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 - January 17, 2020Good morning from Salt Lake City and TGIF!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.Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:
PROGRAMMING NOTEWe will not publish our morning newsletter on Monday, Jan. 20 because of the MLK Day holiday. Expect us to return to our normal publishing schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 21. FRIDAY TRIVIAThis week's question comes from Ken Sizemore: Name the seven Utah interlocal entities established in the early 1970s to provide a common forum to identify, discuss, study and resolve area wide problems. Send your answers to me at mailbag@utahpolicy.com. The third reader to submit the correct answer gets to ask next week's question as well as one of our laptop stickers. Good luck! TICK TOCKDays to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 11 (1/27/2020) Days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses: 18 (2/3/2020) Days to the New Hampshire primaries: 26 (2/11/2020) Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 47 (3/3/2020) Days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 56 (3/12/2020) Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 166 (6/30/2020) Days to the 2020 election: 292 (11/3/2020) Today At Utah PolicyThomas Wright picks Rob Bishop as his 2020 running mateBy Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor At first glance, GOP gubernatorial candidate Thomas Wright's pick of retiring U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop to be his lieutenant governor running mate -- announced Thursday -- may appear odd. Why polling is helpful -- even if you dislike the results By LaVarr Webb, Publisher As readers know, at UtahPolicy.com we conduct regular survey research with Y2Analytics on public policy topics, political races and politician popularity. Stewart says Democrats are 'giddy' over impeaching president Trump By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Rep. Chris Stewart slammed Democrats on Thursday for being "giddy" over the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg to campaign in Utah on Saturday By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg will make a campaign stop in Utah on Saturday. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News
Salt Lake Tribune
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NATIONAL HEADLINESPresident Trump is officially on trialThe Senate began the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on Thursday. The first day of the official proceedings were marked by conflict over whether to call witnesses and new evidence about President Trump's dealings in Ukraine [Washington Post]. The Senate is cracking down on reporters covering the impeachment trial, hindering their ability to do their job covering the proceedings [CNN]. Ukraine scandalLev Parnas, the indicted former associate of Rudy Giuliani, alleged President Trump was fully aware of efforts to push the Ukrainian government to open an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden. Parnas also says Trump tried to fire Ambassador Maria Yovanovitch multiple times [Politico]. Parnas accused former Energy Secretary Rick Perry of telling Ukraine's president he had to announce an investigation into Joe Biden and the energy company that hired Biden's son as a board member when he attended the new president's inauguration last May [Bloomberg]. The non-partisan Government Accountability Office says the Trump administration broke the law when it withheld aid to Ukraine [New York Times]. IranIran's supreme leader called President Trump a "clown" who will "push a poisonous dagger" into the backs of the Iranian people [AP]. Several U.S. service members were injured during last week's Iranian missile attack on an Iraqi air base despite initial claims that no casualties had taken place [CNN]. Trade dealThe Senate passed the revamped North American trade agreement to re-write the rules of trade with Mexico and Canada [NBC News]. Tax cutsThe Trump tax cuts delivered a $32 billion windfall to the top six U.S. banks as they cut jobs, cut back on new borrowing and delivered bigger payouts to shareholders [Bloomberg]. Yikes!A Georgia election server contains evidence it was possibly hacked before the 2016 presidential election according to an election security expert [Politico]. PollingA new poll shows black Americans are deeply pessimistic about opportunities available to them in the United States. The survey also finds that more than 8 in 10 black Americans believe President Trump is a racist and he has made racism a bigger problem in the country [Washington Post]. Mystery virusA mysterious SARS-like virus has spread from China to Japan [Bloomberg]. BUSINESS HEADLINES
Policy NewsRep. Patrice Arent announces retirement at end of 2020Representative Patrice Arent (D - House District 36) has issued the following statement: Mayor Mendenhall announces plan for temporary winter shelter After weeks of work in coordination with the Salt Lake City Council, service providers, Salt Lake County, and State partners, Mayor Erin Mendenhall today announced the temporary expansion of up to 145 beds available to unsheltered individuals in Salt Lake City. Join WTC Utah on Jan 24 for a business luncheon with the Consul General of Switzerland in San Francisco World Trade Center Utah, in partnership with the Governor's Office of Economic Development and the Salt Lake Chamber, invites you to a luncheon welcoming The Honorable Benedikt Wechsler, Consul General of the Confederation of Helvetica (Switzerland) in San Francisco. Casual Friday: Weekend Events & Outdoors Report Outdoors Report--Salt Lake Tribune:Sutherland Institute's campaign against Bears Ears was relentless, effective and mostly funded by a tight circle of activists More National Headlines
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1605 - Don Quixote was published. 1946 - The U.N. Security Council met for the first time. 1961 - In his farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against "the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex." 1977 - Convicted killer Gary Gilmore was executed by firing squad in Utah. It was the first execution since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty the previous year. 1988 - President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to testify as a defendant in a criminal or civil suit when he answered questions from lawyers for Paula Jones, who had accused Clinton of sexual harassment. Wise WordsYouth "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."Frederick Douglass Lighter SideCanada Here They Come Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they'll no longer be senior members of the royal family and they might move to Canada. I give them a lot of credit - tons of celebrities always threaten to move to Canada; they're actually doing it."- JIMMY FALLON Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |