Situational awareness - June 18, 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 we're following today:

• Cox's 2020 campaign posts big fundraising numbers, but the total may not be as impressive as they'd like you to believe.
• McCay won't challenge McAdams in 2020.
• Trump vows mass arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants.

My inbox is open to you!

Got a confidential news tip? Is there a story we should be following? Drop me a line at bschott@utahpolicy.com.

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 169th day of the year. There are 196 days remaining in 2019.

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

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

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

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

86 days to the third Democratic presidential primary debate (9/12/2019)

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

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

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

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

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

Today At Utah Policy

Brown vows financial transparency as he takes the reins of the Utah GOP
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Derek Brown says there is going to be a new way of operating the Utah Republican Party.And it starts with "transparency" especially financially.

McCay won't challenge McAdams in 2020
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, says he will not challenge Democrat Ben McAdams in Utah's 4th Congressional District next year.

Tax modernization and revenue restructure town hall meetings begin Tuesday, June 25
By Press release
A series of revenue restructure town hall meetings start Tuesday, June 25 in Brigham City. The town hall meetings are part of a statewide listening tour being conducted by the Tax Restructuring and Equalization Task Force. In the 2019 General Legislative Session, the Utah Legislature created the task force to look for ways to address the state's outdated tax structure, get public input and suggest solutions.

Spencer Cox's campaign posts big fundraising numbers, but he still trails Provo businessman Jeff Burningham (Updated)
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox's 2020 campaign for governor announced a quarter-million dollar fundraising haul for the first month since he jumped into the race, but nearly a third of that was transferred from his existing campaign account.

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

• Op-ed: No more delaying, Utah. It's time for paid parental leave
• Editorial: Undecided Supreme Court cases are a chance to reinforce American ideals
• Utah Sen. Mitt Romney unveils bill to make immigrant employee verification system permanent
• Some Utah patients taken off opioids too abruptly amid opioid battle, lobbyist says

Salt Lake Tribune

• Editorial: Why the silence while suspicious PAC raked in cash?
• Salt Lake City mayoral candidates renew concerns about capacity within new homeless resource centers set to open next month

NATIONAL HEADLINES

Immigration

• President Donald Trump announced immigration officials would carry out mass arrests and deportation of "millions of illegal aliens" starting next week - https://wapo.st/2MV0oSi
• The Trump administration says it will not allow new foreign aid to El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala unless those countries take steps to reduce the flow of migrants to the U.S. - http://bit.ly/2WN8lxk
• Juarez, Mexico is bracing as the U.S. is preparing to dump thousands of migrants in that city as part of a new policy to send asylum seekers back across the border into Mexico to await court hearings - https://wapo.st/2MWFsdD

Iran

• The Pentagon announced plans to send 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East amid growing tensions with Iran - https://cnn.it/2WNYIi0
• The Pentagon claims newly public photos provide evidence Iran was behind the attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week - https://politi.co/2WO0QGw
• President Trump said he might take military action to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, but called the attack on two oil tankers attributed to Iran "very minor" - http://bit.ly/2WRkCAT
• Iran President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday his country would not wage war against any nation - https://reut.rs/2WWgKid

2020

• President Donald Trump officially kicks off his re-election bid with a rally in Orlando Tuesday night - https://wapo.st/2WVDcrK
• Democratic members of Congress are upset party chair Tom Perez diluted their influence in picking the party's nominee in 2020 when he reduced their power as superdelegates - https://politi.co/2WNKpty

Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court declined to change a rule allowing defendants to be tried for the same offense in federal and state courts. The case could have possible implications for former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort who is facing charges in New York State - https://nbcnews.to/2WOIULZ
• Justices ruled against the Virginia House of Delegates in an appeal of a lower court ruling that new political maps must be used in statewide elections this year because the previous maps were gerrymandered to dilute the influence of black voters - http://bit.ly/2MPLht1
• The Court declined to hear an appeal from the owners of an Oregon bakery who were fined for refusing to create a wedding cake for a gay couple. The justices kicked the case back to lower courts "for further consideration" - https://cnn.it/2WOJAB1

Economy

• Financial forecasters predicted Monday there was a 45 percent chance the U.S. economy would slip into a recession in the next year. That estimate is up from 20 percent at the beginning of 2018 - https://wapo.st/2WMy4G6
• Hundreds of companies and trade groups are warning President Trump his plan to impose more tariffs on Chinese imports would have a devastating effect on consumers and the economy - https://politi.co/2N9Aavx

Whoa! There are an estimated 10,000 foreign spies in Washington, D.C. - http://bit.ly/2WMvkIV

World population exploding. The U.N. says the earth's population will hit 9.7 billion in 2050 - http://bit.ly/2MV7p5D

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1778 - American Revolutionary War: British troops abandon Philadelphia.

1812 - The U.S. declaration of war upon the United Kingdom is signed by President James Madison, beginning the War of 1812.

1815 - The Battle of Waterloo results in the defeat in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte by the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal Gebhard von Blucher, forcing him to abdicate the throne of France for the second and last time.

1873 - Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.

1940 - The "Finest Hour" speech is delivered by Winston Churchill.

1979 - SALT II is signed by the United States and the Soviet Union.

1983 - Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.

Policy News

Mayor Jenny Wilson announces online 'People's Choice' voting for Jordan River Parkway ideas competition
Mayor Jenny Wilson announced that online voting to select the People's Choice Award winner for On The River's Edge Ideas Competition will begin June 18th at 9:00 a.m.

Salt Lake City's economic development director to step down in August
Salt Lake City announced that Lara Fritts, Director of the City's Department of Economic Development will leave her position effective August 2nd. Lara has accepted the role of President and CEO of Greater Richmond Partnership (GRP), the lead economic development organization serving the City of Richmond and counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico in Virginia.

More National Headlines

• Venezuela: A Humanitarian Crisis The Left Couldn't Care Less About (Issues & Insights)
• Tech giants head down 'dangerous' censorship path (The Hill)
• 'Git-R-Done': Trump opens 1.4 million federal acres to hunters, anglers (Washington Examiner)
• Justice Thomas urges U.S. Supreme Court to feel free to reverse precedents (Reuters)
• U.S. shale oil output to rise to record 8.52 million barrels per day in July (Investing)
• Amazon condemns Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for 'starvation wages' comment (CNN)
• Fed chief nears critical decision on rate cut (The Hill)

Wise Words

Find Truth

"The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is." Winston Churchill
 

Lighter Side

No Tariffs

"Apparently foreign dirt is the only import he won't put tariffs on." -TREVOR NOAH