Russian election meddling, Greg Hughes and Donald Trump. Your Thursday morning political briefing from UtahPolicy.com

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Utah's Daily Policy Resource | Brought to you by Utah Policy

Message Center

Utah Policy has passed 5000 likes on Facebook!

Thanks for making Utah Policy the most popular Utah political news source on social media.

You can join our growing online community by clicking here.

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning must reads for Thursday, July 6, 2017

Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 187th day of the year. There are 178 days remaining in 2017. Today is the 167th day of Donald Trump's presidency.

Utahns don't think Trump's campaign colluded with the Russians. Hughes suggests the state should deal with the homeless crisis in Salt Lake City. Trump set to meet with Putin.

The clock:

19 days until ballots for the August primary are mailed to voters (7/25/2017)40 days until the 2017 Utah primary election (8/15/2017)124 days until the 2017 election (11/7/2017)200 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)245 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)488 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)1,216 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

NEW POLL: Most Utahns do not think the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 campaign [Utah Policy].
House Speaker Greg Hughes suggests the national guard could be used to quell the violence around the downtown homeless shelter or, at least, a "homeless czar" who would be responsible for the situation [Deseret News, Tribune].
Troubled Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott is in the custody of his family after he was discovered sitting alone in a pickup truck in a parking lot in Harrisville [Deseret News].
The three candidates in the August 15 GOP primary will debate next week [Daily Herald].
Utah Jazz fans are piling on Tanner Ainge after Gordon Hayward decided to leave Utah for Boston [Deseret News].
Gov. Gary Herbert's office says there will be no statewide fireworks ban despite numerous fires sparked over the July Fourth holiday [Fox 13].
Sen. Mike Lee will hold a virtual town hall on health care reform later this month. However, a group of Utah residents is pushing Lee to oppose the GOP plan [Deseret News, Tribune].
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is still waiting to be nominated as ambassador to Russia even as President Donald Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany [Deseret News].
Air pollution from July Fourth fireworks spiked in Weber County to extremely unhealthy levels [Tribune].
The Our Schools Now group will hold a series of hearings about their proposed ballot initiative to boost taxes to provide more funding for public schools [Deseret News].
Amazon confirms they will build a distribution center in Salt Lake City, bringing 1,500 jobs to the city [Deseret News].
The Outdoor Retailers show will officially announce they're moving to Denver on Thursday morning [Denver Post].
The BLM is considering opening up Recapture Canyon, which contains numerous priceless Native American artifacts, for oil and gas exploration [Tribune].
Annette Moore, the former Secretary of the Utah Senate, passed away this week [Senate Site].

National headlines:

Buzzy headline of the day: "The time I got recruited to collude with the Russians" [Lawfare].
President Donald Trump, speaking in Warsaw Thursday, said North Korea is facing "severe" consequences for their test of an apparent ICBM this week [Washington Post].
The U.S. and South Korea conducted a joint missile exercise following the North Korean test of what they say is an ICBM this week [Associated Press].
U.S. defenses are not yet ready to deal with a possible missile strike from North Korea, and time is running out [Associated Press].
A preemptive strike against North Korea to stop their nuclear program would most likely lead to hundreds of thousands of casualties in South Korea, including U.S. military personnel [New York Times].
President Donald Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G20 meetings in Germany this week. Several of his aides are worried about that meeting because of the looming investigation into Russia's involvement in the 2016 election [New York Times].
President Trump acknowledged that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, but he laid most of the blame at the feet of his predecessor, Barack Obama, who he said "did nothing" to stop the Russian meddling [Associated Press].
Sen. Ted Cruz's proposed alternative to the GOP health care plan, which would allow insurers to sell coverage that does not comply with Obamacare regulations as long as they still have ACA-compliant plans available, is causing friction in the Senate GOP [The Hill].
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was injured during a gun attack on a GOP baseball practice last month, has been readmitted to the intensive care unit due to "new concerns for infection" during his recovery [CNN].
President Donald Trump's commission to study the mostly non-existent voter fraud problem in the U.S. may have violated federal law when it asked states to turn over voter data. Most states, including Utah, are refusing to comply with the request [The Hill].
The GOP is struggling to recruit candidates for U.S. Senate in next year's elections [Wall Street Journal].
The gender pay gap in the Trump White House is more than 3x what it was in the final year of the Obama administration. Female staffers earn, on average, just 63% of what their male counterparts do [Washington Post].
You can't fix stupid. Some Donald Trump supporters were outraged that NPR tweeted the Declaration of Independence on over the July Fourth holiday, thinking the document was an anti-Trump screed [Gizmodo].
Volvo will sell only electric or hybrid cars starting in 2019 [New York Times].

