Latest news with #Bibles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Legislative session mixed bag for Oklahoma governor who ‘got everything he wanted' until very end
Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks at his weekly media availability on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – The legislative session, which ended Friday, was a mixed bag for Gov. Kevin Stitt. He got his income tax cut, business courts and ban on cellphones in schools, prompting him to say Wednesday it was probably the best session in his seven years in office. 'Look. The governor should be very happy,' House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said early Friday. 'He got everything he wanted this session.' But then came Thursday, effectively the final day of the legislative session. Lawmakers removed his embattled mental health commissioner and spent hours overriding dozens of his vetoes, including House Bill 1389, which expands insurance coverage for diagnostic mammograms. Stitt panned both the veto overrides and Friesen's firing. State Superintendent Ryan Walters didn't fare well, watching lawmakers and Stitt halt his efforts to require citizenship status checks for students and the completion of the naturalization test for teachers. They also balked at his $3 million request to purchase Bibles for public school classrooms. But lawmakers stopped short of putting the kibosh on his controversial social studies standards, dictating what must be taught in school, and which have already drawn a court challenge. The standards include language requiring students be taught about unfounded 2020 election 'discrepancies,' the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and Bible stories. Democrats said they were largely left out of the budget process. While Stitt championed it, Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said the .25% income tax reduction was the worst bill of the session. It cuts the top bracket from 4.75% to 4.5% and contains a pathway toward eliminating the tax entirely. 'It is going to undermine our options as a state,' Kirt said. Stitt let the general appropriations bill, outlining the state's nearly $12.6 billion budget, take effect without his signature. The budget gives most agencies a flat budget, but provides $250 million for the Oklahoma State University veterinary school and $200 million for a University of Oklahoma pediatric heart hospital. Perhaps one of the most controversial measures passed and signed into law was a bill putting more restrictions on the process voters use to get things on the ballot. Senate Bill 1027, which among other things implements restrictions on the number of people who can sign initiative petitions, is expected to draw a legal challenge. Sports betting failed to get across the finish line for yet another year. A bill that would have barred synthetic dyes and over a dozen other ingredients from food got left on the cutting room floor, as did a measure requiring a Ten Commandments display at the Capitol. A bill that would add items to Oklahoma's back-to-school sales tax holiday didn't muster the support needed for passage nor did a measure that would have made Nov. 5 President Donald J. Trump Day in Oklahoma. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Oklahoma Senate approves governor's new education board members
Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, left, sits next to Oklahoma State Board of Education member Mike Tinney, right, before supporting Tinney's confirmation during a Senate Education Committee meeting May 20, 2025, at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday confirmed Gov. Kevin Stitt's four new appointees to the State Board of Education along with picks for several other state leadership posts. With no discussion, senators approved the appointments of Mike Tinney, of Norman, Christopher K. Van Denhende, of Tulsa, Ryan A. Deatherage, of Kingfisher, and Becky Y. Carson, of Edmond, to serve on the state board tasked with governing the state's public school system. Gov. Kevin Stitt in February removed three prior members from the board and criticized them for creating 'needless political drama' following their vote requiring schools to collect students' immigration status. Stitt then named Deatherage, Tinney and Van Denhende to fill the vacancies, saying the board needed fresh eyes. State Superintendent Ryan Walters accused Stitt of firing the three former board members for political purposes. The three booted members had voted in line with Walters since he took office in January 2023. They approved Walters' budget requests, which included $3 million to spend on Bibles, along with controversial new rules that would require the student citizenship checks and require teachers to pass a naturalization test in order to be licensed. During the session, the Republican-controlled Legislature rejected all three proposals. In April, Stitt appointed Carson, a retired educator, to fill a seat representing Congressional District 5 that has been vacant for two years. Walters and six members appointed by the governor make up the board. During the committee vetting process, some Republican senators objected to Stitt's decision to overhaul the board's membership. Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, carried Tinney's nomination after his hometown senator, Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, declined to do so. Standridge told some media outlets she was friends with Kendra Wesson, who served on the board before being booted. In other business, the Senate confirmed John Budd of Oklahoma City to serve as the Department of Commerce CEO. Richard L. Rose of Oklahoma City was confirmed as Office of Management and Enterprise Services director. Jeffrey Cartmell of Edmond was approved to serve as Department of Human Services director. Timothy N. Tardibono of Oklahoma City was confirmed as Office of Juvenile Affairs executive director. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Dinner with Trump: It'll set you back only $1 million
