Shows / The Virginia Press Room
The Virginia Press Room
The Virginia Press Room is a weekly podcast that brings listeners the latest insights and analysis on Virginia’s most important stories directly from the journalists covering them. Produced in collaboration between VPM and the Virginia Public Access Project, the series is hosted by journalist and author, Michael Pope, and features a rotating cast of reporters from the Virginia press corps. The Virginia Press Room offers a behind-the-scenes look at state politics, policy and the issues shaping…
Episodes
- The Virginia Press Room
Special Elections, College Lawsuits, and Richmond Drivers
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Margaret Barthel of WAMU, covering the special primary election in Fairfax County…
- The Virginia Press Room
Standardized Tests, Data Center Lawsuits, and a Registrar Resignation
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Karina Elwood of the Washington Post, covering Virginia schools' struggle with learning…
- The Virginia Press Room
Rights Restoration, True-Crime Fears, and Data Center Economics
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Sabrina Moreno of Axios Richmond, covering how Richmond is quickly becoming America's…
- The Virginia Press Room
Federal Cuts, Campaign Rebrands, and Money Committee Takeaways
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Kate Seltzer of the Virginian-Pilot, covering the emergency committee convened to study…
- The Virginia Press Room
Residential Rezoning, Palestine Protests, and Scholarship Language Changes
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Luke Weir of the Roanoake Times, covering the fight over residential rezoning in…
- The Virginia Press Room
Minimum Wage Increases, Immigration Enforcement, and the Race for Governor
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Karri Peifer of Axios Richmond, covering the rise in Virginia's minimum wage. Markus…
- The Virginia Press Room
Medicaid Changes, Off-Year Elections, and the Growing Virginia Plan
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Princess Harrell of WJLA, covering Abigail Spanberger's "Growing Virginia Plan." Tyler…
- The Virginia Press Room
Ballot Initiatives, Candidate Summer Reading, and the Corrections Ombudsman
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Charlotte Rene Woods of the Virginia Mercury, covering the status of Virginia's…
- The Virginia Press Room
University Politics, Immigration Arrests, and Civilian Review Boards
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Kate Seltzer of the Virginian-Pilot, covering the Virginia Homeland Security Task…
- The Virginia Press Room
Republican Unity, Fixing Water Problems, and the Big Beautiful Bill
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Lauren Burke of Black Virginia News (and formerly Pod Virginia), covering last week's…
- The Virginia Press Room
Campaign Catch-Up, ICE Controversy, and Pressure on UVA
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Anna Bryson of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, covering Virginia's GOP ticket holding its…
- The Virginia Press Room
Primary Takeaways, Data Center Regulation, and AI-Informed Voting
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Shannon Heckt of the Virginia Mercury, covering Virginia's patchwork data center…
- The Virginia Press Room
Special Edition: Virginia's 2025 Primary Results
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by political analyst Sam Shirazi to break down the results from Tuesday's primaries. --…
- The Virginia Press Room
Statewide Primaries, Campaign Yard Signs, and Public Radio Personalities
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Margaret Barthel of WAMU, covering what the candidates for lieutenant governor and…
- The Virginia Press Room
Immigration Enforcement, Medicaid Cuts, and Tariff Uncertainty
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Sabrina Moreno of Axios Richmond, covering why Virginia is a hotspot for immigration…
- The Virginia Press Room
Sanctuary Cities, U.S. Attorney Competition, and Richmond's Second Water Crisis
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Elizabeth Beyer of Cardinal News, covering the competition to decide the next U.S…
- The Virginia Press Room
Recall Petitions, Council Chaos, and Coal County Ventures
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Karen Graham of the Loudoun Times-Mirror, covering recall petitions in Purcellville…
- The Virginia Press Room
Ticket Diversity, Amendment Rejections, and Non-Traditional Candidates
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Olivia Diaz of the Associated Press, covering the diversity of Virginia's Republican…
- The Virginia Press Room
Intra-Party Chaos, Fraud Accusations, and Americorps Funding Cuts
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Kate Seltzer of the Virginian-Pilot, covering the ousting of Laura Hughes, former…
- The Virginia Press Room
Early Voting, Budget Cuts, and Controversy On The Republican Ticket
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Laura Vozzella of the Washington Post, covering controversy on the Republican ticket as…
- The Virginia Press Room
ICE Raid, Right-to-Work, and Trouble in Purcellville
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Hanna Pampaloni of Loudoun Now, covering the scandal surrounding a state police…
- The Virginia Press Room
Coal Emissions, Public Housing, and High School Reshuffling
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: James Libresco of Theogony, covering the difficulties around Alexandria's City High…
- The Virginia Press Room
Special Edition: The Latest Campaign Finance Numbers
In this special episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by Ben Tribbett of Pocket Aces Consulting, and Jeff Ryer, former spokesman for the…
- The Virginia Press Room
Research Cuts, TSA Picketing, and the Bills That Passed
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Sage Tanguay of the Bold Dominion podcast, covering some niche bills passed during the…
- The Virginia Press Room
Budget Dispute, Filing Deadlines, and the Virginia Supreme Court
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Kate Seltzer of the Virginian-Pilot, covering the latest on the filings for the fall…
- The Virginia Press Room
Unemployment Claims, Health Department Cuts, and Record-Setting Veto Numbers
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Karri Peifer of Axios, covering the rising number of unemployment claims in Virginia…
- The Virginia Press Room
Education Cuts, Unemployment Claims, and Signature Submissions
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Whittney Evans of VPM News, covering how cuts to the federal Department of Education…
- The Virginia Press Room
Leadership Changes, Attack Ads, and Education Politics
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Lauren Burke of Black Virginia News (and formerly Pod Virginia), covering leadership…
- The Virginia Press Room
Library Funding, GreenCity Development, and the Governor's Pardon
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Olivia Diaz of the Associated Press, covering Governor Youngkin's pardon of a former…
- The Virginia Press Room
Competitive House Races, Voting Rights Restoration, and the Republican Primary for Governor
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Anna Bryson of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, covering Amanda Chase and Dave LaRock's…
- The Virginia Press Room
Stalled FOIA Reform, Federal Worker Anxiety, and A Visual Dispatch
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Charlotte Rene Woods of the Virginia Mercury, covering the last-minute stalling of a…
- The Virginia Press Room
Sales Tax Surcharge, Residency Issues, and the Latest Casino Bill
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Dave Ress of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, covering bills to establish a legal cannabis…
- The Virginia Press Room
Free Clinics, Immigration Enforcement, and Animal Rights
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Keyris Manzanares of VPM News, covering Richmond Public Schools' official resolution on…
- The Virginia Press Room
Child Care Subsidies, Offshore Wind, and the 2025 Race for Governor
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Olivia Diaz of the Associated Press, covering how the upcoming election is affecting the…
- The Virginia Press Room
School Choice, Sourcing Stories, and What President Trump Means for Virginia
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Elizabeth Beyer of Cardinal News, with the potential consequences for Virginians if the…
- The Virginia Press Room
Constitutional Amendments, Data Center Regulation, and the State of the Commonwealth
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Charlotte Rene Woods of Virginia Mercury, with the latest on the proposed amendments to…
- The Virginia Press Room
Richmond Water Crisis, Race for Governor, and a Death in Prison
In this episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Anna Bryson of the Richmond Times-Dispatch with the latest on Richmond's water crisis…
- The Virginia Press Room
Red Onion Prison, Hampton Roads Investment, and Riggleman's Potential Run
In this inaugural episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by: Laura Vozzella of The Washington Post, who talks about Denver Riggleman's…