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Supreme Court set to hear Trump challenge to Colorado ballot ban that cited 'insurrection'

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Supreme Court set to hear Trump challenge to Colorado ballot ban that cited 'insurrection'


U.S. President Donald Trump looks on he as meets with Colorado Governor Jared Polis and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum in the Cabinet Room of the White House on May 13, 2020 in Washington, DC.

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The Supreme Court is set Thursday morning to hear oral arguments on an effort by former President Donald Trump to reverse a ruling by Colorado’s top court barring him from that state’s 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot.

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The arguments, which are expected to last several hours, come as Trump has a commanding lead in the national GOP primary race, with a long-shot bid from former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley appearing to be the only potential stumbling block to him securing the party’s nomination this summer.

The Colorado Supreme Court in December ruled that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president because he “engaged in insurrection” by inciting the 2021 Capitol riot as part of his effort to reverse his loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

That bombshell 4-3 ruling was based on Section Three of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states “no person” can serve as an officer of the United States who, having previously taken an oath of federal office, “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the U.S.

Six Republican and unaffiliated voters in Colorado had filed the lawsuit that led to the state Supreme Court ruling.

Trump’s lawyers in a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court last month argued that the Colorado court decision was “based on a dubious interpretation” of Section Three, while noting that similar efforts to bar Trump from presidential ballots are underway in more than 30 states.

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The U.S. Supreme Court “should put a swift and decisive end to these ballot-disqualification efforts, which threaten to disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans and which promise to unleash chaos and bedlam if other state courts and state officials follow Colorado’s lead and exclude the likely Republican presidential nominee from their ballots,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.

Those lawyers said that Trump “is not even subject” to Section Three because a president is “not an ‘officer of the United States’ under the Constitution.”

The attorneys also argue that even if Trump were subject to the provision, he did not engage in any conduct that qualifies as an insurrection.

Sean Grimsley, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the case that led to Trump’s disqualification, during a call with reporters Wednesday said that Trump’s claim that he was not an officer of the United States as president has become his lead argument in the case.

Grimsley predicted that claim will be closely scrutinized by the Supreme Court justices during oral arguments.

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“I think the justices will be very interested in that question, if only because President or former President Trump has made that the lead argument in this case,” Grimsley said.

He and another lawyer for the plaintiffs dismissed that argument.

They said it was obvious that a president is an officer of the United States and that it requires “linguistic acrobatics” to argue otherwise.

Mario Nicolais, one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers, acknowledged that to win the case the attorneys on his side “have to win every argument” they are making to disqualify Trump.

“We think we will,” Nicolais said.

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“We think we win so many of those arguments on multiple different levels, and that’s why we feel very strongly that we will win this case,” he said.

The plaintiffs’ key arguments are that Trump engaged in insurrection against the Constitution, and Section Three applies to insurrectionist presidents, that state courts can adjudicate Section Three under state ballot access laws, and that states can exclude presidential candidates from ballots if they are deemed constitutionally ineligible.

The plaintiffs also argue that Congress does not have to first deem a candidate ineligible under Section Three.

“Donald Trump is disqualified today,” Nicolais said. “He was disqualified on January 6, 2021 when he engaged in that, he disqualified himself under our Constitution.”

Three of the nine Supreme Court justices who will hear his appeal Thursday were appointed by Trump — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Three other justices who were appointed by Republican presidents with Trump’s appointees comprise a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court.

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Despite that bloc, Trump has failed to get the Supreme Court to take his side in a number of past cases, including in his efforts to challenge the voting processes and results during the 2020 presidential election.



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Air Force RB Owen Allen Shines in Double-Digit Win vs. Colorado State

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Air Force RB Owen Allen Shines in Double-Digit Win vs. Colorado State


Air Force running back Owen Allen dashed for 107 yards and two touchdowns, tight end Bruin Fleischmann caught both of his targets for 61 yards and two touchdowns, and Air Force took down Colorado State 42-21 on Friday to recapture the Ram-Falcon Trophy in the final game of the season for both teams.

