City Cast DC
City Cast DC is the daily, local audio companion you knew DC needed.. Washingtonians are deeply passionate about our city, whose story is still being written, and City Cast DC is here to tell it. Every weekday morning, our hosts Michael Schaffer and Bridget Todd will engage people from all over the eight wards in conversation about DC’s crises and its beauty, both literal and figurative. It’ll have the feel of eavesdropping on an energetic and informative coffee shop chat, except that with City Cast DC, consider this your official invitation to listen in. Learn more and subscribe to our daily newsletter at dc.citycast.fm.
Episodes
March 2, 2026 • 25 mins
Happy March! The City Cast DC team is running through the best of food, culture, and fun in and around DC this month.
If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast community.
For even more tips on how to make the most of March in DC, check out Hey DC’s take on what to do this month.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morn...
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March 1, 2026 • 24 mins
A lot of cities, including DC, are trying to figure out how best to revitalize downtown. It's an issue that's especially top of mind for Pittsburgh, who is hosting the NFL Draft in April. To solve the problem of vacant properties and empty storefronts, the city is trying out a new rent abatement program. So, City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Pittsburgh podcast host Megan Harris about why their downtown emptied out, whe...
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February 27, 2026 • 31 mins
We’re talking about the very weird state of the DC mayor’s race, the Trumpian rebranding of DC’s landscape, and our favorite question: What are Washingtonians mad about this week? Plus, in a member’s only fourth segment, we’ll return to the ride-sharing app that DC can’t seem to force out of town.
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) 64...
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February 26, 2026 • 22 mins
For more than a decade, the question of whether the city would redevelop the McMillan Sand Filtration site was perhaps DC’s ugliest political battle. And now, the redevelopment is kinda… here. There are million-dollar townhouses for sale and the first residents of the new neighborhood have moved in. So is it the nightmare that opponents predicted? Or the engine of urban amenities that proponents promised? Tristan Navera from realto...
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February 25, 2026 • 28 mins
There is nothing that hits quite like a good diner. Unlimited coffee, comforting, no-frills food that's just the right amount of greasy. But in a city like DC, where everything seems bespoke and overpriced, do we even have any good ones left? That's what writer Warren Rojas set out to answer and his list of DC's best diners in the Washington Post got people talking. He’s here to defend his picks.
Want some more DC news? Then mak...
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February 24, 2026 • 34 mins
Last week, a British coffee chain called Caffè Nero bought DC’s Compass Coffee at auction. It was an ignominious end for what was once one of the DMV’s hospitality high-flyers, a company founded by a pair of local guys, including one of DC’s most famous families. What went wrong? It’s a story that involves hubris, betrayal, bad decisions, and the economics of a work-from-home city. The Washington Post’s Tim Carman published a deep ...
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February 23, 2026 • 30 mins
DC’s violence interruption program has become one of the most controversial subjects in local politics. One program, Life Deeds, finds itself front and center in the upcoming corruption trial of a DC councilmember. Jenny Gathright and Megan Flynn from the Washington Post recently published a deep-dive investigation of the group and they’re here to explain.
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February 22, 2026 • 27 mins
Everyone’s talking about AI these days, including Washingtonians. And now, more data centers are popping up across the country, thanks in part to the AI revolution. But some cities are stemming the tide, including Madison, Wisconsin, who recently passed a one-year moratorium on new data center construction. City Cast CEO David Plotz feels strongly that this was the wrong choice! He’s sitting down with City Cast Madison podcast host...
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February 20, 2026 • 30 mins
It's kind of an emergency! We’re talking about the latest in the Potomac River sewage spill. Plus, Maryland and Virginia versus ICE, a union catfight at a kitty cafe, and in a member’s only 4th segment, the lawsuit against Donald Trump for trying to steal DC’s golf courses.
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 bec...
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February 19, 2026 • 33 mins
Marty Baron spent almost a decade as Executive Editor of the Washington Post, which gave him a close-up view of Jeff Bezos’ stewardship of one of our city’s most important institutions during the first Trump term. And it’s why Baron’s emergence as one of the sharpest critics of Bezos’ stewardship during the second Trump term has been such a big deal. In the wake of Bezos’ decision to dismantle much of his old paper, Baron here to s...
