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Trump administration expands scrutiny of George Mason University
The U.S. Justice Department announced an investigation into the alleged use of race in hiring and promotions at George Mason University on Thursday, adding to a recent string of Trump administration probes into the institution. The investigation is the third launched by the administration in recent weeks into the policies and practices at the Northern Virginia university, and the first inquiry into the school led by the Justice Department. The escalating scrutiny follows a pattern that recently played out at the University of Virginia and comes amid the administration’s broader efforts to reshape American higher education.
U.S. DOJ launches employment discrimination probe into George Mason University
The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday said it had launched an employment discrimination probe into George Mason University in Virginia, making it the latest college to be targeted by the Trump administration. The civil rights probe will examine whether George Mason, a state university, "is engaged in discriminatory practices" based on race and sex, the department said. It said the investigation was spawned by comments made by George Mason's president and policies "which indicate that race and sex are motivating factors in faculty hiring" in order to achieve diversity goals.
Immigration arrests have surged 470% in Virginia so far this year — with majority now having no criminal record
Immigration arrests have skyrocketed across the DMV region since President Donald Trump's inauguration, and a new WUSA9 analysis shows an increasing share of those arrests are of people with no criminal history beyond their status in the country. Arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Maryland have jumped 290% year-over-year, while Virginia has seen a staggering 470% increase, according to WUSA9's analysis of ICE data from the Deportation Data Project. Washington D.C. has also experienced rising numbers, though not to the dramatic extent seen in Maryland and Virginia.
Virginia public media stations brace for impact of federal funding cuts
A bill granting a White House request to claw back $9 billion in federal spending on public broadcasting and foreign aid will likely shutter at least 80 NPR and PBS member stations nationwide, according to NPR CEO Katherine Maher. The rescission package, which the US Senate passed Thursday morning, withdraws all funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in fiscal years 2026 and 2027, leaving even stations that remain operational scrambling to restore their budgets. ... Bert Schmidt, president and CEO of WHRO, says the Norfolk-based station will lose $2 million in federal funding.
Youngkin touts Va. record in Iowa, land of presidential hope
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) made a campaign-style visit to the Iowa state GOP Thursday night — a logical first step toward a 2028 presidential run, though he insisted his full attention is focused on finishing his term as governor. “The invitation is humbling. … It is just a wonderful Iowa trait for you all to be so warm in the way you greeted me,” Youngkin said to a crowd of several hundred as the featured guest speaker for the Iowa Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Dinner. With its traditional first-in-the-nation Republican caucuses every four years, Iowa usually plays a leading role in selecting the party’s presidential contenders.
VPAP Visual Fundraising Outside Virginia
How much have candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general raised from donors outside of Virginia? Toggle among offices to see the share of total donations from outside Virginia, and compare donations from each state.
State agencies leaving Monroe Building will scatter across Richmond
When state government employees leave the James Monroe Building next year, they will disperse to about a dozen different office spaces downtown and outside Richmond. The Department of General Services, which manages real estate for the Virginia government, recently agreed to leases with landlords of local office buildings. The 29-story Monroe building is considered no longer functional — employees have gotten stuck in elevators and restrooms are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. State leaders expect the tower to be vacant by next spring. The new homes won’t be permanent. Eventually, state leaders plan to move government employees to a yet-to-be-built office at 1401 E. Broad St.
Hashmi: For Va., drop in business rankings a wakeup call
CNBC’s latest “Top States for Business” report shows Virginia tumbling from the top spot to fourth place — our worst ranking since 2018. The primary culprit? Sharp federal workforce reductions that have hit the commonwealth disproportionately hard, and that will have long-term impacts on Virginia’s entire economy. With over 144,000 federal jobs in the commonwealth — and nearly 300,000 positions when federal contractors and commuters from D.C. and Maryland are included — Virginia feels every cut firsthand. Experts have warned that this federal downsizing could cost the state up to 32,000 jobs this year alone, dragging Virginia’s GDP and tax revenue into negative territory.
Hundreds of Richmond residents participate in nationwide ‘Good Trouble’ protest
The sound of car horns honking and people shouting filled the air as Richmonders took their activism to the streets yet again, this time hoping to get into some “good trouble.” “Good trouble is saying what you mean and what you feel,” said one of the demonstrators, Jane Ward. Hundreds were scattered on medians on Monument Avenue between Lombardy Street and Willow Lawn. It’s just one of 1,600 Good Trouble protests that began nationwide on Thursday. The phrase was dubbed by the late Congressman John Lewis, who encouraged people to get into “good trouble” to fight for justice and equality. Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of his passing.
Virginia, Maryland rejoin bid for Commanders stadium as DC Council lets exclusivity clause expire
Maryland and Virginia are reportedly off the bench as the state and commonwealth's bids to house the Commanders stadium have reportedly been resurrected. Hesitation within DC Council has pushed the District past a major deadline. While Washington, D.C. remained the frontrunner for the deal, with support from the Commanders franchise and NFL executives, the exclusivity clause that kept its stately neighbors from making their bids expired Tuesday. Leaving the ball in anyone's court -- or field, if you will. Despite the expiration of a key negotiation deadline, D.C. officials say a deal to bring the Washington Commanders back to the old RFK Stadium site is far from dead.