SPONSORS:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaThis week, Michael is joined by Ben Tribbett, Founder of Pocket Aces Consulting, and former state Delegate David Ramadan to break down the political ads for Virginia races in the upcoming election. What are the messages that candidates are putting out, and how effective will they be?

SPONSOR:ALX Live StudiosThe Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaCheck out Black Virginia NewsIN THE NEWS:Broadcast TV ads once held such a significant place in American politics that candidates would raise millions of dollars to flood the airwaves in an effort to get elected. Now a significant chunk of that is moving online.Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin is taking credit for record job growth in Virginia. That's despite what he calls "inflationary headwinds from Washington." Ask Susanna Gibson about consent. She's got a lot of thoughts because last year a Republican operative shared nonconsensual images of her that upended her campaign for the House of Delegates. Now she's working with a bipartisan coalition to do something about it, and she says draft legislation now circulating among lawmakers would have given her some protection.TRIVIA: Which election saw bumper stickers in Virginia supporting “Barry and Harry”?Learn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia

SPONSORS:ALX Live StudiosThe Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaWith a whole bunch of competitive races in Virginia this way, we narrow things down to the very exciting race for Richmond's mayor. The winning candidate will need to win 5 of the city's 9 districts to avoid a runoff. So who's on the ticket? Michael sits down with The Richmonder's Graham Moomaw to break it all down.

SPONSOR:ALX Live StudiosThe Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaCheck out Black Virginia NewsIN THE NEWS:Today is election day in Virginia--and so are the next 45 days. And despite Republican efforts to shorten or eliminate early voting and ballot dropboxes, these new programs were voted on before the pandemic ever began.Skill games continue to be hotly-debated in Virginia, and now everal of these machines are back up and running in Henrico County. These machines operate in a gray area of state law, since a cashier or bartender acts as a middleman for the money, and a company is making full use of the legal muddiness.Governor Glenn Youngkin recently got into the politics over banning books in school districts--a practice which he seemed to distance from himself, despite his parents'r-rights rhetoric and public questions about books like Beloved. TRIVIA: What famous designer recently purchased a home on Monument Avenue in Richmond?Learn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia

SPONSORS:ALX Live StudiosThe Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaEarly voting in Virginia begins tomorrow! And this week, Pod Virginia favorite Sam Shirazi brings us an update on the national, statewide, and local elections happening around Virginia from now through November.

SPONSOR:ALX Live StudiosThe Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaCheck out Black Virginia NewsIN THE NEWS: A bunch of new polls in Virginia are showing Virginia is no longer a battleground state, if it ever was one. When Biden was the candidate, the polls indicated that Republicans would be targeting Virginia as a swing state. Now all that is slipping out of reach for Trump voters. The funding formula for how public schools currently receive state money uses Census data to figure out the staffing levels needed for the school-age population in an area. Now a bipartisan group of lawmakers is considering a plan to move to a new formula that calculates money based on students. Reporting for Richmonder.org, Graham Moomaw has a bombshell story revealing that skill games are back--three new machines at a sports bar in Henrico that are practically daring authorities to test their legal case.TRIVIA: Who is the non-president bust in the rotunda at the Capitol building?At the Watercooler: Lauren and Michael react to the racist lies peddled on the national debate stage targeting Hatian immigrants--and how it's part of a standard playbook.Learn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia

SPONSOR:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaThis week, Michael is joined by the Cato Institute's Director of Immigration Studies David Bier and Senior Fellow Dr. Jeffrey Singer to break down the false narrative that ties illegal immigration to the fentanyl crisis. They say the real source of fentanyl comes from US citizens at ports of entry, and argue that harder drug prohibition leads directly to harder drugs being manufactured.

