Here are your morning headlines for Friday, July 27:
- Judge grants gag order in UH fertility case;
- Congressman Jim Jordan announces he'll run for Speaker of the House;
- More former OSU students come forward in alledged sexual misconduct case;
- Cleveland to roll out recycling fines Aug. 1;
- Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder campaigns for gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray;
Judge grants gag order in UH fertility case
A Cuyahoga County Judge has granted a request by University Hospitals to gag lawyers involved in the dozens of lawsuits filed after a hospital fertility clinic lost some 4,000 eggs and embryos in March. Cleveland.com reports Judge Stuart Friedman said the ruling is to prevent plaintiff’s lawyers from poisoning a potential jury pool if the case eventually goes to trial. The order does not gag the 950 patients whose eggs and embryos were destroyed after a temperature malfunction at a UH fertility clinic. The gag order does not apply to University Hospitals, either.
Congressman Jim Jordan announces run for Speaker of the House
Ohio U.S. Congressman Jim Jordan has announced he’ll run for Speaker of the House in hopes to replace current Speaker Paul Ryan when he steps down. Jordan declared his candidacy in a letter Thursday to GOP colleagues in which he criticized Ryan for not supporting President Trump strongly enough. Jordan complained that Republicans have to "stop caving so quickly" to Democrats in fights over the budget and other issues. Jordan is the founder of the ultra-right Freedom Caucus. Jordan is seen as a long-shot behind House Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Steve Scalise of Lousiana for the Speakership. Thursday, Jordan and the House Freedom Caucus introduced articles of impeachment for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein appointed special counsel Robert Mueller to look into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
More former OSU students come forward in alledged sexual misconduct case
Ten more former Ohio State University students have come forward alleging sexual misconduct by a now dead wrestling team doctor. They accuse school officials of facilitating abuse by ignoring complaints and requiring some athletes to get physicals from him to maintain their scholarships. The case filed Thursday is the third federal lawsuit brought by men alleging sexual abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss, who worked at Ohio State from 1978 until he retired in 1998. All three lawsuits seek unspecified monetary damages, but unlike the first two, the newest case doesn't propose to represent all Ohio State students mistreated by Strauss. An independent investigation is ongoing at Ohio State and more than 100 former students have come forward alleging sexual misconduct by Strauss.
Cleveland to roll out recycling fines Aug. 1
Cleveland will start rolling out recycling fines August 1st. Back in 2016, Cleveland City Council voted for low-level fines to enforce proper recycling and trash collection. Cleveland.com reports starting next month, citations can be issued for mixing trash with recycling like dirty food containers, pizza boxes, disposable coffee cups or plastic bags. Citations could also be issued for putting bins out too early or too late or leaving waste outside city bins.
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder campaigns for gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is in Ohio campaigning for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Richard Cordray. Holder is visiting as chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. The committee backed by former President Barack Obama is investing millions of dollars in state-level elections in 11 states. Its heaviest focus is on Ohio. Holder will attend fundraisers for Cordray and others on the Democratic statewide ticket. Holder's organization sees this year's election cycle as critical to the congressional redistricting process. Winners will help draw congressional maps for the decade starting in 2021. The Republican National Committee raises issues with Holder's past and says Ohioans should be wary of Cordray campaigning with him.