May 02, 2018 10:50 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Wednesday (May 2)

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• by: Colorado Pols

April showers bring May…showers. 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… 

► Colorado Republicans are throwing haymakers at each other over the proposal of a “Red Flag” bill in the Colorado legislature that seeks to temporarily remove guns from the hands of people who are mentally or emotionally unstable. As Jesse Paul reports for the Denver Post:

The No. 2 Republican in the Colorado House of Representatives faced questions from his caucus and even the prospect of demotion Monday night over his sponsorship of a bill that would allow judges to order gun seizures from people who are seen as a significant risk to themselves or others.

The caucus met after House lawmakers finished up a late night of work and just hours after the “red flag” measure was introduced, at which point at least one member floated the idea of removing Rep. Cole Wist from his leadership position.

Wist, from Centennial, is the House Republicans’ assistant minority leader. A vote was not taken on a motion to demote him.

The “Red Flag” legislation made it through hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, but bipartisan supporters will need to move fast to get the bill passed before the 2018 legislative session comes to a close next Wednesday.

► Remember that infamous “doctor’s note” from 2015 that declared Donald Trump would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the Presidency”? It turns out that Trump actually dictated the contents of that note himself. Chris Cillizza of CNN explains why Trump’s fake doctor’s note is important for all Americans to understand.

► Special prosecutor Robert Mueller has apparently dropped the ‘s-word’ (subpoena) in discussions with attorneys for President Trump. As the Washington Post reports:

Mueller’s warning — the first time he is known to have mentioned a possible subpoena to Trump’s legal team — spurred a sharp retort from John Dowd, then the president’s lead lawyer.

“This isn’t some game,” Dowd said, according to two people with knowledge of his comments. “You are screwing with the work of the president of the United States.”

The flare-up set in motion weeks of turmoil among Trump’s attorneys as they debated how to deal with the special counsel’s request for an interview, a dispute that ultimately led to Dowd’s resignation.

In the wake of the testy March 5 meeting, Mueller’s team agreed to provide the president’s lawyers with more specific information about the subjects that prosecutors wished to discuss with the president. With those details in hand, Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow compiled a list of 49 questions that the team believed the president would be asked, according to three of the four people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly. The New York Times first reported the existence of the list.

► Congressman Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs) will see his name on the June Primary ballot after a successful appeal to a federal judge over the validity of petition signatures. Republican Brian Watson will also be on the ballot for State Treasurer after a successful lawsuit, and Democratic Attorney General candidate Brad Levin should find out about his ballot access after a court hearing today.

In other words, Colorado election laws are about as effective as one-ply toilet paper; the only real requirement for making the ballot in Colorado is to have a decent lawyer at your disposal. Marshall Zelinger of 9News takes a look at how Colorado might be able to fix this broken process.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► The Great Republican Tax Plan of 2017 is turning out to be completely useless for the average American. This is not good news for Republican candidates such as Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) and Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Cortez), both of whom spoke glowingly about the economic benefits of the tax plan for people who are not stinking rich already.

► Colorado has joined a multi-state lawsuit opposing a Trump administration directive to include a question about citizenship on the 2020 Census.

► Colorado’s Congressional delegation is pushing the Army to base its new “Futures Command” headquarters in our state.

► Marianne Goodland of the publication formerly known as the Colorado Statesman reports on the failure of another “right to discriminate” bill in the state legislature:

A measure that would have allowed Colorado faith-based adoption agencies to discriminate based on religious beliefs failed to clear the state Senate Tuesday morning.

Senate Bill 241 died on a voice vote in the Senate on second reading, with just a few votes in favor and a loud chorus of “no’s” against…

…Senate Bill 241 would have prohibited the state government from taking action against any person or organization that exercises its religious beliefs and refuses to provide adoption services based on those beliefs.

While the bill’s statutory changes don’t identify same-sex couples or LGBTQ persons, the bill’s legislative intent declaration identified actions in favor of same-sex couples and against faith-based adoption agencies as its motives.

► White House lawyer Ty Cobb is leaving his job. From the Washington Post:

Cobb, who served as the White House point person in dealing with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, is stepping down, according to senior administration officials.

He is expected to be replaced by Williams & Connolly partner Emmet T. Flood, a Republican defense lawyer who helped President Bill Clinton during impeachment proceedings and was interviewed by President Trump earlier this year.

► House Democrats are pushing for major changes to a transportation funding bill that passed out of the State Senate in order to prioritize more money for education needs.

► The Colorado Springs Independent marvels at Rep. Doug Lamborn’s ability to consistently win re-election despite regular opposition from his own political party.

► Republican gubernatorial candidate Walker Stapleton might need help raising money to pay for his own criminal records. 

► Two Democratic gubernatorial candidates announced high-profile endorsements on Tuesday.

► This is how you get the nickname “Boob Grabber.”

Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

► El Paso County Republicans are auctioning off a pair of AR-15 assault rifles as part of a fundraising effort.

► A Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in West Virginia, coal baron Don Blankenship, is pretty much the worst-case scenario for establishment Republicans leading into Tuesday’s GOP Primary. Blankenship has taken to calling Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell “Cocaine Mitch,” and on Tuesday he doubled-down on his use of the term “Chinaperson” as a totally fine, non-racist thing to say.

ICYMI

► Colorado Republicans finally came to their senses and effectively killed an idiotic bill that sought to jail Colorado teachers for going on strike, but the mean-spirited genesis of SB-264 will play a big role in the General Election this fall. 

► Here’s more on our interview with Doug Robinson (Mitt Romney’s Nephew) for “The Get More Smarter Show.”

Click here for The Get More Smarter Show. You can also Get More Smarter by liking Colorado Pols on Facebook!