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Situational awareness - April 3, 2018

Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City.

The Utah GOP pushes ahead with the fight against SB54. Curtis is Utah's wealthiest member of Congress. A big bombshell in the Russia investigation.

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Tick Tock

13 days until the signature-gathering deadline for statewide ballot initiatives (4/16/2018)18 days until the Utah GOP State Convention (4/21/2018)25 days until the Utah Democratic State Convention (4/28/2018)34 days until the final day a veto override session may begin (5/7/2018)84 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)217 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)300 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)946 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

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Here are the news stories driving Tuesday

GOP to continue the fight against SB54

The Utah GOP has hired Gene Schaerr, a lawyer who worked with the state during the fight over Utah's ban on same-sex marriage, to assist them in their continuing legal battle over SB54. Our analysis shows Utah taxpayers have spent about $200,000 defending the signature-gathering path to the ballot against various lawsuits [Utah Policy].

Signature deadline for candidates

So far, just a handful of candidates have submitted enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot, but several have signatures still being verified. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mitt Romney has only submitted 9,000 of the 28,000 signatures he needs to get on the ballot [Utah Policy].

Curtis is Utah's wealthiest member of Congress

An analysis shows Rep. John Curtis has the highest net worth among all of Utah's members of Congress at an estimated $5.1 million. He is the 63rd most wealthy member of Congress. On the other side, Rep. Chris Stewart is the "poorest" member of Congress from Utah with a negative net worth [Utah Policy].

Political bracket challenge finals

House Majority Leader Brad Wilson and Attorney General Sean Reyes are facing off in the finals of our 2018 political bracket. Vote now! [Utah Policy].

Other Utah headlines

Backers of the ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana have met with leaders of the LDS Church but won't say what was discussed [Fox 13].
The Utah Medica Association says the group pushing the ballot initiative to legalize medical cannabis "misled" voters into signing the petition and are urging Utahns who signed to have their names removed [Tribune].
Former FBI Director James Comey will speak in Salt Lake City as part of the Wasatch Speakers Series. Bill Nye, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and investigative journalist Bob Woodward are also part of the lineup [Deseret News].
Utah leaders identify a number of "Opportunity Zones" to stimulate economic growth in poorer areas of the state [Deseret News].

National headlines

A DOJ memo from August 2017 authorized special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate allegations that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was "colluding with Russian government officials" to influence the 2016 election [CNN].
Markets plummeted because of the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China. Stock markets finished the first quarter of 2018 down for the year, the first quarterly decline since 2015 [New York Times].
Russian officials are pressing President Trump to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the White House in the near future [New York Times].
The Trump Justice Department has notified immigration judges their job performance will be evaluated on how quickly they resolve cases as part of a push to speed up deportations and reduce a backlog of cases [Wall Street Journal].
Lots of bad headlines for EPA chief Scott Pruitt:
Pruitt wanted to give big aides to two of his top aides, but the White House refused to sign off on the pay bumps. Instead, Pruitt used a little-known provision in the Safe Drinking Water Act to get them the pay hikes [Atlantic].
The EPA explored leasing a private jet for Pruitt's travel but backed off because it would be too expensive [Washington Post].
Pruitt was renting a condo linked to a Washington lobbying firm at the same time one of their clients won approval of a pipeline extension plan from the EPA [New York Times].
The White House considered firing Pruitt as part of a larger purge of top officials in the coming months, but he may yet hang on because he's implementing a big part of President Trump's deregulation agenda [Politico].
President Trump's lawyers are trying to force a legal dispute with adult film actress Stormy Daniels into private arbitration [Politico].
President Trump's approval among women has dipped because of news about his extramarital affairs with an adult film actress and a Playboy model [The Hill].

On this day in history

1860 - The first successful Pony Express run from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, begins.
1865 - Union forces capture Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate States of America.
1882 - Robert Ford kills Jesse James.
1895 - The trial in the libel case brought by Oscar Wilde begins, eventually resulting in his imprisonment on charges of homosexuality.
1922 - Joseph Stalin becomes the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
1933 - First flight over Mt. Everest, a British expedition, led by the Marquis of Clydesdale.
1948 - President Harry Truman signs the Marshall Plan, authorizing $5 billion in aid for 16 countries.
1955 - The ACLU announces it will defend Alan Ginsberg's book Howl against obscenity charges.
1968 - Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech.
1996 - Suspected "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski is captured at his Montana cabin.
2008 - Texas law enforcement cordons off the FLDS's YFZ Ranch. Eventually, 533 women and children will be taken into state custody.
2010 - Apple released the first generation iPad.

