Bold Dominion

30/07/2021

In the 2020 elections, Virginia voters approved the Redistricting Commission Amendment. The short version: it changes how Virginia draws its political district lines.

Will Virginia's new redistricting commission help our flawed democracy? Does it go far enough?

This week, we talk with Brian Cannon, former Exective Director of One Virginia 2021, the nonprofit that spear-headed the amendment. We also talk with Virginia Delegate Mark Levine, who has concerns about how this is unfolding and whether the amendment goes far enough.

In the 2020 elections, Virginia voters approved a new Redistricting Commission Amendment. The short version: it changes how Virginia draws its political district lines. But does it go far enough? Will Virginia's new redistricting commission help our flawed democracy?

15/07/2021

This week, we made a trash podcast. Literally.

Virginia is the second biggest importer of trash from other states. And right now, there’s a proposal in Cumberland County for a new mega-landfill that would receive 10 million pounds of trash *per day*.

It seems that other states’ trash is Virginia’s treasure… at least for the owners of big corporate waste companies. Hear all about it on this episode of Bold Dominion.

Virginia is a bona fide trash capital. For decades, Virginia has been the second biggest importer of trash from other states. So where does that trash land in Virginia? And who does it get dumped on?

02/07/2021

New episode this week! Why is Critical Race Theory the new right-wing bogeyman?

“Critical Race Theory” has become a pejorative in today’s American conservative movement -- including here in Virginia. So what is “critical race theory”? And how has it come to be the newest right-wing bogeyman?

In this episode, we talk with Ian Mullins, professor of sociology at UVA; Peter Galuszka, Richmond-based journalist; and Amanda Moxham, member of the Hate-Free Schools Coalition of Albemarle County.

“Critical Race Theory” has become a pejorative in today’s American conservative movement -- including here in Virginia. So what is “critical race theory”? And how has it come to be the newest right-wing bogeyman?

18/06/2021

Tuesday, June 8, was the Democratic primary for statewide offices, and the results were fairly unexceptional. Former Governor Terry McAuliffe handily won the nomination for governor, State Delegate Hala Ayala won the nomination for Lieutenant Governor, and incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring beat out a primary challenger; meanwhile outspoken delegates Lee Carter, Mark Levine, and Ibrahim Samirah failed to win their bids for re-nomination.

All in all, a fairly clean sweep for the Democratic establishment as many progressive candidates lost out to their more moderate, corporate-friendly challengers. So what happened to Virginia’s progressive moment? Has the state already reached a new equilibrium in the post-Trump era?

To answer that question, we spoke with Richmond-based journalist Peter Galuszka, as well as Brennan Gilmore, Executive Director of Clean Virginia, an organization dedicated to fighting corruption in Virginia's government.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/what-happened-to-virginias-progressive-moment

The 2021 Virginia Democratic primary was a fairly clean sweep for the Democratic establishment as many progressive candidates lost out to their more moderate, corporate-friendly challengers. So what happened to Virginia’s progressive moment? To answer that question, we spoke with Richmond-based jo

04/06/2021

Eugenics is a term we associate with fascist regimes--a pseudo-scientific approach to control the qualities of humanity by choosing who gets to reproduce and who does not. And Virginia was one of its earliest adopters--the Virginia Eugenics Sterilization Act passed in 1924, and the nation's first state-sanctioned compulsory sterilization was performed on Virginia citizen Carrie Buck in 1927.

In this episode, we talk with author and historian Elizabeth Catte, author of Pure America: Eugenics and the Making of Modern Virginia. In this book, she examines Virginia's history of eugenics through the land we use today: considering the experiences of Virginia's disabled, Black, Native, and other marginalized communities in the 20th century--and the reasons why this period of our history has largely gone unspoken.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/whats-the-real-history-of-eugenics-in-virginia

12/05/2021

In a year of pandemic-induced upheaval, much of daily life has shifted to a series of online interactions. From public school to telehealth and even many white-collar professions--broadband internet access has gone from “important” to “mission-critical infrastructure” in the blink of an eye. But nearly a quarter-million homes and businesses in Virginia are unserved by broadband internet access, either because the infrastructure doesn't exist or it's too expensive. The repercussions in an increasingly online world are dangerous. So what can Virginia do about it?

