Situational awareness - February 28, 2019

Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City.

Here are the stories we're following today:

• Prop. 4 backers tried to cut a deal with lawmakers, but talks have stalled.
• The North Korea summit collapses without a deal.
• Michael Cohen drops bombs during his testimony before Congress.

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TICK TOCK

Today is the 59th day of the year. There are 306 days remaining in 2019.

14 days until the final day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (3/14/2019)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today At Utah Policy

Prop. 4 backers sought a deal with lawmakers to compromise on changes to the voter-approved anti-gerrymandering measure
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
UtahPolicy.com has learned that leaders for Better Boundaries, the group behind Prop. 4 which established an independent commission to draw Utah's political boundaries, approached lawmakers earlier this session to discuss possible changes to the voter-approved proposition, b...

Stewart says anyone who thinks President Trump is compromised by Russia has 'lost entire perspective' on the issue
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Rep. Chris Stewart said Wednesday night that anyone who thinks President Donald Trump is a Russian asset has been "corrupted" by their dislike for the president....

Utah Senate approves resolution calling for states to consider amending U.S. Constitution
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
The Utah Senate narrowly gave final approval to a resolution Wednesday to add Utah to the list of states calling for an Article V Convention which allows states to propose and pass amendments to the Constitution....

Team Utah helps connect Utah's life sciences ecosystem to Korean market
By Barbara Araneo, Ph.D., USTAR Acting Executive Director
2018 was a productive year for the Utah life sciences industry, with a concert of public, public-private, and private entities working together to lay the foundation to create new business and partnership opportunities between Utah and South Korea....

Health care costs rising in Utah
By Salt Lake Chamber
The majority of Utahns, over 60 percent, purchase their health care plans through their employers....

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

• Derek Miller: How to build a society of second chances
• Op-ed: Taking a closer look at economic development incentives
• Water in schools, child care centers would be regularly tested for lead under Utah bill
• Does it matter where a baby is born? New report rates states on how well they help babies thrive
• Utah Senate committee gives tentative nod to federal designation in Wasatch canyons
• Resolution calling for constitutional convention passes Utah Senate in close vote
• Utah lawmakers pass bill to allow Medicaid billing for in-school mental health services
• This is what Utah's congressional delegation has to say about Cohen
• Students Against Electronic Vaping says raising sales tax best way to stop teen vaping in Utah
• Utah Senate passes Student Teacher Success Act, part of Our Schools Now compromise
• 'Your voice deserves a place at the table': 2020 presidential candidate Julian Castro speaks to Utah students
• Utah GOP reps vote no, state's only Democrat says yes on universal background checks
• 'Yet another power grab?' Bill filed to give Utah Port Authority more reach, power to block lawsuits
• Time's running out to pass tax reform, but Utah lawmakers are 'going to go at it'

Salt Lake Tribune

• Lawmakers consider bills to help Utahns replace their old polluting cars, wood stoves and snowblowers
• Riding UTA is free Thursday and Friday, and Utah lawmakers may add a bunch more free fare days in an attempt to reduce air pollution
• Rural Utah counties seek a slice of the state's inland port development, while a new bill in the Legislature reignites concerns by Salt Lake City
• Senators say it could be 'dangerous' or 'divine,' but vote to add Utah to the call for a constitutional convention
• A resolution offering support to Utah cities considering nuclear energy is headed to the governor. Environmentalists oppose it.
• Utah Senate signals support for banning abortions based on fetal Down syndrome diagnosis
• Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro visits Utah and describes himself as 'the antithesis of Donald Trump.'
• Utah Rep. Ben McAdams supports universal background checks for gun buyers. Utah's Republican members all vote no.
• Utah Legislature bans double duty in local elected office. The governor has final say.
• Students rally around Utah lawmaker's plan to tax e-cigarettes, saying it will curb the youth vaping epidemic
• After Utah lawmakers replaced two voter-approved ballot initiatives they now go to work changing the initiative rules

Other

• Weber County may not be able to halt controversial payouts to departing leaders (Standard-Examiner)
• Legislative efforts to prohibit plastic bag bans wouldn't impact Logan proposal (Logan Herald Journal)

NATIONAL HEADLINES

BREAKING OVERNIGHT! **North Korea summit collapses.** President Trump abruptly ends talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with no deal. Trump walked away after the North Korean leader insisted sanctions against the country lifted in their entirety. "Sometimes you have to walk," said Trump - https://nyti.ms/2IHFUdA

