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Mia Love: Trump is tearing the GOP apart, and he’s not worth it
Former Utah Representative turned CNN commentator Mia Love had some harsh words for her former GOP colleagues in Congress. She said they’re are focusing too much on loyalty to former President Trump instead of things that matter to most Americans.
“There’s so much they could be focused on right now in terms of spending, in terms of all the programs the president is putting out there. This is the chance for Republicans to say it’s too much, too fast,” said the former two-term Republican during a Wednesday appearance on CNN.
Love scolded House Republicans for trying to oust Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position for telling the truth about the 2020 election — that Joe Biden was the rightful winner — instead of falling in line behind the lie that the 2020 election was stolen.
“This is not a disagreement on policy. It’s not a disagreement on ideas. It’s a disagreement on a former president that incited an insurrection on the Capitol, literally attacked a branch of government,” said Love.
Love added that Trump requires “100% loyalty” from Republicans, and the GOP is so busy trying to prove that loyalty they are abandoning their conservative principles, and that’s ripping the party in two.
“The ideas you’re supposed to be pushing out, the ideas that Americans believe in, some of those Republican ideals are getting lost, and the conference is getting torn apart. You have to ask yourself if he (Trump) is worth that. I don’t think he is,” she said.
Here’s what you need to know for Thursday morning
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden stopped in Salt Lake City Wednesday. Tribune Reporters filed several stories about her trip:
Biden was greeted by Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah’s congressional delegation members when she landed in SLC [Tribune].
During a stop at Glendale Middle School, Dr. Biden said the White House is working to boost pay for teachers and hire more staffers from communities of color [Tribune].
West side residents spoke with Biden and pleaded with her to push for immigration reform [Tribune].
Other news
Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney pens a blistering editorial arguing the Republican Party is at a turning point. “Republicans must decide whether we are going to choose truth and fidelity to the Constitution,” she wrote [WaPo].
House Republicans are on the verge of pushing Cheney out of her leadership position because she won’t stop contradicting former President Donald Trump’s lies about election fraud. The rest of the House GOP has mostly fallen in line behind Trump’s falsehoods [NYT].
President Joe Biden is hitting the accelerator on his plans to increase taxes on high earning and wealthy Americans [NYT].
Senate Democrats tweak their omnibus voting rights bill to lure some Republicans to support the legislation [WaPo].
Conservatives are enraged after Facebook’s Oversight Board upheld the ban on Trump, which was instituted after he incited an attempted insurrection on January 6. The group extended Trump’s ban for 6 months but said the social media platform needs to explain its rules more clearly [WaPo].
Trump’s allies had convinced themselves he would regain the ability to post to Facebook and are panicking now that his ban was upheld. They’re worried his supporters will become less politically engaged the longer Trump remains off social media [Politico].
The Justice Department is stepping into a chaotic Republican-ordered audit of voting results in Arizona following reports of ballots and computers left unattended. The department is demanding an explanation of what’s being done to prevent federal laws from being broken during the partisan-motivated recount [WaPo].
Utah ranked dead last in federal pandemic aid per person. The state received about $6,000 per person, which is less than half of what other, smaller areas were allocated [Tribune].
The Biden administration said it would support waiving intellectual property provisions to allow developing nations to produce the COVID-19 vaccine [WSJ].
Not one Republican in Congress voted for the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that passed in March, but that isn’t stopping many of them from taking credit for the aid [AP].
The Paycheck Protection Program, passed by Congress last year, has officially run out of money [CNN].
A federal judge struck down a moratorium on evictions during the pandemic but put a 30-day hold on the ruling to allow the Biden administration to appeal the ruling [NYT].
India’s COVID outbreak continues to rage unabated. The country reported more than 400,000 new cases on Wednesday [Al Jazerra].
There’s no baby boom due to the pandemic. The U.S. birthrate dropped 4% in 2020 [NYT].
A former Salt Lake City police officer posted video to social media of a giant vaccine syringe burning in effigy. He described the event as a protest against “medical tyranny” [Tribune].
California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner said during an interview on Fox News her wealthy friends are leaving the state because the sight of homeless people makes them uncomfortable [Insider].
Thursday’s Utah news roundup
Washington
Utah’s Rep. John Curtis says he wouldn’t have voted to censure Romney [Daily Herald].
Utah
LDS Church urges court to toss out James Huntsman’s lawsuit, says his bid for tithing refund is “without merit” [Tribune].
New coordinator says Salt Lake City is the “epicenter” of homelessness in Utah. Here’s why Ogden officials are pushing back [Tribune].
Utah officials want your help as they draft new rules for the “troubled teen” industry [Tribune].
Believe Indigenous victims of violence and get rid of mascots that dehumanize Native people, activists say [Tribune].
Last Utah Guardsman deployed to Afghanistan returns home [Fox 13].
COVID
After 3 days in the 200s, the number of new COVID-19 cases jumps to almost 500 [Tribune].
University of Utah treated a man who developed blood clotting after receiving Johnson & Johnson vaccine [Tribune].
When can you vaccinate your young children and teens? Here’s what you need to know [Deseret News].
To close the COVID-19 vaccine race gap, Utah turns to community organizations [KUER].
Utah’s governor will not lift the K-12 mask mandate [Fox 13].
Weber-Morgan Health Department: Don’t throw your masks away quite yet [Standard-Examiner].
Environment
Orange water was flowing from a century-old gold mine in Utah. Here’s who paid to clean it up [Tribune].
Wolverine appears on Antelope Island [Tribune].
A ‘pernicious problem’: How experts hope to stop ongoing defacement of Utah’s public lands [KSL].
Local government
Lawsuit claims UPD officer who shot and killed an unarmed Utah man fired 5 times after man had fallen to the ground [Tribune].
Google Fiber coming to another Salt Lake County city [ABC 4].
This year’s Ogden City budget proposal much more optimistic than last year [Standard-Examiner].
Provo Municipal Airport terminal construction taking off at jet speed [Daily Herald].
Hideout developer presents pitch for annexation to voters [Park Record].
Homelessness and housing insecurity on the rise in Bear River region, study shows [Box Elder News Journal].
Mantua mayor resigns after swearing in new police chief [Tremonton Leader].
On the opinion page
Nancy Staggers: Volunteer vaccinators have messages for us all [Tribune].
LGBTQ rights and religion: Neither side has to lose. Utah proves it [Deseret News].
Banning Trump, booing Romney, pushing out Liz Cheney — it is not the way forward [Deseret News].
You say it’s your birthday?!
Happy birthday to Utah Senate President Stuart Adams.
