Republicans reacted to special counsel Robert Mueller’s report with adjectives like “brash,” “inappropriate,” “unflattering” and, in the case of Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, “sickening.” Yet no Republican has pressed for even a cursory inquiry into the findings. Where Democrats see a road to impeaching President Donald Trump, Republicans see a dead end. [WaPost]
Happy Friday!
Topping the news: Salt Lake City officials launched a new housing strategy called the Community Heroes program, which will provide $100,000 down payment assistance to aid the city’s nurses, teachers, police, firefighters and EMTs. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4] [KUTV]
-> The Utah Cold Case Coalition plans to build the nation’s first DNA testing lab operated by a nonprofit, which would have the capacity to process DNA samples and better solve cold cases. In order to launch the lab, the coalition needs to raise $200,000. [Trib] [ABC4] [Fox13] [KUTV]
-> After Canyons School District announced a plan earlier this week to raise teacher pay, Granite School District said it also plans to increase its annual salary for starting educators, though not quite as high as its competitor. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4]
Tweets of the day: @aedwardslevy: “New rule: anyone tempted by the idea of polling a 2020 GE matchup must immediately replace it in their questionnaire with some iteration of “is a burrito a sandwich.” This will be slightly more useful!”
-> @BenWinslow: “Here’s the proposed resolution for next week’s @UtahGOP convention calling for a repeal of Utah’s new hate crimes law just signed by the Republican @GovHerbert and passed by the Republican-dominated #utleg... (h/t @BjaminWood)”
Happy Birthday: Today to Utah State Tax Commission Chairman and former Sen. John Valentine and to state Rep. Adam Robertson and on Saturday to Gordon Larsen, the governor’s director of federal affairs; State Sen. Don Ipson; and state Rep. Rex Shipp.
Behind the Headlines: Tribune reporters Brian Maffly and Taylor Stevens and columnist George Pyle join KCPW’s Roger McDonough to talk about the week’s top stories, including the challenges arising from Moab’s tourism boom. Every Friday at 9 a.m., stream “Behind the Headlines” at kcpw.org, or tune in to KCPW 88.3 FM or Utah Public Radio for the broadcast. Join the live conversation by calling (801) 355-TALK.
Friday quiz: Last week, 99% of you knew about a $4.99 bus trip from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas, but only 46% knew about that the Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach was picked to coach Utah Valley University’s team. Think you kept up with the news this week? Take our quiz to find out. A new one will post every Friday morning. You can find previous quizzes here. If you’re using The Salt Lake Tribune mobile app, click here. [Trib]
In other news: Shocked by the lack of available data about hate crimes, two University of Utah researchers designed an app to bridge the gap between what people witness and what is reported to police. [Trib]
-> State Rep. Jim Dunnigan said at a recent health care reform conference that lawmakers involved in Prop. 3’s replacement bill sat down with initiative advocates and discussed it together — but several members of the initial Medicaid expansion proposal say that never happened. [Trib]
-> Utah cities say they’re keeping an eye on a new precedent set by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that ruled tire chalk, a tool commonly used by officers for parking enforcement, is unlawful. [Trib] [DNews]
-> The chair of the Utah Democratic Party says former vice president Joe Biden, who filled the University of Utah’s Kingsbury Hall to capacity last year and announced his bid for 2020 on Thursday, is “going to excite a lot of Utah Democrats.” [DNews]
-> The American Red Cross in Utah honored 18 people at an Everyday Heroes recognition ceremony whose acts ranged from donating gallons of blood to saving someone’s life. [Trib]
-> The U.S. Census Bureau counted local governments and found Utah has 619 in all, including 29 counties and 250 cities and towns. [Trib]
-> Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke outlines how the inclusion of a question on the 2020 census asking whether a person is a U.S. citizen could adversely impact Utah. [Trib]
-> Tribune cartoonist Pat Bagley depicts a Utah voter trying to tell a lawmaker what the people want. [Trib]
Nationally: North Korea charged the Trump administration $2 million for the medical care of imprisoned American student Otto F. Warmbier, who fell into a coma in North Korea and died six days after his arrival back on American soil. As of early 2018, U.S. leaders have yet to pay the fee, as it could be interpreted as ransom money. [NYTimes] [WaPost]
-> Biden said he asked former President Barack Obama not to endorse him, because whoever wins should do so “on their own merits.” [TheHill] [Politico]
-> The former vice president reportedly called and expressed regret to Anita Hill over the part he played in overseeing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s confirmation — the man Hill had accused of sexual harassment. News of his apology came just hours after Biden announced his campaign, and Hill in turn said she can’t accept until she sees real change. [NYTimes] [WaPost]
-> A former Trump campaign official said many of the president’s allies are urging him to stop talking about Robert Mueller’s report into Russian interference in the 2016 election and to move on. Since the document’s release, the president has tweeted about the investigation — usually angrily — more than 50 times. [Politico]
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-- Taylor Stevens and Sahalie Donaldson
https://twitter.com/tstevensmedia, https://twitter.com/SahalieD
Follow @sltribpolitics