The latest in Ohio's corruption scandal

I'm gone on vacation for one week, and all sorts of new details about the House Bill 6 scandal come to light.

Jessie Balmert and Laura Bischoff reviewed a slew of text messages showing the extent to which Lt. Gov. Jon Husted fought on FirstEnergy's behalf as lawmakers negotiated the nuclear bailout. The company wanted Ohioans to pay extra on their monthly bills for a decade, and Husted and then-Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Sam Randazzo tried to make it happen for them.

They "are fighting to the end and we’ve been talking to them all day," CEO Chuck Jones texted an executive for the plants' owner. "If we don’t get it, we work to pass an addendum as soon as (Senator 3) is out.” (Senator 3 is likely then-Senate President Larry Obhof.)

Despite their efforts, lawmakers ultimately approved seven years of subsidies.

Some other interesting information out of these texts: For the first time, they link Husted and Gov. Mike DeWine to FirstEnergy's deferred prosecution agreement, where they're listed as "State Official 1" and "State Official 2." U.S. Rep. Mike Carey, who previously worked as a lobbyist for Murray Energy, played a role in the company's $100,000 check to a group backing former Speaker Larry Householder's allies.

For the full scoop, be sure to check out both stories from Jessie and Laura.

Tim Ryan gets surprise endorsement in U.S. Senate race

There's rarely a dull moment in Ohio's U.S. Senate race.

In a column for the Cincinnati Enquirer, a Dispatch sister paper, Republican and Cincinnati native John Bridgeland said he's backing U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan in the race to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman. Why is Bridgeland significant? He was Portman's chief of staff when Portman was in Congress and also served as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council for former President George W. Bush.

Bridgeland knows both Ryan and Republican candidate J.D. Vance, but he said the "Hillbilly Elegy" author is "unrecognizable to me and many who know him much better." He criticized Vance's willingness to promote false claims that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election, as well as Vance's comments about the conflict in Ukraine.

By contrast, Bridgeland argued, Ryan is touting policies that appeal to both sides of the aisle while reaching out to a diverse group of Ohioans. Bridgeland is forming a "Republicans for Tim Ryan" coalition.

"The test of our character is found not in times of comfort, but in times of challenge" Bridgeland said. "Running for public office is such a test. If Vance is willing to undermine his own integrity and character for public office, imagine what he might do if he were a U.S. senator – I fear whatever it took to remain in office."

For what it's worth: Portman endorsed former Ohio Republican Party chair Jane Timken in the primary, but he's supporting Vance in November.

To hear more from Bridgeland (and me) on the Senate race, listen to today's edition of NPR's On Point.

Medicaid changes to help Ohio mothers take effect

In last year's budget, Ohio lawmakers approved a measure to extend postpartum Medicaid benefits from 60 days to one year.

That policy is now in effect after Ohio got final approval from the federal government this week.

This is an important step to help pregnant people and new parents, and the Ohio Department of Medicaid says up to 21,000 low-income and disabled Ohioans will benefit. Available coverage includes treatment for postpartum depression; medical care for chronic conditions such as hypertension or diabetes; breastfeeding resources; and nurse home visits.

Officials hope this will help curb the state's poor infant and maternal mortality rates.

Read more on this from Titus Wu.

−

This newsletter was my first rodeo with the Dispatch's new content management system, so if it's not complete gibberish, I'm calling that a victory.

Catch you all next week,

Haley BeMiller, political reporter

Questions or story ideas? Email me at hbemiller@dispatch.com. You can find me on Twitter @haleybemiller.

Check out the latest episode of Ohio Politics Explained and tune in for a new episode on Friday. You can subscribe through Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: The latest in Ohio's corruption scandal