August 7-11th Weekly Wrap
Trump's in trouble and Wrecking Ball Ryan takes aim at Tulsa Public Schools
The heat let up around the country this week but the political action didn’t!
Ohio voters overwhelmingly defeated a measure this week that would have made it harder to pass ballot initiatives, ahead of an expected vote this fall to enshrine access to reproductive health care in the state constitution. Oklahoma legislators have introduced similar legislation in the past, given the success in our state of ballot initiatives to pass major criminal justice reform and Medicaid expansion that fail in the legislature.
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump got rolling this week in Washington, D.C., with no-nonsense federal Judge Tanya S. Chutkan. Smith requested an ambitious trial start date that would land Trump in court just before the Iowa GOP presidential caucuses in January 2024.
Meanwhile, back home, two more resignations from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board may change the calculus on clemency for death row inmates.
The Black Wall Street Times reports Wrecking Ball Ryan Walters, state superintendent, is prepping for a bid for governor, even as he wages war against Tulsa Public Schools and threatens the district’s accreditation. And, the BWST also reports state Rep. Sherri Conley, noted “race denier” of the Tulsa Race Massacre, might be considering a run to replace Walters at the State Education Department.
Don’t miss the Observer’s latest on Substack- Cal Hobson remembers Bob Funston, Observer editor Arnold Hamilton lambastes Wrecking Ball Ryan, and Gary Edmondson reflects on the attacks on Tik Tok.
We’ll bring last night’s Newsmakers with #oklaed superstars Dr. Rick Cobb. Rep. Jacob Rosecrantz, and Sandra Valentine to Observercast Monday.
And Sunday, join us for this month’s Brews and Views at BIG Brew Co. on Main street in Norman. Freedom Oklahoma’s Nicole McAfee and therapist Paula Sophia join us to discuss the attacks on our trans friends, family members, and neighbors this year in Oklahoma.
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