Post Reports
1,462 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★ - 4.7K ratingsPost 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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Episodes
Four hours of insurrection
January 15, 2021 23:00Today, we reconstruct the riot inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 — hearing from the lawmakers, journalists and law enforcement officials who were there, and answering lingering questions about how things went so wrong. Read more: The four-hour insurrection: How a mob of Trump supporters tried to disrupt American democracy. Reporters Rebecca Tan, Marissa J. Lang, Rhonda Colvin, and photojournalist Bill O’Leary were all witnesses to the violence on Jan. 6. They share their harrowing accou...
A brief history of tear gas in America
January 14, 2021 23:00Tear gas is a chemical weapon banned in war. So why do police departments still use it on civilians in the United States? Producer Linah Mohammad and reporter Devlin Barrett examine the history of tear gas and the ethical questions about its use. Read more: Over the summer, tear gas was deployed to disperse peaceful protesters outside of St. John’s Church near the White House before President Trump posed with a Bible in front of the church, raising questions about the use of the chemical a...
Impeached, again
January 13, 2021 22:45President Trump is impeached by the House — again. And, inside a California hospital overwhelmed by the pandemic. Read more: On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump for the second time, on the charge of incitement of insurrection. This time, some Republicans supported the move, like Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). Reporter Mike DeBonis reports on what it was like to be there today. And while we’ve all been transfixed by the attack on the Capitol and its f...
Who’s in charge of the GOP?
January 12, 2021 22:00A widening rift in the Republican Party. What FBI officials knew about the siege of the Capitol, and when they knew it. And, why the February Vogue cover of Kamala Harris is causing a stir. Read more: Political reporter Michael Scherer explains how the Capitol riot is escalating a fight for the soul of the Republican Party, with pro-Trump conspiracy theorists on one side and the party establishment on the other. The Washington Post has learned that a day before rioters stormed Congress, ...
The insurrection planned in plain sight
January 11, 2021 22:05How tech companies are responding to the far-right extremism on their platforms. Why we should have seen the siege on the Capitol coming. And, a brief history of presidential pettiness. Read more: The planning for last week’s assault on the U.S. Capitol happened largely in plain view, with chatters in far-right forums explicitly discussing how to storm the building, handcuff lawmakers with zip ties, and disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s election. Those planners, however, are startin...
Trump’s ‘American Carnage’
January 08, 2021 22:05Trump’s promise for a smooth transition of power might be too late, amid growing calls to remove him from office. After the attack on the Capitol, lawmakers seemed to come together — but will that last with a 50-50 Senate? And an update from Georgia. Read more: White House bureau chief Phil Rucker brings us behind the scenes of a week when President Trump incited a mob of his supporters to attack the Capitol, and then, grudgingly, admitted his loss. With Democratic victories in Georgia’s...
What happens after an insurrection?
January 07, 2021 22:20The public fracturing of the Republican Party. Security failures at the Capitol. And, questions about why predominantly White rioters got kid-glove treatment from police. Read more: Lawmakers, rattled and angry, reconvened to certify election results after an angry pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. Seung Min Kim reports on the very public schism laid bare in the Republican Party. National security reporter Shane Harris on the massive failure of law enforcement to protect the buildi...
Two Americas collide
January 06, 2021 23:15The U.S. Capitol has been breached by a pro-Trump mob during the process of confirming Joe Biden’s vistory in the presidential election. Meanwhile, another election in Georgia is wrapping up — with control of the Senate hanging in the balance. Read more: A violent mob has breached the U.S. Capitol, halting a congressional count of electoral votes. Follow live updates here. Results from the Senate runoffs in Georgia signal a Democratic flip in the state, and in the Senate. National repor...
Can America’s vaccine rollout be fixed?
January 05, 2021 21:45Why the vaccine rollout has been slower than expected in the United States. And, the political theater of counting electoral college votes. Read more: Reporters Isaac Stanley-Becker and Brittany Shammas explain why state and local health systems are struggling to roll out coronavirus vaccines, and what that means for people hoping to sign up. On Wednesday, Joe Biden will be one step closer to the presidency. Rosalind S. Helderman reports on what to expect during the congressional countin...
‘I just want to find 11,780 votes’
January 04, 2021 22:50What President Trump’s pressure campaign to overturn his election defeat sounds like. And, a nursing home’s creative solution to physical isolation. Read more: Amy Gardner explains why Trump’s latest phone call to Georgia officials has legal scholars crying foul. And as the nation keeps a close eye on Georgia’s two U.S. Senate runoff elections, it’s a good time to revisit Post Reports’ deep dive into the real — and perceived — voter suppression in the state. And, after months of isolati...
