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07_30_25_Headlines Ainsley Coogan
8.8-Magnitude epicenter off the coast of Eastern Russia; Japan, Russia and U.S. Watch for tsunamis
In Global News, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Eastern Russia at around 5 p.m. Mountain Time yesterday. That’s according to the Associated Press. Through the late evening and early morning, Japan, Russia and the United States all issued tsunami warnings for their most vulnerable regions.
The 8.8 magnitude quake is one of the most powerful recorded earthquakes this decade, just trailing behind to the 2011 9.1-magnitude earthquake that caused the Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown.
The U.S. prepared to evacuate in Hawaii, as well as parts of the West Coast. As of 6:30 a.m. mountain time, the latest developments reveal that Japan and Hawaii have downgraded and canceled most of the tsunami warnings, though large waves have been hitting Japan’s pacific coasts, Hawaii, and are preparing to hit the U.S. West Coast. Russia’s nearest peninsula to the earthquake only reports minimal damage.
DOJ complaint against CO ‘sanctuary’ policies cites Mesa deputy case
The U.S. the Department of Justice has included the Colorado Attorney General’s complaint against a Mesa County Sheriff filed last week.
Last Wednesday, we reported on how Attorney General Phil Weiser filed a complaint against Mesa County Deputy Alexander Zwinck’s compliance with ICE. In June, Zwinck shared sensitive information about Caroline Dias Goncalves to federal immigration officials, eventually leading to Dias Goncalves’ arrest.
Now, the Department of Justice has amended its complaint against the state of Colorado and the city of Denver over its “sanctuary” policies.
The amended complaint, which was filed last Friday, also targets Attorney General Phil Weiser, who legally challenged the Mesa County deputy sheriff.
The lawsuit targeted several House and Senate Bills, and said that state laws in particular make it more difficult for federal immigration officials. Some of these difficulties include travelling long distances to transport detainees, because some counties no longer house these individuals.
The federal lawsuit said the law “imposes strict informational and access limits upon federal immigration authorities” and “hampers law enforcement’s ability to arrange interviews between federal immigration authorities and inmates by imposing onerous pre- and post-requisites to the interview.”
Aurora dentist charged with murdering, slowly poisoning his late wife
An Aurora man accused of fatally poisoning his wife spent 10 days killing her, according to the prosecutors of the two-week long trial.
James Craig, a dentist in Aurora, faces six felony charges in the murder case of Angela Craig, including first-degree murder, solicitation of tampering with physical evidence, solicitation of perjury and solicitation of first-degree murder. Craig’s attorneys did not present a defence when both sides rested the case on Monday.
Angela Craig died on March 18, 2023, from lethal doses of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, an ingredient found in over-the-counter eye drops. She visited the hospital over three times within a week and a half. James Craig had also purchased, and attempted to purchase, a variety of other poisons including cyanide, which sent Angela Craig to the hospital again.
She was declared brain dead and never recovered.
According to Denver7, the prosecution and defense called nearly 50 witnesses throughout the trial.
Colorado joins 22 other states in lawsuit challenging Planned Parenthood defunding
Colorado has joined 22 other states in a lawsuit challenging a “defunding” provision passed in the Republican budget bill. The suit says that the policy bill directly targets Planned Parenthood, as it would block Medicaid funding from going to any sexual and reproductive health clinics that provide abortions.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said that the provision would threaten at least 200 Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. Planned Parenthood clinics rely on Medicaid funding to provide accessible and low-cost services of cancer screenings, birth control and testing for sexually transmitted infections. That’s according to Colorado Newsline.
Weiser said in the statement that Colorado is “suing the administration to stop it from implementing the provision and leaving states with higher costs for care in the long-term.”
Weiser spokesperson Lawrence Pacheco said that the provision significantly harms Colorado, where many Coloradans rely on Planned Parenthood for healthcare. Across the nation, more than 1.1 million people could lose access to care if clinics close. A May study by the Guttmacher institute found that other clinics for low-income patients would not have the capacity to fill the hole left.
CO also jumps on lawsuit against USDA for demanding sensitive SNAP information
In similar news, Attorney General Phil Weiser has included Colorado in a lawsuit that challenges whether the USDA can demand sensitive information from those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. According to The Colorado Sun, SNAP helps nearly 615,000 Coloradans access food.
States work to implement their own SNAP programs, and the USDA has indicated that they could withhold federal funding from states if they don’t comply. Colorado would get $96 million from the federal government to implement their food assistance program, according to Attorney General Weiser.
The 19 other states included in the lawsuit argue there are multiple violations in the way the USDA is requesting information, foremost citing the federal Privacy Act. Weiser told The Colorado Sun, “Those Coloradans (who use SNAP benefits) have an expectation of privacy that their personal data will be protected.”
The States signed the lawsuit and also say the USDA violates the congressional spending clause, which grants federal legislature control over federal spending. The suit requests that judges grant SNAP spending money as promised, barring the USDA from withholding funds.
The Sun has reported that the USDA has not given a clear reason for the request of sensitive information. In related news, stay tuned for the rest of the Morning Magazine, where we go live with Boulder Food Rescue’s Development Manager Sean Kohler to discuss how some of our Boulder neighbors rely on programs like SNAP and how Boulder Food Rescue’s backyard garden program is a tool to aid food insecurity in our community.
Trump administration proposes a 25% slash to NASA’s budget, causes mass exit, comment from CU Boulder chancellor
This past Saturday, NASA reported that close to 4,000 workers have opted to leave the agency through the Trump administration deferred resignation program. These workers make up 20% of NASA’s workforce, and follow a Trump administration move to reduce costs in the federal government via the Department of Government Efficiency.
Cheryll Warner, a spokesperson from NASA, told National Public Radio that the agency is unsure when all the resignations will go into effect. NASA declined to comment on effects the reduced workforce will have on the space program.
In response to the threat of agency downsizing, The Daily Camera published an opinion piece written by CU Boulder’s Chancellor Justin Schwartz. Schwartz described how a proposed 25% decrease in agency funding will also affect Boulder’s local university-based workforce employed using grants from NASA.
Schwartz’ concerns extended to currently developed space missions, saying, “the proposed budget cut would force the termination of missions far along in development or already operating, throwing away billions in taxpayer investments on projects that are on-budget and producing results for the American public.”
Cuts to NASA are currently a mixed bag, and the proposed 25% reduction of cuts to the space program has not been approved by congressional appropriators.
