Happy Wednesday!
Rules expected to be announced Wednesday would bump an estimated 750,000 people from the food stamp program. The new regulations would make it harder for states to waive a requirement that beneficiaries work or enroll in vocational training, sources said. [Bloomberg]
Topping the news: Sen. Mitt Romney is not going along with the debunked theory, embraced by some of his Republican colleagues, that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 U.S. election. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Following the UTA canceling bus routes through the Veterans Affairs Medical Center complex, disabled veterans have all but declared war on the transit authority. [Trib]
-> As the Equal Rights Amendment returns to Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is gearing up to fight against the measure. [Trib] [Fox13]
Tweets of the day: From @KFILE: “It’s so wild that just acknowledging reality here is breaking with Republican senators.”
-> From @JulianCastro: “The media’s flawed formula for ‘electability’ has pushed aside women and candidates of color. Our party’s diversity is our strength, and it’s a shame that we’re headed for a December debate without a single person of color.”
-> From @DeborahGatrell1: “New elementary school will be named Olene Walker elementary.”
Happy Birthday: State Rep. Mark Wheatley
Also in the news: The air inversion over northern Utah is bad and getting worse. [Trib]
-> Poor air quality has triggered a no-burn alert in Davis, Weber and Box Elder counties. [StandEx]
-> A total of 24 Republican and Democratic presidential candidates filed to be included on Utah’s Super Tuesday primary ballot by the Monday deadline. [DNews]
-> Utah Repertory Theater has closed amid allegations of abuse and mistreatment of actors. [Trib] [Fox13]
-> Efforts are underway to repeal a federal law that strips jail inmates of health insurance, even ones awaiting trial who haven’t been convicted of anything. [DailyHerald]
-> Utah’s Bingham Canyon Mine will continue to produce copper and other metals through at least 2032, utilizing a $1.5 billion investment. [Trib]
-> Retired war dogs may have their own “K9 Veterans Day” in the future in Utah following Rep. Karianne Lisonbee’s move to draft legislation on the matter. [Trib]
-> Salt Lake City has approved a $0 price of the historic Utah Theater in a sale to developers planning to build a skyscraper in its place in exchange for a commitment to offer 30 units of affordable housing. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Sen. Mitt Romney has voted to advance the U.S. Food and Drug Administration nominee to the full Senate, despite vaping-related reservations. [DNews]
-> Tribune cartoonist Pat Bagley is bringing Peanuts characters back into our lives. [Trib]
Nationally: In a sweeping indictment, the House Intelligence Committee report on the impeachment inquiry concluded that President Donald Trump abused his office by soliciting foreign election interference. [AP] [NYTimes] [CNN]
-> Read the impeachment inquiry report. [NYTimes] [CNN]
-> Phone records from the impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s conduct with Ukraine show how the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, pressured Ukraine. [NYTimes] [CNN]
-> Call records included in the House Intelligence Committee report also show Rep. Devin Nunes was in contact with Rudy Giuliani and his associate Lev Parnas, who has been indicted on campaign finance violations. [Axios]
-> Nunes filed a $435 million defamation suit against CNN for its report saying he traveled to Vienna to meet an ousted former prosecutor to discuss digging up dirt on Joe Biden. [WaPost]
-> Sen. Kamala Harris announced that she is ending her bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, citing funding issues. [AP] [NYTimes]
-> Susan Gordon, former deputy director of intelligence, said Tuesday that the president often refused to believe what he was being told in his intelligence briefings. [CNN]
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-- Dan Harrie and Clara Hatcher
Follow @sltribpolitics