Situational awareness - February 6, 2019

Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City.

Wednesday's news at a glance: Trump gives his State of the Union address. Herbert says lawmakers are on the right path with their Medicaid expansion plans. Utah could ditch straight-party voting on ballots.

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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 37th day of the year. There are 328 days remaining in 2019.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today At Utah Policy

Will Utah get a Medicaid waiver for limited expansion? Republicans in the Legislature are confident it will happen
By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick
Gov. Gary Herbert said Tuesday he believes Utah lawmakers are on the right track with their alternative plan for Medicaid expansion that supplants the voter-approved Prop. 3....

Lawmakers will again consider raising taxes on e-cigarettes
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Perhaps the second time will be the charm....

Proposal requires smaller counties to use the commission form of government
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Saying he wants to protect small counties from heavy-handed special interest political meddling, state Rep. Phil Lyman has a bill that would require the commission form of government only for counties of the fourth, fifth and sixth class....

This could be the year Utah does away with straight-party voting on ballots
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
This may be the year the Utah Legislature does away with straight party-line voting on ballots and if it is, you can probably thank Salt Lake County voters....

Chaffetz says he wants Trump to call for the country to come together in SOTU, but says Democrats 'can't do it'
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Former Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz, who is mentioned as a possible candidate for Utah Governor in 2020, says he hopes President Donald Trump calls for national unity during Tuesday's State of the Union address, but he doubts Democrats will be able to....

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

• Jay Evensen: Utah's never-ending battle over initiatives: What happens next?
• Op-ed: Government is ripe for disruptive innovation
• Editorial: The state of the union is strong when America does the hard work in the middle
• Sage grouse and power lines - not a good mix, Utah study notes
• Utah House rejects legal notice requirement bill amid worry it would hurt local newspapers
• Utah radioactive waste bill draws heat from critics
• Changes may be coming in House to replacement bill for Utah's Medicaid expansion
• Gov. Gary Herbert tells Utah's multicultural students to set goals for higher education
• Utah House panel votes down bill that would allow cities to make local idle-free ordinances with teeth
• Jennie Taylor, widow of Utah mayor and Guardsman killed in Afghanistan, applauds Trump's 'push for peace'
• House committee moves forward resolution to take 'slavery' out of the Utah Constitution
• Utah officials are gearing up to sell medical marijuana - and they need $4 million to do it
• Record-breaking fire season singes Utah's budget

Salt Lake Tribune

• Gotten a parking ticket in Salt Lake City lately? Your state legislators likely haven't.
• Bill to relax legal notices mandate defeated after Utah lawmakers question its impact on newspaper revenue
• Did the Utah Legislature do the right thing by overriding the medical marijuana initiative? Poll shows voters are divided.
• Senate committee unanimously approves gender-neutral amendments to the Utah Constitution
• Utah's Supreme Court takes case filed by a group of voters upset over the state's decision to replace the medical cannabis initiative
• Lawmakers balk, for now, at plan to allow cars to run red lights when the coast is clear
• House committee votes to strip slavery loophole from Utah Constitution: 'What a tragedy that it's taken so long to get to it'
• Utahns praise Trump's State of the Union call for unity even as the president veers into fiery rhetoric

Other

• Jennie Taylor praises 'great Americans' at SOTU address, lauds respectful tone (Standard-Examiner)
• Park City official lauds Utah lieutenant governor of as 'the real deal' (Park Record)

NATIONAL HEADLINES

9 days until the government runs out of funding.

State of the Union 2019

• President Donald Trump's called for bipartisan Unity on Tuesday night while, at the same time, warning about a national crisis at the southern border - https://wapo.st/2GrAzo0
   
• Trump called for an end to the investigations against him, calling out "ridiculous" and "partisan" probes. Lots of people immediately drew a parallel to Nixon calling for an end to the Watergate investigation during his State of the Union in 1974 - http://bit.ly/2Gu6eF5
• President Trump announced he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the end of this month in Vietnam - https://nyti.ms/2GnL63z
   
• Trump called on Congress to outlaw late-term abortions during the speech - http://bit.ly/2GsbF7N
• Democrat Stacy Abrams bashed Trump for the government shutdown "stunt" during the response to the president's speech. She also warned about the growing problem of voter suppression - https://politi.co/2GqbXMq
   
