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Situational awareness - June 14, 2019 Good morning from Salt Lake City and TGIF! Welcome to Utah's must-read daily political news rundown. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to sign up for our emails. Here are the stories we're following today: - A new poll shows Dabakis leading SLC mayor race, but more than a third of voters are undecided.
- Romney rips Trump for saying he'd be open to campaign help from a foreign government.
- 20 Democrats will be on the stage for the party's first presidential primary debate.
Friday political trivia Clark Larsen sends in this tricky question. Be careful, it's not as easy as it looks. How many people have been inaugurated POTUS at least once? Send your answers to me via email at bschott@utahpolicy.com. The first three readers with the correct answer will be recognized in Monday's newsletter. Good luck!
 My inbox is open to you! Got a confidential news tip? Is there a story we should be following? Drop me a line at bschott@utahpolicy.com.
The UtahPolicy.com daily newsletter gets you up to speed on the top local and national news about politics and public policy. Our news is curated by Managing Editor Bryan Schott, along with help from Golden Webb. ((Click here to subscribe))
TICK TOCK Today is the 165th day of the year. There are 200 days remaining in 2019. 8 days to the Utah State Democratic Party Organizing Convention (6/22/2019) 12 days to the first Democratic presidential primary debates in Miami (6/26/2019) 46 days to the second Democratic presidential primary debates in Detroit (7/30/2019) 60 days to the 2019 Utah primary elections (8/13/2019) 90 days to the third Democratic presidential primary debate (9/12/2019) 144 days to the 2019 municipal elections (11/5/2019) 227 days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (1/27/2020) 235 days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses (2/3/2020) 263 days to the 2020 Utah presidential primary (3/3/2020) 504 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
Today At Utah Policy  Poll shows Dabakis leading 8-way Salt Lake City mayoral race, but a third of voters are undecided
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
A poll commissioned by the Alliance for a Better Utah Education Fund ahead of the first debate in the Salt Lake City Mayor's race shows former State Senator Jim Dabakis has a double-digit lead over his nearest rival. But voters don't know much about the rest of the field.
 Watch: Romney condemns Trump saying he would take 'dirt' from a foreign government
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Sen. Mitt Romney said Thursday it's "unthinkable" that a candidate for president would accept information about their political rivals from a foreign government.
 Campaign tip: A million little things add up to a win
By LaVarr Webb, Publisher
Municipal elections are well underway, and a lot of hopefuls are gearing up for 2020 campaigns. It's time to refresh some old campaign wisdom.
 Defense spending authorization passes committee
By Press release
The House Armed Services Committee passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2020. As a senior member of the committee and Utah's only representation on an Armed Services Committee, Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01) submitted various provisions into the bill which were ultimately included in the committee-passed legislation.
 Sen. Lee introduces Native Species Protection Act
By Press release
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Native Species Protection Act Thursday, a bill that would allow states to manage species that exist entirely within their border.
 McAdams boosts funding for youth suicide prevention
By Press release
Congressman Ben McAdams successfully pushed for more support for national health researchers to raise awareness of and strengthen prevention efforts to reduce the tragic number of young people who take their own lives.
 Romney, Udall introduce Smoke-Free Schools Act to ban e-cigarette use in schools
By Press release
U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Tom Udall (D-NM) introduced the Smoke-Free Schools Act of 2019 to help school districts and local education agencies address the surge of e-cigarettes in schools.
 Sen. Lee introduces the Protecting Access to American Products Act
By Press release
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Protecting Access to American Products Act Thursday, a bill that makes it easier for Americans to receive flexibility from Jones Act regulations that prevent Americans from buying American.
 Cities Work podcast: Dealing with wildfire part 2
By Utah League of Cities and Towns
Are you ready for it? That's what community leaders may ask themselves after hearing about the 2018 Utah wildfires and how Woodland Hills' mayor and council members reacted when the flames were spreading into their community.
 Utah trade delegation travels to Europe for trade mission and Paris Air Show
By World Trade Center Utah
Gov. Gary R. Herbert is leading a business and diplomacy delegation of Utah companies and organizations on a trade mission to Switzerland, France and Italy to boost trade to Utah and promote the state as an attractive destination for foreign investment.
 Take a break from politics and watch some cool kestrels
By The Nature Conservancy
(Note: Our friends at The Nature Conservancy sent the following item for a little summer fun distraction and to help UtahPolicy.com readers engage with the natural world. See also a terrific blog post, Life, Death & Bird Cam Drama at the Great Salt Lake, posted by TNC's Larisa Bowen about the Kestrel project.)
