544 days in an Iranian prison

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued an order barring Harvard from enrolling foreign students, claiming that Harvard had created an unsafe environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault students on campus. The order said that students enrolled at Harvard must transfer schools or lose their legal status.A federal judge has blocked the effort for now, but thousands of international students are unsure if they will be able to return to Harvard in the fall. Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with higher education reporter Danielle Douglas-Gabriel about why the Trump administration has put Harvard University in its crosshairs, and how the university is pushing back.You can read the Letter to the Editor co-written by three Harvard international students in The Washington Post’s Opinion section here. Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sean Carter. And edited by Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Alyssa Rosenberg and Chastity Pratt.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

28 Touko 23min

Arizona, New Hampshire, Louisiana and Wyoming have all passed laws requiring voters to prove they are citizens. Texas has been considering one. But critics are raising alarm bells that such laws could make it harder for eligible citizens to vote – in particular, women who have changed their names after marriage or divorce.Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

27 Touko 22min

Summer is the perfect time to dive into a new book, and the Post’s Book World section has compiled recommendations for every type of reader. Today, Book World editors Jacob Brogan and John Williams talk to host Elahe Izadi about the new releases and old titles they suggest digging into this summer. Here’s the list of books mentioned in today’s episode: “The Death and Life of August Sweeney” by Samuel Ashworth“Bleak House” by Charles Dickens“Mark Twain” by Ron Chernow“Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America” by Sam Tanenhaus“Is a River Alive?” by Robert MacFarlane“King of Ashes” by S.A. Cosby“Spent” by Alison Bechdel“Crush” by Ada Calhoun“The Book of Records” by Madeleine Thien“The Dry Season” by Melissa Febos“Sloppy” by Rax King“Flashlight” by Susan Choi“Second Life” by Amanda Hess“Mood Machine” by Liz PellyToday’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Lucas Trevor. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick, and mixed by Sean Carter.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

26 Touko 24min

George Floyd’s murder sparked massive protests for racial justice around the country. There were calls for police reforms, reparations and closing the racial wealth gap.But five years later, it seems like the pendulum has swung back the other way. President Donald Trump is dismantling diversity and inclusion initiatives. And just this week, the Justice Department announced it was abandoning efforts to reshape law enforcement in cities where there have been high-profile killings by police officers.In light of all of this, we wanted to share a special episode of “Post Reports” from fall 2020. It’s called “The Life of George Floyd.” Martine Powers and our colleagues here at The Post looked at who George Floyd actually was — and what his story can tell us about being Black in the United States.Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon with help from Linah Mohammad. It was edited by Maggie Penman and Martine Powers. “George Floyd’s America” was reported by Arelis Hernández, Tracy Jan, Laura Meckler, Toluse Olorunnipa, Robert Samuels, Griff Witte and Cleve Wootson. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

24 Touko 1h 5min

Federal prosecutors called a slew of witnesses this week to bolster their racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking case against Sean “Diddy” Combs. Many of them corroborated incidents that Combs’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura described in her testimony last week – but others added details that pushed against her narrative that he was controlling and coerced her into sex acts. And musician Kid Cudi took the stand to talk about the molotov cocktail he said was thrown into his Porsche. Style reporter Anne Branigin breaks down the key testimony from this week and how the trial is going for each side so far.Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Carla Spartos and Shayna Jacobs.Follow our coverage of the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Spotify here.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

23 Touko 33min

President Donald Trump has had a busy week. The House passed a legislative package containing much of his agenda early Thursday morning after Trump met with factions of the House GOP earlier this week.Congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor walks through how overnight negotiations led to the bill’s passage. And Colby Itkowitz talks with The Post’s White House bureau chief Matt Viser and White House reporter Emily Davies about what they make of Trump’s role in getting his “big, beautiful bill” through the House.They also make sense of Trump’s Oval Office confrontation with the president of South Africa on Wednesday and talk through former president Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis.Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

22 Touko 30min

House Republicans are trying to push President Donald Trump’s massive tax and immigration bill across the finish line this week, hoping to conquer internal divisions and tee up a vote that would send the bill to the Senate. One of the areas targeted for major cuts is Medicaid, which insures more than 80 million people in the United States. To root out what they say is waste, fraud and abuse in the system, and preserve the program long term, conservatives have proposed reductions and changes to Medicaid eligibility.Today on “Post Reports,” Elahe Izadi speaks with health reporter Fenit Nirappil about the United States’ largest public health insurance program: What it is, how it works, whom it serves and what could change.Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon and Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Lenny Bernstein and Azi Paybarah.Check out our Memorial Day sale to subscribe to The Washington Post. It’s just $2, every four weeks, for your first year.

21 Touko 28min

Just days before his inauguration, President Donald Trump launched his own meme coin, a novelty cryptocurrency. Since then, the Trump Organization has made millions of dollars off its sale and has invited the top investors to a private dinner, set to happen later this week.Technology reporter Drew Harwell talks to Post Reports co-host Colby Itkowitz about how Trump got involved in cryptocurrency and the foreign investors buying access to Trump via his meme coin. Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Lucas Trevor. It was mixed by Sam Bair, and edited by Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Shawn Boburg.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

20 Touko 28min