Oklahoma high court strikes down 2 abortion bans; procedure remains illegal in most cases

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that two state laws banning abortion are unconstitutional, but the procedure remains illegal in the state in nearly all cases except life-threatening situations. In a 6-3 ruling, the high court said the two bans are...

As Supreme Court considers affirmative action, colleges see few other ways to diversity goals

WASHINGTON (AP) — As an alternative to affirmative action, colleges from California to Florida have tried a range of strategies to achieve the diversity they say is essential to their campuses. Many have given greater preference to low-income families. Others started admitting top students from...

Whistleblowers file lawsuits against Oklahoma education boss, top aide

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Two former employees at the State Department of Education filed separate federal lawsuits Tuesday against Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters and his top aide, alleging they were wrongfully fired last week. Cheryl McGee, the agency's former executive...

Meet the influential new player on transgender health bills

Do No Harm, a nonprofit that launched last year to oppose diversity initiatives in medicine, has evolved into a significant leader in statehouses seeking to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youths, producing model legislation that an Associated Press analysis found has been used in at...

Supreme Court blocks Richard Glossip’s execution in Oklahoma

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday blocked Oklahoma from executing death row inmate Richard Glossip for his role in a 1997 murder-for-hire after the state's attorney general agreed Glossip's life should be spared. While it's rare for the conservative-dominated court to...

Wearing red, Indigenous families honor missing relatives

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Native Americans whose relatives have gone missing or been killed wore red on Friday, a color synonymous with raising awareness about the disproportionate number of Indigenous people who have been victims of violence. Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples...

Supreme Court blocks Oklahoma from executing death row inmate Richard Glossip

Oklahoma board denies clemency for death row inmate Glossip

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s state parole board voted Wednesday not to recommend clemency for death row inmate Richard Glossip, even though the state attorney general said he doesn’t think the condemned man whose case has drawn celebrity interest received a fair trial. The...

Oklahoma county worried about fallout from racist recording

IDABEL, Okla. (AP) — So many residents of northern Texas cross the border into McCurtain County in far southeast Oklahoma each week that the area has earned the nickname of the “Dallas-Fort Worth Hamptons.” With its clean rivers and lakes, these forested foothills of the...

Oklahoma court upholds Richard Glossip’s murder conviction

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma appeals court on Thursday upheld the murder conviction of death row inmate Richard Glossip, paving the way for Glossip to be executed on May 18, despite the state attorney general’s concerns about some testimony and evidence. Glossip can still...