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Political Cornflakes: President Trump’s self-restraint on Christine Blasey Ford starts to crumble

President Donald Trump talks about Hurricane Florence following a briefing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Donald Trump is being praised from the right and left for his unusual restraint regarding the besieged Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, with nary an attack on his accuser Christine Blasey Ford. That started to change Friday morning.

Happy Friday. The president in one of his mini-tweet storms demanded Ford bring forward police reports from the time of the alleged assault — saying he knows they exist “if the attack ... was as bad as she says." He also called Kavanaugh a fine man of impeccable reputation who is “under assault by radical left wing politicians.” [Twitter]

Topping the news: Utah’s largest wildfire in six years deserves a deeper look into the U.S. Forest Service’s so-called ‘let it burn’ policy on wildfires and Utah politicians' tendency to blame the agency as their first response. [Trib]

-> A couple whose images were used in a recent attack ad by the Mia Love campaign — “It’s a bumpy ride on Ben’s bus” — filed a legal cease and desist order saying their images were ‘stolen’ from a pro-McAdams ad aired two years ago. [Trib]

-> The proposed Lake Powell pipeline now will have to wade through the approval process of multiple federal agencies in a decision that represents a potential setback to the controversial water project. [Trib][DNews]

-> A billboard using the LDS “Word of Wisdom” to argue in favor of Proposition 2, legalizing medical marijuana, is of mysterious origin. The sign was pulled down by Reagan Outdoor Advertising, which said it was looking into the legality of political advertising without disclosing a sponsor. [Trib]

Tweets of the day: From @StephenAtHome: “I don’t ever want to hear about presidential genitals again, which is why I’m giving an early endorsement to Ken Doll 2020.”

From @DonaldJ.Trump: "I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!

-> From @MEPFuller: “Did you hear the one about the Congressman who made a bunch of jokes about sexual assault? Yeah, it wasn’t very funny.”

Happy Birthday: to Bailey Bowthorpe from the Salt Lake Chamber and former state Rep. Kay Mclff.

In other news: “Free capitalist” Rick Koerber was found guilty by a jury for 15 counts of securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. Federal prosecutors have claimed that this may be one of Utah’s biggest fraud cases. [Trib][Fox13][DNews]

-> After Elizabeth Smart captor Wanda Barzee was released from prison despite having refused mental health care during her incarceration, a Utah lawmaker has drafted legislation to help better deal with inmates released into the community without mental health care. [Fox13]

-> Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski helped lobby for the US Olympic Committee at an annual meeting of US Olympic officials in Colorado Springs. The USOC thus far has only expressed interest in bidding for the 2030 Olympic Games. [DNews]

-> Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will take a tour of Zion National Park on Monday to get a look at maintenance and development needs for the park as well as discuss funding. [DNews]

-> Alliance for a Better Utah has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over the more than $1 million the Rep. Mia Love campaign raised for a primary when there was no primary. [DNews]

-> Support has dipped slightly for a ballot question on raising the gas tax to invest more in Utah schools, according to a new poll. [DNews]

-> Salt Lake City held its first Net Zero Energy Summit on Tuesday gathering together government agents, businesses and nonprofits to discuss the improvements related to building energy efficient buildings. [KUER]

Nationally: Christine Blasey Ford, Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser of sexual assault, said that she will testify, but not this Monday. She requested that the hearings be moved to the following week, and that the Senate agree to insure her safety. [BBC][Politico]

-> The New York Times recounted all that they had discovered about the Russian influence on the United States in a deep dive analyzing what it might mean. [NYTimes]

-> The dean of the Yale law school said she is concerned about reports that a professor at the school had advised students on how to achieve a “model-like" appearance if they were applying for a clerkship with Judge Brett Kavanaugh. [NBC]

-> Brett Kavanaugh is the first Supreme Court nominee in history that has more Americans disapproving than approving of his confirmation by the Senate, according to two new independent polls. [USAToday][NBC]

-> South Carolina Republican Congressman Ralph Norman opened a speech Thursday with a joke about Abraham Lincoln groping a Supreme Court Justice. [PostandCourier]

-> President Trump has authorized classified orders that will loosen restraints on cyberattacks in the future in order to more freely and frequently conduct cyberattacks on opponents. [NYTimes]

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— Dan Harrie and Cara MacDonald

https://twitter.com/danattrib and Twitter.com/carammacdonald