City Cast DC

The 51st’s Martin Austermuhle is here to talk about the DC Council, Muriel Bowser, and public safety — where the Council keeps handing the mayor defeats, the freeze on the White House Ballroom and a slew of DC chefs are on the James Beard list. Plus, in a members only fourth segment, how Virginia’s data center boom is affecting the safety of the local water supply. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this April 3rd episode: Folger Shakespeare Library District Bridges Window Nation Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

The Trump Administration is about to reclassify tens of thousands of federal jobs so that it can treat them like patronage appointees. This is huge news for your neighbors who may have those jobs, since it will make it a lot easier to fire them for political reasons. But it is also big news for the economy of our city, and, in a way, for the soul of a city that has long drawn people to public service. Drew Friedman from Federal News Network has been covering the story and is here to explain. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this April 2nd episode: Folger Shakespeare Library District Bridges Window Nation Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

Whether you’re looking to become a baseball fan, escape to a rave on the mall, or just admire all the pretty flowers, the City Cast DC gang has some great picks to make the most out of your April in the city. For even more tips on how to make the most of April in DC, check out Hey DC’s take on what to do this month. If you enjoyed today's interview with District Bridges' Director of Storytelling and Marketing, Anna Claire, learn more here. Learn more about the sponsors of this April 1st episode: Folger Shakespeare Library District Bridges Window Nation Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE. Reach us at DC@citycast.fm.

NBC4’s Mark Segraves is here to talk about the shooting of a police officer that could upend the status quo between local Washington and the Trump administration, the sudden appearance of Zionism as a theme of the mayoral election, and the next zoo animal you might be talking about. Plus, in a member’s-only fourth segment: Remember that January 6 pardon recipient who was arrested for assaulting women on the Metro? We sat down with one of the people he serially stalked for a conversation about how we got here. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 31st episode: Folger Shakespeare Library District Bridges Window Nation Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Donald Trump’s war on big law has been a big political and constitutional story everywhere. But in Washington, it’s also a business story: the big law firms are a huge employer and major part of the economy. So what do the ongoing threats from the administration, and the legal rulings in favor of the firms who actually stood up for their rights, actually mean for our city. Erin Mulvaney covers national legal affairs for the Wall Street Journal and is here to discuss. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 30th episode: Folger Shakespeare Library District Bridges Window Nation Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

More affordable housing is needed in places like DC. Some cities, however, are doing better than others at meeting this need. Austin, Texas, for example, is building more affordable housing than any other American city right now — 50% more, by some measures, than the second most successful city. However, this fast-growing city is also seeing a shortage in housing that middle- and lower-income residents can afford. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Austin podcast host Nikki DaVaughn about this paradox, the city’s affordable housing successes, and where Austin’s still falling short. Plus, how far is too far to walk to a neighbor’s house? Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now! We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

WAMU’s Alex Koma is here to talk about the DC mayoral race, where public safety has suddenly become an issue, the quadruple-amputee cornhole champion accused of murder, and the end of the DC streetcar. Plus, in a members-only fourth segment, more on how much DC’s local police should tell the public about how the feds use deadly force in our city. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Traffic Circles — they’re the secret to getting around DC. Back in December, we talked with city planner Dan Reed about how we wound up with all these circles on the map, and about what’s going to become of them. With Cherry Blossom traffic about to swamp the city, we’re rerunning it again now to give you a leg up on the tourists. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

Everyone hates sitting in traffic. But what if you could skip the gridlock entirely and travel underground in a high speed pod instead? That was the vision behind Elon Musk's Hyperloop and back in 2017, Musk claimed he had secured official government approval to bring it to DC. It never happened. Tech journalist Matt Ribel is here to explain the bizarre story of how one of the most hyped transit promises in recent memory quietly collapsed. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

We’re talking about the draft DC land-use map that is enraging YIMBYs, a slew of new town-gown fights between local Washington and the Trump administration, the Polymarket Bar flop. And in a members-only fourth segment: Should DC’s minimum-wage go up to $25 an hour? The question is about to be on the ballot, and people have thoughts. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Julia Child is a lot more associated with Paris, or maybe Cambridge, Massachusetts, than with DC. But the legendary cook and writer actually spent some of her most important years in a little house in Georgetown, scrounging for ingredients in the much less foodie city of the 1950s. Her Washington years are the subject of a story in the new issue of Edible DC, and the magazine’s editor, James Whitman, is here to tell us all about it. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

