Curated News from The Virginia Council 7/12/26

Legislative updates:

Virginia's Gun Law Controversy: Cuccinelli Weighs In By Rich Tucker

A Statewide Injuction on Virginia's Assault Weapon Ban - YouTube By William Kirk

Virginia cannabis budget language triggers legal confusion, political fallout • Virginia Mercury By Markus Schmidt

State may have inadvertently created a 1-year gap with no cannabis laws, but language was fixed after concerns arose - Cardinal News By Hugh Lessig

Smoking Out Virginia’s Pot Law By Rich Tucker

(4) Glen Sturtevant on X: "This move by the Code Commission raises some important legal questions. How far can the Code Commission go in “clarifying errors” in enacted legislation? How much legislation can you get changed if you can convince the Commission to change it? And how many drug dealers are going" / X

State budget extends Virginia higher education displacement commission funding for two years • Virginia Mercury By Brandi Kellum

Styrofoam food containers now banned at all Virginia restaurants By Katherine Hafner

Virginia Government updates:

Virginia Gov. Spanberger on AI data centers, energy and affordability - POLITICO By Josh Siegal

Panel rules Virginia assault weapons ban lawsuits will proceed separately By Allison Mullet

Spanberger’s Backfiring Gun Stance - The Daily Signal By Joe Thomas

Henrico plans tighter security at public events after teen incidents - Axios Richmond By Karri Peifer

Grave concerns: Stafford supervisors defer data center project on property with historic cemetery - Fredericksburg Free Press By Jonathan Hunley

Shoosmith Landfill owners under attorney general investigation, DEQ says | WRIC ABC 8News By Clare Gehlich

New study ranks Del. Hope as most effective legislator in Richmond; Rep. Kiggans is tops in Washington - Cardinal News By Dwayne Yancey

Virginia ranks among top states for highway safety and mobility benefits, but challenges remain • Virginia Mercury By Nathaniel Cline

A new report suggests Virginia is starting to recover from DOGE cuts | WVTF By Michael Pope

Hallmark Youthcare: 8 girls escape Goochland psychiatric facility in pajamas after assaulting guard, Crime Insider says By WTVR CBS 6 web staff

Article, News, & Quotes:

(5) Virginia News Vanguard on X: "🚨'INSANE': Virginia's Democrat governor RIPPED over immigration approach Former Acting ICE Director Jonathan Fahey discusses Juan Arevalo Mendez, a twice-deported illegal immigrant charged with rape and kidnapping in Fairfax County, Virginia. This coverage also reports a list https://t.co/AjzV8svE3E" / X

Don't Bet Against Virginia - But Don't Coast on a #3 CNBC Ranking Either - Jefferson Forum By Derrick A. Max

How Virginia became the world's data center capital and how it's going • Virginia Mercury By Nathaniel Cline & Shannon Heckt

Digital Future – Build It the Right Way | Bacon's Rebellion - By Chris Saxman

Analysis: Higher Electricity Rates in Blue States Linked to Renewable Energy Policies › American Greatness By AG News staff

Solar Farms Come Up Short — Kerry: By Kerry Dougherty

Spirituality and patriotism themes of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community weekend conference By Dina Weinstein

New Film Asks If America Can Survive Without Virtue By Brianna Lyman

(4) Andrew Leyden on X: "Just noticed that the Rawlins Park Fountain and reflecting pool near the White House, one of the fountains President Trump ordered repaired, is now working again. https://t.co/xxJ0COxXWd" / X

Corn removal commences in canal after train derailment By Haidyn Brockelman

Well Being: The Processed Meat Problem By Dr. Robert W. Malone

(1) Secretary Kennedy - by Sheila M Furey, MD

((( charlottesville 🫧 ))) on X: "💥RAPE - Charlottesville Homeless Camp Time for @CvilleCityHall resignations: ❌Mayor Wade ❌City Manager Sanders ❌ @MPayneCville & City Council ❌ @cvillepolice Chief Kochis, AFTER HE CLEARS CAMP ➡️🧵 🔗https://t.co/HxZlnWCKMD https://t.co/lYKcEvkv0H https://t.co/4Xe6BF87Wa" / X

