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 - December 3, 2019Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake CityThanks for subscribing to Utah's must-read daily political news rundown. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to sign up for our emails.Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:
TICK TOCKDays to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 55 (1/27/2020) Days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses: 62 (2/3/2020) Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 91 (3/3/2020) Days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 100 (3/12/2020) Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 210 (6/23/2020) Days to the 2020 election: 336 (11/3/2020) Today At Utah PolicyLawmakers are feeling the heat from voters over tax reformBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Legislative leaders are struggling to sell their tax reform proposal to the public, and several legislators are getting caught in the resulting maelstrom. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News
Salt Lake Tribune
Other NATIONAL HEADLINESBarr disputes IG report on spyingAttorney General William Barr is telling associates he disagrees with the Justice Department's inspector general's conclusions that the FBI did not spy on the Trump campaign and had sufficient evidence to justify launching an investigation into members of the Trump campaign in 2016 [Washington Post]. Impeachment reportDemocrats in the House are readying an Intelligence Committee report which is expected to form the basis of their claims that President Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses in trying to pressure Ukraine to dig up dirt on his political rivals [New York Times]. PrebuttalRepublicans in the House released a 123-page report defending President Trump against Democratic claims he abused his power or committed any other impeachable offenses in his interactions with Ukraine. The document repeats several claims that were debunked by witnesses during the impeachment hearings conducted by the House Intelligence Committee [Politico]. No evidence Ukraine interfered in the 2016 electionThe Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee investigated claims that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election on behalf of Hillary Clinton, but were unable to find any evidence to support that theory [Politico]. Expanding the impeachment investigation?Democrats n the House are quietly debating whether to expand their investigation of whether President Trump committed impeachable offenses beyond the Ukraine scandal [Washington Post]. Trump vs. Bloomberg (News)The Trump campaign says they will no longer credential reporters from Bloomberg News after that outlet said it would not investigate Mike Bloomberg or none of the other Democratic presidential candidates [CNN]. Drain the swamp?A North Dakota company that President Trump urged military officials to hire for border wall construction has been given a $400 million contract. The company's CEO has made multiple appearances on Fox News to promote his firm [Washington Post]. North KoreaKim Jong Un's government warned Monday that the U.S. could receive an unwelcome Christmas gift unless they come up with a new approach to talks over that country's nuclear program [Washington Post]. EconomyAmericans spent $9.2 billion on Cyber Monday shopping this year, but that number fell slightly short of projections [Bloomberg]. American manufacturing slowed for the 4th straight month [CNN]. TradePresident Trump says he has no deadline for making a trade deal with China, adding he would be happy to wait until after the 2020 election to ink a pact [Bloomberg]. BUSINESS HEADLINES
Policy NewsGovernor-led trade mission to Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. on April 16-25, 2020On behalf of Governor Gary R. Herbert, World Trade Center Utah and the Governor's Office of Economic Development would like to invite you to join the State of Utah's trade mission to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. More National Headlines
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1818 - Illinois became the 21st state. 1847 - Frederick Douglass and Martin R. Delaney establish the North Star, an anti-slavery newspaper. 1967 - Surgeons in Cape Town, South Africa, performed the first human heart transplant. 1979 - Eleven people were killed in a crush of fans at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum before a rock concert by The Who. 1984 - Poison gas leaked at a Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal, India, in the world's worst chemical disaster. More than 4,000 people died. 1989 - Presidents George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev announce the official end to the Cold War at a meeting in Malta. Wise WordsHumor "A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road."Henry Ward Beecher Lighter SideThanksgiving Perspective "Young people prefer Friendsgiving to Thanksgiving. In other words, they prefer fun drunk to angry drunk."- JAMES CORDEN Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |