Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil helped organize protests at the university against the Israel-Gaza war last spring. Khalil, who is a legal permanent resident of the United States, according to his lawyers, was detained over the weekend by immigration officers was detained by immigration officers and accused by the Trump administration of sympathizing with Hamas terrorists. So far no evidence of this has been reported. Immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti speaks with host Colby Itkowitz ...
Mar 11, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast In an interview broadcast on Sunday, President Donald Trump declined to rule out that Americans could see a recession this year as the economy stutters from his efforts to impose tariffs and cut down the size of the federal government . He told Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo, “I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition, because what we’re doing is very big. We’re bringing wealth back to America. That’s a big thing.” Today on “Post Reports,” economics correspondent...
Mar 10, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our beloved senior host, Martine Powers, is stepping away from the microphone for a bit to cover the White House and then take on a longer-term assignment. Tune in to today’s bonus episode to hear more, and get to know our guest co-host for the next few months, Colby Itkowitz. Subscribe to The Washington Post here ....
Mar 08, 2025•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast As Elon Musk leads a project to drastically remake the federal government, one goal might be fueling it all: getting to Mars. It’s an objective that President Donald Trump seems to share. In his inaugural address on Jan. 20, Trump promised that the U.S. would “pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.” But what are the obstacles to get to the Red Planet? Host Martine Powers speaks with space reporter Christi...
Mar 07, 2025•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast The National Institutes of Health is a sprawling and complex institution that supports the work of hundreds of thousands of scientists at universities and labs across the country. Since Trump’s inauguration that work has been stymied by confusion and uncertainty – potentially delaying or even preventing important medical research. The Post’s science reporter Carolyn Johnson has been reporting on the turmoil at NIH and talks to Martine about how it could impact a generation of scientists.&n...
Mar 06, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Senior political reporter Aaron Blake breaks down the speech with senior White House correspondent Naftali Bendavid and Democracy reporter Colby Itkowitz. They fact-check Trump’s DOGE claims and explain the political consequences Trump could face for his tariffs. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here . This episode has been updated to clarify that the Tru...
Mar 05, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world. It was eliminated in the United States 25 years ago because of an effective vaccine. While cases periodically pop up, a growing wave of vaccine skepticism is giving this old virus new traction . Health reporter Fenit Nirappil and “Post Reports” producer Elana Gordon recently traveled to the heart of this growing outbreak, which officials say may take months to get under control. Today, Martine Powers speaks with Fenit about...
Mar 04, 2025•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast On Friday, Zelensky and Trump met for what was expected to be a tense but uneventful meeting before signing a natural resources agreement that was seen as the first step to a peace deal with Russia. Instead, cameras captured a blow-up – Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of being ungrateful and said he was “gambling with the lives of millions of people.” Since then, European leaders have redoubled support for Ukraine – while the Kremlin proclaimed that the Trump admin...
Mar 03, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Some House Republicans are getting nervous . They’re worried that passing President Donald Trump’s budget proposal could mean cuts to popular programs like Medicaid . They’ve also gotten an earful from voters angry at Elon Musk who are packing congressional town halls. Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake unpacks the drama with congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor and congressional economics correspondent Jacob Bogage. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited b...
Feb 28, 2025•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast This year’s Oscar contenders are all over the place, ranging from the adaptation of the popular musical “Wicked” to the Brazilian historical drama “I’m Still Here.” Film and TV reporter Sonia Rao and arts editor Janice Page sit down with host Martine Powers to share which films are rising to the top and explain why some actors may be favored more by the academy than others. Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Sabby Robinson and Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Maggie ...
Feb 27, 2025•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gregg Bafundo worked as a lead wilderness ranger in Washington state and used his basic firefighting training to help contain fires in the parks he worked in. Erin Williamson traveled to rural communities to help them get financing for essential services as part of her job with the U.S. Agriculture Department. Veteran Jared Blockus worked for a VA hospital in North Carolina ordering critical equipment. All of them were probationary workers fired a couple of weeks ago as part of the Trump adminis...
Feb 26, 2025•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Host Martine Powers speaks with Supreme Court reporter Justin Jouvenal about Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services , which will be heard before the country’s highest court on Wednesday. Ames and her attorneys say she was held back at her job because she is straight and White. Her case was rejected by lower courts, in part because reverse discrimination claims require a higher burden of proof than anti-minority discrimination in many parts of the country. But Ames’s attorneys argue that...
Feb 25, 2025•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Opioid overdoses don’t have to be fatal if the person gets help in time. In recent years naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses, has become more widely available in the United States. Narcan, a nasal spray version of naloxone, became available without prescription in pharmacies in 2023. That means more people can help reverse overdoses. Despite showing signs of decline, the number of people dying nationwide from overdoses eclipsed 100,000 annually from 2020 to 2023, according...
Feb 24, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast An analysis of news reports by The Washington Post found that at least 477 people — 90 percent of them students — were arrested in the two weeks after the Apalachee High massacre in Georgia. That’s nearly 100 more than in the aftermath of the three previous mass school shootings combined. In Volusia County, Florida, the elected sheriff, Mike Chitwood, a registered Independent and brash Philadelphia native, decided he’d had enough. In September 2024, he deployed dozens of deputies and spent an ex...
Feb 22, 2025•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with Post congressional reporter Liz Goodwin and Dan Lamothe, who covers the Pentagon and the U.S. military, about the week’s political news. They dig into Trump’s sharp turn against Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. They also talk about new polling that shows Trump’s sweeping federal policy decisions are largely unpopular . Plus, why GOP lawmakers are quietly begging Trump to spare their distri...
