This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Right Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a delay in the signature gathering for an initiative petition to raise Oklahoma's minimum wage as opponents call for a rehearing by the State Supreme Court, Congressman Tom Cole vying to be the next chairman of the U.S. House Appropriations and Budget Committee and another State Department of Education employee resigning. The trio also discusses Sta...
Mar 28, 2024•33 min•Ep. 239
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a report showing State Superintendent Ryan Walters used taxpayer dollars to pay a public relations firm to promote him on the national stage, a Catholic charter school is moving forward with applications to open this fall despite facing legal challenges and with the 2024 legislative session less than two months old, infighting appears to be boiling...
Mar 21, 2024•31 min•Ep. 238
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Governor Stitt's veto of a bill designed to save members of his cabinet, Freedom of Information Oklahoma giving awards out to Attorney General Gentner Drummond and State Superintendent Ryan Walters and two top officials announcing their resignation at the State Department of Education. The trio also discusses the Oklahoma County Republican Party's ...
Mar 14, 2024•37 min•Ep. 237
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Super Tuesday results in the state's Presidential Primaries, controversy over a fundraiser at Deer Creek Schools when a viral video showed kids licking peanut butter off the toes of other kids and a bill to keep Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur in her position. The trio also discusses a decision by the State Supreme Court to approve an initia...
Mar 07, 2024•38 min•Ep. 236
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the resignation of Transportation Secretary Tim Gatz after an AG's opinion saying he couldn't also be director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and Department of Transportation and a State Senator doubling down on calling members of the LGBTQ community "filth" after the death of Owasso High binary student Nex Benedict. The trio also discusses the...
Feb 29, 2024•32 min•Ep. 235
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about new estimates from the State Board of Equalization for lawmakers to craft a state budget in the 2025 fiscal year budget, Edmond Schools challenging an order from the State Board of Education to remove books from its library and the State Supreme Court setting a date to hear a challenge to a Catholic charter school. The trio also discusses a decisio...
Feb 22, 2024•35 min•Ep. 234
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Attorney General Gentner Drummond dropped a second lawsuit by Governor Stitt over misspend COVID-19 education funds, a multicounty grand jury indicts three people with Swadley's in regard to controversial operations at state park restaurants and the Senate President Pro Tem using a report on food prices to push for a grocery sales tax. The trio als...
Feb 15, 2024•30 min•Ep. 233
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the Governor setting forth a wish list to lawmakers in the State of the State Address to kick off the 2024 legislative session, the governor's call for a flat budget at state agencies while pushing for a cut to income taxes and a look at some of the bills already making their way through the legislature. The trio also discusses push back against Se...
Feb 08, 2024•36 min•Ep. 232
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt kicked off the legislative session with his sixth annual State of the State address on Monday. The Governor laid out his policy priorities for the session: which include cutting the state’s income tax, implementing a flat budget across state government for the coming fiscal year and more school choice options for students. His priorities and those of state lawmakers don’t always align, but Stitt’s speech gives us a glimpse into what the GOP-dominated legislature wil...
Feb 05, 2024•42 min•Ep. 232
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a special session which saw a tax cut in the House, but nothing in the Senate, State Superintendent Ryan Walters coming under fire for attacking the media for reporting on news of issues with his new teacher bonus program and Governor Stitt once again filing a lawsuit against Florida-based ClassWallet over mismanagement of COVID-19 education fund. ...
Feb 01, 2024•31 min•Ep. 231
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat announcing his chamber will not be passing any tax cuts during the governor's special session, State Superintendent Ryan Walters tapping a far-right influencer from California to an Oklahoma library committee shortly after reports were released of thousands of dollars in travel expenses and Governor Stitt picking...
Jan 25, 2024•33 min•Ep. 230
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the governor's call for a special session to enact tax cuts, Republican lawmakers pushing changes to a law blacklisting banks who don't invest in the oil and gas industry and Oklahoma County Commissioners still searching for a location to put the new jail. The trio also discusses a hearing before the state Supreme Court regarding tax -exempt status...
Jan 18, 2024•40 min•Ep. 229
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about an announcement from State Superintendent Ryan Walters about his intention to cut ties with organizations which provide resources and training to schools, Oklahoma's Five Civilized Tribes uniting in a boycott against Governor's Stitt's task force on McGirt and an end to tribal license tag citations issued by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. The trio al...
Jan 11, 2024•28 min•Ep. 228
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Governor Stitt hiring as his new top aide an oil executive who was the deciding vote on a controversial Catholic Charter School, Stitt rejecting a new federal summer food program for low-income children and the State Department of Education saying 578 new teachers were hired under a new signing bonus. The trio also discusses an upcoming budget hear...
Jan 04, 2024•33 min•Ep. 227
This Week in Oklahoma Politics is taking a break during the holidays and will return on January 4th.
