When President Donald Trump took office in January, 2.4 million people worked for the federal government. It was America’s largest employer.

Four months later, Trump — and Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service — have hacked off chunks of government in the name of efficiency, with tactics rarely seen in public or private industry: Some federal workers have found themselves fired, rehired, then let go again. Many have been ridiculed as “lazy” and “corrupt.” They’ve been locked out of offices by police, fired for political “disloyalty,” and told to check their email to see if they still draw a paycheck.

More than 30 former and current federal workers told The Washington Post that the chaos and mass firings had left them feeling devalued, demoralized and scared for themselves and the country. Many described problems they’d never experienced before: insomnia, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts. Others with a history of mental struggles said they’d found themselves pushed into terrifying territory.

Today on “Post Reports,” host Colby Itkowitz speaks with investigative reporter William Wan about the administration’s immense toll on federal workers’ mental health. We hear from the husband of Caitlin Cross-Barnet, a public health worker who died by suicide in March. And, in the second half of the episode, Wan reflects on years spent covering the nation’s mental health crisis for The Post.

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Sean Carter, and edited by Maggie Penman.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also reach a crisis counselor by messaging the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Contact William Wan at william.wan@washpost.com or (202) 725-2121 on Signal.

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As the government has built its case against Sean “Diddy” Combs over the past few weeks, they have called witnesses to build out the story around an incident that many are familiar with – the violent 2016 encounter at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. A video of it was first released by CNN last year, and depicts Combs dragging and kicking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway. Witnesses, including former hotel security employees, have alleged that Combs and his employees attempted to cover up the incident through a $100,000 payoff.

This week, another one of Combs’s alleged victims, “Jane,” took the stand and began delivering harrowing testimony about encounters she had with him and male escorts – similar to what Ventura alleged she experienced. She’s testifying under a pseudonym. Style reporter Anne Branigin explains how this anonymous testimony works and how the 2016 hotel incident ties into many of the government’s charges.

Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Carla Spartos.

Follow our coverage of the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Spotify here.

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Today on the podcast, host Colby Itkowitz speaks with two veteran political reporters: co-anchor of the Early Brief newsletter Dan Merica and national breaking news reporter Patrick Svitek.

They talk about the public split between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump – and other news out of the White House, including a new travel ban. Plus, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst doubles down on a flippant comment about Medicaid cuts as Republicans struggle to defend Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.

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