Most Utahns say race relations in the U.S. are in poor shape. Top stories to start your Friday from UtahPolicy.com

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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 - June 26, 2020

Good morning from Salt Lake City

Let's Friday!

TICK TOCK

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

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

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

213 days to the start of the 2021 Utah Legislature (1/25/2021)

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

The CDC says the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. could be 10 times higher. The Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act. Most Utahns say race relations in the U.S. are in bad shape.

FRIDAY TRIVIA

Today's question comes from Paul Metcalf (No cheating with Google!):

"Who was Utah's last territorial governor, and who was Utah's first state governor?"

Send answers to me at mailbag@utahpolicy.com. We'll randomly select a winner from all the correct responses.

Good luck!

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Today At Utah Policy

Amid Black Lives Matter protests, most Utahns say race relations are in bad shape
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
6 in 10 Utahns say race relations in the U.S. are not good according to a new survey.Bob Bernick's notebook: Bob's primary election crystal ball
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Welcome to Bob Bernick's pre-primary "who will win" column.Podcast: Interview with Steve Schmidt
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Longtime political strategist Steve Schmidt joins the podcast to discuss the 2020 election and where things stand with less than five months to go until election day.Primary election pick 'em contest!
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Test your knowledge of Utah politics by predicting the results of the four big Utah primary races next week.

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

A. Scott Anderson: Leadership makes the difference - so vote in primary election Jobless claims up appear to be at plateau near Great Recession levels, Utah official says As COVID-19 numbers in Utah continue to rise, businesses are left to make their own mask policies Sen. Mitt Romney wants to take away 'job magnet' that draws illegal immigrants Salt Lake City, county won't prosecute peaceful protesters, D.A. says Utah governor signs bill to ban police from using 'knee-on-neck' holds More news outlets enter legal fight for names of Utah County businesses tied to outbreak Herbert OKs requests to require masks in Salt Lake, Summit counties Utah's COVID-19 response impacting key primary races Group gathers at Capitol to rally against prospect of increased coronavirus restrictions

Salt Lake Tribune

Utah's unemployment claims still running high, with a fifth week near 5,000 Utah businesses can get a 'seal of approval' if they commit to these steps to fight COVID-19 Masks required in public for Salt Lake, Summit counties, Herbert says; Utah's COVID-19 cases jump by 590 Salt Lake City snuffs July fireworks shows Asians see fastest growth rate among Utah minorities in past decade, up 50% Utah AG Sean Reyes defends effort to dismantle Obamacare amid pandemic Chamber poll has Cox, Huntsman virtually tied in race for Utah governor Death toll at veterans home rises to 13 as Utah care facilities join upward coronavirus trend

Other

Utah County Commission adjusts 2020 budget to account for CARES Act funding (Daily Herald) Ogden could transfer more than $5 million from utilities to buffer general fund (Standard-Examiner) Weber State, Utah's other public universities and colleges grappling with 2.5% reduction in state funding (Standard-Examiner) U.S. House hopefuls Blake Moore, Katie Witt draw more from donors outside the 1st District (Standard-Examiner)

NATIONAL HEADLINES

This seems bad

The Centers for Disease Control says the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. could be as high as 23 million, which is 10 times the current number of confirmed cases [Axios].

Texas and other states are hitting pause on their plans to reopen as the number of Covid-19 cases skyrocket [NYT].

Three separate studies found conservative news media fostered confusion and conspiracy theories about the coronavirus and discouraged consumers from taking steps to protect themselves and others. Researchers found the worst offender was Fox News' Sean Hannity [WaPo].

President Donald Trump is not taking any new steps to slow down the spread of the virus even as the number of new cases in the U.S. hit a new single-day high of more than 37,000 [Bloomberg].

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden says he would require all Americans to wear a mask in public to fight the coronavirus pandemic [KDKA].

Obamacare

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act [CNN].

Whoa!

Shortly after he became attorney general, William Barr set out to challenge the prosecution and conviction of Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney to President Trump. Barr spent months questioning prosecutors over their decision to charge Cohen with campaign finance violations. He also directed Justice Department officials to draft a memo raising questions about Cohen's conviction [NYT].

