TOP STORIES: Early voting, homicide suspect manhunt, Waltz's exit/nomination
Early voting for several statewide primaries in Virginia begins this Friday. The deadline to register to vote is May 27. Regarding the House of Delegate races, Democratic primaries will take place in all 133 counties and cities across Virginia, whereas only 31 counties will have Republican primaries. The Democratic primary for lieutenant governor and attorneys general will also be open to early voters in Virginia. There is no need to hold a primary for the gubernatorial race, as Republican Winsome Earl-Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger are the only two candidates that qualified to be nominated. Early voting will be open through June 14, with primary election day being on June 17. Click here for more information on early voting office locations.After an overnight police chase through three cities, a man accused of killing a woman in Virginia Beach on Thursday has been taken into custody, according to police. Deric Lee Jr., 42, is charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Police say around 10 p.m. Wednesday, officers were sent to the 3600 block of Harbinger Road following a report of a gunshot victim. There, police found Regina Banks, 63, fatally shot — she died at the scene. VBPD quickly identified Lee Jr. as the suspect and tried to pursue him. State police, who helped in the pursuit, said Lee Jr. got onto I-264 and drove through Norfolk, Chesapeake and Portsmouth, then continued onto I-664 northbound towards the MMMBT. Lee Jr. then reached a dead end in the West Norfolk area of Portsmouth around 10:30 p.m. The car he left behind then crashed into the trees. While a manhunt for Lee Jr. was underway, a shelter in place was in effect for more than two hours in the surrounding area between Cedar Lane and Tyre Neck Road. Lee Jr. remained at large Thursday morning, but police say he was located and taken into custody in the afternoon.
Mike Waltz was ousted from his position as national security adviser on Thursday. President Donald Trump then announced that he will nominate Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Waltz was tapped to serve as national security adviser just days after Trump won the 2024 presidential election. Only months into the job, Waltz sparked controversy by creating a Signal group chat to discuss sensitive plans for strikes on the Houthis in Yemen — and mistakenly adding The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to the conversation. In a social media post announcing the change, Trump stated, "Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation's Interests first." Trump also said Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as the interim national security adviser. In addition to his secretary of state duties, Rubio was already working as the acting USAID Administrator and acting National Archivist.
