Catching Our Eye News Roundup, Sept. 22, 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

• Attorney deserts. Ideastream’s Amanda Pirani reports, “In rural Ohio, it’s getting harder to find lawyers for people who can’t afford one.”

In between juggling a growing caseload, Ashland Municipal Court Judge John Good spends a lot of his time trying to find lawyers. He said it’s time he doesn’t have to spare.

“I need to be working on other cases that I have, but I gotta find a lawyer to represent this lady,” he said referring to a case on his docket.

A declining number of local attorneys in the county means Good is down to two people who will serve as court appointed counsel.

• Everybody who shares the blame. In a Cleveland.com opinion column, Brent Larkin writes, “Disgustingly willing partners in Trump’s lethal overreach have been many.”

In an age of Donald Trump’s tyranny, we are surrounded by sellouts.

Millions of Americans now believe that. In his tremendous new book, “Profiles in Cowardice,” veteran journalist Jacob Weisberg goes a way towards proving it.

The book focuses on some of the many so-called leaders Weisberg describes as “the weak and the too willing,” those “who have betrayed their most important civic responsibilities” by capitulating to President Trump’s authoritarian ways.

As Weisberg notes, many in politics, business, the law and education fit that description. His book, labeled “valuable and dauntless” by The New York Times, focuses on a select few. Among this group are Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Sen. Mitch McConnell, journalist Megyn Kelly and former President George W. Bush.

• The rich. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Haadiza Ogwude reports, “Ramaswamy could become second-richest U.S. governor ever, Forbes says.”

Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy could become the third-richest elected official if elected later this year, according to Forbes.

If Ramaswamy wins Ohio’s 2026 gubernatorial election in November, the 41-year-old businessman-turned-politician would become the nation’s second-richest governor and third-wealthiest elected official, wrote the global media company known for its business and finance reporting.

Per the Sept. 20 report, Ramaswamy, whose net worth Forbes estimates at $2.3 billion, would rank behind only President Donald Trump, worth an estimated $7 billion, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, whose fortune is estimated at $4.2 billion.

• AI and the future of humanity. The Columbus Dispatch’s Samantha Hendrickson reports, “Is AI a threat? What Ohio experts say about worrying AI revelations.”

AI developers and executives are warning of potential threats to humanity from the rapidly evolving technology. Some experts are unsurprised by these warnings, noting researchers have discussed these risks for years.

Proposed solutions include more transparency, stricter regulations and implementing new safety guidelines before such worries come to fruition.