Podcast appearances and mentions of John Hickenlooper

Victor Marx is officially the Colorado Republican nominee for governor. The former marine who claims he's performed exorcisms is now tasked with picking a running mate, and Westword editor emeritus Patty Calhoun has some ideas. She joins host Bree Davies to talk about the GOP's future in Colorado and the pitfalls of covering incumbent races as a reporter. Then, the fate of the food hall concept looms large in RiNo as the Zeppelins return to Zeppelin Station and Denver Central Market boots longtime vendors.  Bree brought up reporter Chase Woodruff's thread about local media's political coverage, which later appeared in Corey Hutchins' newsletter. She also talked about documenting Brighton Boulevard's DIY music backstory for Westword. For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member! What are your thoughts on Zeppelin Station's next steps? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Learn more about the sponsors of this July 14th episode: Denver Film Denver Health Colfax Ave BID Colorado Lottery Cozy Earth - Use code COZYDENVER for up to 20% off Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

This episode of the Dan Caplis Show is a must-listen for anyone interested in the world of politics and media bias. The host dives into a fascinating case of alleged media manipulation, where a prominent debate moderator is accused of protecting Democrats at the expense of Republicans. In this episode, the host discusses the recent decision by KUSA to not host a debate between Julie Gonzalez, a young Latina state senator, and John Hickenlooper, a Democrat running for the US Senate. Gonzalez was gaining momentum in the polls, closing in on Hickenlooper's lead, and many believe that a debate would have given her a much-needed platform to showcase her policies. The host argues that KUSA's decision not to host the debate was a deliberate attempt to protect the Democratic Party, citing the station's history of favoring Democrats in their debates. The host also touches on the topic of media bias, highlighting the importance of unbiased moderation in debates. They point out that KUSA's debate moderator, Kyle Clark, has a reputation for being one of the most talented in the state, but also for using his skills to protect Democrats. The host believes that this is a disservice to the people of Colorado, who deserve to see all candidates put to the test. If you're interested in learning more about this intriguing case and the implications of media bias in politics, tune in to this episode of the Dan Kaplis Show. The host provides a thought-provoking analysis of the situation and raises important questions about the role of media in shaping public opinion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pratap Chatterjee, executive director of CorpWatch, joins us to discuss their latest report, MAGA Inc., which identifies the Crypto Czars, the Tech Titans and the Prison Profiteers who have bankrolled and benefited the most from Donald Trump's corrupt regime. Then, Ralph welcomes Elliot Negin, executive editor of Money Trail to talk about how Donald Trump is trying to turn Washington DC into a monument to himself.Pratap Chatterjee is an investigative journalist, producer and executive director of CorpWatch, an organization that works to promote environmental, social and human rights by holding multinational corporations accountable for their actions. He is the author of several books, including Verax: The True History of Whistleblowers, Drone Warfare, and Mass Surveillance, Halliburton's Army, and Iraq Inc.: A Profitable Occupation.Palantir is really critical to understanding how the surveillance state works, especially in identifying people to deport and locations and people to kill in Trump's new wars overseas, such as in Iran…Palantir's data analytical capabilities are actually extremely simplistic and terrible. But when it comes to looking for an easy solution, that's what Palantir offers. And they've been able to offer this to the Trump administration—to have them speed up their political plans such as deportation, such as waging war against Iran by giving them easy answers.Pratap ChatterjeeThe biggest company behind the cryptocurrency used by criminals and drug dealers and gun traffickers has come out of the shadows, into the light, thanks specifically to the credibility offered by the Trump administration. And so this is really a sea change.Pratap ChatterjeeElliott Negin, executive editor of the Substack newsletter Money Trail, is an award-winning writer, illustrator and publication designer. Prior to co-founding Money Trail in February 2025, he was the managing editor of American Journalism Review, editor and art director of Public Citizen and Nuclear Times magazines, a news editor at NPR, and a regular contributor to HuffPost and the Union of Concerned Scientists' Equation. His freelance articles have appeared in The Atlantic, Common Dreams, The Hill, L.A. Progressive, The Nation, Scientific American, the Washington Post and other publications.It turns out that there is a government-owned ballroom less than a mile from the White House that would serve the purposes of a state dinner, which is one of the only events that you would need a ballroom for. If Trump builds a ballroom, it will not be used probably 360 days out of the year… To have a building that big that's going to be sitting empty for all that time makes no sense whatsoever.Elliott NeginRight now, the cost of this ballroom has been escalating… And half of it's supposed to be covered by taxpayers. Give credit to Public Citizen. It did a report that found out that more than half the donors that were identified as donating to the project when it was pegged at $400 million (including Amazon, Lockheed Martin, Palantir) have gained contracts with the federal government worth more than $50 billion in the last six months. That's a hell of a return on investment.Elliott NeginNews 7/3/26* Our top stories this week are the Colorado primaries. First, DSA-backed insurgent Melat Kiros successfully ousted 29-year incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Diana DeGette in the state's first congressional district, winning in a surprise blowout of over 13 points. Kiros, a 29-year old Tigrayan-American lawyer and PhD student, was fired from Sidley Austin – a “biglaw” firm in 2023, after she “posted an open letter defending students protesting Israel's war in Gaza from charges of antisemitism,” per Colorado Newsline. Axios reports many House Democrats, speaking anonymously, have bemoaned DeGette's loss, with one accusing Kiros of trafficking in “performative politics,” but Usamah Andrabi, spokesperson for Justice Democrats, one of the main groups that backed Kiros, put it simply when he said “If DeGette didn't deserve a primary, Denverites wouldn't have elected Melat” by double digits.* Also in Colorado, state Attorney General Phil Weiser easily defeated Senator Michael Bennet in the primary to succeed Jared Polis as Governor. While Weiser did run to Bennet's left, the real victory for progressives is that Bennet finishing out his own term means the Colorado Democratic establishment won't be able to appoint someone – likely a centrist member of the House – to replace him, per Axios. Meanwhile, John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democratic institution won his primary as well, fending off a challenge from his left by state Senator Julie Gonzales. However, Gonzales came within 6 points of Hickenlooper, according to Colorado Public Radio, a tantalizingly close margin. Moreover, not only has Hickenlooper vowed that this would be his final Senate term, many are speculating that Bennet himself won't run when his term ends in 2028. That is all to say, it is possible we have not seen the last of Ms. Gonzales.* Speaking of Gonzales, much has been made of the fact that she “softly” distanced herself from DSA as she launched her primary campaign, per Colorado Pols. Perhaps maintaining that organizational relationship would not have resulted in her victory, but the stunning successes of DSA-backed candidates – including Melat Kiros in Colorado – speaks to the group's impressive organizational muscle. In fact, the group can boast of winning yet another seat in the New York State Assembly, with Maurice “Mo” Brown declaring victory against longtime incumbent Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli in the 129th Assembly District. Magnarelli held the seat for 30 years. Brown won by just over 100 votes after all the absentee and affidavit votes were tallied, according to Syracuse.com. With Brown's victory, DSA will send 16 members to Albany next session, nearly doubling its presence across both chambers of the state legislature.* More impressive than the electoral victories however is the fact that DSA members in office are delivering on their campaign promises. Most notably, in New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has successfully forced a vote through the Rent Guidelines Board to enact a rent freeze for the Big Apple's 1 million rent-stabilized apartments, Time reports. These units make up a whopping 27% of the city's housing stock and house around 2 million people. Mamdani's predecessor, the corporate-friendly Democrat Eric Adams, pushed through rent hikes via the guidelines board, raising the rent by 12.6% over the course of his term in office. Mamdani called this the “relief that working people across our city deserve.” This move has, predictably, drawn the ire of landlords and their industry representatives, but there is no denying that the people of New York City voted for Mamdani in large part for this exact policy and he delivered.* In Congress, another socialist – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – is fighting for key amendments to the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act. These run the gamut from prohibiting the transfer of weapons to countries hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid, such as Israel, to demanding that the Secretary of Defense conduct declassification reviews or release unclassified reports on American assistance to the dictatorship in Brazil and the coup in Chile, barring Pentagon funds from being used to enforce sanctions on Cuba, and many more. As the scope of national legislation has narrowed in recent decades, amendments to massive flagship funding bills like the NDAA have become a primary means of getting legislation through the gridlock. It is very encouraging to see AOC take advantage of this mechanism to force votes on these issues.* Of course, the centrists will not simply cede power to the left without a fight. Yahoo reports 13 Democratic House members and candidates have signed onto what they are calling the “Promise to America,” consisting mainly of vague commitments to principles like “Growth, Competition, and Broad Prosperity,” or “Safety, Security, and Human Dignity.” They have also stepped up their rhetoric, saying “there's going to be a war” between themselves and the new crop of progressive and DSA lawmakers, per Fox News. Of course, this all makes one wonder whether the Democrats would be in this position at all if they were this confrontational with the Republicans instead of their own voter base.* Another emerging theater of combat between the center and the left is the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The CHC is led by the lame duck New York Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who was defeated in his primary by Darializa Avila Chevalier. Both Espaillat and Avila Chevalier – or DAC as she has come to be known – are Dominican, despite Espaillat's last-minute smear campaign calling her Haitian, and she plans to join the CHC once she takes her seat in the House. Yet, POLITICO reports the CHC is divided about admitting DAC. While no member is going so far as to say outright that she should not be admitted, many, such as CHC Whip Sylvia Garcia of Texas, are saying things like if DAC is “aligned with all our priorities and all our legislative programs, we would welcome her.” Of course this raises the question of if she is not, would they still welcome her. The all-Democratic CHC has previously barred the entry of Republican Hispanic Congressman Carlos Curbelo of Florida and the Congressional Black Caucus barred Espaillat himself from joining after a feud between him and former Congressman Charles Rangel. In addition to DAC's accession, the CHC will also have to decide on a new leader with Espaillat gone. The Vice-Chair, Darren Soto of Florida, may lose reelection due to redistricting in Florida, leaving the seat up for grabs.* In more Florida-related news, on June 25th Florida Governor Ron DeSantis formally announced the closure of “Alligator Alcatraz” the immigrant detention facility much hyped in the early days of the second Trump administration. While DeSantis claims that the facility had simply “fulfilled the role it was designed to serve,” there is an alternate story being told in the native community. Native News Online has published a statement by Judith LeBlanc (Caddo), executive director of Native Organizers Alliance, which highlights that the facility was constructed and operated “in violation of the sovereign rights of the Miccosukee Tribe, who took the government to court for illegally constructing the center without their consultation or consent,” and hailed the closure as “a victory for human rights and Tribal Sovereignty.” The statement further decried “The administration's violent crackdown on migrant communities” as “an affront to all we stand for as Native peoples.”* Turning further south, the Guardian is out with a chilling story concerning the death of Monika Silva Koniuszek, a Polish anti-corruption activist, who was supposedly investigating self-dealing within the ruling Noboa family of Ecuador. According to her colleagues, Silva Koniuszek was investigating “Noboa Trading, the fruit conglomerate belonging to the family of the rightwing president, Daniel Noboa.” Specifically, they said she had been pursuing allegations that “several tonnes of cocaine had been seized in Noboa Trading banana containers,” and that “high-ranking Ecuadorian judicial officials were stalling the investigations.” Additionally, “Shortly before she was killed, she told friends that she had delivered a dossier of allegations to the US embassy in Quito.” Koniuszek was found dead with a noose around her neck, and Ecuador's interior minister announced that she had died by suicide even before the autopsy results were released. Once those results came out, they contradicted this claim, finding that her cause of death was “a blow to the head and strangulation.”* Finally, in neighboring Colombia, leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda, who lost the recent presidential election, has called on the people of that country to engage in mass civil disobedience, according to Jorge Bastidas, a Colombian Congressman and member of Cepeda's party. Specifically, Cepeda is demanding that the Colombian people not recognize the presidency of Abelardo de la Espriella unless and until he meets certain demands, including renouncing his U.S. nationality, disproving claims that he is a CIA collaborator, and vowing not to persecute and extradite his political opponents including outgoing President Gustavo Petro. Cepeda has stressed that this mass action, if pursued, will be peaceful.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Thursday, July 2, 2026   Today, former CIA Chief John Brennan has sued the government asking the court to order administration officials to preserve records; a federal court tells the Hegseth he has to stop requiring escorts for journalists at the Pentagon; Donald made over $2bn in crypto and other investments in 2025 alone; ICE arrested a nun on her way to church and it's creating pretty intense backlash in South Texas; the Cook Political Report has moved the Alaska state Senate race from “Lean Republican” to “Tossup”; progressives notch another big win in the Colorado primary elections; plus Allison and Dana deliver your Good News. Thank You, Mint Mobile Make the switch! MINTMOBILE.com/DAILYBEANS Join The Daily Beans and give a gift today to ensure The Trevor Project can continue its crucial work in the face of continued challenges. Donate to The Trevor Project - Daily Beans Podcast   Guest: Dan Friedmanmotherjones.com As America Turns 250, a Trump Adviser's Firm Rakes in Federal Cash | Mother Jones @dfriedman.bsky.social@dfriedman33 - Twitter The Latest Breakdown:The Breakdown | Trump DOJ in Crisis after Major Epstein Ruling StoriesEx-C.I.A. Chief Asks for Order Forcing Trump Administration to Preserve Records | The New York Times Trump's income topped $2 billion in 2025, boosted by crypto, coin ventures | The Washington Post ICE's arrest of nun heading to church fuels bipartisan backlash in South Texas | The Washington Post Judge orders Pentagon to lift policy that journalists be accompanied by an escort | AP NewsGood TroubleAmerica250.org →We The People March - July 3 →goodtroubleliveson.org/ July 17-19 →How to help those impacted by the Venezuela earthquakes|AP →Oppose House Amendment to Defund the Peace Corps! →Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance -  Open For Comments →Stand With Minnesota →ICE List  →iceout.org Good Newsdana-goldbergs-southwest-funnyfest- Email Dana@DanaGoldberg.com for sponsorship information Freedom From Religion Foundation Tour - DANA GOLDBERGTickets for Dana Goldberg: Outrageous - Sep 23 - Den Theater - Chicago  →Share your Good News & Good Trouble - The Daily Beans →Beans Talk audio -beans-talk.simplecast.com →Email Dana LGBTQ Owned eating establishments in your area - hello@mswmedia.com Subject: “Dana's Project” Subscribe to the MSW YouTube Channel - MSW Media - YouTube Our Donation Links The Trevor Project - trevorproject.org/beans Blue Wave California - bluewavecalifornia.org/concert Donate to Public Citizen - https://citizen.org/beans/ The Daily Beans is donating $10,000 and invites you to give what you can to support their life-affirming work - Donate to It Gets Better / The Daily Beans Fundraiser   Pathways to Citizenship link to MATCH Allison's Donationhttps://crm.bloomerang.co/HostedDonation?ApiKey=pub_86ff5236-dd26-11ec-b5ee-066e3d38bc77&WidgetId=6388736 Join Dana and The Daily Beans in support of Human Rights Campaign http://onecau.se/_ekes71 More Donation LinksNational Security Counselors - Donate, ActBlue.com/donate/msw-bwc, WhistleblowerAid.org/beans Dr. Allison Gill - The Breakdown | Allison Gill, Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com - Bluesky, MSW & The Daily Beans Podcast @muellershewrote - Instagram, MSW Media - YouTube →Federal workers - email AG at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen.  Dana Goldberg - Dana is on Patreon! At Dana's Dugout, @dgcomedy - Bluesky, @dgcomedy - IG, Dana Goldberg - Facebook,  DanaGoldberg.com More from MSW Media - Shows - MSW Media, Cleanup On Aisle 45 pod, The Breakdown | Allison Gill Reminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:https://apple.co/3XNx7ckWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?https://patreon.com/thedailybeanshttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/https://apple.co/3UKzKt0 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff had positive discussions with regional leaders in Qatar and technical talks with Iran are moving ahead. The US and Iran are seeking to ease tensions and forge a longer-term peace deal after recent attacks imperiled an already fragile ceasefire. Progress is being made in separate technical talks, but major issues such as the release of Iranian assets and the future management of the Strait of Hormuz remain unresolved. 2) Progressive insurgents took down establishment incumbents in Colorado midterm primary elections last night. In the 1st District, 29-year-old democratic-socialist Melat Kiros unseated nearly 30-year Congresswoman Diana DeGette. In the closely-watched 8th District, the more progressive Democrat in that race, Manny Rutinel, beat Shannon Bird in a landslide. In the state's Democratic governor's race, state Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated Senator Michael Bennet. However, in Colorado's Senate primary, incumbent John Hickenlooper held off a challenge from self-described insurgent progressive Julie Gonzales. 3) The US government removed foreign access restrictions on Anthropic PBC's Fable 5 artificial intelligence model, clearing it for wider distribution. Anthropic had disabled its models and been in discussions with officials to satisfy safety concerns after the Commerce Department imposed an export control rule. The company will enable Fable 5 access to users globally and allow usage on cloud services run by Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, and will work with Washington to expand access to Mythos 5.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with the Iran ceasefire collapsing as the U.S. and Iran trade strikes again — but the real story, he argues, is that the U.S. military just inadvertently revealed Trump was lying about the war all along. The targets American forces hit in this latest round were the very targets Trump claimed weeks ago had already been destroyed; either Iran somehow reconstituted its entire military in a single week, or the president lied to the country, and CENTCOM's own report makes clear which it was. He warns that lying about war is historically not a small thing for a president to survive, no matter how badly Trump wants to memory-hole the entire episode. He then turns to the escalating Democratic fight over taxing billionaires, taking a characteristically nuanced position: billionaires are genuinely undertaxed, but "tax the rich" doesn't work as actual policy the way it works as a slogan, the loopholes built into the code exist to avoid unintended consequences, and the changes to the inheritance "death tax" are responsible for an enormous share of current inequality. He assesses Zohran Mamdani taking a victory lap as the new face of the DSA (and increasingly comfortable as a face of the Democratic Party), praising him as a genuinely compelling performer and possible heir to the Bernie movement while questioning whether his story can travel beyond New York City. He closes with one of his favorite structural arguments — that the far-left and far-right are now feeding off each other's fear, that a faction doesn't need to capture the whole country, just one congressional caucus, and that the founders' actual protection against factions was supposed to be a multitude of them — which is exactly why the House was meant to scale with the population and why Congress's choice to freeze its size needs to be reversed. He also looks ahead at fascinating Colorado primaries. Then, Alvaro Bedoya — the former FTC Commissioner whom Trump fired in an unprecedented break with a century of agency-independence norms — joins the Chuck Toddcast to explain why his firing matters far beyond his own career, and what it reveals about the collision between corporate power and consumer protection in the Trump era. Bedoya makes the legal case plainly: removal "for cause" is clearly written into the law, Congress needs to codify FTC independence, and while he's skeptical this Supreme Court will rule in favor of agency independence, the circumstances of his dismissal are damning — he believes he was fired specifically for suing companies that happened to be Trump donors. The Amazon case is his exhibit A: the FTC was actively pursuing Amazon until Trump intervened, and after Amazon funneled millions to Trump, the investigations simply evaporated — proof, Bedoya argues, that existing laws against bribery and corruption clearly aren't working. He walks through the sprawling, well-funded lobbying effort against meaningful privacy legislation, and offers vivid examples of how unchecked data collection harms ordinary people. His prescription is structural: America needs genuine restrictions on what data can be collected and how it can be used, paired with serious antitrust enforcement — but the agencies tasked with that work have been starved of the resources they need. The conversation opens up into a fascinating, wide-ranging debate about monopoly power and consolidation across the American economy. Bedoya argues that streaming bills were already climbing even before the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger — a deal he believes there's a clear consumer case to block. He notes that Thomas Jefferson once argued for an anti-monopoly amendment in the Bill of Rights, that consolidation has hammered workers across countless industries, and that America is now suffering a genuine "drought of creativity" because of relentless media mergers — pointing out that there are only three serious buyers of documentary films left, and that half of America's TV news archive is about to be owned by a single family. Bedoya is honest about the nuances (Costco throws its weight around but has genuinely been good for consumers; vertically integrated health insurers are universally loathed), wrestles with whether unilateral Democratic executive action is even the answer, and warns that in this environment it's dangerously easy for regulators to simply get overwhelmed. Finally, he hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to explain the origin of the name of the bikini swimsuit, and why America’s relationship with nuclear technology changed over time. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Asl Chuck” segment. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. From the opening whistle to the final kick. Bet on a match and get bonus bets for every goal scored at Fanduel.com Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 05:15 U.S. and Iran trade strikes again, ceasefire not holding 06:15 The U.S. military basically revealed Trump was lying about the war 06:45 Historically, voters don’t accept lies from presidents about war 07:30 The targets the U.S. hit were targets Trump said were already destroyed 08:30 Three weeks ago Trump said Iran had nothing… clearly it wasn’t true 09:15 Making the case that Trump is full of shit isn’t hard* 10:30 Either Iran reconstituted its military in a week, or Trump lied. 11:15 CENTCOM’s report shows that Trump lied to the country 13:15 Trump announced on his birthday that he had ended the war 14:00 Handing Iran billions of dollars is hardly the “surrender” Trump proclaimed 15:45 Lying about war is not a small thing for a president to do 17:15 Trump thought he could memory-hole the Iran war, Iran won’t let him 17:45 There’s a right way to tax billionaires, but it’s not currently being proposed 19:00 Billionaires are undertaxed, but tax policy doesn’t work as a slogan 19:45 Loopholes are built into the tax code to avoid unintended consequences 20:30 Reforms to the inheritance tax allow the wealthy to avoid taxation 21:45 Closing other loopholes could raise hundreds of billions 23:00 Taxing billionaires is fine, but you can’t mess up tax code in the process 24:30 The Newsom vs. Khanna fight - Both are making good points 25:00 A state level wealth tax could create a shortfall in the long term 25:45 The “death tax” change is responsible for much of the current inequality 26:30 “Fair share” polls well, but requires major changes to the tax code 27:30 Tax reform isn’t simple or quick, requires real work from congress 28:15 Mamdani takes a victory lap, wants to be face of the DSA movement 29:30 Mamdani is fine with being the face of the Democratic party 31:00 Mamdani is telling a compelling story, but can it go beyond NYC? 33:00 Mamdani had a weak defense of the Dan Goldman coffee incident 34:00 Mamdani is very good as a performer, could be heir to Bernie movement 35:45 The far-left and the far-right are feeding off of each other 36:30 Trump ramps up rhetoric against DSA, calls them “godless communists” 37:30 The DSA and Trump both working off the fear of each other 38:45 A faction doesn’t need to capture the country, just one caucus 39:30 The founders’ protection from factions, was a multitude of factions 41:30 The House of Representatives was supposed to scale with the country 43:15 Congress chose to stop letting the House grow, needs to change 46:45 The Colorado primaries will be fascinating 48:15 Michael Bennett has to carry the banner of being a D.C. creature 48:45 John Hickenlooper facing a viable challenge from the left 50:30 The DSA candidate for congress is ahead in the polls 56:45 Alvaro Bedoya joins the Chuck ToddCast 58:45 Trump broke a long standing norm to fire Alvaro from the FTC 59:15 Congress needs to codify FTC independence 1:00:15 Firing “for cause” is very clearly written into the law 1:02:15 This Supreme Court unlikely to rule for agency independence 1:02:45 Was likely fired for suing companies that were Trump donors 1:03:30 You want consumers to be protected from political donors 1:05:15 FTC was pursuing case against Amazon until Trump intervened 1:06:45 Amazon funneled millions to Trump, investigations went away 1:07:15 Laws against bribery & corruption clearly aren’t working 1:09:15 How should government tackle consumer privacy protections? 