 The UtahPolicy.com daily newsletter gets you up to speed on the top local and national news about politics and public policy. Send news tips or feedback to bschott@utahpolicy.com, or message us on Twitter. Situational awareness - March 23, 2020Good Monday morning from Salt Lake CityTICK TOCK33 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic state conventions (4/25/2020)99 days to the 2020 Utah primary elections (6/30/2020)225 Days to the 2020 election (11/3/2020)303 days to inauguration day [01/20/2021)308 days to the start of the 2021 Utah Legislature (1/25/2021)Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:
TRIVIA WINNERMany of our readers knew George Sutherland graduated from Brigham Young Academy and served in both houses of Congress. Out of dozens of correct guesses, we randomly selected Chase Thomas as our winner. He gets the honor of asking this Friday's question. Thanks for subscribing to Utah's must-read daily political news rundown.If you know of friends or colleagues who would benefit from our daily news roundup, please encourage them to sign up for our emails. Today At Utah Policy Utah Economic Response Task Force is moving fastBy LaVarr Webb, Publisher The Utah Coronavirus Economic Response Task Force, organized and announced by Gov. Gary Herbert just a week ago, is moving rapidly to provide support to businesses and their employees with the goal of keeping Utah's economy as strong as possible during the crisis.  Sen. Luz Escamilla says she's tested positive for COVID-19By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Sunday night, Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, announced she had tested positive for the coronavirus.  Rep. Ben McAdams hospitalized with coronavirusBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams said Sunday he was hospitalized over the weekend due to the COVID-19 virus.  Podcast: Managing anxiety and stress during the coronavirus outbreakBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Coronavirus and social distancing have many Utahns on edge as they try to adapt to a new normal. Add an earthquake into the mix, and it makes for an anxiety-inducing week for many in the state.  Sens. Lee and Romney to self-quarantineBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Utah Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney have decided to self-quarantine after their colleague, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday.  Utah's unemployment rate held steady at 2.9% in FebruaryBy News Release Utah's nonfarm payroll employment for February 2020 grew by an estimated 2.9%, adding 44,300 jobs to the economy since February 2019. Utah's current employment level registers 1,579,700. January's year-over job growth has been minimally revised down to 2.8%.  Corona Quake Swallow - Bernick and Schott on politics podcastBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick help you understand the news that shaped another nerve-jangling week in Utah politics. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News
Salt Lake Tribune
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NATIONAL HEADLINESStimulus bill stalls"Senate Democrats blocked a massive coronavirus stimulus bill from moving forward Sunday as partisan disputes raged over the legislation that's aimed at arresting the economy's precipitous decline" [Washington Post]. Democrats objected to a $500 billion "slush fund" for corporate America. The money would be controlled by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and would allow him to keep secret for six months the names of the companies that receive federal money and how much they got [Politico]. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said the financial stimulus package will include an average payment of $3,000 for a family of four [The Hill]. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will move forward with its own bill to address the crisis [Politico]. Global markets plunged as the fiscal relief bill stalled Sunday night [CNN Business]. Brutal week ahead for the economyThe U.S. economy is deteriorating more quickly than expected as more than 80 million Americans are staying home to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus [Washington Post]. The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis predicted the U.S. unemployment rate may hit 30 percent in the second quarter because of shutdowns to combat the coronavirus. He also forecasted gross domestic product could drop 50 percent [Bloomberg]. Starbucks has closed most of its stores in the U.S. and Canada and moved them to drive-through only for two weeks to combat the spread of the virus [Reuters]. The FAA temporarily halted flights to New York and Philadelphia airports because of "staffing issues" at air traffic control stations [NBC New York]. Fighting the spread of the virusExperts say it will take extraordinary measures and lots of cash to stop the virus in the U.S. [New York Times]. President Donald Trump promised to roll out the National Guard to help control the spread of the illness [Yahoo! News]. 2020Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden says he will begin vetting potential VP picks "in a matter of weeks." Biden has said he will select a woman as his running mate [Politico]. AfghanistanSecretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan Monday to try and mediate a political crisis surrounding a disputed presidential election from last year [Washington Post]. Olympic gamesThe International Olympics Committee will take a month to decide whether the 2020 games in Tokyo will proceed as planned. The games could be delayed for one year until 2021 [Variety]. Canada officials said they would not send athletes to the games in Tokyo this summer because of the coronavirus [New York Times]. The Australian Olympic Committee told athletes to prepare for the Tokyo Games to be delayed for a year [The Guardian]. BUSINESS HEADLINES
Policy News Leaders share best practices to support economy through pandemicGovernor Gary R. Herbert and industry leaders shared strategies, ideas and best practices to combat and mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus. Some ideas include: using take out at restaurants; scheduling shopping, home viewings, and other necessary and appropriate gatherings; and, maintaining social distance at all times.  CYBER 24 Episode 74: How deep learning beats machine learning in detecting threatsDetecting increasingly sophisticated malware attacks requires complex defenses. Security companies are using more and more advanced types of machine and deep learning to blacklist malware and prevent it from ever getting to your employees or your computer systems. Governor appoints Representative Logan Wilde as the new commissioner for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Gov. Gary R. Herbert has announced the appointment of Rep. Logan Wilde as the commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. Salt Lake City, DTA and Ty Burrell develop 'Tip Your Server' relief plan for food and beverage industry Relief will soon be on the way for some employees in Salt Lake City's deeply impacted food and beverage industry. More National Headlines
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1775 - Patrick Henry delivers his speech - "Give me liberty, or give me death!" - in Richmond, Virginia. 1933 - The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act of 1933, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany. 1977 - The first of the Nixon Interviews (12 will be recorded over four weeks) are videotaped with British journalist David Frost interviewing former President Richard Nixon about the Watergate scandal. 1983 - The world's first recipient of a permanent artificial heart, Barney Clark, died in a Salt Lake City hospital. 1983 - President Ronald Reagan called for the development of an anti-missile defense system to protect the U.S. from nuclear attacks. The Strategic Defense Initiative was dubbed "Star Wars." Wise WordsThe Gambler "You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run."Kenny Rogers Lighter SideGood One Pete "But when you don't have a real audience, you have to fake one, just like Trump's inauguration." Pete Buttigieg Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
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