2024 Primary Election Candidate Interview with two-term State Delegate Lesley Lopez from District 39 now running for Congress in Maryland’s Sixth District, which goes from Montgomery in the south all the way to Western Maryland. The Sixth District is probably the most competitive US House race in the state this election season. You can find interviews with other candidates in the I Hate Politics library on all major streaming platforms. Music for the episode are two short original piano compositions from Kensington resident Adam Bobrow.

2024 Primary Election Candidate Interview with first-term State Delegate Joe Vogel from District 17 now running for Congress in Maryland’s Sixth District, which goes from Montgomery in the south all the way to Western Maryland. The Sixth District is probably the most competitive US House race in the state this election season. You can find interviews with other candidates in the I Hate Politics library on all major streaming platforms. Music for the episode are two short original piano compositions from Kensington resident Adam Bobrow.

Montgomery County Congressman Jamie Raskin votes against bill to provide military aid to Israel; MCPS faces lawsuits from Jewish and Muslim groups; White’s Ferry owner says he will donate the ferry in an effort to restart it, but what’s going to happen to the per vehicle fee that was holding things up? New shuttle bus service and bus-only lanes on Georgia Ave connecting Redline stations from Glenmont to Takoma Park this summer; and much more. Music from Baltimore jazzman Seth Kibel: sethkibel.com.

2024 Primary Election Candidate Interview with two-term Board of Education member from District 4 Shebra Evans now running to be reelected for a third time. All eligible voters can cast their choice for all school board races. You can find interviews with other candidates in the I Hate Politics library on all major streaming platforms. Music for the episode are two short original piano compositions from Kensington resident Adam Bobrow.

2024 Primary Election Candidate Interview with long-time county and state PTA leader Laura Stewart who is running for the Montgomery County Board of Education in District 4. All eligible voters can cast their choice for all school board races. You can find interviews with other candidates in the I Hate Politics library on all major streaming platforms. Music for the episode are two short original piano compositions from Kensington resident Adam Bobrow.

The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: Picking lawyers to file lawsuits in the Key Bridge collapse case; MCPS introduces tougher safety measures but at what cost; analyses of new tree canopy report for the DMV; and University of Maryland scientists develop an invisibility cloak for AI tracking. Music from Baltimore jazzman Seth Kibel: sethkibel.com. MD 90-Day report: https://t.ly/HxQM6. Tree canopy report: https://t.ly/VrEoF.

The 2024 session of the Maryland General Assembly saw over 800 bills passed of the nearly 3000 filed. Sunil Dasgupta talks with veteran Annapolis reporters Josh Kurtz of Maryland Matters and Pam Wood of The Baltimore Banner about the successes, failures, and surprises from 90 days of legislative work under conditions of one-party rule. Music from Damascus, MD,-based rapper and music producer Cataclizm: youtube.com/@thereckoning301.

The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: The Maryland General Assembly ends 2024 session with a budget increasing vehicle fees; Washington DC’s proposed budget pivots to policing and away from services; colleges and universities further delay financial aid decisions because of data problems on the new federal financial aid platform; Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman upbraids UMBC for Title IX violations, and more. Music from Baltimore jazzman Seth Kibel: sethkibel.com.

Sunil Dasgupta talks with Clarksburg High School junior Praneel Suvarna, one of two finalists for the Student Member of the Montgomery County Board of Education in 2024-25. The SMOB is one of eight on the county school board, nearly co-equal with other generally elected members, but voted in by MCPS secondary school students only. Music for this episode comes from Adam Bobrow. Suvarna Insta: @praneel4smob.

Sunil Dasgupta talks with Montgomery Blair High School junior Samantha Ross, one of two finalists for the Student Member of the Montgomery County Board of Education in 2024-25. The SMOB is one of eight on the county school board, nearly co-equal with other generally elected members, but voted in by MCPS secondary school students only. Music for this episode comes from Adam Bobrow. Ross Insta: @sam.for.smob.

