Mayoral candidate Kenyan McDuffie says he'd cut red tape to build more housing, dismantle "predatory" speed cameras and tell President Trump to "back off" from hometown D.C.

Why it matters: McDuffie is pitching himself as the contest's moderate Democrat, up against Council member Janeese Lewis George, whom he criticized for making "empty promises" in claiming "she wants to run D.C. using a New York City playbook."

Driving the news: McDuffie revealed his thinking to Cuneyt on the "Dream City Podcast" he hosts with Tom Sherwood.

💸 Money: D.C. ranks poorly on cost of living, yet McDuffie wants to make it the most affordable city in the U.S.

• How? "You lower the cost of housing through increased supply and anti-displacement protections," prioritizing development around transit hubs, building larger family-size units, and cutting regulations to make it cheaper for affordable housing nonprofits to finance projects.

🚨 Tackling Trump: When it comes to Trump attacking the city's image, like during last August's takeover, McDuffie says, "I would stand up and fight back."

• No on helping ICE — no MPD and federal officers "riding together, showing up on the scene together."
• But where they can make deals, he will, like on downtown development projects and the offloading of obsolete federal buildings in Southwest.

🚦 Traffic cameras: Some cams that feel like a gotcha will be removed. "If it's not about safety, the cameras are gonna come down," McDuffie said.

🏡 Property taxes: McDuffie said his campaign's social media accounts prematurely released messaging about promising to "freeze property taxes" — but he didn't rule out the idea.

• It's "on the table," he said. Some homeowners have told him rising property assessments were a burden, leading the campaign to consider it.

👶 Baby bonds: To close racial and wealth gaps, McDuffie said he'd debut a program to give the children of lower-income families a trust fund, likely funded at $1,000 annually until they turn 18.

• Establishing baby bonds is one of McDuffie's legislative achievements, but Mayor Bowser has declined to fund it.

👎 K Street Transitway: "Nobody's door I knocked on has asked about" the project, which would've built bus lanes on K Street downtown.

👍 Robotaxis: "I'm all in on innovation," he said.

👍 Raising the Height Act: "I think it should be relaxed in certain parts of the city," but also, "we certainly don't want to be Rosslyn."

🚓 Police: Amid a recent low in police officers — down from 4,000 in 2008 to about 3,144 now — McDuffie didn't commit to a specific staffing target.

Full episode: Watch "Dream City" on YouTube or listen on podcast platforms.

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The Washington Spirit open their season tomorrow at Audi Field vs. the Portland Thorns — and the match is racing toward a sellout.

Why it matters: Coming off back-to-back championship appearances, with Trinity Rodman locked into a record deal and crowds packing "Rowdy Audi," Spirit games are becoming some of the hottest tickets in the DMV.

The big picture: The Spirit have a record-breaking home slate this year:

• At least 17 matches at Audi Field (regular season, plus two Concacaf Champions Cup games).
• Add friendlies — and, cleats crossed, playoff matches — and there are more chances than ever to see the squad at home.

⚽ What's new

🤸‍♀️ The Spirit Crew — the NWSL's first co-ed dance team — performing at openers and halftime shows.

🔥 Hot tickets

Calendar these matches now:

• April 24, 8pm: Kansas City Current (last year's Shield winners; former Spirit star Croix Bethune returns)
• July 3, 8pm: Houston Dash, on the eve of America's 250th
• Aug. 23, 4pm: 2024 NWSL Championship rematch vs. Orlando Pride
• Oct. 17, 12:30pm: 2025 Championship rematch vs. Gotham FC
• Nov. 1, 5pm: Decision Day vs. Chicago Stars

Plus: Theme nights and giveaways return, including: Throwback Night (April 24), Women's Empowerment (July 26), "Love is Loud" Pride (Aug. 23) and Spirit & Paws (Sept. 13, dog-friendly).

👀 Players to watch

Rodman: Last season's championship drama was intense. The contract drama? Maybe even more so.

• Rodman signed a record-setting deal worth $2 million annually (plus bonuses), making her the highest-paid player in women's soccer.

The core is back: Tara Rudd, NWSL Defender of the Year, plus Kate Wiesner and Hal Hershfelt, U.S. national team alums.

New: Claudia Martinez, a teenage Paraguayan phenom on a three-year deal.

🌸 The jerseys

Cherry blossom gear is a D.C. spring rite of passage for pro sports teams.

• Yes, they're available for fans.

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🏈 New Commanders stadium renderings were released yesterday — with more views of its translucent dome, fan plaza and the Capitol.

• The project is undergoing design approval at the National Capital Planning Commission.

🚪 Doors open: Panamanian cafe Unido is expanding in La Cosecha in the Union Market District, opening an all-day restaurant — breakfast sandwiches and coffee in the morning, full bar and tapas come evening (plus indoor/outdoor seating). Opening: April

• Doors closed: Sundevich, a pioneer of D.C.'s modern sandwich scene, has closed in Shaw after 15 years. (Popville)

🌸 🚨 🌸 Buds are appearing on the Tidal Basin's Yoshino cherry trees — Stage 1 is here, NPS says.

Gas prices are spiking due to the Iran war — but you can still find relatively cheap gas if you know where to look.

D.C.'s cheapest pumps: Costco in Northeast, at $3.25/gallon of regular, according to GasBuddy as of yesterday afternoon.

• Runners-up: Falcon Fuel on 13th St. NW ($3.27)
• BP on Georgia Ave. NW ($3.29).

The average price as of yesterday was $3.61/gallon, vs. $3.58 nationally, per AAA.

• Virginia was at $3.35; Maryland, $3.52.

How it works: GasBuddy, like Waze, relies on users to report real-time prices at local stations.

• 🔑 Download the GasBuddy app for the latest pricing.