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
The scandals of Shein's fast-fashion empire
July 20, 2023 21:15Beyond Shein’s uber cheap clothes, the fast-fashion retailer from China has been involved in numerous scandals, including claims of human rights abuses. Even if you’ve never done a Shein haul, it’s time to get to know the massive company. Read more: A few weeks ago, a handful of influencers went on a paid brand trip for the fast-fashion company Shein. Known for its persistent TikTok ads and clothing haul videos, Shein showed off a factory where some of its clothes are made. Most influencer...
Get ready for a historic World Cup
July 19, 2023 22:21The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off on July 20. Get up to speed on why this is a historic tournament in women’s soccer. Read more: We’re doing something a little different today. Our resident sports experts are taking over the mics. Join sports columnists Candace Buckner and Sally Jenkins as they prepare us for the women’s World Cup with The Post’s soccer reporter Steven Goff. They’ll discuss the players and teams to watch out for and if the U.S. women's national team can pull off the ...
Hollywood’s existential crisis
July 18, 2023 22:24Hollywood is facing a crisis. Almost every writer and actor is on strike against major studios, halting production. Massive protests have taken over LA and New York. Today, we unpack the upheaval that will change Hollywood forever. Read more: Hollywood is going through an existential crisis. In a historic double strike, nearly every performer and writer in the industry is on strike against major studios for the first time in more than 60 years. In an era of artificial intelligence and s...
The hidden truth about Red Cross lifeguards
July 17, 2023 22:01The Red Cross’s lifeguard certification program is considered the gold standard in water safety, but an investigation into the nonprofit reveals alleged gaps in its oversight of lifeguard training. Read more: In 2019, Doug Forbes and his wife left their 6-year-old daughter, Roxie, at Summerkids Camp, an idyllic day camp in the Los Angeles area. Less than an hour later, they got a phone call from the camp director. Roxie was being transported to a nearby hospital. The next day, Roxie was p...
Deep Reads: A gay couple ran a restaurant in peace. Then new neighbors arrived.
July 15, 2023 21:00 - 24.5 MBIn the tiny town of Plains, Va., the conservative Christian neighbors of the gay-owned Front Porch Market and Grill have been working to shut down the restaurant. It's a story of ideological differences, accusations of harassment and the monopolizing of town resources. This story is the second in a collection of occasional weekend bonus episodes you’ll be hearing from “Post Reports.” We’re calling these stories “Deep Reads” and they’re part of The Post’s commitment to immersive and narrativ...
How to hate your printer a little bit less
July 14, 2023 21:14Decades after we were first promised a “paperless office,” nearly half of Americans still own a printer. But most aren’t happy with them, and that might be by design. Read more: The Washington Post’s Help Desk is here to discuss all things printers. Tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler rounds up a series of investigations he and his colleagues conducted into most people’s least favorite piece of personal tech. Many people still need to print shipping labels, school projects, legal documents an...
How hundreds of migrants drowned on Greece’s watch
July 13, 2023 22:22On June 14, a ship with as many as 750 migrants aboard from countries including Pakistan and Syria sank off the Greek coast. Hundreds of people died. We hear about what happened and about a Post investigation that suggests this was a preventable tragedy. Read more: Today on “Post Reports,” we hear the story of one of the deadliest migrant tragedies in recent history, when an overpacked ship sank in one of the deepest points of the Mediterranean Sea. Louisa Loveluck, The Post’s Baghdad b...
Inside a critical moment for NATO
July 12, 2023 22:05 - 20.7 MBToday on “Post Reports,” we head to Lithuania, host of a pivotal NATO summit this week. Plenty is at stake, including the possible expansion of NATO and the biggest question of all: how to support Ukraine while keeping it outside of the alliance. Read more: As tensions build between the West and Russia, world leaders met in Lithuania this week for the annual NATO summit. The Post’s Brussels bureau chief, Emily Rauhala, brings us her reporting from the meeting and breaks down how the Biden ...
Saudi Arabia’s quest to take over pro golf
July 11, 2023 20:59 - 18.7 MBIt was a deal that stunned the world: The PGA will merge with LIV Golf, a rival league funded by the Saudi Arabian government. But many are unhappy, including members of Congress investigating it. Read more: For decades, the PGA Tour was the dominant organization in professional golf. Then the government of Saudi Arabia funded the creation of a new league, LIV Golf. Backed by millions in Saudi funding, LIV managed to attract several high-profile players, despite concerns about partnering w...
