This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Could a notorious pro-Trump Twitter bot be a Utah man? Federal prosecutors strike deal with UTA in investigation of agency officials. Mitt Romney will headline D.C. fundraiser.

Happy Wednesday. Though he won't reveal his identity, a man who goes by MicroChip is notorious for leading pro-Trump Twitter campaigns  — and he claims to be a software developer in Utah. He's been called "Trumpbot overlord" by one Republican strategist and has been booted from Twitter so many times he's lost track. His current social media alias is MicroMagicJingleTM and most of his posts and hashtags in support of the president go viral. "Emotions run high at 140 characters," he said. "The chaos is perfect." [<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/from-utah-with-love?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&utm_term=.inaeDlREkD#.ctkZKm6gWK">Buzzfeed</a>]

<strong>Topping the news: </strong>Federal prosecutors say they won't bring charges against the Utah Transit Authority after an investigation into its alleged misuse of public funds, improper property purchases and development around train stations if the transportation agency promises to help with the continuing criminal probe of current and former officials. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/5137808-155/feds-wont-prosecute-uta-but-agency"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865677092/Feds-agree-not-to-prosecute-UTA-but-continue-investigation.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>] [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/huber-uta-will-not-be-prosecuted/687119814"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>] [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2017/04/04/uta-strikes-deal-to-avoid-federal-prosecution-over-use-of-funds/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/us-attorneys-office-announce-cooperation-agreement-with-uta"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]

<p class="p1">-> Salt Lake City Council members sent a four-page letter to Mayor Jackie Biskupski and the CEO of UTA voicing opposition to a plan to install a fence separating a downtown homeless shelter and The Gateway mall. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/5138689-155/slc-council-decries-fence-between-homeless"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865677127/Council-alarmed-by-plan-to-fence-off-walkways-near-homeless-shelter.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]</p>

<p class="p1">-> Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who has long expressed his fondness for national parks, will headline a fundraiser in Washington next month to benefit Yellowstone, which is facing a massive maintenance backlog. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/5138539-155/mitt-romney-to-headline-yellowstone-fundraiser"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>

<p class="p1">-> Utah GOP chairman James Evans called attendees who booed Rep. Chris Stewart at a town hall last week "thugs" and said such events do not advance democracy. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/home/5138434-155/utah-gop-chairman-james-evans-calls"; target="_blank">APviaTrib</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/utah-gop-chair-says-attendees-at-stewart-town-hall-are-thugs"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]</p>

<strong>Tweets of the day: </strong>From <a href="https://twitter.com/markleggett">@markleggett</a>: "BREAKING: North Korea fires yet another missile into the sea, as part of their ongoing war with the accursed mer-people."

-> From <a href="https://twitter.com/joshtpm">@joshtpm</a>: "I'll take the Senate nuclear option over the North Korea one. Thanks."

<strong>Happy Birthday: </strong>To Jesse P. Higgins and Karen Crompton, director of the Department of Human Services at Salt Lake County.

<strong>In other news:</strong> Utah women earn 71 cents for every dollar a man makes doing comparable work — the third-biggest disparity in the country. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/5138279-155/utahs-wage-gap-between-women-and"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/equal-pay-day-women-in-utah-have-to-work-harder-than-other-women-across-us/687040809"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>]

-> The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah said several aspects of Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder's controversial 21-point plan to deal with homelessness downtown are "constitutionally suspect and could attract expensive litigation." [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/5137984-155/aclu-utah-sheriffs-homeless-plan-fraught"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865677072/ACLU-of-Utah-takes-issue-with-Sheriff-Winders-ideas-for-combating-crime-in-Rio-Grande-area.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/slc-council-criticizes-plan-to-build-fence-between-gateway-homeless-shelter"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]

-> Looking to build trust among the 65,000 refugees who live in Utah after President Donald Trump's recent executive orders addressing immigration, Salt Lake City police and the mayor's office said they are now looking to hire refugees into the department. [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/sl-police-chief-looking-for-first-muslim-officer/687028629"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>]

