A little news: next week is my final one at WAMU, after seven and a half years doing local journalism here. I have loved the chance to report on my own community, and am grateful so many of you have trusted me to listen to your stories.

This is a good moment to feel proud of the journalists at MPR, who have been demonstrated again and again why local public radio stations are essential in moments of community and national crisis

Anyone who watched the Park Police killing of Bijan Ghaisar as he slowly drove away from them in Va. knows how the ICE killing of Renee Good is going to end with the DOJ. Very similar shootings. Video in thread.

It's the final Politics Hour of the year! Join us as we recap this unusual year in D.C. politics, and make predictions about what comes next. Last year, I think I was pretty spot on when I predicted Trayon White would run in and win a special election: will I get lucky again??

Happy holidays from me and Metro's approaching capital funding fiscal cliff wamu.org/story/25/12/...

The "fit the facts about data centers, AI and energy prices in the D.C. region into 7 minutes" challenge feat. @jennyabamu.bsky.social @alexkoma.bsky.social and me: wamu.org/story/25/12/...

AI financiers are swatting away bubble talk, just as the industry is on track to spend $400B on the hope of fantastical revenue. Companies are investing in each other to prop up demand. Spending is being kept off balance sheets. A look at these bubbly times www.npr.org/2025/11/23/n...

[email protected] has a new letter out to the Federal Reserve and the SEC asking for information about the impact of an AI bubble on the U.S. economy. Includes this possible vision of a Northern Virginia with empty data centers:

Big thanks to @jahd.bsky.social and @deanmirshahi.bsky.social for letting me crash the VPM news election night post party - always love a public media co-byline. Btw VPM is a treasure and their coverage of the election this year was the gold standard www.vpm.org/elections/20...

The number of times I've said "Virginia is home to hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors" on NPR national this morning

Democrats swept Virginia's top three statewide offices and flipped about a dozen seats in the House of Delegates Tuesday, according to unofficial results from The Associated Press. More from @jahd.bsky.social and WAMU's @margaretbarthel.bsky.social on a big night for Dems in the commonwealth:

Virginia voters will hit the polls tomorrow with electricity bills, data centers and renewable energy front of mind. One potential outcome? A Democratic triefcta control with questions over a commitment to the state's decarbonization law. insideclimatenews.org/news/0311202...

VA's got to spend $3.2 bn more on Medicaid than it has currently budgeted over the next 3 years, according to a DMAS document I obtained. $410 mn this year (FY26), $1.1 bn in FY27, $1.7 bn in FY28. This isn't HR1 related, but its another cost that piles onto federal changes

Earlier this year, "quiet" was one word to describe the Virginia race for governor. Then came DOGE, a text message scandal down ballot, a redistricting surprise, the government shutdown and more. The breakdown you need from @jahd.bsky.social @margaretbarthel.bsky.social @bradkutner.bsky.social

How this week's elections in Virginia became about ... everything. By your four favorite public radio reporters @margaretbarthel.bsky.social @theshabomb.com @bradkutner.bsky.social www.npr.org/2025/11/02/n...

Premium increases with a side of politics wamu.org/story/25/10/...

I traveled the state this summer exploring how federal funding changes affect Virginia's hospitals, clinics, nonprofits, and the state health department. The three-part series launched this week. 🧵 1/4 virginiamercury.com/category/pul...

Virginia's economy is showing initial impacts from cuts to the federal government and the shutdown, but it's been more muted than some analysts initially expected. One reason: the defense industry.

"I don’t even know how we’re staying open. Sometimes I think it’s God, or I think it’s my late wife, just watching over this place." A day program for disabled adults in Manassas grapples with coming cuts to Medicaid: wamu.org/story/25/10/...

Youngkin administration keeps details of paused federal grants under wraps from me and @margaretbarthel.bsky.social www.vpm.org/news/2025-10...

Natural gas prices are relatively low now, but residential gas utility rates are nearing record highs. Customers are paying more for infrastructure, construction, utility costs and taxes than they are for the actual fuel. My @npr.org story: www.npr.org/2025/10/13/n...

A good piece on HD-22 in middle Prince William County Harris narrowly carried it but tends to be more red down ballot Article has interviews with GOP Del. Ian Lovejoy and challenger former Del. Elizabeth Guzman Type of NOVA seat where shutdown could have impact statenavigate.org/voters-utili...

It's a measure of how siloed the information environment is that this story is all over my X feed but has not yet surfaced over here. www.nationalreview.com/news/dem-ag-...

Including a teensy tiny bit of analysis about what a federal shutdown could mean for the race -

NEW: GOP-leaning House of Delegates districts are outpacing Democratic ones in Virginia’s first week of early voting. Of the 20 districts with the highest turnout, 11 are strongly or lean Republican, 5 strongly Democratic, 4 are competitive. #VALeg virginiamercury.com/2025/09/23/g...

