Situational awareness - March 27, 2018

Derek Miller named new head of the Salt Lake Chamber

By LaVarr Webb and Bryan Schott

Derek Miller has been named the new president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber.

Read more...

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Situational awareness - March 27, 2018

Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City. Welcome to Utah's must-read daily political news roundup. 

Utahns don't think the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in 2016. None of the ballot initiatives have enough signatures to qualify for the ballot yet, but a few are getting close. President Trump's approval rating is the highest in nearly a year. 

Tick Tock

• 20 days until the signature-gathering deadline for statewide ballot initiatives (4/15/2018)
• 26 days until the Utah GOP State Convention (4/21/2018)
• 33 days until the Utah Democratic State Convention (4/28/2018)
• 92 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)
• 225 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 308 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
• 954 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

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Here's what's driving the day

Utahns say "No collusion"

A new UtahPolicy.com survey finds a slim majority of Utahns say there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election [Utah Policy].

Which initiatives will make the 2018 ballot

According to records obtained through a GRAMA request, we now know how many signatures the various ballot initiatives have in their quest to qualify for the ballot. The medical cannabis petition is the closest to qualifying right now. However, the Keep My Voice initiative has not submitted a single signature so far [Utah Policy].

Are gun opponents going too far?

Jared Whitley argues that gun control advocates keep shooting themselves in the foot with their rhetoric [Utah Policy].

Political bracket challenge

We had another big upset as House Majority Leader Brad Wilson knocked off Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox on Monday. Here are the rest of the results [Utah Policy].

We've got four more matchups in our round of 16 for you today [Utah Policy].

Other Utah headlines

• Speakers at Rep. Chris Stewart's annual security conference say it's much too early to judge President Trump on foreign policy. They also say there's an urgent need to address Russian hacking ahead of the 2018 election cycle [Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• U.S. Senate candidate Mitt Romney says he will be more conservative on immigration than President Trump [Daily Herald].
   
• Utah County is backing away from vote-by-mail for the 2018 election [Daily Herald].
   
• Rep. Mia Love is catching some heat for backing off a pledge to support stronger gun measures according to social media posts in a private Facebook group [Think Progress].
   
• LDS Church leaders announced changes on Monday to policies on how bishops and stake presidents handle allegations of sexual abuse [Deseret News].
   
• The University of Utah and Utah State University are considering 4 percent tuition hikes next year [Tribune].
   
• Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman says it's time for that country to demonstrate more responsible behavior if they want a better relationship with the U.S. [Tribune].
   
• The NetSmartz program, which teaches internet safety, received state funding from lawmakers for another year [Tribune].

National headlines

• President Donald Trump is having trouble attracting top legal firms to represent him in the Russia investigation. Why? Because Trump has a history of not paying his lawyers and not listening to their advice [Washington Post].
   
• President Trump is reportedly talking about bringing back Rob Porter, the aide who resigned after allegations he beat his two ex-wives [New York Times].
   
• Weird story: Nevada Republican Rep. Mark Amodei suggested House Speaker Paul Ryan is planning to resign from office this spring. Ryan's office immediately dismissed the speculation [Washington Post].
   
• Poll #1: President Trump's approval rating sits at 42%, which is the highest level in nearly a year [The Hill].
   
• Poll #2: Those who say they are most enthusiastic about voting in November's midterm elections give President Trump the highest disapproval ratings [Washington Post].
   
• The 2020 Census will include a question about citizenship status, which sparked outrage from civil rights groups. California officials announced the state will sue the Trump administration immediately over the controversial question [Politico].
   
• White House attorneys are investigating whether two giant loans made to Jared Kushner's family business may have violated federal ethics laws [Wall Street Journal].
   
• Russia is warning of retaliation after more than 20 countries, including the U.S., expelled at least 100 diplomats over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in the U.K. [CNN].

On this day in history

• 1794 - The U.S. government establishes a permanent navy and authorizes the building of six frigates.
   
• 1866 - President Andrew Johnson vetoes the Civil Rights Act of 1866. His veto is overridden by Congress. 
   
• 1886 - Geronimo, Apache warrior, surrenders to the U.S. Army, ending the main phase of the Apache Wars.
   
• 1915 - Typhoid Mary, the first healthy carrier of disease ever identified in the U.S., is put into quarantine, where she would remain for the rest of her life.

