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| Utah's Daily Policy Resource, Brought to you by Utah Policy Message CenterWe've launched a political discussion forum on FacebookJoin us to discuss the news of the day, plus help us decide what stories to cover and what questions to ask in our polls.You can join our group here.Situational awareness - August 12, 2019Good Monday morning from Salt Lake CityThis is Utah's must-read daily political news rundown. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to sign up for our emails.Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:President Trump's unpopularity could hurt Republican chances of knocking off Rep. Ben McAdams in 2020. Allegations fly after Jeffrey Epstein commits suicide. Protesters shut down the Hong Kong airport. Democratic candidates flood Iowa over the weekend.Back from vacationI'm back from a much-needed trip to northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. A big thanks to LaVarr and Dave Webb and Bob Bernick for holding down the fort while I was gone. While on holiday, we trekked to Monterey Bay to do a little whale watching. We were extremely fortunate as an extraordinary number of humpback whales were feeding on anchovies in the bay. There were at least 20 whales, maybe more, around the boat. There was so much activity it was difficult to know where to look at any given time. My son snapped this picture of one humpback diving maybe 15 feet away from us. Photo credit: Eli SchottI've been whale watching several times in the past, but the number of whales and the amount of activity we saw was remarkable. Even our guide said it was an exceptional afternoon Send me your feedback, tips.I love hearing from you! Send your news tips or feedback to me at [email protected]. or you can message me on Twitter. The UtahPolicy.com daily newsletter gets you up to speed on the top local and national news about politics and public policy. Our news is curated by Managing Editor Bryan Schott, along with help from Golden Webb. ((Click here to subscribe)) TICK TOCKToday is the 224th day of the year. There are 141 days remaining in 2019. The 2019 Utah primary elections are tomorrow (8/13/2019) 85 days to the 2019 municipal elections (11/5/2019) 143 days until candidates can begin to gather signatures to get on the 2020 ballot (1/2/2020) 168 days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (1/27/2020) 175 days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses (2/3/2020) 204 days to the 2020 Utah presidential primary (3/3/2020) 213 days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (3/12/2020) 214 days to the opening of candidate filing for the 2020 election (3/13/2020) 316 days to the 2020 Utah primary elections (6/23/2020) 336 days to the 2020 Democratic national convention in Milwaukee (7/13/2020) 378 days to the 2020 Republican national convention in Charlotte (8/24/2020) 449 days to the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020) Today At Utah PolicyAnalysis: Trump's unpopularity in Utah's 4th District could spell trouble for GOP next yearBy Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor President Donald TrumpJust how different politically is Utah's 4th U.S. House district?In some instances, not much.With new CEO, Inland Port Authority transitions from organizational to operational By Gaylen Webb Jack Hedge"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with global implications." That's how Jack Hedge, the Utah Inland Port Authority's new CEO and executive director, describes the challenge of transitioning Utah's inland port from a lofty proposition to a working operation.Zions Bank August 2019 economic snapshot By Robert Spendlove, Zions Bank Utah's labor market remains one of the best in the nation despite the moderation in employment growth in recent months.Utah's growing aerospace and defense industry By GOED team Utah's Aerospace and Defense industry is big business. The state's aerospace industry accounts for approximately 944 establishments and 31,390 jobs and is projected to grow by 2 percent per year over the next decade.Guest opinion: A patient-friendly fix for surprise billing By Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem Rep. Brad Daw Surprise medical billing has become too pervasive of an issue for Congress to ignore it anymore. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News Environmental groups sue BLM over opening southern Utah area to off-road vehicles Integrity of Salt Lake Tribune poll on Salt Lake City mayor's race questioned Why the nation's largest military airspace, right here in the West, wants more land Former UTA top boss gets lifetime transit passes on top of $200K severance package West Jordan preparing to elect 'strong mayor' as part of new form of government 18 Utah schools letting the sunshine in with ambitious plan to improve classrooms An undocumented veteran's journey to U.S. citizenship Why an oil and gas alliance is raising money for Utah's CanyonlandsSalt Lake Tribune M. Royce Van Tassell: Closing a failing charter school is a feature, not a bug Conner Boyack: Keeping low-level criminals out of the system benefits everyone Editorial: Utah needs an inoculation from vaccine resistors Tribune-Hinckley poll on Salt Lake City mayor's race included at least 57 people who don't live in the city Three companies push ahead with complaints of errors, unfairness in Utah's selection of cannabis growers Ballot initiative protection law proposed by marijuana advocate and former Utah legislator Wasatch Front county clerks seeing low voter turnout ahead of Tuesday primary State economist rebuts the official line that Utah's sales tax is broken and needs a quick fixOther Weber County turnout at 18% so far, voting in city primaries culminates on Tuesday (Standard-Examiner)NATIONAL HEADLINESFrightening. The New York Times digs into how the screed posted online by the man who confessed to killing 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso echoed extreme anti-immigrant language used by Fox News and other conservative media [NYT]. Gun debate. Lawmakers are pushing for Congress to pass gun control measures in the aftermath of slaughters in Texas, Ohio and California. But, that's easier said than done [The Hill]. Jeffrey Epstein aftermath. The financier and sex offender committed suicide on Saturday morning while in federal custody. Corrections officers reportedly had not checked on Epstein "for several hours" before he was found hanging in his cell [WaPo]. Guards at the understaffed jail were working "extreme overtime" the morning of Epstein's death [AP]. President Donald Trump promoted a baseless conspiracy theory that implicated the Clinton's in Epstein's death on his Twitter account over the weekend [CNN].Hong Kong. Protesters brought the Hong Kong airport to a standstill on Monday. The airport is one of the busiest in the world [Bloomberg]. 