Socialist Congresswoman-To-Be Praises Denver Students Who Ditched School for Anti-ICE Rally and Attacked Counterprotesters

Dozens of Denver students who ditched school to protest ICE attacked counterprotesters during a Friday demonstration that led to at least three hospitalizations. The anti-ICE protesters earned praise from socialist congressional candidate Melat Kiros, who called them brave and praised their truancy.

The post Socialist Congresswoman-To-Be Praises Denver Students Who Ditched School for Anti-ICE Rally and Attacked Counterprotesters appeared first on .

Denver Socialist Melat Kiros Says America Must Address Antisemitic Attacks—By Reevaluating Its Relationship With Israel

Socialist Democrat Melat Kiros, who is set to represent Denver in Congress next year, said U.S. leaders need to "tone that temperature down" and "prevent" antisemitic violence—by "reevaluating our relationship with Israel."

The post Denver Socialist Melat Kiros Says America Must Address Antisemitic Attacks—By Reevaluating Its Relationship With Israel appeared first on .

Socialist Upsets Democrat Congresswoman Who First Took Office The Year She Was Born

'powerful people told me to stay silent'

Will the Socialist Sweep Come to Colorado? Far-Left Candidate Who Called 9/11 'Inevitable' Threatens 30-Year Incumbent Dem in Denver.

On the heels of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's (D.) socialist sweep in New York City congressional primaries, a far-left House challenger who called both the October 7 and September 11 terror attacks "inevitable" appears well-positioned to take down an established Democrat who has represented Denver for nearly 30 years.

The post Will the Socialist Sweep Come to Colorado? Far-Left Candidate Who Called 9/11 'Inevitable' Threatens 30-Year Incumbent Dem in Denver. appeared first on .

DOJ sues Denver over its ongoing war against the 2nd Amendment — and local Democrats aren't pleased



Denver has for decades impinged upon the Second Amendment rights of its residents.

Since 1989, the city has had a so-called "assault weapons" law on the books that now prohibits the carriage, storage, possession, manufacture, and sale of "any semiautomatic pistol or centerfire rifle, either of which have a fixed or detachable magazine with a capacity of more than fifteen rounds" and "any semiautomatic shotgun with a folding stock or a magazine capacity of more than six rounds."

'The Constitution is not a suggestion.'

According to Denver's Code of Ordinances, the city council that initially advanced the ban determined that the use of "assault weapons poses a threat to the health, safety and security of all citizens" in the city and that restrictions on law-abiding Americans' access to such firearms were both "reasonable and necessary."

The Trump Justice Department demanded in a letter last week that the city repeal the ban, underscoring that it is unconstitutional. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division said that failure to comply would likely trigger a lawsuit.

On Monday, the city's attorney, Miko Brown, wrote back to Dhillon, calling the request "baseless, irresponsible, and a clear overreach of the federal government's power."

RELATED: Why the Supreme Court nuked Colorado’s 'Must Stay Gay' law (and what to expect next)

Minh Connors/Washington Post/Getty Images

Democrat Denver Mayor Mike Johnston chimed in, characterizing the DOJ's effort to restore Denverites' rights as intimidation and claiming that the ban "has stood for 37 years because it works, it saves lives, and it reflects the values of our community."

Democrat Councilwoman Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez joined the chorus of fearmongerers, stating both that the Trump administration was trying to deprive students and families of critical "protections" and that "assault weapons take lives — that's what they're made for."

On Tuesday, the DOJ filed a lawsuit with the stated intention of vindicating "the rights of Denver citizens whose rights have been — and are continuing to be — violated."

"The Constitution is not a suggestion and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right," acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. "Denver's ban on commonly owned semi-automatic rifles directly violates the right to bear arms."

Citing the standard for applying the Second Amendment outlined in the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, the government's complaint asserts that the "Ordinance is presumptively unconstitutional" and that the City of Denver "will not be able to rebut this presumption."

After noting that the Second Amendment protects firearms "typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes that are in 'common use' today" — a protection affirmed by the Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller — the complaint explains that there are at least 28 million AR-style semiautomatic rifles presently in circulation and tens of millions of law-abiding AR-style-rifle owners in the country.

In addition to the numerousness and common use of such weapons, the DOJ's complaint shreds the notion that AR-15-type rifles are the go-to choice for criminals.