SPONSOR:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaCheck out Black Virginia NewsIN THE NEWS:During a recent training event for Republican poll watchers in Arlington, Virginia party chairman Rich Anderson didn't mince words about the 45 days of voting that starts Friday, September 20. But some of the people urging their supporters to vote early now were trying to undermine the 45 days of early voting during the General Assembly session earlier this year, says House Privileges and Elections Committee Chairwoman Cia Price.Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares says local law enforcement officials have the authority -- and a moral duty -- to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. In a statement, he thanked sheriffs who are working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE. But advocates  worry that people who feel like they are in danger of being deported might stop contacting the police when they need help or stop cooperating with investigations.Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson has a message for his constituents. It's all about that *tax* base. That's the headline in his latest newsletter. He says his city will be missing out on $11 million this year because of the declining values of commercial real estate in AlexandriaTRIVIA: Who is the famous sculptor who made the statue of George Washington at the Capitol?Learn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia

SPONSOR:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaThis week, Michael is joined by Shawn Weneta of The Humanization Project and Ben Knotts of Americans for Prosperity to discuss Governor Youngkin's Executive Order 36: "Stand Tall, Stay Strong, Succeed Together," meant to help Virginians on probation re-enter society and avoid recidivism.

SPONSOR:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaCheck out Black Virginia NewsIN THE NEWS:Republicans have a goal of identifying 5,000 volunteers to serve as poll watchers for every precinct during all 45 days of voting. But there are concerns about Republican attempts to block certification of elections results that don't go their way.If elected to the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris says she wants to offer $25,000 in downpayment assistance for first-time homebuyers. Harris is also talking about taking on corporate landlords by restricting rent increases to 5 percent for landlords with more than 50 units. In addition to that, she also wants to create tax incentives for the construction of new homes. While Democrats are talking about increasing the supply of housing, Republicans are talking about decreasing demand by deporting undocumented immigrants as well as allowing some housing development on federal lands and reducing mortgage rates.Over the weekend, we saw spouses of the Democratic ticket barnstorming the state, which is a time-honored tradition in American politics. TRIVIA: What two words were put together to create the word “tabloid?” At the Watercooler:- JD Vance getting booed by the Firefighter's Union.- Right-wing outlet "The Daily Wire" attacking a Virginia journalist without bothering to contact him.Learn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia

SPONSOR:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaThis week, Michael is joined by John Milliken, co-editor of The New Dominion and Senior Fellow-In-Residence at George Mason University's Schar School, to illustrate the history of the Byrd Machine with the help of archival audio from the LIbrary of Virginia.

SPONSOR:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaCheck out Black Virginia NewsIN THE NEWS:As Democrats arrived in Chicago for their convention, a new Roanoke College poll showed that Vice President Kamala Harris has a 3% edge in Virginia over former President Donald Trump.In July, Governor Youngkin issued Executive Order 33, directing the Virginia Department of Education to draft guidance for public school divisions to adopt local policies and procedures establishing cell phone-free education. With school starting this week, what might the future hold for students and cell phone usage?Speaking of polls, Governor Youngkin’s approval has jumped to its highest number.In a new Roanoke College survey of Virginia likely voters, Youngkin’s popularity surged to 59%. When compared to others, that rating makes him the sixth-most popular governor in the nation.TRIVIA: What was Virginia's walk-up song at the 2024 DNC Convention, and what is the song's connection to the state?Learn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia

SPONSOR:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaThis week, Michael is joined by Mary Garner McGehee, audio producer for the Virginia Audio Collective and the new host of Bold Dominion, our longtime sister show. They discuss the revamped explainer for state politics, including episodes on Virginia's recycling, minimum wage, and other state politics topics that often fly beneath the radar.

