Coronavirus In Colorado; The Numbers

According to today's data release, in Colorado there have been 205,761 people tested, 27,615 positive cases, 4,472 hospitalized, 1,524 deaths among cases (1,274 deaths due to COVID), 296 outbreaks at residential and non-hospital health care facilities, 60 of 64 counties with positive cases. In Adams County we have 3,515 cases and 135 deaths. Read More from CDPHE HERE

George Floyd Memorial In Denver Draws In Hundreds

A memorial for George Floyd was held in Denver's Civic Center Park on Thursday morning, drawing in a large yet quiet crowd. Numerous officials participated, including U.S. Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse of Boulder, Denver's newly appointed public safety director Murphy Robinson and Mayor Michael Hancock, who helped lead a procession after the service to plant a shingle oak tree in honor of Floyd, a black man who was killed in the custody of white Minneapolis police officers. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

About 1,000 People Gather Near Colorado State Capitol In Latest Night Of Protests

More than 1,000 people gathered near the Colorado State Capitol Thursday in the latest night of protests amid the death of George Floyd, a Black Minneapolis man who was killed in May. A citywide curfew was in effect in Denver beginning at 9 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., protesters were peaceful as they stood near the Capitol. At 9 p.m., most people left the Capitol and Civic Center Park, but a couple hundred people remained on the west side of the State Capitol to chant. There were no reports of violence between protesters and police immediately after the 9 p.m. curfew. Read More from Denverite HERE

Denver To End Curfew Even Though George Floyd Protests Continue

Denver’s emergency curfew will be allowed to expire Friday as protests continue with fewer cases of vandalism and aggression. Although police arrested hundreds over the past week on charges of curfew violations, assault, criminal mischief, burglary, arson and more, in recent days the arrests have dwindled and a sort of truce appears to have been cemented between demonstrators and police. Read More from The Denver Post HERE

Governor Polis Launches Campaign Encouraging Coloradans To Wear Masks, Provides Update On COVID-19 Response

Yesterday Governor Jared Polis launched a new campaign, “Our Masks are Our Passport to the Colorado We Love,” including a public service announcement, encouraging Coloradans to wear masks as much as possible when they leave the house. The Governor delayed the start of the news conference to accommodate the timing of George Floyd’s memorial service. Gov. Polis praised the demonstrators who have continued making their voices heard and remarked on the wise words of Gianna Floyd, George Floyd’s daughter. Read More from Governor Jared Polis HERE

Colorado Churches, Gyms, Pools Can Reopen At Reduced Capacities -- And Businesses Can Now Refuse Service To The Unmasked

Gov. Jared Polis gave Colorado businesses the authority Thursday to refuse service to customers not wearing masks as state health officials issued new guidance allowing houses of worship, gyms, parks and swimming pools to reopen to limited capacities. Houses of worship in Colorado can now reopen at 50% capacity or with up to 50 people in the worship space, whichever is fewer. The new guidance for reopening gyms, fitness classes, rec centers and other indoor sports facilities allows them to operate at up to 25% capacity or 50 people per room — whichever number is fewer — as long as members can stay 6 feet apart. More from The Denver Post HERE and CDPHE HERE  and The Colorado Sun HERE

Unemployment Claims Top Half A Million In Colorado; Colorado Has Paid Out Nearly $2B Since the Pandemic Took Hold

For the seventh week in a row, new unemployment claims have fallen, even as the total number of Coloradans who have applied for benefits since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the state exceeds half a million people. In the week ending May 30, 12,149 people filed claims for traditional unemployment benefits, while more than 6,400 people sought compensation through the federal government’s expansion of the program to those who were self-employed, working part-time, or independent contractors. Colorado has handed out more than $1.9 billion in unemployment benefits since the end of March. To compare, the state and the federal government paid out $2.2 billion in benefits in 2010 for the year during The Great Recession. For the week that ended May 30, the state paid out $86.2 million. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE and CPR HERE

Colorado Coronavirus Relief Package Would Help With Rent, Mortgages, Business Loans

Colorado Democrats unveiled a broad package of coronavirus relief legislation Thursday that includes rent and mortgage assistance, expanded unemployment benefits, and small business loans and grants. More from The Denver Post HERE and Colorado House Democrats HERE 

Polis Will Allow 48-Hour Nursing Home Visitor Pass For People Who Test Negative For Coronavirus