Georgia on our minds
December 30, 2020 22:10As the dust settled after the November election, it became clear that the balance of power in Washington would all hinge on two Senate runoffs in Georgia. Whether President-elect Joe Biden will be able to accomplish major parts of his agenda, whether Congress will remain gridlocked, whether there will be single party rule or a still divided government -- it all comes down to Georgia. Attention, money and volunteers have poured into the state. But how much do we really understand about Geor...
Love, actually … isn’t all around
December 29, 2020 17:01A story of love and family — and deadlines. Read more: For Post Reports producer Linah Mohammad, moving back in with her parents to weather the pandemic in Texas seemed like a harmless idea. But then Mohammad, who is single, turned 25 — a milestone sometimes deemed “the cutoff age for eligibility” for Arab women to marry — and suddenly her parents’ involvement in her love life made things a lot more complicated. So she decided to do something she’d never done before: let her parents a...
Underwater during a pandemic
December 28, 2020 17:00In April, a massive dam failure in Midland, Mich., left an entire community underwater amid the pandemic. Jacob May saw the flood ravage his hometown and recorded an audio diary. This is Jacob’s story, and an update on how he’s doing now. Read more: Back in the spring, the producers of the Post podcast “All Told” put together a series of audio diaries, bringing listeners inside different people’s experiences of the pandemic. One of those diaries was from Jacob May. In late April, a dam in...
‘Presidential’: The story of Joe Biden
December 23, 2020 19:45We really thought we knew everything there is to know about Joe Biden. … But then we heard this episode of “Presidential” with Lillian Cunningham and the New Yorker’s Evan Osnos, and we learned so much that we wanted to share it with you here. We’re taking a couple days off for Christmas. We hope you are safe and cozy wherever you are, whether you celebrate or not. We’ll be back on Monday, Dec. 28, with more stories from The Washington Post. Read more: Find the “Presidential” podcast her...
London on lockdown
December 22, 2020 21:32A new mutation of the coronavirus is spreading in the U.K. — and causing chaos at certain ports of entry as Britain prepares to leave the European Union. Plus, the historic nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland to be interior secretary. Read more: The U.K. coronavirus mutation prompts more travel bans and major freight disruptions. The timing couldn’t be worse, London bureau chief Bill Booth says, as Britain prepares to leave the European Union. President-elect Joe Biden has picked Rep. Deb Haa...
Is $900 billion too little too late?
December 21, 2020 21:45What’s in the new stimulus package? The people stealing to survive during a pandemic. And a dispatch from America’s oldest Chinatown. Read more: Rachel Siegel explains what Congress included in the long-awaited stimulus deal — and what it left out. More people are shoplifting food during the pandemic, according to retailers, police departments and researchers around the country. Abha Bhattarai reports on the Americans struggling to survive covid-19’s harsh economic realities. Jada Ch...
The sensibility of Janet Yellen
December 18, 2020 21:00How president-elect Joe Biden has tapped Janet Yellen to be the first female treasury secretary. And the mall Santas making it work. Read more: Economist Janet L. Yellen has had many jobs, even in the White House. Now, she’s going to be the secretary of the Treasury Department — if confirmed — in Biden’s Cabinet. Economics correspondent Heather Long explains the significance of her nomination. And, this year, Santa performers are braving the pandemic with plexiglass, sanitation elves and...
From Russia, with malware
December 17, 2020 21:55What Russia hacked this time. Why America’s biggest companies are laying people off during a pandemic – while boasting record profits. And new coronavirus tests you can take at home. Read more: The U.S. government spent billions on a system for detecting hacks. The Russians outsmarted it, as national security reporter Ellen Nakashima explains. Some of America’s biggest companies have made a killing off the pandemic. But their record profits haven’t stopped them from laying off thousands ...
Get rich or vote trying
December 16, 2020 21:35How members of Congress vote to enrich themselves. Why Biden is pursuing an unconventional pick for defense secretary. And what happened when The Post’s food critic got covid-19. Read more: Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia aren’t alone in drawing scrutiny over their stock portfolios. Chris Ingraham dives into new research showing that lawmakers with stock holdings vote in ways that juice their portfolios. Dan Lamothe explains the controversy surrounding President-ele...
The vaccine is here. She got it first.
