Podcast appearances and mentions of aaron blake

Why President Donald Trump's messaging has shifted from economic prosperity to austerity.Will voters tolerate economic pain from Trump's tariffs? Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Post's senior political correspondent Naftali Bendavid and White House correspondent Michael Birnbaum about Trump's inconsistent messaging on the economy and foreign policy this week. Beyond tariffs, they discuss how foreign leaders are responding to Trump on Ukraine and immigration. Today's show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Sean Sullivan and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

President Donald Trump's second term started with a record-breaking pace of executive actions. Today, senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with White House reporter Natalie Allison and national reporter Maeve Reston about Trump's 100-day record and how the American public feels about some of his signature actions so far. They also discuss Trump's decision to switch out national security adviser Michael Waltz, and some early and very different recent maneuvers from some ambitious Democrats who could lead the party into the 2028 election – including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.Today's show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Laura Benshoff.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Washington Post's chief correspondent covering national politics, Dan Balz, and national security reporter Abigail Hauslohner about new reporting this week about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth's continued use of Signal, an unclassified messaging app, to share highly sensitive information has roiled the agency he oversees. They also unpack new polling that shows warning signs for Trump: public support for his legally dubious immigration policies have turned negative. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

In February/March 2026 Seattle Opera premieres a new production of Fellow Travelers, an opera (based on the novel by Thomas Mallon) with music by Gregory Spears to a libretto by Greg Pierce that premiered at Cincinnati Opera in 2016. Jonathan Dean introduces this beautiful new American opera, a love story set against the historical backdrop of McCarthy's witch hunts and the Lavender Scare in 1950s Washington, DC. Musical examples from the world premiere recording of Fellow Travelers, conducted by Mark Gibson and featuring Aaron Blake as Tim, Joseph Lattanzi as Hawk, Devon Guthrie as Mary, Tayla Lieberman as Lucy, Marcus DeLoach, Vernon Hartman, Paul Scholten, and Christian Pursell in other roles, with the orchestra of Cincinnati Opera.

Unpacking the political fallout from President Donald Trump's pause on tariffs.Tariffs are on. Tariffs are paused. Tariffs are making stock markets go wild. Where do we go from here?Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Post's global economics correspondent, David Lynch, and White House reporter Cat Zakrzewski about Trump's mixed messaging on tariffs, whether the administration's tariff pause is strategic, and where the policy whiplash leaves Wall Street and American small-business owners. Today's show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Reena Flores, Lucy Perkins with help from Annah Aschbrenner and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

With the stock market roiling following the announcement of new tariffs, Republicans are confronting a challenge. Will they support President Donald Trump's economic plans, even if they don't believe in them? Or will they seek to temper his moves and draw criticism from a president who hates disloyalty?Senior reporter Aaron Blake talks with Post congressional correspondent Liz Goodwin and Senate reporter Theodoric Meyer about the mixed reactions to this week's bombshell economic news. They also discuss how special elections in Florida, and a state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin, provide Democrats with some positive data points after their stinging 2024 defeat. In particular, Elon Musk's spending push in support of the conservative candidate in Wisconsin may have backfired, motivating liberal voters to turn out en masse. Plus, what Cory Booker's more than 25-hour speech from the Senate floor did and didn't accomplish.Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

President Donald Trump's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act last week kicked off a battle with the courts that's getting more heated by the day. On Tuesday, he called U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg “crooked” and a “radical left lunatic” and suggested he should be impeached. Then, Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued a rare public rebuke of the president, saying impeachment is “not an appropriate response” to a judicial decision. Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake speaks with Supreme Court reporter Justin Jouvenal and White House reporter Natalie Allison about the legal and political calculus behind Trump's fight with the courts. And they also weigh in on the partial ceasefire deal for Ukraine brokered by the president and his Russian counterpart. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachel Van Dongen. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Democrats are bristling at the decision by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to vote for a GOP bill averting a government shutdown. Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake speaks with congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor to get a behind-the-scenes look at the politics of the shutdown vote. He also breaks down the latest tariff news and Elon Musk drama with David Lynch, a financial writer for The Washington Post, and Trisha Thadani, a Post technology reporter. Today's show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachel Van Dongen. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

