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With the June Jan. 6 hearings wrapping up Thursday and Colorados primary election set for Tuesday, June 28, the debate over where candidates stand on the 2020 presidential contest whether they still believe in the big lie or the fact of a free and fair election is raging from Eagle County to Washington, D.C.

Its too late to mail in your Colorado primary ballot, butnot too late to voteon a slate of candidates who could have an enormous say at the state level in how future federal and local elections are conducted and whether everyone has the same access to voting.

With the future of representative democracy at stake with this and every ensuing local, state and federal election, RealVail.com has been asking candidates their positions on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and the role of state lawmakers and election officials (more from our local candidates below).

The bipartisanU.S. House Select Committeeto Investigate the January 6thAttack on the U.S. Capitol concluded its June hearings with a fifth edition on Thursday, with more hearings on tap for July. So far, the committee has done an excellent job detailing just how close the country came to a full-blown crisis.

In the first hearing, it was demonstrated how former President Donald Trumps closest campaign and legal advisorstold him he had had lost the electionto President Joe Biden but Trump spread the big lie anyway, seeking out allies everywhere.

In the second hearing, Trump was shown to haveknowingly fleeced his base of supportersby spreading the big lie for financial gain, raking in huge amounts of cash for a legal defense fund that did not exist. The lie led to deadly violence on Jan. 6.

The third hearing showed how Vice President Mike Pence looked for reasons to back Trumps corrupt electoral college scheme, devised by complicit attorney John Eastman while he worked for the University of Colorado, butbalked when he was advised such a plot was illegal.

The pressure campaign on Pence, includingwhile he was on a family vacation in Vailover the Christmas holiday in 2020, included veiled threats from Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, whose district includes part of Eagle County.

Boebert, who on Jan. 6 proclaimedToday is 1776, took this shot at Pence on Jan. 2:VP Pence needs to be Thomas Jefferson in this moment, Boeberttweeted, referencinga precedent that did not exist. We have your back if youve got ours, @VP.Boebert faces a GOP primary challengeon Tuesday from moderate Republican state Sen. Don Coram.

In the Jan. 6 committees fourth hearing, the real-life impacts of Trumps big lie beyond the fatalities and injured police during the assault were demonstrated by state and local election officials who werethreatened and attacked across the country. The illegal scheme to send illegitimate alternate slates of electors to Washington was also revealed in greater detail.

Andin Thursdays fifth hearing, lawmakers showed proof of how Trump nearly pressured the U.S. Justice Department into falsely claiming the election was stolen a plot that was only derailed by the threat of mass resignations by Justice officials.

Perhaps most importantly, the committee has demonstrated that Trump and many members of the Republican Party are engaged in an ongoing plot to undermine more than two centurys of institutional norms that support the very foundations of American democracy, and that, given the chance, they will try again in 2024.

Besides big lie proponents such as Boebert on Tuesdays ballot,indicted and disgracedMesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters is trying to become Colorado secretary of state, Jan. 6 participant Ron Hanks wants to be a U.S. senator, and CU RegentHeidi Ganahl, whorefuses to condemn Eastmanfor hisrole in the Jan. 6 attack, wants to be Colorado governor.

Those are just a few reasons to head to a vote center or find a drop box on Tuesday. Also on the ballot for Republicans or unaffiliated voters who choose to vote GOP (only submit one partys ballot or both will be thrown out), is the state House District 26 race, which includes most of Eagle County.

Republican Savannah Wolfson of Oak Creek takes on Glenn Lowe of Eagle, who has not answered any of RealVail.coms campaign questions. Democrat Meghan Lukens of Steamboat Springs does not have a primary opponent. Heres how Wolfson and Lukensanswered questionsabout the 2020 election.

RV:Is Joe Biden the freely and fairly elected president of the United States, or do you agree with former President Donald Trump that there was widespread voter fraud in 2020?

ML:Joe Biden is the freely and fairly elected President of the United States.

SW:Joe Biden was certified by the electoral college and is president of the United States, or we would not be dealing with the massive fallout of his failed presidency. We must look forward, take back the Legislative branch in 22, and stop his extreme agendas. In his short amount of time in office, he has shown the American people that you cannot give the government more power without taking power away from sovereign individuals. His foreign policy all over the world has been both dangerous and embarrassing, and the debacle in Afghanistan made me question, as a military spouse, that the life of my husband is valued by our government. On the subject of voter fraud, there are always things we can do to increase election security, and we should do them moving forward. I encourage everyone who reads this to become an election judge this year and stay until the process is done. We have had a shortage of Republican election judges in this district in the past, and its time to change that.

