Farmers are finding more pain and little relief from a trade-war bailout. Sen.-elect Mitt Romney talks in general terms about what he hopes to do in Washington. And the Mormon contingent in Congress is going to be smaller come January.
Happy Monday. American farmers seeking promised government relief from the pain of President Donald Trump’s trade war with China have instead received little relief and more pain in the form of bureaucratic red tape. The New York Times reports that less than one tenth of the $12 billion set aside in the president’s bailout program — $838 million — has made it to farmers. The payouts to eligible farmers have been stymied by red tape and long lines, the newspaper reports. [NYTimes]
Topping the news: Sen.-elect Mitt Romney says he’s looking forward to establishing a reputation as a collaborator and someone who can work across the aisle. In a wide-ranging interview, he also reiterated that while he will speak out on occasion against President Donald Trump, he has no intention of becoming his foil in the Senate. [Trib]
-> The appointment of University of Utah Professor Maureen Condic to a national science advisory board to the president worries critics. Condic has played a central role in developing a controversial and disputed theory of fetal pain — one of the main lines of attack of anti-abortion forces in recent years. [Trib]
-> The incoming Congress will feature the fewest number of Mormons in three decades — 11. [Trib]
Tweets of the Day: From @summerbrennan: “‘Men who have slandered the opposite sex out of envy have usually known women who were cleverer and more virtuous than they are.’ —Christine de Pizan, 1405.”
-> From @MuttsNuts: “There's nothing illegal about seeking asylum.”
-> From @joshgondelman: “This year has been a long December.”
-> From @ColinHanks: “If he's so d*mn impressed with the swept floors of the forests of Finland someone tell him about their healthcare system”
In other news: Although Rep. Mia Love jumped into the lead by 1,019 votes (0.16 percent) after a big influx of votes being counted from Utah County on Friday, the battle for the 4th Congressional District remains unresolved. [Trib][DNews][ABC4]
-> A judge dismissed Rep. Mia Love’s lawsuit against the Salt Lake County Clerk on Friday, stating that Love’s campaign failed to point to any statute, rule, or case entitling them to challenge the ballot-counting process. [Trib][DNews][Fox13][ABC4]
-> President Donald Trump awarded Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Friday, calling the retiring legislator “a great friend” with a outstanding legacy. [Trib][DNews][ABC4]
-> Utah Senate President Wayne Niederhauser is serious about senators showing up to vote on a medical marijuana bill, threatening to sic sergeants-at-arms on any truant member to compel their attendance. [Trib][Fox13]
-> A local LGBT rights group, Equality Utah, wants to ban gay conversion therapy, which seeks to convince homosexual youth that their sexuality is a choice that they can change through prayer and aversion techniques. [Trib][KUTV]
-> Proposition 4, the redistricting ballot initiative, retains its lead heading into the canvass, but it’s a slim 50.15 percent. [Trib]
-> Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke looks at the implications of a Utah lawsuit involving the birthright citizenship of individuals born in American Samoa. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley illustrates his view of Sen. Mike Lee’s recent warning about widespread violence in the country unless states' rights are restored. [Trib]
Nationally: CNN won its First Amendment lawsuit against the Trump Administration, with a judge ruling that banned reporter Jim Acosta will once again be allowed on White House grounds. [WaPostviaTrib][BBC][Fox]
-> President Donald Trump said in an interview that he will likely not sit for an interview in the Mueller investigation and added that he did not know that acting Attorney General Matthew G. Whitaker was a critic of the probe into Russian interference in the U.S. election. [NYTimes][BBC][Fox][WSJ]
-> The CIA concluded on Friday that the Saudi crowned Prince ordered the death of dissident journalist Jamal Kashoggi. And Congress (but not the president) has indicated that it wants to pursue this matter further and punish Saudi Arabia. [NYTimes][CNN][WSJ]
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-- Dan Harrie and Cara MacDonald
https://twitter.com/danattrib and Twitter.com/carammacdonald