https://washingtonsun.com/ohio Ohio en-US Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:23:47 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/prosecutor-charging-case-amy-acton-ohio Associated Press The man had weapons but never brandished them, authorities said. Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:23:47 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/prosecutor-charging-case-amy-acton-ohio By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and JAMIE STENGLE

CANFIELD, Ohio — An armed man accused of charging toward Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton during a campaign stop at a fair was trying to ask the Democrat questions, a prosecutor said during the man's arraignment Tuesday.

No one has publicly said what 38-year-old Patrick Havas wanted to ask Acton, but authorities have said he never brandished or unholstered the weapons he had on him and they haven't found any threats in a search of his cellphone. As he charged toward Acton, authorities said, he knocked down two people before troopers stopped him.

Havas pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of inducing panic. His bond was set at $5,000.

He was arrested after authorities said he knocked people down while forcing his way through a crowd Sunday as Acton spoke under a tent at the fair in Canfield in northeastern Ohio. Authorities said he had two handguns, a taser and a set of brass knuckles.

“He appeared in that tent wanting to ask questions,” Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro told the judge during the hearing. “You should know law enforcement gained consent for them to have complete access to his cellphone so they found no threats.”

Maro said after the hearing that the video Havas took shows him “walking into the tent recording and moving forward, calling out her name.” Acton, a physician, is the state’s former public health director.

“All he got out was Dr. Acton, Dr. Acton,” Maro said.

Maro said that the investigation is continuing, and noted the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office is asking the public for any video capturing what happened.

Acton’s security detail, made up of troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, intercepted Havas as he forced his way through the crowd, the agency has said. A highway patrol spokesman said they did not have any bodycam footage from the incident.

Two people were treated at the scene on Sunday and released, according to an incident report from the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.

Mike Ray, a city councilman in Youngstown who is also a member of the Ohio Democratic Party’s executive committee, said he was in a corner behind Acton as she spoke. Then, he said, he could tell that something was going on among those in the crowd facing Acton, and he saw two people who were standing in front of their mobility scooters “tumble to the ground.”

Havas’ attorney, J. Gerald Ingram, said at the hearing that his client has lived with his mother in Canfield for the past 30 years and is not a flight risk.

“He really has nowhere to go,” said Ingram, who declined to make any comments after the hearing.

The Ohio gubernatorial race is one of the most high-profile races this year as the campaigns enter the final six weeks of campaigning before the election in November. Acton is facing Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who has parlayed his national name recognition, tech industry connections and alliance with President Donald Trump into a record fundraising haul. Ramaswamy’s campaign called the incident unacceptable.

The judge on Tuesday ordered that Havas have no contact with Acton or the two people who were knocked down, and that he forfeit any guns. He was also ordered to refrain from speaking with the media.

Addie Bullock, spokesperson for the Acton campaign, said in a statement following the hearing that Acton and her husband were “grateful to see the rule of law upheld,” and extended their “continued appreciation to law enforcement.”

Former U.S. Rep. John Boccieri, a Democratic candidate for the Ohio House, said he was near Acton in the tent when Havas “came in very aggressively” with his cellphone in the air screaming Acton’s name while rushing toward her. He said officers quickly “sprang into action,” grabbed the man and pulled him out of the tent.

Boccieri said he immediately jumped forward to make sure Acton was OK, which she was. And, he said, she’d already started helping a man who was face down in the mud after being knocked down.

___

Stengle contributed to this report from Dallas.
]]> https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/ohio-gubernatorial-candidate-amy-acton-attacked Jenna Monnin Acton was unharmed but multiple people were reportedly injured. Sun, 06 Sep 2026 21:42:37 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/ohio-gubernatorial-candidate-amy-acton-attacked Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton was attacked at an event in Canfield, Ohio, her campaign said in a statement.

“While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people,” campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock said in a statement posted to X on Sunday.

