Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City.
Utahns oppose abortion. Romney eyes a prominent role in Congress. Trump prepares for his historic meeting with Kim Jong Un.
TICK TOCK
- Early primary voting begins tomorrow (6/12/2018)
- 8 days until the final day to register to vote online or in person before the primary election (6/19/2018)
- 11 days until in-person early primary voting ends (6/22/2018)
- 15 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)
- 148 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
- 231 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
- 876 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
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HERE ARE THE STORIES WE’RE WATCHING TODAY
Utahns mostly oppose abortion
Our newest UtahPolicy.com survey finds most Utahns oppose abortion, which is why Mia Love is using it as a campaign issue against Ben McAdams [Utah Policy].
SB54 lawsuit loses again
The 10th Circut Court in Denver refused the Utah GOP’s request for another hearing in their lawsuit challenging Utah’s dual-track system for candidates [Utah Policy].
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in
Here’s why Mitt Romney decided running for Utah’s U.S. Senate seat was too good to pass up [New York Times].
Mitt Romney seeks to boost the establishment wing of the GOP that has been thoroughly steamrolled by President Donald Trump if he wins election to the U.S. Senate [Utah Policy].
Endorsement battle
Both Mitt Romney and Mike Kennedy roll out high-profile endorsements ahead of their June primary matchup, but some of Kennedy’s endorsements may not be real [Utah Policy].
Losing, then winning?
Even though Count My Vote narrowly missed qualifying for November’s ballot, our “Political Insiders” expect the Utah Supreme Court to look favorably on their appeal [Utah Policy].
Social media courage
LaVarr Webb Sen. Todd Weiler is a “brave man” for engaging so much on social media [Utah Policy].
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES
- House Speaker Paul Ryan praised Sen. Orrin Hatch at the annual “Giant in our City” event [Tribune].
- Most Utah schools have spent $1,000 or less on suicide prevention programs [KSL].
- Utah schools are preparing to shift to a new standardized test for 9th and 10th graders [Deseret News].
- Opponents of the proposed medical marijuana initiative say the language in the measure is too broad and could open the door for recreational use [Tribune].
NATIONAL HEADLINES
- President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un are making final preparations for their historic summit meeting on Tuesday [Associated Press].
- It’s not clear what, if any, deal will emerge from the Trump/Kim meeting. Both sides may have a different interpretation of North Korean denuclearization would look like [New York Times].
- President Donald Trump blows up the G-7 meetings, refusing to sign a joint statement with America’s traditional allies, then accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of being “dishonest and weak” on Twitter [New York Times].
- Meet the guys who are responsible for taping back together documents President Trump tears up. Federal law requires the preservation of all memos, letters, and emails, but Trump has a habit of tearing up papers when he’s done with them [Politico].
- The Supreme Court has some blockbuster decisions still on their docket with just three weeks left in their term, including partisan gerrymandering, President Donald Trump’s travel ban, and internet sales taxes [Bloomberg].
- Monday marks the official end of the Obama-era net neutrality rules, which were intended to block internet service providers from speeding up or slowing down access to online services [CNN].
- Former President Obama is meeting with possible Democratic presidential candidates ahead of the 2020 election [Politico].
- There may be more staffers heading for the exits in the Trump White House, including chief of staff John Kelly [New York Times].
- Robert De Niro says “F*** Trump” at the Tony Awards and gets a standing ovation from the crowd [Variety].
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
- 1184 BC – The city of Troy is sacked and burned according to calculations by Eratosthenes.
- 1770 – British explorer Captain James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef.
- 1776 – The Continental Congress appoints Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston to the Committee of Five to draft a declaration of independence.
- 1788 – Russian explorer Gerasim Izmailov reaches Alaska.
- 1805 – A fire consumes large portions of Detroit.
- 1920 – During the Republican National Convention in Chicago, party leaders gathered in a room at the Blackstone Hotel to come to a consensus on their candidate for the presidential election, leading the Associated Press to coin the political phrase “smoke-filled room.”
- 1963 – Alabama Governor George Wallace defiantly stands at the door at the University of Alabama in an attempt to block two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from attending that school. Later in the day, accompanied by federalized National Guard troops, they are able to register.
- 1963 – Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc burns himself with gasoline in a busy Saigon intersection to protest the lack of religious freedom in South Vietnam.
- 1963 – President John F. Kennedy addresses Americans from the Oval Office proposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
- 1990 – The Supreme Court struck down an anti-flag-burning law passed by Congress the year before.
- 2001 – Timothy McVeigh is executed for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
