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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 - December 12, 2019Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City.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:The House Judiciary Committee set to vote on articles of impeachment against President Trump. Utah lawmakers hold a special session Thursday night to approve tax reform proposal. Utah Democrats hope Billionaire Michael Bloomberg will give a boost to the party ahead of the 2020 elections.TICK TOCKDays to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 46 (1/27/2020) Days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses: 53 (2/3/2020) Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 82 (3/3/2020) Days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 91 (3/12/2020) Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 201 (6/30/2020) Days to the 2020 election: 327 (11/3/2020) Today At Utah PolicyUtah Democrats hope to get a boost from Bloomberg's campaignBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Utah Democrats are hoping some of Michael Bloomberg's largesse makes its way to the Beehive State. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News Editorial: Fairness for All and the courage to find compromise in America 1 in 5 Utahns is a public school student; fall '19 enrollment tops 666,000 Even before Phase 1 completion, Facebook announces expansion to Utah data center Thursday deadline looms for BLM employees on potential move to the West Homeless providers struggling to fill empty beds at South Salt Lake center Sen. Mike Lee rips ex-FBI director James Comey over Russia probe report Mitt Romney bills to raise smoking age, ban e-cigs in schools part of health care package Could 2020 bring full Medicaid expansion to Utah?Salt Lake Tribune Editorial: Utah tax 'reform' package should be rejected BYU study links shrinking Great Salt Lake, other vanishing water bodies to 90% of northern Utah's dust Utah Sen. Mitt Romney objects to big fee increase for federal genealogy records The new South Salt Lake homeless shelter has empty beds, but is too far away for some Utah Sen. Mike Lee says report on the FBI is 'scathing,' and he believes agents were biased against TrumpOther Researchers studying 'abortion reversal pill' mentioned in 2017 Utah legislation call off study after patients hemorrhage (Daily Herald) Utah County Commission delays finalizing 2020 budget, property tax decision a week (Daily Herald)NATIONAL HEADLINESImpeachment endgameThe House Judiciary Committee is set to approve articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Thursday, setting up a vote in the full House next week [Politico]. Senate Republicans are actively considering a plan to hold a short impeachment trial in January with no witnesses to avoid partisan fighting [Washington Post]. President Trump is pushing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to hold a full impeachment trial next year to turn the event into a spectacle, which he believes will hurt Democrats in next year's elections [CNN]. FBI under fireDepartment of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz faced tough questioning about the conduct of the FBI during the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Horowitz determined the FBI's investigation was authorized properly despite several mistakes [New York Times]. Ukraine scandalThe White House budget office asserted in a new legal memo that military aid to Ukraine was withheld correctly to give officials time to study whether the spending complied with U.S. policy [Washington Post]. Trump's financial recordsCongressional Democrats urged the Supreme Court to not delay House committees' access to President Trump's financial records as the information could prove crucial to investigating foreign involvement in next year's election [Washington Post]. EconomyThe Federal Reserve said Wednesday they would keep the benchmark interest rate unchanged and signaled there would likely be no rate cuts through next year's elections [Axios]. Wow!Fox News host Jesse Waters claims female reporters sleep with their sources" all the time" [Daily Beast]. BUSINESS HEADLINESConstruction near Hill AFB's Roy gate coming, to make way for looming influx of jobs (Standard-Examiner) Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine will last until at least 2032 (Salt Lake Tribune) What a $1.5 billion investment means for Utah, Kennecott and U.S. mining (Deseret News)Policy NewsRomney expresses concern about 500% fee increase to obtain genealogy recordsU.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) expressed his concern about a rule proposed by the Department of Homeland Security that would place a 500% fee increase on the delivery of family history records obtained through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This rule would greatly inhibit Utahns' access to these records.Curtis 'Miracle Mountain' bill sails through committee Rep. John Curtis (R-UT), Deputy Republican Leader of the National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee, released the following after his bill, H.R. 722, designating a mountain in the State of Utah as "Miracle Mountain" passed the House Natural Resources Committee unanimously last week.McAdams votes for strong national defense; support for military families Congressman Ben McAdams voted for the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act, (NDAA) which invests in U.S. military readiness and meets the needs of the nation's military men and women and their families. McAdams supported S. 1790-- the conference report outlining House and Senate agreement on defense department needs.Bishop applauds passage of Defense Bill The House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020. As Utah's only representation on an Armed Services Committee and a conferee involved in negotiating the bill, Congressman Bishop helped secure: a 3.1-percent pay raise for our troops, language ensuring survivors of deceased service members receive the benefits they deserve, the establishment of the United States Space Force, and the continued rebuilding of the military.Top College Republican leaders launch climate advocacy campaign More than two dozen top College Republican leaders from across the country, including four from Utah, have launched an advocacy campaign to promote a federal climate solution known as the Baker-Shultz Carbon Dividends Plan.Salt Lake County hires new Criminal Justice Advisory Council Director After an extensive nationwide search, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson is thrilled to announce Jojo Liu is joining the county team as the new Director of the Criminal Justice Advisory Council (CJAC). More National HeadlinesCruz To Horowitz: Did An FBI Attorney Defraud The FISA Court? Horowitz: Yup (Hot Air) Former DOJ official: Durham's reaction to IG report means 'he's got the goods on somebody' (FOX News) Those impeachment articles will make great stump props for Trump (Boston Herald) Hawks who lied about the Afghanistan War attacked every presidential candidate who was right about it (Washington Examiner) The welfare state 'Brezhnev Doctrine' (Boston Globe) The Clint Eastwood Film 'Richard Jewel' is an Indictment of the Media, and They are not Happy About It (RedState) Why Do We Pretend That One-Parent Families Are No Big Deal? (Mother Jones) The Bot Decade: How AI Took Over Our Lives in the 2010s (Popular Mechanics) The Absurd Crusade against the Salvation Army (National Review) The New York Times Continues to Misreport the Trump Executive Order on Antisemitism (Volokh Conspiracy) The Person Of The Year Is Not Greta Thunberg. It's The Hong Kong Protester (Federalist)ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1870 - Joseph Hayne Rainey of South Carolina was sworn in as the first African-American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. 1901 - Italian physicist and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi sent the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean. 1981 - Martial law was imposed in Poland. 2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court halted the presidential recount in Florida, effectively making Republican George W. Bush the winner. Wise WordsDiversity"Where all men think alike, no one thinks very much."Walter Lippmann Lighter SidePelosi on Hate"We Catholics don't hate anyone, O.K.? We are not allowed to. We don't hate anyone. That's why we waged 11 crusades: to remind those people how much we love them. The Inquisition was just a tickle fight that got out of control."- STEPHEN COLBERT Listen to us on_Apple Podcasts Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
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