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A special holiday Take 2 podcast for Thanksgiving features 2News Anchor Heidi Hatch and former lawmakers Jim Dabakis (D) and Greg Hughes (R).

The three-member panel talks about Trump in Florida for Thanksgiving after being given the opportunity to testify next week in his impeachment hearings. Will he? Should he?

The trio tackles those questions and more:

• Melania Trump was booed in Baltimore in her speech on opioids. Was the heckling warranted?
• Federal Animal Cruelty Law: The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT) is a bipartisan initiative that bans the intentional crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, impalement or other serious harm to “living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians.”
• Insulin Cost: Utah Legislature takes on soaring prices.
• Amber Alerts: Why can’t Utah get them right? This week’s Amber Alert sent with 511 number and no information and last month’s Amber Alert said, “GryTyt” and nothing else.
• Debt Ceiling: Cliff coming Dec. 20. Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney voted against the budget lifeline last week. Could we face another shutdown and over the holidays?
• Thanksgiving: Is there anything you are thankful for that the party of which you don’t belong is doing something right?
• Politics at the table on Thanksgiving? Do you discuss it?

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This week, 2News Anchor Heidi Hatch moderates debate between former lawmakers Jim Dabakis (D) and Greg Hughes (R) in the weekly Take 2 podcast.

The three-member panel talks about Trump’s call to wage war on cartels after 9 victims were killed in an ambush-style attack on Monday. What does the United States need to do if anything?

That and more is talked about including:

• Election wrap-up and low voter turnout that resulted in the win of Erin Mendenall as Salt Lake City’s 36th mayor.

ERIN MENDENHALL — 58.17% — 25,502

LUZ ESCAMILLA — 41.83% — 18,342

• Tax Meeting: A state tax cut from $75 million to $100 million, with a flat-rate of 4.5 percent, down from the current 4.95 percent.
• Food Tax: Refund if you can’t afford the food tax? Taxation of new services?
• Hunstman family’s donation of $150 million to mental health at the University of Utah.
• Is Jon Huntsman, Jr., going to announce candidacy this coming week for the governor’s seat?
• The Salt Lake Tribune officially becomes a non-profit.
• Sen. Mitt Romney joins bipartisan Climate Change Caucus.

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2News Anchor Heidi Hatch hosts another epic Take 2 Podcast with guests Maura Carabello, of the Exoro Group, and Utah’s former Speaker of the House, Greg Hughes.

The trio talked about how the Utah congressional delegation voted on party lines with the Trump impeachment inquiry. They also talked about the following topics:

• Mail-in Ballots: How is voter turnout? Will people vote or let the day slip by in an off-year election?
• Twitter No More Political Ads: Should the rest of the internet follow suit?
• Homeless center issues continue. There’s a cold snap and there aren’t enough beds. Who’s at fault?
• Kanye bringing Jesus back? Can this save our Country?
• New Beer: The state stayed up late dumping the week stuff down the drain 3.2%. This was a big enough deal Budweiser’s Clydesdales came for a funeral procession. Now what? Business as usual?

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This week, 2News Anchor Heidi Hatch moderated a debate between Maura Carabello, from the EXORO Group, and Greg Hughes, former Utah House Speaker in a new episode of the Take 2 podcast.

The panel discussed Sen. Mike Lee’s demand of Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke to take back what he said about religious freedom.  The former Texas congressman proclaimed in a recent town hall meeting that churches should lose tax-exempt status if they oppose same-sex marriage.

Other topics the trio discussed included:

• Utah Legislature looking at incentives for daycare as families struggle to find resources.
• Tampon Tax – Utah lawmakers killed the bill in 2016; new effort to make tampons a medical necessity.
• LDS Church releases a statement opposing a proposed conversion therapy ban.
• New advertisement calls Sen. Mitt Romney a “Secret Democratic Asset.”
• Democratic Debate: Presidential candidate Elizabeth Ann Warren show, hits, and misses.
• Elizabeth Warren tries to trap Facebook with fake ad: Hit or miss?

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2News Anchor Heidi Hatch hosts another debate on issues important to Utahns between Maura Carabello, of The Exoro Group, and Greg Hughes (R), former Speaker of the House, on the Take 2 podcast.

