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Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich’s veto opposing a bill for gun owners’ rights was overturned by the Republican-led state legislature Thursday. The state House first voted to overturn Kasich’s veto on the bill, which makes it easier for off-duty police officers to access guns and also changes laws regarding self-defense cases. The state Senate then voted later, 21-11, turning down Kasich’s veto on the legislation, The Associated Press reported. The bill was heavily supported by pro-gun groups in the state that pushed lawmakers to overturn the veto.

A bill broadening gun-owner rights has become law in Ohio, after the Republican-led state Legislature overrode GOP Gov. John Kasich’s veto. The Senate voted 21-11 on Thursday to reject Kasich’s decision to strike down the bill. That followed a House override earlier in the day. The legislation expands gun access for off-duty police officers and allows pre-emption of local gun restrictions, among other things. Senators had hoped to address Kasich’s objections by stripping its so-called stand-your-ground language, but he vetoed the legislation anyway. Kasich opposed language shifting the burden of proof in self-defense cases from defendants to prosecutors. He also...

NEW YORK — In testimony, James Comey admitted that when he infamously briefed then President-elect Donald Trump about the controversial dossier, Comey did not inform the incoming president about who financed the document. The detail, contained in a second round of Comey’s testimony released earlier this week, is particularly relevant since the embattled former FBI director admitted in testimony two weeks ago that he was aware the dossier authored by former British spy Christopher Steele was financed by Democrats who opposed Trump. Comey’s seeming withholding of information from Trump about the political origins of the dossier raises further questions. Comey...

Donald Trump has had success at using identity politics. Ohio's Mahoning Valley is a place where a conservative version of identity politics — tied to race and class — is flourishing. NOEL KING, HOST: For years, Republicans have insisted that they don't engage in identity politics. But many political science researchers disagree. And they point to Donald Trump's success as proof. NPR's Asma Khalid brought us this story. It's about the transformation of Mahoning Valley in eastern Ohio. This is a place where a conservative version of identity politics, tied to race and class, is flourishing. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) ASMA...

Before vetoing House Bill 228, Gov. John Kasich expressed frustration Wednesday about how politics have blocked him from passing a "Red Flag Law," allowing the courts to take away a person's gun if he or she is unstable, and the growing connection with public shootings. "It never existed in America and we can't do anything because of rotten, stinkin' politics," Kasich said. Then, he commented about House Bill 228. "So, why would I sign a bill that gives more power to the gun advocates," he said. "I hate to jump on the bash-Kasich bandwagon, but in this case, he's really...

Gun laws “You will get gun reform when the public says they’ve had enough. Until they’ve said enough, it’s not going to happen. ... There’s going to come a point where people say enough of this.” Constitutional amendments He would support a GOP measure to make changes more difficult “only if they come with the idea of making it easier to get on the ballot with the (initiated statute). “If it’s not, I think we should reject it, because the public needs to be heard. I’d rather this (trivial) stuff doesn’t go into the constitution, but if you don’t give...

To the 18 year old kid I stopped on SR 10, You’re welcome. I’d like to believe that you were minutes away from creating an unspeakable Christmas tragedy when I stopped you. If not only killing yourself, you were well on your way to killing some innocent person who was minding their own business doing nothing else wrong but being in front of you. You said you didn’t realize how fast you were going. That’s a lie. You may not realize when you’re doing 45 in a 35 but you are fully aware of every mile per hour at 100....

It was only a few weeks ago when outgoing Ohio Governor John Kasich said he was seriously considering a 2020 primary challenge to President Trump, if only to “send a message.” (Who that message was intended for remains unclear.) But hey… the guy is going to be unemployed come January so he needs something to keep himself busy.But now, with Christmas fast approaching, something seems to have changed. During an interview with the Associated Press, Kasich was striking a decidedly different tone. Clearly, if you’re going to mount a primary challenge, you need to believe that you at least have...

Departing Ohio Gov. John Kasich seemingly wants it both ways. The President Donald Trump-bashing Republican, long in demand on TV political talk shows, thinks it “likely” he will end up in the news media, hopefully in some “unique” role on television. But at the same time, the last candidate standing in the way of Trump in the 2016 Republican primaries is keeping the runway clear for another potential run for the presidency. GOP candidates nervy enough to oppose Trump, or pursuing an obstacle-strewn run as an independent, need to get serious soon about their 2020 candidacies. However, in an 85-minute...

Outgoing Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Thursday that he’d prefer to run for president as a Republican, but only if he’s entering a primary he could win. In an interview with The Associated Press, Kasich acknowledged he probably couldn’t defeat President Donald Trump if the election were held today. He says he’s seriously considering his options and letting his advisers monitor the daily troubles Trump is facing, including talk of impeachment. “If you’re going to run as a Republican you have to have a sense that if you get into primaries you can win. Right now, probably couldn’t win,” he...

