The Virginia Star - Leading the Way in News and Education

January 24, 2021

Virginia Newspaper Apologizes for Whiteness Before Reporting on Discrimination

A Virginia newspaper apologized for the racial makeup of its reporters who are publishing a series on post-Jim Crow housing discrimination in Norfolk. "For full disclosure, the people behind this reporting are white and benefit from numerous privileges that the...

January 24, 2021

Newt Gingrich Commentary: After Surviving Cancel Culture Mob, Parler Is Rebuilding

Parler, the social networking app, was started for two main reasons. First, Parler’s founders wanted to compete in a free market to address the problems with their competitors at Twitter and elsewhere.

January 24, 2021

Pelosi Says She’s ‘Not Worried’ Impeachment Will Alienate Trump Supporters

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she’s “not worried” that impeachment will alienate former President Donald Trump’s supporters. “No, I’m not worried about that. The fact is the president committed an act of incitement of insurrection. I don’t think...

January 24, 2021

China Fails to Purchase Amount of U.S. Goods Promised in Phase One Trade Deal, Report Finds

China came $73.1 billion short of the total amount of U.S. goods it promised to purchase in the phase one trade deal between the two nations, according to a Peterson Institute for International Economics report. While it agreed to purchase...

January 24, 2021

McCarthy Says He Wants Cheney to Remain in House GOP Leadership Following Impeachment Vote

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said that he wants Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney to remain in GOP leadership following her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump. Though he backed Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, he added there...

January 24, 2021

Several Pro-Lockdown Politicians Suddenly Support Reopening

Several governors and other elected officials across the country who previously implemented strict lockdown measures have flip-flopped once again, and some now support reopening their various states, as reported by the Daily Caller. One of the most glaring examples is New...

January 24, 2021

Music Spotlight: Daniel Borge

Daniel Borge is an up-and-coming country music star. When I heard his single, “There I Was” I could tell this song offered the classical country story with a more modern sound. What I didn’t realize was that Borge is from Norway...

January 24, 2021

Produce Shortages Possible as Workers Strike for Higher Wages over Pandemic Risks

Produce distributed by Hunts Point Produce Market, the largest U.S. wholesale produce market, faces possible shortages as the company’s workers protest in favor of a wage increase, The New York Times reported. Unionized workers at Hunts Point Produce Market, which plays a...

January 24, 2021

Broadcast Pioneer Larry King Dies at Age 87

Larry King, the radio broadcaster who took cable TV news by storm with his iconic suspenders, gravelly voice and big-name interviews, died Saturday. He was 87. His death was announced by his TV production company on his Twitter account, less...

January 24, 2021

Commentary: The Keystone Cancellation and Biden’s Climate Cronyism

Among many executive actions signed on Inauguration Day to sweep Trump policies out the door along with the man himself, President Biden rescinded approval for the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Keystone XL, according to Biden’s top climate policy adviser Gina McCarthy, “was not...

January 24, 2021

Delegate Mullin Introduces HB 2263 to End Virginia’s Death Penalty

Delegate Mike Mullin (D-Newport News) has introduced HB 2263, which would abolish the death penalty in Virginia. The bill has attracted support from leading Democratic policy makers; co-patrons of the bill are House Majority Leader Charniele Herring (D-Alexandria), attorney general...

January 24, 2021

Virginia GOP Moves Forward with Nominating Convention Amidst Chaos and Intense Division

After another stalemate between pro-primary and pro-convention factions of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) State Central Committee (SCC), Chairman Rich Anderson said he will move forward with plans for a convention. "The majority of the SCC voted today for...

January 23, 2021

John Fredericks Commentary: The Great RPV Hostage Caper

Susan Swecker, Chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Virginia is having the time of her life. She cannot wait until Saturday’s Republican Party of Virginia’s weekly State Central Committee clown car Zoom show to hit the Facebook live pages. In...

January 23, 2021

Virginia House Public Safety Subcommittee Killing Bills Limiting Executive Order Power

Delegate Kirk Cox’s House bill limiting the length of executive orders will likely die in committee after a Public Safety subcommittee recommended tabling the bill. HB 2087, if passed, would limit the length of Governor Ralph Northam’s executive orders...

January 23, 2021

Commentary: Nobody Should be Surprised by Biden’s Executive Actions—That’s the System Congress and the Courts Created

President Joe Biden’s first day in office began with a flurry of executive orders and other actions, taking out former President Donald Trump’s travel restrictions from countries with known Islamist terrorist activity, stopping further construction of the border wall on an emergency...

