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Utah Policy Daily Newsletter

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 - November 26, 2019

Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City

Thanks for subscribing to Utah's must-read daily political news rundown. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to sign up for our emails.

Programming note

UtahPolicy.com will not publish our daily newsletter on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29 because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

We will return to your computers, tablets and mobile devices on Monday, December 2.

Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:

Legislators discuss their latest tax reform proposal. Putting sales taxes back on food could help pay for roads. A federal judge gives a win to Democrats, ruling former White House counsel Don McGahn cannot ignore congressional subpoenas.

Tuesday funny

The Onion turned their satirical sights on Sen. Mitt Romney's strained relationship with President Donald Trump. Enjoy!

TICK TOCK

Days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 62 (1/27/2020)

Days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses: 69 (2/3/2020)

Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 98 (3/3/2020)

Days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 107 (3/12/2020)

Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 217 (6/23/2020)

Days to the 2020 election: 343 (11/3/2020)

Today At Utah Policy

Increased sales tax on food would help fund road construction under latest tax reform proposal
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
While the state's General Fund is basically one big glob of sales tax revenue -- used to fund many state programs -- the complicated Tax Reform Task Force draft bill, in trying to blend many needs with many solutions, appears to order that some future sales tax from unprepared food will go to building new state roads.Utah voters say the state is on the right track, but feel the opposite about the country as a whole
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
A majority of Utah voters say the state is headed in the right direction. However, about 2/3 say the country is on the wrong track. Lawmakers, public debate latest tax reform proposal
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Well, one more public hearing, one more day closer to a significant tax restructuring in Utah.

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

Editorial: Utah should drive down air pollution by driving cleaner Salt Lake community activist arrested after firing shots at car that hit him, police say Pilot project on Navajo Nation will convert methane into hydrogen Sen. Mike Lee seeks sanctions on Mexican drug cartels in wake of killings Utah's tax reform task force not done yet as more questions raised

Salt Lake Tribune

Michelle Kaufusi: Provo is a champion in the cause for cleaner air Navajos reach deal to turn vented methane in southern Utah into hydrogen Sen. Mitt Romney's sometimes rocky relationship with President Trump is 'cordial' and 'cooperative,' Utah senator says Former Salt Lake City school board member arrested after firing a gun at a car that hit him Clean the Darn Air leader says carbon tax likely won't make Utah's 2020 ballot Utah's Mike Lee calls for sanctions against Mexican drug cartels who killed nine U.S. citizens Cleaner 'Tier 3' gas will be available in Utah by the end of the year No vote on tax proposal as task force is peppered with questions, complaints from the public

Other

U.S. House passes Rep. Ben McAdams' bill that would help Ponzi scheme victims recover funds (Daily Herald)

NATIONAL HEADLINES

"A President is not a king"

A federal judge ruled Monday that former Trump White House counsel Don McGahn must comply with a House subpoena. The judge also said top presidential advisers could not ignore congressional subpoenas, calling the administration's arguments to the contrary "fiction" [New York Times].

Impeachment

The House Intelligence Committee could deliver their report on impeachment to the House Judiciary Committee next week [AP].

House Democrats are reportedly focusing on multiple articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump over the Ukraine scandal. Some lawmakers are pushing to go further and include items from special counsel Robert Mueller's report [CNN].

The public impeachment hearings didn't do much to sway public opinion on the matter [Politico].

Republican leaders in the Senate are avoiding television interviews as the House gets closer to impeaching President Trump. Meanwhile, Democrats are refusing to appear on Fox News [CNN].

Trump's finances

The Supreme Court temporarily blocked a House committee from gaining immediate access to President Donald Trump's financial records. The high court instructed Trump's lawyers to file a petition by December 5 stating why the court should review the case [Washington Post].

He went to Jared

President Trump, frustrated with the lack of progress on his border wall, has put his son-in-law Jared Kushner in charge of the project [Washington Post].

Hmmm...

David Pecker, the head of the company that publishes the National Enquirer, has spoken with prosecutors with the New York district attorney's office as part of the investigation into the Trump Organization's hush-money payments to women who alleged affairs with President Trump [CNN].

Investigating Rudy

Federal investigators have issued subpoenas to people with ties to President Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. They're seeking information related to possible money laundering, obstruction of justice and campaign finance violations [Wall Street Journal].

International trade

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says House Democrats and the Trump administration have worked out their issues on a renegotiated North American trade agreement. The agreement raises hopes that Congress could soon pass the USMCA legislation [Politico].

Bleak report

A new U.N. report says the world has squandered much of the time needed to avert the devastating effects of climate change. Global temperatures are on pace to rise nearly 4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, which could lead to an intensifying cascade of consequences [Washington Post].

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Monday he was "rooting for Russia" in its ongoing war with Ukraine. He later said he was joking [Mediaite].

BUSINESS HEADLINES

Hyrum W. Smith, Utah entrepreneur who created the Franklin Planner, dies at 76 (Salt Lake Tribune) Editorial: Qualtrics wants to raise the babies of the future (Deseret News) Qualtrics to double Utah headquarters, add 1,000 employees and build 'the MIT' of day care facilities (Deseret News)

Policy News

Join us on Dec. 11 with former Director for China at the U.S. National Security Council Matt Turpin
World Trade Center Utah, in partnership with the Governor's Office of Economic Development, would like to invite you to attend a briefing on U.S.-China Geopolitics and its Impact on Utah Companies.

More National Headlines

Impeachment Is Falling Apart as Moderate Democrats Get Cold Feet (PJ Media) New York Times memory-holes its own report that Ukraine interfered in 2016 election (Washington Examiner) Trump honors hero dog Conan. Media goes barking mad (Spectator) The Left's Revealing Overreaction to Attorney General Barr's Landmark Speech (Heritage Foundation) Why Apocalyptic Claims About Climate Change Are Wrong (Forbes) Bloomberg News will not investigate Michael Bloomberg or Democratic rivals (Reuters) Bloomberg reporters still allowed to investigate Donald Trump (Free Beacon) The CDC Proves Trump Right on Vaping (City Journal) Northern California marijuana companies lay off workers, adjust expectations (Press Democrat) Ilhan Omar 'Qatari asset,' Florida court hears (Jerusalem Post) In Less Than A Year, 3/4 Of The 'Squad' Is Under Financial Investigation (Daily Caller)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1789 - A day of Thanksgiving was set aside by President George Washington to observe the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. This date was later used to set the date for Thanksgiving.

1863 - President Abraham Lincoln proclaims November 26 as a national Thanksgiving Day.

1922 - Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon become the first people to enter the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in over 3,000 years.

1942 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered nationwide gasoline rationing.

1950 - China entered the Korean War, launching a counter-offensive against soldiers from the United Nations, the United States and South Korea.

1975 - Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme is found guilty of an attempt on President Gerald Ford's life.

2000 - Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris certified Republican George W. Bush as the winner over Democrat Al Gore in the state's presidential balloting by 537 votes.