🗞️ On this date in 1819, the Cleveland Herald and Gazette published its first issue, becoming the city's second newspaper.

• It ceased publication in 1885.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Anand Desai!

Today’s newsletter is 1,053 words — a 4-minute read.

Ohio families are among the nation's earliest participants in Trump Accounts, a new federal investment program offering $1,000 to eligible babies.

Why it matters: The money is meant to give children a financial head start, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent telling Axios it's "the most important benefit for young people since the GI Bill."

Driving the news: The program went live in July, but the Treasury Department earlier this month announced it had automatically established accounts for eligible children nationwide.

• Parents must still claim the accounts to manage them, allow contributions and receive the $1,000 federal payment.

By the numbers: As of July 30, Ohio had the fifth-highest percentage of early signups nationwide.

• Roughly 230,000 forms had been processed — an estimated 10% of eligible children, compared with 7.6% nationally.

How it works: Eligible U.S. citizen children born between 2025 and 2028 qualify for a one-time $1,000 government contribution invested in the stock market.

• Families and employers can contribute additional money, subject to annual limits.

Zoom in: Parents claiming accounts must verify their identities and relationship to their children.

• Robinhood, the online investing platform, is serving as the initial trustee and brokerage provider for Trump Accounts.
• The company's privacy policy says it collects information including Social Security numbers, dates of birth and government IDs, and can extract facial biometric data from submitted images to "detect/prevent fraud."
• The company says it doesn't sell Trump Account information or use it for advertising, but certain information can be shared with Treasury and service providers.

Yes, but: Not everyone is eager to sign up, owing to security concerns, and some have worried the accounts risk widening the wealth gap.

The bottom line: Parents can review the program's terms and privacy policies at TrumpAccounts.gov.

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A MAGA-linked super PAC is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting a socialist candidate, Greg Levy, in Ohio's closely contested U.S. Senate race.

Why it matters: The likely strategy is to siphon left-leaning voters away from Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown to benefit Republican Sen. Jon Husted.

• The tactic of boosting third-party candidates to divide an opponent's support is an electoral maneuver used by both parties and has become more popular in recent cycles.

Driving the news: Ohio voters received mailers in recent days promoting Levy, an Akron-born candidate affiliated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

• The mailers mimic Levy's campaign literature in style and substance, touting his support for workers' rights, trans rights and direct democracy.
• "We can start a revolution!" the mailers read. "End the Dictatorship of the Rich." "Send a worker to the U.S. Senate!"

By the numbers: Federal campaign finance records show the newly formed Enough Promises Ohio super PAC spent nearly $400,000 promoting Levy in early October.

• A BGSU/YouGov poll of likely voters conducted Sept. 29-Oct. 9 found Levy with 5% support.

Follow the money: Spectrum News reports the PAC hired a South Carolina printing company with ties to Big Dog Strategies, a Republican consulting firm whose founder advises Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC.

• Big Dog's senior vice president also helped manage Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno's successful 2024 campaign against Brown.

Between the lines: Democrats knew something was amiss with the mailers because they came from a nonunion print shop — presumably anathema for a socialist candidate concerned foremost with workers.

What they're saying: Levy's campaign disavowed the mailers in a statement accusing the PAC of "digital blackface."

• "This is a highly undemocratic practice and does a disservice to voters in Ohio and throughout the country."

The other side: Enough Promises Ohio did not respond to an Axios email seeking comment.

• Husted's campaign has denied any involvement with the mailers, NBC4 reports.

What we're seeing: Calls for Levy to drop out of the race on social media.

• Levy's campaign tells Axios it has no intention of doing so.
• "As long as no other candidate will stand against genocide, fight for universal healthcare, or confront the terror ICE is inflicting on our communities, as long as all we're offered are empty promises, we will stay in this race."

✏️ "The hard part is behind us," CMSD CEO Warren Morgan said at his annual state of the schools address last week, pushing back on criticism of the merger plan that closed 18 schools. (Signal Cleveland)

🗳️ The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is visiting local libraries this week to make voters aware of 66 precinct location changes affecting nearly 60,000 voters. (BOE)

🅿️ The Brook Park planning commission voted unanimously to allow the Browns to reduce the number of required parking spaces at the new stadium site from 13,000 to as few as 8,000. (Cleveland.com)

⚖️ The NCAA has sued Gov. Mike DeWine after he signed an executive order giving the high school class of 2022 a fifth year of eligibility. (NBC Sports)

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's new Primate Forest opens to the public Thursday, Oct. 22, at noon.

Why it matters: The opening has been long in the works. It's the first phase of the zoo's largest capital improvement project, transforming the former Rainforest into a 140,000-square-foot indoor destination.

Zoom in: The new attraction features an expanded orangutan habitat, a tropical forest and a two-story entrance with interactive technology and play structures incorporated throughout.

• The project includes renovations to more than 63,000 square feet of the former Rainforest and 33,500 square feet of new construction.

What's next: A second phase will create a new habitat for the zoo's growing gorilla troop, with the entire project scheduled for completion by the zoo's 150th anniversary in 2032.

Every time you think you're done with the Browns, they pull you back in.

• Cleveland is back in first place after a thrilling win against the Baltimore Ravens yesterday.

Weigh in: We'd love to hear your totally made-up captions for this photo from Week 6's big win.

🏀 Sam had his annual fantasy basketball draft last night and can scarcely believe the NBA season starts this week.

📺 Troy spent the weekend binging Peacock's excellent "Friday the 13th" sequel series, "Crystal Lake."

This newsletter was edited by Tyler Buchanan.