• The reluctant voters who could decide the election
    Nov 4 2024

    It’s the day before the presidential election, and a lot of people have already voted – or at least made up their minds.

    But there are still undecided voters in key swing states who may or may not turn out. Last week, “Post Reports” producers interviewed some of these voters – whom we’re calling “The Deciders” – a key voting bloc that The Washington Post has been following all year. We’re bringing you their thoughts today.

    Host Martine Powers also speaks with Scott Clement, polling director for The Post, about what these voters mean for former president Donald Trump’s or Vice President Kamala Harris’s path to victory.

    Starting in the spring, The Post reached out to a contact list of voters who were not committed to either candidate, or who had a history of voting infrequently, and therefore might sit out the 2024 presidential election. All live in one of the seven battleground states largely expected to determine the election: Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada. Clement describes how The Post has surveyed this group over time to gain insight into what motivates them and which way they are swinging this November.

    Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff with help from Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Emily Guskin.

    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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    30 mins
  • The Campaign Moment: What the final polls tell us
    Nov 1 2024

    What the early voting numbers and final polling say in the last days of the 2024 campaign.

    “Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with Amy Gardner, who covers early voting for The Post, about what early voting data can and can’t tell us right now about the election results. They also talk about whether looking at polls this weekend is helpful, and what to make of burned ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington.

    Today’s show was produced by Eliza Dennis. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair.

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

    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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    32 mins
  • Dispatches from the final days of the campaigns
    Oct 31 2024

    In the final days of a presidential election that polls show as extremely close, we wanted to know how supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are feeling.


    Our host Martine Powers and producer Emma Talkoff went to Harris’s rally on the Ellipse in D.C. while producer Elana Gordon went to a Trump rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Today, we bring you dispatches from these two rallies that happened on the same day a week before the election.


    Also, we’re highlighting a Halloween story. The Post has reported on eco-friendly ways to get rid of a pumpkin. Tips include composting it or even smashing it.

    

    Today’s show was reported and produced by Martine Powers, Emma Talkoff, Elana Gordon and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Maggie Penman. Thank you to Monica Campbell, Bishop Sand, Sabrina Rodriguez and Ariel Plotnick.

    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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    31 mins
  • The border city where Trump is gaining Latino voters
    Oct 30 2024

    San Luis, Arizona, has a population of around 40,000 people. Most still vote for Democrats, if they vote. But in the 2020 presidential election, Democrats saw their advantage drop by 36 percentage points here since 2016.

    This swing is one indicator of the inroads Republicans have made in recent years in traditional Democratic strongholds, gains that former president Donald Trump hopes will propel him back into the White House. That strategy relies on winning over young, non-college-educated men.

    We meet a family in San Luis, where debates over whom to vote for dominate the dinner conversation, and we travel to other key swing states where Latino men are aligning with the GOP to better understand this emerging political trend.

    Host Martine Powers speaks with voting reporter Sabrina Rodriguez about her reporting on Latino communities in battleground states, and they also break down the fallout from racist and sexist remarks at a recent Trump rally in New York City.

    Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Maggie Penman and Reena Flores. Thanks to Nick Baumann.

    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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    35 mins
  • She said she miscarried. Then she was arrested.
    Oct 29 2024

    Patience Frazier said she had a miscarriage in April 2018. A month later, police were at her door, asking about a Facebook post and a cross in her backyard. Today, the story of Frazier, and what happens when someone is prosecuted under an abortion law.


    Read more:


    Patience Frazier was charged with manslaughter under an abortion law from 1911. It was a rare instance of a woman who sought an abortion facing prosecution.

    Host Martine Powers is joined by reporter Caroline Kitchener to talk about Frazier’s story, the aftermath of her arrest, and the sheriff’s deputy who pushed for her prosecution.

    Today’s episode was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, and edited by Reena Flores. It was mixed by Ted Muldoon.

    Thanks to Peter Wallsten, Bishop Sand and Lucas Trevor.

    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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    50 mins
  • What Harris and Trump plan to do about housing costs
    Oct 28 2024

    Former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have made vastly different proposals to address the housing shortage. Harris says that her administration will provide incentives to get millions of homes built while helping first-time homebuyers with their down payments. Trump says that deporting large numbers of undocumented immigrants will free up more housing for Americans, an idea that has been widely debunked by economists.

    Host Elahe Izadi speaks with housing reporter Rachel Siegel about why housing has become such a hot topic this election season, and whether either candidate's plans are feasible.

    Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Bishop Sand. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Peter Bresnan, with help from Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Sam Fortier and Mike Madden.

    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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    25 mins
  • Presidential: The presidents who’ve tried to win back the White House
    Oct 26 2024

    In the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, host Lillian Cunningham created the “Presidential” podcast, with one episode dedicated to each of the (at the time) 44 U.S. presidents. Now, in the thick of the 2024 election, Lillian is back. This is the second of two special “Presidential” podcast episodes released in advance of the presidential election on Nov. 5. The episodes examine how the candidates, former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, could make history if they win. This episode focuses on the history and precedent surrounding Trump’s run, as a former president hoping to retake the office.


    Library of Congress archivist – and “Presidential” fan favorite – Michelle Krowl talks with host Lillian Cunningham about the long history of American presidents seeking reelection after their tenure has ended, unspooling the stories of the six previous men to try it. Only former president Grover Cleveland was successful, but all of their efforts offer parallels and lessons for today.


    Want to brush up on more presidential history? Listen to the full “Presidential” podcast. Host and creator Lillian Cunningham takes listeners on an epic historical journey through the personality and legacy of each American president. The podcast features interviews with the country’s greatest experts on the presidency, including Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers Doris Kearns Goodwin, David McCullough, Jon Meacham and Bob Woodward.


    Archival audio in this episode is courtesy of the Library of Congress and the G. Robert Vincent Voice Library at Michigan State University.

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    45 mins
  • The Campaign Moment: The Elon Musk effect
    Oct 25 2024

    Over the past few months, Elon Musk has heavily invested in the Trump campaign. Musk is hosting rallies in swing states, giving out million-dollar checks to registered voters in those states and organizing canvassers. Billionaires donating to presidential campaigns is nothing new, but Musk is putting much more than money into the race.

    Elahe Izadi speaks with technology reporter Trisha Thadani and national political reporter Michael Scherer about Musk’s political influence.

    Today’s show was produced by Eliza Dennis and Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair.

    The Campaign Moment newsletter is here.

    Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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    37 mins