February 10, 2017 10:36 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (February 10)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Valentine’s Day is on Tuesday; you don’t have to panic just yet. It’s 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). If you are more of a visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show.

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► Treason. That’s the story today and probably for a good deal of time in the near future, after the Washington Post reported late Thursday that National Security Advisor Michael Flynn may have violated the Logan Act by illegally negotiating with a foreign government (in this case, Russia). Vice President Mike Pence might have gotten burned here as well.

► President Trump has rejected Rex Tillerson’s choice to be his right hand at the State Department because Elliott Abrams once said some things that weren’t very nice about Trump. From CNN:

President Donald Trump met with Abrams and the sources said that the meeting went well but when the President learned that Abrams had criticized him during the campaign, the President nixed Abrams as Deputy Secretary of State, according to the sources.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tried to convince Trump to offer the job to Abrams despite the criticism because he felt he needed Abrams’ experience.

Republican sources also say White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Senior Adviser Jared Kushner also strongly supported Abrams, and tried to convince the President to reconsider.

“This is a loss for the State Department and the country and for that matter for the President,” said one Republican source.

 

► Another federal court has rejected President Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban, and the big orange guy is not pleased.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Sometimes the headlines are more revealing than anything in the story. That would be the case with this news from Joey Bunch of the Colorado Springs Gazette, which is titled “Americans for Prosperity auditions potential candidates for governor“:

Some of the biggest names in Colorado Republican politics took turns at the microphone talking to political activists, operatives and donors Thursday: State Treasurer Walker Stapleton, Attorney General Cynthia Coffman and District Attorney George Brauchler, followed Senate President Kevin Grantham and House Republican Leader Patrick Neville.

Each sounded very much like a person hankering to move 40 yards down the hall to the governor’s office. None of them have officially announced their candidacy.

Make sure to take a moment to caption this photo.

► Senator Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) and his “aw, shucks” act seems to be wearing thin with reporters. During a live interview on CNN on Thursday, Gardner was obliterated by Chris Cuomo for regularly dodging questions about President Trump:

CUOMO: Do you think that your party’s apparent reluctance to call out the President of the United States when he says outrageous things, or does things that are highly controversial, is adding to this imbalance in Washington?

GARDNER: Well, I have certainly done everything I can to speak where I felt it was important to speak…

CUOMO: It is not easy to get you to take a position on what the President does. This interview is proof of that. [Pols emphasis]

► The Jefferson County School Board has decided to close only one elementary school in the district after a long and protracted discussion that lasted well into the early hours on Friday. From KDVR:

The Jefferson County Public Schools board voted early Friday morning to only close one of five proposed schools from the chopping block after a public meeting that lasted several hours.

The five schools under consideration for closure beginning in the 2017-18 school year were Peck Elementary School (6495 Carr St. in Arvada), Pennington Elementary School (4617 Independence St. in Wheat Ridge), Pleasant View Elementary School (15920 W. 10th Ave. in Golden), Stober Elementary School (2300 Urban St. in Lakewood) and Swanson Elementary School (6055 W. 68th Ave. in Arvada).

All but Pleasant View will remain open for now. Still, closing Stober Elementary School would have saved the district the most money and board members said unless something changes, they’re going to face the same fight next year.

The board also decided against making a change in the 2017-18 school year that would move some sixth grade students out of elementary schools and into middle schools. This proposal is still likely to move forward at some point, though not in time for the next school year.

► Colorado County Sheriffs are pushing back against claims of “sanctuary cities” in Colorado.