Post Reports

Latest Episodes:

Portugal's secret to living longer Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

Life expectancy is dropping in the United States, despite the nation spending more per person on health care than any other country. So what is a place like Portugal — where people live longer with far fewer resources — doing right? And what is the United States missing?

Today on “Post Reports,” we bring you a tale of two sisters, two countries and two health systems.

Lurdes and Lucilia Costa share a lot in common. They’re sisters, and they both have rheumatoid arthritis, a complex chronic illness that requires special medical attention to prevent worsening symptoms. But their health care experiences couldn’t be more different, with one living in Portugal and the other in the United States.

For The Post’s Frances Stead Sellers and her colleague Catarina Fernandes Martins, these sisters’ divergent paths contain larger lessons for why a country with lots of resources, such as the United States, is floundering at keeping people alive — while Portugal, a small country that spends much less on health care, is doing so much better promoting longer, healthier lives.

“Portugal is one of the countries that people describe as positive outliers,” Sellers told “Post Reports.” “They’re living longer than we are, and a key thing there appears to be primary care and community health. They’re really looking after people before they get to hospital.”

A tale of two sisters, two countries and their health systems

Compare your life expectancy with others around the world

Primary care saves lives. Here’s why it’s failing Americans.

Why are so many Americans dying early? Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

Despite spending more per person on health care than any other nation, the United States has a crisis of premature deaths. The Post’s health team has been investigating why that is, and today we learn how politics, stress and chronic illness play a role.

The United States was once on a track to reach an average life expectancy of 80, but after decades of progress, we’re falling further and further behind.

The Washington Post spent the past year examining why this is happening. Our reporters and editors have analyzed death records from five decades and spoke to scores of clinicians, patients and researchers in the United States and abroad.

“One of the best quotes we had in the series was, if we came in last in the Olympics, how would we react?” said data reporter Dan Keating. “We're coming in last in the Olympics of staying alive.”

Today, we hear from Keating about what the data reveals. Then we turn to Akilah Johnson to hear about how stress and weathering play a role. And finally, we turn to Dan Diamond, who looked at how red-state politics are shaving years off Americans’ lives.

Plug your age and gender into our life expectancy calculator to compare yourself with peers overseas. Find out why so many do better than in the United States.

Trump on the witness stand Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

It was a historic scene: In a Manhattan courtroom Monday, former president Donald Trump took the stand in a civil trial that threatens his real estate empire. We break down the case, one of many court battles facing Trump as he runs for president again.

It has been more than a century since a former U.S. president has testified, under oath, as a defendant in a court trial. That all changed on Monday, when former president Donald Trump took the witness stand in a civil trial brought by the New York attorney general’s office. It is accusing Trump and others, including his two adult sons, of committing rampant fraud.

The case comes on top of other lawsuits Trump faces, which include four criminal indictments — two in federal court, one in New York and one in Georgia.

Today on “Post Reports,” we hear what the scene was like inside the New York City courthouse from reporter Shayna Jacobs, who covers courts and criminal justice for The Post.

What Tuesday’s election could mean for abortion in 2024 Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

How tomorrow’s elections could show the political power behind abortion rights.

On Tuesday, voters across the country will head to the polls for Election Day. And while the elections – and the issues on the ballots – cover a lot of ground, there’s one big theme running through the elections: abortion.

In a state such as Ohio, abortion is explicitly on the ballot. Ohio voters will determine abortion access on a ballot measure called “Issue One.” If it passes, the measure would guarantee abortion access up to the point of fetal viability.

But for other states, such as Virginia and Kentucky, the topic of abortion rights is the undercurrent of their elections.

The Post’s campaign reporter Hannah Knowles explains how Tuesday’s elections are being animated by abortion-related races, and whether the results of the elections can be used as a litmus test for the coming fight over abortion in the 2024 presidential race.

Correction: A previous version of this episode description misstated what election is taking place in Virginia. The description has been updated to remove the error.

The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop: ‘We all had great expectations’ Nov 04, 2023

Show notes

How does a revolution implode? Martine Powers traces the rise and fall of Maurice Bishop and the origin of the mystery left behind.

Maurice Bishop was a charismatic leader who captured the imagination of many Grenadians. But the revolution he helped spark began to buckle under pressure within his party. Martine Powers tries to understand the life of Bishop and what propelled him into the position of prime minister, the promise of the beginning of the revolution and the events that led to his brutal death. That history reveals why the mystery of the missing remains haunts Grenada to this day.

