Happy Thursday! President Donald Trump is actively monitoring his standing among Senate Republicans as the impeachment inquiry heats up. As the prospect of an impeachment trial becomes ever-more likely, Trump is turning on anyone who criticizes him — and lavishing his defenders with praise. It’s a strategy Trump has long deployed but is becoming more crucial as he relies on Senate Republicans to keep him in office. [Politico]
Topping the news: Utah tax reform leaders are seeking to reinstate the full sales tax on food despite the burdensome impact to the state’s lower-income residents. [Trib] [KUER] [Fox13]
-> Local activists are calling for a halt to Inland Port construction until an assessment of environmental consequences is done. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Mark Shurtleff, a former Utah attorney general who was once charged with corruption in office, will receive $600,000 from the state following the approval of a legal settlement by legislative leaders. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @jdawsey1: “'It’s not our problem,' Trump says in Oval Office of Turkey’s invasion into Syria. He adds that the Kurds are ‘not angels.’ Also, he says this: ‘They’ve got a lot of sand over there.... There’s a lot of sand they can play with.’"
-> From @walkshaub: “That letter!”
-> From @StephenAtHome: “As much as I love New Zealand, I can't wait to get back to America. Also, for America to get back to America.”
Happy Birthday: Former state Reps. Michael Noel and Steve Barth.
Also in the news: An ad calling Sen. Mitt Romney a “Democrat secret asset” will air in Utah by a conservative group following his recent criticism of the president. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams has more than $1 million in his campaign coffers as he gears up for a tough 2020 re-election. [Trib]
-> The new $63 million homeless resource system is struggling with overflow as a spokesperson vetos the idea to use a closed state liquor store for temporary housing. [Trib]
-> In an effort to curb underage vaping, state lawmakers are looking into adopting a zero-tolerance policy for vape shops caught selling to underage customers. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley imagines Tan France of Queer Eye’s take on conversion therapy in Utah. [Trib]
-> Columnist Robert Gehrke weighs in on Salt Lake City’s homeless shelter overflow situation. [Trib]
Nationally: The House served a bipartisan rebuke to President Trump for his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria. [NYTimes]
-> House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, the son of a sharecropper who rose to powerful levels in the U.S. government, has died. [Politico]
-> Gordon D. Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, was described as a national security risk due to his lack of experience by a former top White House foreign policy adviser. [NYTimes]
-> A former aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testified in the Democrat’s impeachment inquiry, saying he could no longer look the other way amid Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. [AP]
-> Congressional Democratic leaders claimed President Trump’s behavior and dialogue during a Wednesday meeting was more “a nasty diatribe, not focused on the facts.” [CNN] [AP]
-> Trump wrote a letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warning the foreign leader that he could “destroy” Turkey’s economy, and urging him not to “be a fool.” [CNN]
-> A federal judge is blocking the Trump administration’s plan to ease protections for an iconic bird, known as the greater sage grouse, in 10 states. [NYTimes]
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-- Thomas Burr and Clara Hatcher
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