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February 07, 2018 10:55 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Wednesday (February 7)

  • 1 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Valentine’s Day is one week from today, so get off your ass. It’s time to Get More Smarter. If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example). If you are more of a visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show.

 

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► President Trump reiterated his desire to talk with special counsel Robert Mueller about allegations of collusion with Russia and obstruction of justice concerns. Lawyers for Trump do not want the President to speak with Mueller in person because they are worried that he will get caught in a lie or two; of course, saying that they don’t want Trump to talk to Mueller probably only ensured that he would sit down with the former FBI Director.

As Chris Cillizza writes for CNN:

“He thinks he can work this,” one person familiar with Trump’s thinking told CNN’s Sara Murray. “He doesn’t realize how high the stakes are.”

Because, of course he does (and doesn’t).

 

► Congressional Republicans are working feverishly in advance of yet another deadline for avoiding a federal government shutdown; if successful, this would mark the fifth stopgap spending measure approved by Congress since September 30, 2017. House Democrats, however, are pushing back on supporting another proposal unless a promised vote on immigration reform becomes…uh, more promised?

Congressman Scott Tipton (R-Cortez) voted in favor of the short-term spending bill on Tuesday, as did the rest of Colorado’s Republican delegation. According to the New York Times, Senate Republicans may have reached a deal to kick the budget can down the road a bit longer:

Senate leaders, disregarding President Trump’s threats to shut down the government, neared a far-reaching agreement on Wednesday to set spending levels on military and domestic spending for the next two years, breaking the cycle of fiscal crises that have bedeviled the Capitol since last summer.

The accord was expected to also include disaster relief for areas hit by last year’s hurricanes and wildfires…

…The budget deal would be paired with a stopgap spending measure that would keep federal agencies open past Thursday, when the current funding measure is set to expire.

There are several reports now that the Senate has indeed reached agreement on a two-year spending deal.

 

► Senator Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) is still standing strong in his “pot blockade,” as the Denver Post reports. Elsewhere, The Cannabist takes a look at how U.S. Attorneys around the country view last month’s decision by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to rescind the so-called “Cole Memo.”

 

► Check out the latest episode of “The Get More Smarter Show”, featuring an interview with Democratic Congressional candidate Jason Crow.

 

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

 

Some Republican lawmakers in Colorado are working on legislation that is really, really, really not important at all. 

 

► Here’s another sign that a big blue wave is coming in 2018.

 

► Governor John Hickenlooper is considering a significant decision regarding inmates in Colorado whose primary crime is related to marijuana possession. From Blair Miller at Denver7:

The office of John Hickenlooper told Denver7 Tuesday it was reviewing fewer than 40 cases involving people convicted of nonviolent marijuana offenses, and evaluating whether or not it would be appropriate for those convicts to apply for clemency.

Last November, Hickenlooper granted clemency to 22 people, including at least six with only marijuana convictions, who he said had “taken great strides to improve their lives and communities.” All 22 of those people had already completed their sentences.

Last week, prosecutors in San Francisco and San Diego moved to review thousands of felony convictions and possibly drop them to misdemeanors. Around 3,000 misdemeanor convictions in San Francisco could be dismissed.

The move from both cities comes after voters legalized recreational marijuana, erasing certain marijuana-related crimes. Advocates say minorities had been unfairly targeted with marijuana prosecution in the past, and have asked other states and cities to follow suit.

 

► As the Colorado Springs Independent reports, those weird little sage grouse birds are in danger of getting all oily.

 

► Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is considering a massive reorganization of the department. 

 

► As Ernest Luning reports for the publication formerly known as the Colorado Statesman, Democratic Congressional candidate Mark Williams has been paying himself a salary to run in CD-2. Candidates for Congress can pay themselves a salary out of their campaign funds, but as Luning explains, Williams did not check off a couple of important boxes first.

 

► Casino mogul and former Republican fundraiser Steve Wynn resigned as chairman and chief executive of his company, Wynn Resorts, in the wake of allegations of sexual assault and harassment.

 

► Colorado lawmakers are debating a family medical leave bill that is picking up more support — which may force Republicans to kill the legislation after it clears the State House.

 

According to a new poll, Americans do not believe that immigrants are more likely to commit violent crimes, and they don’t believe the tripe that “immigrants are taking our jobs.”

 

► Republicans finally have a candidate for an at-large CU Regent seat.

 

► Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Johnston has been endorsed by former Governor Dick Lamm.

 

► Kudos to this Girl Scout Troop. From Fox 31:

An ordinance that bans smoking in vehicles with children present that was pushed by members of Girl Scout Troop No. 60789 passed the Aurora City Council on Monday night.

Mayor Steve Hogan cast the tiebreaking vote, giving approval to the ordinance in a 6-5 vote.

The measure was introduced last month by five 13-year-old girls.

The girls came up with the idea while trying to earn the Silver Award, which is given to middle school-aged Girl Scouts who develop a project to benefit the community.

The ordinance, which makes it illegal to smoke tobacco or marijuana and vaping in a vehicle with anyone younger than 18 years old, is only for the city of Aurora, but eight states have similar laws on the books.

 

Perhaps the Earth is really a cube.

 

 

Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

► Jennifer Rubin, a conservative columnist for the Washington Post, rightfully mocks President Trump’s plans to hold a massive military parade:

A parade along the lines Trump has ordered up would make the military look like Trump’s props, which perhaps was the idea. Now that the idea has been leaked (kudos to whoever understood the quickest way to kill this was to tell the press about it), let’s hope it evaporates like so many other silly Trump ideas.

But France does it! Yes, and the United States generally does not, with the exception of welcome-home festivities at the end of wars. We are the world’s only superpower and do not need theatrical presentations to demonstrate our power.

 

Jesus is my flu shot.

 

► State Sen. Vicki Marble approves of this nonsense.

 

ICYMI

 

► Democrat Jason Crow, who is running for Congress in CD-6 (Mike Coffman’s seat) is our guest in the latest episode of “The Get More Smarter Show”.

 

 

Click here for The Get More Smarter Show. You can also Get More Smarter by liking Colorado Pols on Facebook!

 

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