Post Reports

Despite Donald Trump leading in the polls, victory in the GOP presidential primaries isn’t certain. Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Trump hopes to extinguish his opponents. But history has shown that not every winner in Iowa goes on to become the nominee. Read more:Donald Trump has consistently led his opponents in polling for the Republican nomination, often by a wide margin. But victory isn’t certain. In Iowa, the first state in the Republican primaries, Trump wants to fully knock out his competitors, but that may be easier said than done. Support for former U.N ambassador Nikki Haley appears to be growing, and even if Haley loses in Iowa, a strong performance could give her campaign enough momentum to win in New Hampshire later this month. Meryl Kornfield, Michael Scherer and Hannah Knowles join us from the campaign trail to explain everything ahead of the caucuses in Iowa on Monday.

12 Jan 202431min

Voters across Taiwan head to the polls Saturday in an election that could reverberate around the world. As pressure tactics increase from Beijing, the island of 23 million faces existential questions about how to preserve its identity and fend off war. With Beijing military planes at times looming, Taiwan’s ruling party’s candidate, Lai Ching-te, contends democracy itself is on the ballot this weekend. Opposition candidate Hou Yu-ih warns that voters face a choice between war and peace. And a new third party candidate, Ko Wen-je, has been drawing a younger, anti-establishment base. Today, “Post Reports” speaks with Christian Shepherd, based in Taipei, about Taiwan’s unusual three-party presidential race, and how it could shape regional and international security in the years to come.Read more: The Taiwan party toughest on China has a strong lead as election nears4 ways China is trying to interfere in Taiwan’s presidential electionThese three men are vying to lead Taiwan — and fend off threats from China2024 brings wave of elections with global democracy on the ballotHow Chinese aggression is increasing the risk of war in the Taiwan StraitToday’s show was produced by Elana Gordon and guest hosted by Arjun Singh. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Vic Chiang, Pei-Lin Wu and Anna Fifield. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

11 Jan 202429min

A terrifying accident on an Alaskan Airlines flight has put renewed scrutiny on Boeing, the airline industry titan, which has seen a series of accidents and mechanical failures in recent yearsRead more:On Friday, a side panel on an Alaska Airlines flight popped out of place as the plane was ascending, sending air whistling through the cabin and terrifying passengers. The plane landed safely — but this was the latest in a series of mechanical issues on Boeing planes, some of which have ended in fatal crashes.Washington Post transportation reporter Ian Duncan has followed the troubled history of the Boeing 737 Max jet. He joins us to break down the federal and industry response to last week’s accident and the guardrails meant to keep air travel safe.Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. And edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Sabby Robinson, Silvia Foster-Frau and Sandhya Somashekhar.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

10 Jan 202424min

If he wins reelection, former president Donald Trump will probably seek revenge on his political enemies. Less than a week before the Iowa caucuses, Trump remains the front-runner, but it’s unclear how that message of retribution will play with the general electorate. Read more:On the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, former president Donald Trump stood at a lectern in Iowa and applauded those who have been charged with participating in the riot and called on President Biden to release the rioters who are incarcerated, who Trump said were “hostages.”And that message may be resonating with Republicans. A recent poll conducted by The Washington Post and the University of Maryland found that over the past two years, Republican voters seemed to have softened their perspective on Jan. 6, and particularly whether Trump had any responsibility for the attack. National political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf joins us today to explain how Republicans’ feelings about Trump have shifted and the Trump campaign’s strategy to secure a victory in the primaries. Today’s show was produced by Arjun Singh. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy and edited by Lucy Perkins. Thank you to Emma Talkoff. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.Pre-order Isaac Arnsdorf’s upcoming book “Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement’s Ground War to End Democracy” here.

9 Jan 202421min

After a years-long push, the Food and Drug Administration just allowed Florida to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. This decision follows decades of frustration over U.S. drug prices and could open the doors for other states to do the same.Read more:While a number of logistical and legal hurdles remain, Florida has been cleared to import prescription drugs from Canada. The path for Florida started years ago, along with efforts by Congress and pushes from the White House, including from the Trump and Biden administrations. Daniel Gilbert joins us to discuss the decision, the history and the hurdles that lie ahead for importing Canadian drugs. Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Elana Gordon and Sandhya Somashekhar. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.Correction: A previous version of the show notes for this episode referred to the Food and Drug Administration as the Federal Drug Administration. This version has been corrected.

8 Jan 202421min

Harvard’s first Black president, Claudine Gay, resigned this week amid pressure over plagiarism allegations and her comments about antisemitism on campus. For conservative activists, though, her downfall was a victory over diversity initiatives.Read more:The conservative victory laps began moments after Harvard University President Claudine Gay announced her resignation.Gay has faced growing pressure since her much-criticized comments about antisemitism on campus during testimony on Capitol Hill. Then came allegations of plagiarism.For conservative activists, however, her fall was first and foremost a victory over diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, a battleground where such activists have recently seen wins against universities, private companies and federal programs. Business reporter Julian Mark explains. Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Maggie Penman.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

5 Jan 202417min

A Hamas leader killed in Beirut. U.S. strikes in Baghdad. This week, tensions in the Middle East have been rising – and with them, the specter of a widening Israel-Gaza war. Our correspondent in Beirut joins us to explain what happened this week.Read more:On Tuesday, senior Hamas leader Saleh Arouri was killed in a suspected Israeli drone strike in a Beirut suburb called Dahieh. Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned Lebanese militant and political group, holds sway in the densely packed neighborhood.In an anxiously anticipated speech the next day, Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, promised there would be a “response and punishment” to the assassination of Arouri and warned Israel against a wider war in Lebanon. Also on Wednesday, at least 95 people were killed in two blasts that struck the central Iranian city of Kerman, where thousands of mourners had gathered to commemorate Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his assassination in a U.S. drone strike in 2020. The Islamic State has since taken credit for the blasts. Then on Thursday, the U.S. killed an Iran-linked militia commander with an airstrike Baghdad.All of these attacks have raised questions about the conflict in Gaza expanding into the kind of wider war that Israel, Iran and its allies have so far avoided. Sarah Dadouch reports from Beirut.Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Maggie Penman. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Thank you to Jesse Mesner-Hage, Monica Campbell and Sabby Robinson.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

4 Jan 202418min

A record number of migrants have arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border, as war and poverty push people from their homes worldwide. The Post’s Nick Miroff reported from the border and saw how the Biden administration is grappling with migration as we enter a pivotal election year. Read more:In recent weeks, a historic number of people have arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s a rise happening as Democratic lawmakers push for aid to Ukraine and Israel, while Republican negotiators want a border crackdown tied to foreign funding.The Post’s Nick Miroff recently spent time in southern Arizona, now one of the busiest places for unauthorized crossings. He saw how migrants hike along the border for miles, hoping to find U.S. officials to take them in. Often, they are brought to facilities that are already maxed out. “The last six months have shown, as the numbers continue to rise higher and higher, that the administration's approach is really kind of nearing a point of exhaustion,” Miroff said. Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Debbi Wilgoren. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

3 Jan 202424min