This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
GOP senators balk at Ted Cruz's budget fight plan. Herbert unveils Healthy Utah Plan. Prison site landowners are well-connected.
Happy Friday. Sen. Ted Cruz and his conservative cohorts are trying to work behind the scenes, and through the news media, to force the House GOP to hold up a budget deal unless it kills any funding for President Barack Obama's executive orders on immigration. But fellow Republican senators aren't happy about it and are now pushing back on Cruz's effort. Said Sen. John McCain: "I hope everybody learned the lesson of the last time we shut down the government. If it hadn't been for the crisis of Obamacare, it would have done much more damage than it did. The overwhelming majority of us are against shutting down the government." [http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/ted-cruz-spending-bill-immigration-113287.html?hp=b1_l1" target="_blank">Politico]
Topping the news: Gov. Gary Herbert unveils his plans for his alternative to expanding Medicaid in Utah for those in the health care "gap." [http://www.sltrib.com/news/1903363-155/gov-gary-herbert-unveils-his-plan" target="_blank">Trib][http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865617021/Herbert-unveils-his-version-of-Medicaid-expansion-to-public-legislators.html" target="_blank">DNews][http://www.standard.net/News/2014/12/04/Herbert-to-lay-out-Medicaid-plan-details-1.html" target="_blank">AP][http://fox13now.com/2014/12/04/gov-herbert-releases-details-of-alternative-to-expanding-medicaid-in-utah/" target="_blank">Fox13][http://www.kutv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/Gov-Herbert-unveils-Healthy-Utah-plan-61517.shtml#.VIGslmTF84E" target="_blank">KUTV]
-> A few of the property owners that made the state's finalist list for the new prison include politically connected individuals such as Josh Romney and the Larry H. Miller family. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/1909713-155/politically-connected-among-owners-of-prison-site" target="_blank">Trib]
-> Republicans in the House vote to kill President Barack Obama's executive orders regarding immigration reform, though it was a largely symbolic move since the Senate isn't expected to take it up. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/1909410-155/house-votes-to-kill-presidents-immigration" target="_blank">Trib]
Tweet of the day: From https://twitter.com/jesseberney" target="_blank">@https://twitter.com/jesseberney" target="_blank">jesseberney: "Big congrats to House Republicans on passing the 2014 We Will Lose the Latino Vote For the Next 100 Years Act."
-> From https://twitter.com/EWErickson" target="_blank">@https://twitter.com/EWErickson" target="_blank">EWErickson: "The way the media is freaking out over Chris Hughes, u'd think he'd insulted the President's daughters. Oh wait . . ."
Happy Birthday: To SL Co. Mayor Ben McAdams.
In other news: According to new data, Utahns say local farming is vital to the state and to Utah's way of life. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/1908325-155/residents-say-local-farming-key-to" target="_blank">Trib]
-> Gov. Herbert has proposed a wood-burning ban to combat inversion problems. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/1895503-155/gov-gary-herbert-proposes-wood-burning-ban" target="_blank">Trib]
-> Paul Rolly discusses the author that the LDS Church is promoting but the Deseret News is snubbing. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/1904189-155/rolly-lds-church-promotes-author-that" target="_blank">Trib]
Nationally: A report issued by the Obama administration accused the Cleveland police department of violating citizen's rights and using excessive and deadly force. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cleveland-police-tactics-violated-rights-of-citizens-justice-department-probe-finds/2014/12/04/db93f0e0-7bfd-11e4-b821-503cc7efed9e_story.html" target="_blank">WaPost]
-> Protests over a grand jury's decision not to indict a New York police officer who killed an unarmed black man prompted Mayor Bill de Blasio to order restraint of the police force, causing tension between the mayor and police union officials. [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/05/nyregion/mayor-bill-de-blasio-retraining-new-york-police-dept-eric-garner.html" target="_blank">NYTimes][http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/12/04/new-york-mayor-bill-de-blasio-and-police-union-officials-clash-after-grand-jury-decision-in-eric-garners-death/?tid=pm_pop" target="_blank">WaPost]
-> An Al Qaeda group in Yemen is threatening to kill an American journalist by the end of the week. [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/05/world/middleeast/qaeda-group-in-yemen-american-journalist.html?_r=0" target="_blank">NYTimes]
Where are they?
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— Thomas Burr and Mallory Jesperson
https://twitter.com/thomaswburr" target="_blank">Twitter.com/thomaswburr and https://twitter.com/JespersonM" target="_blank">Twitter.com/JespersonM