House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blocked one of her most outspoken critics, Rep. Kathleen Rice, from a seat on the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Pelosi had pledged not to take revenge on the Democratic lawmakers who had tried to prevent her from reclaiming the speaker post. However, several people in the closed-door meeting about the judiciary panel appointment said it seemed Pelosi was opposing Rice out of sour grapes. Rice, a third-term representative from New York, was a loud voice calling for House Democrats to select a new leader, and sources told Politico the stance may have cost her. “She was boxed out and the result was cooked before we walked into the room,” a source said. [Politico]
Happy Wednesday.
Topping the news: During day two of the second week of trial, former Utah State University football player Torrey Green repeatedly said he didn’t sexually assault any of the six women accusing him. At one point, Green said he wished he hadn’t broken any of the women’s hearts and lamented that he should have been better at communicating he didn’t want a long term relationship. [Trib] [ABC4] [DNews] [KSL]
-> Rep. Ben McAdams has voluntarily given up his pay and says he plans to continue doing so throughout the entirety of the federal government shutdown. He says that it’s the right thing to do, especially considering how many other Americans have it far worse. McAdams is currently staying with friends in Washington, D.C., until payments resume. [DNews]
-> Residents housed in an 8-acre historic neighborhood called Allen Park had to leave their homes for good on Monday. Residents were told Dec. 6 to find a new home by Dec. 31, but the city ended up granting them a two-week extension. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: @StephenAtHome: “If our government is ‘shut down,’ then how come the president’s mic is still on?”
-> @petridishes: “If i were guessing the meaning of ‘brexit’ from scratch without context i would imagine it was a traditional flavorless English breakfast biscuit.”
-> @costareports: “Couple senior Republican lawmakers tell me the only way this breaks open is if TSA employees stay home and Americans get furious about their flights. That’s the only out, they say. And they’re close to the WH.”
-> @aedwardslevy: “barr is really getting grilled by dems one might call it a barrbecue.”
Happy Birthday: to former Rep. Jim Bird and ex-GOP State Vice Chair Christy Achziger. (Sorry for the mixup last week when we wished you a happy birthday prematurely.)
In other news: An audit released by the office of State Auditor John Dougall says the Utah Driver License Division of improperly shared personal data like Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses and license numbers with other agencies. The audit calls for the practice to stop. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4]
-> Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, on Tuesday questioned attorney general nominee William Bar about illegal immigration, criminal justice reform, prosecutorial discretion, antitrust protections and civil asset forfeiture rather than probing about the action he plans to take towards the Robert Mueller investigation. Lee asked Barr to differentiate between legal and illegal immigration and why the distinction is important. [Trib]
-> A man from Hyrum may be charged with a felony after he lied about being hit by a truck. The man was lying just outside the travel lane when the dispatched officers arrived. Police found no injuries on his body and arrested him shortly thereafter. [Trib] [ABC4] [DNews]
-> A self-driving shuttle is coming to Utah soon as part of an experiment to demonstrate the possibilities of autonomous vehicles. The pilot by the Utah Department of Transportation and Utah Transit Authority is scheduled to begin next month. [Trib]
-> State lawmakers have divided opinions on whether or not the national economy will be hit with another recession soon. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley depicts a shirtless, gloating Russian President Vladimir Putin surrounded by bickering political figures from the U.S. and the United Kingdom. [Trib]
Nationally: William Barr repeatedly told senators at his attorney general confirmation hearing that he will not be bullied into doing something he deems wrong, even if the orders come from President Donald Trump. Barr also reiterated that he would allow special counsel Robert Mueller carry out his investigation into Russian election interference. [NYTimes] [WaPost]
-> New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced via late night talk show that she will be making a run for president as a Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential election. She said one of her primary reasons for running is so she can “fight for other people’s kids as hard as I would fight for my own.” [NYTimes] [CNN] [Politico] [WaPost]
-> The Federal Aviation Administration has declared that thousands of employees who stopped coming to work in response to not receiving pay, will be returning shortly. Unions and other agencies have expressed concern about some of the safety risks associated with reduced numbers of workers. [NYTimes] [Politico]
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-- Bethany Rodgers and Sahalie Donaldson
https://twitter.com/bethrodgersslt?lang=en and https://twitter.com/sahalied?lang=en