Nikki Haley and the Confederate flag
July 10, 2023 21:29GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley often depicts her removal of the Confederate flag from South Carolina’s State House as her key move to take on the history of enslavement. Today on “Post Reports,” we hear how that chapter is more complex than portrayed. Read more: As she runs for the GOP presidential nomination, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley often portrays her decision to remove the Confederate flag from the State House grounds as the culmination of her work to move Sou...
Deep Reads: Bitter rivals. Beloved friends. Survivors.
July 08, 2023 21:00 - 50.8 MBThis is the first bonus installment of "Deep Reads," the best of The Post's narrative journalism. It's a story about two tennis stars, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who turned a rivalry into an enduring friendship – and cancer support system. Read more: Tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova became friends as teenagers but then split apart as each rose to No. 1 in the world. But they grew back together as they forged one of the greatest rivalries in sports and embarked ...
A mind-bending discovery about our universe
July 07, 2023 21:36Compared to the chaos of Earth, outer space can seem serene. But, thanks to a recent discovery, we now know that the very fabric of the cosmos is being pushed and pulled by gravitational waves — waves powerful enough to distort space-time. Read more: Victoria Jaggard is a deputy health and science editor at The Post. She reported on the breakthrough research proving the existence of a gravitational wave background. Now, we know that low-frequency gravitational waves from objects such as ...
Field Trip: Glacier National Park
July 06, 2023 21:24Today on “Post Reports,” we join The Post’s Lillian Cunningham on her journey through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s most awe-inspiring places: the national parks. Next stop? Glacier. Read more: All 63 national parks sit on Indigenous ancestral lands. They’re places Native Americans called home for thousands of years. But for more than 100 years, these places have also been public lands, intended to benefit all Americans. Sometimes that puts Native American tribes and th...
Field Trip: Yosemite National Park
July 05, 2023 21:16Today on “Post Reports,” we join The Post’s Lillian Cunningham on her journey through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s most awe-inspiring places: the national parks. First stop? Yosemite. Read more: California’s Sierra Nevada is home to a very special kind of tree, found nowhere else on Earth: the giant sequoia. For thousands of years, these towering trees withstood the trials of the world around them, including wildfire. Low-intensity fires frequently swept through groves ...
The future of college without affirmative action
June 30, 2023 21:48 - 23.5 MBOn Thursday, the Supreme Court restricted race-based affirmative action policies, changing the landscape of higher education in the United States. Today, we look at what this decision means for college admissions and beyond. Read more: A decision this summer on the future of affirmative action was one of the most anticipated cases on the Supreme Court’s docket. In a 6-3 decision Thursday, the court overturned decades of precedent by restricting affirmative action policies. They declared t...
Your summer movie bucket list
June 29, 2023 22:05“Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” “Mission Impossible 7” – the list goes on. Today we’re reviewing the movies you shouldn’t miss this summer. Plus, a closer look at Hollywood and the state of the movie industry. Read more: Summer movie season is upon us. The Washington Post’s movie critic Ann Hornaday and pop culture reporter Sonia Rao sit down with us to make sense of which movies to watch in theaters this summer. They break down which action movies are poised to be blockbusters, which under-the...
A president, his son, and his political woes
June 28, 2023 21:32President Biden’s son Hunter pleaded guilty to two minor tax crimes, and though President Biden wasn’t implicated, it could pose a problem for him as he ramps up his reelection campaign. Read more: Last week, President Biden’s son Hunter Biden reached an agreement to plead guilty to two minor tax crimes as part of a deal struck with federal prosecutors. It’s just the latest in a series of scandals surrounding Hunter and his relationship with his father. For years, critics of President Bi...
The conservative doctors upending trans rights
June 27, 2023 21:32The American College of Pediatricians has promoted views on abortion and transgender care that have been rejected by the medical establishment. But their views are still shaping conservative laws restricting abortion and trans rights across the country. How does a small group such as the American College of Pediatricians gain such an outsized influence in conservative statehouses? Lauren Weber is The Washington Post’s health and science accountability reporter focused on the forces behind...
What comes after the Wagner rebellion in Russia
June 26, 2023 23:13Today, we explain why an armed revolt in Russia, led by the Wagner mercenary group, represents one of the biggest challenges to Vladimir Putin’s 23 years of rule. Read more: A fast-moving crisis unfolded in Russia over the weekend: A group of mercenary soldiers, known as the Wagner Group, marched toward Moscow, getting within 120 miles of Russia’s capital before abruptly turning back. Although the rebellion was short-lived, it raises serious questions about Vladimir Putin’s grip on Russia...
