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Situational awareness - September 4, 2018

Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City. We hope you had a safe and happy Labor Day holiday.

Support for medical marijuana drops. Democrats open up a huge poll lead ahead of November's midterms. Kavanaugh hearings get underway.

  TICK TOCK   

35 days until the last day to register to vote by mail (10/9/2018) 42 days until mail-in ballots are sent to voters (10/16/2018) 49 days until in-person early voting begins (10/23/2018) 56 days until the last day to register to vote in person or by mail (10/30/2018) 58 days until in-person early voting ends (11/2/2018) 63 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018) 146 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019) 193 days until the final day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (3/14/2019) 791 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

  HERE ARE THE STORIES YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO TODAY  

Support for Prop. 2 falls 

Our latest poll shows support for Prop. 2, which legalizes medical marijuana in Utah, has fallen 8-points after the LDS Church sent out an email to members urging them to vote against the measure. Support among "active Mormons" has dropped the most - http://bit.ly/2LRZksw

New mainstream GOP PAC

A group of mainstream Republicans is launching a new political action committee to elect "pragmatic, problem-solving conservatives" - http://bit.ly/2LVa8Go

  OTHER UTAH HEADLINES   

Salt Lake Tribune

Op-ed: From soybeans to supply chains - here's how the trade dispute affects all of Utah

Op-ed: Wasatch Choice 2050 is a blueprint for how Utah will grow

Editorial: The Bureau of Land Management belongs in Utah, but it still belongs to the nation

Thanks to social media, crowds keep discovering Utah's 'undiscovered' scenic gems - and they're laying waste to their beauty

Democrat Jenny Wilson says 'of course' she would have preferred to run against Sen. Orrin Hatch instead of Mitt Romney

UTA says a switch from its own legal team to state attorneys would cost taxpayers, but the Utah A.G.'s office says that would save money

Democrat files as a write-in candidate for Sandy's Senate District 9, saying she's 'fighting to stay' in a race that's been defined by an ex-candidate's medical records

Gov. Gary Herbert passes over current UTA board members to appoint two new transit commissioners, misses deadline for a third

Utah's first set of proposed rules for medical marijuana regulates production and distribution of industrial hemp

Utah voters have a crowded ballot this year. Here's what all the questions, propositions and amendments are about.

West Valley City residents say a 'vile' and seemingly mysterious smell makes them want to move - and at least one already has

Gehrke: Born in the dark, the inland port process needs to come into the light

At Labor Day launch of serious campaigning, Mia Love and Ben McAdams attack each other

Salt Lake Democratic Socialists see a bump in membership - spurred in part by a socialist candidate in New York City

Deseret News

Pignanelli and Webb: A few honest political statements as campaigns gear up

Op-ed: How Utah is pioneering a future with clean nuclear energy

Op-ed: The solution to the housing crisis? Compromise

Editorial: Parents should worry about protecting children from identity theft

Spokesman: Orrin Hatch's call for Google investigation 'not related' to Trump tweets

Rape charge dropped against Latino activist Tony Yapias

U.S. cities used to have low-rent, short-term, dorm-style housing. Is that what Utah's homeless need?

Utah politicians say final farewell to Sen. John McCain

Fewer Utahns have gotten West Nile virus this year than last, but officials warn of continued risk

V.A. preaches optimism to Utah's health providers in the face of veterans' behavioral health challenges

Are inland port subcommittees exempt from Utah's public meetings laws? A.G.'s view has changed over years

'The Deep State': Jason Chaffetz says 'it's real' in new book

Other

Weber FD, Weber schools, Ogden, South Ogden to see biggest property tax bumps (Standard-Examiner)

 

  NATIONAL HEADLINES  

The confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh to sit on the Supreme Court begin Tuesday morning - https://fxn.ws/2CbzDUd

Mere hours before Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings are set to begin, the lawyer for former President George W. Bush turned over 42,000 pages of documents to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted the late release saying none of the members of the committee will be able to review the documents prior to Tuesday's hearing - https://wapo.st/2CfQqp7

