City Cast DC

Trump's proposed 250-foot arch is currently facing legal challenges. While the courts sort that out, the Post’s Dan Diamond and Jarrett Ley join me to discuss how the arch would change the look of our city if it's built. We’ll dig into their 3D analysis mapping the shadows it could cast over D.C.

Read the piece: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2026/10/27/trumps-arch-would-cast-shadow-arlington-cemetery/

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign up for our morning newsletter. Leave us 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 November 3rd episode:

Washington National Opera - Use code "CITYCAST" for 20% off your ticket

Nace Law Group

Roda - Save 20% on maintenance, repairs or detailing with code POD20.

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

November is upon us, and fall is in full swing in the nation’s capital. City Cast’s Kaela Cote-Stemmermann joins me to talk about what’s good to eat, drink and do in the city this month.

Voting center wait time tracker: https://earlyvoting.dcboe.org/

DCDPW Leaf Collection: https://dpw.dc.gov/leaf

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign up for our morning newsletter. Leave us 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 November 2nd episode:

Washington National Opera - Use code "CITYCAST" for 20% off your ticket

Nace Law Group

Roda - Save 20% on maintenance, repairs or detailing with code POD20.

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

When you think of Waymo, you might not yet think of D.C. But you should definitely be thinking of Austin, Texas. State law governing autonomous vehicles (AVs) supersedes city authority and prevents local governments from regulating AVs, creating areas that have become increasingly attractive to AV companies. City Cast Austin host Miles Bloxson joins Your City Could Better to talk about if this loose regulation is good for Texas, particularly its dense capital city, whether local benefit is a priority for manufacturers at all, and how cities can learn from Austin if a similar influx hits their streets.

Mentioned on the show:

• City Cast Austin’s episode on AVs regulation: https://austin.citycast.fm/podcasts/are-texas-schools-using-ai-to-ban-books-plus-driverless-cars-in-austin-and-new-michelin-stars
• Waymo blocking emergency response to Austin shooting: https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/03/02/waymo-vehicle-blocks-ems-austin-mass-shooting
• The city of Austin’s public dashboard tracking incidents involving AVs: https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/dbd59d9b20634de1afad32a8267b739b#

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!

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This week, Axios’ Anna Spiegel and the Washington Sun’s Zara Norman join me to discuss DC at-large Democratic Councilmember Robert White's resignation, the controversial bill to help people pay rent if they’ve fallen behind, and a possible lawsuit over the proposed D.C. foie gras ban.

Plus, in a member’s only fourth segment, City Cast’s Kate Corliss weighs in on the best events happening around town this Halloween.

Read Zara’s reporting: https://www.washingtonsun.com/zara-norman

Read Anna’s reporting: https://www.axios.com/authors/aspiegel

Our guide to Halloweekend in DC: https://dc.citycast.fm/neighborhood-guides/dc-halloween-guide-2026

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign up for our daily newsletter. 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 October 30th episode:

Pinky Swear Productions - Use code "Crambone" to get $10 off the ticket price!

Washington National Opera - Use code "CITYCAST" for 20% off your ticket

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

The Revada Arts Center is now open in Southwest, and it's not your average arts venue. It's a theatre company, an indie film house and an experimental opera company all at once. Shanara Gabrielle, executive artistic director of Theater Alliance, joins me to discuss how the space came to be, their plans for the future, and how the new venture could breathe more life into the city’s arts scene.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign up for our morning newsletter. Leave us 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 October 29th episode:

Pinky Swear Productions - Use code "Crambone" to get $10 off the ticket price!

Washington National Opera - Use code "CITYCAST" for 20% off your ticket

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

With less than a week until Election Day, at-large DC councilmember Robert White appears all but confirmed to become the city’s next congressional delegate. But a provision of a 56-year-old law could now stand in the way.

My City Cast colleague Ben Brasch joins me to explain what the law says, how this happened and what it could mean for the city’s politics.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign up for our morning newsletter. Leave us 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 October 28th episode:

Pinky Swear Productions - Use code "Crambone" to get $10 off the ticket price!

Washington National Opera - Use code "CITYCAST" for 20% off your ticket

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

Early voting in the 2026 D.C. general election is underway. Residents will choose the city’s first new mayor in more than a decade, two at-large council members, and vote on whether foie gras is welcome in D.C. City Cast’s Ben Brasch and Tristan Espinoza join me to explain everything you need to know before you vote.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign up for our morning newsletter. Leave us 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 October 27th episode:

Pinky Swear Productions - Use code "Crambone" to get $10 off the ticket price!

