Children play in the streams of water in the M Street Water Park in the summer heat on July 20, 2026 in Washington, D.C. The past few weeks have seen temperatures reach well into the 90's with the heat index rising above 110 degrees on some days in the Washington region. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)
Good morning, D.C. In today’s newsletter: Mayor Bowser’s final priorities, a win for ranked-choice voting and a Reddit AMA.
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THE LATEST
Pools are simple. Politics, less so.
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That’s the reality Mayor Muriel Bowser is likely to face in her final five months in office, and one she indirectly seemed to embrace Thursday when she cut the ribbon on the $6.8 million renovation of the outdoor Rosedale Pool in Ward 7.
No one has officially declared her a lame duck, but conversations inside and out of the Wilson Building have shifted from what Bowser is doing to what Janeese Lewis George, her presumptive successor, is promising to do and the challenges she’s likely to face. Bowser — a political institution in her own right — just isn’t the center of the political conversation anymore.
That’s not to say Bowser is phoning it in. She told NOTUS that she plans to keep hammering home the message that D.C. needs to focus on growing an economy that has been hit hard by sweeping cuts to the once-steady federal workforce.
“We worked for 12 years on making sure our finances are robust,” she said. “So our No. 1 issue for the next months, and even for the next mayor, is how do we grow our city? Attract businesses, create jobs, keep D.C. residents, and attract more D.C. residents?”
Housing is another priority: This month, Bowser introduced a package of bills touching on everything from eviction timelines to tenant rights in buildings that hit the market.
None of this is to say the D.C. Council will heed her words, much less pass her bills.Bowser has had a prickly relationship for years with city lawmakers, many of whom are now looking to what’s next.
But where politics may come up short, pools — and other public projects — will remain. D.C. officials tell NOTUS that there are at least 28 planned groundbreakings or ribbon-cuttings planned for the remainder of the year, everything from an expansion of the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center in Ward 8 to the reopening of a brand new Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Ward 1.
FROM THE DISTRICT
Most D.C. voters ranked two or more candidates in the June 16 Democratic primary, according to a new analysis by FairVote, an elections reform group. Why does that matter? FairVote, which supports the use of ranked-choice voting, says it shows that D.C. voters were able to navigate the system in its inaugural usage.
The data also shows that while Lewis George won the Democratic nomination for mayor with 54% of the vote, 71% of voters ranked her in their top three. Want even more nerdy data on the election’s outcomes? Find it here.
Read more National Guard Signs $292M Housing Contract for Troops in Washington, D.C.
Understaffing at D.C.’s public safety agencies resulted in a “substantial” $220 million spent on overtime last fiscal year, according to a new report from D.C.’s auditor.
The family of a 6-year-old boy who nearly drowned at a D.C. summer camp on Monday told City Cast DC that he faces a “long and uncertain” road ahead.
Some students who’d been accepted to Howard University say the school unexpectedly unenrolled them for unpaid tuition balances, weeks before move-in. The university acknowledged Thursday it had unenrolled some students, but said families had been notified multiple times about payment deadlines.
D.C. homicides have fallen by 37% over the past year, according to preliminary crime data — one of the steepest declines in the country, WTOP reports.
FROM MARYLAND
The Board of Public Works approved a nearly $85 million contract for a new voting system ahead of the 2028 election, Maryland Matters reports.
METRO MOMENTS
On Fridays, this is your space. We want to feature your photos, your questions, your “only in D.C.” moments. Email us with any of the above: [email protected].
SPORTS
The Mystics have reached the All-Star break, and there is no longer any doubt that they are contenders, writes NOTUS’ Dave Sheinin. With the trade deadline around the corner, should this young team go all in for a playoff push?
Heads up, Nats fans: NOTUS sports reporter Jesse Dougherty will be doing an AMA over at r/nationals at noon today.
What to Watch Today
MLB: Nationals vs. Diamondbacks, 6:45 p.m. (MLB.TV)
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The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Nikie Johnson.
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