On Monday, the District announced the city had struck a nearly $4 billion deal with the Washington Commanders to build a new football stadium and a massive mixed-use development at the old RFK site. The city is chipping in about $1 billion in infrastructure improvements to the site, including two parking facilities. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser joined the show to share how the agreement came together and why she thinks it's a good deal for the District. The deal still needs approval from the D.C. Council; we asked how she plans to sell the idea to skeptical lawmakers.

Mayor Bowser said this would be the largest private investment in the city's history. “The square footage there is equivalent to four Wharfs," the Mayor said. "So, imagine making that area vibrant with activity for a sports district, an entertainment district, housing, hotels, and jobs for D.C. residents.”

Mayor Bowser said she’s been briefing the Council and has asked them to approve the deal by July 15th.

It's becoming increasingly unlikely the U.S. House will vote to fix their own error --one which prevents the District from using its own revenue to finish out the 2025 budget year. The lack of action will force the city to cut hundreds of millions of dollars over the next several months. We asked the mayor how she's grappling with this needless crisis . Plus, we asked about her 2026 budget.

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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Washington Commanders are reportedly close to striking a $3 billion deal to build a new football stadium anchoring a massive mixed-use development at the old RFK site. It's believed to include at least $850 million from the District for parking and preparing the site, with the team paying to build the stadium itself. And the price tag could raise with an addition of a Metro station. However, not all city officials support using taxpayers' dollars to help finance a home for the Commanders. Ward 6 D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen joined the show to explain his long-time opposition to building a new sports venue at the RFK site. 

He said the city doesn’t need to subsidize a stadium to attract development. "The public investment on this is going to be more than a billion dollars already and I don't think that's a good deal for DC," he said.

Allen also said the deal should include moving its headquarters from Virginia to the District.

Plus, what could be on the chopping block as D.C. grapples with Congressionally-mandated budget cuts?

The U.S. Supreme Court considered a Montgomery County case this week that would allow religious families to opt their kids out of public school lessons with LGBTQ-themed books. It's a case with national implications. Montgomery County Council Vice President and chair of the county's education committee, Will Jawando, got behind the mic to weigh in. He also weighed in on County Executive Marc Elrich's proposal raise income taxes rather than property tax rates. The county-level income tax increase was made possible by a change in the tax structure by the Maryland General Assembly earlier this month. 

Jawando said he supports the income tax bump.

"I make $150,000 a year. I'll pay $150 more in income tax next year if this passes. It's $100 per $100,000 in taxable income is the increase. It's a very small amount, but it'll allow us to fully fund our schools and our teachers," he said.

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D.C. and the Washington Commanders are reportedly closing in on a $3 billion deal to build a new stadium on the old RFK stadium site, which would bring the NFL franchise back to the District. While numbers reportedly are not finalized yet, the framework has the team paying a majority of the costs associated with building the new stadium. NBC 4's Mark Segraves first broke the story and he joined the show to break down what's in the deal and what may happen next.

Metro has recently experienced some of its highest ridership in years, spurred by return-to-office mandates and the spring tourist season. Plus, last week, the local public transportation system announced it was again increasing service, including expanding weekend hours.

Despite all the good news, Metro's future is uncertain. A shrinking federal workforce, worrisome budget challenges for localities across the region, and increasing federal oversight are threatening to knock Metro off the rails of its much-publicized comeback. General Manager Randy Clarke got behind the mic with Kojo and Tom to weigh in on the future of the Metro. Plus, we asked about the upcoming overhaul of Metro's bus system.

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Alexandria is dealing with the impacts of a shrinking federal workforce on its economy, tax base, and ability to fund even some basic services. Mayor Alyia Gaskins sat down with Kojo and Tom to discuss the local challenges that come with cutting thousands of federal positions. Plus, Mayor Gaskins explained why Alexandria is not a sanctuary city.

Washington Capitals legend Alexander Ovechkin broke the long-held NHL scoring record this past weekend. The hockey superstar has played his entire 20-year career in the District, and local fans have bonded with the Russian-born athlete. Washington Post columnist Marc Fisher got behind the mic to talk about the city's special relationship with "Ovi," despite the superstar's uncomfortable relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

And the Maryland General Assembly wrapped its 90-day session earlier this week with compromises on the budget, immigrant protections, and cuts to the state's massive education reform plan.  Maryland Matters' reporter Will Ford broke down what passed - and what didn't - during the General Assembly's final chaotic days of its 2025 session.

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The Trump administration laid off thousands of employees working at federal health agencies this week, including many at the National Institutes of Health in Montgomery County. The firings are expected to have far-ranging effects on the local workforce, county revenue, and public health. County Executive Marc Elrich joined Kojo and Tom to discuss what the continued shrinking of the federal workforce means for Montgomery County. Plus, he explained why he is proposing an increase in property taxes in this year's budget.

Late last week, President Trump issued an executive order creating a task force aimed at crime and immigrants in the District. While many details remain vague, D.C. officials are on high alert awaiting a House vote on a bill preventing a billion-dollar cut in the city's spending. Ward 2 D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto weighed in on Republican attempts to exert more control over the District. Councilmember Pinto also broke down why she supports legislation allowing the Council to hold more meetings in private and her new plan to reduce crime.

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President Trump signed an executive order Thursday night aimed at reducing crime and increasing immigration enforcement in the District.  Kojo and Tom talked about what it means for D.C. and what might happen next.

Maryland is on the verge of approving its state budget, but it came with contentious debate over tax increases, cuts, and changes to its ambitious education plan, Blueprint for Maryland's Future. Governor Wes Moore joined Kojo and Tom to explain what is - and isn't - in the state budget this year. 

And it's been a year since the Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed. We asked Governor Moore what is being done to prevent a tragic accident of this nature from happening again.

There was a sudden shake-up in Prince George's County Council leadership this week, elevating Edward Burroughs to Council Chair and Krystal Oriadha to Council Vice Chair. It's a move expected to have significant political ramifications on the county as it grapples with "difficult" budget debates, a county executive election, and the likely loss of a new FBI headquarters. Council Vice Chair Krystal Oriadha got behind the mic to talk about her priorities and what the future holds for Prince George's County.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed a raft of Democratic-supported legislation this week, including a proposal to increase the minimum wage and one creating a retail cannabis market. Virginia State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell weighed in. Plus, what to expect next week when the General Assembly heads back into session to hammer out a budget.

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Maryland state Sen. Will Smith joined the show to discuss the plan to bring in $1billion in new revenue,  and what lawmakers are doing at the state level on immigration, including two bills that made it through "Crossover Day." 

And D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson appeared on the show to talk about the District's budget limbo, as the city awaits a fix the House of Representatives is expected to take up when they return from recess Monday. 

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The United States House of Representatives passed a federal stopgap spending bill earlier this week that could force D.C. to cut $1.1 billion in spending. It would also give the Trump administration even more power to cut spending and shrink the federal workforce. The legislation is being weighed by the U.S. Senate.

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine joined Kojo and Tom to explain why he planned to vote 'no' on the Republican-backed spending bill, even if it means a government shutdown.

The continuing resolution passed by the House would mean huge cuts to D.C.'s schools, public safety, and social services. It has sent D.C. leaders to Capitol Hill this week in an attempt to convince members of Congress to find another way to fund the government without slashing D.C.'s budget. WAMU's new D.C. politics reporter Alex Koma and D.C. At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson got behind the mic to explain how we got here, what comes next, and what a billion dollars in cuts would mean for District residents.

Councilmember Henderson described how devastating it would be for the city to be prevented from spending its own budget.

"It would just sit while we are cutting police, fire teachers, summer camp, summer youth employment, trash pickup, recreation centers, libraries, senior wellness centers. It's a lot," she said.

Later on Friday, after the show, a standalone bill was introduced returning control of the budget back to the city.

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Elected leaders across the region are grappling with the economic fallout of the White House's continued push to shrink the federal government. Some economists fear it could send the D.C.-area into a recession. Clark Mercer, who leads the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, got behind the mic to break down the economic impact a shrinking federal workforce could have the region.

687,000 people living in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia work for the federal government, according to COG. Mercer compared the D.C. area to other company towns. 

"We are more reliant in this region on the federal government than Detroit is on the auto industry, or Houston is on oil and gas... by a long shot," he said.

He says the D-C region's reputation as recession-proof is now being tested, and we could see unemployment rates higher than at the height of the pandemi

Plus, he explained what a shrinking federal workforce means for local government budgets, housing, and public transportation.

Virginia Democratic Party Chair Susan Swecker announced recently she was stepping down. Her decade-long tenure heading up the Virginia Democrats has seen plenty of ups and downs, including flipping a Northern Virginia Congressional seat, Republican Glenn Youngkin's gubernatorial win in 2021, and a blue wave in 2023. She joined Kojo and Tom to share what she's learned over her ten years at the helm, and what advice she has for Democrats nationwide. They also discussed the upcoming governor and House of Delegates races.

Swecker predicted that Virginia Republicans will suffer this year at the ballot box due to their support of President Donald Trump's federal job cuts

"I don't want anybody to be hurt. This is gut-wrenching. But do I think they're gonna pay a price, Republicans, at the polls for what they're doing and standing lock, stock and barrel behind Donald Trump? Yes, I do," she said.

Swecker also talked about the future of federal workers and what's next for the Virginia Democratic party.

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President Trump declared last week that he supports the federal government taking over the governance of the District. Many local officials spoke out strongly against the idea, including D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb. He joined the show to weigh in on why stripping D.C. of its autonomy would hurt city residents. Plus, he broke down the lawsuits his office has filed against the Trump administration, over the White House's federal funding freeze to ending birthright citizenship. He also explained why over the last six months his office has shut down 25 unlicensed cannabis shops across the city. Schwalb many of these businesses were selling unlicensed, unregulated products.

"Many of these cannabis products, aside from being illegal in the sense that they're not licensed, can be very dangerous. They can be laced with other drugs," Schwalb said. "Oftentimes, in the shutdowns, we have found not only methamphetamine and other drugs with the cannabis, but guns and other contraband."

Early voting started this week in Prince George's County special election primaries for County Executive and District 5. The County Executive race is particularly competitive, with eight Democrats and three Republicans on the ballot vying to replace Angela Alsobrooks, who vacated the seat late last year after being elected U.S. Senator. Washington Informer's Richard Elliott got behind the mic to break down the March 4 election and explain what the races mean for the future of the county.

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