Watch This: The wisdom of Ben Sasse
I don't remember if I put this in the blog the other day, but it's worth posting twice so as many folks as possible can watch it.
Please watch, share, and get your older children to watch as well. Ben Sasse is to my right politically, and he's religious while I'm not, and I wish we had 20 of him in the US Senate and people like him throughout our politics. By which I mean people of principle who strongly resist being corrupted by the system. There are precious few such people in politics now. After all, especially at the federal level, it's easy to understand why a good person wouldn't want to be in the cesspool that is Congress. Sasse gives hope for a decent American future.
Just One Thing: More Bad Politics
I'm not sure what's up with Donald Trump recently. He seems to have lost his ability to predict and get ahead of the mood of the people and, to some extent, the ability to lead public opinion, even among those who voted for him.
- He's not focused enough, even in his rhetoric, on the cost of living
- Starting the mid-decade gerrymandering wars was utterly mindless and harmful to the nation in the long run
- Starting the Iran war (which I support) by giving a timeline for it to finish, after years of railing against Obama and Biden for giving deadlines like that, was terrible politics
- Allowing Steven Miller and Kristi Noem to impose a 3000-deportations a day quota, taking ICE's eye off the important ball: focusing on those who have committed serious crimes while in the country. Our federal government then killed two Americans. A tragedy and a massive political loser
- The Comey indictment, which surely obtained his permission, will be a loser (but Trump probably just wants Comey's life to be miserable)
- Allowing any Republican to propose taxpayer funding for the ballroom is nuts. He should be telling Lindsey Graham to zip it
- Apparently supporting a government bailout of Spirit Airlines (and maybe other low-cost airlines) is nonsense. Even Josh Hawley (the only Republican in the Senate who is worse than Graham) knows it
- Allowing the FCC to threaten ABC's (eight) television licenses is ridiculous and will lose in public opinion and in court if the gov't tries to revoke the licenses
- And now this: Trump Is Going After Birth Control. Here’s Why. - POLITICO
I understand that Trump is in a tough spot politically as far as trying to minimize the damage to Republicans in the midterms. I further understand that, in significant part due to the war with Iran, some of his base has abandoned him, most notably the Nazi-leaning part like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens (good riddance to that part of his coalition). I understand that the party of the incumbent president almost always loses seats in the midterms and Trump is floundering, trying to find ways to motivate his base to turn out in about 6 months as his approval numbers reach close-to-freezing levels.
Trump has never understood that while he of course needs his base, they're not enough. And the percentage of Americans who think birth control should be restricted is a very small number. IF the Politico story is true, it will give Democrats tremendously effective ammunition against Republicans in November and it would probably motivate at least 3 times, maybe 5 times, as many voters to come out to vote against Republicans as to vote for them.
Republicans are certain to lose the House. That was going to happen no matter what. But now it's a 50/50 thing whether they lose the Senate. And it's worth noting that state and local politics typically has a bigger impact on our daily lives than the federal government does. Trump's low popularity and consistent political miscalculations this term can (and surely will) cost Republicans LOTS of "down-ballot" races. I just find it strange that a guy who was like the Rain Man of understanding the public mood is making so many mistakes. As president of the Bad Analogy Club, I'll offer you this: I'm watching a wacky Amazon Prime series about evil superheroes called "The Boys." A couple of the characters with "powers" (usually great strength in some form) lose those powers and just become regular people. Doesn't make them bad, and some of them prefer being normal. But especially to his base, Trump has always had powers...and now it seems like he doesn't.
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Today's Guests
Some lady named Mandy Connell is coming in at 7:35 AM. I think she has some weird Kentucky food she wants us to eat that I'm sure will be better than Oreos with mustard.
KENTUCKY BENEDICTINE SPREAD - The Southern Lady Cooks
Benedictine (spread) - Wikipedia
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Michele Steinberg is Wildfire Division Director at the National Fire Protection Association
We'll discuss Wildfire Preparation Day...which most Coloradans probably understand the importance of
- The importance of Preparedness Day
- Today’s wildfire risks
- Tips for keeping property and people safe
- Recommendations that can help better protect homes in the event of a wildfire.
