Post Reports

Today, a deep dive into the life of Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. Plus, a dispatch from Ukraine, where Russian forces are pressing closer to the capital, Kyiv.Read more: On Friday morning, President Biden announced his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court: federal judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Currently serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Jackson is a former clerk for Justice Stephen G. Breyer. If confirmed, she will be the first Black woman and the first former federal public defender on the Supreme Court. Legal affairs reporter Ann Marimow on Jackson’s past, and what she’d bring to the court.Plus, a dispatch from Ukraine, where Russia is advancing on the capital, Kyiv. Our foreign correspondent Siobhan O’Grady reports.

On Thursday, Russia launched attacks on cities across Ukraine, from Kyiv to Kharkiv. Today on Post Reports, what it’s like on the ground there, Putin’s calculus, and why the United States and Europe feel powerless to stop Russia.   Read more:Ukrainians in cities and towns across the country woke up to the sound of explosions early Thursday morning as Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine. On Thursday afternoon, President Biden announced further sanctions against Russia, saying, “We have no intention of fighting Russia. We want to send an unmistakable message, though, that the United States, together with our Allies, will defend every inch of NATO territory.”But will those sanctions make any difference? “I don't see any sanctions that are going to, especially at this point, prevent him from trying to execute his plan,” reporter Paul Sonne said of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He added: “This is a horrific turn of events in world history. Russia is an incredibly powerful military, and it's unleashing its full military might against a neighboring, much less powerful state. And we're witnessing that in real time. “We're seeing Ukrainians suffering deeply, fearing for their lives, fleeing their cities, moving their children into bomb shelters. And because Russia is a nuclear power, people in the United States and in Europe are feeling quite powerless to do anything about it.”We also hear from our reporters on the ground in Ukraine about what these early days of attacks feel like for the people caught in the crossfire.Follow The Post’s coverage of the assault on Ukraine here. 

Much of America wants policing to change. But these self-proclaimed experts in police training tell officers they’re doing just fine. Today on Post Reports, we take you inside a police training conference.Read more:For more than a year now, Robert Klemko has been covering calls for police reform across the country in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.But last fall, he started wondering — have these calls for reform changed anything about the way police are trained?He went looking for a police training conference, and he found the Street Cop Training Conference in Atlantic City in October. The speakers included the right-wing political commentator Tomi Lahren, former law enforcement officers and military personnel. Robert wasn’t allowed to attend — but he did obtain a recording of the conference, and he shares it with us today. You can read more about Robert’s reporting, and listen to his article here. If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners — one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.

Today on Post Reports – did Russia just invade Ukraine? Foreign correspondent Isabelle Khurshudyan says it depends on who you ask. Plus, Michael Robinson Chavez on what it’s like reporting from the eastern front. Read more: On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that he is recognizing two separatist regions of Ukraine as independent. He ordered troops to “perform peacekeeping functions” in those regions – which the United States and other allies say amounts to an invasion. On Tuesday, Biden called it a “flagrant violation of international law” and announced a first round of sanctions, while saying he still hopes diplomacy is possible.Moscow correspondent Isabelle Khurshudyan reports from eastern Ukraine on what this means for Ukrainians, and how far its allies will go to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty.Later in the show, we hear a harrowing story from photojournalist Michael Robinson Chavez who was reporting from the front lines in Ukraine.  If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please consider a subscription to The Washington Post. Right now you can try it out for FREE for four weeks. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe. 

Students, teachers and historians reflect on what has changed – and what should change – about the way we teach presidential history today.Read more:Americans are grappling with the complex legacies of former presidents.In just the past few weeks, a Theodore Roosevelt statue came down in New York City and a high school in New Jersey named after Woodrow Wilson officially decided to drop the president’s name.Today’s episode is hosted by Lilian Cunningham and looks to students, teachers and presidential historians to illuminate what has – and hasn’t – changed about how the presidency is taught in the classroom.We’re joined by Professors Barbara Perry of the University of Virginia and Julian Zelizer of Princeton University; Clint Smith, author of “How the Word is Passed”; and the AP government and politics class of teacher Michael Martirone. To learn more about the life and legacy of every single American president, check out “The Presidential” podcast: Listen here.If you value the journalism you hear in this podcast, please subscribe to The Washington Post. We have a deal for our listeners – one year of unlimited access to everything The Post publishes for just $29. To sign up, go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.