Gov. Jared Polis announced Thursday that people will be allowed to visit their loved ones in nursing homes if they take precautions not to spread COVID-19. They must be tested before going to visit nursing home residents and must have had no known exposures or symptoms. If a person meets those requirements, they will be allowed to have a 48-hour pass to enter the nursing home. Polis did not provide a date when this rule will be implemented. Read More from CPR HERE

Why 400,000 Coloradans May Be at Eviction Risk Through Fall

A new study contends that more than 400,000 people in Colorado could be at risk of eviction through the fall of 2020 — a potential economic and humanitarian cataclysm that forthcoming legislation will try to prevent before June 13, when a temporary extension of an eviction moratorium put in place by Governor Jared Polis is set to expire. The analysis was assembled by Sam Gilman and past Westword profile subject Marco Dorado on behalf of the Colorado Eviction Defense Project (CEDP), whose co-founder, Zach Neumann, notes that a worst-case scenario could result in a fiscal crisis capable of dogging vulnerable people for years to come. Read More from Westword HERE

Law Enforcement Bristles As Sweeping Police Reform Bill Rushes To Committee Approval; Warns Of Unintended Consequences With Colorado Democrats' Sweeping Police Accountability Bill

Just one day after a sweeping police reform bill was introduced, lawmakers passed the controversial measure 3-2 on first committee after hearing seven hours of questions and testimony from law enforcement, criminal justice advocates and families of victims who have died in police encounters. The lightning speed of Colorado’s proposed Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Bill was prompted by the bellowing outcry following the death of George Floyd, the 46-year-old Minneapolis black man killed in police custody on May 25. Senate Bill 217 was introduced on Wednesday in response to George Floyd’s death at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis last week, and it has the support of every Democratic state lawmaker and Gov. Jared Polis. And while Republicans and the law enforcement community praise parts of the legislation, they fear that the measure is being rushed through too quickly and that problems will arise. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE and The Colorado Sun HERE

Colorado Oil-And-Gas Truce Collapses, But Time's Slipping Away For November Ballot

The two sides rattling swords over Colorado oil and gas issues appeared ready to lay down their arms on ballot initiatives this year, but it wasn't meant to be. Now, however, it might not matter anyway. The industry drove the discussion of a truce. One backer of the deal told Colorado Politics they hoped it would lead to longer-term negotiations to avoid settling differences with expensive political campaigns. Factors outside the negotiations, however, contributed to the collapse of any reconciliation this year. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Colorado Democrats To Move Forward With Vaccine Bill; Draws Republican Ire After It Is Scheduled For Sunday Debate; Republicans Stopped Colorado’s Vaccine Bill Last Year With Delay Tactics. Will It Work Again?

Colorado Rep. Kyle Mullica is one of the sponsors Senate Bill 163, aimed at increasing Colorado’s vaccination rates — the lowest in the nation — by making it harder for people to claim non-medical exemptions. The bill was making its way through the legislature — and had passed through the Senate — before the session was suspended due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. This week, leadership agreed to add the bill to the calendar, and it’s scheduled to be heard Sunday at noon by the Health and Insurance Committee. Despite coronavirus and racial justice protests, it’s expected to draw what will be the biggest crowds of this mid-pandemic legislative session. Republicans in the Colorado legislature deployed filibuster tactics Friday in an attempt — for the second year in a row — to protest a Democratic bill aimed at boosting vaccination rates. And it couldn’t come at a more harried time. Read More from The Denver Post HERE, CPR HERE, and The Colorado Sun HERE 

Denver To Provide $750K In Aid To Residents Who Don't Qualify For State, Federal Relief Dollars

Denver City Council on Monday is expected to pass a proposal that would draw $750,000 from the city’s general fund and give those dollars to residents who lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic but do not qualify for aid from the federal or state governments. Mayor Michael Hancock and Councilwoman at Large Robin Kniech worked together on the proposal, which would transfer city dollars to the Left Behind Workers Fund, hosted by Impact Charitable. Each eligible worker would receive $1,000 to cover needs such as food, housing and health care. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Weiser Joins Lawsuit Against Education

