June 24, 2015 04:34 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Wednesday (June 24)

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• by: Colorado Pols

It’s been so crazy today, we almost forgot 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…

► Another longshot Republican candidate for President threw his hat in the ring today, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana:

The child of immigrants from India, Jindal had become the head of Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals at the age of 24. By his 40th birthday, he had already served in Congress and won election to a second term as governor. Then he stepped in front of a camera to give the party’s official response to Obama’s first State of the Union; people who thought they were watching a coming out party instead bore witness to a political train-wreck — a tin-eared speech immediately derided as “childish” and “a disaster for the party.”

Jindal now enters a far more competitive and crowded presidential field, not as a wunderkind but as an asterisk who barely registers in national polls. He is running as a reform-minded, social conservative armed with detailed policy proposals — and betting that his wonky approach will enable him to break through — but many question whether it’s too late to gain a foothold in the 2016 race.

► Republican House Speaker John Boehner is cracking down on conservative Republicans in his caucus–ostensibly over the recent vote to pass President Barack Obama’s trade agenda, but behind the scenes, he’s just sick of the “Tea Party.” Including Colorado’s own Ken Buck:

It’s a largely ceremonial position, but the title of class president soon could be taken from Congressman Ken Buck — and the Colorado lawmaker says it’s punishment for going against Republican leadership on a crucial trade vote…

Late Wednesday, his campaign put out a fundraising e-mail that cited the effort to remove him.

“Republican Leadership representatives have been meeting in secret and have now called a snap election to impeach me as Freshman Class President because I voted against ObamaTrade,” he wrote.

“Bring it on.”

► The Coffmangate scandal continues to grow, despite confusing reports yesterday about the status of investigations into the alleged blackmailing of Colorado Republican Party chairman Steve House. In news interviews yesterday, Attorney General Cynthia Coffman admitted that a major grievance against House was the failure to hire Ted Harvey as the party’s executive director, and that an alleged extramarital affair was invoked against House during their meeting. All indications remain that this will not end well for Attorney General Coffman or others she teamed up with to “burn down the House.”

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Gov. John Hickenlooper has appointed appellate court judge Richard Gabriel to succeed retiring Justice Gregory Hobbs.

► A federal judge has put a temporary hold on new federal fracking regulations while he determines their legality.

► State lawmakers and the EPA released a report yesterday saying that uncontrolled emissions of greenhouse gases could cause tens of thousands of deaths each year by 2100.

► Allies of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners have stung moderate freshman Rep. Dan Thurlow of Grand Junction with a successful campaign finance complaint that resulted in a significant fine. Thurlow says he’s being retaliated against for his sensible votes this year.

► Planned Parenthood held a “bake sale” yesterday to call attention to the failure by Senate Republicans to reauthorize funding for the state’s highly successful IUD contraception program.

► The state’s Public Employees Retirement Association posted a slightly smaller gain this year, but in the long term experts say the fund is on track to meet pension obligations.

In Colorado Springs, an ethics case is proceeding against slumlord Councilwoman Helen Collins over her strenuous objections.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► In Carbondale last night, former President Jimmy Carter said America is “awakening to the fact that we have a serious problem” with racism in the wake of the Charleston church shootings.

► Once again, Colorado tourism is a booming business. What “hunter boycott?”

ICYMI

► Today was Bike to Work Day, so please watch out as you drive home past thousands of exhausted, bleary-eyed bicyclists.

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