Dogwood Daily: About that redistricting…

Welcome to today’s edition of the Dogwood Daily. We’ve got a round-up of all of today’s Virginia news coming right up. And if you’re a fan, please forward to three friends who need to know what’s going on in the Commonwealth and tell them to subscribe here. 

But First…

In case you missed it, make sure to check out our delightful Dogs of the Week, Lizzie and Slinky, who are up for adoption and very very very very very very very cute.

5 Things you need to know today

1. What the (second) Democratic debate means for Virginia – Last night marked the second 2020 Democratic Primary Debate and featured spirited debates about healthcare, climate change and racism in America. It also featured the birth of Marianne Williamson as a twitter legend. For all that and more, check out our coverage of the debate.
    
2. Calls for bipartisan redistricting commission grow in Virginia after SCOTUS decision – The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Thursday that partisan gerrymandering cannot be reviewed by federal courts has led some Virginia advocacy groups to intensify their calls for a bipartisan redistricting commission. Under such a system, a 16-member commission made up of eight citizens and eight legislators would redraw Virginia’s electoral maps to prevent extreme gerrymandering. 
    
3. NRA to hold town hall in Virginia Beach next week – Just a month after the deadly mass shooting in Virginia Beach, the National Rifle Association is holding a town hall in the city, and state Sen. Bill DeSteph (R-Virginia Beach) is expected to attend. DeSteph, who has his own conflicts of interests, has indicated he will not support reforms to the state’s gun laws, meaning his appearance at the NRA event is likely to only increase gun safety advocates’ frustrations with him. The NRA is also hosting town halls on the Eastern Shore and in Ashland and Fredericksburg. 
    
4. Supreme Court to take up DACA later this year – The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it will decide whether President Trump can end DACA, the program President Obama implemented to protect young immigrants from deportation. Trump ordered an end to DACA in 2017, resulting in significant public backlash. Congress has attempted to save the program, which affects more than 10,000 DACA recipients in Virginia, but failed to do so after clashing over the specifics. Now that the Supreme Court is hearing the case, legal arguments are expected to place in the fall or early winter, with a decision likely to come by June 2020. 
    
5. Volvo Trucks to add nearly 800 jobs in Pulaski but layoff workers in Dublin -Volvo Trucks will add 777 new jobs at its Pulaski County plant over the next six years as part of a $400 million project to upgrade and expand its existing plant and also build a new 350,000-square-foot facility designed for welding truck cabs. Volvo will be eligible for a $16.5 million incentive package over the next 10 years as part of the deal. At the same time, the company expects to lay off some workers at its Dublin plant by the end of the year as a result of slowing demand for trucks. 

From the Gram