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Situational awareness - April 5, 2019 Good morning from Salt Lake City and TGIF! Here's what is driving the day: - Gov. Herbert, legislative leaders and a group of GOP lobbyists are working to recruit candidates for the Utah GOP State Central Committee.
- Salt Lake City cops want a pay raise.
- Barr defends his decision to hold off releasing the Mueller report
- Trump teases a trade deal with China.
Friday political trivia: Today's guest quizmaster is Gordon Jones who submits this question: What Utah member of Congress was forced to resign for lying about his war record? Send your guesses to me via email at bschott@utahpolicy.com. The first three readers to submit a correct answer will be recognized in Monday's newsletter
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TICK TOCK Today is the 95th day of the year. There are 270 days remaining in 2019. 15 days to the Utah Libertarian Party state convention (4/20/2019) 29 days to the Utah State Republican Party Organizing Convention (5/4/2019) 29 days to the United Utah Party state convention (5/4/2019) 59 days until the municipal election filing period opens (6/3/2019) 63 days until the municipal election filing period ends (6/7/2019) 78 days to the Utah State Democratic Party Organizing Convention (6/22/2019) 82 days to the first Democratic presidential primary debates in Miami (6/26/2019) 116 days to the second Democratic presidential primary debates in Detroit (7/30/2019) 130 days to the 2019 Utah primary elections (8/13/2019) 214 days to the 2019 municipal elections (11/5/2019) 297 days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (1/27/2020) 305 days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses (2/3/2020) 333 days to the 2020 Utah presidential primary (3/3/2020) 574 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
Today At Utah Policy  Herbert and legislative leaders are actively recruiting candidates for State Central Committee
By Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott
The laws of nature say for every action, there is a reaction.And with the Utah Republican Party in internal strife, which is stopping adequate fundraising and achieving goals of actually electing more Republicans to office, what may be termed as "the adults in the room" are reacting.
 Bob Bernick's notebook: I'm not crying wolf
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Will several thousand Republican county delegates this month change the tenor and functioning of the Utah State Republican Party?
 2019 political bracket face-off finals: Hughes vs. Schultz
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
We're down to the finals in this year's political bracket challenge. Former Speaker Greg Hughes vs. House Majority Whip Mike Schultz.
 UtahPolicy.com straw poll: Who will be Utah's next governor?
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Who do you think has the best chance to win the 2020 Utah gubernatorial race? Vote now in this week's straw poll.
 Utah Thrives podcast - The future of taxation in Utah
By Utah Foundation
The 2019 legislative session ended without a significant restructuring of Utah's sales tax system. There's agreement on the general goals broadening the base of goods and services subject to the sales tax but the clock ran out on the session before the details could be negotiated.
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES Deseret News Salt Lake Tribune Other
NATIONAL HEADLINES "Dozens" of whistle-blowers are secretly working with House Democrats. A "small army" of government employees are helping the House Oversight Committee investigate alleged malfeasance inside the Trump administration - http://bit.ly/2FPJ0HB
Barr defends his handling of the Mueller report. Attorney General William Barr says he has not yet released the report because it contains sensitive grand jury information that prevented its public release. Investigators who worked on the Mueller report are grumbling that Barr is misrepresenting their findings - http://bit.ly/2UjIFHq
Trump teases "epic" deal with China. President Donald Trump said Thursday his administration was on the verge of a massive trade deal with China, but it may take another four weeks or more to finalize the pact - https://nyti.ms/2FQ1Nmi
Trump backs off his threat to close the U.S.- Mexico border. President Trump said Thursday he would give Mexico a "one-year warning" before closing the border. He also threatened to slap tariffs on cars manufactured in Mexico if that country did not crack down on the number of immigrants coming to the U.S. - https://nyti.ms/2FPFq0e
House to sue Trump over national emergency at the border. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the Democrat-led House would file suit seeking to block president Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the southern border to shift military funds toward the construction of a wall - https://cnn.it/2FPjjHi
White House seeks to block the release of Trump's tax returns. The Trump administration may try to prevent House Democrats from getting their hands on President Trump's tax returns, which could send the issue to federal court - https://wapo.st/2FTmlu3 - Democrats in Congress are seeking financial records from Trump's bank. The bank says they will cooperate, but only under subpoena - https://wapo.st/2FQ1zLY
Pelosi questions Medicare-for-all. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would rather work to improve the Affordable Care Act - https://wapo.st/2FWhJDl
Cohen seeks to stay out of jail. President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen is offering Democrats in Congress new information to stay out of jail while he cooperates with Congress. Cohen says he has discovered new information on a hard drive that might assist Democrats in their probes of Trump's businesses - https://cnn.it/2G3Z495 - Cohen's lawyers submitted documents to Congress allegedly showing that President Trump and his attorneys instructed him to lie to Congress about Trump's efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow - http://bit.ly/2Uj6bUX
Trump rips Barbara Bush. In an Oval Office interview, Trump was asked about the criticism leveled at him by the former first lady shortly before her death. "I heard she was nasty to me, but she should be. Look what I did to her sons," Trump responded - http://bit.ly/2G402Cf
Trump wants to nominate Herman Cain for the Federal Reserve Board. Cain was a 2012 Republican presidential candidate until accusations of sexual misconduct drove him from the race - https://nyti.ms/2FRkUw9
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1614 - In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe. 1768 - The first U.S. Chamber of Commerce was founded in New York City. 1792 - President George Washington exercises his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power is used in the United States. 1922 - The American Birth Control League, forerunner of Planned Parenthood, is incorporated. 1951 - Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for spying for the Soviet Union. 1994 - Nirvana's Kurt Cobain killed himself at his home in Seattle.
Policy News Sen. Lee asks president to sign Yemen War Powers resolution Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) joined Senator Sanders, Senator Paul, Congressman Ro Khanna, and others on a letter asking President Trump to sign a resolution pursuant to the War Powers Act calling for the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen after the House passed it earlier on Thursday.
Curtis has 'grave concerns' with Yemen resolution Representative John Curtis (R-UT), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, voted against the S.J. Res. 7, a resolution that would use war power tools to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress.
Leaders for Clean Air receives $20,000 UCAIR grant to help Utah Workplaces install EV chargersLeaders for Clean Air, a Salt Lake City non-profit, working in partnership with Rocky Mountain Power, with a mission to improve air quality by encouraging electric vehicle adoption along the Wasatch Front, announced today the award of a $20,000 grant from UCAIR.
Casual Friday: Weekend Events & Outdoors ReportWeekend EventOutdoors Report-- Salt Lake Tribune: Will winter snowpack be enough to replenish Lake Powell?
More National Headlines
Certain Success
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." Thomas A. Edison
Duck
Barr may have cleared Trump of collusion charges, Colbert said, but "that's ignoring that those people thought Trump was guilty because he acted super guilty. I mean, if it looks like a duck, and swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then how are they supposed to know that it's just a deeply strange squirrel who strapped on a beak and some wings and went 'Quack, quack, what makes you think I'm a duck, you traitor?'" Guardian Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. Advertise With Us | 
