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 - September 25, 2019Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake CityThanks for reading Utah's must-read daily political news rundown. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to sign up for our emails.Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:
Let's talk!We've started a discussion group on Facebook dedicated to Utah politics. Giveaway!Wanna hear me sing? I'm playing Maury in "Disaster! The Musical!" at the Empress Theater in Magna. I have some tickets to give away to a few of our lucky readers. The show runs from October 4-19. Send me an email to be entered into a drawing to win. TICK TOCKDays to the 2019 Utah municipal elections: 41 (11/5/2019) Days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 124 (1/27/2020) Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 160 (3/3/2020) Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 279 (6/23/2020) Days to the 2020 election: 405 (11/3/2020) Today At Utah PolicyImpeachment puts McAdams in a tough political positionBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Rep. Ben McAdams finds himself in a political conundrum following Tuesday's announcement that House Democrats are opening an official impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. His party may be behind the impeachment drive, but voters in his district may not be. Stewart says effort by Democrats to impeach Trump will backfire By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Rep. Chris Stewart said Tuesday he wasn't surprised that Democrats have opened an official impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, and he believes the move will ultimately backfire. Bishop says he won't decide on run for Utah governor until fall By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Rep. Rob Bishop, long rumored to be mulling a bid for Utah governor, says he won't decide what his future holds until the fall, but won't make any sort of announcement until early next year. Knee-jerk reactions - Bernick and Schott on politics By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Utah's members of Congress react to President Trump's actions toward Ukraine. Guest opinion: 'Tax reform' won't solve Utah's budget problem By Grover Norquist Utah state government has several problems. It spends too much money, and taxes are too high and poorly designed, so they slow economic growth. Job market confidence remains high despite uncertainties about trade negotiations By Zions Bank The Zions Bank Utah Consumer Attitude Index increased 6.2 points to 119.3 in September. The year-over-year CAI dipped 4.7 points. In comparison, the national Consumer Confidence Index decreased 9.1 points to 125.1 this month. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News
Salt Lake Tribune
Other NATIONAL HEADLINESImpeachment...kind ofSpeaker Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday that the House would initiate a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump for allegedly leaning on Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden [NYT]. It's not clear what has changed with Democratic efforts to investigate President Trump or what's next [WaPo]. President Trump admitted on Tuesday he held back military aid to Ukraine but said it was unrelated to efforts to get their government to investigate Biden [CNN]. The White House is preparing to release a version of the whistleblower complaint to Congress by Thursday. The complaint reportedly involves President Trump's interactions with Ukraine [Politico]. The White House is negotiating with Congress to allow the whistleblower to speak to congressional investigators [NYT]. Some in the intelligence community allege the whistleblower who has made an explosive accusation against President Trump has a "political bias" in favor of a "rival candidate" of the president [Fox News]. President Trump claims the push by Democrats toward impeachment helps his 2020 re-election bid [AP]. Centrist Democrats are worried Democrats will not be able to make the case about impeachment to voters [Politico]. Woah!National security officials reportedly tried to delay a phone call between President Trump and the president of Ukraine for fear he would use the conversation to press for political dirt on Biden [WaPo]. Cha-ching!The GOP and President Trump are already fundraising off of the impeachment drive. Republican party officials say they raised about $1 million in one day [Politico]. 2020Joe Biden's poll numbers are starting to tank in several early states [Politico]. Climate changeA new United Nations report says climate change is leading to extreme flooding in coastal areas and global sea levels could rise 3 feet by 2050 [WaPo]. BUSINESS HEADLINES
Policy NewsMcAdams' bipartisan bill aiding consumers hurt by investment fraud moves forward in Financial Services CommitteeCongressman Ben McAdams, together with Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI), advanced a measure that gives federal securities officials more time to recover ill-gotten gains from white collar criminals who defraud investors. Romney: Strategy toward Syria critical to U.S. national security U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, today convened a hearing titled "The Path Forward: Key Findings From the Syria Study Group Report." Tax Commission names new public information officer Utah State Tax Commissioners named a veteran in the private and public sectors as its new public information officer. Business leaders to meet with Utah federal delegation in Washington, D.C. This week, sixty local business and community leaders will meet with Utah's Federal Delegation to discuss the business community's federal priorities on the Salt Lake Chamber's Annual Washington, D.C. Trip. More National Headlines
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1513 - Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa reaches what would become known as the Pacific Ocean. 1690 - The first American newspaper, called Publick Occurrences, Both Foreign and Domestic, appeared in Boston. 1775 - Ethan Allen surrenders to British forces after attempting to capture Montreal during the Battle of Longue-Pointe. 1789 - Congress passes twelve amendments to the U.S. Constitution: The Congressional Apportionment Amendment (which was never ratified), the Congressional Compensation Amendment and the ten that are known as the Bill of Rights. 1957 - Under escort from the Army's 101st Airborne Division, nine black students entered all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. 1978 - Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 crashed in San Diego after colliding with a small Cessna aircraft. The crash killed 144 people, including seven on the ground. 1981 - Sandra Day O'Connor was sworn in as the first female Supreme Court justice. 1992 - A judge in Florida granted a 12-year-old boy's precedent-setting petition to "divorce" his mother. 2008 - Federal regulators seized Washington Mutual in what officials said was the biggest bank failure in U.S. history. Wise WordsStill True "In politics, as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim at making proselytes by fire and sword. Heresies in either can rarely be cured by persecution."Alexander Hamilton Lighter SideTrump Derangement "Then, this afternoon, we found out that the whistle-blower was referring to a series of actions that goes beyond any single discussion with a foreign leader. Oh, a series? Great, now we can binge-watch the end of America."- STEPHEN COLBERT Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |