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Columnist: Senate giants are gone. Matheson joins GOP to repeal health care law. Romney at Bain longer than 1999.

Happy Thursday. The Washington Post's Dana Milbank laments the loss of so-called "Senate giants," the statesmen who could put aside partisan politics and work for the good of the people and the country when necessary. And Milbank specifically calls out Sen. Orrin Hatch, whom the columnist says has lost his stature in the upper chamber and opted to join the ranks of the "Lilliputions" and follow the pack.

-> "There are no giants in the chamber today, no figure with the stature of a Kennedy who could carry 10 votes with his mere presence. There is no longer a revered figure - a Byrd, a Dole, a Moynihan, a Chafee, a Nunn, a John Warner - whose authority could transcend party and the usual arithmetic of vote counting. Some have died. Some have retired. Others, such as Hatch and John McCain, have been lost to the exigencies of survival in a hyperpartisan political system." [WaPost]

Topping the news: Mitt Romney stayed at Bain Capital three years longer than he's said, according to documents filed with the SEC and Massachusetts. The revelation could add to the argument that he was involved in companies that went belly up during that time. [Globe]

-> Rep. Jim Matheson joins Republicans in an effort to take down Obamacare. The Utah congressmen was one of five Democrats to vote for repeal. [Trib] [KCPW] [TheHill] [DNews]

Tweet of the day: From @stronguse: "Winder would have won if they just gave him the Richard Burwash write-ins."

Happy birthday: To Republican consultant Jordan Gehrke.

Fun read: The invention of air conditioning may play into the presidential election. How so? More people now live in hot regions of the country than otherwise would. [WSJ]

In other news: Utah takes ConocoPhilips to court over $8.4 million the state used to clean underground storage tanks. [Trib] [DNews]

-> Hatch quotes from the movie Top Gun on the Senate floor. [TheBlaze]

-> A libertarian group is going after Gov. Gary Herbert to call a special session to nullify the Affordable Care Act. [Herald]

-> Foreclosures are declining, but they're still a persistent problem for Utah. [DNews]

-> The Attorney General's Office is finalizing its investigation of the Department of Alcoholic Beverages, but it may end with no charges being made. [ABC4]

-> Utah Policy's Bryan Schott is looking for someone to fill in for Bob Bernick while he's on vacation for the outlet's weekly videocast. (Attn: Jim Dabakis, this is your chance!) [UtahPolicy]

-> Pat Bagley's take on the world of high-finance banking. [Trib]

2012 watch: The Obama camp says it isn't worried about Romney out-raising it, pointing towards its strategy of using Romney's money against him. [WaPost]

-> Craig Romney is the star of the candidate's latest Spanish ad. He invites voters to "get to know" his dad. [CNN]

-> Dick Cheney plans to host Romney for a fundraiser at his Wyoming home. [WaPost]

-> New survey suggests single people are more likely to vote for Obama than married couples. [CNN] [Reuters]

-> A Democratic Super PAC says its strategy of attacking Romney and his time at Bain is working and pitting voters against the GOP candidate. [CNN]

-> No warm reception from the NAACP for Romney. The former governor was booed by African-Americans for comments on Obamacare and economy. [Reuters] [TheHill] Romney says he expected to get booed. [CNN]

-> While at the Olympics, Romney will be fundraising with overseas Americans. [WaPost]

Where are they?

Rep. Jason Chaffetz sits in on a National Security briefing and then departs for a congressional trip to China.

Gov. Gary Herbert travels to the National Governors Association's annual meeting in Virginia.

Lt. Gov. Greg Bell appears at a ceremony at Hill Air Force Base, lunches with Automobile Trade Association executives in Park City and then visits the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Valley.

AG Mark Shurtleff speaks at the Youth Summit on Human Trafficking at the University of Utah.

SL Co. Mayor Peter Corroon dedicates the Columbus Community Center Day Activity Center and then appears at the Environmental Health Samuel J. Crumbine Award open house.

President Barack Obama has no public events scheduled.

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 you inbox. [Trib]

— Thomas Burr and Andreas RiveraTwitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/andreascrivera