• Speaker Nancy Pelosi said "it will take days to fact check" Trump's speech. She also accused the president of threatening Congress - http://bit.ly/2Gqd66G
• Conservative pundit Ann Coulter blasted Trump's speech as the "lamest, sappiest" SOTU ever. She was upset he didn't spend more time talking about the need for a border wall - http://bit.ly/2GoXeRQ
   
• Speaker Pelosi's sarcastic clapping toward President Trump immediately became an internet sensation - https://wapo.st/2GrBqF9
   
• Snap polling found a mostly positive response from Americans toward the president's address - http://bit.ly/2GscKfR

2020 watch.

• The Democratic field seeking the 2020 nomination may be much smaller than we were initially expecting - http://bit.ly/2GqcnCu
• Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke tells Oprah Winfrey he'll decide on whether to run for president before the end of the month - http://bit.ly/2Gqiy9v
   
• Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar will announce whether she's running for president on Sunday - http://strib.mn/2Gs2Ryw
   
• Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren apologizes for identifying herself as a Native American - https://wapo.st/2GtTluP
   
• A Democratic super PAC is unloading tons of opposition research against potential independent candidate Howard Schultz - https://cnb.cx/2SzWzDm

Trump's travel to Mar-a-Lago has cost taxpayers about $64 million so far. The Congressional Budget Office says Trump's first four trips to his Florida resort in 2017 cost $14 million - https://wapo.st/2GqhvGB

Republicans in Congress are ready to make a government funding deal, without funding for Trump's border wall. GOP Senators say they need to find a bipartisan deal regardless if President Trump will sign it or not - https://wapo.st/2Gt7poC

Documents show how the Trump organization pursued a Trump Tower deal in Moscow during the 2016 campaign. The cache of documents contradict President Trump's claim that the negotiations with Moscow were not very far along - http://bit.ly/2SuuMVa

More trade talks with China on tap. Senior U.S. and Chinese officials will meet next week in Beijing in an attempt to avert a March 2 increase in tariffs - https://reut.rs/2GrxIeL

Scientists discover a huge hole beneath an Antarctic glacier. They're worried the ice sheet is melting much faster than previously thought - http://bit.ly/2GsO6LO

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1778 - In Paris, the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Commerce are signed by the United States and France signaling official recognition of the United States.

1788 - Massachusetts becomes the sixth state to ratify the Constitution.

1862 - Forces under the command of Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew H. Foote give the Union its first victory of the Civil War, capturing Fort Henry, Tennessee.

1899 - The Treaty of Paris, a peace treaty between the U.S. and Spain ending the Spanish-American War, is ratified by the United States Senate.

1918 - British women over the age of 30 who meet minimum property qualifications, are given the right to vote by Parliament.

1952 - Princess Elizabeth became sovereign of Great Britain upon the death of her father, King George VI. She was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953.

1998 - Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Policy News

Senate passes resolution renaming VA outstation after Major Brent Taylor
The United States Senate agreed unanimously to rename the North Ogden Department of Veteran's Affairs Outstation the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation Tuesday....

The Road Home has been awarded a $1.9 M grant that will enhance their rapid re-housing programs for families in the community
The Road Home announced it has been selected to receive an exclusive grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that will total $1.9 million over the next five years....

More National Headlines

• Top Pelosi Aide Tells Insurance Execs Not to Worry About 'Medicare for All' (The Intercept)
• Green New Deal Resolution Poised To Shake Up Democrats' Foreign Policy Debate (HuffPost)
• Ralph Northam aimed to stem resignation calls in his press conference. He failed (CNN)
• Cory Booker schooled by Kavanaugh replacement pick after question on 'LGBTQ law clerks' (FOX News)
• Northam Seeks Signs of Support as Crisis Strains Virginia Leadership (New York Times)
• Howard Schultz Prefers You Use Another Term Besides 'Billionaire' (HuffPost)

Wise Words

Independence

"The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence." Denis Waitley

Lighter Side

Cold

"It was freezing cold in New York City today, with a wind chill that was down to negative 17. Even crazier, that's still higher than Trump's approval rating." - JIMMY FALLON