Pod Virginia 12/3/21 Pod Virginia 12/3/21

The Transition Team checks its voicemails

Michael and Thomas are back from the break and excited to tease what's coming in Season 3. They also have some voicemails and other housekeeping to catch up on, including one from Frank Mahoney of the Carpenter's Union on wage theft and general contractor liability.

Pod Virginia 11/26/21 Pod Virginia 11/26/21

Election Fraud: Scott Taylor for Congress

After an investigation found hundreds of falsified signatures on a 3rd-party candidate's ballot petition, one former Republican Congressman's entire campaign staff has been indicted or convicted on dozens of counts related to election fraud. Fmr Congressman Scott Taylor (VA-02) also remains under investigation. Michael and Thomas take a Thanksgiving break from their usual interview format to bring you up-to-date on a real Virginia political true crime.

Pod Virginia 11/19/21 Pod Virginia 11/19/21

Steve Descano: To prosecute or not to prosecute? ...That's discretion

Steve Descano is the Commonwealth's Attorney for Fairfax County. He comes out swinging in his response to allegations from the incoming Attorney General, Jason Miyares, that he's putting criminals first.

But first on the podcast, does Fmr. Delegate David Ramadan (R-Loudoun) regret his decision to endorse Democrat Terry McAuliffe over Republican Gov.-Elect Glenn Youngkin? He's on the podcast to explain his choice and what he thinks Miyares's chances are for passing his marquee legislation.

Pod Virginia 11/12/21 Pod Virginia 11/12/21

Quentin Kidd: Which seven unlucky Democrats lost reelection?

Virginia Democrats lost seven seats in the House of Delegates and Republicans gained control of the Chamber. Where did Democrats lose and what were some contributing factors? We analyze the election results with Dr. Quentin Kidd, a Professor of Political Science at Christopher Newport University.

Pod Virginia 11/5/21 Pod Virginia 11/5/21

Bold Dominion Crossover: What happened to Democrats in the 2021 Election?

Republican Glenn Youngkin will be the next Governor of Virginia, managing to erase decades of trends moving Virginia to the left. What went wrong for Terry McAuliffe and the Democrats swept out of power? The Bold Dominion podcast joined the Transition Team to discuss their first impressions as they process the results. What happened and what might happen next? Listen to find out.

Pod Virginia 10/29/21 Pod Virginia 10/29/21

Previewing the 2021 statewide election with Sean Perryman & Mike Allers

"The 2021 election is upon us and the candidates have made their final pitch. Who's up? Who's down? What will happen on Tuesday? Democrats might have a blue wall in Northern Virginia, but Republicans smell blood. Sean Perryman is the Executive Director of the Payne Center for Social Justice Thurgood Marshall College Fund and a former Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Mike Allers is a former Republican candidate for the 50th House of Delegates district and co-host of Grand New Podcast. We analyze the statewide elections between Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin for Governor, Hala Ayala and Winsome Sears for Lieutenant Governor, and Mark Herring and Jason Miyares for Attorney General.

Pod Virginia 10/22/21 Pod Virginia 10/22/21

Chaz Nuttycombe: Which House of Delegates elections are the most competitive?

Virginia's 2021 election is only a couple weeks away, so how are the competitive House of Delegates races shaping up? Chaz Nuttycombe is an election forecaster and the director of CNalysis. He reveals which incumbents that he thinks could be in trouble and the ones in competitive races who should be able to hold on. Support independent media on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/transitionva .

Pod Virginia 10/15/21 Pod Virginia 10/15/21

Supply chain shortages & catalytic converter theft with Gonzi Aida

First, the supply lines are getting crunched and that's leading to shortages of everything from Lunchables to auto parts. Next, Attorney General Herring is prosecuting two companies for stealing wages owed workers building the new General Assembly. Unions want "general contractor liability" so there's greater incentive for employers to ensure their subcontractors deal honestly with their workers on construction projects. Finally, Gonzi Aida with the VA Independent Auto Dealers discusses economic realities for mom & pop auto dealers and the reasons for increasing thefts of catalytic converters.

Pod Virginia 10/8/21 Pod Virginia 10/8/21

Planned Parenthood: Protecting abortion access in uncertain times

The next election could change whether Virginians have access to a safe, legal abortion. What is an abortion, anyway? Our guests this week are Jamie Lockhart, the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, and Dr. Shanthi Ramesh, an OBGYN and Medical Director for the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood. They explain why Texas's abortion ban changes the fundamental dynamic of politics between supporters and opponents of reproductive rights.

Pod Virginia 10/1/21 Pod Virginia 10/1/21

Dr. Jatia Wrighten: What happened between Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin in the final debate?

Democrat Terry McAuliffe is running for Governor again. This time he faces Republican Glenn Youngkin. The two faced off in a second and final debate moderated by NBC's Chuck Todd and hosted by the Schar School of Government. Recent polls show them nearly tied. Princess Blanding, the Liberation Party candidate, interrupted the debate to protest her exclusion from the debate.

