Post Reports

Congress passed a rescissions package early Friday. The package formally withdraws funding for foreign aid, as well as for public television and radio stations. But debate stretched into the night on Thursday, as unrest over the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case continued to roil the GOP. While the bill passed along largely partisan lines, the saga illustrates the heat some Republicans are facing after the recent Justice Department decision to withhold the “Epstein files” from the public. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Post congressional reporters Liz Goodwin and Marianna Sotomayor about the controversy over the rescissions package and why the Epstein scandal remains a sticking point for lawmakers. Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh. It was edited by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Since the devastating flooding over the Fourth of July weekend in Texas, Washington Post journalists have been piecing together what went wrong at Camp Mystic. The floods were especially deadly for the camp, and our colleagues found that many of the things that made the Christian girls camp beloved for generations also made it vulnerable. The camp sits at the confluence of the South Fork Guadalupe River and Cypress Creek. Many of its cabins were built in high-risk flood zones. In 2013, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved appeals from Camp Mystic to exempt several structures from a flood zone designation, according to federal records. Today on “Post Reports,” correspondent Annie Gowen talks us through what we know about what happened at Camp Mystic. Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Read more about the victims here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Firing Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, has long been on President Donald Trump’s wish list. Despite nominating Powell to run the country’s central bank in his first term, Trump might be gearing up to fire Powell at any moment. Ousting Powell could add to an already precarious economic situation, fueled in part by Trump’s large cuts to the federal workforce and threat of tariffs against major trading partners. Today on “Post Reports,” host Colby Itkowitz sits down with reporter Andrew Ackerman, who covers the Federal Reserve, financial regulation and consumer financial protection for The Post. Today’s episode was produced by Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval and edited by Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Jen Liberto.

Jeffrey Epstein, a well-connected financier, was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 following his arrest on child sex-trafficking charges. The circumstances around his death, which was ruled a suicide by hanging, and crimes have spurred fringe conspiracy theories, mostly on the far right. Some believe Epstein was actually killed as part of a cover-up; they also believe the “deep state” is hiding information about Epstein’s rich and powerful friends, who they say could also be implicated on sex trafficking charges Trump did nothing to tamp down his base’s Epstein fixation during his reelection campaign. He even hinted he might release secret government documents that his supporters hoped would validate their conspiracy theories. But the Department of Justice said recently that there’s nothing more to reveal. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with White House reporter Natalie Allison about how Trump’s conflicting messages about Epstein are unsettling his base and causing strife within his administration. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Thomas Lu. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick with help from Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is in a moment of reckoning. In January 2023, after his election loss, thousands of his supporters attacked the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and the Congress as they protested an electoral defeat that Bolsonaro had baselessly attributed to electoral fraud. Now Bolsonaro is awaiting a criminal trial before the country’s Supreme Court for allegedly plotting to kill his rivals and stay in power. Bolsonaro is barred from running for office until 2030, and he could very well go to prison for decades. Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in on Bolsonaro’s situation. He called the trial a “WITCH HUNT” on social media and in a letter to Brazilian leaders when announcing a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods. Reporters Terrence McCoy and Marina Dias, who are based in Brazil, got a rare window into Bolsonaro’s thinking and his desire for a Trump intervention during a visit to his office this past spring. Today on the podcast, host Elahe Izadi sits down with McCoy and Dias, to learn what their visit revealed about Bolsonaro, about Latin America’s largest democracy and about the United States. Today’s episode was produced by Elana Gordon with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Jesse Mesner-Hage.

One year ago in Butler, Pennsylvania, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to get onto a nearby roof and take shots at Donald Trump. In the aftermath many wondered — who was this man who shot the presidential candidate, and how was he allowed to get so close to killing him? Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with investigative reporter Carol Leonnig about the mystifying search for a motive and what she and others have concluded about what went wrong that day, one year later. Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Rennie Svirnovsky.  If you want to learn more about how the shooting in Butler changed Trump, our colleague Isaac Arnsdorf was on “Post Reports” on Friday to talk about that. His new book is “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America.” Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

President Donald Trump left the White House in 2021 with a historically low approval rating. After the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, his attempt to overthrow the 2020 presidential election, and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Republicans, and much of the nation, appeared ready to move on from his presidency. Three years later, Trump returned to the White House with a decisive victory. But his return wasn’t predestined. In “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,” Post senior White House reporter Isaac Arnsdorf and former Post reporters Josh Dawsey and Tyler Pager reveal how Trump used his public criminal trials to dominate headlines and amass support. Meanwhile, critical missteps by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaigns hampered their ability to counter a Trump comeback. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Arnsdorf about the book and discusses exclusive reporting about the Biden, Harris and Trump campaigns. Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh. It was edited by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Katy Burnell Evans. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Artificial intelligence can help you draft better emails, summarize long documents and now it could even be your online dating coach. Dating app companies say generative AI is a great way for people who might be shy or awkward to present themselves better. But others are worried this could make it harder to know who is on the other side of the screen. Host Elahe Izadi speaks with internet culture reporter Tatum Hunter about the ever-changing dating app landscape and how artificial intelligence could change the way we view romance. Today’s show was produced by Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Yun-Hee Kim. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

On Tuesday the Supreme Court lifted an order by a lower court that prevented the Trump administration from laying off thousands of federal workers. While the order was unsigned – meaning that the justices have not yet ruled on its legality – this is one of several recent decisions in which the court has sided with President Donald Trump in his effort to upend the government by firing federal workers and regulators. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Supreme Court correspondent Ann Marimow about how the court came to this decision and what the rulings could mean for Trump’s agenda in the future. Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh, with help from Elana Gordon and Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Debbi Wilgoren. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Donald Trump has spent the past decade waging war on the media. That has included filing frequent lawsuits against media organizations whose coverage he views as unfavorable. Those lawsuits have been largely unsuccessful, until recently. Last week, Paramount announced it was settling a lawsuit brought by Trump against CBS News over the news program “60 Minutes.” Although many legal experts believed the case was unlikely to succeed at trial, Paramount chose to settle for $16 million. Elahe Izadi talks to reporter Sarah Ellison about the origins of the case, why Paramount would choose to settle, and what implications the settlement has for the wider media landscape. Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sam Bair. And edited by Reena Flores. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Central Texas had little time to prepare as flash flooding inundated the area in mere hours. Over 90 people are now dead, around a third of whom were children. How did this happen?

