SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by an Alexandria legend, former Delegate Marian van Landingham; who served in the General Assembly for twenty-four years and spearheaded the transformation of Alexandria's Torpedo Factory from military storage into a world-famous art cen…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: From the UVA Board of Visitors to the Virginia Potato Board, open records laws have requirements for what qualifies as a public meeting. Now those requirements are shifting online for state agencies, regional bodies and loc…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael and Lauren are joined by three Democratic Congressional candidates running in deeply Republican districts: Leslie Mehta, running in the 1st against Rob Wittman; Gloria Witt, running against John McGuire in the 5th District; and Karen Baker, who is…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: "If we finally beat Medicare"--that was one of the incomprehensible, raspy incoherent whispers of a feeble president during a televised debate last week, prompting calls by media outlets for the Democrats to dump Biden and …

On this special edition live-to-tape game show, Michael sits down with Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Delegate Marcus Simon, and Delegate Cia Price to get their reactions to a variety of topics, including President Biden's debate performance, mute buttons, message discipline, bowties, and urban legends surrounding the Washington statue in Richmond. SPONSO…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Alex Goyette of the Alexandria YIMBYs ("yes in my backyard"-s) and Jason Schwartz of the Arlington YIMBYs join Michael to talk about recent primary victories in both cities for candidates that their groups sponsored--in general, a strong showing for candi…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News With Michael off, WTVR's Cameron Thompson joins Lauren to break down the week's headlines... IN THE NEWS: Good vs McGuire: The 5th District Republican primary is still too close to call and likely headed for a recount--though McGuire li…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Pod Virginia favorite Sam Shirazi joins Lauren to break down this week's primary results across Virginia, including victories from Democrat Suhas Subramanyam's in the 10th District, Republican Hung Cao in the Senate primary, and the still-close race in th…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Any time big news breaks right before an election, that’s a big red flag. So the story we are about to talk about has a huge timing problem. The Democratic primary in the 10th Congressional District is being rocked at the l…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by Tom Davis, a former Republican Congressman and former Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, to break down the statewide and local primary races now underway. Who are the Republicans vying to challenge Tim Kaine, and will t…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Don't California My Virginia--that was the platform Republicans ran on last year, and now the governor is following through by ditching California emission standards, even though Democrats who control the General Assembly d…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by the Washington Post's Northern Virginia reporter, Teo Armus, to break down the candidates in Arlington and Alexandria's Democratic primaries for Mayor and City Council—with the winners all but guaranteed to win the general. With housi…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: A new poll from Roanoke College has the presidential election tied in Virginia, with Biden at 42 percent and Trump also at 42 percent. The poll was conducted right before the guilty verdict in the New York hush money trail,…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Pod Virginia favorite Sam Shirazi joins Michael to break down the Democratic primary in Virginia's 1st Congressional Distict, a longtime Republican seat that includes the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Democrats Leslie Mehta a…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: In his final round of record-breaking vetoes, Governor Glenn Youngkin is taking action against contraception and in favor of Confederates. He vetoed a bill that would have allowed slot machine style games at convenience sto…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Trevor Baratko, editor of Inside NoVa and Fauquier Now, joins Michael to break down the dozen or so candidates for Virginia's 7th Congressional District and the race to replace Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger. The Democratic primary is being led by Eugen…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: After failing to pass a budget before they left town, the General Assembly returned for a special session last week to strike a deal. No new taxes, skill games remain unresolved, and several Democratic priorities were cut--…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media On this week's live-to-tape game show, Michael sits down with Senator Scott Surovell, Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Delegate Marcus Simon, and Alexandria Assistant City Manager Sarah Taylor to get their takes on Governor Youngkin's legacy budget, student protests, invasiv…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Virginia's budget is still a work-in-progress, but a deal was announced late last week--there's likely to be no RGGI, no ERIC, and no tax increases, but pay raises for Virginia teachers and state employees. Police officers …

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media With the start of early voting, Antonio Olivo of the Washington Post joins Michael to discuss the race to succeed Jennifer Wexton in Virginia's 10th Congressional District--with twelve in the Democratic primary and and four in the Republican primary, what are the dy…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Republicans opposed the creation of a 45-day window for early voting in Virginia. But then last year, they switched gears After the election was over, several Republican delegates introduced bills to roll back early voting.…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Markus Schmidt of Cardinal News joins the show to break down the interesting Republican Primary in Virginia's 5th Congressional District, as Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good is facing a challenge from John McGuire. Good might be vulnerable after initially endorsing Ron…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Forget public hearings and committee meetings--Virginia’s next budget will be crafted in secret behind closed doors with no input from the public and no transparency after lawmakers couldn't come to an agreement this week. …

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Kelly McBride, a journalist and Senior VP at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, joins Michael to talk about her long experience on the crime beat and the problems with crime reporting -- how framing sets the narrative and misses the big picture, the peer press…

SPONSOR: Burn the Page LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Forget public hearings and committee meetings--Virginia’s next budget will be crafted in secret behind closed doors with no input from the public and no transparency after lawmakers couldn't come to an agreement this week. …

LINKS: Sponsor: My Own PAC Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media On this week's live-to-tape game show, Michael sits down with Delegates Cia Price, Alfonso Lopez, and Marcus Simon to break down the latest news out of the veto session--the Governor's vetoes and amendments, tell-all memoirs, part-time legislatures, and ice cream drums…

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Lawmakers are weighing the odds about how to handle the governor's amendment to their legislation allowing skill games in convenience stores and truck stops. The amendment says skill game machines cannot be within 35 miles of a casino or a histor…