To answer that question, we turn to the experts: Dr. Christopher Ali, an Associate Professor in the Department of Media Studies at the University of Virginia who specializes in Broadband Policy, Planning, and Deployment. We also talk with Evan Feinman, the Chief Broadband Advisor for Governor Ralph Northam, to discuss Virginia's progress and its path to greater broadband access going forward.
https://bolddominion.org/episodes/what-does-poor-broadband-access-mean-for-virginia

Nearly a quarter-million homes and businesses in Virginia are unserved by broadband internet access, either because the infrastructure doesn't exist or it's too expensive. What can Virginia do about it? To answer that question, we turn to the experts: Dr. Christopher Ali, an Associate Professor in

28/04/2021

There are many ways to influence legislators and policymakers: some write letters and call their lawmakers; others organize campaigns to march or campaign. Organized capital -- in the form of businesses and industry -- has the most influence of all. That’s where lobbying comes in.

Lobbyists hold so much influence in Virginia that there's even a term for it in Richmond: a “shadow government” that dominates Virginia policy-making without a single elected official. How does this shadow government work--and why is Virginia so uniquely susceptible to their influence? How important is that influence overall?

This week, we talk to Jeff Schapiro, a political columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, who has covered Virginia's politics and government for over forty years. We also talk with Robert Zullo, founder and editor of The Virginia Mercury, an independent news organization based in Richmond, to learn exactly how lobbyists operate in Virginia--and what their influence means for our state laws.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/does-virginia-really-have-a-shadow-government-of-lobbyists

Lobbyists hold so much influence in Virginia that there's even a term for it in Richmond: a “shadow government” that dominates Virginia policy-making without a single elected official. How does this shadow government work--and why is Virginia so uniquely susceptible to their influence? How impor...

15/04/2021

Virginia's gubernatorial race is just around the corner, taking place in November 2021. And with 13 candidates in the running--7 Republicans, 5 Democrats, and an independent--it's a crowded field. This week, we finish our two-part series diving into the five Democratic candidates for governor: who are they, and what do they stand for?

Jennifer McClellan is a State Senator who represents Virginia's 9th District; Justin Fairfax is the current Lieutenant Governor of Virginia; Terry McAuliffe is the former governor of Virginia. We asked all three candidates plainly about their campaign strategies and their policies to help working Virginians in this time of need.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/whos-running-for-governor-and-what-do-they-stand-for-part-2

The Democratic primary for governor is just around the corner, and five candidates will appear on that ballot. In this episode, we get down to brass tacks with Jennifer McClellan, Justin Fairfax, and Terry McAuliffe to discuss their visions for Virginia and their plans for working Virginians.

31/03/2021

Virginia's gubernatorial race is just around the corner, taking place in November 2021. And with 13 candidates in the running--7 Republicans, 5 Democrats, and an independent--it's a crowded field. This week, we begin a two-part series diving into the five Democratic candidates for governor: who are they, and what do they stand for?

Jennifer Carroll Foy is a former state delegate who represented Virginia's 2nd District; Lee J. Carter is a delegate representing Virginia's 50th District. We asked both candidates plainly about their campaign strategies and their policies to help working Virginians.

The Virginia Democratic primary takes place on Tuesday, June 8th, and early in-person and absentee voting start on April 24th.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/whos-running-for-governor-and-what-do-they-stand-for

Five candidates will appear on the Democratic primary ballot for governor taking place in a few months. In this episode, we get down to brass tacks with Lee Carter and Jennifer Carroll Foy to discuss their visions for Virginia and their plans for the state’s working-class.

18/03/2021

Another session of the Virginia General Assembly has come to a close. This marks the second year that the House of Delegates, the State Senate, and the Governorship were all in Democratic control. That’s the first time in decades--a change so remarkable that it inspired us to start this very podcast in 2020.

So what did the General Assembly manage to pass this year? And what has the blue legislature managed to achieve more broadly with two sessions in power? To answer those questions, we talk with state Delegate Sally Hudson, as well as journalist Peter Galuszka.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/what-did-the-general-assembly-get-done-in-its-2021-session

Another session of the Virginia General Assembly has come to a close. This marks the second year that the House of Delegates, the State Senate, and the Governorship were all in Democratic control. That’s the first time in decades--a change so remarkable that it inspired us to start this very podca...

10/02/2021

With the 2021 legislative session in full swing, hundreds of bills have been introduced into the General Assembly. Some have passed and some haven't--and some are yet to be debated. A lot of these bills are written and promoted by big-money industries and lobbying groups who have the time and money to spare. But this week on Bold Dominion, we dig into two examples of citizen activists who are making a difference in the legislature.

