Fort Collins Abortion Tragedy Exposes Unregulated Clinics While GOP Battles Over Closed Primaries

The death of 18-year-old Lexi at a Fort Collins Planned Parenthood abortion clinic exposed Colorado’s refusal to regulate these facilities, while Kevin Lundberg clarified the critical distinction between opting out of Proposition 108 and the lawsuit to eliminate it entirely. Rachel O’Brien of Open the Books revealed NASA spent millions on DEI while Boeing stranded astronauts, and Lori Saine announced her Colorado GOP Chair candidacy pledging party transparency.

Tragedy at Fort Collins Planned Parenthood

Start listening at 18:11 – Hour 1

Kevin Lundberg detailed the testimony from a recent legislative hearing on House Bill 25-1252, which sought to regulate abortion clinics to surgical center standards. An 18-year-old named Lexi went to the Fort Collins Planned Parenthood for an abortion and died as a result of the procedure. Lloyd Benz, an advocate for life, documented the case for his testimony, noting that an ambulance arrived with a silent siren to avoid drawing attention.

The bill, sponsored by Representative Scott Bottoms, died on party lines despite the documented death. Lundberg emphasized this reflects a pattern at that particular clinic and represents what Planned Parenthood calls reproductive health care but is actually a culture of death.

“It is a culture of death, and somehow it has become firmly established in Colorado law.”

Kevin Lundberg, Former Colorado State Senator

Colorado’s Extreme Abortion Laws

Start listening at 33:00 – Hour 1

Kim and Kevin Lundberg discussed how Amendment 79 opened the floodgates for unrestricted abortion in Colorado. The constitutional change threw into question whether even parental notification requirements can be legally enforced. A 12-year-old can now seek an abortion or other medical procedures without parental knowledge.

Lundberg noted that 76 percent of good bills have been killed this session, with 78 percent dispatched on party-line votes. Democrats have made abortion their number one priority, putting it on steroids in recent years.

“I’m grateful to say that some states have come to their senses on this, and the Supreme Court threw out the Roe v. Wade requirement. But here in Colorado it’s the exact opposite.”

Kevin Lundberg, Former Colorado State Senator

Closed Primary Lawsuit Versus Opt-Out

Start listening at 41:57 – Hour 1

Kevin Lundberg, who serves as chairman of the lawsuit committee for the Colorado GOP, clarified the confusion between two distinct approaches. The lawsuit challenges Proposition 108 as unconstitutional under the 2000 Supreme Court case California Democratic Party v. Jones, which held you cannot force a political party to accept votes from non-party members.

The opt-out is an attempt to work within Proposition 108’s provisions by getting 75 percent of the entire central committee to vote out every election cycle. Lundberg explained this has proven impossible to achieve. John Eastman serves as the legal team’s quarterback on the lawsuit.

“The lawsuit is to eliminate Proposition 108 from Colorado’s law books, and the default is the closed primary.”

Kevin Lundberg, Former Colorado State Senator

Open the Books Exposes Government Spending

Start listening at 73:02 – Hour 2

Rachel O’Brien, Deputy Public Policy Director at Open the Books, explained how citizens can search government spending from federal agencies down to local cities. The organization files over 50,000 Freedom of Information requests annually and now features Benjamin the Chatbot for searching specific individuals or vendors.

O’Brien noted that Aurora’s park ranger supervisor made $347,000 and a lifeguard made $245,000 in 2023. These are base pay figures that do not include benefits, pensions, or accumulated paid time off payouts.

“If you want to know how the government’s spending your money from the federal agencies down to your little city, we have their money.”

Rachel O’Brien, Deputy Public Policy Director, Open the Books

NASA’s DEI Spending and Boeing Failures

Start listening at 90:51 – Hour 2

Rachel O’Brien detailed NASA’s spending priorities as two astronauts finally returned after being stranded at the International Space Station for nine months. Boeing received $6.4 billion from NASA between 2021 and 2024 yet is six years behind schedule and $1.8 billion over budget on the space launch system. An inspector general report found $77 million in questionable fees awarded to contractors with poor performance.

NASA spent over $2.5 million on diversity training to deeply ingrain DEI in the culture and business of the agency, with additional grants totaling $568,000 for environmental justice initiatives at universities. O’Brien concluded that identity politics has no place at NASA when contractors strand astronauts.

“So when you deeply ingrain something in the culture and business, of course, that’s going to take the wheel and drive the bus for how that organization is going to function.”

Rachel O’Brien, Deputy Public Policy Director, Open the Books

Colorado GOP Chair Race and Party Unity Debate

Start listening at 104:28 – Hour 2

Former state legislator Lori Saine announced her candidacy for Colorado GOP Chair, running to return the Republican Party back to the Republican Party. She supports both the closed primary lawsuit and the opt-out authority granted at the Pueblo organizational meeting, which would have the party run its own candidate selection rather than relying on the state.

Saine addressed party infighting, noting that some who call for unity actually want control. Her pledge emphasizes party transparency as the path to efficiency. She criticized the pattern of Republican primaries being influenced by unaffiliated voters who lean 60 percent Democrat.

“But there are birth pains in moving back towards freedom. And I’m running to return the Republican Party back to the Republican Party.”

Lori Saine, Former Colorado State Representative