candidates’ answers. Keep an ear out for that episode.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Elana Gordon. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Just 36 hours after his 14-year-old son was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of four people at Georgia’s Apalachee High School, Colin Gray was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Those are the most serious charges ever filed against the parent of an alleged school shooter.
Host Martine Powers speaks with enterprise reporter John Woodrow Cox about how the speed and severity of the charges against Colin Gray mark a shift in school shootings in the United States.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy, Sabby Robinson and Elana Gordon. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here. And here’s a link to our series “Surviving to graduation,” which dives deep into the role schools play in combating gun violence.
“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with White House reporter and Kamala Harris expert Cleve Wootson about what Harris and Donald Trump need to do at next week’s debate. They also dig into Harris’s record fundraising numbers and how Harris hopes to help down ballot Democrats in key House and Senate races.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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Recommended reading:
How Democrats made Project 2025 one of their top anti-GOP attacks
What Michael B. Moore’s congressional race tells us about gerrymandering, and how a Supreme Court decision affects the future of American democracy.
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Businessman Michael B. Moore is running a surprising congressional campaign: He’s trying to win as a Democrat in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, a seat that is considered solidly Republican in this election cycle. While he won his primary race, it’s unlikely he’ll win the general election because of a recent Supreme Court decision on gerrymandering.
Host Martine Powers speaks with voting issues reporter Patrick Marley about Moore’s race, and what it can tell us about the impact of a conservative Supreme Court on American democracy.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Vice President Kamala Harris has been supported by prominent technology executives since the beginning of her political career. She has maintained many of her Big Tech connections while also pushing tighter privacy policies,but she has left her stance on breaking up powerful tech companies largely undefined. This is at odds with the Biden administration’s commitment to antitrust enforcement, bringing lawsuits against companies like Google and Apple.
Host Martine Powers speaks with Cat Zakrzewski, a national technology policy reporter for The Post, about how Harris is navigating her close ties to Silicon Valley, and what her approach to Big Tech may be if she becomes president.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Monica Campbell and Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Cristiano Lima-Strong for his reporting.
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At the Pathways to Independence program in Kearny, N.J., disabled workers sort clothing hangers and unload boxes through work contracted with outside companies. One of those workers is 33-year-old Jaime Muniz, who has been there for 11 years and whose paycheck recently averaged about $1.28 per hour.
“My payment is not going well,” Muniz told The Post’s disabilities reporter Amanda Morris. “And it's making our lives harder, a lot harder.”
Yet paying workers with disabilities far below minimum wage is completely legal. Muniz is one of tens of thousands of workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are paid subminimum wages at facilities across the country. The labor program, sanctioned by federal law, is supposed to prepare workers for higher-paying jobs in the community, and while many families support them, Morris and her colleagues Caitlin Gilbert and Jacqueline Alemany found in a months-long investigation that they often lack oversight and accountability.
Today, host Martine Powers speaks with Morris about what she heard from workers and their families, the future of this arcane law, and the growing scrutiny surrounding these programs.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon with help from Sabby Robinson and Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Emily Codik, Caitlin Gilbert, Jacqueline Alemany, Lauren Gurley and Andrea Sachs.
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When Szu Yu Chen, a graphics reporter at The Washington Post, was covering this year’s Grammy Awards, she couldn’t help but notice how many nominated songs came in under three minutes. The more she looked into it – analyzing Billboard charts and interviewing artists – the more she realized this was a real trend. Meanwhile, when “Post Reports” audio engineer Sean Carter was working in a recording studio in Atlanta, he kept observing a similar shift, too.
Today, Carter guest hosts “Post Reports,” in conversation with Chen, exploring what’s driving this change in music, and what’s gained and lost as a result.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon, edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Rennie Svirnovsky.
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Jesse Dufton was born with a condition in which the light-sensing cells of his retina gradually deteriorated. This did not stop him from climbing with his family – bouldering by age 2, securing his own ropes by 5.
When Dufton went to public school and then university, he downplayed his vision problems as he became a better climber. Then he met Molly Thompson, who took note of his long hair that made him look like a mature student.
The two grew closer and often climbed together. But even as the couple was falling in love, Dufton was losing all of his sight. Dufton and Thompson had to invent new ways of communicating to continue their love of climbing.
This story was written and read by Kevin Sieff. Audio production and original music composition by Bishop Sand.
“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with White House reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb about Harris and Walz’s interview on CNN, new polling that shows continued Democratic enthusiasm, and an altercation between the Trump campaign and an employee at Arlington National Cemetery.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sean Carter.
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Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, there has been a big uptick in the use of the powerful anesthetic ketamine to treat anxiety and depression. But after the death last year of actor Matthew Perry, star of the hit sitcom “Friends,” due in part to the effects of ketamine, doctors and government officials are reconsidering the drug’s widespread availability.
On today’s “Post Reports,” Elahe Izadi speaks with reporter Daniel Gilbert, who has been following the ketamine boom for years. They talk about how ketamine became so widely accessible and about the uncertain future of the drug.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Emma Talkoff and Ali Bianco. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy.
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This is not the presidential race that former president Donald Trump prepared for. Today, we unpack the state of the Trump campaign, its struggles to adapt and its strategy to face a new opponent.
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This presidential race has taken several unexpected turns, especially for former president Donald Trump.
Earlier this summer, the spotlight moved off of Trump as Vice President Kamala Harris jumped into the race. Now, the Republican nominee is crisscrossing the country to battleground states to recapture national attention.
Host Martine Powers speaks with national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf about the state of Trump’s campaign and how it's adapting to an entirely new opponent.
Today’s show was produced by Ali Bianco, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Sean Sullivan and Erin Patrick O’Connor.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here. And check out the latest story from health columnist Anahad O’Connor on how the avocado oil sold in some grocery stores may be fake.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore were supposed to be on the International Space Station for eight days. But as the Boeing Starliner capsule they were in was approaching the space station, the spacecraft’s thrusters started to fail. Since then, Boeing and NASA have struggled to figure out what went wrong. NASA decided last week that the astronauts should stay put for eight months until they could come back in a SpaceX capsule.
Host Martine Powers speaks with space industry reporter Chris Davenport about the plan to bring the astronauts home and what the repercussions of this mission will be on Boeing and future space travel.
Today’s show was produced by Ted Muldoon, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores. Ted also mixed the show. Thanks to Chris Rowland.
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When the state of New York became the first in the nation to require public schools to test their drinking water for lead in 2016, students learned that dozens of water fountains across the district were contaminated. Since then, a group of students and parents have banded together to fight for clean water in the schools.
Host Martine Powers speaks with investigative reporter Silvia Foster-Frau about her reporting in the East Ramapo Central School District and what people everywhere need to know about keeping kids’ drinking water safe.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Bishop Sand. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Rosalind Helderman.
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Elahe Izadi, co-host of “Post Reports,” and senior political reporter Aaron Blake sit down with White House reporter Cleve Wootson at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to talk about the highlights from Harris’s speech. Harris focused on her middle-class upbringing and how she would protect abortion access and reproductive rights, and she cast herself as a candidate who would bring normalcy and competency to the White House.
They also revisit the most memorable speeches of the four-day convention and look ahead to what the next two months might look like for Harris.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair.
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As Ukraine continues to lose ground to Russia in the east of the country, President Volodymyr Zelensky has quietly moved Ukrainian forces into Russia. Post correspondents have documented the operation and witnessed the Russian soldiers taken captive by Ukrainian forces in this surprise incursion.
Host Martine Powers speaks with Ukraine bureau chief Isabelle Khurshudyan in Kyiv about why Ukraine advanced into Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s response, and what might happen to the people in this newly occupied area of Russia.
Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy, Ali Bianco and Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter. The show was edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Reena Flores. Thanks to Jenn Amur, Jon Gerberg and Siobáhn O’Grady.
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On Aug. 5, following weeks of student protests and police violence that left hundreds dead, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India. The students have since worked with the country’s military to form an interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus.
Soon after Hasina’s resignation, South Asia correspondent Karishma Mehrotra traveled to the capital city of Dhaka to speak to students, members of the new interim government and others. Martine Powers talks with Karishma about what she learned in Dhaka – and what comes next as this new government tries to make meaningful reforms.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Anant Gupta and Rashad Ahamad.
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Biden received a warm welcome at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday evening when he walked on stage to address his party. Thousands of Democratic delegates packed in the arena chanted “Thank you, Joe!” and pumped signs saying “We love Joe” as he gave his speech.
“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with White House reporter Matt Viser about Biden’s historic address and what the first night of the convention tells us about the current strength of the Democratic Party.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Ariel Plotnick.
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The United States imposes more sanctions than any other country on Earth. Since the 1960s, sanctions have become a core element of U.S. diplomatic strategy, with countries like North Korea, Venezuela, Syria, Russia, China and Iran all being subject to these economic penalties.
Today, Elahe Izadi speaks with White House economics reporter Jeff Stein about how the United States fell in love with sanctions, about whether the country’s current strategy is sustainable and about whether sanctions truly work as a diplomatic tool.
Plus, Elahe reports from Chicago on the opening scenes of the Democratic National Convention.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Ariel Plotnick, with help from Trinity Webster-Bass. The show was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Reena Flores, with help from Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Mike Madden.
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On a hot June evening in 1964, Mickey Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman were ambushed by the Ku Klux Klan and killed as they left town.
The atrocity became a seminal moment in the civil rights movement. Yet 60 years after the killings, some people in Philadelphia worry that the country is forgetting what was learned along the way. Others wonder what the past is owed — and for how long. They talked with Susan Levine this spring about their community’s painful legacy of racism.
This episode was produced and mixed by Bishop Sand. It was edited by Lucy Perkins. Thanks also to Allison Michaels.
Senior political reporter Aaron Blake and congressional reporter Liz Goodwin talk with “Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers about the economic policies that Harris’s campaign unveiled Friday, and whether Democrats could win a trifecta in November and make those proposals reality.
They also look ahead to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week, where President Joe Biden will address delegates after withdrawing from the race last month.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy.
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Florida is just one of a number of states where abortion rights will be on the November ballot. In Florida, voters will decide whether to pass Amendment 4, which would reverse Florida’s six-week abortion ban and put abortion protections in the state constitution.
Grassroots organizers in Florida have been going door to door trying to get out the vote to pass Amendment 4. Some of these groups have been specifically targeting Latino voters, who organizers believe have been ignored by the Democratic Party.
This summer, reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske visited Florida to spend time with these organizers and see the kinds of conversations they were having with potential voters. Today on “Post Reports,” host Elahe Izadi speaks with Molly about what she learned in Florida about how abortion rights could shape the election.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with support from Ali Bianco and Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Susan Levine. Additional reporting by Reshma Kirpalani.
Today on “Post Reports,” how a college track star’s gender transition changed her relationship to the sport she loves. And Post sports columnist Jerry Brewer on the efforts to include – or exclude – trans athletes from the wider world of sports.
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During the Paris Olympics, female boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu Ting of Taiwan were falsely accused of being transgender, after the International Boxing Association claimed without evidence that the women had failed gender eligibility tests in a previous competition.
The IBA is not recognized by the International Olympic Committee, which defended the women’s participation in the Olympics, and questioned the validity of the IBA’s tests.
The outcry over both women’s participation – spread by prominent figures such as J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk – was a prime example of what sports columnist Jerry Brewer has called a “panic” over trans inclusion in sports in his “Grievance Games” series for The Post.
“I think we think that sports is a place for everyone,” Jerry said. “But I think there's a myth of inclusion about sports. And I think that we have a long history of exclusion that brave people have had to fight through to make us more inclusive, to make us more diverse.”
On today’s “Post Reports,” host Martine Powers speaks with Jerry about how the promise of sports as a national unifier has buckled under the pressure of grievance and division. And we hear from a college athlete – Sadie Schreiner – about what it takes to compete as a trans woman.
You can read more stories from Jerry’s “Grievance Games” series, or listen to audio versions of each essay read by Jerry, at the links below:
Also mentioned in the show is a conversation between Russian writer, journalist and opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza – recently released from a Russian prison in the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War – and Post Opinions Editor David Shipley on Washington Post Live. You can hear them talk about Kara-Murza’s imprisonment, his historic release and press freedom on our opinion podcast, “Impromptu.”
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Peter Bresnan, with help from Lucy Perkins, and mixed by Sean Carter. Special thanks to Dan Steinberg and Donelle Wedderburn.
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Bridgeview, Ill., just 30 minutes from downtown Chicago, is home to one of the largest concentrations of Palestinian Americans in the country. The town, nicknamed “Little Palestine,” traditionally votes Democratic. But now, ahead of the presidential election, residents are seriously reconsidering how they vote, because of President Joe Biden’s approach to the war in Gaza.
Today, host Martine Powers speaks with White House reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb about Little Palestine, the broader rift in the Democratic Party over Gaza, and whether Vice President Kamala Harris changes the calculation for Muslim and Arab American voters.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Naftali Bendavid.
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In a historic decision, a federal judge has ruled that Google is a monopoly and that the tech giant has been using its market power illegally to quash competition. The ruling marks one of the biggest wins for the Department of Justice over Big Tech in at least 20 years.
Host Martine Powers speaks with tech policy reporter Eva Dou about the details of the case and how it could change Google. Also, what the decision could mean for other tech giants like Apple and Microsoft, as well as startups.
Today’s show was produced by Ali Bianco, with help from Elana Gordon. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Trinity Webster-Bass and James Graff.
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Post Reports co-host Martine Powers sits down with senior political reporter Aaron Blake and Marianna Sotomayor, a congressional reporter covering the House of Representatives, to talk about House Democrats’ enthusiasm for Vice President Kamala Harris’s VP pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz – a former member of Congress himself. They also discuss takeaways from the primary loss of Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Walz’s military and governance record, and former president Donald Trump’s campaign event slowdown.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Allison Michaels, Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. Thanks also to Trinity Webster-Bass.
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For the first time, breaking – or breakdancing – will be an Olympic event. Since it originated in Black and Latino neighborhoods in the Bronx during the 1970s, it has spread worldwide, with competitions held in places like Brazil, Germany and Korea.
Host Elahe Izadi speaks with Ronnie Abaldonado, a veteran breaker who’s been in some of the most famous breaking crews and judged international competitions for years. He explains how Olympic judges will score the breakers and whom he’s looking forward to watching.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Monica Campbell and Ted Muldoon and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Jason Murray.
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TikTok, which says it has 170 million U.S. users, made it too easy for children to create accounts and then collected data on those who did — a major violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, known as COPPA, the Justice Department alleged in a lawsuit on Friday. But tech companies collecting and selling data from users goes far beyond TikTok — and affects everyone.
Post Reports co-host Martine Powers speaks with technology reporter Drew Harwell about why the Justice Department is suing TikTok for storing the data of millions of children. And she talks with NOTUS investigative reporter Byron Tau, who shares all of the ways that apps gather information on us — and sell that information to law enforcement and governments.
Plus, learn how sea lions are mapping the ocean floor with cameras attached to their backs. Check out the video here.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff and Trinity Webster-Bass. It was edited by Reena Flores, with help from Arie Plotnick, and mixed by Sean Carter and Rennie Svirnovskiy.
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“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers sits down with senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post's Campaign Moment newsletter. They talk about why Vice President Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, his strengths and weaknesses, and how he compares with the GOP’s vice president pick, JD Vance.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Trinity Webster-Bass.
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The U.S. women’s basketball team is a dynasty – and it didn’t need Caitlin Clark. Host Ava Wallace talks with columnists Candace Buckner and Jerry Brewer about that and drama on the track. Plus: How NBC brings the sounds of the Games to your living room.
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Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Joe Tone.
It has been one week since Venezuela’s presidential election. Both sides have claimed victory – but a review of the tallies collected by the opposition paints a different picture.
In the hours and days after the election, independent observers and world leaders called on President Nicolás Maduro to publish the voting records and corroborate his claims of winning. Meanwhile, the opposition, led by Edmundo González and María Corina Machado, has collected thousands of receipts – printed voting tallies – that point to what could be the largest electoral fraud Venezuela has ever seen.
Host Martine Powers speaks with Bogotá bureau chief Samantha Schmidt about the fallout of the election and how The Post analyzed these voting tallies to determine what happened in the election.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson and Ali Bianco. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Steven Rich, Ana Vanessa Herrero, Maria Lusia Paul, Matt Brown and Abha Bhattarai.
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For much of his childhood, Mike Lindgren said, he parroted his mother’s right-wing opinions without question. But after Mike failed several classes as a freshman in public high school, his mother, Jennifer Lindgren, sent him to a private boarding school that promised a hands-on, “inclusive” approach to learning. There, surrounded by teachers and classmates he described as liberal, Mike said he grew more curious about his peers’ worldviews — and correspondingly less sure of his own.
Jennifer fought more with Mike after he went away to Ithaca College, and they spoke less. Then, after not seeing Mike for months, Jennifer traveled to Ithaca College for her son’s graduation.
Could they accept each other, even if they didn’t understand each other anymore?
This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written and read by Hannah Natanson. Audio narration comes from our partners at Noa, an app offering curated audio articles.
In an interview with panelists at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago, former president Donald Trump questioned Vice President Harris’s racial identity, saying she only recently started calling herself Black. Also, the leader of Project 2025, the controversial right-wing policy group, is stepping down. And the Harris campaign has hit some major fundraising goals and is expected to announce her running mate any day now.
Plus, read The Post’s exclusive investigation into a secret probe into whether Trump took money from Egypt here.
Co-host Martine Powers talks with reporters Issac Arnsdorf, who covers Trump, and Tyler Pager, who covers the White House, about what to make of it all.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. Thanks also to Ali Bianco.
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Today, we hear about the secret negotiations that led to an extraordinary prisoner swap on Thursday. Among the freed: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, other Americans, Russian dissidents – and a convicted assassin.
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On Thursday, the biggest exchange of prisoners since the height of the Cold War took place.
The quiet negotiations took months between the U.S., Russia and several European nations. Among the at least two dozen people freed was Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, detained in Russia on charges of espionage in 2023. Also, Paul Whelan, a former Marine who had been imprisoned in Russia for more than five years. Russian dissidents, along with a convicted Russian assassin, were also among those freed.
Host Martine Powers speaks with national security reporter Shane Harris about the buildup to this landmark prisoner swap, how it unfolded in these final hours and what the U.S. gave up to make it happen.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Sabby Robinson and Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Monica Campbell, with support from Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Jennifer Amur and David Herszenhorn.
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On Wednesday, Hamas’s No. 1 political leader outside of Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Iran. As the impact of his death ripples around the world, the assassination risks making the already deadly conflicts in the Middle East a lot worse.
Host Martine Powers speaks with Steve Hendrix, The Post’s Jerusalem bureau chief, to understand how this apparent assassination has compounded fears of a larger war in the Middle East – and what could prevent it.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Sabby Robinson and Ali Bianco. It was edited by Reena Flores, with help from Monica Campbell, and it was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Jenn Amur and Erin Cunningham.
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For years, the United States and Australia have duked it out for dominance in the Olympic swimming pool. Now, with U.S. legend Michael Phelps retired and Katie Ledecky slipping in some races, it might be Australia’s turn at the top of the podium.
The Washington Post’s Ava Wallace speaks with Post reporters Dave Sheinin and Rick Maese about the newest stars in the pool this year and which races not to miss.
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Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Joe Tone.
This month, Earth hit its hottest days recorded in history. But even on the warmest days, millions of workers in the U.S. labor in heat that is increasingly hazardous to their health.
This month, the Biden administration proposed a rule that, for the first time, would protect such workers, whether their jobs are indoors or outdoors. The proposal sets out two heat index triggers that would apply nationally and require employers to offer drinking water, among other safeguards.
Yet some employers, in areas such as agriculture, construction and tourism, are resisting the changes, arguing that they would make their sectors less competitive.
Today on “Post Reports,” Elahe Izadi speaks with climate change reporter Anna Phillips about the federal government’s efforts to protect workers.
Today’s show was produced by Trinity Webster-Bass, with support from Elana Gordon. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter.
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In December 1982, the Police flew to the Caribbean island of Montserrat to record their fifth album. The executives at A&M Records were excited. A year earlier, the trio had generated hit singles like “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” and “Spirits in the Material World.” Suddenly, they were filling arenas.
But the atmosphere in the recording studio quickly turned sour. Guitarist Andy Summers sniffed at lead singer Sting’s demo of “Every Breath You Take” as cheesy pop. Drummer Stewart Copeland bristled when the singer tried to give him orders. And Sting, who had been contemplating going solo, was tired of pretending this was still a democracy: Why were they arguing about whose songs were best? Wasn’t it obvious?
This oral history, including interviews with Sting and the other members of the band, takes listeners inside the making of “Synchronicity,” one of the most popular records of the 20th century – and what eventually tore the band apart.
Post Reports co-host Martine Powers sits down with senior political reporter Aaron Blake and Maeve Reston, a national political reporter covering the 2024 presidential race. They talk about how Vice President Harris may tackle the Israel-Gaza conflict, new polling on the Harris-Trump matchup, and how Gen Z influencers and memes may engage young voters and buoy Harris’s campaign.
Today’s episode was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. Thanks also to Trinity Webster-Bass and Drew Harwell.
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On Friday, more than 8.5 million Microsoft computers around the world shut down.
The tech outage threw our most essential systems into chaos. Airlines delayed or canceled flights. Hospitals turned away non-emergency patients. Banks, businesses, courts, government offices – all were faced with blank, inactive computer screens that many cal the “blue screen of death.” The culprit? A software update pushed to Windows devices by cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.
Host Elahe Izadi speaks with technology reporter Joseph Menn about what happened inside CrowdStrike, and what this incident tells us about the state of the cybersecurity industry.
Today’s show was produced by Ali Bianco, with help from Sabby Robinson and Trinity Webster-Bass. It was edited by Reena Flores and Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to James Graff.
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There are a lot of questions heading into the Summer Olympics: Is Paris prepared to host the Games? Who are the star athletes this year? What exactly is a “horsey passport”?
The Washington Post’s Ava Wallace speaks with Post sports columnist Jerry Brewer and sports feature writer Rick Maese about those questions and more in the first episode of The Sports Moment which we're sharing with you this morning. After you listen, look up the show and hit follow to hear more from Ava and the rest of our team in Paris.
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Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Joe Tone, Allison Michaels and Renita Jablonski.
This is a special episode of The Campaign Moment dedicated to answering the questions on everyone’s minds about what happens next now that Harris is the Democrats’ potential nominee.
Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post's new Campaign Moment newsletter, and Colby Itkowitz, who covers voting and elections on the democracy team, sit down with Post Reports co-host Elahe Izadi. They talk about how Harris polls against Trump, what it means for her to take over a campaign that was designed for President Biden, and how the GOP is reacting to her campaign.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. Thanks also to Trinity Webster-Bass.
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Ava Wallace, sports reporter at The Washington Post, is in France to report on the Summer Games — and eat a lot of croissants. Join her starting July 24, continuing through the entire run of the games, for several episodes a week as she captures the highs, the lows and the Paris of it all, along with other Post colleagues.
Follow The Sports Moment podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or YouTube.
Sign up for The Sports Moment: Olympics Edition newsletter here.
Yesterday, President Biden announced that he would no longer be running for reelection; he also endorsed Vice President Harris to replace him as the Democratic nominee for president in November’s election. Over the past 24 hours, endorsements of Harris have been rolling in from top Democrats.
Today on Post Reports, host Elahe Izadi speaks with The Washington Post’s White House bureau chief, Toluse Olorunnipa, about Biden’s decision to endorse Harris. Plus, host Martine Powers and White House reporter Cleve Wootson dive deep into Harris’s career and how she’s evolved as a politician over the years.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff and Trinity Webster-Bass. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Reena Flores, with help from Ariel Plotnick.
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On Sunday afternoon, President Biden released a statement announcing that he would stand down from seeking reelection in the 2024 presidential race. The statement came after weeks of mounting pressure from members of his party, many of whom expressed concern over his health and speculated whether he would be able to beat former president Donald Trump.
Host Elahe Izadi speaks with White House reporter Tyler Pager about this monumental decision by the president and whether it puts Democrats in a better position to beat Trump.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick and Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.
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So far, polling suggests that young voter turnout in 2024 may not match 2020’s rate. In April, only 41 percent of Black people 18 to 39 told a Washington Post-Ipsos poll that they were certain to vote this year, down from 61 percent in June 2020.
The poll mirrored what Shannon Salter was seeing among her civics students, whose interest in voting had been hobbled by poverty, racism and two aging presidential candidates seemingly far removed from the world of a struggling Allentown, Pa., teen.
To these students, American politics was an ego-driven, aimless mess. She had more than a month to go before the end of the term to convince her students that their participation in American democracy was worth it. She had no idea how hard a sell that would turn out to be.
This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written and read by Greg Jaffe. Audio narration comes from our partners at Noa, an app offering curated audio articles.
Democrats flipped the typical convention script this week, dominating the news during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Following the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump at a rally Saturday, the GOP aimed to send a message of unity to the party faithful. In his acceptance speech, Trump initially seemed somber, telling the crowd, “I’m not supposed to be here tonight.” They chanted back, “Yes, you are.” But he quickly regained his normal campaign posture, hammering Democrats over immigration and the economy. Meanwhile, new reporting from The Post shows that Biden is hearing concerns about his fitness to lead the ticket from senior Democratic figures like former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and former president Barack Obama.
Martine Powers and Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and writer of The Campaign Moment newsletter, speak with Dan Balz, the chief correspondent covering national politics, the presidency and Congress at The Post.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Charla Freeland. It was edited by Reena Flores and Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair.
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In the early 1980s, the Olympic Games were on the verge of dying out. After a string of disasters, the Games had become unaffordable, politically fraught, and faced serious security concerns. Then came the spectacular 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles that reinvented the way the Olympics were run.
Guest host Ted Muldoon sits down with Les Carpenter, who covers the Olympics for The Post. They break down what changed in the 1984 Games and explore if 2024 could be another turning point.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski. Thanks to Matt Rennie.
Audio of the 1984 Olympic events courtesy of the ABC Sports Collection, managed by ESPN. Additional audio courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, RunnerSpace.com and Rocky Mountain PBS.
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Voyager 1 launched on Sept. 5, 1977, during the height of the space age. In the decades since, this unmanned spacecraft has ventured to the outer edges of our universe, sending back one-of-a-kind images and exploring realms that humans will probably never reach.
Voyager 1 is now more than 15 billion miles away in interstellar space, still collecting data and sending it back to Earth. But late last year, Voyager 1 faced its biggest crisis yet. It went silent and stopped communicating. In the months that followed, scientists at NASA launched an all-hands-on-deck effort to find a solution.
Today on “Post Reports,” science reporter Joel Achenbach on Voyager’s journey through space, its fragile future and the desperate effort to keep it with us. We hear from Linda Spilker, project scientist for Voyager 1, and David Cummings, a member of a “tiger team” at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Stephen Smith.
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On Saturday, Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate former president Donald Trump. Crooks got on top of a roof near the Butler, Pa., rally and shot toward the rally stage. But almost a minute and a half before Crooks fired, bystanders alerted security that they saw a man on a roof.
Since the assassination attempt, the Secret Service – the organization meant to protect current and former presidents – has been under scrutiny. Today, guest host Chris Velazco speaks with investigative reporter Carol Leonnig about the Secret Service – how they work, their past failures and how they responded at the scene.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson and Ali Bianco. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Peter Wallsten and Isaac Stanley-Becker.
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This week, amid calls for political unity and growing questions over presidential security, Trump faces one of the most consequential weeks in his campaign yet – the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he will officially accept the Republican nomination for president.
Post Reports co-host Martine Powers speaks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake and political investigations and enterprise reporter Josh Dawsey from the convention. They explore the weight of the ongoing investigation into the attempted assassination, its larger implications and what to expect from the convention this week. Also, they discuss the dropped charges in a legal challenge regarding Trump’s handling of classified documents, and the announcement of Trump’s running mate: Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Charla Freeland, and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. Thanks also to Ali Bianco.
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A shooter fired multiple rounds toward the stage at a Saturday campaign rally for former president Donald Trump. Federal officials are investigating the incident as an assassination attempt.
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Donald Trump, the former president who is set to formally accept the Republican nomination later this week, was less than 10 minutes into his speech at a rally in Pennsylvania when a burst of gunfire interrupted him. Trump was quickly rushed offstage with what appeared to be blood on one side of his face. He later said in a TruthSocial post that he was shot in his upper right ear. Authorities are investigating the event as an assassination attempt. According to law enforcement, the shooter and one spectator are dead and at least two others are critically injured.
National political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf was at the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania and witnessed the shooting unfold. He spoke with host Martine Powers late Saturday night, recounted his experience and shared the latest details of what we know so far. Martine also spoke with Post photographer Jabin Botsford who was a few feet from Trump when the gunfire began and a Trump supporter who attended the rally.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon, with production assistance from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and Renita Jablonski.
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This week, Biden vowed in his high-stakes press conference on Thursday night to remain in the race, but it’s unclear if his message satisfied voters.
His speech followed new polling this week that suggests that more than half of Democrats want Biden to drop out of the race. It also found that the overall race hasn’t changed much, and that Trump and Biden are locked in a dead heat.
Post Reports co-host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about how Democratic voters and politicians feel about Biden, and why Trump has been so quiet during a tumultuous moment in his opponent’s campaign. They also dig into what to expect at next week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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Wimbledon. Hit films like “Challengers.” Tennis core. While household names such as Serena Williams and Roger Federer have retired from the game, a new generation of players is on the rise. They are fueling a resurgence in the sport’s popularity and pushing for long-awaited pay equity.
Today on “Post Reports,” Martine Powers speaks with sports reporter Ava Wallace from Wimbledon about this tennis moment and the new players to watch, such as Carlos Alcaraz, Lorenzo Musetti, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff, and the challenge the sport is facing from pickleball. Wallace also offers her viewing tips as Wimbledon heads to its final matches.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Greg Schimmel.
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Summer is in full swing, and that means many Americans are taking long-awaited vacations. While the joys of exploring new places or visiting family and friends are numerous, the chaos that comes with summer travel –such as flight delays, disappointing Airbnbs and turbulence – can be enough to make us all want to stay home.
Host Martine Powers speaks with Post travel reporter Natalie Compton about how to survive the mayhem of summer travel.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter.
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As of Tuesday afternoon, nine congressional House Democrats have called on President Biden to step aside. At the same time, influential liberals like Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have publicly announced their support for Biden’s candidacy. Biden himself has been defiant about remaining in the race.
Today on “Post Reports,” host Martine Powers talks to White House reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb about the schism inside the Democratic Party and why this week is so pivotal for the future of the Biden campaign.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan and Elana Gordon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Last week, France was preparing for the possibility of its first far-right government since World War II. Now, it faces a political crossroads, just weeks before the Olympics kick off in Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron shocked the nation last month when he dissolved Parliament and announced snap elections, hoping to win more seats for his centrist party. But after the first round of elections last week, Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally made historic gains and seemed poised to secure a large victory in the runoff.
Instead, the leftist Popular Front came out on top in Sunday night’s elections after forming an alliance with Macron’s centrists. However, no party secured an absolute majority of seats, leaving the country uncertain of what party will lead it.
Today on “Post Reports,” host Martine Powers speaks with international correspondent Rick Noack about what these election results spell for France’s long-term future and global standing, and how that might impact Paris’s readiness to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick and Ali Bianco. It was edited by Ted Muldoon and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Marisa Bellack.
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With the 60th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery approaching next year, Philip Howard wants to ensure that visitors to Alabama receive a more robust truth, one that goes beyond a paragraph written on a historical marker.
Howard conceived an ambitious goal to tell a cohesive, robust story about the Selma-to-Montgomery march. The march was mostly known for its beginnings, when officers beat and bloodied protesters walking over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. But few delved into the details that made the third attempt to cross the bridge successful, including the families and organizations that helped along the way.
There were four “campsites” where protesters stayed overnight while completing their 54-mile sojourn. Persuading the families who owned these campsites to publicly preserve their history would be a journey of its own.
This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written and read by Robert Samuels. Audio production and original music composition by Bishop Sand.
Learn how to enjoy cooking by identifying parts of your personality outside the kitchen that will set you up for success inside the kitchen.
In the first class in our course on how to enjoy cooking more, host Cristina Quinn teams up with the Washington Post food team to uncover tips for identifying your kitchen personality. Food and dining editor Joe Yonan, food writer and recipe developer Aaron Hutcherson and recipes editor Becky Krystal discuss how to apply personality characteristics — like a tendency to tinker or an adherence to rules — to your cooking experience. The process can make preparing a meal more personalized and therefore more pleasurable.
Find more than 10,000 recipes – sortable by cuisine, course and time it takes to cook – in The Post’s recipe finder. Try one of Cristina’s favorites, Simple Butter Chicken.
Subscribe to The Washington Post for just 50 cents per week for your first year. (Sale ends July 10). Connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.
To hear more, check out “Try This” wherever you listen to podcasts.
From Theresa May, who struggled to connect with the public, to Boris Johnson, whose tenure was marred by scandals, to Liz Truss, who served as prime minister for just 45 days, the Conservative Party has had significant challenges with U.K. voters in recent years.
With economic turmoil following Brexit, a pressing need for better health care, and concerns about job security, many British voters are seeking a fresh start.
Tomorrow, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Conservative Party will face voters in the first general election since 2019. Projections for Thursday’s general election show the opposition Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, on the precipice of a parliamentary supermajority win.
Today on “Post Reports,” host Martine Powers speaks with The Washington Post’s London bureau chief Bill Booth about the decline of the Conservative Party and the contenders vying to be the next British prime minister.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Trinity Webster-Bass and Ali Bianco.
To learn more about the election, check out our colleague Ishaan Tharoor’s column.
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It’s not Friday, but here’s a special Tuesday edition of The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.
We’re bringing you an episode early in the week to share details from inside President Biden’s campaign as the Democratic Party reckons with the fallout from his stumbling performance at the first presidential debate. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Washington Post's “The Campaign Moment” newsletter, and Tyler Pager, a White House reporter who’s been traveling with Biden around the country, sit down with co-host Martine Powers. They reveal the behind-the-scenes details of Biden’s preparation before the debate, his Friday campaign rally to reinvigorate the president’s image, and his team’s willingness to engage in discussions about replacing him ahead of the Democratic convention.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sean Carter. Additional production by Ali Bianco. It was edited by Allison Michaels and Mary Jo Murphy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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Today, the Supreme Court announced a ruling that could change the limits on presidential power.
In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that the president is immune from prosecution of any criminal acts committed in an official capacity during his tenure. The ruling, however, sends the case back to the lower court to determine what counts as an official act and what doesn’t.
Martine Powers speaks with reporter Devlin Barrett about the complexities of presidential immunity, what this means for former president Donald Trump and his indictment on charges of election interference, and the potential impact for future presidents.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Laura Benshoff, Trinity Webster-Bass and Ali Bianco. It was edited by Reena Flores, with help from Lucy Perkins, and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Debbi Wilgoren.
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It’s a special early Friday edition of The Campaign Moment. We’re in your feed first thing today after Post Reports co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake went into the studio shortly after the debate ended. Aaron says it’s one of the most significant moments of the campaign so far. He and Martine talk through Biden and Trump’s performances, which had Biden noticeably stumbling at times and Trump basing many answers around falsehoods that were left unchallenged by the CNN moderators. Aaron explains the tough questions in front of Democrats now and what this could mean for a buoyed Trump campaign.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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Last week, President Biden announced an executive action that could change everything for DACA recipient Javier Quiroz. But it could all be undone in November. Today, we discuss Biden’s and former president Donald Trump’s takes on immigration.
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Once again, immigration is a big focus on the presidential campaign trail. President Biden’s recent policies restricting asylum aim to decrease migration at the southern border. He also recently issued an executive action that assists undocumented spouses who want to apply for U.S. residency. Former president Donald Trump proposes employing the military to deport migrants en masse, among other hard-line measures.
Among those watching how this will all play out is Javier Quiroz, an undocumented immigrant who has lived most of his life in the United States. His wife and high school sweetheart, Haleigh, is a U.S. citizen. They found it difficult to plan ahead in their life together –– until last week, when Biden announced the executive action that would change everything for them.
Martine Powers speaks with immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti about Javier and Haleigh Quiroz and their love story. They are among the more than 500,000 couples whose lives could change under Biden’s new policy. But come November, their lives could change back depending on who becomes the next president.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Ali Bianco and Trinity Webster-Bass. It was mixed by Sean Carter, and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Dominic Anthony Walsh.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here and check out the newest season of the “Try This” audio course.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has been at the forefront of a movement to scrutinize the impact of social media and its potential harms. Last week, he called for placing tobacco-style warning labels on social media platforms to alert users that the platforms can harm children’s mental health.
Today, host Martine Powers talks to Murthy about what social media is doing to children and what type of effect warning labels could have on the issue. Plus, we talk about his latest advisory declaring gun violence a public health crisis.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. Thank you to Stephen Smith.
If you liked this episode, check out this week’s episode of “Impromptu”; journalists on the Post’s Opinions desk talk about smartphones, anxiety about teen mental health, and whether warning labels on things like social media could actually work.
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These days, there’s one thing that Raquel Campos isn’t taking for granted: water. Back in January, the taps went dry in her apartment in Mexico City. At first, she thought it was just her building, until she realized far more of the city was experiencing the same dilemma.
Mexico City is experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history. That, along with other factors such as leaky infrastructure, has left the capital’s critical Cutzamala water system dwindling to record lows. Throughout June, it has hovered at about 26 percent of its capacity. Water scarcity is affecting both lower-income and wealthy neighborhoods.
Today on “Post Reports,” host Elahe Izadi speaks with weather and climate reporter Kasha Patel about Mexico City’s water crisis and how the city – along with other parts of the world – is trying to tackle these challenges.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Soon after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, in which 20 children and six adults were murdered, Infowars’ Alex Jones began to push the false idea that the tragedy was a hoax perpetrated by the U.S. government to promote gun restrictions. So a group of parents decided to sue Jones for defamation, and in 2022 they were awarded a $1.5 billion settlement.
This month, a bankruptcy judge ordered Jones to liquidate some of his personal assets to help cover the judgment. Jones was allowed to keep his controlling stake in the Infowars conspiracy site for now, but the site could be shut down within a matter of months.
Elahe Izadi sits down with media reporter Will Sommer to talk about Jones’s fall and what it could mean for the future of the misinformation landscape.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.
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It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.
Host Elahe Izadi chats with reporters Amy Gardner and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, who are on the Democracy team at The Post. They discuss the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and the ongoing political and legal fallout from those attempts. They also talk about the recent charges filed against fake electors in Arizona, including notable names like Rudy Giuliani and Boris Epshteyn, and why some election officials are making deep fakes of themselves to educate voters.
Today’s show was produced by Ted Muldoon and Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Griff Witte.
Subscribe to The Campaign Moment newsletter here.
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Two years ago, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which included the most ambitious climate measures in the U.S. to date. It contains tax credits for electric vehicles, and his administration has taken subsequent action forcing automakers to shift production away from gas-powered vehicles by capping allowable carbon emissions from the auto industry.
But many consumers remain skeptical of the technology, and its adoption is largely concentrated in areas where Democrats are in the majority.
All of this has become fodder for former president Donald Trump. At a recent rally in Las Vegas, he vowed to end the “mandate on electric” and complained that batteries are too heavy to power trucks and boats.
And now, vulnerable Senate Democrats, such as Ohio’s Sherrod Brown and Montana’s Jon Tester, who helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, find themselves under attack for their party’s climate policies. Host Elahe Izadi speaks with Senate reporter Liz Goodwin about how one of Biden’s signature accomplishments turned into a liability for Democrats and could affect which party controls the Senate next year.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Ted Muldoon and mixed by Sean Carter.
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American sports have changed from a unifying bond to a platform for division. Is there any going back?
Sports columnist Jerry Brewer has been thinking about the state of sports for decades. In the past few years, it has soured in his mind. In his new series of essays titled “Grievance Games,” Brewer set out to explore why he believes the unifying power of sports has been ruptured through grievance politics. And how many of those grievances are racially charged.
Today on Post Reports, Brewer narrates the first piece in the series, which serves as an introduction to his thinking.
You can find this column, and the next three in the series, here.
This story was written and narrated by Jerry Brewer. It was produced and mixed with original music by Bishop Sand.
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The U.S. men’s cricket team’s win against Pakistan shocked the world – not just because they beat a titan of the sport, but also because many of the team’s players play cricket while juggling full-time jobs.
“I’m focusing on my work and completely switched on [to] my work,” said Saurabh Netravalkar, an engineer for Oracle and a star player for Team USA. “And if I'm on the field, I’m completely on the field, so that really helps me – switching on and switching off.”
Netravalkar spoke with The Post’s Pranshu Verma, a tech reporter and a huge cricket fan. He’s been following Team USA and Netravalkar’s historic rise. He discusses the attention that this tournament has brought to the sport in the United States and what it would take for it to become more widely popular in the country.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell.
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With every breath you take, you could be inhaling microplastics. Today, we talk about where they come from, how they impact our health and what we can do to avoid them in our daily lives.
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For years, scientists on the hunt for microplastics have found them almost everywhere. First, they spotted tiny pieces of plastic in the ocean, in the bodies of fish and mussels. Then they found them in soft drinks, in tap water, in vegetables and fruits, in burgers.
Now researchers are discovering that microplastics are floating around us, suspended in the air on city streets and inside homes. One study found that people inhale or ingest on average 74,000 to 121,000 microplastic particles per year through breathing, eating and drinking.
Today on “Post Reports,” climate reporter Shannon Osaka answers host Elahe Izadi’s questions about these plastic particles that humans are taking in in much larger quantities than previously thought. And she gives some advice on how to get microplastics out of our lives as much as possible.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter.
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It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.
In a district that overwhelmingly voted for Trump in 2020, Ohio voters almost elected a Democratic congressman this week. But are such special election results representative? Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Washington Post's new Campaign Moment newsletter, and Toluse Olorunnipa, White House bureau chief for The Post, sit down with host Elahe Izadi. They also discuss Hunter Biden’s conviction on felony gun charges, how family matters impact presidential campaigns, and polling that shows voters are checked out when it comes to major campaign stories.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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Dietary supplements are enormously popular in the United States. A new federal survey found that a majority of Americans are taking them, with many consuming multiple kinds on a regular basis.
And yet, supplements are shrouded in misconceptions. Supplements have less oversight than pharmaceutical drugs and are regulated differently. While people may take them to be healthier, we often don’t think about possible side effects or interactions. We also assume we know what we’re getting.
Today, host Martine Powers talks with the Post’s Well+Being columnist, Anahad O’Connor, about how to be smarter about the supplements we take to improve our health.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Since Lina Khan was appointed chair of the Federal Trade Commission in 2021, the FTC has become more ambitious in its efforts to curb alleged unfair business practices. The agency has banned most non-compete agreements, has begun to scrutinize the proliferation of AI and has initiated lawsuits against massive tech companies like Meta, Microsoft and Amazon. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post).The FTC under Khan’s leadership has drawn bipartisan support in Congress, but also the ire of some pundits and business leaders.
Elahe Izadi sat down with Khan in The Washington Post studio this week for a wide-ranging conversation about Khan’s tenure at the FTC, how the government should be regulating AI, why the FTC is going up against Amazon and what it means to be doing this work in an election year.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Allison Michaels and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Today on “Post Reports,” the story of Ashraf Omar Alakhras and his family farm and an exclusive investigation into the destruction of food and agriculture in Gaza.
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Since Israel’s invasion of Gaza more than seven months ago, Gaza’s food and agricultural system is on the brink of collapse. Airstrikes and bulldozers have razed farms and orchards across the region, according to a Washington Post investigation comparing satellite imagery before and after the start of the war. Experts say that it could take decades to reconstruct what had already been a vulnerable but dynamic food system.
But beyond those satellite images is the story of Ashraf Omar Alakhras and his family’s farm. For months, the Post’s visual forensics reporter, Nilo Tabrizy, has been corresponding with Alakhras about what has happened and what it will take to rebuild.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Reem Akkad, Peter Finn, Leila Barghouty and Elyse Samuels. Additional reporting from Imogen Piper and Miriam Berger, with help from He Yin of Kent State University.
Find The Post’s latest coverage of the Israel-Gaza War here.
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Housing has become increasingly expensive around the country. And while it’s traditionally seen as a local issue, housing could be a major factor in the 2024 presidential election.
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In polls, voters often say the economy is one of the top issues they’ll consider when voting in the 2024 presidential election.
But what exactly does that mean? For a lot of people, the cost of housing — rent or a mortgage payment — is the main way they feel fluctuations in the economy. That cost can also be the most stressful.
Today, host Elahe Izadi speaks with politics reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell about why housing has gotten so expensive in Nevada and other swing states— and how that could sway the presidential election.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sam Bair.
Two projects from the Post Reports team were just honored with Peabody awards. You can listen to “The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop” here; and Part One of “Surviving to Graduation” here.
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It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.
This week, we hear directly from some undecided voters about how Donald Trump’s criminal conviction lands with them. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Washington Post's new Campaign Moment newsletter, and Isaac Arnsdorf, who covers Trump and the MAGA movement for The Post, sit down with co-host Martine Powers. They also discuss Stephen K. Bannon’s upcoming stint in prison, as well as President Biden’s executive order curtailing asylum and its implications for the campaign.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon.
It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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Eight months into Israel’s war in Gaza, a string of standoffs, schisms and ultimatums have brought Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s emergency war cabinet to the brink of collapse and raised the prospect that his own coalition could follow, possibly leading to new elections.
Externally, the embattled prime minister is under growing pressure from the public to bring home Israel’s remaining hostages and from the Biden administration to reach a cease-fire agreement with Hamas. Within his unity government, formed less than a week after the deadly militant attacks on Oct. 7, he is contending with rebellions by allies and opponents alike.
Today, “Post Reports” host Martine Powers speaks with Jerusalem bureau chief Steve Hendrix about the external and internal pressures Netanyahu faces during is facing amidst a critical moment in the war in Gaza.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Lior Soroka.
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In Hunter Biden’s 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” he writes: “I’ve bought crack cocaine on the streets of Washington, DC, and cooked up my own inside a hotel bungalow in Los Angeles. I’ve been so desperate for a drink that I couldn’t make the one-block walk between a liquor store and my apartment without uncapping the bottle to take a swig.”
Federal prosecutors this week used these words and other excerpts from Biden’s memoir against him, as they attempted to convince a jury that he lied about his drug use when purchasing a firearm in Delaware in 2018.
The president’s son faces three felony charges related to the gun purchase.
Today on “Post Reports,” Justice Department reporter Perry Stein and host Martine Powers break down the charges Biden faces in his federal trial, why the prosecution is using his memoir as evidence and what impact the case could have on his father’s reelection campaign.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter.
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On Monday, Anthony Fauci – a former health adviser in the Trump and Biden administrations – testified in front of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, a panel devoted to investigating the federal response to covid-19. The contentious hearing came amid a battle between the panel’s Republican and Democratic leaders over how to understand Fauci’s legacy in shaping the U.S. response to the covid-19 pandemic, as well as the popular understanding of the virus’s origin.
Host Martine Powers speaks with health reporter Dan Diamond about why this hearing catapulted a retired Fauci back into the headlines.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick and Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ted Muldoon and mixed by Sean Carter.
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TikTok offered the Biden administration a kill switch. Today on “Post Reports,” why the U.S. government declined.
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In 2022, TikTok offered the U.S. government an extraordinary deal.
The social media app – owned by a Chinese company – said it would let federal officials pick its U.S. board of directors, would give the government veto power over each new hire and would pay an American company that contracts with the Defense Department to monitor its source code.
The Biden administration, however, went its own way.
Today on “Post Reports,” tech reporter Drew Harwell takes host Elahe Izadi behind the scenes of the U.S. government’s decision to pass on TikTok’s proposal.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here and check out this story about the health consequences of loud restaurants.
It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.
This week is a special episode dedicated to the questions raised by having a presidential candidate and former U.S. president who is now a felon. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post's new Campaign Moment newsletter, and Ashley Parker, his colleague on the politics team, sit down with Post Reports co-host Elahe Izadi.
They talk about the politics of Donald Trump’s guilty verdict, how Republicans and Democrats are reacting to it, and the politicization of the rule of law.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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A New York jury convicted former president Donald Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in his hush money trial. Tonight on “Post Reports,” the scene in the Manhattan courtroom. And what comes next.
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Donald Trump is now the first former U.S. president to be tried and found guilty of a crime, after a New York jury convicted him on Thursday of falsifying business records in his hush money case.
The trial lasted seven weeks. The 12-person jury unanimously agreed on the verdict after deliberating for two days, finding that Trump falsified records to cover up a $130,000 payment made to an adult-film actress before the 2016 election to keep her quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with him years earlier.
Politics reporter Isaac Arnsdorf was in the courthouse as the verdict was read. Tonight on “Post Reports,” he talks with host Elahe Izadi about that moment, and what comes next.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.
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How far-right Israeli settlers are blocking aid to Gaza. And, why humanitarian aid has become politicized.
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Right-wing Israeli settlers stepped up their attacks on aid trucks passing through the West Bank this month, blocking food and aid from reaching Gaza as humanitarian groups warn that the enclave is sinking deeper into famine.
The Post’s Loveday Morris went to a border crossing to see these blockades in real time. Today, we break down what this means for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region, and how aid has become so politicized.
Today’s episode was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Erin Cunningham.
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Crypto, AI and clean-tech manufacturing are pushing America’s power grid to the brink. Aging utilities can’t keep up. On today’s episode of “Post Reports,” we look into who will be left to pay the price.
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Vast swaths of the United States are at risk of running short of power this summer, as electricity-hungry data centers and clean-technology factories eat up what the country’s aging power grid churns out.
Today on “Post Reports,” business reporter Evan Halper explains what’s putting the power grid under so much strain, what solutions the government and Big Tech are proposing, and who will foot the bill.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Peter Bresnan, with help from Monica Campbell. It was mixed by Sean Carter.
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India’s general election ends this weekend, with Prime Minister Nerendra Modi leading the polls. Today on “Post Reports,” we unpack where Modi’s support comes from and what a win for his party would mean for the world’s largest democracy.
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For more than a month, people across India have been voting in this year's general election. It’s the largest the world has ever seen, and Prime Minister Nerendra Modi and his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party are ahead in polls by a wide margin. A lot of Modi’s support is coming from women – largely because they are in favor of his Hindu nationalist platform and because his party has encouraged women to work. He has also been able to reach young voters through his social media campaigning.
But many see India’s struggling economy and his Hindu nationalism as reasons to vote him out – particularly because attacks against Muslims have increased during his time in office. An alliance of more than two dozen parties is running against him, but they’ve struggled to stay organized and make gains.
Correspondent Karishma Mehrotra reports from New Delhi on what it’s been like on the campaign trail and what it could mean to have Modi lead for a third term.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon and Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter.
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A community organizer and several residents of public housing in Milwaukee are trying to get attention from their representatives in government. Low-income Black voters, like those at College Court, are often discussed by political pundits as key to President Biden’s reelection campaign against former president Donald Trump. The residents are facing issues like bedbugs, violence, public spillover of mental illness and backlogged maintenance issues, which are all seemingly intractable to an overwhelmed housing authority. The promise of public housing, where rent was typically capped at 30 percent of tenants’ incomes, appears to no longer include safety. The reasons lie in a tangle of acronyms and funding streams, regulations and deputy directors, good intentions followed by fine print and excuses.
This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written and read by Jose A. Del Real. Audio narration comes from our partners at Noa, an app offering curated audio articles.
It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.
Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post's new Campaign Moment newsletter, is out sick this week, so national political reporter Michael Scherer and White House reporter Tyler Pager join Martine Powers this week.
They talk about how the Biden campaign may need more popular Democratic candidates down ballot to boost turnout in key battleground states, Donald Trump’s claims that President Biden was prepared to “take me out” when the Department of Justice raided Mar-a-Lago in 2022, and the controversy swirling around political-flag-flying at Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s homes.
Today’s show was produced by Ted Muldoon and Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
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Niger has been a key U.S. ally in West Africa in the fight against growing threats from Islamist extremist groups. But a military coup last July soured that relationship. Now, the U.S. says it will withdraw from the country by mid-September.
For more than a decade, the U.S. military presence in Niger has enabled U.S. intelligence gathering, monitoring and support to Niger, as it works to contain extremist groups.
After last year’s coup, many Nigeriens support their country’s new leadership, hoping they can better fight violence from these groups. But discussions between the United States and Niger’s military junta have broken down.
Today on “Post Reports,” West Africa bureau chief Rachel Chason shares what she learned in an exclusive interview with Niger’s prime minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, and what this could all mean for Nigerien and American national security interests.
Read more:
U.S. lays out plans for withdrawing troops from Niger
U.S. threats led to rupture of vital military ties, Nigerien leader says
Why the Islamic State is surging in Africa
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Ted Muldoon and Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
In a place with a long history of hate, a rebel Republican bloc mobilizes against far-right extremism within the local party.
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A generation ago, community activists were able to bankrupt and push out a white supremacist hate group that took root among the tall pines and crystal lakes of North Idaho. It was a hard-fought triumph — one North Idaho residents took pride in.
But today, some of those activists and residents worry that hateful ideologies are returning to their region.
This time, they say, the threat is no longer on the fringes of society, dressed in Nazi garb at a hideout in the woods. Instead, they say they see it in the leadership of the local Republican Party, which has mirrored the lurch to the right of the national conservative movement during the Trump era on matters of race, religion and sexuality. The bigotry of the past, they say, now has mainstream political cover.
Today on “Post Reports,” extremism and domestic terrorism reporter Hannah Allam talks with host Martine Powers about the self-described “traditional” Republicans who spent the past two years planning to wrest back control from leaders they accused of steering the local GOP toward extremism — charges those officials vehemently denied. And Hannah gives an update on their plight.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the episode.
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Popular rapper Young Thug is on trial in Atlanta on racketeering charges, along with other members of his rap group, YSL. Today on “Post Reports,” why the trial will soon be the longest in state history and how his lyrics are being used against him.
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The popular rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, skyrocketed to fame over the past decade, headlining festivals, winning a Grammy, and building up a successful record label and the rap collective YSL. But in May 2022 he was arrested and indicted with more than two dozen other people, accused of “overt acts” such as drug possession and armed robbery.
The trial has gone on for almost a year and a half – with jury selection alone taking over 10 months. More than 200 people have been called to testify, and the prosecution is using Young Thug’s social media accounts and lyrics as evidence of being involved in criminal activity. Reporter Ben Brasch has been following the trial closely and explains each side’s arguments and how this case could affect other rappers’ artistic expression.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, along with other top officials. Today on “Post Reports,” the reactions to his death from within Iran and worldwide – and what it will mean for the country’s leadership.
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The deaths of two of Iran’s top officials brought shock and celebrations from within Iran and among the country’s diaspora. Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, and the foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were killed along with other officials and crew members when their helicopter crashed traveling from Iran’s border with Azerbaijan. It crashed in thick fog, and search teams struggled to find the crash site for hours because of the weather.
In Iran, officials declared five days of mourning, with many Iranians gathering to grieve Raisi’s death. But across social media and at protests in Tehran on Monday, people danced in celebration. Raisi was a polarizing figure during his four-decade career in the country’s government, during which he cracked down on political protests.
Yeganeh Torbati is a financial investigative reporter who is following the aftermath of Raisi’s death. She explains his legacy and what Raisi’s death means on a global scale.
Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and national political reporter Michael Scherer join Martine Powers this week. There is a lot to dig into about the debates agreed to this week by President Biden and former president Donald Trump. Also on the must-chat list: the latest from the hush money trial in New York, the reporting by Michael and Post colleagues on the Trump campaign’s “leaner” ground strategy and the implications of some of the latest polling.
You can now also follow The Campaign Moment in a new feed to hear extra episodes from Aaron and our politics team as the campaign year continues.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon and Sean Carter. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy.
Today, what’s really happening with inflation in the United States. And what the public perception of the economy could mean for the 2024 presidential election.
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While inflation in the United States is still higher than normal, a streak of discouraging data finally broke in a report released Wednesday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation is now slowing — from 3.5 percent in March to 3.4 percent in April — after months of hotter-than-expected reports. But it’s too early to know whether this trend will continue.
Economics reporter Rachel Siegel has been tracking what has felt like roller coaster inflation over the past few years and breaks down where the economy is at now — and how it may affect the 2024 presidential election. She also dives into how the latest economic numbers are playing out in terms of interest rates and their knock-on effect on America’s housing market.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell.
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As trust in institutions plummets and as many people search for shared values, what is the state of American identity? Today, in a special episode of “Post Reports,” we feature a live discussion about the importance of identity in a changing world.
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In a live podcast taping, “Post Reports” hosts Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi sit down in Seattle at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival with Post Opinions columnists Shadi Hamid and Jason Willick. They rethink American identity and whether, during these fractured times, we are creating more opportunities to understand each other – or becoming more distant?
For more from our Post Opinions colleagues, listen to their podcast “Impromptu.” Each week, columnists get into it, with conversations about ideas and debates they can’t stop thinking about. Listen and follow here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon and edited by Monica Campbell.
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People are turning to drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight – but where do they fit in the body-positivity movement? Today on Post Reports, what some fat activists think of these drugs and how one doctor is talking about these medicines with her patients.
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Some companies are marketing GLP-1 drugs to body-positive influencers in the hopes that they’ll market their products to their followers.
Shane O’Neill is a style reporter at the Post and writes the Style Memo newsletter. When he heard about this marketing push, he reached out to some of these influencers and activists to get their take on whether these drugs had a place in their messaging.
At the same time, many doctors are busy fielding questions from patients who are interested in taking these drugs to lose weight. Mara Gordon is a physician in New Jersey who is trying to stop weight stigma by practicing a size-inclusive approach to medicine – meaning she doesn’t offer these drugs for weight loss. She doesn’t think that these drugs can cure fatphobia, and so she tries to talk through patients' goals with them and orient the solutions away from weight loss.
“So let's say I have a patient who doesn't have diabetes, but they say they want to lose weight. So we try to explore that – what are you hoping to achieve? What feels wrong in your life that feels related to, related to your body size?”
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Monica Campbell and Ariel Plotnick.
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Google is changing the way its search feature works, feeding users AI-generated replies to their questions rather than directing them to other websites.
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At its annual developer conference this week, tech giant Google is expected to tout big changes to its signature product, search. Instead of directing users to a list of websites or showing them an excerpt, Google’s AI will craft paragraphs of text that tries to answer users’ questions directly.
AI reporter Gerrit De Vynck says the change could have huge consequences for the internet. Because AI chatbots are still unreliable, and because the information feeding the generative answers comes from a range of sources, users will need to watch out for false information. And the new format means that sources across the web – bloggers, businesses, newspapers and other publishers – are likely to see a huge loss of traffic.
Gerrit joins us to break down what the changes to Google search mean for users, and why the company is moving in this direction.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Heather Kelly.
Also on the show: The Climate Solutions team at the Post has an eye-opening story about the benefits of leaving your lawn unmowed and letting nature do its thing. Read it here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
In today’s bonus episode, we break down Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud, the biggest beef in recent rap history.
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In the past few weeks, a long-standing feud between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake has boiled over. The two artists have released songs taking shots at each other at a rapid clip, astonishing fans with salacious allegations.
On today’s show, The Post’s Joseph Ferguson explains the beef that caused the recent frenzy and how this moment has reignited the hip-hop industry.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson and Sean Carter. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf join Elahe Izadi this week. They talk about how Stormy Daniels’s testimony this week could affect former president Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial and voters’ perception of him. Also, they’ll dig into the new questions around the latest move by the judge presiding over Trump’s classified documents case, why the House pushed back against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s efforts to remove Speaker Mike Johnson, and the political effect of President Biden’s threat to Israel that he’ll stop the shipment of U.S. weapons if the country goes forward with a plan to invade the city of Rafah in Gaza.
Be sure to also follow The Campaign Moment show feed to hear extra episodes from Aaron and our politics team as the campaign year continues.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy.
Tensions are rising between the United States and Israel over the war in Gaza. President Biden has threatened to withhold arms if Israel advances into Rafah in southern Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then vowed that Israel would “stand alone.”
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This week, Israel began its long-promised military operation in Rafah, a city that houses upwards of a million displaced Gazans. Israel has taken control of the Gazan side of the border crossing, blocking aid deliveries amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.
In response, the Biden administration paused a shipment of thousands of bombs to Israel. President Biden also publicly threatened to withhold military aid to Israel if it moves forward with the Rafah operation. Cease-fire talks remain ongoing, and U.S. officials have signaled optimism about securing a deal.
Loveday Morris is reporting on the Israel-Gaza war from Jerusalem. She joins “Post Reports” to explain what Israel’s military operation in Rafah looks like on the ground and what impact a pause in U.S. military aid could have on the war.
One other big story we are following: an exclusive Post investigation revealed that former president Donald Trump promised oil executives that, if re-elected, he would scrap many of Biden’s clean energy policies.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan with help from Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks also to Joe Snell.
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This week in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president, Stormy Daniels gave explicit and disturbing testimony and sparked an angry reaction from Donald Trump.
Stormy Daniels, the adult-film actress at the center of Donald Trump’s hush money trial, testified against the former president Tuesday. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, recounted details of her alleged sexual encounter with Trump. Her testimony was met with muttered profanities from the former president. At one point, Judge Juan Merchan called over Trump’s lawyer to warn that Trump’s cursing was audible and could be intimidating.
Trump is accused of 34 counts of falsifying business records to disguise a payment of $130,000 to Daniels in 2016 so that she would keep quiet about what she says happened between them.
Today on “Post Reports,” reporter Devlin Barrett breaks down the significance of Daniels’s testimony on Tuesday and how that might complicate the outcome of the trial.
Read more:
Stormy Daniels testifies, Trump curses in an angry day in court
Why Stormy Daniels’s account of sex with Trump may be problematic, and other takeaways
Read and subscribe to The Trump Trials newsletter
Today’s show was produced by and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Elana Gordon.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
When Francis became pope in 2013, it was clear that he would be an unconventional pope. He was more casual than his predecessors, and often rejected the fineries of his office. In particular, he made a splash when, early on in his papacy, he responded to a question about gay priests by declaring, “Who am I to judge?”
Since then, Francis has moved to make the Catholic Church more welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community, including approving the blessing of same-sex couples, and allowing transgender people to be baptized. At the same time, the Church continues to argue that homosexuality is “intrinsically disordered,” and that “sex-change intervention” could poses a threat to human dignity. But in spite of this, Francis has begun to regularly invite transgender women, many of them current or former sex workers, to meet him at the Vatican.
Rome bureau chief Anthony Faiola met a number of these women, and joins “Post Reports” to talk about how these meetings came about and the resulting backlash Francis has face from conservative clerics.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Today, whether the U.S.’s long-delayed aid to Ukraine will impact the outcome of the war.
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After months of stalled negotiations, Congress passed a foreign aid package that included $61 billion in aid to Ukraine. With low supplies and exhausted soldiers, the war-torn country is in desperate need of funding and weapons. U.S. officials hope the aid will buy time for Kyiv to replenish its military ranks and strengthen battlefield defenses, but The Post’s Missy Ryan reports that even the large aid package is unlikely to enable a major Ukrainian offensive anytime soon.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Allison Michaels and mixed by Sean Carter.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
In a time of rising anger and threats, one man in Endicott, N.Y., in the throes of a mental health crisis threatened Rep.Marjorie Taylor Greene, telling her “You spread hatred, and you’re gonna pay for it.” Here’s what happened to him.
This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written and read by Ruby Cramer. Audio production and original music composition by Bishop Sand.
It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and White House reporter Cleve Wootson join Martine Powers this week. They talk about how President Biden responded this week to the campus protests over the war in Gaza and what that could mean for his support, whether voters are paying attention yet to former president Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York related to a hush money payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels, and what a story South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem reveals in her new book about killing a dog could mean for her prospects to be Trump’s running mate.
You can now also follow The Campaign Moment in a new feed to hear extra episodes from Aaron and our politics team as the campaign year continues.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon and Sean Carter. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy.
In February, a massive cyberattack nearly brought down the entire U.S. health system. Doctors are still reeling, and many patients don’t even know their data has been exposed. Today, Dan Diamond traces what went wrong and the new scrutiny in Congress.
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Even if UnitedHealthcare isn’t your health insurer, the company has probably interacted with you or your data in some way. UnitedHealth Group is both the nation’s largest insurer and its largest employer of physicians. It owns pharmacies and home health agencies. One of its subsidiaries, Change Healthcare, processes more than 40 percent of the country’s medical claims, acting as a kind of “information superhighway,” explains the Post’s national health reporter, Dan Diamond.
In February, hackers broke into that system and led to what is being described as the largest cyberattack ever in American health care. Behind the scenes, the attack froze health payments and compromised patient information. It spread pain across doctors and hospitals nationwide, especially in rural communities. It’s still unclear how many people have been impacted, and the breach has yet to be fully resolved.
The chaos and fallout brought UnitedHealth Group’s CEO, Andrew Witty, to testify this week before Congress for the first time in more than 15 years. During separate House and Senate committee hearings, representatives grilled Witty on why basic security safeguards were lacking and, more broadly, whether UnitedHealth Group might have become too big, raising bigger questions about how U.S. health care operates.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Stephen Smith.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Six months after becoming speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson’s job is on the line. Today on “Post Reports,” we explore Johnson’s rise to power and his potential ouster at the hands of his Republican colleagues.
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Mike Johnson became House speaker following the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy in October. After three weeks of infighting among Republicans, Johnson emerged as the only viable candidate, in part because Johnson was relatively unknown. Before becoming speaker, Johnson was best known for leading the charge to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 election.
Johnson’s short tenure has been tumultuous. Last week, Johnson helped pass a bill that provides billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, over the objections of Republican colleagues. Now, in response, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has vowed to introduce a motion that could see Johnson kicked out of the speakership. The House will probably take up the motion once she reintroduces it next week.
Congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor joins “Post Reports” to talk about Johnson’s politics, how he has changed since becoming speaker and the chances that Johnson could soon lose the speakership.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Ted Muldoon and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Rachel Van Dongen.
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India is rising as a competitive global power. It is also joining a club of nations that aggressively target dissidents on foreign soil. Today on “Post Reports,” we dive into India’s assassination plots.
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It was a split-screen moment: As the Biden administration hosted a White House state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022, an officer in India’s intelligence service was relaying instructions to a team hired to kill one of Modi’s most vocal critics in the United States. The assassination plot was part of several repressive acts targeting Indian diaspora populations in Asia, Europe and North America, according to officials in the United States and in India.
Greg Miller, a Washington Post investigative foreign correspondent, breaks down how a team of Post reporters have probed a global surge in aggression against dissident groups.
Amid shifting geopolitical forces, Miller explains how the United States and other Western governments have struggled to stem this repressive tide. India, for example, has faced few consequences for its use of violence against dissident groups, in part because the United States and its allies want closer ties with India in a new era of competition with China.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Ted Muldoon and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Peter Finn and Ellen Nakashima.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
For the first time, a virulent strain of bird flu has been detected in U.S. dairy cows. Fragments of the virus have also been found in commercial milk. Today, health reporter Lena Sun shares the latest on the outbreak and why the risk to humans remains low.
In recent years, H5N1 bird flu has become widespread among wild birds around the world and has spread to mammals like seals and squirrels. It can be fatal and has resulted in the deaths or cullings of tens of millions of chickens in the United States alone.
Then in March, another concerning development caught the attention of scientists around the world: H5N1 was found in a herd of dairy cows for the first time in the United States. The virus has since been identified in cows in at least nine states, and preliminary testing of the virus fragments in commercial milk indicate the outbreak may be more widespread than previously thought.
While the cases in cows appear to be mild so far, a dairy worker also became sick last month with mild symptoms, marking the second known U.S. case of this type of bird flu in a human.
Today, national health reporter Lena Sun joins “Post Reports” to share the latest on what is known and not known about the growing outbreak, and the precautions people can take to stay healthy.
Read more:
As bird flu spreads in cows, fractured U.S. response has echoes of early covid
Bird flu explained: How it spreads, milk and egg safety and more
How prepared the U.S. is for a bird flu pandemic
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Rachel Roubein and Tracy Jan.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Elahe Izadi chats with Aaron Blake, author of the Post newsletter The Campaign Moment, and national politics reporter Colby Itkowitz. They delve into the most important political moments of this past week. Listen for these conversations most Fridays during the 2024 campaign.
It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, Post Reports co-host Elahe Izadi and national politics reporter Colby Itkowitz sit down to talk about Tuesday’s congressional primaries, the latest presidential polling, the right’s reckoning with Marjorie Taylor Greene, and the potential effect on the presidential campaign from the protests on college campuses. Follow “The Campaign Moment” podcast feed as well to catch bonus episodes from Aaron.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Allison Michaels.
A young woman in Texas desperately tried to terminate her pregnancy before ultimately choosing adoption. Today on "Post Reports," how abortion restrictions and fate collided to entwine two women’s lives.
Read Amber Ferguson's story and watch the video here.
Today’s show was produced by Charla Freeland. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sean Carter.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today, a look inside the pro-Palestinian protests taking root on college campuses and why universities have been struggling to respond to them.
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Over the past week, protests over the Israel-Gaza war have spread and intensified on college campuses across the country.
Pro-Palestinian student demonstrators across the country, including at Yale and Columbia University, have been arrested and removed from tent encampments on their campuses. Other encampments have been set up at many schools, including the University of California at Berkeley and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The demonstrations have put pressure on university leaders — coming from lawmakers, faculty, alumni and families concerned about antisemitism on campus, and from those who say some institutions have been too aggressive and are shutting down students’ rights to free expression.
Today on “Post Reports,” education reporter Susan Svrluga takes us through the students’ demands, the universities’ responses, the reactions of pro-Israel counterprotesters, and the future of this building movement.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson and Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter. Special thanks to Hannah Natanson, April Bethea and Angelica Ang.
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The Senate is expected to pass a bipartisan bill that would force TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform or face a national ban. How did Congress finally achieve consensus on this?
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The Senate spent the day debating a bill that would provide billions of dollars in aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. But something else is also tucked into the bill: an ultimatum to TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the popular app or see it effectively banned in the United States.
Tech policy reporter Cristiano Lima-Strong says this is the latest attempt by Congress to force a sale of TikTok, which some lawmakers say poses a national security threat by putting the data of roughly 170 million Americans in the hands of the Chinese government. While a previous version of this bill had stalled in the Senate, this time the legislation is on the path to becoming law.
Cristiano joins Post Reports to break down the latest developments surrounding this bill as well as its potential consequences.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the most significant legal challenge to the rights of unhoused people in decades. On “Post Reports,” we hear from a correspondent who visited the city at the center of the debate.
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In the small city of Grants Pass, Ore., hundreds of people are living outside, with many camping in the public parks. The anti-camping laws in Grants Pass allow the city to fine those living in public spaces. But unhoused people in the city say that the fines are a violation of the Eighth Amendment and amount to cruel and unusual punishment, since the city has no homeless shelters and they have nowhere else to go.
“The more I've been out here, the more angry I get, because I've noticed that they're trying to push us out altogether,” said Laura Gutowski, who has been unhoused since 2021. “They're just trying to push, push, push until we give up and say, ‘Fine, I'll leave town.’”
Reis Thebault is The Post’s West Coast correspondent and traveled to Grants Pass to talk with unhoused people at the center of the case.
“If the Supreme Court were to agree with the 9th Circuit, then cities across the country would find their hands tied as they work to address the urgent homelessness crisis,” argues Theane Evangelis, the lead attorney for Grants Pass.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Ann Marimow.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Arguably the greatest bull rider who has ever lived, J.B. Mauney was thrown from a bull in September 2023 and forced to retire. Mauney lives on his ranch in Stephenville, Tex., with his family and the bull that ended his career. The former bull rider has led an uncompromising life. Now, not only has he accepted his fate, but he’s made friends with it.
This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written and read by Sally Jenkins. Audio production and original music composition by Bishop Sand.
Elahe Izadi talks with Aaron Blake and Liz Goodwin about Week 1 of Trump’s first criminal trial, how Israel is dividing Democrats in Congress, and whether GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson’s strategy to approve aid to Ukraine could cost him his job.
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In Friday’s episode of “The Campaign Moment,” we look back at the political news of the week and dive into how it could shape the 2024 election. This week, senior political reporter Aaron Blake – who also writes The Post’s newsletter of the same name – talks about former president Donald Trump’s first criminal trial in New York with Elahe Izadi and congressional reporter Liz Goodwin.
They also chat about how foreign policy is dividing both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. President Biden’s approach on Israel continues to be top of mind for many Democrats following Israel’s strike inside Iran on Thursday. And far-right Republicans are threatening to remove GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson after he put forward a plan to send aid to Ukraine this week.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins.
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Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
Despite being the world’s wealthiest nation, the U.S. has communities that are still exposed to toxic tap water. Today, we hear how a city in New Mexico has struggled with high levels of arsenic in its water — and how its residents are fighting back.