With midterms ahead, both parties are tryings to connect with voters. But what if voters just want politics to stop feeling like an existential death match? Plus, a tribute to “Arthur,” the kids show ending after 25 years.Read more:This year’s midterm elections have Democrats and Republicans facing tough questions about how to reach voters. Back in November, there was a test case that offered some insight to both parties: the Virginia governor’s race.Businessman Glenn Youngkin was the first Republican to be elected governor of Virginia in nearly a decade. The race was viewed nationally as both a test of Joe Biden’s presidency and whether Republicans could mount a return after losing the White House.Washington Post Magazine reporter David Montgomery wanted to know what led voters in a state that voted for Biden by big margins in 2020 to suddenly swing right in 2021. So he set out on a road trip across Virginia to talk to voters and to hear how the heated rhetoric between both political parties has influenced local communities.After 25 years, the animated children’s show “Arthur” is ending. Producer Ariel Plotnick speaks with the author of the original books and the longtime executive producer of the show about what made “Arthur” so relatable for kids and parents alike. 

How some of the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting reached a settlement with Remington Arms nearly a decade after the massacre. Plus, why a convoy of semi-trucks descended on downtown Ottawa three weeks ago — and never left.Read more:When the families of nine of the victims of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School began their lawsuit against the gunmaker of the Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle, their goal was to spare other families the pain that had upended their own lives. On Tuesday, the victims’ families marked a victory in that effort with the announcement of a $73 million settlement with Remington Arms, which manufactures the Bushmaster. “This lawsuit is really being viewed as an opening, an example of what is possible,” says reporter Kim Bellware. “But also, lawyers are saying this should be a wake-up call for other people who are in business with gun manufacturers … to let them know that these gun companies can’t just operate how they want, and that being in business with companies like this can be very expensive.” Later in the show, we take you to Ottawa, where thousands of demonstrators in semi-trucks have been parked in downtown for weeks in protest of vaccine mandates. They also blocked the Ambassador Bridge, a key crossing into the United States, wreaking economic havoc on both countries.Now their demands have grown to include lifting all pandemic restrictions – and authorities say some have ties to extremist groups. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked Canada’s Emergencies Act for the first time in the country’s history in an attempt to restore order. Post reporter Amanda Coletta is in Ottawa watching the protests unfold.

Today on Post Reports, how one company made millions by scooping up homes across the United States, then renting them back to people who could no longer afford to buy them.  Read more:Last year investors bought nearly 1 in 7 homes sold in America’s top metropolitan areas, the most in at least two decades, according to data from the realty company Redfin and an analysis by The Washington Post. Those purchases come at a time when would-be buyers across the country are seeing wildly escalating prices, raising the question of what impact investors are having on prices for everyone else. Today we visit a block in the suburbs of Nashville that used to be the perfect place for first-time homebuyers. Then, global investors bought in. As part of the Pandora Papers investigation, financial reporter Peter Whoriskey explains how a private equity-backed company called Progress Residential reaps big profits from stressed American renters amid a national affordability crisis.

Kamila Valieva is arguably the best female figure skater in the world. She’s also a 15-year-old at the center of an Olympics doping scandal. After the skater’s emotional performance Tuesday, we talk about doping and her controversial coach.Read more:Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old figure skating phenom from Russia, arrived in Beijing poised for a coronation, with a potential Olympic title affirming her status as the best women’s skater of her time. But now at the center of the doping controversy that has rocked these Games, Valieva finished her short program and brought her hands over her eyes, overwhelmed by a week in which her eligibility for this competition was in jeopardy – and is still being called into question.Health reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb explains the doping scandal andthe questions being raised about Kamila Valieva’s coach, Eteri Tutberidze. The Russian coach has helped revolutionize women's figure skating, but the doping controversy surrounding her latest star has put Tutberidze’s methods under an unwelcome spotlight.

Diplomatic efforts to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine have failed to ease tensions — and that has huge stakes for Ukraine, for Europe and for America’s standing in the world.Read more:The U.S. State Department has announced that the U.S. will close its embassy in Ukraine’s capital, with remaining embassy personnel being relocated closer to the border with Poland because of mounting U.S. fears of an invasion by Russia.Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to leave the diplomatic door open, but as national security reporter Shane Harris explains, talks aren’t producing any breakthroughs.

Today on Post Reports, a guide to the judges being considered to fill Justice Stephen Breyer’s Supreme Court seat and make history as the first Black woman on the court. Plus, two Washington Post politics experts talk … figure skating. Read more:After Justice Stephen G. Breyer announced his plan to retire at the end of the Supreme Court’s current term, all eyes turned to President Biden, who now has the chance to bolster the court’s liberal minority and deliver on a major campaign promise: to nominate the first Black female justice. On today’s Post Reports, White House reporter Seung Min Kim runs through the professional backgrounds and legal philosophies of three of the judges under consideration – Ketanji Brown Jackson, Leondra Kruger and J. Michelle Childs – and the challenges they could face if nominated. And later in the episode, non-sports-reporters Phil Rucker and Robert Samuels join Maggie Penman to talk about … Olympic figure skating. 