James Robinson, new General and Artistic Director of Seattle Opera, introduces the 2025/26 season. The Pirates of Penzance promises a musically extraordinary operatic approach to Gilbert & Sullivan; come prepared to laugh and to enjoy some familiar music as you've never heard it before. Daphne In Concert offers a rare opportunity to hear a lush Romantic masterpiece by Richard Strauss, an orchestral tour de force with splendid voices. Fellow Travelers, by Gregory Spears & Greg Pierce, is one of the most successful new American operas of the past decade: a bittersweet gay romance hidden inside a political thriller. And Carmen returns in a powerful production conducted by Seattle's beloved Ludovic Morlot and starring some of our favorite singers. Musical examples include excerpts from a 1959 Glyndebourne Pirates of Penzance, conducted by Malcolm Sargent and starring George Baker, Elsie Morison, and James Milligan; the 1964 Vienna Festival Daphne conducted by Karl Böhm and starring Hilde Gueden, Fritz Wunderlich, and James King; the recording of Fellow Travelers' world premiere, 2016 at Cincinnati Opera and starring Aaron Blake, Joseph Lattanzi, and Devon Guthrie, with the Cincinnati Symphony conducted by Mark Gibson; and Seattle Opera recordings of Carmen from 2019, Les Troyens from 2025, starring J'Nai Bridges and conducted by Ludovic Morlot, and Hansel und Gretel from 2016 starring Sasha Cooke and conducted by Sebastian Lang-Lessing.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake breaks down the speech with senior White House correspondent Naftali Bendavid and Democracy reporter Colby Itkowitz. They fact-check Trump's DOGE claims and explain the political consequences Trump could face for his tariffs. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Hour 2: Jason talks with Aaron Blake from the Washington Post about what to expect from President Turmp's address tonight. Then he's joined by Joe Berg from The Rabbit Hole to talk about the growing number of Sports Bars on DeRusha Eats!

Jason talks to Aaron Blake, Senior Political Writer for The Washington Post about tariffs, Ukraine and what President Trump is likely to talk about tonight in his national address. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Some House Republicans are getting nervous. They're worried that passing President Donald Trump's budget proposal could mean cuts to popular programs like Medicaid. They've also gotten an earful from voters angry at Elon Musk who are packing congressional town halls. Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake unpacks the drama with congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor and congressional economics correspondent Jacob Bogage. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Ted Muldoon. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Some House Republicans are getting nervous. They're worried that passing President Donald Trump's budget proposal could mean cuts to popular programs like Medicaid. They've also gotten an earful from voters angry at Elon Musk who are packing congressional town halls. Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake unpacks the drama with congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor and congressional economics correspondent Jacob Bogage. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Ted Muldoon. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with Post congressional reporter Liz Goodwin and Dan Lamothe, who covers the Pentagon and the U.S. military, about the week's political news. They dig into Trump's sharp turn against Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. They also talk about new polling that shows Trump's sweeping federal policy decisions are largely unpopular. Plus, why GOP lawmakers are quietly begging Trump to spare their districts from Trump and his ally Elon Musk's splashy government spending cuts.Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Rachel Van Dongen. It was mixed by Justin Gerrish.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with Post congressional reporter Liz Goodwin and Dan Lamothe, who covers the Pentagon and the U.S. military, about the week's political news. They dig into Trump's sharp turn against Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. They also talk about new polling that shows Trump's sweeping federal policy decisions are largely unpopular. Plus, why GOP lawmakers are quietly begging Trump to spare their districts from Trump and his ally Elon Musk's splashy government spending cuts.Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Rachel Van Dongen. It was mixed by Justin Gerrish. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with Supreme Court reporter Justin Jouvenal and Democracy reporter Colby Itkowitz about how President Donald Trump is testing the power of the courts — and trying to expand his own authority in the process. They break down the cases facing the executive branch right now, what Trump and his allies are saying about them, and why some experts say Trump's actions run afoul of the constitution.Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Ted Muldoon.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with Supreme Court reporter Justin Jouvenal and Democracy reporter Colby Itkowitz about how President Donald Trump is testing the power of the courts — and trying to expand his own authority in the process. They break down the cases facing the executive branch right now, what Trump and his allies are saying about them, and why some experts say Trump's actions run afoul of the constitution.Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Ted Muldoon.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with senior national political correspondent Naftali Bendavid and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about President Donald Trump's proposal to “take over” Gaza, displace Palestinians and remake it as the “riviera” of the Middle East. They also dig into Trump's use of tariffs as bargaining chips and the lack of resistance to Trump policies from both parties.Today's show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with senior national political correspondent Naftali Bendavid and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about President Donald Trump's proposal to “take over” Gaza, displace Palestinians and remake it as the “riviera” of the Middle East. They also dig into Trump's use of tariffs as bargaining chips and the lack of resistance to Trump policies from both parties.Today's show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Trump's extraordinary news conference on the plane crash near Reagan National Airport, his administration's freeze and unfreeze of all federal funds, and the Senate hearings for three more of his controversial Cabinet picks.Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks through another chaotic week of political news with Congress reporter Liz Goodwin and White House economics reporter Jeff Stein. They break down Trump's baseless claims that DEI could be the cause of the fatal plane crash in the Potomac, why the administration reversed its decision to halt the flow of all federal funds, and whether Trump's picks for FBI director, director of national intelligence and health and human services secretary have enough support to be confirmed.Today's show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Trump's extraordinary news conference on the plane crash near Reagan National Airport, his administration's freeze and unfreeze of all federal funds, and the Senate hearings for three more of his controversial Cabinet picks.Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks through another chaotic week of political news with Congress reporter Liz Goodwin and White House economics reporter Jeff Stein. They break down Trump's baseless claims that DEI could be the cause of the fatal plane crash in the Potomac, why the administration reversed its decision to halt the flow of all federal funds, and whether Trump's picks for FBI director, director of national intelligence and health and human services secretary have enough support to be confirmed.Today's show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

