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‘They Never Work’: Oklahoma Representative Speaks On Impending Government Shutdown

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‘They Never Work’: Oklahoma Representative Speaks On Impending Government Shutdown


Now just three days before the end of the federal fiscal year, the demands of a handful of ultra-conservative Republicans in the U.S. House, who are dead set on changing spending habits in Washington, have pushed Congress to the brink of yet another government shutdown.

Government shutdowns are certainly nothing new, there have been 14 since 1980 and three in the last ten years, meaning many in the Oklahoma delegation have down this road before, and they’re not happy to be headed there again.

“I’ve been very opposed to government shutdowns,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), who has sponsored bipartisan legislation for years to prevent shutdowns.

“That’s the last thing we need right now in the country,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) in a recent interview.

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“I’ve seen these before,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK4) “they never work.”

Congressman Cole and the others say, like their hardline conservative colleagues, they are also eager to cut spending and understand how some could be so passionate about the issue, but they say forcing the government to shut down is not the way to do it.

“We’ve got some pretty stubborn people,” said Rep. Cole in an interview Wednesday, “and from their standpoint, they say, ‘Well, we’ve heard these things before’, but most of them haven’t lived through a government shutdown before.”

Cole has, and says, aside from inconveniencing a lot of people — government workers and those in need of government services — which is bad enough, it means holding back paychecks from our men and women in uniform.

“That’s just no way to treat the military, that’s no way to treat civilian work forces at places like Tinker (Air Force Base) and Fort Sill and the FAA,” said Cole, referring to some of the federal installations in his district. “Honestly, what will happen at the end is we’ll go back and do the backpay anyway, so you lose the work — it’s actually expensive to shut down the government.”

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Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is planning to put a short-term funding measure, a CR, with a border security rider on the floor likely Friday, although it’s still not even clear if enough Republicans would vote to pass it. Cole says he’ll vote for it. He says he’d even vote, perhaps grudgingly, for the CR the Senate is working on, if the alternative is government shutting down.

“I don’t know why we have to relearn this lesson,” said an exasperated Cole, “this will be the fourth shutdown — if it happens — in 10 years and none of them will have achieved their objective.”

Of those 14 shutdowns since 1980, most were very short, lasting just one, two or three days. But the last one, almost five years ago, lasted more than a month.





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Firefighters respond to commercial fire in Oklahoma City

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Firefighters respond to commercial fire in Oklahoma City


OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a commercial fire near the area of NW 10th and N Western Avenue.

OKCFD were at the scene of a commercial fire around 7 p.m. Saturday night, when they arrived there was heavy smoke visible from multiple floors of a boarded up building.

One adult female was found in the building and taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

At this time no cause has been reported.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.



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Navy Coach Brian Newberry Talks Oklahoma Prep, Going for 10 Wins

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Navy Coach Brian Newberry Talks Oklahoma Prep, Going for 10 Wins


NORMAN — Bowl season is a bit unconventional for Navy.

The Midshipmen annually play against Army six days after the bowl schedule is released. That was the case this year, as Navy beat the Black Knights 31-13 on Dec. 14.

Beating Army is always a highlight for the Midshipmen. But the drawback for them is that they have less time than their bowl opponent to prepare for the game.

In this case, that’s Oklahoma. The Sooners will enter the game with more than two weeks of preparation for Navy’s triple-option offense.

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“It’s just a little different,” Navy coach Brian Newberry told reporters earlier this week. “They’ve known they’re going to play us for a little time now.”

Navy Coach, Oklahoma Native Brian Newberry Grew Up On OU Football

Navy does, however, enter the Armed Forces Bowl with momentum.

The Midshipmen (9-3) eased past Army last week in Landover, MD. They outgained the Black Knights 384-179 and forced Army quarterback Bryson Daily to throw three interceptions.

Navy’s rivalry win was its third in the last four games after the Midshipmen went on a two-game skid in the middle of the season. Newberry cited his team’s physicality in recent games, particularly in the Midshipmen’s drubbing of Army.

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“I was so impressed with how our kids handled the moment,” Newberry said. “Army’s a really, really good football team. I thought we physically dominated the game in the way that we blocked, beat blocks, the way we tackled. I thought we outplayed them in all three phases, so I’m really, really proud of that.”

