• The Ohio Star Podcast for April 28, 2022: Mandel v. Vance TV ads, Blystone's trust issues
    Apr 28 2022

    Neil W. McCabe, the host of The Ohio Star Podcast, and the national political editor of The Star News Network, a constellation of 11 state-based news sites, which include The Ohio Star, had two guests on this episode.

    Neil's first guest is Star reporter Peter D'Abrosca. Neil and Peter talked about Peter's reporting on the Ohio Republican Senate primary May 3. President Donald J. Trump endorsed J.D. Vance, which put Vance ahead of Josh Mandel ahead in the polls. But, it was not over there. The Club for Growth, supporting Mandel, unleashed TV ads criticizing Trump for his Vance endorsement, and his other endorsements.

    Peter and Neil also reminisced about the end of Washington's Trump International Hotel.

    Neil's next guest is Laura Mills, the attorney for former Joe Blystone co-campaign manager Sarah Chambers. Chambers filed a 51-page campaign finance complaint against Blystone in October, and now Mills is representing her as she defends herself in Blystone's defamations suit against her. Mills said the only defense in a defamation suit is the truth, so she and Chambers are proving that he did not correctly manage nor file his reports correctly--and there is also the issue of the whether Blystone is the trustee for his late wife's property. Blystone did not report that he was, but Mills explains how she is going to prove it one way or the other.

    Finally, you will hear Neil's report for The Star News Network on the Supreme Court oral arguments in Kennedy v. Bremertron case. High school football coach Joe Kennedy, a Marine combat veteran, was fired after he continued to prayer on the field after the games.

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    42 mins
  • The Ohio Star Podcast for April 17, 2022: Dettelbach Nominated, Ohio Elections Commission Sued & Beverly Hills Guns Evicted
    Apr 17 2022

    Neil W. McCabe, the host of The Ohio Star Podcast, and the national political editor of The Star News Network, a constellation of 11 state-focused news sites, including The Ohio Star, had three guests in this episode.

    Neil first guest was Star reporter Peter D'Abrosca about his coverage of President Joseph R. Biden's nomination of former federal prosecutor Steven M. Dettelbach to be the next director of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

    Peter and Neil also talked about South Carolina Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace. Mace was one of the House Republicans most critical of President Donald J. Trump, until her polls went south and Trump endorsed her primary opponent, Katie Arrington.

    Neil's next guest was attorney Curt C. Hartman, whose client Mary Capella, who is suing the Ohio Elections Commission in the Ohio Supreme Court--asking the high court to order the commission to address her two election complaints against GOP gubernatorial candidate Joe Blystone.

    Finally, Neil spoke to Russell Stuart, the owner of Beverly Hills Guns. Stuart just received an eviction notice from his landlord--just after his gun store received publicity as a place to go for self-defense in the middle of the city's current crime wave.

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    47 mins
  • The Ohio Star Podcast for April 1, 2022: Oberlin Gets Baked; Renacci Leads DeWine & John Solomon Reveals His First Ukraine Source
    Apr 1 2022

    Neil W. McCabe, the host of The Ohio Star Podcast, and the national political editor of The Star News Network, a constellation of 11 state-based news sites, which include The Ohio Star, had three guests on this episode.

    McCabe's first guest was Star reporter Peter D'Abrosca, who talked to him about his coverage of the Oberlin College judgement, an award of more than $30 million to Gibson's Bakery, after the school and its administration, students and faculty led protests against the fifth-generation bakery. Following the arrest of three African-American shoplifters turned in by the owners for stealing bottles of wine.

    D'Abrosca and McCabe also talked about Florida Republican Gov. Ronald D. DeSantis signing the Parental Rights in Education bill into law, despite the angry oppostion from Disney.

    McCabe's second guest was Tom Weyand, the senior advisor to Jim Renacci's gubernatorial campaign. Weyand told McCabe about the new Harris poll of Ohio Republicans that shows Renacci leading Gov. Mike DeWine for the GOP nomination, 46 percent to 30 percent.

