This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Herbert would fire Swallow. Bush's spike in popularity. Lee wants to publicize secret court's legal reasoning.
Happy Wednesday. For the first time since 2005, more Americans have a favorable view of former President George W. Bush than an unfavorable one, according to a new Gallup poll. His approval rating has even topped that of President Barack Obama. [Gallup] [WSJ] [CNN]
Topping the news: Gov. Gary Herbert says if it were up to him, he would fire AG John Swallow, but he would not call on Swallow to resign. Afterward Swallow released a statement that in part says: "I have admired the governor for speaking out that due process should be followed and I am saddened he has grown impatient with the process." [Trib] [Fox13] [DNews]
-> Former AG Mark Shurtleff, who is under investigation for his involvement in the scandal engulfing Swallow, has started his own government-relations firm. [Trib]
-> Sen. Mike Lee sees leaked NSA documents as an opportunity to reopen the debate on the declassification of FISA court rulings, a measure that would make the legal justification for government surveillance more transparent. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @MattLaslo: "'Eww,' is one female reporter's response to Sen. Hatch calling a group of reporters 'a good looking bunch.'"
From @KateNocera: "Sen Mike Lee on if he thinks Snowden is a traitor: 'from what I know, yes...the guy broke a whole bunch of laws.'"
Happy birthday: to Taylorsville City Engineer John Taylor and former Senate President Michael Waddoups.
Congrats: to Trib photo chief Jeremy Harmon and his lovely wife Amanda on the birth of their second daughter Emma.
In other news: Utah has a new political polling firm run by two BYU professors and the chief political strategist for Sen. Orrin Hatch and Mia Love. [UtahPolicy]
-> Paul Rolly reports that Salt Lake County Council Chairman Steve DeBry questions whether the state's gay pride parade is a political event and whether the county employees who marched together violated the law. [Trib]
-> The state's new prison boss has experience opening up new corrections facilities, which could be key if power brokers decide to move the state's main lockup out of Draper. [Trib]
-> Herbert has turned the Utah Clean Air Partnership into a non-profit, and expects to be offering grants and loans to fund projects aimed at lowering pollution. [Trib] [DNews]
-> SL Co. Mayor Ben McAdams makes a few mid-year adjustments to the 2013 budget in an attempt to ensure the county remains in the black. [Trib]
-> Despite SLC Mayor Ralph Becker's continued opposition, the Salt Lake City Council is likely to vote in favor of a property tax hike next week. [Trib] [DNews]
-> National Sierra Club leaders came to Utah to launch a new campaign that highlights their desire for the government to create a new Greater Canyonlands National Monument. [Trib]
-> The latest partisan polls show Rep. Jim Matheson has a comfortable lead over Mia Love. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley's guest Steve Sack gives his take on Sen. John McCain's position on Syria. [Trib]
-> The state Board of Education wants a special Legislative session to drop a new law requiring that each school receive a letter grade for its performance and go back to a point system. [Trib]
-> An administrative law judge rules that the BLM has been systematically underreporting grazing impacts in Rich County, and if broadly applied, the ruling would have a major impact throughout the West. [Trib]
Nationally: As the Senate starts to cast votes on immigration reform, President Barack Obama reenters the discussion with a speech focused on the impact the bill would have on the children of undocumented immigrants. [NYTimes] [Politico]
-> Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., became the first senator to deliver a floor speech entirely in Spanish when he spoke in support of immigration reform on Tuesday. [WaPost] [NYTimes]
-> Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy tries once more to advance gay rights through the immigration reform bill, filing an amendment that would allow a gay U.S. citizen to petition for permanent residency on behalf of their foreign, same-sex spouse. [Politico]
-> The American Civil Liberties Union, itself a Verizon customer, has sued the Obama administration over its "dragnet" collection of phone records on the grounds that it is unconstitutional. [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico]
-> In an attempt to prove that it denies more government requests for personal information than it grants, Google asks the government to allow them to make these requests public. [NYTimes]
-> Nearly 5 million Americans have security clearance, making the likelihood of leaks remarkably high. [Politico]
-> Former Vice President Al Gore tells President Barack Obama that it's time to get serious about climate change, advising him to get a climate team in place to tackle the issue. [Politico]
Where are they?
Rep. Rob Bishop meets with Utah History Fair students, attends a GOP weekly conference, joins the Natural Resources Committee markup and talks with the Utah AARP representative.
Rep. Chris Stewart chairs an environment subcommittee hearing, attends a briefing on cybersecurity and joins Rep. Rob Bishop in a meetings with the Utah AARP representative.
Gov. Gary Herbert attends the Utah Highway Patrol Awards banquet.
SL Co. Mayor Ben McAdams attends a Wasatch Front Regional Council Active Transportation Committee meeting, speaks at a naturalization ceremony, goes to the criminal justice advisory committee meeting and joins a Prison Relocation and Development Authority (PRADA) committee meeting.
SLC Mayor Ralph Becker joins the Wasatch Front Regional Council Active Transportation Committee meeting, leads an immigration reform roundtable and meets to discuss the new performing arts center.
WVC Mayor Mike Winder meets with the West Jordan City Council.
President Barack Obama travels first to Boston to show support for Senate Dem hopeful Ed Markey and then on to Miami to speak at two DNC events before heading back to D.C.
Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox. [Trib]
— Matt Canham and Isobel Markham Twitter.com/mattcanham and Twitter.com/i_markham