Last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued an order barring Harvard from enrolling foreign students, claiming that Harvard had created an unsafe environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault students on campus. The order said that students enrolled at Harvard must transfer schools or lose their legal status.A federal judge has blocked the effort for now, but thousands of international students are unsure if they will be able to return to Harvard in the fall. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with higher education reporter Danielle Douglas-Gabriel about why the Trump administration has put Harvard University in its crosshairs, and how the university is pushing back.You can read the Letter to the Editor co-written by three Harvard international students in The Washington Post’s Opinion section here. Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sean Carter. And edited by Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Alyssa Rosenberg and Chastity Pratt.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
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23:58
Could new laws make voting harder for married women?
Arizona, New Hampshire, Louisiana and Wyoming have all passed laws requiring voters to prove they are citizens. Texas has been considering one. But critics are raising alarm bells that such laws could make it harder for eligible citizens to vote – in particular, women who have changed their names after marriage or divorce.Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
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22:13
What to read this summer
Summer is the perfect time to dive into a new book, and the Post’s Book World section has compiled recommendations for every type of reader. Today, Book World editors Jacob Brogan and John Williams talk to host Elahe Izadi about the new releases and old titles they suggest digging into this summer. Here’s the list of books mentioned in today’s episode: “The Death and Life of August Sweeney” by Samuel Ashworth“Bleak House” by Charles Dickens“Mark Twain” by Ron Chernow“Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America” by Sam Tanenhaus“Is a River Alive?” by Robert MacFarlane“King of Ashes” by S.A. Cosby“Spent” by Alison Bechdel“Crush” by Ada Calhoun“The Book of Records” by Madeleine Thien“The Dry Season” by Melissa Febos“Sloppy” by Rax King“Flashlight” by Susan Choi“Second Life” by Amanda Hess“Mood Machine” by Liz PellyToday’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Lucas Trevor. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick, and mixed by Sean Carter.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
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24:11
The life of George Floyd, revisited
George Floyd’s murder sparked massive protests for racial justice around the country. There were calls for police reforms, reparations and closing the racial wealth gap.But five years later, it seems like the pendulum has swung back the other way. President Donald Trump is dismantling diversity and inclusion initiatives. And just this week, the Justice Department announced it was abandoning efforts to reshape law enforcement in cities where there have been high-profile killings by police officers.In light of all of this, we wanted to share a special episode of “Post Reports” from fall 2020. It’s called “The Life of George Floyd.” Martine Powers and our colleagues here at The Post looked at who George Floyd actually was — and what his story can tell us about being Black in the United States.Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon with help from Linah Mohammad. It was edited by Maggie Penman and Martine Powers. “George Floyd’s America” was reported by Arelis Hernández, Tracy Jan, Laura Meckler, Toluse Olorunnipa, Robert Samuels, Griff Witte and Cleve Wootson. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
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1:05:37
The Diddy trial: Kid Cudi, and ‘Mr. Combs's kingdom’
Federal prosecutors called a slew of witnesses this week to bolster their racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking case against Sean “Diddy” Combs. Many of them corroborated incidents that Combs’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura described in her testimony last week – but others added details that pushed against her narrative that he was controlling and coerced her into sex acts. And musician Kid Cudi took the stand to talk about the molotov cocktail he said was thrown into his Porsche. Style reporter Anne Branigin breaks down the key testimony from this week and how the trial is going for each side so far.Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Carla Spartos and Shayna Jacobs.Follow our coverage of the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Spotify here.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
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.