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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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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.
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President Donald Trump has had a busy week. The House passed a legislative package containing much of his agenda early Thursday morning after Trump met with factions of the House GOP earlier this week.
Congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor walks through how overnight negotiations led to the bill’s passage. And Colby Itkowitz talks with The Post’s White House bureau chief Matt Viser and White House reporter Emily Davies about what they make of Trump’s role in getting his “big, beautiful bill” through the House.
They also make sense of Trump’s Oval Office confrontation with the president of South Africa on Wednesday and talk through former president Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Just days before his inauguration, President Donald Trump launched his own meme coin, a novelty cryptocurrency. Since then, the Trump Organization has made millions of dollars off its sale and has invited the top investors to a private dinner, set to happen later this week.
Technology reporter Drew Harwell talks to Post Reports co-host Colby Itkowitz about how Trump got involved in cryptocurrency and the foreign investors buying access to Trump via his meme coin.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Lucas Trevor. It was mixed by Sam Bair, and edited by Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Shawn Boburg.
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Before she decided to sue the Trump administration, Emily Ley’s image wasn’t political. She makes high-end planners and has a new cookbook with easy recipes for busy parents. But she manufactures her planners in China and says Trump’s tariffs make her business model untenable.
“One minute I was talking about how to make an easy pot roast, and the next minute we’re talking about an international trade war,” Ley said.
Today on the show White House reporter Cat Zakrzewski explains the case Ley is making.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, who also contributed reporting. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sean Carter. Thank you to Mike Semel and Annah Aschbrenner.
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The world can seem like a really scary place right now. Many of us look around and see wars, climate change, economic uncertainty and a lot of overwhelming things we can’t control. So today we’re going to share a conversation about fear.
Elahe Izadi spoke to Tara Brach, a therapist with a PhD in clinical psychology who has also spent years studying Buddhism and mindfulness. She teaches meditation, and she’s written several books including one called “Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha.”
If you’re interested in learning more about her work or accessing her podcast and meditations, you can find that here.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff and mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Maggie Penman.
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There are plenty of ethical and security questions surrounding the Trump administration’s plan to accept a gift of an airplane from Qatar.
Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with White House reporters Cleve R. Wootson Jr. and Natalie Allison about the proposal, and what it says about Trump’s evolving foreign policy in the Middle East.
Also, how the temporary trade deal between the U.S. and China came together.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff with help from Reena Flores. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair.
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The idea of a car that drives itself might feel futuristic. But for an increasing number of Americans, that future is already here. Waymo and other companies have announced plans to expand in cities across the U.S.
And the Trump administration has signaled that it wants to pave the way for autonomous vehicle companies to expand. Last month, it loosened rules around driverless cars.
Martine Powers talks with Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler and reporter Lisa Bonos about what it's like to live in a city full of driverless cars – and what you should know before getting in one.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Why President Donald Trump’s messaging has shifted from economic prosperity to austerity.
Will voters tolerate economic pain from Trump’s tariffs?
Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Post’s senior political correspondent Naftali Bendavid and White House correspondent Michael Birnbaum about Trump’s inconsistent messaging on the economy and foreign policy this week. Beyond tariffs, they discuss how foreign leaders are responding to Trump on Ukraine and immigration.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Sean Sullivan and mixed by Sam Bair.
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Cardinals will gather on Wednesday for the highly secretive process of choosing a new pope, following the death of Pope Francis in late April.
In the film “Conclave,” Ralph Fiennes plays a Catholic cardinal presiding over the election of a new pope. In real life, that task falls to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a possible front-runner among papal candidates at this week’s conclave at the Vatican.
But how accurately does the Oscar-nominated “Conclave” match an actual conclave — the process of electing a pope that will begin May 7?
Today on “Post Reports,” style reporter Shane O’Neill joins host Colby Itkowitz to parse fact from fiction.
Today’s episode was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Ariel Plotnick and Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Carla Spartos.
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Since February, thousands have attended political rallies helmed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), deemed the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. Political events with crowds like this don’t have much precedent outside of a presidential campaign. But Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are hoping to harness anger over the policies of the second Trump administration to push the Democratic Party to support their progressive policies.
Host Colby Itkowitz travels to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to speak with rallygoers and to sit down with Sanders for an interview.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff with help from Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.
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President Donald Trump’s second term started with a record-breaking pace of executive actions. Today, senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with White House reporter Natalie Allison and national reporter Maeve Reston about Trump’s 100-day record and how the American public feels about some of his signature actions so far. They also discuss Trump’s decision to switch out national security adviser Michael Waltz, and some early and very different recent maneuvers from some ambitious Democrats who could lead the party into the 2028 election – including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Laura Benshoff.
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On May 2, the United States will start charging import fees, also known as tariffs, on small-dollar shipments from China. Those fees fundamentally alter the business model of companies like Shein and Temu, which ship low-cost goods and garments directly from factories in China to consumers.
Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Washington Post fashion critic Rachel Tashjian to understand what these changes will mean for shoppers and gets advice for how to shop for better quality clothes on any budget.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair.
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and border czar Tom Homan held a briefing Monday to tout the Trump administration’s record on immigration. There, reporters asked about the recent deportation of three U.S. citizen children.
According to recent polls, Trump is increasingly losing support for his hard-line approach to immigration enforcement. Co-host Colby Itkowitz talks to White House reporter Marianne LeVine about what the first 100 days of Trump’s immigration policies add up to – and what we could expect next.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman and Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thank you to Christine Armario.
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Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Washington Post’s chief correspondent covering national politics, Dan Balz, and national security reporter Abigail Hauslohner about new reporting this week about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth’s continued use of Signal, an unclassified messaging app, to share highly sensitive information has roiled the agency he oversees. They also unpack new polling that shows warning signs for Trump: public support for his legally dubious immigration policies have turned negative.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Since Trump unleashed Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service on the federal government, Post reporter Hannah Natanson has been deluged with messages from hundreds of federal workers. They fear for their jobs and are worried about the damage DOGE could do to crucial programs as it tries to make massive spending cuts across the government.
Colby Itkowitz speaks with Hannah about what it has been like to be on the receiving end of these messages, what federal workers are most concerned about, and what DOGE may look like now that Elon Musk is stepping back from leading the initiative.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Peter Bresnan.
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América Platt was detained at Prairieland – an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Alvarado, Texas. She spent four sleepless nights on the floor because there weren’t enough beds. She had her period when she arrived, and a fever from an ear infection – but she said it took hours to access medical care or even a sanitary pad.
“You’re stripped from your humanity,” she told investigative reporter Doug MacMillan.
Today, producer Laura Benshoff speaks with Doug about the conditions in overcrowded ICE detention centers.
This episode was produced by Ariel Plotnick and edited by Maggie Penman. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Evelyn Larrubia.
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