Dr. Jatia Wrighten is a professor of Political Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. She helps the Transition Team make sense of arguments about COVID vaccines and mitigation strategies; School censorship and Critical Race Theory; Attitudes toward Afghan refugees; and the choice to exclude Princess Blanding from the debate.

Pod Virginia 9/24/21 Pod Virginia 9/24/21

Dwayne Yancey: Innovating regional news in Southside and Southwest VA

The Transition Team covers the contentious Gubernatorial debate and evaluates some policy differences between Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin. Then, they hear a voicemail about prison gerrymandering from Buckingham County Supervisor Thomas Miles. Miles wants to know why it's more fair for people in prison to be counted in their home localities than the localities in which they reside.

The Team also interviews Dwayne Yancey, who will launch Cardinal News on Sept. 27, a regional news nonprofit covering Southwest and Southside Virgina.

Pod Virginia 9/17/21 Pod Virginia 9/17/21

Why should VA localities want public sector unions?

The Transition Team analyzes Rep. Don Beyer's proposal to mandate COVID vaccines for train and air travel. Then they answer a listener message about the state of House of Delegates races. Thomas and Michael also interview David Broder and Tammie Wondong of SEIU 512 about collective bargaining for public employees, and reasons why localities should support it.

Pod Virginia 9/9/21 Pod Virginia 9/9/21

How can we fight political gridlock?

Michael and Thomas interview former House Democratic Leader David Toscano, who has a new book out this week called "Fighting Political Gridlock: how states shape our nation and our lives." They also discuss the lawsuit from rural counties seeking to reinstate prison gerrymandering, and listen to a voicemail about the Red Flag Laws the General Assembly passed in 2020.

Pod Virginia 9/3/21 Pod Virginia 9/3/21

What happens now that the eviction moratorium is gone?

Senator Ghazala Hashmi and Del. Jeff Bourne will introduce legislation to grant reparations to the decedents of people prevented from building generational wealth. Did Democratic primary challengers actually run from the left? What happens now that landlords can proceed with evictions? Michael and Thomas interview Christie Marra of the Virginia Poverty Law Center about the implications of the SCOTUS decision and and what it means for renters.

Pod Virginia 8/27/21 Pod Virginia 8/27/21

What's slowing down municipal broadband?

Two professors from Virginia Tech explain how legacy telecoms cornered the market on broadband in Virginia, and how they harmed communities and municipalities. They provide their recommendations to expand high speed internet throughout the Commonwealth.

Michael and Thomas also discuss new developments from the redistricting commission and speculate about what certain outcomes might be.

Pod Virginia 8/20/21 Pod Virginia 8/20/21

Could clean energy power a conservative win?

Fmr. Del. Dave Ramadan (R-Loudoun) joins the Transition Team to discuss a measure in the COVID relief budget that has upset some school districts. Michael objects to the names of new judicial appointees not being published and Ramadan and Thomas explain the nuances of the judicial appointee system. Then they take a listener voicemail on whether Democrats should repeal the so-called Right to Work law.

The Team interviewed Ron Butler with Conservatives for Clean Energy. Their new poll reveals solar has bipartisan appeal, so why are some rural localities standing in the way?

Pod Virginia 8/9/21 Pod Virginia 8/9/21

How will VA spend stimulus cash and unpack the court?

Pod Virginia 7/30/21 Pod Virginia 7/30/21

How do we bridge the urban-rural divide?

Michael and Thomas are fresh from their vacations and back at the podcast studio. Their guest this week is John Provo, director of the Center for Economic and Community Engagement at Virginia Tech and the author of Vibrant Virginia, a forthcoming book about the Urban-Rural divide in the Commonwealth. Often framed as weak rural economic development, John reframes the issue as one that really has more to do with our understanding of wealth and class.

We discuss rural broadband and how telecom providers rigged the system against local governments from providing or subsidizing municipal infrastructure.

Pod Virginia 7/12/21 Pod Virginia 7/12/21

Dive Into the Virginia Clean Economy Act

The Virginia Clean Economy Act is landmark legislation that set Virginia on a path to a clean energy future by 2050. How exactly does it do that? Isn't 2050 going to be too late? Find out from the bill's patron, Sen. Jennifer McClellan, and Harry Godfrey, at the Virginia Advanced Energy Economy. They negotiated the VCEA and explain the 4 pillars by which it changed the climate on renewable energy.

Pod Virginia 7/4/21 Pod Virginia 7/4/21

Why does the House of Delegates have a mace?

The mace of authority is a symbol that traces back to the British Monarchy. So, why does Virginia use a symbol for monarchic power? Mark Greenough is the Tour Supervisor and Historian for the Virginia state Capitol. He explains the history behind the mace and why Virginia even has one in the first place. Who tried to steal it? How heavy is it? Has the Sargent at-Arms ever used it? Find out on this episode of Transition Virginia.

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