Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City.
Hughes discusses his future political plans. Curtis says Trump’s meeting with Kim was a good first step. The Justice Department is set to release the report on an internal investigation into their conduct during the 2016 election.
Soccerpocalypse! The 2018 World Cup kicks off Thursday morning from Russia. Here’s every matchup and kickoff time.
TICK TOCK
- 5 days until the final day to register to vote online or in person before the primary election (6/19/2018)
- 8 days until in-person early primary voting ends (6/22/2018)
- 12 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)
- 145 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
- 228 days until the first day of the 2019 Utah Legislature (1/28/2019)
- 873 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
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GET SMART FAST – HERE ARE THE STORIES WE’RE WATCHING TODAY
Hughes discusses his political future
Speaker Greg Hughes tells UtahPolicy.com he’s considering a run for governor in 2020, but our latest public opinion poll shows nearly half of Utahns don’t know him [Utah Policy].
Inland port negotiations
Hughes says Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski is not part of the talks over the inland port. Instead, the legislature is talking to the Salt Lake City Council [Utah Policy].
Podcast: Rep. John Curtis
Rep. John Curtis says he’s encouraged by President Donald Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un, but he disagrees with Trump’s feud with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau [Utah Policy]. You can download the full podcast of our interview with Curtis here.
OTHER UTAH HEADLINES
- The Salt Lake City Council has banned Mayor Jackie Biskupski from suing the state over the inland port unless they give her permission [Tribune].
- The Provo Freedom Festival denies the parade applications from five LGBT groups after signing contracts with Provo and Utah County for funding that included non-discrimination clauses [Daily Herald].
- Sen. Orrin Hatch gives an impassioned speech about preventing suicides among LGBT Americans on the Senate floor [Daily Herald].
- Officials at the Road Home unveil their ideas for enforcing rules at the shelter following a scathing audit [Deseret News].
- A new report shows nearly two dozen children died after state child welfare workers got involved in their cases, which is a slight increase over last year [Associated Press].
- A Utah earning minimum wage must work the equivalent of 2.5 full-time jobs to afford a two-bedroom apartment according to a new report [Deseret News].
NATIONAL HEADLINES
- The Justice Department is set to release an internal watchdog report on allegations of misconduct during the 2016 election and their handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server [Politico].
- White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and deputy press secretary Raj Shah are reportedly planning to leave the Trump administration this year, but Sanders disputes the report [CBS News].
- Michael Cohen’s legal team have split with him, fueling speculation he’s about to start cooperating with prosecutors [CNN].
- The Trump administration begins preparations to suspend the planned August joint military exercises with North Korea following Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un [CNN].
- The White House is taking the unusual move of advertising jobs at a Capitol Hill job fair because they are hemorrhaging staffers [Politico].
- The Fed raised interest rates on Wednesday and signaled that more hikes might be on the way [CNN Money].
- The Interior Department wasted more than $400,000 on a canceled study on the health risks of people living near mountaintop coal mines [ABC News].
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
- 1775 – The Continental Army is established by the Continental Congress, marking the birth of the U.S. Army.
- 1777 – The Stars and Stripes is adopted by Congress as the Flag of the United States.
- 1846 – Bear Flag Revolt begins: Anglo settlers in Sonoma, California, start a rebellion against Mexico and proclaim the California Republic.
- 1900 – Hawaii becomes a United States Territory.
- 1922 – President Warren G. Harding became the first president to broadcast a message over the radio.
- 1933 – The first Superman comic book – Action Comic No. 1 – was published.
- 1954 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill into law that places the words “under God” into the Pledge of Allegiance.
