Post Reports

Niger has been a key U.S. ally in West Africa in the fight against growing threats from Islamist extremist groups. But a military coup last July soured that relationship. Now, the U.S. says it will withdraw from the country by mid-September.

For more than a decade, the U.S. military presence in Niger has enabled U.S. intelligence gathering, monitoring and support to Niger, as it works to contain extremist groups. 

After last year’s coup, many Nigeriens support their country’s new leadership, hoping they can better fight violence from these groups. But discussions between the United States and Niger’s military junta have broken down. 

Today on “Post Reports,” West Africa bureau chief Rachel Chason shares what she learned in an exclusive interview with Niger’s prime minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, and what this could all mean for Nigerien and American national security interests. 

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U.S. lays out plans for withdrawing troops from Niger

U.S. threats led to rupture of vital military ties, Nigerien leader says

Why the Islamic State is surging in Africa

Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Ted Muldoon and Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. 



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In a place with a long history of hate, a rebel Republican bloc mobilizes against far-right extremism within the local party. 

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A generation ago, community activists were able to bankrupt and push out a white supremacist hate group that took root among the tall pines and crystal lakes of North Idaho. It was a hard-fought triumph — one North Idaho residents took pride in.

But today, some of those activists and residents worry that hateful ideologies are returning to their region. 

This time, they say, the threat is no longer on the fringes of society, dressed in Nazi garb at a hideout in the woods. Instead, they say they see it in the leadership of the local Republican Party, which has mirrored the lurch to the right of the national conservative movement during the Trump era on matters of race, religion and sexuality. The bigotry of the past, they say, now has mainstream political cover.

Today on “Post Reports,” extremism and domestic terrorism reporter Hannah Allam talks with host Martine Powers about the self-described “traditional” Republicans who spent the past two years planning to wrest back control from leaders they accused of steering the local GOP toward extremism — charges those officials vehemently denied. And Hannah gives an update on their plight. 

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the episode. 

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Popular rapper Young Thug is on trial in Atlanta on racketeering charges, along with other members of his rap group, YSL. Today on “Post Reports,” why the trial will soon be the longest in state history and how his lyrics are being used against him.

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The popular rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, skyrocketed to fame over the past decade, headlining festivals, winning a Grammy, and building up a successful record label and the rap collective YSL. But in May 2022 he was arrested and indicted with more than two dozen other people, accused of “overt acts” such as drug possession and armed robbery. 

The trial has gone on for almost a year and a half – with jury selection alone taking over 10 months. More than 200 people have been called to testify, and the prosecution is using Young Thug’s social media accounts and lyrics as evidence of being involved in criminal activity. Reporter Ben Brasch has been following the trial closely and explains each side’s arguments and how this case could affect other rappers’ artistic expression. 

Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter. 

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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, along with other top officials. Today on “Post Reports,” the reactions to his death from within Iran and worldwide – and what it will mean for the country’s leadership.

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The deaths of two of Iran’s top officials brought shock and celebrations from within Iran and among the country’s diaspora. Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, and the foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were killed along with other officials and crew members when their helicopter crashed traveling from Iran’s border with Azerbaijan. It crashed in thick fog, and search teams struggled to find the crash site for hours because of the weather. 

In Iran, officials declared five days of mourning, with many Iranians gathering to grieve Raisi’s death. But across social media and at protests in Tehran on Monday, people danced in celebration. Raisi was a polarizing figure during his four-decade career in the country’s government, during which he cracked down on political protests. 

Yeganeh Torbati is a financial investigative reporter who is following the aftermath of Raisi’s death. She explains his legacy and what Raisi’s death means on a global scale. 

Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter. 

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It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and national political reporter Michael Scherer join Martine Powers this week. There is a lot to dig into about the debates agreed to this week by President Biden and former president Donald Trump. Also on the must-chat list: the latest from the hush money trial in New York, the reporting by Michael and Post colleagues on the Trump campaign’s “leaner” ground strategy and the implications of some of the latest polling. 

