Pod Virginia

PATRON EXCLUSIVE - Ethan Lynne is a high school student from Ashland and the victim of cyberbullying by Gov. Glenn Youngkin's campaign account. What about Ethan, who is 17, scares Team Youngkin enough to attack him on Twitter?

Glimpse Ethan's world, including how he mentally processed being attacked by his Governor and what his family expects from Youngkin moving forward.

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IN THE NEWS: Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-Chesterfield) wants to stop colleges from blocking the release of transcripts to students who owe them money. The practice has forced over 50,000 Virginians to retake classes or fail to qualify for jobs despite having the necessary credentials.

Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) wants to ban public utilities from making political contributions. The bill failed, but is there a better policy?

Glenn Youngkin got heckled in an Alexandria City Safeway for failing to wear a mask during a pandemic. With the governor choosing to endanger vulnerable constituents, that prompted one resident to shout "read the room," spawning a meme that could last a while.


INTERVIEW: Stella Pekarsky, Chair of the Fairfax County School board, and Laura Jane Cohen, Springfield District. What is a privilege walk and why should kids do one in school? School Boards are fighting back against legislative efforts to censor "inherently divisive concepts," and partisan opposition to educating students about diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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IN THE NEWS: The Senate will vote this week on many of Gov. Younkin's nominees, including Andrew Wheeler for Secretary of Natural & Historic Resources. Senate Democrats are posturing to reject the nomination, but can their caucus stick together?

Also, some Republicans in the General Assembly want to prohibit the teaching of "inherently decisive concepts" in K-12 classrooms, after reports emerged of some students learning about social privilege via "privilege walks" and "privilege bingo." What does that mean and what are the chances of that and similar legislation passing?

INTERVIEW: This week's guest is Michael Town, the Executive Director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. He's got the scoop on efforts to ditch the Clean Economy Act, leave the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and strip the Air Pollution Control Board of the power to regulate pollution.

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The General Assembly is considering legalizing psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms), which have proven medical utility in mitigating the effects of depression and PTSD. That bill has the support of veterans groups, and it's got the support of Senate Republican leader Tommy Norment.

People who are victims of a disinformation campaign think their doctors should treat COVID with hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. However, doctors who prescribe those would face potential disciplinary action from the Board of Medicine. A bill from Sen. Amanda Chase would prohibit those medical boards from disciplining those doctors who violate their hippocratic oath to do no harm. Should Virginia's legislature intervene?

JM Pedini is the development director for NORML and the executive director of Virginia NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. They are on the front lines of Virginia's legislative fight to legalize cannabis use, which requires a final vote from the General Assembly to implement. There are proposals to reinstitute a misdemeanor crime for marijuana possession in amounts 6 oz to 1 lb., and tweaks to creating a legal market without consideration for social equity, a priority for the Democratic caucus.

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Up first, Gov. Glenn Youngkin is making waves in his first day in office with Executive Orders that some Virginia localities say they'll ignore. New Republican Speaker Todd Gilbert has already thrown the first punch by tweeting an insult at Ralph Northam in the middle of his farewell speech.

Redistricting is the episode topic with the most fan requests, and we finally have new maps to discuss. We start with the House of Delegates. Some districts have two or even three incumbents while others have none. What are each party's chances at winning the chambers in the newly redistricted maps? Analyst Chaz Nuttycombe is on the pod to walk you through it all.

The full interview was too long to include in a standard episode so we've made the entire conversation available exclusively to Patreons. Want more Pod VA? Find the link and more on our linktree. https://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia.

There's yet another transition of power in Virginia. What election scenarios might happen under the new political maps published by the Supreme Court? How will COVID impact the state legislature? What can we expect during the upcoming General Assembly session?

Sarah Graham Taylor is on Pod Virginia to preview legislation to be considered by the new General Assembly and she explains the importance of local autonomy when a municipal government has a philosophical disagreement with its state government.

Michael and Thomas also responded to listener messages.

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The podcast formerly known as Transition Virginia has a new name - Michael and Thomas unveil Pod Virginia along with a new publication schedule. Season 3 premiers Monday, Jan 10.

The team took a break from their interviews to review the top-10 most downloaded episodes in 2021. Check them out at www.transitionva.com

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So you got elected Delegate... now what? Alfonso Lopez explains the nitty gritty of being a new legislator, what to expect, and how to set yourself up for success.

But first, critics of the Department of Corrections want an ombudsman to provide oversight over the conditions in Virginia jails. Also, the Division of Legislative Automated Systems has been crippled by ransomware right before the session, when lawyers and legislators scramble to make their final requests and revisions.

The team also responds to listener tweets about their interviews with Clark Mercer and Tom Garrett.

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Did Ralph Northam accomplish the goals he set when he entered office? How did the Blackface Scandal change the trajectory of Northam's Administration? Why does the Governor support repealing the grocery tax?

Clark Mercer is the Chief of Staff to Gov. Ralph Northam. Ricardo Alfaro is the Chairman of Agenda Alexandria, and this is a special crossover episode with On the Agenda. Mercer details his experiences over the last four years and his perspective on some of the biggest events over the last four years.

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