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Situational awareness - October 31, 2018
Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City and Happy Halloween! Please send your tips on which houses are handing out the good candy to me at [email protected].
The 2018 midterm elections are just six days away. You can still enter our 2018 Election Challenge contest. There's a $50 Amazon gift card on the line for the winner. Make your picks at the link - http://bit.ly/2Ed4dhj
Executive summary: Hughes discusses how the medical marijuana compromise happened. Voter turnout in Salt Lake City could hit 70% this year. Pelosi says Democrats will win control of the House in November.
TICK TOCK
- 2 days until in-person early voting ends (11/2/2018)
- 6 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
- 89 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
- 134 days until the final day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (3/14/2019)
- 215 days until the municipal election filing period opens (6/3/2019)
- 219 days until the municipal election filing period ends (6/7/2019)
- 286 days to the 2019 Utah primary elections (8/13/2019)
- 370 days to the 2019 municipal elections (11/5/2019)
- 734 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
Today At Utah Policy
Podcast: The inside story of how the medical marijuana compromise happenedBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor House Speaker Greg Hughes says he jumped into the debate over Prop. 2 and legalizing medical marijuana because he was worried the issue had the potential to rip Utah politics apart....
Voter turnout in Salt Lake County could hit 70-percent this yearBy Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen, who has run elections upwards of 28 years, says these midterms may see the highest voter turnout she can remember maybe even 70 percent of registered voters in Utah's largest county....
Come to America - but do it legallyBy LaVarr Webb, Publisher With a "migrant caravan" headed for the United States, immigration has blossomed once again as a top issue as voters head into the Nov. 6 elections....
Love opposes Trump's plan to end birthright citizenshipBy Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor GOP Rep. Mia Love became a citizen of the United States when she was born to her legal-immigrant parents 42 years ago in Brooklyn, N.Y....
National Democrats launch Spanish-language ad in 4th Congressional DistrictBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Democrats are launching a Spanish-language ad in Utah's 4th Congressional District to boost Ben McAdams. Meanwhile, a Tea Party-aligned group is coming to the aid of Republican Mia Love....
Weekly survey: Call your shot in the 2018 electionsBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Who will win the Mia Love/Ben McAdams race? Call your shot for the 2018 midterms in our weekly survey. Vote now!...
Enter the UtahPolicy.com 2018 Election ChallengeBy Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Enter our 2018 Election Challenge and you could win a $50 Amazon gift card....
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES
Deseret News
Op-ed: Utah is the national leader in jobs creation. What can go wrong?
Salt Lake County sheriff candidates are similar, but each believes their vision is best
Salt Lake City mayor says another Olympics is 'ours to lose'
Utah legal scholars, politicians say Trump can't end birthright citizenship with order
Utah economy remains at optimal level despite slight decline in October
Welcome back, Sydnee: State superintendent's visit to Antimony Elementary inspires students to 'dream big'
Salt Lake Tribune
Is there a brain drain in the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office? Republican Nathan Evershed has made the issue central to his campaign.
