States are changing fire codes to make housing cheaper. Some safety experts are worried.
The International Association of Fire Fighters warns a single stairwell forces firefighters and fleeing residents to share the same escape route during a blaze.
Politics
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Trump ‘trampled’ voter privacy by feeding info into Homeland Security system, judge says
Judge Sooknanan's 75-page ruling vacates DHS directives and could block a planned expansion that would tie homeland security grants to state voter-roll compliance.
Ramaswamy wants to end Ohio's capital gains tax, benefiting wealthy residents—and himself
An LSC memo found 81.6% of the benefit would flow to Ohioans earning over $200,000, and Ramaswamy's own filings show $211 million in capital gains across two years.
Ohio will lose 51,000 jobs, $5.3 billion due to Trump cuts by 2029, new analysis finds
The Commonwealth Fund projects Ohio loses $368 million in state and local tax revenue, while the $200 million rural health fund Republicans added fails to offset ACA subsidy losses.
Ohio Equal Rights will try to get two amendments on 2027 ballot
The group cited election attacks, high marketing costs, and alignment with the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity as reasons to target 2027 instead.
Several Republican-led states rebrand Pride Month
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox reversed three years of Pride Month declarations, while Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles deleted a post saying homosexuality has no place in America.
Ramaswamy backs investing Ohio public funds in Bitcoin. Critics recall an earlier exotic-asset bet that became Coingate.
Republican State Treasurer Robert Sprague has signaled skepticism, while HB 18 stalls in committee with no vote scheduled.
Mildly blue or a blue tsunami? 9 states will decide if Dems flip control of U.S. Senate
Democrats need to flip four seats on a map favoring Republicans, with Trump's 39% approval rating and Iran-driven inflation shaping the fight for a 53-47 Senate.
60-day clock starts for negotiations with Iran over strait, nuclear future
Sen. Bill Cassidy calls the deal the worst foreign policy blunder in decades, as Trump signed the 14-point pact at Versailles after the G7 summit.
Trump couldn’t send troops to the polls without approval of Congress under Dem bill
Sen. Elissa Slotkin's Protect Our Polls Act has little chance in the GOP-led Senate, but follows Republicans blocking similar amendments in the NDAA.
When teens drive less, they don’t register to vote. Here’s how civic groups are adapting.
Three million unlicensed teens will be eligible to vote by 2028, and the SAVE America Act could ban the high school drives now filling that gap.
Ohio Legislative Black Caucus lawmakers criticize voter ID referendum in Juneteenth commemoration
Rep. Meredith Lawson Rowe warned that enshrining photo ID in the constitution would block future legislatures from easing requirements without another statewide vote.
Ohio proposed constitutional amendment to ban data centers will not be on this year’s ballot
Conserve Ohio fell nearly 343,000 signatures short of the July 1 deadline, but says its 1,000+ volunteers will keep collecting toward a 2027 ballot bid.
National study gives Ohio positive marks on childcare, urges further work nationwide
Ohio faces a $600 million childcare budget cliff by 2028, and the National Women's Law Center warns federal Medicaid and SNAP cuts could deepen the gap.
Trump changes pregnancy-prevention program to promote childbearing
Health researchers say the Title X overhaul will disproportionately harm low-income and minority women while failing to raise the birth rate, as clinics face a Jan. 2027 reapplication deadline.
FEMA nominee pressed on whether Trump favors disaster funding requests from GOP states
A Politico analysis cited at the hearing found Democratic states had 23% of disaster requests approved, versus 89% for Republican-controlled states.
Lawmakers demand info on Trump use of national park fees to pay for D.C. repairs
The $90 million diversion leaves parks like Carlsbad Caverns with tens of millions in unmet repairs, and a newly renovated $14 million reflecting pool is already growing algae.
A week after the FBI searched an Ohio voting-rights group, questions remain
Federal officials have offered no public justification for the sweep, and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights says the DOJ is targeting Trump's political opponents.
Haitians in Ohio with temporary protected status prepare for upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision
TPS attorneys filed a Supreme Court motion to dismiss this week citing newly discovered evidence, as Springfield braces for potential ICE raids and a $400 million economic loss.
Ohio Democrats urge Gov. DeWine to veto submetering bill
Seven Ohio Senate Democrats joined House members in the veto push, citing a unanimous Supreme Court ruling last month that submetering firms must be regulated as utilities.
