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Baseless accusations fuel fear and division in Springfield

Members of the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, from left, Lindsay Aime, James Fleurijean, Viles Dorsainvil, and Rose-Thamar Joseph, stand for worship at Central Christian Church, on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024.
Jessie Wardarski
/
AP
Members of the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, from left, Lindsay Aime, James Fleurijean, Viles Dorsainvil, and Rose-Thamar Joseph, stand for worship at Central Christian Church, on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024.

Tensions in the city of Springfield continue to simmer. Another week, more bomb threats. The number has now exceeded 30 at city schools, all of which have been false. But that did not stop evacuations and prompted Gov. DeWine to deploy three dozen Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to Springfield to assist with security.

Of course, this all follows Sen. JD Vance's and former President Donald Trump's lies that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were stealing residents' pets and eating them. There is still no evidence of this happening.

On Sunday, Vance appeared on CNN's State of the Union with Dana Bash and refused to admit that the rumors are baseless. On the show, he does seem to admit to creating stories to raise awareness of the issue of immigration.

Longtime political reporter Darrel Rowland joins the show.

Snollygoster of the week

Sen. Sherrod Brown's Republican opponent Bernie Moreno has said he has divested from all his business interests as he seeks a U.S. Senate seat. However, on a recently filed personal financial disclosure statement, he indicated he has invested in a planned Mercedes-Benz dealership in Sunbury—just north of Columbus. As NBC first reported, Moreno sought and signed off on $40 million worth of financing. Moreno says he's just an investor, and the business will be run by his son.

Now the Brown campaign has been making a lot of hay of Moreno’s business history, including accusations he did not pay overtime to his employees. So now, the Brown campaign has purchased the website name MercedesBenzofSunbury.com, and when you go to that site, it automatically redirects to a negative campaign website called "The Truth About Bernie Moreno."

If you have a suggestion for our "Snollygoster of the Week" award, a question or a comment, send them to snollygoster@wosu.org.