A new poll shows Democrats hold a massive 14-point lead on the generic Congressional ballot, their largest lead since 2006 - https://wapo.st/2Ci2oi4
Congress returns to work following the August break. Lawmakers have until the end of the month to pass a spending bill and avoid a pre-election government shutdown - https://politi.co/2LWHS5Z

President Trump blasted Attorney General Jeff Sessions over the Justice Department's decision to bring charges against two GOP members of Congress ahead of the midterm elections - https://nyti.ms/2M16ieY
Advisers say former Vice President Joe Biden will decide whether to run for president in 2020 by January - http://bit.ly/2LXM1GQ
The New Yorker Festival dropped Steve Bannon as a headliner following several high-profile dropouts from other guests who objected to Bannon's inclusion as a headliner for the event - https://nyti.ms/2LYOdhk
Tropical Storm Gordon is bearing down on the Gulf Coast. The storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before it makes landfall on Tuesday - https://cnn.it/2LWJxbJ
Water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell are dropping to dangerously low levels - https://dpo.st/2LXE2tk

Today At Utah Policy

Support for Prop. 2 dips following LDS Church opposition, but most Utahns still support medical cannabis ballot initiative
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Nearly two-thirds of Utahns still favor Prop 2 the ballot initiative that would legalize medical marijuana in Utah, a just-finished UtahPolicy.com poll shows....New Reagan Roundtable PAC will support GOP candidates
By LaVarr Webb, Publisher
A group of mainstream Republicans is creating a new political action committee to support "the involvement and election of pragmatic, problem-solving conservatives."...Utah Thrives podcast: Funding for at-risk students
By Utah Foundation
When the Education Excellence Commission convened by Governor Gary Herbert looked at ways to improve Utah's public schools, it spent a lot of time talking about ways to help students at risk of academic failure....Guest opinion: Don't restrict access to charitable assistance for healthcare
By Bijan Sakaki
In the past 10 years, there has been endless debate about healthcare policy....

Policy News

Hatch, Harris follow up with Sessions, DOJ regarding medical marijuana research
US Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a follow up letter to US Attorney General Jeff Sessions regarding the pending applications for additional manufacturers to supply marij...Bishop announces 2018 Veterans Resource Fair
 Representative Rob Bishop (R-UT) announces his 2018 Veterans Resource Fair....Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy kicks off its World Affairs Lecture Series with Skateboard Diplomacy
The Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy will host Neftalie Williams as its Ambassador John Price & Marcia Price World Affairs Lecture Series guest speaker to discuss Skateboard Diplomacy....AARP finding: Utah spends least in U.S. for Medicaid spending on long-term services and supports
According to AARP's Across the States 2018: Profiles of Long-Term Services and Supports, Utah spends the least in the U.S. for Medicaid long-term services and supports for older people and people with disabilities. ...

National Headlines

Ivanka emerges as Trump's jobs czar, focus on 'forgotten men and women' (Washington Examiner)

In N.H. speech, Bernie Sanders steps up criticism of Amazon's Jeff Bezos (Boston Globe)

San Francisco, rich and poor, turns to simple street solutions that underscore the city's complexities (Washington Post)

Global finance 'as vulnerable' as in 2008: ex-ECB chief (AFP)

FBI investigation looms over Democratic nominee for Florida governor (CNN)

8 questions for the midterm elections: A blue wave or not? (Washington Post)

Trump slams John Kerry as 'father' of Iran deal amid 2020 speculation (FOX News)

Democrats' last shot at stopping Trump's Supreme Court pick (Politico)

Feinstein under the microscope for Kavanaugh hearing (The Hill)

No boycott of In-N-Out, says California Democratic Party leader (Los Angeles Times)

Twitter's Jack Dorsey reportedly overruled decision to ban Alex Jones (CNET)

Wise Words

Listen

"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." Ernest Hemingway

 

Lighter Side

Best Quarter

"Home Depot just had its best quarter in company history. When asked what they'll do with the money, Home Depot said, "Hire a second employee."" Jimmy Fallon

 

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