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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

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.

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

Congress has less than a month to figure out how to fund the government. But instead of that pressing business, calls for greater government transparency over allegations against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein dominated Capitol Hill this week. On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee released more than 33,000 documents related to the investigation, most of which are already publicly available.. But other lawmakers say this effort doesn’t go far enough. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) and Ro Khanna (D-California) continued to push a competing effort that could force the Justice Department to release more files. 

Host Colby Itkowitz sits down with Post congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor and senior national political correspondent Naftali Bendavid to discuss this news as well as the looming government funding deadline and how Democrats are thinking about flipping the House in the 2026 midterms. 

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Congress returns to Epstein drama, shutdown threats, 2026 plans

The sparks flew in Thursday’s Senate Finance Committee hearing. 

Senators – Republicans and Democrats alike – grilled Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his handling of vaccines and the shakeup at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kennedy, for his part, doubled down on his ouster of CDC director Susan Monarez, claiming she was not “trustworthy.” He insisted that Americans would still be able to access coronavirus vaccines, despite his overhauling of a key vaccine panel. 

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with health reporter David Ovalle about the fireworks at Kennedy’s hearing before the Senate. Plus, they discuss what’s happening with diverging school vaccine policies in red and blue states. 

Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sam Bair. 

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RFK Jr.'s showdown with the Senate

Character.AI became one of the world’s most popular artificial intelligence apps by letting tens of millions of users, many in their teens, text and talk to chatbot versions of celebrities and fictional characters. But conversation with these seemingly friendly chatbots can easily veer into topics unsafe for minors.

Host Colby Itkowitz talks to tech culture reporter Nitasha Tiku about this new world of AI chatbots, and why parents and advocates are raising concerns. 

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.

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What happens when fake AI celebrities chat with teens

In March, as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, the United States sent more than 250 migrants, the majority being Venezuelan nationals, to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, a megaprison often referred to by its Spanish acronym, CECOT. 

In July, four months later, the men from Venezuela were released to Venezuela as part of an international prisoner swap. U.S. officials acknowledged in court that many of those sent to CECOT had no criminal record. 

The Washington Post interviewed 16 of the men, providing the fullest account yet of the treatment and conditions inside CECOT. That includes Roger Molina, a food delivery driver and aspiring soccer player who had been conditionally accepted into a State Department resettlement program for refugees.

Today, Samantha Schmidt, The Post’s Bogotá bureau chief, shares Molina’s story and what she and her colleagues learned about the difficult conditions inside CECOT, a secretive prison where inmates are denied access to lawyers and almost all contact with the outside world. 

Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Helena Carpio, Christine Armario, Maria Paul and Teo Armus. 

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They were deported to El Salvador's megaprison. What happened inside?

Labubus — small plush toys that look like mischievous monsters — have taken the world by storm. Chinese toymaker and retailer Pop Mart has sold millions of dollars’ worth of Labubus. There’s even a booming resale market, on top of a thriving operation of counterfeits called Lafufus.

Host Elahe Izadi speaks with reporter Kelly Kasulis Cho about how Labubus became the latest trend, and why these little toys have become a symbol of China’s developing economic strategy.

Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. 

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Labubus: China's plushy, soft power tool

Susan Monarez says she refused to restrict access to vaccines as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It wasn’t long until Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. decided she needed to go. 

Monarez’s firing led to the resignations of some of the CDC’s top scientists. It comes on the heels of President Donald Trump’s attempted firing of Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor. 

Now, Trump’s efforts to clamp down on traditionally independent agency officials could have major consequences for the nation’s economy and public health.

Today on the weekly “Post Reports” politics roundtable, Colby Itkowitz sits down with White House reporter Dan Diamond and political reporter Dan Merica to discuss how the Trump administration’s recent moves will be felt by most Americans. 

Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh and mixed by Rennie Svirnovsky. It was edited by Laura Benshoff. 

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Trump firings spark CDC chaos, Fed uncertainty

Taylor Swift and NFL player Travis Kelce announced their engagement Tuesday. Fans mobilized, groups chats lit up, and social media posts of Swifties celebrating went viral. 

“Post Reports” host Elahe Izadi speaks with pop culture reporter Emily Yahr about this announcement, why it was an unusual move for Swift, and what it could mean for Swift’s music career and business. Plus, we hear from personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary on whether a pre-nup is worth it. 

Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. 

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Taylor and Travis: It's a love — and business — story

On Wednesday morning, students from Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis were in church for an all-school Mass when a shooter opened fire through the church windows. 

An 8-year-old and a 10-year-old from the private K-8 school were killed, and the shooter died after shooting himself. More than a dozen people were injured, and several remain in critical condition. 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) addressed reporters in a moving news conference about the shooting: 

“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church. These are kids that should be learning with their friends. They should be playing on the playground. They should be able to go to school or church in peace, without the fear or risk of violence. And their parents should have the same kind of assurance.”

Reporter Kim Bellware joins host Elahe Izadi to walk through what The Post has learned about the suspect and about how the tragic event fits into the nation’s history of gun violence. 

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff, Rennie Svirnovskiy and Thomas Lu. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Reena Flores and Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Reis Thebault,. Hannah Knowles, Colby Itkowitz, Elliot Smilowitz and Gina Harkins. 

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'These kids were literally praying': The Minneapolis school shooting

Late last week, President Donald Trump announced the federal government will now own 10 percent of the chipmaker Intel. The move is just one in a pattern of unprecedented deals the Trump administration has struck with tech companies, reshaping the relationship between the federal government and big business. 

Host Elahe Izadi talks with technology reporter Gerrit De Vynck about how the Intel deal happened, how it compares with past government bailouts and why some free-market conservatives are concerned that the deal signifies government overreach.

Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh with help from Lucas Trevor. It was mixed by Sam Bair. And edited by Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Tom Simonite.

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Trump makes the government Intel’s largest investor

Drew Harwell on the implications of using facial-recognition software in police work. Amie Ferris-Rotman on Afghanistan’s first lady speaking out for women’s rights. Plus, Deanna Paul on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Police test facial recognition in Oregon. But privacy advocates have serious concerns.

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