LINKS: Sponsor: My Own PAC Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media As it happens every year in Virginia, primary season is just around the corner! And this week, Michael is joined by political analyst Sam Shirazi to break down a few of the most competitive Congressional primaries heading into the 2024 race. Those include the open seat…

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: The new six-week ban on abortion in Florida will change the dynamics of abortion across the South. Advocates on both sides agree this means more people will come to Virginia to seek services that are not available in other states. But can Virgini…

LINKS: Sponsor: My Own PAC Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by former Governor and current Senator Tim Kaine to discuss his latest book, Walk Ride Paddle. Over the last few years, Senator Kaine hiked the Appalachian Trail, biked Skyline Drive, and canoed the James River. Along the way, he discusses …

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: The secretive plan to bring a sports arena to Alexandria is over--and the folks involved seem to be blaming everybody but themselves. Back in December, Governor Glenn Youngkin proposed a new digital tax for consumers. If you bought a digital book…

LINKS: Sponsor: My Own PAC Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by political analyst for WAMU, Tom Sherwood, to discuss the breaking news as the Monumental Arena deal is now officially dead. What happened, and what does it mean for Virginia going forward?…

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Next week is the final deadline for candidates who want to run for Congress this year, which means that the politics for this year's congressional races are already starting to take shape. The primary election that's currently attracting the larg…

LINKS: Sponsor: My Own PAC Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by Greg LeRoy of Good Jobs First to break down the latest on the Northern Virginia arena deal which died in the General Assembly Session. While there's still a chance it'll get resurrected this year, that's looking unlikely--with Senator Lu…

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: House Speaker Don Scott says he didn't appreciate Governor Glenn Youngkin showing up on the last day of the General Assembly session and asking Republicans to vote against the budget. The governor has a line item veto, which he can use to make al…

LINKS: Sponsor: My Own PAC Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News This week, Michael and Lauren are joined by none other than House Speaker Don Scott to discuss his first session as Speaker--his relationship with the governor, the balance of power in the legislature, and the state of bills on gun control…

LINKS: Sponsor: My Own PAC Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: This week, Governor Glenn Youngkin stood outside the Capitol talking about a proposed sports arena in Alexandria -- speaking about it in the past tense. Leading the charge against the arena proposal is Senate Finance Committee…

On this week's live-to-tape game show, Michael sits down with Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Delegate Marcus Simon, Alexandria Assistant City Manager Sarah Taylor, and pinch hitter Senator Jeremy McPike to get their takes on the end of the latest General Assembly Session: from passive-aggressive policies to "peace in the valley," invasive plants, and Jim …

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: During session, Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears publicly misgendered Senator Danica Roem, leading to chaos in the chamber, public outcry, and not much of an apology. Michael and Lauren discuss what happened and to what extent i…

This week, Michael is joined by Professor of Public Administration Heywood Sanders, as well as journalist and blogger Neul DeMause (author of Field of Schemes) to break down the one-page jobs report for the proposed Alexandria arena, recently shared by Monumental after months of requests. They discuss the plausibility of the estimates, the question…

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: The AFL-CIO is opposing the proposed arena and entertainment district in the Potomac Yard area of Alexandria, dealing a major blow to legislation now under consideration at the state Capitol in Richmond. The labor groups say the developer should …

Former House candidate Susanna Gibson joins Michael and Lauren for her first-ever podcast appearance, discussing the Washington Post story and the Republican smear campaign that brought her race under scrutiny--all from videos that she never consented to being recorded, re-hosted, and distributed years after they were streamed. They discuss her sup…

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Democrats say they're not worried about the governor's threat to veto a raise in the minimum wage. They campaigned on the issue, and now they have made this their top priority -- House Bill One and Senate Bill One. License plate readers can read …

Learn more about Jackleg Media Everyone's favorite General Assembly game show is back as Michael sits down with Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, Delegate Alfonso Lopez, and Delegate Marcus Simon, to get their takes on the Alexandria arena getting voted down, Governor Youngkin's partisan speech, kicking members off committees, bill hearings, a…

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Protestors gathered in Captiol Square to oppose the proposed Alexandria arena. Supporters of the arena say it'll create 30,000 jobs, but they have yet to provide information about what kind of assumptions were made to calculate those numbers. Dem…

Learn more about Jackleg Media Virginia's left and right wings join together on Pod Virginia once more; this time, as Michael is joined by Shawn Weneta of the ACLU of Virginia and Ben Knotts of Americans for Prosperity. They're working together to advocate for bills reform the state prison system. One bill would grant incarcerated people a "second …

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Democrats and Republicans are standing together in a rare bipartisan effort to get rid of legacy admissions in colleges and universities. But while the Governor has signaled his approval, his comments also suggest his dismissal of affirmative act…

Learn more about Jackleg Media Former Delegates-turned-lobbyists Brian Moran (D-46) and David Ramadan (R-87) join Michael from the General Assemby building to talk about the strategy and prospects of a whole host of bills making their way through the General Assembly this year--from marijuana licensing to the car tax, plus the fall of Democratic pr…

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media IN THE NEWS: Members of the Senate are considering a bill that would allow Virginia's sixth casino, in Fairfax County. Some legislators say they're hearing strong negative feelings from constituents. Senator Creigh Deeds has introduced a bill to ban assault weapons in Virginia, and it's n…

Learn more about Jackleg Media VPLC This week, Michael is joined by Jay Speer and Christie Marra of the Virginia Poverty Law Center, to learn what bills the VPLC are supporting in this year's General Assembly sessions. Those bills include ones to combat shady practices from realtors, loophole payday loans, and unfair fees and rent increases from pr…