Listen to this: It’s good for your health
June 23, 2023 21:24On today’s episode of “Post Reports,” we talk about the benefit of hearing birdsongs for our well-being. Read more: Looking to improve your mental health? Pay attention to birds. Two studies published last year in Scientific Reports said that seeing or hearing birds could be good for our mental well-being. Today on “Post Reports,” neuroscientist and Brain Matters columnist Richard Sima explains.
The lawless deep sea
June 22, 2023 23:16The Coast Guard said Thursday that the missing submersible suffered a catastrophic loss of pressure that killed all five people onboard. Today on “Post Reports,” we talk about the unregulated industry of deep-sea tourism. Read more: The Coast Guard said Thursday that debris was found near the search area for Titan, OceanGate Expeditions’s lost Titanic submersible. All crew members have died. Post reporter Ben Brasch says that many on shore are wondering whether stricter regulations could...
The barista who fought Starbucks
June 21, 2023 21:48Lexie Rizzo took on Starbucks. Now she’s out of a job. Today, a look at the U.S. labor laws that are supposed to protect workers who are organizing unions. Read more: People describe Lexi Rizzo as a “coffee person.” She loves drinking coffee, talking about coffee. And she loved her job at Starbucks. She worked there for nearly eight years, until she got fired in March. Rizzo believes she was fired for being a union organizer. Rizzo joined the unionization efforts in 2021, when her Starbuc...
Why a once-banned world leader is getting a state dinner
June 20, 2023 22:19This week, President Biden will honor Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a state dinner. Today on “Post Reports,” New Delhi bureau chief Gerry Shih explains why Biden is rolling out the red carpet for the controversial world leader. Read more: President Biden will welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House this week with a lavish state dinner, a reception that is rarely offered to world leaders. And especially not to leaders like Modi, who was once denied a visa t...
Introducing “Field Trip”
June 19, 2023 16:00 - 3.17 MBJourney through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s national parks. The Washington Post’s Lillian Cunningham ventures off the marked trail to better understand the most urgent stories playing out in five iconic landscapes today. “Field Trip” is a new podcast series that will transport you to five national parks: Yosemite, Everglades, Glacier, White Sands and Gates of the Arctic. Coming on June 28th. Follow the show wherever you listen.
Love, leather and fighting the next mpox outbreak
June 16, 2023 21:32Come for the leather kink, stay for the lifesaving health care outreach. Today on “Post Reports,” health reporter Fenit Nirappil embeds on the front lines of preventing the next mpox outbreak at International Mr. Leather in Chicago. Read more: How do you fight a potential outbreak after the health emergency has ended? Chicago has been witnessing early signs of a new mpox outbreak, formerly known as monkeypox. The lesser-known virus emerged last summer, on the heels of the coronavirus pan...
The eyes holding courts accountable
June 15, 2023 20:28While people have been watching former president Donald Trump’s second indictment, others in the nation are watching everyday bail hearings. They’re a volunteer army of court watchers, and even Grammy-winning artist Fiona Apple says she is one. Read more: There have been many eyes on the justice system whenever people are arrested or first come in contact with police. But who looks out for people once they enter the justice system? Cue court watchers. They’re a national set of volunteers ...
Who’s who in the Trump documents case
June 14, 2023 21:41Today on “Post Reports,” we catch up on the cast of characters in the Trump documents case: from his aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta to special counsel Jack Smith to the Trump-appointed judge, Aileen Cannon. Read more: Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges that he broke the law dozens of times by keeping and hiding top-secret documents in his Florida home — the first hearing in a historic court case that could alter the country’s political and legal landscape. Today ...
A Supreme Court surprise on voting rights
June 13, 2023 20:24In the midst of other big news last week, you may have missed the surprising Supreme Court decision in support of voting rights in Alabama. Today, we break down the case that redraws Alabama’s congressional map. Read more: It seemed almost predictable that the three liberal justices on the Supreme Court would side with civil rights groups in the latest case on voting rights in Alabama. But when Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Brett Kavanaugh, two conservatives, sided with the liberal j...
Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive
June 12, 2023 21:55A much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia is underway. But as Samantha Schmidt reports from the beleaguered city of Kherson, a push for liberation from Russian occupation is just the beginning. Read more: A much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia is underway. There are signs of small gains for Ukrainian troops, but wins will be difficult as a long battle appears ahead. Today on “Post Reports,” foreign correspondent Samantha Schmidt explains what is ...
United States v. Trump
June 09, 2023 21:52Former president Donald Trump has been indicted for a second time. Now, he’s being charged with obstruction and conspiracy in connection with classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate, which could mean years in prison if he’s found guilty. Read more: For the second time in two months, former president Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican frontrunner, has been indicted. As the first former president to face federal criminal charges, Trump has been charged with 37 counts, including i...
