The first push in flipping the Commonwealth red is the upcoming 2019 elections, with all 140 seats in the General Assembly on the ballot in November.
Half Billion In Virginia Military Projects At Risk Over Trump’s Emergency Declaration
The Commonwealth has $493 million in military projects approved by Congress, but not yet contracted by the Pentagon that are now at risk due to their funds being diverted to build the southern border wall.
Redacted Version Of Mueller Report Will Be Released By Mid-April
One week after U.S. Attorney General William Barr sent a four-page letter to Congress detailing …
Trump Declares ‘Total Exoneration’ As Mueller Report Shows American Media ‘Bombshells’ Nothing But Duds
In the 18-month run-up to the 2020 elections, with President Trump just less than categorically deemed a victim in the investigation, it will set up yet another round of his war with Democrats and most of the American media, which he has won, both dramatically and consequentially.
ISIS Defeated In Last Stronghold By U.S.-Backed Forces
After U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) pushed insurgents back against the Euphrates River outside of the besieged village of Bāghūz over the past few days, some are saying the final offensive against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has led to the caliphate finally crumbling. Although an official announcement has not been made, the village where the last ISIS stronghold was located has been liberated.
Fox News reports that military troops are now bringing down the black flags of ISIS that have flown over the territories that were held by the brutal pseudo-regime that ruled over eight million people in the Middle East.
Reportedly, SDF led an offensive against ISIS insurgents from three sides in the Middle Euphrates River Valley near the Iraqi border, pushing them back towards the river where a majority surrendered. Since January, around 60,000 fighters have fled towards the desert, but many are now being held in prisoner camps in Syria.
The SDF has sought the help of the U.S. military in creating a makeshift tribunal in order to prosecute thousands of militant jihadists.
The development comes just two weeks after the U.S. military’s continual withdrawal from the Middle East was reversed, sending service members back into the war-torn region to “ensure stability and prevent the return” of the Islamic State’s jihadist militant group in Syria. U.S. military officials have confirmed a residual force of 400 troops will be split between northeastern Syria and the southern part of the country.
Though, some reports now suggest the figure may be around 1,000 staying to patrol the regions.
Regardless, President Donald Trump took to Twitter yesterday to post a map of the physical reaches of the caliphate now compared to just two years ago.
“ISIS Caliphate two years ago in red vs. ISIS Caliphate TODAY. (Was even worse in November 2016 before I took office),” the president said.
Healthcare Provisions In Trump’s Budget Would Give States Control Over Medicaid
Although the plan is impossible to pass with a Democratic majority in Congress, leaving Virginia in control of Medicaid funding via federal block grants could reignite last year’s expansion battle.
Dulles, Reagan Airports Fitted With Biometric Scanners For Government Facial Recognition Pilot Program
Although no laws exist governing the use of facial recognition technology, no court has ruled on whether it constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment, and neither checks nor balances exist to guide the program, the U.S. government is working as fast as it can to implement it in every major airport in the country.
Nancy Pelosi Backs Off Trump Impeachment, Says ‘He’s Just Not Worth It’
Days away from the release of Robert Mueller’s report, which many believe will ruin Trump’s presidency, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s comments about impeachment being off the table seem a bit odd. Is she alluding to something?
Trump Reverses Troop Withdrawal From Syria As ISIS Not Yet ‘Defeated’
The U.S. will now remain in the region to “protect the gains” made by the 79-nation coalition during the war against ISIS.
American Reporter, Virginia Native Detained In Caracas As Maduro’s ‘Death Squads’ Control Venezuela
With political unrest continuing to mar Venezuela as the public disputes the contentious presidential election and winning candidate, socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, government-backed forces have taken to the streets eliminating opposition members. The turmoil began on January 23 when Juan Guaidó, the leader of the country’s National Assembly, proclaimed himself interim president, leading to the United States and dozens of other countries recognizing him as the rightful leader.
The latest development in the politicial melee is that Cody Weddle, a 29-year-old reporter that has worked out of the Venezuelan capital of Caracas since 2014, has been detained by government forces during a raid on his residence early Wednesday morning, Fox News reports.
Weddle is a Virginia native, hailing from Meadowview in Washington County. According to his Facebook page, he attended Patrick Henry High School in Ashland, Virginia, before graduating from Virginia Tech. He is a freelance reporter who has worked for multiple news stations and newspapers, including the Miami Herald, WSLS, and ABC.
Through a post on Twitter, the U.S. State Department said they are “aware of and deeply concerned with reports that another U.S. journalist has been detained in #Venezuela by #Maduro, who prefers to stifle the truth rather than face it. Being a journalist is not a crime. We demand the journalist’s immediate release, unharmed.”
Weddle is presumed to have been targeted for his coverage of opposition leader Guaidó’s “triumphant” return to Venezuela. He stated on his Facebook page via a news article published by The Telegraph that there is “growing evidence that death squads are being used in Venezuela to prevent uprisings in working-class neighborhoods.”
The Virginia native’s detainment by Venezuelan officials comes just days after Univision journalist Jorge Ramos and his team were briefly detained after they interviewed Maduro.
This week, Maduro’s disputed government also gave German Ambassador Daniel Kriener 48 hours to leave the country after he expressed support for Guaidó.
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton has reiterated U.S. support for a democratic transition of power in Venezuela led by Guaidó, and that the Trump Administration is “pursuing several new diplomatic and economic incentives in support of that transition.”
As President Donald Trump waits for any excuse to intervene in the South American nation, Weddle’s detainment could prod the commander in chief to act.