Post Reports

Since Trump unleashed Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service on the federal government, Post reporter Hannah Natanson has been deluged with messages from hundreds of federal workers. They fear for their jobs and are worried about the damage DOGE could do to crucial programs as it tries to make massive spending cuts across the government.

Colby Itkowitz speaks with Hannah about what it has been like to be on the receiving end of these messages, what federal workers are most concerned about, and what DOGE may look like now that Elon Musk is stepping back from leading the initiative.

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Peter Bresnan. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

América Platt was detained at Prairieland – an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Alvarado, Texas. She spent four sleepless nights on the floor because there weren’t enough beds. She had her period when she arrived, and a fever from an ear infection – but she said it took hours to access medical care or even a sanitary pad. 

“You’re stripped from your humanity,” she told investigative reporter Doug MacMillan. 

Today, producer Laura Benshoff speaks with Doug about the conditions in overcrowded ICE detention centers. 

This episode was produced by Ariel Plotnick and edited by Maggie Penman. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Evelyn Larrubia. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became leader of the world's nearly 1.4 billion Catholics in 2013. Immediately, Francis made it clear that he would not be a traditional pope. He rejected the customary red slippers of the office in favor of simple black shoes, and he chose to live in a small boarding house instead of the lavish papal apartments above St. Peter’s Square. 

Francis made few changes to church doctrine during his 12 years as pope, but he fostered an inclusive style that won him many admirers and provoked harsh criticism from the church’s more conservative factions. In particular, he tried to make the church more inclusive to women and to the LGBTQ community.

Anthony Faiola is the Post’s Rome bureau chief, and he has covered Francis for more than a decade. Colby Itkowitz speaks with him about the legacy Francis leaves behind, and about why the upcoming conclave to choose Francis’s successor is shrouded in mystery. “Even the most astute Vatican watchers would not hazard a guess as to who the next pope will be,” Anthony says. 

Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Ted Muldoon. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Think you know how to take a good nap? Think again. Neuroscientist and columnist Richard Sima discusses the latest research on how to maximize the benefits. Plus, how breathing can help calm our minds. 

Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins, with help from Maggie Penman. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

The world’s two largest powers are closer than ever to a full economic break. Why neither the United States nor China want to blink, and what it will take for China to survive the trade war.

Read more:

A week after President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs roiled global markets, his administration put China in its crosshairs, with a 145 percent levy on Chinese imports. 

China countered by raising tariffs on all U.S. goods to at least 125 percent and by publicly casting the United States as an irresponsible global power. 

Today on “Post Reports,” The Post’s China bureau chief, Lily Kuo, joins guest host Chris Velazco to explain how the trade relationship between the two countries got so hostile, how China plans to weather the storm, and how the rest of the world might feel the consequences of this game of chicken. 

And China correspondent Christian Shepherd brings us to an e-commerce expo in Shenzhen, China, where sellers are pledging to find a way through the tariffs. 

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Reena Flores. Thanks to Anna Fifield. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has used his office to threaten or punish people he says have wronged him in the past. That includes prominent law firms that have represented Democratic causes or hired attorneys who have investigated him, such as former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. 

To get back on Trump’s good side, some law firms are now pledging to do pro bono work for causes the administration supports. As of late last week, some law firms Trump has pressured have promised him nearly a billion dollars in legal services. Others are taking the administration to court.

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with law enforcement and criminal justice reporter Mark Berman about how Trump is using the power of the presidency to muzzle private law firms and why many lawyers say his moves undermine the entire justice system.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

For the past few weeks, one man has become a focal point for President Donald Trump’s war on immigration. Kilmar Abrego García was mistakenly deported and sent to a Salvadoran prison last month. Abrego García’s deportation has become a legal battle over the rights of immigrants and the boundaries of executive power.

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti about how Abrego García became collateral damage in Trump’s immigration fight.

Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Lucas Trevor and Lucy Perkins.



Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

The United States is experiencing a rise in measles, the most contagious virus in the world. Many of us have questions: Is my child protected? Do I need another vaccine? What about taking vitamin A?  

Infectious disease experts worry that the Trump administration’s handling of the outbreak centered in West Texas is creating confusion and hindering an effective response. 

Today on “Post Reports,” host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Lena Sun, a national reporter focused on public health and infectious diseases, about what to know about the widening measles outbreak and how families can protect themselves.  

Read more:

• Trump has faced measles before. The difference this time is RFK Jr.
• RFK Jr.’s focus on vitamin A for measles worries health experts
• Should you get a measles booster? Here’s what to know.
• Five people who survived measles recount the disease’s horrors

Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Lenny Bernstein. 

Listen to our previous episode ”Inside Texas’s Growing Measles Outbreak.”

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Dallas LeBeau had worked for years to make it to a top professional tour in skiing, only to stall in the standings last winter. He felt desperate to win respect. One of the last chances of the year to make some noise was by submitting a video of a jump to GoPro for a contest.

In January 2024, on the drive back after a long day on the mountain, he snapped a photo of the turn before Highway 40 crests Berthoud Pass in Colorado — a 40-foot-wide stretch of asphalt. With the GoPro contest in mind, he thought: What if I could jump that gap?

This is the story leading up to Dallas’s jump, his attempt to clear Highway 40, and the grief that followed. The piece was reported, written and read by Roman Stubbs. Audio production and original music by Bishop Sand.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-Colorado) speaks with host Colby Itkowitz about why he's seeking to rein in Trump's tariffs authority and restore that power to Congress.

This episode was produced by Sam Bair, with help from Peter Bresnan and Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Maggie Penman, Reena Flores and Renita Jablonski. Thank you to Emily Anderson and Meryl Kornfield.