Martine speaks with Bishop’s sister, his fellow revolutionaries and the family members of some of the other victims killed on Oct. 19, 1983. They tell harrowing stories of having their own lives endangered, the last moments they saw their loved ones alive and what it’s been like to not be able to give them a proper funeral.

Listen to more episodes here – or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or Spotify.

You can find photos and documents from the investigation in our special episode guide here.

Subscribers to The Washington Post can get early access to episodes of the series on Apple Podcasts, as well as ad-free listening. Link your Post subscription now or sign up to become a new Post subscriber here.

The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop: ‘Somebody knows’ Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

Forty years ago, the body of a prime minister went missing. The Post’s Martine Powers asks: Who’s responsible?

Every 19th of October, Grenadians mark a somber anniversary: the 1983 execution of the country’s former prime minister and revolutionary leader, Maurice Bishop, and others who died alongside him. The people of this Caribbean nation still have no closure 40 years later. The remains of Bishop and his supporters were never returned to their family members and are missing to this day.

In the first episode of “The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop,” The Washington Post’s Martine Powers takes us on the personal journey that led her to learn about Grenada’s history. Martine delves into why Bishop was such an influential figure, what made the United States nervous about him and why the mystery of his missing remains continues to haunt so many on the island.

Listen to more episodes here – or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or Spotify.

You can find photos and documents from the investigation in our special episode guide here.

A family torn apart by a Trump-era policy Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

In 2017, Magdalena Hernández Pérez was separated from her children by the Trump-era family separation policy. Reunification would take nearly six years. The Post’s Kevin Sieff followed their story.

When Magdalena Hernández Pérez and her daughters crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2017 to request asylum, it would be the last time they would be togetherfor years. Like thousands of families, they werebroken apart under the Trump administration’s family separation policy. Eventually, Magdalena was deported to her home country of Guatemala, while her daughters were assigned to a foster home in the United States.

In 2021, the Biden administration’s pledge to reunite separated families gave Magdalena new hope. But there were further complications for the family.

The Post’s Kevin Sieff joins “Post Reports” today to tell us their story.

Why the U.S. gives so much aid to Israel Nov 01, 2023

Show notes

For decades, Israel has been the number one recipient of U.S. foreign aid. As the conflict in Gaza intensifies, we explore that long history of support and what it says about America’s foreign policy.

Since Oct. 7, attacks by Hamas have prompted requests for millions of dollars in security aid from the United States to Israel. It’s the continuation of a long-established relationship: one where the United States has bolstered Israel’s defense budget with additional support.

Missy Ryan covers national security for The Washington Post. She has been tracking the Biden administration’s support for Israel since the killing and kidnapping of Israelis by Hamas. She breaks down what the history of U.S. aid to Israel looks like and why it’s received overwhelming bipartisan support over the years.

A night with the rat hunters Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

Late at night, in parts of Washington, a group of people and their small dogs walk the alleyways and trash bins hunting rats, in a city that’s filled with them. The Post’s Maura Judkis and Bishop Sand report on the hunt and what it says about our relationship with animals.

The Ratscallions hunt rats with terriers and small hounds in different parts of Washington. Linda Freeman, the group’s leader and a Bedlington terrier breeder, began rat hunting five years ago after being hounded to create a D.C.-based group by the founder of a similar group in New York City.

Despite the illegality of rat hunting in Washington, some residents and police officers thank the group for their efforts. So far this year, calls to the city regarding rat infestations are up compared to 2022. However, some Ratscallions members admit that they are not motivated to control the city’s rat population but rather see it as a team sport that makes their dogs happy.

The “second phase” of Israel’s war with Gaza Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

Israel plunged Gaza into a communications blackout Friday that left more than 2 million people without cell service or internet access for almost two days. On Saturday, it began a major ground assault on territory, ushering in a new phase of the war.

In a televised address Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the goals for the new phase of Israel’s war with Hamas were clear: “To beat the enemy and guarantee our existence.”

Since then, Israeli troops have swiftly penetrated deep within Gaza. As a relentless bombing campaign continues, the military confirmed that combined infantry, armor and engineering forces are all inside Gaza’s borders.

Amid the barrage, Gazan civilians scrambled for safety — and struggled to communicate with loved ones and the outside world following a communications blackout that stymied access to cell service and the internet for two days. Hundreds were killed, bringing the death toll in Gaza to more than 8,000 since the war began, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, the status of more than 200 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas weeks ago remains uncertain.

Reporter Miriam Berger is in Tel Aviv covering the conflict for The Post. She says this moment has left both Israelis and Palestinians feeling existentially threatened — and bracing for a long fight ahead.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Post Reports

Related Podcasts

1

2

3

4

5

6