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Daily Briefing

Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 331st day of the year. There are 34 days remaining in 2017.

The clock:

36 days until candidates can declare their intent to gather signatures for the 2018 election (1/2/2018)56 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)101 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)102 days until the filing period for candidates in the 2018 election opens (3/9/2018)108 days until the filing deadline for the 2018 elections (3/15/2018)113 days until the statewide GOP caucus meetings (3/20/2018)145 days until the GOP State Convention (4/21/2018)211 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)344 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)1,072 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

NEW POLL: As Utah prepares for President Donald Trump's visit to Utah next month to announce how much he plans to downsize the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, a slim majority of Utahns say they support reducing the monuments [Utah Policy].
Real Salt Lake quietly cut the tax bill on Rio Tinto Stadium in half because the club claims it is losing money. Those taxes help pay for the bonds that financed the construction of the stadium [Tribune].
The Utah Attorney General's office has appealed the order to release the opinion prepared for legislative leaders on this year's 3rd Congressional District special election. Gov. Gary Herbert's office initially blocked the release of the opinion [Deseret News, Tribune].
One Utah mayoral race ended up in a tie, so the winner had to be decided by a coin toss [Deseret News].
West Jordan voters decided to switch that city's form of government by just 63 votes [Tribune].
Former UTA board member Terry Diehl wants the government to pay his attorneys fees for the criminal case brought against him but was dropped before the trial began [Deseret News].
The Salt Lake City Council is exploring "creative" ways to bring back the canceled Twilight Concert Series next year, but the effort is likely a long shot [Deseret News].

National headlines:

If the Senate GOP can pass their tax reform package by the end of this week, then they may be able to get a tax bill to President Donald Trump's desk by the end of 2017. If not, then the bill could slip into next year [Politico].
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says the Senate GOP tax plan would give big tax breaks to Americans making more than $100,000 a year and add $1.4 trillion to the deficit over the next ten years. Those earning less than $100,000 per year would be worse off [Washington Post].
The government will run out of money on December 8 unless Congress can pass a new spending measure. Congressional leaders are exploring the idea of adopting a short-term funding package to push the deadline back until late December [Washington Post].
What's next for President Trump if Congress can pass tax reform? Nobody seems to know [Politico].
Nearly a dozen states, including Utah, are bracing for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to run out of money. Five states will run out of funding by the end of the year. Congress seems to be in no hurry to reauthorize the popular program [The Hill].
Congress is bracing for more sexual harassment allegations to come to light [New York Times].
Congressional Democrats are in a tough spot with the revelations about the claims of sexual harassment against Michigan Rep. John Conyers. Conyers has stepped down as the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee [Politico].
Now four women have said they were groped or sexually harassed by Democratic Sen. Al Franken. Franken says he is ashamed but has no plans to step down from office [Minneapolis Star-Tribune].
It sure as heck looks like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is readying to run for president in 2020 [Politico].
Time is running out for Congress to take steps to secure the nation's voting systems from hackers ahead of the 2018 midterm elections [Politico].
The current acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed suit to prevent President Donald Trump from appointing current White House budget director Mick Mulvaney to temporarily head the agency [Washington Post].
Melania Trump really, really, really did not want to become First Lady [Vanity Fair].
George H.W. Bush is now the longest-living U.S. President in history [Time].
It's Cyber Monday. Here are some of this year's best deals for online shoppers [CNN].

On this day in history:

1973 - The U.S. Senate votes 92-3 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President.
1978 - In San Francisco Mayor Geoge Moscone and openly gay city supervisor Harvey Milk are assassinated by former supervisor Dan White.

Today At Utah Policy

52% of Utahns say they support downsizing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor On the eve of GOP President Donald Trump coming to Utah to announce he is downsizing the new Bears Ears National Monument and cutting in half the 20-year-old Grand Staircase/Escalante monument, a new UtahPolicy.com poll finds a bare majority of Utahns support that ...

