Situational awareness – April 30, 2018

Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City.

Wilson and McAdams avoid primary elections. Count My Vote inches closer. North Korea teases nuclear disarmament. 

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  TICK TOCK  

  • 29 days until the last day to register to vote by mail for the 2018 primary election (5/29/2018)
  • 30 days until the last day to change your party affiliation before the primary election (5/30/2018)
  • 36 days until primary election mail-in ballots are sent to voters (6/5/2018)
  • 43 days until in-person early primary voting begins (6/12/2018)
  • 50 days until the final day to register to vote online or in person before the primary election (6/19/2018)
  • 53 days until in-person early primary voting ends (6/22/2018)
  • 57 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)
  • 190 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
  • 273 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
  • 918 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

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  HERE ARE THE STORIES DRIVING FRIDAY  

Wilson, McAdams win easily

Utah Democrats gave their nominations in the U.S. Senate and CD4 race on Saturday to Jenny Wilson and Ben McAdams, sending them to the November election without a primary [Utah Policy].

Count My Vote gets closer

The Count My Vote ballot initiative is within 500 signatures of meeting the qualifications for the November election [Utah Policy].

Romney and Curtis favored in June

Our “Political Insiders” say they expect Mitt Romney and John Curtis to win their primary election matchups [Utah Policy].

  Other Utah headlines  

  • Utah’s Congressional delegation are giving President Donald Trump credit for the historic agreement between North and South Korea [Deseret News].
  • Mike Kennedy kicks off his U.S. Senate primary election campaign [Daily Herald].
  • Utah economic leaders say the state’s economy is booming, but they are urging caution [Deseret News].
  • Two Republicans are suing the state party for violating the American with Disabilities Act at their recent state convention [Tribune].
  • Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski will unveil her budget proposal on Monday [Tribune].
  • Rep. Chris Stewart includes language in legislation passed by the House last week that offers a lifeline to the now-closed Wingpointe Golf Course, but the facility still needs to find a private investor [Deseret News].
  • A new report says Salt Lake City is among the toughest housing markets for millennials [Deseret News].

  National headlines  

  • North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says his country will give up their nuclear weapons program if the United States promised not to invade [New York Times]. South Korea says they will remove the massive speakers broadcasting propaganda into the north [Associated Press].
  • Republicans are warning President Trump that the GOP could lose both the House and the Senate during the upcoming midterm elections, but Trump is reportedly brushing off their concerns [New York Times].
  • Democrats are starting to look at possible wins in rural Congressional districts this year as their prospects for flipping control of Congress continues to grow [Washington Post].
  • President Trump warns supporters if Democrats take control of the House this year they will impeach him [The Hill].
  • White House physician Ronny Jackson will not return to that role after withdrawing his nomination to head up the VA [Politico].
  • Newly minted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the Middle East to drum up support for sanctions against Iran [Associated Press].
  • President Trump is expected to speak to the NRA’s annual meeting in Dallas later this week [CNN].
  • Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks suggested a large number of Republicans are retiring from Congress over fears they may be assassinated [Roll Call].
  • The Supreme Court’s current term ends in nine weeks. During that time, justices will issue rulings on topics covering immigration, gay marriage, abortion and taxes [USA Today].
  • A caravan of Central American migrants attempting to seek asylum in the United States was stopped at a border crossing when officials said they did not have enough room at the facility [Associated Press].
  • Schools are trying to battle what is being described as an “epidemic” of vaping by students, which is even taking place in classrooms. The practice is even showing up in middle schools [Associated Press].
  • Gasoline prices are expected to skyrocket during this summer driving season [Associated Press].
  • Sprint and T-Mobile have agreed to a merger worth $26 billion [Recode].

  On this day in history  

  • 1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration.
  • 1789 – On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States.
  • 1803 – The U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million.
  • 1812 – The Territory of Orleans becomes the 18th state under the name Louisiana.
  • 1905 – Albert Einstein completes his doctoral thesis at the University of Zurich.
  • 1927 – The Federal Industrial Institute for Women opens in Alderson, West Virginia, as the first women’s federal prison in the United States.
  • 1939 – Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first president to appear on television when he was shown on opening day at the New York World’s Fair.
  • 1945 – Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide after being married for less than 40 hours.
  • 1967 – Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavyweight boxing championship title after he refused to be drafted into the military.
  • 1973 – Watergate scandal: President Richard Nixon announces that White House Counsel John Dean has been fired and other top aides, most notably H.R. Haldeman an John Ehrlichman, have resigned.
  • 1975 – Communist forces gain control of Saigon. The Vietnamese War formally ends with the unconditional surrender of South Vietnam.