What a great country we live in. You tell me: in whatever other country could you receive a personal email from your president? Yet that's what happened to me this weekend. I couldn't believe it. I was so excited when this message popped up among incoming emails: 'Email from the President.' Of course, I opened it right away. I couldn't wait. Was President Trump asking my advice on ending the war in Ukraine? Or how to get his 'big, beautiful bill' out of the Senate? No, no. Nothing so important. It turned out Trump was just doing what he does best: asking for money. 'I signed collectable golf balls for you,' read the email. 'BUT we'll only have a few of these left in stock, so if you want them, you've got to ORDER BEFORE MIDNIGHT.' There they were, the president emailed, just waiting for me: three 'Trump Signature Golf Balls' (not actually signed by him) for anywhere from $35 to $3,300, depending on how big a check I wanted to write. As much as I hate to disappoint the Don, I decided to pass. Actually, I felt lucky. At least I didn't get an email inviting me to have dinner with Trump last Thursday night at his golf club in Potomac Falls, Va. That would have set me back a bit more than $35. The minimum price for steak and halibut was a cool million — for which you didn't even get a handshake with the Orange Man. But 220 fat cats did show up, specially invited because they were the biggest investors in Trump's latest money-making scheme, which he launched just before his second Inauguration: a $Trump meme coin. Buyers from China, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and around the world flew in for the dinner with the explicit intent, they told reporters, 'of influencing Mr. Trump and U.S. financial regulations.' In addition to dinner with the president, the top donors were given a private tour of the White House the next morning. And, to be clear, this was not a campaign fundraiser. This event was a business venture lining the pockets of Trump and his family — from which, according to the New York Times, they have already collected $320 million in fees. Stop! That rumbling sound you hear? It's the sound of Thomas Jefferson, or Abraham Lincoln, or Jimmy Carter, or any of our other 42 deceased presidents rolling in their grave. It's no stretch of the imagination to conclude that anyone of them would be appalled at the way Trump has turned the presidency from the highest form of public service to the most disgusting display of personal enrichment. He's replaced the revered title 'commander-in-chief' with the disgraced 'grifter-in-chief.' After all, last week's dinner is hardly the first money-making scheme Trump has launched recently. In January, in addition to hawking Bibles, trading cards, sneakers and watches, he unveiled a new crypto firm, World Liberty Financial, with a $2 billion investment from Abu Dhabi. Since the inauguration, sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have been bouncing around the world, signing a breathtaking bounty of new business deals for the family. That includes a $1 billion, 80-story luxury hotel in Dubai; a second high-end residential tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; a new golf course and villa complex in Qatar; a Trump skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City; and a $1.5 billion golf complex outside Hanoi. They've also opened a private club in Washington, the 'Executive Branch,' where for a $500,000 entrance fee, members can rub elbows with members of the Trump administration. Again, all of these projects have one purpose only: to exploit the office of president in order to funnel money to Trump and his family. Eric Lipton, investigative reporter for the New York Times, concludes: 'Mr. Trump is estimated to have added billions to his personal fortune, at least on paper, since the start of his new term, much of it through crypto.' How times have changed. There's hardly a peep of protest this time about Trump's money-grubbing. Yet not that long ago, Hillary Clinton was roasted for having made $100,000 from a $1,000 investment in cattle futures — 12 years before her husband was elected president. Looking back, it's hard to believe we made such a big deal about so little. But at least we had some standards of decency then. We have none today. Bill Press is host of 'The Bill Press Pod.' He is the author of 'From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Dinner with Trump: It'll set you back only $1 million
What a great country we live in. You tell me: in whatever other country could you receive a personal email from your president? Yet that's what happened to me this weekend. I couldn't believe it. I was so excited when this message popped up among incoming emails: 'Email from the President.' Of course, I opened it right away. I couldn't wait. Was President Trump asking my advice on ending the war in Ukraine? Or how to get his 'big, beautiful bill' out of the Senate? No, no. Nothing so important. It turned out Trump was just doing what he does best: asking for money. 'I signed collectable golf balls for you,' read the email. 