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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

President Donald Trump made headlines with two speeches this week. First came his sprawling, stream-of-consciousness address in the White House briefing room on Tuesday. Then, his barbed remarks about fellow world leaders at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Trump concluded the week with a purported deal on America’s future role in Greenland – but it remains unclear what that deal will entail.

“A lot of what we've seen from Trump during his political career, but specifically over the last year is … notching the win before the details are worked out,” White House reporter Cleve Wootson said on this week’s episode of the “Post Reports” politics roundtable. “He gets to walk away from Davos saying: I got what I wanted from these European leaders. America has won.”

Wootson spoke on the podcast with host Colby Itkowitz and Dan Merica, co-anchor of the politics newsletter The Early Brief. They also talk about the 2026 midterms, and why Democrats are newly optimistic about their chances in the Senate.

“The map is not overall very favorable to them,” Colby says, “but they're suddenly looking at it and thinking: We might be able to do this.”

Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu and Josh Carroll. It was edited by Martine Powers and mixed by Sean Carter. 

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

Trump’s Greenland ‘deal,’ and Democrats’ midterm math

Iranian director Jafar Panahi has been making social cinema since the 1990s. His work follows everyday Iranians and their struggles against societal forces. In 2010 the director received a ban on filmmaking from the Iranian government, and in 2022 he was imprisoned after he inquired into a fellow filmmaker’s arrest. Despite being jailed and censored, Panahi has continued to work. His films such as "The Circle,” “Taxi” and “No Bears” have won awards from the top film festivals in the world. 

Now his latest film, “It Was Just an Accident,” has been nominated for two Oscars for best international feature film and best original screenplay. 

The film follows a group of former Iranian political prisoners who kidnap a man they suspect was their torturer, but they aren’t totally sure it’s him. Panahi shot the film in secret in Iran because he didn’t have official government permission to make it. While it is receiving critical acclaim around the world, it’s being repressed in Iran, where the government recently handed Panahi a new prison sentence. 

Today on “Post Reports” Elahe Izadi speaks with Jafar Panahi about how he made “It Was Just an Accident” and why he is planning to return to Iran once his awards campaign is over. 

The two spoke this month, before this week’s Oscar nominations and the most recent escalation of anti-government demonstrations and crackdowns in Iran. 

Today’s show was produced by Lucas Trevor, Joshua Carroll and Sam Bair, who also mixed it. 

It was edited by Elana Gordon and Peter Bresnan, with help from Reena Flores.

Thanks to Neon for movie clips and photos.

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

The Iranian director who risked his freedom to make his Oscar-nominated film

When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the death of a detainee at a Texas detention camp this month, the agency initially gave no cause of death. A fellow detainee said he witnessed Geraldo Lunas Campos being choked to death by guards; ICE said “staff observed him in distress.” 

Seeking answers, Lunas Campos’s family called El Paso County’s Office of the Medical Examiner, and an employee told them that – subject to the result of a toxicology report – the office is likely to classify Lunas Campos’s death as a homicide. 

Today on “Post Reports,” investigative reporter Douglas MacMillan tries to find out what really caused the death of a detainee – and takes us inside the black box of the largest detention camp in the United States. 

Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick, Dennis Funk and Martine Powers and mixed by Sean Carter.

Thanks also to Juliet Eilperin. 

﻿Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

A mysterious death inside ICE's largest detention center

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump sent an unusual text to the prime minister of Norway. 

The two leaders had been messaging about Greenland – specifically, Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on European countries opposed to the United States taking over the autonomous Danish territory. 

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a statement that he had been trying to de-escalate the situation. President Trump responded by linking his insistence on taking over Greenland to his grievance over not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize – bestowed yearly by the Nobel Committee in Norway. 

Today on “Post Reports,” London bureau chief Steve Hendrix joins host Martine Powers with the latest on Trump’s bid for Greenland, how it all comes back to his perceived Peace Prize snub, and how his obsession is starting to have a real impact on geopolitics. 

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Dennis Funk and mixed by Sean Carter. 

﻿Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

How Trump’s Nobel obsession is upending geopolitics

Friendship is vital for our health and happiness, but we don’t always prioritize it. The Optimist’s Maggie Penman goes on a journey to make new friends and learn why so many of us are craving connection.

Today’s show was produced by Maggie Penman, with help from Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Allison Klein. 

For more stories from The Optimist, subscribe to our newsletter. If you want to hear more stories like this on “Post Reports,” send Maggie an email at maggie.penman@washpost.com. 