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February 18, 2026 • 19 mins
When it’s chilly out, there’s nothing better than a cozy bar, and vinyl bars appear to be that peak winter vibe. About a year ago, City Cast’s Julia Karron and Claudia Rosenbaum from Eater did their darnedest to make the case that vinyl bars are the new speakeasies, and they shared tips and tricks to enjoying them. We’re revisiting that conversation today, and you can decide if they were convincing.
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February 17, 2026 • 29 mins
A group of people in Donald Trump’s orbit have a plan to demolish and rebuild a whole swath of DC — and, in this case, it echoes something that actual Washingtonians have been talking about for years. CityLab’s Kriston Capps has been reporting on the plans for “Fedlandia” in Southwest DC; he’s here to tell us all about it.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or le...
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February 14, 2026 • 32 mins
All eyes have been on the Twin Cities lately, including Washingtonians’. Operation Metro Surge is reportedly ending in Minnesota, with the withdrawal of immigration agents expected over the next week. Over the last two months, though, residents of the Twin Cities have organized a range of local collective action efforts including protests, mutual aid, and monitoring ICE — and they’ve done it quickly. In this inaugural episode of “Y...
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February 13, 2026 • 35 mins
We’re talking about the big budget troubles ahead for DC, and what they’ll mean for your bottom line; we’re digging into the latest Kennedy Center news — mass layoffs; and we’re talking Valentine’s Day in DC. Plus, in a member’s only fourth segment: There’s a plan to totally redo Pennsylvania Ave, and we’ll get into what it might look like.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You c...
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February 12, 2026 • 23 mins
There's this neighborhood fight that’s worth paying attention to even if you don’t live in Chevy Chase. For a couple of years, the city has been trying to rebuild a library and rec center, putting up new apartments on top of the buildings. The arguments for this will seem familiar if you’ve been following DC: The city needs more housing or else it risks being a place no one can afford. The arguments against it might feel familiar, ...
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February 11, 2026 • 32 mins
Driverless taxis are coming to DC! At least, that's what Waymo, the California-based autonomous vehicle company, announced last year. The company revealed hopes of expanding into the District, despite DC's current laws requiring a human driver behind the wheel for all vehicles. So will these robotaxis actually arrive? Andy Hawkins has been covering Waymo for The Verge, and CityCast's own Priyanka Tilve has logged serious hours rid...
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February 10, 2026 • 35 mins
What happens when you add DC's hyper-competitive personalities, with big bank accounts, and real estate anxiety? You get Best Offer Wins, the hit thriller by Marisa Kashino, a former Washingtonian real estate reporter who knows this world inside and out. It's full of twisty plots, cutthroat competition, and references that'll make any Washingtonian nod in recognition. The book is even in talks to become a Hulu series starring Greta...
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February 9, 2026 • 19 mins
After 2020, there was a huge trend towards changing out schools named for confederates and slave owners. But what happens when the general public opts to restore them? That’s what’s been happening in some Virginia counties just beyond the DC area — and the fight is creating some case law that could ultimately affect those of us who live here, in a place where folks absolutely aren’t trying to restore those kinds of names on local s...
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February 6, 2026 • 31 mins
We’re talking about the jaw-dropping cuts at the Post and the future of DC local news — including some exciting stuff cooking at City Cast. Plus: A shocking investigation into outlandish spending on so-called violence interrupter programs in DC, a baby elephant ISO a name, and in a member’s only fourth segment, what you need to know about the latest Congressional vote that could blow a hole in our city’s government.
Want some more...
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February 5, 2026 • 31 mins
Yesterday was an incredibly grim day for the Washington Post — and for our city, too. The Post, owned by Jeff Bezos, laid off up to a third of its staff. The sports section is being shuttered, the Metro section cut by three-quarters, and many of the critics who followed local culture sent packing. My friend Jack Shafer has been covering the Post for 40 years, since he was editor of Washington City Paper in the 80s and 90s — this is...
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