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Situational awareness - August 28, 2018
Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City.
Utah may seek a "waiver" for medical marijuana. Trump relents on honoring McCain. Manafort sought a plea deal ahead of his second trial.
TICK TOCK
- 42 days until the last day to register to vote by mail (10/9/2018)
- 49 days until mail-in ballots are sent to voters (10/16/2018)
- 56 days until in-person early voting begins (10/23/2018)
- 63 days until the last day to register to vote in person or by mail (10/30/2018)
- 65 days until in-person early voting ends (11/2/2018)
- 70 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
- 153 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
- 198 days until the final day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (3/14/2019)
- 798 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
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HERE ARE THE STORIES YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO TODAY
Medical marijuana "waiver"
Utah officials could seek a sort of "waiver" from the feds to allow pharmacies to dispense medical marijuana instead of dispensaries, which would assuage concerns from the LDS Church - http://bit.ly/2Pauopm
Deihl Deal
Developer Terry Diehl won a financial settlement from the feds under the little-used Hyde Amendment, which allows those wrongly accused by the government to recover attorney's fees - http://bit.ly/2P7ChvC
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES
Salt Lake Tribune
Hatch, Lee favor renaming Senate office building after the late Sen. John McCain
Utah's state government website ranked No. 1 for security, and 17th overall, by D.C. think tank
Deseret News
Amended lawsuit aimed at stopping medical marijuana initiative removes religious references
Only 1 Utah city is among the safest for free-range parenting
Aside from his father, Huntsman Jr. had 'no greater mentor' than McCain
Human case of West Nile Virus confirmed in Box Elder County
Former UTA board member settles request of attorney fees in abandoned criminal case
Other
Weber Co. commissioners eye end to cash perk for departing elected officials (Standard-Examiner)
NATIONAL HEADLINES
- The Trump White House turned the death of Sen. John McCain into another self-inflicted PR blunder. the White House returned the American flag to full staff on Monday, then ordered it back to half-staff following public pressure - https://nyti.ms/2PeLLW5
- A panel of three federal judges ruled North Carolina's congressional districts were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor Republicans over Democrats. The court may require the state to draw new districts ahead of November's election, which is less than ten weeks away - https://wapo.st/2PhY8AX
- President Trump says he's negotiated a deal with Mexico to revise key portions of NAFTA. The revised deal could leave Canada out in the cold - https://nyti.ms/2NpDDl9
- Gun control and teacher groups are threatening legal action against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos if she moves forward with a plan to allow schools to purchase firearms for teachers with federal funds - https://nbcnews.to/2Pe4xN9
- A new poll shows Sen. Ted Cruz leads his Democratic opponent Beto O'Rourke by just one point in the Texas U.S. Senate race - http://bit.ly/2Pf2YPn
- Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, reportedly sought to make a deal with federal prosecutors ahead of his second trial in federal court next month - https://cnn.it/2PdBYj7
- President Trump's lawyers are reportedly advising him against pardoning Paul Manafort - http://bit.ly/2NlZ8Dk
- The federal government will spend up to $1.2 billion to buy products from American farmers hurt by the trade war with China and other countries. The government will also provide nearly $5 billion in cash assistance - https://abcn.ws/2PaSwbC
- Bloomberg News reassigned a reporter who covered Wells Fargo after the bank's CEO called the news organization's editor in chief to complain about a story - https://cnnmon.ie/2NnFkPP
- A new study says prolonged exposure to air pollution has a significant impact on cognitive abilities - https://cnn.it/2PfSI9x
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
- 1609 - Henry Hudson discovers Delaware Bay.
- 1862 - Second Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Battle of Second Manassas begins. The battle ends on August 30.
- 1898 - Caleb Bradham's beverage "Brad's Drink" is renamed "Pepsi-Cola."
- 1955 - Black teenager Emmett Till is brutally murdered in Mississippi for supposedly flirting with a white woman four days earlier. His alleged killers were acquitted.
- 1957 - Senator Strom Thurmond begins a filibuster to prevent the Senate from voting on the Civil Rights Act of 1957. He stopped speaking 24 hours and 18 minutes later, the longest filibuster ever conducted by a single Senator.
- 1963 - The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his I Have a Dream speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
- 1968 - Rioting takes place in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention, triggering a brutal police crackdown.
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Today At Utah Policy
Utah could seek a 'wavier' from the feds to allow pharmacies to dispense medical marijuanaLook for this idea to come forward as Utah GOP state leaders deal with any changes to the current medical marijuana initiative or Prop 2....
Developer Terry Diehl reaches financial settlement with feds following failed prosecutionOn August 17, 2018, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Utah signed a settlement agreement with Terry Diehl and thereby avoided a hearing on Mr. Diehl's motion seeking attorneys' fees in which he alleged that the case against him was frivolous, vexa...
Hatch statement on U.S.-Mexico NAFTA dealSenate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) released a statement following the United States Trade Representative's (USTR) announcement that the United States and Mexico have reached a bilateral agreement on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA):...
Fox files: 'The O Zone'I'd encourage you all to get familiar with "Opportunity Zones," an aggressive new economic development tool resulting from recent federal tax legislation....
Policy News
Gov. Herbert lowers flags in honor of Sen. John McCainIn accordance with the proclamation from the President of the United States, Gov. Gary R. Herbert has ordered the lowering of the flag of the United States of America and the flag of the State of Utnah effective immediately in honor of Sen. John McCain. The flags should be fl...
Venafi study: 93% of security professionals say election infrastructure is at risk
Venafi announced the results of a study on the security of election infrastructure. According to the study, ninety-three percent of security professionals are concerned about cyber-attacks targeting election infrastructure and data....
National Headlines
U.S., Mexico reach NAFTA deal, turn up pressure on Canada (Reuters)
NAFTA another win for Jared Kushner (Washington Examiner)
S&P 500, Nasdaq jump to record highs as US and Mexico strike trade deal (CNBC)
Ocasio-Cortez lists investigations Democrats should tackle if they win back House (The Hill)
'It Is the Era of Trump': How the President Is Remaking the Republican Party (Wall Street Journal)
Poll: Cruz leads O'Rourke by 1 point in Texas Senate race (The Hill)
U.S. to Pay Farmers $4.7 Billion to Offset Trade-Conflict Losses (Wall Street Journal)
Trump ally Roger Stone begs for money to fight Mueller (New York Post)
McCain is hanging over Arizona's primaries, even though his seat isn't on the ballot (Vox)
3-D printed gun ban extended by judge pending state challenge (FOX News)
