June 22, 2015 01:16 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Monday (June 22)

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• by: Colorado Pols

You think it’s hot outside? You should be in Cynthia Coffman’s office today. Time to Get More Smarter with Colorado Pols! If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example).

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► Coffmangate is about to become international news. ProgressNow Colorado is asking the Attorney General’s office to preserve all official records related to the blackmail scandal engulfing AG Cynthia Coffman. The Associated Press, meanwhile, examines how the scandal may impact the 2016 election season for Republicans.

► Denver celebrated its 40th PrideFest over the weekend, and as Anthony Cotton writes for the Denver Post, the GLBT event takes on particular relevance with the U.S. Supreme Court set to rule on gay marriage any day now.

► Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders spoke to a crowd of more than 5,000 people in Denver as part of his bid to become the Democratic Presidential nominee. Our friends at “The Fix” try to break down what it means that Sanders could attract such a huge crowd this early in the race:

Here’s what we know for sure: That Sanders — and the populist, anti-big business message he is championing — is driving more excitement in the Democratic base than I certainly thought it would.  While polling suggested that there was a growing bloc of liberals who wanted a liberal candidate to fully embrace their agenda, that the rallying behind Sanders among that group has happened so quickly is surprising.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Pressure is mounting to remove the Confederate Flag from the capitol of South Carolina following the racially-motivated killing of 9 people last week in Charleston. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is expected to push for the flag’s removal today.

► Colorado Senators Michael Bennet (D-Denver) and Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) held hands and ran laughing through fields of wheat over the weekend. Or something like that.

► The unemployment rate in Metro Denver held steady at 4.1% in May.

► Some Congressional Republicans are fed up with what they are calling a “culture of punishment” under House Speaker John Boehner. From Politico:

A key bloc of conservatives is laying plans to throttle legislation on the House floor and will meet privately this week to discuss a shakeup of GOP leadership.

The group is irate at what one called a “culture of punishment” that Speaker John Boehner’s leadership team has instituted against dissenting members — most recently the removal of Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) from a subcommittee chairmanship after he bucked Republican leaders on an important procedural vote.

► Legislative scorecards are a long-standing tradition for partisan and nonpartisan groups alike. A new study shows that the scorecards matter more than you might think.

► Former President Jimmy Carter will speak in Carbondale on Tuesday night.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Former State Sen. Al White has a new job. As the Denver Business Journal reports, it’s time for a new acronym!

Al White, who has been director of the Colorado Tourism Office since January 2011, will exit that post to become senior advisor to the state’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).

OEDIT oversees the tourism office. In his new role, White will lead OEDIT’s legislative strategy efforts as well as advise the tourism office and OEDIT’s Colorado Brand and Marketing, Outdoor Recreation Industry Office and Communications divisions.

► The Colorado State Board of Education is a bit of a mess.

ICYMI

► North Korea’s dictator-in-chief, Kim Jong-un, claims to have developed a drug that cures Ebola, AIDS, and Cancer.

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