The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: The collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore; the governor’s housing supply expansion bill falters; protestors heckle Congressman Jamie Raskin over the Gaza War; and how good is school testing data really? Music from Baltimore jazzman Seth Kibel: sethkibel.com. Port of Baltimore live cam: youtu.be/83a7h3kkgPg Solar eclipse watch info: transportationops.org/eclipse

In a week when we saw video of Baltimore's Key Bridge crumple from the impact of a colliding container ship, Sunil Dasgupta talks with Montgomery County drone reporter Tim Pruss whose aerial video footage of crashes, first response teams, lines of traffic, and the serenity of nature are just as stunning in the emerging field of drone news reporting. Music from Damascus, MD,-based rapper and music producer Cataclizm: youtube.com/@thereckoning301. Follow Pruss: https://twitter.com/MyDronePro.

The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: Maryland House Majority Leader David Moon on a revenue plan impasse with other Democrats; new revenge porn bill; four elementary schools thrown off the Title 1 list fight back; and Montgomery County Chief Health Officer Kisha Davis on how different it is now from four years ago. Uninsured Covid treatment: test2treat.org. Music from Baltimore jazzman Seth Kibel: sethkibel.com.

Sunil Dasgupta talks with UMBC political scientist Tom Schaller and Washington DC journalist Paul Waldman about their bestselling new book examining the threat to American democracy from the paradox of the power and impotence of 15 percent of the US population living in rural America. Music from Damascus, MD,-based rapper and music producer Cataclizm: youtube.com/@thereckoning301. White Rural Rage: https://a.co/d/0YmkWJ7.

A legal settlement could upend the custom of home sellers paying 6 percent commission to brokers. Maryland House considers new tax proposal opposed by Governor Wes Moore and the state Senate leadership. The Governor breaks with his climate allies over building data centers in the state. State retirees object to being moved to Medicare Part D prescription coverage, and Takoma Park passes a ceasefire resolution. Music from Baltimore jazzman Seth Kibel: https://sethkibel.com.

In the face of population loss and sluggish economic growth in the state, Maryland’s Comptroller Brooke Lierman commissioned a State of the Economy Report. Lierman talks with Sunil Dasgupta about the central findings and implications of the report including women’s participation in the state labor market, housing affordability, childcare, and more. Music from Washington DC garage punk band, Apollo 66: apollo66rock.com.

The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: ​​Washington DC and Maryland pass controversial public safety bills that respectively relaxes restrictions on chokeholds and lowers the age of those who can be charged for non-violent crimes to include fifth graders. New report looks at how DC schools did in 2022-23; and the Supreme Court refuses to hear a case of Asian discrimination in Thomas Jefferson High School in Northern Virginia. Music from Baltimore jazzman Seth Kibel: https://sethkibel.com.

In yet another setback to news reporting, Washington DC public radio station WAMU closes its local news website, DCist, and lays off 16 staffers. Sunil Dasgupta talks with longtime WAMU and DCist reporter Martin Austermuhle about how mismanagement killed a popular news source. Austermuhle left the station on his own a few months before the layoffs and is not bound by a non-disparagement agreement. Music from DC garage punk band, Apollo 66: apollo66rock.com.

The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: Montgomery County, MD, reverses stand on cooperating with ICE when releasing undocumented criminals in their custody. Has the tide turned on new rent stabilization? Proposed bills to allow religious institutions to build affordable housing on their land, state woes with the transportation trust fund, and a bizarre case of abuse of judicial process involving a midnight door knock. Music from DC songwriter and composer Oren Levine and the band Lucky So & So: https://ohljazz.com. New rent rules: https://t.ly/ZyUpl. Religious org zoning: https://t.ly/N_Gwd

When owner Ted Leonsis and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced their plan last December to move the Capitals and Wizards from Washington DC to Alexandria in Northern Virginia, they caused the rise of local opposition to their $2 billion proposal for a new sports and entertainment arena, which would be largely supported through public finance. Sunil Dasgupta talks with former Alexandria city councilmember Andrew Macdonald, one of the leaders of the opposition, about their plans to stop the stadium. Music from DC garage punk band, Apollo 66: apollo66rock.com.