The attacker was taken into police custody and was found to be in possession of several weapons, said Chris Anderson, the chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party.

“Moments ago during a visit from Dr. Amy Acton, an individual was arrested at the MCDP tent with multiple weapons, after knocking volunteers to the ground,” Anderson wrote in a post on X.

The candidate was unharmed, The Associated Press reported.

Acton’s spokesperson said the candidate was grateful for the “swift and decisive action of law enforcement” after the incident.

“This kind of violence has no place in Ohio,” Bullock said. “Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another.”

The campaign of Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy condemned the attack.

“Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence,” campaign spokesperson Connie Luck wrote in a statement. “What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no one was hurt.”

The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The attack spurred a wave of support from Democrats and Republicans online.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) — whose wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, survived an assassination attempt in 2011 — said he spoke with Acton after the incident.

“She’s tough. There’s no place in our society for political violence. An issue that unfortunately Gabby and I are very familiar with,” Kelly wrote on X.

Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) wrote on X that “there is no place for this kind of behavior, and it must never be tolerated.”

This story has been updated with further details.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/courts/max-miller-emily-moreno-photo-daughter Jenna Monnin Earlier this month, the Ohio Republican released a trove of digital files meant to defend himself in the pair’s ongoing dispute over domestic violence allegations. Wed, 12 Aug 2026 23:12:12 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/courts/max-miller-emily-moreno-photo-daughter Emily Moreno, the ex-wife of Rep. Max Miller, filed a federal lawsuit against the congressman and his attorney accusing them of “recklessly” publishing a nude photo of Miller and Moreno’s daughter.

On Aug. 2, Miller — an Ohio Republican who Moreno has accused of domestic abuse — released the photo in question in a trove of digital files to defend himself amid the pair’s ongoing and escalating dispute. The Dropbox included a picture with their 2-year-old without her shirt on, according to the filing, while another photo shows their 2-year-old naked from the side. Moreno says the images constitute child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, under federal law. Miller’s attorney, Aaron Minc, initially took responsibility for releasing the image before it was removed from the Dropbox folder.

“Faced with a mostly self-inflicted dumpster fire of public attention to his reputation for abusive behavior, Miller so desperately wanted to salvage his political job, that he recklessly and intentionally provided Minc a trove of documents and photos, indifferent about what they contained or how they were used,” the suit — which Moreno filed on behalf of their daughter — reads.

Neither Miller nor Minc responded to NOTUS’ request for comment on the lawsuit. Miller is currently engaged in other legal battles related to allegations of domestic violence from Moreno and his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Grisham.

The legal criteria for an image to be considered CSAM include a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving someone less than 18 years old.

In emails exchanged with Moreno’s legal team after the incident, Minc called the accusations “outrageous and false” because of the picture’s “innocent” nature.

“Please explain to me, right now, what knowledge you have and relied on when you leaked that letter to the press that the photos attached to that exhibit ‘could be considered’ CSAM,” Minc wrote in an Aug. 4 email to Moreno’s legal team. “Keep in mind, this photo was taken by your own client and shared over a court-sanctioned communications platform.”

“We are not going to debate with you whether the image ‘could be considered’ CSAM. Our view is that it could,” Subodh Chandra, Moreno’s legal counsel, responded less than an hour later. He added that if Miller’s team now thinks publicly sharing an image that appears to include “genitalia is just fine, then that would be most unfortunate.”

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, says Miller and his lawyer violated federal and state law by posting the photo. Moreno, on behalf of her child, is seeking compensatory damages for “pain and suffering” as well as “emotional distress.”

The lawsuit demands the court award $150,000 in damages for “every time someone accessed, transferred, distributed, published, or downloaded the image” of their daughter. Miller’s social media posts linking to the public file folder generated more than 400,000 total views, according to the filing.

“I am solely responsible for what happened,” Minc said in a statement to Politico on Aug. 4. “I was the only person responsible for assembling, creating, reviewing, adding, deleting, redacting, or making any changes to the information and files that were in this folder.”

