Post Reports

As museums open up, we wanted to talk to the new director of the National African American Museum of History and Culture about what it means to interact directly with history. Plus, why air travel feels worse than ever. 
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Archivist and poet Kevin Young became the director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in D.C. this year. As museums open back up, he’s reflecting on the role he and the museum play in reassessing our national history and preserving Black culture.
With more people traveling again, many flights are being delayed or canceled. Natalie Compton reports on why these disruptions are happening and what you can do to avoid them.

The future of Afghanistan as U.S. troops withdraw after a 20-year war. Plus, the future of autonomous weapons.
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The slow process of withdrawing the U.S. military presence from Afghanistan reached a milestone: American forces handed over control of Bagram air base to Afghan leaders. Foreign affairs columnist Ishaan Tharoor on Afghanistan after America leaves. 
Military weapons powered by AI are becoming easier to build. Tech reporter Gerrit De Vynck explains how these weapons are being used now, and how they might be used in the future.
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The assasination of Haiti’s president. And, a controversy over drug policies and Olympic athletes. 
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Last night, Jovenel Moïse, the president of Haiti, was assassinated in his private residence by a group of gunmen. Anthony Faiola reports on the Caribbean country’s political instability, growing gang violence, and what Moïse’s assassination means.
Track star Sha’Carri Richardson has been suspended from competition for one month and won’t be able to compete in the Olympics after a positive marijuana test. Anne Branigin explains the backlash and debates over drug and doping rules in sports sparked by the suspension.

How the highly contagious delta variant is affecting the fight against the coronavirus. Plus, Nikole Hannah-Jones's fight for tenure and what it's like to be Black in higher education.
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A mutated, more transmissible form of the coronavirus called the delta variant is forcing countries to go back into lockdown and areas of the United States to reinstate mask mandates. Fenit Nirappil reports on what’s known so far about this new variant and how it could affect the United States.
On Tuesday, journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones announced she would accept a faculty position at Howard University, following a controversy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill over whether to offer her tenure. Producer Jordan-Marie Smith spoke to higher ed reporter Nick Anderson and Black professors about what it’s like to be Black in higher education.

With more and more Americans vaccinated and cities reopening again, we’re having some joyous reunions — and a lot of social anxiety. Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax answers your questions about how to navigate a post-vaccine America.
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As excited as we are about being vaccinated and emerging into the world again, there are some awkward conversations and social anxiety mixed in there, too. On this special episode, one of The Post’s beloved advice columnists, Carolyn Hax, takes questions from our listeners about how to date, how to talk to people in your life who aren’t getting vaccinated, and how to handle family members who might make comments about pandemic weight gain.

Where voting rights stand after a new court decision. An assessment of a shifting Supreme Court. And the latest legal challenges for Trump’s family business. 
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The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Arizona’s voting restrictions. Reporter Amy Gardner discusses what this means for the Voting Rights Act. And Supreme Court reporter Robert Barnes shares how the latest rulings show ideological shifts on the bench.
Reporter David A. Fahrenthold discusses new criminal charges against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.

Why Bill Cosby was released from prison. And why some states are banning lessons on systemic racism.
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On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the sexual assault conviction of entertainer Bill Cosby, allowing for his immediate release. Manuel Roig-Franzia reports on this decision and how some victims are responding.
Several states have banned teaching about systemic racism and gender discrimination, with dozens more proposing similar legislation. Valerie Strauss reports on how critical race theory became a conservative talking point and what these bans could mean for the future of education. 
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.

What the heat wave in the Pacific Northwest has to do with climate change. A doctor trying to close the racial vaccine gap in Philadelphia. And tips to combat burnout. Read more:
A climate-change-fueled heat wave blanketed the Pacific Northwest. In some areas, temperatures passed 110 degrees. Sarah Kaplan reports on how people in cities such as Portland and Seattle grapple with extreme heat.
While at least 70 percent of Philadelphians have received at least one coronavirus vaccination, only 34 percent of Black Philadelphians have gotten a shot. Akilah Johnson on the doctors trying to close the racial vaccine gap.
The pandemic has blurred the boundaries between work and home life. Enter A Better Week, a Post newsletter. Tom Johnson explains how to create a better, more balanced workweek.

Two Post journalists, Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta, spent months reporting on the chaos inside the White House during the Trump administration’s pandemic response. Revelations include details about how sick President Trump really was and his proposal to send infected Americans to Guantánamo. All of this reporting is in their new book “Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History,” out Tuesday. 
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Over the past few months, Post reporters Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta have been looking back to the early days of the pandemic in the United States and at the nightmare scenario that played out when covid-19 and an underprepared federal government collided.
“There was so much going on behind the scenes that Americans didn’t realize,” says Paletta.
As members of the Trump administration jockeyed for power on the coronavirus task force and debated the politics of mask wearing, the coronavirus was ripping through the country. Paletta and Abutaleb report that the crux of the pandemic came down to that unprepared, disorganized federal response.
Their new book is “Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History.”

Dozens are still unaccounted for after a sudden building collapse in the Miami area. And introducing The Washington Post’s new executive editor, Sally Buzbee.
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In the early hours of Thursday, a 12-story condominium building in Miami-Dade County collapsed. Half of the 40-year-old beachfront structure crumbled and over 150 people are missing. The cause of the collapse is unknown, but investigations are underway. Marc Fisher shares what happened.
This month, The Washington Post’s new executive editor, Sally Buzbee, took the helm. Formerly the executive editor and senior vice president at the Associated Press, Sally Buzbee became the first woman to head the nearly 1,000-person newsroom. In an interview, Buzbee discusses the challenges and opportunities facing the future of journalism across the country and at The Post.
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.