Post Reports

In September, the U.S. military began striking boats suspected of drug smuggling in the Caribbean. Since then, questions about the legality of these strikes have swirled. Last week, The Post reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken order to kill everyone before a Sept. 2 attack, according to officials.  The commander of the mission later made the decision to strike two survi...

The note-taking applications on our phones are often where we go to jot down a quick reminder, a draft of a text message or a packing list. These simple text editors are there, on our phones, ready to document our fleeting thoughts. But what do these notes from yesterday, or last month, or three years ago say about ourselves?  Post Reports co-host Elahe Izadi recently took on this question an...

Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection usually police the frontier. But since the summer, the Trump administration has deployed these agents, along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, to Democratic-led cities, often with combustive results. Leading these urban operations is Gregory Bovino, who has become the face of the aggressive crackdown. Host Elahe Izadi speaks with imm...

Two days after the shooting of two National Guard members in the nation’s capital by a suspect who is an Afghan national, the Trump administration announced a flurry of policies aimed at making it harder for some foreigners to enter or stay in the country .  The administration said it was halting all decisions related to asylum claims and paused visa issuances for Afghan nationals, including...

When the U.S. first struck a suspected drug-smuggling boat off the Trinidad coast on Sept. 2, two survivors were left clinging to the wreckage. In order to comply with the commands he’d been given by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Special Operations commander ordered a second strike, according to two people familiar with the matter. It killed the two survivors. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with...

From starting a tomato sauce company to launching matchmaking services, Zarna Garg’s entrepreneurial spirit has always been on display. But when daughter Zoya Garg dragged her to an open-mic event and introduced her mother to the world of stand-up comedy, the older Garg seemed skeptical. Fast-forward six years later. Now, Zarna Garg has streaming comedy specials, a best-selling book and millions o...

Feeling a sense of awe can make us feel less stressed, less lonely and more connected to each other. It’s good for our bodies and our minds. So how do we feel more of it?  Today’s show was produced by Joshua Carroll, Rennie Svirnovskiy and Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Allison Klein and Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Optimist’s newsletter here and subscribe to The W...

Shane Harris first tasted “Vangie’s bacon” 11 years ago, and he hasn’t stopped thinking about it since. Today on the show, Shane goes on a quest to unlock the bacon mystery – and a time in Washington when Republicans, Democrats, spies, diplomats and journalists used to set their differences aside and gather around a dinner table. Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by...

Children are attached to their screens. But research has suggested that social media and excessive screen use can lead to physical and mental health problems. So what happens when parents start to limit screen time? Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with reporter Caitlin Gibson about why some parents are limiting their children’s access to screens and devices. And Caitlin shares tips parents can use to h...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and, if you’re not careful, it could be the most expensive. The day after Thanksgiving has historically been the official start of the holiday shopping season, but we’ve been seeing Black Friday deals advertised earlier each year. Moreover, Americans are increasingly concerned about the rising costs of food, housing and health care. Throw in the longest gov...

A group in D.C. ditched their smartphones for a month. Washington Post reporter Brittany Shammas joined them. Here’s what she learned. If you want to learn more about Brittany’s story, you can read it here .  To subscribe to The Optimist’s newsletter, click here . Today’s show was produced by Maggie Penman and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show.  Subscribe to The Washington Post here .

After months of buildup, Congress voted to release the Epstein files on Tuesday. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law. But language in that legislation leaves wiggle room for the Justice Department to hold back some of the files, and questions remain about how much transparency the measure secures. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Justice Department reporter Jeremy Roebuck and Dan Merica...

The last five pennies were minted in Philadelphia last week. Over the 232 years of its existence, the penny became culturally significant through music, fashion and movies. But recently, many have argued for it to be discontinued because of how much the coin costs to produce. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with White House economic policy correspondent Jacob Bogage about how prices could be affected b...

This week, President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. At a grand White House dinner, an investment summit at the Kennedy Center and a sit-down in the Oval Office, the leaders appeared to be in lockstep. It was a stark contrast to 2018, when the U.S. intelligence community concluded that Mohammed had approved the killing and dismemberment of Washing...

Last month the FBI arrested Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier for their involvement in two separate illegal gambling cases. Now star MLB pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been charged for their role in an unrelated case involving allegedly throwing balls to benefit bettors. Today on “Post Reports,” host Elahe Izadi is joined by longtime...

When the conservative organization Blexit announced it was going to visit HBCU campuses this fall, it received backlash from students, administrators and alumni. But when it made a stop at Howard University – during the university’s celebratory homecoming weekend – the reception felt mixed. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Features reporter Samantha Chery about Blexit’s strategy and how people reac...

Friendship is vital for our health and happiness, but we don’t always prioritize it. The Optimist’s Maggie Penman goes on a journey to make new friends and learn why so many of us are craving connection. Today’s show was produced by Maggie Penman, with help from Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Allison Klein.  For more stories from The Optimist, subscribe to our newslett...

The House Oversight Committee released a tranche of emails from the estate of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein that give us more information about his relationship to President Donald Trump. Today on the politics roundtable, we’ll unpack what these emails say and how the White House has responded. And, after 43 days, the federal government is back open for business. As the dust settles on the l...

For months, the relationship between the United States and Latin America has been fraught. President Donald Trump has targeted enemies in the region and propped up MAGA-friendly allies. We’ve now reached an inflection point, and the world is watching for what’s next. Today, two of The Post’s experts on the region, national security correspondent  Karen DeYoung and Mexico City bureau chief Sam...

It’s an improbable path, from al-Qaeda to the West Wing. The U.S. had once designated Ahmed al-Sharaa a terrorist. He fought U.S. forces in Iraq and was even imprisoned. Sharaa spent years in northwest Syria leading an Islamic militant group that was affiliated with al-Qaeda until he cut those ties.  Last year, al-Sharaa led rebel forces that took down Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad, ending...

Kathryn Bigelow has been thinking about the threat of nuclear war ever since she was a kid. “I come from the era of duck and cover,” she says, “where when I was very little, we had to hide under the desk in the event of an atomic bomb blast.” Over the last 40 years, she’s been directing tightly-paced thrillers such as “The Hurt Locker ” (which won her the Academy Award for best director) and “Zero...

After weeks of holding out, a small group of Senate Democrats voted with Republicans over the weekend to start the process of reopening the government. Since the U.S. government closed its doors on Nov. 1, services like federal food assistance have suffered, and Social Security Administration and Internal Revenue Service help lines have paused as those workers face furloughs.  But Democrats h...

Jordie Poncy was about to start a job counseling cancer patients when he learned he had cancer himself. Three years later, his health is stable — and he’s finding meaning by helping others fight. If you want to hear more from The Optimist, follow our newsletter .  Subscribe to The Washington Post here .

Kate Barr ran for state Senate in North Carolina’s 37th District as a Democrat last year, expecting to lose. She even branded her campaign with the words “Kate Barr can’t win.” She ran the unconventional campaign to make an argument against gerrymandering — a tactic used in her state and across the country by politicians who have redrawn congressional maps to favor their party. But now she is swit...

This year, taxpayers will spend about $193 billion to compensate almost 7 million disabled veterans. Some of the conditions prevent veterans from working or doing everyday tasks – but a Post investigation found that many are receiving money for easily manageable ailments like acne, eczema and sleep apnea . Others are filing fraudulent claims to get money for conditions they either don’t have or fr...