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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

After the abrupt suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last week over comments host Jimmy Kimmel made following the killing of Charlie Kirk, many credited one person for getting Kimmel off the air: Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission. 

Hours before the suspension was announced, Carr seemed to threaten FCC action against networks, saying “we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” and advising Disney and other media companies to “find ways to change conduct.” Carr denies playing a direct role in the Kimmel suspension, but critics say Carr has emerged as Trump’s top enforcer in the president’s war against the media. 

Host Elahe Izadi talks to media reporter Scott Nover about Carr’s background, his role in the Jimmy Kimmel drama and how he may be trying to expand the power of the FCC. 

Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Elana Gordon. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sam Bair. Special thanks to James Graff. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Brendan Carr, the FCC muscle behind Trump's anti-media crusade

It’s hard to age gracefully. Social isolation, physical immobility, mental decline — these are all problems that most people struggle with as they get older. But one group of people prove that it’s possible to thrive into your 80s and 90s. Researchers call them “super agers.” And one of them lives just down my block.

Ednajane Truax, who is known to friends and neighbors as “E.J.,” can often be found on her hands and knees in the dirt, working in the garden at the Sherwood Recreation Center in Northeast Washington. She also has an impressive garden of her own and helps out with other neighbors’ gardens. She works out several times a week, sometimes while wearing a shirt that says, “You don’t stop lifting when you get old — you get old when you stop lifting.” She can bench press 55 pounds and leg press 250.

Truax has never married — “just lucky, I guess,” she jokes when I ask her about that — but she has remained social her entire life. She volunteers, goes to the gym, throws parties, knows her neighbors and their children by name. Truax says her secret to thriving as she ages is simple: Be active.

It turns out that research backs her up.

If you’re looking for more surprising, delightful stories about the best of humanity, check out The Optimist from The Washington Post. We also have a newsletter: Subscribe to get stories from The Optimist in your inbox every Sunday morning.

Today’s show was produced by Maggie Penman with help from Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. The Optimist’s editor is Allison Klein. 

If you liked hearing this story on “Post Reports,” send us an email at podcasts@washpost.com. You can email Maggie directly at maggie.penman@washpost.com.

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How to be a ‘super ager’

In the week since Charlie Kirk’s death, public officials including Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General Pam Bondi have called for Kirk’s critics to face consequences. People seen as celebrating his killing online have lost their jobs or faced harassment. 

That crackdown has extended to media figures, with ABC deciding to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air “indefinitely” over Kirk commentary, shortly after Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr called out the show on a conservative podcast. 

In response, public figures and elected officials on both sides of the aisle have voiced concerns about whether the government is encroaching on the First Amendment. Some conservatives are even quoting Kirk’s own words to advocate for the protection of free speech. 

Host Colby Itkowitz sits down with Washington Post chief political correspondent Karen Tumulty and Dan Merica, co-anchor of The Post’s Early Brief politics newsletter, to unpack all the latest developments in the case against Kirk’s alleged shooter, the efforts to pursue Kirk’s critics and his upcoming memorial service.

If you like watching podcasts, you can also find this episode on YouTube.

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Jimmy Kimmel, free speech and the crackdown after Charlie Kirk’s death

In fan fiction, nothing is off limits. Writers create stories about popular media like “Twilight,” while others envision romantic relationships between world leaders. Until recently, this type of fiction wasn’t taken seriously by the publishing world. But now, major deals are being made — like a reportedly seven-figure movie rights deal paid for a book that began as Harry Potter fan fiction. 

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with lifestyle reporter and fan fiction reader Rachel Kurzius about what distinguishes fan fiction and why the genre has become so appealing.

Today’s episode was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Peter Bresnan, and mixed by Sam Bair. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

How fan fiction went mainstream

FBI Director Kash Patel had a tough week. 

He’d already been slated to appear before both the House and Senate judiciary committees – hearings at which he was sure to be peppered with questions about his leadership of the FBI, his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein saga, and allegations that the FBI had fired people over their political preferences.

But his handling of the FBI investigation into the killing of Charlie Kirk has led even some in the conservative base to question his competence.

Today on “Post Reports,” Jeremy Roebuck takes us through how Patel handled himself in the week’s congressional hearings – which more than once erupted into shouting matches. And he shares his reporting on how Patel came to be President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI in the first place. 