On this day in history:

1483 - England's King Richard III was crowned.
1777 - British forces captured Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolution.
1854 - The first official meeting of the Republican Party took place in Jackson, Mich.
1957 - John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time as teenagers at a church in their native Liverpool, England, following a performance by Lennon's band, the Quarrymen.
2003 - Former ambassador Joseph Wilson, in a New York Times op-ed, disputed President George W. Bush's statement that Iraq had sought uranium in Africa, saying he had found no evidence to support the claim when the CIA asked him to investigate.

Today At Utah Policy

Poll: Utahns don't think Trump's campaign colluded with Russia By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Utahns say they do not believe there was collusion between the Trump administration and Russia during the 2016 election....

Utah could be 'Crossroads of the West' - on steroids By LaVarr Webb, Publisher World Trade Center Utah CEO Derek Miller's crusade to bring an inland port to Utah is featured in a recent column by Deseret News opinion editor Hal Boyd:...

Weekly survey: Will Hayward to the Celtics hurt Ainge's congressional bid? By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Gordon Hayward spurned the Utah Jazz to sign with the Boston Celtics this week, a team run by Tanner Ainge's father, Danny. Will Hayward's decision hurt Tanner Ainge's bid for Congress? Vote now in our weekly survey....

Policy News

Sen. Lee announces health care town hall Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) announced his next town hall will be a health care town hall. The Live Access event will occur next Wednesday, July 12 at 6pm MT....

League of Women Voters opposes Kobach request for voter records The request for voter records confirms fears of Kris Kobach continuing his tactics of voter suppression and the genesis of the Elections Integrity Commission in general....

Amazon to build new 855,000 square-foot distribution center in Salt Lake City Wednesday, Amazon made it official, the retail giant will build a $250-million regional fulfillment center in Salt Lake City's budding Northwest Quadrant, bringing with it at least full-time well-paying jobs, with the possibility of thousands more in seasonal positions....

Sutherland Institute launches new national campaign Sutherland Institute announced a campaign centered on one simple, powerful reality: Economic prosperity is greater when family prosperity thrives....

Wasatch Front Regional Council Releases Program Identifying Billions in Transportation Investment The Wasatch Front Regional Council is asking the public to provide input on the Draft 2018-2023 Transportation Improvement Program....

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: Lawsuit should get to the truth about NSA spying in Utah

Gehrke: Gerrymandered districts have stolen Utah voters' voice - This ballot initiative could restore it

BLM considers offering Utah's Recapture Canyon - rich in American Indian artifacts - for oil and gas leasing

Escalating violence around homeless shelter has Utah House speaker asking: Is this a job for the National Guard?

Air pollution spikes to 20 times above health standard in Weber County with July Fourth fireworks

Fireworks-sparked blazes raise questions about tougher rules, possible ban

Fearing financial havoc from lost medical coverage, residents press Utah's Sen. Mike Lee to oppose Republican health care bill

Deseret News

Op-ed: Utahns are qualified to make medical marijuana decisions

Jay Evensen: Why does the president want your driver's license number?

Editorial: Individuals and governments should do more to recognize and combat cyber attacks

Military strike a 'lousy' option but could eliminate North Korean nuclear threat, Stewart says

Hearings set for Our Schools Now initiative to raise taxes for education

Sen. Mike Lee to hold electronic town hall on health care reform

As Hayward heads to Boston, Tanner Ainge's campaign suffers on social media

Matt Holland in England: What Utah Valley University is teaching Oxford

Huntsman nomination pending as Trump prepares for Putin meeting

Speaker Hughes wants state czar overseeing homelessness issues

Police report: After missing for several days, troubled county recorder is now with his family

Other

GOP candidates for 3rd Congressional District to debate next week (Daily Herald)

National Headlines

Trump receives hero's welcome in Poland (Daily Mail)

U.S., Russia Spar Over Approach to North Korea Threat (Wall Street Journal)

Inside the White House's policymaking juggernaut (Politico)

A Declaration of Urban Independence (Politico)

Hacked computer server that handled DNC email remains out of reach of Russia investigators (Washington Times)

CNN Threatens a Trump Troll (National Review)

White House Backs Conservative Health Plan, but GOP Leaders Are Leery (New York Times)

Scalise back in intensive care (Politico)

Trump's first paycheck to fund restoration projects at Antietam battlefield (CNN)

Rauner compares tax hike to 'two-by-four' even as veto override vote is set (Chicago Tribune)

Millions of student loans could be headed for a shakeup in coming months (USA Today)

Wise Words

Act of Rebellion

"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion." Albert Camus

Lighter Side

4 More Years

"For the fourth time, a small town in Kentucky has elected a dog as its mayor. People were so excited; at the victory party, they kept chanting, "28 more years! 28 more years!" Jimmy Fallon

Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers.

Webb Publishing, LLC, 44 West Broadway #2502, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 SafeUnsubscribe™ [email protected] Forward email | Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try it free today