DMV Download from WTOP News

It’s been nine months since Metro CEO and General Manager Randy Clarke took the helm at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Agency. During that time, Metro has increased its bus and rail ridership from pandemic lows, and opened six new rail stations along the Silver Line. But challenges remain. The 7000 series rail-cars have yet to fully return to the system, rail ridership still pales in com...

Last year, Extinction Rebellion DC hung a 20-foot banner across the Wilson Building — the seat of the District government. The banner read “NO NEW FOSSIL FUELS.” The Earth Day demonstration protested the planned installation of new natural-gas lines in the city by Washington Gas. This year, we hear from Extinction Rebellion DC organizer Reilly Polka ahead of Earth Day 2023. Polka talks about the o...

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown released a nearly 500 page report on the child sexual abuse committed at the hands of priests, coaches and seminarians within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The report documents more than 600 victims of sexual assault by more that 150 Catholic priests between the 1940’s and early 2000’s. On the show, Attorney General Brown walks through the report’s troubling...

The opioid epidemic is hard to understand. Those addicted to opiates and their stories are often limited to headlines. But Angel Traynor — founder and director of Serenity Sistas’ Inc. — understands. She’s a former addict, current recovery coach and mother of an addict. Her organization works with and houses addicts in Annapolis, Maryland. On the show, we talk about the opioid crisis, the lives lo...

DC’s top prosecutor has had a busy start as Attorney General between the city’s forsaken criminal code, rising crime rates and the tall stack of pending cases left by his predecessor, Karl Racine. In an exclusive interview with WTOP, DC Attorney General Brain Schwalb talks about his first 90 days in office, where pending lawsuits — such as the suits against the Commanders and January 6 rioters — a...

Artificial Intelligence is getting good — like really good. In the past few months, new versions of AI chatbots have caught a lot of people off guard with how well Artificial Intelligence is doing human things like writing, creating art and even talking. Safe to say it's time we get to know what AI is and how to live with this new technology. Rama Chellappa — a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in...

Compass Coffee baristas kept the caffeine flowing this week, but their paychecks froze after the DC startup’s bank – Silicon Valley Bank – failed on March 10. A spokesman from the local coffee house said all employees got their wages by March 13 after the federal government stepped in to backstop all the money deposited at the failed bank. And while this move by the government gave many a sigh of...

Sacred Heart Chapel in Bowie, Maryland is the birthplace of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It’s where John Carroll was elected the first bishop in the newly formed country. It’s a history parishioners hold with pride. But there’s also shame. Carroll also ran a tobacco plantation that enslaved African Americans. This year, newly discovered graves – that are believed to be the buria...

The opioid epidemic in Maryland has entered a new and uncertain phase. Xylazine — also called “tranq” and “zombie drug” — is showing up more and more in the illicit drug supply across the state. While scientists can detect the animal sedative, there’s still a lot doctors don’t know about the drug: how it affects humans and how to best treat it. During an exclusive interview on the “DMV Download” p...

The District’s revised criminal code faces its final hurdle before becoming law in the U.S. Congress, where even D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson — who has long championed the revision — has admitted it’s fighting an uphill battle. On the DMV Download podcast, Council Chair Mendelson defended the revised criminal code against opposition from all directions: congressional Republicans as well as...

Commonwealth Attorney General Jason Miyares has launched three separate investigations into school systems in northern Virginia during his first year in office. The Republican Attorney General campaigned on education reform. And so far, Miyares has aimed his office's prosecutorial power at Loudoun and Fairfax county school systems — earning him both praise and pushback from Virginians. Regardless,...

The CEO and President of Catholic Charities is stepping down after 10 years at the helm and tens-of-millions of dollars raised for the poor. Reverend Monsignor John J. Enzler transformed the nonprofit during his time there – making it one of the largest charity organizations in the D.C. region. Father John talks about his deep roots in the greater Washington area, how he raises so much money, what...

