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Political Cornflakes: Why Native American communities are at risk of being undercounted in the U.S. Census

This Wednesday, May 8, 2019 photo shows the mobile home where Miranda Haskie has lived with her husband, Jimmie Long Jr. and son, Jayden Long, 13, in Kaibeto on the Navajo Reservation for more than a decade without mains electricity. On Thursday, May 9, 2019 their isolated home was connected to the grid. An ambitious project to connect homes to the electric grid on the country's largest American Indian reservation is wrapping up. Utility crews from across the U.S. have volunteered their time over the past few weeks to hook up about 300 homes on the Navajo Nation. (AP Photo/Jake Bacon)

Happy Friday!

Nearly one in seven Native Americans living on a reservation went uncounted during the 2010 U.S. Census, according to an audit by the federal agency. As the 2020 tally approaches, some are concerned that the remoteness of many reservations and distrust of federal government will again throw off the count in indigenous communities. And without accurate population totals, these areas might not get their fair share of federal dollars or adequate congressional and state-level representation. [LATimes]

Topping the news: Black Lives Matter in Utah will protest outside the Woods Cross police headquarters to demand that the department fire an officer who pointed his gun at a 10-year-old black child. [Trib]

-> The Utah State Records Committee ordered San Juan County Attorney Kendall Laws to obtain records held by the new Democratic commissioners’ private attorney after a request by a freelance journalist. [Trib]

-> Former State Sen. Jim Dabakis is leading in a poll on the Salt Lake City mayoral race as eight candidates head into a June 26 debate [Trib] [Fox13]

Tweets of the day: From @sarahclazarus: “how do I set up my bank account to autopay elizabeth warren $5 every time biden yells at a woman he just licked or whatever”

-> From @UTDemLttrDaySnt: “Will ⁦⁦@gopTODD⁩ take the pledge not to accept help from foreign leaders, including the Prince of Whales? #utpol”

-> @poniewozik: “I’m not going to believe that Sarah Huckabee Sanders is leaving as White House press secretary until she denies it herself."

-> From @MikeLMower: “Fifteen years ago this week, Pedro was elected in a landslide and American politics has never been the same. #NapoleonDynamite #utpol.”

Happy Birthday: to Fox13′s Ben Winslow and President Donald Trump!

Behind the headlines: Tribune government and politics editor Dan Harrie, reporter Lee Davidson, and columnist Robert Gehrke join KCPW’s Roger McDonough to talk about the week’s top stories, including a well-connected Utah political action committee that critics say is a scam.

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 News Quiz: Last week, 97% of you knew Salt Lake City School District teachers are asking for a raise, but only 51% knew traffic congestion in Salt Lake City is decreasing. 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: A controversial rail proposal, which would connect the Uinta Basin’s waxy crude with Gulf Coast refiners, secured a $21.4 million grant from a Utah panel that doles out money from a fund fed by federal mineral royalties. [Trib]

-> The opening of Salt Lake CIty’s new women’s homeless shelter is being delayed. [Trib]

-> Palmer Court, Utah’s largest permanent supportive housing community, celebrated its 10-year anniversary. [Trib]

-> A Utah man pleaded not guilty after being accused of making thousands of calls to lawmakers and threatening to kill a member of Congress. [Trib]

-> Police are investigating the death of a man in Weber County Jail. [Trib] [DNews]

-> Sen. Mitt Romney presented a bill to keep electronic cigarettes away from schools and child care facilities. [DNews]

-> Columnist Robert Gehrke writes about how the state ended up with glitchy standardized testing software. [Trib]

-> Cartoonist Pat Bagley imagines how far Republicans might go in following Trump’s lead. [Trib]

Nationally: Prosecutors have dropped the charges against officials accused of ruining the drinking water in Flint, Michigan. [NYTimes]

-> President Trump was criticized by many politicians, including Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, for saying he could be open to accepting opposition research from a foreign country in the 2020 election. [The Hill] [Politico] [AP]

-> White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is leaving her position. [CBS]

-> The United States is blaming Iran for attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Iran’s foreign minister said the accusations were part of a plan to sabotage diplomacy. [WSJ] [Reuters]

-> California Rep. Duncan Hunter’s wife pleaded guilty in a case that alleged she and her husband used campaign money for personal luxuries. [NYTimes]

-> A Missouri principal was placed on leave after tweeting a gun photo at Parkland survivor and gun activist David Hogg. [The Hill]

-> Vice President Mike Pence urged Congress to put money towards revitalizing facilities at American national parks. [Reuters]

-> The United States Office of Special Counsel recommended that Kellyanne Conway, President Trump’s aide, be fired for violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities while they are working. [NYTimes] [WSJ]

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven’t already, sign up here for our weekday email to get this sent directly to your inbox.

-- Bethany Rodgers and Sara Tabin