RV:Do you agree with an RNC resolution censuring Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger [for serving on the Jan. 6 committee] and declaring Jan. 6 legitimate political discourse?

ML:No.

SW:I am ready to look forward and deal with our local issues, and I think most Coloradans are too. The average moms and dads I talk to in our district are not very worried about Liz Cheney in their day to day lives. They are worried about filling their tanks with gas and focused on their childrens education. The ranchers are worried about wolf reintroduction and the constant attacks on agriculture from state leadership. The energy workers are worried about their jobs being shut down. These are the areas I am focused on improving.

RV:Should Colorado pass laws and take actions aimed at election security up to and including sending alternate presidential electors in the 2024 presidential election?

ML:Colorado is a leader in voting rights and election security. Our voting system in the state of Colorado has proven to be effective, safe, and accessible. I do not see a need to send alternate presidential electors in the 2024 presidential election.

SW:Im always for improving security where there are gaps, and that should be bipartisan. I do not agree that our system legally allows alternate electors. However, if non-candidates want to take action, they can do so by becoming an election judge and staying until the process is over. We all want to bring balance back to the state legislature and that is what I will do as your legislator.

In the state Senate District 8 race, there are no primary challengers for RepublicanMatt Solomonof Eagle and DemocratDylan Robertsof Avon, but heres where they stand on the 2020 election ahead of the Nov. 8 general election:

RV:Is Joe Biden the freely and fairly elected president of the United States, or do you agree with former President Donald Trump that there was widespread voter fraud in 2020?

DR:Joe Biden is the freely and fairly elected President.

MS:Joe Biden was sworn into office as our President in January 2020. Until and unless the courts show otherwise, he is our president.

RV:Do you agree with the RNC resolution censuring Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger [for serving on the Jan. 6 committee] and declaring Jan. 6 legitimate political discourse?

DR:No.

MS:The political environment in our country has been so divisive and negative, it is no wonder the majority of people in our Senate District 8 are unaffiliated or claim independence. January 6 is one more example of this negative divisiveness that we must overcome.

RV:Should Colorado pass laws and take actions aimed at election security up to and including sending alternate presidential electors in the 2024 presidential election?

DR:Our Colorado Constitution and election laws set forth a clear and reliable way to elect the President and all other elected offices. Colorado also has a secure, reliable, and consistently-audited election system that works well. I am always open to changes to law that make our elections more reliable and secure but do not see a reason to consider alternate electors or any reforms along those lines.

MS:While none of us in Senate District 8 want to be micro managed by an overbearing government and we all want to have the utmost faith in the process, election security is a very important issue. It could include everything from alternate presidential electors, to mandatory identifications for voters, to special paper on which ballots would be printed. Before agreeing that Colorado should pass laws and take actions, though, we must first read and understand the language of said proposals so we can ensure the long-term goals of fair, free, and secure elections are actually met.