'BUT we'll only have a few of these left in stock, so if you want them, you've got to ORDER BEFORE MIDNIGHT.' There they were, the president emailed, just waiting for me: three 'Trump Signature Golf Balls' (not actually signed by him) for anywhere from $35 to $3,300, depending on how big a check I wanted to write. As much as I hate to disappoint the Don, I decided to pass. Actually, I felt lucky. At least I didn't get an email inviting me to have dinner with Trump last Thursday night at his golf club in Potomac Falls, Va. That would have set me back a bit more than $35. The minimum price for steak and halibut was a cool million — for which you didn't even get a handshake with the Orange Man. But 220 fat cats did show up, specially invited because they were the biggest investors in Trump's latest money-making scheme, which he launched just before his second Inauguration: a $Trump meme coin. Buyers from China, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and around the world flew in for the dinner with the explicit intent, they told reporters, 'of influencing Mr. Trump and U.S. financial regulations.' In addition to dinner with the president, the top donors were given a private tour of the White House the next morning. And, to be clear, this was not a campaign fundraiser. This event was a business venture lining the pockets of Trump and his family — from which, according to the New York Times, they have already collected $320 million in fees. Stop! That rumbling sound you hear? It's the sound of Thomas Jefferson, or Abraham Lincoln, or Jimmy Carter, or any of our other 42 deceased presidents rolling in their grave. It's no stretch of the imagination to conclude that anyone of them would be appalled at the way Trump has turned the presidency from the highest form of public service to the most disgusting display of personal enrichment. He's replaced the revered title 'commander-in-chief' with the disgraced 'grifter-in-chief.' After all, last week's dinner is hardly the first money-making scheme Trump has launched recently. In January, in addition to hawking Bibles, trading cards, sneakers and watches, he unveiled a new crypto firm, World Liberty Financial, with a $2 billion investment from Abu Dhabi. Since the inauguration, sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have been bouncing around the world, signing a breathtaking bounty of new business deals for the family. That includes a $1 billion, 80-story luxury hotel in Dubai; a second high-end residential tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; a new golf course and villa complex in Qatar; a Trump skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City; and a $1.5 billion golf complex outside Hanoi. They've also opened a private club in Washington, the 'Executive Branch,' where for a $500,000 entrance fee, members can rub elbows with members of the Trump administration. Again, all of these projects have one purpose only: to exploit the office of president in order to funnel money to Trump and his family. Eric Lipton, investigative reporter for the New York Times, concludes: 'Mr. Trump is estimated to have added billions to his personal fortune, at least on paper, since the start of his new term, much of it through crypto.' How times have changed. There's hardly a peep of protest this time about Trump's money-grubbing. Yet not that long ago, Hillary Clinton was roasted for having made $100,000 from a $1,000 investment in cattle futures — 12 years before her husband was elected president. Looking back, it's hard to believe we made such a big deal about so little. But at least we had some standards of decency then. We have none today. Bill Press is host of 'The Bill Press Pod.' He is the author of 'From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.'
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Time travel 'evidence' as iPhone spotted in 1882 painting of Robert Burns
A painting of Robert Burns and 'Highland Mary' has caused a stir among social media users after some claimed the image shows the Scottish poet holding an iPhone A 19th Century painting has ignited theories of time travel due to its apparent depiction of an iPhone. The Betrothal of Burns and Highland Mary, completed circa 1882 by R. Josey and James Archer, portrays the globally renowned Scottish bard Robert Burns and his sweetheart, Mary Campbell, professing their love for each other. The artwork features the couple standing by the River Ayr, exchanging glances, each holding a dark-coloured rectangle with rounded corners that bears a striking resemblance to an early iPhone model. This peculiar detail has given art enthusiasts food for thought, leading some to speculate whether Scotland's national poet possessed clandestine time-travelling abilities – especially considering the image predates the iconic smartphone by a staggering 125 years, reports the Daily Star. Could Highland Mary have been scrutinising Burns' Instagram DMs? Or perhaps the poet was sharing a meme with his beloved? If you're convinced of time travel by this painting, there might be a straightforward explanation for the enigmatic object. Burns and his lover famously met to pledge their intent to wed by the west Scotland river in 1786, marking the event with an age-old Scottish custom – exchanging Bibles over a flowing stream. Thus, it appears the mysterious black rectangle could likely be a religious book rather than an uncanny foreshadowing of future technology. However, this isn't the first instance of smartphones seemingly cropping up in historical artworks. It was previously revealed that sharp-eyed art enthusiasts had noticed what seemed to be an iPhone in a painting from nearly 90 years ago. Umberto Romano's Mr Pynchon And The Settling Of Springfield was painted in 1937, a good 70 years prior to the launch of Apple's first smartphone. Despite this chronological incongruity, observers are adamant they can spot a man in the bottom right corner of the mural holding what appears to be a distinctly contemporary device to his face, even cradling it in his hand with his thumb free, much like one would while scrolling through an ex-partner's new flame on social media or swiping on Tinder. Speculation abounds as to what the mobile-like object could be, with suggestions ranging from a knife to a mirror. Romano passed away in 1982 – before mobile phones became commonplace – so we may never truly uncover what this seemingly anachronistic piece of tech was intended to represent. Similarly, a British vintage photograph taken also sent time travel enthusiasts into a frenzy. Taken in Cornwall in September 1943, it shows a man on a crowded beach who has been called a "quantum leaper" thanks to him appearing to be glued to a tech device. As well as questioning his outfit choice, social media users became embroiled in a fierce debate over what was preoccupying the man.
