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March 03, 2017 09:31 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (March 3)

  • 1 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Oh, we thought you were asking if we spoke Russian… Let’s go ahead and see if we can 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 a visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show.

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► Russia, Russia, Russia! Questions about Russian ties to the Trump administration look like they will be dogging the President for months — if not years — despite President Trump’s repeated claims that this is nothing more than a partisan “witch hunt.” Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday recused himself from any investigations about Russia and the Trump administration in a weird press conference late Thursday  that included a difficult-to-swallow explanation of why Sessions lied during his Senate confirmation hearings about his past dealings with Russia. Also on Thursday came news of another unreported meeting with Russian officials and the Trump administration, including Trump’s on-in-law Jared Kushner.

As for Colorado’s elected officials, the Denver Post reports that Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) is taking a much softer position on Sessions than his colleagues. Gardner declined to call on Sessions to recuse himself on investigations about Russia — just hours before Sessions recused himself:

The issue is even splitting Republicans in Colorado’s delegation. U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, said Sessions “made a grave omission” by not disclosing his meetings during his confirmation hearings.

He said it “would be more than prudent for him to recuse himself from any Russian inquiry, and I would encourage him to fully disclose any and all foreign contacts he had during the course of the campaign.”

Colorado’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet issued a statement shortly after Gardner’s interview aired that called on Sessions to recuse himself and appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate Russia’s actions.

The next big debate on this issue involves whether or not a special prosecutor should take over an investigation of Russian ties to the Trump administration. The New York Times has compiled a handy timeline of Sessions and his talks with Russian officials if you need a quick refresher course.

 

► Embattled Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Dan McMinimee is out of a job after agreeing to any early departure from the school district as it became clear his contract would not be renewed.

 

► Congressional Republicans are all over the map on the issue of a potential repeal and/or replacement of Obamacare. As the Washington Post explains, we may not know what is in a Republican healthcare plan unless it gets approved first. On Thursday, several Congressional Republicans — including Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky — made a show of running around the Capitol trying to get a glimpse of a secret draft healthcare proposal. Hypocrisy on line one!

Senator Cory Gardner, meanwhile, is talking up cuts to Medicaid as a major piece of any healthcare legislation.

 

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

 

► You might want to familiarize yourself with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States who is widely considered to be a spy by U.S. intelligence agencies.

 

► The Greeley Tribune examines the difficulties in squaring federal immigration laws with local law enforcement officers in Weld County.

 

► Former Vice President Al Gore was in Denver on Thursday to rally support for environmental issues.

 

► A group of U.S. Senators — including Michael Bennet of Colorado — are pushing the Justice Department to avoid any sort of crackdown on the legal marijuana industry.

 

► Ernest Luning of the Colorado Statesman reports on a speech from a founder of the “Indivisibles” movement:

They hadn’t intended to spark a movement, much less inspire one of the more ubiquitous hashtags of the past several months.

But that’s what happened when Leah Greenberg, her husband and two friends wrote a declaration filled with advice called “Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda,” and posted it online in mid-December.

Since then, after millions have downloaded the manual and thousands of groups have said they’re taking its advice, she said, “We’re on the verge of a wave of civic engagement like nothing we’ve ever seen before.”

 

► Luning is also following the efforts of three Republican candidates hoping to become the next Chair of the State Republican Party.

 

► New information shows that Vice President Mike Penceused a private email account to conduct official business while serving as Governor of Indiana. Pence isn’t alone here; the new head of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, also apparently used a private email account for government business.

 

► It will soon be legal to take “ballot selfies.” Hooray for that, or something.

 

► Colorado is ranked 10th in the country in a metric gauging gainful employment.

 

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Snap.com, the parent company of Snapchat, is the biggest U.S. technology company to go public since Facebook. “Hit me up on Snapchat!”

 

► Why are some property managers still preventing constituents from accessing the office of the elected representative?

ICYMI

► According to a new study, roughly half of the studies you read about in the news are inaccurate.

Don’t forget to check out The Get More Smarter Show. You can also Get More Smarter by liking Colorado Pols on Facebook!

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One thought on “Get More Smarter on Friday (March 3)”

  1. Thanks for the laugh …

    Oh, we thought you were asking if we spoke Russian… 

    Best weasel line I've read so far. I'm surprised it hasn't been used by one of those trying to dodge questions.

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