Tax cuts offer Republicans a Trump-free campaign option

As Republican U.S. Senator Rob Portman spoke to small-business owners over the weekend in his home state of Ohio, he hammered on a major election-year theme for Republicans - that tax cuts are helping the little guy. What did not come up in his talk in Zanesville was the more complicated topic of Republican President Donald Trump, whose victory in Ohio in 2016 helped propel him to the White House.

Flood fears rise as wicked storm system tears across southern, central U.S.

A violent storm system with relentless rains and fierce winds that pounded the southern and central U.S. over the weekend could lead to treacherous flooding in the days ahead. The system that stretched from Texas to the Canadian maritime provinces left a path of destruction as it cut eastward Sunday: Homes were leveled, trees uprooted, cars demolished.

U.S. nears decision on Ravenna as missile defense site

WASHINGTON  If the state's congressional delegation has its way, one of the first lines of defense against incoming ballistic missiles would be an Ohio Army National Guard base in a northeast Ohio city of 11,533. Ohio's congressional delegation is in the midst of what one congressman calls a "full court press" to land an East Coast Missile Defense site in Ravenna, Ohio - a site that would, along with bases in California and Alaska, be capable of fending off long- and intermediate-range missiles, presumably from Iran or North Korea.

Ohio has new uses for sediment from Lake Erie’s harbors

The federal agency that keeps open shipping channels along Lake Erie has settled a long dispute with Ohio over what to do with sand, soil and mud scooped out of Cleveland's harbor. What's next for the state is getting rid of more than 1.2 million tons of sediment dredged from seven other ports each year before a new law bans dumping it in the lake by the summer of 2020.

Kasich panel to give gun proposals; gov. supports arming teachers, opposes ‘stand your ground’

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said he is hoping that a group he's quietly convened to find solutions to gun violence in the state will be able to deliver something by the end of next week to the General Assembly. Kasich, in Washington, D.C., for a meeting of the National Governors Association, declined to lay out what the group is considering, but said they've reached agreements on four different issues.

Transgenderism: ‘Equality’ for the Insane

Nearly 10 years ago, after gay activists launched hateful attacks on supporters of California's Proposition 8, I explained that the LGBT movement's "vitriolic rage highlighted how the progressive rhetoric of 'rights' undermines and destabilizes political consensus" : Seizing on the triumphant narrative of the black civil-rights movement, liberals adopted the habit of framing political debates in terms of minority "rights" versus majority "discrimination." That this tactic involves a species of moral and emotional blackmail should be obvious.

Kasich: ‘No confidence’ Congress will address guns

Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich said the deadly school shooting on Wednesday should be a rallying moment for the nation on guns, but that he predicted Congress would not live up to the task. "Do I think they can do anything on guns? I hope they prove me wrong and they can because I have no confidence in them," Kasich said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

Pelosi’s Doomsday Scenario: Dem leader could face rebellion if House takeover fails

House Democrats see a big opportunity this year to seize control of the chamber after years in the wilderness, but the favorable landscape has emerged as a double-edged sword for Nancy Pelosi - putting high expectations on the House minority leader to deliver or face a resurgent effort to unseat her. The California Democrat has held onto her leadership post for roughly a dozen years, brushing aside past challenges and touting her political acumen all along, despite her party being relegated to the minority since the 2010 midterms.

Source: Pillich to leave governora s race, back Cordray

Ohio Democrats' lone female gubernatorial candidate will leave the race Wednesday to back rival Richard Cordray, as the former federal consumer watchdog positions for his hoped-for bid against Republican Mike DeWine, a source said. A Democrat close to Cordray's campaign told The Associated Press that former state Rep. Connie Pillich will drop out and endorse Cordray at an event the campaign announced Tuesday.

Fights over voting rights a prelude to November midterm election

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, second from right, is seen during a rally outside the Supreme Court on January 10, 2018, to oppose Ohio's voter purging system. The court heard arguments on whether Ohio has been too strict in setting in motion a voter registration removal process if the individual hasen't voted in a federal election for two years.

Two Ohio police officers fatally shot responding to 911 hang-up…

Westerville Police Officers Anthony Morelli and Eric Joering were fatally shot while walking into an apartment while responding to a "potential domestic situation," police Chief Joe Morbitzer said at a news conference. The cops were at the apartment eight minutes after someone at the home called 911 at 12:02 p.m., Morbitzer said.

FBI: Probe shows no evidence of attack in border agent death

FBI officials say the investigation into the November death of a US Border Patrol agent has yielded no evidence that there was a 'scuffle, altercation or attack'. Local billionaire buys The Los Angeles Times for $500 million, putting the storied paper back under local ownership for the first time in almost two decades.

The doctor’s in, but jury is out on new LA Times owner

Dutch lender Rabobank's California subsidiary is scheduled to enter a plea Wednesday in a long-running investigation that led to allegations the bank was used to launder millions of dollars in Mexican drug money. Dutch lender Rabobank's California subsidiary is scheduled to enter a plea Wednesday in a long-running investigation that led to allegations the bank was used to launder millions of dollars in Mexican drug money.