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Political Cornflakes: Why Speaker Nancy Pelosi is so good at infuriating President Trump

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., center, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., right, and other congressional leaders, react to a failed meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on infrastructure, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 22, 2019. From left are House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Pelosi, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, D-S.C., and Schumer. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Happy Thursday! President Donald Trump doesn’t have a condescending nickname for Speaker Nancy Pelosi as he does for other Democrats. He even appears to have a grudging respect for Pelosi, the first woman to serve as House speaker. He treats her as a peer who commands her chamber with a firm hand, and he knows she can deliver on votes, and that she is willing to call any bluff at any time. Perhaps that’s why Pelosi can really get under his skin. [Politico]

Topping the news: Utah County Commissioner Nathan Ivie announced that he is gay in a Facebook video, saying he “could not continue to live a lie.” [Trib]

With only one Republican opposed, the Senate confirmed Howard Nielsen to serve as a federal judge in Utah despite criticism about his role in fighting same-sex marriage and his work at the George W. Bush Justice Department. [Trib]

Tweets of the day: From @chrislhayes: “The *second* there is a Democrat in the White House there will be a *massive* coordinated hysteria about the debt.”

-> From @Jmatthewyglesias: “It seems like the underlying problem is that Trump is engaged in several coverups.”

Also in the news: Utah County ranked fourth in the nation for creating new jobs, but still has wages 18 percent lower than the national average. [Trib]

-> Democrats in Congress are asking the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether the Interior Department broke the law in identifying acreage inside the boundaries of the original Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument for oil and gas exploration. [Trib]

-> Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue visited The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Welfare Square and praised its work to help the needy. [Trib]

-> A study found Salt Lake City has seen an increase in deaths related to high ozone levels. [DNews]

-> Three Salt Lake City mayoral candidates have pledged to get the city to 100% renewable energy on a faster timeline than that of current Mayor Jackie Biskupski.

-> Robert Gehrke offers his advice to the graduating class of 2019 -- including his own daughter. [Trib]

-> Cartoonist Pat Bagley depicts the NRA. [Trib]

Nationally: Frustrated with Democratic investigations, President Trump walked out on a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer after three minutes, claiming he could not work with them until they stopped the probes. [NYTimes]

-> A federal judge in New York ruled Deutsche Bank is required to comply with congressional subpoenas seeking Trump’s tax returns. [NYTimes]

-> Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti, who represented adult film actress Stormy Daniels, was charged with stealing $300,000 from her. [NYTimes]

-> New York state lawmakers passed a bill that would allow Congress to obtain Trump’s tax returns from the state. [NYTimes]

-> After the White House has spent months tightening economic sanctions on Iran, the Iranian government is seeking to highlight the costs it could also impose on the United States without triggering a war. [WaPost]

-> House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., blocked a bipartisan attempt to limit Chinese companies from contracting with U.S. transit systems, a move that benefited a Chinese government-backed manufacturer with a plant in his district. [WaPost]

-> A company in China sells promised access to Trump, such as meals, conversations and business proposals, but the Republican National Committee said neither it nor the Trump administration have any connection to these companies. [WaPost]

-> The Department of Housing and Urban Development will roll back anti-discrimination measures for transgender homeless people by enabling HUD-funded providers of shelters to consider a person’s sex or gender identification in determining whether they can be admitted. [Politico]

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-- Thomas Burr and Alison Berg