Happy Friday! It was actually a debate -- all the leading Democratic contenders on stage in Houston last night went back and forth on actual issues. With the candidates polling 1 percent largely excluded from the debate, there were fewer bomb-throwing attacks (there still were some). Former Vice President Joe Biden may not have gained any new ground but he didn’t falter either. [Politico]
Topping the news: Nearly 280 square miles of federal land in Utah could be open to new oil and gas development following the latest lease auction by the BLM. [Trib]
-> Sen. Mitt Romney says he doesn’t plan to endorse President Donald Trump or anyone in the 2020 presidential election. [Trib]
-> A state regulatory appeals board has called Utah’s medical marijuana licensing process into question. Apparently the state may have erred in choosing only eight growers for next year’s program. [StandEx]
-> State Rep. Paul Ray is pursuing a ban on vaping products in Utah, following a sample study that found illegal drugs in e-liquids. [Fox13] [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @TheDailyShow: “Vice President Biden, our next question is for you: What year do you think it is”
-> From @Chas10Buttigieg: “I know I shouldn’t really comment on the debate but I am SO GLAD we are *finally* talking about education and teachers.”
-> From @RachelmBade: “Literally LOLed at the hotel internet password for the GOP retreat-> [Link]"
Also in the news: Riverton is now offering kiosks for residents to safely dispose of unused pills and other drugs in an effort to address opioid issues in the city. [DNews]
-> As he did with Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox’s announcement, Robert Gehrke lays out a plan to beat Businessman Jeff Burningham, who is the 2nd Republican to enter Utah’s race for governor. [Trib]
-> If elected as mayor, Salt Lake City Councilwoman Erin Mendenhall pledges to plan at least 1,000 more trees every year on the west side of the city. [Trib]
-> A new blueprint offers relief from the stress of how to cope with the idea of 2 million more residents on the Wasatch Front by 2050. [Trib]
Nationally: The trade war between the United States and China might be showing signs of dying down as China made its first large purchase in months of American soybeans after Trump agreed to delay his next round of tariffs. [NYTimes]
-> The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan has been subpoenaed by the chairman of House Foreign Affairs Committee and is expected to appear next week. [Politico]
-> Trump is revamping his health care plans for his 2020 run with a focus on opioids and vaping. [Politico]
-> Gregory Cheadle, the man then-candidate Donald Trump called “my African American” at a 2016 rally, is leaving the Republican Party and no longer supports the president. [CNN]
-> A same-sex American couple is suing the State Department after their daughter was denied birthright citizenship. [CNN]
-> A day after the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that left nearly 3,000 men and women dead, the Justice Department has decided to reveal the name of an individual accused of aiding two 9/11 hijackers. [CNN]
-> The House Judiciary Committee has approved its guidelines for its impeachment inquiry. [CNN]
-> Trump has rolled back another major Obama-era regulation. This time, it’s the 2015 measure known as the Waters of the United States rule, also known as clean water regulation. [NYTimes]
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- Thomas Burr and Clara Hatcher
Follow @sltribpolitics