Happy Thursday!
Remember the name Crowdstrike. It’s among the more bizarre aspects of the just-released rough transcript of the call between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart.
It turns out Crowdstrike is the name of a U.S. cybersecurity firm that, according to a conspiracy theory propagated by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, helped Ukraine frame Russia in the 2016 hacking of a Democratic National Committee server. [NYTimes]
Topping the news: Utah Sen. Mitt Romney called the rough transcript of the Trump-Volodymyr Zelensky phone call “deeply troubling,” while Rep. Ben McAdams says it shows an abuse of power on the part of the president. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Sen. Mike Lee said he sees no problem with the conversation and claimed as he reads it the president did not ask a foreign leader to dig up dirt on Joe Biden and his son. [Trib]
-> The state has scrapped hydropower elements of the proposed Lake Powell pipeline in a move that could save $100 million but also sacrifice future revenue from the projects. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @DanRather: “This story is moving faster than a hummingbird’s wings.”
-> From @SteveEngelberg: “As the editor in chief of ProPublica, I’m always telling reporters to read their work out loud. As an experiment, I tried that with today’s rough transcript of President Trump’s phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. The results are illuminating.”
Also in the news: Polygamy foes in favor of what’s called “bigamy reform” are going door to door in a Utah neighborhood with polygamists to initiate conversations on the issue. [Trib]
-> Utah faith leaders and law enforcement officials gathered for a safety meeting that follows a seemingly increasing number of threats and attacks on places of worship across the world. [Trib] [DNews]
In Salt Lake County, Draper’s mayor defends Riverton’s mayor in a bizarre lawsuit that also involved Sheriff Rosa Rivera. [Trib]
-> UTA board members get an immediate $11,000 salary increase. [Trib]
-> Salt Lake City mayoral candidate Erin Mendenhall released her plan for affordable housing. [Trib] [DNews]
-> The Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council disciplined 20 officers on Wednesday. [Trib]
-> Following issues with sexting and/or masturbation by police officers on duty, the Utah police oversight council amended the lack of a rule explicitly forbidding the practice in a unanimous vote on Tuesday. [Fox13]
-> Despite “intense overcrowding” in the Salt Lake City International Airport, Salt Lake finished No. 11 among 27 large airports in an annual customer satisfaction ranking by J.D. Power. [Trib]
-> Weber County commissioners are moving ahead with a law to cap property tax refunds after four years. [StandEx]
-> Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke discusses the options for “ambitious development” happening near Moab. [Trib]
Nationally: President Donald Trump put pressure on Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, to investigate his political opponent Joe Biden and his son as “a favor.” [NYTimes] [WaPost]
-> A majority of House members — 218 — back an impeachment inquiry of President Trump. [WaPost]
-> Read the transcript of Trump’s phone call with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky. [CNN]
-> And, read the letters that show the whistleblower, who drew attention to Trump’s call with Zelensky, tentatively agreeing to meet with Congress. [CNN]
-> In a news conference, the “subdued” president defended his actions and confronted new allegations. [Politico]
-> The White House reportedly sent impeachment talking points to Democrats before trying to recall them. [NYTimes]
-> The Federal Trade Commission tried to serve a civil subpoena on Steve Bannon, who is the former Trump campaign CEO and chief White House strategist. [Politico]
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- Dan Harrie and Clara Hatcher