Politics

Ohioans started carrying concealed weapons without permits this week. Federal lawmakers worked on a gun control compromise, and Columbus thinks it's found a way around state law.We break down what it all means on this week's episode of Ohio Politics Explained.It's a podcast from the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau where we catch you up on the state's political news in 15 minutes or less. This week, host Anna Staver was joined by reporter Laura Bischoff.1) Constitutional or permitless carry takes effectOhioans no longer need permits to carry concealed weapons, and they don't have to tell an officer they're carrying unless asked. The new law, called constitutional carry by supporters and permitless carry by opponents, went into effect on Monday for adults aged 21 years or older who are lega...

No 10 refuses to confirm that Johnson will appoint new ethics adviser to replace Lord GeidtThe Downing Street lobby briefing has just finished, and the prime minister’s spokeperson has refused to confirm that Lord Geidt will definitely be replaced as the PM’s ethics adviser.The spokeperson said that having a process for ensuring standards are maintained by ministers was “vitally important”.But he said that Geidt himself had raised a number of issues about how the independent adviser on ministers’ interests operated and he said Boris Johnson wanted to “carefully consider those and reflect on them”.Asked if it was possible that Geidt would not be replaced, the spokesperson replied:We have not made a final decision on how best to carry out that function, whether it relates to a specific in...

Low primary turnout is to be expected Turnout in primary elections tend to be much lower than turnout for general elections in the fall. Despite a slight jump in turnout this year, some in New Jersey said it was still relatively low. “In general, we have low turnout in primaries, often…it was low, I think, compared to a lot of other states as well,” said Henal Patel, director of democracy and justice programming at the New Jersey Institute For Social Justice. Patel blamed low voter turnout, in general, on “the line,” a practice in New Jersey in which party-endorsed candidates for different offices are grouped together on the ballot. Critics of the process often say it thwarts election competitiveness, because it essentially gives preferential treatment to candidates...

The nation’s largest homebuilder is now operating in Northwest Arkansas. Texas-based D.R. Horton Inc. is building and selling single-family homes in Gentry’s Pioneer Woods subdivision. The neighborhood is near the Gentry Fire Department south of West Third Street. According to Benton County property records, the company bought 28 lots from Paul and Connie Church last fall for $1.03 million. D.R. Horton recorded its first Arkansas sale in April, a 2,031-square-foot, four-bedroom residence for $276,790 ($136.28 per square foot). Founded in 1978 in Fort Worth, D.R. Horton has operations in 104 markets in 32 states and closed 81,622 homes during its most recent fiscal year that ended March 31. The company builds and sells single-family homes through multiple brands that include D....

Dr. Jeff TempleAfter every mass shooting, politicians, pundits, and your uncle on Twitter will claim that the problem is mental illness and not access to guns.Making psychiatric disease the bogeyman is politically expedient – it allows policymakers to shy away from the true culprit. It also fits into how the public often views mental illness – as something to fear. Afterall, what else would cause someone to do something so heinous? The problem with this thinking is that it’s wrong.Of all violent incidents, only about 4% can be attributed to people with mental illness. In research conducted by my team at UTMB, we found that symptoms of several mental health symptoms were not related to carrying or threatening someone with a firearm. Instead, not surprisingly, those with access to guns we...

The storm that two disgraced BJP spokesmen have caused because of their reckless comments about the Prophet of Islam has now begun to cause harm within India. Last week anger erupted outside mosques after Friday prayers in cities across the country. This is a fire that could burn down the edifice that Narendra Modi has so carefully constructed using the pillars of welfarism and nationalism. In the advertisements that promote his government’s achievements, he says that he has worked for the nation’s good like a ‘member of the family’. Did he not notice that there were almost no Muslims in this family and that his party spokesmen just made this brutally clear? If religion had not become part of our political discourse, none of this would have happened. But, because it has, we have a situa...