Ben Brasch
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DC city hall/politics reporter for @citycast_DC. @UFJSchool+@ajc+@washingtonpost alumnus. 727 native. I crave those 'Tommy Boy' wings. He/him. Avi: @alyssaNo_L
Articles by Ben Brasch
Welcome Back to School! A Lot Could Change With JLG.
For most DCPS students, today marks the beginning of a school year that will be business as usual. But for leadership in the District, things will ABC – Assuredly Be Changing. Janeese Lewis George will presumably become mayor in January and could install a new deputy mayor of education and a new chancellor of D.C. Public Schools. Who a mayor picks to administer D.C. Public Schools can deeply affect their legacy.
D.C. Coating Roads To Help Cool City
The District is rolling out an experiment to cool down the city’s soaring temperatures by coating its roads with substances designed to reduce the amount of heat absorbed and thrown off by sun-baked streets. According to transportation officials, it’s a bit like a science fair project about fighting climate change: They are testing three coatings that bounce heat off asphalt but work differently. One dries clear by using titanium dioxide, a popular skincare ingredient that wards away harmful rays.
All You Need to Know for This Weekend’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix
America’s birthday might be behind us, but one of President Donald Trump’s marquee events — The Freedom 250 Grand Prix — is still to come. This weekend, high-tech automobiles will be zipping at about 200 mph around the National Mall on a 1.7-mile track. The weekend will feature a number of practices and exhibition races before the official race at 1 p.m. on Sunday, which will air nationally on Fox. Free tickets for the event are sold out.
DOJ Lashes Out at D.C. Council Over Request to Remove National Guard
A small feud is heating up between the Department of Justice and the D.C. Council after the DOJ accused the Council of “callousness” for asking states to get their National Guard troops out of the District by next month. In late July, the D.C. Council sent letters to 20 U.S. governors, who deployed their National Guard forces to the District last year in response to President Donald Trump declaring a public safety emergency.
Florida Senator Wants to Require Flags, Pledges in D.C. Classrooms
Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Florida) wants to require an American flag in every District classroom and time set aside for the Pledge of Allegiance daily, teeing up another round of conflict between home-rule supporters and a Capitol Hill Republican. The bill is styled as the PLEDGE – or the “Promoting Loyalty, Engagement, Duty, and Gratitude in Education” – Act.
Mendelson: Bowser Not Signing Budget Gives GOP More Fodder
D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson implied that Mayor Muriel Bowser’s choice this week not to sign the budget puts D.C. at risk of congressional meddling. The budget does not need Bowser’s signature and will continue apace. But Mendelson said her response gives a bad impression to Hill Republicans seeking to depict the District as unable to govern itself.
Bowser Won't Sign Budget, Warns of $837M 'Fiscal Cliff'
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that she will not sign the contentious budget passed by the D.C. Council last month, raising questions over whether Congress will use this as yet another example of the District being unable to govern itself. The budget, which is north of $20 billion, will still go into effect. But Bowser's refusal to sign shows that she disagrees with the Council ballooning her original proposal by hundreds of millions of dollars.
D.C. Activists Boycott DoorDash Over Home Rule Snub
If you want to support D.C., delete DoorDash from your phone. That’s the message home-rule advocates are taking from a Wednesday hearing on the Hill, where Republican Kentucky Rep. James Comer revealed that the delivery app supports a bill that District leaders say would trample on D.C.’s right to govern itself. Not long after the hearing, the statehood advocacy group Free D.C. called on people to cut off DoorDash unless the firm changed its position.
D.C. Council Slams Comer Bill to Seize Control of Local Taxes
A powerful House Republican wants to permanently block D.C. from raising its own taxes — potentially dealing a major blow to the city's ability to create policy just as a democratic socialist is set to become the city's mayor. Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer has proposed a bill that would require Congress to approve any new D.C. law that creates or increases a tax or fee. The bill has a mark-up hearing slated for Wednesday in the House Oversight Committee — of which Comer is the chair.
Cyclosporiasis? The Best Places to Have Diarrhea in D.C.
We’re all thinking it: “Uh-oh, what if I get that diarrhea illness that people are posting about? Where will I go?” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is investigating a nationwide outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness that can cause nausea, fatigue and explosive diarrhea. The illness is caused by consuming food or water contaminated by the Cyclospora parasite and does not spread from person to person.