<p class="p1">-> Rocky Mountain Power announced plans to build a $3.5 billion wind generation and transmission project in southwestern Wyoming over the next three years. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/5135273-155/rocky-mountain-power-plans-major-wind"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865677084/Got-power-New-Rocky-Mountain-Power-plan-includes-more-wind-more-solar-new-transmission-line.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]</p>

<p class="p1">-> Gov. Gary Herbert released a video encouraging families to enroll in the Children's Health Insurance Program. [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/gov-herbert-urges-utah-families-to-enroll-children-in-chip-health-insurance"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]</p>

<p class="p1">-> Park City leaders are $3 million short of purchasing 1,350 acres of open space in Wasatch County known as Bonanza Flats. But as they call on residents to donate to purchase the land, which would otherwise be developed, they say the fight is far from over. [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2017/04/04/renewed-push-to-save-bonanza-flats-park-city-leaders-make-personal-investment-call-on-public-to-help/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>]</p>

<p class="p1">-> The Utah Board of Education granted the American Preparatory Academy in Draper a one-month permit to resume its construction of a new high school campus. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/5138268-155/construction-ban-lifted-for-draper-charter"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>

<p class="p1">-> The British government plans to honor a woman from West Bountiful who was injured during a terror attack in London during which her husband was killed. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/5139150-155/utahn-widowed-and-injured-in-london"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/london-attack-survivor-melissa-cochran-to-attend-memorial-service-royal-family"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]</p>

-> Pat Bagley renames a popular new outlet "Foxy" News Channel in light of multiple claims of sexual harassment. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/5139480-155/bagley-cartoon-foxy-news-channel"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

<strong>Nationally: </strong>Just days after Trump's top aides said ousting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was no longer a U.S. priority, the administration joined governments around the world in condemning Assad's regime for a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 58 people. [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/world/middleeast/syria-gas-attack.html"; target="_blank">NYTimes</a>] [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/world/middleeast/syria-gas-attack.html"; target="_blank">NPR</a>] [<a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/trump-syria-chemical-attacks-236870"; target="_blank">Politico</a>] [<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/4/syrian-activists-report-gas-attack-blame-bashar-as/"; target="_blank">WaTimes</a>]

<p class="p1">-> North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast on the eve of today's meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. In response, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson released a terse statement: "The United States has spoken enough about North Korea," he said. "We have no further comment." [<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39499007"; target="_blank">BBCNews</a>] [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/world/asia/north-korea-ballistic-missile-test-xi-trump.html"; target="_blank">NYTimes</a>] [<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/04/asia/north-korea-projectile/"; target="_blank">CNN</a>] [<a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/04/04/522049164/north-korea-launches-another-ballistic-missile-into-waters-near-japan"; target="_blank">NPR</a>]</p>

-> Fewer than two weeks after a Republican measure to replace the Affordable Care Act failed, the conservative House Freedom Caucus and staff at the White House have revived negotiations for a new health care bill. [<a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/04/04/522631909/pulse-check-can-the-gop-health-care-bill-be-saved"; target="_blank">NPR</a>] [<a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/white-house-offer-health-care-bill-gets-mixed-reviews/"; target="_blank">PBSNews</a>] [<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/04/politics/republicans-health-care-deja-vu/"; target="_blank">CNN</a>]

<strong>Where are they?</strong>

<ul>

<li>Rep. Jason <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/jasoninthehouse"; target="_blank">Chaffetz</a> </strong>chairs an Oversight Committee hearing on FEMA's response to a flood in Baton Rouge, meets with Utah pork producers and votes.</li>

<li>Rep. Mia <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/RepMiaLove"; target="_blank">Love</a> </strong>participates in a Financial Services Committee meeting, attends a strategy and planning meeting with staff and meets with the Congressional Black Caucus and members of the sage grouse delegation.</li>

<li>State Auditor John <strong><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/FrugalDougall"; target="_blank">Dougall</a> </strong></strong>interviews job candidates, chats with a school business administrator, conducts in-office research, returns phone calls and attends a senior management meeting.</li>

</ul>

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— Courtney Tanner and Taylor Stevens