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What Next | Daily News and Analysis

How an Abortion Bill Started the Mess in Virginia

What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Slate

News, Daily News, News Commentary, Politics

4.62.3K Ratings

🗓️ 8 February 2019

⏱️ 15 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Virginia is in chaos as racist stunts and allegations of sexual assault threaten to upend the political careers of four top state officials. How did we get here? It all started with a debate over an abortion bill. Guest: Anna North, senior reporter for Vox. Read her story on what the nasty politicking has to do with abortion rights. Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to [email protected]. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Earlier this week, I caught this one piece of video.

0:11.4

And when I saw it, I thought this just sums up everything that's happening at the Virginia

0:16.1

State Capitol right now.

0:17.6

Senator Lucas, maybe we look forward to hearing from you later today.

0:23.8

Reporters are chasing a state senator down a hallway.

0:26.7

They're lobbying questions at her.

0:28.8

Who's next in line?

0:31.6

This is a member of Virginia's black caucus, an older woman in an emerald green suit.

0:37.1

Her shoulders are hunched.

0:38.8

She looks defeated.

0:40.6

She tries to tell the reporters she can't talk.

0:43.4

But the whole mob keeps following her out the door through a parking lot.

0:50.2

Virginia can pee past this moment.

0:53.2

And then she just stops.

0:55.4

Heans on a car, puts her head in her hands, as if everything that's going on is just

1:00.8

too hard to bear.

1:03.8

In Virginia, the governor, the attorney general, and the Senate majority leader, they're all

1:08.8

embroiled in scandals over racist costumes that they either wore or condoned.

1:14.1

The lieutenant governor is accused of sexual assault.

1:17.4

This list is growing so fast that by the time you hear this, it may be out of date.

1:22.0

It's sort of chaos.

1:24.4

I mean, I think all of us who are covering this have had a little bit of whiplash.

...

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