The White House federal funding "freeze" mandate on Monday through a lot of the nation for a loop - just another chaotic day in a Trump presidency - before a federal judge put the brakes on it. I'm trying to figure out why Republicans in Congress are just rolling over and ceding the legislative branch's equal power to this particular President. They're just ... letting him do as he wishes, even at the expense of Congressional authority. Locally, Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens decried the shortsightedness, as did the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute. Beyond Georgia, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the freeze "stupid, buffoonish, childish" and Illinois governor JB Pritzker lambasted it as 'illegal.' Are they two of the voices Democratic primary voters may hear more from in the 2028 primary season? Aaron Blake's WaPo piece lists a "top twelve" field of potential candidates, and one of those two didn't even make the list.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with senior White House reporter Isaac Arnsdorf and national political reporter Marianne LeVine about how Trump's executive actions are already having a tangible impact. They also talk about how Trump's pardon of Jan. 6 rioters was met with a muted response from several prominent Republicans. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with senior White House reporter Isaac Arnsdorf and national political reporter Marianne LeVine about how Trump's executive actions are already having a tangible impact. They also talk about how Trump's pardon of Jan. 6 rioters was met with a muted response from several prominent Republicans. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin, James Hohmann and Aaron Blake break down President Trump's decision to pardon or commute the sentences of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol rioters, just hours after he was inaugurated for the second time.And Trump signed a whole lot of other executive orders; Which ones definitely matter, which ones might end up mattering, and which ones probably won't?Plus, the tech billionaires came to Washington – including Elon Musk.

Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author of The Campaign Moment newsletter talks with national security reporter Abby Hauslohner and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about the most heated exchanges that Trump's picks for defense secretary and attorney general, Pete Hegseth and Pam Bondi, faced during their Senate confirmation hearings. They also talk about what to expect if the historic ceasefire deal goes into effect over the weekend and what to watch for at Trump's inauguration on Monday.Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Rennie Svirnovskiy, who also mixed the episode. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen. Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author of The Campaign Moment newsletter talks with national security reporter Abby Hauslohner and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about the most heated exchanges that Trump's picks for defense secretary and attorney general, Pete Hegseth and Pam Bondi, faced during their Senate confirmation hearings. They also talk about what to expect if the historic ceasefire deal goes into effect over the weekend and what to watch for at Trump's inauguration on Monday.Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Rennie Svirnovskiy, who also mixed the episode. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen. Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Post's White House editor, Naftali Bendavid, and national political reporter Maeve Reston about the politics of Trump's sentencing in the New York hush money case. They also dig into how Trump is trying to pin the Los Angeles wildfires on Democrats and look ahead to next week's Senate confirmation hearing for Trump's pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. Today's show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Post's White House editor, Naftali Bendavid, and national political reporter Maeve Reston about the politics of Trump's sentencing in the New York hush money case. They also dig into how Trump is trying to pin the Los Angeles wildfires on Democrats and look ahead to next week's Senate confirmation hearing for Trump's pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. Today's show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Rachel Van Dongen and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