1:10:00 There is a massive lobbying effort against privacy laws 1:11:15 Background actors were being scanned rather than being paid 1:12:15 Privacy can sometimes be an abstract concept to people 1:12:45 Labor unions are the group actually winning in this space 1:15:00 Need protections around privacy, data collection and antitrust 1:15:45 Need restrictions on collecting certain data and how it is used 1:17:15 Against law to use SEC database to solicit donations, not enforced 1:17:45 Agencies have been starved of resources needed for enforcement 1:20:00 Meta has grown massive and Zuckerberg retains total control 1:22:15 The debate about whether to break up the biggest companies 1:23:00 Breaking up AT&T benefitted consumers, ended long distance rates 1:23:45 T-Mobile merger should not have been allowed 1:24:45 Streaming bills going up even before Paramount WB merger 1:28:15 Jefferson argued for an amendment against monopolies in Bill of Rights 1:30:45 Consolidation has hurt workers in a variety of industries 1:31:30 Has there been a consolidation that’s been good for consumers? 1:34:00 Costco throws its weight around, but has been good for consumers 1:35:00 Health insurers are vertically integrated, and consumers loathe them 1:36:15 Iheart’s merger was allowed as an effort to preserve a “dying industry” 1:37:45 Paramount/WB only shot of catching Netflix/Disney is to merge? 1:39:00 Loading up the company with $80B in debt won’t produce a healthy firm 1:39:45 There are only 3 buyers of serious documentary films 1:41:00 Half of America’s TV news archive is about to be owned by one family 1:42:15 There are clear consumer cases for preventing the Paramount/WB merger 1:45:15 There’s been a cycle of innovation, then consolidation 1:46:45 We are suffering a drought of creativity due to mergers 1:49:00 There are antitrust exceptions for co-ops, can FTC encourage them? 1:51:00 Is unilateral Democratic executive branch action the answer here? 1:52:15 In this environment, it’s easy for regulators to get overwhelmed 1:53:00 The White House UFC fight was corrupt 1:55:45 Making the UFC event private at the WH was made it feel dirty 1:58:30 Favorite potential 2028 candidates? 2:00:30 Popular movements are effective pushing back against corporate power 2:02:30 ToddCast Time Machine 2:03:30 July 1946 The bikini swimsuit named after atomic bomb test 2:06:00 Both fear and optimism rose about nuclear technology 2:06:45 We didn’t have an enemy yet with an atomic bomb 2:07:30 The atom wasn’t viewed just as a weapon, but as the future 2:09:00 We were exporting the atomic age and that seemed cool 2:09:30 The people on bikini atoll were being told to leave their homes 2:10:30 The vibe changed once the Soviets detonated their first bomb 2:11:30 Very few people know why the bikini swimsuit carries its name 2:13:00 Ask Chuck 2:13:15 Do you see somebody jumping into ‘28 presidential race prior to midterms? 2:18:30 What do you think happened in the meeting between Trump & senators? 2:26:30 Thoughts on college athletics eligibility changes? 2:29:30 Thoughts on straight-ticket voting? 2:31:30 Is the premise that moderate Democrats are more “electable” overstated? 2:39:00 Would reforms that redistribute power meaningfully improve our system? 2:41:00 Any go-to books on civics and the constitution?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with the Iran ceasefire collapsing as the U.S. and Iran trade strikes again — but the real story, he argues, is that the U.S. military just inadvertently revealed Trump was lying about the war all along. The targets American forces hit in this latest round were the very targets Trump claimed weeks ago had already been destroyed; either Iran somehow reconstituted its entire military in a single week, or the president lied to the country, and CENTCOM's own report makes clear which it was. He warns that lying about war is historically not a small thing for a president to survive, no matter how badly Trump wants to memory-hole the entire episode. He then turns to the escalating Democratic fight over taxing billionaires, taking a characteristically nuanced position: billionaires are genuinely undertaxed, but "tax the rich" doesn't work as actual policy the way it works as a slogan, the loopholes built into the code exist to avoid unintended consequences, and the changes to the inheritance "death tax" are responsible for an enormous share of current inequality. He assesses Zohran Mamdani taking a victory lap as the new face of the DSA (and increasingly comfortable as a face of the Democratic Party), praising him as a genuinely compelling performer and possible heir to the Bernie movement while questioning whether his story can travel beyond New York City. He closes with one of his favorite structural arguments — that the far-left and far-right are now feeding off each other's fear, that a faction doesn't need to capture the whole country, just one congressional caucus, and that the founders' actual protection against factions was supposed to be a multitude of them — which is exactly why the House was meant to scale with the population and why Congress's choice to freeze its size needs to be reversed. He also looks ahead at fascinating Colorado primaries. Finally, he hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to explain the origin of the name of the bikini swimsuit, and why America’s relationship with nuclear technology changed over time. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Asl Chuck” segment. From the opening whistle to the final kick. Bet on a match and get bonus bets for every goal scored at Fanduel.com Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 05:15 U.S. and Iran trade strikes again, ceasefire not holding 06:15 The U.S. military basically revealed Trump was lying about the war 06:45 Historically, voters don’t accept lies from presidents about war 07:30 The targets the U.S. hit were targets Trump said were already destroyed 08:30 Three weeks ago Trump said Iran had nothing… clearly it wasn’t true 09:15 Making the case that Trump is full of shit isn’t hard* 10:30 Either Iran reconstituted its military in a week, or Trump lied. 11:15 CENTCOM’s report shows that Trump lied to the country 13:15 Trump announced on his birthday that he had ended the war 14:00 Handing Iran billions of dollars is hardly the “surrender” Trump proclaimed 15:45 Lying about war is not a small thing for a president to do 17:15 Trump thought he could memory-hole the Iran war, Iran won’t let him 17:45 There’s a right way to tax billionaires, but it’s not currently being proposed 19:00 Billionaires are undertaxed, but tax policy doesn’t work as a slogan 19:45 Loopholes are built into the tax code to avoid unintended consequences 20:30 Reforms to the inheritance tax allow the wealthy to avoid taxation 21:45 Closing other loopholes could raise hundreds of billions 23:00 Taxing billionaires is fine, but you can’t mess up tax code in the process 24:30 The Newsom vs. Khanna fight - Both are making good points 25:00 A state level wealth tax could create a shortfall in the long term 25:45 The “death tax” change is responsible for much of the current inequality 26:30 “Fair share” polls well, but requires major changes to the tax code 27:30 Tax reform isn’t simple or quick, requires real work from congress 28:15 Mamdani takes a victory lap, wants to be face of the DSA movement 29:30 Mamdani is fine with being the face of the Democratic party 31:00 Mamdani is telling a compelling story, but can it go beyond NYC? 33:00 Mamdani had a weak defense of the Dan Goldman coffee incident 34:00 Mamdani is very good as a performer, could be heir to Bernie movement 35:45 The far-left and the far-right are feeding off of each other 36:30 Trump ramps up rhetoric against DSA, calls them “godless communists” 37:30 The DSA and Trump both working off the fear of each other 38:45 A faction doesn’t need to capture the country, just one caucus 39:30 The founders’ protection from factions, was a multitude of factions 41:30 The House of Representatives was supposed to scale with the country 43:15 Congress chose to stop letting the House grow, needs to change 46:45 The Colorado primaries will be fascinating 48:15 Michael Bennett has to carry the banner of being a D.C. creature 48:45 John Hickenlooper facing a viable challenge from the left 50:30 The DSA candidate for congress is ahead in the polls 55:15 ToddCast Time Machine 56:15 July 1946 The bikini swimsuit named after atomic bomb test 58:45 Both fear and optimism rose about nuclear technology 59:30 We didn’t have an enemy yet with an atomic bomb 1:00:15 The atom wasn’t viewed just as a weapon, but as the future 1:01:45 We were exporting the atomic age and that seemed cool 1:02:15 The people on bikini atoll were being told to leave their homes 1:03:15 The vibe changed once the Soviets detonated their first bomb 1:04:15 Very few people know why the bikini swimsuit carries its name 1:05:45 Ask Chuck 1:06:00 Do you see somebody jumping into ‘28 presidential race prior to midterms? 1:11:15 What do you think happened in the meeting between Trump & senators? 1:19:15 Thoughts on college athletics eligibility changes? 1:22:15 Thoughts on straight-ticket voting? 1:24:15 Is the premise that moderate Democrats are more “electable” overstated? 1:31:45 Would reforms that redistribute power meaningfully improve our system? 1:33:45 Any go-to books on civics and the constitution?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ralph speaks to economist Dean Baker about the hypocrisies behind the supposed Social Security shortfall and Republicans' "waste, fraud, and abuse" panic. Then, Ralph talks to journalist and ocean activist David Helvarg about his new book: Forest of the Sea: The Remarkable Life and Imperiled Future of Kelp.Dean Baker is a Senior Economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, where he authors “Beat the Press,” his regular commentary on economic reporting. He has written several books, including Getting Back to Full Employment: A Better Bargain for Working People, The End of Loser Liberalism: Making Markets Progressive, False Profits: Recovering from the Bubble Economy, and The Conservative Nanny State: How the Wealthy Use the Government to Stay Rich and Get Richer.People will hear big numbers. They'll hear “$300 billion” and they'll go “Oh my God, that's a lot of money. That's money out of my pocket. It's causing the government deficit,” whatever. That's because they haven't given it any context…If we could, in any conceivable world, afford to pay $500 billion to increase the military budget, surely we can afford to pay $300 billion to ensure that everyone gets their Social Security benefits. It's just a case of: put it in context. I'm not going to say it's a small number. It isn't. But it's smaller— $300 billion is smaller than $500 billion, and that's really not a disputable point.Dean BakerWhere [DOGE] had the biggest consequences is with foreign aid. [Musk] just got a big kick out of that— USAID, he just shut it down. He boasted about that. He goes, “Last weekend I fed USAID into the wood chipper.” That's almost verbatim what he said. Now, what this meant was that you have people— and you could find waste in that program just like any other program, but this is a program that provided millions of people with medicine, with nutrition, with healthcare. And suddenly they couldn't get it…And Elon Musk was boasting that he killed that program. That's great. But millions of people, I mean, thankfully, I don't think it's millions yet, but if that program doesn't get restarted or funded somewhere else, you're going to see millions of people lose their lives.Dean BakerSo we're saying we have people on Medicaid that are committing fraud? No one gets a check from Medicaid. What would that even mean? Like, you signed up for Medicaid and you weren't eligible, so that would mean that they might be making a payment to a doctor or hospital that they don't actually have to make because you didn't qualify? I'm sure that happens sometimes but it's not like someone's living high on the hog because they were able to get Medicaid to pay for their doctor's visit when it actually shouldn't have.Dean BakerDavid Helvarg is a journalist and ocean activist. He is the founder and executive director of Blue Frontier, an ocean policy and media group, and producer of Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast. He has produced more than 40 documentaries for media outlets, including PBS and the Discovery Channel. And he has written several books, including Blue Frontier, The War Against the Greens, and Forest of the Sea: The Remarkable Life and Imperiled Future of Kelp.I've been pushing with my colleagues in journalism the idea of the “blue beat.” The only resource in the ocean not fully exploited at this point is good investigative reporting and narrative storytelling. Because people don't connect with it, a lot of people think the environment ends at the shoreline. And that's really where 95% of the living space on the planet begins.David HelvargPeople at least know that corals are in trouble and they have some sense of what a coral reef is. People don't know that the planet has this other forest crisis—that kelp forests cover an area larger than the Amazon basin, and they're also being impacted by these marine heat waves that are growing every year. And as you add more heat to the system, it gets more energetic, which is why we have more and more extreme storms. I covered Katrina in 2005. I thought that would be a turning point (we had 1,800 people killed and a million environmental refugees). But the propaganda by the oil and gas industry is such that we keep having these disasters from a warming ocean planet, we see the melting of the Arctic ice, and instead of an alarm bell, it became a dinner bell for all the shipping industries and people who want to exploit the oil and gas in the increasingly open Arctic waters. So we're in this crisis point. I'm more frustrated than despairing because we know what the solutions are. It's creating the political will to enact them.David HelvargWhen I started Blue Frontier 20 years ago, the main threats were overfishing and pollution—oil, chemical, plastic, nutrient pollution. Today, that's being overwhelmed by these marine heat waves.David HelvargNews 6/26/26* Our top story this week comes to us from New York City, where democratic socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani has pulled off a stunning hat trick, with all three candidates for Congress endorsed by the Mayor winning their primaries on Tuesday. The most surprising victory is that of Darializa Avila Chevalier, who ousted the powerful incumbent Congressman Adriano Espaillat, head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in New York's 13th congressional district. This primary had turned ugly, with Espaillat's campaign seeking to weaponize anti-Haitian racism in the Dominican community against Avila Chevalier, per the Haitian Times, despite the fact that she is not in fact Haitian. Impressive in another way is the victory of UAW organizer and New York State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez in New York's 7th district. Much has been made of this race being a proxy battle between Mamdani and his onetime supporter, retiring Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who backed her protégé, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to succeed her in this seat. Reynoso enjoyed the support of a broad range of New York elected officials – including Velazquez along with New York Attorney General Letitia James, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and a broad range of unions and civil society groups, most notably the Working Families Party – but was absolutely trounced by Valdez, who won by over 20 points with the support of Mamdani and NYC-DSA. Meanwhile, in the 10th district, Brad Lander won by an even greater margin, outrunning incumbent Congressman Dan Goldman by over 30 points while running on a pro-Palestine platform in the most Jewish congressional district in America. These victories send a clear signal to the sclerotic, ossified leadership of the Democratic Party. The only question now is will they listen.* Beyond the congressional races, DSA won a remarkable number of races at the state level. According to Democratic Left, DSA will send as many as seven new legislators to Albany this cycle, for a total of “four state senators and 11 or 12 members of the state assembly.” As the magazine notes, this means that the “2027-2028 socialist bloc in Albany will be the second largest in a state legislature in U.S. history…behind 20 members in Wisconsin in 1919 and ahead of 14 members in Wisconsin in 1911.” Within New York City, DSA endorsed candidates won seven out of eight races for seats in the state legislature, per NYC-DSA. All told, it was a thunderous victory for the left in New York and raises the clout of Zohran and his compatriots to dizzying heights.* Meanwhile, in Washington DC, NOTUS reports the local DSA has exploded in membership, adding nearly 1,000 new members since this time last year. This growing bloc flexed its political muscle in the recent Democratic primaries, electing DSA members Janeese Lewis George for Mayor and Aparna Raj for the Ward 1 seat on the DC Council, as well as Oye Owolewa for an at-large seat. Axios notes that they are already eying, “two more openings — to fill Lewis George's Ward 4 seat and the at-large seat of Congress-bound Robert White.” If these votes go in DSA's favor, Lewis George could assume the mayoralty with a progressive majority of seven out of 13 members on the Council. Since her victory last Tuesday, Lewis George has emphasized her plan to lower utility costs through “expanding government solar,” and “balcony solar” for apartment tenants, optimizing efficiency at local government agencies and maximizing federal housing grants.* In Maryland, the results for DSA and progressives more generally were not quite so decisive but the left notched key victories nonetheless. DSA endorsed candidate McKayla Wilkes won her primary for the Charles County Commission and incumbent State Delegate Gabriel Acevero won reelection to his seat. Senators Dalya Attar and Nancy King, both centrist incumbents, lost to progressive challengers, per Maryland Matters. Will Jawando in Montgomery County won the County Executive position with broad support from the Maryland political establishment and progressives, while Maryland Senate Majority Leader Bill Ferguson fended off his first real challenge in years only after a last minute pledge to reverse his position on Maryland congressional redistricting. However, in the 5th congressional district, Steny Hoyer protégé and “AIPAC-backed” Adrian Boafo won the primary to succeed his mentor in Congress. According to the Jerusalem Post, “AIPAC poured $5.7 million into his campaign through its super PAC.” Former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn came in a distant third place, despite scoring the endorsement of Nancy Pelosi. In short, the left has more work to do in order to build a political machine in Maryland as they have in New York and DC.* The next major contest between the factions of the party will occur next week in Colorado, where Melat Kiros, a DSA-backed progressive challenger born in 1997, is taking on Congresswoman Diana DeGette, who first took office that same year, per Zeteo. According to a poll conducted on behalf of the Kiros-aligned Justice Democrats, she leads DeGette by five points and she has now won the endorsement of Senator Bernie Sanders. Senator and former Governor John Hickenlooper is also facing a progressive primary challenge from State Senator Julie Gonzales and, according to the polls, he holds but a single digit lead, the Coloradan reports. We will be watching both of these races closely.* Meanwhile in Congress, the Senate has passed a new resolution on Iran, this time directing Trump to “remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities against Iran unless explicitly authorized by Congress, other than to defend America, an ally or partner from ‘imminent attack,'” according to the Wall Street Journal. The Journal notes that while the resolution is nonbinding, it was previously passed by the House, marking “the first time both chambers of Congress have passed the same measure to curb” presidential power to wage war on the Islamic Republic. The resolution passed 50-48, with the support of Republican Senators Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul. Senators Mitch McConnell and Dave McCormick were absent, and Senator John Fetterman again broke ranks with the Democrats to vote no.* Turning from the Senate floor to the shop floor, the United Auto Workers (UAW) concluded their 39th Constitutional Convention last week, with a momentous vote to divest the union's investments from Israel bonds. UAW's divestment decision is the latest victory in the campaign to disentangle the finances of American organized labor from the state of Israel, following the United Electrical Workers (UE) in 2015 and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in 2023. UAW members also heard from Abdul El-Sayed, the candidate the union has endorsed in the Michigan Senate race. This contentious campaign will not be over until August, but El-Sayed, occupying the progressive lane, has moved into the lead and appears to be consolidating his lead, winning the endorsement of Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen just this week, per the Traverse City Record-Eagle. Van Hollen himself has recently begun hinting that he may seek higher office, recently telling NOTUS that he is “kicking the tires” on a 2028 presidential bid.* Turning to foreign affairs, this week saw the fall of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer, a centrist who was elected Labour Party leader in 2020 following the ouster of leftist Jeremy Corbyn, has held the post of Prime Minister since 2024 when Labour won an historic landslide. Since then however, his personal approval rating and that of the party has cratered, creating space for the rise of the far-right Reform UK party. The BBC reports Starmer will remain in his post until a new leader is chosen from within the party, with the presumptive successor being MP Andy Burnham who recently beat back a challenge in his own seat by a Reform candidate by a large margin. Starmer is now set to be the shortest serving Labour PM in British history, while Burnham is set to become the UK's seventh Prime Minister in the last ten years, both indications of the precariousness of the post-Brexit British political order.* Our final two stories come to us from Latin America. First, in Bolivia, the country's union confederation has maintained a general strike against the right-wing government of Rodrigo Paz for nearly two months over his administration's initiatives to privatize government services and rescind the land reform program instituted over the last several decades of rule by the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS). On June 19th, journalist Ollie Vargas reported that the government had blinked and signed an agreement to withdraw these plans in exchange for the unions ending the general strike. However, Vargas notes that “most affiliated unions state that they want to maintain strike until [the Paz government] resigns.”* Finally, in Colombia, the right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella emerged victorious from Sunday's runoff presidential election, defeating leftist Ivan Cepeda, the handpicked successor of sitting President Gustavo Petro, by less than one percentage point. In the immediate wake of the election, President Petro “alleged that Israel interfered” in the election, citing “irregularities in the country's vote counting process and calling for a full audit and recount,” per Drop Site News. However, by Wednesday, Cepeda himself formally conceded, framing his decision to do so as “an act of democratic responsibility, to contribute to harmony, peace and dialogue among Colombians,” Al Jazeera reports. As one of his first acts, Abelardo de la Espriella has committed to reestablishing diplomatic relations with Israel, which had been severed under President Petro.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, we continue our quest to interview every Democrat in an important primary election, and this week we've got fan-favorite and three-time returning champion State Senator Jessie Danielson back on the show to talk about her run to be Colorado's next Secretary of State!Senator Danielson represents Jefferson County's District 22, home of the Get More Smarter Podcast in the Colorado State Senate. As a Democratic state legislator, Jessie has focused her work on economic security for working Coloradans, expanding voters' access to the ballot, better protections for seniors and the at-risk, environmental preservation and equality for women.Prior to serving in elected office, Jessie was the Colorado State Director for America Votes. Her leadership was instrumental in the passage of 2013's groundbreaking Voter Access & Modernized Elections Act. She served as then-Gov. Hickenlooper's appointee on both the Voter Access & Modernized Elections Commission and the Colorado Commission on Aging.Jessie was first elected to the Colorado Senate in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. She currently serves as Chair of the Business, Labor & Technology Committee and Vice Chair of the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee. Jessie served in the Colorado State House from 2015 - 2019, including as Speaker Pro Tem during her second House term.She also previously worked as Political Director for NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, now known as Cobalt. She also worked as a housing coordinator for Connections for Independent Living, a nonprofit organization that helps individuals with disabilities lead full and independent lives.Jessie is a former board chair of Emerge Colorado; she also served on the boards of NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado and ProgressNow Colorado and is a fourth generation Coloradan.You can follow Jessie online wherever you get your digital norepinephrine boosters:Campaign Website:https://www.jessiedanielson.com/Social MediaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessiedanielsonforcoloradoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessiedanielson_co/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jessiedanielson.coThreads: https://www.threads.com/@jessiedanielson_coThat's it for this episode! If you loved watching and/or listening to it as much as we loved recording it, you can thank us by subscribing to the pod wherever you listen, following us over on New Old Twitter AKA Bluesky, subscribing to our shiny new channel on YouTube, smashing that subscribe button on our Substack, and sharing this episode with your friends, your enemies, and your 8th favorite Member of Congress from Colorado! THANK YOU so much for listening, and we'll see you next time!

