March 24 – 30, 2018

SWAMP REPORT
Team Trump Peddles Pardons
They say everybody has a price, and it appears that President Trump is selling off “Get Out of Jail” cards to anyone connected to the campaign. An intense investigation by the New York Times (five different reporters are on the byline) reveals that Trump lawyer John Dowd discussed pardoning both Michael Flynn – the guy who promised Russia that Trump wouldn’t impose real sanctions against them – and Paul Manafort – currently charged with money laundering. The talks went so far to cause Dowd to wonder why Flynn accepted a plea deal because he told Flynn’s lawyer that “the president had long believed that the case against Mr. Flynn was flimsy and was prepared to pardon him.”

I bet ProgressOhio knows why: no one trusts Trump, who is infamous for throwing even his closest friends under the bus whenever it suits him. Manafort is apparently hanging on to that hope of a pardon though, since he hasn’t accepted a deal…or maybe what he has is too good for Trump to double-cross him.

Lawyers to Trump: No Way
The best and brightest are finding any excuses to avoid the Trump trainwreck. What used to be considered the highest honor or lucrative opportunity (depending on what type of lawyer one is) – working for the leader of the free world and richest country on Earth – has become the sinkhole everyone wants to avoid. Five large law firms have passed up working for Trump, publicly citing unspecified “business conflicts” while privately trashing POTUS as difficult to work with (understatement much?) and a reputation damager. Trump is so desperate that after one of his lawyers, Dowd, left last week, is elevating some guy no one’s heard of and who doesn’t seem to have ever practiced this type of law before.

UTERI WATCH
“ProgressOhio Slams DeWine for Spending Millions Defending Unconstitutional Laws”
Attorney General Mike DeWine just keeps finding ways to waste taxpayer money so he scores some cheap political points, the latest being his defense of Ohio’s blatantly unconstitutional Down syndrome ban. ProgressOhio’s Monica Moran called Mike DeWine’s history of spending millions of your dollars to defend laws that take away a woman’s right to choose and will inevitably be overturned “blatantly irresponsible” and “on the wrong side of history” in this segment of NBC4’s You Paid For It.

The New York Times exposes how these lawsuits are all part of a larger plan to take away a woman’s right to choose.

Millions March for Their Lives, Declare #NeverAgain
Millions of people across the country and tens of thousands in Ohio marched for their lives on Saturday demanding common sense gun reform and an end to the culture of complacency that has gripped lawmakers for decades. While conservatives are spending time attacking high school kids for their college applications, others are demanding changes that will help them be safe in school again.

Fair School Funding? Not In Ohio, Experts Say
Did you see all the news about Ohio being ranked second in the nation for equitable school funding and mumble to yourself “wait…what??? That doesn’t seem right…”? Well, you’re not alone. The Ohio Education Policy Institute also thought that seemed pretty fishy, and did some of their own research. Turns out, because the way Ohio funds charter schools is so convoluted, the methodology that works for almost all the other states doesn’t work for us.

Unsurprisingly, the more accurate method didn’t push Ohio to first; we dropped all the way to 32nd.

Professionals Stand Up, Organize
As teachers strike across the country after years of no pay raises, cuts to benefits, and larger classroom sizes, there’s yet another thing they’re done with: not being treated as professionals. As lawmakers have slashed education budgets, it’s become clear that they value the incredible work done by teachers less and less. So teachers aren’t just striking for pay; they’re striking for dignity and respect.

2018 ELECTIONS
Cordray Offers Solutions To Opioid Crisis; DeWine/Taylor Continue Personal Jabs
Former Attorney General and candidate for governor Richard Cordray outlined a plan to help Ohio deal with the current opioid crisis. If elected, he would declare a “state of emergency,” protect the Medicaid expansion, increase local government funding (remember its been slashed since Kasich took office), and expand adoption and foster services. These all sound like critical first steps to address one of the biggest issue facing everyday Ohioans.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Mary Taylor continued their attacks against each other, this time getting a little more personal. Team DeWine’s first ad called Taylor a “slacker” who is “unfit and unqualified” to be governor, which was a reference to Taylor paying $1,039 to the state in 2011 after it was discovered that a state airplane went out of its way three times to drop her off and pick her up at an airport six miles from her home.

According to The Columbus Dispatch Taylor responded by saying that “[she’s] done all of this while fighting through the hell that has been my sons’ fights with addiction. What have you been doing, Mike DeWine, besides handing out ice cream and recipes and building a revisionist history of your own record?”

The Latest House GOP Sex Scandal
Ohio Rep. Rick Perales was accused this week by his GOP primary opponent, Jocelyn Smith, of “forcefully kissing and choking” her during a span of time when the two were exchanging sexually oriented texts, according to Dayton Daily News. Smith has asked Perales to withdraw from the race, threatening to make public further ‘sexts’ between the two. Ironically, Perales is rumored to be seeking a leadership position in the House.

Oops, Renacci ‘Forgets’ About $50k
Here’s a quick recap on what Congressman Jim Renacci failed to report (so far), courtesy of ohio.com

Filed no disclosure report for Jan. 1 to June 30, 2008, his first period as a registered lobbyist;

Reported “No Contributions” for July 1 to Dec. 31, 2008, when he’d given two $2,300 contributions and a $12,500 contribution to campaign funds supporting Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain’s presidential bid and $7,900 to Ohio Republican Party committees;
Filed no report for Jan. 1 to June 30, 2009, when he’d given $1,000 to LaTourette for Congress;
Reported “No Contributions” for July 1 to Dec. 31, 2009, when he’d given $500 to Portman for Senate, $375 to the Stark County GOP and $2,400 to his congressional campaign;
Reported “No Contributions” for Jan. 1 to June 30, 2010, when he’d given $15,050 to his campaign.

The issues listed here, along with the #BlueWave democrats are seeing around the country, are leading many to believe that this congressional district could be in play.

Progressive Action Calendar
4/ 5: OH12 Weekly Protest Rally (And Lunch)
4/7: Move To Amend Ohio Network 6th Annual Gathering
4/7: Voter Engagement Training With Ohio Voice