Big budget surplus may complicate tax overhaul effort. Your Wednesday morning must-read news roundup from UtahPolicy.com

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Situational awareness - November 27, 2019

Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City

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Programming note

UtahPolicy.com will not publish our daily newsletter on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29 because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

We will return to your computers, tablets and mobile devices on Monday, December 2.

Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:

Some holiday advice

If you're worried about politics invading your Thanksgiving celebrations, take a listen to this podcast discussion with Malissa Morrell, who teaches family therapy classes at the University of Utah, about how to handle those difficult conversations.

Listen here.

TICK TOCK

Days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 61 (1/27/2020)

Days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses: 68 (2/3/2020)

Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 97 (3/3/2020)

Days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 106 (3/12/2020)

Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 216 (6/23/2020)

Days to the 2020 election: 342 (11/3/2020)

Today At Utah Policy

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

Salt Lake Tribune

Other

NATIONAL HEADLINES

What did the president know, and when did he know it?

President Donald Trump already knew about a complaint from an anonymous whistle-blower about his dealings with Ukraine when he unfroze military aid to that country in September [New York Times].

The White House was aware of the whistle-blower's allegations soon after his July 25 phone call with the Ukranian leader [New York Times].

Rudy goes under the bus

In an interview, President Trump denied sending Rudy Giuliani to Ukraine to dig up dirt on his political rivals. Giuliani has claimed he was sent to that country by Trump [Bloomberg].

Undercutting a key impeachment defense

A career official in the Office of Management and Budget said the White House did not tell that office that aid to Ukraine was being frozen over concerns about other countries' contributions until months after the hold was put in place. The White House has argued the nearly $400 million in assistance was held up because other countries in Europe were not contributing enough to help Ukraine [CNN].

Suspicious timing

The White House budget office formally put a hold on military aid to Ukraine on the same day President Trump had his July 25 phone call with the president of that country [NBC News].

Resigning in frustration

Two White House budget aids quit after expressing concerns about President Trump's decision to withhold military aid to Ukraine [New York Times].

The next phase in impeachment

The first impeachment hearing in the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled for next Wednesday. President Trump and his legal team have been invited to participate [Politico].

Trump's Florida rally

President Trump held a re-election rally in Florida Tuesday night, where he railed against the impeachment process unfolding in Congress. He also said he pardoned military members who had been accused of war crimes to protect them from the "deep state" [Politico].

Census

The House Oversight Committee is suing Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for refusing to turn over documents relating to the failed effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census [Washington Post].

Hmmm...

In August, Rudy Giuliani stayed at an estate owned by a Venezuelan energy executive during a trip to Madrid as part of his push to dig up dirt on Joe Biden. A month later, Giuliani met with a top Justice Department official to lobby on behalf of the wealthy Venezuelan who was facing a money laundering case in Florida [Washington Post].

BUSINESS HEADLINES

Policy News

More National Headlines

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1895 - At the SwedishNowegian Club in Paris, Alfred Nobel signs his last will and testament, setting aside his estate to establish the Nobel Prize after he dies.

1901 - The U.S. Army War College is established.

1924 - In New York City, the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is held.

1968 - Penny Ann Early became the first woman to play major professional basketball for the Kentucky Colonels in an ABA game against the Los Angeles Stars.

1973 - The U.S. Senate votes 92-3 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President.

1978 - In San Francisco, Mayor George Moscone and openly gay city supervisor Harvey Milk are assassinated by former supervisor Dan White.

2015 - An active shooter inside a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, shoots at least four police officers. One officer later dies. Two civilians were killed and six injured. The shooter later surrendered.

Wise Words

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."John F. Kennedy

Lighter Side

"You shouldn't feel bad about not seeing it, because last night's Democratic debate was the least-watched Democratic debate yet. Yes, yeah, true story. The ratio was one viewer for every one candidate."- CONAN O'BRIEN

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