The two-term congressman will remain on the ballot ahead of the November midterms despite calls from several high-profile Republicans — including his former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) — to drop out of the race.

Miller has said he plans to lend his campaign $1 million ahead the general election, where he is set to face Democrat Brian Poindexter.

This story has been updated to reflect that the Dropbox link provided by Miller includes a naked photo of the child.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/money/michael-rulli-stock-disclosures Dave Levinthal Rep. Michael Rulli failed to properly reveal trades in Palantir, Pfizer and several tech giants. Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:13:43 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/money/michael-rulli-stock-disclosures Rep. Michael Rulli failed to properly disclose 22 personal stock trades, according to a NOTUS review of new congressional financial records, making him the latest member of Congress to violate a federal insider trading and transparency law.

The Ohio Republican was months late revealing that he had bought or sold shares in companies including defense and immigration contractor Palantir, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and several tech companies, such as Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Oracle.

Rulli is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over telecommunications, consumer protection, drug safety, energy policy, and interstate and foreign commerce.

Together, Rulli’s tardy trades are worth between $22,022 and $330,000 — lawmakers are only required to disclose their trades in broad ranges — and the oldest are from late 2024, congressional financial records indicate.

The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act requires members of Congress to publicly disclose individual stock trades no later than 45 days after making them.

Rulli’s congressional office acknowledged NOTUS’ request for comment Monday but did not otherwise respond to questions, including whether he paid a fine for his late disclosures. House Ethics Committee-administered penalties begin at $200.

A freshman lawmaker, Rulli is one of the wealthiest members of Ohio’s congressional delegation, according to NOTUS’ Capitol Gains project, which tracks wealth of federal lawmakers.

Rulli’s STOCK Act disclosure violation coincides with a Republican-backed effort in Congress to ban federal lawmakers from buying individual stocks at all. The Stop Insider Trading Act passed the House in July and awaits consideration in the Senate. Rulli voted in favor of the bill.Dozens of federal lawmakers have failed to comply with the existing STOCK Act, which Congress passed in 2012 to govern its own members’ behavior regarding the intersection of their personal finances and duties to the public.

Just this week, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), who supports a ban on members of Congress trading stock, violated the STOCK Act’s disclosure rules. He failed to properly disclose a six-figure stock share exchange from 2025 and made by his wife, Politico first reported.

In an email to NOTUS, Wyden spokesperson Hank Stern said the exchange was “automatic and done without direction by the senator’s wife” and that Wyden learned of it while preparing his annual personal financial disclosure.

“She’s an independent small businesswoman who keeps separate finances from her husband and she has a small business to keep afloat,” Stern said, adding that while Wyden supports a congressional stock-trading ban that also extends to the president of the United States, “he’s not going to ask his wife to upend her small business before there’s a clear set of rules for everyone.”

Other senators who’ve violated the STOCK Act during the past year include Sens. Alan Armstrong (R-Oklahoma), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado), Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) and John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania).

In the House, STOCK Act violators include Reps. Julie Johnson (D-Texas), Linda Sánchez (D-California), Julia Letlow (R-Louisiana), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Lisa McClain (R-Michigan), Pat Ryan (D-New York), Sheri Biggs (R-South Carolina), Donald Norcross (D-New Jersey), Tim Walberg (R-Michigan), Rich McCormick (R-Georgia), Ritchie Torres (D-New York), Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Dan Meuser (R-Pennsylvania), Jonathan Jackson (D-Illinois), George Whitesides (D-California), Val Hoyle (D-Oregon), Austin Scott (R-Georgia), Shri Thanedar (D-Michigan), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida), Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington), Kelly Morrison (D-Minnesota), Christian Menefee (D-Texas), Daniel Webster (R-Florida), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Laurel Lee (R-Florida) and Scott Franklin (R-Florida). Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Oklahoma) was also late, although his office denies it.

