President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met privately in Finland last month. But what did they talk about? A new leaked document offers insight. A federal judge ruled in a San Juan County case that deals with the possible future makeup of the county commission in southern Utah. And Salt Lake City newspaper editors say U.S. Rep. Mia Love’s taxpayer-funded mailers are misleading.
Happy Wednesday.
Politico obtained a leaked document that purportedly shows what was discussed between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, last month. Trump surprised many of his supporters and critics when he met Putin without anyone but a pair of translators. Here’s what they discussed, according to the document. [Politico]
Topping the news: A federal judge ruled that San Juan County officials incorrectly removed Democrat Willie Grayeyes, a Navajo activist, from the ballot in his race for county commission. Grayeyes’ name was removed from the ballot when it was alleged he didn’t live in the county boundaries. His name was ordered back on the ballot. Grayeyes is running under newly drawn boundaries that give Navajo tribal members a better chance at a majority on the commission. [Trib] [Fox13]
-> The federal government doesn’t have to release documents outlining the legal reasoning behind President Donald Trump’s decision to shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. [Trib]
-> The editors of The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News say U.S. Rep. Mia Love’s government-funded mailers falsely lead readers into believing the newspapers support her during a tough re-election campaign. One of Love’s mailers included a quote attributed to The Tribune that actually came from an opinion piece she wrote in the paper. [Trib] [DNews]
Tweets of the day: From @danpfeiffer: “It seems like the President’s deputy campaign manager testifying under oath about crimes he committed with the President’s campaign manager should be a bigger deal”
-> From @ForecasterEnten: “This election means everything. Just remember that whichever party loses becomes extinct and replaced by the Whigs.”
-> From @petridishes: “i’m sorry but there is no more 2018 sentence than ‘....AND ASBESTOS IS BACK!’”
Happy Birthday: To David Everitt, city manager of Moab and former Salt Lake City chief of staff.
In other news: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is looking to build a detention facility near Salt Lake City’s immigration court, but none of the three proposed locations are in Utah. [Trib]
-> Ken Peterson, a former Dixie State University music teacher who was fired and then offered his job back, said on Facebook that the agreement he’d have to sign to return to the school is “punitive” and “vindictive.” [Trib]
-> Mike Haddon, who has been running the Utah Corrections Department since director Rollin Cook stepped down in May, was officially appointed as the department’s new director by Gov. Gary Herbert. [Trib]
-> State Senate majority whip Sen. Stuart Adams is the first member of the Senate to formally announce his candidacy in the race to replace current Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, who announced in March he would not seek re-election this year. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Brigham Young University biblical scholar Eric D. Huntsman, who has been concerned about the high number of youth suicides in Utah, gave a rare devotional speech and asked students to create a safe campus environment for LGBTQ Mormons, LDS women and Mormons of color. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley says there is nothing magical about the GOP’s solutions to health care reform. [Trib]
-> Robert Gehrke spoke with a man who launched a journalistic investigation that found members of the Wasatch County Tourism Advisory Board have been enriching themselves, and Gehrke says community journalists like this fill the gap in local coverage left by withering newsrooms. [Trib]
Nationally: Five states held primary elections Tuesday. Here’s what the results could show as the two major parties line up for a bruising 2018 election year. [WaPost] [CBS] [CNN]
-> On the sixth day of Paul Manafort’s trial, the former Trump campaign chairman’s defense attempted to portray Rick Gates, Manafort’s deputy who testified to committing illegal acts with him, as a liar and embezzler who led a “secret life.” [Politico] [WaPost] [CNN]
-> A plan by the Trump administration to punish legal immigrants for receiving food stamps and government benefits could help energize Republican voters ahead of midterm elections. An administration official said the proposal is still a few weeks away from being finalized. [NYTimes]
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— Connor Richards and Taylor W. Anderson
Follow @sltribpolitics