OK PolicyCast

Hello and welcome to episode 50 of the OK PolicyCast. This is also my last episode as a host of this podcast, because my last day at OK Policy was July 5th. With OK Policy's founder and long-time executive director David Blatt also passing the torch later this year, we decided to do something special for this episode. David and I sat down with former OK PolicyCast co-host, now Tulsa City Councilor, Kara Joy McKee, to talk about our memories from the last decade with OK Policy, how this organization has made a difference in the state, and what we see for the future of OK Policy and Oklahoma. You'll also hear more about what I'm doing next. After this episode, the OK PolicyCast will go on hiatus for a while. But I hope you'll keep it in your feeds, because there's so much more that the brilliant staff here at OK Policy will have to say. Five years and fifty episodes later, thank you all for listening. This episode of the OKPolicyCast was hosted and produced by Gene Perry. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

In this episode I spoke to Nehemiah Frank. Nehemiah is the founder and executive editor of The Black Wall Street Times, an online newspaper that covers news relevant to the black community in Tulsa and social justice issues affecting all Tulsans and Oklahomans. If that wasn't enough, he's also a teacher at Sankofa Middle School of the Performing Arts in downtown Tulsa. We talked about the history of Black Wall Street, including some of the aspects of that history that haven't gotten as much attention, even amid renewed focus on the 1921 race massacre. We also talked about education and continuing inequities for black Oklahomans, and how optimistic we should be, or not be, about addressing those inequities. This was for me one of the most interesting conversations we've had on this show, and I hope you feel the same. You can visit The Black Wall Street Times at theblackwallstreettimes.com. This episode of the OKPolicyCast was hosted and produced by Gene Perry. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

A state budget deal for fiscal year 2020 was revealed last Wednesday, and it's likely to receive final passage in the Legislature today. In most years, the budget is the single most important thing done by our lawmakers, and in the year to come, this budget will decide what Oklahoma invests to operate our schools, provide basic health care, maintain our roads, and so much more. To get more insight into the budget deal, I spoke with OK Policy's Executive Director David Blatt, as well as our new senior policy analyst covering budget and tax issues, Paul Shinn. This episode of the OKPolicyCast was hosted and produced by Gene Perry. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

Our guest on this episode is Tyler Parette, the director of a unique homelessness outreach program in Tulsa with the City Lights Foundation. I wanted to talk with Tyler because he's got a really interesting perspective on dealing with some of the hardest problems in society of homelessness, addiction, and mental illness, not from the remove of a news article or policy paper, but dealing directly with the people affected. Tyler shares with us how powerful it is not just for people they are helping, but how it can be a life-changing experience for the volunteers too. To learn more about the City Lights Foundation and to get involved, you can go to citylightsok.org or to Night Light Tulsa on Facebook. This episode of the OKPolicyCast was hosted and produced by Gene Perry. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

Our guest today is Linda Allegro, the Project Director of New Sanctuary Network Tulsa. This project was started as a collaboration between Tulsa religious leaders of different faiths and denominations, and it's goal is protect Tulsa residents and families threatened by wholesale deportation. Linda speaks eloquently about how current approaches to immigration enforcement are breaking apart families, hurting public safety, and wasting tax dollars. To learn more about the New Sanctuary Network or to get involved, you can go to https://www.newsanctuarytulsa.org. This episode of the OKPolicyCast was hosted and produced by Gene Perry. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

In this episode, I spoke with Angela Monson about the campaign to expand health coverage in Oklahoma. Angela has a lot of experience as an advocate and policymaker in Oklahoma. She served in the Legislature for 15 years, and during that time she was the first black woman to become president of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Monson has been involved with health care advocacy going back to the 1980s, and today, she is helping to bring together a coalition to push for bringing our federal tax dollars home to help more than 100,000 uninsured Oklahomans gain coverage. We spoke about what's happening with this campaign, and what it means that we're leaving so many Oklahomans without access to insurance - including in our own families. After you listen, you can go to coverok.org to learn more about the coalition to expand coverage and upcoming events in the campaign, including a rally at the state capitol. This episode of OKPolicyCast was hosted and produced by Gene Perry. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

