WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio

10/31/2025

The Politics Hour is hitting the road! Join Kojo Nnamdi and Tom Sherwood for The Politics Hour Live on Nov. 21 at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax. Expect sharp political insight, candid conversation, and special guests — plus a chance to ask your own questions and be part of the discussion.

📍 Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax
🗓️ Friday, Nov. 21 | 12 p.m.
👉 Register now at wamu.org/events

10/31/2025

Virginia voters are choosing a new governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general this year — and they are heading to the polls with health care issues front of mind.

People with health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces started receiving notices from the state that their premiums are going up last week, the result of rising hospital and pharmaceutical costs — and of Congress not extending funding for the so-called “enhanced premium tax credits,” originally instituted by the Biden administration in 2021 to hold down health care costs.

Open enrollment for marketplace health plans begins Nov. 1, just three days before Election Day. Some families will be grappling with what health insurance they can afford as they also head to the polls. Virginia’s next governor will be tasked with guiding the commonwealth’s health infrastructure through a number of significant changes to Medicaid, most of which take effect in 2027.

Click the link in our bio to listen to the full story. https://wamu.org/story/25/10/29/health-hub-virginia-voters-head-to-the-polls-as-health-insurance-premiums-rise/

10/30/2025

This Friday on The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi, we are joined by former U.S. Rep. Tom Davis and WAMU’s Northern Virginia reporter Margaret Barthel to discuss what Virginia’s redistricting push might mean for next week’s elections. Maryland House Majority Leader David Moon also gets behind the mic to discuss funding SNAP benefits and his state's own redistricting efforts.

You can join the conversation by commenting your questions below or calling in during the live show at (800)-433-8850.

10/30/2025

Maryland Governor Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency in response to the looming halt of federal food assistance due to the ongoing federal government shutdown
Governor Moore made the announcement on the morning of October 30 at a food bank in Anne Arundel County. He’s now allocating ten million dollars to food banks and partner organizations across Maryland.

But the move stops short of directly replacing SNAP benefits, the federal food assistance program that serves 680-thousand Marylanders. That would cost an estimated $123 million dollars per month.

Both Democratic and Republican state lawmakers have been pushing Moore to tap Maryland’s 2.25 billion dollar Rainy Day Fund to cover SNAP directly. The governor says he won’t do that without a guarantee the federal government will reimburse the state.

Maryland joins neighboring Virginia in declaring a state of emergency. But unlike those states, Maryland is not using state funds to fully replace SNAP. Maryland has also joined DC in a multiple state lawsuit against the federal government to release SNAP funding.

The funds will come from a fiscal responsibility fund that hosts $200 million in revenue from capital projects. Moore says part of his decision to declare the state of emergency stems from the 20,000 unemployment claims that have been submitted since the government shutdown began.

10/30/2025

How health care, from premium increases to Medicaid cuts, is playing a role in the Virginia governor's race:

Health care has been a consistent talking point in the campaign for governor in the commonwealth.

10/29/2025

In Maryland for the second week in a row, federal workers lined up to receive donations from food distributors.

By 10am over 130 families drove through the food line. They pulled up in their cars, showed their ID’s and boxes of fresh produce and bread were loaded into their trunks. Last Wednesday over 310 families received boxes at this site.

Clara Henderson is an excepted federal employee, meaning she still has to go into work, even though she is not being paid.

“How am I going to pay my bills?,” asked Henderson. “I mean, you know, I'm good for this month, but we got next month. And it's like the little money that I have, I'm just pinching off of it, trying to do what I can to make ends meet. But I mean it's just, it's awful. It's awful, I don't even want to start crying, but it's terrible what they're doing to us.”

Montgomery County is home to over 50,000 Federal workers.

Congressman Jamie Raskin, a Democrat who represents much of Montgomery County, says he is having his own pay withheld and donating to food distribution groups in the region. "We have to pull together and stay together to try to get Republicans to come to the table." He says some Republicans are signaling that they are willing to extend the healthcare subsidies Democrats are holding out for.

10/29/2025

This week on the Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi, we preview Virginia's upcoming elections with WAMU's Northern Virginia reporter Margaret Barthel and former northern Virginia congressman Tom Davis. Some Maryland leaders are pushing back on redistricting efforts. We ask House Majority Leader David Moon where he stands.

Tune in Friday at noon!

10/28/2025

For years, challenging D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton in a Democratic primary was politically unthinkable.

Over the last few years, she’s faced scattered criticism that as an octogenarian, she no longer has the stamina for the job. But those doubts didn’t coalesce into any serious pressure until President Trump launched his full-on assault on D.C.’s autonomy this summer.

Traditionally a key leader in similar disputes with the federal government, Norton took a back seat in the response to Trump’s actions. She communicated mainly through written statements, largely declining to speak publicly, and she failed to inspire much confidence when she did. This opened the floodgates to candidates seeking to replace her.

Bill Lightfoot, a close adviser to Mayor Muriel Bowser, says this reflects the broad consensus Norton shouldn’t run again—despite her frequent insistence that she will.

But most political observers expect Norton will ultimately bow out, especially with two sitting councilmembers in the race who can mount strong campaigns: Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto and At-Large Councilmember Robert White.

The true test for all these candidates, Norton included, will be whether they’re able to get enough petition signatures to make the ballot, a process that starts in January. https://wamu.org/story/25/10/28/d-c-del-eleanor-holmes-norton-sees-her-first-serious-primary-challengers-in-decades/

10/26/2025

WAMU’s All Things Considered host Natalie Yuravlivker brought her sharp eye (and sense of style) to the International Gold Cup steeplechase yesterday, serving as a judge for the always‑fabulous hat contest at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia.

Check out all the fun from yesterday's race at Virginia Gold Cup Races

10/24/2025

This week for Get Out There, we’re hitting National Harbor’s Halloween celebration!

This week for Get Out There, we're hitting National Harbor's Halloween celebration!

10/23/2025

The Capital Area Food Bank in Prince George's County started the morning with 300 boxes of food, enough for 150 families to receive two boxes each. They ran out halfway through distribution.

For many federal workers in this majority-Black county just outside Washington, the shutdown is another layer of stress. Many have spent their careers serving the government, only to find themselves suddenly unable to afford groceries.

And the timing is a double burden. The Capital Area Food Bank has seen some of its own federal funding slashed even as demand skyrockets.

“It’s a perfect storm of increased need in our community and throughout the country,” says the food bank CEO, Radha Muthiah. “At the very same time we’ve got reduced sources of food supply.”

As the shutdown stretches on, organizations like the Capital Area Food Bank, local churches, and community groups like 27 UNIHTED say they will continue soliciting resources and distributing them to the community. https://wamu.org/story/25/10/22/in-maryland-a-spike-in-need-is-sending-federal-workers-to-food-distribution-sites/

10/23/2025

Friday on The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi were joined by Montgomery Council President Kate Stewart and Ward 1 D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau.

You can join the conversation by commenting your questions below or calling in during the live show at (800)-433-8850.