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Situational awareness - July 25, 2018

Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City.

Romney has a big cash advantage. Zinke visits Salt Lake City. President Trump is heard on an audiotape plotting to pay off a woman with whom he allegedly had an affair.

  TICK TOCK   

104 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018) 187 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019) 832 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

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  HERE ARE THE STORIES YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO TODAY  

Romney's massive cash advantage

The latest FEC disclosures show Mitt Romney raised 17-times as much campaign cash than Jenny Wilson during the most recent fundraising period. Romney also has 14-times as much cash on hand - http://bit.ly/2LkkAeU

Trump administration ignored public lands data

Newly unearthed documents show the Trump administration intentionally dismissed evidence that public lands boost tourism as they sought to shrink two national monuments in Utah - http://bit.ly/2mC4iPO

Utah's job picture still glowing

Utah again leads the nation in year-over job growth according to the latest employment figures. Utah's unemployment rate remained steady at 3.0-percent - http://bit.ly/2v2Qi5D

"Political Insiders" say Biskupski is taking the wrong approach on inland port

Our "Political Insiders" have some harsh words for Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski's refusal to take part in negotiations over the inland port - http://bit.ly/2A9tPcW

I'm not dead yet!

Sen. Orrin Hatch's office was surprised to discover that Google thought the longtime senator passed away in 2017 - http://bit.ly/2A63k8h

  OTHER UTAH HEADLINES   

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke visits Utah to kick off the Days of '47 Rodeo [Deseret News, Tribune].
Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Chris Stewart celebrate the passage of their bill to create a new national 3-digit suicide prevention hotline [Deseret News].
Rep. Chris Stewart says he's seen no evidence that Russia tried to help Donald Trump win the 2016 election despite Vladimir Putin's own admission [Tribune].
Turnout for the July primary elections was up, but only 24% of eligible voters cast a ballot [Tribune].
19 mayors offer up their endorsement of Rep. Mia Love in her race against Ben McAdams [Deseret News].
Rep. Norm Thurston says the standards for gathering signatures for citizen initiatives and removing signatures should be the same [Deseret News].
Utah's 2018 wildfire season will cost the state an estimated $47 million, one of the most expensive ever [Deseret News].
A legislative audit finds Upstart, the state's technology-based in-home preschool program is not serving low-income children as well as it could be [Deseret News].
A new study finds the number of women leaders in Utah is getting smaller [Deseret News].
The Bird dockless electric scooters will return to Salt Lake City after the company signed a temporary operating agreement with the city [Deseret News, Tribune].
Fox News personality Abby Huntsman, the daughter of former Gov. Jon Huntsman, is in talks to join ABC's daytime talk show The View [Hollywood Reporter].

  NATIONAL HEADLINES  

President Trump is heard on a newly released audio tape discussing with his attorney Michael Cohen how they would buy the rights to a woman's story about an alleged affair Trump had with her years earlier - https://cnn.it/2Llp994
The White House is proposing up to $12 billion in aid for farmers who have been hurt by the trade war with China and other countries - https://nyti.ms/2LnQMyb
President Trump says he's very worried Russia will interfere in the 2018 elections in order to help Democrats - https://abcn.ws/2Lkk6pb
Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell says Russian President Vladimir Putin "will not be welcome" in the U.S. Capitol if he accepts President Trump's invitation to visit Washington later this year. House Speaker Paul Ryan says Putin would not be invited to address a joint session of Congress - http://bit.ly/2v3GDvE
A Senate committee is set to grill Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about what happened during President Trump's one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin - https://nbcnews.to/2vbC96j
Lawmakers unveiled a new bill that would give President Trump greater power to waive certain sanctions on Russia - https://wapo.st/2LoVV95
The White House has stopped publicly announcing when President Trump has phone calls with foreign leaders - https://cnn.it/2LlsCEC
Homeland Security officials warn Russian Hackers may have the ability to reach control rooms of power plants and other utilities across the U.S. - https://on.wsj.com/2LnijQo
The number of immigration enforcement arrests at workplaces has soared under the Trump administration - http://bit.ly/2v5uHcv
During his most recent trip abroad, President Trump was reportedly furious that TV's aboard Air Force One were tuned to CNN instead of Fox News - https://nyti.ms/2LkBHxg
Ivanka Trump is closing down her namesake fashion brand - https://on.wsj.com/2Lls41w
House Democrats introduce a bill to require two years of debt-free college in the U.S. - https://abcn.ws/2LonzTJ
22% of the U.S. population does not speak English in their homes - https://washex.am/2uZCtog
  An appeals court in San Francisco ruled on Tuesday that the 2nd Amendment guarantees a right to openly carry a gun in public for self-defense - https://reut.rs/2LoN47x

The Georgia lawmaker who dropped his pants and yelled a racial slur on Sasha Baron Cohen's new show has resigned - https://nbcnews.to/2uYIUYS

  ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY   

1567 - Don Diego de Losada founds the city of Santiago de Leon de Caracas, modern-day Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela.
1783 - American Revolutionary War: The war's last action, the Siege of Cuddalore, is ended by a preliminary peace agreement.
1788 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completes his Symphony No. 40 in G minor.
1861 - American Civil War: Congress passes the Crittenden-Johnson Resolution, stating that the war is being fought to preserve the Union and not to end slavery.
1868 - The Wyoming Territory is established.
1917 - Mata Hari was sentenced to death in France as a spy for Germany in World War I.
1961 - Cold War: In a speech, President John F. Kennedy emphasizes that any attack on Berlin is an attack on NATO.
1969 - Vietnam War: President Richard Nixon declares the Nixon Doctrine, stating that the United States now expects its Asian allies to take care of their own military defense. This is the start of the "Vietnamization" of the war.
1978 - The world's first "test-tube" baby, Louise Brown, was born in Oldham, England.
1985 - Actor Rock Hudson revealed he had AIDS.

