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Virginia Redistricting in Court: Judge Rules Democrats Broke the Law on Constitutional Amendment Push | Ken Cuccinelli Jan 31, 2026

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Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said a recent state court ruling blocking Democrats’ attempt to advance a redistricting constitutional amendment is firmly rooted in Virginia law and could ultimately be upheld on appeal.

Speaking with The Daily Signal’s Joe Thomas, Cuccinelli said the judge found the amendment process violated state law on three independent grounds, including notice requirements, election timing, and limits on special legislative sessions.

This ruling is “no slam dunk,” however, says Cuccinelli, Virginia’s former attorney general and current national chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative.

“It is not common for a judge to go beyond ruling on one reason to reach an outcome, but the judge, I presume, knows that this is on a tight time schedule. And, in his mind, presumably, there wasn’t time to go up to the Supreme Court and come back down… so he ruled on everything in front of him. So now it goes to the Virginia Supreme Court, and this is no slam dunk.”

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Trump Overrides Bureaucracy to Rescue the Pacific Palisades | Elaine Culotti Jan 30, 2026

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On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to “cut through bureaucratic red tape and speed up reconstruction in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon areas one year after devastating wildfires destroyed nearly 40,000 acres of homes and businesses.”

Daily Signal California contributor Elaine Culotti explains why his plan to fast-track permits and mobilize builders is critical for families displaced for more than a year in today’s special video commentary.

“You have to have a plan. And the plan has to get through the process quickly, because that is called momentum. You have to have mobilization. That’s when you start mobilization. And you have to have a schedule of values. That’s the beginning, the middle and the end.

“Donald Trump, thank you so much for doing this. … We need to be able to build. If we want to pay to play, we should be able to do that. If we want to use federal dollars to get it expedited, we should be able to do that. I thank you so much for coming to California. We are so appreciative.”

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How California Can Impose the ‘Strictest Voter ID Laws’ in the US | Elaine Culotti & Carl Demaio Jan 28, 2026

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California is notorious for its high cost of living, homelessness epidemic, widespread crime, and failing public schools.

These are all “symptoms of a bigger problem,” argues Carl DeMaio, a member of the California State Assembly.

“ The fact that we're worse in all those areas is because we are confronting the biggest problem. And that is California's political system is fundamentally corrupt,” DeMaio told Elaine Culotti, The Daily Signal’s California contributor, on her podcast.

DeMaio explains that meaningful change requires a grassroots voter revolt, not reliance on party elites or national figures.

“If you want true populist grassroots reform, then those of us in the streets, the grassroots, we have to narrow our focus on a couple targets and take out the establishment. Because you know what? When we focus, their money can’t compete with us. We’re an army. It’s a public uprising. It’s a rebellion. A revolt. And they can’t stop that.”

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Saving the Climate or Just Grabbing Cash? Gov. Spanberger Says the Quiet Part Out Loud | Bonner Cohen, Ph.D. Jan 28, 2026

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Virginia’s new Governor, Abigail Spanberger, openly admitted it’s good for the state to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, not to protect the climate and environment, but rather because it’s a great “cash grab.”

Bonner Cohen, Ph.D., a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research, explains how Virginia’s participation in RGGI will raise energy costs, hurt low- and middle-income residents, and drive businesses out of the state, when he joined Joe Thomas, The Daily Signal’s Virginia correspondent, on his podcast today.

“It’s not about saving the planet, and we have to be very careful about what we mean when we say it makes money for Virginia. Actually, it's ultimately going to cost Virginia rate payers who, as a result of RGGI, as well as a result of other energy policies she's imposing as well as taxes she plans to raise, these people are going to see their disposable incomes reduced and you have to ask the question: to what end?”

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Check out Top News in 10, hosted by The Daily Signal’s Tony Kinnett:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjMHBev3NsoUpc2Pzfk0n89cXWBqQltHY

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The Golden State’s Biggest Myth: Taxes Aren’t Revenue | Elaine Culotti Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

California doesn’t “generate revenue”—it drains it. Taxes aren’t income, businesses create income, and Sacramento chased them out, argues Elaine Culotti, Daily Signal California commentator, on her podcast today:

“The state itself does not create any revenue. The state builds nothing. The state earns nothing. The state is money out. It is capital outflow to pay for the state to survive. To pay for the infrastructure that it owes.”

