Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author of The Campaign Moment newsletter talks with national security reporter Abby Hauslohner and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about the most heated exchanges that Trump’s picks for defense secretary and attorney general, Pete Hegseth and Pam Bondi, faced during their Senate confirmation hearings. They also talk about what to expect if the historic ceasefire deal goes into effect over the weekend and what to watch for at Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Rennie Svirnovskiy, who also mixed the episode. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen. 

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Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Post’s White House editor, Naftali Bendavid, and national political reporter Maeve Reston about the politics of Trump’s sentencing in the New York hush money case. They also dig into how Trump is trying to pin the Los Angeles wildfires on Democrats and look ahead to next week’s Senate confirmation hearing for Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. 

Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. 

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On Friday, Republicans once again selected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to be speaker of the House — but not before there was a little bit of drama.

Earlier this week, President-elect Donald Trump took to social media to link the New Year’s Day vehicular attack in New Orleans to weak border policies, even though the attacker was an American citizen born in Texas. In the hours following, the message became a popular Republican talking point. 

Reporters Marianna Sotomayor, Marianne LeVine and Leigh Ann Caldwell join host Aaron Blake to discuss how Johnson eked out a victory in the speaker fight, and why the New Orleans attack became so quickly politicized.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachen Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair. 

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Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author of The Campaign Moment newsletter, sits down with senior congressional correspondent Paul Kane and White House reporter Matt Viser to talk about what Biden is trying to do with his last few weeks in office. They also talk about Time magazine’s person of the year interview with Trump and what two GOP Senate appointments could mean for Trump’s ability to get his agenda through Congress.

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

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On Capitol Hill, Hegseth is facing renewed scrutiny over allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct, which he denies. So this week, the veteran and former Fox News host spent time with lawmakers, publicly and privately making the case for his leadership of the Defense Department. But some Republican senators are skeptical, and Trump is reportedly lining up other options.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake breaks down the latest Cabinet controversies with White House editor Naftali Bendavid and Washington Post Live anchor Leigh Ann Caldwell. Plus, they discuss the extraordinary breadth of Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter and the possibility that Biden will issue more preemptive pardons to critics of the incoming president. 

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Justin Gerrish. 

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“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell, who co-authors the Early Brief politics newsletter for The Post, about why Gaetz’s bid for attorney general lasted just eight days. Aaron breaks down why Trump’s electoral mandate is actually weaker than he claims. Plus, answers to listeners’ and readers’ lingering questions about the 2024 election. 

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

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When Trump floated the name of Matt Gaetz for attorney general, some Republicans balked. The former Florida congressman has been investigated by both the Justice Department and the House Ethics Committee over allegations of drug use and sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz has denied wrongdoing. Trump’s announced choice to lead the Defense Department, Fox News weekend host Pete Hegseth, also faces new scrutiny after it was revealed that he paid a woman after she accused him of sexual assault. Hegseth denies the assault allegation.

Host Aaron Blake and national political reporter Michael Scherer break down the various controversies around Gaetz and Hegseth and weigh whether Republicans will ultimately oppose their confirmations.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. 

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There’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz to head up the Justice Department. Former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence. Trump has chosen some eyebrow-raising names to staff his Cabinet. But are there any Republicans in the Senate that would choose to block them? 

Congress reporter Liz Goodwin joins hosts Aaron Blake and Elahe Izadi to dig into Trump’s Cabinet appointments, their chances in the Senate, and whether Trump could bypass the upper chamber entirely with the use of recess appointments.

Today's episode was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Rena Flores, Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.

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President-elect Donald Trump has a lengthy to-do list for his second term in the White House. Among other controversial proposals, it includes conducting large-scale deportations of immigrants in the U.S. without legal status, hiking tariffs on imports, firing career civil servants and granting clemency to people convicted of seditious conspiracy over the events of Jan. 6, 2021. 

And while Americans elected Trump, they might not like what comes next. 

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake breaks down, along with producer Laura Benshoff, what the polls tell us about how popular – or unpopular – Trump’s proposals are.  

Today’s episode was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and Mary Jo Murphy. Thanks to Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Lucy Perkins.

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“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers, senior political reporter Aaron Blake and White House reporter Cleve Wootson break down the questions many Democrats are asking right now about why Harris lost: Should Biden have dropped out earlier? Did Harris run a bad campaign? Does America hate women?

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.

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