Mandy Connell - Weekdays 1pm-4pm on KOA NewsRadio in Denver.
Mandy talks about why you should vote no on Home Rule for Douglas County with former County commissioner Steve Boand, she spoke with Mark Perez about competing in the international dragon boat championships, Jefferson county schools being investigated by the Department of Ed, the drama around a proposed Buc-ees in Palmer Lake, why non-Thai people can't have Thai hot, what childless, non working people on Medicaid do with their time, and why teaching kids to hate America has made them hate America.
Dad joke of the day, word of the day, Mandy's trivia question of the day & jeopardy! It's OF THE DAY! Today's opponent: Ryan Edwards.
MORE ON WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE NO ON DOUGCO ON HOME RULE I've said it before, I am NOT opposed to the concept of moving Douglas County to a Home Rule style of governance, but I am very much opposed to the way this is being handled in Douglas County and will be voting no. If you need more reasons to vote no, listen up at 1 when longtime GOPer and former County Commissioner Steve Boand joins me with a list of reasons.
HELP MY DRAGON BOATING FRIEND My friend and longtime physical therapist Mark Perez has a unique hobby and it's racing dragon boats. What is dragon boat racing? Check this out.
Mandy talked about the terror attack against some peaceful marchers who were marching for the Israeli hostages. She spoke with Rep. Ron Weinberg to get his thoughts, the interviewed ADF attorney Suzanne Beecher about a lawsuit over free speech infringed by a trans rights, she also talked about Mike Lindell's defamation lawsuit and this year's Uncle John's bathroom reader.
HELP DAD GET SMARTER IN THE CAN With the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, a fantastic compendium of useless but very interesting information in book form. Today I've got the guy behind the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Brian Boone at 2:00 to chat about it. Buy yours in time for Father's Day here! Here is some of the nonsense you might enjoy:Some of the best facts and stories to help dad become the most popular guy at the barbeque.Some real bathroom humor, including the story of “Roland the Farter.”That wonderful piece of trivia regarding the late Mr. Rogers and his affection for bodily functions.‘Tis the season: The baseball plot to kill Castro.What a “rear end robot” is.I love this book and have a bunch of them already. Trust me, great gift for Dad or anyone else, especially teenagers who don't read enough. Five stars, would recommend.
A LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED OVER HB25-1312 And I'm talking to Suzanne Beecher from the Alliance Defending Freedom on the suit that has been filed on behalf of XX-XY sportswear over the free speech restrictions in the bill which prevent someone from calling a man a man or a woman a woman if they are trans. Suzanne joins me at 1. Find out more about ADF or even make a donation by clicking here.
THE INTIFADA HAS BEEN GLOBALIZED IN BOULDER And not just Boulder. Let's not forget that in a very short period of time an anti-Semite tried to burn down the Governor of Pennsylvania's mansion with him and his family in it, two people were murdered outside a Jewish Museum in DC, and now we have a man throwing flammable devices, likely Molotov cocktails, at a group of mostly elderly people walking down the Pearl Street Mall to remind people that there are still hostages in Gaza. Eight people have been injured, one of them quite badly, and they ranged in age from 52 to 88. The man who did it was shouting about Palestine and his name is Mohamed Sabry Soliman.
Mandy talks to associate editor of City journal. John Hirschauer about Gen Z going back to church, David Waldenstrom about the truth about wealth inequality & what life is like in Sweden compared to the United States, And Natalie Daniels about being dropped by her running club for saying that me.
Dad joke of the day, word of the day, Mandy's trivia question of the day & jeopardy! It's OF THE DAY! Today's opponent: Benjamin Allbright and Zach Segars.
WHEN RUNNING LIKE A GIRL IS A GOOD THING Meet Natalie Daniels. She Ran Boston in 2:50:04. Then Got Cancelled. Natalie Daniels, a 5x marathon winner and new mom, trained hard to run the Boston Marathon just six months postpartum. Before the race, she spoke out with XX-XY Athletics about fairness in women's sports — and faced backlash. Her teammates leaked her location, and her club told her not to wear their singlet. She ran anyway, in XX-XY gear, finishing in 2:50:04. After the race, she was kicked out for standing up for real women. Now she's starting a running club for women with the help of XX-XY. Find out more here, and Natalie joins me at 2:30 today to discuss it. Join the team running club here!
