President Donald Trump and his advisers are focused on two of his rivals in the Democratic presidential primary — and neither is the frontrunner. His campaign staff sees Senator Bernie Sanders as their ideal opponent in November, while the president is closely watching Michael Bloomberg, unnerved by his campaign spending and suggestion that he might spend $1 billion of his own fortune opposing Trump. [NYTimes]
Happy Wednesday!
Topping the news: Trump’s top homelessness official, Robert Marbut, has a controversial past both nationally and in Utah, drawing criticism for his push to place people experiencing homelessness in campus-type facilities and to avoid distributing resources like food and clothing outside of those buildings. [Trib]
-> The Salt Lake City School Board continued its discussions on pushing back start times for high schools in the district on Monday during a public forum where an overwhelming majority expressed support for such a measure. [Trib] [KUTV] [Fox13]
-> The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has decided to grant at least a partial reprieve for a community garden that it had planned to pave over for a parking lot. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @RepEWeight: “Ask any high school teacher who sees the research. Teens’ biology requires them to get at least 8 hours sleep, but it also prevents them from falling asleep at “bedtime.” Later start=more sleep=better learning=more success for kids and schools.”
-> From @aedwardslevy: “wondering today, as always, when paul manafort will give that ostrich his coat back.”
-> From @RepAngelaRomero: “The email I received from the Catholic League was a soft threat. Bill Donohue’s intimidation tactic backfired. My bill is not about the Catholic Church. It’s about holding people who violate children criminally responsible.”
Happy Birthday: To former state Rep. Steven Mascaro.
In other news: An analysis published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that for every three open jobs in Utah, only about two workers are available — and that reality could hold back the state’s economic growth. [Trib]
-> Utah Agriculture Commissioner Kerry Gibson is resigning to run for Rep. Rob Bishop’s seat in Utah’s 1st Congressional District. [Trib]
-> Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox clarified his controversial comment comparing abortion to slavery, saying his statement was not intended to compare the two like apples to apples. [ABC4]
-> Utah GOP vice chairman Aaron Starks resigned to run for a seat in the Utah House of Representatives. [DNews]
-> The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to accept Utah’s regional haze plan, meaning pollution controls at Utah power plants are sufficient. [DNews]
-> Attorneys with Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment are urging the U.S. District Court to assess a maximum of $4.4 million in Clean Air Act penalties against the Diesel Brothers reality TV stars. [StandEx]
Nationally: Six presidential candidates took the stage Tuesday night at the last Democratic debate before the first votes are cast in the 2020 election. [Politico] [AP] [NYTimes]
-> The U.S. House is set to vote Wednesday to send the articles of impeachment against Trump to the Senate. [APviaTrib]
-> With the support of four Republicans, a resolution to limit Trump’s military authority in Iran now has enough votes to pass the Senate. [WaPost]
-> Businessman George Nader, who was a key witness in the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, pleaded guilty to child pornography possession and sex trafficking charges. [NYTimes] [WaPost]
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-- Taylor Stevens and Zoi Walker