Did Mike Collins help double health insurance premiums for 1 million Georgians?
As Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff seeks to retain his Georgia seat, he is pointing to Republican challenger U.S. Rep. Mike Collins’ healthcare record as detrimental to Georgians. "Donald Trump and his puppet Mike Collins, they doubled health insurance premiums for more than a million Georgians and threw 300,000 Georgians off their insurance altogether," Ossoff said during a June 27 campaign rally in Savannah.
D.C. Passes RESALE Act Targeting Predatory Ticket Scalpers
D.C. residents may soon say goodbye to sneaky resale prices on tickets for everything from concerts to sports and comedy. On Tuesday, the D.C. Council unanimously approved a bill that limits bots from snapping up tickets from humans and caps the resale value of a ticket at no more than 10% of the original price plus fees. The Restricting Egregious Scalping Against Live Entertainment (RESALE) Act restricts secondary-market sales of concert and sports tickets on websites such as StubHub.
The Robotaxi Debate Begins Again
D.C. is reviving its discussion of whether self-driving cars can operate in the city — and it’s gearing up to be a contentious fight involving well-heeled tech companies, disability advocates and the local unions that just helped elect progressives to the D.C. Council. At a hearing to discuss a commercial autonomous vehicle bill Monday morning, more than 80 people spoke out about their concerns.
D.C. Council to Weigh New Tax on Rich
D.C. won’t even need to wait for the likely January arrival of a democratic socialist mayor before jumping into a debate about soaking the rich. D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau today introduced a wealth tax on high-income residents. The tax is structured as a 3% surtax on passive income — that is, investments and the like — and would apply to individuals making more than $400,000 per year or couples filing jointly making more than $500,000 per year.
D.C. Council to Consider New Corporate Tax, a JLG Campaign Promise
The District will look into how realistic it is to create a corporate tax on large corporations such as law firms and lobbying groups – a frequently discussed policy from D.C. councilmember and presumptive mayor Janeese Lewis George. The Business Activity Tax, proposed by Lewis George on the campaign trail, would tax the District’s many law firms, lobbying shops and large corporations with nonresident owners.
D.C. Releases RFK Stadium Master Plan
The city’s planning office on Tuesday released a master plan for the new $3.7 billion RFK stadium, the most comprehensive look so far at what Mayor Muriel Bowser called “the largest economic development project in DC history.” The plan for the 180-acre development near Kingman Park and Hill East includes up to 6,500 new homes, a 13-story stadium, more than 260,000 square feet for retail and commercial use, 1,200 hotel rooms and 60 acres total of park and recreation space.
This Fourth of July To Have Most Security in Years
This Fourth of July is going to be very different from others. Think less condensation-covered coolers and sunsets and more magnetometers and members of Congress. For the first time ever, officials said, the Independence Day celebration on the National Mall will require TSA-level screening. Visitors may not bring anything bigger than a clutch or a clear container the size of a gallon freezer bag. If your bags don’t meet the standards, they will be thrown away because there’s no storage.
Was Jon Ossoff the ‘deciding vote’ in 2022 Inflation Reduction Act passage? We examine.
Four years after Congress narrowly approved the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican Senate hopeful in Georgia, blamed the measure for worsening inflation and pointed voters to incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff’s support for the legislation. Ossoff "cast the deciding vote for the inflation disaster that cost Georgia families at the gas pump, the grocery store, and the border," Collins said in a television ad released June 17.
I Went To the Great American State Fair So You Don’t Have To
“Nobody, there’s seriously nobody!” a man shouted into his phone as he exited the Great American State Fair. It was a pretty good one liner for what I was about to experience. I got there at 5 p.m. on opening day and walked right in. Despite being one of America 250’s “biggest attractions,” there was no line. Suddenly, I was a lone Sims character dropped into a brand new game. There was nothing but me and a vast expanse of awe-inspiringly verdant grass.
Ally Wants Investigation of Campaign Finance Office that Fined JLG
A top D.C. Council ally of Janeese Lewis George is demanding an investigation of the office whose bombshell ethics ruling against the mayoral candidate threatened to upend last week’s primary. Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau wants to know whether the city's Office of Campaign Finance improperly inserted itself into the election by declaring days before the vote that Lewis George had violated campaign finance rules, a charge the candidate denied.
