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Debate Central: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump square off in first presidential debate

Posted on by Blair Miller

Denver7 had full coverage of the first 2016 presidential debate Monday night in real time. Find everything from the night’s debates below:

The Denver7 team discussed the debate with analysts afterward:

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FOLLOW ALONG ON TWITTER

Tweets from Denver7’s Marshall Zelinger and in-house analysts, as well as the Scripps political team.

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DEBATE LIVE BLOG

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FACT-CHECKING HILLARY CLINTON

How accurate were Hillary Clinton’s statements during her first presidential debate with Donald Trump on Monday? We fact-checked the debate as it happened in an attempt to put the candidates’ honesty in full view.

On this page, you’ll see fact-checks of Clinton’s statements. For a look at Trump’s live fact-checks, click here.

 

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FACT-CHECKING DONALD TRUMP

How accurate were Donald Trump’s statements during his first presidential debate with Hillary Clinton on Monday? We fact-checked the debate as it happened in an attempt to put the candidates’ honesty in full view.

On this page, you’ll see fact-checks of Trump’s statements. For a look at Clinton’s live fact-checks, click here.

 

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WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

Tonight marks the first of four presidential debates. Of the four debates, three will involve Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican standard-bearer Donald Trump. One of the four debates will include the vice presidential candidates.

The debate is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern and will last 90 minutes.

Here is what you need to know for tonight’s debate:

The candidates

Clinton and Trump were the only two candidates invited to Monday’s debate based on polling. In order to be invited, a candidate must poll at 15 percent or above in a series of national polls to qualify.

The moderator

The Commission on Presidential Debates picked NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt to moderate Monday’s debate. It is the first time Holt has hosted a presidential debate between the major party nominees.

Including the face of NBC News might be considered surprising given the GOP canceled a scheduled debate during the presidential primaries on NBC. Republican leaders were frustrated by a debate held on NBC’s sister station CNBC that featured what the party described as a lot of “gotcha” questions.

The questions

Holt announced three topics for Monday’s debate:

America’s Direction
Achieving Prosperity
Securing America

Holt said in a statement that he reserves the right to change the topics based on events. With Black Lives Matter protests taking place across the country, there will be pressure on Holt to ask the candidates about policing and racial tensions.

Other issues Holt is likely to ask: How will immigration reform make the United States safer; how will rejecting the Trans-Pacific Partnership spark the economy; and how will the candidates reform college education.

The format

There will be six 15-minute segments during the debate. Holt will start out with a question that the candidates have two minutes to respond to. The candidates will then have an opportunity to respond to each other. Holt can use the balance of the time in the segment for a deeper discussion of the topic, according to the debate commission.

All about that base

With two historically disliked candidates on the debate stage, the approach the candidates take on Monday could be a deciding factor in the election. Both candidates are struggling to win over sections of their respective party’s base.

Clinton for example has struggled to win over Bernie Sanders-type Democrats; young, ideologically liberal voters who are frustrated with social and financial inequality. Meanwhile, Trump has struggled to win over educated, right-leaning people in white collar jobs.

Will Clinton highlight her plans on making public college education free for most students, or spend her efforts trying to attract right-leaning voters frustrated at Trump’s sharp rhetoric? And how much time will Trump spend on talking about a rigged system – a common theme of Sanders’ campaign?

Which Trump will we see?

While the GOP debates saw an average TV audience of 15 million, Monday’s debate audience could easily see viewership that is four times higher. Speaking to millions of voters for the first time, will Trump tone down the rhetoric that caused a number of fellow GOP candidates not to back him?

Trump also has never participated in a one on one debate, whereas Clinton has participated in numerous two-person debates, both in 2008 and 2016.

Trump has also never participated in a debate where the crowd is not allowed to react to the candidates. For a candidate who likes to play to the audience, Trump could be out of his comfort zone in Monday’s debate. Even with several inherit advantages for Clinton, Trump’s unpredictability will be a challenge for Clinton to prepare for.

About those emails

The subject of Clinton’s use of a private email server was not a central subject of the Democratic Party debates during the primary season. Sanders, Clinton’s top challenger, did not challenge Clinton on the email scandal. Trump has not been nearly as muted on criticizing Clinton for her email usage.

Meanwhile, Holt’s NBC colleague Matt Lauer was decried following NBC’s Commander in Chief Forum for asking Clinton questions about the emails, which have largely already been answered. Will Holt opt to avoid the subject completely given the criticism Lauer faced?

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WHAT THE CANDIDATES WILL BE TALKING ABOUT (GRAPHIC)

One of the three themes of tonight’s debate, “America’s Direction,” will likely touch upon all aspects of the American economy, from jobs to the national debt.

Here are some infographics looking at statistics around these topics.

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Thornton man who shot, killed wife sentenced to 36 years

Posted on by Blair Miller

ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. – A Thornton man who pleaded guilty to shooting and killing his wife of 34 years, who was leaving him, was sentenced Friday to 36 years in prison.

Hector Frias, who will turn 51 Saturday, had originally been charged with first-degree murder for the shooting death of his wife, Norma, last December.

