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 17min

Thumbnail for "The Politics Hour: Tune in Friday at noon for U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau".

Sen. Tim Kaine talks possible federal shutdown and his re-election campagin. Plus, pollster Mileah Kromer on the Maryland Senate race and D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau weighs in on D.C.’s troubled 911 call center.

September 13, 202449min 53sec47.9 MB

Thumbnail for "The Politics Hour: "Back to School" week with PGCPS Superintendent Millard House II & DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee".

DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee talks school renovations, fentanyl, and cell phone policies. Plus, PGCPS Superintendent Millard House weighs in on late buses and student safety.

September 6, 202448min 23sec46.45 MB

Thumbnail for "The Politics Hour: MoCo Executive Marc Elrich talks cell phone bans in schools".

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich on the schools’ new cell phone policy and the competitive Maryland’s 6th Congressional District race. Plus, Washington City Paper’s Alex Koma on the political fallout of Councilmember Trayon White’s arrest.

August 30, 202450min 30sec48.48 MB

Thumbnail for "The Politics Hour: D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson discusses Trayon White’s arrest".

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson reacts to the arrest of Trayon White. Plus, Prince William County Board Chair Deshundra Jefferson takes us behind-the-scenes at the Democratic National Convention.

August 23, 202450min 30sec96.96 MB

Thumbnail for "The Politics Hour: Chairman Jeff McKay on Fairfax County’s data center debate".

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay talks data center regulations, schools, crime, and Metro. Plus, Washington Informer’s Richard Elliott breaks down next week’s special election in Prince George’s County.

August 2, 202450min 9sec48.16 MB

Thumbnail for "The Politics Hour: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on what it would mean to have a woman of color in the White House".

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Biden bowing out and Harris jumping into the presidential race. Plus, what a second Trump presidency could mean for the District and Chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia Susan Swecker on if Virginia is truly a swing state.

July 26, 202449min 19sec47.35 MB

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 7sec47.15 MB

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 28sec121.16 MB

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 35sec47.6 MB

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

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 58sec47.01 MB

The Politics Hour: Tune in Friday at noon for U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau

September 13, 202449min 53sec

Another federal government shutdown could be looming. The impact on this region would be huge. But U.S. Senator Tim Kaine told Kojo and Tom he doesn't think there's going to be a shutdown, at least this year.

"My prediction is this: We are going to get a short term continuing resolution as we usually do through the end of the calendar year. And between election day and Christmas, essentially, we will hammer out an omnibus full year appropriations bill," the Virginia Senator said.

Plus, we got his take on this week's big presidential debate.

Recent polls have shown that Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks holds a slight lead over former governor Larry Hogan in the competitive Maryland Senate race. We asked the new UMBC Institute of Politics director and preeminent Maryland pollster, Mileah Kromer, for her thoughts on where the race stands now.

The D.C. Council heads back into session next week and will turn its focus to how to deal with Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White. He appeared in the court this week and pleaded not guilty to federal bribery charges.

The council is set to investigate the bribery allegations before deciding what further steps it might take against the ward eight councilmember, including possible expulsion.

Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau joined the show to give us her thoughts.

"We have a duty as a council to address these concerns because we hold elected officials to a higher standard," she said. "If he goes through the whole process with the feds and it turns out he hasn’t broken the law, I still think we are going to still have some things to say about our code of ethics."

Plus, she talked about revamping the city's troubled 911 call center. Her and others have introduced several pieces of legislation aimed at increasing the center's transparency and oversight. We also discussed the police body cam footage showing D.C. police officers fatally shooting a city violence interrupter.

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