Great American Fair Not Drawing Great American Crowd
If Americans are going to flock to the Trump administration’s Great American State Fair, they certainly weren’t doing it when the doors opened Thursday. The massive, nostalgic fair has overtaken much of the National Mall, with a presidential rally to kick things off and Air Force flyovers to punctuate opening day. But within the gates of the fair itself, there were vast stretches of open grass and a high ratio of workers to actual visitors.
D.C. Council Passes Budget, Hints to New Battles
The D.C. Council approved its 2027 budget Tuesday, pushing through a version that avoided some of the severe reductions to social services initially proposed by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser. The Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Program, which had been targeted for cuts, was given an additional $1.5 million in funding.
Did Mike Collins ‘admit’ that Trump was in the Epstein files? A Jon Ossoff ad omits critical facts
An ad by Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff says his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, revealed information about President Donald Trump and the Epstein files. The ad said Collins covered for Trump and other powerful men when he voted against releasing the Epstein files, a cache of documents and recordings released by the federal government beginning in December 2025 from investigations of financier and deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Is Graham Platner’s oyster farm ‘totally fake’? Fact-checking attack on Senate candidate from Maine
The head of a Maine conservative news outlet said Graham Platner, the Democrat running to represent the state in the Senate, is lying about his blue-collar oyster farming job. In a June 5 Fox News appearance, Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steven Robinson told Laura Ingraham that Platner’s business is "a campaign prop." "The oyster business, totally fake," said Robinson, whose outlet was founded in 2011 by the conservative think tank Maine Policy Institute.
Rival TV ads in Ohio’s US Senate race play up donors’ Epstein links. Are they legit?
The Ohio Senate campaigns of Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Sen. Jon Husted both are running ads accusing their rival of receiving six-figure donations from people they call "associates" of disgraced financier and deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Each candidate received donations from people mentioned in the Epstein files, the federal government’s investigative archive that included the public release of more than 3.5 million pages of records, 180,000 images and 2,000 videos.
Protesters take to streets nationwide to decry ICE tactics in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS For the second frigid Friday in a row, thousands of demonstrators skipped work or school, and businesses shuttered, as a march took over downtown to protest President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown in this city. The march, and an earlier demonstration outside the nearby federal building that has become a focal point for protests against aggressive immigration operations that have roiled this city for weeks, was one of several that spilled into streets across the country.
Tulsi Gabbards appearance at Fulton County FBI raid raises questions
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At a televised Cabinet meeting last August, President Donald Trump turned to his top intelligence official, noting that she had evidence of how corrupt the 2020 election was, and asked when shed produce it. I will be the first to brief you once we have that information collected, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard replied.
By Jeremy Roebuck Verified, Emily Davies Verified, Warren Strobel Verified, Ben Brasch, Ellen Nakashima Verified
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MSN
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Tulsi Gabbard’s appearance at Fulton County FBI raid raises questions
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2 hours ago When Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem strode into the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters last week, ahead of a monster winter storm that walloped much of the country, she caught staffers buzzing around the agency’s response center off guard. “I was shocked she showed up after …
By Ellen Nakashima Verified, Warren Strobel Verified, Ben Brasch, Jeremy Roebuck Verified, Emily Davies Verified
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Flipboard
FBI executes search warrant seeking ballots from Fulton Countys 2020 election
The FBI executed a search warrant Wednesday at the elections warehouse of a Georgia county at the heart of right-wing conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, a significant escalation of the Trump administrations efforts to challenge the narrative of his loss that year. A bureau spokesperson confirmed that agents were conducting court-authorized law enforcement action at the warehouse in Fulton County, home to most of Atlanta and more than 1 million residents.
FBI executes search warrant seeking ballots from Fulton County’s 2020 election
FBI executes search warrant seeking ballots from Fulton County’s 2020 election (washingtonpost.com) FBI executes search warrant seeking ballots from Fulton County’s 2020 election By Ben Brasch; Jeremy Roebuck 2026012821350300 The FBI executed a search warrant Wednesday at the elections warehouse of a Georgia county at the heart of right-wing conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, a significant escalation of the Trump administration's efforts to challenge the narrative of his loss that...
