Post Reports

Jordie Poncy was about to start a job counseling cancer patients when he learned he had cancer himself. Three years later, his health is stable — and he’s finding meaning by helping others fight.

In 2024, Kate Barr ran an intentionally unsuccessful campaign for state Senate in North Carolina to draw attention to gerrymandering. The North Carolina Democrat announced today that she is switching parties and running for Congress as a Republican.

An investigation by The Post found that some veterans are taking advantage of the Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation program. Today, how the system is being gamed and the attention The Post’s reporting has already received from Congress.

From Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race to a ballot initiative on redistricting in California, Democrats handily won all of Tuesday’s biggest races.

Research shows many people benefit from a protein-rich diet. But experts caution that many Americans are going overboard. So how much should you eat?

SNAP benefits ran out over the weekend. Now, hungry Americans are looking for support both in their communities and online.

On this weekend’s edition of The Optimist, reporter and self-proclaimed cynic Kyle Melnick goes on a journey with a dog. We’ll talk about what he learns, and the science of how dogs make us calmer, happier — and maybe even more trusting.

President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping deescalate their trade war – for now. And the politics of losing food assistance because of the government shutdown.

There’s a boarding school in Virginia with a ghost story that predates the American Revolution. Today, Post reporter Clarence Williams brings us the story of the ghost of Mrs. Kyle, a legend kept alive at Foxcroft School.

Casey Means left mainstream medicine. She could soon be in a position to change it as the next U.S. surgeon general.

Build-a-Bear Workshop’s stock price is outpacing some of the most successful companies in the world. Today, what’s made it stand out and why it’s been able to withstand economic headwinds.

Why Democrats are looking to a former president to weather the Trump storm.

New research finds that declining health is not inevitable as we age. It can also be a time to get healthier and stronger.

President Donald Trump’s grand plans for a White House ballroom involve more demolition than expected. And, an upstart Democratic Senate candidate in Maine grapples with old online posts and says he’s “not a secret Nazi.”

The billionaire Peter Thiel recently hosted a series of exclusive lectures in San Francisco. The topic? The Antichrist. Today, his arguments and what they say about an emerging mindset in Silicon Valley.

The NBA season kicked off this week. We preview the biggest narratives of the basketball season, the teams and players to follow, and how the league is tackling its declining viewership.

Thieves stole thousands of gems from the Louvre museum in a matter of minutes. Today, how it happened and what might become of the jewels.

There’s been an unexpected twist in the Trump administration’s escalating attacks on alleged “narco-terrorists” from Venezuela: Two people survived a boat attack.

For the past five years, filmmaker Atdhe Trepca has been going up to strangers and asking them if they’re happy. This is what he’s learned.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) is one of the most powerful members of the Senate. Her take on the government shutdown, layoffs and a possible health care compromise.

Tom Sietsema, The Post’s longtime food critic, is stepping down. In honor of his 26 years on the job, a re-run of one of our favorite episodes: a peek behind the curtain of the life of a food critic.

The Trump administration is trying to lay off thousands of federal workers during the government shutdown, targeting programs they say align with Democrats’ priorities. Is it legal?

Tech investors are backing a movement to optimize your offspring.

The first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has gone into effect, offering a glimmer of hope after two years of war.

Courtney Proctor Cross was an elementary school teacher for 30 years before she changed her life. When she took over an animal shelter that had become a “death sentence” for the animals who entered, she made it a place of hope.

Republicans showed cracks in their messaging around the government shutdown, Attorney General Pam Bondi sparred with senators and other highlights from this week’s politics news.

Bad Bunny will be the next Super Bowl halftime show headliner. MAGA is upset.

After more than a month of increased ICE enforcement in Chicago, hundreds of National Guard troops deployed to the city this week. Today, what it feels like on the ground, and how politicians and residents are resisting.

Two years after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the two sides are in negotiations for a peace deal.

AI services have earned a reputation as energy-hungry beasts. How worried should we be about them versus the other emissions in our digital lives?

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to 50 months in prison. Today, how we got to this sentencing and what could be next for Combs.

“There’s nothing like cold water, icky garbage and a little bit of danger to get you out of your head,” said Susan Baur, founder of the group Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage.

It’s Day 2 of the government shutdown. Both sides are dug in. We talk to New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker about why he thinks this is a pivotal test for Democrats.