This article has been updated to include a post-publication comment from Sen. Ron Wyden's spokesperson.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/max-miller-ballot-republican-party-november Adora Brown While both Ohio senators have denounced Miller, the RNC chair says, “We’re gonna support our nominees.” Mon, 10 Aug 2026 21:58:48 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/max-miller-ballot-republican-party-november Rep. Max Miller will remain on the ballot in Ohio.

Despite calls from several high-profile Republicans in the state and nationally, the embattled congressman is planning to continue his reelection for the House and did not withdraw by the Monday deadline that would have allowed his party to replace him on the midterm ballot.

Even if Miller had suspended his campaign on Monday, the Republican Party would have needed to find a loophole to state law requiring a two-day notice for the party’s committees in the most populous counties in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District to meet to nominate a replacement.

Now, it’s up to party leaders to figure out if they will continue to back Miller, who faces allegations of domestic and child abuse. He denies the accusations.

“This district should remain Republican,” Mehek Cooke, a Republican strategist from Ohio, told NOTUS in a statement. “But no seat should be taken for granted especially when a candidate's personal controversies begin overshadowing our record and the work we still have left to do.”

Miller’s district had been ranked as “solid Republican” by Inside Elections since September 2013, but was downgraded to “lean Republican” last Thursday. The controversy leaves an opening for Democratic candidate Brian Poindexter, an ironworker.

Poindexter told CNN on Thursday that Miller has been absent in his district and voters couldn’t pick him out of a lineup. “Working people show up every single day and put in the hours to keep America moving forward,” Poindexter posted on X. “Their representative to Congress should too.”

“With more gasoline being thrown on the fire, it's hard to predict what's going to happen in three months with turnout and how people are going to lean,” said Terry Casey, a GOP strategist. “Clearly, the campaign's going to shift in this one, and other ones, to both firing up the base and trying to make the argument to independent and swing voters that the opponent is far worse and more dangerous.”

Trump has spoken positively about Miller, who served as an aide in Trump’s first administration, calling him a “good guy” just last Monday. Axios reported that the president called Miller and said "things aren't looking good" for his reelection campaign.

Top Republican leaders in Congress, including Speaker Mike Johnson, have also avoided direct answers about Miller’s candidacy.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, the ex-father-in-law of Miller whose daughter accused Miller of abuse, has condemned Miller after initially steering clear of answering questions about the situation.

After a nearly 20-minute livestream on Aug. 2 from Miller recounting his side of the story, Moreno released a statement saying that Miller “is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”

“He should not serve in the House of Representatives,” he added.

Sens. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Jim Banks (R-Indiana), Tim Sheehy (R-Montana) and Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) have also denounced Miller.

Miller is still the Republican nominee, and the party’s leader says it’ll back him.

“We’re gonna support our nominees. We need to make sure we hold the majorities,” the chair of the Republican National Committee, Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters, told NewsNation on Sunday.

Miller has raised more than double the campaign funds as Poindexter as of June 30.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/ohio/max-miller-jon-husted-resign Jenna Monnin Both Ohio senators have now urged the embattled congressman to step down over allegations of domestic abuse. Thu, 06 Aug 2026 19:04:57 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/ohio/max-miller-jon-husted-resign Sen. Jon Husted called on Rep. Max Miller to resign from the House on Thursday, after remaining mostly tight-lipped when asked earlier this week about the ongoing controversy involving the fellow Ohio Republican.

“Anyone who commits domestic violence is not fit to serve in Congress,” Husted wrote on X. “The House Ethics Committee should thoroughly investigate any credible allegations, and any member found to have committed domestic violence should resign from Congress immediately.”

The Ohio Republican said he is “deeply saddened” that Miller and his ex-wife Emily Moreno’s personal lives “have become such a public matter.”