SPONSOR:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaCheck out Black Virginia NewsIN THE NEWS:The tradition in Virginia politics for many years was for state Democrats to remain quiet about national Democrats they did not like and didn’t want to vote for. Now things are much more explicit--and some experts are predicting more Never Trump Republicans will emerge in Virginia.For years, schools identified how many students lived in poverty by taking a look at who received free or reduced-price lunches. That left many high-poverty students out of the equation, and the system had to be scrapped when many divisions started making meals universally available. The new way of identifying high-poverty students is based on participation in federal assistance programs, and the Department of Education estimates that 43 percent of public students are at-risk. For many years, Pell Grants were not available to people who are incarcerated. But now the law has changed, and about 14,000 people who are incarcerated have access to the money to pay for college classes. But only 11 of Virginia's 45 prisons offer college classes.TRIVIA: How much blood did George Washington’s doctors remove from his body the day he died?Learn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia

SPONSOR:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaThis week, Michael and Lauren are joined by former candidate Susanna Gibson and the Poynter Institute's Kelly McBride to discuss the recent hacked information regarding Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance, the Washington Post story detailing explicit videos of Susanna, and how those stories relate to other instances of leaks and hacks through the evolving media landscape.

SPONSOR:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaCheck out Black Virginia NewsIN THE NEWS:When the House of Delegate unanimously approved the appointment of Lindsey Burke to the George Mason University board of visitors, members of the General Assembly did not know that she would later play a prominent role in Project 2025. That’s the conservative think-tank plan to reshape the federal government’s functions and benefits. Now Speaker of the House Don Scott is calling on the governor to remove the co-author of Project 2025 chapter on education. Experts say Virginia will benefit from tens of millions of dollars from the Infrastructure Act to finance energy storage for data centers. Supporters of clean energy are hopeful this program in Manassas will show how new technology can address the rising demand from data centers without the need for new energy generation from fossil fuels.From the hills of Appalachia to the melodic tones of the Piedmont, Virginia has some of the most perplexing accents in the country. A survey conducted by language-learning platform Guide2Fluency shows Appalachia and Piedmont accents have artificial intelligence stumped. TRIVIA: What town in Virginia is trying to withhold 3,000 emails about a proposed Amazon data center?Learn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia

SPONSOR:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaThe Richmonder: https://richmonder.orgThis week we are joined by the founder of the Richmonder and one of his new star reporters, Michael Phillips and Graham Moomaw. They explain what they hope to accomplish with the launch of the new site on Sept. 9, and they'll also share some thoughts about hot sauce.

SPONSOR:The Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaCheck out Black Virginia NewsIN THE NEWS:In a 2019 memoir, Kamala Harris described herself as a "progressive prosecutor.” But many criminal justice reform advocates aren't so sure about her record, which includes prosecuting parents when their students were truant and notifying immigration authorities when undocumented juveniles were charged with felonies.Trump Force 47 is the name of the Republican get-out-the-vote operation this year. It involves training sessions at various locations across Virginia where volunteers are learning about how to target potential voters in critical precincts. But will it actually expand the base?The Fraternal Order of Police of Virginia is calling on the Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys to investigate slot-machine style devices known as skill games--specifically, Fairfax, Henrico and Portsmouth.  Some of those prosecutors note that it's law enforcement's job to investigate crimes.TRIVIA: What industry was supposed to be cultivated by Jamestown? Learn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia

SPONSOR:Richmond ForumLINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg Media Jon Baliles (former Richmond City Councilman, advisor to Mayors Wilder and Stoney, and author of RVA 5x5 Substack) joins Michael to discuss the candidates for Richmond's mayoral election, which has a unique structure that requires the winning candidate to win 5 of 9 districts to avoid a runoff.

LINKS:Pod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaCheck out Black Virginia NewsIN THE NEWS:Before Joe Biden dropped out of the race for president, several polls took a look at how Kamala Harris would do against Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup in Virginia. Mark Rozell of the Schar School says any Democrat running against Trump would probably fare as well as Biden if not marginally better. And, he says, that could win the election.Northern Virginia has long been the global capital of data centers, but now they are expanding to the rest of Virginia. According to the Piedmont Environmental Council, Virginia already has about 200 data centers with applications pending for 100 more. Some members of the General Assembly are sounding alarm bells on the rapid growth.Virginia has the worst on-time delivery rates in the country ever since the United States Postal Service made changes to the Richmond Regional Processing and Delivery Center. That's a problem for newspapers that are delivered using periodical delivery rates.TRIVIA: Which congressional district has the largest partisan lean? Learn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia