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Colorado’s THC Experience Offers Congress a Warning on Intoxicating Hemp
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The Gazette, Approved, Commentary, National

Colorado’s THC Experience Offers Congress a Warning on Intoxicating Hemp

By The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Gazette First, it was Colorado’s majority-Democrat legislature that weighed whether to open the floodgates to dangerous, intoxicating hemp-based products. It would have compounded the damage inflicted on our kids by legalized pot. Fortunately, the lawmakers behind that reckless attempt couldn’t muster enough votes as the 2026 legislative session wound down last spring. Now, a move is afoot in the Republican-controlled Congress to stall a much-needed federal crackdown on high-potency hemp that was enacted just last fall. At the behest of the Trump administration, a delay in implementing the crackdown was inserted into a stopgap government funding bill. The move has divided ruling Republicans, some of whom mounted an unsuccessful...
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Great American Outdoors Act 250 Would Tackle National Park Maintenance Backlog
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Fox News, Approved, National

Great American Outdoors Act 250 Would Tackle National Park Maintenance Backlog

By Kevin D. Roberts and Chris Barnard | Fox News Bill would add a foreign visitor surcharge to help cover $40 billion in deferred maintenance. Conservatives have long understood that conservation is not about locking away America's natural treasures, but stewarding them through responsible use so future generations can enjoy the same public lands that earlier generations worked hard to secure. Just six years ago, President Donald Trump paid tribute to that legacy when he signed the original "Great American Outdoors Act" into law. That bill established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), which budgeted for countless infrastructure projects within our most precious landscapes. But that program expired last year, threatening the future of A...
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AI Camera Expansion Sparks Debate Over Privacy Freedom and Government Authority
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Washington Examiner, Approved, Commentary, National

AI Camera Expansion Sparks Debate Over Privacy Freedom and Government Authority

By Connor Boyack | Commentary, Washington Examiner On the morning of July 4, someone in Houston, Texas, cut two surveillance cameras in half and draped an American flag over the wreckage. In New Bern, North Carolina, police asked the public to help identify two men filmed destroying a camera — the public responded with hundreds of tips identifying the suspects as Batman and Robin. Since April 2025, Americans in at least five states have dismantled these devices from Flock Safety, a $8.4 billion company whose over 100,000 AI-enabled cameras now photograph passing vehicles in more than 6,000 communities. Yes, the vandals are committing crimes, and laws apply even when cameras annoy. But a nation’s lawbreaking, like its laws, contains information....
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Colorado Crime Still Among Nation’s Worst Despite Drop in Auto Theft
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado Crime Still Among Nation’s Worst Despite Drop in Auto Theft

By: The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Denver Gazette The Polis administration’s announcement the other day touting a drop in Colorado’s nationally notorious rate of auto theft was welcome news — as long as it lasted. As The Gazette reported, the state Department of Public Safety released data late last month showing auto thefts were down this year by 36%, from January through May, compared with the same time frame last year. Then came the bad newS. Not one, but two people were shot to death in apparently separate incidents in Denver — both while trying to stop the theft of their cars — within days of the announcement. Yes, motor vehicle theft still poses a very serious threat in our state. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise.  Accordin...
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Is Experience Optional? Critics Challenge Griswold’s Attorney General Bid
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, State

Is Experience Optional? Critics Challenge Griswold’s Attorney General Bid

By Eric Sondermann | Commentary, Colorado Politics If you were in a child custody dispute with a former spouse, would you hire an attorney with experience in family law or would you trust your case to an operative with virtually zero mastery? If you were getting ready to sue your employer for unpaid wages or a toxic workplace, would you enlist a lawyer with a background in employment statutes or would you put your fate in the hands of someone who had never really practiced law? If you were a doctor being charged with medical malpractice, would you retain a novice lawyer who had never argued a case? What kind of attorney would you retain to defend your teenager accused of shoplifting? Or to represent you in a complicated real estate transaction? Or to handle a br...
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New Federal Tax Credit Could Expand Colorado School Choice Options
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, Commentary, State