We look at why rents have gone up across the nation, and whether that trend will end any time soon.Read more:Nationwide, the price of renting a home has skyrocketed recently — in some places the rent is up more than 30 percent. As economics correspondent Abha Bhattarai explains, the effect on some renters has been severe: Millions of Americans have been forced to move, while others have become homeless until they can find another place to live.

What a brazen Islamic State prison break reveals about the strength of the terrorist group. Plus, amid uncertainty over the future of Roe v. Wade, Vermont moves to enshrine access to abortion in the state’s constitution. Read more:The world forgot this Syrian prison. The Islamic State did not. Baghdad bureau chief Louisa Loveluck was recently in Syria reporting on the fallout from a brazen ISIS attack, and what it revealed about the enduring strength of the group.Politics reporter Caroline Kitchener reports on abortion for The Post. She explains the latest moves by state legislatures to either protect — or restrict — access to abortion as the Supreme Court considers a decision that could limit or even overturn Roe v. Wade.

What it means for a star American athlete to compete for China in the Beijing Olympics. Plus, how an anonymous Instagram account called “Dear White Staffers” is exposing what it can be like working for lawmakers on Capitol Hill.Read more:Eileen Gu is an American dream of an Olympic athlete. Born and raised in San Francisco, she won gold in the big-air freestyle skiing event and is a favorite in two more events. But she’s not competing for the United States. She’s competing for China. Les Carpenter reports on how Gu’s choice magnifies the ongoing tensions between the United States and China.An Instagram account called “Dear White Staffers'' has become a safe space for congressional aides to anonymously call out lawmakers and share their experiences. Marianna Sotomayor reports that the account is also galvanizing unionization efforts on the Hill.

As Russia appears to prepare for a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States and NATO allies scramble to find a diplomatic resolution.Read more:Russia is close to completing preparations for what appears to be a large-scale invasion of Ukraine that could lead to 50,000 civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis with millions of refugees fleeing the chaos, according to U.S. military and intelligence assessments. Intelligence reporter Shane Harris breaks down how the diplomatic efforts to de-escalate on the border are going –– and where the skepticism of all sides in the conflict comes from.

For four years, Maria Chic Reynoso and her daughter, Adelaida, only spoke through a screen. They were separated at the U.S. border under Trump. Though they’re reunited, they’re still haunted by the past — and the possibility of another separation. Read more:Maria Chic Reynoso and her daughter, Adelaida, were among the first to be separated at the U.S.-Mexico border in the summer of 2017 under the Trump administration — a year before the White House publicly acknowledged it was separating young children from their parents. Maria was deported back to rural Guatemala, and Adelaida was sent to live with Maria’s sister in South Florida. Maria and Adelaida spent four agonizing years apart from each other, unsure as to whether or when they would see each other again. In 2021, Maria and Adelaida were finally reunited. But as Mexico City Bureau Chief Kevin Sieff explains, the trauma of the separation is far from over.“Almost every family I've talked to has expressed some fundamental kind of fracture in their family that didn't just occur at the moment of separation, but occurred in the period between separation and reunion,” Sieff explains. “And it's just obvious that all of these families are going to have a hard time rebuilding relationships, including this one.” 

Three police officers are on trial in Minnesota for their role in George Floyd’s murder. The case centers on their “duty to intervene” in the actions of Derek Chauvin. But some are asking: How do you teach cops to stand up to other cops? Read more:Former Minneapolis police officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas K. Lane and Tou Thao are facing trial on federal charges that they deprived George Floyd of his federal civil rights in the fatal May 2020 arrest. Reporter Holly Bailey has been reporting on the courtroom proceedings — a process that’s played out much differently than in Chauvin’s trial. “It feels like we're really going to get deep into what police officers in Minneapolis are trained to do, and how exactly they are trained,” Bailey says.In the aftermath of Floyd’s death and Chauvin’s conviction, police departments around the country have been seeking out training in “bystander intervention” — teaching police officers how to speak up when their colleagues are doing something harmful. “For decades and decades, we've been teaching police officers about intervention, but we've been doing it really badly,” says Jonathan Aronie of the Sheppard Mullin law firm, the co-founder of the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement Project. “All we do is we give them a PowerPoint and we say, ‘Thou shall intervene,’ as though it's easy. And we've never, ever taught the skills of intervention.”

