Post Reports

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. Read more: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.Read more: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.Read more: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?Read more: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. Read more: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. Read more: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. Read more: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. Read more: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). Read more: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.Read more: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? Read more: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.Subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple podcasts here.

What to know about the many guilty pleas rolling into the Georgia case charging former president Donald Trump and his allies with election interference. Read more: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.Read more: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. Subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple Podcasts at this link. Read more: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.Subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple Podcasts at this link. 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. Read more: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.Subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple Podcasts at this link.

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.Read more: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.Subscribe to The Washington Post via Apple Podcasts at this link.

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. Read more: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.Read more: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. Read more: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.Subscribe to The Washington Post: washingtonpost.com/subscribe

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. Read more: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.Listen and follow the series here.

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.Read more: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. Read more: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.Read more: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. –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.Read more: 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. Read more: 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. Read more: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.Read more: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. Read more: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. Read more: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? Read more: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. Read more: 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?Read more: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. Read more: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.–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. Read more: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.Read more: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. Read more: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. Read more: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. Read more: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. Read more: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. Read more: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. Read more: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. Read more: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? –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.Read more: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.