Happy Tuesday!
Retired military and intelligence officials are pressing Congress to support President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to establish a U.S. Space Force. More than three dozen former leaders signed an open letter that argued the initiative would help “protect and advance U.S. vital national interests.” The signatories included former Secretary of Defense William Perry and former high-ranking Pentagon official Robert Work, both of whom served under Democratic presidents. A number of the letter signers have financial links to the space industry. [Politico]
Topping the news: Thousands of years worth of history at the former Bears Ears National Monument now lays outside the boundaries of the downsized monument. These artifacts are more vulnerable to vandals since President Donald Trump’s decision to reduce the monument by 85%, some say. [WaPostviaTrib]
-> The Riverton City Council is looking at passing an anti-abortion resolution to assert its support for unborn humans and the belief that life “begins at the moment of conception.” [Trib]
-> The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has announced that cities will no longer have the option to capture wild deer and relocate them. Provo, Bountiful and Herriman were the only Utah cities doing so. [APviaTrib] [Herald]
Tweets of the day: @JimDabakis: “Utah desperately needs state leadership on global warming. Putting our heads in red rock sand does not qualify.”
-> @iversonSLC “'Greater police presence’ does not necessarily make us safer, particularly for communities of color. I’m glad to see my opponent coming out with policy positions, not so glad to see the old tough-on-crime mentality. Community control is the answer.”
-> @betterutah “1 in 10 voting members are women. 10 in 10 voting members are white. It is not enough to hold a ‘Latino town hall’ or talk about ‘women in politics’ — we need to invite more diversity to the rooms where decisions are being made.”
->@ByCommonConsent “Deciding which Mr Mac suit to wear to the #MetGala”
Happy Birthday: To Gov. Gary Herbert.
Also in the news: A man convicted of shooting a West Valley City code-enforcement worker and lighting her body and truck on fire will spend his life in prison without possibility of parole. [Trib]
-> A federal judge in Salt Lake City indicated he’ll order The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to share the name of a second accuser in a lawsuit against Joseph Bishop, a former Missionary Training Center president accused of rape. [FOX13]
-> Leaders of the Utah House and Senate on Monday announced the names of the 10 lawmakers who will be steering the touchy and wide-reaching conversation about tax reform in coming months. [Trib]
-> Cartoonist Pat Bagley delivers a sinister depiction of private health insurance. [Trib]
-> Columnist Robert Gehrke writes about a recent state audit that identified problems with the way law enforcement agencies are handling evidence and points out that the criminal justice system only works if the public can have confidence in it. [Trib]
Nationally: One million plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction, a United Nations assessment concluded. [NYTimes]
-> More than 450 federal prosecutors who worked in both Democratic and Republican administrations signed onto a statement claiming President Donald J. Trump would have been charged with obstruction of justice if he were not president. [WaPost].
-> President Trump has asked Congress for billions of dollars in emergency funds to deal with immigrants wanting to cross the Mexican-American border, and House Democrats are struggling with the request. [Politico]
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-- Bethany Rodgers and Alison Berg
https://twitter.com/BethRodgersSLT, https://twitter.com/alison__berg