Post Reports

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 ha...

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, t...

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 lea...

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 h...

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...

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 allegin...

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 adv...

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.&nb...

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 chan...

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 H...

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...

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...

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 c...

Since Trump unleashed Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service on the federal government, Post reporter Hannah Natanson has been deluged with messages from hundreds of federal workers. They fear for their jobs and are worried about the damage DOGE could do to crucial programs as it tries to make massive spending cuts across the government. Colby Itkowitz speaks with Hannah about what it has been like to be o...

América Platt was detained at Prairieland – an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Alvarado, Texas. She spent four sleepless nights on the floor because there weren’t enough beds. She had her period when she arrived, and a fever from an ear infection – but she said it took hours to access medical care or even a sanitary pad.  “You’re stripped from your humanity,” she told investig...

Pope Francis , born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became leader of the world's nearly 1.4 billion Catholics in 2013. Immediately, Francis made it clear that he would not be a traditional pope. He rejected the customary red slippers of the office in favor of simple black shoes, and he chose to live in a small boarding house instead of the lavish papal apartments above St. Peter’s Square.  Francis mad...

Think you know how to take a good nap? Think again . Neuroscientist and columnist Richard Sima discusses the latest research on how to maximize the benefits. Plus, how breathing can help calm our minds.  Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins, with help from Maggie Penman.  Subscribe to The Washington Post here .

The world’s two largest powers are closer than ever to a full economic break. Why neither the United States nor China want to blink, and what it will take for China to survive the trade war. Read more: A week after President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs roiled global markets, his administration put China in its crosshairs , with a 145 percent levy on Chinese imports.  China counter...

Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has used his office to threaten or punish people he says have wronged him in the past. That includes prominent law firms that have represented Democratic causes or hired attorneys who have investigated him, such as former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.  To get back on Trump’s good side, some law firms are now pledging to do pr...

For the past few weeks, one man has become a focal point for President Donald Trump’s war on immigration. Kilmar Abrego García was mistakenly deported and sent to a Salvadoran prison last month. Abrego García’s deportation has become a legal battle over the rights of immigrants and the boundaries of executive power. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti about how Abr...

The United States is experiencing a rise in measles, the most contagious virus in the world. Many of us have questions: Is my child protected? Do I need another vaccine? What about taking vitamin A?   Infectious disease experts worry that the Trump administration’s handling of the outbreak centered in West Texas is creating confusion and hindering an effective response.  Today on “P...

Dallas LeBeau had worked for years to make it to a top professional tour in skiing, only to stall in the standings last winter. He felt desperate to win respect. One of the last chances of the year to make some noise was by submitting a video of a jump to GoPro for a contest. In January 2024, on the drive back after a long day on the mountain, he snapped a photo of the turn before Highway 40 crest...

Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-Colorado) speaks with host Colby Itkowitz about why he's seeking to rein in Trump's tariffs authority and restore that power to Congress . This episode was produced by Sam Bair, with help from Peter Bresnan and Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Maggie Penman, Reena Flores and Renita Jablonski. Thank you to Emily Anderson and Meryl Kornfield. 

Unpacking the political fallout from President Donald Trump’s pause on tariffs. Tariffs are on. Tariffs are paused. Tariffs are making stock markets go wild. Where do we go from here? Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Post’s global economics correspondent, David Lynch, and White House reporter Cat Zakrzewski about Trump’s mixed messaging on tariffs , whether the administration’s...

President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk have vowed to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse they say is rampant in the Social Security Administration, a federal program that provides more than 70 million Americans with retirement or disability income.  But evidence of widespread fraud and abuse is scant, and cost-cutting at the agency has driven out experienced staff. As a result, the websit...