FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — President Donald Trump has again denied a request from Colorado's governor to help people affected by wildfires and flooding, consistent with his approval of major disaster aid to Republican-leaning states at about twice the rate he approves aid requests from Democratic ones.
Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, sought major disaster declarations for wildfires that scorched 240 square miles (615 square kilometers) in the western part of the state and for floods that inundated mountain communities in southern Colorado last year.
Polis requested FEMA public assistance, which enables communities to get reimbursed for debris cleanup and infrastructure rebuilding, as well as hazard-mitigation funding, which helps states build back with more resilience.
Trump first denied Colorado's requests late last year. On Monday, Trump upheld that decision on appeal after a “thorough review," FEMA acting administrator Karen S. Evans told Polis in a pair of letters.
The letters didn’t explain the denials in detail. Polis in a statement called it “incredibly disappointing” after Colorado communities responded quickly to the disasters, documented the damage and worked in good faith with federal officials.
“These disasters caused real damage to homes, infrastructure, and local economies, and Coloradans should not be left to shoulder these costs alone,” Polis said.
While FEMA assesses damage and uses a specific formula to analyze the possible impact on states and local jurisdictions, disaster declarations are ultimately at the president’s discretion.
In December, when Trump first rejected Colorado, Polis accused the president of playing “political games” with the disaster declarations.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson denied the decisions were political. The administration responds to each request with “great care and consideration” to make sure federal revenue is used appropriately and efficiently to supplement, but not substitute, states' obligation to respond to disasters, Jackson told The Associated Press in a statement Tuesday.
“President Trump provides a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any administration has before him," Jackson said.
Other Democrat-led states have complained about being denied disaster declarations despite proving need.
Nearly 84% of disaster requests from states that voted for Trump have been approved in his second term, while about 42% of requests from states that voted for 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris were approved, according to an analysis of public FEMA data by Andrew Rumbach, senior fellow at the nonpartisan think tank Urban Institute.
Rumbach was uncertain whether politics clearly came into play with the decisions. There have been about 60 requests from states, a small sample size, he said, and it was possible that states made insufficient cases that they needed the help.
“These are definitely questions worth asking, but I haven’t reached a conclusion that there’s clear political bias going on here,” Rumbach said. “That’s why it’s really important that FEMA and DHS be as transparent as possible about how they’re making these decisions.”
Rejections have prompted criticisms from Democratic governors like Wes Moore of Maryland and JB Pritzker of Illinois, who called Trump’s February rejection of the state’s appeal for help recovering from August 2025 floods “a politically motivated decision that punishes thousands of Illinois families in a critical moment of need.”
Meanwhile, Colorado’s attorney general, Phil Weiser, has been pushing back against other recent federal decisions against Colorado, including dissolving a climate research lab, threatening to cut transportation money, withholding funds for needy families and relocating the U.S. Space Command to Alabama.
Some U.S. communities have also experienced unprecedented long waits for answers on their disaster requests during Trump’s second term, which critics say delays their response and puts particular pressure on rural towns and counties with smaller budgets.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin last week vowed to clear out some of the backlog of requests in the run-up to Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1. Trump approved major disaster declaration requests for at least seven states last week after being briefed by Mullin.
Associated Press writer Aoun Angueira reported from San Diego.
FILE - Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo., speaks at an event at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)
FILE - Flooding is seen near Vallecito Reservoir, Oct. 11, 2025, near Bayfield, Colo. (Jerry McBride/The Durango Herald via AP)
MADRID (AP) — Atletico Madrid held on after an early charge by Barcelona to reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time in nearly a decade on Tuesday.
Atletico advanced 3-2 on aggregate despite a 2-1 loss to the Catalan club. Diego Simeone's team had won the first leg 2-0 in Barcelona last week.
Barcelona, trying to return to the last four for the second season in a row, scored twice in the first 24 minutes to even the series, with Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres finding the net.
Atletico struck back still in the first half with a goal by Ademola Lookman.
The Catalan club played a man down from the 79th after defender Eric García was shown a red card for fouling Alexander Sorloth to stop a breakaway.
Atletico had last made it to the semifinals in 2017. Barcelona lost to Inter Milan in last year’s last four.
Atletico will face either Arsenal or Sporting Lisbon in the semifinals. Arsenal won the first leg 1-0 in Lisbon last week. Their second leg in England is on Wednesday.
In the other quarterfinal on Tuesday, defending champion Paris Saint-Germain advanced past Liverpool, winning 2-0 for an aggregate score of 4-0.
Atletico, seeking its first Champions League title, lost in the 2017 semifinals to Real Madrid. It also lost to Madrid in both finals it played against the city rival in the Champions League, in 2014 and 2016.
The game was stopped for several moments near the 70th minute because Atletico defender Matteo Ruggieri sustained a cut on his forehead after being elbowed by Barcelona midfielder Gavi during a dispute for the ball.
Yamal opened the scoring four minutes into the match at Metropolitano stadium, entering the area free from defenders after Atletico lost possession on a passing mistake by defender Clément Lenglet.
With his goal, Yamal became the top Champions League scorer under the age of 19 with 11, one more than Kylian Mbappé.
The visitors added to the lead on the night — evening the tie at 2-2 — in the 24th, with Torres picking up a through ball by Dani Olmo and finding the top corner by the far post.
Fermín López nearly added the third a minute later but his close-range header was saved by Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso.
The hosts struck back in the 31st with Lookman scoring from inside the area in a breakaway after a low cross by Marcos Llorente.
Barcelona thought it had equalized the series again, but Torres’ 57th-minute goal was disallowed for offside.
Defender Ronald Araujo had Barcelona’s last chance but his close-range header in stoppage time went over the crossbar.
PSG kept its title defense on track with a 2-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield. Ousmane Dembele’s two second-half goals sealed a 4-0 aggregate victory.
Dembele’s first goal killed off Liverpool’s fight as the Premier League club went in search of another famous Champions League comeback. The Ballon d’Or winner swept a low left-footed shot from the edge of the area past goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili to quieten the home crowd.
His second came at the end of a sweeping move in stoppage time.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Barcelona's Eric Garcia, center right, and Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez challenge for the ball during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, center, scores the opening goal during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Atletico Madrid's Nicolas Gonzalez, top, heads the ball during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal celebrates during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Espanyol in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone, centre, reacts during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Marcus Rashford, left, celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal with Lamine Yamal, right, and Pedri during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Espanyol in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick, right, and Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone react during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal challenges for the ball with Atletico Madrid's Marc Pubill during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