A stark difference between the teams is the number of players that have entered the transfer portal.

The Sooners have seen 25 players from their 2024 team enter the portal. The Midshipmen have suffered only one departure in the winter portal window with defensive back Lorenzo Vitti.

On one hand, that makes Oklahoma preparation tough for Navy.

“It’s interesting,” Newberry said. “We’re going through their two-deep and trying to figure out who’s going to play and who isn’t. It’s a little bit of a challenge in that regard. And it could certainly change with a different quarterback.”

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But largely, the Midshipmen’s lack of transfers gives Newberry confidence that his team will be bought in for one more game in 2024.

“The portal can affect us, players can jump in the portal — we’re not getting that,” Newberry said. “It’s challenging to build a culture anywhere in college football right now, one that’s built on a certain level of trust. They know each other really, really well. They’ve fought through adversity. They stay the course, they pay the price and they have an opportunity.”

Navy will also play for more than just another win; the Midshipmen are looking to make history.

Navy has reached the 10-win mark just four times in program history. The Midshipmen did so three times under former coach Ken Niumatalolo from 2009-2019.

Having a shot at history while playing Oklahoma — the state that Newberry hails from — excites the coach.

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“It’s the last time that this team gets to play together,” Newberry said. “They want to go out the right way against a storied program like Oklahoma. It’s a great reward to play in a bowl game, but it’s a game we want to win.”

The Midshipmen and Sooners will play in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth at 11 a.m. on Dec. 27.



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Oklahoma LB Kip Lewis Sees Armed Forces Bowl as Growth Opportunity

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Oklahoma LB Kip Lewis Sees Armed Forces Bowl as Growth Opportunity


As Danny Stutsman departs from Oklahoma, Kip Lewis seems to be the next man up.

A redshirt sophomore linebacker in 2024, Lewis was one of the Sooners’ better defenders. In addition to his 28 solo tackles, Lewis intercepted two passes, running both of them back for touchdowns.

Lewis hopes to be the leader that Stutsman was over his four years at OU. But his goal isn’t to be a Stutsman clone.

“I feel like I’m my own player and my own leader in how I do things,” Lewis said. “Danny’s a great player, great leader. Taught me everything I need to know. I think I’m just my own person. I don’t think I need to step into his role and be the Danny. There’s only one.”

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Lewis played and started in all 12 of the Sooners’ games in the 2024 season. It was his second season as a regular on OU’s defense after playing in just two games as a true freshman.

In Oklahoma’s first season as an SEC squad, Lewis and his defensive counterparts saw plenty of offensive stars. Between Garrett Nussmeier at LSU and Quinn Ewers at Texas, there was never really a dull moment for the Sooners during conference play.

Lewis will see a different type of challenge at the Armed Forces Bowl against Navy.

WATCH: Navy HC Brian Newberry Ahead of Armed Forces Bowl vs. Oklahoma

The Midshipmen — like the other service academies — run a triple-option offense. While Navy, Army and Air Force struggle to get the highly-touted recruits that other programs draw, the unconventional offense sets them apart.

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Thankfully for Lewis, this style of offense isn’t new.

“I’m a little used to it. So it’s been a minute since I played it, but it brought me back to my roots playing the Wing-T. There’s a team called Pleasant Grove out there in Texas, so they used to give me a run for my money back in the day.”

Navy finished the regular season 9-3. The Midshipmen started the season 6-0 before losing three times in a four-game span.

They ended the season well, though, beating both East Carolina and Army by double digits to end the regular season.

Lewis and multiple of his teammates tuned in as the Midshipmen beat Army in the annual rivalry game.

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“They showed a lot of fight, a lot of grit,” Lewis said. “I think that’s an important key into playing football.”

Lewis will play only one more game as an underclassman. Then, he’ll step into the role of other defensive leaders the Sooners have seen recently, whether that’s Stutsman, Billy Bowman Jr., Woodi Washington or others.

Games like the Armed Forces Bowl will help him get there.

“Just always having to bring my best effort every day,” Lewis said. “Just bringing everything I’ve got. Just every day, I bring my value into whatever that is, whatever I’ve gotta do for my team. I think it’ll be a big role.”

The Sooners will battle the Midshipmen on Dec. 27 in Fort Worth. The game is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

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