April 28, 2021 09:44 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Wednesday (April 28)

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• by: Colorado Pols

WTF is Clean Comedy Day? 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 learner, check out The Get More Smarter Podcast. And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter.

CORONAVIRUS INFO…

*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 

*Coloradans can now get a COVID-19 vaccine at one of six locations without a prior appointment. 

► President Joe Biden has seen his approval ratings surpass 60% in his first 100 days in office, which is a mark that his predecessor, Donald Trump, never even sniffed. Tonight, Biden will give his first speech as President to a joint session of Congress, where he’ll make a pitch for another big spending package. From The Washington Post:

The White House on Wednesday unveiled a $1.8 trillion spending and tax plan aimed at dramatically expanding access to education and safety-net programs for families, the latest effort by President Biden to try to turn some of his campaign promises into new policy.

The package cannot be implemented without congressional approval, and many Republicans have offered a cool reception to the scope of tax increases and spending that Biden has tried to advance. But the White House’s new “American Families Plan” provides Congress with details of the president’s domestic agenda, setting down markers for negotiations later this year.

Biden’s plan proposes a suite of domestic policies that would collectively represent a marked change in how Americans interact with the federal government.

The White House says its proposal would provide every American with two years of tuition-free community college; prekindergarten for all 3- and 4-year-olds; and paid family and medical leave for American workers. Among its sweeping agenda items, the plan also calls for devoting hundreds of billions of dollars to fighting child poverty and ensuring affordable child care nationwide. [Pols emphasis]

Biden wants to strengthen IRS enforcement efforts — which could bring in billions in unpaid taxes — as part of a solution for paying for this proposal.

Congressional Republicans will oppose Biden’s plan, because that’s just what they do, but the Biden administration is advancing proposals that reflect a new attitude from Americans who have decided they kinda like having a functional federal government.

The Associated Press has more on what to expect from Biden’s speech tonight.

► The CDC issued new mask-wearing guidance on Tuesday. Fully vaccinated Americans can now safely go without a mask while walking and exercising outside or while eating at outdoor restaurants.

Meanwhile, 9News reports on the latest good and bad news in Colorado’s battle with the COVID-19 pandemic:

While cases are increasing at a slower rate compared to previous weeks, Gov. Jared Polis expressed concern over the continued upward trajectory of cases and hospitalization rates as the state had over 600 COVID patients in the hospital for the first time in months…

…Polis said that while school-associated outbreaks are a factor, he believes a much bigger factor is vaccinated parents resuming social activities with their unvaccinated children.

Roughly 37% of Colorado residents are considered to be fully vaccinated. The two counties with the highest current infection rates — Pueblo and El Paso — also have the lowest vaccination rates.

It’s not rocket surgery, friends. Get your vaccines.

► The Colorado Sun has more on an ongoing saga of whistleblower complaints regarding how Colorado regulates air pollution.

► Colorado Newsline explains the changes made to a big health care bill in the Colorado legislature.

Here’s more news from the state legislature…

Colorado Public Radio looks at concerns over the potency of legal marijuana.

Lawmakers want to speed up bond hearings for people arrested in Colorado.

Composting grandma gets closer to reality.

Colorado Newsline examines why widening highways is the wrong remedy for Colorado’s transportation problems.

More political (and coronavirus) news is available right after the jump…

And Now, More Words…

► Colorado-based Magellan Strategies released new data about opinions on affordable housing in our state:

Among all respondents, 57% say affordable housing is a big problem in their community, and 73% say the cost of housing is unaffordable.

► Denver Mayor Michael Hancock will discuss strategies today for helping the city make a quick economic recovery.

► Federal contractors will now be paid a $15 minimum wage thanks to an executive order from President Biden.

► Loveland placed four police officers on leave in relation to an investigation into the arrest of a 73-year-old woman with dementia.

► U.S. News and World Report ranks the 20 best high schools in Colorado.

► Baseless racist conspiracy theories? Congressperson Lauren “Q*Bert” Boebert has you covered.

► Douglas County Commissioners locked in an interminable internal struggle decided NOT to go ahead with a censure resolution against Commissioner Lora Thomas on Tuesday. As The Denver Post reports:

Tuesday’s meeting occurred in front of a full house in Castle Rock and nearly all of those who addressed the board defended Thomas. One resident called the whole ordeal “a Dumpster fire,” and others said the dispute would only divide Republicans and feed into Democrats’ hands.

► More than 200,000 people have now died in India from COVID-19 as an outbreak in that country continues to rage unchecked. As The New York Times reports, health experts are worried about a new variant as one of the key causes:

Doctors, the public and the media are citing anecdotal — but inconclusive — evidence to suggest that a homegrown variant called B.1.617 is driving the country’s worsening outbreak. But researchers outside of India say the limited data so far suggests instead that a better-known variant, B.1.1.7., that walloped Britain late last year may be a more considerable factor.

► If you’ve ever wondered about the history of cronyism at Colorado Mesa University, AnneLandmanBlog.com has all the details.

► POLITICO examines how the Biden White House has locked down leaks and tamped down the drama.

Say What, Now?

► Congressperson Lauren “Q*Bert” Boebert (R-ifle) is so busy trying to own the libs that she doesn’t bother with things like facts:

To own the libs, you must first learn how to own yourself. pic.twitter.com/wKGwCjLyfy

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) April 27, 2021

Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

► Tucker Carlson, not a doctor:

Tucker Carlson is now telling his audience to harass people who wear face masks outside.

If they see children wearing masks, Tucker says the response should be no different than when you see a kid being abused — “call the police immediately, contact child protective services” pic.twitter.com/4svVH0JY3s

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) April 27, 2021

► Idaho Republican State Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger — who has been the subject of numerous sexual harassment complaints at the State Capitol — is facing new allegations of rape.

ICYMI

► House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is contorting himself into all sorts of weird shapes as he tries to re-write the history of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol:

More than anything, though, it’s almost impossible to square this [new] account with McCarthy’s comments from January. And to be clear, these weren’t heat-of-the-moment remarks. McCarthy said Trump bore responsibility during a speech on the House floor on Jan. 13 — a full week after the riot. He pointed specifically to Trump not doing enough to quell the unrest. Now he credits Trump for a widely panned video that came only after the worst of the unrest had subsided.

► Former Vice President Mike Pence took a ski vacation to Vail late last year that cost taxpayers about $757,000.

► Check out the latest episode of The Get More Smarter Podcast:

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