For many parents of young kids, the news that Pfizer and BioNTech are seeking emergency-use authorization for a coronavirus vaccine for children younger than 5 couldn’t have come soon enough. What we know — and don’t know — at this point in the process. Read more:Earlier this week, The Washington Post reported that coronavirus vaccines for children younger than 5 could be available far sooner than expected — perhaps by the end of February — under a plan that would lead to the potential authorization of a two-shot regimen in the coming weeks.There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the regulatory strategy here, says science reporter Carolyn Y. Johnson. But for parents of young children, this news may feel like a light at the end of the tunnel.

Today on Post Reports, we talk about corporate responsibility — at the Olympics, and in the C-suite. Plus, Wordle gets bought out. Read more:The U.S. government may be boycotting the Olympics, but American corporate sponsors aren’t. Global business reporter Jeanne Whalen says, “China is the world's second biggest economy, and for many of these companies, it is one of their biggest markets.” We break down what that means for the diplomatic boycott and its impact. A Washington Post review of America's most valuable public companies reveals that Black employees still represent a strikingly small number of top executives — and that the people tapped to boost inclusion often struggle to do so. Business reporter Tracy Jan explains why. Plus, one more thing about Wordle — and why the popular online word game being bought by the New York Times feels like the end of an era. Have federal student loans? Tell us what you’ve done since the payment freeze. The Washington Post is covering the freeze on federal student loan payments, which was first imposed in March 2020 because of the pandemic. We'd like to hear from borrowers on how the freeze has impacted them.

The legacy of “truth in sentencing” politics in Maryland, where the vast majority of people serving life sentences are Black, and how a new law could alter what it means to serve life in prison.Read more:Politics have shaped the parole process in Maryland for decades. In the heat of a tough-on-crime campaign in the 1990s, the state’s governor said that he would reject parole for anyone serving a life sentence, even when parole commissioners had recommended release. This policy, maintained by his successors from both parties, has left hundreds of prisoners with parole-eligible sentences to grow old and die in prison.This changed in December when state legislators voted to push the governor out of the parole process. Rebecca Tan reports on the policy’s impact and what this change could mean for similar efforts across the country. 

The revolutionary Webb telescope reaches its final destination. Amy Schneider’s historic winning streak on “Jeopardy!” comes to an end. Plus, the faster world of 5G, explained.Read more:NASA’s revolutionary James Webb Space Telescope on Monday fired its thrusters for five minutes and reached its final destination, a special orbit around the sun where it will spend the rest of its life scrutinizing the universe and capturing light emitted soon after the big bang. Joel Achenbach reports. Amy Schneider’s history-making “Jeopardy!” streak came to an end this week. Emily Yahr breaks down why she charmed so many people. 5G service just got faster for some people. Our Help Desk colleague Chris Velazco explains why.

A hunger crisis in Afghanistan is forcing Western countries to grapple with how to save lives without benefiting the Taliban.Read more:After Taliban forces took Kabul in August, foreign aid into Afghanistan dried up. The international community worried that aid money would be misused by Taliban officials, so that money stopped coming. Banks ceased normal operations. Billions of dollars in Afghan assets were frozen.This economic freeze – in combination with the freezing temperatures Afghans have faced this winter – has become a “lethal combination for the people of Afghanistan,” according to United Nations Secretary General António Guterres. But after several months of negotiations, the floodgates of foreign relief aid are reopening. This month, the U.N.announced an appeal for more than $5 billion in emergency aid for Afghanistan. The Biden administration has committed $300 million. And while these numbers look like they could be life-changing, foreign correspondent Pamela Constable says, “it’s still tiny compared to the need.”

Justice Stephen G. Breyer will retire at the end of the current Supreme Court term. This clears the way for President Biden to make good on his campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to serve on the court.Read more:Justice Breyer will retire from the Supreme Court, according to a person familiar with his plans. This clears the way for President Biden to reinforce the court’s liberal minority and make good on a campaign promise: to nominate the first Black woman to the nation’s highest court. Our Supreme Court reporter Robert Barnes says Breyer will be remembered for his willingness to compromise with his conservative colleagues — and his long-winded questions.

How inflation is wiping out pay raises. Plus, how Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s mask mandate ban has plunged Virginia’s public schools into chaos. Read more:After years of barely budging, wage growth is finally at its highest level in decades. Workers have more negotiating power than many ever imagined, and average hourly wages rose 4.7 percent last year. But, as economics correspondent Abha Bhattarai explains, the same strong recovery that is emboldening workers is also driving up inflation, leaving most Americans with less spending power than they had a year ago.Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) banned mask mandates in public schools recently. Now, school districts are suing in the name of science. National education writer Laura Meckler says this is not an isolated incident. Many states are dealing with a fight to either support mask mandates or parents’ rights.