“I believe Max would be making the right decision to step aside as a candidate and resign from Congress to focus on what is in the best interest of his daughter,” he wrote.

Husted’s comments follow those from Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Emily Moreno’s father, who on Sunday called for Miller to step down and seek professional help. Sen. Moreno told CNN on Thursday that he has moved his daughter and granddaughter “out of state to a secure place” as the controversy heightens around her ex-husband.

Earlier this week, Husted told NewsMax he wanted to let those involved “sort through this at a family level” and added that he hoped President Donald Trump would intervene to “move things along.” Husted declined to comment last week when NOTUS asked him if Miller should be replaced on the ballot in his race for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District.

When asked why it took him until now to call on Miller to resign, Husted told reporters: “That speaks for itself.”

The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into allegations of domestic violence and illegal drug use after the congressman demanded an ethics probe into himself on Tuesday.

Emily Moreno has accused Miller of throwing scalding water on her, shoving her against a wall and holding a gun to her head. He has denied those allegations and another claim that he caused his daughter’s broken collarbone.

Despite mounting calls for him to resign, the two-term congressman has said he plans to stay in the race. Miller told CNN that House Speaker Mike Johnson is “standing behind” him — though Johnson later said things “don’t look good” for Miller in an interview with Politico.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/max-miller-corporate-campaign-donors Dave Levinthal Dozens of company and trade group PACs refuse to say whether they’ll ditch — or defend — the Ohio Republican. Wed, 05 Aug 2026 22:00:10 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/max-miller-corporate-campaign-donors Dozens of different corporate interests combined to fill Rep. Max Miller’s reelection account with six-figures worth of campaign cash in recent weeks.

But now, amid accusations that Miller abused his daughter and now ex-wife — accusations the congressman denies — his business allies are falling silent.

Of the more than 35 corporate and trade association political action committees that contributed at least $1,000 to Miller’s campaign since mid-April, according to Federal Election Commission records, all either ignored or declined to answer questions from NOTUS about their relationship with the Republican lawmaker.

Among those questions: Do they continue to support Miller for a third term representing Ohio’s 7th Congressional District? Have they requested refunds of previous donations? Will they give Miller’s campaign money in the future?

Among the corporate PACs that wouldn’t openly distance themselves from — or defend — Miller: TD Bank, Citigroup, ConocoPhillips, John Deere & Co., Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Pfizer, Genentech, Cencora, Altria, Tenaska and Elevance Health.

Trade association PACs that are remaining similarly mum on Miller include those of the Allied Pilots Association, Advanced Medical Technology Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, American Dental Association, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Investment Council, American Bankers Association, International Franchise Association, International Council of Shopping Centers, Investment Company Institute, National Apartment Association, National Roofing Contractors Association, National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, Healthcare Distribution Alliance, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Electrical Contractors Association, Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and the Farm Credit Council.

Associated General Contractors of America spokesperson Brian Turmail confirmed in an email that his organization’s PAC contributed $2,500 to Miller’s campaign this spring, but he wouldn’t otherwise comment.

Meanwhile, several special interest group PACs also did not respond to repeated inquiries, including the House Conservatives Fund, American Israel Public Affairs Committee and Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee.

Miller’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment on whether PACs have requested refunds or otherwise communicated their future intentions.

Miller says he isn’t dropping out of his race despite the accusations and a call for him to step aside by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), the father of Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno.

“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives,” Bernie Moreno wrote on X. “I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake. I believe he should not be free to continue endangering others until he does.”

This week, Miller’s attorney released naked photos of Miller’s young daughter and also revealed her name as part of a cache of documents intended to bolster Miller’s assertions of innocence. The attorney, Aaron Minc, said the release was “completely unintentional and a mistake.”

Miller, for his part, told PBS News Hour: “No criminal charge has ever been filed against me. My former wife is engaging in a pattern of reporting incredible, serious and destructive allegations with absolutely no evidence.”

