 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 - June 29, 2020Good morning from Salt Lake CityLet's Monday!TICK TOCKThe 2020 Utah primary elections are tomorrow (6/30/2020)127 Days to the 2020 election (11/3/2020)205 days to inauguration day (01/20/2021)210 days to the start of the 2021 Utah Legislature (1/25/2021)Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:
TRIVIA WINNEROur readers sure do know their Utah history. Congratulations to Doug DeVore who was randomly selected as our winner from the many subscribers who correctly identified Caleb West as Utah's last territorial governor and Heber Wells as Utah's first state governor. Election pick 'em!Today is the final day to enter our 2020 primary election pick 'em contest. Correctly pick the winners of four high-profile primary elections in our contest and you could win an Amazon gift card. 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 newsletter. Today At Utah Policy Poll: Most Utahns believe the Trump administration has mostly failed at improving race relationsBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor A slim majority of Utahns say President Donald Trump's administration has mostly failed at improving race relations in the U.S. according to a new survey.  Analysis: Cox, Huntsman and Hughes all have very different paths to victory on TuesdayBy Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Tuesday is primary election day in Utah, likely one of the most interesting in a generation -- with four GOP candidates each in an open governor's race, an open 1st Congressional District race and a 4th Congressional District race where GOP leaders deeply desire to reclaim the seat from the Democratic Party.  Utah taxable sales volatility spikes in March, AprilBy Doug MacDonald, Chief Economist, Econowest Associates If Utah had a VIX index for its taxable sales, it would be at an all-time record high. Of the 38 taxable sales economic sectors, 14 had higher than positive 10% in March year-over-year sales. Another 14 sectors showed below negative 10% in March. This is all-time record volatility since the State began tallying taxable sales in 1980.  Primary election pick 'em contest!By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Test your knowledge of Utah politics by predicting the results of the four big Utah primary races next week.  Bernick and Schott on politics podcast: 'Come collect your people!'By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Listen to our Friday Utah political news roundup with Managing Editor Bryan Schott and Contributing Editor Bob Bernick.  Video: Dr. Angela Dunn sounds the alarm about Utah's exploding number of Covid-19 casesBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Utah state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn sounded the alarm on Friday about Utah's skyrocketing number of Covid-19 cases, saying policymakers need to do more to balance public and economic health in the state. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News
Salt Lake Tribune
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NATIONAL HEADLINESRussia paid bounties to kill American soldiersRussian intelligence officers reportedly offered money to Taliban militants in Afghanistan if they killed U.S. or U.K. troops [New York Times]. President Donald Trump denied he was briefed about the Russian bounties on U.S. troops because he said the intelligence was not credible [NPR]. Intelligence assessments concluded that the Russian bounties resulted in the deaths of U.S. troops [WaPo]. The Trump administration is set to brief select members of Congress on the matter Monday [AP]. CoronavirusThe Covid-19 death toll passed 500,000 worldwide on Sunday [NBC News]. 12 states are pausing reopening following a spike in the number of cases across the country [CNN]. California ordered the closure of bars in Los Angeles and other counties as the number of cases continued to climb [Bloomberg]. Dr. Anthony Fauci warns that a Covid-19 vaccine may not get the U.S. to herd immunity if too many people refuse to get it [CNN]. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said a nationwide mask mandate is "long overdue" [Axios]. Vice President Mike Pence urged Americans to wear a mask and practice social distancing on Sunday [WaPo]. Coronavirus reliefThe Trump administration has agreed to give Congress complete data on the millions of businesses that received $600 billion in loans from the coronavirus relief programs, but they're warning Congress not to make the information public [AP]. Social mediaThe advertiser boycott of Facebook over their content moderation policies is growing as several big advertisers pull ads off the social network [CNBC]. MississippiThe Mississippi legislature voted to remove the Confederate battle symbol from their state flag. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is expected to sign the bill into law [AP]. Yikes!President Trump retweeted, then deleted, a video including a supporter shouting "white power" [The Hill]. IncredibleComedian Sacha Baron Cohen crashed a right-wing event posing as a country singer where he encouraged the crowd to sing along with lyrics about liberals being "chopped up" or "injected with the Wuhan flu." Organizers of the event were not amused. After rushing off the stage, Cohen allegedly returned to the event posing as a journalist [New York Post]. BUSINESS HEADLINES
Policy NewsPublic Health and Economic Emergency Commission emphasizes the importance of wearing masksOn June 25, the Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission unanimously recommended the governor designate a portion of the $1 million for the COVID-19 Outreach and Education Program to directly emphasize the importance of wearing a mask. The Utah Legislature allocated these funds to the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development during the June 2020 special session.  CYBER24 episode 86: SOC 2 and other Corporate Certs - What, Why? How?In this episode of the CYBER24 podcast, presented by VLCM, we continue our look cyber frameworks and certifications. We take a deep dive into the popular SOC 2. We learn more about SOC 2, to whom it applies, why some organizations need it, and how they get it. More National Headlines
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1776 - The Virginia state constitution was adopted. 1853 - The Senate ratified the $10 million Gadsen Purchase from Mexico, adding more than 29,000 square miles to the territories of Arizona and New Mexico. 1950 - President Harry Truman authorized a sea blockade of Korea during the Korean War. 1956 - The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 is signed, officially creating the United States Interstate Highway System. 1958 - Brazil won their first World Cup. 1972 - The Supreme Court rules in the case Furman v. Georgia that arbitrary and inconsistent of the death penalty violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. 2007 - The Apple iPhone went on sale. 2009 - Financier Bernard Madoff received a 150-year sentence for his multibillion-dollar fraud. Wise WordsFinal Word "I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." Martin Luther King, Jr. Lighter SideFace Masks "Yes, it appears America isn't just dealing with a deadly strain of coronavirus, it's also dealing with a deadly strain of stupidity. If wearing masks killed people, there would be no doctors, no dentists, and no hockey goalies. Every hockey game would end with a score of 1,000 to 980. Why are we even arguing with these idiots?"- TREVOR NOAH Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
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