In our last episode, we heard from David Blatt and Carly Putnam about the big issues and bills we're following this year related to the state budget and health care. This episode brings you part 2 of that bill watch series, with criminal justice analyst Damion Shade, education analyst Rebecca Fine, and economic opportunity analyst Courtney Cullison. Links to read more: Bill Watch: Opportunities to make Oklahomans better off economically this session [OK Policy] Bill Watch: A wide range of education issues on lawmakers’ agenda [OK Policy] Bill Watch: A strong bipartisan coalition could make huge advances on criminal justice reform [OK Policy] This episode of OKPolicyCast was hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez, with additional production assistance from Lindsay Myers. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

It's a new year, a new Legislature, a new governor, and many new bills that could have a big impact on Oklahomans' lives. In this episode, Gene Perry talks to OK Policy's Executive Director David Blatt and Policy Director Carly Putnam about the big issues we're keeping an eye on this year related to the state budget, taxes, and health. In a future episode, we'll talk about other bills we're tracking related to education, criminal justice, and economic opportunity. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.  

There are a lot of reasons why winter is our favorite time of year (Fewer tornadoes! Legislative session starts soon!). However, one big reason is that it's when we're most likely to give and be given books — always dear to a policy nerd's heart. It's also the time when we get to share them with you! In the latest episode of the OK PolicyCast, we discuss some of the books we've read and loved over the last year that we hope you'll consider picking up, whether it's to give them away or keep them for yourself (Or to buy with every intention of giving and then never getting around to it, and eventually keeping for yourself. Unless that's just us?). You can find links for purchasing all of the books discussed in this podcast at https://okpolicy.org/2018-ok-policy-holiday-gift-guide/. We hope you have a joyful and peaceful holiday season! The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

Today our guest is Sterling Zearley, who leads the Oklahoma Public Employees Association. OPEA represents thousands of state workers, including everyone from child welfare caseworkers to transportation engineers, corrections officers, mental health counselors, and more. In recent years in Oklahoma, teachers have gotten the most attention to their stagnant or falling pay and rising class sizes. Many state workers have faced very similar issues, as they try to do jobs that may be less visible than teachers but are still very important. Now as Oklahoma approaches next year's legislative session with a new governor and many brand new legislators, I spoke with Sterling about what are the biggest issues for state workers right now and what OPEA hopes to accomplish in next year's session. It's a conversation about many problems that deserve more attention in Oklahoma. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

In 2016, Oklahomans voted to approve State Question 780 which changed simple drug possession crimes and low-level, non-violent property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. That law went into effect on July 1, 2017 and is already reshaping Oklahoma's justice system, with many fewer Oklahomans being charged with a felony and sent to prison for drug possession. Yet there are still thousands of Oklahomans serving long prison sentences or living with a felony record and all the serious consequences that come with it for a crime that would now be a misdemeanor. This raises a serious moral and practical question: Is it just to keep imprisoning those people when Oklahomans have clearly said that their crime should not lead to prison? To get at this question and what might be done about it, I spoke with OK Policy's criminal justice analyst Damion Shade, as well as Colleen McCarty, a law student and intern with Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform's commutation campaign, which is advocating to commute the sentences of some of those Oklahomans most dramatically affected by felony possession charges before SQ 780. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.  

