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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.
Post Reports
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Post Reports
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Jason Rezaian knows the cost of free speech. He spent 544 days in an Iranian prison for simply being a journalist.
The world is witnessing the erosion of democratic values. The Freedom Desk video podcast is about what comes next in the global fight for free expression.
Every week, Jason talks to one leading voice about freedoms gained, freedoms lost, who's trying to take it from us, and how we take it back.
First episode is out now.
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Just over seven years ago, we launched this daily news podcast from The Washington Post.
Our goal was to bring you inside our newsroom, sharing our reporting with listeners to help make sense of what was happening in the world. We’ve published hundreds of episodes. We’ve covered elections, wars, a pandemic, tech revolutions, pop culture phenomena, scientific discoveries and more.
As of this week, The Post has decided to suspend "Post Reports."
It was a privilege to know that we got to spend time in your ears, as part of your day. To everybody who’s listened to this podcast and made it a part of your lives: We want to extend our deepest gratitude for the trust you’ve put in us.
Post Reports
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Post Reports
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In late January of last year, an American Eagle flight and a U.S. Army helicopter collided above the Potomac River, killing everyone aboard both aircraft. It was the deadliest flight disaster in the U.S. in decades.
A year later, families and first responders are reflecting on their enduring sorrow.
Local public safety reporter Emma Uber reads her story that recounts how loved ones left behind are processing the anniversary and finding solace in the keepsakes first-responders were able to recover after the crash.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Ten years ago this month, Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian was freed from Iran’s Evin prison. He and his wife, Yeganeh, had been arrested at their home in Tehran and falsely accused of espionage.
Since then, Rezaian has dedicated himself to advocating for press freedom, and now he’s the director of The Post’s press freedom initiatives.
On Thursday, before a live audience at The Post, host Elahe Izadi sat down with Rezaian and his wife to talk about their reflections 10 years after their wrongful imprisonment. They were joined by ambassador Brett McGurk. As a presidential envoy, McGurk was integral to Rezaian’s release. They also spoke about what’s happening in Iran today, the widespread protests, what the United States could do and what this could all mean for the future of Iran.
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Post Reports
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Post Reports
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Houses in the United States keep getting bigger, but the people in bigger houses aren’t necessarily happier. Bigger homes often come with higher costs and more maintenance and can pull people further away from the places and relationships that matter. For some, choosing a smaller home can actually make life feel easier, more connected and more satisfying.
Elahe Izadi speaks with climate coach Michael Coren about the joys that come with living in a smaller house and what to prioritize when deciding where to live.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Dennis Funk with help from Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Post Reports
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Today on the show, we explore the science behind why going outside is so good for us, even when it’s freezing.
If you’re interested in learning more about nature therapy, check out the Center for Nature Informed Therapy.
A psychologist says this exercise can make you more hopeful in 14 days: the Noticing Nature Intervention is straightforward, but its results might surprise you.
If you want more Optimistic stories in your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter. And if you’d like to hear more hopeful stories on the weekend on “Post Reports,” please send us an email: podcasts@washpost.com.
Today’s show was produced by Maggie Penman with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy who also mixed the show. It was edited by Allison Klein and Ariel Plotnick. Thank you to Sean Carter.
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Friendship is vital for our health and happiness, but we don’t always prioritize it. The Optimist’s Maggie Penman goes on a journey to make new friends and learn why so many of us are craving connection.
Today’s show was produced by Maggie Penman, with help from Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Allison Klein.
For more stories from The Optimist, subscribe to our newsletter. If you want to hear more stories like this on “Post Reports,” send Maggie an email at maggie.penman@washpost.com.
If you want to check out Billy Baker's book, it's called “We Need to Hang Out: A Memoir of Making Friends.”
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This week, the FBI raided the home of a Washington Post journalist, sparking First Amendment fears. At the same time, the Justice Department has opened an investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, drawing concerns from bigwigs on Wall Street and questions as to how the administration treats its perceived political enemies.
Colby speaks with Dan Merica, co-anchor of our politics newsletter The Early Brief, and Matt Viser, White House bureau chief, about President Donald Trump’s playbook for intimidating his critics, the chilling effects of his administration’s probes and why his coarse response to a heckling auto worker has drawn both criticism and praise.
Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu and Josh Carroll. It was edited by Martine Powers and mixed by Sean Carter.
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For years, President Donald Trump has complained about Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome H. Powell. He’s called him names, said he should be fired and has tried to pressure the Fed leader into lowering interest rates.
Trump’s feud against Powell escalated over the weekend, when Powell revealed that the Justice Department launched a criminal inquiry against him, alleging that Powell lied about the cost of renovations to the Federal Reserve buildings.
Host Elahe Izadi speaks to banking reporter Andrew Ackerman about what this probe could mean for Powell, the Fed and whether Trump’s consistent pressure on Powell could undermine America’s central bank forever.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Conflicting narratives of Renée Good’s killing in Minneapolis have quickly emerged – federal officials claim the ICE officer who shot her was acting in self-defense, while others believe her death was easily avoidable and that ICE’s tactics are overly aggressive.
Host Martine Powers speaks with immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti about how law enforcement officials are scrutinizing the shooting and what accountability in this case could look like.
Post Reports
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Post Reports
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Decades after a brazen art theft drove Merry White’s father to despair, federal agents closed in on the missing work. For White, the search is personal.
Read more:
Merry White is the daughter of a Harvard professor who was close friends with painter Jackson Pollock. White’s parents came to own several of the painter’s artworks, and one hung over White’s bed when she was a child. It was stolen in 1973, along with two other paintings by Pollock. The theft destroyed White’s father's peace of mind, and left White with complicated feelings.
On this weekend episode of “Post Reports,” art critic Sebastian Smee reconstructs the provenance and theft of these precious works of art. Audio production and original music by Bishop Sand, with help from Sean Carter.
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Post Reports
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Post Reports
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Go to sleep earlier. Read more books. Eat better. Exercise.
Changing our behavior is hard, but what if some simple – and dare we say fun – tricks could help us keep our resolutions for the new year?
From temptation bundling to buddying up, Optimist reporter Maggie Penman shares the science on how to make your New Year’s resolutions, whatever they are, stick in 2026. Plus, on the eve of national “Quitters Day,” we explore why making resolutions can actually be beneficial – even if you don’t stick to them perfectly.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Dennis Funk and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Allison Klein and Theresa Tamkins.
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Today we share one of our favorite episodes, from Optimist reporter Maggie Penman about the new science of aging, and a hopeful research finding that getting stronger and healthier in old age is possible for many of us – even after a health setback.
If you want to hear more stories like this, please let us know. You can reach the whole team at podcasts@washpost.com or email Maggie at maggie.penman@washpost.com.
Today’s episode was reported and produced by Maggie Penman. It was edited by Allison Klein and Ted Muldoon who also mixed the show.
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