*By Alyssa Caverley*
With almost 70 percent of Coloradans happy with the way he does his job, Gov. John Hickenlooper enters the final months of his second term with plenty of positive energy.
Could a White House run be next for the Colorado Democrat?
Hickenlooper was coy when he sat down Tuesday with Cheddar's CEO Jon Steinberg at the Milken conference in Los Angeles.
"We're doing stuff that most other states haven't come close to," said Hickenlooper. "The moment I start talking to you or any media ー 'here's what I'm going to do in 2020, I'm really leading in this direction, I need to do this, I need to do that' ー not only do I get distracted, but my cabinet gets distracted."
He said he wants to finish his last days in office strong, following the strategy that has served his administration to this point: "I think what we've done in Colorado again and again and again is taken some very controlled level of risk when there was outsized benefits."
Hickenlooper also discussed his recent budget approval.
"We are the number one economy in America right now, so we've had a dramatic increase in revenue over the last two years and that allows us a certain amount of freedom," he said.
The state's pension, he said, has seen an investment of $250 million a year even though retirees had to give up a bit of their cost of living adjustment.
Colorado is one of several states in the country that has seen its teachers stage protests over their pay and other issues. Hickenlooper said he was confident that his state could address the issue by dealing with education, transportation, and pensions separately in the state's new budget.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/governor-hickenlooper-talks-2020-plans).
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield is leaving the ice cream brand after 47 years. He says the freedom the company used to have to speak up on social issues has been stifled
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point Wednesday and projected it would do so twice more this year as concern grows at the central bank about the health of the nation’s labor market. The move is the Fed’s first cut since December and lowered its short-term rate to about 4.1%, down from 4.3%. Fed officials, led by Chair Jerome Powell, had kept their rate unchanged this year as they evaluated the impact of tariffs, tighter immigration enforcement, and other Trump administration policies on inflation and the economy. The only dissenter was Stephen Miran, the recent Trump-appointee.
After a late-night vote and last-minute ruling, the Federal Reserve began a key meeting on interest rate policy Tuesday with both a new Trump administration appointee and an official the White House has targeted for removal.
The Trump administration has issued its first warnings to online services that offer unofficial versions of popular drugs like the blockbuster obesity treatment Wegovy.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
The Trump administration has asked an appeals court to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors by Monday, before the central bank’s next vote on interest rates. Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
