Post Reports

The world is moving toward electric vehicles. In Part 3 of our series on the hidden toll of this historic transition, business reporter Evan Halper breaks down this industrial shift and the concerns it brings over human and environmental costs. Read more: States such as California and New York are moving to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars over the next decade. Meanwhile, President Biden wants...

In today’s installment of our series on the hidden toll of electric vehicles, reporter Gerry Shih ventures into the mountains of Afghanistan to find out what happens when loads of untapped lithium – a key part of electric vehicles – trigger a cross-border “gold rush.”  Read more: “Waste kunzite” is what Afghan miners call the white rock that is all around them. It’s “waste” to them because th...

As the demand for electric vehicles soars and more minerals are needed for production, manganese mine workers in South Africa are experiencing mysterious health problems.  Read more: While you may not have heard about manganese, it’s a key ingredient in making electric cars move. Minerals such as cobalt, lithium and manganese are used to manufacture electric and gas-powered vehicles. But elec...

‘Post Reports’ is taking this week off! We’ll be back with more news from The Washington Post after the Labor Day holiday.  Read more: Our podcast is taking a week off and coming back next Tuesday, Sept. 5. If you want to catch up on news, make sure to check out ‘The 7’ podcast , the morning news briefing from the Washington Post hosted by Jeff Pierre. 

Sixty years ago, some 250,000 Americans arrived by bus, by train and on foot to participate in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Now, marchers and organizers reflect on the goals of that day — and the work that still needs to be done. Read more: In 1963, the fight for civil rights reached a pivotal stage. Activist Medgar Evers was murdered, Alabama Gov. George Wallace called for “segr...

Today, what to know about covid boosters, the new variant and how to protect those most at risk this fall. As summer comes to a close, many people have started to see a bump in covid-19 cases among their family and friends. A new variant causing an uptick in hospitalizations and other illnesses like the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are on the horizon.  Health reporter Fenit Nirap...

A tropical storm in Southern California . Wildfires in Maui . Record-breaking heat in the Midwest. Climate reporter Brianna Sacks unpacks this summer of extreme weather, and what public officials can do to better prepare for future disasters. She explains why preparedness is key in vulnerable areas , and why places like California can sometimes get it right while others are still learning. Michell...

The first Republican primary debate for the 2024 election cycle is tomorrow night. Republican front-runner Donald Trump has indicated he will not be attending, leaving open the possibility for another candidate to take advantage of his absence. Read more: To make it onto the debate stage, Republican candidates needed to meet strict polling requirements and have at least 40,000 individual donors. N...

The kids at her school called it “cancer water.” There was even a group of them called the “cancer kids.” But when Amara developed a rare form of cancer at 15, the water — and the company contaminating it with chemicals — took center stage in the little time she had left. Read more: Amara Strande lived in Minnesota, where her city’s water had been tainted with forever chemicals. After she develope...

When legendary musician Sinéad O’Connor died, arts reporter Geoff Edgers was crushed. He’d spent time with her in 2020 as she relaunched her career. Today on the show, we share moments from that time and Geoff’s reflections on her legacy. Read more: Read Geoff’s essay about his road trip with Sinéad O’Connor and his profile from 2020 .  A previous version of this episode incorrectly stated th...

Last week, the worst wildfire in Hawaii’s history left blocks of charred wreckage and more than  a hundred people dead. Now, while locals wait for news of loved ones, they’re also fighting to keep historic Lahaina in the hands of the Hawaiian people. Read more: Hawaii has one of the most intense housing crunches in the country , with sky-high property values, soaring costs of living and a col...

In the fourth indictment of former president Donald Trump, Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis alleges that Trump and 18 others participated in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.  To do so, Willis is hoping to use the same legal tactic federal prosecutors have traditionally used to prosecute mafia bosses.  “She's using a statute in Georgia called t...

