Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Happy Friday the 13th, even if you’re the superstitious type.
Gov. Herbert may call a special session next week. Mia Love has raised more than $3 million for her re-election bid. President Trump blasts British Prime Minister Theresa May in an interview.
TICK TOCK
- 116 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
- 199 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
- 844 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS NEWSLETTER
Thanks for reading Utah’s must-read daily political news roundup. If you would like to subscribe to our morning newsletter, you can SIGN UP HERE.
Got a confidential news tip? You can reach me via encrypted, secure email at bryanschott@protonmail.com.
HERE ARE THE STORIES YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO TODAY
Special session next week?
Gov. Gary Herbert may call a special session next week so that lawmakers can make changes to the inland port law passed at the end of the 2018 session [Deseret News, Tribune].
What a week!
Primary election results. March for our lives. Supreme Court fight. Trade war hits Utah. Plus, we’re pretty sure Spencer Cox is running for governor in 2020. Chris Jones of KUTV joins Bryan Schott to run down the week in Utah politics – http://bit.ly/2NbpFTh
You can download our week-in-review in podcast form if you want to listen on the go – http://bit.ly/2zBt5Ns
2020 contenders mostly need to raise their profiles
Our newest poll shows Spencer Cox, Sean Reyes, and John Dougall have good job approval ratings, but they still need to let more Utahns know who they are if they plan to run for governor in 2020 – http://bit.ly/2NdIeXa
Mia Love fundraising
Rep. Mia Love has raised more than $3.2 million for her race against Democrat Ben McAdams – http://bit.ly/2utWBi5
Support from surprising places
Bob Bernick says recent polls show Mitt Romney and Spencer Cox get a surprising amount of support from Utah Democrats – http://bit.ly/2NdvyPX
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES
- Organizers of the March for our Lives anti-gun violence rally secure a new venue for their visit to Salt Lake City this weekend [Deseret News].
- The three new homeless shelters slated to open in Salt Lake City may not have enough capacity [Tribune].
- Educators say proposed changes to Utah’s teacher licensing will make the state’s teacher shortage worse [Deseret News].
- Republicans select Marsha Judkins to fill the vacancy in the Utah House created when Rep. Keith Grover was appointed to fill retiring Sen. Margaret Dayton’s seat [Daily Herald].
- The Utah Department of Transportation is doubling the maximum toll for express lanes [Tribune].
NATIONAL HEADLINES
- Trump insulted British Prime Minister Theresa May and London Mayor Sadiq Kahn in an interview published in The Sun tabloid during his visit to the U.K. – http://bit.ly/2Nc8elz
- Also in The Sun interview, Trump said Europe was losing its culture because of immigration – http://bit.ly/2NcnWNx
- Foreign leaders lash out at President Trump after he disrupted the NATO summit to demand that countries increase their spending on defense – https://wapo.st/2Nc98yt
- Republicans in Congress are worried President Trump will be no match for Russian President Vladimir Putin during their summit next week – http://bit.ly/2Ng6RTc
- FBI Agent Peter Strzok defended his actions in the investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia during a contentious hearing in Congress on Thursday. At times, the hearing devolved into a partisan brawl between Republicans and Democrats on the committee – https://nyti.ms/2NeqlHD
- Republicans in the Senate accuse Democrats of trying to “bork” President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh – http://bit.ly/2NdIRQw
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell accuses Democrats of peddling in conspiracy theories over Brett Kavanaugh’s writings about presidential power – https://nbcnews.to/2NdJ0Dy
- White House advisor, and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner still lacks the proper security clearance to view the sensitive intelligence he has been given access to – https://wapo.st/2NfsUcD
- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says talks between the U.S. and China over the growing trade war between the two countries have broken down – https://nyti.ms/2N8ZSv5
- Progressive Democrats in Congress introduce legislation to abolish ICE – http://bit.ly/2NdGaOL
- Dark money is funding more than 40% of all political ads so far ahead of the 2018 midterms – https://usat.ly/2NdCOeG
- Facebook is struggling to explain why they allow conspiracy theory peddling site InfoWars to remain on their platform amid the crackdown on fake news – https://cnnmon.ie/2N7Hjas
- The Justice Department is appealing a decision to allow the blockbuster merger between AT&T and Time Warner – https://cnnmon.ie/2NeITYv
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
- 1787 – The Continental Congress enacts the Northwest Ordinance establishing governing rules for the Northwest Territory. It also establishes procedures for the admission of new states and limits the expansion of slavery.
- 1863 – Opposition to the Federal Conscription Act triggers New York City riots in which at least 120 people died and hundreds were injured.
- 1923 – The Hollywood Sign is dedicated in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles. It originally reads “Hollywoodland,” but the four last letters are dropped after renovation in 1949.
- 1973 – Alexander Butterfield reveals the existence of the “Nixon tapes” to the special Senate committee investigating the Watergate break-in.
- 1977 – New York City experiences an electrical blackout lasting nearly 24 hours that leads to widespread looting.
- 1985 – The Live Aid benefit concert takes place in London and Philadelphia, as well as other venues such as Moscow and Sydney.
- 1985 – Vice President George H.W. Bush becomes Acting President for the day when President Ronald Reagan undergoes surgery to remove polyps from his colon.
- 2013 – George Zimmerman was acquitted in the 2012 shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in a gated community in Florida.