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Daily Briefing

Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 338th day of the year. There are 27 days remaining in 2017.

The clock:

29 days until candidates can declare their intent to gather signatures for the 2018 election (1/2/2018)49 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)94 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)95 days until the filing period for candidates in the 2018 election opens (3/9/2018)101 days until the filing deadline for the 2018 elections (3/15/2018)106 days until the statewide GOP caucus meetings (3/20/2018)138 days until the GOP State Convention (4/21/2018)204 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)337 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)1,065 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

POLL: Only 33% of Utahns say they would vote for President Donald Trump if he runs for re-election in 2020. 47% say they would vote for his opponent, whoever that might be [Utah Policy].
President Donald Trump is reportedly pressuring Sen. Orrin Hatch to run for another term in the Senate in order to block Mitt Romney from jumping into the race [Utah Policy].
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon is considering an endorsement of an eighth term by Sen. Hatch because he does not want Mitt Romney to run in 2018 [Utah Policy].
President Donald Trump visits Utah today. While he's here he will meet with LDS Church leaders and speak at the Capitol where he will announce he's reducing the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments [New York Times, ABC News, Tribune].
Thousands of Utahns rallied at the State Capitol on Saturday to protest Trump's impending decision on public lands. A much smaller rally in support of Trump's decision also took place in San Juan County [Deseret News].
After Trump makes his public lands announcement on Monday, groups opposed to the move plan to quickly file lawsuits to stop the changes. Rep. Chris Stewart says there will be a "dramatic" announcement about public lands coming following the president's visit to Utah, possibly as soon as today [Deseret News].
Our "Political Insiders" are split on whether they think the GOP tax plan will become law by Christmas [Utah Policy].
Rep. Dean Sanpei is resigning from the Utah House to take a job in Colorado [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Daily Herald, Tribune].
Rep. Mia Love proposes legislation to end the use of taxpayer funds to settle sexual harassment claims against members of Congress [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
Some Utah tech companies are worried if the FCC nixes net neutrality, it could stifle innovation and leave them at a competitive disadvantage [Deseret News].
Brigham Young University may have given preference to male applicants when making enrollment decisions [Tribune].

National headlines:

Congress must approve a spending measure by Friday to avoid a government shutdown [New York Times].
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he's confident Congress will meet the Friday deadline to avoid a shutdown [CNN].
Following the passage of the GOP tax plan last week, the House and Senate must now meet to hash out the differences between the two versions [Wall Street Journal].
Even though polling shows the GOP tax proposals is unpopular with Americans, Sen. Mitch McConnell says the issue will be a political winner for Republicans in 2018 [Washington Post].
President Trump's lawyer, John Dowd, says he authored a tweet sent out by President Donald Trump on Saturday that said he fired former national security adviser Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI [ABC News].
North Korea warns that U.S. war games in South Korea could trigger a nuclear war [NBC News].
Former Access Hollywood correspondent Billy Bush says there is no doubt that it's President Trump's voice on the infamous tape that surfaced in the last months of the 2016 campaign. Trump has recently suggested the tape may have been altered [New York Times].
Taxpayers footed the bill for an $84,000 sexual harassment settlement involving Texas Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold [New York Times].

On this day in history:

1783 - At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, General George Washington bids farewell to his officers.
1861 - The 109 Electors of the Confederate States of America unanimously elect Jefferson Davis as President and Alexander H. Stephens as Vice President.
1881 - The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.
1978 - Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco's first female mayor.
1991 - American Terry Anderson is released after seven years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut.

Today At Utah Policy

Nearly half of Utahns say they would vote for President Trump's opponent in 2020 By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor As President Donald Trump is set to visit Utah on Monday, most Utahns say they would not vote for him if he runs for re-election in 2020....

Trump trying to persuade Hatch to run in 2018 to keep Romney out By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Shortly after a report surfaced that former White House strategist Steve Bannon was mulling an endorsement of Sen. Orrin Hatch to block Mitt Romney from entering the race, there comes news President Trump is thinking of doing the same....

'Political Insiders' split on whether tax reform will pass by Christmas By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Even though the Senate passed their version of tax reform on Friday night, our "Political Insiders" are not sure they'll be able to get a bill to President Trump's desk by Christmas....

Report: Bannon mulling backing Orrin Hatch to keep Mitt Romney out of the Utah Senate race By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Former White House strategist Steve Bannon is reportedly considering endorsing an eighth term by Sen. Orrin Hatch to block Mitt Romney from jumping into next year's Utah Senate race....