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Fifty years after the passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which is supposed to limit toxins in Americans’ water, many people around the country cannot safely drink from the tap.
Drinking water samples tested in Sunland Park, a small New Mexico city, found illegally high levels of arsenic in each of the past 16 years. In 2016, levels reached five times the legal limit.
The city also reflects parts of the United States — low-income areas and Latino communities — that are particularly exposed to arsenic in their drinking water at higher rates than any other racial or ethnic group, even when controlling for socioeconomic factors.
In Sunland Park, residents’ complaints have mounted in recent months, and some are taking the first steps toward filing a lawsuit.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to investigative reporter Silvia Foster-Frau about her reporting from New Mexico and why problems with toxic water there — and elsewhere in the country — persist.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman and Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter.
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A high-profile prison escape. A TV station takeover. An assault on police. Today on “Post Reports,” how powerful gangs in Ecuador pushed this historically peaceful nation to the brink and led its new president to declare war.
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Ecuador has long been an ecotourism hub and a safe haven, mostly immune from the guerilla violence endured for decades in neighboring Colombia and Peru. But the country has experienced a shift in recent years, becoming a center for drug trafficking and organized crime, as global demand for cocaine surges to new levels.
On Jan. 9, this new reality came into full focus through coordinated attacks that shook the country to its core, culminating on live TV for all of Ecuador and the world to witness. The Post’s Bogotá bureau chief, Samantha Schmidt, and Ecuadorian journalist Arturo Torres have spent months reconstructing what exactly happened that day: how the chaos unfolded, the extent to which gangs infiltrated institutions, and President Daniel Noboa’s controversial response, giving unprecedented power to the military.
Piecing together the details through exclusive interviews and footage revealed a deeper truth, Schmidt tells “Post Reports,” which is that the crisis in Ecuador isn’t an outlier. What happened that day and the complicated aftermath represent “a canary in the coal mine” moment and a warning for all of Latin America.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Maggie Penman, Arturo Torres and Peter Finn.
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On Saturday, Iran directly attacked Israel. Now, Israel’s war cabinet is weighing possible responses as the U.S. and others have called for restraint.
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Ninety-nine percent of the more than 300 missiles and armed drones Iran launched against Israel were intercepted by Israel and its allies, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
But the direct attack has also raised concerns about a broader war between Iran and Israel, and whether Israel would be able to fight two wars at once, against both Hamas and Iran. Israeli officials say that while they don’t want to, they have the capability to do so.
Jerusalem bureau chief Steve Hendrix joins Post Reports to discuss what led to the attack and what could be coming next in the region.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Maggie Penman and Lucy Perkins.
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Today on Post Reports, we’re on the scene at the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump is facing trial in the first ever criminal prosecution of a former U.S. president.
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Jury selection began today in the trial to determine whether Trump broke state law in New York by falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment in 2016 to keep adult film actress Stormy Daniels quiet about their alleged affair. Isaac Arnsdorf and Shayna Jacobs are at the courthouse and tell Martine Powers what they’ve seen so far.
Today’s episode was produced by Peter Bresnan and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Lucy Perkins.
It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, the author of The Post’s newsletter by the same name, chats with Martine Powers and our Arizona-based democracy reporter, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, about the Arizona abortion ruling threatening to upend the 2024 election. The Arizona Supreme Court this week ruled that a near-total abortion ban from 1864 can go into effect in the state. It’s a big test for Donald Trump, who has taken credit for overturning Roe v. Wade but said that Arizona went too far and that state lawmakers would quickly “bring it back into reason.”
Yvonne, Martine and Aaron also chat about an awkward moment for RFK Jr.’s campaign, and how the N.Y. hush money trial could play for Trump in swing states like Arizona.
Follow The Campaign Moment in a new feed to hear extra episodes from Aaron and our politics team as the campaign year continues on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Maggie Penman.
O.J. Simpson has died at 76. He became a a football star, but a 1995 murder trial made him infamous. Simpson was eventually acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend – a verdict that split the public. How will he be remembered?
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Simpson grew up in a poor neighborhood in San Francisco, and eventually rose to NFL stardom playing for the Buffalo Bills and later the San Francisco 49ers. He was one of the most well- known and well-liked personalities off the field, too, and was a sports commentator and appeared in more than 20 movies.
But his private life was much darker. During his marriage to Nicole Brown Simpson, his wife repeatedly called 911 asking for protection. In one incident, police found her with bruises, a cut lip and a black eye, saying, “He’s going to kill me, he’s going to kill me.”
In the mid-1990s, the country watched as Simpson stood trial for the murder of his then ex-wife and a friend. He was ultimately acquitted. Simpson died of cancer on Wednesday.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to Robin Givhan, The Post’s senior critic-at-large, about why the trial had legal and cultural repercussions for years.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon with help from Emma Talkoff, Rennie Svirnovskiy, Elana Gordon and Maggie Penman. It was edited by Monica Campbell and Lucy Perkins. Additional thanks to Krissah Thompson.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
For decades, hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been a music powerhouse. He’s now subject to lawsuits alleging abuse, sexual violence and sex trafficking. Today, what we know about the allegations and the ripples in the music industry.
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Late last month, armored trucks, helicopters and swarms of federal agents descended on two homes owned by Sean “Diddy” Combs in Los Angeles and Miami.
The searches were part of an ongoing investigation into Combs by the Department of Homeland Security. He is now the focus of six lawsuits alleging physical violence, sexual abuse and sex trafficking stretching back to the beginning of Combs’s career in the early ’90s.
The artist and producer – who has also been known onstage as Puff Daddy, Puffy and P. Diddy – has denied all allegations against him. The lawsuits claim that many people in Combs’s circle helped facilitate his abusive behavior, implicating a web of high-profile names in the music industry.
Anne Branigin has been watching the investigation unfold. She says the allegations could lead to a larger reckoning about misogyny, violence and the exploitation of women in the music industry.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson with help from Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Lucy Perkins.
The tax filing deadline is less than a week away. Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary answers your last-minute tax questions and offers advice on what to do if you need more time to file.
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The deadline for most taxpayers to file a federal tax return is Monday, April 15. If you haven’t filed yet or have some lingering questions about the 2024 tax season, don’t panic. Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary is here to put your mind at ease and help make sure you don’t end up in hot water with the IRS.
You don’t have to feel intimidated by tax season and the IRS. There are things you can do to make filing easier. If needed, you can file for an extension or enlist the help of a trusted tax professional for some of those tricker circumstances.
Today’s show was produced by Charla Freeland. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Maggie Penman with help from Ted Muldoon.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today on “Post Reports,” Jonathan O’Connell breaks down Donald Trump’s complicated finances — and what we know about the California billionaire who covered Trump’s bond in New York.
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Former president Donald Trump was in a financial bind last month. He had to post a bond of nearly half a billion dollars to cover a civil fraud judgment in New York, or risk the state seizing his assets.
Then Don Hankey stepped in.
The California billionaire offered to cover Trump’s bond for a “modest fee” — and a court reduced the amount to $175 million while Trump appeals the case.
But this story, along with Trump’s other complicated financial problems, raises questions about what happens if he is reelected, and what kind of influence someone like Hankey could have over Trump.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk through what we know about Trump’s money, and how his stake in Truth Social could change his fortunes.
Spring can be a great time to clean your space and start fresh – but it’s not always easy to do. Today, we have tips on how to finally get rid of clutter and find ways to make your space feel more like you, even if you’re renting.
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A lot of people have that one corner in their house that is constantly messy, no matter what. Sometimes it’s a “laundry chair,” which is perpetually piled with semi-used clothing. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing to have, says reporter Rachel Kurzius.
“Is it a great idea to just have things pile up and pile up and pile up to no end? Not necessarily. But it's also unrealistic to expect that we're all going to put everything away every single time we use it.”
Rachel writes for the Home You Own section at The Post, and she shares insights on the spaces in which we live and how to make them feel more comfortable. She joins Post Reports to share perspectives on cleanliness and advice on easy ways to remodel your home.
Today’s episode was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter.
It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, the author of The Post’s newsletter by the same name, chats with Martine Powers and national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf about the tension between U.S. District Court Judge Aileen M. Cannon and special counsel Jack Smith. The two have been at odds over the Trump team’s claim that the Presidential Records Act applies to classified documents the former president brought to his private residence in Florida. They also discuss Biden’s new abortion ad and dig into what actually happens if Trump continues to violate gag orders. Finally, Isaac gets into the details of his new book, which reveals how MAGA Republicans see an opportunity to change the party from the local level up.
Find out more about Isaac’s new book, “Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement's Ground War to End Democracy” here.
You can now also follow The Campaign Moment in a new feed to hear extra episodes from Aaron and our politics team as the campaign year continues.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Allison Michaels.
Today on “Post Reports,” everything you need to know about Monday’s total solar eclipse. Plus, all the science happening during this event – and what we might learn from it.
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On April 8, the total solar eclipse will occur over the eastern United States, Mexico and Canada. The 115 mile-wide path of totality will include major cities such as Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Buffalo – and all of the continental United States will experience at least a partial eclipse.
Science journalist Kasha Patel discusses her efforts to whip up excitement about the momentous event, including articles, stand-up comedy and phone calls to family. And we talk about how to stay safe while viewing the eclipse and the science that will add to our understanding of the sun, our atmosphere and the animals living on our planet.
And before we go, one more piece of news about the eclipse: In New York, inmates are suing the state to allow them to watch the total solar eclipse. For the first time in a century, New York is in the path of totality. The court could rule as soon as Friday, and the inmates are hoping to have a verdict before the eclipse. Look out for that news on our site.
After an exciting run of games during this year's women’s NCAA March Madness tournament, the final four teams are set. Today on Post Reports, two sports reporters discuss this season’s most prominent characters and why women’s basketball is having a moment.
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All eyes are on the women’s March Madness this year, with millions tuning in to watch such record-breaking players as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and USC’s JuJu Watkins. The unparalleled viewership comes just years after a gender equity review revealed major disparities in the NCAA’s resources and attention to women’s sports.
Sports reporters Ava Wallace and Kent Babb talk about how this happened and share their predictions for this season and the future of the sport. Plus, Kent talks about some of his reporting on LSU coach Kim Mulkey that landed him in the middle of the March Madness discourse.
Today's episode was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was mixed and edited by Ted Muldoon. Thanks also to Joe Tone.
What Florida’s six-week abortion ban could mean for abortion access in the South – and whether the ban will motivate Florida voters to protect abortion access at the polls in November.
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On Monday, Florida’s Supreme Court issued a decision that will allow one of the country’s strictest and most far-reaching abortion bans to take effect on May 1.
However, the court also ruled that an amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution can go on the November ballot, which would mean the six-week abortion ban could be undone in a matter of months if Floridians vote to protect the procedure.
Together, the two rulings will ensure that abortion is a major issue in Florida during the presidential election — with Floridians experiencing the realities of a six-week abortion ban for six months before they have the opportunity to weigh in on the issue. Today, the Post’s Florida reporter, Lori Rozsa, walks us through this critical moment for Florida and what this could mean for abortion access across the South.
Another story we’re following: On Monday night, an Israeli strike hit a humanitarian convoy and killed seven aid workers for World Central Kitchen, the food assistance group founded by celebrity chef José Andrés. Andrés spoke to “Post Reports” last month about his work feeding people in war zones, including Gaza. You can listen to that episode here.
Today, how ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel could upend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.
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Last Thursday, the Israeli Supreme Court suspended subsidies for ultra-Orthodox Jews studying in yeshivas instead of serving in the military. This comes at a time of growing frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government. Protests over the weekend were fueled by anti-government sentiment and frustration from those who want to see Israeli hostages returned from Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
Today, reporter Loveday Morris breaks down the impact of the court’s decision, the Israeli protests that started this weekend and the potential of Netanyahu losing power.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Lucy Perkins. Thanks also to Bishop Sand and Jesse Mesner-Hage.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
On Friday, Beyoncé dropped “Cowboy Carter,” her highly anticipated salute to country music. The album sparked new conversations about the forces that define country music and about whether Beyoncé’s turn to country could reshape the industry.
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Beyoncé’s turn to country came from her personal experience of not feeling welcome at the 2016 CMA Awards. Beyoncé’s album, “Cowboy Carter,” has reignited conversations about what country music is, who gets to define the country genre, and if this move for Beyoncé helps to shape and expand the country genre for other Black artists.
In this episode of “Post Reports,” we talk to Black country artist Rissi Palmer about her experience in the country music industry, the forces that define country music and what Beyoncé’s country music moment means for Black country artists.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan and Taylor White with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and investigative political reporter Josh Dawsey join Martine Powers this week. They talk about how election denial is becoming more central to the Republican National Committee, what to make of this week’s NBC/Ronna McDaniel drama, the latest on efforts by a group trying to recruit a third-party candidate, the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. factor and why Josh says former president Donald Trump is “running for his freedom.”
You can now also follow The Campaign Moment in a new feed to hear extra episodes from Aaron and our politics team as the campaign year continues.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.
Today on “Post Reports,” reporter Teo Armus walks us through what we know about the Baltimore bridge collapse — and what it says about the lives — and tragic deaths — of immigrants in tough construction jobs.
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Authorities are turning their focus to “salvage” operations to remove wreckage from the Patapsco River after a massive container ship caused Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge to collapse. Meanwhile, investigators have recovered the ship’s black box and are piecing together the final moments before the crash.
Teo Armus has been reporting on this for The Post, and he walks us through the latest.
Six presumed dead in bridge collapse were immigrants, soccer fans, family men
Bridge collapse brings stark reminder of immigrant workers’ vulnerabilities
Today, the story of a teenager who was sexually abused by a police officer, and her journey to find justice.
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Americans have been forced to reckon with sexual misconduct committed by teachers, clergy, coaches and others with access to and authority over children. But there is little awareness of child sex crimes perpetrated by members of another profession that many children are taught to revere and obey: law enforcement.
A Washington Post investigation has found that over the past two decades, hundreds of police officers have preyed on children, while agencies across the country have failed to take steps to prevent these crimes.
Today, reporter Jessica Contrera shares the story of Nicole, a teenager who was abused by a New Orleans police officer, and her fight for justice. You can learn more about how this series was reported, our methodology and our project team here.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Monica Campbell.
Thank you to Lynda Robinson, Jenn Abelson, John D. Harden, Courtney Kan, Rennie Svirnoskiy, David Fallis, Anu Narayanswamy, Hayden Godfrey, Riley Ceder, Nate Jones, Razzan Nakhlawi and Alice Crites.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today on “Post Reports:” Why the Justice Department is going after Apple over green text bubbles. And what its lawsuit says about the Biden administration’s stance on Big Tech.
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Last week, the Justice Department – along with 16 state and district attorneys general – accused Apple of illegally wielding a monopoly over the smartphone market. The civil complaint alleges that the tech giant stifled competition with restrictive App Store terms and high fees.
“Apple has maintained monopoly power in the smartphone market, not simply by staying ahead of the competition on the merits, but by violating federal antitrust law,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a news conference Thursday.
Apple spokesman Fred Sainz said in a statement that the lawsuit is “wrong on the facts and the law” and that the company “will vigorously defend against it.”
Today on “Post Reports,” tech policy reporter Cristiano Lima-Strong breaks down the allegations and what they tell us about the government’s battles with Big Tech.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sean Carter.
Public trust in the Supreme Court is at historic lows, just as justices weigh in on some of the nation’s most important debates, from abortion pills to guns. Today, Ann Marimow on the state of a divided court and its attempts to regain credibility.
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The Supreme Court is weighing in on many of the country’s most contentious issues, including the political fate of former president Donald Trump. On Tuesday, justices will hear oral arguments about whether to impose restrictions on the abortion medication mifepristone. Since the court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, medication abortions outside of the medical system have sharply increased.
The Supreme Court’s blockbuster term comes during a time when the court itself faces controversies that threaten its public credibility.
Ann Marimow reports on the Supreme Court for The Post. She joins “Post Reports” to discuss the state of the court and how an unlikely pair of justices are attempting to find common ground through a recent spate of public appearances.
Follow The Post’s live coverage tomorrow of the Supreme Court’s oral arguments on mifepristone here.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins, with help from Monica Campbell.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
On the first episode of their new podcast "Impromptu," our colleagues at Washington Post Opinions discuss what’s at stake the Supreme Court hears a case on access to mifepristone. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade back in 2022, it indicated that abortion was an issue to be relegated to the states. Instead, it has blown up American politics, firing up voters and leading to conflicting lower court rulings. Post columnists Ruth Marcus, Alexandra Petri and Amanda Ripley discuss how it feels to be a woman in the post-Dobbs world.
Ruth Marcus: Even after abortion pill ruling, reproductive rights remain in the balance
Alexandra Petri: I don’t know how to write about all that hasn’t happened since the fall of Roe
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Today on “Post Reports,” a viral fundraiser for an unhoused man triggers backlash online. And, how platforms like GoFundMe are increasingly replacing America’s social safety net.
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Earlier this year, 21-year-old Sanai Graden – a college student from California – was on her way to a grocery store in D.C. when an unhoused man named Alonzo called out to her asking for tea.
“I’m walking to Trader Joe’s,” she said to him. “You want to walk with me? We can stop at Starbucks.”
It was the beginning of a daylong journey for the two of them, which Graden recorded and posted to TikTok, imploring her followers to donate to Alonzo. Within days her video had racked up millions of views and the GoFundMe she set up for him had raised more than $400,000.
And then, the fairy tale slammed into reality.
Today on “Post Reports,” reporter Kyle Swenson talks about Graden’s saga – how even the best intentions can have unexpected complications online, and the perils of fundraising on platforms like TikTok and GoFundMe.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed and edited by Ted Muldoon.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Friday on “Post Reports” now means The Campaign Moment — a weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and Glenn Kessler, editor and chief writer of The Fact Checker, join Elahe Izadi to talk about this week’s Republican Senate primary in Ohio, the debate over Donald Trump’s “bloodbath” comment and where the Republican-led impeachment efforts against President Biden go from here.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.
In the last week, celebrity chef José Andrés has been at the forefront of efforts to feed people in Gaza on the brink of famine. Today on “Post Reports,” he talks to Martine Powers about how food can meet immediate needs – and be a bridge for healing.
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A ship organized by José Andrés’s nonprofit World Central Kitchen delivered hundreds of tons of food and water to the blockaded Gaza Strip, becoming the first to test a new maritime corridor for ramping up aid to a region on the brink of famine.
Andrés is no stranger to conflict – or controversy. There was the high-profile legal battle with former president Donald Trump after Andrés pulled out of his planned restaurant in the Trump International Hotel, and more recently World Central Kitchen has come under criticism for what some workers say are dangerous practices. But Andrés is adamant about the power of food to heal regions in conflict.
Today on “Post Reports,” Andrés talks about the power of food and his new cookbook, “Zaytinya,” based on his Mediterranean restaurant in D.C.
Nex Benedict was a nonbinary teenager living near Tulsa. Their family said they were bullied at school before their apparent suicide in February. Advocates warn that a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is putting more young people at risk.
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Legislatures across the United States have passed a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. In Oklahoma, legislators have proposed more than 50 bills in 2024 alone, more than any other state according to the ACLU, restricting things like restroom access and sex education.
Last year, the state's Republican governor, Kevin Stitt, signed an executive order defining a person's sex as their biological sex at birth.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today on “Post Reports” we dig into the string of bad news for Boeing and whether people should really be concerned about flying on one of Boeing’s planes.
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In January, a piece of an Alaska Airlines jet fell off during a flight, opening a hole in the plane and causing a dramatic emergency landing. And ever since that blowout, public confidence in Boeing — the plane’s manufacturer — has been in a tailspin.
The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into the incident. On Feb. 28, the Federal Aviation Administration gave the company 90 days to come up with a plan to fix the numerous quality control issues it discovered during an audit. There have been other incidents involving Boeing planes — both since the blowout and since well before it.
Today on “Post Reports,” transportation reporter Ian Duncan takes us through the streak of bad headlines that have followed Boeing for years. And he breaks down whether we should really be concerned about flying in their planes.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Ted Muldoon. Thank you to Rennie Svirnovskiy and Sandhya Somashekhar.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
The Italian Parliament is expected to pass a law that makes overseas surrogacy a crime, which would eliminate the last pathway to parenthood for many same-sex couples. It’s part of a wave of efforts around the world trying to reshape what families look like.
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The Italian Parliament is expected to pass a law that makes overseas surrogacy a crime, which would eliminate the last pathway to parenthood for many same-sex couples. It’s part of a wave of efforts around the world trying to reshape what families look like.
The Italian government claims that the potential ban on surrogacy is an effort to protect women from exploitation, and Pope Francis recently called for a ban on surrogacy using similar arguments. But advocates decry this legislation as part of an attack on same-sex parenthood being waged by Italy’s right-wing government.
Luca Capuano and Salvatore Scarpa are one Italian couple who are figuring out how this law could affect their family. They had a baby daughter last year with the help of an American surrogate, and they have an embryo ready for a second child. Now they are unsure if they can even remain in Italy. Rome bureau chief Anthony Faiola visited Luca and Salvatore in their home this year to talk about the future of their family.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thank you to Stefano Pitrelli and Marisa Bellack.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
When Army officer Rich Fierro deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, he thought he was fighting to keep war and terror away from his family on the home front. Afterward, like many combat veterans, he struggled to readjust to civilian life. Gradually, with the help of his wife and daughter, and his therapist, he managed to claw his way to a healthier place. The Fierro family started a business in Colorado Springs — a brewery that honored their Mexican heritage and strove to be welcoming to all kinds of people, including members of the LGBTQ community. It seemed as if Rich and his family had come through America’s war on terror intact and won their peace at home. Until, one night, a new kind of enemy walked into their lives and started shooting.
The story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written by Dan Zak and read by a narrator from our partners at Noa, newsoveraudio.com, an app offering curated audio articles.
Friday on “Post Reports” now means The Campaign Moment — a weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and Washington Post polling director Scott Clement join Martine Powers to unpack key X factors that will help decide the election now that both Joe Biden and Donald Trump collected enough delegates this week to secure their party’s nomination.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.
Haiti is in a pivotal moment. The prime minister announced his resignation this week to make way for a transitional presidential council that will attempt to bring stability to the Caribbean nation.
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This week, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry agreed to resign amid a period of increased violence and chaos for the Caribbean nation. As the United States and a coalition of Caribbean countries try to organize a transitional presidential council, violent armed gangs control more than 80 percent of the capital.
Widlore Mérancourt, a Haitian journalist, explains what is happening on the ground in the capital city, Port-au-Prince, what a transitional government could look like and how Haitians are living through an unprecedented time.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins. Thank you to Matt Brown.
This episode has been updated for clarity.
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This week President Biden and former president Donald Trump clinched the nominations for their respective parties. Where do dissatisfied voters go from here? Today, we travel to Michigan to follow a former Biden organizer who wants Biden to lose.
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In 2020, Adam Abusalah wanted to knock Donald Trump out of the White House. These days, he’d take pretty much anyone over Biden. Jesús Rodríguez reports from Michigan.
Also in the news today: The House overwhelmingly voted to force TikTok to split from its parent company or face a national ban, a lightning offensive that materialized abruptly after years of unsuccessful negotiations over the platform’s fate.
And, if you want to read about the ongoing Kate Middleton drama and how a doctored photo of the Princess of Wales triggered a media crisis, we’ve got you covered.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Thank you to Steve Kolowich.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
In a historic move, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team has voted to unionize, just ahead of the NCAA’s March Madness tournament. It’s part of a larger movement of student-athletes seeking better pay and conditions, possibly transforming college sports.
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The college sports landscape has changed dramatically in the past decade, particularly when it comes to the rights and privileges of student-athletes. In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court decided unanimously in NCAA v. Alston that students were allowed to earn money from their name, image and likeness. And shortly after President Biden was inaugurated, he appointed a national labor board president who has been supportive of student-athletes unionizing.
Dartmouth has pushed back against the unionization effort, calling it “inappropriate” and filing an appeal. For its part, the NCAA appears prepared for a long court fight to preserve amateurism in college athletics.
Jesse Dougherty reports on the business of college sports. He joins “Post Reports” to break down why Dartmouth’s unionization effort succeeded, and what it could mean for college teams nationwide.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks also to Greg Schimmel.
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Today, the history of the Palestinian Authority, and whether its security forces are up to the challenge of helping to stabilize a post-war Gaza.
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The Palestinian Authority security forces, which report to President Mahmoud Abbas, are at a pivotal moment. The group, estimated to be 35,500 members strong, is regarded by the Biden administration as central to its goal to stabilize a post-war Gaza.
However, despite two decades of reforms, the Palestinian Authority remains chronically underfunded and widely unpopular; many think its security force is ill-equipped to take on the massive responsibility that its Western backers are envisioning.
Today, Post reporter Miriam Berger takes us inside the Palestinian Authority training center, and gives us a rare glimpse of the specific challenges this security force faces as the United States rests its hopes on the group.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell.
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Friday on “Post Reports” now means The Campaign Moment — a weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and national politics reporter Colby Itkowitz join Elahe Izadi to analyze President Biden’s State of the Union address and how it sets the stage for the campaign, and what questions came out of the results from Super Tuesday.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.
Today, we talk about the movies that have been nominated for best picture at the Oscars; what to see, what to skip and what we loved, ahead of the awards Sunday night.
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There are 10 films nominated this year for an Academy Award for best picture. From big blockbusters to quiet tales of domesticity, the movies span a wide variety of topics and capture what our movie critics call a diverse year for the types of stories we’re seeing on the big screen.
Today, Washington Post movie critic Ann Hornaday and movies editor Janice Page come on the show to talk about their favorite films this year, what you should try to watch before the Oscars on Sunday and what this lineup of films could indicate for the years ahead.
And if you’re still hoping to catch up on a few nominations we discuss in this episode before Sunday, The Post has you covered. Take our quiz to get a personalized listening itinerary.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was edited and mixed by Ted Muldoon.
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The results of Super Tuesday set up a highly likely rematch between President Biden and former president Donald Trump. Today on “Post Reports,” the hurdles that the Biden campaign has to overcome in order to secure a victory in November.
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After Super Tuesday nominating contests, GOP candidate Nikki Haley is exiting the presidential race and the stage is set for President Biden and former president Donald Trump to face off again. But Biden’s campaign faces challenges – with voters in some states protesting his support of Israel’s war in Gaza by voting “uncommitted.”
White House reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb reports on the Biden administration’s strategy to pull voters back in, including having Vice President Harris be more vocal on controversial issues such as abortion and a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff with help from Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell.
Many people had hoped that the highest-profile court cases involving Donald Trump would be resolved before the general election in November. That’s looking increasingly unlikely.
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At the start of the year, it looked as though Donald Trump might be stymied in the courts long before the November election. The former president faced a pair of federal indictments, 91 criminal charges, and challenges to his ballot eligibility in multiple states.
Two months later, says Post national enterprise reporter Sarah Ellison, the federal cases have been slowed to the point where verdicts before November are considered unlikely. And yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled decisively that Trump will remain on the ballot – not just in Colorado, where he had previously been deemed ineligible, but in every state.
As millions of voters in 15 states cast ballots on Super Tuesday, Ellison breaks down what has unfolded in the legal battles around Trump, and where that leaves us ahead of the election.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon, with help from Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Ted Muldoon. Thank you to Griff Witte.
Correction: A previous version of this episode included a clip in the wrong place, mistakenly implying that it was the Colorado secretary of state speaking. It was the secretary of state of Maine. The audio has been corrected.
Am I contagious? U.S. health officials have dropped five-day isolation guidelines for people who get covid, prompting a mix of relief and confusion. Today, The Post’s Lena Sun breaks down what’s behind the shift. Plus, the latest on measles in Florida.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that, effective immediately, people who test positive for the coronavirus no longer need to stay home for five days. Instead, the agency recommends that you stay home when sick, but if symptoms improve and you’re fever-free for at least 24 hours without taking any meds, you no longer have to isolate.
The updated guidelines put covid-19 in line with many other viral respiratory diseases. For many, the change is both practical and overdue. Yet, covid continues to send thousands of people to the hospital each week, causing some 2,000 deaths, further raising alarms among high-risk patients.
Today on “Post Reports,” Lena Sun, who covers infectious diseases and public health, unpacks what’s behind the new guidance, how to stay healthy, and why the response to a completely different infectious disease – measles – is sounding new alarms.
Read more:
When you have covid, here’s how you know you are no longer contagious.
What to know about the recent measles outbreak, and signs to watch for.
CDC recommends older adults get 2nd updated coronavirus shot.
Dr. Paul Offit also spoke with Lena Sun about his new book, "Tell Me When It's Over,” for this episode and for The Health 202 newsletter.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Thanks to Fenit Nirrapil.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Fridays on the show now mean “The Campaign Moment” – a new weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and national reporter Amy Gardner sit down with Martine Powers to discuss the announcement by Senate Minority Leader (R-Ky) Mitch McConnell that he’ll step down from his leadership post in November, talk about the latest news around former president Donald Trump’s trials and preview Super Tuesday, when 15 states will hold primary elections.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.
A record number of migrants have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years, and Democrats and Republicans can’t agree on a solution to address the crisis. But data shows that this surge has strengthened the U.S. economy.
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On Thursday, President Biden and former president Donald Trump traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border, underscoring how central immigration is in this year’s presidential campaign.
As Biden and Trump clash over how to address immigration at the southern border — and as Congress stalls on a border deal — data shows that this immigration has actually propelled the U.S. job market further than expected, helping cement the country’s economic rebound as the most robust in the world.
“Immigration, it turns out, has played an absolutely crucial role in that growth,” says economics reporter Rachel Siegel. “There is absolutely no way — economists told me — that we could have seen the kind of booming labor market — especially over the past year — without a really strong surge in immigration in 2023.”
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Lucy Perkins. Thanks also to Lauren Kaori Gurley and Meryl Kornfield.
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After traumatic pregnancies, Mimi Bingham needed another way. Then, she discovered a coalition of Black birth workers who forever changed her life. Today, we tell the story of Mimi and the birth workers fighting a nationwide maternal health emergency.
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The United States tops a list that no country wants to be on: It’s considered the worst place to give birth among high-income nations. Even more jarring, Black women in particular are much more likely to die from childbirth or suffer life-threatening complications.In Texas alone, which is responsible for 1 in 10 of the nation’s births, a report released in 2022 found that Black women there are twice as likely to die as their White peers. The report also found that aspiring Black parents are at even greater risk of experiencing serious complications during childbirth, shouldering a disproportionate burden of close calls.
And yet, the report found that 90 percent of those deaths are preventable.
Today on “Post Reports,” reporter Akilah Johnson introduces us to Mimi Bingham, Alyse Hamlin and a movement of Black birth workers in Houston who are taking life into their own hands – and how they’re fighting back and finding workarounds, one birth at a time.
She knows the ache of losing a baby. Her calling is to help other Black moms.
For some Black women, the fear of death shadows the joy of birth
Taking life into their own hands: The story of Black birth workers and moms
Today’s episode was produced by Elana Gordon and Taylor White. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell with help from Reena Flores and Stephen Smith. Thanks to Elahe Izadi and Dominic Walsh.
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A new version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form promised an easier path for students to access financial aid for college. But the rollout has been far from easy.
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For decades, scores of students got tripped up by the daunting Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Then, in December, the Education Department released a new version of the form, promising a streamlined path for students to access aid. But the launch has not gone smoothly.
Technical glitches have locked some families out of the online system to complete the form, while many who have completed the FAFSA probably have incorrect estimates of aid because the agency failed initially to update a crucial income formula. Colleges won’t get most data until March, meaning students will have to wait longer for financial aid awards and have less time to weigh offers and make a key life choice.
Today on “Post Reports,” higher education reporter Danielle Douglas-Gabriel explains why students, families and colleges are in limbo.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to April Bethea.
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Two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we talk about the state of the war, and the role foreign aid – or lack thereof – could play in Ukraine’s ability to keep holding off Russia.
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A little over two years ago, Russia launched a full-scale invasion into neighboring Ukraine. At first, many thought it would be a brief and brutal defeat, but two years later Ukraine is still hanging on after a series of wins that exceeded expectations. Now, low on ammunition and troops, Ukraine is facing a pivotal moment, as Russia amps up weapon manufacturing.
Today, national security reporter Missy Ryan explains why military aid to Ukraine matters so much, and what’s at stake if Russia wins.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Thank you to Ben Pauker.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Exercising can be intimidating. Any New Year’s resolutions you made might feel overly ambitious and hard to keep. But fitness science tells us that exercise is linked to longevity and staying young.
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How fit you are is not determined by your age, weight or ability to do any one physical activity.
In this bonus episode of Post Reports, we’ll talk about how to stay fit at any age. Health columnist Gretchen Reynolds shares some simple exercises to assess your fitness and explains how overall fitness influences how long and how well we live. This is part of our occasional series about how we can all rethink and reset our daily habits in 2024.
You can find the online fitness age calculator here.
This episode was produced by Taylor White and Bishop Sand. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins.
It’s Friday, so it’s time for “The Campaign Moment” – a new weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest political news in this campaign year. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and senior national political correspondent Ashley Parker sit down with Martine Powers to discuss the expectations for this weekend’s South Carolina Republican presidential primary, the chatter on who is on former president Donald Trump’s list of potential running mates and the latest in the Republican House-led impeachment inquiry of President Biden.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.
On Friday, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are legally people and that someone can be held liable for destroying them. Today on “Post Reports,” how the first-of-its-kind ruling has complicated women’s health care in the state and its implications across the country.
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In Alabama, doctors and patients are scrambling to understand the implications of a recent state supreme court decision that ruled frozen embryos are legally people. A number of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics in the state have paused their services in light of the court’s decision. The ruling has the potential to impact hundreds of thousands of people across the state who depend on IVF treatments.
The White House decried the ruling, and legal experts have warned that it could empower the “personhood movement,” which asserts unborn children should be granted legal rights starting at conception. National health reporter Sabrina Malhi joins “Post Reports” to break down the ruling, what the immediate effect has been, and what precedent this ruling sets in the ongoing battle over women’s reproductive rights.
In other news: We’re six weeks away from the total solar eclipse traversing North America on April 8. Check out The Post’s guide to find the best place for cloud-free eclipse viewing.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson with help from Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins.
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Today, as automakers race toward a driverless future, The Post’s technology reporter Trisha Thadani breaks down a Post investigation into a 2022 car crash in Colorado and the questions it raises about new self-driving technology on the road now.
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In May of 2022, Hans von Ohain and his friend Erik Rossiter went golfing in Evergreen, Colo. Hans showed off his Tesla’s new Full Self-Driving mode. The friends shared drinks and played 21 holes of golf.
But Hans never made it home. On the drive back along a curvy mountain road, Hans and his Tesla swerved into a tree and burst into flames. Erik survived. Hans died in the fire.
When Post technology reporter Trisha Thadani learned of the accident, it surprised her. First, if Full Self-Driving mode was engaged when the car crashed, it would be the first confirmed fatality connected to the technology. Then she discovered that Hans was a Tesla employee.
Today on “Post Reports,” Trisha breaks down what she and a team of reporters learned about the moments leading up to the fatal crash and the bigger conversation about safety regulations on autonomous driving technology.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Maggie Penman. The reporters who Trisha Thadani worked with on the Tesla investigation include Faiz Siddiqui, Rachel Lerman, Julia Wall and Whitney Shefte.
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The death of Vladimir Putin's largest opponent, Alexei Navalny, has rocked hopes of democracy in Russia. We speak with The Post's David M. Herszenhorn, who covered Navalny in Russia, about the impact of his death and Putin's tightening grip on power.
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Alexei Navalny had been a charismatic and outspoken critic of the Kremlin for more than a decade, and was the target of an assassination attempt. Last year, Navalny was sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges of “extremism,” but was seen alive and seemingly healthy just a few days before his death. President Biden condemned Navalny’s death as “proof of Putin’s brutality.”
The Post’s David M. Herszenhorn has written extensively about Navalny’s career and activism. Herszenhorn joins Post Reports to talk about Navalny’s legacy, and what the Russian political landscape might look like without him.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon with help from Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
The isolated river village of São Miguel had for years been shielded from a wave of religious conversions remaking the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. While many across the traditionally Catholic country were becoming evangelical Protestants, São Miguel had remained steadfast in its Catholic faith. Then one day, a pastor rumored to have mystical powers arrived and opened the community’s first evangelical church. Since then, the village has fractured in a bitter battle over its religious soul. Now the village must decide. For the first time in a year, an itinerant Catholic priest was journeying downriver on a small boat to celebrate the village's annual Mass. How many villagers would go? Which faith would São Miguel choose?
This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written and read by Terrence McCoy. Audio production and original composition by Bishop Sand.
It’s hard to keep track of all the biggest political news and what it could mean in this campaign year. That’s why Post Reports is launching a weekly episode on Fridays called “The Campaign Moment.” You’ll hear senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and other colleagues from our Politics team break down the stories that matter.
In this inaugural episode, reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell also joins Martine Powers to discuss Thursday’s hearings in the Trump trials, the former president’s comments about NATO and what the GOP’s reaction to them could mean, the results of New York’s special election this week and whether a Taylor Swift endorsement in the presidential campaign would matter.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.
And you can sign up for The Early 202, which Leigh Ann co-authors, here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
AI-generated content seems to be getting more realistic every day. Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about how it’s already been a factor in the 2024 presidential campaign, and in elections around the world.
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On Tuesday, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that fake audio of him making inflammatory comments before last year’s Armistice Day almost caused “serious disorder.”
Today on Post Reports, tech reporter Pranshu Verma breaks down how AI-generated content has been influencing the 2024 presidential election and elections around the world. In addition to the threat of deepfakes, politicians have also been blaming AI for real gaffes caught on video or audio.
Can you tell which of these break-up texts are AI-generated? Take our quiz and find out.
Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Maggie Penman.
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Whether they are widowed, divorced,or have never married, more women over the age of 50 are choosing the single life. It has nothing to do with love and everything to do with protecting their finances.
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In the coming decade, women will hold greater economic power than they did in previous generations. Economists at McKinsey estimate that by 2030, American women are poised to control much of the $30 trillion in personal wealth that baby boomers are expected to possess.
This shift in the financial landscape means more women are taking control of their finances and protecting their wealth. For some, that means choosing not to get married later in life. Whether they are widowed, divorced or have never married, more women over the age of 50 aren’t walking down the aisle. They’re walking to the bank.
Today’s show was produced by Charla Freeland. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins.
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President Biden’s defense of Israel amid the war in Gaza has roiled his administration. Today on “Post Reports,” we hear from officials who resigned over Biden’s policies. The Post’s Yasmeen Abutaleb also explains Biden’s bond with Israel.
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Since the war in Gaza began, the Biden administration has been outspoken in its support of Israel. But as the Israel-Gaza war enters its fifth month and the number of dead in Gaza rises over 28,000, there have been growing calls inside both Congress and the Biden administration for the president to change course.
Congressional staffers have staged walkouts and signed letters demanding a ceasefire. Dissent cables have been leaked. And two officials – Josh Paul and Tariq Habash – have resigned publicly over the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Gaza. Today, they join “‘Post Reports” to explain why they left.
Also, White House reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb breaks down why Biden has been so steadfast in his public support for Israel in spite of growing dissent. She unpacks Biden’s complicated relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and whether Biden may change his approach.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan and edited by Monica Campbell. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Rennie Svirnovskiy and Arjun Singh.
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Today on “Post Reports,” Israel’s latest operation in Gaza, and what it tells us about its strategy in the war.
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On Monday local time, Israel carried out a round of deadly airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge. The strikes killed at least 67 Palestinians, including women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel said its aim was to rescue hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack. Under the cover of the strikes, Israel’s special forces freed two elderly hostages. Two Israeli soldiers were killed in the operation.
The airstrikes touched off a wave of fear in Rafah, which has become a last resort for Gazans fleeing violence farther north. The operation has also raised questions about Israel’s strategy and drawn fresh international criticism over the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Miriam Berger breaks down this latest operation and what we know about Israel's plan.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and Lucy Perkins.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today on a bonus episode of “Post Reports” in honor of the Super Bowl, we go to one of the communities where tackle football still reigns.
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For decades, few things have united America as consistently and completely as football. But when it comes to actually playing tackle football — and risking the physical toll of a sport linked to brain damage — there are wide divisions marked by politics, economics and race, an examination by The Washington Post found.
As the sport grapples with the steep overall decline in participation among young people, some of those divisions appear to be getting wider, The Post found, with football’s risks continuing to be borne by boys in places that tend to be poorer and more conservative — a revelation with disturbing implications for the future of the sport.
Today on the show, we go to one of the communities where tackle football still reigns with reporter Michael Lee.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman, Joe Tone, and KC Schaper. It was mixed by Sam Bair.
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A special counsel report on President Biden concluded that he would not be charged for mishandling sensitive documents. Yet the report painted a scathing picture of the president’s memory, refueling attacks on his mental agility as he faces reelection.
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On Thursday evening, President Biden gave an emotional and angry response to a report issued by special counsel Robert K. Hur. While the report found that criminal charges were not merited for Biden’s handling of classified documents, it detailed moments when Biden appeared hazy on specific critical dates and years during his interviews with Hur, a Republican appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland as special counsel.
One line from Hur’s report suggested that Biden did not recall the year in which his son Beau had passed away. Beau Biden died of cancer in 2015, when his father was vice president. The president said he remembers his son’s death every day.
Biden also highlighted a separate investigation into former president Donald Trump’s own handling of classified documents, and the differences between them.
The president, who is 81, has been fighting off voters’ concerns about his age as he prepares to seek reelection – likely against Trump.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon with help from Arjun Singh. It was edited by Monica Campbell.
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The Supreme Court seemed prepared to keep Donald Trump on the Colorado ballot Thursday, expressing concern about a single state disqualifying a candidate from seeking national office. Today on the show, we break down what we heard and what it means.
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On Thursday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in former president Donald Trump’s appeal of a Colorado ruling to remove him from the state’s 2024 primary ballot because of his role in the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.
We break down what we heard with Supreme Court reporter Ann Marimow and politics reporter Amber Phillips.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, Emma Talkoff and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Thank you to Debbi Wilgoren.
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On Sunday, President Nayib Bukele won reelection in El Salvador in a landslide. Today, The Post’s Mary Beth Sheridan addresses what’s behind Bukele’s striking popularity, his self-proclaimed nickname on social media and his controversial war on gangs.
Nayib Bukele first took office in 2019 as an independent, becoming El Salvador’s – and Latin America’s – youngest president. He made a name for himself through his alleged crackdown on gangs and savvy use of social media to market his efforts.
While consolidating power and operating in a state of emergency, Bukele oversaw the imprisonment of more than 1 percent of El Salvador’s population. The improvements to safety have been celebrated across El Salvador, and other Latin American leaders are taking note of the approach. But these developments are also raising concerns that they come at a cost to human rights and democracy. Despite voting irregularities and a controversial decision that allowed him to skirt a ban on immediate reelection, Bukele continues to have widespread support.
Read More:
‘World’s coolest dictator’ reelected in El Salvador: What to know.
How to match Bukele’s success against gangs? First, dismantle democracy.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon and edited by Monica Campbell. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Carmen Valeria Escobar for additional reporting.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Today on “Post Reports,” we’re going deep on Trump v. Anderson, the Supreme Court case that could reshape the course of the 2024 election.
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Norma Anderson carries a pocket Constitution in her purse. She has another copy, slightly larger with images of the Founding Fathers on the cover, that she leaves on a table in her sitting room so she can consult it when she watches TV.
She’s turned down a page corner in that copy to mark the spot where the 14th Amendment appears. She has reread it several times since joining a lawsuit last year that cites the amendment in seeking to stop Donald Trump from running for president again.
Anderson, 91, is the unlikely face of a challenge to Trump’s campaign that will be heard by the Supreme Court on Thursday. She spoke to our colleague Patrick Marley about why she feels so strongly about this fight.
Today on the show, we learn more about Anderson and go deep on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment with historian Eric Foner.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Thank you to Peter Bresnan, Whitney Leaming and Griff Witte.
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After a drone attack killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan last week, the United States struck more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday. The U.S. response is the latest escalation in a widening conflict in the Middle East.
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Several Iran-allied groups aligned with Hamas have mobilized since the militant organization’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel prompted an ongoing Israeli military offensive. According to Pentagon data, Iranian-backed militias have launched at least 165 attacks on U.S. forces since October – including a drone attack that killed three U.S. service members.
Intelligence and national security correspondent Shane Harris explains what led to the U.S. airstrikes on Friday and what the consequences could be.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins. Thanks also to Bishop Sand and Maggie Penman.
One month into the Israel-Gaza war, Ashish Prashar put on a kaffiyeh and took his 18-month-old son to a playground near their home in Brooklyn, where a woman he’d never seen before began yelling at him. As Prashar took out his phone and began filming, the woman continued to yell, threw her phone at him, and then threw a coffee cup holding a hot beverage. It was a chance encounter that led to spiraling repercussions: a police investigation, hate crime charges, an angry mob on the internet, a wrongly identified assailant, and a father left with questions about justice, mercy and what anger in such fraught times can turn into.
This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written and read by Ruby Cramer. Audio production and original composition by Bishop Sand.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is in a standoff with the U.S. government over who controls the Texas border with Mexico. That fight has centered on the border city of Eagle Pass, where Abbott has seized a park and is testing the limits of the Constitution
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Eagle Pass, Tex., is a small border city that in recent weeks has been mired in a bitter standoff between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and the federal government. In an effort to deter migrants from crossing the border from Mexico to Eagle Pass, Abbott seized a local park and covered barriers with coils of razor wire. That has put him at odds with President Biden and the Department of Homeland Security, who claim Abbott does not have jurisdiction over the southern border.
In January, the Supreme Court ruled that federal agents were allowed to cut through the razor wire installed by Abbott’s administration, but the governor has remained defiant, raising constitutional questions about how much power the Texas governor has to secure the border of the state.
Arelis Hernández joins us today to explain the origin of this standoff and provide us with a firsthand look at how both state and federal immigration policies are affecting the residents of Eagle Pass.
Our colleagues at The Washington Post are monitoring right-wing protests expected in Eagle Pass over the weekend. Follow our coverage at washingtonpost.com.
Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh. It was mixed by Sean Carter. And edited by Lucy Perkins and Monica Campbell. Thanks also to Christine Armario.
On Wednesday, U.S. senators hammered major tech CEOs for not doing more to prevent child abuse online. Today on “Post Reports,” we dive into the takeaways from a contentious Senate hearing amid rising concerns about the well-being of youth online.
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In a bipartisan push, the Senate Judiciary Committee gathered to scrutinize the chief executives of Meta, TikTok, Snap, Discord and X, formerly known as Twitter, about child abuse on their platforms. The hearing largely focused on how to eliminate child sexual abuse material, but senators also questioned social media’s influence on mental health and overall safety.
Relatives of online child abuse victims also attended the hearing. Lawmakers reserved rows of seats for families whose loved ones had died, with their deaths linked to social media. At one point, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg turned to the families and apologized.
Tech reporter Cristiano Lima-Strong writes The Post’s Technology 202 newsletter, and was at the hearing. He reported on the hearing’s main takeaways and why Congress has stagnated for years when it comes to child safety online.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell.
Subscribe to The Technology 202 newsletter here.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
The “landmark” settlement promised payouts for suffering players. But a Washington Post investigation found that strict guidelines and aggressive reviews have led to denials for hundreds of players diagnosed with dementia, including many who died with CTE.
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This week, there has been a lot of excitement about football as fans gear up for a Super Bowl attended by Taylor Swift (assuming she can make it in time from her concert in Tokyo.)
It’s easy to forget that just a few years ago, we were having a very different conversation about the NFL.
“It actually goes back to 2011 or so, which is when hundreds and eventually thousands of former players began suing the league over allegations, basically, that the league had lied to them about the long term dangers of concussions,” explains sports reporter Will Hobson.
A “landmark” settlement in 2015 promised payouts for players with dementia and their families. But a Washington Post investigation found that behind the scenes, the settlement routinely fails to deliver money and medical care to former players suffering from dementia and CTE.
Read the key findings from The Post’s investigation of the NFL concussion settlement here.
What questions do you have about The Concussion Files? Ask The Post.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Thank you to Joe Tone and Wendy Galietta.
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This week, the Energy Department announced new standards for gas stoves made after 2028. The government isn’t coming for your gas stoves — but should it? We talk about the risks with Climate Coach columnist Michael Coren.
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Gas stoves have been fiercely debated for decades — most recently after a government employee suggested that they should be banned. There’s mounting evidence that they emit a mix of gases that can lead to respiratory illnesses and also produce tons of carbon pollution every year. This week, the Energy Department announced new regulations for gas stoves – but we wanted to know, how worried should we be about cooking on the ones we already have in our homes?
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to Michael Coren, who writes the Climate Coach advice column. He’s reported on what actually happens when you cook using a gas stove, and how to switch over to more sustainable alternative ways of cooking — or mitigate the health effects of using your gas stove in the meantime.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Thank you to Alice Li.
Subscribe to the “Climate Coach” newsletter here.
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On Friday, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to do more to prevent civilian deaths in Gaza. South Africa brought the case to the court, alleging that Israel is committing genocide. Today, we break down the court’s ruling.
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This month, the International Court of Justice heard a case brought by South Africa against Israel. South Africa alleged that, following the attacks on Oct. 7 by Hamas, Israel has committed genocide during its military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Israel strenuously denied the allegations.
Last week, the ICJ announced an initial ruling in the case. The court ordered Israel to enact several “provisional measures” to prevent the possibility of genocide. The final decision on whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza could take years to decide.
The Washington Post’s Brussels bureau chief, Emily Rauhala, was in The Hague on Friday when the decision was announced. She joins Post Reports to explain the court’s decision, and discuss what happens next.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sam Bair. And edited by Lucy Perkins. Thanks also to Marisa Bellack, Erin Cunningham and Matt Brown.
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Since the ’90s, couples have turned to the theory of the five “love languages” to help navigate relationship pitfalls. But a new scientific paper suggests that the science behind the idea is shaky.
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If you’ve ever tried to improve communication in a relationship, you may have come across the concept of the five “love languages” — different ways of showing and receiving affection that have helped couples understand each other for decades. The theory comes from a Baptist pastor turned relationship counselor named Gary Chapman, whose 1992 book “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts” has been on and off the bestseller list for years.
Now, a group of researchers at the University of Toronto and York University have set out to investigate the scientific underpinnings of the love languages — or lack thereof. They reviewed the theory, and came up with some relationship advice of their own. Richard Sima, who writes the Brain Matters column for The Washington Post, reports on their findings.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick, Lucy Perkins, and Maggie Penman.
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As candidates and political strategists on both sides look at how to handle the abortion issue in 2024, all eyes have been on one viral ad credited with reelecting a Democrat in Kentucky. Today on “Post Reports,” we hear from the young woman behind it.
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Since Roe v. Wade fell, voters have overwhelmingly backed abortion rights in each of the states where the issue has appeared directly on the ballot, including in conservative Kentucky, Kansas and, most recently, Ohio.
Democrats have had less success translating voters’ frustrations over abortion bans into races that could oust the politicians responsible for them, or prevent the election of other antiabortion leaders.
Hadley Duvall made that connection abundantly clear for Kentucky voters. Her ad, viewed online millions of times, sparked concerned discussions within the Republican Party, with top national leaders acknowledging the critical role Duvall played in Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s reelection.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to abortion reporter Caroline Kitchener about how Duvall broke through, even with conservatives and moderates — and why political strategists are looking at this ad as a playbook.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Maggie Penman.
Find The 7 newsletter here, or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Today in an early edition of “Post Reports,” we recap the New Hampshire primary results. Trump won decisively – but the results show divisions in the GOP. Plus, the unusual write-in campaign in the Democratic race that led President Biden to victory.
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Former President Donald Trump defeated former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley in New Hampshire’s primary. But Tuesday’s results also show enduring divisions in the GOP, and they expose Trump’s weaknesses with moderates.
President Biden, absent from both the campaign trail and the election ballot in New Hampshire, nonetheless dominated the state’s Democratic primary race, fueled by a write-in campaign aimed at showing his strength despite the misgivings of many in his party.
Guest host Arjun Singh was in New Hampshire and caught up with campaign reporter Meryl Kornfield there about what we can learn from the results – and whether this all means the primary is over.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Arjun Singh. It was mixed by Justin Gerrish. It was edited by Maggie Penman.
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Trump is juggling campaign events and courtroom appearances for the many cases he’s fighting. Today on Post Reports, we break down these legal battles and what they could mean for Trump’s political future.
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This week, Donald Trump is rallying support in New Hampshire while also fighting a defamation case in a New York courthouse. In addition to this case, the former president has been indicted in four criminal cases that involve allegations of hush money payments, mishandling of classified documents and election interference.
Perry Stein covers the Justice Department and the FBI, and co-writes a weekly newsletter for The Post called the Trump Trials. She has tracked the various cases and what they could mean for Trump’s 2024 presidential run.
Sign up to receive the Trump Trials newsletter here.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins.
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New Hampshire is a make-or-break moment for Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor challenging Trump for the Republican nomination. Plus – on the Democrats’ side – why Biden isn’t on the ballot, and who is.
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Nikki Haley has emerged as the only major candidate remaining in the Republican primary against former president Donald Trump. A strong showing in New Hampshire on Tuesday could give her the momentum she needs to forge ahead with her campaign.
Campaign reporter Dylan Wells has been following Haley, and she explains why Haley’s message is resonating with many voters in New Hampshire.
Then, we turn to the unusual situation playing out for the Democrats. Biden and the Democratic National Committee decided that South Carolina should be the first primary – but New Hampshire decided to continue to hold its long-prized first-in-the-nation primary earlier, in defiance of the new party rules. So Biden opted not to put his name on the ballot. The contest carries no practical weight since the DNC has stripped the state of its delegates to the nominating convention – but that hasn’t stopped Marianne Williamson and Rep. Dean Phillips from running.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, Emma Talkoff, Arjun Singh and Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Maggie Penman.
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Ken Fritz spent decades of his life working on his perfect stereo system at his home in Richmond, Va. Weekends and vacations were lost to the project. Fritz’s family were recruited for years of labor. After decades of work, Fritz completed his project with towering speakers that look like alien monoliths. He estimated the custom-built system to be worth more than $1 million. The real price of the stereo on Fritz and his family was even more staggering.
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This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written and read by Geoff Edgers. Audio production and original composition by Bishop Sand.
Ultra-processed foods are designed to be tasty and absorb easily — but they’re not good for us. Today on “Post Reports,” a food columnist explains how ultra-processed food is actually made and gives tips for simple, healthier swaps.
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Chips, peanut butter, bread — these are just a few of the foods in your kitchen that could be ultra-processed, and they make up over half of the average American’s diet. But because of the way they are manufactured, studies have shown that people who eat more ultra-processed food tend to consume more calories. This can lead to increased risk of diseases like diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Anahad O’Connor is a health columnist who writes about food and eating for The Post’s Well + Being section. Recently he’s been looking into how ultra-processed foods are made and easy ways to switch them out for minimally processed alternatives.
“This is not a black-and-white issue. You don't have to stop eating all ultra-processed foods. I write about ultra-processed foods and I consume some ultra-processed foods. I just am cognizant about which ones I'm choosing to consume.”
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins.
Take a listen to our previous reporting on how ultra-processed foods ended up on school lunch trays here.
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As Israel continues to wage its military campaign against Hamas, we break down why it has blocked humanitarian aid — including food — into Gaza. Hunger and disease now threaten hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza.
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More than 100 days into the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian crisis there continues to worsen. As Israel continues to block food and basic supplies from entering Gaza, the World Food Program estimates that 93 percent of people in Gaza are facing crisis levels of hunger. The World Health Organization warns that more Palestinian civilians could die from disease and starvation in the coming months than from Israeli military attacks.
Washington Post Cairo bureau chief Claire Parker, who has reported extensively on the Israel-Gaza war, joins “Post Reports” to talk about why it has been so difficult to get supplies into Gaza, whether more aid is forthcoming and how a lack of aid has left Gazans on the brink of famine.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Jesse Mesner-Hage.
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Today, we dissect three recent public health responses to learn about the world’s ability to prevent outbreaks – covid and beyond – in 2024.
Viruses are having a moment. Outbreaks around the world are on the rise, thanks to such factors as climate change, war and instability, and increased animal-to-human contact.
Covid-19 is still here. Even though fewer people are winding up in the hospital compared with last year, some health facilities are requiring masks again as a new variant appears better at infecting people, even those who are vaccinated. Meanwhile, across the globe, a deadlier strain of mpox is threatening the Democratic Republic of Congo, where lifesaving vaccines are difficult to obtain. In Nebraska, a kitten with rabies triggered an all-hands-on-deck public health response.
Post national health reporter Lena Sun has spent a lot of time trying to better understand pathogens and how they spread. She joins “Post Reports” to examine what lessons we have and haven’t learned from these three recent outbreaks, and what that means for preventing future ones.
Read more:
Another covid wave hits U.S. as JN.1 becomes dominant variant
Is this covid surge really the second largest?
Mpox surge in Congo raises concerns world will ignore warnings again
How one rabid kitten triggered intensive effort to contain deadly virus
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon and hosted by Elahe Izadi and guest host Arjun Singh. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Tracy Jan and Fenit Nirappil.
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After the Biden administration launched airstrikes against Houthi fighters in Yemen, the group attacked a U.S. cargo carrier. U.S. officials say that their operations are limited and that they do not want to be drawn into a wider conflict – but is that possible?
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In the wake of Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip, Houthi rebels based in Yemen have been carrying out attacks on U.S. and British commercial ships. Last week, President Biden authorized airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. In response, Houthi fighters targeted more ships on Monday. On Tuesday, the United States launched more airstrikes against the Houthis.
U.S. officials defended last week’s strikes, calling them self-defense against the ship attacks, but the strikes have also raised questions about whether the fighting will evolve into a broader regional conflict, given the Houthis’ alliance with the Iranian government.
National security reporter Missy Ryan joins us today to explain the latest developments in the conflict.
Today's show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy, and guest hosted by Arjun Singh. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Monica Campbell.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Despite Donald Trump leading in the polls, victory in the GOP presidential primaries isn’t certain. Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Trump hopes to extinguish his opponents. But history has shown that not every winner in Iowa goes on to become the nominee.
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Donald Trump has consistently led his opponents in polling for the Republican nomination, often by a wide margin. But victory isn’t certain. In Iowa, the first state in the Republican primaries, Trump wants to fully knock out his competitors, but that may be easier said than done.
Support for former U.N ambassador Nikki Haley appears to be growing, and even if Haley loses in Iowa, a strong performance could give her campaign enough momentum to win in New Hampshire later this month.
Meryl Kornfield, Michael Scherer and Hannah Knowles join us from the campaign trail to explain everything ahead of the caucuses in Iowa on Monday.
Voters across Taiwan head to the polls Saturday in an election that could reverberate around the world. As pressure tactics increase from Beijing, the island of 23 million faces existential questions about how to preserve its identity and fend off war.
With Beijing military planes at times looming, Taiwan’s ruling party’s candidate, Lai Ching-te, contends democracy itself is on the ballot this weekend. Opposition candidate Hou Yu-ih warns that voters face a choice between war and peace. And a new third party candidate, Ko Wen-je, has been drawing a younger, anti-establishment base.
Today, “Post Reports” speaks with Christian Shepherd, based in Taipei, about Taiwan’s unusual three-party presidential race, and how it could shape regional and international security in the years to come.
Read more:
The Taiwan party toughest on China has a strong lead as election nears
4 ways China is trying to interfere in Taiwan’s presidential election
These three men are vying to lead Taiwan — and fend off threats from China
2024 brings wave of elections with global democracy on the ballot
How Chinese aggression is increasing the risk of war in the Taiwan Strait
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon and guest hosted by Arjun Singh. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Vic Chiang, Pei-Lin Wu and Anna Fifield.
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A terrifying accident on an Alaskan Airlines flight has put renewed scrutiny on Boeing, the airline industry titan, which has seen a series of accidents and mechanical failures in recent years
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On Friday, a side panel on an Alaska Airlines flight popped out of place as the plane was ascending, sending air whistling through the cabin and terrifying passengers. The plane landed safely — but this was the latest in a series of mechanical issues on Boeing planes, some of which have ended in fatal crashes.
Washington Post transportation reporter Ian Duncan has followed the troubled history of the Boeing 737 Max jet. He joins us to break down the federal and industry response to last week’s accident and the guardrails meant to keep air travel safe.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. And edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Sabby Robinson, Silvia Foster-Frau and Sandhya Somashekhar.
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If he wins reelection, former president Donald Trump will probably seek revenge on his political enemies. Less than a week before the Iowa caucuses, Trump remains the front-runner, but it’s unclear how that message of retribution will play with the general electorate.
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On the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, former president Donald Trump stood at a lectern in Iowa and applauded those who have been charged with participating in the riot and called on President Biden to release the rioters who are incarcerated, who Trump said were “hostages.”
And that message may be resonating with Republicans. A recent poll conducted by The Washington Post and the University of Maryland found that over the past two years, Republican voters seemed to have softened their perspective on Jan. 6, and particularly whether Trump had any responsibility for the attack.
National political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf joins us today to explain how Republicans’ feelings about Trump have shifted and the Trump campaign’s strategy to secure a victory in the primaries.
Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy and edited by Lucy Perkins. Thank you to Emma Talkoff.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Pre-order Isaac Arnsdorf’s upcoming book “Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement’s Ground War to End Democracy” here.
After a years-long push, the Food and Drug Administration just allowed Florida to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. This decision follows decades of frustration over U.S. drug prices and could open the doors for other states to do the same.
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While a number of logistical and legal hurdles remain, Florida has been cleared to import prescription drugs from Canada. The path for Florida started years ago, along with efforts by Congress and pushes from the White House, including from the Trump and Biden administrations.
Daniel Gilbert joins us to discuss the decision, the history and the hurdles that lie ahead for importing Canadian drugs.
Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Elana Gordon and Sandhya Somashekhar.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Correction: A previous version of the show notes for this episode referred to the Food and Drug Administration as the Federal Drug Administration. This version has been corrected.
Harvard’s first Black president, Claudine Gay, resigned this week amid pressure over plagiarism allegations and her comments about antisemitism on campus. For conservative activists, though, her downfall was a victory over diversity initiatives.
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The conservative victory laps began moments after Harvard University President Claudine Gay announced her resignation.
Gay has faced growing pressure since her much-criticized comments about antisemitism on campus during testimony on Capitol Hill. Then came allegations of plagiarism.
For conservative activists, however, her fall was first and foremost a victory over diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, a battleground where such activists have recently seen wins against universities, private companies and federal programs. Business reporter Julian Mark explains.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Maggie Penman.
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A Hamas leader killed in Beirut. U.S. strikes in Baghdad. This week, tensions in the Middle East have been rising – and with them, the specter of a widening Israel-Gaza war. Our correspondent in Beirut joins us to explain what happened this week.
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On Tuesday, senior Hamas leader Saleh Arouri was killed in a suspected Israeli drone strike in a Beirut suburb called Dahieh. Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned Lebanese militant and political group, holds sway in the densely packed neighborhood.
In an anxiously anticipated speech the next day, Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, promised there would be a “response and punishment” to the assassination of Arouri and warned Israel against a wider war in Lebanon.
Also on Wednesday, at least 95 people were killed in two blasts that struck the central Iranian city of Kerman, where thousands of mourners had gathered to commemorate Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his assassination in a U.S. drone strike in 2020. The Islamic State has since taken credit for the blasts.
Then on Thursday, the U.S. killed an Iran-linked militia commander with an airstrike Baghdad.
All of these attacks have raised questions about the conflict in Gaza expanding into the kind of wider war that Israel, Iran and its allies have so far avoided. Sarah Dadouch reports from Beirut.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Maggie Penman. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Thank you to Jesse Mesner-Hage, Monica Campbell and Sabby Robinson.
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A record number of migrants have arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border, as war and poverty push people from their homes worldwide. The Post’s Nick Miroff reported from the border and saw how the Biden administration is grappling with migration as we enter a pivotal election year.
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In recent weeks, a historic number of people have arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s a rise happening as Democratic lawmakers push for aid to Ukraine and Israel, while Republican negotiators want a border crackdown tied to foreign funding.
The Post’s Nick Miroff recently spent time in southern Arizona, now one of the busiest places for unauthorized crossings. He saw how migrants hike along the border for miles, hoping to find U.S. officials to take them in. Often, they are brought to facilities that are already maxed out.
“The last six months have shown, as the numbers continue to rise higher and higher, that the administration's approach is really kind of nearing a point of exhaustion,” Miroff said.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Debbi Wilgoren.
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It’s a new year and the economic forecast for 2024 is looking strong – but that doesn’t quite align with how many Americans feel. What does that mean for the president heading into an election year?
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After years of historic inflation, price hikes are finally getting back under control and wages are catching up. Unemployment is low. The looming recession that was threatened hasn’t materialized, and the Fed has signaled it’s done raising interest rates — and it might even lower them.
But for many Americans, things still don’t feel great. Rent, groceries, and other basic necessities still haven’t fallen back to pre-pandemic prices, and consumer confidence doesn’t match the sunny economic outlook for 2024. Washington Post economics reporter Rachel Siegel breaks down how we got to this place of mismatched feelings and indicators, and what it could mean in this election year.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Maggie Penman.
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Today we join Lillian Cunningham on a “Field Trip” to one of the most remote and least-visited national parks as she confronts the question facing its future: whether a portion of this untouched wilderness will soon include a path for industry.
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Established in 1980, Gates of the Arctic marked a radically different way of thinking about what a national park should be. Compared to previously established parks, it’s hard for the public to access. This park is truly undeveloped — there are no roads or infrastructure. And it’s immense. You could fit Yosemite, Glacier, Everglades, White Sands, Death Valley and the Grand Canyon within its borders and still have room to spare.
But even here, in one of the most remote and least-visited of the national parks, the outside world is finding its way in.
Ten miles west of the park, mining companies are drilling for copper. The metal is necessary for a number of green technologies, including electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines. The mines could support President Biden’s goals to reduce the use of fossil fuels and beef up domestic sources of critical minerals.
To access these mines, the state has proposed an access road that would cut through 211 miles of Arctic tundra. Twenty-six miles of the road would cross through Gates of the Arctic. Biden has pledged to conserve nearly a third of U.S. land and water by 2030, and his administration has stopped similar mining projects. Environmentalists and some Native American groups are also fighting to have the wilderness preserved.
Subscribe to “Field Trip” here or wherever you're listening to this podcast.
“Try This” from The Washington Post is a series of audio courses designed to jump-start the parts of life where we can all use a few pointers — with pithy, snackable solutions you can easily use. The first course is about how to get better sleep.
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In the first class of our course on how to sleep better, learn why worrying about not falling asleep can make things worse. There are steps you can take during the day that can help lessen the anxiety at night.
To hear more, check out “Try This” wherever you listen to podcasts.
The banana is a staple of the American diet and has been for generations. But how did this exotic tropical fruit become so commonplace? Today on “Post Reports,” Martine Powers shares an episode of one of her favorite podcasts, “Throughline.”
Find “Throughline” here, or wherever you’re listening to this podcast.
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The Supreme Court’s decision to end race-based affirmative action in college admissions sent counselors scrambling and students worrying about their chances. For two seniors, it made them totally rethink their applications – in very different ways.
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When high school senior Demar Goodman found out that the Supreme Court had struck down race-based affirmative action, he immediately called his best friend.
“So,” Demar said. “Safe to say Harvard is out, right?”
Thousands of miles away in Tennessee, another high school senior, Cole Clemmons, was at an international summer program. When he heard the news, the opposite crossed his mind – that the decision may help his chances.
Education reporter Hannah Natanson followed both teens over the following months as they rethought where to apply and reworked their essays.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovsky. It was edited by Maggie Penman.
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Some people said Isabel Wilkerson’s book “Caste” was unadaptable. The subject matter was too heavy and too academic. But Ava DuVernay had a vision – and she pursued an unusual funding model to get her new film “Origin” made.
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When filmmaker Ava DuVernay couldn’t get traditional financing to film “Origin,” the Ford Foundation, Melinda Gates and other philanthropists stepped in. National arts reporter Geoff Edgers says it might be cinema’s new business model.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Maggie Penman.
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Canadian Israeli activist Vivian Silver dedicated her life to peace. When she was killed in the Oct. 7 attacks, her sons faced an impossible question: Is peace still worth fighting for?
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Vivian Silver grew up in Winnipeg, Canada, and moved to Israel in 1974 to start a new kibbutz and devote her life to peace. She arranged a solidarity bike ride on both sides of the Gaza border fence. Her friends from Gaza called her on Jewish holidays. Her politics had been unwavering.
But then, Silver was missing after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that left more than 1,200 people dead and nearly 250 kidnapped, and sparked a war that still rages more than two months later. More than 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza so far.
In the weeks that followed the attack, Silver’s sons, Yonatan and Chen Zeigen, tried to square their mother’s moral crusade with their desire for justice.
International investigative correspondent Kevin Sieff was there, too, following the brothers as they asked an impossible question: In the wake of their mother’s murder, is peace still worth fighting for?
Patients with memory problems walk away from assisted-living facilities just about every day in America; many die. The Post examines a pattern of neglect in America’s booming assisted-living industry.
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Since 2018, more than 2,000 people have wandered away from assisted-living and memory-care facilities unattended or unsupervised. These are facilities that charge families thousands of dollars a month to care for families’ loved ones.
It’s a phenomenon known in the industry as an “elopement.” A team of Post reporters looked into why and how this happens, the dire consequences and who is responsible when something goes wrong.
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In a momentous ruling that may shape U.S. political history, the Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that former president Donald Trump engaged in insurrection and is therefore disqualified from the presidency.
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The decision by Colorado’s highest court, the first of its kind involving Trump, would keep him off the 2024 primary ballot in the state over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
A state district court previously ruled that Trump had engaged in insurrection but that the relevant section of the 14th Amendment did not apply to presidents. The state Supreme Court upheld the former finding and reversed the latter, in a 4-3 decision.
The Post’s Patrick Marley, who reports on voting rights and democracy, explains the historical roots of the ruling and how it may have a broader political impact for Trump.
U.S. support of Israel’s war in Gaza has been unwavering – but as the civilian death toll climbs, international calls for a ceasefire are growing. Today, the mounting concern over Israel’s tactics and how the Biden administration is responding.
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Nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed and millions displaced since Israel declared war on Hamas in Gaza. Conditions for people in Gaza are incredibly hard. Food is scarce, the health infrastructure is collapsing, and the death toll continues to climb – which some arms experts say is due in part to the Israeli government’s use of “unguided ‘dumb bombs.’”
Today, foreign correspondent Louisa Loveluck talks with host Martine Powers about a shift in U.S. rhetoric and whether it could make an impact on the conflict.
Today’s show was produced by Jordan-Marie Smith and edited by Ted Muldoon. Thanks to Monica Campbell, Rennie Svirnovskiy, Sabby Robinson and Jesse Mesner-Hage.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here. Stay up-to-date with the live update feed on Israel and Gaza here.
As social media disinformation grows, academics are studying its harms. But big-tech funding at universities is creating a fraught power dynamic that recently erupted at Harvard, where a researcher claimed Meta forced her ouster amid critical research.
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Silicon Valley tech giants, including Google and Facebook parent Meta, are increasingly influential at universities across the United States, with ramped-up charitable giving. The donations can give the companies influence over academics studying critical topics such as artificial intelligence, social media and disinformation.
But as technology reporter Joseph Menn explains, some researchers are raising concerns that increasing dependence on tech companies’ funding can create a troubling power dynamic. Recently, a disinformation researcher, Joan Donovan, filed complaints with state and federal officials against Harvard University. Donovan claims that the personal connections of Meta executives — along with a $500 million grant for research — were behind her ouster this year from the Harvard Kennedy School. Harvard has denied that it was improperly influenced.
Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Monica Campbell. Thank you to Mark Seibel.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
After about 10 weeks of coaching this summer, six women turned their experiences of motherhood, loss and empowerment into their biggest display yet: a play called “Turning Pain Into Purpose: Say My Son’s Name.” They had hoped if a broader audience could hear their stories, something in the community might change — no more mothers crying over dying sons.
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This story is part of a collection of new, occasional bonus episodes you’ll be hearing from “Post Reports.” We’re calling these stories “Deep Reads” and they’re part of The Post’s commitment to immersive and narrative journalism.
Today’s story was written and read by Jasmine Hilton.
After half-a-century in a tank, a beloved orca named Tokitae was about to be freed. Then her life ended, and a moment of reckoning began.
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Most of the nearly 50 southern resident orcas taken from the Pacific Northwest during the 1960s and ’70s died within the first years after their capture. One endured. Tokitae spent more than 50 years performing in the Miami Seaquarium’s “whale bowl” – the smallest orca tank in North America.
In March, a plan was announced to move her to a 10-acre netted sanctuary in the San Juan Islands, where she could live out her life in her natal waters. But months before she was due to return home, Tokitae died. What followed was a moment of reckoning.