The three-member panel talked about the University of Utah being selected to host the 2020 vice presidential debate on Oct. 7, 2020. It’s a  first for Utah and the only one in the West this election cycle.

Additional topics discussed are:

• Tulsi Gabbard believes the nominating process is rigged. Should she boycott the debate?
• Competing rallies outside Ben McAdams Office: Our own Greg Hughes among them.
• Sen. Mitt Romney comes out swinging against Trump this week and Trump swings back.
• Do we need tougher adoption laws in the state with this week’s human trafficking case?

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2News Anchor Heidi Hatch facilitates a lively discussion between Utah lawmakers Jim Dabakis (D) and Greg Hughes (R) on the Take 2 podcast.

The three-member panel tackles the issue of the Salt Lake City mayoral race. Is Dabakisready to back one of his former rivals? Listen in to find out and also what is speculated about former U.S. Russian Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Jr. candidacy for governor.  Will he or won’t he run?

What is known is that businessman Greg Miller is not running for the state’s top seat, saying in a prepared statement:

After careful consideration, I have decided not to run in the 2020 election. At this time, I believe I can do more to enrich the lives of my fellow Utahns through my work in the private sector and through philanthropic and community engagement.

What about Hughes? He has half-a-million dollars earmarked for a campaign but is he joining the governor race?

Additional topics discussed include:

• Should the Utah High School Athletic Association (UHSAA) fine schools who forfeit because of injury?
• California is going to start paying college athletes. Should Utah follow suit and does anyone get hurt?
• Cannabis banking heads to the Senate after fall break.
• Bernie Sanders was recently hospitalized. Is there an age that is too old to run?

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2News Anchor Heidi Hatch meets with former Utah lawmakers Jim Dabakis (D) and Greg Hughes (R) on the Take 2 podcast to discuss the recent hearing from the  Utah Division of Occupational & Professional Licensing that took public comment on rules for conversion therapy.

The controversial, pseudoscientific practice of trying to change an individual’s sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual using psychological or spiritual interventions was a heated topic at the Thursday hearing.

Other issues the panel debated included:

• Utah 9th best state for teachers considering salary and cost of living and the possibility for advancement. However,  Utah is 49th for student-teacher ratio and 50th for spending on students.
• Voter registration deadlines coming.
• Tribune Investigation into Governor Cabinet member’s “side hustle”
• Impeachment inquiry

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**Warning: Viewer advised that an expletive is said in this podcast and in the video.**
This week, 2News Anchor Heidi Hatch posed some heavy-hitting questions to former Utah lawmakers Jim Dabakis (D) and Greg Hughes (R) on the Take 2 podcast.

The panel discussed the following topics:

• Utah Women can go topless,
• Climate Change in Utah,
• Driver’s License Division allowing law enforcement to scan your ID,
• John Swallow’s big payout,
• Cannabis in Corrine Utah,
• Salt Lake County Mayor heads to the border,
• Utahns favor “red flag” gun laws.

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The Take 2 podcast welcomes back former Utah lawmaker Jim Dabakis, representing Democrats and speaking about the latest political topics with former Speaker of the House, Greg Hughes.

Host Heidi Hatch takes the two through topics that include a possible special session of the Utah Legislature to tackle the unfinished system of medical marijuana. They respond as one mother says she could lose her children because she uses CBD.

They also talk about Jeff Burningham, who recently threw his hat into the ring to be Utah’s next govenor. He is already $200,000 ahead of front runner Spencer Cox in fundraising.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes backs the maker of guns in the appeal of the Sandy Hook shooting. Ten states and nearly two dozen members of Congress are joining the NRA in supporting gunmaker Remington Arms and it fights a Connecticut court ruling involving the liability for the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

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2News Anchor Heidi Hatch speaks with Rep. Chris Stewart (R-2nd Dist.) in this week’s Take 2 podcast.

The duo discussed the congressman’s recent travels for intelligence briefings and the $54 million earmarked for Hill Air Force Base that President Trump took to allocated to the border wall. They also talked about the likelihood of gun reform when Congress is back in session on Monday.