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Episodes

Nov. 8, 2025

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 you want to hear more from...
Nov. 7, 2025

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

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.
Nov. 6, 2025

How some veterans exploit the VA disability system

An investigation by The Post found that some veterans are taking advantage of the Department of Veteran Affairs disability compensation program. Today, how the system is being gamed and the attention The Post’s reporting has already received from Congress.
Nov. 5, 2025

How Democrats swept Tuesday’s key elections

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.
Nov. 4, 2025

How to get enough protein — without going overboard

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?
Nov. 3, 2025

Stretching a food budget, when SNAP's uncertain

SNAP benefits ran out over the weekend. Now, hungry Americans are looking for support both in their communities and online.
Nov. 1, 2025

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, happier – and maybe even mo...
Oct. 31, 2025

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

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.
Oct. 30, 2025

Ghost Reports: They buried Mrs. Kyle twice

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.
Oct. 29, 2025

Casey Means: A MAHA leader, and the next surgeon general?

Casey Means left mainstream medicine. She could soon be in a position to change it as the next U.S. surgeon general.
Oct. 28, 2025

Why Build-a-Bear Workshop is outpacing big tech

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.
Oct. 27, 2025

What’s Obama been up to?

Why Democrats are looking to a former president to weather the Trump storm.
Oct. 25, 2025

How to get stronger as you age

New research finds that declining health is not inevitable as we age. It can also be a time to get healthier and stronger.
Oct. 24, 2025

Trump demolishes White House East Wing; Nazi controversies hit both parties

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.”
Oct. 23, 2025

Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private ‘Antichrist’ lectures

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.
Oct. 22, 2025

The NBA season just started. Is anyone watching?

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.
Oct. 21, 2025

How thieves pulled off the Louvre jewel heist in minutes

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.
Oct. 20, 2025

Could Trump's boat strikes turn into war?

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.
Oct. 18, 2025

Can you choose to be happy?

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.
Oct. 17, 2025

Top GOP leader on shutdown: ‘This could go on for quite some time’

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.
Oct. 16, 2025

Dinner with The Post’s food critic

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.
Oct. 15, 2025

Trump is trying to use the shutdown to lay off workers

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?
Oct. 14, 2025

Inside Silicon Valley’s push to breed super-babies

Tech investors are backing a movement to optimize your offspring.
Oct. 13, 2025

Will peace in Gaza hold?

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.