facebook-pixel

News roundup: House majority leader wins favor with Trump by supplying red and pink Starbursts

President Donald Trump, right, accompanied by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks to members of the media as they arrive for a dinner at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

House majority leader wins favor with Trump by supplying red and pink Starbursts. Utah Rep. Mia Love calls Trump’s “s---hole countries” comment racist. Mormons approve of Trump more than any religious group in the nation.

Happy Tuesday. While some conservatives in Congress remain skeptical, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has enjoyed currying some favor with the president. The No. 2 Republican in the House plays “friend and fixer” to Donald Trump, even bringing him a jar of his favorite candy: red and pink Starbursts. “He remembers everything,” McCarthy said. “Of course I put my name on the jar.” [WaPost]

Topping the news: Utah Rep. Mia Love, the only Haitian-American in Congress, told CNN on Sunday that she felt President Donald Trump’s “s---hole countries” remark was racist and said it was “indefensible.” [Trib] [KUTV] [Fox13]

-> Utah immigrants were quick to denounce Trump’s vulgar comment. [Trib]

-> Mormons across the nation gave Trump a 61 percent approval rating last year, according to polling released by Gallup. That’s the highest rating given by any religious group in the nation. [Trib] [DNews] [KUTV]

-> Speakers at the funeral of Mormon prophet Thomas S. Monson reflected on his life and legacy as both a man and church leader. [Trib] [DNews] [KUTV] [Fox13] [KSL]

Tweets of the day: From @pourmecoffee: “Please do not hit ‘Reply All’ to the incoming ballistic missile warning, you are only making it worse.“

-> From @ConanOBrien: “President Oprah would sit down with Kim Jong-un for at least three segments.”

Happy Birthday: To former state Rep. Jim Bird and former GOP State Vice Chair Christy Achziger.

In other news: Utah’s Disability Law Center announced that it is filing a suit against the state that alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. [Trib] [KUTV]

-> State Rep. Lynn Hemingway is proposing new legislation that would immediately raise the minimum wage to $10.25 per hour. [DNews] [KSL]

-> Despite announcing that he will not run in 2020, Gov. Gary Herbert still raised $630,000 in political contributions last year. [Trib]

-> An “administrative error” made eBay the largest tax-delinquent company along the Wasatch Front. [Trib]

-> The International Dark Sky Association recognized Torrey, Utah, for its commitment to reduce light pollution. [Trib] [Fox13]

-> Pat Bagley sketches the current state of the White House in light of President Donald Trump’s recent comments on immigration. [Trib]

-> Paul Rolly writes about the sometimes heated history between the Deseret News and The Salt Lake Tribune. [Trib]

-> Robert Gehrke drafts a potential memo to Mitt Romney about the ups and downs of running for Senate. [Trib]

Nationally: President Donald Trump denied using the word “s---hole” to describe Haiti, El Salvador and African nations during a discussion on immigration. [Politico]

-> The reported language threatens to upend negotiations over possible DACA legislation. [WaPost]

-> Widespread panic ensued after a false emergency alert in Hawaii warned residents of an imminent missile attack. The Trump administration is calling the mistake and slow response a state issue. [WaPost] [Politico]

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Want to sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox? Send us a note to cornflakes@sltrib.com.

— Courtney Tanner and Eric Baker

Twitter.com/CourtneyLTanner and Twitter.com/ebaker44