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Polis Extends Spending Cuts as Colorado Struggles With Deep Budget Gap
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Polis Extends Spending Cuts as Colorado Struggles With Deep Budget Gap

By Katie Parkins | Denver7 Colorado Gov. Jared Polis in an executive order on Monday extended already-issued spending cuts through the end of February in an effort to achieve the $265 million in savings his office says is needed to balance the state's budget. Executive Order D 2025 22 extends orders Polis issued in August and October of this year, which ultimately laid out roughly $115 million in cuts from state departments and another roughly $148 million in transfers to the state's general fund. The prior orders expired on Nov. 30. A hiring freeze put in place by a separate order (D 2025 009) ends on Dec. 31, 2025. The state says that hiring freeze achieved $3 million in savings. Polis has said the $265 million in savings is needed due to a massive budget gap created by Pr...
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Americans Defy Expectations as Online Holiday Spending Breaks Records
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Washington Examiner, Approved, National

Americans Defy Expectations as Online Holiday Spending Breaks Records

By Washington Examiner Staff | Washington Examiner Black Friday is traditionally recognized as one of the busiest shopping days in the United States, regularly resulting in millions, if not billions, of dollars’ worth of consumer purchases. The tradition continued as Black Friday consumer spending online this year reached a record $11.8 billion.  The structure of that spending has changed in recent years as consumers have pivoted from brick-and-mortar stores and malls to online shopping. Amid economic uncertainty and affordability concerns, initial projections for consumer spending during the holiday season in the U.S. were projected to be more modest than in years past.  For example, Tom Arnold, a finance professor at the University of Richmond, projected spen...
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USDA Pushes Reforms After Study Links Liquor and Tobacco Shops to SNAP Fraud Risks
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Just The News, Approved, National

USDA Pushes Reforms After Study Links Liquor and Tobacco Shops to SNAP Fraud Risks

By: Steven Richards | Just the News More than 5,000 liquor and smoke shops were approved as retailers under SNAP, raising fraud concerns. There's no way to determine how much alcohol, tobacco, or other "non-compliant" goods have been sold nationwide. At least 20 states refuse to share data with the feds. Food stamps were first issued in 1939 as an assistance program to prevent starvation during the Great Depression.  But 86 years later, thousands of liquor stores and smoke shops have become approved retailers, increasing the possibility of fraud, new research shows.  The longest ever government shutdown, which ended after 43 days of deadlock, thrust the federal food stamp program into the national spotlight as millions of recipients went without benefits. But...
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The Trump engine fires on all cylinders while Congress idles
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American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

The Trump engine fires on all cylinders while Congress idles

By Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker President Donald Trump has been back in office for almost a year -- roughly 315 days -- and has governed with the urgency of a turnaround CEO. He hit the ground running, signing executive orders immediately after inauguration and maintaining a pace unmatched in modern politics. But what becomes of all this action? Executive orders can be reversed the moment a new president arrives unless Congress codifies them into law. That’s the key difference between temporary executive action and lasting legislative reform. According to Ballotpedia, “As of November 25, 2025, President Donald Trump had signed 217 executive orders, 54 memoranda, and 110 proclamations in his second presidential term, which began on January 20, 2025.” Yet...
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Colorado Joins the Fight to Keep SNAP Benefits for Illegal Aliens
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Joins the Fight to Keep SNAP Benefits for Illegal Aliens

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette Colorado joined 21 other states in a lawsuit seeking to undo the Trump administration’s campaign to stop taxpayer-funded food aid from going to individuals illegally staying in the U.S., arguing the move also implicated a group of noncitizens who should be eligible to get the benefits under the law. At issue is a guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that implements the provisions of the congressional budget passed in July. That budget narrowed the groups of noncitizens who could receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that some 90,000 on average will lose eligibility per month as a result of the new law. The individuals would have received about $210 per mo...
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Global climate agenda unravels as nations retreat from costly commitments
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GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Global climate agenda unravels as nations retreat from costly commitments

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com Over 70,000 people just left Belém, Brazil after attending the annual UN climate change party, called COP30 because it was the 30th annual “Conference of the Parties.” This year there were 56,118 delegates, appointed by governments who are parties to the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Besides the delegates themselves, there were over 14,000 observers, journalists, lobbyists, skeptics, protesters, and opponents of the entirely predictable recommendations. Those recommendations attempted to address four political issues. First, where COP recommendations used to be threats against all the industrialized countries, this year it devolved into a debate about whether such countries should even be asked to do better. Second, how ...
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Allegations of Improper Spending Mount Against Bennet Campaign
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Allegations of Improper Spending Mount Against Bennet Campaign

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Three state campaign finance complaints have been filed against U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Denver, tied to his campaign for governor in 2026. A fourth is likely, sources have told Colorado Politics. The first two were filed on Sept. 24 and on Nov. 4 by Alyssa Holladay of Denver. Her political affiliation is unknown. The first two complaints were consolidated by the secretary of state’s elections division on Nov. 17. A response is due from the Bennet campaign on Dec. 3. The September complaint said Bennet is a candidate for both governor in 2026 and for the U.S. Senate in 2028 and he is actively fundraising and spending money for both races. Bennet, the complaint noted, filed a candidate affidavit for the Senate race on March 11, 2...
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‘Somebody’s In Our House’: Colorado Father Stops Alleged Repeat Burglar Near Children’s Bedroom
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Fox News, Approved, Local

‘Somebody’s In Our House’: Colorado Father Stops Alleged Repeat Burglar Near Children’s Bedroom

By Stepheny Price and Ashley Papa | Fox News A Denver family said they lived every parent’s worst nightmare, waking up in the middle of the night to find a stranger walking toward their children’s bedrooms. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Kevin and Sarah Root described the terrifying early-morning encounter inside their southwest Denver home. The couple said the break-in happened around 3:30 a.m. "We heard the footsteps coming up the stairs to where our room is," Kevin recalled. "We looked at each other and said, ‘Somebody’s in our house.’ You realize you’re not dreaming — this is real." Sarah immediately grabbed her phone to call 911 while her husband went to check the hallway. "The fear of what’s going to happen when my husband opens the door, that’s what ...
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Trump Confirms Death of West Virginia Guardsman Attacked in DC
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Washington Examiner, Approved, National

Trump Confirms Death of West Virginia Guardsman Attacked in DC

By: Ross O'Keefe | The Washington Examiner West Virginia National Guard soldier Sarah Beckstrom has died from her injuries after she and another soldier were shot Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced. She was 20. Her father, Gary Beckstrom, previously said she wasn’t expected to recover and had a mortal injury. “I must unfortunately tell you that just seconds before I went on right now, I heard that Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about, highly respected young, magnificent person, started service in June of 2023 outstanding in every way. She’s just passed away,” Trump said Thursday evening. “She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her. It’s just happened. She was savagely attacked. S...
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Blue States Sue Trump Over SNAP Rules Limiting Immigrant Eligibility
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Politico, Approved, National

Blue States Sue Trump Over SNAP Rules Limiting Immigrant Eligibility

By: Rachel Shin | POLITICO Democratic attorneys general in states like California and New York argue that new guidance illegally blocks legal permanent residents from receiving food stamps. Democratic attorneys general from 21 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration Wednesday over guidance that they say unlawfully blocks certain groups of legal immigrants from accessing food aid. The GOP’s tax and spending package, which was signed into law in July, narrows some immigrants’ eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nation’s largest anti-hunger initiative. Green-card holders, however, can apply for benefits after a five-year waiting period. In their lawsuit, state officials allege USDA issued guidance on Oct. 31 incorrectly de...
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