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES Deseret News Salt Lake Tribune
NATIONAL HEADLINES More fallout from Trump saying he'd be open to campaign help from a foreign government - President Donald Trump's re-election campaign says they will deal with foreign offers of damaging information about opponents on a "case-by-case basis" - https://cbsn.ws/2MMNtBK
- The chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission released a statement making it clear it's illegal for candidates to accept help from foreign governments - https://wapo.st/2WKv398
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday said Trump's seeming willingness to accept foreign assistance if offered was a non-story, blaming Democrats for using it as a distraction - https://politi.co/2MJTMpA
- FBI officials say Trump's comments scrapped months of work to prevent foreign involvement in the 2020 election - https://politi.co/2WGInvn
- Democrats plan a major legislative push focused on securing elections from foreign interference - https://wapo.st/2WEONuS
A federal watchdog agency says White House adviser Kellyanne Conway should be fired. The group says she has violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits executive branch employees from using their official positions in a political manner - https://cnn.it/2MN6HXZ
Huckabee Sanders leaving White House. The White House spokeswoman will depart the Trump administration at the end of the month - https://cnn.it/2WKM5E4
The investigations - President Trump said former White House counsel Don McGahn "may have been confused" when he testified under oath that Trump instructed him to fire special counsel Robert Mueller - https://abcn.ws/2MPxYsR
- The House Judiciary Committee begins reviewing evidence from Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election - https://politi.co/2WPqACt
- A majority of Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee now back opening an impeachment inquiry into President Trump - https://politi.co/2WHzv8J
- The House Intelligence Committee issued surprise subpoenas for former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former top Trump campaign aide Rick Gates - https://nyti.ms/2WJy75I
2020 - The Democratic party announced the 20 candidates who will take the stage at the party's first presidential primary debate - http://bit.ly/2WM8AbR
- Anita Hill said during an interview "of course" she would be open to voting for Joe Biden in 2020 - https://nbcnews.to/2WJs00X
- Donald Trump Jr. plans to campaign for a primary challenger to Michigan Republican Rep. Justin Amash who has called for the president's impeachment - https://wapo.st/2WFSvEC
- Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden's age is quickly becoming an issue on the campaign trail - https://politi.co/2WGX2Xi
Iran - The U.S. is blaming Iran for an attack on two Japanese oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. intelligence produced a video of what they say is Iranian sailors removing an unexploded mine from one of the ships - https://wapo.st/2MLiTIE
- One of the captains of the ships that were attacked says they were hit by a flying object, disputing part of the account of U.S. officials - https://nyti.ms/2MNgtt8
Accounts payable. The Trump campaign has yet to pay thousands of dollars owed to ten cities for security costs incurred during campaign rallies for the president - http://bit.ly/2MNQpOF
Friday's really weird story. Foreign spies are using phantom profiles on LinkedIn, with profile pictures generated by artificial intelligence, to connect with several power players in Washington - http://bit.ly/2WFTZih
Measles. New York bans religious exemptions for mandatory school vaccines. Unvaccinated children have up to 30 days to provide proof they have been immunized in order to stay in school - https://wapo.st/2MNPCgF - Some wealthy Los Angeles school districts have a lower immunization rate than Sudan - http://bit.ly/2MNbl8s
Space. Nasa says it will need $20 to $30 billion to return to the moon within five years - https://cnn.it/2WFRa0y
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1775 - The Continental Army is established by the Continental Congress, marking the birth of the U.S. Army. 1777 - The Stars and Stripes is adopted by Congress as the Flag of the United States. 1846 - Bear Flag Revolt begins: Anglo settlers in Sonoma, California, start a rebellion against Mexico and proclaim the California Republic. 1900 - Hawaii becomes a United States Territory. 1922 - President Warren G. Harding became the first president to broadcast a message over the radio. 1933 - The first Superman comic book - Action Comic No. 1 - was published. 1954 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill into law that places the words "under God" into the Pledge of Allegiance.
Policy News Casual Friday: Weekend Events & Outdoors ReportOutdoors Report--Salt Lake Tribune:Great Salt Lake up 2.5 feet and still rising from last year's 'disastrous' low levels
Utah Valley Chamber names Andy Pierucci new Director of Public Policy and Business DevelopmentThe Utah Valley Chamber is pleased to announce the hire of Andy Pierucci as the new director of public policy and business development.
More National Headlines D-Day Commemoration
"He [Trump] initially agreed to attend because he thought the D stood for Donald." Jimmy Kimmel Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. Advertise With Us | 
