The morning newsletter of the Ohio Capital Journal
Reporting for the People
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By David DeWitt | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning Ohio!
An updated analysis of census data shows that the gap between rich and poor persists in Ohio. And a new Republican “flat” income tax now in effect will only make it worse, the analysis said.
A concept of income disparity from Getty Images.
By Marty Schladen
The richest 0.1% of Americans have seen their cumulative wealth spike by 53% between 2018 and 2025 — to $22.48 trillion, according to Federal Reserve data analyzed by the Institute for Policy Studies. That means the richest 343,000 Americans control 5.5 times as much of the national wealth as the 172 million who make up the bottom half of the income distribution.
By Megan Henry
A bipartisan bill would require Ohio bars and restaurants to have drink testing devices for date rape drugs.
By Morgan Trau, WEWS
A newly introduced bill would ban Ohio public officials and their employees from "trading" in prediction markets.
COMMENTARY
Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news briefing in the White House. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
By Marilou Johanek
In a state Trump swept by over 11%, Ohioans face severe financial distress with some of the highest gas prices in the country, skyrocketing diesel and fertilizer prices, and tough trade-offs between daily commuting and household necessities.
STATELINE
The big challenges and policy issues that cross state lines.
By Kelcie Moseley-Morris
Pregnant patients experiencing miscarriage who live in states with abortion bans have fewer options for healthcare management, according to a new study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
By Amanda Watford
Across the country, potholes are more than a seasonal nuisance. They are a visible symptom of aging roads and bridges that many state and local governments say they cannot afford to fully maintain.
THE RUNDOWN
News from other states
By Morgan Chilson, Kansas Reflector
ice President JD Vance ticked through a list of political topics — from Missouri’s redistricting efforts to the importance of bringing manufacturing back to the United States — at a campaign-style rally Monday afternoon.
NATIONAL NEWS
By Ashley Murray
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday a new $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund as a condition of President Trump voluntarily dropping his multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against the IRS for the leak of his tax returns several years ago.
WEDNESDAY WISDOM
“Racial ignorance is a prison from which there is no escape because there’re no doors. And there are old, old men, and old, old women running institutions, governments, homes all over the world who need to believe in their racism and need to have the victims of racism concentrate all their creative abilities on them. And they are very easily identified.
“They are the petulant ones who call themselves proud, and they are the disdainful ones who call themselves fastidious, and they are the mean-spirited ones who call themselves just. They thrive on the failures of those unlike them; they are the ones who measure their wealth by the desperation of the poor. They are the ones who know personal success only when they can identify deficiencies in other racial and ethnic groups. They are in prisons of their own construction: and their ignorance and their stunted emotional growth consistently boggle the mind.”
-Toni Morrison
CATCHING OUR EYE
Income taxes. The Columbus Dispatch’s Jessie Balmert reports, “Vivek Ramaswamy plans to phase out Ohio income taxes.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy plans to phase out Ohio's income tax over eight to ten years. The plan aims to attract businesses to Ohio, starting with eliminating taxes on capital gains in his first budget.
Critics argue the plan would disproportionately benefit the wealthy and could lead to major cuts in services like education and Medicaid. Ramaswamy has not specified which programs he would cut to offset the estimated $10 billion annual revenue loss.Reversing the Voting Rights Act. ABC News reports, “A third of the Congressional Black Caucus could lose seats amid redistricting fight.”
Almost a third of the membership of the Congressional Black Caucus -- 19 of its 62 members -- are at risk of losing their seats through the 2028 election cycle as Republicans in southern states where they control the legislature move swiftly to redraw congressional maps less than two weeks after the Supreme Court dealt a blow to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.Gold rush. Axios reports, “Trumpworld's presidential gold rush.”
Democrats erupted Monday over President Trump's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund for MAGA allies who claim political persecution, vowing to investigate what they called textbook corruption.
Why it matters: With each passing month, Trump is weaving the financial interests of his family, his allies and his political movement more tightly than ever into the fabric of the American presidency.Golden ballroom. NOTUS reports, “Trump Is Pressuring John Thune to Fire the Parliamentarian Over Ballroom Funding.”
President Donald Trump pressed Senate Majority Leader John Thune to fire the Senate parliamentarian after she ruled Republicans could not include funding for the president’s ballroom in a budget bill, two sources familiar with the request told NOTUS.
THE POD
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, FOLKS.
Mahalo!
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