On Friday, I sat down with Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C.
She's been mayor for 10 years,
but 2025 has proved particularly challenging for the nation's capital.
President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has slashed the federal workforce,
meaning the city is facing an estimated loss of more than 40,000 jobs over the next four years.
That's a huge blow to the local economy here.
And D.C. is also facing a big budget shortfall.
That's because in March, the U.S.
Congress, which approves D.C.'s budget,
passed a bill that cut roughly a billion dollars from the city's funding.
I asked Bowser about how she intends to address these issues,
including her plan to support local businesses and a major deal to rebuild a football stadium for D.C.'s NFL team,
the Washington Commanders.
And of course, the interview was on Friday.
the day before the military parade here celebrating the Army's 250th anniversary.
Saturday's parade went off without any major incidents.
At the same time,
hundreds of thousands of protesters around the country used the day to demonstrate against Trump's policies.
That's where our conversation started.
You can watch the interview as a video on Spotify.