Snaps from the first day of early voting at Fairfax Government Center, where voters got to hear from John Reid and Abigail Spanberger. It was sunny, it was hot, it was bustling: a good beginning to our annual festival of democracy in Virginia.

Thoughtful opinion piece in the Times-Dispatch from Miyares advisor Shaun Kenney on engaging in good faith: richmond.com/opinion/colu...

James Walkinshaw is trying to get seated ASAP Will have to turn to government funding deadline in 20 days He has a lot of Federal workers in VA-11 But also a Dem base that wants to take a stand Will there be a deal or does a shutdown actually happens this time?

Democrat James Walkinshaw is headed to Congress, having won about 75% of the vote in the #VA11 special election this evening. Once he's there, what are his thoughts on the looming federal spending bill deadline? I asked -

Wrote this up here: wamu.org/story/25/09/...

The Virginia Court of Appeals has *again* sent the Arlington 'missing middle' lawsuit back to the circuit court.

The Virginia ACLU sent an emergency letter to ICE about conditions for detainees at the processing center in Chantilly, where people detained in D.C. and NoVA usually pass through on the way to the agency's actual detention facilities.

Kudos to the Post for pushing back on this because the anecdotal evidence we have just doesn’t support any surge in policing in wards 7 and 8. I’ll put this to my followers in those neighborhoods: are you seeing federal agents/the National Guard? If so, what’re they doing?

Spoke to Dr. Basim Khan, of Neighborhood Health, which serves low-income patients in Northern Virginia, about the reconciliation bill and how he expects it to affect his organization's budget. wamu.org/story/25/08/...

Elected officials and advocates in Alexandria held a press conference this evening on the site of what they believe to be the first workplace ICE raid in the city. They say several men were detained while on their lunch break doing a roofing job in the Chirilagua neighborhood.

Public radio matters more every day. Wherever you are in the U.S. please support wamu.org as its mighty team of journalists scrambles to cover President Trump's escalating take-over of city police factually, fairly and with nuance.

Here's what we know about the fiscal and human costs of changes to SNAP in Virginia so far: wamu.org/story/25/08/...

Homeless outreach sources tell me the feds will lead a citywide encampment clearing tonight. MLK Library, where many folks congregate, is expected to be among the targets. The fear is that the feds may start arresting people as part of this. D.C.'s shelters are full: Many will have no place to go.

“I burst into tears when I saw the soldiers in the street...We were suddenly sprung into a militarized zone, and that’s not an exaggeration.” The voices of D.C. residents at another moment when the city's sense of safety and self was shattered wamu.org/story/22/01/...

A judge ruled in favor of plaintiffs challenging the Prince William Digital Gateway project, the massive data center development planned for near Manassas National Battlefield. This is a very big deal for the county and for the industry, which has faced increasingly vocal community pushback.

Last week, as part of the @51st.news campaign to fund full-time workers for our newsroom, we asked community members to do what they can to help—whether that's spreading the word or donating, and whether donations are $5 or $500: 51st.news/doubling-dow... We've made GREAT progress, but not enough:

George Mason University president hangs onto his job in the face of federal inquiries - a co-byline with @tyronefoto.bsky.social and friends at @vpm.org www.vpm.org/news/2025-08...

If we count the DOJ letter concerning the Faculty Senate, it’s six.

Between the Education and Justice Departments, there were already 4 investigations open into George Mason University and President Gregory Washington. Now there's a fifth from the House Judiciary Committee. judiciary.house.gov/media/press-...

Preliminary injunction today in the lawsuit between Virginia Senate Democrats and the Youngkin administration over appointees to university governing boards -- wamu.org/story/25/07/...

Read @sarahkaplan48.bsky.social and team on how "a cascade of decisions all stemming from the mistaken assumption that hurricanes are mainly a coastal threat" led to Hurricane Helene's death toll - and how federal cuts harm efforts to correct it in future www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Increasingly thinking of the butterfly app as a hotbed of interest in local housing and zoning issues, so! If you have been confused about what's been happening to the Arlington EHO case in the Court of Appeals, well, so have I, and here's my best stab at explaining: wamu.org/story/25/07/...

After months of public input sessions and controversy, the Montgomery County Council has passed the workforce housing zoning change: bethesdamagazine.com/2025/07/22/w...

Sincerely hope my colleagues in national political news do not think that the departure of Elon Musk from the spotlight (and from campaign fundraising) means that DOGE is "over" or not a factor in the Virginia elections this year.

Prince William County Supervisor Bob Weir has died at 62 of cancer. A Republican representing Gainesville, he had deep knowledge (and deep concerns) about the county's handling of data centers. He was always sharp and direct from the dais. Found this gem in a 2023 interview: