President Donald Trump announced his candidacy by accusing Mexico of sending “rapists” across the border. He’s ordered refugee children separated from their parents. He’s made building a wall to shut out migrants the focal point of his presidency. Now, the president is making an aggressive play for Hispanic-American votes in Florida and beyond — and polls suggest Democrats may need to be worried for 2020. [POLITICO]
Happy Monday.
Topping the news: Environmental activists are calling on Utah Gov. Gary Herbert to veto a bill passed in both chambers of the Legislature that would allow for the storage of depleted uranium waste in Utah, arguing that the material would become more dangerous over time. [Trib] [DNews] [KSL]
-> A bill that would allow communities to leave their county and create their own is generating a lot of noise on Capitol Hill and beyond. A number of city officials from southwest Salt Lake County are in favor of the legislation, spurred by what they claim is a disproportionate lack of funding and a feeling that their interests are not properly represented. [Trib]
-> Shireen Ghorbani — a Democrat, the daughter of an immigrant and a communication professional at the University of Utah — was elected Saturday to fill Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson’s vacant at-large county council seat. [Trib] [KSL]
-> A man who allegedly assaulted a gay man on camera was charged with three misdemeanors after the footage went viral and he was caught by authorities. Despite the man’s alleged homophobic remarks, he will not be charged with a hate crime at the county level. [Trib] [Fox13] [ABC4] [KUTV]
Tweets of the day: @pourmecoffee: “Trump is busy preparing for the Vietnam summit, and by that I of course mean doodling, 'Donald J. Trump, Nobel Prize winner’ while shaving clean KFC drumsticks like a sawmill machine.”
-> @aedwardslevy: “if I ran for president 9 am: talking to Iowa voters! 10 am: concerned that I said something weird 2 pm: still mentally replaying convo 2 pm: asking all my aides if it was weird or if I'm overthinking 3 pm: now worried convo with my aides was weird 5 pm: dropping out!”
-> @ShireenGhorbani: “I’m honored to be the new Democratic At-Large Member of the Salt Lake County Council. I can not wait to get to work.I’ll see you on Tuesday. #utpol”
In other news: A new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center says the number of hate groups in Utah tripled in 2018, rising from three organizations to nine. [Trib]
-> A bill proposing to ban abortions performed because of a fetal Down syndrome diagnosis is nearing final passage after narrowly passing out of committee with a vote split down party lines. [Trib]
-> Safety concerns outweighed those about costs as a bill calling for the installation of seatbelts in new school buses narrowly advanced out of a House committee. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4]
-> Utah lawmakers introduced a bill that would direct the Utah Tax Review Commission to analyze the positive and negative effects of tax incentives for businesses and decide whether to recommend a general tax rate cut or a targeted break. [Trib]
-> A bill that would ensure children have access to a public defender throughout all their court proceedings is headed to the House floor. [Trib]
-> Legislative leaders announced that designated state spending funds are not actually as depleted as was previously thought, with a $1 billion surplus still remaining. [Trib]
-> A bill that would limit the state’s smallest counties to a commission form of government rather than a county council one stalled in committee twice last week. [Trib]
-> The Salt Lake County Health Department offered free lead testing to Sandy residents who believed they were adversely impacted by tainted water. At least eight people said they think they were sick because of the contamination. [Trib] [KUTV]
-> A district judge in Salt Lake County ruled not to combine the lawsuits some Utah counties are waging against drug companies, which accuse opioid manufacturers of using dishonest marketing schemes to falsely promote dangerous drugs. [Trib]
-> The Salt Lake City Council is drafting an ordinance that could impose big fines on the online car-sharing firm Turo, which the city’s Airport Advisory Board believes could prompt the company to sign airport agreements. [Trib]
-> The Provo City Council signed a resolution signifying its commitment to expand the Provo Airport, pledging $19 million to the project and calling on the state Legislature to contribute $9 million. [Trib] [Fox13] [DNews]
-> Pat Bagley proposes a few designs for a new Utah state flag. [Trib]
-> Frank Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb consider Utah’s roles in rivalries among executive, legislative and judicial branches, and also between state and federal levels. [DNews]
Nationally: President Donald Trump indicated that he will put off increasing tariffs on Chinese goods, citing what he called “substantial progress” during trade talks between Chinese and United States officials. There is no official agreement at this time, but Trump said he could sign a deal in March. [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico]
-> Federal prosecutors released a memo depicting Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort as a “hardened, remorseless criminal” who should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The memo did not include a sentence recommendation, but based off the two charges he has pled guilty to, Manafort could spend at least a decade in prison. [NYTimes] [WaPost]
-> A group of 58 former national security officials plan on Monday to release a bipartisan rebuke against Trump’s national emergency declaration via a 13-page joint statement that condemns Trump’s decision to act in a way that is “at odds with the overwhelming evidence in the public record.” [Politico] [WaPost]
-> House Democrats are prepared to go to court if necessary to ensure Special Counsel Robert. S. Mueller’s report is made public on alleged Russian election interference and the president’s possible involvement. [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico]
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-- Taylor Stevens and Sahalie Donaldson
https://twitter.com/tstevensmedia, https://twitter.com/SahalieD