WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio

09/02/2025

The first Busboys and Poets opened 20 years ago. Owner Andy Shallal chronicles the restaurant's founding in his new memoir, 'A Seat at the Table.'

Andy Shallal's new memoir chronicles his arrival in the U.S. from Iraq, his entry into the restaurant business, and his founding of the iconic local restaurant chain Busboys and Poets.

08/29/2025

The DC Jazz Festival returns to the city this Labor Day weekend, and it's bringing shows to multiple neighborhoods and all four quadrants of the city for its 21st year.

For this week’s Get Out There, our series about ways to explore the Washington region, WAMU Morning Edition producer Jackson Sinnenberg has a few recommendations.

This week on Get Out There, we're looking at some of the not-to-miss shows at the 2025 DC Jazz Festival.

08/29/2025

What will the immigration crackdown mean for local schools this fall?

With the dramatic expansion of ICE and an increase in immigration enforcement, especially in nearby D.C., teachers, students, and families are concerned about what it will mean for local schools.

08/27/2025

Metro announced the winning design for its new 8000-series rail fleet Tuesday August 26.
More than 20,000 Metro riders voted last week on one of three exterior design options for the upcoming fleet.

The new 8000-series rail cars are expected to have wider aisles, more digital signage and upgraded navigation tools.

Metro says riders can expect to see the new rail cars in late 2027.

08/27/2025

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made the announcement August 27, hours before the launch of new Acela trains between D.C. and Boston.

In a statement, Duffy said the takeover will involve a cooperation between the nonprofit Union Station Redevelopment Corp., which controls the station, and Amtrak, which leases space from them.

The U.S. Transportation Department also has recently taken control of renovations at New York’s Penn Station.

08/26/2025

Some members of the National Guard patrolling D.C. are now carrying loaded fi****ms.

A Defense Department spokesperson says some Guard units would be armed with handguns and others with rifles.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered National Guardsmen to begin carrying weapons. Hegseth did not elaborate on his reasoning for arming the troops. He stated on social media that the actionwas "common sense."

The National Guard says weapons can only be used as a last resort in response to an immediate threat of death or serious bodily harm.

08/26/2025

President Trump signed an executive order yesterday Monday August 25 threatening to punish D.C. and other cities around the country unless they reinstitute cash bail systems.
It requires people accused of crimes to pay bonds in order to be released before trial. WAMU’s Alex Koma reports, the move is part of Trump's weekslong intervention in the city’s affairs.

In Mondays press conference, President Trump said, “They thought it was discriminatory to make people put up money because they just killed three people lying on the street. Any street all over the country, cashless bail. We're ending it. But we're starting by ending it in D.C.”

D.C. lawmakers like Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen are skeptical, noting only Congress has the authority to overturn locally passed laws or withhold previously approved funding.

“It's clearly not a solution to any problem, but I'm really not convinced that's even a real thing,” Allen said.

The D.C. Council abolished cash bail back in 1992, citing an unfair system where poor people were forced to languish in jail before facing trial. Courts can still decide to hold those they deem a danger to the community.

08/25/2025

A Maryland resident, frustrated after watching multiple attempts at reparations fail in the legislature, has now taken the fight to the courts.

His case adds a new dimension to Maryland’s reparations debate, creating a three-pronged battle: lawmakers pushing a bill through the General Assembly, Governor Wes Moore advancing his own initiatives to close the racial wealth gap (programs he has described as a form of reparations) and now, the courts being asked to weigh in.

Now all three branches of government are wrestling with the same contentious questions: What does Maryland owe Black residents for generations of slavery and systemic discrimination? And which vision for repair should take the lead? https://wamu.org/story/25/08/22/md-black-leadership-moore-reparations/

08/25/2025

The Washington Post reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are now accompanying MPD officers on moped traffic stops.

We are entering the third week of a surge in federal law enforcement in D.C. and the federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department. MPD officers are now working in tandem with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to determine the immigration status of delivery drivers during traffic stops.

Several videos of food delivery drivers on mopeds being detained by ICE have gone viral on social media, putting many of those workers on edge.

Teo Armus is a reporter for the Washington Post. He’s been following these detainments and how drivers and their families are responding. He spoke with WAMU’s Kayla Hewitt about what he’s learned.

https://wamu.org/story/25/08/25/dc-ice-working-with-dc-police-moped-delivery-drivers/

08/22/2025

The Metropolitan Police Department is implementing a juvenile curfew zone for the U Street Corridor starting Thursday August 21.

The zone goes into effect at 8pm and ends Sunday night.

The boundaries include the area between T and V Streets NW, including parts of Vermont and Florida Avenues NW and 7th Street/Georgia Ave NW and 15th Street NW. During that time minors aged 17 and under are prohibited from being in groups of 9 or more in public spaces or establishments within the zone. More info and exemptions can be found on MPD’s website.The U street curfew is in addition to a nightly citywide juvenile curfew.

That citywide curfew starts at 11 PM and ends at 6 in the morning.

08/22/2025

Fox News host-turned-top D.C. prosecutor Jeanine Pirro has used President Trump's new focus on local crime as a chance to rail against some of the city's criminal justice reforms. She claims they've made youth crime worse, but most experts see little connection. https://wamu.org/story/25/08/21/dc-jeanine-pirro-reform-laws/

08/20/2025

As the impact of the federal reconciliation bill on Virginia's health care system becomes clear, some safety net health providers who rely on Medicaid worry they'll be asked to do more with less.

“It's something that keeps me up at night, trying to figure out how we as a community here in Northern Virginia are going to take care of all of these patients,” one said.

State officials will face choices around implementing new work requirements and using state funds to fill new gaps.