Attorney General Phil Weiser has joined a lawsuit against U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, alleging that new federal rules governing schools’ sexual misconduct procedures will deter victims from coming forward and disregard the potential emotional and mental toll on students, slanting the process in favor of alleged abusers. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Governor Polis Announces $44 Million For Education In Federal Governor's Emergency Education Relief Funds

Governor Polis announced $44 million in Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funding for school districts, schools, and institutions of higher education, and other education-related entities to address the impact of COVID-19. The majority of these funds will be utilized for grants to school districts, public schools, and public institutions of higher education serving high-needs students in order to help prevent and address the “COVID slide” and support innovation and equity. In addition, the state will provide significant funding to increase capacity for Colorado Empowered Learning, the state-supported supplemental online program, in order to help school districts and schools access virtual content and professional development for educators in blended instructional models. Read More from Governor Jared Polis HERE

Preschool Classes Of 24 During The Pandemic? Yes, That's Allowed Now In Colorado

Colorado child care providers are no longer limited to just 10 children per classroom now that the state has eased rules put in place when the coronavirus pandemic began. Starting Thursday, the state allowed providers to go back to normal class sizes, which are 14 to 16 in most toddler classrooms and 20 to 24 in preschool classrooms. While many child care centers and home-based providers closed their doors when the pandemic hit, others stayed open for essential workers, often serving just a handful of students per classroom. Read More from Chalkbeat Colorado HERE

Hickenlooper Skips Thursday Ethics Hearing, So Commission Asks AAG To Make Him Show; Testifies In Friday Ethics Commission Hearing

Former governor John Hickenlooper didn’t show up for his ethics hearing on Thursday, in spite of a subpoena, prompting one member of the Independent Ethics Commission to say he was “in open violation of an order of this commission.” A district court judge declined to intervene and delay the hearing, but Hickenlooper’s attorney Mark Grueskin said the U.S. Senate candidate now is appealing to a higher court. The Colorado Independent Ethics Commission decided on Friday that former Gov. John Hickenlooper violated the provisions of Amendment 41, the state's ethics law, in two of six cases where he accepted private flights in 2018 that went against the amendment's ban on gifts from corporations to elected officials. Hickenlooper testified for three hours at Friday's hearing, appearing under enforcement of a subpoena issued for his appearance. Read More from CPR HERE and Colorado Politics HERE

Question Of Whether DACA Students Can Get Coronavirus Aid Is At Center of Congressional Debates

Congress is stuck in a major debate over the next coronavirus aid package. One division between the Democratic House and the Republican Senate — whether it should help DACA recipients. The last major coronavirus relief package signed into law, the CARES Act, did not. Congress earmarked billions in aid for higher education, and schools can use half the money for itself and the other half for its students. But the Department of Education issued rules saying only students eligible for federal aid under Title IV could receive CARES money. That left DACA students out. Read More from CPR HERE

Weekend George Floyd Protests Planned Seeking Reforms

Protesters planned to take to the streets again Friday, with calls on social media for one million demonstrators to gather in Washington, D.C., this weekend amid continued demands for reform to the American justice system sparked by the death of George Floyd. Some U.S. cities tried to respond to protester demands for reform. The Minneapolis city council said Friday that it would ban police chokeholds and require officers to immediately report and intervene in any unauthorized uses of force. Also Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for state law enforcement to stop using and teaching the type of hold Minneapolis police applied on Mr. Floyd. Read More from The Wall Street Journal HERE 

'Black Lives Matter Plaza,' Across From White House, Is Christened By D.C. Leaders

"The section of 16th street in front of the White House is now officially 'Black Lives Matter Plaza,' " tweeted Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, D.C. With that announcement Friday, officials installed a new street sign above the intersection outside St. John's Church, where Trump made a controversial visit earlier this week. Read More from NPR HERE

U.S. Jobless Claims Dip Below 2 Million, Road To Recovery Rocky; Total Unemployment Level Worse Than Expected

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits dropped below 2 million last week for the first time since mid-March, but remains astonishingly high as companies adjust to an environment that has been significantly changed by COVID-19. Other data on Thursday showed a jump in the trade deficit in April as the pandemic upended the global flow of goods and services, pushing exports to a 10-year low. Filings for unemployment insurance claims totaled 1.877 million last week in a sign that the worst is over for the coronavirus-related jobs crisis but that the level of unemployment remains stubbornly high. The Labor Department’s total nevertheless represented a decline from the previous week’s upwardly revised total of 2.126 million. Read More from Reuters HERE and CNBC HERE

