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In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma’s state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories included here are behind paywall or require subscription. Subscribe to In The Know and see past editions.
Oklahoma News
It’s unconstitutional retribution says legal expert about Supt. Walters’ threats to educators: A legal expert called it unconstitutional retribution after Superintendent Ryan Walters threatened dozens of educators due to posts he found after the murder of Charlie Kirk. Workers nationwide, many of them educators, have either been let go from their jobs or placed on leave after allegedly making comments online following the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. [KFOR]
- Details of OSDE ‘moment of silence’ investigations unclear [KJRH]
Opinion: Ryan Walters betrays the rights he once taught: Ryan Walters once taught U.S. government and history to impressionable high school students. He was a finalist for state Teacher of the Year. He’s spent the last half-decade in the upper echelons of state government. Yet, Walters clearly hasn’t grasped two fundamental American rights: freedom of speech and freedom f-r-o-m religion. Or he simply doesn’t care to honor either of our nation’s founding principles. [Arnold Hamilton / The Journal Record]
State Government News
Gamefowl PAC ordered to dissolve, Chairman Anthony DeVore charged with cockfighting crime: With its chairman recently charged with being a spectator at an illegal cockfight, the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission PAC has been ordered to dissolve following “extensive violations of Oklahoma’s campaign finance laws,” the state Ethics Commission announced Wednesday. [NonDoc]
- Head of Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission charged with viewing a cockfight [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Gamefowl PAC to fold amid ethics violations; officials charged with attending cockfight [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission president faces criminal charge [KOSU]
- Gamefowl Commission president faces misdemeanor charge in McIntosh County [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma troopers say they’re done sweeping Tulsa homeless camps. Here’s what could come next: Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers say they have no plans to expand Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt’s Operation SAFE beyond Tulsa. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma’s harm reduction law inches toward expiration: Harm reduction programs that supply overdose reversal drugs and clean syringes say that the state will see increases in overdose deaths and infectious diseases if the programs go away. [The Frontier]
Oklahoma Treasurer Pushes Values Test for Tobacco Endowment Managers: A new investment consultant for the trust managing Oklahoma’s tobacco settlement is using the corporate ratings of a private, conservative nonprofit to determine if the $2 billion trust’s investments conform to Oklahoma values. [Oklahoma Watch]
Restaurants at five Oklahoma state parks to close again: Restaurants at five Oklahoma state parks will cease operations at the end of the month, state officials announced Thursday. It marks the second time since July that the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation has announced plans to close The Lookout Kitchen restaurants at Beavers Bend, Lake Murray, Robbers Cave, Roman Nose and Quartz Mountain state parks. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma state park restaurants to close until they get a new operator [KOSU]
Opinion, This Week in Oklahoma Politics: Oklahoma open primaries, social studies standards, drag shows and more (podcast): The panel members discuss the Oklahoma Supreme Court clearing the way for an initiative petition to change primary elections in Oklahoma, the high court putting a hold on controversial social studies standards, and Superintendent Ryan Walters threatening the teaching licenses of educators who comment negatively about the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. [KOSU]
Federal Government News
US rolls toward a ‘terrible’ government shutdown, no exit ramp in sight: Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill have entered a stalemate over whether to fund the government for seven weeks or begin a shutdown that could last considerably longer, amid high partisan tensions. Lawmakers, it seems, did not learn from two earlier shutdowns that produced zero results for Republicans who tried to force their policy preferences on Democrats. [Oklahoma Voice]
- House to vote on CR in race to avoid government shutdown [The Hill]
What is Trump’s approval rating in Oklahoma? See how high the state ranks on the president: In Oklahoma, only 4% don’t know how they feel about Trump, as the majority (56%) approve of his second term. At the same time, only 40% have disapproved of his efforts this time around. This does put Oklahoma near the top of approval for the president, yet this is a downward trend since March. [The Oklahoman]
- Poll: Trump approval drops to record low of second term [The Hill]
Opinion: Rule of law will hold strong in time of political uncertainty: It feels like the nation is on the brink of collapse with escalating threats of political violence, high-profile firings over free speech and too few elected officials bringing down the temperature. Still, the rule of law will hold; the nation will not fall, says the longest-serving judge from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Stephanie K. Seymour, who has been on the bench during the terms of eight different presidents, said the federal judiciary isn’t beholden to political mandates. [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Tribal Nations News
Henryetta agrees to temporarily stop prosecuting tribal members for traffic crimes: The city of Henryetta has agreed to temporarily halt prosecutions of tribal members for traffic violations after a judge declined to postpone a hearing on the matter. The move comes after the Muscogee Nation asked a federal judge earlier this summer to order the city to stop prosecuting tribal members in its municipal court, claiming that doing so violates the tribe’s sovereignty. [Tulsa World]
Voting and Election News
Proposed state question would call for legislative reform: A former state lawmaker has proposed a vote on a state question to potentially make some basic changes in how things work at the Legislature. [Tulsa World]
Education News
