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Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning must reads for Thursday, September 28, 2017

Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 271st day of the year. There are 94 days remaining in 2017.

The clock:

19 days until ballots for the 2017 general election are mailed to voters (10/17/2017)40 days until the 2017 election (11/7/2017)116 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)161 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)404 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)1,132 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

Count My Vote is back! The group filed their proposed ballot initiative on Wednesday to dump the caucus/convention system for nominating candidates in favor of direct primaries [Utah Policy].
Some provisions in the GOP tax proposal would be a big windfall for wealthy Americans like President Trump [USA Today].
Here's everything you need to know about the changes proposed in the new Count My Vote ballot initiative [Utah Policy].
Despite protests and counter-protests, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro's speech at the University of Utah was a mostly peaceful affair [Deseret News, Tribune].
Sen. Orrin Hatch gets behind the GOP tax reform plan, saying it provides relief for the middle class [Deseret News, Tribune].
Uh oh! A controversial Utah County bus rapid transit program is facing an $11 million cost overrun. What's worse? Utah Transit Authority officials found out about it on Facebook [Tribune].
Salt Lake City Councilman James Rogers will win another term in office after David Atkin, his opponent in November's election, withdrew from the race [Deseret News, Tribune].

The Utah High School Activities Association filed suit against the state of Utah and the State School Board over changes to policies governing how and when student-athletes can change schools [Deseret News, Tribune].

National headlines:

The GOP unveiled their tax reform proposal on Wednesday. One big question still remains, though. How they plan to pay for the $5.8 trillion in tax cuts over the next decade [Associated Press].
Deficit hawks in Congress, who previously have been committed to reducing America's debt, are showing very little opposition to the GOP's $5.8 trillion tax cut plan [New York Times].
The GOP tax plan would be a big financial windfall for the wealthy and big corporations [USA Today].
Russian intelligence is still very active on American social media. When President Trump attacked NFL players who kneeled during the national anthem over the weekend, hundreds of Twitter accounts suspected to be controlled by Russians lit up trying to sow discord on both sides of the issue [New York Times].
Even though Russian intelligence used Facebook to boost his presidential campaign last year, President Donald Trump claims that the social media platform is "anti-Trump," and is part of a group colluding to push negative coverage of his presidency [Recode].
A Russian-backed group purchased an ad on Facebook in 2016 that referenced Black Lives Matter. The ad was targeted at an audience in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore [CNN].
Russians impersonated American Muslims on Facebook during the 2016 election and pushed memes that claimed Hillary Clinton admitted the U.S. "created, funded and armed" al-Qaeda and ISIS [Daily Beast].
Here's how Russian intelligence groups use social media to stir the pot on social media in America to gin up outrage online [Axios].
EPA administrator Scott Pruitt took at least four private and military flights for travel since he took office at a cost of more than $58,000 [Washington Post].
A new Quinnipiac University poll finds 57% of Americans say President Trump is "not fit" for the presidency [The Hill].
Things are getting so bad in Puerto Rico that now money is becoming scarce. The island's economy is almost completely shut down in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria [Associated Press].

On this day in history:

1066 - William the Conqueror invades England beginning the Norman conquest of England.
1779 - Samuel Huntington is elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding John Jay.
1781 - American forces backed by a French fleet begin the siege of Yorktown during the Revolutionary War.
1920 - A grand jury indicted eight Chicago White Sox players for throwing the 1919 World Series with the Cincinnati Reds.
1928 - Sir Alexander Fleming notices a bacteria-killing mold growing in his laboratory, discovering what later became known as penicillin.
1982 - The first reports appeared of deaths in the Chicago area from Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide.

Today At Utah Policy

Count My Vote files ballot initiative to kill Utah's caucus/convention system By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor The Count My Vote supporters refiled their citizen initiative petition on Wednesday, and there are a few new and interesting changes from the 2014 version....

