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Oklahoma has officially adopted new social studies standards that require public school students to be taught about "discrepancies" in the 2020 presidential election — language critics say mirrors debunked conspiracy theories. 

Despite the lack of evidence supporting claims of widespread voter fraud, the state’s new standards embed references that educators and parents fear could mislead students and turn classrooms into ideological battlegrounds.

The standards, approved earlier this year by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, include mandates criticized for their similarity to talking points from conservative media outlets rather than academically sound instruction. Teachers, parents, and education experts worry the inclusion of partisan narratives threatens the integrity of education and places pressure on educators.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, we speak with Aaron Baker, an Oklahoma-based U.S. History teacher, Sandra Valentine, whose daughter is entering high school and will soon be taught these concepts, and Heather Goodenough, President of the Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies.

In this episode of Listen Frontier, we sit down with Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt just days after the Thunder captured their first NBA championship — a moment that’s left the city buzzing.

Holt reflects on what this unforgettable Finals series meant not just for basketball fans, but for the city itself. We talk about the energy in the arena, the grit of the team, and how the Thunder's run became something bigger than sports — a symbol of how far Oklahoma City has come.

We also dive into the deeper story behind the celebration. Holt opens up about how this moment of triumph connects to Oklahoma City’s long journey since the bombing 30 years ago — and why he sees the Thunder’s win as a powerful chapter in that story of resilience.

Gentner Drummond. Ryan Walters. Matt Pinnell. 

A year out from the 2026 primary elections, those three names have emerged as leaders to be Oklahoma’s next Republican candidate for governor. The catch? Only one of them has officially declared their candidacy.

Drummond, Oklahoma’s Attorney General, has a large -— though not insurmountable lead — according to polling released Wednesday by Sooner Survey, which asked 500 registered Republican voters in Oklahoma about their thoughts on likely GOP candidates for governor. Walters, Oklahoma’s state schools superintendent, and Pinnell, the lieutenant governor, lag behind Drummond.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson has entered a growing contest to replace Kevin Stitt as Oklahoma’s next governor. The odds are stacked against Munson - when election day rolls around next year, it will have been 20 years since Oklahoma last elected a Democrat as Governor.

But that’s not slowing down Munson, who said she hopes to provide an alternative to the conservative candidates currently duking it out ahead of next summer’s primary elections.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, told The Frontier she hopes her bill will help Oklahoma schools limit cellphone use and increase learning outcomes.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton is “100 percent on board” with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s proposed half-percent income tax cut – but it’s a cautious 100 percent. 

Paxton told The Frontier that recent Board of Equalization figures, which show Oklahoma’s budget to be short of expectations following last year’s grocery tax cut, make him wary of the possibility of a return to the state’s budget woes of last decade. 

“I can easily say I’m 100% in favor of an income tax cut,” Paxton told The Frontier.

But he also remembers when the state was facing a more than $1 billion budget deficit in 2016.   Stitt has pushed for “half and a path,” his term for a half-percent cut  and a path toward eventually eliminating personal income taxes. Recent Board of Equalization figures show Oklahoma’s revenue projections are less than anticipated, though the state has about $4.6 billion in reserves. Those figures come after the state eliminated its portion of the grocery tax last year, which resulted in a loss of more than $400 million in tax revenue. Stitt, while urging a cut to personal income taxes, has also called for state agencies to have flat budgets for this fiscal year.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, I talk to Paxton about what an income tax cut might mean - both good and bad - for Oklahomans.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

The United States Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Oklahoma to vacate the murder conviction of Richard Glossip, the state’s most famous death row inmate, finding that prosecutors violated Glossip’s civil rights during his trial more than 20 years ago. 

“Glossip is entitled to a new trial,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the majority opinion for five justices. She was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, Kentaji Brown and Amy Comey Barrett, who dissented in part. 

Glossip has spent 26 years on death row, had two trials, nine execution dates and three last meals. Tuesday’s ruling came as Oklahoma prepares to execute its first inmate of the year in March, the 16th since the state resumed executions in 2021.

On today's podcast, I'm joined by former Republican lawmaker Kevin McDugle. In his time in the Legislature, McDugle advocated for Glossip, as well as for various reforms to Oklahoma's use of the death penalty.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

Federal courts have found a man’s videotaped confession in the 1984 death of an Ada convenience store clerk to be almost entirely false but the state of Oklahoma is still fighting in court over whether it can be used against him in a new trial. 

The confession is one of the few remaining pieces of evidence the state has against Karl Fontenot in the abduction and killing of Donna Denise Haraway. Fontenot, 60, and Tommy Ward, 64, were twice-convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Haraway, who went missing from McAnally’s convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984. The two men were arrested for the crime in months later after both allegedly confessed to investigators that they had kidnapped, raped and murdered Haraway. The case was the subject of the 2006 John Grisham book and a popular 2018 Netflix documentary The Innocent Man.

In their Dec. 20, 2024 briefing to the state appeals court, Fontenot’s attorneys pointed out that more than two and a half years have passed since the state’s attempt to have the federal appeals court’s decision overturned was denied, opening the door to refiling charges against Fontenot.

“Now, 926 days later, the State has not retried Mr. Fontenot, or set a trial date for Mr. Fontenot, or uncovered any new evidence that implicates Mr. Fontenot in the abduction of Denise Haraway,” the brief states. “In fact, the State of Oklahoma has stipulated to the absence of any new evidence on February 23, 2024, and admitted that the loss of evidence admitted at the previous trial, and the unavailability of many witnesses has compromised both side’s ability to move forward with the case.”

Today on the podcast we're joined by Frontier reporter Clifton Adcock, to update us on the cases against Fontenot and Ward.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

During his penultimate State of the State address earlier this month, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt called for "half and a path" - his term for a half-percent income tax cut that would put us on a "path to zero" income tax.

Joining us on the podcast today is Aanahita Ervin, fiscal policy analyst for the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Ervin said the state cannot afford even a half-percent income tax cut, and urged the Legislature to look at modernizing tax credits instead.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

The race is on. 

Oklahoma Attorney General Genter Drummond has thrown his hat into the ring, seeking to replace term-limited Kevin Stitt as Oklahoma's Governor in 2026. Drummond is the first candidate to announce, and has been considered a strong contender to replace Stitt since being elected to his AG post in 2022.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, we talk with Republican political strategist A.J. Ferate about Drummond’s announcement, what he needs to do to capitalize on his head start, and who else might enter the race.