Just One Thing: Why is this at the NY Post rather than the Denver Post?
How about the coincidence of a herd of deer being picked up by the fence radar at the same time that the trespasser was walking toward the runway?
Man killed by Frontier plane at DIA died by suicide, medical examiner says
This might be the dead guy's Facebook page, but it's not very revealing. Basically, he just seemed like a loser.
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Today's Guest
Gabe Saglie, Travel Trends Analyst will discuss Colorado tourism:
• Red Rocks at 85: Why Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre still defines live music, and what makes this season special
• Beyond the Stage: Denver’s arts, culture, and festival scene, from outdoor concerts to immersive exhibits
• A True Sports Town: What fans can expect this summer, from baseball and soccer to family-friendly events
• Family-Friendly & Outdoors: Why Denver is an easy, affordable escape with parks, attractions, and nearby natural wonders
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Other Stuff
A huge case. I have zero tolerance for cops, prosecutors, or any part of the criminal justice system breaking rules and laws seeking convictions rather than justice. I wish the detective could be prosecuted. This is an example of why I mostly oppose qualified immunity.
Colorado jury awards $24M to N.J. man over wrongful arrest, prosecution (gift link)
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Republicans talking about spending public money on the Trump ballroom are making a massive blunder. From 1 to 6.5, how dumb are Republicans with this? I say 6.2.
Some Republicans aren’t sold on $1B price tag for Trump’s ballroom project in party-line GOP bill
Democrat Jacky Rosen seeks to strip $1B for Trump ballroom from immigration bill | Semafor
Reflecting Pool Repairs to Cost $13.1 Million. Trump Had Promised $1.8 Million. - The New York Times
Thune defends $1 billion plan for White House security | AP News
NO NO NO
Axios: 1 big thing: 😓 Sweating the ballroom
Axios: GOP's security referendum
Now they're saying that the $1 billion number is mostly not for the ballroom. If so, that was some really boneheaded work allowing the $1 billion number out and talking about it as expense for the ballroom. If other security spending is needed for things that have nothing to do with the ballroom, then Congress should consider that in the ordinary course of business. If additional spending is needed for the ballroom, even if it is for initial purchases of security measures, that should be funded privately as promised.
Secret Service says Trump ballroom would get $220 million, not $1 billion, for ‘hardening’ security (may require subscription)
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Not a very important story but there is an important message. Antisemitism is very much on the rise in this nation, on the left and the right, and it's literally the first time in my entire life that I've felt that the US is not as safe as it could be for Jews like me. I do think the judge is wrong to frame this as if antisemitism on the left is new. It's been around for a long time and much more a part of the mainstream in the Democratic Party than it has been among Republicans and even now I wouldn't say that most of the antisemites on the right are actually Republicans. (I'm unaffiliated, just to be clear...)
Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice leaves Democratic Party over antisemitism concerns - POLITICO
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This isn't your father's EEOC. Seriously, look at some of these actions. The second one is about the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office! The last one is rather incredible but the EEOC hasn't posted the press release on their website yet.
American Worker Hassled For Speaking English, EEOC Says - Law360 Employment Authority
Here's some of the emailed announcement about the last link above:
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, around June 2023, at least two ATG employees were subjected to anti-American slurs by their Mexican coworkers. They also took one of the American employee’s tools without his permission, thereby impeding his ability to work, and ignored his directives and derided him because he could not speak Spanish fluently.
The employee complained immediately about the harassment to his direct supervisor, who did nothing to address the harassment, leading to more harassment and more complaints. After his direct supervisor continued to do nothing about the harassment, he complained to a different supervisor on July 17, 2023. The next day, his direct supervisor fired him in retaliation for complaining “above [the direct supervisor’s] head,” the EEOC said.
“Discrimination against American workers is unconscionable,” said EEOC Chair Andrea R. Lucas. “The EEOC is here to protect all workers from anti-American bias. Nothing justifies illegal national origin discrimination, and we will vigorously enforce federal laws to restore dignity to the American worker.”
