Ryan Welton is joined by Grant Hermes for a wide-ranging conversation on the week’s biggest political developments.

They discuss Kevin Hern’s Senate bid and why it could trigger major consequences not just in Oklahoma, but in the U.S. House. They also look at Gov. Kevin Stitt’s possible ambitions, the uncertainty around Markwayne Mullin’s future, and the larger political calculations underway.

The second half of the conversation turns to the Senate’s role in confirming cabinet officials, how that process really works, and why the escalating Iran conflict and Strait of Hormuz disruption could send shockwaves through oil markets and beyond.

Topics include:

1. Kevin Hern’s path to the U.S. Senate
2. What Gov. Kevin Stitt may be thinking politically
3. Why Markwayne Mullin’s future matters
4. How cabinet confirmations actually work
5. Trump, donor access and power politics
6. Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and the oil shock threat
7. What this all could mean for Oklahoma

Subscribe to Oklahoma Memo: oklahomamemo.com/subscribe

Subscribe to Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MIMSnewspod

A heartbreaking tragedy is now driving a push for legislative change in Oklahoma.

In this episode of the Oklahoma Memo Podcast, Ryan Welton speaks with Jacob Towe, whose young son Leo died from fentanyl poisoning.

After learning the true cause of Leo’s death, Towe began pushing for a new law that would require the Oklahoma Department of Human Services to test parents for fentanyl before reunifying children with them.

The proposed legislation, known as “Leo’s Law,” would simply add fentanyl to the panel of drugs already tested during child welfare investigations.

Towe shares:

• The story of his son Leo

• How he discovered fentanyl poisoning caused Leo’s death

• Why he believes the tragedy could have been prevented

• The grassroots effort to pass Leo’s Law

• Why other states — and Congress — are watching Oklahoma

Towe says if the law saves even one child, the effort will be worth it.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Leo’s Law Facebook group

• Families Supporting Families in Oklahoma

Improving reading outcomes has become a major policy focus in Oklahoma.

But what actually helps children learn to read?

In this episode of the Oklahoma Memo Podcast, Ryan Welton talks with longtime Oklahoma educator and historian John Thompson about the literacy debate, including the widely discussed “Mississippi Miracle.”

Thompson explains why some tutoring programs fail, how high-dosage tutoring works, and why background knowledge and classroom culture play a critical role in literacy development.

He also raises concerns about the growing push toward AI-based tutoring systems and what that could mean for the future of public education.

• The “Mississippi Miracle” reading debate

• What research says about tutoring programs

• High-dosage tutoring explained

• Why test pressure can undermine reading comprehension

• The role of knowledge and curriculum in literacy

• Concerns about AI tutoring tools

• Lessons from decades in Oklahoma classrooms

Leave this episode a 5-star review and help the Oklahoma Memo podcast get discovered easier!

This week on the Oklahoma Memo Podcast:

Ryan Welton is joined by Rep. Melissa Provenzano (D–Tulsa) and congressional candidate John Croisant for a wide-ranging discussion on Oklahoma’s fiscal future.

Topics include:

Education

1. Mississippi’s reading model vs. Oklahoma’s funding history
2. Third-grade retention debate
3. Teacher pay, emergency certifications and workforce pipeline
4. Private school tax credits vs. public investment

Healthcare

1. Federal Medicaid reductions and SoonerCare implications
2. Insurance premium spikes
3. AI-based claim denials

Affordability

1. Dynamic grocery pricing
2. Insurance oversight
3. Minimum wage proposals

Economic Development

1. Data centers and AI expansion
2. Energy and water usage concerns
3. Workforce readiness and corporate relocation decisions

Connect with:

Rep. Melissa Provenzano — [email protected]

John Croisant — croisantforcongress.com

Subscribe to the Oklahoma Memo newsletter at OklahomaMemo.com/subscribe.

Trump’s address was historic for its length — but the political tells were in the omissions. Ryan Welton is joined by national journalist and podcaster Grant Hermes (Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes) to break down State of the Union week, the messaging strategy behind what got left out, and what it could signal heading into the midterms.

Then, the conversation turns to Oklahoma: Gov. Kevin Stitt’s NPR interview and why his “return to integrity” tone — plus a states’ rights framing — sounds like he’s testing a national lane.

In this episode

1. Why Trump barely touched ICE — despite immigration enforcement being central to the administration
2. What it means that the “One Big Beautiful Bill” didn’t get a direct mention
3. The “SAVE America Act” and the bigger elections-power fight behind it
4. How courts, procedure, and politics collide if executive actions push too far
5. Kevin Stitt’s NPR interview: states’ rights, immigration tone, and 2028 vibes

Links

1. Subscribe to Oklahoma Memo: oklahomamemo.com/subscribe
2. Grant Hermes / Make It Make Sense:

(https://www.youtube.com/@MIMSnewspod)

(https://mimsnewspod.substack.com/)

Follow / Support

If you found this useful, share the episode! We appreciate you!

