May 29, 2020 01:28 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (May 29)

• 1 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

We don’t normally do a GMS update later in the day like this, but since there is SO much happening in the world, we figured it might be helpful. Now, let’s 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 an audio/visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show or The Get More Smarter Podcast. And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter.

BECAUSE CORONAVIRUS…

*Colorado Coronavirus info:
CDPHE Coronavirus website 

*Daily Coronavirus numbers in Colorado:
http://covid19.colorado.gov

*How you can help in Colorado:
COVRN.com

*Locate a COVID-19 testing site in Colorado:
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

► A second day of protests are underway in Denver after a long night of anger on Thursday over police brutality. The Denver Post has a rundown of Thursday’s protests if you happened to miss the news (also check this story from The Colorado Times-Recorder). The Colorado legislature will not reconvene until Monday because of the the protests. If you’re trying to be out and about today, be aware that RTD has suspended all lightrail and bus services in downtown Denver.

Meanwhile, one of the officers accused in the death of George Floyd has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

► President Trump is speaking out about protests related to the death of George Floyd…and not in a way that is at all helpful. As The Washington Post reports, Trump’s rhetoric led to a response from Twitter:

“These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen,” Trump tweeted shortly before 1 a.m. Friday, adding, “Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

Critics immediately condemned Trump’s tweet, asserting that he was promoting violent retaliation against protesters, and Twitter took swift action. “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence,” read a gray box that now hides Trump’s tweet from public view unless a user clicks to see it. In doing so, Twitter also prevented other users from liking the president’s tweet or sharing it without appending comment.

Prior to this exchange, Trump signed a (legally questionable) Executive Order on Thursday accusing social media companies like Twitter of “censoring” right-wing voices. Notably, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg isn’t saying shit.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, meanwhile, took a different approach. Via POLITICO:

Biden said Friday that the death in Minnesota of a black man who had been detained by police exposed racial injustice that “none of us can turn away” from, urging Americans to treat the volatile national moment as a turning point for race relations in the U.S.

Biden said Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer detained him and knelt on his neck for several minutes, was denied basic “human” and “civil rights.”

► As The New York Times reports, President Trump says he is officially cutting U.S. ties with the World Health Organization:

“We will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization and redirecting those funds to other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs,” Mr. Trump said in remarks in the White House Rose Garden.

The declaration was a major escalation of his efforts to blame China and the W.H.O. for the spread of the virus and deflect blame from his handling of a crisis that has killed more than 100,000 people in the United States. Last week, Mr. Trump threatened to pull funding if the W.H.O. did not “commit to major substantive improvements in the next 30 days.”

The United States is the single largest donor to the W.H.O., contributing about 20 percent of its budget in 2018 and 2019. The world’s pre-eminent global health organization, the W.H.O. has been targeted by the Trump administration for its handling of global data as the virus spread.

► As Chris Cillizza writes for CNN, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is demonstrating true crisis leadership.

If you’re looking for political news that isn’t about Coronavirus, it’s available right after the jump…

SERIOUSLY, THERE WILL BE NON-CORONAVIRUS NEWS MOMENTARILY…

► Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-Denver) has introduced two pieces of legislation aimed at improving COVID-19 testing nationwide.

► Senator Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) is attacking a coronavirus relief package passed by the U.S. House as being full of “pet projects.” It’s not a great look for a Senator who made a very public half-assed attempt to convince the U.S. Senate not to adjourn last week without passing another relief bill.

► As Colorado Public Radio reports, Gov. Jared Polis outlined new steps forward in the coronavirus pandemic response:

Polis told Coloradans Thursday that they can travel outside their county and immediate area to recreate as long as they abide by local rules about closures and visitation.

For much of the past three months, he has encouraged people to stay within 10 miles of their home.

But he also made it clear he’s not talking about all Coloradans. He urged older folks to stay home, to avoid getting sick and prevent an uptick in hospitalizations. Polis said he is still not sure if “the worst is ahead or behind us.”

More than 1,400 died of COVID-19 in Colorado over the past three months, Polis said. Coloradans over 60 make up 1,264 of those deaths.

Polis also said that he believes it is now “reasonably safe” to eat at restaurants in Colorado, though he acknowledged that he probably won’t be dining out with his family for at least a few more weeks.

► Republican State Sen. Jim Smallwood is no hero, lest you thought otherwise.

► CNN breaks down 654 FALSE CLAIMS made by President Trump since the coronavirus outbreak began.

► Emergency room visits in Colorado have dropped by 40% during the pandemic.

► Nearly 500,000 Coloradans have sought unemployment benefits in recent months.

AT LAST: POLITICAL NEWS THAT IS (MOSTLY) NOT ABOUT CORONAVIRUS…

► Senator Cory Gardner’s disapproval rating is now firmly above 50% in Colorado.

► You can add gun safety legislation to the pile of bills that are being shelved in 2020 because of the coronavirus outbreak.

► Alex Burness of The Denver Post looks at whether Colorado Democrats can still maneuver legislation that seeks to increase Colorado’s dismal immunization rates.

► Lauren “Yosemite Samantha” Boebert is taking some hard shots at incumbent Republican Rep. Scott Tipton ahead of a Primary Election in CO-3.

► A campaign finance watchdog group has filed an ethics complaint over Sen. Cory Gardner’s latest re-election ad. Here’s the full complaint from “End Citizens United.”

► As Jacy Marmaduke reports for the Ft. Collins Coloradoan, Sen. Cory Gardner has turned down an invitation to debate this fall at his alma mater, Colorado State University.

► As The Associated Press notes, President Trump’s aggressive fossil fuel agenda is getting pushback from federal judges…including here in Colorado.

► Whoops! The White House Press Secretary thought she was really zinging CNN…when in fact she was unwittingly pointing out how the news outlet holds itself accountable for inaccuracies.

Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

► Behold the “Trumptilla.”

► Uh, sure…

CHINA!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020

ICYMI

► Colorado Republicans did the one thing they should not have done when the Colorado legislature reconvened this week.

► Now that you’re done reading, give your eyes a break and Get More Smarter with your ears:

For more political learnings, check out The Get More Smarter Show or The Get More Smarter Podcast. And don’t forget to give Colorado Pols a thumbs up on Facebook and Twitter. 

∗∗∗
Your local news outlets need you!
Consider making a donation to help fund continuing operations at Westword or The Aurora Sentinel
∗∗∗