Rep. Dean Sanpei to resign from Utah House By Press Release Representative Dean Sanpei, current House chair of the Executive Appropriations Committee and vice president of strategy for Intermountain Healthcare, will resign from the Utah House of Representatives on December 8, 2017. Sanpei has accepted a position with Centu...

Policy News

Rep. Love: No more taxpayer-funded settlements for sexual harassment Outraged by the use of taxpayer money to settle sexual harassment cases on Capitol Hill, Congresswoman Mia Love has introduced Stop Taxpayer Obligations to Perpetrators of Sexual Harassment (STOP) Act in the House of Representatives. ...

AG Reyes joins effort for national reciprocity Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes joins 23 other states in urging Congress to enact national concealed-carry reciprocity legislation....

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Op-ed: Jail is not for the presumed innocent

Op-ed: How Sen. Hatch can help the poor. Again.

Op-ed: We encourage and support Utah's federal delegation changing the Antiquities Act

Editorial: We need to do more to prevent youth suicide

Gehrke: Romney is waiting in the wings, but I'm betting Hatch runs again. Here's why.

Rep. Dean Sanpei - one of Utah House GOP leaders - resigns to accept new job in Colorado

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes wants Congress to pass a law letting concealed-carry permit holders carry guns in any state

Utah's Rep. Mia Love proposes bill to stop Congress from settling sexual harassment claims with taxpayer money

Utah's Hatch takes victory lap as tax reform measure moves closer to president's desk

'Mormon Land': As Trump prepares to visit Utah, how do Latter-day Saints view him? Hint: It's different than past GOP presidents

Not in my (neighbor's) backyard: Salt Lake City leaders give in to east-side opponents on 'mother-in-law' apartments

Effort to shrink Bears Ears National Monument started before Donald Trump was elected president

Here's what to expect when President Donald Trump lands in Utah on Monday

Deseret News

Frank R. Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb: Tax reform, monuments generate holiday food fights

Op-ed: Multiple-use lands offer a truly diverse outdoor experience

Editorial: Addressing monuments is good. Exempting Utah from the Antiquities Act is better

Editorial: Fears of removing net neutrality regulations have yet to materialize

GOP Rep. Dean Sanpei to resign from Utah House

Utah Rep. Mia Love proposes to end taxpayer-funded sexual harassment settlements

Trump's advance team checks out Utah Capitol

Some Utah tech companies worried about net neutrality vote

Images from the contentious issue of Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments

Timeline: The battle over two of Utah's national monuments

Trumping Clinton and Obama: How did we get here?

Welcome to the state of limbo: Fear and uncertainty in Bears Ears area about future of land, way of life

Trump pushing Hatch to run for 8th term

Legislation, litigation to quickly follow Trump's monument announcement

Hatch, Lee celebrate 'historic' passage of GOP tax bill

Thousands gather in 2 public lands rallies for and against Trump

Other

Op-ed: Utah County needs to move away from current commissioner form of government (Daily Herald)

Point of the Mountain vision will manage growth, but cost billions (Daily Herald)

Provo legislator Dean Sanpei announces resignation from Utah House (Daily Herald)

Overall crime in Ogden is down, but homicides are increasing (Standard-Examiner)

National Headlines

ABC News apologizes for 'serious error' in Trump report and suspends Brian Ross for four weeks (Washington Post)

Flashback: Ted Kennedy Made Secret Overtures to Russia to Prevent Ronald Reagan's Re-Election (Daily Signal)

The Odds of Impeachment Are Dropping (Atlantic)

Mueller aide fired for anti-Trump texts now facing review for role in Clinton email probe (FOX News)

Trump, Defending Himself After Flynn Guilty Plea, Says FBI Is in 'Tatters' (New York Times)

What's different about a Trump Christmas? (BBC News)

Grassley: Ending estate tax 'recognizes people that are investing,' not 'spending every darn penny' (The Hill)

US quits UN global compact on migration, says it'll set its own policy (CNN)

Sports betting, states' rights on tap at Supreme Court (USA Today)

Flynn who? For the stock market, it's all about tax cuts and the Santa rally (MarketWatch)

Australia to probe Facebook, Google over media disruption (Reuters)

Wise Words

Knowledge

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." Benjamin Franklin

Lighter Side

Lights

"President Trump and his family lit the national Christmas tree. Of course, Trump refused to light it until everyone agreed his tree had the most lights in history - "800 million billion." Jimmy Fallon

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