Happy Wednesday!
After House Democrats filed two articles of impeachment against him. President Donald Trump used a campaign rally in Pennsylvania to attack them for waging “a witch hunt.” He said any Democrat who votes for impeachment is “voting to sacrifice the House majority, their dignity and their career.” [TheHill]
Topping the news: Utah GOP Rep. John Curtis says he’s now decided to vote against impeachment — but Democrat Ben McAdams remains on the fence. [Trib]
-> Gov. Gary Herbert has called lawmakers into a special session on Thursday to vote on sweeping, and controversial, tax reform. [Trib] [DNews]
-> A former top UTA official is suing the transit agency for $300,000 in voided bonuses, while the agency is counter-suing him alleging fraud. [Trib] [DNews]
Tweets of the day: From @betterutah: “What’s the one thing that can bring the grinch, Santa, Better Utah, the Democrats, Jon Huntsman, Aimee Winder Newton, the @DeseretNews and @sltrib editorial boards, and an array of tax-specific groups together?
Answer: the #utleg tax reform disaster.”
-> From @daveweigel: “So @NathanJRobinson wrote a book about becoming a socialist, yet he sells it for MONEY... interesting”
Happy Birthday: to Carter Livingston and Bart Barker, greater Salt Lake Municipal District executive.
Also in the news: Utah’s gubernatorial candidates oppose tax reform proposals that raise the grocery tax. [Trib]
-> Senate Democrats say in an op-ed that proposed tax reform is unacceptable. [Trib]
-> Utah Sen. Hillyard said he expects a quick approval of his tax plan, and that Utahns could see the impacts next month with more take-home pay in their paychecks. [StandEx]
-> To wait for the outcome of a similar case before the U.S. Supreme Court, a federal judge in Utah puts on hold a lawsuit challenging Utah’s new law that bans abortions beginning at 18 weeks of pregnancy. [DNews]
-> After a rift between Utah County Commission members over tax increases and a change in form of government, they vote to replace Bill Lee with Tanner Ainge as chairman. [DailyHerald]
-> Southern Utah University is starting a new certificate program to teach students how to run a no-kill animal shelter. [Trib]
-> FamilySearch.org, which is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced it now provides the ability for users to document same-sex family relationships.[Trib]
-> Columnist Robert Gehrke says Impeachment puts Ben McAdams in a quandary with his political career on the line [Trib]
Nationally: House Democrats have declared that Trump has “betrayed the nation” with his actions toward Ukraine as they announced two articles of impeachment against the president. [AP] [CNN]
-> The Trump administration’s plan to pay for border barrier construction with $3.6 billion in military funds has been blocked by a federal judge in El Paso. [WaPost] [CNN] [NYTimes]
-> The president announced he will be signing an order that targets anti-semitism on college campuses, which will protect Judaism under civil rights law for a start. [NYTimes]
-> Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the Senate will take up President Donald Trump’s renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement following the conclusion of an impeachment trial, likely in January. [CNN]
-> Findings from research by three Treasury Department economists show that health insurance sign-ups increased when the Internal Revenue Service sent 3.9 million Americans a letter suggesting possible ways to enroll in coverage. [NYTimes]
-> Following her slip from the top, Elizabeth Warren is taking on Pete Buttigieg, poking at Mike Bloomberg and emphasizing that she is the top woman left in the race. [NYTimes]
-> While Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders regains some popularity, the Center for Popular Democracy Action is endorsing him over Sen. Elizabeth Warren for the Democratic presidential nomination. [NYTimes]
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— Lee Davidson and Clara Hatcher
Follow @sltribpolitics