David O. Williams is the editor and co-founder of RealVail.com and has had his awarding-winning work (see About Us) published in more than 75 newspapers and magazines around the world, including 5280 Magazine, American Way Magazine (American Airlines), the Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), the Anchorage Daily Press (Alaska), Aspen Daily News, Aspen Journalism, the Aspen Times, Beaver Creek Magazine, the Boulder Daily Camera, the Casper Star Tribune (Wyoming), the Chicago Tribune, Colorado Central Magazine, the Colorado Independent (formerly Colorado Confidential), Colorado Politics (formerly the Colorado Statesman), Colorado Public News, the Colorado Springs Gazette, the Colorado Springs Independent, the Colorado Statesman (now Colorado Politics), the Colorado Times Recorder, the Cortez Journal, the Craig Daily Press, the Curry Coastal Pilot (Oregon), the Daily Trail (Vail), the Del Norte Triplicate (California), the Denver Daily News, the Denver Gazette, the Denver Post, the Durango Herald, the Eagle Valley Enterprise, the Eastside Journal (Bellevue, Washington), ESPN.com, Explore Big Sky (Mont.), the Fort Morgan Times (Colorado), the Glenwood Springs Post-Independent, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, the Greeley Tribune, the Huffington Post, the King County Journal (Seattle, Washington), the Kingman Daily Miner (Arizona), KUNC.org (northern Colorado), LA Weekly, the Las Vegas Sun, the Leadville Herald-Democrat, the London Daily Mirror, the Moab Times Independent (Utah), the Montgomery Journal (Maryland), the Montrose Daily Press, The New York Times, the Parents Handbook, Peaks Magazine (now Epic Life), People Magazine, Powder Magazine, the Pueblo Chieftain, PT Magazine, the Rio Blanco Herald Times (Colorado), Rocky Mountain Golf Magazine, the Rocky Mountain News, RouteFifty.com (formerly Government Executive State and Local), the Salt Lake Tribune, SKI Magazine, Ski Area Management, SKIING Magazine, the Sky-Hi News, the Steamboat Pilot & Today, the Sterling Journal Advocate (Colorado), the Summit Daily News, United Hemispheres (United Airlines), Vail/Beaver Creek Magazine, Vail en Espaol, Vail Health Magazine, Vail Valley Magazine, the Vail Daily, the Vail Trail, Westword (Denver), Writers on the Range and the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Williams is also the founder, publisher and editor of RealVail.com and RockyMountainPost.com.

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Democracy itself is on the ballot in Tuesday's Colorado primary election - RealVail

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testified before the Senate Banking Committee Wednesday. Last week the Fed ordered the largest interest rate increase since 1994. Powell acknowledged the rate hike could lead to a recession and would not lead to lower gas and food prices. Powell was questioned by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren: Chair Powell, will gas prices go down as a result of your interest rate increase?

Jerome Powell: I would not think so, no.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren: OK. And that matters because gas prices are one of the single biggest drivers of inflation. Chair Powell, will the Feds interest rate increases bring food prices down for families?

Jerome Powell: I wouldnt say so, no.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren: The reason I raise this and the reason Im so concerned about this is rate increases make it more likely that companies will fire people and slash hours to shrink wage costs. Rate increases also make it more expensive for families to do things like borrow money for a house. And so far, the cost this year of a mortgage has already doubled.

See the rest here:
Elizabeth Warren Blasts Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Hiking Interest Rates - Democracy Now!

For Isatou Ceesay and Tombong Njie, the term witch hunt is not metaphorical. Under the regime of former dictator Yahya Jammeh, they were both literally condemned as witches.

He held people in custody, tortured them, and that was the end of them, says Ms. Ceesay. We were so embarrassed to go out. We are not witches, adds Ms. Njie.

During his 22 years in power, former President Jammeh severely weakened the countrys institutions and security apparatus. The regime was characterized by harassment; torture; the murder of political figures, journalists, activists, and students; and significant sexual and gender-based violence against women and children.

Ms. Ceesay, Ms. Njie, and many other Gambians still carry the scars of the abuses of the witch hunt campaign, which began in 2009 and lasted several years. Victims struggled to escape the stigma associated with witches.

UNDP Gambia

Isatou Ceesay, a victim of the Gambian 'witch hunt' campaign.

In 2016, the Gambians voted out President Jammeh, and the new President, Adama Barrow, was sworn into office in February 2017. However, the nation of two million people faced a severe political and social crisis with the absence of independent or effective justice institutions and rampant human rights abuses.

The political transition required urgent reforms to overhaul the country's institutions, promote democratic governance, address past human rights abuses and establish respect for the rule of law.

One of the ways that the UN has helped to support this transition is through the UN Secretary-Generals Peacebuilding Fund, which provided funds aimed at critical areas, such as security sector and justice reform.

The UNs close collaboration with the authorities, under President Barrow, laid the foundations for two major institutions in December 2017: The National Human Rights Commission and the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), which is made up of eleven people, and designed to reflect the diverse ethnic, religious, and gender make-up of the country.

UNDP Gambia

Tombong Njie suffered as a result of the 'witch hunts' instigated by former President of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh.

In January 2019, public truth and reconciliation hearings began, with victims and perpetrators giving their personal testimonies. The hearings and outreach activities generated great public interest and broad popular participation, including youth and civil society.

"The TRRC is very important. I have seen how it has helped people empathize with us, knowing that we were deliberately and wrongfully accused," said Pa Demba Bojang, a victim of the witch hunt campaign.

