Trouble viewing this email? Read it online

Utah's Daily Policy Resource, Brought to you by Utah Policy

---

Situational awareness - May 9, 2018

Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City.

The LDS Church is severing ties with the Boys Scouts. Utah is running into roadblocks on the path to Medicaid expansion. Trump trashes the Iran deal. A Russian oligarch hired Trump's personal lawyer as a consultant. 

Happy anniversary! One year ago today, President Trump abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey, which led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller.

  SUBSCRIBE TO THIS NEWSLETTER  

Thanks for reading Utah's must-read daily political news roundup. If you would like to sign up for our morning newsletter, you can SIGN UP HERE.

Want to submit an op-ed? Got a story tip or idea? A complaint? An intriguing picture to share? I want to hear from you. Send me a secure email at bryanschott@protonmail.com.

---

  TICK TOCK  

• 20 days until the last day to register to vote by mail for the 2018 primary election (5/29/2018)
• 21 days until the last day to change your party affiliation before the primary election (5/30/2018)
• 27 days until primary election mail-in ballots are sent to voters (6/5/2018)
• 34 days until in-person early primary voting begins (6/12/2018)
• 41 days until the final day to register to vote online or in person before the primary election (6/19/2018)
• 44 days until in-person early primary voting ends (6/22/2018)
• 48 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)
• 181 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 264 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
• 909 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

  PODCASTS  

Subscribe to the award-winning "Bernick and Schott on politics" podcast, Utah's longest-running political podcast. Hosts Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick have more than 60 years combined experience covering Utah politics. Plus, you'll get long-form interviews with Utah newsmakers. Subscribe (and leave a review) using iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

---

  HERE ARE THE STORIES DRIVING WEDNESDAY  

Scouting split

The LDS Church announces they will sever ties with the Boy Scouts of America in 2020, replacing it with a new church-led program [Deseret News, Tribune (paywall), Standard-Examiner].

Medicaid problems

Utah lawmakers passed a limited Medicaid expansion this year that depends on waivers from the Trump administration. It turns out those waivers are more difficult to get than legislators anticipated [Utah Policy].

More economic good news

Utah's GDP grew at the 5th fastest rate between 2016 and 2017 [Utah Policy].

Hatch apologizes

Sen. Orrin Hatch apologizes for saying it was "ridiculous" for Sen. John McCain to bar President Trump from his funeral [Utah Policy].

---

  OTHER UTAH HEADLINES  

• Utah leaders react to President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal [Deseret News, Associated Press, Tribune (paywall)].
  
  
• Utah restaurants can finally take down those "This is a restaurant, not a bar" signs [Fox 13, Tribune (paywall)].
  
  
• The Salt Lake Tribune is facing staff cuts and possibly shrinking the print edition because of continuing losses in ad revenue and falling circulation numbers [Tribune (paywall), Deseret News].
  
  
• Opponents of the medical marijuana ballot initiative claim supporters are offering money to prevent signature removal forms from being submitted [Tribune (paywall)].
  
  
• Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill is lending his support to the ballot initiative to legalize medical cannabis [Deseret News].
  
  
• Utah Democrats file six bills targeting gun violence for next year's legislative session [Tribune (paywall)].
  
  
• A wannabe spy managed to get a job with the Utah Department of Technology and sent sensitive documents to Russia [Tribune (paywall)].
  
  
• Salt Lake City approves a tax incentive package for a Swiss rail car maker that will bring an estimated 1,000 jobs to the city's northwest quadrant [Deseret News].

---

  NATIONAL HEADLINES  

• As expected, President Trump scraps the Iran nuclear deal. However what comes next remains to be known [Reuters]. Iranian President Rouhani says that country is ready to restart their uranium enrichment programs, but will "wait and see how others react" [BBC].
  
  
• WOAH! President Trump's attorney Michael Cohen was hired last year as a consultant by the U.S.-based affiliate of a Russian company owned by a Russian oligarch who is on a list of Russians who have sanctioned for election interference. The money flowed through the shell company Cohen used to pay off adult film actress Stormy Daniels [CNN ]. Cohen also received thousands of dollars from other companies, including AT&T which, at the time, was seeking government approval of their acquisition of Time Warner [New York Times].
  
  
• The GOP establishment avoids a nightmare in West Virginia. Former Coal baron Don Blankenship, who described himself as "Trumpier than Trump" was soundly defeated in the U.S. Senate primary in that state [Washington Post].
  
  
• President Donald Trump's job approval hits 42%, which is the highest point it's been in the last year [Gallup].
  
  
• Special counsel Robert Mueller's team rejects an offer from President Trump's legal advisers for Trump to submit to a written interview as part of the Russia investigation [Politico].
  
  
• The confirmation hearings for CIA nominee Gina Haspel begin in Washington on Wednesday [The Hill].
  
  
• White House aides are pushing President Trump to fire embattled EPA head Scott Pruitt [CNN]. Pruitt reportedly fast-tracked an environmental clean-up in California after conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt brokered a meeting [Politico].
  
  
• Democratic 2020 presidential hopefuls are already hitting the campaign trail [The Hill].
  
  
• Russian hackers are reportedly posing as ISIS members to threaten U.S. military families [Associated Press].

---

  ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY  

• 1502 - Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain on his fourth and final voyage to the New World.
  
  
• 1887 - Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show opens in London.
  
  
• 1926 - Admiral Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett claim to have flown over the North Pole.
  
  
• 1945 - The final German Instrument of Surrender is signed at the Soviet headquarters in Berlin.
  
  
• 1974 - The House Judiciary Committee opens formal impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon.
  
  
• 1979 - The U.S. and Soviet Union reached a basic accord on the SALT II nuclear arms treaty. The agreement was signed in June but never went into effect.

---

---

Today At Utah Policy

Utah running into roadblocks on legislature-approved Medicaid expansion By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Utah GOP state lawmakers have found a friend in President Donald Trump when it comes to Democratic-imposed national monuments.Not so much on Medicaid expansion....

---

Utah's GDP growth was 5th fastest in the nation last year By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Statistics from the Bureau of Economic Analysis show Utah's GDP grew 3.1% between 2016 and 2017, which was fifth-fastest in the nation. ...

---

Hatch apologizes to McCain for saying it was 'ridiculous' not to invite Trump to his funeral By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Just one day after saying it was "ridiculous" that Sen. John McCain did not want President Trump at his funeral, Sen. Orrin Hatch has apologized. ...

---

Weekly survey: Is Utah's citizen initiative process fair? By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to get the 113,000 signatures needed to place a citizen's initiative on the ballot, but those same initiatives can be defeated by opponents urging signers to remove their names from the petition. Do you think the current system ...

---

---

Policy News

Gail Miller chosen new board chair of Intermountain Healthcare Intermountain Healthcare's Board of Trustees has chosen Utah business and civic leader Gail Miller as chair of the Intermountain Board. She succeeds Scott Anderson, who remains on the Board as chair emeritus and who has stepped down at the completion of his six-year term.&nb...

---

New city manager on the job in Riverton A new city manager is on the job in Riverton following a search and extensive application process. Konrad Hildebrandt, who began his administrative duties on April 30, was selected out of a pool of more than 100 applicants....

---

Sen. Lee welcomes White House rescissions package Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement Tuesday after the White House sent a message to Congress, pursuant to the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act, requesting the rescission of more than $15 billion in federal spending....

---

Wise Words

Knowledge

"The aim of education is the knowledge, not of facts, but of values." William S. Burroughs

Lighter Side

Stop Talking

"Rudy Giuliani went on Fox News and revealed that Trump knew about and paid for Stormy Daniels' hush money. Even Kanye was like, "You should probably stop talking." Jimmy Fallon

---

This email is intended for newsletter@newslettercollector.com.
Update your preferences or Unsubscribe