The winners and losers in the State of the Union address. Trump calls for unity as critics say he’s part of the problem. Utah’s delegation responds.
Happy Wednesday. President Donald Trump gave his first State of the Union address last night and earned good reviews for delivery. Not shockingly given their partisan makeup, the pundits responding either loved him or hated him. The Washington Post gives us the winners and losers of the address. [WaPost]
Topping the news: Trump called for uniting the country in his speech, even as critics say he’s the one dividing us. [Trib]
-> Utah’s members of Congress are laudatory for Trump’s speech. [Trib]
-> Utah Rep. Chris Stewart is under fire for dismissing a female reporter’s questions by saying that “[we] see the world differently” and that “this is one of those cases where it’s just men are from Mars and women are from Venus.” [Trib]
-> The Utah Senate passed a bill that will allow counties to remove elected officials who are deemed mentally unfit for office. [Trib] [DNews]
Tweets of the day: From @petridishes: “the state of the uniom is stromg”
-> From @ktumulty: “SOTU traditions: House members grab center-aisle seats hours in advance, so they can be caught for a fleeting-second handshakes on national TV as POTUS enters the chamber. (Veteran reporters used to call it asskissers alley.)”
-> From @elisefoley: “Person in president’s party: This was a great speech. Person in opposing party: This was a terrible speech. Riveting!”
-> From @DavidCornDC: “Trump calling on people to ‘set aside’ differences is like a shark calling on other fish to get along.“
-> From @nathanlgonzales: “Anytime you hear ‘put politics aside,’ politics is precisely in the middle of it.”
In other news: According to polling by The Salt Lake Tribune and The Hinckley Institute, 60 percent of Utahns said they were opposed to picking political candidates only through party conventions. A new Utah Republican Party lawsuit would continue the practice. [Trib]
-> A legislative committee is considering building a $19.5 million state cybercenter as it was revealed that the state government receives upwards of 900 million cyberattacks each day. [Trib]
-> Rep. John Curtis’ new bill that would allow American Indian tribes to be a part of the management of the new Shaash Jaa monument — the land carved from Bears Ears National Monument by President Donald Trump — is being met with scorn by tribal leaders who say they were never consulted. [Trib]
-> A new bill would require prospective candidates to choose whether they will gather signatures or go through a party convention in order to run. [Trib] [DNews]
-> The Salt Lake Chamber announced its annual Clean Air Challenge — a 30-day initiative to cut down on vehicle emissions — will take place in February when air quality is often at its worst. [DNews] [ABC4]
-> Strict laws surrounding the sale of liquor — known also as the “Zion Curtain” — continue to create problems for restaurants looking to serve alcohol. [Trib]
-> Despite opposition from the Department of Corrections, the House passed a bill that would spread halfway houses across the state instead of focusing them mostly in Salt Lake and Weber counties. [Trib]
-> State leaders are throwing support behind an inland port project in Salt Lake City, but city leaders appear more hesitant. [Trib]
-> Tolls on I-15 will likely double and legislators are considering quadrupling them if rush-hour congestion is not reduced soon. [Trib]
-> A new bill would making killing a police dog a second-degree felony. [DNews] [ABC4] [KUTV]
-> Pat Bagley depicts President Donald Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin. [Trib]
-> Paul Rolly details the growing feud between the Utah attorney general and San Juan County leaders. [Trib]
-> Robert Gehrke explains how Sundance’s newest hit reignites the debate about drug sentencing reform. [Trib]
Nationally: President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address on Tuesday night and called for unity while outlining plans regarding immigration, infrastructure and foreign relations. [Trib] [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico]
-> A House panel voted to release a memo that would outline alleged abuses and mistakes by the FBI and Justice Department. [WaPost]
-> The White House informed Congress that new Russian sanctions were unnecessary. [Politico]
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— Thomas Burr and Eric Baker