In recent years, Oklahoma has seen some of the lowest voter turnout in the nation. Turnout was well below the nation in the 2012 and 2016 presidential races. In our last governor's race in 2014, Oklahoma had the fewest votes cast for governor going back to 1978. But that wasn't always true in Oklahoma. For decades before the 2010s, Oklahomans voted at rates near or above the national average. Then in June elections this year, Oklahomans showed up at unprecedented levels for a primary race. Will that energy continue, or will it die back down now that marijuana is not longer on the ballot? To get at some of these questions about what influences voter turnout, I spoke to David Glover, the founder of the website badvoter.org. At badvoter.org, you can look up all the information you need to get registered to vote, vote by mail, or find your polling place. And, as we'll discuss, you can also look up the recent voting history of your friends and family to see who's a good voter or a bad voter. You can find more information about the upcoming Oklahoma elections, state questions, and how to vote at okpolicy.org/okvotes. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

On November 6, besides voting for a new governor and several other state offices, Oklahoma voters will decide five state questions on topics from optometry to school funding. To help you make informed choices on these state questions, OK Policy has already released fact sheets for each one with background information and a summary of arguments made by both supporters and opponents. To add to this resource, today I spoke with OK Policy's Executive Director David Blatt and our Policy Director Carly Putnam to discuss what each of the five state questions on the ballot mean and what people are saying about them. This conversation will be one of the easiest ways for you to quickly get up to speed before election day. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

In this episode, I spoke with Sabine Brown, who is the outreach and advocacy coordinator for Oklahoma Policy Institute. Through that work, Sabine heads up Together Oklahoma, a grassroots coalition with chapters across the state of people joining with their neighbors to advocate for better public policy. We talked about how Sabine got into this work, and how many others have become members and leaders of Together Oklahoma without having a lot of prior experience working on state policy or advocacy. It's a very useful conversation for anyone who may be a frequent follower of OK Policy's information but now wants to know what you can do with it. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org. This month many kids and teachers are heading back to school in Oklahoma. Also this month, an increase in Oklahoma's teacher pay scale is going into effect for the first time in a decade. It was a hard won raise for teachers, and it came only after massive advocacy efforts culminating in a teacher walkout and rally at the state capitol near the end of the last school year. But even this much-needed raise won't be enough to make up for years of cuts to education in Oklahoma, and the symptoms of these cuts are still visible in rising class sizes, missing programs, and reduced support staff. That's why for this episode, I spoke with an experienced educator and administrator about what it feels like coming back to school after all that's happened. Rob Miller is beginning his first year as Superintendent of Bixby Public Schools. In a 25 year career in public education, he's been an assistant superintendent, a middle school principal, and a teacher. He's also been a vocal advocate in the movement for better education funding. I spoke to Rob about the morale among educators coming back to school, how much more we should be spending to cover what schools and Oklahoma children need, and what he thinks the future of education should like. We also talked about State Question 801 to change how some school property tax dollars can be used and whether he thinks it will help.

Last week, Oklahoma Policy Institute hosted our annual Summer Policy Institute for about 60 college students from all over Oklahoma. The 4-day event featured speakers and panels on a wide range of topics. For this episode of the OKPolicyCast, we're sharing the live recording of one of those panels — an interesting, frank, contentious discussion of Oklahoma's criminal justice system. If after listening to this you'd like to hear more from panelist Jill Webb, check out Episode 25 of the OKPolicyCast, which features an interview with her. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

This year, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and the state Legislature ordered the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which runs Medicaid in Oklahoma, to come up with a plan to require Oklahoma adults on Medicaid to work at least 20 hours each week. If they don’t meet this requirement, or if they don’t do the paperwork to report their work or get an exemption in time, they will lose their Medicaid coverage and become uninsured. OK Policy’s Carly Putnam has been doing a lot of work on this issue, and for this episode, I spoke with Carly and Hannah Katch of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who’s been looking at this from a national perspective since the idea has been pushed in multiple states. Right now public comments are being submitted about Oklahoma’s plan, and after the interview we read several of the comments that have been sent in so far. These do a great job of showing how real people’s lives would be affected if this is implemented. The comments are illuminating, and often heartbreaking. After listening, you can learn more and take action by going to https://okpolicy.org/stop-attacks-soonercare/. The OK PolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