You can now also follow The Campaign Moment in a new feed to hear extra episodes from Aaron and our politics team as the campaign year continues. 

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

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Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon and Sean Carter. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy.

Today, what’s really happening with inflation in the United States. And what the public perception of the economy could mean for the 2024 presidential election. 

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While inflation in the United States is still higher than normal, a streak of discouraging data finally broke in a report released Wednesday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation is now slowing — from 3.5 percent in March to 3.4 percent in April — after months of hotter-than-expected reports. But it’s too early to know whether this trend will continue. 

Economics reporter Rachel Siegel has been tracking what has felt like roller coaster inflation over the past few years and breaks down where the economy is at now — and how it may affect the 2024 presidential election. She also dives into how the latest economic numbers are playing out in terms of interest rates and their knock-on effect on America’s housing market.   

Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell.

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As trust in institutions plummets and as many people search for shared values, what is the state of American identity? Today, in a special episode of “Post Reports,” we feature a live discussion about the importance of identity in a changing world.

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In a live podcast taping, “Post Reports” hosts Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi sit down in Seattle at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival with Post Opinions columnists Shadi Hamid and Jason Willick. They rethink American identity and whether, during these fractured times, we are creating more opportunities to understand each other – or becoming more distant?

For more from our Post Opinions colleagues, listen to their podcast “Impromptu.” Each week, columnists get into it, with conversations about ideas and debates they can’t stop thinking about. Listen and follow here.  

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon and edited by Monica Campbell. 

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People are turning to drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight – but where do they fit in the body-positivity movement? Today on Post Reports, what some fat activists think of these drugs and how one doctor is talking about these medicines with her patients.

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Some companies are marketing GLP-1 drugs to body-positive influencers in the hopes that they’ll market their products to their followers. 

Shane O’Neill is a style reporter at the Post and writes the Style Memo newsletter. When he heard about this marketing push, he reached out to some of these influencers and activists to get their take on whether these drugs had a place in their messaging.

At the same time, many doctors are busy fielding questions from patients who are interested in taking these drugs to lose weight. Mara Gordon is a physician in New Jersey who is trying to stop weight stigma by practicing a size-inclusive approach to medicine – meaning she doesn’t offer these drugs for weight loss. She doesn’t think that these drugs can cure fatphobia, and so she tries to talk through patients' goals with them and orient the solutions away from weight loss.

“So let's say I have a patient who doesn't have diabetes, but they say they want to lose weight. So we try to explore that – what are you hoping to achieve? What feels wrong in your life that feels related to, related to your body size?”

Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Monica Campbell and Ariel Plotnick. 

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Google is changing the way its search feature works, feeding users AI-generated replies to their questions rather than directing them to other websites. 

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At its annual developer conference this week, tech giant Google is expected to tout big changes to its signature product, search. Instead of directing users to a list of websites or showing them an excerpt, Google’s AI will craft paragraphs of text that tries to answer users’ questions directly. 

AI reporter Gerrit De Vynck says the change could have huge consequences for the internet. Because AI chatbots are still unreliable, and because the information feeding the generative answers comes from a range of sources, users will need to watch out for false information. And the new format means that sources across the web –  bloggers, businesses,  newspapers and other publishers – are likely to see a huge loss of traffic.

Gerrit joins us to break down what the changes to Google search mean for users, and why the company is moving in this direction.

Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Heather Kelly. 

Also on the show: The Climate Solutions team at the Post has an eye-opening story about the benefits of leaving your lawn unmowed and letting nature do its thing. Read it here.



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In today’s bonus episode, we break down Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud, the biggest beef in recent rap history.

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In the past few weeks, a long-standing feud between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake has boiled over. The two artists have released songs taking shots at each other at a rapid clip, astonishing fans with salacious allegations.

On today’s show, The Post’s Joseph Ferguson explains the beef that caused the recent frenzy and how this moment has reignited the hip-hop industry.

Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson and Sean Carter. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter.

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