In the first half of the episode, Brennan Gilmore of Clean Virginia explains how his organization fights corruption in Virginia's government, especially as it deals with energy policy and Dominion. In the second half, we chat with Ashton Wilcox, Matthew Savage, and Adrian Klaits, a group of bipartisan teenage political leaders who successfully introduced a bill that would Virginia students one excused absence every year to participate in civic engagement.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/how-are-virginia-citizens-and-activists-groups-impacting-bills-this-year

With the 2021 legislative session in full swing, hundreds of bills have been introduced into the General Assembly. Some have passed and some haven't--and some are yet to be debated. A lot of these bills are written and promoted by big-money industries and lobbying groups who have the time and money

27/01/2021

More and more, it seems like all political conversation is happening at the national level--Presidential elections, Congressional ratios, party divides and infighting. So much so that we forget just how much of our lives can be affected by our local politics right at home. Your mayor, your sheriff, your county Board of Supervisors--these are the people who decide where to build your neighborhoods and roads, how to fund public education, and what police officers focus on. That's a lot of important stuff.

In this episode, we sit down with Rich Meagher, Associate Professor of Political Science at Randolph-Macon College and author of Local Politics Matters: A Citizen's Guide to Making a Difference, to discuss how local government works and the ways that we citizens can have a hand in shaping our communities for the better.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/episode-28-why-does-local-politics-matter-so-much

More and more, it seems like all political conversation is happening at the national level--Presidential elections, Congressional ratios, party divides and infighting. So much so that we forget just how much of our lives can be affected by our local politics right at home. In this episode, we sit do

29/12/2020

2020 has been one of the longest, most painful years in most of our lifetimes. While it's impossible to do justice to every story that struck Virginia this year, we're covering a few of the biggest changes across the state over the last twelve months.

To help, we're joined by Michael Pope and Thomas Bowman of
Transition Virginia, a state politics podcast covering many of the same topics. In this roundtable retrospective, we discuss the coronavirus pandemic, the state legislature's response to calls for criminal justice reform, and the economic fallout yet to come.

Happy holidays, folks. We'll see you in the new year!

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/xpo6moiigodc2lkih4m4356jz2cj3x

2020 has been one of the longest, most painful years in most of our lifetimes. While it's impossible to do justice to every story that struck Virginia this year, we're covering a few of the biggest changes across the state over the last twelve months. To help, we're joined by Michael Pope and Thom

15/12/2020

Virginia has been transforming in many ways over the last few decades, and that's most clear when it comes to government and tech. From defense contractors to Amazon's new headquarters to thousands of data centers, Virginia has slowly but surely shifted toward an economy based in technology and defense. What does that mean for workers in Virginia? For our energy needs, our demographic trends, and our political systems?

In this episode, we talk to Richmond-based journalist Peter Galuszka about how Virginia's economy ties in with energy and technology--and how these trends will change the state going forward.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/what-does-a-burgeoning-tech-industry-mean-for-virginia

Virginia has been transforming in many ways over the last few decades, and that's most clear when it comes to government and tech. From defense contractors to Amazon's new headquarters to thousands of data centers, Virginia has slowly but surely shifted toward an economy based in technology and defe

02/12/2020

This week, we talked to Alana Yzola of Business Insider and Ned Oliver of the Virginia Mercury about the Governor’s plan to legalize cannabis in VA. Hear more about its political and economic consequences here:

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/how-can-virginia-legalize-cannabis-the-right-way

Suddenly, and seemingly out of the blue, legal w**d in Virginia seems like it could be a real thing in the not-too-distant future. But legalization won’t be as easy as flipping a light switch. Virginia (and the nation) have a long history of racially disparate enforcement of ma*****na laws... So n

16/11/2020

We're looking for topics related to Virginia politics for our upcoming episodes. What would you like to see our team cover?

05/11/2020

Election Day has come and gone, but the election process still continues. And while it looks like Joe Biden has the presidential election mostly secured in an election that bucked the polls, a whole host of state and local races in Virginia were also on the ballot, as well as a state Constitutional amendment for redistricting reform.

This week, host Nathan Moore sits down with producer Aaryan Balu and Mary Garner McGehee, host and producer of Charlottesville Soundboard, for a roundtable discussion on this year's election and what it means for Virginia going forward.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/m01bddknkscv2c634pmxvpzysoiddt

Election Day has come and gone, but the election process still continues. And while it looks like Joe Biden has the presidential election mostly secured in an election that bucked the polls, a whole host of state and local races in Virginia were also on the ballot, as well as a state Constitutional

22/10/2020

After two long months of socially distanced and Zoom-based negotiations, the Virginia General Assembly has finally finished its 2020 Special Session.

