Post Reports

Today, what we know about the four Americans who were kidnapped in Mexico, and what this incident can tell us about medical tourism, the security situation at the U.S. southern border, and how U.S. policy has contributed to the problems.

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Last week, four American friends from South Carolina were kidnapped in the Mexican border city Matamoros. By the time Mexican security forces located them on the outskirts of the city Tuesday, two of the Americans were dead and another was injured. The two survivors have been returned to the border, and one suspect is in custody with an ongoing manhunt for others. 

Today, The Washington Post’s Kevin Sieff explains how this affects the security relationship between the United States and Mexico, and what role the U.S. has played in making Matamoros a place where violence and kidnappings happen, often with impunity.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, enables low-income families to put basic food on the table. This month, SNAP experienced dramatic cuts that have left many families and seniors struggling to figure out how to survive on less than $6 per meal. 

That can mean cheaper, less-healthy options like canned and processed foods, which are high in sugar and are major drivers of obesity, reporter Laura Reiley tells “Post Reports.” 

“It's a hunger that looks different than it used to in this country,” Reiley says. 

So why the change? Amid heightened financial and food insecurity during the pandemic, a federal assistance program upped monthly SNAP benefits. That program came to a screeching halt last week, despite a continued rise in food prices. Many families and seniors are seeing their monthly food assistance drop by more than $100. 

State-level shifts are also reducing the level of assistance. And yet, “the food that we routinely feed our families has gotten a lot more expensive,” Reiley continues. “The math that's been used to determine how much a meal costs has not kept up with inflation or how we eat.” 

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Millions could see cuts to food stamps as federal pandemic aid ends.

A mile-long line for free food offers a warning as covid benefits end.

Republicans take aim at food stamps in growing fight over federal debt.

Today on the show, the $500 million alleged Ponzi scheme that preyed on Mormons.

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Las Vegas investigative reporter Jeff German was killed outside his home in September; a Clark County official he had investigated is charged in his death. To continue German’s work, The Washington Post teamed up with his newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, to complete one of the stories he’d planned to pursue before he was killed. A folder on German’s desk contained court documents he’d started to gather about an alleged Ponzi scheme that preyed upon hundreds of people — many of them Mormon — over the course of five years. Post reporter Lizzie Johnson began investigating. Today on Post Reports, we look at how more than 900 people invested an estimated total of $500 million into an alleged Ponzi scheme, and why the men who allegedly ran this operation are still walking free. 

If you’re gearing up to clean out your closet this spring, you might be wondering: Where can I donate all these clothes? And: What actually happens to these clothes when I do donate? The Washington Post’s climate solutions team has some answers.

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From Goodwill to disaster-relief efforts to those big metal donation boxes on street corners, there are a lot of options for where to give those clothes you just don’t wear anymore. But whether those old t-shirts ever find new, good homes is a more complicated story. 

Allyson Chiu, a climate solutions reporter for The Post, breaks down where donated clothes end up and offers some advice about what to watch out for as you consolidate your closet. 

Why did the College Board, which oversees Advanced Placement classes, change certain parts of the AP African American studies course framework? Post Reports digs into the latest controversy about the new AP course, still in its pilot stages.

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After Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis came out against the new AP African American studies course, it sparked a controversy. The state said it wouldn’t allow students to take the class because it lacked educational value.

Then the College Board changed the course framework just in time for its debut on the first day of Black History Month. Many questioned whether conservative leaders prompted changes to the program. Where the word “systemic” was mentioned in the previous plan for the class, it was completely removed from the new one. The same with other topics, such as Black Lives Matter and reparations, which went from 15 mentions in April 2022 to one in February 2023. 

Education reporter Nick Anderson breaks down what happened to AP African American studies and why these changes occurred in the first place.

Violence has been mounting in the Israeli-occupied West Bank for months, but the situation is already reaching a new level of escalation in 2023. 

“Everything is falling apart,” The Post’s Miriam Berger explains to guest host Libby Casey, referring to the fragile dynamics between Palestinians and Israelis in the region.  

At least 60 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis have been killed in recent weeks in the occupied territories, a level that is on track to be the bloodiest in two decades. That’s despite rare talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jordan last weekend. 

On Monday, a Palestinian man shot and killed two Israeli brothers in the West Bank town of Huwara. Later that day, dozens of Israeli settlers torched cars and homes in Palestinian communities, killing one man in revenge.  

“You have this growing insecurity amongst Palestinians and also the cycle of revenge attacks happening,” says Berger. 

The clashes come amidst massive protests in Israel itself, and a major shift to the right in the country’s new government. The empowerment of extremist leaders has further fueled more violent acts, as Palestinian house demolitions and raids are on the rise. 

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Emboldened by Israel’s far right, Jewish settlers fan the flames of chaos



Israeli settlers rampage through Palestinian towns in revenge for shooting

At least 11 Palestinians killed, 100 wounded in Israeli raid in the West Bank

Jerusalem demolitions gain pace under Netanyahu, enraging Palestinians

Why Israel’s planned overhaul of the judiciary is tearing the country apart

Itamar Ben Gvir: How an extremist settler became a powerful Israeli minister

At least 7 killed in East Jerusalem synagogue shooting

After deadly Israeli raid in Jenin, fears of escalation in West Bank

In the wake of the 2020 election, Fox News aired false claims about election fraud promoted by Trump allies. A lawsuit, however, reveals that top executives and hosts privately doubted the legitimacy of those claims. Reporter Jeremy Barr joins us to explain. 

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• In recently revealed texts and emails, Fox News hosts privately disparaged election theories being aired on their shows. 
• Rupert Murdoch, chair of Fox News’s parent company, acknowledged in a lawsuit that he wishes the network had done more to push back on false election claims. 

Today on Post Reports, we look at how the boundaries between work and life are potentially changing, from the feasibility of a four-day workweek to protections for workers when they're off the clock.

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The five-day workweek is the standard in the United States, and in many other countries across the world. But advocacy groups, and employees themselves, have been dreaming about the possibility of a four-day workweek. Recently, dozens of companies in the United Kingdom finished a four-day workweek pilot program; in the U.S., there is also state and federal legislation proposing employees work one day less for the same pay. Corporate culture reporter Taylor Telford explains how the pandemic has shifted our ideas about work, and how feasible a four-day workweek could really be. 

Plus, we explore “the right to disconnect,” a movement that advocates for employees to be allowed to disengage from work after working hours. The Post’s Niha Masih explains how certain countries are protecting people from work encroaching on their personal time. 

It’s been one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. The Post’s Ukraine Bureau Chief reflects on the war, its impacts and what the future might look like for these countries. 

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Europe’s biggest land war since World War II just entered its second year, with no clear end in sight. 

The losses are unimaginable – estimates suggest there have been hundreds of thousands of casualties, as well as mass evacuations and family separations. According to the United Nations, the war has forced one third of Ukrainians out of their homes and nearly 8 million Ukrainian refugees have sought shelter in other European countries. And the fighting continues. 

Isabelle Khurshudyan, the Post’s Ukraine Bureau Chief, guides us through the first days of the invasion and describes what we’re seeing now.