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Bipartisanship and cooperation make Virginia opioid settlement distribution a national model
By Michelle Gowdy In the coming weeks, Virginia and each of its cities and counties will begin to receive the first of several payments from recent legal settlements with the country’s three largest wholesale drug distributors and a major opioid manufacturer that helped fuel the devastating opioid crisis. Virginia and its numerous localities will receive […]
While the Supreme Court creates confusion over climate regulations, Virginia can still do its part
I’m shocked at what the Supreme Court has been doing recently. The court overturned the State of New York’s right to restrict who can carry concealed, loaded guns in public and then struck down women’s constitutional right to abortion. On June 30, they limited the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions—when the world needs […]
Religious liberty has a long and messy history in America
By James Hudnut-Beumler and James P. Byrd, Vanderbilt Divinity School At the close of its recent term the Supreme Court ruled on the cases of Carson v. Makin and Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, rekindling controversy over one of the most enduring issues in American history: religious liberty. Another of this term’s blockbuster decisions, Dobbs v. […]
Be pro-access, not just pro-choice
By Sheri Shannon and Witt Hollensbe In the days since Roe was overturned, many large companies have offered to pay for workers to travel to other states where abortion is legal. Corporate America’s assistance is among the latest patches on the country’s fraying health care system. Our hodgepodge of coverage options, dependent statuses, GoFundMe campaigns, […]
We should be investing in the health of Virginians
By Rufus Phillips In 2021, Virginia’s 60-member network of free and charitable clinics provided $100 million in care to more than 63,000 vulnerable patients. It’s a remarkable number given the trials and tribulations of the last few years and underscores the substantial community contributions clinics make to improve Virginia’s overall health through accessible, inclusive and […]
Our first president left us lessons on civility and humility
By Michael Bugeja When George Washington was 6 years old, he received a hatchet as a gift and immediately tested it on his father’s cherry tree. His father saw the damaged tree and asked his son if he had done the deed. The boy confessed with his most famous maxim: “I cannot tell a lie.” […]
Stage is set for dramatic House races in Virginia this fall
By Kyle Kondik Matchups are set for a pair of high-profile House races in our home state. State Sen. Jen Kiggans (R) will face Rep. Elaine Luria (D, VA-2) in a Hampton Roads-based seat, while Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega (R) won a competitive primary for the right to challenge Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D, […]
What are PFAS, and why is the EPA warning about them in drinking water?
By Kathryn Crawford, Middlebury “PFAS? What’s PFAS?” You may be hearing that term in the news as the federal government considers new rules and guidelines for the chemicals. Even if the acronym is new to you, you’re probably already familiar with what PFAS do. That’s because they’re found in everything from nonstick cookware to carpets […]
Jan. 6 hearing gives exposure to violent footage and dramatic evidence — but to what end?
By Mark Satta, Claire Leavitt and Ken Hughes A violent mob of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, intent on disrupting a joint session of Congress that was meeting to count electoral votes and declare Democrat Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election. They did not succeed in preventing […]
Maybe it’s time for more demand-side approaches to gun control
By Alex Keena In the wake of dozens of mass shootings in the past month, gun violence has once again dominated the national conversation. Democrats have repeated their calls for increased restrictions on access to firearms, such as banning assault weapons, while many Republicans are opposing such measures, arguing instead that mass shootings stem from […]
Why the voices of descendants of the enslaved at historic sites matter
By Stephen P. Hanna, Amy Potter and Derek H. Alderman On May 17, after weeks of negative stories on Montpelier in the national press, the foundation that operates the Virginia plantation home of James Madison finally made good on its promise to share authority with descendants of people enslaved by the man known as “the father” of […]
Six charts show the key role firearms makers play in America’s gun culture
By Michael Siegel, Tufts University Americans have blamed many culprits, from mental illness to inadequate security, for the tragic mass shootings that are occurring with increasing frequency in schools, offices and theaters across the U.S. The latest, which occurred on May 24, 2022, at a Texas elementary school and left at least 19 children and […]