When making this point, the DOJ highlighted FBI data showing that whereas there were 364 homicides known to have been committed with rifles of any type in 2019, 6,368 homicides were committed with handguns, 1,476 were committed with knives or other cutting instruments, 600 were committed with hands and feet, and 397 were committed with blunt objects.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division stated, "Law-abiding Americans, regardless of what city or state they reside in, should not have to live under threat of criminal sanction just for exercising their Second Amendment right to possess arms which are owned by tens of millions of their fellow citizens."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

GOP candidate lands in handcuffs after pool scare involving alcohol — and his 2 young kids



A Denver-area man running for the Colorado state Senate landed in handcuffs in the Florida Keys earlier this week after his 4-year-old daughter nearly drowned in a hotel pool — while he was allegedly at the bar.

Around 7:34 p.m. on Monday, a 911 call alerted first responders that a child was drowning at a hotel pool.

'I will work to restore parental rights where government has overstepped.'

A witness told police that a young boy, later identified as the 6-year-old son of Frederick Alfred Jr., came to him because his sister was drowning. The witness claimed that when he saw the girl, later identified as Alfred's 4-year-old daughter, she "was unconscious and foaming at the mouth," so he pulled her out of the pool and began CPR, Colorado Politics reported, citing a police report.

Another witness on the scene confirmed this account, police said.

Thankfully, first responders were able to revive the girl. The boy had also reportedly swallowed pool water as he attempted to rescue his sister but otherwise appeared to be unharmed.

At 7:40, Alfred entered the scene, carrying an alcoholic beverage, police claimed. Alfred explained that he left his kids at the hot tub to go grab a drink at the bar and estimated he had been gone about five minutes, police further claimed.

Alfred's breath reeked of alcohol, and a receipt from the bar showed he had purchased two alcoholic beverages during his time away from his kids, police added.

RELATED: Long-shot Democrat candidate in Florida allegedly threatens to kill 'two elderly victims' — possibly his parents: VIDEO

Pawel Kacperek/Getty Images

Though his kids appeared to be OK, first responders strongly recommended they be taken to the hospital just in case, but Alfred initially refused, reports said. After some more cajoling, Alfred eventually relented, and the children were taken to a local hospital.

At 8 p.m. that night, Alfred was arrested and booked into the Monroe County Detention Center. Jail records state that he has been charged with one count of felony child neglect and that he has an arraignment hearing on May 5.

The Department of Children and Families was notified, CBS News Colorado reported. Whether the children's mother accompanied the family on this trip is unclear.

Originally from Florida, according to his campaign Facebook account, 38-year-old Alfred currently lives in Commerce City, Colorado, and is running unopposed for the Republican nomination for the District 21 state Senate seat. The primary is scheduled for June 30.

His campaign website lists "parental rights" first among his "legislative priorities."

"Families not the state should guide their children. I will work to restore parental rights where government has overstepped and ensure schools partner with parents, not replace them," the website says.

Elsewhere on the website, Alfred describes himself as a husband, a father, and the son of immigrants who wants to protect Colorado kids and parents from Democratic "policies that put government first and families last."

"I believe in a better path for Senate District 21, one that trusts parents, supports strong energy policies that grow jobs and opportunity, and embraces innovation to secure Colorado's future," he adds.

Alfred did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News or from Colorado Politics, Denver7, or CBS News Colorado.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

SCOTUS agrees to hear arguments in Colorado religious freedom case



The Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on whether religious institutions must set aside their core beliefs in order to participate in a state-funded program.

The St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy case, broadly speaking, is a challenge to the Archdiocese of Denver's requirement that families and staff support Catholic beliefs. The state takes issue with this requirement when considering whether to allow Catholic schools in the archdiocese to participate in the Universal Preschool Program.

'Colorado promised free preschool for all, then slammed the door on families who chose a religious education for their children. After three losses in religious freedom cases at the Supreme Court, Colorado should know better.'

The archdiocese requires staff and families to sign statements to "affirm that they will support the teachings of the Catholic Church" and that "all Catholic school families must understand and display a positive and supportive attitude toward the Catholic Church," according to Fox News.

Colorado officials, however, argue that these requirements are not inclusive of all children.

RELATED: Why the Supreme Court nuked Colorado’s 'Must Stay Gay' law (and what to expect next)

Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post/Getty Images

"All participating providers — whether religious or secular — must ensure that children have equal opportunity to enroll in and receive preschool services regardless of those children’s (or their families’) religious affiliation, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, lack of housing, income level, or disability," the state said.