    Weyand also talked about the Cuyahoga County Republicans endorsing Renacci, even after their screening committee recommended they endorse DeWine, and the governor came to their meeting to make a personal appeal.

    McCabe's third guest was legendary Washington reporter and editor John Solomon, the editor-in-chief of Just the News. Solomon shared with McCabe the backstory about how he began breaking stories about Ukrainian corruption, many of them involving the Biden Family, when he was a news columnist at The Hill newspaper.

    Solomon said despite the criticism of his reporting, a formal editorial review of his Ukrainian columns validated them as factual.

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    Less than 1 minute
  • The Ohio Star Podcast for March 24, 2022
    Mar 23 2022

    Neil W. McCabe, the host of The Ohio Star Podcast and the national political editor of The Star News Network, a constellation of 11 state-focused news sites, which includes The Ohio Star, interviewed three guests for this week's episode.

    First, McCabe spoke to Star reporter Peter D'Abrosca, about stories he is covering

    The next guest is former congressman James B. Renacci, who is challenging Gov. R. Michael DeWine in the Republican gubernatorial primary, along with farmer Joe Blystone. Renacci talked about the March 4 letter Brian Katz, who leads Secretary of State Frank LaRose's campaign finance office, to Friends of Joe Blystone, the farmer-candidate's campaign committee, about 27 possible violations--and more than $100,000 in contributions the committee will have to return if the secretary of state's office is not satisfied with the committee's explanation. The deadline for the response is March 26.

    McCabe's last guest is Georgia trucking businessman Mike Collins, a candidate for the non-vacant Georgia-10 House seat. Collins is running the seat made vacant when Rep. Jody B. Hice decided to run against Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in the GOP primary.

    Collins said he wants to bring back the economy we had under President Donald J. Trump, which was humming like a sewing machine.

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    29 mins
  • *The Ohio Star Podcast for March 17, 2022: Peter D'Abrosca, Ohio GOP Leader Jim Burgess, Raffensperger Challenger Rep. Jody Hice
    Mar 17 2022

     

    Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, a constellation of 11 state-focused news sites, including The Ohio Star had three guests on this episode.

    First, McCabe spoke to Star reporter Peter D’Abrosca about his coverage of Ohio Republican Gov. R. Michael DeWine, who March 14 signed the Constitutional Carry bill, which is the culmination of years of advocacy by the state’s gun rights community.

    D’Abrosca said the new law means that Ohio residents, who meet the age and other requirements, do not have to seek a gun permit in order to carry a concealed firearm.

    This comes on the heels of DeWine’s signing another gun rights bill last year, which repealed the so-called duty-to-retreat and replaced it with a stand-your-ground law.

    D’Abrosca also told McCabe about his coverage of two organizations in Georgia, very closely affiliated with Democratic candidate for governor Stacey Abrams. These groups are raising money to fight efforts in the state to restore election integrity.

    McCabe’s second guest is Jim Burgess, a member of the Ohio Republican Party’s Central Committee. After party treasurer David W. Johnson told central committee members at the Feb. 18 meeting, he would only respond to emailed questions, Burgess sent him an email with questions.

    Burgess, a member of the Financial Review Committee, said Johnson ignored the first email and the follow-up, but he is still hopeful to find out why the party contributed to three statewide candidates, not endorsed by the central committee, and why those candidates reported contributions significantly higher that what Johnson reported.

    Finally, McCabe spoke to Rep. Jody Hice (R.-Ga.) about his primary challenge to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Hice said he was still confused about why Raffensperger certified the 2020 election, despite the irregularities.

    The congressman also talked about the campaign and why is confident for a win in the May 24 primary.

