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!
Ohio cities with big Haitian populations are preparing for a possible uptick of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement after temporary protected status for Haitians ended this week.
Signs of support for Haitians in Springfield after temporary protected status for Haitians ended on July 27. (Photo by Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal).
By Megan Henry
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that President Donald Trump can end legal status for Haitians who’ve fled the violence in their home country.
By Morgan Trau, WEWS
Ohio Gov. DeWine is concerned by the domestic abuse allegations against Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller, but said it should be up to voters if he remains in Congress. A Democratic member of the Ohio delegation is calling for Miller’s resignation.
By Susan Tebben
Former Judge Colleen O’Donnell, the Republican challenger hoping to unseat the 6-1 Ohio Supreme Court’s only remaining Democratic justice, has been emphasizing her work as an immigration judge and her "originalism" stance in her campaign.
STATELINE
The big challenges and policy issues that cross state lines.
By Sofia Resnick
Anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers across the U.S. have received hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars just in the past few years. Yet there is little oversight — not only on how they’re spending money, but also on how they’re caring for patients.
By Robbie Sequeira
More than 9,000 children in foster care had to temporarily stay in hotels, office buildings and other potentially unsafe settings when states couldn’t find suitable places for them, according to a new federal audit.
By Amanda Watford
For families who question an official determination about how a loved one died — whether from suicide, an accident, natural causes, during an encounter with law enforcement or while incarcerated or detained — the next step is often unclear.
THE RUNDOWN
News from other states
By Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor
A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a Trump administration suit seeking New Jersey voters’ addresses, driver’s license numbers, birth dates, partial Social Security numbers, and a host of other private data.
NATIONAL NEWS
By Ariana Figueroa
The Trump administration has for more than a year used personal information airline passengers provide to the Transportation Security Administration for immigration enforcement, according to documents obtained by a government watchdog group.
By Ashley Murray
A vote on acting AG Todd Blanche’s nomination to permanently fill the role was postponed Wednesday after two Republican senators remained dissatisfied with his handling of the administration’s “anti-weaponization” fund and a tax immunity deal.
By Sam Gauntt
Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, the main long-distance gateway to the nation’s capital, is set to receive a multi-billion-dollar makeover, President Donald Trump said Wednesday.
By Shauneen Miranda
President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Labor breezed through a key U.S. Senate committee vote Thursday to advance his nomination.
By Shauneen Miranda
Dr. Erica Schwartz got a step closer in her bid to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after a key U.S. Senate panel propelled her nomination to the Senate floor Thursday.
By Amelia Twyman
A group of Diné allotment shareholders and community leaders called Wednesday for the Bureau of Land Management to continue enforcing oil and gas restrictions near New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
SCIENCE FRIDAY
By Stu Osborne, WOSU
Scientists in Ohio State's astronomy department are using artificial intelligence to find star clusters unable to be seen by the human eye and even a few that have never been seen before. Read more
CATCHING OUR EYE
Mocking Jim Jordan. Cleveland.com’s Sabrina Eaton reports, “Fauci diary reveals private mockery of Jim Jordan at COVID hearings.”
Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, repeatedly trashed U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan in a private diary released this week by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul.
Entries from the diary’s 2020-2022 time frame describe the Champaign County Republican as “ranting” and mock his combative style at multiple hearings.Afroman now files suit. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s David Ferrara reports, “Afroman files lawsuit against deputy in 'Lemon Poundcake' suit, raid.”
Rapper Afroman is suing a former deputy who previously sued him over music videos made from raid footage. The new lawsuit claims the deputy's original suit defamed Afroman and invaded his privacy.
The deputy, Brian Newland, was part of a 2022 raid on Afroman's home that resulted in no charges. Afroman previously won a lawsuit filed by Newland and other deputies over his music videos.Lima billboard battle. The Columbus Dispatch’s Lilli Malone reports, “Anti-LGBTQ+ billboards in Lima prompt vocal community response.”
Anti-LGBTQ+ billboards have appeared in Lima, Ohio, and other cities, sponsored by an organization called Them Before Us. Community members and LGBTQ+ organizations have criticized the billboards for being harmful to children and families.
In response, local organizers planned a peaceful protest to promote a message of love and support for all family types. A GoFundMe campaign raised over $18,000 to launch counter-billboards with supportive messages across Ohio.Ohio lynching sites. The Ohio Newsroom’s Kaitlin Thorne reports, ““This happened in our country and we can’t erase it.” A southeast Ohio museum displays soil from lynching sites.”
On a small shelf in an old brick building in Belmont County sit 14 jars of soil. Each is labeled with an Ohio city alongside a man’s name and contain dirt from sites across the state where the men were lynched.
The jars are on temporary display at the Underground Railroad Museum in Flushing, before the museum moves into its new home in Morristown, 8 miles down the road, this fall.Ohio addiction epidemic movie. The Dayton Daily News’ Russell Florence Jr. reports, “Ohio’s addiction epidemic at center of ‘Union County’ movie: ‘I did not want further stigmas or stereotypes’.”
Ohio-born writer/director Adam Meeks’ dynamic debut feature, “Union County,” is a powerful story of addiction, family, loss, perseverance and redemption that will have special screenings Saturday, Aug. 8 at The NEON in downtown Dayton prior to its official release Friday, Aug. 14.
Shot in Logan County and Union County in the spring of 2025, the quietly compelling film stars Will Poulter and Noah Centineo co-star as brothers Cody and Jack Parsons, each navigating a court-mandated drug rehabilitation program in an area of rural Ohio hit hard by the opioid epidemic. With the support of a tireless counselor (beautifully sincere Annette Deao), the brothers work toward a brighter, sober future.
THE POD
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, FOLKS.
Mahalo!
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