Post Reports

Britney Spears’s fight to end her conservatorship. An experimental brain surgery that could treat substance use disorders. And the forced closure of a Hong Kong newspaper. 
Read more:
On Wednesday, Britney Spears made a rare statement on her own behalf to a Los Angeles court requesting that the conservatorship that has taken her finances and lifestyle out of her own control for more than a decade be terminated. Ashley Fetters on Spears’s fight for freedom.
Can an experimental brain surgery help treat substance abuse disorders? Lenny Bernstein reports on the deep brain stimulation that surgeons are using to battle addiction.
Apple Daily, a pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong, ceased operations this week after the government froze its assets and arrested top editors. Shibhani Mahtani on China’s move to close the free press. 
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. 

Houston Methodist was one of the nation’s first health systems to impose a coronavirus vaccine mandate. Now, 153 people have either resigned or been fired for refusing it. Plus, ethical questions in the Biden administration. And coming out in the NFL. 
Read more:
More than 150 health-care workers who did not comply with a Houston-based hospital system’s vaccine mandate have been fired or resigned, more than a week after a federal judge upheld the policy. Health reporter Dan Diamond on what this story can tell us about ongoing vaccine skepticism in the U.S.
On The Post’s podcast “Can He Do That?” host Allison Michaels talks to national political reporter Michael Scherer about the pair of brothers in Biden’s orbit raising questions about White House ethics. 
Producer Emma Talkoff talks with sports reporter Nicki Jhabvala about the first active NFL player to come out.
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.

In Oklahoma City, the 1995 bombing offers lessons — and warnings — for today’s fight against extremism. Plus, what a Supreme Court ruling means for the NCAA.
Read more:
Reporter Hannah Allam was in high school in Oklahoma City when Timothy McVeigh altered the skyline of her city for good. She remembers her classmates speculating about what could possibly have rattled their school building so intensely — maybe an accident in the chemistry lab? A sonic boom? Twenty-six years later, Hannah found her way back to her hometown, to see what lessons – if any – local lawmakers, survivors and activists were bringing to today’s conversations about far-right domestic terrorism.
On Monday, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against the NCAA’s limits on education-related perks for college athletes. Columnist Jerry Brewer explains what that means for the NCAA going forward. 
We are thrilled to announce that Post Reports was honored with a Peabody Award for our episode “The Life of George Floyd.” Check out the video of Trevor Noah presenting the award, as well as our acceptance speech. 
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. 

President Biden is a lifelong Catholic, but because he supports abortion access, some U.S. bishops believe he shouldn't take Communion. A grim discovery is spurring a reckoning in Canada. Plus, how donating breast milk can help grieving mothers heal.
Read more:
U.S. Catholic bishops voted last week to back a measure that would limit Communion for Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, including President Biden. Religion reporter Michelle Boorstein explains the significance of this move and what the controversy says about the state of the Catholic community in the United States.
The remains of 215 Indigenous children were uncovered on the grounds of a former residential school in British Columbia. Amanda Coletta describes the history behind the disturbing discovery and how Indigenous people have been responding to it.
A growing community of women who have stillbirths are donating their breast milk to families in need. Miriam Foley reports.
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.

Historian Annette Gordon-Reed discusses the meaning and history behind Juneteenth, the holiday that has come to symbolize the end of slavery in the United States.
Read more:
Juneteenth is officially a national holiday. 
This week, Congress rushed to pass a bill officially recognizing June 19, commemorating the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas were finally informed that they had been freed two years earlier by the Emancipation Proclamation. 
Historian Annette Gordon-Reed grew up celebrating Juneteenth with her family and community in Texas. While the holiday started in the Lone Star state in 1866, it has grown in scope and prominence with celebrations across the country. In this episode, we talk with Gordon-Reed about her experience growing up in Texas, Black Americans’ lives during and after slavery, and the growing significance behind this historic holiday. Gordon-Reed is the author of a new book, “On Juneteenth.” 
We also recommend you check out a new podcast at The Post called “Please, Go On.” It’s hosted by James Hohmann from the Opinions desk. This week on the show, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs says the federal government needs to step in to protect voting rights. Listen to the episode 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 towashingtonpost.com/subscribe.

