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PODCAST

Purplish

Colorado Public Radio

Purplish is a podcast about politics and policy and how they shape Coloradans’ lives, hosted by Colorado Public Radio’s public affairs reporter Bente Birkeland and reporters from the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. They break down the latest developments at the statehouse, in Congress and in local communities, to find the bigger picture behind the political headlines.Purplish is produced by CPR News with support from the Colorado Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News,

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All Episodes

33:12

Will Colorado join the redistricting war?

Purplish ·

2025/11/21

In statehouses across the country, the political playing field is being redrawn, as states wade into the murky waters of midcycle redistricting. President Donald Trump kicked off this effort, when he urged Republicans in Texas to draw new Congressional maps, years ahead of schedule. Then came Missouri and North Carolina, and earlier this month, California voters agreed to put aside their independently drawn map and give Democrats more seats. Colorado — a blue state with its congressional

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14:35

Veterans Day Special: The battle of Iwo Jima, through...

Purplish ·

2025/11/10

On Purplish, our focus is usually on exploring the politics of the moment. But for Veterans Day, we're offering something different -- a chance to experience a defining moment in World War II from one of the last remaining veterans to live through it.The battle of Iwo Jima was one of the toughest in Marine Corps history. Nearly 7,000 Marines lost their lives taking the volcanic island from its Japanese defenders.80 years on, few remain who served in that grueling conflict. One of them is

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38:38

Yes, yes, we just had an election, but It's never too...

Purplish ·

2025/11/07

Anti-hunger advocates and education groups did a victory dance election night, celebrating the passage of Props. MM and LL, two statewide ballot measures to increase funding for Colorado’s universal free school meal program. CPR’s Jenny Brundin joins Purplish host Bente Birkeland to talk through what voters thought of these measures and what it means for the programs' future. They also dig into the results of school board races around the state. Then, a pivot to look ahead at the 2026

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32:36

Portrait scandals and secret tunnels: Purplish tours...

Purplish ·

2025/10/24

The Colorado State Capitol Building opened its doors in November 1894, a grand neo-classical monument in the West, built of local materials, but with some of the feel of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Like many statehouses across the country, it’s a trove of artwork, history and curiosities. The building is also often the site of protests, rallies, celebrations and a variety of other public events, a “People’s House,” if you will. On Purplish, we spend a lot of time under the

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29:54

Colorado’s ‘Healthy School Meals for All’ is at a...

Purplish ·

2025/10/17

There are just two statewide questions on the ballot this year, and both are related to a universal school meals program intended to feed all public school students in the state regardless of income.Three years ago, voters approved a tax on wealthier Coloradans to fund the Healthy School Meals program for All. That original measure set out to do several things, with the marquee item being to provide free breakfast and lunch for all K-12 public school students in Colorado. But it’s running

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26:29

Colorado banned conversion therapy for minors. A U.S....

Purplish ·

2025/10/03

In 2019, Colorado Democrats had control of both the House and the Senate. That gave them the momentum they needed to push forward an issue that had repeatedly failed in the statehouse under Republicans: a ban on conversion therapy for minors.The law prohibits licensed therapists from trying to change a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Even though some conservatives strongly opposed it, the law ended up passing with bipartisan support and a few high-profile

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35:07

How a possible Buc-ee’s travel plaza has divided one...

Purplish ·

2025/09/19

Last year, Buc-ee’s opened its first Colorado location, an expansive 74,000 square-foot outpost in Weld County filled with beaver-branded merch, brisket sandwiches and sweets. Not too long after that, the company began plans for a second store, landing at a parcel of land about a two-hours drive away in northern El Paso County. But the prospect of a Buc-ee’s arriving on the edge of the small town of Palmer Lake quickly became a larger-than-life controversy. CPR’s Bente Birkeland, KRCC’s

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26:41

Budget balanced (for now), AI decisions punted,...

Purplish ·

2025/08/29

The giant tax-cuts-and-spending package passed by Congressional Republicans will have major ramifications for every state in the country, but Colorado is one of the first place it's really being felt. Thanks to the state's unusual way of handling its finances, the federal tax cuts immediately threw Colorado's finances way out of whack.That was the main reason lawmakers recently came back to the Capitol in August for a high temperature, high stakes special session. But grueling fights over

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34:11

Crude Signal chats, social media attacks, mistreated...

Purplish ·

2025/08/15

House Republicans sharing locker room jokes about a Democratic colleague's outfit in a group chat. A former Democratic senator charged with a felony for allegedly forging letters of defense in an ethics probe. A representative accused of bullying and harassing women before taking office.Workplace misconduct at the Colorado State Capitol isn’t new. But this year has contained more allegations and revelations than usual.Nearly a decade since the #MeToo movement led lawmakers to adopt new

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27:45

Why lawmakers have been eyeing Colorado's $2B in...