In this episode, Michael takes a closer look at the rising cost of beef and the factors driving it. You might be surprised to learn that the price of beef isn't just a result of corporate greed or a cartel, but rather a complex interplay of biology and economics. Michael delves into the world of cattle farming, explaining how the American cattle herd is at its smallest in 75 years, and how this has led to a significant increase in beef prices. He also explores the role of drought, ranchers' decisions, and the gestation cycle of cows versus chickens in shaping the beef market. With the chicken industry able to respond quickly to changes in demand, he argues that the real culprit behind the rising beef prices is not a cartel, but rather the biology of cattle farming. The episode also touches on the topic of federal land ownership in the Western United States, where the government owns a staggering 80% of the land. Michael questions the logic behind this and argues that the default should be disposal, not retention, of federal land. He also discusses the implications of this on local communities and the environment. If you're curious about the real reasons behind the rising cost of beef and the complex issues surrounding federal land ownership, tune in to this episode to hear Michael's insightful analysis and arguments.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Hunter was joined by Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales. Senator Gonzales was instrumental in shaping Colorado's progressive immigration policies. She is running against Senator John Hickenlooper in the Democratic primary for Colorado's Senate seat. Julie hopes that she will be able to bring her progressive politics to D.C. so she can challenge the status quo.   Guest: Julie Gonzales, Colorado State Senator and Candidate for U.S. Senate   Resource:   Julie Gonzales Campaign Website: https://www.julieforcolorado.com/ Julie Gonzales on Socials:  https://www.instagram.com/senadorajulie https://www.facebook.com/senadorajulie https://bsky.app/profile/senadorajulie.bsky.social https://x.com/SenadoraJulie Cato Institute Immigration Data: https://www.cato.org/immigration     Contact Hunter Parnell:      Publicdefenseless@gmail.com  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home **** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****  