The Fed says inflation could climb higher than projected — but many of the price hikes could be short-lived. How to navigate the many new spending opportunities the end of the pandemic has brought. Plus, the power of this year’s graduation speeches.
Read more:
New projections from the Federal Reserve suggest that prices will keep climbing this year. But what does that tell us about economic recovery from the pandemic moving forward? Rachel Siegel explains the Fed’s current approach: Wait and see.
If the return of eating out or traveling has left you burning through savings or reluctantly sitting out, personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary is here to help. Check out her new book, “What to Do with Your Money When Crisis Hits: A Survival Guide.”
High school graduation is always a big moment — but this year some seniors are taking the opportunity to advocate what they believe in from the graduation stage.
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 Biden’s summit with Putin can tell us about the future of U.S.-Russia relations. And, what could happen to struggling tenants when the rent comes due in July. 
Read more:
President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin lauded their Wednesday summit as “positive” and “constructive” — but politics reporter Eugene Scott says their back-to-back news conferences made clear that the two leaders remain at odds. 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium is up at the end of June, leaving many renters at risk of eviction. Kyle Swenson reports on why rent relief hasn’t made it to many who need it and how some tenants are getting by.
If you’re enjoying this podcast and you’d like to support the reporting that makes it possible, please consider subscribing to The Washington Post. A subscription gets you unlimited access to all the journalism we publish, from breaking news to deep investigations to baking tips. Subscriptions also directly support this show, and the work of Washington Post journalists around the world. 
Right now, podcast listeners can get one year of unlimited access to The Post for just $29. That’s less than one dollar a week. 
Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://wapo.st/3zkogmc

Some businesses ask whether higher wages could be the answer to the labor shortage. Members of Congress return to the Capitol, and all its security concerns. And a new era of space travel dawns — for those who can afford it.
Read more:
Across the country, businesses have a problem: Workers aren’t taking low-wage jobs. Economics reporter Eli Rosenberg talked to employers who think they have found a solution: paying people more.
Before returning to their home states last month, some lawmakers expressed concerns over safety and sought out funding for additional security. Now, House members have returned to the Hill, where they don’t necessarily feel much safer. Marianna Sotomayor reports. 
A new kind of space race: Billionaires are competing to launch into space. Others can come along — but only if they can afford astronomical prices. Space travel reporter Christian Davenport has more.
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.

An insular Christian group faces a reckoning over sexual misconduct. And, the extraordinary effort from educators to get kids back to school.
Read more:Last fall, the Christian group People of Praise garnered national attention after a prominent member, Amy Coney Barrett, was nominated to the Supreme Court. Soon after, former members began a Facebook group called “PoP Survivors.” Investigative journalist Beth Reinhard reports on some of those former members who say they were sexually abused by other members of the group when they were children. 
Schools across the country are trying to persuade parents to send their kids back to in-person learning in the fall. Reporter Hannah Natanson follows an elementary school principal as she goes door-to-door to reassure hesitant families.

If you’re enjoying this podcast and you’d like to support the reporting behind it, please consider a subscription to The Washington Post. A subscription gets you unlimited access to everything we publish, from breaking news to baking tips. It also directly supports this show, and the work of Washington Post journalists around the world who are working to uncover the next big story.
Right now, podcast listeners can get one year of unlimited access to The Post for just $29. That’s less than one dollar a week. 
Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://wapo.st/3zkogmc

An introduction to The Post’s new opinion podcast: “Please, Go On,” with columnist James Hohmann and his first guest, Vice President Harris. And, cartoonist Alison Bechdel shares the secret to superhuman strength.
Read more:
The Post’s new opinion podcast launches today: “Please, Go On,” with host James Hohmann. In the first episode, James talks to Vice President Harris about the exodus of women from the workforce during the pandemic. 
This week we’re kicking off our Summer Fridays series, where we’ll explore arts and culture and topics beyond the news. For the first installment, we talk to cartoonist Alison Bechdel about her new book “The Secret to Superhuman Strength,” which explores her lifelong love affair with fitness — and how she realized that superhuman strength isn’t really about muscles at all.
Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer