Post Reports

Where have all the Uber and Lyft drivers gone? And, how the pandemic economy is fueling protests and violence in Colombia.
Read more:
Uber and Lyft are facing major driver shortages, leading to long wait times and more expensive fares. Faiz Siddiqui reports on why this is happening — and what it may mean for the future of these popular ride-hailing apps.
Weeks of protests in Colombia have left dozens dead. South America bureau chief Anthony Faiola explains how the pandemic-ravaged economy has led to massive demonstrations across the country and criticism of Colombian police over the use of force. 

Liz Cheney’s losing battle with the Republican Party. And, the athletes living with covid for the long haul. 
Read more:
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is fighting for her life in the party she helps lead. Congress reporter Marianna Sotomayor and Post Reports senior producer Reena Flores discuss the political head winds for Cheney, the third-ranking Republican in the House and an anti-Trump Republican in a party that values loyalty to the former president over everything else. 
Long-haul symptoms of covid-19 can make any job hard. But what if you’re an elite athlete? Reporter Michael Lee looks at the ramifications of the career-threatening virus in the sports world. Subscribe to The Washington Post: postreports.com/offer

Israeli-Palestinian violence is flaring as Israel marks the contentious Jerusalem Day holiday. What April’s job numbers mean for the future of work. And, the prom must go on. 
Read more:
Violence erupted on Jerusalem Day, leaving at least 300 Palestinians injured. Jerusalem bureau chief Steve Hendrix reports on the escalating violence. 
April’s job numbers showed a dip in hiring. Economics correspondent Heather Long reports that the drop does not indicate a labor shortage, but a great reassessment of work in America. 
Education reporter Hannah Natanson reports on a rural Virginia high school that crossed state lines to hold a pandemic prom to remember. 
Post Reports has been nominated for a Peabody Award for the episode “The Life of George Floyd.” To see the full list of Peabody nominees, click here. 

How civilian oversight is undermined by politicians and police. And how economic inequality has worsened the pandemic in Venezuela.
Read more:
Civilian oversight agencies are touted as ways that ordinary citizens can hold police accountable. But an investigation into these agencies by reporter Nicole Dungca shows that they often fail at doing so — in part because they are undermined by law enforcement itself.
Severe economic equality is worsening the coronavirus outbreak in South American countries. Anthony Faiola reports on the pandemic in Venezuela, where only the wealthy can afford care for sick loved ones.

Facebook’s Oversight Board bars Donald Trump from rejoining the site –– at least for now. How far-right extremists are recruiting new members in chat rooms and on gaming platforms. And, a farewell to empty middle seats on Delta flights.
Read more:
Facebook’s 20-member Oversight Board has upheld the decision to ban Donald Trump from the social media platform. Silicon Valley correspondent Elizabeth Dwoskin discusses what that means for other political leaders online.
Far-right groups that blossomed during Trump’s presidency have created enduring communities online by soft-pedaling their political goals and entertaining potential recruits with the tools of pop culture. Marc Fisher reports.
For a year, empty middle seats were a silver lining of pandemic air travel — but no more.
Vote for Post Reports in the Webby Awards. Our episode "The Life of George Floyd" was nominated in the News & Politics podcast category.

The Justice Department is investigating police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville for misconduct. If they are in violation, what can the feds really do? And two new airlines hope to get Americans flying again.
Read more:
Justice Department probes will investigate police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville. Georgetown Law professor Christy Lopez has firsthand knowledge of what that kind of investigation can really accomplish.
It’s been 14 years since a new airline has launched in the United States, and many have failed since then. Lee Powell reports on two entrepreneurs trying to beat the odds.
Vote for Post Reports in the Webby Awards. Our episode "The Life of George Floyd" was nominated in the News & Politics podcast category.

India continues to set world records as it faces the worst surge in cases since the start of the pandemic. And, how two decades of war have reshaped Kabul.
Read more:
Coronavirus cases are surging across India, leading to mass cremations and a scramble for vaccines. Joanna Slater reports on the crisis.
As U.S. troops formally withdraw from Afghanistan, Philip Kennicott and photographer Lorenzo Tugnoli look at how two decades of conflict have reshaped Kabul.
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 postreports.com/offer.

The key role children played in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and why it matters today. 
Read more:
Janice Wesley Kelsey was 16 when she faced White police officers in the Children’s Crusade of 1963 in Birmingham, Ala. The Black youths ages 7 to 17, marching peacefully in the name of civil rights, were met with billy clubs, German shepherds and fire hoses. 
News crews flocked to the place nicknamed “Bombingham,” and the footage helped prompt President John F. Kennedy to urge Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
On the 58th anniversary of the Children’s Crusade, Post Reports producer Jordan-Marie Smith reports on the impact of the march and how its tactics are reflected in the modern civil rights movement.
You can find more resources on the Children’s Crusade at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, at the National Civil Rights Museum and in the archives at Alabama Public Radio.

Today, we’re re-airing this special episode of “Post Reports,” where we tell the story of George Floyd’s life, his upbringing and how racism hobbled his ambition. Plus, an update from Floyd’s family members after the trial of Derek Chauvin.
Read more:
Last fall, the Post Reports staff and a team of reporters at The Post worked on an exhaustive telling of George Floyd’s life, about this one man and his family and the forces of systemic racism that shaped their experiences over the course of more than a century. 
This week, in the aftermath of the Chauvin trial verdict, we are re-airing this story about George Floyd, to remind people about the real three-dimensional person whose life and death were at the center of the trial. We also went back to some of the people interviewed in the original episode to find out what they think about the verdict, and how they have been processing their grief almost a year after his death. 
This story is part of The Washington Post’s series “George Floyd’s America.” The reporting explores the institutional and societal roadblocks Floyd encountered as a Black man from his birth in 1973 until his death, and the role systemic racism played throughout his life.  The series is based on a review of thousands of documents and more than 150 interviews with Floyd’s friends, colleagues, public officials and scholars. The picture that emerges is one that underscores how systemic racism has calcified within many of America’s institutions, creating sharply disparate outcomes in housing, education, the economy, law enforcement and health care. 
Read more in this Special Report from The Washington Post: George Floyd’s America.
Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer 
Credits  Reporting for this episode from Ted Muldoon. “George Floyd’s America” was reported by Arelis Hernández, Tracy Jan, Laura Meckler, Tolu Olorunnipa, Robert Samuels, Griff Witte and Cleve Wootson. This “Post Reports” episode was produced by Ted Muldoon and Linah Mohammad and edited by Maggie Penman and Martine Powers. 
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 postreports.com/offer. 

What the CDC’s updated mask guidance means for you. And, what to expect at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 
Read more:
The CDC says fully vaccinated Americans can go without masks outdoors, except in crowded settings. Lena H. Sun reports on how these new guidelines may change the social norms of mask-wearing.
The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo are on — for now. Correspondent Rick Maese reports on how they’re being organized and how they’ll look different because of the pandemic.