Happy Thursday! President Donald Trump has been impeached. How did he respond? With one of his his longest, most frenetic appearances to date. At a rally in Michigan, Trump mocked the Democrats vying to replace him, while also dwelling on his accomplishments. The regular rallying cries of victimhood at the hands of the “deep state” made their usual appearance — but so, too, did seemingly unrelated tangents on infrastructure that included complaints about dim light bulbs and toilet water pressure. [Politico]
Topping the news: In a historic vote, the House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. [Trib] [DNews] [StandEx] [NYTimes] [CNN] [AP]
-> The Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office has stopped one of two citizen referendums seeking to overturn tax reform legislation passed last week. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]
-> For the first time in 23 years, the Utah County Commission has approved tax hike to the county’s proportion of property taxes. [DNews]
Tweets of the day: From @RobertGehrke: “I’ve been listening to the House impeachment debate for nearly three hours and have changed my mind at least 47 times. These arguments are so novel and compelling and all seem 100 percent sincere!!! How will it end?”
From @AshleyRParker: “Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) compared impeachment to Pearl Harbor. It’s also worth noting that he previously compared the Obamacare birth control mandate to Pearl Harbor. THE MAN HAS ONE HISTORICAL ALLUSION, AND HE KNOWS HOW TO USE IT!”
-> From @nytimes: “As she opened today’s debate, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said President Trump had left Congress ‘no choice’ but to proceed with impeachment. Our fashion critic @VVFriedman says her brooch also made a statement: ‘It is her power pin.’”
Also in the news: The Bureau of Land Management is exploring whether to allow the “Northern Corridor,” a four-lane divided highway outside St. George, to cut through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. [Trib]
-> A new bill could allow some Utah cities to start considering whether to impose “rent control” to help deal with the affordable housing crisis. [Fox13]
-> A new Utah Transit Authority “microtransit” experiment in southwestern Salt Lake County is attracting approximately 216 riders a day after its first 20 days. [Trib]
-> The UTA is holding out hopes for an early end to special federal monitoring of the agency, which began as part of a deal in 2017 to avoid federal prosecution. [Trib]
-> Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke makes a case for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and all religions to be more transparent when it comes to finances. [Trib]
-> A recent poll shows that Utah Rep. Ben McAdams may not be politically set back by voting for impeachment. [DNews]
-> Pat Bagley offers his take on the latest war on merry Christmas. [Trib]
Nationally: The vote took a “somber” tone yesterday as Nancy Pelosi and her statement-making brooch led the impeachment of President Donald Trump. [NYTimes] [AP]
-> President Trump rallied supporters in Michigan in a rebuke that aligned with the historic House impeachment vote yesterday. [APviaTrib] [Politico]
-> After the House vote on impeachment, the president can look forward to a trial in the Republican-led Senate. [NYTimes]
-> Three Democrats crossed party lines to vote “no” on one of the articles of impeachment yesterday. [NYTimes]
-> Moderate Democrats across the nation are coming to terms with the political consequences that might accompany a vote for impeachment. [CNN]
-> Apart from the hectic impeachment vote yesterday, Mitch McConnell pressed forward by pushing 13 judicial nominations through to the Senate. [CNN]
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-- Thomas Burr and Clara Hatcher
Follow @sltribpolitics