Key elements in the new Count My Vote ballot initiative By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Here is what the new Count My Vote citizen initiative would do if passed by voters in November 2018:...

The power of sharing ideas for education reform By Christine Cooke Innovation and sparking a fire within local leaders for more of it is how Utah will find solutions in education, not simply through heaps of money or top-down initiatives....

Weekly survey: NFL protests By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Last week President Donald Trump ignited a social media firestorm when he suggested that NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality should be fired. The response was swift and loud on both sides of the issue. What do you think? Because of th...

Policy News

Why your business should care about government affairs How do taxes, regulation, transportation, health care, education, energy and natural resources impact your business?...

Sens. Lee and Rubio: Families must come rirst for tax relief Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued the following statement in response to tax plan released by the White House:...

Hatch named 'Most effective in Senate' Using a data-based system that analyzes research compiled by the Library of Congress, the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking has named Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) the most effective member of the United States Senate for the most recent Congressional term....

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Op-ed: Utah deserves term limits

Regulators say poorly run Utah gas field is trashing wildlife area

James Rogers retains Salt Lake City Council seat after opponent withdraws past deadline to change ballots

Orrin Hatch, Republicans unveil their tax-reform plan, saying it will help the middle class, businesses

Count My Vote launches voter petition to dump party conventions in favor of direct primary elections

Salt Lake City may stick with deluxe, elevated airport TRAX at four times the cost of basic plan

Controversial Utah County transit project now faces $11M cost overrun

Deseret News

A. Scott Anderson: 8 effective health care reforms

Derek B. Miller: Opportunity knocks on Mitt Romney's door

Orrin Hatch: A unified framework for more jobs, fairer taxes and bigger paychecks

Congressional candidate John Curtis pulls down 'build the wall' Facebook ads

These major tech companies, including one from Utah, are donating money to new White House push

Sen. Orrin Hatch touts GOP tax plan as roadmap for middle-class relief

New Count My Vote initiative filed with state

Canyon residents seek new town called Brighton

Salt Lake City Council candidate withdraws from race, solidifying second term for Rogers

Utah high school sports association sues over law it says usurps its authority

Salt Lake area school seeks distance from its controversial namesake

Why does the Supreme Court care so much about wedding cakes?

Some tension, but mostly peace at Shapiro speech

Salt Lake City Councilman makes pitch for elevated TRAX line to airport

Hepatitis A outbreak affecting Salt Lake County's homeless, leading to vaccination push

Ben Shapiro speech draws hundreds of protesters and supporters

Other

Controversial John Curtis ads blamed on third party digital vendor (Daily Herald)

Orem mayoral and city council candidates debate their visions for managing growth (Daily Herald)

National Headlines

Trump preparing executive order to let Americans purchase health insurance across state lines (Washington Examiner)

Zuckerberg defends Facebook against Trump attack (The Hill)

House GOP poised to move $10 billion for border wall (The Hill)

So many storms: After Harvey and Irma, can a thinly stretched FEMA come through for Puerto Rico? (Los Angeles Times)

FBI Director: Terrorist Drones 'Coming Here Imminently' (Daily Caller)

Conservative victory in Alabama deepens split among Republicans, as insurgents challenge incumbent senators (Los Angeles Times)

Steve Bannon's hard-right embraces season of war inside GOP (McClatchy)

Why didn't TV networks show angry, booing NFL fans Sunday or Monday? (Sporting News)

Trump Proposes the Most Sweeping Tax Overhaul in Decades (New York Times)

JPMorgan Suggests Bet Against CBS Amid NFL Anthem Controversy (Bloomberg)

Stocks, bond yields, dollar up after Trump tax plan (Reuters)

Wise Words

True Patriotism

"True patriotism is better than the wrong kind of piety." Abraham Lincoln

Lighter Side

Top Pick

"North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lashed out at President Trump, calling him "mentally deranged" and "a frightened dog." As a result, Kim Jong Un is now the Democrats' top pick for president in 2020." Conan O'Brien

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