Latest Ralph Northam News

LoRebecca Gotwalt from Fairfax, squats in the back of the room and listens to speakers during a press conference for a meeting, sponsored by the Pro Choice Coalition, inside the Pocahontas Building in Richmond, Va., Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. With a newly empowered Democratic majority at the Virginia General Assembly, abortion-rights advocates say the state has a chance to roll back decades of restrictions and become a “safe haven” for women in neighboring conservative states. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Advocates want to make Virginia an abortion 'safe haven'

Jan. 24, 2020 1:02 PM EST

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — With a newly empowered Democratic majority at the Virginia General Assembly, abortion-rights advocates say the state has a chance to roll back decades of restrictions and become a “safe haven” for women in neighboring conservative states. Abortion-rights groups laid out...

Virginia House advances gun control measures

Jan. 24, 2020 12:43 PM EST

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrats in the Virginia House are advancing a package of gun-control measures less than a week after tens of thousands of pro-gun advocates from around the country rallied at the state Capitol. But the advancing bills don't yet include a proposed assault weapon ban, a top priority...

Gun-rights supporters pack the hill on Capitol Square as speakers talk in Richmond, Va., Monday Jan. 20, 2020. Gun-rights activists and other groups are descending on Virginia’s capital city of Richmond to protest plans by the state's Democratic leadership to pass gun-control legislation.(Rob Ostermaier/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

West Virginia invites NRA as Virginia plans for gun-control

Jan. 21, 2020 5:13 PM EST

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia senator is inviting the National Rifle Association to move to his state as lawmakers pursue gun-control measures in neighboring Virginia, where the group now has its headquarters. The invitation came in a Monday letter from Republican Sen. Randy Smith to NRA...

Demonstrators are seen during a pro-gun rally, Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, in Richmond, Va. Thousands of pro-gun supporters are expected at the rally to oppose gun control legislation like universal background checks that are being pushed by the newly elected Democratic legislature. (AP Photo/Sarah Rankin)

Pro-gun rally by thousands in Virginia ends peacefully

Jan. 20, 2020 10:56 PM EST

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Tens of thousands of gun-rights activists from around the country rallied peacefully at the Virginia Capitol on Monday to protest plans by the state's Democratic leadership to pass gun-control legislation — a move that has become a key flash point in the national debate over gun...

The Virginia state Capitol building is surrounded by fencing, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020 in Richmond, Va., in preparation for Monday's rally by gun rights advocates. Gun-rights groups are asking a judge to block the Virginia governor's ban on firearms at a massive pro-gun rally scheduled for next week. Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday, Jan. 15, announced a state of emergency and banned all weapons from the rally at the Capitol. (Dean Hoffmeyer/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Gun-rights activists gear up for show of force in Virginia

Jan. 18, 2020 5:12 PM EST

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Police are scouring the internet for clues about plans for mayhem, workers are putting up chain link holding pens around Virginia's picturesque Capitol Square, and one lawmaker even plans to hide in a safe house in advance of what's expected to be an unprecedented show of force by...

The Virginia state Capitol building is surrounded by fencing, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020 in Richmond, Va., in preparation for Monday's rally by gun rights advocates. Gun-rights groups are asking a judge to block the Virginia governor's ban on firearms at a massive pro-gun rally scheduled for next week. Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday, Jan. 15, announced a state of emergency and banned all weapons from the rally at the Capitol. (Dean Hoffmeyer/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Virginia's highest court upholds weapons ban at gun rally

Jan. 17, 2020 9:01 PM EST

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia's highest court on Friday upheld a ban on firearms at an upcoming pro-gun rally in the state's capital, an event that authorities feared could erupt in violence at the hands of armed extremists. The Virginia Supreme Court's decision came a day after gun-rights groups sued to...

FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate businessman Tom Steyer speaks during a Democratic presidential primary debate hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register in Des Moines, Iowa. On Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, The Associated Press reported on a manipulated video circulating online incorrectly portraying Steyer criticizing Democrats during the Iowa presidential debate saying they would

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

Jan. 17, 2020 5:06 PM EST

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these is legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the real facts: ___ CLAIM: Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer criticized Democrats...

The Virginia state Capitol building is surrounded by fencing, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020 in Richmond, Va., in preparation for Monday's rally by gun rights advocates. Gun-rights groups are asking a judge to block the Virginia governor's ban on firearms at a massive pro-gun rally scheduled for next week. Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday, Jan. 15, announced a state of emergency and banned all weapons from the rally at the Capitol. (Dean Hoffmeyer/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Organizers appeal ban on arms at upcoming Virginia gun rally

Jan. 17, 2020 6:19 AM EST

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A gun-rights group has filed an emergency appeal of a judge's ruling upholding the Virginia governor's ban on firearms at a pro-gun rally that's expected to draw thousands of gun activists to the state Capitol on Monday. The Virginia Citizens Defense League and Gun Owners of America...

FILE - This undated photo provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police shows Patrik Mathews. FBI agents on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, arrested the former Canadian Armed Forces reservist and two other men who are linked to a violent white supremacist group and were believed to be heading to a pro-gun rally next week in Virginia's capital. The three men are members of The Base and were arrested on federal charges in a criminal complaint unsealed in Maryland, according to a Justice Department news release. (Royal Canadian Mounted Police via AP)

FBI arrests 3 alleged white supremacists ahead of gun rally

Jan. 16, 2020 7:44 PM EST

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A former Canadian Armed Forces reservist and two other men who authorities say are linked to a violent white supremacist group were arrested Thursday, just days before they were believed to be headed to a pro-gun rally in Virginia’s capital. The three men, members of The Base,...

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2020, file photo, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, center, gestures as he delivers his State of the Commonwealth address as House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, right, and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, left, listen before a joint session of the Virginia Assembly at the state Capitol in Richmond, Va. Northam plans to declare a temporary emergency Wednesday, Jan. 15, banning all weapons, including guns, from Capitol Square ahead of a massive rally planned next week over gun rights. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Northam declares state of emergency ahead of gun rally

Jan. 15, 2020 5:28 PM EST

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday that he was declaring a state of emergency over threats of “armed militia groups storming our Capitol” ahead of a gun-rights rally next week. Northam's emergency order will ban weapons of all kinds, including firearms, from...

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