The Falcons (4-8, 3-5 Mountain West) took the lead on the opening drive of the game as Fleischmann hauled in a 55-yard receiving score. Air Force scored on three of its four first-half drives, and only punted once throughout the game.

Josh Johnson completed all four of his passing attempts for 104 yards and two touchdowns, and added 22 yards and a score on the ground.

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The Rams (2-10, 1-7) were led by Jackson Brousseau’s 323 yards and two touchdowns on 28-of-37 passing. It’s the first 10-loss season since 1988 for Colorado State, which is leaving the Mountain West to play in the Pac-12 next season.

Air Force holds the edge in the series, 40-22-1, and have won eight of the last nine meetings.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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“Madsgiving” feeds thousands after Colorado community steps in to save event

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“Madsgiving” feeds thousands after Colorado community steps in to save event


What looked nearly impossible just a few weeks ago became a Thanksgiving miracle in Aurora.

Madsgiving is the annual effort that prepares and delivers thousands of meals to people experiencing homelessness, seniors, and families in need. It was on the verge of collapse earlier this month. 

The longtime chefs who normally anchor the event were deployed to Jamaica to help rebuild kitchens damaged by Hurricane Melissa. Without them, organizers suddenly had no chefs and no kitchen just weeks before Thanksgiving.

Lead Pastor Dwayne Johnson of Mean Street Worship Center has helped distribute Madsgiving meals for seven years.

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“At first, it started out as panic,” he said. “But then the community started coming together. Other agencies, ministries, and chefs came alongside us.”

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One of the first to answer that call for help was Pesto Italiano, a new restaurant that opened in Englewood this summer. Chef Pablo had never cooked a Thanksgiving meal in his kitchen before – and certainly not at the scale Madsgiving requires.

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“This was the first year we tried something like this,” he said. “We just opened in June. The first thing we wanted to do was help the community.”

Pesto Italiano donated their kitchen and their chefs, giving volunteers access to a full professional space to roast, prep, and assemble thousands of meals.

“With all the volunteers that came to help us, it was possible,” Pablo said. “We wanted to create something with love, passion, and quality – something people could enjoy the same way any family does on Thanksgiving.”

His team even improvised when dozens of turkeys arrived still on the bone and behind schedule. Pablo grilled and roasted them, finishing with a sauce of orange and rosemary. He even used pizza ovens to get the job done. 

Johnson says the scale of collaboration was unlike anything he’s seen.

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The Amish community from southern Colorado also stepped in, preparing meals on Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

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By midday Thursday, every group Madsgiving serves had been reached: people living in cars and under bridges, seniors in assisted living, nursing home residents, and people facing hunger across the city.

What started as a call for help became one of the largest Madsgiving efforts yet, powered by strangers, volunteers, churches, restaurants, and neighbors who refused to let the tradition die.

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“To the world, you’re one person,” Johnson said. “But to one person, you become the world. Today, miracles happened.”



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Here’s where Colorado’s gray wolves roamed in past month

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Here’s where Colorado’s gray wolves roamed in past month


Colorado’s gray wolves stuck a little closer to central parts of the state in late October and November, roaming into watersheds that reach metro Denver and near tribal lands to the south, according to a map released Wednesday.

The monthly Colorado Parks and Wildlife map shows the broad movements of 20 gray wolves that wear GPS collars. If an area is highlighted, that means at least one wolf was in a watershed at least one time during the time frame, according to state officials.

Between Oct. 21 and Tuesday, gray wolves traveled in watersheds that reach as far north as the Wyoming state line; as far east as Boulder, Jefferson, Adams and Broomfield counties; the northern edge of Archuleta County to the south; and Meeker in Rio Blanco County to the west.

Most wolf activity appeared to take place around the Continental Divide, with wolf movement tracked near Walden, Granby, Vail, Aspen and Gunnison.

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The wolves also explored near tribal lands to the south, Parks and Wildlife officials said. The state has an agreement with the Southern Ute tribe and is working to finish a similar agreement with the Ute Mountain Ute tribe to address potential impacts of wolf reintroduction.



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