The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi WAMU 88.5

With the primary now only days away, polls show a very tight race for Maryland’s Senate seat. The election is capturing national attention as record spending continues to define the campaign for the Democratic nomination. Josh Kurtz of Maryland Matters told us why the stakes are high, how it’s become so close, and what we might see happen on Tuesday.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and state lawmakers reportedly agreed on a deal for a new state budget. It’s been a long road to this point, but deal was reached that won’t include any tax increases. Delegate Mark Sickles was involved in these talks and joined us on the show to break down the deal for us.

Early Wednesday morning, D.C. police cleared an encampment of protesters on George Washington University’s campus. This came just before a U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing into the city’s refusal to clear the encampment earlier. With protests continuing, D.C. Councilmember Robert White got behind the mic to give his take.

Plus, D.C. reaches agrees on a settlement with two women who accused former mayoral aide John Falcicchio of sexual harassment.


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Last month, the D.C. Council voted to spend $515 million to help Monumental Sports renovate Capital One Arena. Now, negotiations are underway with owner Ted Leonsis on an agreement aimed at addressing public safety and development around the arena. Leonsis joins Kojo and Tom to discuss the deal and his vision for the future of the arena and the surrounding neighborhood.

It's gotten tense in the Maryland's 6th congressional district as frontrunners air attack ads against one another. MoCo360 politics reporter Ginny Bixby updates us on the race, why reproductive rights remain a top issue, and gives us a preview of the general election.

The Prince George's County Council approved a resolution on Tuesday expanding the youth curfew countywide. This comes as the council debates permanent legislation that would allow commercial districts, like National Harbor, to request police to put a curfew in place preventing unaccompanied minors from staying out past 5 p.m.  It would also fine parents who allow their kids to violate curfew. The bill's sponsor, Prince George's County Councilmember Edward Burroughs, gets behind the mic to explain the legislation, why it's needed, and what comes next.

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The race is heating up for the open U.S. Senate seat in Maryland. With the Democratic primary only three weeks away, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Congressman David Trone compete for endorsements, air time, and Maryland’s votes. Alsobrooks joins the show to talk about the campaign, money in politics, and how former Maryland governor Larry Hogan’s late entry changed the dynamics of the race. Plus, how will expanding the youth curfew in Prince George’s County impact juvenile crime rates?

The contest to replace long-time councilmember and former mayor Vincent Gray on the D.C. Council is also intensifying. There are currently ten candidates vying to represent Ward 7 — with the Democratic primary now only six weeks away. Washington Post reporter Michael Brice-Saddler gets behind the mic to talk about why this election is a big deal, the major issues driving folks to the polls, and Gray’s legacy representing Ward 7.

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The Virginia General Assembly reconvened on Wednesday to consider Governor Glenn Youngkin’s 223 budget amendments and a record-setting number of vetoes. A deal was quickly struck between the governor and the legislature to work together on a new state budget, averting a crisis — at least for now.

Virginia Delegate Marcus Simon, who represents Falls Church and parts of Fairfax County, joined us in the studio to discuss how it all came together.

He said Youngkin now realizes the limits of his executive power and the need to negotiate with the Democratically-controlled General Assembly.

“We are a co-equal branch of government. We are not a board of directors where you just tell us what the decision is going to be, we actually participate.”

One of the biggest points of contention when the General Assembly meets again next month will be Metro funding. Lawmakers want the state to pony up $150 million dollars, while the governor wants most of the funding to come from money previously allocated to Northern Virginia jurisdictions.

On Thursday, a teen was charged with threatening mass violence at a Montgomery County high school.

County Executive Marc Elrich joined the show directly from a press conference where the FBI, Montgomery County Police, and the State’s Attorney’s Office detailed what led up to the arrest of eighteen-year-old Alex Ye.

Officials tracked Ye for months and obtained a copy of a manifesto, where the eighteen-year-old wrote about carrying out mass violence at Wootton High School in Rockville.

Law enforcement also noted Ye did not have access to firearms. On the show, Elrich praised Maryland’s strong gun safety laws.

“It’s good to hear that somebody had a hard time getting guns because if he had been able to easily get these guns, who knows how this would have transpired in reality.”

Elrich also talked about the potential reopening of White’s Ferry.

The County Executive addressed why he’s not proposing to raise taxes, unlike last year, and the current state of Maryland’s expensive U.S. Senate race.

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This week on The Politics Hour, Metro General Randy Clarke took Kojo, Tom, and listeners on a ride through Metro’s upcoming budget decisions, why he’d like to see a regional tax, and the significance of Metro teaming up with COG.

Clarke said he’s very happy overall that D.C., Maryland, and Virginia are all stepping up with additional funding for Metro. Because of that, Metro will be able to avoid some of the more drastic service cuts first proposed in December.

He isn’t surprised by the continued debate in Virginia about how much money the state will provide instead of local jurisdictions. However, Clarke said this conversation is more about “how the bill is paid” than whether Metro will be adequately funded.

Earlier in the week, Metro and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) announced a partnership aimed at addressing some of the region’s transportation issues.

The region has multiple locally run transportation systems, including Alexandria’s DASH bus and the Ride On in Montgomery County, all with different fares and systems. One of the main goals of the partnership, he said, is to simplify this.

“Only people in government care about jurisdictions. Everyone else lives their life, right,” Clarke said. “They might live in Montgomery County or take their kids to a soccer game in Alexandria or live in Fairfax and they work in Downtown D.C. We’ve got to figure out how people can move without worrying about different signs or fare payments and all the other stuff. Make it easy for people.”

Jahd Khalil from Virginia Public Media also joined the show to explain how Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s reworked budget no longer has any tax cuts or a sales tax hike.

Khalil said it definitely appears like Youngkin is attempting to work with the Democratically-controlled General Assembly, but recent actions may still make that difficult.

The Virginia General Assembly will reconvene next week to consider the governor’s reworked budget. Khalil said the legislature could reject the proposal and, if that does happen, “it’s definitely a possibility” Youngkin could veto the entire budget. That would be nearly unprecedented.

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It’s budget season on The Politics Hour.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser released her budget proposal on Wednesday calling for some tax increases and hefty cuts, including to the Early Childhood Pay Equity Fund. The cuts were met with pushback from some councilmembers, including Christina Henderson who made an emotional plea to save the fund. She explains why she disagrees with some elements of the Mayor’s proposed budget. Plus, what’s Councilmember Henderson’s take on the District committing $515 million to renovate Capital One Arena?

Last month, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich unveiled his budget proposal featuring no new taxes and increased spending on schools.  Montgomery County Council Vice Chair Kate Stewart gives her take. Plus, she’ll explain why houses of worship can now build affordable housing and how an agreement on a new state budget impacts Montgomery County.

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