JUST HOW UNEQUAL IS OUR WEALTH? If you listen to Bernie Sanders rich people are literally stealing the change from poor people's pockets, but of course that is false. But the Gospel of Wealth Inequality is a powerful elixir doled out to gin up envy and greed in the people and it's effective. But is it true? At 1 I'm talking with Daniel Waldenstrom, Professor of Economics, Research Institute of Industrial Economics, Stockholm, Sweden Previously professor at Paris School of Economics, Uppsala University, UCLA about his work on it, and it tells a much different story. Read this for more, but we will dig in today. Find his book on the subject, Richer and More Equal: A New History of Wealth in the West by clicking here.
GEN Z IS SEARCHING AND THEY ARE FINDING GOD I love this story so much. Today at 12:30 I will talk to Associate Editor John Hirschauer from City Journal about this story he did on Gen Z returning to church. I love this part especially:Yet these cultural losses may have laid the groundwork for a revival. Public Christianity in the United States receded in part because a rising counterculture successfully challenged its restrictions on individual conduct. Advocates of cultural liberalization gained support by portraying mid-century Christian institutions as rigid and outdated. But today, that once-rebellious counterculture dominates the spaces that Americans inhabit—schools, workplaces, and popular media. And young people, always drawn to rebellion, appear to be pushing back. Many are rejecting a culture that exalts personal autonomy and denigrates self-sacrifice. Perhaps as a result, a surprising number of young adults—who might otherwise have left religion at even higher rates than their parents did—are, for the first time in decades, choosing to stay.I love that turning to God can be an act of rebellion and an act of salvation.
Mandy talks about how expensive it is to replace the Ford F-150 Lightning truck battery is, she spoke with a young man with a fatal disease who is advocating for Right to Try new meds, Rich Guggenheim with Gays Against Groomers pops on for an update, Hamas wants Palestinians to starve rather than take aid from a group that MAY be associated with Israel, and the Plum Creek Garden Market team visited to talk about glow in the dark petunias.
Dad joke of the day, word of the day, Mandy's trivia question of the day & jeopardy! It's OF THE DAY! Today's opponent: Plum Creek Garden Market and the Q!
HOW ABOUT SOME GLOW IN THE DARK PETUNIAS? As gardening is my official hobby now I'm actually pretty excited to have Audrey Sharpe and Matt Niemann on the show. This year Plum Creek Garden Market is excited to announce the debut of the Firefly Petunia, the first bioluminescent petunia for sale (glow in the dark). This year we encourage Colorado gardeners to consider planting more native plants that have adapted to Colorado's elevation and climate over generations. Audrey and Matt join me at 2:30 to talk about it, find your local Plum Creek Garden Market by clicking here.
GAYS AGAINST GROOMERS IS STILL FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT And I've got Rich Guggenheim on with an update since the passage of SB25-1213 made Colorado a hotspot of trans affirmation. He's on at 1pm. We can talk about how a group made entirely of LGBTQ people has been named "Anti-LGBTQ" by the hate group SPLC.
A DYING MAN JUST WANTS TO TRY I realize that we are ALL dying but my guest today is on a fast track none of us want to be on. Elijah is 23 years old and is fighting for his life. He was only six years old when he was diagnosed with a fatal and incurable disease – Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The disease has robbed Elijah of the ability to walk. He's losing the use of his hands and arms. He likely only has a few years to live. There's a potential genetic treatment for his condition that is sitting on the shelf, all because of government bureaucracy. It could save his life, and others like him. That's why Elijah is advocating for the Right to Try for Individualized Treatments. Elijah he has become a strong advocate for Right to Try for Individualized Treatments (which we also call Right to Try 2.0). There is a treatment that could help him, but government red tape is preventing him from accessing it. So he has made it his mission to advocate for treatments like these/He also started a nonprofit, wrote a book, consults for biotech companies, and is working on a screenplay about his story. Read this story about his journey here. He joins me at 12:30 to talk about it. Find out more about Right to Try by clicking here.
