City Cast DC

Happy Friday. We’re talking about the fallout from the MPD’s scandal over manipulated crime data. We’re talking about the Obama musical that’s currently playing in town. And we’re talking about a change at the National Mall that DC can actually get behind. Plus, in a members-only fourth segment — which is actually free for everyone today, because it’s the LAST DAY of membership drive — we’ll talk...

Does Donald Trump want to hijack a DC municipal golf course from the middle class and hand it over to the rich? That’s what critics of his plans for East Potomac Park say — and their suspicions got stronger last weekend, when new renderings emerged that show humble old Hains Point as an elite golf course — with no bike lane, playground, minigolf, or old men fishing, all the stuff that makes the pl...

Josef Palermo is the author of an explosive recent piece in the Atlantic recounting what he saw as a senior staffer at the Kennedy Center. Palermo’s an interesting case because he was actually hired by the new leadership that came in after Donald Trump took over the center. But that didn’t stop him from being aghast at the ineptitude and financial shenanigans he witnessed. He breaks it down for us...

It’s the 35th anniversary of the protests that rocked D.C.’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood after the police shooting of El Salvadoran immigrant Daniel Gomez. Ellie Walton and Quique Aviles, creators of the documentary ‘La Manplesa: An Uprising Remembered', are here to explain what happened and why they think it was a turning point for D.C.’s Central American communities. The documentary is showing f...

We’re talking with Kenyan McDuffie. As you may have heard, the longtime DC Council member is running for mayor. We talked about how he thinks our city can recover from DOGE devastation, what he thinks it would take to put a dent in the cost of housing, and whether he’d be different from the incumbent, Muriel Bowser. This is the first in a series of sit-downs with candidates. Want some more DC news...

City Cast’s Emma Uber and the 51st’s Martin Austermuhle are here talking about the state of the DC election campaign, who’s up, who’s down, and whether ranked choice voting is going to confound everyone; the stats and politics of crime; the worst possible take on the WHCD gunman incident; and, in a members-only fourth segment: The dastardly scheme to return Arlington and Alexandria to the District...

What are you gonna do this month? We’ve got answers. Aperol Spritzes! Raves! Beaches! Allergies! Jazz! Upcoming elections! Stick around because we’ve got you covered.  For even more tips on how to make the most of May in DC, check out Hey DC’s take on what to do this month.  If you enjoyed today's interview with TodayTix's Head of North America, Kyle Sircus, learn more here. Learn more about the s...

It’s almost one of the most fun times of the year — porchfest season! Adams Morgan’s is this Saturday, Petworth’s is in May. City Cast’s own Mark Kulkosky and Kaela Cote-Stemmerman are Porchfest pros, and they’re here with everything there is to know to do Porchfest right.  Get more from City Cast DC when you become a City Cast DC Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to...

We’re talking about the fallout from the White House Correspondents Association shooting over the weekend; we’re talking about the ride-share app Empower and its latest fight with DC. We’ll also take a dip, metaphorically, in the debate over Trump’s plans for the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. And a question that will affect the upcoming DC mayoral election: Does the Post editorial board still...

You probably had a sense that members of Congress got some special goodies at National airport. But what are they? We asked Gary Leff, the legendary travel blogger who lived in the DMV for years. Gary spilled some beans, but also talked through how us regular folks could get the same VIP treatment, the Dulles renovation, and the secret luxury room hidden inside DCA.   Want some more DC news? Then...

Are DIY urban projects the key to improving the infrastructure in cities like DC? The grassroots group To Nashville, With Love has built and installed 60 benches at bus stops around Nashville, all without government approval. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Nashville podcast host Marie Cecile Anderson about what this guerrilla campaign is doing, why it’s gotten pushback from the cit...

City Cast reporters Michael Brice-Saddler and Emma Uber join host Michael Schaffer to talk about the state of the DC mayoral election, the weird new drama over the teen curfew, and the new baby elephant at the Zoo. Cuter than the pandas? Plus in a members-only fourth segment, some absolutely devastating jobs numbers about the DMV. We’ll talk about how the city is, or should be, responding. Want so...

