Happy Mother Cabrini Day, the first state holiday named for a woman in American history. Let’s 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 an audio learner, check out The Get More Smarter Podcast. And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter.
► Is COVID-19 in retreat? We’ve learned not to get overly excited about a drop in COVID cases, but as The New York Times reports:
The reasons remain somewhat unclear, and there is no guarantee that the decline in caseloads will continue. But the turnaround is now large enough — and been going on long enough — to deserve attention.
The number of new daily cases in the U.S. has fallen 35 percent since Sept. 1.
Worldwide, cases have also dropped more than 30 percent since late August. “This is as good as the world has looked in many months,” Dr. Eric Topol of Scripps Research wrote last week.
As the Times notes, COVID-19 has a curious habit of showing rapid increases for two months followed by significant decreases in case numbers…for two months.
► The 2022 U.S. Senate race in Colorado got a bit more interesting last week, with two new Republican candidates joining the field: Ft. Collins developer Gino Campana and State Rep. Ron Hanks (R-Penrose). Hanks immediately lays claim to the far-right wing in a Republican Primary — he is a full-on election fraud truther who has been outspoken in his defense of Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters — who will force Republican candidates up and down the ballot to respond to whatever absurd position he decides to take in a given week.
► The editorial board of The New York Times voices new concerns about the “Eastman Memo” and its author, former University of Colorado visiting professor John Eastman:
However horrifying the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol appeared in the moment, we know now that it was far worse.
The country was hours away from a full-blown constitutional crisis — not primarily because of the violence and mayhem inflicted by hundreds of President Donald Trump’s supporters but because of the actions of Mr. Trump himself.
In the days before the mob descended on the Capitol, a corollary attack — this one bloodless and legalistic — was playing out down the street in the White House, where Mr. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and a lawyer named John Eastman huddled in the Oval Office, scheming to subvert the will of the American people by using legal sleight-of-hand.
Mr. Eastman’s unusual visit was reported at the time, but a new book by the Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa provides the details of his proposed six-point plan. It involved Mr. Pence rejecting dozens of already certified electoral votes representing tens of millions of legally cast ballots, thus allowing Congress to install Mr. Trump in a second term.
►Colorado Public Radio reports on big local rallies on Saturday in protest of a new anti-abortion law in Texas. The Associated Press has more on the Women’s March that drew hundreds of people to the State Capitol in Denver. The Ft. Collins Coloradoan reports on rallies in Larimer County, while The Pueblo Chieftain does the same for Southern Colorado.
Click below to keep learning stuff…
And Now, More Words…
►As The Washington Post reports, California will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all schoolchildren as soon as the Food and Drug Administration gives full approval for a vaccine:
The mandate would take effect in phases, based on full FDA approval of the vaccine. It would apply to any public or private school student who wants to attend classes in person.
Earlier, this month, the Los Angeles Unified school system said it would require vaccines for all eligible students over the age of 12.
“Our schools already require vaccines for measles, mumps and more,” Newsom wrote on Twitter. “Why? Because vaccines work. This is about keeping our kids safe & healthy.” [Pols emphasis]
After beating back a recall attempt late last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been adamant that Democrats should be bold in doing more to stop the COVID-19 pandemic.
A message allegedly written by the chairwoman of the Colorado Republican Party warning candidates not to take sides on the legal issues surrounding embattled Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters isn’t sitting well with a group that is trying to prove voter fraud.
The somewhat shadowy U.S. Election Integrity Plan, which operates in the Grand Valley and elsewhere in the state, went after GOP Chairwoman Kristi Burton Brown over a leaked message from Brown to an unknown school board candidate elsewhere in the state.
In the message, Brown warns the candidate not to post or say anything publicly about Peters while local, state and federal investigators dig into allegations that the Mesa County Republican clerk and others inside and outside of her office may have played a role in possible criminal violations of state election security laws.