Violent crime is up in DC. The nation's capital saw a 14% jump in homicides in January when compared to the same time last year. In an exclusive interview, DC Police Chief Robert Contee III talks about gun violence against youth and the role parents play in prevention, the killing of 13-year-old Karon Blake and other ongoing investigations. Contee also speaks out against the revised criminal code...

DC’s first non-alcoholic bar is set to open to the public this February. It’s called Binge Bar and sits on H Street in Northeast DC near the NoMa neighborhood. Gigi Arandid created the dry bar after getting a DUI and going sober. Arandid says she wants to create a safe, sober place for recovering alcoholics and those who want to limit their drinking. We talk about her sobriety story, her hopes for...

Since 1979, C-SPAN has broadcasted raw coverage of the U.S. Congress. But in the first week of January, something changed. C-SPAN became – as the Hollywood Reporter mused – “America’s Hottest TV Drama in 2023.” And all because, Congress let C-SPAN use their cameras to film the 5-day election of now Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. Usually only government provided feeds are allowed. This week,...

The Jan. 6 insurrection shook the United States and democracy to its core — but it also left a lot of trash in Washington, D.C. Protesters and rioters left bottles, flag poles and stickers behind. But who cleaned up after them? Meet David Smith. He’s a Navy veteran and founder of Continue To Serve. Smith gathered more than 400 people to clean up the path of the pro-Trump rally from the White House...

TikTok is banned from all U.S. government and military phones, but is this just the beginning? Will TikTok — the most popular app in the world — be banned from all American phones? Virginia Senator and Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee Mark Warner comes on the DMV Download podcast to talk about TikTok and why he doesn’t trust the Chinese social media app. Warner breaks down his two main n...

Bruce Alan, Debra Feinstein and Kristi King all got hired at WTOP in the same month in 1990. Now, these three radio greats reflect on their 32 years at WTOP as they all depart the Glass Enclosed Nerve Center in the same month – December 2022. We go back in time with Bruce, Debra and Kristi talking about their careers, favorite memories, and what message they have to all the listeners who have hear...

It’s time to raise a glass. The holidays are here and News Years is just around the corner. We learn how to make a great toast from a local winner of the Guinness Toast Contest – Tom Ponton. And this is the last daily DMV Download podcast episode before it goes to a weekly format. Then, Luke and Megan reminisce on the more than 150 episodes we’ve done and talk about what’s next. See Privacy Policy...

There’s a growing movement among members of the Virginia High School League trying to create a female wrestling league. Coach Charles Phillips from Alexandria’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology says more and more girls are showing interest in take-downs, pins, and arm bars. We hear from the players themselves, who say wrestling not only makes them stronger and brings them in...

The chase of a group of teens arrested with a loaded gun inside Tysons Corner Center gave hundreds of holiday shoppers a legitimate scare even though shots were never fired. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis joins us in the studio to talk about what happened, recruiting new officers and veterans from other departments, and the crimes that he’s most concerned about going into the new year. Se...

Meet the local musician who is creating a way for disabled children and adults in India to play instruments using their brain waves. We have a fascinating conversation with Fulbright scholar and Baltimore native Calvin McCormack about how he’s doing it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Commanders fans are up in arms for a few reasons. First, their team lost yesterday – in Primetime – on an official’s controversial call. Then, the design of the team’s memorial to a beloved player killed years ago fell flat. WTOP’s Sports Director George Wallace tells us why fans, and former players, were underwhelmed by the memorial to Sean Taylor and what went wrong in the game against the New Y...

It’s unclear exactly how many people may be crossing the border in the next few days, with their final destination set for the DMV, but there is a sense that it could be significantly higher than normal. This comes at a time of year when non-profits normally see an increased need. Megan speaks to the CEO of a Baltimore non-profit immigration group about how difficult it is to help set them up and...

Hospitals in our area are struggling to keep up with increasing respiratory patients amid a mounting nurse staff shortage. Today, city officials are meeting with the D.C. Hospital Association to figure out whether a legislative move could help at all. WTOP’s Scott Gelman fills us in on what to expect. Then, Dr. Glenn Wortmann, chief of Infectious Diseases, at MedStar Washington Hospital Center tel...