This week, we're joined by state Delegate Sally Hudson; she walks us through some victories on police reform and the state's strategy for economic recovery--and the ways we need to improve our approach to both, going forward.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/7vswauyw9q3v80y31zq2hc1jf4n8m2

After two long months of socially distanced and Zoom-based negotiations, the Virginia General Assembly has finally finished its 2020 Special Session--called to deal with police reform and amending the state budget. This week, we're joined by state Delegate Sally Hudson; she walks us through some

07/10/2020

With gun sales up, violence in the streets, and an overwhelming majority of the nation thinking that we're heading down the wrong track, it's no secret that America is in a troubled place right now.

That isn't helped by the actions of President Trump, who, in the last few weeks, has suggested that he wouldn't accept the results of the upcoming election if he lost, encouraged supporters to watch polling places, and refused to denounce white supremacists on live television.

Combine that with a recent FBI report that called far-right militias an "immediate extremist threat,” and you've got a powder keg set to blow this November. This week, we spoke to anti-racist activist Emily Gorcenski and journalist Peter Galuszka about the threats we might face both on the ground and in Washington.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/rilckx81sjhwp3t5jyuisdx767qzej

With gun sales up, violence in the streets, and an overwhelming majority of the nation thinking that we're heading down the wrong track, it's no secret that America is in a troubled place right now. That isn't helped by the actions of President Trump, who has suggested that he wouldn't accept the re

09/09/2020

A throughline for the show over the last several months has been a class divide that pervades Virginia as a whole. In this episode, we speak with journalist Peter Galuszka and UVA Economics Professor James Harrigan about the troubling trends in Virginia that have been heightening economic inequality for the last forty years.
https://bolddominion.org/episodes/episode-18-why-is-there-so-much-economic-inequality-in-virginia

Two different Virginias that live side-by-side. On one side, white-collar workers who have adjusted to the pandemic with Zoom meetings and social distancing; on the other, blue-collar workers who have faced losses of their jobs, healthcare, housing, and economic stability in a global pandemic. This

26/08/2020

Virginia's General Assembly convened last week for a special session. Check out our special crossover episode with the guys from the podcast Transition Virginia.

Virginia's General Assembly convened on August 18 for a special session, originally dedicated to balancing the state budget in the face of COVID-19. Now following nationwide protests, the special session also promises to tackle criminal justice reform. This week, in a special crossover episode the T

11/08/2020

For five months, we've known that to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, we need to stay at home. But how can Virginians stay at home if those homes are taken away? With no end to the crisis in sight, thousands of Virginia citizens are facing evictions from their homes. What can lawmakers do about the crisis, and why are Virginia tenants so uniquely vulnerable?

This week, we spoke with Ned Oliver, a reporter at the Virginia Mercury, and Christie Marra, an advocate at the Virginia Poverty Law Center (804-782-9430), about the recent eviction moratorium and the history of Virginia's unequal tenant laws.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/u051j2iw3qgf3jhfp1z00h3lvyr8rv

05/08/2020

In next week's episode, we tackle the growing eviction crisis facing Virginia's renters and homeowners as a consequence of the pandemic. Check out this article from
InsideNoVA.com to read up on eviction hearings that took place in Manassas last week.
https://www.insidenova.com/news/special/coronavirus/nowhere-to-go-renters-struggle-to-keep-their-homes-as-pandemic-relief-ends/article_fe1ad10e-d4cd-11ea-9b53-e77be85d296b.html

Dozens of renters stood in court Friday in hopes of saving their homes as eviction proceedings were in full swing at the Prince William General District Court in Manassas.

28/07/2020

“The Virginia Way” is an old-fashioned ideal here in the Commonwealth--the notion that our public servants have so much integrity that we don’t need laws to regulate money that goes into the political process. As a result, we have almost no campaign finance regulation--a fact that's been exploited by aristocrats and corporations for decades, if not centuries.

This week, we sat down with state Delegate Sally Hudson and author Jeff Thomas ("The Virginia Way: Democracy and Power after 2016") to discuss the history of the Virginia Way and how the culture of Richmond might be changing in a new era.
https://bolddominion.org/episodes/episode-15-how-are-weak-campaign-finance-laws-damaging-virginia

VIrginia has next to no campaign finance regulations—a result of an attitude known as “The Virginia Way” that’s pervaded the state for centuries. This week, Delegate Sally Hudson and author Jeff Thomas walk us through the influence of money on Virginia politics and the way things might be ch...

14/07/2020

With the recent cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project, Dominion Energy is out a few billion dollars. This week, Richmond journalist Peter Galuszka and NYT Renewable Energy Correspondent Ivan Penn walk us through why this happened and what it means for Virginia energy going forward.

Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere podcasts can be found.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/episode-14-what-does-the-atlantic-coast-pipelines-cancellation-mean-for-virginia-energy

For the last six years, Dominion Energy has been working to build a natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to Hampton Roads. But just a few weeks after winning a Supreme Court case to regain permits for the project, the pipeline was cancelled--leaving Dominion is out more than three billion dollars

30/06/2020

Facebook ads, Twitter bots, TikTok teens—over the last decade, social media has played an increasingly important role in our social and political discourse. This week, we continue our conversation with UVA Media Studies Professor Siva Vaidyanathan to discuss the way social media algorithms can unintentionally help organize radical groups and why social media platforms don’t bear the same liability for content as other publishers—namely, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. After that, journalist Brad Kutner takes us into a recent defamation suit in Virginia involving California Congressman Devin Nunes, Section 230, and a Twitter account for a fake cow.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/episode-13-why-is-social-media-such-a-powerful-force-in-politics

Over the last decade, social media has played an increasingly important role in our political discourse. This week, we continue our conversation with UVA Media Studies Professor Siva Vaidyanathan to discuss why social media platforms don’t bear the same liability for content as other publishers—...

17/06/2020

With protests sweeping the nation, we spoke with Richmond activist organizer Chelsea Higgs Wise, founder of Richmond For All about the protest movement in Richmond--and what steps activists want Virginia to take next.

After that, we talk to UVA Professor and director of the Deliberative Media Lab, Siva Vaidyanathan, about the damaging effects of social media on our democracy.
https://bolddominion.org/episodes/episode-12-how-will-black-lives-matter-change-virginia-and-how-does-social-media-affect-our-politics

It’s been a tumultuous month across the country and across the world—that’s no secret. Today, we’re talking to Chelsea Higgs Wise, a longtime activist in the Richmond community, about recent protests in the state capital; Black Lives Matter, the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue, and the w...

12/06/2020

Curious about the upcoming Congressional election in Virginia's 5th District? Check out this series of videos from WUVA News that has interviews with all four Democratic candidates running in the upcoming primary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLqHvaA4dD4cyHEOVyBm-JZrkYalhdjxq4&v=xMvKqnvWnFY&feature=emb_title

In the first interview of this series, RD Huffstetler discusses his plans for healthcare and the opioid crisis and explains why he believes he can appeal to ...

03/06/2020

There's a lot going on this week in the world of racial justice, which we'll cover more in-depth in a future episode. Today, we continue our conversation with Geoffrey Skelley and Kyle Kondik to learn more about VA's contentious 2nd and 7th districts Congressional districts--and their first-term Democratic lawmaker's chances for re-election.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/what-could-happen-in-virginias-7th-and-2nd-house-races

Both Virginia's 7th and 2nd U.S. House districts voted for Trump in 2016. But then two years later, they flipped in the midterm elections. Democrats Abigail Spanberger in the 7th and Elaine Luria in the 2nd both won by razor thin margins. This fall, these first-term lawmakers will face their yet-to-

22/05/2020

With all the news of the pandemic going on, it's easy to forget that we have elections coming up soon! This week, we discuss the Virginia 5th district elections, the 2020 census, and gerrymandering with journalist Peter Galuszka, FiveThirtyEight analyst Geoffrey Skelley, and Kyle Kondik, Director of Communications at the UVA Center for Politics.

https://bolddominion.org/episodes/elections-during-pandemic-whats-happening-in-virginias-5th-district

We’re looking at Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, a huge, gerrymandered region that stretches from the North Carolina border to the Washington, DC exurbs. Freshman lawmaker Denver Riggleman is the Republican incumbent. But he’s facing a challenge from far right candidate Bob Good. And al...

07/05/2020

With Virginia being one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to worker's rights, how is the state labor force responding to the COVID-19 crisis? We spoke with journalist Sarah Vogelsong of The Virginia Mercury and journalist Peter Galuszka to find out the latest, particularly with the meatpacking plants within the state.
https://bolddominion.org/episodes/how-are-virginia-workers-responding-to-recent-covid-19-spikes

Work hasn’t stopped for people working in essential industries – health care, of course. But also grocery stores, fire and police services, construction, buses, meat packing, and more. That doesn’t mean the work is always safe. Around the country, there have been more than 150 labor actions, i...

22/04/2020

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the VA General Assembly meets to discuss the state budget and bill revisions; we sat down with state delegate Sally Hudson and journalist Peter Galuskza to find out what's in store for the latest set of legislation.
https://bolddominion.org/episodes/what-now-for-virginias-budget-and-minimum-wage-hike

The General Assembly has arrived back in Richmond for a highly unusual special session. The task at hand: figure out Virginia’s state budget during this pandemic related economic seizure. Also: sort out the bills that Governor Ralph Northam sent back for revisions. What now for Virginia's budget a...