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
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.
Mar 21, 2020 • 21min
Politics, Policy, and the Pandemic
The legislative session is on hiatus, but politics, governing, and Purplish all definitely go on. In fact, policy-making is going on at warp speed, as Gov.
Mar 14, 2020 • 18min
Legislation In The Time Of Coronavirus
Lawmakers aren't getting ready for 100 years of solitude. Just two weeks or so.
Mar 6, 2020 • 17min
Super Tuesday Might Not Mean What You Think In Colorado…
When is an election like a bad night of speed dating? When you’ve gone through five candidates and still aren’t so sure about the one you’re finally matched with.
Feb 29, 2020 • 23min
Sausage In The Making
Democrats in the state legislature say they’re ready to step into two big areas where they don’t think Coloradans are being well served: with the cost of their health insurance, […]