Two federal agents shot Alex Pretti, initial government review reveals
Two federal agents shot Alex Pretti, initial government review reveals (washingtonpost.com) Two federal agents shot Alex Pretti, initial government review reveals By Kadia Goba; Ben Brasch; Joanna Slater; Kelly Kasulis Cho 2026012714180500 Two federal officers fired at Alex Pretti during Saturday's fatal shooting in Minneapolis, according to a statement sent to some members of Congress by the Department of Homeland Security that provides the first official timeline of the deadly encounter...
Thousands march in Minnesota and hundreds of businesses close to protest ICE
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MINNEAPOLIS Thousands of people converged at a downtown park on Friday afternoon in the states biggest show of opposition yet to the Trump administrations immigration operations in Minnesota, braving subzero temperatures and skipping work and school.
By Natalie Allison Verified, Michelle Boorstein Verified, Justine McDaniel, Lauren Kaori Gurley Verified, Ben Brasch
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MSN
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Thousands march in Minnesota and hundreds of businesses close to protest ICE
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Thousands march in Minnesota and hundreds of businesses close to protest ICE (washingtonpost.com) Thousands march in Minnesota and hundreds of businesses close to protest ICE By Lauren Kaori Gurley; Justine McDaniel; Natalie Allison; Michelle Boorstein; Ben Brasch 2026012311012200 MINNEAPOLIS — Thousands of people converged at a downtown park on Friday afternoon in the state's biggest show of opposition yet to the Trump administration's immigration operations in Minnesota, braving subzero...
By Lauren Kaori Gurley Verified, Justine McDaniel, Natalie Allison Verified, Michelle Boorstein Verified, Ben Brasch
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The Washington Post
Verified
Church says limits on bell tower are religious discrimination, sues town
Church says limits on bell tower are religious discrimination, sues town (washingtonpost.com) Church says limits on bell tower are religious discrimination, sues town By Ben Brasch 2026012116290300 A disagreement over a proposed bell tower has led a Ukrainian Catholic church near Pittsburgh to sue local government leaders in federal court, claiming that religious discrimination is preventing the parish from properly honoring its dead.
Supporters press for a D.C. memorial to Thomas Paine, whose writings helped fuel the Revolutionary War
NEW YORK — Some 250 years after “Common Sense” helped inspire the 13 colonies to declare independence, Thomas Paine might receive a long-anticipated tribute from his adopted country. A Paine memorial in Washington, D.C., authorized by a 2022 law, awaits approval from the U.S. Department of Interior.
St. Louis officials search for runaway monkeys enters new phase
Nearly a week after the first reports of monkeys on the loose in St. Louis, and a fruitless search, officials there are shifting focus to find the animals owner. Owning a monkey is against the law in St. Louis, said Justen Hauser, head of the city health departments environmental health bureau.
South Carolina says the Revolutionary War was won there. But was it?
South Carolina says the Revolutionary War was won there. But was it? (washingtonpost.com) South Carolina says the Revolutionary War was won there. But was it?
Minnesota sues DHS, ICE over immigration enforcement
Minnesota sues DHS, ICE over immigration enforcement (washingtonpost.com) Minnesota sues DHS, ICE over immigration enforcement By David Nakamura; Brianna Tucker; Ben Brasch 2026011222420500 Minnesota officials sued federal immigration authorities on Monday, claiming the Trump administration's "unprecedented surge" of immigration agents is politically motivated and violates the U.S. Constitution.
At annual ‘sexy circus,’ strippers raise money for children’s hospital
Skip to Content Portland strippers who perform at an annual fundraiser called Tatas for Toys, raising $243,000 to buy items for patients at the children's hospital over the last 15 years • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Jazmine Walter knows the difference a toy can make to a sick child. Don't have an account?
At annual ‘sexy circus,’ strippers raise money for children’s hospital
At annual ‘sexy circus,’ strippers raise money for children’s hospital (washingtonpost.com) At annual ‘sexy circus,’ strippers raise money for children’s hospital By Ben Brasch 2026010711020200 Jazmine Walter knows the difference a toy can make to a sick child. As a high school junior, she endured a lengthy stay at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, Oregon, to treat a digestive problem that left her with five ulcers and two holes in her stomach.