  A couple weeks ago was one of the most interesting and unexpected elections in Oklahoma in a long time. From a big surge in turnout, strong approval of medical marijuana, and numerous incumbents either being forced into a runoff or voted out altogether, it's clear that something is changing in Oklahoma politics. What happened, what does it mean for the coming runoffs and general elections, and what will our state look like after it all shakes out? To better understand these questions, I spoke to Keith Gaddie, a political science professor at the University of Oklahoma and one of the most well informed, insightful, and balanced commentators on Oklahoma politics today. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

We've got something really special for you today. In this conversation between author Danielle Allen and Tulsa civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, they dig deep into how the inequalities of America — racial inequality, social inequality, economic inequality — play out not just in statistics and political debates, but in the personal dynamics of real individuals and families — as Danielle Allen puts it, in the "rending of kith and kin." It was a powerful, impactful conversation, ranging all the way from South Central Los Angeles to the Declaration of Independence. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

For this episode, we spoke with Elizabeth Nichols, an attorney who has worked extensively with the emerging cannabis industry in Oklahoma and nearby states. With Oklahomans voting in just two weeks on State Question 788 to legalize medical cannabis, Nichols shared her perspective on how the medical cannabis industry is developing in other states, what she sees as the best models for implementing medical cannabis in Oklahoma, and what she expects from the SQ 788 vote on June 26. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The theme music is by Zébre. The OK PolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production assistance by Jessica Vazquez. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

We spoke with DeVon Douglass, the Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Tulsa, about the work her team is doing to take on Tulsa's toughest challenges, from teen homelessness to deep inequities in housing, transportation, and education. Their recent Tulsa Equality Indicators report assesses many of the barriers to a good life and better opportunities for Tulsans — but DeVon's not only working to describe the problems. She tells us how the Tulsa city and community is gearing up to take on inequality in a comprehensive way. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, SoundCloud, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

The OK PolicyCast is back! In this episode, we look at what just happened in one of the most tumultuous legislative years in Oklahoma history. Bailey Perkins speaks about what it was like being at the state Capitol before, during, and after the teacher walkout. Carly Putnam shares some major developments in health care policy. And Ryan Gentzler talks about this year's most important criminal justice legislation, both the good and the bad. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

Now that we're just past the halfway point in the Legislative session, Kara Joy and Gene talk about which key bills are still alive, which are dead, and what's at play in negotiations over the state budget. To find out how you can take action on bills during the rest of session, see OK Policy's Advocacy Alerts page, and to join efforts for a better Oklahoma state budget, visit Together Oklahoma.

Today on the OK PolicyCast, we speak with Shay White, a social worker and advocate with Together Oklahoma and ACTION. She spoke to us about what motivated her to get involved with policy change, what keeps her going, and "that one thing that gets us up every morning." If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you'd like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org. Extra links: Together Oklahoma ACTION Tulsa VOICE OKC

We speak with OK Policy health care analyst Carly Putnam about the new plan from the House GOP to replace the Affordable Care Act. We talk about how the bill does and doesn't change the Affordable Care Act, what chance it has to pass, and how it could affect Oklahomans' health care. Extra Links: House Tax Credits Would Make Health Insurance Far Less Affordable in High-Cost States (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)

On this episode we speak with Jill Webb, an attorney with the Tulsa County Public Defender's office. She gives us a tour of how the real criminal justice system is different from popular ideas about police and the courts, embodied by shows like Law and Order. Extra links: Where Americans are sent to prison most (New York Times) The Cost Trap: How Excessive Fees Lock Oklahomans Into the Criminal Justice System without Boosting State Revenue: Executive Summary (OK Policy)