Ohio law gives Republicans a deadline of Monday to replace a congressional nominee on the November ballot, meaning Miller would have to abandon his reelection campaign by then in order for the party to nominate someone else.

As matters stand, Miller is set to face Democrat Brian Poindexter in a race the Cook Political Report scores as “likely Republican.”]]> https://washingtonsun.com/ohio/bernie-moreno-max-miller-ballot Adora Brown The senator’s daughter accused Miller of domestic violence. Miller denies the allegations, but they’re making his reelection race tighter. Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:52:39 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/ohio/bernie-moreno-max-miller-ballot Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio is unsure whether Rep. Max Miller should stay on the ballot in his House district after Miller was accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife — who is also the senator’s daughter.

“I don’t know,” Moreno told NOTUS when asked if Republicans should replace Miller on the ticket.

Republicans, including Moreno, have said little about the allegations against Miller, even as Miller’s reelection race grows tighter. His seat in Ohio is one of many that could determine which party controls the House next year. On Thursday, Sabato’s Crystal Ball downgraded his seat from “likely Republican” to “leans Republican.”

“While we won’t dignify this baseless attacks by Democrats and their media allies, Senator Moreno will not speak on active litigation involving his family,” Reagan McCarthy, a spokesperson for Moreno, told NOTUS in a statement.

Other Republicans have also largely held back from admonishing Miller. When asked on Thursday why he has allowed Miller to stay in the House Republican conference, Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters, “The key word there is ‘allegation,’” and added that there’s an investigative process that would need to play out before a member of Congress is removed.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, told an ABC station in Ohio on Wednesday that the allegations are “serious and certainly troubling,” but added that “the people of his district are going to have to weigh the facts. They're the ones who decide who they want to represent them."

Miller has held the seat since 2023 and ran uncontested in May’s primary election. He was a political aide to President Donald Trump during his first term.

Trump endorsed Miller in his first run, when he launched a primary against Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who voted to impeach the president. He once again gave Miller his “complete and total endorsement” for his reelection in May, adding that the representative “WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!” in a Truth Social post.

A source familiar with the matter told NOTUS that the president has no plans to withdraw his endorsement of Miller in light of the allegations of domestic violence and child abuse.

The deadline for Miller to drop out and be replaced through a special election is August 5.

Miller did not respond to a request for comment.

Emily Moreno, the senator’s daughter, has alleged that Miller abused her and their daughter in court filings and police records obtained by Mother Jones. The couple filed for divorce in 2024, and on Thursday, her lawyers reportedly filed for a new restraining order against her ex-husband.

The New York Times reported that in legal filings Emily Moreno had previously accused Miller of burning her by throwing hot water on her body, holding a gun to her head, pushing her hard enough to cause an injury and breaking their daughter’s collarbone.

Miller has denied these accusations and called Emily Moreno a woman who “isn’t all there.” Miller has sued Moreno for defamation.

The restraining order requested by Emily Moreno’s lawyers on Thursday alleges that Miller “harassed, threatened, and communicated directly” with Moreno’s attorneys and “placed his hands” on one of her lawyers.

Some of the allegations that Miller faces go back to his time in the first Trump administration. Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary who dated Miller, published an op-ed in 2021 alleging an abusive relationship with a former boyfriend, whom she identified as a White House staffer and someone Trump endorsed for a bid in Congress after she warned the president about the abuse. Miller filed a defamation suit against Grisham in 2021, even though Grisham had avoided including his name.

The matter ended in a settlement in 2023, but Grisham filed a lawsuit against Miller in early July after he spoke about her in several interviews, saying the public comments violated a nondisclosure agreement he had signed as part of the settlement.

This November, Miller is running against Brian Poindexter, a Democrat and former union ironworker who’s juxtaposing his blue-collar background against Miller’s wealthy upbringing. When Miller ran for reelection in 2024 — in a district that overwhelmingly voted for President Donald Trump — he won with only 51% of the vote.

