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Situational awareness - May 16, 2019 Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. Welcome to Utah's must-read daily political news rundown. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to sign up for our emails. Here's what is driving the day: - "Everything is on the table" as lawmakers prepare to tackle tax reform
- Legislators consider changes to Utah's election law
- Alabama's governor signs the nation's most restrictive abortion law
 News tips/story ideas Kindly send suggestions, concerns and news tips to us via email at bschott@utahpolicy.com.
The UtahPolicy.com daily newsletter gets you up to speed on the top local and national news about politics and public policy. Our news is curated by Managing Editor Bryan Schott, along with help from Golden Webb. ((Click here to subscribe))
TICK TOCK Today is the 136th day of the year. There are 229 days remaining in 2019. 18 days until the municipal election filing period opens (6/3/2019) 22 days until the municipal election filing period ends (6/7/2019) 23 days until the Independent American Party Utah State Convention (6/8/2019) 37 days to the Utah State Democratic Party Organizing Convention (6/22/2019) 41 days to the first Democratic presidential primary debates in Miami (6/26/2019) 75 days to the second Democratic presidential primary debates in Detroit (7/30/2019) 89 days to the 2019 Utah primary elections (8/13/2019) 173 days to the 2019 municipal elections (11/5/2019) 256 days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (1/27/2020) 264 days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses (2/3/2020) 292 days to the 2020 Utah presidential primary (3/3/2020) 533 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
Today At Utah Policy  Rep. Francis Gibson 'everything' is on the table as lawmakers prepare to tackle tax reform
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Rep. Francis Gibson, R-Mapleton, is adamant that lawmakers will get a tax reform package done before the 2020 legislative session.
 Lawmakers consider overhauling Utah elections to fix the 'plurality' issue caused by Utah's signature path
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Could Utah elections move to a top-two or "jungle" primary format?
 Utah's business community honors 2019 Business Champions
By Salt Lake Chamber
The Salt Lake Chamber presented the Business Champion Awards to legislators who stood for the interests of Utah businesses during the 2019 General Legislative Session. The Salt Lake Chamber Board of Governors recognized the efforts of these lawmakers this morning at a breakfast in their honor.
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES Deseret News Salt Lake Tribune Other
NATIONAL HEADLINES Alabama governor Kay Ivey signed into law a controversial abortion bill that bans nearly all abortions in the state. The bill also could punish doctors who perform abortions with life in prison - http://bit.ly/2Q5sKXS - Alabama's abortion ban is designed to overturn Roe v. Wade, but the Supreme Court may not have the appetite for that fight yet - https://nyti.ms/2Q8RChb
- Televangelist Pat Robertson says Alabama's abortion law "goes too far" - http://bit.ly/2Q8RxKp
- The Missouri Senate advanced a bill banning abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy - http://bit.ly/2Q61OXN
The investigations - The White House told the House Judiciary Committee to "discontinue" its inquiry into President Donald Trump. The letter said the investigations amounted to an "unauthorized do-over" of the Mueller investigation - https://politi.co/2Q9nlPt
- House Democrats plan a public reading of the entire Mueller report on Thursday from the House floor - https://wapo.st/2Q8XQxW
- The Trump administration says warnings about a threat from Iran came from photographs of missiles on small boats in the Persian Gulf - https://nyti.ms/2Q9ykID
- President Donald Trump is reportedly not convinced the time is right to launch military action against Iran - https://wapo.st/2Q5sHLG
Immigration - The Trump administration is set to release an immigration reform plan that will emphasize the skill of potential immigrants over family ties - https://cnn.it/2Q61AQr
- Immigrants are being forced to sleep outside on the ground at one Texas facility - http://bit.ly/2Q8ntP7
2020 - New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is the 23rd Democrat to run for that party's presidential nomination - http://bit.ly/2Q9jQsj
- Former Vice President Joe Biden will base his presidential campaign in Philadelphia - http://bit.ly/2Q8lA4Z
- Biden is employing a strategy hoping to knock his competitors out of the race before the nomination contest really gets going - http://bit.ly/2Q8Q6vv
- GOP pollster Frank Luntz says freshman Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the only Democrat with enough authenticity to defeat President Trump in 2020, but she's too young to run - http://bit.ly/2Q8TFln
Social media bias. The Trump administration launched a rudimentary tool allowing social media users to report whether social media companies are censoring them for their conservative views - https://politi.co/2Q3qfoO
Trump administration slams Chinese tech company. The administration says Huawei is "engaged in activities contrary to U.S. national security." The move makes it virtually impossible for the company to do business in America - https://wapo.st/2Q8SK4p
Presidential pardon. President Trump issued pardons on Wednesday to a conservative advocate and a newspaper publisher who recently wrote a book praising Trump - https://cnn.it/2Q36yNS
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1804 - The French Senate declared Napoleon Bonaparte emperor. 1843 - The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest sets out on the Oregon Trail with one thousand pioneers from Elm Grove, Missouri. 1866 - Congress establishes the nickel. 1868 - President Andrew Johnson is acquitted in his impeachment trial by one vote in the Senate. 1918 - The Sedition Act of 1918 is passed by Congress, making criticism of the government during wartime an imprisonable offense. It will be repealed less than two years later. 1988 - A report by the Surgeon General C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine.
Policy News USU names new dean of Caine College of the ArtsUtah State University has selected Rachel Nardo as dean of the Caine College of the Arts.
 Space available to register for Hong Kong / Japan trade missionOn behalf of Governor Gary R. Herbert, World Trade Center Utah and the Governor's Office of Economic Development, we would like to invite you to join the State of Utah's trade mission to Hong Kong and Japan in September 2019.
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"It's also the first time Don Jr. has been ever been picked for something before Ivanka. . . . When Don Jr. asked his dad, 'What's a subpoena?' The president was like, 'She's a teenage witch.'" - JIMMY FALLON Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. Advertise With Us | 
