Post Reports

• Deep Reads: His wife was dying, his federal job crumbling. It tested his faith — in God and Trump.

  In the spring, Edward Brandon Becham was caring for his dying wife. He was also among hundreds of thousands of federal workers weighing whether to abandon public service. Donald Trump had taken office vowing to slash the federal bureaucracy, then entrusted the task to billionaire Elon Musk and a newly created cost-cutting team called the Department of Government Efficiency. In a matter of months, Musk and his U.S. DOGE Service wiped out hundreds of thousands of jobs, billions of dollars in spending and the job security that once distinguished government work.Of America’s 2.4 million federal workers, nearly 4 in 10 registered to vote had, like Becham, cast ballots for Trump, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll. But as the days passed, Becham was becoming convinced that the Trump administration’s treatment of government employees — large-scale firings, emails he saw as harassing and strict return-to-office mandates — was wrongheaded and cruel. If he was unable to resign, Brandon would be required to report to a federal building in Las Vegas more than 70 miles away. Round-trip, it would cost him three hours a day with his three children, for whom he would soon be the only parent and sole provider.Becham felt as though he was witnessing two painful deaths: his wife’s, of course, but also that of his career. In his darkest moments, Brandon turned to his Bible — and next to it, his leather-bound diary.This story follows Becham and his family for a week as he navigated his feelings about his wife, family, his career and Trump.Hannah Natanson reported and narrated the piece. Bishop Sand composed music and produced audio.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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• Trump calls affordability a "hoax"; Democrats take note

  In the first year of his second term, President Donald Trump has focused his attention on foreign policy and made numerous trips abroad – with an eye toward the Nobel Peace Prize. But as he discusses peace deals with foreign leaders, his ratings domestically have fallen. Critics say that he isn’t doing enough to ease American’s economic concerns. So, this week, Trump returned his attention stateside and kicked off his affordability tour in Pennsylvania, while simultaneously branding “affordability” as a democratic “hoax.”Today on the politics roundtable, we discuss why Trump’s tour signals the administration’s concerns about the politics of affordability, and how some Democrats could use this as a way to gain an edge during the 2026 midterms. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Dan Merica, the co-anchor of our politics newsletter, The Early Brief, and White House Bureau Chief Matt Viser. Today's episode was produced by Josh Carroll and Thomas Lu. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Reena Flores. Thanks also to our Politics editors. Subscribe to The Washington Post here. Watch this episode on YouTube here.

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• The biggest shift yet in U.S. vaccine policy

  The U.S. is in the midst of its biggest overhaul yet to childhood vaccinations, and it is already impacting how families are thinking about immunizing their children. President Donald Trump recently directed a review of the longstanding childhood vaccine schedule. And just last week, an influential vaccine panel recommended dropping the universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns, even though medical associations said they lacked evidence and data to support the change. Today on “Post Reports,” national health reporter Lena Sun breaks down the implications of dropping the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, and how, if the change is approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it could affect children’s health nationwide. Then, host Martine Powers speaks with Dr. Nola Jean Ernest about how a growing skepticism toward vaccines is affecting her practice and how she is managing to make the case to patients in the Wiregrass region of Alabama that vaccines matter.Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to editor Fenit Nirappil. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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• The battle for Warner Bros.

  The historic movie and television company now known as Warner Bros. Discovery is in high demand. Last week, Netflix announced it would buy some of the company’s most valuable media portfolio for $83 billion. But Paramount Skydance then launched a hostile bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery mere days later.Host Martine Powers speaks with media reporter Scott Nover about why these major media companies want Warner Bros., what a deal could mean for how we watch TV and movies, and how President Donald Trump could become involved in the negotiations.Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to James Graff.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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• Should Germany ban its far-right party?

  To many Americans, the idea of banning a party that has support from a significant portion of voters might seem undemocratic. But Germany, guided by its determination to avoid a repeat of Nazism, included a provision in its post-World War II constitution to allow banning parties that aim to subvert the constitutional order.Now, as Germany’s far-right party – Alternative for Germany (AfD) – surges in popularity, the country is in a heated debate over whether to ban it. “Post Reports” producer and reporter Emma Talkoff speaks with host Colby Itkowitz about how Germany is wrestling with the question of how to fight political extremism.Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Aaron Weiner and David Herszenhorn. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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