BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS

One thing that was made clear during a data center listening tour stop in Manassas, Virginia on June 15: Many citizens in Virginia really hate data centers. There were no speakers in favor of data centers who came to the mic over two hours. Many who spoke are worried about the environment, against tax breaks for data centers and tired of studies on the issue when so much is already known. Black Vi...

EP74 - Congressman Bobby Scott on the Virginia Supreme Court Redistricting Ruling, the Fight Over Voting Rights, and What Comes Next. Over the course of 10 days, Democrats in Virginia and across the nation suffered three major political setbacks. How they respond in the weeks and months ahead could shape the long-term future of voting rights, political power, and democracy itself. On April 29, 202...

EP73 - Black Voters: Is the Trumpian Attack on Voting Rights About to Wake a Sleeping Giant? Five members of the Congressional Black Caucus discuss a rising level of energy and interest they’re witnessing in their districts after the U.S. Supreme Court severely damaged the 1965 Voting Rights Act on April 29, 2026. All five CBC members will have altered congressional districts as a result of Republ...

EP72 - Trump’s FBI Targets Sen. L Louise Lucas with Dr. Fergie Reid. The growing list of political adversaries of Donald Trump who have been the focus of investigation or indictment from Trump’s DoJ now includes one of the most powerful elected officials in Virginia. On May 6, 2026, the business and office of Senator L. Louise Lucas, one of the most powerful women in Virginia, were raided by the F...

EP71: Why was the Mayor of Martinsville Removed from Power? Richmond-based attorney Paul Goldman walks through the story of what happened to LC Jones, the Mayor of Martinsville, Virginia . A recall petition with no evidence attached to it led to a Black Mayor being removed from power. Mayor Jones was removed from office in February for two months after “allegations” of wrongdoing. The problem: The...

EP70: Interview with Delegate Stacey Carroll of Stafford. Stacey Carroll is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 64th District in Stafford County. A Democrat, she took office in January 2026 after defeating longtime Republican incumbent Paul Milde in a very closely watched race that signaled shifting political dynamics in Northern Virginia. Delegate Carroll is a member of...

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Donald Trump wrote in his latest insane communication on April 7, 2026 EP68: TARGETING GOV. SPANBERGER WHILE IGNORING THE ROLLING CRAZINESS OF DONALD TRUMP. On episode 69 of the Black Virginia News podcast, Dr. Fergie Reid, Jr. and Lauren Burke discuss the negative coverage of Gov. Abigail Spanberger. The attacks come mostly...

EP68 - Discussing flyer wars, Black politics in Virginia and redistricting with attorney Phillip Thompson of Loudoun. In late 2025, after President Donald Trump pushed Republicans in Texas to change their maps so he could rig the 2026 midterm elections, Democrats reacted and pushed back hard. RELATED: Peter Thiel-backed group contributes $2.5 million to oppose Virginia redistricting (Democracy Doc...

EP67 - The Tsunami 64 Democrats: Virginia House Results with Fergie Reid, Jr. With a record-shattering 13-seat gain, Virginia Democrats have taken commanding control of the House of Delegates — setting the stage for a new political era. Virginia’s focused and hard driving Speaker, Don Scott, will lead a 64–36 majority as Governor-Elect Abigail Spanberger prepares to break a glass ceiling into hist...

EP66 - Virginia Elections 2025: Reactions to a Blue Tsunami. In this episode of the Black Virginia News podcast, Phil Thompson and Lauren Burke give their first impressions of election night in Virginia. Democrats completed a stunning victory and extended their majority in the Virginia House of Delegates under the leadership of Virginia House Speaker Don Scott and his campaign chair Delegate Dan H...

EP65 - Virginia’s Attorney General Race: Black Voters, Media, and Jay Jones . In this episode of the Black Virginia News podcast, Penny Blue and Lauren Burke have a candid conversation about the 2025 race for Attorney General in Virginia. They will touch on topics of race, media and political strategy. With less than two weeks left to Election Day, Virginia Democrats had to contend with a October...

EP64 - An Analysis of Virginia House Races with Fergie Reid, Jr. The 2025 race for control of the Virginia House of Delegates will serve as a barometer on the mood of the country and the policies of Donald Trump. Fergie Reid, Jr., the son William Ferguson Reid, the first Black person to be elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1968, will discuss House races and the current political mood i...

