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, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 19, 2020 • 22min
BONUS: The Democrats Competing To Take On Cory Gardner
In this bonus episode, we talk to voters about the primary race for Colorado's U.S. Senate seat, between John Hickenlooper and Andrew Romanoff, and review the candidates' records.
Jun 12, 2020 • 15min
The End Is Near
The legislature is on its final sprint to adjournment and we'll catch you up on everything they've done, and are still trying to do.
Jun 5, 2020 • 20min
Protests, Policing, And Education Cuts
Last week lawmakers were laying aside even the most popular bills to make room to focus on the pandemic. But the past week of protests have pushed a new issue to the top of the agenda: police reform.
May 29, 2020 • 19min
The Legislature Strikes Back
Lawmakers returned to work Tuesday in a changed world. The first order of business was to start laying aside most of their bills from the first half of session. The second order of business was to argue passionately about how they'll work from here on out. And the third was to set a new, pandemic-driven agenda. We discuss it all on this week's Purplish.
May 22, 2020 • 19min
You Can’t Kiss Babies Over Zoom
…But that doesn’t mean candidates won’t try it in this, the most unusual of election seasons.
May 14, 2020 • 16min
Budget Cuts and Building Rules
Lawmakers have a lot of decisions to make before they return to work at the end of May. Those are as big as cutting three billion dollars from the budget, and as small as where people will sit to achieve social distancing.
Apr 16, 2020 • 18min
W(h)ither The Big Bills?
Remember the start of the legislative session, when all talk was about paid family leave, the public option, and how Jared Polis might use his power as governor in the […]
Apr 10, 2020 • 20min
Justice — And Many Other Things — Delayed
What happens to the right to a speedy trial when the court system is shut down during a pandemic? Can testing every last person in a small Western Colorado county yield new insights into the spread of coronavirus? What will life in Colorado look like the day after the "stay home" order lifts? And how much, really, will lawmakers actually try to push through once they're allowed back in the state capitol? Hosts Bente Birkeland and Andrew Kenney tackle those questions and more with CPR's Justice reporter, Allison Sherry.
Apr 3, 2020 • 20min
Partisan Politics vs. Pandemic Politics
Times of crisis generally bring people together, but even in the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, politicians can only sing kumbaya for so long.
Mar 27, 2020 • 18min
The ‘Stay At Home’ Order, Discussed By Three People Staying In Their Homes
Our hosts locked themselves in their bedrooms, or hid under blankets in their closets, to record this week's episode, which is all about the politics and practicalities of Gov. Jared Polis' statewide "stay at home" order.
