How Trump’s Epstein woes nearly derailed his spending cuts
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.
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What happened at Camp Mystic
Since the devastating flooding over the Fourth of July weekend in Texas, Washington Post journalists have been piecing together what went wrong at Camp Mystic. The floods were especially deadly for the camp, and our colleagues found that many of the things that made the Christian girls camp beloved for generations also made it vulnerable. The camp sits at the confluence of the South Fork Guadalupe River and Cypress Creek. Many of its cabins were built in high-risk flood zones. In 2013, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved appeals from Camp Mystic to exempt several structures from a flood zone designation, according to federal records.Today on “Post Reports,” correspondent Annie Gowen talks us through what we know about what happened at Camp Mystic.Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Read more about the victims here.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
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Trump's grudge against the Fed's Jerome Powell
Firing Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, has long been on President Donald Trump’s wish list. Despite nominating Powell to run the country’s central bank in his first term, Trump might be gearing up to fire Powell at any moment. Ousting Powell could add to an already precarious economic situation, fueled in part by Trump’s large cuts to the federal workforce and threat of tariffs against major trading partners. Today on “Post Reports,” host Colby Itkowitz sits down with reporter Andrew Ackerman, who covers the Federal Reserve, financial regulation and consumer financial protection for The Post. Today’s episode was produced by Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval and edited by Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Jen Liberto.
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Trump’s “Epstein files” problem
Jeffrey Epstein, a well-connected financier, was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 following his arrest on child sex-trafficking charges. The circumstances around his death, which was ruled a suicide by hanging, and crimes have spurred fringe conspiracy theories, mostly on the far right. Some believe Epstein was actually killed as part of a cover-up; they also believe the “deep state” is hiding information about Epstein’s rich and powerful friends, who they say could also be implicated on sex trafficking chargesTrump did nothing to tamp down his base’s Epstein fixation during his reelection campaign. He even hinted he might release secret government documents that his supporters hoped would validate their conspiracy theories. But the Department of Justice said recently that there’s nothing more to reveal. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with White House reporter Natalie Allison about how Trump’s conflicting messages about Epstein are unsettling his base and causing strife within his administration.Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Thomas Lu. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick with help from Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
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Inside ex-Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro's fight to stay out of prison
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is in a moment of reckoning. In January 2023, after his election loss, thousands of his supporters attacked the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and the Congress as they protested an electoral defeat that Bolsonaro had baselessly attributed to electoral fraud. Now Bolsonaro is awaiting a criminal trial before the country’s Supreme Court for allegedly plotting to kill his rivals and stay in power. Bolsonaro is barred from running for office until 2030, and he could very well go to prison for decades. Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in on Bolsonaro’s situation. He called the trial a “WITCH HUNT” on social media and in a letter to Brazilian leaders when announcing a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods.Reporters Terrence McCoy and Marina Dias, who are based in Brazil, got a rare window into Bolsonaro’s thinking and his desire for a Trump intervention during a visit to his office this past spring. Today on the podcast, host Elahe Izadi sits down with McCoy and Dias, to learn what their visit revealed about Bolsonaro, about Latin America’s largest democracy and about the United States. Today’s episode was produced by Elana Gordon with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Jesse Mesner-Hage.
Post Reports is the daily podcast from The Washington Post. Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you’ve come to expect from the newsroom of The Post, for your ears. Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi are your hosts, asking the questions you didn’t know you wanted answered. Published weekdays around 5 p.m. Eastern time.
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