D.C.’s reflecting pool is … not so reflective. It’s been all over the social media feeds for the last few days, and probably yours too – so how the heck did we get here? The Atlantic’s Matt Viser is taking us back to biology class to explain why we’re hearing about algae, sealant, and the uptick in law enforcement at the reflecting pool. 

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There’s a big apartment complex in Northeast D.C. where the landlords have let conditions get so bad that the local D.C. Councilmember wants to give them….. A tax break. Say what? Zara Norman of NOTUS has been covering the saga of the Gale Eckington and she’s here to explain.  

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The dust is settling on DC’s mayoral election, and plenty of people are trying to interpret just what message the electorate was sending. I decided to outsource that job to DC Councilmember Christina Henderson. She’s worked closely with Janeese Lewis George in her time on the Council — but she’s also pushed for a somewhat different set of priorities than the likely next mayor. I talked with her about what the progressive surge may mean for the Council, and the city, going forward.

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We’re talking about the fallout, so far, a day after DC’s earthquake of a mayoral election. We’re talking about the reaction from DC’s business community, which was petrified about the idea of a socialist winning. And we’re talking about the best of Pride, whose parade is this morning. Plus, in a members only fourth segment, between the algae in the Reflecting Pool and the many many closures ahead at DCA, it’s a weird time on and above the National Mall. We’ll get into what it all means. 

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⁠Folger Shakespeare Library⁠

⁠DC Department of Behavioral Health⁠

⁠National Museum of the American Indian⁠

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It was a very big night for DC’s left. With a little under two-thirds of the vote counted, Janeese Lewis George is up big over Kenyan McDuffie in first-choice votes for the Democratic mayoral election. Her fellow democratic socialists are leading a couple of DC Council races, and a top progressive is way ahead in another. And progressive Robert White appears to have run away with the race for DC Delegate to Congress. It is 4:30AM the morning after election day. Michael Schaffer, Emma Uber and Bridget Todd were at watch parties last night and are breaking down what we know so far.

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Learn more about the sponsors of this June 17th episode:

Folger Shakespeare Library

DC Department of Behavioral Health

National Museum of the American Indian

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Today is the first DC election under ranked-choice voting. And anyone who thought “instant runoff” meant immediate results is in for a nasty surprise: The city says it may be 10 days before they announce results. We're talking with Lisa Rice, one of the people behind the referendum that okayed RCV a few years ago, about what to expect at the polls, when we might know a winner, and whether we’re right to feel irritated about potential delays.

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Folger Shakespeare Library

DC Department of Behavioral Health

National Museum of the American Indian

Alliance Française Washington DC

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DC is facing a double-barreled housing crisis where nothing is getting built. No one is building regular houses apartments because of the grim DMV economy. And no one is building subsidized “affordable” housing because epidemic rent nonpayment makes builders think they’ll never break even. In a city where housing is still super expensive, this adds up to a big problem. Emilia Calma is the author of a new report on this for the Brookings DMV Monitor and she’s here to explain. 

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

Folger Shakespeare Library

DC Department of Behavioral Health

National Museum of the American Indian

Alliance Française Washington DC

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Do you know how many parks DC has? Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta set out to catalog them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The resulting map has already become a valuable tool for locals, who now not only know who to call when trash cans are overflowing: they can also find outdoor spaces that meet their needs.

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We’re talking about whether DC is in for a tax hike, we’re talking about what’s missing in some of the Trump administration’s park makeovers, and we’ll try to read the tea leaves about where DC candidates are planning their election night parties. Plus, in a members-only fourth segment, we’ll get into the proposal to bring a giant homeless shelter to the HUD building. 

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Folger Shakespeare Library

Mugsy

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We’re talking about St. Elizabeths. As a lot of folks know, the campus of D.C.’s psychiatric hospital has transformed over the past 15 years. There’s still a hospital, but a huge part of the former campus now holds a federal cabinet agency and another part is being redeveloped as stores and houses. NBC4’s Mark Segraves recently gained access to a part that the new management really doesn’t want to talk about — the site of some pretty ghastly surgeries and experiments from the time when St. Elizabeths was known as an insane asylum. 

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Folger Shakespeare Library

Mugsy

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