The unionization efforts of sex workers in Nevada might have implications for gig workers in DC. At Sheri's Ranch, a legal brothel 45 minutes outside Las Vegas, some of the workers are seeking both recognition as employees and union representation. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with former City Cast Las Vegas podcast host, current contributor, and longtime Nevada attorney Dayvid Figler about why sex workers are considered independent contractors, what sparked this legal battle, and what happens if they win. Plus, what's different about neighborhoods in Las Vegas? Mentioned on the show: Could a Pahrump Brothel Union Set a New National Standard for Labor Laws? (City Cast Las Vegas) Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now! We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

We’re talking about a fracas at a DC mayoral forum, the new changes that make it easier for Trump to fire career federal workers, and the windstorm that wasn’t. Plus, in a members-only fourth segment, we’ll get into the case of the cop-killer seeking clemency that may be the next home-rule standoff. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 20th episode: Folger Shakespeare Library DC Environmental Film Festival Nace Law Group Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Between the East Wing of the White House, the proposed Arc de Trump, and whatever’s going to happen to the Kennedy Center, it’s no secret that our first real estate developer president is poised to have a big impact on how our city looks. But what are all of these individual projects going to do to the city as a whole? According to one of America’s foremost architecture critics: Nothing good! We sat down with Paul Goldberger, the longtime New York Times and New Yorker critic who wrote a blistering essay about the Trump effect on DC’s delicately balanced city scape. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Please see below for tomorrow's sponsor show notes: Learn more about the sponsors of this March 19th episode: Folger Shakespeare Library DC Environmental Film Festival Nace Law Group Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

DC just had another weekend of controversy around out-of-control behavior by huge groups of teens, this time around the Navy Yard. Allegations of youth lawlessness have been front and center in DC for a few years, often tied to the related question of school truancy. Back in August, we talked about this with the Washington Post’s Lauren Lumpkin and Robert Samuels. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 18th episode: Folger Shakespeare Library DC Environmental Film Festival Nace Law Group Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

Here in DC the nice spring weather is right around the corner. And you know what else is right around the corner in DC? Delaware. You may not think it, but this tiny state offers some of the best hidden gems for a charming getaway. Tim Ebner’s here with your guide to the best Delaware trips for around $150. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 17th episode: Folger Shakespeare Library DC Environmental Film Festival Nace Law Group Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

More than almost any local industry, dining is reliant on a workforce that doesn’t always have legal status to work. Which means that the recent hints of a new round of federal enforcement could have a big impact not just on the affected employees, but also on the businesses themselves, and on the universe of people who enjoy our city’s dining scene. Tim Carman of the Washington Post has been following the news and is here to explain what it means for the workforce, the restaurants — and you. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 16th episode: Folger Shakespeare Library DC Environmental Film Festival Nace Law Group Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

DC Council recently passed emergency legislation requiring local police to release body-worn camera footage of incidents involving federal forces they patrol with, and to collect the names of federal officers who make arrests. It’s a big shift in local policy, partially motivated by the fact that local cops have damaged their reputation by patrolling with feds. City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran talks with City Cast DC co-host and executive editor Mike Schaffer about the political stakes involved, the effectiveness of body cameras, and how Washingtonians are dealing with the heavy federal law enforcement presence. Plus, Mike and Jacoby weigh in on public transit etiquette in their cities when it comes to people playing music out loud. Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email us now! We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

Axios’ Cuneyt Dil is here to talk about the fallout from the newly released video of DC cops helping DOGE guys take over the US Institute of Peace, congestion pricing in DC, and mayoral candidate Kenyan McDuffie’s quiet start. And in a member-only fourth segment, an interview with the reporter behind a scoop on the latest federal presence in DC: rookie FBI agents. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 13th episode: Johns Hopkins University Folger Shakespeare Library Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Should DC get rid of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, the closest-to-the-ground level of local democracy? That’s one of the implications of an essay published this month by Wesley Sturhan in Greater Greater Washington. Sturhan writes about all of the different hurdles DC has erected that get in the way of building the kinds of neighborhoods most of us would agree are nice places to live. He’s here to explain that maybe it’s time to take a hard look at a lot of the choke points — including one that a lot of local activists consider sacred. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 12th episode: Johns Hopkins University Folger Shakespeare Library Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.