NEWS OF THE DAY
_1 Gerrymandering challenge: The ACLU filed a constitutional challenge to Ohio’s congressional map, using Republican Gov. John Kasich’s statements opposing gerrymandering as ammunition. A suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati challenges district maps in effect through 2020 for “an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander” that violates voters’ rights to democratically select their representatives. The suit names Kasich, Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted and leaders of the GOPcontrolled state Legislature. ACLU of Ohio Legal Director Freda Levenson said the suit shows how the political map routinely delivers 75 percent of Ohio’s congressional seats to Republicans with only about half Ohio’s votes. Kasich’s amicus brief against gerrymandering in a federal redistricting case is cited.
_2 Security clearance: Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-inlaw and adviser, has been granted his permanent security clearance, a person briefed on the matter said Wednesday, ending a period of uncertainty that had fueled questions about whether Kushner was in peril in the special counsel investigation. Kushner’s FBI background checks had dragged on for a year. White House officials were adamant that the lengthy process was not unusual for a government official who has a complicated financial history and many foreign contacts. But the delay left open the question of whether investigators had uncovered evidence that made him a security threat.
_3 Baptist leader removed: A former head of the Southern Baptist Convention was removed Wednesday as president of a Texas seminary following allegations of “unbiblical teaching” through sexist and demeaning comments to women who he suggests should tolerate abuse. The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary board of trustees said in a statement that 75-year-old Paige Patterson was dismissed following a 13-hour meeting “to move in the direction of new leadership for the benefit of the future mission of the Seminary.”
_4 Sandy Hook lawsuits: Five years after the horrific mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the families of victims are still enduring daily threats and online abuse from people who believe bogus theories spread by Alex Jones, whose InfoWars website is viewed by millions and whom President Trump has praised for his “amazing” reputation. In three separate lawsuits — the most recent was filed Wednesday in Connecticut Superior Court — the families of eight Sandy Hook victims as well as a first responder seek damages for defamation.
_5 Candidate dies: A 43-year-old Kentucky lawyer running for judge collapsed and died the day after he got the most votes in a primary election against three other candidates. Danny Alvarez was described as “a true public servant, a humanitarian, and a champion for human rights and the immigrant community” by his campaign consultant Jonathan Hurst. Hurst told the Courier Journal that the married father of three died at a hospital after collapsing at home. No cause of death was released.