Send us a message! Really!This week on the Get More Smarter Podcast, we were complaining just a few weeks ago about the lack of political ads on the airwaves and now, we're very, very sorry, because it is nigh impossible to turn on a screen anywhere in Colorado without getting blasted by primary campaign ads…from Democrats only. Then, has Donald Trump finally gone too far? We check in with soon-to-be Ex Senator Bill Cassidy and soon to be ex congressman Thomas Massie to see if Trump still has the pull that he once did in the GOP. In related news, the coalition that brought Trump back to the White House is disintegrating before our very eyes! We ask why this couldn't have happened around this time two years ago, instead? Then, there are a few reasons why one ought not to commute the sentence of a convicted election denier and overall menace to civilized society, but Tina Peters seems intent on giving us a few more on her way out of prison. But first...in his triumphant return to the podcast, one of our very highest ranking Friends of the Pod is back! We've got U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper on the pod today to talk the chaos in DC, the war in Iran, holding ICE accountable, and how he stopped Trump's $1.8 billion dollar insurrectionist fund with just one amendment.That's it for this episode! If you loved watching and/or listening to it as much as we loved recording it, you can thank us by subscribing to the pod wherever you listen, following us over on New Old Twitter AKA Bluesky, subscribing to our shiny new channel on YouTube, smashing that subscribe button on our Substack, and sharing this episode with your friends, your enemies, and your 8th favorite Member of Congress from Colorado! THANK YOU so much for listening, and we'll see you next time!

