👋 Hey there, it’s Cuneyt. Welcome to the Dream City Podcast — earlier than planned. Tom Sherwood and I have been preparing this podcast for months, but we had to move up our launch after a bombshell report last Thursday.

On episode 1, we talk about Mayor Muriel Bowser’s 2023 trip to Qatar getting mixed up in media reports about a DOJ investigation. I co-wrote in Axios with White House reporter Marc Caputo that Bowser is not a target of the investigation, hours after the NY Times (gift link) reported that there was a probe into potential bribery and campaign finance violations.

But questions are still swirling. And the case is developing, as reporters find out more.

The Washington Post reported (gift link) that the 2023 trip — which included four of Bowser’s staff members, advertised as a business trip to promote investment in D.C. and paid by Qatari officials — is still under DOJ scrutiny, even if Bowser is not the target.

Bad timing for Bowser, as she considers a fourth term bid.

We also talk about who could be the Zohran Mamdani of D.C.’s mayoral race — that’s Council member Janeese Lewis George. Plus, why Guam might beat D.C. to become the 51st state (WSJ).

🍎 Apple heads can also listen on Apple Podcast right here.

Tom and I want to create a new space for smart, deep conversations about the biggest stories shaping our hometown — and its future.

About us: I’m an Axios D.C. reporter, co-authoring the daily local newsletter and writing a politics column Town Talker. Tom is the resident analyst on WAMU’s Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi and a contributor to Washington City Paper.

⚡️ The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and go behind the scenes of D.C.’s business and political worlds — just as the city heads into what could be its craziest election year ever (see: we could get a new mayor, a new delegate to Congress, new council members — and that’s not even all).

Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.

The Dream City Podcast takes its name from the 1994 book about Marion Barry’s Washington by Tom and Harry Jaffe. We aim to release a few episodes a month. We have some exciting ideas cooking up for the future, so stay tuned.

🙏 You can support us by listening, signing up for this newsletter to get each episode, and sharing it with your friends. Seriously, please please tell everyone in your life to check out www.dreamcity.news.

The Dream City Podcast is supported by SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism.

SpotlightDC is a nonprofit dedicated to funding local journalism projects. Thanks to their launch grant, we were able to set up the Dream City Podcast and buy some really sweet microphones!

Till next time,

Dream on!