dc.citycast.fm · September 8, 2026
Trump’s D.C. makeover gathers steam · City Cast DC with Michael Schaffer · City Cast DC
# Trump’s D.C. makeover gathers steam
September 8, 2026 · Michael Schaffer
Good morning! The D.C. youth probe gathers force … Someone in D.C. was scammed out of $240 million … The National Park Service pulled the plug on Southeast D.C.’s long-running Fort Dupont Park concert series.
On today’s pod: Bridget Todd talks with Tie Jojima of the Phillips Collection about the museum’s new show featuring 48 DMV artists. Listen here.
In today’s roundup: Jeanine Pirro, Derek Musgrove, David Rubenstein, Will Jawando, Sharon Kershbaum, Fort Dupont Park, David Hearn and more. Let’s get into it.
## First Up
Workers remove the sculpture "Blue" from outside of the Kennedy Center on Sept. 2. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
Donald Trump’s D.C. makeover has reached terminal velocity. In just the last week, the administration has won Supreme Court permission for its ballroom, announced plans to break ground on the Arc de Trump even without permission, cut 150 trees from East Potomac Park, and begun to focus on the garden of heroes project in West Potomac Park.
On Thursday, officials yanked down a massive modernist sculpture at the Kennedy Center. Even the weather seemed to be on their side: Friday’s thunderstorm caused a small part of the roof to fall — something already being cited as new proof that the center needs rebuilding ASAP.
Against that backdrop, it’s no wonder that the prestige media is focusing on what it all means — as if the work itself is a fait accompli.
In a long New Yorker overview, Antonia Hitchens quotes insiders saying the obsessive building reveals POTUS’s true essence. “He’s Robert Moses, for God’s sake,” says special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, evoking the master builder who reshaped 20th-century New York.
New York’s Ben Terris scored a Trump-led tour of the ballroom, casting it as part of a quest for immortality. Notably, Terris’ piece segues into whether the next Democratic president would tear the stuff down — another implicit acknowledgement that it’s a done deal.
Missing from the coverage, though, is what this will do to those of us who actually live here.
For that, there’s a recent reel from Trump biographer Michael Wolff. Wolff reports that Trump used to say that buildings may not last forever, but they last long enough that people don’t remember what was there before. That’s the long-term test for Washingtonians: Will you remember how the Lincoln Memorial looked without a militaristic arch overhead? Or what D.C. was like when regular schmoes could recreate at Hains Point?
Of course, there are still people fighting to stop this. But the odds are trending against them.
The Peabody Performance Series brings free concerts to the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center. This fall, experience classical, jazz, chamber music, and hip-hop. From October 16 to 18, The Peabody Institute American Music Festival takes center stage, exploring America’s music from the songbook to the sampler with performances by the Baltimore Jazz Collective, Peabody Hip Hop led by Wendel Patrick, and the Peabody Chamber Orchestra. Reserve free tickets now and learn more at peabody.jhu.edu/events.
## What D.C.'s Talking About
Pirro Probe Latest. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s inquiry into how D.C. protects youth is accelerating, the Washington Post reports. Witnesses have been asked about child deaths and how the District monitors vulnerable kids. D.C. historian Derek Musgrove calls it a classic dilemma for good government types: On the one hand, they want an accounting of the city’s failures; on the other, they don’t want to abet the undercutting of self-government.
Life Imitates Art. The New York Times reports that former Kennedy Center chair David Rubenstein has purchased “Blue,” the Joel Shapiro sculpture banished last week by the center’s current leadership. Sources say the artwork cost “more than $2 million,” and the plan is to eventually put it in the National Gallery of Art’s sculpture garden. Watch this space: Coming from the man Trump ousted from atop the Kennedy Center board, the sculpture could wind up looking like a giant middle finger pointed at POTUS. The National Gallery, perhaps wisely, did not comment.
Silver Lining. Last Thursday’s thunderstorm was a doozy: D.C.’s transportation department head, Sharon Kershbaum, told City Cast’s Ben Brasch that an estimated 300 trees fell. But it could have been worse: No electricity cuts were reported in parts of town where overhead power lines have been buried, a product of the D.C. Power Line Undergrounding project designed to reduce outages.
DCPS Sued. A parent is suing D.C. Public Schools over an incident in which a special-ed kid was slapped by a teacher — something he accuses school officials of downplaying: The principal called home to say the teacher had “popped” the boy and the situation was “being taken care of.” The teacher and principal are also named.
Park Goes Dark. The National Park Service’s 54-year-old Fort Dupont Park concert series has quietly come to an end. Writing in Washington City Paper, Steve Kiviat notes a broader decline in community programming on park service property, with the concerts across town at Fort Reno now funded by local donations. NPS has shifted money to Trump’s Mall priorities even as its staff was cut heavily by DOGE.
D.C. Bitcoin Scam. A D.C. man was swindled out of $240 million in bitcoin by a group of telephone scammers. The AP does a deep dive on the scheme, noting that the alleged ringleader was a Singaporean who later bought multiple custom Lamborghinis, a $2 million watch and a $569,000 night out at an L.A. nightclub. Frustratingly for D.C.ers, the story doesn’t identify the victim except to say it’s a “ wealthy, longtime crypto investor.” Maybe not anymore?
Reflecting Pool Case. The Olympian accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool wants the case thrown out “with prejudice,” meaning prosecutors can’t re-charge him. David Hearn — who was initially charged, only to have the case dropped when prosecutors acknowledged the damage was caused by shoddy work — fears he could be targeted again. Judge Todd Edelman promised to rule soon. He gave a good sense of how he’s leaning: In court, he asked if Trump’s blistering statements against dropping the charges were “a unique threat of meritless re-prosecution.”
Finally: The Next Stumpy? A tree cracked in half by Thursday night’s storms is now plastered with condolence notes from locals. “Goodbye and goodnight, sweet tree,” read one.
### Tuesday, Sep. 8
- 📚 Author Talk: Avery Flynn's Hexy Beast at East City Bookshop (Capitol Hill) - 📖 How to Be a Rich Old Lady & The Ambition Penalty at Solid State Books (H Street Corridor) - 🎬 Argentine Movie Night: Relatos Salvajes at Flor Coffee + Books (Georgetown) - 🀄 Mahjong Night at MLK Library (Downtown) - 🧩 Puzzle Night at Red Bear Brewing Co. (NoMa)
### Wednesday, Sep. 9