What to read this summer

Labubus — small plush toys that look like mischievous monsters — have taken the world by storm. Chinese toymaker and retailer Pop Mart has sold millions of dollars’ worth of Labubus. There’s even a booming resale market, on top of a thriving operation of counterfeits called Lafufus.Host Elahe Izadi speaks with reporter Kelly Kasulis Cho about how Labubus became the latest trend, and why these little toys have become a symbol of China’s developing economic strategy.Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

1 Sep 20min

Susan Monarez says she refused to restrict access to vaccines as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It wasn’t long until Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. decided she needed to go. Monarez’s firing led to the resignations of some of the CDC’s top scientists. It comes on the heels of President Donald Trump’s attempted firing of Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor. Now, Trump’s efforts to clamp down on traditionally independent agency officials could have major consequences for the nation’s economy and public health.Today on the weekly “Post Reports” politics roundtable, Colby Itkowitz sits down with White House reporter Dan Diamond and political reporter Dan Merica to discuss how the Trump administration’s recent moves will be felt by most Americans. Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh and mixed by Rennie Svirnovsky. It was edited by Laura Benshoff. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

29 Aug 25min

Taylor Swift and NFL player Travis Kelce announced their engagement Tuesday. Fans mobilized, groups chats lit up, and social media posts of Swifties celebrating went viral. “Post Reports” host Elahe Izadi speaks with pop culture reporter Emily Yahr about this announcement, why it was an unusual move for Swift, and what it could mean for Swift’s music career and business. Plus, we hear from personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary on whether a pre-nup is worth it. Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

28 Aug 26min

On Wednesday morning, students from Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis were in church for an all-school Mass when a shooter opened fire through the church windows. An 8-year-old and a 10-year-old from the private K-8 school were killed, and the shooter died after shooting himself. More than a dozen people were injured, and several remain in critical condition. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) addressed reporters in a moving news conference about the shooting: “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church. These are kids that should be learning with their friends. They should be playing on the playground. They should be able to go to school or church in peace, without the fear or risk of violence. And their parents should have the same kind of assurance.”Reporter Kim Bellware joins host Elahe Izadi to walk through what The Post has learned about the suspect and about how the tragic event fits into the nation’s history of gun violence. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff, Rennie Svirnovskiy and Thomas Lu. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Reena Flores and Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Reis Thebault,. Hannah Knowles, Colby Itkowitz, Elliot Smilowitz and Gina Harkins. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

27 Aug 22min

Late last week, President Donald Trump announced the federal government will now own 10 percent of the chipmaker Intel. The move is just one in a pattern of unprecedented deals the Trump administration has struck with tech companies, reshaping the relationship between the federal government and big business. Host Elahe Izadi talks with technology reporter Gerrit De Vynck about how the Intel deal happened, how it compares with past government bailouts and why some free-market conservatives are concerned that the deal signifies government overreach.Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh with help from Lucas Trevor. It was mixed by Sam Bair. And edited by Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Tom Simonite.Subscribe to The Washington Post here and take advantage of our Labor Day sale for a limited time.

26 Aug 22min

The Defense Department is outlining plans to send troops to Chicago as soon as September. These plans have been in the works for weeks – long before Trump’s declaration Friday that “it won’t even be tough” to send troops to the third-largest city in the U.S. Pentagon reporter Dan Lamothe uncovered the details of these military plans, which are part of Trump’s broader crackdown on American cities. Dan speaks with host Colby Itkowitz about what a troop deployment in Chicago could look like, what legal arguments the administration is making and what we can learn from the military’s presence in Los Angeles and D.C. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff, with help from Thomas Lu. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Reena Flores. Thanks to National Security Editor Andy deGrandpre.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

25 Aug 18min

Christopher Kinnison, 46, worked at his own one-man law firm in the central Louisiana city of Alexandria, putting him within a two-hour drive of the state’s nine ICE facilities, the highest number of any state other than Texas. Most of his clients were detainees, and his business cards promised “Fervent Representation for Uncertain Times,” because he knew how quickly immigration policy could change with every new administration. But nothing had prepared him for the change that began when President Donald Trump took office in January.Arrests were up in every part of the country compared with the year before. There were reports of people being detained by ICE at courthouses, farms, car washes, a meat production plant in Nebraska, an Italian restaurant in San Diego and outside a church in Oregon, sending the number of people in immigration detention to more than 56,000, well over the budgeted capacity of 41,500.One in every 8 of those detainees ended up in rural Louisiana, becoming some of the most hidden-away people in America. Every week, more calls came into the law office in Alexandria, and now it was half a year into Trump’s presidency, and Kinnison hadn’t been able to slow down long enough to process what his days at work were becoming.This story follows Kinnison in Louisiana as he counseled clients and triaged their immigration cases in this new reality. Ruby Cramer reported, wrote and narrated the piece. Bishop Sand composed music and produced audio.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

23 Aug 30min

This week, President Donald Trump claimed he’s ended six — or maybe even seven — wars. But his efforts to bring about peace in Ukraine, three years after Russia’s invasion, appear stalled.Guest host Cleve Wootson speaks with White House reporter Cat Zakrzewski and White House correspondent Michael Birnbaum about the latest in the negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, and they fact-check Trump’s peacemaking record. Plus, how Trump talks about the success of his federal takeover of the D.C. police force, and why the FBI is searching properties related to the former Trump national security adviser John Bolton.Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh. It was edited by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

22 Aug 28min