Happy Monday!
The NRA annual convention drew tens of thousands of people over the weekend to Indianapolis and they’re just as energized as ever about protecting the Second Amendment. But discord at the top threatens the stability of the powerful political organization. President Oliver North was ousted amid allegations of extortion by executive VP Wayne LaPierre and the organization has filed suit against its public relations firm, which was paid tens of millions of dollars that some have questioned. [WaPost]
Topping the news: Have Utah’s Republican and Democratic parties become irrelevant? Candidates and outgoing GOP leader Rob Anderson say the parties have done a horrible job at their main purpose of helping hopefuls get elected while spending most of their time and energy on internal fights. [Trib]
-> BYU political science valedictorian Matt Easton announced during his speech that he is a “gay son of God,” to cheers from the gathered crowd at the school owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [Trib] [KUTV]
-> A secretive telecom company and a number of Utah counties are making millions by charging high rights for jail inmate phone calls — money that comes from the pockets mostly low-income families. [Trib]
Tweets of the day:
-> From @gopTODD “As of today, the #utleg has been out of session as long as it was in session."
-> From @iversonSLC “We’ll never solve the human rights crisis down at Rio Grande without listening to our neighbors experiencing homelessness. So I set up an office right on the street.”
-> From @IvieNathan “Just wouldn’t be convention without some kind of [hiccup]. It’s like herding cats, very opinionated political savvy cats.”
Happy Birthday: to state Rep. Marc Roberts and Dan Bammes, communication director for the Utah Foundation.
In other news: Interns and employees of Utah’s Republican Party sent a letter to delegates calling Secretary Lisa Shepherd unfit for office due to what they alleged to be unprofessional behavior and creation of a hostile workplace. [Trib]
-> The low unemployment rate has forced the Utah Transit Authority to get creative with advertising in order to attract new bus drivers to fill vacancies and cover recently added routes. [Trib]
-> A new competitor has joined the e-scooter craze in Salt Lake City, a development that could up the number of scooters from 1,000 to 1,500. [Trib]
-> California’s casino regulators have been investigating and attempting to get financial information out of a gaming establishment owned by the polygamous Kingston family for a decade. [Trib]
-> Mike Styler, the director of Utah’s Department of Natural Resources has announced that he will retire after more than 14 years on the job. Gov Gary Herbert is expected to announced his replacement on Monday. [Trib][DNews]
-> The last 32,000 acres of undeveloped land in Salt Lake County is being scrutinized in at least two different studies — one by Salt Lake County and other pushed by southwest cities who may have different priorities for the kinds of communities that will be built. [DNews]
-> A report by the Democratic National Committee of Washington State found that the Utah Democratic Party failed to follow the procedures it had set for itself to address reports of sexual misconduct against Rob Miller, who ran for party chairman in 2017. [Trib][Fox13]
-> Beginning next year, Utahns will have to renew their driver licenses only every eight years, instead of every five years. [DNews]
-> Pat Bagley gives his take on the science of contagion. [Trib]
Nationally: U.S. Attorney General William Barr may withdraw from hearings scheduled with the Senate and House Judiciary committees after they refused to comply with the justice department’s conditions on how the hearings should be conducted. If this is the case, Barr will likely be subpoenaed. [WaPost][NYTimes]
-> Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has set upping the legal smoking age to 21 as a priority but public health officials are calling his proposed bill a “trojan horse” because they say it would block other measures such as a tax increase on tobacco products or a ban on flavors. [Politico]
-> The shooting in the Chabad of Poway, Calif., that left one woman dead marks yet another incident of mass violence in a place of worship and as hate crimes rise, religious leaders call for the government to provide more security outside of religious establishments. [NYTimes]
-> The rise of hate crimes and mass shootings perpetrated by white nationalists has pushed the issues to the forefront of the 2020 presidential campaign, prompting renewed criticism of Trump’s response to the violence that broke out at a Charlottesville, Va., white nationalist rally in 2017. [WaPost]
-> Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Send us a note to cornflakes@sltrib.com.
Dan Harrie and Christina Giardinelli
Follow @sltribpolitics