Politics

15

Aug

By Dorothy Brand

Politics

Youngkin tax team delayed business tax refunds worth hundreds of millions

RICHMOND — Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration failed to provide timely tax refunds worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Virginia corporations two years in a row, an error made public Wednesday after Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears inquired about an odd footnote in a financial presentation to the House and Senate money committees. After Youngkin (R) gave an upbeat assessment of the state’s finances to the committees, Finance Secretary Stephen E. Cummings presented the members with a slide show with more details. One of the slides noted “a backlog of corporate refunds [that] had accumulated from prior years,” and Earle-Sears (R)…

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12

Aug

By Dorothy Brand

Politics

Revamped AUKUS Deal Faces Backlash Over Clauses Favoring US, UK In Nuclear Submarine Pact

The revamped AUKUS agreement tabled in the Australian Parliament drew criticism over key provisions that exempted the United States and the United Kingdom from certain obligations. Under the revamped clauses, Australia has agreed to indemnify the U.S. and the U.K. in case of any loss or injury, including third-party claims, related to nuclear waste storage and disposal. Secondly, the two partners may cancel the deal with a year's notice if their nuclear submarine program is affected, ABC News reported. The three AUKUS partners signed the deal in Washington last week. The deal will remain in force till Dec. 31, 2075,…

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08

Aug

By Dorothy Brand

Politics

Youngkin issues executive order to strengthen election security

(The Center Square) – An executive order has been issued to codify Virginia’s “election security procedures” implemented by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The governor issued Executive Order 35 on Wednesday to “protect legal voters and accurate counts,” which includes “stringent ballot security, complete and thorough counting machine testing,” and “best-in-the-nation voter list maintenance.” Youngkin touted the commonwealth’s election integrity, reaffirming the need for every “legal” vote to be counted. “The Virginia model for election security works,” Youngkin said. “This isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue, it’s an American and Virginian issue. Every legal vote deserves to be counted without being watered…

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07

Aug

By Dorothy Brand

Politics

Candidates, political leaders react to Walz selection for vice presidential running mate

CHARLESTON — Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president in November, received praise from a former West Virginia Democratic leader and current Democratic candidates in the state for selecting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate. Harris, who serves as President Joe Biden’s vice president, announced Walz as her running mate Tuesday morning. Walz, a former six-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, was re-elected to a second term as governor in 2022. Walz was among several names being considered by Harris as her running mate, including Kentucky…

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05

Aug

By Dorothy Brand

Politics

Keir Starmer to hold emergency Cobra meeting this morning over violent riots

Keir Starmer will chair an emergency Cobra meeting this morning with senior police officials in response to widespread scenes of rioting. It comes after the PM insisted far-right thugs will face justice for the riots that gripped the country over the weekend. Towns and cities across England suffered violence, disorder, and looting at the hands of hate-filled anti-migrant mobs. Mr Starmer vowed rioters would "regret" engaging in "far-right thuggery" and promised those involved in unrest would "face the full force of the law" as he addressed the nation on Sunday. During the Cobra meeting at 10 am today in Downing…

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03

Aug

By Dorothy Brand

Politics

A baby who lived for 40 minutes inspired a network of refuge for pregnant women in post-Roe America

On the wall of the maternity home, painted in large letters, is the motto: “Saving Babies, One Mom at a Time.” For founders Randy and Evelyn James, the home started with one baby — their own. Paul Stefan was the last of their six children, born with a fatal condition. They had chosen not to abort the pregnancy as doctors advised. He lived just over 40 minutes, long enough to be baptized and named after their Catholic priest. In the nearly two decades since the Jameses have channeled their son’s memory and their anti-abortion beliefs into running maternity homes. “We…

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02

Aug

By Dorothy Brand

Politics

Congress takes steps to revive affordable internet funding

A federal program that provided internet discounts to low-income people may yet be resuscitated. A Senate committee on Wednesday voted for $7 billion in funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, and House of Representatives members have introduced legislation that would put $6 billion into the dormant initiative. For two years, the program known as ACP provided $30 discounts per month, or $75 a month for people on tribal land, and included one-time $100 discounts on laptop, desktop, or tablet purchases. The $14.2 billion Congress provided via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ran out earlier this year. More than 23 million households…

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02

Aug

By Dorothy Brand

Politics

‘It’s very intense’: The vice presidential vetting process, from those who have been vetted

WASHINGTON – So you want to be vice president? Prepare for one of the most invasive reviews of your personal life in American politics. Before they can be selected as a running mate, vice presidential contenders undergo a vetting process that seeks to unearth their darkest secrets − and even those of their family, friends, and business partners. “It’s very intense,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who was vetted as a potential running mate to former President Barack Obama in 2008 and again in 2016, when he was chosen to be the vice presidential candidate to Hillary Clinton. Rep. Byron…

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01

Aug

By Dorothy Brand

Politics

‘Bodily autonomy is on the ballot:’ VA Democrats focus on abortion ahead of 2024 election

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA – Bodily autonomy is on the ballot this November, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan said Wednesday, addressing a couple dozen women in Connie McGowan’s House of Photography at Stoney Point Fashion Park. “One out of three women in this country live in a state that has an abortion ban or extreme restrictions,” McClellan, D-Richmond, who led Wednesday’s discussion, said. Women in the audience shared stories of their experiences with reproductive health care and what the lack of access could mean for them, their children, and grandchildren. They discussed what could happen to access to reproductive health care in Virginia and…

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01

Aug

By Dorothy Brand

Politics

Henry County seeks state money to improve traffic flow on U.S. 220

Ongoing efforts to improve one of Southside’s strategic roadways could become a Virginia Department of Transportation priority. Henry County is in the process of submitting several project applications to VDOT, one of which is a way to smooth traffic flow along a portion of U.S. 220 south of Martinsville. The proposed project site is the intersection of U.S. 220 and Virginia 87. The design, known as a continuous green T, would allow southbound traffic to continuously flow freely while northbound lanes would be controlled by traffic signals. Officials felt the intersection was an ideal location for the proposed project. As…

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