EP63 - Health Care and Rural Politics: Lynlee Thorne of Rural GroundGame. “If we share a core belief that every person has inherent value, is deserving of dignity, respect, and equity, we won’t allow challenging electoral math or long stretches of dirt road prevent us from showing we care by showing up.” — Rural GroundGame On Episode 63 of the Black Virginia News podcast we discuss real issues tha...

EP62 - Analysis of the Virginia Attorney General’s Race: State of Play on Jay with Paul Goldman. In podcast episode 62 of the Black Virginia News podcast we have a discussion on the current state of the play for the Virginia Attorney General’s race Attorney General Jason Miyares is working to keep the conversation off of his record as President Donald Trump continues to violate the constitution an...

EP61 - Race for Governor: Earle-Sears vs. Spanberger Debate Analysis. The first and only debate of the 2025 race for Governor of Virginia took place tonight at Norfolk State University. On episode 61 we look at the first few moments of a historic conversation featuring two woman as the major party candidates for the first time in Virginia’s history. Republican nominee, Lt. Governor Winsome Earle S...

EP60 - Interview with Cat Porterfield. Black Virginia News podcast 60 features an interview with the Democratic nominee for the Virginia House of Delegates in House District 99, Cat Porterfield. District 99 features Virginia Beach. Porterfield talks with Lauren Burke about the issues she’s hearing about from voters in Virginia House District 99 and discusses the state of play in her race as the ca...

EP59 - GOP Hypocrisy on Violence and Jay Jones with Paul Goldman. Richmond attorney Paul Goldman, a former Chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia, weighs in on the current state of play in the race for Attorney General in Virginia. There are only 30 days left to Election Day in Virginia. Early voting began on September 19. Last week a controversy arose in the race between Republican Jason Miyar...

A LOOK AT THE VIRGINIA GOVERNOR’S RACE. Podcast 58 features Sam Shirazi, the host of Federal Fallout: The 2025 Virginia Elections and Lauren Burke discussing the race for Governor of Virginia. The 2025 race for Governor features sitting Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee, against former Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger, a former member of Congress. Thank you for listenin...

LOOMING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN! As Congress fails to reach agreement on funding bills or a continuing resolution, the federal government is on the brink of shutting down at midnight tonight. A major question point of disagreement is whether a deal can be reached on health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Black Virginia News podcast 57 features Virginia U.S. Representatives Bobby Scott an...

EP56 - More Money Talk: Virginia Politics and Money with Josh Stanfield. This podcast is part two of a discussion on money and politics in Virginia. Below: Wilder Commission Report attached. "Public Service, Public Trust" from December 1992 Josh Stanfield leads Activate Virginia and writes the substack Virginia Politics Revealed . The reality of contemporary politics is that money is dominating ev...

EP55 - Money in Politics in Virginia with Attorney Phil Thompson. In this episode of the Black Virginia News podcast Loudoun attorney Philip Thompson and Lauren Burke discuss money and politics in Virginia. After a blowup on social media on the topic we can see that there are a lot of issues connected to fundraising, vendors and the growing size of donations in Virginia. In a political world where...

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed a bill into law that included the largest cut to Medicaid in history. The legislation, H.R. 1, threatens the health coverage of over 15 million people in the U.S. In the crosshairs of those cuts are rural hospitals, which is why Republicans included a multi-billion dollar “fund” to assist with a major budgetary shortfall for most facilities when Medicaid pay...

EP53 - BATTLEGROUNDS with FERGIE REID, JR.— Fergie Reid, Jr. is the son of historic Virginia House of Delegates member William Ferguson "Fergie" Reid, Sr. In 1968, the senior Reid became the first African-American elected to the Virginia General Assembly since the days of Reconstruction. In this episode of the Black Virginia News podcast Reid, Jr, and Lauren Burke discuss battleground races for th...

EP52 - Health Care and Messaging with U.S. Reps. Jennifer McClellan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett. On May 15, 2025 Lauren Burke spoke with three members of Congress on Democratic messaging as the party fights House Republicans on cuts to health care and aid to the poor. The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress are pushing historic cuts to parts of the federal governmen...

EP51 - The Race for the Virginia House: Dems Go 100 for 100 with Fergie Reid, Jr. - This week Virginia Democrats hit a milestone: They have a candidate running in all one hundred seats for the Virginia House in 2025. Even in deep red rural areas of the Commonwealth, Democrats have a candidate. This podcast with featuring Fergie Reid, Jr. , who recruited many of the candidates, explains why that ma...