Pod Virginia

IN THE NEWS: The House ended a discussion to speed up efforts to legalize marijuana in Virginia. Senator Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) believes that Republicans are afraid to act on a policy already implemented. Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) is the patron of a bill that would allow local police to use AI facial recognition technology to catch criminals. The General Assembly prohibited that practice...

IN THE NEWS: When the Air Pollution Control Board denied a permit for a pipeline compressor station in Chatham, some criticized the ability of a citizen-led board to issue permits. One of those people is Republican Senator Richard Stuart of King George County. Now he has a bill stripping the Air Pollution Control Board of deciding who gets a permit and who doesn't. The Senate has already approved...

IN THE NEWS: The General Assembly passed legislation allowing parents to opt their children out of following local mask mandates during a pandemic. What consequences might this pyrrhic victory have for Virginia residents? The General Assembly is debating equity licenses for marijuana retailers. What terms might they agree to in a compromise to expedite legal cannabis? Finally, the Governor wants t...

IN THE NEWS: The Senate approved legislation to codify Glenn Youngkin's executive order undermining school mask mandates. The House is expected to pass it quickly. It also rejected nominee Andrew Wheeler, Glenn Youngkin's choice for Secretary of Natural Resources. That move set off a cascade of partisan machinations that threaten to leave Wheeler in place for another year as a recess appointment....

PATRON EXCLUSIVE - Ethan Lynne is a high school student from Ashland and the victim of cyberbullying by Gov. Glenn Youngkin's campaign account. What about Ethan, who is 17, scares Team Youngkin enough to attack him on Twitter? Glimpse Ethan's world, including how he mentally processed being attacked by his Governor and what his family expects from Youngkin moving forward. Support our work to hear...

IN THE NEWS: Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-Chesterfield) wants to stop colleges from blocking the release of transcripts to students who owe them money. The practice has forced over 50,000 Virginians to retake classes or fail to qualify for jobs despite having the necessary credentials. Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) wants to ban public utilities from making political contributions. The bill failed, but...

IN THE NEWS: The Senate will vote this week on many of Gov. Younkin's nominees, including Andrew Wheeler for Secretary of Natural & Historic Resources. Senate Democrats are posturing to reject the nomination, but can their caucus stick together? Also, some Republicans in the General Assembly want to prohibit the teaching of "inherently decisive concepts" in K-12 classrooms, after reports emerged o...

The General Assembly is considering legalizing psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms), which have proven medical utility in mitigating the effects of depression and PTSD. That bill has the support of veterans groups, and it's got the support of Senate Republican leader Tommy Norment. People who are victims of a disinformation campaign think their doctors should treat COVID with hydroxychloroquine and iv...

Up first, Gov. Glenn Youngkin is making waves in his first day in office with Executive Orders that some Virginia localities say they'll ignore. New Republican Speaker Todd Gilbert has already thrown the first punch by tweeting an insult at Ralph Northam in the middle of his farewell speech. Redistricting is the episode topic with the most fan requests, and we finally have new maps to discuss. We...

There's yet another transition of power in Virginia. What election scenarios might happen under the new political maps published by the Supreme Court? How will COVID impact the state legislature? What can we expect during the upcoming General Assembly session? Sarah Graham Taylor is on Pod Virginia to preview legislation to be considered by the new General Assembly and she explains the importance...

The podcast formerly known as Transition Virginia has a new name - Michael and Thomas unveil Pod Virginia along with a new publication schedule. Season 3 premiers Monday, Jan 10.

The team took a break from their interviews to review the top-10 most downloaded episodes in 2021. Check them out at www.transitionva.com See more at linktr.ee/JacklegMedia

So you got elected Delegate... now what? Alfonso Lopez explains the nitty gritty of being a new legislator, what to expect, and how to set yourself up for success. But first, critics of the Department of Corrections want an ombudsman to provide oversight over the conditions in Virginia jails. Also, the Division of Legislative Automated Systems has been crippled by ransomware right before the sessi...

Did Ralph Northam accomplish the goals he set when he entered office? How did the Blackface Scandal change the trajectory of Northam's Administration? Why does the Governor support repealing the grocery tax? Clark Mercer is the Chief of Staff to Gov. Ralph Northam. Ricardo Alfaro is the Chairman of Agenda Alexandria, and this is a special crossover episode with On the Agenda. Mercer details his ex...

Tom Garrett is a former Republican Congressman from Virginia's fifth district. Matt Whitworth is a documentary filmmaker known for HBO's "The Swamp." They are teaming up for a new project called "Exile" to expose the global crisis of religious and ethnic persecution. Tom wants to travel to some of the most dangerous places on earth to tell the stories of those who are persecuted, and they need to...

Michael and Thomas are back from the break and excited to tease what's coming in Season 3. They also have some voicemails and other housekeeping to catch up on, including one from Frank Mahoney of the Carpenter's Union on wage theft and general contractor liability. THE NEWS: Philip Van Cleve of the Va Citizens Defense League wants the new Republican administration to repeal laws the organization...

After an investigation found hundreds of falsified signatures on a 3rd-party candidate's ballot petition, one former Republican Congressman's entire campaign staff has been indicted or convicted on dozens of counts related to election fraud. Fmr. Congressman Scott Taylor (VA-02) also remains under investigation. Michael and Thomas take a Thanksgiving break from their usual interview format to brin...

Steve Descano is the Commonwealth's Attorney for Fairfax County. He comes out swinging in his response to allegations from the incoming Attorney General, Jason Miyares, that he's putting criminals first. But first on the podcast, does Fmr. Delegate David Ramadan (R-Loudoun) regret his decision to endorse Democrat Terry McAuliffe over Republican Gov.-Elect Glenn Youngkin? He's on the podcast to exp...

Virginia Democrats lost seven seats in the House of Delegates and Republicans gained control of the Chamber. Where did Democrats lose and what were some contributing factors? We analyze the election results with Dr. Quentin Kidd, a Professor of Political Science at Christopher Newport University. Support independent media on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com /transitionva
 Transcript: www.transitio...

Republican Glenn Youngkin will be the next Governor of Virginia, managing to erase decades of trends moving Virginia to the left. What went wrong for Terry McAuliffe and the Democrats swept out of power? The Bold Dominion podcast joined the Transition Team to discuss their first impressions as they process the results. What happened and what might happen next? Listen to find out. Support independe...

The 2021 election is upon us and the candidates have made their final pitch. Who's up? Who's down? What will happen on Tuesday? Democrats might have a blue wall in Northern Virginia, but Republicans smell blood. Sean Perryman is the Executive Director of the Payne Center for Social Justice Thurgood Marshall College Fund and a former Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Mike Allers is a fo...

Virginia's 2021 election is only a couple weeks away, so how are the competitive House of Delegates races shaping up? Chaz Nuttycombe is an election forecaster and the director of CNalysis. He reveals which incumbents that he thinks could be in trouble and the ones in competitive races who should be able to hold on. Support independent media on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com /transitionva
 See m...

First, the supply lines are getting crunched and that's leading to shortages of everything from Lunchables to auto parts. Next, Attorney General Herring is prosecuting two companies for stealing wages owed to workers building the new General Assembly. Unions want "general contractor liability" so there's greater incentive for employers to ensure their subcontractors deal honestly with their worker...

Planned Parenthood explains why abortion rights are on the line this November and demystifies what an abortion procedure is.

Dr. Jatia Wrighten (VCU) provides her perspective on the big issues featured in the final debate between Glenn Youngkin and Terry McAuliffe.