Post Reports

Jesse Dufton was born with a condition in which the light-sensing cells of his retina gradually deteriorated. This did not stop him from climbing with his family – bouldering by age 2, securing his own ropes by 5. When Dufton went to public school and then university, he downplayed his vision problems as he became a better climber. Then he met Molly Thompson, who took note of his long hair that made him look like a mature student. The two grew closer and often climbed together. But even as the couple was falling in love, Dufton was losing all of his sight. Dufton and Thompson had to invent new ways of communicating to continue their love of climbing. This story was written and read by Kevin Sieff. Audio production and original music composition by Bishop Sand.

31 Aug 202424min

“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with White House reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb about Harris and Walz’s interview on CNN, new polling that shows continued Democratic enthusiasm, and an altercation between the Trump campaign and an employee at Arlington National Cemetery. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Ariel Plotnick. It was mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

30 Aug 202428min

Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, there has been a big uptick in the use of the powerful anesthetic ketamine to treat anxiety and depression. But after the death last year of actor Matthew Perry, star of the hit sitcom “Friends,” due in part to the effects of ketamine, doctors and government officials are reconsidering the drug’s widespread availability.On today’s “Post Reports,” Elahe Izadi speaks with reporter Daniel Gilbert, who has been following the ketamine boom for years. They talk about how ketamine became so widely accessible and about the uncertain future of the drug. Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Emma Talkoff and Ali Bianco. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

29 Aug 202427min

This is not the presidential race that former president Donald Trump prepared for. Today, we unpack the state of the Trump campaign, its struggles to adapt and its strategy to face a new opponent.Read more:This presidential race has taken several unexpected turns, especially for former president Donald Trump.Earlier this summer, the spotlight moved off of Trump as Vice President Kamala Harris jumped into the race. Now, the Republican nominee is crisscrossing the country to battleground states to recapture national attention.Host Martine Powers speaks with national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf about the state of Trump’s campaign and how it's adapting to an entirely new opponent.Today’s show was produced by Ali Bianco, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Sean Sullivan and Erin Patrick O’Connor.Subscribe to The Washington Post here. And check out the latest story from health columnist Anahad O’Connor on how the avocado oil sold in some grocery stores may be fake.

28 Aug 202427min

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore were supposed to be on the International Space Station for eight days. But as the Boeing Starliner capsule they were in was approaching the space station, the spacecraft’s thrusters started to fail. Since then, Boeing and NASA have struggled to figure out what went wrong. NASA decided last week that the astronauts should stay put for eight months until they could come back in a SpaceX capsule. Host Martine Powers speaks with space industry reporter Chris Davenport about the plan to bring the astronauts home and what the repercussions of this mission will be on Boeing and future space travel. Today’s show was produced by Ted Muldoon, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores. Ted also mixed the show. Thanks to Chris Rowland. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

27 Aug 202427min

When the state of New York became the first in the nation to require public schools to test their drinking water for lead in 2016, students learned that dozens of water fountains across the district were contaminated. Since then, a group of students and parents have banded together to fight for clean water in the schools.Host Martine Powers speaks with investigative reporter Silvia Foster-Frau about her reporting in the East Ramapo Central School District and what people everywhere need to know about keeping kids’ drinking water safe.Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Bishop Sand. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Rosalind Helderman. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

26 Aug 202432min

Elahe Izadi, co-host of “Post Reports,” and senior political reporter Aaron Blake sit down with White House reporter Cleve Wootson at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to talk about the highlights from Harris’s speech. Harris focused on her middle-class upbringing and how she would protect abortion access and reproductive rights, and she cast herself as a candidate who would bring normalcy and competency to the White House. They also revisit the most memorable speeches of the four-day convention and look ahead to what the next two months might look like for Harris. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

23 Aug 202427min

As Ukraine continues to lose ground to Russia in the east of the country, President Volodymyr Zelensky has quietly moved Ukrainian forces into Russia. Post correspondents have documented the operation and witnessed the Russian soldiers taken captive by Ukrainian forces in this surprise incursion. Additional Post reporting alongside Ukrainian forces revealed the state of Sudzha, a captured Russian town in western Russia. Host Martine Powers speaks with Ukraine bureau chief Isabelle Khurshudyan in Kyiv about why Ukraine advanced into Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s response, and what might happen to the people in this newly occupied area of Russia. Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand, with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy, Ali Bianco and Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter. The show was edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Reena Flores. Thanks to Jenn Amur, Jon Gerberg and Siobáhn O’Grady. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

22 Aug 202426min