BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS

DAY 21 OF A PARTY IN CRISIS. ♟️ Who knew that the nominating process meant nothing when Biden received millions of votes during the 2024 primary season?

In a never before seen moment in American political history, a former President, a former Speaker of the House and Democratic party leaders of the U.S. House and Senate are urging the candidate of their party to abandon a presidential race less than 110 days before Election Day.

As Republicans begin the final day of their national convention in Milwaukee, Democrats are in meltdown over who their nominee will be for president. The party has now spent the last 21 days dismantling and discrediting their nominee for the presidency.

A bad debate performance three weeks ago by President Joe Biden on June 27 touched off a crisis inside the party. With the media in full wolf pack mode and senior leaders in the Democratic Party signaling Biden to exit the race for President, the competition for the White House in 2024 is at an unprecedented stage.

Lauren Victoria Burke discusses the crisis, the implications and what may happen next.

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EP37: Biden State of Play as Biden Goes on Offense. Lauren Burke and Paul Goldman discuss the current state of play as Democrats deal with the fallout of a June 27, 2024 debate in which their nominee for President, Joe Biden, appeared mentally confused and tired up against former President Trump. After 11 days of very public criticism from fellow Democrats, Biden and his team moved fast to get on offense.

With the support of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus, President Joe Biden mounted a strong response to his critics on a news packed July 8, 2024.

As Congress returns to session after the July 4 holiday, more is learned about the views of various members regarding Biden’s fate — including several members of the Virginia congressional delegation.

RELATED: Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus Backs Biden; Judge: C'Ville Racists Have to Pay Up

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus stood in support of Biden along with the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Don Beyer was in the news after a leadership call, Rep. Gerry Connolly has been on CNN saying the situation has to be dealt with this week and Senator Mark Warner has decided to not have a meeting with other Senators on Biden’s future as the Democratic nominee.

Lauren Burke and Richmond attorney Paul Goldman discuss the turmoil within the Democratic Party as they struggle to unite behind their presumptive nominee for president: President Joseph Biden.

➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS. “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Wells. 👨🏽‍💻 Send your press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to [email protected]. 

EP36: Joe Biden: Black Base is Ridin' with Biden Before a Make or Break Week. With only 120 days until election day and 43 days until the DNC Convention in Chicago, President Joe Biden’s presidential run for re-election is at a tipping point. As concerns about his mental ability to run an energetic campaign against former President Donald Trump, Biden is being challenged by members of his own party to leave the race.

This podcast will focus on how this moment arrived, what the state of play is currently and what is likely to happen next. It will also focus on the fact that mainstream media is ignoring the fact that the grassroots base of the Democratic Party — Black voters — are not interested in tossing President Biden aside as the Democratic nominee.

RELATED: At Essence, Black Democrats rally behind Biden and talk up Kamala Harris (AP, July 7, 2024)

But with control of the White House, U.S. House and U.S. Senate on the line, there is likely to be consequential news this week on the fate of Biden’s run for office.

With Virginia’s senior Senator Mark Warner and five members of the U.S. Congress publicly saying he should step aside, the second week of July 2024 will be consequential in the Democrats’ effort to stop former President Donald Trump from returning in to power.

➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS. “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Wells. 👨🏽‍💻 Send your press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to [email protected]. 

EP35: At a Trump get-out-the-vote rally in Chesapeake, Virginia on June 28, 2024, the Commonwealth’s 74th Governor, Glenn Youngkin, did what he avoided doing all 2021 long: He embraced Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.

Youngkin also embraced Trump’s dangerous rhetoric on a topic he rarely mentioned during his successful 2021 campaign as he defeated Terry McAuliffe: Immigration.

But in Chesapeake on June 28, Youngkin linked “illegal immigrants” to violent crimes — specifically murder and sexual violence. That specific language is a cornerstone of Trump’s racist play to incentivize white suburban voters.

The use of anecdotes to vilify million of people in an ethnic or racial group is not new. In the Republican Party in part built by Roger Ailes, who was an advisor to President Richard Nixon who would later create Fox News, the use of the southern strategy has become standard practice. Until June 28, 2024, Youngkin had avoided it. Now he has fully endorsed it. Will Youngkin say anything to become Trump’s Vice Presidential running mate?

➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS. “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Wells. 👨🏽‍💻 Send your press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to [email protected]. 

THE JUNE 18, 2024 PRIMARY. On episode 34 🎙️ of the Black Virginia News podcast Fergie Reid and Lauren Burke discuss their 5 takeaways after the June 18, 2024 primary in Virginia.

Republican Rep. Bob Good and State Senator John McGuire’s contest is so close they're still counting ballots. State Senator Suhas Subramanyan won over Del. Dan Helmer after a suspiciously timed and unproven allegation from 2018 targeted at Helmer in the last days of the primary campaign.

