Happy Tuesday!
It may be President Donald Trump’s favorite saying that actually says nothing: “We’ll see what happens.” CNN looks at how he has used it to avoid answering questions about tariffs on China, Robert Mueller’s report, possible war with Iran, running against Joe Biden and more. [CNN]
Topping the news: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is assigning ‘specialists’ to help Utah members become more politically active. Democrats worry it may make Utah even more GOP. [Trib]
-> The church also came out against the Democratic-backed Equality Act, saying the LGBTQ rights bill doesn’t ensure religious freedom. [Trib][DNews]
-> A flood a bills became law in Utah on Tuesday, from the Gila monster becoming the official state reptile to allowing motorcycles to move between stopped cars on major highways. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: “@RobertGehrke: “There are 839 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. this year, more than prior four years combined. Utah has 7th-worst vaccination rate in the U.S. In 2016 the #utleg even failed to pass a bill to help parents make informed decisions. We can do better. #utpol.”
->@wanderingdave: “I rang the cute little .@SLCBikeShare bell at a Lime scooter rider to alert him of my presence riding down the street and he nearly fell off his scooter with surprise/speed wobbles. I honestly think the speeds on those scooters are way too fast for the avg person..”
->@thesidetrack: “New Commissioners would be smart to not play it loose with open meetings (or anything) because it’s an all out White People Tantrum in San Juan #utpol”
Happy Birthday: Christian Burridge, former Salt Lake County Democratic chairman.
Also in the news: A Utah County prosecutor disputes claims by the American Civil Liberties Union that racial bias is to blame for the disproportionate amount of people of color in prison, saying it fails to look at personal culpability. [Trib]
-> Derek Brown, the new Utah Republican Party chairman, hopes to begin his term by improving the party’s unpaid utilities and regaining lost seats. [Trib]
-> Utah’s only ‘Zion Ceiling’ will fall this summer when Tin Angel opens a restaurant in Salt Lake City’s Eccles Theater. [Trib]
-> Several states are pushing for legislation that requires patients to give consent for a student to perform surgery on them. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed that legislation into law earlier this year. [APviaTrib]
-> Danger Cave near Wendover was looted last week, and security officials say thieves stole all artifacts inside the protected cave, which were evidence of early life in Utah. [Trib]
-> Utah’s attorney general signed onto a lawsuit with 44 other states against the nation’s largest drug manufacturers, claiming they colluded to inflate prices of generic drugs. [DNews]
-> Utah’s new abortion bill, which would restrict most abortions to 18 weeks, will not be enforced in Salt Lake County after a U.S. judge ruled in favor of Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. [KUTV]
-> Cartoonist Pat Bagley depicts the trade war between the U.S. and China. [Trib]
Nationally: The trade war between the U.S. and China escalated as China vowed to increase tariffs on nearly $80 billion of American goods and the Trump administration unveiled plans to tax clothing and computers manufactured in China. [NYTimes]
-> The Supreme Court granted continuance of an antitrust class action lawsuit against Apple. The lawsuit claimed Apple used their power as a technology giant to raise the prices of iPhone apps. [NYTimes]
-> Former Trump campaign aid Rick Gates may testify in the criminal trials of both Obama White House Counsel Greg Craig and Trump associate Roger Stone. [Politico]
-> A liberal watchdog group called Restore Public Trust plans to sue the Commerce Department to obtain records about their decision to add a citizenship question to the census. [Politico]
-> Presidential candidate Joe Biden called for a “rational” and affordable “green revolution” to address climate change. [NYTimes]
-> President Trump praised Hungarian authoritarian prime minister Viktor Orban, a nationalist who has been criticized by human rights groups. [NYTimes]
-> Secretary of State Mike Pompeo showed up unannounced to a meeting of European Union officials to push for a united alliance against Tehran and its nuclear program. [WaPost]
-> Montana Gov. Steve Bullock on Tuesday announced that he is running for president, becoming the 22nd Democrat to announce a bid to take on President Donald Trump in 2020. [CNN]
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-- Lee Davidson and Alison Berg
Follow @sltribpolitics