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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 - May 4, 2020

Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City

Happy Star Wars Day!

20200504 Star Wars Day


TICK TOCK

57 days to the 2020 Utah primary elections (6/30/2020)

183 Days to the 2020 election (11/3/2020)

261 days to inauguration day (01/20/2021)

266 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 admits the death toll from the coronavirus will be much higher than he initially claimed.
  • Utah lawmakers are readying for two more special sessions in May and June.
  • Republicans Jeff Burningham and Jan Garbett lose their legal fights to get on the primary ballot.

TRIVIA WINNER

Several of our subscribers knew the answer to Friday's question was Alfred Cumming, who served as the legally appointed Territorial Governor of Utah Territory in 1857 and 1858.

Congratulations to Tina Mathieu, who was randomly selected as our winner. As such, she gets to ask this weeks trivia question on Friday.


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Today At Utah Policy

images/1000px_Capitol_Photos/Utah_Capitol_30.jpgLegislative leaders eyeing two more special sessions in May and June
By Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott
Sources tell UtahPolicy.com that the Utah Legislature will be called into at least two more special sessions before the end of the fiscal year, June 30.
images/1000px_Mugs/Jan_Garbett_03.jpgGarbett drops her lawsuit, but a GOP legislative candidate is also suing for a spot in the primary
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Jan Garbett has dropped her bid to appear on the June primary ballot after the state said she only submitted 8,711 valid signatures to qualify for the June primary ballot. That paltry number is a major setback to her legal claim that she would have collected enough signatures to appear on the primary if not for the novel coronavirus pandemic. However, a Republican candidate for legislature joined the lawsuit also hoping to be added to the primary election.
images/1000px_Mugs/Jeff_Burningham_04.jpgFederal judge denies Jeff Burningham's lawsuit seeking a spot in the June primary
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
A federal judge on Friday afternoon denied Republican Jeff Burningham's legal bid to secure a spot on the June primary ballot. Burningham tells UtahPolicy.com he will not appeal the decision.
images/1000px_Logos/Bernick_and_Schott_Logo_1000.jpgBernick and Schott on politics podcast: 'The Fruit Stripe Gum of debating'
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Although time has no meaning anymore, Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick bring you the Friday edition of our Utah political news roundup.

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

Salt Lake Tribune

Other



NATIONAL HEADLINES

Moving goalposts

President Donald Trump said Sunday the death total from the coronavirus could go as high as 100,000. Just weeks ago, he predicted 60,000 deaths from the virus [New York Times].


Coronavirus response

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow says Congress may need to provide a third round of small business stimulus loan funding because of overwhelming demand [CNBC].

The federal government will begin shipping "tens of thousands" of doses of remdesivir this week. The experimental drug was found to shorten the duration of coronavirus in patients with severe cases [CNN].


Reopening America

President Trump continued to push for states to lift restrictions in order to get the economy running again [Washington Post].

New Jersey's governor says the pace of his state reopening will be driven by how much "knucklehead" behavior emerges as restrictions are relaxed [Bloomberg].


Racing to find a vaccine

Scientists working to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus have identified 14 possible vaccines to focus on for development [CNN].

President Trump predicted Sunday that the U.S. would have a vaccine for the novel coronavirus by the end of the year [The Hill].


Getting Congress back to work

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy unveiled a four-point plan to reopen Congress and get lawmakers back to work in Washington [Medium].


Blaming China

President Trump said China made a "mistake" and tried to cover up the virus outbreak [CNBC].

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday there's "enormous evidence" to support the theory that the coronavirus originated in a lab, but acknowledged the virus was not man-made [Axios].

A Department of Homeland Security report says China hid the severity of the coronavirus in the early stages of its outbreak in order to hoard medical supplies [AP].


Economy

The housing market is facing its next big crisis as May rents and mortgages are due [Washington Post].

J. Crew becomes the first major retailer to file for bankruptcy protection from the coronavirus pandemic [New York Times].

Economise Nouriel Roubini, who earned the nickname "Dr. Doom" during the last financial crisis, says he sees a weak economic recovery from the coronavirus, followed by inflation and then an economic depression [Bloomberg].


2020

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden says his vice-presidential advisory committee is looking at more than a dozen women to be his running mate [CNN].


Murder hornets?

Asian giant hornets have been spotted in the U.S. The insects use their giant mandibles to tear off the heads of bees, and can wipe out a hive in a matter of hours. Victims say their sting feels like hot metal driving into the skin [New York Times].


BUSINESS HEADLINES



Policy News

images/1000px_Logos/WTC_Utah_Logo.pngWebinar: Resources for women-owned businesses to overcome COVID-19 economic challenges and engage globally
Local business development experts provide resources to help women-owned businesses regain traction and succeed during the upcoming economic stabilization phase. Speakers will share insights and answer your questions live in order to make your business more resilient now and in the future.
images/1000px_Logos/CYBER_24_Logo.jpgCYBER24 episode 80: Google pushes back on Zoom
Some of us are old enough to remember the Cola Wars between Coke and Pepsi. The pandemic, work-from-home version of that is a Video Conference War. Zoom has become so widely adopted that it has become a verb but Google has now banned its use on company computers, citing security concerns.

More National Headlines


ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1494 - On his second expedition to the New World, Columbus discovered Jamaica.

1776 - Rhode Island becomes the first American colony to renounce allegiance to King George III.

1886 - Haymarket affair: A bomb is thrown at policemen trying to break up a labor rally in Chicago, killing eight and wounding 60. The police open fire into the crowd.

1904 - The United States begins construction of the Panama Canal.

1942 - The Battle of the Coral Sea began. It was a turning point for the Allies in World War II, with Japan losing 39 ships and the United States one.

1953 - Ernest Hemingway wins the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.

1970 - The Ohio National Guard, sent to Kent State University, opens fire killing four unarmed students and wounding nine others.

1979 - Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

1989 - Iran-Contra Affair: Former White House aide Oliver North is convicted of three crimes and acquitted of nine other charges; the conventions are later overturned on appeal.

1998 - A federal judge sentences "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski to four life sentences plus 30 years after Kaczynski accepts a plea agreement sparing him from the death penalty.


Wise Words

Make a Decision


"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lighter Side

Feeling It


"No one wants eternal lockdowns. If I see another of my friends holding up a janky loaf of homemade bread on Instagram I'm going to run outside and lick a banister." - SETH MEYERS

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