Axios

Polis defends ICE data release as criminal investigation matter, but documents raise doubts

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Legal pressure is mounting against Democratic Gov. Jared Polis after revelations that he ordered state officials to comply with an ICE subpoena and hand over personal data of undocumented children in Colorado to federal immigration agents.

The latest: Colorado WINS — the union representing more than 27,000 state workers — civil rights group Towards Justice and labor organization Colorado AFL-CIO announced Monday they’re joining as plaintiffs on a whistleblower lawsuit filed last week by Scott Moss, a senior labor official in Polis’ administration.

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Restaurants win relief as Colorado bill leaves wage hikes to local control

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The nasty fight at the Colorado Capitol over how much to pay tipped restaurant workers ended in a standoff this week.

The big picture: Gov. Jared Polis signed the Restaurant Relief Act into Colorado law on Tuesday, with backing from the Colorado Restaurant Association and other major industry organizations.

Why it matters: The result is a victory for the opposition, which mounted an aggressive campaign against the legislation, though it gives cash-pinched restaurant owners another chance to make their case at the local level.

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Trump, Rubio move to dismantle ‘Deep State’ grip on national security

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President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have orchestrated a vast restructuring of the National Security Council, reducing its size and transferring many of its powers to the State and Defense departments.

Why it matters: Trump’s White House sees the NSC as notoriously bureaucratic and filled with longtime officials who don’t share the president’s vision.

A White House official involved in the planning characterized the reorganization as Trump and Rubio’s latest move against what they see as Washington’s “Deep State.”

“The NSC is the ultimate Deep State. It’s Marco vs. the Deep State. We’re gutting the Deep State,” the official said of the move, which will cut the NSC staff to about half of its current 350 members. Those cut from the NSC will be moved to other positions in government, officials said.

“The right-sizing of the NSC is in line with its original purpose and the president’s vision,” Rubio told Axios in a statement. “The NSC will now be better positioned to collaborate with agencies.”

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