On Friday, Republicans once again selected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to be speaker of the House — but not before there was a little bit of drama.Earlier this week, President-elect Donald Trump took to social media to link the New Year's Day vehicular attack in New Orleans to weak border policies, even though the attacker was an American citizen born in Texas. In the hours following, the message became a popular Republican talking point. Reporters Marianna Sotomayor, Marianne LeVine and Leigh Ann Caldwell join host Aaron Blake to discuss how Johnson eked out a victory in the speaker fight, and why the New Orleans attack became so quickly politicized.Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachen Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

On Friday, Republicans once again selected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to be speaker of the House — but not before there was a little bit of drama.Earlier this week, President-elect Donald Trump took to social media to link the New Year's Day vehicular attack in New Orleans to weak border policies, even though the attacker was an American citizen born in Texas. In the hours following, the message became a popular Republican talking point. Reporters Marianna Sotomayor, Marianne LeVine and Leigh Ann Caldwell join host Aaron Blake to discuss how Johnson eked out a victory in the speaker fight, and why the New Orleans attack became so quickly politicized.Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Rachen Van Dongen and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author of The Campaign Moment newsletter, sits down with senior congressional correspondent Paul Kane and White House reporter Matt Viser to talk about what Biden is trying to do with his last few weeks in office. They also talk about Time magazine's person of the year interview with Trump and what two GOP Senate appointments could mean for Trump's ability to get his agenda through Congress.Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Justin Gerrish. Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

As we move closer to the second Trump administration, we are learning more about his incoming Cabinet. Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author/host of The Campaign Moment newsletter and podcast for the Washington Post joins us to discuss some of Trump's Cabinet picks and their struggles to be confirmed. Also, the American people seem to overwhelmingly want a check on Trump's power. What will that look like with an administration that believes it has a mandate? Plus, we break down Hunter Biden's pardon and how that might impact Joe Biden's legacy. Read Aaron's work in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/aaron-blake/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nicolle Wallace is joined by Aaron Blake, Matt Dowd, Rev. Al Sharpton, Cornell Belcher, Tom Winter, Frank Figliuzzi, Michael Crowley, Andrew Weissmann, Jeremy Kohler, and Michele Goodwin.

On Capitol Hill, Hegseth is facing renewed scrutiny over allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct, which he denies. So this week, the veteran and former Fox News host spent time with lawmakers, publicly and privately making the case for his leadership of the Defense Department. But some Republican senators are skeptical, and Trump is reportedly lining up other options. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake breaks down the latest Cabinet controversies with White House editor Naftali Bendavid and Washington Post Live anchor Leigh Ann Caldwell. Plus, they discuss the extraordinary breadth of Biden's pardon of his son Hunter and the possibility that Biden will issue more preemptive pardons to critics of the incoming president. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Justin Gerrish. Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell, who co-authors the Early Brief politics newsletter for The Post, about why Gaetz's bid for attorney general lasted just eight days. Aaron breaks down why Trump's electoral mandate is actually weaker than he claims. Plus, answers to listeners' and readers' lingering questions about the 2024 election. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Justin Gerrish. Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

There's Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz to head up the Justice Department. Former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence. Trump has chosen some eyebrow-raising names to staff his Cabinet. But are there any Republicans in the Senate that would choose to block them? Congress reporter Liz Goodwin joins hosts Aaron Blake and Elahe Izadi to dig into Trump's Cabinet appointments, their chances in the Senate, and whether Trump could bypass the upper chamber entirely with the use of recess appointments.Today's episode was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Rena Flores, Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers, senior political reporter Aaron Blake and White House reporter Cleve Wootson break down the questions many Democrats are asking right now about why Harris lost: Should Biden have dropped out earlier? Did Harris run a bad campaign? Does America hate women?Today's show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake and senior national political correspondent Ashley Parker about how Donald Trump won over a broad swath of voters to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris. Plus, how Democrats are reacting to their election losses and what this defeat means for the party's future.Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Sabby Robinson. 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.

Former president Trump is projected to win the White House – again. Martine Powers takes you through what we know about the results of a historic election.Read more:Very early Wednesday morning, former president Donald Trump stepped on stage in south Florida and claimed victory. Sounding surprised about how the election had gone, the former president promised to “fix everything” and praised his supporters, saying this was “the greatest political movement of all time.” This morning on Post Reports, we're walking you through what happened overnight. Later today we'll be back with another episode diving deeper into the results, and what the second Trump presidency might look like.This morning's show was produced and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Peter Bresnan and Elana Gordon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski with help from Maggie Penman and Monica Campbell. Thank you to Aaron Blake, Dan Balz and Mo Rodman.