Today on “Post Reports,” feature writer Caitlin Gibson shares Tokitae’s story and what it reveals about us.
Scientists came to Greenland on an unprecedented mission to drill for rocks that would reveal the fate of the country’s fast-melting ice sheet. A sudden crack in the ice threatened their experiment.
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The Greenland Ice Sheet contributes more to sea level rise than any other ice mass. If it disappeared, it would raise global sea levels by 24 feet, devastating coastlines home to about half the world’s population. Computer simulations and modern observations alone can’t precisely predict how Greenland might melt.
Greenland’s bedrock holds clues. It was present the last time the ice sheet melted completely and contains chemical signatures of how that melt unfolded. It could help scientists predict how drastically Greenland might change in the face of today’s rising temperatures.
But scientists have less material from under the ice sheet than they do from the surface of the moon. So this spring, a team from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory made an unprecedented effort to drill through more than 1,600 feet of ice and uncover the bedrock below.
Climate reporter Sarah Kaplan was there too. She arrived just after a thin crack appeared in the ice around the drill, threatening the project and its ability to unearth the future.
Kate Cox caught the attention of the nation last week when she asked a Texas judge for permission to end her pregnancy. Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to Caroline Kitchener about the new legal battles over abortion access.
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Kate Cox caught the attention of the nation last week when she asked a Texas judge for permission to end her pregnancy.
Three days later, a pregnant woman filed suit anonymously in Kentucky, arguing that the state’s near-total abortion ban violates her constitutional right to privacy and self-determination.
And across Texas, Tennessee and Idaho, several dozen women who had previously experienced pregnancy complications are awaiting decisions in a string of cases that could expand the health exceptions in their state abortion bans.
Today, Caroline Kitchener unpacks the legal battles of testing state abortion bans, and what Cox’s story can tell us about the future of abortion care in America.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Thank you to Reena Flores and Ariel Plotnick.
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Nikki Haley is up, Ron DeSantis is down and Trump is still trouncing both of them. Today, we’re debriefing on the Republican presidential primary and how Trump’s legal battles are shaping the race.
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Politics reporters Dylan Wells, Isaac Arnsdorf and Ashley Parker sit down for a roundtable about the current state of the Republican primary race. Right now, it’s a competition for second place, with all the candidates trailing behind former president Donald Trump in polls. But is there actually a path to victory for them? And what happens if Trump gets convicted before November of next year?
Subscribe to The Washington Post here. And if you want to see what kind of Washington Post reader you are, check out your Newsprint at washingtonpost.com/newsprint.
College campuses across the United States are embroiled in conflict over free speech amid the Israel-Gaza war. The stakes are so high that the University of Pennsylvania’s president resigned after a congressional hearing on antisemitism.
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Last week, a Republican-led House committee summoned the leaders of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT to Capitol Hill for a scalding critique of their efforts to address antisemitism on their campuses since the eruption of the Israel-Gaza war.
During the hearing, Penn’s president Liz Magill – and the other university presidents – declined to state plainly that a call for genocide against Jews would violate the university’s code of conduct.
Magill told Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) it would violate the school’s code of conduct “if the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment. Yes.” When pressed by Stefanik, Magill said: “It is a context-dependent decision, congresswoman.”
Then, over the weekend, Magill resigned.
Education reporter Hannah Natanson joins “Post Reports” to discuss what the questions raised in the committee hearing and the push for Magill’s removal mean for campuses across the nation, and why the stakes are so high.
Each year, millions of people experience seasonal affective disorder or SAD. Today we talk to neuroscientist-turned-journalist Richard Sima about how to get ready for the change in season and beat the winter depression.
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Susceptible people — an estimated 5 percent of Americans — already are feeling the effects of winter SAD: lower moods, lethargy and excessive sleep. Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about strategies that can help you cope.
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Americans are inundated with junk mail in their physical mailboxes. Climate coach Michael Coren tried to manage the flood – and his techniques actually worked.
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The typical American gets about 41 pounds of junk mail every year delivered to their door. And for some, it’s even worse during the holiday season, as catalogs and coupon booklets come flooding in.
The Post’s climate coach Michael Coren looked at this junk mail as a challenge and started asking: How do I get it all to stop? Today, Coren explains the origins of the snail mail you never wanted – and he shares tips on how he succeeded in stopping it in its tracks.
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The war in Ukraine has reached a critical point. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hoped for victory in 2023, but a lagging counteroffensive put Ukraine’s ability to defend itself in doubt – and has raised questions about the U.S.’s role in the war.
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In January, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukranians that he expected 2023 to be a victorious year for the country. With support from the United States and other Western allies, Ukraine had planned a counteroffensive in the spring against Russian troops, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.
The foundering counteroffensive has raised questions about Ukraine’s decision-making and America’s deep involvement in the military planning behind the counteroffensive. President Biden has asked Congress to authorize more aid for Ukraine, but he faces stiff resistance from some Republicans in Congress who have tied the aid to negotiations over U.S.-Mexico border policy changes.
Missy Ryan, who covers diplomacy and national security for The Post, joins us to explain.
The Israel-Gaza war escalated this week with Israel’s military forces beginning their invasion into southern Gaza. But what happens when the fighting stops? Today, we tackle the question of who runs Gaza post-war.
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As Israel’s assault on Gaza rages on, the United States and Arab nations are wondering who will control the area after the fighting stops.
Michael Birnbaum covers the State Department for The Post and traveled with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week. He’s been reporting on the unpopular governing options and how the decision about who rules will ultimately be made.
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An irregular $16 McDonald’s order, a viral TikTok, and a growing conundrum for President Biden’s economic platform.
The internet has been awash with social media rants lately about the high cost of fast-food. One video in particular keeps making the rounds, nearly a year on. Jeff Stein, The Post’s White House economics reporter – and self-proclaimed fast-food connoisseur – joins “Post Reports” to break down what these reactions do and don’t tell us about the actual state of the economy, and what it may foreshadow for President Biden’s 2024 reelection bid.
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Biden turns up the pressure on corporate ‘price gouging’ as 2024 nears.
Inflation eased in October in the latest sign of cooling economy.
The viral $16 McDonald’s meal that may explain voter anger at Biden.
Today, how a New York law briefly changed how survivors of sexual assault found justice, and the impact it’s had on the legal system.
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Over the past month, several sexual assault lawsuits have been filed in New York against high-profile celebrities such as hip-hop mogul Sean P. Diddy Combs, musician Axl Rose and actor Jamie Foxx. Some of the alleged abuse dates back decades, and survivors were only able to file these claims because of the Adult Survivors Act – a New York law that expired last week.
Style reporter Anne Branigin has been following the fallout from these cases and how this law briefly changed what justice looks like for survivors of sexual assault.
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Many Americans drink more than usual this time of year – as much as double, according to some studies. But drinking more isn’t just happening around the holidays. Today, why alcohol consumption has gone up in recent years, and the deadly consequences.
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U.S. consumption of alcohol, which had been increasing in recent years, spiked during the pandemic as Americans grappled with stress and isolation.
At the same time, the number of deaths caused by alcohol skyrocketed nationwide, rising more than 45 percent. In 2021, alcohol was the main cause of death for more than 54,000 Americans, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Today on “Post Reports,” reporters David Ovalle and Caitlin Gilbert join us to talk about this trend – and the policies that could reverse it.
If you’re interested in reassessing your own drinking habits, check out our reporting on “Dry January” and the health benefits of drinking less.
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Dozens of world leaders will gather in the UAE Thursday for the start of COP28, the biggest climate summit of the year. But this year’s host country has drawn scrutiny for putting the head of its national oil company in charge of the event.
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The stakes are high for this year’s U.N. Climate Change Conference: Many countries have exceeded emissions targets set to try to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, with time running out to change course.
As global climate correspondent Chico Harlan reports, it’s not uncommon for COP conferences to be held in countries that rely heavily on the oil industry, like this year’s host, the United Arab Emirates. But the UAE has already drawn scrutiny for placing Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the head of its national oil company, in charge of the conference. It’s just one of the contradictions in the petro-state’s approach to climate change.
As world leaders make their way to Dubai, Chico breaks down what they’re hoping to achieve at this year’s conference – and how the controversial president of this year’s event is shaping the agenda.
What the end of the UAW strike says about the future of the auto industry.
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After six weeks on strike, the United Auto Workers reached a deal this month with the Big 3 automakers: GM, Ford and Stellantis. The union successfully negotiated for major improvements, including wage increases, cost of living adjustments, and larger contributions to retirement plans.
Jeanne Whalen, The Post’s global business reporter, says the wins are already changing the wider auto industry. Today, we break down how the UAW managed to make such large gains and how their strike fits into a strong year for organized labor.
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After nearly seven weeks, Israel and Hamas reached a temporary deal: Hamas freed dozens of hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. And Israel paused its bombardment of Gaza.
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Over the weekend, Israeli families celebrated the return of dozens of the hostages taken by Hamas, after the militant group’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7. In exchange, Israel released more than 100 imprisoned Palestinian women and teenagers.
The exchange is part of a fragile deal brokered between Israel and Hamas, with Egypt and Qatar serving as mediators. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel paused its assault on Gaza. Now the sides have agreed to extend the pause for two more days as more hostages and prisoners are exchanged.
Claire Parker is The Washington Post’s Cairo bureau chief reporting from Israel. She tells us what it took for this deal to take shape – and what could happen next.
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They were roommates and teammates at Harvard, bound by their love of football and each other. Then the game — and the debate over its safety — took its toll. This Deep Reads episode is part of a collection of occasional bonus stories from “Post Reports.”
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This story is part of a collection of occasional bonus episodes you’ll be hearing from “Post Reports.” We’re calling these stories “Deep Reads,” and they’re part of The Post’s commitment to immersive and narrative journalism.
Today’s story was written by sports writer Kent Babb, and read by Michael Satow for Noa: News Over Audio, an app offering curated audio articles.
Subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple podcasts here.
A surprise in our studio – and a thank you to our listeners.
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Our sincerest thanks to our listeners this holiday season! We don’t have a show this Thanksgiving, but we do have a message with some good news.
And while you’re here, you can subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple podcasts and get our latest Black Friday deal.
Today on “Post Reports,” personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary gives advice on how to avoid overspending on gifts this holiday season.
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Last year, retail sales during the November to December holiday season were $936.3 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. Americans are predicted to spend even more this year. Adobe Analytics projects the best discounts will land on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But a flashy red sale sign doesn’t always mean you’re getting a bargain.
Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary says we can avoid overspending on gifts by cutting down on our list, shopping earlier, and sticking to a budget. She also shares ideas for meaningful gifts from the heart that won’t break the bank. You can also sign up for her free SMS course, “How to be a financially savvy holiday shopper.” Michelle will send you a short text message every day for five days to make sure you’re spending with purpose this holiday season. You can sign up by following this link.
And subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple podcasts here.
When the board of the world’s leading artificial intelligence company abruptly ousted its popular CEO, it threw the entire tech industry into flux. Today, the rise and removal of Sam Altman and what OpenAI’s shake-up means for the future of AI technology.
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Just weeks ago, Sam Altman was on top of the world, the star of the artificial intelligence community and the leader of the company behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT. Then, without notice last week, the board of OpenAI voted him out.
The hasty decision triggered mounting uncertainty at the company and beyond. Was it fraud? Workplace misconduct? Washington Post technology reporter Gerrit De Vynck reports on what we know — or don’t — about the industry upheaval and its ripple effects on the future of AI.
Subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple podcasts here.
An American family who visited Gaza for a reunion found themselves trapped in the territory for nearly a month as Israeli rockets rained down. How they got out - and the desperate situation for the vast majority of civilians who cannot escape Gaza.
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In September, a Boston-area couple traveled to Gaza, hoping to introduce their 1-year-old son to his grandparents. War shattered their plans: For almost a month, the family was trapped in Gaza as Israel ratcheted up its air and ground assault. Now back in Massachusetts, Abood Okal shares the story of escaping through Egypt with his wife and child – and his worries about the family they left behind.
Okal’s family is just one of many trying to survive a brutal war. More than 11,000 Palestinians – at least 4,600 of them children – have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Gaza war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Louisa Loveluck, who covers global crises for The Post, reports on rising civilian casualties in Gaza and whether there could be a cease-fire.
Tania Galiñanes had planned to spend the rest of her career in the Osceola County School District. She was 51. She could have stayed for years at Tohopekaliga, a school she loved that had only just opened in 2018.
That was before the school board meeting on April 5, 2022, when Tania watched parents read aloud from books they described as a danger to kids. It was before she received a phone call from the district, the day after that, instructing her to remove four books from her shelves. It was before a member of the conservative group Moms for Liberty told her on Facebook, a few days later, that she shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near students. It had been 18 months since then.
Tania still showed up every weekday at 7 a.m. and tried to focus on the job she had signed up for, which was, she thought, to help students discover a book to love. But she could feel something shifting.
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This story is part of a new collection of occasional bonus episodes you’ll be hearing from “Post Reports.” We’re calling these stories “Deep Reads,” and they’re part of The Post’s commitment to immersive and narrative journalism.
Today’s story was written and read by national political enterprise reporter Ruby Cramer.
In Part 3 of our series on schools and gun violence, audio producer Sabby Robinson chronicles the tragic outcome of Huguenot High School’s graduation – which was supposed to mark a moment of cathartic celebration for the school but ended in gunfire.
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Graduation was supposed to be a sweet moment of celebration after a difficult year. Instead, gunfire broke out just after the ceremony, killing a graduate and his stepfather and wounding five others. A former Richmond public school student was charged in the death of the graduate, Shawn Jackson.
The shooting forced the school, its staff and its students, to heal and adapt yet again. Some educators reassessed how they try to keep kids safe. For others, it was too much: They had to walk away. Today on “Post Reports,” audio producer Sabby Robinson examines what happened at graduation and how it left a mark on everyone involved.
Subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple podcasts here.
In Part 2 of our series on how schools address gun violence, reporter Moriah Balingit dives into the life and death of Huguenot student Jaden Carter and how school officials in Richmond try to save students like him.
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It took months to find out more about what happened the night Jaden Carter was fatally shot behind Huguenot High School’s baseball fields. In that time, The Post learned how and why school officials, from his teacher to a Huguenot police officer, tried to intervene and set Jaden on a better path.
It’s part of a district-wide program in Richmond Public Schools: an ambitious bid to build a safer community. But sometimes students stray into danger anyway. Today on “Post Reports,” education reporter Moriah Balingit explores what’s working – and what’s not.
Gun violence is reshaping U.S. education. The Washington Post spent a year inside a Richmond high school facing a surge in shootings and deaths to learn what schools are doing to stop students from dying – and whether their efforts are working.
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Youth gun violence is soaring nationwide, and schools are on the front lines dealing with the fallout. Three Washington Post reporters were embedded inside Richmond's Huguenot High School for one year to find out what that looks like.
During The Post's first visit to Huguenot, a student, Jaden Carter, was shot and killed behind the baseball fields. The Post was inside the school the next day as administrators grappled with the death – and spent the following months tracing how the tragedy affected Jaden's school, friends and family.
Today on “Post Reports,” education reporter Hannah Natanson explains what happened.
Subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple podcasts here.
How the first-ever postpartum depression pill could change the landscape of maternal health.
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In August, the Food and Drug Administration approved Zurzuvae, the first pill to treat postpartum depression. This is a huge milestone for the serious and potentially life-threatening condition, which can afflict about 1 in 7 women following childbirth.
Unlike other commonly recommended treatments such as talk therapy and antidepressants, the drug is meant to act quickly, working to ease symptoms including mood swings, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of worthlessness, and severe anxiety. Health reporter Sabrina Malhi explains how this new drug works, and why it took so long to develop this medication in the first place.
Subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple podcasts here.
Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister – and one of its most scrutinized. Now, with Israel at war with Hamas, The Washington Post’s Griff Witte breaks down Netanyahu’s political history and his fragile future.
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It’s been over a month since Hamas militants attacked Israel, leaving at least 1,200 people dead and 239 people kidnapped. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared war on Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip. An estimated 11,000 people in the territory have been killed since. Most of the dead are women and children.
Though the Israeli government has agreed to military pauses to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, Netanyahu has rejected calls for a total cease-fire – a stance that is testing his support worldwide. Netanyahu’s leadership was already scrutinized before the war, rooted in corruption charges and his government’s judicial overhaul that sparked historic protests across Israel.
Today on “Post Reports,” Griff Witte, a former Jerusalem bureau chief for The Post, unpacks Netanyahu’s rise and his chances of political survival.
Today, why the United States is saying goodbye to its pandas. And how the bears became a powerful diplomatic symbol of U.S.-China relations.
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For decades, China has deployed its giant pandas as a diplomatic tool to shore up alliances and woo new partners, including the United States. In 1972, China first gifted the United Statestwo pandas. Since then, it has leased pandas to zoos across the country. Now, after American zoogoers have come to adore the bears, China is taking all of its pandas back.
This week, under police escort and accompanied by their longtime keepers, Washington’s three giant pandas boarded a FedEx cargo jet at Dulles International Airport headed for Chengdu, China. The only remaining pandas in the nation will be in Atlanta, and they are scheduled to depart for China next year.
The pandas’ exit comes at a moment of strained U.S.-China relations. Enterprise reporter William Wan explains the hidden diplomatic power of China’s pandas, and how these black-and-white bears are beloved by Americans across the country.
Life expectancy is dropping in the United States, despite the nation spending more per person on health care than any other country. So what is a place like Portugal — where people live longer with far fewer resources — doing right? And what is the United States missing?
Today on “Post Reports,” we bring you a tale of two sisters, two countries and two health systems.
Lurdes and Lucilia Costa share a lot in common. They’re sisters, and they both have rheumatoid arthritis, a complex chronic illness that requires special medical attention to prevent worsening symptoms. But their health care experiences couldn’t be more different, with one living in Portugal and the other in the United States.
For The Post’s Frances Stead Sellers and her colleague Catarina Fernandes Martins, these sisters’ divergent paths contain larger lessons for why a country with lots of resources, such as the United States, is floundering at keeping people alive — while Portugal, a small country that spends much less on health care, is doing so much better promoting longer, healthier lives.
“Portugal is one of the countries that people describe as positive outliers,” Sellers told “Post Reports.” “They’re living longer than we are, and a key thing there appears to be primary care and community health. They’re really looking after people before they get to hospital.”
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A tale of two sisters, two countries and their health systems
Compare your life expectancy with others around the world
Primary care saves lives. Here’s why it’s failing Americans.
Despite spending more per person on health care than any other nation, the United States has a crisis of premature deaths. The Post’s health team has been investigating why that is, and today we learn how politics, stress and chronic illness play a role.
The United States was once on a track to reach an average life expectancy of 80, but after decades of progress, we’re falling further and further behind.
The Washington Post spent the past year examining why this is happening. Our reporters and editors have analyzed death records from five decades and spoke to scores of clinicians, patients and researchers in the United States and abroad.
“One of the best quotes we had in the series was, if we came in last in the Olympics, how would we react?” said data reporter Dan Keating. “We're coming in last in the Olympics of staying alive.”
Today, we hear from Keating about what the data reveals. Then we turn to Akilah Johnson to hear about how stress and weathering play a role. And finally, we turn to Dan Diamond, who looked at how red-state politics are shaving years off Americans’ lives.
Plug your age and gender into our life expectancy calculator to compare yourself with peers overseas. Find out why so many do better than in the United States.
It was a historic scene: In a Manhattan courtroom Monday, former president Donald Trump took the stand in a civil trial that threatens his real estate empire. We break down the case, one of many court battles facing Trump as he runs for president again.
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It has been more than a century since a former U.S. president has testified, under oath, as a defendant in a court trial. That all changed on Monday, when former president Donald Trump took the witness stand in a civil trial brought by the New York attorney general’s office. It is accusing Trump and others, including his two adult sons, of committing rampant fraud.
The case comes on top of other lawsuits Trump faces, which include four criminal indictments — two in federal court, one in New York and one in Georgia.
Today on “Post Reports,” we hear what the scene was like inside the New York City courthouse from reporter Shayna Jacobs, who covers courts and criminal justice for The Post.
How tomorrow’s elections could show the political power behind abortion rights.
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On Tuesday, voters across the country will head to the polls for Election Day. And while the elections – and the issues on the ballots – cover a lot of ground, there’s one big theme running through the elections: abortion.
In a state such as Ohio, abortion is explicitly on the ballot. Ohio voters will determine abortion access on a ballot measure called “Issue One.” If it passes, the measure would guarantee abortion access up to the point of fetal viability.
But for other states, such as Virginia and Kentucky, the topic of abortion rights is the undercurrent of their elections.
The Post’s campaign reporter Hannah Knowles explains how Tuesday’s elections are being animated by abortion-related races, and whether the results of the elections can be used as a litmus test for the coming fight over abortion in the 2024 presidential race.
Correction: A previous version of this episode description misstated what election is taking place in Virginia. The description has been updated to remove the error.
How does a revolution implode? Martine Powers traces the rise and fall of Maurice Bishop and the origin of the mystery left behind.
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Maurice Bishop was a charismatic leader who captured the imagination of many Grenadians. But the revolution he helped spark began to buckle under pressure within his party. Martine Powers tries to understand the life of Bishop and what propelled him into the position of prime minister, the promise of the beginning of the revolution and the events that led to his brutal death. That history reveals why the mystery of the missing remains haunts Grenada to this day.
Martine speaks with Bishop’s sister, his fellow revolutionaries and the family members of some of the other victims killed on Oct. 19, 1983. They tell harrowing stories of having their own lives endangered, the last moments they saw their loved ones alive and what it’s been like to not be able to give them a proper funeral.
Listen to more episodes here – or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or Spotify.
You can find photos and documents from the investigation in our special episode guide here.
Subscribers to The Washington Post can get early access to episodes of the series on Apple Podcasts, as well as ad-free listening. Link your Post subscription now or sign up to become a new Post subscriber here.
Forty years ago, the body of a prime minister went missing. The Post’s Martine Powers asks: Who’s responsible?
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Every 19th of October, Grenadians mark a somber anniversary: the 1983 execution of the country’s former prime minister and revolutionary leader, Maurice Bishop, and others who died alongside him. The people of this Caribbean nation still have no closure 40 years later. The remains of Bishop and his supporters were never returned to their family members and are missing to this day.
In the first episode of “The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop,” The Washington Post’s Martine Powers takes us on the personal journey that led her to learn about Grenada’s history. Martine delves into why Bishop was such an influential figure, what made the United States nervous about him and why the mystery of his missing remains continues to haunt so many on the island.
Listen to more episodes here – or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or Spotify.
You can find photos and documents from the investigation in our special episode guide here.
Subscribers to The Washington Post can get early access to episodes of the series on Apple Podcasts, as well as ad-free listening. Link your Post subscription now or sign up to become a new Post subscriber here.
In 2017, Magdalena Hernández Pérez was separated from her children by the Trump-era family separation policy. Reunification would take nearly six years. The Post’s Kevin Sieff followed their story.
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When Magdalena Hernández Pérez and her daughters crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2017 to request asylum, it would be the last time they would be together for years. Like thousands of families, they were broken apart under the Trump administration’s family separation policy. Eventually, Magdalena was deported to her home country of Guatemala, while her daughters were assigned to a foster home in the United States.
In 2021, the Biden administration’s pledge to reunite separated families gave Magdalena new hope. But there were further complications for the family.
The Post’s Kevin Sieff joins “Post Reports” today to tell us their story.
For decades, Israel has been the number one recipient of U.S. foreign aid. As the conflict in Gaza intensifies, we explore that long history of support and what it says about America’s foreign policy.
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Since Oct. 7, attacks by Hamas have prompted requests for millions of dollars in security aid from the United States to Israel. It’s the continuation of a long-established relationship: one where the United States has bolstered Israel’s defense budget with additional support.
Missy Ryan covers national security for The Washington Post. She has been tracking the Biden administration’s support for Israel since the killing and kidnapping of Israelis by Hamas. She breaks down what the history of U.S. aid to Israel looks like and why it’s received overwhelming bipartisan support over the years.
Late at night, in parts of Washington, a group of people and their small dogs walk the alleyways and trash bins hunting rats, in a city that’s filled with them. The Post’s Maura Judkis and Bishop Sand report on the hunt and what it says about our relationship with animals.
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The Ratscallions hunt rats with terriers and small hounds in different parts of Washington. Linda Freeman, the group’s leader and a Bedlington terrier breeder, began rat hunting five years ago after being hounded to create a D.C.-based group by the founder of a similar group in New York City.
Despite the illegality of rat hunting in Washington, some residents and police officers thank the group for their efforts. So far this year, calls to the city regarding rat infestations are up compared to 2022. However, some Ratscallions members admit that they are not motivated to control the city’s rat population but rather see it as a team sport that makes their dogs happy.
Israel plunged Gaza into a communications blackout Friday that left more than 2 million people without cell service or internet access for almost two days. On Saturday, it began a major ground assault on territory, ushering in a new phase of the war.
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In a televised address Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the goals for the new phase of Israel’s war with Hamas were clear: “To beat the enemy and guarantee our existence.”
Since then, Israeli troops have swiftly penetrated deep within Gaza. As a relentless bombing campaign continues, the military confirmed that combined infantry, armor and engineering forces are all inside Gaza’s borders.
Amid the barrage, Gazan civilians scrambled for safety — and struggled to communicate with loved ones and the outside world following a communications blackout that stymied access to cell service and the internet for two days. Hundreds were killed, bringing the death toll in Gaza to more than 8,000 since the war began, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, the status of more than 200 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas weeks ago remains uncertain.
Reporter Miriam Berger is in Tel Aviv covering the conflict for The Post. She says this moment has left both Israelis and Palestinians feeling existentially threatened — and bracing for a long fight ahead.
Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour is projected to rake in billions of dollars, becoming the highest grossing concert tour in history. But her economic impact doesn’t stop there. Today, we break down the economy (Taylor’s version).
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Pop powerhouse Taylor Swift has been in the music business for nearly two decades. But 2023 is turning out to be her most remarkable – and highest-earning – year. Swift is on pace to earn billions of dollars from her Eras Tour, more than any other touring artist in history. That includes the Beatles, Elton John and pop legend Michael Jackson. According to a new analysis from Bloomberg News, Swift herself is a billionaire.
What’s even more surprising is that Swift’s Eras Tour has also generated millions for the U.S. economy. That includes the tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars cities from Cincinnati to Los Angeles have projected they’ll earn from these shows, and jobs for some dedicated Swifties.
Today on “Post Reports,” class is in session for Swiftonomics 101. Guest host and economics correspondent Abha Bhatterai and entertainment reporter Emily Yahr discuss how the pop icon became such a business behemoth.
Subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple podcasts here.
More than 200 people were taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, according to Israeli authorities. On today’s “Post Reports,” we hear about one family’s ordeal, and what the hostage crisis means for Israel’s possible ground invasion of Gaza.
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More than 200 people were taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, according to Israeli authorities. Moshe Leimberg’s wife, Gabriela, and 17-year-old daughter, Mia, are among them. On today’s “Post Reports,” we hear about Leimberg’s family before war broke out and the devastating moment he discovered they were kidnapped.
Then Washington Post Jerusalem bureau chief Steve Hendrix explains the strategy behind Hamas’s taking of so many hostages, what has been learned from the few who have been released, and the dilemma the Israeli government faces as it prepares for a ground invasion of Gaza, where the hostages are presumed to be held.
“We are preparing for a ground incursion,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address to the nation Wednesday. It was his strongest public indication yet that he would order an invasion of Gaza. “I won’t specify when, how, how many. … I also won’t detail the range of considerations, most of which the public is not aware of.”
Correction: A previous version of this episode incorrectly stated where Rep. Tom Emmer is from. The audio has been updated to remove the error.
After three long, chaotic weeks, the nation finally has a new House speaker – U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson from Louisiana. So who is he? And how did Congress get here?
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On Wednesday, 220 Republicans finally chose their new House leader: a congressman from Louisiana named Mike Johnson.
But the man who’s second in line for the presidency is a relative unknown, even to political insiders. Philip Bump breaks down what is known about Rep. Johnson and how House Republicans finally came together to vote for the conservative congressman.
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What to know about the many guilty pleas rolling into the Georgia case charging former president Donald Trump and his allies with election interference.
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The Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta has become the epicenter of one of the most-watched criminal cases in the country right now, charging former President Donald Trump and his allies with interfering with Georgia’s 2020 election results. This week, reporters and politicians alike have been shocked by a windfall of guilty pleas.
Recognizable faces including former Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis, and lesser-known political figures such as Kenneth Chesebro and Scott Hall all pleaded guilty in the sweeping criminal racketeering case.
Today, national correspondent Holly Bailey explains what happened in the courtroom this past week and whether Trump’s list of allies might suddenly be turning against him.
A fast-rising number of people, including families, are approaching the U.S.-Mexico border. Many seek asylum. Now, President Biden wants Mexico to crack down on migrants, but Mexico is reaching its limits to do so.
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When President Barack Obama faced a steep rise in people migrating toward the southern U.S. border in 2014, he pressured Mexico to curb migration at its southern border with Guatemala. President Donald Trump did the same years later.
Now, Mexico is once again facing pressure, this time from the Biden administration, to stop the number of people migrating north. But Mexico is reaching its limits as thousands of people cross into the country from throughout Latin America and other parts of the world.
The Post’s Mary Beth Sheridan traveled to a migrant shelter in the central Mexican city of San Luis Potosí, where mattresses line a basketball court as the facility exceeds capacity.
After seeking community and sisterhood in a sorority, Artemis Langford faced death threats and an attempt to kick her out because of her identity. This Deep Reads episode is part of a collection of occasional weekend stories from “Post Reports.”
Today, “Post Reports” goes back to school, to the cafeteria, where something has changed. Reporters Lenny Bernstein and Lauren Weber bring us the backstory of how ultra-processed foods ended up on lunch trays, amid growing concerns about child nutrition.
When students in Robeson County, N.C., returned to school this fall, a new choice appeared on the lunch line: Lunchables. Kraft Heinz reformulated the grocery-store favorite so it would meet school nutrition requirements — and now, school districts across the country are deciding whether to buy in.
For many health experts, the availability of Lunchables and other processed foods in schools runs counter to the effort started over a decade ago by former first lady Michelle Obama, to overhaul school lunch diets amid sharp rises in childhood obesity and other chronic health problems.
So what happened?
Today on “Post Reports,” we venture into a cafeteria, a food trade show and dig behind the scenes — into the history of Lunchables itself — to find answers.
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How Lunchables ended up on school lunch trays.
Many of today’s unhealthy foods were brought to you by Big Tobacco.
Why many ultra-processed foods are unhealthy.
USDA announces rigorous new school nutrition standards.
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A previous version of this podcast included a slogan for Otis Spunkmeyer and misattributed it to C.H. Guenther & Son. The audio has been corrected.
Why the House can’t elect a speaker to lead it. And the temporary solution some Republicans are proposing in the meantime.
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For two weeks, the House of Representatives has had no speaker. After the ouster of Kevin McCarthy, Republicans tried to push a replacement through. First, there was Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and then a second choice emerged: firebrand Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). But after two votes,
Republicans failed to get behind Jordan, a conservative best known as a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus.
Marianna Sotomayor breaks down why Republicans didn’t coalesce behind Jordan and what the party is thinking now about how to legislate without a permanent speaker.
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The Post’s Gulf bureau chief Susannah George walks us through the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the uncertainty for people on the ground there.
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It’s been nearly two weeks since Hamas militants attacked dozens of border communities in Israel, killing at least 1,400 people and taking 199 people back to Gaza as hostages, Israeli officials said.
In Gaza, roughly 3,000 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes, according to Palestinian officials. Finding safety is increasingly tough. Residents in northern Gaza are attempting to evacuate to southern Gaza after Israeli commanders warned of intensifying attacks.
Hospitals are also being struck. Tuesday night, a blast at al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City killed 471 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. U.S. officials said that Israel was “not responsible” for the blast, while Palestinian authorities blamed Israel.
Wednesday in Tel Aviv, President Biden announced plans for an “unprecedented” aid package to Israel, as well as humanitarian aid to Gaza and the West Bank.
Gulf bureau chief Susannah George reports from Jerusalem, documenting the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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For months, saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico has crept up the Mississippi River, contaminating the area’s water supply and putting residents of Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish on the front lines of a slowly unfolding environmental disaster.
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For months now, saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico has crept as far as 70 miles up the Mississippi River, contaminating the area’s freshwater supply. Millions of Americans draw their drinking water from the Mississippi River, including around 1 million people living in and around New Orleans. In late September, President Biden declared an emergency for the region, as officials at every level of government worked to prepare for the possibility that the saltwater could reach this major American city.
Meanwhile, residents of southern Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish have been without reliable drinking water since at least June. The parish is located where the river empties into the gulf, putting residents on the front lines of this slowly unfolding environmental disaster.
Climate reporter Brady Dennis traveled to Plaquemines Parish this month to see how residents have been coping. He finds that many of them feel forgotten, even as help is now on the way.
Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared Ozempic and Wegovy in shortage. That has given rise to an unprecedented parallel market for imitations of the drugs made by specialized pharmacies, while unregulated websites offer their own, cheaper versions.
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Many people who have used injectable diabetes drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss say they have been life-changing. But the drugs are expensive, and can be hard to access: They have proved so effective that patients are clamoring for more than drugmakers can churn out. Last year, the FDA declared Ozempic and Wegovy in shortage, allowing specialized compounding pharmacies to mix up their own versions of the drugs using the same active ingredients, for a fraction of the cost.
But the parallel market around weight-loss drugs doesn’t end there. Daniel Gilbert dove into the world of off-brand weight loss compounds and found an unregulated market flourishing online. His reporting turned up more than two dozen websites that bypass doctors and pharmacies completely to sell semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — directly to consumers, usually with disclaimers that it’s not for human use. And he managed to track down some of the entrepreneurs trying to strike it rich in the Wild West of off-brand Ozempic.
The Post’s Annie Gowen walks us through the immediate effects of climate change on India’s megacities and what the future looks like for residents of Kolkata facing record-breaking heat.
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After three days of no power this April, the people of Kasia Bagan had had enough. Temperatures were reaching record highs, with no AC to help. Yet down the main lane of the neighborhood, the Quest Mall towered, humming with electrical power.
Residents such as Sana Mumtaz, a divorced mother of three who lives on the lane with eight relatives in one room, felt her neighbors’ anger growing out of control.
The news of heat-related deaths in the neighborhood spread, resulting in protestors occupying the Quest Mall. Mumtaz, facing heat-related illnesses while providing for her family of nine, felt frustrated.
“It is so hot,” she said, “we cannot survive this way.”
The suburbs of Kolkata are significantly cooler while the temperatures of poorer neighborhoods such as Kasia Bagan remain unbearable. As the rich continue to adopt air conditioning and the poor do not, access to air conditioning during extreme heat waves makes the difference between life and death.
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Israel is still reeling from horrific terrorist attacks by Hamas – and now in Gaza, there’s nowhere to hide from airstrikes. Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to our colleagues in Israel and Gaza about what’s happening on the ground and what comes next.
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Rubble and razed buildings are common in Gaza, including on Hazem Balousha’s street. Balousha, a Palestinian journalist reporting in Gaza for The Post, recounts what it’s like to live through the Israeli airstrikes and as he, at home, braces for a potential ground offensive by Israel.
Reporter Miriam Berger reports from the other side of the border in Israel, documenting the atrocities committed by Hamas in areas such as the Be’eri kibbutz.
Together, they paint a horrific picture of the war’s destruction and give us a glimpse of the devastation that could come next.
Grenada’s Black revolutionary leader, Maurice Bishop, was executed in a coup in 1983, along with seven others. The whereabouts of their remains are unknown. Now, The Washington Post’s Martine Powers uncovers new answers about how the U.S. fits into this 40-year-old Caribbean mystery.
“The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop” is an investigative podcast that delves into the revolutionary history of Grenada, why the missing remains still matter and the role the U.S. government played in shaping the fate of the island nation.
Correction: A previous version of this episode incorrectly stated when Interior Secretary Deb Haaland began her listening tour. Haaland started the listening tour last summer, and the tour has lasted for longer than one year The audio has been updated to remove the error.
In a moment of reckoning, survivors of the U.S.-run Indian boarding schools are speaking out and trying to hold the U.S. government accountable.
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For almost a century, the U.S. government took Native American children from their families and forced them to attend residential boarding schools. These schools – which were intended to assimilate the children into White culture – left lasting impressions on the students who attended. Many suffered from physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of school employees.
While the history of Indian boarding schools in the United States is largely forgotten, survivors of these institutions are starting to speak out and share their experiences. Reporter Dana Hedgpeth spoke to several survivors who chose to tell their stories publicly for the first time.
Today, what it means for Native Americans to speak openly about the abuse they survived, and what it would mean to hold the United States accountable for its role in running the nearly 400 Indian boarding schools across the country.
The Post’s Rachel Seigel takes us on an economic journey through the “urban doom loop” and explores this threat to midsize cities. Then, Teo Armus shows us a creative way we could try to avoid it.
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According to Columbia economics professor Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, cities across the country could be heading for an "urban doom loop" that starts with vacant office spaces and spreads through downtowns. Later, Rachel Seigel joins The Post’s Teo Armus in Northern Virginia to experience a place that is creatively using vacant office space to escape the doom loop fate.
Today, we unpack how the war in Israel started, what this conflict means for civilians on the ground and scenarios for how it could possibly end.
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More than 1,000 people in Israel and Gaza have been killed and thousands more injured after Palestinian gunmen from Hamas infiltrated Israel this Saturday. Hamas launched attacks on troops and massacred civilians in the most brazen militant operation in years. Shortly after, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war against Hamas.
The violence erupted suddenly but comes after a year of rising tensions between Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, which have been under a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade since 2007. This year alone has seen a spate of deadly attacks in Israel and the Palestinian territories, an escalation that followed Netanyahu’s move to cobble together the most far-right government in Israeli history.
Today, The Post’s Jerusalem Bureau Chief Steve Hendrix brings us an on-the-ground account of the early days of the war in Israel and unpacks what this means for the geopolitics of the Middle East and the world at large.
After the stress of a senatorial campaign, a stroke and the auditory processing disorder that followed, depression became severe for Sen. John Fetterman. Then came the hospitalization
Now, the Fetterman family’s daily lives revolve around mental health. When people aren’t asking about Sen. John Fetterman, they’re inquiring about his wife, Gisele. Some offer their condolences, but many want to thank her. She’s become a safe space for those who are struggling with mental health crises in their own families. They tell her they are scared and worried — and they wonder if maybe Gisele is scared and worried, too.
In the midst of uncertainty, Gisele and her family learn to adapt to a new normal.
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This story is part of a collection of new, occasional bonus episodes you’ll be hearing from “Post Reports.” We’re calling these stories “Deep Reads” and they’re part of The Post’s commitment to immersive and narrative journalism.
Today’s story was written by Ruby Cramer and read by Adrienne Walker for Noa: News Over Audio, an app offering curated audio articles. It was originally published on Sept. 23, 2023.
Travel reporter Natalie Compton ventures to Katmai National Park to meet the chonky stars of Fat Bear Week up close. Today, we dig into this wild tradition and what it teaches us about tourism, conservation and, of course, fat bears.
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It’s impressive that anyone makes it to Katmai. Getting to the motherland of fat bears requires the kind of time and money Taylor Swift fans put into attending the Eras Tour. First there are the flights to Alaska. Then a floatplane or water taxi to the park. And there’s a lottery system to score one of the 16 rooms at the lodge.
Still, Natalie Compton made it — and so did a number of fat bear fanatics. Natalie talks to guest host Lillian Cunningham (host of the podcast “Field Trip”) about the adventure.
To learn more about our National Parks, listen to “Field Trip.” Lillian will lead you on a journey through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s most awe-inspiring places. You can find all five episodes here, or look for them wherever you listen to podcasts.
In 1996, the legendary rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas. Now, nearly three decades later, police have charged a man in Shakur's death. We talk with The Post’s Keith McMillan about Shakur’s life, legacy and what this new charge means.
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It’s been nearly three decades since hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas at the age of 25. Now, police have charged a man in his death: Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who has publicly claimed to have witnessed the killing.
Keith McMillan, a general assignment editor for The Post who has reported on hip-hop, walks us through what happened the night Shakur was shot, Davis’s arrest and indictment, and Shakur’s complex and enduring legacy.
The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to remove Kevin MCarthy as speaker after just nine months on the job. Today, how things got so bad between McCarthy and the GOP’s far-right wing, and what his historic ouster means for Congress.
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On Tuesday, eight House Republicans joined Democrats in an unprecedented vote to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker. McCarthy lost his job despite having the support of most Republican lawmakers. With the government potentially running out of money in a little more than a month, House Republicans are scrambling to present a suitable nominee for speaker.
Washington Post Live’s Leigh Ann Caldwell explains how the relationship between McCarthy and far-right Republicans deteriorated, and what comes next for the House as it braces for another possible shutdown.
Is Amazon an illegal monopoly? The Federal Trade Commission is arguing yes — and it’s taking that argument to court. We take a look at what’s behind the FTC’s lawsuit against Amazon and the implications for your everyday online shopping experience.
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The lawsuit tech policy nerds like Cat Zakrzewski have been waiting for is finally here. Last week, the Federal Trade Commission filed a landmark antitrust suit against the online retail giant Amazon. And the consequences for the future of online shopping could be enormous.
Zakrzewski, a tech reporter for The Post, explains the ins and outs of the FTC’s argument, how Amazon might fight back, and what’s behind the latest Biden administration push to crack down on Silicon Valley.
El Rancho Motel in North Fort Myers, Fla., has become a lifeline for survivors of the storm. But one year later, its residents are desperate to move on.
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It’s been just over a year since Hurricane Ian wrought havoc on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The storm killed at least 150 people directly or indirectly and caused $112 billion in damage — the costliest storm in the state’s history. There has been major progress — billions spent on rebuilding. But an unknown number of people are still displaced, because neither the state nor federal government has been keeping close track of them.
Disaster after disaster, federal and state governments have struggled to find housing for scores of people with nowhere else to go. So across the nation, budget motels such as El Rancho in North Fort Myers have become a refuge for disaster survivors.
Climate reporter Brianna Sacks has visited El Rancho repeatedly over the past year to see how its tenants are trying to rebuild their lives. Today on “Post Reports,” she brings us the story of one family for whom the motel has become a lifeline. And she explains why they desperately want to move out.
Senate stalwart Dianne Feinstein died Thursday at the age of 90. Today, we talk about her legacy — and the existential crisis for Democrats that comes with her vacant Senate seat.
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Sen. Dianne Feinstein, centrist stalwart of the U.S. Senate, died Thursday. At age 90, she was the chamber’s oldest sitting member and its longest-serving woman.
Although the question of her fitness to serve received increasing scrutiny after she was hospitalized in February, Feinstein worked in politics for more than 50 years. She started in local politics in her home city of San Francisco and eventually became the city’s mayor. Then, in 1992, Feinstein became the first woman elected to the Senate from the state of California.
Today, senior congressional correspondent Paul Kane discusses the late senator’s life, legacy and the big question on the minds of many on Capitol Hill: What will happen to her vacant Senate seat?
A previous version of this episode incorrectly stated, upon second reference, the year in which San Francisco's mayor and city supervisor Harvey Milk were killed. It was November of 1978, not 1979. The audio has been updated to remove the error.
Stacks of cash, a Mercedes-Benz convertible and arms sales to Egypt – they’re all in the details of the federal indictment against Sen. Bob Menendez. This week, the New Jersey Democrat pleaded not guilty. So what’s next for the embattled senator?
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The indictments against Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife are stunning, with investigators finding envelopes filled with cash and gold bars in the senator’s home. It is considered one of the more serious political corruption cases involving a U.S. senator. It is also not the first indictment involving Menendez, who faces a reelection campaign.
Issac Stanley-Becker, a national investigative reporter for The Post, breaks down the case against Menendez, how his previous corruption trial ended in a hung jury, and why this new indictment matters for the Democratic Party.
As the U.S. government moves closer to a shutdown, we hear what that means for the economy, federal workers and families across the country.
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Congress must agree to a short-term funding bill before an Oct. 1 shutdown, which could interrupt paychecks for many federal workers and military service members. Basic government services could also hang in the balance, from food safety inspections and child-care funds to aid for long-term disaster recovery. Already, FEMA has delayed billions of dollars in funding for future natural disasters in the event of a shutdown.
The Post’s Tony Romm explains why we are heading toward this impasse on federal funding, once again, and how a lengthy shutdown could test the U.S. economy.
Their dad is in prison for his actions on Jan. 6. Their brother was the one who turned him in. Their mom moved to D.C. to support “political prisoners” in the D.C. jail. Sarah and Peyton Reffitt are caught in the middle. Can this family reconcile?
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On Christmas Eve 2020, Guy Reffitt sent a text to his family group chat. He was furious about the outcome of the 2020 election — which he believed was stolen from former President Donald Trump. “Too many lines have been crossed,” he wrote. “Too many years this happened. We are about to rise up the way the Constitution was written.”
That’s when his son, Jackson Reffitt, went to his room and filed a tip to the FBI.
Roughly 15 percent of the more than 1,100 people charged for their actions on Jan. 6, 2021, were turned in by family members, friends or acquaintances. The Reffitts are one of those families, shattered by the insurrection and its aftermath. Now, they’re trying to put the pieces back together.
Today on “Post Reports,” listen to the Reffitts as they try to work through everything that’s happened in their family — and in the country — over the past few years.
A record $24 billion in pandemic investments has been propping up the nation’s child-care industry. Now, as that money runs out, parents and day-care centers are bracing for disruptions — and the economy is bracing for the ripple effects.
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Even in the best of times, juggling work and child care can be a struggle. But as pandemic-era funding for child care dries up, an estimated 70,000 child-care centers are expected to close, leaving parents with even fewer — and less-affordable — options.
“A lot of the resilience and the strength that we've seen in the economy in the last few years has been because of the strong labor market – because people are going back to work, and especially women and mothers in particular are really returning to the workforce at record levels,” economic correspondent Abha Bhattarai explains. “So there is a very real fear that as childcare becomes more difficult to access, more expensive to access, those women may be pushed out of the workforce.”
The jury had been brought in for a murder trial. It was a homicide with no body, a case that had been first classified as a missing person instead of a death. There had been no confession. No blood. No weapon. No witnesses. The alleged murder had gone unsolved for more than a decade, and onlookers had wondered, not unreasonably, whether it was simply unsolvable.
The question at hand was whether, 13 years ago, a man named Isaac Moye had murdered a woman named Unique Harris. The trial was an attempt to bring an ending, at last, to a mystery that had tortured her family and baffled strangers, including Washington Post reporter Monica Hesse, who had followed the case from the very beginning. By the end of the trial, Monica realized she’d understood the whole case wrong.
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This story is part of a new collection of occasional bonus episodes you’ll be hearing from “Post Reports.” We’re calling these stories “Deep Reads,” and they’re part of The Post’s commitment to immersive and narrative journalism.
Today’s story was written by Monica Hesse and read by Adrienne Walker for Noa: News Over Audio, an app offering curated audio articles.
Strikes by Hollywood actors and entertainment writers are in full-swing, making this an unusual fall, television-wise. We’re looking at the impact on the coming season of television and the future of the industry.
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A Hollywood strike marches on, but that has not stopped the production of new shows altogether. The Post’s television critic Lili Loofbourow discusses some of the most hotly anticipated shows, including new series such as “The Other Black Girl,” “The Changeling” and “A Murder at the End of the World.” Then Lili breaks down what impact the Hollywood strike could have beyond the fall.
Catastrophic flooding in Libya last week left an estimated 10,000 people dead or missing. Today, we report from the ground and explain how warming oceans and a hotter planet contributed to the scale of the disaster.
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At the end of what has already been a summer of extremes, floods have spanned the globe with remarkable intensity in recent weeks. Countries from Spain to Brazil to Japan have been inundated. Libya was hit the hardest last week, with catastrophic flooding in coastal cities such as Derna and Sousa that left an estimated 10,000 people dead or missing. And while the causes for these catastrophes vary, they all have one thing in common: climate change.
Today, foreign correspondent Louisa Loveluck reports from Libya, bringing us the extraordinary story of one family that narrowly survived the floods.
Then, global weather reporter Scott Dance explains how the world’s oceans, warmed by record-breaking heat, are making storms more intense and more dangerous.
Today on “Post Reports,” a look at what has happened to Iranians in the year since massive protests swept the country. We hear from family members impacted by the government’s harsh crackdown and how Iran’s repression playbook works.
One year ago, the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of Iran’s morality police sparked what analysts have described as the longest-running, anti-government protest in Iran’s recent history.
In the months since, Iranian security forces have unleashed a harsh crackdown, killing at least 530 protesters, according to human rights groups. Yet far more common and far more difficult to quantify are the tens of thousands of family members and acquaintances of the dead, who have been pressured, arrested and harassed, or who have disappeared.
“I think that the government understands the power of grief and how powerful that can be to move people,” visual forensics reporter Nilo Tabrizy tells “Post Reports.”
One year after Mahsa Amini’s death, and after these protests began, Tabrizy shares the stories of what two families have endured amid an evolving movement and a regime’s exacting repression playbook.
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Their loved ones were killed in Iran’s uprising. Then the state came for them.
A year after Mahsa Amini’s death: repression and defiance in Iran.
How a killing in Canada has caused a geopolitical crisis that is sending shock waves through India, the United States and beyond.
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On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in a speech to Parliament that agents of the Indian government killed a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on Canadian soil. Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader, was killed in June in British Columbia..
Trudeau’s announcement led to the Canadian government expelling an Indian diplomat. India denied the allegations and expelled a Canadian diplomat in return. Canada has called upon its allies to publicly condemn the killing, just as countries including the United States are hoping to bolster their relationship with India in hopes of fending off China.
The Post’s South Asia correspondent Karishma Mehrotra walks us through how we got to this geopolitical crisis and what it means for India’s global relationships.
First it was Hollywood, and now another big union strike is underway. For the first time ever, thousands of United Auto Workers members are striking against Detroit’s Big Three auto companies.
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An historic autoworkers fight is now on, with thousands of UAW members walking off the factory floors at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, the parent company of Jeep and Chrysler. Workers are asking for pay increases and more equal benefits for temporary workers, particularly as companies post profits and increase executive pay.
It’s the latest union fight in the United States as workers such as nurses and Hollywood scriptwriters and actors seek better pay and job security. Meanwhile, the specter of the presidential election hovers over the autoworkers strike.
Global business reporter Jeanne Whalen explains what’s at stake in this strike and how the issues at hand go well beyond the auto factories.
Today on “Post Reports,” residents in Lahaina are healing after the deadly Maui wildfires with the help of a Hawaiian tradition: surfing.
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The Aug. 8 wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii – the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century – took the lives of at least 115 people, with the number of missing still unknown. With lives and homes devastated, residents are searching for a sense of normalcy. Surfing offers a reprieve for many of those affected by the tragic event.
“It can be a great way for people to heal. Like ocean therapy, saltwater therapy,” said former professional surfer and surfboard shaper, Jud Lau. “The ocean is a healing place.”
With the help of his Instagram followers and donations, Lau and other board shapers on Maui are replacing boards for those who lost them in the fire.
Lahaina resident Victoria Gladden, a mother of three daughters, lost five boards in the fire, as well as everything else she owned. Getting back in the water was crucial for her to reconnect with herself in post-fire chaos.
With the help of the Surfboard Replacement Project, Gladden and her eldest daughter Brianna reconnected with the water, finding peace on the waves.
“This is just my favorite place in the whole entire world is the ocean,” she said after surfing for the first time since the fire.“I will never, ever live in a place where I cannot be in the water. I wouldn't, no way. What kind of life would that be?”
Last spring, South Carolina English teacher Mary Wood was horrified when her students reported her to the local school board for teaching about race. As she starts a new school year, we ask what it’s like for her to step back into the classroom.
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Last spring in Chapin, S.C., two students in high school English teacher Mary Wood‘s class reported her to the local school board for teaching about race. Wood had assigned her all-White AP English Language and Composition class readings from Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “Between the World and Me,” a book that examines what it means to be Black in America.
In emails, the students complained that the book made them ashamed to be White, violating a South Carolina rule that forbids teachers from making students “feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress” on account of their race.
Wood’s case drew national, polarizing attention. Conservative outlets and commentators decried Wood’s “race-shaming against White people.” Left-leaning media declared her a martyr to “cancel culture,” the latest casualty of raging debates over how to teach race, racism and history that have engulfed the country since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Wood is not the first teacher to get caught in the crossfire: The Post previously reported that at least 160 educators have lost their positions since the pandemic began because of political debates.
South Carolina is one of 18 states to restrict education on race since 2021, according to an Education Week tally. And at least half the country has passed laws that limit instruction on race, history, sex or gender identity, according to a Washington Post analysis.
Today, as a new school year begins, education reporter Hannah Natanson talks to Wood about what it’s like for her to return to teaching, and whether she feels she can trust her students again.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has directed House committees to open an impeachment inquiry into President Biden – a move that appears to appease hard-right lawmakers. The investigations center on whether Biden benefited from his son’s business dealings.
Claiming there are “allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption,” McCarthy has directed House committees to open an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Yet House Republicans have not put forth evidence directly showing that Biden benefited from his son’s business deals in Ukraine and elsewhere.
Congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor puts this inquiry into perspective, explains where the GOP stands on investigating Biden, and what this could mean for the president as he heads into an election year.
Today on “Post Reports,” why an earthquake in Morocco was so deadly, the anger over the government response, and what survivors say they need now.
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The massive earthquake in central Morocco that killed at least 2,900 people was unusual for that part of the country — and that’s part of what made it so deadly.
Claire Parker has been on the ground reporting from the remote villages that were hit the hardest.
“It's quite different from, for example, the earthquake in Syria and Turkey earlier this year when people were still pulling out survivors days later, I think partly because of just how poorly constructed these buildings are,” Parker said.
Days later, many survivors are still waiting for basic necessities, and feeling abandoned. Morocco has also been reluctant to accept outside aid, baffling foreign governments. In the absence of government aid, ordinary Moroccans are trying to fill in the gaps.
“The solidarity shown by ordinary Moroccans has been astounding,” Parker said. “We've seen again and again on these really twisty, turny, narrow mountain roads that are very difficult to navigate, hundreds of small cars packed full of blankets and milk and water and diapers, all of these supplies making their way to these remote villages just out of a sense of an obligation to help.”
The country declared three days of mourning nationwide as rescuers and recovery teams mobilize. Some residents described using their bare hands to pull loved ones from the rubble.
Here’s how and where you can make a donation to help earthquake survivors in Morocco.
India has fallen down the ranks of the World Press Freedom Index, sitting at 161 out of 180 countries. Journalists have been harassed, arrested and even killed. Today, what it’s like to be a journalist in India under the Modi government.
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Over the weekend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Biden at the G-20 summit in New Delhi. But there were some people noticeably absent from the leaders’ big meeting: the press.
Growing restrictions on the press in India have become a concerning trend for many people in the country. And last year’s takeover of television news channel NDTV by India’s richest man and close ally of prime minister Modi, became a turning point for perceptions of the country’s press freedom.
Today on “Post Reports,” South Asia correspondent Karishma Mehrotra tells us what it’s like to be a journalist in India under the Modi government, what’s behind this shift in Indian journalism and what the implications are for India's future. We also speak with former TV news anchor Ravish Kumar on his struggles as a journalist in the country.
Stephanie Gilbert wrote a letter to Jungsun Kim, the new owner of Richland Farm in Clarksville, Md. In the letter, Gilbert laid out centuries of her family’s remarkable history: the five generations of her enslaved ancestors who had labored at Richland Farm and a neighboring plantation for one of Maryland’s most prominent families.
Gilbert explained in the letter that she’d established a relationship with the White descendant who had inherited Richland — the woman who had just sold the estate to Kim for $3 million. During a decade of visits to Richland, she said, “we’ve celebrated Juneteenth, commemorated the ancestors, wept for their trials, and celebrated their triumphs.”
Then Gilbert made a request: Would Kim allow Gilbert, a stranger, to continue to visit the 133-acre estate where her enslaved ancestors are buried?
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This story is part of a collection of new, occasional bonus episodes you’ll be hearing from “Post Reports.” We’re calling these stories “Deep Reads” and they’re part of The Post’s commitment to immersive and narrative journalism.
Today’s story was written by Sydney Trent and read by Adrienne Walker for Noa: News Over Audio, an app offering curated audio articles.
Last year, 425 people died of extreme heat in Phoenix. Stephan Goodwin was one of them. Today, why people who suffer from schizophrenia are more vulnerable to a hotter climate. And, what can be done to better protect them.
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Climate change is warming the planet and breaking heat index records across the globe. For people with mental illness, scorching temperatures can be especially deadly. That was true for Stephan Goodwin, a 33-year-old man who spent his last moments of life in the sweltering heat in Phoenix last year. Goodwin had schizophrenia, an illness that is often characterized by hallucinations and paranoia. One study of heat wave deaths in British Columbia found that 8 percent of the people who had died in the heat had been diagnosed with schizophrenia — rendering it more dangerous, when combined with heat, than any other condition studied.
Climate reporter Shannon Osaka recently went to Phoenix to meet Goodwin’s mother, Darae Goodwin, and to better understand why people with this condition are so vulnerable to a hotter climate.
Shannon and guest host Rachel Siegel discuss how the physical, mental and social toll the disease takes can exacerbate an already dangerous situation, and what can be done to better protect this population.
The world is moving toward electric vehicles. In Part 3 of our series on the hidden toll of this historic transition, business reporter Evan Halper breaks down this industrial shift and the concerns it brings over human and environmental costs.
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States such as California and New York are moving to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars over the next decade. Meanwhile, President Biden wants at least half of new car sales to be electric by 2030.
But the race to reduce our carbon footprint has hidden tolls. Workers in South Africa mining for manganese – an essential mineral for electric car batteries – are experiencing serious health problems. There are also geopolitical ramifications, with tensions in Afghanistan, where an untapped trove of lithium ore is beginning to garner interest from both the Taliban and Chinese prospectors.
Today on “Post Reports,” Halper tells us how regulators, advocates and companies are responding to growing concerns over electric vehicle manufacturing.
More from The Post’s bigger series, “Clean Cars, Hidden Toll”:
In today’s installment of our series on the hidden toll of electric vehicles, reporter Gerry Shih ventures into the mountains of Afghanistan to find out what happens when loads of untapped lithium – a key part of electric vehicles – trigger a cross-border “gold rush.”
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“Waste kunzite” is what Afghan miners call the white rock that is all around them. It’s “waste” to them because they don’t have the capacity to extract it or sell it now. But around the world, this rock is extremely valuable. It contains lithium, an essential ingredient in the long-lasting battery within the floor of each electric vehicle.
The demand for lithium – and electric vehicles more broadly – is rising fast, while states such as California and New York move to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars over the next decade. President Biden is also pushing for electric vehicles to make up at least half of new car sales by 2030. Despite the real benefits of going electric, the sourcing of raw materials in electric vehicles carries serious human, environmental and geopolitical costs that are often overlooked by consumers, manufacturers and policymakers.
Today on “Post Reports,” we set out to unearth these tensions in Afghanistan, where an untapped trove of lithium ore is beginning to garner interest from both the Taliban and Chinese prospectors, who are looking to secure their grip on this sought-after global market.
“There's a lot of money to be made here and there's a lot of interest in this resource,” Shih tells “Post Reports.” “When we consider holistically the pros of this great shift towards EVs, we also have to look at some of the unintended consequences.”
More from The Post’s bigger series, “Clean Cars, Hidden Toll”:
As the demand for electric vehicles soars and more minerals are needed for production, manganese mine workers in South Africa are experiencing mysterious health problems.
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While you may not have heard about manganese, it’s a key ingredient in making electric cars move. Minerals such as cobalt, lithium and manganese are used to manufacture electric and gas-powered vehicles. But electric cars typically require six times the mineral input of conventional vehicles.
The demand for manganese – and electric vehicles more broadly – is rising fast, while states such as California and New York move to ban the sale of gas-powered cars over the next decade. President Biden is also pushing for electric vehicles to make up at least half of new car sales by 2030. Despite the real benefits of going electric, the sourcing of raw materials in electric vehicles carries serious human, environmental and geopolitical costs that are often overlooked by consumers, manufacturers and policymakers.
Today on “Post Reports,” West Africa bureau chief Rachel Chason travels to South Africa to visit with manganese mine workers, many of whom experienced health problems over the years. Troubling symptoms that some workers discovered are probably linked to manganese poisoning.
More from The Post’s bigger series, “Clean Cars, Hidden Toll”:
‘Post Reports’ is taking this week off! We’ll be back with more news from The Washington Post after the Labor Day holiday.
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Our podcast is taking a week off and coming back next Tuesday, Sept. 5. If you want to catch up on news, make sure to check out ‘The 7’ podcast, the morning news briefing from the Washington Post hosted by Jeff Pierre.
Sixty years ago, some 250,000 Americans arrived by bus, by train and on foot to participate in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Now, marchers and organizers reflect on the goals of that day — and the work that still needs to be done.
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In 1963, the fight for civil rights reached a pivotal stage. Activist Medgar Evers was murdered, Alabama Gov. George Wallace called for “segregation forever,” and riots in Cambridge, Md., erupted into violence. A few years earlier, the murder of Emmett Till had shaken people across the country.
And on Aug. 28, thousands gathered on the National Mall to call for economic opportunity and something more mercurial — freedom. The march risked the civil rights movement’s viability at a crucial moment, when African Americans faced violent and deadly backlash from police and white supremacists for seeking voting protections and fair treatment in their own country.
The day became iconic — especially the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful speech. But organizers say there was so much more that went into that moment, from organizing buses through the segregated South to making sure microphones worked on the Mall. Washington Post reporter Clarence Williams and his colleagues gathered dozens of interviews with people who were there that day, reflecting on the minute details behind the historic moment, as well as the legacy of the march that became a model for how to demand change in United States.
Today, what to know about covid boosters, the new variant and how to protect those most at risk this fall.
As summer comes to a close, many people have started to see a bump in covid-19 cases among their family and friends. A new variant causing an uptick in hospitalizations and other illnesses like the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are on the horizon.
Health reporter Fenit Nirappil discusses the latest on vaccine recommendations and how to protect ourselves and those most at risk.
A tropical storm in Southern California. Wildfires in Maui. Record-breaking heat in the Midwest. Climate reporter Brianna Sacks unpacks this summer of extreme weather, and what public officials can do to better prepare for future disasters.
She explains why preparedness is key in vulnerable areas, and why places like California can sometimes get it right while others are still learning. Michelle Boorstein guest hosts.
The first Republican primary debate for the 2024 election cycle is tomorrow night. Republican front-runner Donald Trump has indicated he will not be attending, leaving open the possibility for another candidate to take advantage of his absence.
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To make it onto the debate stage, Republican candidates needed to meet strict polling requirements and have at least 40,000 individual donors. National polling puts former president Donald Trump in first place among his Republican opponents, with Ron Desantis in second. The Republican National Committee also required candidates to sign a “unity pledge” before the debate.
With the Iowa Caucuses about five months away, this is an opportunity for candidates to build national name recognition and add donors.
Maeve Reston is a national political reporter covering the 2024 election. She explains who is looking to take advantage of this early debate and why Trump will be missing from the stage.
The kids at her school called it “cancer water.” There was even a group of them called the “cancer kids.” But when Amara developed a rare form of cancer at 15, the water — and the company contaminating it with chemicals — took center stage in the little time she had left.
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Amara Strande lived in Minnesota, where her city’s water had been tainted with forever chemicals. After she developed a rare form of cancer at 15, Amara told lawmakers at the state capitol that she believed those chemicals were responsible.
PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because of their extreme durability: They don’t break down in the environment or degrade. And in the Minnesota community, they’re well known because of 3M, the manufacturing giant that had been dumping the chemicals into the water.
Weather and climate reporter Amudalat Ajasa tells us about the life and death of Amara Strande, and how Amara pushed the Minnesota legislature to ban the chemicals before her death.
When legendary musician Sinéad O’Connor died, arts reporter Geoff Edgers was crushed. He’d spent time with her in 2020 as she relaunched her career. Today on the show, we share moments from that time and Geoff’s reflections on her legacy.
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Read Geoff’s essay about his road trip with Sinéad O’Connor and his profile from 2020.
A previous version of this episode incorrectly stated the year Sinéad O’Connor’s son Shane died. It was 2022, not 2020. The audio has been corrected.
If you or someone you know needs help, visit 988lifeline.org or call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Last week, the worst wildfire in Hawaii’s history left blocks of charred wreckage and more than a hundred people dead. Now, while locals wait for news of loved ones, they’re also fighting to keep historic Lahaina in the hands of the Hawaiian people.
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Hawaii has one of the most intense housing crunches in the country, with sky-high property values, soaring costs of living and a colonial history that is still felt across the islands. Nowhere was that crunch more visible than historic Lahaina, the former Hawaiian capital, where longtime residents fought to keep their ancestral homes out of the hands of developers.
That was all before a devastating fire ripped through west Maui, destroying thousands of homes and leveling neighborhoods. A little more than a week after the blaze, authorities are still sifting through the ash and accounting for the missing. Residents have banded together to fill gaps they say have been left by the state and federal disaster response. And they’re turning an eye to the future, amid fears that this disaster could drive longtime residents out of Maui.
How to help or donate to Hawaii residents displaced by Maui wildfires.
In the fourth indictment of former president Donald Trump, Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis alleges that Trump and 18 others participated in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.
To do so, Willis is hoping to use the same legal tactic federal prosecutors have traditionally used to prosecute mafia bosses.
“She's using a statute in Georgia called the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which mirrors a federal law that was originally written to go after the mafia in New York City,” Washington Post national political correspondent Amy Gardner said. “And so basically what she's doing is accusing the former president, Donald Trump, of being the head of a criminal enterprise whose purpose was to steal the 2020 election.
Gardner joins Post Reports today to explain what makes Trump’s latest indictment unique, and the bar the district attorney will need to clear to secure a conviction.
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Who is Mary Sara, the Sami woman whose brain was taken for the Smithsonian’s “racial brain collection”? Today, we find her descendants. And we find out how the Smithsonian is addressing the dark legacy of its “bone doctor,” Ales Hrdlicka.
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The brain of a Sami woman who died at a Seattle sanitarium in 1933. The cerebellum of an Indigenous Filipino who died at the 1904 World’s Fair. These are just two of the brains collected, seemingly without consent, by the Smithsonian’s first curator of its physical anthropology division, Ales Hrdlicka. They were part of the institution’s “racial brain collection.”
Now, a hundred years after this brain collection began, The Washington Post has pieced together the most extensive look at this work to date. In this second episode, we conclude our search for the descendants of Mary, the Sami woman whose brain was taken in 1933, and we hear from the Smithsonian about how it’s grappling with Hrdlicka’s troubling legacy.
If you haven’t listened to the first episode, make sure to listen to “Brain desirable,” Part 1.
When Mary died in 1933, her brain was sent to a man named Ales Hrdlicka, the Smithsonian’s ‘bone doctor.’ Post reporters couldn’t find any records that Mary or her family consented to this. So what happened to Mary’s brain? And what is the extent of the Smithsonian’s “racial brain collection”?
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The brain of a Sami woman who died at a Seattle sanitarium in 1933. The cerebellum of an indigenous Filipino who died at the 1904 World’s Fair. These are just two of the brains collected over the last century by the Smithsonian’s first curator of the physical anthropology division, Ales Hrdlicka.
Now, a hundred years after this brain collection began, The Washington Post has pieced together the most extensive look at this work to date. And over the next two days on Post Reports, we’re bringing you the details of this reporting and of Ales Hrdlicka’s troubling legacy. In this first episode, we find out the extent of the collection, and we begin the search for the descendants of Mary, the Sami woman whose brain was taken in 1933.
Two turntables and a microphone. That was all DJ Kool Herc had 50 years ago when he planted the seeds of what would become hip-hop. Today, we’ll hear directly from some of the genre’s biggest stars about how hip-hop took over the world.
“Post Reports” audio engineer Sean Carter joins us today to share his reporting on hip-hop’s evolution over the past 50 years. Carter takes us backstage with some of hip-hop’s biggest names, like Rakim and the Lady of Rage, and speaks with the people who were there for some of hip-hop’s most pivotal moments.
Chatbots can be biased, deceptive or even dangerous. Today on “Post Reports,” we meet the hackers who are competing to figure out exactly how AI can go awry.
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Will Oremus reports on technology for The Post, and recently that has meant writing a lot about AI and all the ways it could go wrong.
“Even the people who make this stuff, the creators of these technologies, are also out there warning, hey, this could be really bad,” Will says. “This could go wrong in very disturbing ways.”
The range of potential harms is vast. And today, we meet the hackers trying to make chatbots go haywire. In what organizers billed as the first public “red teaming” event for artificial intelligence language models, we see a preview of Def Con, the annual hacker convention in Las Vegas – and we learn more about AI’s pitfalls.
A new survey shows that more people are avoiding the news. Today on “Post Reports,” our media reporter Paul Farhi talks with Elahe Izadi about “news avoiders” – and how the media could respond to this growing trend.
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Bad news seems to be constant these days. Thanks to our hand-held devices, that bad news can follow us everywhere. More and more, people who used to follow the news regularly are tuning it out.
This is bad news for an already struggling news industry. How can news organizations inform their audiences without overwhelming them? Today we talk about staying informed – and staying sane.
Today on “Post Reports,” the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the impact his candidacy could have on the 2024 election — even if he doesn’t come close to winning.
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Back in April, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his candidacy for president of the United States. While he comes from a long line of famous politicians — including his father, onetime U.S. attorney general Bobby Kennedy, and his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, both of whom were assassinated — he has no political experience himself. Instead, after decades as an environmental lawyer, RFK Jr. has embraced misinformation about everything from vaccines to the 2004 election.
Today, national political reporter Michael Scherer walks us through RFK Jr.’s background, the conspiratorial thinking that shapes his campaign, and how he could upend the 2024 election.
The USWNT is out of the World Cup at the earliest stage in the program’s history. Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to soccer reporter Steve Goff about what happened – and what it signals about the global evolution of women's soccer.
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The U.S. women’s national soccer team went into the World Cup favored to win it all. Instead, they were knocked out before even making it to the quarterfinals.
But as The Post’s Emily Giambalvo wrote, “the team’s waning dominance says less about the United States and more about the global evolution of women’s soccer.”
Soccer reporter Steve Goff spoke to us from Melbourne, Australia, about the dramatic early exit for the USWNT – and what he’s watching for next in this World Cup.
On this encore episode of “Post Reports,” we rethink our friendships. Research shows that strong friendships are essential to a healthy life.
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Have you ever neglected your friendships for romantic love? It may be time to rethink your priorities.
A growing body of research shows that friends are essential to a healthy life. Cultivating strong friendships may be just as important for our well-being as healthy eating habits or a good night’s sleep. Platonic love may even be more important than romantic love.
People with strong friendships tend to have better mental health, and there may be benefits to our physical health, as well. Large social networks lower our risk of premature death more than exercise or dieting alone, research found.
On this encore episode of “Post Reports,” Teddy Amenabar reports for the Well+Being section at The Washington Post and walks us through these findings and offers advice for how to maintain our friendships.
Running backs used to be among the most famous — and best-paid — players in football. But the game has changed and so has their status. Today on “Post Reports,” what that means for the sport and these players — and how they might be able to change it.
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The traditional running back has moved to the margins. The position is dangerous and injury-prone, but increasingly NFL teams are finding it makes business sense not to commit to these players long-term.
Feeling underappreciated and underpaid, running backs have started trying to push back.
On a recent Zoom meeting in which running backs commiserated about their shrinking market, Cleveland Browns star Nick Chubb admitted to reporters, “Right now, there’s really nothing we can do.”
Today on “Post Reports,” sports columnist Jerry Brewer breaks it down
and tells us what could happen next.
A grand jury has indicted former president Donald Trump for alleged crimes stemming from his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Today, what the third indictment of Trump means for the 2024 Republican front-runner.
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The four-count, 45-page indictment alleges that former president Donald Trump conspired to defraud the United States, conspired to obstruct an official proceeding and conspired against people’s rights. Trump, who is seeking to return to the White House in next year’s election, denied all wrongdoing. Special counsel Jack Smith said his office would seek a speedy trial.
Today, The Post’s Devlin Barrett breaks down the criminal charges against Trump for allegedly trying to overthrow the 2020 election. And, what this means as Trump continues to run for president in 2024.
Today on “Post Reports,” we follow up with Brooke and Billy High, two teenagers compelled into parenthood by the Texas abortion ban. Now, they’re caring for their twin daughters in a new city — and trying their best to hold it all together.
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Last summer, The Post’s abortion reporter Caroline Kitchener told the story of a teenager who wanted an abortion and ended up having twins because of the Texas abortion ban. The story — which “Post Reports” also covered — went viral.
