Just One Thing: It's a new era
There are too many things to say in one note. We'll have four years to say them. Regardless of what you think of Trump, as a stand-alone proposition it is a tremendous gift to the United States that neither Joe Biden nor Kamala Harris will be president of the United States for the next four years.
Trump will make some mistakes and he has some bad ideas, but he'll also do some great things and has some excellent ideas. Nothing after the comma in that last sentence was true of Biden or would have been true of Harris.
I'm particularly enthusiastic about a stronger US foreign policy though I hope we don't abandon Ukraine.
Trump began with an executive order that overturned something like 75 Biden executive orders. Fabulous. He also froze almost all federal hiring (not the military and a couple of other departments). And he'll require all federal workers to go back to working in the office. I suspect we'll learn of thousands, maybe tens of thousands of federal workers who had moved away from DC and will resign or retire rather than move back. Good riddance to them.
And then there were more (and many more after these):
- Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions
- Regulatory Freeze Pending Review
- Hiring Freeze
- Return to In-Person Work
- Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living-Crisis
- Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements
- Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship
- Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government
There's a lot more than that, too, including commutations (for a handful of leaders) pardons (for hundreds of others) for the January 6 rioters. Trump pardons roughly 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack
This impacts around twenty-one Coloradans: All the Coloradans accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6
Should this person really be fully pardoned? Boulder man and father arrested on charges tied to Jan. 6 riot
You can find all of Trumps executive orders here, and there were a LOT of them on Day One: Presidential Actions – The White House
Trump press release: “Day One: Promises Made, Promises Kept”: djt.nucleusemail.com/amplify/v/JkyYuT7ZRN?hids=xJbAiJ7N&_nlid=y4KuAayFMW&_nhids=xJbAiJ7N
He'll unleash American energy production and, I hope, export.
He'll reduce regulations, push to reduce taxes, and generally increase economic freedom. That said, he MUST also cut spending.
What will the new aggressive effort to deport illegal alien criminals mean for Aurora (and the rest of CO, but esp Aurora)? Trump to go after international gangs in Aurora | News | denvergazette.com
Colorado lawyers line up to fight Trump’s deportation plans
Wow: DPS superintendent: ICE officials not allowed on campuses | News | denvergazette.com
Not messing around: GUARANTEEING THE STATES PROTECTION AGAINST INVASION – The White House
Trump to Begin Large-Scale Deportations Tuesday - WSJ
One of Trump's first moves was an executive order to delay the banning of TikTok. It is likely an illegal order.
(1) Mr. President, Don’t Abandon the Rule of Law to Save TikTok
This one is also of questionable legality but it will make for an interesting and substantive debate, separate from the policy preference aspect of it. And I think it's an absolutely legitimate debate. We've had far too many years (decades) of women crossing the border, whether illegal or through "birth tourism", to have children here for the sole purpose of making the child a US citizen, eligible for government benefits, etc. Protecting The Meaning And Value Of American Citizenship – The White House
I feel a little bad for the thousands of people who went to DC for the inauguration only to have it moved indoors where only a small fraction of the invitees could actually attend. And boy am I glad that I didn't try to go!
Anyway, it's going to be an interesting, chaotic, and hopefully successful (for our nation) four years.
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Today's Guests
Real estate agent Ed Prather joins me to talk about the Denver area real estate market and his expectations for 2025...and our bet.
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Ruthie Blum is a columnist for JNS and former adviser to the Netanyahu administration in Israel. We'll discuss the hostage release and its place within the overall "first phase" of the current ceasefire.
3 Israeli hostages, 90 Palestinians prisoners freed on Gaza ceasefire Day 1 | AP News
After 15 months of war, Hamas still rules over what remains of Gaza
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Rep Jeff Crank (R-CO5) joins the show to talk about his experience at the presidential inauguration yesterday. Especially since so many people who had planned to attend were told that their tickets were now "commemorative" since the ceremonies were moved indoors due to frigid temperatures, far fewer people actually attended than had been expected.
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Other Stuff
This is truly remarkable and sadly not surprising: WATCH: When Mike Johnson Knew Joe Biden Was Not in Charge
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Guessing Elon Musk won't really mind not having a co-head of DOGE: Vivek Ramaswamy to leave DOGE and launch a run for Ohio governor
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King Soopers strikes may be coming soon: King Soopers grocery union sets first Denver strike vote for Jan. 29
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Stay warm, southerners! Polar vortex-driven Arctic blast to bring historic southern snow
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Some football stuff: In beating the Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels became only the second rookie to beat a #1 seed in a playoff game. (The other was Joe Flacco.) And Daniels became the first rookie ever to have 300 yards in passing and rushing combined in two playoff games. Pretty remarkable.
Lamar Jackson knows why he lost...some bad language in here
Just one more theory but at least it's not following the "we're all about to die" orthodoxy: Glacier Experts Uncover Critical Flaw in Sea-Level Rise Predictions
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This would have been so much better without the silly claims about the problem being climate change, but John Ellis is obsessed with climate change. That said, everything else about this story is interesting and important (regarding the California home insurance market, or lack thereof): One Event Away - by John Ellis - Political News Items
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Denver and Lakewood imposing limits on gas stations: Council Preview: First look at gas station limits | Government | denvergazette.com
Limiting New Gas Stations – Lakewood Informer
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When even Adam Schiff says you're setting a bad precedent: Biden pardons his siblings and their spouses | AP News
Biden pardons Fauci, Milley, and members of the Jan. 6 committee | AP News
Seriously?!? Biden sparks outrage with last-minute commutation of man convicted of killing FBI agents - ABC News
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I also despise hidden mandatory fees and think of them as fraudulent. That said, I share the apartment association's concern about the enforcement mechanism as currently proposed: Colorado Democrats look to crack down on rental housing fees - The Colorado Sun
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Today's Video
A tip magnet...at least