Post Reports

Today, host Martine Powers talks with The Post’s climate zeitgeist reporter Shannon Osaka about the benefits and challenges of rooftop solar panels, and why rooftop solar is more expensive than solar farms. Shannon also shares advice about how to take advantage of solar tax credits before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.  Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan and...

Today on “Post Reports,” we unpack President-elect Donald Trump’s seemingly contradictory picks for the top positions in public health – in particular, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  Read more: Public health experts have been alarmed by the idea that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist , could be running the Department of Health and Human Services. But some of his other positions...

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell, who co-authors the Early Brief politics newsletter for The Post, about why Gaetz’s bid for attorney general lasted just eight days. Aaron breaks down why Trump’s electoral mandate is actually weaker than he claims. Plus, answers to listeners’ and readers’ lingering questions about...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is poised to have an influential role in the next Trump administration as the president-elect's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Recently, Kennedy told news outlets that a top priority will be directing communities to take fluoride out of their drinking water.  Fluoride has been a pillar of public health for decades, and the Centers for Disease C...

Just a few years ago, the National Women’s Soccer League was a relatively small business. Now, it’s becoming a financial juggernaut with multimillion-dollar investments, a big TV deal and huge attendance. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to tune in this weekend for the big game: the championship match between the Washington Spirit and the Orlando Pride. Guest host and sports writer Ava...

During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to make sweeping changes to federal agencies, including doing away with the Education Department. This is not a new threat. Closing the department has been an off-and-on Republican goal since it was created in 1979. It is also difficult to make happen since it would require congressional approval – and it’s unlikely Trump would have sufficien...

Today on “Post Reports,” how President-elect Donald Trump plans to make good on his campaign promise of mass deportations.   Read more: President-elect Donald Trump has taken steps to fulfill his pledge to deport undocumented immigrants on a massive scale by naming top officials to lead the effort: Stephen Miller and Tom Homan .  Miller — who helped shape policies during Trump’s fir...

There’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz to head up the Justice Department. Former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence. Trump has chosen some eyebrow-raising names to staff his Cabinet. But are there any Republicans in the Senate that would choose to block them?  Cong...

Gaetz has been under investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct, illegal drug use and accepting improper gifts. The choice of Gaetz for attorney general stunned senators and even some of Trump’s own advisors and set up a test of loyalty for a Republican Senate that might be loath to confirm Gaetz.  Host Elahe Izadi speaks with congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor about why Trump...

Elon Musk invested millions of dollars to help Donald Trump’s reelection campaign through the political action committee America PAC. The result was a massive door-knocking campaign in critical swing states and million-dollar giveaways to voters who signed a petition. Musk held rallies and town halls across Pennsylvania, spoke at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, and was alongside the president...

When it comes to abortion, the results of last week’s election were decidedly mixed . Abortion protections passed in New York, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Missouri but failed in Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota. This means that 2 million more women now have access to abortion services across the country.  But with Donald Trump’s second term as president nearing, there a...

On today’s “Post Reports,” how foreign leaders are reacting to Trump’s victory, and how they are preparing for a second Trump presidency. Read more: For months, foreign leaders have been anxiously awaiting the results of the United States’ presidential election. Now, with Donald Trump’s decisive victory, politicians and policymakers abroad are wondering what a second Trump presidency will mean for...

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers, senior political reporter Aaron Blake and White House reporter Cleve Wootson break down the questions many Democrats are asking right now about  why Harris lost: Should Biden have dropped out earlier? Did Harris run a bad campaign? Does America hate women? Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murph...

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to do a variety of things on “Day 1” should he win the presidency: mass deportations, tariffs on all U.S. imports, cutting federal funding for schools that discuss race and much more.  Today, host Martine Powers speaks with White House reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb about what Trump’s second term could mean for America. Today’s show was produced by Emma...

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake and senior national political correspondent Ashley Parker about how Donald Trump won over a broad swath of voters to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris. Plus, how Democrats are reacting to their election losses and what this defeat means for the party’s future. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Sa...

Former president Trump is projected to win the White House – again. Martine Powers takes you through what we know about the results of a historic election. Read more: Very early Wednesday morning, former president Donald Trump stepped on stage in south Florida and claimed victory. Sounding surprised about how the election had gone, the former president promised to “fix everything” and praised his...

After an unprecedented campaign season, Election Day in America is finally here. Today, host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter and host of “The Campaign Moment” podcast Aaron Blake about what to pay attention to as results start to come in this evening, including downballot races and potential scenarios for each candidate's path to victory . Plus: Election anxiety is real! Here’s...

It’s the day before the presidential election, and a lot of people have already voted – or at least made up their minds.  But there are still undecided voters in key swing states who may or may not turn out. Last week, “Post Reports” producers interviewed some of these voters – whom we’re calling “The Deciders” – a key voting bloc that The Washington Post has been following all year . We’re b...

What the early voting numbers and final polling say in the last days of the 2024 campaign. “Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with Amy Gardner, who covers early voting for The Post, about what early voting data can and can’t tell us right now about the election results. They also talk about whether looking at polls this weekend is helpful, and what...

In the final days of a presidential election that polls show as extremely close, we wanted to know how supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are feeling.  Our host Martine Powers and producer Emma Talkoff went to Harris’s rally on the Ellipse in D.C. while producer Elana Gordon went to a Trump rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Today, we bring you dispatc...

San Luis, Arizona, has a population of around 40,000 people. Most still vote for Democrats, if they vote. But in the 2020 presidential election, Democrats saw their advantage drop by 36 percentage points here since 2016.  This swing is one indicator of the inroads Republicans have made in recent years in traditional Democratic strongholds, gains that former president Donald Trump hopes will p...

Patience Frazier said she had a miscarriage in April 2018. A month later, police were at her door, asking about a Facebook post and a cross in her backyard. Today, the story of Frazier, and what happens when someone is prosecuted under an abortion law.  Read more: Patience Frazier was charged with manslaughter under an abortion law from 1911. It was a rare instance of a woman who sought an ab...

Former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have made vastly different proposals to address the housing shortage. Harris says that her administration will provide incentives to get millions of homes built while helping first-time homebuyers with their down payments. Trump says that deporting large numbers of undocumented immigrants will free up more housing for Americans, an ide...

In the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, host Lillian Cunningham created the “ Presidential ” podcast, with one episode dedicated to each of the (at the time) 44 U.S. presidents. Now, in the thick of the 2024 election, Lillian is back. This is the second of two special “ Presidential ” podcast episodes released in advance of the presidential election on Nov. 5. The episodes examine how th...

Over the past few months, Elon Musk has heavily invested in the Trump campaign. Musk is hosting rallies in swing states, giving out million-dollar checks to registered voters in those states and organizing canvassers. Billionaires donating to presidential campaigns is nothing new, but Musk is putting much more than money into the race.  Elahe Izadi speaks with technology reporter Trisha Thada...