Best Aaryan Balu Podcasts (2025)

1
S4E1 - Game Show Champions, Trivia Winners, and An Evolving Podcast 33:16

4M ago33:16

33:16

In this final episode of Pod Virginia (before the Virginia Press Room launches next week!), Michael is joined by co-host Lauren Burke, producer Aaryan Balu, and advertising manager David O'Connell to reminisce about the podcast, announce winners for Pod Virginia's trivia contest and game shows, and take one last look around the watercooler. Happy N…

1
S5E105 - Pod Virginia's Top Five Episodes of 2024 19:24

5M ago19:24

19:24

In our penultimate episode, Michael looks back at the five most popular episode of Pod Virginia in 2024. LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg MediaBy Aaryan Balu

1
S5E104 - Youngkin's Budget, Dem Reactions, and Nuclear Power 37:19

5M ago37:19

37:19

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media IN THE NEWS: Last week, Governor Glenn Youngkin presented his budget proposal, highlighting a budget surplus which he used to propose a rebate on the car tax, an initiative to eliminate taxes on tips, stricter policies on sanctuary cities. a new police training facility, expanding mental …

1
S5E103 - Chris Piper and Steve Humble: The Future of Pod Virginia 23:15

5M ago23:15

23:15

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E102 - Detainer Requests, Legislator Pay, and the Gambling Lobby 41:05

5M ago41:05

41:05

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E101 - The Final Buy, Sell, or Hold? With Sarah Taylor, Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Delegate Marcus Simon, and Senator Scott Surovell 51:23

5M ago51:23

51:23

On this special FINAL live-to-tape game show, Michael sits down with the Pod Virginia All-Stars Sarah Taylor, Senator Scott Surovell, Delegate Alfonso Lopez, and Delegate Marcus Simon to get their opinions on approving resolutions before sessions, catered press conferences, tabloid newspapers, hackneyed phrases, and the end of Pod Virginia. LINKS: …

1
S5E100 - License Plate Readers, Parental Consent, and Shackled Justice 30:12

5M ago30:12

30:12

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E99 - Warren Fiske and Bob Holsworth: Virginia's 1993 Election 43:32

5M ago43:32

43:32

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by Warren Fiske and Bob Holsworth to discuss the 1993 gubernatorial race between George Allen and Mary Sue Terry--including how Terry had a double-digit advantage in early polls and a significant fundraising lead, only for Allen to win in a landslide. They wro…

1
S5E98 - Prisoner Abuse, Predatory Loans, and Preliminary Ballots 49:55

5M ago49:55

49:55

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E97 - Frank Atkinson: Virginia's 1973 "Armageddon" Election 39:41

5M ago39:41

39:41

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E96 - The Race for Governor and a Skill Games Lawsuit 44:28

6M ago44:28

44:28

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E95 - Former Senator John Bell: Revisiting the Censure of Amanda Chase 36:52

6M ago36:52

36:52

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Former State Senator John Bell joins Michael to break down his decision to sponsor the 2021 resolution to censure then-Senator Amanda Chase after she repeated baseless election fraud claims and spoke in support of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.…

1
S5E94 - Firehouse Primary, Amendment Theater, and Campaign Regrets 34:29

6M ago34:29

34:29

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E93 - Sam Shirazi: The Elections Coming Up 49:54

6M ago49:54

49:54

SPONSOR: The Richmond Forum LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Pod Virginia all-star Sam Shirazi joins Michael to break down the special elections happening in the next few weeks (filling the House seats vacated by Suhas Subramanyam and John McGuire), as well as the Virginia statewide elections in 2025.…

1
S5E92 - Margins of Victory, Asian-American Influence, and Special Elections 32:19

6M ago32:19

32:19

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E91 - The Press Room: Reacting to the 2024 Election 46:51

6M ago46:51

46:51

SPONSOR: The Richmond Forum Tyler Englander, Cameron Thompson, and Brad Kutner join Michael and Lauren to react to the 2024 election results--Kamala Harris' razor-thin victory in the state, Tim Kaine's victory, and the possibilities for Republican leaders to be shuffled into the upcoming Trump administration as we already look toward the 2025 guber…

1
S5E90 - Motor Voter Laws, PAC Attack, and the Salem Rally 50:18

6M ago50:18

50:18

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E89 - Sam Shirazi: The 2024 Election 51:15

6M ago51:15

51:15

SPONSOR: The Richmond Forum LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Pod Virginia all-star Sam Shirazi returns to break down next week's election: where does Virginia fall in the race for the presidency? What about all of the competitive downballot races? And just how many millions are getting spent on political ads that blanket…

1
S5E88 - Swing Seats, Presidential Endorsements. and Voter Roll Purges 50:29

7M ago50:29

50:29

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E87 - Laura Vozzella and Greg Schneider: Executive Order 35 and the Voter Roll Purge 30:25

7M ago30:25

30:25

SPONSOR: The Richmond Forum LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, The Washington Post's Laura Vozzella and Greg Schneider join Michael to explain the purges of Virginia's voter rolls. They start with Governor Youngkin's Executive Order 35, which called for registrars to report voter roll changes on a daily basis, r…

1
S5E86 - Voter Roll Purges, Election Lawsuits, and Next Steps for VMSDEP 37:35

7M ago37:35

37:35

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E85 - Dr. Julian Hayter: The Historic Election of Governor Doug Wilder 41:31

