Max Miller

Rotunda rumblings

Divorce defamation: U.S. Rep. Max Miller has filed a defamation lawsuit against his former wife, Emily Moreno, and her attorney, alleging they falsely portrayed him as a domestic abuser in statements provided to national media outlets, Sabrina Eaton writes. Miller, who is locked in a custody dispute with Moreno, says no court has ever found he committed domestic violence and notes that child services investigations into allegations involving their daughter were closed as unsubstantiated. Moreno’s camp called the lawsuit an attempt to silence her and noted he sued a previous ex for defamation when she accused him of abuse.

The ol’ college re(try): Attorney General Dave Yost expressed confidence Thursday that his soon-to-be successor, Andy Wilson, will continue plans to retry ex-FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling on bribery charges starting this fall. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, Yost wrote on social media that his belief is based on Wilson’s background as a county prosecutor, that 10 of 12 jurors in the first trial agreed on a guilty verdict, and “what is in the case file.” Yost also appointed Wilson as a special assistant attorney general so he can access confidential and privileged information ahead of taking over as AG on June 8.

Read more Ohio politics stories

Why is a set of private schools getting an exemption from Mike DeWine’s reading decree? Today in Ohio

Celebrating tomorrow’s commissioning in Cleveland of the Navy’s new warship, the USS Cleveland: editorial

The Iran war and Trump’s hoped-for ‘halo effect’ in trying to end it: Kenneth Zagacki and Richard Cherwitz

Cost shift: Ohio regulators ordered FirstEnergy to write new pricing policies for large data centers as the state wrestles with who should pay for billions in electric grid upgrades tied to the AI boom. The fight centers on whether data centers should cover more of their own transmission and connection costs or whether those expenses will be spread across everyone else’s electric bills. Anna Staver reports the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association is already suing over a similar plan approved for AEP Ohio, setting up a broader legal and political battle over Ohio’s energy future.

Better than Green Stamps: As gas prices climb and the Iran conflict drags on, two Ohio lawmakers have proposed cutting the state’s gas tax to help mitigate rising prices consumers are paying at the pumps, Alison Hartzell reports. A recent poll found that 80% of Americans say rising gas prices are straining their household budgets, particularly in rural communities, where incomes tend to be lower and long drives are part of daily life. House Bill 850 proposes an immediate 50% reduction on the state’s 38.5-cents-a-gallon gasoline tax for three months.

In The Navy: As soon as you walk aboard the USS Cleveland, it’s immediately clear that much like its namesake city, the vessel is a small but mighty community. While the ship’s larger cousins can be home to thousands of crew members, the USS Cleveland boasts a tight-knit team of around 90. Mary Frances McGowan takes you inside the Navy’s newest littoral combat ship, set to be commissioned on Saturday, which is designed to be fast and adaptable for near-shore operations.

Buckeye Brain Tease

Question: Ohio’s coat of arms shows a sunrise over what piece of land?

Email your response to [email protected]. The first correct respondent will be mentioned in next week’s newsletter.

Thanks to everyone who answered our last trivia question: Which Ohio county has the oldest continuous county fair?

Answer: Geauga County

Capitol Letter reader Tony Koury from Youngstown was the first to email with the correct response.

On the Move

The following state lawmakers will serve on the new data center committee: Sen. Brian Chavez, R-Marietta, and Rep. Adam Holmes, R-Nashport, will co-chair the committee. Reps. Thad Claggett, R-Newark, Heidi Workman, R-Rootstown, Chris Glassburn, D-North Olmsted. Sens. Bill Reineke, R-Tiffin, Shane Wilkin, R-Hillsboro, and Willis Blackshear, D-Dayton.

State Sen. Jerry Cirino, a Lake County Republican, has received the 2026 Champion of Public Service Award from the Commercial Real Estate Development Association’s Ohio chapter.

Birthdays

Friday, May 15: Jacob Kerkay, legislative aide to state Sen. Steve Wilson; Noah Turoff, senior legislative aide to state Sen. Casey Weinstein; Brentin Ungar, legislative aide to state Rep. Jim Thomas

Sunday, May 17: Megan Sorensen, Ohio House Republicans’ deputy finance director; Zen Taylor, Ohio House reading/recording/assistant committee clerk; Daniel Carmany, senior legislative aide to state Sen. Tom Patton

Straight from the Source

“I’ve been here for one (year), he was here for 32. It takes time to fix all the bad things that he did.”

- Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted contrasting his record in Congress against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown during an interview with Cleveland.com.