Today on Post Reports we ask our Moscow correspondent: Is Russia preparing to invade Ukraine? Plus, 5G wireless service was turned on nationwide last week. We’ll talk about why that caused problems for air travel.Read more:On Monday, tensions over Ukraine and Russia continued to escalate amid growing fears that more than 100,000 Russian troops massed near Ukraine might soon invade. Isabelle Khurshudyan reports from Kyiv. 5G service was rolled out nationwide last week, and while it promises faster wireless to a lot of people, it's also raising concerns for airlines and airports. Lori Aratani reports.

A Rhode Island emergency department provides a window into how front-line health-care workers are coping with the latest covid surge. And a conversation about how André Leon Talley embodied the heart of the fashion world.Read more:Laura Forman, Kent Hospital’s emergency department director, says that her days dealing with a deluge of covid patients involves a lot of “best bad options.” Reporters Joyce Koh and Lenny Bernstein reported from Rhode Island, where overwhelmed emergency staff have been forced to see patients in their cars. Forman says her staff are burning out – and the conditions are the worst she’s seen in her 26-year career. Fashion icon André Leon Talley died this week at the age of 73. Talley was the former creative director of American Vogue, the first and only black person to hold that position. Senior critic-at-large Robin Givhan interviewed Talley many times over the years – and they were also friends. “He had an incredible capacity for generosity. And it came through in a way that was just as grand as his personality,” Givhan says.

Today on Post Reports, the government’s rollout of free rapid coronavirus tests in the United States. And later in the show, how China’s “zero covid” policy could affect the Winter Olympics.  Read more:This week, the Biden administration launched a website where Americans can order free rapid coronavirus tests. Each household is eligible for four tests, which are sent via mail to your residence. Reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb explains the importance — and limitations of rapid tests. You can order your four free tests here.As some countries become more lenient in their pandemic restrictions, others are doubling down. China’s zero-tolerance policy means some cities are still going through lockdowns in hopes of quashing any possible spread of the virus. Eva Dou reports on what this means for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.

As midterm elections loom, Democrats scramble to hold on to their slim majority. Plus, what a redistricting debacle in Ohio tells us about the map-drawing process happening in states across the country.Read more:For Democrats in swing districts, the midterm elections are looming large. These “front-liners” especially need something to show for their two years in the majority come November. As Marianna Sotomayor reports, some of them are advocating a new strategy on the stalled Build Back Better spending bill — breaking off popular measures, such as extending the child tax credit and curbing prescription drug costs, and abandoning the big, sweeping package.Based on the results of the 2020 Census, states are drawing up new maps that could dramatically affect how midterm elections go in the fall. One of the states going through this process right now is Ohio, where last week the state Supreme Court rejected a pair of proposed state legislative redistricting maps, saying they were gerrymandered favoring Republicans. Chief national politics correspondent Dan Balz tells us about the rules and processes in place to stop gerrymandering in Ohio, and why they’ve failed –– for now.

What we know about the 11-hour hostage crisis at a Texas synagogue. Plus, Australia sends tennis champion Novak Djokovic home because of his refusal to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Read more:On Saturday night, a gunman held four people hostage for more than 10 hours at a synagogue in Colleyville, Tex. The standoff ended with an FBI raid. The suspect has been confirmed dead, though Colleyville police would not say whether he had been killed by law enforcement or himself.“The tragedy here is that a house of worship should be a place that people go to without a thought, that it is just simply assumed to be a safe and welcoming place,” says senior editor Marc Fisher. “But of course, in much of the world, synagogues are places that are very much targets.”Meanwhile, tennis star Novak Djokovic left Australia on Sunday after losing his legal challenge to compete in the Australian Open despite not being vaccinated against the coronavirus. Reporter Liz Clarke on how the decision to send Djokovic home over his vaccination status could set precedent for future tournaments.

More than 1,700 congressmen once enslaved Black people. On today’s episode of “Post Reports,” the first database of those slaveholding congressmen. And how those politicians shaped the nation. Read more:For the first seven decades of its existence, Congress returned again and again to one acrimonious topic: slavery. Many of the lawmakers arguing in Washington were enslavers themselves. But until recently, the world didn’t know how many. Last week, The Post published the first-ever list of every slaveholding member of the U.S. Congress. More than 1,700 of them were elected to Congress over a period of well over a century. To create the database, reporter Julie Zauzmer Weil combed through 18th- and 19th-century census records and other documents, including wills, journal articles and plantation records. And while she says that the work is not yet complete, it’s still useful, and powerful.“You can look at a lot of issues through this prism of where we started as a country, and where the people who held power were so often the same people who held slaves,” Julie said. “And what does that mean for us now?”

