Post Reports

Temperatures are dropping, and that could mean a spike in coronavirus cases. How a Supreme Court vacancy — or replacement — could have an impact on the presidential election. And, pandemic-inspired music you can dance to. Read more:The United States reached a grim milestone: 200,000 deaths from covid-19. Health reporter Lenny Bernstein says that young people are behind the spike in cases — and with the temperature dropping, it will probably get even worse.Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death has injected uncertainty over voter rights ahead of the election. “Even before her death we saw several lawsuits from various states ending up at the Supreme Court over how voters are going to cast their ballots,” courts reporter Ann Marimow says, “so the question is: What happens as more of those reach the high court?”In Kenya, small-town singers are hoping to make it big with songs about the pandemic. “We’re talking about songs that you can dance to, songs that you can’t help but dance to,” says Nairobi bureau chief Max Bearak. Subscribe to The Washington Post: postreports.com/offer

The political battle brewing over Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat, and the future of the Supreme Court. And, remembering the life and legacy of “the notorious RBG.”Read more:Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a pioneer for gender equality and the second woman to reach the Supreme Court, died Friday at age 87 at her home in Washington. Supreme Court reporter Robert Barnes discusses Ginsburg’s life and legacy, and how she became a feminist icon. “Folks made her out to be superwoman, and in fact she was an older person, quite frail. … Part of it was this sort of persona and aura about her as indestructible.”The political battle over her seat has already begun, with President Trump expected to nominate a replacement this week and Republican senators likely to move quickly. “We haven't filled a vacancy created during a presidential election year in 80 years,” reporter Amber Philips says. “It might seem to us these past couple election cycles that this is a common thing, but it's really not.” Mourners have been gathering at the steps of the Supreme Court, especially moms and daughters, says Lily staff writer Caroline Kitchener. “She was a personal part of the relationship between these mothers and daughters.”Subscribe to The Washington Post: postreports.com/offer

On today’s Post Reports, Michelle Singletary has an honest conversation about affirmative action. And, we take your questions about voting this year, starting with a listener in California.Read more:Introducing Sincerely, Michelle: A personal series by financial columnist Michelle Singletary examining misconceptions involving race and economics. The first topic? Affirmative action. Do you have a question about voting this election? Check out The Post’s How to Vote guide, a resource with information broken down by state about how to vote in-person or by mail. Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

On today’s “Post Reports,” Jenna Johnson reports on the White, suburban women who regret putting Donald Trump in office. Matt Zapotosky explains why Attorney General William Barr lambasting the Justice Department matters. And introducing “Canary,” a Washington Post investigative podcast hosted by Amy Brittain. Read more:National political correspondent Jenna Johnson reports on the growing number of White female voters who regret voting for Donald Trump in 2016 and plan to vote for Democratic candidate Joe Biden this November. On Wednesday, Attorney General William Barr launched a scathing criticism of the DOJ, accusing the department of meddling with politics. National security reporter Matt Zapotosky explains how Barr compared department prosecutors to “preschoolers” and claimed that it was Barr, not career officials, who has the ultimate authority to decide how cases should be handled. Introducing The Washington Post’s new podcast, “Canary.” After a sexual assault case in D.C., one woman’s public warning ricochets all the way to Birmingham, Ala., where another woman gives voice to a devastating allegation.This seven-part investigative series from The Washington Post follows the Alabama woman’s decision to come forward with a claim of sexual assault against a high-ranking figure in the D.C. criminal justice system, and the spiraling effects of that choice.Hosted by investigative reporter Amy Brittain, coming Oct. 1. Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

