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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

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 Dark Thirty.” Her latest film, “A House of Dynamite,” takes on a question that has been on her mind for decades: What would happen if the U.S. were targeted by a nuclear missile? 

The film, which is out on Netflix, has struck a nerve with audiences, becoming the streamer’s most-watched movie in the world and igniting conversation about the accuracy of its depiction of the U.S. missile defense system. 

Today on Post Reports, Elahe Izadi speaks with Kathryn Bigelow and with the film’s screenwriter, Noah Oppenheim, about why they chose to make this film in this moment, and about how they responded when they saw news that the U.S. could restart nuclear testing for the first time in decades. 

Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan and Josh Carroll, with help from Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. 

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

Kathryn Bigelow on ‘A House of Dynamite’ and the nuclear ‘elephant in the room’

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 had maintained that the pain was worth it, in order to extract more money from Republicans to fund health care subsidies for people who access insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Now, that demand has fallen by the wayside.

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with national political reporter and Senate expert Liz Goodwin about what it will still take to reopen the government, and why this funding compromise has further divided Democrats.

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Laura Benshoff with help from Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Why some Democrats defected to end the shutdown

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.

How far can a sense of purpose take us?

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 switching tactics and running for U.S. Congress as a Republican. 

Host Colby Itkowitz sits down with Barr to talk about her chances this time around and what she thinks of redistricting efforts around the country that are making congressional elections even less competitive.

Today’s show was produced by Reena Flores, Josh Carroll and Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sean Carter. 

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

She couldn't win as a Democrat. Will running as a Republican work?

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 from which they’ve already recovered. 

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with investigative reporter Craig Whitlock about the antiquated rules that have left the system vulnerable to abuse and the failed attempts to enact reform.. 

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

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

How some veterans exploit the VA disability system

There was little suspense after polls closed yesterday. Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the governor’s office in New Jersey, Abigail Spanberger easily defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears for the same office in Virginia, and Californians voted to redraw congressional maps to give Democrats an edge in next year’s midterm elections. In New York City, Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani was elected the city’s next mayor after defeating established Democrats like former governor Andrew M. Cuomo in the primary. 

Host Colby Itkowitz talks to Dan Merica, co-anchor of The Post’s Early Brief politics newsletter, about the lessons learned and major takeaways from each of these contests.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Josh Carroll. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. 

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

How Democrats swept Tuesday’s key elections

These days, just about any food you could possibly imagine now has “added” protein. There’s protein popcorn, protein muffins and even protein water. But where did this obsession with protein begin? And how much should we really be eating on a daily basis? Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Washington Post health columnist Anahad O’Connor about this latest nutrition craze and best practices for eating a balanced diet.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was mixed by Sam Bair, and edited by Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to editor Emily Codik.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

How to get enough protein — without going overboard

An estimated 42 million Americans use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP – also known as food stamps – to feed themselves and their families. The program ran out of funding over the weekend amid the government shutdown. 

While the Trump administration agreed to release enough funds to pay for half of November's SNAP benefits, many SNAP users are worried about what the rest of the month – and beyond – might look like.

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks to technology reporter Heather Kelly about the current state of SNAP and how people are looking to online content creators for practical advice about how to stretch their food budgets.

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Mariana Alfaro, Jen Liberto and Yun-Hee Kim.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Stretching a food budget, when SNAP's uncertain

On this weekend’s edition of The Optimist, reporter and self-proclaimed cynic Kyle Melnick goes on a journey with a dog. We’ll talk about what he learns, and 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 reported by Kyle Melnick. It was edited by Allison Klein and mixed by Ted Muldoon.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

How much do dogs reduce our stress?

President Donald Trump spent several days this week in Asia, dining with world leaders and hammering out the details of trade agreements. The visit culminated with a face-to-face meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. While both sides agreed to back off of their most aggressive trade positions, the visit was overshadowed by Trump’s directive that the United States would resume nuclear weapons testing.

Back at home, the federal government shutdown has created a cliff for SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, which 42 million Americans rely on for food assistance. With that benefit slated to run out at the end of October, how are Democrats and Republicans in Congress reacting?

Host Elahe Izadi speaks with White House economic policy correspondent Jacob Bogage and David J. Lynch, who covers trade for The Post. You can purchase David’s latest book, “The World's Worst Bet: How the Globalization Gamble Went Wrong (and What Would Make It Right),” here.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Josh Carroll. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. 

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

Trump's tariff truce, nuclear test orders, SNAP pain

Character.AI became one of the world’s most popular artificial intelligence apps by letting tens of millions of users, many in their teens, text and talk to chatbot versions of celebrities and fictional characters. But conversation with these seemingly friendly chatbots can easily veer into topics unsafe for minors.

Host Colby Itkowitz talks to tech culture reporter Nitasha Tiku about this new world of AI chatbots, and why parents and advocates are raising concerns. 

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

What happens when fake AI celebrities chat with teens

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