Dream City Podcast

In this President's Day Episode, Cuneyt and Tom talk about city hall bracing for a recession-like budget, after DOGE hammered D.C. jobs economy. Mayor Bowser says tough choices are ahead. Progressives warn the social safety net is is being dismantled.Plus, one of the worst sewage spills in U.S. history is happening in the Potomac River. Local leaders should speak up more about the environmental disaster, Tom says. And last but not least, Cuneyt and Tom bat around a lightning round of topics, including Metro's rebounding ridership and a DOGE'd federal worker who's now running for mayor. 00:00 Introduction and Presidents Day Fun01:00 DC's Recession-Like Budget Challenges02:49 Impact of Federal Tax Changes on DC Budget04:36 Spending Grew During Pandemic05:02 Childcare Subsidy and Budget Trade-offs08:28 Progressives Fight Against Dismantling of Safety Net11:11 Mamdani Effect11:54 Environmental Disaster: Sewage Spill in Potomac13:20 Public Health Concerns and Sewage Management16:10 Fishing and Recreational Impact on Potomac19:15 News Speed Round and Local DevelopmentsThe Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

The Washington Post laid off 300 journalists in an apocalyptic week for local media. Then embattled CEO Will Lewis also got the boot. Cuneyt and Tom discuss what's next for the Post — and reveal the media scheming underway to fill the void.Plus, it's a heated election season as fundraise reports come due in the mayoral and D.C. delegate races.And Trump world is obsessed with classical architecture — so much so that it wants the new Commanders stadium to look even more, erm, classical, thank you very much.00:00 Turmoil at the Washington Post After Mass Layoffs09:44 Media Companies Jockey To Enter Void14:39 Following the Money on Campaign Fundraising20:01 Trump Allies Want More Classical Design at Commanders StadiumThe Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

Mayor Bowser caught flak last week after the city struggled to clear out snow and ice. Mayoral candidates swooped in with their own criticisms. In this episode, Tom Sherwood is out this week, and joining Cuneyt is Michael Schaffer, longtime D.C. journalist and co-host of the City Cast D.C. podcast.Mike talked about his exclusive interview with John Norton, the son of the retiring Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, about the behind-the-scenes persuading it took to get her 88-year-old mother to bow out. And we took another lap around what Trump is up to as DMV mayor. This episode was recorded before Trump made even more news — announcing late Sunday night he would close the Kennedy Center for a two-year renovation. Cuneyt and Mike talked about Trump's plans for a Grand Prix race and his gigantic 250-foot arch.00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction02:44 Snowstorm Aftermath and Public Response05:38 Mayor Bowser's Missteps08:32 Snow Politics In Mayor's Race15:35 Interview with John Norton, Son of Eleanor Holmes Norton24:14 Trump the DMV Mayor: Grand Prix Race and Building Massive DC Arch39:09 Closing Thoughts and ReflectionsThe Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

The 2026 D.C. mayoral race is off to a heated start, with claims to fundraising records by both candidates Kenyan McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George.In this episode of the Dream City Podcast, Cuneyt and Tom are joined by NBC4's Mark Segraves to talk about how the D.C. Council cut out the public as it picks an interim council member.Plus, we talk about the new Commanders stadium's monumental design — and the path ahead, including whether fans will be priced out.00:00 Headlines02:37 Kenyan McDuffie Jumps into the Mayoral Race03:47 McDuffie's Stance on ICE and DC07:49 Affordability09:30 Fundraising Wars: McDuffie vs Janeese Lewis George11:42 Janeese's Big Howard Theatre Rally13:39 Who Else Might Run?14:23 Tom Sherwood's Not Running15:23 The Interim Council Member Appointment Process20:46 Political Dynamics in D.C. Council22:35 Budgeting Challenges Ahead23:41 The New Commanders Stadium Design28:01 Gambling Parlor at New Stadium28:52 Future of Old RFK Stadium Artifacts31:16 Will Fans Get Priced Out?The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

