I Hate Politics Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Would Program Regions Create Six MCPS Mini-Districts? Oct 31, 2025

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MCPS' plans to expand magnet education and change school boundaries potentially turns the nation's 14th largest school system toward becoming six mini-districts. Sunil Dasgupta talks with MCPS officials leading the program changes, Jeannie Franklin and Angela McLane, about their plans, the challenges, and the possible consequences of the reorganization. Music by Seth Kibel and Flo Anito.

State Protests, Slow Housing Starts, Cricket Fundraiser Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

Maryland cuts off SNAP funding without federal reassurances of reimbursements; state eliminates 502 jobs to save $27m. Protests gather steam against deportation flight company Avelo Airlines, Silver Spring demolition firm ACECO, and Maryland Israel Development Center, a state investment agency. Montgomery County Planning Staff report survey results on why developers with preliminary approvals are not building. With MCPS wanting to repurpose the new Crown High School building, competing petitions. A young, refugee, immigrant county council candidate proposes a cricket fundraiser. Music by Dear Daria.

Tiffany Kelly for Gaithersburg Mayor Oct 24, 2025

Show notes

The City of Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, MD, is holding elections November 4. Two candidates are running for mayor: incumbent Jud Ashman and challenger Tiffany Kelly. In accompanying double-header episodes, Sunil Dasgupta talks with community activist Kelly about need gaps in the city. tiffanyisrunning.com Music By Adam Bobrow.

Jud Ashman for Gaithersburg Mayor Oct 24, 2025

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The City of Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, MD, is holding elections November 4. Two candidates are running for mayor: incumbent Jud Ashman and challenger Tiffany Kelly. In accompanying double-header episodes, Sunil Dasgupta talks with Ashman about rent stabilization. votejud.com Music By Adam Bobrow.

MCPS Capital Budget, Contingent State Aid, College Park Wants More Police Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

Montgomery County Public Schools in MD proposes a whopping 6-year $2.7 billion capital plan that includes a countywide elementary school boundary study as enrollment numbers head downward. A school board meeting revisits a recent I Hate Politics episode with MD House of Delegates Majority Leader David Moon who proposed the state not funding school construction projects where there are open seats in nearby schools. In College Park, MD, Mayor Fazlul Kabir wants more police services from Prince George's County for the taxes his residents pay. And more. Music by Dear Daria.

Hacking College Financial Aid Oct 17, 2025

Show notes

College admissions season is here and to help you to through the home stretch, think through the dilemmas of whether your child should go test optional or submit score, the difference between early action and early decision, and much more, Sunil Dasupta talks with UMBC's director of financial aid and scholarship, Andrea Cipolla. External scholarships: https://scholarships.umbc.edu/searching-the-web-2/. International student resources: https://financialaid.umbc.edu/eligibility/international/ Music by Drew Pictures and the Lead Extras.

Biking Student Killed, Glen Haven ES, School Boundaries, Rent Stabilization Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

An 11-year old on a bike coming home after school dies in a collision with a MCPS school bus. We look at how pedestrian safety is seldom preventive. MCPS is proposing new boundary changes that leave two schools in the richest part of the county untouched while increasing the poverty rate at schools with high poverty rates. A county executive candidate forum showcases debate over rent stabilization. And more. Music by Dear Daria.

The Conowingo Settlement Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

The Conowingo Dam in northern Maryland is the state's largest hydroelectric project and the Susquehanna River it controls is the largest tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. As part of renewing its federal license to operate, the dam's private owner, Constellation Energy and the state of Maryland have finally come to an agreement on improving water quality in the river, fish lifts, and dredging the dam's 9000-acre reservoir. Ted Evgeniadis of the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper and Robin Broder of Waterkeepers Chesapeake, were also parties to the negotiations and the agreement and joined Sunil Dasgupta to explain why the Conowingo Settlement was a big deal. Music by Drew Pictures and the Lead Extras.

MD Continues Medicaid, SNAP, Charter School Teeters, Electric Power Politics Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Gov Moore says MD will continue federal assistance programs. MCPS' only charter school, Mecca Business Learning Institute, is teetering as families withdraw. Natali Fani-Gonzalez is the first elected official critical of MCPS' program reorganization plan. Maryland Public Service Commission solicits battery storage and nuclear power projects for expedited approval. And more. Music by Dear Daria.

What Made MCPS Magnet Programs Work? Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

Montgomery County Public Schools is proposing to expand its magnet programs to build on a pedagogical method seen as highly successful over four decades, but faces criticism that their actual plans are unlikely to provide the necessary resources and support. Sunil Dasgupta asks former longtime coordinators of two of the most successful MCPS magnet programs, Eileen Steinkraus, at Montgomery Blair High School Math and Science magnet, and Mark Curran, at coordinator of the Poolesville High School, about what make those programs work and what it might take to replicate them. Music by Drew Pictures and the Lead Extras.

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