Four years ago, Virginia stood at a crossroads. We were suffering from bad pandemic policies that left too many families struggling. Our schools were among the last in the nation to reopen, and Virginia led the nation in learning loss in fourth grade reading and math. Twenty-five thousand small businesses had closed their doors in 2021. Job recovery lagged behind nearly every other state. Violent crime had surged, with a 20-year high in the murder rate. For nine straight years, more Virginians were leaving the commonwealth than moving in from the other 49 states.

That was the Virginia I stepped into as governor. And it was clear that we needed a comprehensive transformation — a fundamental shift in how Virginia competes, how its government works, and how opportunity could be unleashed.

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Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), speaks with Washington Examiner Senior Editor Peter Laffin about the state of free speech in America and Europe today, from college campuses to newsrooms to the halls of government. He compares Trump and Biden's free speech record and gives his thoughts on JD Vance as Trump's potential heir.

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Commentary Editor Conn Carroll, Senior Editor Peter Laffin, Contributions Editor Madeline Fry Schultz, and Restoring America Editor Jeremiah Poff react to the continued GOP infighting, JD Vance's political positioning, and how Trump eneded the year.

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Former New Hampshire Senator and current Senate candidate John Sununu talks with Washington Examiner Senior Editor Peter Laffin about the early days of his primary campaign against Scott Brown, the state of the economy, and the need to turn down the temperature in our politics.

The campaign arm of Senate Republicans is standing firm in supporting former GOP Sen. John Sununu’s bid to reclaim his New Hampshire seat, telling donors in a memo obtained by the Washington Examiner that he embodies the state’s “independent streak.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee document does not mention President Donald Trump, and it remains to be seen how Sununu would navigate an endorsement, if it comes, in a state that leans Democratic.

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In this in-depth conversation, political scientist and W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute Charles Murray joins Washington Examiner’s Peter Laffin to discuss Murray’s powerful new book, Taking Religion Seriously.

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Washington Examiner In Focus editor Peter Laffin joins commentary writer Tiana Lowe Doescher and Law & Liberty associate editor Rachel Lu to discuss their opinions on the Helen Andrew's essay on women in the workplace environment.

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If you ever wanted proof that political coalitions are fragile and messy affairs, look no further than the Republican Party in the era of President Donald Trump.

Last year, the GOP was ebullient. With Trump in the lead, the party won unified control of the federal government and had a mandate to govern. On his way to a second, nonconsecutive term, Trump won 312 electoral votes, the most by any Republican since George H.W. Bush’s landslide victory in 1988, and delivered the GOP its first national popular vote win since 2004.

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Washington Examiner foreign policy editor and writer Tom Rogan joins In Focus editor Peter Laffin to discuss movement with a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Does Russian President Putin face pressure in backing down to Ukraine in order to broker a deal? President Trump's success with the Middle East.

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