 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 - October 31, 2019Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City and Happy Halloween!If you have a line on which houses in your neighborhood are giving out full-size candy bars, drop me a note. I just might show up in costume...Thanks for subscribing to 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:
Want one of our limited edition laptop stickers?Leave a 5-star review of our podcast on Apple Podcasts and we'll send you one of our limited edition laptop stickers! Send me a screenshot of your review and I'll put a sticker in the mail. Our podcast brings you Utah political news and analysis, plus interviews with Utah newsmakers every week. Every Tuesday and Friday, "Bernick and Schott on politics" brings you a new episode analyzing the latest political headlines. TICK TOCKDays to the 2019 Utah municipal elections: 5 (11/5/2019) Days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 88 (1/27/2020) Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 124 (3/3/2020) Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 243 (6/23/2020) Days to the 2020 election: 369 (11/3/2020) Today At Utah Policy Most Salt Lake City voters disapprove of Mayor Jackie Biskupski's job performanceBy Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Salt Lake Mayor Jackie Biskupski, who is retiring from office at year's end, is underwater in her job approval rating from city voters, a new UtahPolicy.com/Y2 Analytics survey shows.  Romney says he will keep a 'completely open mind' on Trump impeachmentBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Sen. Mitt Romney is done talking about the potential impeachment of President Donald Trump, saying he plans to be impartial and keep a "completely open mind" until the process is finished.  McAdams to vote in favor of formal impeachment inquiryBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Rep. Ben McAdams said Wednesday he would vote in favor of a resolution that will be the House's first formal vote on impeachment, casting the vote as a crucial move toward transparency in the current inquiry.  Study: Mormons remain strongly Republican despite their dislike for TrumpBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor A new study shows nearly three-quarters of American Mormons have a strong affinity toward the Republican Party.  Utah Thrives podcast: Teacher compensationBy Utah Foundation A pair of recent research reports by Utah Foundation revealed that teacher pay in Utah has not kept pace with a booming state economy and that its retirement system has some unique features that are an important part of overall compensation.  Stewart: The U.S asks foreign countries to investigate 'all the time'By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Rep. Chris Stewart said Tuesday night on CNN that it was not unusual for President Donald Trump to request that Ukraine investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter because "we do that all the time." OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News
Salt Lake Tribune
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NATIONAL HEADLINESTime to voteThe House will vote today on a resolution setting the ground rules for the possible impeachment of President Donald Trump. Spoiler alert: The resolution will pass on a near party-line vote [AP]. Seems significantA White House lawyer moved the transcript of President Trump's phone call with the president of Ukraine to a highly classified server after a top adviser raised alarms about President Trump's behavior on the call [Washington Post]. Bolton summonedFormer national security adviser John Bolton has been asked to testify next week in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump's campaign to pressure Ukraine to dig up dirt on his political rivals [New York Times]. More impeachment newsBill Taylor, the top US diplomat in Ukraine, is reportedly ready to testify publicly in the impeachment probe if asked. Taylor told House investigators he believed President Trump pushed a quid pro quo with Ukraine, making military aid and a visit to the White House contingent on whether they investigated Joe Biden and his son, Hunter [CNN]. Top White House Ukraine expert Alexander Vindman told congressional investigators he was certain President Trump personally blocked $400 million in aid to Ukraine to force the country to publicly announce an investigation into Joe Biden and his family [CNN]. The senior National Security Council official handling Russian affairs, who is scheduled to testify before House investigators on Thursday, is leaving his White House post [Washington Post]. President Trump is laying off criticizing Republican senators on impeachment after getting advice from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell [Politico]. The social media platform announced it would ban all political ads ahead of the 2020 election. The move brought praise from Democrats and condemnation from Donald Trump's re-election campaign [New York Times]. 2020The Trump campaign blasted Democrats in a television ad aired nationally during Game 7 of the World Series [The Hill]. Kamala Harris is shaking up her presidential campaign, cutting staff and redeploying others to Iowa [The Hill]. Pay attention to thisFacebook says Russia spent approximately $87,000 in Africa to test out new disinformation tactics ahead of the 2020 election [New York Times]. EconomyThe Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the third time this year [Bloomberg]. Economists say the lowering of interest rates won't do much to spur the housing market [New York Times]. The U.S. economy grew at just 1.9% in the most recent quarter [New York Times]. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the U.S. and China were on track to sign the first phase of a trade deal next month [New York Times]. North KoreaThe country fired two "unidentified projectiles" into the waters between South Korea and Japan on Thursday [CNN]. BUSINESS HEADLINES
Policy NewsGovernor appoints Teresa Welch to the Third District CourtGov. Gary R. Herbert has appointed Teresa Welch as a judge for the Third District Court. New report finds number of uninsured Utah children up 22 percent The number of uninsured children increased nationally by more than 400,000 between 2016 and 2018, reversing a long-standing positive trend according to a new report released by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Nationwide, more than 4 million children were uninsured in 2018, the highest level since the Affordable Care Act's major coverage expansions first took effect in 2014. Central Wasatch Commission, UTA and partners implement increased ski bus service for Cottonwood Canyons starting November 23, 3019 Working together with member jurisdictions, ski resorts, Save Our Canyons, and Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, the Central Wasatch Commission and the Utah Transit Authority are increasing ski bus service for the 2019/2020 ski season to more efficiently serve Utahns and visitors as they travel to recreate at Brighton Resort, Solitude Mountain Resort, Alta Ski Area, or Snowbird. More National Headlines
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1517 - Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation by nailing a proclamation to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. 1941 - The Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota was completed. 1968 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson announced a halt to the bombing of North Vietnam. Wise WordsPrediction? "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide."John Adams Lighter SideBreaking News "I'm not in charge of the news department here, but I don't think a guy dropping out of the race who's polling at less than one percent really qualifies as breaking news."- 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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