Virginia

USA: Prosecutors ask a judge to revoke bond of mother of Virginia boy who shot his first-grade teacher

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Prosecutors have asked a federal judge to revoke the bond for the mother of a Virginia boy who shot and wounded his first-grade teacher after she allegedly failed multiple drug tests while awaiting sentencing on two felony charges.

USA: Virginia voters picking nominees in hotly contested legislative races

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia legislative primary season marked by hard-fought campaigns in both parties will come to a close Tuesday, as voters pick their party’s nominee for dozens of seats, including some swing districts that will help determine the balance of power in the General Assembly.

Both parties and both chambers have competitive contests on the ballot in the primary election. An unusually high number of sitting officeholders are also facing serious challenges in an election season upended by new political maps.

Khashoggi widow sues Israel spyware company NSO over phone hacking

16 June 2023; MEMO: The widow of murdered Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, says in a lawsuit that surveillance software built by the Israeli surveillance company, NSO Group, was used to spy on her messages in the months leading up to her husband's death, Reuters reports.

USA: 2 dead in shooting after high school graduation ceremony in Virginia capital

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Seven people were shot, two fatally, when gunfire rang out Tuesday outside a downtown theater in Richmond, Virginia, where a high school graduation ceremony had just ended, causing hundreds of attendees to flee in panic, weep and clutch their children, authorities and witnesses said.

A 19-year-old suspect tried to escape on foot but was arrested and will be charged with two counts of second-degree murder, Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said during a nighttime news conference at which he confirmed the two fatalities.

USA: Plane that crashed in Virginia lost contact with air traffic controllers during ascent, feds say

(AP) --- Only minutes into a doomed journey that ended on a remote Virginia mountain, the pilot of a business jet was not responding to air traffic control instructions and the situation was soon reported to a network that includes military, security and law enforcement agencies, according to federal aviation officials.

USA: Reform-minded prosecutors in northern Virginia face primary challenges

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — In the four years since progressive reform prosecutors swept into office across northern Virginia, they have faced constant criticism, ranging from conservatives who deride them as bleeding-heart “ Soros prosecutors ” to judges who claim they abuse their discretion.

Now, as these prosecutors are up for reelection in Virginia’s off-off year elections, the challengers in next month’s Democratic primaries aren’t challenging the reform agenda. Instead, they too are casting themselves as reformers.

Big U.S. intelligence leak was by gun enthusiast in 20s, Washington Post reports

April 12 (Reuters) - The person who leaked U.S. classified documents prompting a national security investigation is a gun enthusiast in his 20s who worked on a military base, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing fellow members of an online chat group.

The person shared classified information to a group on the instant messaging platform Discord of about two dozen men and young boys who shared a "mutual love of guns, military gear and God," the Post said.

USA: Youngkin scores some legislative wins as he eyes White House

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who quickly shot from political newcomer to potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, kicked off his state’s legislative session in January by telling lawmakers that he wanted “to get more done and to get it done faster.”

As the dust settles on his second session working with Virginia’s politically divided General Assembly, the former private equity executive has earned a series of wins, including measures taking a tougher stance against China, that his allies say could help him in a possible White House race.

USA: Biden says 'I'm gonna raise some taxes' in March budget proposal

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia, Feb 28 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that his March 9 budget proposal to the U.S. Congress will include some higher taxes, including on billionaires, but will not violate his pledge not to raise rates on Americans making less than $400,000 a year.

"On March the 9th, I'm going to lay down in detail every single thing, every tax that's out there that I'm proposing, and no one ... making less than $400,000 is going to pay a penny more in taxes," Biden told an audience in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

USA: Lawmakers pass energy bill, ‘skinny’ budget as session ends

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The politically divided Virginia General Assembly worked through dozens of pieces of legislation, including a major energy bill and stop-gap budget bill, on Saturday as lawmakers reached the end of their regularly scheduled session without a deal on the entire state spending plan.

Unable to agree on several key pieces of the budget, including whether to enact the additional $1 billion in tax cuts Gov. Glenn Youngkin is seeking, lawmakers opted to pass a “skinny” spending bill and allow House and Senate negotiators to carry on with their broader discussions.

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