“The fascinating thing about that story for me was that people read it in two completely different ways,” Caroline Kitchener tells guest host Will Oremus. “You had antiabortion people saying, ‘This is wonderful. There are two babies in the world. Their parents love them. They got married. He’s joining the military,’ … kind of holding them up as poster children for what an abortion ban can do. But on the other side, you had abortion rights advocates saying, ‘This is a tragedy. She dropped out of school, this ambitious young woman; her life in so many ways is just so much more difficult.’”
In today's episode of “Post Reports,” Caroline catches up with Brooke and her now-husband Billy as the two 19 year-olds try to make marriage and parenthood work.
Today on “Post Reports,” we explore the controversy around Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” – and how the song landed near the top of the charts. Critics say its new music video is full of coded threats against Black people.
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Country music star Jason Aldean is facing immense backlash over “Try That in a Small Town,” which soared in popularity even as the music video was pulled from Country Music Television amid the controversy. While Aldean is defending the video onstage and on social media, it was quietly edited to remove images of a Black Lives Matter protest after critics accused the song of containing coded threats against Black people. Aldean’s label said the video was edited for copyright reasons but did not elaborate.
The Post’s Herb Scribner explains how the controversy has fueled the song’s popularity.
This year, Mississippi banned transgender young people, such as Ray, from accessing hormones or other gender-transition treatments. Nearly half the country has since passed similar bills, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
Across the country, families are doing everything they can to protect their trans children. Some uprooted their lives in red states for the promise of protections in blue ones. Others filed lawsuits. Katie, Ray’s mother, couldn’t afford to move, and she needed a solution faster than the courts could offer, so she’d settled on a cheaper, quicker plan: She’d take a day off from her nursing job, and she and Ray would travel out of state for his medical care.
This story is the third in a collection of new, occasional bonus episodes you’ll be hearing from “Post Reports.” We’re calling these stories “Deep Reads” and they’re part of The Post’s commitment to immersive and narrative journalism.
Today’s story was written by Casey Parks of The Washington Post and read by Adrienne Walker for Noa: News Over Audio, an app offering curated audio articles.
Some parents are using tracking devices meant for keys to keep tabs on kids too young for smartphones.
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Apple AirTags are not meant to track your kids. But that’s exactly how some parents are using them. In backpacks, on wristbands, they are making it so parents worried about introducing their children to a smartphone can access their child’s location in case something goes wrong.
And AirTags aren’t the only tech marketed toward the fear of parents. There are flip phones, watches and other devices marketed specifically for making sure your child is accounted for.
Technology reporter Heather Kelly wanted to look into this as her own son heads into the fourth grade and searches for more independence. She’ll uncover how the tech works, its pitfalls and the ethics of tracking your children.
What happens when doctors push misinformation, jeopardizing patients’ lives? Today we dig into a months-long Post investigation into a system that appears ill-equipped to respond, and what that means for patients who suffered the health consequences.
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When Margret Murphy’s long-time doctor’s office told her to stop wearing a mask at her appointments during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, suggesting masking could be the cause of her high blood pressure, she left the practice and went elsewhere.
But the doctor's actions shocked health reporter Lena Sun. Sun – along with our colleague Lauren Weber – looked into how often this kind of bad medical advice was being given in doctors’ offices, and what, if any, consequences doctors faced.
“Doctors are among the most trusted people that we know,” Sun says. “They're up there on the pedestal. And so when they spread misinformation, it is triply damaging.”
Yet, as this investigation found, doctors who prescribed misinformation rarely faced punishment.
A political crisis has swept Israel. Amid massive protests, lawmakers in parliament voted to limit the Supreme Court’s ability to strike down government actions, weakening the judiciary. Who’s driving it?
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On Monday, Israel’s lawmakers voted to limit the Supreme Court’s ability to block government actions. Tens of thousands of people marched in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv after the vote, with protesters worrying about the step back from democracy after the important check on executive power was voted out by a far-right coalition.
Jerusalem Bureau Chief Steve Hendrix explains Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's uncertain role in the judicial overhaul, the history of the far right in Israel, and how this reform prompted thousands of Israelis to take to the streets.
Moms for Liberty is a conservative parental rights organization that is increasingly influencing the policies of the Republican Party. The Southern Poverty Law Center has called it an extremist group.
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A few weeks ago, conservative parental rights group Moms for Liberty held a summit in Philadelphia. At the summit, the group rallied against sexual education, critical race theory and public health mandates — all topics its members believe public schools are teaching to “indoctrinate” their children.
A few weeks before the summit, the Southern Poverty Law Center designated Moms for Liberty as an extremist group that spreads “messages of anti-inclusion and hate.” Still, GOP presidential candidates are giving their stamp of approval to the group: Presidential hopefuls Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and former president Donald Trump all gave speeches at the summit.
Today, campaign reporter Hannah Knowles takes us inside the Moms for Liberty summit and explains how the group is influencing Republican Party politics.
Today on “Post Reports,” why experts are suddenly feeling a bit more optimistic about the economy. And whether we can finally stop worrying about a recession … or not.
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For the past few years, the U.S. economy has been in a period of chaos. The coronavirus pandemic caused supply chains to go haywire, and inflation shot up. Many people were laid off early in the pandemic – followed by historic job growth and hiring struggles. But now, it seems as if the economy might be settling into a new normal: The job market is going strong, inflation is cooling off, and wages are finally keeping up.
Despite these positive indicators, Washington Post economic reporter Rachel Siegel says, people might not be feeling totally ready to celebrate.Today, we talk about whether we should still be worried about the ever-looming recession, and whether consumers will feel any relief coming out of this tight financial period.
The much-anticipated movie “Oppenheimer” opens today – about the scientist who led the development of the atomic bomb. On “Post Reports,” we’re joining The Post’s Lillian Cunningham on a journey to the site of the bomb’s first test.
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White Sands National Park contains a geological rarity: the largest field of gypsum sand dunes anywhere on Earth. The blinding white dunes stretch for miles in every direction, dazzling tourists, inviting selfies and sled rides.
But there’s much more to this park than meets the eye. White Sands National Park, one of the newest in the system, is embedded within White Sands Missile Range, the largest military installation in the country. Today the missile range is a testing ground for cutting-edge weapons. It’s also home to the Trinity site, where the first test of an atomic bomb was conducted in 1945. In that instant, the sand beneath the bomb fused into greenish glass. And life changed forever for people living in communities nearby.
That same sand also holds evidence of humanity’s origins on this continent. One observant park ranger at White Sands National Park has spent years uncovering footprints delicately preserved in the shifting sand. Those tracks have painted a picture of prehistoric families living alongside mammoths and giant ground sloths. They’ve also raised new questions about just how long ago the first people might have crossed into North America.
In this episode of “Field Trip,” Washington Post reporter Lillian Cunningham visits these two very different sites in the New Mexico desert and asks why this landscape has been both safeguarded and sacrificed.
Subscribe to Field Trip here or wherever you're listening to this podcast.
Beyond Shein’s uber cheap clothes, the fast-fashion retailer from China has been involved in numerous scandals, including claims of human rights abuses. Even if you’ve never done a Shein haul, it’s time to get to know the massive company.
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A few weeks ago, a handful of influencers went on a paid brand trip for the fast-fashion company Shein. Known for its persistent TikTok ads and clothing haul videos, Shein showed off a factory where some of its clothes are made. Most influencers created videos about how much they love Shein and how well the workers were treated.
When these creators and social media stars got back from their trip, they faced an enormous amount of backlash, given allegations that Shein perpetuates human rights abuses, steals products from designers and inappropriately collects user data. Shein denies any wrongdoing.
Rachel Tashjian is a fashion reporter with The Post, and she says the multibillion-dollar company is more than just cheap sundresses and knickknacks. It’s now even drawing attention from U.S. lawmakers who oppose China’s alleged hand in Shein’s business dealing.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off on July 20. Get up to speed on why this is a historic tournament in women’s soccer.
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We’re doing something a little different today. Our resident sports experts are taking over the mics. Join sports columnists Candace Buckner and Sally Jenkins as they prepare us for the women’s World Cup with The Post’s soccer reporter Steven Goff.
They’ll discuss the players and teams to watch out for and if the U.S. women's national team can pull off the tournament hat trick – winning a third World Cup in a row. Also, they dig into how the sport has changed since the U.S. Soccer equal-pay settlement in 2022 and what this means for other countries fighting for equity.
All this ahead of the U.S. women’s first game on July 21 at 9 p.m.
Hollywood is facing a crisis. Almost every writer and actor is on strike against major studios, halting production. Massive protests have taken over LA and New York. Today, we unpack the upheaval that will change Hollywood forever.
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Hollywood is going through an existential crisis. In a historic double strike, nearly every performer and writer in the industry is on strike against major studios for the first time in more than 60 years. In an era of artificial intelligence and streaming, they are demanding limits on AI in the creative process and changes to their work and pay.
Today, breaking news features editor Avi Selk explains what led to this impasse, what writers and performers are demanding, and how this strike will reshape the future of entertainment.
The Red Cross’s lifeguard certification program is considered the gold standard in water safety, but an investigation into the nonprofit reveals alleged gaps in its oversight of lifeguard training.
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In 2019, Doug Forbes and his wife left their 6-year-old daughter, Roxie, at Summerkids Camp, an idyllic day camp in the Los Angeles area. Less than an hour later, they got a phone call from the camp director. Roxie was being transported to a nearby hospital. The next day, Roxie was pronounced dead; she had drowned.
Forbes would spend the next four years trying to understand how his daughter’s tragic death could have happened. What he – and The Post’s corporate accountability reporter, Doug MacMillan, discovered – is a series of loopholes in the Red Cross’s lifeguard training program that allegedly allows lifeguard trainees to go rogue and skip lifesaving training protocols.
Today, Doug MacMillan takes us inside The Post’s investigation of the Red Cross, the story of a father who lost his daughter to drowning, and why one whistleblower from inside the organization says he doesn’t trust lifeguards to protect his children.
In the tiny town of Plains, Va., the conservative Christian neighbors of the gay-owned Front Porch Market and Grill have been working to shut down the restaurant. It's a story of ideological differences, accusations of harassment and the monopolizing of town resources.
This story is the second in a collection of occasional weekend bonus episodes you’ll be hearing from “Post Reports.” We’re calling these stories “Deep Reads” and they’re part of The Post’s commitment to immersive and narrative journalism.
Today’s story was written by Tim Carman of The Washington Post and read by Michael Satow for Noa: News Over Audio, an app offering curated audio articles.
Decades after we were first promised a “paperless office,” nearly half of Americans still own a printer. But most aren’t happy with them, and that might be by design.
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The Washington Post’s Help Desk is here to discuss all things printers. Tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler rounds up a series of investigations he and his colleagues conducted into most people’s least favorite piece of personal tech.
Many people still need to print shipping labels, school projects, legal documents and medical forms, so printers aren’t going away anytime soon. The printer industry seems to be taking advantage of this reality – by jacking up the price of ink and convincing you to update your equipment more often than might be necessary.
But there are ways you can make owning a printer cheaper and less frustrating. There are also alternatives to buying a home printer, but make sure to protect your privacy when using a third-party printing service. Listen to find out how.
On June 14, a ship with as many as 750 migrants aboard from countries including Pakistan and Syria sank off the Greek coast. Hundreds of people died. We hear about what happened and about a Post investigation that suggests this was a preventable tragedy.
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Today on “Post Reports,” we hear the story of one of the deadliest migrant tragedies in recent history, when an overpacked ship sank in one of the deepest points of the Mediterranean Sea.
Louisa Loveluck, The Post’s Baghdad bureau chief, explains what happened on the ship and what survivors described. She also discusses a recent Post investigation of the disaster, which casts doubt on some of the main claims by Greek officials in response to the tragedy and suggests that more could have been done to save lives.
Today on “Post Reports,” we head to Lithuania, host of a pivotal NATO summit this week. Plenty is at stake, including the possible expansion of NATO and the biggest question of all: how to support Ukraine while keeping it outside of the alliance.
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As tensions build between the West and Russia, world leaders met in Lithuania this week for the annual NATO summit. The Post’s Brussels bureau chief, Emily Rauhala, brings us her reporting from the meeting and breaks down how the Biden administration and NATO allies are navigating their support for Ukraine.
It was a deal that stunned the world: The PGA will merge with LIV Golf, a rival league funded by the Saudi Arabian government. But many are unhappy, including members of Congress investigating it.
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For decades, the PGA Tour was the dominant organization in professional golf. Then the government of Saudi Arabia funded the creation of a new league, LIV Golf. Backed by millions in Saudi funding, LIV managed to attract several high-profile players, despite concerns about partnering with a country infamous for numerous human rights violations.
Initially, the PGA retaliated by banning golfers from participating in both leagues, and its commissioner even admonished those who would work with the Saudi government. That’s why many were stunned in early June when the PGA announced plans to go into business and partner with LIV Golf.
Since the announcement, golfers and fans have expressed shock and outrage over the surprise deal — and now a congressional committee is investigating the deal.
Sports columnist Sally Jenkins joins us to explain why the PGA is joining forces with the Saudi government.
GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley often depicts her removal of the Confederate flag from South Carolina’s State House as her key move to take on the history of enslavement. Today on “Post Reports,” we hear how that chapter is more complex than portrayed.
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As she runs for the GOP presidential nomination, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley often portrays her decision to remove the Confederate flag from the State House grounds as the culmination of her work to move South Carolina beyond its history of succession and enslavement.
Today on “Post Reports,” political investigative reporter Michael Kranish tells us about Haley’s meetings with Confederate heritage groups while she was governor and how she let the flag fly until a massacre forced her hand.
This is the first bonus installment of "Deep Reads," the best of The Post's narrative journalism. It's a story about two tennis stars, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who turned a rivalry into an enduring friendship – and cancer support system.
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Tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova became friends as teenagers but then split apart as each rose to No. 1 in the world. But they grew back together as they forged one of the greatest rivalries in sports and embarked on ambitious lives in retirement. After 50 years, they understood each other like no one else could. So when cancer came, they turned to each other.
This story is the first in a collection of new, occasional bonus episodes you’ll be hearing from “Post Reports.” We’re calling these stories “Deep Reads” and they’re part of The Post’s commitment to immersive and narrative journalism.
Today’s story was written by Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post and read by Adrienne Walker for Noa: News Over Audio, an app offering curated audio articles.
Compared to the chaos of Earth, outer space can seem serene. But, thanks to a recent discovery, we now know that the very fabric of the cosmos is being pushed and pulled by gravitational waves — waves powerful enough to distort space-time.
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Victoria Jaggard is a deputy health and science editor at The Post. She reported on the breakthrough research proving the existence of a gravitational wave background.
Now, we know that low-frequency gravitational waves from objects such as supermassive black holes can alter space-time. It won’t change your daily lives. You’ll still have to go to work on Monday. But scientists believe this discovery could rewrite our understanding of the universe.
Today on “Post Reports,” we join The Post’s Lillian Cunningham on her journey through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s most awe-inspiring places: the national parks. Next stop? Glacier.
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All 63 national parks sit on Indigenous ancestral lands. They’re places Native Americans called home for thousands of years. But for more than 100 years, these places have also been public lands, intended to benefit all Americans. Sometimes that puts Native American tribes and the National Park Service into conflict.
That’s particularly true in Glacier National Park, where members of the Blackfeet have fought to preserve their deep connection to the land in the nearly 130 years since the tribe ceded it to the U.S. government.
In this episode of “Field Trip,” Washington Post reporter Lillian Cunningham takes listeners on an immersive journey, as she drives off the park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road and onto the Blackfeet reservation. Because to get inside the heart of Glacier today, you have to go outside it.
We’ll hear the story of how Ed DesRosier challenged park officials for the right to tell his people’s story inside Glacier; meet two women, Rosalyn LaPier and Theda New Breast, who practice their families’ traditions on both sides of the park border; and talk to Ervin Carlson about a plan, years in the making, to return free-roaming buffalo to the park.
We’ll also take a detour to Washington, D.C., where we’ll hear from Charles Sams III, the first Native American to helm the National Park Service, about what the future of collaboration between parks and tribes could look like.
You can see incredible photos of Glacier and find more on the national parks here. Subscribe to Field Trip here or wherever you're listening to this podcast.
Today on “Post Reports,” we join The Post’s Lillian Cunningham on her journey through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s most awe-inspiring places: the national parks. First stop? Yosemite.
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California’s Sierra Nevada is home to a very special kind of tree, found nowhere else on Earth: the giant sequoia. For thousands of years, these towering trees withstood the trials of the world around them, including wildfire. Low-intensity fires frequently swept through groves of sequoias, leaving their cinnamon-red bark scarred but strengthened, and opening their cones to allow new seeds to take root.
But in the era of catastrophic wildfires fueled by climate change, these ancient trees are in jeopardy. And Yosemite National Park is on the front lines of the fight to protect them.
In the first episode of “Field Trip,” Washington Post reporter Lillian Cunningham takes listeners inside this fabled landscape — from the hush of the Mariposa Grove to the rush of the Merced River — to explore one of America’s oldest and most-visited national parks.
We’ll hear from Yosemite forest ecologist Garrett Dickman on the extreme measures he’s taken to protect iconic trees; from members of the Southern Sierra Miwuk working to restore Native American fire practices to the park; and from Yosemite Superintendent Cicely Muldoon about the tough choices it takes to manage a place like this.
We’ll also examine the complicated legacies that conservationist John Muir, President Abraham Lincoln and President Theodore Roosevelt left on this land.
The giant trees of Yosemite kick-started the whole idea of public land preservation in America. Join us as we visit the place where the idea of the national parks began — and ask what the next chapter might look like.
You can see incredible photos of Yosemite and find more on the national parks here. Subscribe to Field Trip here or wherever you're listening to this podcast.
Subscribe to The Washington Post with a special deal for podcast listeners. Your first four weeks are free when you sign up here.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court restricted race-based affirmative action policies, changing the landscape of higher education in the United States. Today, we look at what this decision means for college admissions and beyond.
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A decision this summer on the future of affirmative action was one of the most anticipated cases on the Supreme Court’s docket. In a 6-3 decision Thursday, the court overturned decades of precedent by restricting affirmative action policies. They declared that considering race in college admissions violates the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection.
The decision has sparked outcry and celebration across the nation. We sit down with higher education reporter Nick Anderson to understand how this decision will affect the future of college admissions in the United States.
“Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” “Mission Impossible 7” – the list goes on. Today we’re reviewing the movies you shouldn’t miss this summer. Plus, a closer look at Hollywood and the state of the movie industry.
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Summer movie season is upon us. The Washington Post’s movie critic Ann Hornaday and pop culture reporter Sonia Rao sit down with us to make sense of which movies to watch in theaters this summer. They break down which action movies are poised to be blockbusters, which under-the-radar movies you should go see, and their favorite movies this season.
Plus, we look at the state of moviegoing in a world increasingly dominated by direct-to-streaming movie models, how Hollywood celebrities are trying to save the traditional movie theater experience, and if the writer’s strike will affect movies coming out this fall.
President Biden’s son Hunter pleaded guilty to two minor tax crimes, and though President Biden wasn’t implicated, it could pose a problem for him as he ramps up his reelection campaign.
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Last week, President Biden’s son Hunter Biden reached an agreement to plead guilty to two minor tax crimes as part of a deal struck with federal prosecutors. It’s just the latest in a series of scandals surrounding Hunter and his relationship with his father.
For years, critics of President Biden have scrutinized his son and accused Hunter of improperly leveraging his relationship with his father to enrich himself. Some have even accused President Biden himself of being aware of these arrangements.
Though no clear evidence has surfaced that President Biden engaged in any wrongdoing, the charges against Hunter could become a thorny political problem for the president, especially as he ramps up his bid for a second term in office.
White House reporter Matt Viser joins us today to explain those charges, whether they will impact President Biden’s reelection campaign, and how the president’s 2024 strategy is developing.
Plus, journey with Lillian Cunningham through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s most awe-inspiring places: the national parks. The “Field Trip” podcast’s first two episodes are out now.
The American College of Pediatricians has promoted views on abortion and transgender care that have been rejected by the medical establishment. But their views are still shaping conservative laws restricting abortion and trans rights across the country.
How does a small group such as the American College of Pediatricians gain such an outsized influence in conservative statehouses?
Lauren Weber is The Washington Post’s health and science accountability reporter focused on the forces behind medical disinformation. On today’s episode, Weber explains the discoveries from ACP’s internal documents and how it has become a go-to organization for right-wing lawmakers.
Today, we explain why an armed revolt in Russia, led by the Wagner mercenary group, represents one of the biggest challenges to Vladimir Putin’s 23 years of rule.
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A fast-moving crisis unfolded in Russia over the weekend: A group of mercenary soldiers, known as the Wagner Group, marched toward Moscow, getting within 120 miles of Russia’s capital before abruptly turning back. Although the rebellion was short-lived, it raises serious questions about Vladimir Putin’s grip on Russia and his war effort in Ukraine.
Today, national security reporter Shane Harris explains why Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin led the revolt and what it could mean for Putin’s political future.
If you want to learn more about Yevgeniy Prigozhin and the Wagner Group, you can listen to our earlier episode explaining the rise of the shadowy Russian mercenary network.
On today’s episode of “Post Reports,” we talk about the benefit of hearing birdsongs for our well-being.
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Looking to improve your mental health? Pay attention to birds. Two studies published last year in Scientific Reports said that seeing or hearing birds could be good for our mental well-being.
Today on “Post Reports,” neuroscientist and Brain Matters columnist Richard Sima explains.
The Coast Guard said Thursday that the missing submersible suffered a catastrophic loss of pressure that killed all five people onboard. Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about the unregulated industry of deep-sea tourism.
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The Coast Guard said Thursday that debris was found near the search area for Titan, OceanGate Expeditions’s lost Titanic submersible. All crew members have died.
Post reporter Ben Brasch says that many on shore are wondering whether stricter regulations could have prevented the disaster.
Maritime safety regulation experts and experienced mariners say OceanGate Expeditions, the company that operates the vessel, was working in a regulatory gray area when it launched its crewed submersible.
Today on the show, we explore why there’s no defined agency that regulates expeditions like these.
Lexie Rizzo took on Starbucks. Now she’s out of a job. Today, a look at the U.S. labor laws that are supposed to protect workers who are organizing unions.
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People describe Lexi Rizzo as a “coffee person.” She loves drinking coffee, talking about coffee. And she loved her job at Starbucks. She worked there for nearly eight years, until she got fired in March.
Rizzo believes she was fired for being a union organizer. Rizzo joined the unionization efforts in 2021, when her Starbucks became one of the first three stores in the country to successfully unionize.
In the past year, judges have ruled that Starbucks violated U.S. labor laws more than 130 times across six states, among the most of any private employer nationwide. The rulings found that Starbucks retaliated against union supporters by surveilling them at work, firing them and promising them improved pay and benefits if they rejected the organizing campaign. Starbucks founder and ex-CEO Howard Schulz has denied any wrongdoing – and remains confident that his company does not need a union for his employees to be happy.
Greg Jaffe reports on Rizzo’s case and examines the U.S. labor laws that are supposed to protect workers who are organizing unions.
This week, President Biden will honor Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a state dinner. Today on “Post Reports,” New Delhi bureau chief Gerry Shih explains why Biden is rolling out the red carpet for the controversial world leader.
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President Biden will welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House this week with a lavish state dinner, a reception that is rarely offered to world leaders. And especially not to leaders like Modi, who was once denied a visa to the United States because of his human rights record.
Today, India is seen as a key global partner for the United States, especially as a counterweight against China. But as Gerry Shih explains, Modi’s visit also comes at a time when India, under Modi’s leadership, is sliding into authoritarianism.
Journey through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s national parks. The Washington Post’s Lillian Cunningham ventures off the marked trail to better understand the most urgent stories playing out in five iconic landscapes today.
“Field Trip” is a new podcast series that will transport you to five national parks: Yosemite, Everglades, Glacier, White Sands and Gates of the Arctic. Coming on June 28th.
Follow the show wherever you listen.
Come for the leather kink, stay for the lifesaving health care outreach. Today on “Post Reports,” health reporter Fenit Nirappil embeds on the front lines of preventing the next mpox outbreak at International Mr. Leather in Chicago.
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How do you fight a potential outbreak after the health emergency has ended?
Chicago has been witnessing early signs of a new mpox outbreak, formerly known as monkeypox. The lesser-known virus emerged last summer, on the heels of the coronavirus pandemic. Panic swept across the U.S. and elsewhere, as leaders declared a global health emergency and scrambled to get out a limited supply of vaccines. Then mpox cases dropped, and the world moved on.
Fast-forward to this spring: Several dozen new cases in Chicago might not seem like much, but public health leaders worry this could be the start of a much larger surge if mpox finds an opportunity to take hold, especially amid big summer gatherings. Nationwide, just a third of those deemed most at risk are fully vaccinated.
That brings us to International Mr. Leather. It’s a convention that celebrates leather kink. Last year, it was at the center of the mpox outbreak in the U.S. Washington Post health reporter Fenit Nirappil traveled to the convention in Chicago this month to find out: Can public health awareness break through the stigma and virus fatigue? Could this community be at the forefront of stopping a wider mpox outbreak in its tracks?
While people have been watching former president Donald Trump’s second indictment, others in the nation are watching everyday bail hearings. They’re a volunteer army of court watchers, and even Grammy-winning artist Fiona Apple says she is one.
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There have been many eyes on the justice system whenever people are arrested or first come in contact with police. But who looks out for people once they enter the justice system? Cue court watchers. They’re a national set of volunteers who watch and take notes of bail proceedings that occur in front of a judge. Later, they debrief about what they saw. Sometimes, what’s observed has led to direct action for the incarcerated.
Justice reporter Katie Mettler has been following one court-watch network in Maryland’s Prince George’s County for a while. She shares why Grammy-winning artist Fiona Apple joined the network, how the practice has made an impact, and why the future of court-watching access hangs in limbo.
Plus, journey with Lillian Cunningham through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s most awe-inspiring places: the national parks. The “Field Trip” podcast drops June 28.
Today on “Post Reports,” we catch up on the cast of characters in the Trump documents case: from his aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta to special counsel Jack Smith to the Trump-appointed judge, Aileen Cannon.
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Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges that he broke the law dozens of times by keeping and hiding top-secret documents in his Florida home — the first hearing in a historic court case that could alter the country’s political and legal landscape.
Today we have a who’s who of the case — from Trump’s valet and co-defendant Walt Nauta to the Trump-appointed judge, Aileen Cannon, who will play a pivotal role in the trial.
In the midst of other big news last week, you may have missed the surprising Supreme Court decision in support of voting rights in Alabama. Today, we break down the case that redraws Alabama’s congressional map.
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It seemed almost predictable that the three liberal justices on the Supreme Court would side with civil rights groups in the latest case on voting rights in Alabama. But when Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Brett Kavanaugh, two conservatives, sided with the liberal justices, it shocked people who watch the court.
The case centered on redrawing congressional districts in Alabama. The state wanted to draw the map with just one district favoring Black Democrats. But the Supreme Court decided that two districts favoring Black voters should exist in Alabama.
Post reporter Robert Barnes joins guest host Rhonda Colvin with all the details of why this decision is groundbreaking — and what it means for Black voters across the country.
A much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia is underway. But as Samantha Schmidt reports from the beleaguered city of Kherson, a push for liberation from Russian occupation is just the beginning.
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A much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia is underway. There are signs of small gains for Ukrainian troops, but wins will be difficult as a long battle appears ahead.
Today on “Post Reports,” foreign correspondent Samantha Schmidt explains what is at stake in this critical moment for the war and what she is seeing on the ground in the heavily contested southern region of Kherson.
Former president Donald Trump has been indicted for a second time. Now, he’s being charged with obstruction and conspiracy in connection with classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate, which could mean years in prison if he’s found guilty.
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For the second time in two months, former president Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican frontrunner, has been indicted. As the first former president to face federal criminal charges, Trump has been charged with 37 counts, including illegal retention of government secrets, obstruction of justice and conspiracy. Trump must appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday.
Today on “Post Reports,” national security reporter Devlin Barrett breaks down the charges and what Trump’s legal troubles could mean for 2024.
Today, we break down what’s happening with the Canadian wildfires, the smoke enveloping parts of the United States, and what you can do to protect yourself.
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While the United States has grown accustomed to increasingly devastating wildfires ravaging the West Coast, the country is facing a new challenge: intense wildfire smoke hitting the East Coast from fires burning through Canadian forests. This week, the smoke has blanketed the East Coast corridor and is spreading to the Midwest. With the air quality at hazardous levels, we talk to Amudalat Ajasa, a weather and climate reporter for The Washington Post, about how people can protect themselves from breathing wildfire smoke, and whether the changing geography of wildfires could impact clean air initiatives.
How a reclusive heiress’s past in suburban D.C. sparked a true-crime sensation in Brazil — and a national reckoning over modern-day slavery and the status of household servants.
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Margarida Bonetti was a mysterious figure in São Paulo, Brazil, for more than two decades. She was often seen walking her dogs (Ebony and Ivory) through the streets of the Higienópolis neighborhood or peeking through the stained-glass windows of her crumbling mansion — her face covered in a layer of white cream.
Journalist Chico Felitti couldn’t stop thinking of the woman rattling around her abandoned house, and wanted to know her life’s story. A story that has now become an obsession in Brazil.
In the Portuguese-language podcast “A Mulher da Casa Abandonada,” or “The Woman in the Abandoned House,” Chico Felitti tells Margarida Bonetti’s story — from privileged daughter, to expat, to accused criminal and international fugitive.
The Post’s Manuel Roig-Franzia dug deeper into Margarida’s past, and in hundreds of pages of court documents discovered some surprising names, such as now-Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.
Manuel Roig-Franzia walks us through what he learned from Chico Felitti’s podcast and his own investigation into the life of Margarida Bonetti.
We’re more than a year away from the 2024 presidential election and there are already 12 republican candidates. The question, as it’s been since 2016: Can anyone beat Trump?
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Michael Scherer is a national political reporter for The Post. He says even though 2024 is a ways away, this is still a pivotal time. Large donors are figuring out who to back and candidates are trying to make themselves stand out in a crowded field.
Scherer will tell you all you need to know at this point in the GOP race. Who are the candidates? What are they promising? And is any of it enough to unseat the front-running Trump?
What happens when the “sideshow characters” of national politics are suddenly thrust onto the main stage? And in a post-Donald Trump Washington, where are they now?
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Ben Terris has spent years covering politics via the people on the fringe: operatives who aren’t well known but are key to understanding how Washington works.
When a former reality TV show host became president, suddenly some of those political oddballs were running things. Terris’s book, “The Big Break: The Gamblers, Party Animals, and True Believers Trying to Win in Washington While America Loses Its Mind,” details the stories of people such as Sean McElwee, the pollster-turned-political-gambler who fell out of favor in Democratic circles, and Ian Walters, a longtime conservative communications director who broke with his closest friends after they staunchly backed Trump.
In today’s episode, Terris recounts the characters he met covering the Trump administration and how they’ve changed the face of power in Washington.
Today, a conversation with Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on how loneliness is posing a profound public health threat in the United States.
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Vivek Murthy, surgeon general of the United States, says loneliness is a serious threat to the mental and physical health of the nation. Studies show half of U.S. adults experience loneliness, and the consequences can be devastating; from a greater risk of depression and anxiety, to heart disease, stroke and dementia.
In an advisory issued in May, Murthy called for Americans to spend more time with each other, especially in an increasingly divided and digital society. Today, we talk to Murthy about what loneliness looks like in America, how technology is a double-edged sword, and how we can strengthen our social connections with each other.
The United States won’t default on its debt payments, that’s the good news. The bad news? A lot of Democrats and Republicans are unhappy with the agreement that President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy crafted.
Yet, both men say the deal represents a win for their respective parties. So, who actually got what they wanted out of this deal? Rachel Siegel joins us to explain.
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Here’s what’s in the debt ceiling bill
The new SNAP work requirements in the debt bill, explained
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won reelection, beating a challenge from a united opposition movement and cementing his tenure at the country’s helm into a third decade.
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Erdogan’s victory affirmed his political survival and his support among loyal supporters, many of them conservative Muslims. Turkey’s overseas allies, including the United States, must now navigate their relationship with Erdogan and his relations with international actors, including Russia.
Istanbul bureau chief Kareem Fahim explains what Erdogan’s win means for people in Turkey and globally.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis created an election police unit to crack down on voter fraud. But actual convictions by this unit are rare — and the toll on Florida’s voters is climbing higher.
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In its first nine months, the Office of Election Crimes and Security referred hundreds of alleged illegal voting cases to local law enforcement for possible charges — but few resulted in any arrests.
Lori Rozsa covers Florida for The Washington Post. She explains why DeSantis wants more money for a department that isn’t bringing in convictions.
“The Little Mermaid” has debuted with Halle Bailey playing the titular character, Ariel. Culture reporter Helena Andrews-Dyer shares why this movie matters to Black girls, especially, and what Disney is doing with its successful intellectual property.
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The Washington Post’s culture reporter Helena Andrews-Dyer happens to be a mom of two Black children. That’s part of the reason she was so excited to see “The Little Mermaid,” which debuted recently.
But in today’s episode of “Post Reports,” there’s more to unpack about the live-action remake than just how it’s creating a moment for Black representation. Andrews-Dyer and host Elahe Izadi discuss why Disney is, once again, reusing a successful intellectual property.
The duo also comes to terms with some of the less-than-progressive statements that the animated version of “The Little Mermaid” has made in the past, and how Disney is trying to right its wrongs.
You can also read Post film critic Ann Hornaday’s three-star review of the movie here.
The author of a new biography about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. unravels the story of how one fabricated quote perpetuated a story that King and fellow civil rights leader Malcolm X were antagonists.
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When author Jonathan Eig was doing research for his new biography about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., he was digging through archives and libraries, trying to find information about the historic civil rights leader. One day, he was reading the full, unedited transcript of an interview between journalist Alex Haley and King. Eig was familiar with the published version of that interview, which appeared in a 1965 issue of Playboy. But as Eig read the unedited transcript, he was shocked. Haley had taken King’s words out of context and completely fabricated a quote that criticized fellow civil rights leader Malcolm X.
Today, Eig breaks down how this quote fueled the public perception that the two leaders were adversaries and explains the truth behind King and Malcolm X’s relationship.
As the 2024 campaign season approaches, an early favorite to clinch the Republican nomination for president, Ron DeSantis, is starting to lose his shine, just as he is about to officially enter the race.
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The 44-year-old governor of Florida became a national name by defending former president Donald Trump. But now they are in a power struggle.
DeSantis plans to announce that he is running for president during a Twitter Spaces discussion with Elon Musk Wednesday evening. But the past few months have been challenging for the soon-to-be candidate. Trump has gone on the offensive, attacking DeSantis’s record, and donors are getting nervous. His support of a six-week abortion ban and a feud with Disney are also raising questions about his electability.
Reporter Hannah Knowles discusses what we know about Gov. Ron DeSantis, his policies and his political strategy as he enters the race to become president.
Across the life span, the risk of death is higher for men and boys than women and girls. The longevity gap is the greatest it’s been in years. It’s a health crisis that’s largely silent because men are largely silent about their health.
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The crisis in men’s health goes beyond men not going to the doctor enough. Men are dying, on average, nearly six years sooner than women — and the numbers for men of color are even worse.
Tara Parker-Pope is the editor of The Post’s “Well+Being” section. She joins guest host Chris Velazco to talk about why men are dying sooner than women, and what we can do about it.
Ever since the 2020 election, Arizona election official Bill Gates has struggled with PTSD. He’s one of many election workers who are still coping with the barrage of death threats and harassment they endured in the wake of former president Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.
As the country braces for another presidential election cycle, in which Trump is the Republican front-runner, Gates is coming forward with his story about the psychological toll disinformation about the last election has taken on him and other elections officials.
Reporter Yvonne Wingett-Sanchez joins us to explain.
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Today, a story about the uncharted legal territory of a new abortion law, and the consequences for families and doctors who end up in the middle.
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Nobody expected Baby Milo to live a long time. The unusual complications in his mother’s pregnancy tested the interpretation of Florida’s new abortion law.
Earlier this year, Washington Post reporter Frances Stead Sellers shared the story of Deborah Dorbert, a woman who was carrying a pregnancy to term after being denied an abortion, despite the fetus having a rare fatal condition. Florida’s abortion ban includes an exception for fatal fetal abnormalities, but her doctors told her they could not act as long as the baby’s heart was beating.
While that story went viral around the world, Debbie continued to do the best she could to prepare for delivering a child that wouldn’t survive even a few hours.
Debbie and her husband Lee named their baby Milo. He lived for 99 minutes.
A Title 42 border policy has expired. The public health measure allowed the U.S. to turn away many migrants and asylum seekers at the border because of the pandemic. But what does the end of the policy mean for migrants now?
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For many migrants hoping to enter the United States, a Title 42 border policy was a big boundary. It was a Donald Trump-era pandemic policy that made it easier for the administration to turn away migrants at the border. The policy expired May 11.
On today’s “Post Reports,” immigration reporters Arelis Hernández and Nick Miroff talk about people at the border waiting to cross and the promises President Biden made that have soured.
Today on “Post Reports,” what could happen if the United States government fails to raise the debt limit by the deadline.
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Yesterday, President Biden met with congressional leadership to talk about the “X date”; that’s the date after which the Treasury projects the U.S. government would no longer be able to pay its bills. The “X date” is June 1, and if a deal isn’t struck by then, the United States would default on its debt.
If the United States were to default, that could mean a variety of catastrophic economic consequences: millions of federal workers furloughed; Social Security and Medicare payments suspended; a stock market collapse; an economic recession.
White House economics reporter Jeff Stein explains these “doomsday” scenarios and breaks down what could happen to the U.S. economy, and even the global economy, if a deal isn’t reached.
The Discord leaks keep sending shockwaves globally. This week, the slow drip of intelligence has the world’s attention on Ukraine and the Wagner Group. Also, we’ll learn more about Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old allegedly behind the leaks.
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While fighting for Russia in occupied Ukraine, the Wagner Group has taken heavy losses in the devastated city of Bakhmut. According to U.S. intelligence leaked on Discord, the mercenary army’s head, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, appeared to offer Ukrainian intelligence a deal: Withdraw from Bakhmut and we’ll tell you the position of Russian forces.
National security reporter Shane Harris explains how the leaks have affected the Ukraine war, and he brings us his latest reporting on Jack Teixeira, the accused leaker, and his disturbing behavior, both on and offline.
A little more than a year ago, Elon Musk made a hostile takeover bid to buy Twitter. Today on “Post Reports,” we look back at a chaotic year for the platform and ask what we can learn from Musk’s handling of the company as he appoints a new CEO.
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Twitter has been dramatically transformed under Musk, and few — even among some in the billionaire’s corner — say the changes have been for the better. In recent weeks, government agencies, news organizations and powerful social media influencers have questioned the usefulness of the platform, with some major players publicly abandoning their accounts or telling users that they can’t rely on it for urgent information.
Advertisers have fled in droves over Musk’s policy changes and erratic behavior on the site, causing advertising revenue to recently drop by as much as 75 percent, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive internal information. Rounds of layoffs have left Twitter operating with a skeleton staff of 1,500 — an 80 percent reduction — and the platform is so riddled with bugs and glitches that the site goes down for hours at a time. Meanwhile, the company’s valuation has cratered, Musk has said, to less than half the $44 billion he paid when he bought the company roughly six months ago.
Along with culture changes, Musk has reinvented the platform in ways that have confused users, who once knew Twitter as a widely admired news aggregator.
As Musk appoints a new CEO and steps down, we look back at how he’s managed the company, the changes he’s made to the platform and how his reputation has shifted because of all this.
Family bloggers share their lives, and their kids’ lives, online. But what happens when those kids grow up? New legislation is aiming to make sure children are protected and compensated if their parents make money off sharing their childhoods.
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Mommy bloggers have been around for more than two decades.. They share everything online, from struggles with postpartum depression to the highs and lows of having toddlers. These blogs have been helpful for parents, but when content is focused on their kids, it can feel like a violation for them.
Now, there’s legislation being put forth that might make it possible for children of family vloggers to get paid for their labor. Online culture columnist Taylor Lorenz talks with producer Jordan-Marie Smith about exactly how this might happen, and what to know about sharing any image of a kid on social media.
The potential conflicts of interest keep stacking up for the Supreme Court. Today we break down the recent reports about issues such as luxury vacations gifted to Clarence Thomas and the occupation of John Roberts’s wife.
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First, it was revealed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been accepting luxury gifts from a Republican mega-donor. Then, Justice Neal Gorsuch sold his home to a lawyer whose cases appear in front of the Supreme Court. And now, Justice John Roberts is under scrutiny because his wife makes money as a legal recruiter, pairing lawyers up with law firms. In each of these cases, critics say the justices failed to appropriately disclose these financial gains.
Journalist Robert Barnes walks us through the details of these conflict-of-interest cases, what the current disclosure requirements entail, and the options legal experts have posed for how to make a more ethical Supreme Court.
A civil jury in New York has found that former president Donald Trump sexually assaulted and defamed the writer E. Jean Carroll. Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about the evidence, the possible political consequences and why this trial happened.
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Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before siding with Carroll, awarding her a combined $5 million in damages. She testified during the trial that Trump violently assaulted her in the mid-1990s and inflicted further trauma by ridiculing her when she spoke out, calling her a liar and saying that she wasn’t “his type.”
That claim became central in the trial because Trump mistook an old photo of Carroll for a photo of his ex-wife in his deposition. Combined with the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape of Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women, his deposition became key evidence for Carroll’s legal team.
At least 17 women have accused Trump of varying degrees of sexual misconduct. Trump has denied every sexual harassment claim against him, but many of his accusers saw themselves in Carroll.
Since the verdict, concerns about Trump’s electability have resurfaced within the Republican Party.
The covid public health emergency is ending this week after more than three years. Today on “Post Reports,” health reporter Dan Diamond breaks down what this means for our day-to-day lives and our future pandemic preparedness.
Federal vaccine mandates and travel requirements will soon be gone as what’s left of the nation’s pandemic emergency response ends this month. The White House’s covid response team is disbanding, too – all with little to no fanfare.
“It feels like slouching across the finish line of a race,” health reporter Dan Diamond tells “Post Reports.”
“The overall tenor here is not ‘mission accomplished.’ President Biden's not standing on an aircraft carrier with a banner behind him.”
All in all, it’s a confusing moment of hopes and concerns. For millions of people, this period also marks an end to Medicaid coverage they depended on during the pandemic. Covid isn’t the threat it once was back in 2020 – confirmed deaths and cases have dropped in recent months. But the virus also doesn’t appear to be going away, and some disease experts are warning of the possibility of future waves of omicron-like illnesses.
“Covid is something I still think about every day,” Diamond says. “But it doesn't govern my life the way that it did earlier in the pandemic.”
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As pandemic experts leave the White House, some worry: what’s next?
What the end of the covid public health emergency means for you
Why are we forgetting the pandemic already?
WHO declares covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency
Covid is still a leading cause of death as the virus recedes
While the coronavirus emergency declaration officially ends this week, neuroscientist-turned-science-journalist Richard Sima has been pondering this question: Why are so many of us starting to forget much of the pandemic?
The coronavirus pandemic is a historic event that has impacted everyone across the world. And yet, “given the quirks of human memory,” many of us may not remember much about this time, Sima tells “Post Reports.”
Today, we dig into the science of why many of our brains may be losing our pandemic memories, and how we can still honor and learn from our experiences.
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Science of forgetting: Why we’re already losing our pandemic memories
What the end of the covid public health emergency means for you.
Is King Charles III a billionaire? Officially, it’s unknown how rich the king is, but what is known is that in addition to receiving a stipend from United Kingdom taxpayers, Charles has created a lucrative business empire.
As the country prepares to celebrate the king’s coronation on Saturday, which is expected to cost the U.K. government tens of millions of dollars, some British residents have expressed dissatisfaction with the royal family’s wealth and questioned whether the monarchy should remain in 2023.
London correspondent Karla Adam joins us today to explain.
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Television and movie writers kicked off a strike this week after negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and Hollywood producers went sideways. Today we dig into why writers such as Josh Gondelman are hitting the picket lines.
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Late-night shows are on hiatus. Movie scripts might not have anyone to write them. And it’s all because at least 11,000 Writers Guild of America union members started striking this week. Writers are fighting for better pay in the streaming age and protections from the use of artificial intelligence.
Reporter Anne Branigin explains the stakes of this massive strike, the first in 15 years. The last time it happened in 2007, Hollywood felt the impact for months, with an estimated $2 billion in losses for the industry. In 2023, the technology might be different, but the demand is similar: financial stability.
A lot of us question how much we can minimize our carbon footprint in our day-to-day lives. Should we go vegan? Recycle more? Or just never fly again?
That’s where The Post’s climate coach, Michael Coren, comes to the rescue.
In today’s episode, he answers your questions about how to make smart decisions every day that will help the planet.
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Why free street parking could be costing you hundreds more in rent.
These 4 free apps can help you identify every flower, plant and tree around you.
How an engagement bike changed one couple’s life.
You’re probably recycling wrong. This quiz will help you sort it out.
See how a quick-fix climate solution could also trigger war.
Congress and President Biden have five weeks to strike a deal on raising the debt ceiling, according to a new projection from the Treasury Department. Otherwise, the country will need to brace for an economic catastrophe. The problem? Neither side is willing to compromise.
President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have agreed to meet next week, but both have also insisted they are unwilling to negotiate, stoking fears that the government may miss this critical deadline.
Tony Romm joins “Post Reports” to explain.
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Join “Post Reports” on a journey through the Kutupalong mega camp in Bangladesh. It’s home to about a million Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar only to face growing militant threats from within the camp.
The Kutupalong encampment has become increasingly difficult for visitors to access. Armed guards man the entrance. Documentation to enter is hard to come by. But earlier this year, Rebecca Tan, The Post’s Southeast Asia bureau chief, spent two weeks inside. She discovered deteriorating conditions, frightened refugees with nowhere else to go and a desperation fueling the growth of violent Rohingya groups inside the camps.
In today’s episode, Rebecca takes us into the lives of a Rohingya community that much of the world keeps forgetting. And she uncovers the story of one man, Mohammad Ismail, who, despite the dangers of coming forward, has been fighting for his family and for his people’s survival.
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The Rohingya fled genocide. Now, violence stalks them as refugees.
Aid dwindles for Rohingya refugees as money goes to Ukraine and other crises.
Rohingya refugees are braving perilous seas to escape camp desperation.
Fire rips through Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, displacing 12,000.
On today’s bonus episode of “Post Reports,” a conversation between our senior host Martine Powers and the author Curtis Sittenfeld about her new book, “Romantic Comedy.”
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This month, Martine spoke with Curtis Sittenfeld in front of a live audience at D.C.’s Sixth & I synagogue, in partnership with Politics & Prose.
Learn more about “Romantic Comedy” here.
“Who Is Hillary Without Bill?” In her previous book, novelist Curtis Sittenfeld imagines another life for Hillary Rodham.
Today on “Post Reports,” how artificial intelligence can re-create voices that may have otherwise been lost to disease.
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When Mark Dyer was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) last year, he started on a difficult checklist. He got his will in order; he got set up to receive Social Security and disability benefits. But of all the things Mark had to do to get ready for life with ALS, there was one thing he found himself putting off: voice- and phrase-banking.
These technologies allow people with ALS, who may eventually lose the ability to speak, to communicate using a recorded, synthetic version of their own voice. And artificial intelligence is allowing ALS patients to sound more like themselves.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to reporter Amanda Morris about the technology that preserves voices that would otherwise be lost to disease. We explore what improvements to this technology mean for the mental health of the patients using synthetic voices.
“We often talk about artificial intelligence in a negative way,” Morris says. “But what I thought was interesting about this story is that we look at some of the positive impacts that artificial intelligence is having on people who have different conditions and disabilities. And, sometimes I think it’s nice to tell a good story.”
After an ongoing medical absence, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is being called on by her colleagues to resign. Today, why Feinstein is in the hot seat and what this moment could mean for the trailblazer’s legacy.
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In early March, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) was hospitalized with a case of the shingles. Since then, she’s been absent from her job, and her Democratic colleagues have been calling on her to resign. As the tie-breaking vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Feinstein’s absence has stalled President Biden’s judicial nominations from moving forward.
Cue the outrage.
In a tweet last week, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) publicly called out Feinstein’s refusal to resign as irresponsible at a time when Republican-appointed judges are calling the shots on significant legislation across the country.
Congress reporter Liz Goodwin walks us through the Democratic infighting over Feinstein’s absence. We trace the discontent with Feinstein to its partisan origins, discuss wider concerns about her age and mental acuity, and grapple with what this moment could mean for Feinstein’s legacy as a trailblazing female lawmaker.
The Wagner Group is a name that seems to be coming up a lot lately, whether it’s in connection with the war in Ukraine or the fighting in Sudan. Today on “Post Reports,” reporter Greg Miller unpacks the origins of this mercenary network and its growth fueling instability around the world.
The Wagner Group operated in the shadows for years, its network of mercenary forces aiding the Russian government in military operations in places such as Ukraine.
In the time since, the Wagner Group has expanded and morphed well-beyond Russia’s borders, fueling instability and helping autocrats maintain or challenge power through disinformation campaigns and building up their military.
But according to newly leaked U.S. intelligence documents, the Wagner Group is becoming even more “nefarious,” Greg Miller, an international investigative reporter, tells “Post Reports.”
“It's actually trying to destabilize parts of Africa so that then it can again back Russia’s preferred and favored candidates,” as it seeks to further gain wealth and resources of its own, Miller explains.
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Wagner Group surges in Africa as U.S. influence fades, leak reveals.
Russian mercenaries are closely linked with Sudan’s warring generals.
What is the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary outfit in Ukraine?
Here we go again: President Biden has just announced his 2024 reelection bid. But has his time in the White House actually convinced voters to give him another four years? Or are even his supporters turning “blah” for Biden?
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The video starts out dramatically. Images of the Capitol under attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Grainy footage of a protest on the grounds of the Supreme Court. A musical score to rival a Marvel superhero movie.
And then President Biden’s voice, announcing his 2024 campaign: “Freedom. Personal freedom is fundamental to us as Americans. That’s been the work of my first term. To fight for our democracy,” he says, music soaring under the voice-over of the launch video. “This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for reelection.”
But as the campaign tries to ratchet up excitement for the president’s reelection bid, the roadblocks to another four years are also mounting. Rising inflation. Stagnant legislative attempts. And, maybe most importantly, an enthusiasm gap from voters — even the people who supported Biden in 2020.
White House reporter Tyler Pager joins “Post Reports” to give a snapshot of the country — and a president — in the run-up to 2024.
The new live-action Barbie movie is highly anticipated … among adults. Today on “Post Reports,” we unpack the business decisions behind Mattel’s move.
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Can nostalgia make the Barbie movie a win for Mattel? A few weeks ago, Warner Bros. dropped a full-length trailer for the highly anticipated film from Greta Gerwig and her co-writer and partner Noah Baumbach.
Since the trailer dropped, it has gone viral – among young adults – making business reporter Rachel Lerman wonder why a toy-maker is making a movie for grown-ups.
Rachel talked to industry analysts and Barbie fans about Mattel’s strategy and what this movie can tell us about the cultural moment we’re in.
Missing people, buried car parts and human remains in Oklahoma: the silent but not so secret influence of white-supremacist prison gangs.
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Carol Knight thought she was going to build her dream home in Choctaw, Okla. But when she started renovations, she discovered all kinds of debris buried on her property. Everything from electronics to car parts and motorcycles.
Carol had heard rumors that the previous residents weren’t the most upstanding citizens, so she called her friend Jathan Hunt, a private investigator, to check out the area. His dogs found some bones, which they handed over to authorities. But Jathan continued to search for answers about what may have happened at Carol’s property.
While Jathan was busy working the case, local, state and federal authorities have been looking into a slew of missing person cases in the area. Which led them to a compound with potential ties to a white-supremacist prison gang, the Universal Aryan Brotherhood.
Post reporter Hannah Allam has been following the developments in Oklahoma and tells us what she’s learned about this secretive investigation.
Disney has planned out the next decade of Marvel and Star Wars films, but are audiences still willing to keep up with all its content, or is fatigue setting in?
When Disney bought Star Wars and Marvel for a total $8.05 billion, it made a big bet that audiences would consistently keep up with the interconnected storylines that span movies, television shows and video games.
But while the franchises remain relatively successful, there are signs that audiences are starting to feel fatigue. Marvel’s most recent film, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” was panned, Star Wars fans criticized the most recent trilogy of films, and Disney CEO Bob Iger recently said it may be time for the company to reconsider its investments in the two franchises.
David Betancourt, who reports on comic book culture for The Post, joins us to explain.
We’ve been nominated for four Webby Awards, including best hosts. If you like the show, please consider voting for us! You can learn more about the Webby Awards and vote for our show here.
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A violent showdown between Sudan’s two most powerful leaders has brought a new level of instability to the region. Today on “Post Reports,” a look at how the country went from hopes of democracy just a few years ago to being on the cusp of civil war.
The conflict between the country’s main military and paramilitary leaders – boiled over on Saturday, rocking the country’s capital and catching civilians, aid workers and international residents in the crossfire.
“The scale of the violence and how quickly it broke out caught people by surprise,” Katharine Houreld, The Post’s East Africa bureau chief, tells “Post Reports.” “And that’s meant millions of people have been trapped not just in the capital, but in cities all over Sudan.”
Sudan is the third-largest country in Africa, home to 46 million people. For decades, it has faced an uphill battle in its quest for peace and democracy.
In 2019, the country’s longtime ruler, Omar al-Bashir, was ousted. An interim joint civilian-military government was formed, with the aim of transitioning to a democracy over time. But in the fall of 2021, the country’s military chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, took over the government in another coup, in an uncomfortable alliance with the paramilitary head, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Now their infighting and escalating violence is raising worries that such volatility could spread throughout the horn of Africa.
“There's a lot at stake in this conflict,” Houreld says.
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Generals’ war chests have fueled fighting in Sudan.
Sudan’s neighbors fear spillover as death toll from clashes nears 200.
Civilian toll rises in Sudan as military, rivals fight for control.
Veterans of violence, Sudan’s weary doctors brave another crisis.
Today, we look at how vague language in antiabortion laws has disrupted the standard of care for a pregnancy complication called PPROM.
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Anya Cook wants a baby more than anything. She and her husband, Derick, live in Florida. They experienced a long line of miscarriages. Then last fall, they tried IVF, and they got further in their pregnancy than ever before. Cook found herself shopping for baby clothes and maternity swimsuits. But then her water broke at 16 weeks; this was the beginning of a harrowing medical experience for Cook.
Last week, Florida passed a bill that will enact a stricter abortion ban in the state; abortions are only legal through the first six weeks of a pregnancy. The law does have exceptions for fetal anomalies, rape, incest or if the life of the mother is in danger. But while these exceptions seem clear-cut, in reality, the way they are written into the law is vague. Reporter Caroline Kitchener tells us the story of Anya Cook, a woman whose complicated pregnancy got stuck in the gray area of Florida’s abortion ban.
When Ron DeSantis first ran for governor in Florida in 2018, a campaign ad boasted that he “dealt with terrorists in Guantánamo Bay.” Today on "Post Reports," our reporter digs in on everything we can learn about that time.
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Florida governor and potential 2024 candidate Ron DeSantis is in the news a lot. But little is known about his time serving as a Navy lawyer at Guantánamo Bay.
Today on “Post Reports,” political investigative reporter Michael Kranish tells us everything he could learn about a pivotal and violent year at the prison, and DeSantis’s role during it.
Ahead of opening arguments Monday, we unpack the Dominion defamation case against Fox News, and what the outcome could mean for the future of the media and democracy.
For the past week, the world has been transfixed by a massive leak of top-secret Pentagon documents. Today, we hear directly from one of the teenagers who was part of the Discord channel where it all started, and get inside the head of the alleged leaker.
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On Thursday, a young member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard was arrested by the FBI in the investigation into leaks of hundreds of pages of classified military documents to a Discord group of friends and acquaintances.
Today on “Post Reports,” we hear from one of the teenagers who was part of that online group and get insight into why someone with a security clearance and a position in the U.S. military might leak these documents.
As national security and intelligence reporter Shane Harris explained, usually when people leak information it’s because they want to expose wrongdoing by the government, or they think a crime is being committed. But his source said the alleged leaker is not a whistleblower.
“I've never encountered an instance when someone was releasing classified information because he wanted to impress a bunch of teenagers,” Harris said.
The photos of top-secret Pentagon documents first started appearing online on Discord, a chat platform popular with gamers. But where did they come from? And just how many military secrets do they contain?
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Last week, reports surfaced that a trove of classified documents was leaked on a number of social media platforms. The documents cover worldwide intelligence briefings, assessments of Ukraine’s defense capabilities, and the highly classified methods the United States uses to collect information.
But were these documents real? U.S. officials who spoke to The Washington Post said that some of the materials did not appear forged. Still, some documents appeared to be manipulated, including data from the Ukraine war that suggested Russian casualties were not as high as reported.
Today on the show, national security reporter Alex Horton walks through the origin of the leaked documents, how the Justice Department is investigating these revelations, and what consequences these could have for the war in Ukraine, and the rest of the world.
Late Friday, two conflicting rulings threw a key abortion medication’s FDA approval into question. Today on Post Reports, we break down the legal confusion and talk about what could happen next.
At the center of this unprecedented legal clash is mifepristone, a drug that is part of a two-step abortion pill regimen used by millions of people. A federal judge in Texas blocked the FDA’s longtime approval of the drug. Less than an hour later, another federal judge, in Washington state, ordered that the drug remain available in a swath of states.
The dueling cases are creating confusion and questions about the future of medication abortion in America.
Today on “Post Reports,” legal affairs reporter Ann Marimow walks through the cases and what they mean.
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A Texas abortion pill ruling threatens the FDA.
Can I still get a medication abortion?
In a divided nation, dueling decisions on an abortion pill.
Don’t miss a chance to experience “Post Reports” live! “Post Reports” senior host Martine Powers will be in conversation with author Curtis Sittenfeld at Sixth & I in Washington at 7 p.m. on April 13. Get tickets here.
An especially risky kind of virus hunting aims to identify new viruses in animals that have yet to jump to humans. Imagine trips to distant caves and wrangling bats to pull blood and DNA samples. The hope is to use that knowledge to be a step ahead and develop therapeutics and surveillance that could help prevent a future outbreak or, worse yet, a deadly pandemic from erupting.
But a year-long Post investigation by David Willman and Joby Warrick has found that such research may be putting the world at greater risk for the very thing it’s trying to contain, as a result of potential leaks and accidents in the wild and in the labs. The Post discovered that the world lacks oversight for such high-risk research, yet a main driver of its expansion in recent
years has been the United States. Experts within the administration have been raising red flags.
The covid-19 pandemic, Willman and Warrick continue, is forcing difficult and uncomfortable conversations around doing such research and how to responsibly prepare for and prevent the next big pathogen threat to humans.
“There are thoughtful, well-informed scientific experts who are saying, ‘look, it’s time for a reckoning. We have observable lessons from the pandemic. We need to apply those,’” Willman tells Post Reports.
Read more:
How controls on ‘gain of function’ experiments with supercharged pathogens have been undercut despite concerns about lab leaks.
NIH biosecurity advisers urge tighter oversight of pathogen research
Lab-leak fears are putting virologists under scrutiny
What we know about the origin of covid-19 and what remains a mystery.
Don’t miss a chance to experience Post Reports live! Post Reports senior host Martine Powers will be in conversation with author Curtis Sittenfeld at Sixth & I in Washington, D.C., at 7 p.m. on April 13. Get tickets here.
What is it like to leave a country in crisis - only to return years later to a devastated homeland? Today, a Post photojournalist journeys back to Iraq after 24 years.
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Salwan Georges, a photojournalist at The Post, left Iraq more than two decades ago. Georges and his family spent five years in Syria as refugees, eventually settling in Detroit, Mich.
As The Post prepared to cover the 20th anniversary of the Iraq war, Georges traveled back to his homeland for the first time since leaving. Through his camera lens, he rediscovered the Baghdad he left behind, and the sites of familial joy and tragedy that had long been left to imagination. Today on the show, Georges talks about his homecoming and what it meant to return to Iraq as a photojournalist. You can view Georges’s photo essay, “The Iraq I Never Knew,” here.
The Post Reports team has two pieces of exciting news to share. First, we’ve been nominated for four Webby Awards, including best hosts. If you like the show, please consider voting for us! You can learn more about the Webby Awards and vote for our show here.
Second, don’t miss a chance to experience Post Reports live. Post Reports senior host Martine Powers will be in conversation with author Curtis Sittenfeld at Sixth & I in Washington, D.C., at 7 p.m. on April 13th. Get tickets here.
Many American cities are being gentrified — and getting Whiter. Today on “Post Reports,” we go to Denver to see how the city has changed and what longtime residents are doing about it.
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As the United States is getting more diverse, the opposite has been happening in American cities over the past decade. In some cities, local governments have invested more money in public infrastructure such as parks and transportation to attract residents as developers have built new upscale apartment buildings. Based on an analysis of census data by The Post, Marissa Lang and her colleagues took a closer look at four U.S. cities to understand the different ways that gentrification is changing life for residents.
One of these cities was Denver, where Marissa spent time with politicians and residents who are fighting to prevent displacement and heard about what it’s been like to see their city change rapidly in shape and demographics.
Don’t miss a chance to experience “Post Reports” live! “Post Reports” senior host Martine Powers will be in conversation with author Curtis Sittenfeld at Sixth & I in D.C. at 7 p.m. on April 13. Get tickets here.
Finland just joined NATO. Sweden is waiting in the wings. Will this beefed-up security alliance — a direct result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — be enough to keep President Vladimir Putin at bay?
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On Monday, Finland officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) making it the 31st member of the alliance. Finland, which historically stayed neutral throughout the Cold War, felt inspired to join after witnessing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and they’re not the only country that has asked to join. Sweden has also requested to join NATO, but their application has faced resistance from Turkey.
Today on Post Reports, Brussels bureau chief Emily Rauhala explains the significance of Finland’s ascent into NATO, and what that could mean for European security and the relationship between Western countries and Russia at a critical moment in the war in Ukraine.
Plus, check out Post Reports in person: best-selling author Curtis Sittenfeld is in conversation with host Martine Powers in Washington, D.C. Join the discussion live at Sixth & I or take advantage of the virtual live stream.
Former president Donald Trump was arraigned Tuesday for hush money payments made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels. Here’s what that means politically for the GOP and Trump.
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Former president Donald Trump is still campaigning and collecting contributions even though he surrendered to authorities today in New York.
Post reporter Michael Scherer examines what the indictment might mean for the Republican Party. He also explains how Trump is capitalizing on the media attention of this unprecedented moment.
Former Fugees rapper Pras is on trial for conspiracy, money laundering and acting as a foreign agent. The case, involving celebrities and political figures, is a small part of a bigger scandal: the $4.5 billion theft from the Malaysian government.
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Leonardo DiCaprio. Steve Bannon. Kim Kardashian. All of these people are somehow connected to a trial stemming from one of the biggest financial scams in history: the $4.5 billion theft from the 1MDB Malaysian government fund. Prakazrel “Pras” Michél, a Grammy-winning rapper formerly of the Fugees, is on trial for conspiracy, money laundering and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. Michél has pleaded not guilty.
Federal prosecutors allege Michél received money from Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, who has been charged with numerous federal crimes related to pilfering the development fund and himself is a fugitive from justice. Michél’s trial will focus on two alleged schemes: whether the former rapper funneled money from Low to the Obama campaign using straw donors, and whether he helped Low in a plot to influence the Trump White House in deporting a Chinese dissident, Guo Wengui.
Many people connected to this scandal have already pleaded guilty. Michél, who faces many years in prison, will be on trial for weeks. His lawyers have said the former rapper was an amateur diplomat and political novice unfamiliar with campaign donation rules who was only trying to help his country by brokering a deal involving Guo’s extradition.
“At its core, what this case is about and what all the offshoot cases are about, is the Justice Department trying to hold people accountable for what they describe as this massive theft from the Malaysian people,” says criminal justice editor Matt Zapotosky, who has followed this case for years.
Plus, check out Post Reports in person: best-selling author Curtis Sittenfeld is in conversation with host Martine Powers in Washington, D.C. Join the discussion live at Sixth & I or take advantage of the virtual live stream.
Former president Donald Trump has been indicted. Today, how the case could test the limits of our political and legal systems.
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A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict former president Donald Trump, making him the first person in U.S. history to serve as commander in chief and then be charged with a crime, and setting the stage for a 2024 presidential contest unlike any other.
The indictment was sealed, which means the specific charge or charges are not publicly known. But the grand jury had been hearing evidence about money paid to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Washington Post reporter Devlin Barrett says charging a former president with a crime will be the ultimate test of our legal and political systems. Today on the show, Barrett walks us through what we know about the indictment, and what could happen next as this landmark legal battle begins.
As loneliness rates spike, more people are getting romantically and emotionally attached to artificial intelligence bots. Today, we report on what it’s like to fall in love with software (and what happens when it breaks your heart).
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T.J. Arriaga lost so many family members around the time when he downloaded Replika. The artificial intelligence company allows people to customize AI bots that they can chat with. In Arriaga’s case, he fell in love with his chat bot Phaedra. The 40-year-old musician is not alone. Innovations reporter Pranshu Verma talked with several people among the thousands who say they’ve developed emotional or romantic relationships with one of Replika’s AI bots, including engaging in erotic role play.
But, when the company updated its software to be more “sanitized,” users who were attached to their AI bots experienced heartbreak, among other conundrums.
On today’s Post Reports, why more and more people are falling in love with AI products. And, the ethics behind these relationships.
“America’s Pastime” is struggling to keep Americans interested. Today ahead of Opening Day, we talk about Major League Baseball’s introduction of a pitch clock to try to speed things up and appeal to younger audiences.
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This season, baseball is trying something new to speed up the game: a pitch clock. The goal is to make baseball more exciting by requiring pitchers and batters to move more quickly (but will it actually bring in new fans?).
Reporter Chelsea Janes joins Post Reports just ahead of Opening Day to explain what the pitch clock is and how it will impact the game.
Read about what happened when the pitch clock debuted at spring training this year.
At a school in Nashville on Monday, a shooter used two AR-style weapons and a handgun to kill three children and three adults. Today on “Post Reports,” we look at the history of the AR-15 and how it became America’s gun.
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The AR-15 wasn’t supposed to be a bestseller.
The rugged, powerful weapon was originally designed as a military rifle in the late 1950s. “An outstanding weapon with phenomenal lethality,” an internal Pentagon report raved. It soon became standard issue for U.S. troops in the Vietnam War, where the weapon earned a new name: the M16.
Few gunmakers saw a semiautomatic version of the rifle — with its shrouded barrel, pistol grip and jutting ammunition magazine — as a product for ordinary people. It didn’t seem suited for hunting. It seemed like overkill for home defense. Gun executives doubted many buyers would want to spend their money on one.
And yet, today, the AR-15 is the best-selling rifle in the United States, industry figures indicate. About 1 in 20 U.S. adults — or roughly 16 million people — own at least one AR-15, according to polling data from The Washington Post and Ipsos.
So, how did we get here? The Post’s Todd Frankel explains.
What damage can an AR-15 do to a human body? The Post examined autopsy and postmortem reports from nearly a hundred victims of previous mass shootings that involved AR-15-style rifles to show the impact of bullets from an AR-15 on the body.
High-capacity-magazine bans could save lives. Will they hold up in court? Legislative and legal battles flare over restrictions that experts say could reduce casualties in AR-15 attacks.
Nationwide strikes and protests erupted in Israel as outrage grew over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the country’s courts. Many saw the move as a threat to Israel’s democracy. And on Monday, Netanyahu announced he would put the plan on pause.
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For months, Israelis have rallied against the country’s right-wing government as it tries to force a drastic overhaul of the Supreme Court. But protests intensified when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, after Gallant criticized Netanyahu’s judiciary reform.
The country was at a standstill as Israeli universities, workers’ unions, hospitals, malls and Israel’s national air carrier, El Al, announced a general strike and the international airport terminated outgoing flights indefinitely.
And it seems the protests had an effect. On Monday, after a long day of protests, Netanyahu announced a delay to the judicial reform proposal.
The Washington Post’s Steve Hendrix in Jerusalem walks us through what happened, what this means for Israel and what might come.
Join Post Reports LIVE on April 13th! Martine Powers will host a live conversation in D.C. with best-selling author Curtis Sittenfeld at Sixth and I, in partnership with Politics & Prose. Sittenfeld is the author of books like “Eligible” and “American Wife.” Her latest novel is “Romantic Comedy,” about a late-night comedy writer’s search for love. Listeners can purchase tickets here, and if you can’t make it to D.C., you can always join via a livestream.
Today, what a landmark poll of U.S. transgender adults reveals about what life is like for trans people in America.
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In this atmosphere of intense polarization around transgender rights, The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation set out to hear what transgender Americans had to say on topics ranging from their experiences as children in school to navigating the workplace, the doctor’s office and family relationships as adults. The resulting Washington Post-KFF Trans Survey is the largest nongovernmental survey of U.S. trans adults to rely on random sampling methods.
Today on the show, health reporter Fenit Nirappil walks through the results of the poll and shares the stories of trans patients who face discrimination when trying to access health care.
TikTok is on Capitol Hill today. Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of the popular social media app, testified in front of Congress about the company’s data security practices and its relationship with the Chinese government, as more lawmakers advocate for banning the app in the United States.
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Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, testified in front of the House Energy Committee for five hours on Thursday. He was grilled by lawmakers on issues ranging from data privacy to national security.
For years, lawmakers have threatened to ban the social media app in the United States, and legislation is inching forward that might make it a reality. But there are sharp generational and political divisions on the subject, with TikTok users more likely to oppose a ban. Recent polling shows that more Americans back a TikTok ban than oppose one. And TikTok says there are 150 million active monthly users in the United States.
Business and tech policy reporter Cristiano Lima, who also writes the Technology 202 newsletter, joins us from the Hill to discuss the hearing and what this might mean for TikTok in the United States.
Today, what Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit could mean for the balance of global power.
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This week, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for the first time since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine. Reporter Mary Ilyushina says, while the two leaders have met many times before, this meeting showed the two countries' commitment to creating a new world order, one where the U.S. is no longer the arbiter of everything that happens on the global stage.
A conservative Catholic group spent millions of dollars on app data that identified gay priests. A Washington Post investigation dives into how this secretive group got data from Grindr and other apps, and what this story can tell us about data privacy in the U.S.
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In the summer of 2021, a prominent priest, Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, was mysteriously outed for being a regular on Grindr, the gay dating and hookup app. The scandal sent shock waves through the Catholic church.
Religion reporter Michelle Boorstein spent the past year-and-a-half investigating this story and figuring out who was behind this effort, and how they got access to this data. She stumbled upon a secretive group of conservative Catholic philanthropists that poured millions of dollars into obtaining data that identified priests who were using dating and hookup apps.
As Michelle and tech reporter Heather Kelly explain, this story goes well beyond the Catholic church and raises red flags for all of us about the lack of data privacy laws and protection for people using mobile apps.
Are we in the middle of a financial crisis? Today’s show breaks down the latest bank crises — from Credit Suisse to First Republic.
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Another week, another banking calamity.
On Sunday, Swiss banking giant UBS came to the rescue of its rival, Credit Suisse. It was the first near-collapse of a European bank on the heels of three regional bank implosions in the United States.
Economics reporter Abha Bhattarai helps us decipher all the bank failures over the past couple of weeks. And as the Federal Reserve meets this week, Abha explains how its interest rate hikes have contributed to the instability of the financial sector.
As the U.S. continues to grow racially and ethnically diverse, that shift is reflected in how our names are changing. Still, culture wars persist. And that can mean Americans are forced to consider what makes us American, and what makes a name American.
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Two years ago this week, a 21-year-old gunman in Atlanta massacred eight people in three spas. Six of those victims were women of Asian descent. It prompted a wave of reporting about racist attacks and violence, and for Marian Chia-Ming Liu, it began a deeply introspective journey – one that prompted thousands of Washington Post readers to reach out with stories about their own experiences with their names.
Marian talks with Elahe Izadi about what she discovered on her name journey, and what other people from across the country have shared with her along the way.
Join Post Reports LIVE on April 13th! Martine Powers will host a live conversation in D.C. with best-selling author Curtis Sittenfeld at Sixth and I, in partnership with Politics & Prose. Sittenfeld is the author of books like “Eligible” and “American Wife.” Her latest novel is “Romantic Comedy,” about a late-night comedy writer’s search for love. Listeners can purchase tickets here, and if you can’t make it to D.C., you can always join via a livestream.
Today on Post Reports, we take you to an abortion hearing in Amarillo, Tex., that the judge didn’t want you to know was coming.