Dad joke of the day, word of the day, Mandy's trivia question of the day & jeopardy! It's OF THE DAY! Today's opponent: Ryan Edwards and Benjamin Allbright.
Mandy talks about rainy days on Weather Wednesday, NPR taking tax payer money, she has a chat with 16th Street business owner Derek Friedman about how things are going downtown, free boob jobs for trans women but not actual women, Derrick Wilburn's accuser Bernadette Guthrie joins to explain why she's so upset, and the President of France is an abused husband.
DERRICK WILBURN'S ACCUSER IS ON AT 2:30 If you heard yesterday's interview with Derrick Wilburn you can listen to it here to get the backstory of the woman accusing him of all sorts of nasty things over his actions when fighting against inappropriate books in school libraries. Bernadette Guthrie joins me at 2:30 with her side of things.
HOW'S BUSINESS ON 16TH STREET? I've got Derek Friedman, the owner of Sportsfan and Sock Em' Sock Emporium downtown on at 1 to talk about the reality of doing business on what is now just 16th Street. I was downtown last night and I'm going to tell you it looks SO MUCH better than it has in years. Downright CLEAN. We saw ONE tent in ONE park. It was like downtown when we moved here! And we drove around quite a bit. I'm excited for what is possible in downtown Denver right now, we'll see if Derek shares my enthusiasm at 1pm.
WE ARE PRACTICALLY A RAINFOREST THESE DAYS What with all these days of rain we've had. I've got Fox 31 Meteorologist Dave Fraser at 12:30 to talk about when it will stop and how much we've gotten.
It was a wild Ask Me Anything show where Mandy answered lots of radio questions and more. We also discussed Denver being broke, Trump's personal deals in the Middle East, and AROD's jury duty.
Dad joke of the day, word of the day, Mandy's trivia question of the day & jeopardy! It's OF THE DAY! Today's opponent: Benjamin Allbright.
Dad joke of the day, word of the day, Mandy's trivia question of the day & jeopardy! It's OF THE DAY! Today's opponent: Ryan Edwards.
Mandy talks to Abbie Kell from Metro State about a housing program that matches students needing housing with seniors, luxury beliefs in Boulder trying to shut down oil and gas, and Cory Gaines spells out how much Attorney General Phil Weiser's cases against Trump are costing taxpayers. Palestinians are protesting in Gaza against Hamas, What A-Rod should wear to jury duty, and a chat with Erin Lee about the bill that makes misgendering someone a crime.
Dad joke of the day, word of the day, Mandy's trivia question of the day & jeopardy! It's OF THE DAY! Today's opponent: Shelby Harris.
THE LAWSUITS ARE FLYING OVER SB1312 The bill called the Kelly Loving Act has created a firestorm of legal activity, the latest a suit from the Colorado Parents Action Network and Protect Kids Colorado among others.
HOW MUCH IS AG PHIL WEISER SPENDING TO SUE TRUMP? Attorney General Phil Weiser has joined a slew of lawsuits (at last count it was 15 but today is another day) suing the Trump administration for a myriad of things he disagrees with on behalf of Colorado. I don't particularly want him to do any of this but he didn't ask me. I asked last week just how much he was spending to sue so many times, and Cory Gaines of the Colorado Accountability Project came to my rescue with this post outlining how many of our tax dollars he's using to do it. Cory joins me today at 1 to talk about it.
PAIRING YOUNG AND OLD TO SOLVE HOUSING PROBLEMS Is exactly what Metro State University is doing in downtown Denver. I saw this article about the program that asks people over 55 who want to rent a room in their homes to take in college students who need affordable housing. I think this is a FANTASTIC idea and I've got Abbie Kell, MSU Denver associate director of Basic Needs and Housing Support on today to talk about this program at 12:30 pm. Read more about it here and here. If you're interested in renting to a student click here for more!