Oklahoma Education Department puts $3 million toward literacy tutoring: A $3 million tutoring initiative will support small-group literacy instruction in rural schools and Oklahoma’s two largest districts. [Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion: Kirk’s death is a reminder that freedom of speech must be central at Oklahoma colleges: To say the killing of Charlie Kirk has exacerbated these concerns is a gross understatement. The American experiment, now in its 250th year, requires public debates on controversial topics. [Andy Lester / The Oklahoman]
Health News
More states protect access to the COVID shot as feds restrict eligibility: At least 17 states — not including Oklahoma — have taken steps to ensure broader access to the COVID-19 vaccine since last month, when the federal government significantly restricted eligibility for the shot. [Oklahoma Voice]
Southern Oklahoma hospital opens temporary emergency room more than a year after tornado: Mercy Health Love County Hospital in Marietta opened a temporary emergency room this month, over a year after a deadly tornado left severe damage. [KGOU]
Autism Foundation renews partnership to expand inclusive child care in Oklahoma: The Autism Foundation of Oklahoma has renewed its partnership with the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness in an effort to expand access to child care for children with autism spectrum disorder. [The Journal Record]
Criminal Justice News
Oklahoma officials push for federal rule change to jam cell signals in prisons: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on whether to ease its longstanding ban on cellphone jamming technology in correctional facilities at the end of this month. [KOSU]
- FCC may give OK for state to jam cellphone signals in prisons [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma DAs want $500,000 to create new unit to help with death penalty cases: Prosecutors on Thursday approved a plan to request $500,000 from the Legislature next session to create a new team to provide assistance with death penalty cases. The team would be housed within the District Attorneys Council and involve eight to 12 capital homicide attorneys. It would meet three to four times a year to provide case assessments. [Oklahoma Voice]
‘The system failed him’: Suicide at an Oklahoma jail points to a troubling trend: According to a database obtained by the Marshall Project, at least seven people died by suicide in the Oklahoma County jail between 2019 and 2023. While the federal data is incomplete, it is one of the highest numbers of suicides reported to the government by any jurisdiction in the country. Recent state inspections paint a troubling picture. They show inmates on suicide watch weren’t checked on every 15 minutes, as required. People throughout the jail routinely didn’t get medication prescribed by a doctor. On several floors, the inspections show that windows on cell doors were obscured, which means staff are unable to “ensure a presence of a living, breathing human body.” [NPR via KOSU]
Oklahoma County Detention Center on 3rd Jail Administrator of the year: There have been three Jail Administrators for the Oklahoma County Detention Center over the span of nine months. The latest leadership shakeup is leaving many people wondering what happened. [KFOR]
- New county jail head pleads for more money to pay staff; should sheriff take jail back? [The Oklahoman]
Former McCurtain County jailer pleads guilty to federal conspiracy charge over inmate assault: A former supervisor at the McCurtain County jail has admitted in a criminal conspiracy case to having an inmate beaten after being told to give the teenager the “royal treatment.” [The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
New laws will impact Oklahoma food truck operations in 2025: What to know about HB 2459: Some Oklahoma food truck operators have less than two months to prepare for a new law that requires an inspection by the state fire marshal. [The Oklahoman]
Tulsa median household income growth outpaces OKC, study shows: Tulsans gained the 15th-biggest increase in median household income among 50 of the largest U.S. cities in 2024, a new study reveals. [The Journal Record]
Community News
Opinion: The Oklahoman has changed for the better thanks to opinion editor’s work: In these days of echo chambers on social media, unless folks are committed to being good citizens, they don’t want inconvenient truths. Clytie Bunyan’s multiple years in multiple fields at The Oklahoman earned her the spurs she so effectively wielded. [Robert Henry / The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- OKC hosting open houses to discuss $2.7B bond vote in October. When is your ward meeting? [The Oklahoman]
- First Americans Museum debuts ‘pop-up-book’ kid-friendly center in Oklahoma City [KOSU]
- Losing a place for community: Fulton Street Books & Coffee announces closure [The Oklahoma Eagle]
- Tulsa city councilors expected to extend downtown curfew for juveniles into 2026 [Tulsa World]
- Sheriff’s Office warns of scam targeting families of Tulsa jail detainees [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“The First Amendment is for restraint on government control of speech. (The state superintendent) is a member of the government. He is limited. He cannot tell citizens what to say, what to think, or how to believe. He doesn’t have that right. No government official has that authority. The president doesn’t have that authority.”
-Employment attorney Mark Hammons of Hammons Hurst & Associates, speaking about the state superintendent’s threats to take retaliatory action against dozens of educators due to social media posts they made following the murder of Charlie Kirk. [KFOR]
Number of the Day
62%
A Pew Research poll found the share of Americans who say free speech is very important increased from 56% in 2024 to 62% in 2025. Meanwhile, 32% of people polled said people in the U.S. are completely free to say what they want, up from 28% in 2024. [Pew Research]
Policy Note
The Government’s Growing Trove of Social Media Data: Reviewing individuals’ social media to conduct ideological vetting has been a defining initiative of President Trump’s second term. As part of that effort, the administration has proposed expanding the mandatory collection of social media identifiers. The proposal would widen the government’s social media surveillance dragnet to include not only travelers, visa applicants, and visa holders, but also their U.S. citizen contacts. By linking individuals’ online presence to government databases, officials could more easily identify, monitor, and penalize people based on their online self-expression, raising the risk of self-censorship driven by fear of misinterpretation or adverse consequences. [Brennan Center for Justice]
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