Every year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) gathers to discuss vaccinations and make recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This year, however, the panelists are all new to the job and were all handpicked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who has expressed skepticism of vaccines. Today on “Post Reports,” host Elahe Izadi speaks with two of The Washington Post’s health reporters, Lena Sun and Lauren Weber, about last...
Jul 01, 2025•27 min
The Senate is voting on President Donald Trump’s signature legislation, which includes tax cuts for a broad swath of Americans. But who stands to benefit most?
Jun 30, 2025•22 min
This month Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the administration’s termination of temporary protected status, or TPS, for Afghans, exposing thousands, potentially, to deportation as soon as next week, when the policy is to take effect. Today on “Post Reports,” national security reporter Abigail Hauslohner explains. Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Thank you to Andy deGrandpre, Hasiba Atakpal, Spojmie Nasiri, ...
Jun 28, 2025•28 min
After six weeks of intense testimony and cross-examination, the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is coming to a close. This week, both the prosecution and defense rested their cases and delivered closing arguments. Soon the case will be in the jury’s hands. Today, style reporter Anne Branigin gives us an update on the defense’s closing arguments, which will wrap up Friday. Then, court reporter Shayna Jacobs breaks down the potential strategy behind Combs’s minimal defense presentation earlier in the ...
Jun 27, 2025•20 min
Mamdani’s primary win in New York excited progressives as the Democratic Party tries to find its footing after its 2024 losses. Host Colby Itkowitz talks with national enterprise reporter Sarah Ellison about whether Mamdani’s victory could be a road map for the party. They also talk with senior congressional reporter Paul Kane about whether the Senate will pass Trump’s big tax bill and how congressional Republicans have continued to cede power to the executive branch. Today’s show was produced b...
Jun 26, 2025•27 min
Many people who visit Zillow aren’t even buying houses — they’re just looking, sharing and daydreaming about their ideal home. The site has such a powerful hold on the market that one real estate company filed a lawsuit this week calling Zillow a monopoly. Elahe Izadi talks with reporter Rachel Kurzius about how we got here and what this house-hunting obsession says about us. Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff and Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter...
Jun 25, 2025•23 min
Today: a view of the war from Israel. Elahe Izadi sits down with Jerusalem Bureau Chief Gerry Shih to discuss Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long march to war with Iran. They walk through why Netanyahu attacked Iran when he did, and what he may have gained politically in the process. This episode was produced by Rennie Svirnovsky with help from Arjun Singh and edited by Lucy Perkins. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here . Need a gut check? Find the new sea...
Jun 24, 2025•25 min
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump ordered strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. His proxies insisted this was a simple one-and-done mission. But on social media Trump raised the prospect of regime change in Tehran. Today on “Post Reports,” we hear from White House reporter Natalie Allison about how Trump made this decision and the divisions it is causing among his MAGA base. Plus, military reporter Alex Horton explains the operation and the consequences we could feel for years to c...
Jun 23, 2025•28 min
Kate Marvel watches the world end all the time. She’s a physicist who works with climate models, so it’s her job to run experiments in computer simulations, watching sea levels rise and temperatures climb. But climate change isn’t happening just in models. It’s happening here, and now – and Marvel has some feelings about it. In her new book Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet , Marvel explores the many emotions she has been feeling surrounding climate change – grief, fear a...
Jun 21, 2025•18 min
Sean “Diddy” Combs is a master imagemaker and influencer who rose to the top of multiple industries . But now he is on trial facing federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution – which he denies and has pleaded not guilty to. Still, Combs is trying to maintain some control over public perception. Host Elahe Izadi speaks with culture reporter Helena Andrews-Dyer and style reporter Anne Branigin about Combs’s image and the societal issues...
Jun 20, 2025•32 min
Every 19th of October, Grenadians mark a somber anniversary: the 1983 execution of the country’s former prime minister and revolutionary leader, Maurice Bishop, and others who died alongside him. The people of this Caribbean nation still have no closure more than 40 years later. The remains of Bishop and his supporters were never returned to their family members and are missing to this day. In the first episode of “The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop,” The Washington Post’s Martine Powers takes us...
