Post Reports

As the dust settled after the November election, it became clear that the balance of power in Washington would all hinge on two Senate runoffs in Georgia. Whether President-elect Joe Biden will be able to accomplish major parts of his agenda, whether Congress will remain gridlocked, whether there will be single party rule or a still divided government -- it all comes down to Georgia. Attention, money and volunteers have poured into the state. But how much do we really understand about Georgia’s politics or history? Our host Martine Powers and producer Ted Muldoon bring us today’s dispatch from Georgia about these two runoff races, the history that led up to them and the ways that real and perceived voter suppression have collided in this one remarkable political moment.Read more:The Post’s political reporter Cleve Wootson has been reporting on the runoffs from Georgia for more than a month -- including looking at the massive amount of money and attention on the races. Records show Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock each raised more than $100 million in two months.President Trump has been blasting Georgia’s election system. Many Republicans plan to vote in the Senate runoffs anyway.In Georgia Senate runoffs, the focus — and the fire — is on Raphael Warnock.Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

A story of love and family — and deadlines. Read more:For Post Reports producer Linah Mohammad, moving back in with her parents to weather the pandemic in Texas seemed like a harmless idea. But then Mohammad, who is single, turned 25 — a milestone sometimes deemed “the cutoff age for eligibility” for Arab women to marry — and suddenly her parents’ involvement in her love life made things a lot more complicated. So she decided to do something she’d never done before: let her parents arrange a date.Mohammad’s piece originally aired on the “This American Life” episode “Twenty-five.” Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

In April, a massive dam failure in Midland, Mich., left an entire community underwater amid the pandemic. Jacob May saw the flood ravage his hometown and recorded an audio diary. This is Jacob’s story, and an update on how he’s doing now.Read more: Back in the spring, the producers of the Post podcast “All Told” put together a series of audio diaries, bringing listeners inside different people’s experiences of the pandemic. One of those diaries was from Jacob May. In late April, a dam in Midland, Mich., failed massively. It left an entire community literally underwater. At the time, Jacob was a high school senior. He saw the devastation ravage his hometown. Today, we’re re-airing Jacob’s audio diary, and a follow-up interview to see how he’s doing now.Previous audio diary episodes.Subscribe to The Washington Post: postreports.com/offer

We really thought we knew everything there is to know about Joe Biden. … But then we heard this episode of “Presidential” with Lillian Cunningham and the New Yorker’s Evan Osnos, and we learned so much that we wanted to share it with you here. We’re taking a couple days off for Christmas. We hope you are safe and cozy wherever you are, whether you celebrate or not. We’ll be back on Monday, Dec. 28, with more stories from The Washington Post.Read more:Find the “Presidential” podcast here, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

A new mutation of the coronavirus is spreading in the U.K. — and causing chaos at certain ports of entry as Britain prepares to leave the European Union. Plus, the historic nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland to be interior secretary.Read more:The U.K. coronavirus mutation prompts more travel bans and major freight disruptions. The timing couldn’t be worse, London bureau chief Bill Booth says, as Britain prepares to leave the European Union. President-elect Joe Biden has picked Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico as his nominee for interior secretary. If confirmed, she’ll be the first Native American to serve in the position, managing the department that oversees the country’s tribal lands and has historically slighted Indigenous peoples in the United States. Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

What’s in the new stimulus package? The people stealing to survive during a pandemic. And a dispatch from America’s oldest Chinatown. Read more:Rachel Siegel explains what Congress included in the long-awaited stimulus deal — and what it left out. More people are shoplifting food during the pandemic, according to retailers, police departments and researchers around the country. Abha Bhattarai reports on the Americans struggling to survive covid-19’s harsh economic realities.  Jada Chin details the pandemic plight of small businesses in a neighborhood that has remained a shining beacon for immigrants: San Francisco’s historic Chinatown. Check out our NABJ award-winning episodes! We were honored with the National Association of Black Journalists’ Salute to Excellence for two episodes of Post Reports: one on finding joy in Black motherhood and another on Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s time at Howard.Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

How president-elect Joe Biden has tapped Janet Yellen to be the first female treasury secretary. And the mall Santas making it work. Read more:Economist Janet L. Yellen has had many jobs, even in the White House. Now, she’s going to be the secretary of the Treasury Department — if confirmed — in Biden’s Cabinet. Economics correspondent Heather Long explains the significance of her nomination.And, this year, Santa performers are braving the pandemic with plexiglass, sanitation elves and snow globe bubbles.Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

What Russia hacked this time. Why America’s biggest companies are laying people off during a pandemic – while boasting record profits. And new coronavirus tests you can take at home.Read more:The U.S. government spent billions on a system for detecting hacks. The Russians outsmarted it, as national security reporter Ellen Nakashima explains. Some of America’s biggest companies have made a killing off the pandemic. But their record profits haven’t stopped them from laying off thousands of people, says corporate accountability reporter Doug MacMillan. How do home tests for coronavirus work? Health and science reporter William Wan explains.Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

How members of Congress vote to enrich themselves. Why Biden is pursuing an unconventional pick for defense secretary. And what happened when The Post’s food critic got covid-19. Read more: Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia aren’t alone in drawing scrutiny over their stock portfolios. Chris Ingraham dives into new research showing that lawmakers with stock holdings vote in ways that juice their portfolios. Dan Lamothe explains the controversy surrounding President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to lead the Defense Department – and why recently-retired military leaders are typically frowned upon for the job. When food critic Tim Carman first fell ill with covid-19 earlier this year, he feared a loss of taste and smell. But, as Carman writes, it turned out to be much worse. Subscribe to The Washington Post: postreports.com/offer

Meet Sandra Lindsay, the first person to get a coronavirus vaccine in the United States. And a closer look at President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for secretary of state, Antony Blinken. Read more:The vaccine is now being administered in the United States as hospitals struggle to keep up with coronavirus patients. Science reporter Ben Guarino on why this New York critical care nurse got the country’s first coronavirus shot: “We were scared.”Biden has picked Antony Blinken to be secretary of state. The nomination emphasizes experience and the foreign policy establishment, according to national security reporter John Hudson.Late last week, the first coronavirus vaccine was approved for emergency use. But as we reported on Post Reports, the country will now embark on a finely orchestrated, high-stakes process to distribute and administer doses. Meet the people inside a supply chain that could end the pandemic.Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer