Pawlenty playing the Mormon card? Romney soars over Huntsman in Utah. Hatch vs. Chaffetz, again.

Happy Thursday (and happy Bastille Day to our French friends). The National Governors Association semi-annual meeting officially kicks off tomorrow but there'll be plenty of things getting a start today. [NGA] But first, in the biggest news of the day, Rep. Carl Wimmer shaved his mustache! [YFrog]

Topping the news: Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty takes a shot at Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman's shared Mormon faith, the Huffington Post says, in a new video saying his Christian faith makes him who he is. [HuffPost]

-> Romney, by the way, seriously trounces Huntsman in Utah in a new poll. [Trib] (More 2012 news below)

-> Rep. Jason Chaffetz charges that 25,000 security breaches at the nation's airports shows that there are serious problems still with making air travel safe. [Trib] [ABC4] [ABCNews] [CNN]

-> Sen. Orrin Hatch's campaign manager, meanwhile, blasts Chaffetz for skipping a delegation meeting with BLM Administrator Bob Abbey so he could instead appear on Fox News and MSNBC. Chaffetz says the TV hits were some 90 minutes after the BLM meeting was to start and before that he was busy with the TSA hearing. [Trib]

-> A group called FreedomPath is running ads in Utah extolling the virtues of Hatch and Sen. Mike Lee's push for a balanced budget amendment. [RollCall]

Tweets of the day: Confidence! From @ChrisMurphyCT: "On House floor, [Rep. Michele] Bachmann just assured the D members of our 06 class that she will return our calls as President."

And from @governorherbert: "Presenting Governor Luo of Qinghai with cowboy boots. He joked "where's my horse?" [Twitpic]

Happy birthday: To state Rep. Keith Grover.

Where are they?

• Sen. Orrin Hatch is in Utah to meet with Gov. Gary Herbert and members of the Chinese delegation. He also hosts a Senate Finance Committee field hearing at the Utah State Capitol about "Perspectives on Medicaid from Select Governors."
• Sen. Mike Lee did not release a public schedule.
• Rep. Jim Matheson meets with the Association of Elementary School Principles, the Utah Health Care Association and the Utah Independent Living Council.
• Rep. Rob Bishop is chairing the Natural Resources subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands hearing on Secure Rural Schools.
• Rep. Jason Chaffetz hits a cybersecurity meeting, attends an Oversight and Government Reform hearing and joins a conference call with Utah city councils.
• Gov. Herbert hosts a Chinese trade forum, lunches with Chinese leaders at the Governor's Mansion, attends Hatch's Finance Committee hearing, welcomes governors to the NGA meeting and later hits a Chinese delegation reception at the Grand America.
• AG Mark Shurtleff is in Hawaii for the Conference of Western Attorneys General and joins an Immigration Works phone conference.
• SL Co. Mayor Peter Corroon attends the Utah High School hockey announcement at the SL Sports Complex and then meets with SLC Mayor Ralph Becker.
• Becker meets on the public safety building plans, talks with Corroon, lunches with Christopher and Dana Reece Foundation President Peter Wildrotter and meets on the performing arts center plans and the Sugar House street car before welcoming guests to the Twilight concert series.
• WVC Mayor Mike Winder attends the groundbreaking for The Promenade at WVC's new Fairbourne Station development and address the Chinese forum (In Mandarin!).
• President Barack Obama meets with senior advisers in the Oval Office, does interviews with Cox Television, WRC Washington and KYW Philadelphia about the economy, sits down with Vice President Joe Biden and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in the Oval Office and then meets with congressional leaders in the Cabinet room.

In other news: Microsoft is complaining to state officials that Google has an unfair advantage in a state bidding process to store electronic communications. [ABC4]

-> Overstock.com president Jonathan Johnson talks to Utah Policy about the push to force Californians to pay online sales tax and a possible gubernatorial run in 2016. [UtahPolicy]

-> Salt Lake City is one of the top cities in the nation for business, Fortune says. [Fortune] [Fox13]

-> Governing magazine takes a look at the demise of Utah's four-day work week, started by Huntsman. [Governing]

-> The House, partially led by Rep. Bishop, approves a measure to limit EPA's authority over states. [TheHill]

-> A letter to the editor takes Hatch to task over his comments about Democrats wanting to raise taxes on hard-working Utahns and small businesses. [HeraldJournal]

-> Peg McEntee says she wants to grab Congress by its lapels and tell it to "grow up." [Trib]

-> Pat Bagley discusses the elephant in the room. [Trib]

-> Redistricting is all about whose ox is getting gored. Lawmakers say the public just doesn't understand some communities, cities and counties have got to be split up in the redrawing of political boundaries. [Trib]

-> The Trib takes a deeper look at Mark Vreeland, the Orem man who sees himself as a neighborhood guardian but whom some fear as a dangerous vigilante. [Trib]

-> The parents of slain Marine Norberto Hernadez of Logan ask how many Americans have to die in Afghanistan before it's too many. [Trib]

-> An agreement to be inked in Utah this weekend could result in the beginning of a national park system in China. [Trib] [DNews]

-> Already, Utah officials have signed a partnership deals with their Chinese counterparts. [Trib] [DNews]

-> And of all the apocalyptic scenarios of what could happen in event of a government shutdown, Minnesota's sneak preview comes up with a new one: Beer shortage.[HuffPost]

-> Provo Council meeting devolves into arguments over legal threats and allegations of illegal closed meetings. [Trib]

-> Residents renew call for an investigation into the alleged conflicts of Provo Councilman Steve Turley. [Trib]

-> The Utah Transit Authority looks to a future it sees as having a lot more residents who will rely a lot more on mass transit. [Trib]

-> Utah names a new air quality official responsible for figuring out a solution for pollution in rural parts of the state. [Trib]

-> Attorney Jonathan Turley files federal suit against Utah's bigamy law on behalf of the 'Sister Wives' reality show Brown family. [Trib] [KSL]

-> Utah's SECURE strike force arrests 21 in an alleged illegal drug network. [Trib]

-> Gas prices are dropping -- and Utah's is the fourth lowest in nation, according to AAA Utah. [Trib]

-> A Provo city councilwoman will not seek re-election. [Herald]

2012 watch: Huntsman is looking for interns. [FoxNews]

-> Slate's David Weigel says Huntsman's civility campaign promise is just a "gimmick." [Slate] Meanwhile, Josh Kraushaar asks whether Huntsman can survive in a red-meat-filled world. [TheAtlantic]

-> Romney and Pawlenty refuse to sign the anti-gay marriage pledge. [USAToday]

-> An old advertisement has surfaced charging Romney's former companies took bank bailouts and orchestrated mass layoffs. [Politico]

-> Where is Romney headed this weekend? To a NASCAR race, of course. [WMUR]

-> Obama and Romney spar over Twitter about the debt ceiling. [ABCNews]

-> Huntsman should expect a "friendly crowd" at the NGA meeting when he shows up, Herbert says. [DNews]

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com.

-- Thomas Burr
Twitter.com/thomaswburr
with editor Dan Harrie