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| 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 - July 30, 2020Good morning from Salt Lake CityLet's Thursday!TICK TOCK96 Days to the 2020 election (11/3/2020)174 days to inauguration day (01/20/2021)179 days to the start of the 2021 Utah Legislature (1/25/2021)Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:More than 150,000 Americans have died from coronavirus since February. That's more than the 9/11 attacks 50 times over. A White House report says Utah is still in the coronavirus "red zone" and should implement a statewide mask mandate. President Donald Trump says he did not bring up reported Russian bounties for killing American troops during his recent phone call with Vladimir Putin.LISTEN TO THIS!"Bernick and Schott on politics" is Utah's longest-running, and highest-rated, political podcast. We break down the big Utah political news twice a week, plus bring you interviews with newsmakers and interesting people. You can subscribe at this link, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 PolicyWhite House report says Utah is still in the 'red zone' for coronavirus and calls for statewide mask mandateBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Last week, Utah was one of 18 states considered to be in the federal "red zone" for coronavirus according to a report prepared for the White House. The latest version of that report says Utah remains in the red zone and should implement a statewide mask mandate to slow the spread of the virus.Podcast: Wrapping up the 2020 primary elections with Poolhouse's Danny Laub By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Now that the 2020 Utah primary elections are over, we speak with political consultant Danny Laub from Poolhouse to get some insight on the results.Romney slams Trump's decision to move thousands of U.S. troops out of Germany By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Sen. Mitt Romney ripped the Trump administration's decision to move thousands of U.S. troops out of Germany as a "grave error" that will weaken any ability to respond to threats in Europe. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News Jay Evensen: TRUST Act would at least force Congress to confront hard questions Mitt Romney calls Trump decision to remove U.S. troops from Germany 'grave error' Sales at Utah's state-run liquor stores top half-billion dollars a year for first time South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott says he still hopes to revive police reform bill Romney says he will propose extension of unemployment benefits during virtual town hall with NAACP president Recount to put Provo brewpub question on ballot comes up shortSalt Lake Tribune Eight crashes in 10 years. Is the regional airport in West Jordan safe? Mitt Romney slams Trump for plan to remove thousands of U.S. troops from Germany Census: Pandemic still battering Utah families economically Spencer Cox chooses workforce services director as his interim chief of staff Police stopped him 18 times, but Black senator says he strives for civilityOther New state COVID-19 recovery program aims to get customers through the doors of small businesses (Standard-Examiner) Ogden, Weber County tout grant programs to aid businesses hit by downturn (Standard-Examiner)NATIONAL HEADLINES150,000More than 150,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus since the first known death in February. That's an average of 850 deaths per day, or 50 times more deaths than the 9/11 attacks. The U.S. recorded 1,461 deaths on Wednesday, which is one death per minute [CNN]. Raised eyebrowsPresident Donald Trump said he did not bring up intelligence that Russia had offered bounties to kill American troops when he spoke with President Vladimir Putin last week. Trump said had he known about the intelligence, he would have acted. The information was part of his written intelligence brief in February, but he rarely reads that document [Axios]. Coronavirus reliefCongress is still nowhere near an agreement on another coronavirus relief package. The primary sticking point is extending $600 per week in extra jobless benefits [Politico]. Back to school?The president of the American Federation of Teachers says teachers in Florida, Arizona and Texas could strike in protest of unsafe working conditions because of the coronavirus [Politico]. FacepalmRepublican congressman Louie Gohmert, who refused to wear a mask, tested positive for coronavirus. He later made the inexplicable claim that wearing a mask might be responsible for him contracting the virus [Politico]. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that masks would be mandatory in the House following Gohmert's positive test. Members and staff will not be allowed in the House Chamber without wearing a mask [CBS News]. EconomyThe U.S. will report a record-breaking economic plunge. Consumer spending fell off a cliff in the last quarter, which caused the economy to shrink by a 32 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter [AP]. U.S. gross domestic product dropped nearly 35 during the second quarter [Bloomberg]. The Federal Reserve left interest rates near zero as the economy continues to sputter [NYT]. Big tech takes a beatingThe chiefs of Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook underwent tough questioning from Democrats and Republicans during a contentious congressional hearing on Wednesday [NYT]. Republicans claim that right-wing voices are being censored on social media. Data shows that's not true [CNN]. In a particularly cringe-worthy moment, Florida Republican Greg Steube claimed his campaign's emails ending up in spam folders was evidence of anti-conservative bias [Daily Beast]. SCOTUSJustice Brett Kavanaugh reportedly urged his colleagues on the court not to rule either way in the high-profile case concerning President Trump's tax returns. Kavanaugh also lobbied the other justices to stay out of a Louisiana abortion case that would have closed all but one abortion clinic in the state [CNN]. Food insecurityAlmost 30 million Americans said they did not have enough to eat last week [Bloomberg]. PortlandOregon's governor announces that federal officers will begin leaving the city on Thursday [Oregon Public Broadcasting]. Read this right now!Civil rights leader John Lewis, who died last week, authored an op-ed to be published on the day of his funeral urging Americans to stand up for their beliefs and reject racism and hate [NYT]. Big Brother is watchingRite Aid deployed facial recognition technology in largely lower-income non-white neighborhoods [Reuters]. BUSINESS HEADLINESNew tool aims to connect out-of-work Utahns to job training from colleges, companies (Deseret News) COVID-19 and low interest rates creating bidding wars in Utah housing market (Deseret News) Salt Lake County wants to give $35 million to local businesses (Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake County issuing new round of small business grants to help survive pandemic (Deseret News) New state COVID-19 recovery program aims to get customers through the doors of small businesses (Standard-Examiner) Ogden, Weber County tout grant programs to aid businesses hit by downturn (Standard-Examiner)Policy NewsHatch Center hosts Senator Tim Scott for symposium on race and civilityThe Hatch Center-the policy arm of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation-hosted a virtual symposium on Race & Civility in America with special guest Senator Tim Scott (R-SC). In his keynote remarks, Senator Scott outlined a path forward for reducing police violence and empowering minority communities through economic opportunity.Two GOED grant programs announced The Governor's Office of Economic Development has announced two grant programs to support businesses impacted by the pandemic.St. George Area Chamber of Commerce launches new partnerships to elevate southern Utah women in business The St. George Area Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with the Women's Leadership Institute of Utah and Women's Business Center of Utah in an effort to deliver a wave of new resources to women looking to launch a business, advance their career or lead in their community.Over 400 WeberCARES grant applications have been received since opening On July 6, 2020, Weber County opened the application period to the WeberCARES Grant to offer relief to local businesses financially impacted by the pandemic. More National HeadlinesGoogle CEO Squirms as Jim Jordan Asks if Google Will 'Tailor Its Features' to Help Joe Biden (PJ Media) AG Barr destroys Jerry Nadler in another House Democrat testimony disaster (New York Post) John Kass defies Chicago Tribune cancel culture: 'I will not apologize for writing about Soros' (Breitbart Summer of Love: Huge Majority of Americans Now Concerned About Rising Crime, Feckless Democrat Prosecutors (PJ Media) The winners of July (WJC) It's Time For Congress To Get Serious About Big Tech's Threats To Individual Rights (Federalist) Dems starting to panic that voters will blame them for riots (American Thinker) The bewildering bombardment of Bill Barr (Spectator) Norwegian flag removed from Saint Johns bed and breakfast over Confederate confusion (WILX) Mayor de Blasio forced to defend his grasp on reality of New York City (New York Post) Some Biden allies wage a shadow campaign to stop Kamala Harris from becoming vice president (CNBC)ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1619 - In Jamestown, Virginia, the first representative assembly in the Americas, the House of Burgesses, convenes for the first time. 1729 - Founding of Baltimore, Maryland. 1863 - Representatives of the United States and tribal leaders including Chief Pocatello (of the Shoshone) sign the Treaty of Box Elder. 1956 - A joint resolution of Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing In God We Trust as the national motto. 1965 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid. 1969 - President Richard Nixon makes an unscheduled visit to South Vietnam and meets with President Nguyen Van Thieu and U.S. military commanders. 1974 - President Richard Nixon releases subpoenaed White House recordings after being ordered to do so by the Supreme Court. 1974 - The House Judiciary Committee, by a vote of 21-17, approved a third article of impeachment against President Richard Nixon, charging him with ignoring congressional subpoenas. Nixon resigned just over a week later before he could be impeached. 1975 - Jimmy Hoffa disappears from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in a Detroit suburb. He is never seen or heard from again. Wise WordsEducation"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom." George Washington Carver Lighter SideCompliment?"To give him credit, yesterday's virus-side chat showed the kind of strong, thoughtful leadership we need -ed in January." - STEPHEN COLBERT Listen to us on_Apple Podcasts Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
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