The political crystal ball that reveals what actually occurred during the last presidential election has been cloudy since even before the polls closed on Nov. 3, 2020.

Starting even before his inauguration and continuing right through to the end of his first term, how many times were we told with absolute confidence that the facts had caught up with President Trump and he would be forced to resign or face impeachment? That he was running scared? That the jig was up?

Among the many meetings and events that happen throughout the months legislators aren’t in session are interim studies. These are studies that allow Senate and House members to take an in-depth look at issues that impact their constituents and districts.

Craziness... That’s about the only word that I can assign to much of the news that is breaking around our nation and the world today as well as right here in our native Oklahoma.

President Biden on Monday said the United States stands with the people of Cuba who demonstrated by the thousands over the weekend to protest declining economic conditions on the island, complicated by an “authoritarian regime” and the deadly spread of COVID-19.

In watching President Joe Biden’s initiatives to curb Americans’ access to oil and natural gas, I thought of the late Yogi Berra’s famous quip, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” Twelve years ago, during the first half-year of the Obama presidency, I wrote a piece titled, “Economic Strangulation: The Environmentalist/Democrat War Against Energy.” It documented the various ways in which the Obama administration suppressed domestic production of oil and natural gas. After a reprieve from such policies during the Trump presidency, President Biden has wasted no time reinstating Obama-era restrictions and, if anything, expanding upon them.

Hugo has been blessed to have had a few Centenarians down through the years, and each in his or her own way... has a story to tell and one that is worthy of our time.

Although it’s the interim, things are still busy at the Capitol as we are already preparing for the next legislative session. Budget leaders are already crunching numbers to see what the 2023 fiscal year budget may look like, and members of the Select Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee are busy reviewing the budgets of the more than 50 state agencies that don’t receive legislative appropriations.

OKLAHOMA CITY – House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman, filed an interim study request Tuesday to examine the benefits of ending the state sales tax on groceries. Eliminating the tax was a key component of House Democrats’ Oklahoma Focused Budget this past session.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he was informed by some members of the U.S. military that they would quit if the armed forces mandated a COVID-19 vaccine, coming after a report claimed that Army headquarters told commanders to prepare for mandatory vaccinations in September.