Republican Kevin McCarthy is on the verge of becoming the next speaker of the House. But how did a once-moderate Californian climb to the top of the GOP’s ranks and thrive in the Trump era? Michael Kranish joins us to explain.

Who is Kevin McCarthy?

Post Reports is the daily podcast from The Washington Post. Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you’ve come to expect from the newsroom of The Post, for your ears. Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi are your hosts, asking the questions you didn’t know you wanted answered. Published weekdays around 5 p.m. Eastern time.

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Today, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the most significant legal challenge to the rights of unhoused people in decades. On “Post Reports,” we hear from a correspondent who visited the city at the center of the debate.

Can cities fine unhoused people for sleeping outside?

Rodeo stars find meaning in navigating primal forces. No one ever went harder than J.B. Mauney.

Deep Reads: Riding the baddest bulls made him a legend. Then one broke his neck.

Elahe Izadi talks with Aaron Blake and Liz Goodwin about Week 1 of Trump’s first criminal trial, how Israel is dividing Democrats in Congress, and whether GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson’s strategy to approve aid to Ukraine could cost him his job.

The Campaign Moment: Trump jurors and Biden on Israel

Despite being the world’s wealthiest nation, the U.S. has communities that are still exposed to toxic tap water. Today, we hear how a city in New Mexico has struggled with high levels of arsenic in its water — and how its residents are fighting back.

America’s toxic tap water problem

A high-profile prison escape. A TV station takeover. An assault on police. Today on “Post Reports,” how powerful gangs in Ecuador pushed this historically peaceful nation to the brink and led its new president to declare war.

Who is Kevin McCarthy?

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