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Yancey: Trump wants more manufacturing. Here are 7 forces at play, 6 of which complicate that goal.
President Donald Trump is zigging and zagging on tariffs — They’re on! They’re off! Exceptions! No exceptions! — but he’s been steadily consistent on one thing: He wants to restore America’s manufacturing base. That’s a goal that has eluded three previous administrations — Barack Obama, Trump in his first term and Joe Biden — despite very different policies on how to do that. Manufacturing jobs peaked under Jimmy Carter in June 1979, but fell most sharply under George W. Bush in the early 2000s — a fall that had more to do with the North American Free Trade Agreement and China’s entry into the World Trade Organization than it did with Bush’s policies. That freefall of manufacturing jobs bottomed out in February 2010, about a year into Obama’s first term, but hasn’t changed much since, which raises the question: Can any one president’s policies change these global trends?
Virginia Beach is home to Amazon’s first delivery center in the state with electric vans
You’ve likely seen them in your neighborhood. Gray vans emblazoned with Amazon’s signature blue curved arrow “smile” and a playful phrase such as: “I’m electric. Boogie woogie woogie.” The vehicles are the online shopping giant’s first electric fleet in Virginia and are based out of a new Virginia Beach delivery station on Harpers Road. A second massive Amazon building — a robotics fulfillment center across Dam Neck Road — is scheduled to open this year.
Youngkin defends bid to oust Va. candidate over claims of racy photos
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) Tuesday defended his request for GOP nominee John Reid to abandon his bid for lieutenant governor over allegations Reid reposted lewd photos on social media but said “the decision is … up to John,” a day after Reid’s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist notice to Youngkin’s top political adviser over the spectacle. “Explicit social media content like this is a distraction. It’s a distraction for campaigns, and it’s a distraction from people paying attention to the most important issues,” Youngkin told reporters Tuesday afternoon in Arlington at an event highlighting the dangers of the drug fentanyl.
Living in the shadow of uncertainty near the Petersburg Compressor Station
Peggy Birchfield, 61, grew up in Prince George County — a block away from a compressor station near the edge of Petersburg. She moved away briefly, but returned to the same house as an adult with her husband, Howard. The station — an industrial factory that pressurizes gas by compressing it before pumping it through local pipelines — has been running for as long as she can remember, and she never gave it much thought until now.
Purcellville budget meeting delayed after commonwealth’s attorney advises against vice mayor’s participation
Several hours before a scheduled special Purcellville Town Council meeting April 29 to discuss the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, Mayor Chris Bertaut announced the meeting has been postponed until May 6. Bertaut said in a statement that the Loudoun County commonwealth’s attorney has issued clarification of his April 21 advisory opinion stating that Vice Mayor Carl “Ben” Nett is prohibited from participating in any votes or discussion concerning the town’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget deliberations.
Morgan: Forget DEI. For Spanberger, Earle-Sears, these K-12 issues matter more
Virginia’s gubernatorial election campaign season is gearing up, along with the usual barrage of dark money campaign ads with their grainy, unflattering pictures and histrionic narration. In 2021, Glenn Youngkin rode the hot-button education issues of “parental rights” and “critical race theory” to the governor’s mansion. Upon taking office, he even established a tip line to report the teaching of “divisive concepts” in public schools. Alas, the tip line didn’t generate much.
Lewis: The GOP’s disgraceful bid to sandbag its openly gay lieutenant governor nominee
Things aren’t always what they seem to be, especially in today’s online realm. A “friend request” appeared in my Facebook notifications last week that I immediately recognized as phony. It purported to be from a real-life friend I’ve known for more than a quarter of a century. It used his real name and photo, but it had only 16 friends, not his more than 2,000 online friends, including me. So I reported the sham account to Facebook and texted my friend, who knew about it and had already alerted Facebook. The fake “friendvite” was one of many I reject and report every week. Having a large social media following is not unusual for people like my friend, who spent most of his career in the public eye during decades of distinguished service at top levels in state government. They’re also prime targets for digital impostors.
Rep. Gerry Connolly steps down as top Oversight Democrat and won't seek reelection as cancer returns
Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia announced on Monday he is stepping down as the top Democrat on the powerful House Oversight Committee and will not be seeking reelection next year due to his cancer returning, ending his long career in public life. “The sun is setting on my time in public service,” Connolly said in a statement. “With no rancor and a full heart, I move into this final chapter full of pride in what we’ve accomplished together over 30 years.” Connolly, 75, has served in Congress since 2009 and represents northern Virginia, including Fairfax County.
$700M subsea cable factory breaks ground in Chesapeake amid concerns about tariffs, energy policy
Gov. Glenn Youngkin sang the praises of international business cooperation Monday as officials broke ground on a massive undersea cable manufacturing factory in Chesapeake. The project from a South Korean cable company will eventually serve national and global wind energy projects and represents the largest investment in the city’s history. But despite the rosy outlook from officials, a cloud of uncertainty swirled. “Tariffs is a concern. If I say that is not a concern, I’d be lying,” said Koo Bon-kyu, president of South Korean company LS Cable & System, told American and South Korean media after the ceremonial groundbreaking.
Fluoride spike at Richmond water plant reignites calls for regional management
A spike in fluoride levels during a pump install at Richmond’s water treatment plant last week went unreported for days and has prompted neighboring counties to repeat calls for a cooperative approach to water service in the region. In statements released late Monday afternoon, Henrico and Hanover counties said they were “discouraged” and “disappointed” by what Henrico called “repeated operations failures and communications breakdowns” associated with the plant, which the city said “experienced an issue” during an installation of a new fluoride pump that increased fluoride levels over several hours last Wednesday.