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Salt Lake Tribune
Brian Maffly is the public lands and environment reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune
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Brian Maffly
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FROM Brian Maffly
One Year Later
A turf war over public lands Earlier this month, President Trump announced to a cheering crowd at the Utah state capitol that he would be removing hundreds of thousands of acres from two national monuments designated by previous Democratic presidents. The move was a triumph for many residents who live around the monuments and the federally controlled public lands. Many Utahans are still angry about the creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, created by President Bill Clinton in 1996. Trump’s action drastically reduces Clinton’s monument from nearly 1.9 million acres to just under a million. The Bears Ears Monument, designated by President Obama, will be chopped by as much as 85 percent, going from 1.3 million acres to just over 200 thousand acres. Trump’s executive orders have generated lots of controversy, and, already, several lawsuits.
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To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.