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Winters: We must tax billionaires if we want to save Virginia
Our president has been bought by greedy billionaires and corporations. The proof? In 2024, the fossil fuel industry spent $450 million to influence Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress. This funding included direct donations, lobbying and advertising to support Republicans and their policies. And for many billionaire oil and gas CEOs, this investment is already paying off. It’s clear that billionaires, many of whom get rich off of water- and air-polluting industries, are using their exorbitant wealth to take over our democracy and advance policies that make them richer at the expense of our planet.
Who is running in the District 70 primary in Newport News?
... In Newport News, there are two Republican candidates running in the primaries to get on the November 2025 ballot, hoping to represent District 70 in the House of Delegates. ... Hailey Dollar is one of two candidates running in the Republican primary. Dollar is an army combat veteran who was born and raised in Hampton Roads, between York County and Newport News. ... Dollar's Republican primary opponent is Cynthia Scaturico. Scaturico was born in Illinois, then in 2014 she moved to York County for a few years where she worked at Smithfield Foods. During the pandemic, Scaturico moved to Iowa where she began her political career after being elected to the Board of Supervisors.
Where the hot spots are for immigration enforcement
Efforts to arrest and remove unauthorized immigrants appear most aggressive in five southern states with Democratic-leaning cities, while deeply red, rural states are seeing less activity, according to an Axios analysis. Our review of removal orders, pending deportation cases and agreements between immigration officials and local law enforcement agencies sheds light on where the Trump administration is dispatching resources to support its mass deportation plan. The analysis shows local law enforcement agencies in Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia have been most cooperative with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in rounding up immigrants through deals known as 287 (g) agreements.
Yancey: Earle-Sears might benefit more from a big voter turnout than Spanberger. Here’s how.
We begin with one basic fact: Only about half of Virginia’s registered voters will bother to cast a ballot in this year’s election for governor. On the night of Nov. 4, we’ll know how that half of the electorate felt about who the next governor should be, Democrat Abigail Spanberger or Republican Winsome Earle-Sears. What, though, about the other half that won’t vote? Put another way, who would a larger turnout benefit — Democrats or Republicans?
Early childhood education programs deserve robust support
President Donald Trump’s ill-suited choice to lead the Department of Education, World Wrestling Entertainment founder Linda McMahon, got it exactly right in recent testimony before the House Appropriations Committee: “The earlier we can start education, the better it is for every child.” Yet the Trump administration and many state governments — including Virginia — follow spending plans and policies that continue to fall short of providing universal access to early childhood education.
Krizek and Ebbin: As gaming explodes, lack of oversight puts Virginia at risk
Nearly a decade ago, Virginia became the first state to establish a framework that legalized and regulated fantasy sports. Since then, fantasy sports and other forms of gaming have proliferated amid a marketplace that has continually evolved. Virginia’s once-innovative regulatory model, unfortunately, is now outdated and fails to provide the clarity, fairness and accountability that Virginians deserve. The solution is simple. Virginia needs to establish and empower a single, self-funding agency to protect consumers and ensure operators comply with legal requirements for responsible play.
Norfolk firefighter who lost his job over medical marijuana use challenges firing after change in Virginia law
For as long as he can remember, Brandon Beltaine wanted to be a firefighter. He grew up watching the 1991 film “Backdraft” and took pride in people who worked hard. ... Beltaine attained that dream, completing the fire academy and started working as a Norfolk firefighter in 2018. But Beltaine’s career is now in jeopardy. He was fired in 2023 for medical marijuana use off the job — a dismissal that would now be illegal under changes made to Virginia law last year.
Earle-Sears’ silence on Medicaid cuts ‘speaks volumes,’ Charlottesville Dems say
The Trump-endorsed One Big Beautiful Bill approved by House lawmakers late last month would slash $600 billion from Medicaid and threatens to strip health insurance from hundreds of thousands of Virginia’s poorest residents — and Winsome Earle-Sears isn’t talking. The Republican lieutenant governor running for governor has kept mum about the GOP budget bill which has moved to the Senate for consideration. Her Democratic opponent, Abigail Spanberger, has denounced the bill as a threat to rural hospitals, small businesses and working families. But Earle-Sears’ campaign has declined multiple interview requests on the subject from multiple news outlets, and the campaign did not immediately respond to a Daily Progress inquiry.
Pete Buttigieg endorses Levar Stoney in Lt. Gov. race
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg endorsed former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney in the Virginia lieutenant governor’s race. Stoney faces five other Democrats in the June 17 primary. “As a fellow former mayor, I know that some of the best leadership comes from our local leaders, because mayors have to solve problems,” Buttigieg said in a statement.
Senator pressures state to put history scores in school accountability system
Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, is putting pressure on the Virginia Board of Education to include social studies exam scores in the state’s new school accountability system, which is set to take effect this fall. The new system will publicly rank each Virginia school in one of four performance categories: distinguished, on track, off track and needs intensive support. The criteria for each ranking include test scores in reading, writing math and science – but not social studies.