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Parker Cardwell is Chief Operating Officer of Rainmaker Technologies. They do just what you think (though they might make snow as much as rain.)
Rainmaker | Leading Cloud Seeding Technology Company in the U.S.
This state is betting on cloud-seeding drones to solve its water problem - The Washington Post
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Other Stuff
He sure learned his lesson the first time. (Not) Man just released from jail steals fire engine, leads police chase into downtown Longmont
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This seems like a movie plot but sadly it's real, and I suspect the indictments are correct: Mexican officials charged with importing massive quantities of drugs into US
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Even bigger than Chonkers (and see the Chonkers videos at the end of the blog): Indian Tycoon Offers Refuge to Pablo Escobar’s Condemned Hippos - The New York Times
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Nobody happier than Gov Polis's husband, Marlon, a very aggressive "animal rights" advocate (who was a big part of the ill-considered push to forcibly reintroduce wolves into Colorado). I don't hate this as much but I'm also not expert on the scale of the problem. In the short term, I do think there are a LOT of pets available at shelters but I'm not in a position to judge whether it's enough, and enough of the right kinds of dogs and cats, to meet demand.
Gov. Jared Polis signs bill banning sale of cats, dogs in pet stores
HB26-1011 Transfers of Certain Pet Animals | Colorado General Assembly
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Didn't get to this yesterday. There's the business side and then there's the VERY nerdy finance side that I'll explain on the show. (Why is the price of Re/Max stock so far below the reported deal price of $13.80 per share?)
Miami firm buying Re/Max, moving HQ from Denver
Real Brokerage to Buy RE/MAX in $880M Deal, Aiming for $30M Synergies and 2026 Close
RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. (RMAX) Stock Price, News, Quote & History - Yahoo Finance
The Real Brokerage Inc. (REAX) Stock Price, News, Quote & History - Yahoo Finance
I don't know that moving the HQ to Florida is a way of getting out of a state that is becoming increasingly unfriendly to business and to successful people, but in any case attacking the rich isn’t going to work out well as long as there are places that don’t:
California has the government they deserve: The California Wealth Tax Advances - WSJ
Ken Griffin is hinting at the risks to New York of similar thinking, but it won't slow down the communist mayor of NYC: One of ‘the Rich’ Answers Mamdani’s Insult - WSJ
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I hope it’s here so I can cover it and stay in my own bed at night: Democratic National Committee to visit Denver for 2028 convention bid
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Some "leaders" of the Colorado GOP are intent on causing the destruction of what little remains of the influence of the state party: Federal judge rejects Colorado GOP’s effort to block unaffiliated voters from participating in party’s 2026 primaries - The Colorado Sun
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Epic Jeana will handle this one: Taylor Swift files to trademark her voice, likeness to ward off AI deepfakes
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Rattlecam is back: RattleCam livestream of Colorado rattlesnake 'mega den' is back for 2026
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My answer: yes on some but keep some trails e-bike free: Should e-bikes be allowed on mountain trails?
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Offered without comment: 2026 Report: U.S. Airports With the Longest and Shortest Walking Distances - Spoiler alert, be prepared to WALK at DIA
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Yesterday, I talked about the corruption of Jim Comey and of the Trump administration's indictment of Jim Comey. There's also these two stories of Biden-era corruption:
Former Fauci aide charged for evading
Letter from Sen Joni Ernst to the DOJ: benghazi letter
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Let's find who did this and shoot him with a slingshot: Bald eagle wounded by slingshot released back into Colorado wild - The Colorado Sun
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I want to ask the mayor about this tomorrow but worth mentioning today: Panel considers only the theater as worth saving at Denver Pavilions
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I like pigs. Used to have a Vietnamese miniature pot-bellied pig. I can sure relate to the story in this article about the pig eating a couch.
There’s No Such Thing as a Teacup Pig. These People Found Out the Hard Way. - WSJ
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Today's Videos
Chonkers!!!
I have no interest in this at all