This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Romney offends Palestine. Utah Democrats differ on national platform proposal. 98 days until Election Day.

Happy Tuesday. It's not been the most successful, scripted trip to Europe that Mitt Romney's advisers probably planned. Yesterday, while making friends in Israel, Mitt Romney offends Palestinians who take his comments to mean their culture is inferior to the Israelis. [CNN] And the Obama camp took the immediate opportunity to pounce on Romney's overseas fumbles. [Politico]

-> On the other hand, the headlines Romney garnered abroad may not impact the race here at home where most Americans are more concerned about the economy than a momentary lapse. [WaPost]

Topping the news: Republican senators band together to block an appeals court nominee for the 10th Circuit, essentially ending any more appellate confirmations until after the presidential election. Hatch voted present and Sen. Mike Lee skipped the vote. [Trib]

-> As the Democratic Party considers working marriage equality into its platform, Utah Democrats say their platform is independent. [Fox13]

-> Unincorporated Salt Lake County residents see the end of a law enforcement fee but an slight increase in property tax. [Trib]

Tweet of the day: From @PubliusDB: "I don't always tweet, but when I do, I use less than 140 characters. Keep it short, my friend."

Happy birthday: To former DNews editor Joe Cannon and the Utah Cultural Alliance's Crystal Young-Otterstrom.

Howell counters: Scott Howell, the Democratic nominee for Senate, shot back at Sen. Orrin Hatch's comments in delivering the Republican's weekly address, arguing Hatch's statements are "demonstrably false" ... "The plan passed by the Senate this week would keep the tax rate at current levels for 98% of America's working families ... I don't know where he is getting his numbers. The working class tax rate has been locked in for ten years. It makes you wonder what he's thinking." [DNews]

Happening today: The House will vote on Rep. Jason Chaffetz's legislation that would allow the federal government to fire workers with seriously delinquent tax bills. [TheHill]

In other news: Accusations of slavery in a Utah case are dismissed after fumbles by the prosecution. Alleged victims say they were financially trapped by employers. [Trib]

-> Lobbyists are allowed to wine and dine lawmakers at conferences without reporting how much, thanks to a loophole in the law. [Trib]

-> Salt Lake City sees a wave of Latino candidates eyeing the Legislature. [KCPW]

-> Bryan Schott offers his take on the latest news bits like Republicans for Ben McAdams and Romney's gaffes. [UtahPolicy]

-> Pat Bagley offers his take on Justice Antonin Scalia's remarks that rocket launchers may be covered by the Second Amendment. [Trib]

2012 watch: Polish leader Lech Walesa warmly embraces Romney and says there needs to be change in the United States. "Get your success," he tells Mitt Romney. [CNN]

-> The arms race of negative ads intensifies between the two candidates. It's up in the air on how far they'll go. [TheHill]

-> Lower unemployment rates in the swing-states, though not necessarily the rest of the nation, may hand Obama a re-election victory. [TheHill]

-> With the announcement of his role at the Democratic National Convention, Bill Clinton will be Obama's main cheerleader on the economy. [WaPost]

-> Romney says he's been audited by the IRS in the past, but the public still won't get to do its own auditing. [CNN]

-> While Romney says Obama has taken the Israel-U.S. relationship for granted, the country's deputy prime minister says the Obama administration has been the very supportive. [CNN]

-> Romney's position on Iran doesn't seem that different then the president's. [CNN]

-> Depending on how well the Romney's horse Rafalca does in the Olympics could determine how soon Ann Romney comes home and how soon a VP candidate will be announced. [ABCNews]

-> Obama tells donors if the election were held tomorrow, he would win. [Politico]

Where are they?

Rep. Jason Chaffetz speaks and votes on the House floor.

Gov. Gary Herbert attends Prosperity 2020 Business Promise Launch meeting.

Lt. Gov. Greg Bell meets with Energy officials and then attends the Prosperity 2020 meeting.

President Barack Obama meets with VP Joe Biden.

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to you inbox. [Trib]

— Thomas Burr and Andreas RiveraTwitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/andreascrivera