Dream City Podcast

On this week’s Dream City Podcast, Cuneyt and Tom are joined by veteran D.C. strategist Chuck Thies to break down Janeese Lewis George’s sweeping mayoral primary victory, why Kenyan McDuffie’s campaign never found its footing, and what the results say about the city’s political direction.

Cuneyt also talked to Ward 1 D.C. Council Democratic primary winner Aparna Raj, a tenant organizer who describes why the democratic socialist platform resonated this year.

00:00 Chuck Thies’ Election Night Call Was Right

01:51 Aparna Raj on the Democratic Socialist Wave in Ward 1

04:48 How Aparna Raj Became a Tenant Organizer

06:51 Why DSA Just Won Big in D.C.

09:06 Aparna Raj’s Vision for Ward 1

12:09 Can a More Progressive D.C. Still Grow the Economy?

16:54 Janeese Lewis George’s Big Win

18:44 Why Kenyan McDuffie Lost

22:43 How JLG Ran the Table Across D.C.

26:10 The Empty McDuffie Tent That Said It All

28:24 Elissa Silverman’s Comeback

30:47 Robert White’s Huge Delegate Victory

33:51 What the Election Means for D.C.’s Budget Crisis

38:24 Tax Hikes, Unions, and City Hall's Fights Ahead

The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.

The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.

Music credit: Highway 430 by Blue Dot Sessions

The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

On this week’s Dream City Podcast, Cuneyt and Tom break down the final days of D.C.’s mayoral race — including President Trump slamming Janeese Lewis George, Muriel Bowser’s all-but-official endorsement for Kenyan McDuffie, and the different paths each candidate has to victory.

They also look at the other races on the ballot, the growing role of outside spending and dark money, and how Trump’s supersized fireworks show will make July 4 very different this year.

00:00 Trump Jumps Into D.C.’s Mayor Race

04:32 Bowser’s Unofficial Endorsement of Kenyan McDuffie

06:16 How Janeese Lewis George or Kenyan McDuffie Can Win

18:27 The Other Races to Watch

19:24 Dark Money and Outside Spending Flood the Election

20:24 Trump’s Unprecedented Freedom 250 Spectacle

22:41 July 4 Fireworks Chaos and Business Backlash

The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.

The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.

Music credit: Highway 430 by Blue Dot Sessions

The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

Will Sommer, senior reporter at the Bulwark and former Loose Lips columnist at Washington City Paper, joined the Dream City Podcast as guest co-host this week.

Cuneyt and Will broke down the Kenyan McDuffie vs. Janeese Lewis George sprint to the finish — the ground game, the prediction markets, the Chipotle moment, and what ranked choice voting could mean for the outcome.

Plus: DC somehow spent a million dollars on human fire alarms, Freedom 250 is a mess, and the mayoral candidates reveal their favorite DC restaurants.

00:00 Intro— Will Sommer Guest Co-Hosts
03:26 DC Spent $1 Million on Human Fire Alarms
07:09 The Mayor's Race Final Sprint
15:36 Mayoral Polls, Prediction Markets, and McDuffie's Chipotle Bump
23:18 Freedom 250 Turmoil in DC
30:50 Speed Round: Capital Weather Gang Goes Independent
32:13 Speed Round: Mayoral Candidates' Favorite DC Restaurants
34:28 Speed Round: Snake Experts Rate RFK Jr.
35:29 Speed Round: Kangaroo Boxing Club Throwback

The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.

The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.

Music credit: Highway 430 by Blue Dot Sessions

The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

D.C. Council member Robert White joined the Dream City Podcast for a wide-ranging interview about why he’s running for Congress, how he’d take on President Trump, and what he thinks about some of the biggest stories right now — including that Chipotle brawl.

Cuneyt and Tom talk with White about his D.C. roots, why he pivoted from a Bowser rematch mayoral run to the delegate race, and what sets him apart from Council member Brooke Pinto. Also discussed: Youth curfew zones, RFK Stadium, downtown redevelopment, Congress, civil rights, and what he'd actually say if Trump picked up the phone.

This is part of Dream City’s interview series with candidates competing to shape Washington’s future.

00:00 Introduction
00:59 Robert White’s Five Generation D.C. Family Story
06:31 Why He Thinks He Would've Beat Bowser for Mayor
09:14 What Sets Him Apart From Brooke Pinto
10:23 How He’d Use the Delegate Seat’s 'Immense Power'
13:54 Why He Opposes D.C. Youth Curfew Zones
19:26 Building Influence in Congress Without Seniority
22:37 The Delegate Seat Is a “Civil Rights Seat"
23:49 What He’d Do First if Democrats Take Back the House
25:37 Why He Voted Against the RFK Stadium Deal
29:25 Could He Still Work With the Commanders?
31:13 Does He Want to be Delegate for the Long Haul?
33:08 Robert White’s Trump Strategy
35:05 What He’d Actually Say to Trump: Puerto Rico-Style Tax Break
40:01 Working With Business to Rebuild Downtown D.C.
41:57 Height Act, Casinos, AI, and Waymo

The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.

The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.

The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke joined Dream City for a wide-ranging conversation about how he helped turn D.C.'s Metro system around, what America gets wrong about transit, and why the future of Washington depends on getting transportation right.

Randy talked with Cuneyt and Tom about everything from fare evasion, permitting, and union tensions to the politics of building faster, the challenge of funding transit in a fragmented region, and what D.C. can learn from other cities around the world.

