Margaret Barthel

Nine DAs are coalescing to work on prosecuting federal agents for 'overreach':

—L. Krasner in Philly
—J. Creuzot in Dallas
—M. Moriarty in Minneapolis
—L. Conover in Tucson
—S. Descano in Fairfax (VA)
—R. Fatehi in Norfolk (VA)
—S. Morales in Portsmouth (VA)
—P. Dehghani-Tafti in Arlington (VA)

Means a lot coming from someone as deeply engaged in our community as you are, Alex! Thank you.

I forbid a walkout on my behalf! The kids have stuff to learn, hopefully about the importance of a free press!

Arlington is only so good as the people in it, and that makes it ... really good. Such a pleasure to spend my time being curious about it 😍

Thank you so much! And I'm not sure. I'm going to take a break and see how I feel, but might experiment with some freelancing down the line

brilliant!!

It's been such an incredible privilege, being a public radio reporter in this thoughtful, nerdy, endlessly interesting community. Thank you, thank you, thank you. ❤️

My hat is off to my colleagues at WAMU and outlets across the region and Virginia who are continuing to do the work. I'll be cheering all of you on from abroad.

But the hardest thing was watching our local news ecosystem shrivel. The few of us still here are carrying around all the good, important stories we don't have enough time or energy or manpower to tell. That burden weighs a lot.

I'll be honest: I need a break, badly. Being a local reporter in the D.C. region from 2020-2026 has been really hard. I covered a pandemic, the George Floyd protests, January 6th.

Like so many in this region, my husband lost his job last year. We are so lucky that he just found a new one, and it is sending us on a new adventure to Europe. So this is goodbye not just to local news, but to Arlington, where I've loved living for more than a decade.

The Politics Hour: MD Governor Wes Moore and new D.C. Councilmember Doni Crawford Maryland Governor Wes Moore on plans to close the state's budget gap. Plus, D.C. Councilmember Doni Crawford and WAMU's Margaret Barthel on the new Virginia governor's first week.

That means today is my last time on The Politics Hour with Kojo and Tom, two of the people who have done the most to infect me with the local news bug.

Tune in here: wamu.org/story/26/01/...

A little news: next week is my final one at WAMU, after seven and a half years doing local journalism here.

I have loved the chance to report on my own community, and am grateful so many of you have trusted me to listen to your stories.

This is a good moment to feel proud of the journalists at MPR, who have been demonstrated again and again why local public radio stations are essential in moments of community and national crisis

Anyone who watched the Park Police killing of Bijan Ghaisar as he slowly drove away from them in Va. knows how the ICE killing of Renee Good is going to end with the DOJ. Very similar shootings. Video in thread.

It's the final Politics Hour of the year! Join us as we recap this unusual year in D.C. politics, and make predictions about what comes next.

Last year, I think I was pretty spot on when I predicted Trayon White would run in and win a special election: will I get lucky again??

just here hoping we all get some nice cookies and a dedicated revenue stream from Santa this year

Metro needs more money. Will Virginia deliver? Northern Virginia officials argue transit is a key economic driver, but the ask for more money comes at a moment when Virginia’s budget is expected to tighten.

Happy holidays from me and Metro's approaching capital funding fiscal cliff wamu.org/story/25/12/...

Data Centers on the Ballot The internet’s physical infrastructure is necessary, but not necessarily something you want to see.

For more data center fun, I got to join Slate to discuss the shifting politics of the industry in the November elections in Virginia slate.com/podcasts/wha...

(I am weirdly giggly in this recording, possibly the result of post-election exhaustion?)

Reporter Roundtable: How rising energy bills and AI demand are fueling local data center debates Across the region, local officials are debating how to manage the growth of data centers. While the tax revenue is significant, the pressure on the energy grid is also pushing up electricity costs for...

The "fit the facts about data centers, AI and energy prices in the D.C. region into 7 minutes" challenge feat.
@jennyabamu.bsky.social @alexkoma.bsky.social and me: wamu.org/story/25/12/...

Here's why concerns about an AI bubble are bigger than ever Tech companies are pouring billions into AI chips and data centers. Increasingly, they are relying on debt and risky tactics. Financial analysts are worried there's a bubble that will soon pop.

AI financiers are swatting away bubble talk, just as the industry is on track to spend $400B on the hope of fantastical revenue. Companies are investing in each other to prop up demand. Spending is being kept off balance sheets. A look at these bubbly times www.npr.org/2025/11/23/n...

Full letter: subramanyam.house.gov/sites/evo-su...

Screenshot of text that reads: The AI bubble could also have an impact on my community in Virginia which is over reliant on data centers for local revenue. As billions of dollars are poured into building new data centers, an AI bubble could mean these data center projects are built and unused in the future, leaving huge stretches of abandoned buildings in communities like mine across the country.11 The effects of an AI bubble could result in ballooning unemployment and a recession.

.@repsuhas.bsky.social has a new letter out to the Federal Reserve and the SEC asking for information about the impact of an AI bubble on the U.S. economy. Includes this possible vision of a Northern Virginia with empty data centers:

Democrats sweep Virginia's statewide offices, expand House majority Voters sent Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones to the Capitol.

Big thanks to @jahd.bsky.social and @deanmirshahi.bsky.social for letting me crash the VPM news election night post party - always love a public media co-byline.

Btw VPM is a treasure and their coverage of the election this year was the gold standard www.vpm.org/elections/20...

Oh, I see! Sorry to be dense, been a long night. My original post was more meant as a joke than comprehensive political analysis or a summary of the stories I had on NPR this morning. Obviously a range of factors contributed to last night's results. Curious to hear what you think all this tells us

Statewide Election Results | Virginia | 11/4/2025 Track results from all statewide elections held on November 4, 2025. Updated live by the Virginia Public Access Project.

Broad strokes, Democrats improved their performance in every county in the state over 2021. If there's something specific you're looking for, VPAP may have it: www.vpap.org/electionresu...

Up First: not just a podcast, a ~lifestyle~

The number of times I've said "Virginia is home to hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors" on NPR national this morning

Democrats sweep Virginia’s statewide offices, expand House majority Voters sent Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones to the Capitol.

Democrats swept Virginia's top three statewide offices and flipped about a dozen seats in the House of Delegates Tuesday, according to unofficial results from The Associated Press.

More from @jahd.bsky.social and WAMU's @margaretbarthel.bsky.social on a big night for Dems in the commonwealth:

In Virginia, Voters Head to the Polls Hot Over Data Centers, Solar Facilities and Rising Electric Bills - Inside Climate News Virginia, birthplace of the Internet, has more data centers than anywhere else in the world, bringing in billions in tax revenues. But continued data center development is forcing electric rates up, a...

Virginia voters will hit the polls tomorrow with electricity bills, data centers and renewable energy front of mind.

One potential outcome? A Democratic triefcta control with questions over a commitment to the state's decarbonization law.

insideclimatenews.org/news/0311202...

VA's got to spend $3.2 bn more on Medicaid than it has currently budgeted over the next 3 years, according to a DMAS document I obtained.

$410 mn this year (FY26), $1.1 bn in FY27, $1.7 bn in FY28. This isn't HR1 related, but its another cost that piles onto federal changes