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Situational awareness - May 7, 2019 Good Tuesday 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: - Legislative leadership appoints the members of the task force that will oversee the massive overhaul of Utah's tax system.
- Stewart says he won't switch districts in 2020.
- Federal prosecutors say Trump would be facing felony obstruction charges if he weren't president.
 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 127th day of the year. There are 238 days remaining in 2019. 27 days until the municipal election filing period opens (6/3/2019) 31 days until the municipal election filing period ends (6/7/2019) 32 days until the Independent American Party Utah State Convention (6/8/2019) 46 days to the Utah State Democratic Party Organizing Convention (6/22/2019) 50 days to the first Democratic presidential primary debates in Miami (6/26/2019) 84 days to the second Democratic presidential primary debates in Detroit (7/30/2019) 98 days to the 2019 Utah primary elections (8/13/2019) 182 days to the 2019 municipal elections (11/5/2019) 265 days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (1/27/2020) 273 days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses (2/3/2020) 301 days to the 2020 Utah presidential primary (3/3/2020) 542 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
Today At Utah Policy  Analysis: Utah Republicans hammer Democrats on socialism. Is it working?
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Republican party officers and officeholders across the U.S. have a new political drum to beat: Democrats will kill the American dream through socialism.
 Stewart knocks down rumor he may switch to CD1 in 2020
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Rep. Chris Stewart says he's been getting some pressure from Utah Republicans to run for the Congressional seat being vacated by the retirement of Rep. Rob Bishop because his background in the Air Force would be beneficial to Hill Air Force Base. Stewart says he's flattered, but he's not giving up his current seat in the 2nd District.
 Tax reform task force membership named
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
The Utah Legislature's special tax reform task force has been named and will start work soon
UtahPolicy.com honored in 'Top of the Rockies' competition
By UtahPolicy.com staff
UtahPolicy.com's staff won 5 "Top of the Rockies" awards, including 2 first-place honors, in the Society of Professional Journalists competition that included entries from Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES Deseret News Salt Lake Tribune Other
NATIONAL HEADLINES Hundreds of former prosecutors say Trump would be facing felony obstruction charges if he weren't president. Hundreds of ex-prosecutors say President Donald Trump would be facing multiple felony charges for obstruction in the Russia investigation - https://cnn.it/2PPym8y
House Democrats vs. William Barr. The House Judiciary Committee will proceed with a vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress on Wednesday - https://politi.co/2PSP4ng
Mnuchin refuses to turn over Trump's tax returns. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin denied a request from House Democrats for access to six years of President Donald Trump's tax returns - https://politi.co/2PSKK7z
Trump's popularity hits a new high point. The latest Gallup poll gives President Trump a 46% approval rating, which is the highest mark in his White House tenure - http://bit.ly/2PPyvc6
China trade fight. U.S. officials accused China of backing out of promises made during trade negotiations between the two countries and vowed to implement higher tariffs quickly - https://politi.co/2PWhmO0
Democrats aim for more airtime on Fox News. House Democratic leaders are encouraging their members to seek out guest appearances on the conservative news outlet. They're also offering training to help members prepare for those Fox News guest slots - https://cnn.it/2PRBX67
Woah! Facebook executives say they took down more than 2.8 billion fake accounts between October 2017 and November 2018 - http://bit.ly/2PRBZef - Facebook said Monday it had removed a network of fake Russian accounts that were using "deceptive tactics" to join Facebook groups - https://cnn.it/2PWhH3e
Trump floats the idea that he should get 2 extra years. The president said 2 years of his term were "stolen" because of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Aides said Trump was joking - https://politi.co/2PSY4c1
Measles outbreak accelerates. The outbreak has now hit 23 states as the number of confirmed cases surged to 764 - http://bit.ly/2PQrtni
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1718 - The city of New Orleans is founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville. 1789 - The first U.S. presidential inaugural ball, celebrating the inauguration of George Washington, was conducted in New York City. 1846 - The Cambridge Chronicle, America's oldest surviving weekly newspaper, is published for the first time in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 1952 - The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey Dummer. 1976 - Honda officially launches the Accord car model. 1992 - Michigan ratifies a 203-year-old proposed amendment to the Constitution making the 27th Amendment law. The amendment bars Congress from giving itself a mid-term pay raise.
Policy News  Prepare for the Hong Kong and Japan Trade Mission with a seminar on doing business in those two regionsWorld Trade Center Utah, in partnership with the Governor's Office of Economic Development, invites you to attend a seminar to learn about doing business with Hong Kong and Japan.
 Salt Lake Chamber statement on National Small Business WeekDerek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance, released the following statement regarding National Small Business Week held May 5-11, 2019:
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Purpose
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