Just over seven years ago, we launched this daily news podcast from The Washington Post. Our goal was to bring you inside our newsroom, sharing our reporting with listeners to help make sense of what was happening in the world. We’ve published hundreds of episodes. We’ve covered elections, wars, a pandemic, tech revolutions, pop culture phenomena, scientific discoveries and more. As of this week, The Post has decided to suspend "Post Reports." It was a privilege to know that we got to spend time...
Feb 06, 2026•8 min
In his second term, President Donald Trump has gone on a mission to reinvent the Kennedy Center, the beloved performing arts venue in Washington, D.C. Trump promised to overhaul the center’s programming. He installed loyalists on the board who made him chairman. In December, Trump’s name joined John F. Kennedy’s on the building’s facade. This week, Trump announced further plans to close the center for two years as he undertakes a massive renovation. Details of the plan remain murky, but Trump sa...
Feb 03, 2026•19 min
In late January of last year, an American Eagle flight and a U.S. Army helicopter collided above the Potomac River, killing everyone aboard both aircraft. It was the deadliest flight disaster in the U.S. in decades. A year later, families and first responders are reflecting on their enduring sorrow. Local public safety reporter Emma Uber reads her story that recounts how loved ones left behind are processing the anniversary and finding solace in the keepsakes first-responders were able to recove...
Feb 02, 2026•15 min
Ten years ago this month, Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian was freed from Iran’s Evin prison. He and his wife, Yeganeh, had been arrested at their home in Tehran and falsely accused of espionage. Since then, Rezaian has dedicated himself to advocating for press freedom, and now he’s the director of The Post’s press freedom initiatives. On Thursday, before a live audience at The Post, host Elahe Izadi sat down with Rezaian and his wife to talk about their reflections 10 years after their ...
Jan 31, 2026•37 min
Since the killing of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota, President Donald Trump and his administration are feeling the pressure — not only from Democrats, but also from members of their own party. Some congressional Republicans have been critical of the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics and are worried about consequences for the midterms. “The more the image is out there that President Trump is pushing things very far … [and] is responsible for ch...
Jan 30, 2026•36 min
In early 2024, executives at artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic ramped up an ambitious project they sought to keep quiet . It was code-named Project Panama, and internal documents filed in court described it as an “effort to destructively scan all the books in the world.” According to the filings, the company had spent tens of millions of dollars to acquire and slice the spines off potentially millions of books, before scanning their pages to feed knowledge into the AI models behind prod...
Jan 29, 2026•28 min
Houses in the United States keep getting bigger, but the people in bigger houses aren’t necessarily happier. Bigger homes often come with higher costs and more maintenance and can pull people further away from the places and relationships that matter. For some, choosing a smaller home can actually make life feel easier, more connected and more satisfying. Elahe Izadi speaks with climate coach Michael Coren about the joys that come with living in a smaller house and what to prioritize when decidi...
Jan 28, 2026•21 min
After both Renée Good and Alex Pretti were shot and killed by Department of Homeland Security officers in Minneapolis this month, the story from the agency’s secretary, Kristi L. Noem, was that these individuals’ intentions represented acts of domestic terrorism. Confirmed as DHS secretary a year ago under President Trump, Noem has been one of the most visible defenders of Trump’s immigration agenda, executing a sprawling deportation campaign and backing the increasingly aggressive tactics of Im...
Jan 27, 2026•25 min
The killing of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday morning marks a dramatic escalation of what was already a very tense moment for Minneapolis. Just a day before, thousands of residents marched in a citywide strike organized by faith leaders and labor unions. They were protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the state, including the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renée Good by an ICE officer earlier this month. Although it is not clear how Pretti’s interaction wit...
Jan 26, 2026•32 min
Today on the show, we explore the science behind why going outside is so good for us, even when it’s freezing. If you’re interested in learning more about nature therapy, check out the Center for Nature Informed Therapy . A psychologist says this exercise can make you more hopeful in 14 days : the Noticing Nature Intervention is straightforward, but its results might surprise you. If you want more Optimistic stories in your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter . And if you’d like to hear more hope...
