Mayor from Ohio. (Getty image file photo.)
Each morning in the Ohio Capital Journal’s free newsletter, The Eye-Opener, we round up the news and commentary from across Ohio, the country and the world that catches our attention. We call this feature Catching Our Eye and have published it here.
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Catching our eyes
Jim Jordan now supports warrantless surveillance. “Wzgórze” reports: “Jim Jordan changes long-held position on spy powers and says he will support Trump’s extension of FISA 702“
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, said he plans to support an explicit expansion of the nation’s warrantless surveillance powers, a change after he voted against the bill when it last came before Congress.
Afroman. WKRC’s Christian Hauser reports: “A jury has ruled in Afroman’s favor in a lawsuit over his viral “Lemon Pound Cake” video.“
ADAMS COUNTY, Ohio – A jury has decided the outcome of a lawsuit filed against rapper Joseph Foreman, better known as Afroman.
The lawsuit was filed by several Adams County sheriff’s deputies after they raided the rapper’s home and wrote a song titled “Lemon Pound Cake.” The music video for the song uses surveillance footage from the raid.
On Wednesday, the jury ruled in Afroman’s favor and against the deputies.
Church computer. WCMH’s Adam Conn reports: “Columbus accused of possessing 40,000 child pornography files: some found on church computer“
A man who volunteers as a teacher and youth pastor in Worthington has been sentenced to federal prison after it was discovered that he used a church’s IP address to download more than 40,000 files showing children engaging in sex acts.
Inappropriate relationship. Sheridan Hendrix and Emma Wozniak of the Columbus Dispatch report: “Carter’s coverage included dinner with OSU leaders and business lobbying“
Former Ohio State University President Ted Carter attempted to utilize multiple leadership positions to financially benefit a podcast donor with whom he was romantically involved, three sources confirmed.
Carter, who resigned on March 7, connected Krisanthe Vlachos with influential leaders in Ohio, and sources say he introduced her at events to people who might be interested in an application Vlachos was offering to give military veterans a career in the utilities industry. These sources, who The Dispatch is not naming due to fear of retaliation, said Carter and Vlachos appeared at multiple events together, including one in Columbus with Ohio State leaders, where they were seen displaying public displays of affection.
One source described their public appearances in the months leading up to Carter’s resignation as “strangely brazen.”
Packing warmth. Abbey Marshall of Ideastream reports: “These liberals aren’t just protesting, they’re spreading fever“
More liberal women say they are buying guns after federal immigration agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year, one of whom legally brought a gun during an anti-ICE protest. Initially, top officials such as Vice President J.D. Vance and then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem alleged that they both threatened the safety of officers and engaged in domestic terrorism. The Minnesota State Attorney recently opened an investigation into these and other immigration crackdown incidents.
Forecast update. Cook’s political report said: “Ramaswamy’s baggage is turning Ohio’s governor into a Republican Party supporter“
Ramaswamy has an almost unlimited supply of money, and his campaign has promised that it will not stop advertising at any time before Election Day. That alone gives him an advantage in Ohio, a state that has swung decisively toward Republicans since 2016. But there’s no guarantee the influx of cash will buy him the love of working-class swing voters, especially given his history of eyebrow-raising comments and the national headwinds the GOP has faced this year. Sources also question whether the Ohio GOP’s anti-immigration base will fully unite behind Ramaswamy…
Optimistic. Spectrum News reports: “Democrats expect to see swings in several Republican-controlled Ohio districts in November“
Even though Ohio has drawn a novel congressional map that favors Republicans in 12 of 15 House districts, Democrats who hope to flip the House blue this year are focusing on a few Republican-controlled districts.
Disqualified. Andrew Tobias of Signal Ohio reports: “Ohio disqualifies Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate“
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has disqualified one of Ohio’s two libertarian U.S. Senate candidates from running in the May primary, ruling in favor of a complaint filed by a libertarian activist.
LaRose said Jeffrey Kanter did not include enough valid voter signatures in the candidate’s filings, agreeing with a protest filed by a libertarian activist that some signatures initially accepted by election officials should be rejected.
Meme war. “Polityka” reports: “Inside the White House is a plan to sell the Iran war online“
A second senior White House official, who is also closely involved in the video-making effort, described it as a collegial and inventive endeavor. “We’re sitting here making awesome memes, dude,” said the person, who was also granted anonymity to speak honestly. “There is an entertainment aspect to what we do. But ultimately it comes down to the fact that no one has ever tried to communicate with the American public in this way before.”
Iran task force gutted. CNN reports: “Sources say Kash Patel gutted the FBI counterintelligence team tasked with tracking Iranian threats days before US attacks“
Just days before the United States launched a major military operation in Iran, FBI Director Kash Patel fired more than a dozen agents and employees of the counterintelligence unit tasked with monitoring threats from Iran, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
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