Welcome to the first Oklahoma Memo Newscast.

Today’s top story:

Senate Republican leadership unveils a $254 million education plan that would raise teacher pay and fund literacy initiatives by capping additional contributions to Oklahoma’s teacher retirement system.

Teachers push back.

Plus:

• Rob Miller withdraws from state superintendent race

• Markwayne Mullin confronts Al Green at State of the Union

• Severe weather risk developing for next week

• OU baseball walk-off win

• OSBI investigating Harmon County Sheriff’s Office

• Bryan County ranchers aid Beaver County wildfire victims

Subscribe to the Oklahoma Memo newsletter for daily curated reporting from across the state. You can do so at OklahomaMemo.com/subscribe

Ryan Welton is joined by Grant Hermes (Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes) for a wide-ranging conversation that connects a local Oklahoma education controversy to larger questions about power, institutional trust, and international pressure.

They discuss Mustang Public Schools suspending 122 students after a Feb. 5 walkout, how lawsuits and discovery could reveal more behind the scenes, the mechanics of protest movements, and why Grant is watching signs of possible escalation involving Iran. They also touch on international developments connected to the Epstein files — and why weekends, especially Fridays, can be pivotal for breaking news.

Key topics:

1. Mustang’s 122 suspensions after the Feb. 5 walkout
2. Student protest protections and the disruption standard
3. “Unexcused absence” vs. viewpoint discipline — and why that distinction matters
4. What discovery could reveal if litigation happens
5. Protest spillover: how crackdowns can multiply movements
6. International pressure around the Epstein files and credibility questions
7. Iran escalation signals + coalition dynamics
8. Media literacy: the Friday news dump and why “alerts” matter

Weekly guest: Grant Hermes — Make It Make Sense:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MIMSnewspod

Substack: https://mimsnewspod.substack.com/

Subscribe: Oklahoma Memo (daily newsletter) — OklahomaMemo.com/subscribe

Senate Bill 1421 advanced out of committee this week with unanimous support — but what does it (or could it if it becomes law) actually change?

Ryan Welton sits down with Brandy Torres-DeMark, founder of the Our Kids Deserve Better Coalition, to break down the bill’s purpose and process.

In this episode:

• What SB 1421 would codify into law

• Why the bill has no fiscal impact

• How trauma-informed standards could reduce long-term costs

• What bipartisan cooperation looks like behind the scenes

• Concerns about “more training” in an already overwhelmed system

• What happens next on the Senate floor

Brandy also discusses the Great American Reset Experiment, a nonpartisan effort encouraging Americans to commit to voting through 2030.

📩 Questions? Email [email protected]

⭐ Leave a five-star review to help more Oklahomans find this conversation.

Adrianne Marsh (Altum Insight) joins the show to unpack lessons from presidential-era campaigning, why Barack Obama 2008 was a once-in-a-generation “unicorn,” and what his team’s qualitative research is revealing right now: in rural communities, AI is landing as a major trust threat — tied to privacy, kids’ futures, community values, and a broader sense of being talked down to rather than listened to.

We also get into:

1. Accountability systems that actually work (even down to volunteers)
2. Why authenticity and message discipline scale
3. How corporate research builds narratives that move behavior (and why politics often doesn’t)
4. The “ballot initiative paradox”: progressive issues pass… until there’s a party label attached
5. Why rebuilding trust starts with listening, not persuasion

If you enjoy this episode, please leave it a 5-star review. This helps the podcast to grow because it primes the algorithm. Many thanks to you in advance!

This week: Ryan Welton sits down with Grant Hermes (Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes) to unpack a fast-moving national story with Oklahoma fingerprints — and the bigger questions it raises about federal power, state authority, and civil liberties.

What we cover

1. Why Gov. Kevin Stitt’s role as chair of the National Governors Association matters
2. The White House meeting controversy and why Stitt publicly pushed back
3. The “governors are different” dynamic — why red and blue governors sometimes close ranks
4. Federalism in plain English: who controls what — and why it’s flaring up again
5. The new masking debate: protesters, legislation, and why identification rules aren’t applied evenly
6. A discussion of voting-law proposals and what critics argue are the real downstream effects

Mentioned in the episode

1. Grant’s newsletter: Things You Forgot From Civics Class
2. Grant’s new newsletter: Make It Make Nonsense
3. The Make It Make Sense podcast (search: “MIMSpod”)

Follow + subscribe

1. Oklahoma Memo newsletter: oklahomamemo.com/subscribe
2. Grant Herms: Make It Make Sense (podcast / YouTube / Substack)
3. https://mimsnewspod.substack.com/
4. https://www.youtube.com/@MIMSnewspod