Trump exonerated? Nearly 50 percent of voters think it will happen in 2018. Utah guv testifies before Congress, supports Trump’s national monument plan. Herbert, Huntsman Sr. support a Mitt Romney run for Senate.
Happy Wednesday. Nearly half of voters say they believe President Donald Trump will be cleared this year of any wrongdoing by the special counsel looking into potential ties between his 2016 campaign and Russian officials. The new poll also suggests that less than a third of voters think Trump will leave office early. [Politico]
Topping the news: Utah Gov. Gary Herbert testified during a congressional hearing Tuesday in support of President Donald Trump’s decision to split Bears Ears National Monument into two smaller areas. Some tribal leaders, environmentalists and Democrats say that’s not enough protection. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4] [Fox13] [KSL]
-> Herbert voiced his support Tuesday for Mitt Romney to run for retiring Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch’s seat. [Trib]
-> Jon Huntsman Sr., too, said he would back Romney. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @KarenAttiah: “Steve Bannon’s future just got a lot less Breitbart”
-> From @conncarroll: “It’s going to be Taylor Swift vs Kanye West in 2024 isn’t it?”
Happy Birthday: To Bobby Harrington.
In other news: Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams has raised more than $500,000 in the few months since he announced that he will be challenging Utah Rep. Mia Love. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13] [KSL]
-> The U.S. Supreme Court has said it will not hear the case of Cedar City residents trying to loosen endangered species protections for prairie dogs, though some say the animals are swarming the area. [DNews] [KSL]
-> The Salt Lake County Council passed a resolution Tuesday to urge state lawmakers to pass a stricter hate crimes law. [Trib]
-> State Rep. Bruce Cutler, R-Murray, is sponsoring a bill to make smoking on the Utah Capitol’s campus illegal. [DNews]
-> Debbie Winn became Tooele’s first female mayor last week. [Trib]
-> Aimee Winder Newton was voted in Tuesday as Salt Lake County Council’s first chairwoman. [DNews]
-> Salt Lake City Council is looking to move forward with its recycling ordinance that encourages people to stop recycling plastic bags, which have proved to be a nuisance. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley depicts a rocky relationship between American Indian tribes and the Utah government. [Trib]
-> Paul Rolly examines how and where Utah’s federal delegation has supported and spoken out against President Donald Trump. [Trib]
-> Robert Gehrke looks at the fight between the government and the Bundy family. [Trib]
Nationally: President Donald Trump on Tuesday seemed to endorse a far-reaching immigration measure that could allow millions of undocumented immigrants a way to citizenship. [NYTimes]
-> Stephen Bannon, former White House chief strategist, announced Tuesday that he is stepping down as executive chairman of Breitbart News. [Politico]
-> Trump is expected to attend the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, in a few weeks. Presidents rarely attend this meeting of business and world leaders. [NYTimes]
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— Courtney Tanner and Madalyn Gunnell
Follow @sltribpolitics