The OK PolicyCast is back! Governor Fallin surprised many observer of Oklahoma politics by calling for dramatic revenue increases and major tax reforms in her State of the State address. In this podcast, we discuss the Governor's ideas, what's most likely to make it through the Legislature, and what other ideas Oklahoma Policy Institute has put forward to fix our state's budget hole. Extra links: Governor Fallin's Executive Budget proposal - https://www.ok.gov/OSF/documents/bud18.pdf OK Policy statement on Governor Fallin's proposals - http://okpolicy.org/statement-lawmakers-heed-governor-fallins-call-fix-structural-deficit/ OK Policy's revenue options for a better budget - http://okpolicy.org/2017-policy-priority-revenue-options-better-budget/ Planet Money episode on the Trump administration's proposed 'border adjustment tax' - http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/02/01/512921756/episode-751-the-thing-about-that-border-tax

This October, Stanford University's Dr. David Grusky visited Oklahoma for a talk at the University of Tulsa. Dr. Grusky's books include Social Stratification, Occupy the Future, The New Gilded Age, The Great Recession, The Inequality Reader, and The Inequality Puzzle. His presentation at TU was titled, "A Blueprint for Ending Poverty... Permanently." Dr. Grusky also spent some time with OK Policy's staff discussing how the research on poverty and inequality is inspiring an ambitious new effort to end poverty in California.

This week we speak with Kate Richey of OK Policy and the Oklahoma Assets Network on her research into payday lending in Oklahoma and how it can trap families in a vicious cycle of debt. On Wednesday, March 4 there will be a Town Hall Forum on predatory lending in Oklahoma. A local panel of experts will discuss how payday lenders target military families, older Oklahomans, single parent households, and other vulnerable communities and demographics. Click here for more information and to RSVP.

This week we share a panel discussion from OK Policy's 2015 State Budget Summit. In recent years Oklahoma has seen among the lowest unemployment and highest personal income growth in the nation. At the same time, there's evidence that is rising tide is not lifting all boats. Oklahomans continue to struggle with relatively high levels of poverty, low educational attainment, and falling behind on many measures of quality of life. In this informative and wide-ranging discussion, panelists Shelley Cadamy (Workforce Tulsa), Dr. Mickey Hepner (University of Central Oklahoma), Chuck Hoskin Jr. (Cherokee Nation), Rep. Dennis Casey (Oklahoma House of Representatives), and Dr. Dan Rickman (Oklahoma State University) share their insights about what's really going on in Oklahoma's economy.

This week we talk with Affordable Care Act Navigator Donna Orban on what's being done to get Oklahomans signed up for health insurance during this year's Affordable Care Act enrollment period. We also speak with OK Policy Executive Director David Blatt, who shares some takeaways from Governor Fallin's new budget proposal.

This week we talk about about a new study on who really pays the highest rates of state and local taxes in Oklahoma, and why it’s not what many people think.

Each week the OK PolicyCast brings you the most important news about Oklahoma and what it means. This week, we speak with April Merrill, an attorney with Legal Aid Oklahoma, a non-profit organization that provides free civil legal assistance to low-income Oklahomans throughout the state. She'll tell us about what it's like serving as part of Oklahoma's "emergency room" for legal assistance.

Each week the OK PolicyCast brings you the most important news about Oklahoma and what it means. This week, we speak with OK Policy Executive Director David Blatt about the latest predictions for Oklahoma's state budget, a tax cut that was triggered from 2016, and what it all means for regular Oklahomans. Also in this episode, we share the headlines, some recommended reading, and our closing good news of the week.

Each week the OK PolicyCast brings you the most important news about Oklahoma and what it means. In this episode, we share some clips from the keynote speaker at OK Policy’s annual Summer Policy Institute. Nick Carnes, a professor at Duke University and graduate of the University of Tulsa, spoke about his research on what’s keeping working class Americans out of public office. Dr. Carnes is the author of, “White-Collar Government: The Hidden Role of Class in Economic Policy Making”.

Each week, the OK PolicyCast brings you the most important news about Oklahoma and what it means. In this episode, we talk with Kate Richey about what's created the huge wealth gap between whites and people of color in Oklahoma.

