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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.

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Post Reports
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The ‘Caitlin Clark’ effect and the rise of the WNBA

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29:48

The WNBA playoffs are underway, capping a record-breaking season: The league added teams, games saw the highest attendance ever, and television viewership skyrocketed. Many credit rookie player Caitlin Clark for drawing fans to the league after millions tuned in to watch her and rival players compete in this year's college basketball championship. 

Host Elahe Izadi speaks with sports reporters Kareem Copeland and Ava Wallace about how the “Clark effect” has transformed the WNBA on and off the court.  

Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Mark Selig.

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How to make sense of political polls

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27:33
As Election Day looms, we’re seeing more and more headlines based on poll results. Some declare Trump and Harris neck and neck, while others state one candidate has a small advantage over the other. But how can we make sense of all these polls flooding the news cycle? Today,...

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The Campaign Moment: Walz vs. Vance

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25:02

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio faced off at what was expected to be the only vice presidential debate on Tuesday night. But it was much less dramatic than the presidential debates. 


Read more:


“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake about Walz’s stumbling performance, Vance’s efforts to soften his image on unpopular issues for the GOP, like abortion, and whether either performance could significantly impact the race. 

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here

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The devastation of Hurricane Helene

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32:15

Across the southeastern United States, Hurricane Helene destroyed houses, swept up cars and overflowed riverbanks. Now millions of people are without power and clean drinking water; more than 100 people are dead

“It's not really an overstatement to say there are towns that were there and are basically not there anymore,” environment and climate reporter Brady Dennis said. He’s been reporting from North Carolina, where many communities were not prepared for the disaster. On today’s show, Dennis describes the widespread destruction and relief efforts to host Elahe Izadi.

Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Reena Flores, with help from Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Scott Dance, Paulina Firozi and Katie Zezima.

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Inside Israel’s war strategy against Hezbollah

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29:19
For months, tensions between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah have increased, with the two sides exchanging cross-border attacks. Yet in recent weeks, Israel has ratcheted up its attacks in Lebanon, including the assassination of Hasan Nasrallah on Friday. The Shiite ...

Post Reports
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Deep Reads: A small town in Massachusetts grapples with a new shelter for immigrants

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34:36

Kevin Roche was recently elected to a small governing board in Norfolk, Mass. He had lived in the small town his whole life. Then Roche received the news Haitian migrants were going to be sheltered in Norfolk.

The state had opened new shelters in towns across Massachusetts, but none so big in a town so small.

This is the story of one town’s reckoning with the national immigration crisis — from inside the auto shop that Kevin operates, to the airport terminal where the migrant families were staying.

The story was written and read by Ruby Cramer. Audio production and original music by Bishop Sand.

Post Reports
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The Campaign Moment: The evolving battle for the Senate

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33:40

“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with Senate reporter Liz Goodwin about how Senate Democrats are feeling ahead of the November election. They also dig into the politics of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s indictment and preview what to expect in next week’s first – and likely only – vice presidential debate. 

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

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North Carolina, Democrats' elusive battleground

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30:22

In 2020, North Carolina was the one that got away for Democrats: Then candidate Joe Biden lost the state by the smallest margin in the presidential election. Now, with the election a little over a month away, Democrats and Republicans are kicking into overdrive, campaigning to win North Carolina, a newly competitive swing state.

Elahe Izadi speaks with political reporter Hannah Knowles about why Democrats now think they can win North Carolina and how the state could tip the balance of the election in November.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff, with help from Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Sean Sullivan. 

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Are Israel and Hezbollah on the cusp of all-out war?

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27:21
This week, Israel unleashed a wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon, against what it says are Hezbollah targets. At least 569 people have been killed in the attacks this week and more than 1,800 injured, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The ministry doesn’t distingui...

Post Reports
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The new Georgia rule that could cause election chaos

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28:01
Last Friday, Georgia’s state election board voted 3-2 to approve a new election rule: before vote totals can be reported, each precinct must confirm the total number of votes cast by three separate hand counts. The move was spearheaded by a pro-Trump majority who say that i...

Post Reports
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Should our snacks have warning labels?

