| Dear friends, You probably know that for 8 years I hosted a very popular radio talk show on one of the oldest and largest radio stations in America. I’ve worked in broadcasting and news for decades and consulted with many industries and businesses. I keep up with the news because I have to. But in recent years even someone like me has a difficult time discerning truth from lies and spin and manipulation from objective news stories. I find myself re-reading many stories with a critical eye and a mind that asks why certain stories and facts and opinions are included in accounts and others are ignored. I’m embarrassed that I have such little faith in my former profession to be objective or honest. One of my colleagues (and crosstown rivals) early in my own career in Waco, Texas has been very successful and has risen to be the Chief Washington Correspondent for the FOX News. Mike Emanuel is a remarkable old school journalist who is obsessed with factual accuracy and objectivity in covering stories. Mike is also coming to Richmond on Thursday, March 20th to be our next Virginia Forum keynote speaker. We are fortunate to have Mike as our honored guest and I am so curious to hear his analysis of how news coverage has changed over the last four decades and how news outlets can regain the trust and confidence of their viewers and listeners. Mike also has remarkable stories and insights into the last several presidential administrations and the changes that President Trump is so rapidly making as he begins his second term. You will definitely want to be with us for this Virginia Forum! Get your tickets today before we are completely sold out. Only a limited number of VIP seats are left with the chance to meet Mike in a private reception and have a photo taken with him. And all ticket holders for this Virginia Forum will get the first chance to buy seats for the April Virginia Forum which will feature a Virginia legend LIVE on stage. Don’t miss out on these two amazing forums. Buy your tickets today here! And as always thank you for your support!   John Reid Founder of The Virginia Council Get your tickets today for our next event! Mike Emanuel March 20, 2025 at the Glen Allen Cultural Arts Center VIP Reception begins at 5:45pm Program Begins at 7pm with doors opening at 6:15pm for General Admission ticket holders.  PURCHASE TICKETS HERE Want to know more about Mike Emanuel?? Mike Emanuel currently serves as chief Washington correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined FNC in 1997 as a Los Angeles-based correspondent. Emanuel also anchors FOX NEWS LIVE on Sunday afternoons at 1pm and was in the chair during an historic moment in the 2024 campaign. It was Sunday, July 21st when President Biden suddenly dropped out of the campaign and Emanuel had it first on Fox. Previously, Emanuel provided the latest breaking election news from Washington, DC during FNC’s Democracy 2020 election coverage. Additionally, Emanuel has covered both the House and Senate proceedings surrounding both impeachments of President Donald Trump, lawmakers passing tax reform, the confirmation hearings for the Trump and Biden Cabinets, and the confirmation hearings for President Trump’s three Supreme Court nominees. He also covered Secretary Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. In his role, Emanuel has reported on key congressional races, the IRS scandal, the hearings surrounding the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya attacks and President Barack Obama’s 2012-2016 State of the Union addresses from Capitol Hill, among other events. Come hear him speak about how the Washington D.C. press will cover the exciting and historic second term of President Trump in 2025! Virginia Election Updates: Democrats target Virginia as key battleground for 2025-26 elections - Axios Richmond By Sabrina Moreno Virginia AG's office hit by cyberattack and other headlines around the state • Virginia Mercury By VM Staff Trump chops away at the government and the fallout is felt in the Virginia governor's race | AP News By Olivia Diaz Peace on the right? MAGA warms up to Winsome for governor By Brandon Jarvis JUST IN: Virginia AG seeks to take over dismissed Fairfax County indecent exposure case | FFXnow By Angela Woolsey Democrats Name Their Battlegrounds for the Next Two Years of State-Level Races - NOTUS (Allbritton Journalism Institute) By Calen Razor Sam Shirazi on X: "Virginia does not have campaign contribution limits for state elections That allows a big donation like this of $500K directly to the Spanberger campaign from VoteVets In Federal races, groups like this have to run their own independent ads because of contribution limits" / X 2024 U.S. House Candidate Spending Per Vote By VPAP.ORG  Virginia Assembly, Senate & Governor updates: Boysko removed from committee assignments after speaking out against ‘casino bill’ - Cardinal News By Elizabeth Beyer Virginia schools ranked dead last nationally in math recovery, report says | wusa9.com By Sophie Rosenthal Republican abortion bill banned from Virginia's 2025 legislative session • Virginia Mercury By Charlotte Rene Woods In Virginia, Democratic Lawmakers Clash With Youngkin Over RGGI Membership, Flood Relief - Inside Climate News By Charles Paullin Va. strives to save tuition-waiving program for families of disabled, slain vets By Cameron Thompson (1) Mark Earley on X: "Democrats have refused to hear nearly 150 Republican bills this Session. It’s one thing to vote down a bill, that’s fine. But to not even allow it to be heard in committee is