The impact of the conflict between Israel and Hamas is being felt in Northeast Ohio.

The militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel last weekend. Israel responded by declaring war on the group. The Greater Cleveland area is home to a large Jewish population estimated at more than 80,000. It is also home to a sizeable Palestinian population estimated at more than 25,000.

Republicans in the House of Representatives nominated Steve Scalise of Louisiana to be the next speaker. Scalise narrowly edged Ohio's Jim Jordan in a secret ballot vote held behind closed doors. The House speakership is vacant after a small group of Republicans led by Matt Gaetz of Florida led a vote to topple Kevin McCarthy of California.

The inner-party feud among Ohio House Republicans took another turn this week. Republican state representatives filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court against Speaker Jason Stephens. The lawsuit asks the court to remove Stephens from control over the House Republicans' campaign fund.

Supporters of an overhaul of the process for drawing legislative maps in Ohio will soon begin circulating petitions for signatures. Thursday, the Ohio Ballot Board determined the proposed redistricting overhaul amendment was one single issue and not multiple issues. The aim of the proposed amendment is to remove politicians from the map-drawing process and give that power to a 15-member non-partisan group of citizens.

We will discuss the story in this week's Reporters Roundtable and as well as the rest of the week's news.

This weekend will bring the warm-up event to next spring's big total eclipse. On Saturday, parts of the United States will be in the path of an annular eclipse.

The eclipse will begin in Ohio on Saturday morning around 11:45. But rain is in the forecast, so it may not be visible at all. Western states will see what's known as a "ring of fire" where the moon almost but not quite covers the sun.

Next April, Northeast Ohio will have a front row seat to a total eclipse and school districts are already eyeing that date as a day off from school out of concerns over traffic.

A big portion of the WKSU listening area will be in or near the path of totality for the rare event. It won't happen again for 75 years.

Guests:
-Glenn Forbes, Supervising Producer for Newscasts, Ideastream Public Media
-Stephen Langel, Reporter, Idestream Public Media
-Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV