 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 - January 9, 2020Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City.Thanks for subscribing to Utah's must-read daily political news rundown.If you know of friends or colleagues who would benefit from our daily news roundup, please encourage them to sign up for our emails.Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:
TICK TOCKDays to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 18 (1/27/2020) Days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses: 25 (2/3/2020) Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 54 (3/3/2020) Days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 63 (3/12/2020) Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 173 (6/30/2020) Days to the 2020 election: 299 (11/3/2020) Today At Utah Policy Lee says Trump administration officials refused to answer his questions about strike on Iranian military leaderBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Sen. Mike Lee caused serious waves when he ripped a military briefing about the attack that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, saying it was "insulting" and the worst he's ever seen. Lee took to Fox News Wednesday night to explain why he was so angry.  Video: Sen. Mike Lee furious after 'insulting' briefing on Iran strikeBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Sen. Mike Lee was furious on Wednesday following a briefing on President Donald Trump's decision to order an airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasim Soleimani, calling it the "worst briefing on a military issue" he's seen in his nine years in Washington.  Podcast: Greg Hughes on his run for Utah GovernorBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Then there were six. Former House Speaker Greg Hughes jumped into the race for Utah governor on Wednesday.  Herbert proposed budget boosts education, Medicaid and transportation spendingBy Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Gov. Gary Herbert, in his new budget recommendation for 2020-2021, calls for an increase in spending of 5.4 percent over the current year's budget, and nearly $300 million more in public education funding.  Utah Thrives podcast: Alternative fuel vehiclesBy Dan Bammes The number of vehicles powered by electricity has been growing steadily in Utah, but they're still only 1.6% of new vehicles sold in the state. Eventually, they'll have an impact on air quality, but that's years away. A new research report from Utah Foundation shows there may be opportunities to have a bigger impact sooner by focusing on trucks and buses powered by electricity or other alternative fuels such as natural gas. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News
Salt Lake Tribune
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NATIONAL HEADLINESDe-escalationPresident Donald Trump appeared to back away from war with Iran following the missile attack that resulted in no American casualties [Bloomberg]. The House will vote Thursday on a resolution to force President Trump to halt military action against Iran unless he gets permission from Congress [New York Times]. No leverageSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is not budging in his showdown with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the forthcoming impeachment trial of President Trump [New York Times]. Speaker Pelosi is getting pressure from fellow Democrats to end the impeachment standoff with the Senate [Bloomberg]. Sen. McConnell and President Trump met Wednesday to discuss impeachment strategy [CNN]. Hmmm...Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin wants to block a Democratic effort to require the Secret Service to disclose how much it spends protecting President Trump and his family when they travel until after the 2020 election [Washington Post]. ChinaChinese Vice Premier Liu He will travel to Washington next week to sign the first phase of the trade deal with the U.S. [Bloomberg]. EconomyThe World Bank says global economic growth will increase slowly this year, but they revised their growth estimate downward from 2.7% to 2.5% [Bloomberg]. SCOTUSSupreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg says she is completely cured of pancreatic cancer [New York Times]. EnvironmentThe White House wants to exempt some projects, such as mining or building pipelines, from environmental reviews [Washington Post]. Social mediaFacebook announced Wednesday they would allow users to opt-out of political advertising, but would not curb politicians making false claims in advertising [Washington Post]. Climate2019 was the second-hottest year on record as temperature records were broken around the globe [New York Times]. Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.Georgia Republican Doug Collins said Wednesday that Democrats were mourning the death of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani because "they're in love with terrorists" [Daily Beast]. BUSINESS HEADLINES
Policy News STEP grant application deadline January 24Thanks to the success of our Utah companies over the past year, the State of Utah has received the largest increase in the country to our State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) Grant allocation, with $500,000 in grant funding coming to WTC Utah to help Utah small businesses enter and expand into dynamic global markets. WTC Utah administers these funds with a goal to increase the number of Utah businesses exporting and exploring significant new trade opportunities. More National Headlines
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1788 - Connecticut becomes the fifth state to ratify the Constitution. 1861 - Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union, becoming a founding member of the Confederate States of America. 1987 - The White House released a memorandum prepared for President Ronald Reagan in January 1986 that showed a definite link between U.S. arms sales to Iran and the release of American hostages in Lebanon. 2007 - Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone. Wise WordsUseful Life "A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."George Bernard Shaw Lighter SideReligious Experience "During the debate, a Republican congressman compared Trump to Jesus. I don't know - if Trump were Jesus, I'm pretty sure we'd have seen him turn water into Diet Coke already, right?"- JIMMY FALLON Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
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