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The brief, chaotic tenure of Speaker Kevin McCarthy Oct 04, 2023

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The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to remove Kevin MCarthy as speaker after just nine months on the job. Today, how things got so bad between McCarthy and the GOP’s far-right wing, and what his historic ouster means for Congress.

On Tuesday, eight House Republicans joined Democrats in an unprecedented vote to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker. McCarthy lost his job despite having the support of most Republican lawmakers. With the government potentially running out of money in a little more than a month, House Republicans are scrambling to present a suitable nominee for speaker.

Washington Post Live’s Leigh Ann Caldwell explains how the relationship between McCarthy and far-right Republicans deteriorated, and what comes next for the House as it braces for another possible shutdown.

Why the U.S. government is suing Amazon Oct 03, 2023

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Is Amazon an illegal monopoly? The Federal Trade Commission is arguing yes — and it’s taking that argument to court. We take a look at what’s behind the FTC’s lawsuit against Amazon and the implications for your everyday online shopping experience.

The lawsuit tech policy nerds like Cat Zakrzewski have been waiting for is finally here. Last week, the Federal Trade Commission filed a landmark antitrust suit against the online retail giant Amazon. And the consequences for the future of online shopping could be enormous.

Zakrzewski, a tech reporter for The Post, explains the ins and outs of the FTC’s argument, how Amazon might fight back, and what’s behind the latest Biden administration push to crack down on Silicon Valley.

Life in the pink motel, a year after Hurricane Ian Oct 02, 2023

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El Rancho Motel in North Fort Myers, Fla., has become a lifeline for survivors of the storm. But one year later, its residents are desperate to move on.

It’s been just over a year since Hurricane Ian wrought havoc on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The storm killed at least 150 people directly or indirectly and caused $112 billion in damage — the costliest storm in the state’s history. There has been major progress — billions spent on rebuilding. But an unknown number of people are still displaced, because neither the state nor federal government has been keeping close track of them.

Disaster after disaster, federal and state governments have struggled to find housing for scores of people with nowhere else to go. So across the nation, budget motels such as El Rancho in North Fort Myers have become a refuge for disaster survivors.

Climate reporter Brianna Sacks has visited El Rancho repeatedly over the past year to see how its tenants are trying to rebuild their lives. Today on “Post Reports,” she brings us the story of one family for whom the motel has become a lifeline. And she explains why they desperately want to move out.

Dianne Feinstein’s big legacy – and empty Senate seat Sep 29, 2023

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Senate stalwart Dianne Feinstein died Thursday at the age of 90. Today, we talk about her legacy — and the existential crisis for Democrats that comes with her vacant Senate seat.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, centrist stalwart of the U.S. Senate, died Thursday. At age 90, she was the chamber’s oldest sitting member and its longest-serving woman.

Although the question of her fitness to serve received increasing scrutiny after she was hospitalized in February, Feinstein worked in politics for more than 50 years. She started in local politics in her home city of San Francisco and eventually became the city’s mayor. Then, in 1992, Feinstein became the first woman elected to the Senate from the state of California.

Today, senior congressional correspondent Paul Kane discusses the late senator’s life, legacy and the big question on the minds of many on Capitol Hill: What will happen to her vacant Senate seat?

A previous version of this episode incorrectly stated, upon second reference, the year in which San Francisco's mayor and city supervisor Harvey Milk were killed. It was November of 1978, not 1979. The audio has been updated to remove the error.

The saga of Sen. Bob Menendez Sep 28, 2023

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Stacks of cash, a Mercedes-Benz convertible and arms sales to Egypt – they’re all in the details of the federal indictment against Sen. Bob Menendez. This week, the New Jersey Democrat pleaded not guilty. So what’s next for the embattled senator?

The indictments against Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife are stunning, with investigators finding envelopes filled with cash and gold bars in the senator’s home. It is considered one of the more serious political corruption cases involving a U.S. senator. It is also not the first indictment involving Menendez, who faces a reelection campaign.

Issac Stanley-Becker, a national investigative reporter for The Post, breaks down the case against Menendez, how his previous corruption trial ended in a hung jury, and why this new indictment matters for the Democratic Party.

