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news
Virginia’s State of Surveillance
If you sense that somebody’s watching you, you’re not paranoid; you’re a Virginian. The website Deflock.org allows readers to zoom in on a map of Virginia. It currently shows more than 5,500 surveillance cameras operating in the state. Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads are so thoroughly surveilled that they disappear under a blob of… -
opinion
Smoking Out Virginia’s Pot Law
If you are unclear about Virginia’s marijuana laws, rest assured you are not alone these days. Even police officers seem confused (if not necessarily dazed). “As of July 1, 2026, there are no Code of Virginia violations related to marijuana,” a state police lieutenant wrote in what the Virginia Scope (which obtained the communication) described… -
opinion
Spanberger’s Backfiring Gun Stance
Who is the best gun salesperson in Virginia? Gov. Abigail Spanberger—that’s who. According to the FBI background check registry—more about that in a moment—there were 124,319 firearm background checks conducted just in the month of June. Wrap your head around that. That’s more privately owned firearms sold just in June than exist in the entire… -
news
Virginia Town Became Home to Roadside Islamic Rally
The town of Woodbridge, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C., was recently home to a public roadside march of Islamic supporters who chanted sayings in a foreign language, beat their chests, and flew flags written in Arabic. The scene was captured in a video posted on X. Amy Mek, founder of the Rise, Align, Ignite,… -
news
DOJ Sues California, Virginia Over Gun Restrictions After Supreme Court Ruling
The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against both California and Virginia over the states’ gun restrictions. On Wednesday, the Justice Department sued to stop California’s newly enacted ban on Glocks, a popular handgun. The California law that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in June would ban the retail purchase of common handguns manufactured by Glock and… -
opinion
Nothing in Commonwealth
As July begins, Virginians brace for higher gas taxes, hoping that the $68 price of a barrel of crude oil will start to bring the price at the pump back down. However, they will very soon be hit with a 7% increase in their electric bills. Iran? No. Trump tariffs? No. This is because, as… -
news
For the Love of DEI, Virginia Democrats Inject Race Into Tourism
The Virginia House of Delegates just released its final draft of the 2026 budget. Buried in a civil war on data centers, lifting marijuana restrictions, and giving themselves a 150% pay raise, Democrats are also seeking to spend millions on DEI tourism. Virginia legislators are busy working out the 2026 budget. After months of back… -
Yes, Virginia, There Won’t Be a Shutdown
In the end, as the Virginia General Assembly returned Monday for a perfunctory vote on the one-sided $212 billion tax plan, it appears that the Senate president pro tempore was holding up the process not on the principle of clawing tax dollars from data center operators—they were the most eye-catching hostages to take—but for getting… -
opinion
Virginia and the Color Purple
Virginians are facing some tough battles this year, and it didn’t have to be that way. Republican leaders are getting heat for two votes taken on June 13 at the Republican Party of Virginia State Central Committee meeting. That’s not fair. They should take heat for the fact that neither of them should have been… -
opinion
Spanberger’s Slow Start
Imagine for a moment that you’re at a Donald Trump rally. As you approach the event, you come across a Republican protester wearing an anti-Trump mask and carrying a “No more wars” sign. Perhaps the person is also accusing the president of being too cozy with corporations. Does that sound unlikely? Well, outside a Democratic… -
news
Data Center Policy Divides State Democrats
The fate of Virginia’s two-year state budget, which is scheduled to take effect on July 1, is in the hands of Democrats who control both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s mansion, even as the party remains divided over the tax treatment of data centers. State Sen. L. Louise Lucas vowed that “there is… -
opinion
The Art of the Deal
Like they all had read President Donald Trump’s seminal tome “Art of the Deal,” Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, state Sen. Louise Lucas, and Speaker of the House Don Scott had us all believing that the Virginia Democrats were in disarray. Then, as Lee Corso used to say on ESPN “College GameDay,” “Not so fast, my… -
news
Richmond Hosts the National Speech and Debate Tournament
Over the course of this week, Richmond will ring with stirring oratory, as it has many times before. But this time it isn’t politicians or patriots who will be offering their opinions. The state capital is hosting the National Speech & Debate Tournament for the first time. The competition brings some 7,000 students from 1,500… -
news
Judge Denies Motion to Compel Abigail Spanberger to Testify in Defamation Case
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA—A Richmond judge denied two motions against the Democrat Party of Virginia and Gov. Abigail Spanberger Monday in a defamation case, and the plaintiff told the Daily Signal that he plans to appeal the decisions. “I will be appealing these decisions,” Thomas Speciale, a retired Army intelligence officer and a former Republican U.S. Senate… -
opinion
Tall Ships Bring the Spirit of ‘76 to Virginia
Richmond SailFest kicked off last weekend as three sailing ships—Oosterschelde, Pride of Baltimore II, and Virginia—docked in the state capital. Richmond’s portion of the event was co-hosted by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and featured reenactors, history and art exhibits, cultural performances, and live music, plus a fireworks and drone show. “This summer… -
opinion
‘Affordability’? Virginia Drives Gun Manufacturer to Cheaper Georgia
Gov. Abigail Spanberger and whatever members of the Virginia Democratic Party that aren’t in a war of words with her still speak of fulfilling their affordability agenda, which we have debunked in earlier columns as nothing more than more taxpayer-funded subsidies or draconian controls on providers like landlords. However, the news that Rideout Arsenal, a… -
news
Data Center Civil War Leaves Virginia on the Verge of a Shutdown
Virginia is on the verge of its first shutdown in modern history, and it all comes down to data centers and Democratic Party infighting. Democrats control the governor’s mansion, the state Senate, and the House, yet the party can’t get on the same page. “Virginia has to have a budget by June 30,” Republican Virginia… -
opinion
Honoring the Declaration in Richmond
For the next month, Virginians can see a vital piece of our shared national history. A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence will be on display at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. It should serve as a living reminder of the first 250 years of American history. Virginia has been central to… -
opinion
Lawsuit Exposes Virginia’s Neo-Confederate Approach to Immigration
Democrats of 2026 bear an uncanny resemblance to Democrats of 1861 when it comes to seeking to nullify federal law. In 1861, Democrats led efforts to “secede” from the Union to oppose Abraham Lincoln, a Republican who opposed the expansion of slavery into the Northern Territories, an expansion expressly forbidden by Congress in the Missouri… -
opinion
Bitter ‘Harvest’: Don’t Scoff, Virginia, Over California’s Elections. We’re Not Far Behind.
Virginians should not be giggling over the issues that are dogging California’s primary results—we could be next. All of the laws regarding mail-in voting and ballot harvesting are in Virginia’s law books, too. Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, now president of the Election Transparency Initiative, pointed this out in a visit with me on…
