Welcome back to The Spot, where The Denver Post’s politics team captures what’s happening this week — from the Colorado legislature to Denver city hall, with a stop through the halls of Congress in Washington, D.C.
I’m warning you ahead of time that this week’s newsletter is *wee bit* longer than normal — and for good reason.
Largest among the mountains of headlines was the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case. We have nine storiesbelow on the decision for you to check out.
Gov. John Hickenlooper vetoed nine bills — a record during his tenure — from the recently ended 2018 legislative session. He also signed some pretty important pieces of legislation into law.
We’ve got the lowdown on what you need to know ahead of the June 26 primary elections (especially if you’re an unaffiliated voter), the latest in Denver’s scooter-mania and an interesting look at why not everyone is super stoked on the idea of spaceships launching out of Adams County.
Fresh news:The Denver Post is teaming up with Denver7 to host gubernatorial debates at the University of Denver later this month.
ROLL CALL
MASTERPIECE CAKESHOP RULING
- A look at how the ruling came down and what it all means from a 10,000 foot view.
- Some quick, key takeaways from the decision.
- Where does Colorado baker Jack Phillips’ religious freedom end and discrimination begin? Here’s what legal experts say.
- A timeline of how the case came to be.
- How will the U.S. Supreme Courtap decision impact the Colorado Civil Rights Commission? Not to mention the Colorado General Assembly?
- What Lakewood baker Jack Phillips is sayingand hoping to do in the future.
- The scene at Masterpiece Cakeshop on Monday.
- What’s next for the couple at the center of the case?
- A look at the Colorado rally at the state Capitol following the ruling’s release.
COLORADO: THE STATEHOUSE & BEYOND
- Everything Colorado’s unaffiliated voters need to know ahead of voting for the first time in the state’s primary elections.
- The leading campaigns in the Democratic race for governor are asking voters in the crowded primary a simple but complicated question: Which candidate do you identify with most?
- School nurses in Colorado now can administer medical marijuana— the nonsmokable kind — to students whose parents have given permission.
- Gov. John Hickenlooper signed Colorado’s second PERA rescue bill in a decade.
- He also signed the legislature’s major transportation funding bill.
- The governor went on a five-day veto-palooza, starting with a bill that would have shielded child autopsy reports from public inspection.
- Then he rejected a first-in-the-nation measure to allow marijuana tasting rooms. (The pot industry isn’t happy about that one…)
- He also turned down legislationbarring members of a state board from profiting from their work.
- On Tuesday he rejected *four* more measures, including one that would have added autism to the list of conditions eligible for medical marijuana treatment.
Aside: This is significant. Hickenlooper vetoed nine bills from the 2018 legislative session. In 2014, he issued the next most vetoes, atfive. Over his career, the governor has turned down 23 bills. Needless to say, the vetoes have made a bunch of people unhappy — including members of his own party.
Extremely disappointed that Gov. Hickenlooper vetoed my bill to authorize people with autism spectrum disorders to use medical marijuana (HB 18-1263) today. Many people are devastated. @TommyMitchAZ
— Edie Hooton (@EdieHooton)
Election coverage
Just in case you wanted to peek at our stories to get a better idea of who the candidates are and what issues they are talking about as you receive your ballot…
- Election 2018 stories
- Who is running for Colorado governor?
- Colorado governor’s race stories
- Who is running for Colorado treasurer?
- A secret recording, a Bronze Star and “The Royal Tenenbaums” — the Democratic race to unseat Mike Coffman is flush with personality, politics
- Who is running for Colorado attorney general?
- Colorado attorney general’s race stories
- Democrats running for Colorado attorney general are aligned on the issues — but not on how to solve them
- Five things to know about Phil Weiser
- Five things to know about state Rep. Joe Salazar
Funny surprise this morning to see my guide for unaffiliated voters tacked on my apartment building’s message board.
— Jesse Aaron Paul ☀ (@JesseAPaul)
DENVER & THE SUBURBS
- Denver’s Olympics exploratory committee recommended last week that city and state leaders pursuea bid to hostthe Winter Games in 2030— but seek voter approval first.
- Aurora City Council members this week narrowed the list of candidates for mayor from 13 hopefuls to four.
- Do bike lanes alongside car traffic in Denver scare you?If so, this new map service is for you.
- Greenwood Village finalized rules this week regulating drones in the city so as to cut down on their use to invade people’s privacy, harass folks and their animals and shoot unauthorized footage of concerts at Fiddler’s Green.
- The federal government this week awarded $90 million to help fund the construction of managed lanes on an 18-mile stretch of I-25 between Monument and Castle Rock and to build a shoulder lane on 12 miles of I-70 for mountain-bound travelers.
- Two companies this week still were ignoring Denver’sorder to remove their dockless electric scootersfrom public streets and sidewalks.
- Concerned about falling chunks of rocket or an inability to fly crop dusters during the growing season? Some eastern plains residents are and they want more information before Spaceport Colorado gets its operator license, possibly in August, and starts launching space planes from Front Range Airport.
D.C. POLITICS FROM A COLORADO PERSPECTIVE
- ’s a make-or-break moment for Mike Coffman and other Republicans who want to force an immigration vote.
- There’s more trouble on the horizon for Amtrak’s Southwest Chief route through southeast Colorado.
- Reminder: Embattled U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt will be speaking Friday in Denver at the Western Conservative Summit. Here’s a preview of the event.
- Change is coming to Americans for Prosperity, which has been very active in Colorado.
- A look at who would suffer in an international trade war.
- Meanwhile, in Colorado such a battle could mean an increase in the price ofcanned beer — and public projects.
THE WIRE
- Two of the Democrats vying to replace U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, are ahead of the June 26 primary. — The Pueblo Chieftain
- El Paso County an opioid lawsuit targeting pharmaceutical giants. — The Colorado Springs Independent
- . — The Vail Daily
- Check out Colorado Public Radio’s . (A very cool, interesting resource.) — Colorado Public Radio
- House Majority Whip Steve Scalise is !— ABC News
- The California judge who sentenced Brock Turner in an infamous sexual assault case this week by voters. — The San Francisco Chronicle
- Two gubernatorial candidates, one Democrat and one Republican,say they’d oppose any .— Denver Business Journal
- “Donald Trump has become fixated on his ability to issue pardons.” — The Washington Post
- “There should be no controversy about the existence of marijuana addiction. We see it every day. The controversy should be why it appears to be .” — Stateline
- What climate change . — KUNC
- This week’s primary elections across the U.S. provided a boost to Democrats’ . — The New York Times
- A billboard urging people not to vote for state Sen. Ray Scott, R-Grand Junction, is creating a little stir on the Western Slope. — KKCO
Questions, comments, feedback about this newsletter? Cool stories?Send them our way.
And thanks for reading!
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P.P.S. Here is your GIF rewards (I’m too proud not to share) for making it to the end of this newsletter.
How I'm feeling as I boil in the Colorado Capitol's air conditioning-less press room cc:
— Jesse Aaron Paul ☀ (@JesseAPaul)
Update
— Jesse Aaron Paul ☀ (@JesseAPaul)
Staff writers John Frank, Jon Murray, Mark K. Matthews and John Aguilar contributed to this newsletter.