New Emergency Panel on Impact of Fed Cuts; Trump Hires White Nationalist; Casino Vote; Virginia to Pay 3 Falsely Accused Men
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Trump Hires White Nationalist to Key Role
By Stacy Brown for Black Press USA. Beattie, who has a long record of racist, misogynistic, and extremist rhetoric, will now be responsible for shaping U.S. messaging abroad, including on issues of counterterrorism and violent extremism.
President Donald Trump has once again elevated a known white nationalist to a key government position, appointing Darren Beattie as the acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Beattie, who has a long record of racist, misogynistic, and extremist rhetoric, will now be responsible for shaping U.S. messaging abroad, including on issues of counterterrorism and violent extremism. READ ENTIRE
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Speaker Scott Announces Emergency Panel on Impact of Fed Cuts
In response to President Trump and Elon Musk dismantling the federal workforce as outlined in Project 2025, Speaker Don Scott has launched an emergency committee to focus on the issue called the Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions.
In less than 15 days in office, Trump and his acolytes have followed the Heritage Foundation playbook Project 2025 almost word for word. The focus on cutting federal employees and gutting departments has been clear. The lawsuits and the questions on whether a President can close an agency by executive order are flying — as are the lawsuits.
The committee will meet before May 1 and present a final report by Dec. 15, 2025.
The emergency panel will collect data, assess economic impacts on Virginia, connect with stakeholders and hear concerns. They will then provide recommendations for the 2026 General Assembly session.
The members: Delegates David Bulova (Chair), Robert Bloxom, Bonita Anthony, Ellen Campbell, Josh Cole, Michael Feggans, Hillary Pugh Kent, Marcus Simon, Anne Tata, Josh Thomas, Tony Wilt, and Vivian Watts.
"With nearly 145,000 federal civilian employees and even more federal contractors calling Virginia home, we depend on a strong partnership with the federal government to provide critical services. The federal administration’s announced plans to ‘drain’ the federal workforce and the pause in federal funding raise serious concerns for Virginia’s economy and the ability to maintain essential services,” said Speaker Don Scott in a statement on Feb. 4.
According to data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Virginia ranks as the top state in the nation for federal contract awards, totaling $106 billion in 2023.
The Vote on the Fairfax Casino
A bill that would give Fairfax a casino is headed to the Virginia House after passing the Senate by a 24-16 vote.
The debate on the legislation was contentious as the issue has split the Fairfax delegation. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell is the chief sponsor and led the debate in favor of the bill. If signed into law, the question of the casino will be in front of the Fairfax Board of Supervisors.
Constituent input has been hotly in opposition. Because Fairfax is the Georgetown of Virginia, many residents are citing increased congestion as a reason to reject the casino. But the money involved could be consequential as an influencing factor on lawmakers and as an incentive to a wealthy county that is losing money on commercial real estate and to the nearby MGM Grand resort in Maryland. Further: Other casinos in Virginia are making millions.
Below: Senator Saddam Salim released a statement detailing why his vote was a
”no.” A persistent issue has been opposition by constituents who have contacted and called lawmakers.
Virginia Set to Pay Millions to Three Innocent Men
Prosecutors “purposefully manipulated evidence,” a lawmaker says. Now, the state is trying to make amends with a $5.4 million compensation plan.
Below: Marvin Grimm, Keshawn Duffy and Gilbert Merritt III
By Nathaniel Cline for the Virginia Mercury. Marvin Grimm Jr. spent 45 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. He lost his freedom, his family, and nearly every milestone of life most people take for granted. Even after his release, he was forced to register as a sex offender for four more years — until DNA evidence finally proved his innocence last year.
“I lost 96% of my adult life because of that [and] I missed out on all the things that most folks take for granted — weddings, birthdays, family, trips, and holidays with family,” Grimm told a House subcommittee last week.
Now, Virginia lawmakers are moving forward with legislation to compensate Grimm and two other men who were wrongly convicted. The measure is on track to advance in the House, aiming to provide financial relief for years lost to wrongful imprisonment.
Grimm, convicted of murdering a 3-year-old in Richmond in 1976, fought unsuccessfully for decades to clear his name. While in prison, he endured threats, watched his wife leave the state with their newborn son, and saw his family struggle under the weight of relentless news coverage.
He isn’t alone. Gilbert Merritt III, also wrongfully convicted, spent three years in prison for first-degree murder and a firearm charge before it was revealed that a key witness had given false testimony.
The third Virginian, Keshawn Duffy, was convicted of two counts of forcible sodomy and forced to register as a sex offender. He spent six years in jail before the son of his then-girlfriend recanted his testimony.
Rally Against DOGE at the Department of Treasury
“Elon Musk is a Nazi nepo baby,” said Congressman Ayanna Pressley standing outside of the U.S. Department of Treasury on Feb. 4 in front of a huge crowd.
The rhetoric from the opposition against the Trump Administration is getting more pointed and the crowd sizes are getting larger.
The U.S. Treasury Building next door to The White House was surrounding on then 15th Street side by a large crowd of ani-Musk demonstrators. Their signs featured admonitions to “save Democracy” and “lock him up.” There are more rallies being planned.
House of Delegates Approves Bill to Study Medicaid Benefit for Sickle Cell
By Melissa Chaparro, Richmond Capital News Service. The House of Delegates unanimously approved a bill Tuesday that would evaluate the potential for adding a Medicaid benefit for people with sickle cell disease.
Del. Candi Mundon King, D-Prince William, is the chief patron of HB2757.
The bill will direct the Department of Medical Assistance Services to evaluate the likelihood of participating in an added benefit and establish Medicaid Health Homes to provide treatment and care to people with sickle cell disease.
“These initiatives aim to improve coordinated care, expand access to treatment and enhance patient outcomes,” Mundon King said to the House on Tuesday before the bill was read for the second time and engrossed.
The bill comes after the recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care which performed a study on how to expand access to treatment for sickle cell disease in Virginia. The study revealed that access to treatment and care for sickle cell disease in the Commonwealth is currently limited.
“In Virginia, the only access to specialized treatment is at comprehensive sickle cell treatment centers,” the study states. The study also reveals that treatment centers do not have adequate funding or personnel to support their patients.
The study points out that sickle cell disease primarily impacts Black individuals. According to data collected by the Virginia Department of Health, 1 in 325 African Americans are living with sickle cell disease in Virginia and 1 in 12 African Americans have the sickle cell trait.
People living with sickle cell disease must, “navigate systemic and structural barriers to care” such as, “lack of accessible, appropriate health care services” and “presence of stigma and unconscious bias,” according to the study.
Mundon King also introduced HB255 during the 2024 assembly which offered residents of Virginia screening tests for sickle cell disease or the sickle cell trait. It also requires health care professionals to provide proper education, “regarding the results of any such test that is performed.”
The bill now heads to the Senate.
Latest 🎙️ Podcast: Tributes to Henry Marsh
Podcast 🎙️ Speaker Don Scott is pardoned by President Joseph Biden
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