The year was 2022. It was mid-February, about 50 degrees. The sky was blue. The flying spud, or what looked like one, was sighted by an Army intelligence officer and four members of his unit from Fort Carson in Colorado, according to documents that were among a new tranche of UFO files released by the Trump administration Friday.

“The witnesses describe the object as roughly the size of a large jet and resembling an angular, non-symmetrical potato made of uneven panels,” according to the documents. Whatever it was, it “was completely stationary about 300-500 feet above” the mountains but “slowly appeared to change shape” and “had a slightly translucent, shimmering white appearance, with defined edges and a milky shimmer that reflected sunlight.”

Then, it disappeared.

A couple of years later, during an interview at the FBI’s field office in New York, one of the witnesses described what they saw to a special agent and a forensic sketch artist, who created a picture of what looked like a potato floating over the mountains.

An FBI account of the interview included some new details. This time, the sighting was said to take place at “approximately 11:25 a.m.” The object was said to be “made up of what can best be described as articulating fish scales or panels that were non-symmetrical, non-overlapping, and irregular shaped.” And it was “perfectly still,” though the panels on it seemed to shift “in slow waves starting at different points of origin but at the same time.”

The Trump administration started releasing UFO files in batches last month, when President Donald Trump said his predecessors had “failed to be transparent on this subject,” adding that “people can decide for themselves, ‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?’” But none of the documents released thus far have reshaped the debate about whether there are aliens among us.

For his part, former President Barack Obama told a YouTuber earlier this year that aliens were “real, but I haven’t seen them, and they’re not being kept in Area 51,” but later tamped down speculation by saying that he “saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”

The phenomenon of space potatoes is not entirely new. They played a central role in keeping fictional astronaut Mark Watney alive in “The Martian,” which was an inspiration for an actual astronaut, Don Pettit, who nurtured real floating potatoes on the International Space Station. (He dubbed one of them Spudnik-1.)

This is also not the first potato-related UFO sighting on record.

In 1950, someone standing in front of a gas station in the small city of Piggott, Arkansas, reported what looked like a “100-pound sack of potatoes” drifting with the wind at an elevation of about 8,000 feet, according to declassified Department of Defense records. (An investigator writing the matter up at the time suggested that it might have been a balloon of some kind.)

The latest batch of records also includes a Defense Department account saying that “over a period of two days in October 2023, six federal law enforcement special agents reported observing ‘orbs launching other orbs,’ near a sensitive national security site in the western United States.” An assessment by the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office was inconclusive. It said that “the characteristics described in the agents’ narrative account align with those of certain U.S. military technologies” but that no single system “fully accounts for all the phenomena’s reported characteristics.”

There were also theories related to the big potato.

The government suggested that it could have been an optical illusion. When it was sighted, the mountains were said to have 6 to 12 inches of snow. A government analysis in the provided documents said that “the positioning of the sun in relation to Cheyenne Mountain would allow for backscattering of sunlight reflecting off snow-covered ground” and that “reflection could illuminate low-level clouds in the vicinity.” But it concluded by suggesting there was “low confidence” in that theory.

This article originally appeared in .

If Democrats regain control of the House this fall, DeGette could lead . She says she would have the chance to bring a “Medicare For All” bill — one of the Democrats’ white whale policies — to a vote. She also vows to use that position to make strides toward banning government restrictions on abortion access.

But her opponents in the June 30 primary, lawyer Melat Kiros and University of Colorado Regent Wanda James, say it����ap too little, too late.

“She’s not really done anything effectively in the last 10 years,” said Kiros, also a barista who’s pursuing a doctorate in public policy.

“We don’t have leadership in Congressional District 1,” said James, who is also a marijuana entrepreneur. “Seniority, when you have done nothing and not been effective, is not good.”

But DeGette is fiercely defending her record, saying her opponents don’t understand what the job actually takes and that she’s accomplished plenty in her three decades in Congress.

“I’ve never seen anybody pass a piece of legislation to lower costs through ‘disruption,’ ” she said in an interview with The Denver Post, referring to her opponents’ strategies.

The Democratic primary in dark-blue Denver for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District. The three-way race heated up earlier this year when Kiros soundly defeated DeGette in the Democrats’ Denver County assembly. Though the party assembly process isn’t typically representative of the people voting in the full primary election — in which Democrats as well as unaffiliated voters can participate — the event raised eyebrows among political observers.

It was the first time DeGette, 68, had lost a county assembly vote since she was initially elected in 1996.

“I think she has lost some contact with her constituents based on what you saw at the county assembly,” said former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, who has endorsed James. “It����ap just time for a change.”

DeGette went on to narrowly earn her place on the ballot in late March at the 1st Congressional District party assembly, just clearing the eligibility threshold while Kiros, 29, won top billing. James, 62, landed on the ballot through a petition process.

Whoever wins the nomination will become the favorite in the November midterm against other general election candidates, including presumptive Republican nominee Christy Peterson.

If DeGette loses, the new representative would enter Congress as a freshman lawmaker. Karen Middleton, the president of the Cobalt Abortion Fund, an abortion-rights advocacy group based in Colorado, said that could be a problem during a critical moment in healthcare policy.

“Every time you turn over a member of Congress, you lose seniority, you lose committee assignments, you lose leadership,” she said. Cobalt hasn’t endorsed any of the three primary candidates.

A look at DeGette’s accomplishments

One of the main criticisms lobbed at DeGette in the primary campaign so far has focused on the .

During her time in Congress, DeGette has been the primary sponsor of 205 bills. Seven of them either became law or were incorporated into other bills that later became law, according to .

But focusing on that figure alone shows a fundamental misunderstanding of civics, said James Owens, a spokesman for DeGette’s campaign. Members of Congress do far more work than just introducing bills, he pointed out. They secure funding for projects in their districts, serve on committees, provide services to constituents, bring amendments, and work behind the scenes to build coalitions and shape policies.

Lawmakers can also find ways to weave their policies into other bills that may not bear their names.

“The effectiveness of a legislator is in their ability to get policy passed. And she’s been able to do that through all these different mechanisms, and those various avenues aren’t captured by a simple Google search,” Owens said. “Folks in Denver don’t care if your name is on the bill or if you were pushing to get it included in another bill, they just want the legislation to pass.”

Owens said by his count, DeGette has had a major role in passing more than 40 pieces of legislation for things like , tightening , allowing the Food and Drug Administration to , and funding for projects in the district. Her team says she also played a role in shaping parts of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

DeGette was an architect of the 21st Century Cures Act, . That’s another bill that doesn’t include her name because a Senate version of the legislation, which was designed to accelerate biomedical research, is what eventually passed, Owens said.

DeGette says she’s also been instrumental in educating fellow members of Congress and building coalitions on complex issues like abortion access. She’s been one of two chairs of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus since 2005.

“The next day after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, I called (then-Speaker) Nancy Pelosi on her cell phone … and I said, ‘Nancy, we need to put the Women’s Health Protection Act on the floor next week — and I will guarantee you I have the votes.’ ”

The House later passed that bill, but ultimately it failed in the Senate. DeGette said she has begun working on a plan to bring that legislation back if Democrats regain the House majority.

“I’m sure both of my primary opponents are pro-choice,” she said. “… But if you have a brand new person coming in saying, ‘Put my bill on a very important topic on the floor next week,’ they’re not going to have any ability to do that.”

DeGette is one of 45 members of the Democratic caucus on the litigation task force, which files legal motions and amicus briefs to support and challenge certain efforts in the courts. Earlier this month, to the U.S. Supreme Court that encouraged the justices to protect access to the abortion medication mifepristone.

DeGette has been the prime sponsor on eight unsuccessful bills related to stem cell research but was able to work with Obama on his executive order to .

Despite those actions, the a joint project from Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia that analyzes items moving through Congress, ranked DeGette as below average in effectiveness in eight of 14 terms analyzed.

The center rated five of her terms as average. Only one term, her first, was rated as above average.

The group considers how skilled members of Congress are at moving their agenda items forward. It has ranked U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, who represents Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, as one of the most effective lawmakers in the House. Neguse, a Lafayette resident, is the House’s assistant Democratic leader.

But DeGette’s team says rankings like that lack context and don’t take into account all legislative accomplishments.

For instance, DeGette  in 2019. to be one of the nine impeachment managers for Trump’s 2021 impeachment trial in the Senate.

Promises for her next two years

If her fellow Democrats regain the majority, DeGette believes that, as the current ranking Democratic member of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s , she would become chair of that subcommittee.

Then, she would be able to decide which bills come before it. She would set the agenda, which would allow her to bring legislation implementing Medicare for All to the committee. For it to be successful from there, she said, she would lean on her connections to build a support group.

“It����ap having the vision and the ability to write the legislation, and then to push the legislation through and having the contacts to make that happen,” she said. “Legislative politics is a team sport, so you have to be able to be the captain of the team.”

Both James and Kiros are also supporters of Medicare For All, a proposal that can vary in details but typically means single-payer health insurance coverage for all Americans in a program run by the government.

DeGette said her hope is for Democrats to use the next two years to regain power on the national stage.

If the party wins a majority in the House or Senate in the midterms, she said that will allow Democrats to begin developing major policies that they can enact if they then win the presidency in 2028.

“I actually see the next two years as a huge opportunity,” she said.

DeGette has defeated primary challengers before, but this time her opponents have lined up long endorsement rosters. Kiros and local elected officials, including Reps. Javier Mabrey and Denver City Councilwoman Sarah Parady. James counts Webb and his wife, Wilma, as well as Ken Salazar, a former U.S. senator and Interior secretary, along with .

Both challengers also have fundraising in the six figures, with Kiros reporting about $375,000 in contributions through March 31 and James reporting about $234,000.

But DeGette has more than held her own, reporting contributions approaching $1 million, including heavy support from political action committees. And she from a litany of labor unions, abortion-rights groups and other organizations on her website.

Kiros and James offer something new

If Kiros is able to continue her momentum from the assembly process and win the primary, she would join a wave of young Democrats nationwide who are seeking to oust longstanding political figures.

Kiros, a Democratic socialist, sees herself aligning with members of Congress like U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.

She said that after Democrats lost the 2024 presidential and many congressional elections, she believes the party needs more competitive primaries.

“We need to make sure that we’re sending the best of the best to the general. And particularly looking at Democrats that have been there for decades — and so I looked at the congresswoman,” she said, referring to DeGette. “There’s nothing in her record to point to that shows that she’s fighting for working people right now in a way that����ap meaningful and tangible.”

DeGette responded to criticism that she has been in office for too long during her interview with The Post.

“I think there are people in Congress who’ve been there too long. But I think the voters of the 1st Congressional District know me, and they know that I’m a fighter for their values, and you need both,” she said. “You need people who have the experience and the leadership roles to know when the time is right to get these things done, and that����ap where I’m at.”

While Kiros is aligned with some of DeGette’s values, she has distinguished herself with her views on the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. While DeGette has focused her comments on the need for humanitarian aid, Kiros has more directly criticized Israel and questioned its legitimacy as a state.

She said in a recent interview that she wouldn’t support providing offensive or defensive weapons to the country.

James, a Navy veteran�����Ի� the owner of the cannabis company Simply Pure, said that if she was elected, she would do a better job of using the bully pulpit than DeGette does.

“I’ve lived here now for 20 years, and I don’t think that I have ever seen my congresswoman being interviewed on any television show,” she said. “I don’t believe I have ever seen my congresswoman stepping out and holding Congress or the other party to task anywhere.”

DeGette has taken a somewhat lower-profile approach to her position than some of her colleagues. She is less active on social media and appears at public events less often than some of her colleagues in Colorado’s congressional delegation.

She was absent, for instance, during a recent news conference in Denver with Mayor Mike Johnston and Democratic National Committee leaders as the group considers hosting its 2028 presidential nominating convention in her district. U.S. Rep. Jason Crow was present, but DeGette said she had a conflict. She said she did meet with the DNC delegation during its visit.

