Republicans are split on protecting Robert Mueller. Utah’s two-hour governor. Poll: Utahns OK with higher gas tax for road improvements.
Happy Monday. Republicans are split as to whether there should be legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller. Even after reports that President Donald Trump tried to fire Mueller — in which the White House counsel refused — there is still a resistance to legislation that would protect the position. [WaPost]
Topping the news: Spencer J. Cox was governor for only two hours, but he took to Twitter and made sure Utahns would remember his short tenure. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4] [KUTV] [Fox13]
-> The LDS Church took its first major policy stance under President Russell M. Nelson, calling on Congress to protect Dreamers. [Trib] [DNews]
-> A new poll from The Salt Lake Tribune and the Hinckley Institute of Politics finds that most Utahns may actually be OK with higher gas taxes to help maintain roads. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From ConanOBrien: “FYI, it’s *3* minutes to midnight on my Doomsday Apple Watch.”
-> From SpencerJCox: “Honestly, with the exception of the late, great Brigham Young, I think I’ve been more gubernatorial than any governor that’s ever held this office. #1hourGov”
-> From ParkerD25: “According to my very limited sample size, the @utahjazz win every time @SpencerJCox is governor. Obviously there is a link. Therefore I must ask @GovHerbert to step down for the remainder of the season. I know you’ll do what’s right for the state.”
-> From DurrantMark: “Sometimes I long for simpler times … when @SpencerJCox was governor.”
-> From House_Feminist: “I secretly hope that twitter keeps extending the character limit as a social experiment, slowly conditioning our attention spans until we’re able to read actual books again.”
Happy Birthday: To House Majority Leader Brad Wilson.
Spotted: Senator-songwriter Orrin Hatch at the Grammys. [Twitter]
In other news: A proposed pipeline from Lake Powell to southwestern Utah is facing further difficulties as it appears the application for its construction was never actually completed. [Trib]
-> Utah’s new prison was supposed to cost $860 million. Instead, lawmakers approved a budget that was nearly $200 million less. [Trib]
-> Two-thirds of Salt Lake City’s roads are rated poor or worse and the cost of fixing them could be as high as $20 million. [Trib]
-> After years of secrecy, Utah will rewrite and make public the guidelines operating its jails. [Trib] [KSL]
-> The Utah House unanimously passed a bill that would require crisis hotlines to operate around the clock after a Huntsville teenager called a suicide hotline and took her own life after receiving no answer back in 2015. [Trib] [KUTV]
-> The State Capitol’s web filters block sites related to tobacco and alcohol, leaving many legislators unable to even research the content of some bills. [Trib]
-> Two Utah teenagers who posted a racist picture mimicking a lynching on Martin Luther King Jr. Day will likely not be charged with a hate crime. [Trib]
-> A bill to expand the exemptions for the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act and make it easier for lawmakers to discuss policy among themselves was blocked after opposition from various news organizations. [Trib]
-> Utahns are split and the Legislature is undecided on whether grocery stores should offer beer with higher alcohol contents. [Trib]
-> Utah Rep. Chris Stewart channeled Jimmy Kimmel and read some of the mean tweets sent to him by constituents in a new video. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley depicts the difficulties faced by America’s “Original Dreamers.” [Trib]
-> Paul Rolly offers several social policy suggestions to the new LDS Church leadership. [Trib]
-> Frank Pignanelli and LaVar Webb compare and contrast the Utah Legislature to the dysfunction currently faced in Washington. [DNews]
Nationally: President Donald Trump claimed he is not a feminist as he is “for everyone” in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan. [WaPost]
-> Stephen Wynn has left his position as the finance chairman of the RNC after accusations of yearslong sexual misconduct. [NYTimes] [WaPost]
-> Sen. Marco Rubio fired his chief of staff after allegations of improper conduct surfaced. [NYTimes]
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— Thomas Burr and Eric Baker