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Post Reports

1,939 episodes — Page 19 of 39

Say goodbye to Black Friday

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. Read more: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.

Nov 23, 202221 min

Is your kid ready for a phone?

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.”Read more: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.

Nov 22, 202228 min

The end of the Pelosi era

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.Read more: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.

Nov 21, 202223 min

No beer, plenty of scandal: Qatar’s World Cup

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. Read more: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.

Nov 18, 202222 min

The urgent situation in Haiti

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.Read more: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.

Nov 17, 202223 min

Trump is back. Back again.

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. 

Nov 16, 202222 min

Inside the covert abortion pill pipeline

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. Read more: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. 

Nov 15, 202237 min

Ukraine’s triumph in Kherson

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.Read more: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.

Nov 14, 202218 min

Who should pay for climate disasters?

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? Read more: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. 

Nov 11, 202225 min

Is Ron DeSantis the GOP’s golden ticket?

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?Read more: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.

Nov 10, 202223 min

So, who won?

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. Read more: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.

Nov 9, 202237 min

Gen Z’s political coming of age

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. Read more: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.

Nov 8, 202229 min

What Musk’s Twitter chaos means for Election Day

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.Read more:On the day before the midterms, Twitter owner Elon Musk encouraged Americans to vote for the GOP, breaking with other social media CEOs who’ve sought to remain apolitical.

Nov 7, 202226 min

Goodbye Daylight Saving Time… For now

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.Read more: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.

Nov 6, 202217 min

An election to upend elections

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.Read more: 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.”

Nov 4, 202226 min

Fauci’s not done yet

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.Read more: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.

Nov 3, 202226 min

Was the attack on the Pelosi home preventable?

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. Read more: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.). 

Nov 2, 202220 min

Introducing "The 7"

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.

Nov 2, 20225 min

The Arizona news anchor turned GOP darling

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.Read more:National political enterprise reporter Ruby Cramer wrote about what it’s like to watch Lake on the campaign trail. 

Nov 1, 202221 min

How the war in Ukraine is shaping Ohio’s Senate race

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.Read more: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.

Oct 31, 202221 min

The illness straining pediatric hospitals

Today on “Post Reports,” why RSV — respiratory syncytial virus — is overwhelming children’s hospitals, and what parents can do to keep their children safe.Read more: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.

Oct 28, 202219 min

Will you ever be able to buy a house?

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.Read more: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.

Oct 27, 202222 min

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s rise to power

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.

Oct 26, 202222 min

The pandemic wake-up call for schools

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.”Read more: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. 

Oct 25, 202219 min

Can Fetterman flip a Senate seat in Pennsylvania?

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.Read more: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?

Oct 24, 202225 min

America has a Black sperm donor shortage

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. Read more: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.

Oct 21, 202225 min

The Black-White covid death rate flipped. Why?

Today on “Post Reports,” why White people in the U.S. are now more likely to die of covid than Black Americans. Read more: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.

Oct 20, 202222 min

Battleground Georgia

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.

Oct 19, 202225 min

The retired military cashing in with repressive governments

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.Read more: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.

Oct 18, 202222 min

Making hearing more accessible

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.Read more: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. 

Oct 17, 202230 min

Investigating families of trans kids gets personal

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.Read more: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.

Oct 14, 202235 min

The billionaire Starbucks CEO and his ‘Venti’ union fight

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. Read more: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.

Oct 13, 202235 min

What happens in Vegas … could control Washington

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.  

Oct 12, 202222 min

Why Kanye’s posts could be the future of social media

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.Read more: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.

Oct 11, 202228 min

The war is back in Kyiv

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. Read more: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.”

Oct 10, 202213 min

The supremely conservative Supreme Court

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.    Read more:Supreme Court debates Alabama’s refusal of second Black voting districtSupreme Court will allow public at arguments, continue live audio

Oct 7, 202225 min

In Truss the U.K. doesn't trust

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. Read more: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. 

Oct 6, 202215 min

The escalating crackdowns in Iran

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. Read More: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

Oct 5, 202223 min

How U.S. Soccer failed its players

Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about a damning new report on systemic abuse in women’s soccer. Read More: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.

Oct 4, 202219 min

The migrants caught in a political ploy

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.

Oct 3, 202223 min

How our bodies changed during the pandemic

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. Read more: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. 

Sep 30, 202242 min

In Hurricane Ian’s 'expanding bull’s eye'

Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about Ian’s historic destruction in Florida, and why the story of this storm has only just begun.Read more: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.

Sep 29, 202218 min

Vaccinating against monkeypox — at the club

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.Read more: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.

Sep 28, 202215 min

The woman leading Italy’s far-right

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? Read more: 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.

Sep 27, 202223 min

How the NFL sidelines Black coaches

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. Read more: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.

Sep 26, 202228 min

Why Russians have had enough with this war

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.Read more: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.

Sep 23, 202222 min

Why women are burning hijabs in Iran

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.Read more: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.

Sep 22, 202217 min

The plot to steal $250 million from hungry children

How a pandemic food program was used to allegedly defraud the government of $250 million. Read more: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. 

Sep 21, 202219 min

Hurricane Fiona, and the scars of Maria

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. Read more: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.

Sep 20, 202222 min

Does the world need a British monarchy anymore?

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.Read more: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.

Sep 19, 202226 min