The morning newsletter of the Ohio Capital Journal
Reporting for the People
Make a tax-deductible donation supporting our work.
By David DeWitt | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning Ohio!
A New York jury on Wednesday sided with 34 state attorneys general, including Ohio's Dave Yost, ruling that entertainment giant Live Nation abused fans and artists by engaging in monopolistic practices.
The Ticketmaster website is shown on a computer screen. (Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.)
By Marty Schladen
The win comes after the Trump Justice Department and six states quit the case a week into the trial. It agreed to a settlement that critics said was a giveaway to Live Nation.
By Megan Henry
The candidates running in Ohio’s 9th U.S. Congressional District Republican Party Primary talked about the Iran War, immigration, data centers and transgender athletes playing sports at a recent debate.
By Susan Tebben
A new Ohio bill that would make changes to how and to whom school districts can use or sell school facilities received some criticism in a Senate committee this week, and major education unions asked for changes to the overall bill.
COMMENTARY
Jerome Powell has said he intends to remain chair of the Federal Reserve if the Senate has not yet confirmed his successor when his term expires May 15. Legally, Powell is allowed to do this. (Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)
By Ana Carolina Garriga and Christina Bodea
President Trump is threatening to oust Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, putting at risk a keystone of inflation management: central bank independence.
STATELINE
The big challenges and policy issues that cross state lines.
By Anna Claire Vollers
More than a third of state ballot measures that voters will be asked to consider this year relate to democracy, with questions on voting rights, election processes, redistricting and similar issues.
By Alex Brown
The U.S. Forest Service’s plan to close scores of research stations could threaten the nation’s wildfire readiness, many foresters fear, and erode decades of work to understand timber production, soil health, pests and diseases, watersheds and wildlife.
By Alex Brown
Congress’ move to allow mining in a national forest near a wilderness area may have broad ramifications across the country.
THE RUNDOWN
News from other states
By Stories from the States Podcast
Last year, the Idaho legislature slashed funding for a mobile treatment program for people with severe mental illness. The Idaho Sheriffs’ Association warned the changes risked public safety. In less than three months, four patients died, sparking outrage.
By Mukta Joshi
Under federal law, members of Congress have the right to make unannounced visits to ICE detention centers, where more than 60,000 people are currently being held. U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson spoke to us about his recent visit.
NATIONAL NEWS
By Jennifer Shutt
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. testified before Congress on Thursday that he’s not pleased with how spending cuts to programs that help lower-income Americans afford food will affect his efforts to bolster healthy eating habits.
By Jacob Fischler
Democrats on a U.S. House spending panel slammed President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to farm and nutrition programs Thursday, as Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins pledged to collaborate with members of both parties to address their concerns.
By Ashley Murray
President Trump on Thursday said he will nominate Erica Schwartz, who served in the president’s first administration, to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a seat left vacant for months after his last director said she was ousted in a rift over childhood vaccines.
By Jonathan Shorman
As the midterms approach, Republican and Democratic election officials are split over a powerful federal computer program at the center of President Donald Trump’s quest to expose noncitizen voters and compile lists of voting-age Americans.
CATCHING OUR EYE
Ohio State. The New York Times reports, "A Football School Striving to Be More Keeps Dropping the Ball."
Universities of all stripes have encountered challenges as political debates rock campuses and public trust in higher education wobbles, including at the School Up North — as the Ohio State rival Michigan is referred to in Columbus. Many have faced attacks from the Trump administration, political strife and their own scandals over Epstein ties. In some places, campuses have rallied around their leadership as they battle outside forces.But the mounting troubles at Ohio State — often of its own making — are as outsize as its 67,000-student enrollment. The steady drip has led to frustration among students, faculty and alumni, and even concern about lasting reputational damage.
“This is a national embarrassment,” said Tristan Rader, a state representative who is among an increasing number of Ohio politicians who have been critical of the school’s leadership. “It puts a black mark on the entire state.”
Property taxes. The Statehouse News Bureau's Karen Kasler reports, "Ohio police, teachers, local officials join forces to push back on property tax abolishment."
More than 65 groups of local elected officials, libraries, businesses and trade groups, and unions representing first responders and teachers have united against a possible amendment to abolish property taxes in Ohio. It’s likely just the beginning of a massive effort that voters would see if the group backing the amendment gets it to voters this fall.
The formation of this group comes as the all-volunteer group collecting signatures for the abolishment amendment plans an announcement next week.ICE. WVXU's Nick Swartsell reports, "Data reveals how many people ICE deported in Ohio this year."
Recently obtained data from the Department of Homeland Security sheds light on the scope of recent federal immigration enforcement efforts in the Tri-State.
A team of academics and legal professionals called the Deportation Data Project obtained the data via federal Freedom of Information Act requests.
The data comes as the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts remain an intense point of political debate.Reproductive rights amendment. Cleveland.com's Mary Frances McGowan reports, "Republican Trumbull County judge challenges Ohio reproductive rights amendment."
A Republican judge for a county juvenile court is challenging the voter‑approved reproductive rights amendment in the Ohio Supreme Court, arguing that it is being interpreted in a way that eliminates Ohio’s parental consent and judicial bypass requirements for minors seeking abortions.
Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division Judge David Engler filed suit in the Ohio Supreme Court this week, contending that the amendment conflicts with Article IV of the Ohio Constitution, which establishes the authority and jurisdiction of the state’s courts.
THE POD
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, FOLKS.
Mahalo!
Thanks for reading The Eye-Opener. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.