“Diana DeGette is nonexistent and has been nonexistent as long as I’ve been a resident of CD1,” James said. “That����ap why I’m running. … In Colorado’s capital city, CD1 should be leading the conversation.”

Mail ballots for the Democratic primary are set to go out starting June 8. The 1st District generally follows Denver city boundaries and includes Glendale and Holly Hills.

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Re: “Colorado led the way against farm animal cruelty. Now Congress will take us backward,” May 17 commentary

Krista Kafer’s column misstates the issue before Congress. Colorado remains free to regulate farms physically operating in Colorado. The question is whether one state may impose requirements on farmers in other states as a condition of access to a national market.
That distinction matters.

The U.S. House language under debate does not and would not prohibit Colorado from banning gestation crates on Colorado farms. It addresses something different: whether California, or any single state, can use its market access to regulate production practices occurring thousands of miles beyond its borders.

Denver voters themselves recently showed that these debates are more complicated than activists often suggest. In 2024, voters overwhelmingly rejected the ballot measures seeking to ban slaughterhouses and prohibit the sale of fur products in the city.

Even in a city with strong support for animal welfare, voters understand that proposals can go too far. Veterinarians do as well, and the American Veterinary Medical Association has said California’s approach on Prop 12 is unscientific and has no demonstrable benefit to animals.

Reasonable people can disagree about housing systems and animal welfare. But the current debate is not whether states may govern themselves. It is whether states may govern one another through interstate commerce.

States’ rights remain important. So do functioning national markets that keep food affordable and available at scale. Congress exists, supported by the Commerce Clause in the U.S. Constitution, precisely to manage these conflicts.

Andy Curliss, Des Moines, Iowa

Editor’s note: Curliss is chairman of the Carver Center for Agriculture & Nutrition.

‘Leave cruelty in the past’

Congress should not be nationalizing cruelty.

Colorado got this right: gestation crates, veal crates and battery cages are indefensible confinement systems designed to strip animals of movement, comfort and dignity while maximizing profit.

The current push in Washington is a blunt message to states and voters: your standards don’t count if they inconvenience Big Ag. That should offend anyone who believes in democracy, basic decency or the idea that sentient beings deserve more than a lifetime of confinement.

The real momentum is not toward a slightly roomier cage. It is toward food systems that don’t depend on misery at all. Vegan eating offers a practical, compassionate way forward that is better for animals, and better for the planet and public health.

Congress should leave cruelty in the past where it belongs.

Ben Williamson, Torrance, Calif.

‘Concrete solutions’ necessary to combat shootings

Re: “Delusional thinking on gun laws,” May 17 letter to the editor

The letter writer complains that Colorado gun laws do nothing to prevent shootings and he blames mental health and single parents. He does a disservice to people with diagnosable mental illness by casting suspicion on them. Most of them are no more dangerous than the rest of us.

He’s right that we should reach out to “isolated” kids. But you can’t force someone to get mental health counseling, and besides, being isolated or “radicalized” is not a diagnosable, treatable mental illness.

If these kids that the letter writer is concerned about are 18 and want to buy an assault rifle, they can’t: Colorado raised the for rifles from 18 to 21. And anyone with a specific violent misdemeanor on their record can’t purchase for five years. And Colorado has a popular “red flag” law that can address people identified as dangerous to themselves or others. And we have a safe storage law that requires gun owners to responsibly keep firearms away from kids.

Coloradans have those reasonable tools, among others, to help prevent shootings. And yet the gun lobby opposed them all. These laws can’t prevent all shootings, but they certainly offer more than simply blaming mental health, blaming single parents and offering no concrete solutions.

Tom Mauser, Littleton

Editor’s note: Mauser is the father of Columbine victim Daniel Mauser.

Hopefully Democrats won’t regain power for ‘a long, long time’

Re: “Which Democrat could repair the damage Trump did?” May 17 commentary

The Democrats are so out of touch with the American people and what they want, it’s incredible to me. And what the Democrats want says it all.

President Barack Obama said he wanted to fundamentally change our country. Could you love something you fundamentally wanted to change? Kamala Harris summed it up the other night when she said we must be open to all crazy ideas.

Columnist Jill Lawrence implies that Marco Rubio and JD Vance would be horrible candidates for president. She also mentions the need for “checks on presidential pardon power.” Where was she when Joe Biden misused his power and weaponized the government, the justice department, and the IRS, etc.? She mentions the need for independent commissions on redistricting, but does not mention how the Democrats have been leading efforts to gain one-party rule via their own redistricting efforts nationwide.

Lawrence mentions the need for expanding (packing) the Supreme Court. She mentions “stopping the Iran war” but offers no plan to do so. She mentions reopening the Strait of Hormuz with no plan to do so. And she mentions restoring the failed Obama-era agreement that has led to Iran being within two weeks of processing weapons-grade uranium. This is the very reason most experts say President Trump had no choice but to go to war against Iran. The Democrats have old, worn-out ideas to move toward one-party rule like in California. How has that worked out? How will it work out for the country? If this is all the democrats have to offer, hopefully they will not be in power for a long, long time.

Steve Gehrke, Aurora

‘Shocked and saddened’ by list of GOP contenders

Re: ” ‘Trump 2028’ Could it be a vote for Ivanka, Eric or Don Jr.?” May 17 commentary

I read Mark K. Lewis’ column, “Could it be a vote for Ivanka, Eric or Don Jr?” and was immediately shocked and saddened that this could even be a remote possibility.

The fact that Donald Trump still has an 85% approval rating among Republicans is astonishing. What alternate universe are they living in? This administration is the most corrupt in the history of our country, affordability is at an all-time low, and we are in a senseless war in Iran where no clear objectives have been put forth. Despite the relentless assault on our Constitution and deficits exploding, the Republican Party considering Trump’s children as potential candidates in 2028 just shows how uneducated and morally bankrupt they are.

The damage that has been done to our country will take years to undo and yet the Republican Party still doesn’t get it.

Trump has said he loves uneducated voters, and he has got his wish. What continues to amaze me is that they keep on voting against their own self-interests. These are the same people who rely on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and all the other safety nets that allow people to escape poverty. I can’t imagine what they are thinking as all these programs are under attack.