I don't have a way to judge whether these cases are wildly overaggressive but I do appreciate their making the point that racist behavior does not only and always mean behavior by whites against non-whites, or by Americans against immigrants, or by English speakers against non-English speakers.
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The LA mayor's race has turned interesting. The Case for Spencer Pratt
Two ads in the race for mayor of Los Angeles that are worth watching.
First is an AI-generated ad casting outsider Spencer Pratt, who seems to have some momentum against the horrendous Karen Bass, as Batman versus her Joker. Gavin Newsom makes an unflattering appearance, as does Kamala Harris and a few other prominent Dems:
Second, I simply don’t believe this is actually an anti-Pratt ad despite everyone at Fox News apparently believing it is. I don't think anybody, even in California would think this ad would do anything but help Pratt. We've seen a few similar fake attack ads designed to help the person who is theoretically being "attacked" with things that any normal person would praise him/her for. If this is really supposed to be an attack ad against Pratt, the consultant who made it should be fired and never work in politics again.
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Yesterday's inflation report was obviously impacted by the war but it doesn't make the news less painful for consumers or for Republican candidates.
Semafor: Inflation surpasses wage gains
Axios: Iran war energy shock squeezes U.S. paychecks
Wall Street Is Getting More Anxious About Long-Term Inflation - WSJ
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Three China Stories
Trump goes to China. There's a lot of speculation about whether Trump has any leverage in conversations with Chinese dictator-for-life Xi Jinping. He has some for sure; we're still the US. But he's weakened himself by being so wishy-washy in his recent dealings with Iran (in behavior, not in rhetoric, which makes it even worse.) He's weakened by his low popularity due in large part to his utter failure to address Americans' number one concern: the cost of living. Indeed, the one cost-of-living related policy most people would name is probably tariffs which everybody understands raises out costs. Also, Trump's repeated bashing and abandoning of allies is raising the world's desire to do business with China and reducing the appeal of the US.
Trump heads to Beijing for talks with Xi as Iran war looms | AP News
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China really is closer to enemy than competitor. We're just not shooting at each other yet. There is nothing they won't do: Southern California mayor resigns, agrees to plead guilty in illegal Chinese agent case | AP News
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Very interesting business story and an example of why Trump specifically and the US generally has less leverage over China than we used to: China’s ‘Two Billion Feet’ Are Suddenly Running From Nike - WSJ
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Weird politics in Nebraska: Nebraska Dem who will drop out and support Dan Osborn wins Senate primary - Live Updates - POLITICO
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I need to ask Jeff Bridges about this in studio but on the surface this seems like one of the most dishonest things I've seen from the legislature in a while (maybe since Prop HH, which got crushed) and that's saying something. If it actually ends up on the ballot, which now seems very likely, I'll do everything I can to get voters to similarly defeat this bait-and-switch:
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Marty Makary was in a tough spot with a hyper-politicized Health and Human Services Department run by some as idiosyncratic (I could use plenty of other adjectives) as RFK Jr.
Dr. Marty Makary is out as FDA commissioner
Marty Makary is out as Trump's Food and Drug Administration head | AP News
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I suspect that Duffy did check with the ethics folks about this and isn’t getting paid but that doesn’t mean it’s a good look. Where is the common sense?
Sean Duffy's wife denies corruption, defends road trip show
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I don't like Paxton at all but if he can prove this case then I would want to see Netflix punished and other companies doing similar things to reconsider.
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Netflix over alleged user data sales
Paxton press release: 1Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues Netflix for Spying on Texas Kids and Consumers by Illegally Collecting Users’ Data Without Their Knowledge or Consent | Office of the Attorney General
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I owe you this from yesterday. This is so crazy that if you saw it in a TV political drama you'd say, "naaah...that's ridiculous."
Danish pol defends guidelines limiting nursing home residents to 2.8 ounces of beef a week
Meat for schoolkids one day every two months: Climate action starts on our plates - C40 Cities
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Today's Video
Sometimes, dogs are smarter (or at least more trainable) than many people I know