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Best DC Spring Getaways for $150 Or Less Mar 17, 2026

Show notes

Here in DC the nice spring weather is right around the corner. And you know what else is right around the corner in DC? Delaware. You may not think it, but this tiny state offers some of the best hidden gems for a charming getaway. Tim Ebner’s here with your guide to the best Delaware trips for around $150.

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 17th episode:

Folger Shakespeare Library

DC Environmental Film Festival

Nace Law Group

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

Will DC Restaurants Survive This Round Of ICE Enforcement? Mar 16, 2026

Show notes

More than almost any local industry, dining is reliant on a workforce that doesn’t always have legal status to work. Which means that the recent hints of a new round of federal enforcement could have a big impact not just on the affected employees, but also on the businesses themselves, and on the universe of people who enjoy our city’s dining scene. Tim Carman of the Washington Post has been following the news and is here to explain what it means for the workforce, the restaurants — and you.

Learn more about the sponsors of this March 16th episode:

Folger Shakespeare Library

DC Environmental Film Festival

Nace Law Group

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

'Your City Could Be Better': DC’s Plan To Hold Federal Agents Accountable Mar 15, 2026

Show notes

DC Council recently passed emergency legislation requiring local police to release body-worn camera footage of incidents involving federal forces they patrol with, and to collect the names of federal officers who make arrests. It’s a big shift in local policy, partially motivated by the fact that local cops have damaged their reputation by patrolling with feds. City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran talks with City Cast DC co-host and executive editor Mike Schaffer about the political stakes involved, the effectiveness of body cameras, and how Washingtonians are dealing with the heavy federal law enforcement presence. Plus, Mike and Jacoby weigh in on public transit etiquette in their cities when it comes to people playing music out loud.

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email us now!

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Kenyan McDuffie Is Playing Catch-Up, Cops Collabing With DOGE, Congestion Pricing Debate Mar 13, 2026

Show notes

Axios’ Cuneyt Dil is here to talk about the fallout from the newly released video of DC cops helping DOGE guys take over the US Institute of Peace, congestion pricing in DC, and mayoral candidate Kenyan McDuffie’s quiet start. And in a member-only fourth segment, an interview with the reporter behind a scoop on the latest federal presence in DC: rookie FBI agents.

Learn more about the sponsors of this March 13th episode:

Johns Hopkins University

Folger Shakespeare Library

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Should DC Get Rid of Its ANCs? Mar 12, 2026

Show notes

Should DC get rid of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, the closest-to-the-ground level of local democracy? That’s one of the implications of an essay published this month by Wesley Sturhan in Greater Greater Washington. Sturhan writes about all of the different hurdles DC has erected that get in the way of building the kinds of neighborhoods most of us would agree are nice places to live. He’s here to explain that maybe it’s time to take a hard look at a lot of the choke points — including one that a lot of local activists consider sacred.

Learn more about the sponsors of this March 12th episode:

Johns Hopkins University

Folger Shakespeare Library

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

What Would Happen If Trump Revoked Home Rule Mar 11, 2026

Show notes

Anyone paying attention to the DC mayor’s race knows that for all the talk of affordability or crime that all mayors have to deal with, there’s one central issue that’s unique to DC: Home rule. Today we’re revisiting a conversation we had last year with Howard University’s Robinson Woodward-Burns about what home rule is, how it happened, and how it might go away.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. 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 11th episode:

Johns Hopkins University

Folger Shakespeare Library

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

Cherry Blossoms Park, Fine Dining, And Other Ways Filipinos Changed DC Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

If you've been to great spots like Purple Patch in Mount Pleasant, then you already know there's a rich history of Filipino culture in the DMV. Erwin Tiongson is an amateur historian who walks folks through the area's Filipino historical and cultural landmarks — literally, on a walking tour. Erwin joins us to share DC's hidden Filipino history.

Learn more about the sponsors of this March 10th episode:

Johns Hopkins University

Folger Shakespeare Library

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

The Nursing Home Murder That's Straight Out Of a Crime Novel Mar 09, 2026

Show notes

It’s one of the DMV’s grisliest, and weirdest, crime stories in years: an 87-year-old millionaire shot to death inside a Potomac nursing home. When the news first broke, it petrified residents of the luxe assisted-living facility. Now that there’s been an arrest and cops have laid out what they say looks like an elaborate pre-planned scheme — there’s a bigger question: Why? The Washington Post’s Dan Morse has been covering the story and he’s here to tell us the latest.

Learn more about the sponsors of this March 9th episode:

Johns Hopkins University

Folger Shakespeare Library

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

'Your City Could Be Better': What DC Needs To Know About Utah's Controversial 'Homeless Campus' Plan Mar 08, 2026

Show notes

Homelessness is one of the major issues that cities like DC are trying to solve. The state of Utah is planning to build a 16-acre homeless campus on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, where unhoused people with mental illnesses or addiction issues could be sheltered and in some cases involuntarily committed. This controversial idea is the brainchild of conservative think tanks, and it’s one that’s very much being embraced by the Trump administration and the Utah legislature. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Salt Lake podcast host Ali Vallarta about how this plan is meant to work, the concerns about forced institutionalization, and why the state is pushing for this even though it goes against the recommendations of local experts and service providers.

Mentioned on the show:

Interrogating Controversial Homeless Policy Proposals (City Cast Salt Lake)

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!

We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter

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Why Are Electric Bills So High? Watchdogging ICE, Bidet Tax Break Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

We’re talking about the politics of bodycam footage around federal arrests in DC, your crazy high utility bills, and a possible tax break for…. Bidets. Plus, in a members-only fourth segment: What’s going on with your taxes? Did Congress really whack DC’s tax code, or not?

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 6th episode:

National Museum of the American Indian

Awesome Con
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

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