"People now aspire to live in peace in this country. Victims' lives have become better thanks to the help they got from the project. The project has brought back hope in The Gambia," said another victim.

The hearings were broadcast live to on television, radio, and online platforms such as YouTube and Facebook. They would not have made for easy viewing, covering incidents of human rights violations, including torture, enforced disappearance, arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention/killings, and sexual and gender-based violence.

UNDP The Gambia

Ya Jai Bahoum, a victim of the repressive regime of Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh

The UN Peacebuilding Fund played a key role in enabling the hearings to take place. It enabled the Commissions office to open, provided key equipment, technical support to the Commissioners and the staff, and helped ensure victims access to the TRRC proceedings, which involved reaching out to those in the most remote areas of the country.

Some 2,000 people benefitted from the Victim Participation Support Fund, which provided psychosocial support and essential medical interventions. In addition, 30 persons were provided with comprehensive witness protection.

Beyond the hearings, over 34,000 Gambians have involved in outreach missions on the transitional justice process, and taken part in workshops, held in close partnership with civil society organizations, religious and traditional leaders.

Since it began holding hearings, the Commission participatory and accessible process has helped to foster national reconciliation. "We were wrongfully accused. Some pointed fingers at us, but TRRC helped us overcome this shame," said another victim of the witch hunt campaign.

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Building peace: Plotting a route towards democracy in The Gambia - UN News

OPINION:

Progressives have a plan to expand antitrust law that would effectively nationalize Americas most successful companies. They even hope to get conservatives on board. The bill most likely to get consideration this Congress would, according to Ryan Bourne and Brad Subramaniam of the Cato Institute, generally make it unlawful for major online platforms to engage in conduct that has produced tech products that consumers enjoy.

This proposal, if enacted, would prevent Apple from preloading FaceTime and iMessage into your apps and Google would have to remove Google Maps. Amazon Prime would be de facto banned.

If this sounds to you like a bad deal for consumers, you are spot on. This is nothing more than a Trojan Horse bill intended to expand federal power over the private sector.

Conservatives have a long history of embracing free-market economics. It wasnt so long ago that the Republican Party was known for encouraging entrepreneurship and celebrating success. Now, there is an emerging split between the populist wing and the traditional free marketeers of the Republican Party that endangers the economy. Because this fight is over Big Tech, some on the right are willing to toss aside small, limited government first principles for short-term political gain.

One Republican has dug in for the fight and is willing to take on Big Government ideas coming from both progressive Democrats and populist Republicans. For Fox News, Republican Sen. Rand Paul wrote on June 13, 2022, that he shares a degree of anger with Big Tech companies, yet he will not toss aside his love of free-market principles for legislation that would deprive consumers of the technological innovation that only free-market competition can provide.

Mr. Paul criticized Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchars bill, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S. 2992), as creating a presumption that mergers are a violation of antitrust law. Mr. Paul remains critical of Republican Sen. Josh Hawleys bill, the Trust-Busting for the Twenty-First Century Act (S. 1074), that would forward the progressive goal of preventing mergers and ignoring the welfare of the consumer. The Hawley bill bans all mergers and acquisitions by companies with a market capitalization exceeding $100 billion. The Klobuchar bill is an attempt to empower government bureaucrats control over private enterprise, while the Hawley bill is a direct attack on success. Both would lead to pain for consumers and stagnation for a struggling American economy.

Ms. Klobuchars legislation would expand the power of the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice over private enterprise. President Bidens pick to run the FTC, Lina Khan, actually wrote an early version of this legislation. Politico reported in May, Lina Khan, President Joe Bidens Federal Trade Commission chair, helped write the House version of the American Innovation and Choice Online Act when she was a staffer on the Judiciary Committee. The Politico story cited heartburn from moderate Democrats who fear the radical legislation will cause even more economic headwinds and weaken the partys electoral prospects. Progressive Democrats intend on rushing this legislation through the Senate because they worry that a potential Republican majority following an election dominated by economic concerns would be less apt to beat up on successful technology companies.

These words from President Ronald Reagan are as true today as they were in 1981: We who live in free-market societies believe that growth, prosperity, and ultimately human fulfillment, are created from the bottom up, not the government down. Brilliant entrepreneurs are far better at driving the economy than unelected government bureaucrats.

American consumers and voters dont want a federal government that has racked up over $30 trillion in debt to run our nations most innovative corporations into the ground.