This week, we’ll share a clip from OK Policy’s Summer Policy Institute last August. The Oklahoma Sustainability Network’s Montelle Clarke gave a balanced, informative talk on the pros and cons of Oklahoma’s various energy sources - including coal, natural gas, geothermal, and wind energy.

Each week the OK PolicyCast brings you the most important news affecting Oklahoma and what it means. This week, we speak with David Blatt about what this week's elections mean for Oklahoma and the nation. We also share some non-election related news for the week.

Each week the OK PolicyCast brings you the most important news affecting Oklahoma and what it means. This week, we'll discuss a new OK Policy report on the track record of the Medicaid expansion in other states, along with headlines, numbers of the day, and more.

The OK PolicyCast discusses the most important news in Oklahoma and what it means. This week, we’ll speak with Carly Putnam about economic opportunities for women in Oklahoma, and what we can do to make it easier for women to get ahead. Also this week's headlines, numbers of the weeks, and more!

The OK PolicyCast brings you the most important news in Oklahoma, and what it means. This week we talk with David Blatt about the state of Oklahoma's democracy. It's election season, but a whole lot of Oklahomans aren't voting or participating in any way in choosing who will take office. What's holding us back? We also share the top headlines, numbers of the week, and more.

This week we discuss the growing crisis in Oklahoma's prisons and signs that state leaders might actually do something about it; yet another controversy around state Superintendent Barresi; how the Oklahoma governor's race is heating up on the airwaves; & more...

This week we discuss new Census data that shows what's happening with poverty in Oklahoma; controversy over special needs students and newly released A-F grades for schools; how Oklahoma's doing on the health of our people and the health of our democracy; & more...

In this week's OK PolicyCast, we talk about a new event series aimed at growing citizen involvement across Oklahoma. We also discuss controversy over militarized police in Oklahoma, and a private firm that has been training police officers to seize cash from drivers at highway stops, even though they have not been charged with a crime. We also talk about a push to increase the tipped minimum wage for Oklahoma service workers, a new study on wage theft, and how rising court fees are feeding Oklahoma's incarceration crisis, as well as what the City of Tulsa is doing to prepare for climate change and attract millenials.

Each week we bring you the most important news affecting Oklahoma, and what it means. This week, we discuss a couple of lawsuits before the Oklahoma Supreme Court that could dramatically change tax politics in the state. We also talk about controversies over tax incentives for private businesses, a new campaign by the mayors of OKC and Tulsa to reduce their cities' dependency on sales tax, a state lawmaker's comments that has Oklahoma Muslims upset, key numbers of the week, & more.

We're back from vacation, rested and ready to share the most important Oklahoma news and analysis. This week, we discuss a recent book by journalist Amanda Ripley, "The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got that Way." The book looks at what countries with the highest performing education systems are doing right, and Oklahoma plays a prominent role in the story. We also talk about the loss of Oklahoma's No Child Left Behind waiver, new details on the investigation of a botched execution, numbers of the week, and more...

Today's episode shares highlights from the education panel at the 2014 Summer Policy Institute. Guests include Jenks Principal Rob Miller, Sapulpa Superintendent Kevin Burr, Booker T. Washington high school teacer Dr. Anthony Marshall, and OU professor and education researcher Dr. Curt Adams.

Another 5,000 unaccompanied immigrant children may be placed at U.S. military bases; Joe Dorman releases education funding plan; OSU researchers awarded grant from NASA; & more...

Oklahoma City sees surge in low-wage jobs; Oklahoma treasurer points out state fiscal pitfalls; Senate interim study to look at raising speed limit on the Turner Turnpike; & more...

Full Supreme Court to hear Common Core challenge; Lawmakers move money out of uncompensated trauma care fund; Oklahoma spends least in nation on prisoner health care; & more...

Federal highway funds to Oklahoma to be reduced beginning August 1st; Common Core repeal leads to legal and regulatory limbo; proposed strip club prompts legislator to request special legislative session; & more...