Today At Utah Policy

Slim majority of Utahns say they don't believe the Trump campaign colluded with Russia
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
A little more than half of Utahns say they don't think Donald Trump's presidential campaign colluded with Russian agents during the election. However, the issue breaks sharply along partisan lines....

2018 Utah political bracket challenge: More 'Sweet 16' matchups
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
We've got the last of our round of 16 matchups on tap today....

Medical marijuana ballot close to qualifying for November's ballot; Keep My Voice has not submitted any signatures yet
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
The citizen initiative to legalize medical marijuana in Utah is close to getting enough signatures to secure a spot on November's ballot. But, the group seeking to repeal the signature-gathering route for candidates has not yet submitted a single signature to Utah election o...

2018 political bracket challenge: Cox upset in the 'Sweet 16'
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Another stunning upset today in our 2018 bracket challenge as the first four competitors make it to the round of 8....

How gun control advocates keep (pardon the pun) shooting themselves in the foot
By Jared Whitley
We were working on an anti-sex offender bill, many years ago when I was a Senate staffer. One of the demands we heard for our "get tough" legislation was that there should be mandatory minimums for child sex offenders. If someone harmed a child, they should spend at least 20...

Policy News

Utah's federal delegation is recognized for pro-business votes
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce named all six members of Utah's congressional delegation as Spirit of Enterprise Award winners for their support of pro-growth, pro-jobs policies during the first session of the 115th Congress....

Fox files 'The guild is coming to town'
Odds are, if we have a conversation in the next year, you'll hear from me in person about how excited I am to host the next Site Selectors Guild Conference....

Salt Lake City starts consumer financial protection initiative
Salt Lake City is launching a Consumer Financial Protection Initiative to strengthen consumer rights and protect residents from predatory financial practices....

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: The Legislature was right to allow recorded conversations

4 percent tuition hikes expected for University of Utah, Utah State

Oil and gas company is shirking its royalty obligations to Utah's school fund, state regulators claim

Gehrke: A secret recording launched a sex-assault scandal. The LDS Church received it the same month it tried to ban secret recordings in Utah.

Utah's jail standards show importance of day-to-day policies as lawsuits target largest jails for deadly breakdowns in inmate medical care

Floating trash on the Jordan River threatens entire species of waterfowl, but a new project aims to fix that

Ambassador Huntsman says it's time for Russia to be a 'more responsible partner'

Utah's Rep. Stewart offers solutions to stop Russian meddling in the upcoming midterm elections

Rep. Mia Love again says she's open to action on guns

Deseret News

Editorial: Spending bill is fiscally irresponsible

1.5 percent base tuition increase proposed for state colleges, universities

Jordan River trash boom targets floating garbage, protects Great Salt Lake wetlands

Too early to judge Trump on national security, foreign relations, congressmen say

Other

Utah County moves away from vote-by-mail - contrary to some city officials' wishes (Daily Herald)

At Q&A in Provo, Mitt Romney says he's more conservative than Trump on immigration (Daily Herald)

National Headlines

Trump's approval rating is *this* close to Obama's and Reagan's (CNN)

Did Facebook's 'favors' for the Obama campaign constitute a violation of federal law? (FOX News)

The Paris Climate Accords Are Looking More and More Like Fantasy (New York Magazine)

Rapper Who Performed at 'March for Our Lives' Previously Pled Guilty to Gun Crime (Free Beacon)

US, allies band together to expel Russians over spy case (Associated Press)

Do voters care about Trump's sexual history? Ask Bill Clinton (The Hill)

FLASHBACK: MSM Deemed Clinton-Lewinsky Affair Nothing More Than Consensual Sex (CNN)

McConnell wants hemp removed from controlled substance list (Washington Post)

Cynthia Nixon calls Cuomo 'Andrew the Bully,' compares him to Trump (CNN)

Facebook's FTC probe rocked the stock. But will anything rein in Facebook? (USA Today)

Stocks Rebound as Trade Tensions With China Ease (Wall Street Journal)

Wise Words

Society

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
 

Lighter Side

Putin

"In addition to President Trump, it turns out Kim Jong Un also called Putin to congratulate him on his election victory. Putin said afterward, "Wow, I'm hearing from all the crazies." Conan O'Brien