In hunting, a “stalking horse” is a screen in the shape of a horse or some other animal that someone hides behind to disguise themselves from their prey. It’s a similar concept in politics, when you go after one target but your real intent is to strike another. We got a perfect illustration recently when…Read More
President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats remained at loggerheads over border security funding as the sixth day of a partial government shutdown came and went Thursday, bringing longer furloughs and more unpaid work for federal workers in the Oklahoma City area. At the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in south Oklahoma City, 1,146 employees are furloughed…Read More
The U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote Dec. 21 rejected the Trump administration’s request that the court let it implement a rule that those who enter the United States without documents will not be eligible for asylum. A presidential order signed Nov. 9 by President Donald Trump said those seeking asylum in the U.S.…Read More
A judicial nominee faced questions from Senators this month about whether membership in the Knights of Columbus might impede his ability to judge federal cases fairly. The Knights of Columbus say that no candidate for public office should have to defend his membership in a Catholic service organization. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Kamala Harris…Read More
The Senate passed a huge criminal law reform bill on Tuesday night, seizing on bipartisan support for the broadest set of changes to federal crime statutes in a generation. A rare coalition of conservatives, liberals, activists, prosecutors and defense attorneys — spanning the political spectrum — pushed senators to pass the “First Step Act” by…Read More
Both Republicans and Democrats have identified criminal justice reform as an area for bipartisan cooperation next legislative session, an indication that momentum from voter-approved reforms continues as Oklahoma deals with a nation-leading incarceration rate. A bipartisan bill to make sentencing reform measures approved by voters in 2016 retroactive is expected to get a lot of…Read More
A federal judge in Texas said last week that the Affordable Care Act’s individual coverage mandate is unconstitutional and that the rest of the law therefore cannot stand. Legal experts say the ruling won’t immediately affect Americans’ health coverage, and a group of states led by California is already vowing to appeal. But the invalidation…Read More
Opponents of a law extending the time women must wait before an abortion say they are not done fighting despite an Oklahoma County judge’s decision to toss their legal challenge to the 72-hour waiting period. Reproductive Services, a Tulsa clinic that offers abortions, sued the state in October 2015. The lawsuit challenged both House Bill…Read More
Another teacher pay raise, adjustments to the school funding formula and streamlining student data are all policy proposals Gov.-elect Kevin Stitt has made as part of a pledge to make Oklahoma a top 10 state in education. Whether that’s top 10 in test scores, graduation rates or another metric of performance, Stitt hasn’t been specific,…Read More
Americans have long been disturbed by the fraud and waste that often surrounds the federal government’s use of their tax dollars. They now have further reason to be up in arms because of the way those tax dollars support the practice of abortion, even though such support, technically speaking, remains illegal. The 1976 Hyde Amendment,…Read More