January 23, 2021

Georgia Rep. Taylor Greene Files Articles of Impeachment Against Biden

A freshman U.S. House member from Georgia Thursday filed articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden, on Biden's first full day in office. "I'm filing articles of impeachment against Joe Biden for abuse of power, and he used the office...

January 23, 2021

Guard Troops Forced to Leave Capitol Building, Rest in Parking Garage Sparks Bipartisan Outrage

Thousands of National Guard troops protecting the Capitol Hill complex during inauguration week were temporarily forced Thursday night to leave the buildings, sparking outrage among the troops and Congress. “Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer – why are American troops...

January 23, 2021

Commentary: America Needs to Break the Chinese Slave Labor Supply Chain

The Biden administration has begun ramping up another “Buy American” campaign. Promoters of international commerce will respond that privileging the purchase of domestic products is inefficient and thus immoral: If manufacturing is cheaper in China, Chinese laborers and American consumers both...

January 23, 2021

Texas Governor, Attorney General to Sue Biden over Immigration

Texas plans to sue the Biden administration over several executive orders recently issued, and immigration policy is front and center. “A new crop of Texas-led lawsuits awaits Joe Biden's White House,” Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted. “Texas will take action whenever...

January 23, 2021

Some Deportations Will Be Put on Hold for Biden’s First 100 Days, New Acting DHS Secretary Says

A pause in deporting certain noncitizens from the U.S. will be in effect for 100 days starting Friday, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday. The pause will be in effect while the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reviews immigration...

January 23, 2021

Steve Bannon Presents ‘War Room: Pandemic’

An all new LIVE STREAM of War Room: Pandemic starts at 9 a.m. Central Time on Saturday. Former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon began the daily War Room: Pandemic radio show and podcast on January 25, when news...

January 23, 2021

Senate Confirms Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense

The Senate voted to confirm retired Gen. Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense, making him President Joe Biden’s second Cabinet nominee to be confirmed. Austin was confirmed by a bipartisan 93-2 vote and will be the first black person to...

January 23, 2021

Commentary: John Fredericks NFL Playoff Picks – Championship Weekend

Batting .500 is great if you’re a baseball hitter. Not so much if you are picking football games against the spread. After 10 picks, we are an unimpressive 5-5, and our best bets are 1-1. So we still have our...

January 23, 2021

Six Gun Bills Move Through Virginia House Committee

The House Committee on Public Safety (CPS) approved several firearms bills on Friday morning. The bills include HB 1909, which allows school boards to declare non-school zone property owned by the board as a gun free zone; HB 1992, which...

January 22, 2021

Virginia Senate to Vote on Legislation Giving Certain Health Insurance Plans Abortion Coverage Option

The Senate of Virginia on Friday will vote to pass legislation out of the body that would allow for private health insurance companies offering plans through the state exchange to have the option for abortion coverage. Senate Bill 1276 was...

January 22, 2021

Commentary: Bureaucrats Gone Wild, Season Two

Over the next few years, Democrats will try and impose some of their worst policies through regulation. Let’s revisit a few episodes of Bureaucrats Gone Wild, a Barack Obama production, to get a sense of what Biden’s reboot of Obama-era policies...

January 22, 2021

New Jobless Claims Decrease to 900,000, Economists Expected 925,000

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims decreased to 900,000 last week as the economy continued to suffer the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Labor. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) figure released Thursday...

January 22, 2021

FBI Feared Foreign Power Was Targeting Money to Clinton Before 2016 Campaign, Memos Show

FBI agents opened an investigation in late 2014 into a foreign power's effort to curry influence with Hillary Clinton's prospective presidential campaign through donations, but the bureau's leadership slow-walked a surveillance warrant and instead arranged for the candidate to get...

January 22, 2021

Top House Democrat Calls on FBI to Investigate Parler’s Financing, Possible Ties to Russia

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the Democratic chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, on Thursday called on FBI Director Christopher Wray to investigate financing for Parler, including whether the social media site has any ties to Russia. Part of Maloney’s...

January 22, 2021

Biden Halts Work on Border Wall, Thousands of Migrants Are Sent Home to Honduras from Guatemala

As newly installed President Joe Biden halted construction of the wall along the U.S. southern border, thousands of Central American migrants encountered another type of barrier that halted their march toward what they believe are newly reopened doors to America....

