Tues Blogcast: New Jason Bourne novel; Sexual consent; Stolen data & debt
July 29, 2025
Just One Thing: Coach Prime's radical transparency
This was one of the most remarkable press conferences I've ever seen, and certainly in the world of sports. We actually took a chunk of it live during yesterday's show.
Deion Sanders had bladder cancer, still will coach the Colorado Buffaloes
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One More Thing: Murder in Manhattan
Manhattan office building shooting: What to know about NYC attack that killed 4
A man who apparently has a history of mental health problems drove from Nevada to New York (apparently almost without stopping), entered a major office building (big enough that it has its own ZIP Code) in Manhattan, killed four people including a female police officer whom he shot in the back, and then (again apparently) killed himself.
So far no motive is definitively known though there might be a clue in his specific destination. The floor of the building that he went to houses the real estate firm that owns the building and not some of the building's more famous tenants like KPMG or, the more likely target, the NFL.
UPDATE: Mayor says gunman was targeting NFL headquarters | AP News
The shooter was apparently a fairly good high school running back in Los Angeles and ESPN reports that the shooter "had a three-page note with him claiming that he suffered from CTE and asking that his brain be studied." (That would be more difficult if he shot himself in the head.)
NFL employee seriously injured in deadly shooting at tower housing league's HQ - ESPN
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Today's Guests
Author Brian Freeman is the author of the latest novel in the Jason Bourne series, famously created by Robert Ludlum.
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Escape (Jason Bourne): Freeman, Brian
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Producer A-Rod joins us from Broncos training camp.
KOA AT TRAINING CAMP IS POWERED BY CHEVRON - COMMITTED TO OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND SAFELY DELIVERING AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE ENERGY THAT POWERS COLORADO FORWARD…
Big day for Courtland Sutton: Sources: Broncos, Courtland Sutton reach 4-year, $92M extension - ESPN
I note that if Sutton gets paid $92 million over four years and averages the same number of catches he had last season (86, including 5 in the playoffs), then he will be earning about $267,000 a catch. Sign me up!
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Other Stuff
CU has a new NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) partnership program to raise money so that the businesses can pay athletes to be associated with their products or services. It's called The Arch
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Was it worth all those years in court? Google to pay Argentine pictured naked in his yard
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I did not know this (about the impact on global temperatures from a reduction in particulate pollution): The Bad Science and Bad Policy at the Heart of the Climate Movement
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Strong signals that Buc-ee's is coming to Palmer Lake despite vocal (though maybe not large) opposition: Palmer Lake releases negotiated terms of proposed agreement with Buc-ee's (This includes a PDF of the actual document from the city laying out the terms.)
Town of Palmer Lake releases terms of Buc-ee’s annexation agreement
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What does it mean for Denver?
Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets – The White House
Trump’s sweeping order on homelessness could have major impacts in Denver
Denver homeless groups blast Trump's civil commitment order - Axios Denver
And now Colorado Springs: Number of homeless people reaches all-time high in new report | FOX21 News Colorado
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This is a remarkable story, not least because I'm not sure that what they're doing is illegal though it probably should be: A Startup is Selling Data Hacked from Peoples’ Computers to Debt Collectors
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I didn't get to this yesterday. It's remarkable and very much NOT politically correct/woke:
If this sounds elitist, well, it is elitist.
— Kevin Bass PhD MS (@kevinnbass) July 27, 2025
Do you want universities to be bastions of high levels of competence?
Or do you want them to be places filled with stupid people who say, "trust the science", followed by unspeakably stupid things that they call science?
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If they do this, it'll be interesting to see how Democrats perform when they have to cut spending: Preparations for special session in Colorado underway | News | coloradopolitics.com
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Without getting too much into the deals, here's my guess: Almost none of these huge numbers that America's trading partners are saying they'll spend on US goods or invest in the US will happen the way the Trump administration is claiming. In some circumstances it's because the levels are almost impossible and in other circumstances it's because they will play out over such a long period of time that as soon as there's a president who disagrees with our abuse of our trading partners (which is not to say they don't also abuse us in similar or other ways), those countries (or the EU) will stop even pretending to comply with those terms. Also, these deals seem consistently to be about Trump announcing 1) a tariff and 2) big investments or spending in the US, but rarely with other details. The details matter and we'll see what they actually say but the bottom line is that the primary winner in these arguments is Trump and the primary loser is the rest of the world including US consumers.
Trump's "devil in the details" trade deals sow confusion
Ugh: Drug prices likely to rise with tariffs on EU
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First, I think they will raise plenty more in donations in rich areas, but will face challenges getting enough local donations in rural areas; wealthy non-profits might help. Second, as noted in this article, they won't stop trying to get government to come back and fund them again. There is something of a tension between those things because to the extent that they have success in raising funding without government, they show that government funding isn't necessary.
NPR Trying To Attain ‘Sustainability’ After Cuts. | Story | insideradio.com
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A couple of things I didn't get to in recent shows:
Worth a read: What I learned from my first pack burro race, Colorado's only indigenous sport
From the “tell me something I don’t know” files: "Hidden" home ownership costs Coloradans thousands - Axios Denver
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I find this interesting: CEO departures hit record high, interim leaders on the rise - Denver Business Journal
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Don't get fooled: Scammers are posting fake QR codes on Denver parking signs
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In politics, as in sports, it's important to remember to look at both sides before making a prediction. For example, even a bad team can occasionally win a game against a good team and, more relevant for this conversation, even a bad team that is an underdog against most other teams can be a favorite against one of the few worse teams.
That's why it's a mistake for Democrats to take great solace in Donald Trump's slightly (and only slightly) declining poll numbers. Because Dems' numbers are MUCH worse. (I'd offer the same caution to the GOP, though. It's not as if you're popular; just, for now, less unpopular than the other guys.)
Why Trump's approval rating is so steady: AP-NORC polling | AP News
Exclusive | Democrats Get Lowest Rating From Voters in 35 Years, WSJ Poll Finds - WSJ
Democrats tumble in new poll - POLITICO
CO Health Policy at a Crossroads: Growth, Costs & Consequences
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Today's Video
This is wonderful: 5-year-old prodigy pianist Alec Van Khajadourian of Los Angeles preparing for debut at Carnegie Hall in NYC - ABC7 New York