‘Even Trump can’t screw this up.’ GOP giddy over high court vacancy. Lee and brother on short list to replace Kennedy. Trib-Hinckley poll: Love, McAdams in statistical tie.
Happy Thursday. President Donald Trump has upended the Republican Party in some ways and elected officials have been unwilling to criticize him for some of his more outlandish rhetoric. But Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement and a chance to make a big change to the high court makes it all worth it for some. “Even Trump can’t screw this up,” said one Republican close to the White House. [Politico]
Topping the news: Both Sen. Mike Lee and his brother, Utah Supreme Court justice Thomas Lee, are on Trump’s short list of possible nominees to replace Kennedy. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]
-> A Salt Lake Tribune-Hinckley Institute of Politics poll shows that the race between Rep. Mia Love and SL Co. Mayor Ben McAdams is essentially a statistical tie, with Rep. Love leading by 6 points in a poll with a 5 point margin of error. [Trib]
-> Despite being shunned by GOP delegates for gathering signatures to get on the primary ballots, three Weber County Republicans won their elections. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @byrdinator: “Supreme Court Justice Kim Kardashian”
-> From @SarahLerner: "how merrick garland doesn’t walk around day drunk yelling obscenities at mitch mcconnell is beyond me”
Trib Talk: Tribune reporters Benjamin Wood, Taylor Anderson and Taylor Stevens and columnist Robert Gehrke discuss the results of Tuesday’s primary election. [Trib]
In other news: Kane County Commissioner Jim Matson, who was audited last year for allegedly self-dealing in an investigation that ended without charges, lost a re-election bid to his opponent, Todd Macfarlane. [Trib]
-> Here are five takeaways from Utah’s primary election, including that President Donald Trump is not a selling point in the Beehive State. [Trib]
-> House Speaker Greg Hughes resigned from his position on the Utah Inland Port board after it was revealed he owns several properties within five miles of the project’s boundaries. [Trib]
-> The Interior Department announced Utah counties will receive a record $40.7 million to compensate for untaxed public land within the county’s borders. [Trib]
-> The deputy director of Voices for Utah Children said nine percent of Utah kids are at risk of being undercounted in the upcoming 2020 census after new questions about citizenship were added. [Trib]
-> Michael L. Good, current dean of the University of Florida College of Medicine, was named the new University Health Care CEO more than a year after Vivian Lee resigned from the position. [Trib]
-> Canadian polygamists Winston Blackmore and James Oler were ordered to serve six and three months of house arrest, respectively, becoming the first Canadians in a century to be convicted of polygamy. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley depicts “Trumping Justice.”. [Trib]
Nationally: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is widely considered to be the court’s swing vote, announced he would retire this summer, opening the door for a right-wing nominee from President Donald Trump. [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico]
-> Major issues that could be affected by Justice Kennedy’s retirement include abortion, LGBTQ rights, voting rights, affirmative action and the death penalty. [Politico]
-> Both Democrats and Republicans in Washington are using the Supreme Court vacancy as a rallying cry to voters. [WaPost]
-> Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old community activist and former Bernie Sanders campaign organizer, became an instant political star after beating senior House leader, Joseph Crowley, in New York’s primary election. [NYTimes]
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-- Thomas Burr and Connor Richards
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