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The comprehensive DC politics roundup — April 14, 2026
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White calls on Pinto to withdraw after report's publication
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Robert White — one of two sitting councilmembers vying to become the DC's next delegate to Congress — is calling on his Ward 2 colleague Brooke Pinto to drop out of the race after her campaign posted detailed opposition research about White as well as his family members.
"Brooke Pinto has been running a negative campaign that fits a pattern of throwing accusations through surrogates and then pretending that she isn’t involved," White tweeted this morning along with a video reiterating his objections. "This time, she went too far and the evidence is in plain sight for all to see. As a matter of fact, as of this morning, it is still there."
Pinto's campaign has since trimmed several pages from the document posted online, removing personal information about White and his family. The remaining pages, marked "private & confidential," offer details about his career, political campaigns, and voting record as an at-large councilmember — including suggestions that he has been weak on crime and economic issues.
Last night, White issued a statement declaring that Pinto had crossed a line with public release of the document.
"This is not just a lapse in judgment; it is a blatant violation of basic decency," he said. "It is dangerous, invasive, and completely unacceptable. Whether driven by political desperation or a profound lack of judgment, this conduct is disturbing and completely disqualifying."
Tom Sherwood, a political analyst for WAMU and contributing writer for City Paper, broke the news yesterday evening about the publication of the memo, which a source said was drawn from publicly available information.
Sherwood's thread includes a statement from Pinto: "We think that DC residents should know the full truth: Robert White is a hypocrite. He repeatedly attacks me, my family, and our campaign despite admitting that he 'has no ideology'. … DC deserves better."
This afternoon, Kinney Zalesne — among the eight candidates vying for the Democratic nomination — issued a statement decrying what she's calling "OppoGate," saying it's a distraction from the real issues.
"My opponents' infighting in the DC Delegate race is exactly what people hate about political campaigns and career politicians. While Councilmembers White and Pinto angrily accuse each other of malice, incompetence, hypocrisy and corruption, I'm the only candidate focused on DC's real fight which is against Donald Trump," she said. "Trump has killed 40,000 of our jobs, he's made our healthcare unaffordable, and he and his MAGA toadies keep overturning our laws and our budget."
— 'Brooke Pinto under fire for posting opposition research document on campaign website' [WUSA9]; 'Robert White calls for Brooke Pinto to withdraw from congressional race' [DC News Now]
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The Potomac tops a new list of "America's Most Endangered Rivers" prepared by the national conservation nonprofit American Rivers. "The rapid, unchecked buildout of data centers along the Potomac River threatens the drinking water for our nation’s capital and surrounding areas, while a historic sewage spill raises alarms about aging infrastructure," the group's Bella Astin writes in an overview. The report calls on Congress to fund infrastructure improvements to reduce pollution risks and for state leaders to establish "common-sense safeguards" on data centers and examine the cumulative impact on water resources. [7News]
- Mayor Muriel Bowser's fiscal year 2027 budget proposal is now available online with today's official transmission to the DC Council for its review. At a meeting with councilmembers on Friday, Bowser presented an overview of her FY 2027 proposal, which includes $469 million in program reductions and savings, including the removal of funds set aside for future employee pay increases and the elimination of a fund that boosts salaries for early childhood educators. The council amended its rules to allow formal submission to occur during its weeklong spring recess in order to avoid either of its two key votes on the budget from occurring the week of the June 16 primary and special election.
- The Bowser administration today announced more than $2 million in grant funding to support summer programming for DC youth. Awarded through a competition managed by the Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes, the 30 grants will go to programs expected to serve more than 1,300 young people. Recipients include the Atlas Performing Arts Center, George Washington University, the Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative, the Recreation Wish List Committee and the Washington Global Public Charter School. Most of the recipients will be served in wards 5, 6, 7 and 8, the areas where there's the greatest demand for safe, structured summer programs, according to the mayor's office. Thirteen of the selected organizations are categorized as small nonprofits, and 12 are new to Summer Strong DC. "We hear the calls for more opportunities for young people in the summer, and we are responding," Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn said in a statement. "This year, DC is offering more high-quality programs than ever before." Information on available programs for students in kindergarten through 12th grade is posted at most.dc.gov.
- Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder last week introduced legislation to legalize online casino-style gaming in the District. In a press release, Felder said that what's often known as "iGaming" would provide a new revenue source for DC at a time of economic change and significant budget constraints. The games are already accessible to District residents through unregulated, offshore platforms, he noted. "In the absence of a legal framework, these platforms operate without meaningful consumer safeguards, age verification, or regulatory oversight, creating risks for residents and limiting the District’s ability to respond," Felder wrote in an introductory memo. The bill would set a minimum age of 21 for players and require identity verification, with enforcement tools to target illegal operators. He cited projections for annual revenues to the DC government of $50 million to $75 million within five years. The bill — formally known as the Internet Gaming and Consumer Protection Act of 2026 — was referred to the Committee on Human Services with comments from the Committee of the Whole.
- The International Monetary Fund and World Bank are holding their spring meetings downtown, prompting a slate of street closures and emergency parking restrictions. H Street from 19th Street and 20th Street NW is closed to vehicular traffic through Saturday at 5 p.m., according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Two additional streets — H Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to 20th Street NW, and 19th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to G Street NW — will be closed from Wednesday at 7 p.m. through Saturday at 5 p.m. There are also "Emergency No Parking" restrictions in place on several nearby blocks. [WTOP]
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► 'Key D.C. development board loses quorum, halting projects across the city.' WBJ's Ben Peters: "The D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment has been shut down for more than a month after the departures of several key members left the board without quorum.
