This Week in Oklahoma Politics

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a federal judge ruling against State Superintendent Ryan Walters in his legal battle with Oklahoma City television station KFOR, Attorney General Gentner Drummond asking an appellate court to overturn the injunction against Oklahoma's new anti-illega...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about three Republican lawmakers calling on the state Supreme Court to disqualify Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett from utility rate hike cases, investigation against State Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Department of Education and ethics...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about State Question 832 to increase the minimum wage getting pushed for a vote in June of 2026, the recount for Tulsa mayor ends with no significant changes and State Superintendent Ryan Walters along with the Board of Education face a couple of legal iss...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the expected changes in the state legislature after summer primary and runoff elections, a group of far right Republicans announce the creation of the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus and State Superintendent Ryan Walters' Bible mandate. The trio also discuss...

This week in Oklahoma Politics is taking a break for the summer months. Ryan, Neva and Michael will be returning on September 6th. In the meantime, stay up to date with the latest Oklahoma news by subscribing to the KOSU Daily podcast and keep up today at KOSU.org.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the State Supreme Court ruling against a Catholic charter school finding it unconstitutional, Governor Stitt creating advisors rather than cabinet members to avoid state law banning people from holding two separate offices. The trio also discusses St...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the primary elections, spending by State Superintendent Ryan Walters on public relations and the State Supreme Court ruling in favor of Edmond Public Schools to choose which books to keep in its library. The trio also discusses the decision by a fede...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the upcoming primary elections, Governor Stitt's call for a special session to consider his nomination of Mike Holder to the Board of Regents for A&M Colleges and Oklahoma County Commissioners moving forward with the purchase of land near Del Cit...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the nearly $12.5B budget passed by lawmakers in the waning days of the 2024 legislative session as well as an overview of the session itself. The trio also discusses lawmakers wanting an inquiry by the attorney general of the top adviser for State Su...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the State of Oklahoma facing a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice over its new immigration law, OKC Council denying a special permit for a new Oklahoma County Jail near Del City and a budget agreement from state lawmakers. The trio also disc...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about budget talks ongoing with a week left in the regular session, a district judge halting Oklahoma's law creating a blacklist of banks deemed critical of the oil and gas industry and Congressman Tom Cole facing a challenge from a well-financed Texas bus...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Pollical Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Governor Stitt and legislative leaders coming together to hold budget negotiations in public, State Superintendent Ryan Walters and AG Gentner Drummond filing separate legal challenges to the new rules from the Biden Administration over Title IX rules...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the governor signing a controversial Texas-style illegal immigration bill and more trouble for Tourism Director Shelley Zumwalt. The trio also talks about the leader of the State Senate abruptly replacing his Appropriations Chairman with less than a...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about an audit showing questionable contracts by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services and then-Director Shelley Zumwalt during the pandemic, Governor Stitt vetoing a bill to protect victims of domestic abuse and lawmakers sending Governor Stitt...

This week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a new immigration bill unveiled by legislative leadership earlier this week, the State House releasing a budget proposal to include a tax cut already rejected by the Senate and lawmakers in the House rejecting a measure to eliminate the Judicial Nomi...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a low turnout in the number of candidates filing for the 2024 election, a governor's task force calling for a lifting of the cap on individual donations to political campaigns and Congressman Tom Cole's elevation to chairman of the powerful U.S. Hous...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about arguments before the State Supreme Court regarding a Catholic virtual charter school, approval for an initiative petition to raise the state's minimum wage to move forward and a preliminary hearing over Epic Charter Schools' cofounders. The trio also...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Right Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a delay in the signature gathering for an initiative petition to raise Oklahoma's minimum wage as opponents call for a rehearing by the State Supreme Court, Congressman Tom Cole vying to be the next chairman of the U.S. House Appropriations and Budget...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a report showing State Superintendent Ryan Walters used taxpayer dollars to pay a public relations firm to promote him on the national stage, a Catholic charter school is moving forward with applications to open this fall despite facing legal challen...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Governor Stitt's veto of a bill designed to save members of his cabinet, Freedom of Information Oklahoma giving awards out to Attorney General Gentner Drummond and State Superintendent Ryan Walters and two top officials announcing their resignation a...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Super Tuesday results in the state's Presidential Primaries, controversy over a fundraiser at Deer Creek Schools when a viral video showed kids licking peanut butter off the toes of other kids and a bill to keep Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the resignation of Transportation Secretary Tim Gatz after an AG's opinion saying he couldn't also be director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and Department of Transportation and a State Senator doubling down on calling members of the LGBTQ commu...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about new estimates from the State Board of Equalization for lawmakers to craft a state budget in the 2025 fiscal year budget, Edmond Schools challenging an order from the State Board of Education to remove books from its library and the State Supreme Cour...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Attorney General Gentner Drummond dropped a second lawsuit by Governor Stitt over misspend COVID-19 education funds, a multicounty grand jury indicts three people with Swadley's in regard to controversial operations at state park restaurants and the...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the Governor setting forth a wish list to lawmakers in the State of the State Address to kick off the 2024 legislative session, the governor's call for a flat budget at state agencies while pushing for a cut to income taxes and a look at some of the...