Esther Ciammachilli
@estherc.bsky.social
On your radio and in your ears.
Another muggy day (GROSS humidity) across the DC area, with scattered showers/storms to redevelop this afternoon and evening. Tuesday should offer a welcome break before daily storm chances return later this week. The latest forecast at capitalweather.com Photo by angela n.
I just bought tickets for another Earlybirds Club outing and realized I never posted this story @estherc.bsky.social wrote when I went to my FIRST club outing. It's always fun as a reporter to be on the 'other side' of a story even though I was apparently not quotable *sigh* wamu.org/story/26/06/...
No boys allowed! Earlybirds Dance Parties run on feminine, gender-fluid energy
Earlybirds Dance Parties is a women-led nationwide movement to create a safe and inclusive space for women, transgender, and nonbinary people to enjoy a night out and still get home at a reasonable ho...
wamu.org
We can blame DOGE for many things. Diarrhea now included. "The CDC lab that responds to outbreaks of the parasite cyclospora was downsized from 11 people to just three."
The CDC Has a Cyclospora Lab. DOGE Downsized It Last Year
“Based on simple math, these outbreak responses—which require rapid, timely responses—are going to be greatly diminished,” the former CDC lab director tells WIRED.
wired.com
Metropolitan Council of Governments has elevated the air quality alert in the D.C. region to code PURPLE. That means air pollution concentrations are VERY unhealthy for the general population. The alert is in effect through at least midnight.
Unhealthy to hazardous air today as wildfire smoke from Canada visits. You'll smell it when heading out... Limit outdoor activity, keep windows closed, and AC on. Showers and storms Saturday. Details on the Capital Weather app. (Photo by Jeanne Stuart McVey)
Wed digit — 0/10: Extreme heat. No likey. Heat advisory today, probably another one tomorrow. The record for today in DC is 102. Could get close. We've also got smoke to deal with the next couple days. Full forecast: CapitalWeather.com and the Capital Weather app. (Photo by Jeanne Stuart McVey)
WAMU is exploring the ways Americans are thinking about their identity and our country’s history leading up to the 250th anniversary. Local author Celeste Dador's debut novel is about 17-year-old Abby, First Daughter of the U.S. Like Dador, Abby is Filipino American. wamu.org/story/26/06/...
Local Filipino American author reimagines the first family for America's 250th
"Stars, Stripes, and Summer Nights" is a cozy, whimsical teenage romance full of humor, touching moments, and a genuine love for one's identity.
wamu.org
Washington D.C.’s child poverty rate spiked to more than 28% in 2024, according to the latest Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Data Book. wamu.org/story/26/06/...
More than a quarter of D.C. children are now living in poverty
D.C.'s child poverty rate jumped double digits year-over-year, the sharpest single-year increase the city has seen in at least a decade. Advocates say the rise, concentrated among Black children, is a...
wamu.org
A better message, loads more volunteers, and a competitor’s poorly timed entry into the race. Here’s the story of how @janeese4dc.bsky.social decisively beat @kenyanmcduffie.bsky.social in D.C.’s mayoral primary, in @notus.com: www.notus.org/metro/janees...
How Janeese Lewis George Won D.C.'s Mayoral Primary
A message of change, an army of volunteers, and her opponent's missteps all contributed to her victory.
notus.org
I am not even much of an NBA person, but I’m very happy for all you Knicksies.
"I grappled with whether I should call this out at all. After all, drama and attention are oxygen to someone like Santos, who has become something of an internet troll since President Trump commuted his prison sentence." 10/10. No notes.
Bobby Allyn@bobbyallyn.bsky.social · 2mo agoGeorge Santos called me after my story revealing federal investigations into his suspected market manipulation on Kalshi. And he said: "This story is going to get you a gun in your face." Then he lied about it. www.npr.org/2026/06/04/n...
Hassett: "The thing I've seen is that while people have been spending more money at gas stations, they've been spending more money on everything else, which means they're still very very optimistic about the state of the economy" (Consumer sentiment is actually at an all time low ... )
Destroying Chaco Canyon to drill for oil would be a kick in the crotch to indigenous tribes and historic preservation efforts of ancient sites in the U.S. It's like destroying the Roman Colosseum for mining.
Arlyssa D. Becenti ✍️🗞️@abecenti.bsky.social · 3mo agoFrom me: Chaco Canyon listed as 'endangered' as tribes, feds spar over drilling
Today is Ona Judge Day. While the United States gears up for its 250th celebration, which inevitably includes the likes of George Washington, Ona Judge made her escape on May 21, 1796. The Washington household attempted her capture several times, but she was never caught. Forever free
Realizing that I think I may have been a T-Rex in a former life. I, too, was born with short arms but a large head with a very powerful bite that apparently makes my arms redundant.
Feeling overwhelmed with all of this. LISTEN. Another Louisiana resident (Marshawn is the only name we have) testifies against the state’s racial gerrymander, speaking truth to power up and down the hearing room and predicts how this story will end. Speak your truth, fight and believe.
It’s not necessarily just the booing that’s instructive; it is, as noted, that she is absolutely gobsmacked by it. She very obviously had no idea there was any remote possibility this would happen.
Cabel Sasser@cabel.panic.com · 3mo agothis graduation speech moment is notable, and her amazed shock at having failed to read the room feels instructive. when you're inside the bubble, you think everybody else is. but everybody isn't.
Thanks to @wamu.org and @estherc.bsky.social for having me on to discuss the Washington Mystics' 2026 season ahead of tonight's opener! Give it a listen on your lunch break, your commute home from work, or your trip to Ben's Chili Bowl for the Mystics' watch party. #WNBA
Washington Mystics enter new WNBA era betting on rookies and a front office shakeup
The Mystics start 2026 with a crop of fresh players, two of whom are current NCAA champions. But the team is also without a permanent GM.
wamu.org
NEW: Oxford University researchers have contributed to a study which identified the second-highest tsunami ever recorded, triggered by a landslide in southeast Alaska last year. Find out more ⬇️ https://bit.ly/4weAiv1
This last happened in 2020 making it more rare than a blue moon.
Esther Ciammachilli@estherc.bsky.social · 3mo agoCinco de Mayo 🤝 Taco Tuesday This is what we've been training for.
Cinco de Mayo 🤝 Taco Tuesday This is what we've been training for.
RIP Spirit Airlines. I hardly new you. That was intentional as you had a reputation. Although I will say...the one time I did fly in one of your bright highlighters in the sky, it was pleasant. A direct flight from DC to San Diego. I needed nothing except a chair and a ride. Honestly, no notes.
RIP Spirit Airlines. I hardly new you. That was intentional as you had a reputation. Although I will say...the one time I did fly in one of your bright highlighters in the sky, it was pleasant. A direct flight from DC to San Diego. I needed nothing except a chair and a ride. Honestly, no notes.
I've also noticed that, no matter how much I run up my credit cards, the mail carrier always brings me a bill from the company asking for me to pay what I owe. If the mail never came, I wouldn't owe anything. This is the same logic.
Ron Filipkowski@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 3mo agoMike Lee blames Capitol Hill reporters for the $39 trillion national debt.
A watchful D.C. resident sent me a photo of something we haven’t seen in years; water flowing down the cascading fountain at Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park. NPS started work on the long-dry fountain late last year, as part of a broader project to refurbish the park.