Today At Utah Policy

Only a handful of candidates have qualified for the ballot through the signature path By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Candidates who are gathering signatures to get on the ballot are running up against their deadlines to secure a spot outside of conventions....

2018 Utah political bracket challenge final matchup By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor House Majority Leader Brad Wilson and Attorney General Sean Reyes fought their way through a formidable field of 62 other contestants to reach the finals of our 2018 bracket challenge....

Time for the finals! Wilson and Reyes to face off for the championship in our 2018 political bracket By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor It all comes down to House Majority Leader Brad Wilson and Attorney General Sean Reyes. ...

Analysis: Defending the signature-gathering path to the ballot has cost Utah taxpayers more than $200,000 By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor We know about what it has cost the Utah Republican Party to fight SB54 in court over the last four years upwards of $400,000....

Utah Taxpayers Association releases 2018 legislative scorecard By Press Release The Utah Taxpayers Association has released its 2018 Legislative Scorecard....

Curtis is Utah's wealthiest member of Congress By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor A new analysis of the net worth finds Rep. John Curtis is the wealthiest member of Congress from Utah....

Policy News

Rep. Stewart receives the 2018 Distinguished Community Heath Defender Award Dexter Pearce, CEO, of Community Health Centers. Inc. presented the 2018 Distinguished Community Health Defender Award to Congressman Chris Stewart (R-Utah)....

Fox files 'Global Strategy & Outreach goes global' I've talked before about our Global Strategy and Outreach program, where we research high growth companies and actively pitch Utah. ...

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Connor Boyack: Gov. Herbert has been misled on medical cannabis

Addiction, poor health, missed work: New survey reveals a heavy toll as domestic violence affects 1 in 5 Utah women

Weighing a sales tax increase, Salt Lake City is asking residents how to pay for cops, roads, housing and buses

Utah Medical Association accuses medical marijuana campaign of misleading voters into supporting initiative

Utah GOP hires attorney who led state's gay marriage challenge to launch another appeal of signature-gathering election law

After successful signature gathering, many in convention battles need not worry about winning there to appear on ballot

Deseret News

Op-ed: Are we making a point or making a difference?

New lanes for I-15 'Technology Corridor' tops UDOT project list for 2018

Utah GOP continues fight against election law upheld in federal appeals court

Utah leaders hope to use new tax law to create 'Opportunity Zones' in poor areas

Other

Lehi Tech Corridor project tops UDOT's construction list in 2018 (Daily Herald)

'One of the big boys': Cache County expected to move up in class in 2019, based on population growth (Logan Herald Journal)

National Headlines

Third Mexican town welcomes migrant 'caravan,' 400 miles closer to US (Washington Examiner)

IRS audits fewest tax returns in 15 years amid pressure from Congress to scale back enforcement (Washington Times)

Mueller Found a Very Dishonest Way to Shroud His Investigation in Secrecy (Law & Crime)

Rep. Esty won't seek reelection after mishandling harassment allegations (Politico)

Trump administration moves on two fronts to challenge California environmental protections (Los Angeles Times)

Teachers Swarm Kentucky Capitol To Protest Pension Changes, School Budget Cuts (HuffPost)

Looming China Trade Action Divides Industry and Roils Markets (New York Times)

Trump declares DACA 'dead,' calls for border legislation using 'nuclear option' (Associated Press)

Can The Boom Last in Trump Country? (Wall Street Journal)

Facebook Keeps Saying 'Trust Us': Is It Finally Time To Say No More? (Forbes)

Weaken Consumer Bureau, Its Chief Requests in First Report to Congress (New York Times)

Wise Words

Progress

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress." Frederick Douglass

Lighter Side

Distraction

"Wal-Mart announced they will stop selling the magazine Cosmopolitan in checkout lines because it exposes shoppers to sexual imagery and objectification. Wal-Mart says the sexy magazine covers are not only bad for society, they also distract people from why they are in Wal-Mart in the first place - to buy guns." James Corden

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