Wake up, America, and put an end to unnecessary $500 billion dollar ballrooms paid for now by taxpayers’ money, and come to your senses. Trump and his family don’t care about you but only how they can enrich themselves.

Pray that Democrats are once again running this country starting in the 2026 midterms and then in 2028.

Then maybe we can restore sanity to our country and repair relationships with our allies that, through NATO, have kept dictators at bay.

David Shaw, Highlands Ranch

Let’s move on from COVID-driven restaurant fees

Re: “Service charges remain controversial, confusing,” May 17 news story

Prior to March 2020 and the COVID effect on restaurants, enjoying a meal out was a simple, non-political thing. If the food and service were really good, diners added 15% to the bill. As a result of COVID, an altruistic and noble program was initiated to protect restaurant staff who were suffering. While a great idea at the time, diners, since then, have been bombarded with new expectations — changing of tip standards, never-before-seen service charges, etc. As a result, dining experiences now require a reading of the fine print on the menu and social/political considerations when tipping.

Now, it����ap time to go back to the sacred 15% tipping rule and let the restaurateur deal internally with the staff without involving the poor diner. Remembering that “all boats rise with the tide,” a 15% tip in today’s inflated dining costs is quite a pay boost compared to that 15% tip on the same meal charge six years ago.

Let����ap declare victory over COVID dining ideas and move on.

Curt Anderson, Broomfield

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Martin, who is from Minnesota, gave brief comments during a news conference at Ball Arena, the only part of the three-day visit open to members of the media. The visit started Tuesday.

“The mayor has been working tirelessly to get this convention here,” he said of Mayor Mike Johnston. “They have rolled out the blue carpet, as I say, and it����ap been terrific.”

Denver is the third of five cities that Martin and the DNC team will visit on scouting trips before they decide which will host the 2028 convention. The other contenders are Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. The winner will host the four-day convention in August 2028, bringing in tens of thousands of visitors and giving the city a national stage to show off its attractions.

Martin hinted that his team may also choose a host city for the 2032 convention.

“While we are here to tour and discuss the various logistical and administrative requirements for hosting the Democratic National Convention, we also seek a city that tells a story, that shares our values and will be a true partner with us,” he said.

Johnston led the press event, which also included comments from Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib.

“This is a state (where) we’re successfully showing not only (that) Democrats win and continue to win, but we’re governing effectively,” Polis said. “We’re happy to share that with our colleagues … and many others from across the entire nation to make sure that more of the country can really look west for the future.”

Denver and Colorado officials have focused on highlighting the city’s transportation and logistical advantages during their pitch. They’ve also pointed to Democratic policy wins locally, including free kindergarten and preschool, decreases in street homelessness and improved public safety.

Johnston shared some details of the visit so far, including taking the DNC officials to the Colorado Avalanche’s playoff game Tuesday night — the team beat Martin’s home-state Minnesota Wild 5-2 — and singing karaoke at the Capitol Hill bar Charlie Brown’s.

During what he jokingly called his “closing argument” Wednesday, he called back to the last time Denver hosted the Democrats’ convention. That was in 2008, when then-Sen. Barack Obama accepted his nomination for president.

“This city and the ’08 convention made famous the idea of hope and change,” he said. “As we think about this coming convention, it is true that often hope inspires change. But it is more profoundly true that change drives hope.”

The DNC visit coincided with a heavy spring snowstorm that left several inches of snow over the city. The storm didn’t majorly impact the planned tour, though. City officials did have to pivot away from their plan to bring Martin and the rest of the team to a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a spokesman said.

One of the key factors in the decision will be whether Denver bid leaders are able to sufficiently fundraise for the event. Johnston said the city has built out a “detailed financial plan” to raise the resources but that the process wouldn’t fully kick off until the city is actually named as the host.

The mayor also said the city hasn’t used any of its own resources in trying to bring the convention to the city. Instead, bid leaders have worked with a nonprofit that serves as the city’s tourism sales and marketing agency. It receives both private dollars and some tax dollars from the city’s lodging tax.

During the three-day site visit, which begins Tuesday, Denver bid leaders will showcase the city’s best features as they attempt to persuade the party officials to choose the city for the 2028 event, Mayor Mike Johnston’s office confirmed.

The city is facing off against Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. Democratic National Committee leaders have begun visits to each of the cities to evaluate their logistical capabilities, including hotels and transportation infrastructure.

“The goal is to make sure that (DNC Chair) Ken Martin and the rest of the great team at the DNC — from landing to visiting sites to engaging with our community — can feel the energy and excitement that a delegate might feel in 2028,” said Shad Murib, the chair of the Colorado Democratic Party.

Murib added that local leaders will also try to convey their confidence in the city’s ability to host thousands of people.

In a news release in March, the DNC said its leadership, like Martin, and representatives from the party’s Technical Advisory Group would attend the site visits.

The party said those officials would consider factors such as the importance of “forging a strong partnership between the DNC and the host city,” the city’s shared Democratic values and the city’s ability to address challenges that could arise from the event.

Denver hosted the Democrats’ convention in 2008, when then-candidate Barack Obama accepted his presidential nomination in front of tens of thousands of people at Empower Field at Mile High, then called Invesco Field.

Last week, the . According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Georgia Democratic Party Chair Charlie Bailey described their city as the “ultimate battleground” for winning back faith and trust from voters. They pointed to major downtown upgrades made ahead of the FIFA World Cup games that will be played there later this year.

Dickens also took shots at other finalists, including Denver, saying: “Boston is history. Philadelphia is played out. Denver is nostalgia. Atlanta is now,”

On Wednesday, the national Democrats .

The Denver Post reported in January that the city was making a bid for the event. In March, the DNC announced that Denver was among the five . Earlier this month, Johnston and U.S. Rep. Jason Crow were among Colorado Democrats who attended the DNC’s spring meeting in New Orleans to pitch the city’s credentials.

During the upcoming site visit, Denver leaders will likely try to demonstrate that the city is accessible, safe and vibrant.

