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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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As the federal government shutdown stretches on, Republicans and Democrats are still far apart on a path to reopening. One major sticking point is the Democrats’ demand to include renewed health care subsidies for ACA marketplace enrollees as a part of any vote to end the shutdown.
Host Colby Itkowitz sits with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) to ask about how Republicans view that demand, how the politics of health care are playing in this moment, and the White House’s moves to fire federal workers during a shutdown.
Today’s show was produced by Josh Carroll, Laura Benshoff and Elana Gordon. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.
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For over a quarter-century, Tom Sietsema has eaten at and reviewed thousands of restaurants. Now, he’s hanging up his fork and knife. Today, we dip into our archives and bring you a delightful night out at a restaurant with The Post’s longtime beloved food critic. He talks about his love for the theater of dining out, and why he cares so much about guiding readers toward truly delicious food.
Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.
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A crop of Silicon Valley startups offers the hope of eradicating disease by testing embryos for genetic abnormalities and the potential for future illness. But those tests come with a high price tag and ethical questions about the use of predictive technology to decide who gets born – or not.
Host Elahe Ezadi speaks with Silicon Valley correspondent Elizabeth Dwoskin about the cutting-edge science driving fertility startups, what families who use them say, and how this trend fits into Silicon Valley’s obsession with hacking our health.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Arjun Singh. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sam Bair.
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The municipal animal shelter in Huntington, West Virginia, was euthanizing 50 to 75 percent of the animals that came in because they didn’t have the funding or space to care for them. Enter Courtney Proctor Cross. She was named director of the shelter in August 2018, and through hard work and fundraising she transformed the shelter into a place of hope.
This episode was produced by Ted Muldoon. The Optimist’s editor is Allison Klein.
If you want more stories from The Optimist, check out our newsletter. And let us know what you think of these stories on “Post Reports.” You can email me at maggie.penman@washpost.com or reach the whole team at podcasts@washpost.com.
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Tensions have been escalating in Chicago since the Trump administration began a widespread immigration enforcement operation across the city in early September. Officers have ransacked homes and detained children during raids. Local and state officials have loudly denounced the move and are pushing back against the effort, while residents have banded together to keep neighbors safe. But over the weekend a woman was shot by a Border Patrol agent, and after protests flared the president authorized National Guard troops to go into Illinois.
Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with reporter and Chicago resident Kim Bellware about what it’s felt like to be there and how the city has been responding.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson with help from Rennie Svirnovsky. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sean Carter.
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A single Q&A session with a large language model can consume more than a half-liter of fresh water to cool servers. Asking ChatGPT one question reportedly consumes 10 times as much electricity as a conventional Google search. And generating an image is equivalent to charging a smartphone.
Should we be worried about that?
Climate advice columnist Michael J. Coren doesn’t think so – or, at least, we shouldn’t lose sleep over it.
Today on “Post Reports,” he joins host Colby Itkowitz to dispel myths around AI’s energy consumption, explain how to use AI chatbots responsibly, and break down our other energy-intensive digital habits.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Ted Muldoon and Reena Flores, and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Marisa Bellack.
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After a two-month trial this summer, Sean “Diddy” Combs was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution – but acquitted on sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges.
Combs’s defense attorneys argued he should either get a new trial or be released in under two years, while the prosecution pushed for him to serve over a decade in prison. On Friday, the judge decided that he would spend 50 months in prison.
Host Elahe Izadi speaks with style reporter Anne Branigin about Combs’s appeal to the judge and how he is already starting his rebrand.
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson and Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.
Follow our coverage of the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Spotify here.
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In a cold muddy pond in Cape Cod, a group of self-proclaimed “old ladies” dives for garbage — and unexpectedly finds joy.
This is a story from The Optimist, The Washington Post’s section about the best of humanity. If you want more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter. If you love hearing these stories on “Post Reports,” please send us an email at podcasts@washpost.com. You can reach Maggie Penman directly at maggie.penman@washpost.com.
Today’s show was produced by Maggie Penman. It was edited and mixed by Ted Muldoon. Thank you to Allison Klein.
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Democrats are making a gamble that voting against a Republican plan to fund the government will be worth the pain of the current shutdown.
New Jersey’s senior Democratic senator Cory Booker voted against a similar Republican plan to fund the government back in March. And he's been one of the most visible critics of the second Trump administration in the Senate.
Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Booker about the stakes of the current government shutdown, how long it could go on, and why he says Democrats must “do something” to try to reduce looming hikes in health care costs or risk further alienating their base.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Josh Carroll, with help from Zoe Cummings. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair.
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The effects of the government shutdown – which started early Wednesday morning – are already being felt. Some national parks are closed, federal job training is suspended, and large swaths of the federal workforce have been furloughed. One major debate led to the shutdown: a fundamental disagreement over health care policy.
Today on Post Reports, national health reporter Paige Winfield Cunningham joins host Elahe Izadi to break down the ins and outs of the health care policy fight that Democrats used to force a government shutdown.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. with help from Lucas Trevor. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Fenit Nirappil.
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The request for five stars — from airport parking lots, orthopedists or even your local liquor store — seems to be filling our inboxes more and more every single day. But do our reviews and ratings even matter?
Host Elahe Izadi chats with feature reporter Ashley Fetters Maloy about review culture, how our feedback can transform businesses big and small, and why our ratings are reshaping our relationship to companies and ourselves. So, if you’ve read this far, make sure to listen to our show then rate and review it wherever you get your podcasts.
Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu with help from Peter Bresnan and Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Sean Carter. And edited by Ted Muldoon with help from Maggie Penman.
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In fan fiction, nothing is off limits. Writers create stories about popular media like “Twilight,” while others envision romantic relationships between world leaders. Until recently, this type of fiction wasn’t taken seriously by the publishing world. But now, major deals are being made — like a reportedly seven-figure movie rights deal paid for a book that began as Harry Potter fan fiction.
Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with lifestyle reporter and fan fiction reader Rachel Kurzius about what distinguishes fan fiction and why the genre has become so appealing.
Today’s episode was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Peter Bresnan, and mixed by Sam Bair.
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