Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine attends riverfront renovation ribbon cutting - WSAZ

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has denounced a controversial ad featuring the estranged mother of Dr. Amy Acton, taking sides with the Democratic candidate for governor and former member of his Cabinet over her Republican rival, Vivek Ramaswamy. At a gathering with reporters at the Statehouse in Columbus, DeWine called the ad “deeply, deeply troubling.”“It’s wrong to run this ad,” he said. “I would urge Ramaswamy’s campaign to take this down.”DeWine’s remarks place him at odds with Ramaswamy, whom he has endorsed. The biotech entrepreneur and 2024 presidential candidate has taken responsibility for the 60-second video, which has drawn bipartisan rebukes, and is spending $4 million to broadcast it online and on TV. Vice President JD Vance defended an ad Wednesday which spotlights the abuse Acton experienced as a child. During a campaign visit to Ohio, Vance told reporters he was “disgusted” by fellow Republicans who were pushing back against the ad, then later drew cheers at a political rally when he defended Ramaswamy. Get Starting PointA guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.

ATLANTA – A group of state lawmakers with military backgrounds have petitioned Gov. Brian Kemp to bring home Georgia’s National Guard soldiers from Washington, D. C. before the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. State Representatives Sandra Scott (D-Rex); Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain); Eric Bell (D-Jonesboro); Derrick Jackson (D-Tyrone); and Floyd Griffin (D-Milledgeville); along with State Senators Kenya Wicks (D-Fayette); and Tonya Anderson (D-Lithonia) cited recent safety concerns involving a National Guard member who was shot in Washington D. C. while responding to an operational confrontation on Oct. 18. The legislators also expressed their  concern about the mounting anxiety from soldiers prolonged separation from their families.

From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know. A congressional committee led by South Jersey Republican U. S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew subpoenaed records Wednesday from New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration, with the body wanting to know more regarding the circumstances that allowed 6,600 noncitizens to be added to the state’s voter rolls in 2023.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson warned Tuesday that repealing the so-called millionaires tax could make daycare costs skyrocket. The planned tax is headed to voters for possible repeal this November. If implemented, it would take a 9.9% cut of household incomes over $1 million. The tax is expected to yield around $3 billion in revenue per year once it takes effect in 2029. Part of the money is earmarked for the Working Connections Child Care program, a subsidy program that assists low-income families with daycare costs. Without the tax, the program would lose funding due to the state’s ongoing budget crisis. Around 51,000 children and their families across the state take advantage of the Working Connections program. “From the revenue of the millionaires tax, 5% of that revenue is specifically earmarked and must be used to support programs just like this all across our state,” Ferguson said during a visit to the José Martí Child Development Center at Cedar Crossing Roosevelt in Seattle.

Pennsylvania's Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, and federal health officials --including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. -- are publicly sparring over the announcement of two measles-associated deaths amid the ongoing outbreak in the state. The ensuing insults launched between Shapiro and Kennedy happened both on social media and during separate press conferences this week. At a press conference on Tuesday announcing the two deaths, Shapiro criticized Kennedy and the Trump administration. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at the Whiet House, Aug. 10, 2026 and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Aug. 18, 2026, in Harrisburg, Pa. AP"His [Kennedy's] actions and the rhetoric that's coming from this administration are having a negative impact on communities across, particularly right here in Pennsylvania," Shapiro said, adding that "there's real-life consequences to spreading misinformation. "In response to Shapiro on Wednesday, Kennedy said: "We're trying to get information about those two... um ... casualties," making a gesture to signify quotation marks as he spoke at a press conference in Tampa, Florida.