Brownstein Podcast Series

With the first presidential debate nearly upon us, 20 Democratic candidates are about to present their policy platforms to a national audience. Drew Littman moderates a conversation with David Reid, John Sonsalla and Greta Joynes, discussing how the campaign playbook has changed since the 2016 election and offering insight into how the first debate may unfold.

Following the Colorado Supreme Court decision that repealing TABOR is a single subject and Colorado Ballot Initiative #3 can move forward with the Title Board, Shareholder Sarah Mercer and Associate David Meschke break down the decision and discuss what happens next for this much-watched initiative.

As state attorneys general play a more prominent role in policy issues, Shareholders Alissa Gardenswartz and Sarah Mercer discuss recent trends they’re seeing across the country and some examples of consumer protection powers being used in traditional and also creative ways by state AGs to address issues in their states.

Colorado's Initiative #3 seeks to repeal the Tax Payer Bill of Rights, more commonly known in Colorado as TABOR. Brownstein Shareholder Sarah Mercer and Associate David Meschke provide background on the initiative, an overview of the ballot initiative process and insight on what could happen now that the initiative has been appealed to the Colorado Supreme Court.

Earlier this spring, the Trump administration asked judges to toss out the entire Affordable Care Act, setting up another likely Supreme Court battle and raising questions about the future of health insurance for millions of Americans. Meanwhile, the 2018 election brought a "blue wave" to Colorado, with Democrats in full control of state government for the first time in many years. Corporate Depar...

The Treasury Department has released the latest set of regulations providing guidance on investment in the Opportunity Zones created by the Tax Reform Act. Brownstein shareholders Nicole Ament, Greg Berger and Erik Jensen discuss the new regulations and how to structure investment in Opportunity Zones to take advantage of the deferral of capital gains taxes.

With the presidential campaign cycle in full swing, both parties have shown renewed interest in reforming the nation’s health care system. As the House convenes its first Medicare for All hearing, questions remain about the high price tag of the proposal and whether Democratic leadership will actually bring the legislation to a vote. Drew Littman moderates a conversation with Emily Felder, Nadeam...

Experts have recently made a startling claim: the United States will need to invest more than $4.5 trillion by 2025 to fix its failing infrastructure. Debates over ways to generate revenue — whether to invest in new technology or repair existing systems, and how to achieve infrastructure development without promoting environmental degradation — remain ongoing. Geoff Burr, Greta Joynes and Brian Mc...

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement has been signed by each country’s respective leader, but its fate now rests in the hands of legislators. Past difficulty enforcing NAFTA labor standards have left members of Congress wary and cautious. Mark Begich moderates a conversation with Lori Harju, Milan Dalal, and the newest addition to the Brownstein team, former House Foreign Affairs Committee Ch...

In this episode of the Finance in Five podcast series, Corporate Shareholders Jay Spader and Mark Oveson take five minutes to discuss how to distinguish different types of junior debt and the accompanying subordination agreements.

Employment Shareholder Lisa Hogan discusses Colorado Senate Bill 85, the Equal Pay For Equal Work Act, with proponent Charlotte Sweeney. Lisa and Charlotte, who tend to be on opposite sides in employment cases, try to unpack the complicated issue of equal pay and the possible impacts of this proposed legislation.

Arts Advocacy Day is a sight to behold: 85 leading national arts organizations and over 450 attendees from 48 different states roam the halls of Congress, meeting with legislators and staff to discuss policy issues affecting the arts community. Brownstein advisor and former Sen. Mark Begich sits down with artists Rita Moreno, Ben Folds and Brian Stokes Mitchell, along with Bob Lynch from Americans...

With any new Congress comes notable change, and the national defense policy landscape on Capitol Hill is no exception. These changes bring new questions: What can we expect to see from a new dynamic in the House Armed Services Committee? Will the National Defense Authorization Act spur unprecedented conflict, and how much opportunity will there be to add new riders to the bill? Moderator Greta Joy...