At 12:01 on Wednesday morning, the United States federal government shut down. We explain why a debate over health care policy was central to Democrats and Republicans’ inability to make a deal to extend funding for federal agencies.

The Make America Healthy Again movement has a surprisingly popular, bipartisan nutrition agenda. But what kind of dent will it make in our overall health? Today, we examine the science behind three big MAHA targets: artificial food dye, corn syrup and seed oil.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered hundreds of U.S. military generals from around the globe to gather in Virginia on Tuesday. Here’s what we know.

“Try This” from The Washington Post is a series of audio courses designed to jump-start the parts of life where we can all use a few pointers — with pithy, snackable solutions you can easily use. The latest course is about how to enjoy cooking more.

Once a month for 15 years, David Weiner has hosted a jazz party, inviting everyone he knows and many people he’s never met. Today, we go inside the wildly welcoming ritual to understand how he’s built this community — and kept it going.

With a possible government shutdown on the horizon, Democrats are feeling pressure to stand up to Trump. But fighting back could cost them.

From airport parking lots to orthopedists, it feels like everyone is asking for five stars these days. But do your reviews even matter?

President Donald Trump wants the Department of Justice to prosecute his political opponents. Today, more on his demands and the alarms they raise.

Is Tylenol safe during pregnancy? President Donald Trump raised alarms about the drug, contradicting major medical groups, during a recent news conference about autism.

FCC chair Brendan Carr has emerged as one of the top lieutenants in President Trump’s war against the media. How much power does he really hold?

For her 80th birthday, she went to trapeze school. For her 90th, she threw a house party. E.J. Truax says the secret to thriving into old age is simple: Be active. And it turns out, research backs her up.

Efforts to punish those critical of Charlie Kirk in the wake of his killing have reignited a debate about free speech and censorship in the United States.

Fan fiction is showing up everywhere. Today, how it became so popular and why it’s being taken more seriously by mainstream publishers.

Who is Kash Patel? And why are critics on the left – and the right – scrutinizing his track record as head of the FBI?

Ahead of the Federal Reserve’s expected cut to interest rates, we explain how the U.S. economy is doing.

Nearly two weeks after a deadly U.S. strike on a boat in the Caribbean, questions loom over Trump’s new war on terror and drugs. This afternoon, Trump announced another strike on a boat from Venezuela.

The Los Angeles wildfires leveled entire neighborhoods, but perhaps nowhere suffered more than west Altadena. This is an account of three families’ grueling recovery — the part of the story most people never see.

Charlie Kirk’s shooting has left both Republicans and Democrats worried about more political violence. How are prominent leaders in both parties responding to the tragedy?

With the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the United States is entering a new era of fear.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is hoping to hire thousands of new officers this year. Who’s signing up and what do the recruitment efforts look like?

Amid changing federal and state rules, health reporter Lena Sun answers listeners’ most pressing questions about vaccines and access this fall.

What the Trump administration’s crusade to root out DEI and government waste means for a school district in rural North Carolina.

Mike Frazier had no idea that the source of his stomach pains and mental health struggles was a condition that affects tens of millions of people worldwide. After surgery, his approach to making music changed.

Congress has returned from its August recess, and there’s a lot on the agenda. But pressure on President Donald Trump to release more files related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein keeps stealing the spotlight.

HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. is facing fire from both sides of the aisle. Plus, red and blue states are splintering on vaccine policy.

These voices saying risque messages are not the real voices of actor Timothée Chalamet, singer Chappell Roan and NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But they sure sound like them. What are these AI chatbots saying to teenage users?

The story of Roger Molina, a Venezuelan migrant who was sent by the Trump administration to El Salvador’s megaprison.

Why Labubus are everywhere — and what their rise in popularity tells us about global economics.

This week, Trump set out to fire a governor at the Federal Reserve and the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chaos ensued.

Taylor Swift, the world’s biggest pop star, is engaged. What could it mean for her career and for her business?

What we know about the shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school

What President Donald Trump’s deal to hold a 10 percent stake in Intel means for the future of the U.S. government’s relationship with private companies.

First, President Donald Trump deployed troops to Los Angeles. Then Washington, D.C. Now, he’s setting his sights on another American city: Chicago.