December 15, 2020 21:50Meet Sandra Lindsay, the first person to get a coronavirus vaccine in the United States. And a closer look at President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for secretary of state, Antony Blinken. Read more: The vaccine is now being administered in the United States as hospitals struggle to keep up with coronavirus patients. Science reporter Ben Guarino on why this New York critical care nurse got the country’s first coronavirus shot: “We were scared.” Biden has picked Antony Blinken to be secretary o...
Immigration under Trump
December 14, 2020 22:28Looking back at four years of Trump’s immigration policies. Plus, setting egg-spectations for Britain’s pubs under covid. Read more: In 2015, Donald Trump ran on the promise to overhaul immigration — a vow he made good on as soon as he was sworn in. Immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti takes us through all the steps President Trump took to change the U.S. immigration system, from banning travel from some Muslim-majority countries to separating families, and the potentially lasting change i...
Policing mental health crises
December 11, 2020 21:58What can go wrong when police are the ones responding to mental health crises. And grieving virtually during the pandemic. Read more: The final moments of Stacy Kenny’s life are captured on a recorded 911 call. Kenny, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, begs an emergency operator to explain why she’s been pulled over. The officers – Springfield Sgt. Rick A. Lewis and Officer Kraig Akins – smash the windows on her car. They Taser her twice, punch her in the face more tha...
A supply chain that could end the pandemic
December 10, 2020 22:20When the first coronavirus vaccine is approved for emergency use, officials across the country will embark on a finely orchestrated, high-stakes process to distribute and administer doses. Meet the people inside the supply chain that could end the pandemic. Read more: Once you have a vaccine, you have to get it to the masses. That’s the hard part. A vaccine manufacturer. A shipper. A state health official. A dry-ice guy. Host Martine Powers and producer Linah Mohammad take us inside the ...
Bridging the vaccine’s trust gap
December 09, 2020 21:10Can companies require employees to be vaccinated? What community leaders and health officials are doing to sell Black Americans on the coronavirus vaccine. And a second life for Halloween skeletons. Read more: Can your employer require you to get vaccinated? Reporter Jena McGregor breaks it down. Many Black Americans are not sold on the coronavirus vaccine, citing a long history of medical mistreatment and continuing inequities in modern-day health care as reasons not to trust the medica...
Biden’s unorthodox health team
December 08, 2020 21:50President-elect Joe Biden’s names his administration’s top health officials. The toll the pandemic has taken on nursing home employees. And an inauguration unlike any other. Read more: Health reporter Amy Goldstein examines the president-elect’s picks for top health officials, including the unorthodox choice of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on nursing home workers. “The pro...
Lame-duck executions
December 07, 2020 22:05Why the Justice Department is pushing executions before the inauguration. The secret centrist revolt that could mean a second stimulus. And, how a top official tasked with helping Americans through the pandemic could benefit from hundreds of evictions. Read more: Under the Trump administration, the Justice Department is pursuing several federal executions during a lame-duck period ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration. Reporter Matt Zapotosky explains. Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmak...
Lame duck executions
December 07, 2020 22:05Why the Justice Department is pushing executions before the inauguration. The secret centrist revolt that could mean a second stimulus. And, how a top official tasked with helping Americans through the pandemic could benefit from hundreds of evictions. Read more: Under the Trump administration, the Justice Department is pursuing several federal executions during a lame-duck period ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration. Reporter Matt Zapotosky explains. Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmak...
America’s deadliest serial killer
December 04, 2020 19:00Reporter Hannah Knowles reveals a portrait of a fragmented and indifferent criminal justice system that for decades allowed the country’s deadliest serial killer to target those on the margins of society. Read more: America’s deadliest serial killer went undetected for decades. Between 1970 and 2005, he claims to have killed at least 93 people — nearly all women, many who remain unidentified. For months, a team of reporters at The Post has been investigating Samuel Little’s killings —of p...
The battle between fear and boredom in El Paso
December 03, 2020 21:33Pandemic fatigue permeates even the cities hit hardest by the virus: In El Paso the death toll is staggering, but the community is struggling to come together to fight it. Plus, how a group advising the CDC is deciding who should get vaccines first. Read more: El Paso was still grieving when the coronavirus arrived. Now, death has overwhelmed it. Arelis Hernández says the city pulled together after 23 people were killed in an attack at a Walmart last year, but El Paso is now struggling to...
How to raise $170 million after an election
December 02, 2020 22:15How President Trump might use the $170 million he’s raised to challenge election results. Infighting muddies the future of the Democratic Party. And, how the pandemic has complicated shared custody agreements. Read more: November was one of the president’s most successful fundraising months. Michelle Ye Hee Lee explains how Trump raised more than $170 million using appeals about false election claims, and where that money could go. Democrats expected a blue wave this election cycle. It di...
