France’s president brought Trump a tree to plant at the White House. A few days later, it was put in quarantine. The EPA gives Utah three years to reduce its ozone levels. Utah AG signs pro-fracking letter despite pushback from colleagues.
Happy Wednesday. When French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House last week, he brought a present for President Donald Trump: an oak sapling that the two leaders planted on the South Lawn. Then, a few days later, it vanished. It turns out the tree, which had a plastic bag over its roots, was removed and put into quarantine — customary for foreign plants brought to the U.S. — to prevent the spread of any parasites or diseases. The gift “will be replanted afterwards,” said French Ambassador Gérard Araud. [NPR]
Topping the news: The EPA has declared several of Utah’s counties to be in violation of federal ozone standards, giving the state three years to bring levels down. [Trib]
-> Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes signed off on a pro-fracking letter despite colleagues calling the document “political.” [Trib]
-> San Juan County has asked to join a lawsuit — opposite the environmental groups and American Indian tribes that filed — so it can defend President Donald Trump’s decision to shrink the national monument at Bears Ears. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @petridishes: “I feel like at this point it would be more newsworthy if Scott Pruitt did something that seemed ethical and generally unproblematic”
-> From @petersagal: “As far as I can tell from twitter: The only movie in the world is Infinity War. The only book in the world is ‘Hellfire Club’ by @jaketapper. And the only person with opinions is @kanyewest.”
Happy Birthday: To former state Sen. Karen Morgan.
In other news: The Utah veteran who documented his stay in a dirty VA hospital room appeared on “Fox & Friends” and advocated for more health care options. [Trib]
-> Former state Rep. Carl Duckworth died Tuesday. He was 63. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]
-> A new poll shows that while most Mormons are still against gay marriage, a growing number of younger members of the faith support it. [Trib]
-> Bluff Elementary School will relocate to a desert fairground after the initially proposed site was on an ancient burial ground — making it unacceptable for many Navajo families whose kids make up 90 percent of the enrollment. [Trib]
-> Gov. Gary Herbert nominated Paul Garver — a 25-year HR veteran — to lead the Utah Department of Human Resource Management. [Trib] [DNews]
-> UTA named a new interim executive director as part of its large-scale restructure plans. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley depicts mudslinging in the 4th District race between Ben McAdams and Rep. Mia Love. [Trib]
-> Robert Gehrke, too, breaks down the opening blows in the Love-McAdams contest. [Trib]
-> Paul Rolly argues that attacks against a Navajo candidate in San Juan County seem eerily similar to Jim Crow-era persecutions. [Trib]
Nationally: President Donald Trump’s ex-doctor claims that two aides seized the president’s medical documents from his office without any kind of authorization. [NYTimes]
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— Courtney Tanner and Eric Baker
Follow @sltribpolitics