Meet Victorina Morales, an undocumented immigrant housekeeper who during her more than five years at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, has made President Donald Trump’s bed, cleaned his toilet and dusted his crystal golf trophies. Trump has made border security a cornerstone of his presidency. During the campaign, he boasted when the Trump International Hotel opened for business in Washington that he used an electronic verification system to ensure only those legally entitled to work were hired. “We didn’t have one illegal immigrant on the job,” he said then. [NYTimes]
Happy Friday.
Topping the news: Medical cannabis advocates are suing the state over the passage of a bill replacing Proposition 2. They’re seeking not only to overturn the new medical marijuana law but also to address what they see as the government’s tendency to overlook the will of the people on ballot initiatives. [Trib] [Fox13] [DNews] [KUTV]
-> Salt Lake City’s winter inversion crept in Thursday, and Utah officials called for the usual mitigation efforts — keep driving to a minimum, don’t burn solid fuels, etc. But this time, Gov. Gary Herbert also proposed a $100 million budget designation to address air quality issues. [Trib] [DNews] [KUTV] [KSL] [ABC4] [KUER]
-> The Utah Sheriffs' Association gave two of its top annual awards this year to lawmakers who had been investigated (but not convicted) for violent conduct on the job. [Trib]
Tweets of the Day: From @benwilker : “698 days until election day, 2020.”
-> From @aedwardslevy: “Somebody start a conspiracy theory that every single one of the 2020 candidates is actually the same person wearing a different outfit”.
-> From @billyeichner: “Let @BetoORourke host the Oscars. We all like him and it’ll be a real test to see if he can handle an impossible job in front of the world!”
Happy Birthday: On Saturday to Exoro’s Maura Carabello and on Sunday to state Reps. Edward Redd and John Westwood and David Kirkham of the Utah Tea Party.
Quiz of the Week: Last week, 93 percent of you knew who won this year’s Utah-BYU rivalry, but only 23 percent knew the subject of Jon McNaughton’s latest painting. Think you kept up with the news this week? Take our quiz to find out. A new quiz will post every Friday morning. You can find previous quizzes here. If you’re using The Salt Lake Tribune mobile app, click here. [Trib]
Behind the Headlines: Tribune reporter Courtney Tanner, government and politics editor Dan Harrie and editorial page editor George Pyle join KCPW’s Roger McDonough to talk about the week’s top stories, including who’s running for the soon-to-be-vacated position of Salt Lake County mayor. Every Friday at 9 a.m., stream “Behind the Headlines” at kcpw.org, or tune in to KCPW 88.3 FM or Utah Public Radio for the broadcast. [Trib]
In other news: A discussed restructuring of Utah’s tax code may involve a food tax hike, but Herbert suggested his budget recommendation will lower taxes all around. [Trib] [DNews]
-> To protest rising tourism in the area, a Utah rancher crafted a note for fellow residents of Garfield County on the side of his cattle: “COWS NOT CONDOS.” [Trib]
-> A year after President Donald Trump came to Utah to sign an order downsizing two of the state’s national monuments, court battles are being waged, legislation is stalling and federal land managers are making new plans for the smaller monuments. [DNews] [KUER]
-> Salt Lake County Councilman Arlyn Bradshaw is running for Salt Lake County mayor to replace Rep.-elect Ben McAdams. He will face off against two former Congressional candidates: Shireen Ghorbani and Jenny Wilson. [DNews] [ABC4]
-> Herbert expressed support for Trump administration efforts to ease restrictions on oil and natural gas drilling that were put in place to protect sage grouse colonies. He called the move a “great example” of federal officials heeding states’ concerns. [APviaTrib]
-> The Utah Transit Authority is seeking public input on an updated environmental study for a bus rapid transit line from Murray through Taylorsville to West Valley City. [Trib]
-> Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke looks at why Merit Medical, which could be on track to generate $1 billion in revenues next year, could receive more than $56 million in subsidies from state taxpayers. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley illustrates Rep. Chris Stewart as Mr. Murderbritches, a Utah bobcat who was released back into the wild and has been gaining notoriety on social media. [Trib]
Nationally: Trump is expected to nominate Chief State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as his next United Nations ambassador. A former Fox News anchor, Nauert has served as the public face of the State Department for around a year. [NYTimes] [BBC] [CNN] [Fox] [WSJ]
-> The Trump administration is planning a proposal for Tuesday which will significantly weaken a policy regulating clean water and amounts of pollution that can be added to bodies of water, a move which will likely be popular among farmers and rural populations. [NYTimes]
-> An estimated two dozen Central American migrants in Tijuana attempted jumping the U.S.-Mexico border wall on Monday. Some ran to evade capture, while most handed themselves over voluntarily to border guards. [BBC]
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-- Taylor Stevens and Cara MacDonald
https://twitter.com/tstevensmedia and Twitter.com/carammacdonald