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Utah Policy Daily Newsletter

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 [email protected], or message us on Twitter.

Situational awareness - June 18, 2020

Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City

TICK TOCK

12 days to the 2020 Utah primary elections (6/30/2020)

138 Days to the 2020 election (11/3/2020)

216 days to inauguration day (01/20/2021)

221 days to the start of the 2021 Utah Legislature (1/25/2021)

Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:

Bolton's book claims Trump begged China to help him win re-election. Utah lawmakers set to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the budget. Coronavirus tests for Utah National Guard members returning from Washington, D.C. were unaccounted for over several days last week.

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Today At Utah Policy

Coronavirus tests from Utah National Guard troops who went to D.C. were unaccounted for over several days last week
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
When the 200 Utah National Guard troops dispatched to Washington, D.C. to help with that city's response to violent protests returned to Utah, the soldiers were tested for exposure to the coronavirus. UtahPolicy.com has learned that at least half of those tests went unaccounted for over several days.Herbert rolls out latest version of Utah's coronavirus economic recovery plan
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Gov. Gary Herbert unveiled the latest iteration of the state's plan to economically recover from the coronavirus downturn Wednesday, which he says will position Utah to rebound quicker than other states.Legislative leaders set the table for big budget cuts ahead of Thursday's special session
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Utah's top legislative bosses on Wednesday cut nearly all of the new money that was put into the $20 billion fiscal 2021 budget, getting ready for a special session starting Thursday morning aimed at balancing next year's spending plan, which starts July 1.

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

Jay Evensen: The pandemic has taught us that human contact matters more than money Utah legislators to change liquor laws to accommodate new Salt Lake airport Utah's budget shortfall due to coronavirus now $850 million - an improvement over early projections Utah lays out its foundation for economic recovery, version 4.0 Five officers leave Salt Lake City Police Department amid increased scrutiny Utah transit systems look to restore public confidence, recover ridership in COVID-19 era

Salt Lake Tribune

Utah's Republican candidates for governor outline their plans to jump-start the economy Kerry Gibson's time over Utah Agriculture Dept. marked by employee turmoil and spending increases Salt Lake City airport hit low at 5% of normal, now is back up to 20% to 25% Utah nursing homes could discharge patients refusing coronavirus test under bill Sen. Mike Lee criticizes Gov. Gary Herbert, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox over reported election antics There's a virtual traffic jam for people needing a road test to get a Utah driver license Utah spending plan would tap reserves to avoid slashing money for schools, social services

Other

Utah County Commission approves distributing CARES Act funds directly to cities (Daily Herald) Anticipating revenue drop, Logan OKs lower budget for FY2020-21, accepts CARES Act funds (Logan Herald Journal)

NATIONAL HEADLINES

BOMBSHELL!

Parts of former national security adviser John Bolton's forthcoming book started to see the light of day, and it's a doozy! Among Bolton's shocking claims:

President Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help him win re-election by agreeing to buy agricultural products. Bolton chided House Democrats for not investigating other troubling incidents involving Trump that could be impeachable offenses. Bolton said obstruction of justice in the Trump White House was a "way of life" as the president routinely sought to intervene in legal matters to help authoritarian leaders he liked. Trump claimed Americans were clamoring for him to change the Constitution so he could serve more than two terms. Trump said it was okay that China was building concentration camps to hold Uighur Muslims. The president did not know England was a nuclear power and though Finland was part of Russia. Trump was obsessed with getting a copy of Elton John's "Rocket Man" CD to North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un. Defended the Saudis in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to distract from news about his daughter, Ivanka, using a private email for government business. Trump said journalists should be jailed and executed.

Lots of reports/excerpts available: NYT, WaPo, Bloomberg, WSJ, CNN

In an interview, Bolton says he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks "he can play Trump like a fiddle" [ABC News].

The Justice Department is seeking an emergency court order to prevent the release of Bolton's book [WaPo].

On Wednesday Trump called Bolton a "liar" and said his book "broke the law," but did not refute any specific allegations from Bolton's book [The Hill].

Coronavirus

President Trump said the coronavirus is "dying out," but medical experts vehemently disagree [CNN].

The Trump White House says there are no plans to cancel the president's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma and said attendees "assume a personal risk" when it comes to the coronavirus [Politico].

Scientists are worried that the Trump Administration's focus on finding a vaccine for the coronavirus is overlooking other available therapies that could work [CNN].

Police reform

The ex-Atlanta police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks is facing a felony murder charge. Prosecutors say the former officer also kicked Brooks after he fell to the ground [CNN].

The House Judiciary Committee advanced a Democratic-backed police reform bill after an emotional debate [Politico].

Senate Democrats are mulling stopping a Republican police reform bill because it doesn't go far enough in their opinion [Politico].

Los Angeles city officials are moving to replace some LAPD officers with unarmed crisis responders [CNN].

2020 election

Some of President Trump's advisers are worried he's spending too much time wallowing in self-pity about negative news coverage about the botched response to the coronavirus and nationwide protests, and they fear he is not interested in winning a second term [NYT].

Economy

The global economic downturn from the coronavirus pandemic could erase more wealth than the 2008 financial crisis, which wiped out $10 trillion [Bloomberg].

Target is raising its minimum wage for workers to $15 an hour in July, which is four months earlier than they planned [CNN].

BUSINESS HEADLINES

Impact of COVID-19 on Utah housing sector expected to be significant, analyst says (Deseret News) Utah more resilient than most as early retail recovery signs appear (Deseret News) Utah lays out its foundation for economic recovery, version 4.0 (Deseret News)

Policy News

Weber Housing Authority announces rental assistance program
Weber Housing Authority has announced the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program to help households with maintaining current living situations and avoiding evictions due to financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. The assistance will be available to households that have experienced financial hardship and have applied for and been denied Unemployment Benefits.Global logistics in a COVID world: Building resilience with supply chains
Join World Trade Center Utah, Utah Inland Port Authority and Air & Sea International for a webinar discussing global logistics in a COVID world. Attendees will learn about COVID-19's impact on logistics and shipping, as well as what Utah companies can do to work around those changes and build resilience in their supply chains.

More National Headlines

Sen. Hawley Blasts Supreme Court's Bostock Decision, Urges Religious Conservatives to Reject Establishment GOP Deal (Epoch Times) The Lockdown Contrarians Were Right (C2C Journal) On SF's Larch Street, as the tents move in, the residents move out (San Francisco Chronicle) Moral Cruelty and the Left (Tablet) Study: Trigger warnings have limited benefit for trauma survivors (UPI) Corporate America's Strategy Of Mob Appeasement Will Destroy it, Just As It Always Has (Federalist) CHAZ Demands 'Race-Based' Healthcare, Which Is Illegal in the U.S. (PJ Media) The Revolution Comforts the Comfortable (National Review) Corporate pandering means invisibility (Powerline) Seattle Adds Concrete Barricades To CHOP (Bearing Arms) When Will We Stand Up To The Tyrants Of Woke Conformity? (Issues & Insights)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1778 - American Revolutionary War: British troops abandon Philadelphia.

1812 - The U.S. declaration of war upon the United Kingdom is signed by President James Madison, beginning the War of 1812.

1815 - The Battle of Waterloo results in the defeat in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte by the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal Gebhard von Blucher, forcing him to abdicate the throne of France for the second and last time.

1873 - Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.

1940 - The "Finest Hour" speech is delivered by Winston Churchill.

1979 - SALT II is signed by the United States and the Soviet Union.

1983 - Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.