This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Mitt Romney helping Rubio, says Clinton is leading prez race. West Jordan residents split over subsidizing Facebook data center. Poll: Rep. Bishop with strong lead in re-election.

Happy Thursday. After a scathing speech opposing Donald Trump, Mitt Romney has largely avoided follow up questions about who he's going to vote for this fall. But Romney is privately helping out Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in his re-election bid and warning that with Hillary Clinton in the lead, down-ballot races for Republicans are vitally important.

-> "The unfortunate truth about this election is that nobody's really happy — I shouldn't say nobody — most Americans are not really happy with either outcome, either the Republican or Democrat outcome. But right now, Hillary's in the lead," Romney said on a call with Rubio donors. "And if she were to win by too large a margin it would be very, very hard for us to be able to maintain the principles to keep America the nation that it is." [<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/17/politics/mitt-romney-marco-rubio-donor-outreach/">CNN</a>]

<strong>Topping the news: </strong>West Jordan residents are split over the city's plan to offer Facebook $250 million in tax incentives to build its new data center there. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4250430-155/with-vote-on-250-million-incentives"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865660432/Public-opinion-on-Facebook-data-center-deal-split-as-vote-looms.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]

-> The LDS Dems group released a "pro-family" report that the group says appeals more to Utah's voters than Donald Trump's policies. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865660409/LDS-Dems-pitch-pro-family-report-to-attract-Utah-voters.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>] [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2016/08/17/lds-dems-declare-pro-family-positions-seek-to-lure-republicans-to-their-tent/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/lds-dems"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>] [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/lds-democrats-declare-pro-family-policies-in-report"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>]

-> A UtahPolicy poll found the majority of Utahns approve of Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. [<a href="http://www.utahpolicy.com/index.php/features/today-at-utah-policy/10510-poll-utahns-approve-of-trump-s-pick-of-mike-pence-as-vp"; target="_blank">UtahPolicy</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/majority-of-utah-voters-approve-of-pence-as-vp-choice-poll-finds"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]

-> Rep. Rob Bishop holds a giant lead over his Democratic opponent Peter Clemens, a new poll shows. [<a href="http://utahpolicy.com/index.php/features/today-at-utah-policy/10521-">UtahPolicy</a>]

<strong>Tweets of the day: </strong>From <a href="https://twitter.com/Olivianuzzi"; target="_blank">@Olivianuzzi</a>: "I don't think anyone is imaginative enough to conceive of how crazy things are about to get on the Trump campaign."

From <a href="https://twitter.com/nathanlgonzales"; target="_blank">@nathanlgonzales</a>: "No competitive sport should average one hug every 30 seconds. Yes, beach volleyball, I'm talking about you."

<strong>Happy Birthday: </strong>to Tribune intern Kayla Goodson and state Rep. LaVar Christensen.

<strong>In other news:</strong> Mike Weinholtz, Democratic candidate for governor, is shaking up his staff in the run up to the general election. [<a href="http://utahpolicy.com/index.php/features/today-at-utah-policy/10516-">UtahPolicy</a>]

-> The Utah Wildlife Board sent a letter to the U.S. interior secretary declaring its opposition to the proposed Bears Ears National Monument. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4249750-155/utah-wildlife-board-speaks-out-against"; target="_blank">APviaTrib</a>]

-> The American Bar Association dropped an investigation sparked by an activist group's complaints of discrimination after BYU relaxed some of its policies. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4249238-155/group-drops-byu-law-school-investigation"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2016/08/17/byu-changes-honor-code-requirements-after-religious-discrimination-complaint/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/byu-softens-part-of-honor-code-bar-association-complaint-rejected"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]

-> Even though a report says UTA has not made any progress in implementing new safety systems, the organization says it "actually is far along" in implementation. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4248406-155/uta-disputes-report-it-has-made"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

-> The Utah County jail will end its contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement because of overcrowding. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4244360-155/utah-county-jail-to-end-contract"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

-> The deadline for selecting the locations of two news homeless shelters is approaching quickly, but the Salt Lake City Council has not had any say in the matter. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4248584-155/clock-is-running-on-siting-two"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

-> Utah company Kemp & Associates is charged with violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4249645-155/utah-company-officer-charged-with-criminal"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

-> A federal judge removed himself from a case between Planned Parenthood's Utah branch and the state. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4248723-155/judge-recuses-himself-from-utah-planned"; target="_blank">APviaTrib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865660393/Federal-judge-removes-himself-from-Planned-Parenthood-case.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]

-> Teacher salaries have hit a historic low, according to a nationwide study. [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2016/08/17/study-teacher-salary-hits-historic-low/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>]

-> Pat Bagley gives his take on Trump's inability to appeal to Utah's Mormon voters. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/4249273-155/bagley-cartoon-trumps-mormon-trouble"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

<strong>Nationally: </strong>The elevation of Trump's new campaign manager, Stephen K. Bannon of Breitbart News, it's clear Trump intends to maintain his combative style throughout the election. [<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/us/politics/donald-trump-stephen-bannon-paul-manafort.html"; target="_blank">NYTimes</a>] [<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/08/17/trump-reshuffles-staff-in-his-own-image/"; target="_blank">WaPost</a>]

-> The U.S. government says North Korea's aggressive missile and nuclear advances make the country a "practical" threat instead of just a "theoretical" threat. [<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/17/politics/north-korea-nuclear-attack-warning-time/index.html"; target="_blank">CNN</a>]

-> The United States continues to lead in the Olympics with 92 medals, 30 of which are gold. [<a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/rio-2016/medals/countries/united-states"; target="_blank">BBC</a>] [<a href="http://www.cbssports.com/olympics/news/2016-rio-olympics-results-simone-biles-usa-gymnastics-medal-count-day-12/"; target="_blank">CBS</a>]

<strong>Where are they?</strong>

<ul>

<li>Rep. Chris <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/RepChrisStewart"; target="_blank">Stewart</a> </strong>meets with constituents in his Salt Lake City office and speaks at a Western Regional Partnership Meeting.</li>

<li>Rep. Mia <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/RepMiaLove"; target="_blank">Love</a> </strong>attends B-D 60th Anniversary celebration. Later she meets with heavy equipment distributors.</li>

<li>Gov. Gary <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/GovHerbert"; target="_blank">Herbert</a> </strong>attends the Western States Partnership in the morning. In the afternoon, he attends the Qualtrics ribbon cutting ceremony in Provo. In the evening, he attends the Mansion Artist Series at the Governor's Mansion.</li>

<li>Lt. Gov. Spencer <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/SpencerJCox"; target="_blank">Cox</a></strong> attends the Civil and Compassionate Communities meeting in the afternoon. Later, he attends the K-16 Computer Science Initiative at the State Capitol.</li>

<li>State Auditor John <strong><a href="http://twitter.com/FrugalDougall"; target="_blank">Dougall</a> </strong>meets with an internal auditor from a state agency. Later he has lunch with a member of the State Board of Education. After that he meets with the State Board of Education's audit subcommittee.</li>

</ul>

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at <a href="mailto:cornflakes@sltrib.com" target="_blank">cornflakes@sltrib.com</a>. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/pages/email"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

— Thomas Burr and Kayla Goodson

<a title="Thomas Burr" href="https://twitter.com/thomaswburr"; target="_blank">Twitter.com/thomaswburr</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/kay_goodson"; target="_blank">Twitter.com/kay_goodson</a>