Rotunda Rumblings
Lines in Limbo: Ohio lawmakers won’t meet the Sept. 30 deadline to pass a new congressional map. Democrats pitched their 8–7 split at the first of two mandatory public hearings on Monday. Republicans rejected that math but wouldn’t say what they think the balance should be. Anna Staver reports that GOP members say they’re following the constitutional process. Democrats argue they’re stalling until November, when a partisan map could be passed without minority support.
Three’s a charm: The state Monday announced it’s accepting applications for the newly created Child Care Cred Program in which daycare costs are shared three ways: The employer pays 40%, the employee pays 40% and the state pays 20%. The state has $10 million to spend on the program, which was created with the state budget, Laura Hancock reports.
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Campus crusade: U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno has called on all Ohio’s 14 public universities to establish comprehensive plans to combat campus antisemitism, Sabrina Eaton writes. “Jewish Americans are under attack in this country.” Moreno declared in a letter to presidents of the universities sent this month. “As the senior United States Senator for the state of Ohio, I want to make sure that university leaders are doing all they can to ensure students are free not only to learn on college campuses but also to feel safe while doing so, regardless of their religion.”
Fed Talk: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President and CEO Beth Hammack says the central bank is keeping a close eye on inflation and a “two speed” economy that is particularly challenging for middle- and lower-income families, Mary Frances McGowan writes. The conversation came shortly after the Federal Open Market Committee voted cut interest rates by 0.25%. Hammack said that the decision came as the “balance of risks has shifted.”
Harris on Vance: There’s no love lost between former Vice President Kamala Harris and her successor in office. In her new campaign memoir “107 days” which is scheduled for release on Sept. 23, Harris calls current VP JD Vance “a shape-shifter. And a shifty guy.” Harris slams Vance several other times in the book, USA Today writes.
Pope on Vance: The first American-born pope told a religious news outlet called Crux that he doesn’t plan to “get involved in partisan politics” but added he’s “not afraid to raise issues” he considers Gospel, USA Today reports. Illinois-born Leo XIV recalled a conversation he had with Vance in which he said he spoke to the Republican leader about the importance of human dignity. The Cincinnati Republican, who is the first converted Catholic to serve as vice president, met privately with the new pope – alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their wives – less than two weeks after Leo’s selection.
Comfort and support: At Sunday’s memorial service for Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, his widow, Erika Kirk, shared a moment of comfort she received from second lady Usha Vance in the immediate aftermath of his assassination, calling her a “precious woman,” New York Post reports. Erika Kirk explained how she had confided in Vance about how she did not know how she could endure the loss of her husband and the father of their two children. Vance offered an analogy about the final 15 minutes of a turbulent airplane ride, when all a parent can think about is getting through to the landing. The second lady “told me, you will get through these 15 minutes and the next 15 minutes after that,” Erika Kirk described. “Usha, I don’t think you realized it then, but those words were exactly what I needed to hear.”
Ohio represented: Ohio native actors Carrie Coon, Yvette Nicole Brown, Josh Radnor and journalist Gloria Steinem are among 400 people who signed their names to an ACLU letter defending free speech after ABC’s parent company indefinitely removed Jimmy Kimmel’s show from air, the Dispatch’s Amani Bayo reported. Later Monday, ABC said Kimmel will return to airwaves Tuesday.
Full Disclosure
Five things we learned from the May 14 financial disclosure of Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat up for reelection in 2026.
1. In addition to her 2024 Supreme Court income of $196,999, she reported income from Social Security, property she rented, Kindle Direct Publishing/Amazon, and interest from credit unions and an insurance policy.
2. In addition to her personal residence, she reported owning property in Alliance in Stark County in 2024.
3. She listed 15 businesses in which she or her husband was involved, including Little Blue Valiant Publishing, Olive Hill, Ltd., Olive Hill Farm, Valley View Farms Joint Venture LLC, Recovery Funding LLC and her husband’s law firm, Brunner Quinn.
4. The court covered her American Bar and Ohio Bar association dues, as well as the fees for training and events of the Ohio Judicial Conference and the Ohio Courts of Appeals Judges Association.
5. Last year she owed over $1,000 to the IRS, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Ally Auto, Kohl’s, American Express, Huntington National Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Citibank and others.
On the Move
The office of U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, a Bowling Green Republican, will hold an informational meeting about the U.S. Military Service Academies nomination and appointment process for students and families from Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at the Lorain County Transportation and Community Center, 40 East Avenue, Elyria.
Birthdays
Mike Chadsey, director of external affairs, Ohio Oil and Gas Association
Claire Krafka, executive director, Ohio House Democratic Caucus
Sean Parrott, senior legislative aide to state Sen. Theresa Gavarone
Straight from the Source
“China has not bought anything from U.S. farmers this year. And it wasn’t long ago that a third of the soybeans we grew here in Ohio went directly to China. So, there’s a lot of market share that we’re missing.”
-Ty Higgins of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation about the effect of tariffs on the state’s soybean farmers, to Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles on the Statehouse Scoop podcast. China is the world’s top soybean buyer.