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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 - July 22, 2020Good morning from Salt Lake CityLet's Wednesday!TICK TOCK104 Days to the 2020 election (11/3/2020)182 days to inauguration day (01/20/2021)187 days to the start of the 2021 Utah Legislature (1/25/2021)Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:President Trump asked the ambassador to Britain to ask the British government if they would help steer the British Open golf tournament to his resort in Scotland. The president said the coronavirus outbreak will get worse before it gets better. Gov. Gary Herbert joined other GOP governors in urging Congress to pass coronavirus liability protections for businesses.PODCAST"Bernick and Schott on politics" is Utah's longest-running, and highest-rated, political podcast. We break down the big Utah political news twice a week, plus bring you interviews with newsmakers and interesting people. You can subscribe at this link, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 PolicyHerbert joins other GOP governors pushing Congress to pass 'commonsense' coronavirus liability protectionsBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Gov. Gary Herbert joined with 20 other Republican governors in sending a letter to Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, urging them to pass "common sense" liability protections for American companies that reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic. Bernick and Schott on politics podcast: Profits over people By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Managing Editor Bryan Schott and Contributing Editor Bob Bernick dig into the latest Utah political news. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News 'No choice but to change': Utah college and university presidents weigh in on the future of higher education Salt Lake school board delays vote on school reopening plan Do congressional Republicans favor another round of stimulus checks? Utah municipal judge who criticized Trump, championed Asian Americans dead at 58 Lee wants to know if Trump administration is 'secretly' using expired law to spy on people Utah lawmaker shares how COVID-19 caught her young family 'off guard' Utah's 'Mighty Five' national parks suffer mightily from low visitationSalt Lake Tribune Salt Lake City schools won't start until after Labor Day - and they could be entirely online All-by-mail COVID-19 primary election, high-profile governor's race spurs high voter turnout Congress is debating another $1 trillion round of relief State lawmaker says her family has contracted COVID-19Other Box Elder School District planning in-person return to school Aug. 31 with shorter days the first 2 weeks (Standard-Examiner) Logan mayor to ask governor for permission for citywide mask mandate (Logan Herald Journal) Cache County School District delays back-to-school decision (Logan Herald Journal)NATIONAL HEADLINESYowza!President Donald Trump asked the U.S. ambassador to Britain to see if the British government would help steer the lucrative British Open golf tournament to his Turnberry resort in Scotland. The ambassador's deputy asked him not to do it, warning it was unethical. The ambassador raised the issue with British authorities, but the idea went nowhere [NYT]. Hmmm...China is vowing to retaliate after they said the U.S. ordered their Houston consulate to close within 72 hours. Chinese officials are calling the move an "unprecedented escalation" [USA Today]. CoronavirusPresident Trump warned the coronavirus outbreak will worsen before it gets better and urged Americans to wear a mask in public [AP]. The White House and congressional Republicans are struggling to unite on a plan for another coronavirus stimulus package [Politico]. The CDC says the number of Americans infected with the virus could be up to 12 times higher than reported [Bloomberg]. Defense funding billThe White House is threatening to veto the $741 billion defense funding bill over a provision to rename military installations named for Confederate leaders [Politico]. ImmigrationPresident Trump signed a memo seeking to omit undocumented immigrants from the count for redrawing congressional districts [AP]. Show of forceThe Trump administration is weighing sending federal law enforcement forces to more cities to crack down on unrest [Politico]. CrackdownTwitter banned 7,000 accounts linked to QAnon and limits another 150,000. The platform will also stop recommending content related to the conspiracy theory [NBC News]. Congress clashSome House Republicans are calling on Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney to step down from her leadership post because they claim she is inefficiently loyal to President Trump [WaPo]. Yikes!Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was arrested by the FBI in a $60 million bribery case [Cincinnati Enquirer]. Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.During his Tuesday briefing, President Trump acknowledged he knew Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, and wished her well. Maxwell was arrested earlier this month on sex trafficking charges [WaPo]. EconomyUnited Airlines lost an astonishing $1.6 billion in the second quarter of 2020 [CNBC]. Coca-cola says sales dropped 28 percent in the most recent quarter but expects a rebound in Q3 [Reuters]. Walmart says they will close stores on Thanksgiving for the first time in several years [USA Today]. BUSINESS HEADLINESRetail amid the pandemic: 'A case study in randomness for business survival' (Deseret News) State adjusts COVID-19 commercial rent assistance program, hopes to reach broader range of businesses (Standard-Examiner) Utah's Merit Medical agrees to pay $18M to settle doctor kickbacks lawsuit (Deseret News)Policy NewsWorking on the railroad: Five questions for Union Pacific's Nathan AndersonAn EDCUtah investor, Union Pacific has 1,269 miles of track in Utah and has had a presence here for more than 150 years. We caught up with Nathan Anderson, Senior Director, Public Affairs, to find out how the railroad is evolving and adapting.State offers free counseling for COVID-related stress More than 40 crisis counselors are ready to answer your call if you are experiencing stress, anxiety or depression because of COVID-19. More National HeadlinesThe Atlantic Finally Admits Its Police Abolition Piece Is Based On A False Narrative (Federalist) Arizona and the Media Panic (Wall Street Journal) Planned Parenthood in N.Y. Disavows Margaret Sanger Over Eugenics (New York Times) Anti-cop 'mob' swarms Back the Blue event in Denver, bloodying several before shutting things down (FOX News) Hell in Portland (Spectator) Google Blacklists Conservative Websites (American Conservative) Tom Cotton Compares Portland Antifa to Confederate Rebels, Leftists Lose Their Minds (PJ Media) FBI Investigated Joe Biden's Campaign for Corruption (PJ Media) Andrew Cuomo's Coronavirus Response Has Been a Failure (Reason) Redwood City Scrubs Black Lives Matter Mural After Trump Supporter Asks to Paint 'MAGA 2020' on Same Street (CBS SF) 'Extreme dysfunction': New York City dropped $52M on a coronavirus hospital that served fewer than 80 patients (Washington Examiner)ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1587 - A second group of English settlers arrives on Roanoke Island off North Carolina to re-establish the deserted colony. 1686 - Albany, New York is formally chartered by Governor Thomas Dongan. 1793 - Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Pacific Ocean becoming the first recorded human to complete a transcontinental crossing of North America. 1893 - Katharine Lee Bates writes "America the Beautiful" after admiring the view from the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado. 1933 - Aviator Wiley Post completes the first solo flight around the world in seven days, 18 hours and 49 minutes. 1937 - The U.S. Senate votes down President Franklin D. Roosevelt's proposal to add more justices to the Supreme Court. Wise WordsConstitutional Foundation"The only foundation of a free Constitution, is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People, in a great Measure, than they have it now. They may change their Rulers, and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty." John Adams: letter to Zabdiel Adams, June 21, 1776 Lighter SideBitcoin"But for once, Russia is the second biggest hacking story of the day, because yesterday, major Twitter accounts were hacked in a Bitcoin scam. Now, if you're not familiar, a Bitcoin scam is anything involving Bitcoin." - 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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