On today’s Post Reports, more than 200 meatpacking workers have died of covid-19. Critics say that federal regulators have endangered employees by failing to respond appropriately. How the pandemic is transforming family practice doctors. And the Big 10 turns a 180. Read more:So far, more than 200 meat packing employees have died of covid-19 in the United States. “We’re talking about problems in more than four hundred meat plants,” investigative reporter Kimberly Kindy says, but “two received fines: one Smithfield plant in South Dakota, one JBS in Colorado … And the fines were very small.”Small, independent family practices are facing greater hardship as the pandemic wears on, especially in rural areas.. “Family doctors are really sort of the front-line physicians in American health care,” says business of health reporter Chris Rowland. “Their role, although they're the lowest-paid in medicine, is absolutely crucial to the functioning of the health system.” College football’s Big Ten was the first major conference to postpone its season. On Wednesday, Emily Giambalvo reports, it made a stunning reversal of that decision by announcing the season will resume at the end of October. Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

Sarah Collins Rudolph survived the Birmingham bombing 57 years ago today. Now, she wants restitution. And, an update on the criminal case in the death of George Floyd.Read more:The story of Sarah Collins Rudolph, who survived the 1963 Birmingham church bombing. The explosion killed her sister and three other girls. Now, she wants restitution and an apology. “She wants justice for herself,” explains enterprise reporter Sydney Trent. “She feels like she has been overlooked.”The police officers charged in George Floyd’s killing are turning on each other, according to national political reporter Holly Bailey.Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

Oregon residents struggle to find shelter away from wildfires and dense smoke. Why a Black autistic man is serving 10 years in prison for a car crash. And U.S. Open winner Naomi Osaka sends a strong message with her masks.Read more:Samantha Schmidt reports from Oregon, where state orders have evacuees sleeping in parking lots and residents find themselves without homes to return to. Video journalist Lindsey Sitz reports on the case of Matthew Rushin, a 22-year-old Black autistic man who is serving 10 years in prison after a car crash.And sports reporter Ava Wallace on how U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka used her masks to support black lives.Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

How one sperm donor found out he has 19 children -- and learned the promises and perils of online genetic testing. And, how dogs can sniff out diseases, including the coronavirus. Read more:When Bryce Cleary donated his sperm in 1989, he was told he would have five donor children at most and all would be located on the East Coast, his own role hidden behind anonymity. Kyle Swenson reports that with the advent of genealogical websites like Ancestry.com and 23andMe, Cleary realized he one day might be revealed to the children he helped bring into the world.As the novel coronavirus continues to ravage the world, researchers are racing to find a faster way to detect it. Frances Stead Sellers reports that nine dogs at the University of Pennsylvania are being trained to sniff out the disease.Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

On today’s Post Reports, record-breaking wildfires are already spreading up the West Coast – and the fire season has only just begun. How a Homeland Security whistleblower was told to stop reports on potential Russian interference in the 2020 election. And, the issues with the new “Mulan.” Read more:The Bay Area skies changed basically overnight, says Washington Post reporter Heather Kelly. One day “it was orange. It looked like Mars. It was dark. It was depressing.” As wildfires in the western United States rage on, it’s difficult to imagine the size of the wildfires, says extreme weather editor Andrew Freedman. “It is the entire distance, essentially, from the U.S. border with Canada in Washington state, to the U.S. border with Mexico in Southern California. That entire expanse is affected to some extent.”A DHS whistleblower was told to cease intelligence reports on the threat of Russian interference ahead of the 2020 election. National security reporter Shane Harris says the whistleblower was told to stop in part because “it made the president look bad.” High expectations for Disney’s remake of “Mulan” have been tempered and riddled by geopolitics. Foreign affairs columnist Ishaan Tharoor says it’s a battle that Disney did not plan on having. Subscribe to The Washington Post: https://postreports.com/offer

The Justice Department seeks to intervene to the benefit of President Trump in a defamation case brought by journalist E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of raping her decades ago. Unemployed Americans say they won’t forget inaction by Congress. Plus, whether there’s a future for karaoke.Read more:Reporter Matt Zapotosky on the Justice Department’s case for defending the president in a year-old defamation suit.People hurting financially in the U.S. say they won’t forget Congress’s lack of action during the pandemic, according to economics correspondent Heather Long.Nightlife reporter Fritz Hahn says singing in public isn’t the safest thing to do during a pandemic. But karaoke super fans are eager for the fun to return.Subscribe to The Washington Post: postreports.com/offer