Washington National Opera - Use code "CITYCAST" for 20% off your ticket

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

Mice and cockroach infestations, exposed wires, broken HVAC systems, and water damage are just a few of the 1600 housing violations at more than a dozen D.C. apartment complexes owned and managed by companies linked to affordable housing developer Buwa Binitie.

City Cast’s Alyssa Fowers joins me to explain who Binitie is, the problems that tenants at his apartment complexes are experiencing, and how his companies' blatant mismanagement went unchecked by the city for years.

Read Alyssa’s piece: https://dc.citycast.fm/news/buwa-binitie-housing-violations

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign up for our morning newsletter. Leave us a voicemail at: ‪(202) 642-2654‬. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.

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How prepared is DC to deal with the effects of climate change? In a recent report, Chicago was ranked as the most climate resilient city in the world — the only U.S. city to make it into the top 10. What’s Chicago doing right? City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran is joining David this week to talk about how the city is adapting to face climate risks, its work in renewable energy, and other projects in the works.

Mentioned on the show:

• New York Times article about climate resilience: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/realestate/is-your-city-prepared-for-climate-disaster.html
• AlphaGeo's report: https://alphageo.ai/how-climate-resilient-are-the-worlds-largest-cities/
• City Cast Chicago's episode about their climate resilience ranking: https://chicago.citycast.fm/podcasts/loop-restaurants-resurging-chicagos-climate-resilience-and-meet-us-at-lit-fest
• Previous episode about Jacoby visiting all of Chicago's libraries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytx9DWibpQc

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!

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This week, we’re talking about the National Guard shooting on Capitol Hill, Donald Trump’s new plans for the Golf Course at Hains Point, and whether Councilmember Felder is right that there’s too many traffic cameras in Wards 5 and 7. Plus, in a members-only fourth segment, we’re talking about truancy and ICE and how the two may be related at DC Public Schools. I was joined by City Cast’s Emma Uber and the Washington Sun’s Martin Austermuhle.

Read Emma’s reporting: https://dc.citycast.fm/authors/emma-uber

Read Martin’s reporting: https://www.washingtonsun.com/martin-austermuhle

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign up for our daily newsletter. 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 October 23rd episode:

Nace Law Group

Pinky Swear Productions - Use code "Crambone" to get $10 off the ticket price!

Roda - Save 20% on maintenance, repairs or detailing with code POD20.

Washington National Opera

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

D.C’s tenant protection laws make it tough for landlords to evict problem residents, but last year, lawmakers made it easier to kick out violent tenants. Now, a case working its way through D.C. Superior Court is challenging that assumption. Advisory neighborhood commissioner and City Cast contributor Ashley Schapitl joined me to explain how this judge’s ruling could reshape the city’s landlord-tenant law.

Read’s Ashley’s story for Capital Commonsense here: https://capitalcommonsense.com/p/do-serious-acts-of-violence-warrant

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign up for our morning newsletter. 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 October 22nd episode:

Nace Law Group

Pinky Swear Productions - Use code "Crambone" to get $10 off the ticket price!

Roda - Save 20% on maintenance, repairs or detailing with code POD20.

Washington National Opera

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

Lonnie Bunch, the outgoing secretary of the Smithsonian, has been at the red-hot center of national political fights over culture. But in DC, he’s also the head of an institution that shapes the calendar of our city — and employs a lot of our neighbors. Secretary Bunch joins us to talk about his experience combating escalating pressure from the Trump administration, the role of museums, and whether Washingtonians should be scared that our city’s majestic cultural institution is about to be diminished in his absence.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign up for our morning newsletter. 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 October 21st episode:

Nace Law Group

Pinky Swear Productions - Use code "Crambone" to get $10 off the ticket price!

Roda - Save 20% on maintenance, repairs or detailing with code POD20.

Washington National Opera

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

On Friday, the D.C. Council held a daylong session on raising taxes, and imposing new ones. It’s an issue council members usually wait until the last minute to address, but the real deadline comes next year, when a new mayor and a new Council need to figure out how to keep funding the programs D.C. residents have come to love, even though our current slew of taxes is bringing in less and less money to pay for it. Yesim Sayin of the DC Policy Center joins us to walk us through the options.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign 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.

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 20th episode:

Nace Law Group

Pinky Swear Productions - Use code "Crambone" to get $10 off the ticket price!

Roda - Save 20% on maintenance, repairs or detailing with code POD20.