Jan 24, 2026•18 min
President Donald Trump made headlines with two speeches this week. First came his sprawling, stream-of-consciousness address in the White House briefing room on Tuesday. Then, his barbed remarks about fellow world leaders at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump concluded the week with a purported deal on America’s future role in Greenland – but it remains unclear what that deal will entail. “A lot of what we've seen from Trump during his political career, b...
Jan 23, 2026•41 min
Iranian director Jafar Panahi has been making social cinema since the 1990s. His work follows everyday Iranians and their struggles against societal forces. In 2010 the director received a ban on filmmaking from the Iranian government, and in 2022 he was imprisoned after he inquired into a fellow filmmaker’s arrest. Despite being jailed and censored, Panahi has continued to work. His films such as "The Circle,” “Taxi” and “No Bears” have won awards from the top film festivals in the world. Now h...
Jan 22, 2026•26 min
When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the death of a detainee at a Texas detention camp this month, the agency initially gave no cause of death. A fellow detainee said he witnessed Geraldo Lunas Campos being choked to death by guards; ICE said “staff observed him in distress.” Seeking answers, Lunas Campos’s family called El Paso County’s Office of the Medical Examiner, and an employee told them that – subject to the result of a toxicology report – the office is likely to class...
Jan 21, 2026•20 min
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump sent an unusual text to the prime minister of Norway. The two leaders had been messaging about Greenland – specifically, Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on European countries opposed to the United States taking over the autonomous Danish territory. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a statement that he had been trying to de-escalate the situation. President Trump responded by linking his insistence on taking over Greenland to his grievanc...
Jan 20, 2026•27 min
Friendship is vital for our health and happiness, but we don’t always prioritize it. The Optimist’s Maggie Penman goes on a journey to make new friends and learn why so many of us are craving connection. Today’s show was produced by Maggie Penman, with help from Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Allison Klein. For more stories from The Optimist, subscribe to our newsletter . If you want to hear more stories like this on “Post Reports,” send Maggie an email at maggie.penman@w...
Jan 19, 2026•25 min
At a time of year when many of us are reflecting on our lives and setting goals, we look at the research into what makes for a good life – and share some advice on how to get there. Here’s what science considers a path to a good life . Plus, some tips and advice on how to get there. Are you living a good life? Take this quiz to find out . 7 simple ways to be a bit happier each day Doing good is good for you, research shows Boredom is a warning sign. Here’s what it’s telling you . If you want to ...
Jan 17, 2026•23 min
This week, the FBI raided the home of a Washington Post journalist, sparking First Amendment fears. At the same time, the Justice Department has opened an investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, drawing concerns from bigwigs on Wall Street and questions as to how the administration treats its perceived political enemies. Colby speaks with Dan Merica, co-anchor of our politics newsletter The Early Brief, and Matt Viser, White House bureau chief, about President Donald Trump’s playbook for int...
Jan 16, 2026•36 min
Early Wednesday, FBI agents raided the home of a Washington Post reporter as part of an investigation of a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials. The reporter – Hannah Natanson – was at her home in Virginia at the time of the search. She covers the federal government for The Post and spent the past year connecting with sources while reporting on the Trump administration’s efforts to fire federal workers. Investigators said neither Natanson nor The P...
Jan 15, 2026•27 min
For years, President Donald Trump has complained about Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome H. Powell. He’s called him names, said he should be fired and has tried to pressure the Fed leader into lowering interest rates. Trump’s feud against Powell escalated over the weekend, when Powell revealed that the Justice Department launched a criminal inquiry against him, alleging that Powell lied about the cost of renovations to the Federal Reserve buildings. Host Elahe Izadi speaks to banking reporter A...
Jan 14, 2026•26 min
Conflicting narratives of Renée Good’s killing in Minneapolis have quickly emerged – federal officials claim the ICE officer who shot her was acting in self-defense, while others believe her death was easily avoidable and that ICE’s tactics are overly aggressive. Host Martine Powers speaks with immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti about how law enforcement officials are scrutinizing the shooting and what accountability in this case could look like....
