Category: Oklahoma

White House Responds to Oklahoma Passing Strict Abortion Bill

The White House is at odds with Oklahoma lawmakers who voted in favor of “the most effective lifesaving anti-abortion” bill, which press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre deemed “the most extreme.” The Oklahoma bill would, if signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt, ban abortion from the moment of fertilization, except in certain circumstances. Responding to the move, Jean-Pierre…


Oklahoma Legislature Passes Nation’s Most Restrictive Abortion Ban

Oklahoma lawmakers on May 19 approved what would be the nation’s most restrictive ban if it is signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt. The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed House Bill 4327 in a 73–16 vote. The state Senate approved the measure in April by a margin of 35–10. The bill bans abortion at…


Kansas August Referendum To Be First Post-Roe Electoral Clash

The first ballot test of the post-Roe era will be on Aug. 2 when Kansas voters are presented with a proposed constitutional amendment that declares there is no constitutional right to abortion. The Kansas Value Them Both Amendment will be the first of at least four proposed constitutional amendments addressing abortion certain to go before…


Supreme Court Considers If States Can Prosecute Non-Indians for Crimes on Indian Land

States should be allowed to prosecute non-Indians for crimes committed on Indian land, Oklahoma told the Supreme Court on April 27, after a court ruling two years ago threw the state’s judicial system into disarray by changing jurisdictional rules. The case is Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, court file 21-429. The Supreme Court agreed on January 21 to…


Oklahoma Bans Nonbinary Indicators on Birth Certificates

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law a bill on Tuesday that bans the option to indicate a nonbinary gender on state birth certificates. While many states only provide the option of male or female on birth certificates, the latest move from the Republican governor makes Oklahoma the first state to ban the nonbinary option explicitly…


Missing 4-Year-Old Oklahoma Boy Found Dead in Lake Eufaula, Police Say

The body of a 4-year-old boy from Oklahoma who went missing in McIntosh County on Monday was recovered by divers in Lake Eufaula after a search that lasted over 24 hours, authorities said. Tuesday night, the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Department provided an update in the search for Zaiven Wyatt Houk, a non-verbal boy who went…


Police: Man Fatally Shot by Officers After Killing Woman

TULSA, Okla.—Police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, fatally shot a naked man after he shot and killed a woman outside an apartment complex, authorities said Tuesday. Officers investigating reports Monday night of a naked man firing a rifle in the area found Dwayne Jackson with a rifle outside the complex, according to Capt. Richard Meulenberg. Meulenberg said…


Capitol Report (April 5): Gen. Flynn on Ukraine-Russia War

Why are you really paying extra at the pump? That’s the question lawmakers say they’re trying to get the bottom of this week. Oil and gas CEOs are coming to Capitol Hill to testify. Three states are suing the Biden administration over its lifting of a rule that blocks migrants from entering the United States….


Oklahoma Legislature Approves Bill to Ban All Abortions

The Oklahoma legislature has approved a bill that would make all abortions illegal, except in the case of a medical emergency to save the mother’s life. The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt to be signed into law. The governor has previously said he would sign any pro-life bill that reaches his desk….


US House Candidate Ends Campaign After Berating Girls at Sleepover

An Oklahoma Democrat running for a U.S. House of Representatives seat announced March 24 she is ending her campaign after getting drunk and berating middle school girls at a sleepover. Abby Broyles said the fallout from the incident compelled her to try to kill herself and she will not be campaigning any longer so she…