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Chesterfield Clerk launches bid for Wittman’s 1st Congressional District seat
Amanda Pohl, clerk of the Chesterfield Circuit Court, announced Thursday she is running for Congress in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District. Republican Rep. Rob Wittman currently holds the seat. ... Wittman, who has served in Congress since 2007, won reelection in 2023 by a 13-point margin. Still, Democrats are optimistic about their chances in the district, pointing to historical trends that show the party in the White House often struggles in midterm elections.
Virginia Republican plans to spend $2 million on special election bid for Connolly’s seat
Nathan Headrick is prepared to spend up to $2 million of his money to finance a congressional campaign to succeed the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) in Virginia, a source familiar with the topic confirmed to the Washington Examiner. Headrick, a banking executive and Republican, will begin his campaign on Monday for the solidly Democratic seat in deep-blue northern Virginia.
Shannon Taylor touts her experience in run for Virginia attorney general
Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor says Virginia voters should choose her to take on Republican incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares in the fall. She’s running for the Democratic nomination against former Norfolk Del. Jay Jones. Jahd Khalil of VPM News recently spoke to Taylor about her campaign. ... Like Jones, Taylor said that she was concerned that Miyares was not challenging executive actions coming from Washington — but she thinks nearly 15 years of experience as Henrico's top prosecutor make her the ideal candidate to replace him.
Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office extends partnership with ICE
The Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office announced a new extended partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office, the partnership “establishes a secure and clearly defined process for ICE to transfer individuals who have been located and detained.” Sheriff Dave Rosado explained that prior to this new agreement, the holding period for undocumented immigrants was 48 hours. Now, ICE will have up to 72 hours to take custody of individuals originally detained by Chesapeake deputies.
Trump chooses former Youngkin chief of staff for trade post
President Donald Trump has nominated Jeff Goettman, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s former chief of staff, to serve as a deputy U.S. trade representative. In the post, which requires U.S. Senate confirmation, Goettman’s areas of responsibility would include Africa, the Western Hemisphere, Europe, the Middle East, environment, labor and industrial competitiveness.
Friday Read ‘This is a document with frequent flyer miles’: The curious journey of Chesterfield County’s 1749 charter
In an inconspicuous reading room on the third floor of the Library of Virginia, work is underway to restore a seminal document in the history of Chesterfield County – the 1749 Commission of the Peace, now considered the county’s original charter. ... It is a difficult piece of parchment to miss. Not only does it still have its original ribbon-and-wax seal, but it’s about 80 inches diagonally from corner to corner — the size of a very large television. Despite that, the charter has had an extraordinary journey over more than 275 years — disappearing multiple times along the way before ending up in the library’s hands in 2017.
More Federal Workers Are Flooding the Job Market, With Worsening Prospects
After Matt Minich was fired from his job with the Food and Drug Administration in February, he did what many scientists have done for years after leaving public service. He looked for a position with a university. Mr. Minich, 38, was one of thousands swept up in the mass layoffs of probationary workers at the beginning of President Trump’s second administration. ... In March, about 45 minutes after Mr. Minich accepted a job as a scientist in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, the program lost its federal grant funding. Mr. Minich, who had worked on reducing the negative health impacts of tobacco use, observed that he had the special honor of “being DOGE-ed twice.”
Va.’s international trade already disrupted by U.S. trade war
Amid rising tariffs and U.S. threats to its trade partners, Virginia’s international exports fell sharply while imports rose in the first three months of the year. The value of the state’s exports fell by 12.5% compared to the same period in 2024, the largest drop in the last decade, falling from $5.7 billion to $5 billion. Exports to Canada, the state’s largest trading partner, fell 5%, according to the most recent data from the International Trade Administration. At the same time, imports grew 14% as companies boosted inventory in anticipation of rising tariffs. This shot up Virginia’s trade deficit by more than $5 billion. At the same period last year, the trade deficit stood at $3 billion.
Warner, Kaine condemn GOP tax bill over gun silencer rollback
Virginia’s Democratic U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, D-Va., are slamming the Republican spending plan moving through Congress, warning that tucked among its billion-dollar tax cuts for the wealthy is a dangerous gift to the gun industry that rolls back long-standing safety rules for firearm silencers. In a blistering joint statement Thursday, the senators said the proposal would weaken gun laws that have been in place since 1934 by eliminating registration and ownership requirements for silencers, also known as suppressors — devices that muffle the sound of gunfire and make it harder for law enforcement to respond to active shooter situations.
Former Virginia congressman reports back from Ukraine
Former Virginia Congressman Denver Riggleman has been busy since he left office, including doing humanitarian work in war-torn Ukraine. He returned from his most recent trip early Thursday morning after spending recent days dodging drone strikes. In a video shot on one night of his trip, the former Fifth District Congressman turned humanitarian, writer and podcaster can be seen running from Russian drones as they strike the Ukrainian port city of Odessa.