Jun 19, 2025•52 min
Six days into the exchange of blows between Israel and Iran, President Donald Trump is weighing a direct attack on Iran. The decision would have massive implications — entangling the United States in yet another foreign conflict that some members of Trump’s base say would be a betrayal of his “America First” campaign promise. Trump says he’s issued an “ultimatum” to Iran to dismantle its nuclear program. How would American involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict further inflame hostilities in th...
Jun 18, 2025•27 min
Israel launched attacks on Iran last week. Iran quickly retaliated. The fighting has left many feeling both fearful and hopeful . Now, it is unclear whether this escalation in a long-simmering conflict could turn into a wider war. Elahe Izadi speaks with Post reporter Yeganeh Torbati about why Israel chose this moment to launch strikes against Iran, whether Iran’s government could fall, and whether the U.S. and President Donald Trump will get involved. Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan....
Jun 17, 2025•24 min
Last night, police arrested Vance Boelter, the man suspected of shooting two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses. One couple died. The other survived. The details of Boelter’s life and what might have pushed him to commit these crimes are still coming into focus. But police say he planned the attack meticulously. We also know he is a devout Christian, fervently antiabortion, and kept a long hit list of other Democrats. Colby Itkowitz speaks with national reporter Patrick Marley abou...
Jun 16, 2025•24 min
Until the past week, not much was known about “Jane,” one of the alleged victims at the center of the government’s case against Sean Combs. Jane — who is going by a court-approved alias to protect her identity — testified earlier this week that she was seeing Combs on and off until he was arrested in September. She alleges she was pressured into participating in sex parties with Combs and male escorts — events that allegedly happened while he was being investigated by the government for similar ...
Jun 14, 2025•29 min
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) faced a violent attack on his home in April. A man with a history of mental illness, 38-year-old Cody Balmer, has been charged with breaking in and setting fire to a dining room at the Governor’s Residence. The alleged arsonist said part of his motivation was Shapiro’s support for Israel. Since this incident, there have been other high-profile attacks against Jewish people in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, D.C. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Shapiro about ...
Jun 13, 2025•37 min
Since 2000, the rate of new cancer diagnoses for people ages 15 to 49 has climbed by 10 percent. This year, more than 200,000 people in that age group will be newly diagnosed with cancer. They will join more than 2.1 million Americans who were also diagnosed as young adults and are living with the disease. In today’s episode, Post video journalist Drea Cornejo sits down with host Elahe Izadi to talk about how Drea’s own cancer diagnosis three years ago, when she was 26, motivated her to report o...
Jun 12, 2025•39 min
Washington’s juvenile justice agency appeared to finally be reformed. After decades of court monitoring, a judge declared in late 2020 that the long-troubled Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services could return to the mayor’s control. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) promised “a focus on restorative justice, love, and empowerment” that would “serve and improve the lives of our young people, their families, and our entire community.” Instead, progress at the agency – charged with setting serious an...
Jun 11, 2025•28 min
On Monday, President Donald Trump restricted the entry of travelers to the United States from more than a dozen countries, resurrecting and expanding sweeping restrictions from his first term that are expected to draw swift legal challenges. The travel ban has been criticized by immigrant rights groups for targeting several African and Muslim-majority nations, and for appearing to capitalize on a moment of public grief: Earlier this month, a man seeking asylum in the United States threw an incen...
Jun 10, 2025•23 min
Demonstrators turned out in Los Angeles to oppose ICE raids. Trump called in the National Guard. Read more: Over the weekend, President Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to intervene in protests over federal immigration sweeps. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called the move “unconstitutional” and on Monday sued the administration. “Let me be clear: There is no invasion. There is no rebellion,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) said in a statement. “The Pre...
