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Situational awareness - January 8, 2020

Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City.

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

• Iran retaliates.
• Utahns overwhelmingly support ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment.
• Greg Hughes will not use signature-gathering to get on the primary ballot.

TICK TOCK

Days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 19 (1/27/2020)

Days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses: 26 (2/3/2020)

Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 55 (3/3/2020)

Days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 64 (3/12/2020)

Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 174 (6/30/2020)

Days to the 2020 election: 300 (11/3/2020)

Today At Utah Policy

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

• Sen. Mike Lee 'agnostic' on need for witnesses, more evidence in Trump trial
• Utah governor set to propose $4.9 billion for public education
• Utah County voters to decide whether to adopt new form of government
• Benefits of proposed late start at high schools 'huge and undeniable' but details feel like 'giant puzzle,' says Salt Lake board VP
• Utah congressmen react to Iran's retaliatory missile attack

Salt Lake Tribune

• These Utah lawmakers are brimming with ideas for new laws
• A Utah bill would require clergy to report child abuse confessed to them
• Utah County Commission approves public vote on changing form of government
• Utah's gas tax to be replaced more and more by tolls and fees, UDOT chief says
• Utah tax reform praised by legislative leaders as repeal efforts continue
• Sen. Mike Lee says senators can be impartial, but not immune to politics in impeachment trial

Other

• Utah County Commission approves putting mayor-council form of government question to voters (Daily Herald)

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NATIONAL HEADLINES

Iran strikes back

Iran launched at least a dozen missiles against U.S. forces at two Iraqi military bases early Wednesday. U.S. officials said there were no immediate indications of casualties [Washington Post].

The Iranian Supreme Leader called the missile strikes a "slap in the face" to the U.S. for the killing of a top Iranian military commander [New York Times].

House Democratic leaders say the Iranian attack complicates their planned vote on a resolution to limit President Donald Trump's war powers [Politico].

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Impeachment watch

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he has enough votes from Republicans to move forward on the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump without making a deal on witnesses with Democrats [Bloomberg].

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she will not send the impeachment articles from the House to the Senate until she learns more about how the trial will be conducted [Washington Post].

House and Senate Democrats are growing impatient with Speaker Pelosi's gambit to hold the articles of impeachment from the Senate to force cooperation from Senate Republicans [AP].

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Dueling billionaires

Democrat Michael Bloomberg announced his presidential campaign purchased an ad during this year's Super Bowl for $10 million. Hours later, President Trump's campaign said they too would air a commercial during the game [New York Times].

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Thumb on the scale

A top Facebook executive told colleagues in an internal memo that the social media platform likely helped President Trump win in 2016, but warned against manipulation to prevent him from winning again [CNN].

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Reversal

Federal prosecutors reversed themselves on Tuesday, saying Michael Flynn, President Trump's first national security adviser, deserved up to six months in prison for lying to investigators. They previously argued for a lenient sentence [New York Times].

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BUSINESS HEADLINES

• Logan has nation's lowest unemployment rate; Salt Lake has lowest rate for metro areas with at least 1M residents (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Derek Miller: How Utah became the New England Patriots of economic development victories (Deseret News)
• Utah cold-weather gear company Fortress dives into the icy waters of 'Shark Tank' (Deseret News)

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Policy News

Go global in 2020! Register by Jan. 17 for the trade mission to Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E.
The cities of Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Dubai offer tremendous opportunities for Utah companies interested in increasing their footprint in the Middle East. On this trade mission, delegates will engage with high-level business and investment leaders, receive market briefings by in-country experts and the U.S. Commercial Service, attend VIP networking receptions, participate in company visits and take part in customized B2B meetings.

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Joint county initiative to be named Northern Utah Economic Alliance
The regional economic development initiative launched by Weber and Davis Counties in June 2019 has a new name the Northern Utah Economic Alliance (NUEA) as well as a new logo, according to the organization's president, Chris Roybal.

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More National Headlines

• Iran's miscalculation (American Thinker)
• ABC Peddles Hysterically Wrong Map of Australian Wildfires (PJ Media)
• More than a third of U.S. healthcare costs go to bureaucracy (Reuters)
• Five States Face Federal Lawsuit Over Inaccurate Voter Registrations (RealClearPolitics)
• Why the Jersey City official who called local Jews 'brutes' has not resigned (Times of Israel)
• CNN settles Nick Sandmann defamation lawsuit in Covington Catholic High School controversy (FOX News)
• Climate Change or Arson? 24 Australians Charged With Intentionally Setting Bushfires (PJ Media)
• Bloomberg Sees California As Model On Climate Change, Guns (Associated Press)
• Why Aren't Gas Prices Going Through the Roof if We're on the Verge of War With Iran? (PJ Media)
• Joe Biden Admits No One Understood Obamacare, But the Dems Passed It Anyway (PJ Media)
• Why Are Young Americans Killing Themselves? (New York Times)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1790 - President George Washington gave the first State of the Union address.

1815 - Gen. Andrew Jackson decisively defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.

1828 - The Democratic Party is organized.

1835 - The U.S. national debt is zero for the only time.

1867 - Congress approved legislation that allowed blacks to vote in the District of Columbia.

1964 - President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a "War on Poverty" in the United States.

1973 - Watergate scandal: The trial of seven men accused of breaking into Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate begins.

1975 - Ella T. Grasso becomes Governor of Connecticut, the first woman to serve as a governor in the U.S. other than by succeeding her husband.

2002 - President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law.

2011 - Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Az) was shot and critically wounded when a gunman opened fire as the congresswoman met with constituents in Tucson. Six people were killed, and 12 others were injured.

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