City Cast DC

The DC area lost 56,000 jobs in 2025, the worst of any major Metro area. How scared should that make you? According to Tracy Haddon Low of the Brookings Institution studies the regional economy as Donald Trump transforms the federal government and she’s here to walk us through our state of municipal health. 

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 7th episode:

Alliance Française Washington DC

Olney Theatre

Mosaic Theater

Nace Law Group

Window Nation

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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

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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.

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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! 

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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.