Post Reports

The Biden administration is expected to announce a new action to limit evictions as a federal eviction moratorium expires. But it’s unclear how many people that will help. And, why the expanded child tax credit may not be a silver bullet against poverty.Read more:Nearly a year and a half into the pandemic, 28 percent of households are struggling to cover basic expenses. More than 11 million renters are behind on payments. One in seven parents are struggling to feed their families. This is all despite a raft of government interventions, including an expanded child tax credit approved in March. The White House said the expanded child tax credit would cut child poverty by more than 40 percent. But that lofty expectation is crashing into the reality of debt for many people behind on rent and utility bills. Kyle Swenson reports on the potentially blunted impact of those payments for families living with debt, including moms such as Brittany Baker in Ohio.

Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have come to rare agreement, crafting a trillion dollar-plan to fix infrastructure across the country.Read more:After weeks of negotiation, a bipartisan group of senators have put forth a plan to restore America’s infrastructure. The more than $1 trillion plan to improve roads, bridges, pipes, ports and lines of communication could be a centerpiece of Joe Biden’s presidency — unless he has his own deal in the works. Congressional reporter Tony Romm breaks down the far-reaching proposal.

In 1983, the U.S. invaded the small Caribbean nation of Grenada. Forty years later, many Americans have no idea why — or that it happened at all. Today, in collaboration with “Throughline,” we tell a story of revolution, conquest, and dreams of a Black utopia.Read more:For host Martine Powers, this historical deep-dive has a personal connection. Growing up in a Caribbean American family offered a different perspective on the 1983 invasion — a moment that isn’t just about President Ronald Reagan or Cold War machinations. Instead, this era in Grenada’s history is also the story of people and ideas that became symbols of Black freedom around the world — and a direct inspiration for Black Americans.“This was a Black country with people making their own success and failure,” says Dessima Williams, Grenada’s former ambassador to the U.S. “We didn't have White people over us. And I think that itself was revolutionary at the psychic level.”This story was produced in collaboration with “Throughline,” a podcast about history from National Public Radio. Here are a few other episodes that you’ll want to check out: “Palestine,” about the region’s history of settlements and displacement; “Five Fingers Crush The Land,” on the history and culture of China’s Uyghur people; and the unexpectedly dark story of American imperialism, in “Reframing History: Bananas.”

Debates over critical race theory take over a town in Michigan. Plus, why breakthrough coronavirus infections do not mean that our vaccines aren’t working.Read more:Traverse City, Mich., is a microcosm of the critical race theory debates taking over school systems across the country. The debates in the town came after the school board decided to fast-track an equity resolution, after students held a fake slave auction over Snapchat. Reporter Hannah Natanson went to Traverse City to understand what White parents think of the resolution and racism in the town, as well as how students feel.Within the past few weeks, positive coronavirus test results have been delivered to some high-profile fully vaccinated people: New York Yankees players, Olympic gymnast alternates and state lawmakers from Texas. Ben Guarino reports on why such breakthrough infections are to be expected — and why they don’t imply that vaccines are widely failing.

Why employers are getting bolder with vaccine mandates. How the pandemic worsened the opioid crisis. And the aftermath of the floods in Germany.Read more:On Tuesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors in certain circumstances because of the highly transmissible delta variant. At the same time, many employers — including the federal government — are considering coronavirus vaccine mandates. Dan Diamond reports on the changing guidance around masks and vaccines.Last week, the three major drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson reached a settlement in court after being sued for the damages of the opioid crisis. Lenny Bernstein on how the pandemic has affected the continuing opioid epidemic. You can find our related story from 2018 about the Trump administration’s handling of the fentanyl crisis here.This past month, floods in Germany and Belgium killed nearly 200 people. Loveday Morris reports on the clean-up and recovery in Western Europe.

