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Political Cornflakes: Tired of ‘so much winning,’ President Trump goes for a change of pace in Helsinki

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a soccer ball to U.S. President Donald Trump, left, during a press conference after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Monday, July 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

President Donald Trump apparently was tired of “so much winning," so he went to Helsinki, Finland, for a change of scenery. A Tribune columnist draws attention for his call for Ambassador Huntsman to resign. And Rep. Chris Stewart stands out from the crowd in the Utah congressional delegation.

Happy Tuesday. The headlines are in on Trump’s summit with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin -- and they’re all bad. “Disgraceful,” The Arizona Republic; “Trump embraces Putin,” The Denver Post; “A win for Russia,” Hartford Courant; “Trump stuns the world at summit,” The Hill [Newseum]

Topping the news: WIthout mentioning the president specifically, Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee issued public statements agreeing with US intelligence agencies that Russia meddled with the election. Of Utah House members, Rep. Chris Stewart had the sharpest rebuke of Trump. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]

-> Robert Gehrke has a plea for Ambassador Jon Huntsman after Trump’s -> performance in Helsinki: “Come home.” [Trib]

The National Security Agency recently responded to a public records request The Salt Lake Tribune made five years ago. The new, declassified documents show the pitch a Utah representative of the NSA made to argue a massive data center be built here: cheap electricity and deep patriotism. [Trib]

Tweets of the day: From @StephenAtHome: “TRUMP: Putin says he didn’t do it. So I believe the guy. ALSO TRUMP: We can’t be sure this 8-month-old isn’t a sleeper agent for MS-13. Better make him appear in court alone.”

From @burgessev: “Don’t confuse Republicans endorsing intelligence community assessment with ‘taking on the president’”

-> From @timothypmurphey: “Tom Cotton blocked an Obama nominee until she died, it’s weird that all these senators suddenly don’t think one of them can make a difference”

In other news: Two months after a landmark meeting between the LDS Church and NAACP in Salt Lake City, the groups announced they are joining forces to launch an education and employment initiative to “explore ways” to lift “our brothers and sisters who need our help.” [Trib] [DNews] test.

-> John Weaver, former campaign strategist for U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign, called on Huntsman to resign after President Donald Trump’s refused to criticize Russia for meddling with the 2016 election during his meeting with Vladimir Putin. [Trib] [Fox1

-> Utahns who survived the shooting at the Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest Festival last October remain haunted by their memories of what has been called the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. [Trib]

-> A car with a Utah Gun Exchange sticker was vandalized on Saturday outside of the Sandy town hall where suvivors of the Parkland school shooting spoke in favor of stricter gun restrictions, according to Sandy police. [Trib] [Fox13]

-> Sandy Mayor Kurt Bradburn recommended the city’s interim police chief, William O’Neal, be given the job on a permanent basis, but the decision still needs to be approved by the Sandy City Council. [Trib]

-> The Utah Court of Appeals ruled that a Colorado man will be tried on felony and misdemeanor charges for a gate-closing incident at a livestock corral in San Juan County, but the charges against his environmentalist wife were dropped. [Trib]

-> Organizers from Utah Against Police Brutality protested outside Salt Lake City Hall and called on the city council to create a democratically elected board to hold the city’s police deparment accountable for officer-involved shootings. [Trib] [KUTV] [ABC4]

-> Pat Bagley shows Trump “taking a knee" during his meeting in Helsinki, Finland, with Putin. [Trib]

Nationally: Despite evidence from multiple US intelligence agencies that Russia attempted to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, President Donald Trump refused to criticize Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and accepted the strongman’s denial of any Russian meddling, when the two leaders met in Helsinki, Finland. [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico] [CNN]

-> The president recieved essentially no support from Republicans in Congress for his performance during his meeting with Putin, with House Speaker Paul Ryan saying, “The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally.” [WaPost] [CNN]

-> After treating NATO allies poorly and offering praise to Russia, some say Trump has completely reassessed the global definitions of friends and foes. [Politico]

-> The city of Charlotte, N.C., announced after hours of public debate that it would submit a bid to host the Republican National Convention in 2020. [NYTimes]

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Send us a note to cornflakes@sltrib.com.

-- Dan Harrie and Connor Richards

Twitter.com/danattrib and Twitter.com/crichards1995