In this episode of the Dream City Podcast, hosts Cuneyt and Tom discuss Trump's new takeover project — D.C.'s public golf courses. The Trump administration terminated the leases of a local nonprofit managing the courses, while the organization hires a high-powered law firm to potentially fight back. Meanwhile, Trump reportedly wants a Ryder Cup or PGA event — the conversation highlights why that might be farfetched. The episode highlights the importance of municipal golf as a community resource and the potential impact of Trump's plans on local residents and the future of these iconic courses.Joining the co-hosts is former D.C. Council member Bill Lightfoot and writer and head of architecture content at Fried Egg Golf newsletter, Garrett Morrison.00:00 Introduction to the Controversy01:51 The National Links Trust and Its Ambitions07:11 Historical Significance of Langston Golf Course08:55 Trump's Vision for DC Golf Courses12:59 Community Impact and Future Prospects17:46 Lease Termination Examined20:08 Legal Challenges and Bureaucracy22:18 Navigating Trump Diplomacy25:13 Why the Ryder Cup Is Unlikely29:00 The Value of Municipal GolfThe Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism. The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

There's a new police chief in town, but not before Pamela Smith gave a stunning farewell speech, blasting her haters with an "F-U." Smith leaves after a rollercoaster 2.5 years, and under pressure from Republicans over allegedly cooked crime stats. Which got Tom and Cuneyt thinking: How will new chief Jeffery Carroll handle the White House?Meanwhile, Council member Kenyan McDuffie is quitting the council, setting up his mayoral bid. The city is not doing a great job getting affordable housing credits out the door, as told in an investigative report by Washington City Paper and SpotlightDC.Aaand last but not least, Cuneyt and Tom check in on the football stadium. President Trump wants his name on it, and his allies want it to look neoclassical.The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism. Now through the end of 2025, donations to the nonprofit SpotlightDC are doubled.The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

Mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George is off to the races, and with so many open D.C. Council seats, progressives hope that 2026 will be their big year in local politics. Cuneyt and Tom talk about the future of D.C.Speaking of the future, Cuneyt reports that Waymo is way behind on its D.C. rollout, thanks to a delayed DDOT study and bureaucracy standing in the way. The robotaxi future is on hold.And Cuneyt and Tom check in on Trump's latest DMV projects — his new architect for the White House ballroom and his Dulles Airport shakeup.The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism. Now through the end of 2025, donations to the nonprofit SpotlightDC are doubled.The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

After ten years, Mayor Bowser is bowing out. Cuneyt and Tom record a special episode on Bowser's decision to not seek a fourth term, discussing her legacy and who wants to be mayor next.The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

Cuneyt and Tom have a big Thanksgiving week episode, breaking down what lessons Mayor Bowser could take from NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's chummy visit to the Oval Office.Plus: Cuneyt got leaked the mayoral ambitions of Janeese Lewis George, thanks to a spy overhearing it all at Capitol Hill restaurant Tune Inn.We also talk about why streeteries might get a lifeline, just in time before regulations threaten to bring down many of D.C.'s pandemic-era outdoor cafes, including Le Diplomate's "chalets."The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

Two very special guests join the Dream City Podcast to discuss the week's biggest stories. Cuneyt and Tom are joined by NBC4 reporter Mark Segraves to discuss the Washington Post's exclusive reporting on the behind the scenes relationship between Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Trump administration. Plus, Tom gives a pulse check on the Mayor Bowser Re-election Needle — whether or not she's leaning toward running for a fourth term. And Cuneyt talks to Axios D.C. colleague Mimi Montgomery about her story chronicling how "Mar-A-Lago face" is becoming a big trend for plastic surgery in Washington. It's another way the MAGA crowd is changing the city's scene. The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.

In the Dream City Podcast launch, Cuneyt and Tom talk about Mayor Muriel Bowser’s 2023 trip to Qatar getting mixed up in media reports about a DOJ investigation. Axios reported that Bowser is not a target of the investigation, hours after the NY Times (gift link) reported that there was a probe into potential bribery and campaign finance violations.We also talk about who could be the Zohran Mamdani of D.C.’s mayoral race — that’s Council member Janeese Lewis George. Plus, why Guam might beat D.C. to become the 51st state. The Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism. The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.