Happy Thursday!
Global warming may soon affect the credit worthiness of companies. The rating agency Moody’s purchased a majority share of a firm that measures the physical risks of climate change to companies — including hazards from extreme rainfall, hurricanes, heat stress and ocean rise. “We are taking these risks very seriously,” said Myriam Durand, global head of assessments at Moody’s. [NYTimes]
Topping the news: Utah Rep. Chris Stewart accused former special counsel Robert Mueller of ensnaring innocent people in his investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. Mueller testified before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, where he warned that Russia is attempting to meddle in the 2020 election. [Trib] [NYT] [DNews]
-> An effort to bring nuclear energy to Utah cities has cleared a number of government hurdles in recent weeks — even as an environmental group has continued to raise concerns about the costs. [Trib]
-> On the holiday meant to celebrate their pioneer ancestors fleeing for asylum to the Salt Lake Valley, nearly 50 Latter-day Saints camped outside of Utah’s biggest immigration center in protest. [Trib] [DNews]
Tweets of the day: From: @matthewamiller: “Good lord, how could the UK actually go and elect a lying buffoon like Boris Johnson, ask millions of people governed by Donald Trump.”
-> From @MEPFuller: “I think we can all agree that the Judiciary Committee today proved that, just because you have a law degree, it does not mean you should be a lawyer.”
-> From: @SantulN: "*Robert Mueller’s kindergarten classroom, circa 1950* TEACHER: Robert, I’d like you to read from page 11, paragraph 4 of the Little Red Hen. ROBERT: It’s right in front of you.
TEACHER:
ROBERT:
TEACHER: Ok, we’ll read it together!"
-> From: @sarapweber: “Me when I was 5 watching The Lion King: ‘I wanna be like Simba and Nala when I grow up!’ Me at 27 watching The New Lion King: ‘I am Timon. Timon is me.’”
Trib Talk: On this week’s episode of “Trib Talk,” Tribune government reporters Benjamin Wood, Bethany Rodgers and Taylor Stevens, joined by Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke, sort through the different political questions facing Utah voters.
This year’s hottest political contest is the Salt Lake City mayor’s race, with eight hopefuls competing to fill an open seat and lead Utah’s capital city. But elsewhere in the state, 2020 is rapidly approaching as candidates, campaigns and activists position themselves ahead of elections for president, Congress, governor, the Legislature, ballot initiatives and a potential shakeup in the government of Utah’s second-largest county. Get all the details here. [Trib]
In other news: Black Diamond Equipment, which manufactures recreation equipment, will lay off 70 of its Utah employees as it moves jobs overseas. [Trib]
-> Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said the controversial Olympia Hills development, a 931-acre residential and commercial project west of Herriman, will be approved. [Trib]
-> State data show that fireworks on July 4 ad 24 in recent years resulted in air pollution that is unhealthy or even hazardous. Clean-air advocates say more should be done to reduce emissions. [Trib]
-> Missionaries and active-duty military personnel abroad will be able to vote in Utah County using an app on their phones. [Trib]
-> The Department of Justice says the Utah Attorney General’s office is stonewalling its subpoenas amidst an investigation into whether Utah lied to receive federal grants. [Trib]
-> Utah Olympic Park officials say an $11 million expansion will help grow future athletes. [Trib]
-> Utah hopes to resolve the Inland Port lawsuit by October. [Fox13]
-> A prominent advocate for medical marijuana in Utah has passed away after a battle with cancer. [Fox13]
Nationally: Puerto Rico’s Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has resigned effective Aug. 2, after massive protests against him. [NYT]
-> The Senate passed a bipartisan measure Tuesday extending the fund for victims, including first responders, of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks after defeating an amendment by Sen. Mike Lee to limit the program’s spending. [Trib]
-> The Senate, on party lines on Wednesday, confirmed Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive, to head the Federal Aviation Administration. [NYT]
-> Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg warned investors Wednesday that the company might need to further slow or temporarily halt its 737 Max production.[CNN]
-> A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to bar asylum seekers from the United States. [Reuters]
-> The U.S. Justice Department is attempting to re-incarcerate inmates who were released this year under a sweeping criminal justice reform law that President Donald Trump signed this year in an attempt to ease aspects of America’s war on drugs. [Reuters]
-> Historians and civil rights activists are raising awareness of 1919′s “Red Summer,” a time when hundreds of black Americans were tortured and murdered by white mobs. [APviaTrib]
-> Documents unveiled by the House Education Committee suggest that education secretary Betsy DeVos mislead congress in her attempts to help failing for-profit colleges. [NYT]
-> The Senate has confirmed Mark T. Esper, a veteran of the Persian Gulf war of 1991 and a former lobbyist for military contractor Raytheon, as secretary of defense. [NYT]
-> Trump sued the U.S. House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee to prevent them from obtaining his New York state tax returns. [Reuters]
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-- Lee Davidson and Sara Tabin