Situational awareness – August 13, 2018

Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City.

Space Force. White supremacist rally outnumbered by counterprotesters. Omarosa recorded her firing in the Situation Room.

  TICK TOCK   

  • 57 days until the last day to register to vote by mail (10/9/2018)
  • 64 days until mail-in ballots are sent to voters (10/16/2018)
  • 71 days until in-person early voting begins (10/23/2018)
  • 78 days until the last day to register to vote in person or by mail (10/30/2018)
  • 80 days until in-person early voting ends (11/2/2018)
  • 85 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
  • 168 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
  • 213 days until the final day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (3/14/2019)
  • 813 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

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  HERE ARE THE STORIES YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO TODAY  

Space Force no go

Our “Political Insiders” don’t think the Trump administration’s plan to create a Space Force branch of the military is not a good idea – http://bit.ly/2vDja5y

Consumer prices increasing

Even though gas prices are starting to fall, housing prices are driving an overall increase in consumer prices – http://bit.ly/2nznU7O


  OTHER UTAH HEADLINES   

Salt Lake Tribune

Op-ed: The ‘leaf blower effect’ spreads the problems of homelessness

Phil Lyman: Sen. Mike Lee is right on Antiquities Act reform

Editorial: Shelter’s rising value shows compassion isn’t killing prosperity

The San Juan County clerk may be investigated after a federal judge says he crossed the line in illegally dumping Navajo Willie Grayeyes from the ballot

It’s a good thing Bill Wyatt likes a challenge: He walked into new job amid launch of $3.6 billion rebuild of Salt Lake City International Airport

Some Utah conservationists worry that ski area land swaps designed to protect the Cottonwood Canyons may have the opposite effect

Operation Rio Grande: One year in and millions of dollars spent lead to one question: Is it working?

Deseret News

Op-ed: Federal methane rules just got undermined by data

Editorial: Trump’s ‘forgotten Americans’ are recovering, but to whom will they give credit?

Gov. Herbert hits mountains, hears of ranchers’ woes, wins

Salt Lake mayor calls for public’s help to guide inland port zoning

Provo voters to decide whether to pay more in property taxes to replace ‘dilapidated’ city buildings

The money behind Utah’s contentious medical marijuana initiative

‘A village came together’ in Bonanza Flat conservation effort

Other

Statewide homeless numbers relatively static in 2018 (Standard-Examiner)

Amidst unprecedented growth and change, Farmington looking for new city manager (Standard-Examiner)


  NATIONAL HEADLINES  

  • A planned white supremacist rally in Washington, D.C. on Sunday was dwarfed by thousands of counterprotesters – https://wapo.st/2w5X9vl

  • Rep. Keith Ellison, who is running for Minnesota Attorney General, is denying allegations posted on social media that he behaved abusively toward a former girlfriend – https://politi.co/2wbSY1t

  • The White House is exploring legal options after Omarosa Manigault Newman claimed she recorded chief of staff John Kelly firing her in the Situation Room – https://cnn.it/2w3kyxC

  • New York Congressman Chris Collins reverses course and has suspended his re-election campaign after being arrested for insider trading. He originally said he would continue his campaign – https://abcn.ws/2w4Qodt

  • President Trump’s learning curve on foreign diplomacy has been a steep one during his first year in office, including attempting to call foreign leaders at awkward times – https://politi.co/2w3ZSpk
  • Some of the most vulnerable Republicans in Congress this election cycle are several up and coming party leaders – http://bit.ly/2w7si1y

  • Six new wildfires erupted in the U.S. this weekend, pushing the number of major fires to more than 100 – https://reut.rs/2w3AjEH

  • Victims of wildfires who want to rebuild their homes are finding prices for building materials are skyrocketing because of President Trump’s trade war – http://bit.ly/2vYQLpG
  • Boring but important: GDP growth is slowing down across the globe, which is contributing to fears of an economic downturn – https://on.mktw.net/2w4Gh8m
  • Privacy alert! Google still tracks your movements via smartphone even if you turn off those settings – http://bit.ly/2w4AyQ9

  ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY   

  • 1889 – William Gray patented the coin-operated telephone.
  • 1961 – East Germany closed the Brandenburg Gate. Construction of the Berlin Wall is started.

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