Some of the audio from the Hur investigation with Joe Biden is out and it is devastating, but the SAME day it was released Biden announced he has aggressive prostate cancer, Brian Blase talks about how states jack up Medicaid costs by padding the bills. The cross burning case involving Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade is going to trial, Governor Polis vetoes the horrible labor bill but signs a bill criminalizing speech, and Rep. Brandi Bradley joins to talk about what ended up in SB1213.
Dad joke of the day, word of the day, Mandy's trivia question of the day & jeopardy! It's OF THE DAY! Today's opponent: Nick Ferguson.
STATES ARE ABUSING MEDICAID And I've got Brian Blase from Paragon Health Institute to talk about this report they released recently that explains how states pad their coffers by tacking useless fees onto their Medicaid billing. It's a total racket and they call it Medicaid Money Laundering. We'll talk to Brian at 1 about this. For more details check out these articles on Biden growing Medicaid, Biden's surge, and how the ACA let states launder more money.
Mandy and Arod gather up some new airhorn entries, James Comey is not a nice man and has tried to insult our intelligence, Aussie Colonel Michael Scott makes the case for Israel and the IDF while fighting anti-Semitism, King Soopers gets busted for overcharging and the City of Denver is the worst slumlord of all.
Dad joke of the day, word of the day, Mandy's trivia question of the day & jeopardy! It's OF THE DAY! Today's opponent: Ryan Edwards AND Benjamin Allbright.
COLONEL MICHAEL SCOTT STANDS WITH ISRAEL And unlike most of us who just SAY that he is putting action to words as a battle tested Australian commander of troops who is putting his money where his mouth is. He joins me at 1pm to talk about his visits to Gaza to talk to IDF soldiers and why he believes the IDF is the most ethical fighting force in the world. Read his column on it here. He joins me at 1pm. Find out more about him by clicking here. Find out about his organization The 2023 Foundation here.
Mandy talks about Colorado losing its business competitiveness and Uber and Lyft leaving the state, Colorado is facing a big loss when it comes to Medicaid, who really pays income taxes, a case that could limit federal judges' ability to issue national injunctions against the Trump administration, and a poker tournament to raise money for veteran's kids Christmas.
Dad joke of the day, word of the day, Mandy's trivia question of the day & jeopardy! It's OF THE DAY! Today's opponent: Grant Smith.
GET YOUR POKER FACE READY Because if you love poker you can have a fun night and help raise money for the children of veterans this Christmas. The Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP) is hosting a poker tournament this Saturday evening. The details are below but here is the link to sign up. VAREP President Jeff Zoerb joins me at 2:30 to chat about it.
THERE'S A LAWSUIT ABOUT BOYS IN GIRLS SPORTS And if was filed by School District 49 (D49) in the Springs. It doesn't involve a case of a trans girl competing, but is a pre emptive suit and the state organization in charge of high school sports has policies that are in violation of Title IX and of Trump's Executive Order on the subject. Read more here, but Superintendent Peter Hilts joins me at 1:10 today to talk about it.
BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP HEADS TO THE SUPREME COURT And I'm not EXACTLY sure what will come out of this because this hearing is more about procedural stuff when it comes to district courts issuing stays that check the President of the United States's power. The Pacific Legal Foundation says Trump vs CASA is about "a Trump-era Executive Order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for children born to unlawful or non-permanent immigrants. Lower courts blocked the policy nationwide, not just for the plaintiffs, and now the Justices will weigh in on whether courts have the authority to issue such sweeping injunctions." What will this mean for birthright citizenship overall? I've got Joe Luppino-Esposito from the Pacific Legal Foundation at 12:30 on it.
Today we do a deep dive on cutter with The Foundation for the Defensive Democracies Cliff May, Jeff propco public schools is a mess, and Trump storms the Middle East.