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In a four-hour hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk heard arguments in a lawsuit that could restrict access nationwide to the abortion medication mifepristone. The lawsuit alleges that the medication is unsafe, despite being approved and highly regulated by the FDA for decades. However, many antiabortion activists are hopeful that Kacsmaryk will rule against the FDA, because of his strong religious beliefs and previous support of antiabortion organizations.
National political reporter Caroline Kitchener was inside the courtroom for the hearing and explains what she heard and what the implications of the ruling could be.
The AI behind ChatGPT just got an upgrade. But it might not have all of the bells and whistles that some were expecting.
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GPT-4 might sound like gibberish, but it could change what you expect from your apps (not to mention what happens when you try out ChatGPT). If you need a recipe and are low on groceries, you could soon take a picture of your open fridge for the system to “look” at, identify your ingredients, and whip up a recipe for the night.
That being said, there are limits to what this new AI language model can do. For instance, even though GPT-4 is better at logic than its predecessor, it can still give answers containing false information.
Tech reporter Drew Harwell breaks down the other ethics issues GPT-4 has raised.
Teachers across the nation are changing how they teach in response to state laws, administrative decrees and parental pressure. Today on “Post Reports,” we explore three examples of things teachers are cutting from their lesson plans.
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School districts and teachers are grappling with how to teach race, racism, U.S. history, sexual orientation and gender.
These fights are happening in school board meetings, local town halls and on the campaign trail. A growing parental rights movement is fighting for greater control over what schools teach and the books available to students in school libraries and classrooms. At least 64 state laws have already reshaped what students can learn and do at school, and this fight is likely to be a main talking point ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Education reporter Hannah Natanson talked to teachers across the country to hear how and why their lesson plans were changing. Here’s what she found.
Silicon Valley Bank is dead. The institution that was a major financier for venture capitalists, tech start-ups and other Silicon Valley outfits has collapsed. Enter: the federal government.
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When depositors who belonged to Silicon Valley Bank started quickly withdrawing their money recently, it caused a “bank run.” This led to the ruin of the tech-focused bank, the largest bank failure since the Great Recession. Now the federal government is stepping in to ensure customers are still able to access their money and company payrolls are distributed.
Silicon Valley Bank catered to start-ups, venture capitalist groups, and even companies like Pinterest and Airbnb. Reporter Jeff Stein talks about why the government is taking such drastic measures to make sure all deposits will be available this week.
It’s not just on movie sets like the infamous “Rust.” Beyond Hollywood’s glitz and glamor, and the spectacle of the upcoming 95th Academy Awards, there are hidden dangers on many of the sets for the tv shows and movies we love.
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Back in October 2021, two major events happened in Hollywood. First, 60,000 union members overwhelmingly voted to go on strike because of rough working conditions on television and movie sets. The strike was narrowly averted, but it left union members wanting more. Later that month, actor Alec Baldwin allegedly shot and killed a crew member on the set of his movie “Rust.” Many blamed poor set conditions, with crew members walking off-set the day of the shooting.
Washington Post filmmakers Lindsey Sitz and Ross Godwin made a documentary called “Quiet on Set” about the people behind the Hollywood cameras and sets. They say 18-hour days have led to dangerous accidents, and sexism and racism can run rampant behind the scenes. But speaking out can get you blacklisted.
Sitz and Godwin spoke with five union crew members about the things they’ve seen, heard, and experienced while on set. “Quiet on Set” paints a picture of exploitation, cost-cutting, and turning a blind eye, all in the name of Hollywood.
Today on Post Reports, as we near the three-year mark of the pandemic, health reporter Lena Sun digs into the science of grief and what she learned through her own loss. Her mother was one of more than 1 million Americans who died of covid.
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This week, we’re marking three years since the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 was a pandemic. Since March of 2020, more than a million people have died in the United States alone and we’ve lost more than 6 million people worldwide to covid.
We’ve turned to health reporter Lena Sun often over the last few years for advice on masking and social distancing, to explain how the virus spreads and how vaccines work, and for accountability reporting on the way politics and policies have interfered with science. But while she was one of the lead reporters covering the pandemic, Lena was also coping with her own loss. She lost her mother to covid in April of 2020, a famed writer on the Chinese immigrant experience, and then her sister died last year of pancreatic cancer.
Today on the show, Lena shares what she’s learned about the science of grief - and how we can all process so much tragedy from the last three years.
Today, what we know about the four Americans who were kidnapped in Mexico, and what this incident can tell us about medical tourism, the security situation at the U.S. southern border, and how U.S. policy has contributed to the problems.
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Last week, four American friends from South Carolina were kidnapped in the Mexican border city Matamoros. By the time Mexican security forces located them on the outskirts of the city Tuesday, two of the Americans were dead and another was injured. The two survivors have been returned to the border, and one suspect is in custody with an ongoing manhunt for others.
Today, The Washington Post’s Kevin Sieff explains how this affects the security relationship between the United States and Mexico, and what role the U.S. has played in making Matamoros a place where violence and kidnappings happen, often with impunity.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, enables low-income families to put basic food on the table. This month, SNAP experienced dramatic cuts that have left many families and seniors struggling to figure out how to survive on less than $6 per meal.
That can mean cheaper, less-healthy options like canned and processed foods, which are high in sugar and are major drivers of obesity, reporter Laura Reiley tells “Post Reports.”
“It's a hunger that looks different than it used to in this country,” Reiley says.
So why the change? Amid heightened financial and food insecurity during the pandemic, a federal assistance program upped monthly SNAP benefits. That program came to a screeching halt last week, despite a continued rise in food prices. Many families and seniors are seeing their monthly food assistance drop by more than $100.
State-level shifts are also reducing the level of assistance. And yet, “the food that we routinely feed our families has gotten a lot more expensive,” Reiley continues. “The math that's been used to determine how much a meal costs has not kept up with inflation or how we eat.”
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Millions could see cuts to food stamps as federal pandemic aid ends.
A mile-long line for free food offers a warning as covid benefits end.
Republicans take aim at food stamps in growing fight over federal debt.
Today on the show, the $500 million alleged Ponzi scheme that preyed on Mormons.
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Las Vegas investigative reporter Jeff German was killed outside his home in September; a Clark County official he had investigated is charged in his death. To continue German’s work, The Washington Post teamed up with his newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, to complete one of the stories he’d planned to pursue before he was killed. A folder on German’s desk contained court documents he’d started to gather about an alleged Ponzi scheme that preyed upon hundreds of people — many of them Mormon — over the course of five years. Post reporter Lizzie Johnson began investigating. Today on Post Reports, we look at how more than 900 people invested an estimated total of $500 million into an alleged Ponzi scheme, and why the men who allegedly ran this operation are still walking free.
If you’re gearing up to clean out your closet this spring, you might be wondering: Where can I donate all these clothes? And: What actually happens to these clothes when I do donate? The Washington Post’s climate solutions team has some answers.
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From Goodwill to disaster-relief efforts to those big metal donation boxes on street corners, there are a lot of options for where to give those clothes you just don’t wear anymore. But whether those old t-shirts ever find new, good homes is a more complicated story.
Allyson Chiu, a climate solutions reporter for The Post, breaks down where donated clothes end up and offers some advice about what to watch out for as you consolidate your closet.
Why did the College Board, which oversees Advanced Placement classes, change certain parts of the AP African American studies course framework? Post Reports digs into the latest controversy about the new AP course, still in its pilot stages.
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After Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis came out against the new AP African American studies course, it sparked a controversy. The state said it wouldn’t allow students to take the class because it lacked educational value.
Then the College Board changed the course framework just in time for its debut on the first day of Black History Month. Many questioned whether conservative leaders prompted changes to the program. Where the word “systemic” was mentioned in the previous plan for the class, it was completely removed from the new one. The same with other topics, such as Black Lives Matter and reparations, which went from 15 mentions in April 2022 to one in February 2023.
Education reporter Nick Anderson breaks down what happened to AP African American studies and why these changes occurred in the first place.
Violence has been mounting in the Israeli-occupied West Bank for months, but the situation is already reaching a new level of escalation in 2023.
“Everything is falling apart,” The Post’s Miriam Berger explains to guest host Libby Casey, referring to the fragile dynamics between Palestinians and Israelis in the region.
At least 60 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis have been killed in recent weeks in the occupied territories, a level that is on track to be the bloodiest in two decades. That’s despite rare talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jordan last weekend.
On Monday, a Palestinian man shot and killed two Israeli brothers in the West Bank town of Huwara. Later that day, dozens of Israeli settlers torched cars and homes in Palestinian communities, killing one man in revenge.
“You have this growing insecurity amongst Palestinians and also the cycle of revenge attacks happening,” says Berger.
The clashes come amidst massive protests in Israel itself, and a major shift to the right in the country’s new government. The empowerment of extremist leaders has further fueled more violent acts, as Palestinian house demolitions and raids are on the rise.
Read More:
Emboldened by Israel’s far right, Jewish settlers fan the flames of chaos
Israeli settlers rampage through Palestinian towns in revenge for shooting
At least 11 Palestinians killed, 100 wounded in Israeli raid in the West Bank
Jerusalem demolitions gain pace under Netanyahu, enraging Palestinians
Why Israel’s planned overhaul of the judiciary is tearing the country apart
Itamar Ben Gvir: How an extremist settler became a powerful Israeli minister
At least 7 killed in East Jerusalem synagogue shooting
After deadly Israeli raid in Jenin, fears of escalation in West Bank
In the wake of the 2020 election, Fox News aired false claims about election fraud promoted by Trump allies. A lawsuit, however, reveals that top executives and hosts privately doubted the legitimacy of those claims. Reporter Jeremy Barr joins us to explain.
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Today on Post Reports, we look at how the boundaries between work and life are potentially changing, from the feasibility of a four-day workweek to protections for workers when they're off the clock.
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The five-day workweek is the standard in the United States, and in many other countries across the world. But advocacy groups, and employees themselves, have been dreaming about the possibility of a four-day workweek. Recently, dozens of companies in the United Kingdom finished a four-day workweek pilot program; in the U.S., there is also state and federal legislation proposing employees work one day less for the same pay. Corporate culture reporter Taylor Telford explains how the pandemic has shifted our ideas about work, and how feasible a four-day workweek could really be.
Plus, we explore “the right to disconnect,” a movement that advocates for employees to be allowed to disengage from work after working hours. The Post’s Niha Masih explains how certain countries are protecting people from work encroaching on their personal time.
It’s been one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. The Post’s Ukraine Bureau Chief reflects on the war, its impacts and what the future might look like for these countries.
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Europe’s biggest land war since World War II just entered its second year, with no clear end in sight.
The losses are unimaginable – estimates suggest there have been hundreds of thousands of casualties, as well as mass evacuations and family separations. According to the United Nations, the war has forced one third of Ukrainians out of their homes and nearly 8 million Ukrainian refugees have sought shelter in other European countries. And the fighting continues.
Isabelle Khurshudyan, the Post’s Ukraine Bureau Chief, guides us through the first days of the invasion and describes what we’re seeing now.
Today, we look at how former Donald Trump voters are feeling about his 2024 presidential run, and whether Trump’s grip on the Republican base is slipping.
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Over the past several months, a team of reporters at The Washington Post traveled to five swing states to ask former Trump voters about their feelings toward the former president ahead of the 2024 election. After more than 150 interviews, they found tension within the Republican base, and a growing range of Trump supporters who aren’t sure they want him as the party’s next nominee.
Washington Post reporter Isaac Arnsdorf breaks down why Trump might be losing voters, how they feel about the other “Florida guy” who might run for president, and what this could all mean for the future of the Republican Party.
For months, economists warned that the U.S. economy may enter a recession. Instead, the economy appears to be growing. Rachel Siegel joins us to explain why economists were worried, and what led this economy to defy predictions.
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“Post Reports” looks at why students were asked to leave Yale University while they were having mental health crises.
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Nicolette Mántica was having a tough time at Yale. At the end of her freshman year, she started struggling with her mental health. She eventually was taken to a hospital for help. While there, college officials gave her no other choice but to withdraw, she said, and she went back to her home in rural Georgia.
Reporter William Wan talked to Nicolette and other students about their similar experiences with the prestigious university after they sought help for suicidal ideation or other mental health crises.
Wan also looked into how Yale’s policies changed recently and what students – both current and former – think of the changes.
Today on Post Reports, culture writer Helena Andrews-Dyer breaks down our current Beyoncé moment: After breaking the record for Grammy wins and ahead of her upcoming world tour, we talk about why Beyoncé is more relevant than ever.
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Beyoncé is having a moment. She just broke the record for winning more Grammys than any other artist, and her fans are clamoring for tickets to her Renaissance concert tour. But institutions like the Grammys are still not giving her the highest award: Album of the Year. Culture writer Helena Andrews-Dyer explains why Beyoncé (and this moment) matter, even if you're not a fan.
Nearly two weeks ago near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed, forcing residents in East Palestine to evacuate. But as cleanup continues, many residents still have questions about whether it’s safe to keep living there.
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A Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3. Fifty cars derailed, 20 of which contained hazardous materials. The dangerous chemicals released as a result of the accident have forced many to evacuate the area.
There are still many unknowns about the environmental impacts of the derailment. But water officials are tracking contamination in the Ohio River and local waterways. Some residents have reported side effects from breathing the chemicals, such as headaches and nausea.
The Washington Post’s Scott Dance traveled to East Palestine to attend a town hall and talk to residents about how they are coping.
Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley announced that she’s running for president. Today on “Post Reports,” we hear from her supporters about why they’re choosing her over former president Donald Trump, and what her entrance means for the 2024 race.
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Nikki Haley kicked off her campaign with a rally in Charleston, S.C., where she pitched a wider-tent approach to GOP politics. The former South Carolina governor and ex-U.N. ambassador is counting on Republican voters who are “tired of losing” the popular vote in elections. But can her twist on Republican identity politics bring back the voters that fled the party in the Trump era?
Audio producer Arjun Singh takes “Post Reports” to Charleston for the campaign launch.
Early last week, earthquakes hit southern Turkey and northwestern Syria. The death toll had surpassed 41,000 people by Tuesday. As rescuers continue the search for survivors in both countries, many people are sleeping in cars or tents.
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Last week, we talked with Post reporter Sarah Dadouch about the fatal earthquake that had just hit the Turkish and Syrian border. Now, we look at the aftermath in the wake of what’s being called Turkey’s biggest disaster.
Middle East bureau chief Kareem Fahim describes a death toll of tens of thousands, why the death toll was so high in Turkey and how foreign aid isn’t making its way to the areas in Syria that need it most.
Big Tech was moving cautiously on AI. Then came ChatGPT. As tech reporter Nitasha Tiku explains, the surge of attention around ChatGPT is pressuring tech giants to move faster, potentially sweeping safety concerns aside.
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Google, Facebook and Microsoft helped build the scaffolding of AI. Smaller companies, like OpenAI, are taking it to the masses, forcing Big Tech to react.
Microsoft is trying to push its search engine Bing into the future with OpenAI technology. The company held an artificial-intelligence event at its headquarters and talked about new uses for ChatGPT as the AI arms race heats up.
AI can now create images out of thin air. See how it works.
HBO’s new show “The Last of Us,” which is based on a 2013 video game, has won acclaim from critics and gamers alike for its unusual twist on a zombie story. Gene Park joins us to explain why the show has resonated with viewers.
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Read Gene Park’s review of HBO’s “The Last of Us”
Read about the real science behind the zombie plague in “The Last of Us”
The antiabortion movement spent nearly 50 years organizing around one goal: overturning Roe v. Wade. With that success, what’s next? We go inside the movement’s biggest annual event to examine its diverging paths and possible futures.
The annual March for Life is the antiabortion movement’s biggest event of the year, bringing tens of thousands of protesters to the National Mall in D.C. But this year’s march was different. With Roe v. Wade now overturned and the constitutional right to an abortion no longer guaranteed, the movement has achieved its most important singular goal – the one around which it had coalesced for nearly 50 years.
National political reporter Caroline Kitchener went inside this year’s march to see how the antiabortion movement is approaching this post-Roe moment, and how its possible paths forward may be diverging. With a sense of jubilation on one hand and an air of disappointment on the other, she found a movement wrestling with how to stay united and win a bigger battle: the hearts and minds of a country that largely favors abortion.
Antiabortion politicians are mounting efforts to further restrict abortion locally and nationally. Their efforts could restrict access to abortion even in so-called “haven states.” And an imminent federal district court ruling in Texas could have a “catastrophic” effect on access to abortion pills nationwide.
Caroline’s ongoing audio reporting with “Post Reports” was honored this week with a prestigious duPont-Columbia Award! You can listen to more of our coverage of this important issue here:
Preparing for a post-Roe America
In Oklahoma, a closing window to access abortion
Drafting the end of Roe v. Wade
Today on Post Reports, we talk to national security reporter Shane Harris about exclusive reporting from The Washington Post on the vast aerial surveillance program behind the Chinese spy balloon.
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The U.S. intelligence community has linked the Chinese spy balloon shot down on Saturday to a vast surveillance program, and U.S. officials have begun to brief allies and partners who have been similarly targeted.
Why balloons? The technology is old but effective, according to Shane’s sources.
“The real advantage that the balloon has is that it actually moves very slowly,” Shane said. “That balloon could hover over a target at an altitude of about 60,000 to 80,000 feet, where it might be very hard to see. And it can stay there potentially for hours.”
The United States hasn’t been great at detecting the balloons before now. In some cases, the balloons had been characterized as UFOs.
Shane breaks down what this renewed concern about Chinese surveillance means for U.S.-China relations going forward — and why so many countries spy on each other.
Why the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria was so deadly and how rescue efforts are going.
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Early Monday morning, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked southern Turkey and northwestern Syria. The shock was felt as far as Egypt, leveling buildings and killing more than 7,000 people as of Tuesday afternoon. So far, rescue efforts have been complicated by frigid temperatures, and the earthquake has compounded other crises in war-torn Syria. Beirut-based correspondent Sarah Dadouch has been speaking to survivors and describes the devastation and what the aftermath will look like.
President Biden will outline his goals for the next year at Tuesday’s State of the Union address. Today on Post Reports, we look at how the White House has deployed Vice President Harris over the past two years.
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On Tuesday, President Biden will deliver the State of the Union address. While the 2024 election is more than a year away, this moment has prompted questions from Democrats about future leaders of the Democratic party.
Vice President Harris has long been considered to be Biden’s successor. But is she up to winning the top job? Today on the show, White House reporter Cleve R. Wootson Jr. breaks down what Harris has accomplished in her time as vice president, the criticism she faces, and how Democrats are thinking about her future in the party.
At every age and stage of life, we’re faced with making tough financial decisions. Am I ready to buy a house? Should I start saving for retirement? And what the heck is FICA?
For nearly 30 years, Michelle has answered these questions for Washington Post readers. Now, she has compiled her most frequently asked questions in a new project, Michelle Singletary’s money milestones for every age. But, do her own children take her advice?
On this bonus episode of “Post Reports,” personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary talks to her daughters about their finances. Olivia and Jillian are both in their 20s. They sat down with their mom to discuss how they think about their finances as young adults and the children of a finance wiz.
With the Oscars on the horizon, The Washington Post’s chief film critic and a culture writer share their hot takes on the movies they loved and who may win the golden statues.
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This year’s Oscars are already notable: Angela Bassett became Marvel’s first performer to be nominated, and a controversy surrounding an unlikely best actress nomination kicked up concerns about social media campaigning.
That doesn’t mean that all of the movies were memorable, but they were surprising, according to The Post’s chief film critic Ann Hornaday and culture writer Sonia Rao.
Hornaday and Rao share their top films, the themes that bring the best picture nominees together, and who they think will win at the 95th Academy Awards on March 12.
There are no spoilers. We promise.
The new Republican House majority is off to a shaky start. We’ll unpack the drama over committee assignments, the debt ceiling fight and a House speaker who has a very precarious hold on power.
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The 118th Congress started with a long and contentious vote for House speaker. After 15 rounds of voting, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) won that fight, but he’s still struggling to seize control of an unruly party with a slim House majority.
McCarthy is now negotiating committee assignments with input from a small but vocal far-right contingent. And he’s reeling from controversy surrounding a freshman member of the House, George Santos (R-N.Y.).
On top of all that, Democrats and Republicans are in a fight over the debt limit, with no easy path forward.
Reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell joins us to walk us through this chaotic Congress.
After years of protest, the FDA is easing the blood donation ban for gay and bisexual men. Today on the show, what this means for LGBT rights and the nation’s blood supply.
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Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships will no longer be forced to abstain from sex to donate blood under federal guidelines announced last week. The proposed relaxation of restrictions follows years of pressure from blood banks, the American Medical Association and LGBT rights organizations to abandon rules some experts say are outdated, homophobic and ineffective at keeping the nation’s blood supply safe.
Health reporter Fenit Nirappil breaks down what these new rules mean for men who have sex with men, and how this change comes after years of stigmatization of the gay community.
For many Americans, it’s almost time to pay the rent, and prices are soaring. The Biden administration has stepped in to help renters, but will it have an impact? Rachel Siegel joins us to explain.
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After Tyre Nichols —a young Black man — was beaten to death by police in Memphis, the fact that the five officers charged are Black has prompted activists to grapple with the complex pervasiveness of institutional racism in policing.
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Tyre Nichols was a 29-year-old Black man who died after sustaining injuries from a police beating in early January. Five officers were fired and charged with second-degree murder. A sixth officer, who is White, has been suspended, the police department said Monday. Video footage of the attack was released Friday. Protests have been subdued— in part, Robert Klemko says, because the five officers charged are also Black men.
“The fact that these officers were Black took the wind out of a lot of folks' sails and created, specifically in communities of color, this feeling of sorrow as opposed to anger,” Klemko says.
Today, how another death of a Black man at the hands of police officers illustrates institutional racism in policing — regardless of the race of the officer.
Despite recent headlines about layoffs, the story of many industries is still too many jobs and not enough workers. Today on “Post Reports,” we do a deep dive into the restaurant industry and ask – where did all the workers go?
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A little over a year ago, “Post Reports” Executive Producer Maggie Penman reported on quitters – the millions of Americans who left their jobs during the pandemic. Now, more than a year later, she’s puzzled by the continued worker shortages and “help wanted” signs across so many industries. If workers aren’t staffing restaurants, shops or daycares – then where did they go?
The answer is complicated – it takes us from a restaurant in Massachusetts to a children’s museum in Maine – and tied to big economic trends that long predate the pandemic.
Today on “Post Reports,” we go on a search for the missing worker and uncover years of declining immigration, an aging workforce, a continued lack of child care and the surprising decline of men in the labor force.
Check out the music you heard at the top of the show from Mosaic Mirrors here.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern surprised many when she announced her decision not to run for reelection. Though she enjoyed global popularity as a feminist icon, her reputation at home was more mixed. Ishaan Tharoor explains why.
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Despite having some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, California has experienced three mass killings in the past 10 days. Today, we examine what any state could do to stop these tragedies in a country awash in guns.
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California has a reputation as a tough place to buy a gun. The state’s patchwork of gun laws has been judged the strongest in the nation by one gun-control advocacy group.
But recent mass killings in the state, including in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, illustrate how the state’s strict gun laws are are limited by a broader reality in which gun ownership is widely considered a constitutionally protected right, firearms move freely between states with vastly different regulations and gun-control measures are dotted with exceptions.
There have already been 39 mass shootings in 2023 in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Mass shootings — in which four or more people, not including the shooter, are injured or killed — have already averaged more than one per day this year. Gun violence remains significantly less common in California than in most other states, which advocates credit to the laws on the books.
Today, the Post’s West Coast correspondent Reis Thebualt joins us to examine the impact of California’s gun laws and ask what any state could do to stop these tragedies in a country awash in guns.
Floods, wildfires, droughts and other extreme weather events can lead to more domestic violence around the world. Today’s show looks at why this happens and how advocates and emergency responders can extend a helping hand.
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The Washington Post partnered with The Fuller Project, a nonprofit news organization, to unpack evidence that domestic violence cases often rise wherever extreme weather events take place. The Fuller Project’s editor in chief, Eva Rodriguez, joins the show today to discuss not only why this happens but how isolation and forced migration can affect domestic violence rates as well.
Today on “Post Reports,” personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary offers up some of her time-tested, conventional financial wisdom.
At every age and stage of life, we’re faced with making tough financial decisions. Am I ready to buy a house? Should I start saving for retirement? And what the heck is FICA?
For nearly 30 years, Michelle has answered these questions for Washington Post readers. Now, she has compiled her most frequently asked questions in a new project, Michelle Singletary’s money milestones for every age.
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It’s time to rethink our friendships. Research shows that strong friendships are essential to a healthy life.
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Have you ever neglected your friendships for romantic love? It may be time to rethink your priorities.
A growing body of research shows that friends are essential to a healthy life. Cultivating strong friendships may be just as important for our well-being as healthy eating habits or a good night’s sleep. Platonic love may even be more important than romantic love.
People with strong friendships tend to have better mental health, and there may be benefits to our physical health, as well. Large social networks lower our risk of premature death more than exercise or dieting alone, research found.
Teddy Amenabar reports for the Well+Being section at The Washington Post and walks us through these findings and offers advice for how to maintain our friendships.
Who is George Santos, and why does it seem as though everyone on Capitol Hill is talking about him? Today, we have the story of the embattled lawmaker and why some voters in his district want him removed from his seat.
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Freshman Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) has an interesting biography, littered with untruths. He claimed he had worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. He said the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks claimed his mother’s life. And he mentioned that four of his employees died in the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre. These were just a few of the claims Santos made that were discovered to be fabrications.
Post reporter Camila DeChalus spent time with Santos’s constituents in New York’s 3rd Congressional District. Some voters said they wanted him gone from his seat in the House. DeChalus breaks down how that might — or might not — happen.
Today on “Post Reports,” we cover the latest news from the war in Ukraine – and talk about why Putin is increasingly isolated, even among Russia’s elite.
Over the weekend, a Russian missile struck a nine-floor apartment complex in central Ukraine. The timing, on a weekend afternoon, meant many people were at home at the time of the strike. Dozens of people were killed. The move seems to signal a new level of desperation from Russia – and reporter Catherine Belton says Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasingly isolated as the war grinds on, from the West but also his own allies among Russia’s elite.
Putin on Tuesday used new government data to paint a surprisingly rosy picture of Russia’s economy. “The actual dynamics of the economy turned out to be better than many expert forecasts,” he said during a virtual meeting on the economy.
“It's not really clear what he's talking about because no one really knows what actually the ruble’s value is anymore. It’s being artificially set by the central bank,” Belton says.
Today on “Post Reports,” we dive into Catherine’s reporting on the gulf emerging between Putin and some of Russia’s elite – leaving the leader increasingly friendless and increasingly paranoid.
As California works through the devastating consequences of catastrophic flooding, today on “Post Reports” we look back at another climate disaster and ask if survivors can find healing on the very land that holds the scars of climate change.
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From deadly flooding to destructive wildfires, Californians have been coping with the perils of climate change for years. More than four years after the Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise, one study on the fire’s aftermath said survivors experienced PTSD at rates on par with veterans of war.
Research increasingly shows that victims of climate change disasters are left with deep psychological wounds — from anxiety after hurricanes to surges in suicide during heat waves — that the nation’s disaster response agencies are ill-prepared to treat.
But in the burned and battered forests near Paradise, a small program run by California State University at Chico is using nature therapy walks to help fire survivors recover.
Today on “Post Reports,” climate reporter Sarah Kaplan explains how the program is testing a fraught premise: that the site of survivors’ worst memories can become a source of solace.
Today, Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax offers some guidance to the splintered British royal family.
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Lately, there’s been a lot of news about the British royal family. There’s a Netflix documentary series about Harry and Meghan, and this week Harry released his new memoir, “Spare.” Both are packed with surprisingly intimate details about the lives of the former royals, including Harry taking magic mushrooms at a celebrity party as well as intentional palace leaks to the tabloids. From the outside, it seems like the royals have a lot of work to do to rebuild their relationships.
That’s where Post columnist Carolyn Hax comes in.
In today’s episode, Carolyn gives advice about a few key scenarios that are all about the royal family but could easily be relevant to many people’s lives.
What we know about the classified documents found in President Biden’s possession. How will a new special counsel investigation by the Justice Department work? And what are the similarities — and differences — with the investigation into former president Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents?
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Amid new revelations of classified documents in his possession after the vice presidency, President Biden now faces a special counsel investigation.
In November, a small batch of classified documents were found at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in downtown Washington, according to a CBS News report this week. The Post reported that the discovery involved about 10 classified documents.
In a statement Thursday, Biden’s legal team said more classified documents were found — this time, in the locked garage of his Wilmington, Del., residence.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Robert K. Hur, a former U.S. attorney, to handle the special counsel investigation. This comes as former president Donald Trump is also being investigated by a special counsel for retention of classified documents at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago.
Today on the show, White House reporter Matt Viser breaks down what this could mean for the Biden presidency and how this could impact his potential run against Trump in 2024.
What was behind the sudden halt to thousands of domestic flights yesterday morning? Today on Post Reports, a conversation with transportation reporter Lori Aratani about a highly unusual aviation system failure and the deeper flaws it exposed.
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More than 4,600 flights arriving in and out of the U.S. faced unusual delays yesterday morning, as aviation staff sought answers to an unexpected overnight outage of its airspace alert system.
Preliminary reviews traced the problem to a damaged database file, but the sweeping stoppage that ensued was something the United States hadn’t experienced since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
This mass grounding of flights also came shortly after a messy holiday travel period: failures at Southwest Airlines prompted more than 16,000 flight cancellations.
Combined, the logjams and stoppages point to a deeper problem with America’s very fragile aviation system, explains The Post’s Lori Aratani.
“This is just another sign of how we need to invest in infrastructure,” Aratani told Post Reports.
It came as a complete surprise. Last month, the Chinese government dropped most of its “zero covid” restrictions. Today on Post Reports, we find out what’s behind the shift and a massive covid outbreak that has since swept the country.
Since the start of the pandemic, China has kept in place rigid policies in hopes of eliminating the spread of covid-19. That all changed last month, amid outbreaks of the highly transmissible omicron variant and in the wake of unprecedented protests. In a sudden shift, the government announced no more lockdowns, no more mandatory testing and, as of this week, no more cross-border travel restrictions.
“I don't think people saw that coming,” said Lily Kuo, The Washington Post’s China Bureau Chief.
But the situation is shrouded in mystery and concerns over a lack of information about the virus. While Chinese authorities report that cases are under control, behind the scenes footage, interviews with hospital and funeral staff, and satellite and forensic analysis from Kuo and her colleagues reveal a much different story.
“We know that the health-care system is overwhelmed,” Kuo said. “We don’t know exactly how many deaths. And so it is hard to tell exactly how much of a crisis this is and how bad it will get.”
READ MORE:
China, engulfed in covid chaos, braces for Lunar New Year case spike.
Everything you need to know about traveling to China.
Restrictions on travelers from China mount as covid numbers there surge.
Tracked, detained, vilified: How China throttled anti-covid protests.
President Biden promised a different approach to immigration than his predecessor, but he is still relying on some Trump-era tools. Today, a look at what Biden’s new strategy will mean for migrants and border communities.
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President Biden announced new immigration policies that would expand legal entry into the United States for thousands of migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti, while continuing to rely upon a controversial Trump-era policy that would block access for others.
These changes came ahead of this week’s North American Leaders’ Summit, where Biden and his Canadian and Mexican counterparts are discussing immigration and other top issues.
Arelis Hernandez, who covers the U.S. southern border and immigration, walks us through these new policies and how they would affect migrants and border communities.
Why thousands of supporters of the far-right former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro trashed key government buildings in the country’s capital. And what’s next for the country’s new president and Brazil’s democracy.
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On Sunday, thousands of rioters destroyed key government buildings in Brasília, Brazil’s capital, to protest the election of the country’s new leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Most were supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who lost to Lula in a contentious, closely watched presidential race last year. Correspondent Anthony Faiola explains Brazil’s fraught relationship with democracy that led to this moment and how this event compares to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in the United States.
Read our continuing live coverage of Brazil’s capital insurrection here.
On the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, we have a conversation about the political and legal consequences former president Donald Trump faces and how they are affecting his presidential campaign.
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Former president Donald Trump’s sphere of influence appears to be waning: Many of the candidates he supported publicly in the midterms lost races, and despite his recent announcement to run for the presidency again in 2024 his campaign has garnered little public support. National political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf discusses some of the significant setbacks Trump has faced and what consequences he could face, including the release of his tax returns and the recommendations for charges by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Where in the world is Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president? Today’s Post Reports examines why Bolsonaro left the country ahead of the ceremonial handover of power, and what his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, could mean for a divided Brazil.
Brazilian elections were razor-thin: Lula won just 50.9 percent of the vote. But the country’s young democracy was put to its biggest test yet when incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro questioned the election process and never formally conceded. Many have likened his actions to those of former U.S. president Donald Trump.
Gabriela Sá Pessoa has been covering the Brazilian election, from Bolsonaro rallies in São Paulo to Lula’s inauguration in Brasília. She breaks down what happened when Bolsonaro finally broke his silence in the days leading up to Lula’s inauguration this week and the mystery surrounding why the former president is staying in Florida. Meanwhile in Brazil, a once-jailed icon of the Latin American left returned to power with his own twist on an inauguration tradition, given Bolsonaro’s absence. But after the celebrations die down, how will Lula enact his ambitious agenda and lead a deeply divided country?
Marriages, breakups and dates are still happening in Ukraine, even during the war against Russian forces.
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Reporter Jeff Stein recently reported on what love and intimacy look like during the war with Russian forces. What he found was that Tinder and sex shops still persist as cities in Ukraine continue to see airstrikes and hear sirens. Sometimes, when it doesn’t seem like either side is winning, love just might be.
Who will be the new speaker of the House? Republican leader Kevin McCarthy struggles to whip up the votes.
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The House met for the first day of the 118th Congress on Tuesday to swear in members and elect a speaker for the new Republican majority.
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) needs 218 votes to become the speaker of the House; he can afford to lose only four GOP votes. While an overwhelming number of Republicans want McCarthy to be speaker, several have remained firm in their opposition to his bid.
Political reporter Aaron Blake walks us through the drama leading up to and during the vote for speaker - and he details the long road ahead for McCarthy.
This week, we’re bringing you episodes of The 7 - a new podcast from The Washington Post. Your host Jeff Pierre takes you through the seven most important and interesting stories, so you can get caught up in just a few minutes. Make it a habit in the new year.
This week, we’re bringing you episodes of The 7 - a new podcast from The Washington Post. Your host Jeff Pierre takes you through the seven most important and interesting stories, so you can get caught up in just a few minutes. Make it a habit in the new year.
On The Post’s new podcast, "The 7," host Jeff Pierre takes you through the seven most important and interesting stories of the day. It's a way to get caught up in just a few minutes. It comes out every weekday at 7 a.m. Check it out today, then find and follow "The 7."
This week, we’re bringing you episodes of The 7 - a new podcast from The Washington Post. Your host Jeff Pierre takes you through the seven most important and interesting stories, so you can get caught up in just a few minutes. Make it a habit in the new year.
Who is the real Queen of Christmas? Not Mariah Carey, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Today on a bonus episode of Post Reports, we explain the legal battle for the Christmas throne.
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Read more about the legal battle over the “Queen of Christmas” title here.
Looking for a last-minute holiday gift? Right now, you can save over 70 percent on a new premium subscription to The Washington Post — and that new premium subscription comes with a bonus subscription to share.
You can find this deal at washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
Today on “Post Reports,” the way what we eat – and how we eat it – affects our mental health, not just our physical health. Plus, how to eat for your emotional well-being in the new year.
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Washington Post journalist Mary Beth Albright has been fascinated by the connection between food and mood for years.
“What I began to realize is that food and emotions are inextricably entwined,” Mary Beth told Martine Powers. “We can either get to know the biology and the connection and how to use it, or we can deny the reality of it and just say, ‘Oh, I don't want to emotionally eat,’” when really the science shows that all eating is emotional eating.”
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to Mary Beth about her new book, “Eat & Flourish: How Food Supports Emotional Well-Being.” We cover why we get “hangry,” the joys and benefits of eating with other people, and how to harness the power of food to improve your mood and your well-being in 2023.
After decades of attempts, scientists have finally created a nuclear fusion reaction in a lab. On today’s show, what this breakthrough means for the future of energy.
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Last week, the Energy Department announced that for the first time, scientists have been able to produce a fusion reaction that creates a net energy gain. This essentially means that in a lab-based setting, researchers were able to replicate the nuclear reaction by which energy is created within the sun. It’s a major milestone in a decades-long, multibillion-dollar quest to develop a technology that could provide unlimited cheap, clean power.
While nuclear fusion is still at least a decade – and maybe many decades – away from commercial use, officials from the scientific community and the government are looking at this moment as one of deep promise, in the hopes of developing carbon-free power. Innovation reporter Pranshu Verma unpacks how nuclear fusion works and what this could mean for the future of the planet.
Today on “Post Reports,” how the chaos of war can put even well-intentioned efforts to help Ukrainian refugees on unstable ground.
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It’s been 300 days since the start of the war in Ukraine. And since that war began, millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes to seek safety in Western Europe.
Back in March, the leaders of European Union countries pledged to help Ukrainians by enacting their Temporary Protection Directive for the first time. This gave refugees access to housing, health care, education and the labor markets of the countries they arrived in.
But temporary protection has been far from a golden ticket.
Today on “Post Reports,” we hear from producer Rennie Svirnovskiy about how refugees have fared at a transit center on Ukraine’s border with Poland. And we hear from Rick Noack about why many Ukrainian refugees scattered across Europe are still waiting for the help they were promised.
Holidays and winter illnesses go hand in hand. Today on Post Reports, we unpack how to prevent the spread.
As families face a “tripledemic” of highly contagious respiratory viruses, we turn to national health reporter Lena Sun to understand the latest on how to stay healthy this holiday season. From effective flu and covid vaccines to DIY air filters, we find out what she has learned to keep viruses at bay, as well as what happened when she pressed a leading health official about the current masking guidance.
Coronavirus cases are on the rise again in many parts of the country, and this year’s surge in flu is the worst in more than a decade. It’s overwhelming hospitals and leaving many families out sick for weeks. Yet it’s unlikely that mask mandates are coming back anytime soon. And while the uptake of covid booster shots is still very low nationwide, new studies have found that the updated versions can prevent serious illness and deaths, especially among older adults.
Months after their Supreme Court victory, conservatives fear that new abortion bans aren’t being sufficiently enforced. Now, from mobilizing citizen investigators to blocking abortion pill websites, they’re pursuing unorthodox ideas to further crack down.
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Nearly six months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, triggering abortion bans in more than a dozen states, many antiabortion advocates fear that the growing availability of illegal abortion pills has undercut their landmark victory. Complaining that strict new abortion bans aren’t being sufficiently enforced and worried about lackluster support from more moderate members of the Republican party, they are grasping for new ways to crack down on access. From mobilizing citizen investigators to blocking abortion pill websites, these advocates are pursuing some pretty unorthodox ideas.
On today’s episode of Post Reports, national political reporter Caroline Kitchener takes us inside the antiabortion movement’s war room for 2023, and explains why enforcement is its next big battleground.
How a tip at a funeral became a year-long investigation into the sport of bodybuilding.
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When Post investigative reporter Desmond Butler’s father, George Butler, died last year, work was the last thing on Desmond’s mind. But a friend of his father came to him with a tip – startling allegations in the world of bodybuilding, a sport Desmond’s father helped make famous through his film “Pumping Iron.”
What followed was a year-long investigation of the sport of bodybuilding and its culture. In today’s episode of “Post Reports," we explore what Desmond and a team of reporters at The Post uncovered. We explore the origins of bodybuilding, the risks and exploitation athletes face, and the family at the head of the sport.
This is just one story from “Built & Broken,” a Washington Post investigation of the world of bodybuilding. To read more about the findings in this episode check out the rest of the series.
Ahead of Sunday’s final match, two Post journalists and die-hard soccer fans discuss all things World Cup. Columnist Ishaan Tharoor sits down with Jeff Pierre, host of “The 7,” to unpack the controversies, the triumphs and what’s at stake this weekend.
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This year’s World Cup has been mired in debates about its host country, Qatar. But it’s more complicated than that, according to Ishaan Tharoor: “I think being there helped me think a bit more deeply and hopefully with a bit more nuance.” For him, being there gave him a unique insight into how the country prepared for the tournament and how players and attendees are reacting to the results. For many watching, the most exciting victories were those of the Moroccan team, which became the first African team to make it to a World Cup semifinal.
As the tournament comes to a close on Sunday, two of the world’s most talented soccer stars will face off. Sunday’s final is expected to be veteran Argentine player Lionel Messi’s last shot at winning a World Cup. He’ll be playing Kylian Mbappé, the young French forward who has led his team to its second final in a row.
What it’s like being at the World Cup.
Morocco’s showdown with France carries complex political baggage.
After enduring insults and threats, Iranian team exits the World Cup.
How far can the U.S. men’s national team go?
At the World Cup, Wales finds itself.
No beer, but plenty of scandal at Qatar’s World Cup.
Today on “Post Reports,” we dive into research on happiness and talk about finding joy in mundane experiences to cultivate a more meaningful life.
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Here’s an antidote to an ever-stressful, busy and uncertain world: Try finding and savoring little bites of joy throughout your day. Our Brain Matters columnist, neuroscientist Richard Sima, calls them “joy” snacks.
By mindfully tuning in to the pleasant, nice and sometimes routine experiences of every day, we can transform an otherwise mundane moment into something more meaningful and even joyful.
Lunch with a co-worker. Walking the dog. Texting with a friend. Watching a favorite show. Eating a favorite meal. Calling your mom. Just hanging out.
New research shows that finding and savoring these nuggets of joy can be a way of consistently cultivating a good, meaningful life.
“It’s not these big things that we sort of create in our heads, but these smaller day-to-day experiences that bring us meaning,” said Joshua Hicks, a psychologist at Texas A&M University’s Existential Psychology Collaboratory.
To learn more about joy snacking, check out Richard’s column or this video about three ways to snack on joy.
Since 2019, the number of Americans killed by fentanyl has jumped 94 percent. Today on "Post Reports," we go inside Operation Sour Cream — and inside the pipeline bringing the deadly drug from Mexican labs to U.S. streets.
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In 2019, Drug Enforcement Administration agent Brady Wilson noticed big loads of synthetic drugs, like fentanyl, popping up around St. George, Utah. St. George is not exactly known as a hot spot for drugs; it’s a sleepy city of retirees, out-of-town hikers and Mormon churches. But Wilson had a gut feeling; he suspected a Mexican cartel had set up shop in town.
That would be the beginnings of Operation Sour Cream, a federal investigation into the origins of synthetic drugs in the St. George area.
Synthetic drugs have arrived in small cities and rural areas across the United States abruptly, with immediate, devastating impact. In Utah, fentanyl overdose deaths have increased 300 percent over a three-year period, killing 170 people in 2021, according to the state health department. Mexican criminal groups have become experts in producing fentanyl and meth across the border. Now, Wilson knew, they were honing their role in retail distribution in the United States, where synthetics had reshaped the geography of drug demand.
Today on “Post Reports,” Mexico City bureau chief Kevin Sieff reports on Wilson’s investigation into how fentanyl ended up in St. George, Utah, and what this increased presence of synthetic drugs means for the opioid crisis in the United States. This story is part of Cartel RX, an investigative series from The Post looking at the deadly fentanyl pipeline from Mexican labs to U.S. streets.
This kind of work is only possible because of the support of listeners like you, who subscribe to The Washington Post. If you’re not a subscriber yet, now is a great time to start. You can also gift a Washington Post subscription to someone in your life who could use this kind of valuable reporting. Check out our latest subscription deal at postreports.com/offer.
Today, we hear from a mother and son in Iran about life amid ongoing protests and an escalating government crackdown. Despite communication challenges, journalist Sanam Mahoozi has been carefully corresponding with them for weeks about their lives in a changing Iran.
“I am devastated by the way the system is treating the youth,” a mother in Tehran told journalist Sanam Mahoozi during one exchange. “Every mother in Iran is miserable now.”
Protests erupted across Iran following the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s “morality police,” and they show few signs of abating. For one mother and son in Tehran, this has meant life interrupted, halted and increasingly in jeopardy, as safety concerns inch closer to home. But it has also increased their resolve.
The government has responded harshly to the uprising, with human rights organizations documenting more than 4,000 deaths. Officials have sentenced at least a dozen protesters to death. Over the weekend, one of those protesters, convicted of killing two officers, was publicly hanged from a construction crane.
Even with all the crackdowns and violence around him, the son told Mahoozi, “I have more hope than before.”
READ MORE:
‘We want them gone’: Across generations, Iranians struggle for change.
As unrest grips Iran’s schools, the government is going after children.
Iran is ramping up its secret kidnapping plots.
A decade after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the story of a 10-year-old girl who survived the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Tex. — and how she has become a voice for the friends she lost that day.
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After a school shooting, we often hear numbers — how many children and teachers were killed or injured. But for the survivors and their families, the trauma can be overwhelming.
“I think the scope of this crisis is so much larger than people are willing to acknowledge,” reporter John Woodrow Cox says. “It's not just the kids who died. It's not just kids who got shot. It's not just the kids like Caitlyne who listen to the whole thing happen and lost dear friends. It's third-graders, it's teachers and their kids. It's cousins. It's people in the community who thought, ‘Is my kid dead?’ That damage cannot be undone.”
With the permission of Caitlyne Gonzales and her parents, John spent the summer with the 10-year-old school shooting survivor, following her as she went to karate and guitar lessons, rallies for gun reform in Texas and Washington, school board meetings and back to school. He was also there with her family in the evenings, when Caitlyne’s trauma was the most apparent and she struggled to go to sleep without her mom. Caitlyne and her parents wanted people to see that while on the outside she might look like a composed activist, she’s still dealing with an enormous amount of trauma.
John has been reporting on children and gun violence for more than five years and is the author of an award-winning book on the subject, “Children Under Fire: An American Crisis.”
Today, the White House announced that WNBA star Brittney Griner has been released from Russian detention and is coming home – in exchange for a notorious arms dealer. We talk about why this deal happened now, and what it means for other American hostages.
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More than nine months after she was arrested in Russia, WNBA star Brittney Griner has been freed. Griner is one of the world’s best women’s basketball players. She’s been in Russian custody since February, when authorities detained her at the airport and accused her of carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, which is illegal in Russia. Like many women’s basketball players, Grinersupplements her income by playing overseas during the WNBA offseason (Griner’s arrest brought attention to pay inequality.)
Moscow released the athlete in exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Known as the “merchant of death,” the infamous criminal is a top prize for Russian officials.
For Biden, this is a victory - but it’s a bittersweet one. Another American, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, was initially supposed to be a part of this swap, but Russia refused to let him go.
Republican Kevin McCarthy wants to be the next speaker of the House, but first he’ll need to secure 218 votes. Despite winning a majority in the midterm elections, Republicans have felt deflated by an election cycle many hoped would be a “red wave,” and some are now saying they won’t endorse McCarthy’s leadership bid.
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Read Michael Kranish’s profile of Kevin McCarthy’s rise to power.
The crypto world is in shock after FTX, a major cryptocurrency exchange, declared bankruptcy. We discuss what led to the company’s collapse and how its 30-year-old founder went from a philanthropic darling to disgraced CEO.
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What led to the ruin of FTX, one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges? It’s the question confounding Silicon Valley — and Washington.
After the collapse, founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried stepped down amid claims of mismanagement. Newly appointed CEO John J. Ray III — who oversaw Enron’s bankruptcy proceedings — said in FTX’s bankruptcy filing: “Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here.” Meanwhile, federal regulators and politicians in Washington have soured on Bankman-Fried, whose millions in campaign donations previously earned him audiences with top lawmakers.
Post economic policy reporter Tory Newmyer unpacks FTX’s downfall and tracks the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, from his massive political donations and lobbying efforts in Washington to his apology campaign.
For the fifth time in two years, Georgians will cast a ballot for or against Raphael G. Warnock, and despite Democratic control of the Senate, the stakes of this race for both parties are big.
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Every time producer Jordan-Marie Smith would visit her hometown, it seemed as if another person she knew from high school had died of a drug overdose. She went back home to investigate, along with reporter Lenny Bernstein.
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Post Reports producer Jordan-Marie Smith always thought of her hometown of Greenville, N.C., as a nice place to grow up. A small city about halfway between Raleigh and the Outer Banks, it was home to a university, beautiful walking trails and lots of local businesses.
But then she started hearing about the drug overdoses.
Every time Jordan-Marie returned home to visit, it seemed as if another one of her high school classmates had died. She started making calls early this year and quickly learned of at least 16 young people who had died of drug overdoses. The group was connected by childhood friendships, a middle school basketball team and a high school.
In a personal story about how a community moves through – and tries to recover from – a string of tragic drug deaths, Jordan-Marie and health reporter Leonard Bernstein connect Greenville to the national drug epidemic.
You can read more about Greenville here and watch a video about the toll of drug deaths on a parent and a teacher here.
The Iranian government is increasing its efforts to kill or kidnap activists, journalists and others living in the West — a change that alarms U.S. intelligence officials. Shane Harris explains the extent and escalation of Tehran’s efforts.
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They needed 10 Republicans. Today on Post Reports, we take you inside the efforts of a small bipartisan group of senators – and how it gathered enough GOP support to pass same-sex marriage protections in a divided Congress.
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Back in July, after this year’s first attempts to codify protections for same-sex marriage in Congress, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) had a revelation.
“I remember the day that happened,” Baldwin told Liz Goodwin, congressional reporter for The Post. . She recalled going to a small group of colleagues after the measure passed the House with substantial Republican support.. “I went immediately to Rob Portman, Thom Tillis. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski. 47! 47 [House] Republicans supported this. We could do this.”
On Tuesday, Baldwin’s hopes were realized: In a bipartisan effort, the Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act. The bill codifies federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, protecting couples’ rights if the Supreme Court were to ever reverse key decisions. Every present Senate Democrat and 12 Republicans voted for the bill, a landmark moment that shows how quickly public opinion has changed on the issue. The amended bill now heads to the House, where it’s expected to pass and land on President Biden’s desk.
On today’s episode, Congress reporter Liz Goodwin details how a bipartisan group of senators slowly but surely gathered support for the Respect for Marriage Act - and what Tuesday’s vote means for the future of LGBTQ rights.
November wasn’t a great month for Donald Trump. The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for a congressional committee to examine the former president’s tax returns, ending a legal battle that has consumed Congress and the courts for years.
Meanwhile, a special counsel appointed by the Justice Department has been tasked with investigating Trump’s role in efforts to undo the results of the 2020 election, as well as possible mishandling of classified documents recovered from his Mar-a-Lago home. There are also ongoing probes against him in New York and a pending criminal investigation in Georgia.
Devlin Barrett, a reporter covering the FBI and Justice Department, runs through the status of key investigations involving the former president as well as when we could see results in any of these pending cases.
For the first time in decades, massive protests broke out in cities across China. Today on “Post Reports” — what's behind the protests and what they mean for the future of China’s leadership.
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Protests erupted throughout China this weekend over the country’s “zero covid” policy, which has led the government to implement strict lockdown and testing measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The protests were triggered by a botched response to a deadly fire in Urumqi, a city in the northwest of China. Ten people died after emergency responders couldn’t get close enough to the apartment building, and protesters blame lockdown-related measures for interfering with rescue efforts.
But the protests have grown to wider criticisms of the Chinese government, including calls for President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party to step down. The treatment of Uyghurs by the state has also become a rallying cry for demonstrators. Lily Kuo, The Post’s China bureau chief, has been covering the protests. She breaks down why these protests are significant and what they could mean for the future of China’s leadership.
The years of one-day deals and long lines the day after Thanksgiving are over. Black Friday is now more than a month long. We break down what’s changed and why.
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Retail reporter Jaclyn Peiser discusses how last year’s supply chain issues and delayed inventory are a win for consumers, how people are shopping despite inflation, and she outlines her holiday shopping survival guide.
And as a bonus – we give you a taste of Alexandra Petri’s column, ”The 9 best Thanksgiving songs I definitely didn’t just make up.” Trust us, you’ll want to listen.
The Post is running a Black Friday all-access digital subscription deal. For just $0.99 for four weeks, that will cover you for your first 12 weeks. You’ll get our groundbreaking interactive stories, the most in-depth breaking news, our fantastic Well+Being and Climate coverage and so much more.
A guide for when and how to give your kid a smartphone. Heather Kelly polled the experts, and there’s a lot we can all learn from their advice – whether we have kids or not. Plus, we dive into the reported benefits of “brown noise.”
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A guide to giving your child their first phone. Children are getting smartphones younger than ever. Make sure you’re all prepared.
Even older adults struggle with screen time. Here's how to help them put down their phones and be more present.
Listening to “brown noise” has become a popular solution for people who have trouble focusing, and in particular for people who have ADHD. Disability reporter Amanda Morris explains what this soothing sound is and why it helps.
The Post is running a Black Friday all-access digital subscription deal. For just $0.99 for four weeks, that will cover you for your first 12 weeks. You’ll get our groundbreaking interactive stories, the most in-depth breaking news, our fantastic Well+Being and Climate coverage and so much more.
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she would step down from Democratic leadership. Today on the show, we discuss Pelosi’s legacy and the new era of Democrats in line to take her place.
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Nancy Pelosi has spent 35 years in Congress. Last week, she stepped down as speaker of the House, ending her historic tenure as the first woman to serve as speaker. “She has been an incredibly powerful figure that has ruled the House of Representatives in this sort of iron-fisted way that is the stuff of legends,” says Paul Kane, The Post’s senior congressional correspondent. On today’s episode, we talk to Kane about Pelosi’s rise to power, the highlights of her career, and what the future holds for the new era of Democrats looking to take over leadership positions.
The Post is running a Black Friday all-access digital subscription deal. For just $0.99 for four weeks, that will cover you for your first 12 weeks. You’ll get our groundbreaking interactive stories, the most in-depth breaking news, our fantastic Well + Being and Climate coverage and so much more.
The 2022 World Cup starts this weekend in Qatar, and it is already marked by controversy. Today on “Post Reports,” the geopolitical stakes of this year’s World Cup, and a preview of the most exciting players and teams to watch in Doha.
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World Cup organizers said Friday that they were abandoning plans to sell beer around match stadiums.
Qatar, a conservative Muslim country, strictly limits the sale of alcohol and bans its consumption in public places. It had made exceptions to those rules for the World Cup, but suddenly reversed course on Friday.
Whether or not fans can have a beer at a game may not seem like a big deal - but some worry about what this signals about other laws and cultural norms that had been expected to be suspended for the World Cup, around protests, press freedoms and LGBTQ rights.
“This is a World Cup that is defined by the controversy around it in many ways,” Ishaan Tharoor told our producer Arjun Singh. There were unexplained deaths of thousands of migrant workers during Qatar’s preparation for the tournament, and their families are still looking for answers.
“The World Cup is never just about the World Cup,” Ishaan explained.
To read more from Ishaan, sign up for his newsletter, Today’s WorldView.
Plus, we go to Chuck Culpepper, who is on the ground in Doha reporting on the tournament. He lays out what teams and players to watch in the coming weeks, and why the biggest strength of Team USA might be its biggest weakness.
Today on Post Reports, we hear from a journalist on the ground in Haiti about the country’s growing humanitarian crisis, and what can be done about it.
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Natural disasters and political turmoil have plagued Haiti for decades. But last year, the country reached a tipping point: President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated and the country was hit by another deadly earthquake. Capitalizing on the situation, gangs have overrun many parts of the country, frequently kidnapping and killing people and stopping the flow of critical goods. A lack of access to clean water has caused cholera to make a comeback, sickening thousands of people and killing over 100 so far. Journalist Widlore Mérancourt describes what people there are experiencing and whether international intervention in Haiti would be a plausible solution – given the country’s already fraught history with it.
Tuesday night, Former president Donald Trump announced his fourth bid for the White House in 2024. The announcement comes just a week after voters decidedly rejected the candidates he backed in the midterm elections.
Trump has taken the brunt of the criticism from his fellow Republicans who aren’t sold on having him represent the party again, with potential rivals already planning to challenge Trump for the nomination.
National political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf recaps last night’s announcement and outlines the potential obstacles, both legal and political, on Trump’s 2024 road to the White House.
Subscribe to The Post’s new morning news podcast, “The 7,” on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.
In a post-Roe America, tens of thousands of people without access to legal abortions are turning to a new covert network to get abortion pills. Today on Post Reports, we trace the network’s surprising supply chain and look at the precarious position of those participating in it.
When the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June, abortion bans instantly took effect in large swaths of the United States, prompting people around the country to seek alternatives amid new legal and medical risks. Many are now turning to an emerging covert network of DIY distributors who are supplying free abortion pills from Mexico to people in the United States.
On today’s episode, national political reporter Caroline Kitchener introduces us to these distributors, their source, and what happens when one woman, desperate to terminate her pregnancy, takes this route.
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Caroline Kitchener reports on this expanding covert network providing pills for thousands of abortions in U.S.
See where abortion laws have changed in the U.S. and which states now ban the practice.
Abortion rights advocates scored major victories across the U.S. in midterm elections this month.
And subscribe to The Post’s new morning news podcast, “The 7,” on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.
A triumphant President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the liberated Ukrainian city of Kherson Monday morning, declaring “the beginning of the end of the war.” Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about whether that’s true and why this city is so significant.
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Kherson residents celebrate liberation and describe the trauma of occupation.
Witnesses recount detentions, torture, disappearances in occupied Kherson.
Fighting-age men in Russia are still hiding in fear of being sent to war.
Follow live updates on the war in Ukraine. And subscribe to The Post’s new morning news podcast, “The 7,” on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.
There’s a big, contentious question at the heart of this year’s COP27, the U.N. climate change conference: Should richer countries foot the bill when it comes to climate disasters?
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Thousands of government officials from all over the world have gathered in Egypt for the 27th annual U.N. climate change conference, which started this week. Amid a backdrop of protests — on climate change and the Egyptian government’s spotty human rights record — the focus is on the commitments each country made at last year's conference to curb their emissions.
But there’s another debate brewing. Developing nations — the most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change — want financial support as they deal with the fallout. And they’re looking to wealthier nations, which have disproportionately emitted carbon into the atmosphere. Climate reporter Sarah Kaplan joins us to discuss how a potential “loss and damages” fund would work, and where we are on a changing global climate.
Today on Post Reports, we dig into the election results in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans sailed to victory this week. What does their win mean for the party nationally, and for Florida’s long-standing “swing-state” status?
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On a night when Republicans across the country did worse than many had predicted, Gov. Ron DeSantis won in a landslide in Florida. Once a swing state that both parties fought to win in presidential elections, Florida has increasingly become a bastion of Republican politics because of changing demographics and strong campaigns by GOP candidates. National reporter Tim Craig joins us to explain Florida’s rightward shift, and how the state could leave its mark on the modern Republican Party.
Democrats outperformed expectations in Tuesday’s midterms, but Republicans still look likely to take back the House. We talk to reporters covering Congress and the White House about what to make of the results we have so far, and what to look for next.
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Control of both chambers of Congress remained undecided Wednesday morning after Democrats showed surprising strength in key battleground races on Election Day.
On “Post Reports,” we’re joined by White House reporter Tyler Pager and Liz Goodwin, who covers Congress for The Post. They talk about the key issues in this race — including democracy and abortion access, which voters supported even in heavily Republican states.
In the Senate, races remained uncalled in Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. Democrat John Fetterman won the Senate race in Pennsylvania, defeating Republican Mehmet Oz, who conceded on Wednesday. That was a pickup for Democrats. Republicans prevailed in Ohio and North Carolina, fending off efforts to flip those seats. Democrats retained seats representing New Hampshire, Colorado and Washington state.
It’s Election Day in America. Record-breaking voter turnout is expected, and the results could change the nation’s political landscape. Today, we look at Gen Z and how today’s election is about more than politics; it’s about shaping the future.
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Voters are finally casting their ballots in the midterm elections. In battleground states across the country, long-awaited contentious races are coming to a head as Washington prepares for a potential shift in power.
Today, eyes are turned to Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012. Gen Z is known to be outspoken and politically active — they have grown up surrounded by mass shootings, the climate crisis and threats to LGBTQ and abortion rights. Now, they’re heading to the midterm election booths. But will they vote in numbers big enough to make a difference?
Today on “Post Reports,” a roundtable discussion with three Post political reporters — Matt Brown, Carmella Boykin and Mariana Alfaro — on how Gen Z is expected to vote and what a future of Gen Z candidates could mean for the American political landscape.
You can find all of The Post’s midterm coverage here, including when your local polls close, tracking where abortion access hangs in the balance and when we can expect election results.
Elon Musk has made his mark on Twitter, but after he laid off thousands of employees, some are warning that the social network is ill-prepared to combat misinformation on Election Day.
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For many of us here in the U.S., today marks the end of Daylight Saving Time - the day when we “fall back” an hour to Standard Time. But changing the clocks is divisive - and in Congress there’s even a stalled effort to stop it.
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Earlier this year, our colleague health reporter Dan Diamond took a break from covering covid to report on something a bit sunnier: the push in Congress to stay on Daylight Saving Time forever.
We aired an episode in March about it on Post Reports, and today, we have an update about that legislative effort. We’re re-airing that original episode, along with the latest news about Daylight Saving Time - and why we may be stuck changing our clocks, at least for now.
Also check out our map on how permanent daylight saving time would change sunrise and sunset times.
Today on Post Reports, we look at how voting is going across the country, what to expect on Tuesday, and what the results of the midterm election could mean for how future elections are run.
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We have spent a lot of time this week talking about the midterm election and which party is likely to gain control of the House and Senate next year. But the results of the election could also change how future elections are run.
That’s because a majority of Republican nominees on the ballot for the House, Senate and key statewide offices that oversee elections — 291 in all — have denied or questioned the outcome of the 2020 election, according to a Washington Post analysis.
And if some of these election deniers win their races, they’ll have the opportunity to oversee local and statewide elections — which voting reporter Amy Gardner says could have huge consequences for American democracy:
“Where we are in our democracy is that we trust our elections unless our candidate loses. And that is not a winning model for enduring democracy.”
Today on “Post Reports,” a conversation with Anthony Fauci. The prominent U.S. infectious-disease doctor is stepping down from the government next month, and he reflects on viruses, vaccines and getting Americans to believe in science again.
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After more than half a century in the government, Anthony Fauci plans to step down next month.
Fauci’s tenure as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases put him on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic, the Ebola crisis, Zika and, of course, the coronavirus pandemic. He’s advised seven presidents. And we wanted to know what Fauci is thinking about as he prepares to leave his job.
We talk about the coronavirus, but also the other viruses that are spreading in the United States and around the world. And we talk about hope, and how to get Americans to believe in science again.
When a man entered Nancy Pelosi’s home in San Francisco last week and attacked her husband, the act was documented on cameras viewable by Capitol Police. What the delayed response exposes about limits in protecting lawmakers.
A Washington Post investigation found that while Capitol Police in Washington were tasked with monitoring live feeds of more than 1,500 cameras placed around the Capitol Complex and beyond, they had the best chance to stop what could have been a deadly attack at Nancy Pelosi’s home. The delayed response is opening up bigger questions about the weaknesses and limitations in protecting lawmakers as they face even more threats. Investigative reporter Aaron Davis explains how Capitol Police have handled Pelosi’s case and weighs whether the law enforcement agency is equipped for this contentious moment.
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A Post exclusive on how Capitol Police cameras caught the break-in at Pelosi’s home, but no one was watching.
Post Reports examines how extreme rhetoric targeted toward members of Congress has been escalating lately, and is fueling even more threats on elected officials, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).
Every minute of your morning counts. Host Jeff Pierre takes you through the seven most important and interesting stories of the day, with the reporting and insight of The Washington Post. Get caught up in just a few minutes every weekday at 7 a.m. Launches Nov. 14.
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
In a campaign season filled with critical races, Republican Kari Lake’s bid to be the next governor of Arizona stands out. Reporter Ruby Cramer joins us to discuss Lake’s candidacy, and why some think she represents the future of the GOP.
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The war in Ukraine may be thousands of miles away from Ohio. But because of the state’s large Ukrainian population, the war could determine who wins the state’s open Senate seat: isolationist Republican J.D. Vance or Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan.
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Republican J.D. Vance and Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan are in a tight race over an open Senate seat in Ohio, a state Donald Trump carried in 2020. While both candidates have talked plenty about domestic matters, there is one issue that could swing the race: what America’s role in the war in Ukraine should be.
Ohio has a large population of people descended from Eastern Europe. One small city — Parma — is home to the largest community of Ukrainian Americans in the state. While these voters often support conservatives, Vance’s opposition to providing more aid to Ukraine in the war with Russia has caused many of them to reconsider.
Reporter Cara McGoogan joins us on “Post Reports” to discuss what she learned when she spoke to voters in Ohio.
Today on “Post Reports,” why RSV — respiratory syncytial virus — is overwhelming children’s hospitals, and what parents can do to keep their children safe.
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Children’s hospitals are under strain as they care for unusually high numbers of kids infected with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. RSV, a common cause of cold-like symptoms, started surging in late summer, months before its typical season. This surge in RSV comes as the flu is sending a record number of people to the hospital this early in the season, along with continued covid-19 cases. Health reporter Fenit Nirappil on how RSV is affecting children across the country, and what parents should look out for as we move into winter virus season.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about mortgage rates, which are the highest they’ve been in two decades – what that means for the housing market, and why it could make housing costs even higher for renters and buyers alike – at least in the short term.
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Mortgage rates topped 7 percent this week, the highest level in 20 years — and the latest sign that the Federal Reserve’s aggressive moves to slow the broader economy are hitting the housing market hard already. Fed reporter Rachel Siegel breaks down what this means with our guest host, national security reporter Shane Harris.
Rishi Sunak is Britain’s new prime minister – the third one in two months. He’s also the first person of color to lead the country. But will he really be a departure from his predecessors?
Read foreign affairs columnist thoughts on Britain having its first leader of South Asian descent.
What data from the “nation’s report card” shows about how students progressed during the pandemic — and why people like Education Secretary Miguel Cardona are calling the results “appalling and unacceptable.”
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This week the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the “nation’s report card,” was released for the first time since 2019. Widely considered to be the most comprehensive look at how students are progressing academically, it showed that during the pandemic students across the country fell behind dramatically in math and reading. Education reporter Laura Meckler reports on what the data means and what educators and parents can do to counteract the learning loss.
Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz are in a tight Senate race in purple Pennsylvania. The stakes are high as the nation waits to see if Democrats can flip this seat.
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On Nov. 8, Pennsylvanians will vote for their next senator – Republican Mehmet Oz, the TV personality, or Democrat John Fetterman, the state’s Lieutenant Governor.
Many believe that this seat is the best chance for Democrats to maintain a majority in the Senate. So what do we know about Senate hopeful John Fetterman? Who is the man behind the social media campaigns and the stroke survival story?
Only 2 percent of sperm donors in the United States are Black. This, in turn, leaves many aspiring Black parents with an agonizing choice: choose a donor of another race or try to buy sperm from unregulated apps and online groups.
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Post reporter Amber Ferguson has spent months reporting on why so few Black men donate sperm. She found that the reasons for the shortage are myriad: failure of sperm banks to recruit Black donors; a selection process that demands a three-generation medical history and excludes donors with felony convictions; mistrust of the medical profession by Black men because of a legacy of historical discrimination. The result is a severe shortage, and intense competition for Black men’s sperm.
“If it's a White woman, she could just so easily get a sperm donor,” Ferguson says. “And if it doesn't work, she can get another one. She can get another one. For a Black woman, if she is lucky enough to find a Black donor, it's really maybe one of her only chances.”
For Black gay men who want to donate sperm, there are even more restrictions.
Today on “Post Reports,” why White people in the U.S. are now more likely to die of covid than Black Americans.
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The imbalance in death rates among the nation’s racial and ethnic groups has been a defining part of the pandemic since the start. Early in the crisis, Black people died at higher rates than White people. But at the end of last year, the racial disparity in covid deaths vanished. Now, White people are more likely to die of covid than Black people. Reporter Akilah Johnson breaks down the complex, historic forces that brought us here and what this means for the future.
And, you may have heard the news about the resignation of United Kingdom Prime Minister Liz Truss. Truss lasted 44 days, making her the nation’s shortest-serving prime minister in 300 years. Our colleagues in London are bringing you the latest news of what could happen next - and you can find their reporting on washingtonpost.com.
We also had an episode earlier this month about the eroding faith in the new prime minister – it’s called “In Truss, the UK doesn’t trust.” It’s a great explainer of who she is and how her proposals weakened the country’s already struggling economy. You can listen to it here.
Georgia, the state that was key to the Democrats taking control of Washington in 2020, could now be responsible for giving some of that power back to Republicans.
In a contentious Senate race, former NFL star Herschel Walker (R) is taking on the Democratic incumbent, Raphael Warnock. Walker, however, is plagued with controversy that’s making it hard for Republicans to throw their support behind him.
A rematch for governor pits incumbent Brian Kemp (R) against his 2018 challenger, Stacey Abrams (D). Abrams’s camp hopes her work to expand ballot access will be enough to get her to victory this time, but Kemp’s incumbent status is giving him the edge.
Democracy reporter Matt Brown explains the state of play in Georgia right now, just as the state has already smashed early-voting records.
Correction: A previous version of this episode mistakenly said Stacey Abrams lost the race for Georgia governor in 2020. She lost that race in 2018.
A new Washington Post investigation has uncovered the fact that hundreds of veterans have taken lucrative foreign jobs — often for countries with known human rights abuses. U.S. officials approved these contracts — but fought to keep them secret.
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The Post found more than 500 retired members of the military – from helicopter mechanics to high-ranking generals – have cashed in on work with foreign governments since 2015, sharing military expertise and political clout.
Many worked for countries with known human rights abuses and political repression, but the U.S. military approved these contracts anyway. The activity lacks transparency or congressional oversight, and largely remains out of public view.
Those seeking foreign work must first obtain approval from their branch of the armed forces and the State Department. The Post found these requests are largely rubber-stamped: Of more than 500 submitted since 2015, about 95 percent were granted. For military retirees who do this work without seeking approval, few penalties exist.
Correction: A previous version of this episode mistakenly said Keith Alexander was the first head of the U.S. Cybersecurity Command. The correct name is the U.S. Cyber Command.
Today, hearing aids are finally available over the counter. What this means for accessibility and first-time buyers. Plus, a test of the Earth’s planetary defense.
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For the hard of hearing, it feels like the Food and Drug Administration is finally listening. On Monday, the FDA is allowing hearing aids to be sold over the counter for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. This means you no longer need a prescription or custom fitting to get a hearing aid. Experts have called it a game changer that is expected to make hearing aids more affordable and accessible for millions of people.
Disability reporter Amanda Morris walks us through different types of hearing loss, the range of hearing aids available for consumers, and what this might mean for accessibility for the hard of hearing.
Plus, some good news about our planetary defense system: NASA successfully altered the course of an asteroid, a technique that might someday stop an asteroid from crashing into Earth.
After Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered child abuse investigations of the parents of transgender children, Morgan Davis – a trans man with Child Protective Services in Austin – was assigned two cases. They didn’t go as planned.
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Morgan Davis used to believe that his workplace – the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services – had a noble mission: to remove children from abusive situations.
But when he was asked to comply with a new mandate from Gov. Greg Abbott – one that required his office to “conduct a prompt and thorough investigation” of families with transgender children – that changed.
As a trans man with the support of his small team, he thought he could comfort the flagged families and close investigations quickly. “I was told that I would go into the home, I would assess it, I would come out, and we would be done.”
But that’s not what happened. Casey Parks reports.
This spring, Howard Schultz returned as Starbucks CEO to stop a rapidly growing unionizing effort. Today, what happens when an anti-union leader comes up against one of the fastest growing union efforts in the country.
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With more than 225 stores voting to unionize since last fall, the Starbucks unionization effort has been seen as a beacon of hope for the labor movement. But despite his track record of providing workers with substantial benefits, Starbucks's founder and current CEO, Howard Schultz, sees the movement as a personal threat to his life's work. Reporter Greg Jaffe spent time with Schultz to try to understand his beliefs on unionizing, and what the future of the labor movement could be now that it has such a powerful adversary in Schultz.
The balance of power in Washington could come down to one or two states. In recent weeks, Republicans have set their sights on Nevada as their Senate candidates in other states, such as New Hampshire and Georgia, have stumbled.
It’s an uphill climb for Republicans, who haven’t won a Senate race in Nevada in a decade. They see inroads with Latino voters and workers in the tourism and hospitality industries who were hurt by Democratic policies during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. But Democrats say they’re holding the line with a brigade of union workers and Nevadans who are frustrated with skyrocketing housing prices.
National politics reporter Hannah Knowles spent some time in Las Vegas tracking the race between the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, and hard-line conservative Adam Laxalt. She joined us on today’s “Post Reports” to tell us about what she learned from talking to voters in the Silver State.
