facebook-pixel

News roundup: Trump again says ‘both sides’ were to blame for violence in Charlottesville

President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Trump again says ‘both sides’ were to blame for violence in Charlottesville. Provo Mayor John Curtis declares victory in Republican primary for Chaffetz’s seat. SLC Council incumbents sitting pretty after early primary results. 

Happy Wednesday. In his third go at reacting to the violence in Charlottesville, President Donald Trump on Tuesday retreated back to his original response, suggesting that “both sides” were to blame. That announcement comes one day after he condemned neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan by name, facing criticism over his somewhat ambivalent first comment on the deadly situation. [WaPost]

Topping the news: Provo Mayor John Curtis declared victory in the Republican primary to replace former Rep. Jason Chaffetz. His closest competitor, former state Rep. Chris Herrod, did not concede. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4] [FOX13] [KUTV] [KUER]

-> Early primary results for Salt Lake City Council show incumbents doing well. [Trib]

-> All of Salt Lake County’s mayoral primaries look to have preserved incumbents, while one transgender candidate appears to be headed for a historic general election. [Trib] [KUER]

Tweets of the day: From @gopTODD: ”My million dollar idea for today: start a support group of former (fired) Trump administration officials.”

-> From @JonoZalay: ”God, if Trump should be impeached, give us a sign and blot out the sun next Monday Aug 21, 2017.”

Happy Birthday: To former state Sen. Brent Goodfellow.

In other news: Law enforcement officers have made 87 arrests outside the downtown homeless shelter during the first day of ”Operation Rio Grande.” [Trib] [DNews] [FOX13]

-> After Salt Lake County jail inmates were relocated to make room for ”Operation Rio Grande,” they stopped receiving drug addiction treatment. [Trib]

-> Rosie Rivera was sworn in as Salt Lake County’s first female sheriff Tuesday. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4] [FOX13]

-> Pat Bagley depicts how Utah remembers the Civil War. [Trib]

-> Robert Gehrke argues that John Curtis’ win signals a rejection of the traditional Republican caucus system. [Trib]

Nationally: If President Donald Trump follows through with threats to cut Obamacare subsidies that reimburse insurers for lowering deductibles, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that premiums will rise by as much as 20 percent. [NYTimes]

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven’t already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox.

-- Courtney Tanner and Emily Anderson

Twitter.com/CourtneyLTanner and Twitter.com/emilyinorgandy