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A deadly risk factor in extreme heat: Schizophrenia Sep 08, 2023

Show notes

Last year, 425 people died of extreme heat in Phoenix. Stephan Goodwin was one of them. Today, why people who suffer from schizophrenia are more vulnerable to a hotter climate. And, what can be done to better protect them.

Climate change is warming the planet and breaking heat index records across the globe. For people with mental illness, scorching temperatures can be especially deadly. That was true for Stephan Goodwin, a 33-year-old man who spent his last moments of life in the sweltering heat in Phoenix last year. Goodwin had schizophrenia, an illness that is often characterized by hallucinations and paranoia. One study of heat wave deaths in British Columbia found that 8 percent of the people who had died in the heat had been diagnosed with schizophrenia — rendering it more dangerous, when combined with heat, than any other condition studied.

Climate reporter Shannon Osaka recently went to Phoenix to meet Goodwin’s mother, Darae Goodwin, and to better understand why people with this condition are so vulnerable to a hotter climate.

Shannon and guest host Rachel Siegel discuss how the physical, mental and social toll the disease takes can exacerbate an already dangerous situation, and what can be done to better protect this population.

The hidden toll of electric cars, Part 3 Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

The world is moving toward electric vehicles. In Part 3 of our series on the hidden toll of this historic transition, business reporter Evan Halper breaks down this industrial shift and the concerns it brings over human and environmental costs.

States such as California and New York are moving to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars over the next decade. Meanwhile, President Biden wants at least half of new car sales to be electric by 2030.

But the race to reduce our carbon footprint has hidden tolls. Workers in South Africa mining for manganese – an essential mineral for electric car batteries – are experiencing serious health problems. There are also geopolitical ramifications, with tensions in Afghanistan, where an untapped trove of lithium ore is beginning to garner interest from both the Taliban and Chinese prospectors.

Today on “Post Reports,” Halper tells us how regulators, advocates and companies are responding to growing concerns over electric vehicle manufacturing.

More from The Post’s bigger series, “Clean Cars, Hidden Toll”:

In the scramble for EV metals, a health threat to workers often goes unaddressed.

In the race for lithium, Afghanistan is of interest to the Taliban and Chinese prospectors.

To meet EV demand, industry turns to technology long-deemed hazardous.

Despite reforms, mining for EV metals in Congo exacts steep cost on workers.

On the frontier of new “gold rush,” the quest for coveted EV metals yields misery.

The underbelly of electric vehicles.

Minerals are crucial for electric cars and wind turbines. Some worry whether we have enough.

The hidden toll of electric cars, Part 2 Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

In today’s installment of our series on the hidden toll of electric vehicles, reporter Gerry Shih ventures into the mountains of Afghanistan to find out what happens when loads of untapped lithium – a key part of electric vehicles – trigger a cross-border “gold rush.”

“Waste kunzite” is what Afghan miners call the white rock that is all around them. It’s “waste” to them because they don’t have the capacity to extract it or sell it now. But around the world, this rock is extremely valuable. It contains lithium, an essential ingredient in the long-lasting battery within the floor of each electric vehicle.

The demand for lithium – and electric vehicles more broadly – is rising fast, while states such as California and New York move to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars over the next decade. President Biden is also pushing for electric vehicles to make up at least half of new car sales by 2030. Despite the real benefits of going electric, the sourcing of raw materials in electric vehicles carries serious human, environmental and geopolitical costs that are often overlooked by consumers, manufacturers and policymakers.

Today on “Post Reports,” we set out to unearth these tensions in Afghanistan, where an untapped trove of lithium ore is beginning to garner interest from both the Taliban and Chinese prospectors, who are looking to secure their grip on this sought-after global market.

“There's a lot of money to be made here and there's a lot of interest in this resource,” Shih tells “Post Reports.” “When we consider holistically the pros of this great shift towards EVs, we also have to look at some of the unintended consequences.”

More from The Post’s bigger series, “Clean Cars, Hidden Toll”:

In the scramble for EV metals, a health threat to workers often goes unaddressed.

To meet EV demand, industry turns to technology long deemed hazardous.

Despite reforms, mining for EV metals in Congo exacts steep cost on workers.

On the frontier of new “gold rush,” the quest for coveted EV metals yields misery.

The underbelly of electric vehicles.

Minerals are crucial for electric cars and wind turbines. Some worry whether we have enough.

The hidden toll of electric cars, Part 1 Sep 05, 2023

Show notes

As the demand for electric vehicles soars and more minerals are needed for production, manganese mine workers in South Africa are experiencing mysterious health problems.

While you may not have heard about manganese, it’s a key ingredient in making electric cars move. Minerals such as cobalt, lithium and manganese are used to manufacture electric and gas-powered vehicles. But electric cars typically require six times the mineral input of conventional vehicles.

