 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 - April 29, 2020Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake CityTICK TOCK62 days to the 2020 Utah primary elections (6/30/2020)188 Days to the 2020 election (11/3/2020)266 days to inauguration day (01/20/2021)271 days to the start of the 2021 Utah Legislature (1/25/2021)Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:
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 newsletter. Today At Utah Policy Utah voters give lawmakers good job performance ratingsBy Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Most Utahns approve of the job the Utah Legislature did during its 2020 general session, which ended in early March, a recent poll by UtahPolicy.com and KUTV 2News finds.  Utah will allow some businesses to reopen on FridayBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced Tuesday that the state would begin lifting coronavirus restrictions and allow some businesses to reopen beginning on Friday.  Bernick and Schott on politics podcast - 'Terrible Twitter takes'By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor The June primary election lineups are set, mostly. Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick discuss the top Utah political news headlines.  Gov. Herbert announces 'A Mask for Every Utahn" projectBy News Release Gov. Gary R. Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer J. Cox announced 'A Mask for Every Utahn,' a public-private partnership to provide a free face mask to Utahns who don't have one. Masks, along with social distancing, will play an important role as more people return to work and everyday activities, and we all work to reactivate the Utah economy.  Guest opinion: Pandemic budget losses are painful but offer opportunityBy Derek Monson Utah lawmakers just appropriated $4 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds, with some strings attached. But they are still likely to have to fill large budget gaps caused by the dramatic economic impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News
Salt Lake Tribune
Other
NATIONAL HEADLINESGrim milestoneThe coronavirus death toll in the U.S. now exceeds the number killed in the Vietnam War. The war lasted nearly 20 years, while it took about three months for the U.S. to hit surpass the number of war dead [The Hill]. The number of deaths in seven states could 9,000 higher than originally reported [New York Times]. Food supply chainPresident Donald Trump ordered meatpacking plants to stay open during the coronavirus pandemic [Axios]. Economic falloutA White House economic advisor is warning unemployment in the U.S. could hit 20 percent by June [CNN]. The first-quarter GDP report is expected to show that the U.S. economy shrank at an annual rate of 5 percent or more in the first quarter of 2020 [AP]. America is facing its first economic downturn since 2014 [CNN]. Uber is discussing plans to lay off about 20 percent of its workforce [The Information]. Tripadvisor laid off a quarter of its global workforce and closed a number of offices [Skift]. Ford lost $2 billion during the first quarter and is warning investors their losses will be worse in the current quarter [CNN]. Laying blameThe Trump administration is pressuring intelligence agencies to find out whether China and the World Health Organization initially hid what they knew about the coronavirus pandemic [NBC News]. Small business loansThe Treasury Department says they will perform a full audit on any company that took out loans above $2 million from a small business loan program to make sure their claims of economic distress were valid [CNBC]. The Trump administration says they will recoup hundreds of millions of dollars from big companies that received loans intended for small businesses [New York Times]. TestingPresident Trump claims that the U.S. will begin testing 5 million people daily, but the top administration official overseeing testing says that's impossible [Time]. Coronavirus latestDr. Anthony Fauci is warning the U.S. could be in for a "bad fall and a bad winter" if it's unprepared for a second wave of coronavirus [CNN]. The virus is likely to keep schools closed for months [New York Times]. 2020Hillary Clinton endorsed Joe Biden on Tuesday [Politico]. Rep. Justin Amash, who left the Republican Party in 2019, launched an exploratory committee to run for president on the Libertarian Party ticket [Politico]. BUSINESS HEADLINES
Policy News Curtis, bipartisan House members introduce bill to bolster internet freedom globallyRepresentative John Curtis (R-UT), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, joined released the following statement after introducing the bipartisan Open Technology Fund Authorization Act:  Stewart urges adoption of national suicide hotline in next COVID-19 relief packageCongressman Chris Stewart (UT-02) joined a bipartisan, bicameral push in Congress with 22 U.S. Senators and 17 U.S. Representatives to include H.R. 4194, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, in the next COVID-19 relief package.  Sens. Lee, Klobuchar call on law enforcement to investigate meat supply chainU.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, and Mike Lee (R-UT), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, wrote a letter to the Justice Department, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), calling on the agencies to identify problems and implement appropriate solutions to help ensure that our country's food markets work for consumers, as well as our farmers, ranchers, and packers. More National Headlines
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1862 - New Orleans falls to Union forces during the Civil War. 1967 - After refusing induction into the U.S. Army, Muhammad Ali is stripped of his boxing title. 1974 - President Richard Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings relating to the Watergate scandal.. 1975 - The U.S. begins to evacuate its citizens from Saigon in Operation Frequent Wind in response to advancing North Vietnamese forces, bringing an end to American involvement in the war. 1990 - Cranes begin tearing down the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate. 1992 - Riots break out in Los Angeles following the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Wise WordsNature "When nature has work to be done, she creates a genius to do it."Ralph Waldo Emerson Lighter SidePlaying Dumb "These poor doctors working for Trump. If they don't give us the truth, they're not doing their jobs, but if they do tell the truth, there's a good chance he'll fire them, so their only option is to play dumb and hope Trump gets distracted by a Filet-O-Fish or something."- JIMMY KIMMEL Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 157 W 200 S, Springville, UT 84663
