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Situational awareness - July 29, 2019

Monday, July 29, 2019 - 12:00pm
Utah Policy

Situational awareness - July 29, 2019

Good Monday 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 you need to know to this morning:

  • Most Utahns say they want the Salt Lake Tribune to stay in business, but less than a third say they read the newspaper.
  • Mia Love rips President Trump for "going too far" with his tweets.
  • President Trump doubles down on his racist attack against Rep. Elijah Cummings.

We want your feedback!

I love hearing from you! Send your news tips or feedback to me at bschott@utahpolicy.com. or you can message me on Twitter.

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 210th day of the year. There are 155 days remaining in 2019.

In-person voting for the 2019 municipal primaries begins tomorrow (7/30/2019)

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

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

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

157 days until candidates can begin to gather signatures to get on the 2020 ballot (1/2/2020)

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

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

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

227 days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (3/12/2020)

228 days to the opening of candidate filing for the 2020 election (3/13/2020)

246 days until the deadline for candidates to submit signatures to be placed on the 2020 primary ballot (3/31/2019)

330 days to the 2020 Utah primary election (6/23/2020)

350 days to the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee (7/13/2020)

392 days to the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte (8/24/2020)

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

Today At Utah Policy

Most Utahns want the Salt Lake Tribune to survive, but just over a quarter say they read it
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Most Utahns want to see the Salt Lake Tribune survive their financial problems and remain in business according to a new survey.

Guest opinion: What's behind socialism's growing appeal?
By Romina Boccia
Romina BocciaSocialism seems to be all the rage these days. Multiple polls show that a majority of millennials (55%), Democrats (57%), and working-age women (55%) view socialism positively.

Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation announces 2019 Outdoor Recreation Grant awardees
By GOED team
The Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation's (OOR) fifth grant cycle of the Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant (UORG), has awarded over $4.3 million in grant funding to 55 different outdoor recreation infrastructure projects throughout the state of Utah.

Utah Thrives podcast: Mine reclamation
By Utah Foundation
Mining was a driving force in America's frontier legacy. A century and a half ago, prospectors and miners began pouring into the Mountain states from Montana to Arizona, in search of wealth or at least a living.

Video: Mia Love rips Trump for 'divisive' rhetoric: 'The president has gone way too far'
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Mia Love Former Utah Rep. Mia Love has had enough of President Trump's Twitter attacks on his political foes and minority members of Congress.

McAdams has the highest approval rating of Utah's members of Congress, while Romney gets the highest disapproval
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Image: Shutterstock Even though he's only been in office for six months, Rep. Ben McAdams has the highest approval rating of any member of Congress from Utah. Sen. Mitt Romney, who was also first elected last year, has the highest disapproval marks from Utah voters.

Video: Stewart says Mueller's testimony puts the brakes on impeachment talk. He also backtracks on whether he'd take info from a foreign government
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Rep. Chris Stewart Fresh off his questioning of former special counsel Robert Mueller as part of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Chris Stewart joined CNN's Wolf Blitzer where he said Mueller's testimony put the nail in the coffin of any potential impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

Report: Trump administration to reject Utah's bid for limited Medicaid expansion
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
The Washington Post reported Friday that the Trump administration is poised to nix Utah's request for increased federal funding to implement a stripped-down Medicaid expansion.

Binders full of... - Bernick and Schott on politics
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
The much-anticipated Mueller hearings came and went this week. Did the marathon television event change any minds?

Most Utahns say foreign interference in elections is a major problem
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Most Utahns believe efforts by Russia or other foreign nations to influence American elections is a problem, with more than half saying that outside interference is a major issue.

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

Salt Lake Tribune

Other

 

NATIONAL HEADLINES

Trump vs. Cummings

  • Over the weekend, President Donald Trump unleashed a racist Twitter tirade against Baltimore and Rep. Elijah Cummings, saying his home district is a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" [WaPo].
  • After taking heat for his racially charged attack, Trump doubled down and accused Rep. Cummings and his defenders of being racist [NYT].
  • The Baltimore Sun went scorched earth on Trump with an editorial hammering Trump saying, "Better to have some vermin living in your neighborhood than to be one" [Baltimore Sun].
  • Whoops! Jared Kushner, President Trump's son in law, owns dozens of apartment buildings in Baltimore that have been cited for code violations [WaPo].
  • Trump's re-election campaign sees a political advantage by stoking racial animus among his political base [WaPo].

Dan Coats to step down. The Director of National Intelligence has often clashed publicly with President Trump [CNN].

  • Trump will nominate Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe as Coats' replacement. Ratcliffe is a fierce ally of Trump [Axios].

Support for impeachment grows. Nearly half of House Democrats now support opening an impeachment inquiry against President Trump [Politico].

Do or die moment. This week's Democratic presidential debates in Detroit will be a critical moment for many of the Democrats running for the party's 2020 nomination. So far, only five of the more than 20 candidates have qualified for the next round of debates in September [CNN].

Dems build cash advantage. Each of the 62 freshman House Democrats raised more money than their top opponent during the most recent fundraising quarter, making the Republican task of re-taking control of the House next year a problematic prospect [AP].

Dem regrets. Privately, several Democratic members of Congress are worried they may have erred by forcing former special counsel Robert Mueller to testify last week [WaPo].

"He calls everybody all the time." President Trump keeps Republicans in Congress in line by staying in frequent contact with several key members [NYT].

Boring but important. The Fed is set to lower interest rates for the first time since the financial crisis [NYT].

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1588 - Spain's "Invincible Armada" was defeated by an English naval force under the command of Charles Howard and Francis Drake.

1836 - Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

1914 - The first transcontinental telephone linkup was completed between San Francisco and New York City.

1921 - Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party.

1958 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the act which creates NASA.

1981 - British Prince Charles married Diana Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

 

Policy News

Cicero Group adds Jose Pires to senior advisors
Cicero Group, a premier management consulting firm focused on implementing data-driven strategies, has named Global Excellence & Innovation President and Founder, Jose Pires, to its council of senior advisors.

More National Headlines

Wise Words

Politicians

 

"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." Aesop
 

Lighter Side

Q and A

 

"Yesterday [July 26], as you likely know, was a big day of testimony in Washington: The premiere of 'Les Muellerables.' Special Counsel Robert Mueller appeared before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees for nearly seven hours of Q. and A. More Q than A." - JIMMY KIMMEL