Julie Gonzales wants to make John Hickenlooper a one-term senator. The state lawmaker is running against him in the Democratic primary and spoke with Ryan Warner about her vision and priorities. Then, a commencement speaker at Front Range Community College who refused to give into life's obstacles. Plus, how Denver is trying to keep beavers at bay. And meet Lauren Frihauf, the Denver singer/songwriter who made the finals of NPR's Tiny Desk Contest! 

This month, we're featuring Shane Londagin, Senior Policy Advisor for Energy and Climate for Sen. John Hickenlooper (CO), manages Senator Hickenlooper's energy portfolio on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and supports the Senator's leadership in bipartisan permitting reform negotiations, grid modernization efforts, and critical minerals policy.  (0:00) Intro and National Highlights (11:48) Local Highlights (12:44) Interview with Shane Londagin, Senior Policy Advisor for Energy and Climate for Sen. John Hickenlooper (CO) (39:40) May Action Sheet (41:56) Take Action (44:00) BRIDGE Exercise Register for Summer Conference: https://cclusa.org/summer  May Action Sheet: https://cclusa.org/actionsheet  Pre-Call Video: https://vimeo.com/1190540027  Permitting Reform Trainings: https://community.citizensclimate.org/topics/clean-energy-permitting-reform 

Joe exposes the multifaceted "political circus" currently reshaping the American landscape, beginning with a provocative look at systemic election vulnerabilities. The program highlights a recently declassified 2020 National Intelligence Council memo and reports of over 17,000 ballots cast by deceased voters in Michigan to argue that the system is broken at all levels. By connecting these voting irregularities to broader themes of institutional decay ranging from corrupt judiciaries to the indoctrination of the school system the episode hammers that the resulting social chaos is a calculated distraction designed to protect a "criminal cartel" operating within Washington, D.C.Next a deep dive into election integrity and cyber-security with subject matter expert Mark Cook. The discussion pivots between the push for universal mail-in voting, championed by figures like John Hickenlooper, and the real-world technical failures observed in Lubbock, Texas, where officials were forced to revert to hand-marked paper ballots. Cook provides an "Emergency Notice" to Colorado voters, analyzing the tension between state-mandated voting methods and the growing grassroots demand for transparency and hand-counted results. This technical analysis is juxtaposed with reports of "influence operations" run by foreign intelligence veterans, suggesting a sophisticated layer of psychological warfare aimed at targeting the American public.Joe examines the cultural and legal "test runs" occurring at the state level that challenge national sovereignty and traditional values. From Minnesota's felony prosecution of ICE agents to the refusal of 29 states to share voter data with federal agencies, the narrative paints a picture of a fractured union where local governments are increasingly at odds with the will of the people. Joe concludes by highlighting the "truth bombs" of activists confronting city councils, acts of defiance as the necessary antidote to a system that uses accusations of hate speech to silence dissent and maintain its grip on power.Please check out Joe's Givesendgo at: https://www.givesendgo.com/JoeOltmannhttps://untamednation.com/Make sure to check out https://honorboundusa.com for all your Untamed Nation merch needs!Go to honorboundusa.com to get FREE TINA stickers and use Promo Code “FREETINA” for 20% off!Go to https://DCFguns.com and use Promo Code UNTAMEDNATION for 5% OFF Byrna ProductsProtect your family from hackers by going to https://sns.pidoxa.com NOWText UNTAMED to 89517 to get notified when we go live!Text/Data rates may apply. Reply STOP to stop, HELP for help