Dec 21, 2023•2 min•Ep. 226
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Oklahoma City voters overwhelmingly supporting a measure to use a penny sales tax to build a new downtown arena for the Thunder, State Mark McBride fighting with Superintendent Ryan Walters' aide over what McBride calls immaturity and a lack of transparency and Superintendent Walters criticizing the Tulsa School Board for hiring Ebony Johnson as th...
Dec 14, 2023•36 min•Ep. 225
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about opening statements starting on a legal challenge to HB1775, the so-called Critical Race Theory Ban, the state Tax Commission starting to collect applications for a controversial private school tax credit and the State Board of Education takes aim once again at Tulsa Public Schools. The trio also discusses new rules proposed by State Superintendent ...
Dec 07, 2023•34 min•Ep. 224
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a challenge to an initiative petition to raise the state's minimum wage, Attorney General Gentner Drummond's formal opinion saying women could not be prosecuted for having abortions and the head of the State Republican Party opposing the nomination of former Cherokee Attorney General Sara Hill for a federal judgeship. The trio also discusses an aud...
Nov 30, 2023•24 min•Ep. 223
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the Oklahoma Highway Patrol abandoning decades of precedent and ticketing drivers with tribal tags who live outside of the nation's boundaries, the State Supreme Court temporarily suspending three measures related to abortion in Oklahoma and justices denying State Superintendent Ryan Walters request to join in opposition to a lawsuit against a prop...
Nov 16, 2023•27 min•Ep. 222
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the governor's plan to have sports betting in the State of Oklahoma, Governor Stitt's former Secretary of Education who says she left after concerns over financial issues with the Department of Education and Superintendent Ryan Walters pushing for a national media manager. The trio also discusses some of the more than 200 laws taking effect on Nove...
Nov 09, 2023•38 min•Ep. 221
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Gov. Kevin Stitt and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott traveling to Israel, State Superintendent Ryan Walters' endorsement of former President Trump and the resignation of a State Department of Education employee getting the attention of a legislative leader. The trio also discusses the State Board of Education denying a court order gender designation from tw...
Nov 02, 2023•32 min•Ep. 220
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Right Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Attorney General Gentner Drummond suing the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board over a Catholic charter school, Governor Stitt's replacements for the State Board of Education and an investigation of the Oklahoma's partnership with conservative media nonprofit PragerU. The trio also discusses an exodus of textbook companies amid an increasingly po...
Oct 26, 2023•35 min•Ep. 219
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the Chairman of the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board refusing to sign a contract to create a Catholic charter school, an announcement by State Superintendent Ryan Walters that he has paid $7.5M in signing bonuses to teachers and another member of the State Board of Education has resigned. The trio also discusses House Speaker Charles McCall r...
Oct 19, 2023•32 min•Ep. 218
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Right Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a federal judge refusing to stop a law banning gender-affirming care for minors and the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approving a contract for a Catholic charter school. The trio also discusses the primary election for Senate District 32 in southwest Oklahoma and a call by state leader for more transparency in the budgeting process....
Oct 12, 2023•30 min•Ep. 217
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the short special session called by Governor Stitt to cut taxes, the search for a new U.S. House Speaker could include Tulsa Congressman Kevin Hern and State Superintendent Ryan Walters releases an education budget cutting $47M from schools. The trio also discusses Superintendent Walters defending his testimony before Congress attacking Tulsa Schoo...
Oct 05, 2023•32 min•Ep. 216
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about lawmakers returning to the capital next week for a special session on tax reform, a new poll showing strong support for tribal governments in the state and Oklahoma joining other states and the federal government in an anti-trust lawsuit against Amazon. The trio also discusses an investigation of Western Heights Schools by State Superintendent Ryan...
Sep 28, 2023•27 min•Ep. 215
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about State Superintendent Ryan Walters testifying before Congress about the Chinese Government's involvement in U.S. education, the State House Speaker saying there were no plans to open an impeachment investigation into Superintendent Walters and Tulsa Public Schools gets a new leader and a new attorney. The trio also discusses the special election in ...
Sep 21, 2023•30 min•Ep. 214
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Governor Stitt's calls for the legislature to meet in special session to talk about tax reform, an Oklahoma woman filing a complaint against health groups stemming from the state's abortion ban and a Texas Republican presidential candidate wants a judge to remove Trump from the Oklahoma Ballot. The trio also discusses the Oklahoma Turnpike Authorit...
Sep 14, 2023•31 min•Ep. 213
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about two new lawsuits against State Superintendent Ryan Walters, and a new partnership announced by Walters between the Department of Education and controversial, conservative media organization, PragerU. The trio also discusses the appointment by Governor Stitt of Wes Nofire to Native American Affairs Liaison and the override of the governor's vetoes o...
Sep 07, 2023•30 min•Ep. 212
This Week in Oklahoma Politics is taking a break for the summer months, but you can still keep up to date on Oklahoma news by subscribing to the KOSU Daily and visiting our website at KOSU.org.
Jul 12, 2023•42 sec•Ep. 211