► Recycled Republican candidate Lang Sias is apparently considering making a run for State Treasurer in 2022. Our advice: Don’t do it, Lang!
► New polling from POLITICO/Morning Consult indicates a significant shift in how Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders view themselves in relation to political subgroups.
The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll — one of the most extensive surveys across nearly 50 ethnic groups that make up the diaspora — shows that 2 in 10 adults are now more likely to identify with the broader “AAPI” label than they were pre-pandemic, a notable shift for a racial group that tends to be “nationality-first.” This movement in identity, on the heels of a massive voter turnout jump from 2016 to 2020, is key to building electoral clout, experts say.
The heightened solidarity promises to change both the way Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders vote and the way campaigns reach out to them, according to interviews with numerous people involved in AAPI politics or campaigns that made overtures to AAPI voters.
Candidates have historically overlooked AAPIs for several reasons: They were largely concentrated in noncompetitive districts; they made up a small piece of the likely electorate; and it took a lot of resources to target a community that speaks hundreds of languages and has different policy priorities. But now, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are more likely to be mobilized by a shared fear of violence and discrimination — and as the fastest-growing demographic, they’ve become consequential in swing states like Georgia and Arizona.
This creates new opportunities for both parties, but mostly for Democrats, given the intense feelings about Trump’s [xenophobic] comments [about Asian Americans].
►The Associated Press looks at how Democrats may have to thread a needle on Climate Change with Latino voters.
► CBS4 Denver has more on Rep. Joe Neguse’s efforts to increase pay and benefit for overworked firefighters battling wildfires.
►Colorado Newsline examines Congressional efforts to create a universal pre-K program nationwide.
►The Denver Post reports on Proposition 119, a marijuana tax measure on the ballot in November. The Colorado Sun, meanwhile, takes a look at Amendment 78 — a ballot measure related to oversight of state spending.
►The Washington Post reveals extensive reporting — teaming up with other prominent news outlets — on what is being called the “Pandora Papers” outlining how billionaires around the world are hiding their wealth in secretive offshore banking accounts.
►Denver7 reports on a one-day strike by janitors at DIA seeking better working conditions in a new contract. Fox 31 notes that security officers at DIA could be the next to strike.
► The union for Aurora Police Officers reports a no-confidence vote in the leadership of Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson.
Say What, Now?
Come on, Q*Bert — it’s not even Halloween yet:
Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
► According to The Washington Post, former President Donald Trump is all but certain to seek the Republican nomination for President in 2024:
Trump has returned to traveling the country for rallies — including a planned gathering Saturday in Iowa — designed to look identical to his campaign events. He is raising money with the same aggressive online tactics he used during his last campaign — an unprecedented move for a former president.
With Trump still cut off from Facebook and Twitter after his supporters attacked the Capitol when he encouraged them to “stop the steal,” aides send out daily emails — often riddled with false statements — on his behalf going after Democrats, detractors and wayward Republicans.An informal poll of 13 of his current and former advisers in recent days indicated that 10 believed he would run, two said it was a public relations ploy, and another said he was not sure.
“We’re not supposed to be talking about it yet, from the standpoint of campaign finance laws, which frankly are ridiculous,” Trump said on Sept. 11, when asked if he would again be a candidate for president. “But I think you are going to be happy. Let me put it that way.”
► This week on The Get More Smarter Podcast, hosts Jason Bane and Ian Silverii discuss the worst campaign kickoff in modern Colorado history and the return to Colorado of embattled Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters.
Don’t forget to give Colorado Pols a thumbs up on Facebook and Twitter.
October 04, 2021 09:56 AM UTC
4 Comments
Happy 
I sure hope that the Polis campaign has captured all the nice things Ganahl had to say about Eastman.
Todd Akin, "Mr. legitimate rape" has died. Discuss.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2021/10/04/todd-akin-republican-missouri-dead/
The world is slightly less odious as a result of that shithead's demise.
“He was a devout Christian, a great father, and a friend to many”
They left out amateur gynecologist.