Since January, President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has posted more than 2,000 ads on social media that include inflammatory claims about an “invasion” along the southern border with Mexico. That language is now under intense scrutiny following the shooting this weekend in El Paso, where the suspect appeared to be the author of a manifesto declaring the attack a “response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.” [NYTimes]
Happy Tuesday.
Topping the news: As Gov. Gary Herbert and other Utah leaders addressed the recent mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, gun law reform advocates say they expect more than rhetoric from elected officials. [Trib] [Fox13]
-> Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox is nearly a third of the way to his goal of visiting all 238 cities and towns across the state in his bid for the gubernatorial election, a feat experts say he is “uniquely qualified to undertake.” [Trib]
-> Salt Lake City businesses located near the new homeless women’s center opening early this month were originally nervous about the development but are now embracing the shelter and even pitching in to help. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @RepBriscoe: It’s easy to go straight to the mental illness meme after a mass shooting. Scarier to think that mental illness does not explain this awful phenomenon. We have to be courageous and dig deeper."
-> From @iversonSLC: “Not-so-fun fact: when I was community council chair, we planned to do an event at Taufer Park to show the neighborhood it was getting safer. Decided to research the history to tie it in... the park is named after a man who was stabbed to death while preventing a mugging.”
-> From @tnwhiskeywoman: “It’s strange. A woman can make a silly, obvious joke and people will respond seriously. They’ll explain her own joke back to her or even try to correct it. A man can make threats, have a kill list, more, and people will say ‘I thought he was joking.’”
Happy birthday: Today to Daryn Frischknecht, communications director for Rep. Chris Stewart. Also, happy belated birthday to Jennifer J. Johnson, a reporter with the City Journals who celebrated last week.
In other news: In downtown Salt Lake City, more than a half dozen new high-rises are currently planned or underway — and several will become among the city’s tallest. Here’s where and what they will be. [Trib]
-> The Inland Port Authority Board is asking a Utah judge to allow the project to proceed over the objections of the Salt Lake City administration and environmental advocates. [Fox13] [DNews]
-> The town of Brighton is preparing to hold its first municipal election since the community of 260 residents voted to incorporate. [DNews]
-> Police shot and killed at least one person in downtown Salt Lake City after a 911 call on Monday. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]
-> Got questions about white nationalism? The Deseret News has answers about the deadly, racist ideology. [DNews]
-> Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton said a recent tour of the area near the proposed Olympia Hills development with the citizen group Utah for Responsible Growth gave her a better sense of the transportation needs and economic development nearby. [SouthValleyJournal]
-> While conventional wisdom has long said former state Sen. Jim Dabakis was a shoo-in to make it to the general election for Salt Lake City mayor, Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke says a new poll should be cause for alarm or “even panic” for his campaign. [Trib]
Nationally: President Donald Trump has condemned white nationalism in the wake of the weekend’s shootings, but has yet to propose any clear gun control plan. [NYTimes] [Reuters]
-> The Ohio shooter’s motivations are still unclear, but he apparently has a history of threatening and glorifying violence, especially against women. [Cincinnati Enquirer]
-> United States stocks and Chinese currency have dropped amid an escalating trade war between the two countries. [Reuters] [WaPost] [WSJ]
-> America’s two largest newspaper companies are merging in an effort to combat the industry’s declining circulation and plunging advertising revenue. [Reuters]
-> A top scientist is leaving the United States Agriculture Department in protest of what he sees as governmental efforts to silence science about climate change and food. [Politico]
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.
-- Taylor Stevens and Sara Tabin
Follow @sltribpolitics