Chris Polansky

The Oklahoma National Guard is deploying personnel to both Washington, D.C., and Oklahoma City to support law enforcement efforts to defend the state and national capitols after last week's deadly insurrection during a joint session of Congress.

Public health experts and physicians' groups said Thursday that Gov. Kevin Stitt is misrepresenting research to justify his push for all school districts in Oklahoma to offer in-person learning despite the state's severe and dire COVID-19 situation.

Thursday's top stories:

• All five members of the Oklahoma delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, all Republicans, voted against impeaching President Donald Trump for his role in inciting the deadly attack on the Capitol.

• The Tulsa City Council voted 9-0 to extend the city's mask ordinance. 

Okla. GOP Sen. James Lankford spoke by phone with Public Radio Tulsa's Chris Polansky on Wednesday about the deadly pro-Trump insurrectionist attack on the Capitol, whether he feels at all responsible for the violence, and his thoughts on impeachment.

TRANSCRIPT:

[Click here to hear and read the transcript of the full, unedited 21 minute interview with Public Radio Tulsa and Sen. Lankford.]

Wednesday's top stories:

• Gov. Kevin Stitt is continuing his push to get all school districts in Oklahoma to offer in-person learning amid soaring COVID-19 numbers. On Tuesday, he announced students who were exposed to a confirmed case no longer have to quarantine in certain circumstances.

• Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), ranking member of the House Rules Committee, opposed a nonbinding resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence to exercise powers granted under the 25th Amendment to convene the cabinet and remove President Donald Trump.

Tuesday's top stories:

• Calls are mounting for the resignation or removal of Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission for his role in sowing doubt about the results of the 2020 election, views embraced by the Trump supporters who launched a deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol.

Calls are mounting for Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) to resign his seat on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission after his role in sowing doubt about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and the insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol.

This story was updated at 8:41 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, to include news of a second House lawmaker, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), testing positive for COVID-19 after the lockdown.

Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) was captured on video refusing to wear a mask when offered one as lawmakers sheltered in a crowded conference room during the dramatic Wednesday attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.

Monday's top stories:

• Some Oklahomans, including a sheriff and two mayors, were present in Washington, D.C., on the day of the insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol. They deny participating in violence.

• COVID-19 hits new record highs in Oklahoma. Nearly 65,000 Oklahomans were reported infected Sunday, the highest single-day total ever.

Condemnation of Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) for failing to debunk false conspiracy theories and President Trump's lies in the weeks leading up to Wednesday's insurrectionist attack on the Capitol building are coming from both the left and right of the political spectrum.

Friday's top stories:

• Tulsa County is spreading faster than projected in Tulsa County. By the end of January, as many as 10% of the entire county's population could have been infected throughout the pandemic.

• Oklahoma's three U.S. Attorneys say they will prosecute any Oklahomans who traveled to Washington, D.C., with the intent to participate in the attack on the United States Capitol incited by President Trump that left five people dead.

Oklahoma's three top federal prosecutors said Thursday they stand ready to prosecute any individuals who may have traveled from their jurisdictions to Washington, D.C., with intent to participate in the siege on the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead. 

Thursday's top stories:

• Violent insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump attacked the United States Capitol on Wednesday in an attempt to overturn his loss to President-elect Joe Biden in the November election. Four people died during the assault.

• After the House and Senate reconvened following the attack, all five of Oklahoma's U.S. Representatives still voted to object to the certification of Biden's wins in two states, based on claims of election fraud already found by courts and state legislatures to be meritless.

Wednesday's top stories:

• Medical and public health experts including Oklahoma's former state epidemiologist believe current record-setting COVID-19 numbers are actually undercounts of the true situation.

• The Tulsa Health Department could begin vaccinations for those 65 and older as soon as Monday.

A Tulsa Public Schools administrator on Monday said there's tentative reason to hope teachers and other school staff could begin receiving their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of January.

Chief Operations Officer Jorge Robles said at a TPS Board of Education meeting that a lot is still up in the air, but that was floated as a possibility in conversations with Tulsa Health Department officials.

Tuesday's top stories:

• The Oklahoma State Department of Health says it will be launching an app this week to help with COVID-19 vaccination appointments, acknowledging a slower-than-anticipated rollout.

• The state will follow FDA guidance not to give half-doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Monday's top stories:

• Oklahoma has broken records for weekly COVID-19 deaths and seven-day rolling average for confirmed infections.

• Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford is one of at least a dozen Republican senators to announce they will object to the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory over defeated President Donald Trump.