Catching Our Eye News Roundup, Oct. 15, 2026

Every morning in the Ohio Capital Journal’s free newsletter, The Eye-Opener, we round up the news and commentary from across Ohio and around the country and world that is catching our attention. We call this feature Catching Our Eye, republished here.

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Catching Our Eye

• AI-driven white-collar job layoffs have arrived in Ohio. The Associated Press reports, “Kroger to lay off 3,000 corporate employees over 3 years as it leans into artificial intelligence.”

Grocery store chain Kroger said it will lay off 3,000 corporate employees over the next three years as it ramps up its use of artificial intelligence to streamline operations.

“Technology is reshaping what’s possible,” CEO Greg Foran wrote in a memo to employees on Monday. “The way work gets done is changing across every industry; we must adapt and take advantage of technology. We need to adopt capabilities, reduce duplicative work and look closely at where work is best fit to be done.”

• Bernie Moreno apparently wants to weaponize the government to go after the press for reporting on possible corruption. Cleveland.com’s Sabrina Eaton reports, “Bernie Moreno seeks federal probe into ABC News story on Trump sons’ Anduril investment.”

U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno wants the Federal Communications Commission to investigate ABC News over a story about President Donald Trump’s sons and defense contractor Anduril Industries that the network pulled from its website, then republished with corrections.

In a Saturday letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the Avon Republican described the story’s “flagrant lies” as “personal” to Ohio because Anduril is building a factory worth more than $900 million in Pickaway County.

• FBI using Flock in Ohio. The Dayton Daily News’ Eileen McClory reports, “FBI accessed Dayton Public Schools Flock data for ‘immigration,’ records show.”

Outside agencies accessed Dayton Public Schools Flock camera records thousands of times, including multiple times where the outside agency listed the reason as “immigration,” and thousands more where the reason is unclear, according to records obtained by the Dayton Daily News.

• Obama coming to Ohio. The Columbus Dispatch’s Haley BeMiller reports, “Obama to stump for Sherrod Brown, Amy Acton in Ohio.”

Former President Barack Obama will return to Ohio this month as Democrats fight to reclaim the governor’s mansion and a key U.S. Senate seat.

Obama will join gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and former Sen. Sherrod Brown at a Cleveland rally on Oct. 24. The event marks Obama’s first visit to the Buckeye State since 2018, when he campaigned for Rich Cordray amid a hotly contested race for governor.

• MAGA Pac supporting Ohio socialist candidate? The Associated Press reports, “Mailers promoting a socialist candidate in Ohio Senate race have links to MAGA super PAC vendor.”

Campaign mailers urging Ohio voters to support a socialist U.S. Senate candidate over Democratic nominee Sherrod Brown are being underwritten by a newly incorporated PAC with ties to President Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc., public filings show.

The mailers are sponsored by Enough Promises Ohio PAC and began arriving in voters’ mailboxes in recent days. They promote independent candidate Greg Levy over Brown with messages such as “Join the Revolution” and “Send a Worker to the Senate.” Levy describes himself as “Socialist running for the U.S. Senate to represent Ohio in 2026” on his X account.