Over the weekend, the rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) had antisemitic posts quickly taken down by Twitter and Instagram. Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about how content moderation could change if Elon Musk and GOP leaders have their way.
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Over the weekend, the rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) posted antisemitic messages on Twitter and Instagram. They were quickly taken down, and his accounts were restricted. But as Will Oremus reports, there’s a conservative-led movement that could change how companies approach such decisions. Between a growing field of state laws that seek to restrict content moderation and Elon Musk’s determination to loosen Twitter’s policies, posts such as Ye’s could soon become more prevalent online.
A wave of Russian airstrikes rocked Kyiv on Monday morning, shattering months of calm and thrusting the city back into the center of the war. Today on “Post Reports,” we hear from our reporter on the ground in Ukraine’s capital.
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On Monday morning, Russian forces fired a series of airstrikes on major Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv. At least 11 people were killed and more than 80 were injured nationwide according to Ukraine’s national police department. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the attacks as punishment after Ukraine bombed the Crimean Bridge this past Saturday.
Russia’s strikes come after a relatively quiet summer in the Ukrainian capital. Missy Ryan, reporting on the ground in Kyiv, says the attack “brings home the fact that [the war] remains an incredibly volatile situation…and puts Kyiv back at the center of this escalating conflict.”
The Supreme Court of the United States reopened its doors to the public this week for the first time since March 2020. This new term brings new cases, a new justice and renewed questions about its legitimacy.
Supreme Court reporter Robert Barnes runs down the slate of cases that will be heard this term and offers his insights about how Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and the associate justices handled public disapproval during the summer recess.
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Supreme Court debates Alabama’s refusal of second Black voting district
Supreme Court will allow public at arguments, continue live audio
A tax policy by the new administration in Britain sent the price of the pound plummeting and the global economy spiraling. Today on “Post Reports,” we explain why it caused such turmoil, and what else to expect from Prime Minister Liz Truss.
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Prime Minister Liz Truss has been in office for only about a month, but already her proposals have weakened the struggling British economy and worsened her party’s support. Most notably, her administration proposed removing income tax for the most wealthy earners in Britain— a move that she quickly reversed after it was met with anger from the public and politicians alike. London correspondent Karla Adam explains Truss’s political ideologies and how these decisions could lead to a political power shake-up in the U.K.
Iranian authorities are cracking down on protests inspired by the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman arrested for improperly wearing the hijab. But that hasn’t stopped demonstrators. Reporter Miram Berger explains what’s different about this moment.
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Read about how a viral song became an anthem for protesters in Iran.
Tactics of repression: How Iran is trying to stop Mahsa Amini protests
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about a damning new report on systemic abuse in women’s soccer.
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Sports columnist Sally Jenkins said that abuse within women’s sports has been a long-standing problem, but it’s only recently that there’s been a public reckoning about it.
“These are some of our top athletes in the country, and nobody did anything. They treated the women like they were the problem,” Jenkins said. “The systemic issue is men in suits at the top of these organizations who do not take complaints from athletes seriously.”
Jenkins joined “Post Reports” to explain how deep and far-reaching abuse is within not just soccer, but many other Olympic sports as well, and why the culture of abuse has gone on for so long.
For months, Republican leaders have been escalating a campaign against President Biden’s border security policies by transporting migrants from their states to Democratic-led areas, without providing a plan for what happens when they arrive.
In a high-profile case in September, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew dozens of asylum seekers from Texas up to Martha’s Vineyard, a Massachusetts island. It prompted a legal backlash that alleged the plan was “fraudulent and discriminatory.”
Beyond Martha’s Vineyard, thousands of migrants have been transported in a similar manner from Arizona and Texas to Washington, D.C., and other Democratic-majority cities. And those liberal areas are now struggling to accommodate them. In today’s episode, we hear from several people about their experience, as well as from reporter Antonio Olivo about what’s behind these broader actions.
Today on “Post Reports,” a show about how our bodies have changed during the pandemic. We hear from our listeners about how their bodies have surprised, delighted and worried them after these past few years.
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Here on the “Post Reports” team, we’ve been thinking a lot about…our bodies. Specifically, how they’ve changed over these past two years, as we’ve gone through lockdowns, isolation and return-to-work. We reached out to our listeners to hear how their bodies have evolved over the course of the pandemic and got lots of fascinating stories, of both big and small evolutions. Today on the show, stories from our listeners and our newsroom, on everything from getting a lung transplant to growing out an afro.
Plus, we talk with Well+Being editor Tara Parker-Pope about how to understand the changes we’ve gone through — and what the pandemic can teach us about caring for our communities.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about Ian’s historic destruction in Florida, and why the story of this storm has only just begun.
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Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday in southwestern Florida as one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the United States. Millions of people are without power, and the full extent of the destruction may not be clear for days.
We hear from Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Brittany Shammas, and Brady Dennis about what we know so far about the damage from Hurricane Ian. And why Florida is more vulnerable than ever to these storms, given its growing population and the effects of climate change.
Maps show how millions of people have moved into Hurricane Ian’s path.
Black men who have sex with men are contracting monkeypox at a higher rate than any other group in the United States. But they are among the least likely to be vaccinated. Today, the creative outreach to get at-risk groups vaccinated against monkeypox.
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Monkeypox cases might be going down, but there are still at-risk groups. While Black gay men are more likely to get monkeypox than other demographic groups, they’re also less likely to be vaccinated. Johnny Wilson, an employee with a county health department in North Carolina and a Black gay man himself, tried to address this disparity by providing monkeypox vaccines at nightclubs. Reporter Fenit Nirappil on how representation makes a difference when trying to close vaccine gaps.
Conservative Giorgia Meloni is Italy's presumed next prime minister. Who is she? And what do the results of Italy’s historic election mean for the strength of the far-right movement in Europe?
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This week Italian voters sided with the far-right party Fratelli d’Italia, also known as the Brothers of Italy. The election results could also mean the country gets its first female prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.
On today’s “Post Reports,” Rome bureau chief Chico Harlan dives into Meloni’s history, how she rose to prominence in Italian politics and her party’s proposals — including stricter limits on migration. And though the Brothers of Italy may not stay in control for long, Harlan says that in Europe the “signs to suggest that momentum has returned for nationalist parties” are piling up.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about how Black coaches have been excluded from the NFL’s top jobs, despite years of attention on this issue – and why the problem is actually getting worse.
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Since 1989, only 25 head coaches in the National Football League have been Black, and in the more than a century long history of the NFL only 26 Black men have held the title.
Despite 60 percent of the league’s players being Black, an investigation by The Washington Post found that the NFL’s hiring and firing practices still disadvantage Black coaches at every turn.
Sports enterprise reporter Michael Lee and sports columnist Jerry Brewer join us today to discuss their reporting about how the NFL sidelines Black coaches.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is doubling down in Ukraine – holding staged referendums in occupied territories and drafting men to the war. Today on “Post Reports,” we’ll talk about how Russians are reacting to the dramatic escalation.
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This week in Ukraine, Moscow began staging referendums in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and drafted hundreds of thousands of Russian men to join the war effort. The escalation sparked protests, arrests and sold-out flights as some Russians – who had tried for months to ignore the war – suddenly found their lives thrown into chaos as they were summoned to duty.
With the announcement of a military mobilization in Russia came a veiled threat: that Russia would use nuclear weapons, if necessary. The Biden administration has been sending messages to Moscow about the grave consequences that would follow, according to U.S. officials.
The death of Mahsa Amini is igniting protests across Iran — and it’s drawing global attention to Iranians’ anger and frustration with their ultra-conservative leaders.
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Earlier this month, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was detained by the so-called morality police in Tehran for violating Iran’s law on headscarves and died several days later. In the days since, protesters have flooded the streets in cities across Iran. Many have been burning hijabs, symbolizing their frustration with the Islamic republic’s restrictive rules and oppressive treatment of women.
None of this comes without aggressive pushback from the Iranian government, however — including restricted internet access and cell service, police beatings of protesters, and enormous deployment of security forces.
Foreign affairs reporter Miriam Berger explains the significance of these protests and what could happen next.
How a pandemic food program was used to allegedly defraud the government of $250 million.
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This week, the federal government indicted 47 people connected to the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future in the largest known pandemic fraud scheme. The nonprofit claimed to be giving meals to thousands of kids who needed them. Instead, the Justice Department said, they were using bribes and shell companies to falsify information, and in some cases used the federal money they got to buy real estate, luxury cars and jewelry.
Congressional economic policy reporter Tony Romm reports on how the complex scheme was pulled off and what it reveals about how the government was spending relief money during the pandemic.
Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico five years ago. Recovery in many ways had just begun when Fiona hit the island. Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to Arelis R. Hernández about why the recovery has been stymied, and how another storm could complicate it further.
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Hurricane Maria cleaved Puerto Rican memory. There was one kind of life before the storm, and an entirely different life that emerged in its wake.
Before the storm, the Caribbean island archipelago was teetering economically and unraveling politically. In the five years since, there have been ongoing blackouts, protests, earthquakes and a global pandemic. Puerto Ricans have moved from powerlessness to precarity.
As the anniversary approached, The Washington Post went back to visit those who opened up their homes then, to show us their lives now. Hurricane Fiona — which hit Puerto Rico on Sunday, destroying homes, roads and bridges — was still days away. But even before that, much of the post-Maria recovery work had just begun. Arelis R. Hernández reports.
Read the latest live updates on Hurricane Fiona here.
You can also listen to an Opinion piece from Lin-Manuel Miranda and his father about how to get Puerto Rico help now. Miranda is the creator of “Hamilton” and “In The Heights,” and his father, Luis A. Miranda Jr., is a philanthropist and political strategist.
On today’s show, we take you to London for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. Plus, the colonial legacy and potential future of the monarchy without her leadership.
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The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, was laid in the royal vault at Windsor Castle on Monday. The funeral procession marks the end of 10 days of national mourning.
London correspondent Karla Adam describes how thousands of people camped near Westminster Abbey to watch the funeral procession. “There were sleeping bags. A lot of people brought toys or games or chess sets just to pass the time because they’ve been camping out for a day or two,” she said, while others watched from big screens across the city.
The queen’s passing has been marked around the world with tributes from world leaders and around-the-clock media coverage. But as foreign affairs columnist Ishaan Tharoor shares later in the show, it also sparked criticism of the monarchy’s past and debates about the relevancy of the institution.
“It's important to look at the queen in her own right as opposed to the queen as this icon of the empire,” Tharoor says. “It is also very hard to separate that, because what is the queen without being an icon of empire?”
Follow The Post’s live coverage of the funeral here.
For 780 Afghan evacuees stuck at a beachside resort in Albania, the future is unclear. They might never make it to the U.S. All because they took the wrong plane out of Afghanistan.
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The Afghans living at the Rafaelo Resort were evacuated from Afghanistan by nonprofits and organizations that expected Albania would be a stopover — a temporary landing pad as evacuees were processed for permanent resettlement in the United States. The Biden administration, which faced intense criticism for the way it ended the U.S. war in Afghanistan and failed to evacuate many of its Afghan allies, says it never promised to provide refuge for everyone.
This year-long bureaucratic mess is only now moving toward a resolution — for some. In the meantime, day-to-day life at tThe Rafaelo has become the strangest of limbos, as senior producer Ted Muldoon reports with national security reporter Abigail Hauslohner. Surrounded by tourists on the sun-drenched coast of the Adriatic Sea, they are profoundly grateful but , and also frustrated that they can’t yet start building a new life.
“People told us about just the monotony of the same thing over and over again,” said Hauslohner, “and the uncertainty about the future kind of destroys you.”
More than 100,000 railroad workers were ready to strike this week in the name of more sick days. Plus, what happens when a man with a pistol shows up outside the home of a congresswoman.
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When 115,000 unionized railroad workers made it clear there would be a strike if freight companies didn’t give them sick days, President Biden made some calls.
After hours of negotiations, the strike was likely averted, but the high-stakes freight rail drama could heat up again soon. Labor reporter Lauren Kaori Gurley takes us behind the scenes of the Biden administration’s last-ditch efforts to avoid an economic crisis.
Also, during a Saturday night in July, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) called 911 multiple times after an encounter with two men outside her Seattle home.
National political enterprise reporter Ruby Cramer discusses how extreme rhetoric targeted toward members of Congress has escalated lately, and the impact of these threats on elected officials.
On today’s show, what you need to know about the updated booster shots and why they matter amid growing pandemic fatigue. Plus, new research on the science of sitting and the pitfalls of being an “active couch potato.”
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The new coronavirus vaccine boosters are now widely available in the United States, but the updated shots are rolling out amid widespread pandemic fatigue.
Federal health officials say that these updated vaccines could help buffer communities against future surges of the virus. Earlier this month, officials announced plans of turning coronavirus shots into an annual dose, similar to the flu shot.
Today on Post Reports, health reporter Lena H. Sun, who’s followed the coronavirus pandemic from the beginning, answers some of the most pressing questions about the omicron-targeted boosters.
Plus, The Washington Post’s newest wellness columnist, Gretchen Reynolds, on why exercising the recommended 30 minutes a day might not be enough if you are an “active couch potato.”
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol still has some unfinished business. Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) joins us to discuss what’s left. Also, the significance of Sheryl Lee Ralph’s first Emmy.
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Over the summer, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol dominated the news cycle by unearthing revelatory evidence that illuminated the connection between allies of former president Donald Trump and the violence that took place.
Yet, at the same time primary voters across the country elected nearly 200 candidates who also touted Trump’s baseless claim that he won the 2020 election.
Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.), a committee member, joins us today to discuss what to expect from the committee in the fall and whether its work has had an impact on the strength of election denialism among the public.
Then, pop culture reporter Sonia Rao joins the show to discuss a moment that stunned the Emmy Awards audience: Sheryl Lee Ralph’s acceptance speech. Rao breaks down why Ralph’s first Emmy is a cultural milestone, and what it meant when she belted out “I am an endangered species” on stage.
Today, what the sudden retreat of Russian forces in key areas of Ukraine means for the future of the war. Plus, how one Ukrainian mayor is holding onto his city in wartime.
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Over the weekend, Russian soldiers fled their encampments in Zaliznychne, Ukraine. As Ukrainian soldiers poured into the area, Russians dropped their weapons, leaving rifles behind.
The flight of Russians from the village marks a new reality that took the world by surprise; Russian invaders are on the run after invading Ukraine in February. The apparent collapse of Russian forces has caused shock waves in Moscow, while the evidence of Ukrainian gains continues to emerge. Reporter Steve Hendrix on what this means for the future of the war in Ukraine.
As the Ukrainians continue to fight back on the ground, one local politician is doing everything he can to keep his community together. Mykola Khanatov is the mayor of Popasna, a city occupied by Russian forces. Reporter Dalton Bennett documents Khanatov’s commitment to his town during wartime.
In the run up to the midterms, no issue has upended the battle for control over Congress and statehouses as abruptly as abortion. Could it slow down — or stop — the anticipated red wave?
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The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June has shifted the midterm landscape. Many had previously anticipated a Republican wave in November, but that advantage could be eroded by voters concerned over the rollback of abortion protections around the country.
Since this summer, Democrats have overperformed in special elections, and voters showed up in droves to reject a ballot measure aimed at restricting abortion in deeply conservative Kansas. While Democratic candidates are highlighting the antiabortion views of their opponents, Republican candidates are moderating their stances on websites and campaign trails.
Campaign reporter Hannah Knowles traveled to Pennsylvania to speak with voters there about how their views on abortion will impact their voting behavior on Election Day.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II, and how her reign over Britain shaped the world for 70 years.
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Queen Elizabeth II is dead. She passed away peacefully on Thursday afternoon at the age of 96, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. She was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and held the throne for 70 years.
The world had been bracing for her passing for some time. “Operation London Bridge” even maps out what happens next, the when and the how. Her son now takes over as King Charles III.
Despite the preparations, Brits are still in shock. For many, Queen Elizabeth was all they knew, a constant amid big cultural shifts and geopolitical changes, nationally and globally.
She became queen at a time when British colonial rule was imploding. She ushered in a new era of the Commonwealth. Tabloids and television zeroed in on her marriage and family life, but she still somehow remained private.
Adrian Higgins reported for The Washington Post for years, covering the royal family. He joins “Post Reports” to look back on the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, and how her death calls into question the future of a monarchy that dates back to the 10th century.
How the water crisis in Jackson, Miss., reached its tipping point. Plus, one Peruvian farmer’s fight for climate justice.
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The capital city of Jackson, Miss., has been without drinkable tap water since late July. But this isn’t the first time there’s been a water crisis in the majority-Black town.
“I think what's really been lost is that there was a crisis in Jackson long before,” reporter Emmanuel Felton says, “And what had been going on for years was really almost constant boil water notifications.”
Residents say sewage is spilling into backyards and people are getting rashes and lumps from the water. “It’s horrible, it’s horrible, everything is horrible,” resident Tammie Williams says. “And it’s it’s a disaster, really, you know? Disaster.”
Today on Post Reports, Felton explains how the water crisis in Jackson got so dire, and whether there’s any end in sight.
Plus, we bring you to the mountains of Peru, where one farmer is trying to save his city from drowning by suing one of the biggest carbon emitters in the world. The case could set a precedent for holding polluters accountable for harming the planet. Reporter Sarah Kaplan has more.
The latest in the Justice Department’s investigation into Donald Trump. And the students who survived the mass shooting in Uvalde, Tex., return to school for the first time.
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On Monday, a federal district judge pumped the brakes on the Justice Department’s investigation into the material seized from former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property. The judge granted Trump’s request to appoint a special master to review the documents. Rosalind Helderman, a political enterprise reporter for The Post, walks us through what this news means for the Justice Department and what we can expect next in this investigation.
After much delay and postponement, students at Robb Elementary School are finally returning to school in Uvalde, Tex., this week. In May, a gunman entered the school and killed 19 fourth-graders and two teachers. Questions over safety, security and adequate student support have divided this small community and broken trust with the school district and law enforcement. Today, Arelis Hernández brings us the story of families struggling with these difficult back-to-school decisions as they try to recover from the unimaginable.
In the fourth episode of the “Broken Doors” podcast, we explore the minutes between approval for a no-knock warrant and a deadly raid.
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All this week on “Post Reports,” we’re airing episodes of the “Broken Doors” podcast, an investigative series about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the American justice system — and the consequences for communities when accountability is flawed at every level. Hosted by Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca.
The fourth episode of this series is called “The blink of an eye.” In this episode, we head to Port Allen, La.
On July 25, 2019, a Black man was killed during a no-knock raid on a motel room in Louisiana. His fiancee was also inside. An investigation into what led up to the fatal shooting reveals the speed with which it happened — and raises questions about electronic warrants, a relatively new technology being adopted by law enforcement agencies across the country.
For any updates to the series since the podcast aired earlier this year, check out Monday’s Post Reports episode, “No-knock warrants, revisited.”
In the third episode of the “Broken Doors” podcast, we come face to face with a sheriff and a judge.
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All this week on “Post Reports,” we’re airing episodes of the “Broken Doors” podcast, an investigative series about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the American justice system — and the consequences for communities when accountability is flawed at every level. Hosted by Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca.
The third episode of this series is called “‘You’re interrogating me.’” In this episode, we return to a rural county in Mississippi.
After hearing from survivors of no-knock raids and learning about the deadly consequences, we put our questions directly to the sheriff and the judge who had allowed these raids in Monroe County. People in the community still live in fear as Ricky Keeton’s family continues their battle for justice.
For any updates to the series since the podcast aired earlier this year, check out Monday’s Post Reports episode, “No-knock warrants, revisited.”
In the second episode of the “Broken Doors” podcast, a family confronts a sheriff after a deadly no-knock raid.
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All this week on “Post Reports,” we’re airing episodes of the “Broken Doors” podcast, an investigative series about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the American justice system — and the consequences for communities when accountability is flawed at every level. Hosted by Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca.
The second episode of this series is called “‘Why y’all had to go in that way?’” In Episode 2, we return to a rural county in Mississippi.
Around 1 a.m. on Oct. 28, 2015, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office hurled a battering ram into the home of Ricky Keeton to carry out a no-knock search warrant. After the raid turned deadly, Ricky’s family confronted the sheriff — and began secretly recording.
For any updates to the series since the podcast aired earlier this year, check out Monday’s Post Reports episode, “No-knock warrants, revisited.”
An unusual warrant. A pattern of questionable no-knock raids. A reporting thread that just kept going. “Broken Doors” is an investigative podcast series from The Washington Post, hosted by Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca.
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No-knock warrants allow police to force their way into people’s homes without warning. What happens when this aggressive police tactic becomes the rule, rather than the exception?
All this week on “Post Reports,” we’re airing episodes of the “Broken Doors” podcast, a six-part investigative series about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the American justice system — and the consequences for communities when accountability is flawed at every level. Hosted by Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca.
Today, we have the first episode of this series, called “‘That’s what you get.’”
In Monroe County, Miss., sheriff’s deputies burst through the front door of a man’s home as he slept. He said they pointed a gun at his head and ransacked his home in search of drugs and cash. The no-knock search warrant they used was threadbare. But that wasn’t the worst of it.
For any updates to the series since the podcast aired earlier this year, check out Monday’s Post Reports episode, “No-knock warrants, revisited.”
Today on “Post Reports,” we revisit the use of one of the most intrusive and dangerous tools in policing: no-knock warrants.
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Two years after the death of Breonna Taylor, the Justice Department announced federal charges against four officers involved in her death. At the time, officers had a no-knock warrant for the young Black woman’s apartment.
For Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, the Justice Department investigation represented a step toward justice for her daughter — but it was also a reminder of how much further police accountability has to go.
Since this spring, and the release of the “Broken Doors” podcast, activists, local government leaders and national law enforcement officials have continued to scrutinize the use of no-knock warrants by police. Today on “Post Reports,” investigative reporters and “Broken Doors” hosts Nicole Dungca and Jenn Abelson bring us updates from across the country, revisiting fatal no-knock cases and weighing in on what’s happened in Kentucky since Taylor’s death.
Today on “Post Reports,” Helena Andrews-Dyer on her new book, “The Mamas” and what it takes to be an authentic Black mother in a mostly White mom group.
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Washington Post culture writer Helena Andrews-Dyer talks about her latest book “The Mamas: What I Learned About Kids, Class and Race from Moms Not Like Me.”
The book is a memoir of Andrews-Dyer’s personal experience of what it was like to be the only Black woman in her neighborhood’s mom group. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to join at first.
“I think for me as a Black mother, immediately just instantly the image that comes up in your head is White women,” Andrews-Dyer said. “It's like strollers taking over the local cafe, going to baby yoga, baby music class in their yoga pants. It's just like all of these images and stereotypes pop into your head and you immediately think, as a Black woman and woman of color, ‘Oh, that's not for me.’”
But in some ways, Andrews-Dyer writes, “I needed this space as much as they did.” Andrews-Dyer is a middle-class, Black professional woman living in a rapidly gentrified neighborhood in Washington, D.C., with two little girls and a husband.
But she “had not seen a story about motherhood that looked like me. … And so I had to tell it.”
“The Mamas” was released by Crown Publishing this week.
President Biden’s new plan to cancel some student loan debt will impact millions of Americans. On today’s “Post Reports,” we learn how this program works, what it means for the economy and why some people are unhappy with this approach.
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Millions of Americans rely on the federal government to cover the cost of college. Soaring tuition costs, higher enrollment and changes to the federal lending system have all contributed to the $1.6 trillion in outstanding federal student debt.
This week, President Biden announced a plan to cancel up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt for many borrowers, and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.
National higher education reporter Danielle Douglas-Gabriel provides a walkthrough of who qualifies for the plan and the arguments for and against this massive debt forgiveness.
In the last days of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, a suicide bomber set off a blast at Kabul airport. It killed an estimated 170 Afghans and more than a dozen U.S. troops. Today, one year after the withdrawal, Pentagon reporter Dan Lamothe takes a closer look at the days leading up to that devastating blast and what happened in its aftermath.
From a Marine in a scout-sniper team, to the top military commander who planned and directed the operation, today’s episode shares the stories of the U.S. service members who lived through the violent evacuation process. Some of these never-before-heard accounts offer a different and more nuanced picture than the story the U.S. government tells.
On today’s “Post Reports,” how a car bombing in Moscow has become a flash point in the war in Ukraine, and what it could signal is coming next.
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On Saturday, Daria Dugina, the daughter of a far-right Russian nationalist, died in a car bombing in a Moscow suburb. Russia’s domestic security agency, the FSB, accused Ukraine of organizing the attack, which many think was intended for Dugina’s father, Alexander Dugin. Ukraine denied any involvement.
The killing has already created a new flash point, as Putin’s ally calls for “more than revenge” for his daughter’s killing and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns of a possible escalation in Russian attacks ahead of Ukraine’s independence day.
Reporter Mary Ilyushina explains what this bombing could mean for the future of the war in Ukraine.
Today on Post Reports, how government officials in Iran cut corners to expedite a yet-unproven vaccine developed by a company close to the supreme leader.
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Last year, as Iranian regulators considered endorsing a locally developed coronavirus vaccine, a top health official issued a warning, saying the test results were insufficient, and the vaccine’s approval could undermine efforts to contain the deadly spread of covid throughout Iran.
But the vaccine had influential backers – it was the highly touted project of a company called Barkat, part of a corporate empire close to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Business reporter Yeganeh Torbati reports that government officials cut corners to expedite the yet-unproven vaccine, even as the supreme leader barred the import of some Western-made vaccines, and imports of other vaccines encountered delays.
Today on “Post Reports,” the changing relationship between former president Donald Trump and media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and what it could mean for the future of American politics.
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Rupert Murdoch has swayed global politics through his media empire for decades. His relationship with former president Donald Trump was regarded as one of his strongest alliances, with Trump dominating the conservative media outlets Murdoch owns. But as media reporter Sarah Ellison explains, Trump and the Murdochs were aligned for mutual benefit – and that dynamic could be changing.
Correction: A previous version of this podcast mistakenly referred to 21st Century Fox instead of Fox Corporation. The Murdochs sold most of 21st Century Fox to Disney, and rebranded the assets they retained as Fox Corporation.
Today on Post Reports, how early mistakes by the Biden administration left gay and bisexual men facing the threat of an agonizing illness and the potential for broader circulation of monkeypox. Plus, an unintended consequence of overturning Roe.
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For two months, the Biden administration has been chased by headlines about its failure to order enough vaccine doses, speed treatments and make tests available to head off an outbreak that has grown from one case in Massachusetts on May 17 to more than 13,500 this week, overwhelmingly among gay and bisexual men. And 100 days after the outbreak was first detected in Europe, no country has more cases than the United States — with public health experts warning the virus is on the verge of becoming permanently entrenched here, Dan Diamond reports.
Plus, later in the show: Abortion bans and restrictions are complicating access to drugs that treat rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and even cancer. Reporter Katie Shepherd says it’s because these drugs could be used to induce abortions. For patients, doctors, and pharmacies, that’s meant confusion, fear and painful choices.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney’s crushing defeat in Wyoming’s Republican primary on Tuesday. Plus, Alaska experiments with a new way to vote.
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Rep. Liz Cheney’s loss on Tuesday night wasn’t really a surprise — not even to her. As vice chair of the congressional committee investigating Jan. 6, she’s carved a new reputation as a voice of anti-Trumpism within the Republican party. But her constituents have rejected it. Politics reporter Amber Phillips explains what Cheney’s future could look like from here.
And two years ago, Alaska adopted a new way of voting that seems to be gaining steam in other places across the country: ranking candidates. Experts say ranked-choice voting boosts the chances for candidates with a wider appeal. Phillips breaks down what this experimentation with a new voting system could mean.
Today on “Post Reports,” why school districts across the country are facing a critical teacher shortage this fall. Plus, we meet some of the covid “super-dodgers.”
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As back-to-school season gets into full swing, many schools across the United States are still scrambling to hire teachers.Education reporter Hannah Natanson has been speaking with educators and administrators about why we’ve run out of people who are willing to teach and what this will mean for students.
Then, meet the “super-dodgers” – the people who have never gotten covid-19. After an overwhelming response when she looked for sources, reporter Ellen McCarthy spoke to several people who have impressively avoided the coronavirus – or so they thought.
One year ago today, Kabul fell to the Taliban, ending two decades of war and U.S. occupation. Today on Post Reports, we take you to Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where a year of peace hasn’t healed old wounds or brought new opportunities.
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When the Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan last summer and U.S. forces began a chaotic exit, the world watched in horror as people flooded the airport in Kabul, desperate to escape Taliban rule.
But far from the capital city, in Helmand province, the news of Taliban victory was met with joy and relief. Helmand was home to some of the most gruesome fighting during the war, and people were ready for peace.
Kabul bureau chief Susannah George reports on what life is like there now. At schools, markets, courts and health clinics, a degree of normalcy has returned to daily life – but the year has exposed the depths of Afghanistan’s trauma and laid bare the shortcomings of the Taliban government.
The newly unsealed search warrant for Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home lists potential crimes, including violating the Espionage Act. The Washington Post reported Thursday that the FBI was also looking for classified documents about nuclear weapons.
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On Friday afternoon, a judge unsealed the search warrant for the FBI’s search on former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. The warrant revealed the FBI went there looking for evidence of crimes, including mishandling defense information and the destruction of records. The receipt of what the agents seized includes four sets of top-secret documents, and seven other sets of classified information.
But the day before, The Washington Post learned that classified documents related to nuclear weapons were among the items the FBI sought in the raid. Intelligence and national security reporter Shane Harris explains what type of information could be in these documents and why experts and the Justice Department are so concerned about it falling into the wrong hands.
Billionaire Peter Thiel was one of Facebook’s first investors. Now, more than a decade later, Thiel is investing in a slate of right-wing candidates in the midterms. Reporter Elizabeth Dwoskin explains Thiel’s rise.
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Elizabeth Dwoskin reports on how Peter Thiel went from Facebook investor to an architect of the new American right.
This week, Democrats had a surprise victory in the Senate, passing a $700 billion bill to fight climate change and lower health-care costs. This legislation is a big deal - but it’s not exactly what many Democrats were hoping for.
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The Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act on Sunday, and it’s expected to pass the House and become law. The landmark legislation contains climate measures, major changes to health care, tax hikes on corporations and dozens of other provisions. White House economics reporter Jeff Stein says that when the process started, “Democrats were hoping the bill would signal a New Deal-style era, where fundamental parts of the country’s economy and social fabric would change.” Those aspirations may not have been fulfilled, after compromises Democrats made to get the bill passed. But, Stein says, “it’s pretty much bigger than almost any other legislative efforts we’ve seen.” Stein breaks down what’s in the Inflation Reduction Act and how it could affect you as a consumer.
The legislation has a provision that would offer rebates to subsidize the installation of a little-known, energy-efficient solution for cooling homes: heat pumps. The two-way air conditioners keep spaces cool in hot months and warm in cold months – and they’re much better for the environment than using traditional energy sources.Innovations reporter Pranshu Verma fills us in on why heat pumps are worth our attention.
Today on Post Reports, why the FBI searched former president Donald Trump’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago, and what they’re looking for.
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On Monday, former president Donald Trump announced that his Palm Beach, Fla., home had been searched by the FBI. No former president has ever faced a search by federal investigators like this.
This is the next step in an investigation of whether Trump took classified documents with him when he left the White House. The National Archives retrieved 15 boxes of documents from Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.
Matt Zapotosky, an editor at The Post who formerly covered the Justice Department, explains what federal agents were looking for and the complex calculations behind the FBI’s search.
What we know about the often clandestine operation of how countries trade prisoners, and what that means for WNBA star Brittney Griner. And Jason Rezaian weighs the U.S. response to hostage-taking by hostile governments.
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With the sentencing of Brittney Griner last week, the clock started ticking on potential U.S. negotiations with Russia to secure the release of the WNBA star and another American, security consultant Paul Whelan. But how do prisoner swaps actually work? What are the considerations both countries have to weigh before agreeing? And what happens after a deal is made? Senior national security correspondent Karen DeYoung breaks down the ins and outs of prisoner swaps.
Also, Post Opinions writer Jason Rezaian – who was released as part of a prisoner swap after spending 544 days in an Iranian prison – talks about the growing problem of Americans being taken hostage by hostile governments and what to expect in the Griner case. “I'm asked often if I'm for or against these kinds of exchanges,” he said. “My answer is, that's not the right question. The right question is … ‘What are we doing to deter hostage-taking in the first place?’”
On today’s “Post Reports,” a conversation with author Angela Garbes about her new book, “Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change.”
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In 2020, author Angela Garbes found herself at home taking care of her two daughters, clinically depressed and unable to write. It was a time when people were told to stay home, unless you were an essential worker.
“But I remember sitting there being like, ‘What about me?’ ” Garbes told “Post Reports” editor Lexie Diao. “What about parents? What about mothers? Like, what we are doing is nothing less than essential. … The pandemic has exposed that without care, we’re lost.”
Garbes’s new book is called “Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change.” The book examines the history of caregiving in America through the lens of the author’s own Filipinx identity, and makes the case that caregiving is an undervalued and overlooked labor that disproportionately relies on women of color.
What’s to blame for a summer of flight disruptions. And the legacy of pioneering “Star Trek” actress Nichelle Nichols.
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This summer has been filled with air travel issues: canceled flights, lost baggage, long lines. There’s been a lot of finger-pointing from airlines, at weather issues and short-staffed air traffic controllers, but federal data suggests the airlines themselves are to blame for many of the disruptions. Transportation correspondent Lori Aratani explains why airlines are still struggling to handle the demand for travel, and how to plan ahead when traveling.
Nichelle Nichols, the actress best known for her role as Lt. Uhura in “Star Trek,” died last weekend at 89. David Betancourt discusses the road she paved for Black women in entertainment and the impact she had on the entire science fiction genre.
Today on “Post Reports,” we take you to a conservative-leaning steel town in Illinois grappling with its new role as home to the closest abortion clinics for many patients in the South and Midwest post-Roe.
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Granite City is a conservative-leaning community in Southern Illinois that’s seen layoffs at the local steel mill and had dozens of businesses close in recent years. But the city is now becoming known for something else: abortion. It’s home to the closest abortion clinics for many out-of-state patients across the South and Midwest who can no longer access the procedure where they live because of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe. v Wade.
Granite City’s geography – it sits at the bottom of a blue state, surrounded by a sea of red states with abortion bans – means as many as 14,000 people are expected to come here for an abortion in the next year.
That influx of abortion patients could infuse much-needed cash into the city. But some in Granite City are not comfortable hitching their economic fortunes to abortion.
Abortion reporter Caroline Kitchener and audio producer Ariel Plotnick went to Granite City just days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. They talked to people in the community about what this post-Roe era could mean for their city.
An abortion access victory in Kansas. Trump-backed candidates on the rise. What the results of Tuesday’s elections could mean for the midterms in the fall.
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Kansas voters delivered the first election win to protect abortion access since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Campaign reporter Hannah Knowles unpacks this surprising outcome — supporters of abortion rights overwhelmingly won — and what lessons it carries for the politics of abortion.
At the same time, many candidates backed by former president Donald Trump and those who denied he lost the 2020 election prevailed in their primary races Tuesday. Hannah says the fall midterms are expected to be a red wave even as Democrats “hope that in the end, voters will just see these candidates as too extreme and especially see their kind of campaigns against democracy itself as too extreme.”
The killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the world’s most wanted terrorist, leaves al-Qaeda in a leadership crisis. But the drone strike ordered by President Biden also highlights new tensions with the Taliban one year after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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Ayman al-Zawahiri’s safe house in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, was targeted by a drone strike Saturday after months of planning, officials said Monday. And Zawahiri had been a U.S. target for more than two decades: He oversaw the 9/11 attacks alongside al-Qaeda’s founder, Osama bin Laden.
“This is a victory for the president, no doubt,” national security reporter Shane Harris says on today’s episode of Post Reports. “But beneath that victory is the fact that the world's most wanted terrorist moved right into the capital city of the country that [Biden] ordered troops to leave last year.”
Rep. Peter Meijer was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, but back in his district a right-wing base on the rise hopes to punish him for his vote.
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Less than two weeks after arriving in Congress, one of Republican Rep. Peter Meijer’s first votes was to impeach former president Donald Trump after the events of January 6, 2021.
Now, Meijer is fighting for his seat back home in his western Michigan district where supporters of the former president have mobilized in staunch opposition to the congressman. And despite bucking his party to stand with Democrats in impeaching Trump, Democrats trying to flip his seat blue have interfered in the primary to boost his opponent in the hopes of facing an easier opponent in the fall.
Today on Post Reports, politics producer Arjun Singh takes us to western Michigan to understand the stakes of this Republican primary and explore just how strong Meijer’s opposition really is.
Help us learn a little more about our listeners and take The Washington Post’s podcast survey here.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to tech columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler about how apps are spying on our kids — and what we can do to stop it.
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Geoff has been looking at tech from a consumer perspective in his series We the Users, and he says apps are spying on our kids at a scale that should shock you.
More than two-thirds of the 1,000 most popular iPhone apps likely to be used by children collect and send their personal information out to the advertising industry, according to a major new study shared with Geoff by fraud and compliance software company Pixalate. On Android, 79 percent of popular kids apps do the same.
On today’s show, Geoff tells us who the biggest offenders are, and what parents can do to protect their kids’ privacy online.
The story of a 10-year-old who crossed state lines for an abortion after Roe v. Wade fell sparked loud skepticism from media and politicians. Today, how local journalists uncovered the truth — and why the public rarely hears such abortion stories at all.
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When the Indianapolis Star published a story July 1 about a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio who was forced to travel to Indiana for an abortion because of new restrictions in her home state, it sparked a national frenzy. An indignant President Biden cited the story a week later as an example of extreme abortion laws, and his political opponents pounced. They suggested it was a lie or a hoax. The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board concluded it was “too good to confirm,” and the Post’s Fact Checker cautioned it was “a very difficult story to check.” Ohio’s attorney general went further, calling it a “fabrication.”
Meanwhile, local journalists went digging. Using shoe-leather tactics, reporters in Ohio and Indiana proved that the horrific story no one wanted to believe was indeed true.
Today, media reporter (and frequent guest host) Elahe Izadi tells the story of how local journalists got the first big scoop of the post-Roe era, why the public rarely hears such abortion stories and the role local journalists play in documenting the consquencesof Roe’s fall.
Today on Post Reports, how the Justice Department is investigating former president Donald Trump’s actions surrounding the 2020 election. Plus, how same-sex marriage has become a bipartisan issue.
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This week, a Washington Post investigation revealed that the Justice Department is investigating former president Donald Trump’s conduct surrounding efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Devlin Barrett reports on what the investigation looks like and whether any criminal charges could result.
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Congress is considering a bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriage — two long-standing rights that some fear could be revoked by the court in the future. While the Senate still needs to vote on the bill, almost 50 House Republicans joined Democrats to approve it. Congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor explains why some Republicans' views of marriage have changed, and the political calculations others could be making with their vote.
The World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global health emergency over the weekend — leading to debate within the White House over whether the United States should do the same as case numbers continue to climb.
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The Biden administration is weighing whether to declare the nation’s monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency. As health policy reporter Dan Diamond explains, officials are hoping to make a decision this week – but the deliberations are complicated by politics.
Monkeypox is the latest global health emergency. Here's what to know.
As the United States confronts its largest-ever monkeypox outbreak, public health authorities navigate a delicate but familiar balancing act: how to warn gay men about their risk without fueling hate. This story was published last month during Pride.
If you value the reporting you hear on the podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. That’s the best way to support the work we do. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
While the U.S. government is scrambling to lower inflation for Americans, there’s a growing concern about what rising interest rates means for the rest of the world, especially poorer countries.
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It has been said that when America sneezes, the world catches a cold, and White House economic reporter Jeff Stein says in this case, it could be much worse than a cold.
“We're on the precipice of a tsunami of debt slamming into dozens, if not hundreds, of countries with rising interest rates in the U.S.,” Jeff said. “That could have tremendous consequences, tremendous humanitarian impacts, tremendous impacts for hunger across the globe.”
As the Federal Reserve prepares to raise interest rates again this week, Jeff explains how poorer nations could suffer from the U.S. efforts to slow inflation. Can economic policymakers prevent a crisis?
If you value the journalism you hear on this podcast, consider a subscription to The Washington Post. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
The House committee investigating Jan. 6 has wrapped up its first series of hearings. Today on “Post Reports,” a debrief on what we’ve learned about what happened behind-the-scenes that day, and what’s next for the committee.
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For over a month now, members of Congress have been calling witnesses and making the case that former president Donald Trump played a critical role in the attack on the Capitol.
On Thursday night, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol held its last scheduled hearing this summer. But the committee is still interviewing potential new witnesses — and it’s not over till it’s over.
Marianna Sotomayor, a congressional reporter for The Post, hosts today’s show and guides us through a conversation with political investigations reporter Rosalind Helderman. They discuss the big reveals from Thursday night’s hearing, as well as the big questions on Americans’ minds: What should we take away from all this? And how will these hearings shape our understanding of the insurrection and Trump’s role on Jan. 6?
Also, take our quiz to test your knowledge on the Jan. 6 hearings.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about the end of a grand experiment: universal free school lunch. The program started to address childhood hunger early in the pandemic, but it's set to expire at the end of the summer.
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For many school administrators, providing universal free meals has been a no-brainer.
“The reason we like this program is that it takes all the shame out of all the kids that eat free lunch,” said Donna Martin, a school nutrition director in a rural county in Georgia where kids have had universal free lunch for years under a provision that allows districts with high concentrations of poverty to feed every child for free. “You try not to identify them, but everybody knows who eats free lunch. So, in my community, everybody eats lunch and there's no shame.”
Education reporter Moriah Balingit explains what this program did, and why it’s going away now, despite how popular it is among schools.
“The pandemic became sort-of this policy laboratory to try out things that a lot of progressives have wanted for a long time, like the Child Tax Credit and universal free lunches. And I think there was some hope, some optimism that these programs would continue. But, of course, as we saw with the Child Tax Credit and now we're seeing with the free lunches, they are being allowed to expire because there's not the political will to continue them.”
Today on “Post Reports,” how the rising cost of living is pushing many Americans into homelessness, even if they have good jobs.
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The sheriffs arrived at 6 a.m. in early June to tell Josanne English what she already knew: She was being evicted.
She’d lost her job as a project manager near Sacramento in April, then fell behind on rent as $6-a-gallon gas and higher costs for food and utilities depleted her monthly budget. By the time she lost her home two months later, she owed $9,160 in rent and late fees, and her bank account was nearing zero.
English never thought she would be in this situation. She made nearly $100,000 last year. But, economics correspondent Abha Bhattarai says, she’s not alone.
“What's been striking this time around, just in conversations with families and also with homeless shelters and service providers, is that the people who are losing their homes now often have jobs. Sometimes they're even really good-paying jobs. But, you know, maybe their lease comes up for renewal. It's going up by 20 percent or 30 percent and they just can't afford that.”
Today on Post Reports, the 104-degree day that came years too soon in Britain. Plus, why President Biden is contemplating declaring a climate emergency in the U.S.
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London correspondent Karla Adam takes us to a non-air-conditioned housing bloc in London on the hottest day ever recorded in Britain. One tenant tells her he’s unplugged the fridge because he’s scared it’ll catch fire. Plus, London bureau chief William Booth explains why Britain's heat wave is just the beginning of dangerously high temperatures.
In the United States, President Biden has a goal to halve emissions by 2030. But since talks with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) stalled, Biden is considering taking executive action to bypass Congress. Tony Romm covers congressional economic policy, and he takes us through the rocky road ahead for the White House’s environmental agenda.
Today on “Post Reports,” the most comprehensive report to date on the Uvalde school shooting blames multiple “systemic failures” of law enforcement on the scene.
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On Sunday, a special committee from the Texas House of Representatives released the most exhaustive report yet on the May 24 mass shooting inside a Uvalde, Tex., elementary school.
The mass shooting left 19 children and two teachers dead. The report spread blame on every law enforcement agency responding to the attack, faulting local police for mistakes and more experienced agencies for failing to take charge.
Surveillance video was also released along with the report that showed the gunman entering the school. The video also shows law enforcement outside of the hallway where the shooter is; they appear to be waiting in the hallway for more than an hour.
Texas correspondent Arelis Hernandez has been following the story and explains how the report found “systemic failures and egregious poor decision making” by the nearly 400 members of law enforcement on the scene and why agencies across the board are to blame.
Today, we join an elite police squad in Mexico trying to solve an immigration problem we don’t often hear about: American fugitives fleeing south across the border.
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The Mexican police squad is officially called the International Liaison Unit. But to locals, they’re known as “the Gringo Hunters.”
This spring, Mexico City Bureau Chief Kevin Sieff rode along with this team as they worked to apprehend fugitives who fled American soil for the freer terrain of Baja California. What happens when “the Gringo Hunters” come face-to-face with a murder suspect?
In a political party that has been criticized for its lukewarm response to the Dobbs decision, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan appears to stand out. We take you inside her fight — and her family’s — to protect abortion access in her home state.
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A year before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was already thinking about how to protect abortion rights in her home state. In particular, she was working to overturn a 1931 abortion ban that would go back into effect were Roe v. Wade ever ruled unconstitutional.
Many in the party labeled her an alarmist for her messaging well before the Dobbs decision. But now, she’s considered ahead of the curve in the fight to protect abortion rights.
As Whitmer prepares for her reelection campaign this November, her push for abortion rights will be one of the issues Michiganders will be judging her on in the polls.
Ruby Cramer, a political enterprise reporter for The Post, spent time with Whitmer shortly after the Dobbs decision to better understand her unique presence — and her family’s — in politics.
A billionaire, a social media company and a lawsuit — the “epic” saga between Twitter and Elon Musk’s acquisition deal. Plus, NASA’s James Webb telescope captures galaxies light-years away.
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Twitter is officially suing Elon Musk, after the billionaire said he wanted to back out of a deal to buy the social media company. Silicon Valley correspondent Elizabeth Dwoskin has for months been following Musk’s threats to cancel the purchase, and she explains what this moment means for Twitter.
The James Webb Space Telescope captured new images of galaxies that are light-years away. Producer Natalie Bettendorf spoke with Garth Illingworth, an astronomer at the University of California at Santa Cruz who helped create the telescope, about what Webb revealed — and the discoveries yet to come.
As the White House confronts multiple crises, some Democrats are openly questioning whether the president is capable of leading their party through a contentious midterm election.
President Biden has been mired in low approval ratings for months. Despite coming into office with a bold vision to combat climate change, rising wealth inequality and political partisanship, Biden’s agenda has consistently faced obstruction from Republicans and even members of his own party.
Meanwhile, a spate of mass shootings and the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade have left many Democrats feeling anxious that Biden lacks the political will to meet the moment and rally voters in time for victory in the 2022 midterm elections.
White House reporters Yasmeen Abutaleb and Cleve Wootson join us today to share their insights on why voters and Democrats are feeling dissatisfied with Biden.
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Biden heads to Saudi Arabia this week after promising to make the country a “pariah.” But he is sending mixed signals about the trip, leaving the results uncertain.
Biden sends every signal he’s running in 2024, even as skepticism grows among Democrats.
As some Democrats grow impatient with Biden, alternative voices emerge
Read Yasmeen’s article about how the Biden administration formed its response to the overturning of Roe v Wade.
Today on Post Reports, we dig into the findings of an explosive new report about Uber, and reveal the human cost of Uber’s quest for rapid growth.
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The Uber Files is an international investigation into the ride-hailing company’s aggressive entrance into cities around the world — while frequently challenging the reach of existing laws and regulations. Documents illuminate how Uber used stealth technology to thwart regulators and law enforcement and how the company courted prominent political leaders, Russian oligarchs and media conglomerates as it sought footholds outside the United States.
The project is based on more than 124,000 emails, text messages, memos and other records that a former top lobbyist for Uber, Mark MacGann, provided to the Guardian. It shared the material with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which helped lead the project, and dozens of other news organizations, including The Washington Post. Journalists from 29 countries joined the effort to analyze the records over four months.
Today, reporter Doug MacMillan tells the behind-the-scenes story of the tactics Uber used as the company expanded rapidly, and the human cost for drivers.
The president is taking steps to safeguard abortion access, even as some lawmakers are talking about blocking patients from seeking the procedure across state lines. Today on “Post Reports,” we explore abortion’s next legal battleground.
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Two weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending constitutional protection to abortion in the United States, President Biden signed an executive order aimed at safeguarding abortion rights. This includes measures to ensure access to abortion medication and emergency contraception, protecting patient privacy, and bolstering legal options for those seeking access to such care.
These measures will potentially help people who already face obstacles to getting an abortion. But they’re also a defense against new laws that could be coming in antiabortion states. Some antiabortion lawmakers are looking to prevent people from traveling to other states to obtain abortions. Caroline Kitchener brings us behind the scenes with some of the key players in the interstate legal fight.
It’s official: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned. We review the scandals that led Johnson here and try to understand what happens next for his party. Then we discuss WNBA star Brittney Griner’s guilty plea and why it’s not surprising.
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After a week of government resignations, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Thursday that he is stepping down as the leader of the Conservative Party.
The calls for Johnson to resign came after the discovery that the prime minister had promoted a lawmaker to a position of power, despite knowing of accusations of sexual misconduct against the appointee. After a long string of scandals throughout Johnson’s term, cabinet members said they could no longer trust the prime minister. So we asked London bureau chief William Booth: Where does this leave the future of the British government?
Later in the show, Dave Sheinin, a sports reporter for The Post, breaks down the guilty plea of WNBA star Brittney Griner. Griner, who remains detained in Russia on a drug charge, submitted the plea in court Thursday. Meanwhile, pressure mounts on the Biden administration to make larger strides to get her back to the United States.
Many of those who are covering the war in Ukraine also call it home. Today on Post Reports, the story of a reporting trip to Chernihiv that also became a rescue mission for one of our colleagues.
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As the battle for the east of Ukraine intensifies, we take you to a city north of Kyiv that survived weeks of Russian siege. It also happens to be the hometown of Kostiantyn Khudov, a Ukrainian journalist who has been working for The Post since before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February.
The relationship between foreign and local journalists is a crucial one — as Kostiantyn and The Post’s Siobhán O’Grady explain, it allows the world to see what’s happening in cities like Chernihiv.
Today we go there with Siobhan and Kostiantyn, and learn what it’s like to cover a war so close to home.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about the chaos and terror at July Fourth celebrations over the holiday weekend. Then, we break down a big decision point for the Justice Department on whether to seek the death penalty in another recent mass shooting.
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In Highland Park, Ill., a holiday parade became a scene of horror as a gunman opened fire on the crowd.
At other celebrations in cities nationwide, the booming sounds of fireworks were apparently mistaken for gunshots, sending scores of revelers fleeing for cover.
“I think a big piece of what we saw on Monday is this loss of trust over the last several years,” reporter Marc Fisher said.
The rise of mass shootings in America has brought up so many complicated and sad questions: How are we supposed to live in a society where we have to be so fearful? What will it take to prevent these shootings from happening? And how do we punish the people who perpetrate unthinkable acts of violence?
Today, we are diving into that last question, in an interview with our colleague David Nakamura.
In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Buffalo, the Biden administration must decide whether to pursue the death penalty for the 18-year-old suspect. When he visited Buffalo last month, Attorney General Merrick Garland assured survivors and victims’ families that a full investigation was taking place. It’s a “death penalty eligible crime,” Garland said in a news conference. But this Justice Department is conflicted — civil rights advocates have long opposed capital punishment, saying that it is inhumane and disproportionately used against racial minorities.
Gas prices are high, unemployment is low and the tools the federal government has to fight inflation could cause a recession. So how should we think about the economy right now? We asked our econ reporters and a personal finance columnist for advice.
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Businesses and consumers are increasingly worried the U.S. economy will tip into a recession. There are already growing signs that Americans are starting to spend less on dining out, vacation plans and even such routine services as manicures and haircuts. Today on “Post Reports,” we take some of your questions about the economy, and get answers from economics correspondent Abha Bhattarai, personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary and reporter Rachel Siegel, who covers the Federal Reserve.
Doctors are worried gray areas in new abortion bans force a choice between breaking their oath and breaking the law. Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to an OB/GYN about what those decisions are like. Plus, how to cover your digital trail if you seek an abortion.
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Health and science reporter Ariana Eunjung Cha recently wrote about the fear and confusion many doctors are facing since Roe was overturned.. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) joined numerous other professional organizations and medical journals over the past few days in warning that the ruling will affect health care beyond abortion, creating new risks for patients and potentially increasing maternal mortality. We interviewed Nisha Verma, an OB/GYN in Atlanta who is also a fellow at ACOG. She talked about the gray areas these laws and restrictions don’t cover.
“These laws don’t make any sense,” Verma told Elahe Izadi. While lawmakers point out that there are exceptions for the life of the pregnant person, Verma says it’s very unclear what that means.
“There's not a moment in time. This line where someone goes from being completely fine to dying. It's a continuum. People get sicker and sicker. And so we have to be able to make decisions in that continuum with all of the training that we have without having to worry about whether the person was sick enough or whether we're going to get in trouble under the law,” Verma said.
Also on the show, tech reporter Heather Kelly explains how to protect your privacy if you’re seeking abortion care — and why period-tracking apps are best avoided.
Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court — just after the court delivered a blow to President Biden’s climate plan. Today, we talk about the divided court and what it means for the future of our democracy.
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On Thursday, the Supreme Court sharply cut back the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to reduce the carbon output of existing power plants, a major setback for the Biden administration’s plans to combat climate change.
The vote was 6 to 3 — like many votes were this term — with the court’s conservative supermajority voting together on blockbuster issue after issue, including gun control and abortion.
“Any one of these would have been a big decision on its own,” says Supreme Court reporter Robert Barnes. “The fact that there were so many of them this term is what I think has really put the Supreme Court in the public eye in a way that it hasn't been for years.”
Congress notched a major legislative win last week by passing gun control legislation. But will a recent Supreme Court ruling on a concealed-carry law blunt the victory?
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One day before Congress sent a landmark piece of gun legislation to President Biden’s desk, the Supreme Court issued a ruling on New York’s concealed-carry licenses that could weaken the law. Then, the morning of the bill’s passage, the Supreme Court announced another landmark decision, overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Leigh Ann Caldwell, anchor for Washington Post Live and the co-author of the Early 202 politics newsletter, joins us to talk about how those two rulings affected Congress. And she explains what’s in the new gun control bill that was signed by President Biden last week, and how Republicans in the Senate came on board for a genuinely bipartisan effort.
On Tuesday in a surprise hearing, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson gave the most damning testimony to date on President Donald Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
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It didn’t take long to find out why the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol chose to hold a surprise hearing on Tuesday: Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson provided what quickly became clear was the most damning testimony to date on President Donald Trump’s actions on Jan. 6.
Reporter Aaron Blake says her testimony is particularly important when it comes to just how much Trump cultivated and even desired the insurrection itself — and whether, crucial from a legal standpoint, his effort to overturn the election was corrupt.
Hutchinson stitched together repeated warnings — some involving Trump himself, including that he was warned that his Jan. 6 rallygoers had weapons — about what might happen. Despite these warnings, aides struggled to talk Trump out of a plan to march to the Capitol. And despite warnings about weapons in the crowd the morning of Jan. 6, Trump still directed people toward the Capitol in his speech.
Hutchinson, a former aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, said Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani had advocated for a march to the Capitol after Trump’s speech on the Ellipse. She said this prompted Meadows to worry “things might get real, real bad on Jan. 6.”
After Brooke Alexander learned she was pregnant last August, she and then-boyfriend Billy High initially wanted an abortion. Just 18 and 17, the pair had been dating only a month. But Brooke and Billy live in Texas, where a state-wide abortion ban prohibited the procedure after about six weeks of pregnancy. Brooke was too far along, and this past spring, she gave birth to twins.
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade Friday, ending the constitutional right to an abortion, it set off a cascade of abortion bans and restrictions. That means that more Americans are now facing the same conundrum as Brooke and Billy.
National political reporter Caroline Kitchener recently spent a week with Brooke and Billy, to see how parenthood had upended their lives in ways they couldn’t have predicted. As we navigate a world without the protections of Roe, they give us a preview of what could be in store for other people who could be pushed into parenthood.
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Read Caroline Kitchener’s profile of Brooke and Billy and see pictures of them and their twins here.
On Friday, the Supreme Court overturned the fundamental right to abortion established nearly 50 years ago in Roe v. Wade. Today, we take you from a clinic in Houston to protests and celebrations outside the court, and explain what this decision means.
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The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was the most anticipated of the term. But while this was a stunning reversal — it wasn’t surprising. A draft of the decision was leaked in May, indicating that the majority of justices were prepared to take this drastic step.
The decision has sent shock waves throughout the country, and in at least a dozen red states, trigger laws are already in place to ban virtually all abortions within 30 days. Caroline Kitchener reports from a clinic in Texas, which is one of the states where the news this morning meant abortion providers had to halt operations immediately.
Meanwhile in D.C., a crowd gathered outside the Supreme Court to celebrate, or protest, in an outpouring of joy and rage.
Robert Barnes, who covers the Supreme Court for The Post, explains what this moment means for decades of conservative organizing around restricting abortion, and what the justices’ opinions could tell us about what happens next.
Today on Post Reports, we follow two union fights at Amazon warehouses with very different outcomes, and what they can tell us about what it takes to go up against a trillion-dollar company.
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In early April, the labor movement saw a huge victory: Workers voted to unionize an Amazon warehouse on Staten Island. Our reporter Greg Jaffe went up to New York to meet Chris Smalls, the charismatic leader of a new kind of worker-led movement. Greg had one big question: Could this movement spread?
There would be another test just a few weeks later, at a second Staten Island facility across the street. Despite high-profile support, the workers would learn that replicating a truly grass-roots organizing effort would be even more challenging than they thought.
Colombia has elected its first leftist president. Unthinkable a decade ago, his victory signals a dramatic shift in the pandemic-wracked region. Plus, the powerful testimony from election workers whose lives were upended by Donald Trump’s false claims.
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For the first time in its 200-year history, Colombia will have a leftist president: More than 50 percent of voters chose Gustavo Petro, a former guerilla fighter and mayor of Bogatá, to lead the country.
Petro is one of several new left-wing leaders in Latin America, as voters kick out leaders who they feel failed them during the pandemic when inequality in the region soared. Now, Petro says he aims to work with a coalition of left-wing presidents to tackle climate change and issues affecting women and Indigenous people. We checked in with the Post’s Bogatá bureau chief, Samantha Schmidt, to talk about what this moment could mean for Latin America, and whether the United States could be taking a back seat in the region.
And, yesterday’s hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol included powerful testimony from former election workers in Georgia who described how their lives were derailed after Trump targeted them.
Today on Post Reports, the rogue Google engineer who thinks the company’s AI has come to life – and the dangers of artificial intelligence that impersonates humans.
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Nitasha Tiku covers tech culture for The Post. Recently, she broke the story about the Google engineer who concluded his company’s chatbot generator “LaMDA” was sentient. But even as Google and outside experts disagree, this case raises questions about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence that closely mimics humans.
As the Supreme Court seems poised to strike down Roe v. Wade, we explore some of the fissures in the antiabortion movement.
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What does it mean to identify as “pro-life” in 2022?
When Karen Swallow Prior, a longtime antiabortion activist, first heard about the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion suggesting that Roe v. Wade would be overturned, she was thrilled. But she quickly realized her feelings on the “pro-life” movement had become a lot more complicated over the decades.
Religion reporter Michelle Boorstein and Post Reports producer Rennie Svirnovskiy visited with Prior as she grappled with what it means to be “pro-life.”
Fifty years ago today, five men broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, located in the posh Watergate building in D.C. Nobody knew it at the time, but the break-in was the first in a series of events that spiraled into the Watergate scandal, and eventually, the downfall of President Richard M. Nixon.
For many people, their memories of this event have become encapsulated in a movie: the iconic 1976 film “All the President’s Men.” Based on the book by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the film follows the pair as they dig into the break-in and crack open the scandal, tracing the source of the burglary back to the White House.
Ann Hornaday, The Post’s film critic, calls the movie a metonym for Watergate — a stand-in for this entire period in history — “that from the moment it opened seemed to fuse seamlessly with private memory and collective myth.”
Today, guest host and media reporter Elahe Izadi talks with Ann about what it means for a film to function in this way. And, we hear a dramatization of a deleted scene from an early draft of the screenplay, as Ann reveals that the classic we know almost didn’t exist.
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Film critic Ann Hornaday explains how “All the President’s Men” went from buddy flick to masterpiece in her Washington Post Magazine story.
On Wednesday, independent advisers to the Food and Drug Administration recommended the agency authorize coronavirus vaccines for children under 5. What this move means for families and how it will affect where we are in the pandemic.
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It’s finally happening: The Food and Drug Administration seems poised to sign off on coronavirus vaccines for children younger than 5 years old. Parents are celebrating the news after waiting for approval for almost a year and a half. But why did it take so much longer for this, while adults have already had vaccines for over a year? And what does this development mean for our fight against the pandemic?
Anita Patel, a critical care pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital in D.C., on why this vaccine was so delayed and how they’re developed for children, and Patel gives advice for parents who might be concerned about the vaccine.
Ten Republicans. Ten Democrats. One bipartisan gun-control deal. Could this be the last chance for any meaningful action on federal gun reform?
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Over the weekend, Republicans and Democrats announced a monumental agreement on addressing gun violence. They had a nine-point plan that included provisions that would prevent gun sales to a broader group of domestic violence offenders (closing what is called the “boyfriend loophole”), and criminal background checks for gun buyers under 21 would require checks of juvenile justice and mental health records. A federal grant program would also encourage states to implement red-flag laws.
Leigh Ann Caldwell, who covers Congress and also writes The Post’s Early 202 newsletter on politics, explains the policy proposals in the Senate framework. She shares the political calculations that led to this rare bipartisan moment and what the future could hold for more legislation on guns.
Today on Post Reports, the GOP candidates spreading the so-called “big lie,” and how the Jan. 6 committee hopes to educate Americans about what really happened. Plus, the United States has sent weapons to Ukraine — but now the troops need tech support.
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J.R. Majewski marched to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and tweeted a photo with the caption: “It’s going down on 1/6.” Last month, he won the Republican nomination in an Ohio congressional district along Lake Erie.
A Washington Post analysis found that across the country, more than 100 GOP primary winners back Trump’s false election claims. As many Americans are tuning in to watch the Jan. 6 committee hearings on Capitol Hill this week, where even the people closest to Trump are testifying that they tried to warn him his election fraud claims were false, The Post’s Amy Gardner reports that it’s almost become a prerequisite in GOP primaries to embrace Trump’s election denialism.
Also on the show: The U.S. has sent powerful antitank weapons, called Javelins, to Ukrainian troops on the front lines. But, as Alex Horton reports, the customer service on these weapons leaves something to be desired.
Is the U.S. economy hurtling toward a recession? Dean Baker, an economist and co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in D.C., thinks it all boils down to just how aggressive the Federal Reserve will be. The Fed is expected to raise interest rates again later this week.
On today’s “Post Reports,” we examine the factors that could lead to a recession — and we ask what Americans can do to prepare if it happens.
Today on “Post Reports,” the sixth and final episode of “Broken Doors,” about the risks of no-knock raids for people on both sides of the door. How did we get here – and what does the future look like?
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“Broken Doors” is an investigative podcast series hosted by Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the U.S. justice system — and the consequences for communities when accountability is flawed at every level.
In the sixth and final episode of this series, a man accused of killing an officer during a no-knock raid speaks from jail about the risks to people on both sides of the door. As we investigate the history of these raids, we also hear from the mother of Breonna Taylor, who is pushing for an end to no-knocks. We’ll also hear from people who say this tactic is necessary. How did we get here – and what does the future look like?
The full series is out now wherever you get your podcasts. You can email the “Broken Doors” team with any tips or feedback at [email protected].
Today on “Post Reports,” what the fight for abortion rights means for Black women, and how both sides of the fight are intertwined with the legacy of slavery and racism.
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With a Supreme Court ruling on abortion access looming, Black women in particular are struggling with the fight for reproductive rights. A long history of medical mistreatment and neglect follows Black women, and it makes the debate between abortion rights and antiabortion advocates all the more complicated. While some oppose abortion care because it’s regarded as a form of “genocide,” others say overturning Roe v. Wade would mark the latest effort to take away what generations of Black women have rarely had: bodily autonomy. Akilah Johnson on what an overturn of Roe could mean for Black women.
How high school students across the country are fighting for their right to read. Plus, what the Golden State Warriors represent off the basketball court.
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A few months ago, education reporter Hannah Natanson sat in on the meeting of an unusual book club at Vandegrift High School in Austin, Tex. – one in which students read exclusively books banned by their school district, and think deeply about the aspects of the world that’ll remain hidden to them if grown-ups keep banning books.
Then, we hear from Washington Post global opinions writer Jason Rezaian on the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, their outspoken coach Steve Kerr, and why Jason thinks the Warriors should now be considered “America’s team.”
Starting Thursday, the House committee probing the attack on the Capitol is holding televised hearings. What will be revealed after nearly a year of investigation? Plus, an update on California’s Tuesday elections.
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After conducting hundreds of interviews and uncovering more than 100,000 records, the House committee probing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is making the investigation public, holding six televised hearings, the first starting tomorrow in prime time. The hearings will feature testimonies from key figures in former president Donald Trump’s inner circle, such as Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, and former vice president Mike Pence’s aides. Political investigations reporter Josh Dawsey shares what to expect from these hearings and how they could affect the Republican politicians who built their brands defending the insurrection.
Plus, the results of Tuesday’s elections in California — and what they tell us about how Democrats are viewing changes to the criminal justice system.
Today on Post Reports, how rising prices at mobile home parks may destabilize the entire housing market. Plus, climate change is forcing schools to close early for “heat days.”
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America’s housing crisis is trickling down to mobile home parks. Mobile homes have traditionally been the country’s biggest source of affordable housing: 20 million Americans live in manufactured homes. Most mobile home park residents own their houses and rent the land underneath. But now, mobile home parks are doubling or even tripling their rent across the country.
Economics reporter Abha Bhattarai explains how high demand, low inventory and a rise in corporate ownership threaten the affordability of mobile homes.
Plus later in the show, national education reporter Laura Meckler discusses how schools in many parts of the country are closing because of excessive heat fueled by climate change. “Heat days” pose a threat to students’ health and academic success, Meckler explains, adding, “This is a problem that people recognize but is just a lot easier to identify than it is to solve.”
Today on “Post Reports,” we take a hard look at California’s strange election season to see how Democrats across the country are testing the viability of their beliefs – and whether some may be losing patience with leftward ideas.
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Tomorrow is primary day in the Golden State. And in California’s two largest cities, things are looking pretty…odd.
In San Francisco, there’s a campaign to remove a district attorney and “progressive prosecutor,” who was voted in a couple of years ago. Then, in Los Angeles, one of the front-runners of the Democratic mayoral primary is a guy whom some voters have described as a secret Republican.
We take stock of the primary election in California and what it says about the future of leftward politics with correspondent Scott Wilson.
Today on “Post Reports,” the fifth episode of “Broken Doors,” about a multi-house no-knock raid,and the drugs police say they seized.
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“Broken Doors” is an investigative podcast series hosted by Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the U.S. justice system — and the consequences for communities when accountability is flawed at every level.
In the fifth episode of this series, we head to Missouri.
Police upended the lives of an entire block and killed a 63-year-old grandfather when they carried out a no-knock raid at multiple homes in St. Louis. But what did the police actually seize?
How aborition in the movies changed the way Americans think about reproductive rights. And a dispatch from Queen Elizabeth II’s jubilee celebrations in London.
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As we wait to hear how the Supreme Court rules on abortion access in America, we’ve been reflecting on what has and hasn’t change since Roe. v Wade was decided almost 50 years ago. Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post’s film critic, looked at how the film industry has portrayed abortion since the landmark ruling in 1973. After watching movies like “Dirty Dancing,” “Juno,” “Knocked Up” and “Obvious Child,” Hornaday says she noticed a “strange evolution,” in how Hollywood’s depiction of abortion has changed over time.
This week marks Queen Elizabeth II’s 70th year on the throne. The Platinum Jubilee celebrations are taking place all across the United Kingdom. Karla Adam, a correspondent based in London, reports on what this anniversary signifies for the future of the British monarchy.
Today on Post Reports, we bring you to the frontline of the war in Ukraine, as Russian forces encircle Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. Plus, a teenager coming of age in the war finds purpose in helping fellow displaced Ukrainians.
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Nearly 100 days into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian forces have suffered significant setbacks: President Volodomyr Zelensky says Russia has now taken 20 percent of his country.
Foreign correspondent Siobhan O’Grady brings us into the trenches of the eastern Donbas region, where Russia has focused its military advancements. Ukrainian battalions are digging trenches, desperate to turn the tide of war.
Later in the show, we meet 16-year-old Anna Melnyk, whose life changed overnight when her family was forced to flee their home in Kyiv and head west for the transit city of Lviv.
Now Anna –– who volunteers as a guide for the displaced at a train station in Lviv –– is undergoing a drastic transformation alongside other Ukrainian teens, who are trading high school concerns for work that will shape the kind of nation they will inherit once the fighting ends.
“She said it makes her feel like she's doing something for her country. That it's a role for her,” says reporter Hannah Allam. “She’s not 18. She can't enlist in the military and then take up arms. She’s not even old enough to drive. So, this was something she could do.”
More than a week later, what we know and don’t know about how a gunman carried out a massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Tex. — and why the timeline from authorities keeps changing.
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In the days since a shooter killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School, new and horrifying details about the timeline of events keep emerging. We now know that the gunman was able to walk into the school unimpeded. We know that children called 911 from within classrooms pleading for help. But we still don’t know exactly why it took so long for authorities to stop the gunman.
Silvia Foster-Frau reports on what happened during a devastating 90-minute window.
As hurricane season hits, we examine what happens when Black communities seem to be last in line for disaster planning in Texas.
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Communities more likely to be hit by hurricanes are bracing themselves for a rough summer, as hurricane season begins June 1. But in Kashmere Gardens, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Houston, residents are still trying to repair the damage to homes from a hurricane that hit five years ago.
As Tracy Jan tells producer Bishop Sand, that’s because money to address that damage — and to prevent further destruction — has been hard to come by. According to an investigation by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Texas directed federal grants toward Whiter and wealthier areas — leaving places like Kashmere Gardens out to dry.
Today on “Post Reports,” the fourth episode of “Broken Doors,” about the minutes between approval for a no-knock warrant and a deadly raid.
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“Broken Doors” is a new investigative podcast series hosted by Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the U.S. justice system — and the consequences for communities when accountability is flawed at every level.
In the fourth episode of this series, we head to Port Allen, La.
On July 25, 2019, a Black man was killed during a no-knock raid on a motel room in Louisiana. His fiancee was also inside. An investigation into what led up to the fatal shooting reveals the speed with which it happened — and raises questions about electronic warrants, a relatively new technology being adopted by law enforcement agencies across the country.
The full series is out now wherever you get your podcasts. You can email the “Broken Doors” team with any tips or feedback at [email protected].
After six weeks, the contentious defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is set to wrap up Friday. Today on “Post Reports,” what happened in the courtroom and online, and why it matters.
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After six weeks of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial, the jury is hearing closing arguments Friday.
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over an op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post in 2018 in which she referred to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse (Depp has denied all allegations of abuse). Heard countersued Depp for $100 million after his lawyer Adam Waldman called her accusations a hoax.
Despite the gravity of the allegations, the trial has garnered attention from all corners of the Internet — millions have tuned in to the live-streamed trial every day, analyzing and memeing every aspect of the trial. Entertainment reporter Emily Yahr has been covering the contentious trial in person and online, and discusses why so many people are obsessed with it and what that implies.
The NRA faces critics from all sides, with infighting among its executives and, after the Uvalde, Tex., school shooting, renewed pressure from gun control advocates. And then there are the radical gun groups that say the NRA hasn’t gone far enough.
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Tomorrow, the National Rifle Association will kick off its annual meeting. Just a few hours from the site of Tuesday’s school shooting, the convention will feature a 14-acre gun show and headliners including former president Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (R).
Post national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf will be there to cover it. And he says the NRA’s place in the gun control landscape is shifting: Mired in internal battles and legal troubles, the organization now has to compete with a handful of even more adamant gun rights groups that are growing in popularity. Today, how the NRA navigates bad press in the wake of mass shootings, and how the American gun culture it helped create has evolved.
The deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade, and what’s changed in the years since the massacre in Newtown, Conn.
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Washington Post reporter Arelis Hernández is on the ground in Uvalde as children and families try to make sense of the violence that tore through Robb Elementary School on Tuesday.
According to a Post database,last year was the deadliest year for school shootings in America since at least 1999, the year of the Columbine massacre. This year is on track to be even worse – and the reasons for that aren’t entirely clear. John Woodrow Cox, who helped create The Post’s tracker, breaks down the massive, sometimes unseen impact of gun violence on American schoolchildren, and the tricky politics of gun control legislation.