something else. Behind almost every bill is a story, a person — that represents the reason why a bill https://t.co/rpe2fzuyUL" / X Virginia Senate advances bill to extend and increase unemployment benefits | 13newsnow.com By Leah Britton VA budget talks include new state park at James Monroe home By Michael Martz State lawmakers have days to resolve ‘MOMnibus’ bills By Jahd Khalil General Assembly sends gun control measures to Youngkin’s desk | WRIC ABC 8News By Tyler Englander Budget conferees named; Austin, Deeds and Pillion among the negotiators - Cardinal News By Elizabeth Beyer Senate passes bill to include indigenous tribes in flood funds | urcapitalnews By Ana Sufja He Who Controls UVA’s Strategic Investment Fund Controls Its Strategic Direction Part 2 — The Jefferson Council By James A. Bacon Virginia bill would require minimum wage for farm workers | 13newsnow.com By Hannah Eason Amado Virginia bill could grant adult adoptees access to original birth certificates By Brigette Kelly Virginia families set to pay more for Child Care Subsidy Program By Megan Pauly State budget proposals include two key RPS priorities: more funding for staff and school construction By Sarah Vogelsong The next Virginia Council monthly meeting will be on THURSDAY, March 6 at Park Lane Tavern. Cheryl Wilson, who serves as the Executive Director for the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission, will join us to discuss the exciting celebration planned for 2026. The Commission, which was created by the General Assembly for the purpose of planning for and commemorating the 250th anniversary of Virginia's participation in American independence will be active through 2031.  The next Virginia Council monthly meeting will be on THURSDAY, March 6 at 12 noon at Park Lane Tavern. Cheryl Wilson serves as the Executive Director for the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission. The Commission is composed of legislative leaders, tourism and economic development officials, historians, and experts across a wide spectrum. Cheryl's background in planning and executing historic celebrations in the Commonwealth is unsurpassed. She served as the Executive Director of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission From its creation in 2006 to its culmination in 2015. Cheryl was responsible for planning, developing, and managing the Civil War 150 commission activities and programs, including an award-winning mobile museum exhibition, popular Signature Conferences, dozens of large-scale commemorative events, a document digitization effort that located and preserved 32,000 documents, and a matching grant program for local partners. Cheryl then served as Executive Director of the Virginia World War I and World War II Commemoration Commission, which developed statewide programs to mark the 100th anniversary of WWI and the 75th anniversary of WWII, including poignant ceremonies to honor living veterans of WWII. Please join us for a very special update from Cheryl Wilson on Thursday, March 6 at noon. RSVP HERE About – Virginia American Revolution 250 Commemoration – VA250 The VA250 Commission has chosen “To Form a More Perfect Union” as its theme. Our overarching goals are: to educate Americans, including our students, about our history, our founding ideals, and our system of government; to engage with every community and every Virginia locality in events that tell a complete story; and to inspire us all to commit to the values inherent in American citizenship. Articles, News, & Quotes: Trump’s Department Of Government Efficiency Is Poised To Cut Waste By Mike Patton (2) NOVA Campaigns on X: "Democrat Rep @DonBeyerVA (VA-08): “Many federal employees were downloading data back in Nov & Dec to be able to save it. Terrified that their websites were going to be wiped out, data wiped out or not made available again… a lot of scientists” Who’s illegally downloading data? https://t.co/lPa4TVaPdu" / X UVa Wise's Donald Leech under fire for DOGE dox post By Dmitry Martirosov Federal workforce cuts could create unemployment levels in Northern Virginia not seen in living memory. That's a potential problem for rural Virginia. - Cardinal News By Dwayne Yancey Va. economic outlook is positive, says Weldon Cooper Center forecast - Virginia Business By Katherine Schulte Sex offender faces new charges after allegedly exposing himself in Arlington schools By Nick Minock Trump’s Executive Order on Women’s Sports Is Hugely Popular By Leon Sapir UVA Health set to resume transgender care services | News | cbs19news.com By CBS19 News Staff Hospitals Scramble After Court Blocks Trump’s Executive Order on Trans Health Care - NOTUS (Allbritton Journalism Institute) By Margaret Manto & Oriana González FCPD: Falls Church HS teacher and others charged in online child exploitation operation | FFXnow By Angela Woolsey ICE arrests 7 in Northern Virginia amid heightened crackdown on immigration By Sana Azem VICTORY — In Response to AFL’s Complaint, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Opens Investigation into Five Northern Virginia K-12 Schools Illegal “Gender Identity” Policies - America First Legal 5 VA School Districts Investigated For OK'ing Boys In Girls' Spaces By Breccan F. Thies (3) Department of Government Efficiency on X: "This letter was sent to the departments of education in all 50 states, notifying them they have 14 days to remove all DEI programming in all public schools. Institutions which fail to comply may face a loss of federal funding. https://t.co/IufnJMln20" / X Trump signs order to