But he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after claiming the gun had accidentally gone off. Frias shot his wife while she was driving following an argument at an area bar. She was found dead in Hector’s Dodge Durango near East 74th Avenue and Washington Street.

17th Judicial Deputy District Attorney Brett Martin said at Friday’s sentencing that Frias walked to a liquor store, bought two shots and walked home after the shooting.

The couple has four children, who asked the judge Friday to sentence Frias to the minimum of 24 years. But Judge Patrick Murphy instead handed him a 36-year sentence, calling Frias’ actions “cowardly.”

“[T]o shoot a defenseless woman, the mother of his own children, to leave her to die and then try to make up some story about it,” Judge Murphy said, “[t}he evidence demonstrates that this was not an accident.”

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Man captured in California, charged in Montbello murder and arson

Posted on by Blair Miller

DENVER – A man was formally charged Friday with murder and arson for allegedly killing a man in Montbello in July, then setting fire to his body and the home where the man was killed days later.

Delshon Giles, 22, was recently captured in Los Angeles after he fled the state following the alleged murder.

Police found the body of Walter Bracken, 39, burning on the side of the road near the intersection of Elgin Place and Andrews Drive July 24. He was allegedly killed by Giles the day before following an altercation.

Giles is also accused of setting fire to the home where he allegedly killed Bracken days later.

He is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree arson and second-degree arson. A court day has not been set as Giles awaits extradition from California.

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Teen accused in brutal attack on Boulder County woman arrested in Broomfield

Posted on by Blair Miller

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. – Authorities arrested the teenager accused of beating an older Boulder County woman nearly to death Thursday evening in Broomfield.

Jeffrey Collins, 16, faces attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault charges in the brutal attack on Katie Kulpa that happened Monday night in Lefthand Canyon after Kulpa offered Collins and two others teens a ride. Continue reading →

Quinnipiac Poll shows Trump, Clinton tied in Colorado in head-to-head matchup

Posted on by Blair Miller

DENVER – The presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is perhaps tightening in Colorado, according to new polls released Thursday.

The Quinnipiac Poll shows the candidates tied at 47 percent apiece in a head-to-head matchup. The poll has a four-point margin of error.

But a poll done by Rocky Mountain PBS and Colorado Mesa University says otherwise. It comes with a six-point margin of error, but shows Clinton has a nine-point lead over Trump.

That poll also shows about 10 percent of Colorado voters are still undecided on who they are voting for.

Mike Pence, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump all campaigned in Colorado Thursday.

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Ivanka discuss gender pay gap, Pence talks institutional racism in trip to Colorado

Posted on by Blair Miller

DENVER – The Donald Trump campaign again descended on Colorado Thursday to stump for the Republican nominee.

Trump’s daughter, attended a breakfast at the Colorado Women’s Alliance in Denver before heading to a tour of Liberty Common High School in Fort Collins.

Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, spoke at a town hall meeting at the Hillside Community Center in Colorado Springs around 2 p.m.

And his son, Donald Trump Jr., held a rally at the Mesa County Fairgrounds Thursday evening in Grand Junction. Continue reading →

Lesbian Boulder woman sues Whole Foods over discrimination allegations

Posted on by Blair Miller

DENVER – A Boulder woman is suing Whole Foods Market, claiming she was forced to resign from her graphic artist position at the Boulder flagship store after she was continually harassed by her co-workers and superiors because she was gay.

Jennifer Johnston filed the discrimination lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Denver Wednesday.

Johnston, who is married to a woman, claims she was forced to eventually resign after she reported the harassment, which she claims was on the basis of her sexual orientation and gender. The defendant in the federal suit is Whole Foods Market Rocky Mountain/Southwest, L.P., which is a limited partnership based in Texas.

Her immediate supervisor, Tawny Duckworth, allegedly asked on several occasions if Johnston had “gaydar” and at one point decided to dress up like her co-workers – emulating Johnston with “negative lesbian stereotypes and biases.” She also allegedly told Johnston her shoes made her “unf—able,” among other negative comments.

According to the suit, Johnston reported the alleged abuse to her general manager in early July 2015. She had started at the location in December 2014 after transferring from a Pennsylvania store.

The suit says the general manager initially wanted to help Johnston, offering to help her switch her schedule around to avoid working with Duckworth and saying he’d conduct a two-week investigation of the allegations.

After two other co-workers were interviewed by the general manager about the harassment, one of them told Johnston she “hated her” and stopped speaking with Johnston. Johnston also reported that incident to the general manager, the suit says.

It says though Johnston was never formally interviewed by the GM during the investigation, she was called into his office about two weeks after the initial report. The GM and a human resources worker told her she was going to be written up for using “inappropriate language” and at one point playing a Lil’ Jon song, which her co-workers deemed inappropriate.

Johnston was also told she wouldn’t be allowed to change her schedule after all.

She was also issued a written warning, allegedly skipping a step in the Whole Foods disciplinary process. An email from the GM attached as an exhibit to the suit says he thought Johnston was being “manipulative and deceiving.”