They also get into RFK Stadium, the Gold Line, federal layoffs, and whether Clarke has any interest in a future Secretary of Transportation job.

00:00 Introduction

01:00 Randy Clarke's LA Visit

04:39 The Man Behind the Local Celebrity

12:56 Fixing Metro

16:27 What America Gets Wrong About Transit

20:30 Why Big Transit Projects Take So Long in America

22:13 Automation, Unions, and the Fight Over Metro Staffing

28:18 Randy Clarke vs. the Washington Post Editorial Board

30:52 Fare Evasion, Free Buses, and Who Should Pay for Transit

33:19 Why Metro Funding Is So Fragmented

36:08 The Bus Network Redesign and the Push for Dedicated Bus Lanes

41:19 RFK Stadium, the Gold Line, and Metro’s Future in D.C.

47:53 “You Either Hate the Way Things Are, or You Hate Change”

48:14 Does He Want To Be Secretary of Transportation?

53:40 Trump, Federal Layoffs, and Metro’s Future Under the New Administration

56:08 Randy Clarke’s Message to Trump

The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner https://spotlightdc.org/.

The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.

The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

On this week’s Dream City roundup, Cuneyt is joined by Mark Segraves to break down the fallout from MPD’s crime stats scandal, what it means for Mayor Bowser’s legacy, and how it could affect trust in the police department.

They also talk about growing White House pressure on D.C. ahead of this summer’s America 250 celebrations, new courtroom drama tied to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner suspect, and the latest on Trump’s plans for East Potomac Golf.

And yes, they close on a lighter note: Gary Goodweather’s campaign dance moves.

00:00 Introduction + Mark Segraves Joins the Show
02:14 MPD Crime Stats Scandal and Bowser’s Legacy
21:25 America 250, White House Pressure, and D.C. Security Planning
26:12 Speed Round: White House Correspondents’ Dinner Suspect Back in Court
28:40 Speed Round: Trump’s East Potomac Golf Takeover Moves Ahead

30:46 Speed Round: DC Water Sewage Spill Cleanup and Cost Fight
33:04 Speed Round: Gary Goodweather’s Viral Dance Campaign

The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner https://spotlightdc.org/.

The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.

The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

On this week’s Dream City Podcast, Cuneyt and Tom break down a packed stretch in D.C. politics: the mayor’s race entering a sharper new phase, new questions around labor and Janeese Lewis George’s campaign, and who Kenyan McDuffie hopes turns out to vote this year.

They also dig into President Trump’s move to take over East Potomac Golf, plus a speed round on Metro’s funding problem, D.C.’s online casino push, a chilly spring forecast, and Ben’s Chili Bowl reopening.

00:00 Intro + Labor’s Power Dinner

03:26 Inside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Scare

09:28 D.C.’s Mayor Race Hits Crunch Time

10:20 Union Power and Janeese Lewis George's Campaign Questions

19:00 Trump Moves to Take Over East Potomac Golf

23:37 Cuneyt’s Golf Swing

24:36 Commanders x Langston Golf Course?

26:02 Speed Round: Metro’s Budget Debate

27:32 Speed Round: A New Online Casino Fight in D.C.

29:10 Speed Round: Why May Might Feel Like April

29:52 Speed Round: Ben’s Chili Bowl Is Back

The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner https://spotlightdc.org/.

The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.

The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

On this week’s Dream City roundup, Cuneyt and Tom break down the fallout from "Oppo-gate" — Brooke Pinto’s dossier release, the return of youth curfew politics at the D.C. Council, and new signs that the mayor’s race is getting more negative.

00:00 Introduction + On The Road
01:21 Brooke Pinto’s Oppo-gate Fallout
07:24 D.C. Curfew Politics Return to the Council
10:01 Robert White’s Money Problem
13:00 Why the Mayoral Race Is Getting Ugly
17:48 Kenyan McDuffie Says He Was Threatened
20:53 Jack Evans Is Out, but Mendelson Isn’t Clear
23:24 Closing Banter

The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner https://spotlightdc.org/.

The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.

The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

On this week’s Dream City roundup, Cuneyt and Tom break down D.C.’s worsening budget squeeze, Mayor Bowser’s push to spur redevelopment of empty federal buildings, and the political fight over teen curfews as White House pressure grows.

They also dig into Cuneyt's reporting on how a proposed Tysons casino collapsed in Virginia — and what it means for the rest of the DMV. Plus, what the first cleanup work at the RFK site says about the future of the Commanders project.

00:00 Introduction

02:46 Bowser’s Shrinking Budget and D.C.’s Fiscal Squeeze

13:06 Tax Breaks for Federal Building Redevelopment

16:41 Teen Curfews Expire as White House Pressure Builds

21:57 Reporter’s Field Trip: Why Fairfax Rejected a Tysons Casino

29:46 RFK Cleanup Begins + Commanders Jersey Talk

The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.

The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.

The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

On this week’s Dream City Podcast, Tom breaks some news about growing White House pressure on D.C. over youth curfews and teen takeovers. There's also a new ethics investigation involving Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and Cuneyt and Tom talk about the deal to keep the Nationals in Washington through 2058.

Plus: campaign season weirdness, including sign wars and what it all says about the mood of local politics right now.

00:00 Introduction

04:29 Teen Takeovers, Youth Curfews, and White House Pressure

11:27 Phil Mendelson Ethics Investigation Explained

24:19 D.C. Locks In the Nationals Through 2058

29:20 Campaign Sign Wars and Election Season Warnings

31:01 Closing Banter

The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.

The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.

The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.