Let's Pod This

We're joined by CAIR Oklahoma executive director, Adam Soltani, to discuss the "othering" of Muslims and other marginalized groups by some members of the Oklahoma legislature, as well as their recent Muslim Day the Capitol and their upcoming Ramadan Iftar with elected officials .

Andy interviews public health professor Sunshine Cowan, PhD about the role & purpose of public health and the history & current use of the word "woke."

SQ820 is on the ballot, the Republicans in the state legislature vote to restrict individual freedom for certain Oklahomans, and there's a big election on April 4th.

Representative Mickey "Kickstand" Dollens joins us to discuss bills attacking the ballot initiative process, the House GOP education proposal, and the somewhat bizarre behavior of our State Superintendent.

Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn joins Andy to discuss the role of the Labor Commissioner, her plans for her second term, and timely topics such as open primaries, the legislative process, and why investing in public education is workforce development. Coverage of the House education plan: NonDoc | The Oklahoman Opening clip from The Newsroom

Governor Stitt delivered his State of the State addresses and we invited two of our listeners - intern Micah Caruso and Andy's father, Eddie Moore, into the studio to provide live feedback during and after the speech.

It's the week before session and all of Oklahoma is abuzz with discussion about newly elected State Superintendent Ryan Walter's budget request (and his comments about wanting to divide Tulsa Public Schools into multiple districts), so we invited education policy expert Ellen Pogemiller from OEA to join us to discuss what they're watching this year. Links discussed:   You can register to atte...

Andy and Scott return from break and jump right into the issue that's taking up all the oxygen in Oklahoma politics right now - education. Specifically, why is State Superintendent (and Education Secretary) Ryan Walters all over the news this week? Ryan Walters presented his budget to the State Board of Education (NonDoc) Why OK is paying the State Superintendent More Than the Governor (Oklahoma W...

We return from an unexpectedly long hiatus to reflect on the 2022 election, briefly look ahead to upcoming elections in February, March, and April, and Bailey shares a big announcement! Links mentioned: Here are the candidates campaigning for OKC City Council seats (OKC Free Press)

Andy, Scott, & Bailey prognosticate about polling, about polling errors, about turnout, about the many ways this election could go (and why). Join us for The Election Night Show at Tower Theatre. Republicans Are Just A Normal Polling Error Away From A Landslide — Or Wiping Out (FiveThirtyEight)

In this "minisode," poll worker Michelle Bui explains some of the options available to voters who need special assistance or accomodations to vote, ranging from voting from your car to using an audio tactile interface (ATI). Accessibility information Early Voting locations

Governor Stitt has hired new outside counsel for the tribal gaming compacts cases, OKCPS school bond is on the ballot, recreational marijuana is a future ballot, and we're all a little weary in the lead up to the election. Links mentioned: CourtFacts.org (info on judicial retention ballot) Judges on the Ballot in Oklahoma: What You Need to Know (OK Policy) OKCPS Bond information Oklahoma Gov. Stit...

The race for Oklahoma governor continues to heat up, with both candidates polling within the margin of error, outside money pouring in, and a debate performance that is the talk of the town (or at least of twitter). We dig into what it all could mean on election day. Click here to volunteer with Let's Fix This *As a reminder, all opinions expressed in this podcast are not reflective of Let's Fix T...

GOTV season is now upon us, and the League of Women Voters are here to help Oklahomans be more informed voters. Several of their members join us for this episode; also be sure to check out their 2022 OK Voter Guide .

More recent polling indicates that a couple of races are unexpectedly close - but does that mean the outcome will be, too? Also: a challenger to Treat's hold on power in the Senate, the legislature continues its attacks on transgender Oklahomans, and SQ820 is bumped from the ballot for totally bogus reasons. Stitt still wants to eliminate the grocery tax; the Senate still does not Legislature bull...

Scott and Andy discuss how the broader national political environment may affect Oklahoma's electoral outcomes in November and the importance of nonpartisan voter mobilization. ( Sign up for our Day of Action on Oct 1st here !)

Andy is joined by two guests: State Senator Julia Kirt to discuss her independent interim study on tax policy and Michelle Tilley with Yes on 820 , the ballot initiative which would legalize recreational marijuana and make some important changes to both criminal penalties related to marijuana and add considerable funding for core services like public education.

Oklahoma veterans groups sue the Governor, the teacher shortage crisis deepens, and the state is attempting to blame a vendor for their own failure to protect taxpayer money. Links are below! Lawsuit alleges Gov. Kevin Stitt violated state law in appointing veterans commissioner Teacher shortage across Oklahoma causing stress in classrooms State sues Florida company over management of federal COVI...

Andy & Scott discuss Kansans' rejection of a state question that would have ended abortion protections that are codified in their state constitution, the new & improved Forward Party, and proportional representation.

With roughly 100 days left until the general election, multiple state-funded entities are being audited and/or under investigation. We talk about those as well as a high-level overview of the interim studies that have been approved for this year.

Bailey and Andy breakdown the results of the primary election and what it means for the general election in November and for the state in general. Elections Results

If you’re a regular listener of this program,  you may have noticed that we didn’t publish an episode last week. As I’m sure you are all aware, on the day that we usually record, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a ruling that overturned Roe vs Wade and effectively ended Americans’ right to abortion in more than half of the country, including here in Oklahoma. If you want to learn...

The legislature is juggling two concurrent special sessions (and they disagree on interpreting their own rules which govern them), there's an election in less than 2 weeks, Oklahoma County's government is in disarray (or at least one of its officeholders is), it's ungodly hot, and Covid is getting worse *again*. Links mentioned: Prater seeks to remove David Hooten from office, Blumert outlines awk...

More than 700 Oklahomans die each year from firearms - an average of about 2 per day. We're joined by Beth Furnish, a volunteer with Mom's Demand Action who tracks legislation at the state capitol pertaining to firearms, to discuss the status of Oklahoma gun laws and how they could be made safer. Links discussed: How Oklahoma Lawmakers Have Loosened Gun Regulations the Past Decade (Oklahoma Watch)...

The Oklahoma legislature passed four "total abortion bans" this session, but they're not all the same. We're joined by Tamya Cox-Touré, executive director of ACLU Oklahoma and co-chair of the Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice , to discuss what each of the bills does, how they conflict, and what the future of abortion may look like for Oklahoma.