|  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 - February 21, 2020Good morning from Salt Lake City and TGIF!TICK TOCKThere are 15 working days remaining in the 2020 Utah LegislatureThe Nevada Democratic caucuses are tomorrow (2/22/2022)8 days to the South Carolina Democratic primary (2/29/2020)11 days to the Utah presidential primaries (3/3/2020)20 days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (3/12/2020)32 days to the statewide neighborhood caucus meetings (3/24/2020)64 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic state conventions (4/25/2020)130 days to the 2020 Utah primary elections (6/30/2020)256 Days to the 2020 election (11/3/2020)339 days to the start of the 2021 Utah Legislature (1/25/2021)Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:
FRIDAY TRIVIAToday's question comes from Orrin Colby. Name the Utah Doctor who in the first half of the 1900s pioneered an innovative back surgery technique. He was also known as the father of occupational medicine in Utah and served as the medical director for one of Utah's hospitals for nearly three decades. Send your guesses via email to mailbag@utahpolicy.com. We will randomly select a winner from the correct answers who will get to ask next week's question. Good luck. Thanks for subscribing to Utah's must-read daily political news rundown. If you know of friends or colleagues who would benefit from our daily news roundup, please encourage them to sign up for our emails. Today At Utah Policy Utah voters say lawmakers don't pay attention to what they want according to new pollBy Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Most Utahns, even most Republicans, think their Utah House and Senate member pay little or no attention to what they -- the voter -- wants, a new UtahPolicy.com/2News poll by Y2 Analytics finds.  Lawmakers have more than $900 million dollars to spend following new revenue estimatesBy Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick Legislative leaders announced they will have $921 million more to spend this year following new revenue estimates for the coming fiscal year. Most of that cash is in the state's Education Fund, while the tight picture for the rest of the budget got a little looser, but not by much.  Legislative leadership sends citation of support to President Trump following impeachmentBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor On Thursday, House Speaker Brad Wilson and Senate President Stuart Adams made public a citation and letter of support for President Donald Trump following his acquittal in the impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate.  Bernick is out of the doghouse and back in 'full fellowship'By LaVarr Webb, Publisher Well, veteran UtahPolicy.com Contributing Editor Bob Bernick is "back in full fellowship" (as we say in Utah) at the Legislature. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News
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NATIONAL HEADLINESWhoa!A senior intelligence official told members of Congress that Russia was already interfering in the 2020 election and the Democratic primaries to help get President Donald Trump re-elected [Washington Post]. The Kremlin ridiculed the claims that they were trying to aid Trump in the election as "paranoid announcements" [Reuters]. Peace dealSecretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the U.S. will sign a peace treaty with the Taliban next week [Washington Post]. Lock him upLongtime Trump ally Roger Stone was sentenced to 40 months in jail for lying to investigators. President Trump spent part of Thursday complaining about the prosecutors in the case [CNN]. AssangeFormer Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher confirmed he would get President Trump to pardon him if he turned over information proving the Russians had not been the source of leaked Democratic National Committee emails [Yahoo News]. EconomyActing White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told a crowd at a private gathering in England that the Trump administration "needs more immigrants" for the economy to continue growing [Washington Post]. The White House admits Trump's trade wars and protectionism stifled economic growth [Bloomberg]. Race for the White HousePresident Trump's campaign ads will take over the coveted advertising space on YouTube's homepage on Election Day [Bloomberg]. Democrat Michael Bloomberg's campaign spent a record $220 million in January [Bloomberg]. Online streaming services have become a hotbed for political advertising [Washington Post]. Holding steadyPresident Trump's job approval rating from Americans remained at 49% this week, the highest point of his career [Gallup]. Trump's approval rating among small business owners hit an all-time high at 64% [CNBC]. Uh oh!The U.S. defense agency that handles secure communications for President Trump suffered a data breach between May and July of last year [Reuters]. Social mediaFacebook executives worried removing propaganda and misinformation from their platform would disproportionately affect conservative users [Washington Post]. Twitter is testing new ways to fight misinformation [NBC News]. ClimateThe Colorado River's annual flow has declined by nearly 20 percent since 2000 because of climate change [Washington Post]. NotableThe University of Southern California will offer free tuition to students from families with an annual income of less than $80,000 [AP]. BUSINESS HEADLINES
Policy NewsForty-four women completed political training with Women's Leadership Institute, many already running for public officeThe Women's Leadership Institute (WLI) recognized 44 women who completed its six-month bipartisan Political Development Series (PDS), many of whom are already running for public office. Casual Friday: Weekend Events & Outdoors Report Outdoors Report -- Salt Lake Tribune: Looking to ski in Utah without the crowds? Here's where to go. More National Headlines
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1842 - John Greenough is granted the first patent for the sewing machine. 1848 - Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish The Communist Manifesto. 1866 - Lucy Hobbs Taylor becomes the first American woman to graduate from dental school. 1878 - The New Haven, Conn., Telephone Co. published the first phone directory. It listed 50 subscribers. 1855 - The Washington Monument is dedicated. 1953 - Researchers Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the double-helix structure of the DNA molecule. 1965 - Black Muslim leader Malcolm X was assassinated at a rally in New York. 1972 - President Richard Nixon visits the People's Republic of China to normalize Sino-American relations. 1975 - Watergate scandal: Former Attorney General John Mitchell and former White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are sentenced to prison. Wise WordsBe Doing "It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary."Winston Churchill Lighter SideA Little Late "Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, is also speaking out. Last night in New Jersey, John Kelly defended the newly fired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified against the president and criticized the president's position on many subjects. Which is all well and good, but it's now a year since he left the White House. This is like a smoke detector that goes off after your house burns down."- JIMMY KIMMEL Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
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