President Biden says passing voting rights legislation is a top priority for his administration. But a couple of senators have the power to keep that from happening. And, an unlikely casualty of our supply chain blues.Read more:In Atlanta this week, President Biden pushed for the passage of two voting rights bills facing the Senate. But any meaningful change on voting reform would mean changing Senate rules on the filibuster. And two Democratic senators are holding out: Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.On The Post’s politics podcast “Can He Do That?” national political reporter Cleve Wootson talks with host Allison Michaels about the state of voting legislation and the filibuster.And, the pandemic claims an unlikely victim: the color blue. Reporter Kelsey Ables explains how breakdowns in the supply chain have led to a shortage of pigments like ultramarine blue and what it could mean for how we see and record the world now.

Inflation has hit a 40-year high in the U.S., driving up the cost of everything from groceries to housing. As the Fed prepares to raise interest rates, here’s what to watch out for.Read more:In December, inflation hit a staggering 7 percent. That’s far above the Federal Reserve’s target, and Chair Jerome H. Powell says action is needed to keep the economy from sliding into a recession. Economics reporter Rachel Siegel breaks down the impact of record inflation and what the Fed plans to do about it.Interest rates have hovered near zero since the start of the pandemic, but now the Fed is looking at a series of raises over the next few months. Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary explains what that means for borrowers.

Today on Post Reports: Why you’re seeing empty shelves at the grocery store — again. Plus, the sharp decline in the U.S. birthrate nine months after the pandemic began.Read more:A lot of people have been getting “March 2020 vibes” at the grocery store lately: Empty shelves, basic necessities missing and big price increases on certain foods. Reporter Laura Reiley explains there are several factors at play, including the omicron surge, supply chain woes and winter weather.“Uncertainty is not good for fertility.” That’s what demographics reporter Tara Bahrampour heard from Phillip Levine, a professor of economics at Wellesley College and co-author of a recent report on the “baby bust” nine months after the pandemic began. That’s also what she heard from people about their decisions to delay or reconsider having a child. We talk about the many reasons for this trend, from the logistical to the philosophical.

Today the United States broke the record for covid hospitalizations. We talk about what overwhelmed hospitals mean for health-care workers and patients. Plus, a story about the power of reclaiming a name. Read more:The United States today broke a record with more than 145,000 people sick with covid-19 in hospitals. Health reporter Dan Diamond explains what that means for health-care workers on the front lines, and for those of us who depend upon them.Plus, editor Marian Chia-Ming Liu on why she started using her full name after a wave of anti-Asian violence. If you’ve ever struggled with your own name or felt pressure to Anglicize it, we want to hear from you. Go to wapo.st/telllusaboutyourname.

Today, we look at the toll of remote learning on kids. We’ll dive into what’s happening in school systems across the country during the omicron variant surge — and how the scars of remote school linger, even for kids who are learning in person again. Read more:Reporter Laura Meckler talks with producer Bishop Sand about how a San Francisco school’s return to in-person learning revealed the toll virtual school took on students during the pandemic. Plus, an update on how schools across the country are operating — or trying to — amid the omicron surge.

As we reflect on the anniversary of Jan. 6, we wanted to share an episode from last year. We reconstructed the riot inside the U.S. Capitol — hearing from the lawmakers, journalists and law enforcement officials who were there, and answering lingering questions about how things went so wrong.

On Jan. 5, 2021, Rep. Jamie Raskin buried his only son. The next day he witnessed firsthand the attack on the Capitol. As we mark a year since the insurrection, we look at how Raskin dealt with his son’s death while serving on democracy’s front lines. Read more:A warning to listeners: This episode deals with suicide. If you or someone you know needs help now, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. You can also reach a crisis counselor by texting HOME to 741-741.A year ago this week, as Congress convened to certify the results of the presidential election, a mob breached the U.S. Capitol, attacked police and threatened lawmakers.Later that night, Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) emerged as one of the day’s most forceful voices, condemning President Donald Trump and his supporters and speaking of his own unthinkable loss. He had recently lost his only son to suicide and had buried him just the day before.As we mark a year since the Jan. 6 Insurrection, we talk to Washington Post features writer Caitlin Gibson about how Raskin dealt with his son’s death while serving on democracy’s front lines — and, in a year filled with trauma and grief, about why his story has resonated so deeply with so many.Raskin’s memoir was published this week. It’s called “Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy.”Caitlin Gibson’s profile of Raskin first appeared in The Washington Post Magazine.

