Happy Tuesday!
More than one in three Americans think that a third party is needed to fix the American political system. Some 38 percent of Americans, to be exact, is the highest since the Wall Street Journal and NBC poll started tracking that question in 1995. The poll also shows that only one of every 10 Americans believe the current system is working well. However, polls show that nearly half of Americans are sour on the two top potential candidates talking about running as independents or as third-party candidates, former Starbuck CEO Howard Schultz and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. [CNN][NBCNews]
Topping the news: The U.S. Supreme Court ended five years of court battles over a Utah election law that allows candidates to qualify for the ballot by collecting signatures and/or the traditional caucus-convention system. It refused to hear the Utah Republican Party’s lawsuit on the matter. [Trib][Fox13][DNews]
-> After an emotional testimony by the father of slain University of Utah student, Lauren McCluskey, a bill that would require colleges to implement a campus safety plan for victims of sexual assault, stalking, dating violence or domestic violence, cleared committee with a unanimous vote. [Trib][Fox13][ABC4][DNews]
-> The Utah Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill to strengthen Utah’s hate crime law, which has long been criticized as weak and has never resulted in a successful conviction. [Trib][Fox13][ABC4] [DNews]
-> A committee cleared the way for a final vote soon in the Utah House on whether Utah will join roughly a dozen other states (out of a needed 38) to call for a convention to amend the U.S. Constitution. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @BjaminWood “In the House, Rep. Daw’s bill delaying the implementation of ballot initiatives until after lawmakers have a chance to g̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶ correct any errors in them #utpol”
-> From @AOC “I will have you know my tía was very upset that the ny post insulted her minivan. If they saw how many goldfish snacks were in this thing they’d say I was killing the ocean too”
-> From @RandPaul “Every single Republican I know decried President Obama’s use of executive power to legislate. We were right then. But the only way to be an honest officeholder is to stand up for the same principles no matter who is in power.”
-> From @ElizabethEThorp “My God, why are @Starbucks bathrooms ubiquitously so freaking gross? Also if @HowardSchultz can’t keep his bathrooms clean, how in the world could he possibly lead a country?”
Happy Birthday: to former Trib intern Laura Schmitz
In other news: A trio of bills that passed the Utah House on Monday would delay implementation of successful ballot initiatives to give state lawmakers the chance to correct, adjust or repeal the proposal. [Trib][DNews]
-> After disputes with Mayor Jackie Biskupski, the Salt Lake City Council has decided to hire its own lobbyists. [Trib]
-> A Senate committee advances a House-passed bill to give Utah voters the option to close a loophole in the state’s constitution that allows slavery for those convicted of a crime. [Trib]
-> The Senate advanced a bill to require Brigham Young University’s police force to comply with open records laws. [Trib][DNews]
-> The House votes to support spending $32 million to add more counselors and therapists to schools statewide. [Trib]
-> The full House endorsed a bill to spend $1.2 to fund 17 free-fare days over three years on Utah Transit Authority buses and trains as part of an experiment to help reduce pollution on bad air days. [Trib][DNews]
-> Lawmakers took a first step Monday toward taxing new peer-to-peer car sharing companies, seeking to end what traditional car rental companies complain are unfair financial advantages. [Trib]
-> The House approved a bill that would require local governments to check-in with a state committee before supporting federal land designation. [Trib]
-> A Utah senator shelves his own bill that would have legalized betting on horse racing. [Trib]
-> Utah’s Hunter Power Plant landfill is among the nation’s most contaminated coal-ash sites. [Trib]
-> A new poll shows Utahns have a low opinion of both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. [UtahPolicy]
-> Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski called a hushed conversation caught on audio at an inland port public meeting “politically disgusting.” The port board’s chairman and a Salt Lake City Council member can be heard talking about ways to coax the Mayor to the negotiation table including involving her challenger for the upcoming mayoral election. [DNews]
-> Tribune columnist, Robert Gehrke, discusses the impact that a compromise bill on the management of public lands in Emery County could have on the future of public lands debate in Utah. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley illustrates gastronomy in politics. [Trib]
-> A Tribune editorial says Utah voters won the battle over SB54. [Trib]
Nationally: Hillary Clinton makes it official that she will not run for president again in 2020. [NYTimes]
-> Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said a resolution to overturn President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration could not be stopped after receiving support from four republicans in the chamber. [NYTimes]
-> In an apparent response to controversial remarks made by Rep. Ilhan Omar that were critical of pro-Israel supporters, United States House speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats drafted a resolution rejecting anti-semitism. [Politico]
-> The U.S. House Judiciary Committee as part of an ambitious investigation made a sweeping documents request for communications held between president Trump and a number of his contacts. [WaPost][NYTimes]
-> The National Security Agency has quietly ended a system that analyzed lobs of Americans’ domestic phone calls and texts to hunt for terrorism suspects. [NYTimes]
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-- Lee Davidson and Christina Giardinelli
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