Please, Go On with James Hohmann

After an attack this month at a U.S. synagogue, Roya Hakakian reflects on how antisemitic acts shake immigrants especially hard. Read Roya Hakakian’s op-ed.

This month, Kazakhstan faced some of the worst violence it’s seen in decades. But professor and native Kazakh Nargis Kassenova contends that, in spite of a deployment of Russian troops, the country will not return to Moscow’s fold. Read Nargis Kassenova’s op-ed.

A professor and parent of three, Jackie Spinner says that she’s out of reserves when it comes to school cancellations two years into the pandemic.  Read Jackie Spinner’s op-ed.

On the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack, retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton warns that we could be headed for another insurrection in 2024. 

Host James Hohmann reflects briefly on the first six months of the podcast, and looks ahead to 2022. Listen to Please, Go On

Public health expert Dr. Leana Wen explains why those who are vaccinated, boosted and tested should keep their holiday plans. Read Dr. Leana Wen’s column. Subscribe to The Checkup with Dr. Wen. Buy “Lifelines.”

Two years ago, Bryan Muehlberger’s daughter, Gracie, was killed in a shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, Calif. She was 15 years old. Read Bryan Muehlberger’s op-ed. Learn more about the GracieStrong Foundation.

Post legends come together to discuss the legacy of Washington Post Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt after his untimely death. For more, please read selected writings of Hiatt from 1996 to 2021 , the news obituary by Matt Schudel , Graham's op-ed and the Editorial Board’s appreciation . The Post has also published touching tributes by David Von Drehle ("Hiatt led with wisdom, wit and a transfixing...

Ruth Marcus, The Post's deputy editorial page editor, offers insight into the challenge to Roe v. Wade and explains how a conservative "rule of six" is poised to reshape the nation. Read Ruth Marcus's Opinions Essay here.

The pollster and strategists for Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) discuss how they pulled off an upset victory, what it says about Virginia and how their model might be replicated in 2022. Read the op-ed.

Former treasury secretary Larry Summers has long sounded the alarm over inflation. As prices climb, Summers warns that failing to address an overheating economy could spell defeat for Biden in 2024.  Read Summers's column on inflation. Read Summers's column on IRS reform.

Liz Thomson, former head of Albuquerque's homicide unit, recently returned to the police department as a cold-case investigator. She weighs in on the worsening murder rate, and how rage plays a role. Read Liz Thomson's op-ed.

The Republican senator and 2012 presidential nominee voted twice to impeach Donald Trump. He warns that ending the filibuster could be catastrophic for the Senate and give a potential future Trump presidency unrestrained power.  Read Mitt Romney's op-ed here.

Maia Kobabe's memoir "Gender Queer" is being challenged in school districts across the country, including in Northern Virginia. Read Maia Kobabe's op-ed.

Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson wrote about the life and legacy of Colin Powell, who in four decades of service, helped shape U.S. national security.  Read Robinson's column here.

Until quite recently, Annabelle Tometich wrote all her restaurant reviews under the pseudonym Jean Le Boeuf. She spoke with James about what that double life taught her about White privilege and her own racial identity. Read or listen to Annabelle Tometich's op-ed here .

Robert Kagan warns that the United States faces its greatest political and constitutional crisis since the Civil War. Read Kagan's essay here.

North Korea is testing new missiles. Victor Cha — a hardliner — encourages U.S. diplomacy in response. A foreign policy advisor to George W. Bush, Cha advocates for humanitarian assistance.   Read Victor Cha's op-ed.

Mississippi has one of the lowest vaccination rates and highest death rates from covid-19. A palliative care doctor pleads with fellow Southerners to get vaccinated before it's too late. Read Rick Boyte's op-ed.

Shabana Basij-Rasikh co-founded the only boarding school for girls in Afghanistan. Now, as the school year begins, she reflects on the power of educated women. Read Shabana's latest op-ed. Read Shabana's piece about educating Afghan girls.

In a special 9/11 anniversary edition, a counterterrorism expert argues that the threat of foreign terrorists attacking the United States at home has vastly diminished. Plus, a writer who lost her father on Sept. 11, 2001 shares her pain after two decades. Read Michael Leiter's op-ed. Read Kimberly Rex's op-ed.

The best-selling crime novelist sits on the board of the Innocence Project, and believes our country should be doing more to prevent wrongful convictions. Read Grisham's op-ed.

Trump's former national security adviser says the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan presents an opportunity for the United States to confront Pakistan over its ties to the Taliban and nuclear stockpile. Read John Bolton's op-ed. Read Josh Rogin's interview with Pakistan's national security adviser.

Nasrin Nawa, an Afghan journalist, narrowly escaped the Taliban's takeover of Kabul. But leaving her home country also meant leaving her parents — and sister — to an uncertain future. Read Nawa's op-ed here. And here are four related op-eds: The mujahideen resistance to the Taliban begins now. But we need help. My Afghan news channel won’t stop its important work. We hope the world doesn't look aw...

In a bonus episode, Post readers and listeners ask public health expert Dr. Leana Wen about the delta variant, vaccine hesitancy and how we protect kids as they return to school. Subscribe to Dr. Wen's newsletter here: https://wapo.st/checkup