Andy Ngo Live: The Historic North Texas Antifa Terror Case Explained

The DSA’s Communist Turn - by Stu Smith - The Free Press

Virginia’s Atlantic coast should be protected, not turned into a sacrifice zone • Virginia Mercury By Rachel Mathews

What's next for Chesterfield's $173M Shoosmith Landfill cleanup - Axios Richmond By Sabrina Moreno

History, Tradition, & the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America:

America’s Universal Aspiration at 250 › American Greatness By Stephen Soukup

Victor Davis Hanson: Why the American Republic Survived for 250 Years

Trump panel finds Smithsonian American history museum ideologically captured, engages in ‘activism’ | Just The News By Steven Richards

(2) Carol M. Swain, PhD on X: "I recently joined the broadcast to discuss the far-left, ideological capture of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Politically correct activists took over our museums a long time ago; they are now rewriting history and indoctrinating our children with false https://t.co/VSwPkN0ws8" / X

New Poll: Nearly Half of Americans Don’t Know What America’s 250th Is Celebrating | Cato at Liberty Blog

The Democrat Party’s History of Race-Based Policies: From Slavery to the KKK to DEI * The Gateway Pundit * by Antonio Graceffo

The Thread of Liberty: Keeping Our Republic By American Majority

(5) InfantryDort on X: "Devoured by the Revolution IX: The American Revolution The Fever: Most revolutions come into the world with an appetite. They promise justice, identify enemies, sanctify rage, and eventually discover that destroying the old order is easier than governing without becoming worse https://t.co/oh07wzMSjg" / X

How accurate is 'Young Washington'? Here's how the Hollywood version compares with actual history. - Cardinal News By Dwayne Yancey

Hillsdale College Produced in collaboration with the White House’s Salute to America 250 Task Force, The Story of America is a sweeping, episode-by-episode journey through our nation’s founding.

(5) Mount Vernon on X: "We’re pleased to introduce you to our founding farmer – George Washington! Do you know about Washington’s contributions to agriculture? Agricultural books introduced Washington to methods that increased crop yields in mid-eighteenth-century Britain. These works of “the New https://t.co/EDzYz8ByKR" / X

(5) Secretary Doug Burgum on X: "📍 Theodore Roosevelt Island https://t.co/JYuz1DDw5T" / X

Revolutionary War Cannons Hidden For 240 Years Go On Display | ZeroHedge By Tyler Durden

America 250: Colonial Williamsburg, Where America’s story began By Amy DeLaura

The Constitution, Bill of Rights, & Liberty:

(5) AAGHarmeetDhillon on X: "Last week, @CivilRights filed cases in California and Virginia to fight bans on sales of legal firearms. @TheJusticeDept is committed to ensuring that law-abiding Americans enjoy their Second Amendment rights without infringement! https://t.co/6UtHYtQPca" / X

USFCR, et al. v. Lutnick, et al. - America First Legal America First Legal (AFL), in partnership with Weber, Crabb & Wein, P.A., filed a landmark lawsuit, alleging that the 2020 Census was unconstitutional and violated federal law. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of two individuals and two organizations, alleges that the Census Bureau relied on unlawful statistical methods, distorted congressional representation, and diluted the votes of lawful citizens.

Bring Back Election Day - by Drew Holden - Commonplace

DOJ’s Dhillon says states have ‘homework to do’ ahead of midterms By Kaelan Deese

(2) YOU ARE NOT RAW MATERIAL FOR PROFIT By Dr. Robert W. Malone

Here’s Why Judge Blocked Virginia’s Gun Ban | The Daily Caller By Harold Hutchinson

On 250th Anniversary, a Look Back at Gun Ownership in America | The Epoch Times By Michael Clements

Divided Seventh Circuit upholds Illinois ban on AR-15-style rifles and large-capacity magazines | Just The News By JTN