Post Reports

On today’s “Post Reports,” we look into why Republicans are waging legal battles to disqualify mail-in ballots, and why rhetoric against mail voting might actually hurt their presidential candidate. 

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Since 2020, the Republican Party has waged a nationwide legal campaign to reject mail-in ballots.

From Wisconsin to North Carolina to Nevada, Republicans say much of their litigation is aimed at enforcement of election law, down to the letter. But critics see a strategy that has nothing to do with election integrity — and everything to do with disqualifying voters who cast ballots by mail, an overwhelming majority of whom support Democrats. 

At the same time, Republicans are also ramping up their get-out-the-vote operations, which include pushing their supporters to use mail-in ballots.

On today’s “Post Reports,” Elahe Izadi speaks with democracy reporter Colby Itkowitz about Republicans’ efforts to get mail-in ballots thrown out in Pennsylvania, and about the have-it-both-ways strategy they’re employing in this election. 

And we hear from an election official in Pennsylvania’s Lycoming County — a GOP-leaning area in the center of the state — who’s sick of the fighting. 

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Sabby Robinson and Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thank you to Griff Witte and HyoJung Kim.  

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Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip awoke on Monday, the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks, in the same way they were roused on Oct. 7, 2023: to the sound of air-raid sirens.

At 6:32 a.m. – almost to the minute of the surprise assaults last year – militants in Gaza launched four rockets toward those same towns and kibbutzim, sending Israelis into shelters and highlighting how the battle continues to rage 12 months after that fateful morning. 

Israeli forces immediately struck targets inside Gaza, where more than 41,000 people have been killed since the start of the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Despite the fighting, Israelis came together to remember those who were lost, those who are still being held captive and those who remain unable to return to their homes. About 1,200 Israeli citizens, visitors, guest workers and soldiers were killed in the Oct. 7 attacks. At least 250 were taken hostage. More than 160,000 fled to safety from towns around Gaza and along the border with Lebanon. Few have come home.

Today on “Post Reports,” Martine Powers speaks with Steve Hendrix in Jerusalem about the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, and about the internal divisions within Israel as its war with Hamas in Gaza expands to include Lebanon, Yemen and Iran. 

Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Emma Talkoff and Rennie Svirnvoskiy. It was edited by Monica Campbell and Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Jesse Mesner-Hage, Heidi Levine, Joe Snell and Alisa Shodiyev Kaff. 

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The WNBA playoffs are underway, capping a record-breaking season: The league added teams, games saw the highest attendance ever, and television viewership skyrocketed. Many credit rookie player Caitlin Clark for drawing fans to the league after millions tuned in to watch her and rival players compete in this year's college basketball championship. 

Host Elahe Izadi speaks with sports reporters Kareem Copeland and Ava Wallace about how the “Clark effect” has transformed the WNBA on and off the court.  

Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Mark Selig.

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As Election Day looms, we’re seeing more and more headlines based on poll results. Some declare Trump and Harris neck and neck, while others state one candidate has a small advantage over the other. But how can we make sense of all these polls flooding the news cycle?

Today, Martine Powers speaks with The Post’s deputy polling director, Emily Guskin. Emily explains how a poll comes to be, what to look for when trying to understand whether a poll is trustworthy and breaks down once and for all what “margin of error” really means.

Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Bishop Sand. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Correction: A previous version of this episode gave an example of a margin of error applying to a percentage of a sample that hated apples. In the example, the margin of error actually applied to the percentage of the population that hates apples. The audio has been corrected.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio faced off at what was expected to be the only vice presidential debate on Tuesday night. But it was much less dramatic than the presidential debates. 

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“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake about Walz’s stumbling performance, Vance’s efforts to soften his image on unpopular issues for the GOP, like abortion, and whether either performance could significantly impact the race. 

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. 

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Across the southeastern United States, Hurricane Helene destroyed houses, swept up cars and overflowed riverbanks. Now millions of people are without power and clean drinking water; more than 100 people are dead. 

“It's not really an overstatement to say there are towns that were there and are basically not there anymore,” environment and climate reporter Brady Dennis said. He’s been reporting from North Carolina, where many communities were not prepared for the disaster. On today’s show, Dennis describes the widespread destruction and relief efforts to host Elahe Izadi.

Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Reena Flores, with help from Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Scott Dance, Paulina Firozi and Katie Zezima.

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For months, tensions between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah have increased, with the two sides exchanging cross-border attacks. Yet in recent weeks, Israel has ratcheted up its attacks in Lebanon, including the assassination of Hasan Nasrallah on Friday. The Shiite cleric oversaw Hezbollah for decades and became one of the most powerful and divisive leaders in the Middle East.

The impact of Israel’s strikes has also been devastating. The death toll has now surpassed 1,000 people, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The agency doesn’t distinguish between combatant and civilian deaths, but it said more than 80 children are among the dead. Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing for safety. 

Now, officials have told reporters at the Post that Israel is planning an imminent, limited ground invasion into Lebanon.

Today, host Elahe Izadi speaks with Shane Harris, who covers intelligence and national security for The Post, about Israel’s strategy in attacking Hezbollah inside of Lebanon. We also hear whether this could pull Iran and the United States into a bigger regional conflict.

Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Reena Flores. Thanks to Joe Snell and Ben Pauker. 



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Kevin Roche was recently elected to a small governing board in Norfolk, Mass. He had lived in the small town his whole life. Then Roche received the news Haitian migrants were going to be sheltered in Norfolk.

The state had opened new shelters in towns across Massachusetts, but none so big in a town so small.

This is the story of one town’s reckoning with the national immigration crisis — from inside the auto shop that Kevin operates, to the airport terminal where the migrant families were staying.

The story was written and read by Ruby Cramer. Audio production and original music by Bishop Sand.

“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with Senate reporter Liz Goodwin about how Senate Democrats are feeling ahead of the November election. They also dig into the politics of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s indictment and preview what to expect in next week’s first – and likely only – vice presidential debate. 

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

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In 2020, North Carolina was the one that got away for Democrats: Then candidate Joe Biden lost the state by the smallest margin in the presidential election. Now, with the election a little over a month away, Democrats and Republicans are kicking into overdrive, campaigning to win North Carolina, a newly competitive swing state.

Elahe Izadi speaks with political reporter Hannah Knowles about why Democrats now think they can win North Carolina and how the state could tip the balance of the election in November.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff, with help from Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Sean Sullivan. 

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