After an unprecedented campaign season, Election Day in America is finally here. Today, host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter and host of “The Campaign Moment” podcast Aaron Blake about what to pay attention to as results start to come in this evening, including downballot races and potential scenarios for each candidate's path to victory.Plus: Election anxiety is real! Here's how to manage stress throughout the day.Today's show was produced by Ariel Plotnick and Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Sam Bair. It was edited by Reena Flores, with fact checking help from Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Mary Jo Murphy, Jenna Johnson, Cathy Decker, Susan Levine, and the whole slew of Post reporters around the country covering this election on the ground, including Laura Benshoff, Holly Bailey, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, and Josh Dawsey.

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.

SERIES 3 EPISODE 52: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:44) SPECIAL COMMENT: I suppose it is possible that Trump's brain has liquified, and he's cancelled half his events and all his interviews, and that he is now frantically demanding somebody FORCE Kamala Harris off the ballot and Joe Biden back ONTO it because he's just been shown internal polling indicating he's going to WIN two weeks from Tuesday. Or nah. He's just been shown internal polling indicating he's going to LOSE. Why else would he demand that she "be investigated and forced off the campaign, and Joe Biden be allowed to take back his rightful place" because 60 Minutes screwed up the editing the editing of its Harris interview?  Trump is crazy and getting crazier, but this reeks of somebody showing him internal polling indicating he's going to LOSE two weeks from Tuesday which means that he might avoid ONE of the criminal cases that would send him off to die in prison but he ain't going to avoid BOTH of them and as the expert on cults and cult leaders Matthew Remski wrote the other day, Trump has become one of those quote “cultic leaders who – exhausted, ill – and at the end of their cognitive rope” reduced to a “shrinking repertoire of melted talking points.”  Especially given that a network idiotically edits a clip with a presidential candidate means the. Presidential candidate has to drop out? So Harris has to drop out, and of course since Fox edited out the part where Trump talks about the enemy within, Trump also has to drop out so two Tuesdays from now it's the presidential election between Tim Walz and Jayvee Vance? MEANWHILE, IF SHE WINS it will have been sealed by the 24-hour span in which she looked authoritative and righteously indignant while on Fox News, followed by the moment some pro-Trump hecklers crashed her rally in Wisconsin and her response was... well, put it this way: There were no heckler survivors.  B-Block (19:04) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: BBC News cancels one of the most informative news programs in the world: "HardTalk" dead after three decades. Dead inside: Christina Bobb predicts a surge of celebrities endorsing Trump after the election because...they're all pedophiles? So she's not just One America One Reich television crazy but QAnon crazy? And Chris Licht is tanned, rested, and ready, to help rebuild the fractured media landscape he personally helped fracture. C-Block (28:21) FRIDAYS WITH THURBER: He never wrote a novel, he did write a history of The New Yorker, he did write epic short stories like “The Greatest Man In The World” and at least three that became movies. But then there are his miniatures – his polished gems. His fables. There is more cynicism, more criticism, more liberalism, per square inch, in these – than in any other examples of his writing. So this week three of the Fables of James Thurber: "The Unicorn In The Garden," "The Moth And The Star," "The Rabbits Who Caused All The Trouble."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with national political reporter Marianne LeVine about the peculiar moments that she's observed on the campaign trail this week with former president Donald Trump. From a music listening session on stage, to some eyebrow-raising interviews with both candidates, “The Campaign Moment” crew digs into the Trump and Harris campaigns' final sprints before Election Day. Today's show was produced by Eliza Dennis. It was edited by Reena Flores and Mary Jo Murphy. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Democrats want to retake control of the House of Representatives. Vice President Kamala Harris goes on a media blitz. And elected officials wade through destruction and misinformation after another hurricane made landfall this week.“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with Congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor about whether Democrats will succeed in flipping the House and which voters Harris wanted to reach with her flurry of interviews on podcasts and TV this week. They also dig into the political aftermath of Hurricane Milton. 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.