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28:02
The FDA wants to propose putting labels on the front of food and drink packages in order to flag whether they are high in added sugar, saturated fat or sodium. The effort aims to help people make healthier choices and to address the nation’s exploding rates of diet-related d...

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The Campaign Moment: Trump’s security and a GOP problem in N.C.

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30:57

“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi and senior political reporter Aaron Blake chat with national political reporter Michael Scherer about all of this week’s political news. They also dig into how last week’s first – and perhaps only – debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump is shaping voters’ perceptions of the candidates.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here

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Exploding pager attacks in Lebanon, and fears of a wider war

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29:51
Thousands of people were injured across Lebanon this week in back-to-back explosions of electronic devices – pagers, mostly – used by the militant group Hezbollah.   Host Martine Powers speaks with Post correspondent Susannah George about what it’s like in Lebanon in th...

Post Reports
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Springfield, Ohio, and the impact of a racist smear

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34:18
In the past couple weeks, both former president Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), have pushed unfounded claims about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets in the small city of Springfield, Ohio. The story got its start with a viral Facebook post ...

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The charges against Sean 'Diddy' Combs

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23:13

Sean Combs was arrested Monday in New York, and today prosecutors unsealed the criminal indictment. The hip-hop impresario could face years in prison if found guilty. Meanwhile, Combs’s lawyers have called the persecution “unjust.” It all comes less than a year after the first public allegations against Combs emerged.

Today on “Post Reports,” Martine Powers speaks with Style reporter Anne Branigin about the indictment against Combs, what he’s accused of and what it could mean for the music mogul.

Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Emma Talkoff and Lucas Trevor. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Reena Flores, with help from Monica Campbell. Thanks to Avi Selk and Lindsey Underwood. 

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Another potential assassination attempt against Trump

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22:12

Today, what we know about a possible second assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump. And, what this latest threat of political violence could mean for his presidential campaign.


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Yesterday, Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested on the suspicion of possibly trying to assassinate former president Donald Trump. Today, Routh was charged with two gun-related crimes.

Host Martine Powers speaks with national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf about what happened at Trump’s West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course on Sunday. And we unpack the potential implications for the presidential campaign.

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Bishop Sand. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. 

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• The Washington Post

Need a confidence boost? 'Try This.'

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16:56

Affirmations help alleviate stress and can make you emotionally and mentally stronger. Host Cristina Quinn talks to clinical psychologist Natalie Dattilo-Ryan about what kinds of affirmations are most effective. She lays out an exercise to help get you started with identifying the right kinds of statements to shore up your sense of self. Next, we dive into research on affirmations and stress levels with Carnegie Mellon University psychology and neuroscience professor David Creswell. Creswell’s work reveals how affirmations can activate the brain's reward system.


For more on how to make affirmations work for you, read this from The Post’s Allyson Chiu.

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To hear more, check out “Try This” wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Should schools ban cellphones?

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29:01
As students return to school, more states and districts are cracking down on cellphones. But not everyone agrees. On “Post Reports,” we hear how things look on the frontlines of this battle. Read more: A few years ago, Jennifer Rosenzweig’s high school students gave her a...

Post Reports
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The Campaign Moment: Harris knocks Trump off balance

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28:03

Post Reports co-host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake about what each candidate needed to do in this debate to win over voters in an incredibly tight race. They also talk about whether a new endorsement from Taylor Swift could give Harris an edge.

Note: An initial version of this episode had an incorrect reference to Springfield, Illinois rather than Springfield, Ohio. The error has been fixed.

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon and Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here

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Debunking Trump’s claims about violent crime

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34:35
In preparation for Tuesday’s debate between Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, “Post Reports” fact-checks the former president’s claims about crime and immigration.  Read more: Crime is falling rapidly in many U.S. cities for the second year in a row. But...

Post Reports
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Should parents be charged in school shootings?

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29:00
Just 36 hours after his 14-year-old son was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of four people at Georgia’s Apalachee High School, Colin Gray was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Those are the most seriou...

