City Cast DC
City Cast
City Cast is the daily, local audio companion you knew DC needed. Washingtonians are gritty, proud, and resilient — necessary qualities for a community facing issues that range from an affordability crisis to the fight for statehood to the movement for racial justice… and useful qualities for a region full of whip-smart people, dynamic culture, and constant change. 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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 17, 2025 • 32min
DDOT Answers Our Burning Transportation Questions
There is a TON of transportation stuff going on right now: changes to the bus lines, the Dupont Deckover, the Penn Ave West project, fights about bike lanes. Today, Sharon Kershbaum, DC’s Director of the Department of Transportation, is here to answer our questions – and yours – about everything related to DC transportation.
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 July 17th episode:
Library of Congress
DC Sustainable Energy utility
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Jul 16, 2025 • 30min
DC Budget Latest: What's In, What's Out
The DC Budget still hasn’t passed, but it’s getting closer. The D.C. Council advanced a budget that pencils in more than $1 billion dollars for the RFK Stadium deal and approves ranked-choice voting. Plus, it rejects Bowser’s proposed rollback of the I-82 tipped wage law… for now. Another vote is expected July 28. WAMU’s Alex Koma is here to get into what it means for the city.
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 July 16th episode:
Library of Congress
DC Sustainable Energy utility
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Jul 15, 2025 • 23min
How DC Got Its Iconic Flag
DC may not be a state, but I think we can all agree that it has an awesome flag. A couple years ago, we sat with a couple of the world’s top vexillologists — that’s flag experts — to talk about why the DC flag became so ubiquitous and why it works.
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 July 15th episode:
Library of Congress
DC Sustainable Energy utility
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Jul 14, 2025 • 24min
Can Sports Save DC’s Economy?
The federal workforce may be in trouble, but Mayor Muriel Bowser is poised to replace it with a pivot to a sports economy. We sat down with two Washington Post reporters who have been covering the mayor’s efforts to build a new stadium — Meagan Flynn, who covers City Hall, and Sam Fortier, who writes for the sports section.
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 July 14th episode:
Library of Congress
DC Sustainable Energy utility
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Jul 11, 2025 • 28min
SCOTUS Okays Layoffs and Trump Teases Takeover — But Hey, More Fireflies!
WAMU’s Alex Koma is here to talk about the Supreme Court giving the greenlight to Trump’s mass firings of federal workers. Plus, the president is musing about taking over DC again. But it’s not all bad: There are more fireflies than ever! And in a member’s only fourth topic, we’re going to get into DC’s feelings about the Better Bus Network changes.
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 July 11th episode:
District Bridges
Backroom
Nace Law Group
Library of Congress
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE
Jul 10, 2025 • 19min
Why Won’t DC Fix Its Inhumane Jail Conditions?
The DC jail is in absolutely wretched shape — and has been for years. So why can’t anyone fix it? DC Auditor Kathy Patterson has just released a report about inhumane conditions at the facility, and it’s not even her first report on the topic. She’s here to walk us through what’s happening.
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 July 10th episode:
District Bridges
Backroom
Nace Law Group
Library of Congress
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Jul 9, 2025 • 16min
How a $1.5 Billion Development Could Change Anacostia Forever
The Bridge District sounds like one of those buzzy, made-up neighborhoods that suddenly pop up on a map…and it kind of is! It’s a new $1.5 billion development along the Anacostia River in Southeast DC, with plans for seven buildings, more than 2,000 residential units, 90,000 square feet of retail, green space, and more. We sat down with Axios reporter Mimi Montgomery to break down what it means for the neighborhood — and for the people who already live there.
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 July 9th episode:
District Bridges
Backroom
Nace Law Group
Library of Congress
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Jul 8, 2025 • 23min
DC's Most Underrated Bars for Drinking Alone
There’s something uniquely empowering about taking yourself out on a solo date. The City Cast team got together last year to figure out DC’s best places to drink alone, whether you’re in the mood for a craft cocktail or a sober-friendly mocktail.
Places mentioned in this episode:
Showtime Lounge
Lyman’s Tavern
Red Derby
Last Call Bar
Jackie Lee’s
Bar Charley
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 $8 a month.
Learn more about the sponsors of this July 8th episode:
District Bridges
Backroom
Nace Law Group
Library of Congress
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Jul 7, 2025 • 28min
What Next Week's Election Means for DC
DC Council is already pondering whether to expel Ward 8 councilmember Trayon White again if he wins his seat back on July 15 special election. But in the meantime, the voters get a say, and they actually have a few candidates to choose from. WAMU’s Alex Koma is here to walk us through the state of the race.
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 July 7th episode:
District Bridges
Backroom
Nace Law Group
Library of Congress
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Jul 3, 2025 • 46min
Is DC the Best Summer City in the US?
Bridget Todd and all 12 other City Cast podcast hosts (from Austin, Boise, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Madison, Nashville, Philly, Pittsburgh, Portland, and Salt Lake City) compete head-to-head in a high-stakes showdown to answer the question that’s been burning up our company-wide Slack for weeks: which city is the best for a summer weekend trip? From naked bike rides to ‘the country’s best farmers market,’ pickle festivals to Elvis impersonators driving pink convertibles, our hosts are bringing the best of the best of what their city has to offer. Did your city win?
Take our interactive quiz to see which city best fits YOUR vibe!
Learn more about the sponsors of this July 3rd episode:
District Bridges
