Trump bill catastrophic for health insurance, regulators warn 

Good morning, Colorado.

I don’t know when it happened — if it was slow or if it was quickly — but I have become a coffee snob.

This morning, I dropped off my car at the neighborhood mechanic for an oil change. In a travel mug was my favorite Pablo’s Coffee variety, made with beans I measured on a scale before using a grinder to get them to a specific size and brewed with a pour over and electric kettle preprogrammed to the perfect temperature.

I saw the free Keurig coffee offered by the mechanic and scoffed — only to have the sudden realization: Who have I become? Why do I judge others for their coffee preferences?! Do I think so highly of myself that I disdain others?!?

Before I get too lost in the sauce, let’s pause to read the news together. All spirals can resume after.

Danika Worthington

Presentation Editor

THE NEWS

HEALTH

Costs will spike, 100,000 Coloradans will lose health coverage if Trump spending bill passes, regulators say

Insurance is going to cost more and fewer people will have it if the current federal reconciliation bill passes, Colorado insurance regulators are predicting. John Ingold reports on what would be an astonishing rollback of gains since the start of the Affordable Care Act.

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AGRICULTURE

Copper Creek wolf pack has new pups next door to ranch where calves were killed, rancher says

The pack of wolves relocated to Pitkin County in January appears to have new pups in a den near a ranch where calves have been killed, according to rancher Mike Cerveny. Tracy Ross has more, including how Colorado Parks and Wildlife is planning to use roadkill to help keep the pack away from livestock.

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POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

RFK Jr. remarks on autism lead to resignations at Colorado disability nonprofit

When U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said many people with autism will “never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job” and that autism is a “catastrophic” condition that “destroys families,” some of the top advocacy leaders of Best Buddies in Colorado wanted the nonprofit to speak up. As Jennifer Brown writes, when they didn’t, some supporters left.

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TRANSPORTATION

Uinta Basin Railway backers want $2.4 billion in tax-exempt transportation bonds as construction costs soar

The exploding cost of the railway that would carry crude oil from Utah near vital Colorado waterways has environmental groups concerned that to pay off the debt, operators would require increased drilling and tanker traffic, upping the chances of a catastrophic spill. Jason Blevins has more.

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MORE NEWS

• Denver Public Schools drops lawsuit over immigration enforcement at schools. Although DPS did not win the lawsuit, the district in a statement Tuesday declared “a victory” in the case, because a federal judge found that there was little practical difference between the previous policy that treated schools as protected places and the Trump administration’s changes.
• Former Colorado GOP vice chair launches primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd. Hope Scheppelman called Hurd, a first-term Republican congressman from Grand Junction, “another liberal elitist who is dead set against President Trump and the millions of MAGA citizens like me.”
• Will career and technical education be the second act as Colorado theater programs decline? As Northern Colorado schools are not funding traditional arts classes, like painting and choir, they shift their courses to be more career focused.

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE COLORADO REPORT

• DIA air traffic is colliding with more wildlife than ever. These problems are adding to the risk. Federal agents killed 6,421 wild animals at the Denver airport last year and hazed away more than 130,000. Still, the airport reported a record 878 wildlife strikes with planes in 2024.
  — KUNC
• More than a dozen arrested in downtown Denver protest against ICE. Denver police arrested 17 protesters on suspicion of graffiti, interference with law enforcement, obstructing streets, throwing objects and assault, according to the police department.
  — The Denver Post ????
• Colorado’s White River National Forest has a new top boss. Brian Glaspell has been acting supervisor since March when Scott Fitzwilliams took the Trump administration’s deferred resignation option after 15 years in the role.
  — Vail Daily
• Old Snowmass monastery sale falls through. The Trappist monastery near Aspen went back on the market Monday after a potential buyer terminated the contract. St. Benedict’s 3,700-acre property is listed for $150 million.
  — Aspen Journalism
• Colorado Supreme Court rules on definition of “grandparent.” The 4-3 decision ruled the parents of a child’s biological parents no longer meet the statutory definition of “grandparent” after the child has been adopted. The majority opinion states a “grandparent” is limited to someone who is “presently the parent of a child’s father or mother.”
• — The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ????

???? = source has article meter or paywall

Section by David Krause | Editor

THE OPINION PAGE

COLUMNS

• Trump’s memo to justify sending in the troops is not limited to L.A. It could be anywhere. And while marshaling the National Guard and Marines looks like another step toward authoritarianism, it could be worse — a “dress rehearsal.”
  — Mike Littwin
  

The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy and submit columns, suggest writers or provide feedback at opinion@coloradosun.com.

SunLit

REVIEW

Old Firehouse Books suggests memoir, romance, floral fun

Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from bookstores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins recommends:

• “Brave Face” by Shaun David Hutchinson, a coming-out memoir
• “Eat the Ones You Love” by Sarah Maria Griffin, a tale that includes a hungry orchid
• “Love in Focus” by Lyla Lee, a complicated romance

Read what the bookstore staff had to say about each. Pick up a copy and support your local bookstores at the same time.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Section by Kevin Simpson | Writer

Well, that’s that. If you are looking for a nice cup of coffee, give Pablo’s a try. But any coffee that makes you happy will do.

— Danika & the whole staff of The Sun

The Colorado Sun is part of The Trust Project. Read our policies.

Corrections & Clarifications

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