In Congress, the Democratic Women’s Caucus is calling for the House Ethics Committee to investigate the allegations against Miller.

“Allegations of violence against women and children have to be met with the utmost seriousness,” its members said in a joint statement on Thursday.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated when Miller would need to drop out of his reelection campaign to prompt a special primary election. That deadline is August 5.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/elon-musk-vivek-ramaswamy-doge-ohio-governor-donation Torrie Herrington Musk has endorsed and now financially supported Ramaswamy’s Ohio gubernatorial bid after a falling out at Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. Wed, 15 Jul 2026 21:12:34 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/elon-musk-vivek-ramaswamy-doge-ohio-governor-donation Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the onetime co-leaders of the Department of Government Efficiency who parted ways over growing internal tension, have apparently reconciled, with Musk donating $5 million toward a super PAC backing Ramaswamy’s bid for Ohio governor.

Musk, the world’s richest person, donated on May 8 to the Victors, Not Victims super PAC, which is supporting Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee for governor who left DOGE before President Donald Trump took office.

Musk quickly endorsed Ramaswamy when he announced his bid. This $5 million contribution is the first from Musk for his former DOGE pal.

After the 2024 elections — where Musk heavily backed Trump and other Republican candidates — Musk pledged to spend less on elections. The announcement came after a lopsided win for progressive candidates in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, where the candidate Musk backed lost by 10 percentage points.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission just ruled that Musk’s dealings — specifically because he handed out $1 million checks to voters — were probably illegal.

That hasn’t stopped the tech titan from staying involved in politics. According to campaign finance records, Musk has continued to donate for the midterm elections. In March, he contributed over $1 million to America PAC, a super PAC he founded.

In January, he contributed $10 million to the Fight for Kentucky super PAC, which backs Republican candidates. Overall, Musk, who became the world’s first trillionaire but has since dropped below that threshold, has spent at least $90 million this election cycle, FEC records show.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/agencies/doge-cut-small-town-america-250th-funding Anna Kramer Then Trump redirected the money for his own beautification projects. Wed, 01 Jul 2026 09:30:00 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/agencies/doge-cut-small-town-america-250th-funding A local Ohio historical society had hoped to go big for America’s 250th anniversary. It settled on what it could afford: a limited “passport” project to encourage people to visit and engage with local history sites.

President Donald Trump wanted a splashy, ambitious and unparalleled semiquincentennial. Local libraries and historical associations across the country were instead forced to abandon planning for ambitious history and civics initiatives when his administration axed federal funding for state and local humanities projects last year.

“There’s certainly things that we could have done for America 250 if the funding was available. That just didn’t work out how we thought it could have,” said Meghan Reed, the executive director of the Trumbull County Historical Society.

In Trumbull County, Ohio, even the “passport” project had to be kept small because the historical society did not get the funds to print more booklets.

Ohio Humanities, the council that distributes federal small-dollar grants to the states’ local historical societies and community groups, was just embarking on funding history projects for the 250th when DOGE axed its funding last year. So too were the humanities councils in West Virginia, Alabama and Washington state, the leaders of all three told NOTUS.

In nearly every state and territory across the country, the official humanities nonprofits created by a congressional mandate to help make history and literature accessible to all Americans had to give up their anniversary planning when DOGE pulled their federal funding, according to people involved with the councils at both the federal and state level.

“It means that we are not able to do things that are extra, things that are bigger projects. A lot of humanities organizations would have had some incredible projects that none of us have been able to complete,” said Jessica Cyders, the executive director of the Southeast Ohio History Center, another group that could have been a candidate for a 250th anniversary Ohio Humanities grant.

“This is a pretty significant national event,” Cyders said. “Look, I'm probably not going to be alive for the 300th anniversary.”

