Let's Pod This

We visit with Bruce Caplinger, one of our supporters who teaches U.S. citizenship classes in the OKC metro area, about the citizenship process. Below are links to the citizenship test and mock interview questions. For Bruce's contact info, visit this blog post on our website.

• 100-question citizenship test
• Mock citizenship interview questions

Visit CivicsCon.com to get tickets and see the full, amazing speaker lineup. Don't miss it.

Andy and Scott discuss today's federal indictment of former president Donald Trump and do a quick wrap-up of the first regular session (and part of the first special session) of the 59th Oklahoma legislature. Will more happen next week? Yes, but we'll address that then.

• Former president Donald Trump has been indicted on 38 federal counts of obstruction of justice and other charges. Read the indictment.
• Who were the winners and losers of the 2023 legislative session? Our comprehensive list (The Oklahoman)
• Final report-out from Pro Tem Greg Treat

If you feel like life is really hard right now, you're right, and you're not alone. This episode is a quick PSA from Andy, less about politics and more about being resilient.

Andy is joined by Pastor Mac from First AME Church in OKC to discuss public policy, religion, community, and our collective power to reshape our state.

Andy & Scott discuss the legislature's agreement on education funding, the State Treasurer's performative (and hurtful) ban on banks with ESG funds, and AG Drummond doing the bare minimum to win hearts & minds.

• Education deal: Teacher pay, maternity leave and formula tweaks to unlock tax credit bill (NonDoc)
• OK Senate leader offers hope OETA will be funded despite Stitt veto controversy (The Oklahoman)
• Oklahoma may be hurting itself with a ban on some big banks and financial firms (The Oklahoman)
• AG delays enforcement of OK trans health care ban (The Oklahoman)

With just two weeks until sine die, Andy and Scott are joined by Emma Morris, fiscal policy analyst at Oklahoma Policy Institute, to discuss how the state budget is shaping up, why the process is so secretive, and how the state could (and should) do it differently.

Links discussed:

• Superintendent Ryan Walters Calls Oklahoma Teacher Unions a ‘Terrorist Organization’ (The Oklahoman)
• Five transgender youths file suit saying Oklahoma Health care ban is unconsititutional (The Oklahoman)
•  Gov. Stitt Vetoes Bill To Allow Tribal Regalia At High School Graduations (News 9)
• Former state supreme court justice Steven Taylor was tapped to serve as mediator for negotiations between the Governor, the House, & the Senate

It's a McCall vs Treat vs Stitt cage match and the losers are all of us - Oklahomans at home who just want to watch OETA and send our kids to public school. Is that too much to ask?

Andy & Scott get a little spicy discussing Governor Stitt's comments to a reporter how he plans to address homelessness, how he chose not to re-appoint Ryan Walters as Secretary of Education, and how he wants to give Panasonic $245M in free, up-front money to lure them to our state (after they already walked away once).

Other things you should watch & read:

• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver segment about Homeowners Associations
• Oklahoma and Texas Seek Solution To Red River Water Dispute
• Board disapproves Catholic charter school application for now, requests corrections

Another week, another story (or two!) about Attorney General Gentner Drummond. First, we discuss how Drummond "clapped back" at Ryan Walters and the State Board of Education for approving rules without legal authority to do so, and then we analyze why Drummond dropped charges against state Rep. Terry O'Donnell while also calling him guilty. And finally, we discuss how high turnout in Edmond dashed Democrats' hope for Derrick Scobey to win the Oklahoma County Clerk seat. Oh, and former president Donald Trump was formally indicted this week. Whew!

Links mentioned:

• New Oklahoma rules on school library books, transgender students should be void, AG says (The Oklahoman)
• Despite calling him ‘guilty,’ AG Gentner Drummond drops charges against Rep. Terry O’Donnell (NonDoc)
• Progressives Won In The Midwest, While Trump Was Arrested In Manhattan (FiveThirtyEight)