7M ago41:31

41:31

SPONSOR: The Richmond Forum LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by the University of Richmond's Associate Professor of Leadership Studies, Dr. Julian Hayter, to discuss the historic 1989 election of Virginia's first Black governor, Doug Wilder--including context, aftermath, and lasting legacy. H…

1
S5E84 - Election Violence, Advertising Imbalance, and NoVa Problems 34:40

7M ago34:40

34:40

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E83 - Kenneth C. Davis: The World in Books 47:48

7M ago47:48

47:48

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E82 - Senate Success Records, Queen of Virginia, and Crime Is Down 36:23

7M ago36:23

36:23

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E81 - Ad Watch: The Hottest Political Ads of the Year 26:29

7M ago26:29

26:29

SPONSORS: The Richmond Forum LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by Ben Tribbett, Founder of Pocket Aces Consulting, and former state Delegate David Ramadan to break down the political ads for Virginia races in the upcoming election. What are the messages that candidates are putting out, and how…

1
S5E80 - Ad Watch, Job Numbers, and the Politics of Consent 42:42

7M ago42:42

42:42

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E79 - Graham Moomaw: The Race for Richmond Mayor 41:44

8M ago41:44

41:44

SPONSORS: ALX Live Studios The Richmond Forum LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media With a whole bunch of competitive races in Virginia this way, we narrow things down to the very exciting race for Richmond's mayor. The winning candidate will need to win 5 of the city's 9 districts to avoid a runoff. So who's on the ticket? M…

1
S5E78 - Early Voting, Banning Books, and Skill Games 38:10

8M ago38:10

38:10

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E77 - Sam Shirazi: Previewing Virginia's 2024 Elections 43:39

8M ago43:39

43:39

SPONSORS: ALX Live Studios The Richmond Forum LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Early voting in Virginia begins tomorrow! And this week, Pod Virginia favorite Sam Shirazi brings us an update on the national, statewide, and local elections happening around Virginia from now through November.…

1
S5E76 - Paying for Schools, Debate Stage Racism, and Skill Games Are Back 41:45

8M ago41:45

41:45

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E75 - David Bier and Jeffrey Singer: The Narrative About Drugs and Illegal Immigration 41:37

8M ago41:37

41:37

SPONSOR: The Richmond Forum LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by the Cato Institute's Director of Immigration Studies David Bier and Senior Fellow Dr. Jeffrey Singer to break down the false narrative that ties illegal immigration to the fentanyl crisis. They say the real source of fentanyl com…

1
S5E74 - Early Voting, Icing out ICE, and the Alexandria Tax Base 42:47

8M ago42:47

42:47

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E73 - Ben Knotts & Shawn Weneta: Youngkin's Plan to Reduce Recidivism 55:19

8M ago55:19

55:19

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E72 - Republican Poll Watchers, Harris Housing Policy, and Campaigning Spouses 1:07:05

8M ago1:07:05

1:07:05

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E71 - John Milliken: The Byrd Machine In Audio 43:04

9M ago43:04

43:04

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E70 - Virginia Goes Midwest, Cell Phone-Free Schools, and Youngkin's Approval Ratings 40:34

9M ago40:34

40:34

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E69 - Mary Garner McGehee: A New Bold Dominion 38:58

9M ago38:58

38:58

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E68 - Golden Silence, At-Risk Students, and Prison Pell Grants 44:45

9M ago44:45

44:45

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E67 - Susanna Gibson and Kelly McBride: Leaks, Hacks, and Journalistic Ethics 51:18

9M ago51:18

51:18

SPONSOR: The Richmond Forum LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael and Lauren are joined by former candidate Susanna Gibson and the Poynter Institute's Kelly McBride to discuss the recent hacked information regarding Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance, the Washington Post story detailing explicit videos of…

1
S5E66 - Unwelcome Visitor, Data Cold Storage, Unintelligent AI 46:07

9M ago46:07

46:07

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E65 - Hot Ones with Michael Phillips and Graham Moomaw 37:58

9M ago37:58

37:58

SPONSOR: The Richmond Forum LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media The Richmonder: https://richmonder.org This week we are joined by the founder of the Richmonder and one of his new star reporters, Michael Phillips and Graham Moomaw. They explain what they hope to accomplish with the launch of the new site on Sept. 9, and they…

1
S5E64 - Progressive Prosecutors, Illegal Skill Games, and Trump Force 47 46:43

9M ago46:43

46:43

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E63 - Jon Baliles: The Richmond Mayor Race 28:18

9M ago28:18

28:18

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E62 - Relaunching the Campaign, Data Center Spike, and Snail Mail Newspapers 45:20

10M ago45:20

45:20

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E61 - Nathan Moore: A Deep Dive on Appalachian Radio 45:44

10M ago45:44

45:44

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E60 - Biden Drop Out, Crime Is Down, and the Price of Eggs 1:05:00

10M ago1:05:00

1:05:00

By Aaryan Balu

1
S5E59 - Jeff Ryer: Breaking Down the Republican National Convention 50:17

10M ago50:17

50:17

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media The guest for this episode is a delegate to the Republican convention in Wisconsin. He is a member of the platform committee, and he's the chairman of the First Congressional District Republican Committee -- Jeff Ryer. He joins us to give us an inside look at what's happening in the Virgi…