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Situational awareness - January 23, 2019

Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City.

Wednesday's news at a glance: A proposed bill would block judges from changing a person's sex on their birth certificate. The Senate will vote on two measures to end the government shutdown. President Donald Trump's approval rating tanks.

Department of corrections: Yesterday I erroneously said Jeff Daniels is playing Atticus Finch in the new Broadway play To Kill a Mockingbird. Several readers wrote in to point out that Jeff Bridges is playing Finch. I should know better since I took the time to snap this photo during my trip:

Talk to us! Send us your news tips, suggestions, complaints or feedback here.

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 TOCK

Today is the 23rd day of the year. There are 342 days remaining in 2019.

3 days until Salt Lake County Democrats elect a new County Mayor (1/26/2019)

5 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)

50 days until the final day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (3/14/2019)

101 days to the Utah State Republican Party Organizing Convention (5/4/2019)

131 days until the municipal election filing period opens (6/3/2019)

135 days until the municipal election filing period ends (6/7/2019)

202 days to the 2019 Utah primary elections (8/13/2019)

286 days to the 2019 municipal elections (11/5/2019)

377 days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses (2/3/2020)

645 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today At Utah Policy

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

Jay Evensen: Should the people be allowed to overturn city planning decisions?

Ex-Utah League of Cities and Towns boss charged with theft, misusing public money

Salt Lake City mayor makes special delivery to local TSA workers

Immigrant from Argentina, local entrepreneur, picked to fill Salt Lake City's vacant council seat

Shutdown, border wall dominate Sen. Mitt Romney's first town hall

Utah Attorney General says human trafficking remains problem

Salt Lake Tribune

Could you afford to buy in your own neighborhood today? For many homeowners on the Wasatch Front, the answer would be no.

Boomerang bills: Proposals that are popular with the public but nonstarters on Utah's Capitol Hill just keep coming back

A Utah lawmaker wants to lower the penalty for some crimes by one day to help immigrants avoid deportation

Former Utah League of Cities and Towns chief charged with 7 felonies for theft, misuse of funds

Federal airport employees working without pay at least get pizza from Salt Lake City mayorNew Salt Lake District 4 Councilwoman, a self-described '30-something Hispanic,' aims to represent the city's increasingly diverse population

In the first town hall of his term, Romney blames federal leaders for using people 'as pawns' in government shutdown

Other

'Death with dignity' advocates persist in Utah despite heavy opposition (Standard-Examiner)

Romney focuses on shutdown, border at town hall meeting in Farmington (Standard-Examiner)

NATIONAL HEADLINES

Shutdown day #33

The Senate will vote on two competing bills to reopen the government. Both measures are expected to fail, but there's hope the votes will start negotiations to end the shutdown - https://nyti.ms/2FFFthq

A possible plan to end the shutdown. Republican senators and the White House are discussing a plan to give a path to green cards for the 700,000 current DACA recipients in exchange for funding for President Donald Trump's border wall - http://bit.ly/2FIoGub

State of the Union. The White House is still planning to hold President Trump's address in the House chamber next Tuesday despite Speaker Nancy Pelosi's letter asking to delay the event. Trump administration officials are daring Pelosi to block the speech. President Trump's allies are urging him to hold the address at a location outside of Washington to "troll" Pelosi - https://politi.co/2FHJ26U

Shutdown backlash. A new poll finds independent voters are increasingly blaming President Trump for the shutdown. 46 percent of independent voters said Trump and Republicans in Congress are responsible for the impasse, which is a jump of 7 points since last month - http://bit.ly/2FJ76pR

Shutdown hurting the FBI. A new report says the partial government shutdown is hampering FBI investigations into terrorism, drug traffickers and child sexual predators - https://nbcnews.to/2FHJAcY

Tax refunds could be delayed. Hundreds of IRS employees are skipping work because of financial hardship. Officials expect that number to surge, which may delay tax refunds - https://wapo.st/2FJKaXt

