Oklahoma News
Thousands of Oklahomans gather to protest the Trump Administration under the 'No Kings' rally-cry: What started as a relatively quiet march of hundreds of demonstrators from Oklahoma City's Scissortail Park to City Hall eventually turned into a thunderous — and soaked — crowd of thousands of Oklahomans. The majority of them were there to peacefully protest what some have called President Trump's authoritarian overreach. Some advocated for more action. [KOSU]
- Despite rain, thousands rallied for 'No Kings' march protesting Trump in OKC [The Oklahoman]
- Thousands gather in Oklahoma City for 'No Kings' protest [KFOR]
- 'No Kings' protesters in OKC rally for democracy, denounce administration [Fox 25]
- Tulsa anti-Trump 'No Kings' rallies attract several thousand. No serious incidents reported [Tulsa World]
- More than a thousand protest Trump in Tulsa prior to military parade [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Ahead of No Kings protest, Stitt, Mayor Holt remember response to 2020 protests differently [The Oklahoman]
- No Kings protests around the nation denounce Trump's actions [Oklahoma Voice]
- Opinion: Motorists still cannot just mow down protesters who wander off track [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
State Government News
Teacher incentives, math education bills become law in Oklahoma: Longtime Oklahoma teachers will continue earning annual salary increases for an extra 10 years, and their children will qualify for a major state-funded scholarship under new laws the governor signed this week. [Oklahoma Voice]
Gov. Stitt explains Oklahoma's goal with new business courts, how they would work: The creation of business courts in Oklahoma, one in Tulsa and one in Oklahoma City, could coax scores of new companies to incorporate in the state, which would generate millions of dollars in new revenue, Gov. Kevin Stitt believes. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma legislators, some who knew slain Minnesota lawmaker, decry political violence: Current and former Oklahoma legislators — including at least three who knew one of the victims — have expressed heartbreak and condemnation over the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma National Guard Museum is on the march to new space with room to grow: The Oklahoma National Guard Museum has closed the doors to its longtime home in the Lincoln Park Armory in preparation for relocation to a new facility. [The Oklahoman]
Political notebook: Tax cuts trim $227 million from FY 2026 revenue certification: The Oklahoma State Board of Equalization on Friday certified final revenue estimates for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1. This year's Legislature based its FY 2026 appropriations and budget on a Board of Equalization estimate from February. The one approved Friday differs only by figuring in the impact of the income tax cut and other measures enacted this spring. Those reduced expected general revenue by $208.6 million and direct apportionments by $18.2 million. [Tulsa World]
Capitol Insider: Funding delay could affect State Historic Preservation Office: Trait Thompson, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, discusses how did the Historical Society fare in the state budget for fiscal year 2026. [KGOU]
Opinion, Oklahoma House Speaker Kyle Hilbert: Legislation making Oklahoma better advances this session: House Republicans came into the first session of the 60th Legislature with new leadership, a new two-tiered committee structure and a clear vision for what we could accomplish for the people of Oklahoma this year. [Rep. Kyle Hilbert / Tulsa World]
Opinion, Oklahoma Corporation Commission Chair: No one wants a 'load shedding event,' that is, a power blackout: Recent load shedding events, or forced power blackouts, in Louisiana, New Mexico and even across the Atlantic in Spain serve as urgent reminders that no region, no matter how developed, is immune to the growing strains on our electrical infrastructure. These disruptions reveal critical vulnerabilities that demand proactive solutions. I work closely with our state's electric utilities to ensure that such events don't happen here. [Oklahoma Corporation Commission Chair Kim David / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Ignore the shouting: Most lawmakers are serious and hard-working: I won't deny that I see worrisome signs that state politics is increasingly dominated by elected officials who are motivated more by ideology and political ambition than by a genuine desire to serve. Yet that makes it even more important to acknowledge and applaud the good men and women from both parties who are striving to do what's right. [David Blatt / Tulsa World]
Opinion Cartoon: Where it counts, Oklahoma is failing its kids: Oklahoma ranks 46th among 50 states in the annual Kids Count report, released Monday, June 9, by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Every measure of educational success tracked by the report has worsened in recent years. At the same time, economic insecurity has increased, with 21% of Oklahoma children living in poverty. [Todd Pendleton / The Oklahoman]
