Deep Reads: Abandoned by Trump, a farmer and a migrant search for a better future

In October 2023, Junior turned 49. That’s the same age his dad was in 2001, when, before the last turn on the last lap of the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s car bumped into Sterling Marlin’s, sending the iconic No. 3 careening into the wall at 160 mph.Reporter Kent Babb was studying journalism in college in 2002 when his grandmother called. “They think he’s gone,” she said, referring to Babb’s father. His father’s heart had become enlarged, and while he was painting a house one day, it just stopped. His dad was 51. Babb is 43 now, and since the day his dad died, there has been something unsettling to him about the idea of turning 51. This is common among people who’ve lost a parent young, or what is called an “off-time” death. Psychologists suggest these feelings of anxiety and fear, alongside a gradually intensifying urge to learn about your bloodline, are like a final stage of grief. And it’s one that most people, and in particular men, rarely talk about or explore.Babb wanted to talk about it, preferably with someone who understood. And though he never took to NASCAR, Babb knew he and Junior belonged to the same unfortunate club. Babb wondered if he thought about it, if he dreaded turning 49, how he was coping as he approached the age his daddy was.So, before his birthday in 2023, Babb asked if Earnhardt Jr. would be open to talking. He said yes.This story traces Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s relationship with his father and who he has become after his father’s death.Kent Babb reported, wrote and narrated the piece. Bishop Sand composed music and produced audio for the piece.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

26 Juli 51min

Is President Donald Trump losing control of his MAGA base? Despite his best efforts, congressional Republicans continued to pressure him to release files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

25 Juli 23min

Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on earth. They carry diseases, including malaria, which killed more than half a million people in 2023, according to the World Health Organization. Now, we may have a way to fight back. Scientists have developed gene editing technology that renders female mosquitoes infertile, which could lead to a total collapse of certain malaria-carrying mosquito species. Would a world without these mosquitoes have unintended side effects? And should humans be allowed to kill off an entire species?Climate and wildlife reporter Dino Grandoni explains the exciting science and fraught ethics of being able to eliminate mosquitoes. Today’s show was produced by Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval. It was edited by Elana Gordon with help from Ariel Plotnick and Maggie Penman. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Marisa Bellack. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

24 Juli 16min

For years, conservatives have criticized American universities for being too woke, too liberal, and too focused on DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. These critiques were reignited when students on college campuses around the nation began holding pro-Palestinian protests as a response to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. Under both the Biden and Trump administrations, these protests prompted concerns over increased antisemitic sentiments.Now, under the Trump administration, an internal government group, the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, has been created to address these concerns. Supporters of the task force say that it will help protect Jewish students and make campuses safer for them. Opponents say antisemitism is just a pretext used for pushing a more conservative agenda on U.S. universities.Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with education reporter Laura Meckler about The Post’s investigation into the Trump administration’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, and how this group could fundamentally change the way universities are run in the United States.Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson with help from Thomas Lu. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

23 Juli 25min

KYUK is the oldest Native American-owned radio station in the country. It broadcasts morning newscasts in both English and Yup'ik, the local Indigenous language, to 56 remote communities in Southwest Alaska. When there’s a weather emergency or even just a local basketball game, these communities turn to KYUK for information. But soon, that could all change. Late last week, Congress passed a rescissions bill that claws back the money set aside for public broadcasting for the next two years. For KYUK, this money represents close to 70 percent of its entire budget. Without it, the station could go dark. Host Elahe Izadi speaks with KYUK’s interim general manager, Kristin Hall, about what the loss of public media funding could mean for her community. Later, Elahe speaks with media reporter Scott Nover about how after decades of talking about defunding public media, Republicans finally made it happen. Today’s episode was produced by Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

22 Juli 25min

Over the weekend, South Korea announced it would end private adoptions in the country. This comes after an investigation found human rights abuses by international adoption agencies. Some babies had been taken without their birth parents’ knowledge or consent. Records were falsified. Identities were swapped. Babies were stolen.Host Elahe Izadi speaks with Seoul-based reporter Kelly Kasulis Cho about how adoption fraud occurred for decades in South Korea. We also hear from a man who is now on a quest to find his biological family. Today’s show was produced by Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Sam Bair. Thanks to Bart Schaneman.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

21 Juli 25min

At the height of its influence, American Vogue set the standard for taste and fashion. Now, after nearly 40 years at its helm, Editor in Chief Anna Wintour is stepping down.This announcement coincides with a fast-changing media landscape in which glossy magazines and top editors may no longer be the go-to source for fashion trends and inspiration. Today on “Post Reports” fashion critic Rachel Tashjian chats with Colby Itkowitz about Wintour’s influence and whether fashion tastemakers still work at traditional magazines. Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

19 Juli 20min

Congress passed a rescissions package early Friday. The package formally withdraws funding for foreign aid, as well as for public television and radio stations. But debate stretched into the night on Thursday, as unrest over the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case continued to roil the GOP.While the bill passed along largely partisan lines, the saga illustrates the heat some Republicans are facing after the recent Justice Department decision to withhold the “Epstein files” from the public. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Post congressional reporters Liz Goodwin and Marianna Sotomayor about the controversy over the rescissions package and why the Epstein scandal remains a sticking point for lawmakers.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.

18 Juli 22min