SERIES 3 EPISODE 46: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:44) SPECIAL COMMENT: I think Vladimir Putin just sent Trump two not-very-carefully coded messages and to borrow the stylings of Vice President Harris, one began with the letter F and the other began with the letter U. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov – as I assume you know – has confirmed to Bloomberg that Bob Woodward's book is RIGHT, that Trump DID send tests and testing machines early in the Covid nightmare of 2020, but, quoting Peskov, “but about the phone calls – it's not true.” Putin just outed Trump as a liar. Twice. In different directions. Confirming what he wanted denied; denying what he wanted confirmed. NOT BAD FOR 81 DAYS: Kamala Harris has raised a billion dollars since becoming the presidential candidate. That's more than Trump has raised in ALL of 2024. Harris's figure is just since the afternoon of July 21. New polling: Republicans and Independents who had supported Nikki Haley and Trump is only getting 45 percent of them and Kamala Harris is getting 36 percent. Lemmings gonna lemming, of course. But the interesting number here is that in the 2020 election these same voters had gone for Trump by 59 to 28. HOW DO YOU NOT LISTEN TO HISTORY? Even in an America in which Trump's all-too-obvious affection for Hitler and the Nazis is exceeded by the psychoses of so many of his supporters, it would seem to be obvious that the last thing that even Pro-Nazi Trumpists would want to do would be to invoke February 20th, 1939 and the German-American Bund rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. It didn't go exactly as the Nazis planned. The Garden was surrounded by ONE HUNDRED thousand ANTI-Nazi protestors who three times nearly broke lines manned by 2500 police. As it was, the Nazi presence in New York received fatal damage when a former Navy officer, now plumber's assistant named Isadore Greenbaum sneaked inside the Garden and able to contain his rage no longer, rushed the stage. The Nazis didn't know what to do and after a few flailed punches at Greenbaum, a handful of police stopped all of them and pulled Greenbaum out. So what have Trump and reprobate garbage Garden/Knicks/Rangers owner James Dolan scheduled for October 27? A NEW Trump-Nazi rally at the new Madison Square Garden. Trump hopes 20,000 will attend. Has he or this idiot Dolan considered how many people will be outside the Garden THIS time? B-Block (22:32) IN SPORTS: My first boss Sam Rosen was just named the winner of the Lester Patrick Award for service to hockey in this country (he had already been made a saint for having survived BEING my first boss) (26:29) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Maria Bartiromo is thrown when a Republican congressman accidentally tells the truth about FEMA. Marco Rubio wants you to believe the urgency of what the government is telling you. Just today, mind you. Not last week. And Jesse Watters calls Trump nihilist Stephen Miller a "sexual matador" and Miller explains that to attract women, men "should wear their Trump support on their sleeve." You mean like an armband? C-Block (37:00) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: We take a break from news of my ex Kyrsten Sinema or my ex Laura Ingraham or my ex Olivia Nuzzi to discuss my ex Katy Tur, whose husband is in the news. He's Tony Dokoupil and I can't tell if CBS News is about to fire him or make him Chief Operating Officer. The sad saga of how my post-relationship friendship with her ended when he arrived.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a wild week and we're lucky to have Tim Miller from The Bulwark and Aaron Blake from the Washington Post to help break it all down. Special counsel Jack Smith's case against Donald Trump was unsealed this week. We got the best look yet at Trump's behavior on January 6th. It's filled with criminal activity and contradicts many of Trump's previous defenses about that day. We also had the much-anticipated Vice Presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance. Will America buy the constant lying of the Trump/Vance ticket? Come join Al for a LIVE podcast in NYC! October 28th at City Winery: https://www.alfranken.com/appearancesRead Tim Miller for The Bulwark: https://www.thebulwark.com/Listen to The Bulwark Podcast: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/bulwarkpodcastSign up for Aaron Blake's "The Campaign Moment" newsletter! https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/And check out Aaron's podcast for The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/the-campaign-moment/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio faced off at what was expected to be the only vice presidential debate on Tuesday night. But it was much less dramatic than the presidential debates. Read more:“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake about Walz's stumbling performance, Vance's efforts to soften his image on unpopular issues for the GOP, like abortion, and whether either performance could significantly impact the race. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

“Post Reports” co-host Elahe Izadi and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with Senate reporter Liz Goodwin about how Senate Democrats are feeling ahead of the November election. They also dig into the politics of New York City Mayor Eric Adams's indictment and preview what to expect in next week's first – and likely only – vice presidential debate. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. Subscribe to Aaron's newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.