New Federal Tax Credit Could Expand Colorado School Choice Options

By Brenda Dickhoner | Commentary, The Colorado Sun State lawmakers made the right move to postpone legislation that would have created barriers for the program. Colorado lawmakers have been working to close a budget gap of more than $1.5 billion, and programs that students and families rely on are under pressure. At the same time, a new federal tax credit gives Colorado a chance to bring substantial philanthropic dollars into education without drawing from the state’s general fund. The Education Freedom Tax Credit allows taxpayers to receive a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 annually for charitable contributions to scholarship-granting organizations that support K-12 students. Essentially, the program encourages private giving to step in where public fun...
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Concerns Mount Over Transparency And Authority In State Capitol
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Concerns Mount Over Transparency And Authority In State Capitol

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, The Denver Gazette The great 19th-century historian Lord Acton said it best: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Acton was building on the teachings of his mentor, Homer Simpson, who put it more plainly: “The more power you have, the more you can mess things up. Woo-hoo!” And many in Colorado’s political elite have studied under the original oracle of power, Eric Cartman: “Respect my authoritah!” If there were a motto for the progressive machine that now rules Colorado, it would be simple: “Because we f***ing can, that’s why.” Ethics don’t matter. Consistency doesn’t matter. Respecting the will of the people, or even the institution of democracy itself, doesn’t matter. Raw political power to im...
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Washington Post Frames Constitutional Rulings As Civil Rights Setbacks
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The Federalist, Approved, Commentary, National

Washington Post Frames Constitutional Rulings As Civil Rights Setbacks

By Shawn Fleetwood | Commentary, The Federalist In his new article, Washington Post reporter Justin Jouvenal attempts to convince readers that SCOTUS has waged a war on ‘civil rights.’ The unspoken competition among legacy media outlets to see who can produce the most asinine propaganda is pretty fierce this week. On top of a debunked hatchet job involving the Pentagon and Vatican, The Washington Post decided to throw its hat in the ring with a particularly dumb hit piece of its own — this time, against the U.S. Supreme Court. In a Thursday article titled, “Supreme Court remade by Trump ushers in historic defeats for civil rights,” Post reporter Justin Jouvenal attempted to convince readers that the court’s conservative justices have waged an all-...
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Colorado Faces Backlash Over Law Limiting Attorney Cooperation With Federal Authorities
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Fox News, Approved, Commentary, National

Colorado Faces Backlash Over Law Limiting Attorney Cooperation With Federal Authorities

By Jonathan Turley | Commentary, Fox News New law forces lawyers to certify they won't share court data with immigration officials. Colorado's tourism slogan, "It's Our Nature," has a menacing meaning for free speech advocates. Colorado is now arguably the most anti-free speech state in the union, pushing an array of measures attacking those with opposing social and political views. The irony is that the state has proved a bonanza for free speech with spectacular legal failures that reaffirmed rather than restricted the First Amendment. Now, the Democratic legislature and governor are back with new unconstitutional measures, including a requirement that lawyers not share information with federal immigration officials as a condition for filing with state courts. ...
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Colorado Medicaid Crunch Leaves The Most Vulnerable Disabled Residents Facing Deep Cuts
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado Medicaid Crunch Leaves The Most Vulnerable Disabled Residents Facing Deep Cuts

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado This is a selfish column. The legislature is about to hurt my disabled son. My son, Chance, has Down syndrome and a few years ago would have been labeled “retarded.” Then “developmentally delayed.” Now the hypersensitive prefer “intellectually disabled.” Whatever the term is this week, the reality hasn’t changed. This 21-year-old man cannot consistently count to five, can’t read and can’t write his own name. He needs constant supervision for choking risks. He still needs help toileting. And that’s just the start. Medicaid was designed for people like him, our most vulnerable. And I am grateful for it. In between passing laws barring misgendering and expanding tax credits to buy electric bicycles, the s...
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