Happy Wednesday!
If Democrats are on track to impeach President Donald Trump, they had better hope that public opinion on the Ukraine matter is different than it was on obstruction of justice in the Russia investigation, says poll analyst Nate Silver.
That is because while most Americans believed Trump obstructed justice, they opposed impeaching him for it — by a solid margin. [fivethirtyeight]
Topping the news: Rep. Ben McAdams, Utah’s lone Democrat in Congress, has not jumped on the impeachment wagon, unlike more than half of House Democrats who support an impeachment inquiry. [Trib] [DNews]
-> San Juan County agrees to pay $2.6 million in legal fees to the Navajo Nation, which won the voting civil rights lawsuit it brought seven years ago. [Trib]
-> There are no takers among developers for $4.5 million made available for construction of affordable housing on Salt Lake City’s east side. [Trib]
Tweet of the day: @joncox435: “My flight just touched down in DC. I miss anything interesting?”
Happy Birthday: To state Sen. Lyle Hillyard, the longest sitting lawmaker in the Utah Capitol.
Also in the news: The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office is reducing sentences for drug convictions over an 18 year period, meaning as many as 12,000 could more easily get their records expundged. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Licenses to run a medical cannabis pharmacy in Utah could cost more than $69,000 annually. [Trib]
-> Salt Lake City will enter talks with adjacent property owners for a possible skyscraper in place of the long-shutdown Utah Theater on Main Street. [Trib]
-> A federal judge allowed a lawsuit to proceed to trial in the wrongful death case against Davis County Jail and a nurse employed there by the family of Heather Ashton Miller, who died there from severe injuries. [Trib] [StandEx]
-> Smith’s Food & Drug wants to build a beer tavern inside its Park City store so you can grab a craft beer on tap before shopping for hummus. [Fox13] [DNews]
-> Salt Lake City mayoral candidate Luz Escamilla - a state senator and Zions bank executive - announced new environmental policies she says would help with air quality if she’s elected this November. [Trib] [DNews]
-> The long-shuttered Trail Mountain coal mine in Emery County is going to resume production under a new name and could bring up to 400 jobs to the area. [Trib]
-> The Utah restaurateur who sprayed a man smoking outside of the eatery in the face with a fire extinguisher says he’s leaving the business to avoid it suffering from the backlash. [Trib]
-> The Orem City Council has reprimanded Mayor Richard Brunst for making unauthorized withdrawals from his retirement fund and submitting multiple reimbursement requests for the same expenses. Prosecutors opted against filing charges. [DailyHerald]
-> Utah was ranked No. 4 among the states for its personal income increase of 6.9% between the first and second quarters of this year. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley plays with the details, and now has Nancy Pelosi waving a green flag for “go.” [Trib]
Nationally: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, responding to pressure from Democratic lawmakers who are pushing to move forward with impeachment proceedings. [DNews] [WaPost] [CNN] [Politico] [NYTimes]
-> Trump is going to release the transcript of his call with Ukraine’s president, and says the call was “totally appropriate.” [NYTimes] [CNN] [WaPost]
-> The White House also is reportedly working on a deal to release the whistleblower’s complaint. [NYTimes]
-> Trump’s reaction to the impeachment inquiry launch? “Witch hunt garbage.” [Politico]
-> Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that she supports impeaching President Donald Trump. [CNN]
-> Greta Thunberg is Donald Trump’s latest target on Twitter - the President mocked the 16-year-old climate activist. [Politico] [CNN]
-> Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren’s crowds are growing and it's possibly a reflection of her campaign. [Politico]
-> Great Britain’s high court ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted illegally when he suspended Parliament. [NYTimes] [WaPost]
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- Dan Harrie and Clara Hatcher
Follow @sltribpolitics