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Situational awareness - August 29, 2019

Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City

Thanks 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:

• Support for Trump's re-election in Utah is only at 40%
• The demographics of the Utah GOP are shifting.
• Trump reportedly promised to pardon staffers who break the law in order to fast-track construction of his border wall

TICK TOCK

Days to the 2019 Utah municipal elections: 68 (11/5/2019)

Days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 151 (1/27/2020)

Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 187 (3/3/2020)

Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 300 (6/23/2020)

Days to the 2020 election: 432 (11/3/2020)

Today At Utah Policy

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

• Derek Miller: Five things to know about the inland port
• Jay Evensen: Tax the heck out of vaping, but be careful
• Boyd Matheson: Condoleezza Rice and former House Speaker Paul Ryan join parade of dignitaries in Utah
• Utah's Rep. Ben McAdams joins UVU president Astrid Tuminez to tout plan to help underserved students 'FINISH' college
• Following wildfires, Utah County to receive $10.6 million in watershed restoration funding
• Poll: 75% of Utahns back term limits as group readies initiative for circulation

Salt Lake Tribune

• Feds approve massive potash mine on dry Utah lakebed; it could bring hundreds of jobs, millions in sales
• Utah's Democratic delegates are slotted to stay in a hotel more than 60 miles from their party's presidential convention
• Rep. Rob Bishop says Utah should tell the feds to 'go to hell' when it comes to public school policy

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NATIONAL HEADLINES

Build the wall

Democrats are alarmed by reports that President Donald Trump has promised to pardon any aides who break the law to fast-track construction of his border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border [WaPo].

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The winnowing

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand drops her presidential bid after spending more than $4 million on advertising [NYT].

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Ten debating Democrats

10 Democrats qualify for the next televised presidential debate in September [AP].

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Huh?

Under a new rule from the Trump administration, the children of some US service members and government employees living abroad will not automatically be granted US citizenship. The rule seems primarily aimed at the children of naturalized citizens serving in the armed services who have not lived in the US for some time [CNN].

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Trump vs. Fox News

President Donald Trump blasted Fox News on Twitter Thursday, accusing the cable news network of "heavily promoting Democrats." Trump's tantrum came after the channel interviewed a Democratic Party spokesperson [CNN Business].

• Fox News stars pushed back at the president's demands for loyalty [Daily Beast].

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2020

Georgia Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson announced he would resign later this year due to health problems. The surprise resignation means Republicans will have to defend one more Senate seat in 2020 [Politico].

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Disgraceful

MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell apologized Thursday evening after reporting a thinly-sourced claim that Donald Trump had Russian co-signers on loans from Deutsche Bank [WaPo].

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Environment

The Trump administration will announce Thursday they plan to loosen regulations on methane, a potent greenhouse gas [NYT].

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For your radar

Congress will likely have to resort to a stopgap measure to keep the government open after October 1. The Senate has not marked up a single appropriations bill in subcommittee for the first time in decades [WaPo].

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BUSINESS HEADLINES

• Derek Miller: Five things to know about the inland port (Deseret News)
• New Northrop Grumman facility at Hill AFB to bring new jobs to Northern Utah (Standard-Examiner)
• Feds approve massive potash mine on dry Utah lakebed; it could bring hundreds of jobs, millions in sales (Salt Lake Tribune)

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Policy News

Utah County Commissioners set to launch 'Your County, Your Voice' program
Utah County Commissioners Bill Lee, Nathan Ivie, and Tanner Ainge announced a new program intended to gather citizen feedback called, "Your County, Your Voice." The survey tools are intended to solicit input on a number of issues facing Utah County and to better understand concerns of county residents.

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2500 jobs coming to Utah's 1st Congressional District
Rep. Rob Bishop, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, offered congratulatory remarks at a groundbreaking ceremony in Roy, UT following an announcement by Northrop Grumman of the construction of a brand new facility. The facility will serve as the headquarters for the company's Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program and create 2500 new jobs in northern Utah.

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United Utah Party holds public hearings on term limit initiative
Public hearings on the UUP term limit initiative will be held between August 27 and August 31, 2019, at the designated locations listed below:

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New-generation diesel technologies to deliver greatest emission reductions from Utah's VW settlement spending
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) awarded $25.5 million to fund vehicle replacements in priority communities most in need of emission reductions across the state. These funds represent the majority of the $35 million allocated to Utah as part of the Volkswagen (VW) Environmental Mitigation Trust. Seven percent of the state's $35 million settlement from Volkswagen remain to be spent before October 2027.

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State of Utah continues partnership, innovation by awarding new contract to NIC's Utah Interactive
After a competitive bid process, the state of Utah awarded Utah Interactive a new enterprise contract to provide state digital government solutions.

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Utah State University celebrates the Year of the Woman Telling Our Story: 1890-2020
Utah State University joins the nation and state in celebrating significant voting rights anniversaries in 2020. As the university honors these important milestones in the nation's history, and as part of those celebrations, Utah State University declares the 2019-20 school year as the "Year of the Woman."

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More National Headlines

• The Left Can't Stop Lying About The Tea Party (Federalist)
• Boris Johnson leaves Remainers reeling with masterstroke to close Parliament to push through Brexit (The Sun)
• DHS bars Dem staffers from visiting border facilities after 'rude' and 'disruptive' behavior (FOX News)
• New York Times takes hits from all sides (The Hill)
• How Trump got under the media's thin skin (Washington Post)
• Extreme acts of violence in Mexico are on the rise (Los Angeles Times)
• Americans dread the 2020 election (USA Today)
• Psychiatrist who called Trump 'dangerous' warns about Biden (Washington Examiner)
• Apple apologizes for letting contractors eavesdrop on Siri's sex recordings (New York Post)
• Mnuchin says Trump administration considering 'ultra-long' bonds (The Hill)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1786 - Shays' Rebellion, an armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers, begins in response to high debt and tax burdens.

1898 - The Goodyear tire company is founded.

1958 - The United States Air Force Academy opens in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

1966 - The Beatles perform their last concert in front of paying fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

1973 - U.S. District Judge John Sirica ordered President Richard Nixon to turn over secret Watergate tapes. Nixon refused and appealed the order.

1997 - Netflix is launched as an internet DVD rental service.

2005 - Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing more than 1,800 people and causing $125 billion in damage.

2008 - Sen. John McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate.

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