| *** Vance touts roots in Middletown rally Credit: NYT • The story: In his first visit back to his hometown since becoming former President Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance offered a full embrace of Middletown and its residents during his Monday rally. Go here for photos from the event. • Quote: “I will never forget where I came from. I’m from Middletown, Ohio, and I am proud of it,” Vance said to an auditorium packed with over 900 people at Middletown High School. Read coverage of the speech and watch it yourself here. • Dispatch from the merch table: One group of people impacted by Harris replacing Biden at the top of the ticket are merchandise vendors at events like this. I spoke to them about the hard pivot from anti-Biden to anti-Harris merch. • Voter profile: Middletown’s Luther Stanton said he was on the fence about voting for Trump again, as he had in the past two elections, but was sold when he heard Vance was on the ticket. “We need someone who’s more like we are, like common people as opposed to some other rich guy,” Stanton said. Read more reaction from rally-goers here. • Our coverage: We had a full team at the rally and coverage aplenty to prove it. Here’s the full story from Kristen Spicker and Aimee Hancock, and there’s plenty more on the Dayton Daily News politics page. Area state senator Lang walks back warning of ‘civil war’ if Trump loses election • The story: While warming up the crowd on Monday, state Sen. George Lang, R-West Chester, who represents Middletown, warned of “civil war” if Donald Trump and running mate Vance lose the presidential election in November, before walking it all back. Here’s the full story from Josh Sweigart. • The quote: “We are in a fight for our kids and our grandkids, a fight that we can never imagine. I believe wholeheartedly Donald Trump and Butler County’s JD Vance are the last chance to save our country politically. I’m afraid if we lose this one it’s going to take a civil war to save the country, and it will be saved. It’s the greatest experiment in the history of mankind. And if we come down to a civil war, I’m glad we got people like … the Bikers for Trump in our side.” • The fallout: Lang, generally more reserved in nature, received condemnation on social media, national media outlets and politicians on both sides of the aisle. On X, President Joe Biden shared a video of the comments and said “calls to violence threaten our democracy’s foundation. You can’t love your country only when you win.” • The walk back: Soon after the rally ended, Lang issued an apology for his comments and said he regretted the “divisive remarks” he made. “Especially in light of the assassination attempt on President Trump last week, we should all be mindful of what is said at political events, myself included,” Lang said. • ‘Civil war’ to civil discourse: This news organization spoke with politicians and experts regarding the need to tone down the political rhetoric. Here’s my piece. Local political news of the week • New West Dayton hospital?: A community group seeking a new property tax levy to help pay for a new public hospital in West Dayton has submitted a petition to the city of Dayton that supporters believe has enough signatures to require city commission action. Samantha Wildow has the full story. • Huber Heights & Dzik split: Eight weeks after he was placed on administrative leave following an arrest for operating a vehicle while impaired, Rick Dzik has been ousted from his job as the city manager of Huber Heights. Here’s Aimee Hancock’s story on the split. • Homeless tent camp shut down: A group of people who set up tents and began living in a local pocket park in Dayton’s Wolf Creek neighborhood have left that site after city officials said they were asked to leave or be trespassed by police. Aimee Hancock has the full story. State political news of the week Credit: Avery Kreemer • Citizen amendment makes ballot: Ohioans will be able to vote on a state constitutional amendment this November that would bar politicians and those close to them from the table when the state draws its legislative and federal congressional maps, the state confirmed. Here’s my coverage. • Hooners beware: Another new Ohio law shaped by Dayton area advocates and politicians tries to crack down on “hooning,” an increasingly popular form of stunt driving that has been a scourge for officials in Dayton and other cities across the state. Here’s my story. National political news of the week Credit: AP • Biden bows out: President Joe Biden said he would not accept the Democratic nomination ahead of this November’s election in a tectonic shift of his resolve. Biden had faced many calls to drop out from many within his own party, including Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, following a disastrous debate and increasing concerns about his mental acuity. The Associated Press covered this one. • Momentum for Harris: Biden gave his nod to Vice President Kamala Harris, and many more in the Democratic party have fallen in line, including Ohio delegates who now have free reign over who they vote for at the Democratic National Convention in late August. Josh Sweigart has the story. • Federal court hits Ohio voting law: A federal court struck down a portion of an Ohio law this week that places restrictions on who is legally free to help Ohioans submit their absentee ballots, often in cases that involve disabled voters. Here’s my story. | 