FirstEnergy admitted last summer to bribing both the Ohio House Speaker and the state’s former top utility regulator.

I went back through the record produced in those related cases to see where Gov. Mike DeWine was in all this. Here’s what I found: ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/08/15/tex… DeWine's calendars show he met with FirstEnergy repeatedly to discuss "energy policy" or the nuclear plant bailout bill itself. He met with Speaker Householder at least once on HB 6 specifically. He even visited one of those bailed out plants on the campaign trail.

Ohio Supreme Court issues overturns state legislative redistricting map, finding lawmakers violated new constitutional proportionality requirements adopted by voters. New maps due in 10 days. supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0… Still remarkable that the governor explicitly said he would not judge the map one way or another before *voting in favor of it*

New from Ohio Gov. DeWine:

“Due to the limited time available and the serious nature of this announcement, we will be limiting questions to those directly related to the announcement. Reporters are asked to submit questions in advance of the question and answer session” Translated: the Governor wants to control the kinds of questions reporters can ask about at a *remote* video conference and also have a chance to read them over beforehand.

Ohio Supreme Court today dismissed a lawsuit alleging Ohio's vaccine lottery/distribution were, among other things, a violation of the Nuremberg Code.

Suit was dismissed on esoteric legal grounds without ever addressing the lie that vaccinated people are biological weapons If you're unaware, the Nuremberg Code developed after the Holocaust when human experiments were conducted on unconsenting Jews in concentration camps. It really is a sick claim ushmm.org/information/ex…

BREAKING: Ohio utility company FirstEnergy signs deferred prosecution agreement with feds, including a $230 mil penalty for wire fraud and criminal forfeiture of $6.4 mil

~40 page stipulation of facts attached. Will update FirstEnergy was the sole funder of dark money group Partners for Progress, which was used as a pass through between FirstEnergy and Gen Now (Householder's account)

Dan McCarthy, a principle to P4P, is now a top legislative aide to Gov. Mike DeWine

Happy almost midnight. This bill is now under debate in the House and seems (?) on track for a vote ohiocapitaljournal.com/2021/06/03/sen… Caveat: this bill has been amended since I wrote this story, there have been negotiations for a while on other amendments, and we're talking about more amendments. So consider details fluid.

Conference committee (House and Senate negotiators) unveiling a potential budget compromise now.

New abortion restrictions, first added by Senate, staying in ohiocapitaljournal.com/2021/06/10/sen… Also staying in - this guy, giving Republicans sole power to intervene in redistricting suits ohiocapitaljournal.com/2021/06/14/ohi…

Chair of Ohio House Health Committee to @ajplus.

Reporter asked about his request to anti-vaccine group to help him "stop this vaccine shit."

"Until we have the proper studies, and understand what we're putting in our body, we've got to slow it down." He said in April to Health Freedom Ohio members: “We’re gonna face a couple bills that this group does not like. And I have to have energy to stop this vaccine shit that’s coming.”
ohiocapitaljournal.com/2020/08/19/amo…

A new status quo?

ODH Director Dr. Acton: armed protest outside home + at least one Proud Boy
Senate President Obhof: armed protest outside home + Proud Boys
ODH Director McCloud: protest outside home, likely at least one open carrier
Gov. DeWine; ^same
ohiocapitaljournal.com/2021/01/27/pan… On Tuesday, protesters (at least 2 armed) gathered outside personal home of Deborah Pryce — a former Republican congresswoman who now serves as chairwoman of the Ohio Liquor Control Commission.

This is all pandemic related protesting ohiocapitaljournal.com/2021/01/27/pan…

True story about Derek Evans: Elizabeth Warren came to Southern WV in May 2019 to campaign. I was there, in the middle of interviewing a woman about wealth inequality, when Evans, FB living it, interrupted to shout questions at one of us about abortion wvmetronews.com/2021/01/08/man… Evans has a restraining order against him from staff at the abortion clinic for alleged stalking. Everyone in West Virginia knew this guy was toxic wvgazettemail.com/news/legal_aff…

Outside the Columbus Statehouse. A lot of guns, Proud Boys, Trump flags, etc. Another brawl happened. There’s a pretty blatant pugilistic attitude here. Everyone seems to be ok.

New Ohio COVID-19 data:

-205,347 cases (2,607 new in last 24 hours)
-18,606 hospitalized (173 new)
-5,256 dead (17 new)

All key indicators (hospitalizations, positivity rate, deaths, cases, current hospitalized pop.) are worsening, some at a frightening pace This is people who are currently in the hospital with COVID-19.

This data lags behind case data. So even if cases magically halted entirely tomorrow, it would still trend up for a week or two. That ain't good

New Ohio covid-19 data:

-200,231 cases (2,116 new in last 24 hrs)
-18,235 hospitalized (140 new)
-5,217 dead (11 new)

Same surge different day There are 1,406 Ohioans in the hospital with COVID-19 right now.

Just compare that to September.

State Police have spent $3.5 million settling wrongful action lawsuits since 2015.

Meanwhile, an internal review board shrouded I’m secrecy, cleared every single use of force it review.

That doesn’t count ‘17, a year of data police “just don’t have”
wvgazettemail.com/news/legal_aff… Could the incidents and lawsuits have been prevented?

Well 3 weeks before Derek Walker joined in the roadside beating of a teenager that would get his partner indicted, this review board cleared him. No training or supervision necessary, it said wvgazettemail.com/news/legal_aff…