Unhealthy air everywhere
June 08, 2023 20:54Today, we break down what’s happening with the Canadian wildfires, the smoke enveloping parts of the United States, and what you can do to protect yourself. Read more: While the United States has grown accustomed to increasingly devastating wildfires ravaging the West Coast, the country is facing a new challenge: intense wildfire smoke hitting the East Coast from fires burning through Canadian forests. This week, the smoke has blanketed the East Coast corridor and is spreading to the Midw...
Uncovering modern slavery in D.C.’s suburbs
June 07, 2023 21:29How a reclusive heiress’s past in suburban D.C. sparked a true-crime sensation in Brazil — and a national reckoning over modern-day slavery and the status of household servants. Read more: Margarida Bonetti was a mysterious figure in São Paulo, Brazil, for more than two decades. She was often seen walking her dogs (Ebony and Ivory) through the streets of the Higienópolis neighborhood or peeking through the stained-glass windows of her crumbling mansion — her face covered in a layer of whi...
What you need to know about the GOP presidential race
June 06, 2023 23:00We’re more than a year away from the 2024 presidential election and there are already 12 republican candidates. The question, as it’s been since 2016: Can anyone beat Trump? Read more: Michael Scherer is a national political reporter for The Post. He says even though 2024 is a ways away, this is still a pivotal time. Large donors are figuring out who to back and candidates are trying to make themselves stand out in a crowded field. Scherer will tell you all you need to know at this poin...
A hitchhiker's guide to Washington’s new abnormal
June 05, 2023 21:42What happens when the “sideshow characters” of national politics are suddenly thrust onto the main stage? And in a post-Donald Trump Washington, where are they now? Read more: Ben Terris has spent years covering politics via the people on the fringe: operatives who aren’t well known but are key to understanding how Washington works. When a former reality TV show host became president, suddenly some of those political oddballs were running things. Terris’s book, “The Big Break: The Gamble...
Lonely? You're not alone.
June 02, 2023 15:46Today, a conversation with Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on how loneliness is posing a profound public health threat in the United States. Read more: Vivek Murthy, surgeon general of the United States, says loneliness is a serious threat to the mental and physical health of the nation. Studies show half of U.S. adults experience loneliness, and the consequences can be devastating; from a greater risk of depression and anxiety, to heart disease, stroke and dementia. In an advisory issued ...
The debt deal nobody likes
June 01, 2023 21:19The United States won’t default on its debt payments, that’s the good news. The bad news? A lot of Democrats and Republicans are unhappy with the agreement that President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy crafted. Yet, both men say the deal represents a win for their respective parties. So, who actually got what they wanted out of this deal? Rachel Siegel joins us to explain. Read more: Here’s what’s in the debt ceiling bill The new SNAP work requirements in the debt bill, explained
How Erdogan won after a close call in Turkey
May 31, 2023 23:11Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won reelection, beating a challenge from a united opposition movement and cementing his tenure at the country’s helm into a third decade. Read more: Erdogan’s victory affirmed his political survival and his support among loyal supporters, many of them conservative Muslims. Turkey’s overseas allies, including the United States, must now navigate their relationship with Erdogan and his relations with international actors, including Russia. Istanbu...
The toll of DeSantis’s election police unit
May 30, 2023 21:17Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis created an election police unit to crack down on voter fraud. But actual convictions by this unit are rare — and the toll on Florida’s voters is climbing higher. Read more: In its first nine months, the Office of Election Crimes and Security referred hundreds of alleged illegal voting cases to local law enforcement for possible charges — but few resulted in any arrests. Lori Rozsa covers Florida for The Washington Post. She explains why DeSantis wants more money...
Reinventing the Disney princess business
May 26, 2023 21:57“The Little Mermaid” has debuted with Halle Bailey playing the titular character, Ariel. Culture reporter Helena Andrews-Dyer shares why this movie matters to Black girls, especially, and what Disney is doing with its successful intellectual property. Read more: The Washington Post’s culture reporter Helena Andrews-Dyer happens to be a mom of two Black children. That’s part of the reason she was so excited to see “The Little Mermaid,” which debuted recently. But in today’s episode of “Pos...
The false quote that pit MLK against Malcolm X
May 25, 2023 21:23The author of a new biography about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. unravels the story of how one fabricated quote perpetuated a story that King and fellow civil rights leader Malcolm X were antagonists. Read more: When author Jonathan Eig was doing research for his new biography about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., he was digging through archives and libraries, trying to find information about the historic civil rights leader. One day, he was reading the full, unedited transcript of an...
