News roundup: GOP unveils video game to take back the Senate

GOP unveils video game to take back the Senate. Idaho seizes nine boys from polygamous sect. Lee: Get involved to fix broken D.C.

Happy Thursday. The National Republican Senatorial Committee is spending millions to try and take back the Senate from Democrats' hands and now you can play along at home. At least for fun. The NRSC has released a video game starring Giopi, an 8-bit elephant searching for golden keys to "unlock" the Senate, but he first has to face "job-destroying Taxers" — enemies sent by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Barack Obama. "There is going to be a lot of red tape and regulations in our way, but we need to overcome them in order to succeed," the character tells players at the start of the game. Of course, signing up to play means the NRSC can harvest your email or access your Facebook account, so be warned. [Yahoo]

Topping the news: A federal judge has finalized his decision striking down part of Utah's anti-bigamy law, opening the door for an appeal by Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes. [Trib] [DNews]

-> Idaho has seized nine boys from a fundamentalist polygamy sect over concerns about child abuse and a caretaker has been charged with three misdemeanors. [Trib]

-> Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes says the state will only get one shot at suing the federal government to take over public lands and it better be "monumental." [DNews] [UtahPolicy]

-> Sen. Mike Lee told a town hall that Americans don't have to accept a logjam from their elected leaders and they need to get involved to let Washington know they expect results. [StandEx]

Tweet of the day: From @Moody: "We have also obtained exclusive video from inside the Kock brothers' secret meeting." [Hulu]

Happy Birthday: To Latino activist Tony Yapias and to Winston Wilkinson.

In other news: Sen. John Valentine stands up for the Utah Transit Authority after an audit showed many discrepancies. [Trib]

-> A challenger in the contested Millard County GOP primary is asking a judge to hold the county clerk in contempt of court for not ordering a new election as the judge previously ruled. Meanwhile, the Lt. Gov's office has asked the Utah Supreme Court to overturn the judge's decision. [Trib]

-> Pat Bagley suggests an idea for bonuses for UTA execs that would really improve service. [Trib]

-> Demonstrators who allegedly disrupted a meeting of the Utah's Legislature are now facing charges. [Trib]

-> Bryan Schott defends the Utah Policy/Zions Bank polling and says there's no grand conspiracy as some critics have charged because they didn't like the results. [UtahPolicy]

-> A company's growing x-ray business means more jobs for Salt Lake County over the next 20 years. [Trib][DNews]

-> The future of Park City's ski season rests on a judge's ruling next week after he postponed his ruling yesterday. [Trib][DNews]

-> More than 90 people have died due to automobile accidents this summer, an increase over last summer. [Trib]

Nationally: An effective management structure and leadership have helped turn ISIS into a stronger force over the last decade. [NYTimes]

-> The mother of a hostage being held by ISIS released a video begging his captors to set him free. [NYTimes][WaPost][Examiner]

-> Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is suing President Barack Obama, saying the federal government's efforts to implement Common Core standards is a violation of state's rights. [CBSNews]

-> Obama's decision on whether to allow millions of immigrants to stay in the country could affect the outcome of the midterm elections in November. [WaPost]

Where are they?

Rep. Jason Chaffetz appears on Fox News and speaks at the fundraiser for House Speaker John Boehner in Park City

Gov. Gary Herbert meets with the media for his monthly news conference, goes through judicial deliberations, and hits the Utah Broadcasters' "Let Me Speak to the Governor" program.

Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox joins X96 Radio Show, "Radio from Hell," and then ends his day at a Voter Registration Kick-off in Salt Lake.

SL Co. Mayor Ben McAdams attends a Utah Association of Counties, the Council of Mayors and the Wasatch Front Regional Council meetings, and watches the TV broadcast of the University of Utah football game.

SLC Mayor Ralph Becker interviews with KCPW, meets with the Salt Lake Valley Conference of Mayors and the Wasatch Front Regional Council, and celebrates the 75th Anniversary of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Department at Utah State University.

President Barack Obama meets with Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell.

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]

— Thomas Burr and Mallory Jesperson Twitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/JespersonM