Editorial: We can't afford the Parental Choice Tax Credit scheme. Millions are now owed: The receipts are in on Oklahoma being the first state to offer a universal school choice program where taxpayers are charged for students to attend private school. Shocker: We are owed millions. [Tulsa World Editorial Board]
Federal Government News
Trump's proof of citizenship elections order blocked for now in federal court: A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump's executive order requiring states to mandate voters in federal elections provide documents proving their citizenship, ruling the measure would cause a significant burden to states and potentially harm voters. [Oklahoma Voice]
HR 40: A Renewed Fight for Reparations and Justice: From Tulsa to D.C., leaders urged lawmakers to confront the full scope of harms Black Americans still face. Rep. Ayanna Pressley underscored that the deep inequities Black Americans face—in education, healthcare, jobs, and wealth—are not accidental. These disparities, she said, stem from deliberate, legislated harm, built into policies and budgets across generations. Pressley framed this systemic injustice as policy violence that demands intentional repair. [The Black Wall Street Times]
House passes bill to cut public broadcasting funds: The House passed the rescission package Thursday afternoon in a 214–212 vote, with all five Oklahoma representatives voting in favor of the funding cuts. [The Black Wall Street Times]
D.C. Digest: Oklahoma delegation backs Israeli attack on Iran: The Trump administration's support for Israel's attacks on Iran last week may have grated on isolationist supporters who fear being dragged into a wider Middle East conflict, but not Oklahoma's congressional delegation. [Tulsa World]
Trump brought in $57 million from crypto venture, millions from sneakers and bibles: President Donald Trump's sources of income range from luxury properties around the world to royalty payments and license fees for using his name and likeness on everything from sneakers to bibles, according to a financial disclosure form filed June 13. The 234-page document covered the calendar year 2024. [USA Today]
The GOP's big bill would bring changes to Medicaid for millions: As the party pushes ahead on President Trump' s priority package, Republicans insist they are not cutting the vital safety net program but simply rooting out what they call waste, fraud and abuse. Whether that argument lands with voters could go a long way toward determining whether Trump's bill ultimately ends up boosting — or dragging down — Republicans as they campaign for reelection next year. [Associated Press]
Opinion: James Lankford says folks are 'going crazy' over GOP Medicaid plans. But it's not in a good way: It's become clear that Oklahoma's U.S. Sen. James Lankford has apparently taken one too many sips of the spiked, D.C.-flavored Kool-Aid. Because it's clear there's a disconnect between the Republican Medicaid propaganda he's been spouting and the stark reality of Oklahoma's insurance and health care systems. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Former U.S. Interior secretary calls for tribal input in policy decisions in Oklahoma City address: A former U.S. Cabinet secretary told hundreds of Indigenous Oklahomans that the Trump administration's attempts to end diversity, equity and inclusion shouldn't touch tribal governments because they're sovereign. But those efforts still threaten to derail the gains tribal nations have made in recent years, she said. [The Oklahoman]
Westwin Elements' dream for America and swirling questions of tribal sovereignty, health in Oklahoma: A nickel refinery in Lawton, hoping to help solve America's critical minerals crisis, has been the center of debate. After facing pushback from three local tribes, questions loom over the strength of Indigenous sovereignty. [KOSU]
Attorney general issues opinion denying Keetoowah gaming compact: The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office has issued an opinion denying the validity of a gaming compact signed by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and Gov. Kevin Stitt. [Tulsa World]
Voting and Election News
Oklahoma Ethics Commission approves prosecuting state representative for campaign finance misuse: The Oklahoma Ethics Commission will prosecute state Rep. Ajay Pittman for failure to reimburse penalties owed after agreeing to a settlement agreement for campaign expenditure violations in 2024. [KOSU]
Education News
'Different tactics': OU hikes tuition while touting scholarships, OSU keeps costs flat again: On the same day OU President Joe Harroz proclaimed tuition increases are required to achieve "excellence" in higher education, the Board of Regents for the Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges held a Finance Committee meeting where leaders of Oklahoma State University explained why OSU's tuition and fees were staying flat for the fourth year in a row — the sixth in the last seven. [NonDoc]