Which region has the BEST food in the USA? Eater has tried to answer that question in ⁠their new book Eaterland⁠, and our very own Tim Ebner made his case for Mid Atlantic cuisine – and why he’ll fight anyone who dunks on the Mid Atlantic food scene. 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...

The head of DC’s Hirshhorn Museum is leaving to take over the Guggenheim in New York. Ordinarily, that’s something that might be looked at as a normal career move. But at a moment when the Smithsonian museums are in the MAGA crosshairs, everything’s a bit complicated. Journalist Kriston Capps is here to take us inside the departure of Melissa Chiu and talk through what it means for arts in our cit...

We’re talking about the bombshell report on DC police and the case of Republican Congressman Cory Mills; we’re talking about the troubling conversation after the murder-suicide of former Virginia Lt Gov Justin Fairfax; and, how to get your money back as part of DC’s Ticketmaster settlement. Plus, in a members-only fourth segment: Amazon is way behind on all those jobs it promised would come to its...

Teen Takeovers — and what to do about them — has become one of the most divisive issues in local Washington. The mayor announced a new curfew; rivals like mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George oppose them. Georgetown University juvenile-justice scholar Eduardo Ferrer is not one of the folks who’s on the fence about the issue: He thinks curfews are a rotten idea. We talked about how to reach kids,...

Could public financing get D.C. more involved in local elections? For the last decade, the City of Seattle has issued $100 in vouchers to every voter to donate to the candidate of their choice in municipal elections. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Seattle podcast host Jane C. Hu about how these Democracy Vouchers work, how many people are participating, and what the impact on local...

We’re talking about OPPO-GATE, the baffling turn in the D.C. Congressional Delegate race, where candidate Brooke Pinto has inexplicably posted an entire dossier of dirt about her principal rival…. We’re looking at the plummeting numbers of new students entering DC Public Schools, and what that might say about where the city is headed… Also: There’s a state-fair-themed fair coming to the Mall as pa...

January’s massive Potomac sewage spill has led to it becoming the most endangered river in the nation. But that failure didn’t come out of nowhere. Washington Post investigative journalist Aaron Davis uncovered the red tape that stopped needed repairs for years. Davis chatted with us about what he found and who’s to blame. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newslette...

DC is a big city, but did you know that it’s actually illegal to build anything other than a suburban-style house in most of it? According to today's guest David Alpert, that’s one reason housing is so expensive in Washington. Alpert has spent years advocating for rewriting the rules, and this month, he’s among the folks who are bitterly disappointed that the Bowser administration’s land-use map f...

The mayor has just rolled out her final budget and it’s pretty painful. Jenny Reed walked us through the administration’s theory of the case — why they think it’s a good idea to make cuts TO day care and medical leave, and why it beats the alternative of raising more money through taxes. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a...

We’re talking about another Trump-era controversy at a DC cultural institution — in this case, the Holocaust Museum, which last year yanked down content talking about the fragility of democracy and the ties between German Naziism and American Jim Crow. Unlike the blowups at the Kennedy Center, this happened quietly. And according to reporting from Irie Sentner at Politico, that’s because the museu...

Washingtonians, what do you do when your night life starts to dwindle? Nightlife is a huge economic driver for cities, but city offices are often closed when those businesses need help. That’s why Portland is considering hiring a Night Mayor. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Portland podcast host Claudia Meza about what this new position would do, and if it is the answer to the pande...

DC is starting to feel like an old Dennis the Menace cartoon. Last week, the city was up in arms about teens running wild at Navy Yard. This week, there’s agita about dirt bike riders. We’ll get into it. Also: A big Pennsylvania Avenue re-do may be in the works, and the neighbor at number 1600 gets a big say in it. And we’ll talk about the end of the Ovi era in DC.  Plus: City Cast members can lis...

Once upon a time, the food critic of the Washington Post was an all-powerful — and totally anonymous — figure in the local restaurant industry. But the paper’s new critic, Elazar Sontag, takes over at a very different moment. We had a long chat with Sontag about the Washington dining scene, the role of a critic, and how to communicate about food in 2026. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to s...