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Situational awareness - April 15, 2019

Monday, April 15, 2019 - 9:45am
Utah Policy

Situational awareness - April 15, 2019

Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City.

Here's what is driving the day:

  • Get ready for the release of the Mueller report this week.
  • Warring factions compete for control of the Utah GOP.
  • It's tax day.
  • Trump rakes in the campaign cash.

What do you think?

We always welcome your feedback, questions, story suggestions, news tips, etc... Send us an email at this link.

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 105th day of the year. There are 260 days remaining in 2019.

5 days to the Utah Libertarian Party state convention (4/20/2019)

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

19 days to the United Utah Party state convention (5/4/2019)

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

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

68 days to the Utah State Democratic Party Organizing Convention (6/22/2019)

72 days to the first Democratic presidential primary debates in Miami (6/26/2019)

106 days to the second Democratic presidential primary debates in Detroit (7/30/2019)

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

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

287 days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (1/27/2020)

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

323 days to the 2020 Utah presidential primary (3/3/2020)

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

Today At Utah Policy

Analysis: Efforts to lessen the power of dissident members on the Utah GOP's Central Committee have been mostly successful so far
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Last week's GOP county convention elections provided significant victories, UtahPolicy.com is told, for the "reasonable" Republicans running to blunt the influence of the so-called "Gang of 51" inside the state Republican Party.

'Reasonable' Republicans make gains in Salt Lake, Davis Counties on Saturday
By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick
Social issues, socialism and warnings about a rising threat of Democratic tyranny took center stage at Saturday's Salt Lake County Republican convention, as elected officials railed against abortion and the "Green New Deal." Meanwhile, Davis County Republicans dealt a setback to several members of a hardline faction on the party's state central committee.

Slew of Utah County Republicans running for State Central Committee . . . including Dave Bateman
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
The "rational" Republicans' statewide attempts to take back control of the state party's Central Committee continued Friday evening as the deadline passed for Utah County candidates.

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

Salt Lake Tribune

Other

NATIONAL HEADLINES

Washington is bracing for the imminent release of the Mueller report. It's been 3 weeks since Attorney General William Barr released his four-page summary of the almost 400-page document - https://politi.co/2GiWZGj

  • Sources close to President Donald Trump say he revived the idea of sending immigrants to so-called sanctuary cities to distract from the report - https://nyti.ms/2GfxDZX
  • The White House has not seen the report, but they have been briefed on what's in the document - http://bit.ly/2GiV6JJ

It's tax day. The Trump tax cuts remain unpopular as many Americans got a smaller-than-expected tax refund, or none at all - https://politi.co/2GkHzBw

  • If you were shocked by the size of this year's tax refund, next year could be worse unless you make changes now - https://nyti.ms/2GjrSdt

Big fundraising haul. President Trump's re-election campaign will report Monday they raised a whopping $30 million in the first fundraising quarter of the year - http://bit.ly/2Gjpun1

Immigration:

  • The White House is considering rules to clamp down on countries whose nationals overstay their short-term visitor visas. They are also considering other rules to tighten student and investor visas - https://on.wsj.com/2Gdcuj4
  • Sunday night President Trump tweeted he has the "absolute legal right" to release immigrant detainees in so-called sanctuary cities - http://bit.ly/2GdhIex

Infrastructure deal? President Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi plan to meet in the near future to discuss a bipartisan infrastructure package - http://bit.ly/2GdgXSJ

Boring but important. There are increasing worries that the chill in U.S.-Russia relations could lead to the countries stumbling into armed conflict - http://bit.ly/2GitoNj

Kim wants a third summit. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says he would be open to a third meeting with President Trump to discuss denuclearization. Trump tweeted Sunday night he was open to the idea - http://bit.ly/2GjquYj

Threats increasing toward Omar. Rep. Ilhan Omar says she has received an increase in death threats since President Trump shared a video on social media attacking her on Twitter - https://politi.co/2Gce8RU

Ocasio-Cortez obsession. In the six weeks from February 25 to April 7, freshman Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez was mentioned 3,1818 on Fox News and Fox Business. Fox host Stuart Varney said "we have an AOC segment every single day, almost every single hour. She's good for our ratings." - http://bit.ly/2GisW1z

Pulitzer Prizes will be awarded Monday. Judges considered thousands of entries. Expect many of the winners to be about coverage of President Trump - http://bit.ly/2GcLdNt

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1861 - President Abraham Lincoln dies after being shot the previous evening by John Wilkes Booth. Vice President Andrew Johnson becomes President.

1892 - The General Electric Company is formed.

1922 - Senator John B. Kendrick of Wyoming introduces a resolution calling for an investigation of a secret land deal, which leads to the discovery of the Teapot Dome scandal.

1923 - Insulin becomes generally available for use by people with diabetes.

1947 - Jackie Robinson debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball's color line.

1955 - McDonald's restaurant dates its founding to the opening of a franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc, in Des Plaines, Illinois.

 

Policy News

Mayor Jenny Wilson to hold town hall meetings throughout Salt Lake County
To showcase the services Salt Lake County provides and to get valuable feedback from residents, County Mayor Jenny Wilson will hold town halls in five locations throughout the valley in April and May.

Utah consumer alert: Beware of phony Social Security number calls
Francine A. Giani, Executive Director of the Department of Commerce, announced that the Utah Division of Consumer Protection has received new reports of Utah consumers receiving live scam phone calls claiming they are facing legal action over their Social Security number and demanding the consumer confirm their number over the phone.

National Headlines

Wise Words

Price

 

"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it." Henry David Thoreau
 

Lighter Side

Avenatti Racing

 

"How is this the first we're hearing of Michael Avenatti's racecar team? That's the dead giveaway that someone is bad news: The racecar track is where James Bond meets the villain for the first time as he's pulling off his helmet and his racing gloves." - SETH MEYERS