Post Reports
• The Washington Post

The Campaign Moment: A presidential debate redo

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34:30

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with White House reporter and Kamala Harris expert Cleve Wootson about what Harris and Donald Trump need to do at next week’s debate. They also dig into Harris’s record fundraising numbers and how Harris hopes to help down ballot Democrats in key House and Senate races. 


Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here


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Recommended reading: 


How Democrats made Project 2025 one of their top anti-GOP attacks

A louder voice in fighting abortion bans: Men in red states

Biden is suddenly seeing his best polls in years

Post Reports
• The Washington Post

Running for Congress in a gerrymandered district

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32:02

What Michael B. Moore’s congressional race tells us about gerrymandering, and how a Supreme Court decision affects the future of American democracy.


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Businessman Michael B. Moore is running a surprising congressional campaign: He’s trying to win as a Democrat in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, a seat that is considered solidly Republican in this election cycle. While he won his primary race, it’s unlikely he’ll win the general election because of a recent Supreme Court decision on gerrymandering.

Host Martine Powers speaks with voting issues reporter Patrick Marley about Moore’s race, and what it can tell us about the impact of a conservative Supreme Court on American democracy.

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.

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Big Tech had Harris’s back. Will she return the favor?

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32:19
Vice President Kamala Harris has been supported by prominent technology executives since the beginning of her political career. She has maintained many of her Big Tech connections while also pushing tighter privacy policies,but she has left her stance on breaking up powerful...

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Why some disabled workers make $1 an hour

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40:47
At the Pathways to Independence program in Kearny, N.J., disabled workers sort clothing hangers and unload boxes through work contracted with outside companies. One of those workers is 33-year-old Jaime Muniz, who has been there for 11 years and whose paycheck recently avera...

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Why are songs getting shorter?

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18:43

When Szu Yu Chen, a graphics reporter at The Washington Post, was covering this year’s Grammy Awards, she couldn’t help but notice how many nominated songs came in under three minutes. The more she looked into it – analyzing Billboard charts and interviewing artists – the more she realized this was a real trend. Meanwhile, when “Post Reports” audio engineer Sean Carter was working in a recording studio in Atlanta, he kept observing a similar shift, too.  

Today, Carter guest hosts “Post Reports,” in conversation with Chen, exploring what’s driving this change in music, and what’s gained and lost as a result. 

Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon, edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Rennie Svirnovsky. 

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Deep Reads: An elite rock climber lost his vision, then found a way to climb blind

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24:34

Jesse Dufton was born with a condition in which the light-sensing cells of his retina gradually deteriorated. This did not stop him from climbing with his family – bouldering by age 2, securing his own ropes by 5. 

When Dufton went to public school and then university, he downplayed his vision problems as he became a better climber. Then he met Molly Thompson, who took note of his long hair that made him look like a mature student. 

The two grew closer and often climbed together. But even as the couple was falling in love, Dufton was losing all of his sight. Dufton and Thompson had to invent new ways of communicating to continue their love of climbing.  

This story was written and read by Kevin Sieff. Audio production and original music composition by Bishop Sand.

Post Reports
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The Campaign Moment: Harris’s big interview

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28:50

“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with White House reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb about Harris and Walz’s interview on CNN, new polling that shows continued Democratic enthusiasm, and an altercation between the Trump campaign and an employee at Arlington National Cemetery. 

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sean Carter. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here

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The promise and peril of ketamine

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27:34

Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, there has been a big uptick in the use of the powerful anesthetic ketamine to treat anxiety and depression. But after the death last year of actor Matthew Perry, star of the hit sitcom “Friends,” due in part to the effects of ketamine, doctors and government officials are reconsidering the drug’s widespread availability.

On today’s “Post Reports,” Elahe Izadi speaks with reporter Daniel Gilbert, who has been following the ketamine boom for years. They talk about how ketamine became so widely accessible and about the uncertain future of the drug. 

Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Emma Talkoff and Ali Bianco. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. 

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The Trump campaign, upended

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27:44
This is not the presidential race that former president Donald Trump prepared for. Today, we unpack the state of the Trump campaign, its struggles to adapt and its strategy to face a new opponent. Read more: This presidential race has taken several unexpected turns, especi...