Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will no longer be heading the Department of Government Efficiency alongside tech mogul Elon Musk, according to multiple reports.
Amid his departure from DOGE, Ramaswamy is expected to be announcing his bid for Ohio governor early next week.
Despite the swirling rumors surrounding Ramaswamy's exit, it appears that he has remained in Trump's inner circle.
“It became increasingly clear over the last week that pursuing the governor’s race and running DOGE [were] not compatible," one source told NBC News. "He’s leaving on good terms with Trump, Elon, and the team.”
Ramaswamy was a prominent figure in Trump's inner circle during the election, making frequent appearances alongside MAGA allies. However, many have noted that Ramaswamy has faded into the background following his controversial and unprompted take on H-1B visas.
Although Musk and President-elect Donald Trump publicly sided with Ramaswamy's stance on the visa program, several reports suggested that the controversy was unwelcome.
Ramaswamy was also rumored to be in the running to succeed Vice President-elect JD Vance as an Ohio senator. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio eventually selected Lt. Gov. Jon Husted for the role, furthering speculation about Ramaswamy's gubernatorial bid.
Ahead of the inauguration, Ramaswamy responded to a parody account prematurely claiming that he had launched his candidacy for governor.
"Note - the below is a parody account," Ramaswamy said. "Not a bad idea, though."
Despite the swirling rumors surrounding Ramaswamy's exit, it appears that he has remained in Trump's inner circle. Notably, Ramaswamy was seen in the Capitol rotunda on Monday for Trump's inauguration.
"A new dawn," Ramaswamy said in a post on X in which he is pictured alongside Musk.
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LGBT activists did their best in recent weeks to pressure Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to veto Republicans' Parents' Bill of Rights. Their best was evidently not good enough.
To the chagrin of those averse to increased parental involvement and greater transparency about what children are subjected to at school, DeWine ratified HB 8 on Wednesday.
The legislation declares that "a parent has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent's child."
Blaze News previously reported that the law, which takes effect 90 days after ratification, will:
"I think the basis for it for me, if you're a parent, you want to be informed what’s going on in your child's life,” DeWine said Wednesday, reported the Buckeye Flame. "Parents are the best teachers."
'It was opposed by educators and the LGBTQ+ community alike.'
Aaron Baer, the president of the Center for Christian Virtue, an advocacy group that championed the bill sponsored by Republican state Reps. D.J. Swearingen and Sara Carruthers, said in a statement following HB 8's ratification, "HB8 protects children by safeguarding parents' rights to make important decisions for their children."
LGBT activist groups alternatively did not take the news well.
Dwayne Steward, executive director of Equality Ohio, an activist organization apparently keen on continued secrecy, said that "it's deeply disappointing that Gov. DeWine has signed HB 8 when it was opposed by educators and the LGBTQ+ community alike because it punishes teachers and staff for supporting LGBTQ+ students who are already targets of bullying and harassment."
By "educators," Steward appears to have been referring at least in part to the leftist Ohio Education Association, a state-level affiliate of the National Education Association, which opposed the legislation.
The transvestite activist group TransOhio expressed grief over DeWine's bill-signing, insinuating the Parents' Bill of Rights was "hateful legislation" aimed at trying to "silence, erase, or harm" transvestites.
When asked Wednesday about whether the law would result in non-straight students being outed, DeWine reportedly said, "We love these students as we love anybody else. They're not only welcome in Ohio, but they're welcome in our schools. We want to protect them as we protect every other student. But I do believe parents are the most likely people to help that child."
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A beloved corrections officer was killed during a Christmas Day attack at an Ohio prison, according to officials.
According to WBNS-TV, corrections officer Andrew Lansing was attacked around 7:15 a.m. Wednesday at the Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe — roughly 43 miles south of Columbus.
'Officer Lansing was loved by his colleagues and known to be a great support for his fellow RCI staff.'
Lansing, 62, reportedly died "following an inmate assault." The victim's brother reportedly said Lansing had been severely beaten in the face and head and showed no defensive wounds.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol identified the alleged assailant as 27-year-old Rashawn Cannon. Cannon has been incarcerated since September 2023 for felonious assault and having a weapon while under disability, according to Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction records. Cannon's expected release date was listed as Aug. 5, 2030. Since the attack, Cannon has been transferred to the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility.
Following the fatal attack, the Ross Correctional Institution restricted inmates' movements. The Ohio State Highway Patrol launched an investigation.
Annette Chambers-Smith — director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction — said in a statement: "It is with great sadness that I confirm the tragic death of Correction Officer Andrew Lansing following an inmate assault that occurred at Ross Correctional Institution this morning."
"Officer Lansing is a longtime, well-respected employee at Ross, and his untimely death — on Christmas Day — is heartbreaking for his family, the entire Ross Correctional Institution family, and our agency as a whole," Chambers-Smith continued. "Officer Lansing was loved by his colleagues and known to be a great support for his fellow RCI staff. He was a friendly, outgoing officer who treated everyone with respect and was always a professional."
Chambers-Smith described Lansing's death as a "tragedy beyond comprehension."
"Instead of going home after his shift to be with his family on this holiday, Officer Lansing made the ultimate sacrifice, and our agency will never be the same," Chambers-Smith added.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) ordered all flags to be flown at half-mast in honor of Lansing until sunset on the day of his funeral.
Mike Lansing — the slain officer's brother and a retired correctional officer — said Andrew Lansing knew his job was dangerous but that he needed to provide for his family.
Mike Lansing added to the Columbus Dispatch, "He had been taken out of there twice because of fentanyl exposure. They had to Narcan him once. I kept telling him then he needed to get out, but like I said, he had so much time invested. It's hard to walk away from something like that and start over at our age."
The brother also said Andrew Lansing "was a great guy who'd do anything for anybody."
Lansing reportedly was a corrections officer for nearly 25 years and served in the U.S. Army from October 1981 to April 1992. He's survived by his wife, Elmond Lansing, and two children.
You can view a video report here about Lansing's killing.
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Reform advocates warn that debt spirals like that currently gripping the Illinois pension system will happen in Ohio and other states if they don't reform their investment strategies.
Universities are permitted to circumvent the ban if it will ‘directly impact the institution's funding or mission.’
In Vivek Ramaswamy’s long-awaited announcement of his run for governor, I was struck by how little substance he offered.
Republican lawmakers in several states are making a concerted effort to keep foreign money out of ballot initiative campaigns.
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