BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed a bill into law that included the largest cut to Medicaid in history. The legislation, H.R. 1, threatens the health coverage of over 15 million people in the U.S. In the crosshairs of those cuts are rural hospitals, which is why Republicans included a multi-billion dollar “fund” to assist with a major budgetary shortfall for most facilities when Medicaid payments stop.

Since President Barack ...

EP53 - BATTLEGROUNDS with FERGIE REID, JR.— Fergie Reid, Jr. is the son of historic Virginia House of Delegates member William Ferguson "Fergie" Reid, Sr. In 1968, the senior Reid became the first African-American elected to the Virginia General Assembly since the days of Reconstruction. In this episode of the Black Virginia News podcast Reid, Jr, and Lauren Burke discuss battleground races for the Virginia House of Delegates.

Fergi...

EP52 - Health Care and Messaging with U.S. Reps. Jennifer McClellan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett. On May 15, 2025 Lauren Burke spoke with three members of Congress on Democratic messaging as the party fights House Republicans on cuts to health care and aid to the poor.

The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress are pushing historic cuts to parts of the federal government and attempting to dismantle Medic...

EP51 - The Race for the Virginia House: Dems Go 100 for 100 with Fergie Reid, Jr. - This week Virginia Democrats hit a milestone: They have a candidate running in all one hundred seats for the Virginia House in 2025. Even in deep red rural areas of the Commonwealth, Democrats have a candidate. This podcast with featuring Fergie Reid, Jr., who recruited many of the candidates, explains why that matters.

Follow Fergie Reid Jr. on Blue...

EP50 - John Reid, History and Blackmail? with Paul Goldman. On episode 50 of the Black Virginia News podcast Lauren Burke talks with attorney Paul Goldman about the unprecedented state of play around Republican Lt. Governor nominee John Reid after Gov. Glenn Youngkin contacted him to drop out of the 2025 race for Lieutenant Governor. Goldman, the former campaign manager for L. Douglas Wilder, will analyze the history of smear campa...

EP49 - Rep. Jennifer McClellan's Town Hall in Richmond. At a town hall on April 23, 2025, held at Mosby Memorial Baptist Church in Richmond, Rep. Jennifer McClellan addressed pressing concerns from constituents during a pivotal moment for the nation. This podcast covers the first seven questions of McClellan’s two hall with constituents — her second in two days. Representing Virginia’s fourth district, the Congresswoman fielded que...

EP48 - Fergie Reid Jr. on the 2025 Virginia House Races - In this episode, Dr. Fergie Reid Jr., a prominent voting rights advocate and the son of civil rights pioneer Dr. William Ferguson Reid Sr., who became the first African American elected to the Virginia General Assembly after Reconstruction in 1968, offers his perspective on the 2025 Virginia House of Delegates races. Reid’s analysis sits up against the uneasy backdrop of th...

On April 1, 2025, Congressman Bobby Scott hosted a panel that focused on the civil rights agenda at a moment of adversity as the Trump Administration attempts to undo 70 years of progress. This podcast covers three of the speakers who participated in that event.

The panel showcased advocates in the trenches from the NAACP, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU. With the backdrop of U.S. Senator Cory Booker speaking against Trum...

EP46 👷🏽‍♀️ Advice for Federal Workers. The onslaught of news of mass firings of federal employees has thousands of workers in the DMV on edge. Hundreds of federal employees are looking for advice during a tumultuous time. The Trump Administration is attempting to dismantle thousands of jobs of federal government employees and contractors. The impact on Virginia and the DMV will mean big economic changes in the region.

At one o...

EP45 - Tributes to Henry Marsh III - This episode features tributes to former attorney, State Senator and Richmond Mayor Henry Marsh who passed away at 91 on January 23, 2025.

Moments after a major commemoration on the morning of January 24 in the Virginia State Capitol took place in honor of the first Black members of the General Assembly, news of Marsh’s death prompted lawmakers to post tributes to the noted civil rights attorney....

EP43 - EXCLUSIVE! 🚨 Speaker Don Scott Pardoned by President Biden - An Exclusive Interview. Today, January 19, 2025, in the final hours of the presidency of President Joseph Biden, the President grants a pardon to five individuals including Virginia House Speaker Don Scott of Portsmouth.

Don Scott was arrested in 1994 for a non-violent drug offense. In this episode we discuss his reaction to today’s breaking news, including how his...

Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, who represents Virginia’s fourth congressional district, is a veteran of Virginia politics. With Donald Trump entering his second term in office, Rep. McClellan and her colleagues have a political fight on their hands against MAGA Republicans who want to end the civil service, gut Social Security and move federal employees out of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

McClellan served in the Virginia House ...

AN INTERVIEW WITH VIRGINIA’S 58th SPEAKER DON SCOTT. Tomorrow, January 8, 2025, the Virginia General Assembly will convene at noon. This episode of the Black Virginia News podcast features Virginia’s 58th Speaker of the House of Delegates, Don Scott of Portsmouth, Virginia.

Twelve days out from the start of the second White House term of Donald Trump, the Virginia General Assembly begins its work with a divided government controlle...

EP41 - Winsome Sears, Youngkin and Trump in Salem, Virginia. On November 2, 2024, former President Donald Trump held a presidential campaign rally in Salem, Virginia.

Many are asking: Why? Virginia is not seen as being “in play” regarding the 2024 race for The White House between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump.

But there they were: Governor Glenn Youngkin, Lt. Governor Winsome Sears and Attorney General Jaso...

EP39 - U.S. Supreme Court Ignores Federal Law, Allows Youngkin Vote Purge of Lawful Voters in Virginia. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the morning of Oct. 30, 2024 that Virginia could continue to purge voters from the rolls even though a federal law mandates there be no voter purges 90 days before an election. They provided no details as to their legal reasoning.

The three SCOTUS members who were nominated by Democrats, Associate J...

EP40 - Jeffries in Virginia. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries made stops in Suffolk, Virginia Beach and Prince William over the last five days in an effort to assist Democrats in close races that will decide control of the U.S. House of Representatives

The man who could be the next Speaker of the U.S. House if Democrats win back the majority, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, campaigned at three Black owned businesses in Suf...

DAY 21 OF A PARTY IN CRISIS. ♟️ Who knew that the nominating process meant nothing when Biden received millions of votes during the 2024 primary season?

In a never before seen moment in American political history, a former President, a former Speaker of the House and Democratic party leaders of the U.S. House and Senate are urging the candidate of their party to abandon a presidential race less than 110 days before Election Day.

As ...

EP37: Biden State of Play as Biden Goes on Offense. Lauren Burke and Paul Goldman discuss the current state of play as Democrats deal with the fallout of a June 27, 2024 debate in which their nominee for President, Joe Biden, appeared mentally confused and tired up against former President Trump. After 11 days of very public criticism from fellow Democrats, Biden and his team moved fast to get on offense.

With the support of the Vi...

EP36: Joe Biden: Black Base is Ridin' with Biden Before a Make or Break Week. With only 120 days until election day and 43 days until the DNC Convention in Chicago, President Joe Biden’s presidential run for re-election is at a tipping point. As concerns about his mental ability to run an energetic campaign against former President Donald Trump, Biden is being challenged by members of his own party to leave the race.

This podcast wi...