Happy Wednesday!
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell compared himself to former President Barack Obama by noting they both have ancestors who were slave owners.
“You know, once again I find myself in the same position as President Obama, we both oppose reparations, and both are the descendants of slave holders,” McConnell said. [CNN]
Topping the news: An act of civil disobedience against Utah’s Inland Port became riotous on Tuesday and ended in eight arrests, scrapes and bruises and outrage from political leaders. [Trib] [DNews] [KUTV2] [Fox13]
-> The Salt Lake City Council is considering a new social media policy in response to a First Amendment suit by a resident who claims his online comments were censored. [Trib]
-> A University of Utah alumnus was among seven plaintiffs who won a First Amendment ruling that President Donald Trump is barred by the U.S. Constitution from blocking his critics on Twitter. [APviaTrib]
Tweets of the day: From @KatieMcKellar1: “@tstevensmedia and I got pinned up against the wall while trying to cover the police forcing protestors out of the Chamber building. Police and protestors began shoving. @tstevensmedia was pushed to the ground. We are OK, not hurt."
-> From @stevensmedia: “Pure chaos.”
-> From @jbouie: “if i were a liberal billionaire with a $100 millions to burn i’d spend it on a nationwide voter registration drive instead of a vanity presidential campaign.”
Happy Birthday: to Former state Sen. Dan Liljenquist and the Tribune's Lee Davidson.
In other news: A bipartisan group of Utah legislative leaders say they trust but want to verify that state public safety officials are protecting the privacy of residents’ driver license records from fishing expeditions by law enforcement. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Utah County Commission Chairman Bill Lee drew ire from his colleagues on Tuesday after he joined four county residents in filing a petition to block a vote to put a change-of-government question on the November ballot. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Sterling Van Wagenen, a Latter-Day Saint filmmaker, was given a second prison sentence on Tuesday after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a child. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Utah is struggling to prevent the spread of quagga mussels. [Trib]
-> After a decadeslong condor restoration program, the 1,000th condor chick has hatched in southern Utah’s Zion National Park. [Trib]
-> Cedar Highland’s Mayor Steven Swann resigned last month, citing “a rogue town council,” amid a harsh state audit. [Trib]
-> Cartoonist Pat Bagley illustrates injustice in the American justice system. [Trib]
-> After the deaths of two baby kestrels, the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources is asking residents not to tamper with bird nests. [Fox13]
-> Sen. Mike Lee is concerned about the safety of social media apps used by children. [DNews]
Nationally: Democrats are calling for Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta to resign over his 2008 handling of a sex trafficking of minors case against billionaire sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein. [Reuters]
-> A panel of federal appeals court judges heard arguments Tuesday about whether the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that most people have health insurance is unconstitutional. [NYT] [DNews]
-> United States zoning laws helped create a driving culture to the detriment of the environment and human lives. [The Atlantic]
-> President Donald Trump plans to announce an overhaul of the nation’s organ transplant and kidney dialysis systems on Wednesday. [WaPo]
-> The Virginia General Assembly abruptly ended a special session on gun violence just 90 minutes in without voting on a single bill. [WaPo]
-> Tensions are simmering between Speaker Nancy Pelosi and four left-wing Democrats in Congress. [NYT]
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-- Dan Harrie and Sara Tabin
Follow @sltribpolitics