|
| |  | Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto and At-Large Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. at the Wilson Building on May 6, 2025. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
|
| Brooke Pinto has about twice as much money as Robert White, her main rival in D.C.’s congressional delegate race, WAMU’s Alex Koma reported. So why isn’t she running away with the race? One answer, according to Koma: She’s from Connecticut. “One thing people do know about representation is they want it to be homegrown,” a statehood activist tells him. | | You hear the same thing in the mayor’s race. Even though they’re both native Washingtonians, Kenyan McDuffie regularly knocks rival Janeese Lewis George for purported out-of-town ideas. “She wants to run D.C. using a New York City playbook,” he told the Dream City podcast, perhaps alluding to mayor Zohran Mamdani, who, like Lewis George, is a democratic socialist. | | D.C., I love ya, and I’m a native too, but this is some Palookaville rhetoric. | | Are these folks saying that ideas from elsewhere are unwelcome? That’s a weird position in a cosmopolitan capital. Or is it people from elsewhere who are off-limits? That’s even worse, given that our growing city’s vast population of new voters surely includes some from, say, Connecticut or New York. | | By all means, beat up on Lewis George or Pinto or anyone else for their politics. But who cares where they or their ideas come from? D.C. has enough people out to get us without our candidates creating new categories of enemies. | |
|
|
|
| What D.C.'s Talking About |
|  | Linh Mai is the first Asian elephant born at the zoo in 25 years. She's getting her own elephant cam! (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
|
| More Housing, Unless Anyone Gets Mad. At a Monday debate, all nine candidates for an at-large D.C. Council seat said they’d oppose more “by-right” construction, the 51st’s Martin Austermuhle noted. “By-right” means an owner can just build, skipping the lengthy zoning process. Many advocates think giving owners the right to build density is essential to lowering housing costs. But the prospect might tick off neighbors who worry about big buildings going up on their quiet blocks. No wonder it feels risky to candidates seeking those neighbors’ votes. | | Not Metropolitan-Club Material. Members of D.C.’s most storied private club want to blackball Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, reports Politico. A group of members blasted Blanche for using the Justice Department to go after Trump’s enemies — including, ahem, fellow club member Jerome Powell, the Fed chair. The fracas is notable because elite-Washington institutions have lately been accommodating the Trumpies that they once dissed. A decision on Blanche’s application is pending. | | From My Bloated, Greasy Hands. Posters advertising the ballot initiative to ban foie gras in D.C. have gone up around town, including on my morning dog-walk route. If campaigners led by Pro-Animal Future’s Cady Witt get enough signatures, it’ll be on the ballot in November. Pâté lovers had better hope it isn’t: District ballot initiatives almost always pass. | | Bowser Wants Buildings. Mayor Muriel Bowserasked the D.C. Council for fast-track authority to buy federal buildings being sold off by the Trump administration. It’s important because the city sees the federal sell off as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape entire neighborhoods that are currently office canyons. | | Finally: Panda Cam, Meet Elephant Cam. You don’t even need to schlep to the Zoo to glimpse Linh Mai, the new baby elephant. The Zoo has re-launched elephant cam for fans at home. The stream is live between 7 am and 7 pm, at which point it reruns the prior 12 hours. So what happens after 7 pm? It’s a mystery! Adding to the intrigue: The footage is on a 30-minute delay — according to the Smithsonian, in case there’s an “event” requiring medical intervention. |
| |
| Did someone forward you this email? To subscribe, visit https://dc.citycast.fm/newsletter |
|
|
|
| | | Join us at the Hope Blossoms Cocktail Reception & Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 13, from 6:00–9:00 PM at Columbia Country Club, 7900 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 20815.Come celebrate the women of St. Ann's — where dignity is affirmed, strength is recognized, and the journey forward is shaped by the power of lived experience. For more information, visit www.stanns.org |
|
|
|
| | Ooof! Here are some year-over-year numbers from the D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee’smost recent report on financial trends in the District: | - Federal government jobs: Down 13.6 percent
- Total number of jobs: Down 5.7 percent
- Total number of legal-services jobs: Up 2.2 percent
- Total population: Up 0.3 percent
- Housing unit building permits: Down 30.3 percent
- Condo sales: Down 9.4 percent
- Hotel-room days sold: Down 3.9 percent
- Arrivals at D.C.-area airports: Down 3.7 percent
|
|
|
|
| | | Don't miss your chance to claim a custom-designed tote bag that shows your love for D.C. Join today! |
|
|
|
|
Thanks for reading! And thanks especially to our newest member, Teresita S., aka MY MOTHER. But Mom, what took you so long? Everyone else, you can join by clicking here, and you too will get a shout-out tomorrow. | Meantime, please let me know what you think of the newsletter — and the news. Would you sign the petition for a foie gras ban? Would you campaign against Todd Blanche if he tried to join your fancy club? Send word: mike.schaffer@citycast.fm. | | Did someone forward you this email? To subscribe, visit https://dc.citycast.fm/newsletter |
| |
|
|
|
