Happy Wednesday!
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says if an impeachment trial were held today, the Senate would acquit President Donald Trump. McConnell says given what’s known at this point, “I don’t think there’s any question” that the Republican-controlled Senate would not vote to remove the president from office. [Politico]
Topping the news: Erin Mendenhall looked to be well on her way to victory over Luz Escamilla in the Salt Lake City mayor’s race, with a double-digit lead in unofficial election night returns, with ballots still left to be counted. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]
-> In Salt Lake City Council District 6, challenger Dan Dugan was giving incumbent Charlie Luke a real run for his money, with Dugan mustering a five-vote edge in the unofficial election night ballot count. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @aedwardslevy: “somewhat alarming that I have already reached that stage of the election cycle where I am annoyed by literally everything”
-> From @Gynostar: “It’s still too early to call, but it’s looking like democracy might not be over.”
Happy Birthday: Former state Rep. Richard Greenwood.
Also in the news: Following a series of delays caused partly by a standoff between homeless service providers and city officials, South Salt Lake leaders gathered at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new homeless resource center. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]
-> Challenger Dirk Burton was leading Mayor Jim Riding in West Jordan, while incumbent mayors in Millcreek and Ogden were cruising to reelection. [Trib] [StandEx]
-> A year after Mayor Brent Taylor, a major in the National Guard, was killed in Afghanistan, the city of North Ogden has elected a new mayor: Neal Berube. [DNews]
-> A $245 million bond for the Provo City School District appeared headed for defeat in Tuesday’s election. [DailyHerald]
-> President Donald Trump and Sen. Mitt Romney have weighed in on the killing of nine people with Utah ties that has flared into an international incident between Mexico and the United States. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13] [StandEx] [KUER]
-> Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and other dignitaries celebrated 22 military vets who are 99 years of age or older. [Trib]
-> Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson has named Lindsie Smith as the new director of the Clark Planetarium. [DNews]
-> The Utah Transit Authority is blaming a “system-wide” communications outage for the delays riders experienced on Tuesday. [Fox13]
Nationally: Gordon Sondland, a key diplomat in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, has reversed his testimony, now saying there was a clear quid pro quo pushed by the president. [AP] [Politico] [CNN] [NYTimes]
-> The White House and Congress have begun to make plans to roll this month’s budget deadline into late December, likely leading Washington toward another holiday shutdown battle. [Politico]
-> In Kentucky, Democrat Andy Beshear claimed victory over Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, a close ally of President Trump, who campaigned heavily for the incumbent in a state Trump won handily in 2016. Bevin refused to concede in the race that was close late on election night. [WaPost]
-> In Mississippi, it appears that Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, will win the governor’s race there over Democrat Jim Hood, the state attorney general. [NBC]
-> In Virginia, Democrats won majorities in the House of Delegates and the Senate, putting Democrats in control of the governor’s office and the General Assembly for the first time in a quarter century. [VaPilot]
-> President Donald Trump has declared November as the time to celebrate both Native American heritage and the country’s founders. [AP]
-> House impeachment investigators have called on Mick Mulvaney, the White House’s acting chief of staff, to testify in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s alleged quid pro quo with Ukraine’s president. [NYTimes]
-> The Supreme Court will consider whether to hear a case by Sandy Hook families against Remington, the maker of the AR-15-style rifle used in the infamous massacre. [NYTimes]
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-- Dan Harrie and Clara Hatcher
Follow @sltribpolitics