Group fighting against ballot measure to boost Legislature's power is funded almost entirely by Gov. Gary Herbert's PAC
Rep. Mia Love, Ben McAdams oppose President Trump's idea to end birthright citizenship
Thousands of Utahns have already voted, but undelivered ballots are creating obstacles for some Salt Lake County residents
GOP Utah Senate president says out-of-state money for Prop 4 shows it seeks only 'better boundaries for Democrats'
Other
New medical cannabis legislation center of Orem discussion (Daily Herald)
NATIONAL HEADLINES
- Totally bizarre! A company run by a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist, Jacob Wohl, offered women money to make false sexual harassment claims against special counsel Robert Mueller. The company, Surefire Intelligence, has a telephone number that redirects to a phone number used by Wohl's mother. Mueller's office asked the FBI to investigate the scheme - http://bit.ly/2Q8CMqe
- Nancy Pelosi, in an interview with Stephen Colbert, says Democrats are going to win control of the House in November. "Democrats will carry the House. If everyone votes, we'll have a bigger victory," she said - http://bit.ly/2Q6Tq9R
- There are still several unknowns that could tip the 2018 midterms in one direction or the other over the next week - http://bit.ly/2Q8pvOB
- President Trump wants to end birthright citizenship through an executive order. However, most legal experts say the plan runs afoul of the Constitution - https://wapo.st/2Q3bW2O
- Here's how Trump's birthright citizenship idea moved from the right-wing fringe to the Oval Office - https://politi.co/2Q9PepY
- Trump's rally schedule in the closing days ahead of November's election suggest Republicans are resigned to losing control of the House while hoping to expand their numbers in the Senate - https://wapo.st/2QfKm2g
- The Justice Department is investigating Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke for using his office for personal gain - https://cnn.it/2Q6K2Tx
- President Trump's plan to send 5,200 troops to the U.S./Mexico border will be costly, with some estimates in the tens of millions of dollars range - https://nyti.ms/2Q6sR4w
- Boring but important! The Treasury Department will issue $1.338 trillion in debt this year, which is the highest since 2010 and more than double last year's numbers. The ballooning debt is driven by higher government spending and lower tax revenues - https://on.wsj.com/2Q9fmBl
- Special counsel Robert Mueller is probing whether longtime Trump ally Roger Stone had advance knowledge of Clinton campaign manager John Podesta's emails. He's also looking into the timing of the release of those emails by WikiLeaks - https://wapo.st/2QfI3fC
- The head of the GOP campaign arm in the House condemned Rep. Steve King for comments he made in support of white nationalist politicians - https://politi.co/2Q9V22A
- Vice News posed as political candidates on Facebook and found their verification system for political ads is easily manipulated - http://bit.ly/2Q6TCG7
- Facebook has banned several groups and pages affiliated with the Proud Boys, a far-right men's group - http://bit.ly/2Q8a9tc
- Kanye West says he's done with politics, adding he believes he's been used to spread messages he does not believe in - http://bit.ly/2Q9Yc6j
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
- 1517 - Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.
- 1864 - Nevada is admitted as the 36th state.
- 1922 - Benito Mussolini is made Prime Minister of Italy.
- 1941 - The Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota was completed.
- 1968 - Vietnam War October Surprise: Citing progress with the Paris peace talks, President Lyndon B. Johnson announces to the nation he has ordered a complete cessation of "all air, naval, and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam" effective November 1.
- 1984 - Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated outside her home by members of her own security force.
- 2002 - A federal grand jury indicts former Enron chief financial officer Andrew Fastow on 78 counts related to the collapse of the company.
- 2011 - The global population of humans reaches seven billion.
Policy News
Utah consumer attitudes dip after record month for the present situation index, outlook still positive The Zions Bank Utah Consumer Attitude Index decreased 3.6 points to 120.5 in October....
Join WTC Utah for a luncheon with Congressman John Curtis The U.S. Mexico Chamber of Commerce, World Trade Center Utah and Zions Bank are delighted to host a luncheon with Congressman John Curtis. ...
Renowned free-solo climber, Alex Honnold to speak at Utah Clean Energy's annual gala on Wednesday, Nov. 14 Utah Clean Energy, one of Utah's leading clean energy advocacy groups, is hosting its annual gala Party for Clean Power co-hosted by Ormat Technologies, Inc. and Sustainable Power Group on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Cleone Peter...
More National Headlines
Rabbi Claims He's Getting Death Threats for Saying President Trump Is Welcome in Pittsburgh (Yahoo)
Conservatives Don't Get to Mourn (National Review)
Cultural appropriation turns Halloween into a nightmare (The Hill)
Whopping 62 percent of jobs don't support middle-class life after accounting for cost of living (USA Today)
Blue Wave Or Not, The Nation's Most Progressive Governor Is In Trouble (HuffPost)
Actor James Cromwell warns of 'revolution': 'There will be blood in the streets' if Democrats lose (Washington Times)
In appeal to Fox News viewers, Democrat Claire McCaskill slams Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren (Salon)
Chinese intelligence officers charged in US aviation hacking (Associated Press)
Poll: Blackburn edges ahead of Bredesen in tight Tennessee Senate contest (NBC News)
Rubio slams journalist who said Trump has radicalized more people than ISIS (The Hill)
Could Hillary Clinton really be thinking about another presidential run? (Vox)
Example
"The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts." James Joyce
Wall
They should build the wall with Hillary's emails because nobody can get over them. Onelinefun
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