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Trump Jr. says he was “just f---ing” with Romney when he called for his expulsion from the GOP
After Sen. Mitt Romney voted to convict former President Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial, Donald Trump Jr. took to Twitter to call for Romney’s expulsion from the Republican Party. A new book says Trump Jr.’s social media missive caught RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel off guard.
Romney was the first U.S. Senator to vote against a president from their own party in an impeachment trial after the House impeached Trump for abusing his office. Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to open an investigation into now-President Joe Biden’s son Hunter.
In response, Trump Jr. fired off a tweet saying Romney was “forever bitter he will never be POTUS.” The post concluded Romney should be “expelled from the GOP.” He tagged the official Republican Party Twitter account.
Insider says Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender’s “Frankly We Did Win This Election” that McDaniel, Romney’s niece, called Trump Jr. after the post caused an uproar.
“You know I can’t just kick him out of the party, right?” McDaniel told Trump Jr.
In response, Trump Jr. said, “I’m just f---ing with him. This is not some thought-out strategy coordinated with the Republican caucus.”
In another new book, “I Alone Can Fix It” by Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, Trump referred to Romney as a “super-RINO” (Republican In Name Only) during a lengthy interview with the former president in Florida. That was part of a lengthy excerpt published in Vanity Fair on Monday.
Here’s what you need to know for Tuesday morning
Utah news
Gov. Spencer Cox has floated the idea of a tax cut next year, but legislative leaders say it’s still too early to consider that move. [Tribune]
Bankruptcies fell in Utah during the pandemic. Government aid programs helped people pay their bills, but the number of filings is starting to increase again. [Tribune]
Officials are taking extreme actions, like emergency water releases from Flaming Gorge Reservoir, to make sure Glen Canyon Dan can continue to generate power. [Tribune]
Salt Lake City drained the pond at Sugar House Park due to the drought. Officials worried the stagnant water would lead to an outbreak of avian disease. [Tribune]
The building of Habitat for Humanity homes in Kearns is far behind schedule, and owners are complaining of shoddy work. [Tribune]
National news
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy named 5 Republicans, including firebrand Jim Jordan, to sit on the committee investigating the January 6 attack on Congress. [Axios]
Republicans are threatening to block the bipartisan infrastructure deal if Democrats try to move ahead without finishing negotiations. [WaPo]
Twitter suspended Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for 12 hours after she spread misinformation about COVID-19. [WaPo]
The Tokyo Olympics begin in just 3 days, but one top official says canceling them is still possible because of COVID-19. [CNBC]
The recession caused by the pandemic lasted just two months in 2020, according to economists. [CNBC]
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all children wear masks in schools, even if they have been fully vaccinated. [WaPo]
Canada will open its borders to fully vaccinated Americans in August. [Politico]
Stocks saw a huge drop on Monday as fears about the Delta variant began to rise on Wall Street. [CNN]
A federal judge ruled Indiana University can require students to get the coronavirus vaccine. [NYT]
Even though many Fox News hosts have attacked the COVID-19 vaccine, the network requires employees to be vaccinated to return to work. [CNN]
Yikes! The Bootleg Fire in Oregon is so large, it’s creating its own weather. [CNN]
Jeff Bezos journies to space Tuesday morning. The flight will last just 15 minutes. [CNBC]
American children who binge-watched “Peppa Pig” during the pandemic are adopting British accents and mannerisms. [WSJ]
“Utah Politics” podcast
This week my guest is Utah GOP chairman Carson Jorgensen.
We discuss critical race theory, the recent controversy surrounding the American flag, and how he plans to bring younger voters into the party.
Tuesday morning’s Utah news roundup
Utah
Bettye Gillespie, who fought for equity and civil rights in Utah, leaves ‘long,’ ‘deep’ legacy. [Tribune]
UTA continues to buy Box Elder County property for northward expansion of FrontRunner. [Standard Examiner]
COVID-19
Another 1,500 Utahns contract COVID-19, and three more die. [Tribune]
Housing
Moab locals say tourists, newcomers are running them out of their own community. [Tribune]
Drought
Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District proposes tax hike for $180 million in infrastructure. [FOX13
Magna issues water restrictions to cope with drought. [FOX13]
North Ogden leaders worry about drinking water supplies as the drought lingers. [Standard Examiner]
Environment
Buses to collect more real-time air quality data in Salt Lake County. [Tribune]
High-pressure system that brought southern, central Utah storms will stay throughout the week. [Tribune]
Washington
Why 2 Utah GOP senators say Biden nominee unfit to lead Bureau of Land Management. [Deseret News]
Legislature
Utah redistricting process to include 19 public hearings around the state. [KUTV]
Utah lawmaker calls for gun safety classes in schools. [FOX13]
Local Government
Utah governor back in the saddle to kick off Days of ’47 events. [KSL]
Salt Lake City Council candidate claims to be target of politically charged vandalism. [ABC4]
Utah County Democrats launch caucus to give voice to progressive voters. [Daily Herald]
Tech
Billionaires in space: Does it open the space frontier for average Utahns? [Deseret News]
On the Opinion Pages
Paul Cassell: Back the police. But not on sign-crumpling charges. [Tribune]
Questioning the power of police in Utah echoes our founding documents, George Pyle writes. [Tribune]
— The Tribune’s Connor Sanders contributed to this story
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