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Utah's Daily Policy Resource, Brought to you by Utah Policy

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Situational awareness - May 18, 2018

Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City.

Rep. Stewart disagrees with a report saying Putin wanted to help Trump win in 2016. The LDS Church and NAACP reach a historic agreement. The White House plans a hard-right turn on abortion.

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Want to submit an op-ed? Got a story tip or idea? A complaint? An intriguing picture to share? I want to hear from you. Send me a secure email at bryanschott@protonmail.com.

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  TICK TOCK  

• 11 days until the last day to register to vote by mail for the 2018 primary election (5/29/2018)
• 12 days until the last day to change your party affiliation before the primary election (5/30/2018)
• 18 days until primary election mail-in ballots are sent to voters (6/5/2018)
• 25 days until in-person early primary voting begins (6/12/2018)
• 32 days until the final day to register to vote online or in person before the primary election (6/19/2018)
• 35 days until in-person early primary voting ends (6/22/2018)
• 39 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)
• 172 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 255 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
• 900 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

  PODCASTS  

Subscribe to the award-winning "Bernick and Schott on politics" podcast, Utah's longest-running political podcast. Hosts Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick have more than 60 years of combined experience covering Utah politics. Plus, you'll get long-form interviews with Utah newsmakers. Subscribe (and leave a review) using iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

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  HERE ARE THE STORIES WE'RE WATCHING TODAY  

What a week!

Missing signatures. Count My Vote. LDS Church vs. medical marijuana. No rebrand for the Utah Transit Authority. The Salt Lake Tribune makes deep cuts. Plus, North Korea backtracks. Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott chew over a busy week in politics [Utah Policy].

You can also download our week in review as a podcast [Utah Policy].

Russia conflict

Rep. Chris Stewart says he disagrees with the Senate Intelligence Committee's conclusion that Vladimir Putin tried to help Donald Trump win the 2016 election [Utah Policy].

Legal remedy

Bob Bernick says he hopes the Utah Supreme Court steps in and fixes Utah's citizen petition process because it's too onerous [Utah Policy].

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  OTHER UTAH HEADLINES  

• The LDS Church and NAACP called for an end to prejudice and greater racial harmony [Deseret News, Tribune].
  
  
• Utah County says they mistakenly placed dozens of uncounted signature packets in the wrong pile [Tribune].
  
  
• Outgoing UTA board members are pleased that lawmakers are backing off changing the organization's name [Deseret News].
  
  
• Former Iron County Republican Party official Blake Cozzens pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sexual solicitation after he was arrested in a prostitution sting earlier this year [Tribune].

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  NATIONAL HEADLINES  

• The Trump administration is planning a hard-right turn on abortion with a plan to stop federal funding for facilities that perform abortions or refer patients to those that do. The proposal takes direct aim at Planned Parenthood [New York Times].
  
  
• A man was arrested at Trump National Doral golf resort in Miami after he was firing shots and "spewing information about President Trump" [Sun Sentinel].
  
  
• The Senate confirms Gina Haspel as the next director of the CIA [The Hill].
  
  
• Republican leaders in Congress are pushing to find a deal on immigration within the next 24-hours to end a revolt by some GOP representatives to force a vote on immigration measures [The Hill]. 
  
  
• During the 2016 campaign, President Trump repeatedly claimed he had no business dealings with Russia. Turns out, his team was continuing to work on a proposal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow through the late stages of the campaign. Trump himself signed a letter of intent for the project the same day as the third presidential debate [BuzzFeed].
  
  
• President Trump is joining an aggressive effort by Republicans in Congress to expose a top-secret FBI source they claim illegally spied on Trump's campaign during the 2016 election [Washington Post].
  
  
• Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's lawyer, says special counsel Robert Mueller has agreed to narrow the focus of questioning for the president in a bid to get Trump to agree to an interview [Washington Times].
  
  
• Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels' attorney, says he has heard from two other women who claim to have non-disclosure agreements tied with President Trump and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen [MSNBC].
  