Does Ron DeSantis stand a chance?
May 24, 2023 20:26As the 2024 campaign season approaches, an early favorite to clinch the Republican nomination for president, Ron DeSantis, is starting to lose his shine, just as he is about to officially enter the race. Read more: The 44-year-old governor of Florida became a national name by defending former president Donald Trump. But now they are in a power struggle. DeSantis plans to announce that he is running for president during a Twitter Spaces discussion with Elon Musk Wednesday evening. But the...
The silent crisis in men’s health
May 23, 2023 21:03Across the life span, the risk of death is higher for men and boys than women and girls. The longevity gap is the greatest it’s been in years. It’s a health crisis that’s largely silent because men are largely silent about their health. Read more: The crisis in men’s health goes beyond men not going to the doctor enough. Men are dying, on average, nearly six years sooner than women — and the numbers for men of color are even worse. Tara Parker-Pope is the editor of The Post’s “Well+Bein...
He was an election official in 2020. Now he has PTSD.
May 22, 2023 20:55Ever since the 2020 election, Arizona election official Bill Gates has struggled with PTSD. He’s one of many election workers who are still coping with the barrage of death threats and harassment they endured in the wake of former president Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the election. As the country braces for another presidential election cycle, in which Trump is the Republican front-runner, Gates is coming forward with his story about the psychological toll disinformation about the l...
The short life of Baby Milo
May 19, 2023 21:19 - 24.3 MBToday, a story about the uncharted legal territory of a new abortion law, and the consequences for families and doctors who end up in the middle. Read more: Nobody expected Baby Milo to live a long time. The unusual complications in his mother’s pregnancy tested the interpretation of Florida’s new abortion law. Earlier this year, Washington Post reporter Frances Stead Sellers shared the story of Deborah Dorbert, a woman who was carrying a pregnancy to term after being denied an abortion,...
A fragile calm at the border
May 18, 2023 21:41A Title 42 border policy has expired. The public health measure allowed the U.S. to turn away many migrants and asylum seekers at the border because of the pandemic. But what does the end of the policy mean for migrants now? Read more: For many migrants hoping to enter the United States, a Title 42 border policy was a big boundary. It was a Donald Trump-era pandemic policy that made it easier for the administration to turn away migrants at the border. The policy expired May 11. On today’s...
The doomsday scenarios if the U.S. defaults
May 17, 2023 22:09Today on “Post Reports,” what could happen if the United States government fails to raise the debt limit by the deadline. Read more: Yesterday, President Biden met with congressional leadership to talk about the “X date”; that’s the date after which the Treasury projects the U.S. government would no longer be able to pay its bills. The “X date” is June 1, and if a deal isn’t struck by then, the United States would default on its debt. If the United States were to default, that could mean ...
Fresh havoc from the Discord leaks
May 16, 2023 21:40The Discord leaks keep sending shockwaves globally. This week, the slow drip of intelligence has the world’s attention on Ukraine and the Wagner Group. Also, we’ll learn more about Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old allegedly behind the leaks. Read more: While fighting for Russia in occupied Ukraine, the Wagner Group has taken heavy losses in the devastated city of Bakhmut. According to U.S. intelligence leaked on Discord, the mercenary army’s head, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, appeared to offer Ukr...
Elon’s Twitter
May 15, 2023 20:45A little more than a year ago, Elon Musk made a hostile takeover bid to buy Twitter. Today on “Post Reports,” we look back at a chaotic year for the platform and ask what we can learn from Musk’s handling of the company as he appoints a new CEO. Read more: Twitter has been dramatically transformed under Musk, and few — even among some in the billionaire’s corner — say the changes have been for the better. In recent weeks, government agencies, news organizations and powerful social media in...
Should mommy bloggers pay their kids for content?
May 12, 2023 22:02Family bloggers share their lives, and their kids’ lives, online. But what happens when those kids grow up? New legislation is aiming to make sure children are protected and compensated if their parents make money off sharing their childhoods. Read more: Mommy bloggers have been around for more than two decades.. They share everything online, from struggles with postpartum depression to the highs and lows of having toddlers. These blogs have been helpful for parents, but when content is ...
The Supreme Court’s potential conflict-of-interest problem
May 11, 2023 20:10The potential conflicts of interest keep stacking up for the Supreme Court. Today we break down the recent reports about issues such as luxury vacations gifted to Clarence Thomas and the occupation of John Roberts’s wife. Read more: First, it was revealed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been accepting luxury gifts from a Republican mega-donor. Then, Justice Neal Gorsuch sold his home to a lawyer whose cases appear in front of the Supreme Court. And now, Justice John Roberts...