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Situational awareness - October 14, 2019

Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City

Thanks 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:

• More than half of Utah voters disapprove of President Trump's job performance.
• Utahns are divided on whether Congress should hold impeachment hearings.
• President Trump orders U.S. forces out of northern Syria.

Trivia winner

Congratulations to subscriber Sandy Tenney who was the first to identify Howard Jarvis as the former Utah Republican Party Executive Director who appeared on the cover of Time Magazine and was in the classic comedy movie "Airplane!"

Jarvis was one of the authors of California's Prop. 13, which slashed property taxes. In the film, he was left in a Taxi at the curb at the airport.

Because she was first, Tenney gets to submit this Friday's trivia question.

Stay tuned.

TICK TOCK

Days to the 2019 Utah municipal elections: 22 (11/5/2019)

Days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 105 (1/27/2020)

Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 141 (3/3/2020)

Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 260 (6/23/2020)

Days to the 2020 election: 386 (11/3/2020)

Today At Utah Policy

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

• Pignanelli & Webb: What can really be done about gun control?
• Jenet Erickson: Why shame a mother for wanting to be a mother?
• Editorial: Don't cancel America this Columbus Day
• 2 public charter schools could face closure under State Charter School Board vote
• Rep. Ben McAdams pushing for federal ozone study
• Jon Huntsman says impeachment is divisive, leaves 'lasting scars' on nation
• What the Supreme Court's DACA decision means for one young couple
• The story behind Utah's selection to host the 2020 vice presidential debate
• Utahns are split on a potential Trump impeachment, poll shows
• Medical marijuana advocates frustrated with states urging people not to vape THC
• State senator a 'powerhouse' symbolizing hope for minorities in her run for mayor
• Erin Mendenhall: A lifelong war with pollution pushed her to run for Salt Lake mayor
• Salt Lake City's next big decision
• She won the vote, a council seat, and then came the stalkers. Inside a growing national problem

Salt Lake Tribune

• Editorial: The Mighty Five are not for your noisy toys, boys
• Salt Lake metro drivers improve. Now they're just 6th worst in the nation in new rankings.
• The University of Utah will host a vice presidential debate next year
• Salt Lake's ozone problem is worsening despite air cleanup efforts, and Rep. Ben McAdams wants to know why
• Utah Supreme Court explains why it's OK for initiative opponents to block a ballot question by removing signatures
• Luz Escamilla, a longtime 'champion' for overlooked communities, says she's ready to unite Salt Lake City
• Erin Mendenhall, longtime air quality advocate, says it's time for Salt Lake City's mayor to have 'grassroots' City Hall experience

Other

• Open-source DNA: an unprecedented crime buster or privacy nightmare? (Standard-Examiner)
• Western Weber County incorporation talk turning to what should be the name of the proposed new city (Standard-Examiner)

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NATIONAL HEADLINES

Syria

President Donald Trump is doubling down and ordering all remaining US forces out of northern Syria. The move comes after a week of battling with his advisors [Washington Post].

Syrian Kurds announced they had reached a deal with the Iranian- and Russian-backed government of Syria, an American foe, following the pullout of US troops [New York Times].

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Impeachment

Congress returns to Washington this week as the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump heats up [AP].

Gordon Sonland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, plans to testify this week that President Trump told him to deny any quid pro quo involving Ukraine [Washington Post].

The former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine testified to Congress on Friday that President Trump pressured the State Department to oust her [AP].

President Trump tried to hire former Rep. Trey Gowdy to be a part of his impeachment defense team, but that plan quickly fell apart [New York Times].

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Sunday he was committed to protecting the identity of the anonymous whistleblower who sparked the impeachment inquiry into President Trump [Washington Post].

President Trump, who has a long history of threatening lawsuits then not following through, suggested he could sue Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff as a counter to the impeachment inquiry [CNN].

Senate Republicans are bracing for a brawl over impeachment as they return to Washington [The Hill].

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China

President Donald Trump announced Friday the first phase of a deal to end the trade war with China. However, both sides said there is much more ground to cover before a deal could be reached [Reuters].

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Giuliani

President Trump is defending Rudy Giuliani, his personal lawyer, amid reports federal prosecutors are investigating whether the former New York Mayor broke federal lobbying laws [Washington Post].

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Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

A video showing a fake President Trump shooting, stabbing and assaulting members of the media and his political opponents was shown at a conference for Trump supporters at his Miami resort last week. Media organizations are demanding Trump denounce the video [New York Times].

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BUSINESS HEADLINES

• Of all the success stories that began in Utah, none is larger than this one (Deseret News)
• Northern Utah leads state, most of the nation in jobs growth (Standard-Examiner)
• Panel examines interaction of outdoors industry, Cache Valley gov't (Herald Journal)
• Utah's Ogden-Clearfield metro area ranks No. 3 in the nation for job growth (Salt Lake Tribune)

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Policy News

Join WTC Utah for a lunch-time meeting with the Ambassador from Cuba
Join us to hear from the Cuban Ambassador about the challenges and opportunities in Cuba for Utah.

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EDCUtah conducting in-depth business climate survey statewide
The Economic Development Corporation of Utah recently conducted its 30th "Know the Customer" interview and is seeking another 30 companies to participate in the initiative by year-end.

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Space Dynamics Lab cameras successfully launched into ionosphere
NASA has announced the launch of its Ionospheric Connection Explorer. Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory developed the cameras in two of the primary instruments and led the payload integration and test activities for ICON.

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CYBER 24 episode 54: Shocking hacker creativity and how your mood impacts your security
One thing you should never underestimate? The astounding creativity of cybercriminals. As security services and our overall cybersecurity posture continue to improve, the bad guys need to come up with more and more innovative ways to get access to the data they want.

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More National Headlines

• CNN's LGBT Town Hall collapses into trans madness (Spectator)
• Whistleblowers and the Real Deep State (Wall Street Journal)
• Fox News pollster Braun Research misrepresented impeachment poll: analysis (New York Post)
• He who must not be named: How Hunter Biden became a conversation-stopper (The Hill)
• Hunter Biden Steps Down From Chinese Board as Trump Attacks (Bloomberg)
• The Age of Mutual Assured Cancellation (City Journal)
• Rand Paul Calls For Probe Into 4 Democratic Senators Over Threats To Ukraine (Daily Wire)
• I Was Protested At Bard College For Being A Jew (Forward)
• U.S. to Restrict Visas for Chinese Officials Linked to Abuse of Muslim Minorities (Wall Street Journal)
• Glenn Greenwald: CNN and MSNBC Are Like 'State TV' With Ex-Intel Officials As Contributors (RealClearPolitics)
• MSNBC exec showed off revealing pic of Maria Menounos: reports on book (Page Six)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1066 - William, Duke of Normandy, better known as William the Conqueror, led his invading army to victory over England's King Harold at Hastings.

1912 - Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, campaigning for a return to office, was shot in Milwaukee. He refused to have the wound treated until he finished his speech.

1933 - Nazi Germany announced its withdrawal from the League of Nations.

1947 - Air Force test pilot Charles E. Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier when he flew the experimental Bell X-1 rocket plane over Edwards Air Force Base in California.

1964 - Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was named the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

1968 - The first live telecast from a manned U.S. spacecraft was transmitted from Apollo 7.

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