Council member Janeese Lewis George is running for D.C. mayor — and she joined to talk about how she'd handle President Trump, how she'd pay for a child care expansion, and her vision for the future of Washington.

Cuneyt and Tom covered a lot of ground, from her stance on zero cooperation with ICE to ways JLG would try to find areas of agreement with the Trump administration (see: downtown development).

This is the first in what we hope will be a 2026 mayoral race interview series.

00:00 Introduction to the Dream City Podcast

01:06 Growing up in D.C.

06:57 How Will You Fund Child Care For All?

10:55 Addressing Education and Truancy Issues

15:28 Are There Wasted Dollars In Big Education Budget?

19:04 JLG's Management Style

21:14 D.C. Police Staffing + Public Safety

26:09 D.C.'s Youth Curfew + Crime

27:46 JLG's Stance On ICE

30:12 Exploring Areas of Common Ground With Trump Admin

32:34 Vision For Downtown D.C.'s Future

36:06 Democratic Socialism

37:21 Addressing Affordability

39:29 JLG Defends Her Record

41:27 Artificial Intelligence

42:33 Robotaxis and Waymo

43:17 RFK Stadium development

45:47 Being Mayor

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.

D.C.'s newest (interim) council member Doni Crawford joins to talk about whether D.C. is in a recession, how city hall will budget during one of the most difficult years in recent memory, and how she got to the Wilson Building.

00:00 Introduction to Council member Doni Crawford

01:28 Is DC In a Recession?

02:45 Congress Smacks Down DC Tax Changes

06:44 DC's Recession-Like Budget Year

10:27 Doni Crawford's Personal Life Story

16:02 Behind the Scenes: An Unprecedented DC Council Appointment

20:20 Council Chairman Phil Mendelson Behind the Scenes

22:40 Affordability in DC

24:33 Why Doesn't the DC Council Have an Education Committee?

25:29 Campaigning for the Seat

28:05 DC Snow Response and Accountability

31:20 Will You Endorse Mayoral Candidate?

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.

In this President's Day Episode, Cuneyt and Tom talk about city hall bracing for a recession-like budget, after DOGE hammered D.C. jobs economy. Mayor Bowser says tough choices are ahead. Progressives warn the social safety net is is being dismantled.

Plus, one of the worst sewage spills in U.S. history is happening in the Potomac River. Local leaders should speak up more about the environmental disaster, Tom says.

And last but not least, Cuneyt and Tom bat around a lightning round of topics, including Metro's rebounding ridership and a DOGE'd federal worker who's now running for mayor.

00:00 Introduction and Presidents Day Fun

01:00 DC's Recession-Like Budget Challenges

02:49 Impact of Federal Tax Changes on DC Budget

04:36 Spending Grew During Pandemic

05:02 Childcare Subsidy and Budget Trade-offs

08:28 Progressives Fight Against Dismantling of Safety Net

11:11 Mamdani Effect

11:54 Environmental Disaster: Sewage Spill in Potomac

13:20 Public Health Concerns and Sewage Management

16:10 Fishing and Recreational Impact on Potomac

19:15 News Speed Round and Local Developments

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.

The Washington Post laid off 300 journalists in an apocalyptic week for local media. Then embattled CEO Will Lewis also got the boot. Cuneyt and Tom discuss what's next for the Post — and reveal the media scheming underway to fill the void.

Plus, it's a heated election season as fundraise reports come due in the mayoral and D.C. delegate races.

And Trump world is obsessed with classical architecture — so much so that it wants the new Commanders stadium to look even more, erm, classical, thank you very much.

00:00 Turmoil at the Washington Post After Mass Layoffs

09:44 Media Companies Jockey To Enter Void

14:39 Following the Money on Campaign Fundraising

20:01 Trump Allies Want More Classical Design at Commanders Stadium

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.

Mayor Bowser caught flak last week after the city struggled to clear out snow and ice. Mayoral candidates swooped in with their own criticisms.

In this episode, Tom Sherwood is out this week, and joining Cuneyt is Michael Schaffer, longtime D.C. journalist and co-host of the City Cast D.C. podcast.

Mike talked about his exclusive interview with John Norton, the son of the retiring Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, about the behind-the-scenes persuading it took to get her 88-year-old mother to bow out.