Jan 13, 2026•18 min
The turmoil started in late December, when some Tehran merchants closed up shop to protest the free fall of Iran’s currency. That initial outcry sparked a wave of protests across the country. Demonstrators demanded not just economic reform, but a total overhaul of Iran’s government and an end to repression. Some called for the ouster of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Now the government has cracked down, and there are reports that hundreds of protesters have been killed. Th...
Jan 12, 2026•32 min
Decades after a brazen art theft drove Merry White’s father to despair, federal agents closed in on the missing work. For White, the search is personal. Read more: Merry White is the daughter of a Harvard professor who was close friends with painter Jackson Pollock. White’s parents came to own several of the painter’s artworks, and one hung over White’s bed when she was a child. It was stolen in 1973, along with two other paintings by Pollock. The theft destroyed White’s father's peace of mind, ...
Jan 10, 2026•35 min
This week, the shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis has drawn new scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement push, and reactions have become something of a political Rorschach test. Meanwhile, Democrats such as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Mark Kelly (Arizona) are facing new challenges as they navigate attacks from Republican leaders. And the Trump administration continues to project defiance in ...
Jan 09, 2026•34 min
Go to sleep earlier. Read more books. Eat better. Exercise. Changing our behavior is hard, but what if some simple – and dare we say fun – tricks could help us keep our resolutions for the new year? From temptation bundling to buddying up, Optimist reporter Maggie Penman shares the science on how to make your New Year’s resolutions, whatever they are, stick in 2026. Plus, on the eve of national “Quitters Day,” we explore why making resolutions can actually be beneficial – even if you don’t stick...
Jan 08, 2026•19 min
Just hours before U.S. aircraft surged into Caracas as part of an operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, an anonymous person placed a final online bet that the Venezuelan president would soon be ousted. The mystery gambler netted more than $400,000 on that long-shot bet – raising questions about whether they had inside knowledge of the operation. The payout has drawn attention to the growing world of prediction markets, online bets on real-world scenarios that some critics warn could have unintend...
Jan 07, 2026•20 min
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held many titles during Donald Trump’s presidency. He may have just acquired his most challenging one yet: viceroy of Venezuela . The national security adviser, acting archivist and administrator of the now-defunct U.S. Agency for International Development was central to masterminding the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday. And with no immediate successor to govern the country of roughly 29 million, Trump is leaning on Rubio to help “run”...
Jan 06, 2026•27 min
After U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, President Donald Trump declared: “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.” The world is still digesting the consequences of the intervention, which the Trump administration has characterized as a law enforcement mission against Maduro rather than a military operation in a foreign country. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine imp...
Jan 05, 2026•31 min
Today we share one of our favorite episodes, from Optimist reporter Maggie Penman about the new science of aging, and a hopeful research finding that getting stronger and healthier in old age is possible for many of us – even after a health setback. If you want to hear more stories like this, please let us know. You can reach the whole team at podcasts@washpost.com or email Maggie at maggie.penman@washpost.com . Today’s episode was reported and produced by Maggie Penman. It was edited by Allison...
Jan 03, 2026•12 min
Today, we revisit one of our favorite episodes from this past year, about super agers: people who continue to thrive into their 80s and 90s. One of them lives just down my block. Ednajane Truax, who is known to friends and neighbors as “E.J.,” can often be found on her hands and knees in the dirt, working in the garden at the Sherwood Recreation Center in Northeast Washington. She also has an impressive garden of her own and helps out with other neighbors’ gardens. She works out several times a ...
Jan 02, 2026•12 min
Once a month for 15 years, David Weiner has hosted a jazz party, inviting everyone he knows and many people he’s never met over to his D.C. rowhouse. Today, we revisit one of our favorite episodes of the year and go inside the wildly welcoming ritual to understand how he’s built this community — and kept it going. You can read more about Wiener’s jazz party here . If you’re looking for more surprising, delightful stories about the best of humanity, check out The Optimist from The Washington Post...
Dec 31, 2025•11 min