Why was Iran’s top nuclear scientist killed?
December 01, 2020 21:45The debate is not whether Israel killed Iran’s top nuclear scientist, but why. How the “Q” conspiracy theory went from an American curiosity to a transnational mess. And, the people who have covid-19 symptoms for the long haul. Read more: In the hours after the brazen assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist, the question quickly shifted from “who” to “why.” Jerusalem bureau chief Steve Hendrix explains why Israel might have been motivated to strike now. Reporter Emily Rauhala expla...
Biden’s play-it-safe, history-making Cabinet
November 30, 2020 22:15What Joe Biden’s nominees and appointments can tell us about the incoming president’s administration. And, the former head of the CDC on what it will take to get coronavirus vaccines to the masses. Read more: National political reporter Annie Linskey on President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet picks — including economist Janet Yellen as the first female treasury secretary and an all-female communications team. Moderna is moving closer to getting the green light for its coronavirus vaccine. But...
The emotional toll of distance learning
November 25, 2020 16:00Education reporter Laura Meckler explores the impact of distance learning on young kids’ emotional health and behavior — and what families and caretakers can do to help make a difficult situation better. Read more: In March, school campuses across the United States began to shutter, forcing a nation of students home to pivot — seemingly overnight — to online learning. But left in the lurch are children, especially young children. After many districts decided to stay online during the fa...
Working moms are not okay
November 24, 2020 17:00Juggling careers and kids was already a struggle for millions of women in America. Then the pandemic hit. Ellen McCarthy reports on why working moms are leaving the labor force in droves – and what that could mean for the future of our country. Read more: When they met as students in Chicago, Vondetta Taylor and Jennifer Anderson were all aspiration. Taylor was training to be a chef. Anderson was working toward a career in broadcasting. And they both dreamed of starting their own families ...
The invisible public health crisis
November 23, 2020 14:00Health reporter William Wan examines one of the unseen effects of the pandemic on people’s lives — the emotional and psychological toll of all that’s happened. Read more: Almost a year into a pandemic, we’re all aware of what the coronavirus can do to our bodies. More than 250,000 Americans have died. Millions of people around the world are sick. But there are other, non-physical effects, too — the emotional and psychological toll of isolation, constant fear and loss, especially on young ...
The campaign to flip the election
November 20, 2020 20:15Will anyone stop the president’s attempts to overturn the election? Revisiting the iconic album documenting John Lennon’s last years. And, where tourists go for fake coronavirus test results. Read more: With most legal options exhausted, President Trump is now using the power of his office to overturn the election by claiming baseless allegations of voter fraud. White House bureau chief Philip Rucker reports on the president’s attempt to stay in office. National arts reporter Geoff Edgers...
Inauguration is 62 days away. What could go wrong?
November 19, 2020 21:00The votes have been (mostly) counted, and though Joe Biden is clearly the president-elect, there are still more steps and potential obstacles for that to become official. Plus, why more men are dying of covid-19. Read more: This week in Wayne County in Michigan, a drama has been unfolding over a procedural step that happens in every election: the certification of the vote. Trevor Potter of the Campaign Legal Center explains the process for Joe Biden to officially become the president --...
How we voted, and why
November 18, 2020 22:00A look at how key groups voted in this election: from Latinos in Texas and the women who went for President Trump to the Black voters who pushed President-elect Joe Biden across the finish line. Read more: Democrats lost ground with swing Latino voters in key states such as Florida and Texas. In the Rio Grande Valley, national reporter Arelis Hernandez says, the surprising support for Trump underscores the need for Democrats to cultivate deeper relationships with a diverse Latino populati...
A red wave of Republicans — and covid cases
November 17, 2020 21:00How Republicans are using election wins to justify their approach to the pandemic. The CDC’s latest on why you should wear a mask. And, the coronavirus response in Africa. Read more: GOP leaders flouted warnings from public health officials early on. National political reporter Griff Witte explains how Republicans are now pointing to election wins to justify their approach to the pandemic. Coronavirus cases are reaching record highs in the United States. “Every two seconds we get anothe...
The lame-duck economy
November 16, 2020 22:09With protections expiring and no stimulus deal in sight, Americans could be heading for even more economic pain. The national security costs of delaying the transition. And the promise of at-home coronavirus testing. Read more: Could we get another stimulus package during the lame-duck period? Jeff Stein reports on the political forces at work, and the potential costs of doing nothing. Experts are concerned that President Trump’s unwillingness to start a transition threatens the security...