- OU Board of Regents votes for tuition hike, pay increase for president [KGOU]
- OSU tuition and fees unchanged for fourth straight year [Tulsa World]
Vouchers Deliver Blow to Rural Schools: 'They're Taking Money From Our Students': School voucher programs have a proven record of failure and are especially harmful to rural students, families, and communities. 'Why are we diverting funds from our schools,' asks an Oklahoma educator, 'to give free money to families making over $200,000?' [NEA]
Health News
'Big step forward': What to know about HB 2298 and how it may impact health care in Oklahoma: House Bill 2298 allows nurse practitioners who meet certain requirements to write prescriptions without a doctor's oversight. It will essentially allow nurse practitioners to practice independently, something that has previously kept them from treating patients in rural areas if doctors do not cover those communities. [The Oklahoman]
Planned Parenthood at risk of closing hundreds of clinics, drastically limiting abortion access: If the budget reconciliation package before the U.S. Senate becomes law in the coming weeks, reproductive health advocates say the provision that would cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood clinics could serve as a backdoor nationwide abortion ban, eliminating access to 1 in 4 abortion providers. [Oklahoma Voice]
Criminal Justice News
Officials: New OK County Behavioral Care Center can't be a 'catchall' for all in crisis: Who will receive treatment at the Behavioral Care Center at the new Oklahoma County jail if it —expected to potentially cost $700 million or more — is ever fully funded and built? Not just anyone will be able to get care at the $44 million mental health center, funded with federal pandemic relief money, underway at the jail site. [The Oklahoman]
- How a new jail didn't solve all of Oklahoma County's inmate problems in 1991 [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Supporting cash bail reform isn't anti-public safety. It's good governance: Oklahoma lawmakers haven't had an appetite to tackle cash bail problems since a failed attempt in 2019. A federal court ruling and recent study out of Tulsa County ought to have lawmakers reconsidering their positions. [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
City Lights breaks ground on permanent supportive housing village for homeless in Tulsa: City Lights Foundation of Oklahoma broke ground Saturday on phase one of City Lights Village. Once completed, the permanent supportive housing community in north Tulsa will include 75 townhouses, a community center, gardens and an orchard. [Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
Paying $10,000 to move to Tulsa is worth four times the investment, study shows: A program that pays $10,000 for people to move to Tulsa for work is having an economic turnaround of four times the investment, a new study shows. [Tulsa World]
Opinion, Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell: The next industrial revolution is in space. We can lead it: I recently attended the 40th annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, which is the largest space symposium in the world. The message I heard over and over from government leaders, commercial innovators and global competitors was clear: The next industrial revolution is underway — and it's happening in space. [Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell / Tulsa World]
Community News
Oklahomans, veterans push back against the call for Afghan refugees to be expelled: Retired Maj. Kerri Keck said she was among the Oklahomans who worked shoulder to shoulder with America's Afghan allies to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban. She was among several local veterans, individuals who have sponsored Afghan refugees and other supporters of Afghan resettlement in the state, who recently shared their concerns about Attorney General Gentner Drummond's recent call for Afghan refugees to be expelled from Oklahoma. [The Oklahoman]
Supreme Court decision benefits Oklahoma chapter of Catholic Charities: Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City says it is encouraged by the U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in favor of a Wisconsin-based Catholic Charities branch, calling it an affirmation of their right to provide social services without compromising their religious identity. [NonDoc]
Rollback on DEI impacting corporate sponsor support for Oklahoma Pride Alliance: Support and sponsorships for local organizations in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion space has been hard to come by, as many companies align with initiatives from the Trump Administration. [KFOR]
Local Headlines
- Tulsa City Council set to vote on $1.1 billion budget proposal Wednesday [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa Animal Services shows need for more from city budget with new shelter yet to open [Tulsa World]
- OKC's Juneteenth on the East returns with BIG K.R.I.T. [The Black Wall Street Times]
