Podcast Episodes

Kathryn Bigelow on ‘A House of Dynamite’ and the nuclear ‘elephant in the room’

Kathryn Bigelow has been thinking about the threat of nuclear war ever since she was a kid. “I come from the era of duck and cover,” she says, “where when I was very little, we had to hide under the …

Published on 1 week, 4 days ago

Why some Democrats defected to end the shutdown

After weeks of holding out, a small group of Senate Democrats voted with Republicans over the weekend to start the process of reopening the government. Since the U.S. government closed its doors on N…

Published on 1 week, 5 days ago

How far can a sense of purpose take us?

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.

If y…

Published on 2 weeks ago

She couldn't win as a Democrat. Will running as a Republican work?

Kate Barr ran for state Senate in North Carolina’s 37th District as a Democrat last year, expecting to lose. She even branded her campaign with the words “Kate Barr can’t win.” She ran the unconventi…

Published on 2 weeks, 1 day ago

How some veterans exploit the VA disability system

This year, taxpayers will spend about $193 billion to compensate almost 7 million disabled veterans. Some of the conditions prevent veterans from working or doing everyday tasks – but a Post investig…

Published on 2 weeks, 2 days ago

How Democrats swept Tuesday’s key elections

There was little suspense after polls closed yesterday. Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the governor’s office in New Jersey, Abigail Spanberger easily defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears for the same…

Published on 2 weeks, 3 days ago

How to get enough protein — without going overboard

These days, just about any food you could possibly imagine now has “added” protein. There’s protein popcorn, protein muffins and even protein water. But where did this obsession with protein begin? A…

Published on 2 weeks, 4 days ago

Stretching a food budget, when SNAP's uncertain

An estimated 42 million Americans use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP – also known as food stamps – to feed themselves and their families. The program ran out of funding over t…

Published on 2 weeks, 5 days ago

How much do dogs reduce our stress?

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, h…

Published on 3 weeks ago

Trump's tariff truce, nuclear test orders, SNAP pain

President Donald Trump spent several days this week in Asia, dining with world leaders and hammering out the details of trade agreements. The visit culminated with a face-to-face meeting with Chinese…

Published on 3 weeks, 1 day ago