There’s a sinkhole forming on the White House lawn -- and the Internet is having a heyday. Infighting at the SL County Clerk’s Office is raising concerns about the pending elections. Kennedy apologizes to controversial pastor after Romney calls him a bigot.
Happy Wednesday. There’s a growing sinkhole at the White House. Really. There is. Reporters noticed the pit just outside the briefing room this week and it appears to be growing larger, possibly because of the torrential rain the region has seen in the last week. The Internet is having some fun with the sinkhole, which now has its own Twitter handle. [WaPost]
Topping the news: Infighting between the Salt Lake County Clerk’s Office Clerk and elections director, who recently took an unpaid extended leave of absence, raises questions about how the tension will affect the upcoming election. [Trib]
-> State Rep. Mike Kennedy, who is running for Sen. Orrin Hatch’s Senate seat, apologized called controversial pastor Robert Jeffress to apologize for Mitt Romney calling him a ‘religious bigot.’ [Trib] [DNews]
-> Romney was selected to give the keynote speech at an upcoming state agency-sponsored technology summit, something his Senate race opponents say is unfair. [Trib]
-> The LDS Church announced it will be transferring 169 missionaries out of Nicaragua due to “growing political instability.” [Trib] [Fox13] [ABC4]
Tweets of the day: From @StephenAtHome: “Trump aides write his tweets with bad punctuation to match the President’s style. Well, at least there’s not grammar Nazis.”
-> From @samstein: “We spent a year going nuts about the security of Clinton’s email set up. We will spend roughly 20 hours talking about the lack of security of Trump’s cell phone”
-> From @CyrusMMcQueen: “A sinkhole has developed on the White House lawn?? Doesn’t that typically happen in swamps?”
Happy Birthday: To longtime Utah GOP political insider and Buckshot Caucus co-founder, Carl Downing.
In other news: After a failed effort to bring a Facebook data center to the state, the Utah County Commission voted to approve about $150 million in property tax incentives to lure in a company. [Trib] [DNews]
-> A number of changes to state income taxes, including four deductions for people with dependents, are coming as state tax officials call for a special session to adjust in light of recent federal tax reform. [Trib]
-> Sen. Mike Lee is working on legislation that would limit the law enforcement authority of the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, agencies he accuses of ‘terrorizing the communities surrounding’ federal lands. [DNews]
-> An Ogden wildlife rehabilitation center has been receiving up to 40 birds a day and says tree trimmers need to watch out for nests during baby bird season. [Trib]
-> Environmentalists and some Alta skiers are upset about a plan to build a small tram up to the iconic Mount Baldy in order to control avalanches. [Trib]
-> An Iron County court sentenced Samuel Shaffer, a self-proclaimed prophet of the doomsday cult Utah Knights of the Crystal Blade, to 26 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to child rape and abuse charges. [APviaTrib] [Fox13]
-> Robert Gehrke praises Utah Republicans who are pressuring Congress to let Robert Mueller’s investigation into President Donald Trump run its course. [Trib]
-> Michelle Quist explains why she signed a medical marijuana ballot initiative despite her belief that initiatives are a poor way to legislate. [Trib]
Nationally: As the likelihood of a U.S.-North Korea summit remains unclear, President Donald Trump backed away from his demand that the country completely abandon its nuclear weapons program. [NYTimes]
-> After House Republicans killed a farm bill amid an immigration policy dispute, Speaker Paul Ryan is said to be losing control over conservative lawmakers in the House. [WaPost] [NYTimes] [Politico]
-> White House chief of staff John Kelly signed off on changes to cut lower-level communication staff members in an effort to prevent leaks about the administration. [Politico]
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-- Thomas Burr and Connor Richards
Follow @sltribpolitics