Today on America in the MorningSwalwell Assault Accuser Speaks Out He was the frontrunner to become the next California governor, and on Tuesday afternoon Eric Swalwell tendered his resignation in the House of Representatives.  Swalwell's fall from grace now includes investigations in New York and Los Angeles for sexual abuse.  Correspondent Julie Walker reports a California woman claims she was raped by the former Congressman in 2018, and on Capitol Hill, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welsh, and John Hickenlooper all said that people in positions of power need to be held accountable, and his one-time close friend, Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, says Swalwell's actions are in a word - reprehensible.   US-Lebanon-Israel Talks As the war with Iran now moves to the US blockading Iranian ports and Pakistan wanting to have the US and Iran resume talks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a meeting at the White House with high-level representatives of Israel and Lebanon who held their first direct diplomatic talks in more than three decades, as Israel and Hezbollah continue trading strikes.  Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports.   Alito Rumors The Senate Majority Leader is indicating Republicans could move fast to fill a seat on the Supreme Court if one opens before the midterm elections.  Bob Brown has details.   Prosecutors Fired In Washington, the Justice Department has fired four prosecutors accused of bias against anti-abortion activists.  The details from correspondent Lisa Dwyer.   Doctor's Botched Surgery Arrest A Florida doctor is under arrest after allegedly removing the wrong organ from a patient who later died during surgery.  Correspondent Clayton Neville reports.   Latest On Iran War The U.S. says more commercial traffic is moving through the Strait of Hormuz, easing a chokepoint that has driven the cost of energy up around the world.  John Stolnis has the latest on the war with Iran from Washington.   IMF Lowers Global Growth Forecast Many nations including the United States are seeing an economic downturn due to the war with Iran which has led to much higher energy costs for consumers.  Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports   Camp Mystic Case Directors of the Texas camp where 25 girls and two counselors died in flooding last summer are testifying in a hearing surrounding the potential re-opening of the camp this summer.  In Dallas, correspondent Clayton Neville reports.   GOP To “Go-It-Alone” With Democrats saying they want nothing to do with it, Republicans in Congress said Tuesday they are forging ahead with a go-it-alone strategy for fully funding the Department of Homeland Security, which has been shut down for almost two months.  Michigan State Of Emergency Some Michigan residents are under evacuation orders and Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declared a statewide emergency following severe weather.  T Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chuck Todd opens by announcing the launch of "Dynastic," his new sports history podcast with J.A. Adande, before turning to what may be the most consequential inflection point of the Iran war: Trump is running out of patience and actively searching for an off-ramp, but every path forward carries serious risks and his definition of victory keeps shifting by the day. Chuck warns that the U.S. continues to send more troops for potential escalation even as the military acknowledges it has achieved its strategic objectives but can only do so much — the regime has plenty of loyalists and will not go away quietly, meaning the war has now become fundamentally about perception rather than territory. He flags General Mattis's warning that Iran will claim control over the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. retreats, that Gulf states are already hedging their security partnerships and leaning toward China, and that standing with America has become politically toxic in allied countries — a direct consequence of Trump choosing to weaken alliances before launching a war that required them. At home, the picture is equally grim: support for Trump among independents has cratered into the low 20s, the MAGA brand has become more toxic with voters than the generic Republican brand, nobody in Trump's orbit wants to own this war, and Chuck warns that while Trump has always bounced back from political crises, this time may be different — the war could be the death knell for the MAGA movement itself, because Trump hollowed out the expertise around him, surrounded himself with sycophants, and now finds both sides stuck in a conflict where retreat looks like defeat and escalation looks like madness. Then, Warwick Sabin — president and CEO of Deep South Today, the nonprofit news network that includes the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mississippi Today, New Orleans' Verite News, and Lafayette's The Current — joins the Chuck Toddcast to discuss what may be the most promising model for saving local journalism in America. Sabin, a former three-term Arkansas state legislator and publisher of the Oxford American magazine, explains how he's building a network of nonprofit newsrooms across the Deep South from scratch, starting with Mississippi Today — the first nonprofit newsroom in Mississippi, now the largest in the state — and expanding into Louisiana and soon Arkansas. He describes the wholesale implosion of the old newspaper model, using the Jackson Clarion-Ledger's decline as a case study, and argues that the nonprofit approach has a critical advantage: starting fresh means avoiding the crushing legacy costs that buried traditional papers, and all revenue gets reinvested directly into the news product. They make the case that service journalism — covering schools, local government, youth sports — is what creates the trust and audience that makes the "sexy" investigative work possible, pointing to the fact that local journalists in his network helped exonerate a man on death row in Mississippi. The conversation turns to what makes local journalism viable and essential in 2026 and beyond. Sabin argues that human connection to journalists will be the defining differentiator in the age of AI — people won't trust reporters who aren't part of their local community — while acknowledging that AI tools can make reporting dramatically more efficient. He discusses using local and youth sports as a community bonding agent in an era where it's one of the few areas where communities can avoid politics, notes that Mississippi produces terrific writers who need platforms, and emphasizes that having video and audio components is now critical for any news operation. They explore the potential for rebuilding a national network of nonprofit newspapers, discuss which communities are ripe for expansion and make the case that local journalism should be treated as a civic institution deserving of public-private partnership. Sabin's model is free to access, civic-minded, and designed to help citizens survive and thrive in their communities — exactly what Local News Day on April 9th is designed to champion. Finally, Chuck gives his ToddCast Top 5 statewide incumbents most likely to lose reelection in 2026, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 00:45 Launching the "Dynastic" sports history podcast with J.A. Adande! 09:00 Trump is running out of patience, looking for off-ramp in Iran 10:15 Trump’s definition of victory keeps changing 11:00 Every path forward in Iran carries risks 11:30 We continue to send more troops for potential escalation 12:45 Iran will have a say over who can travel through the Strait of Hormuz 13:15 Gen. Mattis believes Iran will claim control over Strait if U.S. retreats 16:00 The military has had strategic victory, but can only do so much 16:45 Regime has plenty of loyalists and will not go away quietly 18:00 Both sides are stuck, so now the war becomes about perception 18:45 Gulf states could hedge their security partnerships, lean to China 19:30 Trump hollowed out expertise & surrounded himself with sycophants 20:30 Nobody in Trump’s orbit want to own this war 21:30 Standing with the U.S. is politically unpopular in allied countries 23:00 Trump chose to weaken America’s alliance prior to launching war 23:45 War is increasingly unpopular at home 25:00 Support for Trump among independents is in the low 20’s 26:30 The MAGA brand is now more toxic with voters than Republican brand 27:30 War could be the death knell for the MAGA brand 28:45 Trump has always bounced back, but he may not be able to this time 37:00 Warwick Sabin joins the Chuck ToddCast 38:30 Creating the first nonprofit newsroom in Mississippi 41:30 What went wrong with the Jackson Clarion-Ledger? 43:30 There’s been a wholesale implosion of the old newspaper model 45:00 Potential for rebuilding a national network of newspapers? 46:15 In small markets, newspapers have to be hyper efficient 48:15 Service journalism is what creates the opportunity for “sexy” journalism 49:15 Local journalists exonerated a man on death row in Mississippi 50:15 Using local and youth sports as a community bond 52:00 Local sports is the one area where communities can avoid politics 53:30 Mississippi produces terrific writers 54:30 Having a video/audio component for reporting is critical 56:00 Human connection to journalists will be important in age of AI 58:00 People won’t trust journalists that aren’t part of their local community 59:45 AI tools can make reporting easier and more efficient 1:01:15 What does a community need to have to become part of your network? 1:02:30 Arkansas Democrat Gazette weathered the storm better than most 1:04:30 Arkansas is in need of a local news network 1:05:45 Bill Clinton’s election kept Walmart’s headquarters in Arkansas 1:08:00 Northwest Arkansas produced some of America’s biggest companies 1:11:00 How much do you factor in local resources when launching a new paper? 1:13:00 What other places have you looked at to expand the network? 1:15:00 Model is doing civic minded journalism that is free to access 1:16:00 Starting from scratch, avoiding legacy costs is a huge boon 1:18:30 All the revenue they generate gets invested back into the news product 1:20:00 Newspapers & local journalism are a civic institution 1:22:00 Local journalism should be a public/private partnership 1:23:00 It is incredibly difficult to deliver straight news in smaller communities 1:23:45 What do you hope to get out of Local News Day? 1:26:30 Local journalism can help citizens survive and thrive in their communities 1:27:30 Is print dead, or is there a viable path for it? 1:29:15 What has the gutting of local & public radio meant for Mississippi? 1:33:00 ToddCast Top 5 statewide incumbents most likely to lose in 2026 1:34:15 #1 John Cornyn 1:35:45 #2 Dan McKee 1:38:00 #3 Bill Cassidy 1:40:30 #4 Susan Collins 1:44:30 #5 Pete Ricketts 1:45:45 Ask Chuck 1:46:00 John Hickenlooper is out. Has another state had so many 1-term dropouts? 1:50:15 Would Hilary Clinton have won the presidency if the nominee in a different year? 1:54:00 Any pop culture quotes that you love that carry weight politically?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens by announcing the launch of "Dynastic," his new sports history podcast with J.A. Adande, before turning to what may be the most consequential inflection point of the Iran war: Trump is running out of patience and actively searching for an off-ramp, but every path forward carries serious risks and his definition of victory keeps shifting by the day. Chuck warns that the U.S. continues to send more troops for potential escalation even as the military acknowledges it has achieved its strategic objectives but can only do so much — the regime has plenty of loyalists and will not go away quietly, meaning the war has now become fundamentally about perception rather than territory. He flags General Mattis's warning that Iran will claim control over the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. retreats, that Gulf states are already hedging their security partnerships and leaning toward China, and that standing with America has become politically toxic in allied countries — a direct consequence of Trump choosing to weaken alliances before launching a war that required them. At home, the picture is equally grim: support for Trump among independents has cratered into the low 20s, the MAGA brand has become more toxic with voters than the generic Republican brand, nobody in Trump's orbit wants to own this war, and Chuck warns that while Trump has always bounced back from political crises, this time may be different — the war could be the death knell for the MAGA movement itself, because Trump hollowed out the expertise around him, surrounded himself with sycophants, and now finds both sides stuck in a conflict where retreat looks like defeat and escalation looks like madness. Finally, Chuck gives his ToddCast Top 5 statewide incumbents most likely to lose reelection in 2026, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Timeline: 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 00:45 Launching the "Dynastic" sports history podcast with J.A. Adande! 09:00 Trump is running out of patience, looking for off-ramp in Iran 10:15 Trump’s definition of victory keeps changing 11:00 Every path forward in Iran carries risks 11:30 We continue to send more troops for potential escalation 12:45 Iran will have a say over who can travel through the Strait of Hormuz 13:15 Gen. Mattis believes Iran will claim control over Strait if U.S. retreats 16:00 The military has had strategic victory, but can only do so much 16:45 Regime has plenty of loyalists and will not go away quietly 18:00 Both sides are stuck, so now the war becomes about perception 18:45 Gulf states could hedge their security partnerships, lean to China 19:30 Trump hollowed out expertise & surrounded himself with sycophants 20:30 Nobody in Trump’s orbit want to own this war 21:30 Standing with the U.S. is politically unpopular in allied countries 23:00 Trump chose to weaken America’s alliance prior to launching war 23:45 War is increasingly unpopular at home 25:00 Support for Trump among independents is in the low 20’s 26:30 The MAGA brand is now more toxic with voters than Republican brand 27:30 War could be the death knell for the MAGA brand 28:45 Trump has always bounced back, but he may not be able to this time 35:30 ToddCast Top 5 statewide incumbents most likely to lose in 2026 36:45 #1 John Cornyn 38:15 #2 Dan McKee 40:30 #3 Bill Cassidy 43:00 #4 Susan Collins 47:00 #5 Pete Ricketts 48:15 Ask Chuck 48:30 John Hickenlooper is out. Has another state had so many 1-term dropouts? 52:45 Would Hilary Clinton have won the presidency if the nominee in a different year? 56:30 Any pop culture quotes that you love that carry weight politically?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan dives into the latest developments in Iran, discussing the sinking of 13 more ships, bringing the total to 30, and the implications for the Iranian navy. He also touches on the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices, and the US military's role in ensuring safe passage. Additionally, Dan discusses the case of Tina Peters, a 70-year-old woman who claims the 2020 election was stolen, and her potential release from prison. He also talks to a listener about the US's relationship with Iran. Kristi Noem is removed as Secretary of the Department of Human Services, to be replaced by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK). What was the final straw that led to her departure? Also, the absolute state of the Democratic Party, with Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) showing his age in a recent exchange with a reporter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan shares the amazing story of a 13-year-old Australian boy swimming 4 hours in the freezing ocean to rescue his family. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) fans the flames of fear and vitriol against ICE agents, claiming they are leaving behind 'death cards' in cars of people they've detained. He contends it 'is cruel for the sake of being cruel' in sending a warning to other illegal aliens.

To kick off our public lands policy conversation this year, we wanted to take a look back at the year we had in 2025 and what we should expect moving into 2026. Joining me to lead this conversation is Rebecca Gillis.Rebecca is Vice President of Government Affairs & Advocacy at The Conservation Alliance, where she leads the organization's advocacy and government affairs strategy and helps shape its broader strategic direction. She works closely with member companies, grantee partners, and outdoor business executives to mobilize corporate advocacy for land and water conservation and to elevate conservation priorities in Washington, D.C. Previously, Rebecca led state and local government affairs for the Outdoor Industry Association and served in economic development roles under Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalistBuy Me a Coffee: ⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/outdoorminimalist⁠⁠⁠Listener Survey: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/jd8UCN2LL3AQst976⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------------------Conservation Alliance: https://conservationalliance.comWilderness Society: https://www.wilderness.orgConservation Lands Foundation: https://www.conservationlands.org

Joe Oltmann Untamed delivers another nuke of an episode exposing the rot at the heart of America's institutions. Joe dives deep into the latest wave of fraud revelations spotlighting brazen cartel-style operations tied to figures like John Hickenlooper while slamming a judiciary that's become the enforcer for the powerful instead of a shield for the people. He highlights Patrick Byrne's relentless fight against a system that blocks fair hearings, forcing patriots to take their battles to X because the courts won't listen.The show turns up the heat on Washington insiders with breaking reports of President Trump's growing frustration with Attorney General Pam Bondi, questioning whether incompetence or betrayal is surrounding the administration. Joe connects the dots on a judiciary that's "rotted to the core" and calls out the Brutus-like figures who undermine the America First agenda leaving no doubt that something has to give.We have commodity trading veteran Vince Lanci (GoldFix Publisher) breaking down gold's explosive run past $4,600 and silver nearing $89, unpacking China's dominance in pricing, structural de-dollarization signals, and the dark side of soaring precious metals prices. Then, Adam DeRito, Republican congressional candidate challenging the incumbent in Colorado's 8th District, joins to lay out his platform rooted in his whistleblower fight against military corruption, the DeRito Act for justice reform, energy independence from his oil & gas expertise, and concrete steps to dismantle insider trading, lobbying influence, and the career politicians abandoning veterans and first responders. If you're fed up with rigged systems, judicial capture, and elite betrayal, this episode connects every dot and fires every shot. Tune in truth doesn't wait.

