Post Reports

Unpacking the political fallout from President Donald Trump’s pause on tariffs. Tariffs are on. Tariffs are paused. Tariffs are making stock markets go wild. Where do we go from here? Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Post’s global economics correspondent, David Lynch, and White House reporter Cat Zakrzewski about Trump’s mixed messaging on tariffs, whether the administration’s tariff pause is strategic, and where the policy whiplash leaves Wall Street and American small-business owners. Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Reena Flores, Lucy Perkins with help from Annah Aschbrenner and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk have vowed to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse they say is rampant in the Social Security Administration, a federal program that provides more than 70 million Americans with retirement or disability income. But evidence of widespread fraud and abuse is scant, and cost-cutting at the agency has driven out experienced staff. As a result, the website is crashing, phone lines are clogged, and seniors are reporting difficulty getting the help they need to establish or update their benefits. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Lisa Rein, who covers the Social Security Administration for The Washington Post, about how this agency has come under fire during the second Trump administration. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

After President Donald Trump announced far-reaching tariffs last week, the stock markets immediately reacted, taking the biggest plunge since 2020. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary about how to weather the economic storm, from whether to pause on big purchases like cars to how to handle your retirement savings. Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Rivan Stinson. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Within hours of taking office in January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order freezing nearly all foreign aid. While exemptions were later given for some life-saving services, the move has sent the global fight against HIV/AIDS into chaos. In Kenya, clinics have closed, HIV medication is being rationed and condom dispensers are empty, according to The Washington Post’s Nairobi correspondent, Katharine Houreld. She spoke with host Colby Itkowitz about a woman named Mary’s story, and how mothers and children with HIV fear for their lives. In the wake of the U.S. overhaul in foreign aid, many now wonder: How much of these long-fought victories against the virus are now being lost? Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter, and edited by Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Jesse Mesner-Hage and Jennifer Amur. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

With the stock market roiling following the announcement of new tariffs, Republicans are confronting a challenge. Will they support President Donald Trump’s economic plans, even if they don’t believe in them? Or will they seek to temper his moves and draw criticism from a president who hates disloyalty? Senior reporter Aaron Blake talks with Post congressional correspondent Liz Goodwin and Senate reporter Theodoric Meyer about the mixed reactions to this week’s bombshell economic news. They also discuss how special elections in Florida, and a state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin, provide Democrats with some positive data points after their stinging 2024 defeat. In particular, Elon Musk’s spending push in support of the conservative candidate in Wisconsin may have backfired, motivating liberal voters to turn out en masse. Plus, what Cory Booker’s more than 25-hour speech from the Senate floor did and didn’t accomplish. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the largest increase in tariffs in modern U.S. history, unveiling import taxes that he said would revive domestic manufacturing and amount to a national “Declaration of Economic Independence.” Today on “Post Reports,” financial writer David Lynch joins host Colby Itkowitz to discuss the impact of these tariffs on the American economy, and on your wallet. Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson and Ariel Plotnick, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Jen Liberto. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

President Donald Trump has wanted to make Greenland a part of the United States since his first term, citing its strategic location and valuable mineral resources. Now, the White House is drawing up scenarios for how the U.S. could take control of Greenland from Denmark, which currently governs the island. But those in Greenland and Denmark have been alarmed by the Trump administration’s strategy and rhetoric. White House reporter Michael Birnbaum reports on this effort and the challenges that the administration is facing as it tries to make this plan into a reality. Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick and Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

From New York to Boston to Washington, we've seen arrests of noncitizens by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, citing ties to Hamas and Hezbollah. The evidence seems to be their participation in protests of the Israel-Gaza war, or social media posts. Civil liberties groups say the legal justifications are tenuous and potentially unconstitutional. The First Amendment protects the right to speak, protest and publish views, regardless of citizenship status. But experts say that deportation is an area where courts have historically granted the executive branch broad latitude — and that gray area is where the Trump administration is operating. Today on “Post Reports,” reporter María Luisa Paúl joins host Colby Itkowitz to outline the rights of noncitizen protesters. And, as reports emerge of travelers being questioned, detained or refused entry at U.S. ports of entry — and of travelers having their phones searched and taken by border patrol officers – technology reporter Heather Kelly shares her guide to locking down your devices. Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was mixed by Sean Carter, and edited by Maggie Penman. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Conservative judicial candidate Brad Schimel and Democratic-backed judge Susan Crawford are the ones on the ballot in Tuesday’s election. But it’s Elon Musk who’s drawing outsized attention in the race for an open seat on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court. That’s because the billionaire and his super PAC are pumping money into a race that Republicans claim could decide the fate of the country. Democrats, meanwhile, are also spending millions, hoping that painting Musk as the ultimate villain of the race will inspire their base to turnout. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks to Wisconsin-based reporter Patrick Marley about how the cash is being spent and the strategy behind it all. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Dan Eggen. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