eliminate Federal Executive Institute By 29News Staff Latest Words Of The Day: Constitutional Crisis — Kerry: By Kerry Dougherty Henrico weighs choice between breaking off from Richmond water system or pursuing more regional cooperation By Sarah Vogelsong Richmond releases preliminary report on widespread water crisis | WRIC ABC 8News By Ryan Nadeau, Nia McMillan, Jamal Williams, Sara Molina Report: Richmond water plant didn’t have copy of emergency manual during Jan. 6 failure By Graham Moomaw & Sarah Fogelsong Richmond’s former DPU director tells City Council she wasn’t contacted for city’s initial water report By Graham Moomaw Our Data-Driven Future - richmondmagazine.com By Mark Newton Virginians' health insurance costs keep climbing - Axios Richmond By Karri Peifer He Who Controls UVA’s Strategic Investment Fund Controls Its Strategic Direction — The Jefferson Council By James A. Bacon Train usage spikes in Virginia By Scott Schenk Virginia is having its worst bird flu spike yet - Axios Richmond By Sabrina Moreno DAR Doubles Down On Allowing Men Against Members’ Wishes By Jordan Boyd Dan Helmer sues for $15 million over sexual assault allegations • Virginia Mercury By Charlotte Rene Woods Chesapeake's Rudd, NASCAR's Ironman, inducted into sport's Hall of Fame By AP  Interviews of Interest (15) Autism Capital 🧩 on X: "🚨NEW: Antonio Gracias (@AntonioGracias) breaks down what he and Elon Musk discovered about the way money currently flows in Government (MUST WATCH) "The way the Government works a Department just asks for money from Treasury and they send it out. We all run businesses, there's https://t.co/9yHSbB7DmK" / X How “MAHA” Will Affect the CDC, NIH, and HHS with Dr. Scott Atlas | PragerU By Marissa Streit WATCH: Senator Warner talks about changes taking place with the federal government - Fredericksburg Free Press By Ted Schubel (1) Laura Ingraham on X: "When even Senate Democrats admit their brand is 'really bad,' you know they’re in trouble. Culture matters, and they lost the people long ago. Sen. @MarkWarner at The Munich Security Conference: "I think the Democrats' brand is really bad. And I think this is an election based https://t.co/UYkvLYrnMo" / X The Cardinal: News of Virginia - Rolling the Dice: The Casino Boom in Virginia | RSS.com By Dutchie Jessee LISTEN: Stratford Hall receives $835,000 state grant - Fredericksburg Free Press By Ted Schubel VCU Suspends Trans Surgeries for Kids As Battle Brews in General Assembly By The Family Foundation Friday Tea Leaves - January 31st, 2025 Nelson Velez & Buddy Bishop review past predictions and look ahead to coming political and social shifts. Policing Perceptions: Crime Stats and Beyond By Ruy Teixeira with Peter Moskos The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Liberty State of Surveillance: Everyone's watching - Cardinal News By Lisa Rowan, Tad Dickens, Dean-Paul Stephens & Jeff Schwaner Facial recognition in policing is getting state-by-state guardrails • Virginia Mercury By Paige Gross National news groups challenge two-tier access in Virginia | Courthouse News Service By Bill Girdner Controversial license plate reader bill survives Virginia Senate committee… for now | WVTF By Brad Kutner Virginia colleges and universities may be forced to livestream meetings - Fredericksburg Free Press By Nathaniel Kline (9) EKO on X: "THE 1776 PROPHECY" / X "As we approach the 250th anniversary of our independence," the report challenged, "we must resolve to teach future generations an accurate history of our country so that we all learn and cherish our founding principles once again." The-Presidents-Advisory-1776-Commission-Final-Report.pdf  The Virginia Council has been blessed with unwavering support from the community since its founding a few years ago. And we decided to add some new ways to thank you for your ongoing assistance in our efforts to educate and inform Virginians. "Announcing The Virginia Council membership reward program. Sign up today on our website for the various levels of support!" Member level: Simple membership is free when you sign up for our email newsletter or attend a monthly meeting. Liberty level: For an annual contribution of $100 you get the newsletter, access to our monthly meetings and a commemorative Virginia Council lapel pin. Patriot level: When you step up to make an annual contribution of $250 you receive first access to tickets to our annual Christmas and Patriot Parties, the commemorative Virginia Council pin, and the newsletter and monthly meeting access. President's Council level: For a commitment of $1000 you receive the newsletter, access to our monthly meetings, 2 lapel pins, 2 invitations to both of our annual parties, and 2 VIP tickets to one Virginia Forum lecture of your choice. We hope you'll find these rewards an added incentive to help fund our efforts to restore a full view of Virginia's history, monuments & role that government plays in our lives. We appreciate all your support and encouragement and look forward to bringing you more compelling voices of liberty, freedom, and conscience over the next year. To become a Liberty, Patriot, or President's Council member, please make a contribution here. To volunteer, click here. The Executive Board of the Virginia Council If you are interested in donating appreciated securities, we now have an account to make it easy for you (see the information below). Contact us HERE for more details.  The Virginia Council Preserving Virginia’s history and creating a more prosperous future for all Virginians. Stay Hopeful. Stay Connected. |