The city earlier this year as part of the bid that touts Red Rocks Amphitheatre as well as the city’s professional sports teams, museums, outdoor access, breweries and restaurants. The video, narrated by Johnston, also highlights some of the city and state’s policy accomplishments, including decreases in street homelessness and crime, expanded affordable housing, universal preschool and abortion access.

Presidential nominating conventions, which happen every four years, are where Democratic and Republican party delegates formally select their presidential and vice presidential candidates. The event could bring a major economic boost to the city, which saw major budget cuts last year amid stagnating sales tax revenue.

The other cities have also hosted the event before, with Chicago doing so 12 times. The DNC was in Philadelphia in 2016, Boston in 2004 and Atlanta in 1988.

The national committee hasn’t said when it will announce its city selection, but the 2024 location was announced about a year and a half before the convention. The next Democratic convention is set for Aug. 7-10, 2028.

They’ll be part of a contingent of local Democratic heavy-hitters — also including Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib — visiting the Crescent City to bolster Denver’s bid as it competes against four other cities.

Crow said the fact that Denver has done it before means it’s more than prepared to do it again. Denver hosted the Democratic convention in 2008, when a fresh-faced U.S. senator from Illinois named Barack Obama accepted the party’s presidential nomination.

“We know we can do this and do this well,” the congressman from Aurora told The Denver Post in an interview on Thursday. “We have the capacity. We have the infrastructure.”

And Colorado, he said, has the blue credentials to excite the base and put them to work making sure the next occupant of the White House is a Democrat.

“At a time when the Democratic Party is facing a crisis of confidence in so many places, and in so many ways, Colorado is a beacon of how to do it right,” Crow said.

Early last month, the national party announced that Denver to host the Democratic National Convention — joining Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. The nominating convention for the party’s presidential ticket is set for Aug. 7-10, 2028.

The party and potential host cities are working out site visit plans for each in the coming weeks. A decision on which city wins the bid will likely be made this summer.

Johnston and other city representatives have lobbied for the event both formally and informally in recent months. The mayor’s spokesman, Jon Ewing, confirmed Johnston’s appearance in New Orleans this weekend and said the mayor recognizes the manifold benefits of steering the event to the Mile High City.

“Landing the DNC would be an enormous economic boon for Denver, bringing tens of thousands of visitors to Colorado and generating hundreds of millions of dollars in activity for the city and local businesses,” Ewing said.

Murib spoke to The Post by phone from New Orleans, where he’s been since Monday. He will join Crow and Johnston in speaking to the delegates at the spring meeting on Friday evening.

“We’re hoping to show them why Denver is the best place for the 2028 convention,” he said. “We want to emphasize the seamless experience they will have in Denver — from the airport to the hotels to the convention.”

Each of the finalist cities has hosted at least one past Democratic convention — Philadelphia in 2016, Boston in 2004 and Atlanta in 1988. Chicago hosted in 2024, the most recent of its dozen times playing the role.

“We want to show how the convention could be one for the history books again,” Murib said, alluding to the nomination of America’s first Black president 18 years ago.

Murib said three Denver City Council members — President Amanda Sandoval, Chris Hinds and Darrell Watson — will be at the national Democrats’ meeting as well.

Crow, an Army veteran who represents a Colorado district that takes in the eastern and southern suburbs of Denver, is serving as battleground co-chair for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2026 election cycle.

Colorado was among the top states in the nation for Democratic performance in the 2024 election, bucking what was otherwise a red wave that handed control of the White House and Congress to Republicans. Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris beat now-President Donald Trump in Colorado by a margin of 11 percentage points.

“We’re a model for the country,” Crow said.

He said this week’s gathering of party leaders is a critical moment in the push to get Denver back on the national stage two years from now.

“This is the biggest gathering between now and when the (convention) decision is made,” Crow said.

Murib said the meeting in New Orleans won’t be all serious business, though.

“It’s a little bit of a party — and a pitch,” he said.

Someone dressed in a big blue bear costume — an homage to the 40-foot ursine behemoth who peers into the Colorado Convention Center along 14th Street in downtown Denver — has already been getting a lot of attention from attendees, the party chair said.

“Everyone is getting a picture with the big blue bear wearing Mardi Gras beads,” he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert S. III, the FBI director who transformed the nation’s premier law enforcement agency into a terrorism-fighting force after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and who later became special counsel in charge of , has died. He was 81.

“With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away” on Friday night, his family said in a statement Saturday. “His family asks that their privacy be respected.”

At the FBI, Mueller set about almost immediately overhauling the bureau’s mission to meet the law enforcement needs of the 21st century, beginning his 12-year tenure just one week before the and serving across presidents of both political parties. The cataclysmic event instantaneously switched the bureau’s top priority from solving domestic crime to preventing terrorism, a shift that imposed an almost impossibly difficult standard on Mueller and the rest of the federal government: preventing 99 out of 100 terrorist plots wasn’t good enough.

Later, into whether the Trump campaign illegally coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of the 2016 presidential race. His on Trump’s behalf and that the Trump campaign welcomed the help, but Mueller and his team ultimately found insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy and did not make a prosecutorial decision about whether Trump had obstructed justice.

Mueller was maligned throughout the two-year investigation by Trump, who regularly derided it as a “witch hunt.” But the patrician Princeton graduate and Vietnam veteran who walked away from a lucrative midcareer job to stay in public service remained silent throughout the criticism, exhibiting an old-school, buttoned-down style that made him an anachronism during a social media-saturated era.

Trump posted on social media after the announcement of Mueller’s death: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead.” The Republican president added, “He can no longer hurt innocent people!”

Republican President George W. Bush, who nominated Mueller, said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened” by Mueller’s death and praised him for having “dedicated his life to public service” and for overhauling the FBI’s mission. Democratic President Barack Obama, who kept Mueller on even after his 10-year term had expired, called him “one of the finest directors in the history of the FBI” who saved “countless lives” after transforming the bureau.

“But it was his relentless commitment to the rule of law and his unwavering belief in our bedrock values that made him one of the most respected public servants of our time,” Obama added.