The TSA is starting to break under the strain of the shutdown. The agency is asking for 250 employees to move from their home airports to those struggling with low staffing due to the shutdown - https://cnn.it/2FJyQL9

Kerry vs. Trump. Former Secretary of State John Kerry had a blunt message for President Donald Trump, "resign." Kerry said Trump "doesn't take any of this seriously" and he doubted Trump had the "ability" to have deep conversations - https://wapo.st/2FKB50B

Transgender military ban upheld. The Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump's ban on most transgender people from serving in the military to go into effect while lower courts hear further arguments on the issue - https://cnn.it/2FHHxWk

Urgency on 2020 Census. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to decide quickly whether a question about citizenship can be placed on the 2020 Census. Critics say the question is designed to cut down the response rate, which would benefit Republicans in the next round of redistricting - https://wapo.st/2FFHgmE

2nd Amendment. The Supreme Court will review a New York City gun law that limits residents from transporting their guns outside of their homes. It's the first Second Amendment case the high court has taken up since 2010 - https://nyti.ms/2FIx6Su

A SCOTUS loss for Trump. The Supreme Court declined to take action on the Trump administration's plans to end the DACA program. That means it's unlikely the court will hear the administration's challenge to a lower court ruling this term. The decision to end protections for nearly 700,000 young undocumented immigrants has been on hold as lower courts have blocked the move - https://nyti.ms/2FG8nhH

Trump's approval rating tanks. 57 percent of Americans disapprove of President Trump's job performance, while only 40 percent approve - https://politi.co/2FJsQ52

Trump a 2020 underdog. A new national poll from a Democratic-leaning polling outfit says President Trump is trailing seven possible Democratic opponents in 2020 - http://bit.ly/2FJaRfe

Climate change. A new poll finds 48% of Americans say they're being harmed by global warming "right now." That's up 16 points from 2015 and nine points since last year - http://bit.ly/2FLzeso

Another one. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced he will seek the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Buttigieg is just 37, making him the youngest person to join the 2020 race so far - https://wapo.st/2FJ6zVa

Wait...what? President Trump's social media accounts have published photos of him in recent months that have been altered to make him look thinner and his hands appear larger - http://bit.ly/2FJg9XU

Los Angeles teachers return to the classroom. Teachers reached an agreement with the school district to end their 14-day strike. The deal includes a 6% raise and a plan to reduce class sizes - https://cnn.it/2FJq13W

Teachers in Denver vote to strike. It would be the first time in 25 years teachers in that city would go on strike - https://cnn.it/2FFFlhW

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1845 - Congress decided that all national elections would take place on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.

1849 - Elizabeth Backwell is awarded her M.D., becoming the United States' first doctor.

1957 - Inventor Walter Morrison sells the rights to his flying disc to the Wham-O toy company, which renames it the "Frisbee."

1964 - The 24th Amendment, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in national elections, is ratified.

1973 - President Richard Nixon announces that U.S. troops would cease fighting in Vietnam at midnight on Jan 27.

1980 - President Jimmy Carter reinstated the Selective Service System.

1997 - Madeline Albright was sworn in as the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State.

Policy News

More National Headlines

Peterson says Democrats should 'give Trump the money' for border wall (KFGO)

Sarah Sanders: White House not listening to Ocasio-Cortez 'on much of anything,' including doomsday prediction (FOX News)

Nathan Phillips rally attempted to disrupt Mass at DC's National Shrine (CNA)

How Twitter could be the death of liberal democracy (The Week)

San Francisco is a 'train wreck' because of the 'tech sector,' says Marc Benioff (San Francisco Chronicle)

Congress agitates to end relentless shutdown (Politico)

The super rich at Davos are scared of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's proposal to hike taxes on the wealthy (CNBC)

Wise Words

Perspective

"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb." Nelson Mandela

Lighter Side

Prices

"Netflix just announced they will be raising subscription prices by up to $2 a month. Yeah, I know, this is awful news for the person whose account you use." -JAMES CORDEN

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