Wiretap: Legalized it, in Washington D.C.

Pot is now legal in Washington, D.C. The Republican-controlled Congress, which has constitutional oversight over the District of Columbia, seems content not to do anything about it. Though the pot laws in Washington are still fairly restrictive — the city is not Amsterdam, or even Denver — the legalization revolution that began in Colorado seems to be spreading across the country. Via the Washington Post.

Barack Obama takes his immigration case to Miami, where the plan is to turn up pressure on John Boehner back in D.C. Via the New York Times.

Dana Milbank: This time it’s Boehner who’s leading from behind. Via the Washington Post.

Everyone knows that the House will have to pass a “clean” Homeland Security funding bill eventually. What no one seems to now is when eventually will come. Via Politico.

Former Boulder police chief Mark Beckner said officers mishandled the crime scene in the 1996 JonBenet Ramsey murder case. He made the comments in an “Ask Me Anything” session at Reddit. He told the Daily Camera he didn’t realize that what he said at the mega-internet-comment-thread site was actually connected to any of the rest of the world. He thought it was some kind of airlocked ante-chamber to the real media… or something, which is another way of saying he mishandled the Reddit scene?

For those who may be confused by columns in the New York Times or articles in the Atlantic, Robert Wright explains in the New Yorker why the “Clash of Civilizations” isn’t.

A longtime Denver police officer was arrested Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of domestic assault. Via the Denver Post. 

Our allies in Saudi Arabia have sentenced a man to death for tearing up the Koran. He was convicted of apostasy. Via Vox.

There’s a bipartisan movement growing to end mass incarceration. The question is whether the movement is growing quickly enough to do much good. Via the Atlantic.

If you’re eagerly anticipating diving into Netflix’s season three of House of Cards, New York Times TV critic Alessandra Stanley says there’s no rush.

Rags Over the Arkansas River (ROAR) — the group opposing artist Christo’s Over the River project — outlined their complaints about the planned two-week installation of fabric above the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida in a recent filing to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Via the Pueblo Chieftain. 

The Colorado Independent is a statewide online news source operating in a time when spin is plentiful, but factual, fair and unflinching news in the public interest is all too rare. Our award-winning team of veteran investigative and explanatory reporters and news columnists aims to amplify the voices of Coloradans whose stories are unheard, shine light on the relationships between people, power and policy, and hold public officials to account. We strive to report the news with context, social conscience, and soul, and to give Coloradans the insight they need to promote conversation, understanding and progress in this square, swing state we call home.