Trump’s former chief of staff says ‘take everything you’ve heard’ about chaos in the White House ‘and multiply it by 50.’ Mitt Romney announces Senate bid. Utah leaders praise and support Romney after Utah GOP chief criticizes him.
Happy Friday. President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Reince Priebus left the White House six months into his post. Now, he’s dishing on the chaos that surrounded the administration in a new book. “Take everything you’ve heard and multiply it by 50,” Priebus says. [Politico] [VanityFair]
Topping the news: Mitt Romney announced early Friday morning that he will campaign for Utah’s U.S. Senate seat. [Trib]
-> If he were to win, he would be a junior senator with a lot of influence. [Trib]
-> Despite criticism from Utah Republican Party Chairman Rob Anderson, many of Utah’s leaders and lawmakers have praised Romney and support his Senate bid. [Trib]
Tweet of the day: From @paulkrugman: “So if Scott Pruitt gets to fly first class because coach passengers might criticize him, can I get a chauffeured limo to work? I mean, people on the subway can be so rude (actually, they’re remarkably well behaved in my experience)”
Happy Birthday: On Sunday to former state Rep. Jack Draxler.
Behind the Headlines: Tribune reporters Emma Penrod and Brian Maffly, government and politics editor Dan Harrie and editorial page editor George Pyle join KCPW’s Roger McDonough to talk about the week’s top stories, including Utah’s latest attempt to strengthen hate crime laws and state Rep. Mike Noel’s interest in shrinking Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
In other news: The Utah House held a moment of silence for the victims of Wednesday’s school shooting in Florida and also passed a bill that would alter fire codes to allow Utah schools to lock doors in the case of a shooter situation. [Trib] [DNews] [KUTV]
-> Senators approved a bill that would allow lawmakers to defend laws in court — despite the Utah Attorney General’s Office warning that it may be unconstitutional. [Trib]
-> The Senate gave final approval to a bill that would replace the current statue of inventor Philo T. Farnsworth at the U.S. Capitol with a statue of Martha Hughes Cannon, the nation’s first female state senator. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]
-> Utah Senate Republicans made leadership changes as Senate Majority Leader Ralph Okerlund beings looking into possible heart and kidney transplants. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Gov. Gary Herbert announced that he does not foresee the Legislature making any changes to Utah’s toughest-in-the-nation drunken driving bill before it takes effect. [Trib]
-> A Utah Republican Party official from Iron County has been arrested in a prostitution sting operation. [Trib]
-> Pending passage in the Senate and budget deliberations, a new bill would give a tax credit of $600 to many of the state’s low-income residents. [Trib]
-> A new bill would allocate money to rural Utah communities to purchase land, repair roads and fund police. [Trib]
-> The House struck down a bill that would prohibit smoking on Utah Capitol grounds. [DNews]
-> Residents in Salt Lake County’s smaller townships may be able to soon call the leader of their town councils “mayor.” [Trib]
-> Thanks to the help of SLC Mayor Jackie Biskupski, a Salt Lake non-profit will be able to demolish an abandoned house and expand its facilities. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley depicts the NRA’s “mental health issue.” [Trib]
-> Robert Gehrke argues Utah employees shouldn’t be tied down by noncompete clauses and should be free to search for the best job possible. [Trib]
Nationally: President Donald Trump addressed the nation after the deadly school shooting that took place in Florida; he questioned the shooter’s mental health but made no mention of gun control. [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico]
-> The U.S. Senate rejected Trump’s proposal and a bipartisan plan to provide support to DACA recipients. [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
Follow @sltribpolitics