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DEA Chief Says Cartels View Colorado as Safe Haven for Drug Trafficking
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

DEA Chief Says Cartels View Colorado as Safe Haven for Drug Trafficking

By The Denver Gazette | Colorado politics Colorado’s “sanctuary” laws, notably its prohibition against cooperating with federal authorities, are having a “chilling effect” on law enforcement’s ability to go after drug cartels operating in the state, an official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency said. That situation sits atop Colorado’s “pervasive drug culture stemming back to the marijuana initiation,” said David Olesky, the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Rocky Mountain Field Division. That “drug culture” is sustained by how Colorado and its political subdivisions treat criminality, he said, adding he is not making a “political” statement — just describing the challenges his agents face on the ground. Of particular worry...
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Meet the fellows: Who’s advising Colorado lawmakers
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Meet the fellows: Who’s advising Colorado lawmakers

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Meet the Fellows themselves (part 2) I want to wrap up the last of the posts on the Legislative Fellows by putting up the answers I got after sending them questions.If you want to see the earlier newsletters about the Fellows, the first link below will take you to the last newsletter where I showed what work was publicly available at that time. In that newsletter you'll find links to go back even further.Screenshot 1 shows you the questions I sent to all the Fellows. These were general questions I wondered about. Screenshots 2a-2c were particular questions put to Fellow Max O'Connor, FellowsDhivahari Vivek and Samantha Lattof, and Leena Vilonen respectively. The ...
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National Western Stock Show Returns to Denver Fueling $175 Million Economic Boost
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

National Western Stock Show Returns to Denver Fueling $175 Million Economic Boost

By Maggie Bryan | Denver7 DENVER — Around 700,000 people are expected to attend the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver over the next two weeks, boosting local businesses while spotlighting Western culture. NWSS President and CEO Wes Allison said he anticipates a $175 million impact on the city during the 16-day event. "We have folks that come from all 50 states and 33 countries. We are truly worldwide," said Allison. "The mission for us is, you know, really, to be the place where you can learn about the Western spirit." The Denver tradition is something local businesses mark their calendars for. The Cow Lot, a local hat shop with a location on East 47th Avenue in Denver, brings products straight to customers at a booth inside the venue. READ THE...
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EPA Says Colorado Overstepped Law By Using Haze Rules To Close Coal Plants
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

EPA Says Colorado Overstepped Law By Using Haze Rules To Close Coal Plants

By Michael Booth | The Colorado Sun The federal government said the coal plants were needed for “grid reliability” and a regional haze-fighting plan violated the Clean Air Act. The Trump administration Friday further eroded Colorado’s longstanding mandate to close coal-fired power plants by 2031, saying the state’s required regional haze-fighting plan goes too far and violates the Clean Air Act. But the regional haze plan covers everything from emissions at the Suncor refinery and Colorado’s three major cement kilns to natural gas power and other pollution sources. In rejecting the entire plan, the EPA may throw many of Colorado’s pollution fighting plans into regulatory purgatory for years. Colorado’s coal plants are needed for “grid reliability,” the federal g...
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Election Case Developments Raise New Questions for Hillsdale County Leaders
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Hillsdale Conservatives, Approved, Commentary, National

Election Case Developments Raise New Questions for Hillsdale County Leaders

By: Staff |Commentary, Hillsdale Conservatives For more than a year, the case of People v. Scott has been framed as a test of whether a township clerk defied lawful authority. That framing no longer survives the courtroom record. What now exists, undeniably and permanently, is sworn testimony by state and county officials admitting that they acted without legal authority, followed by a judicial dismissal of the only charge that justified a raid, a search warrant, and years of public accusation. At this stage, the most serious question facing Hillsdale County is no longer about one township clerk. It is about why the officials who are legally obligated to act when credible evidence of unlawful conduct is revealed have chosen not to. The Record Is No ...
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Denver Audit Finds Office of Social Equity and Innovation Still Falling Short on Financial Oversight
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Audit Finds Office of Social Equity and Innovation Still Falling Short on Financial Oversight

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Denver’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation has yet to implement half of the 14 recommendations made by auditors in 2024, leaving the city and the Colorado Youth Detention Continuum Program at risk of misusing small-dollar funds. A follow-up report released by City Auditor Tim O’Brien on Thursday noted that, while the office has made progress, gaps involving policies and procedures, inconsistent financial records and insufficient monitoring of grant-related expenses remain. Denver’s Chief Equity Officer Ben Sanders told The Denver Gazette that much of what is in the auditor’s report about the youth detention program is “fair.” “The auditor is auditing a program that transitioned, starting in the summer of 2024, from th...
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17 Republicans Break Ranks to Advance Jeffries Led Obamacare Extension
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The Daily Signal, Approved, National

17 Republicans Break Ranks to Advance Jeffries Led Obamacare Extension

By George Caldwell | The Daily Signal The House of Representatives passed a three-year extension of COVID-19-era premium tax credits on Thursday, as a group of Republicans defied House leadership to back the Democrat-led measure. The extension passed by a 230-196 margin, with 17 Republicans joining 213 Democrats in voting for a policy which Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and the majority of the House Republican conference has opposed for months. Five Republicans did not vote. A group of moderate Republicans joined Democrats to successfully control the floor and pass the legislation.  READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE DAILY SIGNAL
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Riley Gaines Warns Conservative Infighting Could Hand Power Back to the Radical Left
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Fox News, Approved, Commentary, National

Riley Gaines Warns Conservative Infighting Could Hand Power Back to the Radical Left

By: Riley Gaines | Commentary, Fox News Despite our solid advantage in the political arena, some on the right seem to have already forgotten who the real adversary is. That's a major mistake The week before the 2025 election, the Democratic Party’s undisputed leader, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, got a bit sidetracked while campaigning on the trail for the radical Zohran Mamdani in New York City.  After simply pointing out how destructive the new radical left is shaping up to be, as many did, she decided to rage-tweet at me for my well-known stance that men shouldn’t be in women’s sports. Her claim was essentially that if I just swam faster in college, I would have beaten the man I was swimming against. https://twitter....
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Veto Override Attempts Collapse as Most Republicans Side With Trump
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National, Approved

Veto Override Attempts Collapse as Most Republicans Side With Trump

By Emily Brooks and Sudiksha Kochi | The Hill The House on Thursday failed to override President Trump’s vetoes of two previously uncontroversial bills concerning a Colorado water project and expanding lands of a tribe in Florida. The move showcases House Republicans’ loyalty to the president and support for his political battles, as the vetoes had been seen as instances of Trump acting on political grudges. A vote to override Trump’s veto on a Colorado water project — a bill spearheaded by Trump ally Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) — failed 248-177-1, with 35 Republicans voting with Democrats to override the veto and one Republican, Rep. Nancy Mace (S.C.), voting present. A vote to override Trump’s veto on expanding lands for th...
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Polis Signals Possible Clemency Review for Tina Peters as Final Year Begins
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Polis Signals Possible Clemency Review for Tina Peters as Final Year Begins

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Gov. Jared Polis says he has an ambitious agenda for his final year in office. He's been full throttle since he was elected governor seven years ago, leading the state through COVID-19, two school shootings, and four of the most destructive wildfires in Colorado history. "It's hard to sprint. You sprint for 8 years, and that's always the way we've approached it. Our team -- we say we're running through the tape. We're running through the tape here," he said. As he nears the finish line, he is not only focused on the state budget and issues like affordable housing, but also which state prisoners should receive clemency. Among those who have asked the governor for a reduced sentence is former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peter...
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