Dear John, Happy Friday! In case you missed it: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has been stonewalling the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) for almost five years now to keep his extensive dealings with the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) secret from Ohio voters and the public. Our attorneys recently appeared before the Ohio Supreme Court arguing in defense of an appellate court ruling granting us the right to depose Yost and force him to show records of his RAGA dealings to the court. In this era of concentrated wealth and power, Sunshine Laws are an essential tool for exposing influence and corruption, and the case has been garnering national and local media attention. On to this week’s news! | |
Here’s the Latest From CMD | |
Turning Point “Education Warrior” Claims Satan is Using Teachers’ Unions to Destroy the Country At Turning Point USA's AmericaFest in December, former public school teacher and anti-union activist Rebecca Friedrichs claimed that labor unions have been co-opted by communists to do the devil’s bidding and destroy the country. Read the full story here. | |
Texas Fishermen Sue Koch Over Oil Spill Flint Hills Resources, a refining subsidiary of the industrial and petrochemical giant Koch (formerly Koch Industries), has been hit with a civil suit brought by commercial fishermen and shrimpers due to a December 2022 oil spill in the Nueces and Corpus Christi bays in Texas. Read the full story here. | |
Koch Network Tax Plan Targets the Poor in Louisiana While leaders of both major parties were either celebrating their victories or mourning their losses after the November 5 elections, billionaire Charles Koch racked up a big win in Louisiana when Republican Governor Jeff Landry convened a special session of the state legislature on November 6 — the very next day — to overhaul the state’s tax system. Read the full story here. | |
CMD in the News Our research has recently been cited by or featured in the following publications: - Tribune Chronicle: “Stop trying to hide public records from concerned citizens”
- Marietta Times: “Politicians deciding what’s public”
- Associated Press: “Ohio Supreme Court hears arguments in watchdog group’s records dispute with state attorney general”
- ABC News: “Ohio Supreme Court hears arguments in watchdog group's records dispute with state attorney general”
- Cleveland.com: “Dave Yost continues five-year fight against records request at Ohio Supreme Court”
- Scioto Valley Guardian: “Ohio Supreme Court to hear public records dispute involving Ohio A.G.”
- Cleveland.com: “New GOP leadership, fresh faces take the Statehouse: Capitol Letter”
- Hoodline: “Ohio Attorney General Yost Contests Public Records Release Order Amidst Nationwide Attention”
- Court News Ohio: “Attorney General Argues Communications With Outside Groups Not Public Records”
- Arn’s interview on WORT https://www.wortfm.org/
- Election Law Blog: “State Battles Over Ranked Choice Voting Reveal Shifting Fault Lines”
Thank you for following our investigations and for your continued support! Team CMD | |