The FBI did not respond to a request seeking comment and current , a Trump loyalist, did not immediately note the death on social media. The FBI Agents Association cited Mueller’s “commitment to public service and to the FBI’s mission.“

A second act as an investigator of a sitting president

The second-longest-serving director in FBI history, behind only J. Edgar Hoover, Mueller held the job until 2013 after agreeing to Obama’s request to remain on the job after the conclusion of his tenure.

After several years in private practice, Mueller was asked by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to return to public service as in the Trump-Russia inquiry.

Mueller’s stern visage and taciturn demeanor matched the seriousness of the mission, as his team spent nearly two years quietly conducting one of the most consequential, yet divisive, investigations in Justice Department history. He held no news conferences and made no public appearances during the investigation, remaining quiet despite attacks from Trump and his supporters and creating an aura of mystery around his work.

All told, Mueller brought criminal charges against six of the president’s associates, including his and .

His released in April 2019 identified substantial contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia but did not allege a criminal conspiracy. Mueller laid out damaging details about Trump’s efforts to seize control of the investigation, and even shut it down, though he declined to decide whether Trump had broken the law, in part because of department policy barring the indictment of a sitting president.

But, in perhaps the most memorable language of the report, Mueller pointedly noted: “If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment.”

The nebulous conclusion did not deliver the knockout punch to the administration that some Trump opponents had hoped for, nor did it trigger a sustained push by House Democrats to impeach the president — on separate allegations related to Ukraine.

The outcome also left room for Attorney General to insert his own views. He and his team made their own determination that Trump did not obstruct justice, and he and Mueller privately tangled over a four-page summary letter from Barr that Mueller felt did not adequately capture his report’s conclusions.

Mueller deflated Democrats during a highly anticipated congressional hearing on his report when he offered terse, one-word answers and appeared uncertain in his testimony. Frequently, he seemed to waver on details of his investigation. It was hardly the commanding performance many had expected from Mueller, who had a towering reputation in Washington.

Over the next months, Barr made clear his own disagreements with the foundations of the Russia investigation, moving to dismiss a false-statements prosecution that Mueller had brought against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, even though that investigation ended in a guilty plea.

Mueller’s tenure as special counsel was the capstone of a career spent in government.

FBI transformed into a national security agency

At his 2001 confirmation hearing, Mueller spoke emphatically about the FBI’s role in combating everything from health care fraud to crimes against children and described the agency he would soon lead as “vital to the preservation of our civil order and our civil rights.”

“One could hardly overstate the significance of the FBI in the life of every American,” he said.

It quickly became clear that his time as FBI director would be defined by the Sept. 11 attacks and its aftermath as an FBI granted broad new surveillance and national security powers scrambled to confront an ascendant al-Qaida and interrupt plots and take terrorists off the street before they could act.

It was a new model of policing for an FBI that had long been accustomed to investigating crimes that had already occurred.

When he became FBI director, “I had expected to focus on areas familiar to me as a prosecutor: drug cases, white-collar criminal cases and violent crime,” Mueller told a group of lawyers in October 2012.

Instead, “we had to focus on long-term, strategic change. We had to enhance our intelligence capabilities and upgrade our technology. We had to build upon strong partnerships and forge new friendships, both here at home and abroad.”

In response, the FBI shifted 2,000 of the total 5,000 agents in the bureau’s criminal programs to national security.

In hindsight, the transformation was a success. At the time, there were problems, and Mueller said as much. In a speech near the end of his tenure, Mueller recalled “those days when we were under attack by the media and being clobbered by Congress; when the attorney general was not at all happy with me.”

Among the issues: The Justice Department’s inspector general found that the FBI circumvented the law to obtain thousands of phone call records for terrorism investigations.

Mueller decided that the FBI would not take part in abusive interrogation techniques of suspected terrorists, but the policy was not effectively communicated down the line for nearly two years. In an effort to move the FBI into a paperless environment, the bureau spent over $600 million on two computer systems — one that was 2½ years overdue and a predecessor that was only partially completed and had to be scrapped after consultants declared it obsolete and riddled with problems.

For the nation’s top law enforcement agency, it was a rocky trip through rough terrain.

But there were many successes as well, including thwarted terror plots and headline-making criminal cases like the one against fraudster Bernie Madoff. The Republican also cultivated an apolitical reputation on the job, nearly quitting in a clash with the Bush administration over a surveillance program that he and his successor, James Comey, considered unlawful.

He famously stood alongside Comey, then deputy attorney general, during a dramatic 2004 hospital standoff over federal wiretapping rules. The two men planted themselves at the bedside of the ailing Attorney General John Ashcroft to block Bush administration officials from making an end run to get Ashcroft’s permission to reauthorize a secret no-warrant wiretapping program.

In an extraordinary vote of confidence, Congress, at the Obama administration’s request, approved a two-year extension for Mueller to remain at his post.

“A great American died today, one I was lucky enough to learn from and stand beside,” Comey said in an Instagram post.

Another former FBI director, Christopher Wray, who was appointed during Trump’s first term and then served under President Joe Biden, said in a separate statement that Mueller was the “consummate straight shooter.”

“As everyone at the FBI who worked for, or with him, is well aware, Bob Mueller embodied the virtue of prioritizing service to the country over self, and he always put the mission first,” Wray said.

A Marine who served in Vietnam before becoming a prosecutor

Mueller was born in New York City and grew up in a well-to-do suburb of Philadelphia.

He received a bachelor’s degree from Princeton and a master’s degree in international relations from New York University. He then joined the Marines, serving for three years as an officer during the Vietnam War. He led a rifle platoon and was awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and two Navy Commendation Medals. Following his military service, Mueller earned a law degree from the University of Virginia.

Mueller became a federal prosecutor and relished the work of handling criminal cases. He rose quickly through the ranks in U.S. attorneys’ offices in San Francisco and Boston from 1976 to 1988. Later, as head of the Justice Department’s criminal division in Washington, he oversaw a range of high-profile prosecutions that chalked up victories against targets as varied as Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega and New York crime boss John Gotti.

