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: 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: "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: 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

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 27sec121.11 MB

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

August 23, 202450min 30sec

The FBI arrested Ward 8 D.C. Councilmember Trayon White on bribery charges this past weekend. The shocking turn of events had many in the District reacting and dealing with the fallout. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson got behind the mic to weigh in on the allegations against his council colleague and to explain what comes next.

Earlier in the week, the Chairman said he was forming a council committee to determine what action the council will take after White's arrest.

On Friday's show, he announced At-Large Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie would head the group. The committee will include the entire council, minus White. Council rules say there are three possible sanctions that could be levied against White: reprimand, censure, or expulsion. The committee has until December 16th to make its recommendation.

Mendelson suggested on Friday a recommendation could come sooner.

"This is not just a criminal matter, but a political problem," he said. "And, for the politics, we’d like this to be resolved as quickly as possible."

Mendelson also said that the council does not have to wait for the federal judicial process to play out to take their own action.

Plus, what can the D.C. Council do to prevent more tech problems at D.C.'s 911 call center?

Local leaders converged in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chair Deshundra Jefferson was there as a Virginia delegate. She joined the show to tell us what she saw and heard on the convention floor.

Plus, she talked about a new poll showing Harris now holding a slim lead over former President Donald Trump in the race for the White House. Jefferson said she believes reproductive rights will continue to be an issue driving voters to the ballot box.

"Virginia is the vanguard of the South," Jefferson said. "We have clinics that have waitlists, that have delays because we have people coming from other Southern states here to seek reproductive care."

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