Why the U.S. women’s gymnastics team settled for a silver medal. And, the search for separated parents in rural Guatemala. Read more:The U.S. women’s gymnastics team took home a silver medal in Tuesday’s team final, after star gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the event. Sports reporter Liz Clarke discusses the unexpected upset, and the course of the Russian Olympic team’s winning trajectory. The United States lost track of parents after separating them from their children at the border. In rural Guatemala, it’s up to Eriberto Pop — a motorcycle-riding human rights lawyer — to find them. Central America bureau chief Kevin Sieff reports on his journey with Pop into the western highlands of Guatemala.

The political debate — and theater — surrounding a new House committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. And, why wildland firefighters in the West are burning out.  Read more:A bipartisan select House committee begins its probe of the Jan. 6 insurrection this week. But as national security reporter Karoun Demirjian explains, the investigation kicks off under a cloud of political debate and theater. On the heels of one of the worst wildfire years on record, the federal government is struggling to recruit and retain staffers as firefighters grapple with low wages, trauma and burnout from increasingly long and intense fire seasons. Sarah Kaplan reports on the Biden administration’s promise to the federal firefighting force –– and what the United States has to understand about climate change and wildfires.

In February 2020, Washington Post reporter Arelis R. Hernández walked across the bridge from Brownsville, Tex., to Matamoros, Mexico, two sister cities along the international border with the glistening green Rio Grande snaking between them. Up on the levee, a breathtaking sight unfolded before her: a makeshift migrant camp full of thousands of asylum seekers from all over Latin America forced by the Trump administration to wait in Mexico while they plead their cases.There in the camp, Hernández met a woman from El Salvador named Nancy and her two teenage children. Nancy had a chilling story to tell about how she wound up there — and why she feared she would never get out. In this special two-part series, Hernández and producer Ted Muldoon explore what Nancy’s story reveals about the real-world impact of the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy.In Part 2, the Biden administration comes into office promising change. But change can’t come soon enough for Nancy, whose desperation has only deepened after 16 months in the camp.To find photos and videos of Nancy's journey and her life in the camp, visit wapo.st/nancy. Listen to Part 1 of the series here.Read more:Hear more of Hernández’s ride-along with the Hidalgo County Constable’s office in this March 2021 episode of Post Reports, or read about it here. 

In February 2020, Washington Post reporter Arelis R. Hernández walked across the bridge from Brownsville, Tex., to Matamoros, Mexico, two sister cities along the international border with the glistening green Rio Grande snaking between them. Up on the levee, a breathtaking sight unfolded before her: a makeshift migrant camp full of thousands of asylum seekers from all over Latin America forced by the Trump administration to wait in Mexico while they plead their cases.There in the camp, Hernández met a woman from El Salvador named Nancy and her two teenage children. Nancy had a chilling story to tell about how she wound up there — and why she feared she would never get out. In this special two-part series, Hernández and producer Ted Muldoon explore what Nancy’s story reveals about the real-world impact of the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy.In Part 1, Nancy slowly unspools her story, starting with her journey north. After she and her children make their way across the Rio Grande, they're intercepted — not by Border Patrol, but by the cartels. To find photos and videos of Nancy’s journey and her life in the camp, visit wapo.st/nancy.Read more:Photographer Michael Robinson Chavez and reporter Mary Beth Sheridan capture haunting images of migrants fighting for survival at the border. Reporter Kevin Sieff looks at what happens when asylum seekers miss their court dates because they were kidnapped.

The Tokyo Olympics are set to begin Friday, after dozens of people in the Olympic bubble have tested positive for the coronavirus. How soaring rent prices are becoming the new norm across the U.S. And, Anthony Bourdain and the ethics of audio deepfakes. Read more:After a year’s delay, Tokyo 2020 will kick off this Friday despite concerns over the coronavirus: At least 67 people in the Olympic bubble have tested positive. Michelle Ye Hee Lee reports on the precautions that the International Olympic Committee is taking. Follow The Post’s live coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Games here.Senior economics correspondent Heather Long says that bidding wars and spiking rental prices are becoming the new norm as the pandemic recedes in the United States.A new documentary about Anthony Bourdain features a deepfake of the celebrity chef’s voice, evoking criticism. Timothy Bella reports.