• Is the Drake-Kendrick rap beef good for hip-hop?
    May 11 2024

    In today’s bonus episode, we break down Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud, the biggest beef in recent rap history.


    Read more:


    In the past few weeks, a long-standing feud between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake has boiled over. The two artists have released songs taking shots at each other at a rapid clip, astonishing fans with salacious allegations.


    On today’s show, The Post’s Joseph Ferguson explains the beef that caused the recent frenzy and how this moment has reignited the hip-hop industry.


    Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson and Sean Carter. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter.


    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

    Show more Show less
    22 mins
  • The Campaign Moment: Trump trial delays, boos for MTG and Biden’s red line on Rafah
    May 10 2024

    It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf join Elahe Izadi this week. They talk about how Stormy Daniels’s testimony this week could affect former president Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial and voters’ perception of him. Also, they’ll dig into the new questions around the latest move by the judge presiding over Trump’s classified documents case, why the House pushed back against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s efforts to remove Speaker Mike Johnson, and the political effect of President Biden’s threat to Israel that he’ll stop the shipment of U.S. weapons if the country goes forward with a plan to invade the city of Rafah in Gaza.


    Be sure to also follow The Campaign Moment show feed to hear extra episodes from Aaron and our politics team as the campaign year continues.


    Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.


    Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy.

    Show more Show less
    30 mins
  • Will U.S. threats change Israel’s war?
    May 9 2024

    Tensions are rising between the United States and Israel over the war in Gaza. President Biden has threatened to withhold arms if Israel advances into Rafah in southern Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then vowed that Israel would “stand alone.”


    Read more:


    This week, Israel began its long-promised military operation in Rafah, a city that houses upwards of a million displaced Gazans. Israel has taken control of the Gazan side of the border crossing, blocking aid deliveries amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.


    In response, the Biden administration paused a shipment of thousands of bombs to Israel. President Biden also publicly threatened to withhold military aid to Israel if it moves forward with the Rafah operation. Cease-fire talks remain ongoing, and U.S. officials have signaled optimism about securing a deal.


    Loveday Morris is reporting on the Israel-Gaza war from Jerusalem. She joins “Post Reports” to explain what Israel’s military operation in Rafah looks like on the ground and what impact a pause in U.S. military aid could have on the war.


    One other big story we are following: an exclusive Post investigation revealed that former president Donald Trump promised oil executives that, if re-elected, he would scrap many of Biden’s clean energy policies.


    Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan with help from Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks also to Joe Snell.


    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

    Show more Show less
    21 mins
  • Stormy Daniels takes the stand (and Trump curses)
    May 8 2024

    This week in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president, Stormy Daniels gave explicit and disturbing testimony and sparked an angry reaction from Donald Trump.


    Stormy Daniels, the adult-film actress at the center of Donald Trump’s hush money trial, testified against the former president Tuesday. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, recounted details of her alleged sexual encounter with Trump. Her testimony was met with muttered profanities from the former president. At one point, Judge Juan Merchan called over Trump’s lawyer to warn that Trump’s cursing was audible and could be intimidating.


    Trump is accused of 34 counts of falsifying business records to disguise a payment of $130,000 to Daniels in 2016 so that she would keep quiet about what she says happened between them.


    Today on “Post Reports,” reporter Devlin Barrett breaks down the significance of Daniels’s testimony on Tuesday and how that might complicate the outcome of the trial.


    Read more:


    Stormy Daniels testifies, Trump curses in an angry day in court


    Why Stormy Daniels’s account of sex with Trump may be problematic, and other takeaways


    Read and subscribe to The Trump Trials newsletter


    Today’s show was produced by and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Elana Gordon.


    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

    Show more Show less
    28 mins
  • How Pope Francis opened the Vatican to trans sex workers
    May 7 2024

    When Francis became pope in 2013, it was clear that he would be an unconventional pope. He was more casual than his predecessors, and often rejected the fineries of his office. In particular, he made a splash when, early on in his papacy, he responded to a question about gay priests by declaring, “Who am I to judge?”


    Since then, Francis has moved to make the Catholic Church more welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community, including approving the blessing of same-sex couples, and allowing transgender people to be baptized. At the same time, the Church continues to argue that homosexuality is “intrinsically disordered,” and that “sex-change intervention” could poses a threat to human dignity. But in spite of this, Francis has begun to regularly invite transgender women, many of them current or former sex workers, to meet him at the Vatican.


    Rome bureau chief Anthony Faiola met a number of these women, and joins “Post Reports” to talk about how these meetings came about and the resulting backlash Francis has face from conservative clerics.


    Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter.


    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

    Show more Show less
    30 mins
  • Can U.S. aid to Ukraine make a dent in the war?
    May 6 2024

    Today, whether the U.S.’s long-delayed aid to Ukraine will impact the outcome of the war.


    Read more:


    After months of stalled negotiations, Congress passed a foreign aid package that included $61 billion in aid to Ukraine. With low supplies and exhausted soldiers, the war-torn country is in desperate need of funding and weapons. U.S. officials hope the aid will buy time for Kyiv to replenish its military ranks and strengthen battlefield defenses, but The Post’s Missy Ryan reports that even the large aid package is unlikely to enable a major Ukrainian offensive anytime soon.


    Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Allison Michaels and mixed by Sean Carter.


    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

    Show more Show less
    20 mins
  • Deep Reads: One man threatened Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Here’s what happened next.
    May 4 2024

    In a time of rising anger and threats, one man in Endicott, N.Y., in the throes of a mental health crisis threatened Rep.Marjorie Taylor Greene, telling her “You spread hatred, and you’re gonna pay for it.” Here’s what happened to him.


    This story is part of our Deep Reads series, which showcases narrative journalism at The Washington Post. It was written and read by Ruby Cramer. Audio production and original music composition by Bishop Sand.



    Show more Show less
    38 mins
  • The Campaign Moment: Campus protests, a jail threat for Trump and Kristi Noem’s late dog Cricket
    May 3 2024

    It’s Friday, so it’s time for The Campaign Moment — our weekly roundtable conversation to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and White House reporter Cleve Wootson join Martine Powers this week. They talk about how President Biden responded this week to the campus protests over the war in Gaza and what that could mean for his support, whether voters are paying attention yet to former president Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York related to a hush money payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels, and what a story South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem reveals in her new book about killing a dog could mean for her prospects to be Trump’s running mate.


    You can now also follow The Campaign Moment in a new feed to hear extra episodes from Aaron and our politics team as the campaign year continues.


    Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.


    Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon and Sean Carter. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy.

    Show more Show less
    28 mins