Oyster, crab, lobster thieves strike back-to-back in New England
A trio of recent commercial seafood thefts in New England highlights a titanic problem: cargo theft. Forty thousand oysters and the 14 watery cages in which they sat were discovered missing from a facility in Falmouth, Maine, on Nov. 22, authorities said. The mollusks and equipment were valued at nearly $20,000. Then, authorities believe, thieves took a shipment of crab Dec.
Seafood heists expose the underbelly of cargo theft in New England
TOP TARGET Ben Brasch and Washington Post|Published 8 minutes ago 3min Seafood heists in the US are not only uncovering a startling increase in cargo crime, but also revealing a complex network of organised thefts that could put consumers at risk. Image: File A trio of recent commercial seafood thefts in New England highlights a titanic problem: cargo theft.
Oyster, crab, lobster thieves strike back-to-back in New England
A trio of recent commercial seafood thefts in New England highlights a titanic problem: cargo theft. Forty thousand oysters and the 14 watery cages in which they sat were discovered missing from a facility in Falmouth, Maine, on Nov. 22, authorities said. The mollusks and equipment were valued at nearly $20,000. Then, authorities believe, thieves took a shipment of crab Dec.
Oyster, crab, lobster thieves strike back-to-back in New England
Oyster, crab, lobster thieves strike back-to-back in New England (washingtonpost.com) Oyster, crab, lobster thieves strike back-to-back in New England By Ben Brasch 2026010112001800 A trio of recent commercial seafood thefts in New England highlights a titanic problem: cargo theft. Forty thousand oysters and the 14 watery cages in which they sat were discovered missing from a facility in Falmouth, Maine, on Nov. 22, authorities said. The mollusks and equipment were valued at nearly $20,000.
Class demonstration uncovers dangerously large kidney stone in medical student
Aria Moreno was excited when she walked into class on Hofstra University’s campus in Long Island. It was late August, her fourth week of medical school, and Moreno had volunteered to undergo an ultrasound as part of the day’s lesson on the gastrointestinal system. It probably saved her half a kidney. As the ultrasound wand hovered over Moreno’s abdomen, Amanda Aguiló-Cuadra, the class instructor, noticed dark patches over Moreno’s right kidney. She suspected a buildup of fluid caused by a blockage.
A retired police officer was jailed over an anti-Trump meme. Now he’s suing
A retired Tennessee policeman who spent more than a month in jail over an anti-Trump Facebook post is suing the authorities responsible for his arrest. Attorneys for Larry Bushart, 61, filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday against a sheriff, an investigator and Perry County, which lies about halfway between Nashville and Memphis.
A retired policeman was jailed over an anti-Trump meme. Now hes suing.
A retired Tennessee policeman who spent more than a month in jail over an anti-Trump Facebook post is suing the authorities responsible for his arrest. Attorneys for Larry Bushart, 61, filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday against a sheriff, an investigator and other local authorities of Perry County, which lies about halfway between Nashville and Memphis.
A retired policeman was jailed over an anti-Trump meme. Now he’s suing.
Now There is a presidency at work in Washington, but it is not clear that there is a president at work in the Oval Office. Ask Donald Trump about the goings on of his administration, and there is a good chance he’ll defer to a deputy rather than answer the question. “I don’t know her,” he said when …
George Washington portrait that helped inspire $1 bill will go to highest bidder
The image is so familiar that it often goes unnoticed: the powdered hair, the ruffled shirt, the stoic smile. George Washingtons rendering on the $1 bill may be the most widely distributed portrait in U.S. history. And now one of the original painted portraits that inspired the U.S. Mints engraving can be yours, if you have 500,000 to 1 million Washingtons to spare. On Jan. 23 in New York, the auction house Christies will put up for bidding an 1804 oil portrait of Washington by Gilbert Stuart.
George Washington portrait that helped inspire $1 bill will go to highest bidder
George Washington portrait that helped inspire $1 bill will go to highest bidder (washingtonpost.com) George Washington portrait that helped inspire $1 bill will go to highest bidder By Ben Brasch 2025121710300000 The image is so familiar that it often goes unnoticed: the powdered hair, the ruffled shirt, the stoic smile. George Washington's rendering on the $1 bill may be the most widely distributed portrait in U.S. history.
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