Purplish ·

2025/08/01

There’s a secure room in the State Capitol filled with the lost treasures of generations of Coloradans: baseball cards, war medals, even a large yellow diamond ring. Unclaimed property that has come into the custody of the state over the decades. All told, Colorado holds around $2 billion in unclaimed assets, some physical, but even more in the form of abandoned accounts, uncashed checks and overlooked tax refunds. Colorado’s Treasury Department is tasked with returning assets to their

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38:53

What Republicans' ‘One Big Beautiful Bill' means for...

Purplish ·

2025/07/18

After a lot of back and forth, Republicans in Congress have passed President Trump’s mega tax and spending package, aka the “One, Big Beautiful Bill.” At almost a thousand pages, the law fulfills a range of Republican campaign promises, from protecting tax cuts to turbo charging immigration enforcement. But many Democrats have called its cuts to programs like Medicaid and food aid 'cruel.' And now, state lawmakers will have to grapple with what the new reality means for Colorado's safety

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30:14

Why is Douglas County so worked up about home rule?

Purplish ·

2025/06/20

Voters in Douglas County are deciding whether to become a home rule county. With ballots due June 24, the issue is stirring up a lot of strong feelings, amidst competing claims about what it would mean for this fast-growing part of Colorado. County commissioners say home rule status would give Douglas County more legal standing to fight back against Democratic policies coming out of the State Capitol. But the experience of Colorado's only two existing home rule counties shows that home rule

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28:34

When Colorado rewrote the rules for policing

Purplish ·

2025/06/06

2020 was an extraordinary year for the Colorado legislature. COVID-19 forced lawmakers to break halfway through session. They returned to work in May with a short list of priorities: balance the budget and respond to the pandemic. But almost immediately, the Capitol became the epicenter of protests over the killings of George Floyd and other Black people at the hands of police. The chants of “Black lives matter” outside the statehouse walls pushed lawmakers to take up the issue of police

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39:45

Medicaid cuts, AI regs, special session chances:...

Purplish ·

2025/05/23

State lawmakers have bid adieu to the Colorado State Capitol — for now. But lots of questions remain. For example, what’s next for Colorado’s controversial artificial intelligence law? What about federal spending cuts? Will state lawmakers have to return to Denver before next January to absorb changes from Washington? And the big question: where is Governor Jared Polis on all of this?After so much Polis talk on Purplish this year, this is a chance to hear from the governor himself. Polis

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29:17

That’s a wrap, for now. Here’s how the 2025 session...

Purplish ·

2025/05/09

State lawmakers took it right down to the wire on some of the biggest issues of the 2025 legislative session, including immigration, artificial intelligence, labor unions, rights for transgender Coloradans and rideshare safety. While some are poised to become law, others crashed and burned in the final stretch. And a few made it over the finish line, but are likely headed to a veto at the hand of the governor. CPR’s Bente Birkeland, KUNC’s Lucas Brady Woods and The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul

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30:02

A rare veto showdown at the State Capitol

Purplish ·

2025/05/02

Lawmakers got behind a bill this session that would have required social media companies like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram to do more about illegal activity on their platforms. It was a significant policy change, and it seemed poised for success, passing the legislature with broad bipartisan support in both chambers. But then the bill hit the governor’s desk, where Polis, concerned about its potential impacts on privacy and free speech, pulled out his veto stamp.What happened next was a

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45:51

100 days of Trump, in the eyes of two Colorado...

Purplish ·

2025/04/25

From tariffs to immigration, the Department of Government Efficiency, and an avalanche of executive actions and policies, President Donald Trump's first 100 days have been a whirlwind.In a special episode of Purplish, recorded before a live audience at the Buell Public Media Center in Denver, two lawmakers — from different parties, different chambers and different capitols — share their perspectives and insights on this moment in American politics. CPR’s Bente Birkeland and CPR’s Caitlyn

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29:55

Colorado answers Trump's immigration crackdown with...

Purplish ·

2025/04/18

Colorado already has numerous laws in place to protect the rights of immigrants. But as President Donald Trump takes unprecedented steps to carry out his campaign promise of mass deportations, Democratic state lawmakers believe those protections might no longer be enough. They’ve introduced an immigration bill that expands and hones numerous policies in direct response to the White House’s crackdown. But state Republicans say their colleagues are overstepping and risk straining state

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24:40

As the White House restricts trans rights, Colorado...

Purplish ·

2025/04/11

At a time when the federal government is rolling back rights and recognition for transgender Americans, Colorado is moving to expand its protections in a number of areas, including medical care, harassment, death certificates and more. Democratic state lawmakers and proponents say they want to ensure certain rights for the state’s transgender community get the protection of law. But opponents, including GOP lawmakers, argue the proposals go beyond equality. CPR’s Bente Birkeland and KUNC’s

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27:15

Colorado's political parties navigate a changed...

Purplish ·

2025/04/04

American politics are in a moment of major upheaval: a Republican president and GOP-controlled Congress are reshaping the federal government and expanding the limits of executive power. At the same time, federal Democrats are struggling with how to win back voters who feel their party has failed to deliver. And even as Republicans have this moment on the national stage, Colorado’s GOP party is trying to catch up, hoping a new leader can bring some unity — and less havoc — for Republicans in

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173 results

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