Economy

Another 1.5 million Americans filed for initial jobless benefits last week, which was more than forecasters predicted [AP].

The federal government sent $1.4 billion in stimulus checks to Americans who were deceased [NBC News].

U.S. GDP fell 5 percent in Q1 of 2020. Economists say a vastly worse economic performance is expected in the current quarter [AP].

The nation's big banks passed the Federal Reserve's latest "stress test", but the Fed will cap dividend payments to investors [Yahoo!].

Police reform

The Democratic-controlled House passed a police reform bill on Thursday, but the measure faces an uncertain fate in the Republican-controlled Senate [CNN].

Social media

Facebook will show users a pop-up warning if they share an outdated story [TechCrunch].

Top Trump officials and Republicans are urging their followers to migrate to Parler, an alternative social network used by far-right personalities who have been kicked off Twitter and Facebook [Business Insider].

BUSINESS HEADLINES

Derek Miller: Utah Leads Together 4.0 is a vision for economic renewal (Deseret News) Utah leads among 4 states in regional pay survey (Deseret News) Chambers of commerce from across Utah form new coalition amid pandemic problems (Deseret News) MasterCard snares Finicity for $825M in second Utah fintech blockbuster deal of 2020 (Deseret News)

Policy News

Some Friday diversion from the heavy stuff . . .
Pollinators Get Real: It's no summer breeze being a Rocky Mountain pollinator.'Stay Safe to Stay Open' campaign launched to promote safety protocols and safe economic engagement
The Salt Lake Chamber announced the launch of "Stay Safe to Stay Open," a campaign to inform and support businesses in following COVID 19 guidelines from the Utah Department of Health. The initiative was introduced today with an invitation for businesses to take a pledge that they will follow best practices to protect employees and customers. Businesses that take the pledge will receive a "seal of approval" to display in their commercial locations and be included in an online searchable database.Casual Friday: Weekend Events & Outdoors Report 6-27-20
Outdoors Report-- Salt Lake Tribune: Utah gave group $400,000 to sue the feds on public lands issues. It never did. What happened?

More National Headlines

Appeals court orders judge to dismiss case against Michael Flynn (Axios) But They Said Mail Voting Was Okay: Hundreds Of NJ Republicans Receive Ballots With Only Democrat Candidates (The Lid) Bombshell in Peter Strzok's notes: Obama says 'the right people' on Flynn case, Biden suggests 'Logan Act' (BPR) Defund the Thought Police (RealClearPolitics) Enraged Madison Protesters Assault State Senator, Tear Down Statue of Abolitionist (PJ Media) 64% Worry About Cop Shortage and Public Safety; Blacks Worry Most (Rasmussen Reports) The Real Reason Why Senate Democrats Blocked Debate on Police Reform (PJ Media) What Shooting? Nets Skip Third CHOP Shooting in Four Days (NewsBusters) Obama Expresses Strange New Respect for George W. Bush (PJ Media) Reign of Terror, you say? New York Times editor gets schooled after ridiculing Sen. Lindsey Graham's French Revolution analogy (Twitchy) Journalists Abandoning 'Objectivity' for 'Moral Clarity' Really Just Want To Call People Immoral (Reason)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1917 - The first troops of the American Expeditionary Force reached France in World War I.

1927 - The Cyclone roller coaster opens on Coney Island.

1934 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Federal Credit Union Act.

1945 - The United Nations Charter is signed by 50 Allied nations in San Francisco.

1963 - President John F. Kennedy gave his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in West Germany.

1977 - Elvis Presley held his final concert in Indianapolis.

1997 - The Supreme Court rules the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment.

2003 - The Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that gender-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional.

2008 - The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution protects an individual's right to carry a gun for private use, but said the ruling did nothing to alter the ban on gun ownership by felons or the mentally ill.

2013 - The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and in violation of the Fifth Amendment.

2015 - The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage under the 14th Amendment.