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Situational awareness - October 4, 2018
Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City.
As UtahPolicy.com first reported Wednesday night, lawmakers, LDS Church officials and Prop. 2 backers have reached a compromise on medical marijuana. The agreement will be unveiled during a noon press conference on Thursday - http://bit.ly/2RlLfYe
The 4th District race between Republican Mia Love and Ben McAdams is heating up.
- The Cook Political Report (subscription required) moved their rating of the race from Lean Republican to Toss Up. "Party strategists are arguing over what's the bigger factor in Love's reelection math: drag from President Trump's unpopularity, or a lift from Mitt Romney's Senate bid. Either way, the contest between Love and Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams looks likely to go down to the wire." - http://bit.ly/2Pb4DWe
- The New York Times profiles the race between Love and McAdams - https://nyti.ms/2P9TWDD
TICK TOCK
Today At Utah Policy
Lawmakers, LDS Church, Prop. 2 backers reach deal on medical marijuanaAfter weeks of discussion, Utah lawmakers, LDS Church officials, and Prop. 2 backers have reached an agreement for a compromise on medical marijuana. The agreement will be announced at a noon press conference on Thursday....
Perfectly partisan purposes and pickled peppersThe Mia Love vs. Ben McAdams race in Utah's 4th Congressional District has taken some strange twists and turns over the past week....
Dixie State University researcher looks for new ways to treat drug-resistant skin infectionsAmidst epidemics of new viruses and resurgences of diseases which were once thought to be effectively eradicated, a well-characterized medical crisis continues to plague hospitals and their patients: antibiotic-resistant infections....
Report: Utah suicide rates rise dramatically across age groupsWhile public health agencies, schools and other groups are working to address Utah's rising suicide rates, judging the effectiveness of those efforts will require better data collection....
'We're not there yet' says Hughes on medical marijuana deal. Talks continuingReports of a tentative compromise between lawmakers, the LDS Church and backers of Prop. 2 were premature according to sources involved in the negotiations who spoke to UtahPolicy.com on Tuesday morning....
Podcast: Bernick and Schott on politics Ep. 392Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott bring you their thoughts on the big Utah political news of the past week....
Weekly survey: Will 'Better Boundaries' survive the legislature?Critics of Prop. 4, the "Better Boundaries" initiative, say it usurps the Utah Legislature's constitutional role in redistricting. Some have suggested lawmakers could drastically alter, or even repeal the initiative if it passes. What do you think will happen? Vote now in ou...
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES
Deseret News
Editorial: It may be time to regulate Salt Lake City's flock of electric scooters
Jay Evensen: Don't close the old homeless shelter next year
Salt Lake district attorney candidates paint opposing pictures of office during debate
Poll: Utahns split over whether Roe v. Wade should be overturned
Love-McAdams race now rated a toss-up
Logan man arrested in White House ricin investigation
A.G. Jeff Sessions says program to reduce violent crime working in Utah, across country
Announcement over medical marijuana initiative expected Thursday
Salt Lake Tribune
Medical marijuana negotiations continue, and a deal could be announced as soon as Thursday
New Salt Lake City campaign reminds scooter riders to stay off the sidewalk
Utah's highly watched Mia Love-Ben McAdams race is now a 'toss-up'
Other
Man suspected of mailing ricin to Pres. Trump, Pentagon arrested in Logan (Logan Herald Journal)
Casey Snider wins GOP special election to fill Webb's House seat (Logan Herald Journal)
NATIONAL HEADLINES
- The FBI probe into claims of sexual misconduct by Brett Kavanaugh is finished. Senators and a handful of Senate staff will be able to read the report, but it's unclear whether the public will get to see it - http://bit.ly/2Pakzbi
- The White House tweeted early Thursday morning that the FBI report supports moving forward with Kavanaugh's confirmation - https://wapo.st/2P6MIQM
- The Senate plans to hold a procedural vote on Kavanaugh's nomination on Friday. If that is successful, the final vote could come on Saturday afternoon -https://politi.co/2P5gV2u
- The FBI's probe into Kavanaugh's behavior appears to have been severely restricted by the White House. The bureau reportedly only interviewed six witnesses in their investigation - https://wapo.st/2Pbnvo3
- The FBI investigation into Brett Kavanaugh ignored several former classmates of the Supreme Court nominee who wanted to come forward with information - http://bit.ly/2P7gRzj
- More than 1,000 law professors signed a letter saying Kavanaugh should not be confirmed to the Supreme Court because he lacks the temperament for the Supreme Court - https://nyti.ms/2P9zNgV
- Republicans in the Senate, along with President Trump, have shifted their tactics to attack Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who claims Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school - https://nyti.ms/2P88dk0
- The fight over Brett Kavanaugh's nomination has energized Republican ahead of the midterm elections according to a new poll - https://n.pr/2P9fSP9
- 56% of Republicans say sexual harassment charges would not disqualify a political candidate - https://nbcnews.to/2P83DSP
- Most Americans won't vote during the upcoming midterm elections - https://nyti.ms/2P9PNQ5
- Republican members of Congress are having to defend President Trump's tax law to angry constituents - https://nyti.ms/2PhdKEQ
- The efforts to kill Obamacare's guarantee of coverage for preexisting conditions is causing problems for Republicans on the campaign trail - https://wapo.st/2P9l9WR
- The Navy's Pacific Fleet is proposing a show of force to China. The plan is to conduct a series of operations in November, including sailing ships and flying aircraft near China's territorial waters - https://cnn.it/2P9jnFb
- A federal judge blocks the Trump administration from terminating the legal status of about 300,000 immigrants from Haiti, Sudan, Nicaragua and El Salvador. The judge says racial animus was behind the policy, which violates the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection - https://wapo.st/2P8avj6
- A new survey finds most Americans don't pay any attention to President Trump's tweets. They also tend not to change their opinion when the president lashes out at a person or company - http://bit.ly/2P9gnZx
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
- 1883 - First run of the Orient Express.
- 1927 - Gutzon Borglum begins sculpting Mount Rushmore.
- 1957 - Sputnik 1 becomes the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.
- 2006 - WikiLeaks is launched.
Policy News
Utah businesses tentatively optimistic after new NAFTA revisionOn September 30th, the U.S., Canada and Mexico finalized a long-awaited trade deal that will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)....
More National Headlines
Poll: Amid Kavanaugh Confirmation Battle, Democratic Enthusiasm Edge Evaporates (NPR)
Amid trade spat, US-China military tensions soar (AFP)
Citing conflict, Minneapolis police won't look into claim against Keith Ellison (Star Tribune)
Poll: Heitkamp trails Cramer by 12 points in North Dakota (The Hill)
Trump plans travel push to stave off 'blue wave' in House races (Reuters)
GOP-doxxing suspect arrested; worked or interned for Feinstein, Jackson Lee, other Dems (FOX News)
Fox News Poll: Republicans make gains in top Senate races (FOX News)
Subject in custody after suspicious letters sent to Trump, Pentagon (CNN)
Capitol Hill tensions flare over Kavanaugh, as protesters confront lawmakers (FOX News)
Ex-Boyfriend of Christine Blasey Ford Claims She Told a Falsehood About a Polygraph Test (Slate)
Wise Words
Respect
"If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable." Louis D. Brandeis
Lighter Side
Last Place on Earth
"Melania Trump has announced her first major solo trip as first lady. She will be going to Africa and visiting Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt. She said she specifically chose those countries because those are literally the last places on Earth her husband would look for her." James Corden
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