Only one shopping day left until Administrative Professionals Day. It’s time to 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.
► ‘Tis better to try and fail than to never have tried at all. This quote pretty much sums up the latest political “maneuvering” from the White House. As the Washington Post reports:
Donald Trump blinked first – again.
After the bluster comes the inevitable bow to reality. Last night the president backed off his demand that any deal to fund the federal government include money to start construction on his border wall. At an event with conservative journalists, Trump said he’s okay waiting until September to have this fight.
While the mainstream media will cover this as another failure, the president’s core supporters will not see it that way. They see someone fighting to keep his promises and will give him an “A” for effort [Pols emphasis]…
…Trump’s approval rating is at record lows, but he maintains credibility with his base. Our new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that his overall approval rating is 42 percent, but his rating among those who voted for him is 94 percent. Only two percent of his voters now regret doing so.
“Make an Effort at Making America Great Again.”
► Joe St. George at Fox 31 News ponders a potential federal government shutdown and what it would mean for Colorado:
The Denver Federal Center in Lakewood is the largest campus of civilian federal employees outside of Washington. More than 6,000 are employed there over 700 acres.
Employees said Monday the last time there was a shutdown, many contractors lost three weeks of pay.
Other possible consequences include the closure of national parks and forcing military employees to work without pay.
Congress may be able to avert a shutdown now that President Trump is backing off of demands to fund a border wall with Mexico.
► Conservation groups are worried about a potential Executive Order from President Trump that could threaten the status of three “national monuments” in Colorado. CBS4 Denver has more on the order that could be signed as soon as Wednesday.
Get even more smarter after the jump…
► Republicans have a new candidate for Governor in 2018. Mitt Romney’s nephew, Doug Robinson, has officially joined a fast-growing field.
► Congressman Jared Polis (D-Boulderish) says he will decide in the coming months whether or not to seek the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2018.
► The State Department is promoting Donald Trump’s Mar-a-lago resort in Florida, which is setting off all sorts of alarm bells among ethics watchers. From CNN:
“Aggressively begging foreign countries to funnel money straight into Trump’s pocket is a clear violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause, but that’s precisely what the State Department is doing by openly promoting one of the Trumps’ private businesses,” Shripal Shah, vice president of American Bridge, a Democratic firm, said Monday. “It’s a gross abuse of taxpayer resources and flagrant violation of the law from an administration that thinks rules don’t apply to them.”
Acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner wasn’t aware of the post when it was raised by reporters on Monday.
Both Norm Eisen, former President Barack Obama’s ethics czar, and Richard Painter, the chief White House ethics lawyer for George W. Bush, said the blog post was a violation of federal law that restricts aspects of the government promoting a private business that benefits their superior, the president.
► New polling results show that Americans are not at all excited about the idea that Congressional Republicans may take another shot at trying to repeal Obamacare. From the Washington Post:
In strategy and substance, the American public disagrees with the course that President Trump and congressional Republicans are pursuing to replace the Affordable Care Act with conservative policies, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Large majorities oppose the ideas at the heart of the most recent GOP negotiations to forge a plan that could pass in the House. These would allow states to choose whether to keep the ACA’s insurance protection for people with preexisting medical problems and its guarantee of specific health benefits.
Public sentiment is particularly lopsided in favor of an aspect of the current health-care law that blocks insurers from charging more or denying coverage to customers with medical conditions. Roughly 8 in 10 Democrats, 7 in 10 independents and even a slight majority of Republicans say that should continue to be a national mandate, rather than an option for states to retain or drop.
► As Ernest Luning reports for the Colorado Statesman, local supporters of President Trump are planning a party to celebrate Trump’s first 100 days in the White House.
► Legislation intended to modernize Colorado’s open records regulations made it through a State House committee on Monday.
► An agreement on so-called “construction defects legislation” made it through the State House by unanimous vote on Monday.
► The House Education Committee on Monday killed Republican legislation that attempted to create a voucher-style school finance system in Colorado.
► Former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn appears to have broken the law by not fully disclosing his business dealings with Russia.
► Right-wing provocateur Alex Jones is being sued by a yogurt company for allegedly spreading untrue information about Chobani.
► A second copy of the Declaration of Independence was discovered in a library in England.
Click here for The Get More Smarter Show. You can also Get More Smarter by liking Colorado Pols on Facebook!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
BY: Duke Cox
IN: Easter Weekend Open Thread
BY: ParkHill
IN: Easter Weekend Open Thread
BY: SSG_Dan
IN: Easter Weekend Open Thread
BY: kwtree
IN: Coloradans Getting Impatient with Trump Destruction of Public Lands
BY: JohnInDenver
IN: Easter Weekend Open Thread
BY: notaskinnycook
IN: Easter Weekend Open Thread
BY: kwtree
IN: Easter Weekend Open Thread
BY: JohnInDenver
IN: Easter Weekend Open Thread
BY: JohnInDenver
IN: Gabe Evans Tells Frightened Families To Embrace Trump’s “Chaos”
BY: ParkHill
IN: Easter Weekend Open Thread
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!
"Congress may be able to avert a shutdown……." Depends on how one feels about the anti-environment "poison pill" riders hiding in some of the appropriations bills.