 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 9, 2019Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake CityThanks 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:
TICK TOCKDays to the 2019 Utah municipal elections: 27 (11/5/2019) Days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 110 (1/27/2020) Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 146 (3/3/2020) Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 265 (6/23/2020) Days to the 2020 election: 391 (11/3/2020) Today At Utah Policy Romney stands alone as Republicans refuse to defend him against Trump's attacksBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor None of Sen. Mitt Romney's fellow Republicans will defend him against President Donald Trump's call for him to be removed from office.  Sycophants, lickspittles and toadies - Bernick and Schott on politicsBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Sen. Mitt Romney is reportedly being urged by top GOP donors to mount a primary challenge to President Donald Trump.  2019 PTAC Symposium: Featured speakers are Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox and Joshua FrankBy GOED team The annual Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Symposium will be held on Oct. 16, 2019. The event provides opportunities for Utah businesses to network with purchasing agents, vendors and small business liaison officers from federal, state and local agencies and the private sector.  Report: Utah's tax burden sees rapid declineBy Utah Foundation Utah Foundation releases A Lighter Load: Utah's Changing Tax Burden. The report looks at data over a 24-year span from 1993 to 2016 (the latest data available) and calculates Utah's tax burden as a ratio of governmental revenue per $1,000 of personal income (the proportion of Utahns' earnings that are used to fund local and state governmental services).  Lee not sure Trump did anything wrong in dealings with UkraineBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Sen. Mike Lee said Monday night based on what he's seen so far, President Trump may not have done anything wrong in his dealings with Ukraine. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News
Salt Lake Tribune
Other
NATIONAL HEADLINESImpeachmentThe White House sent a letter to Congress on Tuesday declaring war on the House impeachment inquiry, announcing it would not cooperate with what it called an illegitimate effort to overturn the 2016 election [Politico]. National security officials are pushing back against President Trump's claim that the House impeachment inquiry is a "deep state" conspiracy against him [WaPo]. The House Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena after the State Department blocked US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland from testifying [CNN]. A federal judge may give House Democrats access to special counsel Robert Mueller's grand jury materials that relate to the current impeachment inquiry. The Justice Department argued against the move saying a 1974 decision to release secret grand jury details to the House as part of the Nixon impeachment was wrong [Politico]. Half of voters now support impeaching and removing President Trump from office [Politico]. UkraineAn official who listened to President Trump's July phone call with the president of Ukraine described it as "crazy," "frightening" and "completely lacking in substance related to national security" [NYT]. President Trump told Energy Secretary Rick Perry and State Department officials to deal with his private attorney Rudy Giuliani when the Ukrainian President wanted to meet with Trump. That directive, which circumvents official channels, came in May of this year [CNN]. SyriaTurkey's military is set to cross into northern Syria "shortly." The expected offensive comes just days after President Trump said US troops would pull back from the area [NYT]. 2020Bernie Sanders says he will "change the nature" of his presidential campaign after suffering a heart attack [NYT]. YouTube is stepping up efforts to snag more political ad dollars away from local TV and social media platforms [WSJ]. Facebook refused a request from Joe Biden's campaign to take down an ad from the Trump campaign that falsely accuses the former vice president of corruption for his role in Ukraine policy during the Obama administration [CNN]. Don't sleep on this issueA Republican-led Senate committee released a report affirming Russia attacked the 2016 election to help Donald Trump's chances of winning and warned of more attacks coming in the 2020 election [NYT]. SCOTUSThe high court heard arguments on Tuesday whether the Civil Rights Act bars employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and transgender status [NYT]. For your radarFor the first time in history, U.S. billionaires paid a lower tax rate than the bottom 50% of Americans last year [WaPo]. CaliforniaUtility companies cut the power to nearly 500,000 customers in northern California overnight in an effort to help prevent starting a wildfire. Another 300,000 will lose power later in the day [CNN]. BUSINESS HEADLINES
Policy NewsIvory Homes to commemorate sale of 20,000th Utah home and tout sustainability and affordability effortsGov. Gary R. Herbert will join Ivory Homes on Thursday, October 10 at 10:30 a.m. to commemorate the completion of its 20,000th home and outline plans to expand its Utah Workforce Housing Priority (UWHP) initiative and unveil enhancements to the company's industry-leading eco-friendly homes. Utah receives national recognition for use of data and evidence to improve outcomes At an event in Washington, D.C, co-hosted by the National Governors Association, Results for America named Utah as one of five Leading States that are effectively using data and evidence to improve outcomes for residents. More National Headlines
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1701 - The Collegiate School of Connecticut - later Yale University - was chartered in New Haven. 1776 - A group of Spanish missionaries settled in present-day San Francisco. 1936 - The first generator at Hoover Dam began transmitting electricity to Los Angeles. 1967 - Guerrilla leader Che Guevara was executed in Bolivia while attempting to incite revolution. 2009 - President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Wise WordsChance "There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction."John F. Kennedy Lighter SideColbert Law Advice "You know, the Constitution gives the accused the right to remain silent - and clearly Donald Trump has never read the Constitution."- STEPHEN COLBERT Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 157 W 200 S, Springville, UT 84663
