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Situational awareness - August 13, 2019 Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City Thanks for reading 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: - A plurality of Utahns want Jon Huntsman to return to Utah to run for governor in 2020.
- Tuesday's SLC mayoral election could be a nail-biter.
- Trump moves to limit legal immigration.
 How are we doing? I love hearing from you! Send your news tips or feedback to me at bschott@utahpolicy.com. 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 TOCK Today is the 225th day of the year. There are 140 days remaining in 2019. 84 days to the 2019 municipal elections (11/5/2019) 142 days until candidates can begin to gather signatures to get on the 2020 ballot (1/2/2020) 167 days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (1/27/2020) 174 days to the Iowa caucuses (2/3/2020) 182 days to the New Hampshire primaries (2/11/2020) 193 days to the Nevada Democratic caucuses (2/22/2020) 200 days to the South Carolina Democratic primary (2/29/2020) 203 days to the Utah presidential primaries (3/3/2020) 212 days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (3/12/2020) 213 days to the opening of candidate filing for the 2020 election (3/13/2020) 315 days to the 2020 Utah primary elections (6/23/2020) 335 days to the 2020 Democratic national convention in Milwaukee (7/13/2020) 377 days to the 2020 Republican national convention in Charlotte (8/24/2020) 448 days to the 2020 election (11/3/2020)
Today At Utah Policy  Utahns aren't yet sold on whether Jon Huntsman should return to Utah to run for governor again
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Jon Huntsman, Jr.A plurality of Utahns says they would like to see former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman return to the Beehive State and run for governor once again according to a new Utah Political Trends survey.
 Is Spencer Cox running too early? Are others getting in too late?
By LaVarr Webb, Publisher
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox Spencer Cox has formally announced his candidacy for governor and is off and running hard. It's a very early formal start to a gubernatorial campaign.
 Past elections suggest Tuesday's SLC mayoral primary could be a tight race
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Tuesday's Salt Lake City mayoral primary election could be a nail biter. With eight candidates vying for just two slots in the November general election, the difference between advancing and the end of the road might be a handful of votes.
 Cities Work podcast: Medical marijuana growth and distribution in our cities
By Utah League of Cities and Towns
What does a baseball game have to do with marijuana production? Besides the fast that they both involve grass, it's a simple way to explain how far Utah has come in implementing the new medical marijuana use law.
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES Deseret News Salt Lake Tribune Other
NATIONAL HEADLINES Trump targets legal immigration. President Donald Trump issued a new rule on Monday that favors wealthier immigrants by implementing an aggressive wealth test. Poor immigrants will be denied a green card if they are deemed likely to use government assistance [NYT]. - The White House has told ICE officials to conduct dozens more workplace enforcement operations this year [CNN].
- 57% of Americans now support allowing refugees from Central America into the U.S. [Gallup].
Trump administration weakens the Endangered Species Act. New rules will make it harder to protect wildlife while clearing the way for new energy extraction and development [NYT].
Gun control. Several Democratic presidential hopefuls are calling for a new assault weapons ban following mass shootings in Texas and Ohio [NYT]. - Democrats plan to use gun control as a campaign issue in 2020, linking President Trump to violent white supremacists [Politico].
- Ivanka Trump is reportedly calling members of Congress to see where they stand on possible new gun control legislation [Axios].
- The mayor of San Jose wants to require mandatory liability insurance for gun owners [Axios].
Economy. Bank of America says there is now a 1-in-3 chance of a recession in the next 12 months [CNBC]. - U.S. businesses are scaling back on their hiring plans as Trump's trade war with China grows [WaPo].
- Economists say a recession could spell doom for Trump's re-election chances in 2020 [WaPo].
2020 - Donald Trump's re-election campaign seems hellbent on ramping up the culture wars as part of their re-election strategy [WaPo].
This is not going to end well. Protesters disrupted operations at the Hong Kong airport for a second straight day [NYT]. - The Chinese media is warning protesters in Hong Kong are "asking for self-destruction" amid reports the Chinese military is massing near the city [CNBC].
- Stocks fell around the globe following the unrest in Hong Kong [WSJ].
Boring but important. The U.S. budget deficit this year has already blown past last year's total, and there are still two months to go in the fiscal year. The gap stands at $866.8 billion, which is up 27% from the same period last year [Bloomberg].
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1792 - King Louis XVI of France is formally arrested by the National Tribunal and declared an enemy of the people. 1889 - William Gray is granted a patent for the coin-operated telephone. 1918 - Women were allowed to join the U.S. Marine Corps for the first time. Sgt. Opha May Johnson becomes the first woman to enlist. 1961 - East Germany closed the Brandenburg Gate as construction of the Berlin Wall begins.
Policy News United Utah Party hosting event for millennial votersThe United Utah Party (UUP) is hosting a luau party for those 35 and under. Come meet new friends, enjoy great food and learn how you can make a difference in Utah.
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Moving On
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