Attorney Leslie Mehta prevailed over retired Army Colonel Herb Jones. Eugene Vindman has a formidable opponent in Virginia’s 7th congressional district. The power of an under-reported community in Northern Virginia is also very noteworthy.

Also listen to Sam Shirazi on Pod Virginia give his take on the June 18 primary races.

➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS. “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Wells. 👨🏽‍💻 Send your press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to [email protected]. 

In a world where internet rumor is viewed by some as fact and what’s posted can change the course of history, even when no facts have been confirmed, it’s becoming standard practice expect social media driven drama in the last days of political campaigns.

The race for Virginia’s tenth congressional district is slowly taking on the look of something that happened in Virginia in 2019 during the blackface scandal that threatened to end the Governorship of Ralph Northam in Feb. 2019. Suspiciously timed allegations are nothing new in politics. But in 2019, the timing perfectly coincided with the news that a Governor in scandal was set to resign.

In 2019, the person who was the target of was Virginia’s second Black Lt. Governor, Justin Fairfax. As a press corp desperate for clicks as media revenue models fail rush to report on complicated stories is the truth fully reported and is the public well served? In the case of Lt. Gov. Fairfax the answer was no.

This week, Delegate Dan Helmer, who has been endorsed by The Washington Post and is the top fundraiser in the race for Congress in Virginia’s 10th district, has been the subject of unsubstantiated rumor which serve to confirm he may in fact be the front runner. As other candidates call for Helmer to drop out of the race, even before investigation and with no facts on the table, a question must be asked: Do Democrats believe in due process and “innocent until proven guilty?” Or does the party just “believe” what they read on Elon Musk’s X. Is a Democratic party currently attempting to court Black voters for the Nov. 5, 2024 mindful of how issues of due process and racial justice concern Black voters — the party’s most loyal voting block?

Loudoun Attorney Phil Thompson and Lauren Burke discuss race, MeToo allegations, how Justin Fairfax was treated by his own party and the events of 2019. This episode was recorded on June 13, 2024.

➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS. “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Wells. 👨🏽‍💻 Send your press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to [email protected]. 

On June 8, 2024, Alexandria, Virginia City Councilwoman Alyia Gaskins made her case for becoming the next Mayor of Alexandria at a popular West End restaurant.

Episode 32 of the Black Virginia News podcast takes place at Taqueria Picoso at 1472 North Beauregard Street in Alexandria as Councilwoman Gaskins takes questions from journalist Michael Lee Pope. The primary that will likely decide who the next Mayor of Alexandria will be takes place on June 18, 2024 and early voting is underway.

➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS. “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Wells. 👨🏽‍💻 Send your press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to [email protected]. 

On May 28, 2024 five members of the Virginia General Assembly held a town hall meeting at Forest Hill Presbyterian Church. Participating are Virginia Legislative Black Caucus Chair Senator Lamont Bagby, Senator Ghazala Hashmi, Del. Mike Jones, Del. Betsy Carr and Del. are Cousins.

Constituents at the Richmond two hall asked questions about affordable housing, gun violence and other important to the community.

EP30 - Senator Lashrecse Aird on License Plate Readers and Mass Surveillance. On the floor of the Virginia Senate on Feb. 13, 2024, Virginia State Senator Lashrecse Aird argues against Senate Bill 503, License plate reader systems; use by law-enforcement agencies, civil penalty.

The bill failed by a vote of 19-21.

➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS. “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Wells. 👨🏽‍💻 Send your press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to [email protected]. 

🏛 See Virginia House legislative schedules here. 🚩 Virginia Senate stream 🏛

➡️ EPISODE 29 of the BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS PODCAST | Micro Cannabis Business in Virginia? 🎙 This episode features a discussion with attorney Phillip Thompson, President of Cannabis Equity Consultants, on cannabis equity in Virginia. After the war on drugs destroyed the lives of many in Black communities across the U.S., the tide has turned as legalization has become more popular. But the question is: Will the same communities negatively impacted by the war on drugs benefit from legalization or will large companies continue to control the market?

There will be a lobby day in Richmond on the issue of cannabis equity in Virginia on January 24, 2024 at the State Capitol.

🚩 To contacted Phil Thompson for more information on cannabis equity: e-mail: [email protected] or call 804.380.2678 or 301.535.0488.

Will Black communities damaged by the war on drugs benefit from legalization? They haven’t so far. In Virginia two legislators are attempting to bring equity to a historically inequitable situation for the first time ever.

The current legislation in Virginia is patrolled by Virginia State Senator Adam Ebbin, who introduced Senate Bill 423 which has been referred to the Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee. The committee meets in the new General Assembly Building on Fridays at 8 a.m. in Senate Room A #305.

IN the Virginia House of Delegates, Delegate Paul Krizek's is the patron of Ebbin’s companion bill in the House, HB 698, which has been referred to the General Laws Committee. The committee meets on Tuesday, January 30th.

➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS. “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Wells. 👨🏽‍💻 Send your press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to [email protected].