City Cast DC

Latest Episodes:

The Best Cocktails in DC Right Now Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

Pumpkin spice is fine and all, but DC bartenders are doing way more interesting things with fall flavors. Today, Emily Venezky of Eater is taking you on a little bar crawl through the city’s best drinks worth putting on a sweater for — and why DC is a great city for cocktails.

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 October 22nd episode:

National Center for Victims of Crime

Nace Law Group

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

Inside DC's Supernatural Craze Oct 22, 2025

Show notes

We’re coming up on Halloween and today we’re sitting down with historian Mark Benbow, who’s going to take us back to a time when seances and ouija boards were a popular pastime across DC — including in the sitting rooms of the rich and powerful. It’s a wild history and it’s not as far away as you might think.

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 22nd episode:

National Center for Victims of Crime

Nace Law Group

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

This Ride Share App Keeps Pissing Off DC Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

The ride share app Empower has had a whirlwind few weeks. The owner was even threatened with jail time if he didn't shut down the app and now he’s back in court. So what exactly is going on with this ride share app and why has it been so controversial? Martin Austermuhle from The 51st is here to explain.

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 21st episode:

National Center for Victims of Crime

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

How To Get Free Cash In DC Oct 20, 2025

Show notes

Writer Dorothy Parker once said that the two most beautiful words in the English language are “check enclosed.” With things being so expensive in DC right now, maybe a little check in your mailbox is just what you need. Ike Allen of the Washingtonian explains how DC’s unclaimed property unit could have money waiting for you.

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 20th episode:

National Center for Victims of Crime

Nace Law Group

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

Does DC Want a New Mayor? Plus, Weed Economy, and RIP 2000 Series Trains Oct 17, 2025

Show notes

We’re talking about whether DC’s mayor is actually going to hang it up after this term, we’re talking about the weird economics of DC’s cannabis stores, some news about one type of transit that’s going away and another that just might be on the horizon — and in a members-only fourth segment, we’ll take you inside the final act of the Big Balls assault trial.

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 October 17th episode:

Public Welfare Foundation

National Center for Victims of Crime

Babbel - Get up to 55% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Learning From our Neighbors to the North {Sponsored} Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

In the second episode of our special three-part series sponsored by the Public Welfare Foundation, City Cast DC executive producer Annie Rees talks with Stefanie Mavronis, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement in Baltimore, and David Muhammad, Executive Director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform.

They discuss how Baltimore has achieved three consecutive years of declining gun violence, and what D.C. might be able to learn from their approach. From life-coaching programs that help residents rebuild their lives to coordinated citywide strategies that bring agencies and communities together, Baltimore’s results are offering real hope, and can be a model for cities like D.C.

This conversation is part of an ongoing series highlighting local and national leaders working to build safer, more just communities across the country, supported by the Public Welfare Foundation.

Learn more about their work and the efforts of leaders like Stefanie Mavronis and David Muhammad at realsafetydc.org

The Crazy Fan Fights Extinguishing DC’s Friday Night Lights Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

People don’t really think of DC as a Friday Night Lights kinda town, but it actually has a pretty robust high school football scene, with big crowds turning local games into a scene. Until this year, at least: The DCPS season has been upended by a bunch of fights in the stands – which has led to night games being curtailed and the whole atmosphere being less fun. The Washington Post’s Matt Cohen is here to give us the blow by blow — and also tell us where in town you can still have a good time taking in a game.

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 October 16th episode:

Public Welfare Foundation

National Center for Victims of Crime

Babbel - Get up to 55% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

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

Is Trump’s Ruthless Approach to Homelessness Actually Different Than DC’s? Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

Trump’s deployment of the national guard and ICE had some obvious targets. But in the background, homeless folks were also feeling the pain. There were displacements and arrests of homeless encampments, all in the name of keeping the city clean and crime free. Franziska Wild and Madi Koesler from Street Sense Media are here break down what happened over that month and where DC’s homeless population stands now.

This story is part of our 2025 contribution to the D.C. Homeless Crisis Reporting Project in collaboration with other local newsrooms. The collective works will be published throughout the week at bit.ly/DCHCRP.

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 October 15th episode:

⁠Public Welfare Foundation⁠

⁠National Center for Victims of Crime⁠

⁠Babbel⁠ - Get up to 55% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

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

Is DC Still a Good City To Live In? Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Historically, a government town like Washington didn’t have to scrape and scrap for jobs like other cities. These days, amid unprecedented cuts to federal employment, DC has no option but to focus on finding other ways for locals to pay the rent. Deputy Mayor Nina Albert is in charge of that effort, and she’s here to talk about what they are — and aren’t — up to.

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 October 14th episode:

Public Welfare Foundation

National Center for Victims of Crime

Babbel - Get up to 55% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

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

Battle For DC’s House Seat, Crime Stat Fakery, and Fave Things Unaffected by the Shutdown Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

We’re talking about the jockeying for DC’s House seat and the explosive controversy over crime stats. Plus, your ideal shutdown itinerary of non-federal DC attractions, and in a members only fourth segment, the latest on whether federal workers will get back pay if this thing ever ends. WAMU's Alex Koma joins City Cast’s Michael Schaffer and Julia Karron.

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 October 10th episode:

Wise

Folger Shakespeare Library

Nace Law Group

The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University

Public Welfare Foundation

National Center for Victims of Crime

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE