Welcome back to the extremist rewind, CTR‘s weekly roundup of stories relating to political extremism in Colorado. This week, we have articles on House Republicans voting to slash Medicaid, the Trump Administration’s relationship to far-right media outlets, Project 2025’s plan for policing that is being implemented without much coverage, the Jefferson County GOP inviting Kyle Rittenhouse (who murdered two men at a BLM protest) to headline a June event, and more.
Southern Ute Tribal leaders have raised the alarm over pipeline failure from December 2024, with over 23,000 gallons of oil and gas creeping towards the Animas River. A press release from the tribe warns that the cleanup effort by the company, Enterprise Products Partners, and the state are not acting fast enough to mitigate the environmental damage from the spill.Â
Here is a look from the past week at stories about political extremism in Colorado. This week, we have examinations of the Trump administration’s legal approach to immigration issues, the selling of public lands, and how recent DOGE cuts are affecting Coloradans. Other stories include: Eric Trump upcoming visit to Golden, Grand Junction city councilmembers possibly violating open meetings laws, anti-trans activists in Denver pushing for a sports ban, and two state legislators having their cars vandalized.
Anti-transgender activists in Colorado are trying to resuscitate ballot initiatives targeting trans people, specifically trans youth who participate in sports. At a Colorado Title Board hearing yesterday, a slew of proposals from conservative activists were proposed, including one spearheaded by the head of a local chapter of an anti-trans hate group, Gays Against Groomers (GAG).
Welcome to the start of another week, and is there a better way to start by taking a look back at recent cases of political extremism? Of course not. As part of the Colorado Times Recorder‘s weekly review of reporting on extremism, we offer Erik Maulbetsch’s recent article looking into a scheduled event where Douglas County Clerk Sheri Davis was slated to speak alongside election conspiracists. Following an inquiry, Davis appears to have backed out. David Flomberg’s latest column examines the similarities between RFK Jr.’s autism database and the registry put together during the German Third Reich, tracking people with similar conditions. Steve Rabey of Baptist News Global gives an update on the defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Systems against right-wing news outlet Newsmax. Finally, we recommend a commentary from Colorado Newsline’s Quentin Young on the Trump administration’s attempt to target public officials, which it sees as impeding its agenda.
May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, saw a series of protests at the state capital on May 1. Organized by a coalition of labor, immigration, and native advocacy groups, the rally emphasized the connection between workers’ rights, immigration rights, and indigenous rights. Some of the groups gathered included Aurora Unidos CSO, Grupo Tlaloc, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the Denver Chapter of Students for a Democratic Society.
During an April 2 telephone conversation with constituents held by U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO), one caller from Greeley raised concerns about Trump’s decision to impose steep tariffs across the board, calling them a “regressive tax,” and asked Evans what he was doing to save his constituents money.
This week, the Colorado Times Recorder’s roundup of articles about political extremism features Steve Rabey’s article on how the Environmental Protection Agency has shifted its stance on climate change, adopting a view pushed by right-wing evangelicals that caring about climate change is a false religion; Logan Davis and Chloe Ragsdale reveal that an open letter sent by a group of school administrations urging a ban on participation from trans students in school sports has a connection to conservative political operatives and how that connects to right-wing activism in the state. Additionally, we are highlighting articles from Colorado Public Radio‘s Caitlyn Kim on Colorado politicians’ reactions to Trump’s first 100 days in office and from Colorado Newsline‘s Lindsey Toomer with an update on the legal status of some international students in Colorado being revoked over alleged involvement in pro-Palestinian protests.
The Colorado legislature is currently weighing a bill that would mandate that hospitals’ emergency departments, which include delivery and labor departments, provide care for patients regardless of their ability to pay or other qualities.
Welcome back to another of CTR’s weekly roundups of news stories relating to political extremism. Congress is sharply divided on how to respond to the Trump Administration’s power grab that has included: shipping legal residents off to a prison in a foreign country without due process, trying to withhold funding from states for upholding state law, and unilaterally entering a trade war without input from Congress. Many of these national conversations have bled into Colorado political discourse. First up on the docket is an article by Jason Salzman on State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, who some say is planning to run for governor, now defending Medicaid two years after saying that the federal government should cut the program and other entitlement programs. Owen Swallow reported on Rep. Lauren Boebert spreading misinformation about Colorado’s voter registration system, and Maria Tedesco wrote on the Republican members of the Colorado congressional delegation voting to undermine federal courts by ruling against the Trump administration. We are also highlighting an article from the Colorado Sun‘s Lucas Brady Woods on how Republicans in the Colorado State Legislature are appealing to Trump’s Attorney General to stop a newly signed gun law.
