Transition Virginia turns 1 this week! To celebrate, we have our very first guest back on the show, Whittney Evans, from Virginia Public Media (VPM), and the team listens to messages from its friends and listeners.

Transcript at www.transitionva.com
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Delegate Danica Roem (D-Prince William) joins the Transition Team to discuss her bill to outlaw the panic defense, which allows defendants to use a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity against them in court. She explains why the 1998 murder of Matthew Sheperd left her and the LGBT+ community traumatized. We also talk about a related bill in the state Senate that would expand the definition of what a hate crime means. Finally, we take a break from politics and rank all the Metallica albums from her least favorite to most favorite.

Read the transcript at www.transitionva.com

Part 2 of our series on marijuana policy. Jenn Michelle Pedini of NORML is back on the podcast to discuss the status and policy challenges around legalizing marijuana in the 2021 Legislative Session. Ngiste Abebe, of Columbia Care. She served on the governor’s workgroup last year and Ngiste is a member of the Cannabis Trade Federation’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce and Virginia Medical Cannabis Coalition.

We dive into the weeds on marijuana policy and the policy debates around equity and inclusion.

Transcript at www.transitionva.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/transitionva
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TransitionVA/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transitionvapodcast/
Twitter: @transitionva
Email: [email protected]

Sarah Graham Taylor is back on the pod to tell us what we can expect from Virginia's 2021 legislative session (Hint: Never ending zoom calls)

From an effort to abolish the death penalty to prioritizing public health--this year's regular session is not so regular.

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What were the biggest stories of 2020? What big stories did you miss? What do we have to look forward to in 2021?

Now that it's in the rearview mirror, 2020 is officially the worst year ever, but our friends at Bold Dominion help to make it a little better with a year in review.

Author and historian Garrett Peck joins the Transition Team to discuss his book, "The Great War in America," which examines the 1918 Flu pandemic in the context of World War I. We explore lessons learned and what policies we might adapt for the COVID19 pandemic 100 years later. We find this isn't the first pandemic full of grift and misinformation, but it is the first time Americans politicized one.

Transcript at www.transitionva.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/transitionva
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TransitionVA/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transitionvapodcast/
Twitter: @transitionva
Email: [email protected]

Why do Democrats hold primaries while Republicans increasingly opt for conventions? We get answers from David Ramadan, a former Republican Delegate from Loudoun County now with the Schar School of Public Policy at George Mason University. We also interview Trevor Southerland, former Executive Director of the House Democratic Caucus.

We dissect the decision by the Republican Party of Virginia to hold a convention and what that means for Amanda Chase's gubernatorial prospects. What other Republicans might run and how did past conventions play out? Find out on this episode of Transition Virginia.

Read the transcripts and see more online at www.transitionva.com

Virginia schools are increasingly segregated along racial lines. Kathy Mendes of @TCIfiscal and Prof. Genevieve Siegel-Hawley of @VCUSOE explain their research about why segregation is getting worse, its real-life impacts, and policies to help schools desegregate.

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Delegate Lee Carter (D-Manassas) and Jason Parker, President of the VA Building and Construction Trades (AFL-CIO) join the Transition Team to dissect Virginia's Right-to-Work law. We delve into the politics of efforts to repeal it and examine how Gov. Bill Tuck was passed the bill through the General Assembly in 1947.

Transcript at www.transitionva.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/transitionva
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TransitionVA/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transitionvapodcast/
Twitter: @transitionva
Email: [email protected]

Matt Colt Hall and Mike Allers of the Grand New Podcast from The Bearing Drift join Transition Virginia co-hosts Michael Lee Pope (Reporter, WVTF) and Thomas Bowman (Democratic Political Strategist) for a bipartisan analysis of the 2020 election in Virginia. Do Democrats need to abandon "Defund the Police?" What do the national results mean for the Virginia GOP? Will the redistricting amendment set the stage for a GOP comeback? Find out on this episode of Transition Virginia.

See more at transitionvirginia.com