"Four of the board’s five seats are vacant, resulting in a host of projects being unable to advance since the board last met on March 11. Most active cases have been administratively rescheduled to be heard in June.
" … Two seats held by appointees of Mayor Muriel Bowser were recently vacated due to departures, while the seat held by a designated representative of the National Capital Planning Commission was also recently emptied." [WBJ]
— Earlier this month, the mayor's office nominated Paul Goldstein, a program analyst with the DC Department of Buildings, to one of the open seats. Another two nominations are expected to come in time for consideration on an expedited basis at the DC Council's May 5 meeting, WBJ reported.
► 'DC Council blocks $25M fire truck deal after District paid $900K for designs.' News4's Ted Oberg: "The D.C. Council voted against a $25 million contract for 18 new fire engines, but the District had already spent nearly $900,000 to design and engineer the trucks it now may never buy, the News4 I-Team found.
"The council’s vote stopped the larger purchase, but it did not affect the earlier design contract because agreements under $1 million do not require council approval. District records reviewed by the I-Team show all $900,000 was paid in the weeks before the council vote.
"D.C. Fire and EMS told the I-Team there is an urgent need for new apparatus. The department told council members that almost 30 engines are beyond their service life." [News4]
► 'Aviation safety bill based on deadly midair collision near Washington faces a House vote.' AP's Josh Funk: "An aviation safety bill seeking to address lessons learned from last year’s midair collision of a jet with an Army helicopter near the nation’s capital is up for a vote Tuesday evening in the House, but key senators and the families of the 67 victims think the bill needs to be strengthened.
"The House bill, called the Alert Act, has the backing of key industry groups. The National Transportation Safety Board said recently that the legislation, since amended, now addresses its recommendation to require all aircraft flying around busy airports to have key locator systems that let pilots know more precisely where other aircraft are flying around them.
"The NTSB has been recommending the new technology systems since 2008, and Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy has said such a system would have prevented the collision of the American Airlines jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter that sent both aircraft plunging into the icy Potomac River." [AP]
► 'D.C.'s war on rats is using poison, policy — and birth control.' Axios' Anna Spiegel: "Rats on birth control — not a joke. It's part of D.C.'s new spring pilot to curb a stubborn rodent problem.
"Why it matters: D.C. is gearing up for a rodent reckoning. The city ranks among the most rat-infested in the U.S., and frustration is rising as officials test new ways to fight back.
Driving the news: DC Health announced a $30,000 'rodent control pilot' this month." [Axios]
► 'Designer ferrets and dry ice: Inside D.C.'s long, weird war on rats.' Axios' Anna Spiegel: "D.C. has been fighting rats — and getting creative about it — for centuries.
"Why it matters: Putting rats on birth control might sound out there — it's not. Washington has long experimented with unusual ways to tackle a very old problem.
"Flashback: Rats have plagued the White House since its completion in 1800, drawn to the damp basement 'even as great events took place on the floors above,' according to the White House Historical Association." [Axios]
► 'Another round of layoffs hits Kennedy Center ahead of two-year closure.' WaPo's Travis M. Andrews and Janay Kingsberry: "The Kennedy Center’s layoffs continued Friday, as the capital’s premier arts institution prepares for a two-year shutdown for renovations.
"Programming was impacted in the cuts, according to multiple people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter. It is unclear how many departments were affected or how many people were terminated.
"One person familiar with the cuts said much of the programming department’s work has been either terminated or redirected toward campus rentals, for which venue fees have to be paid up front." [WaPo]
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ICYMI — among the top clicked items from DL's last newsletter: Video: 'Elephant calf Linh Mai explores National Zoo ahead of public debut' [News4]; 'White House dirt dumped on historic DC golf course sparks lawsuit, fears over future of public golf' [WUSA9]
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'Advocates push back at DC mayor’s proposal to cut Pay Equity Fund' [ DC News Now]
'Lease-to-own, lot splits, and a faster permit process: Brooke Pinto introduces new DC housing bill' [ UrbanTurf]
'DC lays out Emancipation Day and DC250 events, emphasizes safety planning' [ WTOP]
'Former D.C. United player's sister part of team opening Rev'd in Navy Yard' [ WBJ]
'DC blooms better than the cherry blossoms' [ City Cast DC]
'TMZ is officially in DC—wait, what?' [ Washingtonian]
'Whitman-Walker Health to present 'Pro Bono Excellence' award to law firm' [ Wash Blade]
'DC’s 'Heated Rivalry' lookalike contest turned into a heated meet-cute' [ Washingtonian]
Arts and Entertainment
- 'Film tracks how Black maternal health crisis touched DC doctors' own pregnancies' [News4]
- Video: 'Sasha Velour debuts performance art drag show 'Travesty' teaching queer history in DC' [News4]
Restaurants
- 'A top DC sushi chef has a new affordable omakase counter in DC' [Washingtonian]
- Video: 'José Andrés debuts Bazaar Meat steakhouse in DC' [News4]
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A Board of Elections staff report says Jack Evans is short of the signatures he needs to qualify for the ballot in the DC Council chair's race:
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WaPo's acting CEO and publisher wrote to employees last week, hailing their "ability to work under pressure" and "collective resilience":
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Freedom250 has released details about a 16-day "Great American State Fair" planned for the National Mall this summer:
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