If you want to check out Billy Baker's book, it's called “We Need to Hang Out: A Memoir of Making Friends.”

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

How to make – and keep – friends

At a time of year when many of us are reflecting on our lives and setting goals, we look at the research into what makes for a good life – and share some advice on how to get there.

Here’s what science considers a path to a good life. Plus, some tips and advice on how to get there.

Are you living a good life? Take this quiz to find out.

7 simple ways to be a bit happier each day

Doing good is good for you, research shows

Boredom is a warning sign. Here’s what it’s telling you.

If you want to hear more stories like this on “Post Reports,” please let us know. You can reach the whole team at podcasts@washpost.com or email Maggie at maggie.penman@washpost.com.

The Optimist has a newsletter! Subscribe here.

Today’s show was produced by Maggie Penman with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and Allison Klein. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

How to live a good life

This week, the FBI raided the home of a Washington Post journalist, sparking First Amendment fears. At the same time, the Justice Department has opened an investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, drawing concerns from bigwigs on Wall Street and questions as to how the administration treats its perceived political enemies. 

Colby speaks with Dan Merica, co-anchor of our politics newsletter The Early Brief, and Matt Viser, White House bureau chief, about President Donald Trump’s playbook for intimidating his critics, the chilling effects of his administration’s probes and why his coarse response to a heckling auto worker has drawn both criticism and praise.

Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu and Josh Carroll. It was edited by Martine Powers and mixed by Sean Carter. 

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

Trump’s intimidation playbook and a presidential middle finger

Early Wednesday, FBI agents raided the home of a Washington Post reporter as part of an investigation of a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials. 

The reporter – Hannah Natanson – was at her home in Virginia at the time of the search. She covers the federal government for The Post and spent the past year connecting with sources while reporting on the Trump administration’s efforts to fire federal workers. 

Investigators said neither Natanson nor The Post are the focus of the probe, but many saw the search as a jarring new step aimed at limiting news organizations’ ability to gather information. 

Today on “Post Reports,” democracy reporter Sarah Ellison joins host Elahe Izadi to discuss the unusual move by federal law enforcement and the lengths journalists go to to keep sources safe. 

And, in the second half of the show, we bring you an excerpt from an April 2025 conversation with Natanson – about how she became The Post’s “federal government whisperer.”

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Dennis Funk and mixed by Sam Bair.

The April 23 episode was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon and edited by Peter Bresnan.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

The FBI raid on our reporter's home

For years, President Donald Trump has complained about Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome H. Powell. He’s called him names, said he should be fired and has tried to pressure the Fed leader into lowering interest rates.

Trump’s feud against Powell escalated over the weekend, when Powell revealed that the Justice Department launched a criminal inquiry against him, alleging that Powell lied about the cost of renovations to the Federal Reserve buildings.

Host Elahe Izadi speaks to banking reporter Andrew Ackerman about what this probe could mean for Powell, the Fed and whether Trump’s consistent pressure on Powell could undermine America’s central bank forever.

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

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Why Fed Chair Jerome Powell isn't backing down

Conflicting narratives of Renée Good’s killing in Minneapolis have quickly emerged – federal officials claim the ICE officer who shot her was acting in self-defense, while others believe her death was easily avoidable and that ICE’s tactics are overly aggressive. 

Host Martine Powers speaks with immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti about how law enforcement officials are scrutinizing the shooting and what accountability in this case could look like.

Are ICE officers doing what they’re trained to do?

Today on Post Reports, we talk to national security reporter Shane Harris about exclusive reporting from The Washington Post on the vast aerial surveillance program behind the Chinese spy balloon.

Read more: 

The U.S. intelligence community has linked the Chinese spy balloon shot down on Saturday to a vast surveillance program, and U.S. officials have begun to brief allies and partners who have been similarly targeted.

Why balloons? The technology is old but effective, according to Shane’s sources. 

“The real advantage that the balloon has is that it actually moves very slowly,” Shane said. “That balloon could hover over a target at an altitude of about 60,000 to 80,000 feet, where it might be very hard to see. And it can stay there potentially for hours.”

The United States hasn’t been great at detecting the balloons before now. In some cases, the balloons had been characterized as UFOs. 

Shane breaks down what this renewed concern about Chinese surveillance means for U.S.-China relations going forward — and why so many countries spy on each other.

A ballooning interest in China's spy program

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