GOP strategists hope to recast Kavanaugh protests into threatening images of angry mobs. Latter-day Saint women running for office worry about the call of a 10-day social media fast. Evictions are up in Utah and, specifically, on Salt Lake City’s west side.
Happy Tuesday.
Republicans hope to flip the script and turn against Democrats the large and loud protests against Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. Going into the final stretch of the midterm elections they are casting the demonstrations as faceless “angry mobs” threatening the country’s civil order and portraying Republicans as defenders at the barriers. [WaPost]
Topping the news: Latter-day Saint female candidates fret over church President Russell M. Nelson’s suggestion that women take a 10-day break, or ‘fast,' from social media. So close to an election, such disengagement could cripple campaigns. [Trib]
-> A new poll demonstrates that 50 percent of Utahns oppose President Donald Trump, marking the most dramatic drop in approval from any state. [Trib][DNews]
-> Let the voting begin. Five-hundred thousand ballots were mailed to Salt Lake County voters on Monday, marking the beginning of voting for the Nov. 6 election. [Trib]
-> The dark side of Utah’s housing boom — eviction — is examined in a new piece by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project. The nonprofit found that evictions are on the upswing and, at times, over small bills that turn into big judgments for low-income renters. [UIJP]
Tweets of the Day: From @taegannuscia: “After a very politically discouraging weekend, I can only hope everyone indicated how many beers they drank on their calendar.”
-> From @KrangTNelson: “We live in really uncertain times and people, especially young people, are very scared abt what the future holds for them, and if their lives may be in danger from the coming climate crisis. not me though I have hard plans to get run over by the oscar meyer weinermobile in 2021.”
-> From @SenMikeLee: “Judge Kavanaugh is a good man. He is eminently qualified to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. I was pleased to vote in favor of cloture and was honored to vote for his confirmation.”
-> From @emilyjanefox: “Where we are now: Today one of these women asked if she could send me the names of the Prep boys who she said assaulted her for me to file away in case a day comes where she finds herself in Dr. Ford’s situation.”
Happy Birthday: to Laura Dupuy, executive director of the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy.
In other news: Utahn Mel Van de Graaff became one of the first in the state to receive a non-binary x designation on their driver license and birth certificate. This legal acceptance marks great strides in progress for LGBTQ+ Utahns. [Trib]
-> The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that it has followed through on Sim Gill’s promise to form a panel to review cases where persons convicted of a felony claim to be innocent, and will determine “actual innocence.” [Trib][DNews][KUTV]
-> Almost two years after the Utah State Auditor accused Utah League of Cities former finance chief Michelle Pickering Reilly of embezzling an estimated $30,000 for trips, dinner and alcohol, she has been formally charged with misuse of public money. [Trib][DNews]
-> Utah County Commissioner candidates, Republican Tanner Ainge and United Utah Party member Teri McCabe, agree that population control in central Utah will be their primary priority. [Trib][DNews]
-> Someone might need to remind Rep. Rob Bishop that there’s an election underway. [DNews]
-> Former Utah Sen. Mark Madsen, who originally pushed for medical marijuana legalization in Utah, returned to back the new compromise which would alter Proposition 2. [Fox13]
-> Utah County commissioners have joined a growing list of local governments suing Big Pharma over the opioid crisis. [DNews][KUTV]
-> Despite the medical marijuana compromise bill and an agreement by some campaign organizers on both sides to stand down, opponents might still be seeking a strategy to defeat Proposition 2 off the ballot in November. [KUER]
Nationally: After multiple meetings, President Donald Trump announced Monday that he has no plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Relations between the two men are “great,” according to the president. [NYTimes][Politico][CNN][Fox][WSJ]
-> Tensions rose between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and China’s foreign minister Wang Yi in a meeting on Monday when Yi accused the United States of interfering in China’s internal affairs and harming his nation’s interests in regards to Taiwan. They also Chided the Trump administration for “ceaselessly elevating” tensions with trade. [NYTimes][WSJ]
-> President Donald Trump dismissed sexual assault allegations against Justice Brett Kavanaugh Monday, alleging that the accusations were a “hoax.” It’s the same label he’s given to the Russian investigation. [NYTimes][BBC]
-> Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that North Korea is ready to allow international inspections of a key nuclear testing site. This appears to mark major progress toward denuclearizing the Korean peninsula. [CNN]
-> GOP Senate Candidate, Rep. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, said that #MeToo is a “movement towards victimization,” sparking anger from many residents and his opponent, Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. [NYTimes]
-> Legal experts allege that President Trump’s team of lawyers may be tainting the findings of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, due to their unusual level of contact with attorneys representing clients involved in the expanding Russian probe. [Politico]
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-- Dan Harrie and Cara MacDonald
https://twitter.com/danattrib and Twitter.com/carammacdonald