Johnston resigned the next day, saying work became “intolerable.”

She sought unemployment benefits and found in her unemployment hearing Duckworth had admitted some of the harassment to the general manager, but that the general manager hadn’t asked her about other alleged incidents of harassment.

The suit calls Whole Foods’ investigation “half-hearted.”

Johnston is seeking damages in excess of $75,000, as well as back and front pay, including benefits, and costs for emotional distress.

She and her attorneys have started a petition to garner support for the suit.

A spokesperson for Whole Foods sent the following statement in response to the lawsuit, attributed to Global Vice President of Communications Brooke Buchanan:

“Discrimination in any form is unacceptable to Whole Foods Market. We were notified of this filing today and are looking into the situation.”

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Aurora Central administrators respect football players’ right to kneel for national anthem

Posted on by Blair Miller

AURORA, Colo. – Though many have taken issue with a host of NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem in recent weeks, Aurora Central High School administrators respect the right of some of their football players doing the same.

Several of the players have opted to do so during the first three games of the season and will continue doing so.

And while 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall have at times drawn the ire of people saying they are disrespecting the flag and U.S. military, administrators at ACHS have taken a different approach.

“Aurora Central High School and Aurora Public Schools staff members respect the right of our students to protest in a peaceful manner,” the district said in a statement to Denver7 Wednesday. “We are using this opportunity as a teachable moment and a catalyst for meaningful debate.”

Marshall lost several endorsements because of his actions, but that hasn’t deterred him from continuing to kneel. And the reaction hasn’t all been bad – Marshall had a meeting with Denver Police Chief Robert White that both said was productive.

Aurora Central players told The Denver Post they had a team meeting to discuss Kaepernick’s actions and whether or not they should do the same. Most agreed they could not simply sit by and do nothing, agreeing with Kaepernick’s sentiments that minority groups do not always get equal treatment in society and in encounters with law enforcement.

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Man arrested in 1999 cold case rape of pregnant woman

Posted on by Blair Miller

DENVER – The cold-case rape of a pregnant woman in Denver that happened in 1999 might finally be solved.

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey announced Wednesday his office has charged Roberto Valenzuela, 61, with second-degree kidnapping and first-degree sexual assault in the case.

The alleged assault happened in November 1999. A woman who was 5 months pregnant at the time was out walking after a fight with her boyfriend when Valenzuela offered her a ride.

The woman obliged, but was raped once she got into the car.

Investigators with Denver’s Cold Case Project were able to identify Valenzuela as a suspect and police arrested him earlier this week.

Valenzuela remains in custody on a $250,000 bond and is scheduled to be formally advised on his charges Sept. 23.

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Colorado woman files federal suit claiming state law inhibits right to deny business to gay couples

Posted on by Blair Miller

DENVER – A Christian woman claims Colorado law violates her ability to deny business to supporters of same-sex marriage and has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the laws on the basis they violate the U.S. Constitution.

Lorie Smith, who owns 303 Creative LLC, a graphic and web design company based in the Denver area, filed the suit Tuesday in Colorado’s U.S. District Court.

Read the lawsuit in full by clicking here.

She claims that Colorado law that says refusing people services on the basis of sexual orientation, among other reasons, is unconstitutional and violates her First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Smith would like to use her business “to celebrate and promote God’s design for marriage as an institution between one man and one woman,” according to the suit, and claims her inability to say so on her website because of the state laws violates her rights.

However, her website already says so in as many words, despite the lawsuit saying she “is refraining” from expressing her views.

“My primary objective is to design and create expressive content,” her website reads. “Because of my faith, however, I am selective about the messages that I create or promote – while I will serve anyone I am always careful to avoid communicating ideas or messages, or promoting events, products, services, or organizations, that are inconsistent with my religious beliefs.”

The suit continually cites Bible passages and says Smith “believes that God is calling her to promote and celebrate His design for marriage…between one man and one woman only.”

Violations of the Colorado statute could lead to fines of up to $500 per case, though there has been no indication from the Colorado Civil Rights Division or the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which are both defendants in the suit, that she has ever been hit or threatened with one.

The suit, which was brought by attorneys for the Arizona-based group Alliance Defending Freedom, as well as Denver lawyer Michael L. Francisco, even cites the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, Obergefell v. Hodges, arguing the decision reinforces the Fourteenth Amendment’s protection of “choices that define their personal identity and beliefs.”

It also cites prior cases in Colorado involving different bakeries that either denied a gay couple service or denied an antagonist of same-sex marriage service, saying the Civil Rights Division and Commission muddied the Colorado statutes they enforce.

Smith’s attorneys said she would not be speaking to the media on the matter.

But Freedom for All Coloradans said the lawsuit was another attempt to undermine the Supreme Court’s decision.

“Allowing business owners to refuse service to customers whom they dislike, or disapprove, will open a can of worms and make it more difficult to enforce Colorado’s laws that ensure businesses are open to everyone.”

The case has yet to be scheduled on the court’s docket.

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