Government
Trump to stay ‘the next few days’ at military hospital for COVID-19 treatment
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Maryland late Friday afternoon, where White House officials said he is expected to stay for “the next few days” for treatment of COVID-19. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany described Trump, who disclosed his diagnosis earlier Friday, as having […]
U.S. House passes new pandemic relief bill, but talks lag on a bipartisan deal
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday night narrowly passed a slimmed-down $2.2 trillion Democratic coronavirus relief bill that retains hundreds of billions in aid for states and local governments, boosts unemployment benefits and extends another round of $1,200 checks for each taxpayer. But the package, passed on a 214-207 vote, with 18 Democrats splitting […]
2,732 pardons issued — the most by a Colorado governor at one time — for past marijuana convictions
A last-minute June amendment to a bill creating social equity licenses for new cannabis businesses allowed Gov. Jared Polis to issue mass pardons of people convicted of possessing up to 2 ounces of marijuana. The governor on Oct. 1 issued 2,732 pardons for past marijuana convictions — the most people ever pardoned by a Colorado […]
Gardner sides with Democrats on pro-ACA measure in what critics call a ‘stunt’
Cory Gardner joined several other vulnerable Republican senators today in voting with Democrats on a pro-Affordable Care Act measure. The measure, had it succeeded, would have been a step toward barring the U.S. Department of Justice from supporting a lawsuit the U.S. Supreme Court will take up in November that aims to repeal the ACA, […]
Report: ICE plans to target Denver, other ‘sanctuary cities’ for immigration enforcement
Citing anonymous officials, the Washington Post reported Sept. 29 that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was planning an “immigration enforcement blitz” in several so-called “sanctuary cities” — including Denver — that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officials. The operation could begin in California as soon as this week, the Post reported, and then expand to […]
Trump tells far-right group to ‘stand back and stand by’ in presidential debate
President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Tuesday night’s chaotic and messy presidential debate were each asked how they would deal with the nation’s institutional racism. Trump directly addressed a far-right group, the Proud Boys, telling them to “stand back and stand by,” and failed to answer a question about why Americans should […]
Trump and Biden quarrel over mask mandates and state shutdowns in first presidential debate
The two men vying to become the next president offered a stark contrast to voters on face mask requirements and on how soon state economies should reopen amid the pandemic, just two of many areas where they squabbled during Tuesday’s contentious and often chaotic first debate. The exchange between President Donald Trump and former Vice […]
‘Thousands’ of students not enrolled in school as Polis, school officials make plea to parents
Gov. Jared Polis and school officials on Tuesday begged Colorado parents to enroll their children in school by Thursday — for their own kids’ wellbeing and because future school funding depends on it. “Your kid will return to school someday, post pandemic. And you don’t want them to be a year or more behind,” said […]
Virginia lawmakers warn of ‘deteriorating’ conditions in two federal prisons amid COVID-19 spread
WASHINGTON — Members of the Virginia congressional delegation from both political parties are pressing the U.S. Department of Justice’s internal watchdogs to include two state correctional facilities in the agency’s ongoing inspections during the pandemic. In a Sept. 24 letter to DOJ’s inspector general, the lawmakers raised concerns about unsafe health and safety procedures, COVID-19 […]
Trump picks Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court, and D.C. girds for a fight
President Donald Trump at the White House on Saturday introduced federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee, setting off a confirmation battle that could secure a conservative court for generations. “She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect and sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution,” Trump said […]
70,000 more Colorado households will be severely rent burdened in coming months, state estimates
An estimated 70,000 more Colorado households will be severely rent burdened — spending more than half of their income on housing costs — in the coming months as assistance programs wind down and savings accounts dry up, according to a state housing analyst. As of July, 165,567, or 22% of Colorado renters, were considered extremely […]
Federal judge boots William Perry Pendley from BLM acting director role
A federal judge in Montana has ordered that conservative firebrand William Perry Pendley should not lead the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, saying that Pendley has “served unlawfully” for more than a year. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris in his ruling on Friday also barred Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt from “unlawfully delegating […]