Classy: Nothing good that POTUS Donald Trump does will ever placate the perpetually triggered and angry American Left, but what he did for a 10-year-old girl battling stage four brain cancer this Christmas is worthy of high praise indeed. Cleveland resident Oliviah Hall has been battling a brain tumor since 2017 after being diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme Grade IV. She was able to meet POTUS Trump during his midterm swing through Ohio and had a picture taken with him and her family.

Well, if Democratic bloodsports over the House speakership race was on your Christmas list, cross it off. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) now has a lock on it, with a deal struck with the anti-Pelosi wing on the Democratic Party, who vowed to oppose her bid. Some 16 House Democratsdeclared their opposition to her candidacy. Yet, their potential candidate to oppose Pelosi, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), decided to bow out. Some other anti-Pelosi Democrats jumped ship as well. Still, there was a chance that this small band of rebels could cause Pelosi heartburn on the House floor. Now, such fears can...

Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich's chief political strategist has a message for President Donald Trump: "Be careful what you wish for." Earlier, a Fox News interviewer asked the president about the possibility of Kasich or retiring Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., running against him in 2020, and Trump responded, "I hope so." John Weaver, the Kasich strategist, responded to the remark with a warning. "Be careful what you wish for," Weaver said in a message to CNBC.

An Ohio woman, one of two people accused on Monday of planning mass murders, was in contact with the racist gunman who shot up a South Carolina church and killed nine people in 2015, authorities said. Elizabeth Lecron, 23, of Toledo, was one of two people arrested in domestic terrorism-related cases, the FBI announced. Lecron was arrested with 21-year-old Damon Joseph, of Holland... The FBI said investigators found an AK-47, shotgun, handguns, ammunition and hand-caps, which are used to make pipe bombs, in her apartment. Authorities said she planned to attack a bar in Toledo and meet up with other...

Former GOP Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.) on Sunday said he believes the Democratic Party could win in 2020 if they pick someone "unexpected" as their party's presidential nominee. Santorum, asked if there were any potential Democratic candidates he was afraid of, pointed to previous presidential contests, saying all of the Democratic candidates who won were "not the favorite" at the time. "When the Democrats win, they pick someone unexpected or someone who’s not the favorite," Santorum, a CNN analyst, said on CNN's "State of the Union." "[Former Presidents] Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter," he listed. "When they pick [failed...

A group of Ohio religious leaders criticized lawmakersÂ’ efforts to pass protections for unborn babies Thursday during a pro-abortion protest at a church in downtown Columbus. The event at Trinity Episcopal Church, coordinated by the Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, included Christian and Jewish leaders who oppose a bill to prohibit abortions after unborn babies have a detectable heartbeat, about six weeks of pregnancy.The state House passed the bill in November, and the Senate is considering it this week. It is expected to pass the Republican-controlled legislature. HAPPENING NOW: Faith leaders organized by @OhioRCRC are speaking against bans on...

If the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) stuck to its stated mission statement and only did civil rights work protecting Muslim Americans from discrimination and bigotry, you likely would never see it mentioned on this site.But CAIR has a second, perhaps more paramount objective that it never directly acknowledges: To oppose Israel and promote Palestinian nationalism.CAIR’s mission statement makes no mention of Palestine. Instead, it says it aims to “enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.” It describes its lobbying arm as focusing “on issues related to Islam and Muslims. The department monitors legislation and government activities and responds...

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) on Monday seconded French President Emmanuel Macron's sentiments against nationalism, tweeting, "Macron is right" on what he said on the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Macron heavily criticized "nationalism" in an apparent jab at President Trump during his Armistice Day remarks in Paris on Sunday.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) abruptly stepped aside on Thursday to allow his House Freedom Caucus ally, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), to run uncontested for the ranking member role on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee -- a position that he won. Jordan, who won the race with no other competitors to challenge him, is expected to be a fierce defender of President Trump when Democrats take control of the panel next Congress. They are expected to become involved in a series of investigations into the Trump administration. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and two GOP lawmakers on the...

PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — Mention Fredericka Wagner, 76, around Pike County and most folks have a thing or two to say. To many, she’s the wealthy landowner who worked with her husband acquiring hundreds of acres to build a renowned horse-breeding empire atop a hill largely out of sight here. To those who tried to buy land from her, she’s a money-hungry opportunist who takes advantage of low-income families. To her lawyer, she’s a God-fearing, tax-paying Pike County business owner who is being wrongly accused in helping her family plot a cover-up of one of the state’s most heinous crimes....