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Breaking up is hard to do
Former Utah member of Congress Mia Love said Wednesday night’s bombshell news that the Manhattan district attorney has convened a grand jury in the criminal investigation of former President Donald Trump might be the opportunity the Republican Party needs to move on.
“I see this as an opportunity for the GOP to say you’ve got a lot to deal with, and we don’t want to be in the middle of it. You should take care of that and let us start turning the page and talking about the future,” says Love, now a CNN commentator.
“(House Minority Leader) Kevin McCarthy said he wanted to do that. This is the perfect opportunity for him to say you’ve got your own issues. We’ve got our work to do,” she added.
The grand jury is expected to decide whether to indict the former president or others involved with his company if they are presented with criminal charges by prosecutors.
There’s no love lost between the former member of congress and the former president. After losing her 2018 re-election bid, Trump blamed her for not embracing his administration enough on the campaign trail.
Love also harshly criticized McCarthy for waiting five days to condemn freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s comments equating wearing masks and vaccine passports to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany.
“This is what I honestly believe happened. In conference, there was a showdown where they said, if you can get rid of Liz Cheney, you better do something about Marjorie Taylor Greene. To sit there and actually compare wearing masks to the killing of so many Jewish people is absolutely absurd. Finally, he did the right thing,” she said.
Here’s what you need to know for Wednesday
Local news
Rules for addressing equity in Utah’s schools are getting tangled up in the debate over teaching critical race theory. Some parents are worried that it’s a backdoor effort to introduce the concept to classrooms [Tribune].
The Bureau of Land Management could authorize drilling near the western border of Dinosaur National Monument [Tribune].
Salt Lake City residents marked the first anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by a former police officer [Tribune].
National news
Manhattan’s district attorney has convened a special grand jury that could decide to indict former President Donald Trump [WaPo].
Republican senators are preparing a $1 trillion infrastructure funding counteroffer to present to President Joe Biden soon. The money mostly comes from unused COVID-19 relief funds [The Week].
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to force a vote on establishing a bipartisan commission to investigate the attempted insurrection on Jan. 6. Republicans in the Senate will filibuster the bill [Politico].
Former President Trump’s lawyers responded to a lawsuit against him for inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by claiming Trump had “absolute immunity” while he was president [CNN].
Republican leaders in Congress finally condemned outrageous remarks from Georgia freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene comparing mask-wearing to the holocaust [WaPo].
The Pentagon is stepping up the timeline for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. All troops should leave by mid-July, well ahead of President Biden’s target date of Sept. 11 [NYT].
President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet for the first time next month in Switzerland [CNN].
Top U.S. health officials call for a follow-up investigation by the World Health Organization into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic [WaPo].
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell was tossed out of a meeting of the Republican Governors Association. The Trump ally continues to push baseless theories of election fraud [Politico].
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Wednesday’s Utah news roundup
Utah
Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center, a shiny new venue for homegrown arts groups, rises in Taylorsville. [Tribune]
Tired of walking around Salt Lake City’s new airport? Get a robot to bring you a meal. [Tribune]
Latter-day Saint leaders tinker — again — with temple marriages. [Tribune]
‘We are friends and we are neighbors’ — Utah’s Jewish, Muslim communities unite against antisemitism, Islamophobia. [Tribune]
Utah’s first lady launching app in support of foster families. [KUTV]
Utahns want cannabis legalized, study finds. [ABC4]
Chad Daybell, Lori Vallow Daybell indicted on murder charges. [KSL]
Organizers of Utah County rave during pandemic peak agree to public apology. [KSL]
Hill AFB fighter squadron works on battle skills over the Gulf of Mexico. [StandardExaminer]
Park City contaminated soils talks linked to City Hall election in anonymous text message. [Park Record]
Education
Cedar City family upset after school removes daughter’s graduation cap with Native American symbols. [FOX13]
Alpine School District to change elementary school schedule after pandemic. [FOX13]
Utah charter schools at a crossroads. [KUTV]
Transportation
After bumps along the way, it’s full speed ahead on West Davis Highway. [Tribune]
UTA launches inexpensive late-night ride service in SLC. [FOX13]
Utah’s red hot housing market continues at record-breaking pace. [FOX13]
COVID-19
Utah reports 185 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths. [Tribune]
A COVID-19 vaccine for small children is months off, but one Utah mom is eager to get her boys the shots. [Tribune]
These 25 states have fully vaccinated half of their adult population. [DNews]
Is heart inflammation a side effect of COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents? Utah doctor says it’s still unclear. [Tribune]
Policing
A woman was groped in her car at the University of Utah. Skin cells found on her clothing helped investigators catch her attacker. [Tribune]
Samsung tablet’s remote location feature helps Richfield PD solve series of crimes. [FOX13]
On the Opinion Pages
Samuel Rutzick: The GOP wants to use trees to fight climate change. [Tribune]
Jay Evensen: Utah is no longer last in education spending per student; what does that mean? [DNews]
— Tribune reporter Connor Sanders contributed to this report.