The state's universal preschool program covers all types of schools and offers 15 hours of free preschool each week in the year before the child enters kindergarten.

Nicholas Reaves, senior counsel at Becket and attorney for the families and preschools, told Blaze News, “Colorado promised free preschool for all, then slammed the door on families who chose a religious education for their children. After three losses in religious freedom cases at the Supreme Court, Colorado should know better. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that states cannot exclude families from government benefits because of their faith. We’re confident the Court will say the same thing here and put a stop to Colorado’s no-Catholics-need-apply rules.”

Families in the case remain hopeful that the Supreme Court will side with their appeal.

“All we want is the freedom to choose the best preschool for our kids without being punished for our faith," Dan and Lisa Sheley, Catholic parents of seven and Becket clients in the case, said in a statement provided to Blaze News. "Colorado promised families a universal preschool program, then cut out families like ours because we chose a Catholic education. We pray the Supreme Court will remind Colorado that universal means everyone.”

“Colorado is punishing young religious families. In a state that loudly preaches inclusion, it’s shocking to see Colorado go out of its way to exclude families like mine," Erika Navarrete Nagle, a Catholic mother of three whose children attend St. Mary’s, told Blaze News. "I hope the Supreme Court will make it clear that no family should be targeted for what they believe.”

The Supreme Court will hear arguments for this case in the fall.

Editor's note: The author attended St. Mary Catholic Parish and School.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Illegal Immigration Is Way Down, So Naturally The Media Are Freaking Out

'These shifts were largely due to lower levels of net international migration, which declined nationwide.'

Dead people received taxpayer-funded housing benefits in Colorado, HUD says



More than 300 residents in Colorado received federal housing benefits despite being ineligible, including over 200 deceased individuals, according to an audit.

The New York Post reported on Thursday that an audit by the Department of Housing and Urban Development found that 221 deceased individuals and another 87 ineligible residents received taxpayer-funded housing benefits.

'From deceased tenants to individuals receiving HUD housing benefits who were never supposed to, the Department has questions for HUD-supported housing providers in Colorado, and we expect prompt answers and enforcement action.'

The department is requiring an additional 2,519 beneficiaries to undergo verification to confirm their eligibility.

A source told the Post that HUD found that the fraud involved most of Colorado’s 59 public housing agencies and was “particularly pronounced in the Denver Housing Authority,” the news outlet wrote.

HUD provides approximately $440 million in taxpayer funds to Colorado’s PHAs, which oversee 38,000 leased units. These units are either public housing or covered by housing choice vouchers. Beneficiaries are typically required to contribute roughly 30% of their income toward housing.

HUD is expected to require PHAs to ramp up their beneficiary vetting efforts and remove ineligible recipients. Additionally, PHAs that provide benefits to ineligible beneficiaries will be required to reimburse the misused taxpayer funds. Those who fail to comply will face additional sanctions, the Post reported.

RELATED: Americans priced out while foreigners pour in: Trump admin report slams Biden for spike in rental costs

Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images

The department’s findings have reportedly prompted a federal investigation into Colorado’s housing providers.

“From deceased tenants to individuals receiving HUD housing benefits who were never supposed to, the Department has questions for HUD-supported housing providers in Colorado, and we expect prompt answers and enforcement action,” a HUD spokesperson told the Post.

RELATED: Democrat-led city's alleged ‘race-based’ housing strategy prompts federal investigation

President Donald Trump, HUD Secretary Scott Turner. Photographer: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Earlier this week, the Washington Examiner reported that HUD sent federal investigators to Minnesota to look into potential housing fraud amid reports that $1 billion in taxpayer funds was funneled primarily to those of Somali descent.

HUD launched an investigation last week into Boston’s alleged “race-based” housing program, claiming that the city’s diversity, equity, and inclusion practices may “violate civil rights protections under the Fair Housing Act and Title VI.”

President Donald Trump unveiled a budget plan in May that proposed drastically cutting HUD’s discretionary funding by over 40%.

Denver Housing Authority did not respond to a request for comment.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Large School Systems See Plummeting Foreign-Language Students Thanks To Immigration Enforcement

'It is the American kids from poorer families, who already face significant obstacles, that are trapped in failing schools that are burdened with the impossible task of addressing the educational needs of large numbers of migrants,' FAIR's Ira Mehlman said.