Feb 21, 2025•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Alex Clark stands out on mic and on camera. The 31-year-old wellness influencer and podcaster has nearly half a million followers on YouTube and ranks among the top 10 wellness podcasts on Apple. While wellness has long been associated with liberal hippies, Clark hails from a conservative background. She’s part of the new “Make America Healthy Again” movement questioning modern medicine, backing President Donald Trump and supporting anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has star...
Feb 20, 2025•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast The United States and Russia have begun talks to end the war in Ukraine. But Ukraine wasn’t there. The United States and Russia just completed their first round of diplomatic talks to end the war in Ukraine since the start of Russian invasion in 2022. The exclusion of Ukraine representatives from the talks signals a new approach and new U.S. interests in the region. Host Martine Powers talks with White House correspondent Michael Birnbaum about Trump’s conversation with Russian President Vladimi...
Feb 19, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service sparked alarm over the weekend, when a senior DOGE official requested access to the Internal Revenue System’s detailed database featuring financial information about every taxpayer, business and nonprofit in the country. Host Martine Powers speaks with economics correspondent Jacob Bogage about how this could affect millions of American taxpayers. Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed ...
Feb 18, 2025•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fartlek is a Swedish term for “speed play.” This informal version of interval training is simple, effective and dare we say … enjoyable? And not just because "fartlek" is fun to say. Exercise columnist Gretchen Reynolds is here to vouch for this often-overlooked, decades-old practice. Reynolds, who helped popularize the 7-minute workout , has found that a growing body of research points to the benefits of this approach, even in small doses. According to exercise scientists, it can improve streng...
Feb 17, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Belinda is one of the few decent people on “The White Lotus,” the sharp satire populated with miserable rich people on vacation. Belinda is back for Season 3, and host Martine Powers knew she wanted to talk to the actress who plays her. Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair. ...
Feb 15, 2025•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with Supreme Court reporter Justin Jouvenal and Democracy reporter Colby Itkowitz about how President Donald Trump is testing the power of the courts — and trying to expand his own authority in the process. They break down the cases facing the executive branch right now, what Trump and his allies are saying about them, and why some experts say Trump’s actions run afoul of the constitution. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by R...
Feb 14, 2025•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ronny Chieng’s approach to comedy, along with his expanding TV and film portfolio, have put him on The Washington Post’s first-ever “Post Next 50” list – 50 people shaping our society this year . In this conversation with Elahe Izadi, he reflects on why he works to write jokes for his stand-up in a way that anyone can appreciate, even if they’re coming from a different perspective, and why the work of “The Daily Show” is crucial. By the way, Martine Powers interviewed another name on the “...
Feb 13, 2025•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on “Post Reports,” how USAID entered President Donald Trump’s crosshairs. And, how his freeze on foreign aid has affected vulnerable people around the world. Read more: On the first day of his second term in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order freezing foreign aid for 90 days. The suspension was part of the president’s effort to slash public spending, remake the federal government and align foreign policy more closely with his “America First” agenda. And it had near-im...
Feb 12, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sarah McBride was elected to the House of Representatives in 2024, representing Delaware's lone congressional district — and becoming the first openly transgender member of Congress. She’s become a target for her conservative colleagues — but she’s also determined to work with Republicans. She joins Martine Powers to talk about how she makes that work and what she thinks Democrats can do now. Rep. Sarah McBride is part of “Post Next 50,” The Post’s project profiling 50 people shaping our s...
Feb 11, 2025•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Host Martine Powers talks with health reporter Lena Sun about the connection between bird flu and egg prices . She also explains what consumers should know about how bird flu spreads and whether the cost of eggs will drop any time soon. Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Lynh Bui. Subscribe to The Washington Post here ....
Feb 10, 2025•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Over the last five years Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs have dominated the NFL and the national sports spotlight. They are looking for a historic third straight Super Bowl win this weekend in New Orleans. On the other side of the ball is the Philadelphia Eagles. Led by star running back Saquon Barkley, they are seeking their first championship since 2018. Today on the show, host Ava Wallace is joined by national sports reporter Adam Kilgore and sports columnist Ca...
Feb 07, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with senior national political correspondent Naftali Bendavid and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about President Donald Trump's proposal to “take over” Gaza, displace Palestinians and remake it as the “riviera” of the Middle East. They also dig into Trump's use of tariffs as bargaining chips and the lack of resistance to Trump policies from both parties. Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van...
Feb 06, 2025•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the Trump administration ramps up immigration arrests, it’s promoting a simple story: They are getting the dangerous criminals out. But to get to the massive numbers of deportations that President Donald Trump has promised, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is also arresting people without violent or criminal offenses on their records. Those arrests have spread fear among undocumented immigrants and their family members. Today, a look inside two recent ICE arrests. First, host Martine ...
Feb 05, 2025•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency – a team of 20 or so engineers – now has influence in a number of departments, working to deplete the civil service. But is this legal? Read more: Elon Musk and other unelected officials are working to remake the U.S. government . Faiz Siddiqui has been covering the world’s richest man for years, and he says Musk’s playbook at DOGE is similar to what he did at X, formerly known as Twitter: Cut first, ask questions later. There are still quest...
Feb 04, 2025•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Over the weekend President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would be putting an import tax on goods coming from Mexico, Canada and China . He said he wanted to stop people from bringing fentanyl into the country and prevent migrants from crossing the borders. The leaders of the other countries are working to find alternative solutions with Trump, and on Monday the tariffs against Mexico and Canada were delayed for a month after he had conversations with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau...
Feb 03, 2025•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