Jun 09, 2025•18 min
When President Donald Trump took office in January, 2.4 million people worked for the federal government. It was America’s largest employer. Four months later, Trump — and Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service — have hacked off chunks of government in the name of efficiency, with tactics rarely seen in public or private industry: Some federal workers have found themselves fired, rehired, then let go again. Many have been ridiculed as “lazy” and “corrupt.” They’ve been locked out of offices by police, fi...
Jun 07, 2025•27 min
As the government has built its case against Sean “Diddy” Combs over the past few weeks, they have called witnesses to build out the story around an incident that many are familiar with – the violent 2016 encounter at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. A video of it was first released by CNN last year, and depicts Combs dragging and kicking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway. Witnesses, including former hotel security employees, have alleged that Combs and his employee...
Jun 06, 2025•29 min
Today on the podcast, host Colby Itkowitz speaks with two veteran political reporters: co-anchor of the Early Brief newsletter Dan Merica and national breaking news reporter Patrick Svitek. They talk about the public split between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump – and other news out of the White House, including a new travel ban. Plus, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst doubles down on a flippant comment about Medicaid cuts as Republicans struggle to defend Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. Subscribe to Th...
Jun 05, 2025•27 min
This year’s NBA Finals will see the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, a trio of up-and-coming stars. Meanwhile the Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton feature a potent offense and a deep bench. Both teams have rabid fan bases, craving an end to a championship drought. Guest host Ava Wallace is joined by The Washington Post’s national NBA writer, Ben Golliver. They discuss the changing landscape of the NBA ...
Jun 04, 2025•22 min
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the earliest official D.C. Pride event. D.C. is also hosting WorldPride, one of the largest international celebrations of LGBTQ+ communities in the world. But some LGBTQ+ people say it doesn't feel like a time for celebration. Amid mounting political and cultural attacks, a rise in hate crimes and slashing of health care, some fear the rollback of hard-won rights. As D.C. decks itself in rainbows and welcomes WorldPride, many LGBTQ+ people are finding insp...
Jun 03, 2025•27 min
On the eve of negotiations in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine, the Ukrainian military struck targets hundreds of miles inside Russian territory. Small drones, smuggled into Russia over many months, carried out the attacks. This show of force – one of the biggest Ukrainian attacks since the war started three years ago – boosted morale within Ukraine. But the path to a ceasefire remains murky. Host Elahe Izadi speaks with Ukraine bureau chief Siobhan O’Grady about whether these strikes could c...
Jun 02, 2025•24 min
Today we’re going to listen to a conversation between our colleague Lizza Dwoskin and her friend Aisha Bowe, an aerospace engineer who was on the all-female Blue Origin flight that went to space in April. It’s about navigating what happens when a dream comes true — and then sparks public outrage. Blue Origin, the space company, is owned by Jeff Bezos. He also owns The Washington Post and is the co-founder of Amazon. Some of the other crew members were celebrities, including pop star Katy Perry a...
May 31, 2025•24 min
The government is about halfway through calling its witnesses in the racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking case against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. This week, Style reporter Anne Branigin gives an update on the big takeaways from the trial this week, including testimony from several of Combs’s former employees who claim he assaulted them . Combs has pleaded not guilty and has denied wrongdoing. Court reporter Shayna Jacobs also breaks down what the government has to do to prove these c...
May 30, 2025•25 min
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s skepticism of vaccines and mainstream medicine is making waves in the agency he oversees. Host Colby Itkowitz talks with The Post’s national health reporter Lena Sun and health and science accountability reporter Lauren Weber about how Kennedy’s recent vaccine announcement and his “Make America Healthy Again” movement are shaping health policy for all Americans. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff with help from Elana Gordon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixe...
May 29, 2025•28 min
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued an order barring Harvard from enrolling foreign students , claiming that Harvard had created an unsafe environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault students on campus. The order said that students enrolled at Harvard must transfer schools or lose their legal status. A federal judge has blocked the effort for now , but thousands of international students are unsure if they will be able to return to Harvard in the...
May 28, 2025•24 min
