facebook-pixel

Political Cornflakes: The grudge-holding abilities of President Trump are on full display with passing of Sen. McCain

Flags flying a half-staff in honor of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., frame the U.S. Capital at daybreak in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 26, 2018. McCain, 81, died at his ranch in Arizona after a yearlong battle with brain cancer. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

Trump nixes presidential statement of praise for the late John McCain. The LDS Church opposition to the medical pot initiative has put faithful members who use cannabis in a tricky position. Anti-initiative group drops religious discrimination claims.

Happy Monday. How long can President Donald Trump hold a grudge? A long time. While world leaders and politicos of every stripe issued statements honoring Sen. John McCain — longtime senator, Vietnam vet and POW, and maverick — Trump rejected a proposed statement praising the former GOP nominee who was often critical of the president. Instead, Trump tweeted a terse message that his thoughts and prayers were with the family. [WaPost]

Topping the news: The Utah Supreme Court decided that the Count My Vote initiative will not appear on November’s ballot because opponents did not violate constitutional rights in blocking it. [Trib]

-> The LDS Church’s opposition to the medical pot initiative has pitted the faith against some faithful members who use cannabis for medicinal purposes. [Trib]

-> Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes was criticized for joining a legal brief advocating limiting federal job protections for LGBTQ workers on the grounds that policymakers, not federal courts, should make those decisions. [Trib] [Fox13] [KUTV]

-> Utah women’s wages actually declined in the most recent surveys, according to a new report. [Trib]

Tweets of the day: From @bilywonka: “Cannabis oil is so controversial in Utah because it’s the only essential oil that actually does something.”

-> From @igorbobic: “McCain often told reporters their questions were dumb, idiotic, absurd. ‘What are you smoking?’ was a favorite retort. But he still answered them anyway. Not ‘fake news,’ not ‘enemy of the people.’”

-> From @WhitfordBradley: “I blame Duncan Hunter’s wife for my performance in ‘Revenge of the Nerds 2: Nerds in Paradise.’”

Happy Birthday: To Matt Pacenza, formerly with HEAL Utah.

In other news: Utahns mourned the death of Sen. John McCain, who passed away Saturday at 81 years old after deciding to discontinue treatment for brain cancer. Gov. Gary Herbert noted McCain’s “undaunting leadership and service”. [Trib]

-> A group opposed to Utah’s medical marijuana initiative walked back earlier claims that the ballot measure violated Mormon religious beliefs, and instead focused the suit on allegations that Proposition 2 would infringe on rights of landlords because of the the odor of marijuana. [Trib] [Fox13]

-> Catholic priest Father David R. Gaeta of American Fork was accused of sexual misconduct against two minors and has been placed on leave. [Trib] [Fox13] [KSL]

-> Federal agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, detained immigrants in a Moab raid over the weekend. [Trib] [Fox13]

-> Here are three steps schools in Salt Lake Valley have taken to improve the safety of students in the wake of deadly shooting rampages in other parts of the country. [Trib]

-> Salt Lake City will host the 2019 U.N. Department of Public Information N.G.O. conference, representing more than 80 countries. The event will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center and will cover a variety of topics, including Utah’s plan to transition to one hundred percent clean energy by 2032. [DNews]

-> In light of the legal drama surrounding President Donald Trump , both Republicans and Democrats in Utah are keeping themselves and their politics independent of the White House in the upcoming midterm elections. [DNews]

-> Gehrke notes that, once again, Gov. Herbert is holding his fundraising gala despite saying he would not run for re-election. [Trib]

-> Pat Bagley honors John McCain and praises the late senator for retaining his dignity. [Trib]

-> Frank Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb discuss whether Trump’s legal troubles will have an effect on future elections in Utah. [DNews]

Nationally: The funeral of Sen. John McCain will be held in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, something reserved for only the country’s “most eminent citizens." [NYTimes] [Time]

-> Despite last week’s convictions of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman and personal lawyer, the president’s approval rating has remained steady. [WSJ]

-> A gunman opened fire at the Madden NFL 19 video game competition in Florida, killing two people and injuring 11 others. [WaPost] [NYTimes]

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

-- Dan Harrie, Connor Richards and Cara MacDonald

Twitter.com/danattrib, Twitter.com/crichards1995 and Twitter.com/carammacdonald