Post Reports

For 780 Afghan evacuees stuck at a beachside resort in Albania, the future is unclear. They might never make it to the U.S. All because they took the wrong plane out of Afghanistan.Read more:The Afghans living at the Rafaelo Resort were evacuated from Afghanistan by nonprofits and organizations that expected Albania would be a stopover — a temporary landing pad as evacuees were processed for permanent resettlement in the United States. The Biden administration, which faced intense criticism for the way it ended the U.S. war in Afghanistan and failed to evacuate many of its Afghan allies, says it never promised to provide refuge for everyone.This year-long bureaucratic mess is only now moving toward a resolution — for some. In the meantime, day-to-day life at tThe Rafaelo has become the strangest of limbos, as senior producer Ted Muldoon reports with national security reporter Abigail Hauslohner. Surrounded by tourists on the sun-drenched coast of the Adriatic Sea, they are profoundly grateful but , and also frustrated that they can’t yet start building a new life.“People told us about just the monotony of the same thing over and over again,” said Hauslohner, “and the uncertainty about the future kind of destroys you.”

More than 100,000 railroad workers were ready to strike this week in the name of more sick days. Plus, what happens when a man with a pistol shows up outside the home of a congresswoman. Read more:When 115,000 unionized railroad workers made it clear there would be a strike if freight companies didn’t give them sick days, President Biden made some calls.After hours of negotiations, the strike was likely averted, but the high-stakes freight rail drama could heat up again soon. Labor reporter Lauren Kaori Gurley takes us behind the scenes of the Biden administration’s last-ditch efforts to avoid an economic crisis.Also, during a Saturday night in July, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) called 911 multiple times after an encounter with two men outside her Seattle home.National political enterprise reporter Ruby Cramer discusses how extreme rhetoric targeted toward members of Congress has escalated lately, and the impact of these threats on elected officials.

On today’s show, what you need to know about the updated booster shots and why they matter amid growing pandemic fatigue. Plus, new research on the science of sitting and the pitfalls of being an “active couch potato.” Read more:The new coronavirus vaccine boosters are now widely available in the United States, but the updated shots are rolling out amid widespread pandemic fatigue. Federal health officials say that these updated vaccines could help buffer communities against future surges of the virus. Earlier this month, officials announced plans of turning coronavirus shots into an annual dose, similar to the flu shot.  Today on Post Reports, health reporter Lena H. Sun, who’s followed the coronavirus pandemic from the beginning, answers some of the most pressing questions about the omicron-targeted boosters. Plus, The Washington Post’s newest wellness columnist, Gretchen Reynolds, on why exercising the recommended 30 minutes a day might not be enough if you are an “active couch potato.” 

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol still has some unfinished business. Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) joins us to discuss what’s left. Also, the significance of Sheryl Lee Ralph’s first Emmy. Read more:Over the summer, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol dominated the news cycle by unearthing revelatory evidence that illuminated the connection between allies of former president Donald Trump and the violence that took place. Yet, at the same time primary voters across the country elected nearly 200 candidates who also touted Trump’s baseless claim that he won the 2020 election.Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.), a committee member, joins us today to discuss what to expect from the committee in the fall and whether its work has had an impact on the strength of election denialism among the public. Then, pop culture reporter Sonia Rao joins the show to discuss a moment that stunned the Emmy Awards audience: Sheryl Lee Ralph’s acceptance speech. Rao breaks down why Ralph’s first Emmy is a cultural milestone, and what it meant when she belted out “I am an endangered species” on stage.

Today, what the sudden retreat of Russian forces in key areas of Ukraine means for the future of the war. Plus, how one Ukrainian mayor is holding onto his city in wartime.Read more:Over the weekend, Russian soldiers fled their encampments in Zaliznychne, Ukraine. As Ukrainian soldiers poured into the area, Russians dropped their weapons, leaving rifles behind. The flight of Russians from the village marks a new reality that took the world by surprise; Russian invaders are on the run after invading Ukraine in February. The apparent collapse of Russian forces has caused shock waves in Moscow, while the evidence of Ukrainian gains continues to emerge. Reporter Steve Hendrix on what this means for the future of the war in Ukraine.As the Ukrainians continue to fight back on the ground, one local politician is doing everything he can to keep his community together. Mykola Khanatov is the mayor of Popasna, a city occupied by Russian forces. Reporter Dalton Bennett documents Khanatov’s commitment to his town during wartime. 