In a mid-career switch that shocked colleagues, Mueller left a job at a prestigious law firm to join the homicide division of the U.S. attorney’s office in the nation’s capital. There, he immersed himself as a senior litigator in a bulging caseload of unsolved drug-related murders in a city rife with violence.

Mueller was driven by a career-long passion for the painstaking work of building successful criminal cases. Even as head of the FBI, he would dig into the details of investigations, some of them major cases but others less so, sometimes surprising agents who suddenly found themselves on the phone with the director.

“The management books will tell you that as the head of an organization, you should focus on the vision,” Mueller once said. But “for me there were and are today those areas where one needs to be substantially personally involved,” especially in regard to “the terrorist threat and the need to know and understand that threat to its roots.”

Two terrorist attacks occurred toward the end of Mueller’s watch: the Boston Marathon bombing and the Fort Hood shootings in Texas. Both weighed heavily on him, he acknowledged in an interview two weeks before his departure.

“You sit down with victims’ families, you see the pain they go through and you always wonder whether there isn’t something more” that could have been done, he said.

___ Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.

The event could mean a major economic boost for the city, which has faced a steep budget crunch recently as sales tax revenue has stagnated. Denver will compete against Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia for the convention. National Democrats will visit each city this spring as they consider options.

The Denver Post first reported that the city was preparing a bid to host the convention in January. This is the first time the city has formally confirmed its bid.

“I’m thrilled the Democratic National Committee is considering Denver as the host city for the 2028 convention,” Mayor Mike Johnston said in a news release Monday. “Denver not only offers everything a successful convention needs, but we are a shining example of how to lead America forward by dreaming big and delivering bigger.”

The convention will be from Aug. 7-10, 2028,

“The DNC is proud to be moving forward with our 2028 Democratic National Convention plans, another critical step toward retaking the White House and finally putting an end to Republicans’ betrayal of working families,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating our future nominees on the national stage and highlighting Democrats’ commitment to building a better, safer, and more affordable future for our country.”

DNC leadership and representatives of the party’s “Technical Advisory Group” will come to the city for the site visit. They will “assess the logistical and operational components of each city’s bid,” according to the news release.

According to the release, the party will consider things like:

• The importance of “forging a strong partnership between the DNC and the host city, including its community, political, and business leaders.”
• A city that “shares Democratic values.”
• “The value of utilizing new and innovative approaches in response to the challenges and opportunities that arise from hosting an event of this magnitude.”

Presidential nominating conventions, which happen every four years, are where Democratic and Republican party delegates formally select their presidential candidates.

Denver last hosted the event in 2008 when President Barack Obama accepted his nomination at Empower Field at Mile High, then called Invesco Field.

Each of the other competing cities have also hosted the event before, with Chicago doing so 12 times already. The DNC was also in Philadephia in 2016, Boston in 2004 and Atlanta in 1988.

When Chicago held the event in 2024, it brought in an estimated $200 million in spending, The event would also have costs with thousands of visitors straining the city’s resources, including its infrastructure and law enforcement.

The DNC didn’t specify in its news release when the organization would make its decision. The Republican National Committee in 2023 announced that it had selected Houston for its 2028 convention.

Several prominent city and state leaders, including Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib provided supportive statements in the news release Monday.

“Denver and all of Colorado is convenient to get to and is a must-visit destination for people around the country and around the world, and it makes perfect sense that Denver would be considered a finalist to host the Democratic National Convention,” Polis said. “Denver has already proven that we can host an incredible Democratic National Convention, having hosted one of the most memorable in recent history, and I have no doubt that when the committee visits they will see the same opportunity for 2028.”

also included statements from City Council President Amanda Sandoval, Denver Area Labor Federation President Jon Alvino, Downtown Denver Partnership CEO Kourtny Garrett and Visit Denver President & CEO Richard W. Scharf.

Denver about the city when submitting its bid, according to the city’s news release.

Re: “Racist post on Obamas deleted after backlash,” Feb. 7 news story

In 2016 Delta County Republican Party chairperson Linda Sorenson shared a racist post referring to former President Barack Obama as a chimpanzee. It did not happen as quickly as it should have, but Sorenson eventually was forced to resign because of the incident.

Ten years later racism is still alive and prevalent in the Republican Party with President Donald Trump depicting the Obamas as apes.

Trump should be forced to resign because of this and countless other awful things he has done. I must once again question how anyone can continue to condone the behaviors of this evil man and belong to a political party that supports him.

David Ryan, Salida

Is there a day when Trump doesn’t lie? An alleged staffer posted on his private Truth Social account at around 1 a.m. — when the president usually posts bizarre things — a video clip that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as primates. Reporters interviewed Trump and he claimed he did not do it. His claim was a staff member did the posting. Yeah, right. This is off his own private Truth Social account. But then again, he continues to do whatever he wants because no one does anything about it.

Leroy M. Martinez, Denver

Bad Bunny celebrated the cultures that make up the U.S.

Thank you, Bad Bunny, for reminding the world that the true America is a multilingual amalgam of cultures that should be nurtured, valued, and respected and that millions of people who have chosen to make the United States their home have enriched it with their traditions.

The United States should not be the divided, diseased country it has become, crippled by the autocratic, delusional, and toxic leadership of the current administration. The haters will come out in force after your Super Bowl performance — misrepresenting your intentions, twisting your words and actions to suit their agenda. But you performed proudly and with purpose.

There are still many in this country who value truth, who believe that history should be preserved and not erased, who understand that constitutional rights should not be swept away to suit the whims of a megalomaniac, and who refuse to wallow in ignorance and hate. We applaud your music. We applaud your courage. We applaud your humanity.

Norma Brenes, Longmont

Slowed population growth should be a good news story

Re: “State’s growth slowest since ’90,” Jan. 28 news story

From the headline, I thought it was going to be treated as good news, but old beliefs die hard, and even after 45 years of growth trickling up, not trickling down, it is still commonly believed to be beneficial. It is beneficial to the already rich since growth is the method of transferring wealth from the many to the few. However, growth means more congestion, more dirty air, more restrictions on water, more housing costs, more crime, more homelessness, and the list goes on.

The good news is that when women are treated as equals and educated, they have fewer children on average, or no children, and in a number of societies, the population is going down; that is good because Mother Nature is telling us via the climate crisis that she is unable to handle the pollution from 8 billion people.

So while only slowly, some people are learning that growth is not the solution; it is really the problem.

Don Thompson, Alamosa

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Twenty years later, Denver’s city leaders want to recreate : the thousands of eager visitors, the national focus on the Mile High City, the event that sparked a decade of Democratic political successes.

Mayor Mike Johnston’s office is preparing a bid to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention, according to a letter from Colorado’s Democratic members of Congress provided to The Denver Post by one of the signatories’ offices.

Presidential nominating conventions, which happen every four years, are where Democratic and Republican party delegates formally select their presidential candidates.

If Denver is successful, it could mean a major economic boost for a city still struggling to rebuild its downtown after the COVID-19 pandemic and years of construction on 16th Street. When Chicago held the event in 2024, it brought in an according to the Chicago Tribune.

The 2008 convention created a regional benefit of about $400 million in today’s dollars for the Denver area, then-Mayor John Hickenlooper

The event would also have costs, however. Thousands of new people all pouring into Denver at once would strain the city’s resources, including its infrastructure and law enforcement. The 2008 convention brought protests and a heavy police presence.

that the Windy City spent at least $75 million in federal dollars to strengthen its fire and police forces, and on construction.

Denver’s own budget has been strained this past year as stagnating sales tax revenue triggered layoffs and spending cuts.

So far, Johnston’s office isn’t providing details on the city’s bid, with spokesman Jon Ewing saying only: “We are honored to be in consideration to host the Democratic National Convention.”

But a from the state’s Democratic members of Congress to party chair Ken Martin confirms that the city plans to submit a bid.

“We would be honored to welcome the Democratic National Convention back to Colorado in 2028 and to share the incredible amenities, hospitality and spirit of our thriving state,” according to the letter dated Dec. 17. “We encourage you to give the bid submitted by the City and County of Denver your full and fair consideration consistent with all applicable laws and regulations.”

Denver’s DNC pitch

It����ap unclear exactly what Denver’s leaders will include in their proposal, but the delegates’ letter and input from political experts provide some clues into what officials may highlight.

The package is likely to present some practical necessities — like possible hotel, security and venue options — and an appeal to a grander political narrative about how Denver represents the future of the Democratic Party.

Colorado has become a Democratic stronghold in recent election cycles, a major change from its swing-state status in 2008. As national Democrats search for a new path to political success, returning to the place that launched the Obama coalition may offer a strong symbol. Colorado’s Democratic representatives in Congress nodded to that in their letter, calling Obama’s nomination “one of the most iconic moments in convention history.”

Part of what made Obama’s acceptance speech so notable was that it took place at Empower Field at Mile High, then called Invesco Field. Typically, nominating conventions are held in smaller, enclosed arenas. The last-minute change to the massive stadium created a unique, rockstar-like atmosphere that Democrats haven’t replicated since. While Obama’s campaign attempted to hold another open-air acceptance in 2012, .

The Congressional delegation also pointed to the convenience of most parts of the country having direct flights into Denver International Airport and the city’s A-Line commuter rail from the airport to Union Station.

“Beyond the city, Colorado’s natural beauty offers extraordinary opportunities for attendees who may wish to extend their stay,” they wrote.

Shad Murib, the chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, also declined to share details on the city’s application but confirmed that the party is working with Johnston’s office on it. In a statement, he nodded to recent election results that show Colorado voters are only getting more Democratic despite the opposite happening in many parts of the country.

“In 2024 and 2025, Colorado showed the nation how Democrats can win in rural and red areas alike with community-oriented candidates, year-round organizing and an across-the-board focus on saving people money and strengthening freedoms,” he said in a written statement. “That����ap what it����ap going to take to win back Congress and the White House.”

What national Democrats may consider

In the past, the Democratic National Committee has oscillated between hosting the event in swing states and safe Democratic areas. The last convention, in 2024, was held in Chicago, a deep blue city in a deep blue state. The 2020 convention was meant to be in Milwaukee — in the swing state of Wisconsin — before officials opted for a mostly virtual convention due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This would be less about trying to win over the state for the Democrats but could still be bringing attention to political organization in the Mountain West,” said Seth Masket, a professor of political science at the University of Denver.

Some of the other cities known to be submitting bids for the convention are �����Ի� . Those could become new rivals for Denver as the process heats up. In past election cycles, city leaders who were finalists for the event lobbed insults at one another, disparaging one another from across the country for a chance at the prestigious selection.

Masket said in the end, the party’s choices are often “surprisingly opaque.”

“I would think the city (Denver) would be very competitive with this,” Masket said. “It����ap also pretty vague how the party makes this decision in the end and what features they actually end up being most persuaded by.”

The Democratic National Committee didn’t respond to a request for comment by this story’s deadline.

Masket remembers the 2008 convention being a “very vibrant time to be in the city.” That would be good news for Johnston, who has made vibrancy his biggest tagline for Denver’s goals and who plans to run for a second term in 2027.

“Every sort of storefront and restaurant is kind of at its best and just showing people and trying to attract people. It����ap crowded but it����ap an exciting time,” Masket said.

The event would put Denver in the national spotlight, giving people from across the country a look at the city’s mountainous skyline and revamped downtown.

“It����ap very good advertising,” Masket said. “It����ap an expensive thing, but it is good promotion for the city.”

The timeline for when the national committee will choose the location hasn’t been announced, but the 2024 location was selected about a year and a half before the convention.

In an unusually early announcement, the Republican National Committee in 2023 announced that it had

Another factor that could come into play is that Denver has already hosted the event for Democrats twice before, and again in 2008. Several other cities have held the convention multiple times. It has been in Chicago 12 times, Baltimore nine times and New York five times.

While some of those cities re-hosted more than two decades apart, the event was in New York City in 1976, 1980 and 1992. That means it wouldn’t be unprecedented for Democrats to choose Denver again 20 years later.

“It����ap not far-fetched at all,” Masket said.