Coloradans are increasingly disillusioned with traditional political institutions, including the Democratic Party, which polled at 68% unfavorable in a recent Magellan Strategies survey. So why did current State Senator Julie Gonzales, once a darling of the Democratic Socialists of America, decide to run for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat? Gonzales joins host Bree Davies to discuss her relationship with her party, where she sees opportunities to work with Trump, and how her approach would differ from her opponent, incumbent Sen. John Hickenlooper. We've invited Hickenlooper to come on the pod to discuss his campaign soon. What should we ask him about? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Today is the last day to vote for the finalists of the Denver-est Denver Awards! Your vote will determine the winners of Best Artist, Best Small Business, Biggest Win, and more. And don't forget to buy your ticket to the show on Dec. 18 and see the winners announced live on stage at The Oriental Theater. Vote here and get your tickets now! Help us hit the goal for our year-end membership drive! You'll get more from City Cast Denver when you become a City Cast Denver Neighbor. Enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at https://membership.citycast.fm  For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Learn more about the sponsors of this December 15th episode: Denver Health Aura Frames - Use code CITYCAST for $35 off Denver Botanic Gardens Foothills Animal Shelter Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

After the announcement of State Sen. Julie Gonzales' bid to unseat U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, stories emerged alleging Democratic Party insiders tried to deter her from running. Comedian Joshua Emerson joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to dissect the details of Hick's primary strategy, as well as Denver's questionable new homeless service provider contracts, disability activists' lawsuit against RTD, and more wins and fails of the week.  Help us hit the goal for our year-end membership drive! You'll get more from City Cast Denver when you become a City Cast Denver Neighbor. Enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at https://membership.citycast.fm  Vote for the finalists of the Denver-est Denver Awards! Your vote will determine the winners of Best Artist, Best Small Business, Biggest Win, and more. And don't forget to buy your ticket to the show on Dec. 18 and see the winners announced live on stage at The Oriental Theater. Vote here and get your tickets now! Paul quoted this Denver Post reporting on RTD's on-time performance, in which buses “lagged at 83%” as of July of 2025 (On-time performance for light rail recovered to 91% this year). Paul also discussed the Sports Castle and the Denver Summit FC stadium vote.  We mentioned Atlantis ADAPT's lawsuit against RTD and multiple stories on Denver's homeless shelter contracts from Denverite's Kyle Harris. Bree talked about Westwood resident Norma Brambila. Joshua discussed a new Native community-focused housing and healthcare building. What do you think about the Hickenlooper vs. Gonzales race? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Watch clips from the show on YouTube: youtube.com/@citycastdenver or Instagram @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/Denver Learn more about the sponsors of this December 12th episode: Denver Health Colfax Ave BID Babbel - Get up to 55% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Aura Frames - Use code CITYCAST for $35 off Elizabeth Martinez with PorchLight Real Estate - Do you have a question about Denver real estate? Submit your questions for Elizabeth Martinez HERE, and she might answer in next week's segment. Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Colorado state 'senadora' Julie Gonzales disavows her Democratic Socialst ties in an interview with Kyle Clark of 9 NEWS. Longtime GOP consultant Dick Wadhams joins Dan to break down her challenge from the left against sitting U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper in the 2026 Democratic primary.

State Sen. Julie Gonzales announced yesterday that she's challenging John Hickenlooper for his seat in the U.S. Senate, setting the stage for a very Denver Democratic primary next June. So, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are talking about how this race reflects the broader divide within the Democratic Party, from Gonzales and Hickenlooper's respective policy achievements to their approaches to resisting President Trump. Plus, internal city documents reveal just how much influence a wealthy neighbor had over the change to DOTI's traffic calming plans for Alameda Avenue, and we respond to listener feedback on our interview with RTD CEO Debra Johnson. Bree mentioned the potential redesign of the cloverleaf interchange at Federal Boulevard and Colfax Avenue. Help us hit the goal for our year-end membership drive! You'll get more from City Cast Denver when you become a City Cast Denver Neighbor.  Enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at https://membership.citycast.fm  Vote for the finalists of the Denver-est Denver Awards! Your vote will determine the winners of Best Artist, Best Small Business, Biggest Win, and more. And don't forget to buy your ticket to the show on Dec. 18 and see the winners announced live on stage at The Oriental Theater. Vote here and get your tickets now! For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm What do you think about Gonzales vs. Hickenlooper? Who will you vote for? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Learn more about the sponsors of this December 9th episode: Denver Health Colfax Ave BID Babbel - Get up to 55% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Aura Frames - Use code CITYCAST for $35 off Cozy Earth - Use code COZYDENVER for up to 20% off Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

On today's newscast: After a slow start to the season, snow has begun to pile up at Colorado ski resorts; Democratic Colorado Sen. Julie Gonzales has launched a primary challenge against U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper; and a group of young people from Utah is suing the state's Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, saying its permitting of fossil fuels violates their rights to life, health and safety. Tune in for these stories and more.

On this episode of Joe Oltmann Untamed, Joe breaks down the growing clash between government power, personal freedom, and family policy. From Joe's X exchange with Senator Hickenlooper to explosive new claims surrounding Dominion Voting, the show opens with a fast-paced look at today's political battleground. Joe also examines President Trump's newly announced child savings initiative and contrasts it with expanding state-level entitlement programs, including Minnesota's latest paid family leave rollout which includes payments to illegal immigrants. Joe is then joined by automotive innovator, educator, and outspoken truth-teller Casey Putsch. Casey delivers a powerful breakdown on how modern propaganda is created, amplified, and disguised as consensus—especially through AI, media narratives, and institutional messaging. Together, they explore censorship, the fight for independent thought, the future of free speech, and how programs like Genius Garage are training the next generation to think critically rather than comply blindly.In the final block, Joe exposes the accelerating pattern of government failure and institutional protection—from the Colorado Clerk's constitutional clash to new allegations of massive public-sector fraud and the federal crackdown on SNAP data noncompliance. The show closes with a sobering look at Canada's euthanasia program after nearly 16,500 deaths in 2024, raising urgent moral and political questions about the future of Western society. As always, Joe pulls no punches in exposing corruption, defending liberty, and sounding the alarm on what's coming next.

10:05 – 10:22 (17mins) Riki Parikh Policy Director at The Alliance for Secure AI Can discuss The White House Genesis Mission Projectserves as Policy Director at The Alliance for Secure AI, where he leads strategy to build bipartisan support for smart, enforceable safeguards that ensure artificial intelligence is developed and deployed responsibly, transparently, and in the public interest. He brings more than a decade of senior experience at the intersection of public policy, strategic communications, and law—including most recently as Senior Counselor to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he advised on national security and emerging technology issues. Previously, he held leadership roles in global public affairs and policy communications at Meta and LinkedIn, shaping corporate engagement with policymakers around the world. He spent six years on Capitol Hill, as counsel to U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and as press secretary to U.S. Senator Mark Warner. Riki earned his J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where he also worked with then-Governor John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, and his B.A. from the George Washington University. 10:41 – 10:56 (15mins) Weekly: Drew Thomas Allen @DrewThomasAllenAuthor: For Christ and Country: the Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk Host of ‘The Drew Allen Show’ podcast VP of client development at Publius PR & Editor of the Publius National Post.columnistSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10:05 – 10:22 (17mins) Riki Parikh Policy Director at The Alliance for Secure AI Can discuss The White House Genesis Mission Projectserves as Policy Director at The Alliance for Secure AI, where he leads strategy to build bipartisan support for smart, enforceable safeguards that ensure artificial intelligence is developed and deployed responsibly, transparently, and in the public interest. He brings more than a decade of senior experience at the intersection of public policy, strategic communications, and law—including most recently as Senior Counselor to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he advised on national security and emerging technology issues. Previously, he held leadership roles in global public affairs and policy communications at Meta and LinkedIn, shaping corporate engagement with policymakers around the world. He spent six years on Capitol Hill, as counsel to U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and as press secretary to U.S. Senator Mark Warner. Riki earned his J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where he also worked with then-Governor John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, and his B.A. from the George Washington University. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democratic U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper is a holdout on re-opening government until there's a plan to keep health insurance premiums down. We ask about paths for compromise and his frustration with cuts to green energy. Then, we remember NPR founding mother Susan Stamberg. Plus, Pueblo-born musician and composer Mary D. Watkins on honoring the Black experience in America. And Wonderbound's Rock Ballets. 

Somewhere between 140,000 and 390,000 abandoned hardrock mines are scattered throughout the West. Many have sat idle for decades, posing serious safety risks and polluting Western waterways. Last year, Congress took action on this issue by passing the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act. The law launches a pilot program that allows for the cleanup of 15 mine sites without fear of liability — a landmark step to accelerate reclamation across the region. Western Governors have advocated for this legislation for decades, and WGA celebrated the bill's passage.  Tune in to hear from Colorado Senator and former Governor John Hickenlooper as well as experts and organizations involved in cleaning up abandoned mines. They share why this legislation matters, how the pilot program will work, and what kinds of projects could finally move forward under its protections. In addition to Senator Hickenlooper, you'll hear from David Hockey, the Acting Director of EPA's Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains; Chris Wood, CEO of Trout Unlimited; and Rob Ghiglieri, Administrator of the Nevada Division of Minerals.

Clerk and Recorder Paul López has been very vocal lately in his distaste for Mayor Johnston's proposed city budget cuts. The top elections official feels the integrity of Denver's ballot system is at stake and has even called the mayor's decisions on city funding “a threat to democracy.” So, López himself sits down with host Bree Davies to hash out his beef with Johnston's 2026 budget proposal and explain why he thinks the mayor's fiscal moves are so dangerous for Denver's elections. We also share a direct response to López's claims from the mayor.  Bree quoted Denverite's reporting on former mayor John Hickenlooper's layoffs in 2009.  For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Learn more about the sponsors of this September 22nd episode: WISE Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Clyfford Still Museum Window Nation Downtown Denver Partnership Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Today... At a recent roundtable, Senator John Hickenlooper heard Western Slope leaders warn that federal cuts and agency shortfalls are leaving small communities struggling to fund projects, manage public lands, and meet rising local needs. And later... Montrose County voted to oppose the "Gunnison Outdoors Resources Protection Act", despite none of its lands being included, with supporters citing economic and control concerns and the lone dissenter warning it shuts the county out of future talks.Support the show: https://www.montrosepress.com/site/forms/subscription_services/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three years ago this month, the Inflation Reduction Act passed, marking the largest investment in climate policy in U.S. history. It included over $300 billion to address global warming and was expected to unlock nearly $3 trillion in private investment by 2032. But then came Donald Trump.  Over the last eight months, the Trump administration has worked to dismantle much of that progress, including withholding funds, canceling loans and grants, and working with Congress to roll back tax credits. For those working in climate tech, it's been a pretty dark time.  But U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, one of the lawmakers behind the IRA, says he's surprisingly optimistic about future policy wins despite White House opposition to climate and clean tech.  In this episode, Lara talks with Sen. Hickenlooper about passing the landmark climate law and protecting it, his ideas for building a bipartisan coalition for permitting reform, and why he's actually hopeful eight months into Trump's second term. Credits: Hosted by Lara Pierpoint. Produced by Erin Hardick. Edited by Anne Bailey and Stephen Lacey. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is executive editor. The Green Blueprint is a co-production of Latitude Media and Trellis Climate. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you get podcasts. For more reporting on the companies featured in this podcast, subscribe to Latitude Media's newsletter.

Guests, Dr Janak Joshi And Peter Boyles Grassroots warrior Dr. Janak Joshi has had enough and is jumping in to challenge radical Democrat Sen. John Hickenlooper for his seat. Dr. Joshi joins the show. Please radio legend Peter Boyles meets motorcycle legend Sturgis…. With a live report.