Washington National Opera

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

What restaurants make Washington, D.C. the city it is? That’s the question the Washington Post’s food critic Elazar Sontag set out to answer with his guide to the 40 best restaurants in the D.C. area. We get into how he put it together, the can't-miss dishes and spots that made the cut, and what he’s learned about the city’s food culture in his first year on the job.

Read Elazar’s guide to the Top 40 local restaurants: https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/interactive/best-dc-restaurants/

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign 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.

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 19th episode:

Nace Law Group

Pinky Swear Productions

Roda - Save 20% on maintenance, repairs or detailing with code POD20.

Washington National Opera

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

How much ownership or responsibility do you feel as a resident of D.C.? In Salt Lake City, people are being asked to “adopt a storm drain” to help keep city streets free of floods and trash — and to possibly slow the drying and pollution of the Great Salt Lake. City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta says it’s worth a shot. This week, she joins David to discuss how quick, periodic cleaning of a neighborhood sewer grate can be part of a much bigger solution.

Listeners, it’s that time again! Send us the dilemmas you’re facing living in a city, and we might debate them on our upcoming call-in show. Email us or submit using this Google Form.

Mentioned on the show:

• SLC’s Adopt A Storm Drain map: https://www.slc.gov/utilities/adoptastormdrain/
• Ali’s past Your City Could Be Better episode on making a park census: https://yccbb.citycast.fm/podcasts/why-every-region-needs-a-park-map-tool-like-salt-lakes-plus-dry-heat-vs-humidity

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!

We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter

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On today's episode, we get into the House Republicans who, on the heels of the Trayon White mistrial, allege that two D.C. activist groups are advocating for the practice of jury nullification. We’re also talking about presumptive-mayor Janeese Lewis George's affordable housing promises. And the zoo asks for the public’s help… in naming their red panda cub.

Plus, in a member’s only fourth segment, you might have heard of the guy who got his Balenciaga shoes stolen in Chinatown this week. We’ll dig into D.C.’s spike in youth crime, and how the city is responding. I’m joined by my City Cast colleagues Jaclyn Peiser and Emma Uber.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign 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.

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 16th episode:

Folger Shakespeare Library

Pinky Swear Productions

Roda - Save 20% on maintenance, repairs or detailing with code POD20.

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

What do Black women and Shakespeare have to do with each other? A new exhibition at D.C.’s Folger Shakespeare Library explores that little-known history, tracing Black women’s engagement with the Bard across centuries. Dr. Patricia Akhimie, director of the Folger Institute and curator of To Hear Her Speak: Black Women and Shakespeare, discusses the exhibit and a new way to consider Shakespeare's legacy.

Listen to the exhibition playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5xfhdikyCG7ltF5jpjoQtV

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign 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.

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 15th episode:

Folger Shakespeare Library

Pinky Swear Productions

Roda - Save 20% on maintenance, repairs or detailing with code POD20.

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from cutting any trees at East Potomac Golf Links, where the president wants to replace a public park with a luxury golf course. But to some critics, the question is: What took Judge Ana Reyes so long? The order came days after the administration cut down more than 400 trees on the golf course — a move that sent the judge into a newsworthy fury. City Cast’s Jaclyn Peiser joins us to talk through the latest.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. Find out how in the description. You can also 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 October 14th episode:

Folger Shakespeare Library

Nace Law Group

Pinky Swear Productions

Roda - Save 20% on maintenance, repairs or detailing with code POD20.

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

You’re not imagining it — there are a lot more flyovers in D.C. these days. President Trump is the biggest fan of them that the White House has ever had. And while your 8-year-old may be into it, many aren’t — including Mother Jones reporter Stephanie Mencimer. On today's pod, she digs into the data with us to calculate the true toll of all these flyovers.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure tosign 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.

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 13th episode:

Folger Shakespeare Library

Nace Law Group

Pinky Swear Productions

Roda - Save 20% on maintenance, repairs or detailing with code POD20.

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more infoHERE.

Another D.C. school year has begun — how are cell phones being handled? In Minnesota, one high school is demonstrating that a strict no-phone school day can work, and they’ve got the (mostly) positive feedback to show for it. City Cast Twin Cities host Sean McPherson joins David to talk about how St. Paul Central High School is succeeding at enforcing a phone-free school environment, the surprising ways that some students approach it, and how these kinds of bans can even affect adults like Sean.

Listeners, it’s that time again! Send us the dilemmas you’re facing living in a city, and we might debate them on our upcoming call-in show. Email us or submit using this Google Form.

Mentioned on the show:

• Kids using public radio comment sections as ad hoc communication

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!

We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter

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