The worst covid surge is just beginning
November 13, 2020 21:00The Midwest emerges as the latest hot spot for coronavirus, as daily cases across the U.S. breaks records. And the Democrats’ last hope to take control of the Senate comes down to Georgia. Read more: Coronavirus cases continue to surge in the U.S. Reporters Annie Gowen and William Wan take a look at where the cases are rising and why. Senior congressional correspondent and columnist Paul Kane joins the show to talk about the Democrats’ last hope to take the Senate in Georgia. Subscribe t...
What’s wrong with polling?
November 12, 2020 21:45Campaign strategists and the public were led to believe that Democrats were headed for a wave. Election results have told a different story, just as they did four years ago. And, the next steps for a promising coronavirus vaccine. Read more: Polls fell short again in 2020. Political reporter Michael Scherer discusses what that means for future elections. Carolyn Y. Johnson explains the next steps for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, which the company finds is 90 percent effective in early da...
Is this a coup?
November 11, 2020 21:15The quiet pessimism lurking inside the White House. How Joe Biden plans to tackle an “existential threat to humanity” – climate change. And how to reclaim your sense of time during this … time. Read more: White House reporter Josh Dawsey on what’s going on behind the bold claims from the president and his allies that he will stay for four more years. President-elect Joe Biden stands poised to launch the boldest climate change plan of any president in American history. Climate reporter...
These tweets may be harmful to your democracy
November 10, 2020 21:15Breaking down conspiracy theories over election fraud. The Republicans who won, even when Trump didn’t. And, a new leader in the box office. Read more: Tech reporter Drew Harwell reports on the conspiracy theories taking hold among Trump supporters and being bolstered by Republican lawmakers. The battle for control of the Senate is still up in the air. But, as Fix reporter Amber Phillips explains, Republican politicians who embrace Trump won big this election. As the U.S. struggles to...
New president, same pandemic
November 09, 2020 22:00President-elect Joe Biden prepares a transition to the White House — and readies a team to combat a surging pandemic. And for future leaders, the hope and promise of Kamala Harris. Read more: Joe Biden is projected to be the next president of the United States. But, as politics writer Matt Viser reports, the president-elect faces some Trump-sized roadblocks in his transition to the White House. Days after winning the election, Biden put forth a plan to slow the coronavirus. Health policy...
How does a man who hates losing prepare to lose?
November 06, 2020 21:35As key states flip for Joe Biden, the former vice president renews calls for patience. Meanwhile inside the White House, President Trump is by turns angry and despondent. But no matter what happens next, it’s clear: Trumpism is here to stay. Read more: As Joe Biden overtakes President Trump in key states, national political reporter Matt Viser says the Democrat’s campaign is urging calm and patience as ballots continue to be counted. On Thursday night, President Trump delivered an angry...
The divided states of America
November 05, 2020 22:23Why the Trump campaign is mounting legal challenges in swing states. What the election reveals about the urban-rural divide. And why Wall Street likes the sound of gridlock in Washington. Read more: Trump is mounting several legal battles over votes in key states. National political reporter Amy Gardner lays out the lawsuits to watch and what they could mean for the outcome of the election. As battleground states continue to count ballots, one clear picture emerges: a divided America. Wh...
The race to 270
November 04, 2020 22:16Battleground states continue counting ballots in races that are too close to call. And how Democrats failed to capture Latino voters in Florida. Read more: The presidential election is still too close to call. Aaron Blake lays out the states to watch in this quickly moving race, and explains each candidate’s potential path to victory. President Trump took a decisive and early win in Florida on election night. National enterprise reporter Jose Del Real explains how Trump successfully mobi...
It’s not over yet
November 04, 2020 10:30As the nation waits to find out the results of the election, we hear what it's like to report the news in this moment of uncertainty — with dispatches from political reporters and the editor who’s charged with deciding what goes on the front page. Read more: Buckle up folks. It’s gonna be a minute. Early Wednesday morning, President Trump falsely declared himself to have already won the election — a move that is far from surprising, according to White House reporter Toluse Olorunnipa. T...
The citizen’s guide to election night
November 03, 2020 22:00From Kenosha, Wis., to Greenville, N.C., voters are anxiously heading to the polls on the last day of the 2020 general election. How voters have navigated the process of casting a ballot this year. And what to watch for on this election night. Read more: As voters continue to line up at polling places across the country, Washington Post reporters are asking what’s keeping them in their lines and what’s giving them hope looking forward. “2020 is obviously one of the most hard-fought camp...