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Situational awareness - June 27, 2019 Good Thursday 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. Wednesday's planner: - The Supreme Court will release its final opinions of the term at 8:00 a.m.
- Gov. Gary Herbert holds his monthly televised news conference.
- The second of two Democratic presidential primary debates takes place at 7 p.m. The debate will be televised by NBC or streamed online on multiple platforms.
Here are the stories we're following today: - Rep. Kim Coleman is set to launch her Congressional bid soon.
- The Supreme Court is expected to rule on two gerrymandering cases, which could have a major impact on the anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative approved by voters in 2018.
- Romney says new rape allegations against Trump should be "evaluated."
- Democrats debate in Miami.
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TICK TOCK Today is the 178th day of the year. There are 187 days remaining in 2019. The first Democratic presidential primary debates in Miami continue tonight (6/27/2019) 26 days until ballots for the 2019 primary election are mailed to voters (7/23/2019) 33 days to the second Democratic presidential primary debates in Detroit (7/30/2019) 47 days to the 2019 Utah primary elections (8/13/2019) 77 days to the third Democratic presidential primary debate (9/12/2019) 131 days to the 2019 municipal elections (11/5/2019) 189 days until candidates can begin to gather signatures to get on the 2020 ballot (1/2/2020) 214 days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (1/27/2020) 221 days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses (2/3/2020) 250 days to the 2020 Utah presidential primary (3/3/2020) 259 days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (3/12/2020) 260 days to the opening of candidate filing for the 2020 election (3/13/2020) 278 days until the deadline for candidates to submit signatures to be placed on the 2020 primary ballot (3/31/2019) 362 days to the 2020 primary election (6/23/2020) 495 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
Today At Utah Policy  Coleman set to officially enter race to take on Democrat McAdams in 2020
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
UtahPolicy.com has learned Utah State Rep. Kim Coleman, R-West Jordan, is preparing to officially launch her campaign to challenge Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams in 2020.
 Utah Republicans will vote in the state's Super Tuesday primary
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
While the Democratic donnybrook will be front and center during Utah's presidential primary on Super Tuesday, Beehive State Republicans will also be casting ballots that day. Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld is challenging President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination next year.
 Future of voter-approved Prop. 4 could be impacted by Supreme Court gerrymandering decision
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
The U.S. Supreme Court could, on Thursday morning, change politics in America forever.
 Romney says new rape allegations against Trump should be 'evaluated'
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Sen. Mitt Romney said a new rape allegation against President Donald Trump should be "evaluated."
 Committee approves Romney bill to raise smoking, vaping age to 21
By Press release
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) voted to approve key components of the Tobacco 21 Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT), Todd Young (R-IN), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Dick Durbin (D-IL), to prohibit the sale of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to anyone under the age of 21.
 Curtis, bipartisan representatives introduce Kleptocrat Exposure Act
By Press release
Representative John Curtis (R-UT) released the following statement after joining his colleagues in the House of Representatives to introduce the Kleptocrat Exposure Act.
 Revenue restructure task force launches website, seeking public input
By Press release
The Utah Legislature Tax Restructuring and Equalization Task Force launches its website StrongerFutures.utah.gov to hear directly from Utahns. Public input is a critical part of the process as the task force considers how to restructure the state's funding imbalance.
 Utah Thrives podcast: Community growth
By Utah Foundation
Utah Foundation hosted a panel discussion on the challenges posed by Utah's rapid population growth, issues explored in the research report Building a Better Beehive: Land Use Decision Making, Fiscal Sustainability and Quality of Life in Utah.
