Clad in a red cloak and a white bonnet, Christie Epperson stood among hundreds of demonstrators gathered for a march between Richmond’s Monroe Park and Virginia’s Capitol, a chilling symbol for the dystopian feature she fears is inching closer.
“(America) can be Gilead,” Epperson said, referencing “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Margaret Atwood’s novel about a totalitarian state where women lose all autonomy. “A few more steps and we’re there.”
Epperson, a Bedford County resident, joined a coalition of more than 300 people in Virginia’s capital Tuesday to push back against policies that she and others see as an erosion of women’s rights as well as a general pushback to President Donald Trump and Republican majorities in Congress. The protest was part of a national effort under the banner “March 4th Democracy” with rallies in all 50 states.
A focus of Tuesday’s event was women’s rights in the context of the present as the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority, cemented by Trump’s judicial appointments, led to the overturning of abortion rights. Across the country, Republican-leaning efforts to restrict access to reproductive healthcare — ranging from contraception to vitro fertilization — have only heightened activists’ fears.
As protesters prepared to march to the state capitol, organizer Violeta Vega took the microphone, reminding the crowd that progress has never come without a fight.
“The rights women have won in this country, those in power didn’t give those things to us willingly,” Vega said. “It was through a struggle of working class people, of organized working-class people — emphasis on the ‘organized.’”
Vega’s speech underscored the long history of resistance, from the women’s suffrage movement more than a century ago to the continued fight for equality today. While white women secured the right to vote in 1920, women of color had to fight for decades more to achieve the same.
Another major concern raised at the rally was the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, a Republican-backed measure in Congress that would require people registering to vote or updating their voter registration to present documents like passports or birth certificates to prove citizenship. Supporters say the legislation would prevent immigrants without legal status from voting — despite the fact that it is already illegal and rare.
The proposal has sparked backlash from voting rights groups, including the League of Women Voters, which warns that it could disproportionately affect married women whose last names sometimes may not match across all legal documents.
“That’s really scary,” said Kienan Chung, one of the event organizers. “So today we’re sort of highlighting women’s rights, but what we’re going to be doing going forward is highlighting a different issue at each different protest.”
Tuesday’s gathering was part of state-level organizing with the 50501 movement — shorthand for “50 protests, 50 states, one day.”
Chung described it as a growing wave of political activism that has gained traction since Trump took office. She anticipates the next demonstration will focus on transgender healthcare.
For Richmond resident Nancy Curry, broader healthcare and retirement benefits were top of mind.
Having worked decades, she has paid into Social Security and Medicare — federal programs designed to support retirees with stipends and healthcare. At the same time, she has friends who benefit from Medicaid, which provides coverage for low-income individuals and those without employer-provided insurance.
“It’s really scary to me the number of people in our country who don’t understand that everyone who has worked pays into the system,” Curry said.
Though Trump has repeatedly stated he wouldn’t touch Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security, skeptics like Curry aren’t convinced. The president’s push for tax cuts has raised concerns that reductions in federal revenue could lead to spending cuts — including to healthcare programs.
In January, Trump announced a federal funding freeze, and while a memo asserted that Medicare and Social Security would be unaffected, Medicaid was notably absent. Around the same time, several states — including Virginia — experienced temporary suspensions of Medicaid portals, affecting access for more than 630,000 Virginians.
More recently, House Republicans passed a budget resolution that proposes at least $880 billion in spending cuts over the next decade, a move that could put Medicaid on the chopping block. The measure still faces hurdles in the U.S. Senate before reaching Trump’s desk, but for those relying on these programs, the uncertainty remains unsettling.
“How are (people) going to make payments? Making choices between medicines and food – it’s atrocious,” said Curry, voicing frustration over the financial strain healthcare costs place on everyday Americans.
Tuesday’s rally in Richmond came just ahead of Trump’s first joint congressional address in his second term. With midterm elections next year offering the first nationwide test of Trump’s leadership, Virginia voters will have their own high-stakes decision to make this year — electing a new governor and determining the fate of all 100 seats in the House of Delegates.
