
Purplish
Purplish is CPR News' weekly podcast about state politics, state government, Colorado policy, and political identity. This season the show is hosted by public affairs reporters Bente Birkeland and Andrew Kenney. Each week while the legislature is in session, they'll break down the latest developments, look ahead to what's next, and dive into the bigger picture of what it all means.
Latest episodes

Apr 23, 2021 • 18min
Hot At The Legislature: Housing And Immigration
Renters and undocumented immigrants are two groups that could see their situations change significantly, under a slate of progressive policies at the statehouse.

Apr 16, 2021 • 16min
What The Heck Is The Public Option?
Look, we know it's complicated. It could also be the biggest thing the state does on health care since the Affordable Care Act.

Apr 9, 2021 • 22min
Maps, Data And Drama, Drama, Drama
Congressional redistricting is a one-in-a-decade political dogfight like no other, and this go-round in Colorado is starting off with some extra challenges.

Apr 2, 2021 • 24min
Big Changes, Little Attention
You've heard a lot about health care, guns and transportation. But lawmakers are working on a ton of other ideas that will affect your life in ways you might not expect.

Mar 26, 2021 • 22min
Gun Laws After Boulder
The mass shooting at a Boulder grocery store has Colorado Democrats rethinking how far they might be willing to push for more restrictive gun laws.

Mar 23, 2021 • 14min
BONUS: Meet The Jared Polis And Anthony Fauci Of 1918
How did the Jared Polis of 1918 handle *his* deadly pandemic? After a year of living through COVID we decided it would be interesting to look back and tell the tale of Colorado politics during the Spanish flu. One big difference? A lot more moustaches.

Mar 19, 2021 • 21min
Capitol Warming
Statehouse Democrats want to go big on climate change this year. Is Gov. Jared Polis ready to go along with them?

Mar 12, 2021 • 20min
1.9 Trillion Is An Awfully Big Number
Congress signed off on spending an out-of-this-world number of Benjamins this week. The Purplish crew looks at what all that money means for Colorado.

Mar 5, 2021 • 22min
Polis’s Pandemic Year
This episode of Purplish is brought to you by the letter P: For Polis, pandemic, policies, persuasion, piñata, and proposal.

Feb 26, 2021 • 20min
Everything You Need To Know About Transportation Reform
It could be THE big issue at the state legislature this year, and we have all the details.