GOVERNMENT + POLITICS
After Chesapeake, UVA shootings, Youngkin to propose mental health agenda
Following the second mass shooting in Virginia in as many weeks that left 7 dead as of midday Wednesday, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said his administration plans to propose legislation to the General Assembly this winter to bolster mental health resources. While offering few details to reporters following an annual Thanksgiving ceremony, Youngkin said his […]
‘Directly conflicting’ Virginia bills could mean more chaos in charitable poker fight
The Virginia General Assembly has passed lots of legislation on charitable gaming lately. So much, in fact, that a state senator now claims his colleagues passed a law that accidentally canceled out a different law approved two weeks earlier. The legal sleuthing by Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, could potentially upend the General Assembly’s efforts to […]
Be bold in overhauling state’s individual income tax system
Virginia’s income tax brackets have always shocked me, especially because of their glaring lack of fairness. When I was a newspaper columnist in South Hampton Roads, I eventually earned in the upper five figures annually. That placed me into the same category as someone who made just over $17,000 a year. We both paid an […]
Bill protecting same-sex marriage gains bipartisan support in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate cleared a key hurdle to passing a marriage equality bill Wednesday, garnering even more than the 60 senators from both political parties needed to move past a legislative filibuster. The bill, which could win final passage in the Senate as soon as this week, would ensure same-sex and interracial couples […]
Warner, Kaine vote to end COVID-19 national emergency
Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine were among 12 Senate Democrats who joined Republicans Tuesday to vote in favor of ending the national emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic that was first declared by former President Donald Trump in March 2020. The resolution, which would need to be passed by the U.S. House before […]
Youngkin, Lucas set Jan. 10 as date for special Virginia Senate election
In an unexpected display of bipartisanship, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, announced they’ve agreed a special election to fill a newly vacant Virginia Senate seat will be held Jan. 10. The timing of the special election, which was up in the air due to legal uncertainty over whether Youngkin or Senate Democrats […]
Six GOP-led states win national injunction against Biden student debt relief plan
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Monday issued a nationwide injunction indefinitely blocking the Biden administration’s student debt relief program in response to a challenge by six GOP-led states. The unanimous ruling by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis came after the six states — Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina […]
Youngkin avoids criticizing Trump after ‘Chinese’ swipe by former president
A strange social media swipe former President Donald Trump directed at Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Friday didn’t cause Youngkin to join the chorus of Republican voices saying it’s time to move on from Trump. On a post on his Truth Social platform Friday morning, Trump typed out Youngkin’s name as “Young Kin,” said the name […]
Maybe it’s not just ‘the economy, stupid’: winners and losers from the 2022 midterms
Elections have a clarifying, refreshing effect. Whether at the local, state or national level, an election authoritatively settles things. A nation whipsawed and left on edge for months on end at last gets relief from a hyperventilating, self-contradicting media, venomous political ads, and pundits who know nothing and race to the nearest microphone to discuss […]
Young Black and Latino voters seen as key in turning back midterm ‘red wave’
WASHINGTON — Young Black and Latino voters were critical in holding off the Republican “red wave” in several battleground states for U.S. Senate seats and in tight U.S. House races in the midterm elections, according to analyses by researchers and grassroot organizations. Young, diverse voters between the ages of 18 and 29 had the second-highest youth […]
A brief look at Virginia’s midterm outcomes since 1960
1966 – As LBJ and Democrats’ historic grip on the South slips, the GOP gains two of Virginia’s 10 House seats, cutting Dems’ majority from 8-2 to 6-4 and beginning a multiyear upward trajectory for Republicans. 1970 – A one-seat gain gives the GOP its first delegation majority (6-4) since Reconstruction. It lasts 16 years. […]
Even red-state voters back abortion rights via ballot questions, rejecting court ruling
WASHINGTON — Voters in five states — including GOP-dominated Kentucky — backed abortion rights Tuesday, signaling that while the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority no longer believes the procedure is protected within the U.S. Constitution, many Americans want their states to do just that. California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana and Vermont residents voted to support abortion […]