Sen. Lee confronted over cruel tweets

⏰ Tick Tock

Days to Utah's 2025 municipal primary elections (8/12/2025) - 56
Days until Election Day (11/4/2025) - 140
Days until the 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026) - 504
Days until the 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028) - 1,239

👀 Here's what you need to know for Tuesday morning:

UTAH AND THE WEST

Selective outrage: Sen. Mike Lee mocks real violence against Democrats, condemns fake violence against Trump. [Utah Political Watch]

Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith pulled Sen. Mike Lee out of a private Republican meeting to confront him over his social media posts mocking the murder of a Democratic state lawmaker. [Semafor]

• Read the email a top staffer for Sen. Smith sent to Sen. Lee's staffers ripping them for their boss's posts. [Burgess Everett on X]

Utah leaders address safety issues after assassination of Minnesota state lawmaker. [Deseret News]

Police investigating role of "peacekeepers" in fatal shooting at Salt Lake protest. [KSL]

Murder suspect described as a punk rocker who often open-carries a firearm at protests. [Fox 13]

"Project Runway" fashion designer shot dead at "No Kings" protest. [TMZ]

New poll: Utahns split over the end of universal mail-in voting. [Deseret News]

Juneteenth raised-fist imagery in city announcements sparks conservative criticism. [KSL]

Draper City sets aside over 250 acres of land for conservation, barring future development. [KUTV]

Red Flag Warning covers half the state with worsening fire conditions. [Fox 13]

NATIONAL

Senate Republicans are proposing larger cuts to Medicaid to offset trillions of dollars in tax cuts as part of the massive reconciliation bill. [Bloomberg]

• Americans oppose the GOP-led tax cut and spending bill by nearly a 2-1 margin according to new polling. [Washington Post]

A federal jury ruled MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed a former employee of a voting equipment company following the 2020 election. The employee was awarded $2.3 million in damages. [Politico]

The Los Angeles Press Club has sued the City of Los Angeles and its police department over alleged attacks on journalists during the recent civil unrest. [Washington Post]

The NAACP will not invite President Donald Trump to its national convention – the first time in the organization's 116-year history it has not invited the sitting president to participate. [Washington Post]

INTERNATIONAL

President Trump denied reaching out to leaders in Iran about a potential ceasefire with Israel. [ABC News]

President Trump says he wants "a real end" to Iran's nuclear program. [CBS News]

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he has ordered the "deployment of additional capabilities" to the command responsible for the Middle East. [BBC]
• President Trump sparked panic on Monday night when he warned "everyone" to flee Tehran. [Times of Israel]

HEALTHCARE

A federal judge ruled President Trump's cuts to National Institute of health grants for research on diversity-related topics was "void and illegal." [Reuters]

A new "razor blade throat" COVID variant is on the rise in some parts of California. Patients describe symptoms as feeling like their throats are studded with razor blades. [Los Angeles Times]

All 50 states and Washington, D.C. have agreed to a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma over OxyContin. [ABC News]

The Trump administration has cut government spending on health research to the lowest level in a decade, forcing universities to dip into their endowments to make up the difference. [Financial Times]

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Sales of Tesla vehicles dropped 16% in April. [Fortune]

Americans cut back sharply on spending last month. Retail sales fell 0.9% in May. [CNN]