Policy News

Sens. Lee, Paul, King, Crapo, Merkley request defunding of civil asset rorfeiture expansion Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) joined with Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Angus King (I-VT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Tom Udall (D-NM) in sending a letter to Rules and Administration Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, requesting he defund the Department of Justice's rei...

Hatch statement on the new US Marshal for the District of Utah nominee Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement regarding the nomination of Dr. Matthew Harris to serve as the US Marshal for the District of Utah....

Salt Lake City seeks feedback on informational report on inclusionary zoning programs Salt Lake City's Division of Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) is seeking public feedback on a recently produced report on inclusionary zoning programs....

U of Utah ranks 15th for undergrad and 23rd for grad entrepreneurship studies for 2018 For the seventh straight year, The Princeton Review ranked the University of Utah as one of the top 25 schools in the country in 2018 for entrepreneurship education in a new survey....

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Op-ed: Redistricting in San Juan County is about equity and fairness

Op-ed: Lowering corporate taxes would help Box Elder workers

Op-ed: House tax plan would slow affordable housing

Editorial: For better legislation, let there be light

Editorial: Love's support of Haitian immigrants embodies Utah values

Utah judge hears arguments over making school board elections partisan

Restoring Utah's damaged landscapes: Ephraim center provides vital seed stocks to heal public lands

Utah attorney general's office says panelist who writes for Trib had conflict, fights release of secret opinion on recent election

Rolly: Hatch spent his career sticking up for the little guy? No, but the Dem senator he defeated sure did

West Jordan will adopt new strong mayor form of government after voters OK change by narrow 63-vote margin

How Real Salt Lake scored with a huge tax break that went unnoticed - until now

Deseret News

Frank R. Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb: Post-turkey political gratitude on Thanksgiving weekend

Op-ed: The facts about multiple land use in Utah

Op-ed: Embracing a culture that cherishes traditional American values

Op-ed: Congress needs some schooling when it comes to tuition waivers

Op-ed: The clock is ticking until Utah faces a major natural disaster

Editorial: A lower BAC level will keep Utah's roads safer

Utahns in Congress use social media to varying degrees

Utah attorney general appeals order to release special election opinion

Utah GOP members have various takes on Trump's tweeting

'Every vote counts': Utah mayoral race decided by coin toss

Utah military families find ways to cope with deployments

Ex-UTA board member wants fees covered for 'vexatious' case against him

Looking for another 'Goulding moment'

Other

Editorial: Tax bill adds roadblocks to education (Daily Herald)

Utah County releases final and complete canvass of votes from Election Day (Daily Herald)

Editorial: Do what's best for the future of our children (Standard-Examiner)

In wake of Supreme Court's Weber River decision, stream access advocates urge patience (Standard-Examiner)

Ogden school officials reserved on idea of putting reworked bond plan to voters (Standard-Examiner)

Park City official likens local issues to Third World problems (Park Record)

National Headlines

Saudi vows new Islamic alliance 'will wipe terrorists from the earth' (AFP)

After 30 Years, Alarmists Are Still Predicting A Global Warming 'Apocalypse' (Daily Caller)

GOP pushing ahead on tax-cut plan (Washington Post)

As he investigates Trump's aides, Robert Mueller's record shows surprising flaws (Los Angeles Times)

Congress confronts jam-packed December with shutdown deadline looming (Washington Post)

Rep. John Conyers steps down from committee leadership position amid harassment accusations (NBC News)

'Ashamed' Franken says he'll return to work on Monday (Star Tribune)

How Trump is really changing things (Washington Post)

George H.W. Bush Is the Longest Living President in U.S. History (TIME)

Trump Vows to End CFPB `Disaster' With Temporary Head Mulvaney (Bloomberg)

Rising Oil Prices Reignite the OPEC-U.S. Shale Rivalry (Bloomberg)

Wise Words

Education

"The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." Abraham Lincoln

Lighter Side

Pardon

"The White House held its annual turkey pardon and President Trump pardoned a turkey named Drumstick. Which was nice until he told the turkey, "Okay, now you pardon me." Jimmy Fallon

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