Post Reports

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held many titles during Donald Trump’s presidency. He may have just acquired his most challenging one yet: viceroy of Venezuela . The national security adviser, acting archivist and administrator of the now-defunct U.S. Agency for International Development was central to masterminding the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday. And with no imme...

After U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, President Donald Trump declared: “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.” The world is still digesting the consequences of the intervention, which the Trump administration has characterized as a law enforcement mission against Maduro rather than a military operation in a foreign countr...

Today we share one of our favorite episodes, from Optimist reporter Maggie Penman about the new science of aging, and a hopeful research finding that getting stronger and healthier in old age is possible for many of us – even after a health setback.  If you want to hear more stories like this, please let us know. You can reach the whole team at  podcasts@washpost.com  or email Maggi...

Today, we revisit one of our favorite episodes from this past year, about super agers: people who continue to thrive into their 80s and 90s. One of them lives just down my block. Ednajane Truax, who is known to friends and neighbors as “E.J.,” can often be found on her hands and knees in the dirt, working in the garden at the Sherwood Recreation Center in Northeast Washington. She also has an impr...

Once a month for 15 years, David Weiner has hosted a jazz party, inviting everyone he knows and many people he’s never met over to his D.C. rowhouse. Today, we revisit one of our favorite episodes of the year and go inside the wildly welcoming ritual to understand how he’s built this community — and kept it going. You can  read more about Wiener’s jazz party here . If you’re looking for more...

In one of our favorite episodes of the year, a group of self-proclaimed “old ladies” dive for garbage —  and unexpectedly find joy . This is a story from  The Optimist , The Washington Post’s section about the best of humanity. If you want more stories like this,  subscribe to our newsletter . If you love hearing these stories on “Post Reports,” please send us an email at  podc...

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...

Today, we revisit one of our favorite episodes from the past year: about the science of how dogs make us calmer, happier — and maybe even more trusting. If you want more optimistic content on the weekends, let us know at  podcasts@washpost.com  and  maggie.penman@washpost.com  – and  check out our newsletter . Today’s show was produced and hosted by Maggie Penman and repor...

The cafeteria at Ballard High School during lunch is a loud place. Students are talking and laughing, playing card games and going out to the courtyard for an informal recess. On Fridays, students have started playing bingo. It’s a big change from the past couple of years — and it’s not the only one. In the first month of school this year, students took out 67 percent more books from the school li...

Schools and community programs in Washington, D.C., are teaching students to play go-go music to help extend the legacy of the official music of the District. Producer Sabby Robinson spoke with enterprise reporter Marissa Lang about the history that these students are keeping alive and the impact the programs are having .  Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Maggie P...

Carolyn Hax has been an advice columnist for The Washington Post for over 25 years. So, she’s seen, heard and read it all. There’s no family drama and no question too bizarre for the seasoned columnist. That’s especially true during the holiday season, when some relationships get tested more than usual. Today on the show, host Elahe Izadi brings Carolyn into the studio to answer some reader questi...

In an executive order last week, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies  to reclassify marijuana as a less-dangerous substance. The drug is currently considered Schedule I, which is the most tightly controlled tier of illegal substances. Trump’s order would direct the Justice Department to move marijuana into Schedule III, a less-restricted class of drugs.  Host Martine Powers s...

Donating money can induce anxiety if you’re not sure how to afford it or feel pressured into doing so by the people around you.  “Try This” host Cristina Quinn talks to Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary about how to give back, whether it’s through money or time. Singletary reminds us that there’s always a way to give. She explains how to think through where you wa...

The week started with a Truth Social post from President Donald Trump about the death of Hollywood director Rob Reiner that drew backlash from within his own party. Then, a high-profile Vanity Fair profile of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles revealed her disparaging assessments of the president’s Cabinet. And it’s unclear if the fast-paced, campaign-style remarks from the White House achieve...

“Heated Rivalry,” a TV adaption of Rachel Reid’s gay romance novel, has taken social media feeds and group chats by storm. Thanks to a deal with HBO, this Canadian TV show has been steaming up living rooms across North America, and has become one of the streamer’s most-watched shows. The series centers on two rival hockey players, Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov, who in public ar...

Investigative reporter Beth Reinhard first noticed it in January, when President Donald Trump’s second inauguration celebration got moved indoors because of freezing temperatures. Thousands of ticketed spectators were left to stand out in the cold, but at least 17 billionaires, collectively worth more than $1 trillion, claimed coveted seats in the Capitol Rotunda — a historic concentration of weal...

Rob Reiner is the director of classics that include “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “This is Spinal Tap.” His wife Michele Singer Reiner worked alongside him and was famous in her own right, including photographing what would become the cover of Donald Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal.” The Reiners were advocates for Democratic candidates and causes.  News of their deaths ov...

Historically, presidential libraries have been used as research hubs to house documents and artifacts from a president’s time in the White House. They’re also a living monument to a president’s legacy.  Less than a year into President Donald Trump’s second term, planning for his presidential library is underway, with $50 million already raised from undisclosed donors. Co-host Colby Itkowitz s...

In the spring, Edward Brandon Becham was caring for his dying wife. He was also among hundreds of thousands of federal workers weighing whether to abandon public service. Donald Trump had taken office vowing to slash the federal bureaucracy, then entrusted the task to billionaire Elon Musk and a newly created cost-cutting team called the Department of Government Efficiency. In a matter of months ,...

In the first year of his second term, President Donald Trump has focused his attention on foreign policy and made numerous trips abroad – with an eye toward the Nobel Peace Prize. But as he discusses peace deals with foreign leaders, his ratings domestically have fallen. Critics say that he isn’t doing enough to ease American’s economic concerns. So, this week, Trump returned his attention statesi...

The U.S. is in the midst of its biggest overhaul yet to childhood vaccinations, and it is already impacting how families are thinking about immunizing their children.  President Donald Trump recently directed a review of the longstanding childhood vaccine schedule. And just last week, an influential vaccine panel recommended dropping the universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine for new...

The historic movie and television company now known as Warner Bros. Discovery is in high demand. Last week, Netflix announced it would buy some of the company’s most valuable media portfolio for $83 billion. But Paramount Skydance then launched a hostile bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery mere days later. Host Martine Powers speaks with media reporter Scott Nover about why these major media compani...

To many Americans, the idea of banning a party that has support from a significant portion of voters might seem undemocratic. But Germany, guided by its determination to avoid a repeat of Nazism, included a provision in its post-World War II constitution to allow banning parties that aim to subvert the constitutional order. Now, as Germany’s far-right party – Alternative for Germany (AfD) – surges...

The 2026 World Cup is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Before the tournament selection took place Friday in Washington D.C., FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented President Donald Trump with an inaugural Peace Prize from soccer’s global governing body. Celebrities from the worlds of sports and entertainment were also included in the programming lineup.  On today’s episo...

What’s really going on inside the brain of an altruist? Why do altruists care so much more for a stranger who needs help? Why are they so willing to give away a kidney? In this episode from the Washington Post’s “Try This” podcast, host Cristina Quinn explores what it means to be an altruist with Abigail Marsh, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Georgetown University. Together, they bre...