This week, the FBI raided the home of a Washington Post journalist, sparking First Amendment fears. At the same time, the Justice Department has opened an investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, drawing concerns from bigwigs on Wall Street and questions as to how the administration treats its perceived political enemies.

Colby speaks with Dan Merica, co-anchor of our politics newsletter The Early Brief, and Matt Viser, White House bureau chief, about President Donald Trump’s playbook for intimidating his critics, the chilling effects of his administration’s probes and why his coarse response to a heckling auto worker has drawn both criticism and praise.

Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu and Josh Carroll. It was edited by Martine Powers and mixed by Sean Carter.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here. And watch us on YouTube here.

Early Wednesday, FBI agents raided the home of a Washington Post reporter as part of an investigation of a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials.

The reporter – Hannah Natanson – was at her home in Virginia at the time of the search. She covers the federal government for The Post and spent the past year connecting with sources while reporting on the Trump administration’s efforts to fire federal workers.

Investigators said neither Natanson nor The Post are the focus of the probe, but many saw the search as a jarring new step aimed at limiting news organizations’ ability to gather information.

Today on “Post Reports,” democracy reporter Sarah Ellison joins host Elahe Izadi to discuss the unusual move by federal law enforcement and the lengths journalists go to to keep sources safe.

And, in the second half of the show, we bring you an excerpt from an April 2025 conversation with Natanson – about how she became The Post’s “federal government whisperer.”

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Dennis Funk and mixed by Sam Bair.

The April 23 episode was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon and edited by Peter Bresnan.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

For years, President Donald Trump has complained about Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome H. Powell. He’s called him names, said he should be fired and has tried to pressure the Fed leader into lowering interest rates.

Trump’s feud against Powell escalated over the weekend, when Powell revealed that the Justice Department launched a criminal inquiry against him, alleging that Powell lied about the cost of renovations to the Federal Reserve buildings.

Host Elahe Izadi speaks to banking reporter Andrew Ackerman about what this probe could mean for Powell, the Fed and whether Trump’s consistent pressure on Powell could undermine America’s central bank forever.

Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.