The Jan. 6 insurrection shook the United States and democracy to its core — but it also left a lot of trash in Washington, D.C. Protesters and rioters left bottles, flag poles and stickers behind. But who cleaned up after them? Meet David Smith. He’s a Navy veteran and founder of Continue To Serve. Smith gathered more than 400 people to clean up the path of the pro-Trump rally from the White House ellipse to the U.S. Capitol. Now two years out, we hear Smith’s story.
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TikTok is banned from all U.S. government and military phones, but is this just the beginning? Will TikTok — the most popular app in the world — be banned from all American phones? Virginia Senator and Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee Mark Warner comes on the DMV Download podcast to talk about TikTok and why he doesn’t trust the Chinese social media app. Warner breaks down his two main national security concerns and offers potential solutions.
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Bruce Alan, Debra Feinstein and Kristi King all got hired at WTOP in the same month in 1990. Now, these three radio greats reflect on their 32 years at WTOP as they all depart the Glass Enclosed Nerve Center in the same month – December 2022. We go back in time with Bruce, Debra and Kristi talking about their careers, favorite memories, and what message they have to all the listeners who have heard them for three decades.

It’s time to raise a glass. The holidays are here and News Years is just around the corner. We learn how to make a great toast from a local winner of the Guinness Toast Contest – Tom Ponton. And this is the last daily DMV Download podcast episode before it goes to a weekly format. Then, Luke and Megan reminisce on the more than 150 episodes we’ve done and talk about what’s next.

There’s a growing movement among members of the Virginia High School League trying to create a female wrestling league. Coach Charles Phillips from Alexandria’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology says more and more girls are showing interest in take-downs, pins, and arm bars. We hear from the players themselves, who say wrestling not only makes them stronger and brings them into a community, it gives them a new-found sense of confidence.

The chase of a group of teens arrested with a loaded gun inside Tysons Corner Center gave hundreds of holiday shoppers a legitimate scare even though shots were never fired. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis joins us in the studio to talk about what happened, recruiting new officers and veterans from other departments, and the crimes that he’s most concerned about going into the new year.

Meet the local musician who is creating a way for disabled children and adults in India to play instruments using their brain waves. We have a fascinating conversation with Fulbright scholar and Baltimore native Calvin McCormack about how he’s doing it.

Commanders fans are up in arms for a few reasons. First, their team lost yesterday – in Primetime – on an official’s controversial call. Then, the design of the team’s memorial to a beloved player killed years ago fell flat. WTOP’s Sports Director George Wallace tells us why fans, and former players, were underwhelmed by the memorial to Sean Taylor and what went wrong in the game against the New York Giants. Then, Megan and Luke discuss how they approach New Year’s resolutions.

It’s unclear exactly how many people may be crossing the border in the next few days, with their final destination set for the DMV, but there is a sense that it could be significantly higher than normal. This comes at a time of year when non-profits normally see an increased need. Megan speaks to the CEO of a Baltimore non-profit immigration group about how difficult it is to help set them up and the policy deadline that’s affecting asylum seekers’ migrations. And then, we talk to two special guests from the newsroom about some Christmas-themed quandaries.

Hospitals in our area are struggling to keep up with increasing respiratory patients amid a mounting nurse staff shortage. Today, city officials are meeting with the D.C. Hospital Association to figure out whether a legislative move could help at all. WTOP’s Scott Gelman fills us in on what to expect. Then, Dr. Glenn Wortmann, chief of Infectious Diseases, at MedStar Washington Hospital Center tells us how best to get through this holiday season without getting the flu, RSV or COVID-19.