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Situational awareness - July 23, 2019 Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City Welcome to 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 should pay attention to this morning: - Utahns say social media companies should be able to censor content.
- Congress reaches a sweeping budget deal.
- Washington prepares for Mueller's testimony.
Podcast time! We're taping a new episode with special guest Spencer Stokes this morning. Send us your burning Utah political questions at bschott@utahpolicy.com and we'll answer them on the pod.
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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 204th day of the year. There are 161 days remaining in 2019. 7 days until in-person voting for the 2019 municipal primaries begins (7/30/2019) 7 days to the second Democratic presidential primary debates in Detroit (7/30/2019) 21 days to the 2019 Utah primary elections (8/13/2019) 51 days to the third Democratic presidential primary debate (9/12/2019) 105 days to the 2019 municipal elections (11/5/2019) 163 days until candidates can begin to gather signatures to get on the 2020 ballot (1/2/2020) 188 days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (1/27/2020) 195 days to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses (2/3/2020) 224 days to the 2020 Utah presidential primary (3/3/2020) 233 days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (3/12/2020) 234 days to the opening of candidate filing for the 2020 election (3/13/2020) 252 days until the deadline for candidates to submit signatures to be placed on the 2020 primary ballot (3/31/2019) 336 days to the 2020 Utah primary election (6/23/2020) 356 days to the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee (7/13/2020) 398 days to the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte (8/24/2020) 469 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
Today At Utah Policy Most Utahns say it's okay for social media companies to censor content By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Most Utahns say social media platforms should be able to censor what users post, but Republicans and conservatives disagree. Utah County should move ahead on governance change By LaVarr Webb, Publisher LaVarr WebbDespite recent setbacks, Utah County should do whatever is necessary to change its governance structure to a full-time mayor with seven part-time county council members. That's what the county needs as it grows rapidly and becomes more diverse. Guest opinion: What to look for when selecting candidates for local office By Rod Mann, Mayor, Highland City Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." -- John Quincy Adams Video: Lee, Booker discuss criminal justice reform By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Sen. Mike LeeSens. Mike Lee and Cory Booker spoke with former Sen. Jeff Flake on CBS News Monday morning about how they were able to reach across the aisle to pass the First Step Act which, among other things, expands early release programs for federal prisoners. United Utah Party set to file term-limits ballot measure By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Image: ShutterstockThe United Utah Party announced Monday they were filing a ballot initiative to impose term limits on members of the Utah legislature and statewide elected officials. Join the Salt Lake Chamber for the Small Business Forum: Cybersecurity Best Practices By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Join the Salt Lake Chamber for the Small Business Forum: Cybersecurity Best Practices with Matt Groves on July 31, 2019.
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES Deseret News Salt Lake Tribune Other NATIONAL HEADLINES We have a budget deal. President Donald Trump and congressional leaders clinched a sweeping budget deal that would increase government spending by $320 billion over two years and eliminate permanent budget caps put in place in 2011 [NYT]. - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi negotiated the final details over the phone from an airplane that was stuck on the tarmac in Detroit [WaPo].
- Candidate Trump vowed to pay off the federal debt in 8 years. President Trump is on track for another $1 trillion deficit this year [Politico].
Mueller time. The Justice Department is warning former special counsel Robert Mueller to not answer a wide variety of questions about his investigation into President Trump and Russian interference in the 2016 election [WaPo]. - President Trump is attacking Mueller on Twitter again, saying the former special counsel shouldn't get "another bite at the apple" [WaPo].
- Democrats are holding a mock hearing on Tuesday to prepare for Mueller's testimony later this week [NY Post].
- Mueller is likely to face questions about why investigators did not question Donald Trump Jr. about the infamous Trump Tower meeting in 2016 [NBC News].
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will send a memo to all Democratic House members explaining how they should frame the hearings for the former special counsel. Pelosi's office wants members to drive home the message that the chaos surrounding President Trump "did not begin, nor does it end, with Mueller" [Axios].
Britain. Boris Johnson, one of the biggest backers of the Brexit movement, will be the next British prime minister [WaPo].
Trump vs. "The Squad." President Trump accused four Democratic congresswomen of color of being "very racist" and "not very smart" in his latest attack on Monday [WaPo]. - Two Louisiana police officers were fired over a Facebook post suggesting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should be shot [WaPo].
Food stamps. The Trump administration is proposing a rule that would kick more than 3 million Americans off of the food stamp program [Reuters].
Immigration. The Trump administration says they will speed up the deportations of undocumented immigrants who cannot prove they have been in the country for more than two years [NYT].
Hmmm. The Army let slip it's conducting a secret operation around Washington, D.C. involving Black Hawk helicopters. The mysterious action came to light when the Army asked Congress for extra funds for aircraft maintenance and operations [Bloomberg].
Shots fired. South Korea says it fired warning shots at Russian aircraft after multiple planes entered South Korea's airspace [AP].
Uh oh. Health experts are warning of drug-resistant strains of Malaria that are spreading across Southeast Asia, raising worries of a "potential global health emergency" [CNN].
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1885 - President Ulysses S. Grant dies of throat cancer. 1903 - The Ford Motor Company sells its first car. 1962 - Telstar relays the first publicly transmitted, live trans-Atlantic television program, featuring Walter Cronkite. 1962 - Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. 1967 - Detroit riots: One of the worst riots in U.S. history begins in the predominantly African American inner city. Ultimately, 43 people are killed, 342 injured and 1,400 buildings are burned. 1973 - Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox served subpoenas on the White House after President Richard Nixon refused to turn over requested tapes and documents. 1999 - Eileen Collins becomes the first female space shuttle commander on the Space Shuttle Columbia. Policy News Utah consumer alert: Beware of 'free' genetic testing offers from Medicare"Francine A. Giani, Executive Director of the Department of Commerce, announced that the Utah Division of Consumer Protection has received a report that scammers are trying to steal a person's Medicare account information and other personal information in a new imposter scam by offering "free" genetic testing to look for hereditary cancer. More National Headlines True Today
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