2020 Democratic candidates hit Iowa over the weekend to make their pitch to potential caucus-goers [AP]. The Democratic field is scrambling to qualify for the September debate ahead of the deadline to meet polling and fundraising benchmarks ahead of a late-August deadline. So far, nine candidates have seemingly reached the threshold for inclusion [The Hill]. Democrats are starting to panic that the field of 20+ candidates has not begun to shrink [Daily Beast]. The Joe Biden gaffe machine returns. Biden misdated the Parkland shooting, claiming he was vice president when the attack happened [Bloomberg]. Biden is still the frontrunner in the Democratic pack, but rivals say he's showing vulnerability [AP]. Texas Republicans are fearful they're going to get hammered at the polls next year after several high-profile retirements and a changing electorate [Politico].Israel. President Trump reportedly told his advisers that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should use that country's anti-boycott law to bar Democratic Rep.s Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering the country [Axios]. North Korea. President Trump said over the weekend he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un soon. Trump added Kim apologized for a flurry of short-range missile tests that rattled U.S. allies in the region [AP]. China. American farmers are supportive of President Trump's trade war with China even though the tariffs are having a detrimental effect on their businesses [NBC News]. Russia. American intelligence officials believe a mysterious explosion that released a cloud of radiation in Northern Russia last week was caused by an accident during the test of a new type of nuclear missile. Russian officials claim a small nuclear reactor explosion is responsible for the incident [NYT]. The Mooch! Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci engaged in a war of words with President Donald Trump over the weekend. On Sunday, Scaramucci said Republicans might need to replace Trump on the ballot next year if the chaos and controversies enveloping his presidency continue [Axios]. Scaramucci blasted Trump saying he will "eventually" turn on everyone surrounding him, then the "entire country" [CNN].Whoa! The Waltons, the family behind Walmart, gets $4 million richer every single hour. The 25 wealthiest families on the planet control $1.4 trillion [Bloomberg]. Movie news. Universal Pictures cancels the release of "The Hunt" movie after backlash. The film featured a group of "elites" hunting Trump supporters for sport [CNN]. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1492 - Christopher Columbus arrives in the Canary Islands on his first voyage to the new world. 1851 - Isaac Singer is granted a patent for his sewing machine. 1898 - A peace protocol was signed, ending the Spanish-American War. The United States acquired Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, and annexed Hawaii. 1914 - World War I: The United Kingdom declares war on Austria-Hungary. 1939 - The Wizard of Oz had its world premiere in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. 1964 - South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games due to the country's racist policies 1966 - John Lennon apologized for saying the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ. 1981 - IBM introduced the first personal computer. 1992 - Canada, Mexico and the United States announce the completion of negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). 1994 - Major League Baseball players go on strike, forcing the cancellation of the 1994 World Series. Policy NewsSalt Lake City 2019 mayoral candidate survey on transportation and bicycling releasedCycling Utah, a bicycling news organization, has released a survey of the views of the candidates for Salt Lake City Mayor on transportation and bicycling.Governor appoints Chelsea Koch to the Third District Court Gov. Gary R. Herbert has appointed Chelsea Koch as a judge for the Third District Court. Salt Lake City Compliance is hiring crossing guards With the school year fast approaching, Salt Lake City's Compliance Division is looking to hire part-time school crossing guards. Utah Attorney General Reyes: The T-Mobile/Sprint merger will benefit rural Utah Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes released the following statement regarding the proposed merger of T-Mobile and Sprint:More National HeadlinesOh, Joe! Biden blunders pile up (Axios) Civility is dead - except in real life (Washington Examiner) Iowa State Fair poses pork problem for vegan Cory Booker: 'What is the poor guy to do?' (Washington Times) The inconvenient truth about the El Paso shooter (Spectator) Seven Republicans call for Ethics Committee investigation into Castro (Roll Call) Capitalism is Saving the Planet: Minnesota Forests Are Flourishing (American Experiment) MSNBC Contributor: 'I Want Pitchforks And Torches' Outside Trump Fundraiser's Home (Red State) Marianne Williamson says 'powerful forces' on the left out to end presidential campaign (FOX News) Italy's Salvini Tells Richard Gere to Take Stranded Migrants to Hollywood on his Jet (Reuters) Conspiracy Theories Erupt After Jeffrey Epstein's Death (Daily Beast) Wise WordsEquality"Democracy arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim to be absolutely equal." Aristotle Lighter SideNarcissist"Think about how much of a narcissist you have to be to tweet about how much better you are for TV ratings on the day when you're supposed to be consoling victims of a tragedy," [Seth]Meyers said. "It's like if you crashed a car while driving and your first thought was, 'Oh my God, I'm gonna be on Cops!'" Listen to us on_Apple Podcasts Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
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