A wild day in Washington as Cohen testifies. President Trump's former personal lawyer and "fixer" made several allegations during his testimony in front of the House Oversight Committee:

• Cohen testified President Trump knew in advance WikiLeaks planned to release a batch of emails damaging to Hillary Clinton - https://wapo.st/2IIvlqN
• Cohen said President Trump directed him to make hush-money payments to women who alleged affairs with him - https://cnn.it/2IVGzbB
• Cohen made reference to possible undisclosed crimes currently under investigation by the Southern District of New York - https://cnn.it/2IGZXJ6
• Cohen said Trump inflated his net worth so he would be included on Forbes' list of wealthiest individuals, but then revised that number downward to reduce his tax liability - https://cnn.it/2IGpRg7
• Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may have given Democrats a roadmap for pursuing Trump's tax returns - http://bit.ly/2IGIRLe
• Republicans on the committee spent their time trying to discredit Cohen - https://wapo.st/2IFyUOg
• Cohen said he believed there will "never be a peaceful transition of power" if Trump is defeated in 2020 - http://bit.ly/2IGJC72

Congressional Democrats are keeping their powder dry on impeachment. Democratic leaders aren't biting on calls to start impeachment hearings against President Trump following Michael Cohen's testimony, saying they're waiting for special counsel Robert Mueller to wrap up his investigation before taking any action - https://politi.co/2IF7OXD

Trump's inaugural committee hit with a subpoena from Washington, D.C.'s attorney general. The court order is seeking documents related to payments made to the Trump Organization or the Trump International Hotel - https://wapo.st/2IIjVmR

The Democratic-controlled house passes sweeping gun control bill. The measure mandates criminal background checks on all gun sales, including private transactions - https://politi.co/2IK7dnt

Five 2020 Democratic hopefuls endorse marijuana legalization. Sens. Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders are all co-sponsoring a bill to legalize marijuana and expunge convictions for possessing the drug - https://wapo.st/2IH10J2

A new study finds predominantly white school districts get more funding than minority ones. The study said majority white districts get $23 billion a year more than districts that educate mostly non-white children - https://cnn.it/2IGgZXD

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1885 - The American Telephone and Telegraph Co. was incorporated in New York as a subsidiary of American Bell Telephone.

1935 - DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers invents nylon.

1940 - Basketball is televised for the first time. A game between Fordham University and the University of Pittsburgh from Madison Square Garden is aired.

1983 - The final episode of M*A*S*H airs, with almost 106 million viewers.

1993 - Federal agents attempting to serve warrants on the Branch Davidian religious cult's compound near Waco, Texas, were met with gunfire, marking the start of a month-and-a-half-long standoff.

2013 - Pope Benedict XVI resigns as the pope of the Catholic Church, becoming the first pope to do so since Pope Gregory XII in 1415.

Policy News

Register now for the Women in International Business Conference on March 7
In celebration of International Women's Day, World Trade Center Utah invites you to attend the eighth annual Women in Business Conference hosted by the World Trade Association of Utah....

More National Headlines

• Madeleine Albright: Sorry For Not Realizing Romney Was Right In 2012 When He Said Russia Was Our Main Foe (Hot Air)
• Michael Cohen's Morality Play: Trite Theater (Commentary)
• Rep. Tlaib Blows Up Cohen Hearing: It Was a 'Racist Act' for a Republican to Bring a Black 'Prop' (PJ Media)
• Why Pelosi is unlikely to try to impeach Trump (The Hill)
• 'Medicare-for-all' is no longer purely theoretical. Democrats are coming to terms with that (Roll Call)
• What the Media Won't Tell You About ISIS (Atlantic)
• Trump is turning the 2020 election into an abortion referendum. And he's winning. (The Week)
• Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren are wrong. We shouldn't pay reparations for slavery. (Washington Post)
• Jorge Ramos Gets An Education (RedState)
• Democrats block bill to stop infanticide. Politico smears Republicans for the effort (Washington Examiner)

Wise Words

Support

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lighter Side

Oscars

"[Last] Sunday [was] the 91st Academy Awards. Yeah, 91. Ninety-one's old for an awards show, but it's young if you're a Democrat running for president." - JIMMY FALLON