Legal bills from Horn's personal attorney have put the CO GOP $20-thousand in the hole as she tries to gaslight the Party on where the money went.  Plus Dr. Janak Joshi jumps in the race to oust radical Dem Sen. Hickenlooper.

The Center on Colfax recently announced they would no longer be accepting donations from Chevron, as long as the oil and gas giant was providing fuel to Israel. Meanwhile, Colorado's senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper voted against a measure that would have stopped some arms shipments to Israel. So are Denverites' opinions shifting when it comes to the war on Gaza? Then, internet provocateurs Do Better Denver have been exposed — but do the identities behind the account matter in the bigger picture? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi discuss these stories and more news of the week.  Paul talked congressional candidate Melat Kiros, who is challenging Diana DeGette to represent Denver, and her history of speaking out on Gaza.  For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Regional Air Quality Council Multipass Cozy Earth - use code COZYDENVER for 40% off best-selling temperature-regulating sheets, apparel, and more Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Luis Benitez: Conquering Everest and the Seven Summits, Life Advice from the Dalai Lama, and Outdoor Recreation Evangelism.Luis Benitez has worked as a high-end international mountain guide, with six Everest summits to his name, as well as having conquered the "Seven Summits" — the highest mountains on each of the world's continents. He's also an outdoor educator and a policy leader in the outdoor industry. In 2015, Benitez was appointed by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper to lead the Outdoor Recreation Industry Office. He is currently the Vice President of Government Affairs for Lululemon.Benitez holds an executive MBA from the University of Denver, with an emphasis certification in behavioral sciences and public policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He is also the author of Higher Ground.Notable Links:Luis Benitez WebsiteHigher Ground Book*****This episode is brought to you by Kase Filters. I travel the world with my camera, and I can use any photography filters I like, and I've tried all of them, but in recent years I've landed on Kase Filters.Kase filters are made with premium materials, HD optical glass, shockproof, with zero color cast, round and square filter designs, magnetic systems, filter holders, adapters, step-up rings, and everything I need so I never miss a moment.And now, my listeners can get 10% off the Kase Filters Amazon page when they visit. beyondthelens.fm/kase and use coupon code BERNABE10Kase Filters, Capture with Confidence.

BONUS EPISODE! With all of the talk about the, "Big Beautiful Bill" and Public Land the timeliness of this episode was extremely important. This week Sarah has on former National Park Ranger, Felicia, to talk about public lands, the NPS, impactful legislature, and how to remain hopeful in an time where is seems difficult to be. Felicia's TikTok: @ube_softserveResources:Find and contact your senators: Phone numbers for all U.S. Senate offices in Washington, D.C. can be found here: axios.com+12senate.gov+12facebook.com+12Local Senator Contacts (Key Western States):ColoradoSen. Michael Bennet: (202) 224‑5852Sen. John Hickenlooper: (202) 224‑5941 biologicaldiversity.orgUtahSen. Mike Lee (sponsor of land sale provision): (202) 224‑5444 economictimes.indiatimes.com+7washingtonstatestandard.com+7reviewjournal.com+7New MexicoSen. Martin Heinrich (Ranking Member, Energy Committee): info via senate.gov; (202) 224‑5521

9News obtained footage of US marshals boarding a crowded RTD bus on Colfax to capture an escapee from Aurora's ICE detention facility. So on this week's Friday news round-up, our politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval joins us to talk about the latest local developments in the federal immigration crackdown — from the ACLU's legal challenge to deportations to the precarity of transportation funding. Then a listener asks: Do you have to be “quirky” to become governor of Colorado? Plus, Juneteenth's funding cuts, a major abortion clinic closes, and more wins and fails of the week.  Bree mentioned the Westword story “Satan Sheets,” an immersive Titanic exhibit, the Fat & Fresh market happening this weekend, the Throughline episode on the Alien Enemies Act, Dr. Warren Hern's retirement, and the documentary “After Tiller.” Paul referenced this NYT article about John Hickenlooper's 2020 presidential campaign, the Juneteenth Music Festival's funding trouble, and Rep. Emily Sirota's work to pass CO's new “junk fees” law. Justine talked about the National Womens Soccer League stadium's funding getting one step closer to a full City Council vote.  Get more from City Cast Denver when you become a City Cast Denver Neighbor! You'll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm  For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Watch the Friday show on YouTube: youtube.com/@citycastdenver Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/Denver Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: PineMelon - Use code CITYCAST for 75% off! Denver Art Museum Aura Frames - Get $35-off plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Cozy Earth - Use code COZYDENVER for 40% off best-selling sheets, towels, pajamas, and more. Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristi Burton-Brown, Colorado state board of education member for the 4th Congressional District, fills in for Dan and discusses the waffling of several Democrats on the pending continuing resolution before the Senate after passage in the House.Democrats also still can't find their footing in their opposition to Donald Trump, picking losing hills to die on time after time.

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) must be feeling super confident about his re-election prospects in 2026, voting against the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act in the Senate despite it having about 80 percent approval with the American people.George Brauchler, 23rd district attorney brainstorms with Dan on ways criminal charges could still be filed in the wake of the shocking Columbine High School grooming scandal. One idea is for 1st DA Alexis King to enpanel a grand jury to determine whether potential charges may be appropriate for the mandatory reporters involved in fabricating documents claiming the female student was homeless - when she really wasn't.

This week Ryan sits down with Jamie Van Leeuwen, Managing Director at BuildStrong Foundation, to talk about his extensive work in community development from Urban Peak to founding the Global Livingston Institute and serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for John Hickenlooper.  Now focused on affordable housing and workforce development, Jamie shares insights on the challenges in the housing sector, the role of public policy, and the importance of engaging young people in community solutions. He offers a compelling perspective on addressing the housing crisis through innovative, community-driven solutions.   To learn more, check out https://buildstrongacademy.org/ Feast Over Famine does not provide legal, tax, accounting or other professional advice. You should consult professional advisors concerning the legal, tax, or accounting consequences of your activities. Feast Over Famine does not consult, advise, or assist with (i) the offer or sale of securities in any capital-raising transaction, or (ii) the direct or indirect promotion or maintenance of a market for any securities. Feast Over Famine does not engage in any activities for which an investment advisor's registration or license is required under the U.S. Investment Advisors Act of 1940, or under any other applicable federal or state law; or for which a “broker's” or “dealer's” registration or license is required under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or under any other applicable federal or state law.  

United States senators including John Hickenlooper of Colorado are worried that eliminating National Park Service jobs will hit gateway communities like Montrose and Gunnison, which see millions of dollars in economic benefit each year via the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area. Read our full story: https://www.montrosepress.com/news/senators-worry-how-federal-hiring-freeze-will-hit-national-parks-and-gateway-communities-like-montrose/article_0c94aaa0-ed80-11ef-a94a-23121cf264f7.html Support the show: https://www.montrosepress.com/site/forms/subscription_services/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the midst of the Left losing their collective minds and showing their collective backsides, President Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. And if he brokers an end to the Russia-Ukraine War, he might just win it.Steve Monahan has founded SAFE Colorado with John Fabbricatore, a donor-funded advocacy group designed to help promote cooperation between local and state officials with ICE.Steve joins Dan to discuss this and a bill supported by Colorado Democratic Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper which would prevent ICE from arresting illegal aliens at polling places - even though they are legally prohibited from voting themselves.He also shares his plan to get an initiative on the ballot to remove Colorado's designation as a 'sanctuary state.'

Dan and Ryan laugh down Memory Lane recalling John Hickenlooper incinerating his run for President in 2020 answering CNN's Dana Bash on why he took his mother to see the pornographic film 'Deep Throat.'Brita Horn joins the program to discuss why running to be chair of the Colorado Republican Party is important to her - and a winning choice for Colorado GOP voters.

En enero los senadores demócratas Edward J. Markey y Elizabeth Warren, de Massachusetts; Bernard Sanders, de Vermont; Raphael Warnock, de Georgia; John Hickenlooper, de Colorado, y Chris Van Hollen, de Maryland, enviaron una carta al presidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, donde acusan a la República Dominicana de servir como puente para traficar armas hacia Haití, un ilícito que agravaría la crisis social que enfrenta ese país. Ante los señalamientos, la embajadora dominicana en Estados Unidos, Sonia Guzmán, respondió a la carta afirmando que República Dominicana protagoniza una lucha contra el tráfico ilegal de armas estableciendo estrictos controles de seguridad para detectar unidades de municiones y armas de fuego. La respuesta oficial del gobierno dominicano indica que para la administración del presidente Abinader es injusto «sindicar al Gobierno dominicano como responsable de tráfico de armas hacia Haití. Por el ejercicio de su compromiso social, económico y de solidaridad humanitaria con el vecino país». La posición oficial fue respaldada a todos los niveles. El  diputado Gustavo Sánchez, del Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, sostuvo que las declaraciones son "irrespetuosas e irresponsables" por considerar que aprovechan su condición de parlamentarios de una potencia para emitir acusaciones "sin ninguna base comprobatoria". La diputada Soraya Suárez, del Partido Revolucionario Moderno, calificó como "lesiva" la acusación de los congresistas de EE. UU., al decir que el señalamiento puede provocar una tipificación delictiva que no existe. En ese sentido, pidió más cuidado al momento de emitir argumentos "sin validez". La senadora del Partido Revolucionario Moderno, Ginette Bournigal, indicó que es a los Estados Unidos a quien le corresponde investigar el supuesto tráfico de armas que se desarrolla desde la República Dominicana hacia Haití de acuerdo a lo que denunciaron senadores de ese país. El senador por la provincia de Montecristi, por el Partido Revolucionario Moderno, Ramón Antonio Pimentel Gómez, calificó este lunes de 'inaceptable'. El diputado representante de la Comunidad dominicana en el exterior, Ramón Ceballo, solicitó al Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos investigar de inmediato las declaraciones de senadores demócratas estadounidenses de que Republica Dominicana sirve como puente en el tráfico de armas ilegales hacia Haití. El vicepresidente de la Fuerza Nacional Progresista, Pelegrín Castillo, sostuvo que la denuncia de senadores estadounidenses de que por República Dominicana ingresan armas a Haití es parte una  maniobra de círculos de poder de EE: UU consiste en escalar el conflicto en Haití a una guerra civil y tratar de trasvasar esa crisis hacia República Dominicana para que se convierta en país de refugio. El presidente de la Unión Demócrata Cristiana, Luis Acosta Moreta, respaldó la respuesta del gobierno dominicano a senadores estadounidenses, quienes acusan a este país de servir de puente para el trasiego de armas a Haití. Dijo que si alguien tiene que dar explicaciones es Washington. Para el Instituto Duartiano el liderazgo político y el Gobierno deben de independientemente de estar en campaña de ser más enérgico en la defensa a la soberanía nacional, al considerar que como país dominicano no puede estar permitir tantos ataques y denuncias infundadas. Wilson Gómez le recordó además a los Estados Unidos que es Haití quien fábrica y trafica armas. El vocero del Partido de la Liberación Dominicana  en el Senado, Yvan Lorenzo, solicitó a través de una resolución, que se investigue la denuncia de los senadores estadounidenses y la Organización de las Naciones Unidas sobre el tráfico de armas de fuego desde la República Dominicana hacia Haití.