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
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. Subscribe to The Washington Post here ....
May 27, 2025•22 min
Summer is the perfect time to dive into a new book, and the Post’s Book World section has compiled recommendations for every type of reader. Today, Book World editors Jacob Brogan and John Williams talk to host Elahe Izadi about the new releases and old titles they suggest digging into this summer. Here’s the list of books mentioned in today’s episode: “ The Death and Life of August Sweeney” by Samuel Ashworth “ Bleak House” by Charles Dickens “ Mark Twain” by Ron Chernow “ Buckley: The Life and...
May 26, 2025•24 min
George Floyd’s murder sparked massive protests for racial justice around the country. There were calls for police reforms, reparations and closing the racial wealth gap. But five years later, it seems like the pendulum has swung back the other way. President Donald Trump is dismantling diversity and inclusion initiatives. And just this week, the Justice Department announced it was abandoning efforts to reshape law enforcement in cities where there have been high-profile killings by police office...
May 24, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Federal prosecutors called a slew of witnesses this week to bolster their racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking case against Sean “Diddy” Combs. Many of them corroborated incidents that Combs’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura described in her testimony last week – but others added details that pushed against her narrative that he was controlling and coerced her into sex acts. And musician Kid Cudi took the stand to talk about the molotov cocktail he said was thrown into his Porsche. Style rep...
May 23, 2025•33 min
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”...
May 22, 2025•30 min
House Republicans are trying to push President Donald Trump’s massive tax and immigration bill across the finish line this week, hoping to conquer internal divisions and tee up a vote that would send the bill to the Senate. One of the areas targeted for major cuts is Medicaid, which insures more than 80 million people in the United States. To root out what they say is waste, fraud and abuse in the system, and preserve the program long term, conservatives have proposed reductions and changes to M...
May 21, 2025•29 min
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 Ren...
May 20, 2025•29 min
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 m...
May 19, 2025•26 min
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 ...
May 17, 2025•34 min
The first week of testimony in the trial of music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs began with several witnesses , including the highly anticipated Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. Ventura is a central witness in the government’s case against Combs – she filed a civil lawsuit against him detailing allegations of violence and sex trafficking in 2023 that led to dozens of other lawsuits being filed. Today, Style reporter Anne Branigin is back to describe the intense testimony , how it bolsters the government’...
May 16, 2025•40 min
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 w...
May 15, 2025•32 min
Norman Wong didn’t know his family’s history for most of his life. Now, the 75-year-old retired carpenter is fighting to save birthright citizenship and his great-grandfather’s legacy. His great-grandfather was Wong Kim Ark, a cook born to Chinese immigrants in San Francisco in 1870. After visiting family in China, Wong Kim Ark was denied reentry into the United States. The ensuing court battle made it up to the U.S. Supreme Court and enshrined the right to citizenship for almost any child born ...
May 14, 2025•21 min
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 li...
May 13, 2025•26 min
Following direct talks between the U.S. and Hamas officials, Edan Alexander was freed Monday after more than 19 months in captivity in Gaza. He is the last living U.S. hostage in Gaza. The Israel-Hamas conflict has already exacted a devastating toll. More than 52,000 people in Gaza have died, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Fifty-eight people who were seized by Hamas remain in Gaza, 23 of whom are believed to be alive. Gazans are facing a critical famine risk as Israel blocks aid. Now, Is...
May 12, 2025•18 min
Dozens of people showed up for jury duty this week at the Southern District of New York’s courthouse in Lower Manhattan. There, they would find out if they would serve as one of the handful of people who would determine whether Sean “Diddy” Combs was guilty or not. The federal government is accusing him of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty. Reporter Anne Branigin and audio producer Sabby Robinson reported from New Yor...
May 09, 2025•34 min
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...
May 08, 2025•30 min
Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas is a place that many people describe as one of the most beautiful areas in South Asia: Kashmir. It has also been the site of a struggle between two major powers: India and Pakistan. The Indian military said Wednesday that it had launched strikes against Pakistan in retaliation for last month’s militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left at least 26 dead. These latest strikes killed at least 31 civilians , according to Pakistani officials. Th...
May 07, 2025•23 min
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...
May 06, 2025•24 min
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 Har...
May 05, 2025•24 min
In early 2023, Sean Combs — otherwise known as Diddy, Puff Daddy, Love — seemed to be on top of the world. He had a long career as a successful music producer and businessman, and he received multiple honors for his work — even getting a key to the city of New York from its mayor. But that fall, everything changed when his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a lawsuit against him alleging that he’d sexually abused and sex trafficked her throughout their decade-long relationship. This o...
May 02, 2025•36 min
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...
May 01, 2025•33 min
On April 30, 1975, the Vietnam War came to an end, as North Vietnamese closed in on the South Vietnamese capital and thousands of American personnel frantically evacuated. The war left a devastating legacy: More than 3 million Vietnamese died and more than 58,000 U.S. troops were killed. The remains of more than 300,000 Vietnamese soldiers and 1,200 U.S. service members are still missing. Over the past five decades, there has been a delicate progress toward peace and reconciliation between the c...
Apr 30, 2025•33 min
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....
Apr 29, 2025•24 min
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 – an...
Apr 28, 2025•19 min
Lisa Singh has spent the past six months working overnight on the subway platforms of New York, where homelessness, mental illness, drug addiction and crime had been unfolding as overlapping crises. Since Lisa had taken the job, a woman died after being lit on fire on an F train at Coney Island, a man was pushed into the path of an oncoming train in Manhattan, and other riders were shoved, punched and stabbed in unprovoked attacks. Before this work, Lisa had spent years as a nurse in a psychiatr...
Apr 26, 2025•27 min
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...
Apr 25, 2025•33 min
David Hogg began his journey as a political activist after surviving the Parkland school shooting in 2018. Today, he’s a leader in the Democratic National Committee and co-founder of a group called Leaders We Deserve, which focuses on electing young, progressive candidates. The group’s recent announcement that it would spend $20 million to challenge Democratic incumbents in safe seats has stoked controversy within the party – even prompting DNC Chair Ken Martin to propose a rule change that woul...
Apr 24, 2025•26 min
