Tues Blogcast: Sen Ron Johnson; Take it Down Act; New "Tom Clancy" novel

Just One Thing: Pres Trump signs his wife's signature effort, the Take it Down Act

The Take it Down Act requires social media companies to take down, within 48 hours of a report, "non-consensual intimate imagery", sometimes called "revenge porn", including imagery that was created by AI but that depicts a real person.

TAKE IT DOWN Act Passes the House, Heads to President Trump’s Desk - U.S. Senate...

More details, text, etc: S.146 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): TAKE IT DOWN Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

.

Today's Guests

Governor Jared Polis returns (if all goes according to plan) for just 5 minutes (by phone this time) to respond to listener questions/complaints about HB1312 (which is already the subject of at least one lawsuit) and SB3.

The former creates "chosen name" as a category covered by civil rights anti-discrimination protections, i.e. if there's a transgender person whom you used to know as Joe but now goes by Jill, you can be subject to a discrimination claim for (repeatedly, I presume) calling that person Joe. On the one hand I understand why people are upset about this and I am too. I think it's a violation of the First Amendment. On the other hand, I think that claim could already have been made under existing law where gender identity is protected, so I don't think this law does as much as people think. It adds very slightly to an already egregious situation.

Text of HB1312: 2025a_1312_signed.pdf

Here's the lawsuit: 682b97a40e2585b6b8ff1d06.pdf

SB3 is the bill that imposes training requirements as a condition of being able to buy most types of popular rifles and at least a few types of pistols (including all "AR pistols" and similar.) I think this MAY be unconstitutional. (I mean, if I were in charge it would be ruled that way but I mean I think it's only 50/50 to be overturned because I think there's a decent chance that SCOTUS will refuse to hear it and it's 50/50 that a lower court will toss it. Basically depends on the makeup of the federal appeals court panel that catches the case. It's not a slam-dunk either way.

Text of SB3: 2025a_003_signed.pdf

If I have time I'll ask about this too, as it came up in conversation with the governor on Monday: Front Range cities sue over housing bills | 9news.com

.

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) joins us to talk about the ongoing congressional budget process. Ron is a long-time budget hawk who has expressed significant objections over the current bill as spending way too much and not reforming nearly enough. And he's right.

Ron Johnson is threatening to tank the GOP megabill. He’s been here before. - POLITICO

GOP Tensions Flare over House Republicans’ ‘Big, Beautiful’ Tax-and-Spend Bill | National Review

I'll also ask his thoughts about Moody's downgrading US debt yesterday: Markets flinch on Moody's news (I note that Moody's was the last of the 3 large ratings agencies to lower US debt from their highest ranking, so this isn't really that big a deal. In fact, S&P did it more than a decade ago.)

.

.

Other Stuff

I know we get tornadoes in Colorado, usually but not always east of Denver, but this damage is unusual: Tornadoes destroy homes in Bennett and Elizabeth area

.

Sports betting operators in CO can no longer take a tax deduction for “free bets” given to attract new customers: Colorado lawmakers OK $67M in new funding for water projects

.

Democratic Congresswoman LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) has been charged with assault for her scrum with ICE agents at a detention center for illegal aliens a couple of weeks ago. The interim US Attorney for New Jersey, President Trump's former personal attorney Alina Habba, filed the charges and said that she tried to work with McIver to avoid the charges. The mayor of Newark was more the center of the conversation originally but Habba said she did work with the mayor to avoid having to file charges against him.

Rep. LaMonica McIver charged over immigration facility altercation - Roll Call

Feds charge New Jersey congressmember with assault - POLITICO

And Assistant USAG Harmeet Dhillon is now going after the racist mayor of Chicago:

And another group is suing the federal government over hiring practices. I can understand an argument for something like affirmative action having had some basis in good intentions (even if not in constitutionality) some decades ago, but not now: AFL challenges 44-year-old consent decree barring merit tests in government jobs | Fox News

.

This is by far Trump's biggest failing in foreign policy: his weird admiration for a killer thug dictator who is an intractable enemy of America: Trump's deference to Putin stunned European leaders on call

.

On the one hand this is disappointing and a bit surprising. On the other hand, it could be a bad bet to try to stop a project that was already permitted and under construction with billions of dollars already invested. Losing a lawsuit in that situation could hamper efforts to stop other stupid renewable energy projects, which is almost all of them as far as I can tell: Trump administration allows New York offshore wind farm to resume construction | Reuters

.

I think some of Verizon's management must secretly be happy to be forced to do this: Verizon Ends All DEI Programs in Win for Trump's FCC

.

Drs Makary and Prasad are the real deal and won't go anti-science just because their boss is anti-science (while claiming to be pro-science.) So while I understand having concern about the potential anti-vax nature of this, it could work out in a very different way: it could cause MAGA folks who have turned anti-vax to change their minds if people they trust come back with science showing that vaccines are safe and effective. (And if there is actually good science saying that some existing vaccines aren't one or both of those things, even though I think that's unlikely, then getting rid of them would also be a benefit to society.)

RFK Jr. pledged not to upend US vaccine system, but big changes are underway | AP News

.

Ugh: Sperm Donor Who Claims 180 Kids Loses Custody Battle

.

Makes sense to me though I wonder how much it will raise the cost of using a scooter: Denver council weighs more rules to keep scooter riders off sidewalks

Just PLEASE don't let them make traffic even worse by adding bike lanes!

.

The end of a high-flier: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to buy 23andMe and its data for $256 million

.

Good news and bad news for Trump and consumers:

Home Depot says they won’t raise prices due to tariffs (in part because they have somewhat less exposure to imports generally and China specifically than Walmart seems to.) Home Depot (HD) Q1 2025 earnings

But the behemoth is going the other way: Trump warns Walmart against raising prices, tells company to "eat the tariffs" - CBS News

Prices will rise from tariffs, Bessent acknowledges, after Walmart warning

.

Is this overly paranoid or the kind of thing that if there were a plane crash and people got hurt, the second-guessing about permitting facilities that are likely to have a lot of people in them would be too great (as well, of course, as the harm being great)? Recreation center cannot be rebuilt due to military flight safety zone | 9news.com

.

Some fat people will keep getting coverage: Colorado reverses course, will continue to cover cost of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy for state employees - The Colorado Sun

.

Lots of numbers but kinda interesting: Colorado’s median age is nearing 40 — and getting older. Here’s what that looks like. - The Colorado Sun

.

Today's Videos

Bet you can't do that again

That's a VERY good doggie