Read an excerpt from John’s book, “Children Under Fire: An American Crisis.”
Today on Post Reports, what to know about monkeypox and how prepared the United States is for future pandemics. Plus, in New Orleans, the return of a beloved Mardi Gras tradition.
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What is monkeypox, and how concerned should we be about the virus? Cameron Wolfe, an infectious-disease expert at Duke University, explains what we know about the rare virus, now confirmed in the United States and Europe.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert late last week, urging doctors and health departments to be vigilant. Monkeypox, which can be passed to animals and humans, is usually found in Central and West Africa. But many of the recent cases cropping up in the United Kingdom, France and elsewhere suggest the virus may be spreading through the community.
Plus, in New Orleans, the Mardi Gras Indians are back in a big way.
On Tuesday Republican voters in Georgia will choose between candidates who supported Donald Trump’s claims that the election was stolen and those who did not. The results may say a lot about election integrity in 2022 — and the state of the GOP nationwide.
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In 2020, the fate of the presidency and which party would control the U.S. Senate hinged on what happened in Georgia. The state emerged as a contentious battleground, and it quickly drew the attention of President Donald Trump, who began to falsely claim that the elections in the state were manipulated.
Nearly two years later, Trump’s influence over Georgia’s elections has not disappeared. In fact, several Republican candidates have declared their support for Trump’s false election claims, including challengers to the incumbent governor and secretary of state. And Trump’s sway has created a schism in the state’s Republican Party.
Matthew Brown, who covers politics in the state, unpacks the dimensions of Georgia’s primaries and examines what could happen if an election denier enters office.
After the murder of George Floyd, reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa spent months learning everything they could about Floyd’s life. The story they reveal in a new book shows how systemic racism shaped and shortened it.
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“He's everywhere — but he's not here. He's on somebody's wall. He's on somebody's billboard. … He's in a newspaper, but he's not here. He's here in spirit. But he's not here.”
In the summer of 2020, after George Floyd was murdered, he became a symbol and a rallying cry. But what was missing in our understanding was the man himself — a figure who was complicated, full of ambition, shaped by his family and his community and centuries of systemic racism.
The Washington Post set out to better understand who Floyd really was and reported a series of stories about George Floyd’s America. We made a podcast based on this reporting, “The Life of George Floyd,” which we’re playing today for you in full. But two of the reporters on that project still had questions.
Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa have now written a book that delves deeper into Floyd’s life — what he was like as a father, a boyfriend, a classmate, an athlete, how ambitious he was. And how those ambitions were hobbled by systemic racism. They learned about things that happened to Floyd’s family, hundreds of years before he was born, that shaped everything that would happen to him later.
If you’d like to read an excerpt of Robert and Tolu’s book, you can find that here: How George Floyd Spent His Final Hours.
A year ago today, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Texas Senate Bill 8, also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act. The law bans abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy — before many people even know they’re pregnant. It also employed a novel legal strategy that empowered ordinary people to enforce the law by suing anyone who may have helped facilitate the abortion.
Many observers thought the law would be blocked from taking effect or overturned after passing. That didn’t happen. The Supreme Court had three opportunities to consider the law and didn’t, signaling that the court could be open to overturning Roe v. Wade.
In the recent uproar over the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, it’s been easy to forget about the impact and significance of Texas’s law. But a year later the law still stands in the state, blocking abortions after about six weeks.
Today on Post Reports, on the anniversary of the Texas abortion ban, national political reporter Caroline Kitchener brings us the story of the activist who helped to craft the law, the doctor who tried to challenge it, and the lessons both sides have taken away from its success.
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Caroline Kitchener examines whether a national abortion ban is possible in a post-Roe world.
You can also read her profile of Dr. Alan Braid.
Today on Post Reports, an estimated 1.5 million retirees have reentered the U.S. labor market over the past year. What’s bringing them back?
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Millions of Americans who retired during the pandemic are returning to the workforce.
Many are being lured back to work by more flexible, hybrid work arrangements and declining concerns over covid. And, yes, some of it is also being driven by high inflation. But there’s good news, too: Ageism might be less of a problem for older workers. Companies are scrambling to find experienced, reliable people to fill all these open jobs. And suddenly, the AARP set is looking pretty good.
Finland and Sweden are applying for NATO membership, ending decades-long policies of military neutrality. We take a look at what this means for global security. Plus, why some NATO leaders are worried about Vladimir Putin being humiliated in Ukraine.
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Finland and Sweden’s leaders announced in recent days that they would be seeking membership in NATO, the military alliance among the United States, Canada and many European countries. Sweden and Finland historically have remained neutral to avoid conflict — but the war in Ukraine and their geographical proximity to Russia pushed them to reassess. National security reporter Shane Harris discusses how this move changes the security landscape and the possible consequences if Russia loses the war.
With key states holding primaries this week, we ask the big question for the 2022 midterms: Will Republicans take back control of Congress? And, the GOP lawmakers who have echoed the racist conspiracy theory used to justify the mass shooting in Buffalo.
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The 2022 midterms are ramping up. On Tuesday, voters in five states, including Pennsylvania and North Carolina, will vote in primary elections.
Meanwhile, in races around the country, Republicans are pushing anti-immigrant sentiments that echo the “great replacement theory,” a racist conspiracy theory that motivated a mass shooter in Buffalo on Saturday.
Congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor breaks down Republican strategy and how Democrats might hold on to their slim majorities in Congress.
Check out The Washington Post’s guide to the 2022 midterm elections.
A few weeks ago, Martine Powers appeared on the Black culture podcast “For Colored Nerds” to discuss her love of period dramas and what does and doesn't work as these shows try to be more inclusive in their casting.
To hear the rest of Martine’s discussion with Eric Eddings and Brittany Luse, check out “For Colored Nerds” wherever you get your podcasts, and listen to the episode “Black in Time.”
In the years before Roe v. Wade, the group known as Jane helped more than 11,000 Chicago women get abortions. We look back at the group and talk with one of its members as activists and health advocates mobilize in anticipation of the end of Roe.
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In the years before Roe v. Wade guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion, a group of women banded together in Chicago to help others access the procedure illegally. Their fliers read things like: “Pregnant? Don’t want to be? Call Jane.”
Jane became the group’s code name. They estimate that between 1969 and 1973 they helped around 11,000 women get abortions, and many members of the group learned to perform abortions themselves.
Laura Kaplan was a member of Jane from 1971 to ’73 and wrote a book on the group’s history called “The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service.”
Today on the show, we talk to Laura about the dangers women faced before abortions were constitutionally protected, how the underground group evolved, and how she’s making sense of this moment as activists and health advocates mobilize in anticipation of the end of Roe.
For months, parents have been scrambling to feed their children amid a nationwide baby formula shortage. Today, why the supply is so short, and how parents are coping.
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Three-quarters of American parents with infants rely on baby formula. For many, it’s the only option to keep their babies alive and healthy. But since the winter, shortages have left caregivers scrambling to find enough food. Last week, supplies in stores were down more than 40 percent.
Parenting editor Amy Joyce says the shortage is due to a combination of factors, including snarled supply chains and the closure of a major plant in Michigan where Abbott Nutrition produces Similac and other popular formula brands. In February, Abbott recalled some formula after several infants got sick — and two died. The company says it hasn’t found a link between its formula and the illnesses, but the Food and Drug Administration is still investigating.
Today on “Post Reports,” we hear about parents dealing with a situation they never could have imagined.
A cache of more than 1.4 million newly released records exposes the inner workings of the nation’s largest opioid manufacturer. Today on “Post Reports,” we go inside the sales machine at Mallinckrodt.
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The largest manufacturer of opioids in the United States once cultivated a reliable stable of hundreds of doctors it could count on to write a steady stream of prescriptions for pain pills.
But one left the United States for Pakistan months before he was indicted on federal drug conspiracy and money laundering charges. Another was barred from practicing medicine after several of his patients died of drug overdoses. Another tried to leave the country in the face of charges that he was operating illegal pill dispensing operations, or pill mills, in two states. He was arrested and sent to prison for eight years.
These doctors were among 239 medical professionals ranked by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals as its top prescribers of opioids during the height of the pain pill epidemic, in 2013. That year, more than 14,000 Americans died of prescription opioid overdoses.
More than a quarter of those prescribers — 65 — were later convicted of crimes related to their medical practices, had their medical licenses suspended or revoked, or paid state or federal fines after being accused of wrongdoing, according to a Washington Post analysis of previously confidential Mallinckrodt documents and emails, along with criminal and civil background checks of the doctors. Between April and September of that year, Mallinckrodt’s sales representatives contacted those 239 prescribers more than 7,000 times.
The documents, made public after years of litigation and bankruptcy proceedings, shed new light on how aggressively Mallinckrodt sought to increase its market share as the epidemic was raging.
Meryl Kornfield and Scott Higham report.
Nearly 1 million people in the United States have died of covid-19, and the toll is growing among vaccinated people as the virus gets harder and harder to dodge. Today on Post Reports, what we can learn from looking at vaccinated deaths.
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According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccinated people made up a shocking 42 percent of covid deaths in January and February during the peak of the omicron surge, compared with 23 percent during delta’s surge in September. Vaccines are still highly effective at preventing illness and death. But as more and more highly contagious variants arise, it becomes harder for elderly people, the immunocompromised and those whose vaccines are wearing off to avoid infection.
Health reporter Fenit Nirappil wanted to dispel the myth that only unvaccinated people are dying of covid — and he wanted to put names and faces to some of the hundreds of thousands of people who died this past winter. Today on Post Reports, a look at what happened during the winter surge, and what we can learn from it as the virus continues to mutate.
Today on “Post Reports,” the head of global health at the U.S. Agency for International Development, Atul Gawande, on the state of the pandemic and why global vaccination efforts are at risk.
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Today on the show, we hear from national health reporter Dan Diamond about his interview with Atul Gawande, who leads global health at USAID and co-chairs the Biden administration’s covid-19 task force. He is also an endocrine surgeon, health-care researcher and writer.
Gawande explains his efforts as a Biden administration official to slow the pandemic through global vaccination — and how funding for those efforts are at risk.
“It isn't enough to just bring a bunch of vaccines on the tarmac and say, ‘Go,’” Gawande says. “We need to support their ability to maintain the cold chain, to have workers who can move out into the rural areas.” Gawande also talks about the state of public health abroad as the war in Ukraine continues.
Today on Post Reports, we go to Sierra Leone, where having a baby can mean risking your life.
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Today, we follow the story of Susan Lebbie. Lebbie is 17 and has just given birth to her son, Evan. Throughout her pregnancy she was terrified of facing the same fate as her mother, who died while giving birth to Susan.
Susan’s fears are not unfounded: One in 20 women in Sierra Leone die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth, according to the latest United Nations estimate, most often from losing blood. The West African country consistently ranks as one of the deadliest places on Earth to have a baby. But practically every death is preventable.
To be pregnant in Sierra Leone is to be at the mercy of resource-strapped institutions and the global trends shaping them. Survival is too often up to luck. West Africa bureau chief Danielle Paquette reports.
In the ‘90s, Buffalo was ground zero for the battle over abortion rights. Today we revisit that time with media columnist Margaret Sullivan — who served as managing editor of the Buffalo News — and talk about how media has shaped the abortion debate.
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In 1998, in Buffalo, NY, OB/GYN Barnett Slepian was murdered in his own home by anti-abortion extremist, James Kopp.
We hear from media columnist Margaret Sullivan about how she remembers this volatile time and how the media has influenced the abortion debate. Plus, journalist and author Eyal Press discusses the alarming attacks against his own father, a doctor who also provided abortions for patients in Buffalo.
As the Supreme Court seems poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, we talk to an economist about the long-term consequences for someone denied an abortion.
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What can economic research tell us about the effects of abortion access on women’s lives?
As the Supreme Court seems poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, we talk to economist Caitlin Myers at Middlebury College, who has been asking this question in her research. Myers says there is a lot we can learn from the data about how being denied an abortion affects people’s economic futures and opportunities, even decades later.
Myers, along with more than 150 other economists, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the Mississippi abortion case currently under consideration, to call attention to this long-term impact. She also wrote an op-ed for The Post about how restricting abortion access restricts women’s lives.
The Supreme Court may soon overturn Roe v. Wade. Today, we unpack the leaked draft opinion that has spurred intense reaction from both sides of the issue. Plus, we hear about the implications for red states, blue states and the Supreme Court.
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Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. confirmed on Tuesday that the draft opinion is authentic, and that he is opening an investigation into how it became public. Roberts also stressed that the draft opinion was not final, and the ultimate decision of the court or any particular justice could change before the official ruling is released.
“What you see … is one of the justices trying to provide an explanation to the country of why the court was taking this step at this time,” says Supreme Court reporter Robert Barnes,“And that doesn't mean it will be a final decision.”
Still, the opinion has been a shock to activists on both sides of the battle over the future of abortion rights. Some of them spoke to national politics reporter Caroline Kitchener, who heard firsthand how abortion providers have been scrambling to make plans for a world after the fall of Roe v. Wade – and how antiabortion activists plan to push to ban abortion completely in the United States.
This Tuesday, Ohioans will vote in the primary ahead of this fall’s midterm elections. Today on “Post Reports,” we’re talking about the transformation of one candidate from never-Trumper to Trump’s pick for Ohio’s open Senate seat.
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Back in 2016, commentator and venture capitalist J.D. Vance was known for his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” about the ravages of poverty and drug use in his Ohio town. He made the rounds on talk shows like “Charlie Rose” and NPR’s “Fresh Air” explaining the conditions and mindset that had led so many people to support then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. But he himself decried Trump’s rise.
Fast forward to today. Vance is now the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for Ohio’s empty Senate seat. He’s a staunch member of a splinter group of the Republican Party called national conservatism, that advocates for tighter borders and cracking down on big business. He’s grown a beard. And he’s embraced Trump and his values, earning him the former president’s endorsement.
Magazine writer Simon van Zuylen-Wood followed Vance for weeks to try to understand his transformation and what his candidacy says about the state of the Republican Party. Today on “Post Reports,” we take you inside Vance’s campaign.
If you’re curious to learn more about the Ohio primary, read The Trailer from The Post’s Dave Weigel.
Today on “Post Reports,” we meet a carpet cleaner who speaks two dozen languages — and we have an update on what’s happened to him since this story was first published in print.
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In a city where diplomats and embassies abound, where interpreters can command six-figure salaries at the State Department or the International Monetary Fund, where language proficiency is résumé rocket fuel, Vaughn Smith was a savant with a secret.
He speaks 24 languages well enough to carry on lengthy conversations — and has basic understanding of more than a dozen others — and yet he works as a carpet cleaner.
Today on Post Reports, enterprise reporter Jessica Contrera and audio producer Bishop Sand bring us the remarkable story of a hyperpolyglot with a special brain and a history that has kept him a secret for so long. We also have an update about how his life has started to change since Jessica’s story was first published.
Plus, one more thing: Thanks to your support, we won the 2022 People’s Voice Webby for business podcasts! The winning episode is “A tax haven in America’s heartland.”
Why college enrollment numbers are down. And how one solution to climate change could threaten an endangered species.
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May 1 is college decision day, which is the last chance students have to submit the deposit that secures their spot at the university or college of their choice. But colleges aren’t getting as many students as usual. Enrollment has shrunk more than 5 percent since 2019 — that’s a loss of nearly 1 million students. Danielle Douglas-Gabriel explains why enrollment is down and what it means for higher education.
Then, we join scientists from the New England Aquarium on an expedition off the coast of Cape Cod in search of the elusive right whale. With only about 300 right whales left, the species ranks as one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals. Nearly annihilated centuries ago by whalers, right whales today face new threats from climate change. Dino Grandoni reports on how rising temperatures are driving them to new seas and how one climate solution – offshore wind turbines – could encroach on their habitat.
On today’s show we take you on the ground in Bucha, where Russian forces have left a trail of devastation. Then we head east, where we hear from refugees who have escaped the embattled port city of Mariupol.
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In the suburb of Bucha, Russian forces have left a trail of violent devastation. Post journalists spent a week reporting from the area and counted more than 200 bodies. Foreign correspondent Louisa Loveluck says the actual number of dead is believed to be much higher. “It's very unusual to walk into a scene where the evidence is still fresh on the ground. And it was truly, incredibly shocking.”
And to the east in the Donbas region, Loveluck takes us to a center to which Mariupol residents have escaped. We hear some of their stories. While Russian President Vladimir Putin has told the United Nations he agrees to a humanitarian corridor “in principle,” Loveluck says that, “as someone who's been standing at that evacuation point for days, I can tell you that is not the case.”
What will Elon Musk do with Twitter? Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about what’s next for one of the world’s most influential communication platforms.
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Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, will buy social media site Twitter for about $44 billion after weeks of back-and-forth with the company. Musk now holds the future of the platform in his hands, and critics fear his strong belief in free speech could lead to more misinformation and hate speech on the platform. Will Oremus explains what we know about Musk's plans and what this could mean for the rest of us.
What the battle between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney World says about what Republicans are willing to do to win the culture wars. And, how the end of the federal public transit mask mandate will affect vulnerable people who use buses and trains.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has been publicly feuding with Disney over a controversial law that limits what teachers can say to kids about gender and sexual orientation. Reporter Hannah Sampson explains how the state’s Republican-led legislature has responded and why the fight is another example of the GOP trying to use the culture war to its political advantage.
When a Florida judge ended the federal transit mask mandate last week, there was a lot of focus on how it would affect air travel. But the end of the mandate also affects public transit such as subways and buses, leaving many people who have no transportation alternatives with a puzzle. Katie Shepherd reports on what ending the mask requirement on public transit means for the medically vulnerable.
“Broken Doors” is a new investigative podcast series about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the U.S. justice system — and the consequences for communities when accountability is flawed at every level. Hosted by Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca.
In the third episode of this series, we return to a rural county in Mississippi.
After hearing from survivors of no-knock raids and learning about the deadly consequences, we put our questions directly to the sheriff and the judge who had allowed these raids in Monroe County. People in the community still live in fear as Ricky Keeton’s family continues their battle for justice.
The next episode is out now wherever you get your podcasts. You can email the “Broken Doors” team with any tips or feedback at [email protected]
Today on “Post Reports,” the Biden administration announces a plan to welcome Ukrainian refugees. Plus, just in time for Earth Day, our corporate accountability reporter helps you decipher what it means when a company claims to be “green.”
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The Biden administration announced plans Thursday to expedite the arrival of Ukrainian refugees, creating a new system that will allow citizens and organizations such as churches to sponsor them and warning that Ukrainians attempting to cross via Mexico will be denied entry starting next week. Maria Sacchetti reports.
Plus, it’s almost Earth Day, and corporations are eager to tout their environmental progress. Our corporate accountability reporter, Doug MacMillan, has some tips for how to decipher these promises, which sound good but could be “greenwashed.”
In the past two years, a number of major American cities have experienced spikes in homicides and other violent crimes. Mayors and police chiefs have been under pressure to respond, and some are turning to a new policing strategy called “place network investigations.”
As its name suggests, the strategy focuses on how criminal networks form and thrive in certain geographical places, and it looks at what can be done to try to break up these patterns of crime. Pioneered by academics and now being adopted by cities across the country, it’s the latest in a long line of American policing philosophies that have used data to target crime concentrated in small areas known as hot spots.
Washington Post investigative reporter Amy Brittain started looking into this policing strategy after learning That Louisville police had been using the strategy at the time of Breonna Taylor’s death in March 2020. They have since abandoned it, but Amy was surprised to discover that at least nine other cities are now using the strategy.
In today’s episode of “Post Reports,” Amy looks at why so many police departments are focusing on geography to fight crime, whether that approach works, and if it does, at what cost.
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Read more of Amy Brittain’s investigation into the policing strategy known as place network investigations.
Vote for us in the Webby Awards! Here’s the link to vote for Post Reports for best individual news and politics episode:
https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2022/podcasts/individual-episodes/news-politics
And best individual business episode: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2022/podcasts/individual-episodes/business
What the end of the transportation mask mandates means for you. And, the key to tracking coronavirus surges across the country could be in your poop.
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Yesterday a federal judge in Florida struck down a national mask mandate on airplanes and mass transit. The Transportation Security Administration stopped enforcing the mandate, as did major airlines, with some of them informing passengers of the news midflight. The relaxation of the pandemic precaution has raised public health concerns: The decision comes as coronavirus cases are again climbing in the Northeast. Transportation reporter Michael Laris on what the end of the transportation mask mandate means for you.
As official case counts become less reliable, public health officials are looking at poop to predict infection rates. Wastewater surveillance – testing the poop in public sewage systems – can capture the presence of coronavirus infection rates earlier than other testing options. National health reporter Lena Sun on why wastewater surveillance can keep the coronavirus under control.
Vote for us in the Webby Awards! Here’s the link to vote for Post Reports for best individual news and politics episode:
https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2022/podcasts/individual-episodes/news-politics
And best individual business episode: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2022/podcasts/individual-episodes/business
Today on Post Reports, tech reporter Nitasha Tiku breaks down what’s happening with Elon Musk’s bid to take over Twitter, what his vision of the platform would look like, and why Twitter is putting up a fight.
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Elon Musk is already facing pushback on multiple fronts on his plan to buy social media company Twitter. The billionaire launched his takeover bid last week after back-and-forth wrangling with Twitter since he became a major shareholder. First, he was invited to join the board. Then, he decided not to join the board.
Now, he wants to buy the whole company and take it private. But Twitter’s board and Musk’s own resources might make his takeover attempt a tough task to complete, and Twitter employees have concerns about his leadership.
Elon Musk’s vision for Twitter builds on the company's role as a public town square, but Musk wants to remove restrictions Twitter has developed to keep hate speech, harassment and toxicity off the platform in order to promote Musk's idea of free speech.
Vote for us in the Webby Awards! Here’s the link to vote for Post Reports for best individual business episode:
https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2022/podcasts/individual-episodes/business
And best individual news and politics episode: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2022/podcasts/individual-episodes/news-politics
On today’s bonus episode of Post Reports, we bring you a collaboration with NPR’s “Life Kit” about how to deal with mental health issues while on the job.
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Being on the clock while experiencing depression, anxiety or another mental health issue can be distracting, difficult and isolating. But you’re not alone. Post Reports producer Jordan-Marie Smith worked with NPR’s how-to podcast “Life Kit” on how to deal with mental health while at work. It doesn’t matter whether you are a barista or a CEO, this episode is a guide for how to get the help you need inside and outside of the workplace.
Check out NPR’s “Life Kit” podcast on your favorite podcast app.
A family confronts a sheriff after a deadly no-knock raid.
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“Broken Doors” is a new investigative podcast series about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the U.S. justice system — and the consequences for communities when accountability is flawed at every level. Hosted by Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca.
In the second episode of this series, we return to a rural county in Mississippi.
Around 1 a.m. on Oct. 28, 2015, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office hurled a battering ram into the home of Ricky Keeton to carry out a no-knock search warrant. After the raid turned deadly, Ricky’s family confronted the sheriff — and began secretly recording.
The next episode is out now wherever you get your podcasts. You can email the “Broken Doors” team with any tips or feedback at [email protected]
Today on “Post Reports,” how forever chemicals upended the lives of farmers in Maine — and just how widespread the contamination might be.
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Adam Nordell and Johanna Davis bought their farm seven years ago. In late 2021, they discovered that their land and water were contaminated with incredibly high levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals” or PFAS.
After finding out about the contamination, they shut down all of their farm operations.
More than 2,800 sites nationwide are contaminated by forever chemicals, according to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group. “And that’s only what’s documented,” journalist Keith O’Brien wrote for The Washington Post. “The real total is unknown, and possibly much higher.”
Keith O’Brien’s new book is Paradise Falls: The True Story of an Environmental Catastrophe.
If you haven’t voted for Post Reports in the Webby Awards yet - now is the time! We are nominated for best news and politics episode and best business episode. Please support us by voting, and thank you.
Today on “Post Reports,” the battle over misinformation on Facebook in Ukraine. Plus, how TikTok has created an alternative universe, just for Russia.
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In Ukraine, Facebook fact-checkers are fighting a war on two fronts: racing to debunk propaganda about the war while also trying to survive it. Naomi Nix reports.
With Russia cracking down on social media, the Chinese-owned company TikTok has managed to stay online there by banning all new content, even as loopholes let Russian propaganda through. Will Oremus says this basically means there’s a special, censored TikTok just for users in Russia.
“Post Reports” is nominated for two Webby Awards! Please help us win by voting for us for best news episode and best business episode.
If you missed these episodes when they were published and want to check out the work that’s nominated, go back and listen to “Four hours of insurrection” and “A tax haven in America’s heartland.”
Could Macron lose? That’s the question we put to Paris correspondent Rick Noack, who has been on the campaign trail with the incumbent and the far-right candidate, Marine Le Pen. Today on Post Reports, what to know about the French presidential election.
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French President Emmanuel Macron finished ahead of far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the first round of the French presidential election. But far-right leader Le Pen’s close second-place finish set up a competitive runoff election on April 24.
If you love “Post Reports,” help us win a 2022 Webby award by casting your votes here and here! We are nominated for best news and politics individual episode and best business individual episode.
On today’s episode of “Post Reports,” what life without federal student loan payments has meant for Black women. Plus, the double life of a WNBA star.
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Lamesha Brown bought a house. Alphi Coleman feels like she can finally rest. Lisa Jackson says it “almost feels like a raise.”
For millions of Americans who took out loans to pay for college, the past two years have offered a chance to live without the burden of education debt. But Black women like Brown, Coleman and Jackson shoulder a disproportionate share of the $1.7 trillion student debt burden.
Reporter Danielle Douglas-Gabriel talked with women about what they have been able to do while federal student loan repayment has been on pause during the pandemic.
Plus, one more thing. It’s not unusual for retired professional athletes to have a second career in sports broadcasting, but Chiney Ogwumike is doing both at the same time. The WNBA star/NBA analyst spoke to sports reporter Ben Golliver.
If you love “Post Reports,” help us win a 2022 Webby award by casting your votes here and here! We are nominated for best news and politics individual episode and best business individual episode.
An unusual warrant. A pattern of questionable no-knock raids. A reporting thread that just kept going.
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No-knock warrants allow police to force their way into people’s homes without warning. What happens when this aggressive police tactic becomes the rule, rather than the exception?
“Broken Doors” is a new investigative podcast series about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the American justice system — and the consequences for communities when accountability is flawed at every level. Hosted by Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca.
In the first episode of this series, sheriff’s deputies burst through the front door of a man’s home as he slept. He said they pointed a gun at his head and ransacked his home in search of drugs and cash. The no-knock search warrant they used was threadbare. But that wasn’t the worst of it.
The next two episodes are out now wherever you get your podcasts. You can email the “Broken Doors” team with any tips or feedback at [email protected]
Why prosecutors decided not to charge Minneapolis police officer Mark Hanneman in the killing of Amir Locke. Plus, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson gets confirmed to the Supreme Court.
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On Wednesday, prosecutors announced they would not be filing charges against a Minneapolis police officer in the killing of Amir Locke during a predawn no-knock raid in February.
In a statement on Wednesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Mark Hanneman, who fatally shot 22-year-old Locke, had violated the state’s use-of-deadly-force statute.
Reporter Holly Bailey unpacks the decision not to charge Hanneman, and explains how it has deepened the distrust between the Minneapolis police and the community it is intended to serve.
Plus, on Thursday, the Senate confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court. She is expected to be sworn in this summer when Justice Stephen G. Breyer retires.
Enjoy our podcast? Help us win a 2022 Webby award by casting your votes here and here. We are nominated for best news and politics individual episode, and best business individual episode.
On Tuesday, Oklahoma lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to ban most abortions in the state, passing a Republican bill that would make performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. If the law is signed — and not struck down by the courts — it will take effect this summer.
The state is also weighing two other bills modeled on the restrictive Texas law that has banned most abortions by employing a novel legal strategy that empowers private citizens to enforce the law through civil litigation. Both bills would take effect immediately if signed by the governor. And that could happen within the next few days.
National politics reporter Caroline Kitchener has been reporting on these laws. She and audio producer Rennie Svirnovskiy went to a pair of clinics in Tulsa to see how providers and patients were bracing themselves for what could be the last days of legal abortion in the state.
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Caroline Kitchener breaks down the bill that passed the Oklahoma state legislature in detail.
How Facebook’s parent company Meta paid one of the biggest Republican consulting firms in the country to orchestrate a nationwide PR campaign against TikTok. And, where we stand with booster shots and covid antivirals.
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Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is paying the Republican consulting group Targeted Victory to try to turn the American public against TikTok. They’ve done everything from placing op-eds in major regional news outlets to promoting dubious stories about alleged TikTok trends that are harming kids. Drew Harwell reports on why Facebook is targeting TikTok.
And, an update from science reporter Carolyn Johnson on efforts to get another booster to older adults and expand access to covid antiviral medicines.
On today’s episode of Post Reports, grim scenes from the Ukrainian suburb of Bucha renew calls for investigations into alleged Russian war crimes.
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On Saturday, Ukrainian forces and journalists found mass graves in Bucha, a suburb northwest of Kyiv, after Russian forces withdrew from the region. Bucha Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk told The Post that about 270 residents had been buried in two graves. He estimated that 40 bodies were left on the street.
On today’s episode of Post Reports, foreign correspondent Isabelle Khurshudyan reports on the discovery of these civilians’ bodies, and what it has sparked: international condemnation, calls for an investigation into possible Russian war crimes and vows that sanctions are coming.
As we enter Year 3 of the pandemic, we check back in with intensive care unit nurse Jessica Montanaro, whom we first met in 2021. Now sick with covid and facing a ticking clock on her return to work, she reflects on the past year and the present struggles of her profession.
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Last year we brought you the story of Jessica Montanaro, an intensive care unit nurse from New York City who found herself battling exhaustion and grief as New York became the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, and she cared for wave after wave of patients.
Today, we’re going back to Montanaro. Producer Bishop Sand reached out to her earlier this year to see how she was faring as we approached Year 3 of the pandemic. He discovered that Montanaro was sick with covid.
Because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and New York state had shortened their recovery recommendations for health-care workers sick with the coronavirus, Montanaro was expected back at work after just five days — something she was not happy about.
During her recovery, she talked to Sand daily. She shared stories of her struggles as a nurse over the past year and described her efforts to address the critical staffing shortages that have affected her team and profession as a whole.
Russia announced earlier this week it would scale back its offensive around Kyiv. We take you in and around the capital city to see whether that’s true. Plus, how videos of impromptu concerts around Ukraine have become the soundtrack of hope in the face of war.
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On Tuesday, Moscow announced that it would “drastically reduce” its military assault around Kyiv. But U.S. officials are leery of Russia’s promise to shift away from the capital city.
Post foreign correspondent Siobhan O’Grady has been in Kyiv since the start of the war. She tells us that Russia doesn’t seem to be telling the truth based on accounts from the city and its surrounding areas, and explains how life in Kyiv has changed since the start of the war.
Plus, how videos shared online of musicbeing made in the face of war have become a soundtrack of hope in the midst of despair.
How Peloton became a victim of its own success, and what the parasocial relationship with its instructors tells us about our relationships to ourselves. Plus, what happens when two cosmonauts and an astronaut return to earth.
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Peloton saw a meteoric rise at the start of the pandemic. But as normal life has resumed, sales of the stationary bike have plummeted and the company has been plunged into crisis. Business reporter Aaron Gregg explains.
And writer Anne Helen Petersen, author of the newsletter Culture Study, talks about the general obsession with Peloton and its instructors — and what those relationships might reveal about ourselves and our connection with others.
Plus, a dispatch from the International Space Station: An American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts safely returned back to earth Wednesday after a historic mission. But there’s a conflict brewing over U.S.-Russia relations in space, and the future of the ISS is at stake.
On today’s episode of Post Reports, we bring you the latest news from Istanbul, where Russian and Ukrainian delegates are negotiating a de-escalation of the war.
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After a day of talks in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have laid out their terms for a potential end to the war.
Moscow has said it would “drastically reduce” military activity near Kyiv and Chernihiv “to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations.”
Kyiv has proposed that countries such as Israel, Turkey and France “guarantee” Ukraine’s security in the future, in exchange for Kyiv’s neutrality and pledge not to host foreign military bases or forces — in other words, Kyiv would make a promise to not seek NATO membership.
Reporter Shane Harris describes the state of negotiations, and what a path to the end of the war could look like.
As more and more states move to restrict abortion rights, and the Supreme Court weighs whether to overturn Roe v. Wade, we look at how clinics in blue states are preparing for an influx of patients from across state lines.
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On today’s episode of Post Reports, national politics reporter Caroline Kitchener takes us inside a clinic on the Illinois side of the Illinois-Missouri border, where abortion providers are working to build a blue-state abortion refuge for patients from across the South and Midwest. Many of the more conservative states surrounding Illinois are moving to restrict abortion access as the Supreme Court considers whether to limit or overturn the protections of Roe v. Wade.
The Post is tracking legislation that aims to restrict abortion across the country — 15-week bans, Texas-style bans, trigger laws and abortion pill bans — as well as what’s happening in the Democratic-dominated states moving to protect access to abortion.
On today’s Post Reports, what we can learn from texts between President Donald Trump’s top aide and the wife of a Supreme Court justice. Plus, why protesters in the Caribbean have not been charmed by William and Kate’s royal “charm offensive.”
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In text messages obtained by The Washington Post and CBS News, Virginia Thomas — a conservative activist and the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — repeatedly pressed White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to keep up the relentless effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election, calling Joe Biden’s victory “the greatest Heist of our History.”
The messages, 29 in all, reveal an extraordinary pipeline between Virginia Thomas, who goes by Ginni, and President Donald Trump’s top aide at a time when Trump and his allies were vowing to go to the Supreme Court in an effort to negate the election’s results.
Despite these ties, Justice Thomas chose not to recuse himself in a case deciding whether the former president could block the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol from obtaining certain records, including these text messages between Ginni Thomas and Meadows.
On today’s episode of Post Reports, CBS’s Robert Costa tells us about the process of reporting out this story with The Post’s Bob Woodward and shares the questions he’ll be asking next.
Critics say Ginni Thomas’s activism is a Supreme Court conflict. Under court rules, only her husband can decide whether that’s true. Michael Kranish reports on the criticism that Justice Thomas has exploited a hole in the court’s rules to ignore the conflict of interest created by his wife’s activism.
Plus, Karla Adam explains why Britain’s Prince William and his wife, Catherine, have been met with anti-colonial protests and demands for reparations on their first official overseas visit together since the start of the pandemic.
The United States and the E.U. announced new sanctions on Russia on Thursday as President Biden held emergency talks with NATO leaders in Brussels. Today we talk about the geopolitical moment, and hear from the families of people trapped in Mariupol.
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President Biden said on Thursday that the United States will take in 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and will commit more than $1 billion in humanitarian assistance for those affected by Russia’s continued invasion in Ukraine. As the war reached the one-month mark, Biden joined leaders from the European Union in projecting a unified front against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while announcing additional measures to isolate the Kremlin.
We talk to Missy Ryan about how the geopolitical dynamics have changed over the past month, and how significant it is that the United States has accused members of Russia’s military of committing war crimes in Ukraine.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that assessment is based in part on U.S. intelligence and pointed to the suffering of civilians in Mariupol, a key port city that Russian forces cut off early in their invasion and then bombarded.
Russian forces have also cut off communications and electricity in the city. Reporters Siobhán O'Grady and Kostiantyn Khudov speak to Ukrainians who are desperately searching for their relatives trapped in Mariupol.
Today, what we know about the BA.2 coronavirus variant and whether the United States is prepared for a possible rise in cases. Plus, why the war in Ukraine has had an unexpected impact on sushi prices in Japan.
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The BA.2 variant is now the most common variant among new coronavirus cases in the United States. And while experts say it’s unlikely to lead to a big surge, dropped mask mandates across the country could lead to more spread. Meanwhile, the federal government is running out of money for booster shots and other covid responses. Health policy reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb brings us the latest from Anthony S. Fauci on the new variant and the government response.
Thousands of miles away from Ukraine, people in Japan are experiencing a trickle down effect of the war: a spike in sushi prices. That’s because a lot of the cheap fish eaten in Japan actually comes from Russia. The Japanese government had imposed sanctions on that fish – but the effects on local markets are looking too severe to bear. Tokyo bureau chief Michelle Ye Hee Lee explains how these seemingly distant markets are actually closely intertwined.
Today on Post Reports, the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, and how Republicans are weighing the costs and benefits of opposing Jackson’s nomination.
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The Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson have begun. If confirmed, Jackson would be the first African American woman to be seated on the Supreme Court bench.
While Jackson’s confirmation hearing is expected to be less contentious than those for other recent Supreme Court nominees, such as Amy Coney Barrett and Brett M. Kavanaugh, her path to the highest court still faces challenges. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake explains the political calculus Republicans are making in the Senate, held by a razor-thin Democratic majority, and how Jackson’s seat on the bench could affect future Supreme Court cases.
Today on Post Reports, a journey deep into the Amazon to uncover how the planned redevelopment of a highway could go hand in hand with deforestation and violence.
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Highway BR-319 slices through the heart of the Amazon. Built in the 1970s, it has slowly deteriorated, giving way to muck and mud. Many people who rely on the road are calling for its repair. But scientists warn that easier access to the rainforest will inevitably lead to illegal deforestation, which will soon tip the forest past a point of no return.
Washington Post Rio de Janeiro bureau chief Terry McCoy and photographer Raphael Alves traveled the length of the broken highway to observe the destruction. They also looked at how criminal groups operate in the region, seizing land, razing trees and defending the seized territory with violence.
This week, a sleepy Senate voted unanimously to end “spring forward” and “fall back” and make daylight saving time permanent.
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The Senate surprised everyone in Washington this week by voting unanimously to end clock-switching in the United States and make daylight saving time permanent. Our health policy and politics reporter Dan Diamond got to take a break from covering the coronavirus to talk about the bipartisan legislation, which would need to get through the House and be signed by President Biden to become law. While there’s broad agreement among sleep experts that the country should abandon its twice yearly, seasonal-time changes, many sleep experts think standard time is better for our circadian rhythms.
Check out how permanent daylight saving time would change sunrise and sunset times across the United States. Brighter winter evenings would come at the expense of darker mornings.
Today on Post Reports, we talk to our colleague Jason Rezaian about WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia. Rezaian, who was unjustly held in Iran for 544 days, fears that Griner is being held as a geopolitical bargaining chip.
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Post opinions writer Jason Rezaian is very concerned about Brittney Griner.
When he heard of her arrest, he says, his first thought was, “This sounds a lot like what happened to me.”
Rezaian was arrested in 2014, and his case became a bargaining chip in nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran.
Given the timing of Griner’s arrest, Rezaian says it could be tied to sanctions from the United States in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His opinions, he says, are informed by a new reality: More Americans are being wrongfully detained abroad, especially in moments of tension or conflict.
Watch The Post’s short documentary “Bring Them Home,” an intimate look at one family in this situation.
On today’s show, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s appeal to Congress. Why U.S. sanctions on Russian oil aren’t the only thing raising gas prices. Plus, how the White House is enlisting TikTok influencers in the information war with Russia.
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On Wednesday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Congress, calling on the United States to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
While President Biden has resisted calls to create a no-fly zone, he and other world leaders have been moved by Zelensky’s appeals and the plight of Ukrainians. Biden this week pledged billions of dollars in aid to the war-torn country, and announced on Wednesday afternoon that the United States would be sending drones, anti-aircraft systems and other weapons to Ukraine.
Western countries have also taken other drastic steps to punish and isolate Russia – including steps to wean the west off Russian oil and gas. Former energy reporter and Moscow Correspondent Will Englund reports on what sanctions on Russian oil could mean for Russia, for Europe, and for gas prices in the United States.
The White House recently briefed TikTok creators and influencers on the war in Ukraine, as a way to combat disinformation from Russian propagandists on the popular platform. Taylor Lorenz is a tech columnist at The Post. She got a scoop on the Zoom call and explains what happened, if this is the right move, and what Russian disinformation about the war looks like.
Since the omicron outbreak began a few months ago, 10 times as many people have died in Hong Kong as in the previous two years. Today on Post Reports, how Hong Kong’s “zero covid” policy led to a devastating surge.
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Body bags, overflowing morgues and chaotic hospitals. Hong Kong — a wealthy financial center — now has the highest covid-19 death rate in the developed world. More than 4,000 people have died since the start of the city’s most recent outbreak, compared with just 213 in the two years prior. Those dying are overwhelmingly elderly, unvaccinated residents, but they also include toddlers and children too young to be immunized.
Shibani Mahtani reports from Hong Kong on how the city has gone from “zero covid” to a catastrophe.
Many experts predicted that Russia would take Ukraine in a matter of days –– but fighting is now in its third week. Today on Post Reports, the failures of Russia’s military strategy, the surprising strength of Ukrainian forces, and how this could end.
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Almost three weeks into the Russian assault on Ukraine, Kyiv remains under Ukrainian control, to the surprise of many onlookers.
“I think, broadly, there are two big reasons,” says national security reporter Shane Harris. “First, the Ukrainian people’s will to fight is, I think, greater than a lot of people had anticipated –– particularly Vladimir Putin. The second is that this ferocious, feared Russian military has turned out to be a lot less, maybe, than people had thought it was.”
On today’s episode of Post Reports, Shane and Martine discuss the mistakes of the Russian military apparatus and the strength of the underestimated Ukrainian forces and game out scenarios for the end of the war.
Plus, we hear from reporter Sudarsan Raghavan in Kyiv about the local orchestra playing in the city’s Independence Square. “Fortunately, it was extremely quiet during the performance,” Sudarsan says. “We didn't hear any shells landing. A few moments afterwards, air raid sirens went off and people moved away from the square.”
Two years in, many Americans are ready to leave the pandemic behind. But some people don’t have that luxury — like the immunocompromised, parents of small children and covid “long-haulers.” Today on the show, what it means to “live with covid.”
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It’s been two years since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Today on Post Reports, we take stock of how far we’ve come … and how far we still have to go.
For many around the country, the pandemic is starting to feel like a thing of the past. In red and blue states alike, masks are coming off and vaccine requirements are relaxing. But for some — including the immunocompromised and parents of young kids — the pandemic is far from over.
Health reporter Fenit Nirappil explains what it means for the virus to become endemic, and how the United States is looking to return to normalcy after two years of covid-19 mitigation efforts.
Meanwhile, potentially hundreds of thousands of people are experiencing symptoms of long covid, months — or even years — after they were first exposed. And as the world tries to move on, they’re trying not to fall through the gaps in the social safety net.
Business reporter Chris Rowland talks about the covid “long-haulers” struggling to get the disability benefits they — and their doctors —think they’re due.
After blocking media access, the Russian government banned what it calls “fake” news on its war with Ukraine. Journalists are now fleeing the country. Today on Post Reports, what that means for the truth and Russians’ access to it.
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Independent journalists in Russia have been fleeing since Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a ban on “fake news,” which bars reporters from calling the war in Ukraine a “war” or referring to the “invasion.” (The preferred language is “special military operation.”)
As foreign media outlets decide what that means for their coverage and staff, The New York Times this week became the first major American news organization to announce that it will pull its staff out of Russia in response to the new law.
Media reporter Elahe Izadi reports on the consequences — for Russians’ access to good information, and for the rest of the world’s understanding of what’s happening in Russia.
“I think the biggest risk here is it obscures the truth,” Elahe says. “We need to know the truth of the facts of the situation in order to assess an appropriate response. That’s the same for people within Russia.”
This new law is also creating challenges for social media platforms. Nitasha Tiku explains how TikTok has responded, and what other platforms might do. As The Post has reported, TikTok has long tried to stay out of politics, but Russia’s invasion is making that harder.
Today on Post Reports, we explore the hidden cost of police misconduct. Cities around the country spent more than $1.5 billion between 2010 and 2020 to settle claims involving thousands of officers repeatedly accused of misconduct – and often left taxpayers in the dark.
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A warning to listeners: Today’s episode of Post Reports includes a story about police violence that may be disturbing to some people, especially animal lovers.
When we hear about lawsuits against police departments, it’s often in cases involving fatal police shootings, like Breonna Taylor’s or George Floyd’s, that result in multimillion-dollar settlements.
“Those cases, they make the headlines, they make the news,” says Washington Post reporter Keith Alexander. “But there are other cases where officers are the subject of numerous lawsuits — 10, 12, 13 — for much smaller offenses, but they're happening repeatedly.”
In a new investigation from The Post, Keith and fellow reporters tallied nearly 40,000 payments made by 25 major cities and counties around the country to settle repeat allegations of misconduct involving thousands of officers. What they found was the hidden cost of police misconduct: the staggering amount that’s been paid over the past decade and the way that taxpayers are often kept in the dark.
Steven Rich and Hannah Thacker contributed to this report. If you want to learn more about how The Post reported on the hidden billion-dollar cost of repeated police misconduct, check out this video.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, one question has loomed large: What does Putin want? Nonfiction book critic Carlos Lozada went looking for clues in the Russian leader’s 2000 book and other writings. Today on Post Reports, he shares what he learned.
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Reporters Siobhan O’Grady and Whitney Shefte have been reporting from the Ukrainian city of Irpin, just outside of Kyiv, where people are desperately trying to escape a Russian attack.
As the invasion of Ukraine goes on, so many of us around the world are asking: Where is this headed? What does Russia want? Or, maybe, a better question: What does Vladimir Putin want?
“What Putin really wants” is a perennial topic for cable news debates and big-think magazine covers; the current invasion of Ukraine has prompted questions about the Russian leader’s mental health and pandemic-era isolation. But his motives can also be gleaned in part from his book and his frequent essays and major speeches, all seething with resentment, propaganda and self-justification. In light of his writings, Carlos Lozada says, Russia’s attack on Ukraine seems less about reuniting two countries than about challenging the United States and NATO.
How Ukrainians are documenting the destruction of their country. And, why the international community may struggle to hold Russian officials accountable for alleged war crimes.
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As Russia continues its artillery assault of major population centers in Ukraine, Western officials have begun accusing Russian military officials of committing war crimes.
“We've seen these really gruesome images of civilian casualties, of the shelling and the complete destruction of Ukrainian cities,” says foreign affairs reporter Claire Parker. “And mounting evidence of the use of weapons that have triggered serious alarm among international observers and raised allegations that Russia could be committing war crimes.”
On today’s Post Reports, Sudursan Raghavan reports from the rubble of a village near Kyiv, where a team was collecting evidence of possible war crimes.
Then, Parker walks us through the accusations against the Russian military and why it may be difficult for the International Criminal Court to hold anyone accountable.
A team of Danish filmmakers spent more than two years following Trump confidant and adviser, Roger Stone. Their footage — and an investigation from The Washington Post — shed new light on Stone’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
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As a mob ransacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Roger Stone, Donald Trump’s longtime political adviser, hurried to pack a suitcase inside his suite at downtown Washington’s Willard hotel. Before leaving the city on a private jet, he told an aide he feared prosecution by the incoming attorney general, Merrick Garland. “He is not a friend,” Stone said.
On today’s Post Reports, how two documentary makers gained extraordinary access to a member of Trump’s inner circle — and what their footage reveals about the campaign to overturn the 2020 election.
Their footage, along with other reporting by The Post, provides the most comprehensive account to date of Stone’s involvement in the former president’s effort to overturn the election and the Jan. 6 insurrection.
For months, he coordinated with far-right leaders and urged allies to join the “Stop the Steal” movement. When it all fell apart, he lobbied the former president for a pardon for himself and “the entire MAGA movement,” up until the day Trump left office.
Their film, “A Storm Foretold,” is expected to come out later this year. You can watch excerpts here.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s improbable journey — from an actor who played the president on TV, to the real president of Ukraine, to the center of an American impeachment, to a war hero. Plus, an interview with the director of “The Batman.”
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The world has been captivated by videos from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the past week. The TV president turned wartime leader has a habit of turning up center stage in global events. Producer Ted Muldoon talked to reporters from around the newsroom about Zelensky’s unlikely path from entertainer to wartime president.
David Betancourt has been guest hosting Post Reports the past couple of days — but his day job is reporting on comic book culture for The Post. He says the new Batman movie marks a return to greatness for DC after a decade dominated by the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Today on Post Reports, David interviews the film’s director, Matt Reeves.
Today on Post Reports, how the U.S. is imposing sanctions on Russia’s elite. Plus, why Major League Baseball is canceling games.
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On Thursday, the White House announced new sanctions against more Russian elites and their family members. Reporter Jeff Stein explains the strategy behind seizing yachts, jets and luxury apartments.
This week, Major League Baseball announced that roughly 90 games would be canceled amid a labor dispute between the players union and team owners. Baseball reporter Chelsea Janes explains why the two parties can’t come to an agreement and why the lockout is so aggravating to fans.
Nearly 900,000 people have fled Ukraine for safety. On today’s show, the refugees of the war in Ukraine.
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Hundreds of thousands of refugees have left Ukraine for neighboring countries, and many are now waiting in holding centers across the region. Many are women and children; Ukrainian authorities have told men ages 18 to 60 to stay in the country to fight the invasion.
Almost 900,000 people have fled Ukraine and are looking to places like Poland, Moldova, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary for safety. Traffic data shows severe backups at nearly every border crossing over the weekend, particularly at crossings into Poland. Officials warn that the flow of refugees is likely to escalate into a full-blown humanitarian crisis.
Today on the show, the refugees fleeing Ukraine to escape the war.
Katya Merezhinsky is one of those people. She was in Lviv when the war began, and she recounts her harrowing journey out of Ukraine.
Foreign correspondent and Berlin bureau chief Loveday Morris reports on the ground from the Ukraine-Poland border, where busloads of refugees are arriving in Poland. She says, “Hordes of people are [arriving] with real tales of horror.”
Video journalist Jon Gerberg is also on the Ukraine-Poland border and reports on the discrimination some refugees of color have faced as they’ve tried to cross it.
“What starts on paper as a policy of national priority in the end effectively translates into a two-class process,” Gerberg says.
Follow our coverage on the war in Ukraine here.
Today on Post Reports, we bring you the latest from the war in Ukraine. How sanctions from the West are tanking Russia’s currency. Plus, a dire new climate report from the United Nations.
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Six days into the invasion of Ukraine, fierce fighting continued in Kharkiv as Russian forces closed in on the second-largest Ukrainian city. A convoy seemed to be stalled outside Kyiv on Tuesday afternoon. Follow the latest on the war from our reporters on the ground.
The United States and Europe have responded to Russia’s aggression with historic sanctions. But are they working? Paul Sonne reports on the impact on Russia’s economy and how much this changes things for ordinary Russians.
Meanwhile, on Monday a newly released report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that the window is closing to prevent catastrophic climate change.
“Frankly, I don't think that I've ever seen a report so dire,” says climate reporter Sarah Kaplan. “The language is just incredibly bleak.”
There is, however, a glimmer of hope: Humanity still has time to shift Earth's warming trajectory, scientists say. But averting the world’s worst-case scenarios will require nothing less than transformational change on a global scale.
Today, on the ground in Kyiv, where the battle for control continues. And NATO 101: how NATO came to be, how its mission has evolved since the end of the Cold War, and why two nonmembers are challenging the way the security organization is seen.
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Ukraine is not a member of NATO, the military alliance of mainly Western countries united by a mutual defense treaty. But post-Cold War tension between the West and Russia over NATO is at the heart of the current crisis. On today’s episode of Post Reports, we ask where NATO fits into global conflict, and how the history of the organization informs geopolitical relations today.
Since 1999, 14 nations have joined NATO, including Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and the Baltic states. Russia has demanded that the alliance stop expanding eastward — and that it bar Ukraine from joining. Ukraine’s government has said that it would like to enter the alliance, along with other nations that were once part of or allied with the former Soviet Union.
In speeches this month, President Biden has vowed that the United States would meet its commitments under Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which says that an attack on one is an attack on all. But, since Ukraine isn’t a member, what does that even mean for the country? And for the rest of the world?
“As these countries have grown in number, it’s even more questionable whether we would send our troops to defend these countries,” says Sarah Kreps, professor of government, law and public policy and director of the Tech Policy Lab at Cornell University. “We would need some real leadership to help the public understand what the issue is, and explain the consequences of inaction.”
Follow the latest from Ukraine here.
Today, a deep dive into the life of Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. Plus, a dispatch from Ukraine, where Russian forces are pressing closer to the capital, Kyiv.
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On Friday morning, President Biden announced his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court: federal judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Currently serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Jackson is a former clerk for Justice Stephen G. Breyer. If confirmed, she will be the first Black woman and the first former federal public defender on the Supreme Court. Legal affairs reporter Ann Marimow on Jackson’s past, and what she’d bring to the court.
Plus, a dispatch from Ukraine, where Russia is advancing on the capital, Kyiv. Our foreign correspondent Siobhan O’Grady reports.
On Thursday, Russia launched attacks on cities across Ukraine, from Kyiv to Kharkiv. Today on Post Reports, what it’s like on the ground there, Putin’s calculus, and why the United States and Europe feel powerless to stop Russia.
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Ukrainians in cities and towns across the country woke up to the sound of explosions early Thursday morning as Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine.
On Thursday afternoon, President Biden announced further sanctions against Russia, saying, “We have no intention of fighting Russia. We want to send an unmistakable message, though, that the United States, together with our Allies, will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
But will those sanctions make any difference?
“I don't see any sanctions that are going to, especially at this point, prevent him from trying to execute his plan,” reporter Paul Sonne said of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He added: “This is a horrific turn of events in world history. Russia is an incredibly powerful military, and it's unleashing its full military might against a neighboring, much less powerful state. And we're witnessing that in real time.
“We're seeing Ukrainians suffering deeply, fearing for their lives, fleeing their cities, moving their children into bomb shelters. And because Russia is a nuclear power, people in the United States and in Europe are feeling quite powerless to do anything about it.”
We also hear from our reporters on the ground in Ukraine about what these early days of attacks feel like for the people caught in the crossfire.
Much of America wants policing to change. But these self-proclaimed experts in police training tell officers they’re doing just fine. Today on Post Reports, we take you inside a police training conference.
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For more than a year now, Robert Klemko has been covering calls for police reform across the country in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
But last fall, he started wondering — have these calls for reform changed anything about the way police are trained?
He went looking for a police training conference, and he found the Street Cop Training Conference in Atlantic City in October. The speakers included the right-wing political commentator Tomi Lahren, former law enforcement officers and military personnel. Robert wasn’t allowed to attend — but he did obtain a recording of the conference, and he shares it with us today.
You can read more about Robert’s reporting, and listen to his article here.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners — one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
Today on Post Reports – did Russia just invade Ukraine? Foreign correspondent Isabelle Khurshudyan says it depends on who you ask. Plus, Michael Robinson Chavez on what it’s like reporting from the eastern front.
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On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that he is recognizing two separatist regions of Ukraine as independent. He ordered troops to “perform peacekeeping functions” in those regions – which the United States and other allies say amounts to an invasion. On Tuesday, Biden called it a “flagrant violation of international law” and announced a first round of sanctions, while saying he still hopes diplomacy is possible.
Moscow correspondent Isabelle Khurshudyan reports from eastern Ukraine on what this means for Ukrainians, and how far its allies will go to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Later in the show, we hear a harrowing story from photojournalist Michael Robinson Chavez who was reporting from the front lines in Ukraine.
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Students, teachers and historians reflect on what has changed – and what should change – about the way we teach presidential history today.
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Americans are grappling with the complex legacies of former presidents.
In just the past few weeks, a Theodore Roosevelt statue came down in New York City and a high school in New Jersey named after Woodrow Wilson officially decided to drop the president’s name.
Today’s episode is hosted by Lilian Cunningham and looks to students, teachers and presidential historians to illuminate what has – and hasn’t – changed about how the presidency is taught in the classroom.
We’re joined by Professors Barbara Perry of the University of Virginia and Julian Zelizer of Princeton University; Clint Smith, author of “How the Word is Passed”; and the AP government and politics class of teacher Michael Martirone.
To learn more about the life and legacy of every single American president, check out “The Presidential” podcast: Listen here.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners – one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
With midterms ahead, both parties are tryings to connect with voters. But what if voters just want politics to stop feeling like an existential death match? Plus, a tribute to “Arthur,” the kids show ending after 25 years.
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This year’s midterm elections have Democrats and Republicans facing tough questions about how to reach voters. Back in November, there was a test case that offered some insight to both parties: the Virginia governor’s race.
Businessman Glenn Youngkin was the first Republican to be elected governor of Virginia in nearly a decade. The race was viewed nationally as both a test of Joe Biden’s presidency and whether Republicans could mount a return after losing the White House.
Washington Post Magazine reporter David Montgomery wanted to know what led voters in a state that voted for Biden by big margins in 2020 to suddenly swing right in 2021. So he set out on a road trip across Virginia to talk to voters and to hear how the heated rhetoric between both political parties has influenced local communities.
After 25 years, the animated children’s show “Arthur” is ending. Producer Ariel Plotnick speaks with the author of the original books and the longtime executive producer of the show about what made “Arthur” so relatable for kids and parents alike.
How some of the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting reached a settlement with Remington Arms nearly a decade after the massacre. Plus, why a convoy of semi-trucks descended on downtown Ottawa three weeks ago — and never left.
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When the families of nine of the victims of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School began their lawsuit against the gunmaker of the Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle, their goal was to spare other families the pain that had upended their own lives.
On Tuesday, the victims’ families marked a victory in that effort with the announcement of a $73 million settlement with Remington Arms, which manufactures the Bushmaster.
“This lawsuit is really being viewed as an opening, an example of what is possible,” says reporter Kim Bellware. “But also, lawyers are saying this should be a wake-up call for other people who are in business with gun manufacturers … to let them know that these gun companies can’t just operate how they want, and that being in business with companies like this can be very expensive.”
Later in the show, we take you to Ottawa, where thousands of demonstrators in semi-trucks have been parked in downtown for weeks in protest of vaccine mandates. They also blocked the Ambassador Bridge, a key crossing into the United States, wreaking economic havoc on both countries.
Now their demands have grown to include lifting all pandemic restrictions – and authorities say some have ties to extremist groups. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked Canada’s Emergencies Act for the first time in the country’s history in an attempt to restore order.
Post reporter Amanda Coletta is in Ottawa watching the protests unfold.
Today on Post Reports, how one company made millions by scooping up homes across the United States, then renting them back to people who could no longer afford to buy them.
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Last year investors bought nearly 1 in 7 homes sold in America’s top metropolitan areas, the most in at least two decades, according to data from the realty company Redfin and an analysis by The Washington Post. Those purchases come at a time when would-be buyers across the country are seeing wildly escalating prices, raising the question of what impact investors are having on prices for everyone else.
Today we visit a block in the suburbs of Nashville that used to be the perfect place for first-time homebuyers. Then, global investors bought in. As part of the Pandora Papers investigation, financial reporter Peter Whoriskey explains how a private equity-backed company called Progress Residential reaps big profits from stressed American renters amid a national affordability crisis.
Kamila Valieva is arguably the best female figure skater in the world. She’s also a 15-year-old at the center of an Olympics doping scandal. After the skater’s emotional performance Tuesday, we talk about doping and her controversial coach.
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Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old figure skating phenom from Russia, arrived in Beijing poised for a coronation, with a potential Olympic title affirming her status as the best women’s skater of her time. But now at the center of the doping controversy that has rocked these Games, Valieva finished her short program and brought her hands over her eyes, overwhelmed by a week in which her eligibility for this competition was in jeopardy – and is still being called into question.
Health reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb explains the doping scandal andthe questions being raised about Kamila Valieva’s coach, Eteri Tutberidze. The Russian coach has helped revolutionize women's figure skating, but the doping controversy surrounding her latest star has put Tutberidze’s methods under an unwelcome spotlight.
Diplomatic efforts to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine have failed to ease tensions — and that has huge stakes for Ukraine, for Europe and for America’s standing in the world.
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The U.S. State Department has announced that the U.S. will close its embassy in Ukraine’s capital, with remaining embassy personnel being relocated closer to the border with Poland because of mounting U.S. fears of an invasion by Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to leave the diplomatic door open, but as national security reporter Shane Harris explains, talks aren’t producing any breakthroughs.
Today on Post Reports, a guide to the judges being considered to fill Justice Stephen Breyer’s Supreme Court seat and make history as the first Black woman on the court. Plus, two Washington Post politics experts talk … figure skating.
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After Justice Stephen G. Breyer announced his plan to retire at the end of the Supreme Court’s current term, all eyes turned to President Biden, who now has the chance to bolster the court’s liberal minority and deliver on a major campaign promise: to nominate the first Black female justice.
On today’s Post Reports, White House reporter Seung Min Kim runs through the professional backgrounds and legal philosophies of three of the judges under consideration – Ketanji Brown Jackson, Leondra Kruger and J. Michelle Childs – and the challenges they could face if nominated.
And later in the episode, non-sports-reporters Phil Rucker and Robert Samuels join Maggie Penman to talk about … Olympic figure skating.
We look at why rents have gone up across the nation, and whether that trend will end any time soon.
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Nationwide, the price of renting a home has skyrocketed recently — in some places the rent is up more than 30 percent. As economics correspondent Abha Bhattarai explains, the effect on some renters has been severe: Millions of Americans have been forced to move, while others have become homeless until they can find another place to live.
What a brazen Islamic State prison break reveals about the strength of the terrorist group. Plus, amid uncertainty over the future of Roe v. Wade, Vermont moves to enshrine access to abortion in the state’s constitution.
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The world forgot this Syrian prison. The Islamic State did not. Baghdad bureau chief Louisa Loveluck was recently in Syria reporting on the fallout from a brazen ISIS attack, and what it revealed about the enduring strength of the group.
Politics reporter Caroline Kitchener reports on abortion for The Post. She explains the latest moves by state legislatures to either protect — or restrict — access to abortion as the Supreme Court considers a decision that could limit or even overturn Roe v. Wade.
What it means for a star American athlete to compete for China in the Beijing Olympics. Plus, how an anonymous Instagram account called “Dear White Staffers” is exposing what it can be like working for lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
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Eileen Gu is an American dream of an Olympic athlete. Born and raised in San Francisco, she won gold in the big-air freestyle skiing event and is a favorite in two more events. But she’s not competing for the United States. She’s competing for China. Les Carpenter reports on how Gu’s choice magnifies the ongoing tensions between the United States and China.
An Instagram account called “Dear White Staffers'' has become a safe space for congressional aides to anonymously call out lawmakers and share their experiences. Marianna Sotomayor reports that the account is also galvanizing unionization efforts on the Hill.
As Russia appears to prepare for a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States and NATO allies scramble to find a diplomatic resolution.
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Russia is close to completing preparations for what appears to be a large-scale invasion of Ukraine that could lead to 50,000 civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis with millions of refugees fleeing the chaos, according to U.S. military and intelligence assessments.
Intelligence reporter Shane Harris breaks down how the diplomatic efforts to de-escalate on the border are going –– and where the skepticism of all sides in the conflict comes from.
For four years, Maria Chic Reynoso and her daughter, Adelaida, only spoke through a screen. They were separated at the U.S. border under Trump. Though they’re reunited, they’re still haunted by the past — and the possibility of another separation.
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Maria Chic Reynoso and her daughter, Adelaida, were among the first to be separated at the U.S.-Mexico border in the summer of 2017 under the Trump administration — a year before the White House publicly acknowledged it was separating young children from their parents.
Maria was deported back to rural Guatemala, and Adelaida was sent to live with Maria’s sister in South Florida. Maria and Adelaida spent four agonizing years apart from each other, unsure as to whether or when they would see each other again.
In 2021, Maria and Adelaida were finally reunited. But as Mexico City Bureau Chief Kevin Sieff explains, the trauma of the separation is far from over.
“Almost every family I've talked to has expressed some fundamental kind of fracture in their family that didn't just occur at the moment of separation, but occurred in the period between separation and reunion,” Sieff explains. “And it's just obvious that all of these families are going to have a hard time rebuilding relationships, including this one.”
Three police officers are on trial in Minnesota for their role in George Floyd’s murder. The case centers on their “duty to intervene” in the actions of Derek Chauvin. But some are asking: How do you teach cops to stand up to other cops?
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Former Minneapolis police officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas K. Lane and Tou Thao are facing trial on federal charges that they deprived George Floyd of his federal civil rights in the fatal May 2020 arrest. Reporter Holly Bailey has been reporting on the courtroom proceedings — a process that’s played out much differently than in Chauvin’s trial. “It feels like we're really going to get deep into what police officers in Minneapolis are trained to do, and how exactly they are trained,” Bailey says.
In the aftermath of Floyd’s death and Chauvin’s conviction, police departments around the country have been seeking out training in “bystander intervention” — teaching police officers how to speak up when their colleagues are doing something harmful.
“For decades and decades, we've been teaching police officers about intervention, but we've been doing it really badly,” says Jonathan Aronie of the Sheppard Mullin law firm, the co-founder of the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement Project. “All we do is we give them a PowerPoint and we say, ‘Thou shall intervene,’ as though it's easy. And we've never, ever taught the skills of intervention.”
For many parents of young kids, the news that Pfizer and BioNTech are seeking emergency-use authorization for a coronavirus vaccine for children younger than 5 couldn’t have come soon enough. What we know — and don’t know — at this point in the process.
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Earlier this week, The Washington Post reported that coronavirus vaccines for children younger than 5 could be available far sooner than expected — perhaps by the end of February — under a plan that would lead to the potential authorization of a two-shot regimen in the coming weeks.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the regulatory strategy here, says science reporter Carolyn Y. Johnson. But for parents of young children, this news may feel like a light at the end of the tunnel.
Today on Post Reports, we talk about corporate responsibility — at the Olympics, and in the C-suite. Plus, Wordle gets bought out.
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The U.S. government may be boycotting the Olympics, but American corporate sponsors aren’t. Global business reporter Jeanne Whalen says, “China is the world's second biggest economy, and for many of these companies, it is one of their biggest markets.” We break down what that means for the diplomatic boycott and its impact.
A Washington Post review of America's most valuable public companies reveals that Black employees still represent a strikingly small number of top executives — and that the people tapped to boost inclusion often struggle to do so. Business reporter Tracy Jan explains why.
Plus, one more thing about Wordle — and why the popular online word game being bought by the New York Times feels like the end of an era.
Have federal student loans? Tell us what you’ve done since the payment freeze. The Washington Post is covering the freeze on federal student loan payments, which was first imposed in March 2020 because of the pandemic. We'd like to hear from borrowers on how the freeze has impacted them.
The legacy of “truth in sentencing” politics in Maryland, where the vast majority of people serving life sentences are Black, and how a new law could alter what it means to serve life in prison.
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Politics have shaped the parole process in Maryland for decades. In the heat of a tough-on-crime campaign in the 1990s, the state’s governor said that he would reject parole for anyone serving a life sentence, even when parole commissioners had recommended release. This policy, maintained by his successors from both parties, has left hundreds of prisoners with parole-eligible sentences to grow old and die in prison.
This changed in December when state legislators voted to push the governor out of the parole process. Rebecca Tan reports on the policy’s impact and what this change could mean for similar efforts across the country.
The revolutionary Webb telescope reaches its final destination. Amy Schneider’s historic winning streak on “Jeopardy!” comes to an end. Plus, the faster world of 5G, explained.
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NASA’s revolutionary James Webb Space Telescope on Monday fired its thrusters for five minutes and reached its final destination, a special orbit around the sun where it will spend the rest of its life scrutinizing the universe and capturing light emitted soon after the big bang. Joel Achenbach reports.
Amy Schneider’s history-making “Jeopardy!” streak came to an end this week. Emily Yahr breaks down why she charmed so many people.
5G service just got faster for some people. Our Help Desk colleague Chris Velazco explains why.
A hunger crisis in Afghanistan is forcing Western countries to grapple with how to save lives without benefiting the Taliban.
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After Taliban forces took Kabul in August, foreign aid into Afghanistan dried up. The international community worried that aid money would be misused by Taliban officials, so that money stopped coming. Banks ceased normal operations. Billions of dollars in Afghan assets were frozen.
This economic freeze – in combination with the freezing temperatures Afghans have faced this winter – has become a “lethal combination for the people of Afghanistan,” according to United Nations Secretary General António Guterres.
But after several months of negotiations, the floodgates of foreign relief aid are reopening. This month, the U.N.announced an appeal for more than $5 billion in emergency aid for Afghanistan. The Biden administration has committed $300 million.
And while these numbers look like they could be life-changing, foreign correspondent Pamela Constable says, “it’s still tiny compared to the need.”
Justice Stephen G. Breyer will retire at the end of the current Supreme Court term. This clears the way for President Biden to make good on his campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to serve on the court.
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Justice Breyer will retire from the Supreme Court, according to a person familiar with his plans. This clears the way for President Biden to reinforce the court’s liberal minority and make good on a campaign promise: to nominate the first Black woman to the nation’s highest court.
Our Supreme Court reporter Robert Barnes says Breyer will be remembered for his willingness to compromise with his conservative colleagues — and his long-winded questions.
How inflation is wiping out pay raises. Plus, how Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s mask mandate ban has plunged Virginia’s public schools into chaos.
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After years of barely budging, wage growth is finally at its highest level in decades. Workers have more negotiating power than many ever imagined, and average hourly wages rose 4.7 percent last year. But, as economics correspondent Abha Bhattarai explains, the same strong recovery that is emboldening workers is also driving up inflation, leaving most Americans with less spending power than they had a year ago.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) banned mask mandates in public schools recently. Now, school districts are suing in the name of science. National education writer Laura Meckler says this is not an isolated incident. Many states are dealing with a fight to either support mask mandates or parents’ rights.
Today on Post Reports we ask our Moscow correspondent: Is Russia preparing to invade Ukraine? Plus, 5G wireless service was turned on nationwide last week. We’ll talk about why that caused problems for air travel.
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On Monday, tensions over Ukraine and Russia continued to escalate amid growing fears that more than 100,000 Russian troops massed near Ukraine might soon invade. Isabelle Khurshudyan reports from Kyiv.
5G service was rolled out nationwide last week, and while it promises faster wireless to a lot of people, it's also raising concerns for airlines and airports. Lori Aratani reports.
A Rhode Island emergency department provides a window into how front-line health-care workers are coping with the latest covid surge. And a conversation about how André Leon Talley embodied the heart of the fashion world.
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Laura Forman, Kent Hospital’s emergency department director, says that her days dealing with a deluge of covid patients involves a lot of “best bad options.” Reporters Joyce Koh and Lenny Bernstein reported from Rhode Island, where overwhelmed emergency staff have been forced to see patients in their cars. Forman says her staff are burning out – and the conditions are the worst she’s seen in her 26-year career.
Fashion icon André Leon Talley died this week at the age of 73. Talley was the former creative director of American Vogue, the first and only black person to hold that position. Senior critic-at-large Robin Givhan interviewed Talley many times over the years – and they were also friends.
“He had an incredible capacity for generosity. And it came through in a way that was just as grand as his personality,” Givhan says.
Today on Post Reports, the government’s rollout of free rapid coronavirus tests in the United States. And later in the show, how China’s “zero covid” policy could affect the Winter Olympics.
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This week, the Biden administration launched a website where Americans can order free rapid coronavirus tests. Each household is eligible for four tests, which are sent via mail to your residence. Reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb explains the importance — and limitations of rapid tests. You can order your four free tests here.
As some countries become more lenient in their pandemic restrictions, others are doubling down. China’s zero-tolerance policy means some cities are still going through lockdowns in hopes of quashing any possible spread of the virus. Eva Dou reports on what this means for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.
As midterm elections loom, Democrats scramble to hold on to their slim majority. Plus, what a redistricting debacle in Ohio tells us about the map-drawing process happening in states across the country.
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For Democrats in swing districts, the midterm elections are looming large. These “front-liners” especially need something to show for their two years in the majority come November. As Marianna Sotomayor reports, some of them are advocating a new strategy on the stalled Build Back Better spending bill — breaking off popular measures, such as extending the child tax credit and curbing prescription drug costs, and abandoning the big, sweeping package.
Based on the results of the 2020 Census, states are drawing up new maps that could dramatically affect how midterm elections go in the fall. One of the states going through this process right now is Ohio, where last week the state Supreme Court rejected a pair of proposed state legislative redistricting maps, saying they were gerrymandered favoring Republicans.
Chief national politics correspondent Dan Balz tells us about the rules and processes in place to stop gerrymandering in Ohio, and why they’ve failed –– for now.
What we know about the 11-hour hostage crisis at a Texas synagogue. Plus, Australia sends tennis champion Novak Djokovic home because of his refusal to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
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On Saturday night, a gunman held four people hostage for more than 10 hours at a synagogue in Colleyville, Tex. The standoff ended with an FBI raid. The suspect has been confirmed dead, though Colleyville police would not say whether he had been killed by law enforcement or himself.
“The tragedy here is that a house of worship should be a place that people go to without a thought, that it is just simply assumed to be a safe and welcoming place,” says senior editor Marc Fisher. “But of course, in much of the world, synagogues are places that are very much targets.”