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES Deseret News Salt Lake Tribune Other
NATIONAL HEADLINES Democratic Debate One. 10 Democratic presidential hopefuls faced off in Miami Wednesday night. The hopefuls tangled over Medicare for all, immigration and the economy - https://nyti.ms/2NvVCuT - It was not a good night for Beto O'Rourke, while Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Julian Castro had praiseworthy performances - https://politi.co/2NhuRdd
- Several of the Democrats on last night's debate stage answered questions in Spanish - http://bit.ly/2NhtefO
- Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro bodyslammed former Rep. Beto O'Rourke over immigration - https://politi.co/31SEAdf
- Former Democratic party chair Howard Dean warned the party would lose the 2020 election if they put "two old white guys" on their presidential ticket - https://wapo.st/2NvYlV9
Democratic Debate Two...Electric Boogaloo. Thursday night's second debate will feature several of the frontrunners including Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg - https://nyti.ms/31VN6Z9
Supreme Court. The justices finish their term on Thursday as they will issue rulings on cases involving partisan gerrymandering and the fight over adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census - http://bit.ly/31Yu04H
G20. President Donald Trump arrived in Japan Thursday morning ahead of the G20 economic summit where he plans to push for more trade concessions from other foreign leaders - https://wapo.st/2Nrdkzg - President Trump threatened China with new tariffs on Wednesday if the two countries cannot reach a trade deal - https://nyti.ms/2Nf9qJX
Iran. President Trump said Wednesday if the brewing conflict with Iran erupts into an all-out war it would not "last very long" nor would it involve ground troops - https://wapo.st/31ZdX6K - Iran warned another violation of its borders by the U.S. military would result in a "stronger" retaliation - https://reut.rs/31UY2Gn
Mueller time. Read this great behind the scenes account of how House Democrats finally convinced a reluctant Robert Mueller to testify before Congress next month - https://nyti.ms/2NgAjx8 - President Trump, without evidence, accused the former special counsel of destroying evidence related to his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election - https://wapo.st/2NgXAPD
- House Democrats who back opening an impeachment inquiry into President Trump think next month's testimony by Mueller could be a game changer - https://cnn.it/31UWoEH
Democrats subpoena Conway. The House Oversight Committee voted to authorize a subpoena for White House counselor Kellyanne Conway after she failed to appear at a hearing on her alleged violations of the Hatch Act - https://politi.co/2Nhgrdk
McConnell jams Pelosi. The Senate passed a $4.6 billion package of humanitarian aid for the southwestern border, rejecting a competing bill passed by the House. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected the Senate's bill outright, setting up a stalemate on the issue - https://nyti.ms/2NiI5Xn
Trump vs. the Fed. In a rambling 47-minute interview with Fox News, President Trump blasted Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell who he said was not doing enough to spur economic growth by lowering interest rates - https://nyti.ms/31WaZ2J
Immigration. U.S. asylum officers filed suit in federal court challenging the Trump administration's policy of forcing migrants to remain in Mexico while they wait for immigration hearings - https://wapo.st/31WeNRn
Sending a message. The House passed legislation barring the White House and other federal agencies from doing business with Trump-affiliated firms - https://wapo.st/31UWzzR - The Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. charged the Secret Service $200,000 during the first year of Trump's presidency, including $30,000 for two days of use -
Whoa. President Trump has raised more than $36 million since he launched his re-election campaign last week - https://cnb.cx/2NgBZ9U
Notable. New data shows the number of overdose deaths in the U.S. will likely fall for the first time since 1990 - https://on.wsj.com/31YLCNO
Climate change. A new U.N. report says climate change will push 120 million people into poverty by the year 2030, setting up a system of "climate apartheid" between those who can afford to protect themselves and those who cannot - https://cnn.it/31SDOgl
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1829 - English scientist James Smithson left a will that eventually funded the establishment of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. 1844 - Joseph Smith, founder of the LDS Church, and his brother Hyrum Smith are killed by a mob at the Carthage, Illinois jail. 1847 - The first telegraph wire links were established between New York City and Boston. 1859 - Louisville, Ky., schoolteacher Mildred Hill composed a tune for her students and called it "Good Morning To You." Her sister, Patty, later added a verse that began "Happy Birthday To You." 1898 - The first solo circumnavigation of the globe is completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia. 1950 - The U.S. decides to send troops to fight in the Korean War. 1974- President Richard Nixon visits the Soviet Union.
Policy News Utah student's national second place financial literacy essay focuses on ethical investing for refugee aid Treasurer David Damschen has announced that Skyline High School student, Abby Bowler, placed second in the high school division of the national InvestWrite essay competition.
UCAIR and Chevron Corporation offer $500 rebate to exchange ultra-low NOx water heatersUCAIR and Chevron Corporation are once again teaming to provide rebates of up to $500 to Utah homeowners in non-attainment* areas to replace their existing, standard water heater with an air quality-efficient ultra-low NOx (ULN) natural gas water heater.
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