In rural Louisiana: nine ICE detention facilities, 7,000 detainees and one overwhelmed immigration lawyer who is "tired of losing.”

President Donald Trump claims he’s ending conflicts around the world, despite the prospect of the war continuing in Ukraine. Plus, his pizza party for law enforcement in D.C. and the FBI raids on former Trump national security adviser John Bolton.

The Republican push to redistrict in Texas, and how California and other blue states are responding with redistricting plans of their own.

President Donald Trump is reinstating the presidential fitness test. Could it do more harm than good?

Washington Post journalists head out for a tense night on one of D.C.’s busiest corridors, from dusk to dawn, during the first weekend of President Donald Trump’s announcement of a federal takeover of D.C.’s law enforcement.

Why Trump’s attempt to rush a deal to end the war in Ukraine could advance Russia’s goals.

The story behind Trump’s D.C. police takeover, how the mayor is pushing back, and a preview of Trump’s meeting with Putin.

How President Donald Trump is reshaping the Kennedy Center in his image — and what this could mean for arts and culture institutions across the country.

Gen Z is staring down a rough labor market. Entry-level positions require years of experience, companies are laying off people en masse and AI is screening job applications. Will Gen Z be able to find work?

How Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza City is paving the way for a total takeover of the enclave, and what it could mean for Palestinians and Israeli hostages.

What President Trump’s police takeover of Washington, D.C., means for the nation’s capital – and the country.

How Trump’s economic policies are playing politically. And, he says he wants the federal government to take over D.C. Can he do that?

President Donald Trump’s long-awaited tariffs took effect Thursday, imposing sweeping new taxes on imports from dozens of countries. Economists say American consumers and companies will pay the price.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals can be found in everything from your nonstick pan to your shampoo. But what are they – and how worried should you really be about them?

After Texas Republicans tried to redraw the state’s congressional districts to give their party an advantage, dozens of Democratic lawmakers fled the state to protest the move. Now, Texas’ governor wants to arrest them.

The Trump administration has taken drastic steps to reduce the federal workforce. As a result, more than 154,000 federal workers are now being paid not to work.

For a Haitian family in Springfield, Ohio, the house on Chestnut Avenue represented their future in this country. They’re now wondering what can be salvaged.

President Donald Trump has followed through on his bold plan to remake the American economy by levying tariffs on most imported goods, which is antagonizing numerous allies. But can the world put up with Trump’s trade war for much longer?

Does Sydney Sweeney have great jeans – or great genes? We dig in on the American Eagle controversy that people can’t stop talking about.

ICE is expanding a controversial surveillance program. Today, our reporter shares how he learned about it, and what The Post uncovered about the company that stands to profit.

There’s a severe shortage of air traffic controllers in the U.S. Why are so many people dropping out of training?

Despite aid being allowed into Gaza over the weekend, the hunger crisis continues. Louisa Loveluck explains how we got here.

Approaching the age his dad was when he died at Daytona, a second-generation legend went looking for answers. Reporter Kent Babb went looking, too.

Is President Donald Trump losing control of his MAGA base? Despite his best efforts, congressional Republicans continued to pressure him to release files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Disease-carrying mosquitoes kill more people annually than any other animal. Scientists have developed a genetic technology that could wipe them all out. But should we mess with nature in this fashion?

How the Trump administration is using antisemitism as a vehicle to push its conservative agenda on America’s universities.

What one rural community in Alaska could be losing now that Congress has defunded public media. And why this became a priority for President Donald Trump.

In South Korea, the findings of a government inquiry confirmed what many adoptees had suspected for decades: Babies were sent abroad for profit, often with falsified backstories. In Michigan, a man is questioning his origin story.

After nearly 40 years, Anna Wintour will be stepping down as the editor in chief of American Vogue. This announcement marks the end of the dominance of the fashion editor in chief – so who are the new tastemakers?

This week, Congress voted to cut $9 billion in government spending. But fighting among lawmakers over the “Epstein files” threatened to derail the vote.

A Washington Post investigation found that many of the things that made Camp Mystic special also heightened its risk during a catastrophic flash flood on July 4.

Trump has long wanted to oust Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell. Could he finally do it?

Why some of President Donald Trump’s most ardent MAGA supporters are enraged over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.