A year out from the attempted insurrection of the Capitol, we consider the state of American democracy — what’s changed, what hasn’t changed and what will never be the same.  Read more:One year ago today, rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, set on overturning the results of the 2020 election. Since then, the basic facts of the insurrection have been in contention and democracy itself has remained under siege. On today’s episode of Post Reports, politics reporters Dan Balz, Roz Helderman and Amy Gardner join guest host Cleve Wootson to discuss how the spirit of the insurrection has seeped into America’s bloodstream.To hear more about what it was like inside and around the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, check out our award-winning episode, “Four hours of insurrection.” The episode includes interviews with Capitol Police officers, politicians and Post reporters who were at the Capitol that day. And hear investigative reporter Aaron Davis describe what law enforcement entities knew before the insurrection took place and why they failed to protect the Capitol that day. This story was part of The Post’s landmark Jan. 6 investigation, “The Attack.”

An update on what the Jan. 6 commission has learned so far. And how the pro-Trump Internet descended into infighting in the year since the attempted insurrection. Read more:Reporter Jacqueline Alemany has been following the Jan. 6 commission for the past six months. As we come up on the first anniversary of the attack on the Capitol, Alemany reports on what the commission has uncovered so far and what she’s watching out for next.Plus: The far-right firebrands and conspiracy theorists of the pro-Trump Internet have a new enemy: each other. Without a figurehead, far-right influencers are fighting for money and followers. Reporter Drew Harwell explains the reality-television-style drama, and what it means for the future of online extremism.

Omicron has coronavirus cases surging across the country. What’s the outlook for this highly transmissible variant?Read more:The highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus has taken over as the dominant strain in the United States. Now, post-holidays, virus cases are surging, with about 500,000 per day in the United States. Americans are struggling with breakthrough infections, strained hospital systems and the uncertainty of what might come next. Reporter Dan Diamond discusses what you need to know about the omicron variant and what it could tell us about how the pandemic might end.

The Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska is home to some of the oldest trees in the country. For decades, they were felled indiscriminately for lumber. Will the remaining trees be protected?Read more:Old-growth trees are at the heart of a political debate on logging and climate change. That’s because they hold a disproportionate amount of carbon in their trunks. If they’re cut down, most of that carbon escapes into the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming. But they’re also worth thousands of dollars as lumber.Post climate editor Juliet Eilperin traveled to Alaska to learn about the forests firsthand, and to speak with some of the people who have built their lives around logging.

A farewell to 2021 from us here at Post Reports and the photojournalists who witnessed the year’s biggest stories.Read more:The Washington Post photography editors combed through thousands of images to find the most memorable from 2021. Accompanying the photos this year are interviews with the photojournalists who took them. The team at Post Reports felt inspired by the interviews and images to look back on the past year.The images of 2021 tell a complex yet dramatic story. It was a year of the angry and the rebellious scaling walls, tearing down barriers, rising up to reverse reality. But it was also a year of carefully considered verdicts and hurriedly ended war, of mass migration and candlelight vigils, a year when millions of people decided to take a shot, venture forth and return to life, together.There was, perhaps above all, the terror of lethal disease, a second year of a pandemic that unraveled the fabric of daily life and managed to set people against each other in ways that defied reason. The usual questions born of insecurity — Will we be okay? How can we help each other? — were joined by new uncertainties: Is this real? What should I believe? Why don’t people around me believe what I see is true?If you valued the journalism on this podcast and in this newspaper this year, subscribe to The Washington Post. Right now you can get the best deal we’ve ever offered on a subscription to The Washington Post – a year for just $9.99. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.

Today on Post Reports, we talk to Hasan Minhaj about how he uses comedy to “make people’s world bigger.” Read more:Hasan Minhaj has worked as a comedian for 17 years. You might know him from “The Daily Show,” the 2017 White House correspondents’ dinner, or his Netflix show, “Patriot Act.” On today’s episode of Post Reports, producer Linah Mohammad talks to Minhaj about representation in film and television, their relationship to Islam and what it means to be a diasporic voice in the comedy world.

Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to one of the people who brought us joy during a dark year: the actor J. Smith-Cameron. We cover her role as Gerri on “Succession” and how it feels to become a sex symbol in her 60s. Read more:J. Smith-Cameron is having a moment. “Succession” Season 3 wrapped up recently – and one of the highlights for us was her character, Gerri Kellman, the calculating interim CEO of Waystar Royco. We talked to the actor about the show and what makes her character so fun to watch. Right now you can get the best deal we’ve ever offered on a subscription to The Washington Post – a year for just $9.99. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.

