The Left’s last-ditch effort to stop Brett Kavanaugh from the Supreme Court. Democrat Ghorbani comes within 11 points of Rep. Stewart. Bob Woodward’s new book talks about Rob Porter.
Happy Wednesday. Brett Kavanaugh avoided glaring missteps — and most tough Democratic questions — at his confirmation hearings. But that’s not stopping the Supreme Court nominee’s liberal critics from unleashing new ads and grass-roots campaigns in one last shot at derailing him. It’s not likely to work, but they’re making the try. [Politico]
Topping the news: Democrat Shireen Ghorbani is within striking distance of GOP Rep. Chris Stewart. A recent poll revealed her 11 points below Stewart, up from 24 points earlier this summer. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Rob Porter, a former White House staff secretary with Utah ties, plays a key role in Bob Woodward’s new book on President Donald Trump. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @pourmecoffee: “Please don’t make first contact while Trump is president. Please don’t make first contact while Trump is president. Please don’t make first contact while Trump is president. ‘SETI scientists spot 72 signals “from alien galaxy” 3bn light years away’”
-> From @jenniferjjacobs: “‘It’s tremendously big and tremendously wet,’ Trump says in Oval Office during a briefing with the FEMA chief on Hurricane Florence.”
Happy Birthday: To Robert Gailey, legislative correspondent for Rep. Chris Stewart.
In other news: Sen. Orrin Hatch says journalists are not the enemy. He believes that despite short-term political gain from this kind of language, it will cause long-term damage to democracy. [DNews]
-> This year’s drought in Utah has brought on serious environmental concerns, from dangerous algal blooms to fires to concerns about air quality. The State Drought Committee decided that, though things are bad, they do not yet qualify as a state of emergency. [KUER]
-> Park City’s assistant city attorney and her husband were arrested last Thursday for allegedly stealing $1,500 worth of hunting equipment. [Trib]
-> Leaders from Utah’s League of Cities and Towns stopped just short of expressing formal opposition to Proposition 2, the medical marijuana ballot initiative. Their complaints were in regard to proper police enforcement and correct language that will prevent the bill from simply meaning general marijuana legalization. [Trib]
-> Depending on the vote on this November’s Proposition 2 ballot initiative, a special legislative session on the issue may be called to discuss and refine it. [DNews]
-> A gravel pit proposal at the point of the mountain has brought on concerns about air quality from residents and doctors. [DNews]
-> Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke writes about former Utah state Sen. Chris Buttars, a champion of conservative social causes who died Monday at age 76. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley illustrates a climatecast of Utah, pointing out the extreme drought, algal blooms and fawn die-offs this summer. [Trib]
Nationally: President Donald Trump paid tribute to the heroes of Flight 93 Tuesday in respect for Sept. 11, offering words that acknowledged the tragedy and reassured listeners that “America’s future is not written by our enemies. America’s future is written by our heroes.” [WSJ][NYTimes][BBC]
-> A large group of governors, mayors and businessmen took a stand last year in response to Trump pulling America out of the Paris Climate Agreement, vowing to continue the effort to reduce climate change-causing actions. Their words are being put to the test this week in San Francisco as they gather for a high-level climate change conference. [NYTimes]
-> Trump has received backlash for his claim that the administration’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year was a “success." With massive Hurricane Florence looming over the Carolinas this week, concerns about a successful recovery from major storms are running rampant. [BBC][Politico][WaPost]
-> Polls were often wrong in this year’s primary election due to a variety of causes, including the influence of partisanship. Find out why. [NYTimes]
-> Top staff members of the House are remarkably white, despite not being racially representative of the nation or even of the House members they support. Just 13.7% of House staff members are people of color, indicating a “structural issue.” [NYTimes]
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— Thomas Burr and Cara MacDonald
https://twitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/carammacdonald
Follow @sltribpolitics