Happy Wednesday!
Comedian Jon Stewart admonished members of Congress on Tuesday for low turnout at a hearing on funding for victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee had gathered to discuss the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund, which provides aid for first responders and others injured or sickened by the attacks. “There is not a person here — there is not an empty chair on that stage that didn’t tweet out, ‘never forget the heroes of 9/11,’” Stewart said, gesturing to the group of first responders around him. “Well, here they are.” [WaPo]
Topping the news: The Salt Lake County Council is calling on Utah’s congressional delegation to work for immigration reform including halting family separations and addressing uncertainty for those part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program. [Trib] [DNews]
-> A Salt Lake City budget proposal approved Tuesday will raise taxes by an annual average of $37 for owners of medium-value homes. [Trib]
-> Elissa Wall, a former child bride who testified against Warren Jeffs, is running for Hildale’s City Council. [Fox13]
Tweets of the day: From @LittleMissFlint “Dear Presidential Candidates. I want you to come to Flint. I want to realize Flint not the only city with a lead crisis. I want you to know we aren’t just a photo op.”
-> From @MEPFuller “I love it when lawmakers use the word ‘spurious’ on the House floor. A reminder that so many of these people think they’re in debate club.”
-> From @StephenAtHome “I can’t believe Disney didn’t call it ‘2 Frozen 2 Flurrious.’”
-> @mckaycoppins “Was just wondering what happened to Howard Schultz’s presidential campaign, so I searched his name on twitter and it’s all just people asking what happened to Howard Schultz’s presidential campaign.”
-> From @kylegriffin1 “Jon Stewart at a 9/11 victim fund hearing: ‘What an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire process that getting healthcare and benefits for 9/11 first responders has come to ... a filled room of 9/11 first responders and in front of me, a nearly empty Congress.’ Via ABC”
Happy Birthday: to former Senate President Mike Waddoups.
In other news: Gov. Gary Herbert’s deputy chief of staff, Paul Edwards, is leaving his post to join Brigham Young University as director of the Wheatley Institution. [Trib]
-> A Utah veterinarian was killed in an Albuquerque brewery by an off-duty FBI agent. Witnesses say the Saratoga Springs man had a gun drawn, and the incident is under investigation. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Plans are in the works to build a massive “stadium village” around the Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy. [Fox13]
-> Congressional representatives on Tuesday listened to newspaper executives advocate for a bill that would help the struggling industry. [Trib]
-> Columnist Robert Gehrke makes the case for adding a lane to the road through Little Cottonwood Canyon. [Trib]
Nationally: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats are not even close to impeaching President Donald Trump. [APviaTrib]
-> George Clooney called on Congress to use sanctions to try to combat the atrocities being committed by Sudan’s military government against its people. [Politico]
-> Trump tried to woo farmers and traded insults with former Vice President Joe Biden in Iowa. [Politico]
-> Ten U.S. states, led by New York and California, are suing to prevent a merger between T-Mobile and Sprint out of concern that the deal could drive up prices for cell service. [WSJ] [Reuters]
-> The U.S. House of Representatives voted to allow lawmakers to sue members of the Trump administration who defy congressional subpoenas. [Reuters]
-> New York is strengthening rent laws to protect tenants. [NYTimes]
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— Bethany Rodgers and Sara Tabin
