JD Vance

JD Vance, former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, was one of the first conservative politicians to elevate the falsehoods that Haitian migrants have eaten pets.

U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno joined fellow Ohioan, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance, in claiming Haitian migrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.

A Haitian community leader in Springfield, Ohio tells Morning Edition that some newcomers are pondering leaving after a string of bomb threats made to the city after former President Trump elevated debunked claims about new migrants during presidential debate with VP Harris.

The Republican vice presidential nominee continues to rail against Haitian migrants living in Ohio, though many have Temporary Protected Status, as the GOP escalates its hardline immigration stance.

Springfield was in the spotlight on the Sunday TV news shows, which featured Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and GOP vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance.

Sen. JD Vance, in a media appearance, blames the media for ignoring the situation in Springfield, Ohio, and justifies false stories about Haitian migrants.

There are several tight races for U.S. Senate and Congress across the country, with one of the most expensive in Ohio.

Local police say they've seen no evidence of crimes against pets alleged by Vance and GOP allies. The claims appear to have been spread by a neo-Nazi group before gaining a wider audience online.

For all Usha Vance shared about their identity-blending marriage in her speech last month in Milwaukee, which was a little over four minutes, she made no mention of her Hindu upbringing or her personal faith and their interfaith relationship – biographical details that have exposed her to online vitriol and hate.

NPR spoke with Appalachian fiction and nonfiction writers about this moment and how they are building a tapestry of what they know as home.