Oklahoma City

The Oklahoma City Council has approved a $25 million infrastructure agreement to rebuild the Interstate 40 interchange at Cimarron Road, near a proposed Buc-ee's location in western Oklahoma City. The deal, involving the city, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) and developer CSMS Management LLC, covers rebuilding the interchange bridge, approaches and ramps, expanding the current two-lane crossing to five lanes with protected U-turn lanes. The vote approves the road project only, not final approval of the Buc-ee's store itself.

Costs would be split roughly 45.5% ODOT, 30.3% Oklahoma City and 24.2% CSMS, with $10 million in federal funding already secured through Sen. Markwayne Mullin's office. Construction could tentatively begin as early as 2028, pending approvals from the Oklahoma Transportation Commission, Federal Highway Administration and further sign-off from both the city and Buc-ee's. Cimarron Road could be closed during construction, though no detour schedule has been set. No opening date for the store has been announced.

Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, sparked bipartisan backlash after posting on social media about Asian American students cheering at a University of Texas football game following a comeback win over Ohio State, calling them "foreigners" and saying they showed how "Americans have been displaced by foreigners." Two students identified in the photo, Dhairya Gupta and Rahul Kodali, said they are U.S. citizens and called the post racist; Gupta said the incident showed racism "isn't looked down upon as much as it used to be." UT Austin enrollment data show international students make up less than 10% of the student body, with Asian students, mostly U.S. citizens or permanent residents, accounting for about 22.4% of enrollment. French has refused to delete the posts, denied regret when asked directly, and said "Truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth," using the controversy for fundraising.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn condemned the posts as racist, warning that tolerating such intolerance is "how great political parties self-destruct," and Rep. Dan Crenshaw also criticized French. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and GOP representatives including Jared Patterson, Jeff Leach, Matt Shaheen, and Lacey Hull called on French to delete the posts, while former Speaker Dade Phelan called him "unfit for office." Gov. Greg Abbott said the message wasn't his but stopped short of directly condemning French, instead touting support for freezing H-1B visas at universities; he has since endorsed French, as has Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Attorney General Ken Paxton, facing a Senate primary challenge from Democrat James Talarico, deflected criticism onto Talarico rather than address French's remarks. French previously faced calls to resign as county chair over a poll on Jews versus Muslims.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt has publicly criticized the escalating trade dispute between the United States and Canada, warning that the resulting instability harms Oklahoma businesses that depend on predictable cross-border commerce. President Trump has imposed steep tariffs on certain Canadian goods, arguing Canada has long taken advantage of the U.S., while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has responded with matching counter-tariffs, vowing Canada will not be pressured into submission.

Holt, a Republican, said he supports fair trade advocacy but objects to the confrontational tactics used, including suggestions that Canada become the 51st state and disputes over renaming Canadian landmarks. He called the negotiations chaotic and unpredictable, noting shifting agreements from the president's earlier term. Reaction in Congress is split along similar lines, with some lawmakers urging Congress to reclaim tariff authority and others backing pressure on Canada. Holt argued that regardless of the political rhetoric, it is Oklahoma businesses — not Canada — that stand to lose the most from prolonged uncertainty in the relationship.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) raised concerns at a State Canvassing Board meeting about the Justice Department's conduct while monitoring the state's Aug. 18 primary, calling the observers' behavior "a bit aggressive" and "irregular" and saying it exceeded the authority Congress gave them. Attorney General Keith Kautz, a gubernatorial appointee, is conducting a fact-finding investigation into the two DOJ Civil Rights Division attorneys deployed to Laramie County; Gordon said he is not alleging any outcome-altering effect or objecting to observers generally, only their conduct.

Secretary of State Chuck Gray said his office only received an email about the deployment, and defended the monitoring as consistent with state law. Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee said monitors lacked initial credentials, asked questions beyond federal voting-law scope, requested poll worker training materials and tabulator access, and unsuccessfully tried to interview voters, calling it "a poorly managed exercise." U.S. Attorney Darin Smith said monitors were sent to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal voting rights statutes. The DOJ deployed more than 80 monitors to over 200 sites across seven states this primary season, with plans to send roughly 1,000 monitors nationwide for November's midterms, drawing scrutiny over federal overreach.

Oklahoma voters head to the polls in runoff elections deciding the Republican nomination for governor and the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, alongside two statewide ballot measures. State Attorney General Gentner Drummond and former state Sen. Mike Mazzei, who narrowly split the June 16 primary vote, face off for the GOP gubernatorial nod; the winner will meet Democratic state House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson in November, with Democrats not having won the governorship in 20 years. Mazzei has self-funded heavily and drew President Trump's endorsement, while Drummond has outraised him in contributions—another test of Trump's mixed 2026 primary endorsement record.

On the Democratic side, nurse N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas and attorney Jim Priest are competing for the Senate nomination after neither cleared 50% in June; Priest holds a large fundraising edge. The winner faces Republican Rep. Kevin Hern, who won his primary outright. Voters also decide State Question 846, adding a voter ID requirement to the constitution, and State Question 844, concerning property tax reimbursements tied to manufacturing incentives.