January 22, 2021

Commentary: Conservatives Need to Stand Up for Their Own Civil Rights

For those making their arguments about whether Section 230 should be repealed or reformed to protect conservatives on social media, it’s time to declare that this ship sailed long ago. Most of the world has now come to accept that these monolithic...

January 22, 2021

Steve Bannon Interviews My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell on War Room Pandemic

Host Steve Bannon interviewed My Pillow CEO and Founder Mike Lindell in a full hour-long exclusive.

January 22, 2021

Two Wyoming Republicans Announce 2022 Primary Challenges Against Liz Cheney After Impeachment Vote

Two Wyoming Republicans have filed papers to challenge House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) in the 2022 primaries following her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump. Wyoming State Sen. Anthony Bouchard and Rep. and business owner Marissa...

January 22, 2021

Amazon Offers to Help Biden Administration with Vaccine Distribution, After Ignoring Trump Administration

The Big Tech giant Amazon has publicly offered to assist the new Biden Administration with efforts to distribute the coronavirus vaccine, after previously not making any such offers to the Trump Administration, as reported by the Daily Caller. The offer was...

January 22, 2021

Rioters Vandalize Oregon Democratic Headquarters, Descend on Seattle

Riots broke out in Seattle and Portland, Oregon on Wednesday night after demonstrators clashed with police and vandalized a Democratic Party office. People dressed in all black shattered windows and the glass door to the Oregon Democratic Party’s office in...

January 22, 2021

Northam Considering Proposal to Make Workplace COVID-19 Requirements, Including Making Masks Permanent

The Virginia Safety and Health Codes board voted on January 13 to make the COVID-19 Emergency Standard permanent, according to a notice at the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall. The proposed permanent standard still needs approval from Governor Ralph Northam.

January 22, 2021

Virginia Senators Push Bill to Help Speed Up State Vaccination Effort

A bill to help Virginia speed up its mass vaccination effort by expanding who is allowed to inoculate citizens and where those injections can occur is being pushed by a bipartisan group of state Senators. Flanked by various medical professionals,...

January 22, 2021

Republican Party of Virginia to Vote Again on Nomination Method

The Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) State Central Committee (SCC) plans to meet once again on Saturday in an effort to pick a nomination method. SCC members have already voted twice to hold a convention, but a necessary amendment allowing...

January 21, 2021

Virginia Senate Committee Passes Censure Resolution on Amanda Chase

The Virginia Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections passed a resolution to censure Republican gubernatorial candidate Sen. Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) on Tuesday regarding her conduct and comments on the January 6 Capitol riots in Washington D.C. Introduced by Sen. John...

January 21, 2021

Commentary: Under Your Pillow, Inside Your Closet, We Trump Supporters Are and Will Be Everywhere

It is so appropriate that Mike Lindell, founder and CEO of MyPillow — ♪ for the best night’s sleep in the whole wide world, it’s my pillow dot com ♪ — is the latest prominent person to come out yet again, even post January 6, for...

January 21, 2021

Biden to Extend Student Loan Payment Freeze Until September 2021

President-elect Joe Biden will order the Department of Education to extend the student loan payment moratorium through September in one of his first presidential moves. Joe Biden is set to sign the executive order on Wednesday following his inauguration, extending...

January 21, 2021

Lucas Hoge Releases Sunday Sessions on Friday

Lucas Hoge is a multi-talented entertainer who was recently featured in my Music Spotlight column in July of 2020. Although he was able to shoot his TV series, Hoge Wild, since the pandemic, the singer/songwriter/actor/sportsman has been unable to tour...

January 21, 2021

Keystone XL Pipeline to be Scrapped Again

President-elect Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he would cancel a permit critical to the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The move marks the second time that a Democratic administration has effectively killed the $8 billion project. While environmental...

January 21, 2021

Commentary: Five Ways Hospitals Can Help Fix Vaccine Rollout Debacle

Hospitals have come under sharp criticism for their part in the chaotic COVID-19 vaccine rollout. That’s because in the rush to get the vaccine out quickly, many hospitals were shipped more vaccine than anticipated and fewer staff took it than anticipated. As...

January 21, 2021

Default Settings for Inauguration Flag Donations Sends Money to Planned Parenthood

The default settings to sponsor inauguration flags sends money to the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s partners — including the Planned Parenthood of America, the nation’s largest abortion provider. The Presidential Inaugural Committee installed an “extensive public art display” that includes 191,500 flags on...