Amazon's use of Alexa as a wake word for its voice assistant turned the name into a command, impacting daily interactions for people with the name – including The Washington Post’s own Alexa Juliana Ard.Read more:Nearly 130,000 people in the United States have the name Alexa. It gained popularity after singer Billy Joel and model Christie Brinkley named their daughter Alexa in 1985. In 2015, more than 6,000 baby girls in the United States were named Alexa, according to a Washington Post analysis of Social Security Administration data.After Amazon chose Alexa as the wake word of its voice service, the name’s popularity plummeted. In 2020, only about 1,300 babies were given the name. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)Post video editor Alexa Juliana Ard reports on the impact of Amazon’s choice on Alexas - including her. Watch Alexa’s video about Alexa Jade Morales. She was named after her father, Alexis Morales Jr., who was murdered on Oct. 1, 1992, just three and a half months before she was born. When Amazon made the name Alexa a wake word for its voice service, she experienced people treating her like the bot. Right now you can get the best deal we’ve ever offered on a subscription to The Washington Post – a year for just $9.99. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe.

The holidays are weird — this year especially. Today, Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax joins Martine Powers to answer your questions about navigating this tricky time of year.Read more:The holiday season can be complicated; throw in the spike in omicron cases, and this already stressful time of year just got even trickier. Enter: Carolyn Hax, The Post’s brilliant advice columnist. Today on Post Reports, she’s here to help our listeners and readers navigate the holidays. You can listen to our episode with Hax from earlier in the year about how to gather with family and friends safely here. Right now you can get the best deal we’ve ever offered on a subscription to The Washington Post – a year for just $9.99. Go to washingtonpost.com/subscribe. 

Omicron is now the most prevalent variant of the coronavirus in the country. But public health expert and emergency physician Leana Wen says that with a three-pronged approach — testing, vaccines and masks — we can still celebrate the holidays.Read more:Once again, America is looking down the barrel of a winter surge of the coronavirus, thanks to the highly transmissible omicron variant. Houston Methodist Hospital, which has been sequencing genomes since the beginning of the pandemic, says that in a week, omicron spread as rapidly as the delta variant did in three months.But emergency physician Leana Wen says this isn’t a time for despair: “Despite these staggering numbers, I don’t think vaccinated people should have to cancel their plans for Christmas, New Year’s Eve and other holidays.” Wen joined James Hohmann on his opinion podcast “Please, Go On” to talk about how we can use the tools we’ve developed to keep omicron at bay this holiday season.

How the approval of anti-covid pills from drug companies Pfizer and Merck could impact the course of the pandemic. And the life and legacy of feminist author bell hooks.Read more:On Tuesday, President Biden urged calm as coronavirus cases rise, and the omicron variant becomes dominant in the United States. He touted a plan for more readily available testing and more resources for strained hospitals nationwide. But on the horizon is another treatment against covid-19: antiviral pills. The pills are said to dramatically reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in vulnerable populations, and could be approved for use as early as this week. Health reporter Carolyn Y. Johnson explains what we know about the pills and what role they could play against the omicron variant.Plus, a remembrance of bell hooks. Hooks died last week at the age of 69. She was a Black feminist author and critic who had a wary eye even on Beyoncé. “Hood Feminist” author Mikki Kendall reads her remembrance of hooks.

Seemingly overnight, the pandemic has changed — again. On today’s Post Reports, everything you need to know about the omicron variant — and whether you should still plan to travel for the holidays.Read more:Over the weekend, health reporter Dan Diamond wrote a Facebook post that changed the way we’re thinking about the omicron variant. “Every expert I’ve interviewed, including some of the nation’s top health officials, has adjusted his or her mindset and now is mentally bracing to test positive after spending two years dodging this virus,” Dan wrote. Today on Post Reports, we tell you everything we can about the omicron surge – and we talk to health reporter Fenit Nirappil about whether and how to travel and gather safely for the holidays.

A record number of Americans quit their jobs this year. Today for our special series “Quitters,” economist Darrick Hamilton examines why that is — and why he thinks it might be a good thing.Read more:Many Americans have reconsidered their relationship with work this year.There’s lots of reasons for that — an ongoing pandemic, stagnant wages and a severe labor shortage all made work harder.But Darrick Hamilton, a professor of economics and urban policy at the New School, says that workers also had more flexibility than ever before, thanks to government stimulus and expanded unemployment. And he wants us to reframe this not as a “Great Resignation” but as a moment of worker empowerment.Today on Post Reports, we’re bringing you the third installment in “Quitters,” a three-part podcast series about a few of the millions of Americans who quit their jobs this year. Listen to part one and part two here.