May Surprise, U.S. Adds 2.5 Million jobs As Unemployment Dips To 13.3%; The U.S. Economic Slide Is Likely Bottoming Out, But a Recovery Could Take Years

The U.S economy rebounded with surprising strength last month as businesses began to reopen from the coronavirus lockdown. U.S. employers added 2.5 million jobs in May, as the unemployment rate fell to 13.3%. It reflects an improvement over April's jobless rate of 14.7%. April saw nearly 20.7 million jobs lost, as the U.S. slammed the brakes on its economy in a desperate effort to slow the spread of the pandemic. Unemployment among black and brown workers was even higher, underscoring the persistent racial inequalities that have fueled protests in cities throughout the country. Read More from NPR HERE, The Washington Post HERE and CNN HERE

Unpacking A Surprise Jobs Report; 3 Reasons to Pause Before Celebrating

Can we trust this morning's surprisingly good employment report? The short answer; Yes. The longer answer; No statistics are entirely reliable, and the more of an outlier you're trying to measure, the less reliable your statistics become. There are at least three big reasons why we should take pause before cracking out the champagne over Friday’s jobs numbers. Read More from Axios HERE, Time HERE , and FiveThirtyEight HERE

The Stock Market Is Soaring Despite Mass Social Unrest And A Pandemic

Sometimes, in the markets, bad news is good news. In this case, corporate America seems to be acting rather like one of those improbable Hollywood action heroes: No matter how large and how terrible the perils thrown in its way, the result never seems to be much more than a flesh wound. By the numbers; The S&P 500's net profit margin was a robust 10.5% in the first quarter of 2020, despite a large part of the economy being shut down by the novel coronavirus. Read More from Axios HERE

Dow Soars Nearly 900 Points As Wall Street Closes In On Pre-Pandemic Highs

Stocks are in the midst of a stunning, three-month rally that is close to putting investors back where they were in January, before the coronavirus obliterated trillions in wealth. A surprisingly positive jobs report Friday fueled an already strong week for markets, pushing the Standard & Poor’s 500 index — which has climbed 9 percent in three weeks — within about 1 percent of going positive for 2020. The S&P was more than 30 percent in the hole less than three month ago. The Nasdaq composite — already 9 percent ahead on the year — added 185 points, or 2 percent, Friday. Read More from The Washington Post HERE

Opportunity Zone Deadline Relief

The IRS late Thursday decided to grant deadline relief to Opportunity Zone investors because of the coronavirus. The decisions largely align with three key requests made by the investment community, according to Michael Novogradac, managing partner of Novogradac & Co. He pointed out that instead of facing a 180-day requirement to move proceeds from a sale into an Opportunity Zone investment fund to defer capital gains, the IRS will give investors until the end of the year as long as their 180-day deadline fell on or after April 1. In addition, the IRS ruled that the nine months from April 1 until Dec. 31 won’t count toward a two-and-a-half-year deadline the investment funds face to improve properties obtained through the Opportunity Zone program. Lastly, the IRS won’t penalize funds whose Opportunity Zone holdings fall below a 90 percent threshold from April 1 until Dec. 31. Read More from Politico HERE and Novogradac HERE

What's The Fed Doing In Response To The COVID-19 Crisis? What More Could It Do?

The coronavirus crisis in the United States—and the associated business closures, event cancellations, and work-from-home policies—has triggered a deep economic downturn of uncertain duration. The Federal Reserve has stepped in with a broad array of actions to limit the economic damage from the pandemic, including up to $2.3 trillion in lending to support households, employers, financial markets, and state and local governments. Read More from Brookings HERE

Military Leaders Condemn President Trump Over Protest Response

President Donald Trump is facing an unprecedented revolt from the elite corps of ex-military leaders and presidents over his brazen response to mass protests and inflaming of racial divides. In a true Washington bombshell on Wednesday evening, former Defense Secretary James Mattis, a warrior revered by his troops, told Americans they must come together without the President. Read More from CNN HERE

Justice Roberts Assists States With Second Wave of Emergency Orders

There is a non-zero possibility that a future spike in coronavirus infections will lead to another wave of emergency orders that place restrictions on the way Americans live, work, and play. States, in defending the next round of orders, will be able to point to the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, John Roberts. The chief justice appended a short but pointed concurring opinion to the court’s denial of an injunction last week in South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom. The case concerned a California emergency order that placed a temporary numerical restriction on public gatherings in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Read More from The Hill HERE

