The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi

WAMU 88.5

Join Kojo and resident analyst Tom Sherwood on Fridays at noon for our weekly review of the politics, policies and personalities in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Each week Kojo and Tom help make sense of legislation, hold elected officials accountable and provide in-depth analysis of local issues and elections. The Politics Hour is also a vital forum for Washingtonians to engage directly with their local leaders.

8hr 21min

Thumbnail for "The Politics Hour: Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker on the Falcicchio investigation".

JD Spain, Sr. on his win in the Democratic primary for Arlington County Board. Plus, the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel’s Vanessa Natale and Ward 5 D.C. Councilmember Zachary Parker weighing in on the John Falcicchio investigation.

June 28, 202449min 35sec

Thumbnail for "The Politics Hour: Maryland Governor Wes Moore on the need for cooler rhetoric".

Maryland Governor Wes Moore's gives us his take on the presidential race. Plus, Prince George's County Councilmember Wala Blegay talks rent stabilization legislation and VA-10 Republican nominee Mike Clancy.

July 19, 202449min 7sec

Thumbnail for "The Politics Hour: Rep. Jamie Raskin on the presidential race; D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto talks truancy".

MD Congressman Jamie Raskin on Project 2025, President Biden, and the Maryland Senate race. Plus, Democratic nominee for Alexandria mayor Alyia Gaskins and D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto weighs in on declining carjacking rates.

July 12, 202450min 28sec

$Thumbnail for "A fractious Virginia primary election season wraps up; Prince George’s County debates rent control".$

State Senator Suhas Subramanyam on his big win in the Democratic primary in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. Plus, WAMU’s Margaret Barthel on the rest of Virginia’s primary results and Prince George’s County Chair Jolene Ivey talks rent control.

June 21, 202448min 58sec

Thumbnail for "Virginia votes in primary elections; D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb on Ticketmaster lawsuit".

D.C. AG Brian Schwalb on joining the lawsuit against Ticketmaster and his legislation to revamp the youth services agency. Plus, the Washington Post’s Teo Armus on what to expect in Virginia’s primary elections next week.

June 14, 202450min 27sec

Thumbnail for "Incumbents sweep and tight Ward 7 race finally called in D.C. primary elections".

D.C. Board of Elections Executive Director explains counting votes. Plus, the Washington Post's Michael Brice-Saddler breaks down the D.C. primary elections and Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando talks school funding.

June 7, 202450min 28sec

Thumbnail for "Will the District raise taxes to avoid budget cuts?".

Prince George’s County Councilmember Wanika Fisher on why the council is prioritizing public safety and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson explains the need to hike taxes for some District residents.

May 31, 202450min 29sec

Thumbnail for "Data center fight intensifies in Loudoun County; D.C. primary day nears".

Loudoun County Vice Chair Juli Briskman on data centers and schools. Plus, Republican nominee for Maryland’s Congressional District 6 seat Neil Parrott talks the general election and Washington Informer reporter Sam P.K. Collins breaks down D.C.’s biggest primary races.

May 24, 202450min 27sec

Thumbnail for "Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks on her big primary win; D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen talks bike lanes and crime".

Angela Alsobrooks on her win in the Democratic primary for Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat. Plus, Maryland Matters reporter Will Ford on election results and D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen on crime and bike lanes.

May 17, 202450min 27sec

Thumbnail for "D.C. police arrest protesters on GW’s campus; Virginia budget deal".

Maryland Matters’ Josh Kurtz broke down the tight U.S. Senate race in Maryland. Plus, Virginia delegate Mark Sickles discussed the new state budget and D.C. Councilmember Robert White gave us his take on D.C. police clearing a pro-Palestinian encampment on GW University’s campus.

May 10, 202450min 29sec

The Politics Hour: Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker on the Falcicchio investigation

June 28, 202449min 35sec

The D.C. Council conducted a hearing this week to learn more about the mayor’s legal council’s internal investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations against former aide John Falcicchio.

During the hearing, a tense debate erupted between Vanessa Natale from the Mayor's Office of Legal Counsel and Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker over the office's ability to share information and documents from the investigation with D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb. Natale called into the show to clarify why there's certain information the office declined to share with the Attorney General.

Then, Parker got behind the mic to explain his concerns and what he’d like to see next in the investigation. Plus, he talked about reparations for Black District residents and the D.C. Council’s investment in LGBTQ+ programs.

Last week, Arlington residents used ranked-choice voting to select their Democratic nominee for the Arlington County Board. JD Spain Sr., former NAACP Arlington Branch president, is the big winner. He now faces Republican candidate Juan Carlos Fierro and perennial independent candidate Audrey Clement for the seat. Spain joined the show to talk about his victory, the most pressing issues in Arlington, and November’s general election.

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