Today At Utah Policy

Romney has a massive campaign cash advantage over Wilson
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Republican Mitt Romney raised 17-times as much campaign cash as Democrat Jenny Wilson during the last three months according to the latest financial disclosure forms....Utah's unemployment rate holds steady at 3-percent; Utah ranked #1 for job growth
By Press release
Utah's June 2018 employment grew by an estimated 3.3 percent, adding 47,900 jobs to the economy since June 2017....'Political Insiders' say Biskupski is wrong to shun inland port negotiations
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski is on the opposite side of the Salt Lake City Council over the controversial inland port issue....Sen. Lee introduces constitutionally sound tort reform
By Press release
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement after introducing the Federal Courts Access Act of 2018....Rep. Stewart's National Suicide Prevention Hotline legislation passes House
By Press release
Rep. Chris Stewart's (R-Utah) legislation, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline Improvement Act, was passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 379-1. ...Hatch priorities included in Perkins Higher Education Bill
By Press release
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) released the following statement after the Senate passed legislation that would help modernize Career and Technical Education (CTE) initiatives by aligning programs in high school and college with current and future labor market needs....Google thinks Orrin Hatch is dead, his office begs to differ
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Sen. Orrin Hatch's office got an unexpected surprise on Monday when they discovered that a Google search claims the longtime member of Congress died last year....New documents show Trump administration minimized benefits of public lands in effort to shrink national monuments
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Newly public documents from the Interior Department show the Trump administration intentionally dismissed evidence that public lands boost tourism as they sought to shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments....

Policy News

Salt Lake City holds job fair with emphasis on helping adult students, refugees and youth
 The Salt Lake City Mayor's Office in collaboration with the Salt Lake City Police, Human Resources and Business Development Departments will hold a job fair at the Horizonte Instruction and Training Center on July 27. The fair is targeting adult learners, members of re...GOED approves Economic Opportunity Grant for FORGE
The Governor's Office of Economic Development has approved an Industrial Assistance Fund, post-performance Economic Opportunity Grant for the amount of $365,000 for the Frontier Observatory for Research in the Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy. The project will c...Fox files: 'This is the place'
EDCUtah is in the business of carrying on the legacy of the famous moniker: "This is the Place."...

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: Our lungs aren't ready for the inland port

The front-runner of the liberal District 24 race promises she would cross party lines if elected

Utah again leads the nation in job growth

Rep. Rob Bishop's biggest challenge may come from a United Utah Party candidate - who has nearly $200k in campaign war chest

Supporters are quick to describe the benefits of the Utah Inland Port. They don't often talk about the threat a trade war poses.

Huntsman is staying as ambassador to Russia to help guide the planet's 'most dangerous relationship'

Utah's Chris Stewart says there's no evidence Russia wanted to help Trump

Meet the behind-the-scenes 'supercop' who runs Utah government

Primary turnout was up amid more voting by mail and Mitt Romney on ballot - but most Utahns skipped the election

Payson-based Liberty Safe shows off its products at a White House 'Made in America' event

President Trump celebrates Mormon settlers on Pioneer Day

Sen. Orrin Hatch's office says he's not dead, offers proof he's alive and kicking

House passes Rep. Stewart's bill to create a national suicide prevention hotline

Deseret News

Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb: Our Days of '47 political parade entries

Op-ed: Local education leaders matter in teacher licensing

Op-ed: Why are teachers leaving our schools?

Editorial: The Legislature has given Utah's inland port a good start

19 mayors back Mia Love in 'toss-up' race against Ben McAdams

Whose pipeline is it anyway? Scrutiny increases on cities and water

Utah unemployment at 3%, report says

Law for collecting, removing signatures on initiatives should be same, Utah lawmaker says

Herbert signs inland port, child tax credit bills

Hatch, Stewart bill to create national 3-digit suicide prevention hotline goes to president

Utah water quality regulations in lawmakers' crosshairs

Monument review process under new fire

Study: Aggressive renewable energy standards spur solar, wind investments

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke receives warm welcome at Days of '47 rodeo

Legislative audit: Is Upstart's focus on low-income students slipping?

Google search said Sen. Hatch died; here's how he proved that he's alive

Other

Regents place restrictions USU lobbying, hosting lawmakers (Logan Herald Journal)

County tax increase has businesses worrying about the future (Park Record)

National Headlines

Dems grapple with Trump's resilience (The Hill)

Pollster: Anti-establishment phenomenon 'is here to stay' (The Hill)

Americans have constitutional right to openly carry firearms, court rules (Washington Times)

The Hard Truth About House Democrats Being 'Soft Favorites' This Fall (Slate)

Ocasio-Cortez makes stealth visit to Capitol Hill (POLITICO)

Dershowitz Rips Stormy Daniels' Lawyer Over 'Taped Conversations' Claim, 'Nonsense' Predictions (FOX News)

Ivanka Trump's fashion brand closes shop (ABC News)

To Ease Pain of Trump's Trade War: $12 Billion in Aid for Farmers (New York Times)

Many Manufacturers Take Tariffs in Stride (Wall Street Journal)

Waiter made up story about 'racist' tipper: restaurant (FOX News)

Trump Wants the Fed to Roll Back the U.S. Economy (Bloomberg)

Wise Words

Character

"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character." Albert Einstein

 

Lighter Side

Re-Gifting

"A couple in Florida are getting married and instead of wedding presents, they've asked for money to buy goats. Even crazier, one couple they invited was like, "Finally, a chance to regift this goat." Jimmy Fallon

 

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