Orrin Hatch. Medical marijuana. Donald Trump. North Korea. Your Tuesday morning political news briefing from UtahPolicy.com

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Situational awareness - May 22, 2018

Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City.

Hatch not heading to Australia. Kennedy apologizes to a controversial pastor on behalf of all Utahns. The DOJ agrees to look into wrongdoing by the FBI in the Russia investigation.

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  TICK TOCK  

7 days until the last day to register to vote by mail for the 2018 primary election (5/29/2018) 8 days until the last day to change your party affiliation before the primary election (5/30/2018) 14 days until primary election mail-in ballots are sent to voters (6/5/2018) 21 days until in-person early primary voting begins (6/12/2018) 28 days until the final day to register to vote online or in person before the primary election (6/19/2018) 31 days until in-person early primary voting ends (6/22/2018) 35 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018) 168 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018) 251 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019) 896 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

  PODCASTS  

Subscribe to the award-winning "Bernick and Schott on politics" podcast, Utah's longest-running political podcast. Hosts Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick have more than 60 years of combined experience covering Utah politics. Plus, you'll get long-form interviews with Utah newsmakers. Subscribe (and leave a review) using iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

  HERE ARE THE STORIES WE'RE WATCHING TODAY  

A land down under

Sen. Orrin Hatch was reportedly under consideration to be the U.S. Ambassador to Australia, but his office says he's looking forward to "all you can eat buffets and long walks through Costco" in his retirement [Utah Policy].

Raking in the big bucks

A study by the Utah Taxpayers Association shows that 29 of Utah's largest cities have employees who are paid more than Gov. Gary Herbert [Utah Policy].

Medical marijuana fight

The Sutherland Institute's Rick Larsen urges both sides in the fight over the medical marijuana ballot proposal to slow down and reassess their positions before the situation gets nastier than it already is [Utah Policy].

  OTHER UTAH HEADLINES  

Backers of the medical marijuana ballot initiative filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit seeking to block their proposal from the November ballot [Deseret News].
U.S. Senate candidate Mike Kennedy says he apologized on behalf of all Utahns to a pastor Mitt Romney called a "religious bigot." Texas Pastor Robert Jeffress has made controversial statements in the past about Mormons and other religions [Deseret News].
One Utah city closed their public meetings a whopping 93% of the time according to a new analysis [Tribune].
Utah officials who are developing a school safety plan say they feel added pressure following last week's fatal school shooting in Texas [Tribune].
Utah is projected to do $450 million in liquor sales this fiscal year [Fox 13].
Utah is still last in the nation in per-pupil spending according to new Census Bureau numbers [Fox 13].
Sen. Mike Lee is taking aim at law enforcement powers used by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service that he claims are beyond their authority [Deseret News].
Eagle Mountain officials are working to close a deal with a yet-unnamed tech company to build a data center there [Deseret News].
Utah officials say a man who got a job with the Utah Department of Technology Services with the intent of giving sensitive information to Russia did not access any sensitive data [Tribune].

  NATIONAL HEADLINES  

President Trump and the Department of Justice reached an agreement allowing the inspector general to probe claims of wrongdoing in the Russia probe [The Hill].
A group of House Republicans will call for a second special counsel to investigate the ending of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, whether the Trump/Russia investigation was politically motivated and abuses of FISA warrants [Fox News].
Skepticism is beginning to grow that President Trump will actually hold his planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un [CNN]. Vice President Mike Pence says Trump is willing to walk away from the meeting with North Korea if that country tries to push for concessions from the U.S. before the summit [Reuters].
President Trump meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday [The Hill].
Infighting inside the White House is reportedly hampering efforts to reach a trade deal with China [New York Post]. President Trump defended his administration's approach to a trade impasse with China through a series of tweets on Monday [New York Times].
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed to an "unprecedented" level of sanctions on Iran following the decision to withdraw from the nuclear agreement with that country [The Hill].
The U.S. considered declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism because of their involvement in an attempt to kill a former Russian spy in England. Then the Trump administration dropped the idea just a few days later [ProPublica].
Primaries in four Southern states are on tap for Tuesday evening [Politico].
President Trump is ignoring White House security protocol when it comes to his personal cell phones [Politico].
White House aides are mimicking President Trump's style, including grammatical errors and overuse of the exclamation point, to ghost-write some of his Twitter posts [Boston Globe].
Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama ink a deal with Netflix [Variety].
Swedish officials are preparing their people for possible war. Why?  The country is on heightened alert following alleged Russian violations of Swedish airspace and territorial waters [CNN].
Goldman Sachs says the fiscal outlook for the United States "is not good" because of an increasing federal deficit [CNBC].

  ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY  

1804 - The Lewis and Clark Expedition officially begins as the Corps of Discovery departs from St. Charles, Missouri.
1807 - A grand jury indicts former Vice President Aaron Burr on a charge of treason.
1826 - HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage.
1849 - Future President Abraham Lincoln is issued a patent for an invention to lift boats, making him the only U.S. President to ever hold a patent.
1856 - Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina severely beats Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with a cane in the hall of the U.S. Senate for a speech Sumner had made regarding Southerners and slavery.
1872 - President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Amnesty Act into law, restoring full civil and political rights to all but about 500 Confederate sympathizers.
1900 - The Associated Press is formed in New York City as a non-profit news cooperative.
1906 - The Wright Brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their "Flying-Machine."
1972 - Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit Moscow.
1992 - Johnny Carson ended his nearly 30-year career as host of The Tonight Show.
2017 - A suicide bomber killed 22 people attending an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England.

Today At Utah Policy

Trump reportedly considered Hatch for Ambassador to Australia By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Sen. Orrin Hatch, who is retiring at the end of the year, was reportedly under consideration by President Donald Trump to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Australia. But, that change in latitude is not in the cards for Hatch. ...

Guest opinion: Medical marijuana debate in Utah resembles a NASCAR pileup By Rick B. Larsen When accidents occur in auto racing, spectators get so caught up in the carnage and the speed at which it all happens that they have little time to consider what might have set the whole thing in motion. Was it something that happened in the heat of competition? Or was there...

29 of Utah's largest cities have employees paid more than Gov. Gary Herbert By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor The Utah Taxpayers Association released a report on Monday showing more than half of Utah's largest cities have at least one employee who earns more than Gov. Gary Herbert. ...

Utah Thrives podcast: Air pollution By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor When we talk about air pollution in Utah, most frequently we mean the particulate pollution that builds up during winter inversions along the Wasatch Front. ...

Policy News

Sen. Lee commends HUD elimination of costly zoning regulation Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement responding to news that the Department of Housing and Urban Development has withdrawn a computer assessment database that HUD was planning to use to perpetuate national zoning standards....

Fox files 'Infrastructure' As part of last week's "National Infrastructure Week," our friends at the Salt Lake Chamber invited me to participate on a panel to discuss infrastructure and the vital role it plays in economic development. ...

Governor's Medals for Science and Technology announced Governor Gary R. Herbert, along with the Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative announced the winners of the 2018 Governor's Medals for Science and Technology. ...

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: Utah can't escape responsibility for inmates it has farmed out to county jails

Utahns creating school safety plan feel added urgency after Texas mass shooting

Utah appeals court delays trial of activist accused of trying to harm cattle by closing gate

Gehrke: So Utah's attorney general is going to sue an opioid pusher? It's about time.

From 8% to 93%, Salt Lake County city councils close meetings to the public in a wide range

Utah official says wannabe Russian spy didn't access sensitive data on state computers; no charges sought

A Utah farm saw a video of people stealing its hogs months earlier. It wasn't the first time the activists were accused of livestock larceny.

Sen. Orrin Hatch passes on Australian ambassadorship, longs for buffets and Costco visits

Deseret News

Editorial: Boosting the middle class will spring from local efforts

Campaign seeks to intervene in medical marijuana foes' lawsuit

Mike Kennedy apologizes on behalf of all Utahns for opponent Mitt Romney calling pastor a bigot

5 animal rights activists charged with pilfering pigs in Utah

Meet the latest allies in the fight against rural opioid abuse: the USDA, Utah Farm Bureau

Utah Sen. Lee targeting powers of BLM, Forest Service

Secrecy surrounds Eagle Mountain talks for proposed data center

Other

Weber Co. candidates knocking on doors, seeking voters as primary looms (Standard-Examiner)

Layton consultant hired to help craft Weber County anti-poverty plan (Standard-Examiner)

National Headlines

The Left And The Right Aren't Hearing The Same Jordan Peterson (Federalist)

As ADHD Diagnoses Increased, So Did Calls to Poison Control (U.S. News & World Report)

Condoms required at Scouts' 24th world jamboree (WND)

Kennedy retirement rumors shift into overdrive (The Hill)

Will the Fervor to Impeach Donald Trump Start a Democratic Civil War? (New Yorker)

CIA Director Gina Haspel sworn in as Trump blasts Obama's CIA director as a 'disgrace' (USA Today)

Ryan facing growing doubts about hold on speakership (POLITICO)

Republican Leaders Will Be Allowed to See Some Information on Russia Investigation (New York Times)

Pence: North Korea will end like Libya only if 'Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal' (CNN)

Europe's Italian Problem Is Bigger Than Brexit (Bloomberg)

Starbucks employees, customers express concern over new policy: 'I can't see how this will work' (FOX News)

Wise Words

Character

"It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath." Aeschylus

Lighter Side

Smart Jacket

"Levi's just released a smart jacket that lets you know when your Uber arrives. It's great for people who love to have all the latest gadgets - except a phone." Jimmy Fallon

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