What does Bob Woodward think of all this? Colby Itkowitz poses that question to the renowned Washington Post journalist in his first sit-down interview about President Donald Trump since Trump’s second inauguration. Over 50 years ago, Woodward’s reporting of the break-in at the Watergate with his colleague Carl Bernstein exposed the Nixon administration’s plan to spy on and sabotage his political adversaries and the cover-up that followed. After President Richard Nixon’s resignation, Congress would go on to enact new limits on presidential power, which Trump is now challenging. In the years since Watergate, Bob Woodward has continued to report on presidents – interviewing Trump and writing three books about him that reveal the president’s approach to power. “So much of it is Trump just asserted himself, taking on the role of the courts, taking on the role of Congress,” Woodward told Itkowitz. “So we are entering a moment where there is going to be a clash of those traditions and laws and Trump's will.” You can also watch the interview here on Youtube. Special thanks to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Today's episode was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Additional thanks to Zach Purser Brown, David Bruns, Ross Godwin, Randolph Smith, Dan Mich, Tom LeGro, Lauren Saks and Micah Gelman on our video team. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Baseball is back – and so are the sport’s existential questions, both on and off the field. Coming off a dominant 2024 season, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to become the first team since the 2000 New York Yankees to capture back-to-back World Series championships. Standing in their way is a changing game, the increasingly pervasive threat of elbow injuries across the majors, and the 29 other MLB teams set on beating them. Today on “Post Reports,” guest host Ava Wallace is joined by Washington Post national baseball writer Chelsea Janes to discuss how the Dodgers are shaping the future of America’s pastime and building a team to compete in October. Today’s show was produced by Lucas Trevor. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Clips provided courtesy of MLB. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

With just a few weeks to go until Tax Day, Treasury Department and IRS officials are predicting a decrease of more than 10 percent in tax receipts by the April 15 deadline compared with 2024. That would amount to more than $500 billion in lost federal revenue. The prediction, officials told congressional economic correspondent Jacob Bogage, is directly tied to changing taxpayer behavior and President Donald Trump’s rapid demolition of parts of the IRS. On “Post Reports,” Jacob joins host Colby Itkowitz to discuss the signals the Trump administration has sent taxpayers with its shrinking of the IRS. And he explains how the administration is hoping to use the tax agency's confidential taxpayer databases to aid in its mass deportation campaign. Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Bishop Sand. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

A Tuesday hearing had been previously scheduled for senior Trump administration officials to share an annual global threat assessment with the Senate Intelligence Committee. Instead, Democratic senators spent much of the time grilling them about their involvement in a Signal group chat in which Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of the Atlantic, had been erroneously included. Screenshots shared by Goldberg showed top officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussing a U.S. plan to launch airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. They shared precise information about weapons and timing. Host Colby Itkowitz is joined by national security reporters Dan Lamothe and Abigail Hauslohner to discuss the security risks this poses and how the administration and Congress are responding. Today’s episode was produced by Sabby Robinson and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Lucy Perkins, with help from Peter Bresnan. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Whether you consider it an odd joke, a national security threat or a negotiating tactic, Trump’s mentions of the United States annexing Canada have become a sticking point for the president, and a mystery to everyone else. And, check out The Post’s coverage of second lady Usha Vance’s trip to Greenland, which comes as Trump vows to acquire the island “one way or another.” Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

White House reporter Cleve Wootson interviews Uzo Aduba today on “Post Reports” about the new Netflix show “The Residence,” and the real dynamics the fictional show reveals. Read Sonia Rao’s story about “The Residence.” She says it's “Clue,” set on Pennsylvania Avenue, with a Shondaland touch. You can also read our TV critic Lili Loofbourow’s review. Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Maggie Penman. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

President Donald Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act last week kicked off a battle with the courts that’s getting more heated by the day. On Tuesday, he called U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg “crooked” and a “radical left lunatic” and suggested he should be impeached. Then, Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued a rare public rebuke of the president, saying impeachment is “not an appropriate response” to a judicial decision. Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake speaks with Supreme Court reporter Justin Jouvenal and White House reporter Natalie Allison about the legal and political calculus behind Trump’s fight with the courts. And they also weigh in on the partial ceasefire deal for Ukraine brokered by the president and his Russian counterpart. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachel Van Dongen. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Since Trump’s second inauguration, there has been a firehose of news out of the White House – and longtime adviser Steve Bannon says that’s all part of the plan. “It looks like chaos, but there's certain internal logic to it,” Bannon told Sarah Ellison, media and democracy reporter for The Post. “It's amazingly compelling content.” Sarah and tech reporter Drew Harwell have been reporting on the White House’s new aggressive approach to messaging. Host Colby Itkowitz talks with Sarah about how that strategy involves sidelining legacy media in favor of newer outlets, and with Drew about how the White House is leveraging social media to attack critics and turn policy into meme-worthy moments. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair, with help from Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here. Wondering where Martine is?

More than 400 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in Tuesday’s attacks, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, making it one of the deadliest days of the 17-month war. Host Colby Itkowitz talks with Miriam Berger, who has been covering the conflict for The Post, about what it’s like in Gaza right now and what this means for the possibility of a ceasefire in the future. Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Bishop Sand. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Reena Flores, and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump invoked a seldom-used wartime powers act to deport suspected gang members without due process. Though a federal judge blocked the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, more than a hundred migrants accused by U.S. officials of being part of the gang Tren de Aragua were flown to a prison in El Salvador on Saturday. It was the first time the Alien Enemies Act had been invoked since World War II, when it was used to incarcerate Japanese, Italian and German nationals and laid the foundation for the imprisonment of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans. Today on “Post Reports,” immigration reporter Marianne LeVine joins host Colby Itkowitz to unpack the strategy behind the administration’s use of this act outside of wartime, the timing and legality of the move, and what El Salvador is getting out of working with Trump. Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Reena Flores, with help from Lucy Perkins. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Democrats are bristling at the decision by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to vote for a GOP bill averting a government shutdown. Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake speaks with congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor to get a behind-the-scenes look at the politics of the shutdown vote. He also breaks down the latest tariff news and Elon Musk drama with David Lynch, a financial writer for The Washington Post, and Trisha Thadani, a Post technology reporter. Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachel Van Dongen. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.