Today, news broke that Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) was vetoing more Democratic priorities.

Spanberger let state Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Charlottesville) know she planned to veto his legislation to establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board in Virginia, per Brandon Jarvis of the Virginia Scope newsletter on X.

And Jarvis posted that unnamed sources said Spanberger would veto legislation that would have created a retail cannabis market in Virginia.

Here’s Spanberger’s statement on her veto of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, and you can read what she said about her veto of the cannabis market legislation here.

These vetoes come after Spanberger blocked the expansion of collective bargaining rights to hundreds of thousands of workers in Virginia.

It’s left many state Democrats and progressives scratching their heads.

Below, I share audio Dogwood obtained of Virginia Congressman John McGuire (R) defending his 2024 vote as a state senator against raising the legal marriage age to 18.

And I recommend a classic 14th-century poem.

Want to get in touch, or have stories you want me to cover? Reply to this email or reach out to me directly at michaeloconnor@couriernewsroom.com.

Michael O’Connor

Reporter, Dogwood

US Rep. John McGuire when he was a candidate in the Republican primary in the state’s 5th Congressional District at an event June 18, 2024, in Lynchburg, Va. (AP Photo/Skip Rowland, File)

With the redistricting effort done here in Virginia—at least for now—I’m going to be turning more of my attention to the midterm races here.

To that end, today I bring you a report on some audio of Congressman John McGuire talking about why he voted in 2024 against raising the legal marriage age in Virginia from 16 to 18.

McGuire represents Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, a Republican-leaning district that includes Danville to the south and Charlottesville to the north. He got elected in 2024 after a bitter primary against Republican Bob Good, who held the seat from 2021 to 2025.

Good was undone by his support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over then-candidate Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

Kate Nuechterlein with 29News has a good rundown on where things stand in the 5th Congressional District elections, including on McGuire’s primary challenger and which Democrats hope to challenge him in the general election.

It’s not news that McGuire supported keeping Virginia’s legal marriage age at 16 years old in cases where a judge approved.

But the audio in today’s story offers a look into what he thinks about it as he gears up for reelection.

Listen to the audio here

Ben Dennis of DC News Now did an interview with Virginia Labor Secretary Jessica Looman about how the state’s new paid family and medical leave program will work and what still needs to be figured out.

Reporters Dan Gearino, Amy Green, and Charles Paullin with Inside Climate News have a look at how the proposal to combine NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy into one megacompany “is all about data centers.”

Brad Kutner at Radio IQ reports on the moment on Tuesday when union electricians confronted Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D) about his support of possibly getting rid of a tax break for the data centers they build.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger takes questions from reporters after a bill signing in Fairfax on May 13, 2026. (Michael O’Connor/Dogwood)

The fallout of Spanberger’s vetoing of expanding public-sector collective bargaining rights continues.

Democrats in the General Assembly have issued statements of varying degrees of intensity about their disappointment over Spanberger’s veto.

“The truth is, I’m furious,” State Del. Destiny LeVere Bolling (D-Henrico County) posted in a lengthy statement on Friday.

Union members held a virtual press conference on Friday to share their frustrations that Spanberger blocked a bill they all thought she’d sign.

“You said you would sign the collective bargaining bill once it crossed your desk,” said Patrice Summers, a Prince William County employee and member of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Virginia 512. “This was a betrayal. You betrayed us.”

There’s a protest in Richmond planned for Thursday over Spanberger’s veto that I hope to report on as well.

An excerpt from Mary Jo Bang’s translation of Dante’s Inferno with an illustration by Henrik Drescher.

I recently finished Dante’s Inferno.

But it wasn’t just any version of this 14th-century classic: The translation was by poet Mary Jo Bang, who brings Dante’s work to life with modern-day English peppered with pop culture references and a good sense of humor. And it includes surreal illustrations from Henrik Drescher.

This was my first time reading Dante’s Inferno, and it’s something I think everyone should read.

Dante’s story is one so many of us can relate to: At some point in our lives, we find ourselves lost, in need of guidance, and having to get through trying times—rather than avoid them—to make things better.

I definitely hope to check out Bang’s other translations of Dante’s works as part of The Divine Comedy.