Who is Mary Sara, the Sami woman whose brain was taken for the Smithsonian’s “racial brain collection”? Today, we find her descendants. And we find out how the Smithsonian is addressing the dark legacy of its “bone doctor,” Ales Hrdlicka.  Read more:  The brain of a Sami woman who died at a Seattle sanitarium in 1933. The cerebellum of an Indigenous Filipino who died at the 1904 World’s...

When Mary died in 1933, her brain was sent to a man named Ales Hrdlicka, the Smithsonian’s ‘bone doctor.’ Post reporters couldn’t find any records that Mary or her family consented to this. So what happened to Mary’s brain? And what is the extent of the Smithsonian’s “racial brain collection”? Read more: The brain of a Sami woman who died at a Seattle sanitarium in 1933. The cerebellum of an indig...

Two turntables and a microphone. That was all DJ Kool Herc had 50 years ago when he planted the seeds of what would become hip-hop. Today, we’ll hear directly from some of the genre’s biggest stars about how hip-hop took over the world. “Post Reports” audio engineer Sean Carter joins us today to share his reporting on hip-hop’s evolution over the past 50 years. Carter takes us backstage with...

Chatbots can be biased, deceptive or even dangerous. Today on “Post Reports,” we meet the hackers who are competing to figure out exactly how AI can go awry.  Read more: Will Oremus reports on technology for The Post, and recently that has meant writing a lot about AI and all the ways it could go wrong.  “Even the people who make this stuff, the creators of these technologies, are also o...

A new survey shows that more people are avoiding the news. Today on “Post Reports,” our media reporter Paul Farhi talks with Elahe Izadi about “news avoiders” – and how the media could respond to this growing trend. Read more: Bad news seems to be constant these days. Thanks to our hand-held devices, that bad news can follow us everywhere. More and more, people who used to follow the news regularl...

Today on “Post Reports,” the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the impact his candidacy could have on the 2024 election — even if he doesn’t come close to winning.  Read more: Back in April, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his candidacy for president of the United States. While he comes from a long line of famous politicians — including his father, onetime U.S. attorney gener...

The USWNT is out of the World Cup at the earliest stage in the program’s history. Today on “Post Reports,” we talk to soccer reporter Steve Goff about what happened – and what it signals about the global evolution of women's soccer. Read more: The U.S. women’s national soccer team went into the World Cup favored to win it all. Instead, they were knocked out before even making it to the quarterfina...

On this encore episode of “Post Reports,” we rethink our friendships. Research shows that strong friendships are essential to a healthy life. Read more: Have you ever neglected your friendships for romantic love? It may be time to rethink your priorities.  A growing body of research shows that friends are essential to a healthy life. Cultivating strong friendships may be just as important for...

Running backs used to be among the most famous — and best-paid — players in football. But the game has changed and so has their status. Today on “Post Reports,” what that means for the sport and these players — and how they might be able to change it.  Read more:  The traditional running back has moved to the margins. The position is dangerous and injury-pro...

A grand jury has indicted former president Donald Trump for alleged crimes stemming from his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Today, what the third indictment of Trump means for the 2024 Republican front-runner. Read more: The four-count , 45-page indictment alleges that former president Donald Trump conspired to defraud the United States, conspired to obstruct an offici...

Today on “Post Reports,” we follow up with Brooke and Billy High, two teenagers compelled into parenthood by the Texas abortion ban. Now, they’re caring for their twin daughters in a new city — and trying their best to hold it all together. Read more: Last summer, The Post’s abortion reporter Caroline Kitchener told the story of a teenager who wanted an abortion and ended up having twins because o...

Today on “Post Reports,” we explore the controversy around Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” – and how the song landed near the top of the charts. Critics say its new music video is full of coded threats against Black people. Read more: Country music star Jason Aldean is facing immense backlash over “Try That in a Small Town,” which soared in popularity even as the music video was pulled f...

This year, Mississippi banned transgender young people, such as Ray, from accessing hormones or other gender-transition treatments. Nearly half the country has since passed similar bills, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Across the country, families are doing everything they can to protect their trans children. Some uprooted their lives in red states for the promise of protectio...