President Donald Trump made an appearance Monday to honor a dog he called the “world’s most famous” — Conan, the Belgian Malinois that was injured during the raid that took down Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last month. The dog’s identity was briefly considered classified but has since been revealed. On Monday, Trump called Conan a “tough cookie.” [WaPost]
Happy Tuesday!
Topping the news: After some students said they’d have to drop out if Brigham Young University’s Idaho campus stopped allowing students to use Medicaid, the school reversed course Monday and retracted its new health insurance policy. [Trib] [Fox13]
-> At a legislative task force meeting Monday night, members of the public came out in an overwhelmingly critical mass pressing for additional data, detail and clarification before any changes move forward. [Trib]
-> Sen. Mitt Romney and President Donald Trump have had a rocky relationship in the past. But in after spending two days in a row together, the Utah lawmaker said in an interview that the pair are “cordial and cooperative.” [Trib]
-> To people experiencing homelessness, shopping carts are a lifeline on cold winter days. But retailers take a significant financial hit when their property is routinely stolen. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @RobertGehrke: “Resident Steve Hyatt notes that by taxing streaming services and dating services the Lege would be taxing both ends of “Netflix and chill,” plus a third tax for the Uber ride home. #classic”
-> From @StephenAtHome: “Schiff should subpoena Conan the Dog. Something tells me he’ll roll over.”
Happy birthday: To Salt Lake City community liaison and former state Rep. Tim Cosgrove.
Also in the news: Speedway gas stations will be the first in Utah to offer cleaner “Tier 3” fuels, which produce 80% less pollution in newer cars — and Gov. Gary Herbert says he is in full support of the new initiative. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Sen. Mike Lee is looking to pursue sanctions against Mexican drug cartels responsible for the killing of nine U.S. citizens earlier this month. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Three rangers from Zion National Park are being sent to assist law enforcement at parks and monuments along the border with Mexico. [Trib]
-> Hopes are high in the Navajo Nation that a pilot project to turn vented methane into hydrogen will help transform Utah’s poorest county by offering new jobs and producing a new commodity. [Trib] [DNews]
->Clean the Darn Air founder Yoram Bauman says a carbon tax likely won’t appear on next year’s ballot after the campaign was hurt by delays and a lack of institutional and donor support but that it could be up for a vote in 2022 or 2024. [Trib] [Fox13]
-> New Utah Transit Authority measures will expand bus services up Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons to 35 and 79 trips a day, respectively. [Trib]
-> As snow starts to fall, officers are enforcing newly-instated laws for Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons that require either 4-wheel drive or chains for canyon driving. [Fox13]
-> Thanksgiving traffic and winter storms are expected to impact Utah’s roads and travel. Here’s what to expect. [Trib]
-> Former Salt Lake City School Board of Education member Michael Clara was booked into Salt Lake County jail over the weekend for firing a gun at a car after it hit his vehicle. He says it was self-defense. [Trib]
-> Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke says that Utah’s rushed tax reform proposals are yielding a bad outcome. [Trib]
Nationally: A federal judge has ruled that former White House counsel Donald McGahn must comply with the House subpoena to appear before Congress. [AP] [CNN] [WaPost]
-> Impeachment investigators are moving forward from witness hearings to compile a report that will outline whether the president engaged in treason or bribery. [AP] [CNN] [NYTimes]
-> Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Trump ordered him to halt a disciplinary review of a Navy SEAL accused of battlefield misconduct. [AP] [WaPost]
-> The United States Supreme Court will allow Trump’s financial records to remain hidden from House Democrats for the time being. [AP] [CNN] [NYTimes] [WaPost]
-> Trump signed a new bill into law that makes intentional acts of cruelty to animals a federal crime carrying a penalty of up to seven years in prison. [NYTimes]
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-- Taylor Stevens and Clara Hatcher
