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Situational awareness - June 29, 2018
Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City.
Lee is rising as a possible Supreme Court nominee. Herbert talks with Trump about trade wars. A gunman opens fire at a newspaper in Maryland.
CAPTION CONTEST!
A tipster sends along this photo of Gov. Gary Herbert and Speaker Greg Hughes holding a late-evening meeting on the inland port at the governor's mansion. Send your best captions to bryanschott@protonmail. We'll recognize the best entries in Monday's newsletter.
TICK TOCK
- 130 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
- 213 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
- 858 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
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HERE ARE THE STORIES WE'RE WATCHING TODAY
Lee for SCOTUS heating up?
President Donald Trump is reportedly asking close aides and advisors about possibly nominating Sen. Mike Lee for the Supreme Court - http://bit.ly/2lFNMhd
What a week!
Romney and Curtis win easily. Hughes steps down from the inland port board. Plus, Donald Trump gets another Supreme Court pick, and it might be Sen. Mike Lee. We run down the week's big news to help you understand what happened and why - http://bit.ly/2MrF41m
There's also a podcast version if you prefer to get your news and analysis on the go - http://bit.ly/2lGD2PB
Utah caught in Trump's trade war
Gov. Gary Herbert says he visited with President Trump last week and informed him how tariffs are hurting Utah's businesses - http://bit.ly/2KwsfCB
The real winner on Tuesday
Bob Bernick says Utah voters won on Tuesday because opponents of SB54 lost at the ballot box - http://bit.ly/2Kv1th2
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES
- Gov. Gary Herbert says he's having productive talks with the Salt Lake City Council about the inland port [Deseret News].
- Gov. Herbert says now that the Supreme Court allows states to collect sales taxes on online purchases, the state may no longer need to boost the gas tax to help boost school funding [Tribune].
- If Donald Trump ends up picking Mike Lee for the Supreme Court, Gov. Gary Herbert will get to choose Lee's replacement [Deseret News].
NATIONAL HEADLINES
- A gunman attacked a newspaper in Maryland on Thursday, killing five journalists. The assailant had previously lost a defamation of character lawsuit against the paper [Washington Post].
- President Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16 [New York Times].
- The White House lobbied Justice Anthony Kennedy to retire this year, assuring him that his successor would cement his judicial legacy [New York Times].
- The White House plans to announce their pick for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's replacement by July 9 [CNN].
- The fight over who will replace Kennedy on the Supreme Court could be the costliest in history [The Hill].
- President Trump is reportedly threatening to pull the U.S. out of the World Trade Organization, which could upend trade on a global scale [Axios].
- Special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into why several billionaires with deep ties to Russia attended exclusive, invitation-only festivities at President Trump's inauguration [ABC News].
- President Trump is consulting with advisors to pick a replacement for chief of staff John Kelly, who could depart the administration as early as this summer [Politico].
- Friday may be the busiest day in the history of the TSA as Americans are traveling for the 4th of July holiday [CBS Boston].
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
- 1853 - The Senate ratified the $10 million Gadsen Purchase from Mexico, adding more than 29,000 square miles to the territories of Arizona and New Mexico.
- 1950 - President Harry Truman authorized a sea blockade of Korea during the Korean War.
- 1956 - The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 is signed, officially creating the United States Interstate Highway System.
- 1972 - The Supreme Court rules in the case Furman v. Georgia that arbitrary and inconsistent of the death penalty violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
Today At Utah Policy
Factual backflips and logical leaps. Bernick and Schott on politics Ep. 379Mitt Romney and John Curtis win their primary elections in a landslide....
Bob Bernick's notebook: SB54, and Utah voters, won on TuesdayFor those of us that support SB54 and the Count My Vote citizen initiative, Tuesday's primary election results proved, once again, that GOP voters want more candidates on their primary ballots, not fewer....
Herbert says he discussed trade war impact on Utah with TrumpUtah GOP Gov. Gary Herbert went to Washington, D.C., last week and met with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, he told his monthly KUED Channel 7 press conference Thursday morning....
Trump reportedly asking aides about nominating Mike Lee for the Supreme CourtSen. Mike Lee is on President Trump's shortlist of nominees for the Supreme Court. But, Trump is reportedly taking a hard look at the Utah Senator for the high court....
Podcast: Bernick and Schott on politics Ep. 379Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott run down a busy week in Utah politics....
Hatch watches new credit union fight: small vs. largeIn his role as chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Orrin Hatch is used to disagreements between banks and credit unions....
Weekly survey: What is acceptable political protest?White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was kicked out of a Virginia restaurant by the owner as a protest against the Trump administration. Do you think that's an acceptable form of political protest? Vote now in our weekly survey....
Policy News
Casual Friday: Weekend Events & Outdoors ReportWeekend EventsOutdoors Report--KSL.com:Looking for a short waterfall hike? Donut Falls has you covered--KSL.com: Digging for treasures on Saltair ground is illegal, but hobbyists argue for it--Tribune: Utah is the first state to earn three stars for the iconic Michelin trave...
Utah's small business successes highlighted at Congressional committeeLast week, Derek B. Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance, joined Congressman John Curtis to highlight the success of small businesses in Utah at the U.S. House Small Business Committee's "Communities That Think Small and Win Big" hearing. ...
Local Headlines
Salt Lake Tribune
Editorial: The big winner in Tuesday's primary elections: Primary elections
Gehrke: Will Trump name Sen. Mike Lee to the Supreme Court? Uh, I doubt it. Here's why.
By nearly 2-1 margin, Utahns favor creating an independent commission to combat gerrymandering
Deseret News
Jay Evensen: Are we laying up in store for the bad times?
Editorial: Ending compulsory public union dues frees up speech
Utah governor would pick replacement for Sen. Mike Lee if he's named to Supreme Court
Cottonwood Mall site developer says referendum against project is illegal
Amid worsening drought, Utah governor urges caution with fireworks, campfires
Other
Payson works on general plan update to prepare for massive growth over next 30 years (Daily Herald)
Weber Co. voter turnout up, GOP-endorsed hopefuls lose, Bishop leads in funding (Standard-Examiner)
National Headlines
First Trump-Putin summit has Cold War backdrop (Reuters)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wins as a Democratic Socialist With a 21st-Century Vision (The Nation)
Trump floats chief of staff replacements amid shake-up (Associated Press)
Most Americans Think Facebook and Twitter Censor Their Political Views (Bloomberg)
Senate passes farm bill, setting up food stamp battle with the House (Politico)
Al Gore takes sides in New Jersey budget standoff (Politico)
Ocasio-Cortez wants to be president, mom says (New York Post)
The Democrats' lost generation (CNN)
A guide to the 9 likeliest picks to replace Anthony Kennedy (Vox)
