Post Reports

President Donald Trump made headlines with two speeches this week. First came his sprawling, stream-of-consciousness address in the White House briefing room on Tuesday. Then, his barbed remarks about fellow world leaders at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Trump concluded the week with a purported deal on America’s future role in Greenland – but it remains unclear what that deal will entail.
“A lot of what we've seen from Trump during his political career, but specifically over the last year is … notching the win before the details are worked out,” White House reporter Cleve Wootson said on this week’s episode of the “Post Reports” politics roundtable. “He gets to walk away from Davos saying: I got what I wanted from these European leaders. America has won.”
Wootson spoke on the podcast with host Colby Itkowitz and Dan Merica, co-anchor of the politics newsletter The Early Brief. They also talk about the 2026 midterms, and why Democrats are newly optimistic about their chances in the Senate.
“The map is not overall very favorable to them,” Colby says, “but they're suddenly looking at it and thinking: We might be able to do this.”
Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu and Josh Carroll. It was edited by Martine Powers and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Iranian director Jafar Panahi has been making social cinema since the 1990s. His work follows everyday Iranians and their struggles against societal forces. In 2010 the director received a ban on filmmaking from the Iranian government, and in 2022 he was imprisoned after he inquired into a fellow filmmaker’s arrest. Despite being jailed and censored, Panahi has continued to work. His films such as "The Circle,” “Taxi” and “No Bears” have won awards from the top film festivals in the world.
Now his latest film, “It Was Just an Accident,” has been nominated for two Oscars for best international feature film and best original screenplay.
The film follows a group of former Iranian political prisoners who kidnap a man they suspect was their torturer, but they aren’t totally sure it’s him. Panahi shot the film in secret in Iran because he didn’t have official government permission to make it. While it is receiving critical acclaim around the world, it’s being repressed in Iran, where the government recently handed Panahi a new prison sentence.
Today on “Post Reports” Elahe Izadi speaks with Jafar Panahi about how he made “It Was Just an Accident” and why he is planning to return to Iran once his awards campaign is over.
The two spoke this month, before this week’s Oscar nominations and the most recent escalation of anti-government demonstrations and crackdowns in Iran.
Today’s show was produced by Lucas Trevor, Joshua Carroll and Sam Bair, who also mixed it.
It was edited by Elana Gordon and Peter Bresnan, with help from Reena Flores.
Thanks to Neon for movie clips and photos.
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When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the death of a detainee at a Texas detention camp this month, the agency initially gave no cause of death. A fellow detainee said he witnessed Geraldo Lunas Campos being choked to death by guards; ICE said “staff observed him in distress.”
Seeking answers, Lunas Campos’s family called El Paso County’s Office of the Medical Examiner, and an employee told them that – subject to the result of a toxicology report – the office is likely to classify Lunas Campos’s death as a homicide.
Today on “Post Reports,” investigative reporter Douglas MacMillan tries to find out what really caused the death of a detainee – and takes us inside the black box of the largest detention camp in the United States.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick, Dennis Funk and Martine Powers and mixed by Sean Carter.
Thanks also to Juliet Eilperin.
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Over the weekend, President Donald Trump sent an unusual text to the prime minister of Norway.
The two leaders had been messaging about Greenland – specifically, Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on European countries opposed to the United States taking over the autonomous Danish territory.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a statement that he had been trying to de-escalate the situation. President Trump responded by linking his insistence on taking over Greenland to his grievance over not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize – bestowed yearly by the Nobel Committee in Norway.
Today on “Post Reports,” London bureau chief Steve Hendrix joins host Martine Powers with the latest on Trump’s bid for Greenland, how it all comes back to his perceived Peace Prize snub, and how his obsession is starting to have a real impact on geopolitics.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Dennis Funk and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Friendship is vital for our health and happiness, but we don’t always prioritize it. The Optimist’s Maggie Penman goes on a journey to make new friends and learn why so many of us are craving connection.
Today’s show was produced by Maggie Penman, with help from Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Allison Klein.
For more stories from The Optimist, subscribe to our newsletter. If you want to hear more stories like this on “Post Reports,” send Maggie an email at [email protected].
If you want to check out Billy Baker's book, it's called “We Need to Hang Out: A Memoir of Making Friends.”
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