  
• President Trump offers "protections" for North Korea if they agree to give up their nuclear weapons program [The Hill].
  
  
• President Trump's company earned $40 million from their Washington, D.C. hotel during 2017 [USA Today].
  
  
• Hopes for a deal on NAFTA this year are fading as talks have moved beyond a deadline imposed by Congress [New York Times].
  
  
• Democrats up for election in states Trump won in 2016 are ignoring attacks from Trump ahead of the 2018 midterms, refusing to engage with Trump on his terms [Politico].
  
  
• Jared Kushner's family is close to a deal with a company linked to the Qatari government for a bailout on a financially troubled real estate project in Manhattan [New York Times].
  
  
• Immigration agents are increasingly arresting immigrations who have not been convicted of crimes [Huffington Post].

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  ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY  

• 1631 - John Winthrop becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts.
  
  
• 1652 - Rhode Island passes the first law in English-speaking North America making slavery illegal.
  
  
• 1756 - The Seven Years' War begins when Great Britain declares war on France.
  
  
• 1860 - Abraham Lincoln wins the Republican Party presidential nomination over William H. Seward.
  
  
• 1896 - The Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that the "separate but equal" doctrine is constitutional.
  
  
• 1917 - The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the president the power of conscription.
  
  
• 1953 - Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier.
  
  
• 1980 - Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.

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Today At Utah Policy

Brush up on your Shakespeare! - Bernick and Schott on politics Ep. 374 By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick Utah County officials lost a bunch of signature packets for the Count My Vote ballot proposal, while those trying to block some initiatives from the ballot are fighting over the deadlines. ...

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Bob Bernick's notebook: A bar set too high By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor  If there has ever been a more incompetent group of employees than those working in the Utah County Clerks office, it's hard to imagine who or where....

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Stewart: No way to know if Putin wanted Trump to win in 2016 (with video) By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor On Wednesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee broke with their House counterparts by concluding that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win. ...

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Podcast: Bernick and Schott on politics Ep. 374 By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott break down the week in politics. ...

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Weekly survey: Removing signatures from ballot initiatives By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Opponents of the medical marijuana and Count My Vote ballot initiatives pushed to get enough Utahns to remove their names from those petitions to block them from reaching the November ballot. Do you think those efforts will be successful, or will the initiatives survive to q...

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Policy News

Casual Friday: Weekend Events & Outdoors Report Weekend EventsOutdoors Report--KSL.com: Review: 9 family outdoor products for summer-- KSL.com: Legislature will take another dive on contentious water issues--KSL.com: Hickman Bridge Trail offers beautiful vistas, incredible natural land bridgeNew Films-- Deadpool 2: Tribun...

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Rep. Love joins bipartisan challenge to Ed. Department's attempt to block state consumer protection laws Congresswoman Mia Love and Representatives Rob Bishop (R-UT), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Jared Polis (D-CO) challenged the Department of Education to reconsider its decision to block states from regulating student loan companies....

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Sens. Lee, Hatch, Tillis, and Grassley Introduce SMARTER Act  Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced the Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act, or SMARTER Act, a bill that would require the Federal Trade Commission to go through the same proced...

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ABU Education Fund announces 2018 primary debates The ABU Education Fund is proud to announce the first debates of its 2018 Debate Series. ...

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Utah non-profits oppose the farm bill Thirty Utah non-profit organizations have joined Utahns Against Hunger in calling on Utah's Congressional Delegation to vote no on H.R. 2: The Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill....

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Register now for our international law seminar Join World Trade Center Utah in partnership with Zions Bank and the Utah State Bar on Tuesday, May 22nd at 8 a.m. for a seminar on international law. ...

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Wise Words

Perspective

"Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute." Albert Einstein

Lighter Side

Partner Study

"A new study on domestic partners found that women spend more time doing chores than men. The study was called "DJ Khaled." Seth Meyers

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