Pelosi To Unveil Sweeping Police Reform Bill Next Week

Speaker Nancy Pelosi will unveil a sweeping police reform bill next week, her announcement coming just hours after the top House Republican signaled Thursday that he is open to working with Democrats, raising new hopes for a bipartisan congressional response to the killing of George Floyd and the national upheaval that followed. Read More from Politico HERE

Senate Passes Bill To Give Flexibility For Small Business Coronavirus Aid Program; President Trump Signs Bill

The Senate passed legislation on Wednesday to provide more flexibility for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provides help for small businesses amid the steep economic impact of the coronavirus. The bill, which would extend the window for businesses to be able to spend loans granted under the program, passed the Senate by unanimous consent. President Trump signed the bill Friday. Read More from The Hill HERE  and CNBC HERE

HBCUs Are Missing From The Discussion On Venture Capital's Diversity

Venture capital is beginning a belated conversation about its dearth of black investors and support of black founders, but hasn't yet turned its attention to the trivial participation of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as limited partners in funds. Why it matters; This increases educational and economic inequality, as the vast majority of VC profits go to limited partners. Read More from Axios HERE 

The Results Are In for Remote Learning; It Didn't Work

This spring, America took an involuntary crash course in remote learning. With the school year now winding down, the grade from students, teachers, parents and administrators is already in: It was a failure. School districts closed campuses in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic and, with practically no time at all for planning or training, launched a grand experiment to educate more than 50 million students from kindergarten through 12th grade using technology. Read More from The Wall Street Journal HERE

3 Ex-Officers Accused In Floyd's Death Each Get $750K Bail

A judge set bail at $750,000 apiece Thursday for three fired Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting in the killing of George Floyd, as a memorial service took place just blocks away. Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng made their first appearances in Hennepin County District Court as friends, relatives and celebrities gathered to memorialize Floyd at a nearby Bible college. The Minneapolis Police Department fired them last week, along with Derek Chauvin, who is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's May 25 death. Read More from Politico HERE

Medical Journals Retract Two Influential Coronavirus Studies

Two top medical journals on Thursday retracted a pair of influential coronavirus studies because of alleged irregularities in the underlying data, which came from a little-known data company called Surgisphere. Both journals said the firm had rebuffed requests to review its dataset. One study, published on May 22 in The Lancet, found that the drug hydroxychloroquine increased the risk of death for coronavirus patients — prompting several countries to ban its use as a Covid-19 treatment, and the World Health Organization to temporarily pause a clinical trial of the medicine. The second paper, published on May 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine, examined the use of blood pressure drugs called ACE inhibitors in coronavirus patients. Read More from Politico HERE and Axios HERE

Election 2020 Update - Steve King Loses Primary

Representative Steve King of Iowa, the nine-term Republican with a history of racist comments who only recently became a party pariah, lost his bid for renomination early Wednesday, one of the biggest defeats of the 2020 primary season in any state. Mr. King was defeated by Randy Feenstra, a state senator, who had the backing of mainstream state and national Republicans who found Mr. King an embarrassment and, crucially, a threat to a safe Republican seat if he were on the ballot in November. Read More from The New York Times HERE

Black Americans Are Bearing The Brunt Of The Coronavirus Recession

Black workers are more likely to be out of a job and to have lost income than their white counterparts during the coronavirus pandemic — even as the virus has killed a disproportionate number of black Americans. It’s a devastating turnaround for a population that just late last year reached its all-time lowest unemployment rate amid the country’s decade-long economic expansion. Now economists are warning that any long-term effects are likely to be more damaging for workers of color, who could see persistently high unemployment. Read More from Politico HERE

Racism Won't Be Solved By Yet Another Blue-Ribbon Report

From The Atlantic's Adam Harris, "The current demonstrations against police brutality will end. They always do. When the crowds go home, politicians will resume their defensive crouch. They will call for reform—never again!—and form commissions. Some of these commissions may even be “blue ribbon.” These commissions will issue reports and the politicians will claim to have done something. But another commission won’t tell us anything we don’t already know." Read More from The Atlantic HERE