What a government shutdown could mean for you Sep 27, 2023

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As the U.S. government moves closer to a shutdown, we hear what that means for the economy, federal workers and families across the country.

Congress must agree to a short-term funding bill before an Oct. 1 shutdown, which could interrupt paychecks for many federal workers and military service members. Basic government services could also hang in the balance, from food safety inspections and child-care funds to aid for long-term disaster recovery. Already, FEMA has delayed billions of dollars in funding for future natural disasters in the event of a shutdown.

The Post’s Tony Romm explains why we are heading toward this impasse on federal funding, once again, and how a lengthy shutdown could test the U.S. economy.

A son reported his dad for Jan 6. Can the family heal? Sep 26, 2023

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Their dad is in prison for his actions on Jan. 6. Their brother was the one who turned him in. Their mom moved to D.C. to support “political prisoners” in the D.C. jail. Sarah and Peyton Reffitt are caught in the middle. Can this family reconcile?

On Christmas Eve 2020, Guy Reffitt sent a text to his family group chat. He was furious about the outcome of the 2020 election — which he believed was stolen from former President Donald Trump. “Too many lines have been crossed,” he wrote. “Too many years this happened. We are about to rise up the way the Constitution was written.”

That’s when his son, Jackson Reffitt, went to his room and filed a tip to the FBI.

Roughly 15 percent of the more than 1,100 people charged for their actions on Jan. 6, 2021, were turned in by family members, friends or acquaintances. The Reffitts are one of those families, shattered by the insurrection and its aftermath. Now, they’re trying to put the pieces back together.

Today on “Post Reports,” listen to the Reffitts as they try to work through everything that’s happened in their family — and in the country — over the past few years.

The child-care crisis is about to get worse Sep 25, 2023

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A record $24 billion in pandemic investments has been propping up the nation’s child-care industry. Now, as that money runs out, parents and day-care centers are bracing for disruptions — and the economy is bracing for the ripple effects.

Even in the best of times, juggling work and child care can be a struggle. But as pandemic-era funding for child care dries up, an estimated 70,000 child-care centers are expected to close, leaving parents with even fewer — and less-affordable — options.

“A lot of the resilience and the strength that we've seen in the economy in the last few years has been because of the strong labor market – because people are going back to work, and especially women and mothers in particular are really returning to the workforce at record levels,” economic correspondent Abha Bhattarai explains. “So there is a very real fear that as childcare becomes more difficult to access, more expensive to access, those women may be pushed out of the workforce.”

Deep Reads: A young mother’s disappearance Sep 23, 2023

Show notes

The jury had been brought in for a murder trial. It was a homicide with no body, a case that had been first classified as a missing person instead of a death. There had been no confession. No blood. No weapon. No witnesses. The alleged murder had gone unsolved for more than a decade, and onlookers had wondered, not unreasonably, whether it was simply unsolvable.

The question at hand was whether, 13 years ago, a man named Isaac Moye had murdered a woman named Unique Harris. The trial was an attempt to bring an ending, at last, to a mystery that had tortured her family and baffled strangers, including Washington Post reporter Monica Hesse, who had followed the case from the very beginning. By the end of the trial, Monica realized she’d understood the whole case wrong.

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This story is part of a new collection of occasional bonus episodes you’ll be hearing from “Post Reports.” We’re calling these stories “Deep Reads,” and they’re part of The Post’s commitment to immersive and narrative journalism.

Today’s story was written by Monica Hesse and read by Adrienne Walker for Noa: News Over Audio, an app offering curated audio articles.

What the Hollywood strikes mean for fall TV Sep 22, 2023

Show notes

Strikes by Hollywood actors and entertainment writers are in full-swing, making this an unusual fall, television-wise. We’re looking at the impact on the coming season of television and the future of the industry.

A Hollywood strike marches on, but that has not stopped the production of new shows altogether. The Post’s television critic Lili Loofbourow discusses some of the most hotly anticipated shows, including new series such as “The Other Black Girl,” “The Changeling” and “A Murder at the End of the World.” Then Lili breaks down what impact the Hollywood strike could have beyond the fall.

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