    - - -

    Neil W. McCabe is the national political editor of The Star News Network based in Washington. He is an Army Reserve public affairs NCO and an Iraq War veteran. Send him news tips: neilwmccabe@thestarnewsnetwork.com. Follow him on TruthSocial & GETTR: @ReporterMcCabe

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    59 mins
  • The Ohio Star Podcast for March 3, 2022
    Mar 4 2022

     

    In the March 3, 2022 episode of The Ohio Star Podcast host Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, the constellation of 11 state-focused news sites, including The Ohio Star, had three guests.

    The first guest, Star reporter Peter D'Abrosca talked about his Ohio Star article about efforts to overturn Ohio's Born Alive law in the courts. The new law makes it a crime to kill a newborn infant or deny the infant medical attention with the intention of killing it. Peter also told McCabe about his coverage of a report by the Internet Accountability Project exposing hypocrisy by the social media giants.

    Next, McCabe spoke to Ohio Republican strategist Matt Palumbo about the race for the GOP's Senate nomination, in light of Mike Gibbons moving in the lead, according to The Hill-Emerson College poll, and big-ticket additions to Jane Timken's campaign.

    Tuesday, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. gave his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, and McCabe spoke to long-time Senate staffer Brian H. Darling about how Biden did.

    Finally, McCabe interviews Ryan Lanier, who leads state affairs for Citizens Against Government Waste. Lanier told McCabe why he is concerned about a data privacy bill now under consideration at the statehouse.

    - - -

    Neil W. McCabe is the national political editor of The Star News Network based in Washington. He is an Army Reserve public affairs NCO and an Iraq War veteran. Send him news tips: neilwmccabe@thestarnewsnetwork.com. Follow him on TruthSocial & GETTR: @ReporterMcCabe

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    44 mins
  • The Ohio Star Podcast Feb. 25, 2022
    Feb 25 2022

    In this episode of The Ohio Star Podcast host Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network has interviews from his time at the Conservative Political Action Conference held Feb. 23 through Feb. 27 in Orlando, Florida.

    The first guest is Star reporter Peter D'Abrosca, who talked about his coverage of the trial of Dr. William Husel, charged with more than 12 murders--he injected patients with letal doses of fentanyl. Peter and Neil also talked about the end of the truckers protest in Ottawa, and what its legacy will be.

    The second guest is Ohio Republican Senate hopeful Mike Gibbons. Gibbons is an investment banker and served as the Ohio finance chairman for President Donald J. Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns. Gibbons talked about why he is running and how the campaign is going as he comes up on the May 3 primary.

    The third guest is Sonny Joy Nelson, the media director for GETTR, the social media platform. Nelson said why she enjoys working for GETTR and how it has succeeded as a safe harbor for conservative. She also talked about some of the features on GETTR that make it a robust platform--as well as some new features in development.

    The last guest is the father of Brexit, Nigel Farage. Farage talked about how he saw the crisis in Ukraine and the marks he gives British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Farage, a close friend of Trump's, also weighed in on whether the president makes another run for the White House in 2024--as well as his take on Florida Gov. Ronald DeSantis as a possible primary challenger to Trump.

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    39 mins
  • The Ohio Star Podcast Feb. 21, 2022
    Feb 21 2022
    In this episode of The Ohio Star Podcast, the host Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, spoke to Star reporter Peter D'Abrosca about his story about "Sex Week" at The Ohio State University and he and Neil discussed the trucker protest in Ottowa. The next guest is conservative activist Scott Presler, who called in from he is car tour of Ohio, giving speeches and meeting with conservatives in support of former congressman Jim Renacci's challenge to Gov. Mike DeWine in the May 3 GOP primary. The Ohio Republican Party Central Committee held a meeting Feb. 18, where the members voted to endorse DeWine and the other statewide incumbents as a slate. This endorsement means that the state party is authorized to use its funds and resources to support the governor. Neil spoke about his own experience covering the meeting for The Ohio Star and his conversation with Ohio Republican Party Central Committeeman Mark Bainbridge about his takeaways from the meeting. Bainbridge said that Party Chairman Bob Paduchik controls the party in the service of DeWine, and he corruptly manages the party and its finances.
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    38 mins