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Political Cornflakes: Missouri governor indicted over alleged blackmail in extramarital affair

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2018, file photo, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens speaks in Palmyra, Mo. A St. Louis grand jury has indicted Greitens on a felony invasion of privacy charge related to the Republican's affair with a woman in 2015. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced the indictment Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018. She launched an investigation in January after Greitens admitted to an affair with his St. Louis hairdresser that began in March 2015. He was elected governor in November 2016. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Missouri governor indicted over extramarital affair. Romney hires longtime aide/Trump ally as treasurer. BYU poster draws criticism.

Happy Friday. From the this-isn’t-good file: Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens was indicted by a grand jury in St. Louis Thursday on a charge of invasion of privacy, after the ex-husband of a woman with whom Greitens had an extramarital affair said the now-governor tried to blackmail her. Republicans had high hopes for keeping Missouri red this fall, though the indictment doesn’t help. [Politico]

Topping the news: Senate hopeful Mitt Romney hired a longtime aid who also serves as President Donald Trump’s campaign treasurer to oversee his own campaign’s financial accounting. [Trib]

-> Legislators have drafted a series of bills in hopes of not repeating the case of Gary Ott where a Salt Lake County Recorder with Alzheimer’s spent years in office with no way to remove him. [Trib]

-> Students have been quick to criticize BYU for a campus poster advertising a Women in Math event that featured pictures of four men and not a single woman. [Trib] [Fox13]

Tweets of the day: From @KikkiPlanet: “CNN’s Blitzer to Student: ‘Cameron, what do you say to conspiracy theorists who say you’re paid actors?’ Cameron: ‘Had they seen me in our production of Fiddler on the Roof, they’d know no one would ever pay me to act.’ I. Love. These. Kids. #NeverAgain #ParklandStudents”

-> From @TheDweck: “Finally, teens’ ability to deliver devastating blows to people’s self-esteem is being put to good use”

-> From @rickklein: “Have to say - NRA vs. FBI is a fight I did not see coming.”

-> From @petridishes: “As Per The President’s Instructions, 150 Ex-Marines And A Tank Will Be Sitting In On Our AP Bio Class This Semester, Everyone Say Hi”

-> From @behindyourback: “after this I’m going to start yelling at teens to get on my lawn”

Happy Birthday: To Rep. Mia Love’s chief of staff Ivan DuBois and former state Rep. Craig Frank. On Saturday to Dennis May with KTMP AM & FM Heber City.

Behind the Headlines: Tribune reporter Jessica Miller, government and politics editor Dan Harrie and columnist Robert Gehrke join KCPW’s Roger McDonough to talk about the week’s top stories, including Mitt Romney’s relationship with Pres. Trump and a legislative attempt to abolish the death penalty in Utah.

In other news: Sen. Jim Dabakis did a bit of day drinking before a presentation on the state’s new .05 DUI laws to prove that the laws may be too harsh. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4] [Fox13]

-> Senators voted in favor of a bill that would even disparities in educational funding across the state, even though the bill would decrease available funds for some areas. [Trib]

-> If a new bill passes, the Utah Department of Corrections would have to release a detailed report of how many inmates died while in custody. [Trib] [KUTV]

-> Another new bill would require Utah truck drivers to undergo training to recognize victims of human trafficking in order to renew their commercial driver’s license. [DNews]

-> In a decision that came down to the last vote, lawmakers have approved a bill that would allow the Utah Board of Education to set the rules for approving new charter schools but not have a say in which schools are actually selected. [Trib]

-> Lawmakers delayed a vote on a bill that would provide six weeks of paid parental leave to state employees who have or adopt a baby. [DNews]

-> The House approved a bill that would allow for stricter punishments on those who kill police dogs. The bill just needs a final signature from Gov. Herbert before it becomes law. [Trib]

-> In a cartoon from five years ago that is once again applicable, Pat Bagley depicts the NRA’s new blueprints for schools. [Trib]

-> Robert Gehrke shares several reasons that Utah should abolish the death penalty and encourages citizens to share them with their lawmakers. [Trib]

Nationally: NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre attacked Democrats, the media and law enforcement in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference. [NYTimes] [WaPost]

-> President Donald Trump again expressed his support of arming teachers and suggested that trained teachers could receive bonuses. [NYTimes]

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-- Thomas Burr and Eric Baker

Twitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/ebaker44