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Situational awareness – June 22, 2018

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Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. 

Utahns favor using National Guard troops on the US-Mexico border. Romney says he wants to tackle immigration if he’s elected in November. The Trump administration puts their “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings on hold.

 

  TICK TOCK   

  • In-person early primary voting ends today (6/22/2018)
  • 4 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)
  • 137 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
  • 220 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
  • 865 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

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  HERE ARE THE STORIES WE’RE WATCHING TODAY  

Troops on the southern border

Most Utahns say they support President Trump’s call to have National Guard troops assist with securing the US-Mexico border according to our new poll [Utah Policy].

Romney wants to focus on immigration

Mitt Romney says he plans on tackling immigration reform if he wins the U.S. Senate election in November. He says it’s crucial for the GOP to show voters they can actually accomplish something in Washington [Utah Policy].

Download the podcast of our full interview with Romney here [Utah Policy].

It’s past time for Congress to act on immigration

LaVarr Webb argues the immigration crisis created by President Trump should spur Congress to take action on the controversial issue [Utah Policy].

  OTHER UTAH HEADLINES   

  • Gov. Gary Herbert is hailing the Supreme Court decision allowing for states to collect sales taxes on internet purchases [Fox 13, Deseret News, Tribune].
  • Rep. Mia Love is the sole member of Congress from Utah to vote against a hardline immigration bill that failed in the House on Thursday [Deseret News, Tribune].
  • A Canadian company has announced they’ll start mining copper and other minerals from a site that used to be inside the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument [Deseret News, Tribune].
  • Utah leaders are taking a “wait-and-see” approach to the Trump administration’s plan to overhaul the federal government [Deseret News].
  • Utah companies are taking an economic hit because of President Trump’s trade war [KUTV].
  • A new coalition hopes to address Utah’s critical lack of affordable housing [Deseret News, Tribune].
  • Residents in Holladay want to stop development at the site of the old Cottonwood Mall [Tribune].

  NATIONAL HEADLINES  

  • President Trump tweeted Friday morning that Republicans in Congress were “wasting their time” on immigration legislation because Democrats were unwilling to vote on any bill backed by the GOP [The Hill].
  • The Trump administration has put its “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings on hold according to a series of emails [CNN].
  • The Justice Department asks a court for the ability to detain migrant families for longer periods of time. Right now, the government must either release the family members or separate children from adults within 20 days [NBC News].
  • The House voted down a hard-line immigration bill, and delays the vote on a more moderate compromise bill until next week as leaders scramble to find enough votes to pass that measure [New York Times].
  • The Pentagon is planning to house up to 20,000 migrant children on military bases [Washington Post].
  • Thousands of migrant children who have been separated from their parents may not be reunited with their families anytime soon…or ever [New York Times].
  • The Trump administration’s plan to overhaul the federal government mostly aims to cut back or rescale social safety net programs [New York Times].
  • EPA head Scott Pruitt wrote only one email to anyone outside of the agency in 10 months using his government account leading watchdog groups to worry he is using private email accounts to communicate [Politico].
  • The White House is floating a proposal that would do away with EPA chief Scott Pruitt’s costly security detail [ABC News].
  • White House officials are trying to restart talks with China before punishing trade tariffs take effect in July [Bloomberg].
  • The European Union imposed tariffs on $3.2 billion worth of American goods, mostly targeting products that come from states won by President Trump in 2016 [New York Times].
  • Turkey slapped $1.8 billion in tariffs on American goods [Bloomberg].
  • The Supreme Court ruled states can collect sales taxes on internet retailers who don’t have a physical presence in that state [CNN].
  • Legendary conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer dies at the age of 68 [CNN].
  • The National Enquirer routinely sent stories about Donald Trump to his attorney, Michael Cohen, for approval before publication [Washington Post].

  ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY   

  • 1870 – The United States Department of Justice is created by Congress.
  • 1898 – The US Fifth Army Corps lands in Cuba during the Spanish-American war.
  • 1940 – France fell to Nazi Germany in World War II.
  • 1941 – Nazi Germany invades the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa.
  • 1944 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs into law the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill.
  • 1969 – The Cuyahoga River catches fire in Cleveland, Ohio, spurring the passing of the Clean Water Act and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • 1973 – President Richard Nixon and Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev signed a pledge to try to avoid nuclear war.
  • 1990 – Checkpoint Charlie is dismantled in Berlin.