Brian Garst is vice president of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity.

See the rest here:
The progressive antitrust Trojan Horse - Washington Times

Victoria Knight

[UPDATED on June 21]

Harmony is not often found between two of the most boisterous senators on Capitol Hill, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

But it was there at Tuesdays Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee markup of legislation to reauthorize the Food and Drug Administrations user fee program, which is set to expire Sept. 30.

This user fee program, which was first authorized in 1992, allows the FDA to collect fees from companies that submit applications for drug approval. It was designed to speed the approval review process. And it requires reauthorization every five years.

Congress considers this bill a must-pass piece of legislation because its used to help fund the FDA, as well as revamp existing policies. As a result, it also functions as a vehicle for other proposals to reach the presidents desk especially those that couldnt get there on their own.

And thats why, on Tuesday, Sanders took advantage of the must-pass moment to propose an amendment to the user fee bill that would allow for the importation of drugs from Canada and the United Kingdom, and, after two years, from other countries.

Prescription medications are often much less expensive in other countries, and surveys show that millions of Americans have bought drugs from overseas even though doing so is technically illegal.

We have talked about reimportation for a zillion years, said a visibly heated Sanders. This bill actually does it. It doesnt wait for somebody in the bureaucracy to make it happen. It actually makes it happen. He then went on for several minutes, his tone escalating, citing statistics about high drug prices, recounting anecdotes of people who traveled for drugs, and ending with outrage about pharmaceutical companies campaign contributions and the number of lobbyists the industry has.

I always wanted to go to a Bernie rally, and now I feel like Ive been there, Paul joked after Sanders finished talking. He went on to offer his support for the Vermont senators amendment a rare bipartisan alliance between senators who are on opposite ends of the political spectrum.

This is a policy that sort of unites many on both sides of the aisle, the outrage over the high prices of medications, added Paul. He said he didnt support drug price controls in the U.S. but did support a worldwide competitive free market for drugs, which he believes would lower prices.

Even before Sanders offered his amendment, the user fee bill before the committee included a limited drug importation provision, Sec. 906. It would require the FDA to develop regulations for importing certain prescription drugs from Canada. But how this provision differs from a Trump-era regulation is unclear, said Rachel Sachs, a professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert on drug pricing.

FDA has already made importation regulations that were finalized at the end of the Trump administration, said Sachs. But no applications under the directive have been approved yet. She added that whether Sec. 906 is doing anything to improve the existing regulation is unclear.

Sanders proposed amendment would have gone further, Sachs explained.

It would have included insulin among the products that could be obtained from other countries. It also would have compelled pharmaceutical companies to comply with the regulation. It has been a concern in drug-pricing circles that even if importation were allowed, there would be resistance to it in other countries, because of how the practice could affect their domestic supply.

A robust discussion between Republican and Democratic senators ensued. Among the most notable moments: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) asked whether importing drugs from countries with price controls would translate into a form of price control in the U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said his father breaks the law by getting his glaucoma medication from Canada.

The committees chair, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), held the line against Sanders amendment. Although she agreed with some of its policies, she said, she wanted to stick to the importation framework already in the bill, rather than making changes that could jeopardize its passage. Many of us want to do more, she said, but the bill in its current form is a huge step forward, and it has the Republican support we need to pass legislation.

To my knowledge, actually, this is the first time ever that a user fee reauthorization bill has included policy expanding importation of prescription drugs, Murray said. I believe it will set us up well to make further progress in the future.

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the committees ranking member, was adamant in his opposition to Sanders amendment, saying that it spelled doom for the legislations overall prospects. Want to kill this bill? Do importation, said Burr.

Sanders, though, staying true to his reputation, didnt quiet down or give up the fight. Instead, he argued for an immediate vote. This is a real debate. There were differences of opinions. Its called democracy, he said. I would urge those who support what Sen. Paul and I are trying to do here to vote for it.

In the end, though, committee members didnt, opting to table the amendment, meaning it was set aside and not included in the legislation.

Later in the afternoon, the Senate panel reconvened after senators attended their weekly party policy lunches and passed the user fee bill out of the committee 13-9. The next step is consideration by the full Senate. A similar bill has already cleared the House.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

This story can be republished for free (details).

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A Proposal to Import Drugs from Other Countries Creates an Unusual Alliance in the Senate - Kaiser Health News