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Situational awareness - January 6, 2020

Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City.

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

• Utahns overwhelmingly oppose changing how education is funded.
• Trump threatens a disproportionate response if Iran retaliates against the U.S.
• Congressional Democrats want to limit Trump's war powers.

TICK TOCK

Days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 21 (1/27/2020)

Days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses: 28 (2/3/2020)

Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 57 (3/3/2020)

Days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 66 (3/12/2020)

Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 176 (6/30/2020)

Days to the 2020 election: 302 (11/3/2020)

Today At Utah Policy

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

• Pignanelli & Webb: 2020 is full of big political events. Here are the ones to watch
• Natalie Gochnour: The tsunami trends to keep an eye on in 2020
• Derek Miller: How Utah became the New England Patriots of economic development victories
• Sen. Mitt Romney: Utah's priorities saw progress in 2019
• Editorial: Welcome, Mayor Mendenhall. Salt Lake City needs unflinching leadership
• Mia Love still toying with running for Congress against Ben McAdams
• Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski leaves office with mixed reviews
• Former Utah GOP Chairman Thomas Wright announces run for governor
• Utah GOP agrees to accommodate people with disabilities in lawsuit settlement
• Rash of fatal crashes near South Salt Lake homeless center prompts search for solutions
• Candidates begin gathering signatures for place on primary ballot
• GOP state lawmaker Kim Coleman enters 4th Congressional District race
• SITLA deputy director leaves legacy of collaboration, compromise, negotiation
• Mayor-elect Erin Mendenhall set to start new chapter for Salt Lake City on Monday
• 17 protesting new homeless system arrested in clash with Salt Lake police
• Mitt Romney and Mike Lee take on distinct roles for Senate impeachment trial

Salt Lake Tribune

• Editorial: Lower driver alcohol limit? Fears of apocalypse were all wet
• Utah releases school report cards - without letter grades - after computer glitches in standardized tests
• Feds propose opening Utah's San Rafael Desert to more motorized use
• Utah is saving money by paying patients to go to Mexico for expensive drugs
• Fatal crashes near South Salt Lake homeless center spark calls for safety improvements
• Utah Rep. Ben McAdams still finds optimism in Washington after a polarizing first year
• Former Utah GOP Chairman Thomas Wright is running for governor. Greg Hughes to announce bid next week.
• BLM gets a new boss in Utah as feds shuffle key positions
• Utah GOP chairman says party won't expel candidates who gather signatures
• Utahns in Congress support killing of Iranian general but want to know reason and what's next
• Logan has nation's lowest unemployment rate; Salt Lake has lowest rate for metro areas with at least 1M residents
• Utah's medical marijuana pharmacy locations chosen
• Utah's unaffiliated voters need to act quickly to participate in Super Tuesday
• State Rep. Kim Coleman makes it official: She's challenging Democrat Ben McAdams for Utah's 4th Congressional seat
• Mendenhall to explore emergency shelter options, seek transportation improvements for homeless services system
• What do a Utah ski resort, a hospital chain and a South Jordan hotel have in common? They are among the Wasatch Front's biggest tax delinquents.
• Jill Biden visits in Salt Lake City, says Joe can beat Trump, help McAdams

Other

• Looking to avoid a repeat of 2018 'disaster,' Utah County elections division gets a million-dollar budget increase (Daily Herald)
• Utah County Republican Party settles lawsuit alleging violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (Daily Herald)
• Box Elder County commissioner won't seek U.S. House seat after all (Standard-Examiner)
• Western Weber County incorporation question to be on Nov. 3 ballot (Standard-Examiner)
• Weber County foes of tax reform measure blast planned hikes in food, gas taxes (Standard-Examiner)
• Back Biden, Warren, Sanders or Buttigieg? Park City voters must be ready for Super Tuesday (Park Record)

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NATIONAL HEADLINES

Escalation

President Trump threatens to strike Iranian cultural sites if they retaliate for the airstrike that killed their top military commander. He also vowed to impose "very big sanctions" on Iraq if they expel American forces from that country [Washington Post].

Iranian military officials said retaliation for the killing of Gen. Quasem Soleimani will most certainly target the U.S. military [CNN].

Military leaders presented President Trump with a menu of options to retaliate against Iran for the attack on the U.S. embassy in Iraq. Trump opted for the most extreme path, killing an Iranian military leader [New York Times].

The Iranian government announced they would abandon virtually every part of the 2015 nuclear deal following the U.S. airstrike. The announcement includes ditching limits on enriching nuclear material [New York Times].

Congressional Democrats want a vote to curb President Trump's war powers following the drone strike that killed an Iranian military leader. The House will vote on a resolution this week [CNN].

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Impeachment

Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested Republicans should change Senate rules governing impeachment if Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to withhold the impeachment articles against President Trump [Washington Post].

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2020

Democratic candidate Mike Bloomberg is staffing up, hiring 500 workers in more than 30 states as he targets Super Tuesday primary elections [NBC News].

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For your radar

A new report says nine states will see their economies contract this year, which is the most since the financial crisis from more than a decade ago [Bloomberg].

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BUSINESS HEADLINES

• Logan has nation's lowest unemployment rate; Salt Lake has lowest rate for metro areas with at least 1M residents (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Derek Miller: How Utah became the New England Patriots of economic development victories (Deseret News)
• Utah cold-weather gear company Fortress dives into the icy waters of 'Shark Tank' (Deseret News)

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Policy News

Utahns' growing confidence in the job market bolsters consumer attitudes overall
The Zions Bank Utah Consumer Attitude Index (CAI) increased 2.1 points to 119.1 in December. The year-over-year CAI bumped up by 3.3 points. In comparison, the national Consumer Confidence Index decreased 0.3 points to 126.5 this month.

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More National Headlines

• 2020 boost as Trump job approval reaches three-year high after Soleimani hit (Washington Examiner)
• Cruz pushes Senate resolution praising Soleimani mission, daring Dems to oppose (FOX News)
• Fear Hits Tehran Over What Might Come Next (Bloomberg)
• U.S. Goods Trade Deficit Declines to Smallest in Three Years (Bloomberg)
• California news anchors get redpilled on live television (Post Millennial)
• Are You Ready For Environmental Reparations To Fund The Green New Deal? (Hot Air)
• A Second Amendment sanctuary movement is sweeping through Kentucky. Here's why. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• 'I didn't do it!': Monty Python star tired of white men 'being blamed for everything' (Washington Examiner)
• Meat Loaf says Greta Thunberg has been brainwashed into thinking climate change is real (Independent)
• De Blasio's Domino's outrage sums up why businesses are fleeing NYC (New York Post)
• Bari Weiss Criticizes Lack of 'Moral Clarity' in Coverage of Recent Anti-Semitic Attacks (Mediaite)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1838 - Samuel Morse first publicly demonstrated his telegraph, in Morristown, N.J.

1847 - Samuel Colt obtains his first contract for the sale of revolver pistols to the U.S. government.

1912 - New Mexico is admitted to the Union as the 47th state.

1961 - Vice President Richard Nixon made official that he had been defeated by Sen. John F. Kennedy in one of the closest presidential elections in history.

1994 - Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the right leg in an assault planned by the ex-husband of her rival, Tonya Harding.

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