In the run up to the midterms, no issue has upended the battle for control over Congress and statehouses as abruptly as abortion. Could it slow down — or stop — the anticipated red wave?    Read more: The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June has shifted the midterm landscape. Many had previously anticipated a Republican wave in November, but that advantage could be eroded by voters concerned over the rollback of abortion protections around the country.  Since this summer, Democrats have overperformed in special elections, and voters showed up in droves to reject a ballot measure aimed at restricting abortion in deeply conservative Kansas. While Democratic candidates are highlighting the antiabortion views of their opponents, Republican candidates are moderating their stances on websites and campaign trails. Campaign reporter Hannah Knowles traveled to Pennsylvania to speak with voters there about how their views on abortion will impact their voting behavior on Election Day. 

The death of Queen Elizabeth II, and how her reign over Britain shaped the world for 70 years. Read more: Queen Elizabeth II is dead. She passed away peacefully on Thursday afternoon at the age of 96, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. She was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and held the throne for 70 years. The world had been bracing for her passing for some time. “Operation London Bridge” even maps out what happens next, the when and the how. Her son now takes over as King Charles III. Despite the preparations, Brits are still in shock. For many, Queen Elizabeth was all they knew, a constant amid big cultural shifts and geopolitical changes, nationally and globally. She became queen at a time when British colonial rule was imploding. She ushered in a new era of the Commonwealth. Tabloids and television zeroed in on her marriage and family life, but she still somehow remained private.Adrian Higgins reported for The Washington Post for years, covering the royal family. He joins “Post Reports” to look back on the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, and how her death calls into question the future of a monarchy that dates back to the 10th century.

How the water crisis in Jackson, Miss., reached its tipping point. Plus, one Peruvian farmer’s fight for climate justice.Read more:The capital city of Jackson, Miss., has been without drinkable tap water since late July. But this isn’t the first time there’s been a water crisis in the majority-Black town. “I think what's really been lost is that there was a crisis in Jackson long before,” reporter Emmanuel Felton says, “And what had been going on for years was really almost constant boil water notifications.”Residents say sewage is spilling into backyards and people are getting rashes and lumps from the water. “It’s horrible, it’s horrible, everything is horrible,” resident Tammie Williams says. “And it’s it’s a disaster, really, you know? Disaster.”Today on Post Reports, Felton explains how the water crisis in Jackson got so dire, and whether there’s any end in sight.Plus, we bring you to the mountains of Peru, where one farmer is trying to save his city from drowning by suing one of the biggest carbon emitters in the world. The case could set a precedent for holding polluters accountable for harming the planet. Reporter Sarah Kaplan has more.

The latest in the Justice Department’s investigation into Donald Trump. And the students who survived the mass shooting in Uvalde, Tex., return to school for the first time. Read more: On Monday, a federal district judge pumped the brakes on the Justice Department’s investigation into the material seized from former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property. The judge granted Trump’s request to appoint a special master to review the documents. Rosalind Helderman, a political enterprise reporter for The Post, walks us through what this news means for the Justice Department and what we can expect next in this investigation.  After much delay and postponement, students at Robb Elementary School are finally returning to school in Uvalde, Tex., this week. In May, a gunman entered the school and killed 19 fourth-graders and two teachers. Questions over safety, security and adequate student support have divided this small community and broken trust with the school district and law enforcement. Today, Arelis Hernández brings us the story of families struggling with these difficult back-to-school decisions as they try to recover from the unimaginable.

In the fourth episode of the “Broken Doors” podcast, we explore the minutes between approval for a no-knock warrant and a deadly raid. Read more:All this week on “Post Reports,” we’re airing episodes of the “Broken Doors” podcast, an investigative series about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the American justice system — and the consequences for communities when accountability is flawed at every level. Hosted by Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca.The fourth episode of this series is called “The blink of an eye.” In this episode, we head to Port Allen, La.On July 25, 2019, a Black man was killed during a no-knock raid on a motel room in Louisiana. His fiancee was also inside. An investigation into what led up to the fatal shooting reveals the speed with which it happened — and raises questions about electronic warrants, a relatively new technology being adopted by law enforcement agencies across the country.For any updates to the series since the podcast aired earlier this year, check out Monday’s Post Reports episode, “No-knock warrants, revisited.”