On Sunday, the Louvre museum in Paris was burgled in broad daylight. Thieves in disguises entered through the windows and used a glass cutter to access thousands of precious diamonds and gems. The thieves are still at large.

Across France, authorities and citizens alike are both outraged and captivated by the robbery. The incident has ignited questions about security and accountability at the museum.

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with the Post’s senior art and architecture critic, Philip Kennicott, about how the thieves pulled off their brazen heist. We also hear from a former senior investigator and founder of the FBI National Art Crime Team about the reality of museum heists.

Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy, Laura Benshoff and Zoe Cummings. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Jonathan Fischer and Steven Johnson

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Are you happy? How would you answer that question if a stranger with a camera asked?

Five years ago, filmmaker Atdhe Trepca quit his job and drove across the country with a camera, asking hundreds of people that question.

His videos reach millions on TikTok and Instagram, and now he’s made a documentary.

Today, Optimist reporter Maggie Penman shares what Trepca has learned – and the research that backs up his observations.

If you want to hear more stories like this, please let us know. You can reach the whole team at podcasts@washpost.com or email Maggie at maggie.penman@washpost.com.

Today’s episode was reported and produced by Maggie Penman, with help from Ted Muldoon, Emma Talkoff, Reena Flores, and Sean Carter, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Allison Klein.

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As the federal government shutdown stretches on, Republicans and Democrats are still far apart on a path to reopening. One major sticking point is the Democrats’ demand to include renewed health care subsidies for ACA marketplace enrollees as a part of any vote to end the shutdown.

Host Colby Itkowitz sits with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) to ask about how Republicans view that demand, how the politics of health care are playing in this moment, and the White House’s moves to fire federal workers during a shutdown.

Today’s show was produced by Josh Carroll, Laura Benshoff and Elana Gordon. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here. And watch the video on YouTube here.

Tom Sietsema has been The Post’s food critic for 25 years. Over a quarter of a century, Sietsema has eaten at and reviewed thousands of restaurants. Even after all these years, he’s not sick of it. In fact, Sietsema loves the theater of dining out, and he takes great pride in guiding readers toward truly delicious food.

Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sam Bair.

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As the federal government shutdown stretches into its third week, its effects are starting to ripple across the country. National parks are closed, flights are delayed, and this week, some federal workers will miss their first paychecks.

For some of those workers, things are even more stressful: President Donald Trump is making good on his threat to use the shutdown to shutter government programs and offices he disagrees with. Thousands of workers have received notices that they may lose their jobs.

The Trump administration has claimed the cuts will help them keep the lights on during the shutdown. But experts say that’s not true – and the action may not be legal.

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with reporter Hannah Natanson about Trump’s attempt to close swaths of the federal government – permanently.

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

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A crop of Silicon Valley startups offers the hope of eradicating disease by testing embryos for genetic abnormalities and the potential for future illness. But those tests come with a high price tag and ethical questions about the use of predictive technology to decide who gets born – or not.

Host Elahe Ezadi speaks with Silicon Valley correspondent Elizabeth Dwoskin about the cutting-edge science driving fertility startups, what families who use them say, and how this trend fits into Silicon Valley’s obsession with hacking our health.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Arjun Singh. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sam Bair.

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On Monday, Israelis celebrated the return of all 20 living hostages still held by Hamas. Palestinians welcomed back hundreds of prisoners and detainees held in Israel. For the first time in months, humanitarian aid began to surge into war-torn Gaza.

The swap was part of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement that President Donald Trump brokered between Israel and Hamas – a step he touted as the beginning of a new era of peace across the region.

But many unanswered questions remain about how the fragile peace negotiations will continue to develop.

Colby Itkowitz speaks with Middle East reporter Abbie Cheeseman about how this deal came to be – and what questions remain for the future of Gaza.

Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu with assistance from Rennie Svirnovskiy and Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ted Muldoon and mixed by Sean Carter.

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The municipal animal shelter in Huntington, West Virginia, was euthanizing 50 to 75 percent of the animals that came in because they didn’t have the funding or space to care for them. Enter Courtney Proctor Cross. She was named director of the shelter in August 2018, and through hard work and fundraising she transformed the shelter into a place of hope.

This episode was produced by Ted Muldoon. The Optimist’s editor is Allison Klein.

If you want more stories from The Optimist, check out our newsletter. And let us know what you think of these stories on “Post Reports.” You can email me at maggie.penman@washpost.com or reach the whole team at podcasts@washpost.com.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here. And check out the YouTube video of this episode here.