King and dictator

On this episode, The Washington Post’s Libby Casey and JM Rieger are joined by metro reporter Emily Davies and White House correspondent Michael Birnbaum to discuss the escalating rhetoric used by President Donald Trump and his administration, calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “a dictator without elections,” while also meeting with Russia delegates for peace talks, notably without Ukrainian involvement. Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service, and The Trump administration also continued to cut federal workforce jobs across the country, targeting probationary employees, and sometimes citing ‘performance’ issues without evidence. Meanwhile, Trump threatened to ‘take over’ governance of Washington D.C., reversing its current home rule status, claiming local leaders are not doing enough on crime, cleaning up graffiti, and removing homeless encampments.

Om Podcasten

The Washington Post’s Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann gather for a weekly in-depth conversation about politics and power. From presidential candidates to members of Congress to the judicial system, Sidebar dives deep on the topics and people at the forefront of the political conversation. The crew sits down each Thursday (with the occasional breaking news episode) to discuss what has happened that week, and what’s coming up the next week – with guest appearances from Washington Post reporters.