The demand for manganese – and electric vehicles more broadly – is rising fast, while states such as California and New York move to ban the sale of gas-powered cars over the next decade. President Biden is also pushing for electric vehicles to make up at least half of new car sales by 2030. Despite the real benefits of going electric, the sourcing of raw materials in electric vehicles carries serious human, environmental and geopolitical costs that are often overlooked by consumers, manufacturers and policymakers.

Today on “Post Reports,” West Africa bureau chief Rachel Chason travels to South Africa to visit with manganese mine workers, many of whom experienced health problems over the years. Troubling symptoms that some workers discovered are probably linked to manganese poisoning.

More from The Post’s bigger series, “Clean Cars, Hidden Toll”:

In the scramble for EV metals, Afghanistan is of interest to the Taliban and Chinese prospectors

To meet EV demand, industry turns to technology long deemed hazardous.

Despite reforms, mining for EV metals in Congo exacts steep cost for workers.

On the frontier of new “gold rush,” quest for coveted EV metals yields misery.

The underbelly of electric vehicles.

Minerals are crucial for electric cars and wind turbines. Some worry whether we have enough.

A message from 'Post Reports' Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

‘Post Reports’ is taking this week off! We’ll be back with more news from The Washington Post after the Labor Day holiday.

Our podcast is taking a week off and coming back next Tuesday, Sept. 5. If you want to catch up on news, make sure to check out ‘The 7’ podcast, the morning news briefing from the Washington Post hosted by Jeff Pierre.

The unfinished work of the March on Washington Aug 25, 2023

Show notes

Sixty years ago, some 250,000 Americans arrived by bus, by train and on foot to participate in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Now, marchers and organizers reflect on the goals of that day — and the work that still needs to be done.

In 1963, the fight for civil rights reached a pivotal stage. Activist Medgar Evers was murdered, Alabama Gov. George Wallace called for “segregation forever,” and riots in Cambridge, Md., erupted into violence. A few years earlier, the murder of Emmett Till had shaken people across the country.

And on Aug. 28, thousands gathered on the National Mall to call for economic opportunity and something more mercurial — freedom. The march risked the civil rights movement’s viability at a crucial moment, when African Americans faced violent and deadly backlash from police and white supremacists for seeking voting protections and fair treatment in their own country.

The day became iconic — especially the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful speech. But organizers say there was so much more that went into that moment, from organizing buses through the segregated South to making sure microphones worked on the Mall. Washington Post reporter Clarence Williams and his colleagues gathered dozens of interviews with people who were there that day, reflecting on the minute details behind the historic moment, as well as the legacy of the march that became a model for how to demand change in United States.

What to know about covid-19 this fall Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

Today, what to know about covid boosters, the new variant and how to protect those most at risk this fall.

As summer comes to a close, many people have started to see a bump in covid-19 cases among their family and friends. A new variant causing an uptick in hospitalizations and other illnesses like the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are on the horizon.

Health reporter Fenit Nirappil discusses the latest on vaccine recommendations and how to protect ourselves and those most at risk.

What a month of disasters tells us about climate change Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

A tropical storm in Southern California. Wildfires in Maui. Record-breaking heat in the Midwest. Climate reporter Brianna Sacks unpacks this summer of extreme weather, and what public officials can do to better prepare for future disasters.

She explains why preparedness is key in vulnerable areas, and why places like California can sometimes get it right while others are still learning. Michelle Boorstein guest hosts.

A GOP debate without Trump Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

The first Republican primary debate for the 2024 election cycle is tomorrow night. Republican front-runner Donald Trump has indicated he will not be attending, leaving open the possibility for another candidate to take advantage of his absence.

To make it onto the debate stage, Republican candidates needed to meet strict polling requirements and have at least 40,000 individual donors. National polling puts former president Donald Trump in first place among his Republican opponents, with Ron Desantis in second. The Republican National Committee also required candidates to sign a “unity pledge” before the debate.

With the Iowa Caucuses about five months away, this is an opportunity for candidates to build national name recognition and add donors.

Maeve Reston is a national political reporter covering the 2024 election. She explains who is looking to take advantage of this early debate and why Trump will be missing from the stage.

A life-and-death fight to ban ‘forever chemicals’ Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

The kids at her school called it “cancer water.” There was even a group of them called the “cancer kids.” But when Amara developed a rare form of cancer at 15, the water — and the company contaminating it with chemicals — took center stage in the little time she had left.

Amara Strande lived in Minnesota, where her city’s water had been tainted with forever chemicals. After she developed a rare form of cancer at 15, Amara told lawmakers at the state capitol that she believed those chemicals were responsible.

PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because of their extreme durability: They don’t break down in the environment or degrade. And in the Minnesota community, they’re well known because of 3M, the manufacturing giant that had been dumping the chemicals into the water.

Weather and climate reporter Amudalat Ajasa tells us about the life and death of Amara Strande, and how Amara pushed the Minnesota legislature to ban the chemicals before her death.

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