While some rally goers, like organizer Vega, expressed frustration with the two-party system, Epperson saw a reason for optimism.
“No matter who’s the Democrat running,” she said, things can be better for Virginians.
A goat farm owner, Epperson brought along Mimi, one of her goats, who alternated between munching on grass and soaking up attention from passersby. As she looks ahead, Epperson hopes people stay engaged both online and in real-life activism. And Mimi, she added, will be back for future rallies.
Mimi, a goat from It’s All Goode Farm in Bedford County, attends a political rally at Virginia’s state capitol on March 4, 2025. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
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www.youtube.com – 13News Now – 2025-04-19 06:29:35
SUMMARY: This Saturday morning brings a beautiful weekend, especially for Easter celebrations, with highs in the upper 80s. Southwest breezes, gusting to 25 miles per hour, push temperatures well above average, starting in the upper 50s to middle 60s. Expect mostly sunny skies and warm conditions, ideal for beach outings, despite chilly water temperatures. Easter Sunday will start mild, but a backdoor cold front will cause temperatures to drop in the afternoon with increasing cloud cover and potential rain. Multiple rounds of rain are forecasted for the upcoming week, with temperatures returning to seasonal averages by the latter part of the week.
Despite a front dropping through the area Sunday, it will be a nice weekend in Hampton Roads.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-18 11:38:00
(The Center Square) – Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earles-Sears accuses her Democratic opponent for governor, Abigail Spanberger of hiding a trust; Spanberger says it only holds her home—and ethics experts say she may not have needed to report it.
The Dispute centers on a home Spanberger and her husband placed in a trust in 2017, which her campaign says produced no income and was legally exempt from disclosure.
With both women vying to become Virginia’s first female governor, the accusation has quickly turned into a fight over ethics, transparency and what voters expect from their candidates.
“Members of Congress do not need to report assets from a non-income producing trust where they are an administrator that does not receive income or have any beneficial interest in the trust,” said Delaney Marsco, ethics director at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center.
“Personal residences that do not earn income are not required to be disclosed,” a campaign spokesperson said, “so Abigail did not disclose her family’s only home—as doing so would make their home address publicly available.”
They added that when the home was placed in a trust, “Abigail filed her disclosures in accordance with House ethics rules, which do not require her to disclose her role as a trustee of a living trust holding only her family’s home.”
Earle-Sears has publicly slammed Spanberger on social media, accusing her of “dodging tough questions” and “hiding a $900,000 trust fund.”
“She’s a typical politician,” Earle-Sears wrote in apost on X, questioning whether Virginians can trust Spanberger if she’s “willing to lie about this.”
The Earle-Sears campaign did not respond to a request for comment beyond public posts.
The accusation signals an early campaign strategy from Earle-Sears, who has so far leaned into sharp, combative messaging to define Spanberger as the race for the governor’s mansion heats up.
Under House ethics rules, members of Congressare not requiredto disclose personal residences or non-income-producing assets held in a trust as long as they receive no financial benefit. They must report liabilities such as mortgages and disclose trustee roles only if the position involves an organization or generates income.
Virginia requires statewide candidates to file a Statement of Economic Interests, but similar to federal rules, personal residencesare typically exemptif they don’t produce income. The state form focuses on business ties, investments and income sources—leaving out non-commercial trusts like the one Spanberger’s team says holds her home.
www.youtube.com – 13News Now – 2025-04-18 06:11:37
SUMMARY: The weather forecast for the upcoming days shows temperatures above average, with highs reaching 79°F today and possibly 86°F tomorrow. Sunday will remain warm with temperatures in the upper 70s, but a backdoor front may cause a slight afternoon cool down. Easter Sunday will see dry conditions in the morning but potential severe storms in the Midwest. Monday will be mild, but showers and storms are expected Tuesday through Thursday. By Friday, conditions should improve, with temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s as the week ends. Skies will be mostly clear today, with light winds from the south.
