After months of sliding downward, Trump rebounds in the polls. Huntsman says ‘no question’ Russia meddled in the election. SL County to be hit with $30m tab for Operation Rio Grande.
Happy Wednesday. After months of declining poll numbers, President Donald Trump’s approval ratings have stabilized — and even ticked up slightly — over the past month. While other polls have shown differently, in this survey, the president is doing better with voters. [Politico]
Topping the news: In a Senate hearing Tuesday on the path to becoming U.S. ambassador to Russia, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said there is “no doubt” Russia interfered in the presidential election. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4] [FOX13] [KUER]
-> Here are five takeaways from Huntsman’s hearing, starting with the fact he’s likely a shoo-in for confirmation. [Trib]
-> Salt Lake County is expected to foot approximately $30 million of the cost of Operation Rio Grande – a figure higher than some county council members anticipated. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @natecarlisle: “I‘ve been yelling at reporters for 15 years how ‘totally destroyed’ is redundant and #POTUS manages to undo my work in one speech!”
-> From @Patbagley: “Trump didn’t tell fart jokes at his UN speech. Today he became presidential”
-> From @mckaycoppins: “‘OK, heres the deal: I’ll read all the boring parts of this speech you wrote for me, but in exchange I get to call Kim Jong Un rocket man.’”
In other news: The state of Utah ranked 4th in the nation in financial standing and is among only a few states with the capability to pay off its long-term debts. [Trib]
-> The attorneys of Terry Diehl, a former UTA board member who is accused of concealing his assets in a bankruptcy filing, said they want a judge to decide whether Diehl is convicted rather than a jury because they believe jurors may be biased due to reporting on UTA scandals. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley gives his take on why South Koreans experience less violence than Americans. [Trib]
-> Robert Gehrke approves of the changes to be made of Wellsville’s annual “Sham Battle.” [Trib]
Nationally: In his inaugural address to the UN General Assembly, President Donald Trump said if North Korea threatens the U.S., America will “totally destroy” the country. He then decried the nuclear agreement with Iran. [NYTimes]
-> Senate Republicans approved a budget that would raise the federal deficit in exchange for a $1.5 trillion tax cut over the next decade. [NYTimes]
-> The Republican National Committee is helping pay for Trump’s legal fees in the investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election. The part reportedly contributed more than $230,000 in August. [WaPost]
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-- Thomas Burr and Emily Anderson: Twitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/emilyreanderson
Follow @sltribpolitics