August 06, 2018 10:46 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Monday (August 6)

• 4 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

Today is “Civic Holiday” in Canada, which is really the most Canadian name for a holiday that you could possibly invent. It’s time to Get More Smarter. If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example). If you are more of a visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show.

TOP OF MIND TODAY… 

► President Trump went on one of his regular weekend Twitter tirades, and he just might have gotten himself into some legal trouble this time. From the Washington Post:

When President Trump flatly declared on Twitter that his son held that Trump Tower meeting in the full expectation of receiving dirt on Hillary Clinton, he may have done more than concede that collusion did, in fact, take place. He may have also inadvertently pointed to a motive for his repeated efforts to obstruct the Russia investigation — possibly strengthening the case that he obstructed justice. [Pols emphasis]

Much of this morning’s chatter about Trump’s Twitter admission over the weekend focuses on two important facts about it, but not on that one. In the tweet, Trump stated forthrightly that the Trump Tower gathering “was a meeting to get information on an opponent.” However, we know from Donald Trump Jr.’s emails before the meeting that he — along with son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign chair Paul Manafort — took this meeting in the full expectation of getting “information on an opponent” that would be furnished by the Russian government.

As many news accounts and analyses point out, Trump has now flatly conceded to that collusion more directly than ever before. As those accounts also point out, in so doing, Trump has also revealed that the statement he helped dictate about this meeting in the summer of 2017 — which claimed it was primarily about adoptions — was a lie.

Trump’s Tweet seems to have been a response to a Saturday story in the Washington Post indicating that the President is indeed worried about legal trouble for eldest son Donald Trump, Jr.:

Trump has confided to friends and advisers that he is worried the Mueller probe could destroy the lives of what he calls “innocent and decent people” — namely Trump Jr., who is under scrutiny by Mueller for his role organizing a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. As one adviser described the president’s thinking, he does not believe his son purposefully broke the law, but is fearful nonetheless that Trump Jr. inadvertently may have wandered into legal jeopardy.

► Republicans are chewing their fingernails to the nub over Tuesday’s special election in Ohio for an open Congressional seat. From Politico:

The entire Republican Party machinery has converged on this suburban Columbus district for a furious eleventh-hour campaign aimed at saving a conservative House seat and averting another special election disaster.

But in the final days ahead of Tuesday’s election, signs were everywhere that Democrats are surging — from recent polling to the private and public statements of many Republicans, including the GOP candidate himself. The district has been reliably red for more than three decades, but the sheer size of the Republican cavalry made clear how worried the party is about losing it…

…The all-out push underscores the GOP’s trepidation about the final special election before the midterms. A loss, following startling Republican defeats in Pennsylvania and Alabama, would offer more evidence that a blue wave is on the horizon. And it would further fuel fears of what’s becoming evident: that Democrats are simply more amped up, even in areas that have long been safely Republican.

► As the New York Times reports, the Trump administration is poking another stick at European allies:

The Trump administration said it would restore sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear accord at midnight on Monday, ratcheting up pressure on Tehran while worsening a divide with Europe.

The new sanctions are a consequence of President Trump’s decision in May to withdraw from the nuclear deal with world powers. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that the goal was to get Iran to change its ways — including ending all nuclear enrichment and curbing its weapons programs, as well as ending its support of brutal governments or uprisings in the Middle East.

European officials have said that the Iran nuclear agreement is crucial to their national security. International inspectors have concluded that Iran is complying with the accord.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Remember White House advisor Kellyanne Conway’s infamous “alternative facts” explanation about why the Trump administration isn’t very good at telling the truth? The Trump administration now has a new phrase for to explain their lies. From the Washington Post:

On Sunday, they tried a couple of new tacks: asserting that “facts develop” and saying that the president “misspoke” — while saying something he has said dozens of times.

“Facts develop.” You might think that 2+2=4, but over time, 2+2 can “develop” into 5.

► Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler wants to be Colorado’s next Attorney General — or as Brauchler calls it, Colorado’s “top cop.”  Brauchler is hoping that voters considering their choices for Colorado’s “top cop” don’t notice his stunning inability to successfully prosecute serious crimes.

► The Jefferson County Republican Party refers to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jared Polis as a “Brown Shirt,” a reference to Adolf Hitler’s Sturmabteilung nazi militia. Polis is Jewish.

► The oil and gas industry in Colorado takes a step further in getting a measure on the November ballot that would make it much more difficult than it already is for local governments to push back against drilling and fracking. Meanwhile, the industry appears to be resorting to some below-the-belt tactics in order to prevent a measure they dislike from appearing on the November ballot.

► Senate Democrats are zeroing in on a strategy for opposing new Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

► YouTube, Apple, and Facebook have had enough of the race-baiting madness of right-wing lunatic Alex Jones. 

► Fox 31 Denver reports on dueling rallies about gun violence from Saturday. The competing events ended peacefully despite concerns about death threats from gun rights groups.

► As David O. Williams reports for Vail Daily, President Trump’s escalating trade wars are starting to impact Eagle County:

At first blush, President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war with major Colorado trading partners such as Canada, China, the European Union and Mexico would not appear to have too much impact on a resort area such as Eagle County, with very little agriculture or manufacturing.

After all, we’re not growing a lot of corn in Gypsum or building a lot of cars in Eagle.

But expert observers say the interconnected nature of the global economy means Eagle County is already seeing a spike in the cost of goods ranging from lumber, steel and aluminum in construction to tech products to food in local grocery stores and restaurants.

“Tariffs imposed by the United States are nothing more than a tax increase on American consumers and businesses — including manufacturers, farmers and technology companies — who will all pay more for commonly used products and materials,” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce stated last month, pointing out $277 million in Colorado exports are “threatened by a trade war.”

Costs for new construction in Eagle County are increasing because of tariffs on lumber, steel and aluminum. Agricultural impacts have been a growing concern as well; Colorado corn prices have dropped 20 percent since June 1 because Trump’s trade war.

► Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke visited Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday.

► Marshall Zelinger of 9News does a “Truth Test” of an ad promoting Republican Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) and finds that it looks awfully similar to other ads running around the country. The ad features attaboys from a couple of “regular people” in praise of Coffman’s alleged help on the opioid epidemic. Neither of the women featured in the ad actually live in Colorado.

► Sandra Fish breaks down SuperPAC fundraising and spending for the Colorado Independent.

► A candidate for Governor of Wyoming appears to actually live in Colorado, but since election laws apparently don’t mean squat, a judge is allowing Republican Taylor Haynes to remain on the ballot.