The 2020 campaign season is finally upon us, and the Democratic field is beginning to take shape. Scores of presidential hopefuls have already announced their candidacy, and the campaign trail is heating up in early voting states like Iowa and South Carolina. John Sonsalla moderates a conversation between Democrats Drew Littman and David Reid, along with Republican Elizabeth Maier, in which they t...

Ben Folds is known for being a talented musician and songwriter, but he also performs a vital role for the music community as an arts advocate. Ben’s an active member of the Artist Committee of Americans For The Arts, a leading nonprofit arts advocacy organization that Brownstein partners with. In a conversation with Drew Littman, Ben discusses his experience navigating the political arena and tal...

Big tech companies face increased scrutiny from a new Congress eager to address concerns over fair competition and consumer data protection. Al Mottur and Greta Joynes, in a conversation moderated by Drew Littman, explain the “tech-lash” against big Silicon Valley companies. Al and Greta address the many issues confronting tech titans in this new era of heightened regulation, including congression...

Tribes nationwide are seeking ways to develop sustainable economic growth, but opportunities to do so are often governed by federal policy. Ryan Smith moderates a conversation between Sarah Walters and Sarah Auchterlonie in which they discuss methods for developing economic opportunity within tribes, such as tribal lending. By addressing how tribes’ financial interests are intertwined with federal...

In our latest Senate update, Democrat Brian McKeon and Republican Elizabeth Maier, along with moderator Drew Littman, discuss how the 116th Congress will set itself apart. Will substantive legislation make its way through both chambers in 2019, or has the shutdown stifled meaningful progress? Looking ahead to 2020, which senators are vulnerable for re-election and which ones can we expect to see o...

The now-20-year movement to legalize the use of cannabis shows no sign of slowing down. From efforts to harmonize federal law with state laws, to blockchain technologies linked to financing cannabis-related businesses, the industry is widening and drawing increased scrutiny. Drew Littman moderates a conversation between Will Moschella, Nadeam Elshami, Brian Wild and Milan Dalal, in which they addr...

David Gaspers, principal city planner at City and County of Denver, joins Brownstein Shareholder Caitlin Quander for a discussion about Blueprint Denver, the city’s land use and transportation plan for the next 20 years. Through Denver’s two-year outreach and planning effort, input from thousands of Denverites has resulted in a draft plan. Learn where Denver is working to target investment and how...

Many in Washington anticipate a congressional agenda packed with investigations come January. But how exactly will those take shape? Drew Littman moderates a conversation between Greg Brower, co-chair of Brownstein’s Government Investigations practice, and Will Moschella, who prior to his career at the DOJ served as the chief legal counsel and parliamentarian of the House Committee on the Judiciar...

Nina Ozlu Tunceli, chief counsel of government and public affairs and executive director of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund, and Narric Rome, vice president for government affairs and arts education for Americans for the Arts, join Brownstein Policy Advisor David Reid for a discussion moderated by our own Drew Littman on how they advocate for the arts in Washington. Nina and Narric cover th...

In our latest Policy Update, Democrat Brian McKeon and Republican Elizabeth Maier join Policy Director Drew Littman for a bipartisan discussion on what will be accomplished legislatively before the end of the 115th Congress and the impact of the tomorrow's elections. They discuss key legislation including appropriations funding, the Farm Bill, tax extenders and a possible bipartisan immigration de...

Brownstein Senior Policy Advisor Mike Stratton joins Shareholder Melissa Kuipers Blake to discuss Mike’s role in Gary Hart’s campaign for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination that is depicted in the movie The Front Runner. They discuss Mike’s experience as Hart’s lead advance man, how the events of 1988 fundamentally changed political reporting and their thoughts on correlations between Har...

Kristin Parello-Plesner, Strategic Director for OvaCure, joins Brownstein Policy Advisor Araceli Gutierrez for a discussion on how OvaCure is challenging the current paradigms in cancer research. As OvaCure signed its first US-based ovarian cancer research project at the University of Pennsylvania, Brownstein has worked with OvaCure to connect with and establish a strong network of key US stakehol...