Though the gun lobby has both structural advantages and a Senate chamber aligned with its stance, gun control activists have increased their financing and grassroots energy, leveling the playing field for addressing these issues. [NYTimes]
Happy Monday.
Topping the news: Members of Utah’s congressional delegation called for a national conversation about ways to reduce gun violence after nearly 30 Americans died in two mass shootings over the weekend. [Trib]
-> A new mayoral poll by The Salt Lake Tribune and the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah shows Jim Dabakis and Luz Escamilla leading a crowded field. [Trib]
-> The same poll showed that air quality is the top issue among Salt Lake City voters, but several candidates who have promised to make the issue their No. 1 priority aren’t polling as well as others. [Trib]
-> A Utah Transit Authority supervisor says agency leadership underpaid staff while upper managers pocketed large salaries. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @jelani9: “Fell asleep watching news reports about 20 people killed in #elpaso. Slept for four hours. Awoke to find that the news was talking about 9 killed #dayton Ohio — exactly half a night’s sleep between 29 lost lives. #America”
-> From @tedcruz: “As the son of a Cuban immigrant, I am deeply horrified by the hateful anti-Hispanic bigotry expressed in the shooter’s so-called ‘manifesto.’ This ignorant racism is repulsive and profoundly anti-American.”
-> From @RepBenMcAdams: “My heart aches for the victims and their loved ones. Two American communities were attacked within 24 hours. We must unite as a country and work together right now to find solutions to combat domestic terrorism. We can start by denouncing white nationalism"
In other news: President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently discussed the need for a new U.S. ambassador to Russia after Jon Huntsman leaves his post. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Former Vice President Joe Biden will make a campaign stop in Park City on Sept. 28 as part of his presidential bid. [Trib] [Park Record]
-> Utah faith leaders and immigrant advocates rallied Saturday to denounce Trump’s proposed ban on refugees. [Trib]
-> An eye clinic operating in a building owned by a polygamous Utah sect whose leaders are pleading guilty to fraud have found that the scandal is hurting business. [Trib]
-> Three environmental groups are suing the federal Bureau of Land Management for reopening thousands of acres in Southern Utah to off-road vehicles. [Trib]
-> A majority of Utahns want someone other than Trump to serve as president, according to a new poll commissioned by the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce. [DNews]
-> Student Humberto Sanchez led Salt Lake Community College to open a Dream Center meant to help immigrant students navigate academic processes. [Trib]
-> Convicted rapist and murderer Douglas Lovell is continuing efforts to avoid his death sentence, this time on the grounds that his public defender didn’t do a good enough job and that Latter-day Saint church leaders advised potential character witnesses against speaking on his behalf. [Trib]
-> A Utah State University graduate student from Malaysia who was bullied and harassed over her ethnicity and history as a victim of sexual violence told school officials — but they did not respond before her death by suicide, according to a new lawsuit. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Unified Police officer Megan Franklin, who has a history of poor driving, will not face charges for running over and killing a young black woman lying down in a parking lot. [Trib]
-> A new task force will scrutinize Utah charter schools and their spending. [Trib]
-> The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is requiring a notarized letter from those leaving the church through QuitMormon.com after allegations of fraudulent requests. [Trib]
Nationally: The United States mourned after two mass shootings in Texas and Ohio over the weekend. The gunman in the Texas shooting, who killed 20 people in an El Paso Walmart, left behind a white supremacist manifesto and was targeting people of Hispanic origin. The motive behind the Ohio shooting is unclear, but the gunman murdered his own sister and eight others. [NYT] [WaPo] [WSJ]
-> The U.S. cyber security firm Cloudflare will stop serving 8chan, a go-to resource for violent extremists, as a customer because white supremacists including the El Paso gunman have used the online message board to spread hate. [Reuters] [NYTimes]
-> Electric scooters might not be environmentally sustainable after all, according to new research published Friday. [LATimes]
-> The United States and South Korea are planning to hold joint military drills despite protests from North Korea that it could damage nuclear diplomacy. [Politico]
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-- Taylor Stevens and Sara Tabin
