May 30, 2019 11:06 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Thursday (May 30)

• 4 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

Was that the dog, or did you just release some “molecules of U.S. freedom?” 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 is in Colorado today to give the commencement speech at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

► An effort to recall Rep. Tom Sullivan (D-Aurora) continues to reflect poorly on Colorado Republicans. Arapahoe County Republican Party Vice Chair Brenda Stokes says that Sullivan “shamefully politicized his son’s death” in sponsoring red flag legislation this year. Sullivan’s son was killed in the 2012 Aurora Theater shooting.

► President Trump is trying to navigate the aftermath of the first public comments from special counsel Robert Mueller, in which Mueller made clear that his investigation did NOT exonerate Trump. As the Washington Post reports:

President Trump on Thursday attacked Robert S. Mueller III as “totally conflicted” and “a true never-Trumper” and claimed that the special counsel would have brought charges against him if he had any evidence — a characterization directly at odds with what Mueller said in a public statement Wednesday.

Trump’s attacks came in morning tweets and later while speaking to reporters at the White House. In one of his tweets, he also seemingly acknowledged for the first time that Russia had helped him get elected in 2016 — but he strongly pushed back against that notion while talking to reporters as he prepared to leave Washington…

…Trump caused a kerfuffle earlier in the morning after seeming to acknowledge for the first time that Russia had helped him in 2016.

“Russia, Russia, Russia! That’s all you heard at the beginning of this Witch Hunt Hoax,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “And now Russia has disappeared because I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected. [Pols emphasis] It was a crime that didn’t exist.”

Shortly afterward, however, he told reporters at the White House that Russia had not helped him get elected.

As Greg Sargent writes for the Washington Post, Trump can’t put this one back in the bag. Meanwhile, CNN fact-checks Trump’s newest list of lies.

► Colorado Gov. Jared Polis today released his “roadmap to 100% renewable energy by 2040” plan for fighting Climate Change.

In related news, Glenwood Springs is now the 7th city in the United States to be powered by 100% renewable energy.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► State Rep. Susan Beckman (R-Littleton) is very worried about 3rd grade children writing her letters asking her to act to fight Climate Change. Beckman isn’t worried about Climate Change — she’s concerned that these 3rd graders have a fatalistic attitude.

► Kudos to Salesforce.com for pushing retailers to stop selling automatic weapons. As the Washington Post explains:

Behind the scenes in recent weeks, the Silicon Valley tech giant has delivered a different message to gun-selling retailers such as Camping World: Stop selling military-style rifles, or stop using our software…

…The pressure Salesforce is exerting on those retailers — barring them from using its technology to market products, manage customer service operations and fulfill orders — puts them in a difficult position. Camping World, for example, spends more than $1 million a year on Salesforce’s e-commerce software, according to one analyst estimate. Switching to another provider now could cost the company double that to migrate data, reconfigure systems and retrain employees.

The change in Salesforce’s acceptable-use policy shows how a technology giant that is mostly unknown to the public is trying to influence what retailers in America sell and alter the dynamics of a charged social issue. While Salesforce is hardly a household name, it is a dominant provider of software and services that help businesses manage their customers.

► 9News reports on a new Colorado law that isn’t making ICE officials very happy. Governor Jared Polis signed HB-1124 into law on Tuesday.

► Colorado may not see much of Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) anymore, but Wall Street apparently has no trouble reaching him.

► Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is challenging federal regulations attempting to make it easier for health care providers to refuse to treat patients based on personal or moral objections.

► The Denver Post reports on passage of new legislation that opens up Colorado’s marijuana industry to outside investors. You may also be able to get legal marijuana delivered to your house next year.

► The White House apparently engaged in frequent discussions with the U.S. Navy about hiding the name of the U.S.S. John McCain during President Trump’s visit to Japan last weekend.

► Former Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran died on Thursday. Cochran resigned from the Senate last spring as he struggled with several health issues. Cochran was 81 years old.

► Speaking of Mississippi, you don’t need to pretend to be surprised by this.

► There are two Colorado politicians seeking the Democratic nomination for President in 2020. Can either of them make it through a new tougher round of qualifications for fall debates?

Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

► President Trump is a bit obsessive about the idea of a high IQ.

► Watch out for what President Trump is teasing will be his “biggest statement so far on the border.” It’ll be BIGLY YUGE!

ICYMI

► DMB in CO-3, once more.

►  The ski season in Colorado may never end.

Check out the latest episode of The Get More Smarter Show, featuring an in-depth interview with Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. You can also Get More Smarter by liking Colorado Pols on Facebook!