The Politics Hour: D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb on the dangers of the federal government taking over D.C.

The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi

President Trump declared last week that he supports the federal government taking over the governance of the District. Many local officials spoke out strongly against the idea, including D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb. He joined the show to weigh in on why stripping D.C. of its autonomy would hurt city residents. Plus, he broke down the lawsuits his office has filed against the Trump administration, over the White House's federal funding freeze to ending birthright citizenship. He also explained why over the last six months his office has shut down 25 unlicensed cannabis shops across the city. Schwalb many of these businesses were selling unlicensed, unregulated products.

"Many of these cannabis products, aside from being illegal in the sense that they're not licensed, can be very dangerous. They can be laced with other drugs," Schwalb said. "Oftentimes, in the shutdowns, we have found not only methamphetamine and other drugs with the cannabis, but guns and other contraband."

Early voting started this week in Prince George's County special election primaries for County Executive and District 5. The County Executive race is particularly competitive, with eight Democrats and three Republicans on the ballot vying to replace Angela Alsobrooks, who vacated the seat late last year after being elected U.S. Senator. Washington Informer's Richard Elliott got behind the mic to break down the March 4 election and explain what the races mean for the future of the county.

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