Paul Monies
@pmonies.bsky.social
“Bluesky ain’t real life.” 🤷♂️ Native Scotsman. Honorary Texan and Okie. Reporting without fear or favor. #FOI Send me news tips: pmonies@oklahomawatch.org. https://oklahomawatch.org/author/paulmonies/
Dying at the right-wing activists that (1) held a call with Todd Blanche in which Blanche made a lot of anti-abortion promises, (2) said "uh this is off the record" like doing so would magically ward off journalists, and then (3) UPLOADED IT TO THEIR YOUTUBE CHANNEL www.politico.com/news/2026/08...
Drummond and Mazzei debated Monday. Oklahoma Watch fact-checked the major claims. Some held up. Some didn't. https://ow.ly/Bn5t50ZwkzQ
Paul Monies on Cedar Lake residents blaming a connected neighbor for water problems. Maya Henry examines bail schedule differences across 25 counties. Brenna Witchey covers Native American student success and funding deficits. https://ow.ly/HE3a50ZwmrX
Drummond and Mazzei debated Monday. Oklahoma Watch fact-checked the major claims. Some held up. Some didn't. https://ow.ly/Bn5t50ZwkzQ
One Cedar Lake resident has replaced her water pump six times and bought water by the tank a dozen times. She blames dams built by one of Oklahoma's most prominent attorneys. https://ow.ly/A8oH50ZtB14
new diesel record incoming? Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries, Houthi attacks in the Bab-al-Mandab Strait, U.S./Iran trading threats/attacks, U.S. diesel has jumped to avg $5.20/gal, and has a growing shot at reaching new *all-time* record highs (prev $5.82/gal)
MSG owner James Dolan insists that the facial recognition system deployed at his venues is an essential security measure. So why was it disabled during one of the year's most high-profile events: the pre-wedding celebration of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce? www.wired.com/story/for-ta...
For Taylor Swift, Madison Square Garden’s Controversial Cameras Briefly Went Dark
MSG’s sprawling surveillance system can monitor guests down to the second. Its owners made an exception for the pop star’s rehearsal dinner.
wired.com
Paul Monies examines a gubernatorial candidate’s surprising board attendance record, J.C. Hallman breaks down the legal questions surrounding an Insurance Commissioner candidate’s swift state residency swap. Jake Ramsey details severe property mismanagement. https://ow.ly/FpxV50ZqgjX
Fentanyl deaths in Oklahoma rose from 127 in 2020 to 730 in 2023. The state's harm reduction law expired July 1. Federal funding for test strips is gone. What remains is patchwork. https://ow.ly/nBQC50ZrzZB
A 5.0 magnitude earthquake shook parts of Texas and Oklahoma Thursday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.
5.0 magnitude earthquake in Texas panhandle shakes parts of Oklahoma
A 5.0 magnitude earthquake shook parts of Texas and Oklahoma Thursday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.
kfor.com
Mullin's stake in the Broken Arrow-based Botanic Tonics is reportedly worth $1 million. A new investigation suggests that the head of homeland security is playing a key role in a Trump administration campaign to boost the kratom industry. thepickup.com/is-markwayne...
Is Markwayne Mullin Making A Killing In Artisanal Kratom? - The Pickup
A new investigation suggests the head of homeland security is playing a key role in a Trump administration campaign to boost an industry he has a stake in.
thepickup.com
The Westmoor Mobile Home Park is pushing tenants into rent-to-own deals that legal experts contend are little more than a profitable scheme that rarely benefits tenants. https://ow.ly/MZB150ZqZXF
GOP labor commissioner candidates John Pfeiffer and Kevin West have agreed to participate in a public #debate in #McAlester ahead of #Oklahoma's Aug. 25 runoff election. Click to RSVP or reviewing streaming options to watch online.
Kevin West, John Pfeiffer set for labor commissioner debate in McAlester
Labor commissioner candidates John Pfeiffer and Kevin West are set to participate in a Republican runoff debate Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026.
nondoc.com
Paul Monies examines a gubernatorial candidate’s surprising board attendance record, J.C. Hallman breaks down the legal questions surrounding an Insurance Commissioner candidate’s swift state residency swap. Jake Ramsey details severe property mismanagement. https://ow.ly/FpxV50ZqgjX
A $40,000-per-Year AI School With No Teachers Is Opening in Oklahoma This August oklahomawatch.org/2026/07/21/a...
A $40,000-per-Year AI School With No Teachers Is Opening in Oklahoma This August - Oklahoma Watch
Alpha School, a billionaire-backed private school chain that replaces teachers with AI tutors and charges $40,000 a year in tuition, is opening campuses in Edmond and Tulsa in August. The model, which...
oklahomawatch.org
Yesterday I wrote about the Pentagon trying to control information and avoid questions about the Iran war, and I asked the public affairs office about its press briefing drought. After publishing, I received a revealing statement from Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell... 🧵
The Pentagon avoids questions as the US war with Iran escalates | CNN Business
The public deserves transparency about the US war in Iran. But that’s not what we’re getting — not even close.
cnn.com
New: A judge has unsealed the NYT's request for the court to quash the subpoenas against its journalists. NYT says the subpoenas are "an instrument to chill criticism of the administration" and they "conflict both with the law and fundamental First Amendment principles."
“Besides, the Kennedy working for him was the lowliest Kennedy. The one who bathed in filthy rivers and spoke like a dying truck motor.”
McSweeney's@mcsweeneys.net · 2w ago"The old man thought about how everyone was constantly rigging things against him. The Strait must be another one of those things. There could be no other logical explanation. 'I did everything right,' the old man said to himself. He considered himself a very stable genius."
Oklahoma's medical marijuana testing system has a lab shopping problem, a partially accredited oversight lab and a pesticide screening panel some experts say isn't broad enough. Stephen Martin has the story. https://ow.ly/Pax750ZpFcF
According to President Trump, America is a hotbed of voting fraud — and foreigners are major culprits. A new Reuters analysis of federal court data undercuts his assertion that a conspiracy of noncitizen voting is afoot reut.rs/4f6j24E
The Trump administration sought the phone records of several New York Times journalists and their relatives — including one reporter’s mother — in its effort to unmask the confidential sources. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/b...
Trump's $4 billion Presidential windfall is unprecedented in scale & source. Obama's wealth grew from royalties from books written before office, and Bush's largely came from a sports‑team stake from over a decade prior. Trump's new billions are from deals made in office.
US measles cases approach last year’s record-setting total States showed only modest gains this week, but Utah’s outbreak reached 510 infections. Read more: https://bit.ly/4ytWItd 📷: CDC
Mazzei built his governor's campaign around financial expertise. He's been absent from three-fourths of the meetings overseeing a $4 billion police pension fund. https://ow.ly/IBCe50ZoFLi
“Based on simple math, these outbreak responses—which require rapid, timely responses—are going to be greatly diminished,” the former CDC lab director tells WIRED. www.wired.com/story/cdc-cy...
The CDC Has a Cyclospora Lab. DOGE Downsized It Last Year
“Based on simple math, these outbreak responses—which require rapid, timely responses—are going to be greatly diminished,” the former CDC lab director tells WIRED.
wired.com
Mazzei built his governor's campaign around financial expertise. He's been absent from three-fourths of the meetings overseeing a $4 billion police pension fund. https://ow.ly/IBCe50ZoFLi
Elon Musk's xAI has installed more than double the number of gas turbines than it has publicly acknowledged to power its Colossus 2 data center project, without federal permits, and the pollution is hitting predominantly Black neighborhoods the hardest reut.rs/4bIghEm