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thank you to Ted Muldoon and James Martinez. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Kash Patel’s contentious leadership of the FBI

Since the coronavirus pandemic, the United States economy has been in flux. While high inflation has slowly cooled off in recent years, consumers are still feeling the pressures of a weak job market and rising prices at the grocery store. Now the Federal Reserve looks to be taking matters into its own hands; Fed watchers expect the United States’ central bank to cut interest rates tomorrow. A cut could make it easier for consumers and businesses looking to borrow money and purchase goods. President Donald Trump has also been pressuring the Fed to cut rates for months.

Washington Post financial writer David J. Lynch joins “Post Reports” to discuss the economic headwinds that the Federal Reserve is attempting to weather by cutting interest rates and how this is connected to Trump’s efforts to revitalize American manufacturing. 

You can find David’s new book, “The World’s Worst Bet: How the Globalization Gamble Went Wrong (And What Would Make It Right),” here.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff with help from Lucas Trevor. It was mixed by Sam Bair. And edited by Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Jen Liberto.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

The Fed is expected to cut rates. Here's why.

President Donald Trump recently celebrated the destruction of a boat that was allegedly carrying illegal narcotics from Venezuela to the United States. The 11 people on board were killed, according to the White House. Trump released a video on social media showing the boat going up in flames, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that more attacks like this could be coming. 

Members of Congress have yet to gain more details or evidence into the unusual strike, which did not follow typical maritime protocols. The administration has claimed those on board were “narco-terrorists” and members of the criminal group Tren de Aragua, while Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro has called in thousands of reservists over concerns that this could be the opening shot in a broader conflict between the U.S. and Venezuela. 

These and other developments, including a rebranding of the Department of Defense and a visit by Pete Hegseth to Puerto Rico, have many wondering: Have we entered a new era in the nearly quarter-century war on terror? 

Today, host Colby Itkowitz speaks with national security reporter Tara Copp about the details of the attack and how Trump is making it a military priority to go after drug cartels. 

Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon with help from Lucas Trevor. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sean Carter. Special thanks to Andy deGrandpre. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Why the U.S. military is striking boats from Venezuela

The Eaton Fire tore through the Los Angeles suburb of Altadena, part of a storm that killed 19 people. It became one of the most expensive natural disasters in U.S. history, but the ultimate cost won’t be tallied in dollars and cents. That will be calculated on a different ledger: the number of residents who return to this block of West Las Flores Drive and the countless others like it.

This story follows these residents. The Washington Post has spent months with three families from this Altadena street, the epicenter of the wildfire’s destructive path, following their separate journeys as they asked themselves excruciating questions and struggled to imagine their futures in a place they fear will never again feel like home.

Reis Thebault, Nick Kirkpatrick, Melina Mara and Alice Li reported the piece. Thebault wrote and narrated it. Bishop Sand composed music and produced audio.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Deep Reads: L.A. fires burned their block. For each, the disaster was just beginning.

Charlie Kirk’s shooting has left both Republicans and Democrats worried about more political violence. How are prominent leaders in both parties responding to the tragedy?

The political divides after political violence

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed Wednesday at Utah Valley University. As officials seek details on the identity and motive of the shooter, Americans are beginning to process Kirk’s death and what this might mean for a new era of political violence and fear in the United States. 

In a video posted online on Wednesday night, President Donald Trump blamed the killing, without evidence, on “radical left political violence.” 

On today’s episode, host Colby Itkowitz speaks with democracy reporter Yvonne WIngett Sanchez, who has covered Kirk and his organization, Turning Point USA, for years. They delve into this difficult moment and Kirk’s lasting legacy as the fiery leader of a powerful conservative youth movement. 

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Elana Gordon, with help from Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and Reena Flores, with help from Renita Jablonski and Elahe Izadi. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Special thanks to Noah Bierman. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Charlie Kirk’s killing and a new age of political violence

The songwriter was unconscious, but his voice filled the operating room. Mike Frazier’s dirty-blond locks had been partially shaved and his head sanitized. The surgeon standing over him slid his blade in a crescent over Frazier’s right ear and tugged his scalp into position. Then he began opening a window into the musician’s brain.

The task that day was to reach and remove the cause of the grievous pain that had besieged and mystified Frazier for years. After almost a decade as a folk-rock singer with a rollicking vibe and a knack for storytelling, piercing stomach pain had stymied his songwriting and drawn him into a dangerous depression before he turned 30.

This story explores Frazier’s condition, diagnosis and recovery through the songs he would write about the experience. 

Michael Laris reported, wrote and narrated the piece. Bishop Sand composed music and produced audio.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Deep Reads: A songwriter had part of his brain removed. The music flowed.

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