Nobody wants to come to Elon Musk's (political) party

Days to Utah's 2025 municipal primary elections (8/12/2025) - 26
Days until Election Day (11/4/2025) - 110
Days until the 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026) - 474
Days until the 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028) - 1,209

Americans seem to be open to joining a third political party, but not if it's one formed by Elon Musk.

A Quinnipiac University poll found 49% of voters say they would consider joining a third party as an alternative to Republicans and Democrats, while 45% say they would not.

Most of those who would be open to joining a third party are already political free agents. 75% of independents say they would consider joining a third party compared to 28% of Republicans and 39% of Democrats.

However, if tech billionaire Elon Musk is attached to the party, most Americans would say no thank you. Musk floated the formation of the "America Party" after his public row with President Donald Trump.

More than three-quarters of Americans (77%) would not join a Musk-led party, while just 17% say they would consider it. That includes 74% of Republicans and 90% of Democrats who would stay away from a political party formed by Musk.

The CEO of right-wing news outlet Newsmax donated $25,000 to a fundraising arm of Rep. Burgess Owens who is a frequent critic of what he calls the "leftist media." [Utah Political Watch]

Utah teachers, staff still waiting for promised bonuses months after announcement. [Fox 13]

See how much money Trump's administration is now withholding from each utah school district. [Salt Lake Tribune]

Utah confirms another measles case, bringing the state's count to 10. [Utah News Dispatch]

Utah County Commissioners approve plan to allow police to work with ICE. [Fox 13]

Sen. Curtis says D.C. shouldn't dictate "red lines" for Ukraine attacks on Russia. [Deseret News]

Utah Supreme Court case could redefine citizen power in Utah. [Deseret News]

SLC says its public safety plan is working despite rising violent crime and "broken system." [Salt Lake Tribune]

Kane County braces for hit to tourism as wildfires cut off Grand Canyon access. [KUTV]

Salt Lake Co. DA's office reviews fatal "No Kings" protest shooting for possible charges. [KUTV]

The Senate approved $9 billion in funding cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting on Thursday morning. [CBS News]

10 Republican senators are urging the Trump administration to reverse its decision to withhold more than $6 billion in federal funds for education programs. [ABC News]

California Democrats say they're ready to go forward with a plan to redistrict the state and squeeze between five and seven more seats in Congress out of the new maps. The move is in response to efforts by Texas Republicans who are attempting a mid-cycle redrawing of the maps to improve their chances in the 2026 midterm elections. [Punchbowl News]

Democrats are far more engaged about voting in next year's midterm election according to a new polling. [CNN]

900 ex-Justice Department lawyers signed a letter opposing the nomination of Emil Bove III to serve as a federal appeals judge. [New York Times]

President Donald Trump is denying reports that he's close to firing Fed chair Jerome Powell. [Axios]

A new intelligence assessment found that the U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear sites destroyed just one of the three targets. [NBC News]

Retail sales rebounded in June, increasing by 0.6% after dropping almost a full percentage point the month before. [Axios]