By the time Elon Musk walked away from DOGE last year, state humanities councils were left with just enough cash to keep them from going under. Then, the Trump administration redirected tens of millions of dollars from the DOGE cuts toward the president’s plans for a triumphal arch and a statuary garden of “American heroes” in Washington, D.C. In the end, Trump’s focus on the nation’s landmark birthday made it harder for local groups across the country to plan their own celebratory projects.

“As the director of Ohio Humanities, I don’t take any sort of position about those particular projects. But what I do think is important is that Americans have access to funding and have access to history and humanities experiences in their own communities,” said Rebecca Brown Asmo, the executive director of Ohio Humanities. “And we’re missing that as a result of now a second year of this funding being held back.”

“These are taxpayer dollars that are intended to go to local communities. And right now, they’re being held back and funneled to projects in Washington, D.C.,” she said.

The state humanities councils find themselves in a situation strikingly similar to the one facing the bipartisan America250 commission created by Congress. When the Trump administration took money Congress originally intended for America250 and redirected it toward Trump’s Freedom 250 pet projects, the America250 commission had to shrink its plans and adapt to a new funding reality.

The critical difference between the two situations? While America250 is now asking Congress for more money to fill a funding shortfall, Congress has already responded to last year’s DOGE cuts by funding state humanities councils at their normal levels for the 2026 fiscal year.

The Trump administration just hasn’t dispersed those funds. As of June, the administration has only given the councils less than half of what Congress appropriated — and told them not to expect the rest, council leaders told NOTUS.

Now with the 250th anniversary just days away, the councils have been unable to fund anniversary projects. The Federation of State Humanities Councils, after a year of litigation against the Trump administration, just asked a federal judge in Oregon to declare that Trump is in violation of basic constitutional separation of powers rules by refusing to fully distribute what Congress intended.

Meanwhile,Trump’s plans for the redirected humanities funding have only grown more extravagant, expensive and time-consuming. In some cases, his projects haven’t even started.

No organization has publicly received public dollars to build statues for the “Garden of American Heroes,” a NOTUS review of federal spending and financial-assistance databases found. Several statue projects were supposed to start in October of last year and wrap up in time for the semiquincentennial.

The National Endowment for the Humanities did not respond to a request for comment. The Trump administration’s budget request for the next fiscal year claims that some grants for statues were awarded in 2026 and that more will be awarded in 2027. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

At the local level, projects of a much smaller — and less glitzy — scale have been put on ice.

“There’s not really a lot of cultural infrastructure in West Virginia. Where most of the cultural work is done is in regional centers, community centers, small museums, county historical associations. So the people who really got hurt were those small organizations across the state,” said Eric Waggoner, the head of the West Virginia Humanities Council.

The West Virginia council had planned to set aside 250th project funding for organizations of every size, from small regional museums to local libraries to West Virginia University.

“I’m sad to say we had to scrap it,” Waggoner said. “Since we're the only organization that does this kind of grant-making in West Virginia, without us, there's really not much.”

Congress created the humanities councils around the time of the American bicentennial in the 1970s, as one piece of the larger National Endowment for the Humanities. While the national-level NEH funds bigger civics, history and philosophy projects, the state-level councils were designed to distribute federal money to smaller-scale efforts.

“Ninety percent of our grantees tell us that we are the only place they could have gone for funding,” said Chuck Holmes, the executive director of the Alabama Humanities Alliance.

While both the state of Alabama and private donors are distributing money for Fourth of July celebrations in a range of communities, Holmes worries that very little funding has been directed toward the “deep-dive discussions about democracy and history” that he had hoped to be able to foster this year.

The Trump administration’s federal-level NEH is still funding 84 semiquincentennial projects across the country, costing $75 million. Those funds are both separate from what state councils are supposed to receive and are for significantly larger projects than any of the local community work, multiple community and state leaders told NOTUS.

And the competition for that money is steep. “Anybody and everybody” is asking the same question, Cyders said: “How do we get funding for anything related to July 4?”

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