Romney makes a cameo in new Trump books

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Trump Jr. says he “only dated Romney” when he called for his exclusion from the GOP G.

After Senator Mitt Romney voted for the conviction of former President Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial, Donald Trump Jr. on Twitter called for Romney’s expulsion from the Republican Party. A new book says Trump Jr.’s social media message surprised RNC chairman Ronna McDaniel.

Romney was the first U.S. Senator to vote in impeachment proceedings against a president of his own party after the House of Representatives charged Trump with abuse of office. Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj to investigate the son of current President Joe Biden.

In response, Trump Jr. fired a tweet saying Romney was “forever bitter, he’ll never be POTUS.” The Post concluded that Romney should be “excluded from the GOP”. He tagged the Republican Party’s official Twitter account.

Mitt Romney is forever bitter that he will never be POTUS. He was too weak then to beat the Democrats, so now he’s joining them.

He is now officially a member of the resistance and should be banned from @GOP.

– Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 5, 2020

Insiders told Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Benders, “We honestly won this election,” that McDaniel, Romney’s niece, named Trump Jr. after the Post caused an uproar.

“You know I can’t just kick him out of the party, right?” McDaniel told Trump Jr.

In response, Trump Jr. said, “I just play with him. This is not a thoughtful strategy that is coordinated with the Republican caucus. “

In another new book, “I Alone Can Fix It,” by Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, Trump referred to Romney as “Super-RINO” (Republican In Name Only) during a lengthy interview with the former Florida president. That was part of a long excerpt posted in Vanity Fair on Monday.

You need to know that by Tuesday morning

News from Utah

• Governor Spencer Cox has launched the idea of ​​a tax cut next year, but legislature leaders say it is too early to consider this move. [Tribune]

• There were bankruptcies in Utah during the pandemic. Government aid programs have helped people pay their bills, but applications are picking up again. [Tribune]

• Officials are taking extreme measures, such as emergency discharges from Flaming Gorge Reservoir, to ensure Glen Canyon Dan can continue generating electricity. [Tribune]

• Salt Lake City drained the pond in Sugar House Park due to the drought. Officials feared the stagnant water would lead to an outbreak of the bird disease. [Tribune]

• Construction of Habitat for Humanity homes in Kearns is way behind schedule and owners are complaining about poor work. [Tribune]

National news

• House minority leader Kevin McCarthy appointed five Republicans, including the heated Jim Jordan, to the committee investigating the January 6 attack on Congress. [Axios]

• Republicans are threatening to block the bipartisan infrastructure deal if Democrats try to move forward without concluding negotiations. [WaPo]

• Twitter suspended MP Marjorie Taylor Greene for 12 hours after spreading misinformation about COVID-19. [WaPo]

• The Tokyo Olympics begin in just 3 days, but a senior official says cancellation due to COVID-19 is still possible. [CNBC]

• The recession caused by the pandemic lasted only two months in 2020, according to economists. [CNBC]

• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all children wear masks in schools, even if they are fully vaccinated. [WaPo]

• Canada will open its borders to fully vaccinated Americans in August. [Politico]

• Stocks saw a huge drop on Monday as fears of the Delta variant began to mount on Wall Street. [CNN]

• A federal judge ruled that Indiana University can require students to get the coronavirus vaccine. [NYT]

• Although many Fox News hosts attacked the COVID-19 vaccine, the network is demanding that employees be vaccinated in order to return to work. [CNN]

• Ouch! The Bootleg Fire in Oregon is big enough to create its own weather. [CNN]

• Jeff Bezos travels into space on Tuesday morning. The flight only takes 15 minutes. [CNBC]

• American children who watched “Peppa Pig” during the pandemic are adopting British accents and mannerisms. [WSJ]

Podcast “Utah Politics”

This week my guest is Utah GOP Chairman Carson Jorgensen.

We discuss critical racial theory, the recent controversy surrounding the American flag, and how he plans to get younger voters into the party.

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Summary of the news from Utah on Tuesday morning

Utah

• Bettye Gillespie, who fought for justice and civil rights in Utah, leaves a “long”, “deep” legacy. [Tribune]

• UTA continues to purchase land in Box Elder County to expand FrontRunner north. [Standard Examiner]

COVID-19

• Another 1,500 Utahner contract COVID-19 and three more die. [Tribune]

casing

drought

• The Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District is proposing a tax increase for $ 180 million in infrastructure. [FOX13

• Magna issues water restrictions to cope with drought. [FOX13]

• North Ogden leaders are concerned about drinking water supplies due to the ongoing drought. [Standard Examiner]

Surroundings

• Buses used to collect real-time data on air quality in Salt Lake County. [Tribune]

• The high pressure system that caused storms in southern and central Utah will remain in place throughout the week. [Tribune]

Washington

legislative branch

• Rescheduling in Utah at 19 public hearings across the state. [KUTV]

• Utah law requires gun safety courses in schools. [FOX13]

Local government

• Utah Governor back in the saddle to kick off the Days of ’47 events. [KSL]

• The Salt Lake City council candidate claims to be the target of politically charged vandalism. [ABC4]

• Utah County’s Democrats are forming a caucus to give progressive voters a voice. [Daily Herald]

technology

On the opinion pages

• Paul Cassell: Support the police. But not because of the charges for crumpling signs. [Tribune]

• The question of police power in Utah mirrors our founding documents, writes George Pyle. [Tribune]

– Connor Sanders of the Tribune contributed to this story