Meanwhile, tennis star Novak Djokovic left Australia on Sunday after losing his legal challenge to compete in the Australian Open despite not being vaccinated against the coronavirus. Reporter Liz Clarke on how the decision to send Djokovic home over his vaccination status could set precedent for future tournaments.
More than 1,700 congressmen once enslaved Black people. On today’s episode of “Post Reports,” the first database of those slaveholding congressmen. And how those politicians shaped the nation.
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For the first seven decades of its existence, Congress returned again and again to one acrimonious topic: slavery. Many of the lawmakers arguing in Washington were enslavers themselves. But until recently, the world didn’t know how many.
Last week, The Post published the first-ever list of every slaveholding member of the U.S. Congress. More than 1,700 of them were elected to Congress over a period of well over a century.
To create the database, reporter Julie Zauzmer Weil combed through 18th- and 19th-century census records and other documents, including wills, journal articles and plantation records. And while she says that the work is not yet complete, it’s still useful, and powerful.
“You can look at a lot of issues through this prism of where we started as a country, and where the people who held power were so often the same people who held slaves,” Julie said. “And what does that mean for us now?”
President Biden says passing voting rights legislation is a top priority for his administration. But a couple of senators have the power to keep that from happening. And, an unlikely casualty of our supply chain blues.
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In Atlanta this week, President Biden pushed for the passage of two voting rights bills facing the Senate. But any meaningful change on voting reform would mean changing Senate rules on the filibuster. And two Democratic senators are holding out: Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.
On The Post’s politics podcast “Can He Do That?” national political reporter Cleve Wootson talks with host Allison Michaels about the state of voting legislation and the filibuster.
And, the pandemic claims an unlikely victim: the color blue. Reporter Kelsey Ables explains how breakdowns in the supply chain have led to a shortage of pigments like ultramarine blue and what it could mean for how we see and record the world now.
Inflation has hit a 40-year high in the U.S., driving up the cost of everything from groceries to housing. As the Fed prepares to raise interest rates, here’s what to watch out for.
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In December, inflation hit a staggering 7 percent. That’s far above the Federal Reserve’s target, and Chair Jerome H. Powell says action is needed to keep the economy from sliding into a recession. Economics reporter Rachel Siegel breaks down the impact of record inflation and what the Fed plans to do about it.
Interest rates have hovered near zero since the start of the pandemic, but now the Fed is looking at a series of raises over the next few months. Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary explains what that means for borrowers.
Today on Post Reports: Why you’re seeing empty shelves at the grocery store — again. Plus, the sharp decline in the U.S. birthrate nine months after the pandemic began.
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A lot of people have been getting “March 2020 vibes” at the grocery store lately: Empty shelves, basic necessities missing and big price increases on certain foods. Reporter Laura Reiley explains there are several factors at play, including the omicron surge, supply chain woes and winter weather.
“Uncertainty is not good for fertility.” That’s what demographics reporter Tara Bahrampour heard from Phillip Levine, a professor of economics at Wellesley College and co-author of a recent report on the “baby bust” nine months after the pandemic began. That’s also what she heard from people about their decisions to delay or reconsider having a child. We talk about the many reasons for this trend, from the logistical to the philosophical.
Today the United States broke the record for covid hospitalizations. We talk about what overwhelmed hospitals mean for health-care workers and patients. Plus, a story about the power of reclaiming a name.
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The United States today broke a record with more than 145,000 people sick with covid-19 in hospitals. Health reporter Dan Diamond explains what that means for health-care workers on the front lines, and for those of us who depend upon them.
Plus, editor Marian Chia-Ming Liu on why she started using her full name after a wave of anti-Asian violence. If you’ve ever struggled with your own name or felt pressure to Anglicize it, we want to hear from you. Go to wapo.st/telllusaboutyourname.
Today, we look at the toll of remote learning on kids. We’ll dive into what’s happening in school systems across the country during the omicron variant surge — and how the scars of remote school linger, even for kids who are learning in person again.
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Reporter Laura Meckler talks with producer Bishop Sand about how a San Francisco school’s return to in-person learning revealed the toll virtual school took on students during the pandemic. Plus, an update on how schools across the country are operating — or trying to — amid the omicron surge.
As we reflect on the anniversary of Jan. 6, we wanted to share an episode from last year. We reconstructed the riot inside the U.S. Capitol — hearing from the lawmakers, journalists and law enforcement officials who were there, and answering lingering questions about how things went so wrong.
On Jan. 5, 2021, Rep. Jamie Raskin buried his only son. The next day he witnessed firsthand the attack on the Capitol. As we mark a year since the insurrection, we look at how Raskin dealt with his son’s death while serving on democracy’s front lines.
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A warning to listeners: This episode deals with suicide. If you or someone you know needs help now, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. You can also reach a crisis counselor by texting HOME to 741-741.
A year ago this week, as Congress convened to certify the results of the presidential election, a mob breached the U.S. Capitol, attacked police and threatened lawmakers.
Later that night, Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) emerged as one of the day’s most forceful voices, condemning President Donald Trump and his supporters and speaking of his own unthinkable loss. He had recently lost his only son to suicide and had buried him just the day before.
As we mark a year since the Jan. 6 Insurrection, we talk to Washington Post features writer Caitlin Gibson about how Raskin dealt with his son’s death while serving on democracy’s front lines — and, in a year filled with trauma and grief, about why his story has resonated so deeply with so many.
Raskin’s memoir was published this week. It’s called “Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy.”
Caitlin Gibson’s profile of Raskin first appeared in The Washington Post Magazine.
A year out from the attempted insurrection of the Capitol, we consider the state of American democracy — what’s changed, what hasn’t changed and what will never be the same.
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One year ago today, rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, set on overturning the results of the 2020 election. Since then, the basic facts of the insurrection have been in contention and democracy itself has remained under siege.
On today’s episode of Post Reports, politics reporters Dan Balz, Roz Helderman and Amy Gardner join guest host Cleve Wootson to discuss how the spirit of the insurrection has seeped into America’s bloodstream.
To hear more about what it was like inside and around the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, check out our award-winning episode, “Four hours of insurrection.” The episode includes interviews with Capitol Police officers, politicians and Post reporters who were at the Capitol that day.
And hear investigative reporter Aaron Davis describe what law enforcement entities knew before the insurrection took place and why they failed to protect the Capitol that day. This story was part of The Post’s landmark Jan. 6 investigation, “The Attack.”
An update on what the Jan. 6 commission has learned so far. And how the pro-Trump Internet descended into infighting in the year since the attempted insurrection.
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Reporter Jacqueline Alemany has been following the Jan. 6 commission for the past six months. As we come up on the first anniversary of the attack on the Capitol, Alemany reports on what the commission has uncovered so far and what she’s watching out for next.
Plus: The far-right firebrands and conspiracy theorists of the pro-Trump Internet have a new enemy: each other. Without a figurehead, far-right influencers are fighting for money and followers. Reporter Drew Harwell explains the reality-television-style drama, and what it means for the future of online extremism.
Omicron has coronavirus cases surging across the country. What’s the outlook for this highly transmissible variant?
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The highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus has taken over as the dominant strain in the United States. Now, post-holidays, virus cases are surging, with about 500,000 per day in the United States. Americans are struggling with breakthrough infections, strained hospital systems and the uncertainty of what might come next.
Reporter Dan Diamond discusses what you need to know about the omicron variant and what it could tell us about how the pandemic might end.
The Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska is home to some of the oldest trees in the country. For decades, they were felled indiscriminately for lumber. Will the remaining trees be protected?
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Old-growth trees are at the heart of a political debate on logging and climate change. That’s because they hold a disproportionate amount of carbon in their trunks. If they’re cut down, most of that carbon escapes into the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming. But they’re also worth thousands of dollars as lumber.
Post climate editor Juliet Eilperin traveled to Alaska to learn about the forests firsthand, and to speak with some of the people who have built their lives around logging.
A farewell to 2021 from us here at Post Reports and the photojournalists who witnessed the year’s biggest stories.
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The Washington Post photography editors combed through thousands of images to find the most memorable from 2021. Accompanying the photos this year are interviews with the photojournalists who took them. The team at Post Reports felt inspired by the interviews and images to look back on the past year.
The images of 2021 tell a complex yet dramatic story. It was a year of the angry and the rebellious scaling walls, tearing down barriers, rising up to reverse reality. But it was also a year of carefully considered verdicts and hurriedly ended war, of mass migration and candlelight vigils, a year when millions of people decided to take a shot, venture forth and return to life, together.
There was, perhaps above all, the terror of lethal disease, a second year of a pandemic that unraveled the fabric of daily life and managed to set people against each other in ways that defied reason. The usual questions born of insecurity — Will we be okay? How can we help each other? — were joined by new uncertainties: Is this real? What should I believe? Why don’t people around me believe what I see is true?
If you valued the journalism on this podcast and in this newspaper this year, subscribe to The Washington Post. Right now you can get the best deal we’ve ever offered on a subscription to The Washington Post – a year for just $9.99. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
Today on Post Reports, we talk to Hasan Minhaj about how he uses comedy to “make people’s world bigger.”
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Hasan Minhaj has worked as a comedian for 17 years. You might know him from “The Daily Show,” the 2017 White House correspondents’ dinner, or his Netflix show, “Patriot Act.”
On today’s episode of Post Reports, producer Linah Mohammad talks to Minhaj about representation in film and television, their relationship to Islam and what it means to be a diasporic voice in the comedy world.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to one of the people who brought us joy during a dark year: the actor J. Smith-Cameron. We cover her role as Gerri on “Succession” and how it feels to become a sex symbol in her 60s.
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J. Smith-Cameron is having a moment.
“Succession” Season 3 wrapped up recently – and one of the highlights for us was her character, Gerri Kellman, the calculating interim CEO of Waystar Royco. We talked to the actor about the show and what makes her character so fun to watch.
Right now you can get the best deal we’ve ever offered on a subscription to The Washington Post – a year for just $9.99. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
Amazon's use of Alexa as a wake word for its voice assistant turned the name into a command, impacting daily interactions for people with the name – including The Washington Post’s own Alexa Juliana Ard.
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Nearly 130,000 people in the United States have the name Alexa. It gained popularity after singer Billy Joel and model Christie Brinkley named their daughter Alexa in 1985. In 2015, more than 6,000 baby girls in the United States were named Alexa, according to a Washington Post analysis of Social Security Administration data.
After Amazon chose Alexa as the wake word of its voice service, the name’s popularity plummeted. In 2020, only about 1,300 babies were given the name. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
Post video editor Alexa Juliana Ard reports on the impact of Amazon’s choice on Alexas - including her.
Watch Alexa’s video about Alexa Jade Morales. She was named after her father, Alexis Morales Jr., who was murdered on Oct. 1, 1992, just three and a half months before she was born. When Amazon made the name Alexa a wake word for its voice service, she experienced people treating her like the bot.
Right now you can get the best deal we’ve ever offered on a subscription to The Washington Post – a year for just $9.99. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
The holidays are weird — this year especially. Today, Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax joins Martine Powers to answer your questions about navigating this tricky time of year.
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The holiday season can be complicated; throw in the spike in omicron cases, and this already stressful time of year just got even trickier. Enter: Carolyn Hax, The Post’s brilliant advice columnist. Today on Post Reports, she’s here to help our listeners and readers navigate the holidays. You can listen to our episode with Hax from earlier in the year about how to gather with family and friends safely here.
Right now you can get the best deal we’ve ever offered on a subscription to The Washington Post – a year for just $9.99. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
Omicron is now the most prevalent variant of the coronavirus in the country. But public health expert and emergency physician Leana Wen says that with a three-pronged approach — testing, vaccines and masks — we can still celebrate the holidays.
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Once again, America is looking down the barrel of a winter surge of the coronavirus, thanks to the highly transmissible omicron variant. Houston Methodist Hospital, which has been sequencing genomes since the beginning of the pandemic, says that in a week, omicron spread as rapidly as the delta variant did in three months.
But emergency physician Leana Wen says this isn’t a time for despair: “Despite these staggering numbers, I don’t think vaccinated people should have to cancel their plans for Christmas, New Year’s Eve and other holidays.” Wen joined James Hohmann on his opinion podcast “Please, Go On” to talk about how we can use the tools we’ve developed to keep omicron at bay this holiday season.
How the approval of anti-covid pills from drug companies Pfizer and Merck could impact the course of the pandemic. And the life and legacy of feminist author bell hooks.
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On Tuesday, President Biden urged calm as coronavirus cases rise, and the omicron variant becomes dominant in the United States. He touted a plan for more readily available testing and more resources for strained hospitals nationwide.
But on the horizon is another treatment against covid-19: antiviral pills. The pills are said to dramatically reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in vulnerable populations, and could be approved for use as early as this week. Health reporter Carolyn Y. Johnson explains what we know about the pills and what role they could play against the omicron variant.
Plus, a remembrance of bell hooks. Hooks died last week at the age of 69. She was a Black feminist author and critic who had a wary eye even on Beyoncé. “Hood Feminist” author Mikki Kendall reads her remembrance of hooks.
Seemingly overnight, the pandemic has changed — again. On today’s Post Reports, everything you need to know about the omicron variant — and whether you should still plan to travel for the holidays.
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Over the weekend, health reporter Dan Diamond wrote a Facebook post that changed the way we’re thinking about the omicron variant.
“Every expert I’ve interviewed, including some of the nation’s top health officials, has adjusted his or her mindset and now is mentally bracing to test positive after spending two years dodging this virus,” Dan wrote.
Today on Post Reports, we tell you everything we can about the omicron surge – and we talk to health reporter Fenit Nirappil about whether and how to travel and gather safely for the holidays.
A record number of Americans quit their jobs this year. Today for our special series “Quitters,” economist Darrick Hamilton examines why that is — and why he thinks it might be a good thing.
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Many Americans have reconsidered their relationship with work this year.
There’s lots of reasons for that — an ongoing pandemic, stagnant wages and a severe labor shortage all made work harder.
But Darrick Hamilton, a professor of economics and urban policy at the New School, says that workers also had more flexibility than ever before, thanks to government stimulus and expanded unemployment. And he wants us to reframe this not as a “Great Resignation” but as a moment of worker empowerment.
Today on Post Reports, we’re bringing you the third installment in “Quitters,” a three-part podcast series about a few of the millions of Americans who quit their jobs this year.
What happens when an entire fast-food restaurant staff quits? Today for our special series on “Quitters,” the story of a McDonald’s walkout, and what it can tell us about the labor market right now.
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In September, the entire staff of a McDonald’s in Bradford, Pa., walked out and quit their jobs. One of the staff members left a parting note for the customers, written in blue highlighter because he couldn’t find a pen: “Due to lack of pay, we all quit.”
“The signs are…kind of like primal screams,” says reporter Greg Jaffe. “It’s [the worker’s] chance to convey a message: We’re being mistreated. We’re tired of it. This corporation treats us badly, and doesn’t care about us.”
Today on Post Reports, we’re bringing you the second installment in “Quitters,” a three-part podcast series about a few of the millions of Americans who quit their jobs this year. Jaffe takes us inside the fast-food workers’ season of rebellion.
You can listen to the first part of the series here.
2021 was a big year for quitting. Millions of Americans resigned. For the first episode in our series on “quitters,” we go to a restaurant in Arkansas where nearly every employee – and the owners – found themselves reassessing their work, and their lives.
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This year, millions of Americans quit their jobs in the “Great Resignation.”
Over the next three days on “Post Reports,” we’re talking to some of the “quitters” and exploring why so many people are reassessing the role of work in their lives right now.
On today’s show, economics correspondent Heather Long and “Post Reports” Executive Producer Maggie Penman head to Arkansas to tell the story of a family-run restaurant. And they report on how the stressors of covid, the pressures of running a small business and the hope for better, more-balanced lives led to a great resignation of sorts.
How the fight in Chicago over a proposed scrap metal facility became a test case for the Biden administration’s approach to environmental justice.
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General Iron Industries is a Chicago-based scrap metal recycling company with a bad track record of pollution. When the company announced its intention to move from a wealthy, White neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side to a working-class, Latino neighborhood on the city’s Southeast Side last year, the plan set off alarm bells.
This proposal — and its apparent approval from city officials and state environmental regulators — sparked a massive backlash from Southeast Side residents. They claimed discrimination and argued that their neighborhood was already overburdened by pollution. After a series of protests, a federal civil rights complaint and even a month-long hunger strike, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency intervened in May.
The opening of the facility has been temporarily paused, but more than seven months later, the conflict over whether the company will operate in that neighborhood is still unresolved.
Environmental justice reporter Darryl Fears and senior producer Robin Amer delve into the high-stakes fight between residents and the company, and what the outcome might reveal about the lengths the Biden administration is willing to go to to protect communities of color that disproportionately bear the cost of pollution — something it has explicitly promised to do.
On the ground in Mayfield, Ky., after a string of tornadoes devastated the town, flattening buildings and leaving streets unrecognizable. The tornadoes tore through a 200-mile swath of land, and may be the sign of a lengthening tornado season.
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Late last week, a string of tornadoes ripped through the South and Midwest regions of the United States. Dozens have died, and thousands of structures have been destroyed. National breaking news reporter Kim Bellware takes us on the ground to the hard-hit town of Mayfield, Ky., where survivors are in shock.
Plus, Capital Weather Gang contributor Jeffrey Halverson explains how unusual it is to see a tornado event this powerful during the winter months, and why it may be a sign of a changing weather patterns.
Follow The Washington Post’s live coverage of the tornado recovery efforts here.
How the tight-knit community of Oxford, Mich., is healing after a mass shooting. Plus, remembering Post Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt.
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A 15-year-old opened fire at his Michigan high school on Nov. 30, killing four students and wounding seven others, police say. This is the deadliest episode of on-campus violence in almost three years. Reporter Kim Bellware and producer Rennie Svirnovskiy examine what it looks like for a town to start healing.
The Post remembers Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt, who died this week after a sudden cardiac arrest. A beloved colleague and friend, Hiatt worked for The Post’s editorial pages for 21 years. He is survived by his wife of 37 years and his three children.
You can also listen to the tributes for Hiatt on the Post’s Opinions podcast “Please, Go On.”
What self-defense means in a country deeply divided over gun rights and race. And a story that shows the stakes of disappearing local news – about an Alaska community where climate change is costing them their school.
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After the high-profile trials of Kyle Rittenhouse and the men who killed Ahmaud Arbery – we wanted to unpack the legal questions with Post columnist and Georgetown law professor Paul Butler and talk about what self-defense looks like in a country with gun rights, stand-your-ground laws and deep racial divides.
In a remote town in western Alaska, climate change has become a daily reality: Thanks to erosion, the community’s only school sits just feet from a crumbling riverbank. But the state won’t pay to replace it until it falls in. Greg Kim reports from Alaska’s radio station KYUK as part of a Washington Post project on vital stories out of America's news deserts.
Earlier this year, Joe Biden ended the controversial “Remain in Mexico” policy — but a court has now reinstated it. Today, what that means for asylum seekers, who are forced to wait in Mexico for their immigration proceedings.
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Today on Post Reports, we revisit Nancy, a woman we followed as she fled gang violence in El Salvador and ended up stuck in a border camp in Matamoros, Mexico. Nancy’s story shows how this program affects asylum seekers left in limbo on the U.S. southern border.
The limitations of American diplomacy — at the border between Russia and Ukraine, and at the Olympics in Beijing.
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According to U.S. intelligence and The Post’s reporting, Russia is planning to move up to 175,000 troops to its border with Ukraine — plans that have the international community concerned. On a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, President Biden threatened economic sanctions and other measures if the Kremlin were to escalate the situation and invade Ukraine. Shane Harris reports on Putin’s plans, and on how difficult it is to deter a country like Russia.
Plus, the United States’ diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics. Rick Maese reports on the pointed snub in protest of China’s human rights abuses.
The trial of Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos founder and CEO.
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Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of the medical technology start-up Theranos, is on trial for 11 counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Tech reporter Rachel Lerman has been covering Holmes’s trial for about three months now. Lerman dives into what we’ve learned about the Theranos founder from her extraordinary moments on the stand – and what that tells us about the “fake it ‘til you make it” culture of start-ups in Silicon Valley.
Do you think you’re experiencing long-haul covid symptoms? Share your experience with The Post. As the coronavirus pandemic continues, the question of how some may have to live and reckon with long-haul covid, or lingering symptoms after having had covid-19, remains open. Help The Post understand what it’s like to experience long-haul covid symptoms and how they affect your everyday life. A reporter may follow up with you.
Why dozens of students at Howard University spent part of their fall semester living in tents. And, omicron comes to the United States.
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Mold, mice, water damage and no WiFi. Those have been some of the conditions in Howard University’s housing units in Washington. This fall, the conditions led to protests that lasted more than 30 days. Some students even slept in tents on the historically Black university’s campus. But such conditions aren’t new. For years, students and graduates have complained about building conditions at a school that’s often called “the Mecca.”
Many students blamed university president Wayne A.I. Frederick. But some students say Corvias, a private company that manages 60 percent of the housing on Howard’s campus, is the real culprit. Schools often hire companies to handle dining halls and custodial services because they don’t get enough funding from federal, state and local governments. Education reporter Lauren Lumpkin and producer Jordan-Marie Smith report on the relationship between universities and the private companies managing their housing — and the students who say those relationships need to end.
Plus later in the show, national health reporter Dan Diamond explains what President Biden’s administration plans to do about the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners — one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
What Jack Dorsey’s departure from Twitter means for Silicon Valley, the platform and its dedicated users. And how the new CEO, Parag Agrawal, could change the direction of the company.
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In a casually written tweet Monday, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced that he would be stepping down from his position. As the company’s co-founder, he’s been a Silicon Valley icon for 15 years, and he leaves behind a complicated legacy. Tech reporter Will Oremus says that his departure is shrouded in mystery and that the resignation letter he posted to Twitter did not explain whether he was voluntarily leaving the company or was ousted by investors.
Dorsey’s replacement is Parag Agrawal, the company’s former chief technology officer. While he’s well-liked by staff, he was an unexpected pick to head one of Silicon Valley’s most fraught and politically embroiled social media companies — and it’s up in the air whether his limited experience will limit his ability to navigate important and thorny questions around content moderation.
Today on Post Reports, a deep examination of the sheriffs involved in the controversial 287(g) program. Plus, how the new republic of Barbados signals a changing tide for the British crown.
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Investigative reporter Debbie Cenziper has been looking into the expansion of a controversial program called 287(g) that allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to recruit sheriffs as partners to question and detain undocumented immigrants.
“What I found most surprising is that some of the sheriffs empowered by the federal government with enforcement authority, the power to investigate and detain undocumented immigrants, had made very public statements — some might call them bombastic statements — about their views on immigration policy,” Cenziper said.
Later on the show, we’ll talk about Barbados officially removing Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state and inaugurating its first president — and bestowing Rihanna as a “national hero.” As Jennifer Hassan reports, the importance of Barbados transitioning to a republic goes beyond one country and reflects a growing debate over why the British monarchy still exists.
It’s a critical week for abortion rights in the United States. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could roll back the protections of Roe v. Wade. But the arguments to gut Roe are coming from the surprising lens of women’s empowerment.
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Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization goes before the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The caseputs Mississippi’s 15-week ban on abortions to the test, and it could be the case that defines abortion rights for generations.
When The Lily reporter Caroline Kitchener first read a brief in Dobbs written by the attorney general of Mississippi, Lynn Fitch, she found an argument against abortion that she hadn’t heard before. Fitch was urging the court to use the Dobbs case to gut Roe v. Wade because restricting abortion access, Fitch said, empowers women.
Kitchener reports on the landmark case before the court, and examines the pitch advocates like Fitch are making with their antiabortion arguments — and why some people aren’t buying it.
On Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, The Washington Post is hosting a live Twitter Space conversation about the omicron coronavirus variant. Join Martine Powers and Post health reporters to hear the latest on what scientists have learned about omicron. Set a reminder to join the Twitter Space here.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. Right now you can get a subscription to The Post for just 99 cents every four weeks, and you can give a full year as a gift for just $9.99. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe. It's the best deal we’ve ever offered, and it ends today.
Omicron, a new variant of the coronavirus, could be the next big hurdle in beating the pandemic. Today on Post Reports, what we know so far, and why you shouldn’t panic just yet.
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Last week, a new coronavirus variant was detected in southern Africa. Since then, public health officials and government leaders have been trying to figure out what’s next. Some countries have reinstated travel bans, while others are urging people not to panic.
While as of Monday there were no known cases in the United States, President Biden said that “sooner or later we’re going to see cases of this new variant here.”
Reporter Dan Diamond explains what we know about the omicron variant and why you should proceed with caution but not panic. We also talk about what this new variant reveals about tensions between countries where vaccines are widely available and those where they’re not.
Relatedly, Post Reports recently aired an interview with Dr. Fauci. He talked about booster shots, and why he thinks all eligible Americans should be getting them. You can listen to that episode here.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. Right now you can get a subscription to The Post for just 99 cents every four weeks! And you can give a full year as a gift for just $9.99. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe. It's the best deal we’ve ever offered and it's happening only for a couple more days.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the “first Thanksgiving” between English pilgrims and Wampanoags in Massachusetts. But historians say the true story of what happened bears little resemblance to the myth that many Americans learn in grade school.
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In 1621, some pilgrims and some Wampanoags shared a feast. It wasn't the first meeting between the two groups and it wouldn't be the last, but for many reasons — including the American Civil War — the anniversary of that meal took on both an outsized importance and a whitewashed simplicity.
This year, in honor of the 400th anniversary of that meal, Post reporter Dana Hedgpeth wanted to hear the Wampanoags’ side of the story.
In the final installment of our series Teens in America, what it sounds like for the family of one 17-year-old to confront White privilege and racism.
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With Thanksgiving coming up this week, a lot of us might be feeling anxious about seeing relatives we may not have seen in a while, especially if we don’t always see eye to eye with them. We might be bracing for some awkward conversations or even some intense debates around politics or what we’ve been seeing on the news.
Iris Santalucia can relate to that. In the final installment of our series Teens in America, we listen in as the 17-year-old New York City native has a tough conversation with her parents about the role White privilege plays in their family.
Iris’s mother is White. Her father is Latino and has often felt targeted by police because of his race. Although her mother says she knows people of color are sometimes profiled, she doesn’t believe her husband is among them. Iris sees White privilege as one element in her parents’ dynamic and confronts her mother about it on tape.
This series is produced in collaboration with YR Media, a nonprofit media, music and technology incubator. For more stories in this series, visit wapo.st/teens.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. Right now you can get a subscription to The Post for just 99 cents every four weeks. And you can give a full year as a gift for just $9.99. Go to www.washingtonpost.com/subscribe. It's the best deal we’ve ever offered and it's only happening for a few days.
Today on “Post Reports,” a conversation with Anthony S. Fauci: We cover why you should get a booster, how you can gather safely with family over the holidays, and how Fauci feels about having his job — and science — politicized.
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Anthony S. Fauci has become a familiar voice for many Americans during the pandemic. As a high-profile member of the White House coronavirus task force and the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, he led the country through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic and continues to guide the U.S. response. Ahead of the holidays, we spoke to Fauci about how to gather with friends and family safely. “If people are vaccinated, then they should feel good and safe about enjoying, in their own homes, a typical Thanksgiving meal,” Fauci said.
However, Fauci does recommend a level of caution, especially if you’re going out or gathering with family and friends who might be unvaccinated.
We also spoke to Fauci about the toll that it’s taken on him to be a public figure at a time when science and public health are increasingly politicized.
“What kind of society [is it] in which you have a public servant, who’s not a political person, who the only thing he’s saying is he wants people to get vaccinated [...] and for that his life gets threatened, his wife and his children get harassed and threatened?” Fauci said. “To me, it's an assault on me. But it is also an assault on science in general.”
He cautioned that this assault on science is “very threatening to the foundation of our society.”
Reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb has been covering a recent wave of death threats sent to Fauci.
“Throughout the pandemic,” Abutaleb said, “we've seen public health officials resign at alarming rates because of the burnout and the hostility that's been directed toward them.”
Fauci and his office have been swamped by so many angry messages and threats that in late October, his assistant quit answering the phone for two weeks. Just as he and the Biden administration were preparing for the campaign to vaccinate young children, our colleagues reported, he got 3,600 calls in 36 hours.
“A lot of people just don't want to follow the public health guidelines that we've had to during this pandemic,” Abutaleb said.“They've been difficult. And I think they take out that anger and resentment out on the health officials who are telling them what they should do.”
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. Right now you can get a subscription to The Post for just 99-cents every four weeks. And you can give a full year as a gift for just 9-dollars and 99-cents. Go to www.washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
Today a jury acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse on all counts in last summer’s shootings in Kenosha, Wis. We talk about the verdict, what it means and why this trial captivated the nation.
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After three and a half days of deliberation, jurors in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse have found the 18 year-old not guilty on all charges — including homicide and reckless endangerment.
Rittenhouse fatally shot two people and shot and wounded a third during a protest against police conduct in Kenosha, Wis., in August 2020. Rittenhouse, who is White and was 17 at the time of the shootings, said he was acting in self defense.
National reporter Mark Berman says the prosecution and defense presented dramatically different narratives of the shootings.
And Kim Bellware reports from outside the Kenosha courthouse, where a crowd is gathering in support of the family members of the people shot by Rittenhouse.Gun control groups and racial justice activists are calling the verdict a dangerous decision.
The parents of Anthony Huber, one of the people fatally shot by Rittenhouse, said in a statement they are “heartbroken and angry” over the verdict.
“We watched the trial closely, hoping it would bring us closure,” they said. “That did not happen.”
Follow The Washington Post’s live coverage of the Rittenhouse trial here.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. Right now you can get a subscription to The Post for just $0.99 every four weeks. And you can give a full year as a gift for just $9.99.. Go to www.washingtonpost.com/subscribe. It's the best deal we’ve ever offered and it's only happening for a few days.
How Belarus’s president is weaponizing a refugee crisis to get back at the European Union. And, what it means to “pass” as White.
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Thousands of refugees are currently stuck in limbo on the border between Poland and Belarus, invited by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko when he announced that his state would no longer secure Belarus’s border with the European Union.
The invitation was his way of retaliating against sanctions that the E.U. has enacted against Belarus for a number of reasons. But the power play has created a refugee crisis at the border — one that threatens to grow deadlier as temperatures drop in the forests between Belarus and Poland, Loveday Morris reports.
Later in the show, we continue our Teens in America series with a story from 17-year-old Ichtaca Lira. Ichtaca has always been certain of their identity as a person of color. But when people on social media told them that they looked White, it sent them down a path of self-exploration: What does it mean to “pass” as White?
“Language has simply not evolved fast enough with the rate that these complex discussions about race are happening,” Ichtaca says. “We don't have enough words to describe people of color who also just don't feel like they fit into anything that's out there right now.”
This series is produced in collaboration with YR Media, a nonprofit media, music and technology incubator. For more stories in this series, visit wapo.st/teens.
Sen. Joe Manchin gets all the attention. But Sen. Kyrsten Sinema could be an even bigger obstacle for Democrats’ spending plans. Today on “Post Reports,” we ask what she wants and how she got here.
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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D) has been throwing a wrench in the plans of her own party. The Arizona lawmaker has stalled her votes on major legislative plans including raising the minimum wage and increasing drug prices. But her agenda isn’t explicitly clear, and she’s doing deals behind closed doors, angering her colleagues and her constituents.
Congressional reporter Mike DeBonis reports on Sinema’s political trajectory and what we can glean from it about what her motivations are.
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Correction: In this episode, we misstated the senator who Sen. Kyrsten Sinema replaced in Arizona. She took over Jeff Flake's senate seat in Arizona, not John McCain's. The audio has been updated to reflect the correction.
Why America’s digital divide could soon get worse. And, what happens when extremist beliefs move from the fringe to the mainstream.
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When they were rolled out nearly two decades ago, 3G wireless networks served as the bedrock of an explosion in cell phones and connected devices. Now, they’re being phased out by telecommunications companies that want to focus their money on their 4G and 5G networks. Cat Zakrzewski reports on the vulnerable Americans that could be left behind if the transition away from 3G networks isn’t done carefully. And if you use a 3G device, here’s what you need to know about the end of the 3G service.
On Monday, Stephen K. Bannon – one of President Donald Trump’s former advisers – walked into the FBI’s field office in Washington and turned himself in. He’d been charged with two counts of contempt of Congress the week before, having refused to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Hannah Allam reports on some of the other actors facing legal consequences for their involvement in the Capitol riot – and on how the ideologies that fueled the insurrection are finding new homes at school board and city council meetings.
The introduction to this episode has been updated for clarity.
The intertwined legacies of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and former President Donald Trump. And, what happens to a country when its borders are eroded by climate change.
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Mitch McConnell is the most powerful elected Republican in the country. But the most influential member of the GOP is arguably still former president Donald Trump. That dynamic has become the basis for a tense, awkward, sometimes pugilistic alliance between the two men -- one that could define the future of the Republican Party. In recorded telephone interviews with the politicians, reporter Michael Kranish examines a relationship fraying at the seams.
As COP26 concludes, the sinking island nation of Tuvalu prompts the question: Are you still a country if you’re underwater? William Booth reported from the U.N. climate summit.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners -- one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to postreports.com/offer.
During the pandemic, online shopping has become more popular than ever. That’s especially true as we head into the holidays. Today, we look at one community that says it’s seeing the costs of that growth in its air quality.
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To meet the increased online shopping demand, companies like Target, Walmart and Amazon use big distribution centers — warehouses that store products and ship things to customers as fast as possible. (We should say here that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
These warehouses can take a toll, though — on Amazon workers, as The Post has reported, and on the community around them.
Today on Post Reports, Kori Suzuki brings us to Fontana, Calif., where a fight over warehouses has consumed the city.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners — one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to postreports.com/offer.
The Americans who are retiring — but delaying claiming Social Security benefits. Plus, the next installment in our Teens in America series: a story about students taking on the job of educating their peers about race.
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For better-off Americans, the pandemic economy created some of the strongest incentives to retire in modern history, with generous federal stimulus, incredible market gains, skyrocketing home values and health concerns drawing many Americans into early retirement.
The surprising twist? Many of these retirees also opted to put off claiming Social Security benefits, an exclusive Washington Post analysis shows. By delaying their benefits, these retirees can expect to collect higher monthly checks in the future, as economics reporter Andrew Van Dam explains.
Later in the show, we continue our Teens in America series by hearing from 18-year-old Zoë Jenkins. Though she was a high-achieving student, her experience at school in Kentucky was clouded by racist incidents — plus, she wasn’t really getting an education on race in her classrooms. So she decided to take matters into her own hands, and created a diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum for Gen Z, by Gen Z.
“There are issues in the world that I feel like I can address,” Zoë said. “I feel like I should be doing that. And I think more teenagers feel like we have to do something. So many things are coming to a kind of a tipping point.”
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners: one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
Today, we’re taking a closer look at the state of Donald Trump post-presidency — his businesses, his finances, the ongoing criminal investigations into his actions and how all of those things could affect a potential political comeback.
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The Post’s David Fahrenthold has spent half a decade reporting on former president Donald Trump’s family and its business interests — first when Trump was a candidate, then when he was president and now that he’s a private citizen again.
There was a narrative popular among liberals during Trump’s presidency that he would face legal and financial ruin as soon as he was out of office. For a number of reasons, the reality is a little bit more complicated. David fills us in on the latest on Trump’s businesses, his legal battles and what it means that the Trump White House’s records could be turned over to the House Jan. 6 committee.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners - one year of unlimited access to everything the Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
The homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse pits claims of self-defense against accusations of vigilantism. Plus, in the next installment in our series on teens in America: Why it can be especially hard for Black immigrant families to talk about racism.
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The homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse – the teenager who killed two people and injured a third during a protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis. – continues this week. Kim Bellware reports on the evidence brought by both sides, and why the trial likely won’t end with a high-profile conviction.
“We have a small set of facts that everybody agrees on,” Bellware says. But while the prosecution is arguing this was first-degree intentional homicide, “The other side is saying, ‘Yes, he did kill these people. He did shoot. But he was doing it to protect himself.’ ”
And later in the show, we hear from 16-year-old Obse Abebe, a teen reporter with YR Media for the latest installment of our series on Teens in America.
Obse was born in Ethiopia but moved to the United States when she was three. Being Ethiopian and living in America meant that Obse had to come to terms with being Black in America.
“Not to say that the topic of race is hush-hush in our family,” Obse said. “But it is difficult to approach when your parents are very passionate about you feeling connected to both their culture from their mother country and the culture that you are currently in.”
A Washington Post-Ipsos poll found that nearly three-quarters of teens in America say they’ve talked to a parent about race in the past year. More than half say they’ve had a similar conversation with a close friend. As part of The Post’s Teens in America series, we’re listening in on what those conversations sound like.
For more in this series, visit wapo.st/teens.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners — one year of unlimited access to everything the Post publishes online for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
After eight people were killed at a Travis Scott concert in Houston late Friday, many of us were left wondering: How did this happen? An expert on crowds explains how too many people packed closely together can become deadly.
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An estimated 50,000 people attended the sold-out 2021 Astroworld Festival at NRG Park to see Travis Scott, whose concerts have a reputation for being raucous.
The Washington Post reviewed dozens of videos from the night to understand how the concert became a mass casualty event, synchronizing video from the audience with a live stream of Scott’s performance published by Apple Music. The videos show a chaotic scene, with concertgoers crying out for help as the show continued, the loud music drowning them out.
The crowd surge victims include a 14-year-old who loved baseball, two friends celebrating a 21st birthday and a 27-year-old attending the concert with his fiancee. Here’s what we know about the victims.
We reached out to Keith Still, a professor of crowd science at the University of Suffolk in Britain, to talk about how these tragedies happen and how they could be prevented.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners: one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
When you hear hoofbeats, think zebras — especially if you’re in the D.C. suburbs, where fugitive zebras have been on the run from a local farm for many weeks. Buckle up for a wild ride as we delve into this suburban safari.
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For more than two months, fugitive zebras in the Maryland suburbs have captured the imaginations of children, neighbors and members of Congress alike. Post Reports producer and amateur zoologist Emma Talkoff started looking into what she thought was a cute local news story — only to unravel a much wilder tale.
Read more from The Post on the zebras from reporters Dana Hedgpeth, Katie Mettler and Maura Judkis.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners - one year of unlimited access to everything the Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
When the pandemic triggered a wave of anti-Asian violence, 18-year-old Miranda Zanca found herself wondering about her own identity and how she fit into the moment. This is the first in a new series in The Post’s Teens in America project.
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Miranda Zanca hasn’t always seen herself as particularly Asian, even if others did. That’s because she’s mixed race — her mom is Chinese and Puerto Rican and her dad is White. And earlier this year, when the pandemic triggered a wave of anti-Asian violence, she found herself wondering what role she should play in conversations around anti-Asian hate. “Am I Asian enough to be upset?” she asked. “Am I White enough to be making a difference?”
American teenagers are part of what's likely the most diverse generation in our nation’s history — new Census Bureau data shows that the population under 18 is a majority minority for the first time. These young people are also helping to shape more of the conversations we’re all having about race. A Washington Post-Ipsos poll found that nearly three-quarters of teens say they’ve talked to a parent about race in the past year. More than half say they’ve had a similar conversation with a close friend. As part of The Washington Post’s Teens in America series, we’re exploring what those conversations sound like.
Miranda’s story is the first in a new five-part series from The Post and YR Media, a nonprofit media, music and technology incubator. Listen in as teen reporters from around the country have tough conversations about race with family and friends, and with host Martine Powers.
In a major upset for Democrats Tuesday, Republican Glenn Youngkin eked out a victory in Virginia’s gubernatorial race. Today, we look at the results of that election, and others, to understand the nation one year after the divisive 2020 elections.
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On Tuesday, Glenn Youngkin became the first Republican to be elected governor of Virginia since 2009. For Democrats, the race took on new national significance, with many seeing the results as a reflection of where the country stands nearly a year into Joe Biden’s presidency.
But it wasn’t just Virginians who went to the polls on Tuesday. New Jersey also held a gubernatorial election, and major cities like Boston and Minneapolis held mayoral elections. National politics reporter Sean Sullivan discusses the implications of Virginia’s elections for both Democrats and Republicans, and examines how other local elections give a snapshot into the division among Democrats when it comes to police reform.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners — one year of unlimited access to everything the Post publishes online for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
On this Election Day, we talk about how the events of Jan. 6 have affected our elections. Plus, what nations participating in COP26 will have to give up to avoid more climate change catastrophes.
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For months, journalists at The Washington Post have been trying to understand: How did the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6 happen? And what’s happened to the country since then?
As part of a three-part investigative series by The Washington Post, Rosalind S. Helderman has been reporting on how a deep distrust of the voting process has taken root across the country.
“Democracy is in some ways a trust exercise,” she says. “We all go into it together and we make an agreement with each other that we are going to trust each other enough to hold an election, and if we lose, to accept the will of the majority. And if you don’t trust that anymore — if the bonds of that trust erode — you just can’t have a democracy.”
Then we turn to climate reporter Sarah Kaplan for an update on COP26 in Glasgow — the massive climate change summit of almost 200 countries where she says “humanity tries to figure out once again how we are going to tackle climate change.”
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners: one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
In the days leading up to Jan. 6, mounting red flags tipped law enforcement agencies off to the coming violence. Why did they fail to act?
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All year, journalists at The Washington Post have been seeking to understand: How did the insurrection on January 6th happen? Why wasn’t it stopped?
A new three-part investigative series by The Washington Post reveals how law enforcement officials failed to heed warnings of violence on Jan. 6., the bloody consequences of President Donald Trump’s inaction during the siege, and how a deep distrust of the voting process has taken root across the country.
On Post Reports, we’re taking you behind the scenes of this mammoth reporting project, talking to the journalists who worked on it about what they learned and how.
On today’s episode, we look at what law enforcement agencies knew about plans to storm the Capitol and when they knew it. And we try to understand why little was done even after terrorism experts across the country met to discuss the coming riot.
Investigative reporter Aaron Davis takes us inside the failures of law enforcement leading up to the attack on the Capitol.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners - one year of unlimited access to everything the Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
Instagram’s CEO steps into the limelight in an unexpected public interview. And, after a firestorm, Facebook’s big attempt to pivot.
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In an impromptu interview on Twitter Spaces, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said he still believes building an app for children is “the right thing to do.” The company had paused development of Instagram Kids last month over concerns about privacy, screen time and the mental health of young people.
But Instagram is just one piece in the puzzle that is Facebook — now rebranded as Meta. Tech reporter Will Oremus discusses the fallout from the Facebook Papers and the company’s latest attempt to move on.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners - one year of unlimited access to everything the Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
Today on Post Reports, we talk about the latest news on vaccines for young children, booster shots for adults and at-home coronavirus tests for us all. Physician and columnist Leana Wen offers her advice on the next phase of the pandemic.
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Leana Wen is an emergency physician and contributing columnist for The Post. Her newsletter, The Checkup, offers the latest research and advice on such questions as which booster shot to get and how to safely gather with family for the holidays. You can find it and subscribe at Wapo.st/checkup.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners - one year of unlimited access to everything the Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
As new details emerge about the shooting on the “Rust” movie set that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza, we talk to reporter Sonia Rao about how Hollywood is rethinking firearms on sets.
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In the days since Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on the set of the movie “Rust,” killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza, many of us have been asking the question — how could this have happened?
“How was it that this actor was seemingly handed a gun that had the potential to kill someone on a movie set? ” asked pop culture reporter Sonia Rao.
Today on the show, we cover the latest on the investigation, and talk about the conversation this tragedy has started in Hollywood about the safety of real guns on sets.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners: one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes online for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
President Biden’s economic agenda is on hold — thanks, in no small part, to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). The families in his home state could pay the price for it.
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The constant man in the middle, Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), is trying to scale back the president’s Build Back Better economic plan. Part of the White House agenda on Manchin’s chopping block: the permanent expansion of the child tax credit. It’s a recent policy that experts say has been a key part of reducing child poverty in the United States, especially during the pandemic.
Amid reports that Manchin wants to impose caps and include work requirements for families receiving the credit, economics reporter Yeganeh Torbati takes us to the senator’s home state. And she poses the question: What happens when Manchin’s political calculations collide with the realities of West Virginians?
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners - one year of unlimited access to everything the Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
A trove of internal documents turned over to the SEC exposes Facebook’s role in fomenting the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
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Relief flowed through Facebook in the days after the 2020 presidential election. The company had cracked down on misinformation, foreign interference and hate speech — and employees believed they had largely succeeded in limiting problems that, four years earlier, had brought on perhaps the most serious crisis in Facebook’s scandal-plagued history.
“It was like we could take a victory lap,” said a former employee. “There was a lot of the feeling of high-fiving in the office.”
Many who had worked on the election, exhausted from months of unrelenting toil, took leaves of absence or moved on to other jobs. Facebook rolled back many of the dozens of election-season measures that it had used to suppress hateful, deceptive content. A ban the company had imposed on the original Stop the Steal group stopped short of addressing dozens of look-alikes that popped up in what an internal Facebook after-action report called “coordinated” and “meteoric” growth. Meanwhile, the company’s Civic Integrity team was largely disbanded by a management that had grown weary of the team’s criticisms of the company, according to former employees.
But the high-fives, it soon became clear, were premature.
Elizabeth Dwoskin reports on how this gap in the company’s protective measures paved the way for rioters to organize the Jan. 6 insurrection using their platform.
Five years after the debut of “Insecure,” the acclaimed HBO comedy-drama is finally coming to a close. Creator and star Issa Rae discusses the characters’ journeys, personal growth and “betting on herself.”
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For a certain generation of Black women, Issa Rae’s volume of work is like the Harry Potter books — stories about characters who grow and mature alongside their fans.
“In shooting this final season, we've been very nostalgic and thinking about where we came from and imagining what our impact would be like,” says Rae, the creator and star of HBO’s “Insecure.” “Maybe people will hold on to this show as part of their lives in that way, and we may go down in history, you know, if we stick the landing. … And that makes me feel really good.”
“Insecure” debuted on HBO in 2016, focusing on the lives of two late-20s best friends in Los Angeles who are trying to navigate messy romances, social lives and professional aspirations. But Rae has been the voice of millennial Black women for more than a decade, all the way back to her hit Web series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.”
“I used to binge-watch this show in my dorm cafeteria on Fridays,” says Martine Powers, “Post Reports” host. “I'd be like, ‘Oh, all my essays are done, getting ready for the weekend. I'm going to watch “Awkward Black Girl.” This is going to be amazing.’”
As Rae reflects on the final season of her show, her characters’ trajectory, and her own personal growth, she says that she’s learned to trust the choices she’s made along the way that have led to greater artistic freedom — and power.
“One of the scariest things to me … is just, like, the fork-in-the-road choice,” Rae says. “There's something so terrifying about knowing that this is a decision that I could make that could change the course of my life. And I just have to make it.”
Ahmaud Arbery’s killing changed his Georgia community. Now, as the state grapples with a judicial legacy shaped by racism, three White men stand trial for murder.
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This week, the trial began for Greg McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan. It hinges in part on Georgia’s citizen’s arrest law, which helped codify White vigilante violence for 150 years. The law was repealed in May 2021, but its legacy reverberates today.
Margaret Coker, editor of nonprofit investigative outlet The Current, is reporting on the trial for The Washington Post. She shares her insights on the decades-old law that has its roots in the Civil War, and how it might be used as a defense in the murder trial.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Post. We have a deal for our listeners: one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
Health officials are worried about a severe “twindemic” this year, when influenza and coronavirus cases increase at the same time. What parallel surges could mean for an already exhausted health-care system and efforts to end the pandemic.
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Last year, similar warnings were made about a potential “twindemic.” Instead, the flu practically vanished. Health officials say this year could be different: Much of the country is up and running again, and 2020’s mild flu season means population immunity is probably lower.
That’s why officials are urging Americans to get the flu shot. “The flu shot is proven effective and has been shown year after year to save lives,” says health reporter Fenit Nirappil. “And that's going to be particularly acute this year when we're also dealing with a new strain of coronavirus.”
The commercial pipeline is clogged. Every year, this supply chain brings $1 trillion worth of toys, clothing, electronics and furniture from Asia to the United States. And right now, no one knows how to unclog it.
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For months, consumers have confronted shortages of goods such as clothing, toys, groceries and cars. And those shortages aren’t going away any time soon.
Reporter David J. Lynch visited the ports of Southern California— where giant container ships are waiting up to two weeks to unload their berth – and several of the country’s crammed rail yards and warehouses to figure out what’s clogging the global supply chain.
Correction: A previous version of this episode description incorrectly stated where the reporter visited. He visited ports in Southern California, not shipyards.
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The legacy of Colin Powell, the first Black secretary of state, is complicated — by his role in the Iraq war, by the evolution of the Republican Party and by how he lived his life after public office.
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Former secretary of state Colin Powell died Monday of complications from covid-19. His long career in the public eye — as a decorated military officer and statesman — was marked by choices he made leading up to the Iraq War. But Powell’s life is also characterized by a shift away from the Republican Party, and his adherence to the old guard of American conservatism.
The Post’s Karen DeYoung, who wrote a biography of Powell, reflects on Powell’s life and the complex lessons of his legacy.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners — one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes, for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has been benched over his decision not to get vaccinated. Today on Post Reports we discuss what responsibilities famous athletes bear and why this story is resonating beyond the basketball world.
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Kyrie Irving has been benched indefinitely because of his refusal to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. His team, the Brooklyn Nets, has been favored to win the NBA title this year, but that is now being thrown into question.
Irving has long been a controversial figure in the league, because of his outspokenness and his espousing of baseless conspiracy claims. But the stakes and implications of his stance are high, with hundreds of millions of dollars and a championship on the line.
NBA reporter Ben Golliver says that beyond the court, the situation raises questions about the social responsibility public figures bear and the collective impact of one individual’s choice.
In recent days, record numbers of Chinese warplanes have flown into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, signifying a deteriorating relationship between Taiwan and China — and putting the United States in an awkward position.
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Last week, China flew nearly 150 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. Taiwan responded by scrambling to engage its fighter jets and missile systems.
Meanwhile, the United States is in an increasingly awkward spot. While the United States may technically recognize Beijing over Taipei, it is deepening its ties to the island, says foreign affairs columnist Ishaan Tharoor.
Today on the show: how the situation has escalated, and what it means for geopolitics.
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In a predominantly Black Chicago neighborhood, how one affordable housing program is addressing inequality by enabling homeownership.
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Over the years, rows of two-story stone houses and small buildings have fallen into disrepair in the Chicago neighborhood of North Lawndale. The neighborhood was made famous in 1966, when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — hoping to turn the focus of the civil rights movement on housing inequalities in the North — moved his wife and four children into a dilapidated apartment there.
Decades later, much has stayed the same in North Lawndale, where crime and poverty rates remain high. Last year, more than 2,000 empty lots dotted the neighborhood.
But a group of local developers and activists are pushing to change things. They’re planning to build 1,000 standalone affordable homes for people who already live in the neighborhood as renters, so they can buy homes and start building equity and generational wealth through homeownership.
The approach aims to end poverty by focusing not on rental subsidies, but on finance classes and helping people buy their own homes. But according to reporter Kyle Swenson, it’s an approach that will need federal government buy-in to really succeed.
The “benefit of the doubt” portion of Joe Biden’s presidency is over. His poll numbers are down, especially among Black voters. Today on the show, we return to some of the voters we talked to in Georgia during the state’s runoff election and hear how they’re feeling now.
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A little over nine months into Joe Biden’s presidency, the infrastructure bill is languishing in Congress and his poll numbers have fallen, especially among key Democratic constituencies, including Black Americans. We’re still a year away from the midterms, but it made reporter Cleve Wootson wonder: Are the same people who worked so hard to turn Georgia blue in 2020 willing to do it again?
“If midterms are about enthusiasm and turnout, who do you think is excited to vote on November 2 at this moment?” said Nsé Ufot, chief executive of the New Georgia Project, which has registered more than a half-million voters. “Because it ain’t Democrats. It ain’t Black folks. It ain’t young people.”
Today on Post Reports, we revisit Georgia.
Listen here to our episode from December ahead of the two Senate runoffs in Georgia.
If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners — one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.
While billions of dollars in American aid poured into Jordan over the past decade, a secret stream of money was flowing in the opposite direction as the country’s ruler, King Abdullah II, spent millions on extravagant homes in the United States.
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In the past decade, King Abdullah II of Jordan used an extensive network of offshore accounts to disguise multimillion-dollar purchases of lavish homes in the United States and Britain. Reporter Greg Miller on how the lavish purchases sit in stark contrast to Jordan’s recent economic and political struggles.
These findings are revealed in a new investigation, the Pandora Papers, that exposes a hidden world that has allowed government leaders, a monarch, billionaires and criminals to shield their assets.
The Washington Post and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists gained unprecedented insight into the money flowing into U.S. trusts through a trove of more than 11.9 million documents — among the largest of its kind — maintained by financial services providers around the world.
The United States has long condemned secretive offshore tax havens where the rich and powerful hide their money. But a burgeoning American trust industry now shelters the assets of wealthy foreigners by promising even greater secrecy and protection. That same secrecy has insulated the industry from meaningful oversight and allowed it to gain new footholds in states like South Dakota and Alaska.
The Washington Post and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) gained unprecedented insight into the money flowing into U.S. trusts through a trove of more than 11.9 million documents, among the largest of its kind, maintained by financial services providers around the world.
Their findings are revealed in a new investigation, the Pandora Papers, that exposes how foreign political and corporate leaders or their relatives moved money and other assets from long-established tax havens to obscure trust companies in the United States. In many cases, the assets were connected to individuals or companies accused of fraud, bribery and human rights abuses in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
In this audio report, Post reporter Debbie Cenziper, producer Ted Muldoon and ICIJ reporter Will Fitzgibbon travel from the sugar cane fields of the Dominican Republic to the beaches of California to back rooms of Sioux Falls to examine how this industry came to be, who profits from it and whom it harms.
This week in Congress, top military officials are testifying on what went wrong in the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Will anyone in the government be held accountable?
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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie are on Capitol Hill testifying in front of the Senate and House Armed Services committees on the fall of Kabul and the disastrous U.S. exit from Afghanistan.
As lawmakers press for answers, Alex Horton reports on whether this hearing will result in accountability for the years of government missteps in handling the end of America’s longest war.
Deadlines are looming large for Congress. If policymakers fail to act, the United States could face unprecedented economic catastrophe.
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Time is running out to fund the federal government, which could shutter by Oct. 1. It all has to do with a bigger fight on the debt ceiling — the government’s borrowing limit. Democrats in Congress want to suspend the debt ceiling until next year, but Republicans aren’t playing ball and are threatening a government shutdown in opposition.
But what does that all mean for Americans outside of Congress — for federal workers, for critical government services and for pandemic relief? Tony Romm reports on the stakes of the political fight on Capitol Hill, and the economic crisis waiting on the other side.
What the latest news from Pfizer means for getting younger kids vaccinated. Plus, who will be able to get a booster shot and when.
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On Monday, Pfizer and BioNTech said that children ages 5 to 11 had a robust immune response to smaller doses of their coronavirus vaccine. Anita Patel, a critical-care pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital, explains what these results mean for slowing the spread of the coronavirus and what it has been like to take care of severely sick children during the pandemic.
The Biden administration had promised that this would be the week anybody vaccinated on or before Jan. 20 would be able to get a booster shot. Health and science reporter Lena Sun explains the confusion around who is actually eligible for a booster and when people could get one.
Members of far-right extremist organizations — such as the Oath Keepers, a self-styled militia movement — are being charged by federal prosecutors for their alleged participation in the Jan. 6 riot. But prosecution may not wipe out their ideologies.
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Law enforcement officials in D.C. were prepared for a big rally this weekend — the so-called Justice for J6 rally in support of people charged in connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection. While turnout in D.C. was low, underlying conspiratorial ideologies are thriving, showing up in protests at local government offices and school board meetings around the country.
One of the groups that has pushed that hard-right agenda is called the Oath Keepers. Many members are now being investigated and charged by federal prosecutors. Hannah Allam reports that the ideologies of this anti-government militia group continue to spread, even as members face legal consequences.
With his performance of “God Bless America” during Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, NYPD officer Daniel Rodriguez comforted a nation still grieving in the wake of 9/11. It felt like a timeless moment. Instead, it proved fleeting. Twenty years later, the reasons for that tell a story of the political divisions and embellished patriotism that now polarize American sports. The weight of it all can be felt through the struggles of Rodriguez, who’s still trying to bless people with his voice as America attempts to rediscover its own.
Join Washington Post sports columnist Jerry Brewer, sports features writer Kent Babb and audio producer Bishop Sand as they explore how a man and a nation have attempted to heal and find meaning after trauma and tragedy.
Read more and see photos of Daniel then and now here.
In Part 2, Jerry, Kent and Bishop visit Daniel in L.A. to see what his life is like now, and look into the origins of the song that made him famous. Then they look at what else happened to him, the song and the country in the years after 9/11, as shifting political winds drove the Americans further apart.
With his performance of “God Bless America” during Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, NYPD officer Daniel Rodriguez comforted a nation still grieving in the wake of 9/11. It felt like a timeless moment. Instead, it proved fleeting. Twenty years later, the reasons for that tell a story of the political divisions and embellished patriotism that now polarize American sports. The weight of it all can be felt through the struggles of Rodriguez, who’s still trying to bless people with his voice as America attempts to rediscover its own.
Join Washington Post sports columnist Jerry Brewer, sports features writer Kent Babb and audio producer Bishop Sand as they explore how a man and a nation have attempted to heal and find meaning after trauma and tragedy.
When we talk about abortion access in the U.S., we talk a lot about Roe v. Wade, the actions of state lawmakers, the court system. But we don’t talk about doctors — and what they do or don’t say to patients behind closed doors.
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After Texas passed the country’s most restrictive abortion law, many abortion rights advocates feared that other states would follow suit — states like West Virginia that have already made moves in the past to restrict access to abortion.
But reporter Caroline Kitchener has found that there are other barriers to abortion already in place, some of which are invisible to us: “I had never even thought about this other barrier that is doctors,” Caroline said. “Doctors who might not talk to women about the option of abortion.”
Caroline has spent many, many months reporting on Byron Calhoun, the only high-risk pregnancy OB/GYN in central West Virginia. He also happens to be staunchly antiabortion.
Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about what that means for his patients — and, more broadly, how doctors’ political beliefs can affect the kind of care they provide their patients.
A recall election in California ends Tuesday night. After pandemic-related shutdowns and mandates, can Gov. Gavin Newsom survive the challenge to his liberal policies?
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Forty-six candidates on the recall ballot. One governor with his first term on the line.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is fighting to hold on to his seat, with the recall election that could replace him set to end Tuesday night. Newsom needs more than 50 percent of the vote to maintain his governorship.
Senior correspondent Scott Wilson says recall elections are baked into California life. Every governor for the past 60 years has been challenged with a recall, but only one attempt has been successful.
This recall election could flip leadership of the country’s most populous state to a vastly different candidate — and have far-reaching implications for national politics and the makeup of the U.S. Senate.
Watching the chaotic end of America’s longest war, we’ve been thinking a lot about the terrorist attack that set it in motion. We interviewed colleagues who covered 9/11 to try to make sense of how that day changed the country and the world.
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“Where were you on September 11th?” Most Americans over a certain age have a 9/11 story — of the moment they heard the news of the terrorist attacks, or of anxiously calling family members to make sure they were okay.
In the 20 years since the attacks, that day for some may feel like a slowly fading memory. But the direct consequences of that Tuesday in 2001 are still playing out in the news in front of us every day.
Today on Post Reports, we’re telling the story of 9/11 through the eyes of our newsroom. We spoke with Post colleagues who covered it — from senior editors, to reporters at the Pentagon, to an intern.
“It changed everyone's lives,” says Post reporter Juliet Eilperin, who was covering Congress that day, “not only in terms of those who lost people that they cared about that day, but what it meant for the commitment of our military and what it meant for people living in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Middle East.”
As the Afghanistan war comes to a harrowing close, we look at how the 9/11 terrorist attacks shaped our world and how the consequences of that day are still with us.
This story was produced by Ariel Plotnick and Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman, Renita Jablonski and Martine Powers.
It was scored and mixed by Ted Muldoon, who wrote original music for this show.
Reena Flores and Rennie Svirnovskiy were also a huge help with this story.
In this story, you’ll hear the voices of Leonard Downie, Arthur Santana, Juliet Eilperin, Valerie Strauss, Amy Goldstein, Amy Argetsinger, Marc Fisher, Katie Shaver, Karen DeYoung, Mike Allen, Rosalind S. Helderman, Chuck Lane, Debbi Wilgoren and Matt Vita.
Thank you to WTOP News for sharing its 9/11 archive.
We talked to so many people for this story who helped shape our understanding of that day, including Tracy Grant, Freddy Kunkle, Dana Milbank, Ellen Nakashima, Ann Gerhart and Dudley Brooks.
And a big thank-you to Joe Heim, who pitched this idea to our show.
The Post has many other stories reflecting on the anniversary of 9/11 and how our country has changed 20 years later.
Listen to “America’s Song,” a special podcast series from The Post about how a singing police officer comforted a grieving nation after 9/11 — and why the moment couldn’t last.
9/11 was a test. Carlos Lozada writes that the books of the past two decades show how America failed.
What we know about the Thursday bombing near the Kabul airport. Plus, an Afghan journalist who left Kabul just before its collapse tells us why she fears for the family and friends she left behind.
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A bombing outside the Kabul airport Thursday left more than a hundred people dead, including civilians and U.S. service members. Military reporter Dan Lamothe says the attack was “a nightmare scenario” for the United States, making the mission to evacuate Afghans and U.S. personnel much more difficult.
Journalist and Fulbright scholar Nasrin Nawa’s flight left Kabul right before the capital fell to the Taliban. In an op-ed she wrote for The Post, Nawa says her parents and sister tried to follow her but didn’t make it out.
The future of a federal ban on evictions is in the Supreme Court’s hands. But in many cases, whether a person gets evicted is up to a judge’s discretion, as our reporter found in Mississippi.
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A federal ban on evictions has been in place in one form or another since the beginning of the pandemic. But after spending a day in an eviction court in Mississippi, reporter Marissa Lang found it’s often left up to individual judges whether to enforce it.
“So many of these cases are judge dependent, the outcome really varies, not just county by county, but judge by judge,” Lang said. She followed a woman facing eviction — and spoke to the judge who decided her fate.
What the FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine means. Plus, big business pledged nearly $50 billion for racial justice after George Floyd’s killing. Where did the money go?
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Goodbye, “emergency use authorization.” Hello, “full approval.” On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, commercially called Comirnaty. The four-month evaluation process was fast by the FDA’s usual standards, but regulators have emphasized that they did not sacrifice any kind of rigor in the process. Health and science writer Ben Guarino reports on the effect that full approval could have on vaccine mandates –– and whether it will change the hearts and minds of the vaccine-hesitant.
After the murder of George Floyd ignited nationwide protests, corporate America promised to take an active role in confronting systemic racism. Now, more than a year after leading businesses pledged money toward racial-justice causes, reporter Tracy Jan analyzes where that money actually went.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court said the Biden administration must comply with a ruling from a lower court to restart President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers. This was the program that forced people seeking asylum in the United States to wait on the other side of the southern border, in Mexico. It’s unclear what this new mandate will mean for the controversial program, but last month our podcast aired a two-part story about what living under this program is actually like for an asylum seeker. To better understand what it means to “remain in Mexico,” you can find those episodes — “Marooned in Matamoros,” Parts 1 and 2 — at this link.
How the killing of Haiti’s former president has sparked a constitutional crisis — and how years of U.S. intervention in the Caribbean country contributed to the chaos we’re seeing now.
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The assasination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse last week has plunged the country into turmoil, with many unanswered questions left surrounding the attack. The Post’s Widlore Merancourt and Ishaan Tharoor report on what’s known so far about the investigation into killing and what a vacuum of power could mean for the safety and security of Haitians.
The international response to Haiti’s political crisis is made more complicated by the legacy of slavery, colonialism and U.S. occupation — and that shapes how we understand the country today. “Haiti is the poorest country in the hemisphere because of — not despite — foreign intervention,” anthropologist Mark Schuller says in this episode. “Slaveholders punished Haiti for their role in ending slavery.”
Love them or loathe them, the cicadas of Brood X are here. One Washington Post editor recalls his first taste of the bug. A Smithsonian entomologist demystifies the science of Brood X. And a biologist takes us on a journey through cicadas’ deep past.
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When the cicadas of Brood X last emerged, the world was a different place. George W. Bush was president. “Shrek 2” topped the box office. And Cameron Barr, lately the interim leader of The Washington Post, was a general-assignment reporter tasked with sampling frozen cicadas sauteed in butter and parsley.
Smithsonian entomologist Floyd Shockley has long loved periodical cicadas. He takes us on a tour behind the scenes at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, which houses cabinets full of preserved insects. There we learn about cicadas’ elegant bodies — and the mysterious way they count the passage of the years.
And finally, biologist Gene Kritsky takes us back many, many emergences to the time when cicadas serenaded the dinosaurs.
Entomologists want your help documenting Brood X for their Cicada Safari project. If you would like to contribute photos or videos of cicadas, download the Cicada Safari app or go to cicadasafari.org.
Nick Miroff explains how the president is encouraging misdeeds to get his wall built. Geoffrey Fowler talks about how his credit cards have let companies buy his data. And Rachel Hatzipanagos on anxiety in the Latino community under Trump.
Martine Powers talks with N.K. Jemisin, Jasmine Guillory and Lauren Wilkinson about challenging narrow perceptions of race in literary genres. And Marian Liu on the segregation of American music awards.
From a community divided by xenophobic chants, Griff Witte explains what the president’s rhetoric can do on the ground. Jeff Stein on the aging problem in the U.S. And Andrew Freedman on the record-breaking number of fires in the Amazon.
Josh Dawsey and David Nakamura on the dimming prospect of Trump-led gun reform. Pam Constable and Jon Gerberg track the U.S.-Taliban peace talks and their impact on violence in Afghanistan. And an animal love story from Luisa Beck and Rick Noack.
Nick Miroff and Josh Dawsey on the outsize influence of Stephen Miller on Trump’s immigration policy. Former Mass. governor Bill Weld makes a long-shot case for the Republican presidential nomination. And a summer field trip with Joel Achenbach.
Karoun Demirjian paints a grim picture of election security. Sam Schmidt on the 2020 Democrats flaunting Spanish skills — and the Latino candidate who isn’t. Plus, Marina Lopes explains Brazil’s C-section parties.
Lisa Bonos on an author working to make the romance genre more inclusive of people on the autism spectrum. And Travis M. Andrews on why you should stop pretending to like outdoor concerts.
Juliet Eilperin explains the secret deal between California and four major automakers. Plus, Elizabeth Dwoskin on the lives of content moderators across the ocean and Jeff Stein on whether we can expect a four-day workweek anytime soon.
Rachael Bade and Rosalind S. Helderman annotate the Mueller testimony, and Arelis Hernández explains the turmoil in Puerto Rico.
William Booth unpacks what a Boris Johnson-led Brexit could look like. Plus, Aaron Davis on the companies at the center of the opioid epidemic and Ellie Krieger deconstructs the vocabulary of diet culture.
Rosalind Helderman previews Robert Mueller’s testimony before Congress on Wednesday. Todd Frankel on the dangers of home elevators. Plus, Dan Zak talks to an evangelical Christian climate scientist.
Juliet Eilperin details President Trump’s plans for a grandiose Independence Day event. Greg Miller and Souad Mekhennet explain how ISIS-inspired killings helped radicalize Europe’s far right. And, Roxanne Roberts finds the White House’s oldest volunteer.
Matt Viser on why Joe Biden is campaigning with an air of inevitability. Karla Adam on who could become Britain’s next prime minister. Plus, Gillian Brockell on a gay first lady’s love letters.
Get unlimited access to The Washington Post’s website and apps for less than $1 a week. Go to PostReports.com/offer to access a special offer for podcast listeners.
Chris Davenport on The Washington Post’s project for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing: 50 astronauts on what it’s like to be in space. And art critic Sebastian Smee on Frida Kahlo, after the release of a recording thought to be her voice.
Get unlimited access to The Washington Post’s website and apps for less than $1 a week. Go to PostReports.com/offer to access a special offer for podcast listeners.
Carol Morello talks about the U.N. investigator’s report about the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Lena Sun on the Manhattan couple donating millions to anti-vax groups. And Rachel Siegel on new ad standards in Britain.
Get unlimited access to The Washington Post’s website and apps for less than $1 a week. Go to PostReports.com/offer to access a special offer for podcast listeners.
Aaron Davis on conversations with Trump’s former acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan about domestic violence incidents in his family. Maria Sacchetti on planned mass deportations of migrant families. And Ashley Parker on Trump’s reelection bid.
Get unlimited access to The Washington Post’s website and apps for less than $1 a week. Go to PostReports.com/offer to access a special offer for podcast listeners.
Rick Noack explains why tensions between the U.S. and Iran have reached new heights. Science reporter Sarah Kaplan on an expedition to the Arctic. And Kareem Fahim on the death of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president.
Get unlimited access to The Washington Post’s website and apps for less than $1 a week. Go to PostReports.com/offer to access a special offer for podcast listeners.
The bold new strategy in the fight against abortion rights
For years, antiabortion advocates have tried to chip away at Roe v. Wade incrementally. They pushed legislatures to impose waiting periods and mandate hallway widths in clinics and generally make it more onerous for abortion clinics to operate and for women to access the procedure.
Now, the pretense is being thrown out as states such as Georgia and Missouri impose much more restrictive bans. In Alabama, a law passed that outlawed the procedure almost entirely, without exceptions for rape or incest.
Aaron Blake is a senior political reporter for The Fix. He explains the thinking behind their strategy — and how it could backfire.
The new Howard Stern says the old Howard Stern makes him ‘cringe’
Howard Stern, the self-proclaimed “King of All Media,” was mostly known for mocking everyone and objectifying women on his TV and radio shows. But, he told The Post’s Geoff Edgers, that’s all behind him now.
“I tried to watch some of my old Letterman [appearances],” Stern said during an interview at his SiriusXM radio studio. “I couldn’t get through two minutes of it. It’s just not me. I don’t know who that guy is.”
In a new book, “Howard Stern Comes Again,” Stern hopes marks his evolution from an impatient and often nasty blabbermouth to a master conversationalist.
The art world is out of touch
A rabbit sculpture by Jeff Koons just sold for $91.1 million — a record breaking figure. When an artwork fetches that kind of price at auction, the first question everyone silently asks is: “Could it really be worth that?”
“The first and best answer, obviously, is no,” says Post art critic Sebastian Smee. He sees the sale as evidence that the art world is increasingly untethered from reality.
Is having so many candidates bad for Democrats?
So many Democrats are running for president that some will not qualify for the first debate — even though it allows for 20 candidates.
Michael Scherer covers campaigns for The Post. He says some Democratic leaders are worried the party will struggle to coalesce around one candidate in time to mount the strongest possible campaign against a president they urgently want to defeat.
How university officials left their students in the dark about a viral outbreak
In late 2018, University of Maryland student Olivia Paregol was stricken with a mysterious illness. For more than two weeks, university officials remained silent about the reason — a viral outbreak.
Amy Brittain and Jenn Abelson are investigative reporters for The Post. They explored the consequences of the university’s decision through the story of this 18-year-old student.
Trash at the bottom of the ocean
Trash is everywhere — even in places where no human has set foot before.
How Trump’s presidency is hurting the Trump brand
Trump’s prized Doral golf resort in Miami is crucial to his overall finances, says David Fahrenthold, who covers the Trump Organization for The Post.
But, according to company documents and exclusive video obtained by The Post, the Doral resort is in steep decline.
“They are severely underperforming,” tax consultant Jessica Vachiratevanurak told a Miami-Dade County official in a bid to lower the property’s tax bill. The reason, she said: “There is some negative connotation that is associated with the brand.”
“He’s entwined his business more than any modern president with his presidency,” Fahrenthold says. “And it’s not going well.”
Tensions mounting with Iran
Tension between the United States and Iran has been rising steadily. Tehran has indicated it may curtail its full cooperation with the 2015 landmark nuclear agreement, and the Trump administration spoke of “planned or contemplated attacks” by Iran against U.S. forces and friends in the Middle East.
“Things have escalated very quickly in terms of our mind-set, our posture about Iran,” says national security reporter John Hudson, “but there’s a lot of confusion about exactly what the U.S. is responding to.
Hudson explains the responses the White House is considering — including deploying troops — even as lawmakers from both parties complained that the White House has not fully briefed them on the escalating tensions.
Politicians who run for office and run marathons
All successful politicians are competitive — that’s how they got elected, right? But some find that relentless drive not just on the campaign trail but also in the weight room, in a road race or on the basketball court.
Graphics reporter Bonnie Berkowitz lists the most impressive athletic feats by lawmakers.
En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.