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The Washington Post

Post Reports is the daily podcast from The Washington Post. Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you’ve come to expect from the newsroom of The Post, for your ears. Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi are your hosts, asking the questions you didn’t know you wanted answered. Published weekdays around 5 p.m. Eastern time.

Post Reports

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 achieved Trump’s goal of reconnecting with voters on the economy.

So how is the White House dealing with these divisions on the right? 

Host Colby Itkowitz sits down with Dan Merica, co-anchor of the Early Brief newsletter, and White House reporter Natalie Allison to recap it all.

Today’s show was produced by Charla Freeland and Josh Carroll. It was edited by Reena Flores with help from Martine Powers and mixed by Sean Carter. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here. And watch us on YouTube here.

Why MAGA faithful are growing frustrated with Trump

“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 are fierce competitors but in private nurture a blossoming romance.

Today on “Post Reports,” host Martine Powers speaks with Lifestyle reporter Rachel Kurzius and Style reporter Shane O’Neill to talk about the show’s depictions of gay intimacy, why this extremely steamy show has struck a chord with audiences, and what it says about our collective anxieties around sex and relationships.

Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu. It was mixed by Sam Bair. And edited by Peter Bresnan.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

How a gay hockey romance became a global phenomenon

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 wealth that seemed to herald a new class of American oligarchs, there to celebrate the inauguration of the 47th president.

In the months since that cold January day, Reinhard and her colleagues discovered that spending on elections by the richest 100 Americans crossed the $1 billion threshold for the first time, and that $1 out of every $13 spent in last year's election was donated by a handful of the wealthiest Americans. 

Today on “Post Reports,” Reinhard speaks with host Colby Itkowitz about how billionaires have driven up campaign costs and, as a result, how they may be reshaping American democracy. 

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Elana Gordon and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Patrick Caldwell.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Is this the American oligarchy?

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 over the weekend sparked an outpouring of grief – and was met with more shock when the couple’s son Nick Reiner was arrested on suspicion of murder in his parents’ deaths. Features reporter Sonia Rao explains what we know about the killings so far and the public’s reaction – including disparaging comments by the president. 

Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sam Bair.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

﻿Correction: A previous version of this episode description misspelled Michele Singer Reiner's first name.

Rob Reiner’s death and legacy

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 speaks with national political investigative reporter Michael Kranish about how presidential libraries and museums are usually created and why Trump’s private fundraising foundation could allow history to be misrepresented at his future library.

Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Dan Eggen.

﻿Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

The making of Trump’s presidential library

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, Musk and his U.S. DOGE Service wiped out hundreds of thousands of jobs, billions of dollars in spending and the job security that once distinguished government work.

Of America’s 2.4 million federal workers, nearly 4 in 10 registered to vote had, like Becham, cast ballots for Trump, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll. But as the days passed, Becham was becoming convinced that the Trump administration’s treatment of government employees — large-scale firings, emails he saw as harassing and strict return-to-office mandates — was wrongheaded and cruel. If he was unable to resign, Brandon would be required to report to a federal building in Las Vegas more than 70 miles away. Round-trip, it would cost him three hours a day with his three children, for whom he would soon be the only parent and sole provider.

Becham felt as though he was witnessing two painful deaths: his wife’s, of course, but also that of his career. In his darkest moments, Brandon turned to his Bible — and next to it, his leather-bound diary.

This story follows Becham and his family for a week as he navigated his feelings about his wife, family, his career and Trump.

Hannah Natanson reported and narrated the piece. Bishop Sand composed music and produced audio.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Deep Reads: His wife was dying, his federal job crumbling. It tested his faith — in God and Trump.

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 stateside and kicked off his affordability tour in Pennsylvania, while simultaneously branding “affordability” as a democratic “hoax.”

Today on the politics roundtable, we discuss why Trump’s tour signals the administration’s concerns about the politics of affordability, and how some Democrats could use this as a way to gain an edge during the 2026 midterms. 

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Dan Merica, the co-anchor of our politics newsletter, The Early Brief, and White House Bureau Chief Matt Viser. 

Today's episode was produced by Josh Carroll and Thomas Lu. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Reena Flores. Thanks also to our Politics editors. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here. Watch this episode on YouTube here.

Trump calls affordability a "hoax"; Democrats take note

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 newborns, even though medical associations said they lacked evidence and data to support the change. 

Today on “Post Reports,” national health reporter Lena Sun breaks down the implications of dropping the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, and how, if the change is approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it could affect children’s health nationwide. Then, host Martine Powers speaks with Dr. Nola Jean Ernest about how a growing skepticism toward vaccines is affecting her practice and how she is managing to make the case to patients in the Wiregrass region of Alabama that vaccines matter.

Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to editor Fenit Nirappil. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

The biggest shift yet in U.S. vaccine policy

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 companies want Warner Bros., what a deal could mean for how we watch TV and movies, and how President Donald Trump could become involved in the negotiations.

Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to James Graff.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

The battle for Warner Bros.

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 in popularity, the country is in a heated debate over whether to ban it. “Post Reports” producer and reporter Emma Talkoff speaks with host Colby Itkowitz about how Germany is wrestling with the question of how to fight political extremism.

Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Aaron Weiner and David Herszenhorn. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Should Germany ban its far-right party?

Today, how ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel could upend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government. 

Read more:

Last Thursday, the Israeli Supreme Court suspended subsidies for ultra-Orthodox Jews studying in yeshivas instead of serving in the military. This comes at a time of growing frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government. Protests over the weekend were fueled by anti-government sentiment and frustration from those who want to see Israeli hostages returned from Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.

Today, reporter Loveday Morris breaks down the impact of the court’s decision, the Israeli protests that started this weekend and the potential of Netanyahu losing power. 

Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Lucy Perkins. Thanks also to Bishop Sand and Jesse Mesner-Hage. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

How ultra-Orthodox Jews could imperil Netanyahu’s power

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