And we took another lap around what Trump is up to as DMV mayor. This episode was recorded before Trump made even more news — announcing late Sunday night he would close the Kennedy Center for a two-year renovation. Cuneyt and Mike talked about Trump's plans for a Grand Prix race and his gigantic 250-foot arch.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

02:44 Snowstorm Aftermath and Public Response

05:38 Mayor Bowser's Missteps

08:32 Snow Politics In Mayor's Race

15:35 Interview with John Norton, Son of Eleanor Holmes Norton

24:14 Trump the DMV Mayor: Grand Prix Race and Building Massive DC Arch

39:09 Closing Thoughts and Reflections

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.

The 2026 D.C. mayoral race is off to a heated start, with claims to fundraising records by both candidates Kenyan McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George.

In this episode of the Dream City Podcast, Cuneyt and Tom are joined by NBC4's Mark Segraves to talk about how the D.C. Council cut out the public as it picks an interim council member.

Plus, we talk about the new Commanders stadium's monumental design — and the path ahead, including whether fans will be priced out.

00:00 Headlines

02:37 Kenyan McDuffie Jumps into the Mayoral Race

03:47 McDuffie's Stance on ICE and DC

07:49 Affordability

09:30 Fundraising Wars: McDuffie vs Janeese Lewis George

11:42 Janeese's Big Howard Theatre Rally

13:39 Who Else Might Run?

14:23 Tom Sherwood's Not Running

15:23 The Interim Council Member Appointment Process

20:46 Political Dynamics in D.C. Council

22:35 Budgeting Challenges Ahead

23:41 The New Commanders Stadium Design

28:01 Gambling Parlor at New Stadium

28:52 Future of Old RFK Stadium Artifacts

31:16 Will Fans Get Priced Out?

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.

In this episode of the Dream City Podcast, hosts Cuneyt and Tom discuss Trump's new takeover project — D.C.'s public golf courses.

The Trump administration terminated the leases of a local nonprofit managing the courses, while the organization hires a high-powered law firm to potentially fight back. Meanwhile, Trump reportedly wants a Ryder Cup or PGA event — the conversation highlights why that might be farfetched. The episode highlights the importance of municipal golf as a community resource and the potential impact of Trump's plans on local residents and the future of these iconic courses.

Joining the co-hosts is former D.C. Council member Bill Lightfoot and writer and head of architecture content at Fried Egg Golf newsletter, Garrett Morrison.

00:00 Introduction to the Controversy

01:51 The National Links Trust and Its Ambitions

07:11 Historical Significance of Langston Golf Course

08:55 Trump's Vision for DC Golf Courses

12:59 Community Impact and Future Prospects

17:46 Lease Termination Examined

20:08 Legal Challenges and Bureaucracy

22:18 Navigating Trump Diplomacy

25:13 Why the Ryder Cup Is Unlikely

29:00 The Value of Municipal Golf

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.

There's a new police chief in town, but not before Pamela Smith gave a stunning farewell speech, blasting her haters with an "F-U." Smith leaves after a rollercoaster 2.5 years, and under pressure from Republicans over allegedly cooked crime stats. Which got Tom and Cuneyt thinking: How will new chief Jeffery Carroll handle the White House?

Meanwhile, Council member Kenyan McDuffie is quitting the council, setting up his mayoral bid.

The city is not doing a great job getting affordable housing credits out the door, as told in an investigative report by Washington City Paper and SpotlightDC.

Aaand last but not least, Cuneyt and Tom check in on the football stadium. President Trump wants his name on it, and his allies want it to look neoclassical.

The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism. Now through the end of 2025, donations to the nonprofit SpotlightDC are doubled.

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.

Mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George is off to the races, and with so many open D.C. Council seats, progressives hope that 2026 will be their big year in local politics. Cuneyt and Tom talk about the future of D.C.

Speaking of the future, Cuneyt reports that Waymo is way behind on its D.C. rollout, thanks to a delayed DDOT study and bureaucracy standing in the way. The robotaxi future is on hold.

And Cuneyt and Tom check in on Trump's latest DMV projects — his new architect for the White House ballroom and his Dulles Airport shakeup.

The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism. Now through the end of 2025, donations to the nonprofit SpotlightDC are doubled.

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.

After ten years, Mayor Bowser is bowing out. Cuneyt and Tom record a special episode on Bowser's decision to not seek a fourth term, discussing her legacy and who wants to be mayor next.

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.