Interior Secretary Zinke says 30 percent of his employees are ‘not loyal’ to him, Trump or the flag. Hatch says it might be ‘virtually impossible’ to pass health care bill on the table. Utah athletes respond to president‘s comments on the NFL.
Happy Tuesday. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke suggested Monday that 30 percent of the department’s employees are “not loyal to the flag,” not loyal to him and not loyal to President Donald Trump. He compared it to a pirate ship that seizes “a prized ship at sea and only the captain and the first mate row over” and complete the takeover. [AP]
Topping the news: After the defections of multiple Republican senators, Sen. Orrin Hatch said passing the Graham-Cassidy bill may be “virtually impossible” this week. [Trib]
-> Hatch unveiled the Succeed Act on Monday, a relief measure that proposes vetting young immigrants over a 15 year period, with the hope that it will be implemented before DACA is phased out. [Trib] [DNews] [KUER] [KUTV]
-> Athletes across the country — including former Utah football and current Jazz players — talked about President Donald Trump’s comments on NFL players taking a knee. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @byrdinator: “Sen. Mike Lee doesn’t do hallway interviews but IJR has learned he will wave back at u on occasion if u are persistent”
-> From @petridishes: “You’re going to pass this bill, huh? You and what R-ME?”
Happy Birthday: To state Rep. Angela Romero.
In other news: Christine Sleeter, a retired professor, gave $250,000 to the Ute Indian Tribe to compensate for her great-grandparents’ profits from tribal land sales. [Trib]
-> Salt Lake City and county leaders launched a new emergency preparedness program, SAFE, which will use neighborhood elementary schools as receiving centers for families in the event of a disaster. [Trib] [FOX13]
-> Some University of Utah students were denied tickets to an upcoming Ben Shapiro speech on campus and said it was the result of racial discrimination. Event organizers disagreed. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley brings the crisis in Puerto Rico close to home in his latest cartoon. [Trib]
-> Paul Rolly weighs the connections between the LDS Church and the Utah Legislature. [Trib]
Nationally: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced her opposition to the Graham-Cassidy proposal on Monday. [NYTimes]
-> The Trump administration is facing pressure to provide quick assistance to those in Puerto Rico experiencing devastation after Hurricane Maria. [WaPost]
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-- Courtney Tanner and Karenna Meredith