As an American farmer, JJ Ficken, 37, was perpetually subject to weather, labor, loans, overhead, markets, health, politics. None of it was predictable, and all of it was a threat. The industry’s survival has long depended on the deals made between millions of Americans willing to brave all that uncertainty and a federal government willing to sustain them, through grants, subsidies, insurance, financing, payouts and disaster relief. But then President Donald Trump, in the earliest days of his second term, threatened to break tens of thousands of those deals, suspending billions in agricultural funding and decimating the staffs that managed it. Swept up in the freeze was JJ and the $50 million grant program he’d signed up for along with 140 other farmers across the country. All of them had agreed to hire and, in many cases, house domestic workers or lawful immigrants willing to take jobs that Americans would not, but with the reimbursements in doubt, farmers worried they’d miss payrolls, default on loans or face bankruptcy. This story follows JJ and Otto Vargas, 24, as JJ recruits, meets and starts working with Otto – all while JJ wonders whether the government will ever pay him back. John Woodrow Cox reported, wrote and read the piece. Sarah Blaskey co-wrote the story. David Ovalle contributed to the report. Bishop Sand composed music and produced audio for the piece. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

The gut microbiome acts as a key player in our overall health; but what exactly is it, and how does it work? In the first class in our course on the gut microbiome, host Cristina Quinn speaks with gastroenterologist Trisha Pasricha about the leading role the gut microbiome plays in our digestive health and how certain foods support its function. Read more of Pasricha’s work, including eight tips to improve gut health and why probiotics can be a waste of money. For more advice, follow her on Instagram. To hear more, check out “Try This” wherever you listen to podcasts. Now “Try This” has a newsletter! Think of it as a supplemental guide and sign up here. Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.

President Donald Trump is poised to sign the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law, after the House and Senate passed the bill in two all-night sessions this week. Trump and his allies consider its passage to be a big victory, but the bill, which extends Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, will also result in millions losing their health insurance — a cost that could leave fissures in the Republican Party. Today on “Post Reports,” Colby Itkowitz sits down with congressional reporter Theodoric Meyer and the Post’s “Early Brief” newsletter author Dan Merica to discuss the consequences of the bill and how it could influence the 2026 midterm elections. Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh, and edited by Laura Benshoff with help from Emily Rauhala. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

After weeks of deliberation, a jury has found Sean “Diddy” Combs not guilty on racketeering and sex-trafficking charges. While this spares Combs from life in prison, he could still face years in prison because he was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The verdict came as a shock for many, particularly after lengthy, graphic testimony from Combs’s ex-girlfriends, who described alleged abuse. Today, host Elahe Izadi speaks with style reporter Anne Branigin to unpack the verdict, what it means for Combs’s future and the precedent it could set for similar cases going forward. Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval and Thomas Lu. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Reena Flores. Thanks to Carla Spartos. Follow our coverage of the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Spotify here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Every year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) gathers to discuss vaccinations and make recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This year, however, the panelists are all new to the job and were all handpicked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who has expressed skepticism of vaccines. Today on “Post Reports,” host Elahe Izadi speaks with two of The Washington Post’s health reporters, Lena Sun and Lauren Weber, about last week’s controversial ACIP meeting, and what the future of vaccines in the United States could look like under Kennedy’s leadership. Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Elana Gordon and Thomas Lu. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Lynh Bui and Fenit Nirappil. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

The Senate is voting on President Donald Trump’s signature legislation, which includes tax cuts for a broad swath of Americans. But who stands to benefit most?

This month Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the administration’s termination of temporary protected status, or TPS, for Afghans, exposing thousands, potentially, to deportation as soon as next week, when the policy is to take effect. Today on “Post Reports,” national security reporter Abigail Hauslohner explains. Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Thank you to Andy deGrandpre, Hasiba Atakpal, Spojmie Nasiri, Shala Gafary, Negina Khalili, Helal Massomi. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

After six weeks of intense testimony and cross-examination, the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is coming to a close. This week, both the prosecution and defense rested their cases and delivered closing arguments. Soon the case will be in the jury’s hands. Today, style reporter Anne Branigin gives us an update on the defense’s closing arguments, which will wrap up Friday. Then, court reporter Shayna Jacobs breaks down the potential strategy behind Combs’s minimal defense presentation earlier in the week, how prosecutors approached closing arguments and the possible outcomes once the case is handed over to the jury. Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Carla Spartos. Follow our coverage of the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Spotify here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Mamdani’s primary win in New York excited progressives as the Democratic Party tries to find its footing after its 2024 losses. Host Colby Itkowitz talks with national enterprise reporter Sarah Ellison about whether Mamdani’s victory could be a road map for the party. They also talk with senior congressional reporter Paul Kane about whether the Senate will pass Trump’s big tax bill and how congressional Republicans have continued to cede power to the executive branch. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Arjun Singh. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.