00:00 Introduction and Overview

01:06 California's Revenue Problem Explained

04:16 Impact of Bureaucracy and Overregulation

06:56 Proposed Solutions and Government Actions

08:42 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Government Overreach? Why California’s Billionaire Tax Is Pushing Top Taxpayers Out | Elaine Culotti Jan 27, 2026

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It is starting to look like California may be separating people from their personal property and taxing that property through search and seizure, argues Elaine Culotti, a Daily Signal California contributor, in today’s special video commentary on the Golden State’s impending billionaire tax.

“ There are 17.5 million people out of 40 million people that pay taxes in California. The top 2% or 1% or half a percent—200 guys—pay 47% of those taxes. If you create a wealth tax on those people, they are sure to leave, and it's not because of the 5% you're trying to charge them. People do not want to disclose their assets. They deem it unsafe, invasive, overreaching government, and unconstitutional. Taxation without representation.”

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Fentanyl Killed His Brother. Now He Works in Congress to Protect Other Families From Same Pain Jan 26, 2026

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Adversaries of the U.S. could launch a nuclear weapon at America, or they can achieve the same goal by flooding the nation with fentanyl, says Rep. Addison McDowell, R-N.C., who has introduced a bill cracking down on fentanyl imports.

Over the past decade, roughly 500,000 U.S. lives have been lost to synthetic opioid overdoses, mainly fentanyl, according to the National Institutes of Health.

McDowell on Wednesday introduced a bill aimed at blocking drug traffickers from bringing a tool called a pill press into the U.S. The process of fentanyl entering the U.S. is “coordinated,” McDowell explains.

China, for example, “will ship a pill presser” to a drug dealer in the U.S. to cut “pure fentanyl, ... pressing it down into ... something that looks like a pill,” he said.

The Preventing Rogue Equipment for Synthetic Substances, or PRESS, Act, criminalizes the “intentional importation of unlisted precursor chemicals and related equipment, including tableting machines, encapsulating machines, press punches, die systems, and gelatin capsules, that will be used to manufacture controlled substances,” according to the congressman’s office.

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Newsom’s Davos Ego Trip Left California Broke, Isolated, and Desperate Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

Instead flaunting his new red “Trump kneepads” to world leaders and corporate elite in Davos, Switzerland, during the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, Gavin Newsom should be more concerned about this state’s abysmal relationship with the federal government argues Elaine Culotti, Daily Signal California correspondent, on today’s special video commentary.

“To be clear, our biggest problem in California is the fact that we have no relationship whatsoever with President Trump and the administration. So we can't pick up the phone and call and say, “Hey, we need a lifeline.” It does not exist. It's been destroyed. And with the Pacific Palisades and the fires in California, it has been unveiled how deep that destruction is.”

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Redistricting in a Rush: What Virginia Voters Need To Know | Joe Thomas Jan 22, 2026

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Virginia is facing a push to hold a special vote, likely in mid-April, to overturn a 65%-approved nonpartisan redistricting commission.

Joe Thomas, The Daily Signal’s Virginia correspondent, breaks down the proposed change that would allow the state to redraw districts reactively if other states change theirs.

“ North Carolina, and even New York state is talking about redistricting their congressional districts ahead of the midterms. Now, unlike all those other states, Virginia had a constitutional amendment that said you can’t do it.”

https://www.instagram.com/problematicwomen/

Connect with our hosts on socials!

Elise McCue

X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=EliseMcCue

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisemccueofficial/

Virginia Allen:

X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=Virginia_Allen5

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virginiaallenofficial/

Check out Top News in 10, hosted by The Daily Signal’s Tony Kinnett:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjMHBev3NsoUpc2Pzfk0n89cXWBqQltHY

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pacific Palisades Should and Can Seceding from Los Angeles | Elaine Culotti Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

With Los Angeles consisting of nearly 4 million people, more than 400 residents are assigned to each LAPD officer, which has an annual budget of about $2 billion. During the fires last year, an estimated more than 25% of emergency response equipment was broken.

All this begs the question: What happens to a neighborhood when it has become irrelevant to the city it is in?

Answer: They should start exploring de-annexing and fusion safety models for more cost-efficient emergency response services, argues Elaine Culotti in this special video commentary for The Daily Signal.

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