By Janelle Stecklein | Editor
“… This is taxpayer resources that people pay for to hear from their elected officials, for their elected officials to speak to the issues that concern them, and then you’re denied those resources. It’s absolutely censorship.” - Tom Gann of Speaker Kyle Hilbert’s decision to deny his interim study request on a proposed smelter plant in Inola
Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, is pictured. (Photo by John McCosh/Georgia Recorder)
By Courtney Bell
A state governing body will allocate up to $150,000 to a private Georgia university despite concerns from some lawmakers that Oklahomans intended for the funding to remain in state.
The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust’s decision could bring the total money paid to Emory University since August 2022 to nearly $1 million, according to an Oklahoma Voice analysis of the agency’s spending.
Records obtained through open records requests show TSET, which oversees a $2.2 billion public trust endowment, has allocated Emory Centers for Public Health Training and Technical Assistance over $930,000 to provide technical assistance and training services, including creating and maintaining an online learning community for public health information.
Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, left, pulls out a rule book, as Rep. Rick West, R-Heavener, looks on during the House session on May 22, 2025. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice)
By Emma Murphy
A House lawmaker said Wednesday that a fellow Republican has blocked his efforts to hold a study at the Capitol to probe a controversial aluminum smelter that the Trump administration wants to build in his hometown.
The owner of an insurance agency that offers Obamacare plans stands outside his storefront in Miami, Fla, in 2021. In 49 states, the number of people enrolled in Obamacare plans has declined. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
By Shalina Chatlani
In 49 states, the number of people enrolled in Obamacare plans has declined since Congress made coverage more expensive by allowing federal subsidies to expire at the end of last year.
A traveler looks at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer as they walk around a line at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on March 24, 2026 in Houston. ICE officers were deployed to airports during Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages this year. Newly public documents show TSA has been sharing passengers’ personal information with ICE. (Photo by Antranik Tavitian/Getty Images)
By Ariana Figueroa
The Trump administration has for more than a year used personal information airline passengers provide to the Transportation Security Administration for immigration enforcement, according to documents obtained by a government watchdog group.
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is shown on a monitor as Dr. Anthony Fauci, left, testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 29, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
By Jennifer Shutt
Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation’s most visible public health officials during the coronavirus pandemic, declined to answer questions from a U.S. Senate committee in a tense and confrontational hearing Wednesday, citing his Fifth Amendment rights.
ICYMI
Water wars: Oklahoma residents fight for lake water | Barbara Hoberock
Paula Lewis resigns from Oklahoma City school board after historic tenure | Nuria Martinez-Keel
Number of unauthorized immigrants hit new high of nearly 16 million in 2024, report says | Ariana Figueroa
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